Baby Barnes

As I sit down this morning to document and share the special day that our third little boy was born, it's hard for me to believe that he is three weeks old today.  Three weeks of true sweetness as he just might be the absolute sweetest baby I have ever seen.  His eyes are dreamy and deep, as he intently stares into our eyes and you realize that he is depending on you for his every need, as if he's saying "thank you and I trust you"… It's so heartwarming as he displays his interest in us by turning his head towards us as we talk to him - so often you expect him to smile, although we know it's too early for that.  :) Goodness, pure goodness has filled our hearts and our home.

Now to his "birthday"…

The day began early, and to be honest is kind of a blur as I reflect back.  Two days following Christmas day, and only a few hours of sleep following our final family Christmas gathering at my grandparent's house the night before.  It was kind of busy, to say the least. :)  With our first two boys, I didn't go to bed the night before their birth until our house was spotless.  I mean big time clean… Dust boards dusted, kitchen cabinets wiped down, refrigerator cleaned out, stainless wiped down, blinds vacuumed, glass doors cleaned of smudges, porch and garage swept, vehicles cleaned, fresh potpourri, wood floors mopped to shine, perfect "vacuum lines" in the carpet… you get the picture.  I wanted things perfect.  I must admit that the eve of Baby Barnes's birth was not quite the same.  I was exhausted, my legs hurt, my feet hurt, my hips and back hurt, and the days leading up to the eve of his birth were just too much.  Our Christmas decorations were packed up Christmas afternoon/evening… from the outside of the house to the inside.  My sweet husband, along with family, worked their buns off to get things back to normal, and I must say that it felt good at the end of the day.  I did leave a few of my snowmen out.  Although things were not spotless, and all mentioned above were not done, life went on, and our baby brother joined us just as beautifully as his older brothers.  We are grateful for each and every act of "help" as we prepared to welcome him; our family was a tremendous.

His birth was a planned induction, so we arrived at the hospital at 6:30 A.M., they assigned us a room, and the journey began.  Russ is a rockin' husband, and the birthing process is no exception.  He is phenomenal when it comes to support throughout labor, delivery, and recovery.  I know this is the third experience, but he truly was as awesome with the third as he was with the first.  I love him.  Like a whole lot. :)  As the morning progressed, around 7:30, they started the pitocin, broke my water, and we waited.  About an hour later I was between 4 and 5 cm, and ready for my epidural.  Mr. Morel arrived, and did a great job.  My only surprise was that Russ had to leave, and I missed his strong hand that I've squeezed, and the calming words that he's shared with the past two epidurals.  I even cried a little, but the kind nurse's hand sufficed, I made it, and I sincerely apologized once it was over.  She didn't seem to mind, and I am guessing she's probably been there and done that before.  As the epidural began to do its job, severe anxiety set in.  Never experienced this before.  I was a mess.  A panic attack was making its way to my room.  :(  It was horrible, but I survived thanks to Russ and the head nurse.  I really wanted to sit up or roll over on my side.  I flailed and attempted with great effort to move myself with no luck.  So much effort that my entire upper body was sore for two days from pulling on the railings of the bed.  I bluntly told Russ that he had to go get the nurse or I might not make it.  I know that sounds extreme, but it was real.  I felt like someone attempting to escape jail.  It's kind of funny now, but I'm telling you, it was terrible at the moment.  And although it felt like hours to me, even to this very moment, Russ assures me it was only about ten minutes of panic.  The nurse, along with Russ, calmly rolled me over, and I fell asleep.  I awoke feeling renewed and relaxed; ready to go.  I sincerely give glory to our God for that sleep and relief as I know He saw me through.  Shortly after I awoke, my doctor came in to check on me.  I had gone from six to eight centimeters in less than an hour, {same thing happened with Emmitt}, sleep does me a great deal of "good" as I labor.  She instructed Russ to quickly get a nurse if I suddenly felt pressure or something different or he may be delivering baby Barnes.  That "feeling" occurred about fifteen minutes later, and Russ wasn't about to wait around… he hustled to get our nurse, she checked me, they called Dr. Lund who had already returned to her office across the street, set up shop, and approximately twenty minutes later we were holding our sweet baby.  It was fast and easy, and for that we are thankful.  I so wish that other women could experience easy delivery.  Dr. Lund did a fabulous job, and I have a new love for her.  There's something about the doctor who helps bring your baby into the world that touches your heart.  And goodness, was he beautiful.  Pink, perfect, and crying. I was able to quickly calm him, and he stole our hearts immediately.  He was angelic.  Truly angelic.  Russ was snapping pictures, which I didn't realize, and am so thankful that he captured those first moments of his life in my arms.

{Picture overload begins now}

Brand new...

Being cleaned up, weighed, and they also did his apgar assessment at this time… he passed with a nine.  Almost perfect.

Our Sweet Baby Brother… 

=Thomas Barnes Bragg=

Born at 1:26 P.M. on December 27, 2014

7 lbs, 11 oz

21 1/2 inches long

Perfect.

Back to mama...

Our first family-of-five picture.  Love this so much! 

 A common sight… he fit so perfectly in his Daddy's arms, and his daddy described him as "angelic".  I have to agree. :)

Sweet baby feet.  Complete with ten baby toes.

Sweet baby hand.  Complete with ten baby fingers.

His fingernails were so long, and his little cheeks are proof.  :(  He screamed as he scratched his face, and it was heartbreaking.  I have cut them three times in the past three weeks, and they will probably need it again soon.  His fingers are long, and the mittens we brought would not stay on, the gowns with covered fingers worked the best.

First bath - I don't think he was a fan of bath time. :)

He did love his hair being washed.  It is still very calming to him.  His daddy is the best baby-bather ever.  And oh, my word… his big brothers are a little too involved with the bath.  It's kind of funny, but crazy in the moment.

Calm, once again, thanks to the warming lights.

First bottle… The exhaustion was beginning to set in, but my legs were finally awake!  :)

My mom, sister, and Luke brought the boys to visit.  They were very excited about a gift that was delivered just for them from special friends.

Uncle Luke has a new nephew. :)

Cuddling with Daddy...

Welcome Home, Baby Barnes!  

All three boys have entered their new home through the front door.

Are the boys dressed for a special homecoming or what?!  Ha!  It's so funny to me, and is so "them". 

The next few show their interest.  They adore him.  Too many hugs and kisses to count, and the first thing they ask when they awake is, "Where is Baby Barnes?".  Every.single.morning.  I honestly thought the new would wear off, but so far, he has their full attention, and they love him.

Curious about the diaper change.  He was screaming, and Emmitt was very "nervous".

=Proud Big Brothers=

His homecoming outfit.  It's beautiful. Trust me.  Crazy enough, we went home the next day after he was born.  It still blows my mind, and kind of freaks me out, when I think about bringing a baby, {a human being}, into the world and going home twenty-six hours later.  Crazy.  The nurses were overly helpful as we packed up, and we didn't get any pictures before leaving the hospital.  We appreciated their help, but I wish I would've asked them to slow down rather than worrying about offending them.  But just like the not-so-perfectly cleaned house, life goes on.

And I think that's all.  Since we've been home it's been a tad busy, or maybe really busy… but fulfilling as we've watched our three boys.  :)  I must say that it has been easier to add number three than it was to add number two.  I don't know why, but it has.  Russ and I are so thankful for our three blessings, and our hearts are so full of love.

Thank you, Lord, for this sweet bundle, as well as our other two boys.  They are gifts, and we recognize you as their maker.  Thank you for your faithfulness and love.

Just What I Needed...

Hello,

Yes, I am still here… weary and thankful, but here.

On December 27, we welcomed our sweet baby boy, Barnes, into our family.  It was a beautiful day, and he has brought such joy to our home.  The joy of a baby can be difficult to remember as your children get older.  We love him dearly.  He is perfect and precious - a gift.

It has actually been a much easier transition than we could have ever imagined.  Easier to go from two children to three, than it was from one child to two.  Crazy, but true.

In addition to the joy and love, he's also brought sleepless nights.  Something else that is hard to remember.  He is so peaceful during the day, and around 9:30 at night he begins to fuss and cry, which typically ends around 12:00-12:30.  It's currently 12:14, and he's still awake.  Hence the weariness.

Since he's been born, and we've been home, I have spent a great deal of time on the couch, in front of the TV, feeding and cuddling.  I would venture to say far more in the past two-and-a-half weeks than in an average month; I'm not a TV girl.  And even if I was,  it's always turned to Disney Junior, or some type of ball game, which unless it's a hockey game or a basketball game, I'm typically not interested.  Basically, it's rare that I will be sitting and watching TV.  With that said, I have found a couple of things that I kind of like: HGTV and The Today Show.  Nothing too exciting, but overall enjoyable.

This morning as I was watching HGTV - some type of renovation/refresh/house hunter/something of the sort - the sweetest commercial came on.  My sleepy eyes quickly perked up, and as the words unfolded, combined with the sweet babies, tears fell down my cheeks.  It's nothing fancy, nor is it ground-breaking… it is full of baby smiles combined with confidence and love for their mama.  Click here if you're interested in this sweet commercial.

It was heartwarming for this weary mama.  Although I am weary, I am thankful for this bundle of joy, and Johnson & Johnson's commercial was just what I needed today.

More to come with the details of his special day… his birthday.  :)

P.S. It's now 12:58 and he is currently sleeping in his swing - thank you, Lord.  You do what you have to do.  I will move him to his cradle shortly, and pray that he stays asleep.

Noteworthy {funny}

A conversation with a 4th grader yesterday caused a great laugh, and I certainly don't want to forget it...

We had a 70's Disco Dance at school as a reward for the past six-week's grades, and several classes, including my own, stopped at the restroom for a break before returning to class.

I was visiting with another teacher when a little boy from another class came over and tapped me on the arm... I looked down to answer him, and this conversation unfolded:

M:  "Ummm... Mrs. Selena, have you gained a little weight lately?"

Me:  "Why, yes, M, I have gained a little weight lately, 27 pounds to be exact"... pause... he had a confused look on his face...  I then asked, "M, do you know why I have gained a little weight lately?"

M:  "NO!"  Still looking very confused...

Me:  "I'm going to have a baby soon!"

He began laughing with excitement as he loudly announced to his teacher, along with everyone else in the hallway that, "Mrs. Selena is having a baby!!"  :)

It was so funny, and oddly enough, he is not the only student to recently ask this.  35 weeks today, with a hopeful induction date that is 4 weeks from Friday... 29 days and counting!  We are so excited, and have so much for which to be thankful as we celebrate this holiday season!  Baby Barnes, you better hang tight for 29 days - by December 27 your mama and daddy will surely be ready.  :)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, and thanks to M for such a great pregnancy memory!

Fun Photos on Friday

Hello, and Happy Friday!

I know it's a huge shocker that you're opening a new post from the Bragg Family, but you know, life is busy, and full of fun, causing the computer and blog to be neglected from time-to-time.  Thank goodness the camera doesn't receive that same neglect. ;)

I just downloaded 1,219 pictures, which is quite overwhelming, but thought I'd put a few fun ones up for today.

Weston came to play a few weeks back... the boys adore him, to the point that he is a little scared of them from time-to-time. :)

He has gotten so big, and is so sweet...

A pregnant pic for the mix... still growing AND going strong... Hopefully, six weeks from today, we will have Baby Barnes in our arms.  EXCITING!!  :)

We stopped on the side of the road for a pic of the full moon shining above the bean field.  Pretty.

We've recently celebrated both grandmother's birthdays.  We celebrated Mama B's 80th birthday the end of October with a party for friends and family, alike.  Here is the crew of grandchildren that were present.  We are missing three granddaughters and their husbands, and two sweet children.  I can't imagine how proud Mama B must feel when she looks at this picture of all she and Daddy Denton started. :)  It was a super fun night, and the wild kids were great!

And this past weekend, we celebrated Russ's grandmother's 98th birthday!  Is that crazy or what?!  98 years old... unbelievable.  We met them at Kentucky Dam Lake, and had catfish for lunch.  The food was great, and we all enjoyed it very much!

Is this sweet boy precious, or what?  We love our Weston!

And lastly, Emmitt is taking the snack basket on a quick hay ride... he was so funny!

And that's all for tonight... I will be working on other updates in the coming days.

Enjoy your weekend!!

A Baby Brother

Three children. Three little boys, or shall I say, three little Bragg boys! :)

The last part of the above statement makes this mama's heart smile!!!  Russ and I are so excited about this sweet baby boy that's growing stronger each day, and we sincerely look forward to that special day that he joins our family.  We already love him... so much that it's crazy.  It seems as though we thoroughly understand the love for our boys, and how much stronger it continually grows, that we can hardly wait to hold and cuddle this sweet baby boy.  We are very excited!

Lawson and Emmitt are also excited, and to be honest, I was a little concerned about the possibility of having to tell them that we were having a girl as Lawson has continually said, in a confident manner, "We will be doomed if it's a baby sister!!!!!!"... Ha!  It has been so funny, (and somewhat concerning), mainly because we have no clue where he heard the word "doomed", and furthermore that he understood the meaning, combined with the reality that it COULD be a girl... who knows, but he seemed relieved that it was a boy. :)  And as a good friend said, "more horse trailers", and I then added... more baseballs, basketballs, bats, etc... they don't yet realize that they will have another person to share all those things with since it's a boy. :)  They will figure it out.

Many have asked about his name... his name will be Haverson Barnes Bragg.  We aren't sure what we will call him just yet, but as of today, we will call him Barnes.  :)  As to the significance of his name, Haverson is an older man's name whom Russ has played golf with in South Carolina on a few occasions, and we simply like it.  Barnes is from Russ' college roommate whose life was cut short due to a car accident, and is very special to us.  His name warms our heart and makes us smile, and we love it.  I look forward to a few blankets with his initials on them soon.  And since I have no baby boy things as we thought we were "done", I have already picked up some new things... even though this is the third round of baby boy blue things, it was still so much fun to pick new things out; they are so yummy to me! :)

And a little record for my memory:

How far along: 16 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss:  4 lbs.
Belly button in or out:  In... hoping for it to stay that way as it did with the first two.
Maternity Clothes:  Absolutely.  Since like 5 weeks!!
Sleep:  Sleeping great!  If only Emmitt would get past his routine-wake-up every morning between the hours of 3:30-4:30 A.M.
Movement:  every now and then
Food cravings:  cereal with milk is SO good to me, pancakes, KN Cheeseburgers and tater tots, Hostess (!!!) powdered white donuts (my excitement for the return of Hostess is indescribable!), pizza, grape juice, water.   Thankful for caffeine free Coke. :)  None of this is very healthy, is it? :)
Aversions:  No Mexican since about 4 weeks pregnant, no sausage - which I love, any hamburger-meat-combination, like taco salad or spaghetti or homemade hamburgers/cheeseburgers, BBQ, ice cream/milk shakes which is crazy, I know.
Labor signs:  nope
Best moment:  ultrasound to confirm gender
What I miss:  skinny ankles... seems SO early for swollen ankles, sleeping on my stomach, my cute p.j.'s and gowns as I refuse to spend so much money on big prego mama p.j.'s, and my natural posture.  My stomach is already pulling me forward when sitting for long periods of time.
What I'm looking forward to:  working on the nursery and the boys' new room that they will be sharing, my sister's wedding showers, and our long weekend camping trip that's coming up.
Wisdom at this point in time:  Remember to enjoy the exhaustion, weight gain, side sleeping, chubby ankles, maternity clothes, over sized t-shirts for sleeping, tightening seat belt, etc., as this will be the last pregnancy, unless God has other plans.

And that's all I've got tonight.  Baby Barnes, we love you.  Very much. :)

Thank you, Lord, for this sweet baby... we pray we will both be healthy.

Thanks for reading... it's almost the weekend!!

Happy Birthday, Emmitt! {3 years old}

A long, long time ago, we celebrated Emmitt's 3rd birthday! ;)

I sincerely hoped summer break would lend plenty of time to catch up on blogging, but that hasn't been the case.  So, better late than never, here are the memories from Emmitt's birthday party on April 28, 2013!

We celebrated in Mickey style, and he had SO much fun!

The party started at 2:00 on Sunday afternoon, and we enjoyed tasty finger foods, birthday cake, and ice cream!

Singing "Happy Birthday to you!"

=Our sweet birthday boy=

The house was full of family and friends!

=Aunt Julie and Uncle Luke=

=Granny=

=Misti, Aunt Shelia, Brittany, and Mama B=

=Mom, Emmitt, Mrs. Anita, Abby, and Aunt Julie=

=Weston!=

And now time for gifts... why is it always so crazy?!

He had cried for this book for a few weeks at Wal-Mart, and was so happy about his new Little People farm book!  :)

A fishing pole!

=A quick family picture=

SO excited about his new fishing camper set!

New tractors, too, of course...

Lastly, a "grandparent" picture.  Our boys are fortunate to know their great grandparents...

I believe that's all!

Thanks to Aunt Erin for taking pictures. Thanks to Russ, my mom, and my sister for your help prior to the party.  And thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate our sweet boy's special day.  I love birthdays.  I love that our boys continue to grow and develop, and that we are able to celebrate another year of life!

We love you, Emmitt Bragg, and pray for many, many more Happy Birthdays!

Five

It's with a full heart that I post this picture of our sweet boys sharing the news of "Five"...

We will be a family of FIVE sometime around January 1, 2014!!

{yes, this was planned for those of you thinking what most others have been thinking/saying, "WHAT?!"}  :)

So excited and thankful for this new bundle who is growing stronger each day... will keep you updated as we move through the coming months. Praying for a healthy baby and pregnancy.  Trusting our loving Savior. 

As to our big brothers - they are very excited and are full of, "I think we should name our new baby this -----".   And you can only imagine the names they are suggesting. So funny.

We already love you, Bragg Baby #3!

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.

Psalms 139:13-14

A few things

Over the past few days many funny conversations have taken place with our boys.

I don't want to forget them, so I am going to record them here right quick.

We were having pizza on Wednesday night before church, and the "When I Grow Up" conversation began.  And I must preface this by saying that we've had many conversations regarding this matter, and nonchalantly I once told Lawson, "you can be whatever you want, but you can't be a bum."  This has stuck.  I haven't yet decided for the good or for the bad, but it has stuck.  And so much, that he later said to me, "remember mom, you used to be a bomb when you just stayed home with us, but now you're not a bomb, you're a school teacher", all with a little pat on the back and a smile as if to say, "bless your heart".  :)  I corrected him to be sure he understood bum, NOT bomb. :)

Back to Pizza Hut...

Lawson informed me that he wanted to go to college at Chicago (?), or UTM, or Tennessee Vols, or Vanderbilt.  He then asked if he would need to work while he was in college, and I told him that he would need to work unless he was involved in sports or if his grades were struggling.  He then told me that he wanted to play baseball for Vanderbilt, and that when he grows up he wants to be a "baby nurse so that he can take care of babies like Weston, and that he also gets to stay up ALL night because hospitals never close"... :)

Emmitt then piped up and said he was going to college at Vanderbilt, too, and that he was going to be a cowboy in the rodeo.  Hmmm... I'm not sure if Vandy has a rodeo team, but by all means I told him that sounded great.  He says he will be a rodeo man when he grows up.

Goals.  That's where it starts.

***

Unfortunately, Emmitt is still not potty trained.  We spent a good 28 hours in big boy underwear before I gave in and pulled the diapers back out.  It was terrible.  Although he was dry all night, and only had an accident or two during the day, he cried for his diapers.  And when I say cried, I mean grieved for them.  He begged me not to throw them away, not to give them to Charlie, {a friend at school who was also potty training}, and to please change him with a diaper.  It eventually made me cry which is when I gave into the diapers.

Fast forward about three weeks to this past week... Lawson had fully dressed himself when Russ complimented him with the whole, "you're such a big boy!", which immediately followed Emmitt declaring he was also a "big boy".  Russ responded with, "big boys go potty and wear underwear."  Emmitt says, "oh, yeah, I'm a little boy"... :)

We will eventually get there, I'm sure.  It has caused him a lot of anxiety so we've decided not to mention it again until school is out, and summer break is in full-swing {11 more days!!}, and then the potty training boot camp will begin.  Praying for potty training!

It's almost Friday ~ thanks for reading!

The "Big Shoe Award" {Lawson}

A few weeks ago as I picked Lawson up, and signed him out, there was a note stating that his "big shoe" was to be picked up in the office, and that he would know where to find it.

Sure enough... he knew right where to find his "big shoe".  This big shoe is his trophy, of sorts, for learning to  tie his shoes all by himself.

To say he was proud is an understatement.  He ties them very well, and is now able to fully dress himself.  The big shoe trophy is hanging on the wall in his closet, and will be there for years to come, I'm sure. :)   

Keep growing, big brother, you're almost FIVE, and we're loving every minute of it!!