Count your Christmas Blessings at 24 Weeks

 Scott and I are endlessly blessed: we have seen both of our family's within 1 week. We have enjoyed having my family in town from Michigan over Christmas. This was the first time my parents have seen me pregnant, and they even got to feel baby girl kick this week too! Scott felt her for the first time a few weeks ago, and his face was priceless. 

Before Christmas, we took my parents to Tarpon Springs to the Greek Sponge Docks where we enjoyed shopping, dining, and Greek Bakeries. 

On Christmas Eve, we spent the day/evening with my Grandma. She cooked a delicious Christmas Eve Dinner. We enjoyed playing the piano, catching up, watching the sun set, and most of all enjoying every single minute together, all under the same roof. 

On Christmas morning we woke up at the Anderson's house to the kids excited to open all of their presents! We had the most wonderful day full of joy and family. It is amazing to think that this time next year, baby girl will be celebrating her very own first Christmas. Did you see the picture of her Christmas gift from my niece and nephew? To: Holly Wood :) That is the nick-name she has aquired from my mom since her name is a secret. How cute is that?! 

 Here's to taking a walk around the block to burn off all of tose delicious Christmas cookies we made and ate! May all your Christmas blessings continue through the new year to come! 

This weeks craving: 

The Bill Knapps' Chocolate Cake my parents brought down from Michigan, DELICIOUS!! 

Merry Christmas!

 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day, in the City of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

Happy Birthday Jesus & Merry Christmas!

Love ,

The Wood Family

23 weeks with the Wood Family

We had a wonderful time in New York with the Wood Family. Thank you to everyone for spending so much time with us and the wonderful family Christmas we had together. And thank you to Nana and Grandpa Hap for having us as your guest in your beautiful and warm home, we loved being with you as always :) 

  

This weeks craving: Cider Doughnuts (Finally fulfilled!)

22 weeks, off to New York!

This week is going to be a busy one, we are heading to New York to spend time with Scott's family. Scott left yesterday since he is driving, and I am flying out tomorrow afternoon to meet my love up in New York. We are so very excited to see all the Wood Family, this trip is long over-do! After we packed the truck yesterday (well Scott packed the truck and I supervised), I made sure everyone's homemade Christmas cookies were wrapped safely. After all, that is all I have been working on the last few days and I was going to make sure those arrived intact! Presents are wrapped, bags are packed, and I am ready for some time off.  I am use to flying alone, but this time it feels a little different knowing I have some special cargo :) Well, this time tomorrow I hopefully will get to see a snowflake or two along with lots of hugs and kisses :)

This weeks craving: French Toast

 

21 weeks

21 weeks and I have been so busy with work and overtime that I cannot wait for a few days off over the holidays. I cannot believe that in the month of December that we will be blessed to be able to see both of our immediate families within the same week! After we get back from New York, my parents will be flying down to Florida to spend some quality time with their kids and grandkids. Oh yeah, and to see their daughter pregnant for the first time. How exciting! But that means that we are busy getting ready for house guests and traveling our little booties off. I'm feeling good and ready to hit the road! 

This weeks cravings: Red & Yellow Bell Peppers

20 weeks and halfway there!

It is official, we  are 20 weeks and halfway through this beloved pregnancy. There are moments when I feel as though time is flying by way too fast and that we will never be ready for our little girl. However, I haven't yet started to freak out..yet. I would call the second trimester my honeymoon phase, and trust me, I know that this is temporary. Therefore, I plan to enjoy every moment of forgetting that I'm pregnant for as long as I can. 

This weekend we went to Indian Shores to visit my Grandma (my mom's mom). We had the most amazing and relaxing Sunday with her. We went to brunch after church and talked for hours over coffee, sat on the balcony overlooking the ocean, danced our fingers on the piano, and watched the sunset together. It was one of those simple days that you never want to end and will always cherish. Grandma was so surprised to see the sonogram pictures and all that we can find out these days before the baby arrives. Thank you Grandma for the most amazing day! Maybe one day we will live on the beach... when we retire :)

PS.. She is 86 years young, isn't that amazing!

This weeks craving: Egg Whites

 

Be Thankful for 19 Weeks

We have many things to be thankful for; Family, a future baby, careers, friends, and most of all God's grace. We had a wonderful time with my brother's family over Thanksgiving enjoying food, fellowship, and black Friday Ad hunting. The hot item on the list this year for Black Friday was $3 tutu's at Target. We were there when they opened and only managed to snag two. It was unbelievable how fast tutu's went off the shelves. Can you tell that baby girl was on our mind this year!?  

This weekend we got A LOT accomplished. Scott decorated the outside of the house while I worked on the inside, and I must say that we are a great team. This weekend always makes me feel festive, and I love it. All we need is a fireplace and some snow and it would be memories of my childhood. This year Scott went all the way up to the roof with our Christmas lights and you can see that he has a little "clark griswald" in him. I'm not sure how he will top this next year!

This weeks craving: Orange juice

IT'S A GIRL!

Scott was right! We are having a GIRL!!! We could not be more thrilled to be blessed with a little girl. The Gender Reveal was a lot of fun to share and also a great time to enjoy some yummy food that I have been craving! Enjoy all the pictures from the lovely day!

The Menu: Beef Chili, Turkey Chili, Hot Dogs/Turkey Dogs, Tater Tots, Nacho Cheese, Corn Chips, Pasta Salad, Veggies and Hummus, Cheese and Crackers. 

Dessert:

The Cake: Flavor: Vanilla Bean by Sweet Tweets Cakery in Tampa, Florida. Also for dessert we enjoyed homemade cake pops, red velvet cupcakes, and chocolate chip cookies!

THE JOY!

Team Blue or Team Pink?

11/16/12

This is the week; the week we find out if this baby will be wearing ties or tutus! We cannot wait to find out the gender of Baby W, after all the envelope was siting in our home for 2 weeks unopened. We dropped the precious answer off with the baker last weekend so we could find out at a small gender reveal. The baker said we were the first parents ever who didn't know already, I found this shocking. The funnest part will be finding out with our local friends and family! 

Scott thinks we are having a girl and my gut says boy. Why? No reason at all to be honest, maybe because Scott has been saying it's a girl from day one with the utmost confidence :) The ironic thing is that I am always attracted to girl items in the store. Yet, I'm sure that is because I am in fact, a girl! The funny thing is, that everyone is so sure that their gender choice is right, and I find this very entertaining. The poll has been close, pretty much split down the middle. Regardless, healthy baby is the most important thing that we pray for. Finding out will be that much more exciting tomorrow, 11/17/12. At least one of us will be right!

This weeks cravings: Bagel and Cream Cheese, again.

17 weeks to dance

For the first time in the pregnancy, I have been feeling baby W doing a little dance every day! Ever since the time changed this weekend, the baby has been moving and grooving before lunch every day. I think baby has been wondering where the delicious lunch hour is since we are an hour behind now.

Work has been very draining lately and therefore it has been posing a lot of questions about how long to take off of work after the baby arrives. This has been a tough one to figure out. I know once this precious little blessing arrives I'm never going to want to leave him or her. However, financially we have to be realistic. First of all I enjoy working and I am passionate about my career. But 6 weeks seems so short and 3 months seems so long! At this point, I put it in the Lord's hands. God has a plan and I will trust in Him to reveal it to us in His timing. 

This weeks cravings: Honeycrisp Apples and Hot Chocolate

 Happy Bump Day! 
Xoxo, Sarah Ann & baby W
 

Blue or Pink, what do you think?

 WHO WILL IT BE?

There's a POLL on our blog right above the top post! 

We will be finding out the gender of Baby W on November 17th, so make sure to cast your vote! 

Are you on Team Blue or Team Pink??

Sweet 16 weeks and a Pumpkin

 Happy Bump Day!

Welcome to the sweet 16th week of pregnancy. I'm feeling good this week, almost post pregnancy normal. Baby W has been moving and groving here and there this week, and it feels oh so unbelievable and weird at the same time. There are times I forget I'm pregnant, and then I am quickly reminded by the little wiggle inside of me. 

The 16th week included Halloween candy (YUMM!), pumpkins, and 7 whopping trick-o-treating children at our door. Considering we only had 3 last year, this year raised the bar. We decorated with orange lights outside our house, and I swear the little kiddies thought that was cooler than the orange wrapped candies and Wendy's frosty tickets they received. To be honest, the parents seemed to like the frosty treats the best:) 

Yes, Dietitian's like frosty's and chocolate too! 

16 week ultrasound pictures coming soon!

This week's craving:

Tijuana Flats chicken and steak soft tacos. 

Taco Tuesday happened twice in one day :) 

 xoxo, Sarah & baby W

Happy 5th Birthday Zaria!

Zaria, 

We love you more than you will every know! We wish we were in NY to help you celebrate your sweet 5th birthday. You are the most precious little girl and we miss you with all of our hearts. Hopefully we will get to see you sometime this winter up in NY! We wish you the most blessed birthday full of love, kisses, and everything sweet in a 5 year old's life. Oh, and cake too! 

Love,

Aunt Sarah & Uncle Scott

 

 

15 week bump

Happy Bump Day! 

Wow, 15 weeks already.Can I just say, I feel oh so much better! I mean let's be honest, that smile above is a lot bigger than usual. This week has been crazy. I mean when you are out of commission for a week, you tend to have a lot to catch up on. Thankfully, this cooler weather is energizing and helping to fuel me in order catch up on those little things that always mound up so quickly; laundry, dishes, cleaning, bills, etc. 

This weeks craving: toasted plain bagel and cream cheese.

A few posts in the making to look forward too; Scott the builder, ultrasound, Lego Land Trip and baby gender reveal plans.

Xoxo, Sarah Ann and baby W

Hurricane Sandy

(IMAGE/NOAA) Satellite imagery of Hurricane Sandy slowly approaching the Mid-Atlantic States Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012.http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/weather/hurricane-center.html

The weather has been changing pretty quickly down here due to Hurricane Sandy. We are experiencing crisp northern Fall-like weather and I have been loving it while cherishing every minute. Us Floridians don't get to enjoy our cozy sweatshirts and jeans as much as we would like to. So this week is all about cozy blankets, hot apple cider, scarves, and every sweatshirt I own while I can still wiggle into them :)  

Unfortunately this storm's path is hitting the east coast pretty hard. Currently, the effects are over a 1500 mile span. This "FrakenStorm" took the Northeast by surprise with major flooding and over 8 million without power, massive fires, disabled mass transit systems and snow storms. You know it is pretty ironic that a lot of people avoid moving to Florida because of hurricanes, but now I believe all coastlines will be better prepared for this rare occurrence. Especially since the record damage is currently estimated at 20 billion dollars. After watching the NBC News Special Report on the devastation of Sandy tonight, it was a shocking reminder of taking the evacuation warnings seriously and never challenging a storm surge, no matter where you live. 

We have heard from many of our family and friends and we are happy to report no one has been directly hit by the storm at this point. We are praying for everyone that God's protection and mercy will continue to be over you and we pray for God's grace and comfort during this time of devastation and loss for those that are suffering.

  XoXo, Sarah Ann & Scott

(PHOTO/AP, Charles Sykes) A parking lot full of yellow cabs is flooded as a result of superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 in Hoboken, N.J. http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/weather/hurricane-center.html

(PHOTO/AP, Jessica Hill) Storm surge hits a small tree as winds from Hurricane Sandy reach Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Conn., as water from Long Island Sound spills into roadways and towns along the Connecticut shoreline - Monday, October 29, 2012. http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/weather/hurricane-center.html

14 weeks to avoid germs

14 weeks resulted in getting attacked by kiddie germs. A full blown respiratory infection resulting in me getting knocked off of my feet for an entire week. To be honest, I didn't want to move. Surviving work was a task in itself, of course we were very short staffed already as it is, so I stuck it out until Thursday. I was up all night, every night coughing and sleep deprived. This was a reality check for me, that I can't push it as hard I as usually do. So I learned this lesson the hard way. After finally catching up on sleep, lots of fluids, an antibiotic and my trusty prenatal vitamins, I recovered. Now Baby W and I must continue to avoid germs. Maybe, just maybe, a face mask is in order.

On a positive note, I enjoyed a glass full of Vitamin C rich Florida orange juice for the first time in months. It was PURELY delicious! The first trimester didn't support this treat, so when I got sick I figured to give it a go, again. These days I appreciate food in a whole new light, and I am grateful. Even for a silly sip of OJ. 

This weeks craving: Orange juice (obviously) and anything pumpkin. 
 
Here's to the barely there, ever growing bump. More to come, always!
XoXo,
Mommy and baby W

13 weeks to be joyful

 

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Give thanks no matter what happens. 

God wants you to thank him because you believe in Christ Jesus." 

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIRV)

13. God has created a miracle within me. A heart-beating, dancing, little miracle. 

12. Food tastes so much better now that I can savor it again; slow, small bites never tasted so delicious.

11. This pregnancy has enhanced my daily skills in my career and reignited my passion.

10. Baby W has made me appreciate the real gift of life; a life that doesn't belong to any of us but the baby and the Lord that created them.

9. Baby W has a mouth, nose, and the cutest cheeks we have ever laid eyes on. Have we mentioned how sweet the sound of Baby W's heart is?

8. God is working in our church in miraculous ways and he is constantly renewing our spirit.

7. I am thankful God has given me this opportunity to experience all the joys and pains of pregnancy. This is a gift that is not promised to any of us.

6. My energy is returning and I can now feel that normalcy is slowing, but surely returning day by day. Even though this is temporary, I'm thrilled.

5. My husband is undeniably one of the greatest men I have ever known. His love has persevered through our first trimester and I can see that he will be an amazing daddy that this baby will love him in infinite amounts.

4. God continues to bless us with family and friends who already love this baby and share in our joyous journey even if we are thousands of miles away. 

3. Baby W will have a cousin born around the same time as him or her. 

2. The first trimester has come to an unbelievable end. Hip, Hip, Hooray!

1. I felt the baby wiggle for the first time on Friday(10/12/12).. three times in row. Indescribably breathtaking.You could call it a flutter, a shimmy, a shake; this baby made it clear. And that is the last joyful moment of 13 weeks and the first trimester.

Happy Bump Day

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