jillreneeburrows's Xanga

Brayden Rolled Over!!

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:59:32 GMT

At exactly 2 months, my little guy learned a new trick! And you better believe momma was right there getting pictures of the whole thing! He had his 2 month appt yesterday which was a little rough since they gave him FOUR SHOTS!! I cried!! Trust me...if you would have seen the pleading look on his face as he was gripping my finger while the nurse stuck him, you would have cried too!! But, thanks to the help of my friend in the form of Tylenol, we survived and he slept most of the rest of the day! He is currently 25 and 1/4 inches long and weighs 13 lb 12 oz. According to my weight chart, he is the same length that I was at 2 months but weighs about 1lb more! I think he's well on his way to being over 6 ft tall!

So, the moment y'all have been waiting for...pictures!! He's smiling a lot more now when we talk to him...it's so cute!! Enjoy! Peace out...Jill

What a sweet little face! Who could ask for more than this??

How to roll over...Step 1: start on your belly

Step 2: Get some advice from your big sister, who happens to be a pro at this!

Step 3: Get some encouragement from the pro!

Step 4: Celebrate!

Mommy is so proud!!

Picture update

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:00:02 GMT

Wow...I can't believe how fast my little guy is growing!! We had his one month appointment last week...he weighs 11 lbs 4 oz and is 24 inches long! My mom dug out my baby book...when I was a month old I weighed 11 lbs 2 oz and was 24 1/2 inches long...so do ya think my baby's going to be over 6 foot tall just like his mommy?!

Here he is...exactly one month old!

Sacked out on Mommy's lap...he's a belly sleeper!! Shhh...don't tell!!

Gracie and Ellie are HUGE helpers...and love it too!!

Is he winking?!?! Check out that double chin!!

Daddy was getting some smiles out of him...oh so cute!!

So we got this oh-so-comfy memory foam mattress...Brayden would not fall asleep in his crib, and the pack n play with the vibrater on didn't work either...is this the beginning of something really really bad?! Do they make memory foam mattresses for infants??

And then there were six...

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:49:46 GMT

So, a miracle occurred a couple of weeks ago...all 6 grandchildren were at the same place at the same time! WOW! My sister made the treacherous drive from Colorado (she's a hero...she added 3 kids under the age of 4 to the trip...WHEW!!!) and we all congregated at my mom's house. It was our first big trip with Brayden, and we learned how easily a 3 hour trip changes to an all day trip when you have a baby with you!! But, he travels really well and even though we were exhausted we had a really good time!!

Brayden is doing well...the gas issues are much much better...we finally figured out what works! He only gets up twice during the night and takes good naps during the day, so mommy can get some rest too! Michael was on his "paternity" leave the last 2 weeks, so we really enjoyed being a family together and adjusting! But, now it's back to reality and I'm the official day-time caretaker of this little one...no more delegating responsibilities to daddy so I can take a shower or an extra nap while he's awake!!

Below are a few pics of our little family reunion...enjoy!

And there they are...all 6 of them! Karston, Gracie, Maddie, Jeremiah, Ellie and the newest...Brayden!

Our little 5 yr old mommy-helper...she loves the babies!

Our family of 3

The 4 oldest ready to camp out in the tent for the night with "Princess Gramma!" We lost all bets...they actually made it through the night!!

Brayden getting a bath in Gramma's sink...he loves his baths!!

I'm finally a Mommy!!

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:38:46 GMT

It's true...I finally reached the end of the tunnel!! Our precious little boy was born on 9/11 at 1:30 pm. He weighs a monstrous 9lbs and was face up...it was quite painful!! But, I got through it with lots of drugs and support from my amazing hubby and mother!

Brayden spent the first few days of his life in the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit) because they found some air pockets between the layers of his lungs (who knew our lungs have layers?!). They had to put him in a little oxygen bubble to help dissipate the air pockets. It was quite a struggle for mommy and daddy to see him hooked up to all those different machines, but we knew he was in good hands and that everything would be ok. We are so blessed!!

The moment you have all been waiting for...pictures!! It's so fun to have such a cute little booger to take pictures of...here they are! Enjoy!

Peace out...

The Final Appt!

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:49:41 GMT

Much to my dismay, the final appt was just as disappointing as the one before...I'm stuck at 1cm!! However, I had myself a little more prepared this time and wasn't expecting anything miraculous! It definitely helped that my appt to be induced had already been made, so we are thinking this little booger is going to wait until Wednesday to come!

Please pray for an easy and smooth delivery...and quick too!! I go to the hospital on Tuesday at 6pm to get some drugs that will make me start cramping and having contractions (sounds like a fun evening, eh??) and then on Wednesday morning my doctor will break my water and hopefully Brayden will come not too incredibly long after that! We'll definitely post pictures after we get home which will probably be Friday if he's born early enough on Wednesday and there are no major complications! Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers!! Love you all!!

Peace out...

Meet Mannie

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 13:18:54 GMT

In an effort to ease the utter disappointment of these exact words that came out of my doctor's mouth yesterday "No change...I'm so sorry girl!!" (translation...you are still only dilated 1cm!) We went to Build-A-Bear and built a monkey for Brayden...

Here is Mannie...patiently waiting in Brayden's pack n play for Brayden to join him. That now makes 3 people that are patiently waiting and one that is about to go insane (Miika is being quite patient too!!) I pretty much woke up crying yesterday due to the fact that it was the second night in a row that I got absolutely no sleep. And for the record...walking DOES NOT HELP!!!!!

The only reason I did not cry at the doctor's office yesterday (I saved the crying for the ride home!) was because she made the appointment for me to be induced...there is an end to this! Should Brayden decide to be as stubborn as his mother and as patient as his father we will be going to the hospital the evening of Tuesday 9/11 to begin the process of inducing and will hopefully have this little booger sometime on the 12th. There is still hope of him coming earlier, but I'm not going to count on that...I don't think I can go through another day like yesterday!! I'm looking forward to the 12th, and will be ecstatic if he comes earlier, but won't be disappointed if he doesn't!! We'll keep everyone posted!!

Peace out... Jill

It's done! It's done! It's done!

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:45:48 GMT

After much patience, planning, and re-planning, we've finally completed the nursery! We are so excited and happy with it...I love it!! We are getting a rocking chair from Michael's mom (actually...the one she got and used when she had him!), but other than that the room is done! With only 2 weeks (or less) to go (yes...I am praying fervently that I won't deliver late...it's too hot and I'm way too uncomfortable to go longer!!! ) we are ready for this baby to come! The car seat is in the car, the hospital bags are packed...we just need a baby!

I had my 38-week appt on Wednesday and was a bit discouraged...I'm dilated a whoppin' 1 cm! (for those of you who have absolutely no idea what that means...10 cm is as big as it gets, but the last 4 or 5 happen at the hospital). My next appt is a week from today (Friday) so we'll be praying for better news and more dilation!!!

Below are some pics of the nursery (of course!!) and a big belly pic of me with my grampa. He came to visit last weekend on his way back to his home in Florida...we had a really good time just hanging out together! It was great to have someone to be lazy with!

Peace out... Jill

Prego Pics

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:09:17 GMT

I just realized I never posted any of the maternity pics that we had taken in June! Yes, I am a bit bigger now than I was in these pics, but you'll get over it!!

I had my 36 week appt yesterday and everything still looks good...I am now on the weekly visit plan until the baby is born! The nursery is coming along...I'll post pictures as soon as it's done! In the meantime, enjoy these prego ones! Peace out!

It's not over yet...

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:10:50 GMT

Before I could have too much time to celebrate the little "unemployment" hurdle we jumped over, I received some rain on my parade...a letter that my ex-employer is appealing my unemployment benefits. Basically, they think my being fired was my fault and think they can prove it. I have a few choice words for these people, but will keep them to myself!

However...the rainbow after the rain never ceases to shine! Michael and I were convinced that we were going to have to fight this battle without our lawyer (who is helping us with the lawsuit), but I found out yesterday we were wrong! He said Dept. of Workforce (unemployment office) appeals ARE a part of our agreement and he WILL represent me at the appeal! Woohoo!! I'm thinking the judge is going to take one look at me (reminder...I'm 35 weeks pregnant!!!) WITH a lawyer by my side and laugh in the faces of my ex-employer!

So...we are fervently praying that the judge will not find me at fault (if he does, we have to pay back ALL of the benefits we will have received at that time!!) AND that I will not be delivering a baby when I'm supposed to be in court!!

Speaking of baby...he is doing really well and growing like a weed! Brayden seems to have taken a liking to my bladder (I pee at least 100 times a day!!) and my lungs (catching my breath seems to be a little more difficult than normal sometimes!) BUT...he is healthy as can be so I have no complaints! I am retaining water, so I now have some pretty fat fingers! The prego belly is getting bigger...I will try and take some new "belly pics" to post soon!

That's it for now! Peace out!

Jill

More than enough!

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:28:37 GMT

PRAISE THE LORD!! Not only did my unemployment go through, but God gave us more than enough! We had it figured to the penny the minimum we needed to make ends meet, but God gave us enough to make ends meet AND pay-off some debt a little faster AND put a little in savings! I never doubted that God would take care of us, but I guess I doubted to what extent...He truly knows what He's doing!! Receiving unemployment is a HUGE pressure-lifter right now...this will get us beyond having the baby and more time to figure out the next step!

Michael probably won't hear anything about his new job opportunity until next week...he received an email Monday morning from the woman who interviewed him (who was on vacation last week) saying that the person she wants him to interview with next is on vacation this week! We are very excited to see how all this plays out and God's timing in it all. We know He definitely has a hand in all of this, so we're just sitting back and taking it day by day!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement...we are so blessed to have such an amazing family and friends! We love you all!!

Because of Him,

Jill