baby girl update

Well, an update...... Keith and I were talking the other night and I admitted I wasn't totally in love with the name we had chosen for the baby (Alexandra Grace). Keith gave me the green light and said "It's not too late if you want to change it, we can!" So, after much deliberation, we went back to something that was on my original list of "favorites". We have chosen Elizabeth Reese (or Reece, not sure yet on the spelling....). It sounds similiar to Alexandra Grace, but we think it flows better. So, monogram away if you were considering doing that for a shower gift and hope to goodness this wiggleworm in my belly really is a girl! The nursery is getting a nice, thick coat of pink paint on it tomorrow....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Yee-haw Cowboy!!!

Ah, well, another Christmas is behind us. This was, by far, my most favorite Christmas with Bradyn. He has been a riot this year with everything, from shopping to wrapping presents to making cookies to singing Christmas songs. Since he just had a birthday and got to open presents, he assumed it was everyone else's birthday since everyone had presents under the tree. He would sing (VERY loudly!), "Happy Birthday to you Momma! Happy Birthday to you Daddy!....and Nana, Papa, Nona, and everyone else he could think of. It was hilarious! Of course we laughed, but then we explained to him the reason we celebrate Christmas is actually because it's Jesus' birthday. So he changed his song to "Happy Birthday to you Jesus!" Bradyn's "Jesus" sometimes comes out as "Geez-us". I love my little boy so much. He's a stinker, but gosh..... who could NOT be happy with him around?!? :-)

Traditionally, we spent Christmas Eve with the Beckers, but it was quite different this year with Grandpa Becker being gone and Grandma not at the house anymore. We relocated the get-together to my mother and father-in-law's house. It was so wonderful to spend time with the family and everyone had a great time. It was different though (and that's coming from me, someone who's only been in the family for 4 Christmases, I can only imagine everyone else).... If there's one thing I've learned though, it's that things change. You have to pick up and keep going..... 

We came home and left Santa milk and SEVERAL cookies (of which this Santa couldn't eat because I was stuffed from the Becker Christmas dinner!). We got Bradyn to bed so Santa Claus could visit. We were thinking about getting Bradyn a Power Wheels jeep, but we changed our minds and got him a Radio Flyer Spring Horse with sound. It's awesome! When Bradyn goes to his Nana and Papa's house, he rides this little wooden rocking horse with a cowboy hat on and says, "Yee-haw cowboy!" and tips his hat! It's hilarious of course, so I thought he'd really enjoy this toy. Keith had to put the thing together and it made me very glad I had a husband, LOL! I try not to be a bimbo, and I make every attempt to be a self-sufficient woman (for the most part), in the event I were ever on my own, but some things, like putting together the darn spring horse, GEEZ!!!!!!!!! It took Keith an hour and a 1/2 to put it together; it would have taken me all night! He's my hero! We finished stuffing Bradyn's stocking and then stuffed each other's and got to bed... after "eating" the cookies and "drinking" the milk.

Bradyn woke up the next morning and came and crawled in bed with us. He laid there a few minutes and it was obvious he didn't remember what was going on. Keith and I asked him who came last night and then it dawned on him! We got the video camera out and caught the whole Santa thing on video. It's priceless! He ran down the hall at first and when he rounded the corner and saw the giant horse sitting in the living room, he just stopped! He slowly walked over and, ignoring the horse, started sifting through his stocking. He picked up a plastic candy cane filled with M&M's and goes, "Oh my gosh! Candy!" We were like, "Yeah! Look at the horse!!!!!" It took him a second to warm up to it, but he soon climbed on and went to town on it. He named his horse Woody.

Leaving Santa milk and cookies

Bradyn checking out the goods......

My little cowboy!

   

Bradyn's big gift from momma and daddy.

And last, but not least, a belly shot... taken on Christmas day.

Almost 35 weeks. Of course Bradyn had to pose with me!

The day after Christmas my mother, Granddad, Jenna, Zach, and Zach's girlfriend Katie came to our house for a few days.  It was neat.... Christmas was technically over, but it wasn't! We all had a wonderful time.  We weren't supposed to open gifts with David and Hafida until Sunday or Monday, but they had a change of plans so we did it Saturday afternoon. Mom and Granddad went home but Jenna, Zach, and Katie were still visiting.  The kids went to the mall while we opened our presents because Zach wanted to look for a pair of jeans. You could not have paid me to go to the mall the Saturday after Christmas!!! Since plans changed and we were going to be free Sunday afternoon, Keith and I decided it would be a good day to go take a tour of the hospital I will be delivering at. Nana watched Bradyn for us and we went. North Austin just opened a new delivery ward and it was very nice! The rooms are HUGE and still sparkling! I was pretty impressed. The postpartum room was much smaller (they have plans for a new postpartum wing, but it's not done yet). It was older, much smaller, and it had a tiny, puny little loveseat in it, I guess for Keith. I am fine with old and small, but was quite disappointed in the accommodations made (or rather, NOT made) for my coach. Oh well, we'll get through it somehow. I suppose if one is tired enough, it is possible to sleep anywhere.  :-0

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!! 

Singing in Labor

Just had to share this and you'll see why....... I don't expect that I'll be this calm during active labor and I sure as heck won't be singing (grunting and moaning maybe.....), but WOW! It's a beautiful song (Psalm 23 by Michael Olson) and the woman singing is amazing.

Our Bradley childbirth classes are officially over! At the end of our last class the other night, I kind of felt like a little baby bird leaving the nest. Our instructor taught us pretty much everything she could, now it's up to Keith and me to go out and have this baby! I'm so glad the holidays are here to keep me busy. I've found myself getting very anxious and ready for January to get here! I'm so ready to meet my baby girl.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!

Full of Baby!

Phew! The picture is from Saturday, December 13th, 33 weeks pregnant. I'm feeling decently good but....(I've gotta gripe a little bit, c'mon!) It is becoming increasingly more difficult to take a deep breath, especially if I am sitting down. I also cannot eat as much as I used to without being stuffed as a tick for several hours. I'm going to try not to complain too much these last few weeks, but wah!!! Sometimes this little girl pokes and kicks me so hard I think her foot may pop out or she might break my ribs! This pregnancy has been so much different than when I was pregnant with Bradyn; he never moved this much! This uncomfortable, full of baby feeling is quite familiar though. Well, one thing I'm NOT going to complain about is I am still sleeping good. Sometimes my hips and back hurt in the morning, but I still sleep like a rock for the most part. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad.... it might be a rude awakening in a few short weeks when baby girl gets here and I'm having to get up 3-4 times per night!!! I can tell I have been having a little bit more trouble the more weeks preggo I get. Last night I think my hands were swelling (or fell asleep) and then I got calf cramps. My left hip was very sore. I got my nap in today though, so I'm good. :)

Well, when we got up this morning we had every intention of going to church, but I felt rough and Bradyn was still asleep when we should have been getting ready. We wussed out, and come to find out, that was a good thing. Bradyn got up and his eye had some little yellow eye boogers on it. I wasn't too worried because it's done that before, and we just attributed today to allergies. I cleaned the crusties off but noticed his eye was still pretty red. I gave him a Zyrtec thinking that should help him. I then proceeded to make homemade cinnamon rolls (YUM!!! very time consuming but well worth the wait!). Bradyn was playing and we weren't paying too much attention to his eye. Keith and Bradyn were supposed to go Christmas shopping for me today and Keith was about to get him ready when we noticed his eye was gooping up again and was redder than it had been that morning. It's gotten worse as the day has gone on. Obviously it's some type of pink eye, so we're off to the doctor again tomorrow. Sheesh! We can't catch a break money wise. It's always something!

I'm sure I have other things to write about, but I'm tired and it would probably be wise to go to bed. Goodnight!

Sorry it's been a while!!!

I've been slacking with my blog, I admit. We have been so busy though; the days seem to go so fast that I can't keep up sometimes! First let me post a picture of Bradyn from Halloween since I never put one up:

He was Mr. Incredible this year and he had the BEST time helping me carve our pumpkin and trick-or-treating. He was hilarious; he would go up to people, hold out his container, and say, "I need candy!" Ha ha ha ha. He said that about 1/2 the time and "trick-or treat" the rest, but my sweet boy always said "thank-you".... such good manners! It was fun to watch him this year!

We whirled into November and through Thanksgiving and headed right into Bradyn's birthday party, which we had on Saturday, November 29th. Thank you to all who were able to join us in celebrating Bradyn's 3rd birthday.

You have no idea how happy you made Bradyn, or how much it meant to me to be able to do this this year, especially with the events surrounding this time last year. Preparing for Thanksgiving and the party was bittersweet; Thanksgiving and the Friday after being the last time I saw my dad, and December 1st and 2nd being when everything happened in the midst of what should have been a happy time. I told someone the other day it's weird how one of the happiest days of my life (the birth of my first child) can also be one of the worst days of my life (finding out about my dad). It was definitely a good decision to have the party when we did; I'm thankful I was kept busy so I didn't have so much time to think about everything. My brother and sister stayed with us a few days after the party, Zach went home to Brownwood, and then Bradyn and I went home to Kyle with Jenna to stay a couple of days. The dreaded anticipation of the one year mark was much worse than the actual day itself, thank goodness, but there were times though that I would stop what I was doing and think, this is the day it happened, this is the day we found out, visitation in Brownwood, visitation in Tahoka, day of the funeral, day of the burial, etc. This has for sure been the hardest, most difficult year of my life. I've been tested in so many ways, with my faith, patience, forgiveness, love, understanding, and guilt, on a level I could never explain to anyone; sometimes I don't understand it myself. This year I have truly had to take it one day at a time. While there are plenty of good days, some are simply overwhelming....

Well, on to happier things..... Bradyn's having a wonderful time with the holidays this year! He loves our Christmas tree, Christmas lights on the houses when it gets dark, Christmas movies, and going shopping and keeping surprises from daddy. Surprisingly, he's not too concerned with the presents under the tree. I know he can't wait to make Christmas cookies with momma!

As for me and this baby girl.... she's definitely grown since I wrote last! There's not much left to this pregnancy except her putting on a couple more inches, many more pounds, and me getting more uncomfortable! I'm having doctor appointments every two weeks now and when I went in last Friday my OB confirmed the baby was head down. There's a chance up until 35-36 weeks she could still flip, but it's unlikely since she's already in a good position. I could not ask for a healthier pregnancy (eh, with the exception of my unsightly varicose veins)... my blood pressure is normal, I have not been swelling, every test I've had has come back normal, weight gain is currently at 21 pounds, and I'm (as of now) still sleeping good at night. I have been very tired lately, and if I don't get my nap during the day, it's all I can do to keep my eyes peeled open past 9pm. My 32 week picture is below:

 

Keith and I only have one more childbirth class to attend and we're done! It's been over the course of 2 1/2 months (10 weeks), and we feel very confident about the upcoming birth. My wonderful husband has far exceeded my expectations in preparing for January 31st (or before, hopefully not after!). Though it is going to be tough for him to see me in pain, I know he's going to know what to do and he's going to be there for me every step of the way. We also met with our doula last Saturday, and kinda reiterated some of the things we've learned in our Bradley classes... good thing, it never hurts to hear it more than once! We also talked about being aware of the fact that sometimes a natural labor and delivery isn't possible for whatever reason and just to be well informed and have answers to all the what-ifs that may pop up.

Keith was in Boston last week. He has one more trip scheduled for this year and Bradyn and I get to go with him! We're only going to Denton, but we're still excited! We leave tomorrow and will be back Friday evening. I'm not exactly sure what Bradyn and I will do all day while Keith is training, but it will probably entail going to a mall and getting some more shopping done!

Well, Bradyn has his first ever school program tonight at Hutto Baptist Church! He and his class are going to be singing 3 Christmas songs on stage. I need to go iron the shirt he is going to wear tonight, so until next time......... ! I'll try to keep up with this better than I have been.  :)

Happy Fall!

Well, it's been about a month since I've been on here. The last few weeks have flown, just like this entire year has! We have been doing good. Bradyn's having tons of fun at school and has been enjoying the fall weather. He is looking forward to all the holidays and his birthday coming up. We had to go to the doctor last Friday because he woke up screaming that his ear hurt, and  just as I suspected, he was diagnosed with an ear infection. He's been on amoxicillin the past few days and he's feeling much better. Bradyn is very excited about going trick-or-treating this Friday; he is going to be Mr. Incredible! Keith has been busy with work (and traveling a little more than I like him to, ha ha), and has even gotten in some rounds of golf here and there. Keith's been having problems with his hands, fingers, and wrists since July and has been to several doctors trying to figure out what's going on. He's been told he has everything from aspartame poisoning to stress to maybe it's related to his heart condition, blah blah blah. He finally went to see a specialist and he definitely has tendonitis and possibly carpal tunnel syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis--they're not sure yet and he is supposed to go back for a nerve test. Wish him luck, from what we've heard, that is not a fun procedure to have done! As for me, I'm still pregnant! I am doing and feeling good, currently 26+ weeks along. I recently changed care providers as I felt my previous OB/GYN did not fully support my decision or desire to have a natural childbirth. We looked into the birthing center here in Austin and loved it, but it was out of network for our insurance and would have cost us way too much money this late in the game. My doula recommended a doctor to me who is very PRO natural birth and she and the hospital were in our network, so it all kinda seemed to work out. I am happy with our decision; the new OB and her policies sound much more in line with what I am looking for. Keith and I are also taking Bradley childbirth classes on Sunday nights and have been having a great time so far and we're learning alot. Even though we're in "class" we have fun and it's nice to be able to spend that time with him.

In other news, we recently had to bid farewell to our lab Max. He is a 90 pound puppy and was too much for us to handle. Keith is gone about every other week  and I cannot walk the dog and Bradyn at the same time, much less when I'm this pregnant. Keith has been having swelling and numbness in his hands for the past 3 1/2 months and has a hard time walking him too. It became pretty apparent that we were not the best owners for Max and we had to make the decision to give him up. It was difficult, but it's best for us and him. We know he went to a good home though; it's one of my sister in law's best friends and her husband, and Keith and I know them. They already have a 6 yr old lab so now Max has another dog to play with. We know he'll be very well taken care of. Next time we get a dog, we'll stay in the 5-20 lb range!!!

I'm going to post a few photos and then I'm off to go get Bradyn from school! Happy Halloween everyone!

 

Bradyn picking out pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch.

Bradyn in his Halloween shirt my mom got him.

24 week belly shot

 

26 week belly shot

 

My little pumpkin sitting with our giant pumpkin!

 

Rest in Peace, Grandpa Becker

Well, needless to say, the last few days have been difficult and very emotional.... Keith's Grandpa Becker passed away last Wednesday, September 24th. We are going to miss him so much; he was a very special person. The funeral was on Saturday, the 27th and it was a beautiful service. It's so hard when someone dies, it's just hard to believe they're gone... I still can't believe my dad is gone sometimes. I hope Keith is ok. I think he will be, but it sure does hurt me when I see him cry. I wish I could make it all better, but I can't. Death is a part of life. We are going to miss Grandpa Becker so much!!! I told Keith that Dad and Grandpa are hanging out together in heaven right now. :)

Also, I believe Keith and I have picked out our little girl's name. It's going to be Alexandra Grace Becker. Alexandra means "helper of mankind" and Grace means "blessing from God." I love it!! I bought her bedding yesterday on Target.com and got a great deal. I got the quilt, bumper pad, fitted sheet, drapes, dust ruffle, hamper, and diaper stacker.

  

I am trying to get this house cleaned out and get rid of anything that is not contributing to my sanity. It's difficult though, some days I have a hard time chunking things; I am a very sentimental person, and stuff I can't seem to get rid of gets shuffled from room to room. It's madness! It is definitely crunch time in the Becker household though.... if October flies as quickly as this entire year has, it'll soon be Halloween! Then in November, we have 2 friends having babies, one is due on the 1st and the other on the 13th I believe, there's Thanksgiving, Bradyn's birthday party (I think it's going to be the weekend right after Thanksgiving), the one year mark of my dad's death (which is totally going to throw me for an emotional loop, I already know it), Christmas, New Year's, I'll probably have a baby shower in early January, and then it's baby girl time! Please pray for us and all that's been going on in our life lately, the wonderful blessing of this baby girl and our recent loss of Grandpa Becker. 

IT'S A.....

GIRL!!! We're having a baby girl!!!! I'm so excited! The body scan ultrasound went great.... baby is measuring right on schedule; she's currently 14 1/2 oz. Due date is still January 31st, and I am 20 weeks, 6 days today.  :-)  Now I just have to try not to go crazy shopping! 

a description of natural childbirth

I am on a baby website that allows women to post topics and answer questions and concerns about pregnancy, parenting, and everything in between. A girl posted a topic last night, something about it being her first baby and she was "deathly afraid of labor". Several people commented on the topic, but I really like this answer in particular and thought I would repost it....

"Ok... so speaking as a birthing assistant, here is a labor overview for you. This is the description of a natural, unmedicated birth where you allow nature to do its thing!
If you want to feel something similar to contraction pain, here is a visual for you. Grab your leg and try to pull it up towards your head as far as you can. (or stretch forward like you're doing a hamstring stretch.) When you get to that stretching/burning/aching sensation in your hamstring... push a little farther til you think its almost unbearable... and that is pretty similar to the pain of a contraction. Same type of pain. Although it's located in your pelvic/cervix area mostly... The tightening doesn't really hurt your belly, it starts to tighten and as it reaches its peak, the achy burning starts up in your cervix... so kind of where you would feel period cramps. (back labor is a totally different thing, and I have never experienced that, so I cant describe it first hand for you). Contractions only last about two minutes and then they release so you get a break in between. You are not in constant pain... if you can relax and get through those two minutes you get a chance to breathe and rest a minute before the next one. You can endure pretty much anything for two minutes! (and the peak of the contraction is usually only 20 or 30 seconds long, that's where it really hurts.)
You just take one at a time and relax your body into the pain, and allow it to do its work (which is stretching your cervix around baby's head and opening it all the way so you can push!) Gravity also helps this go alot faster, so its helpful to be in upright positions through much of labor, walking or sitting on a birthing stool or something. I can't stress enough, RELAXATION is the key!
The more tense you are, the longer dilation will take and the more painful it will be, so its best to try to relax completely during each contraction and release into the pain instead of tensing up and trying to fight it, as so many women do. The women who are able to relax and release into that pain most effectively tend to have the shortest labors.
That, in fact, was the hardest work of labor for me. Mind over matter, relaxing through the pain. Once you get in the groove of it and find a coping mechanism that allows you to relax, whether its a certain noise you make, a certain phrase you say, a breathing pattern, picturing something in your mind, having someone rub your feet, whatever it is, you will probably stick to it and do it the same way with each contraction. It becomes like a trance almost, as you internalize and focus your body on what its trying to do! Then between contractions you can snap out of it and be totally awake and talking in the beginning, and as labor progresses towards transition, you will probably end up dozing off and sleeping between them, or at least resting as much as possible. Just before pushing, you reach transition, which is where the contractions come one on top of the other and you feel like you have reached the end of your strength! You may begin to tremble a bit as your body is flooded with even more hormones, and you really feel like you can do no more, you are DONE! You cant do it any longer! When you reach this point, REJOICE! It means you are almost done! It only lasts a little while and then you are fully dilated and ready to push!
Then once you get to the pushing, the pain totally changes, it doesn't really hurt anymore, its very relieving for most women to be able to push with each contraction. Your contractions slow down and you may get as many as five minutes between them! Generally you snap out of your internalized mode and are very awake and focused and full of energy. (Unless your baby is presenting funny, like sunny side up, then pushing can be very long and difficult...) In a normal birth, the only part that hurts much is when the head crowns, it burns a bit. First time moms usually push right around an hour, (remember, the contractions are farther apart, so you may only have 12-15 contractions and pushes in an hour!) but it can be anywhere from ten minutes to two hours, it just depends on how the baby is presenting and how effectively mom is pushing. Then once the head is out, the rest of the body follows in a second or two and you are finished! Most triumphant moment of your life. You get this crazy hormonal high and you feel like you could get up and run a marathon, most women laugh and cry and scream and say really funny things... it's a great moment. There is nothing like the high and the relief that follows childbirth... Makes it ALL worth it when you finally have your baby in your arms!
Anyways... that's the best description of how labor works that I can give. Good luck, all of you are more than capable of giving birth to your little ones! Best of luck to you."

 

I HAD to respond because I was just blown away with this girl's answer: "Well that was a great description and I enjoyed reading it... I desperately want a natural birth this next time around and I am mentally preparing myself for it and educating myself beyond belief, hiring a doula, etc. .... but I have to admit when I was reading your description of the contractions I found myself tensing up on the couch!!! lol. I have alot of mental work to do before Jan. 31. thank you for your response to the OP (original post), it was great.... puts it all in perspective."

 

And here's what she wrote back (more AWESOME advice!): "Well I am not kidding when I say that 80 percent of the work of labor is in your mind. You get your head in the right place, and the rest will follow! Your beliefs have ALOT to do with your success. If you believe you can do it, you can! Sounds silly, but its absolutely true. There is nothing more important to your body's function than your mindset during labor. If you feel confident and safe and secure during your birthing process, your body and your hormones are better able to do their job without interference from your "fight or flight" instinct. Remember, throughout centuries of time, the human body has developed to avoid delivering a new baby into a a dangerous or fearful situation, just like animals. Labor is a force of nature, and its important not to interfere too much... (think of a pet cat, she will always hide somewhere to have her kittens). Being insecure can cause labor to stall. (why do you think so many women go to the hospital in labor only to have it peter out and be told they need pitocin???)
That being said, the fact that you are educating yourself, thinking positively, and hiring people to be with you who believe in you, believe in the process, and believe in your body tells me that you will have a wonderful birthing experience this time around! If you think you can, you can! And you will do beautifully, just as nature intended. Best of luck to you!! Your body was made to do this!"

WOW! I love that girl and I don't even know her...   :)

...Long week...

Well, I have to admit... things have been zipping right along and I cannot believe the 19th is almost here! I am so anxious to know what this baby is! I once had this crazy idea to not find out the sex, but that thought was long gone once I became pregnant. I admire anyone who can wait that long, esp. when modern technology has the information at your fingertips. It'd be a wonderful surprise, but I can't hold out till the end of January. Plus, if I'm having a little girly, I'm doing pink and purple and all the girl colors and I want ample time to prepare. So... while the last 4 weeks have been fast, this week is dragging. Keith left for Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 10 am and with him gone all day, it made it seem like a weekday... so basically I walked around all day thinking it was Monday instead of Sunday. Also, Bradyn bear is sick right now and had to miss school today. His nose has been stuffy/runny for about a week, but Monday morning he woke up and it was all in his throat and he had a bad cough to go along with his stuffy nose. He knows when daddy is gone he can come sleep in the bed with me, which... yeah... meant he was the only one sleeping last night and the night before. When he's lost in dreamland, I'm busy trying to get comfortable with this growing belly of mine and my bulky body pillow,  I'm trying to fall asleep in between Bradyn hacking and breathing through a snotty, stopped up, whistling nose, and if I don't fall asleep fast enough, I have to get up and pee anywhere from 3-4 times in an hour. On top of it all, my loud horse of a dog can generally be found (and definitely heard!) barking at something ridiculous... for instance.. he generally starts barking at 6:30 every morning at the kids walking to the corner waiting for the bus (we have a corner lot, fantastic with a crazy chocolate lab... NOT!). The bus finally shows up at 6:45, which sends him into an even bigger conniption fit. He'll quiet down for a few minutes (to let me get ALMOST back to sleep) and then someone will stroll by walking their dog which gets him going again. Grrrrr. Maybe today is a grouchy day to write a blog... oh well, I'm not done yet....   ;)

Anyway, I believe my son is (hopefully) at the tail end of his terrible two's. He has been a rebellious handful lately. His favorite thing to say to me right now is "hush it mom!" and the infamous "no!". It makes me so angry. I lost it last night with Keith being gone and after repeating myself for the 2,846,433 time that day.... I started to get mad but then I just burst out crying because sometimes I don't know what to do with him! He is very headstrong and stubborn and it seems like nothing works. There is such a fine line between punishment and discipline and it's hard to know when to apply which technique in which circumstance, esp. when he's awake for 15 hours out of the day, LOL! I get so exhausted. I got a book a couple of months ago called, "Making Your Child Mind without Losing Yours," ..... I think it's time to read it, along with the 50 million other things I need to do. :(  

Onto my doula search..... technically it's not a "search" anymore because we found one! We interviewed 3 doulas and they were all extremely nice and they all seemed to know what they were talking about. It was difficult to make a decision, but Keith and I feel like we chose the right one to help guide, support, and inform us throughout the pregnancy and birth. I have even considered looking into doula certification myself, not right now of course, but later on. We'll see.

Well, that's about all for today. I'll update Friday when (crossing fingers) we find out "boy" or "girl"! Sorry I rambled today.  :)

September is already flying by!

Wow, it seems like we've been really busy again here all of a sudden... I have alot to write about today. :)

First off, Bradyn started school on Tuesday, 9/2. It all hit me like a ton of bricks when I was making his lunch that morning... not just that Bradyn was starting preschool, but everything in general, like how fast LIFE happens and how quickly time passes. I remember my momma making me lunches when I went to Kindergarten.. now I'm 26 and married and having babies. Keith and I both got to take Bradyn in for his first day. We hugged and kissed him and told him bye. He didn't blink an eye when we left, just started playing like he was on a mission. I teared up and turned around and went in the hall with Keith following me. I felt like sitting down and bawling my eyes out, but I did manage to keep it together. Then, I had to tell Keith bye on top of Bradyn's goodbye; Keith had to be on his way to the airport because he is on yet another business trip, this time to Mexico. What a rough start to my Tuesday! I dropped Bradyn off today and was fine, no tears. I realized the other day how nice it was to go to the bathroom by myself again, something I hardly EVER get to do anymore!!! Ha ha!

In other news, Keith felt the baby kick last Friday! I was 18 weeks exactly. That is considerably earlier than when he first felt Bradyn, so we were both really surprised! Keith felt Bradyn at 21 weeks, so this was a whole 3 weeks earlier! I am so anxious to get my sonogram, but waiting hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. The time is passing quite fast actually. Here's a picture of me, taken today. I'll be 19 weeks tomorrow.

Also, I am currently searching for a birth doula. My wish is to have a natural labor and birth with this baby. I was induced and had an epidural with Bradyn. I had every intention of going natural with Bradyn, but it didn't work that way... My doctor suggested induction (mine was NOT medically necessary) and being naive, I agreed. I was not aware of the risks of indcution, I was very eager to meet Bradyn, and I didn't know how hellacious induced labor contractions would be. I am thankful that my birth turned out well with Bradyn, but I do not wish to be induced again unless it becomes necessary. I want a much different birth experience this time, my fear is that in the middle of it all, when the going gets tough, I will default to the epi again... That is why I've decided to hire a doula. I do not want simply to give birth this time, I want to experience it. A doula is "a non-medical assistant who provides various forms of non-medical support (physical, emotional and informed choice) in the childbirth process." In other words, someone to keep my head on straight and keep me focused. Doulas do not replace dads, or the main support person, "the doula is an ally and occasional mentor for the father or partner. Their respective roles are similar, but the differences are crucial. The father or partner typically has little actual experience in dealing with the often-subtle forces of the labor process, and may receive enormous benefit from the birth-familiar presence of a doula in the vicinity. Even more important, many fathers experience the birth as an emotional journey of their own and find it hard to be objective in such a situation, and a doula facilitates the family process. Studies have shown that fathers usually participate more actively during labor with the presence of a doula than without one. A responsible doula supports and encourages the father in his support style rather than replaces him." There, Wikipedia explained it better than I could have. :) I believe the difference this time and when I was pregnant with Bradyn will be significant. I thought I was going to float into the hospital with Bradyn and pop out a baby. Granted, I knew it was going to hurt, and hurt badly, but I had no idea an induction would affect my body like it did. That in turn affected my mind. I was not mentally prepared for natural childbirth last time. I am educating myself by reading books and articles, I want to take an intensive childbirth class over the course of several weeks, and I think hiring a doula is the best decision I could make. Some people may be wondering why I would possibly want to do this, in fact, I have already kinda sorta been criticized for not "planning" an epidural... The fact of the matter is, a woman's body was made to birth children! Yes, there was the fall of Adam and Eve.. God said women would suffer giving birth, and I'm sure birth isn't nearly as pleasurable now as it was originally intended to be, but it is still very much do-able. God is merciful and I think if a woman is prepared and knowledgeable, trusts her body, mind, and God, she can do it! Now, if labor becomes excessively long, drawn out, and complicated, or poses any risks to the baby, I will do whatever is necessary to have my child safely.

I have to go, because I have a lunch date (kiddo-free!!!) with one of my old friends I went to college with. Mexican food, here I come!

There's a baby in there afterall!

So, at long last, I felt my sweet baby move today! It was actually quite different than what I first experienced with Bradyn. I noticed Bradyn's first movements at 19 weeks exactly, and it was the typical "butterfly", "flutters", "similar to a gas bubble" description you normally hear about. Today was much different..... I was sitting on the couch, raised my shirt up and stuck my fat belly out. Keith put his hands on it and started mashing around to see if he could feel anything. All of a sudden I jumped and said, "Oh my gosh! I think I felt it," and started laughing! I sat there for a few minutes with my hands on my stomach and it did it again! I immediately teared up! Instead of flutters this time around, it felt more like a wave or like the kiddo was doing sommersaults in my uterus. It felt like when you're on a rollercoaster ride or in a car and go downhill and it "gets" your stomach, except way down low. WOW!!!! Proof of life besides hearing the heartbeat every 4 weeks at the doctor's office! I'm so excited; this pregnancy is about to get good! This squirmy creature, :-) boy or girl, should keep me quite occupied until September 19th!

Bradyn Layne

Going through this pregnancy, I often refer back to my pregnancy journal/organizer that I kept while I was pregnant with Bradyn. It's quite helpful and often times hilarious to look through and reminisce on certain things; my doctor's visits, weight gain, cravings, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, breakouts, backaches, headaches, heartburn, in addition to a whole myriad of unmentionable ailments. As I was looking through it the other day, I came across a piece of paper I had written a bunch of boy names down on in alphabetical order. After much thought and careful consideration, we jotted down our favorite first and middle names on the other side. I smiled and, yes, got somewhat sentimental :-) when I read this and thought I would share with you how we arrived at Bradyn Layne.

Our favorites:

Bradyn Luke
Brody Layne
Bradyn Layne :)
Ashton Reese
Rylan Jace
Jonathan Kai
Payton Reed
Nathan Reese
Noah Christian
Nathan Layne

Looking back on some of those, I wonder what the heck we were thinking at the time! For the most part though, we LOVE the names on this list, and if we're having another boy, we will probably use one or both of these names for him. After many days of indecisiveness and writing and saying the names over and over again, Keith was actually the one who said, "I really like Bradyn." We started referring to the baby as Bradyn Layne until one day I said, "Is that really going to be his name?.... because it's kinda starting to stick." We happily decided yes, and then of course had to figure out the best spelling combination:

Braydyn (I crossed this one out!)
Bradyn Layne ***
Brayden Layne
Braden Lane


I don't know why, but we preferred BRADYN over all the others. I guess we didn't want it to look like Hayden, Caden, Jayden, etc. We both liked the name Layne and chose the spelling with a Y in it in 'honor' of the lead singer of Alice in Chains, Layne Staley. Alice in Chains is one of Keith's favorite bands, and thanks to Keith, I am fond of them too. Besides, I knew a girl in high school who was named Lane, without the Y.

Well, I'm sure people probably don't care how we came to the (hard, difficult, agonizing!) decision of naming our child.... but when I saw that piece of paper, I cracked up. We're throwing some names around for this 2nd baby, but for now I'm not concentrating too hard on it. My foggy, cloudy, forgetful pregnancy brain has trouble working some days... a name is too much to think about so soon and such an important decision! Plus, I start baby name lists and lose them or Bradyn doodles on them. I guess we'll know in a month if we need to concentrate on boy names or girl names. :)

IT'S A.....

...just kidding... we don't know the sex yet. At my appointment today (16w 3d) I got up the nerve to ask the dr. for a sonogram, and he said he'd go check to see if the u/s room was open, but then he turned around and said, "Why don't we wait until September?" NOOOOOO!!!!! Grrrrr. So, I scheduled my Level II ultrasound for September 19th and my next OB appt. is on the 23rd. Oh well, I guess we'll wait a few more weeks. We heard the heartbeat via Doppler and it was a strong 150+ bpm. Also, I did not gain any weight over the last month, but I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing... the doctor didn't say anything, so I'm assuming it's not bad. I'll probably see a huge weight gain over the next 4-5 weeks.

Ha ha, I kept trying to turn over on my stomach last night while I was sleeping, but would have to turn back over because my belly is getting uncomfortable to lay on. I haven't felt the baby move yet, but I am anticipating this soon. I first felt flutters with Bradyn at 19 weeks and Keith was able to feel kicking at 21 weeks. So exciting!!

Beginning September 2nd, Bradyn will be attending a Mother's Day Out Preschool at Hutto Baptist Church. He will go to school on Tues/Thurs from 9am-2pm. We had Orientation last night and Bradyn met his teacher, Mrs. Tracy and her aide, Mrs. Leigh. I thought it was ironic (Tracy is my dad's first name for those of you who may not know, and Leigh Ann is my dad's sister's name, my aunt)..... at least I won't forget their names! There are 8 kids in the class, including Bradyn, and they will be taking part in a program which includes religious concepts, music, art, motor development, math, science, and language development. I am so excited and thankful that Bradyn can have this experience; I think he is really going to benefit from the social interaction in so many ways. His verbal skills took off in May (and some of the things he says are so cute), but Keith and I are expecting a huge leap in his communication after he starts school and is around other children and adults. I am looking forward to some time by myself as well, before I have 2 kiddos on my hands! 10 hours a week will be such a blessing to get stuff done that is sometimes difficult to do with a rambunctious 2 1/2 yr. old... baby shopping and getting a room ready for the new baby, Christmas shopping, Thanksgiving preparations, and planning and shopping for Bradyn's birthday party. I also plan on pampering myself with pedicures when my belly gets to the point that I cannot see my feet, much less reach them. Keith is boarding a plane right now to go to Maryland to get a certification under his belt, and I think Bradyn and I will spend the rest of the week school shopping. He needs a new backpack, lunchbox, and pair of shoes. Keith will be back Friday morning/afternoon sometime. I miss my husband so much when he is gone on his trips, but I do enjoy a break from cooking every single night. Bradyn and I eat grilled cheese, PB&J, or go to Sonic or order a pizza. YUM!

Funny little man

I had a dentist appointment earlier this week so while I was dressed and had my makeup on (me in makeup these days truly is a rare occasion) I thought I would take a belly picture . I took the picture and when I went back to look at it, I noticed Bradyn had snuck in the picture and was posing just like I was!! I don't think I have ever laughed so hard! My little guy makes me smile everyday.




Tuesday, August 19th is my dr. appt. and I am going to ask the doctor to do a sonogram to see if we can determine the sex of the baby. I have to know; it's driving me crazy! The reason I am going to ask (beg!) is because at my last appointment I asked the dr. when we would find out the sex (we found out with Bradyn at 15 weeks, 2 days) and he said at the level II sonogram in September (I'll be 20 weeks). I sighed and said, "Oh, that's so long to wait!" Dr. Crumb THEN said, "Well, next time you come in, we may play around and see if we can see something." HA!!!! Sorry, you cannot say that to a pregnant woman and then expect me to wait until September. They better stick me in that sonogram room when I go in!!! I will make a new blog post Tuesday afternoon or evening to share the news if we are ever so lucky as to find out this early. Boy or girl, we are so excited.

Busy, busy Beckers!

So, as everyone probably knows by now, we are getting ready to welcome our 2nd baby on (or around) January 31st, 2009. We are so happy to finally be expecting, being that we had been trying to conceive since August 2007. I have to admit I was getting frustrated with the whole process, but everything is in God's timing and for that I am so thankful. May is a sentimental month for me, being that that's when Dad's birthday is, and as silly as it sounds, I can't help but think that God and my dad collaborated and decided May was the month to give our family this new life.

Psalm 139:13-16: "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."

I'm currently 14 weeks pregnant, which makes me a brand new 2nd trimester member! My chances of having a miscarriage have dramatically decreased at this point. My next doctor's appointment is August 19th. I'm going to beg my dr. to do a sonogram to see if we can identify the sex! If we don't find out in August, it looks like we'll have to wait it out until September at our Level II sonogram. Below are pictures of my 14 week belly, from the side and from the front.

Keith recently got a much needed and well deserved week vacation from the daily grind. He had a wonderful break from work, and Bradyn and I enjoyed having him here so much. He is so good at what he does and always works so hard for our family. I am so blessed and thankful to have such a smart, hardworking husband. David, Hafida, and Ephram came to Austin to visit for a few days and we had a good visit. The guys (and Hafida!) played Rockband on the Nintendo Wii and had a ball. Bradyn and his cousin Ephram played like crazy and had so much fun together. They get along so well. We went camping at Lake Sommerville on Wednesday, July 23rd despite the hurricane that was hitting South Texas.... we had a great time, but we'll definitely be sure to check the forecast a little better next time. We decided to pack up and come home a day early because we could tell it was going to rain. Keith celebrated his 28th birthday on July 24th!! We relaxed at home for a couple of days and were off to Schlitterbahn on July 28th. Bradyn had the BEST TIME!!!!! With our trip to the beach in April for my birthday, our camping trip to Lake Sommerville for Keith's birthday, and our day at the waterpark, I'm pretty sure we're making Bradyn into a bonafide water-baby! That's our goal since Keith and I love the water so much! Enjoy the pictures! BTW--We don't have Schlitterbahn pictures just yet. I had a waterproof camera and have to get them developed the old fashioned way, ha ha.

Port Aransas in April, goofing around!

Waving at daddy

Camping during the hurricane! And here comes the rain and wind!

Our tent holding strong!

I caught a 5 in. white bass!