Friday, December 5, 2014

Brady's Six Month Update

Hey, family and friends!

Brady is six months old today. Where has half of a year gone?! I suspect time will only go faster and faster the older he gets. All the more reason to enjoy every second. 

He weighs 17 lbs 12 oz and is 27-1/16 inches long.

He's still non-stop. He can sit unassisted. He pushes up on his arms and legs and rocks back and forth, trying to crawl.

Still no teeth.

He usually only wakes once or twice in the night now. He's even gone the whole night without waking a couple of times. He's on a fairly consistent schedule now with naps and such as well.

He doesn't use his baby bathtub anymore. He sits in the bath with his bath toys and splashes around like crazy. He loves laying flat on his back in the tub.

He's still obsessed with jumping in his Johnny Jump Up and also 'driving' his walker car all around the house.

Brad and I are convinced he's the happiest baby in the world. He's always smiling and laughing. :-D

He is SOOO ticklish ... like everywhere!

He hasn't wanted his paci the last few days, so I'm not sure if he's phasing it out already or not. He'll just suck on it for a few seconds and then spit it out. Oh, well, better now than later, if that's the case.

He's pretty much stopped with the happy screams which Brad and my ears are happy about. LOL.

He eats solids like a champ now. He's a foodie like his mommy. :)

Oopsie is warming up to him more and more each day.

He's TERRIFIED of the vacuum cleaner when it's turned on. We have to take him to another room and turn on music when it's running now.

His hair is getting really long and untamable. I think it's about time for his first haircut ... which makes me really nervous. :-/


 
Blessings,

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Brady's Five Month Update

Hey, everyone!

Brady is five months old today. He weighs 16 lbs 12 oz and is 26.5 inches long.

He is the most energetic baby I've ever known. He's a real wild child but I wouldn't have it any other way because it's part of what makes him my little monkey. He's always jumping, rolling (front and back now), kicking, swinging -- anything to keep moving.

Just today he started trying to crawl and I wouldn't be surprised if one month from today he's almost or is crawling.

He's going through a "happy-scream" phase which is ear-piercing but still adorable.

He's been sucking his thumb a little. Still no teeth yet but I think one will pop through soon.

He loves putting his fingers in our mouths, pulling our lips, caressing our necks when he's falling asleep and caressing Daddy's beard.

His sleep is still inconsistent. The only way he can get any deep sleep is on his tummy in his crib. We've tried everything and this is what works best for him.

I think that about sums up this month. Gotta go give Monkey a bath.
 
 

Much love,

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Brady's Four Month Update

Hey, guys!

My little monkey is four months old today. He weighs 15 lbs 13 oz and is 25.75 inches long. He's growing like a weed! 

He fits great in his Johnny Jump Up now and has a blast jumping and spinning around.

He's really ticklish.

He rolled for the first time on Monday and has been doing it ever since. Brad and I BOTH missed his first roll. I told Brad "I'm going to go shower but Brady needs some tummy time for a bit." And then I told Brady, "You'd better not roll for the first time while Momma is in the shower." This was one of the only times I had him do tummy time without me watching because I wanted to see that first roll. Sure enough, Brad comes walking in the bathroom and tells me that he was doing something on the computer and he looked behind him and Brady had rolled. Figures! That little stinker. Lol.

He's had two little teeth nubs on the bottom for a couple of months that are definitely getting bigger. He's definitely teething and is a total drool bucket. I'm so excited to see those two little teeth pop through. As if he wasn't cute enough already, those two teeth will put him over the top. :-D

He officially loves his paci and it's pretty much a must-have for him to fall asleep. Speaking of sleep, we're transitioning him off the swaddle. We bought him a Zipadee-Zip. It doesn't work for him like we hoped it would but it is making it a much easier transition than having nothing at all would. He's been sleeping for longer stretches this past month and even went 8.5 hours one time. His first stretch of sleep at night lasts for an average of 5-7 hours, then he eats and falls back asleep for another 3-4 hours. A lot of it isn't really restful sleep yet though because of his arms still constantly moving.

He can hold and drink some water from a sippy cup now. He has also started eating a little bit of solid food. Momma's milk is still his favorite, though! :)

He puts one foot in front of the other like he's trying to walk when we stand him up and 'walk him' and he can almost sit up by himself.

He absolutely loves Oopsie and his face lights up whenever he sees him. Oopsie also really loves Brady, which is an answered prayer.

Here are Brady's four months pictures (he never stops moving these days):




Love,

Friday, September 5, 2014

Brady's Three Month Update

Hey, folks! :)

Brady is three months old today. Do you know what that means? My sweet little boy is 1/4th of the way to one year old. SLOW DOWN TIME! He weighs 14 lbs 5 oz and is 22.75 inches long. He's getting so big and strong (he is already wearing some of his 6 months clothes), praise God!

Let me start by saying that he is a total hoot! The kid has so much personality that I don't think he knows what to do with it all.

He is always smiling, laughing and giggling. He's such a happy baby! :-D He 'talks' to us all the time. He chews on his tongue like it's a piece of gum (he LOVES that tongue!) and has also started blowing raspberries and bubbles, talking in gibberish sentences and making a loud popping sound by suctioning his tongue to the roof of his mouth. Adorable! He also has started opening his mouth when we give him kisses.

I had to move his bathtub from the sink to the actual tub a couple weeks ago because he loves the tub so much that he gets excited and splashes water everywhere during pretty much the whole bath. Bath time is my favorite time of the day with him.

He is obsessed with bouncing. I pretty much always have a pulled muscle in my shoulder and neck because I am always bouncing him up and down on my lap. We got him a Johnny Jump Up and a Jumperoo but he's a little too short still (they are for 4+ months) and can't really do much but he stills enjoys being in them from time to time.

He has been able to pull himself up and stand up with just holding onto my fingers for a few weeks. He still hasn't fully rolled over yet but has done a half roll a few times.

We have a routine established now. Every night we have play time (he loves his baby gym mat), I give him a bath, we read to him (he loves listening and looking at each page), he eats and falls asleep (the time it takes for him to fall asleep can vary) but his sleep has still been pretty much the same. He averages 3-4 hour stretches each night. Sometimes he goes five hours but it's rare ... sometimes he only goes two. He almost always falls right back to sleep after getting his diaper changed and eating. He usually falls asleep for the night between 6:00 and 8:00 and wakes up for the day between 5:00 and 7:00. Even though we're sleep deprived, we try not to ever complain about it because we are SO blessed and our hearts are so full! Plus, we know it won't last long.

Since his likes and dislikes are pretty much the same as last month, I'm going to skip that and from now on just write it all in the blog itself.

Here are Brady's three month pictures:

 

Until next time,
 

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Brady's Two Month Update

Hey, everyone!

Brady is two months old and I just can't get enough of him! He is my total joy.  He weighs 12 lbs 7 oz now and is 22 inches long. Yet again, I'm late in posting. I realized Tuesday night that he turned two months ... I was thinking it was today. I wouldn't have been able to post anyway because I've been so busy. My baby comes first. :)

He has changed so much in just one month. His personality is really starting to show and I LOVE it! I seriously can hardly even handle the cuteness. He smiles and coos all the time now and is trying really hard to giggle. He's almost ready to roll over. He officially has the nickname "Monkey"; we hardly ever call him Brady. He got that name because he reminded us so much of a baby monkey when he was born and he still does. We love our little monkey! Lol.

We got his newborn pictures taken when he was 13 days old. I made the album public on Facebook so all of you who aren't friends with me can see it. Click here to see them. (Warning: extreme cuteness awaits you!) Like I said last month, I post pictures all the time on Facebook of him, so if you want to see them, just add me. :) I don't really blog much anymore because, like I said, I'm so busy, so adding me would be a good way to keep in touch as well.

He's still sleeping about the same as last month, which is really hard, but I know it will get better. He pretty much always has to be swaddled tightly to sleep because his arms go crazy and wake him up (Brad refers to it as "the jimmy arms" -- Seinfeld fans will get it). I'm hoping he'll grow out of that soon because I'd like to put him in his crib more (we put him in there now with blankets rolled up on each side of him, just in case he decided to roll) but once he's able to roll, he won't be able to go in there, if he's swaddled.

His like are:
Bath time and being in the water (He's a total water baby!)
Cuddling/being held/being swaddled
Having his head and face caressed
Getting burped or having his back beaten
Eating
Sleeping
Being bounced, rocked or carried around
Music and being sung to
Being talked to
Putting his hands in his mouth
Playing with his tongue
Trying to stand up and trying to roll
Having his lips played with
Being tickled
Going new places and seeing new things
Stretching
Cooing and smiling

His dislikes are:
Gas
Loud, sudden noises
Heat

Here are Brady's two month pictures:




Much love,


Monday, July 7, 2014

Brady's One Month Update

Hey, guys!

My little guy is one month old; I can hardly believe it! He actually turned one month on Saturday but I have been super-duper busy and am just now getting around to writing it while he's sleeping. 

Where do I even begin? Well, first of all ... I think he's the cutest baby on the planet but I know all moms think that about their babies. :) Being a mom is the most amazing thing in the world. It's a ton of work but I wouldn't trade it for anything! My heart is so full of love for him that I feel like it could explode. Every day I wake up loving him more and more. 

He's such a good baby. He's starting to give real smiles and is super attentive and aware. He's starting to wiggle when he's laying on his back like he's trying to roll over. He's also starting to coo and make adorable sounds. When he cries it sounds like he's saying "naeee naeee," just like a horse; it's the cutest thing ever. He sleeps 2.5 to 4-hour stretches at night (although he had a 5-hour stretch without waking a couple nights ago, which was glorious!). I'm loving and savoring every second of watching him grow and seeing his personality develop every day. I'm blessed beyond measure. <3

His likes are:
Cuddling/being held/being swaddled
Having his head and face caressed
Getting burped or having his back beaten on
Eating (he has an insane appetite!)
Being bounced, rocked or walked around with
Music and being sung to
Putting his hands in his mouth and sticking his tongue out
Trying to stand up ... yes, you read that right ... he's been trying to stand up for a couple of weeks now and he actually can push himself up with me holding on to him. He's super strong!

His dislikes are:
Laying flat on his back
Gas (which he gets a lot)
Being warm or hot at all (he's very heat-sensitive and loves to stay cool like his mommy)
... and that's pretty much it right now.

Here are Brady's one month pictures:






If you're not friends with me on Facebook and want to see more pictures, you should friend me because I'm always posting pictures of Brady. :)

Much love,
 

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Brady's Birth Story

THIS POST CONTAINS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF LABOR AND DELIVERY. IT IS NOT JUST FOR THE MANY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR IT BUT FOR MY RECORD AS WELL.

Hey, everyone.

I'm sorry I've left you all hanging but I haven't had a moment of free time since I gave birth. In fact, Brad is the one typing for me as I lay in bed with my sleeping angel.

Brady Scott Moyers was born June 5, 2014 at 1:53 am at the midwife birthing center in Knoxville. He was 7 lbs 3.5 oz and 20".

Here is the sequence of events. I tried to keep it as short as possible but it's still pretty long.

Around 2:00 am on the 3rd I woke up to what I thought was a really bad back ache with stomach cramps. I wasn't sure if it was contractions because I'd had lower back pain and some crampiness for a while but this was by far the worst I'd felt with them up to this point. I went to the bathroom and noticed I was starting to pass my mucus plug (which I continued losing in chunks all the way up until delivery).

I was up all that morning and was only able to fall asleep a few times because I was so uncomfortable. I had started timing the pain intervals and they were all different, so I wasn't sure if I was in pre-labor or what exactly was happening.

That day, we went to the park and took Oopsie on a long walk. All throughout the day, I was very uncomfortable but not in what I would consider much pain.

That night is when the ball got rolling faster. I wasn't able to sleep at all. The lower back pain and abdominal cramps were much worse but I still wasn't sure if they were contractions because they were still so irregular.

All day the next day I was pretty much on my hands and knees as the contractions came and grew more intense. That's the only position I found the least uncomfortable. The contractions were becoming more frequent and Brad finally convinced me that I was at the very least in early labor.

During the afternoon and early evening, the contractions continued to increase in intensity and were becoming more regular at about 8-10 minutes apart. By 8:30 pm, they were 3-5 minutes apart, which is considered active labor.

(Something I have yet to mention is that for the last couple weeks I'd been having Brad feel my cervix for dilation. He used to be a registered nurse, although not in obstetrics, but you can learn anything on Google.)

Brad checked my cervix that morning and it was still not dilated and had not dropped. When he checked in the early afternoon, his eyes got really big and his jaw dropped as he told me that my cervix was at the opening of my vagina. He felt it and said it was 1-2 cm dilated.

When active labor started around 8:30, he checked me again and was shocked that my cervix was now 4-5 cm dilated. I just couldn't believe it and thought he must not be checking it right.

The contractions continued and I was miserable. By 9:45, Brad insisted that he call the birthing center because he was concerned that I was going to deliver at home or in the car. The midwife on-call said to head on over. During the 25-minute drive, my contractions were two minutes apart and were keeping me off my seat. We arrived at 10:35 and the midwife immediately checked my cervix and said I was 6 cm dilated. (Brad gave me an I told you so wink and nod.)

While the midwife was preparing our room and filling the birthing tub, I stayed on my hands and knees and had Brad press on my lower back, which he did throughout my labor and delivery. My lower back felt like it was going to explode and him putting pressure on it was the only way I got a little bit of relief from the pain.

I got in the birthing tub for 90 minutes or so. It may have helped a little bit with the pain but it wasn't significant. It was nice that the bottom was padded because I remained on my knees while in it. I went through my transition while in there; that was excruciating. The midwife wanted to check me every few minutes but I kept refusing to get on my butt because it was so painful. Brad said all I kept saying the whole time I was in labor was "I can't!" It didn't matter what anyone said to me. My response was, "I can't!" During my transition, I even was doubting that I could deliver a baby. Fortunately, we knew beforehand that this is typical and Brad kept reminding me and telling me that we were going to get through this.

At some point while in the tub, I felt like I needed to push. The midwife shined a flashlight on me from behind and felt me and said I was 9 cm dilated. I got out of the tub because I was hot and went back to the bed. I pretty much remained on my hands through delivery.

It was around 1:15 am when I went back to the bed and began pushing. (Pushing is a love-hate thing -- at least for me. It felt good to push but it also was painful.) Brad kept reminding me that it was going to be over soon.

At one point, about an inch of Brady's very hairy head began poking out of me. Brad excitedly told me that about an inch of Brady's head was showing. I looked at him in horror and exclaimed, "That's it?!" It felt like a bowling ball was poking out, not a tiny head. Pain aside, it was pretty amazing to feel him coming out little by little. They also allowed Brad and me to feel the hair on the top of his head that was poking out.

Once his head popped out, my water broke it was only five minute or less before I gave the final push and his whole body shot out. As soon as he came out -- perfectly clean, by the way -- he began crying. They didn't have to suction his nose or mouth either. And he didn't have a conehead because he wasn't in the birth canal very long. They placed his naked little body on my bare chest and we stayed skin-on-skin for quite a while. During this time, Brad got to cut the cord.

I had a pretty bad uterine hemorrhage after the placenta was pulled out. There was blood everywhere. The midwives came in periodically to change the pads and sheets and to remove clots that were not coming out. Eventually, they gave me a couple medications to help stop the bleeding. The whole process was very painful and the room looked like a war zone with all the bloody sheets and blankets. I also had a labia tear that made urinating excruciatingly painful.

Later, I developed a fever, uncontrollable chills and vomited once; they were considering sending me to the hospital but we prayed for the fever to go down and it slowly did.

It wasn't until about 10 hours after delivery that I started to feel better. I took a shower because I felt disgusting. Around 2:00 pm we were cleared to go home.

God answered all of our prayers throughout my pregnancy. I didn't want to have to go to the hospital for anything and I also wanted a fast labor and delivery. He gave me all of that. I give Him all the glory. All of the strength I had came from Him. I am a wimp when it comes to pain but He got me through it.

In summation, being a parent is the hardest but most rewarding job in the world. You just can't imagine how much you can love another human until you have a child. I can't say enough how thankful we are for this precious gift God has given us.

Here are some pictures of our precious little angel. I will try to do a monthly update with pictures and such.







Love,

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

39 Week Pregnancy Update and Baby Bump Photos

Hey, loves!

I can't believe this is my last pregnancy update blog. The next time I write, Brady will be here; Brad and I are super ready to meet our little one!
 
Brady is now the size of a watermelon and is around 18.9-20.9 inches long and weighs around 6.2-9.2 lbs.

I really don't have anything new to write about this month in terms of my pregnancy; nothing much has changed. I've just gotten bigger and my belly feels super crowded. I've been getting more and more Braxton Hicks contractions, too. Any day now! :-D

Here is my last set of baby bump pictures. It's sad and exciting all at the same time. 

 
 
 

Our last picture as a family before Brady is here. There's never a dull moment with Oopsie. :-P


 Until next time,

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

35 Week Pregnancy Update and Baby Bump Photos

Hey, everyone!

Brady is now the size of a coconut and is around 17.2-18.7 inches long and weighs around 4.2-5.8 lbs. I only have two weeks left until I'm full-term and five weeks until my due date; this pregnancy continues to just fly by for me! Hey, this might even be my last monthly pregnancy update, if he decides to come before my due date. :)

We are totally ready for Brady. His nursery is completely done (I posted pictures and such on my last post, in case you missed it), we've bought everything he could possibly need or want, we've installed his car seat and we even sold our car and bought a 2011 Ford Escape to make traveling with him, especially when going to visit our families, much easier and roomier.

So, this past month I've definitely experienced more pregnancy symptoms. I've been super sensitive to heat (although, I always have been ... it's just much more so lately) and have been sweating very easily. I'm pretty sure I have the nose of a dog: I'm always asking Brad if he smells whatever it is I'm smelling and he hardly ever does. I can still bend over and get up and down pretty easily but it's starting to get really uncomfortable. It feels like a bowling ball is pushing out against my ribs, especially on my right side.

Speaking of my right rib cage, that's where I'm always feeling his kicks. He's been head-down since 20 weeks and in my appointment Monday the midwife said he's kind of laying sideways with his feet facing my right rib cage, which would explain why I'm always feeling his kicks on my right ribs and side. Also, I've been getting a ton of Braxton Hicks contractions every day and I've been feeling abdominal pain that only lasts a few seconds or so at random times, especially when I get up or down.

My hair is growing like a weed (and is much shinier than normal), as well as my nails. I've been waking up every night with the thirst of someone who has been stranded in the desert all day. LOL. I've been keeping bottles of water on the bathroom counter and chugging during my nearly once-an-hour pee calls. I've also noticed that I'm starting to get really hungry in the middle of the night, like I was during my first trimester, but just like then, I refuse to eat in the middle of the night and force myself to fall asleep through the hunger pangs.

My nose has been extra stuffy-feeling lately. My wedding ring is starting to get REALLY tight; I could hardly get it off the other day. I was hoping I could wear it for my entire pregnancy but I'm starting to lose hope.

In the last week or so, it feels like Brady has doubled his weight and strength. I thought his movements were strong before but they are insanely strong now. I love feeling his arms, feet, legs and butt move all around. :)

The weather has been awesome the past few weeks and I've still been walking a lot. I try to go before the temps get out of the 60s or 70s each day because, like I said, I've been getting so hot and sweaty.

I was going through some of Brad and my baby photos and wanted to share some with you all. I tried to pick ones where we were around the same age with similar poses. They all go me, Brad, me, Brad, etc.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I think Brady will look like his daddy because the Moyers men have strong features in their genes. I'm hoping that he will at least have something of mine, though. Brad would like him to have my lips and forehead (my forehead isn't as big as Brad's, although I still think I have a good-sized forehead. :-P). We think he'll have blue eyes when he's born, like Brad and I did, but I think they will change to green (my favorite eye color!) or hazel (we both have hazel-green eyes). I really want him to have hair when he's born, even if it's just a little. I love baby hair; it's so soft. I think he will, though, based on our baby pictures and the fact that I have a super thick head of hair. Hopefully, he'll have the best of both of us. :-D

I love trying to picture what he will look, whose features he'll have and what they'll be, etc., but it's impossible to try to form an image in my head. One thing I am sure of, though, is that I'll think he's the most beautiful baby in the world, no matter what. <3 

Here are my baby bump pictures for the month.




 Much love,

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Brady's Nursery

Hey, y'all!

We finally have Brady's nursery finished! :)

It took a while to get everything delivered that we had ordered. It seemed like it took forever to find the right crib and dresser. We wanted a convertible crib that was durable and going to last and that wasn't dark (I don't care for dark furniture) and I didn't want white because I thought that was too girly for a boy. We ended up going with a maple set in natural color and we absolutely love it!

Speaking of love, we are both in love with the glider set we bought. It's really big but is seriously the most comfortable piece of furniture we've ever sat in. I have no doubt that I'll be falling asleep nursing Brady in it.

As you all know by now, I love owls and birds, so the Forest Friends bedding and decor set was perfect for me.

The toy box was a must for storing all his books, toys and stuffed animals and is already starting to fill up.

I would have taken some pictures of his closet and all of his outfits hanging up and such but I have a lot of diapers, wipes, an activity gym, swing, tub, stroller and car seat combo, etc. being stored in there right now, making it look really cluttered. I'm thankful we have a big double closet in his room to store everything until we need it.

The only thing missing now is Brady. <3







Blessings,