Happy 1 Month Birthday, Mara!

Oh my goodness, how things have changed...

The Surprise
Last blog post was November 13th, when I wished the doctor would just tell me, Oh, you can just have this baby now.... be careful what you wish for! While my wish came true, it was because I had developed preeclampsia. I got to my appointment and had to wait 40 minutes in the waiting room. I felt like poo. I was having a hard time breathing, my back hurt, and I felt especially exhausted. When the nurse tested my urine, it was at a +4 for protein (not a good sign)...I told her I'd had a lot of water and I didn't know why my proteins were so high, but she said my H20 intake had nothing to do with it.. then she asked how my blood pressure had been at previous appointments.."Great! Totally normal!" I responded.... only to have her take my blood pressure multiple times before informing me that it was very high. The Bish came in and checked the results of my 24 hour urine sample from the weekend (the ol' pee in the jug deal from the last post) and told me that my protein count was 3,000........and the norm was 200 for a day..... whoa. He walked over to me, smiled (as The Bish always does), and said, "I think we're going to have a baby."

WHAT?!

He told me to just walk over to the hospital (across the side street), go up to labor and delivery, and tell them he sent me. The Bish wanted to first see if my blood pressure would go down with a magnesium drip through an IV...if not, I would get induced and we'd be meeting Mara a little early!

"So, Doc, what are the chances I'm going to go home tonight?" I asked.

"Oh, I'd say about 2 percent," he replied.

"Um, what are the chances I'll have a baby in the next day?"

"About 75 percent."

Holy smokes!! I was shaking. I called Mike as I gathered my things.

"Hey babe, what are you up to?" I asked.

"I'm at the bike store about to buy a helmet," Mike said...

"Oh, that's nice... um, do you want to come to the hospital?"

"Why, what's going on?" he asked, panicked.

"Well, I have preeclampsia and we're probably going to have a baby in the next day or so."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep, I'm walking over now. Meet ya there....."


The Labor & Birth of Miss Mara Louise
I got to the hospital and, still in shock, informed the nurses that... "Doctor Bishop sent me..I have preeclampsia...and I think I'm going to be induced...?" Once in my cozy hospital gown, Mike arrived (whew) and the nurses took turns at finding my veins for the IV. Apparently, they move. Three nurses had a go at it, and after two blown veins and four attempts, they found my vein. Honestly, that may have been the most painful part of my labor experience. I even told one of the nurses in my nicest voice possible that I didn't like her (which I later apologized for, but she understood, given that she blew the two veins)...

The magnesium drip was not a success, as you probably guessed. My blood pressure stayed high. The Bish came in, broke my water (does anyone not giggle the first time this happens? It totally felt like I peed all over myself), and true labor began. At first, the contractions were absolutely bearable; I did the breathing I learned in labor class and felt like a champ....Then they gave me pitocin. The contractions were lasting 90 seconds and 2 minutes apart (that's a 30 second recovery time). Consistent with her positioning during my pregnancy, Mara had her little feet up against my ribs. While I didn't have back labor (which I hear I dodged a bullet on that one!), each contraction came with a pretty intense sensation in my ribs as everything squished down on baby girl. I lasted 2 hours, and then I asked for an epidural.

Side note: During this time, Mike was trying to juggle breathing with me, talking through a presentation with his coworker for the next day, and eating dinner. (He was truly a wonderful coach.) The only problem was...he ate Chinese for dinner...I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food, in general...well, when my sweet loving wonderful thoughtful coach of a husband came over to breathe through those intense 90sec/2min contractions with me, he breathed stinky Chinese food in my face. NOT really what I wanted. I finally said, "You need to go brush your teeth, your breath STINKS!" He laughed. I didn't. Seriously. Word to dads-to-be: If you have to eat while your wife is in labor, please keep a breath mint or gum or a toothbrush nearby. Thanks!

Back to the epidural... I am really not a fan of needles. I mean, who is? But I'm the type that has been working on not passing out while getting poked. I think it'll be a life-long crusade...anyway, I was super nervous about the epidural... oh my gosh! It was nothing! I was so happy that it was nothing, I couldn't even believe the anesthesiologist had already put it in when he announced that he was done! And ahhhhhh the relief after it took effect. I was happy and ready to meet my baby girl. I think it's amazing that women can go without the pain medication... I just am not one of those people. My goal for labor was to be happily present as I welcomed my daughter, and for me, the pain would have not made labor that experience for me.

When I began to push, I made the decision to have a mirror above me so I could watch Mara come into the world. That was the most amazing experience. Honestly, I kind-of liked labor. Now, don't get me wrong, I definitely still felt Mara come out..epidurals don't completely block the pain...but it was such an exciting thing, to watch your body work and literally produce a baby. Wow. Incredible. I didn't think I would want to see anything, but I highly recommend a mirror, for those of you ladies who think you might be interested.

The Aftermath
My stay at the hospital was a bit longer than we had planned. Instead of 2, I was there for 5 days... my preeclampsia developed into the HELP syndrome. I stayed on the magnesium drip because my blood pressure was still startlingly elevated. I was at a high risk for a blood clot that could travel to my heart and kill me. At the same time, my platelets were dropping by the day (which, contrary to the blood clot risk, could cause me to bleed out). So a blood transfusion was on the back-burner. I had to have my blood taken every 4 hours. Then, one evening, that same feeling of not being able to breathe came back (it had begun the Sunday before). It became more acute. I was stuck with another IV needle and rushed downstairs to the radiology room, where I had Xrays taken. In the middle of the night, I was sent down again for a scan of sorts (something like an MRI but it was a donut-shaped deal, not a full-body scanner). They thought I was having a blood clot. Luckily, I wasn't..but I got to wear super special (and supremely uncomfortable) compression socks that went halfway up my thighs as well as compression wraps to help prevent a clot from happening. On the bottom, I looked like a banged-up Little Bo Peep. On the top, I looked like a heroin addict. They were having a hard time finding places in my arms to draw blood because they were all bruised and the veins had been tapped out. Ugh. No fun at all. Not to mention, the magnesium drip made me feel groggy and caused me to lose my appetite. I had an EEG, an EKG, a couple X-rays, and constant monitoring. I knew all of the doctors at that hospital... people checking on my heart, my kidneys, my lungs, my liver..

The good news? My blood pressure began to go down [slightly]. And they gave me a diuretic in my IV to flush out all of the fluids, which made breathing easier because apparently, I had a ton of fluid not only built up in my limbs but around my organs. I lost 8 pounds overnight from all of the fluid leaving my body. What relief I felt! My liver and kidneys started to function normally, my platelet count began to increase...after going in on Tuesday evening, I finally got to leave on Sunday afternoon with pain med and blood pressure prescriptions. Yay!

Happy to be leaving the hospital soon!

Family time :)

The Homecoming and First Four Weeks
When we got home, I sat down with Mara and began to cry. I was SO happy to finally be home! As I cried with relief and Mike bent down to give me a sweet kiss, Mara farted really loudly! We all have our own ways of expressing our happiness, I guess. :)

Mara has completely changed our lives for the better and made us appreciate sleep like never before. She's a noisy little thing, grunting and cooing when she nurses or falls asleep. She also has a temperamental digestive system...even with gas drops, Mara still cries in pain with gas bubbles at times. I've cut out dairy milk and coffee (*tear) because they seem to be triggers... what's really funny, though, is when she does tummy time and toots. She likes to do little combos, like coughing & tooting, crying & tooting, or sneezing & tooting. Makes things more fun.

Ah, but the MOST fun is when she has explosive poops. Once, it was when she was wearing a sleeper sack (nightie) and it was all over the sack. Well, you can't just unbutton it and take it off... you have to go over the head... so she had poopy up her back and in her hair. .... That was her first bath day! Yesterday, I went to change her and said, "Please don't pee all over yourself when mommy reaches for the other diaper" (she's good at this...sometimes she pees 2 or 3 times before I get the next diaper on her...God save me if/when we have a boy!). Well, Mara respected the peepee request, but wet-pooped alllllll over her changing table. Of course, not before she sharted on my hand as I reached to wipe her. Ahh, you just have to laugh. I have been pooped on, peed on, and puked on....and showers aren't always in the cards during the day, so you can imagine how sexy I look when Mike gets home. ;)

Mara Lou is officially one month old today! I can't believe a whole month has gone by. Mike is excited for when she can walk around and play, but I look at her every day and plead with her to stop growing so fast. Time is already flying by and I don't like it! She makes the funniest faces and has the "Blue Steel" and grimace down to a T when she's awake. When she sleeps, she smiles and even laughs once in a while. I am looking forward to the day when she smiles or laughs in reaction to us!

Do your eyes hurt yet? I'll give them a break for now...next post will have some 'first-time mommy' stories about car seats and baths....and I'm sure there will be more to tell by then, too!

La Miserable - C'est Moi

Oh boy. (Or should I say...Oh girl...)

Apparently, I am now paying for having such a lovely pregnancy...starting Sunday night / Monday morning, I woke up with a really sore back.

Which gave way to soreness from Mara seeking solace under my ribs.

Which gave way to shortness of breath - felt like she was pressing on my diaphragm so I couldn't breathe deeply.

Basically, this all lasted consistently from about 3:30 am until noon. It was like having the flu. Ugh.

A call to The Bish (doctor) basically led me to understand that, unless the diaphragm pain worsened throughout the day, this was pretty typical discomfort related to the end of pregnancy. Well, I was able to breathe normally after a while, so I just had to deal with the pain.

Last night was SUPER fun, too... sore back, feeling like I needed to throw-up, baby under the ribs. Throw in the fact that my stomach is literally being squashed by the little human inside of me, and you get a weak mama who has to force herself to eat and drink.

Blah.

I am hoping that at my appointment with The Bish this afternoon ends with him exclaiming, "Hey, great news! You're going into labor and Mara will be here in no time!"

............. a girl can dream, can't she?? ;)

Let me end this positively with some thankfulness... I am thankful for heating pads, hot showers, the ability to stay home at this time, family members to turn to, Law&Order/Bones/Sex&theCity reruns, a healthy baby, and absolutely I am thankful for my awesome amazing wonderful husband Mike, who, at 4 am last night, woke to my tosses and turns to rub my back, get me a heating pad, and coax Mara away from my rib cage. I am so lucky. <3

ReciPees for Fun and Dreams

36 weeks today! Holy smokes!

So I went to the doctor yesterday..not my usual doc, since he was out, but so far anyone I've seen at the KC Women's Clinic has been outstanding. I have constantly been saying to my family that my visits have not been anything to remark upon..of course, this visit went against that statement.

First off, I found out that I'm 1cm (plus a little wiggle room) dilated and 50% effaced. I was so excited..50%! That's halfway to 100%! That's got to mean something, right?? Nope. Checked online and it means absolutely nothing except that my cervix is getting shorter. Nothing in the way of indicating Mara's arrival. Bummer.

I asked the doc if she had "dropped" and if she was in the correct position for labor (head down, facing down). Before the exam, the doctor said that most women feel a lot of pressure in their pelvis and typically waddle when they first get up if the baby's dropped. To the first descriptor, I had no reaction, but to the second, I got excited - I have totally been waddling when I first stand up from sitting or laying down! According to the exam, Mara has definitely dropped (perhaps that's why I can eat full meals these days - more room for my stomach...wahoo!).. but go figure... later last night, I began to feel CRAZY pressure. Not so comfy. Can't win 'em all, eh?

The BEST part of the appointment was after they found protein in my urine...(That's sarcasm, if it isn't communicated through the type..) Luckily, my blood pressure is normal, so it's not necessarily an issue of preeclampsia...but you know what they do to check that everything is alright? They make you PEE in a JUG for a full day! To make things easier for me, I get a little mini potty catch to pee in and pour into the jug. ........hahahahahahaha I can't believe I'm going to be doing this. Friday's the big day. Then I get to bring it in on Saturday and give them a vile of blood to complete the whole process. I don't do Twitter, but can you do a sarcastic #you'rejealousIknowit ?

...change of subject...

I've definitely had weird dreams lately (i.e. big black and white animation-type spiders that talk), but whenever I dream of Mara, it's really good. I had a lovely dream about her; she was about three months old and she was beautiful.... She just looked at me, but it was a great dream. Unfortunately, I can't say Mike is having the same dream experience. This is what he tells me this morning after he finishes brushing his teeth...

Mike: I had a dream about Mara last night.
Me: Really?? What happened?
Mike: We were with Amber and her baby, and Mara was really ugly.
Me: *gasp*
Mike: She was all wrinkly like an old lady and she had a long pointy nose and no chin. I kept wondering why Amber's baby looked so much better. Then, Mara looked at Amber's baby and said, "I hate you!" and I turned to you and said, "Look what you taught her!"

Geez!! So not only does Mike's dream say he thinks our daughter will resemble the witch from Snow White, but he also thinks I am going to teach her to say mean things! Thanks for the vote of confidence, honey....

Rock(-a-bye) Baby

Mara Lou has been a mover and a shaker for quite some time now.. for a while, she was practicing her moves largely at night when I was trying to sleep. (This habit has improved, but when I wake up to use the bathroom a few times a night, she generally thinks it's time to jam.) My mom suggested putting headphones around my tummy during the day to get her to use up some energy during my waking hours, saying that when she did this for me, I would go crazy in her belly (a foreshadowing of my affinity for music, perhaps?).

So, a trip to the dollar store for a pair of headphones later, I was ready to experiment. Apparently, Mara has a discerning ear already - she ONLY moved to Coldplay. We tried Party in the USA, Adele, some Jay-Z... totally still belly until Coldplay came back on. I mean, I can't blame her - Coldplay is awesome! But I admit that I AM a little disappointed that she didn't kick it to some rap... I had "Mar-wheezy" all ready for her to use to gain some street cred...

I needed Mike to photograph my belly because my belly button looks to me like a little mouth saying "oooooo!" :)

Where, oh where, have my little feet gone??

Whew! A lot has happened since my last post....this one's gonna be a doozie, folks... :)

First of all, Jamie and Emmett tied the knot on Oct 13, 2012! So very exciting! The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, and even the rain couldn't ruin their happy parade. Here are Mara and me at the reception - I felt beautiful that day.

 Their wedding day was monumental in their new life, and it also marked a milestone in mine/Mara's life - it was the last day I saw my ankle bones. Yes... farewell ankles and small feet... I will miss you and hope you come back after Mara arrives.. the next few days after the wedding, I had serious cankles happening. Not only was it a physical change from the outside, but my SKIN HURT. It hurt to bend and walk because, as my doctor put it, it was like squeezing sausage into too tight a casing (no joke - he used this phrase yesterday at my appointment!). I don't have proof of the infamous day-after cankles, but here's a glimpse into my daily foot appearance these days... (don't judge on the nail polish...growing a human for 34 weeks makes it really difficult to reach the tootsies...)

Have I mentioned how great HyVee is here?? They're basically our local Jewel/Dominick's/Meijer... but look what they have, right up front for parking!! This should be EVERYWHERE!

Back in the beginning of September, I went to Nashville to celebrate Jamie's bachelorette. The music city did not disappoint!! Despite being pregnant, I felt darned good and was able to stay out [relatively] late - I had my dancin' boots on, after all! Saturday night was cowgirl-themed, and thanks to Sarah, I got to capture this lovely moment at 2:30am..yeeeeeehawwww!

While in Nashville, we went on a 1-hour tour of the city (sort of dorky for a bachelorette weekend, but SO worth it - tons of fun!). One of the stops was to this yummy sweets shop that had delicious sandwiches, baked goods, and.... marshmallows. I. LOVE. MARSHMALLOWS. They had all different kinds of flavors, coatings... oh my God, it was Heavenly. They had this on their wall:

If Mara is a chunker, I am DEFINITELY calling her my little "Mara-shmallow" (Thanks, Mom, for that nickname idea!!)

OH.... so I get emails from Babycenter and Whattoexpect.com every couple of days.. great information and usually spot-on in terms of pregnancy symptoms.

Well..

Today, I got one entitled, "What labor really feels like." Now, granted, it began with how labor is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get...it's different for everyone... yadda yadda yadda... and THEN... one woman describes labor as a serrated knife being stabbed into the top of your abdomen and slowly cutting through you to your pelvis...and then having that repeat for every contraction.

Um... ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? What a terribly graphic description.. I have come to the understanding that labor is no picnic and that it's going to likely be a pain like I've never experienced before... but, uh, I was kind-of operating under the "Women have been doing it for years, some with higher pain tolerances than me, some with lower, and if they can do it, I can do it" mantra. This allowed me to recognize that it would be painful, but kept me from obsessively freaking out about how scared I was about the pain. So I'm currently trying to erase that email from my memory.. it's not like I can NOT go through labor, it's kind-of the next step after roastin' a baby for 9 months. So if you've gone through labor and it totally sucked, keep it to yourself, please. And if you have words of wisdom that don't include descriptions of being sliced open like a "Scream" film, feel free to contact me!

.....6 weeks and counting...

4-Year Anniversary

27 weeks today! (Check out the Flickr stream on the right margin for a slideshow up til now!) As today is September 5th, we are also exactly 3 months away from our due date....Grandma Grape pointed that out to me when she called the other day, and I couldn't believe it! Holy smokes - Mara is going to be here SO soon! When I told Mike, he asked if I was ready and I said NO!!! I am not ready to not sleep and have to operate on someone else's schedule! I'm quite enjoying Saturday mornings waking up whenever I darn well please.... But... I GUESS the pros of having a beautiful little daughter will outweigh the cons of not enjoying 24/7 selfishness... ;)

August 30th was our 4-year anniversary (of marriage - it's been 11 years of growing love, though!). Although Mike was traveling on the actual day of our anniversary (hey....he did that last year too...hmmmm), we celebrated over the weekend by going to Bluestem in Westport. Oh. My. Goodness. Deliciousness!! French-inspired cuisine...5 courses...mmmmmmmm So good! I was just disappointed I couldn't enjoy a glass of wine. Ha... but Mike... he was disappointed that he didn't know what "foie gras" was (neither did I, when he ordered it... I could pronounce it though! Thanks, Madame Schramski and high school French). So anyway, he ordered it and it looked like a round little slab of ... something. He took a bite and.. well.. it was HILARIOUS. He prides himself on liking just about everything (he keeps trying olives over and over, hoping that this time, he'll like like them. Never does)... he did not like foie gras. So of course we Googled it and found out it's blended duck or goose liver with mustard and celery seed. Ew. He took a few bites but the adverse effects forced him to stop. Well.. now we know what foie gras is, and that we do not like it, Sam I Am.

 

The happy couple at Bluestem :)

So bright side of pregnancy right now is that Mara is moving like crazy and I absolutely LOVE feeling her teeny little body kicking and twirling around. She already weighs a little more than 2 pounds! Amazing.

Mike listening to and feeling his baby girl.
(Anyone else's heart melting??)

Not so bright side... well.. I sneezed the other day and (no, I didn't pee... though I fear that day is going to come..eek).. I sneezed and the lower right side of my stomach pulled and now it is sore. My back is starting to complain that it hurts (I'm not complaining.. my back is...). And finally, I cannot stand being in the heat. We have an awesome pool at our apartment complex and Mike and I decided to spend time down there on Labor Day. I lasted an hour. I tried so hard! They have cabanas and I tried laying in there (I mean, who am I kidding?? I'm reflective in the sunlight...I wasn't going to get a tan).. but to no avail. I retreated to the air conditioning ASAP. ((I might add here, though, that Mara LOVED being in the pool! As soon as I was in there, she was going ca-raaaaazy. Water baby! Yay!)) 

Mike gives our pool a thumbs-up! To the left, there's a little waterfall. Very nice! :)

I just noticed that I have a LOT of capitals in this post (yes, I did that one on purpose). Oh well. Now you know exactly where my emphasis would be if I were talking. :) This upcoming weekend is Jamie Kay's bachelorette party -- Mara's second bachelorette experience, but this time she will be known and I can drink waters without question. Next post - Mara and Mommy Take on Nashville!! Until then... au revoir, mes amis!

Rollin' With the Punches

Believe it or not (sometimes I'm in the "not" category!)... I'm 6 months along with little Mara Lou! In two days, I'll be 26 weeks...and I've got the belly to show for it, finally! For a long time, I wasn't sure if what I was feeling inside was Mara or simply my body doin' it's thang, but now I KNOW she is an active little girl! Not only does she roll around and tickle my belly for my pleasure, but Mike got to feel her for the first time as well! On August 11th, the day of Maria's (Mike's sister's) wedding, Mike felt his daughter for the first time.

(Awwwww... "his daughter"... for some reason, referring to Mara as our daughter is significantly more real to me than using her name or the term 'baby.')

24 weeks

Ready for another cute little anecdote? Okay. I warned you that it's cute. So you can't complain. :)

The other night, I decided to read to Mara while rocking in the rocking chair my grandma gave us... I read a Fancy Nancy book about butterflies (appropriate, since I seem to be drawn to butterflies and nature-y things for her nursery). I love Fancy Nancy, by the way, because the books are always fun and educational - Fancy Nancy LOVES using big words, and always explains them with parentheses...double-whammy! You can teach vocabulary AND the implication of parentheses in a text! Anyway, the cute part of this story is that later, I told Mike that he should read to Mara, since she hears my voice to the point of exhaustion all day. He chose I Wish I Had Duck Feet by Theo. LeSieg, a funny little book about a boy who wishes he had all these different animals' body parts so he could do different things. I'm not sure which made me delightedly giggle more - the fact that Mike was reading to our daughter with my legs draped over his lap, or his voice as he read the funny book. :) After he was finished reading, I rubbed my belly and told Mara that that was her daddy reading to her and... did she like the book? Mike put his hand on with me, and she KICKED in response! Homegirl likes a good book, apparently. :)

Ah, but don't fret, you Negative Nancys out there... all isn't perfect in Lindsay-Baby-World.. Mara's kicks have caused some sleepless nights already (yes, yes, I know... they'll get worse... she'll get under my ribs...she'll make it difficult to breathe... yadda yadda yadda... but for now, I'm happy to feel her little body.. so there). :) I am choosing to be a Positive Penny (you like that alliteration, don't you?? Yeah, you do..).

Mike got me a prenatal massage as my 28th birthday gift, and of course as I laid on my back, I could feel my body start to get all funny... as in, the "I am getting hot and queasy and sweaty and I can tell I'll pass out if I don't lay on my side" funny. Luckily, I told the massage therapist that I needed to lay on my side before anything happened. All I suffered was the embarrassment of being slicker than oil while she continued the massage. I kept thinking, "Maybe she won't notice... maybe she'll just think it's the lotion..." Probably not, but she didn't say anything, so NBD. C'est la vie. At least I didn't have to cut my massage short! See.. Positive Penny!

Speaking of Penny... my sweet little cousin Penny was born about a month ago! Penelope Jayne. She and Mara Louise are going to be best of friends, even if they do live a few states away from each other. :) Isn't she adorable??

Oh, and I almost forgot... my massage was in Mike's gym near his office.. and this sign was posted on the glass next to the door:

...wait... so you mean I can't come packin' to the gym?? ....I'm not joking. This was totally on the door. I understand that I'm now living in a place where people more commonly exercise their right to bear arms (there are signs along the highways between here and Chicago in support of this)... but who brings their gun to the gym, honestly? (Say this with a British accent a la Austin Powers..way more fun...) How about another movie reference?  "Exercise causes endorphins..endorphins make people happy..happy people don't shoot their husbands." Name that movie. Seriously. Be my blog's second comment-maker and name the film. I dare you...

This past weekend, Mara experienced her first baseball game.. the Royals played the White Sox in KC. I thought it fitting that we should see our old-home team play our new-home team. Oddly enough, it took a move to Kansas City to see the Sox play for the first time! (I'm a Cubbie at heart - I couldn't finish the 'root root root for the Royals' line in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" because it just felt weird.)

All in all, things are great here in the Anderson baby world! I am absolutely beyond blessed ...healthy mama, loving and supportive husband/daddy..and a healthy and active little Mara Lou :)

...Like Bein' 16 Again...

You know how when you turned 16 you jumped at any excuse to drive anywhere? On my 16th birthday, I drove 20 minutes to Meijer just to buy Lipsmackers lip gloss. I was SO excited to just get behind the wheel and experience that sense of freedom and independence! Well..that little 16-year-old Lindsay is ME in KC right now! My dad and Suzanne graciously brought down our second car from Michigan last weekend (thank-you, thank-you, THANK-YOU to them and Patti and Dick for the gift) and now I am driving wherever I can. I honestly kind-of enjoyed driving around downtown and spending time at the DMV yesterday...now THAT should communicate my desperation to get out of the apartment! ;)

As August begins, I can't help but think about teaching. It's a very weird feeling, after always being busy and working...to know that I won't be working as a full-time teacher this fall. It's almost like a bit of an identity crisis...not a crisis, maybe an ... ummm... identity struggle? I am excited to have the opportunity to tutor and maybe even volunteer at a school or for an after-school program, though. Not just to work with kids (which I miss already, just knowing I won't be in my usual capacity), but to simply have a purpose - something that demands my time and challenges me intellectually.

Yesterday was my first OBGYN appointment in KC! Dr. Bishop was recommended to me by my Aunt Sissy, who lived here 18 years ago.. "The Bish," as she fondly refers to him, was her OBGYN during her pregnancy for my cousin Jack... crazy! He was absolutely LOVELY. I learned about his family and a little about his travels as he learned about me. He made a point of mentioning how the doctors at his practice focus on personal relationships with patients and I seriously felt like I was living in a dream - I thought nice doctors like him only existed in the movies!! As he left, he told me, "Make yourself at home, this is your second home now!" with a smile. OMG I couldn't stop smiling and thinking about how lucky I was to have such a rockstar doctor!

Little updates with me and Mara:

• Baby girl keeps streeeetching her little self out and putting pressure on my bladder. Not painful, but definitely lets me know she's there. :)
• Had another weird little episode where I felt nauseous, light-headed, and went into a cold sweat again...while laying down...and waiting for The Bish to come in to the appointment... luckily, he just smiled and nodded as I told him of the ER visit and this second episode, so apparently I'm fine.
• Still working on the most comfortable way to sleep on my side without my hips or shoulders hurting, but it seems that a body pillow between the knees, one pillow under my head, and another pillow layered between the two gives the best positioning without forcing me to clench my teeth or wake up whining about my joints aching. It also helps if Shermie props up against my back. :)
• Mara Lou's heartbeat is strong, so she's growing well and staying healthy! Maybe that's part of the reason why I feel tired unless I get 11 hours of sleep every night!

It's a bird! ... It's a plane! ... It's a .... GIRL?!?!

Yes! Believe it or not, Baby Anderson is really a little baby girl. I was so absolutely shocked during the ultrasound. I had convinced myself that I was absolutely having a boy, even trending toward boy bedding and nursery decor. But little Baby Anderson is a sweet little trickster. I'm sure this will be one of her many surprises. :) *Note: Pink is a pretty color and all... but I definitely am more attracted to non-pink colors for Baby Girl; blues, greens, yellows, even purples...

The common question after the gender reveal is, "Do you have a name?" Yep. Sure do. And yes, I have no problem sharing! Her name is Mara Louise, a tribute to two of our grandmothers - Marilyn (Mike's maternal) and Regina Louise (my mom's maternal grandma). The first name, Mara, sounds like the letter "R" with an 'mmmmm' and an 'uh' around it. I'm hoping she won't be that kid whose teachers all pronounce her name wrong, causing her to hate it! ;-) Oh well.. I always wanted to be Rebecca for some random reason, so I'm sure she'll want to change her name to Shenandoah at some point down the road.

Mara at 21 weeks!

We were in Chicago when we found out (last appt there - awwww).. However, that ultrasound wasn't my only visit to the hospital. The following day, I graced them with my presence in the ER because I nearly passed out during brunch. You know what? It's incredibly embarrassing to arrive at the Emergency Room not feeling like you have an emergency anymore.. as I walked myself up to the check-in desk, appearing completely unscathed, I checked out the people around me - broken arms, broken legs, and a big ol' gash across some guy's forehead. I began with, "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be here, but..."

Okay, here's the story..

Out to brunch with Jamie Kay at my FAVORITE brunch spot in Chi-town: Orange. I was on Cloud 9. Had frushi (fruit sushi, a MUST), a few sips of their orange-infused coffee, and half of a delicious egg and veggie chorizo wrap. Drank a glass and a half of water. Had just finished when suddenly, I began to feel nauseous. Realizing this was no little game my body was playing, I told Jamie I had to go outside for some air because I felt sick. Naturally, I shooed away her offer to escort me, saying I just needed a minute.

WELL, when I got out there, I didn't just feel nauseous; I began to get all clammy. And faint. And suddenly, I couldn't really hold myself up against the brick building anymore. So what does a girl do? Get on all fours on Clark Street in a cute green dress, of course. A nice couple had just parked their car and asked if I needed help, but I was still being Stubborn Sally and said I'd be fine....

NOPE. After another minute, I realized it was getting worse and I couldn't really see as well. Luckily, Maria (one half of the parked car party) had waited (she's much smarter than I) and quickly retrieved Jamie Kay. Then, her other half of the parked car party, Julio, came out and shared the job of holding me up to walk to a chair with Jamie Kay. I must have looked like a hot mess. I couldn't hold myself up, I was cold and sweaty, and I couldn't really respond to questions (except for the "Do you want an ambulance?" to which I [vehemently] croaked, "No").

Jamie drove me to the ER, where Mike met us and I was told that I was probably dehydrated. Four hours, one saline bag, three small viles of blood, one urine test, and several ridiculously good-looking doctors later, we left the ER. Mara was totally fine throughout all of this. She was probably rolling her eyes at me, wondering why her mama can't just pick up a glass of water and drink it!

Kickin' it in the ER

Later that evening, we celebrated the happy happy union of our friends Dustin and Phoebe - now Mr. and Mrs. Cahan!! :) Congratulations, you two!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

* First off, let me say thank-you to our friend Rosco, who re-designed the background of the blog! *

Thank-you, Rosco! :)

The Good

At a little over 19 weeks now, I am close to finding out if Baby Anderson is a girl or a boy! (Official find-out date is July 20th...stay tuned for that post!) I am finally starting to really show that I'm pregnant...woohoo! 

On our first morning in Kansas City (Tuesday, July 10th), I groggily woke up to Mike getting ready for work at 6:55am. And wouldn't you know it, so did Baby A! I felt the first movements of our precious little one that morning. It felt like a light, sweet little muscle spasm....an eye-twitch of sorts, but in my belly... so exciting! I can't wait for Mike to feel the baby, too. That day will be incredible. :)

Another 'good' is that we made our first baby nursery purchases! Teeheehee! We bought a crib and a changing table - both should be delivered next week. I cannot wait! I'll absolutely post pictures of the nursery in progress. Discovering the style I want for the nursery has definitely been an adventure. I don't see myself getting into an animal theme or transportation theme (both of which I see a lot of on websites).. don't get me wrong, some of those little elements are SUPER cute! But I want our baby's room to be a reflection of us and our happiness, since that's what the baby is. Pictures of places we've been, happy memories, family, and of course momentos of the pregnancy... a room of love. :)

The Bad

Honestly, I have had a glorious pregnancy thus far... aside from feeling nauseous for the first trimester, I have been so blessed! I feel great. (Partly because I am sleeping around 10-12 hours every night, I'm sure! I'm a lucky girl on many levels.)

But this is supposed to be the 'bad' part... so let me get to that. Though I've been sleeping a lot, it hasn't been uninterrupted! I'm a back sleeper by nature, so sleeping on my side has been a huge adjustment. I constantly wake up on my back again, even though I've tried to make my body stay on its side! Arg! Last night, I slept with a body pillow and new regular pillow (designed specifically for side-sleepers)... it was better, but my shoulders still squish and I woke up once with pain in my hips... maybe once we get our actual furniture delivered from Chicago, things will be better. I don't think pregnant women were meant to sleep on blow-up mattresses. (Not to mention that sleeping on my side facing away from Mike is difficult when the weight of his body makes my body want to roll down toward the middle! I'd sleep all snuggly and facing toward him if I didn't seriously fear that he'd punch me in the face with one of his twitches - it's happened before!) 

And then... The Dreams. Holy smokes, the weird dreams I've had while pregnant! I can't remember them right now, but you know how a CRAZY dream can totally shake you for a while after you wake up? That's what pregnant dreams have been for me. Sometimes frustrating (as in, I'm trying to teach a class of kids but no one listens, no matter what I do), sometimes scary (as in, people trying to kill me, loved ones dying), and usually too real. 

Can I also add that bras are beginning to feel like corsets? Geez-oh-peets!

The Ugly

Ahhh the digestive fun! ;) I won't go too much into detail here, but let's just say I've spent some time standing on my head lately. (Truly a great way to pass gas, and it always makes me giggle when it happens. Not a glamorous or lady-like comment, but I'm just trying to pass along the good word!) But seriously, I've looked twice as pregnant because of all the air bubbles in my belly that seem absolutely opposed to exiting in any way. Not fun. And not pretty, either. Dare I say... ugly? 

Wedding, Shower, and Birthday Weekend

We had a busy few days full of love and happiness this weekend! On Friday, our very good friends Shana and Dave got married (congrats again, Shave! We love you and are so incredibly excited for your life together)! At the [gorgeous] reception, Mike had the chance to tickle our funny bones, along with Adrian and Matt, as they all introduced the wedding party a la Will Ferrell announcing the Bulls. Props, boys, Dwandy gives you a big thumbs-up - you had everyone rolling! When the dancing began, we were all on the dance floor, and Dwandy even got the chance to share a song with a partner, thanks to our friend Laura. :)

Dwandy's first dance - Baby A really loved Laura's attention and groovy moves!
<3

On Saturday, we celebrated my nephew, Liam's, third birthday. I don't get to see him often (a statement that will soon be even more true after this KC move, sadly), so I gobbled EVERY moment I could steal with him. Luckily, he seemed to like me a bit, so we had several moments. :) Here's one in my car (which he wanted to stay in and drive to cousin Livvy's house).

Liam and "ZZ" - both wearing ZZ's glasses while in ZZ's car. :)

When I first saw Liam, he came up to me and requested to see my baby. I knelt down and pointed to my stomach. Then, he instructed me to lift my shirt a little so he could see my belly. I obediently followed his instruction... Not yet satisfied, he asked, "Can you open it?" HAHAHAHA I calmly explained that the baby was still growing and that we couldn't open my belly to see the baby until Christmas - like a present. Poor kid's now obsessed with the snow coming!

Liam will also apparently be teaching my future child to chop down trees (Liam the Lumberjack has a nice ring..).

When Liam was having quiet time before bed that evening, he was laying between my dad and me. He got up and decided he wanted to talk to the baby. After each of his "Hi!"s, I playfully pushed my stomach up and said, "Hi!" Despite my efforts, each time, he said, "I can't hear it!" So, he rolled over to my dad (who looks very in shape, by the way) and said, "Let me see your baby," looking expectantly at his stomach. Too funny!

Okay, last cute Liam story.. I promise! Same evening, during quiet time... sweet little Liam decides to show his affection by rubbing "my baby" in circles and then patting "my baby." Unfortunately.... his aim was a little off and his love ended up happening at a higher 'bump' on my body...one of two higher bumps... oops! It's the thought that counts, right??

On Sunday, I got to share in the happiness of my cousin's baby-to-be. She is due 5 months before me...which means she's due July 5! Morgan is a beaming and beautiful pregnant woman...radiant would probably be the best description. The company was great, the food was scrumptious, and I must admit that Dwandy and I got some excellent ideas for our own baby registry! ;) (Hey, at least I'm honest!)

16 Weeks!

On Wednesday (June 20), I was officially 16 weeks pregnant! Here's a picture of the day. :) The background definitely speaks to our family's experience right now, with the boxes as we prepare to move to Kansas City. 

In the next month, I am supposed to begin feeling the baby move (which I have already lied VERY still and tried to coax my body into noticing)...and we find out if it is a boy or girl on the 20th of July!! I can't wait! 

The baby is also supposed to double in size soon (we've currently got an avocado in there), so I expect to "pop" in the near future... all the more reason to keep taking pictures weekly to show you the expansion of my belly! *Note: I am totally down with the bare belly photos as of now, but if things get scary (i.e. stretch marks galore), you'll be seeing the ol' tank or tee! Dare I even wish to be so lucky as to bare it all, a la Heidi Klum? I mean, she and I have SO much in common already................. ;)

What's in a [Nick]name?

When Mike and I first found out we were pregnant, we were of course super excited and downright giddy. :) BUT - we couldn't tell anyone or let on that we were expecting! This becomes even more difficult when you have a roommate that is not only a friend but also a step-cousin of sorts... to solve the problem of wanting to talk about the baby and constantly express our excitement while also in the company of others, we referred to Baby A as "sweet sweet baby squirrel." (..which, yes, came from a youtube video we had seen and fallen in love with just days after finding out about our sweet sweet baby...we chose to focus on the cuteness of the little girl, rather than the insanity of her affectionately holding a dead baby squirrel...don't judge!)

Saying "Sweet sweet baby squirrel" was a fun and, to me, endearing way of referring to our little human... soon, however, another nickname found its way into our circle...enter: Dwandy Anderson.

Memorial Day weekend 2012. Sitting on a boat on White Lake (Michigan) with the fam. I'm chatting with my cousins Jackson and Alex (who don't know yet about the baby). Jackson and I are randomly having a conversation about names (can you help me remember the context, Jack?? I can't!) and he laughingly says, "Dwayne... or Randy..." and I exclaim, "Or DWANDY!" We laughed at the ridiculousness of the name (because I'm hilarious, of course!) ...

Fast forward to a few days later when we announce the baby to some of our friends.. I share this little story with them as a joke about a boy name, and it catches. Suddenly, everyone is calling my sweet, perfect little peanut of a human being... DWANDY ANDERSON. Within minutes, Dwandy's 'voice' has a lisp and within hours, he has a facebook profile page, courtesy of our friend Matt!

Dwandy Anderson's [former] Facebook Profile Picture
Courtesy of Google Images

All very funny (I admit I was having a lot of fun with the whole thing, suggesting Dwandwea as an alternative girl name)... until.........

Going to bed one night, I am affectionately rubbing my belly and tell Mike that we should say goodnight to the baby. He leans over (awww, so sweeet!), touches my belly (ohhhh he's going to be such a great daddy!!...), and says, "Goodnight Dwandy!" (What?! Our baby is precious and perfect! 'Dwandy' is not!) I explained to Mike my inner monologue and told him he may NOT refer to the baby as Dwandy - it just didn't match my vision of the baby's perfection. (If you know me, you know when I get something in my head, I will defend the vision stubbornly at all costs...wonder where I got that from(Mom)? hehe)

Sadly, Dwandy's Facebook profile has been retired. The nickname has not, and I am enjoying the excitement in our friends' voices when they talk to or about Dwandy. :) But Mike, when you speak directly to the baby........... Dwandy is off-limits. K?  ..K.

Pregnant with Emotion

I am a fairly emotional person. Surprisingly, though, I haven't been too crazy throughout the pregnancy so far. (Tomorrow is 16 weeks, so there's lots of time for crazy left!) Aside from a few episodes of me being less patient than usual, there isn't anything that stands out in my baby-carrying experience that shouts "PREGNANT!" .... well.... except maybe this one time........

Mike and I decided to go for a run on a beautiful Saturday morning. Blue skies, 70 degrees, early morning fresh air...perfection. Couldn't be happier. And then...

We get to the corner of Sheridan and Wellington and there is a mama bird leading her baby bird (which appeared to have fallen out of the nest or broken its wing or both) along the sidewalk and across Wellington. I became alarmed. I couldn't look away. To my horror, the baby bird hobbled across the street and stopped UNDER the TIRE of a car waiting for the light. As we jogged across the street, I became paralyzed with my fear for the baby bird. I fought between the urge to watch and hide in Mike's arms as the seconds crawled by. Suddenly, I erupted into deep, from-the-gut sobs. I mean, can't catch my breath, can't form words, uncontrollable sobs. Mike assured me the baby bird got across safely before the car moved, to which I choked out the words, "Are you lying to me? Because if you are, good, I can't handle it!" before falling apart again. Gingerly treading the line between consoling me and helping me to realize the ridiculous nature of my behavior, Mike asked, "Are you pregnant or something?" .... :)

Wow. Guess that's what they mean by hormones affecting you, huh?

Shhhhhhh!

Keeping a baby a secret is by far the most difficult secret we've ever experienced! We told no one outside of each other until the end of the first trimester. (This secret-keeping is the subject of the song I wrote and used to tell my dad about the baby.) Here are a few stories about keeping Baby A a secret!

The night we found out, a friend of ours was having a birthday party at AliveOne. Although there was a wristband deal at the door for the party, Mike spoke to the bouncer separately and explained that his wife wouldn't be drinking... could she just not get a wristband? It appeared to not be a problem. Well, it became a problem when the bouncer came up to Mike and our friend Kylie and said, "Is this the girl who doesn't need a wristband?" Of course, Kylie asked if I was pregnant. SO, I ended up wearing a wristband all night (courtesy of the bouncer who nearly outed us) and drinking so much Sprite my belly hurt. I have to say, I was pretty convincing, bopping around endlessly to various genres of music and belting out "Call Me Maybe" with everyone else. Mission: Accomplished.

The next weekend, we were supposed to go to a Nero concert with some friends. Beforehand, they wanted to have dinner and cucumber martinis (yum!). Luckily, Mike tended to the drinks and I drank cucumber water all evening. Unfortunately, once at the concert, I was feeling claustrophobic. By midnight, I was out. Everyone understood my excuse, no questions asked!

Shana's bachelorette weekend. The ULTIMATE test to my acting and conniving skills (the latter of which I honestly do not put into practice!). Friday - Sunday in Milwaukee with a bunch of girlfriends, our activities based around martinis and late-night shenanigans. Oh boy. I became VERY good buddies with the bartenders and found that soda water was much easier on the tum-tum than Sprite. I ended up being quite handy, as I was the only one who frequently noticed a certain friend's camera, cash, and debit card were on the floor throughout the night.

The real whopper of the bachelorette weekend came when we went to lunch and everyone wanted bloody marys. Never to turn one down, I knew I had to pull a fast one. I excused myself to the ladies' room, but bee-lined for the hostess (couldn't find the waitress) and explained the situation. I said, "When we order drinks, please make sure that the girl in stripes and glasses gets a virgin bloody." Feeling pretty satisfied with myself, I snuck back to the table. Lo and behold, the waitress comes a few minutes later and says, "I heard you ordered early!" OH. MY. GOD. Seriously?! This is pretty much the OPPOSITE of nonchalant! I think I turned 50 shades of pink at that moment. I thought for sure I was caught. ....to my surprise, no one questioned me, even when I made up this ridiculous story of stopping the hostess and telling her we had all wanted bloody marys when she got the chance, but she must have messed up the order and only brought one to me.... I dared to look into their eyes after my terrible lie, but their only response was, "Oh, I wasn't planning on ordering a bloody mary." Wow. Was I really this lucky?? "Oh, well, I guess it worked out then! ha.. ha..." Cue the big simultaneous gulp of my drink and relief.

To all of my friends: If you ever need someone to keep a secret, I have proof I'm a good bet! *smile*

The Joyful Discovering of the Bundle

It was the Saturday before Easter 2012. End of Spring Break. Mike and I had recently returned from a Kansas City trip where we found our apartment for our July move. I had woken up with this urge to take a pregnancy test, but brushed it off. "Silly," I thought... "Not possible."

As the morning progressed, I became more curious. I thought, "Ah, why not? I have one handy, I have to use the bathroom, what's the harm?" Oh my goodness, my heart raced as I waited for the results, not sure about how I felt about either possible sign presented by the tiny little life-changing stick. When that plus sign stared into my emotion-riddled face, my jaw dropped. "Holy moly! I'm pregnant!!" (I may have had a different exclamation, but we'll keep it G-rated ;)

Of course, my brother and his buddy (our roommie at the time) were in the living room with Mike. They had said they were going to buy Cubs t-shirts, but were DAWDLING like you wouldn't believe! I have never wanted anyone out of my house with such desperation before. I was all but leading them by the hand out the door (even Mike later commented on my relentless encouragement to their departure).

Finally, they left.

I silently ran to the bathroom, marched to Mike (who was sitting in the chair with his back to me), and put the test in his view. He jerked his head up toward mine and said, "No way!" (Again, there may have been another word inserted there... lots of changes that will have to occur before Baby A arrives!) We quickly agreed to buy two additional brands of tests at Walgreen's. Mike also threw a liter of water in the basket, only to be disappointed when it didn't instantaneously go through me.

A liter of water, 30 minutes, and 2 pregnancy tests later, we had a total of 3 positive results. It was real. We were having a baby! :) 

Big Brother

This is Shermie, our King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. 

He is the current baby in our family... and boy does he have a rude awakening coming his way around December 5th! He is the ultimate lover-not-a-fighter lapdog who must be near / touching you at all times. The consummate snuggler, he is notorious for wiggling in between Mike and me on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Of course, with this face, it's hard to say no!

I'm Growin' a Baby Over Here!

So exciting! Mike and I are officially going to be adding a munchkin to the Anderson family on December 5th, 2012.  I've begun google-ing everything from 'morning sickness' to 'baby names' to 'how to prepare your pet for baby's arrival.'  .... okay, I didn't google the last one, but the article popped up and you KNOW I read it! :) Shermie is definitely in for a rude awakening when this baby arrives ("Excuse me, mom and dad, but who is the stinky little human wiggling around in MY usual Saturday morning Snuggle Spot??").


Since I'm in the midst of my 13th week of pregnancy, I have some catching up to do! Now that I've dipped my toe into the baby blog pool, I will absolutely do my best to keep diving in at least weekly. I'm so excited to share this incredible journey with you!!


Love.