August TENTH!

Happy One Month Birthday to ME!
Happy One Month Birthday to ME!
Happy One Month Birthday to Braidy Spencer!
Happy One Month Birthday to ME!

(note: here he is in his "coming home" outfit that his daddy picked out for him. Needless to say, it did not quite fit to come home in, but everyone at church today LOVED it!)



John and Uncle Dan (Aka Bubbie) got to Lubbock today. John had a GREAT time with Nena and Pops...trips to the Zoo, lots of swimming, fun bathtimes, and lots of loving from everyone! We missed him alot and were very glad to see him!!! Uncle Dan is going to stay with us for a couple days, as he had not gotten to meet his new nephew yet!




TUMMY TIME!!! We've tried to begin having tummy time everyday while we're at home... this kid is STRONG. He can really control his head pretty good...and has been able to for a while now.




Ok, back to watching the OLYMPICS....I LOVE the Olympics...especially gymnastics! Tuesday means back to work...only for a few days...then my 6 weeks of maternity leave begins...I cannot imagine going back to work full time in a week and a half...so thank goodness I have another 2 months!

2 Weeks and still GROWING strong...

While my little angel is sleeping soundly, I thought i'd try to update our blog...these chances are few and far between!

We went to our 2 week check today...Braidy now weighs a whoppin' 7lbs 9oz. On Monday he weighed 6lbs 15oz...so he has gained 10 oz in 5 days. That's right, he is a BIG eater and it is apparently doing him some good! Hopefully his mommy is not gaining as much weight as he is, because I can't seem to stop eating either!!! Poor baby had to get the PKU testing, which means they stick their heel and squeeze all kinds of blood out, he did not like it one bit. Once they were done, he was ok again. He is in the 75th percentile in height (20.6in.), 30th percentile in weight (7lbs. 9oz.) and 65th percentile in head circumference (14.4in.). I know some of you don't care to know the in's and out's of his doctor report, but I am doing it more for us so we can look back on this post when he keeps on growing and growing.

For the past week, we have been hanging out enjoying our time together as a family. We have had a few visitors here and there, and some great food brought over by some great friends! John continues to be a great big brother, and even wanted to hold Braidy the other day!

We try to get out of the house at least once a day (being locked in a house gets old pretty quick) but it sure is tough to get out. By the time I have Braidy fed and ready to go and myself ready to go, he is ready to eat again! It's much easier in the evenings when Ryan is home! I don't know how single moms do it...what a challenge!

Some things we've done this past week:
1. taken our first "real" bath in our cool hammock bathtub...Lulu helped and he really liked bathtime! (until it was time to get out)
2. smile! he smiles all the time, but it's probably just gas!
3. in the middle of the night a couple nights ago he was laughing, he had a huge grin on his face, he was asleep, and laughing his head off, it was the funniest/cutest thing in the world!
4. gone on our first "real" outing to a CityBank party last night as a family...it was pretty hot but we hung in there for quite a while!

Ok he's waking up...Here are some pictures from the doctor and others....enjoy!

One Week Old!

Time needs to go ahead and SLOW DOWN. I can't believe our angel is already a week old. It seems like yesterday we were headed to the hospital. Anyways, we had our first doctor's appointment with Dr. Geutersloh yesterday (she's amazing by the way)...Braidy is already past his birthweight. He weighed 6lbs 6oz at birth, Saturday when we went home he weighed 5lbs 15oz...(they thought he'd lose another 3-4 oz on Sunday) but yesterday he weighed 6lbs 9oz!!! Way to go buddy!!! I am not sure if the scales were all correct, but either way, he's a healthy little man. He eats nonstop (or at least it seems that way to us). If only we could get him to sleep in his co-sleeper...he figured out really quick that he would rather sleep in between mommy and daddy, and if he cried enough, he'd get his way! We love our sweet boys!!! Ryan and I had a hot date yesterday, we went grocery shopping! I didn't want to leave Braidy, but Lulu was here and she got to babysit him for us. It was nice to get out and see some sunshine...but I missed him every second!

He's HERE!!

July 10th is a day we will never ever forget. Our little Braidy entered the world at 5:43pm, weighed 6lbs. 6oz. and was 20 inches long. The day started with Ryan and I going to the hospital at 5:45am, and they induced me right at 8am.

By 5:43pm (only 9 1/2 hours) Braidy made his grand entrance into the world. He was healthy, but was having a little trouble breathing, so they had to take him to the nursery about 15 minutes after he was born. I did get to hold him, as did his daddy. Labor was not too bad, thanks to the epidural. There were some pains here and there, but that was nothing for what we got in return, a healthy BEAUTIFUL baby boy.

Our family was all there to celebrate in this new life with us...as were many of our friends. We stayed in the hospital for 2 nights and were so blessed to have so many visitors come and see us!


On Saturday, we finally got to go home a little after lunch time...and it felt wonderful to be in our own home. We got great care in the hospital, but that room (and those beds) get really old really quick. Here are some pictures of the trip home...Braidy just about got swallowed in his carseat!

Since we've been home, we've enjoyed every minute of it. Braidy is the best baby...he doesn't cry or say much unless a) he is hungry b) he needs a clean diaper c) he has a tummy ache and needs to burp or d) he just wants to be held! Here are some precious pictures that we've taken of him while we've been home...

If you can't tell, we're pretty proud of our new little guy. We're also very proud of our older little guy...John has been a great big brother and is getting very good at giving his little brother kisses all the time. We have enjoyed every second of Braidy...even those 3am feedings!!! Stay tuned as we update this more frequently with happenings around our house... I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I do writing it. It is quite amazing at the love you feel when you have a child...there is nothing like it.

T-Minus 8 Days!

Braidy is going to be arriving on July 10th...yes, that would be in 8 short days!!! We are being induced and we are oh so anxious for the day to arrive!!! Last time I posted, I was just a little half way through my pregnancy...wow, how time flies! I will post some of our latest pictures, as we have been up to quite a bit since March!!! Here are some fun things we have done:

Child Birth Classes - so my hubby might not agree that this was "fun", we still enjoyed it and learned A LOT! Although we're still pretty scared, I would be WAY more scared had I not learned "the ropes" from class! (And Ryan got to wear the "Empathy Belly" so he could see what us pregnant women must feel like 24/7...he was such a good sport!)

John and I went to get pictures made for Ryan for Father's Day. They turned out AWESOME and Ryan really liked them. We used Denae Hutson, she's SO talented, and especially good with kiddos. Here are a few of my favorites:

Braidy's nursery is all ready. His laundry is all done. His blankets are all folded. His drawers are organized, clothes in order from smallest to biggest. I guess I've been "nesting" as some call it...although my mom asked me "Have you gotten the urge to mop your floors or clean your oven?" Um..NO! I don't care how much "nesting" I might be doing, I don't think I'll EVER get that urge, if I do I might check myself into a mental institution, because mopping is my LEAST favorite thing to do, which is why I do it about 2x a year!

Ryan and I went on a "BabyMoon" in May. He took me to Fredericksburg (our "spot) and we had a wonderful weekend. We ate lots of good food, hiked up Enchanted Rock (where he proposed last year), shopped some, and stayed in the greatest bed and breakfast. I should mention, being 7 months pregnant, I only made it half way up the rock. Ryan went the rest of the way by himself and I patiently waited. I thought I could do it, but I really didn't want to have a baby up on top of a rock, 2 months early!

John took swimming lessons at the beginning of June with Coach Donny. John LOVES Coach Donny and still talks about him almost daily. He did REALLY good and really enjoyed swimming. He jumped off the side by himself, the diving board, went down the slide, and got to the point where putting his "eyes" in the water did not bother him one bit!

One last group of pictures I'll post. We had our last sonogram on June 23rd to see if Braidy had turned (he was breech at our previous sonogram). So John, Ryan, and I got to see the little guy for one last time until his "birth"day. John said it was a lion, a horsey, and a turtle. I hope he doesn't come out as any of the above animals, and I think once John sees his new baby brother, he will be in love at first sight! He's already got some CHUBBY cheeks...YAY!

We are very excited to see the majority of our family next week...it should be a very fun time!!! We are so blessed to have such wonderful parents, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. This should get everyone updated for the time being. I will try to be a good blogger and add something fairly often. Stay tuned....!!!!