1 year!

Hard to believe one year has already gone by.

Hard to believe this little bundle...
Is now this big bundle. :)
He is such a delight.

Brandon just had his 1 year checkup and weighed in at 24 lbs, and was 31 inches long. He always jumping, probably due to his love of the jumperoo when he was a bit younger. This in turn, as turned his legs rock solid! He is certainly a strong boy.
He is saying lots of things now. Daddy, Dada, bye bye, ball, kitty, Mom, Mama, "I did it", and lots of other jibberish. :)

He loves to play with his cousins, and especially loves his cousin Hayden. This boy can make Brandon smile, even when he is fussy. :)

He is eating all table food, and getting picky. He is also being weaned off formula and drinking milk. He still wants a bottle before his naps and at bedtime. He is not fond of a sippy cup, but will try it. Give him a cup with a straw and he is in heaven.
He is getting close to taking off and walking on his own. He has been standing by himself quite a bit, lets go of furniture and doesn't hold on tight anymore. He enjoys "walking" on his knees all of a sudden, but will often try to stand up from this position and take a step.
He loves his blankies.

We recently had his 1 year birthday party, so I will try to get pictures of that up soon. :) My good camera's lense broke, so I had to use my old point and shoot camera while I wait for my new one to come in. Blah..oh well, it captured some memories, and I'm glad to have them, even if they are a bit grainy. :)

Sweet Baby Boy

I looked back and noticed that it had been, ahem, a few months since the last post. :) Well, much has happened since then.

We welcomed our sweet baby boy, Brandon into the world.

Brandon Stephen Lewis
July 7, 2010 - 8:53 p.m.

8lbs. 4oz. 21.5 inches

Perfect in every way! :)

The Story...

I had been having contractions off and on since the 4th. So, we decided to go ahead and go in on the 6th in the evening to be induced. Our plan was to labor and deliver naturally. They put in a balloon catheter to jumpstart my cervix in dialating. By morning, around 6 or so on the 7th, they started the pitocin. For the rest of the day, I was able to rest pretty comfortably because I wasn't feeling my contractions or having any pain. PTL. :)

They had the pitocin turned up pretty high, and my contractions were off the chart, but for some reason I wasn't feeling them! By noon, the doc came in and broke my water hoping that would speed things up. He was hopeful that we would have a baby by 8pm. By 2pm, I was at 7cm. Still feeling good, but feeling the contractions. I wasn't entirely uncomfortable because they still weren't too painful; however, they were coming one right after another. The only downside to the whole ordeal was that I didn't feel like I was getting any type of "rest" between them. So, I continued to labor the rest of the day hopeful that when the doc would come in at 5, things would have been progressing some more. BUT I was still at 7cm. He decided to stay around and then came back in around 7:30. I was STILL at 7cm. They had the pitocin turned up the majority of the afternoon as far as possible (and still safe) but he just wouldn't come down! By this point I was exhausted, and ready for a REAL break. :)

So, because he was not coming down, and my cervix had become inflammed, I had to have a c-section. Things happened pretty fast, and before I knew it, I had my sweet baby boy in my arms. Although we were disappointed in the fact that we didn't deliver naturally, we were thankful for a safe delivery and a healthy baby boy. :)

Life has been different, but WONDERFUL, and I wouldn't trade it for a second. There are times I just can't take my eyes off the sweet face of my baby. As crazy as it sounds, I wouldn't oppose to the idea of trying for another baby in the next few months! However, we have chosen to wait a couple of years, unless the Lord has different plans. :)

I am just so in love with him!

We make our way to the doctor this coming Tuesday for his 2 month check-up and shots. I really debated on whether to get his shots now or wait till he is a bit older. I have done some reading about both sides of the argument. We just decided that for our family, we would go ahead and do it now. I am really anxious though to see how much he weighs and has grown.

I took an evening and made my own little "photoshoot" for his 2 month pictures, but I'll have to get them up in a different post because they are taking forever to load!

Have a great Labor Day!

It's a.....

BOY!

Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I was sure it was a girl. The feeling that it was going to be a girl was so strong that I had even purchased a few girl items (clothing) for next winter since they were on clearance. :)

Well...I had gone in for an ultrasound on the 22nd of Feb., and they THOUGHT it was a boy. The cord was in the same area, but it looked like a boy nonetheless. The tech wanted me to come back in a couple of weeks because she wasn't really confident in telling us that, so this past Monday, I went back in for a free check. Sure enough, as soon as she placed the wand on my stomach, she declared, "it's a boy!"

I have to say, that although for the longest time I thought it was a girl, I am more than happy with God blessing us with a boy first. We are so excited! We have a name picked out, however, we aren't sure if we are going to share it before he is born or not. Guess you'll have to stay tuned and see. :)

Things are still going well. Definitely feeling him a lot everyday; he has been very active on the ultrasounds. We expect his arrival to be sometime in the first of July.

This time of the year always seems to be the lull before the storm here at the church. When April begins, things will go into full swing until after VBS. April brings Easter, and WOL Regional Teens Involved to the church which will involve 300-400 people coming here from all over Indiana. It is always a fun day! Then, May brings something every weekend either here at the church or personally (hoping for a quick trip to Iowa the second weekend!). Baby shower on the 22nd, which I'm of course looking forward to. June will bring the final planning and organization of VBS. I'm hoping to have everything planned, ordered, and settled by the time VBS comes around, because Baby will be coming then too. :)

I'll leave you with a few of the recent ultrasound photos. Hopefully (and I say that sincerity!), I will stay up on this better over the next several months!