Unexpected arrival!

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind! Many people have been asking to hear my labor and delivery story, so here it is!

On January 13th, 37 weeks pregnant, I went in for what I was expecting to be a normal OB appointment. My doctor was going to do an ultrasound to determine baby's position, and see if I was dilated at all yet. To our surprise, baby was not head down, he was breech and was positioned to come out butt first. I knew what this meant - I was going to have a c-section.

My doctor knew having a c-section wasn't something I was thrilled about, so we discussed what my options were at that point. We could either attempt to move him by an external version, or I would need to schedule a c-section. I had heard of the external version but knew it was really painful - unsure of what to do, I decided to talk to a specialist to learn more about it - risks, success rates, etc. Since I was already 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant, I was running out of time to do the procedure. In fact, I had to do it that day if I was going to do it at all because if you wait too long into the pregnancy, the baby no longer has room to turn - so the procedure wont work.

I went up to labor and delivery and after talking with many doctors, I decided to go ahead with the procedure. Due to my age, the amount of fluid around the baby, the location of the placenta, and the baby's position, I was a good candidate for the external version and the chances of success were very high. Since I was having contractions when I went in, they gave me something to relax my uterus during the version. The procedure was so fast I barely even remember it. In less than 10 seconds, my little guy had moved out of breech position and was head down. Success!! I have to admit it was quite painful, but it was over very fast.

They had me stay for a few hours after the procedure to make sure baby & I tollerated it okay. When the nurse was going to send me home, baby's heart rate increased to 180. They kept me there for another hour to make sure it dropped. It didnt. After doctors came in and did several ultrasounds to check on baby, they decided to admit me overnight. I initially thought of all of the possible things that could be going wrong with my little guy and I was terrified. They assured me everything looked great and they couldn't find anything wrong, but they just wanted to monitor me overnight in case something was to happen.

They gave Derek the okay to go to work that night, and told him they would call him if anything changed. As soon as Derek left to go home and get ready for work, the doctors came back in and said I was going to have a c-section in 20 minutes!!! Talk about short notice!! Baby's heart rate had been high for 6 hours, and now all of a sudden they couldnt wait any longer. Luckily, my doctor was by my side when they delivered me this news, and she kept me calm - I was very overwhelmed and scared. Everything was happening so fast. We werent ready to bring a baby home. There was so much we still needed to do! Derek came back in about 15 minutes to drop a few things off for me, and I told him there was a slight change of plans - he wasnt going to work, he was going to be a Dad by the end of the night! The doctors immediately gave him scrubs to change into and ready or not, I was escorted into the OR.

Once we got into the OR, I got my spinal and my body immediately went numb. Such a crazy sensation! This was real...I was going to be a Mom very soon! I quickly glanced up at a monitor to see what day it was, since it was clearly a day I would never forget! Within 10 minutes, all of my fears melted away as I heard my precious baby boy cry for the first time! Landen Donald Anderson was born at 11:58pm on 1/13/2011. 6lbs, 14oz, 19 1/4 inches long. Landen is named after Derek's Grandpa Donald, who passed away a couple of months before Landen was born. He was so excited to meet our little boy, but we know he is watching over us today - and we cant wait to tell Landen all about him :)

Words cant express how amazing it felt to see him for the first time. Although we weren't at all expecting to meet him that soon, we were so happy he was here! Landen was completely healthy and his heart rate dropped back into normal range as soon as he was born. Although they didnt find anything wrong with him or any signs that he was in distress, my hemoglobin was quite low prior to the delivery (despite me taking extra iron throughout my pregnancy). My doctor said it was a blessing in disguise that everything happened the way it did, since the situation would've been much worse if my low hemoglobin went unnoticed.

At the time, I had no idea why God decided to bless our lives so early. However, in a little over a week, I found out what that reason was. My Grandma developed pneumonia and after being sick off and on for quite some time, she decided she didn't want to go on with treatment. The doctors said she had anywhere from a few hours to a few days to live. She had made a comment to my Mom that she was worried she would never get to meet Landen, her 30th Great Grandchild. :( We brought him to the hospital that night, and I am so glad we did. She completely lit up when she saw him! It was such a precious moment, and I know I will never forget it. As we were saying goodbye to her that night, she looked down at Landen and back up at Derek and said that she was ready to go now. That was the only time Landen got to spend with his Great Grandma Majerus - as she passed away 2 days later. I am so thankful that I was able to say goodbye to her, and words cannot express how it felt to see her smile and interact with my little boy. God had a plan - and although it wasn't how I imagined things would happen, I wouldn't have changed a thing. Thank you God for allowing my Grandma to meet her Great Grandson before she died. What a precious gift.

32 Weeks Pregnant!

Well, after having multiple issues logging into this, I have finally recovered my blog! I was hoping to keep up with it throughout my pregnancy but that clearly hasn't happened. Life is busy these days. I'm officially 32 weeks pregnant - eek! Time is flying and I'm getting more excited every day. Our nursery is painted and the wallpaper border is almost completely done. Then we can finally start putting it together!

I had my first baby shower last week and we finally have some baby items in the house! We got a lot of really cute stuff from my friends and I'm looking forward to dressing our little guy in all of the tiny clothes :)

I have been sick with a nasty cold the past few days, but I'm otherwise doing great. Baby is moving constantly so that keeps me entertained :) This week Derek & I both have our work Christmas parties and then I have another baby shower this weekend with my Mom's side of the family!

Feeling better!

Well I am almost 12 weeks pregnant and I have been nausea free for the last 3 days! (Knock on wood!) What a great feeling! I figured I better take advantage of it and get some housework done so I finally got caught up on laundry and cleaned as much of the house as I could before working all weekend. What a great feeling! I can finally move without having to run to the bathroom ;) I'm not nearly as tired lately either, which is also nice.

Things are going well - I feel like I am already getting a little baby bump! Which is kinda scary since it seems so early, but exciting at the same time.

So far I dont have any weird cravings - now that I feel better I can eat just about anything. Unfortunately I crave chips way more than I'd like to! I went from wanting anything chocolate to anything with salt! Too bad I dont crave fruits and veggies!

Everyone keeps asking if we're going to find out what we're having ---and yes we are! We are having a hard time coming up with names for a boy - so we decided that we are going to wait until we find out for sure what we're having before we look into it any more. We agreed on 2 names for a girl right away - but boys are pretty tough!

I'm hoping to keep updating this as I get time, now that I actually have something exciting going on!

We've got a secret...

Well, the secret is out - - - I'M PREGNANT!

The last couple of months have been crazy. I have been feeling pretty crummy and I haven't had much energy, so I've been sleeping a lot! I had my first doctors appointment last week and heard baby's heartbeat for the frist time - and all I have to say is amazing! I went into the appointment ready to beg for zofran or anything that would make me feel better, and I left feeling like I was on cloud 9. =)

We are due February 2nd - and there is a lot to do before then, so we're going to be busy around here! Derek is trying to get our deck built so we can start working on our basement so we have room when baby arrives. Everyone keeps telling me the time goes super fast so we're trying to be as efficient as we can!

Its so great seeing Derek so excited to be a dad. We have always known that we wanted to be parents, but it's so crazy to think that it's actually going to happen soon! I cant wait!! I'm so happy that my sisters and I are all starting families around the same time. I never thought my kids would grow up having cousins their age, but I'm so glad it's going to happen! And now that Michelle and Dave moved closer, its going to be even better! Plus, a bunch of our really close friends have kids and a couple of them are expecting a baby around the same time as us, which is going to be even more exciting!

Life is GREAT right now! Now if only the nausea would go away...then it'll be even better! :)

I'm an auntie again! =)

Babies, babies, everywhere! Apparently this is the year for babies! My sister Michelle had a beautiful baby girl, Rylee Paige, on September 6th. She is super sweet and very mellow. I couldnt get over how much she looked like Michelle! We went to the hospital to meet her the day she was born, and when she was a week old, we stopped over to see the family at home since Derek hadnt met his new niece yet. She is perfect, and I'm so excited to have another niece! - And I'm also excited that my sister Katie is pregnant with her second child! =) I love the fact that the three cousins will be close in age.

Along with becoming an Auntie again, two of my friends also had little ones recently! My friend Kayla had baby boy, Tyson Blake, on August 17th. Since I've been sick, I didnt get to meet him until a little over a week ago. He is pretty cute as well!

And on September 11th, my friend Jenni had a baby girl! Olivia Dale. She was just a peanut at 6lbs 2oz...and although she thought she was 2 weeks "overdue," found out later that the doctors were wrong about her due date, and she actually delivered her at 39 weeks!

Needless to say, this means lots of baby time for me! =)

Kevin & Danielle's Wedding!

What a fun weekend! One of my good friends Danielle got married on Saturday, so the weekend was filled with wedding festivities! I was Danielle's personal attendant/photographer (at least until the professional photographer arrived!) and I had a blast! I have known Danielle for many years and was so excited to be part of her special day.

I couldnt believe the amount of detail she put into everything. She made everything by hand...centerpieces, decorations, programs, you name it! She cut down tree branches for her centerpieces to go with the outdoor theme, and used baby food jars as candle holders hanging from the branches. It was such a neat, inexpensive idea. I loved it. Everything was perfect, and the weather couldnt have been better for an outdoor wedding! It almost made me want to get married again...almost! =)

Its been a while!

Hmm...its been a while since I've posted anything.

Not much new with us...getting closer to school starting and I'm not very thrilled about it. Where did summer go? We still have a lot of things we'd like to do before summer is over. Hopefully we still get a chance to.

Our puppy is the cutest ever! She is finally brave enough to go down our stairs, so she just sits by the door waiting for Derek to get home. Its so cute. Or she'll watch the neighbor kids playing outside. Having a puppy around has definitely been work at times, but its so worth it. Shes so playful and cuddly, I couldnt imagine not having her around.

One of my best friends, Kayla, went into labor this afternoon and I was really bummed that I had to work tonight so I couldnt be around to hear how everything went. I'm pretty impatient to hear the news! Blake promised everyone he would post something on facebook, so I've randomly checked throughout the night, but still nothing. Im pretty sure telling everyone isnt his number one priority, but I'm super excited for them and hope everything is going well.

Speaking of babies, my sister Michelle is due to have her baby in a few short weeks! I cant wait. Being an aunt is seriously the greatest thing ever. I cant imagine what our family is going to be like with another little one running around :) Derek is also loving it. Now that he can actually say hes an uncle now that we're married! He loves kids and its so cute to see him play with Mara. Oh the baby fever has already started! He is just as excited as I am to get to that stage in our lives.