Our little Pumpkin!

For those of you who don't know, this is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love everything from pumpkin pie to the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks that only comes this time of year. And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, we took Finley to a pumpkin patch!

On my way to walking...but not there yet!

Well, as of a week ago, Finney could pull up with select objects...and with the "tall" objects, he could pull up to his knees. Over the weekend, we watched him and he was really working on figuring out how to get up. Well...he mastered it at daycare. There is a toy corral that is...say...about a foot tall. You have to envision this blue plastic boundary that is filled with toys and all kinds of fun colorful objects of interest. Finney army-crawled over to it, pulled up to his feet, and then teetered over the top trying to reach these magnificent findings until, you guessed it, he fell in! Luckily, it was nice and cushy. He then proceeded to make his way "out" of the corral (I can't figure out how/why he got bored in there). Unfortunately for Finn, he didn't make his way out quite as gracefully. He has a nice rug burn on his forehead as proof of this. As for Kelly and I, we are enjoying the last bit of time that we have before the craziness that comes with walking comes...

Retro Finney

Hi everyone! I realized it was time to update my blog when our dear friend Suzanne sent me a card in the mail that ended with "Update your blog!!" Kelly and I logged in tonight to find that I hadn't sent any updates since MAY!! SO, without further adieu, here we are...with my feeble attempt to summarize the past five months with our little man.

At the moment, he is sound asleep, which I can confirm by gazing at our awesome video monitor (we are addicted to that thing). He is getting his beauty sleep so that he has the energy he needs to explore his classroom tomorrow. His teachers write me in his journal each day and thankfully they all check off his mood as "happy." He is quite content with a ball at almost all times (makes his daddy proud). He loves to throw it so that he can chase after it...it's really pretty darn cute...and it tells me that a sibling down the road might be necessary (though not too soon) because "catch" by yourself can only be fun for so long! When he's not playing "catch the ball," he's perfecting his music skills. The kid LOVES music...listening to it, dancing to it, and now playing it. Lord help us. This comes in especially handy at school since there are quite a few little girls in his classroom to impress. Finley has his heart set on Agnes, though. The teachers have informed me that when they sit next to one another on their buggy rides, they hold hands (eek.).

As for his milestones, he is discovering "mobility." He can pull up now, but seems to get scared when he does. He's not particularly fond of falling, though who really is?! His crawl still tends to lean towards an army crawl, but I truly don't know if he'll adjust this as he is quick!

Kelly and I are doing well too. We spent the week working on our kitchen and cleaning out cabinets. I now have a craft area (I should attach a picture next round!) and we can actually navigate through our pots and pans with ease. I'm curious how long it will last...

Much love to all of you...hopefully you'll hear from me sooner than five months from now!

I've been soo bad!! This picture of sweet Finney was taken on his 4-month birthday...well, Friday is his 5-month birthday! Where has the time gone?!

As you can tell by the picture, Finley is a mammoth!! He is topping the charts in the 90th percentile for both his height and weight. At his four month appointment, he was 27 inches long (yes, he has grown half a foot) and he weighed 17 1/2 lbs!! Geez Louise you say?? Me too!

He is such a wonderful baby. While reading the "Baby Whisperer" recently, I realized how blessed I was to have a baby that is a cross between "Angel" and "Textbook" baby. The fact of the matter is that Finney has made me wonder if it would really be wise to bring more little Meegans into this household...can you really get this lucky twice?? Or three times for that matter?????

He stopped sleeping through the night for about two weeks, but we do seem to be back on track-thank the good Lord!!

Kelly and I are enjoying every minute with him and I promise to try and do a better job of sharing our little love with you all!

2 Months in!

Wow! Has it really been 8 weeks?! For those of you who have been checking this blog with no satisfaction will easily recognize that this time has passed, but for me, it has flown!! I have to say...I'm not sure that Kelly and I should go for a second baby...Finley is just too perfect and we can't get that lucky twice!!

I took him in for a check-up three weeks ago and his pediatrician was blown away when they took his weight. Our little giant topped the charts at 11 lbs!! To help you understand his growth, let me tell you that he started off in the 30th percentile for his weight (yes...even at 8 lbs, 1 oz), jumped to the 50th at two weeks and now my sweet little goo is in the SEVENTY-FIFTH!! There is no doubt that this child doesn't miss a meal!

And he is so sweet to mommy and daddy at night. He sleeps for a good 5-6 hour stretch, which for his age is as good as it gets! Never did I think that I would be so thrilled for such a small amount of shut-eye, but motherhood does funny things like that to you.

I'm sad to admit that after eight weeks, it is time for me to go back to work :( Finley will get to spend two weeks at home, though, with his Meemaw (Mom, is that how you spell it??) and Aunt Becky. Then, he'll start at St. Paul's, which is where his cousins go. As much as it KILLS me, I am trying to remind myself that he is in good hands (but pray for me anyway).

"Mom...I'm not real sure about this red light that is staring back at me!"










"But I don't want to look at the camara...it's that red light again!"

3 weeks already?!

OK...I recall when my friends have had babies and I impatiently would check their blogs on a daily basis with no changes. Each time there was not an update, I would feel such disappointment only to try again the next day. I am sorry to say that I have been that friend...or family member! So, before anything else, my apologies and I will try to do better as no one should be deprived of seeing this little guy!

He has endearingly been termed our "little bean." I'm not really sure where that came from, but Kelly came up with it and it just fits. It may fit so well due to the perpetual gas that this child has, but that is neither here nor there ;)

As for what we have been up to...

It's hard to believe that Finn has already experienced his first Christmas. We went to church on Christmas Eve and had a good laugh when our 3 year old niece walked over to Finley and said, "I want to touch Baby Jesus!" What was even greater was that the very next day, Gigi (Grandma Meegan) created the manger scene and Finley had the star role as Baby Jesus! He really did quite well in his manger, meaning he slept through the whole thing.

Our nights are eventful as most of you would expect, but it is all worth it. At least if we're up in the middle of the night, it's for a good cause: to party with our little bean!

Thank you for all the prayers that got this little guy here safely-he is such a blessing!

Finney's first day

Today was our first full day of being a family of three...and we feel so blessed! Finley has had a big day of firsts...and so have we! Kelly, who was once scared to death of poopie diapers has already changed three with such manly grace. And not only that-he has mastered the art of swaddling. In my opinion, he's even better than the nurses! I am including a few pictures of our day today for your viewing pleasure ;)

Finley has taken the time to narrate:

I was supposed to come home in this adorable Gap Essentials outfit, but I peed on it..oops.

Oh how I love my daddy!

Mommy recounting the story of daddy trying to "distract" her through hard labor by suggesting the purchase of a truck....really dad???

I'm sure that you all will see more of me as my parents cannot seem to resist capturing every cute little thing I do! I love you all! OH....and please say a prayer for me...my parents keep mentioning something about a circumcision in the morning?

Finley Patrick Meegan (8lbs 1oz 21 inches) Born 12/7 6:39 PM

5am, December 7th, 2009

This is the date that Finley is being taken by force! At 40.5 weeks, Finley's time in my tummy is officially coming to a close. We are expected at the hospital at 5am tomorrow morning and induction will likely take place somewhere around 7am. Of course, we will update you all as soon as possible. We are extremely excited, nervous..and in a little bit of denial over the whole thing. It's one thing to know he CAN come at any minute, but it is something completely different to know that he WILL in the next day...that is if labor goes to plan of course. With that in mind, please keep Finley in your thoughts and prayers as he ventures from his cozy warm tummy to the outside world. It is going to be quite a shock for him! SO, let the adventure begin..more to come!

Yes, that is one big belly! I am 38.5 weeks...so much for him coming early! I am continuing to contract, but with no results! I have tried coaxing him out with my persuasion, but failed miserably. I have tried squats, pelvic tilts, pineapple, spicy food, walking, etc....and when it comes down to it, he could care less!

Well, a little over a month ago, Kelly came up with a very complicated equation that involves when each of us went through puberty to determine Finley's due date. According to this fool-proof calculation, he is due tomorrow, Wednesday, November 25th between 4pm-8pm. We'll keep you posted! Happy Thanksgiving and lots of love!

Spicy food to induce labor is a crock!

Well, as you can see, I am still pregnant with our little blessing :) I put a smiley face, but I must say that I am beyond the joyful pregnant stage and quite ready to meet Finley. As soon as he hit full-term status, the squats, incessant walking, and spicy food all came into play. However, it seems that these are just actions that make me "feel" like I am in control...the truth of the matter is that this little guy will determine when he is good and ready!

We went to the doctor last Thursday and the good news is that all of the contractions I have been experiencing are now at least productive. I have dilated a little more and my cervix is "extremely soft." I hope that it means that he will be here sooner than later!

If you have any tips, feel free to leave them in the comment section :) There will be a reward for the winning idea! As always, love and faith!

And the real wait begins...

Hello hello! This is day 2 off of the medication and so far, no baby...trust me you'd know otherwise! I am continuing to contract on a regular basis, but continue to sit around the 10 minute mark. One of the days (near or far), I will break that and head down the path to closer contractions and the real excitement will begin! One of my friends pointed out that I hadn't posted any pictures recently so here are a few. I have had 2 more showers since my last post. One was a much-needed "Diaper Bash" and the other was a fun "foo-foo" shower (you know...the really girly kind). Finley is spoiled beyond belief and we are so blessed to have such great friends and family :)

Why does Kenna look so surprised with her length of yarn??

OH! And I almost forgot to share our prize-winning costume with you all. If you can't see it very well, Finley is Humpty Dumpty and Kelly is our wall! We won a snuggie for this brilliance LOL!

We'll keep everyone posted on progress...or lack thereof...it's certainly in God's hands!

I'm so confused!

Well, I must say...pregnancy is a true test of patience and faith. As soon as you think you know what's going on, it all changes! It's worse than Texas weather! Well, yesterday I started contracting again despite the efforts of my medication, terbutaline. They started off at about 11 minutes apart (just like 2 weeks ago) and then shortened to about 8 minutes so we decided it would be safest to go get checked out. It took a while to get on the monitor as EVERYONE in San Antonio seemed to have been in labor yesterday! Once hooked up, the monitors confirmed that there were strong contractions about 8 minutes apart...but then...I had about a 20 minute break before they started up again. Strange...then came to find out that my cervix hadn't progressed at all since the last scare. My nurse called my doctor and was instructed to go ahead and give me one more shot of terbutaline to try and keep Finley in a little longer (who the whole time was active and kicking away...obviously irritated at the monitors). He (my doc) passed along the message that after today (35 weeks), if I have this happen again, they are not going to attempt to stop Finley. Well, here is the interesting part. It is now believed that I may have an irritable uterus. If you research this, it is not completely understood, but basically you contract as if you are in labor, but it only affects your uterus...not your cervix. This can mean that you eventually have to be induced! You can however, switch at any moment from "irritable uterus" to "preterm labor" if the contractions become strong enough. If your mind is spinning by this point, don't worry-mine is too! The one thing that I can say without doubt is this is in God's hands...not mine. But we can all anticipate that Finley's arrival will likely be one that is unpredictable..though what child's isn't?! I will discontinue terbutatline after Sunday so we will see what happens after that. If Finley doesn't come by next Thursday, I will see my doctor and find out more then. So hold on to your hats...we're in for an interesting ride. Much love and faith...and Happy Halloween!

Ten Days!

Today was our evaluation after spending the week resting. You will be happy to know that I have not progressed any further and the contractions are under control. My doctor has informed me that the few that I am still having are necessary to get the baby in the right position for delivery. As of tomorrow, I am 34 weeks, which is when most doctors stop giving steroids for lung development in the case of preemies since they are strong by this week. My instructions now are to stay on the terbutaline for 10 more days, which will put me near 36 weeks. At that point, whatever happens, happens :) This could mean he comes on day 11...or to make things interesting, he could come 31 days from now...no telling!!

I was touched today when a friend of mine who gave birth to a beautiful little girl at 25 weeks reminded me that there is no point in worrying..."it doesn't change anything, prevent anything, or help anything." Her little girl is precious and healthy, by the way. She also left me with a piece of scripture that we all need to keep close:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Roman 8:28

Love and Faith as always :)

Wait a min, Finn!!

As I type this, Kelly and I are sitting in Labor & Delivery at St. Luke's thankful that Finley didn't get his way this morning!! I woke up at 3am with a burning cramp and quickly realized that I was having contractions...the real kind...not the practice Braxton Hicks that I've come to like so much ;) By 5am we were at the hospital being hooked up to a monitor to evaluate the situation. At that point, I was contracting every 10 minutes and was dilated to a 1. So...we had to take measures to stop our eager little man. I am now on terbutaline and am being monitored overnight. So far as we can tell, though, we have the contractions under control. They are a little concerned that I'm still cramping, but we believe it is just the battle that my uterus and the terbutaline are fighting out.

Now..."Baby Big Head." My doctor ordered an ultrasound, which is always very exciting, until they tell you that your 33 week old child has a head that measures 36 weeks!!!! They estimate that he is about 5 lbs., which is great and about a week ahead of his due date. But I'm not totally convinced that his head is not the basis of all these large measurements...though I suppose time will tell. I told Kelly that I should have measured his head before I decided to marry him and he quickly responded, "I should have measured your hips!" Snap! He got me!

Assuming that all goes to plan, we will be released tomorrow and I will be on bed rest until Finn is big enough to let me get off of the medicine. At that point, labor will likely resume and we will get to meet our precious Baby Big Head!!

Please keep us in your prayers...Love and Faith!!

8 weeks and counting...

Hi everyone! 8 weeks to go as of today...yippee!! I didn't post at 31 weeks as I was on my way to Corpus for Finley's very first baby shower...and let me tell you that the child made out like a bandit! He got everything from diapers to a pack n' play to a car seat-far too many gifts and books to name...he's so blessed already! Naturally, as you can imagine, I had a hard time sitting around as I was enjoying mingling...and then when we drove back to San Antonio, I couldn't stop when I had so much fun stuff to go through! Well, leave it to me...I ended up in labor and delivery that night. *KEEP READING-WE'RE BOTH FINE* I started cramping and experiencing lower back pain at about 6pm so I rested on my left side as instructed if this happened and drank as much water as I could get down. By 10pm, I was still cramping so I called the nurse and she insisted that I come in for evaluation despite the lack of contractions. So, we reluctantly headed to St. Luke's to make sure Finn wasn't trying to surprise us early. As we imagined, it was fine. His heart rate was strong...at times a little too strong as he absolutely despised the monitor and visibly kicked it with all his might for almost two hours straight. They also performed a pre-labor test, which revealed that he has not released the chemical that tells my cervix to loosen up, which would result in labor. All in all, we were releaved to find out that Finley is still baking like he is supposed to. The problem is that I now have a harder time rationalizing why I shouldn't slow down...I just don't want to! How terrible of me?!

On a more sobering note, tomorrow marks one year of when Sean and Liam left us for Heaven's beauty. It's a bittersweet time for us as we're so thankful for our healthy little boy, but we can't help but miss and mourn our sweet angels as we reflect on our short time with them. We realize that the space they take up in our hearts will never be replaced because they took it with them when they left. At the same time, we have faith that they are watching us all of the time and looking out for their little brother. Really, Finley wouldn't be here if they hadn't left when they did. So if you all could just keep us all in your prayers as we enter a time of celebration and sorrow...not to mention it is my birthday so that adds another element of complexity. God's plan is simply beyond my comprehension (as it should be), so we just pray for peace as we're on this beautiful journey.

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

In loving memory of Heaven's Angels and ours...Sean and Liam Meegan 10.10.08

A little on the heavy side!

Finley had his 30 week sonogram today and we were surprised to find out that our little man isn't so little! He's weighing in at 3 lbs. 3 oz. This is not tremendously ahead of the charts (only about a week), but he is certainly starting this trend a little early! For those of you who are unaware, Kelly weighted 8lbs, 10 oz and I was a monster at 8 lbs, 14 oz!! I, of course, am hoping for a healthy 6 pounder, but if he continues with this trend, he may be a little more...fluffy.

The sonogram was amazing (pictures to come). We got to see him making little sucking motions, which gives me hope for nursing! He yawned and kicked, and we "oohed" and "aahed" over every time we saw his eyes blink...it was really pretty pathetic. Even the sonogram technician had to go back and look at his little "neck fat" a few times because it was so darn cute! The sonogram even showed that Finn has hair! Granted, this is not to say it won't fall right out, but at this moment he is sporting a beautiful head of hair (hopefully not too large of a head). Oh, and he is still a boy. Kelly seems to have this underlying fear that they're playing a joke on him. This has to do with the fact that a friend recently told him that they thought they were having a boy until 34 weeks (after 2 showers) and then found out they were having a little princess instead! It absolutely scarred Kelly.

As for me, I am continuing to grow..and grow..and grow. I took my Gestational Diabetes test today and I'm really hoping that I'll pass. I'm not sure how a pregnant woman is supposed to make it through the last bit of pregnancy without the pure bliss that ice cream brings!

Kelly is working like crazy to finish the bathroom and doing an amazing job! Even Cy and Brooks can't wait for the progress to be complete ;) No joke, Brooks (lab) walked right in and jumped in the tub. Sadly, we think he was looking for Kelly.

More to come next week...much love as always! Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

Last week in the 20's!

Alright, 29 is here...11 to go! Here's the low-down on Finley: he (according to my trusty website) is about the size of a butternut squash. I swear I've been told there is a site that uses other comparisons besides food, but I have yet to find it! He weighs a little over 2.5 pounds and is about 15 inches long. And let me tell you, he is active little guy!

I must say, his little 2.5 pounds is really starting to take its toll! I have discovered that turning over in the middle of the night is now something that requires strategy, shaving my legs is a joke, and trying to keep up with my long-legged friend when we walk in the morning is starting to resemble a duck trying to speed-walk!

Aside from that though, all is well! I have purchased my best pregnancy investment yet and discovered that I have a slight affinity for sock monkeys. While they used to sort of give me the creeps, I now find them quite cute...and extremely comforting for my tired feet :) You'll even notice that they look great with my clothes (you can rationalize anything-see photo above).

Kelly is continuing the overhaul of the bathrooms. Now that the addition is complete (or at least 95% of it is), he moved on to the existing bathroom...though it doesn't really "exist" anymore. He is busting his butt to try and finish this before Finn arrives and I must say, it is quite a sight! Finley's room is pretty much ready, but the completion of his closet is dependent on the completion of the bathroom (hence the rush). Once his mattress came in, I could not resist putting everything on his bed and had to even add his first teddy bear. You all know my slight obsession with bears! Even my nephew who is 2 talks about how Aunt Murmer loves bears (and now sock monkeys)!

Much love, as always, and please keep us in your prayers!

Moving right along

27 weeks and going strong (at least so far as I can tell!). Kelly and I had planned on going to South Padre for a mini-babymoon, but Kelly had a hard time getting off of work so we opted for a staycation here in SA. It was amazing. A friend of ours got us a great rate at the Grand Hyatt and we truly lived the high-life for a night! It was a perfect way for us to spend some quality time together before little Finn-man turns our world upside down.

I heard something rather disturbing recently...I heard that the patterns your baby falls into in your womb are strikingly similar to their patterns when they are born. Well, I am an extremely heavy sleeper so I have been thinking all along that Finn must not be too active because he'd wake me up if he was (notice my rationalization again). To make a long story short, I've woken up twice in my sleep recently (4am & 6am) to find that Finn was having an all-out party! In fact, what got me most recently was that he found that my bladder is quite a useful trampoline-ouch! I'll have to update once he comes to tell you if this hypothesis holds water. I'm really hoping that he loves sleep as much as his parents do (don't laugh-I can hope!). His crib came in this week too, so I'm hoping that the mattress follows this week so that I can put it all together-it really does make it so real.

On another note, Finley had his first ranching experience this weekend. I didn't get to participate (hence neither did he), but you can see his handsome Daddy here before starting the cattle round-up. I can't wait to get him in his first cowboy hat!!

14 to go!

I now feel like we're getting closer since I feel inclined to write about how many weeks to go....Kelly and I were talking today about if it's gone fast or slow and it really has been a little of both. But when we think of everything we still have left to do in the house, we realize that time has flown and that we are really racing against the clock! The good thing is that Finn's room is done...so whenever he decides to grace us with his presence, we'll be ready! Well, as ready as any first-time parents think they are.

We went to the doctor today and Finley is doing great. He did his best to dodge the doppler as the doctor listened to his heartbeat, but luckily he can't really go too far! I've realized that every pregnant woman worries about something silly...my silly worry is that I'm not big enough. Don't get me wrong, I feel rather large and I have reached the point of squatting rather than bending, but so so many people tell me how I only look like I'm 3 or 4 months along. They are constantly shocked to find out that I am almost to 7. ..and proceed to ask questions that usually linger around making sure Finn is the right size. While people roll their eyes when I say this is concerning, it is really just because I want to know that Finn is fine. When enough people give you the concerned...wow...you're not very big..it is just as disturbing(i think) as the "Are you carrying twins?" question that so many pregnant are offended by due to only carrying one baby (when will people learn that is not okay?!) And here's the worst part-I've gained all the weight I'm supposed to, but it must be going other places!!! Of course, every sonogram that we've had has showed him ahead of the trends so I really should let this go. My doctor made a good point to me today, though, when he said, "Amber, the baby is only around 2 lbs. What do people expect you to look like?" That made me feel a little better...

I know it sounds trivial and one day in the not-so-far future, I will long for the days of people saying I looked small.

PUPPP update: It's pretty much gone! I highly considered posting the pictures of it, but I figure that I will spare you. Finley on the other hand will not be spared...when he goes through his rebellious years I plan to remind him of what I went through with him LOL!