Valentine's Day Dinner

Goofing around with Papa!

The stoll took a lot outta him!

Sitting up on his own (most of the time now!)

6 Months Old!!

Wow, 6 months has gone by in a flash. We are having so much fun with the B man. He keeps us pretty entertained either by his trying to crawl (we call it the sky dive where he's on his tummy and he raises his arms and legs but can't get his stomach off the ground) or bouncing in his exersaucer or by making funny sounds and faces when he eats his jar food. He had his 6 month check up on Friday and he now weighs 17.9lbs, he's 27.5 inches long and the doc said he's probably going to be an early walker. He was testing his reflexes and there was one that the doc said shouldn't be there for a baby his age. He said we should probably start child-proofing the house. I'm thinking we're going to be very busy parents looking after a very busy and curious baby. He's doing so well at daycare. Miss Sally just loves him and so do the other girls there. He's the main man in that house! We are trying to go on walks when the weather permits. He really enjoys the fresh air. I can't wait for spring and summer now! Check back soon to hear if he started running!

Clean Baby!
He's been holding his own bottle now for over a month!

One cool dude!

Happy New Year!

January was a busy month for us and it flew by! Braden started a new daycare and it's going great. Miss Sally (as the kids call her) is wonderful and she's so good with Braden. God truly answered our prayers with her! Braden has been busy learning new things every day. He is very vocal and getting more and more mobile. He started rolling over all the time at the end of December and now makes his way around the floor by rolling over or moving around like he's on a clock! He loves his exersaucer and loves to grab at everything. Everything goes in the mouth now! His 6 month check up will be next week so I'll have to post his "stats!"

Braden's first Chrismas

Well we had an exciting first Christmas with Braden! He was so thrilled to get up and open up all his gifts...not really, all he cared about was getting his bottle! He was fascinated by everyone else opening up their gifts though. I think it took him an hour to finish his bottle. He did enjoy the paper, I think that was his favorite thing! He got a bumbo seat from his grandparents in IL. He loves to sit up in it and we now use it to feed him his rice cereal. And after about 10-15 minutes...he's ready for something else. I'm sure by next year he'll really be into his presents...at least the boxes and paper!

I had to include this picture of Braden watching his rainforest "soother." It has lights/sounds and a monkey and a bird that move back and forth. Here he is with his "friends" watching ever so intently!

Almost 3 months Old!!

Sorry that I haven't updated this blog in awhile...I've found that parenting takes up a lot of my time! Actually, it takes up all of our time. But we're loving every minute of it! Braden is growing so fast and learning new things every day. He's so alert now and loves to look around at everything. He talks (coos) to us all the time and definitely lets us know when he's not happy! He's already trying hard to roll from his back to his tummy. He's also trying to hold his bottle too! He is now sleeping about 7-8 hours during the night, which is nice since I'm going back to work full time. He loves taking a bath, smiles all the time and makes Chip and I laugh constantly! He giggled for the first time last weekend at my dad and we were all there to hear it. It was so cute! I'll try my hardest to keep this updated as the months go on and Braden is learning new things! So far, it's been a challenge, but it's been so rewarding!

6 Weeks Old

Well, Braden will be 6 weeks on Wednesday...already! He's doing great! He's growing like he should be and is changing every day. He makes it very known when he is hungry (by screaming) and still doesn't like his diaper being changed but he's getting more used to that. He does love his baths though (thank goodness). We're starting to get some smiles from him, which is so cool! And he's also starting to "coo" and make other cute noises. It's so fun to see what he'll do each day and I feel so blessed to be at home during this time. I'm praying for strength for when I'll have to go back to work. It will probably be one of the hardest things I've had to do. Until then, I plan on enjoying every minute with him...even when he's fussy! :)

3 Weeks Old

Today Braden is 3 weeks old. It's gone by fast already (even though it sometimes doesn't feel like it with the lack of sleep). My sister and the girls left on Saturday, my mom is back at work and it's been me and the baby by ourselves for 2 weeks now. It's been a challenge on some days, but you just get through it and somehow learn to live on little or no sleep. He really is changing every day. He's up to 7lbs 8oz now. He has quite the temperment too. He sure does let us know when he is hungry or needs to be changed. He has quite the voice on him. I think I'm used to the screaming during diaper changes now. Chip says that he must have his mom's fiesty side to him! He makes some really funny faces and noises that make us laugh all the time! Needless to say, he's our entertainment now! I love being home with him and will cherish every moment til I have to go back to work. God had truly blessed us with a healthy, beautiful baby and we are so thankful!

Our Beautiful Baby Boy Has Arrived!!!

Well, my day on tuesday, the 5th started out normal...work and my weekly doc appointment. While at my appointment my doctor and I both decided she would see if she could get labor started (by stripping my membranes) since I was already dilated to almost a 4. Well, she did it and 2 hours later my labor started! Around 3pm I was ready to go to the hospital since my contractions were coming every 5 minutes for almost 2 hours straight. We got there and they got me set up on a monitor and at first had a little scare. Baby's heart rate drop for a bit because my uterus was contracting too fast for him. So, they gave me something to slow my labor down and it worked. Then they moved me into the birthing room where shortly after I got my epidural (doc's orders). That really did take the pain away...until my water was broken and I felt lots and lots of pressure (baby moving down) until I was able to start pushing. I pushed for an hour and 40 minutes and then...Braden was here! It was the most surreal feeling to see our Son. I don't know if I can put it into words how wonderful it was. I'm sure there's so much more to say, but I'll keep updating as time goes on!

37 Weeks

Well, I went to my doctor appointment today and she checked to see if I was dilated at all. At first she asked me if I thought I was, and I said "I'll say no, so I can be surprised if I am!" So, she checked and she goes, "Wow, his head is right there, so is your bag of water." "You're dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced." I almost passed out when she told me! I couldn't believe it. She was kinda surprised too. I could feel myself getting hotter and hotter, so she sat me up and said that she thinks if I went from a 0-3 in a week, it could be anytime now. Plus his head is right there. I haven't really had any strong contractions at all. She said that's normal, because it could still be at least a week, but she said to prepare for anytime now!! I was still shocked because in my mind I was thinking, "Oh, I still have 3 more weeks." Don't think so! I guess Braden is ready to make his entrance a little sooner than expected. We'll keep everyone posted!

36 Week Mark...almost 37 weeks

Well, we've made it into the 9th month. I feel like it's going by fast, yet at the same time, I feel like these next 3 weeks are going to drag on by. Maybe it's because I'm so uncomfortable now and sleep is a thing of the past. I've spent a few nights on our reclining couch because it just feels so much better. Chip has been so sweet and has joined me a couple of times. He can sleep anywhere! I had another baby shower on July 13th at my best friend, Erin's house. She and her mom did a wonderful job and everything was just great. We got a lot of nice things for baby Braden. I also had a shower at work and received some more things off our registry and some more cute clothes as well. I think we're pretty much good to go. Chip and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary last week! We got married 4 years ago on the hottest day of the year...I'm so glad it's not like that right now or I wouldn't be a happy camper! Neither would my cankles!! We feel that God has truly blessed us in these 4 years and continues to bless us as we prepare to meet our son! We are both getting very excited! Only 22 more days to go...or sooner (I hope)!!!

7 more weeks to go...

I should really title this one, 7 more weeks and I'm already uncomfortable and the heat is too much for me! So, I'm now not sleeping very well at night. Between getting up 3 times to go to the bathroom and having charlie horses almost every night, I'm not getting much sleep. Oh, and it doesn't help that it's hot outside and we don't have A/C. BUT, it'll all be worth it in the end when we get to see our baby! We had our birthing classes last Sunday and the Sunday before that. We both really liked it and felt we got a lot of good information out of it. I have attached a picture of Chip with the "empathy belly" on! He had to wear it for about an hour to see what it really felt like to be pregnant. I don't think an hour really does the trick though?! I had another baby shower this last week. It was given by my mom's best friend, Shirleen Gruener and her daughter-in-law, Angie (a good friend of mine). We received a lot of nice things and we were able to buy our stroller this weekend with some gift cards and items we returned that were duplicates. I have my doctor's appointment this week. We're now down to every 2 weeks. I think by the time my due date rolls around, I'll be more than ready to have this baby!

8 Month Mark

Well, we are almost at the 8 month mark (tuesday) and time is flying by. We have our first childbirth class tomorrow. It's going to be an alllll day thing, but I'm sure it'll be interesting for both of us. We are basically done with Braden's room now. We just have a couple of more things to hang on the walls and that's pretty much it. I have another shower coming up this next week, so that should be fun.

This one will be my mom and dad's friends given by Shirleen Gruener and Angie Gruener. I'm already in the nesting mode. I've washed all of his clothes and sheets and tried to rearrange the room to where I would like it. I'll have to update again after our class and my shower. Only 59 more days to go...wow!!!

First Baby Shower

I had my first baby shower this last weekend. It was a family shower held at my Aunt Wini's house at Lake Tapps. The weather wasn't the greatest, but it was a very nice shower and we received lots of nice gifts. It was so great to have Chip's Mom, Sister, Aunt and Cousin. My sister and my two nieces there as well. We had a great weekend together and were able to do more to the nursery (decor). Poor Jeanne and Jen thought they were going to get some nicer weather and I think they were cold the whole time they were here. My close friend Leslie had her baby this weekend as well (lots going on). They welcomed Liam Austin Hensley to their family. He is soooo cute and has lots of black hair. Now Liam has to wait a couple more months for his playmate Braden to arrive!

7 Month Mark

Maybe I should title this one the "it's getting uncomfortable to sleep and I still have 12 weeks to go" mark?! I guess that's a little too long for a title. Anyway, we have reached the 28 week/7 month mark now. The baby is growing and so is my belly (I promise to post a new picture soon). I can feel him rolling around in there and it's so funny to watch my belly move like a small tidal wave. We have painted the nursery (it turned out very nice), have the crib and bedding and we're now just waiting to get the rest of the furniture (it's on back order). We're also really looking forward to our visit with my mom-in-law and sis-in-law in a week. They're coming out for my family shower on June 7th. Jen hasn't been out here since the wedding so it's going to be fun to show her our house and just hang out with both of them for a few days. My sis and the girls will be coming on Monday for the shower as well. I have my gestational diabetes test this Friday along with my monthly check-up. After that I think I start going every 2 weeks. I think that's it for now. I promise to post some pics sometime this week. Seriously, I will!

6 Month Mark

Well, 6 months down, 3 months to go. This is starting to go by fast now! Chip and I just got back from a lovely cruise that we went on with my parents. We went to the Mexican Riviera and it was wonderful. A cruise is a really nice way to go on a vacation. We both highly recommend it! Now that we're back to reality it's time to get down to baby business. We will start clearing out the room we are going to use as the nursery, paint, buy baby furniture and just try to get as prepared as possible before our little guy arrives. The baby sure is kicking a lot now...maybe he'll play soccer like his dad did?! He seems to be very active every other day. He also is reacting to music as well. I put my headphones on my belly and turned my Ipod on and I received a few hard kicks in return. I think he likes it! Stay turned for more updates and pictures!

Daddy feels baby move for first time!

When Chip came home last night I told him that I thought I felt the baby's movement while resting my hand on my tummy. So, later on he decided he wanted to try and see if he could feel it. After I got the baby moving a little bit, Chip placed his hands on my tummy and sure enough, he got to feel 3 kicks from our little man! I think it made Chip's night...as indicated by the huge smile on his face! He wanted to be the first to feel it and he was! Just wanted to share that one with all of you!

It's a.....BOY!!!!!

We just found out yesterday that we are having a boy! We'll be welcoming Braden Nicholas Churchill in August! I don't think I've ever seen Chip that excited before. He quietly said, "YES," when the lady pointed out that it was definitely a boy! And we have pictures to prove it too! She said that everything looked great and he is exactly where he should be with his height, weight, etc. Now I can really start planning the nursery. Let's see, Seahawks or Bears? Mariners or White Sox? That's going to be a dilemma!

The First Kick

Well, I've started feeling the baby move now! I really felt it last night when I went to bed. It's a very weird, but cool feeling! I told Chip and he said he was jealous that I get to feel that. I told him that he won't be jealous when I'm in pain, pushing the baby out! He agreed and said at that point he'll be thankful he's a guy!