My First Experience with the Pool!

We knew Brody would be excited to get in the pool at Mimi and Papa's house. He had such a fun time kicking and splashing and taking in the new experience. At first the water was a little chilly for him, so he was a bit apprehensive. After he got used to it, he had a blast! He sat in the little floaty and was pushed around by daddy and Papa. Since then I have taken him to the public pool twice and he had just as much fun. We sat in the shallow water and he had the time of his life! He looked so cute with his swimming suit and little orange hat on!

Fun in the Tub!

Brody has always loved getting a bubbles! As we get him ready for his bath in his room, and carry him to the bathroom, he excitedly kicks his legs the whole way. He knows it is getting close to bubbles time! He loves to splash, play with his toys, and talk while he is in the water. We have a "duck tub" that he sits in. If you push the beak of the duck it "quacks" several times. He is so interested in it now, it is hard to keep him sitting down. All he wants to do is stand up and see where that noise is coming from.

So far behind!

Wow! How time has flown by. The last time I updated this I had just had Brody. He is now almost nine months old. It has been so much fun seeing how quickly things change with him. He is now crawling, eating solids, taking two good naps during the day, loving to play in his bubbles, and loving to talk. He has such a laid back personality and is so go with the flow. He makes me think this whole kid thing is easy...but our family keeps telling us to wait! Our trying times with him are soon to come, I suppose. Watching him play, smile and sleep simply makes my heart smile. We are so blessed with this little boy.

It has been a fun summer. Brody has gotten in a lot of quality time with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great grandparents. I have enjoyed my time off with him this summer; August will be especially hard - - when it is time to go back to work. I am not even going to think about that just yet!

I had my first night experience away from him last week. I thought I would be in shambles and completely consumed with thinking about him. BUT, surprisingly, I did pretty well! It was a nice "break" and it helped knowing he was in good hands with his "Wowo", my mom.

It may be a different story when we, Zach and I, will be gone from him for 4 nights. We are headed to Mexico with two other couples for a little vacation. I can't deny the fact that I am pretty pumped about lying on the beach, hanging out with great friends, and getting a tan!

The pictures below are a random assortment. Since I have a lot of catching up to do, there are photos of him from when he was one month old all the way up to now. We were so lucky to have a good friend from home take some professional shots of him. Here are the ones she took when he was one month old - thanks Ashley! :)

Finally a mommy! :)

Well, the day has finally arrived! Brody made his entrance into the world on September 23rd at 2:25pm. We went in to the hospital the night before at 8pm to get induced. When we arrived at the hospital to check-in, they told us we weren't scheduled for the induction until the next night. Talk about one upset, 9-month pregnant me! I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Zach and I had all of our bags packed for the stay; we were so excited that things were finally getting close...and then they tell us that it wasn't going to happen until the next night. One of the nurses tells us to sit in the waiting room for a while so they can see if there is enough staff on duty to go ahead and admit us. Meanwhile, the nurses are trying to get a hold of my doctor to make sure she is in town and is okay with us being admitted that night. Long story short - the hospital messed up with the dates. Our doctor expected for us to be admitted that night. After about an hour they went ahead and told us we could stay! Phew! Talk about messing with your emotions. Zach and I had spent all day mentally preparing for what was about to happen, so glad that it didn't fall through and we would have to wait an extra night.

I was induced with Cervedil that night. At 7am the next morning I was put on Pitocin to start the contractions. Wow! The contractions were much more intense than I had ever imagined. Things picked up really quickly after the Pitocin kicked in. By 12 noon I had fully dilated to a 10 but couldn't push quite yet. Brody was face up so the doctor wanted me to "labor down" which meant I had to wait some time before I started pushing to see if he would flip. Sure enough, Brody turned and I was able to start pushing at 1:45.

Brody was born at 2:25pm weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 21 inches long. Zach and I imagined our child would be born with hair on his head...and were we right! Brody has a full, thick head of long black hair. He is a spitting image of his dad when he was a newborn.

Motherhood is amazing. I have loved every moment of being home with him. He is such a happy and content baby. He eats, sleeps, and when he is awake he just looks around and is very rarely fussy. It is hard to believe that he is already three weeks old. He is starting to hold his head up and turn his head. The time truly is flying by. I hate to see him getting bigger and growing - yet I am excited to get to know what type of person he is going to be. He is a blessing to us and we will cherish every moment!

On a countdown now!

I went to the doctor's today. I am 2 cm dilated, 60% effaced, and she scraped the membrane! What does this all mean? Well, I think we are getting close! (At least closer!) Scraping the membrane is something they do to "naturally" stir things up. It is able to start up contractions, labor, and possibly get the water to break. I looked up all of this information online when I get home because I wasn't exactly sure about it. Some women reported once they had their membranes scraped they went into labor within 24 hours...other women said it did nothing for them. SO, there is just no way of telling what will happen or when! All I know is I am ready to meet this baby! I am so uncomfortable and tired! If I don't have him by Sunday, my due date, then I am scheduled to go in on Monday to see if there is any more progression. Then she is going to decide if I need to be induced middle of next week and how. Keep your fingers crossed it all just happens on its own, and by SUNDAY!

Three More Weeks to Go!

I now have weekly doctor's appointments. This means Brody is going to be here fast! I can't believe that I am almost 37 weeks. I have dilated to 1 cm. Hopefully when I go in next week I will have progressed a little bit more! Since work has started, I feel completely exhausted. I want to do absolutely nothing when I am home! It is so hard for me to bend over and to do all the little things you don't think about! My feet are so sore and swollen, too! I had to tell my fourth graders to bear with me; they were going to have to get used to seeing their teacher sitting down more often! Speaking of work, things have gone well. We are in our second week of school. I have a great class. I am going to work for as long as I can up until the baby gets here. The school days are a little longer this time around; must be this pregnancy! All is well!

Prego Sisters!

I couldn't help posting this photo of my sister and me. As many of you know, she is three weeks ahead of me with her second baby. They are having a boy too! They are still in between names, but are getting closer to making a decision. It has been SO neat being pregnant with my sister. Who would have thought this would/could happen?! Everyone always asks us if we planned it...no, we didn't call each other! It just worked out so perfectly. This coming Sunday we are getting our pictures taken professionally in Hutchinson - together. Two big pregnant girls in one photo session...phew! That's going to be a sight!! We are really excited to get them done; this may never happen again where we are this close together being pregnant. I will make sure to post some of the photos once we get them done. It is going to be a blast!

8 More Weeks to Go!!

I had another appointment this last Wednesday 7/22. Now that I have my appointments every two weeks I was nervous to see my weight gain...just because I didn't want to gain my normal amount in just the two weeks. I was happy to see that I had LOST two pounds! Woo-who! I guess those brownie cupcakes and fruit pizza I had didn't affect me! :) All went well with the appointment. I am still measuring on schedule; although Zach thinks this baby is going to be here before September 20th. We shall see! I am starting to get a little impatient. We are really excited for this baby to get here! I don't want to rush him here, but I do feel like I am ready. I know, I know Zach and I should savor our sleep and our alone time together, but we are just so excited! Very eager to see who he looks like, what kind of personality he is going to have, etc.

Today we had our Childbirth Preparation class at the hospital. We learned a lot about the different stages of labor and contractions, saw the birthing unit, learned about the different procedures, the different types of medicine I can have, and many, many other things. Being in the delivery room today made it really real for me. I had mixed emotions: how is this baby going to come out of me, I hope I can handle the stresses of labor, and of course anticipation and excitement! Overall, it was a great day filled with lots of good information.

Here are some pics of the sonogram from my July 8th appointment. He was 29 weeks along at this appointment.

More of Room

Here is the latest update to Brody's room. I bought different frames and had Zach hang them up above the changing table. They will soon be filled with pictures of our little Brody! I also now have valances hung up on the windows. I think the only things I have left to get are little baskets to put in the shelves above his crib and a rug for the floor! I am ready for September 20th! Can't wait! :)

Doctor's Appointment

On Wednesday 7/8/09 I went in for another check up. We had another sonogram so the technician could get the measurements of his face (since Brody wasn't cooperating at the last sono). Everything looked great. She said he is right where he needed to be! She even mentioned that he had a good sized head...ouch! That will be fun! The last sonogram he weighed 13 ounces. This time, he weighed 2 lbs. and 9 oz.! Wow! Quite an increase :) I now have to start seeing the doctor every two weeks; I go back July 22nd. It has been so fun feeling more distinct movements from him. I still have pretty bad heartburn, but it is all worth it!

Here it is!

Ok, the room is getting really close to being done! I have to get some wicker baskets for the built in above Brody's crib, some picture frames, etc. I have been working in his room all this week and I think I have done about all I can! Now, if he would just get here... :) I can't believe I am already in my third trimester. It has flown by. On July 8th I get to have another sonogram; I can't wait to see how much he has grown. I am going to schedule to have a 4D ultrasound done so we can get a really good idea of who he looks like! Here are some pictures of the nursery...enjoy!

Baby Shower

This past weekend my sister put on a baby shower for me. It was just for family held in Independence. Things went really well! Good cake, good punch, good conversations, and good gifts to open! I got some really great things. It was so fun bringing all of Brody's goodies home to go through better. I am still sorting through things and trying to organize it all. It has been fun looking at all the clothes he has gotten already. I started to wash some of his clothes today, but am not close to being done! I got the baby bedding at the shower from my mom; this was the first thing I wanted to wash so I could see what it looked like in the room and in his crib. I am very pleased with how it looks. So sweet! Thank you to everyone who came to the shower and for all of the lovely gifts. Thanks also to those who couldn't be there and for thinking of us at the shower. Brody and I are very spoiled!

The Room is Painted!

While Zach had the week off before he starts orientation he was able to paint the baby's room! It was so fun picking out a color. Since the room is somewhat small we decided to not to go too dark. We went with a light brown color. We thought it would look nice with the creams and greens that make up the bedding; not to mention the chair that coordinates with the bedding! It all came together so well. Zach even painted the closet doors white so they matched the trim in the room. Now, all we need is the bedding, some decorations, and baby! I am starting my 27th week; things are moving along really quickly!

Moving Right Along

Little Brody has been quite active lately. Whenever I have a moment to sit or lie down he starts to move around! It was really neat when Zach and I were able to see him moving. Just little random "punches" would arise from my stomach. I didn't really get to start feeling him move until about 21 weeks. I have an anterior placenta, which means the placenta is in front of the baby; not to the side or behind. So, there is an extra layer of tissue he has to get through in order for me to feel him kick. Needless to say, he is strong enough now for me to feel him and it has been wonderful!

A little Stinker!

Our little Brody was not very cooperative at our last appointment on the 13th of May. We went in for a sonogram so the technician could get the measurements of him to make sure he is progressing correctly. Brody was not lying in the best position for her. His spine was up and he was facing down. He was way low making it difficult for her to get his head measurements. I am so glad he "performed" so well for our last appointment when it was the gender test. Had he acted this way the last time, we wouldn't have found out he was a little boy! Other than him being difficult, the technician said everything looked fine and normal; just what we needed to hear. His heartbeat came in at 140 beats per minute. He now weighs 13 oz. and is about 10 centimeters long!

Nursery Ideas

No matter what we are looking at or thinking about buying, Zach and I usually see eye-to-eye on things. We may not agree right away with one another, but can usually come to a quick conclusion. Well, I wish I could say the same about the bedding for the nursery. We have had more debates and discussions about what bedding we should get or what theme to go with than any other thing! We have gone round and round in circles with this!

But...I think we have finally settled on something we can both agree with! We are going to go with the Sage French Toile Central Park theme. It is a sweet pattern of little boys and girls climbing trees, swinging, and playing. Our chair in the nursery is upholstered in this pattern. I thought it would be nice to stick with the same theme throughout. It is a pretty gender neutral pattern, so who's to say we won't be able to use it if we have a little girl?!

It's a...BOY!

Zach and I had our appointment this Monday the 27th. We were finally going to get to find out what we were having. Our appointment wasn't until 5pm, so I thought the day would drag by. It went fairly quick; surprisingly. Before the end of the school day, I asked my fourth graders what they thought we were having. Only five kids raised their hand for girl. The other 16 kids raised their hand for boy.

We get into the ultrasound room; very anxious to see what we were having. About 90% of the people I have talked to thought I was having a boy. Both Zach and I believed it was a boy too. We see the baby on the screen and I am trying my hardest to detect what I needed to see to verify the sex. I couldn't tell! Not too long after the sonogram was up the technician said, "It's a boy!" and showed us what we needed to see! We were absolutely thrilled!

My intuition was right. The technician ended up printing off 12 pictures for us. We were able to record the sonogram, so it will be a neat thing to put in anytime we want to see the baby. Names? We had both boy and girl names picked out. We are going to name our little one Brody Henry. Brody is a name that we have always liked. Henry is a family name on both Zach's side and my side of the family. We can't wait to finally meet Brody Henry Viets!!

Baby Furniture

Last weekend we got the baby furniture! We had gone back and forth deciding on what color we wanted the furniture set to be. I originally wanted espresso for the baby's room. The first time we went shopping my eye automatically wen to all of the white sets. I found "the one" at one of the first places we went to. We had gone several places to look just to make sure we couldn't find anything we wanted instead. It was a fun process! We ended up getting the original one we saw (at Babies 'R Us) and loved last weekend.

Zach started to put it together on Easter weekend. We have the crib set up and the changing table together. We still need to put the dresser together; I'm sure that will get done soon. It looks so good! I am glad we ended up going with the white set. It fits perfect in our little nursery upstairs!

Today we went shopping for rockers/gliders for the baby's room. We finally found a chair that is going to work. We ordered it today and should be getting it at the beginning of the summer. We have concluded our shopping as far as furniture goes for the nursery!

We have been so eager to find out what we are having! Granted the baby cooperates, we will get to find out the sex of the baby on Monday.

We're Pregnant!

Zach and I found out we were going to be parents on February 2nd, 2009. We were so excited when we found out! We know we wanted to start trying at the beginning of the New Year, but didn't know it would happen this quickly!

We had scheduled our first prenatal appointment for February 16th. We had been informed of all the basic information to get us started with things we needed to know: hospital routines, the "dos and don'ts" of pregnancy, etc. We weren't exactly sure when the due date would be, so we scheduled to have a sonogram for February 19th to find out a due date.

The day of the 19th was much anticipated and very exciting! Both Zach and I were expecting a middle of October baby, or due date. We figured I was about six weeks along. It was an unbelievable experience to see our "new" baby for the first time on the screen! Zach and I went into the appointment thinking the technician would have to point out everything on the baby such as: these are the arms, here are the legs, and the head is here type thing.

As soon as the picture of the baby appeared on the screen Zach and I both knew instantly that we were further along than expected! It was very clear to distinguish the arms, legs, head, body, etc. The baby looked like a tiny person! Needless to say we were shocked with the technician told us we were nine weeks and four days along! Wow!! This is happening a little faster than expected. Our due date is set for September 20th, 2009. We cannot wait!