Week 4 Continuing to Learn More

Sunday evening we enjoyed a family movie night! It was so nice to have Andrew home and spend some time snuggling on the couch together. 

Friends came over almost everyday this week to walk and we have been walking Brolly with the stroller which has been really fun and we are excited knowing how great he is doing!

We went out and about a lot this week!  Mommy is learning what it means to SLOWWWW DOWN...it is not easy for her because she wants to go go go like she used to.  We founds his Halloween costume, it is super cute "Our Little Pumpkin". 

I went in for my post op and everything is looking good, I have about two more weeks of taking it easy, no running or riding yet, but it is right around the corner.  I am excited to push my butt to get back into shape 20 lbs to go and I am going to get FIT because I can!

 Erin and Brady having snuggle time!

 

 Sweet sweet baby

Thursday September 30 was our 4 year wedding anniversary!  It is so exciting to look back and see where we came from and how wonderful and blessed our lives together have been so far!  Last year we had a 2 month old puppy and lived in the apartment and I was working a job.  Now we have a house a 1 yr old puppy, a baby and I am at home, they are all good changes!  We really enjoy each others company and have so much fun laughing together and goofing off doing almost anything.  Life is the most different for us right now than it has been yet.  I am at home and able to slowly take care of more everyday which I love and becoming parents is truly a reason to celebrate this year!  Andrew has become an amazing Dad, he loves his little boy so much and we enjoy having him around and doing things together as a family.  I love you Andrew Bost, you rock my world and I am so proud of the man you are and how hard you work to provide for your family and for making our lives fun!

Friday night Nana came into town to watch Bradford and Andrew and I went on our first date as parents to get Mexican for our anniversary.  Mexican is always our first choice and we had a great time!  A big thank you to Nana and for her hanging out Saturday morning so we could go to the grocery store as well. 

We dog sat OE this weekend and her and Brolly played together constantly and Saturday it was beautiful and we took all the kids to the park for a mile and 1/2 walk it was a great week!

Week 3 Doing Things the Bost Way

It was a pretty smooth week considering we were parenting on our own for the first time!  Sunday night we went to Burlington where Brady experienced his first Oreo and hung out with friends.

He dropped the Oreo right when I took the picture, but it is still cute...

We went on lots of walks with friends this past week; almost two a day, it felt really nice to get out and do something.  I still can't drive, but I have enough to keep me busy at the house.  We have continued to have more visitors Abby who I give lessons to and her mom Mary and brother Trevor came to visit, as well as my friend Tonya and her kids, and Steven who is Andrew's roommate from college.

This past weekend Andrew went to Moorehead City for a bachelor party for his best friend Matt where he enjoyed sailing, cornhole, bocce ball, and quality guy time at the beach!  While he was away Aunt Amy came to play:)  It was so nice to have no agenda and just hang out. Friday night she let me get away for a much enjoyed girls night with friends, and then we stayed up until 4:30 talking.  It was worth the lost sleep!  Saturday we went shopping and got Bradford some new duds and then and met a friend for ice cream.  Saturday night we watched movies and then had a lazy Sunday.  Andrew was so excited to see his "Mister Mister" as he is calling him!

 

Trevor was really ready to go at this point:)

 

Our little burrito bean

Quality time with Aunt Amy

Hear No Evil!

This outfit really brings back memories because it is the first outfit Andrew and I picked out one for each gender.  Now he is here and is wearing it, it is all so amazing.

Brady and Lamby

Week 2 of Our Adventures with Brady...at the beach and more

 We had lots of friends come and visit last week.  The girls from bible study brought us an awesome rotisserie chicken dinner and then two of my friends from college brought over a Mexican dinner, they were both so good.  It has helped a ton not having to cook right now.

Brady had a doctor appointment this past Friday the 10 and are happy to announce that he reached his birth weight plus half an ounce. Our little boy is starting to fill out.

We left Saturday to go the beach for a week. I was apprehensive about the four hour car ride with a less than two week old but he did great, slept most of the way there. I could not have asked for a smoother ride. We got to spend time with my mom's whole side of the family (The Kinzie Clan). There was a lot of Mexican Train Dominoes played as well as Phase 10! We got a few hours in the sun and some of us got to enjoy the pool and ocean. I got lots of naps thanks to family members offering to watch which was never a problem and some nice evening walks on the beach. Brady got to meet his great grandmother Kinzie as well as his mommy's cousins and aunt and uncle. We also had a surprise visit from my dad's side of the family. Bradford got to meet my dad's brother and his wife, as well as my cousin Katy and her family! Needless to say it was a wonderful trip but we are happy to be home again to learn how to operate as a family of three!

 

One Week Old

Brady made it through his first week of life pretty well. We are getting better at feeding and he has been going back to sleep between feedings most nights. I am still recuperating, but we have had a ton of help from my mom and Andrew's mom Laurie! I have even been out quite a bit which is nice since I cannot drive until the end of September.

Brady had Smart Start come visit us at the house yesterday and he weighed in at 7lbs, 11oz! This is great he was only 7lbs 1 1/2 oz on Friday so his weight is getting back up, which means he is feeding well.

We have had many visitors come see us at the house! Brady never knew so many people loved him:) All of our friends and family are such a blessing and as joyful as we are that he is here! Here are the promised newborn shots and a few others for your entertainment. Enjoy!

Bradford was not too excited about being a cowboy yet.

Grandma is so in love with her grandson!

My two sweet boys fast asleep.

My baby boy is so so sweet<3>

Becoming a Family

Gosh I don't know where to begin. This entire journey is so amazing! I was reading through Andrew's phone last night while feeding Brady and there was a conversation he had with his friend Blake. Andrew told him that Bradford is the biggest blessing he has ever received and I just started balling! It hits everyday in different ways. Friday we went to our first pediatrician appt and they came in,"So this is Bradford Bost" and I was like wow this is real, and when I called to give his name and birth date. There have just been so many ways that this new love is seeping it's way into our hearts. It has taken a few days for Brolly to get used to having a baby around. At first he was extremely curious in a hyper way and wanted to be right up in the action which of course was not going to be tolerated. Over the last day or so he has been very relaxed and is getting used to this new little creature that has authority over him.

My mom (Nana) was here from at the house with us from Wednesday until this morning and was a huge help just cooking and cleaning and helping relieve me from baby time when Andrew or I needed more sleep. This was much appreciated especially since Andrew headed back to work on Thursday. Today was the first day we have kind of been on our own and it's been a real joy having time together just the three of us. Andrew's mom (Grandma) is coming Monday to help out.

I am feeling much more myself today and have been able to do a little more each day dropping weight and getting my energy back. I am enjoying being a mommy so much and it is also nice to do some stuff around the house. It helps me to keep a sense of normalcy.

These pictures are from his first sponge bath yesterday. This was due to a case of projectile baby poop while Heather was taking newborn pictures of him. He happened to be in his birthday suit naked he had his first projectile poop incident on the guest bed that went through the blanket and duvet cover. Luckily all have recovered from this incident including Brady and his sponge bath trauma!:)

Brady at Home

We have been home for three days now and are immensely enjoying being parents! It all has been such an amazing experience. We are so in love and in awe of him. The first night home he slept from about 12-3 and was up most of the rest of the night into the morning. The second night he slept for two 3 hour sessions between feeding and last night did even better. He had his first pediatrician appointment yesterday and everything is looking great he is healthy and for that we are thankful!

A Birth Story

The best laid plans and months of preparation can be changed in one moment! It's Sunday night and we are checking into High Point Regional Hospital, seven days overdue. We got into our room and I was already having contractions. It was a restless night with nurses in and out constantly checking on the progress of Caroline and the baby. All night we could hear the heart monitor echoing his changing heart rate.

Monday morning at 7 we awoke to an unpleasant reality when the nurse informed us that Bradford's heart rate was decreasing with each contraction. She went on to tell us that we may have to have a C-section and to mentally prepare for this possible outcome. We didn't think much of it at the time, but then things began to change. Caroline's water broke about thirty minutes later at 730 and to our surprise it was green. GROSS!!! This meant he was under a great deal of stress and relieved himself in utero. The contractions were unmerciful due to a strong dose of petocin to encourage contractions and due to the fact that even head down Brady was facing my back causing extreme spinal pain.

Because the water broke and the fact that his heart rate was diminishing I was not aloud to move out of bed, which squashed my plan of dealing with labor naturally by moving about. When having contractions you are supposed to relax through them where all I could do was tense up more with each one. After five hours of petocin enriched labor we made the decision that an epidural was in order. The epidural helped with the pain but did not entirely relieve it. They also put an internal monitor on Brady's head to better keep track of how he was dealing with the stress of the situation. By this point it is noon and I am exhausted and dilated almost 6 centimeters. They tried flipping me into different positions to keep his heart rate down. Andrew took a break from the labor intensity to get lunch. While he was out and I slept, Brady's heart rate continuously plummeted with each contraction.

Andrew arrived back from lunch to a startling surprise. A nurse came in not 5 minutes after he was back and handed him scrubs telling him we were having an emergency c-section. They rushed to get me ready for surgery and ten minutes later I was laying in the operating room. At this time we still did not quite understand the gravity of the situation. They brought Andrew in and five minutes later our little miracle made his grand entrance! He was 7lbs and 15 oz and 20 inches long born at 1:30PM August 30, 2010!

After he was born we were told he would not have lasted another thirty minutes because the umbilical cord was wrapped around his shoulders and torso causing him stress which lowered his heart rate with each contraction. It was a long day on Monday but we are just thankful that he arrived safely and healthy. He is doing great and we are both recovering and hoping to go home Wednesday or Thursday. This new experience as parents has been nothing but joyful and exciting!

Thank you so much to everyone for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers during this time!!!