9 Weeks left!!!!!

We have had a busy couple of weeks, but very exciting. Since the last post I've had a doctors appointment and a shower and we are definitely in nesting mode... BOTH of us.

First the doctors appointment. I am now seeing Motley every 2 weeks. When I went in to see her she was a little shocked by how much I had grown in 2 weeks. I was actually measuring about a week bigger than I have been, so Porter MAY be here a little earlier than we thought, but we will have to see how he's grown over the past couple of weeks and what he continues to do. I would be lying if I said I am not the tiniest bit hopeful that he comes a little early. I am ready to have him in my arms!

Our shower yesterday was AMAZING! I cannot thank the ladies that hosted it enough. I had an amazing time and really enjoyed spending time with everyone that came (and Porter loved all the yummy food). I would also like to thank everyone that traveled in from out of town for the shower. I hope you all had as good of a time as I did. Not to mention we got some great stuff. The clothes... oh the clothes... they are so adorable. Jeff and I are so incredibly blessed to have so many people that care for us and take an active part in our lives. God has and continues to bless us daily. I'll post pictures when I get some of them.

I thought for sure it would take us days to get everything organized, but we tackled it this morning and were able to get most of it done today. We went shopping and bought a few things to help us get organized. Now I just have to figure out how to reorganize some things in the kitchen to fit bottles and all the sippy cups and bowls and spoons. That should be interesting... we have a full kitchen already.

The good news is that I am about to have a lot more time to work on everything. I have worked out a deal with XTO to work 3 days a week starting the first week of August. So this is my last week of full time work. Scary and exciting and weird all at once. I have been very lucky to work with a wonderful group of people over the last 4 years and I will miss them a lot once Porter is born and I'm not working there any longer. Leaving will all be worth it once our 'little man' is here.

Finally... I leave you all with a picture from today. I would like to point out that it seems like every inch of my belly is filled with Porter... side to side and front to back.

I hope everyone has a great week.

Back to Reality

We're finally back from a very relaxing vacation. Who knew 9 days of traveling from Texas to Arkansas to Tennessee and back would be so much fun and exactly what we needed.

We went to Lake Greeson in Arkansas on July 2nd with a big group of our friends and spent the 4th of July on the lake and at the cabins we rented on the Little Missouri River. It was nice to spend the weekend catching up with everyone and hanging out.

From Lake Greeson we drove to Nashville, TN and spent the night. We went to a nice dinner and hung out in downtown Nashville. As we were walking through downtown we passed a boot shop that had a sign outside stating "Buy 1, Get 2 Free". Anyone that knows me knows what a shoe person I am... and Jeff is just as bad with boots. Of course we went in and were really suprised at how nice the boots were. So we bought 1 and got 2 free. Woohoo! The next day we went to the Country music hall of fame. We didn't do the tour but we did get some pretty cool pictures. I've decided that at some point (more than likely when we build a new house) I would like to do a collage like this on one of our walls. I think it would be awesome to do with family photos and names and such.

From Nashville we drove to Lynchburg, TN... Home of the Jack Daniels Distillery. And I must say, it was one of the most interesting things we did the whole week. Jeff and I went to a couple of distilleries in Europe, but none of them were like this. The JD Distillery in Lynchburg is the original distillery and is still the working distillery today. We took a tour and were able to see the grounds and walk through the different buildings. Jeff bought a bottle of single barrel whiskey that you can only get from the distillery, which is pretty cool. I told him he can't open it until I am able to drink again! This is Jeff and I with a bronze statue of Jack himself.

Next we headed to Chattanooga, TN. Again we went to a nice dinner and found a bar that I could go into and hung out until about 10:30 and then we headed back to our hotel, kicked our feet up in bed and watched a movie. Wednesday we slept until about 10am and had breakfast and did a little shopping, and let me tell you something, IT WAS HOT! We decided that it would be nice to do what we never do at home and go back to the hotel and lay in bed and do nothing. And that is exactly what we did. Laid in bed and watched the World Cup. Jeff's parents met up with us that afternoon and the 4 of us went to the Tennessee Aquarium. Jeff and I had never been to any aquariums before so it was really neat for us. From what Keith and JoEllen said it is one of the better aquariums they have been to. So I'm glad that we were able to experience. Jeff was facinated with the sharks. I'm pretty sure we have about 100 pictures just of the sharks in the tanks. Here is one of the many. Jeff did a great job of capturing the entire trip to the aquarium and I was glad to be on the other side of the camera for once.

Jeff did a great job of capturing the entire trip to the aquarium and I was glad to be on the other side of the camera for once. I can promise you there would be no joking for me if I were actually inside a cage underwater surrounded by sharks. YIKES! This is the closest you'll ever get me.

Thursday Jeff and Keith played golf and JoEllen and I had a spa morning. I got a prenatal massage and JoEllen got a facial. I would like to point out that a prenatal massage might be one of the most amazing things on the planet. I could not have been more relaxed if I had tried.

After our spa morning and the guys golf game we drove to Knoxville for the beginning of Brad and Katie's wedding festivities. We had dinner on Thursday night with some of Jeff's family and headed back to our hotel to... you guessed it... just relax. Friday Jeff and Keith played golf with Brad and all of his buddies. I had to go shopping because the dresses that I took with me didn't fit. I kept putting off trying them on and waited until the last minute. Fortunately for me there was an outlet mall about 30 minutes from Knoxville. I love outlets and I could have had a lot of fun at some of the stores in there if I were not pregnant. Banana Republic, Gap, J.Crew, etc. I refrained from going crazy and only bought 2 dresses (for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding) and a new purse since I only took one with me.

Friday night we enjoyed an awesome rehearsal dinner with Brad and Katie and family members and their friends. After dinner Jeff and I went with them to a local microbrewery and hung out for a couple of hours. We had a great time with them. Saturday we were able to go to Brad and Katie's house, which is too cute. It sits in the greatest neighborhood that looks like a forest. Then Brad took us to this great local BBQ joint. Jeff finally got the pulled pork sandwich he had been waiting for all week. Jeff and I walked around in the Knoxville square and then headed back to hotel and... you guessed it... relaxed until the wedding.

Their wedding was beautiful and everything was just perfect. Jeff and I are so happy for cousin Brad. He found himself an awesome woman and we wish them all the best in the future.

Sunday we woke up bright and early and hit the road at 6am (central time). Jeff drove me the entire way home and we made it back to our house and our doggies about 7:30 Sunday night. We were so happy to be home and thankful for the relaxing 9 day trip that we took.

For those of you who have not heard our little man's name is... Porter Kirk Anderson. He is getting big and I'm not sure what he does in there, but I can tell you one thing, he's a pusher and a mover. Not a puncher or kicker. He just rolls around and pushes my skin to it's limits. Jeff was finally able to really feel him moving. Anytime before, when Jeff put his hand on my belly, Porter would stop immediately and not move again until Jeff took his hand off. I have my next appointment on Friday and I'll update you guys again on Sunday. I'll leave you with my 29 week picture. I know I have a while to go, but there are some moments that I don't feel like I can get any bigger.

Sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to fill everyone in on our trip. I hope you all have a great week.

Love ya!

Busy couple of weeks...

So we have been very busy... sorry I didn't make it around to posting last week.

Let's start with week before last. We had a little scare. Tuesday I went home sick from work with some stomach pains and by Tuesday night it was so bad I could hardly walk or lift my legs up without cringing. I told Jeff that if the pains were still there Wednesday morning that I was going to see Dr. Motley. After a night of no sleep and (on a scale of 1-10 pain) about a 20 pain level, I made an appointment and Jeff took me in town. They hooked me up to a machine to check for contractions and that checked out good. Baby boy's heart rate was great so we didn't have any concerns there. They did some blood work and tested for fetal fibronectin to tell me if there was a possibility for pre-term labor. We prayed that the tests would come back negative. Honestly, I don't know how I would have handled 14 weeks of bed rest... but our prayers were answered and the tests were negative. The doctor said it was possible that my muscles had stretched too much too quickly and that was causing the pain They recommended that I take Tylenol to help alleviate the pain and so far that has helped.

Last weekend I went to El Paso with my Dad to visit my Grandmother and Great-Grandmother. We had a blast, as usual. I don't get to spend a lot of time with them, so I cherish each moment with them. We went to Las Cruces on Saturday and ate at La Posta and the Saturday night, Grandmother took us to see a historical play called Viva El Paso. It was at the neatest place... an outdoor amphitheater, right in the side of the mountain. It was beautiful and the show was awesome.

I had my monthly check-up Wednesday and all is well. Baby boy is still measuring at a great size... although I was still a little shocked by the weight on the scale. It's just strange to continuously watch it go up and up and up. But it's all worth it. I measured at 26 1/2 cm... so I am right on schedule. 27 weeks today! My doctors appointments are now going to be every 2 weeks. I can't tell ya'll how ready I am for SEPTEMBER 26th!

I thought I would show ya'll a front view picture and then a side picture to show you the differences in see me face on and when I turn. I find it amusing.

FRONT VIEW...

AND THEN THERE IS BELLY...

In other news... Jeff and I woke up this morning and let the dogs out and they started barking and would not stop. Here is what we found.

And this is after Jeff cut it's head off... so it's missing about 6 inches. Needless to say... we bought a little 22 rifle with rat shot so we (and I use that term very loosely) don't have to use a shovel to kill any more snakes. Lucky for me that I married a "snake wrangler". Gotta love the country.

Wishing you all a great week and a wonderful July 4th.

Third Trimester Already?!

I can't believe I'm already in my third trimester... how time flies, but WOOHOO. Not much to report again today... We've had a busy weekend and are so glad tonight is finally here. We are both in need of some much deserved R&R.

As I told you in my last post, we saw Wicked on Friday night. It was absolutely amazing. We saw Wicked in London on our honeymoon and I knew it was going to be a pretty unbeatable experience... but I must say the performances were pretty comparable. I am really hoping we will go see more shows in the future. Jeff really enjoys them and I could see a musical once a week and be perfectly happy.

John and Judy's party was a success. It was great to have everyone out to the house and we really enjoyed spending time with everyone. The boys decided that a belly flop contest was a good idea... you should ask them all how they are feeling today. At a certain age, belly flops don't work so well... especially when you do 8-10 in a two hour span. Below is a picture of Jeff... He decided to try and master the "grab your ankles behind your head" approach. This morning however, he was just trying to master standing up out of bed without cringing. 30 year old men + belly flops = disaster waiting to happen. But please notice the good form!

I went out to Stephenville today and spent a little time with my mom's parents, Mimi and Papa. My Aunt Debbie and Mom also happened to be there and we all ate lunch together and just relaxed. Even amidst all his confusion and "hard moments" a little glimmer of the old Papa still manages to shine through every now and then. And how spectacular those moments are. We were talking about names and I told everyone we had decided what to name him, but that we weren't telling anyone yet... as I was talking to Mimi and Debbie and Michelle, he chimed in with a big ole grin on his face and informed me we should name "little man" Leon. And man, did he ever say it with pride. I love seeing that side of him. My prayers are with them everyday.

My dad and I are headed out to El Paso this weekend to visit my Grandmother and Great-Grandmother. I can't fly anymore after next week and I knew in the fall when we normally go visit, Baby Boy will be too small... so Daddy and I are headed out on Friday. I'm so excited to see them both. I'm sure we'll play some dominoes... maybe a little skip bo... and definitely eat some AWESOME Mexican food! The kind you can't get here. Yum-yum!

Baby boy is sitting pretty far forward today and it has been a little painful. I think I prefer him sitting in a more central spot with the punching and kicking me than sitting this far forward. I hope you all enjoy the picture. I think the last picture I posted made me look a little bigger than I actually am. So hopefully this one is a little more accurate.

Can't wait to see what this week has in store! All my love.

Not much news

We don't have much going on... Not much news to share. I'm still feeling good... little man is getting bigger stronger every day. I can actually see my stomach shapes change when he moves around in there. It's weird but absolutely amazing.

We have decided on a name... but have also decided to keep it a secret for a little while. Everyone will know what his name will be before he is born though. That I promise.

We have a busy weekend coming up. Friday we are going to Dallas to see Wicked with a group of friends. I told Jeff a few months back that was all I wanted for my birthday, and it's finally here. I am so excited. I love theater. Saturday we are having a party at our house for John and Judy's birthdays. It will be nice to have everyone out to the house to enjoy the pool and a reason to have a party.

I didn't think a picture of myself was necessary this week since I posted one so late last week... but you will get a new picture of me Sunday (hopefully). I did find this great picture of Jeff and I from our 1 year anniversary and thought it was too cute to not display... Aren't we just adorable.

I hope you all have an amazing week and weekend.

Almost 24 weeks...

It has been a busy week... Doctors appointments and a full weekend that I just recovered from.

The doctors appointment went really well last week. I was told by Dr. Motley that I am going to have my hands full when our little man shows up. She tried for about 5 minutes to get a good reading of his heartbeat and every time she could actually hear it well... little man starting turning circles so she lost it. We finally gave up and just laughed about how stubborn he was being.

Friday morning I headed out to Colonial with my co-worker Liz. It was a short-lived but fun little outing. It was entirely too hot for me to be walking around for hours on end, so Jeff took a couple of his buddies out for the rest of the day. I did a little shopping and then headed home a took a nap. Saturday Jeff played golf and I worked at the house for a while. I'm working on getting everything orgainzed. It's taken me a while, but I'm finally starting to feel like we are really back in our house. We headed to John and Judy's for a Memorial weekend BBQ and had a good time with them. John, Jason, and Jenny came out and spent the night and we all headed to the lake on Sunday morning. The boys played golf and we spent the day relaxing at the lake. The early morning turned into a late night, but a very memorable one.

Monday we got everything cleaned up and headed home. Once we finished a few chores Jeff and I parked it on the couch and didn't move the rest of the day. It was wonderful.

Tuesday was my birthday (thanks for all the calls and text messages and facebook messages) so we went to dinner with my parents and then came home and relaxed. I was still kinda worn out from the busy weekend so it wasn't too exciting. We are celebrating my birthday next Friday with John and Judy going to see Wicked in Dallas! I'm so excited.

I'm working on our registry. Babies R Us is almost done and Sawyer is going to help me out at Target on Saturday. Hopefully that will be complete by Sunday, but we will see.

I'll leave you with my 23 1/2 week picture. Little man is kicking and moving all the time (unless people want to feel him) and I've enjoyed getting to know his little kicks and movements.

Have a great week and weekend.

Love, E

22 Weeks

So as you can tell... the Sunday thing isn't really working out for me, but here I am. I am still feeling pretty good. I have really starting feeling our little man moving around in there and Jeff was finally able to feel him last night. Last week was the first time he really made me uncomfortable. I was afraid I might have a kidney or bladder infection, but I ran by the doctors office and everything was okay. So as it turns out... little man was just in a position that was pinching a nerve. But as of today, NO PAIN! I have a Doctors appointment tomorrow morning for my monthly checkup. We'll check the heartbeat and I am going to ask about birthing classes. Anyone have any suggestions on a good course?

We have an exciting week ahead. Thursday I am going to Dallas to have remote start installed on my car and then meeting Lauren to see Sex and City 2. Then Friday Jeff and I are having a new salt water system installed in our pool so we can use it, then we are headed to Colonial and hopefully relaxing. I'm hoping to get registered at some point this weekend, but we'll see. Then Sunday we are going to spend the day at the lake with my parents and whoever else shows up.

I've been meaning to give her the credit for this and keep forgetting, but I really need to thank Whitney for coming up with the clever name of our blog! I was stuck and she saved me!

I would also like to tell you all what an awesome husband I have. He takes such good care of me and I am truly blessed to have him. I had been in a lot of pain and he cooked for me and cleaned up for me to. I might have snapped this picture of him to show off! I love him with everything I have!

And finally... this weeks picture.