rolls

We decided to try our hand at photographing our little man on our own. I have a little background in taking photos and thought that we are both creative enough that we could get some good shots and save some money in the process. I am very pleased with the outcome. The following are a few of the pictures we got using our little digital camera, some black velvet and sunlight. Let me know what you think.

all smiles

holding on

Littlest feet

Our little Furbee

Alexander is covered with soft fuzz that makes me want to rub on his back and kiss on his ears all the time. I realize that a lot of this little fuzz will go away, but I am not wishing it away too soon. Right now, he is our little furbee. And, to my happiness, he has a lot of downy hair on his head. It looks a little reddish in some light, blondish in other lights and brown in still other lights. Like his deep blue eyes, I am sure the color will change.

Big cousin and little cousin

Ayden is very enamored with his new little cousin. He can't wait to teach him everything he knows, especially how to wrap Nanny and Papa around his little finger.

Bright Eyes

So, Alexander has totally changed our lives and we already don't know what we did without him. He is eating well (though breastfeeding is much more difficult than I had imagined) and he sleeps good. He has only had a few bouts of screaming, so we are considering ourselves lucky. He is teaching us a lot and we are trying to learn. Luckily, he is a pretty patient little man.

Finally home

Pure Bliss

Such a little man--Am I really supposed to fit in this thing??

Behold the tiny feet--daddy figured out that rubbing his little feet makes him completely content.

Betrayal in Cloud City

* Episode V *

Having been betrayed by his friend Lando Calrissian in Cloud City, Little Han Alejandro Solo was turned over to Bounty Hunter Boba Fett. Here we see our hero getting ready to be encased in carbonite before he is shipped off to Jabba the Hut...............Well not really. Little Alejandro is actually catching some fun in the UV lights to take care of a little jaundicing.

Sweet Pea

Alan, Alex and I are doing well. Alex is breastfeeding well, sleeping a lot (probably won't as soon as we leave the hospital) and pooping like a champ. Yesterday, Alan changed his first poopy diaper and it was the black coal tar diaper full of meconium! It was everywhere including all over Alan! :)

We will likely be in the hospital until Wednesday afternoon. I am sure Alan will post more pictures later.

Baby Alejandro is here!!!!!!!

Went in Sunday for a checkover and ended up staying. Baby Nicolas Alejandro Brady was born last night 3/9/08 around 8:18pm by cesarian delivery. He was taken to the NICU for observation and was released an hour later to the nursery. Above are some of the first shots of Baby Brady.

Bed Rest

I had a doctor's appointment today and I have been placed on complete bed rest until the baby is born. My blood pressure was up last week and it was up even more this week. The baby's BP is also a little low. So, I have pregnancy induced hypertension and toxemia (protein in the urine) which are precursors to other problems if I do not go on bed rest. My doctor will check me on Monday and will likely induce Monday or Tuesday to reduce the likelihood of complications. Alexander's heart rate still sounds strong and he appears to still be growing some, though I lost another pound this week.

While I know all will be well, keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Whoa . . . Only 3 More Weeks (or less)!!

We had a doctor's appointment today and Nicolas Alexander has gained almost a pound in the last two weeks! He is now at an estimated 5 pounds and 1 ounce. Dr. Lacey is pleased with his progress, though our little man is still only in the 25th percentile for size at this point. But, he is proportionate and appears healthy. We have just over 3 weeks until the due date and Dr. Lacey explained today that it is not healthy for the baby to go over his due date because small babies have certain risks with blood pressure and other issues over a certain time period. While I would rather not have him medically induced, we agree that we will do what we need to for the baby. With that in mind, if Alexander has not arrived by March 20th, we will induce either on the 20th or 21st. It is crazy to think that he will be here within 3 weeks!!!

Growing

Well, I have gained about 4 pounds in the last two weeks since Alan has been feeding me extra well. Now, I have the flu so I am hopeful that I don't lose any of the weight that I have gained. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to check Alexander's growth and we hope he is up to at least 5 pounds.

The baby has started perking up as soon as he hears Alan's voice. It is really bizarre because he is so responsive to his daddy. Alan will be gone all day and come home and start talking and immediately, Alexander will start moving around and responding to his voice. The other day, Alan would say Alejandro toward my belly and he would immediately kick. Alan did this several time and got a response each time. It was really cool. He hears my voice all the time, so I am sure it is nice to hear his daddy's voice for a change!

Ice Cream and Babies

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and was suprised to find out that Nicolas Alexander is under weight. I feel like I eat all the time, but I have only gained 19 pounds at 35 weeks and the baby is estimated to only weigh 4 pounds. My doctor would have liked him to be at least 5 pounds at this time if not more. So, he has instructed me to eat as much as possible over the next few weeks and he took off the sugar restriction. He went as far as to tell me that I should stop on my way home and get an ice cream sundae. He is going to do another ultrasound in 2 weeks just to check to make sure that the baby has grown some by then. He is still moving a lot, so that is good. Alan is monitoring my food intake and trying to get me to eat more. I am eating several small meals throughout the day to get enough food. I don't have much space in there, so I don't feel like I can eat much at one time.

As most of you are aware, I am quite a big worrier, but I am trying not to worry too much about this. I just want to make sure he is healthy and I am trying to make sure that I don't go in to early labor. :)