Life Goes On...

I just cannot seem to keep up with this blog anymore! Last post was...well...a very long time ago. At that time I thought I was back blogging for sure, but that was a fail. I would like to get back to it, but no idea how often I can post. Things are always crazy and busy around here for sure!

There's a bunch of nothing and a ton that has happened in the past few months, most of it not new news, just me finally sharing on here to fellow followers. I am just a few months away from delivering another sweet baby boy! We are so excited that Braedan will be having a little brother to play with and love. It's always a strange thought or process to think about "when are we going to try for our next baby" it's such a big decision to change your family, to change the way things were, and it's easy to think that in an instant it will just happen. Heck, with Braedan we said ,let's make a baby, and it literally happened within days! And then we were off with all the normal scares and excitements of any pregnancy. It wasn't so easy this time around.

We decided to begin trying for baby #2 around the end of March. I at that point had switched to a more natural family planning method/fertility charting (and plan to do so again after baby is born), and it was exciting knowing exactly when everything was happening with my body. It was also nerve wracking the end of every month when I knew it would be time to test, and hoping that those pink lines would appear. Each month came with a little disappointment, but also a good feeling knowing that I knew for sure that I was not pregnant and didn't have to worry about all the things you worry about "when you're pregnant". And then May came. As mentioned in previous post, I had gone to a Living Proof Live conference. I remember just feeling tired, weird, minor cravings, and then the last day after lunch I lost my cookies. A small part of me (okay, a BIG part) hoped that it was baby sickness...and I brushed it off for gallbladder. So that next Wednesday, May 26th to be exact (my friend's birthday!) I saw the two pink lines. I was so excited, but also was hoping that the lines would get darker than they were, as it was very early still. So I tested the next few days...and it didn't get darker. And I was temping as well, and it was staying high, good sign. We didn't say anything to anyone (well one person was aware as of that Sunday, but no one else). We didn't want to share until we knew for sure all was good. And then Monday came.

Monday morning was Memorial Day. What a day of Memorial it was to become for us. First thing in the morning I took my temp, and it had dropped. Super sad moment. I was scared. I wasn't feeling right. Something was not right. And then in happened. I started to bleed. I knew right away, and my day was ruined. I ended up taking a test, and it was confirmed. We had lost the baby. It was a sad, heartbroken day, and only three friends knew about it. It was hard for weeks to not be able to share, as no one one knew, and we decided to keep it that way because I think that so many people do not understand situations like that, they don't know what to say, and many end up saying the wrong things. It continued to  be hard especially in the next month when the tissues of the pregnancy had finally "passed" through my body. To spare the detail of that I will not share,but those of you who have experienced this know exactly what I am talking about. It was sad. That baby would have been due February 4th, 2011. Now it's March of 2011. I am at peace with  the situation, and know that there was nothing wrong I did and that baby just wasn't forming right most likely. No one really ever knows why a baby is lost in most cases, but it happens. Probably more often than you think and to friends of yours who, just like me, just didn't feel like sharing that deep hurt in their lives.

And then came October. We had continued to try for a few months for another baby, but just casually. Not super strict at all. It had been 6 months of trying so far, and we decided to "take a month off" of the planning and charting, as it was nothing but disappointing every month. But around the time when I normally ovulate, I decided to temp, just to see where I was. So it was sort of, half a month off. October 9th was a Saturday, and my mother was coming to visit that day. I took a test in the morning, I was trying to figure out where I was in my cycle. And to my surprise,  two pink lines showed up. I did not know what to think. I was excited, and showed James, and we decided to keep it our secret for now, maybe get past the marker point of when we had lost the last one. But as days passed, I knew it was different. I just knew that it was going to be ok. I wasn't as fearful, but still cautious and hesitant, I wanted to tell everyone, but tell no one at the same time. So we didn't tell anyone. Well...except the one person found out because she's a friend on the fertility site I was using...I thought I had blocked my charts, and I did, but at the very top of my home page it automatically posts a BFP (which stands for "big fat positive" for those who don't know), and I was busted haha. But that was ok. No one else found out for a little while. We were excited. After 6 months of trying and one loss, we had finally conceived a baby, what we now know is our second baby boy, and we are very excited.

This pregnancy has been tough, the last one was tough too...tough as in sick allllll theeee timmmmmeeeee. Yep. Not cool. I spend Sunday mornings puking my guts out and trying to get to the church on time for rehearsal, but for the most part all has been good. It has been a big adjustment trying to deal with pregnancy exhaustion, morning sickness, and a toddler at the same time, but still fun. Braedan understands that there is a baby in mommy's belly, and it's really funny when he tries to kick the baby, because baby kicks him. No he hasn't actually kicked my stomach, it's just funny he thinks he can. But he's a good boy. I think he's going to be a good big brother. And from the scans so far, it looks like this baby might end up looking similar to Braedan.

So that is a long post, but just some things I needed to get down. I hope to be back soon, sooner than last time, but we are getting close now. I have 15 weeks left of this pregnancy. So strange to think that about 10 weeks from now was when Braedan was delivered. I do hope for full time this time, but one never knows. Anything can happen. So long for now fellow readers. Spring is coming!

When You Don't Get Enough Sleep...

It has occured to me that I have let my blogging slide again. Both blogs have been ignored for a few weeks it seems, and all due to the ongoing illness of my household. It al started with me just being plain exhausted, giving up trying to exercise, and dealing with random pains in my body (which I associated with the fibromyalgia and gall bladder issues, and boy was I wrong). I thought nothing of it, but was too run down to blog when I got a chance. Then, B started getting snotty (not snippy....green nose snotty) and coughing slightly. Then, all of a sudden on a Friday evening (about a week and a half ago), B woke up with that barking cough, you know the kind, where you pack everyone up and head to the ER to make sure he can breathe properly and doesn't have bronchitis or croup. Croup it was, and an upper respiratory infection. So a few hours later we were home again, home again, jiggity-jig...or something like that, but no sleep for us. No sleep for a few nights due to the horrible coughing. Me, on the other hand, I was still already exhausted from my bout of whatever was going on. I thought for sure I had an upper respiratory something as well (and I did) which had caused B's spur of illness in the first place, so we made doc appointments for the Monday following. Fast forward a few days.

Sure enough, I was sick. In fact, I have mono. No wonder I have been so darn tired! No wonder my throat and nodes are killing me! It's a miracle any dishes have made it to the dishwasher in a few weeks because I have been so run down my kitchen floor has dirt on it...literally. z-e-r-o--e-n-e-r-g-y. That's me.  So that is where I have been, sitting on my couch and trying to play around with my lil B who is fine and dandy now and poor boy doesn't understand why mommy isn't so energetic. So I am trying hard to chase him around and be happy mommy and play, but I am just overwhelmed right now and having one of those "moments"...you know, the kind where you just want to be anywhere but here (that is, anywhere as long as I am sleeping). I feel bad that I just want to be gone right now, but I have no energy, and haven't really actually slept good in a while, and I am tired. And today I expended more energy than I had by putting up a mirror, putting together a large shelf, making noodles, taking B with daddy to the eye docs, running around the house with B and now cooking dinner...and I am supposed to keep going? Speaking of dinner, I hear the chicken boiling over. All this to say, I have not left and I will be back with more life updates soon, soon as I have a bit more energy. Until then, happy reading!

Just One Of "Those" Days...

I have decided that I just need to do something with myself. Do you ever just have one of "those" days? You know, the days where you just feel down, where you can't look at yourself in the mirror without feeling disgusted at how you've let yourself go. Seriously, I need to do something, and I need to do it NOW!

I always knew that once I had a child normal everyday things would become a bit more difficult, but I didn't really realize that I would only be showering only every other day (if I'm lucky), that my child wouldn't really sleep well at night to allow me to work out or whatever I may need to do, or that I would be fighting to try to get him to eat SOMETHING...but I also didn't realize that I would have so much joy in watching my son stir a spoon in an empty pan thinking he is cooking or watching the evil grin smile that he has on his face when I catch him "in the act" or how beautiful he would be when he is sleeping in my arms...and that is just a wonderful thing. I wouldn't change any of it for the world...not even if it meant gaining another 20 lbs or so. It wouldn't matter!

But back to that "doing something" thing. It's time for me to get myself on the ball and start working out (or something!) Since I am baking a lot more and spending a lot of time in the kitchen making homemade foods and whatnot, I am afraid I will gain a little more. Now I haven't really gained weight since having my son, actually I am proud to say that last time I weighed myself (about 2 months ago) I was less than what I weighed before getting pregnant. Sweet! (Only the fat has seemed to relocate itself in such a way that it looks like I am bigger. Funny how that works!) But the biggest reason I need to get active is because my muscles just hurt. Most of you don't know, but I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2007 (along with connective tissue disorder causing reynauds and a few other things), so a lot of times I just don't feel well. When I became pregnant, all the pain went away, and it was wonderful! A few months after birth, it started to come back, but never as bad as it was beforehand. But today, today I just hurt. I ache everywhere. The thing about fibro is that it hurts to much to do anything, but working out is the only thing that will keep your muscles from freezing up. I am just not good at that "W" thing...Never have been. I have always been able to resort to unhealthy ways of being thinner and losing weight, and that's not me anymore. I eat healthy (except for my occasional chocolate sweets of course!) but am not active other than what a toddler allowing you to be active is. But I need to learn, or just start. It's time to do this and get healthy and feeling better!

It's time...that is, after I eat my brownie of course! (wonderful brownie recipe located at Adorkable Recipes. Check it out and make them!)

A Month And A Half Later...

As the title says, it is a month and a half since I wrote my last post. (I guess using the word "write" isn't really correct since I type a blog...not write...). There is so much to update and so little time! I suppose that first and foremost I am excited to be able to actually use the internet again! Trying to keep up on a blog on a cell phone is not that much fun. The keys are hard to type on after a while, and I usually seem to have a lot to say (since I go so far in between posts). James and I are finally moved into our house and mostly unpacked, still working on some of the stuff. We have so much space we don't know what to do with it all! Braedan loves running around, playing in the kitchen and going up and down the stairs. He has a whole playroom to himself, the loft area, and he even has his own (not quite put together) bedroom. We're teaching him to sleep in his big boy bed which currently is just his little mattress on the floor. For the most part, we don't use the ball anymore to put him to sleep, we have graduated to gliding in the chair. That is so much easier to do, and then we just lay him down in his bed and he sleeps anywhere from 1-5 hours. I prefer the 5 hours (even though I cannot sleep because I still worry about him breathing right lol). After that he sleeps with me, which I don't mind. It's not going to be forever. Braedan is doing so much now! It seems like every single day he is doing something different and I wonder where he learns half of it from! Right now he is running around the living room with my computer cord trying to figure out how to plug it back in or get it into the wall (which of course is covered by outlet covers : ). He says many words: please, yes, mom, dad, cat, and imitates lots of words we tell him to imitate, he also mimics several things we say. He blows kisses, gives high five's, waves (that's new today!), blows his nose (of course not quite properly lol), if I ask him to put something somewhere he does it, he responds to a lot, and....he even throws huge temper tantrums where he lets his body just melt to the floor and whines and cries...and I just let him be. He thinks he's something else. He loves to play the drums, he experiments with the big drums every week after church, and his grandpa bought him a mini drumset for christmas that he LOVES to play with! He's gonna be a rockstar. Braedan also likes to have music on, and he tries to sing. You can always tell the difference between talking and singing because his pitch changes as if he's really concentrating. He's so cool! I absolutely love my little boy! I can't believe that he is getting bigger and growing older....and he's 15 months. Well, there is so much more I could go on and on and on and on, but I must go for now. I am loving being home with my little man (and the big man too lol). I love being able to cook and take care of something that we (in 30 years lol) own. I hope it gets a little nicer out soon so I can take B out and have some fun! Been bitter icy cold lately. But, he has a nice new snowsuit that nana got him for christmas so maybe I will take him outside to make a snowman or snow angel. I think it's time for some pic updates too! Farewell dear friends, enjoy the evening. Hot cocoa is on the way at my house!

[caption id="attachment_126" align="aligncenter" width="461" caption="Braedan's first snow"][/caption]

The Time Just Flies On By...

It is unreal how the time is flying by. I realize I haven't posted anything in a very long while, and for that reason I guess it's a good thing I don't really have any faithful readers and that I write this blog for my own mere satisfaction. But, it has been a while. I sure do miss the internet, the kind of internet that is faster than 20 minutes a page...and I am thankful for blackberry apps as well. Anyway, here I am, again.

Right now I am outside playing with Braedan, one of his very favorite places to be. He loves the woods, the river, the sounds, the quiet, everything about the outdoors. And I consider us to be VERY outdoorsy in this bit of woods we are living in temporarily. I'm sure once we move that B will miss the wild freedom he has outside (although he will have a lot more freedom indoors in our new home!). And speaking of moving, we're still waiting.

We have started the home buying process, papers signed, bank appraised, and now onto rural developement who we hear is 2 weeks behind. We want so badly to be in our own home, with our own thigs, with our own space, and to be our own family again. We want to have the right do do what we want as a family and as a married couple without spacial restrictions. I . Very thankful for the home we've lived in over the past 3 months, but it's been hard, and we cannot wait to have our home.

Of course, Braedan is always growing, and I can't believe how quickly he's learning things and doing new stuff! He says words like light, outside, mama, nana, dadda, he respons with yes or no whenm he does or doesn't want something, he understands a lot of things when he's spoken to. He feels heavier all the time, and he's getting so tall! He looks more like a little boy than a baby. A few weeks back he had burnt his hands, and his bandages are finally off and his hands are healed! This past sunday at church he was glad to have had them off because he could play the drums again. He's going to be a good drummer someday. He does good holding the sticks in both hands and playing different drums. He also likes to play the piano, although strange sounds com$e out of that, but nonetheless, he loves music!

Well, I have lost my train of thought watching a very akward Oprah show, so I will go for now. Hopefully soon I will have a house and the internet! Tata!

Monkey Boy!

Well, we finally celebrated Braedan's first birthday after a long, torturous trip and hard work. :Here's the story:

We had been waiting all week long to be able to get ready for the party. I had purchased items to bake a really cool monkey cake that I found a picture of online (to see if I had any artistic ability and creativity left), and couldn't wait to get started! The only thing we weren't looking forward to was the drive to Lansing. Braedan has been notoriously known for constant screaming in the car on even the shortest of trips. We hoped this one would be good since he has gotten much better in the recent weeks before. So Friday arrived, we got him in the car and on the road. We were golden...until he woke up 50 minutes later screaming, so we stopped before it got too bad so he could calm down for a while. Back on the road. We had no more than pulled out of the McDonald's parking lot when Braedan started up again. We were so frustrated and hoped it would calm, but never did. His scream only escalated and sounded so piercing to the ears you feel deaf when he's done. He continued to scream and scream, nothing calming him until he so bad he threw up all over himself and his carseat. Then he began to choke on it, so we had to pull over. We stayed on the side of the road for a while to calm him down (he was soaking wet, drenched in sweat), and then after a long period of time we had to get on the road again, and I sat next to him in the back stea trying to talk to him and play with him, but even that hardly helped. So, screaming we went, all the way to grandma's house.

We were releived to finally be out of the car, which lasted only for a short time because Braedan is sensitive and I got a speech about how I have made him that way by "spoiling" him from actuallly choosing to comfort my child when he needed it. I just was angry after that point (I won't bother with the details because typing on my phone just takes too long). The night had to continue though because I had to get to work on the cake. And work it was.

I have baked a cake before, but apparently last night I couldn't do anything right. I filled the pans to full, I didn't mix right, I had too many questions and grandma was taking over. But eventually it was finished, and turned out beautiful! I even did the decorating by myself for my little monkey face cake. I was so proud I almost hated to cut it up today! It was worth the trouble. And to make my ever so long story short, Braedan did well at the party, ate his cake and tofutti ice cream, got a bath, and then we were on the road again. After the first hour of screaming we stopped, calmed him, let him nap, and then he fell asleep in the car. We just had a half hour of peace, but he just awoke crying again, so I must end my story...oh, there he goes escalating! Onto more wonderful adventures...life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what yer gonna get!

Tickle Toes and Houses

Now that I finally figured out that adding pictures to my post was why I couldn't post from my mobile app, I can post more often. So I thought giving a nice little update would be nice.

James and I have been looking for a house since we got here, and had our hearts set on one that just isn't going to work out due to potential ceiling issues and not being able to add on. So we started our preapproval process and found a realtor. Our realtor has not been helpful to us now is she communicating, and that has been frustrating! Our preapproval took forever to come through, but finally that is done and we were approved for a good amount...yay! So yesterday we went and found ourselves a new realtor and even viewed a few houses last night (none of which we liked), and we are going to look at a nice house this evening. I can't wait to see it! I just so badly want to have a house!!! (Not to mention the tax credit that comes along with it : ) hopefully we'll find the right one soon!

I cannot believe my son is already a year old! It is crazy how fast time flies! He is walking everywhere now and trying to talk. He knows where every single chime is at nanna's house and has to make them make "music" and it's cute. On sunday, the drummer at church sat with braedan in his lap and let him play, and he had so much fun! Braedan played on 2 drums, hitting them equal number of times and keeping tempo (one, two, three, switch, one, two, three)...I have a feeling we are going to have to get a real drum set someday for our little drummer boy!

Life is moving along, we just hope to have our own space soon, keep us in your prayers for that! James is finally starting to get paychecks, so hopefully our finances will be good soon (no thanks to unemployment that we never got). But overall we are doing well. I just wish I weren't living out of boxes and had my own stuff out!

Yay Blackberry Wordpress App!

(This post was actually written September 18th...but didn't post on time due to mobile app issues....just for date references)

Hello world! It has been such a long time since I updated, due to the many changes that have occured in the lives of my family. I suppose I'll start with our career changes.

James lost his job at Grace at the end of June. Since then, we have been fighting to get unemployment (which I guess we aren't getting) and also had already had an interest in a job at James' home church. We felt that West Branch was the direction we were supposed to move, and that's what we did.

I ended my job at MHUMC at the end of August and we spent a week packing and then moved up north. Since then, we have been living at his mom's house...hoping that we (sooner than later) find a home of our own. We want too take advantage of the tax credit, but are running out of time. So here we are, living out of boxes, I am now a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) and loving it (except for not having my own space), and James is full force into work as the new youth pastor at Ogemaw Hills. In fact, he is taking a trip with 45 people, mostly youth, to Cedar Point tomorrow! Things are going good!

Now for some Braedan news. I cannot believe that this Sunday is his very 1st birthday! I am so excited! He has been doing so many new things, and I haven't been able to update on them! He started crawling around 9 months, he says mom, dada, and tries to say kitty kitty which sounds more like kthktkth. It's cute. He loves the cat, chases and climbs her all day, and sometimes tries to cuddle her! He mumbles all sorts of words and points to everything, and he's learned to point to what he wants and where he wants to go. He has discovered that chimes make music and wants to play with them all day long. Also, being up north has been great for him. He loves to play outside and look at the trees and the lake, and anything else out there. He also is good at pausing and taking everything in, and you can tell he is learning so much. And his newest milestone is WALKING!!! Braedan started taking a few steps in the past week and each day he takes more and more. Today he walked from a chair to the couch, a good 8 steps or so, but he is ready to take off! I am so excited about all of the changes (not to mention his height change, has has to have grown a few inches just in the past 2 weeks!), now only if I could get the boy to eat more...

So, lots and lots of changes here, and I do hope to update more often, and with pictures too! (I completely forgot to mention a) that we had lost our battery charger and were unable to take many pics for a few months, but now have a new one, b) that we backed up our computer and lost every single pic we had and are hoping to get them restored, and c) that we now have our charger and uploader cord packed so again, no access to pics)...what an adventure the last few months have been! Now it is time to change a poopy diaper...but thank God someone created a wordpress mobile app!

Food Kick and Baby Face Updates!

I have been on a recipe food kick lately...since hubby and I pretty much make all of our own baby food, we have been opened up to a whole new world of combinations. There are so many fruits and veggies I have never tried before, and I love exploring! We just started using a new service called Door To Door Organics which allows you to purchase "boxes" of fruits and veggies for a great price. They have several different box sizes, and each week you can see what will be coming in your box, and you have the option to substitute items out. We ordered a "small" box for just $33, close to what we would have spent at the grocery store anyway on fresh stuff, only this is all organic and mostly local. In our box we received:

Bananas	4
Pluots, Dapple Dandy	1.25 lb
Strawberries	1
Valencia Oranges	3
Broccoli	1
Daikon, Bunch	1
Green Peppers	0.5 lb
Roma Tomatoes	1 lb
Romaine Lettuce	1
White mushrooms (8oz)	1
Yellow Squash	0.5 lb
Vidalia Onions	1 lb

 (and instead of the mushrooms we got 2 mangos).....The other great thing about this service is that you get in-season items, and it widely expands our cooking horizons.  So tonight for dinner I am going to make Roasted Daikon Radishes (radishes, carrots, onion, garlic, etc...sounds yummy!) and an Herb Chicken Bake. Can't wait to eat!

Now for my baby face updates! Braedan is getting so big! He is almost 10.5 months old, and at his last checkup he weighed 15 1/2 lbs. (under the chart), and I don't remember his height offhand. But his height jumped from the 22nd percentile to the 55th, and his weight dropped from 5th to under the chart. So doc was a bit worried about that. We are monitoring it and see where he stands at his year check up. He is just a picky eater. He likes to feed himself, and often, if he can't feed himself, he won't eat. He is eating finger foods, and other table foods, mashing things up pretty good even without teeth! Although, yesterday he started to cut his first tooth, and it looks like it hurts so bad! We have an amber teething necklace which we don't keep on him consistently, and I think we will now to see if it helps. My only worry is that it is a little loose, so it might now have the same effects if it were closer to the skin consistently. (For more info on teething necklaces check out my link to Inspired By Finn).

Our boy seems to be doing different things daily, and it's just amazing to watch him grow and get excited when he does something new. He says mom, mamma, bob, ktktktkt (we think he's trying to say kitty), and occasionally I catch him saying something close to "dat" (like da da), but some are far and few between. He's been crawling and walking around furniture like crazy since about 9 months, and now he is pushing up and standing all by himself! He also is learning how to hold objects and stand by himself. I am just waiting for those brave little steps! He is learning how to push a ball (both little and BIG!) and how to point, and spoon feed himself, although spoon feeding doesn't always happen lol. There are just so many changes I can't keep up with them all! I am so glad though that hubby and I finally bought a new camera charger, we weren't able to take pics (other than cell phone pics) for a while. Now we are clicking away!

Well this has been a long post, but some updates were essential! We have other updates to share, but I'll save that news for now until we know more facts! Let's just say we are excited for a change (and no I am not pregnant!) For now, enjoy my dinner recipe!

Roasted Daikon Radishes

2-3 daikon radishes
1 bag of baby carrots for less preparations
1 whole onion
salt
pepper
olive oil
1 clove garlic

Turn oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle and slather olive oil evenly on a flat baking pan.
Then peel and cut the daikons into 1/4 thick round slices. Try to be consistent with the cutting so that it can cook evenly. Spread it evenly on the baking pan.
Chop the onion into big chunks and spread it along with the baby carrots onto the baking pan
Mash the garlic and throw it on top of the vegetables.
Season the vegetables with salt & pepper and drizzle additional olive oil to cover
Put it in the oven and let it bake for about 45-60 min. uncover.
Good eats!

My Boy Is 8 Months...Wow!

Yeppers, that is true! I cannot believe how fast time is flying by! It seems like just yesterday we were in the hospital hoping and praying for B to be able to come home, and now he's sitting up, almost feeding himself, and on the verge of crawling! That's right...crawling! YIKES! James and I occasionally would work with B on "how to put up his hands and knees," but yesterday all of a sudden he just did it by himself! He mostly just scoots backwards right now, but he sometimes gets one or both knees up (and then falls shortly after) and sometimes he gets himself up in "pushup" stance. It's all too cute and funny. I will have to post videos once I upload them!

On another note, B is also starting to get more happier by the day. His times away from mom and dad seem to be getting much smoother/easier, and he is just so playful now; more playful than ever before. It's ust amazing! We thought he was on drugs a few days ago! He still has his moments though, and that's ok. He also does much better in a car seat (FINALLY!) except when he is really trying to sit up. He can't stand having to be half laying down in his baby car seat, but he's still just a little guy. Time for a new car seat soon I think!

I am hoping to start posting more on here now that we are settled into our new (rental) home. I was just thinking today of how nice it is to have a backyard and a deck where people can just come and relax, and I can have more than one person in my kitchen and not be crowded. It's amazing. Although, after having a kitchen of this size, I don't think that I could ever go back to having a smaller one. Especially not on my Betty Crocker days lol. 

Well, B is in bed (has been for over an hour, knock on wood!), so I think it's time for mommy to get a nap in while she can! So I think I may do just that. And I may upload a pic or two as well, just for cuteness sakes! Good night to all!

 

[caption id="attachment_89" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Braedan just being happy."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_90" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Braedan playing in the grass."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_91" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="And playing in the grass."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_92" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Time To Eat!"][/caption]

Always On Mondays...

That's the line...Sunday's and Monday's Lil' B does something new, every week. Never fails. This week it is screaming. It's actually kind of cute (but can be annoying to some I would assume!)He is so verbal now, responding a lot to everything...but instead of goo goos and gaa gaas it's AHHHHHHIIIIIIHHHHHIIIIII (that was a high pitched scream...). I think he can scream in a higher pitch than I could ever sing, but it's just so cute!

On another note, we're starting to see when he's "playing" us. It's cute too, but I am sure it will get old fast. We can definitely tell when he is faking a scream cry. The best is when he is "crying" but smiling at the same time, and he knows we caught him. 

We did find out what his fav food is so far, bananas! He loves em a ton! It's a long way from his apple reaction before...don't think we'll be trying those anyways, last time he ate em his arms broke out. But he loves those nanners! Today we gave him sweet potato for the first time, and he liked it alright...just had to mix it with cereal and milk first. 

Braedan gets his 6 month check up this Friday, and I can't wait to see how much he's grown! We already know weight-wise he's grown, last Thursday he had an appointment and he was already 14lbs. 2oz!! Just crazy. He's a ham though. I just can't imagine my life without my baby boy!!!!

Time To Eat!

About a week or two ago we decided it was time to start giving our little man some solids. We started out with the classic rice cereal mixed with breast milk, and he loves it! It started off a little rocky trying to get it in, but he's got it down now! Like all crazy camera parents, we decided to videotape the feeding. And, we hadn't posted in a while, so we thought it would be really funny to post some videos so you can see Lil B in action!

Today, we decided it was time to start pureeing some foods. So we tried to good ol' apple for the first food. Baby B helped mamma get everything ready, but I had to put him in the swing in another room when I turned the food processor on. He was not a fan of that. Too loud. Once we had all the food ready, we put him in his little seat and then...SEE BELOW! The faces he made when trying apples were just priceless! I just can't type it out. So, I have posted a video below. Let's just say that we won't be trying apples again for a bit. Maybe next time we'll try something a bit more bland! Enjoy!

Here's the rice cereal video: first time eating rice cereal

And here are the apple videos: first time eating apples doesn\'t like apples!

Sweet Giggles.

The sweetest sound you'll ever hear is when your baby giggles at you for the first time. And it was. I almost cried!

For a few weeks B has been doing these super huge grins and what we like to call "silent laughs". They are adorable. He opens his mouth really big and pushes his face forward and squints his eyes and it is just precious. Sometimes he even makes this sound that is like a half-laugh. But today I was bouncing him and singing him random silly made-up singy-songs and he just started giggling! It was so precious! he even did it again until he got tired, then it was nap time. I felt bad because daddy missed it, but he will do it again I am sure. We have been waiting for him to laugh and he finally has!

Braedan also rolled over again the other day. He seems to only do it when I am not looking at him. For instance, I put him on the floor and turned around to grab some toys and when I turned back around he was already laying on his back. Now he is working on getting his legs up under him when he is on his tummy. He holds himself up on his forearms sometimes and keeps his head high. He is just too cute.

I still have not gotten pics uploaded other than to facebook, and when I update here I am usually not on my computer...so...for another day.

Anyway, I am a happy mommy and love everyday with my baby boy. He is just amazing!!!

Milestones...

I am so excited! This may be a minor thing for all you experienced parents out there, but being a first timer I am very excited!! My Lil B rolled over on his own today! 

We have been laying Braedan down on the floor to play a lot lately, and he is getting so strong. He lifts his head up high, tries to tuck his legs up sometimes, and kicks around. The other day I was letting him sit on the couch with me (well, lay, that is) and I noticed that he had moved where he was at. He scooted himself half way around! So, I ended up putting him on the floor to see if he would do it again,and sure enough, he did. It's definitely not crawling by any means, but it's the next step there! He just pushes himself this way and that, and it's fun to watch. After he had done that, he started kicking his legs up and moving in a different way, and he rolled to his side. I just sat and watched him so excited hoping he would go all the way over....but he didn't. But I was proud anyway.

So, today we had him laying on his tummy again, and then he started to flip himself slowly. I thought I had some time, so I ran to go grab the camera and record just in case, and while I was in the other room James yells "He rolled over!" I came jumping out into the living room so happy! I had missed it, but I knew he had done it. Proud momma! (Of course, he wouldn't do it again lol, but maybe I will catch the video next time to show everyone). 

That's all for now, and Happy New Year! Let's hope 2009 is a great year to remember!

Three Months Later...

I have had every intention of updating this blog, and every attemp failed. It's crazy how life changes when you have a baby! Totally expected and completely not knowing what to expect. Even now as I type the sounds of a baby screaming fill the room. Poor kid. Daddy is bouncing with Braedan on the ball, fingers in his mouth, anything to keep him comfy. So, now that it has been 3 months, I think it's time for an update!!

Life with Braedan has been interesting. We absolutely love him!!! Although, he has been a rather difficult child. He seems to be a bit colicky. The first month was the hardest, and it gets easier as we go along, as we get used to his sensitive temperment. He also has a few food sensitivities, so that makes life intersting for me. Since we are breastfeeding, that means I have cut out all forms of dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, and most caffeine. My hopes are that he will outgrow these, but even if he doesn't it makes me eat much healthier! Braedan, when not screaming, is smiling, on the verge of a laugh but not quite there yet. He has the most beautiful smile! He also is starting to "talk" with us, baby talk. It's so interesting to hear. And he loves being on his legs! We are borrowing a bouncer from a friend and he loves being in it. He can't bounce yet, and the fun onlylasts a few minutes, but they are a great few minutes. We love every minute we get to spend with our baby boy, even if it is a rather difficult one.

I am in the process of uploading more pics, so hopefully I will have some links to those soon. I also hope to actually keep up with this blog, keep everyone updated. But for now, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and happy early new year!!!

[caption id="attachment_52" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="Braedan being his cute little self!"][/caption]

Lil' B's Perfect Arrival

So, this is a little late in posting, but OUR BABY IS HERE! Braedan was born on September 20th at 10:!3pm. He weighed 5lbs. 11.5ozs. and was only 5 weeks early! We like to call him our little miracle baby...aka the fighter, because had he come on time, he may not have made it. When he came out we saw that the cord was wrapped tight around his neck and around his body. Had we even noticed anything had changed, it would have been too late. But not to dwell on that, he is here, safe, and totally healthy!! I gave birth totally drug free, completely and comfortably natural (other than being on a hospital bed of course), and with the help of a friend to act as a Doula. I labored mostly at home which was awesome. The best part was my friend's little daughter (2 yrs. old) even helped to rub my back with a heating pad. It was so cute. She's a little mini chiro-doula! Labor was only about 6 or so hours for me. Pretty short I think. All in all, quite the experience. Now that I am out of it, I think I can do it again!

On another note, the week following was not so fun. Since our baby was preterm, he had to  stay in the nursery to be checked out and tested on to make sure he didn't have any infections etc. He did have fluid in his lungs, but that was about it. He ended up being on antibiotics for a couple of days, and then we didn't start even feeding him till after that. He was fed through IV initially. James and I were very frustrated because the nurses kept not telling us anything. The first thing that made us mad was that they didn't even let us know about the first time they fed him. We didn't get to know, and we didn't get to be there, and it was very upsetting. So we demanded to be told from there on out when he was to eat so we could do it. After birth the next time I even held my baby was around 24 hours. He had to stay in an isolette to regulate his temperature  for a few days, and we could only touch him through the holes in the side. It was sad to see him in there with things all hooked up to him, but we understood why. So as he progressed, we began asking when he would get to come home...what a roller coaster ride of emotions.

At first the doctors kept saying that Braedan would have to increase his eating and continue to eat a certain amount. He did that, and even kept increasing what he was eating, and then still no answer. Then they kept weighing him every night and said that he needed to stop losing weight. (BTW, all babies lose weight after birth and gain it back about a week or so after). Every ounce mattered. Everytime he got weighed and lost another ounce like a normal baby would, it would just break our hearts because we would get no word on when he could come home. I never even got to have him in my hospital room with me. Braedan was born on a Saturday night, and I was discharged Monday. But I decided to stay at the hospital every night in a room specially for moms. Of course no dads were allowed to stay, which made things even worse. Our entire, new family separated every day, every night.

Days kept going by and we would ask to speak to the head Doctor, but no communication was given. We weren't doing anything at the hospital that we couldn't do at home: feed him, change him, monitor him, and bring him in for weight checks. All we wanted to know was what the exact criteria was for him to be able to go home, and all we would get were "beat around the bush" answers. The worst was when they would threaten feeding tubes for him anytime he didn't meet a certain amount of food in a certain amount of time. No baby is going to eat the exact same amount in the exact amount of time every 3 hours around the clock. Not normal. We were just mad. Of course they also were saying that he had to maintain his weight before he could go home. So he needed to not lose any more weight. So James and I thought, "Ok, if he'll just weigh the same here then he can go home". Nope, some nurses started saying, "no he needs to gain weight." We were getting so angry now because it was always a different answer! It had been such a frustrating week already and a huge emotional roller coaster! Finally Friday night rolled around and he was to be weighed. He had gained a few ounces!! I was so excited. There was no reason now why he shouldn't be able to come home.

Saturday came, and hours kept going by, and I was waiting to hear anything about him being able to go home. No word, no communication. Finally a new set of nurses were here and one said "So they're discharging him today?" I had no idea. No one had said anything to me. I was excited and mad at the same time, so I decided to push the subject all day. Finally I was told that he would be discharged and was ready to go, and all we needed now was just our ride to go home. We were there an entire week.

Now I know that there are many mothers who might be thinking, "our child was in there for months, you have no idea," and they're right. But I do know that even that one week was torture, not being able to be the parent to your own child, having to be monitored all the time, someone else setting the rules. We hated it. And, I cannot imagine what other mothers have gone through being there for longer. I don't think I could do it. But I would if I had to.

The good thing is Braedan is home now, and is as strong and healthy as ever. Today he weighed in at 7lbs. 4oz. He is getting big! We couldn't be happier to have him home (even when he is up screaming through half the night or not cooperating...he is still our cute little baby boy). LIfe is good and we are adjusting. Although it's been a roller coaster ride, I wouldn't change it for the world!