under construction..

I am trying to change my blog a little but am having some difficulties with my computer.  Please excuse the "mess" as I figure out all this layout/column stuff.

Gummy Bear is doing well.. she is moving like crazy and really loves oreos and milk!

26 weeks = still an eggplant!

I am going to apologize now - this is going to be a very lame, super short post.  Maybe I will post again tomorrow but if I can be honest, I am exhausted - emotinally and physically.  I am definitely feeling 'more' pregnant and I hate to complain about it.  I am so very thankful and feel so blessed to have this healthy little girl in my tummy, but it is so draining sometimes.  I will try to post more another day this week.. I am just ready to take my contacts out, put my pjs on and lay on the couch and watch Big.Brother.

26 week quiz:
How far along: 26 weeks 2 day 
Weight gain: + 15 lbs or so -- maybe more at this point but I am not a fan of the scale.. 
New maternity clothes: nope. 
New baby clothes/items: we bought the paint for her nursery - and I did VERY good controlling myself at Ko.hls the other day, didn't spend a dime on baby clothes! 
Sleep: I've been having terrible back pain so sleep has not been so easy recently. 
Best moment of the week: buying paint for Gummy Bear's room; feeling her move more; listening to Gav talk about his baby "sisser" 
Stretch marks: uggg.. don't ask! 
Movement: yes, she moves a ton - love it!! 
Food cravings: sweet tea and gala apples 
Gender: girl! [so amazing!] 
Belly button in or out: still 'funny shaped' 
Labor signs: the braxton hicks contractions have begun - although they aren't a sign of labor it's a sign for me that I'm getting closer to the end.. 
What I miss: being able to control my emotions... oh wait, I have never been able to do that :o) 
What I'm looking forward to: clearing out the nursery and getting it painted; maybe picking a name for our little lady! 
Weekly wisdom: "Take it easy, take it easy - don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy." 
Milestones: At long last, your little swimmer can see the womb! Your miracle’s little eyelids have finally separated (they were fused closed previously) and they’re probably having their first moments of sight as you read this (or maybe it already happened while you were brushing your teeth or watching Oprah or something). In addition to seeing their little studio in your belly, they’ve recently acquired the ability to say “yes” and “no” in rudimentary sign language as they can now move their head back and forth. This is also the time where your little super star’s head hair is starting to grow! A cute little cowlick or two may be springing into position right now, getting ready for years of cute-but-stubborn bed-head. Also, their toenails have grown in and you little raisin continues to slowly pile up fat beneath their still-loose skin. Most importantly, brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace, increasing their (genius-level?) brain activity and will continue to function at accelerated levels for the first seven to eight years of childhood! - courtesy of baby.gaga.com

*these photos are awful - I look terrible - and my shirt really is black, not some faded weird color but I really don't care too much right now, just enjoy the belly :o)

99 DAYS!!

That's right ... 99 days until Gummy Bear's due date!!  We will be heading in to our 26th week tomorrow, so we're almost in our 3rd trimester.  I am happy to report that we bought the paint for her nursery today =)  My goal is to clear the room out in the next couple of days so we can get moving with the paint fairly soon.  It seems to all be coming together at a nice pace.  I still don't have much news on her name - I am still leaning towards Gabrielle, I think my big hiccup with the name is that it seems so long.  My name is short, most of my family has fairly short names, Gavin is a short name.. ah, but what's a few more letters?!!  I will be back on Tuesday with my weekly post!  I hope everyone has a nice Labor Day =)

Gummy Bear got a gift!!

I got home from work today and noticed a package on the kitchen table - immediately my mind starts to wander - did I order something I forgot about, did I get another one of those annoying free offer books, did Steven order something and send it to me - hmmm.. what could it be?!?

I rip into the package to discover our Love Bug photo frame for the nursery - someone ordered it from our registry and had it shipped to our house!!  I was so surprised and excited, who was this mystery shopper?!  I proceed to pull out the paperwork that came with it and read the sweetest note.  The mystery shopper was Jil - a girl I graduated high school with.  She currently lives in New York City and we really only communicate with one another on-line but she said that she has loved reading my blog and was excited to buy something for our baby girl!!  That's when the tears started rolling.. how incredibly sweet.  I was speechless, standing there in my kitchen totally overwhelmed by her kindness.  THANK YOU JIL - hopefully you read this and know how much your gift touched me and I cannot wait to put a photo of our little Gummy Bear in it =)

25 weeks = an eggplant!

(FYI!) The top photo is week #25 size, the second is month #6 size (weeks 25-28), the third is the baby during week #25 and the fourth is a silly cartoon for week 25. 

I am 6 months pregnant... when in the world did that happen?!?  I knew that the beginning would go slow and right around 20 weeks things would start to pick up, boy was I right!!  The past week has been pretty productive.. I've finally started emptying out the nursery/play room and packing things away.  I've also gone through all the bins of Gavin's clothing so we have a lot more storage space in the basement - but I have NO idea what to do with the 6-7 bins full of very gently used clothing.  I bought a small sample of paint last night just to test it out and I think it's a little too pink.  Steven, Gavin and I went back to Lo.we's tonight to look for a slighter lighter shade.  We were there for 5 minutes and Steven found the perfect one.  (we will go back in a few weeks, when the room is cleaned out completely - to buy the paint and all the necessary painting tools!)  I was there for almost an hour last night searching and searching - go figure!  We don't have a lot of decorations/hangings for her walls so I really don't want the pink to be too overwhelming.

I just have to quickly say/type that I hate money.  Money is the root of all (well most) evil and I can't stand it.  Never in my life have I been as consumed with money as I have been in the past month or so.. it's terrible.. and annoying.. and I hate it.  Working on a budget, planning for maternity leave, planning for Gavin's birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Gummy Bear's arrival, Christmas, Steven's birthday.. ahhhhhh!!!  I wish I would have listened when I was younger about how important it is to save money and be wise with money.  (not that we're crazy with our money - but definitely could be a little wiser!)  Anybody got a couple [[million]] bucks they want to throw my way =)

Guess what?!?! A private investigator that has been doing some work for me on a case came in to the office on Thursday and asked when I was due!!!  Finally someone who didn't know I was pregnant actually acknowledged my belly - it makes me feel like I finally look pregnant and not chubby =)


25 week pregnancy quiz:
How far along: 25 weeks 1 day - we are almost under 100 days until Gummy Bear's due date 
Any new maternity clothes: nope - with the weather getting cooler I'm hoping I am going to be able to find some fall/winter clothes in my closet that actually fit!  (back to the $ statement - I really don't want to waste $ on maternity clothes..) 
Any new baby clothes/items: not this week - unless you count paint samples =) 
Weight gain: I am still about +15 pounds - I lost a couple pounds over the weekend due to baseball park food that just didn't sit well in my tummy... but I am sure I will put that back on in no time! 
Sleep: I am getting up about twice to use the potty and I haven't been having much trouble getting comfortable - but I still can't ever seem to get enough sleep!! 
Best moment of the week: finally feeling like we've made some progress on the nursery; hearing her heart beat at the doctor last Tuesday; showing off her clothing to some family members!! 
Movement: oh yes, she is definitely an active little lady!  (it is so amazing!) 
Food cravings: salad, gala apples, pickles 
Gender: Team Pink! 
Labor signs: No! 
Belly button in or out: both, we will call it 'funny shape' for now 
What I miss: my normal clothes, sleeping on my belly, running - same old stuff! 
What I'm looking forward to: FALL = pumpkin patches, parades, leaves changing colors, Gavin's 3rd birthday, Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk, beautiful cool weather.. it's my favorite season!!  Another would be continuing progress in the nursery and getting closer to our baby girl's arrival =)  
Weekly wisdom: "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." 
Milestones: Your little grower’s physical proportions are evening out at this point and most of their remaining development will largely be weight gain and lots and lots of nervous system development. The good news is: if your child is born premature now they’ll be more likely to survive without too much trauma as their lungs began to produce “surfactant” last week, which means their tiny respiratory system is getting stronger with each passing day. Yes, now’s a good time for a minor sigh of relief and a quick pat on the back.  

 this is my view =)

*if anyone has a good suggestion for a free photo editing program online I'd love to hear it.. these photos are always real crappy but I can't use my flash.. so I am sorry!!  (I feel like this week is exceptionally bad not only because of the coloring but because I look so stinkin' tired!)

DR visit recap

Our doctor visit went well yesterday - here were some highlights -

• the nurse confirmed Gummy Bear is a girl!
• I have a trace of protien in my urine so I need to up my water intake.. oh fun.
• I gained 6 pounds since my last visit 4 weeks ago
• The nurse wasn't concerned about the weight gain and said at that this phase of the pregnancy myself and the baby will experience a "real growth spurt"
• My blood pressure is still really good - 102/60
• Gummy Bear's heart beat was 144 bpm - it sounded amazing!!!  Gavin just loves to hear his little "sisser's" heart beat =)
  
• I go back in 4 weeks for my 28 week appointment and the 1 hour glucose drink/lab test
• After my 28 week appointment I will start going every 2 weeks until I hit 36 weeks, then the appointments will be weekly

On to the name situation.. I thought I had it all figured out.. Gabrielle Louise, final answer.  Until this morning when Steven comes home from work and says "I see on the blog her name is Gabrielle, what happeneded to Kelsey?"  He goes on to say that he doesn't want me to pick Gabrielle just because it's his favorite and he would be just as happy with the name Kelsey too.  So this gets my wheels aturnin' - and I just don't know - maybe I shouldn't commit to any name yet since I really can't make up my mind.  I love them both, equally, and for different reasons.  So for now she has two names, Gabrielle and Kelsey, and I want you to vote on your favorite.  I have a poll on the side of the blog where the gender poll used to be.  

 Pros for Gabrielle

• two "G" names
• lots of cute nicknames
• "classy" sound
• very powerful meaning
  

Cons for Gabrielle

• too long for a little girl to learn to spell
• too "common"
• too long when she is filling out forms/tests - remember those stupid bubble sheets for exams - she will hate us for giving her a name with 9 letters when she has to sit and color in those dumb bubbles
  

Pros for Kelsey

• she and I will have the same initials = KLA!
  
• fun, spunky name
• not as common as Gabrielle - at least I don't think it is - is it??

Cons for Kelsey

• no cute nicknames
• maybe having the same initials will be more of a pain than fun??

Please vote - and leave comments on here too - it's fun to heard what people think!  I will add another name badge so I can visualize both names - maybe that will help me - I'm stupid, I know!

24 weeks = as long as an ear of corn!

*belly photos now added - check the end of the post!

So I think Gummy Bear has a name ---> Gabrielle Louise Anderson!!

I have done a lot of searching and have learned that the origin of the name is either French or Hebrew and it means God Gives Strength, Woman of God, God is My Strength. The origin and meaning vary depending on what website you look at but man, what a great meaning for a name. I do hope that she is a Woman of God, she has definitely helped me to become a stronger Woman of God, so I feel it's very fitting. My hubby thought of the name.. he originally really liked the name Brielle, then one day said, what about Gabrielle. (this was long before we were even pregnant with Gummy Bear) I of course liked it but wasn't 100% sold on it. I've really been liking the name Kelsey lately, it's just such a cute and spunky name, but there really aren't many fun nicknames that accompany it, and while I do love the meaning (Brave) I just can't quite let go of Gabrielle. While at Knoe.bels the other weekend my niece Shayna says to me, "isn't Kelsey a blond girls name?" Too funny!! I guess the only Kelsey I knew was a blond! It will be fun to have two "G" name kids and she can have many nicknames from Gabrielle - Gabby, Brie, Elle, Brielle, Gummy Bear =) So, yes, my husband wins!! =)

Yep, I am definitely feeling pregnant these days. My belly is growing and getting "heavier" by the minute. I have become much more "uncomfortable" but I know I have a long way to go!! I do just feel so incredibly blessed to be pregnant and to have a healthy little lady in my tummy so I really do not want to complain. I will survive and the "prize" at the end will be 100% worth all the discomfort in the world!

Steven and I registered at Babies.R.Us on Sunday. We had fun and it really didn't take too long. I was a little surprised by the amount of stuff we needed/want. We need everything for the nursery since we aren't using the ugly stuff I had in Gav's nursery (sorry buddy!). A new crib mattress is a must along with new linens. We also need/want girlie towels, wash cloths, bibs, socks, clothes, hangers, toys and some other random girlie items. I hate to "ask" for things since this is our 2nd baby and I don't know how people feel about buying items for baby #2.. it sort of puts us in an awkward position.. and I don't want people to feel obligated to buy something.. but I figure if people want to get us/Gummy Bear something at least now they know what we need. I also registered at Tar.get. I heard that they give you a $20 gift card to shutterfly.com along with several coupons and free samples so I took full advantage of that! I don't have much on that registry, only about 7 items, but I did notice that a lot of what we registered for a Babies.R.Us is available at Tar.get and is sometimes a little cheaper. If our bedding/nursery stuff was available at Tar.get I probably would have just registered there for everything.. but oh well! I hope people don't think I'm being greedy by having 2 registries for Gummy Bear, now that I think about it it may be a little overboard, but I really wanted the free stuff!! Oh well, I guess people will think what they want and I can't help that. You can view our registries by going to the Babies.R.Us website and the Tar.get website and searching my name. I still haven't registered for any feeding supplies. I am really thinking about trying to breastfeed again.. I did for about 3 days with Gavin and hated every second of it. Really long story that I won't get into now, but I do think I want to give it another shot! I will most likely be taking a "learning to breastfeed" class in October, which I do think will help. (I was not at all prepared with Gavin and this was a big part of the problem.) I am hoping for success this time but that means that I have no idea what to register for. Do I ask for a pump and all the milk storage supplies, do I just assume it won't work and just register for the same bottles we used with Gavin (play.tex drop.ins - which I really loved!) or do I wait it out and see what happens in the hospital. I guess the later would be the smartest, huh?! (wow, this ended up being a much longer paragraph then originally planned!)

On a completely random note, I am trying to figure out how to print my blog.. I'd like to print each entry so I can keep them in a binder for Gummy Bear.. but I can't figure out how to do it. Each time I go to print it only prints the first page of the entry and chops all the photos up. If anyone has any suggestions about this feel free to help!

24 week pregnancy quiz - I have made some changes to the quiz so it's not so redundant each week!

How far along: 24 weeks 1 day

Any new maternity clothes: nope, nothing new.

Any new baby clothes/items: yes, we bought some clothes for Gummy Bear at the Carter's outlet, my mom bought her some clothes, an adorable elephant security blanket, and a light switch plate and a window valance for the nursery (thank you Grammie!!) and my mother-in-law bought a couple of cute outfits for her! (thank you MeeMaw!!)

Weight gain: well I am up about 15 pounds or so at this point - and I can definitely tell.

Sleep: I've had a lot of trouble falling asleep lately - and I had a creepy dream the other night that Gummy Bear was trying to crawl out of my tummy.. yikes!

Best moment of the week: watching Steven look at little baby girl clothes; doing our registry; finally starting to go through and organize items so we can start getting the nursery together

Movement: yes, this lady is moving a lot - sometimes you can see my belly move!

Food cravings: nothing specific, I'm just hungry all the time (I guess this is where the weight gain comes in..)

Gender: Girl - and she has a name now!!

Labor signs: nope - but I do know that braxton hicks contractions can start any time now..

Belly button in or out: still in, still a funny shape - when I sit down it's almost an outtie!

What I miss: running - I really miss getting completely sweaty and yucky on the treadmill listening to my iPod and feeling like I am going to die..

What I'm looking forward to: our doctor appointment this afternoon; continuing to work on the nursery/house to prepare for Gummy Bear; the Barnstormers game this weekend!!

Weekly wisdom: Money doesn't grow on trees so be wise...

Milestones: This is another big week for your magical growing baby! Just take a look at the checklist for this week: 1) ears: done; 2) fingernails: done; 3) (if you have a boy) testicles: taking their 3-4 day trip from the abdominal wall to the scrotum; and 4) lungs walls: secreting “surfactant”. What’s that? Well, surfactant is sort of what it sounds like: a surface-activated fat whose main purpose is to assist the your baby's little lungs during inflation (as in, filling with air, not getting more expensive). Just in case you’re curious, your submerged baby is still breathing in amniotic fluid, preparing and rehearsing the lungs an oxygen-filled life outside the womb. By the end of this week, your child will be weighing around 2 lbs and 14 inches long. Your cutie-patootie may even be a little more plump, but isn't anywhere near their full baby-fatted cute-self. Most of the “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready!

*24 weeks also is the first marks of viability - that means that if Gummy Bear were to be born this week or beyond she would actually have a "good" chance at survival - but obviously we want her to hold out for at least another 13 weeks or so until we are full term =) (holy cow, only 13 weeks until we're full term, how did that happen?!)

5 weeks

24 weeks