So technically today is Brayden’s due date, but he decided not to show his face! We had our 40-week appointment today and the OBGYN gave us a few options for scheduling his delivery. We chose this Thursday, December 10, as his due date. We check into East Cooper tomorrow night and the induction will occur first thing Thursday morning. Dr. Bradford told us we should expect him to arrive by that evening!

My mom and dad are traveling in tomorrow to be with us and Chris’s family will join us this weekend. We’re looking forward to introducing Brayden into this world… in fact, I can’t believe it’s finally time! Please keep us in your hearts and thoughts. We’re praying for a safe procedure and delivery.

Chris will be keeping friends and family in the loop during our stay in the hospital. We’ll let you guys know when we’re ready for visitors. Love you all!

We got our Graco Pack ‘N Play yesterday and Chris assembled it today. We ended up moving my night stand to the side of the room and placing the PnP next to the bed for easy access. It comes equipped with a changing table and bassinet; ideal for using with a newborn in our master bedroom.

Take a look! I think we’re only missing one thing… Brayden!!

Where's the baby?

The baby room is all finished! After weeks and months of hard work I think we’re all finished. Here’s a video tour pre-crib mattress, bedding, and other enhancements. After the video are some recent pictures of the new rocker (painted by the awesome Andrea Rogers), changing table, and crib bedding.

It’s been a busy couple weeks. In our last update, Brayden was breached, and we had to head in for what’s called a External Cephalic Version. Well good news – by the time they went to get started, he had already flipped back to head-down!

Here’s a picture of a happy mommy – all dressed up and no procedure to go!

We finished up the baby room – everything is nice and organized, closets cleaned out, and crib mattress in! Jenn’s been quite the eBay shopper – scoring deals on window curtains and the crib bumper. She’s been foiled by snipers on a few others, but she’s learning fast.

Today was one of our last appointments – he’s still head down, no dilation, and looking great! One benefit of the breech scare is getting ultrasounds every visit now. It’s great to see his little face, hands and body.

I always knew we had an active baby in my womb! Earlier this week we went in for 37-week appointment and found out that Brayden had flipped himself into breech position. For those of you that don’t know, that basically means his head is up and feet down. We need it to be the other way around to deliver naturally. Because of this, my OBGYN scheduled a procedure called an External Cephalic Version. This basically means they were going to try to manually turn him into the right position and hope that he stayed that way. We were told that we only had a 50% chance of it actually working since I am a first time mother. Also, the risks associated with the procedure included a possible emergency C-section if there were any complications or my water could break during the procedure. Either of which would result in Brayden’s delivery that day!

Because of this we were told to go home and pack for delivery (to be on the safe side.) I went into a little stress/panic mode as we hadn’t purchased some of the most essential items for Brayden yet, including the crib mattress. Also, I hadn’t packed his back, washed any of his cute new clothes or packed my bag! I also didn’t have any of my breastfeeding items.

Long story short, Chris and I went into the hospital on Wednesday morning along with my mom and dad. They set me up on the IV and tracked his heart rate for 30 minutes or so. Finally my OBGYN came in to do the ultrasound.

Sure enough, the “little stinker” (as she put it) had flipped himself back into the right position! Praise God! Thank you to my family and friends that prayed for us as God certainly listened and made that little boy obey! They cancelled the procedure and we were able to leave the hospital within a few hours.

Now, my only orders are to take it easy and to avoid bending over or crawling on all fours (so no house work).

Please keep us in your prayers! There is still a chance that Brayden could flip himself again. My OBGYN will do an ultrasound each time we see her. If he is back into breech position next Tuesday at our 38-week visit, then they will most likely schedule a C-section for the following week. So, let’s all pray that Brayden stays down!!

Thanks for all of your support!! I will keep everyone updated.

I waited far too long to update my blog but we’ve just been so busy! In the last month we’ve had 4 baby showers. We’re blessed to have so many great friends and family that have supported us so much along the way. Here are some highlights from the showers:

Mom, me & Carla

Friday, November 13: Heuer Household in Columbia
My mom and sister hosted a beautiful shower with all of my Columbia family and friends. We had about 30 people here in mom and dad’s house and got most of our essential items, including diapers, pacifiers, bottle warmers and coolers and much, much, more! This was my go-to crowd for necessities! Thanks to everyone that came! We had a blast!

I also want to especially thank my sister for driving up from Pensacola to help mom throw this party. Not only did she have the cutest shower decor and games but she also gave us tons of cute stuff! Mom had the table FULL of the best yummy food selections. And, finally, thanks to my cousin, Lisa, for baking us a BEAUTIFUL lamb cake. I think you have a new career ahead of you!

Ginny, me & Kathleen

Wednesday, November 11: Gamble Household in West Ashley
My coworkers (and great friends) Ginny and Kathleen brought together some MUSC, BlueIon and Charleston friends for our only after-hours, co-ed shower. The house was decked out in baby cuteness and the ladies did a great job of making the event enjoyable for both the ladies and gentlemen. I’m calling this shower, “Onesie Mayhem,” as we were truly showered with the cutest baby clothes out there.

Thursday, October 30: MUSC Marketing Department in Charleston
Thanks to my managers at MUSC, we had a wonderful time with my coworkers and were blessed with some of our most-needed, larger items like the stroller and high chair. This is such a great group of people and I’m truly honored that they went out of their way to support us and show us a great time.

Anna & Danielle (top); Krystine, me & Ashley (bottom)

Saturday, October 10: Jolly Household on Daniel Island
My best friends – Krystine, Ashley, Danielle and Anna – hosted a lovely shower on a beautfiul day in Charleston. This ladies-only shower was packed with all of my favorite people, and we got our car seat and some other awesome items. Thanks to Gabe for letting us use his newly-built home! The side porches made for the most inspiring setting.

I love you ladies and am so glad I’ve had each of you to share this experience with! Now, just get ready to babysit!

Yesterday I turned 30 weeks… can you believe it? Hello end of pregnancy! You know it’s getting close to the end when you can’t see anything below your belly. Chris had to paint my toenails… what a show! But, in all fairness, he did a pretty good job.

Some new symptoms entered the mix the last few weeks:

• my ankles are swelling! Yes, occasionally they get to be about the size of an apple!
• lower back pain! Luckily, I work with the Sports Medicine team at MUSC and one of the physical therapists showed me some extremely helpful exercises to eliminate the pain. Thanks, Renee!
• shortness of breath! For up to about an hour each morning I experience a feeling as if a stack of bricks are on my chest. It helps to drink water and take deep breaths but I could certainly do without them!

I visited my doctor’s office again this morning and everything is still completely fine, though! My heart rate, blood pressure and weight are all great. Brayden’s heart rate is also strong and he is measuring right at 30 weeks. Everything is on target!

Lastly, here is a pic of me with one of my closest friends, Chassity, at her baby shower a couple of weeks ago. I’m blessed to be going through this pregnancy with her as she is only 2 weeks ahead of me. We’re able to trade tips and secrets about the experience. I’m so thankful for her and look forward to having our babies together this Nov/Dec! Chass is having a girl so perhaps one day far down the road our babies will fall in love. haha!!

So, when I first thought about writing this post it was going to be titled, “Baby 15″, but since then I’ve already gained another 5 pounds… and counting. I was blessed when I was younger as I never gained the “Freshman 15.” But, I guess this is one I cannot avoid! According to my baby books, my weight gain should be between 16-22 pounds this week, so I am right on track. I’ve been archiving the experience by taking photos of my belly. Check out Week 22, 24 and now 26 below.

Week 22

Week 24

Week 26

Some additional updates:

• I passed my glucose test that checks for gestational diabetes! Thank God! Here is a great, short resource link for those that want to learn more about diabetes during pregnancy.
• Brayden now weighs approximately 2 pounds (yes, that still doesn’t explain the 20 total pounds).
• If by chance we did go into preterm labor, the baby has a much higher chance of survival at week 26.
• We enter our third trimester this Tuesday!

After much deliberation, Chris and I have finally decided what our first born son’s name will be. I’ve already told some of you but it only became official last night when Chris finally agreed….

So without further anticipation, the name chosen is:

We are honoring Chris’s father by naming our son after him (plus William is Chris’s middle name). Brayden was just a name that both of us liked. We needed something interesting and that’s what we came up with. So, no haters please!!

Let me know what you think!

Ever since we found out we were having a boy, we have completely been in what most people call “Nesting Phase.” We’re working on the baby’s room, changing things around in the house, looking for furniture, picking out wall colors… you name it, I bet we’ve thought about it in the last week. We just purchased our first item for the baby’s room – it’s a sleeper couch so we can have a place to rest while we’re up in the middle of the night and/or when we have guests.

My inspiration for the baby's room

I’m so excited about creating the baby’s room. It’s a time when you can let your imagination run a little wild for a while. But, we’re trying to keep things somewhat calm and neutral as we don’t plan to stay in the condo for the rest of our lives. I’ve picked out the bedding set from Pottery Barn called “Sweet Lambie.” I’m now obsessed with lamb dolls and decor. If anyone locally is reading this, there are 2 big lamb dolls that I’m dying to have from J. Garris in Mount Pleasant. Cutest things ever!!!

Chris has been extremely helpful in researching cool, modern rocking chairs and other baby furniture. I can tell he really enjoys all of this as well. And, he’s always great about going on Consumer Reports to make sure we’re getting the safest items available for the baby.

Speaking of which, we finally started our registries as well. Ultimately, we’ll have one with Pottery Barn, Target and BabiesRUs. They are definitely not finished yet but hopefully they will be in the next week or two. So, stay tuned!