Curse You Genetics.... **CURSE YOU!!**

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is FLYING by! When I was pregnant with Brant it felt like forever and now I'm already seeing my doctor every 2 weeks. Getting closer!!

I had an appointment on the 2nd and I was shocked to discover I've gained 20 pounds in the last 2 months! I have NO idea where it's going! All the pants and clothes I wore when I was pregnant with Brant still fit! Ok... pants are a bit more snug, but not "You've gained 20 pounds" more snug!!

My GDS (Gestastional Diabetic Screen) came back 5.7, so normal and I'm measuring huge! Here comes the "Are you sure you aren't Gestational Diabetic?" question at EVERY appointment!

I'm apparently only 30 weeks 6 days pregnant, but by my calculation (and like... what do I know!) I'm 31 weeks 6 days. But I'm measuring 35 weeks. (Measuring from pubic bone to the top of the uterus) So the doctor wanted to send me for an ultrasound to rule out extra fluid. I assured her it was just big baby and while she agreed she'd rather be safe than sorry.

So off to an ultrasound I went. Baby looked great and, like I had promised the doctor, measured big! His femur length is already 34 weeks! I guess we're having another long baby!

Here are some cute pictures!!!

He looks soo much like Brant did when we got Brant's ultrasound pictures! So maybe they'll look alike?? The tech said he has hair too and I got to see him 'babbling' to himself!! I was getting soo excited!!

I was also shocked the next day when the doctor CALLED me to let me know the results of my ultrasound! I always just assumed "no news is good news"... (For the most part!) But no, the doctor actually called my house and had a good 5 minute conversation about the ultrasound. Confirming that he was indeed a big boy and there was no extra fluid. We discussed approximate fetal length and weight and precautions we needed to take. I literally almost fell off the couch! I had never had a doctor call because "I thought you would be curious about the results!" I was super impressed and am praying soo hard that she is the doctor on call when I deliver!

But on to the title of my entry... Genetics! I shouldn't be shocked that my babies are large! I'm a healthy person, I don't drink or smoke, never have and also have never done drugs! Not that those always guarentee a large baby, but those who do those things generally have low birth weight babies. I'm also cursed with the genes of big babies!

My grandmother had big babies. Both over 9 pounds. My mother had big babies... me being the smallest at 7 pounds 15 ounces (so one ounce shy of 8 pounds!) and my sister being 10 pounds 4.5 ounces (I think, that or 14.5 ounces!). My Aunt, had she not had all 3 babies early, would have had over 8 pounds babies too! So... I'm just cursed!

I'm not complaining, but seriously reconsidering wanting a girl! I would HATE to pass on this horrible genetic screw up to my poor innocent daughter! LOL

BUT... while we may have big babies, we also, for the most part, have healthy ones! So I should just be grateful for that!!

First visit to the park 2011... among other thoughts!

Easter Weekend Colin and I decided to ride our bikes to Bower to take Brant to the park.
It would FINALLY a beautiful day and I have been itching to go bike riding. I wanted to get a few rides in before I'm too big to go or we have our new addition who won't be able to go for bike rides for a year! :(
So here are some pictures from our first trip to the park!

Brant LOVES swings!

Bower Park has a fun little section that makes noise! And of course, Brant being a boy, loves to do such things!

Oh man! I remember... Last year that was too much for him, but this year it was the preferred way of getting to the top!! My little boy is growing up!!

Again, last year this slide was a bit too high for his liking! He needed a little motivation to go down and someone to catch him. This year he flew down the slide with ease! (He didn't even fall at the bottom!)

Something a little new this year... the BIG BOY swing! Of course we didn't go too high, but he thought it was pretty cool!

I can't believe how independent and big my little boy is getting! He rarely wants help with things anymore. He wants to put his own clothes on (even if it might take 1/2 an hour to do so, and a few backwards shirts! LOL), brush his own teeth and go to the potty by himself! He will usually get me to place him on the potty and then he'll hold up his hand and say "Go mommy!" and he'll tell me when he's done! We've been doing really well, even with pooping on the potty! He knows if he poops he get's his own cup of chocolate milk! So thankfully that's enough to motivate him!

He seems to be understanding that he will be having a little brother join him soon! He'll come in to bed with us in the morning and come and kiss mommy's tummy and say "Hi Little Brother!!", he also loves giving raspberries! Today he even said "Come out little brother!" so I'm starting to think he might be grasping the concept after all! I'm nervous to see how Brant reacts to having a newborn in the house. I can't see him being one of those kids that just accepts it and moves on. He's either going to love it or hate it!

I'm quite nervous to have 2 kids. I'm so tired most of the time (I think third trimester pregnancy being the culprit!) and I enjoy the quiet times when Brant naps! Brant is also a little handful! Don't get me wrong, he's a great kid and he's happy 95% of the time, but he's a little Forrest Gump! He LOVES to run, bolt and escape! He'll usually run without looking back or listen to us call after him to stop! He just keeps going! He's gotten better in malls and stores because he knows that if he takes off he gets put in a cart, but outside is a different story! YIKES... and to think I'll most likely be having another runner! yay... :S!

Mostly... I'm extremely nervous... no, scratch that... TERRIFED of labour! I wanted a completely natural labour with Brant, and to say the least, everything that could have gone wrong (besides death), went wrong! It was awful. Back labour was awful, c section was awful, spinal going stupid was awful and recovery was awful. I'm just so petrified it will go the same way again, especially an emergency c section! I remembering being almost fully dialated and my doctor telling me to push... and immediately my thoughts were "OK... I'm done! I don't want to do anymore!" I was so scared! (Granted, Brant was in a bad position and pushing brought NO relief!) People keep telling me that if baby is positioned right, pushing is the best part. Yeah... I don't know how much I buy that! LOL

I keep being reassured by Heavenly Father and family that things will go alright, but it honestly feels like my first time all over again. Eeeppp... Nevermind that I'm worried that if everything goes as planned, how will it affect my relationship with Brant? I never got those first special/critical bonding moments with him resulting in MONTHS AND MONTHS of post partum and anxiety. I'm just afraid I'll bond more with this baby and have more of a special bond with him instead of sharing that equally important bond with Brant!

Oh the worries and woes of us mothers!! What we put ourselves through! LOL I'm certain everything will be fine and it's just pre-labour jitters.

Oh a happy note... It's supposed to be 20 degrees on Monday! I think a bike ride is in order!

An Anderson Easter!

It all started with a hair cut!

For the most part he was pretty good! Near the end, Colin needed to hold his head still!

The finished product! Despite the funny face he's giving, I didn't do a horrible job!




Then we coloured eggs! Brant really had NO CLUE what we were doing, but he had fun naming the different colours we used! He still has no idea who or what the Easter Bunny is!

Another shot of us colouring Easter Eggs...

Brant and the finished product!

The Easter Bunny was pretty good to Brant! He loves to colour and draw so he left Brant lots of colour supplies sure to make his mother follow him around with a sponge and bucket! :)

He sure thought chocolate for breakfast was the bestest thing ever!!

He eventuall found all the eggies hid by that tricky Easter Bunny!

Brant's haul! Mommy is very grateful the Easter Bunny didn't spoil him with too much chocolate!

We hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Easter!!

The Andersons

Because apparently my blog is boring...

I've been razzed by a friend saying my blog is boring and I need to add more pictures! Gah... easier said than done. Since I fried my computer I haven't taken the time to move all my pictures and stuff over from my computer to Colin's. (Don't worry I won't fry Colin's too!) So today because it was so gross outside, I decided to take the time and transfer everything over!

-----3 HOURS LATER-----

I got everything transferred over and am updating all my pictures on both my blog and facebook!

This picture was taken at 25 months. He was complaining of a very sore bum, and he had a wicked rash. My grandmother mentioned putting him my kitchen sink with baking soda in it to help neutralize the 'burn'. Worked like a charm and Brant looked so funny in my sink! But he quite enjoyed himself! This picture was taken after I noticed Brant has been quiet for an unusual amount of time. I was on the phone and I went to go check on him. Let's just say NO ONE likes a baby they can smell before they can see!! I could smell, out of his room, the wonderful odours of SudoCreme before I could even see him. Let's just say I couldn't imagine he could get it anywhere else! Finally, after enduring WAY too many cold days, we finally had a beautiful *Sun*day. I wasn't sure how I felt about going out sledding on a Sunday before church, but we hadn't had a nice day in such a long time that I caved! *May I be struck down by lightning!* Brant had a GREAT time! He thought it was so fun! We weren't sure if he'd like it, but after going down once we had him hooked! He continually asked to go 'gain'...

After one of his many trips down with dad!

For Christmas, Brant got some money from his Uncle Rick. For the longest time his favourite book was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (Thanks Grandma Wendy!) and we were walking by that Calendar Club place in the mall and saw "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" Game. It was on sale half price! So for 16.00 dollars we bought Brant his first board game! It's a *little* advanced for him but if we do a quick version he has fun!

Some more of the wonderful "Caterpillar" game.

Brant wasting time with Dad while waiting for bed. Usually he get's mad when Dad plays because he'd rather be playing with Dad. But this time he wanted to play with Dad! Maybe a future concert pianist in the works...?? Here is one of the most exciting recent events in our house... Brant decided he was *ready* for potty training!! After spending a few too many hours in a cloth diaper (bad mommy!) he was soaked! And I mean S-O-A-K-E-D!! So, after taking off his diaper I let him run around bottomless just to air dry.
I've been trying to get him to go on the potty, but everything I ask "do you want to go pee on the potty Brant?" He just replies "Mmmm... no." So I've never pushed it. I've been told by multiple moms of boys to not bother trying to potty train till they are three! So I never did!
So, he was running around bottomless, and I always set his potty out just in case, and he was reading his now favourite book "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" (Again... Thanks Grandma Wendy!) and all of a sudden he says "Oh... pee!" and gets up and run to his potty and pees in it! I WAS FLOORED!! Needless to say, that's been occupying a bit of time! He'll now wear underwear and say when he needs to pee! Poop is still an issue, but we'll get there! We had a "freak" snow storm today. (If there is such a thing in Alberta) When Dad got home from work, Brant and Dad decided to go out and shovel! Couldn't miss that photo opp! Oddly enough, Brant has JUST begun to show an interest in shoveling because we couldn't get him to touch that thing all winter! But he had a hoot out there with Dad! A few pictures as he's so cute!

Ok, one more cute shoveling one!

Sorry, I lied! Brant was just having a great time! He'll be an even better help next winter! And then of course... the inevitable snow ball fight! Than of course, the snow was perfect for a snowman! Brant hasn't built a snowman yet, the snow has been yucky! So today was perfect! Then, it turned into a "Yoda" snowman! (All Colin...)

Then of course the SMASHING of the snowman!

Hey... don't look at me! Brant started it! :P

Wow... what the update!

Here's one of the LA#2...

I've just sort of popped! I feel huge! Way bigger than Brant! This kid LOVES my ribcage and my bladder! Must be a tall kid! He seems to be a bit more mellow than Brant, which might be nice! Brant is definitely 'ON THE GO' personality and it takes a bit to keep up with him! BUT - he a super happy kid, so we're so glad to have him in the family!

Impending labor has me nervous! Somedays I'm all for it, others I just want to sit and cry!! But it will all work out in the end!

Going Green...

So, I was watching CBC's Marketplace the other day. The episode was about "Lousy Labels" (To view episode click here: http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2011/lousylabels/ ), and while I only actually used one of the products on their Top 10 List and not because it was "natural" (it smelled pretty), it really made me start to think about all the chemicals we use in our homes on a daily basis. I was happy to know that because I have Brant in cloth diapers (98% of the time) I'm at least sparing him the plethora of chemicals in disposables and their wipes. Also, I was pleased to know that the laundry detergent I use doesn't have any added toxins or carcinogens, and while it's about 3 dollars more for a tin of it I don't mind spending a tiny bit more for non-toxic laundry detergent. But then I started doing a bit of research on the internet looking into what types of chemicals are in our everyday cleaning, personal care products and especially baby products that we can start avoiding. I obviously can't go out and replace everything in my house RIGHT NOW, but we ran out of baby wash and shampoo and hand soap this week so I was sure, when I went out to replace them, to read the labels and look for products without these chemicals. (http://parentingtips365.com/2010/04/27/11-toxic-ingredients-to-avoid-in-hand-soap-and-sanitizer-and-safer-options-for-your-family/) While the hand soap I bought was a bit pricer than normal hand soap (I also didn't shop around for the best deal, which I will do next time), I actually didn't pay a ton more for baby wash and shampoo. (A large bottle of his normal baby wash is about $10.00 and I bought two baby washes for $5.99 wach) I also looked online for natural cleaning products to clean the house. I found this neat website (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html) that gives all the instructions on how to MAKE your own cleaning kit using normal everyday ingredients. Vinegar, baking soda, borax and essential oils. I'm sure lots of you have heard of stuff like this, but I'm really excited to start trying this out! I still have cleaning products in the house but when I run out of those I will be mixing some up. I think it will be a great way to save some money and have a 'toxic-free' house. Well, I'm really excited to make the switch and maybe one day when we're 'rich and famous' (or just have our own garden) I'll start growing our own veggies and work on worrying about the food!

An Anderson update...

This awful weather if sure playing on my moods! Ick!
My last post was kind of depressing and I wanted to get back on here and reassure you (well those of you who bother to read my posts) everything is fine!
Every now and then I get really REALLY stressed about our budget and finances. It's hard not to. I will sometimes get an idea in my head and want Colin to work oil field for a few months and make some real money just to get us out of debt a bit and I get all obsessed over it for a few days and then I calm down. It's so hard to see others making so much more and I feel so inadequate sometimes.
BUT - I usually calm down, look at our budget again and things don't look as bad as they did before! It also helps me to see the blessings of tithing! We've never been extremely strapped for money and we've never starved, so someone is looking out for us!
Anywho, I really need some sun, like badly! I've been such an awful mood these past few days, with the constant snow and crummy roads, it's hard not to. I wouldn't even mind the sub-zero temperatures if there was bright sun shining! The sun just seems to make things happier! All of us have been sick (runny noses, coughs, headaches) for over a month and I seriously attribute that to weather!
This pregnancy has been fun! I go through spurts of energy, where my house is spotless and I find myself trying to find things to clean, tidy, do... but then I find that I can overexhert myself and I end up on the couch with cramps for a few days. Little boy #2 is quite active, but thankfully he still let's me sleep at night!
I have to admit I'm getting nervous and excited about delivery! I had such an awful time with Brant and this time I feel a bit more 'prepared' in regards to a birth plan and such and I'm more adament about what I WANT from this labour (within medical reason).
We've learned that Colin's parents will be moving back to Canada this summer. We're pretty excited! We'll have grandparents nearby to help out and they'll be close enough to see them more often. I know they are pretty excited to be living closer, especially since they are expecting 2 new grandbabies this year!
My sister is getting married in September too! So, I'll be helping her plan her wedding, as much as I can being pregnant and having a baby in July. It's kind of exciting! Especially considering a few years ago she said she didn't want to get married and she's even admitted being open to maybe one day having a kid or two. LOL! So maybe ONE DAY I will be an auntie! (on my side) *fingers crossed*
Well, that's about it for now! Besides the fact we're PRAYING for some sun! I'm sick of being stuck indoors all day long! Spring just can't come soon enough!
Have a snowy day everyone!

I just can't wait to grow up...

I don't know about you, but I remember when I was younger thinking when I grew up I'd get married, have beautiful kids and have a hard-working, high-earning husband and life would be hunky dorey! We'd have a beautiful house and while we wouldn't have anything, we would save and have things to look forward to.
Well... gosh! No one really fills you in on the reality of it all. Sure you can have most or all of those things, but no one really prepares you for the decisions that need to be made as an adult.
Life these days has been a little tense, there have been a few developments come about and it's difficult to judge what to do.
Prayer sometimes seems to futile, like we never get any answers. That or we are so busy with things to really notice the Lord's hand in anything. I see little blessings in our lives everywhere. Blessings of tithing and such, but I feel like we keep going round and round in a stupid little circle only to end up at the same 'dead end'. The definition of Insanity keeps replaying in my mind: doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Again, running in circles... we get ahead and then something unexpected comes along and we're back where we started!
Please don't get me wrong, I love my family. I couldn't have married a harder working, wonderful person, but some days it just becomes so overwhelming. I don't mind being in the 'lower class' working our way up, but things don't seem to be going up, they seem to stay at the constant 'status quo' and we don't get anywhere.
I know things will look up, it just get's to me some days.
But here's to the days where we will be more settled...