Week 26

2 weeks to go until my 3rd Trimester.  UNBELIEVABLE!


Week 26 Belly

 We had an ultrasound done last week and our baby girl weighed 2lbs and 5oz already...I will find out what she weighs again on Jan 4 when we have her 4D ultrasound done.  Our next appt is on Dec. 30th and I have to take my glucose test at that time.  That is def. one test I would love to pass!  I am not looking forward to drinking that sweet drink and getting my blood drawn, but anything for this baby.  I've already started buying a couple of outfits here and there....I don't need to because she's going to be spoiled rotten thats for sure....but I can't help it because little girl's clothes are just SO cute!! 

Week 23 and 24



Week 23



We are moving right along through the weeks......We have been visiting the Dr. once a month and the visits go great.  Brayleigh's heartbeat is always within normal range and she's starting to get more active by the day.  When I first felt her kick, I started crying.  I think it finally hit me and made me realize that a human being was growing inside of my belly.  Everytime I think about it, I am just absolutely amazed at how a baby develops inside someone's tummy.  She is now kicking up a storm and rolling all around as well.  I love her more and more everyday!



Week 24



Week 23 belly



Pictures of my sweetie pie!

I've been fortunate to have ultrasounds done of her all through her gestational life and here are some of them!  When I look at these, it just makes me smile and makes me want to hold her even more everyday.  So far, she is a healthy baby and a camera ham already just like her mommy :)



19 weeks

19 week belly :)   I really didn't start showing good until the last half of my 2nd Trimester.  I've been blessed with a healthy pregnancy so far at this point and we cannot wait until she arrives!

18 weeks

It's been such a long time since I have blogged up here....amazing how overwhelmed and busy a person can get.  Pregnancy has been great so far and this baby girl will be here before we know it, that's for sure! 

18 week belly :)

Dr Appt at 12 weeks!

Our second doctor appointment went very well.  It was a quick check up but we got to listen to the baby's heartbeat on the Heart Doppler.  My weight was still under what I was before I got pregnant but the midwife said that it was normal since I was so sick in the beginning.  We talked to the doctor about certain screenings for the baby and decided not to do any of them.  If something were to show up positive with the baby, we would have the option of aborting it and I could never do that to my own child.  God blessed us with a child and we will take her as she comes so we decided to not do any of the testing available.  The baby's heartbeat was 143 and when I had my exam, everything looked good.  We knew in a month and a half we would be finding out what the sex was and could not wait!

(I will post the file with the heartbeat on here soon)

Our new house!

I have never been as drained as I was looking for a house to live in.  As far as I'm concerned in the future, I will be perfectly happy if Brandon bought a house and didn't tell me until the day we moved in.  Looking for a house the past couple of months took so much out of me, and I was honestly to the point of giving up and living in a tent outside, haha.  I'm sure the baby would have loved that right?  After having no luck with every house we looked at, we finally decided to rent in Deep Run.  It was our last option, but renting is temporary and this is our temporary home.  We are so blessed though, and I couldn't ask for a better house to live in for the time being.  It's so close to Brandon's mom and dad's and even my mom can get there in 20 mins or less.

Adjusting to moving out and living with someone other than your parents is very hard, but so far things have worked out great.  I continue to pray that it does so and only gets better! 

I now know what my mom felt like everyday when she had to come home and straighten up the house, cook, clean, and do laundry.  Well, I guess I can leave the cooking part out because I don't cook a whole lot but laundry is crazy!  Just washing Brandon's clothes along with mine is insane...I can only imagine what it's going to be like washing baby clothes too, haha!  Thanks for everything Mom, you're the greatest.  Just wanted to tell you that because I now appreciate everything you did for me even more since I now know what it honestly feels like!

Catching up

Sorry guys, it's been forever since I have last blogged.  Life is always so crazy with something going on everyday.  First off, just wanted to let everyone know that the baby is okay and growing like a weed.  Each day that passes is a day sooner that I get to hold my baby!  We are so blessed and cannot wait for the day the baby arrives :)

Our first Dr. Appt!

Once we found out about the baby, we immediately scheduled our first OB appt at Greenville OB-GYN in Greenville, NC.  The appt was scheduled for July 29, 2010.  I was having mixed emotions and I think Brandon was just overly excited all together.  In my mind, I guess I still thought that I could have possibly showed a false positive and there wasn't a baby at all.  All Brandon could talk about was "I better get to see my baby today." "Do you think they'll give you an ultrasound?"  Haha, he was so precious and supportive.  When we got to Greenvile, I had to fill out SO many questions and signed so many papers.  I felt like I was signing my life away.  We saw a midwife that day and I think we are going to choose to have a midwife throughout the whole pregnancy.  You have the choice between meeting 6 doctors or 3 midwives.  I know the doctors there are great and each of them will do their best to take care of me and my baby, but I would rather spend the 9 months meeting 3 midwives and getting close to them than meeting 6 doctors.  Too many people for me to remember haha!  The time with the midwife went well, she just answered some of my questions I had and we went over some paperwork that I had to sign.  After the midwife left, we were taken to the ultrasound room and we got to see our little baby for the first time.  I was so excited and you know Brandon was too.  I measured six weeks and one day and my due date is set for March 23, 2011.  We got pictures and I took some from my phone as well and sent it to all of my friends and family.  We are so thankful for everyone's love and support and looking forward to our next appt on Sept 3, 2011. 

Telling our families...

After the initial shock of being pregnant passed, Brandon and I debated on when to tell our parents and how the best way to break the news would be.  Finally, we realized that there was NO good way of telling them but it had to be done soon.  The day I found out, I immediately called my dad and told him right off the bat.  Its weird because most daughters normally tell their mom all the girly stuff about the body and the major things in life like sex, pregnancy, etc.  Well, I am totally different.  I have always been able to talk to my dad about EVERYTHING.  So when I found out I was pregnant, I called my dad and said "Daddy, are you busy?"  He was like "no, whats going on?"  I told him that I needed him to sit down if he wasn't already because I had something serious to tell him.  When I told him, he didn't freak out..he just asked me how sure I was and a few more questions.  He accepted it and told me whatever decision we decided, he stood behind me and Brandon.  Hearing that was SO comforting, and Im glad I had his support.  If only telling the rest of the parents were that easy, this would have been a breeze!!! 

We decided to tell Brandon's parents first.  I was suppose to "follow" Brandon's lead.  REALLY?  You can only imagine how that went right?  Well it didn't go as planned.  All afternoon, ironically people around his Dad were talking about grandchildren this and grandchildren that.  The topic of conversation through the late afternoon and early night involved babies.  I remember we were sitting at the kitchen table and Brandon had barely eaten a thing.  He cooked steaks on the grill, baked potatoes, green beans, and bar-b-que bread with cheese (my favorite meal by the way) and neither one of us could eat.  Brandon's mom had brought up a random subject about selling my scrubs on Craigslist, and Brandon's dad chimes in with a question about my future job and how you can't be around embalming fluid when you're pregnant.  Ms. Pam says "well, she doesn't have to worry about that for a while because they aren't having any babies anytime soon."  Neither me nor Brandon could say a word and all we could do was keep our heads down.  Finally, Brandon says..."well.........................." and just stops.  I could have kicked him for not finishing his sentence.  Like I said earlier "following his lead" didn't go as planned.  I then said, Im pregnant..Im going on 6 weeks.  No one in the house said a word, it was a time where you could hear crickets chirping outside in the field next to the house.  Ms. Pam started crying, Mr. Gary was shocked, and Brandon's brother Blake started screaming and saying he was going to be an uncle!  I continued eating my steak with Mr. Gary as Brandon went outside to talk to his mama.  They were outside for what seemed like 30 mins...finally she came in and hugged me and we both cried.  It was a huge relief to get it off of our chests, but in the back of our minds, we knew we had to tell my mom now.  That was going to be the hard part for me. 

I called mom as we were driving over there, and I told her that we were stopping by and that we needed to talk to her.  She was like okay, Im awake..come on.  Little did she know, her life was about to change in about 5 mins.  As we got to the house, and went inside..my heart was racing and I knew that if I coughed one good time, my heart would have shot through my mouth.  I was SO nervous.  There weren't any easier way of telling her than another so I just blurted it out.  "Im pregnant"  She started immediately crying and screaming at me and just completely in total shock.  Every way she acted was every way I imagined.  It wasn't the fact that I was 21 years old with no degree, no husband or anything, it was the fact that I'M pregnant.  She knows how hard it's going to be and I do too, she was just looking out for me.  I knew that she would get over the initial shock eventually and it would get better, and it did.  Thank goooodness! 

We both know that things weren't suppose to happen this way.  We know that we were suppose to be finished with school, and in our careers and married.  Brandon is a police officer for Kinston so technically he has his career but he is in school just like me.  So things were still suppose to fall a different way than this.  I honestly never wanted children.  Atleast I said that forever.  I didn't grow up and say "ohh, I want 2 children or 3 children."  I always said I didn't want a single one.  I know that children are blessings and I am counting that blessing as I speak.  We are young and we weren't ready for this, but it's now time to grow up and accept it because we are going to be parents in 7 months.  : )

My next blog will be our first appt!  Check back soon!

The day we found out!

On Saturday, July 17th 2010, I woke up with a feeling that only a new mother would have.  I've always heard that if you are pregnant, you'll know it one way or another.  I remember leaving the house and getting some lunch that day.  Brandon was working night shift so he was in bed and no where near me at the time.  I drove to the mall and sat in the parking lot for what seemed like hours, debating on going into the store.  I finally went into the Dollar General behind the Vernon Park Mall and bought the cheap-o pregnancy test and said "well, a test is a test..we'll see what happens."  My very good friend Kara was working that day at the US Cellular in the mall, so I went straight over there and sat down at her desk and said..."I think Im pregnant and I bought a test."  She told me to go to the back and take it, so I did.  It immediately showed two lines which meant positive.  I didn't cry, I didn't make a scene...I slowly walked out to Kara and said "Im pregnant."  She was like "yeah right, stop lying."  I said "no, I wish I was lying, go look."  She walked to the bathroom in the back and said "wow, your pregnant!"  She then instructed me to go get a "real" test from the Rite-Aid, so I did and sure enough, that one came back positive as well.  I ended up taking two more that day and nothing changed.  The thoughts that were going through my head were crazy!  I asked so many questions to myself and my mind was spaced out that whole night.  I had decided to wait and tell Brandon once he got off work Monday morning so his mind wouldn't be stuck on this when it needed to be focused on his job. 

Well, I woke up Sunday morning and had some time to think about it all over again.  At this point in time, I was crying so hard.  It hit me that I had to tell Brandon and I couldn't wait any longer.  So many emotions were running through me and so many thoughts went through my head.  I was so afraid of how he was going to react.  I remember he was sleeping around lunch time and I started crying so hard, it woke him up.  He was like "baby, what is wrong with you?"  I said "Brandon, I need to talk to you.  It's serious."  He was like "okay, well stop crying, what's going on?"  I said "Im pregnant" and he didn't say anything.  About ten seconds later, he said "are you sure?" and I said "yeah Im sure, 4 for 4 tests were positive."  He was like "okay, well what do you want to do?" and I told him I didnt want to give the baby up, this happened for a reason.  From that moment on, he has been by my side through every single thing.  I couldn't ask for a better person to share this time of our lives with.  So Brandon, if you read this, I LOVE YOU and thank you for all you do!

I'll be posting more soon! :)