Another Dr. visit down...

Nothing too eventful today, but that's a great thing - we got to hear Baby Vande's heartbeat swooshing away, nice and strong! Otherwise, business as usual and we're awaiting the next appointment to officially determine if Baby V is a boy or a girl!!!!!!!

Picture update...

Me and my hubby - Jeff finally makes the blog! :)
All the girls and our newly inducted hubby! What a FANTASTIC time, MC!!
Let the wedding festitivies begin!


Sydney having too much fun at the bar - yes, we set up the photo...she'll appreciate it as she gets older, ha!

Amy's graduation - found the family!
Do I look happy to be done or what?

2nd trimester is the best!!

What a perfect time to feel like myself again...we've been super-busy the past few weeks, keeping Baby V on the run (as I'm sure he/she will have to get used to quickly in our family!) :)

After Foxfield I had to focus on finishing up my final exams for UR - it's gotten progressively harder to think clearly and rein in ADD with this ever-growing "pregnant brain/amnesia"! But, I did get them done, and I GRADUATED this past weekend with my MBA, yahoooooooo! I am now officially a Wahoo-Spider...It's already been fantastic being able to come home after work every night - I know the time will be well-spent over the coming months preparing for Baby!!

Jeff has also been busy preparing for his final board exam at the end of the month - all kinds of review sessions, a practice exam, and many many hours of studying. It's a good thing his brain is still in tact, ha! Baby Vande will have to learn about disciplined study more from his genes than mine...I may get it done, but not without distraction! :)

We were able to go to Florida last week for my friend Mary Casey's wedding (one of my best friends from college) - what an AMAZING weekend! We turned it into a mini-vacation and were able to spend several days in Hollywood Beach (between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami) soaking in some sun and catching up with many wonderful friends. More to come on this when I get the pictures downloaded...

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Happy Mother's Day and Mother-to-Be Day to so many of our friends and family! I'm so excited to join the ranks... :)

Foxfield 2008!!!

Baby VandeSand ventured to Foxfield this year with all the girls - thanks for sharing this great picture, Lo, with all of us and Miss Sydney Rose (Baby V's girlfriend/BFF to be)! :)

And, I'm human again...

I have now made it through the first trimester and am actually able to function like a "normal" person - well, most of the time. :) To recap the first trimester, it was a mix of excitement, fear, nausea, and above all EXHAUSTION. I had forgotten how nice it was to be able to come home from work and take the dogs on a leisurely walk - no more 3 hour naps for me, yahoo!

Funny how the timing of "the end of the bad" also coincides with my finishing grad school - ironic, but I am thankful to have made it through. I am so excited to be able to enjoy my 2nd trimester now - finding out what we're having, feeling good and enjoying the summer, no classes after work anymore, time to shop for baby!

Although all the "firsts" were amazing (first view of heartbeat, view of the baby, wave of nausea - yes it was nice to confirm something was in there), I am thrilled to move to the next phase of excitement. I'm sure Jeff is happy to have a little more help around the house, too! He's been such a great support - cook, listener, patient husband - even with all his studying while preparing for his board exam he's been there for me 110% and I am grateful.

Yeah for summer when we can share even more of this experience together and with you all!!!

Meet Baby Vande!!

We had our 12 week Dr. appointment today and all is going wonderfully! Dr. D even said he/she is an overachiever - she was able to hear the heartbeat (as could we given the handy speaker stethoscope) right away, yahoo!

Baby Vande on the move...

He/she enjoys a good meal as much as mom and dad do...Baby V was moving all over the place after dinner when we took this! Enjoy our first home movie of him/her rocking!! :)

Congrats, Kerry!!

Congratulations to Kerry and William on the birth of their twin girls, Lindley Kate and Ellie! We are so thankful all are doing well and can't wait to meet them in person!!

No dull moments around here...

We've had all kinds of things going on the last few weekends - which is great as we are counting down the days to find out if we're having a boy or a girl!!! (oh yes, the blog colors will certainly change when that happens...) :)

Last weekend was Jeff's birthday, so we went to dinner at a steakhouse in Williamsburg and went to a movie. We also worked (well, him mostly) in the yard on installing our new fence - the dogs are a little confused, but will ultimately be happy for their increased outdoor playtime. Plus, it will be perfect for our little boy/girl to enjoy his/her own yard! We got to spend some quality time with our families celebrating Jeff's big day, as well.

Today we did the Monument 10k with our friends Katherine and Matt - Matt and Jeff ran the race in heroic style while Kat and I walked it all due to our prego-states! :) It was so fun having them stay with us the night before so we could all catch up and swap pregnant stories. Yeah for bella bands, pizza and ice cream cake!!