D-Day Begins!

On the evening of August 29th, Shaun and I went to bed early. At about 11:30 pm I finally woke Shaun up. I hadn't slept a wink because I was too busy counting contractions! They were 5 minutes apart and lasting one minute. We went into the nursery and I rocked myself in the rocker. Shaun laid on the floor with Lucy. At 12:30 we finally called the doctor. When the doctor heard Shaun say I was 11 days late (it was an on call doctor) and was having contractions, he immediately told us to go to the hospital. I jumped in the shower, grabbed our bags, took Lucy (my parents picked her up at the hospital that night) and stood by the door for a moment realizing that the next time we would come through the door we would have our little girl and a wonderful journey in our family's life would begin.

She's Late!!!

Baby girl was due August 19, 2012...Shaun's 33rd Birthday. I had been off the whole summer, so I had plenty of time to prepare. Everything was done and ready when August 19th came around. The only thing not ready? Baby Girl Gieger. Nothing was happening. Not even one stinking contraction. It's not easy to have August 19th in your mind for the due date all that time and have it come and go with nothing! After that day I tried everything to jump start labor. Eggplant Parmesan, raspberry tea, walking, spicy food, running up the stairs, squats, etc. Luckily, I wasn't miserable. I just wanted this baby OUT! When the 41st week of my pregnancy began I had had enough! I was drinking so much raspberry tea I had to pee all.the.time. And believe me, I was peeing enough before the tea (every hour at night!!!!). On the morning of August 29th, I woke up with one thing on my mind. I was 10 days late and this baby was coming out! I was scheduled to go in for an induction that night and I was not into the idea at all. I got Lucy, drove to the trail in Aliso Viejo and POWER walked until I couldn't take it anymore. Then I turned around and POWER walked back. I walked almost everyday of my pregnancy, but this walk was different. I will remember that walk for the rest of my life. It was a beautiful morning. Perfect weather. During the walk, Lucy kept looking at me with this sad look of, "Are your ever going to stop and let me pee?" I literally kept talking to her to help keep me motivated, "Come on Lucy! Let's go. Almost there." It was pathetic and boarder line psychotic. That's what being 10 days late will do to you. I had run out of things to do around the house that I was one step away from being diagnosed with OCD. It's not clear if that walk is what got my labor started, but that evening at around 5:30 I started having contractions while eating a cheese quesadilla at Baja Fresh. They continued at the grocery store and through the evening. The hospital didn't seem to care when we called to confirm our induction appointment since they told us to call back in the morning because all the rooms were taken. I was thrilled because the extra time would allow the contractions to progress more. Shaun was thrilled to sleep in our bed instead of a chair at the hospital. Life is full of surprises and we were both in for a surprise that night...

It's A Girl

On March 28, 2011 we had an ultrasound and found out we were having a girl. This is when the real fun began! Picking out names, thinking of nursery themes, etc. We were so excited to know that we were having a little girl!

We're Having A Baby!

On the morning of December 12, 2011 we found out I was pregnant! This is a moment we will never forget. We waited to tell the family until Christmas Eve. What a perfect Christmas gift! The next 9 months would be joyful, stressful, exciting, and full of suspense!

6 Months!

I keep a journal, scrapbook, an calendar of Ava's milestones, but have always wanted to add to this family blog I started a few years ago. Just another way to keep important memories for her to read one day.

I still can't believe my little girl is 6 months old! It seems like yesterday I was holding my 7 lb 11 oz little miracle. I'm not going to lie, being a parent has been the hardest thing I have ever done. After work I am more exhausted than I have ever been in my life. Back in the day nothing would have stopped me from going straight home, into a hot bath, and straight to bed. Today, the minute I walk into the house on Kiowa Lane and see Ava's face light up when my eyes meet her BIG baby blues, the sleepless night no longer exists, the little darling first grader who tested my patience ALL day not longer weighs on my mind. All I want to do is hold her and take her home so I can make her smile until her little head hits the mattress of her crib and I can see her little grin through the dark when she awakes the next morning. Each day brings more blessings and surprises. Shaun and I are so amazed and proud of Ava each and everyday. I could go on and on, but I think I will just start by adding some pictures and a few words to get this blog moving in the right direction. I may be back tracking a bit in the beginning, so stay tuned...

Lucy Lu

On April 29, 2009 Shaun and I bought a new puppy! She had only been at the store since the morning when we finally came to buy her at around 7:00 pm. It took us a few days, but we finally decided to name her Lucy.

First Bath

First day at home.

Playing with her Aunt Mollie.

Las Vegas

On December 12, the last day of my long term sub job, Shaun and I drove to Las Vegas to visit his grandparents. His grandmother was in the hospital with pneumonia. We spent most of our time visiting her and the rest of the time hanging out with his grandfather. We also helped him put up their Christmas decorations. On December 15 we began one of our most stressful drives home. Soon after leaving Las Vegas, it began to snow. Luckily, we made it through before they closed the 15 Freeway in both directions. That was the least of our worries since we still hadn't made it to the Cajon Pass. Thankfully, we were able to get through by police escort after a VERY long wait. I was a nervous wreck! I was already trying to figure out a way that we could sleep in the car with boxes and boxes of Department 56 Villages in the car. That's another story that I don't even want to get into right now. Maybe I'll want to discuss it when I don't have to look at the boxes that are still stacked all around our house.