Newborn Brad photos

Warning: Lots of pictures to follow in this post!
These photos are of us and Brad in his first 10 days here with us!

Josh took this picture of me right after we got checked into our room at the hospital. Then the battery died! Our battery was dead in our camera when Luke was born too. Josh ran down to the gift shop which didn't open until 9am and bought a disposable camera just in case my mom didn't get there in time with her camera.



Brand new!



Weight



cuteness





tongue



holding daddy's hand



for comparison, newborn Luke holding daddy's hand



daddy and Brad



mommy and Brad



first family photo



Luke's gift to Brad was a Curious George, Luke has one and LOVES him. Brad's gift to Luke was a new bike (think hotwheels style).





sweet smile



so sweet



Brad's going home outfit. I can't believe how big it is on him here, I have had it in the diaper bag as an "extra" outfit and coming home from FL on New Year's day I needed to use it and I couldn't even button his legs in because he was too big for it!






Luke wore this same hat home from the hospital! Gotta teach them early :)



can't find Luke's going home photo at the moment, but here is a picture of him wearing the same hat for his first gator game!



1st car ride, and we realize that his seat is kind of vertical and the poor little guy's head falls over. We've dealt with the problem since his birth, only now is he getting enough neck strength to keep it up when he is awake and my friend Jenn gave me a little neck pillow for him for Christmas that helps when he is asleep.



home! We were discharged the next day after Brad was born, so only one night in the hospital for us, which was good because Luke missed us at home.



Luke and Brad. Luke was excited yet unsure of what to think of Brad at first. I think he still feels the same way now, but he is really very sweet to him when he feels like acknowledging him.



Our pediatrician wanted us to bring Brad in on Saturday to have him checked for jaundice. We ended up going to the hospital to have his bilirubin levels drawn. His levels were fine so we didn't have to do anything further with that thankfully.
Brad, after returning from the Dr's visit.



This bouncy chair was a huge hit with Luke, he'd sit in it for hours, take naps, and basically just chill. Brad, not so much. He's never been a big fan of it. We are lucky these days if he'll sit in it through an entire meal :)





A picture from his trip back to the pediatrician for his one-week check-up. He weighed 6 lbs 11 oz, not to shabby!



I was really ready for some sushi! So my mom and I took Brad to his first sushi place.



Finally, some pictures from his first bath at home. He seems to enjoy the baths more now that he has found himself in the mirror, but it is sooo cold here right now I think he'll like them even more when it gets warmer.

The story

Finally, I've caught up enough to get to Brad's birth story :)
The pregnancy was going great, just starting to really feel big in the last month and I went to see my OB on 10/11 and found out that I was already dilated 2.5 cm. We discussed how quickly my labor with Luke was (brief recap below...) and decided that an induction the following week either on the 21st or 22nd would be a good idea and we agreed to finalize that date when I returned on 10/18 to be checked again.

(Brief recap of Luke's delivery: I was scheduled to be induced on Monday 10/15 and spent Saturday the 13th walking around an art fair and having pizza for dinner. My parents drove up that Saturday and we stayed up talking until about 11:30pm. My water broke at 2:30 am (10/14) and the contractions started coming within a few minutes. Josh, my mom, and I got to the hospital at 4:00am and I was 6 cm dilated. They took my blood work to check it before I could have an epidural and by the time it was back I was 9cm dilated and they wouldn't give me an epidural so I got a saddle block instead which wore off just before Luke was born at 6:57am. I can still recall the intensity of that pain and the uncontrollable need to push. So Luke decided to make his own entrance into the world and I was actually happy not to have been induced.)

Back to Brad...
So, wanting to avoid going into labor on my own with Brad and the potential for getting stuck in Atlanta traffic, I was happy with getting an induction. My parents arranged their schedules to be here by the 20th so they wouldn't miss his birth. When I went to my OB appt on the 18th, he said that all looked fine, still dilated at 2.5 cm and if I hadn't had Brad by my due date (11/2) that he'd induce. I was like, WHAT?! I reminded him of our conversation we had at my appt one week prior and I'm pretty sure he had no idea what I was talking about. I started panicking a little bit, told him we'd made arrangements etc, and then felt like I was talking him into giving me an induction. I left the office with him "checking his schedule" and that the office would call me but that we could "probably" do the 21st or 22nd. Needless to say I was frustrated and upset, but mainly confused as to what in the world just happened and was it really ok to have an induction?

Well, I went to work the next day (10/19) and as I was dropping Luke off at daycare I ran into my friend Kristi (Luke's best friend Alec's mom). Kristi had offered to me before that if we needed them to watch Luke if I went into labor that she would, so this morning I was telling her about the OB fiasco and jokingly mentioned that if I went into labor that night we'd need to drop Luke off, but that my parents would be there the next day so we should be fine for the induction. I went to work for a half a day to finish up some things and make sure I had everything from my office cleared out just in case I didn't go into work the next day (you see I was going into work still so that I would be around people in the event I went into labor and needed to be driven to the hospital instead of being at home alone). I had lunch with my friend Amanda and then we walked around Target. I was also waiting for a call from the hospital to let me know when my induction would be. After Target we went to Amanda's house where I was waiting to pick Luke up at a time that would coincide with Josh getting home from work. All day I was fretting about the induction, finally around 4pm I was notified that the induction would be the 21st in the am, but that the hospital would call me with the official time.

Fast forward to 8:30pm 10/19. We all were home, dinner was finished and we had just put Luke to bed. I sat down on the sofa to relax and watch tv. I noticed that my stomach hurt, but figured it was just gas. Kristi called me to just make sure we had a plan in case we needed it that evening (she must have sensed something!) so I jokingly said, you know my stomach is hurting but I am sure it is nothing. We made a plan anyway, just in case. Josh asked if I was ok enough for him to go to the gym and I said I was so he went to the gym. I noticed the pain was there on and off over the next couple of hours, not really steady and not increasing in intensity or frequency. My parents had left FL that evening and were stopping for the night in Tifton. Around 11pm I told Josh I was going to take a shower, again just in case. I was still having the pain as we went to bed, but wasn't convinced it was anything but gas. Over the next 4 hours I was up in the bathroom every hour or so and finally at 3:30 am as I was curled up in the fetal position in bed I decided that it couldn't wait any longer. I really didn't want to go to the hospital with false labor, but I was really starting to hurt and the frequency had picked up. We called the OB on call and he said to go ahead in to the hospital and get checked out. So at 4am I called Kristi and told her we were bringing Luke over! Josh packed a bag for himself and one for Luke and got Luke into the car. I was really in disbelief that this baby would also arrive one day ahead of my scheduled induction, but I think I worried myself into labor that day :)
I called my parents and told them we were headed to the hospital and that I'd call back when I knew for sure I was in labor. We dropped Luke off at his buddy's house and headed into the hospital. We got there around 4:45 and people arriving for their inductions were filling out paper work and I had to wait. I was convinced by now that I was in labor, although the contractions didn't hurt as bad as when I had Luke since my water hadn't broken this time. Finally we were all registered and headed back to the room. I got dressed in the hospital gown. My parents had decided to leave from Tifton and were on their way. When they checked me I was definitely in labor and already dilated to 6 cm. The nurse came to draw my blood, she stuck me twice and couldn't get it, she called in another nurse, who also had to stick me twice to draw blood. Flashbacks of Luke's labor and dilating to quickly for the epidural came flooding back. This was taking even longer and I mentioned to the nurse that this happened to me before and I didn't get an epidural. She smiled at me and said the best words "Don't you worry, you are going to get your epidural because we won't know how far you are dilated because we won't check you!" So I did get the epidural! The OB on call now was a female from the practice who I had not met but she was excellent and I am so glad she delivered Brad. She broke my water (I can't remember if that was before or after the epidural) and when she checked me I was 9cm dilated already. The epidural did slow down my labor and they had to start pitocin to pick it back up, but it was so much more "relaxed" than the mad dash I had with Luke. My parents were almost there and we wondered if my mom would make it in time. I started pushing I think around 9:30am and my mom got there soon after. Brad was born at 10:06 and we joked it would have been neat to make it to 10:20 am since his birth date was 10/20/2010 :)

one last photo

I had Josh take a photo on 10/17 of me at 37 weeks pregnant, at this point I thought I would be induced on the 21st, little did I know that Brad had other plans! This is the last photo before his birth 3 days later :)

baby shower #2

My co-workers at CDC were so generous and threw me a shower for Brad. It was originally scheduled for October 22nd, but I cautioned that that date might be pushing it...and good thing since Brad was born on the 20th! The shower was moved to the 15th so we got to celebrate just in time! I really enjoyed working with this great group of people. I worked with the Vision Health Initiative which is one team under the Division of Diabetes Translation. I got to know so many great people and am missing seeing all of them every day now that I'm at home with Brad.

Some shower pics:







My team lead (boss) Jinan and Juanita (who knows how to get everything done!)



Some of the gifts, many co-workers went in together to get us this sit and stand stroller. Luke tried it out in the store and promised he would ride in it! I just have to wait until Brad is big enough to sit in it, which should coincide nicely with warmer weather!



Thanks CDC friends for the shower!

The 3rd Birthday edition

To our not so much baby as little boy Luke,



I can't believe you are already three years old. You have really been a blessing to me and your daddy. While the last few months have brought with it a fair amount of two going on three temper tantrums, you have also kept us constantly amazed at your ability to learn new things and adapt to change. We've moved from an apartment to a house (the 3rd place you've lived so far) and you left your crib for a big boy bed and started potty training all with such ease. We wanted you to have a special 3rd birthday as it was the last birthday you'd have with us all to yourself since brother Brad was born just 6 days after you turned 3. You started a more advanced class at preschool on 10/1 and have been doing wonderfully, you are so smart Luke!
You love to sing and even make up songs by yourself! You love sports like Daddy and even ask to watch football or basketball, but you still prefer your PBS cartoons to anything. You've really grown into a little boy this last year and even since Brad has been born I see you growing up even more. You are a great big brother and although Brad might not be that much fun to play with yet, you are very sweet to him and I think you two will be great friends soon enough :)
We love you little man!
Mommy and Daddy

On your actual birthday, we brought in a cookie cake for you to share with your classmates at school




you on the morning of your birthday



still with the pacifier (although you don't have it anymore, the reason for why is a whole other post!)



that evening we celebrated just the 3 of us with some left over birthday cake from your party and some presents mommy had saved from Grammy and auntie Lynn so you'd have something to open that day. You loved the art markers and book as well as the spider man sheets and blanket!





















It was a special time for the three of us to spend together!

pumpkin patch

While Neil and Ansev were here visiting, we took Luke to a pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkin. We found one that also had a bouncy house so we knew it would be worth the trip :)



The engaged couple (looking forward to the wedding next year!)



and again with Luke



Luke, our pumpkin, and daddy



All of us (although I appear to be hiding the baby bump...unintentional, I was just glad I could stand up after that!)



Luke riding the pumpkin?



my personal favorite!



Luke wanted a teeny pumkin and Ansev gladly obliged him!



What a fun outing, can't wait to do it again next year with 2 little boys!