Good news about Brady

So Brady has arrived! He was born August 3rd at 7:52 am, just 3 short weeks ago. He weighed 7 lbs., 5 oz. and was 21 inches long. He is such a good baby and is so handsome. We all are so happy that he is here (though he may have other thoughts when he gets a bit older and has 3 sisters bossing him around).

We have been struggling a bit and I have been worrying a lot this past week because his weight when he was 5 days old had dropped to 6 lbs., 8 oz. This wasn't so bad except that 12 days later, he was only at 6 lbs., 10 oz. Brady's pediatrician was a bit worried so we have been having to use formula rather than breast milk to see if that was the problem. We went back today for a weight check. In 5 days he gained 11 oz!!! He's back up to his birth weight so things are looking up. I had been so worried that something was wrong with my little man. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

We will go back for another weight check on Friday. I will post about how that goes.

Windows

I've been trying to decide what to do as far as window treatments for Brady's room. Since the room is by the front door, I thought about those curtains that block the heat and noise. I also have thought about ordering valances that match the bedding. There's just one really BIG problem. The builders of this house thought it would be a good idea to "round off" the corner by putting in THREE windows, none of which are the same size!!! The left one is 23", the middle is 36", and the right one is 26". So, anything I decide to do, I will have to do times three, which can get a bit expensive for just some fabric. Plus, the curtains and valences will be too big in most cases for the outer windows.And, then of course, I need to replace the blinds in there, because rather than be white, they are old and dirty looking. The list of things to do before Monday keeps increasing, while the hours left before then is decreasing!!! AHHHHHHH!!!! I feel better now. Maybe I'll just go to Hobby Lobby, buy some fabric that coordinates to the bedding, and "sew" my own. We'll see how much time I have...

Preparing for the hospital stay

Last week I mentioned to Hallie Jane that Baby Brady was going to be born at the hospital. Who knew such a simple comment would set off such a reaction. She was very upset, not wanting him to be there, but at home like her friend's little sister. So, since that day we've been working on her understanding that Mommy is going to the hospital and Dr. Alexis is going to get Baby Brady out of Mommy's tummy. The past couple of days we have been okay with this part, so tonight I extended it (on the advice of my mom) to include that I will be staying at the hospital with Baby Brady while she comes home to sleep in her "Big Girl Bed" and after a few days we will come home. Again, the idea didn't go over so well. That is until I pulled out the photos from when Hallie Jane was born. What a flashback! I was so fat! Hallie Jane was so adorable! The other two girls have grown so much! Mika and I both got a little teary eyed. The giggles that followed the pictures were priceless. Hallie Jane and Trinity both LOVED looking at the pictures of each other and themselves. We'll probably have to look at them again over the next 4 days to help reinforce the idea, but hopefully everything will go well Monday night. Good luck to Mika that night!

Getting Started...

Thanks to all the cool ideas and postings of Ryan, a fellow teacher and soon-to-be-Mommy of a son, after having a wonderful daughter, I thought I would try this blogging thing out. How hard is it to write about life, right? With my household, I definitely have a lot to share. The problem will just be finding the time!

Speaking of sharing, today we had our last appointment before Brady James' arrival. Everything was fine. I lost a pound, my blood pressure was okay, and the doctor said it doesn't look like he will be joining us before Monday. What a relief! I'm not ready and Monday is the plan! (I'm big on planning if you don't already know that about me. Some may say a bit anal retentive.) Anyway, we have to be at the hospital at 5:30 Monday morning and Brady James should be gracing us with his presence between 7:30 and 8:00. We are all very excited and anxiously awaiting his arrival.