Almost Five Weeks Old . . . Time Flies!

Life with Braelyn has been so much fun! I am definitely adjusting to life as a mom, and I am quickly realizing that you can only plan one to two tasks that you would like to get done each day. I've learned that it takes at least three hours to get one load of laundry done, at least three sittings to finish eating any meal, and at least three times of repeating the DVR to grasp even half of what any show was about. I love it, though!!! We are having lots of fun hanging out together.

I've always said that I don't want to be a "stay at home mom", but rather a "stay with my child" mom. Meaning, I like to be out and about. I want my children to have as many outside experiences as they can. I don't want to be cooped up in the house all day and afraid to venture out with my children. I'll have to say that it is quite scary making that first break out in public with a baby that you don't quite know their schedule, if they're going to be fussy, or when and where they will want to sleep. However, Braelyn and I were successful in our first outing! I took her to the school to turn in midterm grades and all the students ooed and awwed over her. I then met some friends (all pregnant with future friends of Braelyn's) for lunch. I had my first experience of using a public changing table . . . gross! Since then I've been to Wally World, Target, Petco, and the drive through of Chick-fil-a to get a well needed cookies and cream shake. Adventure after adventure!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Braelyn over the last few days. I can't stop taking pictures of her because I think she is just so stinking adorable! I love the few pictures where I can actually catch her smiling. She's doing a lot more of that lately.


She's such a little fashionista, especially with her little pink sneakers!



As always, Sancho is always in on the action . . . whatever is going on, he is right there!



Her cute little sleeping pose. She fell asleep on the little Boppy pillow on my lap. She stayed this way for over an hour. Thanks Julee for the adorable bows!!!

All ready for bed in her cozy sleeper. Thanks Mom, she loves being bundled at night. She knows it's time for bed when she puts on Grandma's jammies!


Bath time = not fun!

My favorite part of the day is kissing her little cheeks after her bath. She smells so sweet!

A little smile in this one. Those faces are so priceless. We love you little Braelyn!

Rock-a-bye . . . Sancho?!

Okay, so I was putting Braelyn down for a nap today, and I heard Sancho come into the room. His collar always jingles and gives away his whereabouts even when he is trying to be sneaky. I was putting some clothes away in her room, and getting other things organized for a while. I went to leave the room and realized that I hadn't heard Sancho ever leave. I looked around to find him, and he wasn't anywhere. Then I looked under the crib where I had stashed the crib bumper and this is what I found! Look very closely and you will see Braelyn on top of the crib and Sancho's black little nose underneath. I was dying laughing! What a sweet big brother!

Welcome Home Baby Braelyn!

And here she is!!! Yes, baby girl is actually sitting in our living room chilling in her little bouncer seat. Can you believe it?! She is actually home after 3 1/2 weeks of making friends with all the nurses in the nursery. She was the most popular baby there. All the nurses loved her so much and were constantly passing her around. She got such special treatment. How could you not love such a sweet face as little Braelyn's?!

I love this funky little smile she has going on in this picture. She has these adorable little smirks that just make me laugh. She is going to have such a funny personality!



Our sweet little angel just sleeping away. When she's quiet she's really quiet, but when she's loud she's REALLY LOUD!



Our caseworker signing papers for our official discharge. Did we really pass the parenting test?! Are you sure we're ready?! Just kidding, we've been waiting a long time to bring her home. I wouldn't wait another minute.



Does it look like she doesn't want to come home to you?! Look at that sad little face! What a cry!

But in the end, she LOVED her car seat and slept the entire ride home. She even slept long enough for Ben and I to run through the drive thru of Chick-fil-a and get a well deserved cookies n' cream milkshake. The best!


He's a natural! Ben's looking forward to building up those sexy arm muscles of his when he has to lug around this carseat all the time. I know I won't mind the extra definition. =)

And thank you a million times to our wonderful caseworker Hannah! She made everything possible for us to adopt our sweet and precious little miracle. This truly has been an amazing experience for us. We couldn't have asked for anything different. Braelyn is the most special thing that has happened to us in our lives. She was meant to be with us, and we will make sure to always let her know just how special she is.

Thanks to everyone that has offered help and has shown excitement for our family. It's refreshing to know that we have such caring friends. We only hope that we can repay everyone for all of their kindness and support.

God provides miracles for everyone . . . it's just a matter of opening your heart to accepting them. We truly have been given a miracle, a perfect miracle!

Quick Update

Braelyn is doing really well so far. She has done much better than they anticipated, and the doctors think that she will possibly be able to come home this weekend. I am so excited to finally bring her home. She is just so stinking cute!

I have gone back to work for this week. I figure that it would be pretty pointless just sitting home waiting. It gets my mind off of worrying about Braelyn all day, and then I can use my full maternity leave to just spend time with her when she comes home. My students were really surprised to see me, but in a good way! They don't respond to well to substitutes. =) They were really cute, though, when I came back. I showed off pictures and they just thought that Braelyn was adorable. It's nice to come back to work and know that I have a six week break coming up real soon.

Everyday after work I have been stopping off at the hospital to see Braelyn. All of the nurses are so nice. I show up just in time to feed her, and then I just rock her for an hour or so until Ben comes. He sure has learned the skills of daddyhood really quickly. He's got the football hold down packed.

Thanks to everyone that has fasted and prayed for our family. We appreciate all the care and concern. We know that you all are a huge part as to why Braelyn is doing so well. We'll keep everyone updated on when she comes home. I'm anxious to use all the cute outfits that friends have given me!!!

More Pictures!

Wow! What a crazy and wonderful last couple of days it has been. It's amazing how you can be a normal married couple one day, and parents the next! It's a lot to soak in all at once. Ben and I are so excited to start this journey of parenthood. Bring it on! If it wasn't already almost one o'clock in the morning I would give you the play by play of how everything happened. But, I'm TIRED! Yes, it has already begun . . . the exhausting days, and we haven't even brung her home yet. Hopefully this weekend I can go through the pictures and add some commentary.

Just an update, Braelyn will probably be in the hospital for at least another week. The doctors want to keep an eye on her as she is getting the medication out of her system that she was reacting to. They're keeping her on small doses of morphine to keep her comfortable. She seems so peaceful whenever we go visit, and we love holding her. She is absolutely adorable! Please still keep her in your prayers so we can bring her home soon.