Brady is 2 weeks old. Mommy and Daddy are sleepy :)

Monday August 22!

*(I'll be caught up soon I promise and will start posting in the present tense again ;))*


Brady man was 2 weeks old on the 22nd! His second week of life was the "adjustment" week.  Daddy went back to work (wahh!) and Mommy got some help from Gramma during the days so as not to pass out from extreme tiredness.  Brady adjusted just fine :)  He seems happy and healthy!  His umbilical cord even fell out this week! Thankfully, Daddy had him at the time because that still kind of grosses me out! But now we just have a cute little belly button, no more grossness! yahoo!  Brady visited the doctor again on Friday the 19th at 11 days old and was a bulky 8 lb. 13 ounces  ... up 14 ounces in a week! Mommy, ever the rule follower, was waking Bradester up every 3 hours to feed -- or attempting to, by the end of the week he was as disinterested in waking up at 1am as Mom was! -- but lucky for us the doctor said he gained so much weight this week that we didn't have to do that anymore.  We're officially on Brady's schedule now! And I am thrilled to report that Friday night the kid slept for 5 hours and the next night (or maybe it was two nights later) he slept .... 6 hours!! Good job Brady!! That means Mom gets like 4-5 hours of sleep at a time! Which is a-mazing. :)  (He doesn't do that every night, sometimes he's back to his 2-3 hour feeding schedule, but I'll take what I can get!)

What else did Brady do during his second week of life?? He met some of his cousins!! Lucky kiddo! His cousin Kyle came over with Aunt Megan and Grandpa and Grandma, and while I'm sure the boys will love love each other in a couple months/years ... they were kind of disinterested in each other right now haha.  Brady spent the time sleeping on Grandma's shoulder and Kyle spent the time playing with Brady's "big boy" toys :) Then on Saturday, Brady braved his first thunderstorm and got to meet his new cousin Caroline Urbin! She is 6 weeks older than him and it was so cute to see them together, even though they didn't even know they were meeting.  Caroline's parents don't live in state though so the next time we see Caroline, the kids will probably love playing with each other!  Lastly, on Sunday, Brady's older cousin Samantha came over to meet him.  Watching her hold him makes me feel incredibly old as I was leaving for college when she was born!! Eek!!  Brady, please don't grow that fast!!

Brady meets Kyle!

Brady meets Caroline!

Brady meets Samantha!

 I took the little man out for a long walk during the week and we stopped at a baby store (where he got his first little sun bonnet aka fishing hat!) and the cashier asked how old he was.  When I told her he was 8 days, she was amazed! She thought for sure he was a month or two! My big boy! (She also told me she never sees new first time moms out of the house within the first week so I'm pretty proud of myself!  Not only out of the house, but dressed and refreshed!) Brady also let us -- EAT OUT -- in the neighborhood!! On one of our night walks, Scott and I got super ambitious and decided to eat outside at a neighborhood joint and Brady actually slept the whole time!! It's so nice to not have to change our entire life, but rather, add to it :) I couldn't be happier on where we are at as a little family :)

But seriously, can you believe the kid was 2 weeks old already?! :(

Brady Scott -- 2 weeks old!

Just watching Da Bears game with Daddy!

Brady's 1st Photo Shoot!

Brady Scott Moran -- August 9, 2011 -- 1 day old.  First Photo Shoot. Isn't he ridiculously beautiful?! :)

Photos by Bella Baby Photography

Brady is 1 week old!

Monday August 15th!

Brady is a whole week old already! And what an amazing week it was! After getting home on Wednesday, Scott had the rest of the week off and we closed our condo to visitors and spent the next 4 and half days bonding as a new family of four :)

It was the best 4 days of my life.  Yes, we got very little sleep, and yes, the condo got disorganized and messy (severe pet peeves of mine!), but those days, getting to just be us, learning how to function as a family, well nothing could have been better. 

Maizy adjusted surprisingly well.  (Well not surprisingly, we knew she'd be fine!) When we first brought Brady into the house, she was SO excited.  I was actually kind of worried I'd never be able to put her down because she was sooo excited and wanted to jump all over him (we took video -- perhaps I'll figure out how to upload it here so you can all enjoy the excitement ha!).  Eventually she calmed down and sniffed her baby brother and showered him full of puppy kisses and then ... was over it.  She spent the weekend watching over him, but mostly just enjoying that her mommy and daddy were home with her all day.  Though whenever Brady would cry, Maizy would be right under him, nice and stressed out, looking back and forth from Mommy and Daddy with a concerned "Um, are you going to do something about this" look.  It was pretty sweet.  She'd also stand on the bed and stare into his bassinet just to catch a glimpse of what was making that fussing noise ;)

Good big Sister!

All in all, it was a wonderful time for us.  We even got out on Friday and Saturday.  Friday we visited the pediatrician (Brady gained 2 oz! now weighing 7 lb, 15 oz -- reassuring Mommy that he IS eating) and then, since Grampa Joe's store was so close -- we surprised him!  Proud Grampa loved showing off his new grandson to all the guys at work :)  On Saturday, we had a great family morning, walking the babe to Starbucks (ohhh lattes how I've missed you!!), ate bagels, and did a little neighborhood shopping.  Brady *loves* his carseat and stroller (hopefully that keeps up!) and Maizy even got to join the family walk for a little bit too! Lucky girl.

Brady's 1st Walk!

Sadly, Sunday rolled around quickly and we had to face reality.  Daddy had to go back to work and Mommy had to adjust to 2am feedings without Daddy keeping her company.  Sigh.  It was great while it lasted and Mommy actually looks forward to those couple of weeks this winter (hopefully just weeks) when the weather is too bad for Daddy to work :)

Brady Scott -- 1 week old!

Labor and Delivery ... not for the weak ...

Someday Brady may ask (or his wife may ask, tear) all about his labor. And, God willing, I won't be able to recall all the painful details ... sooo ... I will document them now.  Spoiler alert: Don't read if you really don't wish to know.  However, if you are a girlfriend of mine who does not yet have, but plans on bearing children at some point, I would read it, just so you get some of the real facts of labor that everyone seems to hide from you ... better to be prepared, right? ;)

Let me set the scene: Early Monday morning, August 8th.

 My water broke at 4am, about 2 minutes after I told Brady boy that if he wanted to come today, he needed to break the water right now, before Daddy left for work! Such a good listener, my little man! And good thing he did it while Daddy was close to home.  As hoped for, my labor progressed pretty quickly, all on its own, shortly after my water broke.  I had been terrified for weeks that my water had broken and I had just missed it.  Well, I must admit, that after experiencing it, I now understand what my doctors were talking about -- you do NOT miss it.  It is pretty much the grossest thing that ever happens and I am so grateful that Scott was home to help me out, as at one point I just stood there in tears because it was so disgusting I didn't know what to do.  My trooper of a husband, still half asleep and still kinda manic, pulled through and got the dog to my parents, me to the hospital, and the wet sheets off the bed and into the laundry machine. Thanks babe! :)

I didn't start feelings heavy contractions after my water broke, which helped since I had to get the dog some food and make sure Scott grabbed everything off our list (he was a tiny bit of a scatter brain at first haha).  I had been feeling really crappy all day on Sunday, having close contractions, but they didn't escalate immediately after my water broke.  Sometime on Lake Shore Drive, about a half hour later, they started to kick in and I was like "Oh these hurt more!" Or maybe they hurt more because Scott was flying over potholes on Michigan Ave. ;)  Luckily, they were still far enough apart for me to breathe and get into the hospital in one piece. (My lovely husband did valet park car, after first asking if he should park in the garage -- which is a two block walk from the entrance and I could not walk without 2 towels between my legs! Funny man!)

Upon checking into the hospital, the nurse, in the midst of getting me into gowns and hooking me up to machines, immediately asked if I was ready for my epidural (they waste NO time!).  My contractions were picking up in pain, but were still a little more spaced out so I said "No I'm still okay."  Apparently that translates to "Ok, well you can't go up to labor and delivery until you're in more pain and you demand your epidural."  Or they were telling the truth and my room really wasn't "ready" yet.  Which of course made me think of "Friends" and I had horrible images of having to share a room with a bunch of crazy women! All I heard was how crowded Prentice gets in the summer!  The nurse, however, reassured me there was a room for me and it would be all mine. She then left us alone and it took maybe 20 minutes before I was sending Scott out to find her -- I was ready for the drugs! My contractions were coming around 2 minutes apart and picking up greatly in intensity.  My best friend just asked me what they felt like the other day and the only response I had was "I sort of felt like I was dying at the peak of them." After complaining of an urge to push, the nurse checked my cervix and said it was only at 4cm so we were still ok.  I did not want to miss my chance to get the drugs! And the water just kept gushing! Ew. Ew. Ew.

We were then sent upstairs where I begged for the epidural more forcefully! I was also super nervous about the epidural (hello paralysis!) so I was trying to get all the facts and ease my mind ... until the pain was too much! I literally interrupted the anesthesiologist from her talk and was like "Ok I don't care, do it now!" They sent Scott out and started the process -- which was really difficult for me because you can't move during it and my contractions were too close together for them to get much done in between. Ugh, was so not good for a little while.  Luckily, all worked fine, and I soon began to feel the effect, stop feeling the water gushing, and calmed down a bit.  The doctor showed up a couple of minutes later for a cervix check and I was at 6cm! It was about 7am.  Progressing fast ...

Our families showed up then and came in to check on us.  Ignoring the doctors pleas to rest (I still hadn't gone to sleep since I was up all night before my water broke! And I mean, seriously, soo hard to rest with that kind of anticipation/anxiety kicking in! Remember I hadn't come to terms with the fact that I was getting a baby at the end of all of this.), we chatted with our families for a little while.  Lots of doctors and nurses and interns and so on came in and out, asked me if I could feel anything (I coulnd't. whew!) and commented on how fast my contractions were coming (no pitocin needed for this girl!).  By 10am the doctor was back to check my cervix and told us we were "complete."  SCARY. She kicked everyone out and told me we were gonna wait another 1/2 hour to hour letting the baby drop farther down into the canal and then we would begin "pushing."  It was sooo really happening!

Pushing was a super weird experience.  It definitely takes some getting used to when you can't feel much!! Holding my own legs up was maybe the hardest part at that point because they each weighed like 8,000 lbs. thanks to the drugs, but it was so not liked I imagined it to be.  It was really calm. Just me, Scott, my nurse, and my doctor who was in and out.  In between pushing, I would lay down and we would just talk.  The doctor gave me an oxygen mask which was awesome because I get kinda light headed when I push and breathing into it in between contractions kept me awake and as energized as I could be.  It was not until almost 2 hours later that things got bad.

Dr. told me she could see I was working, but little Bradester was being kinda lazy and wasn't descending down as quickly as they had hoped. Eventually, she told me, "I'm pretty sure this is just a 7 something lb. baby and we can get him out with forceps."  I was down for it -- I did not want a c-section (not that you have a choice, but if I could help get him out, I would!).  However, this was apparently too much for my anxiety to handle.  The realization that a baby was actually coming, seeing the forceps, all the doctors that suddenly surrounding your bed and screaming demands at you ... well, I may have lost it a little bit.  A good 10 minutes of chaos and crying and screaming and a huge blur and then I heard Scott saying "Look, look, there's the baby!" I opened my eyes and the doctor was holding a big bloody baby up in front of me.  Since I was still mid hysterics (and I did not hear Brady cry, not helping my hysterics!) they took Brady over to his bed to get him cleaned off and tested and let me calm down.  The doctor demanded some sedatives for me from the anesthesiologist -- but he was like "All I have is more epidural!" (Which they then pumped me FULL of -- I lost all feeling in the bottom half of my body and had no idea I had even gotten rid of the after birth and was being sewn up from a pretty severe tear.) 

Eventually, Scott and the nurse calmed me down, Brady started to cry his sweet tears, and they finally brought my baby boy over to me.  He was nice and calm on Mommy's chest and Scott and I got to enjoy our little miracle as the doctors spent a nice time "fixing" Mommy up.  Labor war wounds.  You somehow forget that's going to happen until your epidural wears off (then its not good--trust me.)

A couple of hours later we remembered that Gramma Kathy, Grandma Pat, Grandpa Phil, and Aunt Megan were waiting semi patiently ;) to come in and meet our little guy (we spent those couple hours cuddling him and trying to decide on his name) and once they met him, it was time to transfer out of labor and up to post partem.  Later that afternoon Grampa Joe, Uncle Scottie, and Aunt Gina showed up to shower the little man with love and kisses.

And that little Brady, is the story of the day you entered the world, the best day of Mommy and Daddy's life :) 

BRADY SCOTT MORAN IS HERE!!!!

Duh. Right?

My mass apologies for the 2+ week delay.  New mommyhood is a busy time ... but ... 


Mr. Brady Scott made his arrival into the world on Monday August 8th at 12:57 pm, just hours after he was "supposed to."  Just a little late to the party, already trying to make an entrance! :) The big boy weighed a super healthy 8 lbs., 9 ounces and was a lengthy little fellow at 21.5 inches.  He had a whole head of beautiful blonde hair and is just the cutest little thing I have ever seen.

 First pictures :)

 Brady -- 1 day old!

 First family picture :)

He came home with mommy and daddy to meet his big sister Maizy on Wednesday August 10th, a sunny beautiful afternoon and immediately adjusted well to his new home.  He didn't even cry on the bumpy ride down Lake Shore Dr.!  He was discharged from the hospital at 7 lbs., 13 oz.

 Ready to go home!

 First car ride!

Due Date Over.

No baby. Sigh.

Rough day though. Lots of pain.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger though, right?

TODAY'S THE DAY!!!

Well, probably not, but today is *supposed* to be the day!! Now, if babies would only do what they're supposed to do ;)

August 7th.  Finally.  9+ long months of nausea and pain and discomfort and emotions and scares (and on and on...) and then ... nothing. (well, maybe nothing, we are only 3 hours into the day as of now.)  I'd like to tell you that I'm so sure it's coming.  After all, my contractions have been more painful, closer together, the nausea is back full force ... and lots of other "grosser" signs of labor that I'll leave to your imagination ... in textbook form, I could not be more ready.  On the other hand, I've had most of these so called "signs that labor is in the immediate future" for weeks now.  But, it's nice to think that maybe, because you've finally reached your due date, that now those signs are significant. :)

As my sweet husband told me earlier tonight "hey, even if it's not tonight, you only have 3 more days left!" Easy for him to say as he sleeps peacefully away on the couch and I pace back and forth through the condo until the sun comes up every morning because finding a comfortable sitting/laying down position is no longer possible. (Seriously, I long soo bad to just be able to turn over in the bed without tears of pain dripping down my face!)  But like he said, only 3 more days ... (though it really doesn't seem fair that one should have to deal with a preterm baby scare *AND* an overdue baby ... I mean, come on universe, one or the other ... )

Today we were at Babies R Us, purchasing the last of our big baby purchases, and the cashier asked when I was due and I got to say "tomorrow!" He then looked at us like we were crazy "waiting until the last minute to buy certain things" (um, hello, we live 5 minutes from Babies R Us and my husband is totally capable of running over there and picking something up ... esp. if I put the exact thing I want/need on a registry so all he has to do is print it out and ask an associate to find it ;)).

You'd think that with the most exciting change in life looming in our incredibly near future, Scott and I would be in the happiest of moods.  Sadly, that's not quite the case.  The weekend that your baby is due is usually the weekend that your family flies into town and sits excitedly waiting to get the call that you've been admitted so they can come down to the hospital and wait for their new grandchild to arrive.  Apparently, unless you're having the "2nd" grandchild on each side. And then they don't care so much.  They go out of town, they wait for you to "tell" them to come to the hospital.  As my best friend would say "what the hell is wrong with everyone, have they never seen a movie where all the family is waiting in the waiting room for the little one to arrive just because they're so excited!" Well, clearly that is selfish and self involved of us to think that our families would actually put aside their "busy" lives for a birth. (Though, I'm sure it won't take long for them to be saying "I haven't seen the baby in days, bring him to me." Um, no.)  It's a hard pill to swallow when you come to realize the people who you thought would be there for you aren't, but, as we're learning all too well, life goes on.  Scott and I thank God everyday for each other and the support we can count on in one another.  And the outpour of love and support we have found in our closest friends during this exciting, scary time.  Our little man is so lucky to have the love and support of so many of his unofficial "uncles" and "aunties" and for this, we are so grateful. (You know who you are! ;))


So, as we settle into *the day* -- keep your phones close ... but, your expectations low :)

We'll let you know when he's coming!

But momma doesn't think you should hold your breath ... she's not that lucky :)

New clothes, please!!

Friends, we are edging closer and closer to the end of pregnancy #1 for this girl!! (5 full days or less till baby!!! *see below*)  And while I am ecstatic to get to hold my baby boy and cuddle his little awesomeness (and for God sake have something to do when I'm up at 2am instead of watching informercials!), I am also super excited to drop some pounds!!!

Don't worry, I know all the pounds don't come sailing off all at once -- but a good 15 or so should come shooting out with labor and all the "awesomeness" that follows and, by gosh, I shall take it! I'm so so sick of feeling huge.  And, it must be said, I have officially run out of clothes! :(

Since I ended up in the hospital, followed by bed rest, followed by intense-stay-inside-or-die heat advisories, I have not had the "need" to buy new maternity clothes since the beginning of June.  Now, if you've ever been pregnant (and if not, listen up!) you will know that you gain the greatest amount of weight in the last couple months of pregnancy.  (To be fair, that's when your fetus grows into a functioning baby -- but yes, babies don't weigh 20 lbs --hopefully!) Soooo, the bottom line is I have outgrown my (limited) maternity wear.  Yes, I still have a couple of pairs of shorts, leggings, tees, and a couple of versatile, loose Target dresses that "fit" me -- but I have to admit, I've been alternating the same couple of "outfits" every single day, for the last 10 weeks or so. I COULD NOT BE MORE BOOORED WITH MY WARDROBE.  And, on top of that, 3 of the shirts that I fit into have been packed away in my "hospital bag" in the car for the last 8 weeks! (I'm an incredibly indecisive person.)

I mean, it's not like my life has been AT ALL interesting for the last 2 months -- walking around the neighborhood and going to a movie are a really big deal -- but I simply cannot put on the same shirt anymore without crying a little bit, even if my day consists of sitting on the couch for the entirety of it.  I do laundry every week and wash the same 10 pieces of clothing. BOORING.  I am *itching* to go shopping and buy something in a normal size!! (So badly so, that I can't wait to work out, even if it's at home, in front of a workout video, while my newborn is napping. I actually so miss working out! Due to an early onset of morning/all day sickness that lasted until a preterm labor scare (and beyond) and bedrest, I have not been to the gym in like 10 months! And yes, my husband reminds me everyday how much I pay monthly on a cobweb covered gym membership!)

As all you moms are probably thinking (and dads even though you have NO real opinion as you are not now, nor have ever been a new MOTHER), "You say that now but you'll be so tired you won't want to work out ever." While that might be true, the *need* to wear cute, form fitting clothes again, will overpower the desire to nap rather than do some crunches for this girl!

Since I haven't been able to sleep for months now, I have had quite a lot of time to peruse the internet, planning out my future, post baby bod, shopping conquests!  Since I probably won't fall back down to my old weight, those size 0-2 dresses in my closet aren't quite going to fit come fall wedding season! Annnd, since I have spent soo many months not buying new clothes for myself, I have decided I will be splurging on a few choice items this fall! We have 2 weddings to go to in the next few months (well, actually 3, but we can't make one since it's in NY -- soo bummed Christina! :( I know you'll be gorgeous!) which means I need some new dresses!  After much browsing, I have narrowed it down to three *gorgeous* anthropologie dresses that I cannot wait to try on! (Also, anthro runs nice and small so I won't have to buy a size 14!) I have not gone to the store yet, because who wants to look at a beautiful dress they can't try on yet, but the internet makes them look wonderful! I pray so hard that one of them fits as perfectly as I imagine them to (maybe I'll even get 2 if they're on sale by then! whoa!).  Also, I kinda, sorta fell *in love* with a beautiful, versatile, drapy tank and a super cute flowy sweater, both of which I *may* have to splurge on if the fit is right!

Then, I promise to become a thrifty momma and only spend oodles on my baby boy! :)

*Btw, in case you are wondering, induction is scheduled for 3:30 am Wed. August 10th! Pending a non-eventful weekend, of course! ;)*

Tis' a Sad day ...

...all around. 

*First off, it's August! Where did the summer go!? (It gets esp. muddled when you spend a month and half off your feet and/or in pain. sadface)

*Second off, we saw our doctor today and the news was not what we all hoped for (including my doctors!) First off, my doctor was like "I actually can't believe you're still pregnant!" Thanks, doc, me neither! I mean I know I'm not 40 weeks yet and many new moms go over 40 weeks, but then don't tell me at 32 weeks that you're baby is coming like now. Because 8 weeks, that is a long time to be sitting on pins and needles! I'm still sitting pretty (and uncomfortable) (and actually not pretty) at 3+cm. I mean, seriously, 3 PLUS. Grab the duck clamp and open that baby up a few more cm would ya! (My wonderful doctor did try to move things along with her fingers today, bouncing that water bag up and down. No such luck...yet.)

*Thirdly, we have a hit a weight problem. I am a ghastly 32 lbs. more than I was in November. Super sadface. Doc estimated the baby is somewhere in the mid 7lbs (based on measurements and such, not an actual scientific method) and if ya do that math, that is nowhere near 32 lbs. 

*Fourthly, I had to take off my beautiful engagement ring today ... because it keeps cutting off circulation in my over puffed up fingers :( I'm starting to look like the Stay Puff Marshmallow (wo)Man! My feet keep swelling up to the point where it literally hurts to walk and I almost fall over and my little skinny fingers look like the turkey sausages that we ate for breakfast the other day.

Miserable.

The good news:  We have scheduled an induction.  If my water does not break (because God only knows 3-5 minute contractions and/or a contraction with a pain level of 7 does nada for my cervix!) by next week, I will be induced on Wednesday, Aug. 10th.  I go into the office on Monday for an ultrasound and if they find a medical reason (low fluid) to induce on Monday they will, but crowded Northwestern doesn't have a bed for me until Wednesday for an "elective" induction.  The good part about that senario is my actual doctor (who I love love) will get to do the induction and delivery on Wed (though she is also on call THIS wed. so come on water!) but ya know, 9 more nights of not being able to sleep and fighting the pain, not cool.

Soooo, since everyone did such an amazing job on the prayers stopping my pre-term labor, I would ask you again, to please change your prayers and pray for a water breakage, preferably this Wednesday morning! :)