i can't believe that tomorrow is christmas eve. this has been one interesting year. matthew said, this past year has been like a movie. no one would believe this was really truly my/our life.

liam is a little weed. i swear he has hollow legs. he can put away the food like no other. he weighs about 12-13 pounds according to my "process" of weighing with and without him. he goes for his 4 month check up January 19th.

i could do without the bacchus pub. it's stealing my husband.

we are going to reconcile with the catholic church late january/early february- have our past marriages and divorces annulled and our marriage together blessed in the catholic church. need to to locate applicable documents for matt and i.

i need to hire a housekeeper. i just haven't done it yet and now it's the holiday.

also need to finish the bacchus head i'm restoring/re-painting.

laundry has created mountains in my house. i can't seem to stay focused long enough to finish it. instead of a housekeeper i need a personal assistant or a MAID. a "frauline."

snow is INCREDIBLE. i cannot believe how much we've gotten and are continuing to get.

lots of blessings to count.

started praying the rosary with liam at night. i need to make him a little one his size so when he is older, he can pray with me. another project, another day.

listing for savvy. set up a small home office in the corner of the dining room. after christmas, i'm turning the dining room into a sitting room. we never use this tiny space. why not stick another lamp here and a comfy chair for reading and gazing out the sliding doors.

i hope matt gets to come home soon.

made soup for christmas eve at the tarpeys. going to 10PM mass tomorrow.

sleepy. finally got liam to sleep. now it's my turn. just finished my cocoa, must refrigerate soup and then precious sleep.

an email, an update.

Hello from finally winter Montana!!

Liam and I are sitting on the couch- he is sitting propped up on a pillow. He's not a fan of laying down. He'd rather Mom (I) hold him or sit up next to me so he can see everything! Although right now, he is giving me a dirty look and fussing because he'd rather be in my arms this time around.

Liam is growing SO incredibly fast. He had his 2 month Dr. visit on Tuesday. He is now 9lbs 3 oz and 20 3/4 inches long!! He is now "on the charts" as far as growth is concerned. The fifth percentile for head growth and the seventh percentile for his weight. Liam also rolled twice at the Dr-- his first time! He rolled over again today. He rolls to his left. Mom disclosed to me the other day that as a baby I never crawled- I rolled everywhere I wanted to go. That may explain some things.... But back to Liam. The Dr. said she felt safe to say that Liam is "pretty much out of the preemie stage." He can lift his head about 90 degrees and roll to one side. He's actually almost AHEAD of some children his age. He's eating like a little monster and has eyelashes that go on FOREVER.

Also "in the news" Matt and I had a small civil ceremony on November 7th here in Bozeman. We are now officially, an entire TARPEY family! Matt's sister, Jeanine and her husband, Jake, attended with us as our witnesses. The judge who solemnized our vows- was truly wonderful. Very elderly gentleman with a heart of gold. Matt and I were both thrilled to have him officiate as he made it very personal and unique for the two of us. We were met outside (on this rainy day) by Matt's brother Jim and his wife, Azure throwing Rice-A-Roni at us!! After snuggling Liam in the car, we lifted the back door of my Nissan and had some celebratory glasses of champagne. I must tell you that we were STILL in the parking lot of the "Law and Justice Center" with our open containers. Ha ha, what is a day without an adventure! Matt, Liam and I headed to Chico Hot Springs for the weekend immediately following. Saturday, that next day, we hosted a fabulous dinner at Chico for our immediate family... all 3 of Matt's sister and his 2 brothers and their spouses as well his mother, my mother and my sisters (minus 1). It was a great time. I have pictures of this weekend-- however I haven't gotten them from Jeanine's camera just yet. I'll send them as soon as I get them.

A high school girlfriend from Chicago came to visit me last week. She was able to stay for a week. It was so nice to have her spend time with me. Liam and I showed her around our area and Matt's family adopted her as one of their own. Matt even babysat the Friday night she was here so we could have girls night out!! Matt did a great job and us girls had a fantastic time! I haven't been out in MONTHS... so it was quite exciting for me!

In other news... Matt is working on opening the Pub downtown. He just had many interviews this week and hired a full staff of servers/cocktail waitresses/bartenders. He was having some issues with the town of Bozeman today regarding opening on December 6th--- the town of Bozeman is absolutely HORRIBLE to deal with in regards to businesses as they make it very difficult and can often be just downright rude and ridiculous...which in our case, makes it good, less competition!

I've been working on Christmas cards- so this year when you get yours... it's been handmade and is one-of-a-kind... there is none like it!

and Liam.... well, he's just busy growing !

as for our wiener dog Lily Jo, she's a nightmare and keeps doing VERY naughty things. I keep telling her to be careful or she may end up with a new family!!! I just can't keep up with her destructive ways!

So all is well here...

today, i will officially be Mrs. Matthew Tarpey.

11-7-2008

november 7th is the big day.

very excited.

giddy.

like a school girl.

oh so random.

Do you have your eye on anyone?
only the one i love

Are you happy with your life at the moment?
very much so

What would your last name be if you married the last person you hugged?
that would be creepy, it was my son. but Tarpey.

What is something you disliked about your day?
my headache

How did you get to sleep last night?
shut my eyes

Did you go outside for more than 30 minutes today?
no...

Anyone you would like to get things straight with?
eh, no.
over it!

What's something you would wish on your worst enemy?
that's awful. nothing.

Gotta hickey?
uhhhh--no!

Last sporting event you watched on TV?
football

Last thing that touched your lips?
a cheeto

Do you have any career ideas yet?
indeed, wife & mother.

Are you okay with abortion?
no.

What TV show should never stop getting produced?
Grey's :)

Happier on your own or with someone?
depends on the day and time really. i do like being alone sometimes with ME time.

Can you whistle?
wouldn't win me an award

Waiting on anything?
YES! my baby to come home!!

What shoes did you wear today?
grey a&f flip flops..

Did you wake up in the middle of the night last night?
yep... to pump.

Anything you need to do?
oh, pump, yet again.

Relationship or hook-up?
Relationship

What are you doing tomorrow?
traveling to the hospital at liam's feeding times and pumping and catching a cat nap when i can.

Have you ever cried cause you were mad?
yes. by the time i cry it's out of pure frustration.

If you were in the hospital would your number one come see you?
he stayed with me silly.

Anything bothering you right now?
still have a headache.

Would it hurt to see the one you like making out with someone else?
it would, but he would never do that.

Could you go a day without eating?
no. my blood sugar is too fickle.

What was the reason you got grounded for last?
well, i'm well past this age...

Have you ever kissed anyone whose name started with a R?
nope.

Where is the furthest place you've traveled?
mexico. heading to ireland this summer :)

If you could have one thing right now what would it be?
how about $24 million dollars.

Did you wear anything you borrowed from someone today?
who would i borrow from??/

What was for dinner last night?
hm, good question. i don't remember. O, tomato soup.

How has the week been?
slow and discouraging, and i miss matt.

Have you ever seen your best friend cry?
yes

What was the last movie you watched?
love guru- stupidest movie.

Have you ever liked someone older than you?
ha ha, he's 13 years older :)

When is the next time you'll see your best friend?
tonight? when he gets here... i hope tonight and not tomorrow!!

Have you ever had a pet fish?
yes, i have.

more pics.

also uploaded all the pics my mom took here:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2069611&l=2dc08&id=43806054

he's here...

liam foster tarpey
born: sept 17th, 1:44 am
4 lbs 12 oz, 18 inches long

our miracle baby.


will post more later...

learning to speak fetus

can you believe it... tomorrow is the day!

well, i'm praying tomorrow is. they plan on starting me on a pitocin drip around 8 AM. i keep hearing horror stories about that drug- how it won't work or i will be in labor for two days. i'm praying selishly, it all ends tomorrow. i asked if i could walk today to see if i could get things naturally started and they said, "NO." the dr. is in bozeman today giving a clinic and they don't want me going into labor tonight. curses. i told matt, "screw that. i'm walking around this room then!" i made him take me on a slightly bumpy wheel chair ride with jim and azure and the kids to a park with a creek. ellyse is hilarious. she has to do everything and be everywhere aiden is. oh little sisters!!!

just watched birth videos with matt. i think he is more freaked out than me.... i'm feeling fairly peaceful right now! matt said he is all for the epidural after we watched that clip!

i'm praying and praying- please pray and pray ... i know it's a selfish request and everything is in God's hands... so really ultimately i ask for peace and patience and to remember to fully put my trust in God.... i'm also asking that the pitocin works quickly, Liam comes tomorrow and NO C sections or any further complications!!!!!!

i'll let you know as soon as i get a chance what the news is.

thank you for your prayers and thoughts- you are much a part of this joy and i am SO blessed.

Liam says "see you soon." (i'm learning to speak fetus)

oh and P.S. my butt and lower back have never hurt this bad. i can't sit, i can't lay. i'm ready!!!

Liam and Matthew

today is Liam's 34 week celebration day. you can't all it a birthday, since he has not been BIRTHED yet. it's his gestational age and a huge cause for celebration. a lot of the medical professionals are amazed Liam is 34 weeks now and that i'm still here!

my induction is scheduled for tuesday. i'm terrified of giving birth, but i think i am finally starting to get brave... or convince myself that I CAN DO THIS. and the end result- my precious little man!

i also have to mention how wonderful matthew is. if i have to be all mushy and cliche, he IS indeed my soul mate. only my family can read my mind. we all speak our own "language;" vague pointing with even vaguer descriptions of "that thing." my family is loud and proud. like i said, only have i know my family to speak my language and completely, well as much as their 100% ..understand me- until matt. the other day matt was doing a crossword and we had just gotten done eating. i leaned over the fetal monitor and said "baby?"

matt's response was one of those "yesssss?" (es)

"do you know what i'm going to say?"

"you are going to ask me to put the food away and when i do, go get you a candy bar."

i still laugh thinking about this. that's EXACTLY what i was going to say. how did he know that?!?! even matt said there is no better match than the two of us. we're just the pieces that fit together! if you give a mouse a cookie, he will ask for some milk. ha ha.

i'm such a lucky woman. i am going to soon have two of the greatest men to be in love with. big cheesy grin here.

random.

i've just spent an hour watching coldplay videos (and amos lee). this is one of my favorite songs off their newest album "viva la vida." although i fully support our soldiers- this IS coldplay's first anti-war song. this is actually the 2nd video coldplay released for this song. the first included various political figures. aside from the anti war thematics, i find the tempo and composition to be extremely catchy and several of the lyrics to be quote worthy.



"when the future's architectured by a carnival of idiots on show, you'd better lie low."

i am highly amused at how much apple martin looks so much like her father, chris.

my butt hurts.

today ends "four more days" and turns into "three more days" within the next few hours.

i'm terrified. will i be able to handle labor? passing a baby out of my tiny little pee pee hole? yikes. i just have to remember the end result- my little Liam!!

in other news, my butt hurts. i had heating packs to target the pain... which is at the hip bone. the heat packs don't last long though.

well, almost monitor time aka Liam's time to shine.

i've been drinking water like a camel... that's good. although i store it nothing like a camel. in fact, i don't store it at all. thankfully, Liam is crushing my bladder, so i frequent the throne.

p.s. lego indian jones.... coolest game ever. i almost have it completed :)

5 more days!

i won't indulge you on my fantastic night... the fact that Ambien makes me feel extremely drunk. i had dinner, took the sleeping pill, matt rubbed my back for a bit, i fell crashing to my pillow- ready to be OUT for the count. seconds later.... i'm running for the bathroom. completely missed that. on the floor, on the wall. i only made it to the bathroom sink. then i'm standing there shaking, holding the robe that's falling off of me, looking at the nurse in bewilderment. STUPID pill. it makes me SO out of it-- it's creepy. the nurse dressed me in a new robe and then proceeded to give me a shot of phenagrin in my butt. lovely. they wouldn't let me drink anything... because i forgot to mention, that after i threw up and redressed, i drank water and threw that up. so at five this morning, they let me drink. matt got me an apple juice and ice pop from the maternity floor "stash." devoured those. and today, i feel awful. you know how you feel after throwing up-- jittery and weak. and i guess the phenagrin makes you feel sleepy. anywho, the morning nurse is going to see if the dr./dr's nurse can prescribe me another pill such as benadryl for sleeping. seriously, the ambien SCREWS me up.

i'm ready for this to be over. i have 5 more days. i keep reminding myself to be brave and hang in there. i'm getting so worn out. praying for strength.

------
How old do people usually guess you are?
either my age or younger.


What friend do you tell the most to?
my mom and matthew hear it all.


How's your heart lately?
during my anxiety attacks like i had yesterday... or now?


Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?
matthew


Have you ever punched a hole in the wall?
goodness no.


Where is the weirdest place you've changed clothes?
a car? that's hard to do.


What's in your cd player?
i have 5 CDs in my car.... lets see if I can remember... Duffy, Gavin DeGraw, Coldplay's new CD, that's all i can remember.


If you could do something differently, would you go back?
Nah, things happen for a reason.


What will you be doing in a half hour?
Hopefully sleeping.


Who is the last person you talked on the phone with?
Mom


Do you have any plans for Christmas?
it will be my son's first christmas!


Did you have plans today?
ha ha, are you kidding?!


Favorite quote from the song you're listening to?
life, flows from God.


What kind of bottoms are you wearing?
ha, not wearing bottoms! oh okay, other than these gorgeous mesh hospital undies.


Story behind your myspace name?
um... my name.


Are you sarcastic?
oh, dripping with it.


Are you shy?
Depends on the situation. definitely, NOT here at the hospital!!


Are you talkative?
Depends on the crowd.


What are you doing tomorrow?
sleeping and sitting in my comfy comfy bed. (rolls eyes)


Where was your last hug?
about 11 AM in my bed.


Do you secretly like someone?
well, THAT's not a secret!


What are you looking forward to?
Tuesday. but terrified.


Do you fall for people easily?
No. and not looking.


What's the last thing you put in your mouth?
grilled cheese. in fact i'm chewing it.


Have you ever kissed anyone named Trey?
Nope


How late did you stay up last night?
not sure... i'm in and out.


Can you live a day without TV?
well , not here. but after this...OH YES.


Would you ever become a vegetarian?
sometimes i can be.


What is wrong with you right now?
i am a pre-term prego woman.


What is the longest you have been in the car for a road trip?
oh long time.


Have you ever been around someone who was high?
Yes.


How many months are there until your birthday?
3... from october.

Did you like anyone last summer?
same person.

i'm still here, which is a huge answer to prayer. the dr. and nurses are amazed that i'm still here and still pregnant- in which case i just remember how many people are praying for us; there are people we don't even know!

i am not using my cell phone anymore...

this: is terrifying.


http://www.koreus.com/video/telephone-portable-mais-popcorn.html

matthew william

How well DO you know your significant other?? be honest!!!........20 Q's






1. They are watching TV.
baseball, fox news or SVU


2. You're out to eat. what kind of dressing do they get on their salad.
blue cheese.


3. What's one food this person doesn't like?
i don't think he is a fan of oysters in the shells. the slippery gross ones.


4. You go out to the bar. He/she orders......
guinness, marga-tini or some kind of beer.


5 . Where did he/she go to high school?
in Denver


6. What size shoe do they wear?
13


7. If this person were to collect anything, it would be......
ha, he keeps receipts for tax purposes. they are ALL over the house.


8.What is their favorite type of sandwich?
he likes a bunch. philly cheese steak is always a high winner.


9. This person could eat __________ everyday.
probably pasta with me. although he says he needs to stop eating that... he doesn't realize he is marrying an italian...??


10. Favorite cereal?
he doesn't eat cereal... but he will eat oatmeal.


11. This person wouldn't be caught dead wearing...
girls clothes and probably any shirt that read" Abercrombie & Fitch" across his chest...haha


12. Favorite sports team?
da BEARS and the cubbies (of course)


13.Who will he/she vote for?
probably mccain...although not a fan of either candidate.


14.What is their sign?
gemini


15.What is something you do that he/she wishes you didn't?
eat like someone is going to take away his food any second.


16.How many states has this person lived in?
mmm... colorado, montana, illinois, wisconsin, NY and NJ ( I THINK )... 6


17. What's his/her nickname?
no nicknames... other than the Daddy ;)


18. You bake them a cake for their birthday...
hm. i baked him a chocolate cake two years ago. i probably wouldn't bake a cake special for him though... he likes other desserts more.


19.Did he/she play sports in high school?
yes... you name it, he played it. although he did not run track.


20. This person could spend hours......
during the week he spends HOURS playing golf!

there is just no wrong way to eat a reeses

1. had another ultrasound today. i have less fluid... but still enough. Liam's face was squished up against the placenta but we watched and got to see his little mouth open and close. i didn't know they did that!! it was the funniest and cutest thing. i'm still here for another 3 weeks. Dr. DID say that it is a possibility we can hold out a little past the 34 weeks and go home to Bozeman, since after 34 they would be able to handle a baby Liam's age. they are going to keep monitoring me of course and Liam and play everything by ear until then.

2. SVU marathon this afternoon, BUT, i've seen all of them so far.

3. going to have Fish & Chips from Old Chicago for dinner. I couldn't decide if I wanted pizza again tonight or not... since we had that last night (not from Old Chicago).

4. my back hurts. i missed the massage lady today since i was napping. she's VERY gentle though... i can hardly feel it!

5. i played Ice Cream Tycoon today. DON'T LAUGH... if you knew the boredom... it COULD have been Dora the Explorer. free trial i found online. i want Oregon Trail and one of the Sims... like SimFarm, SimAnt, SimCity. Sim people aren't as fun... so I don't think I want that.

6. if there is one thing i have learned, in the hospital, you lose all sense of privacy and dignity. you get a beautiful gown with your butt sticking out the back. OH and these gorgeous mesh panties. they are two rectangles sewn together with holes to get in. they're "one size fits all." it's great.

Baby Update!

On Friday, I went to the Dr. on a "emergency" appointment. I had this suspicious something wasn't normal... I felt like I was suddenly incontinent. After some tests, they confirmed my water (amniotic fluid) was leaking and stuck me on an airplane to Billings to get immediate care since I was much too early for the Doctors and medical team in Bozeman. And so.... I've been here in lovely, lovely Billings since Friday night.

They did do an ultrasound in Bozeman to make sure my cervix was still long and close... which it was. But to take no chances they shipped me off as quick as they could.

NEVER in my life have I had an IV and I HATE HATE needles... so that was an adventure. They tried to get a port into my arm in Bozeman, couldn't get it in, so they stuck the IV in my hand. In the ambulance the IV infiltrated ( needled popped thru the vein and liquid was not going into a vein anymore ) and a paramedic had to stick my OTHER arm. HE was able to get it in... without the numbing this time. YOUCH! They gave me some hefty drug on the way over to the airport. OH and in Bozeman, they had to take 4 vials of blood. Eep. AND OH!!! They ALSO gave me a catheter (awful, awful awful) and a steriod shot in my lovely hind end!

This steriod is to help Liam's lungs develop. They put me on Magnesium immediately to stop any possible contractions so that they could get 2 steriod shots in within 48 hours. Magnesium is just awful stuff.

Friday night was a BLUR. They had me on so many drugs, thank God, my mom was able to come with me!! And even better... thank heaven my sister Emily was able to go to the Dr. with me ... she helped me handle all the news and the flurry of medical peoples. :)

So I was on Magnesium until Monday morning and then they took me off- yay!! They also gave me antibiotics via IV. The antibiotics are to prevent any infection since I'm ruptured. Infection will put Liam at risk. They were able to take me completely OFF the IV and take out my port on Monday afternoon. Then I started to take the antibiotics by mouth.

Everyday they hook me up to a monitor for an hour every AM and PM. This monitor "monitors" the baby's heartbeat and his response to contractions. Yesterday, they were a concerned that Liam's heartbeat did not have a lot of variation to it (they like to see a little up and down). SO.... they stuck my arm AGAIN and hooked me back up to the IV to pump me with fluids to see if that didn't perk him up. IT did! I was able to get off the IV this morning...although the port is still in. I try not to look at it... I'm such a squeemish baby. They also took my blood AGAIN (they took it Tuesday) to run tests on it. Here they were sticking in the port and taking blood and I was already nauseated, so that just sent me over the edge. Bugger.

They also did another ultrasound on Monday to see how much amniotic fluid I still had-- A LOT!!! Thank God. The Dr. says we will do another probably tomorrow. The tech gave me pictures of Liam when she was done-- I swear his little profile looks just like his daddy! He's so stinkin cute! I get so tickled looking at his little pictures.

Anyhow, they have me on bedrest in the hospital in Billings until Liam is born. I am praying that I can keep him "cooking" longer. They say 1 day in the womb is 2-3 days less in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The Dr. told me yesterday that they will induce me at 34 weeks though... the risk of infection gets too great for Liam if we get too greedy and try to keep him in. I will be 31 weeks on Saturday- so three more weeks. I'm terrified of giving birth, but considering all the other "awful" things they;ve done to me in the past 5 days- I can do birth!!!

Nothing about bedrest is REST. But I just have to remind myself this is for Liam and that makes it worth it! The nurses have been sweet and such a blessing. I'm eating as much as I can so Liam can have some more weight on him- room service knows me well.

Liam will have to stay in the NICU for a while after he is born. Since he will be pre-term, they will need to make sure he can breathe and eat on his own, as well as gain weight before they let him go home. Breathing and eating are difficult for babies... and all the more difficult for preemies. Matt & I visited the NICU yesterday and it's a very nice place and the Doctors and nurses there are extremely kind. They have a Ronald McDonald house across the street that we can stay in since Liam will have to stay here a bit. I am praying that he won't have to stay long. It will be difficult to not be able to bring him home!

It's funny... I've been praying since I was pregnant that God would prepare me to be the mother and Matt, the father, he wanted us to be for Liam. I never imagined we would have to go through this of course... but I am amazed at how God answers prayers sometimes. This definately has and will continue to bring Matthew and I together. Not to mention, I have had to be more brave than ever before and patient!! What a challenge I have been given. I am glad I have been able to see it as a good challenge though... I know it will continue to be (I'm already ready to jump out the window!) but I feel as though this is what I needed... and Matt to be the parents God wants us to be. It has really been an eye opener for Matt - to be closer and more attentive to me... I know that was difficult for him to do sometimes since he had been a bachelor for so long!! I know this experience will REALLY change Matt and make him grow... especially after he holds our little man.

We'd love your thoughts and most importantly prayers... for both of us parents and for baby Liam.

Pray that baby Liam will be strong and healthy when he is born and that he stays in longer!!

Pray that I would have courage and patience. Bedrest is extremely difficult for me. I'm a "both ends candle burner!!!"

Pray that that God would continue to use this experience to grow Matt and I.

Will keep you updated when I have any more news.

Thank God, it's all status quo for now !