oh the mind of a mother.....

I went to the doctor yesterday and when I laid down on the table to have her listen to the heart beat, I saw the baby move for the first time. Not just felt, but saw my whole belly move! I was so excited but at the same time I had this instant vision of the movie Space Balls, where the alien comes out of the guys belly and starts dancing.... probably not the first thing that should have come to mind! If you dont remember what Im talking about, click the title to see the clip...

24 weeks... starting to feel real...

Yesterday at work I took care of the cutest little girl named Charlotte. She was a few days old and born at 24 weeks and 6 days gestation. But she was a bit small for her age, so she is just about the exact size of our baby. I have seen so many babies her size, but for once I really stopped to appreciate it. I was so enthralled with every little feature, just thinking that is how my baby looks right now. It was such a bizarre feeling to see her kick around in her bed and feel our baby kick and realize something that size is alive inside of me! It really made everything seem so real! I made a footprint of her's to bring home and show Greg so he can see exactly what is kicking me all the time... I tried to take a picture of it to show you guys, but size is so hard to see in pictures and with my wide angle lens her foot seems bigger than it is in real life, but you can get the idea at least! Her foot is just under 1.5 inches from heal to big toe...

Getting old......

Not only is he going to be a dad, but now he is 30!! We celebrated Greg's 30th this Saturday the 21st with about 20 friends and family. It was a really good time, lots of good food and several several games of bags. Greg's friend Jason even made him this awesome set of Bob Marley boards! I couldnt resist sticking a picture of Marley from the day either, he looks so old compared to his baby picture below! Click on the post title to view the whole album from the day...

my baby is 4!

well my first baby that is! marley had his 4th bday yesterday and has been especially needy today, literally following me to every room i walk into. apparantly he is feeling neglected since he didnt get anything special... im such a bad mom! anyway he is a love, so here is my favorite baby picture of marley.... now the "big brother" in the house...

get ready to be impressed!

So I am 22 weeks tomorrow, and as most of you know I have seen more 22 week babies born than anyone ever should. So at this point in my pregnancy Im on this edge between feeling safe and feeling freaked about the decisions I would be forced to make over the next couple weeks if something happened. Im sure thats not really natural for a normal person, but this NICU nurse inside me is a bit of a freak... anyway as dorky as it is I always feel better when I check in on the weekly updates and pictures of what my baby looks like and what its doing at this stage.... so I thought I would share how developed this little girl is with you!

This is from babycenter.com..... check it out for weekly updates if you are preggo...

Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Her lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.

Well from what I have seen, she looks more like an alien than a newborn, but I guess if I wanted to be sweet I could say she looks like a newborn. There are some hospitals which are attempting to save 22 week babies now, as far as I know only one has survived and they arent sure of her long term issues, but medicine is advancing every day both for the good and the bad, so we shall see what we are doing in the NICU in 5 years! So much has already changed in the 6 years I have been working in the unit.

On another note, little baby Sanders I believe has learned to punch this week, as the kicks are still in the same spot but she is jabbing me up higher as well. She is still breech at this point since apparantly she didnt want to spend 9 months upside down, but the doctors are sure she will turn when she needs to! Hopefully they are right!

a girly nursery

so i know everyone thinks i am the least girly person around but i am slowly adjusting to the idea of having a daughter and thinking about what type of girl i want for her to be. granted i would love if she was a tomboy and an athelete like her daddy (since i have no athletic genes), but thats a whole 'nother blog entry....

so surprise surprise i am going girly with the nursery. i am working with a great artist who is also a fantastic client and she has so many amazing ideas! i cant wait to see how the room turns out.

if anyone is looking for custom nursery work, visit her website http://www.caseykelbee.com/

so here are some ideas for the room... think vintage, shabby chic, birds and vines...

baby names

well this is by far the most asked question around here, everyone wants to know her name.... we have absolutely no idea! i swear pregnant women should not make these big decisions, my fickle mind changes every day! not only that but i have quickly learned that no pregnant woman REALLY wants your opinion when she tells you her names.... just smile and nod and say you knew someone nice by that name growing up :)

anyway since this will be a record/journal im going to risk it and let my name list out of the bag.... warning negative comments are subject to punishement!!!

in no particular order....these are strictly the names my very picky husband has not said "no" to...

Grace Elaine Sanders
Claire Sanders
Gabriela Sanders
Gillian Sanders
Hannah Sanders
Janelle Sanders
Jenna Sanders
Lauren Sanders
Maren Sanders
Rachel Sanders
Gretchen Sanders
Tatum Grace Sanders

an introduction...

well i have never been one for journals or updating anything frequently, but a friend recently told me about how important her blog has been to her family since she moved out of town. since a large portion of my family and close friends are out of state, i think this may just be one more form of communication so you can check in on the newest addition to our family... and hopefully a place i can bore you all with my family pictures. think back to dad pulling out the slide projecter when friends came over! anyway, im sure once this little girl arrives there wont be enough hours in the day, so i wanted to start this early. i'll try to add a few posts before she comes.

i love all of you so much and i want so badly for you to feel like you are part of her life even from a short distance!


PS- please read through the typos and uncapitalized letters.... yes my mother was a school teacher....