Brooks 1st Week

Just a warning...this post is going to be long and filled with lots of pictures!

We got to the hospital and I got hooked up to all the monitors and had my IV started. It turns out I was having contractions about every 3-5 minutes, so Brooks would have been trying to come on his own in the next day or so.

Mike got dressed up in his hospital attire. (It was strange for him not being in scrubs!) I look HUGE in this picture! I walked to the OR around 11:45 and was given a spinal. The OR staff prepped and draped me and Mike was sent in to be with me.

A couple of minutes later (12:17 to be exact) this screaming little man was born and brought for us to see.

He weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 11 oz and was 21 inches long. Dr Hudson (I HATE that I didn't get a picture with him and the baby!) said it was a good thing he was breech and we scheduled a c-section because I was probably going to end up with one any way. 

He got his bath.

His hand and footprints were made.

Daddy got his own set of footprints.

He was brought over to us for our first family photo.

Daddy got to cuddle with him for a little bit.

Then it was mommy's turn as we were wheeled into our room to recover.

Hanging out in the warmer while mommy got tended to.

Our little family!

Look at those cute feet and hands!

In his little hospital bassinet. I love the red hats the hospital put the babies in for Christmas!

Just lounging in my frog hat on my Boppy!

I'm ready to go home!

Our family of 3 leaving the hospital!

All strapped in and ready to enter the real world.

Meeting Nala for the first time. She has been afraid of him. Our social little kitty has been hiding under the bed and is not too sure what to think of him. Every day she is slowly getting closer to him. 

Jake checking out his brother. Jake has surprised us and has been like a protector to Brooks and watches over him!

Lounging in my swing. I really like this!

I got christened into motherhood and was shot with poop!

One week old and we are going for our first walk! We made it a little over a mile. This will be the first of many walks and then we will transition to jogging! I already have our route picked out!!

We are just in heaven with Brooks! This first week has been amazing. Mike and I just sit and stare at him and are amazed that we could make something so perfect. I look forward to all the special memories we have in the years ahead!

Happy Birthday Brooks!

I can't believe the day is finally here! We are getting ready to head to the hospital, but I had to post my last chalkboard picture of this incredible journey. It is funny to look back at my 13 week picture and compare it to today. I am HUGE now! I had no idea that my body could stretch and change the way it has; it is amazing what we are capable of doing. We will post pictures of Brooks as soon as we can!

39 Weeks

How far along? 39 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: 35 lbs  (+2 lbs this week.) 

Maternity clothes? Yes!
Stretch marks? No

Sleep: It is getting harder and harder to get comfortable at night. Plus, I have to take multiple bathroom breaks so my sleep is getting less and less.

Best moment this week: I finished my last week of work until February. It was kind of bittersweet. I'm excited that I will have time off with the little guy but I really like my job and the people I work with so it was kind of sad!

Movement: Tons! I have no idea how he has room in there to move at all.

Food cravings: Nothing really.
Miss anything? Being comfortable. I waddle when I walk, it takes me forever to get out of bed, and I get out of breath really easily.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No!!

Symptoms: Exhaustion-Definitely still here!

Gender: It's a boy!!! Brooks Michael!

Labor Signs: No. This is kind of crazy to me. I have occasional Braxton Hicks but nothing major.

Belly Button in or out? An outie.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Running/Walking? No, but I am ready to get back into it once he arrives! I hope he likes the stroller! I already have our path picked out. (And they are almost finished building a Target where I would park, so I am looking forward to cooling down in there after our runs!!)

Looking forward to: 3 days!! I can't believe it is finally here! I'm sure I will miss being pregnant, but I am really looking forward to getting my body back and being able to move the way I use to!

38 Weeks

How far along? 38 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: 33 lbs  (+2 lbs this week.) 

Maternity clothes? Look at me. I'm massive. Some of my maternity shirts are even getting too short.
Stretch marks? No

Sleep: I have been sleeping well but it is hard to get comfortable. Brooks rides up in the middle of the night and I have to sleep sitting straight up at times because he is under my ribs.

Best moment this week: We bought a new camera! It's just a point and shoot, but I'm still excited. I don't know how much I would use a fancy one. I'm not very good at remembering to take pictures. (Hopefully this will change once the little guy arrives.) I broke my old digital camera and have been using my dads since this summer. We also had a great and low key Thanksgiving at the house and are about 75% of the way decorated for Christmas. (Plus, the Gators beat the Seminoles, which always makes everything better!!)

Movement: He was pretty excited about the football game and was kicking away! (Maybe he heard how much we were screaming!)

Food cravings: Nothing really.
Miss anything? Alcoholic beverages of all types. I am so tired of water!! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No!! (I have been really lucky with this)

Symptoms: Heartburn-I'm not sure if I took any Tums this week!  Exhaustion-Definitely still here!

Gender: It's a boy!!! Brooks Michael!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? An outie.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Running/Walking? No, but I am ready to get back into it once he arrives! I hope he likes the stroller! I already have our path picked out. (And they are almost finished building a Target where I would park, so I am looking forward to cooling down in there after our runs!!)

Looking forward to: 10 DAYS!! I can't wait to meet the little guy!

37 Weeks

How far along? 37 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: 31 lbs  (+0 lbs this week.) 

Maternity clothes? I'm huge...pants are a must. I still have a couple of shirts I can fit into, but it's mostly maternity.
Stretch marks? No

Sleep: I have been getting tired earlier and mostly staying asleep except for bathroom breaks.

Best moment this week: The nursery is pretty much finished! I have one wall that I am still decorating  and still waiting on the glider, but other than that it's just waiting on Brooks!

Movement: I know movement is supposed to slow down because there isn't as much room, but he is still moving away!

Food cravings: Nothing really.
Miss anything? Sleeping on my back! I am so tired of sleeping on my sides!

Anything making you queasy or sick: No!! (I have been really lucky with this)

Symptoms: Heartburn-Getting better!  Exhaustion-I think this is here to stay! I've been ready for bed at about 8 every night this week. 

Gender: It's a boy!!! Brooks Michael!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? An outie.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Running/Walking? I've decided that it's probably best for me not to walk for the next couple of weeks. I am not ready for him to come yet! (I have everything planned out and it would change everything....I know this is probably the last time I am going to be able to have everything planned!)

Looking forward to: Meeting our little man. It is so close now! Only 2 1/2 weeks until D-day!!

36 Weeks

How far along? 36 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: 31 lbs  (+2 lbs this week.) 

Maternity clothes? I've found a couple of shirts in my closet that I can still fit into, but pants are a must!!

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: I had a couple of nights this week where it was difficult to fall back asleep after bathroom breaks, but otherwise it's been good.

Best moment this week: I got to see our maternity photos this week! I should have them by Friday to share with y'all!

Movement: Lots! I'm sure he is running out of room in there. My stomach is huge and there is not much room for it to grow!

Food cravings: Nothing really.
Miss anything? Sleeping on my back!

Anything making you queasy or sick: No!! (I have been really lucky with this)

Symptoms: Heartburn-Much better this week. I think I only had to take Tums 2 nights.  Exhaustion-I think this is here to stay!

Gender: It's a boy!!! Brooks Michael!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? An outie.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Running/Walking? Still being lazy!

Looking forward to: Meeting our little man. It is so close now!

He is still breech and I decided against doing the version procedure. So, we are scheduled to meet the little guy via c-section on December 5th!

35 Weeks

How far along? 35 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: 29 lbs  (0 lbs this week.) 

Maternity clothes? A must!

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Except for the frequent bathroom breaks, sleeping well! (It is getting more and more difficult to get out of bed at night to go to the bathroom!)

Best moment this week: We had a shower at Mike's work this work this week. They were so sweet and Brooks got lots of cute stuff! 

Movement: Moving away, but still has not flipped.

Food cravings: Nothing really.
Miss anything? Sleeping on my back. I'm getting tired of sleeping on my sides all the time.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No!! (I have been really lucky with this)

Symptoms: Heartburn-Pretty much a daily occurrence Exhaustion-Yawns are still coming around 2 every day.

Gender: It's a boy!!! Brooks Michael!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? An outie.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Running/Walking? Still being lazy!

Looking forward to: My doctors appointment on Thursday! I get to have an ultrasound (even if it's a short one) to see if he is still breech, which I'm pretty sure he is. 

I think I've decided that I'm not going to try the version. It sounds painful and there is a chance that it won't work. That means when I post next week I will know when this little one will be here! Crazy!!

34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: 29 lbs  (+2 lbs this week.) 

Maternity clothes? II feel that even my maternity shirts are starting to get short. Yikes!

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Except for the frequent bathroom breaks, sleeping well!

Best moment this week: My sister and best friend came to visit this weekend. We had a spa day on Saturday (much nicer than watching the Gators forget to show up for the football game!) We also made some major progress on the nursery! The stroller and high chair also got put together. 

Movement: He is just moving away. I love it!

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No!! (I have been really lucky with this)

Symptoms: Heartburn-Pretty much a daily occurence Exhaustion-Yawns are still coming around 2 every day.

Gender: It's a boy!!! Brooks Michael!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? An outie.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Running/Walking? Still being lazy!

Looking forward to: Continuing working on the nursery! I'm going to order the glider this week and need to figure out what to put on the walls.

It was confirmed at my appointment this week that Brooks is still frank breech (butt down.) He has 2 weeks to flip on his own. If he doesn't, we have to decide if we want to do a procedure where my OB tries to manually flip him (apparently, this works 50% of the time and can be painful) or if we want a c-section. Send some good thoughts our way for him to flip on his own!! 

33 Weeks

How far along? 33 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: 27 lbs  (+1 lbs this week.) 

Maternity clothes? I can still fit into a couple of my old dresses, but any type of pants or shirts have to be maternity.

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Surprisingly not too bad. I'm imagining that I am going to get uncomfortable soon, but so far so good!

Best moment this week: The furniture was delivered and the bedding is here! Now I just have to wash everything and put it all together! We also had our maternity pictures today. I'm excited to see how they turned out. Mike wasn't looking forward to these, but we had a lot of fun taking them!

Miss Anything? Nothing really this week.

Movement: Lots! I just love watching my stomach. Occasionally he puts something (his head?) up against my rib and that kind of hurts, but I can push him back down and he moves!

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No!! (I have been really lucky with this)

Symptoms: Heartburn-All the time. I eat Tums like they are candy! Exhaustion-Still having this. I definitely start yawning around 2 every day. (I hope I'm not jinxing this, but I feel like my symptoms are slowly going away!) 

Gender: It's a boy!!! Brooks Michael!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? It's officially an outie, but really there is not very much of it.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Running/Walking? I was lazy and did nothing this week.

Looking forward to: My sister and best friend, Nicole, are coming to visit this weekend. We are having a spa day and they are going to help me with the nursery! (Mike is heading to Jacksonville for FL/GA--this is the first time I have missed this game in 11 years! :( )

Christmas Cards

Quick interruption from baby posts to talk about Christmas cards!

**This is a sponsored post**

Photo Christmas cards are by far one of my favorite things! I love seeing how all our friend's families have grown throughout the year. Living in Alabama, we unfortunately don't get to see our friends and families as often as we would like, so it makes photo cards that much more special! I get excited when I go to the mailbox everyday in December; I never know what surprises might be waiting for me in there!

Tiny Prints has just released their 2012 Holiday Collection--and it is AMAZING!! They have everything from traditional colors and embellishments to merry and bright colors that take on a modern feel. There cards are great quality and some of the best I have ever seen.

With Baby Shelton making his appearance in the beginning of December, I know I am going to be sending a card with multiple photos.

There are so many photo card options (over 800!) I am going to have a hard time choosing which one! Make sure you check out their special promotions before you place your order. You can save on cards, shipping, and even get free samples!

Order your cards from Tiny Prints this year--I will be!!

We have a name...

Brooks Michael Shelton

It took us forever to decide on a middle name. (I have no idea why! And, I think we literally tried every name under the sun.) Brooks is a name that we both have liked for a couple of years. We knew that was going to be his first name from the very beginning and Michael, obviously, is Mike's first name.

Here are a couple of pictures from our 3D ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. He is definitely still a boy! (I was worried that we would have everything all set up for a boy and then come delivery day the doctor would say...It's a girl, but my fears were reassured!)

He has a little personality already. He was yawning, pouting, and sticking out his tongue during the ultrasound. (He has never been a fan of them.) I think they hurt his ears, which makes me feel really bad!

I can't believe we get to hold this sweet thing in about 7 weeks! Crazy!!!

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: 26 lbs  (+1 lbs this week.) 

Maternity clothes? I'm huge! I don't think I could fit into any of my old stuff if I tried! 

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: I've been getting up a lot more to go the bathroom, but sleep has been okay!

Best moment this week: We went to Nashville for the FL/Vandy game. (Baby Shelton's third and final Gator game of the year!) Nashville is one of our favorite cities and we got to see a lot of friends. SO much fun!!

Miss Anything? Being able to go to a bar/restaurant and not have to worry if someone is smoking near me. I know that that is weird, but it is hard to avoid smoke especially if you are out later at night.

Movement: He's turning into a real wiggler. I just love to sit and watch my belly at night. He is still breech though. Most of the kicks are down low and his head is usually below my ribs on the right side.

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No!! (I have been really lucky with this)

Symptoms: Heartburn-All the time. I eat Tums like they are candy! Lower Back Pain-This has been getting better. I hope it stays that way! Exhaustion-Still having this. I definitely start yawning around 2 every day.

Gender: It's a boy!!! I promise I will share the name soon. We are still not 100% on the middle name!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? It's officially an outie, but really there is not very much of it.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Running/Walking? Walked the neighborhood twice this week. This is my favorite time of year. It is pretty cool in the mornings and I love it!

Looking forward to: The nursery furniture gets delivered on Wednesday and the bedding has been ordered!! I CAN NOT WAIT to start putting the nursery together. I feel like we have so much to do before his arrival, but once the nursery is together I think I will start to feel better and less stressed!

31 Weeks

How far along? 31 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: 25 ish lbs  (+3 ish lbs this week.) I honestly did not step on a scale this week, so I have no clue. I feel like I gained a ton because my stomach is starting to feel huge now! 

Maternity clothes? Only thing I can even imagine wearing now! (I'm even about to go up a size in my hospital scrubs.)

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Not too bad this week!

Best moment this week: We had our 3D/4D ultrasound this week! I'll post some pictures soon. Critter is looking good. He has chubby cheeks and awesome lips. (I think the ultrasound tech told us how amazing his lips were about 10 times!) He definitely has a little personality because he was pouting and sticking his tongue out at times! (I did learn that he is breech--although I guessed that a while ago. He's got 9 weeks to turn around because this momma is really hoping NOT to have a c-section!)

Miss Anything? BEER! We went to Gainesville for the FL/LSU game this weekend. I definitely missed having some beers at the tailgate. I did crack open some O'Douls. (I like to see the look on people's faces when they notice a pregnant woman with a bottle of beer!)

Movement: He has been squirming around a lot lately. I love just watching my belly move! He was not sure about me yelling during the football game. He was very wiggly!

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No!! (I have been really lucky with this)

Symptoms: Heartburn-Pretty much a regular occurance now. I carry Tums with me all the time.  Lower Back Pain-Fingers crossed, but this was a pretty good week for this. Exhaustion-I have been getting pretty tired around 2 o'clock every day. It usually takes me about an hour before I get my 2nd wind, but then I'm good to go for the night.

Gender: It's a boy!!! I promise I will share the name soon. We are still not 100% on the middle name!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? It's officially an outie, but really there is not very much of it.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Running/Walking? I have been awful about this the past couple of weeks! I will try and do better this week. I did walk around Gainesville some this weekend, so at least I got a little exercise!

Looking forward to: Getting the house back in order! Carpet went in last Monday and our hardwoods were refinished Friday and Saturday. We currently have no furniture in any room with hardwood floors and there is a layer of dust in some rooms. We have a lady coming to clean the house on Friday and I am SOOOO excited!! I can't wait for it to return to normal. (Our nursery furniture is being delivered next week and then I can actually start to decorate the nursery--I feel like I am so behind!!) We are also heading to Nashville this week for the FL/Vandy game, so I am excited about that. It's my last football game for the year!