Boy, Oh Boy!!

We found out last Thursday that we are expecting another baby boy! This time, we are due on August 25th but they usually do the c-section a week or so earlier. I am both excited and scared. I am so happy for Caden as he will finally have a sibling to play with and keep him company. I am terrified of having a new baby when Caden still isn't even weaned of breastfeeding yet and still sleeps with me. I know that I can do it if I set my mind to being a great Mom to both of my boys. It will be challenging at times but I am strong and God has given us this new blessing for a reason. If nothing else, Caden has taught me patience and unconditional love. Brandon is working a lot lately so I have to admit, I do long for someone to help out more as my job is a full-time one. Sometimes, I wish I could just read a book all afternoon or just sleep all day long. But I know that I am needed and don't have that option anymore. We are very blessed and looking foward to adding to our family this summer. I pray that the baby is healthy and happy always. I will do my very best at being the greatest Mom I can imagine to him and Caden. They are the most important people in my life and I would do anything for them. We are still trying to decide on a name as there are so many to choose from but I like Jackson Andrew a lot. Classic and true to my Southern roots!

Adventures in Babyhood

Caden is now 5 weeks and 1 day old! He sleeps a lot at night so I am grateful. He cries a little bit, here and there, mostly when he is tired or hungry. And best of all, he smiles at me now! He really is a great baby and I couldn't ask for better than him. I don't get a whole lot of sleep but I get enough to function...5 or 6 hours total. He is so worth it! I look at him and see an amazing combination of me and Brandon. I thank God that my prayers were answered and he was sent to us to love and cherish. I am dreading having to take Caden back to the doctor on February 4th because he has to get four shots! I will probably sit outside of the room and ball my eyes out. It probably will hurt me more than it hurts him. A mother's love is truly unconditional, overprotective and annoyingly strong. Most of all, it is never ending. I know I will always love Caden more than I have ever loved anyone. And that's okay with me :)

Sleep...what is that again?

I never truly realized how much I would miss sleep...good ole non-interrupted 8-9 hour straight sleep. It seems like such a luxury now when I am awaking to breastfeed every 2-3 hours at night. Not that I really mind though. Having Caden in our lives is such an extreme blessing! He went to his 2-week check-up on Friday and weighs in at 8 lbs and 14 oz now! During the week, while Brandon works, Caden and I play together, watch Sesame Street, nap occasionally and spend a lot of time getting to know one another as Mom and Son. I really feel that breastfeeding is benefiting him and me. My clothes are already starting to fit again and my incision is healing slowly but surely. I never knew love until I looked into my son's beautiful blue eyes and I get lost in them every time I feed him. I love the closeness breastfeeding brings to us. Brandon is great with him too and I look forward to him arriving home every day to help me. The weekends are the best because Brandon and Caden hang out for a couple of hours while I nap! So, I do get bits and pieces of slumber. I love you Caden and are so happy you are ours! He is crying now so...I gotta go :)

Caden is here!

Caden Michael Neeley was born on Monday, November 29th at 7:35 am! He weighed 8 pounds exactly and measured 19 inches long. He has blonde hair and blue eyes just like his Daddy. We have been home from the hospital since Wednesday and I am so grateful to have him in my life. He is such a good baby who sleeps well and hardly ever cries really. Brandon has been off all week helping me but he has to return to work tomorrow. I hope I am able to provide for Caden just as well without him here. I am nervous but so excited to get to raise him and take care of him. I am currently breastfeeding which requires a lot of time and energy but I don't mind because it is the best thing I can do for Caden. Occassionally, Brandon gives him a little formula just to help him sleep longer but I refuse to. Breast is best afterall. Caden went to his first pediatric appointment on Friday and checked out very well. He had a slight case of jaundice and had to be treated for a day under the lights at the hospital which tore me apart but he seems to be clear of it now. Thank you Jesus for bringing this bundle of joy into our lives and please guide us along the amazing journey of parenthood.

Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Today...I am 38 weeks pregnant! Yay! I know pregnancy isn't permanent but sometimes it really feels like it is. I can't sleep and it is 4:50 am on a Friday morning. Maybe because I am anxious and excited as the day we get to meet Caden gets closer and closer! 10 days away to be exact. I have what I think is my last OB appointment at 8:30 this morning. Thanksgiving is less than a week away so I can't wait to see my family and have a great feast with them before baby's arrival. We got a Snuza baby monitor for Caden so that I may sleep a little when he gets here and we bought him a couple of Christmas presents....a Baby Einstein MP3 player and a Sleep Sheep sound machine. I, also, bought Mom and Josh's presents so that we have less to do later. The day after Thanksgiving, we get to put up the Christmas tree! I cannot wait to meet baby Caden finally! I pray all goes well with the delivery and that he is happy and healthy. And I pray that Brandon and I will be good and guiding parents for him. That's all I could ever ask for :)

25 days and counting...

I will be 36 weeks pregnant tomorrow! So blessed and happy to have made it to this point! I had another ultrasound at my last appointment to make sure Caden wasn't too big which it turned out that he was perfectly sized for this point and in the 90th percentile...whatever that means. I am so fortunate to say that this has been a smooth ride for the most part and I know how much of a blessing that is. Two of my dogs have gone to stay with my Mom for a while which makes me really sad but I am too far along to care for them and give them the attention they deserve right now. The house has been a lot quieter since they've been gone and it's depressing sometimes. I just try to concentrate on getting as much rest as possible right now though and getting mentally prepared for our son's arrival. Brandon and I have decided to not have Caden circumcised after doing extensive research on the issue. I believe that God is sending him the way He wants him to be and I could never put our newborn son through that kind of pain and torture. We have waited far too long for him and I really believe we are making the right decision. Brandon is working overtime whenever he can now along with doing dishes, laundry and cooking on the weekends so that I don't have to. Thank you Lord for my amazing husband and for my soon-to-be son! I am so humble and grateful.

Pregnancy Scrapbook

I think it's important to remember these feelings and experiences so I have decided to document my pregnancy...or as much as I remember. Way back in March of this year, I peed on a stick and saw two lines, although one was faded. I got another one and it also came out positive. I was in total disbelief after trying to get pregnant for nearly a year so I made a doctor's appointment. That test was also positive. I couldn't come to terms with it then but I was so, so happy and overjoyed. It was the blessing I had always hoped and prayed for.

I was immediately very, very hungry. I found myself waking up in the middle of the night to eat cups of yogurt, although I had never woken up to eat before. And in the mornings, I felt an insatiable hunger and pains if I didn't eat asap. I found myself very tired and exhausted. I could sleep all night long and sleep all afternoon with no problem. In the first trimester, I only got sick a handful of times, luckily. And it was rarely in the morning. I was very moody and hard to tolerate due to my changing hormones.

The second trimester brought a very exciting time! We learned the sex of the baby at around 20 weeks and it was a boy! I thought I was having a girl but Momma knew all along that it was a boy. Either way, I was so happy that the baby was healthy and growuing strong. The little popcorn flutters I was feeling soon became strong movements in my abdomen. Although, I spent countless time worrying that he just wasn't moving or kicking enough. Looking back, he really wasn't that active in the second trimester. I guess some babies are more laid back than others. I ate whatever I wanted...pickles, cheese, hamburgers, eggrolls, whatever. I actually drove all the way to town a few times because I had to have an Arby's roast beef sandwich or a BK whopper. I always took my prenatal vitamins and went to every single doctor's appointment.

The third trimester has been the most eventful...the baby shower, lots and lots of movement inside of me, the 3D ultrasound that showed him blinking and swallowing, the hiccups he gets almost every day, sleepless nights because of anticipation and bathroom trips every two or three hours, packing the diaper bag for him, organizing the nursery, dreaming of him and the day I get to finally hold him. I will be 34 weeks along tomorrow and I am nervous, excited, a little scared, very hopeful and eager to see him. I am tired of being pregnant but I am trying to enjoy these last few weeks because I am sure I will miss them. Please let his birth go well Lord and please keep him safe and healthy always.