Annada Marie Vergo

We are so excited to meet our little boy.

This blog is soon to convert to Aragorn and Annada’s website, so I’ve decided they are already going to start sharing space. I know how quickly my memories of being pregnant with Annada faded, so I want to take a moment to write out what I am remembering now – the wonderful, strange and even rough.

1) My stomach clicks. Really. I checked in with my midwife about it and she doesn’t know why. I looked online and the best answer I could find is that Aragorn may be pushing out a rib and it clicks when it rubs the one next to it. It’s pretty loud, but doesn’t hurt.

2) Aragorn loves to kick when I lay down. Annada likes to lay against me when I am singing to her at night, so he kicks her in the back. She smiles and says he is saying hello. Marc likes to watch my belly jump around. He smiles too, already proud of his little boy. I love it.

3) Marc named Aragorn Marc Vergo. I named Annada Marie Vergo. (We both love the names.) Aragorn is the ranger-to-be-king in the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien made up the name. It roughly translates, “Priestly King.”

4) Overall, I feel great. Sometimes though my lower back swells and even bruises. It seems to happen on weeks my belly grows a lot (which is this month – no growth from week 20-36. 8 cm in the last 3 weeks!).

5) When I picture Aragorn, he has startling blue eyes. I’m curious to see what color his eyes really are.

6) Annada is convinced Aragorn is going to “fall out” in the night. Then she will hear him cry (because I will sleep through the event) and come get him and take him to her room where he will join the 30+ animals and baby dolls in bed with her (she calls it her nursery. The dolphin and caterpillar watch the babies for her when she is at school). She is particularly excited about potty training Aragorn.

7) I was so sick the first 4 months (like 7-8 times a day, some days I couldn’t keep water down). And I still feel nauseous until about 2 pm each day. But I haven’t actually been sick since the end of the 4th month. So I just ignore it and eat anyway. I would guess it has to be part of why I’ve had a hard time gaining weight, though.

8) I have had contractions about 1-2 times an hour since 28 weeks. I was the same with Annada. I’m curious to see if I have another fast labor. (Annada was less than 2 hours from start to finish.) Or as Taylor says, “I either have the longest labor or the shortest – depends on how you want to count it.”

9) About 2 weeks ago I had contractions about 6 minutes apart for 4 hours in the night. They were strong enough I couldn’t sleep but not nearly as strong as when Annada was born. So we stayed home. But I was SOOOO happy. Beforehand I didn’t know how I would react when labor started. But when I thought I might be meeting Aragorn that night I woke up and literally danced for a few minutes at 1 am. The rush didn’t wear off until the next night – I was totally awake and excited about how real everything was all day.

10) I admit, it is hard to believe I could love someone as much as Annada. I can only imagine it must be amazing.

A new braid Marc is learning.

Marc and Annada have a new hobby – hair braiding. They love to watch YouTube videos on different types of braids and then Marc tries them on Annada. He is getting really good. I get compliments on her hair all the time, but the truth is, Marc does her hair more often than I do.

This is all part of the “Marc-is-my-hero” aspect of pregnancy. Back in those first months when I felt AWFUL Marc started getting up with Annada, bringing me something small to eat and letting me ease into the day. Somewhere along the way he decided his part in helping Aragorn grow is to get up with Annada and let me get up slowly. I am incredibly grateful. Marc is a great dad.

We had lunch together at Sweet Mamas (chocolate chip pancakes, of course) and then headed out to play. I’m taking advantage of this time before Aragorn comes :).

Cooking food for me and the babies.

Annada spent about 2 hours caring for the babies and cooking them lunch. She is ALL about babies right now. And she is 100% convinced Aragorn is coming tomorrow. She’s right about so many things, it is unnerving. We will see…

After Peanuts Playhouse closed, Annada and I got treats at Sonic and sat outside to talk while we drank them. Annada is such a joy to be around.

Our good friends, Don and Debbie, hosted Annada for a sleepover Friday so Marc and I could have a “babymoon.” It was great to get away for a night and we had a blast – a vintage hotel, live Jazz, a 2.5 hour dinner that would make any foodie jealous, sleeping in and farmer’s market. Ahhhhh….

Saturday Aunt Debbie took Annada strawberry picking. We just finished the last strawberries today. They were so good!

Annada had a blast. When she got home Saturday evening she prayed that Aunt Debbie would “make a good choice and have another sleepover soon.” I am so grateful for friends who love on our daughter.

Annada and Aunt Debbie

After strawberry picking, Annada and Aunt Debbie took a picnic to the playground.

It’s more fun with your hands up!

Annada ran in her first 5K today with Daddy. When I picked them up she looked exhausted. But Annada told me she wants to do it again with me.

Ready to go!

It sounds like a success – she alternated running at full speed with riding on Daddy’s back. And she raced another little girl (a couple years older). Just when Annada caught the girl, she looked over to celebrate and… wham! She ran into a tree.

She skinned her knee. It was well worth it though, because security was high at the race (due to Boston) and a police woman fixed Annada up with a bandaid and a Care Bear. It’s a stuffed green Care Bear. And it was clearly worth the pain.

Plus Annada got a cookie in her sandwich box afterward (this girl LOVES sugar – just look at her eyes). I think she’s sold on 5Ks :).

When I told Annada Easter was coming, her reaction surprised me.

“I want to make you breakfast in bed!” she yelled out, jumping up and down in excitement.

We make each other breakfast in bed for birthdays and Mothers’/Fathers’ Day, but I had never even thought about Annada making Marc and I breakfast in bed. While my first thought was how impractical that was, I couldn’t look at her excitement without seeing how beautiful her heart was. I’m pretty sure when I was a kid I thought more about my Easter basket than how to love on my parents.

I even explained to Annada that when she woke up there would be a trail of eggs leading to her Easter basket – a basket with new toys and candy. Annada was quite excited about it. But she was bubbling over with joy over her idea, “I’ll go get my basket while you eat breakfast!” she said.

So that afternoon Annada and I planned out a menu of things that she could prepare. We went shopping together and bought fresh fruit, cheese and juice boxes. Annada started working on something at her art desk she wouldn’t let me see. Once when I walked in her room unannounced she yelled out, “Mom! I’m making decorations. Shut the door!”

The night before Easter Annada asked Daddy to get the breakfast and bed tray and put it next to our bed. She and I cut and washed the fruit, cut the cheese and put the plates, napkins and juice she had picked out together in a bag in the fridge.

We put the eggs out leading her to her Easter basket. I was curious what would win out in the morning.

The next morning I heard “Eggs!” as Annada began collecting the ones at her door. A minute or so later, though, I heard her run down the stairs. Marc and I sat up and smiled. Pretty soon she came bursting in with our breakfast and a cheerful “Happy Easter!”

She put the bag on the ground and pulled the tray up on to the bed. It was hard, but she did not want us to help. Then she opened the bag and set each place. Then she got each food item and carefully made each plate. Last she ran to her room to bring us each an Easter card and a package of art she had created for us each.

Only after we opened our gifts and started eating did she resume hunting for her basket. After she opened it, she joined us for breakfast. Best Easter morning ever.

We’ve been working hard getting Annada’s new room set up (Aragorn gets her old room). At first Annada had a lot of concern about switching beds. She’d happily sleep in the new bed (which is a bunk bed) if someone was sleeping below her (like Aunt Erica or Meme). But when it was just her, she’d switch back and forth.

Until… she discovered that she could fit ALL of her stuffed animals in the twin size bed. When I first saw her bed covered in a mound of 30+ stuffed animals/baby dolls I said no way. Without thinking it through I told Annada, “You don’t even fit in the bed! You have to be able to lay flat and comfortably or the animals go.”

Well, Annada immediately climbed up there and began very carefully arranging each animal and baby doll in her “nursery”. She found a way that each one could lay flat, have a blanket and still leave just enough room for her to nest in.

It reminds me of when she was a baby. She always loved sleeping either in my arms or in an infant rocker. It didn’t have to swing, it just needed to cuddle her on the sides. She also wanted to be swaddled with one arm out. When she got older, she slept pressed against the rails of the crib so that she woke up each morning with a mark on her forehead.

Even now she sleeps wrapped in a blanket with one arm out. If I cover her up in her sleep, the arm shoots back out right away. (An awful lot like she was in the womb too – one arm up).

So there is something extra sweet to me when I see her surrounded by animals, covered up, arm free, sleeping like… well, a baby.

Annada has been giving us a lot of dance shows lately. This morning she planned one out with Daddy. When I can down for breakfast she asked me to sit on the couch to be the audience for the ballet.

She hid under a blanket as he danced around and then stumbled on a “rock.” When he bumped the rock, the rock fairy came out and danced for a long time.

Then Daddy sat down on the couch and pretended to be a princess trapped in a tower (he really is the best dad ever). Only the rock fairy could save him. He let down a special red rope Annada had made for the performance and the rock fairy freed him.

They danced with joy.

Then the rock fairy ran off, leaving the princess (Marc) to dance in despair (not so much dancing happened once she was around the corner, but that’s our secret). A couple of minutes later the rock fairy came back with a horse for them to ride away on. And again they danced for joy.

When the show was done, I clapped for them. Then Annada ran down the hall and called out that the actress was available for pictures in the lobby. So, of course I had to get one :).

And please don’t mistake her for a butterfly. That is very offensive. She is a fairy.