He's here!

Beckett Oliver Brown is here! He decided to come a whole four weeks early.  I went into labor Tuesday morning (actually, it was probably more like Saturday that I started having back contractions) and he arrived Wednesday morning.  He was 6 pounds even and 19 1/2 inches long but I'll post more about that later.

He had to go to the NICU because his lungs weren't quite ready but he is doing really well.  After a very long first day, he turned the corner.  As of today, he is off oxygen and his IV has been disconnected.  Depending on what his blood sugar is at his next two feedings, he may be able to get the IV taken out.  It's in his head but it looks much worse than it is and he seems to like having his hands free.  He is also working on getting up to feedings of 48ml and is almost there.   He really loves meal time.

He has to be able to maintain his temperature in an open crib, gain weight, keep his oxygen off, and continue with 48ml feedings before he can go home.  He also has to tolerate sitting in a carseat for two hours.  He is making great progress and we are hoping that he is home by the middle of this week.

35 weeks

So this is the blog I was working on while I was in labor.  I didn't quite realize I was in labor but that is another story for another day.  There was no picture for this week because I got put on bed rest by my doctor but I thought I would go ahead and post what I had blogged.

How far along: 35 weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain/loss: Just north of 20 pounds.    
Maternity clothes: I am wearing them.  I feel like I have gotten huge here recently.
Stretch marks: Just one but that it one too many as far as I am concerned. 

Sleep: I am having a more difficult time sleeping at night.  I toss and turn a lot.

Best moment this week: I got my breastfeeding class out of the way and feel much more at peace with it, but that could all change once the baby gets here.  We also made more progress on the nursery.  The changing table area is almost done and we picked up the mattress for the daybed.  All we need it the glider and some accessories.

Movement: He moves.  It hurts.

Food cravings: All I want are sweets.

Gender: BOY!

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks contractions. 

Belly in or out: It's a halfsie.

Symptom of the week: Back pain (again).  On Saturday I felt like my back was literally about to snap in half.  I have never felt anything like it.

What I miss: Sleeping on my back.

What I am looking forward to: We start our weekly doctor's appointments this week and I am excited/nervous to see what those entail.  We are also getting another sonogram this week to check the baby's weight.

Weekly wisdom: I am all out of wisdom.

Milestones: I feel more confident about breastfeeding thanks to my class and we are about to start weekly appointments.  Yay!

fill in the blank friday

It's a big weekend at the Brown house.  I am taking a breastfeeding class tomorrow and I hope to have all my questions answered.  I'm sure my friends are getting tired of my random questions so hopefully I will feel a little more prepared after tomorrow.  I also plan on buying the last few things I need for my hospital bag and then placing it in the car.  I had a moment yesterday where I started to feel like I was running out of time, so I am hoping to quell that feeling this weekend.

1.  One thing I plan on doing to relax this weekend is    trying to purchase a few more things for the nursery and hospital bag.  Being prepared relaxes me.  I'll probably also take a nap or two   .

2.  A big pet peeve of mine is  when people complain about their circumstances but are unwilling to do anything to change them.  One of my husband's old employees would constantly complain about how much he hated our town, his job, and pretty much everything and yet he stayed.  He had no real reason to stay but he did.  I also have worked with people who complain about having no money but are unwilling to pick up extra shifts.  If you are unhappy with your life, do something to change it   .

3.  I am really loving   pumpkin-flavored foods.  A friend brought me a pumpkin roll and it was amazing.  I have also been enjoying decaf pumpkin spice lattes.  It makes it feel even more like fall  .

4. The rain is   the best!  We depend on rain in this part of the country and I love getting to stay home while it's raining  .

5. My favorite girly indulgence is  shopping at Sephora.  I love trying all the new products and getting samples .

6. A song I always get stuck in my head is  pretty much every song that I can't stand.  For a while it was One Direction and then it was Carly Rae Jepson.  If I seriously dislike a song, it will eventually get stuck in my head  .

7.  The best cure for stress is  watching Investigation Discovery.  Things could always be worse  .

34 weeks

My husband had a rude awakening this week.  We went to Target after our doctor's appointment and I decided to go ahead and buy some newborn diapers so I could get my changing table organizer done.  He and my best friend's husband were having a diaper shower that next day and he could not figure out why I would buy diapers when they would be receiving some.  I bought a box of 96 and he honestly thought that this would be enough to last a month.  He had no idea that babies need to be changed around 10 times a day.  All I could say was bless your heart.  He has a lot to learn.

How far along: 34 weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain/loss:  Around 23 pounds.  I am still measuring a week small which is crazy because I feel like a whale.   
Maternity clothes: I feel like I am running out of things to wear and there have been tears over this fact.
Stretch marks: I have contained the one I found last week and am spot treating it.

Sleep: I am tired all day and have to sleep with a heating pad most nights.

Best moment this week: We had another check up and the doctor said everything is looking good.  After our next appointment, we will be going every week which means we are getting close.  

Movement: He moves like crazy until someone wants to try and feel him move.  I feel like this is foreshadowing.

Food cravings: I just want sweets.  I have been craving this chocolate, caramel, pretzel creation that a friend made for a sorority meeting last week.  It was amazing.

Gender: BOY!

Labor signs: Just Braxton Hicks contractions.  I worked on Sunday and had a lot.

Belly in or out: It's still half in and half out.

Symptom of the week: Nesting.  I am an organizing machine.  The baby's closet is organized and labeled.  The medicine cabinet is organized and labeled.  I've been working on cleaning out kitchen cabinets and next up is the freezer.  I get so much joy out of purging.

What I miss: Being able to get dressed without a care in the world.  Everything is getting too tight.  

What I am looking forward to: I am taking a breastfeeding class on Saturday which will hopefully answer lots of my questions.

Weekly wisdom: When you have a burst of energy and the desire to do something, like go for a walk, just do it.  These bursts of energy don't last long and often require a nap to recover from.

Milestones: We took our baptism class, which means we are on our way to making this baby legit in our church.  It also means that I am taking care of business and crossing things off my to do list.

fill in the blank friday

1.  My favorite flower is    hydrangeas.  I love them but it is hard to buy arrangements of just hydrangeas.  I do not like roses.  At all.  Or glitter on flowers which is apparently now a trend   .

2.  You should never talk about  politics or religion.  I think that everyone is entitled to an opinion and these discussions quickly turn nasty.  You aren't ever going to change someone's opinion by calling them names or telling them that they are stupid.  On a side note, it seems like the people who are the most vocal on Facebook, are the people who know the least   .

3.  My favorite discovery as of late is   the pain relief provided by heating pads.  My back has been killing me and my heating pad is the only thing that has helped.  I've even used it to try and move the baby away from my ribs.  Even a couple hours of relief is appreciated  .

4. This fall you will probably find me wearing    oversized tops, leggings, and shoes that require little to no effort to put on.  The closer I get to my due date, the more comfortable I want to be.  If I could wear leggings all day, I would  .

5. I wish I were  more motivated to finish the nursery.  We are so close and really just waiting on a couple things but all I want to do is sleep .

6. My favorite TV show currently is    the Mentalist.  I love it.  I am trying to decide if I want to rent Homeland and start watching that show.  I'm not sure I have the time to commit to a new show .

7.  This weekend I want to  make some more progress in the make some more progress in the nursery, relax, and get some chores done around the house since I am working on Sunday  .

33 weeks

Are we there yet?  I feel like I have been pregnant forever and this week I hit the wall.  I am ready to be done.  I am ready for this baby to get here.  I miss being able to bend over.  I missing being able to put shoes on by myself.  But at the same time, I know that I am blessed to be experiencing all of this because I honestly didn't think I ever would.  There are lots of women who are not so fortunate and my goal for this next week is keep my complaining to a minimum and to remember that I really am lucky.

How far along: 33 weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain/loss:  Around 22ish pounds.   
Maternity clothes: I have been doing really good about not buying any more maternity clothes.  The problem is that I want to buy clothes for after the baby is here and it's kind of hard to try anything on right now.
Stretch marks: I. have. a. stretch. mark.  I am devastated.  I thought I was in the clear.  I am spot treating it all day, every day.

Sleep: I wake up a lot at night especially with back pain.

Best moment this week: Getting to see my mom and our baby shower.  Baby Brown got lots of amazing gifts and we felt very loved.  Plus, I got to spend time with my mom.  It's crazy to think that the next time I see my family, there should be a baby around.  

Movement:  Lots and it is not so comfortable as he continues to gain weight.

Food cravings: I don't really crave anything crazy besides sweets.  There are times when I have thought certain things sounded good but there have been no eighty mile drives for hot dogs.

Gender: BOY!

Labor signs: None.

Belly in or out: It's still half in and half out.

Symptom of the week: Loss of feet.  By this I mean that I am no longer able to see my feet clearly or get shoes on and off.  I had to have my husband hold my Uggs so I could finagle my way into them.  Between this and my feet getting wider, I'm not quite sure what to do.

What I miss: I miss not being pregnant.  I am ready to get this show on the road.  The nursery isn't done but I feel like I am.  

What I am looking forward to: We have a doctor's appointment this week and I may actually have some time to get some rest.

Weekly wisdom: Everyone hits the wall during pregnancy.  It doesn't make you a bad person.

Milestones: We had a baby shower, officially finished the last bit of construction on the nursery, and got a little more organized. 

The name game

Naming a baby is a lot harder than I thought it would be.  First, you have to consider another person's suggestions which is hard when you have been naming your future children since you were in pre-school.  Second, by the time you have children there are lots of names you can't use because they remind you of certain people.  Finally, this child will be stuck with this name for the rest of their life so you don't want anything too crazy or trendy.

Thankfully, Daniel and I had agreed on a name for a boy and a girl before we were ever pregnant.  I guess when it takes two years to get pregnant, you have a lot of time to think about these things.  We were convinced we were having a girl, so we were set.  Then we found out Baby Brown is a boy and while we had picked a first name, we couldn't quite agree on a middle name.

After much debate we finally agreed on a first and middle name.  Then we had to decide if we wanted to tell people.  We decided to tell family and close friends but that was it.  Lots of people had told us to wait until he was here to even announce a name because people love to share their opinions.  We also didn't want someone else in our small town to use the name.

However, we are finally ready to share.  So without further ado, Baby Brown's name is...

beckett.

I have loved this name since probably 2007 and thankfully Daniel liked it a lot too.  I am a big fan of using last names as first names but unfortunately, my maiden name is not a name I would wish on a child.  I think I was watching a baseball game and Josh Beckett was pitching when I had an epiphany that Beckett would be a very cute name for a boy.  We also liked that it wasn't a very common name but it wasn't out there either.

oliver.

We had a harder time deciding on a middle name.  If we had a girl, we had planned on using a family name from Daniel's side for her middle name so I thought maybe we should use a family name from my side.  We threw a lot of ideas out there but I really liked Oliver.  It was my mom's dad's name and I knew it would mean a lot to her.  When we told her we were thinking about using it she cried so we were pretty much locked in.

So Baby Brown's name is officially Beckett Oliver Brown.   We both really love the name and have actually only had positive feedback. 

 

fill in the blank sunday

These blanks are just a little late.  We have had a busy weekend and I didn't really want to blog while my mom was in town.  We had an amazing baby shower yesterday and we are so blessed by our community/friends/family.  Baby Brown is a very lucky boy.

1.  The last thing I ate was    a leftover petit four from my baby shower yesterday.  I love petit fours.  When I was in college, my sorority served kite-shaped ones on preference nights and they always bring back lots of good memories.  The ones at the shower were pretty delicious   .

2.  The last time I went to the beach was  when we were in Savannah.  It was windy and the ocean was not so pretty but it was nice to go to the beach at least once this year   .

3.  My last vacation was   Savannah, which I still need to blog about.  It was our last real trip pre-baby and probably our last vacation for a while.  I am trying to plan a trip for our five year anniversary next year.  I think it will be good for everyone to get a little break.  Plus, I don't know that I can go that long without traveling.  It's my favorite  .

4. The last place I drove was    to Amarillo to take my mom to the airport.  Boo!  The good news is she and the rest of my family will be back at the end of next month (or sooner) for the baby's grand arrival  .

5. The last song I listened to was  I have no idea.  I didn't really pay attention to what was on the radio but it could have been Ke$ha.  I do not love the music channels on Sirius so much and would love to get a car with Pandora built in .

6. The last thing I watched on TV was   America's Next Top Model.  That show is like a car wreck and I cannot look away  .

7.  The last time I said "I love you" was  when I was saying goodbye to my mom.

32 weeks

It is pretty exciting to be able to say that Baby Brown will be here next month.  It is also incredibly scary.  When I first found out that we were pregnant I was obviously very excited but not too happy with the timing of it all.  Beggars should not be choosers but I work in the medical field and I know that November is the gateway to flu/cold/RSV season.  I also know that the holidays mean lots of people coming to town and those people bring their little people who carry nasty germs.  It is hard to tell people that while you are happy they want to come see the baby, you would prefer that they leave their kids and germs at the door (but that is what we will be doing).  

However, as this pregnancy has progressed I have realized that there are some really amazing things about being due near the holidays.  My family was already planning on taking time off from work, which means they don't have to take off any additional time.  My mom has to use her time off by the end of the year and usually has a bunch to take in December.  This means that she can come for the baby and stay for a while.  Hallelujah!  Finally, a baby gets you out of a lot of things you would otherwise be obligated to do around the holidays.  And score!  I think that this is definitely a lesson in God's time being far superior to our timing and learning that even Type A/OCD people can learn to let go and may find the silver lining. 

How far along: 32 weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain/loss:  21 pounds.  My weight gain slowed down a little recently. 
Maternity clothes: I am in the gray area of needing a few more maternity items to hold me over until this baby comes and not really wanting to spend any money on clothes that will only fit for a short time.
Stretch marks: None.  Yay!

Sleep: Insomnia is not a joke.  Neither is waking up to go to the bathroom a dozen times every night.

Best moment this week: Hearing that the baby is doing well at our doctor's appointment and going to the pumpkin patch.  

Movement: He really loves my left side.  Sometimes he pushes so hard that you can see his tiny bottom poking out which makes it look like I have a tumor.  All very cute.

Food cravings: Sweets are still my favorite.   I like pretty much like everything but pork chops (or large servings of meat).  I also have a hard time with grease. 

Gender: BOY!

Labor signs: None.

Belly in or out: It's still half in and half out.

Symptom of the week: This week's symptom goes with last week's symptom.  When you are pregnant, your body produces relaxin to help loosen/widen joints in preparation for birth.  Relaxin can affect joints all over your body and this week I have noticed a difference in my feet.  They have definitely gotten a little wider and my shoes are a little tighter.  I had not prepared myself for this situation and since it is not appropriate to wear flip flops in the fall, I'm not sure what I am going to do.

What I miss: Being able to walk without feeling like a fool.

What I am looking forward to: We are having a baby shower on Saturday and I am so excited!  My mom will get here on Thursday and we have maternity pictures on Friday.  It's a busy week at the Brown house.

Weekly wisdom: For every ten people who tell you how great you look, there is one jackass that will sense your insecurities and take great joy in pointing them out.  Ignore the jackass.   

Milestones: We are partially pre-registered at the hospital and going to the doctor every two weeks.

Madrid (or Spain:The end)

Madrid is very different from Barcelona.  I thought Barcelona was younger and much more laid back.  Madrid was a little stuffier, older, but definitely a beautiful city.  You really felt like you were in a big city in Madrid.  

We were in Spain for 8 days (plus 2 for travel).  It was the longest vacation we had ever taken and our first time to travel while I was pregnant.  I definitely think our timing for such a long trip could have been better.  I was tired and ready to go home after our first day in Madrid and it didn't help that it was so cold.  I was packed for weather in the 70s or 80s.  It was in the 50s.  I was fairly miserable.

I did try to make the most of our time in Madrid but I think I may need a repeat visit to fairly assess the city.  Here are some pictures from our time there.

The Parque del Retiro was across the street from our hotel

The madrilenos know how to do a park

The bubble man

Boats for rent

Plaza del Sol before the Real Madrid/Bayern Munich soccer game

Churros and chocolate at San Gines

Architecture around the city

Real Madrid's stadium

My favorite statue in Madrid

There are lots of parks in Madrid

Plaza de la Independencia

The national library

The Palacio Real de Madrid

The royal palace again

And one more time

The fanciest post office building in the world

Fountain of Neptune where Atletico Madrid fans celebrate victories

The Prado (my favorite place we visited in Madrid)

Like I said, I was very homesick by the end of the trip.  We pride ourselves by being adventurous travelers and really wanting to try things while on vacation.  This means that I am usually fairly anti-Hard Rock Cafe.  But when you are pregnant sometimes all you want is fajitas and a little of this...

Real iced tea!  With Sweet N Low!  Heaven in a glass.

Pistachio macarons can always snap me out of a funk

I am officially done with blogs about Spain!  Yay!  It only took five months but I hope it was worth the wait.  We really did like Spain and would love to go back a) when it is warmer, b) when I am not pregnant and c) to Southern Spain.  I am still super sad we missed Sevilla.