Saturday, April 30, 2011

time's a-flyin'

It's amazing how quickly time has passed since we discovered that we are having a baby. The fact that we are having one is a miracle in itself, but it really is surprising how quickly time flies. I'm at the 24 week mark now which, since they estimate a 40 week (or approximately 10 month) gestation period, means that I am more than halfway through already. About 5 1/2 months to be exact. Time really flies.


Some of the things that have been the most SHOCKING to me so far include:
  • Gaining back all the pounds that I shed throughout 2010
  • Breathing troubles due to my asthma and decreasing room for my lungs to expand
  • The amount of gas, bloating and heartburn that can happen all in one day
  • The pitting edema that has occurred in my feet and ankles
  • How easy it is to get sick with a suppressed immune system
  • Feeling like there is a little alien now controlling my body

Some of the things I have WORRIED about the most so far include:

  • Wondering whether or not we will be good parents
  • Wondering whether or not we will be able to provide for our child
  • Wondering whether or not our child will be healthy and strong
  • Wondering how Lucy will get along with our child
  • Wondering how WE will get along with our child


Some of the things I have ENJOYED the most so far include (but are definitely NOT limited to):

  • Knowing that we are capable of creating life. We seriously thought it wasn't possible at all. Seriously. But life pleasantly surprised us!!
  • Knowing that this person is half me and half Joe. Isn't that just so cool?
  • The excitement of having someone to care for and unconditionally love. I unconditionally love Joe and Lucy (obviously), but knowing how peaceful that feeling is...it's just really exciting that I will have even MORE of that!
  • Anticipating what his little personality will be like and what he will look like.
  • People being so excited for us and happy for us.
  • Not having a period is pretty awesome, too. I seriously LOVE not buying tampons every month!
There have been (and there will be more) countless other worries and excitements going through our heads during this pregnancy, but at the end of the day, I'm just excited to be going through this experience with my family, friends and the amazing Joe. I'm positive that he's freaked out about some things, too, but having him on this road with me is just plain awesome!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

it's time for a break

I have been really bad about keeping up with the blog over the past couple weeks, so I apologize for that. Things have just been a little overwhelming lately…

Work is going just fine for both of us as there is never a lack of work to do. Every day is different and not all days are perfect, but we both really like where we are at (for now!) and it’s just really great to have jobs that we like. The economy over the past few years has been a little scary, so we definitely count ourselves as blessed!

The baby is alive and well and I've felt him kicking a time or two over the past week. One of the times I realized it was a real baby kick and not just gas was last Saturday. We were all sitting around on the patio listening to my dad play his guitar and I think our little Baby McG was dancing along with him. It was weird…but really really cute. :-) So that's exciting!

And our beagle, Lucy, is seemingly healthy - which, if you know ANYTHING about our dog, being healthy is a miracle!! And Joe and I were just looking at old Lucy pictures last night and we fell in love with her all over again. Here is one of our favorites. :-)

So it actually seems like things are going really well and I shouldn’t be overwhelmed. But I am.

I started my statistics and measurements course which is definitely interesting, but it’s hard for me. So much is involved in answering each question, mostly because I don’t know what is going on and have to spend hours just learning about one concept. And it’s just really difficult. I’m doing okay in the class (so far), but it’s still a little stressful. (Maybe I should stop blogging and get back to it?)

Also, we recently found out that a really good friend of ours from back East was in a very serious car accident last week. He was hospitalized immediately and has been there ever since where he has been in critical condition. He had no scratches anywhere except for his head and they immediately had to treat him for brain swelling and placed him in a medically-induced coma to help treat it. They have been waking him every two hours to check on his progress and/or complications and because of the brain swelling, they had to remove part of his skull to allow room for the brain to swell. His left arm and leg have not been responding much at all. Every time they would wake him to check his responses he has reacted severely to the tubes they placed in his throat for food and breathing. This week so far, we have found out that they did a tracheotomy for his breathing and placed a tube in his stomach for feeding. This way, the the tubes are no longer in his throat. The hemicraniectomy, tracheotomy and gastral tube procedures have been very successful so far, so now they are just waiting for his recovery and to see how things progress from here. And over the past couple days he has actually made some really good strides in responsiveness. We are very hopeful for him because he is an extremely strong young man and it seems like things are definitely getting better, slowly but surely. But it’s just very hard being so far away and not knowing what to expect. So him and his family have not strayed far from my mind over the past week. I think about them constantly, actually.

Also…and I hope he doesn’t kill me for putting this out there…but Joe had his yearly biopsy and ultrasounds a few weeks ago. One of the things they noticed in the ultrasound was that his renal artery (which connects the kidney to the major artery blood supply) was looking constricted and causing the kidney to possibly not get as much blood as it should be getting. So they want him to have a renal angioplasty to fix it. Anytime he has to go to the hospital I…well…I just don’t like it one bit! But I want him to stay healthy for as long as humanly possible…so that’s been on my mind a lot, too.

Now...I don’t complain to anyone at ALL (unless you are Joe or my family), so please don’t take this as complaining. There’s just a lot going on in my little world. So, if you have a second, just send some positive thoughts out into the universe. Lord knows, I’ll be doing the same…

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

faq's

Here are some answers to common and frequently asked questions:

Q: Do you know what you're having?
A: As far as the ultrasound technician is concerned, we're having a boy! You can take a look at this post to read about the details and see the "cute" little picture. On one hand, I guess there is never 100% certainty until the little bundle of joy makes it out into the daylight. But on the other hand we're definitely planning for a boy. :-)

Side note - Have you ever thought that certain people strike you as a "Girl" mom or a "Boy" mom? What I mean is, sometimes when I think of people I know who are parents, it sometimes seems that they really fit as the mother of girls or they really seem like a mother of boys. Does that even make sense? Does anyone else ever think that? If yes, then do you think of me as a "Girl" mom or a "Boy" mom?

Q: When are you due?

A: August. The absolute most GORGEOUS time of the year in Arizona, might I add. August 21st to be exact. But, as you all know, this is generally an estimate and little Baby McG will rear his little head whenever he sees fit.

Q: Have you thought of any names yet?

A: Yes. Yes we have. We are pretty certain of the names we like best, but will probably keep it under wraps until we are both comfortable letting the world know.

Q: Have you felt the baby kicking yet?

A: Kind of, but not really. There have been a few very light tiny flutters so far, but for the most part, he's been a little on the lazy side...kind of like his sister Lucy. I will definitely make it known when I feel him going crazy for the first "real" time, though. Until then, it's still hard to believe there's a little dude in my belly!

Q: How are you feeling?

A: Aside from my ever-fattening cankles (if you need to know what cankles are, click here), I am feeling fine! Although...I am kind of dreading how I might feel in the last trimester when I'm 5,000 pounds heavier and dripping sweat from the Arizona summer heat.

Q: Aren't you just the luckiest person to be married to Joe?

A: Why yes. Yes, I am. Thank you for asking! ;-)
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