Cereal and Yogurt

This is what breakfast looks like in our home recently.  Plopping down right on the kitchen floor and insisting on feeding ourselves!  I usually don't dress Harlow until we've already had breakfast.  But the mornings that I forget (like this one) and I dress him and then we eat breakfast...he looks like he's already gone through a whole days worth of activities.  Haha, and the shoes, two sizes too big but he was pretty adamant  I put those exact ones on and you know, some battles just aren't worth the stress.

I am not sure why, probably just an age thing but Harlow's been a bug to get to eat these past few months.  Sometimes he does really well and others I feel like I can't get him to eat/drink anything except milk - You can't just live on Milk Harlow Bud! - he doesn't get it when I tell him this, of course...

Really, it's probably me.  I need to plan out his meals better and have healthy snacks on hand or sandwiches already made.  That way I am not scrambling when he gets hungry and I can't get something together fast enough and he get fussy and then doesn't want to even try anything.

First Snow of the Year!

 We woke this morning to snow and lots of it!  As soon as Harlow saw it through the window we got so excited he could hardly contain himself!  "Snow, Snow, Snow!"  He wanted to stand by the window all morning and watch it come down.  When I took him in his room to get dressed he pointed to his snow suit all on his own and insisted I put him in it...how does he even remember what that thing was for?! "Zip, Zip" He followed me around until I zipped it up and then took my hand and led me to the door.  Nathan and I pulled on some snow clothes and joined our very excited son in some snow time.  Harlow was excited to see his foot prints and trails that he made.  He loved eating the snow balls I gave him, "Yummy" he'd say.

Two days ago it was gorgeous weather, You wouldn't have guessed that we'd wake up this morning to a literal Winter Wonderland!  It is so beautiful and I've just felt like singing "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" all day.

Amazing how quickly the temperature has dropped.  It has been near -20° and sits "normally" at 0° - CRAZY COLD HERE!

 Harlow had to bring his balloons out in the snow with him when we went out a second time.   It was fine at first because there was no wind.  He took the balloons and threw them up in the air and they'd come floating back down right beside him.  But when the wind picked up off went the balloons!  Harlow tried to chase them but tripped and fell face first in a pile of snow.  Did he cry, Yes, but was his face had snow stuck to it or was it because he had snow all down the collar of his snowsuit? No.  It was because his balloons were now half way across the neighbors yard blowing further and further away every second.  So Mom had to become her superhero-self and took off across the untouched snow field to capture the escaped balloons.  

Successful transformation Mommy!

And of course what's better than snow?  Pulling your bike out and hardly being able to ride it in the snow!  Put him in this plush, slippery snowsuit on top of that and what you actually get is one sincerely happy child! 

Getting all suited up for snow play - the wet, dirty mess you get when you all go back inside - not to mention the explosion of snow clothes that now cover the entryway...I'm sure glad snow it fun, because it's a lot of work

19 weeks

I am thrilled to say that we are 19 weeks pregnant!  In the beginning I didn't think I was going to be able to say that, but here we are and Oh So Happy!!  We will have our next appointment and ultrasound on December 5th, so put a vote in before then (if you want to guess, that is).  We are excited to find out...we might have the ultrasound technician write the gender on a card and seal it in an envelope and wait until Christmas morning to open it...what do you think?  I think it would be so fun!  It would totally make me feel like a little kid again come Christmas morning :)  But at the same time, if it's a little girl it would be nice to be able to receive some things from family for her...Don't know what or which to do....maybe I'll add another poll for that

I feel the baby move a lot now and I don't have to be sitting down, paying attention to it in order to feel it.  I love this time, when the little flutters inside of me are all mine.  It's my special moment with my little one, that only we get to share.  It's selfish of me but I truly treasure this time.  And just feeling the baby move inside of me in general.  My mom once told me that she doesn't miss having babies (she's grateful she did it but also grateful that time of her life is done and completed "Women weren't meant to keep having babies, that's why God stops it.  I'm sure grateful for that...I just don't have that energy I use to to be a new mom" - this is paraphrasing, of course) but she did say that she does miss being able to feel the baby move.  She always talked about it like it was magical - she's right!

That being said, Nathan felt the baby move for the first time 4 nights ago while we were laying in bed reading scriptures.  But it had to have been a back flip because that thing really moved that time!  Most movements are mine all mine :)

I'm still cramping a little; still very low on my belly.  If I wear the pants with the low waist line it presses too hard on those muscles or something and makes it quite a bit worse so I've started avoiding those.  I'm getting more energy which is very nice.  I'm sure it makes Harlow more happy too.  My sciatic nerve is starting to bug if I sit or lay down for too long.  Makes me feel very old and decrepit when I stand up...

Favorite Story of the Day:
Today I watched a friends little girl (Lilly, daughter of Dez Roberts).  Poor thing was pretty distraught when Mom left.  But what was fun was seeing Harlow react to her.  He was so sweet and you could see by the looks on his face that he knew she was upset and sad.  He tried to give her hugs, touch her hair, pat her back, give her books and toys, hold her hand.  Every time she would swat his hand away and cry louder.  Harlow gave me this look like "this girl/girls are crazy!" but he kept on trying.  It was so fun to watch that interaction.  He's going to be a great big brother!

Nothing like a morning bath!  Harlow loves baths, especially ones with bubbles :)  

He will lay himself down on his back getting his hair wet, he drinks lots of bath water, gets on his tummy and wiggles his legs and bum all around, throws cups full of water out of the tub and onto the floor, hangs from the small wash cloth bar on the side of the tub, sings, is starting to blow bubbles...he LOVES bath time...so if something is not quite right come evening and I just need him to be a happy boy it is off to the bath tub for us :)

 

His love for the camera is also growing and he wants to look at the picture he's taken as soon as he's done taking it...his smiles for the camera are no less cheesy though

Pheasants!!

Pheasant season opened yesterday and so Nathan went bird hunting yesterday morning with some buddies from school.  Not to totally brag but My Hot Honey out-shot the other 6 guys and brought home 4 beautiful pheasants!  After some pictures with Harlow and his prizes, he cleaned out the birds for me - isn't that so nice, I thought so!

Tonight we ventured to cook up the pheasants, something I have never done before.  Nathan made the brine yesterday and let them soak until this afternoon.  We pulled out Grandma's pressure cooker and crossed our fingers...

Wow, this was the most tender poultry I have ever made and possibly eaten.  It was tasty too.  (It was a little too salty, we think if we don't brine it for quite as long next time it should fix that and make it pretty darn near perfect)  I have never even eaten pheasant before tonight.  It was so fun to cook up the pheasants that Nathan shot and brought home, and have them turn out so good!  I know I am not the only one who has tried something for the first time, spent a lot of time on it, just to have it not turn out...I am so glad that is not what happened tonight!!

 

 

Halloween - Super Heroes

 

 

Leaves

Faces

Harlow loves to look at himself in pictures.  Well, today I thought we'd try to see what he does to taking pictures of ourselves while we can still see ourselves -> Result: Awesomeness!  This is the first time Harlow has ever made faces for the camera; following my lead in what faces to do we captured  some fun ones!  I just LOVE being this perfect little guy's Mommy!!!

BYU Homecoming Parade

I decided to take Harlow down to the BYU Homecoming Parade to let him see the floats and get some candy.  It was fun to see him change from being timid to becoming fearless as he ran out into the street to wave at all the students, cars, dancers, and costumes.  I was running after him and scooping him up and away from other kids candies and horse hooves by the end.  One float came by and he saw a girl with candy in her hand sitting on the float and so he took off after her as fast as he could with his cute little hand stretched out as far as it would go, reaching for the treat!  Me and the girl were laughing at him and his determination - He was not going to give it up until he got it...which he did.

The kids around us were very nice to him and would help him get candy, even bringing him some that they thought he would like.  We sat by our neighbors across the street, Will and Jessica Wickert and their kids (Willow, Ellory, Raylee and Lenix).  Harlow's their little buddy.

 I saw Charlie Roberts, an elder I served with in Italy, with the Dance Team and called out to him.  He ran over and gave Harlow the balloon which, as you can tell, he loved and kept it right with him even while napping.

Harlow had a really fun time but couldn't even make it home without crashing...too bad this nap didn't make it into the house...I think it was Harlow's shortest nap ever

ThanksGiving Point

To have a little one once again

We are thrilled to share the news that we are expecting again!!  Tomorrow we will be 13 weeks along, far enough where I feel I can stop being afraid and start being more excited - I went to the second Drs visit this morning and he said all sounded well.  It was at my second appointment with our last pregnancy that we found out the babies heart was no longer beating...I was a little nervous for this appointment...I hope I can be more excited and less nervous now.

A miscarriage is harder than I imagined, emotionally and physically.  And you think you're over it but you find out repeatedly that you're not....that's all I'll say

(*Beware: Possible TMI here) Back in August, I was suppose to start my cycle.  That day I felt awful and crampy but it didn't come.  Nor did it come the next or the next.  After 5 days I finally just broke down to tested.  I was pretty surprised to see the positive, since I had been cramping all this time.  I was worried and thought for sure we were going to have a miscarriage right away.  I don't exaggerate when I say the every time I went to the bathroom I braced myself to see blood...but the weeks went by and the cramping would come and go.  I read online and discovered that many women cramp, its fairly normal.  That eased my tension a bit.  That first Dr appointment I requested to see Dr Thorpe, who I had seen with the miscarriage.  Nathan was able to get off work and come with me which meant the world.  (thanks Becca for being ready and willing to go with me to be my strength and support)  I was nervous (understatement!) but we when we got to see our little one's heart beating is was such a thrill.  And, get this, the ultrasound machine fit in the palm of his hand!  It was incredible!

We haven't told many people because like I said, we were worried we'd miscarry, but we're feeling good (*still asking for your prayers in our behalf).  So here we are telling again - the Andersen Family is about to grow again and we couldn't be more happy!  We want this baby, painfully so.  And are grateful that everything is looking good so far :)

PS-most people in our ward know...it's nearly impossible to hide my very pregnant looking belly now :) Yay! for baby bellies!

11 weeks along

Down to the Park in this lovely Fall Weather

General Conference