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Brennan’s First Birthday

Okay, so Brennan’s first birthday party was a success (by my standards). He hated all the people and attention. It was as if he knew it was party day b/c he refused to nap until everyone showed up. The party lasted 2 hours and he slept for about an hour. We were overwhelmed by all the love and support shown to us. He had over 35 guests. We really do believe in the village raising your child and our village continually comes through for us. Brennan had a wonderful birthday and got lots of gifts, money and clothes. People who couldn’t attend were handing me and my mom gifts or mailing cards with money and gift cards to the house. The Elmo thing was a hit. I had Elmo magnets, Chocolate bars, CD’s, Bottled water and bubbles.

We loved the day, but we were exhausted afterwards. He looked sharp and I was hoping he would take his first step, but no such luck. He’s still creeping along. I’ve attached a few flicks from the party.

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Okay I Lied

So, I must admit that I lied when I said it wouldn’t take me so long to write. It’s been a long while since I wrote. Please blame it on the millions of things that are going on with adjusting to parenthood.

Brennan and Lee are both doing well. Lee has recovered and he returned to work full-time in mid November. Brennan has gotten sick so much this winter, I was ready to live at the doctors office. Brennan has begun to do a dead man’s crawl backwards. It is the cutest thing I ever saw. Lots of laughs. He also rocks side to side when you sing “I like to move it, move it”.

So, I guess the birth of Brennan has sparked a lot of my friends conceptions. I have 6 baby showers this year and 3 are in May. Can you believe it? I am ecstatic though because Brennan will have a lot of new babies to play with next year.

I am busy planning his first birthday party and trip to the zoo. I got him a new stroller, but he hates it. He hates anything that he has to be strapped into. Brennan’s first party will be Elmo and Brennan. I can’t wait. I’ll keep you posted.

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Brennan is Dedicated!

Lee and I dedicated our son Brennan to God this past weekend. What a blessing! We had friends and family travel from out of town to take part in his service. We were in awe of the love our friends and family have for our little one. It’s still too new for us. We would have never imagined the out pour of love and support that people feel towards him. My mom says “he belongs to everyone”. I get that now. I am truly thankful for all that we have. It was a beautiful themed reception “The Lord’s Tiny Blessing”. My sister told me to scratch out the word “tiny”. She is still talking about his weight. My mom found a beautiful outfit for him. It was a size 12 months. We couldn’t button the neck all the way up. He looked adorable. Check out the photos.
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So What’s Happening Now?

Okay, so I know its been a while. Between bed rests, comedy shows and unscheduled delivery, I’ve been a little busy. Lee and I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on April 30, 2008. He was 5 pounds 15 ounces. We named him Brennan Paul Thomas. Brennan after my cousin who died in December 2007 and Paul after Lee’s dad who is also in heaven.

Brennan has been our pot of joy for the last few months. We were exhausted and in pain, but he is the light of our lives. He reminds us what it means to experience perfect love. The love we have from God is perfect. The love he allows us to have for Brennan is also perfect. Brennan is almost 4 months old and is busy talking away, smiling, laughing and taking in the world. He’s experienced his first road trip (Danville, VA), his first time in the pool and will be taking his first flight in a couple of days. He is the little adventurer.

Brennan has packed on the pounds, thanks to his formula. He was 15 pounds, 5 ounces when I took him to the doctor’s on August 18th. His chunky thighs are the talk of the family. My sister lovingly refers to him as Fatty McFatterson. She says he has a glandular problem.

On July 31, 2008 Lee was admitted to Inova Fairfax hospital. He had been complaining of symptoms affecting his left side for the last week and a half. After 4 emergency room visits he was admitted to Inova and was discovered that Lee had a stroke. Actually multiple strokes. He has some slight problems with his left side, but he is healthy and has use of all his limbs. He is in occupational and physical therapy. He is recovering well. Through the new primary care doctor and neurologist, it was discovered that Lee has lupus. His blood has been clotting and it sent a clot to his brain which caused the strokes. We are blessed with the diagnosis and Lee has a wonderful team of professionals all working to take care of my man. God is awesome. All the stress has been overbearing but there have been many people praying for us. Love and support has gotten us through this painful journey. The storm is passing over and we will come through better than before.

So, now you’ve been caught up on our lives these last 5 months, I promise not to wait too long next time. Talk to you soon.

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Bed Rest is Hell

So can you believe it? I was placed on bed rest as of February 15th and it has been hell. How so, well being on strict bed rest, the bed or the couch were my new BFF’s. I could get up to go to the restroom, shower and fix a light meal and then back off my feet. So I initially had no idea how long I would be out on bed rest. My job told me my doctor’s office faxed over a note to say 6-8 weeks. My doctor completed paperwork for my short-term disability last Friday that stated up until I deliver. I went crazy. I talked to the doctor today and was told that they wouldn’t entertain my return to work before I reach 32 weeks (April 3rd). How can hell be any worse? Until next time.

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Day Ten

Okay, so I have gotten better in my desire to encourage my husband. I sometimes falter, but I am truly working on it. It is day 10 and I am supposed to encourage my husband by admiring his attractiveness. Now, everyone who knows me knows that I think my husband is fine. I wouldn’t be with an ugly duckling. He is sexy. I love the way he laughs, smiles and just seems to light up a room. He was a romantic person, however, after being with me for so long, he seems to have lost his ability to romance. It is by no means his fault; after all I do make it very hard on him to show his romantic side with my selfish ways. We have committed to working on our marriage and putting it first, so I am working on my attitude. I want the romance again and I didn’t really appreciate it until it was gone. Lee is trying though, the other day he got me the most romantic card ever. I was so moved reading it, I wanted to turn around and kiss him passionately. That just made me think that I haven’t made a new year’s resolution: To bring passion back. In my marriage and life, I need to be more passionate. I encourage everyone to do the same. If we were all passionate about things, we would be in a better place.

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Day Six

Okay, so I admit it. Sometimes I falter. I am after all only human. However, I have tried to be encouraging of Lee. I am pregnant and sometimes I speak without thinking. These dang hormones have manipulated my body. I appear to be losing my tact. So, I sat in church yesterday praying for tact and that they Lord will allow me to speak with a bridled tongue. Not sure if it worked, but it is Day Six in my 30 day challenge and I am supposed to recognize his creativity. Lee is very creative. He is a musical genius. I say this with sincerity. He knows a lot more than the average person about music. He has a huge cd collection that he loves more than his wife. He spends every waking moment when he is not at work, on-line downloading music and movies. I’m not sure why, but it may have something to do with his creative process. So, here’s to you baby….I support and believe in your creativity.

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30-Day Husband Encouragement Challenge

Okay, so I agreed to participate in this 30 – Day Encouragement Challenge with a few of my girlfriends. The challenge is to encourage your husband. The decision to encourage him means that you truly want to be a blessing in your home. It will also result in my spiritual growth.

The first line of the challenge on Day One said, ” You can’t say anything negative about your husband…to your husband…or to anyone else, about your husband for the next 30 days.” I screamed, “That’s it, I’m Out! I can’t do it!” However, I must say after a quick prayer and a bet with my other girlfriends, I agreed to try. So today is the official beginning of that challenge.

On the first day, I am supposed to say something that I admire or appreciate about my husband to someone else and to Lee. So here goes: My husband Lee is the most wonderful, supporting and creative man I have ever met. He views life like no other person I know. He is wise and decisive with his words. He repeats your answers so you know that he heard what you are saying. He imagines a world with no sickness, by pretending he has the illness to see how those less fortunate feel. He is a truly great gift.

Ladies, if you are interested in taking this challenge, go to http://www.reviveourhearts.com/ and click 30-day challenge in the search box. Good Luck

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Senile and Searching

Okay the weekend was pretty hectic for a pregnant woman. We went to the movies on Friday night, dinner at the Chart House with some friends on Saturday night and then we went to a retirement party for a family friend on Sunday. I was exhausted. But, something funny happened on Saturday. Talk about getting old and senile, Lee tells me as he is rubbing my belly, “They said that the fluid in the sac looks good and the blood flow in and out of the placenta is normal”. I responded: “Lee, I was there, I remember what the sonographer said on Thursday”.

So, Lee begins to stress me out with all his worries about me being put on bed rest. He begins a research campaign (much like his ALS diagnosis) to make me aware of the risks of pre-term labor. I yelled, “Lee you are stressing me out. Let’s not worry about anything until the doctor says so.”

We visit the OB today and Lee begins questioning the doctor about the possibility of me going into pre-term labor. The doctor explains, I had a patient who had a cervix shorter than yours and we put her in the hospital on bed rest for a week. She came out, resumed her normal activities and delivered at 37 weeks. He explained that less than 30% of patients with a shortened cervix deliver before 36 weeks. This was comforting to both Lee and I.

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Any Questions?

So Lee and I go to see a Maternal and Fetal Medicine Specialist regarding the shortening of my cervix and the development of the baby’s brain. The doctor said everything was fine with the baby and we got the cutest pictures of the baby. We were already told that we are having a boy, but Lee decides to question the sonographer. Lee: “Are you sure it’s a boy because I heard that sometimes sonograms can be wrong”. Sonographer: “Here’s the penis and here’s the scrotum, any questions”.

Lee was truly annoying the sonographer yesterday. She would say, “The fluid levels in the sac look normal” and Lee would then ask “So, the fluid levels in the sac look normal?”. I asked him, why are you repeating everything she says and then asking it like you just didn’t hear her? He said, “I just want to be sure of what I am hearing.” I told him to bring a video camera next time so we can record it. Without a doubt I am married to the craziest man in the world.