Houston road trip

My family lives twelve hours away. We knew eventually we would have to make the drive but no one said we had to be excited about it.  We decided to break the trip and half and this proved to be a wise decision.  Beckett lost it towards the end of the drive each day.  I don't think any of us were quite ready to make the drive in one trip.

Beckett just learned how far away Houston is

No one rides for free

We decided to stop in Fredericksburg on our way to Houston.  Neither of us had ever been but everyone talks about how pretty it is.  It is also close to Austin, which meant my sister got to come and meet us.

The Hill Country in Texas is beautiful.  If you've never been you should plan a trip.  I will say that we saw more wildflowers on Highway 6 than we did on 290.  

Hill Country

First hotel stay

We met Shannon and some of her friends at the Sunset Grill.  It was delicious.  I had eggs Benedict on crab cakes.  What?!  It was amazing and everything was fresh.

The breakfast menu at Sunset Grill

My breakfast

Shannon and Beckett

And again

After breakfast, we walked around main street.  There are lots of cute stores. I found the cutest kids clothing store called Beulah's.  The girl clothes looked precious, but I couldn't look too long because it makes me sad.  The good news was that they also had fab boys clothes.  Beckett got a few outfits.

We had to head to Houston after shopping but I wanted to get Beckett's picture with the state flower, bluebonnets, before leaving.  Had I known how many there would be on Highway 6, I may have waited but I don't think it is so safe to stop on the side of the road with a baby.  We went to a wildflower farm to take his picture.

Shannon and Beckett goofing around

Enjoying nature

We will definitely be going back to Fredericksburg sans baby.  It looks like a lot of fun plus there were lots of wineries and I love a good wine tour.

Beckett's first official wildflower picture.  He is smizing, people.

The road trip was definitely long but it was worth it to see my family.  I think next time we'll be flying.  Beckett screamed every time he saw a car seat for about two days.

We're still here

I fell of the blog wagon for a minute.  Things have been so busy at the Brown house.  Here is a quick run-down of what's been going on.

Beckett

Our bambino is growing and changing every day.  He is starting to sit up for short periods of time, he loves to laugh, and is putting everything in his mouth.  In less than a week he'll be six months old.  Time does go so fast!  We love seeing how he changes and he is constantly surprising us.

On the food front he loves butternut squash and carrots.  He tolerated peas and wasn't crazy about green beans. I've been making all this baby food and so far it is easy and I love knowing exactly what he is eating.

The biggest news is that Beckett was baptized.  He is officially a member of the Catholic church.  We had family come and my cousin and sister were the godparents.  I'll definitely be posting all the details in another post.

Belles and Whistles

My little side job has turned into something a little bigger and I am totally not complaining.  I am loving shopping for new items to add to my store and filling orders.  It is so much fun.  If you haven't checked out my store it's address is www.shopbellesandwhistles.com.  I am so proud of it and love seeing people around town showing off their Belles and Whistles.

Daniel and Me

Most of my news is Belles and Whistles related.  Daniel has been super busy with work and finding more work for himself.  The man is an entrepreneur is every sense of the word.  He now runs three businesses and is working on a fourth.  We are also farmers now.  I would have never thought that I would be married to someone that farms, but here we are.  I am constantly in awe of his work ethic and think his entrepreneurial spirit has rubbed off on me.

We are also looking forward to a busy summer.  We have lots of trips planned.  We're going to Italy in September sans baby, Taos for a concert, Miami for THE concert (JT and Jay-Z), and Houston for another concert.  I am also making a trip to market and to the river for a friend's bachelorette party.  Add in a baby and jobs and we have a full schedule.

We're also working on house plans.  Building is the most intimidating process ever and we are trying to get everything perfect because I've been told I get one shot at building and there will be no changes.  Our hope is to get started early next year.

Marley and Jack are doing well.  Marley is still sassy and does what she wants.  Jack had a health scare and was at the vet for almost a week.  He's doing better but we are trying to be vigilant about what he is eating.  The dog is a walking trashcan.


So that is where we've been.  I'll be postdating some posts to get everyone caught up and will try to do a better job keeping up.

Superbowl Sunday

My parents were in town for the Superbowl this year.  We had planned on stopping by a friend's house but decided that we wanted to just hang out.  I didn't change out of my pajamas all day and it was glorious.

Since we decided to stay home, I got to cook.  I was inspired by the Pioneer Woman and decided to make my first ever brisket.  I also made a hashbrown casserole and two different dips.  All the of the recipes besides the brisket were on Pinterest and I think that all the found turned out perfectly.

Here are the recipes that go along with our Superbowl menu.  Oh, and even though I am on Weight Watchers, there is nothing skinny about any of these recipes.  Consider yourself warned.

Artichoke Bread

I pinned this recipe a long time ago and I have been dying to try it.  It is essentially artichoke dip served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread.  It was really good but I think next time I may make it the traditional way.  It was a little bit messy.

Ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• 1 loaf Italian bread, sliced in half lengthwise

Directions

Mix the artichoke hearts, green onions, garlic, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano reserving some of the cheese.

Hollow 1/2 an inch out of the center of both halves of the bread.

Spread the mixture into the hole in the bread slices and top with the reserved cheese.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven covered in foil for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Charleston Cheese Dip

This recipe is from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook and was also on her show a few weeks ago.  I didn't have high expectations for it but that was a mistake.  It was good.  Real good.  So good that we ate half of it before I remembered to take a picture.

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
2 green onions, finely chopped
Dash of cayenne pepper
8 Ritz crackers, crushed
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, green onions and cayenne pepper.

Transfer the mixture to a shallow baking dish.Top mixture with cracker crumbs and bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove the pan from the oven and top with the bacon. Serve immediately with corn chips, bagel chips or crackers.

Recipe from Mommy's Kitchen

Tangy Tomato Brisket

This is the recipe that got my wheels turing and inspired the whole menu.  I had never made a brisket before but let me tell you, it was so easy.  All I had to do was dump a few ingredients in a pan and six hours later dinner was done.  Plus it makes a ton of food.

Ingredients

5 to 8 pound brisket, trimmed of all fat

1 (24 oz) bottle of ketchup

1 package of dry onion soup mix

A few dashes of hot sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Place the brisket in an oven-safe pan. Combine the ketchup and soup mix in a bowl, and then stir it around to mix. Pour in 1 cup water and stir to combine. (You can add more water if needed!)

Pour the sauce all over the brisket, and then flip the brisket over to coat the other side. Now just cover the pan with foil and roast in the oven for 6 to 7 hours.

Remove the pan from the oven and test the brisket to make sure it's fork-tender. The brisket should fall apart if you look at it! Slice the brisket into thin strips, then return the beef to the sauce and keep it warm until you're ready to serve.

Recipe from The Food Network

Hashbrown Casserole (or Crack Potatoes)

I had made these potatoes before but when I was trying to think of what side dish would go well with brisket they were the first thing that came to mind.  They are definitely not healthy.  My mom and I started calculating the Weight Watchers points and got to 102 points before we decided it was best not to know.  Aren't some of the best things in life the worst for you?

Ingredients

2 (16oz) containers sour cream

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 (3oz) bags real bacon bits

2 packages Ranch Dip mix

1 large (28 - 30oz) bag frozen hash brown potatoes, shredded 

Directions

Combine the first four ingredients and then mix in the hash browns.

Spread into a 9x13 pan and cook at 400 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes.

Recipe from Plain Chicken

That was our Superbowl.  Like I said, it was nice to just hang out.  Beyonce was amazing and my crazy hormones had me nearly in tears when the rest of Destiny's Child came out.

And now time for a token picture of Beckett.

Beckett's first Christmas

I am finally blogging about Christmas!  I would say I've been busy but I'm not sure what I've been doing.  Beckett is really good at making the day go by super fast and leaving me wondering what exactly I've accomplished.

We had such a relaxing Christmas.  My family came to town which means that there was no traveling involved.  Beckett and I decided to stay home and let Daniel go to his family's celebrations solo.  Beckett is one of eight grandchildren which means there are lots of germs to be shared.  We still had NICU on the brain and he hadn't had any shots yet so we decided to avoid anywhere that could get us sick.  We are still avoiding children since flu is so bad in our area.

Staying at home meant we spent most of the day in our pajamas, which is pretty much our new normal. One day I will get it together and start dressing like an adult again.

Our celebrations started with a steak and crab legs dinner and midnight mass.  Beckett was a pro.  He fell asleep before mass started and stayed asleep until it was over.

Post-mass

Beckett's super cute outfit (Which was size 6 months.  They boy is long.)

We slept in on Christmas Day thanks to my parents and sister.  It is so nice to know that we will get a few extra hours thanks to my family.  They are often very needed.  My mom made blueberry muffins and I made a breakfast casserole.  Then it was time to open gifts.

All the presents

So big in his Bumba

We all made out pretty well.  Beckett had no idea what was going on but he got lots of fun presents that will hopefully bring him hours of enjoyment preferably not while being held.  We are still having issues with him wanting to be held.  All.  The.  Time.  

Some of Beckett's gifts.  Spoiled.

After lunch my mom started cooking and Daniel went over to his family's house.  This is what it looked like outside.

Miserable.

Beckett's first snow experience

I was definitely happy that we were staying inside.  I am all in for a white Christmas but I could have done without the 30 mph gusts.  However, we did take Beckett into our much less windy backyard for a photo op.

We had a late lunch and got to eat all our favorite things.  This lunch and the leftover that followed were my catalyst for Weight Watchers but it was worth every single calorie.

Then we had a post-dinner photo shoot.  The things you do when you have a baby.

The Browns

He loves a good photoshoot

And his aunt Shannon

I love this picture.  There is a funnier one but I thought I shouldn't post it.

I think Beckett had a pretty good first Christmas.  He may have had no idea what was going on but we have pictures to show him when he gets older.  We are so excited for next year when he can participate a little more.

Life in the NICU

Having a baby in the NICU is like joining a secret club.  I like to use the mob as an example.  Once you are in, you are in.  You have a bond with other parents who have had a baby in the NICU.  And while it is easy to get into the NICU, it is super hard to get out.

I ended my blog about Beckett's birth with his big debut.  At first it seemed like he was going to be fine.  He had a loud, strong cry but from the bed I could see that he wasn't pinking up like he needed to.  He also stopped crying and sounded like he was full of junk.

My doctor told me that he inhaled amniotic fluid during the delivery and my hope was that with some deep suctioning, he would be fine.  This wasn't the case.  The nursery nurse placed a oxygen saturation monitor on him and he was in the high 60s/low 70s.  It's time like these when you are both thankful for medical experience but wish you didn't know so much at the same time.

They brought him to the bed but I told the nurse that I would hold him for a second but that it was more important that they got him on oxygen.  I would have loved to have held him for hours, but I knew that we could be heading down the wrong path.

The nursery nurse and Daniel headed to the nursery and I got left behind.  I am not sure how Daniel held it together in the nursery, because I know that I would have been a mess.  They placed the baby under an oxygen hood but quickly realized that he needed more care than the nursery could provide and would have to be admitted to the NICU.

Under the oxygen hood before getting moved

We had to wait a few hours before we were allowed to go visit him.  Our room was the farthest room from the NICU and it felt like four miles after having a baby.  When we got the NICU, we spoke to his neonatologist.  All of the neonatologists were nice, but Dr. Haider was our favorite.  He explained that Beckett's lungs were full of fluid and his blood gases were not looking great.  He had to be placed on high-flow oxygen and antibiotics.

Beckett in the NICU

The nurses were amazing.  They answered all of our questions and even let me look through his chart and see his lab results.  They told us that there are certain tests that he would have to pass before we would be able to take him home.  They included being maintaining his temperature in an open crib, getting off oxygen, and having normal lab results.  We were far from this point.

It wasn't until the next evening that he was stable enough for us to hold him.  He had a few bad blood gases during the night, but had improved during the day.  It was so hard to know that he was there in the same hospital as us, but not to be able to hold him so we are so excited when we finally were able to.  

Daniel and Beckett

Finally getting to hold Beckett after 36 long weeks

My sister and Beckett (note the IV in my child's head)

The nurse told us that if Beckett continued to improve we would be able to begin bottle feedings.  We did not realize at the time, but bottle feedings would soon be all we talked about.  Before being discharged, Beckett would have to go 24 hours without being tube fed.  His oxygen was also slowly being titrated and he was getting feisty.  They had to restart his IV three times before they decided to move it to his head.  That is something no mother wants to see, but I knew that it didn't hurt and was better than him continuing to be stuck by needles.

The next few days had ups and downs.  He did well enough with his tube feedings to be moved to bottle feedings.  At first his bottle feedings went really well, but eventually he started falling asleep during feedings and was too tired to take them in the amount of time he was given.  The respiratory therapists continued to titrate his oxygen but decided to start him on breathing treatments and percussion therapy due to bad chest X-rays.  He had been able to maintain his temperature and was moved to an isolette, as well.

Getting to wear clothes for the first time

The precious sign his nurse made for him

That is pretty much how his stay progressed.  He had good moments and bad.  His bilirubin levels increased, but not enough to need to be placed under a light.  He did really well breastfeeding, but was still having a hard time bottle feeding and most feedings ended with him having to be tube fed.  Plus, the amount he was required to eat kept going up every day, so we felt like we couldn't win.  He was sating well on room air but had to have it at a flow of 4 liters per minute or he would desat to unacceptable levels.  It was a mixed bag.

Thank God for his nurses (except for the one that tube fed him 3ml and bought us another 24 hours in the NICU).  They were so helpful and knew how badly we want to go home.  One nurse suggested that I come up for all of his feedings for a day and breastfeed.  They can't measure breastmilk so this would help him meet the requirement of no tube feedings in 24 hours.  It worked and he was able to cross that task of his list.

Another nurse talked to the doctor and told him how often we were up there for his feedings.  Feedings were every three hours and we went to almost all of the ones during the day shift and at least one or two during the night shift.  She convinced the doctor that we shouldn't have to "room-in" or stay the night in a hospital room to prove we could take care of him.  That got us another step closer to leaving.  

After a lot of back and forth, Beckett was finally taken off oxygen and was able to maintain his oxygen saturation.  This meant that he could be moved to an open crib and was another step closer to discharge.

At this point we had been in the NICU for a week, but it felt more like months.  I have so much more empathy for parents who have children in the hospital for extended periods of time.  You deal with so many emotions.  I felt immense amounts of guilt if I missed a feeding, but I wasn't taking care of myself when I tried to go to every feeding.  All of this was after just one week. I can't imagine what it would have felt like to have him in the hospital for a month or more.  

I also learned how lucky we are to have friend and family in the town where the hospital was.  We pretty much moved in with my husband's brother and his wife and they were amazing hosts.  My best friend and her husband took me to lunch to give me a break, too.  We wouldn't have kept our sanity without them.

A picture of the costume Beckett's NICU nurses made for him

Finally on Halloween we were told that if Beckett's bilirubin level continued to decrease and if he made it through the night without any set-backs, we would be able to go home.  We completed a CPR course and filled out lots and lots of paperwork.  We had to schedule an appointment with an audiologist because Beckett failed his hearing test twice (he passed his test with his audiologist) and his two-week appointment with his pedicatrician.

The next morning we went for our morning visit and got the good news that we were being discharged.  The nurse had already fed him, so we were able to leave right then.  It was the best feeling ever.  We were so excited to get to finally take him home.

So that is an abridged version of our NICU stay.  While there were lots of bumps, there is silver lining to having a baby in the NICU.  They got him on a feeding schedule for us which pretty much echoed Baby Wise.  He also learned to self-soothe.  Finally, we were able to relax.  He had gone through a lot and so had we.  We learned that we weren't going to break him and got rid of a lot of fear that first-time parents have.

Thankful

We have so much to be thankful for this year.  We have been blessed with the most precious baby boy. We are all happy and healthy.  My family is here to celebrate Beckett's birth and Thanksgiving with us. Our dogs have been amazing with the baby.  Daniel's business continues to grow and he works so hard to make sure our family wants for nothing.  We sure are lucky.

We hope that you all take time to count your blessings and wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings!

Beckett's birth story (#1)

A fitting subtitle for this post would be: Hey idiot, you're in labor. I'm not kidding. Maybe it was shock but I didn't quite believe that I was going into labor four weeks early.  Or maybe I like to keep it interesting.

I woke up that Tuesday morning and had a feeling that something was not quite right. I quickly realized that I was in the process of losing my mucus plug. This should have caused some panic but I knew that it could be days before I went into labor but that it was probably approaching. I also started having some cramping but I knew that some people had contractions for weeks before the big show.

I called my doctor and they didn't seem overly excited, which is odd because they usually have you come in for any and everything. They told me that I needed to stay put and put me on bed rest. Since I was a day away from being 36 weeks, they wouldn't do anything to stop me from going into labor but wanted me to take it easy.

I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon having sporadic contractions and watching Dateline on Investigation Discovery. I even got two hour-long naps in.  I talked to my mom and she decided that she would fly in the next day, just in case.  This would prove to be a wise decision.

When I continued to have contractions, I decided to call my doctor again. They moved my appointment to 11:30 the next day and told me that they would see me then.

I decided that maybe I should so some last minute preparations just in case. We labeled bins in the closet, hung artwork, and had some extra furniture moved out of the house. I also double checked my hospital bag, which I just finished getting ready a few days earlier. I also had Daniel pack his bag too.

Around this time I started thinking that maybe we should go to Amarillo but my contractions weren't very organized and I still didn't think I was progressing as quickly as I was.  I had also heard that you can't talk through real contractions and I was talking away. We decided to get some sleep which was impossible for me but seemed to make my husband happy.

At about 1 am, I had the strongest contraction yet and I decided that we needed to go. We were out of the house in 30 minutes and on our way. However, during the ride I started to doubt that I was really in labor because I could still talk through my contractions and I didn't want to go to the hospital just to be sent home.  We decided to go to Daniel's brother's house which is close to the hospital.

Daniel went to sleep when we got there and I paced. I couldn't get comfortable and I couldn't sleep, so I paced and timed contractions.  They never really became organized but every once in a while I would have a contraction that made me feel like I was splitting in half.  All I wanted to do was cry.

I thought maybe I could try to lay down but at this point I realized that I was having a hard time sitting because the baby felt so low.  I had a feeling this wasn't good.  I woke Daniel up and told him that we were going to the hospital.  The problem was that we had no idea where to go.  We had tried to pre-admit two weeks earlier but the L&D floor wouldn't allow me to complete their paperwork until I was 36 weeks.  I was actually scheduled to pre-admit that day.  I called the hospital and talked to the L&D floor.  They told me to come straight to their floor.

We left immediately and then proceeded to hit every light on the way.  Then we valet parked at the hospital and it took forever.  Next, the greeter decided to walk us to the L&D floor but didn't offer me a wheelchair.  We were at the elevator before she asked if I needed one and that point I wanted to keep moving forward.  She tried to stop and talk to me several times and I have a feeling that I wasn't very nice.  I was starting to feel like it was not my day.

The admissions clerk had me fill out some paperwork and I quickly realized that I had made a huge mistake.  We got to the hospital at 7, also known as shift change.  I waited for about thirty minutes before a nurse came to triage me.  I probably had about four or more contractions during that time and I am pretty sure I scared the couple waiting to be induced.  I was pretty sure that it was not my day.

All that changed when I finally got taken back to be triaged.  The nurse informed me that my doctor was in the hospital and he would do my exam.  Then I noticed that my pediatrician was in the room next to ours because her sister was having a baby.  It was like everything was coming together.

My doctor arrived to check me and this is when I realized that I came dangerously close to having my baby in a toilet.  I was an 8.  I repeat an 8.  My actual words when he told me were, "Son of a bitch.  I'm a what?" and my next question was when could I get my epidural.

After that things started happening really fast.  I was wheeled into a room and four nurses came in to start IVs, collect blood, and admit me.  They all commended me on my high pain tolerance.  I think I started to panic at this point because my contractions started feeling much worse.  The nurses told me that there were two c-sections happening and I wouldn't be able to get my epidural until they were done.  I was not happy.  Daniel didn't help by looking at my monitor and stating that my contractions were closer together than anyone else they had hooked up.

My doctor came back to check me and break my water.  At this point, I was a 9 and my water had broken.  And I still had no epidural.  My doctor told me that I could do it without one, but I kindly informed him that this would be my first and last child if that happened.  Thankfully,  one of the anesthesiologists got done in his c-section and I got my juice.  It was the best hour of my life.

After an hour, my epidural started to wear off.  They didn't put me on a pump because they thought that   I would go fast and I did.  My mom got there right before I started pushing and after half an hour of pushing, Beckett Oliver arrived at 11:28am.  He weighed 6 pounds even and was 19.5 inches long and was perfect.
   

Swollen but still pretty cute

Dad and lad

Under the oxygen hood

I am ending this blog here but this is not where the excitement ended.  I'll post about Beckett's stint in the NICU on my next blog.  Us Browns like to keep it interesting.

so long twenty-seven

Today I celebrated my day of birth.  My parents came to visit which was the best birthday gift I could have asked for.  They helped landscape our front yard (because I have a thumb that is nowhere close to green) and removed a gigantic stump from our back yard (I took pictures of both events for future blogs).  We also hung out and spent some quality time together.   I swear I am not a slave driver.

All in all, it was a good birthday.  I got to watch Wimbledon, which is one of my favorite sporting events of the year.  An Andy Murray victory would have been great but it wasn't in the cards.  We ate lunch with friends and family and then had to say good-bye to my parents.  The good news is we have a layover in Houston next week, so we get to see them again.  Then I started a baby registry and was very thankful that my sister-in-law went to help.  She had tons of great advice.

Most importantly, Daniel finally felt the baby kick (he has been moving a ton today) and we picked a name!  We had a first name picked out already but we chose a middle name and made it official.  Things are definitely starting to feel more real.

I am hopeful that my twenty-eighth year will be my best yet.  Looking back, 27 was pretty good to me. We went to Miami, New York, and Spain, celebrated three years of marriage, I discovered that I love cooking classes, met Miles Austin, spent lots of time with family and friends, tried lots of new things, developed a love for photography, and were blessed with a baby.  I am looking forward to this next year and can't wait to see what happens even if it means I am getting closer and closer to 30.
 

The only person missing was my sister

My husband gets me