Knox Remington Brannon - Birth Story

Monday, June 9th, we went for a check up on little man.  I had been feeling a lot like he was going to be joining us any second.  I was 38.4 weeks and 3 centimeters!  My doctor seemed excited tell to me that I was in "early labor" and he was looking forward to seeing me in the next day or two at the hospital.  We were thrilled!  Blake and I just couldn't wait to meet this little man.  

The next day, Tuesday, I just knew it was time to go to the hospital.  I was very nervous because I was induced with Gabbi and didn't know what to expect or even what contractions actually feel like.  After a disappointing and emotional trip to the hospital we drove back home to continue this "early labor" phase for another 36 hours or so. 

Blake and I went to bed Wednesday night still very anxious and a little frustrated about the unknown. I woke up at 3:30am on Thursday, June 12th with a stomach ache.  A laid in bed, wide awake, and 4am I was having very strong contractions every 3 minutes.  I immediately felt crazy for thinking I was in active labor Tuesday.. silly me!  I was prepared and planned to labor at home as long as possible, I was NOT going to be sent home again!  I woke Blake up at 4:22 and told him what was going on.  He asked, "does it hurt?"  Hah, does it hurt?!  About that time I had another contraction and he swiftly jumped in the shower and got ready to take me in.  We called my mom to come stay with Gabbi who was happily sleeping in her bed.  

By 5:30am we were checked in to the hospital, 8 centimeters, and waiting on an epidural.  This happened so fast!  Gosh, I just can't put into words the feeling of those contractions.  Thankfully, the anesthesiologist came in to give me spinal anesthesia around 6:15am (much quicker to work than the epidural, most commonly used for c-section births).  What a wonderful man he was!  I immediately needed to push and was so happy to see that my doctor had walked in during the spinal, he made it in time!  And finally during the 3rd push, at 6:28am, just as the medicine began to work Mister Knox Remington joined us.  

Blake and I cried as they laid him on my chest and we couldn't believe how much he looked like Gabbi.  Just beautiful.  They took him over to clean him up, measure and weigh, and by the time I got to hold him again he had already changed.  He was beginning to look just like his handsome daddy, and I couldn't have been happier.  

The grandparents came in to meet the new addition.  No one else made it in time, it was very early and an extremely quick process compared to last time.  By 8am Blake and I were enjoying our sweet baby and breakfast from Denny's and by 9am we were settled in our recovery room.  After Gabbi's afternoon nap Thursday she came to meet her new brother.  Just 9 days shy of a year old, she was the cutest little big sister I've ever seen!  

In just 24 hours we were headed home with our new roommate for the next 18 years.  This experience was dramatically different from our first born.  I am so thankful for my doctor, the sweet nurse that comforted me with her resume when we didn't think my doctor would make it in time, my amazing husband that reminded me to breathe when I was about to pass out, and our supportive families for encouraging me those last few days and loving on Gabbi while we were away.  

I have to share a quick story of how God works and how good He is.  About a year ago I wrote a post about my grandfathers passing.  I was unable to go to the funeral as I was 38 weeks pregnant with Gabbi.  I have missed him desperately since.  Around the time Knox was conceived (before I knew I was pregnant) I had a dream of my sweet grandfather giving me a hug and a kiss and waving goodbye to me and two small children.  I woke up angry at God for giving me that little glimpse of him in my dream and missing him even more.  A few weeks later, I was begging for more dreams just to see him again.  And a few weeks after that, I found out we were expecting - just maybe expecting that second child in my dream.  When we went to the doctor and got a due date of June 15th, I immediately told my family that this baby would be born on June 12th, the day my grandfather went to be with the Lord.  You see, my grandfather has a sense of humor similar to God's!  And he would have wanted nothing more than to turn that sad day into a day of celebration.  So thank you Dad Sales, for being in cahoots with God.  I couldn't be happier to have woken up that morning, going into labor, and knowing that you were standing next to God, watching over us.  

36 Weeks

Wow Knox, how did we get this far so fast?!  We went for your 36 week checkup today and measured your sweet, smooshed self!  Your 6.5 pound body is running out of room, and boy are your legs long!  We are getting close to meeting you and we are so excited.  We love you sweet boy! 

How far along:  36 weeks

Gender:  Boy

Movement:  Ouch!  

Weight Gain: 12 pounds

Maternity Clothes:  So ready for regular clothes!

Stretch Marks:  I'm sure they are hiding under there somewhere, but I certainly can't see it!

Sleeping Habits:  Sleep.. what is that again?

Miss Anything:  Lots to miss, but I am enjoying this while it lasts.

Appetite:  Heartburn is killing me and causing a light appetite. 

Cravings:  Still sweets and lots of ice!

Symptoms:  Just feeling pretty large and waddely these days. 

Belly Button:  Out a little.

Mood:  Well, while I am certainly ready to be unpregnant, I'm not so sure how I feel about bringing home a second baby.  I'm freakin' a little, but for whatever reason God thought this was a good idea so I'm going with it. 

Favorite Moments:  I have been enjoying baby hiccups and his constant movements.  He is a very busy little boy in there but quickly running out of room. We also really enjoyed our ultrasound today to measure him!  He is right on track and about 6.5 pounds, except his legs are measuring 38 weeks!  Yay for Daddy's height :)

Gabriella Grace - 9 Months

I can't believe I haven't written in 4 months!!  Where do I even begin?!  

Little Miss Gabbi is the light of our lives.  She brings so much joy to our day it is hard to describe.   She began crawling on Christmas Day at 6 months old and hasn't been still since.  She started pulling up around 7 months.  Gabbi's 8th month of life has been one of my favorites! (Besides the 1st month, that was good stuff!)  She STILL doesn't have a single tooth but she eats like she has a mouth full of chompers.  She is pretty much over baby foods and would much rather feed herself table food.  

As I wrote last time, she started day care at 6 months, and it is really working for us.  Gabbi just loves her teachers and friends, she is such a social bug waving at everyone when she gets there.  She does realize that I am leaving, but she is so distracted with breakfast time that she could care less!  (The girl likes to eat!)  I will admit, with a very selfish heart, that I take full advantage of the time she is there to keep my body rested and healthy.  My back is taking a beating carrying her and this belly around since she can't walk yet. 

Yesterday she had her 9 month checkup.  She is in the 80th percentile for both height and weight, coming in at a whopping 20 pounds!  Being as vertically challenged as I am, this 80% makes Momma happy!  She may have actually gotten some height from her daddy ;)  Gabbi's current happenings have us laughing most of the day.  She yells some type of gibberish constantly and says DaDa all the time.  Sweet Gabbi has the most heart melting smile I have ever seen, she is such a happy girl.  She is pulling up on everything, opening cabinets and banging tupperware, walking down anything she can hold on to, standing alone, and crashing and burning after about two steps!  She is getting very good at falling, and as you can tell from the picture above, she is not still for more than a second.  Being the busy girl that she is, she is sleeping for 12 hours or more at night.  Again making this tired Momma a happy lady!

Daddy and I have had so much fun watching her grow and her super fun personality develop.  I have a feeling Miss Thing will keep us on our toes for many years to come.  For the next couple of months before her brother arrives we are soaking in every single moment with her.  I get very sad thinking about sharing my time and energy, but I am certain we have enough love for both of these miracles - so bring it on!

25 Weeks

Son, your due date changes every time we see the doctor.  This is kind of exciting for me because I have a feeling you will surprise us when you are good and ready, but on the other hand I am so ready to meet you I can't stand not knowing for sure when that will be.  Keep growing little man, we love you to pieces! 

How far along:  25 weeks

Gender:  Boy

Movement:  Very strong kicks and punches!  

Weight Gain: 3 pounds

Maternity Clothes:  Bring 'em on.

Stretch Marks:  Nah

Sleeping Habits:  Not too bad, big sister keeps me busy so I have no trouble falling asleep.

Miss Anything:  Leaning forward.. he wants to take up ALL the space I have available.

Appetite:  Pretty good but I am already getting heartburn.

Cravings:  Non fat, decaf, iced white mocha, whip first, then shake!

Symptoms:  So very tired!

Belly Button:  Out a little.

Mood:  Pretty calm most of the time, Blake is kinda freaking out because I'm not ;)

Favorite Moments:  Well this picture and these facts are from 25 weeks, but I am currently 27.5 weeks and last week my Meme was in town to help us move so she came to my checkup.  I asked for an ultrasound since it had been 10 whole weeks since I had seen Knox last, I had no idea she had never seen a baby via ultrasound!  It was neat for my sweet doc to show her all of his limbs and beating heart!  So that was my favorite recent moment!

Pregnancy So Far.. Round 2

Surprisingly similar to Round 1 at 20 weeks!

Today I am somewhere between almost 21 or 22 weeks.  Since this pregnancy was so close to my last, and I was still nursing, we can't quite pinpoint the weeks.  My due date has stayed at June 15th but this little man is measuring a little bigger!  So far I feel better good.  I wasn't near as sick as I was with Gabbi, which is wonderful!!  But boy am I tired.  I can literally fall asleep in mid conversation, standing up, with my eyes open, holding my 7 month old.  And that's the truth!

Knox seems to move much less than Gabbi did, and he is pretty sweet about it.  Soft, steady kicks mostly in the morning and at night.  He has seemed to stay in the same position so far so he isn't doing all the flipping over his big sister did.  He is probably just bracing himself for this crazy world he will be entering in 4 short months.  4 months.  Yikes!  Mother of two in just 4 months.  I have tons of emotions going on surrounding this thought.. mostly excitement.  But tons of fear, anxiety, wonder of how people do this with 5 and 6 children.  I know how quickly these last months go (remind me I said that around 34 weeks!) so I am trying to soak it all up and enjoy every step without fear of the future!

Here we go, for Round 2!

How far along:  21ish weeks

Gender:  Boy

Movement:  Mostly in the morning and at night

Weight Gain:  I lost 10 pounds during the first trimester so I'm working on getting that back right now!  5 lbs to go before I start actually gaining.

Maternity Clothes:  Just broke out the bottoms this week!

Stretch Marks:  I have one tiny mark on my lower stomach left over from Gabbi.  I never saw it until she was out.. little stinker!  We'll see what homeboy does to me!

Sleeping Habits:  What is that sleep thing again?  Gabbi still eats once during the night sooo.. 

Miss Anything:  STILL a glass of wine and normal clothes.

Appetite:  Ehh, one day. 

Cravings:  Definitely sweet and plenty of caffeine. 

Symptons:  Moody, pudgy, sleepy.

Belly Button:  In

Mood:  Excitedly overwhelmed!

Favorite Moments:  Daddy feeling him kick.  And the fact that he clearly knows he has a very loud big sister and prefers to kick hardest after she is quietly put to bed!

Deja Vu

There is only one way to start this blog post...

{we are having ANOTHER baby}

I read over the post announcing the news of our first baby, that I wrote less than a year ago, before writing this one and I have to say the feelings of excitement and fear are EXACTLY the same.  The only difference is that we did not wait so long for this precious one.  

"Was this planned?"is the question we have been getting, and the answer is.. ish.  

Because it took quite a while to get pregnant with Gabbi, we thought maybe it would take a while this time too, so we decided that we would just let it happen and be ready anytime.  The morning we found out was pretty funny because we wanted to yell and scream but we had a 3 and half month old snoozing not far from us!  We laughed and cried and hugged for a long time.  

I quickly called our nurse to make sure it was even possible and asked if I should take more tests to make sure, and she says "oh yeah, it's always possible but if it makes you feel better you can test again!" so she made us an appointment.  We took Gabbi with us to meet her new sibling, even though she didn't have a clue what was happening, and sure enough there was the tiny grain of rice with a heart beating away.  The time is flying by this time.  Today we went for our second appointment and my blood work.  I am 11 weeks and we couldn't believe how big the baby had gotten.  Fast heart beat like Gabbi's was and already moving all around!  Our doctor laughs at our jokes about having just gone through this and suggested we name the baby "Deja"!  

I guess that is it for now.  We will go back just before Christmas to see if we can see any boy or girl parts!  For now I will be praying for big {little} sister, a healthy new baby, an appetite, energy, and that the awful heartburn does not happen this time!  All encouraging comments are more than welcome.  I have mostly been getting comments like "this is going to be hard" or "wow that will be tough" or "Gabbi won't even get to be a baby".  You can imagine that those are a little discouraging so I'm working through that.  God's plan is perfect, all the time.  With our first miracle His timing took much longer than we liked,  and with this miracle it was a little sooner than we expected.  But either way, it is perfect and we are just thrilled.  Why God thinks I can handle 2 babes 11 months apart I do not know, but I know that He can handle it!

Thank you Jesus for this new sweet baby, thank you for the sweet baby we already have and that you have always wanted her to be a big sister, thank you for your perfect plan, and thank you in advance for being patient with me. 

Gabriella Grace - 5 Months

I am not really a fan of the time passing so quickly.  It seems like just last week we were bringing her home from the hospital.   At the same time, it seems like this angel has been a part of our lives forever.  She changes everyday and keeps us on our toes.  

At 5 months Gabbi is rolling all over the place and sitting up by herself for a quick second.  She is getting very frustrated that she can't crawl yet, however scooting backwards seems like something fun for her!  She loves her paci, mostly when she is tired, but is becoming very aware that it's something she wants.  (yikes!)  She has also started fruits and veggies and absolutely loves baby food!  Peas and Apples are the favorite for now!  The bouncer is her best friend right now and any toy that has lights.  She is becoming interested in the mirror and touching her reflection.  Her voice is getting very loud, especially when her paci is on the floor in front of her and she can't get to it!  She still loves the swing for naps. She sleeps well at night still waking up for one feeding.  She loves being tickled but she hasn't really let out a full blown giggle yet, a couple of laughs, but I'm waiting for a belly shaking giggle!  We almost have a tooth or two, her gums are swollen, so we'll be praying that those come in smoothly!  She is going to Mother's Day Out twice a week and just loves it!  She is all smiles when I drop her off and a very happy baby when I pick her up.  In January she will begin "full-time" day care, although I won't keep her there all day. 

As for mommy, I am so enjoying her.  She is reaching for me now if someone else has her.  And when daddy gets home in the evening she reaches for him, you can tell she missed him all day!  Mornings are my favorite time with her.  She snuggles for a while and touches my face with her sweet hands.  It is getting hard to go to work with her because she is so much more active and only taking 2 short naps during the day, which is why we are starting day care.  I dread the first day I take her.  The day she started Mother's Day Out I cried the whole way to work, and as my receptionist says, I still cried at work!  She will be in the school where my mom works though so that helps a bunch.  The guilt though, oh the guilt.  It is truly a double edged sword.  I feel guilty for taking her to work and not playing with her as much during the day, she is so active and needs the attention.  On the other hand, being with someone else all day means she doesn't get as much of mommy and that breaks my heart.  However, getting to know her personality more everyday, I know that she loves being around people and playing and interacting so I'm sure she will be a great fit there.  (I say that now, until I drop her off!)  I am happy to report that the initial feelings of a new mommy, you know the ones, (pure exhaustion, being inadequate, constantly overwhelmed, crying at the drop of a paci) have all passed as Gabbi and I learn each other better.  I am slowly able to (or at least thinking about it!) leave her with family members for longer periods of time.  Very slowly, but I'm getting there.  Hey, we are even getting on a plane in a couple of weeks.. look at me go!

I was about to add pictures but she is stirring so you'll just have to check out Instagram, there are plenty..  (this also means I am not spell checking or grammer checking so I hope my sister doesn't read this)  

Until next time!

Gabriella Grace Brannon - Birth Story

Tuesday, June 18th Blake and I went to the doctor to check on our baby.  I had been experiencing high blood pressure for a couple of weeks and once again, it was high on this day.  We took a peek at Gabbi on the ultrasound and couldn't believe how much she had grown since our last peek!  The doctor asked how we felt about being induced and explain the risks of high blood pressure.  He was extremely sensitive to the things we had recently been through and went through the pros and cons of being induced.  After we decided that even the cons of being induced outweighed the risk of my blood pressure situation, he told us he was most comfortable getting this started on Thursday (39 weeks pregnant).  I wish you all could have seen Blake's face, he looked like he had seen a ghost!  With excitement and fear we agreed to be induced in just 36 hours!  

Wednesday was a little crazy!  I was filled with anxious thoughts knowing I would be meeting this baby that has taken up my entire abdomen as her home the last 9 months.  I packed, unpacked, repacked, double and triple checking the "hospital packing list".  I probably texted my sister, who had a baby just just 5 1/2 weeks before, a thousand times making sure I wasn't forgetting anything.  Needless to say, we did not sleep much Wednesday night!

Thursday morning we checked into the hospital at 5:30am.  Getting started was actually pretty quick, thanks to our small hospital I suppose!  My doctor started me on an induction process without using drugs.  If I explained you would stop reading so I'll just leave it at that!  This process was very easy on me and the baby and worked perfectly.  The downside of this process, it's a long one!  Although for Blake and I the day didn't seem to drag, probably because I was making steady progress and we kept ourselves busy with cards.  Somewhere between 3 and 5pm I was ready for a little pain medication but not quite ready for the epidural.  (I was terrified that if I had the epidural too soon it would stop working before I had her!)  Let's just say I will not make that mistake again!  The lady administering the pain medication said it would make me feel a little funny.  A little funny is not what I felt!  That crazy medicine made me feel like I had taken 12 tequila shots (or what I imagine that would feel like!).  Although it did help me sleep and build up some strength, I will never ask for that again, I feel "funny" just thinking about it!!

Somewhere between 5 and 7pm I was dilated enough to start petocin and get my epidural.  (Yes, I am an epidural fan-get over it.)  I have to say that I think starting them at the same time is really what made this long process so doable.  Anyway, I'll get to that!  After the petocin I continued to make progress, dilating slowly but surely.  At some point in the middle of the night (if you can't tell already, I never knew what time it was!) the epidural stopped working in my right butt cheek.  Yes that's right, just one cheek!  And boy was that enough pain for me (and Blake!  He didn't like me hurting!).  According to my mom I started asking for my sister to occupy my side opposite Blake at about 4:30am.  I was confused on why she was at my house, obviously not knowing the time!  She came to mine and Blake's rescue between 7 and 8am right as we were getting very weary.  She was a blessing to have in the room for a short while just before pushing to keep us encouraged but mostly just to keep us from freaking out.  

At 9am my doctor came in to check on our progress and finally tell us it's time to push!  The nurses got the room ready and he went to tell our family it was time.  And then.. everyone disappeared.  Here we were, adrenaline pumping, ready to push, and we can't find anyone!  Apparently the L&D had a rush of other soon to be moms at that very moment.  Finally, everyone comes rushing back in and it's go time.  I pushed for about 30 minutes before we saw that sweet baby, all her hair, and heard her extremely developed lungs screaming!  Gah she was beautiful.  We cried, kissed, cried some more, hugged and stared at this miracle God gave us.  Gabriella Grace was born at 9:51am on June 21, 2013. She weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces and was 20.25 inches long.  

Very quickly, as they were measuring and weighing our Gabriella, our doctor and nurses began rushing around.  Pounding on my stomach, shots in my thighs, and explaining that I would need a blood transfusion.  Luckily I was so light headed from the blood loss I didn't really know what was going on, but Blake did and his sweet face look terrified.  He paced back and forth between Gabbi and I, not knowing what to do or where to go as the number of nurses double in our room.  We continued to cry and smile at the warmer across the room, not knowing fully what was happening with me.  With a few drop kicks to my stomach and two units of blood I was good to go.  We are so thankful for my doctor and all the nurses at the hospital who acted so quickly to stop the bleeding and get me back to normal!  It took a little while for the dizziness to go away and kick the fever I had developed, but who even cares!  They put my baby in my arms and I didn't have a care in the world.  

Soon the family began flooding in, one after the other to welcome this child to the world.  The next 12 hours, at least, were a big blur!  But I know that we had some very sweet visitors and I apologize if I slept through your visit.  For a while I had not control over my eye lids, they would literally close in mid sentence.  Gabbi was a great eater and sleeper from the very start, thankfully because we were exhausted!  We were finally able to take our daughter home on Sunday the 23rd where she finally got to meet her cousins Brooks and Caroline.  

Since then our lives have changed, yes, but neither of us remember what life was like before her.  We love being this sweet things parents!  She is a very good baby, sleeping 5 hour stretches at night (sometimes more) and eating perfectly!  She has recently begun smiling and cooing at us and now prefers to be swaddled at night!  She is a cuddle bug!  Gabriella is definitely a mommas girl, for now, and loves loves loves her swing!!  

Our hearts are so full from all of your sweet comments, messages, cards, and gifts!  This child is blessed beyond measure!  I hope to keep you all updated on her happenings, though my computer time is now limited (for a very good reason!).  Keep the prayers coming for her and for us as we journey through life together.  

Thank you God for this miracle.  Thank you for giving me the desires of my heart as you promised you would! 

I'm Not In Hiding

My last post was at 35 weeks pregnant.  After that, things got a little crazy around here.  We were enjoying my mom living here while her house was being built, she was so much help tying up loose ends around the house and nursery before the baby arrived.  Also during this time is when my grandfather got very sick.  I was an extremely lucky girl to be 24 years old and have all of my grandpartents living.  In fact, I have been fortunate to not have many experiences with death at all.  My dad's brother passed away when I was very young and my sweet aunt passed away just a couple of years ago.  I have always thought of death as a celebration.  I mean seriously, there is no place I would rather be than in Heaven with my Father.  I always wanted the pain to go away for my loved ones and I knew only God could do that.
My family, all of them, began making trips to visit with my grandfather.  Unfortunately I was the only one that missed out on this because of the 6 hour drive.  This was harder than I imagined.  I kept reminding myself that he would know I wanted to be there and that he knew how much I loved him.  I so badly wanted him to meet the sweet baby in my stomach.  She would have loved him as much as I did.  At 38 weeks pregnant, my grandpa passed away.  My view on death was suddenly shaken.  Not only did I not get a few last hugs from him, I was unable to attend the funeral.  My heart was broken, and with tears falling on this keyboard, it still is.  All of my friends and extended family, near and far, were sweet to send encouraging words to me and to my family during this time.  I tried to stay busy around the house and focus on the health of myself and my baby as my blood pressure was getting high.  I found myself in bed during the funeral talking to my grandfather in Heaven, praying for my family at the funeral, and thinking about my grandmother who had spent the last 60 years waking up to her best friend.  I knew he was sitting next to me, and he knew where I wanted to be.  Little did I know, he would be watching over the birth of my daughter the following week.

I love you, Dad.  I miss you everyday.  I am so thankful to have known you and grateful for the example of what a Godly husband, dad, and grandfather looks like.  You are an amazing man!

35 Weeks

35 Weeks

Thank you Kathlyn Dragna for the amazing maternity session!  This sweet lady has done just about all of our pictures for years and she somehow has the ability to keep Blake comfortable!  Love her!

How far along:  35 weeks

Gender:  Girl

Movement:  So many stinkin' hiccups, poor girl!  

Weight Gain: 22 pounds, yikes!

Maternity Clothes:  I have to say, I'm so ready to have my normal clothes back!

Stretch Marks:  No, but I can't see the under side so who knows! 

Sleeping Habits:  Oh so sleepy!!  Restless legs and acid reflux keep me up more than I'd like. 

Miss Anything:  Being able to reach my feet. (thank you honey for tying my shoes!)

Appetite:  Eh--snacking mucho because meals no longer fit in there. 

Cravings:  Tons of fruit going in and out of my house!  But today I want BHS cafeteria peanut butter corn flake bars!  If you can find a way to smuggle me some I will be your best friend :)

Symptoms:  Pretty uncomfortable with the feet in my left ribs and the butt in my right ribs, back aches, crampy just from muscles streching.. you know, the usual. 

Belly Button:  Out a little but it's still lookin' pretty good ;) 

Mood:  I suppose I have to be honest.. I have had moments of freaking out.  All very selfishly wondering what our new life will look like with another person along for every ride, every dinner, every vacation and of course just day to day, sun up to sun down having this sweet thing to care for.  (I know, I know, I already admitted it was selfish-stop with the judgement!)  On the other hand, I am just beside myself to get her here and love her so much for the rest of my life!

Favorite Moments:  So, I completely enjoyed Gabbi this month with all the hiccups and everything, but my top FAVORITE moment was meeting my new niece Caroline Kayte.  There she is below with my sister and brother-in-law.  Aren't they precious?!  She is the sweetest, cuddliest, squishiest little peanut I've ever met!!  She is a great eater and sleeper already and loves to cuddle with Auntie Syd and her very proud big bro Brooks!!  I was so lucky to be able to travel to San Antonio and spend some serious lazy time with her and my sister before my doc cut off my traveling alone!  Blake and I have one little get away left next week (notice my trying to hoard all of his love and attention, bottle it up, and keep it in a safe place before he is forever shared with another women that will refer to him as "Daddy"!) and plan to stop by their house to see them for the last time before there are 2 sweet girls in the family!  Gabbi kicked and punched the whole time I was with Caroline, I know they will be best friends like their mommies and I just can't wait for them to meet!!

30 Weeks

Where is the time going?! A little over two months to go just doesn't seem like enough time to finish cooking in there!  We are getting more and more excited and anxious to meet this sweet thang!  Keep kickin' little miss, we love you!

How far along:  30 weeks

Gender:  Girl

Movement:  Major rolling going on!  

Weight Gain: 14 pounds (growing much?!)

Maternity Clothes:  Who said they didn't love strechy pants?

Stretch Marks:  No

Sleeping Habits:  Sleep a little, pee a lot, sleep a little, pee a lot.

Miss Anything:  My waist, only a little!

Appetite:  Feel like I'm back in the first trimester.. nothing sounds good! (besides my cravings)

Cravings:  Chocolate, noodles, pie, honey.

Symptoms:  Still so sleepy!

Belly Button:  Slowly making it's way OUT! 

Mood:  Slightly irritable, but getting excited about this little peanut!

Favorite Moments:  Finally getting compliments on "the belly".  No, I'm not just gaining weight for fun ;) And we got to welcome sweet, beautiful, tiny Micah to the world!  He is ready for his playmate!

25 Weeks

Sweet Gabriella, meet mom's ribs.  They are the bones above you that are aparently cramping your space.  It may come as a surprise to you, but they ARE in fact attached and I DO in fact have to keep them.  Please be gentle.  

I love you (and your kicks), Mommy

How far along:  25 weeks

Gender:  Girl

Movement:  Oh so much movement!  

Weight Gain: 4 pounds

Maternity Clothes:  Full on maternity clothes now!  This belly is getting big!

Stretch Marks:  No

Sleeping Habits:  Sleeping is getting harder and I am wanting it more!

Miss Anything:  Bending over without getting out of breath!

Appetite:  Normal.  Still small meals and snacks throughout the day. 

Cravings:  Non fat, decaf, iced white mocha, whip first, then shake!

Symptoms:  Extra tired and unfortunately very moody. (poor Daddy!)

Belly Button:  Flat - and weird looking hah!

Mood:  Depends on the hour, but I'm enjoying all the kicks, punches and stretching!  

Favorite Moments:  Our 3/4D ultrasound.  Just look at that sweet face!  She has my nose and chin we think, but definitely her dad's very busy personality.  She had her umbilical cord nicely piled on her chest, clinging tightly to it and even trying to suck on it.  Technology these days amazes me! 

Pregnancy So Far...

Picture compliments of my not so professional photographer: Daddy

Today marks 20 weeks!!  I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly.  So far pregnancy is just a miracle.  The first 3 and a half months kicked my butt for sure!  With all the barfing, not eating, and headaches..whew it was rough.  But all of that abruptly stopped right at 14 weeks and I have been very comfortable since.  Right about 15 weeks is when my belly decided to take a turn for the round, then at 17 weeks I noticed quite a bit more roundness going on, and of course right now it seems so large to me!  I know, I know..you are all thinking "just you wait!".  Being new to this I always wonder if it looks normal or if it is growing like it should be (the belly I mean).. but the truth is I don't care.  This belly is pretty cool!  

Just in the last week Gabbi has gotten really strong!  The flutters are now a definite punch or kick.  I catch myself at my desk several times a day laughing out loud at her movements.  I'm afraid her personality is developing rather early, and I'm even more afraid it's a little like her mommy!  Blake and I talk often about how crazy we are about her already!  We imagine taking her on different trips and all the things she will experience in life.  I tend to get pretty overwhelmed with all the things she will learn from me as her mommy and it's making me want to be better at everything I do.  Needless to say, this sweet girl has already changed our lives!

I may regret this as the pounds increase, but here is my first of the famous blogworld pregnancy survey:

How far along:  20 weeks

Gender:  Girl

Movement:  I can now feel her most of the day, and of course right when I get still in bed she is ready to play

Weight Gain:  I lost 2.5 in the 1st trimester so believe it or not I still have 1 lb to go to be back to where I started  (yes, yes, I know they will come)

Maternity Clothes:  Bottoms yes, tops will be very soon to follow

Stretch Marks:  No

Sleeping Habits:  Could be better, could be worse.  Lots of potty breaks and rolling around

Miss Anything:  Sushi, wine, and my regular jeans

Appetite:  Pretty normal so far.  I eat small meals because I get full very fast.  I am definitely not overeating, but I am expecting that to come also.

Cravings:  Spicy food, crawfish, and a little chocolate every now and then

Symptoms:  Occasional headaches and very, I mean very, tired

Belly Button:  In

Mood:  Excited to be half way!  But my sweet husband would probably say that I'm freaking out about our "before she gets here to do list"!

Favorite Moments:  The first time Blake felt her move.  And definitely just getting to feel her all day, such an incredible feeling. 

Tickled Pink

I have been putting this post off because I wanted to be very sure that...
IT'S A GIRL!

We went for a 15 week appointment where the doctor mentioned that we might be able to see what we were working with here.  So Blake and I had been discussing if we wanted to know the sex or if we wanted to find out with our family.  For a whole month we thought we would do a small gathering with immediate family and  all find out together.  However, it was killing me.  I woke up the morning of the appointment so anxious I couldn't even stand it!  Blake and I talked it over and still hadn't made a decision in the elevator at the doctor's office.  So there we were, staring at our little peanut and the doctor asked.. "so, do you want to know the sex?"  With absolutely NO hesitation Blake says "YES!"  

Dr. Campbell described the parts and we nodded even though we really weren't too sure what he was pointing at.  He was 90% sure it was a GIRL.  For me 90% is basically 100%.. For Blake this means that there are still 10 percents unanswered ;)  

We were so excited to break the news to our family two days later.  My sister is due with a GIRL just 5 weeks before us so it was a pretty special moment!  Kaylee and I are very close, though 6 years difference in age, and we pray that these sweet GIRLS will share the same bond as their mommy's do!  

That was all 3 weeks ago!  Today we went for an appointment at the hospital that our doctor scheduled.  He called it a full bladder, or full anatomy ultrasound.  Blake and I weren't too sure what to expect.. I mean how many different ultrasounds are there?!  A sweet lady explained that some doctors like to look at ALL of the baby's parts.  And I do mean ALL!  She measured all the bones, belly, head, organs, all of it.. and it all looked great!  We are now just about 18 weeks and she said it was definitely still a GIRL!  She is getting so big and still extremely active in there.  We laughed at several of the techs comments, but just to name a couple.. "She is in the weirdest positions!", "That is her knee.. next to her chin!"  Must be taking after mommy!

Gabriella Grace Brannon and Caroline Kayte Roznovsky,
I love you both to pieces already!  We all can't wait to meet you two!

A Whole New World

I know it has been a while but I wasn't sure I could get through a post without spilling our news too early!

{WE ARE HAVING A BABY!}

And frankly I have be holding off because who really wants to hear about pregnancy details from an annoying pregnant lady?!

With much thought, I have decided to be the annoying pregnant lady that documents this new life because I want Baby B to be able to laugh at the stories and I want to be able to compare future pregnancies.

And I just want to, okay?!

With that being said, if you get annoyed with silly little pregnancy/baby posts you must stop here!

Otherwise, let's just see how the next 6 months go together!  No I do not plan to be a perfect pregnant lady or the perfect mom, so please leave judgement and snarky comments at the sign in page..  Off we go!

I will start by saying we have been waiting a long time for this sweet one, but God has taught us so much during the wait that we are so thankful for.  Isn't He good, and He is so dang smart with His timing!  It's a wonder why we try to help Him so much! ;)

The day we found out was truly a day for the books.  Blake nearly turned the chair over when I showed him the test and of course we were both in tears.  Working together all day, with employees flying in and out, was interesting.  We smiled at each other all day and caught ourselves laughing at how giddy we both were.  

And wouldn't you know it, that very week the pregnancy symptoms started full force.  

I have struggled every day of the last month and a half eating.  Just plain eating.  If you know me well, you know that this has never been an issue for me!  Luckily at our first appointment our doc had some great tips for me!  Speaking of our first appointment, it was pretty awesome.  Baby B looked like a grain of rice (6 weeks) and the heartbeat was about as big as the whole baby!  We didn't have many questions because frankly we didn't know what to expect.  We hadn't told a sole yet so we had no advise going in!  I think we did okay ;)

Appointment #2 (10 weeks) was also exciting.  Baby B had grown so much and the heart was so much stronger.  This was the first time we cried looking at our little peanut.  Our doctor is so awesome and gets just as excited to show us our baby!  I really wasn't expecting another ultrasound this time, but I sure was relieved to see the baby again! 

  

Currently we are 12 weeks!  I am hoping the yucky pregnancy symptoms will fade soon and I will get some energy back!  Being able to eat normally again would also be nice but hey, I won't complain!  I really can't tell if my belly is growing because of the baby, or if it's just bloat and fat.. Whatever it is, it's starting to get a little pudgy!  Can I just say that it is a very weird feeling after you have tried to stay semi-fit your whole life?! 

Well I guess that's it for now, I will be back after the New Year and our next appointment. (possibly finding out gender then!!)  I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and Christ centered holiday season! 

Peace!

Worth The Wait

We are finally getting settled in to the new scrap yard and we couldn't be happier. I could go on and on about how hard this process was and how I wish it were easier to move a couple of businesses across town, and that would all be true, but the fact is that this has been a true blessing every step of the way.  Every tear and every drop of sweat was so worth the wait.  Blake will tell you that he is ready to do it again, but I am not that brave!  I think the man is trying to kill me!  

So for all of you scrappers out there--  

PREMIER METAL BUYERS PAYS THE MOST CASH FOR YOU METAL.. OR WE'LL MATCH IT!

On another note, I want to shout out to our sweet friends Paige and Nathan Meyer!  We can't wait to meet your precious baby in March 2013.  I'm already wetting my whistle for tons of baby kisses!! 

God thank you for guiding every move of our new scrap yard.  Thank you for keeping your hand in it and keeping us on our toes.  Thank you for giving us the fuel (coffee) that we needed to get through every day!  And thank you Lord, for sweet baby Meyer.  Please watch over Paige in her pregnancy, strengthen Nathan so that he may handle her with patience ;) and give this baby everything it needs to be a healthy child of God. Amen.

Mystery Date

Yesterday my sweet husband sent me home early from work to get ready for a surprise mystery date!  (most of you know by now that we work together!)  I was a little panicked. I sure didn't get off early enough to get decked out (I mean I didn't have time for an airbrush tan or anything! haha).  So I jumped in the shower to rid myself of this scrap yard dust and started racing through my closet.  Why oh why does it seam that nothing was appealing to wear to this mysterious place?!  Blake got home to jump in the shower only to find me in the middle of many failed outfits.  He says, "babe, we need to leave in five minutes.  Everything in there looks perfect on you."  FIVE minutes!  Ahh, men, thank you for the sweet compliment, but when will they get it?  Luckily I have this late notice thing down and I was, in fact, out the door in five minutes!  (makeup in the car has become an art for me!)

So, we head in the direction of Houston and he is telling me that I am going to LOVE this place.  I'm thinking.. what are my favorite things?!  Chinese, Italian, American, Mexican.. who am I kidding?  I love it all!  As I am trying not to get eye liner everywhere he says, "think smoked." BBQ?  Brisket?  I don't even like that stuff so much.  What is this man thinking?  Okay, must be salmon.. Smoked salmon.  But salmon I don't really eat either.  What in the world!  Okay, don't freak out.  This man knows me better than I know myself and he sure knows what he wife likes to eat!

I stay calm as we wind all over Houston enjoying conversation with my husband.  I am getting so excited as we get closer.  First, I couldn't believe B had planned this random date.  Second, I couldn't believe we were going on such a date for no reason other than to just go.  And third, I couldn't believe he actually kept it a secret.   Once we get to downtown Houston he starts looking around like we were getting close.  I perked up and started trying to find any hints but I had no clue where we were!  Then.. I see a sign that says crawfish.  Yes, we all know how much I LOVE crawfish, but hello?  I was in no attire to be elbows deep in crawfish.  But I have to admit.. it did excite me a little.

Well, we passed up the crawfish place!  Thank goodness.  It would have been so hard to contain my "romantic side" with spicy fingers and junk under my nails!  We rounded the corner and there it was!
Reef!  We had seen this place feature a smoked PORK CHOP on The Food Network and we had been dying to try it for months!  We started off with a motz pizza that was just like being back in Italy.  Blake had the smoked pork chop and I had an aged New York strip steak.  It was served with fried mac and cheese (my fav) and roasted better mashed potatoes (B's fav).  And yes, we do go all out on carbs for date night!  He topped off with a delicious cherry topped cheesecake and I had the caramel apple bread pudding.  I am not a huge fan of bread pudding but I like to try it every now and then and this one was yum!
It was a very yummy place.  The service, unfortunately, was not what we expected.  But we sure did enjoy ourselves.  I would love to go back and try the fish.  Lots of people around us had it and it look divine.  It is, after all, called Reef!

Lord, thank you for this man.  Thank you for giving him a sensitive heart and a listening ear.  Thank you for his extreme passion for providing for our little family.  Most of all, thank you for giving us each other to love so much and do sweet things like this to show it!  You sure do know what you are doing!  AMEN!

               Just a little something for you guys from http://reefhouston.com/!

Work&Work

Blessed is all I can say. We have been working our tooshies off on our new yard for Premier.

YES I RAN A BULLDOZER!!

We have made some really exciting progress and are expecting out concrete work the first part of next week. When I say our plates are full, boy do I mean it. We tend to get so overwhelmed and stressed at work, but when we get home we continue to remind ourselves that this feeling can only come from a business that has grown so incredibly quickly. This is good and bad, the only bad is that we are literally running around like chickens with our heads cut off seven days a week. And occasionally we get a little stressed about our employees and how much they depend on us and our business to feed their families. But how wonderful to be able to take on that responsibility. That is more than good, that is amazing. We are proud parents of a junk yard :)

In addition, I have taken over Budget Roll-Offs billing and book keeping. As if I needed more to do. I truly love it though. It gives me one more thing that I can handle and help my husband focus on Premier and it's needs right now. We are tag teaming and these two businesses are booming! Again, all I can say is what a blessing that God has chosen us to be a part of this. Sometimes I think that Man is crazy trusting us a little too much, but we sure couldn't do it without His hand in every single thing. God is such an amazing Man to have on your team, He will not fail you!

We love you all, and we do not intentionally send any of you to voice mail. I promise!! We just have to wait to talk until we can focus ;) Don't hate us if it's a few days later!

Christmas&New Years

December and January came and went just too fast! We enjoyed several Christmas gatherings with family, and actually still have a couple to go with Blake's side of the family this month. We love getting to see all the family and getting to watch the kids play together. It is just too much fun!

On December 22nd we left for Italy for 13 days. I should start by saying that I am not a seasoned traveler and haven't flown over about two or three hours at a time. Okay, now that you know my secrets.. The plane ride was just plain awful. We took the trip over during the night with high hopes of sleeping the 10 HOURS away. Wrong. We had a bite to eat, the lights went out, everyone started snoring, and there I was. Completely awake, bright eyed and emotional. I had never spent a Christmas away from home and quite frankly may not ever again. Blake is wrestling around next to me in the plane trying not to sleep because he knew I was full of anxiety. So sweet ;) And just when I thought I could close my eyes for a second the screen shows us going over the ocean and, oh yeah, here come the water works. If you know me you are probably cracking up because this is so me. (If you don't you are probably glad you don't!) I mean I'm on a plane to stinkin' ITALY for goodness sake! And I am crying, for a good 2 hours I am crying. About various things. (Women, you know how this goes!) Blake, poor Blake, did all he could in those tiny seats with no arm or leg room. His first question was.. What did I do? Haha, then he just let me skooch over as much as I could and snuggle up. I'm sure I was taking a great potion of his seat and all of mine, and most likely ruined all chances of him getting comfortable. But, we made it through the flight.. Only to find that the Paris airport security is on STRIKE, yes, apparently they can do that. Long story short, we and a bunch of others miss our flight to Naples so they fly us up to Milan and then back down to Naples were we should have landed at noon and instead landed at 5:30 pm with zero luggage! (No, I didn't cry again. But I wanted to!) We finally made it to Sorrento where Blake and I went out to a pizzeria and had probably the best meal we can remember. Could have been just because we had such and exhausting 20 hours of travel.. either way, we enjoyed every single minute.

Sorrento, oh Sorrento. This was my very favorite! It had the most amazing views and having Christmas there was just perfect. (We got our bags Christmas Eve night, which included my gift from Blake so he was extremely relieved!!) We enjoyed the Amalfi Coast and loved all of the food there! My favorite day was Christmas Eve. We spent the day with a native family for a cooking class. It was such a blast, the food was delicious, and this sweet family was adorable.

Yes, we had to wear hats!

Rome was our next stop. We had a great time in Rome! The Collesium was our favorite. Blake and I loved it! It seemed to be one of the only things that was so close to its original form without being restored. We saw absolutely everything possible in Rome. All of the famous sites were beautiful and had so much history it was just amazing. Not to mention the little pizza spot we found, we went there at least 3 time while we were in Rome. It was soo good!!

So much happened right where we were standing! Amazing!

This was a winery we toured on our way to the next place! We had a blast!

Our next stop was Florence. I wish they allowed pictures when we saw David. It was absolutely amazing to see the size and detail of him. We literally just stood and stared at him for a least an hour. Florence was also where we found a Hard Rock Cafe! LOL!! We had been eating so much of the same kinds of food we were just a little relieved to have american food to mix it up a little. (Awful I know!!) We also saw probably the best views from Florence, it was so beautiful.

It was a tad chilly, but just look at that!

Our final stop was Venice. I have to admit at this point we were very ready to see our dogs, sleep in our own bed, eat tex-mex food and I missed my family! Not to mention, when we arrived to Venice my camera was gone. You may have noticed the poor quality in photos from an iphone. My brand spankin' new camera was stolen at our hotel in Florence between the bell desk and making it in our van. Major bummer, I had some really great pictures on there. Anyway, it was super cold in Venice and a little hard to get around because most things were closed for New Years. Blake and I spent New Years Eve at the the Venice Hard Rock Cafe (since the menu was in English), but we did have traditional foods. They had a really neat 6 course meal set up and although it was a pretty small room, it felt very intimate. Maybe because we were the only people speaking in English, either way.. it was perfect! Oh and the 45 second water taxi was 60 euros.. yes, 60!! Not cool, we walked back ;)

Our water taxi was pretty cool! -this was the free one to the hotel ;)

All in all, we had a great trip. The flight back wasn't quite as bad because I knew I was coming home. Although I spent the first week back with a severe sinus infection, I was excited to be back and tell my family everything we had seen and done. It will probably be a while before I can work myself back up to a flight that far and a trip that long, but we will see. You all should definitely go if you get the chance. History is amazing to see when it dates back that far. Old stuff for us around here is like 200 years.. for them it's B.C. Crazy stuff!! We missed all of you this Christmas season and we hope you and your family were blessed with the joy and miracle of Christ. Love you guys, always!

Colder Days!

I am not a huge fan of the cold. I tend to keep a dry throat and stuffy nose during the cold days. However, I must say that it's about time I have to wear leggings under my pants! I have been in a serious mood to make winterish foods! Yesterday I got an early Easter gift, yes, I realize we haven't even had Christmas! But I am so excited to play with my new Kitchen Aid mixer! Last night Blake and I made bread for the first time. Well, I say we.. Really I made it and he played with the dough, swinging it around and stretching it! Haha! Either way, our french bread was so delicious and incredibly easy! I mixed up some "spiced up olive oil" from pinterest and we loved every bit of it. Those of you from Brenham, my hubby says it is better than Volare's! Whoo! Tonight I'm making some broccoli cheese soup to go with our bread, I can't wait, I'm drooling!

On another note, we are getting pretty settled in to the new house. A touch of Christmas went up yesterday, I'm not doing much since we won't be here. I still don't have anything on the walls because I'm waiting for them to be painted one of these days! All my furniture still looks weird because I'm not sure of just where I want everything and man, oh, man are those kitchen cabinets giving me heck! I was spoiled with cabinets I designed at the old house. Soon enough I will have my dream kitchen.. soon enough!

I hope you all have a Christ filled Christmas season and remember how blessed we all are! My next post will be after the new year filled with all things Italy from our trip!! Pray for safe travels! We love you all :)