New Hats!

Ayden has become a hat-wearing little boy! Just like his daddy, so cute! He had really outgrown the ones he had so today we bought him a couple new ones at the mall. Chris chose the Razorback one, and we couldn't get out of the store without Ayden's choice- a "Tow Mater" hat from the movie Cars. What a cute little guy!

Ayden meets the Easter Bunny!

Ready to go!

He couldn't take his eyes off the bunny, lol!

Baby bump!

Here are my first official baby bump pics! I didn't start showing with Ayden until well past 20 weeks but with my weight loss I am noticing my bump much earlier this time :) I will be 14 weeks tomorrow, and according to Baby Center, little baby Anderson is the size of lemon and weighs 1.5 oz and is 3.5 inches long. Other milestones this week:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

I am starting to feel random "flutters" and am getting so excited to get to the point where I feel regular movements, which was by far my favorite part of pregnancy with Ayden! This pregnancy does seem to be going faster than my first, as everyone says it would! I am still sick, lately the middle of the night being the main time! But it's nothing a 2 AM bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios doesn't cure most of the time! I am allowing myself one caffienated soda per day, and I crave it like a drug addict craves heroin! Don't get between me and my daily Coke! Otherwise I am doing my best to get in all the calcium and Vitamin D I can in my diet, plus an extra 2000 mg and 2000 units of each in supplement form. I was Vitamin D deficient when I had my blood drawn at the weight loss doctor a few weeks ago and they told me it would take 3-4 months to get my levels back to normal. The baby will take all it needs from me, so I am being very cautious to get all my supplements so I don't end up with rickets or osteoporosis by the time I am 30! Well I will quit rambling and get to the reason for this post. My tiny baby bump. I plan to post a new pic about every 4 weeks from here on out!

90% chance it's a...

I took the Gender Predict Test this morning and got a very clear boy result! (dark blue/green is boy, orange/yellow is girl). As I have said all along, we will be absolutely thrilled for a boy or a girl but it's very exciting to have an idea of a gender to put with this baby! The official ultrasound is in 5 weeks so I will refrain from actually announcing the sex to the world and buying cute little monkey and frog onesies until that time :) A boy was my original "feeling" at the beginning of the pregnancy but lately I have had no clue. Chris and I have been in a week long debate over a girl name (after we changed our minds about our first choice) and finally reached an agreement last night on Addelyn Claire. BUT, it looks like that is not even going to be an issue!

Fun weekend!

This past weekend we went to Mena for Finleigh's 1st Birthday party! Ayden was so excited about the party, he talked about it all week! He also got to squeeze in some quality time with his cousins and grandparents. As always it was too short of a visit (even though the spring snow storm kept us there an extra night!) but we had a great time!


2 very handsome Anderson boys!

Look out, ladies!

Ayden, Emery Jai, and Evergrace


Helping Finleigh open her presents!

Sweet birthday girl!



Cake face!

Too Stinkin' Cute!

Today is picture day at Ayden's Mom's Day Out, so before we left this morning, I did a couple of practice pics with him (cause, you know, he never ever gets his picture taken, lol). They turned out super cute! I can't believe how grown up he looks! And so much like his handsome daddy!

p.s. his latest obsession is putting his hands in his pockets :)

His "serious" look

Big smiles!

12 weeks 2 days!

Today was my 2nd OB appointment. They were able to doppler the baby's heartbeat for the first time, 160 beats per minute and baby was moving all over the place! Ayden loved listening to the heartbeat! My blood pressure was 120/60 and I lost 1.5 pounds, thanks to first trimester nausea! I am still sick everyday, between 5-7 am being the worst whether I am at work or home in bed. At work, I eat a small snack every 2 hours and that helps. At home, I keep saltine crackers on my bedside table and they work great for settling my stomach in those early morning hours. Luckily I am not vomiting, just nauseated. I have been having some intense cravings for everything from eggrolls to oranges and I have started loving milk! I drink 3-4 glasses everyday but before pregnancy I was never a regular milk drinker. It's amazing how the body craves what is good for the baby (except for the eggrolls I guess, lol). My next appointment is in 4 weeks and I also scheduled my ultrasound for April 29th to check the baby's development and of course GENDER! Only 6 more weeks until we can start calling the baby by his or her name! Continue to keep us in your prayers!

Feeding the Fishies!

This afternoon we took the 45 minute drive up to Cassville, MO to take Ayden to Roaring River State Park where they have a really cool trout hatchery. We bought trout food from the little machines and let Ayden feed the fish and he loved it! The water was crystal clear and you could see so many fish! We had to keep a tight grip on him though because he lunged for the water several times! We'll definetely be coming back here again (and hopefully it will be warmer next time!)

Singing ABC song

Ayden loves to sing his ABC song--except for when the camera is in his face, lol! He still does a pretty good job on the videos but not as good as when he thinks no one is looking! One video is him singing and getting distracted every few letters-so funny! The other video is the best version of the whole song I could get on film! Enjoy!

Little Driver!

Shorts and Sunshine!

We are finally getting a little taste of Spring and it's wonderful! We spent awhile outside this morning enjoying the beautiful weather before the rain and storms get here later today. We got Ayden's tractor out for the first time since fall, moved it up into 2nd gear (the fastest speed) and let him go! He loved it! I was surprised at how fast it really goes...he almost needs a seatbelt because when he crashes he comes up off the seat! But he finally figured out how to just keep it going in one big circle and he rode it non-stop until the battery died! Now I am anticipating that he will take a great long nap after all the fun outside! :)

Just for fun!

I have added a poll at the top of the page for everyone to vote on what gender they think the baby is. I wish I could say that I am one of those insightful mothers (like my own mother) who just "knew" with complete certainty from the moment of conception whether or not I was carrying a boy or girl. But I'm not. My "feeling" about the baby's gender changes daily. Sometimes I really think it's a girl because this pregnancy has already been different, and maybe because my mom had a boy and then a girl (which I know has nothing to do with it!), but in my mind it just makes sense. Plus I think it's just automatic for people to assume you will have the opposite sex child of your first. But then again, being a boy mommy at the moment, I cannot imagine life with a girl! Also, I have always had a feeling that I would have 3 sons. I have no idea why, especially since we are probably planning to just have 2 children. But who knows?! I think, as of today, if I had to say what I thought the gender is, I would say boy. But that could change tomorrow!

There is a Gender Prediction Test that my sis-in-law told me about that is 90% accurate at predicting the baby's sex as early as 10 weeks. I am considering swinging by Target or Walgreens to pick one up this week :) I will let you know the results!

Great read!

I have found a new blog, linked by my blog buddies Jessica and Lindsay, called "It's Almost Naptime". I could read this woman's blog all day long, or all night as I have been tonight at work :) She is insightful and refreshing and humorous all at once, pretty much everything you want and need from a good blog writer! I recommend reading through all her posts if you have the time, but here is one in particular that I wanted to link. She is giving advice about going from one child to two, something I am VERY interested in! She gives some great tips that I plan to use come September! Her comment about the importance of a 26 minute nap had me rolling with laughter! Here's the link to this post, enjoy!

http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2010/02/questions-from-audience-going-from-one.html#links

Anderson Family Update

It feels as if we have been isolated from the rest of the world over the last couple of months, so I thought I would give a little update on our family! Of course it's no news to anyone that it's been a long, cold winter. I can honestly say for the first time in my 28 years that I hate wintertime and don't care if I see snow again for 10 more years! I used to think it would be neat to live some place that had snow on the ground all winter long...now I know that I if I did live somewhere like that, I would be finding a new place to live! The 4-5 big snows we have had have been more than enough! I actually find myself fantisizing about warmer weather--flip-flops, snowcones, sunscreen, driving with the windows down, entire days spent playing outside with Ayden getting dirty and sweaty and then running through the sprinklers, I could go on and on but you get the picture! Poor Ayden is so sick of being stuck inside, just getting to walk to curb to check the mail is a treat for him! I'm looking forward to seeing him play hard all day and then crash into a great night's sleep just to do it all again the next day. (I'll have to remind myself to re-read this very optimistic post when it's 100 degrees outside and I'm 8 months pregnant in August, lol!)

So aside from us all having a mild case of seasonal depression, here's what else is up with us. Chris just started his last 6 month rotation of the accounting & finance development program he started when we moved here 18 months ago (yes--18 months, can you believe that??) This means that in August he will be finished with the program and will get a permanent position in the company. He is very excited about that because, although he is learning a lot throughout the rotations, he is ready to stay put and really learn one specific area. Right now he is on the Real Estate Finance team and he is hoping to stay in this area for his permanent job. He also continues to study for his Certified Managerial Accountant exam so it's a lot like being back in school for him. 19+ years of school already and the man just keeps on going! I don't know where he finds the motivation but I sure am proud of him!

As of now, I am just over 10 weeks pregnant and boy am I feeling it! Hormones are raging and I am an exhausted, nauseated, emotional mess most of the time! I remember feeling this way with Ayden so I do have the hope that this fog will lift and I will be myself again soon! I remember being only 2 months away from completing my BSN when I was this far along with Ayden and I almost quit the program entirely because I was so tired and just didn't want to get out of bed! I definetely think, no I know, the exhaustion is worse this time- I am 3 years older and I have another child to take care of...but thank goodness Ayden is one of the things that keeps me going! And if it wasn't for my wonderful husband who pretty much caters to my every need/want/craving and keeps the household up and running, I would have completely fallen apart by now! I don't mean to complain, honestly pregnancy is one of the greatest blessings in my life and I thank God everyday for giving us this child, but I am going to be completely honest--the 1st trimester is the pits!! I am ready for a baby bump and to feel the baby's kicks and of course to find out if it's a boy or girl!! Speaking of which, we are 99% sure on our baby names. Most of you know already, but I am going to type them out anyway because I love seeing them in print! Here they are!

Ethan Jeffrey Anderson

Avonlea Elisabeth Anderson

The other 1% on the names are Owen and Addelyn, but I really don't see that small percentage winning out :)

As for our first beloved child, Mr. Ayden is doing well. He is a bundle of energy and personality! He knows he can't run and jump on momma now because we have told him I have a baby in my belly, to which he always replies by pulling up his own shirt and saying, "no, I have a baby in MY belly!" and then running to Chris and pulling his shirt up and saying "Daddy has a baby in his belly too!" So he may not quite "get" it yet, but I have no doubt he will make an awesome big brother and is going to be so happy to have a playmate! We are so excited for September to get here!

Chris and I are planning a mini vacation in April or May just the 2 of us, then in June we are planning to take Ayden to Branson for a week for his last "only-child" hoopla! We also have plans for a trip to the Tulsa zoo and a camping trip this Spring! Most of all we are looking forward to warm weather and seeing everyone soon!