Hospital Photo

Check Brayden out at the Baptist Website:

http://www.palmettohealth.org/bodyIframe.cfm?id=252

My Something Beautiful

Chad gave me the "new life" willow tree figure when Brayden was born. I know I will cherish it forever!!!
My "something beautiful"-seeing Chad and Brayden looking at each other

One of my favorite children's books of all time is Something Beautiful. It is a story about a little girl who lives in poverty. Gangs run the streets she lives in and she is alone a lot while he mother works. She goes out into her community in search of something beautiful. Her search sends her looking for "things" and she realizes that what is beautiful is what is right in front of her. Her mother, her friends, her family. Like the little girl, I feel I have searched my life for something beautiful. At first I too searched for "things" and when I became old enough I realized it wasn't things that make life great. I knew I found my something beautiful when I met Chad. It was instant and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. And just when I think life cannot get any better, I have managed to find more beautiful things in my life.

One Week Old

When I got pregnant I was prepared for a lot of things. Back aches, morning sickness, labor fears, doctor's appointments, and lots of trips to the bathroom.

When Brayden finally got here I was prepared for sleepless nights, hormonal changes, trips to Babies R Us, and an adjustment at home.

What I wasn't prepared for were the feelings I have towards my precious little man. I knew love before him, but it is so much more than that when I look at him. I love Chad more than anything for giving me this precious angle, I love my family for their support through this new time, and I love this baby more than I ever imaged was possible. The whole world looks so different to me now! It's a feeling that cannot be explained. I thank God countless times throughout the day for the child he put in our lives. He is such a perfect baby and I couldn't ask for anything more. I sat and watched him today and in only one week he has managed to amaze me. He is lifting his head and looking around. I even think he is finding his hands! I find myself up at night, not because he is crying, but just because I have to look at him and make sure its real.

At his 1 week doctors appointment today he is back on the upward slope of weight gain. He is now 6 pounds 12 ounces. They hope by next Friday he will be back to his birth weight of 7 pounds 2 ounces. He is eating more now and definitely using the bathroom more!!! We run the washing machine quite a good bit now and are constantly fixing bottles! It makes for a hectic day to have to think about everything he needs but I am cherishing every minute. I listen to the new Darius R. song about how fast things past and I don't want to let any minute pass me by. Even late at night when I sit up holding him after a feeding, and my eyes can hardly stay open, I stop to think about how blessed I am. What an amazing future the Bridges family will have!

A week of first

First couch nap with daddy and Cali

First time in the swing

First doctor's appointment

First outing to doctor and Babies R Us

First walk with mommy!

Bringing Baby Home!

Dressing Brayden to come home

All checked out and ready to go
First time in the car seat

Everyone in blue!
Welcoming Brayden home
Mom and Travis put a bow on the mailbox for us

Mommy's first home feeding

Daddy's first home feeding

A glimpse into the future:

Daddy and Brayden watching sportscenter

Meeting the family

Meeting Mommy

Meeting Daddy

Meeting Grandma JayJay

Meeting Nana

Meeting Granddaddy Bridges

Meeting Granddaddy Bill

Meeting Great Grandma Millie

We were also fortunate enough to have Great Grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Bridges visit us. Unfortunately for some reason we did not take pictures with my camera of them. So when we get some photos of them from their camera I will add them up. They drove all night from Louisianna to meet Brayden for an hour, then drove back. One day when he is old enough to understand, I know he will cherish that!

I should be sleeping...

Well...its 11:20 and I'm still awake. Brayden ate great for his 7:00 feeding and then at 8:00 started crying. When he cries it is just awful for me because I want to comfort his every need! I know he has to cry some and learn to soothe himself too, but it breaks my heart to hear him. I just love him more than I even knew was possible. He cried until his next feeding and now he finally went to sleep. Hopefully it will last until his next feeding and I can get some sleep in!

Then there was three...

Today is the day we get to bring our precious Brayden home! I have hardly slept because of the excitement I feel. When we get settled and have some down time (ha!) I will get some pictures and video's up! His take home outfit is laid out, pediatrician has given Brayden the okay, waiting on the doctor to okay me, then off we go!

Mom, dad, and Brayden are all doing great and ready to start their new adventure....together :)

The big day!!!

Me still thinking "I'll be tired at work tomorrow!"

"Wow, they really are contractions!"

Mom, Chad, and I hanging out waiting for the doctor to decide if he is keeping me or not.


My awesome nurse helping me get through my contractions.

Thursday was for sure a day to remember!! Recap of the day so it won’t take forever…
5:30am-up for work
6:00am-not walking to easily
7:00am-3:00pm-taught an entire day of school in a good bit of pain
3:05pm-telling people “I think these are contractions”
3:06pm-everyone telling me “oh no…you will know if they are contractions”
4:00pm-calling mom to ask if she thinks I should call the doctor and stay home from work tomorrow
4:05pm-nurse at doctor’s office says since Dr. Chris is on call she will talk to him and call me back
5:15pm-doctor calls and tells me to come on up to labor and delivery just so he can “check me out” and make sure things are okay
6:00pm-told Chad to stay at practice because I’d be back home late, go in the car with mom still saying “I think these are contractions”
6:30pm-arriving at labor and delivery, getting hooked up to the machine thinking I'll be tired tomorrow at work
6:31pm-after looking at monitor I said…”Wow, they were contractions!”
7:00pm-doctor says he is afraid to send me home because I’ll be right back up there. Calling Chad to say “just get our bags and come on up…but don’t worry about bringing them in.” STILL thinking I'll be at work tomorrow
8:00pm-9:45pm-walking up and down the hall with contractions 3 minutes apart and hooking up to monitor telling Chad "I'm going to work tomorrow if this baby isn't here."
10:00pm-dilated another centimeter-beginning to think I might not be at work!
10:30pm-Dr. Chris says “I’m going to break your water…you will have a baby tonight”
10:31pm-FREAK OUT….”Chad, go get our bags.”
10:45pm-Dr. Chris breaks my water because the baby is already on his way out
10:46pm-contractions immediately 1 minute apart
10:50pm-nurse running down the hall to tell them to come do my epidural NOW!!!
11:00pm-4cm dilated, fall asleep because drugs are GREAT
2:15am-waking up saying “Mom go get the nurse, I’m feeling like I need to push”
2:20am-9cm dilated
2:25am-10cm dilated...pushing begins (pushed through 6 or 7 contractions in one hour)
3:25am-BRAYDEN IS HERE! Chad cuts the cord, lots of tears, lots of pictures, overwhelming feelings!

Whew! What a day! I must say…labor and delivery were not anything like I expected (and I mean that in the best way possible). Things could not have gone any smoother…What an answer to prayer! If I was to type out everything about the day it would take forever, so hope you enjoy the recap!

Meet Brayden

BRAYDEN CADE BRIDGES

7 lbs, 2 oz, 20.5 inches

As you can only image, the last 2 days have been crazy! I promise to get pictures and stories up as soon as we get settled in at home! He is a perfect baby and Chad and I are completely beside ourselves with joy! What a blessing he is. More post coming soon...

Full Term!

Not too much longer...

Surprise!!!

What a great day it has been! I have had contractions most of the day which means the baby is definitely on his way! And if that isn't exciting enough...my parents and kids at work threw me a surprise baby shower!!! I cannot believe one of my precious ones did not spill the beans, but I'm glad they didn't. It was wonderful! My parents had precious cakes with blue booties on them, blue M&M's, and other snacks for the kids and I. They also blessed me with a MORE than generous gift card that I know we will use when our baby boy gets here. My favorite part was the game they had my kids play!!! Each child not only guessed the weight of baby Bridges (which ranged from 2 pounds to 12 pounds!!), but they were given a bundle of yarn to cut. The amount of yarn they cut was a guess at how big my belly was! It was so precious! Surprisingly we had a 3 way tie, and fun was had by ALL, especially me.

Everyone keeps telling me once the baby gets here I won't worry about anything else...but my classroom of kids will no doubt be on my mind. God has blessed me with such an amazing group this year that I wish I could keep! They have been so wonderful through this experience, and so interested! My parents are supportive and understanding which is great, and I will miss them all since I won't return this school year. Hopefully the baby will be nice and healthy so we can go visit more than once!

Now we are just waiting to see...is today the day????

There's No Way....

The doctor's famous first words after my exam today:
"There is NO way you will make it through the weekend without having this baby!"

As of today I am 2 more centimeters dilated, 85% effaced and as Dr. Chris put it "he is falling out!" He told me if I was one more week along we would be walking over to the hospital to be having this baby. How exciting AND scary!!! I wasn't mentally prepared to think he could be here any second. So...since he cannot induce at 37 weeks, I am home, wondering "is it going to be tonight"? Dr. Chris says if I make it to my appointment next Monday, and show progression, we WILL be having a baby next week! AHHHHHH!

Happy Easter!

Since I was dilated and effaced so much, the doctor told me not to go out of town for Easter. We were a little disappointed at first, but what a great day it turned out to be! Since it was the families first Easter without our precious Papa Rod, we went to church with my grandmother at their church. It was really nice. Then Chad and I went to Olive Garden for lunch just the two of us! After that we came home and took a nice 3 hour nap!!! Since I haven't been sleeping that great, I guess he hasn't either! Then we sat outside and enjoyed the weather and just being together. What a great day the Lord gave us! One of our last "alone" and we were able just to enjoy each other. I'm so thankful for that!

Moment to Brag...

I must brag...
I believe I have the most wonderful, patient man in the whole world! Every morning for the past 3 days (on Spring Break!!), he has gotten up at 7:30 to take our cars to be serviced. He took my car for an oil change once, his car the next, and now taking mine back to get the tires rotated. I really wanted to have as much done before baby got here, and Chad has really stepped up. As if getting up at 7:30 on Spring Break isn't bad enough, he worked on both of our lawn mowers (which were not working), he helped me clean the house, went with me as I drug him all around Columbia for a camcorder, AND finished the nursery. And if that isn't good enough, he grilled me enough burgers to last me the week!! (Fresh red meat is one of the few things I can eat for my iron!) What a sweet man I have!! Never a complaint! I am so blessed to have him!

Because of Chad I now have a clean house, a freshly mowed front yard, a complete nursery ready for our baby boy, a nice and tuned up car, and a new camcorder!! Now I'm ready...

Spring Break Chores!

Chad and I have a list a mile long of chores to get done over Spring Break. Some of our list includes:

oil change for my car

oil change for Chad's car

rotate my tires

hair cut for us both

mow the yard

clean the house

get Cali's nail's clipped and wash her

Today we began to mark somethings off of our to do list! Bright and early at 8:00 this morning we met with the pediatrician. He was such a nice man and eased my mind about what is to come. He assured me there will ALWAYS be someone to call to ask my questions (which is a relief! I have many!) and made us feel good about some of our decision making as parents already. I am confident we choose the right doctor for our boy.

Then Chad and I took advantage of being up early together and went and ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We haven't eaten breakfast out in a long time! It was nice. I may have overdone my sugar count by having the most amazing pancakes and syrup, but I've been doing good so I treated myself!

After breakfast I had a doctors appointment. After my blood count and urine count he came in to ask me what I had eaten this morning because my sugar count was up...hehe! I assured him I don't eat like that daily and he laughed and said it was okay to treat myself every now and then, but not to overdo it! I left the doctor very excited because as of now I am 2 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and at a +1 position! Our baby is face down the way he should be! He is on his way to being here! Dr. Chris told me to take it easy this week if I want to go back to work for 2 more weeks, so that is the plan. On a sour note, he did say I couldn't go out of town for Easter, but Chad and I will enjoy that time together I know!

So we go to the doctor every Monday to be checked, and hopefully he can hang on 2 more weeks! The nursery is done and the doctors seem confident, so we are getting very excited!!!

Chad at the pediatrician's office. We love the bible verse!

Welcome to our nursery!!!

Chad's Baby Shower

Today was Chad's baby shower! His school threw it for him and it was wonderful! We have been blessed with such wonderful people in our lives. Our baby boy is entering a very loving environment!

Chad was scared to death his friends were going to embarrass him, but he was pleasantly surprised to find they didn't do TOO much! They dressed him up to start off with all the things he will need to be prepared for our baby like an apron, shower cap, rubber gloves, and hand sanitizer! It was too funny. We enjoyed dinner together and Chad opened gifts. I know he had a good time! I'm so glad he has such a great group of friends! He is such a sweet man and will be an amazing father!