Merry Christmas!!

Time for some really cheesy pictures... It's amazing how as a mom you do the things you swore you would never do, like put your daughter in fancy dresses that dont fit her and ride up her shoulders. But she looked really cute and we needed to dress up for Greg's company's Christmas Brunch. So here are a couple of bad pictures we took in front of the decorations in the ballroom.

We are doing great except for sleeping which seems to be a little problem. We had her 1 mos check up this week which she was not thrilled about considering the shot. I have never seen a baby scream like that and I have given a LOT of shots!!! Anyway she is 11 lbs 4 oz and 23.5inches!! 95th percentile for both weight and height. No wonder she can fill out 3-6 mos clothes!

Well next week we head to Indy to meet a whole bunch of new people so hopefully I will have lots more pictures when we get back. I just wanted to post now to say Merry Christmas since I might not get another chance before then!

Love you all!!

A babe in my lap

Well I had good intentions of updating you on everything going on in our life, but little Gracyn has other ideas and does not want to be put down. So for now I will try to type with her in my lap. She loves the lights on the screen and the Dave Matthew's playing on iTunes (good taste in music already!!).

We have had an amazing 3 1/2 weeks! I cant believe that on Sunday, Gracyn will be 1 month old! Where has the time gone! She has changed so much! She is really filling out and getting some chunk on her thighs. Im guessing she is about 10 lbs now. We are on all formula feedings now and she is a happy girl. She still eats every 3 hrs or so during the day but last night she gave us 6 hrs of sleep! I of course was up every half hour waiting to see if she would wake up. I think she might have slept longer but I finally woke her up.

Today we ventured out to the mall to get out of the house. She does pretty well as long as the stroller is moving. She fell asleep at one point and then must have woken up and realized she didnt know where she was because she startled with arms wide and had the most terrified look on her face before she hyperventilated and let out one piercing scream! She calmed right down when she saw me, that is such an amazing feeling, to know that she recognizes me and knows she is safe. Maybe Im reading too much into it but thats how it felt :)

She also has started smiling at people intentionally, or so it seems. She really focuses on faces now and will smile at her parents goofy faces. Its amazing the things adults are reduced to doing to make a baby smile.

Lets see what else has happened. We have had lots of visitors. Grandma and Grandpa Abelard came to visit for Thanksgiving and helped us decorate the house for Christmas so Gracyn can have a tree her first Christmas. I will take pictures of it later to share. Aunt Manda and Uncle Ryan came up for the day to see her after Thanksgiving and we had a little photo shoot with Gracyn. Imagine us 3 Abelard photographers with cameras and my mom with hers taking pictures of the 3 of us, it was a pretty funny site. Poor baby has no idea what she is in for with the pictures.

Amanda came back to stay for a few days last week. Not nearly long enough! She spoiled us rotten while she was here and Gracyn is begging for her to come back. We had a great time hanging out and trying to get yet more pictures of Grace. She didnt really want to cooperate but we were able to get a few that I will post below for you. She is so beautiful, she really looks like her daddy with my lips. This really has been the most amazing experience of my life! I cant wait to share all the things she does with you!

The last picture of Gracyn on the paisley bedspread was taken by my friend Lidia- www.lidiaguerraphotography.com

an update...

Im trying to find time to update the blog and get some pictures done of Grace but hours seem to pass me by! So here is the story. Gracyn is an awesome babe, she is so layed back and easy to care for. Unfortunatly my milk is refusing to come in so feeding is a big issue for us. I really never thought I would care so much about breast feeding, I always said "if it works it works" or "I'll be happy if I make it 2 weeks" but now that she is here, I so badly want to do this for her and for myself. I love so much about how close I feel with her when I do it and Im really upset about all of the issues we are having. I had a lactation consultant come out to my house yesterday and she confirmed that while my milk is "in" there is no supply there. After nursing for about 20 minutes she only got 4cc, which is less than 1 tsp of milk. When I give Grace a bottle she takes 3-4oz so obviously she wouldnt be able to thrive off breastfeeding alone. So she had me upgrade to a hospital grade pump which I use every 2 hours and Gracyn has started tube feedings. So basically she latches on to breastfeed and I put a tube in the corner of her mouth like a straw. The other end of the tube is in her bottle, so as she sucks like she is breastfeeding she sucks the milk out of the bottle. Yes the NICU nurse in me sees the irony and humor in all of this. I so so would have made fun of anyone doing this before, but Im willing to try for at least another week. If this doesnt increase my supply then I guess I can at least say that I did everything possible.

On top of all of that, I have developed PUPPS which is a pregnancy induced rash. I think I may have had it on the lower half of my stomach before pregnancy b/c I itched like crazy, but I thought it was just my stretchmarks that itched. So I woke up sunday morning with this rash covering my stomach, chest, arms, legs, and back. It is super irritating!!! The doctor has put me on a 6 day coarse of steroids and said it should hopefully go away in a week or so, but from what I have seen online some women have this for several months after pregnancy. Im so praying that isnt me!!!

So that is the long version of the story.... good for you if you read all of that :) Lucky for me Greg has been home and is just going back to work tomorrow, he is so supportive of all of this madness. Anyway Im sorry if it seems like I am ignoring anyone's emails and phone calls! Im hoping things settle down this week and then I would love to have visitors!

Thanks for all the well wishes! Gracyn cant wait to meet everyone!

Announcing Gracyn Elaine Sanders

We are so excited to announce the birth of Gracyn Elaine Sanders! She was born at 7:48am on the 18th and weighs 9lbs 5oz!!!!!!!!!!! She is 22 inches, a BIG girl!!
Everyone is doing great and we will hopefully have more pictures soon, this is one grandpa sanders took when she was about 6 hours old! She has changed so much already, her cone head is already healed, though she still has a big bruise on the back of it.

We came home early from the hospital, it is just more comfortable here and we were worried about Marley being alone for too long. So far he is doing great with her, he gets nervous when she cries and he loves to smell her head and lick her, he occasionally cries a little when she shreeks, but mostly he just wants our attention.

She is so amazing and so beautiful, the pictures dont do her justice, I cant wait for everyone to meet her!!!

Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers!

Megan and Greg

So here I sit on the couch..... waiting

and waiting....

We went to the doctor today and I am still only 1 cm, which I have been for about 3.5weeks. I know that isnt the end all, that women can go fast from 1-10 but it was still super discouraging to hear. The doctor has set an induction date for Tuesday the 20th. We need to be at the hospital at 8am (horrible time for rush hour but who am I to complain!).... They did an ultrasound today and they are estimating the baby to be 9 lbs, we usually find at work that they underestimate the weight so that scares me a tad. Im not super thrilled with the idea of a C-Section so I am just trying to remind myself that women push out babies 9 lbs and bigger all the time. I am so used to my little babies at work, where 3 lbs is my favorite size, so 9lbs seems huge to me!!

Anyway so that is the plan, 4 days until baby!! Gonna enjoy some last days of alone time with my fantastic hubby. Wish us luck!

The Due Date

I feel like I have been counting down to this day for so long!! I look at my little ticker and there I am at the end.... but the babe is still staying put! I guess I was 4 days overdue (sorry Mom!) so I have to give her a bit of a break. I am worried I will be in the hospital over thanksgiving, and I know their mashed potatoes are disgusting... :)


Well all in her own time I guess, cross your fingers she gets sick of it in there soon!!!

Her Nursery is Finished!!!

I am so so excited about the fact that we finally finished the babies room! It is gorgeous and I could sit in there and rock and daydream continuously! The countdown is on and I am so happy to have everything ready to welcome her into our home!! These are all out of order but you get the idea! The color is off too, its hard to shoot in a green room! Some of my favorite things are the canvases I had done by one of my clients (www.caseykelbee.com), the tree picture frame holder her aunt amanda got her, which has 3 handmade birds I found on etsy, my dress from when i was little that has a bird on it and my little baby shoes, and her chandelier which I got such a great deal on!! Did I mention I love it in there?

CLICK ON EACH PICTURE TO ENLARGE!!!

Happy Anniversary Greg

Thank you for 2 incredible years of marriage! I cant wait for our daughter to meet you and love you the way I do. You are such an amazing man and husband, and I know you will be an amazing father!

Baby Pictures

Check out my beautiful baby! Technology is so cool! Even the idea that I can glimpse what she may look like is amazing to me. Greg and I stare at these pictures and talk about who she may look like. Right now he swears she has my lips (poor baby) and I swear she has his wide nose (poor baby)! The ultrasound was great, though she wouldnt take her hand away from her face for more than a few seconds. The tech told us we better go buy her a pacifier! You could see her opening and shutting her mouth while sucking, it was so cool! She really is a real little baby in there! Such a surreal thought...

Nursery Nursery Nursery

Im going paint crazy! I cant seem to get the right shade of green for the nursery, a first for me as I usually think Im pretty good at picking colors for my house. We had a friend come paint this weekend and he is coming back next weekend to fix my color woes. Otherwise, I found a really great custom mobile on Etsy. Im sure its not really practical as there are no flashing lights and spinning animals, but its a really sweet set of 3 handmade birds hanging from a stick. Its much cuter in real life than in the picture. She made it in a pink paisely to match my bedding. I also found a really sweet chandelier for super cheap at the Land of Nod outlet store, I love bargains! What else.... I still havent ordered furniture. I was supposed to do that today but got sucked into a 2 hour Kerby Vacuum Cleaner demonstration, Im sure this was not the last of my bad judgement calls while pregnant, but it might be the worst. If you ever see them at your door, run far far away! This is a really boring blog entry, but Im trying to be better about writing, even though Im not sure anyone is reading!

Reasons this baby will love her daddy....

I have always heard some people say that girls end up marrying someone very similiar to their dads. I personally know this is true. I married a man that has so many similiar traits as my dad that it makes me love him more every day. I grew up every day watching the way my dad loved my mom, the way he showed her he loved her and not just told her, though he told her a lot too. Seeing that everyday was one of the greatest gifts I have been given.

Sunday night I was laying in bed and I needed a glass of water, which Greg of course went downstairs and got for me. As I was laying there trying to sleep I started thinking about all the little ways he shows me he loves me constantly. I felt a really great peace come over me in knowing that my daughter is going to grow up seeing that everyday. It makes me confident that she will find a strong, loving man like her daddy to marry one day. Im sure I will still worry when she is old enough to date that she is dating the right men, but I know in my heart she will look for someone as wonderful as her daddy. So little girl, if you ever need a list, here are just some of the reasons I know you will love your daddy....

.. he will always put your needs first
.. he will always make you smile
.. he will always let you smother him with hugs and kisses
.. he will always rub your feet (even though he doesnt want to)
.. he will always laugh at your silly faces and stupid jokes
.. he will always make sure you are taken care of
.. he will always tell you sweet dreams before you fall asleep
.. he will always calm you down when you are upset
.. he will always make you see the simple things in life
.. he will always support your decisions and push you towards your dreams
.. he will always tell you he loves you (he has already started telling you every night)

Random Pictures

I should post more pictures of life before baby.... I will make an effort. To start- here is Greg in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, something he always wanted to see.

Blog Slacker

I never claimed to be good at keeping up with a journal... in fact I will readily admit I am terrible at it...

So lets see. I am 26 weeks and feeling great! I am getting pretty big and space is coming at a premium. I feel like she likes to hide up in my rib cage so I have absolutely no room to take a deep breath. She is also moving a TON, which is exciting because Greg can finally feel her. Last night he asked if she was trying to kill me, he couldn't believe she kicked that hard. Its still somewhat tricky to get her to move when he is trying to feel her. I keep trying to convince him the fact that she calms instantly when he puts his hand there means he has some sweet touch and will always be the one to put her to bed when she is fussy.

Otherwise things are pretty calm. We are having the nursery painted this weekend and I finally picked out furniture I just need to order it. I cant wait to have her room done so I can go in there and day dream. Im excited for Marley to start wandering around in there also, getting used to the idea. Right now he thinks any thing new I bring home for her is somehow a toy for him.

Everyone keeps bugging me for a picture of me, but that is just so hard for me to get used to! I feel very unphotogenic at this stage but will stick to my photography morals and shoot some pictures sometime soon I promise! I promise I dont really look all that different than last time you saw me! I havent gained any weight yet, and my belly is just getting to that point where people who dont know me can tell Im preggo and not just chunky :)

Love you and miss you all! Thanks for reading!

Oh and SAVE THE DATE! the Sander's Baby Shower is going to be Sept 29th!

oh the mind of a mother.....

I went to the doctor yesterday and when I laid down on the table to have her listen to the heart beat, I saw the baby move for the first time. Not just felt, but saw my whole belly move! I was so excited but at the same time I had this instant vision of the movie Space Balls, where the alien comes out of the guys belly and starts dancing.... probably not the first thing that should have come to mind! If you dont remember what Im talking about, click the title to see the clip...

24 weeks... starting to feel real...

Yesterday at work I took care of the cutest little girl named Charlotte. She was a few days old and born at 24 weeks and 6 days gestation. But she was a bit small for her age, so she is just about the exact size of our baby. I have seen so many babies her size, but for once I really stopped to appreciate it. I was so enthralled with every little feature, just thinking that is how my baby looks right now. It was such a bizarre feeling to see her kick around in her bed and feel our baby kick and realize something that size is alive inside of me! It really made everything seem so real! I made a footprint of her's to bring home and show Greg so he can see exactly what is kicking me all the time... I tried to take a picture of it to show you guys, but size is so hard to see in pictures and with my wide angle lens her foot seems bigger than it is in real life, but you can get the idea at least! Her foot is just under 1.5 inches from heal to big toe...

Getting old......

Not only is he going to be a dad, but now he is 30!! We celebrated Greg's 30th this Saturday the 21st with about 20 friends and family. It was a really good time, lots of good food and several several games of bags. Greg's friend Jason even made him this awesome set of Bob Marley boards! I couldnt resist sticking a picture of Marley from the day either, he looks so old compared to his baby picture below! Click on the post title to view the whole album from the day...

my baby is 4!

well my first baby that is! marley had his 4th bday yesterday and has been especially needy today, literally following me to every room i walk into. apparantly he is feeling neglected since he didnt get anything special... im such a bad mom! anyway he is a love, so here is my favorite baby picture of marley.... now the "big brother" in the house...

get ready to be impressed!

So I am 22 weeks tomorrow, and as most of you know I have seen more 22 week babies born than anyone ever should. So at this point in my pregnancy Im on this edge between feeling safe and feeling freaked about the decisions I would be forced to make over the next couple weeks if something happened. Im sure thats not really natural for a normal person, but this NICU nurse inside me is a bit of a freak... anyway as dorky as it is I always feel better when I check in on the weekly updates and pictures of what my baby looks like and what its doing at this stage.... so I thought I would share how developed this little girl is with you!

This is from babycenter.com..... check it out for weekly updates if you are preggo...

Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Her lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.

Well from what I have seen, she looks more like an alien than a newborn, but I guess if I wanted to be sweet I could say she looks like a newborn. There are some hospitals which are attempting to save 22 week babies now, as far as I know only one has survived and they arent sure of her long term issues, but medicine is advancing every day both for the good and the bad, so we shall see what we are doing in the NICU in 5 years! So much has already changed in the 6 years I have been working in the unit.

On another note, little baby Sanders I believe has learned to punch this week, as the kicks are still in the same spot but she is jabbing me up higher as well. She is still breech at this point since apparantly she didnt want to spend 9 months upside down, but the doctors are sure she will turn when she needs to! Hopefully they are right!

a girly nursery

so i know everyone thinks i am the least girly person around but i am slowly adjusting to the idea of having a daughter and thinking about what type of girl i want for her to be. granted i would love if she was a tomboy and an athelete like her daddy (since i have no athletic genes), but thats a whole 'nother blog entry....

so surprise surprise i am going girly with the nursery. i am working with a great artist who is also a fantastic client and she has so many amazing ideas! i cant wait to see how the room turns out.

if anyone is looking for custom nursery work, visit her website http://www.caseykelbee.com/

so here are some ideas for the room... think vintage, shabby chic, birds and vines...

baby names

well this is by far the most asked question around here, everyone wants to know her name.... we have absolutely no idea! i swear pregnant women should not make these big decisions, my fickle mind changes every day! not only that but i have quickly learned that no pregnant woman REALLY wants your opinion when she tells you her names.... just smile and nod and say you knew someone nice by that name growing up :)

anyway since this will be a record/journal im going to risk it and let my name list out of the bag.... warning negative comments are subject to punishement!!!

in no particular order....these are strictly the names my very picky husband has not said "no" to...

Grace Elaine Sanders
Claire Sanders
Gabriela Sanders
Gillian Sanders
Hannah Sanders
Janelle Sanders
Jenna Sanders
Lauren Sanders
Maren Sanders
Rachel Sanders
Gretchen Sanders
Tatum Grace Sanders

an introduction...

well i have never been one for journals or updating anything frequently, but a friend recently told me about how important her blog has been to her family since she moved out of town. since a large portion of my family and close friends are out of state, i think this may just be one more form of communication so you can check in on the newest addition to our family... and hopefully a place i can bore you all with my family pictures. think back to dad pulling out the slide projecter when friends came over! anyway, im sure once this little girl arrives there wont be enough hours in the day, so i wanted to start this early. i'll try to add a few posts before she comes.

i love all of you so much and i want so badly for you to feel like you are part of her life even from a short distance!


PS- please read through the typos and uncapitalized letters.... yes my mother was a school teacher....