Baby Bragg Is Here!

I can't believe that this sweet little girl is finally here.

Rory Elisabeth Bragg

8/12/10 at 7:44am

7lb 13oz 19.5in long

It was so surreal leaving our house at 4:30 in the morning on Thursday to go to the hospital. The world was so quiet around us--even the hospital was quiet. I just had this calm about myself. We got to our room. I put on the gown and then waited. This time around was so different. A scheduled c-section is much different than an emergency one. I think that is why it felt so strange this time. There were no nurses rushing into my room to check the baby's heart rate. Everything was quiet. The nurse that took me to the operating room even commented on how calm I was. It is also strange to enter an operating room knowing you'll be awake during a major surgery.

They gave me a spinal this time rather than an epidural. That really wasn't that bad. After waiting for my body to numb, they began to prep for surgery. In walked Scott in his scrubs. It was nice to see a familiar face! Then, my doctor walked in. I have to say that I really like Dr. Childs. My doctor didn't deliver Sinclair and I remember it was weird not even knowing who the doctor was that just delivered my baby. The doctor's part of the surgery only took 18 minutes! Rory was out in no time and was just perfect. And look at this--we got to keep Dr. Child's scrub shirt with Rory's footprints on them. How cute is that!

Immediate recovery from surgery was much different this time. Scott and Rory were with me the whole time. Last time, I didn't see Sinclair or Scott for about three hours.

Sinclair was so sweet when she met her little sister. She gave her many kisses.

Scott's mom was at our house keeping Sinclair and was a HUGE help. She cooked food for us, did laundry and cleaned--not to mention keeping our busy BIG girl. We left the hospital on Saturday late afternoon (a day earlier than last time).

Life adjusting has been one day at a time. So far, my recovery has been much better than last time. Rory is eating well and sleeping well. The nights have been a little rough but we'll get there. Sinclair loves Rory, but is having a tough time adjusting to the fact that mommy can't carry her or hold her. When Scott gives me the pictures he took, I'll upload some of them. All in all, life is good. We are truly blessed.

Life Update

I realize that it has been a really long time since I posted anything. These days by the time I sit down at night, I feel like I can barely connect words together to form sentences. The renovation on our home is moving along nicely. You must check out our home blog here. I've started posting pictures of design inspiration and even our first furniture purchase.

The exciting thing is that we are set for a scheduled c-section on THURSDAY, August 12. I am so very ready. Another reason why I'm ready is because today I was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. Apparently, it's a really common thing to happen to women late in their pregnancy. I guess it's because of the stress on the body and the immune system is weakened. Thankfully, it's a mild case. The left side of my face is somewhat paralyzed. I got a steroids shot today to try to relieve some of the tension in my face. They told me that it will go away on its own, but it could take up to a year! YIKES!

I'll try to post soon after Thursday with an update on Baby Bragg.

Stroller Update

So this really isn't exciting news to the blog community but I just wanted to share that I made my stroller decision (here's the post about my dilemma).... bought a used Joovy Sit n Stand on Craigslist. It looks like this one

Hopefully, Sinclair will like riding in the back.

By the way, we are on countdown. 3 weeks until Baby!!

What Your Kids Want Most From You

I just read this blog post from www.orangeparents.org. Wow. I needed to hear this. It talks about what kids need most from us--and it isn't really what I expected. Check it out. It is a SHORT, EASY read.

Nesting

It has finally hit me. This baby is coming soon! I'm 33 weeks pregnant now, but since I'll have a c-section, I'm probably about 6 weeks away from her arrival. This weekend, I started some serious nesting. I pulled stuff out of storage, bought a rug for her room, bought some stuff online, started doing her laundry and bought a stroller off craigslist. I also started a giant "to do" list along with products to buy. You may have read my post about my stroller dilemma. I still would like to have a Phil & Ted's stroller but found a Joovy Sit and Stand on Craigslist so I went with that one.

I think I'm carrying this baby lower than I did with Sinclair. She tried her best to not come out of my womb so she was never really that low. But this one is different. The doctor said my stomach muscles are no longer in the center of my belly which makes her sit lower. I feel like I'm not going to make it full-term, but I'm sure I will (against my hopes). I'm pretty miserable these days. I'm a big complainer :-) Poor Scott!! I keep reminding myself that the longer I go the more work gets done on our house. That helps to keep me going!

Chimney Be Gone!

If you've been reading the ole blog lately, you know that we bought a 100 year old home in TN and began renovating. The house is FULLY gutted now! Today is exciting because they are removing the leaning chimney. I am surprised that the house hasn't been destroyed by that chimney yet! For more pictures of the renovation, visit www.northocoee.com

Laughing at Circumstances

Have you ever read the devotional, "Jesus Calling?" I just got it this year and I LOVE it. There have been countless days that it felt like the entry was written specifically for me. Yesterday was one of those days. Here's what it said (from pg 176)

"Learn to laugh at yourself more freely. Don't take yourself or your circumstances so seriously. Relax and know that I am God with you. When you desire My will above all else, life becomes much less threatening. Stop trying to monitor My responsibilities--things that are beyond your control. Find freedom by accepting the boundaries of your domain."

That was a good reminder for me because circumstances have been overwhelming lately. As you just read in the previous entry, we moved again (just two months after we moved the first time and only a about 6 months before we move again). To top it off, the air conditioner broke the day we moved in. Don't forget that I'm only 8 weeks away from giving birth and live in the hot, humid south! It's been in the 90's this week. I knew that I needed to start laughing at the circumstances--the things that are out of my control. Well, God allowed me to have a pop quiz during the remainder of the day. I FAILED. Turns out that laughing at your circumstances is much harder to do than it is to read. So, I'll keep trying.