babies, babies everywhere

We just got back from a jam packed weekend in Winston Salem. We hit the road to my parents house on Friday afternoon and were greeted by O'Malley when we arrived. We sure do miss our pup and hope to bring him back in the next month or two.
Nanny was so excited to show us everything she (and dad) bought for Anderson, and little booger got so much stuff! Mom knows I'm a snob and tried to find clothes that would meet my approval...and most items did! I loved all the cute little outfits!!!

Friday morning we woke up and had snuggle time with O'Malley. We put an old blanket on the couch and let him lay around with us.After breakfast and showers, we headed to my friend Erin's house. Erin and I met freshman year in Coltrane and have been friends ever since. She and her husband have the most precious little peanut named Celia Mae. Celia is 14 months old and probably the happiest baby I have ever met. Erin and I caught up on life while Mike played with Celia. Our visits are always too short but I'm glad we got to spend a little time together. After our visit, we headed to the hospital to see Meg and Scott!Baby Gus decided to make his entrance 6 weeks early and I couldn't wait to get to the hospital to see him. Gus has been in the NICU and unfortunately I wasn't allowed to see him. (sneaking me in didn't really work out) Meg showed me lots of pictures of Gus and updated me on his progress. He is doing extremely well and they are hoping he gets to come home in a week. I have to say that Meg has such a positive attitude and looks AMAZING! If I could look that skinny after giving birth, I will be one happy girl. I can't wait for our annual West Girls family beach trip this year so Anderson and Gus can "play" with each other!
The added bonus of the hospital visit was seeing our friends Blake & Ashley. Ashley gave birth to Crosby 4 weeks early and we got a chance to see them as well. Crosby is so cute and he has one very proud older brother.After hanging out with Scott and Meg, we rushed back to my parents house so I could change and head to Whit's baby shower. Whit and I have been friends for 25 years and it's exciting to see her enter into this new stage of life! Motherhood will be such a scary but amazing journey, and I'm thankful she is going through it before me. I expect lots of good advice in a few months.
Some of Whitney's friends hosted a nautical theme baby shower and did a great job! They didn't miss a single detail and you could tell a lot of love went into the shower.
Later that evening, my parents took us to a new restaurant in Clemmons. We saw so many familiar faces and it was great to catch up with old friends...the food was awesome too!

Just like weekends growing up, my dad went and got us fresh bagels for breakfast on Sunday morning. YUM! We sorted through some of Deedee's stuff and all the baby stuff Em had sent home.
Once the car was finally loaded down with so much stuff, we hit the road.
It was such a fun weekend hanging out with my parents and catching up with friends. Weekends like these always make me wish we lived a lot closer. Hopefully one day we will be back in NC and all the babies will be best friends!

Oh BOY!

It is finally official...we're having a baby BOY!!!!
Since I saw those double lines on the pregnancy tests, I have been waiting to find out the sex. So of course we have been counting down the days until our appointment. I have been convinced it was a boy and couldn't wait to be right!

We both were so excited to find out the sex and couldn't really sleep. We woke up at 4am and just laid in bed chatting about our future bundle and how our life is going to change. After several work meetings, it was time to head to the doctors office. On the way, I sipped on a coke zero and ate a few sour patch kids...I was determined to get this kiddo moving around!

After the dreaded weigh in, we headed back to the ultrasound room. We both watched in awe as the technician measured, counted and checked every inch of Anderson's body. When it came time to find out the sex, she let us look and guess first. I immediately saw a "third" limb and yelled...It's a boy! She confirmed my guess and pointed to the penis on the screen. At that moment, I thought Mike was going to run around the halls screaming with joy. He was a beaming proud papa! After the ultrasound, the midwife (our doctor had 3 emergency c-sections and couldn't meet with us) came to chat with us. Anderson got a clean bill of health and she answered my usual list of questions.
We then began to call all of our family and friends. It was so fun to share the news with everyone and hear their reactions to the name!

Everyone asked us how we came up with the name so let me explain.
I have always liked last names for first names. Mike was on the fence and shot down most of my name choices- with good reason. We finally narrowed it down to 2 names and settled on Anderson! We both felt like it was a strong, southern name. (We are calling him Anderson but his nickname will be Anders)

We wanted his middle name to be a family name so then it was off to consult the family tree.
Robert is Mike's dad's name and also my "grandpa's" name. My mom's dad died of Alzheimer's when I was young so I don't have a ton of memories with him. My grandma dated a man named Bob (Robert) for so many years that he became our grandpa. (fun side story- grandma & Bob went to medical school together and were best friends for years. They both married other people, had children and opened their medical practices in different locations. Both couples ended up building houses in Traverse City for retirement. After Bob's wife and grandpa passed away, they rekindled their friendship and dated for years.) Bob passed away a few months ago but was an AMAZING man. I just wish he could have met Anderson.

Mike's dad and Bob Tull are 2 men that exude strong family values, love, strength, courage, smarts and a love for life. We pray that Anderson will grow up to be an amazing man just like these two.

Grandma & BobMike's dad with his 3 sons

We met our dear friends for dinner and to share our big news. They have been such a blessing to us during this crazy time in Knoxville, and I could not be more thankful for their friendships!

Celebratory drinks with Chris

Beautiful flowers from Erica- Blue & Pink since she didn't know the sex yet!

Erica, me and Amanda

Happy Vday

Another year, another Hallmark holiday...as my brother in law (Greg) likes to say.

I told my husband not to send me flowers this year. They are too expensive and we need to save our money! Well, the man has mastered the skill of tuning me out... They are beautiful and I'm thankful for such a thoughtful husband!

Since Mike is traveling, I have a big valentines night planned... gym, leftovers, Real Housewives and maybe even the Duggars! I'm actually really excited about spending the night on the couch, and indulging in all the reality shows that the Hubs thinks are a waste of my brain cells. Ha!

Happy Valentines Day to all!

Life

Life lately consists of traveling during the week and meeting up on the weekends. Mike just got a promotion (woot woot) so we are hoping that will lessen his travel in a few months.
I worked from Charlotte and Raleigh last week and felt like I worked from 7am until 10pm every single day...it was a long week to say the least.
I did manage to meet my sis and John for dinner while in Raleigh. It was good to catch up and drool over their wine and beer.

After such a long week, we decided to have a low key Friday night.
Friday I made Skyline for dinner (a favorite from OH) and then we went to see Safe House. The movie was pretty good (similar to a "Bourne" movie), but it would have been much better if we weren't stuck in the 3rd row. I was not a happy camper.

Saturday we worked out, ran errands and just hung out around the house. That night we had some friends over for a "build your own" dinner party. We decided to do nachos this time and it was a success! I used the "shredded chicken" and "strawberry cake" recipes from Pinterest and they both turned out great. I now have half a strawberry cake in my fridge that no one is going to eat and I'm going to be forced to throw away (sorry, Ellen)!

After Sunday School, Mike packed his bags and headed out for work travels. I'm going to be spending Valentine's day with the Real Housewives of OC and feel pretty good about it.

In Tater news...
-I felt the baby kick this week, I think!!!! He isn't beating me up yet, but it certainly felt like a flutter/kick. I am trying to pay more attention to see if I keep feeling it or I'm really just gasy.
-I am now the proud owner of maternity jeans, and a few shirts. I will probably be wearing them in the next 2 weeks. My plan is to wear my pants until I can't button them, use the belly band then switch to maternity pants. We'll see how long this plan lasts.
-We have finally agreed on a BOY name...YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! We find out the sex in a week and a half, so if Tater has a little "V" then we will have to go back to the drawing board.
-My boobs are HUGE and I'm not a fan. Let's hope these watermelons don't grow to their pre-surgery size or I might have a mental breakdown.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Pregnancy Update

As you have probably already guessed, I won't be blogging every week about my pregnancy. I have a baby journal that I'm keeping and its enough to remember to update that thing.
But let's be honest, no one wants to see my waistline expanding and me tipping the scale. A pregnancy picture might end up on the blog occasionally but it is purely for my sisters/parents pleasure. Let it be known that there will NEVER be bare belly photos posted anywhere....that could be very scary for everyone involved.
But I do enjoy reading the weekly updates from my friends that are pregnant. Helps me put things into perspective sometimes.

I had my 16 week appointment this week and everything still looks and sounds good. I always hope that Tater is alive and well in there, and I haven't done anything yet to screw him up. We finished our genetic testing this week so I'm glad I get to keep some blood for a while.
As usual, I brought a list of questions to ask the doctor and she answered everyone with a smile or laugh. When I left she probably asked for me to be assigned to a new doctor! ha!

We scheduled our "find out the sex" appointment and we're counting down the days for the next 3 weeks. (side note- my brother in law and sister in law are finding out the sex of their baby TODAY...cannot wait to hear!! My guess is a girl) I am already convinced we are having a boy, so I don't feel like it will be a surprise at the appointment. Call me crazy, but I have a strong feeling.

We have discussed some names and usually Mike hates all the crazy names I like. This child might be nameless since both his parents are pretty stubborn. We shall see if any compromises can be made.

But all in all, I have been feeling great and still wearing my normal clothes. I have a little pooch but we all know I have never had a flat stomach. My friend, Ryan, told me to have a pair of maternity pants with me on all my business travels in case I wake up one day and my pants don't fit anymore. great advice!! Knoxville has a lot of great things, but maternity clothes are not on the list. I went to look this weekend and it was a terrible experience. I am working in Charlotte and Raleigh next week so I will continue my hunt for acceptable maternity clothes.

Besides traveling for work, trying to figure out our living situation and being pregnant...we live a boring life. We're praying for big updates soon!

Happy Hump day!