a quickie…

Cutest Tree Frog in all the land...

Someday….I will be able to get back to this blog.  Until then, I leave you with a picture of Aibhilín’s first Halloween.  She was the cutest Tree Frog ever!

blog changes…

Hey folks…so having a baby takes up a lot of time.  Who knew??

I’ve decided to change the title of my blog from “The Long and Winding Road…” to “Here Comes the Sun”.  Still, a Beatles song, but I think it reflects the point I’m at in my life a bit better than the previous song.  At this point, I’ve gotten my sunshine, though I know if I ever want another child, the struggle will start all over again.  But, I’m so happy that I got my little Aibhilín.  She is the best baby in the whole wide world, and the cutest.

I hope I can keep this blog going.  Until my next post, I leave you with the words to Here Comes the Sun:

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it’s all right

Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it’s all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it’s all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it’s all right
It’s all right

Aibhilin Gladys

Hi World! This is Meggo’s husband. She asked me to post some pictures of Ava. Here you go!

introducing…

Hey folks…a quick post to let you know: I had my baby!   I went in for my regular check up on Monday, and ended up being admitted, induced and then an emergency c-section yesterday.  More details will come later.  Basically baby’s heartbeat kept dropping too low so they needed to get HER out quick (yes, a little girl).  After birth she was still having some heart issues, so she’s been in NICU since then.  I’ve only seen her for about 5 seconds which has been very very hard for me, but she is doing well and they think she’ll be in the room with me by afternoon 🙂

So, the stats:

7 lbs 15.9 oz

21″ long

born at 2:59 pm on February 8th, 2011

Her name is: Aibhilin Gladys (pronounced Ayv-leen).  It is a Gaelic name meaning “longed for child”, we thought that was pretty perfect.  Her middle name, Gladys was my great grandma’s name.

Okay, I will post all the details when I’m more coherent and in less pain.  We do have pictures, but I’m on my husbands computer and I don’t know where he put them.

 

Love to you all!

almost there…

So, I’ve not been updating on here.  No excuses for you, I just haven’t done it.  If any of you are still around, thanks!  Here’s a quick update.

Today I am 37 weeks 4 days.  I’m officially at the “you could go anytime” point.  That is so strange to me!  I’ve finally gotten used to the fact that I am indeed pregnant and the baby is going to be okay, and in a few short weeks, I will get to meet this little one!  I still can’t wrap my mind around actually HAVING a baby – not the labor part (though, yes, that too) but the fact that I will have a small person to care for, one that my husband and I made together and longed for.  I’m extremely happy, but I need to get my brain to see beyond this belly!

A few u/s shots:

Cute little face at 31 weeks.  If you look close you can make out the eyes, nose and mouth.

A tiny little ear!  The u/s tech said it was clearest ear she’d ever seen on the screen.  There was also lots of visible hair!  We have a Sasquatch.

It’s getting much harder to make out details.  This was at 35 weeks 1 day.  You can kind of see the profile.  At the last u/s, baby was estimated to be about 6 lbs!

 

And just for comparison, the 2 belly shots I’ve taken:

29 weeks 4 days

37 weeks 2 days

I have a baby belly.  Never thought it would happen!  It took a while for me to finally show.  Unfortunately, do to my weight before pregnancy, I haven’t looked pregnant all that long.  But just a couple of weeks ago I saw an old friend and the first thing she said to me was “Oh my, you’re pregnant!”  That made me feel good – that it wasn’t just me noticing any more 😀

17 days until I’m due.  I can’t believe that!  It’s pretty crazy around here.  I’m at the doctor’s office 2-4 times per week.  We have labor classes on Thursday nights, I have NST (non stress test)/AFI (an u/s to check the amniotic fluid) 2 times per week, and I now see the doctor every week.  Not to mention, there is one more growth u/s scheduled, if I make it that far.  I feel like I”m driving to that building every day, which sometimes is true!  Things are going really well though.  I’ll try to get some nursery pics up on here soon!

Peace!

23 weeks…

I made it!  23 weeks!!!  VIABILITY!!!  I can’t tell you how that feels.  Technically today I am 23wks 4d.  I was not only happy to have reached the 23wk milestone, but also fortunate that I had another ultrasound that day!  At our last ultrasound Blueberry didn’t feel like cooperating much, and so the tech didn’t get a good shot of the heart.  So, back I went 2 weeks later, at exactly 23wks.  Again, the little one didn’t want to cooperate.  Blueberry was on his/her stomach the whole time, face down.  The tech had me turn on my right side, then on my left.  We’d be trying to get good shots for what seems like about 30-45 min  when she was finally able to get a good view!  I guess Blueberry’s arm was lying on his/her chest, directly in front of the heart, making it hard to see through the arm bone.  While I was on my left side though, I guess the arm moved and she got what she needed.

Funny story also – while I was lying on my left, I couldn’t see the screen.  Suddenly I felt a big push for the little one and my husband said, “You just got punched!”  I replied with, “I know, I felt it!”  He actually saw Blueberry reach out and punch me!  It would have been very neat to see that, but I’m glad if only one of us could, it was him.  I’m feeling our baby move every day now, but he still can’t – so it’s nice that he got to at least see what I’m feeling 😀

I guess that will be my last ultrasound, unless my doctor wants more for some reason.  So strange that I may not see the baby again until February.  I think I’ve had 6 u/s all together for this pregnancy, and I’m only 1/2 way through.  It’s going to be a long stretch!  I’m happy though that Blueberry is healthy enough to not have to have any more checks.  The heart looked great, all of my blood work came back and we are better than average for our risk factors for the big three!  Everything is going so great.  Here are some photos from Monday:

A perfect little face.  This was the best shot she could get the whole time!

 

This is what position the baby was in the whole time!  Just like me, a belly sleeper…

 

Baby’s little foot!

And boy, have I been feeling that foot!  I’m so happy to be at the point where Blueberry is moving and I can feel it.  It’s very comforting to know that things are all okay in there.

My sisters threw me a baby shower this past Saturday.  I told them no parties until 23 wks, but the best time was at 22wks 5days, so that’s when we did it.  I’ll have pictures up at some point – need to get them off my camera first.  It was great though, and I had to hold back the tears a few times.  I never thought I would ever go to a baby shower that was for me.  Not only that, but so many people showed up!  My mother in law and sister in law even made the trek up!  It was wonderful to have them there.  My sisters did a great job – Jungle Theme!  In keeping with how we’re planning to decorate the nursery.

We’ve done some work on that, too.  Not only did we get gifts from the shower, but my sister gave me all of her nursery furniture, stroller, car seat, pack ‘n play, bassinet and a bunch of other stuff!  We had to borrow my dad’s pickup truck to get it all home!  We’ve been cleaning out the old office all week to make room for Blueberry!  All that’s left to do is sweep, mop and then set everything up.  It’s crazy to walk into that room and see a crib instead of my husbands clothes and a desk!  He had been using it as his closet/office.  So, we had to clean out the closet in our bedroom to make room for his stuff.  Luckily I could put over half of my clothes away for now because they don’t fit at this point.  Not sure what we’ll do when that stuff fits again though!

I think that’s all for now.  Next post I’ll have pics of the shower, and maybe even some nursery pics!  Hope you are all well, and thanks to anyone who is still reading!

the halftime report…

Yes, I’m still here.  Yes, the baby is still doing great!!!  We just got back from our 20wk (4d) ultrasound and all was well.  Heartbeat was great at 133 bpm.  Placenta and cervix all looking good (thank God).  Our little Blueberry even had the hiccups during the u/s!  Really cute.  Baby was not being very cooperative though.    We are not finding out the gender, so when the tech went to check out that area, she would turn the screen.  She could never see anything though.  I’m kinda glad.  It wouldn’t be fair for her to know and not my husband and I!  Also, she couldn’t get a good view of the heart, so we go back in 2 weeks for another u/s – fine by me!  The tech said everything looked good, but they just want to make sure they get a good view of it.  I’ll be exactly at 23wks for the next appointment.  My next big milestone.

I can’t believe I’m 1/2 way through this pregnancy.  After the appointment today I took a deep breath.  This is actually happening.  I’m going to have a little baby in February.  I know, there still a lot of time and something could still go wrong, but I’ve decided now that I need to start thinking in terms of when and not if when it comes to this baby.

The first shower is planned, and the invites are out.  With the holidays coming up (Thanksgiving, Christmas) it was hard to find a time later in the pregnancy like I had wanted.  My shower will be at 22wks 6d.  I didn’t want any showers before 23wks, but I guess one day does not make that much difference 🙂  My big sister is planning this one for me.  I’m very excited.  It was great to put together a registry and actually be able to finally share it with people besides my husband.  We’ve had a registry put together on Amazon.com for almost 2 years now, since our first little one – but now people can look at it and buy from it!  That’s a big step for me, and I’m so happy to have gotten here.

Life is pretty busy, which is why I have been lacking in the posts.  I quit my job, went on a great vacation for 10 days and started school!  I just wrote my 1st paper last night…it’s really awful, but it’s done.  It’s for a subject I don’t care much about, but is required for my degree.  I’m taking 4 classes, and I love the other 3.  Just have to suffer through this other one and get it done!

Okay, I guess y’all want to see photos, huh?  Well, here they are!

This is the best profile shot.  Blueberry has his/her hands over his/her face.  I think he/she was sick of being poked at by the u/s tech at this point!

We call this one “robo-baby” or “the terminator” – creepy huh?  That’s our little one’s iris.  Neat that you can see that, but makes for a creepy picture!

This one is titled “rock star baby”.  I think it looks like he/she is rocking out with a microphone in its hand!

Well, I guess that’s it for now.  I hope to be better about updates now.  Especially now that I’m feeling more confident in the pregnancy.  I’ve been reluctant to say things in between appointments, just in case – but like I said, this baby is now a WHEN and not and if 😀  Thank you to those of you who have stuck around, and to those of you who have been prodding me to write incessantly (you know who you are)!  Love to you all!

my little thumb sucker…

We interrupt the previously scheduled 30 Day Blog Journal to bring you an important update – My baby is doing great!!

We went in for our “sequential screening” today (to check for down syndrome, trisomy 18 and spina bifida). I was so nervous going in. I just wanted to see that little heart pumping away. We had quite a long wait and both Justin and I were going batty just sitting around waiting! We finally got called back to the u/s room. She squirted the jelly on my tummy – and then there Blueberry was. At first I didn’t see the heartbeat and I got nervous, then the little one did a quick jump! It was so amazing, not only knowing all was still well, but that the little one was moving around! So awesome – my husband and I both broke into tears and the tech gave him a big wad of Kleenex first 🙂 After that, I was just so happy Blueberry was still there that I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the show.

Little one was SO active! Justin swore it was waving to him at one point (the screen was turned away from me then for the tech to take the measurements, so I can’t confirm that – but I’m sure Blueberry was saying “HI DAD”). The tech said we wouldn’t get the results of all the screening until after the blood tests, but for now, everything looked great on the u/s.

We also got to hear the little heartbeat, plugging away at 150 bpm – thumpa thumpa thumpa! Amazing, amazing sound…nothing like it in the world! Blueberry is measuring somewhere between 12w3d (smallest measurement she took) to up to 13w1d (largest measurement she took). I’m at 12w3d today, so those all sound great to me!

We also got LOTS of pictures! I won’t post them all, but here is my favorite:

My little thumb sucker.  So cute, right?  I couldn’t be happier right now.  Please,  remind me of this moment when I start freaking out in a few weeks again.  For now, I promised myself after this u/s, if all was well, I would try to be more calm.  I’m going to finally open up the copy of “What to Expect” that I ordered, and I’m going to start up my journal again.  With my 2 other babies I journaled to them almost every night.  I was too afraid to do that this time, but I’m ready now.

Next u/s in 8 weeks!!!  I don’t know how I’m going to wait that long (October 1st).  Maybe my ob/gyn will want to do an ultrasound herself at some point.  The hubby and I had a discussion about renting a doppler but both decided it would cause more anxiety than reassurance for both of us.

I have a pre-natal appointment with Dr. D on the 9th.  I’m glad it’s so soon after, but hopefully that doesn’t mean I”m going to have to wait a long time until my next one!

We’re thinking soon of letting more people know about the pregnancy.  It makes me nervous, but I know at some point I have to get over that and celebrate with my friends and family, and that’s what I really want to do right now – celebrate!!!

day 5: favorite quote(s)…

This one was easy, I just had to cut and paste from my Facebook page 😀  So, here we go:

“Every crime has it’s punishment” (a camper, probably in 2000 or 2001)

“I aim to misbehave” (Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, Serenity)

“I reject your reality and substitute my own” (Adam Savage, Mythbusters)

“And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”
(Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince)

“I have a dream. And in it, something eats you.” (Happy Bunny)

“My easy going nature is being sorely f*ckin’ tested.” (Bill, from the movie Slither)

“A wizard should know better! There is no curse in elvish, entish or the common tongues of men for the this treachery!” (Treebeard, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)

day 4: favorite book(s)

I love to read.  It is one of my favorite things to do!  I wrote a whole post about it on my other blog.  If you want, you can read it here.  I’m also on this great website called Shelfari.  You can make a “shelf” of all the books you’ve read, all the one’s you’re currently reading, what you want to read and mark your favorites.  You can have “friends” and join discussion groups.  If you want to see my shelf, click here.  And I of course do Paper Back Swap!  It’s a site to post books you own but don’t want any more and trade them with others for books they’ve posted.  You basically get books for free!  You just have to pay to mail a book to someone who has requested it (less than $3/book).  Want to be my PBS friend?  Click here!

On to my favorites – sorry, this time there are 12 listed…Day 5 will be much shorter, promise!

I’m one of those crazy Harry Potter fans you hear about.  I go to the midnight book release parties, I go to the midnight release of all the movies, and yes, I go in costume.  I have a wand.  I’ve read each book at least 10 times, some of them more.  I’ve even gone to a Harry Potter conference.  I’m planning my costume for the release of the last book – I will be Luna Lovegood.  I was Helena Ravenclaw this year for Halloween, and even made my own dress.  I am a Ravenclaw – blue and bronze all the way!  I don’t understand people who don’t read these books (even if one of those people is my loving husband).  Yes, I’m a Harry Potter addict, and proud of it!

This was my older sisters favorite book, so I decided to give it a try (we usually have somewhat similar taste in books).  This is a truly wonderfully written book.  The story draws you in and Niffenegger is a great writer.  A lot of the story is set in Chicago, and you can tell the author has actually been here and understands the city.  Sometimes you read a book based in Chicago and the geography or feel of the city is just all messed up.  Some of it is even set in my old neighborhood and it was really fun to read about places that I go all the time.  It’s about a man who has a “chronological” disease – he can’t stay put in his own time.  Instead he randomly jumps back and forth between the present, past and sometimes the future.  It’s also about the girl he falls in love with and marries and how they both try and deal with his constant jumping and the danger it poses to him.  This was made into a movie, but I won’t be watching it – I’m afraid they ruined the story.

I’ve always loved vampire books.  I think I read Dracula when I was about 12, and started reading Anne Rice about the same time.  This is by far one of the best vampire books ever.  At the core of it, this book is about the search for the tomb of Vlad the Impaler.  The main characters travel all over the world searching for clues and encountering strange events on the way.  This is the only book that I’ve ever read that made me stop and look around behind me to make sure I was alone!  Truly creepy!  It’s wonderfully crafted and a great thriller!  If you love vampire books you HAVE to read this one!

This book is good not because it’s a mystery to solve, but because you figure out the mystery early on in the book and it draws you in, watching the inevitable unfold.  It’s about an Egyptologist on the search for the tomb (hmmm…theme here?  I guess) of a long forgotten pharaoh.   I don’t want to give too much away in case you decide to read it, but it’s truly intriguing to watch this man’s mind work and try and figure out how it all comes about.  I stumbled upon this book in a stack of give aways and have been glad I did ever since!

Like I said, I started reading Anne Rice at a very young age and got hooked!  I love her entire Vampire Chronicles series, who wouldn’t love Lestat??  Her series of witch books is also very good, but I haven’t read them all yet.  They are beautiful books, and sometimes it’s like your reading a work of classical music instead of a story of vampires – she has a very lyric and musical tone to her writing.  Any vampire book lover should read Anne Rice.

Ah…Sookie.  Yes, I do own and have read all 10 books – I pretty much devoured them in about a week and a half actually.  The stories are engaging and make you not want to put the book down.  I’m currently in withdrawal after finishing book 10 with no idea when the next book will be out (soon I hope).  More vampires, I know.  What can I say?  I love vampire books – and zombie books (though none of those made it to the final cut).

This was listed in my favorite movies post, and it is also one of my favorite books.  I won’t describe it again.  Needless to say (if you read the movie post), I also have not picked this book in over 3.5 years – hard to read when you’re living what the book is about (infertility) – but still an amazing book.

This is actually a collection of about 5 or 6 books in the Hitchhikers series.  The humor and wit written by Douglas Adams is unmatched in anything else I’ve ever read.  Brilliant and hilarious, and at times complete nonsense!  It follows Arthur Dent, as he is unexpectedly ripped from Earth and thrown into the life of a space hitchhiker (and a little bit of time travel, too).  If you like science fiction, and love to laugh this is a MUST READ.

This series is still being written.  Currently there are 3 of the 4 books out (and no date yet for release of the 4th, though I’ve googled until I can’t google no more).  Paolini wrote the first book, Eragon when he was only 17 years old!!  It’s the type of book where there is a pronunciation guide and list of characters and words in the glossary, and you need it to keep track of it all!  It’s basically the story of a young boy, Eragon, who one day finds out he is destined to be a Dragon Rider, a race of men long since extinct and thought to be gone forever.  He must fight the evil king of his world and bring peace once again.  I don’t know the end of the story yet, but every bit of it is amazing so far, so I’m sure book 4 won’t disappoint.  If you like fantasy, epic battles and dragons, this is your book!

This is a GREAT series for those of us feeling lost after Harry Potter was over.  It certainly not a wizarding story, but it fills that same void.  It’s about a young boy named Percy (Perseus) Jackson.  Weird things always happen around him and he doesn’t know why.  One day he is told that he is the son of one of the Greek gods, and that they are still alive and well, living on Mt. Olympus (that has moved to the top of the Empire State Building).  Percy must then go on a quest to defend him self from accusations of theft (this is just the first book) and to try and figure out a strange prophecy that he’s been told is most likely about him.  There are 5 books in the series and if you like Greek mythology, you’ll love these!

If you couldn’t tell from my favorite movies, I love irreverent humor!  This book is Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal.  I love ALL of Christopher Moore’s books, but this one is my favorite.  Excellent wit and humor and great story telling.  It’s the story of Biff, Jesus’ (Joshua) childhood friend, telling the story of Christ from his perspective.  If you are easily offended, you may want to skip this one (especially the part where Jesus makes Biff hire a prostitute and then shout out what he’s doing with her while Jesus hides in the next room over so he can’t actually see it happening).  It covers Jesus’ life from birth to death, as observed by Biff (so you get all the “lost years” stuff).  Highly recommended.

This book is a classic, and I’m sure many of you have either read it or at least heard of it.  It’s the story of King Arthur, but as seen through the eyes of the women in his life.  I’m not a big “feminist” type of chick, but it is easy to see that the women in the story of Arthur truly shape him and define the way his life went.  Brilliantly written and engaging (also super long, and I love that about a book).

Okay folks, those are some of my favorite books.  I know, my posts are way long winded lately!  Tomorrows will be brief: favorite quotes!