First Vacation

Steven and I took a quick family get-away to Atlanta, GA for a few days with little Brooks.  We were a little nervous about how he would do, and quickly learned that we had nothing to worry about.  He was awesome as usual.  We can't get over how easy going he is about everything.  We went to Stone Mountain Park and spent the day walking around.  It was so pretty!  The next day we went to a Braves vs. Dodgers ballgame.  All three of us were decked out in our Dodgers gear.  Everyone who passed commented on how cute he was, "even though he was in a Dodgers outfit."  haha.  We also went to the Georgia Aquarium.  Brooks loved it!  I'm so glad we were able to share some fun times together as a family of 3.  I see many more vacations in the future!

Too Blessed To Be Stressed

So my little man is growing each and every day.  Thursday, August 5th was the first time he rolled over from tummy to back.  We were so excited and had him do it 2 more times before he got tired of us.  Luckily we got it on video thanks to Daddy's new iPhone! 

We took him to the doctor on August 6th for his 2 month check-up and first round on vaccines.  Brooks weighed 10lbs, 2oz and was 23.75 inches long.  I can't believe he's getting so big.  Sometimes when others are holding him, I have to look twice because he looks so long.  As I said earlier, he got his 1st rounds of vaccines too.  This was just as painful for me as it was for him.  I think I cried more than he did!  Luckily, he was over it in no time and fell asleep in my arms.  He only ran a low grade temp overnight. 

We were so thrilled last night when Brooks fell asleep on his own!  We started a bedtime routine of bathtime, bottle, snuggle and putting him down while he is drowsy, but still awake.  He only fussed for 5 minutes and he was fast asleep.  To our suprise he slept until 5am.  WOO HOO! I'm so proud of him!  I really want to get him into a good routine and sleeping through the night by the time I go back to work.

I'm enjoying my maternity leave.  I was fortunate enough to take 6 weeks off once school started back.  I could have gone back to work without worrying about taking time off, but I will never get these moments back with Brooks, and I will be working for the rest of my life.  It's crazy how my priorities changed the moment he was born.  I don't have to go back until Sept 13th and he will be 14 weeks then.  I'm so blessed to have a great job and work at a place where they value family.  I'm also glad I chose to work in the school system so we will have frequent breaks throughout the year.  I will only work 3 weeks and we'll be off for Fall Break!  When I go back to work Brooks will be going to Faye's house 3 days and staying home 2 days.  My mom is taking off Thursdays to spoil her 'sugarbaby' and Steven has Fridays off. 

So in a nutshell, we are so incredibly blessed to have such a thriving growing baby boy and jobs that allow us to be with him as much as we possibly can.  It makes all of the stressful days worth it.

The First Month

Our first month with Brooks went by so fast!  It seemed like we just left the hospital and BAM! He was a month old.  We had his newborn pictures made when he was 2 weeks old.  He did so well and I will cherish those pictures for the rest of my life.  His umbilical cord fell off at 3 weeks.  Milestone #1 down!  I tried to breastfeed and neither one of us could get the hang of it.  It was emotional for me to give it up.  He wasn't working with me and never learned to latch on and my milk supply was really low.  I dreamed of nursing my baby and it was a hard reality when it didn't work out.  I pumped every 3 hours what little I was producing so he could get some of the 'liquid gold' and the important nutrients from breastmilk.  After a month of pumping without any increase in my milk, I gave it up.  Making that decision was hard for me, but freeing at the same time.  We were able to pack formula and mix bottles while away from the house.  I wasn't literally tied to a breast pump every 3 hours.  I could hand him off to his Daddy during feedings in the middle of the night and get a few more hours of sleep.  It was a great decision all around.  Mealtime is not intended to be frustrating and ending with both of us in tears.  It should be a calming comforting experience and now it is for both of us. 

During the first month, we got to get out of the house a little.  June 20th, Father's Day was Brooks' first visit to church.  He looked so sweet in his baby carrier and everyone was excited to see him.  I dressed him in his going home outfit his first Sunday.  He was precious and still so tiny.  My how time does seem to fly by when you have a little one.  It makes you want to freeze time and capture all the sounds, smells, and sights of this newborn baby.  He's still small, but he's not that curled up ball of baby anymore.  Now he's wanting to stretch out more and push his head up from my shoulder to look around.  It's amazing how much they change in such a short time.

Happy Birthday, Brooks!

Dr. Drexel wanted to induce me because of my gestational diabetes at 38 weeks.  I was scheduled to go in on June 3rd at 6pm.  We got there early and settled in.  The nurse hooked me up to an IV and the fetal monitor and gave me a dose of Ambien plus a dose of a medicine to prepare me for induction the next morning.  She warned about some cramping with the medicine, but that it wouldn't be anything big.  The last dose was given at 12am.  By 12:30 I was feeling some discomfort.  By 1:30 I was practicing some breathing exercises and had contractions every 2 minutes.  The nurse checked me and I was at 7cm!  Steven got on the phone with the parents and Becky to let them know that I was close to having Brooks.  I didn't have time for an epidural, but the nurse was able to give me some pain medicine to help me relax in between contractions.  By 3:00 I was ready to push and they called Dr. Drexel in.  I only pushed a few times and Brooks was born at 3:42am!  He was 6lbs, 5oz and 19.5 inches long.  Perfection right before my eyes.

It was the most amazing experience of my life and I still get chills and tears in my eyes thinking about the moment Dr. Drexel held him up for me to see.  I've watched the birth video several times over the past 2 months to relive the moment Brooks made his entry into this world and thank God for blessing me and Steven with such a perfect and beautiful baby.  People told me that my life would never be the same and that I would feel a love that I have never experienced before.  I loved this baby I held in my body for 9 months already, but immediately felt the love overflow the moment they placed him in my arms.  Emotions peaked the day I realized that I got to take this precious soul home with me that Sunday morning.  I sat in my hospital bed with a warm, pink bundled up baby in my arms praising God and thanking Him for blessing us.  We had both waited so long for this moment and it was here!  I couldn't believe it, and I remember crying tears of joy because I loved him so much already and he was only 48 hours old.  I remember looking him over head to toe in utter amazement that I held him in my body, nourished him for 9 months, and delivered this baby from my body!  I AM WOMAN!!!  I've never felt so proud in all my life.

There's a First Time For Everything!

Welcome to our blog!  This is going to be a way for Steven and I to record our memories of raising Brooks.  He's already 2 months old, so I have some catching up to do!  Please feel free to join us as we journey through this new chapter in our lives!

Our Story:
After a year and a half of  being married, Steven and I decided to try to start a family.  With a "whatever happens, happens" mentality, I stopped taking my birth control and we started on our road to try to conceive.  After seeking medical advice and taking numerous tests, we decided to take some time off from trying and I began graduate school.  Soon after graduating in 2008, we decided to seriously seek out help conceiving.  Trying to conceive was the hardest thing Steven and I have ever been through as a couple.  We faced month after month of frustration and tears.  I began medicine July 2009 and prayed that this would be the combination that would work.  We prayed and asked others to pray with us that God would bless us with a child soon.  In September 2010, I saw a pink line on my ovulation test strip.  With hope mixed with a little doubt, we tried that month and prayed to God that this would be the time.  At 7:30am October 8, 2010 I woke up to take a pregnancy test.  I placed the test on the counter and watched the clock, doubting and fearing that the digital reading would say, "Not Pregnant."  My life forever changed the moment I picked up that little stick and saw the digital reading, "Pregnant."  I couldn't believe it!  Steven was still in bed, so I woke him up and had him read it.  We were absolutely stunned!  I couldn't believe it, so I ended up taking 3-4 more throughout the weekend.  We shared the news with family and so began our journey to the precious baby boy laying on my shoulder as I type this.

Some highlights of my pregnancy:

October 8, 2010: Found out I was pregnant and my life was forever changed.
November 11, 2010: 1st OB appointment and ultrasound. 1st time my heart was stolen by a little peanut!
February 1, 2010:  We found out we were having a BOY!
June 4, 2010: Aiden Brooks Wallace Kirby entered the world!