She made it!! Brooklyn Paige Brady

Seven days ago, Brandon and I witnessed a miracle. On April 9th, our baby girl was born. All babies are truly miracles from our Heavenly Father, but ours was extra special. Brooklyn was born with gastroschisis (warning, adult content, click at your own risk). Many different emotions came over me the day she was born, the biggest was relief. I had been seriously worried sick about her since 19 weeks in utero. Twice a week doc appts, bedrest and dropping amniotic fluids didn't help either. After a crazy 28 hours of labor and super fast delivery, she arrived! Brandon was able to cut the cord, they showed her to us for a breif moment and then wisked her away. She weighed 5 pounds 11 oz and was 19 inches long. Brooklyn was immediately taken to the NICU and then to surgery. Brooklyn's surgeon came and told us that everything looked good, her bowels were alive and healthy. I broke down in tears that my little girl has to go through all this and that I couldn't be with her. I started shaking uncontrolably and throwing up immediately after they took her away. Brooklyn has survived the biggest challenge of her life (and ours)! She has now had the surgery and is on a ventalater. We should be able to hold her for the first time in a couple of days. She continues to make progress, but we don't know how long we will be in the hospital for. Our baby truly is a miracle.

Hectic Weekend

On Monday, March 30th, 2009. Brandon and I had the most nerve racking day of our life. I went in at 3:05 in the afternoon to my Logan doctor for my twice weekly non-stress test and ultrasound. It was the first time that Brandon wasn't able to come to the appointment with me because he had a test in school. I totally ginxed/cursed myself and told both the doctor and the nurse that if something is going to go wrong, it would be today when Brandon wasn't with me. Needless to say I was right!! My non-stress test came back non-reactive (not good, un-reactive heart rate) and when they measured my amniotic fluid levels they had dropped by half to a 6.2. (an extremely low level) The doctor immediately got on the phone with the specialist. The doctor told me they would send me by ambulance to the U of U hospital and I would have our baby within the next two days!! I guess I looked kind of stressed because the doctor just hugged me and told me that everything would be alright. I called Brandon and of course he didn't believe me, thinking it was an early April Fools Joke. Brandon rushed right over and then we were off. He followed the ambulance in our car. That was the longest drive of my life!! I was so nervous. When we arrived at the U of U they rushed us up to Labor and Delivery and gave me a steriod shot. (To help the babies lungs.) Her heart rate actually looked great and the amnotic fluid levels had somewhat stablized at a 5.8, so they decided to watch the baby over night rather than induce me. For the next 3 days it was test after test, induction vs. non-induction battle. I felt like a completely lab rat wired to every machine possible. I really thought that they would induce me and that we would have the baby on my birthday April 1st. The evening of my birthday we got released and now I am on bed rest until we have the baby. Could be a week, could be a month, who knows!! I just don't want another scare that the baby isn't doing alright. If everything stays stable with the amniotic fluid levels we should be good for another two weeks or so. Needless to say it wasn't the most fun birthday ever, but I can say that I will never forget my 25th birthday!

Baby Shower March 27th 2009

My Logan friends and mission buddies had a baby shower for me on the 27th of March, 2009. It was so fun. We played the concentration game but with baby words and when ever you got a match you won a corresponding candy bar. It was hilarious. "Example: Umbilical Cord=Licorice Rope, Conception=Scor Bar." My friend Shai flew in from Tennessee to come to my shower and she gave me all this cute bedding stuff. Her and her mom made it!! I couldn't believe it. After the shower we all went out for ice cream with our husbands/boyfriends. If your ever in Logan try Tummy Yummies . . . it's great!

Tell me!

AS A PARENT, what are a few of your most favorite baby items? Must-have products, Tips for use, and even stuff that you thought you had to have and didn't really end up using. Please help me out and leave a comment about your favorite baby gadgets. If your not a parent, but have heard about great stuff let me know. Thank you!

Baby Update!

On the 16th of March we had an appointment with our specialist in Ogden. Everything looked okay in the ultrasound. Nothing had worsened and she was growing like she should be. We had to do a non-stress test, which measures the baby heart rate fluctuations through movements, contractions, and at rest. We now have to have the non-stress tests two times a week!! They just want to make sure that the baby is not under to much duress. We will still have ultrasounds frequently as well. I had quite the scare when I woke up in the middle of the night with a constant stabbing pain. Luckily after a warm bath it went away, but man preparing for labor . . . something you've never experienced. I just didn't know what to expect. I thought, "There is no way the baby can be coming now!! Too soon!" I really freaked myself out. However, I am getting to the point where being this pregnant is quite uncomfortable so I am almost ready to have this baby. :) Everything seems to be going really well.

Spring Break!

Brandon and I had quite the eventful week! It started off with a fun baby shower with my ole high school pals. It was at Natalie's house in Syracuse. It was so fun getting together, because I swear the only time we do is for baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, etc. Everyone is so busy and we all live so far apart. I was so happy that Rachel and Brittanie were able to make it all the way from Cedar City!! We played a cotton ball game, drawing baby game, and ate really good food and an amazing cake by Ashly. Megan and Natalie's little kids are so cute, it makes me so excited for our baby girl to get here.
Brandon picked me up after the shower and it was off to Green River, Utah. We went geo-caching in Green River with Brandon's family which was so much fun. We even got stuck out in the sand, but with some good engineering of rocks and sticks, we were able to get ourselves out. We were also able to go to the Monticello temple which was tiny but beautiful. We went bike riding because it was such nice weather down there. Maggie kept up for the first several miles, but then I put her in the basket because she looked like she was going to die of heat stroke. I felt a little bit like Dorothy on the Wizard of Oz, and Maggie just fell asleep in the basket.
I'm not sure how our dog will be once the baby gets here. She's been a good replacement for a child for awhile, but I'm not sure how she'll react when she realizes she's not the baby anymore. :)We then left for Fountain Green where I had another baby shower with family members. Thanks everyone for all the wonderful gifts!! It was so much fun and we got so many cute things. I'll post more about it when I get the pictures. My family is the greatest! After the baby shower my mom, Jessica, and I met our husbands out on the west desert. (They were getting wood and shooting guns while the girls were having the baby shower.) We went fossil hunting, to this huge crater hole/sink hole, and stayed at the sheep camp overnight.
It was a blast! A very eventful Spring Break covering the whole state of Utah!

Man Wars 2009!

This past weekend, February 27th through March 1st, Brandon's brother Shawn, his wife Maria, and their baby Baylan came to Logan to stay with us. We went to the comedian Brian Regan on Friday night and he was hilarious.Saturday night Ryan, Ali, and Todd Griffith came over to join in the fun. We had a crepe night. We played games which started out as dice games, turned into ring wars (of which Shawn's ring Helen Keller was the champion), and then turned into Man Wars 2009!
Perhaps you are wondering what Man Wars are?! Well, these Man Wars consisted of four man push-ups, who could hit their head on the ceiling, one-legged squats, timed wheel-barrel races up the stairs, most switch leaps in one jump, toe touching contest, and basically anything else manly and tough. :) They all won different aspects of the competition. Todd quickest and highest jumper. Brandon bench press and lifting. Ryan upside down wall push-ups and toe touches. Shawn wheel-barrel races and most body hair. :) Good job boys!! They are all in training now for Man Wars 2010! (I think if some of the other cousins join in they might have some stiff competition next year.)