I will blog again - someday!

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, although it certainly seems that I have. Everyone in our house has been sick. it started with Lucy on Christmas day. what a way to spend your first Christmas - she was in a great mood, eventhough was threw up every time she ate. :-( Now Silas and I are both sick. SO sick that we had to ship little Lucy off to my moms house. I miss her terribly but know she is in good hands. So, no, I haven't forgotten to post anything new, I jsut haven't had the energy to do so, and now that it's 330am, I think I will go back to bed! More later....

CAKE BALLS - just for heather!

WHAT ARE CAKE BALLS you ask? Well, it's quite simple - they are balls of cake! I was at work the other day and one of my co-workers said her friend made cake balls. This lead me to ask "what is a cake ball?" and I then googled it and decided at once that I must try them! They are super easy to make, just a bit time consuming. Here's what you'll need and how you make them:

1 boxed cake mix - any flavor
1 tub of frosting - any flavor, but make sure it will taste ok with the cake you've chosen
chocolate for dipping them in

Choose a boxed cake flavor that you like and bake the cake per the directions on the box. While the cake is still warm crumble it in a large bowl and add the frosting. Stir them together. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes so it will cool. Use either a scooper or your hands to make small balls. Return them to the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so they can "set". Melt your chocolate for dipping (I used bakers chocolate) and dip each ball into the melted chocolate. ** I found this step to be somewhat challenging. I think I should have used a smaller scooper for mine, so I decided to just spoon the chocolate over mine.** Return them to the refrigerator so the chocolate will harden and ENJOY!

I added red food coloring and peppermint extract to mine - they tasted kind of like a cakey york peppermint patty - YUMMMMM-EEEEEE!!!!!

Gingerbread house party!

Every year my super talented sister in law Nicole (that's her below with me and my mother in law!) hosts a gingerbread house decorating party. Each person had to supply their own house and bring some candy to share - I bought my house at Target and my mother in law put it together for me! How sad is it that I am SO busy I can't even put together a gingerbread house?! How LUCKY am I that I have such a nice mother in law that she'd do that for me?!?!

Below is my before picture - pretty ho-hum basic! Looks like a boring ole gingerbread house huh?!

Add a little chocolate wafer roof, a turquoise wafer pond in front, a licorice rope fence, some m&m's and sour cherry balls for added color, some coconut for snow and a beautifully decorated tree and WHAAA-LAAA - here's my house!

It's such a fun day and I can hardly wait till next years party! Oh, and if you need some yummy treats, visit Nicole at H2O Sushi in Broad Ripple - she makes the most delicious cookies and ice cream!

The kitchen is DONE.....well, almost!

Now that I am back to work full time, I barely have enough time to breath, let alone finish the kitchen project I started during my last week of maternity leave! I'm not COMPLETELY done with it, but boy am I close. I have a faux door that my aunt made for us to hang (when we tore a row of cabinets out, we ripped the end of another cabinet so it needs a faux door) and put up the molding that goes around the bottom of the cabinets. other than that, I am DONE! I posted a before picture a while ago, and below is a photo of my ALMOST COMPLETED WHITE KITCHEN! .....DRUM ROLL PLEASE............

I am so pleased with the outcome. I don't mind the umpteen hours I spent working on it - it's so beautiful! I even love my yellow counter tops now! They're so bright and cheery! Below is my favorite part of the kitchen - it's a cubby that I've placed my favorite pie/cake plate and my recipe box that my grandfather made for me before he died as well as the amazing cook book full of Anderson Family recipes that my oh so talented mother in law made for Silas and I. What a perfect spot to showcase such treasured items.

Dessert - who doesn't like dessert?!

I found this recipe and had to share it. It's SO easy, and it only requires four ingredients, not including the ice cream....

1 box of double fudge brownie mix from Pillsbury
1 cup of quick cook oats
1 stick of butter
2 21oz cans of cherry pie filling

place the cherry pie filling in the bottom of either an 8inch round pan or a 9 inch square pan. melt the butter and mix it with the brownie mix and the oats - it should make a dry, clumpy mixture. Add the brownie mixture to the top of the cherry pie filling and bake at 350 from 30-40 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream and ENJOY!

Kitchen update at last....

I've been promising an update of the kitchen for I don't know how long, so here it is! IT'S STILL NOT FINISHED! Yes, that is right. Now that I am back to work, I have lost the ability to work on it during the day and to be quite honest, when I come home from work, all I want to do is hold and play with Lucy. Below is a before photo of what the cbinets used to look like. I will have to post an after photo later. I still have to put a clear coat over the cabinets and drawers/doors, but then it will be done! I even got a new hite hood fan! Yes, it's the little thngs in life that make me the happiest! More on the kitchen coming soon.......

Kelli, Ali and I elf'd by Kelli

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Hi Ho Hi Ho, it's back to work I go

I am SO sad that tomorrow ends my "vacation" as Silas has called it. I've enjoyed being home on maternity leave so much that I don't EVER want to go back to work, but as they say, all good things must come to an end. I think our lives will drastically change tomorrow! I've done a pretty good job of staying on top of house work, I can't think of a night that Silas came home and there wasn't dinner waiting for him, and oh the joy of getting up in the middle of the night to give Lucy her next bottle. Now it's daddy's turn! We'll have to work together to keep the house clean, prepare meals and care for Lucy. I'm thinking that THIS is when the vacation begins!

I haven't forgotten to post pictures of the kitchen. It looks AMAZING if I can say so myself. The cabinets and doors have all received multiple coats of primer and paint, and I somehow managed to talk Silas in to getting a new white hood fan (which I helped install!!!) YAAAHOOO! I couldn't have done it without the help of my mom, my mother in law and my friend Kelli (and my father in law and husband for helping with the hood fan!) THANK YOU LADIES for helping me get out of the 1970's and in to 2008! I'll post pictures soon.....

ELF YOURSELF! This is so FUNNY!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

No Martha Here!

My friend Heather had this on her blog and I found it to be quite funny - it's a darn good thing Martha isn't coming to our house, she might be upset that we are having spaghetti for dinner! YEP. You read that right - SPAGHETTI! Hey, I'm making the sauce from scratch (I'll share the recipe later) and NO I am not using ground turkey! Enjoy your day!

Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes: Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect. The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas. Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration that has been hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it's a turkey. We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming or that the tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying. We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door. Now I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning this: Do not, under any circumstances enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat. Oh before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice between 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie. Garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will have a choice. Take it or leave it. Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. Come to think of it, she probably won't make it next year either. I am thankful! Happy Thanksgiving!

From hard work to HALLMARK!

wouldn't you love to see your dream or vision came to life on the shelves of a HALLMARK STORE?!?! this woman has done just that! Please visit Jeanne Winters blog to get a sneak peak at the items she helped create that will be sold in Hallmark stores nation wide! HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!

http://jeannewinters.blogspot.com/2008/11/major-giveaway-gratuitous-plug.html

Busy, Busy, Busy

Happy Tuesday!
Today is going to be a VERY busy day. I am taking Lucy to the babysitter (WE LOVE YOU JO!) and my mom and Kelli will be coming over to help me sand our kitchen cabinets! We decided that we'd sand, prime, and paint them ourselves rather than have our paint crew do it for us. If you live in the Indianapolis metro area and need a good painter, let me know. Javier is great. he's fast, efficient and VERY cheap (at least in our opinion!) I'll be posting some before, during, AND after pictures SOON. I can't wait for the dark wood to be G-O-N-E, GONE!

I'm making crock pot pulled pork for dinner tonight - I'll post a picture and the recipe later! It's SO GOOD and if you like pulled pork, I'm sure you'll love this super simple recipe!

SOUPer Simple Pot Roast

Here's a recipe for this SOUPer simple pot roast. It's so good and tender, and it only takes a few minutes to prep!

1 pack of onion soup/dip mix

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

3-3.5 pound roast

fresh veggies - I use mushrooms, potatoes, and green beans

salt/pepper if desired

Mix the soup and soup mix in the bottom of your crock pot. Salt and pepper your meat if desired. Place meat in pot and coat on all sides with the soup mixture (the soup mixture makes a great sauce to put over the veggies!). Add veggies on all sides of meat, turn crock pot on low for 8 hours and THAT'S IT!

ENJOY!

It's begninng to look a lot like Christmas

I love Christmas. My mom always made it special for us as we were growing up. We'd always wake up early on Christmas morning and dig through our stockings, then we'd take turn passing out presents. I hate to say this, and mom, please don't be mad, but the stocking goodies are always the best part! It's so much fun pulling out goodie after goodie...and most of it is silly stuff, stuff that I'll probably never use, but I keep it becuase I know my mom, err, uh, Santa, worked hard at finding each and every one of those items! I am so excited to be a mommy finally and I hope to one day fill my childs closet full of goodies she may or may not ever use too!

I've posted a few holiday cards that I made to help get you in the Christmas spirit. I better get busy making cards, I've got only a little more than a month till the big day!

Fun FREE blog layouts!

Visit this website for some fun and free lay outs for your blog!

http://www.ecdbackgrounds.blogspot.com/

MORE CUTE HAIR BOWS!

As you all know, I have become obsessed with hair bows for Lucy. I found this site http://sweetbydesign.blogspot.com while on the tip Junkie website. Sweet by design is giving away hair bows FOR FREE if you place a post about them on your blog. HOW COOL IS THAT?!?! So, check em out and get something for nothing - that's almost unheard of these days!

Baby it's cold outside!

OK, I will be the FIRST to admit, I dislike the cold....A LOT! I won't say I hate it because my mom always told me hate is a terrible word, but boy am I close to using it! Since I've been home with Lucy, I've had lots of time on my hands to try new recipes. This chicken pot pie is one of our favorites! It's SUPER simple, hearty, and delicious (plus it's an excellent way to sneak veggies in for those kids who would otherwise not want to eat them)! We had our friend Bob over for dinner last night and we devoured almost the entire thing!

You will need the following ingredients:

2 ready made pie shells - available in your grocery dairy section

2 or 3 decent sized chicken breasts - diced and cooked

2 cans of cream of __________ soup - you could use cram of celery/chicken/mushroom whatever YOU like - I personally use 1 can of mushroom and 1 can of chicken

4 small-medium sized potatoes, peeled and par boiled

frozen veggie mix - corn/peas/carrots

pepper

To prepare:

*Take your pie shells from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.

*Peel and dice your potatoes and put them on to boil. I boil mine for about 5 - 7 minutes - they will continue to cook while in the oven!

*Cook your chicken - I dice mine prior to cooking, and cook it in a skillet in a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. I add some spices at this time (no one spice in particular, I just start grabbing and add just a sprinkle for extra flavor!).

*Mix frozen veggies/soups/cooked potatoes/chicken in a large bowl, add pepper to taste.

*Place 1st pie shell in bottom of pie pan, poke holes with a fork. Pour your filling in pan and then cover with the 2nd pie shell. Pinch the edges of the shells together and then poke holes with fork on top shell. I put my pie plate on a baking sheet in case it boils over.

Bake for 40 minutes at 375.

ENJOY!~~

YAAAAA-HOOOO!

OK, so I know that this may not seem like a big deal to some, but it is HUGE to me. Lucy has somehow managed to sleep through the night TWO nights in a row! HOW EXCITING IS THAT?!?! I am beyond thrilled! I just hope she keeps up the good work!!!

On another note, have you ever used craigslist? I've purchased a few items from there, nothing major, just little things. This past week I decided to take a new look at life and all of our crap that we have lying around. I decided to post something that I hadn't used in YEARS, an old game boy. It was probably almost 10 years old, but worked jsut fine. So, I posted it for $25 and within minutes, I mean MINUTES, I had five people ask to buy it. I sold that thing for $25! when I told Silas he toldme to go through the house and see what else we can part with. So far we've sold the game boy and a dvd player that we never use. We have people coming tonight to pick up an old tv, a microwave, and a figurine. So, the moral of my story here is PPURGE YOUR CRAP AND MAKE SOME MOO-LAH on Craigslist! With the holidays right around the corner, it's the PERFECT time to make a little extra cash!

Everyone likes free stuff!

Happy Thursday!

I found this website this morning that is holding a drawing for a free digital holiday card design AND 2 sheets of Picture It Postage (where you can have YOUR photo on a stamp!) Please visit http://www.skiptomylou.org/ or use the button on the side of my page to visit and enter this fun contest!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

Fall is a time for raking leaves, bon fires, and PUMPKINS! My friend Heather makes these, and I finally asked for the recipe. They are TO DIE FOR! I've made three batches in the past two weeks....I'm sure they're not good for my thighs, but boy are they tasty and they make the house smell heavenly when baking!

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon ***

2 cups butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar together. Next, add pumpkin and vanilla. Beat. Next, add the dry ingredients and mix. Add butterscotch chips last. drop by teaspoonfull onto a GREASED sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Allow to cool for one minute on the baking sheet, remove and ENJOY!

*** I tried this recipe with only cinnamon, and they were great. I then changed my cinnamon to pumpkin pie spice and they were EVEN BETTER! I use my pampered chef scooper so that all the cookies are uniform in size and in our oven they take about 12-13 minutes to bake.

CUTE HAIR BOWS!

Ok, so many of you have heard me tell the story of the women (YES, that is PLURAL!) that have asked me how old my little boy is. I know, it's no secret that ALL babies look like they could be a boy or a girl when they are first born, HOWEVER, I had Lucy dressed in lavender one day and pink (from head to toe!) the other day. How many boys mothers dress them in lavender and pink? I really need to know. I can't recall a single day that my mom ever dressed my brother in either of those colors. EVER! So, with that gripe duly noted, I have made a pact with the hair bow. Lucy rarely leaves the house now without a hair bow in her hair! If people can't see the bow and tell she is a girl, then I may have to start recommending vision screening to strangers.

I found this website that has ADORABLE bows available. Check it out, and please, don't ask me how old my little boy is!

http://ajsbowtique.blogspot.com/

2008 Holiday Mom-preneur Shop-a-thon and the 12 Days of Junkie

Check it out! This website is doing a 12 days of Junkie Giveaway! Two winners each day, and i'm sure you will LOVE LOVE LOVE the prizes!

http://tipjunkie.com/shopathon

While you're there, make sure you do some holiday shopping! These are WOMEN owned small businesses that have fun, fresh, and funky one of a kind gifts! Don't wait, Christmas is less than 50 days away!

It's been FOREVER!

I know it's been forever since I have posted anything here. Seems that mother hood has taken a VERY PROMINENT role in my life, and the blogging (not that I ever did a lot of it anyway!) has taken the back burner. Lucy is eight weeks old already, man does time fly?!?! We've managed to get through our first holiday, Halloween. I couldn't resist dressing Lucy up as a chicken! Silas and I have been calling her chicken since she was first born. Seems that when she's hungry, she bobs her little head like a chicken, so the costume was VERY fitting! She sat outside with me while I passed out candy and I seriously think she was a bigger hit than the little goodie bags that i painstakingly put together at the last minute! I can't wait for Thanksgiving! She has the most adorable outfit to wear! Pictures will be forthcoming!

Good times with good friends

I never got around to posting this until now. partly because we have been without the internet for a week, and well, mostly because I've been slightly focused on other things lately. But this is is my friend Karen and her daughter who Silas lovingly calls "the girl". They came in town for my baby shower in August from Baltimore and we had a ball with them! Karen has been one of those "constants" in my life, from about the time I moved to Baltimore until the day I left, she was always there for me, and continues to be from afar. I always had an invitation to their house for thanksgiving, where, I might add, the worlds best stuffing was prepared and served! Sometimes I wonder what I miss more, her or the stuffing! I think back on all the fun we've had over the past nearly ten years and am so thankful that she's in my life! I can't wait for a repeat visit or the first Anderson family vacation to see them!!!

Lucy is on her way!

We got to go to the hospital on Monday! What fun that was! I had a stress test done at the doctors office and they were less than impressed with Lucy's willingness to increase her heart rate while moving, so they sent me to St. Vincent Carmel for another one. I was told that if she did not respond in a manner that was suitable to the doctors, they would then give me medication to start contractions and that I would, most likely, not be leaving the hospital without having delivered her! Lucky for me, she behaved after two hours hooked up the the stress test machine, lunch, and an ultra sound! And, according to the doctor, I am having contractions all by myself. Yes, that's right. I'm a big girl, I can have contractions all by myself! So, with that said, I have already begun to dialate, and we get to go back on Sunday afternoon to begin the rest of the induction phase. So, I am thinking that by Monday afternoon next week, Little Lucy will be here!

So far we've been able to keep ourselves composed, but the thought of having a baby here in less than a week is a bit scary, but exciting as well! We are both really looking forward to having our little girl home!

The picture above was taken after I got home from an outing with my mom to a "baby shower" at the convention center this past weekend. They had someone there painting bellies, and I figured what the heck?!?!

xoxo~

Who knew?!

Who knew that day care for an infant would cost more than a house payment every month?!?! I've been calling around to some larger facilities and they range anywhere from $250 per week up to $295 per week! I walked to throw up on the phone. I don't know how people do it. Honestly. If it were at all possible, I'd just stay home, but it's not right now, so I don't really give it much more than a quick thought. But at $12000+ a year, that's the cost of private school for a grade school child at a top notch facility here!

xo~

Diaper Drama

Last night I went to Meijer to do some grocery shopping and decided to begin our stockpile of diapers. Now, please keep in mind, I have recently found out that I have Gestational Diabetes and have to attend a class on eating right, so I've filled the cart already with lots of good, healthy, low carb/low sugar foods....so, I'm standing in the diaper aisle and suddenly it hit me. I was completely overwhelmed. I was staring at rows and rows of diapers. Pamper, Huggies, Luvs, the off brands, the organic brand. Then the sizes. Preemie, newborn, and sizes 1 through 5. Holy hell. I had no clue there were so many choices. Do you buy a big box, a medium box of a few of those "sleeves"? Do you try a few in one brand and see how they work, or just bite the bullet and buy the case and hope they are fine? I was bawling. I had no idea what I was doing. I ended up buying the biggest box of huggies brand diapers they had. It was only a few dollars more than the pampers, but you got 100 more diapers. Little Lucy will just have to like them! Who ever knew diapers could cause so much drama?!?!

It's finally official!

I went for another ultrasound yesterday and it's finally official.....we're having a GIRL! We are so excited! My mom and mother in law were with me becuase Silas had to work. We got new pictures and had a video made of the ultrasound! The little dumpling even had the hiccups while the ultrasound was being done. SO CUTE! Now all I have to do is convince Silas that the childs middle name will not be VADER, as in DARTH VADER.......We're off to the parade with auntie D and clan!!!

xo~

We're having a .........

Well, we went to the doctor today to find out the sex of the baby, and quess what? We left not knowing! The little bit would not roll over, and when it finally did, it rolled with it's back up, and not it's privates!!! So, we will try again in a few weeks. It was pretty amazing having Silas there, he was able to see the baby in real time, see the heart beat, and it's little legs, arms, and it's spine. So, as Silas said earlier, we're going to just call the baby PAT!!! More to come......

xo~

update is forthcoming!

We've been without email at home, so I have not been able to log on......but I'm at work with a few minutes of down time. We go for the ultra sound next Tuesday, so we'll post more then!!!

Has it REALLY been four months already?!

I went in for my four month checkup on Monday! It's hard to believe that it's been that long! All is well in the land of baby Anderson. Next month is the big one where we will hopefully get to learn the sex of the baby! We cannot wait! People always ask if we want a boy or a girl. I think I'd be lying if I didn't say that I think every man wants a boy and every woman wants a girl, but honestly, we're just so happy to be having a baby, we don't care what the gender is!

Things are moving along nicely at the house. We've got a drywaller, an electrician, a painter (thank you Uncle B!), a lawn man(taking out bushes and installing a new mailbox), and a tree guy (cutting down some dead, UGLY trees in the back yard) working on the house this week, getting it ready for the big move on Saturday! It's not going to be ready, but it's ours and we're so excited to be able to finally move in! If you're in the mood to mow our lawn, please, feel free to stop by ANY time!....we look like we are about to move in to a jungle!

Hope everyone is well!

xo~

We all live to die

It's 2:30am on Friday morning, and I'm at work working the midnight to 8 shift. I went to work early yesterday so I could leave early in hopes of getting some much needed rest before returning to the office. I was at work, actually talking with a co-worker from DC at 6am when I got that dreaded call from my Aunt Dana. Not that every call from her is dreaded (quite the opposite actually), but any call from her at 6am is never good. She was calling to tell me that my Uncle had died in the night, leaving behind his wife, two grown children, his mother and a whole slew of others who cared deeply for him. I had the day to think about his passing, and we all know that we're put on this earth to live our life to the best of our ability, and unfortunately, those days all eventually come to an end as well. My uncle lived his life to the best of his ability, he was a hard working man, he did what he had to do to take care of his family. He was not only a husband and father, but a friend to many.....and an ice cream lover. I know he'll be missed but I also know he's up in heaven enjoying a big ice cream cone right now! Just remember Uncle J, my favorite flavor is butter pecan....Enjoy a cone for me too!

xo~

The Anderson Ick!

Why does this always happen? I seriously am beginning to think there really is a Murphy's Law! the movers come in two weeks, and we're both sicker than dogs. Poor Silas, who is never sick, who never misses work, missed three days last week. Actually, he missed two and a half, because on Friday he did at least attempt to make it.....but came home to us at noon. Poor thing. Now, unfortunately, I think I have managed to catch what he had (and what seems to be going around EVERYWHERE!). Things did manage to get done this weekend, and although my mother in law offered to come help, I didn't want her walking in to our germ infested house. So, two weeks from Saturday is the big day, and if you hear us screaming for help in between the coughs and sneezes, you all better come running!!!

Off to the sofa for some good 3am television watching.

xo~

Let the packing begin!

While lounging around this weekend, we realized the movers come in a few weeks and we still have a LOT to do in our current home! I took Tuesday off to stay home and get some stuff done. Kelli came over and we took the bed apart in the spare room, and we stacked all the boxes and plastic tubs of holiday decorations. What a feeling of accomplishment! Now I'm ready to tackle the rest! My awesome mother in law is coming over tomorrow to help - I think we shall tackle the den. It's not as bad as the spare room was, but it's not looking very pretty right now! I'm so ready to be in our new house!

Anyone out there know how to do duct work?! We need to have some repaired in our crawl space. We don't even live there yet, and things are already breaking!!!

More on the move later. For now, it's off to work.

xo~

Just for Eli!

Ok, so today we went to Bloomington for a little family get together at Silas's uncle Jay and aunt Katies house. Their son Emory was in town with his little boy, and they wanted everyone to get together for a visit. Silas's younger brother Eli was there with his family and he informed me that I needed to update my blog a little more frequently. Little did I know, he is a secret blog stalker!!!! Well Eli, your secret is out, and here is a blog entry just for you!

I love it when we see Eli and his beautiful wife Nicole and their adorable kids Sophia and Luca. We don't see them nearly enough. But I always enjoy seeing them, and I look forward to our baby having a cousin the same age (Nicole is due in October!) to play with. Nicole is an amazing pastry chef who made the most delicious banana bread (and shared it with everyone today) and Eli is a chef as well. I don't allow him to cook for me often because it typically involves raw fish - which I don't really care for. Although, I will say this, one time, he sent some sushi rolls home with me for Silas and I to enjoy, and I did actually like what I ate. I believe it had lobster in it. Silas said of course I'd like the one with the lobster.....I'm the girl who gets her Kobe steak cooked well done. What can I say? I like expensive meat.....that is cooked! Anyway, if you're in the mood for sushi or some really yummy oatmeal cookies with homemade espresso whip cream or some homemade ice cream, go to their place. H2O Sushi. You can see their website at www.h2osushibar.com

It was so nice to see you guys today. We really should make an effort to see each other more. Hope the doctors appointment goes well tomorrow! :-)

xo~

WE DID IT!!!

We finally closed on our house this past Wednesday (March 19, 2008). It took a while, but boy does it feel good to be done. Now we have the electrician over to re-wire, we'll have a drywaller come in to make repairs, painters coming to give quotes, and maybe even a lawn man to rip out some bushes! We've got lots of plans for the house, and of course I want them all done now! We'll host a party sometime soon - but for now we have LOTS of packing to do!

xo~

Doctor, packing, new house.....SO MUCH GOING ON!

We (baby and I) went to the doctor today for a checkup. All is well in babyland. The doctor was able to find the baby's heart beat through my belly, and wouldn't you know, that little buggar is right under my belly button! Once she found the heart beat, the baby moved, so she had to find it again! it's all so fascinating and exciting! We can find out the sex in May! I can't wait! Silas will be able to go to that appointmet with me, ad I know he's SUPER excited!

We started packing yesterday. We found out last weekend that our lease is up at the end of April, not the end of May as I had thought. So, now we have to kick things in to HIGH gear! I think, in the short amount of time that we packed yesterday we got quite a lot accomplished. I was supposed to work this coming Saturday, but have managed to find someone to cover that shift so I can stay home and work on "my room".....it's a disaster. It seriously looks like a tornado went through only that room in the house. not pretty.

We close on our house on Wednesday. I'm really excited about that. Silas dreams of lawn mowers on a nightly basis. I however am still dreaming of strollers, and play pins, and the sleep that I will be without for the rest of my life.

that's all for now.

xo~

Babies R Us

I took my mom to Babies R Us on Sunday. She's been begging me to come pick her up to go, so I did. First of all, that place was a total zoo. I think just about every person in there was pregnant, or the father of the baby, or a sibling to the baby. I was amazed at all the STUFF there is to buy. A swing, a car seat, a pumpkin seat, a high chair, a pack-n-play, a stroller.....it was enough to make my head spin! My mother in law says to register for all of it, if you register, they will buy it.....but man alive, that stuff is expensive! I hope the baby enjoys tooling around the mall (without mommy buying anything because I won't be able to afford it!!!) in a $250 stroller!

xo~

ALL CLEAR!

Ok, so over the weekend, I started spotting a little bit. It made me nervous, to say the least. I called my doctor on Saturday morning (I waited until 8:30 and hey, if I'm at work, she better be working too!) and of course she called me right back. She indicated that it's fairly normal for women to have some spotting, especially since it started around the time i should have been starting my period. However, she wanted me to keep a watchful eye on it and let her know if the amount or color changed. So, Saturday comes and goes. So does Sunday. Nothing. in fact, it had slowed down....to nearly nothing. Then all of the sudden, this morning it started again, AND the color changed. So, I called the office AGAIN and they told me to come on in. Can I just say that I HEART MY OBGYN! She is the nicest woman, and her nurse is super nice too (shout out to BECKY!). They make me feel like I am the most important person in the world when I am there. So, the long and short of it is this. Another ultra-sound was done and baby A is doing super good. We even saw it wiggle it's hiney for us. SO CUTE. The heart beat is great, and the little monster has even grown since I was there five days ago! Unbelievable! I must say as soon as I saw and heard that heart beat, I felt 100% at ease. Thank God for modern medicine. Oh, and one more thing....I finally managed to pee in a cup! I know, details, details....but it was a major accomplishment for me....and it made Becky really happy too!

xo~

It's Official!!

I had my first doctors appointment today. I decided to go alone because the nurse told me over the phone that all they'd do is weigh me, get my blood pressure, take some blood and have me give a urine sample. Well, much to my surprise, I had an ultra-sound too! Dr. Neff (whom I adore!!!) was shocked to see me back in her office so soon....but was super excited for us at the same time. So, as I am laying on the table, she says "there's your baby!" and I am telling you, it was byfar the most amazing experience I've had so far in my life. I could not believe that I was watching OUR baby on that monitor. A few seconds later she said "here's your baby's heart beat!". I asked her between tears if she would get Silas's digital tape recorded from my bag so we could tape it. I knew he would want to hear that. So after telling me she wouldn't do that for just anyone, she got the recorder from my bag and we started all over, but this time we did it for daddy! Amazing. That's the only word I know how to describe how I felt. I left the doctors office wishing that I had not been there alone, wishing that Silas could have been there to share that first step of many with me, but also knowing and understanding that he was working to help support me and this amazing little person we have created together! We can't wait to meet you baby Anderson!

xo~

Just in case.....

I took another test last Tuesday. Not that I really expected it to show anything different, but just in case! Much to my surprise (insert TONS of sarcasm here!) it was positive! Silas looked at it, looked at me, looked at it again and finally muttered something along the lines of "well what did you expect?!" Why is it that men don't understand the need to take 4, 6, 10 tests before the first doctors appointment?! I mean, come on, what's ANOTHER $15-20 for a two pack of tests?! Thankfully the visit to the doctor is only two days away now.

xo~

Welcome to our adventure!

We created (ok, so Silas doesn't really know about this yet!) blog so we could share all of our excitement and news on our first born with friends and family. On January 29, 2008 I took my first pregnancy test, which came back positive. I proceeded to take another one on January 30, and 31, 2008.....just to make sure. And as Silas likes to say, we have three sticks that each have two lines (and two lines means you are prgnant according to the stick!). Our first doctors appointment is on February 20th. I can't wait!!! I offered (ok, maybe it was more like begged) for them to see me sooner, how could they expect a woman pregnant with her first child to wait that long??? They said it was normal to wait that long. So, an update on the doctors visit will be forthcoming. Hope all is well with everyone.

xoxo~
c&s