Thanksgiving and meeting Grandma and Grandpa Anderson

Before the Thanksgiving pics, here are some pics of our cute Morgan for those who've requested:

These are the pics of her New York style "Nursery" (the corner of our room):

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Parent Initiation

In an attempt to get some errands run and some fresh air, we decided to make the trek to Target and Babies R Us. In order to avoid the subway, we decided to walk. We felt like we had planned it well. We got all ready to go, fed Morgan and left right then so she would last longer. But we also took everything we could possibly need in case of hunger, diaper change, etc. We walked to Target, did our shopping and then were off to Babies R Us. We planned it that way because we knew that Babies R Us had to have a mothers room in case by this time Morgan was hungry. Then sure enough, she slept the whole time until we arrived at Babies R Us and then she was ready to eat. We fed her and changed her and were feeling pretty good by this point. Then we were ready to leave the store and head home. So we began to put Morgan back into her car seat/stroller which she does not like. She began to scream bloody murder! This was embarrassing enough being our first time experiencing this, but we knew once we got her moving she would be fine. Needless to say, we were rushing to get her situated and on our way when we hear "Ma'am, can I help you?" said in the tone of "what are you doing to that child?" Great, we are going to be reported for child abuse - we were thinking. We explain that we were just putting her back into her car seat and she doesn't like it.

Her response? "Do you hold her a lot?"

We respond with a skeptical "yes" because of course we do, she's a newborn.

"Oh, well that's why!"

Thank you Dr. Phil. We left feeling pretty stressed and inadequate. We had always heard that once you become a parent, people, even strangers start telling you all that you're doing wrong. We just didn't think it would happen so soon!

Mother's Intuition?

Morgan update

Morgan is nearly two weeks old now and loving life. When all you have to do is eat, sleep and play, who wouldn't love life? Morgan is such a good baby. She is super happy, very calm and alert. She has smiled for us numerous times in response to our playing with her. Some say they can't smile that young or that it is just gas. But when she is wide awake looking directly at us and we play with her and smile at her and then she immediately smiles back, we know that it has to be more than gas. Sadly we have not been able to get this on camera yet, because she seems to be a little camera shy. One day we were holding the camera on her while trying to make her smile and she would just look from us to the camera and then back to us again like "come on mom and dad, I am NOT going to smile with that thing pointing in my face!" It was so funny. Anyway here are some pictures from her first two weeks. A day at the park:

Morgan wearing the sleeper that mom made for her. It's a little big for now.

Hooray for naptime with daddy!

Morgan being the girly-girl that she is. She is always crossing her cute little legs.

"You're Like Comin' Home..."

Thank you Daddy for my first gift:

When we first began to think of names for Morgan, we wanted to give her some name related to New York. We struggled and gave up long ago. AFTER we named her, we realized she was born in the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital

"The Coming Home Outfit"

WELCOME HOME MORGAN ELISABETH!!

Welcome to the World

Jamie and I are so excited to announce the birth of our daughter!! Jamie and the baby are doing great. Here are the details:

Born at: 9:57pm.

Weighs: 7lbs 6 oz

Length: 20"

Name: Morgan Elisabeth Anderson

Preg Update and Halloween

Jamie's due date has come and gone, and we are still waiting patiently for this little baby to come. In the meantime, I have a few good photos to share with everyone. Yes, these pictures of Jamie are posted with permission. We went out to New Jersey for Halloween, had a SpOokY dinner, and then took the kids trick-or-treating.

This picture below is the best photo of the year.

Jamie was playing Hide and Go Seek with Addie and Nathan.

Apparently, Jamie thought behind the street sign was her best bet. I love you, Jamie!

Preparing for Baby

In preparation for Baby, I have been able to have time to make some fun things for baby. Because we are going to have a Metro-Baby, it seems that we need to have different forms of baby gear such as this baby wrap:

Thanks to Ashley S. I was able to make some fun little clips:This is a little sleeper that I saw for $60 in a store so I decided to make it instead. I made it up as I went along. It does look a little homemade, but she won't care.
Baby sling:
Diaper bag made from a tote bag pattern thanks to Anna who gave me the idea.
I added a few of my own additions to make it more of a diaper bag:
Plus, I had to make a couple of diaper changing pads to match:

Last, I had made a little sensory blanket before I knew whether we were having a boy or a girl:

We are also preparing her little room/corner. We will post pics when that is ready or at least a little more organized!

Little Update: I had my doctor apptmt today. Everything is going well. I am now dialated to 1 cm! I know that I can be dialated for weeks before anything happens but this just reaffirms the fact that this little girl is coming soon! I sure hope that we're ready. Either way, we are super excited for her to come!

Sleepy Hollow: Season 2

Since we had so much fun last year and it is that time of year, we had to return to the Village of Sleepy Hollow this year. We went with Ben and Tanelle. Here we are locked out of the spooky cemetery:

We had tickets for the Haunted Hayride, but it was cancelled last minute due to some serious rain storm that never happened! So here we are going to dinner at Horsefeathers instead:
Of course we had to get a shot of the headless horseman again:
The Old Dutch Church where they still have readings of the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
Halloween decorations! Something you don't see in the city, at all.

You Know You're Nine Months Pregnant When...

I found this and thought it was appropriate:

You know you're nine months pregnant when...
...you don't want to travel anywhere too far from your doctor or hospital b/c you think your water's going to break any time now.
...you start doing some "last minute" cleaning b/c you know the next time you dust your furniture won't be for another few months... if that (lol)
...you figure you only have a few more weeks to eat like a pig so you say "heck let me each as much as i want now" b/c after this i'll have to go on a strict diet.
...the kind of bacon you wanted didn't come with your order and you start crying.
...when you actually start seriously contemplating walking for hours on end to start labor
...when you look in the mirror and don't recognize your new, "robust" self
...when the kicking ceases to be cute and actually hurts!
...just the thought of going out in the heat makes you start to swell.
...you not only eat a snack before leaving to go out for dinner, but you bring another back-up snack in your purse, just in case the extras in your glove box are gone!
...when you can no longer ....or barely put your shoes or socks on your self.
...when you tell labor to 'bring it on' instead of being scared.

...when your puffy feet and cankles are fun to mold and make shapes with.
...when everything and nothing sounds good to eat anymore.
...when you seriously sleep with 6 pillows. Just for you. Maybe more.
...when you get stuck on other people's (or your own) furniture and cannot get up...no really, you can't

...when you change your sleeping position in one hour more times then you normally change your underwear in one year.
...when you get nervous about your husband driving a half hour away to work. (**or a five minute walk away because he forgets to keep his cell phone on!)
...when stairs look like mountains.
...when you feel like your clothes should say 'tent' instead of the actual size.
...when you actually forget that you forgot something, remember later that you forgot something, but still can't remember what you originally forgot! - - what was the question???
...oh, and what was I trying to say? Because even the simple words elude me these days... "hey honey...can u put the clothes in the fridge? erm, um, I mean sink..... CRAP!!! I mean dryer.. yeah... thats the word"
And (although true rather than funny).... when your doctors appointments have turned into once a week visits. :)

New York Craigslist....The Jackpot!

So I have been meaning to share this for quite awhile, but am just getting around to it. I'm sure you have all heard of craigslist.com. Living in Utah, it is great if you want to buy someone's old stuff. But if you want something specific, you have to get lucky or watch it for awhile. Well, out here in the big ol' city of New York, it is a jackpot! You can find anything you want, anytime. But there's a catch... you have to jump on it, literally! You will need to contact them nearly as soon as they post it and then be willing to pay in cash and pick it up ASAP. If you're not ready, there will always be someone else who is ready to pick it up. Also, the "free stuff" section of craigslist is constantly filled with good stuff simply because New Yorkers would give anything away if you're willing to haul it out of their 6th floor walk up for them. Here are a few things that we have jumped on and been able to get off of craigslist for either free or really inexpensive:

1) Baby Bassinet - Imagine us rolling this along the sidewalk of central park and on to the subway, yup great visual. We should have had a picture of that.

2) Lots of baby girl clothes. FREE.

3)Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier. FREE. As all of you parents know, these are not cheap. Ours was free. Thanks to Leslie, we were given a nicer one, which we would rather keep. So if you know anyone who needs one, let us know.

4) Snap-n-Go Stroller. FREE. Great for infants in the city.

5) Air Conditioner/Heater/Dehumidifier. Don't worry, although it has wheels, we rented a car to get this puppy.

6)Last, but our favorite: Phil and Ted's Jogging Stroller. This definitely wasn't free, but we got a great deal. This is the best jogging stroller ever! (According to reviews and people we have talked to) It is made in New Zealand and comes with an attachment for a second seat. It is the only inline double jogging stroller. Check out their website to learn more.

Dinner Boat Cruise

We were so lucky to be able to go on a boat cruise with Der's program. Yes, it was more of a college party with a cash bar, loud music and dancing, but it was still called a Dinner Boat Cruise (sounds prestigious, right?). It was pretty fun. It was good to meet alot of the people Der always talks about in his program, but who I have not yet met. I knew quite a few already, but the others, it was good to finally meet. We cruised around manhattan island to get this skyline view of the financial district (pic #1),

down around the Brooklyn Bridge (pic #2),

and then down to the Statue of Liberty (pic #3).

You can see it behind us if you look really close. The water was a little rocky for a lot of it, but I did alright until nearing the end when I had to sit down for a few minutes. I look super pregnant in these pics. I don't feel as big as I look... most of the time. I have been feeling really well for being 9 months pregnant (as of today!). This little girl is coming so fast, we can't believe it.

Boston/DC Babymoon

Before this crazy last semester begins and the baby comes to busy our lives, we decided to take a Babymoon. For those of you who have never heard this term before, it is like a Honeymoon; one last hoorah before reality and responsibility hit you.

It was a pretty fast getaway, but oh so needed! We began by driving to Boston with Ben, Tanelle and the kids. We camped near Boston for a couple of nights taking a boat into the harbor. Boston was such a pretty and clean city. We had always heard that you won't want to live in New York City after visiting Boston and sad to say, but it is true! The city is so nice with the old architecture and history but without the dirty city streets. After Boston, Der and I split from the group and drove back towards home where we made a quick IKEA stop for baby furniture (nursery-area pics to come), a romantic meal at Olive Garden (thanks to the gift card from Malia) and a quiet evening of some quick sleep before the early morning to catch our bus to Washington, DC. We spent the next day and a half in DC where we saw nearly all that we wanted to. We saw the White House, Capitol, National Archives (Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration, etc), Washington and Lincoln monuments, Ford's Theatre where Lincoln was assassinated, Arlington National Cemetery (tomb of the unknown soldiers and JFK's grave), many national government buildings and the Holocaust and American History museums. As we were at the Cemetery, we saw CNN, TV news cameras and realized that it was setting up for Ted Kennedy's funeral on saturday... pretty cool (not that he died, but that we were at the Cemetery just days before his funeral).

Anyway, although our trip was quick, we really enjoyed it and each other's company after such a busy working summer. Der has been working like a true New Yorker with a schedule of seven to seven every day. So this was a much needed break. View our slideshows for all the pics of our adventure.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Make a Smilebox photobook