10 days old...

It's so hard to believe that Brayden is already 10 days old! I guess now would be a good time to tell about the day of her birth...

I went to the doctor on August 1st and the midwife said I was dilated to a 3. She said that something could happen within the next 24 hours. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but went home and got someone to watch Kennan so that Kenny and I could get some errands done and the house cleaned up. We went to sleep that night and I woke up at about 4am (August 2nd) and started timing contractions. They weren't too consistent or too painful, so I tried to go back to sleep. I called the midwife at 6:15am because they were 4-6 minutes apart. Because I tested positive for GBS I would need to get 2 doses of antibiotics before she was born, so we needed to make sure I got to the hospital in plenty of time. She said to stay home and call back when they were worse (meaning: I couldn't talk through them). I called back at 7:00 and talked a different midwife because they had had a shift change. She said to take a shower, eat something light, and head up to the hospital. It was a Thursday, so we took Kennan to school and arranged for a friend to pick him up at noon. We got to the hospital at about 8:30 and by 9:30 were on our way home again. She said that my labor wasn't active enough and that I would be more comfortable at home. Somehow Kenny and I both managed to fall asleep and woke up around 11:00 with really painful contractions. I got up and walked around and they continued to get worse. I called the midwife at 11:30 (unable to talk to her while having contractions) and she said to head back to the hospital. We got there and were all hooked up to the monitors around 12:15. The nurse checked me and I was at 4cm. They ordered the antibiotic and the midwife came and broke my water around 1:15 after the antibiotic was started. I got in the jacuzzi tub around 2pm and when I got out was at 8cm. I remember looking at the clock at 3:00 and thinking it felt like we had been there for an eternity (and it had only been 3 hours!!). I started pushing at about 3:15 and she was born at 3:39pm!!! That last part flew by quickly, but painfully. I ended up having her without any medicine or epidural and don't regret the choice. I feel like I recovered a lot more quickly than I did with Kennan (I had an epidural with him). I ended up hemorraging a little after she was born, but not near as much as I did with Kennan. All in all, it was a good experience but I don't want to do it again for a looong time!

Right now my parents and brother are visiting and helping out A LOT!! Kenny is still working at the hospital and finishes up on Friday (I think we are going to have a party!!). Brayden is doing well...we are still working on the nursing and I am hoping it will continue to get easier and easier. (Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!!!) Kennan is being a wonderful big brother. He likes to hold her and gives her a pacifier whenever she is fussy. Here a few pictures...
I think there is a baby picture of me somewhere that looks a lot like this...
Kennan got to go to the Jersey Shore with Grammy, Pops, and Uncle Kyle


Sleepy girl!

4 Years...

A lot has happened since August 9, 2003. A few jobs, a move to the East Coast, (almost) a Master's Degree, and 2 kiddos later I am as in love with my husband as I was on that day. There are many reasons, here are a few...
*He loves God.
*He loves and protects me, Kennan, and Brayden.
*He is not afraid to be himself (ballerina and all!)
*He has followed God's call to serve others in the church and has worked REALLY hard to do well in school.
*He will drop anything to play with or hold Kennan and Brayden.
*He is the most patient person (especially when it comes to my moods).
*He is an incredible teacher and preacher.
*He is compassionate and cares for those around him.
*Most recently, he has woken up in the middle of the night to comfort me as nursing has proven to be a little frustrating....even though he had to be up hours later to work.

There are many, many more reasons, but a fussy child is calling...

I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us!

A Short Update and Pictures!

Things are going pretty well. Brayden and Kennan have been enjoying the attention of both sets of grandparents and mom and dad! Kenny's family left yesterday and his mom will come back later this month. My parents and brother will stay until the 20th of this month and then head back to Texas. Brayden is doing great! We went to the doctor on Monday and she weighed 6 lbs 7 oz, so she lost an ounce since we left the hospital. Nursing is going as good as I guess it can at this point, definetly a learning process for Brayden and me. Here are the pictures!!

BRAYDEN LYNN

Brayden made an early entrance into this world on Thursday, August 2nd at 3:39pm. She weighed 6lbs 13oz and is 20 1/2 in long!! She is very healthy and we are all home and doing well!! I have lots of things to say, but I think right now pictures will have to do. ENJOY!

Waiting Game...

Waiting is not very much fun...especially when you know there is an end in near sight! I went to the doctor today and learned that I am dialted to a 3. The midwife said it could happen in the next 24 hours!! I almost wish she wouldn't have said that, it's hard not to get too excited. But, we want to be prepared, especially since we have Kennan to think about also. So...maybe within the next few days we will have fun pictures and good news to share!

All About Kennan

I have a feeling the next few posts are going to be all about Brayden and her arrival, so I thought I would dedicate a post just to Kennan!! Here goes...

Kennan's new thing to say is "I have an idea..." In the beginning we never knew what would come next. Once it was "Let's fly in an airplane to the sky." Lately all of his ideas have to do with Jesus. "I have an idea...Jesus fly in an airplane to see us." or "I have an idea...Jesus come to our house on Monday." or "I have an idea...Jesus come play with my toys." It is amazing the imagination this little boy has!!! I love that he sees Jesus as a "friend" who can come and see us and play with him!!

Kennan loves to break into song...anytime, anywhere. His favorites are Jesus Loves Me and Itsy Bitsy Spider. He also is becoming very familiar with his ABC's and is pretty good at not leaving too many out!! He also LOVES to read and look at books. The other day he "read" a book to me and did a really good job!

He loves to ask us what our favorite fruits and vegetables are when we are eating at the table. Even after we tell him, he will ask over and over again. He doesn't understand the difference between fruits and veggies, but for now his favorite fruit is grapes and veggie is green beans.

Kennan is such a loving and caring little boy. Like I mentioned in my last post, he is always concerned with how I am feeling. He always makes sure we have what we need and loves to share his snacks with us. (Now, with his friends...that's a completely different story!!!)

I guess I have made my child sound like the perfect little angel. We all know kids aren't, but I did want to brag for a few minutes. Kenny and I have been so blessed to be the parents of this little boy. I can't wait to see him interact with his sister, because I know he is going to LOVE her!!!

Date Night

Tonight I went on a date. Not with my husband...but with my son!! Kennan and I were on our own tonight because Kenny was at work until 9:00pm. We needed to eat, I didn't want to cook, and we were tired of being cooped up inside. So we went out to dinner, just the 2 of us, for a little date. It was so much fun and he was a very well behaved date. We spent our time coloring, drawing shapes, and then eating. We even shared a chocolate shake for dessert. I think the only thing that would have made it better is if he would have paid the bill!! (hahaha)
Here is a picture of me and my boy. I love him and am so lucky that he is mine! He is so loving and caring. Today I laid down for awhile because my back was hurting. He came over to me and said "Mommy, you feel okay?". When I told him my back hurt, he climbed into the bed and kissed my back and said "Mommy, your back feel better?". How could I say no to that???

Dairy Queen!!!

I miss a lot of things about Texas, but one of them is all of the fine dining establishments. Here are a few of my faves: Jason's Deli (turkey wrap with guacamole...YUM), Rosas's (chips and queso, Taco Tuesday...WOW), Sonic (cherry vanilla DP and pebble ice...INCREDIBLE), Taco Bueno (Mexi dips and chips...DELICIOUS). Those are just a few of the things I miss about Texas.

New Jersey does not have any of the wonderful places that I like to eat. However, today we discovered a Dairy Queen that can be found about 20 minutes from our home. I know that if I were in Texas, DQ would not be a top choice for lunch or dinner...but today it hit the spot. It made me feel a little bit closer to home knowing that DQ is the "Texas Stop Sign". My favorite part of the meal was the yummy Kit Kat Blizzard that Kennan and I shared. It doesn't get too much better than that! It's probably a good thing that it isn't just right down the street, otherwise I would be there ALL the time!

Some Pictures...

Kennan loves to swing!! Today was the first day he would go on the "big boy" swing and he wanted to go fast and high!

Where's Kennan? I didn't know you could camouflage yourself into sand!!

Working hard on Brayden's bassinet.
Me and my sweet boy!!

36 WEEKS!

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. It seems like just yesterday I was in the doctor's office for my first appointment...that was December 1st, so I guess it wasn't just yesterday! Everything is going pretty well, but I am definitely ready for her to be here!! Yesterday Kennan and Kenny put together her bassinet. It was fun to watch Kennan "help" Kenny...he is excited about his sister coming soon. Although, sometimes I think he isn't quite ready. Lately he has been saying "No Brayden play with my toys." I don't think he is ready to share his toys with her, but he is looking forward to rocking and holding her!

Kenny's mom is coming to see us today and will be here through Tuesday morning. It will be a quick visit, but it will be fun to have her here. We don't have any big plans and Kennan is excited to see his Lala!

This weekend is Kenny's last weekend to be on call at the hospital. I think we might have to celebrate at 8:30pm when he gets to turn off the beeper for the last time!!

Sorry for the boring update, not too much is going on right now. I am sure that within the next few weeks there might be more exciting things to say!!

Sick...

I have been feeling pretty yucky the past few days. Our friends have all been passing around a stomach bug and I'm afraid I am the latest recipient of it. It's so hard to feel bad and also be this far along in my pregnancy. Brayden is still extremely active which also contributes to the nausea. YUCK! I hope tomorrow is a better day!!

On a happier note, we had a really great week last week! Because of the 4th, Kenny was off work Wednesday-Sunday. We were able to spend lots of time together as a family and get some things done around the house. It was hard to send him off to work today! He has been so wonderful throughout this pregnancy, especially here at the end. He is so good about doing the things around the house that I can't/don't like to do...laundry, dishes, cleaning the bathroom. I am so thankful for him! Here are a few pictures from our trip to Sesame Place this weekend.
Cookie Monster!
Riding the teacups
Getting a hug from Big Bird
Elmo was tickling Kennan!

Fun 4th!!

The few days before the 4th, I started reading some books to Kennan about America and the 4th. He really liked looking at the pictures of everything that America represents. We went to Toys R Us and bought a few flags for him to share with his friends. On the way home he started calling the flags "Americas". It was pretty cute...especially when he wanted to sing Happy Birthday to America!

We had a pretty fun 4th of July. It didn't quite feel right because of the overcast skies, rain, and the fact that fireworks are illegal in NJ!! But, we overcame all of that and had a great day. Kenny had the day off, so we were all able to hang out together. Kennan got to play with his friend Reuben for a few hours in the afternoon while Kenny and I prepared food for our BBQ. We met with some of our friends outside our building, got the meat going on the grill, and all of the sides set up and ready to eat. And then...it started raining!! We all ran inside with the food and enjoyed an indoor BBQ. We ended up having a great time! Everyone left around 7:30, in enough time to get Kennan ready for bed. We didn't get to watch any fireworks, but I saw a few on the evening news. Here are a few pictures from the day!

Kennan and Kenny baking a cake for the party.
Kennan and Reuben playing with playdough.
Kenny's YUMMY creation...a devil's food cake with white chocolate icing!
The kiddos enjoying the cake.
Kennan holding Reuben's brother, Nathan. He LOVED it!!!34 1/2 week belly. YIKES!!

Kennan's First Day of School!

My little boy started "school" today!! The Seminary has a child care center for infants-pre kindergarten students and we enrolled Kennan in it for the summer and next school year. We have been talking it up for a few weeks now, so this morning when he woke up 30 minutes before normal, I am not sure if it was because of excitement or a coincidence! When I dropped him off, he went right to playing and didn't even want to say good-bye to me!! They had a parade today for the 4th of July. I met up with his group and took some pictures and he didn't seem to mind me being there. I think he is going to love it...
What a big boy!! Kennan and Edith in the parade!

I can't belive that he is already ready to go off to "pre-school". I know it's not like real school, but it is still a big step! I am looking forward to having a few mornings a week to relax, do things around the house, and prepare for Brayden's arrival.

An Update...

I haven't blogged much recently because there isn't too much to say...

I am 34 weeks pregnant now. Definitely in the uncomfortable stage...its not even comfortable to sleep!! I have begun the nesting phase....yesterday I pulled out the clothes we have for her and took off the tags. Next step is to wash them and put them in drawers!

Kenny's internship is going well. We are both wiped out by the time he gets home, but he is learning a lot from the work he is doing.

Kennan continues to keep me entertained. His personality is really shining through lately and he makes me laugh! Today I walked into his room after nap time (he didn't sleep...) and he had his dog Mutsy stuffed in his shirt. Mutsy's head was up by Kennan's neck and his feet were hanging out of the bottom of his shirt. Kennan said that Mutsy was in his tummy, like Brayden is in my tummy. Pretty cute...

We have some Abilene friends visiting this weekend. They are on their way back to Texas from visiting Niagara Falls, Maine, and Boston. We are looking forward to spending time with them!

Next time I post I will have some pictures!

Kennan Loves...EVERYTHING!!

His new favorite thing to say is "Kennan loves...(fill in the blank)." Every hour is something different. "Kennan loves helicopters." "Kennan loves pasta." (Not true...he won't even touch it!) "Kennan loves sticks." Use your imagination to think of something else he "loves" and I am sure he has already come up with it.

It is pretty apparent that he doesn't quite get the concept of love, because he says he loves things that he doesn't like (mainly different foods). I do know that he loves Kenny, Brayden, and me and that is enough for this mommy!

Father's Day

Walk a little plainer, Daddy,
Said a little boy so frail,
For I'm following in your footsteps,
And I don't want to fail.
Sometimes your steps are very plain,
Sometimes they're hard to see,
So walk a little plainer, Daddy,
For you are leading me.
I know that you once walked this way
Many, many years ago,
And what you did along the way

I'd really like to know.
For sometimes when I'm tempted,
I don't know what to do,
So walk a little plainer, Daddy;
You know I'm following you.
Some day when I'm grown up,
You are like I want to be.
Then I will have a little boy
Who'll want to follow me.
And I would want to lead him right
And help him to be true.
So walk a little plainer, Daddy,
I'm going to follow you.

I am married to the greatest man and he is a wonderful father to our son. I am so thankful that God has blessed Kennan and me with Kenny in our lives. I am thankful that Kenny will drop anything he is doing to play with Kennan, to read to him, to rock him to sleep. I love watching them together, whether they are digging in the sand box, building a tower out of blocks, or sitting on the couch reading a book. I am thankful that Kenny is a good example to Kennan of what a daddy should be, and how he should love his children and his wife.

I am also very blessed to have my father in my life. He has been such a great example to me. Growing up my dad always worked hard to provide for our family. He loved me unconditionally and taught me how to live with integrity. He showed me how a man should love and treat his wife by always having respect for my mom. Now I am lucky enough to share him with Kenny and Kennan. He is an incredible father-in-law and I know that Kenny loves to spend time with him. Kennan loves his Pops and it is so fun to watch them together.

A Funny Conversation and Some Pictures

About 2 minutes after Kennan and I sat down to lunch, he suprised me with the following statement:

"Hippo on the roof. Moon outside."

Here is the rest of the conversation:

Me: WHAT?

Kennan: Hippo on the roof. Moon outside.

Me: WHERE?

Kennan: In the book.

Me: Ohhh...

About 15 minutes later, I took Kennan out of his chair and he took off for his bedroom. He came back with a book by Sandra Boynton called "Hippos Go Berserk!". This is a book we MAYBE read once a week. He proceeds to open the book to the page with a HIPPO on the ROOF with a MOON outside.

Now, I have always said that Kennan is very smart. But...tell me how many kiddos can pull a random picture from a book, tell you about it, then go and find it in the book!!! The funny thing is that after he mentioned it at lunch, nothing else was said until he went and found the book.

I have a feeling Kennan is going to be my kid who remembers EVERYTHING and won't let me forget it!!!
YUMMY Watermelon!
Ready for a bike ride!
We went on a picnic at the Princeton Battefield.
BOO!

Settling In, A Baby Shower, and an Internship

Sorry to leave all of you loyal fans hanging...we got our luggage on Saturday morning! We got a phone call at 6:15am and the man said he had all 4 of our bags and would be at our apartment in 15 minutes! It was wonderful to get all of our "stuff" and to begin to get settled back in. Kennan is having a great time playing with friends. It's almost like we never left! We have enjoyed the cooler weather that NJ has had the past few days. Tonight we gathered for a BBQ with our neighbors and it was fun to catch up with everyone.

On Sunday my friends Alisa and Katrina threw a baby shower for Brayden and me. They decorated the room with lots of pink and purple which really got me in the baby girl mood! We got lots of cute pink outfits, as well as bedding, and comfy blankets. It is so nice to be surrounded by friends who care about our family and are helping us prepare for Brayden!

30 week belly!

With Katrina and Alisa at the shower. Alisa made the YUMMY strawberry cheesecake!

Kenny started his internship as a hospital chaplain today. We both have some mixed feelings about the task he has taken on for the next 11 weeks. He will be gone from 7am-5pm everyday and will have to be there one night a week until 8:30. He also has to be on call for 2 weekends during the 11 weeks. He feels pretty good about the supervisors and fellow interns. I am nervous about the LONG days and the energy I am going to have to exert to keep up with Kennan. The other problem is the timing of Brayden's arrival and the internship...he works for 11 weeks and she is due in 10...you do the math!! If you have any extra prayers laying around, we could use them during this long summer!

Well, WE'RE here...

but our baggage isn't!!

Today has been a LONG day. We woke up this morning to fly home to NJ thinking that we would get on the flight with no problem. Well, there ended up being one...they cancelled the flight after ours which moved everyone on that flight to the one we were trying to get on. Fortunately, we made it by the skin of our teeth to a flight that took off before our original one was scheduled too. (If you aren't following my story, it's okay...just the joys of standby travelling!) The downside to not getting on the original flight is that our baggage couldn't get loaded on to our new flight soon enough. We were told our baggage would be on the later flight. No problem...Kenny would go back to the airport and get it later. Well, he called before leaving for the airport to make sure our baggage was there. One bag made it on the flight, the other 3 are MIA. The last 2 flights leaving Dallas to come here have either been cancelled or delayed due to bad weather in our area. YIKES! I just hope when we call in the morning that all 4 bags are safe and sound at the airport!

All of this gets me thinking about our possessions and "stuff". I know all of our things are replaceable, worldly, and in the big scheme of things not too important. But there is still a part of me worried that I won't get any of it back. Or that the $$ the airline gives us for lost baggage won't be enough to cover what was in there.

I am probably over reacting and worrying for nothing...hopefully tomorrow morning brings good news about our "stuff"!