Brady Paul Burless has Arrived!!

I'm so sorry for leaving you hanging...

On Monday, July 21st at 12:41pm, our son, Brady Paul Burless was born at Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando. He weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 21 inches long (exact same measurements as Katelyn, isn't that funny!). Our c-section went very well...having a scheduled c/s is the way to go! After a strange night...I started contracting just after midnight and they came about every 5-6 minutes for an hour and a half and they were getting more and more painful, then they just stopped... we were able to spend the morning with Katelyn and my parents at home, then said a quick goodbye (Katelyn cried a bit). We checked into the hospital right on time, at 10am, then had to wait a while to be called back to get ready for the c/s. I think it was about 10:45 when we were escorted back by a sweet nurse named Millie. They hooked me up to what seemed to be a million monitors...I had cords coming from all directions! My OB stopped in to say hi and to see if we had any last minute questions, then noticed from the monitor that I was contracting again. She told me it was a good thing we were scheduled for now...looks like I was going into labor. Once the nurses found out I didn't know the sex of the baby, they started guessing. After watching the fetal heartbeat and looking at my belly, they all guessed a girl. They had me convinced!! I had myself already to be welcoming baby Sarah Grace in a matter of minutes....afterall, who would know better than OB nurses?? My epidural was put in, then I started shaking uncontrollably (side effect of the epidural). They couldn't get an accurate blood pressure with all my shaking...at one point it registered at 354/100!! I started getting emotional as the time got closer, then they let my sister Ali come back to see me before they wheeled me into the OR. Once I saw her, I just started crying. I was so nervous and excited and just couldn't believe in a matter of minutes, I'd be holding my baby. She had to leave, Bryan had to stay behind to get into his surgery gown, so the nurses wheeled me down the hall. Once I got into the OR, the radio was playing and a U2 song was on. The nurses and I talked about how much we loved Bono and I couldn't believe how relaxed everything was. The anestethiologist (sp?) was a woman my age and was super nice. She never left my side. Once Bryan came in, I started crying again...I just couldn't believe we were there and the baby would be born in a matter of moments. I never saw my dr., she was on the other side of a huge blue tarp, but someone told me they were starting. We just waited quietly, then they warned me I'd feel lots of pressure as they pulled the baby out. I heard my dr. say "this one has a big head!" I waited to hear the cry, then they said, "it's a boy!" I couldn't believe it!! I looked at Bryan, who had kept this secret for months. I knew he was estatic to have a son, something he's wanted so badly for so long. I was so happy! Brady took a while to take that first breath and cry and it took forever to hear him. Bryan told me he was blue and the cord was wrapped around his neck and his first apgar score was only a 4. Finally, we heard him cry and the weight and height was read out to us. Bryan was able to go over to where Brady was being examined, then they finally brought him to me and laid him on my chest. I was so afraid of dropping him because I was quite numb and my arms felt very heavy. He lay quietly on me and I was able to take a good look at him...very curly brown hair, dark blue eyes, sweet little chin...perfect little boy!! They took him to the nursery with Bryan in tow and gave me a medicine to make me sleepy for the rest of the operation. I kept dosing in and out of sleep, then they took me to recovery. I was pretty out of it, but I realized the nurses were concerned about the amount of blood I was losing. They paged my dr. and she came in to see me right away. I was given a shot in my leg (still totally numb) and they kept checking me. The shot didn't do what they wanted, so I was given another shot in the opposite leg. I could see the concern on my nurse's face, which made me nervous. I could see all the blood they were cleaning up from me...it was a lot! The head nurse stayed close by and then they had to give me a pill to help my uterous contract. I'm so glad I was on drugs, or I would've been in a panic. I'm also glad Bryan wasn't there, so he didn't get worried. Everything finally stabilized and my sister and Bryan were able to come back to sit with me. I was still so drugged, so I had trouble keeping a conversation going. I was finally taken to my hospital room at 4:30...3.5 hours after my surgery (I was only supposed to be there for 1 hr.). I was soooo thirsty, and my nurse gave me ice chips and I swear it was the best treat I ever had!! Ali, her husband Rob, and Bryan were waiting for me in our room. Our room was amazing...we had an incredible view of downtown Orlando and the room had a very modern look with dark hard wood floors, a chocolate brown glider/rocker, granite counter tops in the restroom and an armoire for our clothes, etc. plus a murphy bed for Bryan. Brady was wheeled into our room at about 5pm, and I was finally able to hold him. He had just had a bottle in the nursery since he had to wait so long for me, so he was content and sleeping. We all took turns holding him, then my parents arrived with Katelyn. She was so excited!! My mom brought Brady over to her and let her hold him (with lots of help!)...so sweet to see them together at last! I was so, so sore and still a bit groggy from all the drugs, but I was able to eat some chicken broth and jello and I felt so much better after some food. What a wonderful, wonderful day. Ever wish you could press rewind on a day or a moment in your life? Today was one of those days for me :-)

Ready for Baby...

It's so hard to believe the new baby will be here tomorrow!! I just can't believe it. I'm getting so excited and anxious...it's 5:30am on Sunday and I've been awake for a while now. It's actually nice to have the house so quiet :-) Our c-section has been moved up an hour to noon and I had a pre-op appt. at the hospital on Friday morning. I feel so much better after the appt. The nurse walked me through the entire process and showed me the OR's and recovery rooms. Now I know exactly where to go and what to expect. She spent over an hour with me and answered all my questions, took all my info., and of course, also took more blood. After all the tests and blood work over the last nine months, sometimes I am amazed there is any blood left at all! Today, Bryan and I are planning to tie up all our loose ends and do a very good house cleaning. My parents will be here this afternoon and they will be staying for 2 weeks. We are so thankful for their help!! Katelyn is so excited to see them!
Speaking of Katelyn, she has been cracking us up lately with expressions that come out of her mouth. I have to share some with you:
My dad bought donuts a few weekends ago and Katelyn inhaled one. She reached in the box for a second helping and I took the donut away from her and ripped it in half. I know she would be complaining of a stomach ache if she ate 2 donuts. K wasn't too pleased with this, looked up at me and said, "Hey, what's the big idea??" (Donald Duck says this on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse).
We just had to laugh.
Out of the blue, she told Bryan and I, "We're going to have a bundle of joy soon!"
Yesterday, she was in trouble for climbing up on the toilet and opening a cabinet to get out a squirt bottle she wanted. I told her she could get hurt by climbing up on the toilet, plus the things in the cabinet are not safe for her. She looked upset and said, "That's a safety violation!" (for those who don't watch "playhouse Disney" every morning, there's a quick cartoon every morning called "Lou and Lou Safety Patrol" where a brother and sister are basically tattle-tales and go around looking for "safety violations.")
Katelyn seems to be getting excited about the baby's arrival. She has her "big sister" t-shirt ready to go!
We'll be sending pictures and updates soon. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.

Only 5 Days to go....

...until Baby #2 arrives. Yes, I'm still huge out front, don't know where this baby is finding anymore room to grow. We're still on schedule for our c/section on July 21st and I have my last dr.'s appt. tomorrow (hard to believe!!). I feel like I have been pregnant forever and I've been trying to enjoy this last week, knowing I'll miss these quiet days and feeling the rolling and hiccups from inside. Sleeping has actually been a little better in these last few days, which makes life so much better. It is an uncomfortable time (this may be an understatement, especially in this Florida heat), but it is such a special time. It's funny now because the sight of me is making strangers very nervous. At the dentist yesterday, they were afraid to touch me and pleaded with me not to have birth on the dental chair. A man at a gas station offered to pump my gas and asked me to sit down. Another man let me cut in front of him in line at Publix. Once people hear I don't know the gender, they love to guess. Most say boy. Another thing strangers like to do when they hear my due date and tell me when their birthdays are, or someone they know close to my due date. No one really reaches out to touch my belly (doesn't bother me), they just get a little nervous and have been so sweet to offer to help me with everything.

Since we're losing our guest room to the nursery, we set up the bassinet in our bedroom and kept the guest bed up in the nursery for my parents who will be staying with us for 2 weeks, then Bryan's mom and grandma who will be staying with us a for a week. We have the changing table and closet ready for baby and then we'll set up the crib later.
So, 5 days to go and we'll have another baby!! Can't wait!!

Time is flying by!

I've been a terrible blogger lately!! Our new camera has finally arrived and now I've learned how to use it, so I think we'll be back on track :-)

It's been so nice having Katelyn in school two days a week now. What a difference an extra day makes! She really enjoys it and has been doing well in her new classroom with her new teachers (we were having some issues with time-outs for not listening to the teacher, but she's doing MUCH better!!). While she's at school, I'm able to run errands, mostly taking care of doctor appointments, the dentist, car seat check, etc.

My friend Jeanne and I discovered a new cupcake bakery near us called "Sweet!" The cupcakes are HUGE, but are very good. Some interesting flavors to choose from...strawberry, red velvet, boston cream pie, key lime, etc. They are giving away cupcake decorating kits for the kids, so K was able to have her own cupcake (smaller size) and decorated the top with m&m's and gummi bears. I took a few pictures of her doing this yesterday afternoon while it was storming (again!) outside. She loved decorating it, but took one bite and ran away from it. She's never been much of a sweets person, prefers salty chips like Bryan. At least it took some time to decorate and it was a different and fun activity to do together.

Catching Up

Pictures:

Top: Katelyn at a bowling birthday party...she had a blast!!

Bottom: Bryan gives K a haircut at home

I know it's been a while since we've written in the blog. Wish I could say I had a great excuse, but time has just gotten away from me. Katelyn and I have been busy so far this summer...she goes to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays, on Wednesdays we go to the free movies at our local theater in the morning (they play a PG and G second-run movie for you to choose from, so far we've seen "The Bee Movie," "Alvin and the Chipmunks," "Robots," and "Doogal."), and Fridays we either go to the library or we've been in Tampa. The days fly by!

Our digital camera bit the dust about 2 weeks ago. I took it in to be repaired, but they told me it would cost $250 and told me to just buy a new one. Bryan found a great deal online and one is being shipped to us as we speak.

We're getting ready for baby!! Only 17 days until my scheduled c-section on July 21st. We've been doing lots of washing and organizing. I'm going to the dr. every week now and we've added classes at the hospital as well, so I feel like we're always downtown. Katelyn just completed a sibling class and it was wonderful. She was able to join the 4-6 yr. old class since it was the only open class before our due date. I thought she might be a little young, but you couldn't even tell the difference between her and the 5 yr. olds. She also did the most participating (she told the whole class she's having a little sister) and it was bordering on interrupting. A few times, I was so embarrassed. They watched a short video about babies, then they read them a book about being a big brother/sister. They each got to select a real-life looking baby doll, and the nurses who taught the class showed them how to hold a baby, feed them with bottles, and change a diaper. Katelyn did so well with the diaper change...I was impressed!! When they finished with all that, they were able to decorate a onesie for the baby with stamps. I'll take a picture of Katelyn's onesie when our camera arrives. She did a great job! She insisted on a pink rattle being on the the onesie, so who knows...maybe she knows something we don't. They finished the class with a cookie and juice box for the kids and they eached received a big brother/big sister t-shirt, a certificate, and a button with their picture on it. I was very impressed by the whole class and I think it helped get her excited about coming to the hospital and helping with the baby once we're home.

On the baby front, we are scheduled for our c-section on Monday, July 21st at 1pm. I'm a little nervous about having such a late time, as we can easily be bumped as emergencies pop up. I can't eat or drink anything until after the surgery or 8 hrs. before the surgery, so that makes it difficult. I'm just relieved to see an end in sight!!

That's all for now...

Katelyn's STRONG Opinion about the Baby

Quick story:
We were in Kohl's yesterday, picking out some shorts for Bryan to give him for Father's Day (and as soon as Bryan got home from work, Katelyn blurted exactly what we had bought for him...errr...). I stopped by the baby section to look for a gender-neutral coming-home outfit for the baby. A light green sleeper with matching cap and booties caught my eye and held it up to take a closer look and show it to Katelyn. I said, "I don't know if this could work for a boy" (it had little stars all over it and the booties were a little girly).
Katelyn: "Mommy, the baby IS a boy!"
Me: "We don't know that, you could have a baby sister."
Katelyn: "Mommy, if it's a baby sister I'm going to be VERY mad!!" and she crossed her arms and pouted.
And there you have it. I'm pretty sure this baby is a boy, but we don't know for sure. I know she'll get over it if she does have a baby sister, but I don't what she'll be like at first. Glad I won't be the one to give her the news!! The plus side of having a c/section...too groggy/drugged to make the phone calls immediately afterwards!

What to do when it's soooo hot outside??

It's June 5th today and it's a scorcher!! We were supposed to hit 93 at noon today and we easily reached our target. The sun is so, so strong and bright, barely a cloud for coverage. Our afternoon thunderstorms haven't really begun yet, as the humidity hasn't really set in yet (oh, more to look forward to!!). This is when Floridians start to hide inside, taking shelter in the a/c. It's only June, and I'm already running out of things to do with Katelyn. We spend a lot of time in Barnes and Noble (great kids section and they have a train table for the kids...and a Starbucks for the moms), Chuck E. Cheeses (but gets v. crowded by 10:30am), Library, soon there will be summer movies at 10am once a week for the kids, and summer school starts in two weeks (2x a week). We also alternate houses for playdates. I need more ideas!! Please help! What do you do up north in the winter to keep the kids entertained? We have 4 more months of this intense heat. I know we'll be hanging out at home more when the baby arrives, but until then , we both like to be busy and out and about. Any ideas you can share are appreciated!!