So Much for the Tin Foil Theory!

 

I have been reading a lot about getting pets ready for a baby in the house. Anyone who knows me and Chad knows that we adore our animals, so it is no surprise that we want to make this transition as smooth as possible for them. And of course keeping Quinn safe, healthy and happy is our main focus. One of the concerns I have had is keeping our cats out of "baby stuff" since they are so curious. One of the suggestions I have read is to put tin foil in cribs, swings, and play pens. Supposedly they will jump in, land on the foil and become so freaked out that they will never set foot inside again. Brilliant!

 

Well, it is brilliant in theory, I guess. Roswell seemed to enjoy the tin foil. He stomped all over it before finding a comfy spot to hang out. You can see his paw prints all over the foil if you look close.

 

I am hoping that his curiosity wears off by the time Quinn arrives. I am going to be researching other techniques in the weeks to come since this one was a big fail.

30 Weeks and a Trip to Asheville

Chad and I went to Asheville, North Carolina for the long Martin Luther King Day weekend. It was so nice to see mountains again. I am having a hard time living somewhere flat. My soul is nourished by the sight of mountains and I really miss them. It was really fun to explore Asheville together. It was also exciting to think that the next trip we take, Quinn will be with us! Well, she was with us this time, but she will be out and about and taking everything in next time.

Here is my 30 week picture taken in the cabin we rented:

 

 

Chad and I celebrated kicking off 30 weeks with a hike on a beautiful trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We hiked about 2 hours. I felt awesome for going so far at 7.5 months pregnant! I have been walking a lot this pregnancy (about an hour a day, usually longer than that on the weekends) so it felt great to be out there in the mountains. Throughout my life, I had always envisioned myself being an athlete throughout pregnancy. After four miscarriages, though, I have been more cautious and have limited myself to walking ever since I found out I was pregnant. I am happy I have found a way to remain healthy and active, although it is not how I pictured being active prior to my losses.

 

 Here is Chad on the trail with Keiki and Miko:

 

  

The trail was awesome! At one point, we even had to climb a wooden ladder.

 

 

Here is the view of the mountains from the area we hiked:

 

 

 Here is the view from our rental cabin. I felt so happy seeing a view like this. It reminded me a little of our gorgeous view in New Mexico.

 

  

Our dogs are such champion travelers. They were so glad to come with us for the weekend. Here is Klemmy smiling inside the cabin.

 

 

I think I might have overdone myself on our Sunday hike, though. I ended up having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and we almost took a tour of the Asheville ER. Luckily after some rest and rehydration, they calmed down.

 

However, yesterday I had a bunch more. Chad and I spent a lovely Wednesday evening at our local hospital as I was hooked up to monitors. Luckily Quinn is doing well. She was very active and healthy. They finally got my contractions to stop. I won't lie and say it wasn't scary, though. I am laying low at home today waiting to hear from my OB. I want Quinn to keep on baking until her due date, so no more big hikes for me until AFTER she is born!

Your First Picture

 

Dear Quinn,

 

This is the first picture we have of you. You were only 5 weeks and 5 days old. You were just a tiny little thing then. You didn't even look like a baby yet. But you were so amazing! Daddy and I were so nervous when we went to the perinatal specialist that day. We were hoping that we would get a glimpse of you and get confirmation that you were off to a good start. When they put your picture up on the screen, I was so excited to see you! I think I laughed and cried at the same time, because I was so full of happiness. Daddy and I were so happy to see your tiny heart beating already. I will never forget this day. When I saw you for the first time, I experienced such relief and joy. We knew our Mighty Quinn was really in there.

 

Now you are so much bigger and are taking up a lot more room! I love that you are bigger and that you are pushing my stomach out more each week, because it means you are growing and thriving.

 

I took a picture of my stomach that day. I look much different now. But it is such a special picture, because it is a picture of what I looked like on the day I first saw you.

 

  

Your due date is less than 11 weeks away. I can't believe that you have grown from that tiny little ball hidden in my flat stomach in to the baby that I will meet in just a couple of months. I am so, so thankful for you already, Quinn!

 

Love,

 

Mom



The Meaning Behind Quinn's Middle Name

As you know from a previous post, we are naming our daughter Quinn. It is a name filled with meaning, so we wanted her middle name to be special as well.

Her middle name will be Eliana (pronounced el-ee-ah-na). The “El” beginning is in honor of my Aunt Elsie. We want Quinn to know she is named after her Great, Great Aunt Elsie, who is like a loving grandmother to her mother, and someone that both her parents love very much. She will know that her special quilt was made by her Aunt Elsie.

The name Eliana is a Portuguese name, in honor of Chad’s late mother, Marie, who was Portuguese. Quinn will learn about her grandmother and her Portuguese heritage. Chad and I took our unforgettably amazing honeymoon to Portugal, and incorporating this heritage in to her name was important to us.

Finally, Eliana is the Portuguese version of the name Helen. Her middle name will also honor my dear grandmother Helen, who was so special and loved her grandchildren dearly. She was an important person to me while I was growing up. I miss her and wish she could have met Quinn.

We love that Quinn’s middle name can honor three special elder women in our families: Elsie, Marie, and Helen. Also, the name Eliana means “sun” in Greek; which is fitting, since Quinn is such a bright light to us already. In Hebrew, the name Eliana means “God has answered.” Although we are not particularly religious parents, we do see Quinn as an answer to our longing for a child. We are so thankful and can’t wait to meet our Quinn Eliana in just a few short months!

Hello Third Trimester!

I am so happy to be in the third trimester with my sweet little Quinn. It is feeling more "real" that she is coming and will join our family. I love my growing belly and am embracing how my body is changing. I love feeling her kick and move every day. When I think back to when I thought I was "huge" and showing at 18 weeks, and compare my current 28 week picture, I have to laugh! And it also makes me wonder what I will look like when I am full term. Maybe I will laugh that I felt "huge" at 28 weeks at that time. I am so excited for this trimester and am looking forward to meeting Quinn this spring.

18 week flashback:

 



28 week picture: 

 

The Story Behind Your Name

Dear Quinn,

I am writing this post to you for when you are older and want to read the story of how you got your name. Of course Daddy and I plan on telling you many times about how much we dreamed of and longed for you, and how we knew what your name would be even before you were conceived. But maybe one day, a long time from now, it will be special for you to learn more details and see this story in writing.

This past summer, Daddy and I had just moved to Georgia after living five magical years in New Mexico. Mommy was feeling really sad and homesick after the move. We left behind many dear friends, a beautiful home and an active life in the mountains and the forest. Our main reason for moving was to help us get you. We had grown tired of making countless trips to El Paso and Tucson to meet with specialists. We decided it would be better to live closer to experts that might be able to help us find out why we were having such trouble bringing you to us. Also, we imagined that moving to a less remote area might be better for you as a child. We thought there would be more resources and opportunities for you in Georgia.

So there we were in a new place, far away from all things familiar, with no friends or family nearby, and our fourth loss was fresh and painful. I wanted to love our beautiful, big new home. But it felt so empty, and I was worried I would never fill it up with a family. I left one room empty in the home when we moved in. It was the one I knew would be your room if you were able to come to us. It was hard for Mommy to look in to that room and wonder if and when you would finally come. The swingset tucked away in a corner of the big back yard was so hard for me to look at, too. If I stared at it long enough, tears would fill my eyes as I wondered if you would play on the swings one day.

One evening, Mommy and Daddy sat on the couch and had a long talk with each other. Despite being sad and lonely, we stayed close to each other and supported one another. We talked about trying for you again. We had an appointment scheduled with a well-respected doctor in Atlanta, but it was still months away. We were unsure of what to do in the meantime. As we talked, we listened to music and sipped some wine. For some reason, Mommy began to feel hope again for the first time in a long time. I told Daddy that we should try again as we waited for the doctor. I said that we needed to try for a fifth time, for our "Mighty Quinn." Mommy and Daddy had another glass of wine (I will definitely leave the wine portion of this story out until you are much older!) and listened to Manford Mann's version of The Mighty Quinn. We sang along and laughed together and agreed to take a chance.

Once we found out that you were on the way, we hoped with all of our hearts that you were indeed a Mighty Quinn and could stay strong. Mommy even walked to the lake one day early on, got down on her knees in the rocks and the pine needles, and begged the Universe and God to please let our Quinn stay with us. As you continued to grow strong, we talked about other names we could call you. But nothing else fit. You were our Quinn from the start. We could not imagine any other name for you. We also had an initial feeling that you were a girl, and we especially loved the name Quinn for a daughter.

In the beginning, we created Quinn as a nickname because "quin" means five. And the fifth time of trying for a child has definitely brought us so much joy and has filled our hearts with love! But the name Quinn also means "wise" in Gaelic and "leader" in its English roots, so are were so happy to give our daughter such a strong name. We have known you were strong from the very start!

Quinn, Mommy doesn't really know what she believes sometimes and how life really works. Do things happen for a reason? Is there a plan? If there is, then how does one explain the concept of free will? I am really not sure. It is truly a mystery to me. But I do know one thing...it seems to me that you were meant to be our little Quinn. We love you so much and are so excited to meet you in a few months.

Love,

Mom

 

Looking Back...Aunt Laramie's First Visit with Our Baby Girl

 

This picture was taken during my little (but much taller) sister Laramie's visit to Georgia last summer. I was just over 4 weeks pregnant and had just found out. I was so nervous!!! I felt hopeful and excited of course, but I was scared of losing another pregnancy. I remember wanting our baby to thrive with every fiber of my being. It was on my mind every minute of every day. Thinking back, I am so glad my sister was visiting as I waited on bloodwork to see if the pregnancy was off to a good start. She helped distract me and was reassuring. But she also didn't try to talk me out of feeling nervous, which I appreciated. She was also there to celebrate when the bloodwork came back showing that things were off to a solid start. I will be excited for our daughter to know that her Aunt Laramie was there to spend time with her before anyone could even tell she was in my tummy yet. How special is that?

First Post!

 

Happy 2013, everyone! I have decided that January 1, 2013 is the perfect day to start this family blog, since it is now officially the year that our daughter will be born. I have been wanting to write about our family, my pregnancy, and our baby for a long time. I think I held off due to superstition or nervousness, since it has been quite a difficult journey to get to this point. Chad and I are so overjoyed and excited about our daughter. She is due on March 31, 2013. In this blog, I will write a mix of current happenings as well as some recaps of what has happened since July, when we first learned we were pregnant again. I may also write some letters to our daughter along the way as well. Maybe someday she will want to read this blog to see how things began. I hope it will allow her to see how much she was loved and wanted from the very start. The picture above was taken last week, on Christmas Day, during my 26th week. I am currently on my last week of the second trimester. I have been feeling great and am looking forward to the third trimester!