Abbey's favorite things 2010

So right now I have a few favorite things that I think totally rock! Here are some of them:

1. Old Navy (or BabyGap but much more expensive) two peice pajamas for babies. I think I might be the only person I know with a four month old that still wakes up at night. It seems like every mom I talk to says that their baby "sleeps all the way through the night"... well ours definately doesn't! He has had many 8 hour stretches followed by a 3 hour stretch, but those days have suddenly gone away! He has been a three hour sleeping baby for the past two weeks and I am hurting! Anyways, these pajamas rock because I can change his diaper without waking him up or worrying about snaps or zips in the middle of the night! Plus, they are super cute and he looks like a little boy rather than a baby.

2. Beaba Babycook for cooking baby food. My freezer is filled with stuff already! My best friend Joelle got me this for my baby shower (yes, she spoils us) and I am crazy about making food! I have made so many things already. I cook it in the babycook and then scoop it into the silicone trays and freeze them. When they are done freezing, I pop them out into bags and then I can use the trays for other things. I have even been making my own cereal. I made a TON of rice cereal, oatmeal, and barley. The problem is, at his four month appointment, my doctor wants us to wait a little while for food. Brigz has an issue with going to the bathroom and the doctor said rice makes it worse, so we will start oatmeal in couple of weeks. It is a little chunkier, so he needs to be a little older.

3. This time of year means lots of love and family and friends... which also means lots of presents! Since we are working on one salary right now, we knew this Christmas was going to be a little harder. So thank goodness for Marshalls! I can buy so many things for a lesser price and not break the bank!

4. Going back to my number one, I have not got much sleep lately. In the beginning when Brigz woke up, I didn't seem to mind. I was so in babylove that I loved seeing him every three hours. Now, after he started sleeping more and now has reverted back to newborn, I am a little more reluctant to wake up in the morning. After going from zero caffeine the last year and half, I have found that Starbucks can be a girl's best friend. It can get stinking expensive though, so it only happens on those oh-so-rough days! I am a sugar free vanilla, soy latte girl for sure.

5. My church. http://www.sagebrush.cc/ I am so in love with every thing about it! I love our pastor, our band, and how the message each week seems to be directed right towards me and Corey. Last week was all about learning from the "waiting room" of life and how God is teaching us in the times that we are still and idle. Pastor Todd says the we learn more then than when we actually get to where we are waiting for. We SO needed to hear that. Right now we live in a rental track home. The exact thing we NEVER pictured for our life. We want to be on acres and acres with room for animals (my horses and Corey's cows) and for Brigzy to run. We need to appreciate this time though, which is so much easier said than done sometimes. I love my time with Brigz, but it is so easy to be anxious for our next step. We need to have faith that God with guide us where we need to go. He always has :)

6. This tickle monster book and mittens is the cutest book e.v.e.r. Every night, we try to read a couple of books before Brigzy's bath. He doesn't totaly pay attention to this one, but I hope he does one day, because I think it is so cute. Also, this book

I Love You Stinky Face. They are so much fun! I don't think you would appreciate the second book until you are a mamma. It is about a little boy who asks his mom if she would still love him even if he was a gorilla, alien, cyclopse and more. I hope Brigzy really likes books. He already will point to them and listen when we read, but he would rather play in his exersaucer for the moment:)

Well, that's all I can think of right now....

Shutterfly Shoutout!

So, I have to admit I have always been really terrible about Christmas cards in the past. I don’t feel like anyone would want a picture card of Corey, Bella, and I. This year is much different! With our new little guy, I want to share him with everyone! I have found the perfect card to send out on shutterfly.com and here it is http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/love-all-around-christmas-5x7-photo-card-5x7-photo?sortType=1&storeNode=93480. I love this card because I can put two pictures of Brigz on it or one of him and one of the whole family. I want to send everyone a picture of Mr. Brigz Bell because I think Christmas is a time for family and friends and I would love for all of ours to get to see what makes our Christmas so special.


You can do this too if you go to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards you can find Christmas cards for this year. They are so cute because you can put lots of pictures on them of your family at a great price! You can also send out fun gifts with pictures like a calendar if you go to http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars. If you are having a holiday party, you can print invitations from here too if you go to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-invitations. It is a great deal and so affordable! I love shutterfly.com!!!

We have a four month old!!! :(

I cannot believe little Brigzy is 4 months old!! He is so big and so wild right now and I LOVE every minute of it! We have realized that our little guy is very active! He is always busy, busy! Here are the things he loves to do right now:


• He only likes to stand. If he is sitting, he better have a toy or a hand to play with

• He loves toys of any kind right now. Colorful, light-up, or a paper cup and he is a happy camper. He wants to hold it, play with it, chew on it, and slobber on it. My hands are his favorite.

• He loves his excersaucer. He sits in it forever and talks to all of his toys

• He is a giggle machine when you hold him up in the air or when his daddy kisses his neck and belly

• He likes to feel independent and stand up with out you holding him. This is a problem considering he can’t stand on his own yet!

• He still isn’t the biggest fan of sleeping. He sleeps from 7:30 pm to 8 am but he wakes up at least 2 times a night. Sometimes 3 or even 4.

• He is a nap kid. He naps every 2.5 to 3 hours for about 45 min to an hour and a half.

• He only sleeps on his sides

• He all of a sudden loves his car seat... not sure why the change

• He is mesmerized by the tv but I try to not let him watch it. Daddy sais football is allowed 

• He chews on everything he can get his hands on and he loves to have his gums massaged

• He Loves his bathtime

• He loves to chat. He talks and talks and talks. He loves the “G’s”. He literally says “goo goo ga ga”!

• He loves his changing table, getting his diaper changed, and getting dressed... but he loves to be naked more

• He loves for people to scare him. If you make him jump he will smile so big!

• He like to hang out with me while he eats. It is a issue. He eats for 10 seconds and then wants to just stare at me and smile for 10 seconds. It makes feeding interesting! But I love every second of it!

• He loves all of his cousins! He loves anyone who will talk to him. If you talk and smile at him, he talks and smiles back until he gets either too hungry or too tired!

• He loves the plane. Within two seconds of take off, he is crashed out!



We went to the doctor this week and we found out we have a very skinny, long boy. He is in the 75th-90th % for height but only the 25th-50th% for his weight. His head is 50th%. He is in mostly small 6-9 month tops and rompers and still 3-6 month pants. She said he is extremely healthy and his motor skills are “baby genius” level. Poor kid has now set his expectation bar high! He is so much fun right now, and I LOVE that he is so busy and wild! I love that my house is filled with crazy baby talk all day and that I can actually play with him now! He is our little blessing that I have a blast with each day! He always impresses me with the new things he learns over night. I don’t want him to grow any more though! Every time he grows out of an outfit, I want to cry!

My Guys

So every once in a while I feel like I have to pinch myself in order to realize that THIS is actually my life. Even though it is NOwhere near what I had planned for myself, I have to thank God for unanswered prayers. 

I think life with a baby feels like a washing machine sometimes because each day has a start and an end and an in between that are pretty much the same every day. But it all seems so surreal to me because I love every second of it.

Each morning I get woken up by the best noise ever - our little man talking away in his crib. When I go to get him, he smiles and coos at me continuously until his nap an hour and a half later. I get to spend all day with him, watching him grow and trying to teach him things. He literally surprises me each day with something new he has done or with an outfit that randomly doesn't fit. I get to kiss all over him and make him giggle as much as possible! I am one of those moms that HATES the sound of my babies cry. Despite what they say, I am not going to let him cry to "strengthen his lungs" or "teach him how to be alone and self soothe". I feel like my job is to make sure he is happy for his entire day! Even though that is impossible, I still try!

Then in the afternoons, God reminds me that I have done an AMAZING job at picking my husband. He gets home and loves on me and Brigz and every day I realize: my life is complete. I have a best friend for a husband who works so hard for our family that I can stay home and appreciate every little thing lil Brigzy does!

So thankful for my boys

Absolutely, totally, completely in LOVE with Mr. Brigz

Yep, we officially have a three month old! I am so emotional writing this blog, because I am so sad that he is getting older, but so happy and in love with him at the same time! Today I worked at the salon for a little while and my sister watched him. Then Corey picked him up when he got off. I got home and Corey had fixed dinner. I felt like REAL parents for the first time! Every night, I take a bath and relax for fifteen minutes and then Corey brings the baby in and I bath him with me. Tonight when he brought him to me, he looked so much older! Not seeing him for a few hours made me feel like I missed a whole part of his life :( It made me so sad!

I am absolutely in love with this age! I can't imagine that it will get any better than this!

• Right now he seems like he sees everything and is trying to soak it all in!
• He reaches for things and is trying to put EVERYTHING in his mouth! Including his thumb, which I have caught him sucking like crazy a few times!
• He is so smiley and sometimes giggly. I can't figure out what makes him giggle! My poppop got him to giggle for a minute straight the other day and it was the cutest thing I have ever seen!
• His little body is so cute right now! He has little rolls in some places and I want to eat them up!
• All Mason's clothes are finally matching up, so he has the cutest clothes to pick from!
• We finally seem to have a schedule down for both our days and nights. Now I know exactly what he wants when he wants it and it makes our days so easy!
• He is super cuddly and wants to just lay on me sometimes even when he is wide awake. When he does this, I feel like I am on cloud 9.

I am so in love with every second I get with him! Tonight he was in his exersaucer staring at a new friend he made (a penguin I named "Polly") and he was just talking to her and staring and smiling! I coudn't keep my eyes off of him! I could have watched him for days if he wouldn't have gotten ticked off and wanted out after a while :)  I can't help but get sad that one day he will be so big and I will look back on the days when he would cuddle up in my arms and fall asleep. I am going to miss him being this small so bad. Anyways, I should wipe the tears of complete and total happiness and go to bed while he is sleeping!

Have I Mentioned How Much I Love Fall?!

 I am so excited that fall is here you have no idea! It brings with it the greatest temperatures, the most beautiful scenery of changing leaves, and of coarse... football! If you know me, you know that I hate on Albuquerque. Alot. But I do have to give Albuquerque the best weather award. It has the greatest variety of seasons. The fall is by far the prettiest. Growing up in Corrales, I was always surrounded by the beautiful changing colors of the bosque. Here are just a few:

Not to mention, fall brings the best running weather! It is chilly in the morning and then about seventy five all day..... perfect. I love decorating for this time of year too! I love all the colors! My house is usually fall colors anyways, but this time of year I get to go all out! Here are some pictures of my house:

And of coarse... football! I have to admit that I don't physically sit and watch it. I would like to say that I am one of those girls who hangs out and cheers for the team. I totally will for Tech, but usually I just like to know the score and know my team is winning. I also LOVE it in the background! I love leaving all the doors open in the house, candles burning, low light, comfy sweats, and football! Here is Corey and Briggy watching a game:

I hate for him to watch tv. I don't think its good for babies, but football is allowed!

Cutest Baby Ever... No Bias Here

Here is a video of our sweet little Brigz today. He never laughs and giggles and talks near as much when on video of coarse! He is doing so well... well besides the terrible GERD that has consumed our lives! I am trying to not stress about it and assume that his body is doing what it needs to. I think the doctors are about ready to block my calls! Anyways... here is my cutey pie!

GERD

Man it is crazy how fast things can escalate in babies and how fast it makes me stressed! At the doctor on Wednesday, I told her my concerns of Brigz having either reflux or a bad tummy. I wasn't expecting any answers but I thought I should mention it since he had been unusually fussy the days before. I don't think she believed me at first but wrote me a script and told to fill it if I things got worse. During the visit, he started his screaming for no reason and doing the weird things with his mouth that he started doing. She said to fill the prescription right away because he definately has GERD. The mouth thing is his reaction to the acids in his esophagus. I had read a lot about GERD because I felt like it was what Brigz has been having. I didn't realize how many symptoms he had of it until I talked to a family friend who has a little boy that suffered from reflux really bad when he was a baby.

• Brigz has always had a stuffy nose that I thought was from his allergies
• He has never been a good sleeper. He moans, grunts, and cries for no reason the whole night.
• He cries when he burps
• He started spitting up a ton lately and usually cries with it
• His weight gain hasn't been as rapid since he started spitting up
• Sometimes, he will eat on one side and after I burp him he still acts hungry but won't eat. He arches his back and screams
• Irregular eating. He acts hungry sometimes because he is trying to sooth the acid in his throat. It just makes him spit up more and they cycle starts over

So we tried the zantac. It takes 4-5 days to kick in at his age. Both times we have given it to him, it has made him spit up more and more. This morning I woke up happy because he slept amazing last night. I fed him at seven and he continuously spit up until 8. I gave him his dosage and he projectile vomited twice. I am scared he is going to get dehydrated. I have a call into to the doctor and hopefully we can find out what is going on. I feel so bad for my little guy :(

2 months

Holy COW! Our little man is two months old. I cannot believe it! He is growing so fast. This last week was the biggest visible change so far. He look so big to us now! Here is an update on new things he is doing:

• He talks to us. Seriously. We lay him down and say something.... then he coos back.... then we say something.... then he coos. It's crazy. I think he thinks he is talking to us. It is so funny because he does facial expressions with his coos. His eyebrows and head moves around and he looks us right in the eye! So cute.
• He pulled himself up today for the first time. Corey puts his hands in front of Brigz's and Brigz grabs them and pulls himself to the sitting up position! It freaked me out because I was not expecting it!!
• He can hold things now... including my hair.
• He went 8 hours straight the other night in Georgia. It hasn't happened again... or even come close for that matter. I don't understand what was so different about the day to make him sleep longer but maybe I'll figure it out soon! He sleeps from 8-8 but he wakes 2 (sometimes 3) times to eat. I don't mind it. I feel very rested in the morning.
• He is sleeping in his own crib now like a big boy. This made Corey veeeerrrrryyyy sad because he said it reminds him he is growing :(
• Brigz and Corey are two pees in a pod right now. Brigz lights up when he sees or hears Corey. Its adorable.
• He smiles more and more each day
• He has started drooling. Weird. Don't know why.
• He is taking a pacifier more than he used to. He all of a sudden has a crazy strong sucking urge. He doesn't want food and in fact, if I offer it, he gets super ticked off. So I tried a different pacifier and he seems to like most of them now. I have mixed feelings because I don't want him to get hooked, but it works well for making him go 3 hours between feedings during the day.
• He LOVES airplanes. They put him to sleep.
• He LOVES LOVES LOVES the beach. Its mostly the breeze. He immediately closes his eyes and goes to sleep.
• He still hates the car seat.
• and naps. Ugghhh. the nap thing has been hard lately. He only wants to be held during naps.
• He has realized that his screams get things done. He has the most helpless and brutal cry you could ever hear. Every one says mine was that way too. He can turn it on and off in the drop of a hat too. It can stress me out big time if I can't figure out what he needs right away.
• His eyes are definately blue and staying that way. They are adorable. His eyelashes are as long as mine. No joke. So his eyes look so pretty.
• He is in all 3-6 month clothes. We go to the doctor tomorrow so we will see how much he weighs. I'm thinking it is going to be a lot.
• He is perfect. I can't quit kissing and loving on him! God has blessed us!

On Tybee Island beach

Random

Its really weird that this little guy will be 7 weeks tomorrow. It is crazy that I was pregnant with him for 40 weeks and 3 days and it seems like a dream completely. Just 7 weeks ago I had a MASSIVE belly that rumbled around with his little limbs! I really do miss pregnancy because I thought it was so much fun to be filled with a little one that you have no idea about yet. It's like the greatest Christmas present ever! But now getting to see him and change makes me happy he is here and not in my tummy :)

Life is so much different with a baby! My days start with me writing out my to do list of the day. It is usually way too optimistic and I end up checking off one or two of the many items I have high hopes of accomplishing! We have realized that Brigz is a pretty gassy kid! Not surprising if you know his daddy ;) After feeding him it can take up to 15 minutes to get out the last bits of burps and grunts out to make him happy... and then there is still probably one or two more that make him scream his head off uncontrollably. Then he is the sweetest boy ever! When he is happy he is okay with anything! That is when I try to donate all my time to just him. He gets so alert and smiley and just stares at me like he just wants to soak in every word I say to him. Those are my favorite parts of every day :) Babycenter says the peek of fussiness is at 6-7 weeks so hopefully we will figure out these bodily functions and we can spend more time hanging out than bouncing, patting, change positions, bouncing, patting, change positions.... and repeat!

Needless to say, the chores don't seem very important when I have his big ol' blue eyes staring at me! HOWEVER, I have realized lately how bad I am slacking! My house needs a deep cleaning soooo bad but everytime I get the time, that is the last thing I want to do! When Corey is home on weekends, I want to hang out with us three, not clean!! The spot cleaning and picking up has only put on a band aid on for so long... its time to do it!! I also am sooo behind on thank you cards it is unreal. I am never this person! But since we finally did our announcements (thanks to my god friend Kayla), I am planning on sending out thank yous with the announcements.

Also, this post pregnancy body is starting to go back to normal. I dropped all my weight by three weeks, but I was hoping to keep losing. I have just stayed at my same ol' weight. bummer. We are going to Georgia this next week and staying on the beach for ten days and my poor family has to see my flabby body in a bikini! Hopefully when we get back I will be able to start jogging a little again. I miss running so rediculously bad that I think I start drooling when I see someone running. not really, but I could. I miss that feeling of working out. I want to get a jogging stroller and start back up again. I want to do the Duke City Relay again in October and run the 10K leg again so I need this body to hurry up and heal!

Well I should get going and work on some of my list while my little man sleeps! Wish me luck!

1 Month Old

It is so bittersweet to see our little guy getting older. On the sweet side, he is getting so much more of a personality. We can make him smile now and he has so many new faces each day. He is holding his head up for one minute and getting so strong! His little body is filling out and he finally looks like a healthy baby with some chubbs on him! We are starting to see what he is going to look like in the next couple of months. He is almost fitting in his car seat. We still have one blanket to prop up his long skinny body, but we are almost there! His features are becoming more distinct and he is loosing all of his dirty blonde hair which is getting replaced by white hair! His eyes are getting lighter and lighter and I think they will definately be blue with maybe some green. I always have wished for a baby with Corey's color of eyes because I feel like that is what you see the most of when you talk to someone and I want to see as much of Corey as I can in our babies because I think he is amazing.

On the bitter side, I almost cry every day because he is growing up. That might sound so stupid, but I just want to make sure I am appreciating every second I have with this baby. Even at 4 in the morning when I am trying to keep my eyes open and feed him and he is staring up at me with his big ol' baby blue eyes. He is officially wearing mostly newborn stuff now and only a few preemie outfits. His outfit we brought him home in looks rediculous next to him. The clothes are what make me realize how fast he really is growing. I am pretty sure I will bawl my head off when I have to pack these clothes up! We started Brigz on a big boy bottle this week so that Corey could watch him for a couple hours while I did the hair at my best friend's wedding on Saturday. I was so sad that he is growing up and taking a bottle! At the same time, I am so happy his daddy can have that time with him to bond. Corey put him to bed last night after the bottle because it was the last feeding and he got to experience a little mommy stress that I have now gotten so used to. He tried doing Brigz and I's routine and had a few little hiccups! Brigz yelled a while at him and then went to sleep. Corey was so stressed that he would wake back up, did he do it right, and so on. It just made me laugh because I realize how much easier this had become for me in four weeks!!

Brigz in his coming home outfit

Brigz now

I know that God has given me the job to get this little man prepared for the world. And I am so excited to see who he will be!! But I just want him to stay this tiny forever!! I will probably want to kill him when he is in middle school, but I will always wish I could hold him in my arms like I do now :( Right now he loves to crash out on my shoulder and it is my favorite! We dance around the house and I kiss his little cheeks so much I think they might fall off, yet he still just sleeps on my shoulder. It is so cute!

Having a baby has definately made me think so much about God and how he loves us. All day I get peed on, pooped on, spit up on, yelled at and so on. Yet I have so much love for this little guy I can barely stand it!! My job is to teach him life lessons and try to be there for him to keep him on the right path. Is this not exactly our relationship with God? I am thankful every day God has given me this job because I am so happy.

We have had some difficult moments lately though! The first two weeks of baby hood were a breeze! He slept great, ate great, and if he was awake, he was the happiest camper! Lately he has gotten a lot fussier and hasn't been sleeping as well. We have tried a lot of different things for sleep, but they only seem to make things worse and even more confusing. We swaddled him for five days and it worked great for two days. He slept longer and was easier to put to sleep. Then it went down hill and he was waking every two hours to eat or just to be held. Now we are back to no swaddling, and we are trying to give him a bottle before bed to make sure he gets a large meal in so maybe he will start sleep in longer cycles. We are still at every 3 hours right now. He was doing four or five a couple times a night pre-swaddling. Every 3 is fine with me because he does it for 12 hours. I definately feel rested and he seems happy, but I would think that he should be pushing it out now so we will see. And about the fussiness, who knows. I started introducing new things back into my diet that I had been being careful of (green chile and more milk) and that could have a part in it. He seems to want to sleep all day right now and if I try to stop him, he is ticked! Despite a little craziness right now, I am still the happiest mamma ever!

He is five weeks today and he has some serious rolls starting on him. He is adorable! I am excited to see how he will look as he grows, but sad that he is growing! I love our little man!

So Happy

I was at a bachelorette party for one of my best friends this weekend, and a girl asked me how having has changed me. The only thing I could think of is how happy I have been since I first got pregnant. I really feel like babies are a little miracle that we take for granted. I am trying to soak up and appreciate every moment with this guy, even when he yells as me, because one day I'm not going to be able to hold him in my arms anymore. I can't express the butterflies I always have when I look at him. He is half of me and half of Corey  and I L.O.V.E that!

The other day I was telling my Poppop that he wanted to hang out with me in the middle of the night randomly when he normally is sound asleep all through. My Poppop asked, well what did you do? I told him that I tried to make him sleep but it didn't work. We just ended up laying around until he was tired again. He said, well that is what you are supposed to do. What else do you have to do but take care of that beautiful little baby?

So every time he is wide awake randomly, or yelling at me for what seems like no reason, I think of what my Poppop said and it makes taking care of him so much more fun! I love every second I get with this little man!
Last night, he decided he was hungry every two hours. This felt so rough in the middle of the night having one hour cat naps. I kept dozing off feeding him, which scared me. He would eat for fifteen minutes and go back to sleep. Then he was wide awake at five thirty. I was so tired, but I kept thinking, well what else do I have to do?! I'll sleep tomorrow! Those little awake times have now become my favorite. We usually just stare at each other. Sometimes I sing or pray with him and he just stares at me and looks like he is listening so contently. He is truly our little blessing. Here is one of our awake time hang out pictures:

This weekend, we are going to Clovis. I am so excited to go to the fair and I know his grandparents are very excited to see Brigz! I am too! I'm sure we will have lots of pictures!

My Life As A Mamma...

Well it basically consists of staring at my baby! I can't get enough of him! I don't do anything all day but kiss him, love all over him, stare and him, feed him, and wait until he wakes up so I can play with him again! Its a wonderful life :) Unfortunately, Corey had some craziness at work and had to go back this week and Brigz and I miss him very much :( But we are finding out our own little schedule with just the two of us. Our nights are completely figured out... so far! While we were at the hospital, he got a little jaundice and we were forced to go 24 hours with eating every three hours for thirty minutes and him being under the lights the rest of the time. So even though I spent those 24 hours missing him and crying, it did get us on a great schedule to come home with! At night, he eats every 3 hours consistently and sleeps very hard the rest of the time. He is a great sleeper. We have him in bed by 9:30 and we lay him down with his eyes closed usually. He goes to sleep and wakes up around 11:30 -12:30 and so on. He will eat and go right back to sleep. I feel really spoiled because I haven't been at a loss for sleep. I am tired during our middle of the night feedings, but by the time morning comes, I feel rested. He then wakes around 8:30-9:30 to eat and sleeps til noon. I get up then and do all my chores around the house until he gets up.

Our problem area is during the day. We don't have any schedule yet, but I am ok with that for now! He eats randomly and I am sad to try to make him wait 2.5-3 hrs to put him on a schedule because he is so tiny. I don't want to deny him food. So my schedule is his during the day.. with lots of pictures and kisses in between!

Corey and I have realized how rediculously paranoid we are! I guess its because he almost wasn't here, but we check on him constantly! We have an angel monitor that ticks every time he breaths. If we didn't have that at night i think we would go insane. The night before last, corey didn't get any sleep because he literally checked on him every 10 minutes even though the monitor was ticking. He doesn't trust the angel monitor and thinks it lies to him! haha! Brigz is just the deepest sleeper ever. You can lift his arms and legs, touch is face, move him around, and it will not wake him at all! And he's a shallow breather so it is hard to see his little chest move!

We have been blessed this week to have my besties all chip in and do dinner for us each night. My awesome coordinated it and each night we get an awesome visitor and an awesome meal! It has been so much fun! Next week, the MOPS group I just signed up for is doing dinner for us. We feel so spoiled! We have also had lots of family come in and come by.

Basically, I am so stinkin in love with this little guy! Corey and I are hoping we dont give him a complex from kissing him so much!! Here are some pictures of our lazy days at home:

One of God's Lil' Miracles

So first of all, I would like to announce Mr. Brigz Foster Bell.

Born at 3:08 AM on July 27th, 2010

5 lbs. 8 oz. and 20 in. long

We CANNOT quit kissing this little man! He is the most precious thing I have ever seen in my life! He is so sweet! We are in heaven!

So where to start off about the labor!? Last week has to be the most frustrating, scary, and yet blessed week of my life. Getting on here and seeing the other posts I had made just make me so mad because of the way it was handeled. I am going to start where I left off on Monday and say I definately did not have predromal labor. It might have made me feel better, but we would have been lucky to have that. It turns out that I was in real labor the whole time.

My contractions got down to every three minutes on Monday for three hours before they lunged back out to ten minutes. The ten minute contractions were so brutal I thought my body was ripping in half. They lasted 2+ minutes and I was just trapped in bed screaming and crying with no way to breathe through them or calm myself down. Corey called the doctor on call out out of complete desperation. THANK THE GOOD LORD the doctor was Dr. Dondate. After Corey explained everything, he said that labor was not a set thing (unlike all the other doctors that seemed to think it had to be only one way) and to bring me in if my pain was that severe. I was so scared to go in and have them be mean once again and send us home that I was thinking of just waiting until the next morning for my check up with Dr. Garcia. Corey made the decision after talking to my sister who told us that if a doctor was finally willing to help us, we need to go for it. 

We got to triage and the nurse was not very sweet to say the least. She started telling me that I wasn't in real labor yet. My sister said this was not normal and the lady said it was very normal and she had been doing it for 18 yrs. My sister got a little fiesty and said she had two babies and neither went like this. My contractions were close together on the monitor, but weren't showing up very strong at all compared to all the pain. The babies heart rate started to do something funny and the doctor came in. They couldn't figure it out, but it was going down to 45 beats per minute... not good at all. He brought in an ultrasound machine and looked at my tiny belly that looked about 6 months at this point (I had lost 7 pounds in four days and my belly looked really funny). He got really worried and said my baby was out of water. He said we needed to do a c section because the baby couldn't handle labor. It was a huge relief for me then knowing we could get to see our little guy and I wanted him out of there to be safe in our arms.

To make a long story short, he was born that morning completely anhydramnios - completely without water. It is extremely rare and most babies do not live through it. Thank goodness we didn't wait until the next morning for my apt because they said he wouldn't have made it. He had to be born in his sac because he was saran wrapped into it. I get the chills thinking of this now. My water had broke I think about a week ago on wednesday when i started to have normal contractions. I asked them to check for it and i guess it didn't show up. I continued to ask at my appointments and the five calls I made into triage. I guess nobody wanted to believe me. There was a leak in the top of the sac and so I still felt like I had water because it was still there by his head. That is why our little guy is so skinny... he was in stress for one week. He heart rate was dipping because the umbilical cord was getting squished and compromising his oxygen and nutrients. I was having pain because there was no more cushion and his head bones were litterally on my pelvic bones and every time I had a contraction it would shove him down farther.

Needless to say, I cannot talk about this without getting really upset that out of seven doctors, only one listened. It is really frustrating that no one listened to me and we could have lost our baby. So all you about-to-be-mommies out there need to stand up for yourself if you feel like something is wrong. I didn't and I could have lost our little guy.

Our little boy had angels with him that kept him fighting for one week. We are so blessed he his here and is completely healthy. He is our little miracle baby and I can't thank God enough for letting us be his parents. He is one loved little baby and we can't get enough of him!  

Finally, some answers

We FINALLY have an answer for the craziness that has been happening for 8 days!! I have prodromal labor - not to be confused with false labor. It is very different! Basically my body has been preparing for labor for a week with strong irregular contractions. Even though my baby is in delivery mode, my uterus is not ready. My cervix is effaced, but won't dilate until in labor. After strong contractions ranging from every 3 - 20 minutes, I am extremely exhausted. Sleep is not an option with these contractions. I have lost 6 pounds because I have zero appetite. My poor inlaws were here since last Tuesday and now have made it home to wait for the "real" call! It is still confusing to know when the real thing will be.

I have used every option I could to find out exactly what is going on. With many doctors that thought I was just being a wuss about braxton hicks contractions, and so many unhelpful advice, I finally got my answer this morning. I called my doc office and she wasn't there. Thank goodness they told me to go in because they wanted to check the baby out. They were WONDERFUL!! The usually annoying nurse practitioner was so sweet and helped answer all my questions. She stripped my membranes AGAIN and got me dilated to a 4. They then hooked me up to the monitors to look at me and baby. Of coarse, I wasn't showing any of my crazy contractions when the pressure is on, but the baby looks great and that is all I care about. They said to call if nothing is progressing like it should this afternoon.

A nurse in there is the one who told me I have prodromal labor. Her neice had it just like me. Intense, killer, contractions that sometimes have a pattern but always go away. She assured me that I am not crazy and not a wuss - what I am having is REAL and very frustrating.

So now it is just up to my uterus to decide when to work well or not. Eventually it will. In the meantime, they wrote me a prescription for a "pill form of a margarita". Since I am a weirdo about taking anything at all, I was worried when she described it, but she said it won't affect the baby at all. She also said that it will calm my body down enough to quit fighting labor and let it happen. Wish us luck! I am not trying to make this little boy come any faster than he needs to, I just want this process of frustrating labor to be of normal length and be over with!

Waitin, Waitin!

I haven't talked to too many people who have the same labor experience I am having! With all the advice and all the stories from so many people, I have officially stumped them. I can now say that I have had labor contractions since last sunday... yep it is wednesday. They come and get closer, closer, and closer, and then well they just decide to go away! I have lost my mucous plug (disgusting... sorry) two weeks ago and have also had "the show" (disgusting x 2 i know) since yesterday. When I talk to people they say that means "things are rollin and it will be no time!" well it is now the next day and guess what... no baby! I just keep having these false labor contractions that have even gone down to 12 minutes apart for an hour. So my in laws have came in and we are just waitin on this cute little boy! I really want to see him soon! 

Stoney, Cross, Eli, Randy... I sure do miss you boys!

I think this little boy is heading out soon! Lots of contractions in the past couple days, but they don't seem to want to get regular. They are getting stronger and stronger though. I even had some last night that I thought, "okay why the heck do I feel the need to go natural if there are going to be a million times stronger than this!?" I have had all the other labor symptoms... especially the not so cute ones. I have a call into the doctor to find out what to do. They told me kinda black and white of when to go to the hospital, but I am in between a lot of things and not sure exactly what to do. They know I want to labor at home for a long time, but I'm thinking I could already be getting close, so I'm not sure what to do. In the meantime, I am scrapbooking, showering, cleaning up (even though there is nothing to clean), and getting things together. At this point it could be a couple hours til we leave or a couple days.... I have no clue! All I know is that I think I am in complete denial on what is about to happen! I have so many thoughts going on in my head! I just can't wait to meet this little guy and get to hold him finally! I can't wait to see Corey's face when he sees him for the first time, and I can't wait to have those first moments of parenthood with Corey!

So I have a ton of emotions going on today. Here is just one of them that is going on in my head right now. I went for a long walk this morning and I was listening to some texas country music (the title of this is singers of texas country in case you were wondering haha). It was all the songs that Corey and I used to dance to almost every thursday at the Wicky Wicky in Lubbock :) I started thinking about our last seven years together and how much fun we have had! We are so lucky that we have spent our biggest life experiences together. College was a stinkin blast! We made some of the best friends ever and had the opportunity to literally soak up every aspect of the college life. He is my best friend and I would give anything to go back to one of our Lubbock nights filled with music, dancing, and good times. My mind wonders there sometimes and I get so sad thinking that chapter of our life is closed and will never be opened again. I cannot express how much fun we had together. I have never smiled so much than some of our nights in college with just me and him. Here are some of my favorite pictures from college memories:

The amazing wolfpack... the best group of friends ever!!... and the scariest!

At the Wicky

Our last night in Lubbock :( Thanks to Hicks, it was a little wild for me!

My 22nd birthday party and the best party I have EVER been to!

Amanda Burns (Gibbs) Birthday Party - so much fun! Crazy picture i know!!

My cute hunny

Wade Bowen concert

Everything has its season though, and it was time for us to move on to different things. The last year has been us adjusting to real life... and for most of it, I have been pregnant! We have been blessed to have my parents give us two great jobs. We still miss our college life so much and all our college friends! Its so hard because we always said how often we would go back and we haven't been back for a good time once :( My mom always has said the my 20s would be the weirdest part of my life where I would do the most growing up. You get married, have babies, and figure out the rest of your life. We are definately in that stage right now and are trying to figure out where we are headed and what our major plans are.

But for now, we are about to welcome a beautiful little boy into this world and cannot be more excited! God always knows where we are goin even though we don't have a clue! And his plans are always so much better than ours ever were! I don't know where we will end up and what life has in store, but I am so glad and have such an amazing husband to go through it with! He makes all the stress and worries of life worth the ride! I can't wait for our next adventure together and for us to now meet this little boy that is half of each of us! Who would have thought seven years ago when I met him in colorado (thanks to Kevin Burns) and thought he was the craziest thing I ever laid eyes on, that we would be here in life?! I could have only dreamed of marrying him once we started dating. I would imagine what our little babies would look like and in a few days we will know! I know we will always miss that life, but it is so reassuring knowing that God only gives you as much as you can handle in life and that our next chapters will be great too! God is so good!

uuuuugggggghhhhhhh

So I am officially frustrated. After dealing with the stress from Corey having to be out of town next week, we had finally had a plan. I was gonna take it easy and try to not "help" him come until after his due date. I am still not uncomfortable and I felt like I could manage another two weeks. WELL then corey finds out it might be the next week. So this baby either needs to come like today or hold off until my induction date of August 1. I started feeling lots of weird changes last wednesday and was thinking he might be coming soon. I had a couple incidences that I wont say because they are gross, but parts of the pregnancy things that no one talks about!! Well, I wake up this morning and all my cramps and weird belly twinges are gone. I feel totally fine. I don't want to be stressed during this time, but I want my hubby to get to spend time with his new baby rather than have to be 6 hours away for a full week!! I just wanna cry! Being stressed is exactly what will make this baby stay in my belly longer so I need to chill out! I am saying lots of prayers and giving it up to God after this post is over and I'm done complaining!!

Everything is slowly coming together and things are starting to feel more real! Every morning Corey asks me if he is going to meet his son today and it gives me goosebumps! Thinking of actually meeting him is so surreal. I can't picture what the moment will be like at all! I am not as anxious about the whole birth part as I thought I would be. I remember freaking out waiting for my nephew and neice!! Now for my own baby, I feel really calm and just happy :) I dream of kissing his cheeks and smelling his sweet skin! Seeing Corey with him makes me the most excited!

I have a lot of nerves about labor since we took our birthing class. I am really going to try to go natural. Of coarse, EVERYONE has an opionion when I tell them that. If they went natural themselves, they get a sense of pride like we are about to be in the same clug. If they didn't, they seem like they have very strong reasons why they didn't and they try to convince me to get one. I don't understand why they get mad!!?? 

I know Corey is going to be a great birth coach. In class, he is the only one who asks questions and really tries to figure out what I am going to want when I am in immense pain!! However, if I am being mean or cannot relax, he is supposed to tell me to GET A STINKIN EPIDURAL!! If I have to get induced, I will get an epidural because my doctor induces with pitocin which causes terrible contractions. 

So our classes are over, our pre-registration is in, the car is detailed (thanks to my amazing brother in law that did it for us randomly), we know where we need to go when I go into labor, our carpets are shampooed, the house is super clean, now we just have few obstacles :( I took my state board written exam today (92% baby!) and I take my practical on monday. I have to stand for the whole thing and it will take about 3-4 hours!!! If I need to potty (which I will about 10 times in that time span), it comes out of my testing time. So hopefully it goes smoothly! God is getting lots of prayer requests for this! 

But the worst part... the part that makes me so sad is that Corey has to be out of town for the WHOLE WEEK before my due date :( It would easy to just be mad at his boss, but well, it is my daddy and I know he would not make him work that far away if he didn't have to do. There is no one else that is licensed to work at this job and Corey at least has to make an effort to be there. He will be six hours away and hard to reach during the day. So PLEASE say lots of prayers that Brigz comes on or after his due date so that Corey can be here! 

Other than that, life is great. Corey and I are trying to enjoy our last Corey/Abbey time before there are three of us. This makes me really sad thinking about. I am so happy to start a family, but I know that things will never be the same. Since we have an amazing marriage/friendship/love, it makes me sad that it will change. But I know that as long as we keep God in the middle of us, it will change for the better! I am excited to see what that change will be! Life is crazy!  

AWESOME church :)

So the past couple weeks at church have been called "Vow to Wow" and it is about marriage. Todd is such an amazing speaker that he can deliver a message about marriage and have every one either crying, laughing, or both! The past couple weeks have just made me appreciate Corey even more. We have an amazing marriage and friendship that is everything I could have ever dreamed of. I do believe God has blessed with the best husband and I am not sure why I got so lucky.

Yesterday, we had the chance to go over our vows again. He just had every one look at their spouse in the audience and repeat them. Even though we were married just two years ago, it was so awesome to say those words again after our life has changed so much. I of coarse balled like a baby, which is funny because I didn't the first time!! I think so many people forget how in love they were when they first got married and before things got complicated.

Sorry to be such a mush, I am just so happy to have Corey in my life. I am so head over heals for him still! I am so lucky God has blessed our lives and given us our soulmates. I can't wait to spend the next 80 years of my life next to him!

This is one of our engagement pictures that is up in our house!

We Are All Ready For You Little Man!!

So it has been quite the month for us three! We have had two baby showers, lots of presents, and some answered prayers. To start of the month we made our last road trip to Clovis. I decided it was the last because my feet and hands got so swollen and I was so stinkin hot that I made the decision :) We were blessed with lots of gifts from so many nice people there! They always seem to spoil us rotten!

The next weekend was our shower in Albuquerque and once again we got so many presents! His closet it pretty much packed to the brim! It will be interesting to see what we still need because I am sure there is something!

Me at 34 weeks

That week I had found a lump in my left breast. Everyone assured me it was probably just a clogged milk duct since my milk has already come in. I called my doctor and they had me come in. I didn't get to see my normal doctor, but the nurse practitioner said it seemed like a clogged duct. So I had an ultrasound that week on it. When I went in, they finished with the ultrasound and then a team of specialists came in after reviewing the scan and explained to me that I definately had a concerning lump. They said it had characteristics that they didn't like and that it would be the best bet to go ahead and biopsy it now before the baby gets here so we can know for sure what it is. Best case scenario was a fibroadnoma which is a tumor that is benign and I would have to get it checked often to make sure it stayed that way. I felt like I was in a movie because they kept saying "my special case" referring the being pregnant. I left feeling comfortable with everthing they said. Of coarse my husband and mamma were freakin out and asked me a million questions that I didn't know! I was fine with the idea and understood what it all meant and I knew we had to do what needed to be done. THEN the loser nurse practioner called and when I answered she says, "OH MY GOD I GOT THE RESULTS FROM YOUR ULTRASOUND!!!! HOW ARE YOU COPING???? WHAT IS YOUR MENTAL STATE? ARE YOU OKAY? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS NEWS?" I wanted to say, "Lady, I was fine til you just freaked me out!!!"

Anyways, needless to say I went into my biopsy on wednesday thinking it was going to be horrible because I had everyone telling me the worst stories about how bad the recovery is. It wasn't bad at all! I did get a little woozie and sick feeling once because I could feel the needle going through my tissue and it was very strange! Corey stayed home with me (because he is the sweetest husband ever) and we had such a good day relaxing and not doing anything! I felt fine the next morning and I still feel fine. I have no bruising or anything, but I can feel where they inserted a metal clip to mark the biopsy area. They called yesterday morning and told us that it is an "lactating adnoma" and nothing to be worried about. I have to have it checked yearly, but it might go away all together after breastfeeding. So all in all, God answers prayers. I know we have so many people that we are blessed with that whispered lots of prayers to him and I know he listens. We are so lucky!

Other than that, the nerves and procedure gave me lots of contractions. I don't mind them at all because I would love to get to meet this little boy sooner than July 24th! I am not getting my hopes up though because he always seems to be right on track with growth and probably won't put enough pressure on things until forty weeks.... bummer. Honestly I am not tired of being pregnant yet, I am not miserable at all, and if he wants to wait until he's healthy enough to come, I can manage to wait for him! However, next week is 37 weeks and I am starting all the things that wives tales say trigger labor! Lots of squats, birthing ball, ankle massages and such! Our bags our packed and the car seat is installed, we just have to keep watching the clock to see if these contractions ever steady out! I am so excited it is getting close!!

His room is all ready to go! I think he will be most prepared baby ever! If something I read said, this could be a good idea, we got it!

The month of June has a week left and then we will be in his birth month! I have a lot going on because I have to take my state board exams, wedding showers, bridesmaid duties, and have a baby! I know it will all go great though! I can't wait to meet his little face!! God is so good!

My life as a pregnant girl...

So things lately seem to be kind of winding down towards July 24th. Its really weird how fast things have gone and it's not too long now until it is July! I have started getting more of the negative pregnancy symptoms in the lovely third trimester. I have had to move my wedding bands over to my pinky because sometimes during the day I have a terrible case of sausauge fingers. My toes are also pretty chunky. It is very odd to see fat toes by the way! I have also noticed how "pregnant" my face looks. My sister says every pregnant girl has a look about them and I can totally see it now! Our faces get a little swollen looking, especially the nose and around the lips. Well I definately have the look and I don't remember what I used to look like!! I also get to see the bathroom of pretty much anywhere I go now... and sometimes twice in one outing!! I have started feeling uncomfortable in certain positions and I find myself slouching when I am sitting and grunting if I have to pick something up! Pretty cute, huh?! But other than those things and being VERY tired, I am still truckin along with this little guy. I will really miss him being in my tummy, but I am more ready every day to see him! 

We went and saw my friend Jessica's baby, Knox, in the hospital and it made it so much more real that we will be at that hospital in just a few weeks. Corey has been getting so excited about the delivery! He gets all smiley and giddy! We both always go into his room and hang out. It's like we feel like it is more real if we sit in his room and look at his clothes and things! Well here are is a belly picture at 32 weeks. I figured I needed to have some documentation of what this big ol thing looks like!!

And the mommy worries begin!

Today has already been quite the day! I always do my kick counts every morning around 8 or 9 o'clock because that is when the baby is the most active. I have to measure 8 kicks in 2 hours. If I don't get eight, I have to call the doctor immediately. Usually I have them completed in 20 minutes because of how crazy this baby is, but not this morning! I was one o'clock and still no movement. I started getting a little worried so I texted Corey to get his opinion. He said to call the doctor. So very calmly I called and they asked if I could get  to the ultrasound place to get an ultrasound IMMEDIATELY!! They freaked me out so bad and I started crying and worrying so bad! My mom came to pick me up from work (I rode with Shelby) and took me over there. She made me drink a coke and since I haven't had any caffeine since I have been pregnant, so I thought it would make him crazy on the way... it didn't. I was so scared! We got there, I sat down and guess what... he starts movin! Thank goodness! So they did the ultrasound and he REALLY started movin! But even better news is there is a lot of fluid around him, my placenta looks really good, and the cord is in a great place! Not to mention I got to see my baby again! The ultrasound tech said he has the most eyelashes she have ever seen! we have the pictures and I will post em! We could see his face perfectly and he is so adorable! He has long lashes, tons of hair, huge lips, and the cutest little nose I have ever seen! She said I have probably been overdoing it... not a big surprise! But to keep checking on the movement of him. He should still be moving a lot and she said she would rather see me three times a week and not worrying about him.

I think god does crazy things like this to make us have a different outlook! I have been feeling a little worried about becoming a mama because I feel like he has a safe little home in my belly and the world is scary so he should stay inside!! But after seeing his adorable, little, sweet face today, I am so ready to meet him!!! I am ready to have him in my arms where I can see him and kiss him and check on him whenever I want to! The thing I am the MOST EXCITED ABOUT is getting to see Corey hold him! I don't know why, but it makes me so excited and so giddy to think of the love they will have between them! Corey will be such an amazing daddy and I am so excited to see how our little family will grow!

I also realized today how much I love him already and I know that when I get to meet him, I will love him so much more!! So a crazy day makes for good thoughts. Im glad God is taking care of this little guy... he has had a lot of prayers addressed to him about our little boy and his safety and I'm sure he will have tons more! I know I will be the biggest worry wart!

Mommy's Day!

Today was such a good day! Corey woke me up with the cutest mommy-to-be card and a surprise maternity photo shoot for my present. The card was so cute because he wrote it himself and I, of coarse, cried like a baby! We will have to schedule the pictures later and I am super excited! Corey's mamma and nana were in town, so we woke up this morning and went to breakfast. It was great seeing them and getting to spend some time with them! We had a great breakfast at Flying Star (my fave) where we sat outside in the amazing Corrales summer weather! We then said our goodbyes and went to spend the day at my family's house. It was so pretty day! My mom had watched my neice and nephew over night so she was pretty tired! We went for a lil walk and just hung out before going next door to my grandparents.

Mason outside with my mamma. Their yard is so pretty in the summer time!

Mamma and kenny outside on the kids swing. So Cute!!

Just before our walk with the King himself!

The Hohsfield Girls

Our wild family! Love em!

It is days like today that make me realize how truly blessed I am with such an amazing family. I swear sometimes my mom is superwomen. My sister is following right in her footsteps and raising two adorable babies with as much love as she can possibly give them! I only hope I can be half the mamma these two are! I am excited for Kenna to grow up and be a part of the krazy Kocurek girls!

On a different note, I have been trying really hard to keep my eyes open... literally I am that tired! I think this little boy must be growin like a weed because I am so dang tired all the time. I decided today that no matter how tired I feel, I am just going to suck it up because I think I am complaining too much. Hopefully I will feel better this week! I am going to try to take it a little easier with school and such! I love this day so much more than ever because I will soon have a little guy to call me mommy! I can't wait! Here is the giant tummy I am rockin these days:

Life is so good, God is so good!