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!