Sonogram Pictures

Here are the first pictures of Baby Wilson. At the time of these pictures, my baby only measured half a centimeter. The baby is between the two little dots. It may be tiny but what an awesome creation by God it truly is!

Let the Shopping Begin

Since Josh and I announced our pregnancy to the family, my mom and I both had been looking forward to us coming in for Easter. We planned to spend all day Saturday scouting out baby items-cribs, strollers, bedding, swings. I haven't done any of that here in town because we don't have the stores that big cities do.
So Saturday morning, my mom, my grandmother, and I loaded up to tackle all the baby stores in my parents' hometown (or as many as we could get to in one day). Our first stop was at Burlington. I found a couple of things that I liked, but, as I would soon find out at every other store, most of the stuff I found was for little girls. There is just not that much stuff in stores that is cute for little boys. I kept patting my stomach the whole day and saying, "Be a girl. Please be a girl."



I'm also having trouble deciding on furniture. Do I go with crib that is convertible and will take him through his years as a baby, toddler, and little boy? Or do I go with crib that he'll only use for a couple of years? What if we have another child soon after this one? Can we use this baby's crib for our second child? We would gladly welcome any advice from you parents that have been through this decision making process before. Let us know what you did and why.

Okay, back to the shopping trip. After we left Burlington, we headed to a store called Baby World. It was very nice in there...VERY NICE if you get what I mean. A little too nice for this banker and teacher, but it was fun to look and get some ideas. Once again, we found that we were drawn to the girl things because that's all they had! They did have a really cute zoo crib set and a cute pirate crib set for boys, but I don't want to do a theme (at least right now I don't). Here are some pictures of some of the cute girl things we found. We flipped through a book and found one, yes, only one, cute boy crib set. I'm sure it would cost a fortune to order though. I've already let my grandmother know that she is on standby in case I can't find a reasonable crib set I want. She may just have to make one for me!

The only cute boy crib set I saw all day.

Our third stop was Target. I love that store, but I was kind of disappointed because they did not have very many crib sets. They did have some very nice strollers and swings though. I liked the Eddie Bauer stroller a lot. I'm ready to find out what this baby is so I can start planning and buying!

Happy Easter

Here are some pictures from our weekend with my family. It's a Dixon family tradition to always take pictures at Easter, well, at any occasion for that matter. We LOVE pictures! Josh never really took that many pictures when he was growing up and because of that he has had some adjusting to do since we've been married. He's gotten much better though and this day he was a good sport.

Josh and Caleb acting silly.

The boys looking very dashing.

Me and my mom

The whole family

Me and Josh

The Dixon kids

We're goobers, we know it.

Me and Joshua

Josh and Andrea

Naming My Baby

Josh and I traveled this weekend to visit my family for Easter. I love being able to go home. It's so nice to be in the home where I was raised, smell the familiar smells, hear the familiar sounds, and be with my family. We got there Friday afternoon just in time for supper. While Dad and Josh manned the grill, Mom and I sat down and talked baby names. Mom found her baby name book from when she was pregnant with Caleb (my youngest brother) and she and I went through it together. It was neat being able to read my mom's notes in the back where she was trying out names for my brother. The coincidences with my pregnancy and Mom's pregnancy with Caleb seem to be unending. (1) She was around my same age. (2) Her doctor's last name was Daigle (3) Caleb was born in November (4) She never had morning sickness. That's all for now, but I'm sure I'll find more coincidences as I go through this pregnancy.

Mom and I went through the entire book of baby names and I'm still stuck. Naming a baby is not an easy job. I want a strong name for my child-one that when they are older will fit them. There are a lot of names that are cute for when they are little, but I want a name that will carry my child from an infant all the way to an adult. I also want the name to have a good meaning. I don't want my child's name to have a negative connotation. Here's where you come in...Send me some names!! I need boy names and girl names. I am already leaning towards using the name Eli if it's a boy, but I have not picked out a middle name. Think of some good combinations with Eli and send them in. For a girl, I'm not really leaning towards one name over another right now. I like Kiley and Emma, but once again I don't have a middle name. I want something that flows easily when you say it and something that will be relatively easy to spell.

I've got around thirteen weeks before I find out what I'm having. Boy or girl, I know we will be thrilled! Keep saying those prayers for this little one. He/She is getting bigger and bigger each day.

Ultrasound Videos

My 1st Doctor's Appointment

I woke up this morning and knew right away it was going to be a great day. I had such a peace in my heart about this visit. In the days leading up to this visit, I had gone through a whole gamut of emotions--scared, nervous, excited, worried, anxious. This morning I just woke up and knew that everything was going to be okay. I knew that God was taking care of things and as long as He was in control, I was in good hands. My appointment was not until 12:30 this afternoon, so I went to work this morning. Those were the longest 4 hours of my life! Every now and then the thought, "You're going to find out today for sure if you're pregnant" would hit me and I would just smile. I was so ready to go!
Finally, I got to leave work. I went to Sonic to try to eat something, but my stomach was a bundle of nerves and I could barely eat. I think I threw about half of my food away. I made the short trip over to the doctor's office and the whole time I was just praying and thanking God that whatever happened today would in the end give glory to him. I met Nicki at the doctor's office (she was there to document the appointment with photos...Thanks, Nick-Nick!). I was so nervous my hands were shaking. I kept thinking, "Oh my gosh, I'm really here. I'm really about to find out if I'm pregnant or not."

Me about to go into the doctor's building for my first appointment!
(All photo credits go to Nicki Glenn. Thanks for helping me make lots of memories today!)

I filled out all the important paperwork and then we had to wait, and wait, and wait, but thankfully we didn't have to wait too long. We went to the back and started my first appointment! Rhonda, the nurse, came in and showed me my "official" results.

Checking my blood pressure. It was too high the first time (Hello? I was freaking out!) so they had to take it twice. Thankfully, it was normal the second time.

(Meeting Dr. Daigle for the first time. I LOVED her! She completely put me at ease right away. I think she was a little weirded out by the camera at first, but she was okay towards the end.)

I was definitely pregnant. In fact, Dr. Daigle commented on how strong my pregnant line was compared to the control line. It finally started to sink in...I was really and truly pregnant! WOW! Thank you, God!

(The "official" results. I'm really really pregnant!)

(Exam time. Not my favorite part at all, but at least I look happy!)

(Playing with the wheel and trying to figure out when I am due. Nicki was very proficient with this tool.)

We didn't know if I was going to be able to get an ultrasound or not on my first visit, but thanks to Nicki, Rhonda, and Dr. Daigle I was! I don't know what I expected to see, but that little blob was the best looking blob I had ever seen in my life. God is so amazing! Then, it got even better! Dr. Daigle pushed the audio button and I got to hear the heartbeat! Talk about surprised. My little pea had a strong heartbeat! I was shocked, surprised, and ecstatic to say the least. Hearing my baby's heartbeat was the best static noise I had ever heard! After this appointment, it blows my mind that people can say babies are not human when they are this young. They have a heartbeat! My little pea is alive! God is such an awesome creator and God.

(Waiting on Dr. Daigle to come do my first ultrasound. I was so happy and nervous at this point.)

(Seeing my little pea for the first time!)

(Hearing the heartbeat for the first time)

(I'm so in love with this little one already!)

So, with the ultrasound finished, I had all the proof I needed. I am going to have a baby sometime around the beginning of November. My due date is tentatively scheduled for November 3, but she said it could possibly move up to November 10. I hugged Dr. Daigle and then Nicki and I left. Nicki, being the good friend that she is, was carrying all my free stuff from the doctor--magazines, books, prenatal vitamins, etc. She walked into the lobby and saw Ms. Sue from Josh's work. I was paying my deposit when all of a sudden Nicki comes in and tells me that I have to let Sue know because she didn't want her to think she was pregnant again. HA! I walked out and told Mrs. Sue. She was so happy and came and gave me a big hug. Being able to tell someone officially was so much fun!

I left the doctor's and immediately called Josh and told him the news, then called my Mom and my Dad. Everyone was thrilled!! I went by Sue's office and showed her the sonogram pictures, she cried like always, but she was happy because that meant she could finally tell someone! She was probably worthless the last 2 hours of work today because I think she probably stayed on the phone the entire time spreading the news. I came home and immediately called my friend Dara to tell her the good news. She just had a baby,Molly Reese, in January and I think she had been hoping that Josh and I would get pregnant soon. She too was thrilled. Babies just make people excited! It finally feels REAL now. For the past week or so, I knew I was, but it never really felt like I was pregnant. Now, I know for sure I am. I am going to be a mother. Wow! I feel so blessed...Thank you for all who prayed for me today. It was a wonderful blessed day!!

6 Weeks

As you can tell from the picture not much has changed. I can't wait until it does though!


(6 weeks)

Weight: 122 lbs.

I still haven't had any morning sickness and I am so thankful for that. Mornings are great for me. Afternoons are when I feel the most tired. In fact this afternoon I came home, changed and went and took a nap outside. I am loving this spring weather. It's my favorite season...so full of life--kind of like me! :) I'm anxiously looking forward to my doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I guess you could say that's my first milestone. I'm ready to hear the official words, "You're pregnant," and meet my doctor. Josh and I were going to use a doctor where we used to live, but because of complications in scheduling we have switched to a local doctor here. This doctor comes highly recommended so I'm not worried at all. In fact, I actually feel somewhat relieved that I'm not going to have to take my sick days and use them to travel to doctor's visits out of town. Also, since we're using a local doctor, Josh can come to doctor's visits with me very easily and not have to worry about taking his days either. I think it's all going to work out. Be looking for a post on Tuesday. I'll be sure to let you know how the visit goes. Until then, keep praying for us! We are believing and thanking God for a healthy baby.

Little Changes in My Life so Far

Tomorrow morning will be one week since I found out I was pregnant. Since then so much in my life has changed. Let's start with some minor changes. (1) I used to always drink a cup of coffee in the mornings when I got up. I loved this. In fact, everyone knows that I always looked forward to Saturdays because I could actually drink the whole entire cup. Now, I'm cutting out caffeine completely, so that means no more coffee for Manda. (2) I have bookmarked so many pregnancy related websites! I am addicted to finding out as much as I can about my little growing bean (sometimes this isn't really that good, because I find out a lot of stuff that I would rather not know!). (3) The way I speak has changed. Instead of saying, "When I get pregnant..." I have started to say ,"When the baby comes..." It's so fun to think that in 9 months I'm going to hold my baby! WOW! (4) I have turned into a camel, literally. I never knew a human being could consume so much water. That is all I drink during the day and I crave it now. If I don't have a bottle of water with me at all times, I go crazy. (5) Because I'm drinking so much water, Mother Nature has a way of making sure I stay close to a bathroom at all times. I know pregnant women have to go more often, but I think my mind is playing mental games with me, because I seem to be going a lot more than I should be. (6) Food is not the same to me anymore. I'll come right out and say it, I love food. Yes, I know I'm a little girl, but this little girl can eat, especially home cooked food! YUM-O! Now instead of eating just whatever I want and whenever I want, I am constantly thinking is this a healthy choice for my little person or should I pass it up. I'm very glad I'm doing this though because I want him/her to be very healthy, so I'm going to do everything I can to make healthy choices. Friends and family reading this, you can help me with this by cooking healthy meals for me :) Let me know what day you would like to cook a healthy meal and I'll be there with bells on! (7) I pray so much more. I pray all day long for this baby, me, Josh, our families, etc. I feel so incredibly blessed to have this baby and every minute I get where I can tell God thank you I am using it. I welcome any prayers from you guys as well! It's only been a week, but this pregnancy has been such a pleasant joyful celebration for us. I haven't had any morning sickness (thank you, God!). I've just been a little more tired in the afternoons. I am believing and thanking God that the rest of my pregnancy is going to go as well!

The Belly Pictures Begin

Here is the first of many belly pictures to come. I'm going to try to document my changing body throughout this whole process. Hopefully, my belly will stay really cute (I really really hope so). Call me crazy, but I'm even hoping that my belly button sticks out a little bit!

(Approx. 5 weeks)

Starting Weight: 123 lbs.

Obviously there's nothing visible on the outside, but on the inside there is! My baby is about the size of a sesame seed right now :)

Sharing the News

Friday morning I woke up and realized that I had to let some people know our wonderful news. Well, actually I had let one person already know. I left school Thursday and called my closest friend, Nicki. I knew that (1) she could keep the secret for as long as I needed her to (2) she was very creative and she could help me think of ways to tell the family and (3) she knew more than anyone how much I had wanted a baby. She was in Wal-Mart of all places when I told her. I'd just like to apologize now to the shoppers that were at that particular Wal-Mart with her that day. If you happened to see a woman walking aimlessly around crying, well that was because of me. Hopefully, she didn't block an aisle or bump into you at any point, and if she did, well, she had a great reason to!! She had just found out that her friend was pregnant! Telling her and hearing her reaction just made me want to tell all my other close friends and family.

So Friday morning I started off by calling my mother (she was the first family member besides Josh to know--had to let my Mom know first--this is the woman who gave birth to me!). When she answered, I asked if she was ready to be a grandmother. I think shocked is the best way to describe her reaction. She asked me to repeat what I said and when she finally understood what I was saying she was so happy. Mom had been waiting for years for that call. I really had always planned to do something creative, but when it came down to it, I just really wanted to share the news and hear their reactions. I tried calling my Dad next, but wasn't able to reach him. We called Josh's mom, Sue, then. She wasn't as composed as my mom had been. As soon as I asked her if she was ready to be a grandmother, she lost it! She screamed at the top of her lungs, started crying, and if I know her like I think I do, she probably clutched her chest like she always does when something takes her by surprise.

By this time in the morning it was 7:30 and I still didn't even have my make-up on. I hurried to get ready for school and on the way there I tried my Dad again-still no luck. I was anxious all day. I really wanted to climb the tallest tree I could find and scream to the world that I was pregnant, but (1) pregnant women probably shouldn't climb trees and (2) it was really, really, really cold and I would have frozen to death. Therefore, I kept my secret to myself. On my first break, I called my Dad and was finally able to get him. I told him the good news and he said that it was an answer to his prayers. Before we got off the phone, Dad prayed for me, Josh, and our new little baby (of course, I started crying and had just a few minutes to compose myself before 20 1st graders came in and started asking why I was upset).

I went through the rest of my day at school and broke down and told my friend, Sarah. She actually had already figured out that I was pregnant from a conversation she had accidentally overheard when we were in Alexandria together. She was super excited for us! The last of my calls were made after school. I let Clare and Tammy, my grandmother, and Josh's grandparents know. Everyone was ecstatic and moved to tears, well, everyone except MamMaw because she can't cry. She did do a little squeal though, so I guess we'll count that as a cry! This is such a blessing that a lot of people have been praying for. I'm so glad that our baby is going to grow up around so many people that already love him/her and they haven't even met yet!

You, Me, and Baby Makes Three

The most exciting news of my life appeared to me 5:30 Thursday morning, March 6, 2008. After a year of wanting a baby, I was pregnant! Words cannot describe the immense joy and happiness that flooded my body when I saw that plus sign on the test. I was moved beyond words. This was something I and lots of people had been praying about for a long time and now it is finally here. I am going to be a Mommy! Josh is going to be a Daddy! WOW! To know that in 9 months I'm going to be able to hold a child-our child-is mind boggling. The first thing I did, even before I ran out to tell Josh, was stop and tell God how thankful I am. For over a year now, every day I had prayed and cried and prayed and cried some more for this child. God in his perfect timing has now given me the very desire of my heart. Several months ago, I finally had come to a place in my life where I realized that God knew what was best for me and what was best for Josh. As hard as it was to say, I knew that if God never blessed us with a child, that our lives were going to still be blessed beyond our wildest dreams. But, oh, how thankful I am to know that a child was included in God's plans for our lives! Thank you, God! I am so grateful and so thankful that you chose us to be parents to this small blessing from heaven. Okay, back to the morning I found out...

After saying my prayer of thanks, I came in the living room. Josh was lying on the couch (he always gets up earlier than I do) watching TV. We had discussed the night before that as soon as I got up I was going to take the test. I actually had wanted to wait until the weekend before I took a pregnancy test, but Josh insisted that I do it soon, very soon. I came in with the test, laid down next to him on the couch, told him "Good Morning. I love you," like I always do, and then said, "I'm pregnant." His first response was, "No, you're not." Well, indeed I was! I showed him the test and explained the plus sign to him. He was shocked to say the least. Neither one of us could really believe it was happening. Josh immediately went into banker mode and started talking about tax deductions for this year and starting to save money (I love that he is such a planner!). We sat around for about an hour just talking about what the rest of our lives were going to be like. At one point, I looked at him and realized that he was finally going to be a Daddy! It makes me cry just thinking about it. God has been so good to us and not just because of pregnancy. God has been good and will always be good, no matter the circumstances in our lives!

Josh and I talked about how we were going to tell everyone. I said I wanted to wait until Easter when all the family would be together. He said he was going to leave that decision completely up to me. I went to school that day so giddy. I don't think there is another word to describe how I felt. I was on cloud nine! In between class time during school, I called my doctor's office made an appointment for my first visit. My favorite part from that conversation was when the nurse asked me if this was my first pregnancy and I got to say yes! My first appointment was scheduled for March 18th. At the time, I thought that was great because it was only 2 weeks away. Now I'm dying! I'm so ready to find out exactly how many weeks I am, when I'm probably due, how the baby is doing, etc.
After school I went by Wal-Mart to pick up another pregnancy test (I wanted to make sure the first one was right) and some prenatal vitamins. I figured it wouldn't hurt to start taking over the counter ones, until I got my prescription ones from the doctor. I was so nervous when I came home and took the second test, but in about 1 minute the result came up and this time in words--PREGNANT. Yippee!! It was really true. Now I was about to burst. I knew there was no way I could wait 2 weeks to tell my close family and friends. My mom even called that night to check on us and I was feeling so tired. I guess she could tell through the phone, but I just said I wasn't feeling good. I made a decision then that I would tell her and all our family and close friends tomorrow. Get the tissues ready!

The first test I took Thursday morning at 5:30. I have never been so happy to see a little plus sign in my life!

The second test I took later that afternoon. I wanted a test that would tell me in words that I was pregnant. If you look closely, you will DEFINITELY see the word PREGNANT! Yippee! Baby Wilson is on the way!