Four Months... I'm a delinquent blogger ;-)

Not only have a stopped blogging, my Project 365 has gone by the waste side.  Oh well, there's always next year! =)

The big event since my last post was the birth of my nephew Joseph.  Here's the story...

Friday, September 10, 2010, I saw Megan pregnant for what would turn out the last time. We were at our Aunt Jineen’s and Uncle Josh's house for his birthday. Megan was done being pregnant and didn’t want to wait until her due date on the 19th. She was ready to try spicy food… or anything for that matter.

Saturday, September 11th, Chris made Megan spicy taco’s for dinner.

10:25pm Saturday night I receive a text from Megan... "Umm heads up I think I'm in very early labor".

10:58pm Saturday night I receive a text from my Mom... "Looks like Meg is in real early labor. Will keep you posted".

Needless to say I didn't sleep very well… besides our neighbor's loud party (we couldn't complain, we were there until 10:15) the thought of my Sissy in labor, gave me some sympathy pain.

September 12th…

4:35am Sunday morning I receive a text from my Mom... "Going to the hospital, still has some hours to go."

Once again, I couldn't sleep. At first I thought I'd go back to sleep for an hour or two and then leave for the hospital at around 7ish. Well, that didn't happen. I daydreamed for an hour and a 1/2 (including hearing a voice say "what are you waiting for" - I think that was my late Grandfather) then when my alarm went off at 6:00am (I leave it on all week) I figured it was a good time to go.

I think it was around 6:25 when I left. I stepped out the front door to a beautiful sunrise.



6:37am Sunday morning I receive a text from my Mom... "Going to be awhile - still only 2 centimeters but pain is increasing." My response... "Well I'm on my way. I couldn't sleep"

Around 6:45am I arrived and was let in the L&D room. My Mom thought I was going to hang out in the waiting room… how could I? She had just gotten a dose of pain meds (don't remember the exact name but it's similar to demerol). She was feeling good and quite hysterical with her description and finger show of how many centimeters she is now and where she has to be. After that she was able to get some sleep. Once that wore off she had some big contractions. My mom is a great coach and got her through them all. Megan was a champ.

When the resident came in to ask the typical medical history questions, Megan was quick with a response to “what brought you in this morning?”… “I swallowed a watermelon”. God I love her!

The coaches (Mom, our "sister" Melissa, and I) took a break and went down to the cafeteria for some tea and coffee at around 9:45am. It’s important to let you know that I ate a yogurt and strawberry parfait (my first “meal” of the day).

After a while in bed Megan (with some persuasion from me and Mom) decided to get up and find a better position. The best (and what would prove to help things progress) was kneeling on the floor with her arms in the chair. Gravity alone was awesome. She stayed in this position for a while until she needed to be examined.

I tried to brush her hair and put it up out of her face... she said she was having dance competition flashbacks when I used to hurt her and her scalp. =) Luckily for her I was gentle since Joseph wasn't.

At 1:30pm she was examined to determine if she could get an epidural. She was at 4cm. They broke her water and requested the anesthesiologist.

At 2:00pm we were kicked out of the room for a ½ hour while she got her epidural. Chris, Mom, Melissa and I hung out in the hall. I can’t stand still so I did some tap dancing to entertain everyone. Then we found some supplies. I figured I would need a hat and mask. Originally taken to entertain Megan… they weren’t needed, she would be our entertainment.

It was really interesting to see her have contractions without knowing about them. Megan was “back” and entertaining us with her silly self. She did rest some, but we got bored when she slept.



Her coaches were surviving on rationed cashews throughout the day that my Mom had with her. 1/3 of a small jar of nuts does not keep your energy up. We were working on adrenaline alone (and some random naps - well I didn't nap). Until 5:00pm when one of Chris’s friends brought some pizza. That slice of “grandma” (rustic thin crust) pizza would be the last thing I ate that day.

At 5:30 she was examined again and was at 6cm. Her contractions were more regular, stronger, and getting closer together.

At 7:00 her wonderful nurse was about to end her shift so she examined her again and said she was at 8cm… well 5 minutes later, the doctor examined her and she was at 10!!!  The nurse's hands must be smaller (or bigger)... whatever the case, it was time!!

Showtime…

The night nurse came in and started setting things up for the home stretch. Hospital rules: only 2 people are allowed to stay in the room while she’s pushing. Rules were broken that night for us. Melissa and I stayed quiet and out of the way so she would let us stay. I’m so thankful that worked. The new nurse was just as wonderful as the day nurse. She was also quick witted… the resident asked in disbelief why they were watching “Jersey Shore”. The nurse turned around and said; “didn’t you hear the name they picked out? Joseph ‘The Situation’ Connell”. We all lost it. Megan included.

Megan’s pushes in the beginning weren’t moving things along since she was new at this. But after a few she was a pro. The nurse and resident’s first estimation was around 9:00, 9:30. At 8:30 the doctor was called in and 5 minutes later, Joseph Andrew was born! He weighed a healthy 8lbs, 3oz and was 21 inches long. I was in the perfect spot and was able to see everything!! It was amazing. I didn’t think of it as looking at my sister’s private parts. In my mind, I separated her from the “business” end and watched the most beautiful thing in nature… a baby being born.



I’m so proud of my sister. She is so strong.

She ended up with a fever towards the end of the labor so the baby went into the NICU for some antibiotics. He didn't go home with her on Wednesday, but only had to stay one extra day and came home Thursday.



Even though I was already an Aunt, this little boy makes me more of an Aunt. Don’t tell Peter, but I may love little Joseph more than my niece Haley. Ok, that’s not fair, but he is my blood and that is so so special.  Plus I was one of the first ones to see him.  I still tear up thinking about it.



Ok, I'm going to try and keep up with the whole blog thing from now on.  Happy Friday!  Thanksgiving is next week... WOW!  I'm soooo not ready for the holidays, but I love them so I don't mind how quickly they snuck up on me.

What if...

We've all had them... the moments we look back at our decisions and try to decipher if they were the best.  Well, every once in a while, I have mine.  Looking back on my miscarriage, I wonder if it was in fact a blighted ovum.  Should I have gotten another ultrasound before the D&C?  Should I have waited just a little longer?  Was it because of my tilted uterus that a baby couldn't be seen?  Was my bleeding that morning just a freak thing?  I mean, I didn't bleed after that.  It was just that one time.  All these questions, and I'll never know the answer.  I know I can't torture myself like this, but it's inevitable.  I don't put myself in a funk over it, I just wonder.  I did ask the tech during the first ultrasound that if my tilted uterus has anything to do with the baby not being seen.  She didn't seem to think that it was an issue.

Ahhh, the questions we constantly ask ourselves.  But we can't look back only forward.  Time to move on Adrianne... time to get on with your life and continue living it.  Just gotta keep trying to be the best person I can be and hoping my next decision will be better than the last.  I can do it, we all can.

Hold on tight and enjoy the ride, how ever bumpy it may be!

Fried Chicken and Ice Box Cake

Last night Peter and I went to my mom's for my birthday cake (ice box cake consists of whip cream and chocolate wafer cookies).  And as part of tradition we went to Zorns (a local chicken place) for yummy fried chicken take out.  I think if I had to chose one restaurant to cater my stay on a deserted island, it would be Zorns.  Mmmm... I could live on their mashed cauliflower.

Tonight we're heading north to my Mom and Step-Dad's house in the mountains with our BFF's.  I love upstate New York.  We plan on a little 9 hole golf, maybe swimming in the lake, and relaxing by the fire with our puppies.

Murdock and Oreo used to have this love/hate relationship, now they're BFF's.  I'm glad that worked out because we might have had to end our human friendship. LOL

Like two old friends having a great conversation.

Happy Friday!!! Enjoy the weekend... I know I will. =)

33 Years, 3 days, 15 hours

So one more trip around the sun and I've come out pretty much unscathed (well almost - I'm definitely stronger).

I need to say that I love my friends, old and new. They know how to make me smile, laugh and hand me a shot when I'm blue. I had the best birthday party ever this past Sunday. It was a small group of us in our backyard. But there was plenty of sangria, food, shots, swimming, and of course laughter. Needless to say Monday was a rough trip back to work, but I did it and lived on a banana smoothie (Uncle Jimmy swears by bananas for a hangover) and water all day. I was glad we didn't lose anyone or end up with a tiger in the bathroom.

I'm hoping that this trip around the sun will be blogged about more. I'm also going to try my hand at a Project 365. I'm going to post a picture a day. I've got a nice new big bag to carry around my camera with me everywhere. So keep an eye out for my life as viewed through my DSLR!

Talk to everyone soon! Have a great Thursday!!

2010 a new start...

The end of 2009 was a roller coaster for us.

Not to get too personal, but September we started to try to start a family. October 2nd we were surprised to get our BFP (big fat positive). Peter and I were elated. I was shocked that it happened so quickly. Well that excitement soon turned to fear when on October 19th only an empty sac was seen on the first ultrasound. The tech and my doctor felt that it was too early and I must have ovulated later than we thought. I ran the dates in my head (and on paper, and Outlook) and it could be possible, but not likely. But I kept that thought in my head and Peter and I kept going and started thinking of ways to tell our family (even though his Mom knew as soon as turned down wine at their house). October 28th fear turned to sadness. I started to bleed while I was getting ready for work in the morning. Peter had always said, if there was a woman who could handle a miscarriage, it would be me because I'm so strong (he was worried about his sister who was also pregnant). Well, I was alone, and I lost it. I barely had enough air in my lungs to call the doctor's office. My poor Oreo did all he could to make me feel better. I swear animals can sense when we need them most. I gathered enough strength to get dressed and drive to the doctor's office. I wasn't bleeding that heavily so there was still a glimmer of hope. I sat in the chair for an ultrasound and I was prepared for what I saw. An empty sac. It was explained to me that it was a blighted ovum. An egg was fertilized and started to develop, but after implantation it stopped.

I was actually OK while in the office. The doctor wasn't in so the nurse left her a note to call me. As soon as I walked out that door and into the rain, the tears started falling. I didn't know what to do, where to go, who to talk to, nothing. I called Peter and told him I was going to my Mom's. I drove the 20 minutes to her house to find that she wasn't home. All I wanted to do was crawl in bed with her. I cried the whole way home. As soon as I got home I curled up on the couch with Oreo and if I wasn't sleeping I was stunned into silence. If there was ever a time when I knew for sure that I wanted a family, that was the day.

Nothing like having your hopes and dreams smashed on a brick wall to make you realize that you do not hold life's steering wheel. It was as if God was telling me, "Nuh uh, you don't make the plans I do. You'll be a mother, but not just yet." That's a hard pill to swallow since I'm such a planner and getting pregnant in September meant that my due date would be in June. A month that the Bruno's needed to be joyous after the loss of both grandparents in June of 2007 and 2008.

Fast forward to November 5th. Since the bleeding stopped and the miscarriage wasn't happening naturally, we opted for a D&C. It was scheduled for November 11th. Luckily it was Veteran's Day and Peter had off from work. I wasn't worried or scared, I just wanted the process to be over and start fresh. Coming out of anesthesia in recovery I remember telling the nurse about a dream I had that they impregnated me with an alien baby. Peter said I was quite funny. I only had one moment of severe pain but it wasn't anything some Motrin and sleep didn't cure. Other than that, I was fine.

Now here it is February 12th and I'm on day 2 of the first cycle after the D&C and excited to start fresh. We're ready God, for your guidance. We're ready to become parents.