It's OUR story..

Pierced ears & Cloth Diapers!

2010-07-18T00:39:00.013-04:00

So..recently I've become quite fascinated with cloth diapering! No, this isn't the old fashioned "burp cloth" diaper and pins your grandmas used. These are super cute, easy & not nearly as disgusting as I once thought they were. I'm still learning the cloth diaper technique..but then again I'm still learning the whole being a mommy technique. Anyway. I've come across sooo many sites & this is one that is very useful, so if your reading this & ever had any interest is cloth diapering, click the link above or in the left hand column. They've got A LOT to offer & lots of advice! We've got quite a collection of all sorts that I am still trying to figure out.
I had a friend ask me how I like cloth diapers. I told her how much I LOVE THEM! Expressing once again how adorable the colors and prints are & how much it will save in the long run, especially if you have multiple children in diapers at once! She's worried about her husband thinking it's disgusting sharing the washing machine with poopy diapers.

I don't think people understand that you don't actually throw a poopy filled diaper right into your washer. If you baby has solid poopys you can shake it off into the toilet before adding it to your wet bag or pal. If your baby is like mine and breastfed, they may still have 'watery' poops, which pretty much just get absorbed into the liner anyway, but if it's a puddle of poo then just rinse it off first. Do a rinse cycle then do a full wash with an extra rinse! We're not washing cloth diapers with the rest of the families dirty clothes either! Diaper only wash loads, Please!!! I think some people are still grossed out by even having their shared washer come into contact with feces. Well, if you have children then your washer comes into contact with feces,vomit & urine anyway! There is no way around it, unless you wash everything by hand separately! Kids pee their pants, beds and even your bed!! They puke on you, pee on you and even poop on you too! Cloth diapering is far less disgusting than most people would think. If your really worried about feces in your washer, do a rinse cycle with a little bit of bleach afterward! We use Rockin Green Cloth Diaper soap! Smells wonderful!

We have a growing collection now. Thanks to Colleen and Ella!

To list some of the brands with adorable prints..

BottomBumpers,MuttaqinBaby,SOS Diapers,Dream-Eze,MudShrimps,HappyHeineys & BabyLand.

Check 'em out! Adorable prints & different styles!

Layla also got her ears pierced today ( July 17. ) She screamed and seemed so upset that the lady who she liked so much had betrayed her like this! It only last a minute or two & then she was back to loving everybody she could get to look at her! Layla gets quite the attention, it stems from her ginormous bows & big baby blues then she sucks you in with her smile & your hooked! ;) We accomplished some major fall shopping, since we got our taxes back. Finally. Layla got some new cooler weather clothes to grow into & hopefully she doesn't skip past these sizes before fall gets here! My old digital camera broke ::sigh:: but I got a new one today!!! I love it! The picture quality is AMAZING & it was on sale!! Bonus! Now after Layla's first year, when we cut back on paying for portraits. I can blow my own shots up! Yay! Well, Layla's deciding to wake up again..hopefully I get these updates done more frequently! Goodnight!

ALMOST 7 MONTHS?!

2010-06-01T09:37:00.008-04:00

8 Months!! Already?

I don't know where time has gone. Layla is getting so big & SO MUCH FUN! She's got quite a personality. I don't know where to start, it's been a while. She's crawling, backwards! ALMOST forward. ::laughing:: Shes not a big 'Solids' eater. Thats OK! She'll choose something she can hold in her hands before anything pureed. She was never big on bottles. Shes working on sippy cups but only water. She does best with the sippy cup with a straw attached. Still breastfed just as much as day one!! Go us! So proud of our big girl! Layla is such a joy to have around. She makes our life extremely easy! She's easy to take out & we get complimented EVERYTIME we take her to a restaurant on how well behaved she was! We also get complimented on how stunning she is EVERYWHERE we go. I'm probably just being bias but either way, shes beautiful and everyone knows it! :)

She had her first trip to the emergency room and was admitted for 3 days in May. Poor girl has a gastro infection! her fever was about 102.3-104 for 4 days in a row! The scariest few days of my entire life we're watching my little girl suffer in so much pain. When we were in the emergency department waiting for them to give her an IV, I stepped out to call my mom. When I walked thru the security door past the waiting room I heard the cry of a terrified baby. She was SCREAMING in fear & I knew it was my child. I cannot begin to describe the pain that filled my body listening to my baby cry like that. I ran back to her room and looked thru the window to see two nurses holding Layla down & Chris doing his best to calm her. I couldn't go into that room. Thank god for Chris. I have never been more proud of him. I would have never been able to get thru our daughter being so sick, without my amazing husband by our side! On a positive note, the Galisano Childrens hospital at Upstate University is amazing!! The entire staff who helped take care of Layla until we were 110% ready to take her home we wonderful & muchly appreciated!!

We took Layla to her first 4th of July show! She loves fireworks! She also loves swimming & we've been at my parents house almost everyday for the past week during this heat wave we're having!

Wrapping things up-

Shes in 12-18 months clothes

Still nursing 4-6 times a day

Sleeping mostly thru the night ( in my bed ) & yes! We are working on it!

She was 29.5 inches & 20 pounds at her 6 month ( almost 7 months) appointment!

Layla is almost 4 months old!!

2010-03-04T20:25:00.003-05:00

Life with a new baby is very busy & I haven't had the time to update at all. Quick update!

My little baby girl is almost 4 months! Time is flyyyying by! Shes working on rolling over. Some days she gets it, some days she doesn't. she grabs her toys and plays with them. She laughs, SOMETIMES. Most of the time it's just a "empty laugh" as I like to call it. Laughing but no sound comes out! So cute, but I wish there was sound. :)

Hmm.. what else is our lovely Layla up to? We have successfully been breastfeeding for almost 4 months! YAY! I would love to make it to a full year if we can! It's so funny, because when I was pregnant I was all for breastfeeding but kinda thought to myself that I probably would last a week them switch to formula! No way! It's such an amazing feeling to be able to give this to my baby! So far she hasn't been sick with anything, not even the smallest of colds! Thank god! Especially since she was a winter baby in Upstate NY!

Our girl is getting so big!! I'm sure she is probably about 16 pounds now and about 27 or so inches. Shes still in a few 3 month outfits, mostly Circo onesies, but we're movin on up to 3-6 months in the majority of clothes! She's quite the looker too! I swear every parent thinks their child is beautiful, but Layla turns head everywhere! I even heard a man compliment my daughter to his son at the mall the other day!!

Cutting this short-- hopfully I'll update more soon!

Can you believe it's been a month?!

2009-12-11T06:55:00.004-05:00

Time Really does Fly!

Layla's swinging in her swing, pretty happy and content, for now! Lets see if I can get a quick update!

Tomorrow Layla will be 5 weeks old already! I can't believe it. She's growing SO FAST. Already to 10 lbs. 12 oz. 22 3/4 inches long. She's really learning to smile now. She can follow things when you put them in front of her face. Right now shes got a HUGE grin on her face as she watches the butterflies go around and around above her. Being a mother is exactly what I imagined it to be, only better, because I'm not imagining it anymore. My baby girl is here & I could never ask for anything better than this!! When Chris goes to work in the morning, I get this huge feeling of HAPPY when he kisses us both goodbye and says "I love you both"

We had a good Thanksgiving, Twice. First at my parents then at Chris' Grandparents. We also had Christmas/newborn portraits done! Grandma Carolin came to visit for a few days. We really enjoyed having her & Ben here & we're definitely looking forward to visiting Houston for the wedding in March :)

2 weeks post baby!

2009-11-21T20:18:00.007-05:00

Welcome to the world Layla!

My beautiful baby girl is taking a nap & while she's doing that, I'm going to attempt to recap Labor and Delivery & whats been going on since!

Layla is 2 weeks old already! It seems like just yesterday we were immpatiently waiting for my due date, which came and went.

November 6th 2009 Chris and I made our last trip from home as a couple, to become a family of three! We left the house at about 5:15pm and made our way to Crouse Irving Hospital! We checked in and got admitted. My room was waiting for me with a gift bag from Jessicas Mom! My first nurse just so happened to be the woman from our birthing class! :) I got hooked up to the monitor and IV & got checked for dilitation ( still at 1CM! ) The Dr. came in and gave me cervidil (sp?) to help me dialate. They say only about 10% of women actually go into labor from the cervidil. Chris was able to sleep, which was good! I was a little too excited and nervous to get a good nights rest. The nurse gave me some benadryl and I dozed a little better. It was kind of hard though, with IV fluids running non stop and Layla pushing even harder on my bladder, I was getting up at least every 45 minutes! Finally 12 hours later at about 8AM they took out the meds and checked my cervix which was at 4CM!!! I was in the 10% to go into labor!! They gave me the go ahead to shower and get something to eat. Chris ran to Dunkin Donuts while I showered then we ate & took a quick walk around the floor, before startingthe Pitocin at about 10AM. I have to say, this isn't going to be a very interesting story since I found the first 8 hours of labor to be a piece of CAKE! So much for the horror stories that being induced is so much worse. I couldn't have asked for a better experience! The pitocin started very low and they gradually increased the dosage every 15 minutes. We started at 2 ml and ended at about 52ml. Still managing the pain pretty well I got the epidural just incase I wouldn't be able to handle it when it got too late! The epidural was a cinch too, so glad I went through with that! After the epidural was in they asked me if it was working & I said I didn't know! The nurse said it was because the monitor was showing a HUGE contraction! YAY!

Chris got some more sleep while he could and I tried to stay busy, since I could not sleep! I was finally bored out of my mind and thirsty as anything so I sent Chris for his 100th trip to get me some juice which he did very quickly everytime I woke him up! :) Then we watched the penn state game while labor really increased! 6CM to 7 in about 2 hours. 7CM-8Cm in about and hour 8-9 in another hour. Then the pressure kicked in. This wasn't what I was expecting, it really hurt! With every contraction it was getting worse. Chris was great, he held my hand and rubbed my leg and counted for me. Enough was enough, about 45 minutes of that and I couldn't take it anymore. It was time to push!! Chris ran to get the nurse who said I wouldn't be ready yet. When the nurse and the resident made it to my room 10 minutes later I was fully dialated and READY! I had a few practice pushes and they said they could see hair! After about 45 minutes I could feel my babys head! Shortly after that, we welcomed our gorgeous baby girl, Layla Grace Bratt into the world at 7:52 PM! I remember Chris saying " She's here baby! She's beautiful! " They put her on my chest and wiped her clean. Layla wasn't crying. I honestly don't know that she was even breathing yet. I kept asking if she was OK & they told me yes. Then they took her from me & had to stick tubes down her throat and nose to clean the fluid from her lungs. Chris stayed with her & he looked SO PROUD! As scared as I was, Those were the most amazing moments of my entire life! They had to take Layla to the NICU for a "pit stop" as they called it. She was OK, but they just wanted to do a full check. Daddy went up with her.

When daddy brought her back we enjoyed our new addition and ate varsity pizza! Pizza will never taste as good as it did right after giving birth! :)

I guess the rest of the story & whats been going on are going to have to wait.

Mommy & Daddy love you more than you will ever know Layla!

Layla Grace Bratt

November 7th, 2009 at 7:52PM

9 pounds 1.5 oz. 20 3/4 inches

We're gonna be PARENTS!!

2009-11-06T09:14:00.005-05:00

Checking into Labor & Delivery TONIGHT!

The big event starts off tonight. There's a million different feelings running through my head as I try to prepare myself for what Chris and I are about to go through. Apparently, Chris has everything ready for himself. I asked him last night if he was nervous and he told me "No." How are you not? It will never be just the two of us anymore. As much as we tried for this, wanted this and are very much as prepared as we can possibly get ourselves, our entire lives are going to change this weekend!! I knew from as far as I can remember that I wanted to be a mommy. I've been ready since the day we started trying for this little girl, in Oct. 07'. Now the final hours are here and I'm lost for words when I think about what it will be like to meet the little person Chris and I created!

How am I going to handle the pain? In the beginning I used to joke about how teeny she was in there but would eventually be very big and need to come out! It hasn't really hit me that she will be coming out whether I'm ready or not. I don't think you can prepare yourself for this type of thing. Chris says its inevitable, so just try to relax and we'll get through it when it comes! Yeah, he's right, but whose going to be birthing Layla? I'm more scared about this than I was about my lung surgery. They put you to sleep for those kinds of things. I really hope I don't need a C-section. I'm so worried about some type of emergency situation happening (since those things always happen to me!) and having to be put to sleep and not have chris there for an Emerg. C-section! I don't know why they put those thoughts in your head during the birthing classes. Ugh.

Chris is working right now. When he gets home we'll have dinner & make our final trip to the 8th floor at Crouse Hospital. The next time we come home, we'll be a family of THREE!

Kirby will be staying with my parents until we get home then they'll bring him over once we're all settled in! Kirby can't wait to be a big brother!

Well, Thats all for my pregnancy updates! Next time I post, There will be baby pictures!!!

We'll let everyone know once Layla arrives!

xoxo

We love you Layla

love mommy&daddy

OVERDUE :(

2009-11-02T19:26:00.005-05:00

Layla is coming this weekend

whether she wants to or not!

My appointment this morning confirmed my fear of Layla's estimated weight! She is so big! When the tech scanned over her face, it looked double the size it was 3.5 weeks ago. Actually, it looked more like she mashed her face against a window! Her nose was all wrinkled up & her hand is still on her face, (the same place it's been for the last 4 months.) I guarantee she will come out Head/hand-to-face then shoulders! Anywhoo, She was still being very active, kicking those little thunder thighs all over the place. I think she's just trying to tell me she still has room and she wont be out until she doesn't! Sorry sweetheart, your mama has other plans!

I told the tech my fear of finding out her weight & at the end she asked me if I wanted to know. Obviously I needed to know. The look on her face was priceless when she looked at the screen for the result, and then she literally GASPED! 9 pounds 8 oz! I almost broke out into tears! This baby needs to come out NOW!

After that, I had a Non stress test and everything looked perfect! Then I saw the Doctor. Her first words were " You're still smiling, that's a good thing! " then she said the most beautiful combination of words, " Well, we can induce if you would like, but we don't have to." HAHA!

" ABSOLUTELY, take her out! Can we do it this Friday?"

She walked out and came back and I'm scheduled to be induced Friday, November 6Th at 6PM!

We will have a baby this weekend! :) :)

We can't wait to meet you, Layla!!

love mommy+daddy

It's your due date baby!

2009-10-31T21:54:00.011-04:00

It's your due date baby, and your late to the party!

Dear Layla,

It's 10:00pm on Halloween night. You were expected to arrive today, but apparently your quite comfortable staying curled up inside of me! As much as I do love feeling you, barely able to squirm around, I would really like to meet the little lady with such a strong punch. Like the one I just felt on my bladder! Your daddy cannot wait to meet you! He carved your name into a pumpkin tonight, just in case! It's been approximately 40 weeks that I've been carrying you around. It's actually quite amazing! This whole experience is the most wonderful, nerve wracking, happy, anxious & scared time of both daddy and my life! We're so ready for the adventure to begin!! So, would you please make your entrance sweetheart, we're dieing to meet you!!!

EDIT: It's November 1st! Layla is officially late and going to be a November baby! I have a doctors appointment tomorrow morning. They're doing a sono to check growth & for the first time ever, I am TERRIFIED of how much they are going to tell me she weighs! I'm have this awful feeling they might say over 9lbs. I sure hope not! Either way, as long as shes healthy, I will be happy! This is also the first time Daddy wont be there with me to see his baby girl! That's OK. He'll see her soon enough, I Hope! I will be discussing induction with the doctor since I am overdue now. Hopefully, something is progressing though and we wont have to go that route.

Carolin,

Chris and I want to thank you again for the video camera! Now we're going to be able to capture this special occasion even better than I had hoped we would be able to! & Now, for as far into the future as I can see, you inbox and probably home mailbox will be overfilled with home movies and pictures of Layla! Thank you again. Layla, Chris and I are truly lucky to have you! We love you and can't wait to see you!

We love you Layla

love mommy & daddy

Any day now!

2009-10-17T22:57:00.004-04:00

Come out Baby girl!

The world can't wait to meet you!

I'm officially 38 weeks! TWO WEEKS till baby Layla's due date. Chris and I are anxious and excited beyond words for the arrival of our daughter! Daddy is constantly telling her to get her butt out here and he's not the only one! I have given her some words of encouragement myself. :)

Layla's great-grand parents bought us the most amazing swing. Chris and I both have turned it on multiple times just to watch it! It's got a TON of features. I'll post a video when it's dark so you can see the effects!! :)

Thank you so much great-grandma and grandpa Bratt! We love it & so will Layla!

Doctors say everything is good. Something can happen anytime now & we're hoping!!!

Not much to update on. We will call everyone as soon as we know something & will post when possible!

PS. Chris got a job! :) Hes working at a response monitoring center & starts Monday! Will let everyone know how he likes it! :)

We love you Layla

love mommy & daddy

The Countdown is ON!

2009-09-30T20:03:00.006-04:00

31 days till Halloween!

Our little girls expected arrival!

-Sept. 30 2009-

Today we had our final ultrasound for measurements! Layla is IN POSITION! I really thought she was taking after daddy, but now I'm having second thoughts. She's weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz with a month left to go! They guess shes gonna be upper 7 lbs, lower 8's! She's a healthy girl! That's all that matters! We got very lucky today and had a girl learning to do ultrasounds stand in on ours. She was curious about the 3D ones & Chris spoke up and asked if we could have one!!!! I'm not so sure which one of us she looks like. Either way, Shes absolutely beautiful! She'll be a little of Chris and a little of me & that's amazing!

I had my Group B strep test today. Should have the results in a couple days. The doctor said if the baby were to come out now, she would only probably need a couple days in the NICU. So, we've made it!! We're in the very last stretch & it's moving quickly! Not a whole lot is new. I just really wanted to post these pictures!!!

We love you Layla

love mommy+daddy

& Yes, That is hair!

Nursery!!!

2009-09-22T21:57:00.007-04:00

Layla's Nursery!

The replacement part for Layla's crib came today! Funny story? Chris opened the box and laughed, showing me the CHERRY COLORED replacement leg. Infuriated me, called Delta Enterprises to complain that after waiting a week and a half and dealing with the biggest butt of a woman when I originally called, they sent me the wrong color! The woman I talked with today by the way, was also rude and of no help at all. While she had me on hold sending me to an answering machine, Chris said that he got the crib together with the old part. I asked if I was supposed to be mad at Delta or him. He said, him. haha There was nothing wrong with the leg in the first place. He just had to push and pull on the headboard. Using his man strength, he got it this time! haha.

Anywhoo. It's together and GORGEOUS! I love her room! I may have Chris rearrange a few things. We'll see!

Birthing Class is over! We Graduated and got a Certificate! :)

We had our hospital tour too! It really made it feel real! I really like that once you check in, you stay in the SAME ROOM the entire time until 2 hours after the baby is born. They have Whirlpools in some rooms but if you don't get a room with one, they have a central one in the middle of the floor. NOT TO SHARE WITH OTHER WOMEN AT THE SAME TIME. I had to clear that up, since my sister was a little worried about a bunch of women in one "pool" birthing their babies. haha

Everything here is pretty much ready! Her car seat and diaper bag are ready to go. Her bottles are in the kitchen, her baby bath is in the bathroom under the sink. Her pack and play is next to our bed & sheets are in the hall closet! Your welcome anytime now Baby girl!!

It's so weird that in 2 1/2 weeks our baby will be READY if she wanted to come into the world a little early! If not its only 5 more weeks!

We have a doctor appt. this week. Then our FINAL sono next week on the 30Th!

Check back!

We love you Layla Grace Bratt

love mommy+daddy

Quick update!

2009-09-15T12:57:00.007-04:00

Quickie Update

33 weeks 3 days pregnant today! Wahoo! Almost there! As of now, my doctor has pulled me out of work for a week to see if my stress level goes down. I had to make an early appt. with the doctor last week cause work & pregnancy stress are taking their toll on me! :( the midwife said she wanted me out a month ago!! Well that was news to me. She wanted me out for the remainder of my pregnancy but I thought we could try a week for now and see how it goes. It wont be long before I'm on maternity leave anyway :) Baby Layla's heart rate was a littttle fast and they put me on the monitor for 30 minutes. No contractions YAY!! but a very stressed baby girl :(

My baby shower was Saturday. It was nice and personal. 9 people including me. ha

My mom did a nice job even though her back was KILLING HER! Chris and I are very appreciative! thank you, Mom! :) I wasn't feeling my absolute best, but I enjoyed myself & was very happy to see everyone who did come. Thank you!

Chris surprised me with gorgeous pink roses before he went to his dads! He left them on the table with a note that said, " IT'S A GIRL! I couldn't be happier! I love you! " That made my day :) Thank you, Chris<3

Layla's room has been painteddd!! YAYY! It's a very pretty light pink. Her room isn't finished yet. We have to wait on a replacement part for the crib :(

Thank you Aunt Colleen!

2009-08-28T17:55:00.003-04:00

Thank you Aunt Colleen!!!!

We were not even expecting this! The UPS delivered this to us today!!!! SO EXCITED!!

We love it!!!! Chris could hardly wait to take it out and put it together!! It is absolutely adorable!! I cannot wait to put her in it!! Thank you so much! This was a very nice surprise!

Pretty face!

2009-08-20T16:16:00.003-04:00

Wonderful News!!

sorry, its a picture of a picture!

Layla is growing "absolutely beautifully!!! " as the midwife put it! She's 3 pounds 3 ounces! She has her daddies mouth and is head down, for now! We had a new ultrasound tech today, who we thought was going to be miserable. Turned out shes the best we've ever had! She got great pictures of the baby & even though she told us at first we couldn't do a video, eventually let us & daddy got the perfect shot!! Mommy & Daddy are both good too.

We started Birthing class last night, too! Nothing special!

Well, thats it for now. Keep checking!!

We love you babygirl!

love mommy+daddy

:)

2009-08-14T18:52:00.006-04:00

Thank you Mom Bratt for Laylas gorgeous bedding!!

Thank you Grandma&Grandpa Veley

for Laylas Travel System!

Third Trimester!!

2009-08-13T15:26:00.002-04:00

The Third Trimester is Finally Here!!!

It snuck up fast!

We're getting pretty anxious! Laylas room is coming together! We picked out her bedding set ( Thank You Mom Bratt! ) It is absolutely gorgeous! We bought most of the accessories that go with it! The theme is Dragonflies, Flowers and Butterflies in Pink,silver & cream! I cannot wait to have it out of the bag!! We brought her bassinett into our room, too! It's really starting to feel REAL! Shes gonna be here before we know it! I've never wanted summer to end so quickly, I'm not complaining though! I love being pregnant!! Feeling our daughter move around inside of me is the most AMAZING feeling in the ENTIRE world! I could never thank Chris enough for giving me this. I cannot wait to see the little face we created. I cannot wait to see Chris hold his daughter! It's all just unreal to me. <3

So I got the results of my glucose test back! PASS! No diabetes :) my contractions have stopped & they took me off the meds. :) :) I was scheduled for a non stress test yesterday, but they forgot to order it, so we checked the heartbeat on the ultrasound!! Miss Layla Grace was flipping around all over the place and waved hello to daddy & I ! We're having a sonogram done next week to check her growth! I can already tell you though, shes huge! She's running out of room quickly!!

My mom and Sister are giving me a baby shower September 12th :0

Ummm I think thats about all for now!

We love you Layla<3

love mommy + daddy

28 weeks

2009-08-05T17:49:00.002-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks now. Everything is going good! I've strarted experiencing contractions at 25.5 weeks and was put on some mag. gluconate to calm them! Its helped but not taken them away all together! :( I had my glucose test today!! It wasn't even bad! Tasted just like orange soda! No complaints, the lab lady even did a good job drawing the blood! haha

Layla is quite the mover these days! She kicks, punches & flips nonstop! Hope shes active like daddy after shes born!! We had a sono a couple weeks ago & saw Laylas face!! Shes beautiful! We are getting very anxious!! We cannot wait to meet her! We had a little family babyshower while chris' mom was in town! Thank you! Thank you to everyone, for everything!

Baby Registry!

2009-07-11T11:33:00.003-04:00

WOW! 24 weeks pregnantttt!! Never thought I would be able to say that! It's finally starting to feel like a reality. Maybe it's the fact that our little girl is constantly reminding mommy she's in there! She loves music & loves when I eat! She knows my voice and responds MOST of the time when I talk to her. We have an appointment Thursday to meet Dr. Silverman, one of the doctors who could possibly deliver our daughter. Then we're having a sono the following week! We've invited Chris' mom to be there! Very excited about that!! :) His entire family gets in next weekend & WE CAN'T WAIT! I found a dress for the wedding! HOPEFULLY it still fits in 2 weeks!

All for now!
we love you baby girl!
love mommy & daddy!

Also, We're registered!

Target -
Registry ID: 014399700606249
Walmart -
Search under Kelly Bratt or Chris Bratt
Babies r Us -
Search under Maiden name - Hooley.
We had tech. difficulties with it and babies r us was supposed to delete the other two!

Guestbook! Please sign it for our daughter<3

2009-07-10T15:15:00.002-04:00

2am & playing with baby!

2009-06-28T02:06:00.004-04:00

Our Daughter is...

Gonna be HUGE!!!

So it's 2am! I cannot sleep, due to my wacky work schedule! There isn't anything on TV, Kirby and I are bored. We just finished the box of Texas toast and went out for his nightly pee! I figured I would try to fix the layout on our blog and give a short update! We're now at 22 weeks! Woo-Hoo! Chris and I registered the other day at babies r us! It was a long process, we were hot & my back was killing me! We're going to register at walmart and target as well! Probably not until I've checked out the carseats, some of those are so HARD!!! how on earth can babies be comfy sitting on HARD HARD plastic? Some on the other hand are much cozier! I just need to touch them! Chris' birthday was kind of boring :( He celebrated with his grandparents, Carl and Caitlin a few days ago. I couldn't wait to give him his presents, so he got those a week ago! So, we spent his 24th, running errands and doing laundry! We had a nice dinner of hamburger helper though before I went to work! haha

Our daughter played a mean little joke on us the other night and sent us up to labor and delivery to be put on the monitor! She normally moves all day long and just decided to slow it down a little! Which scared me and prompted me to call the dr. They told me to go labor and delivery and get checked out. Everything was fine! She started moving as soon as I checked in! Figures! We did get to peak in on her on the sono! haha HOLY CHUNKY GIRL!! Our baby has THUNDER THIGHS ALREADY!! I couldn't believe it! It doesn't help that mommy keeps shoveling down junk and grease! haha Shes fine though!

We finally got out to see Chris' aunt Chris and uncle Mike! They made a delicious dinner, as they always do when we go! It was very nice to see them & we really enjoyed it! :) We cannot wait for Carolin and the rest of his family to get here! :) :)

I decided to get out a flashlight and put it over my belly! It didn't take long for the baby to find exactly where it was and kick it!! Each time I moved it from one spot to another she would hit or kick exactly where it was! Very fun! haha

Thats all for now!

We love you so so much little girl!
love mommy + daddy!!

Can you believe it?

2009-06-20T17:10:00.002-04:00

Holy cow! 21 weeks came so quickly! We're over the hump with just 19 week left! Everything is good, Thank GOD! Pray it stays this way! We've been so blessed to have had such a wonderful pregnancy! She's quite an active little girl! I started feeling flutters around 17 weeks and good strong kicks at about 19 weeks! Daddy can even feel her moving now too! YAY! Kirby snuggled his nose up to my belly last week and about a minute later got a nice kick in the nose! hehe!

Also, We are all settled into our new apartment & LOVING IT! There are a LOT of dogs here! Two huskies live right above us, but are very quiet! Kirby is loving having his spot on the bed back! I love having my kitchen!! I hate the price of laundry! good thing our parents live so close by! ;)

Thats about all for now! Our next appointment is July 2nd! Keep your posted!

We love you so much babygirl!

love mommy + daddy

Our Daughters video debut

2009-06-04T21:18:00.003-04:00

Here's your first look at our Daughter! Today was the anatomy scan. They checked everything that's important. Her brain and heart right down to her bladder and stomach. We got to spend a good 30 minutes or so getting to know our little girl! The tech was nice enought to allow us two minutes to view her activities, which is whats on the video! The doctor looked everything over and said that everything is exactly as it should be! Thank god! She's still weighing 9 oz.

After spending 3 hours at the BUSY, OVER CROWDED doctors office, we had a nice lunch with Chris' grandparents! Then afterwards made a much awaited trip to babies'r'us to pick out our daughters first outfit! Not the first one shes going to wear of course. Just something to settle my excitment!

we love you so much little girl!

love mommy + daddy

We're having a....

2009-06-03T10:02:00.006-04:00

BABY GIRL!

It's June already!

June 1st we got into a car accident! Everybody was ok Thank GOD!! Still for the sake of our baby, I took the abulance ride up to the ER.
After 4.5 hours in the waiting room & quite some more time waiting in our "Hall" we had an ultrasound! It was all worth it to know OUR DAUGHTER is perfect! WE'RE HAVING A BABY GIRL!! :)

I'm absolutely amazed that Chris and I have created such a miracle! Our Daughter is beautiful! She's absolutely perfect & she isn't even finished growing! She's a product of Chris and my love for eachother & I cannot wait to meet her!

On the ultrasound She was laying with her knee up and her hand on her knee & then dramatically threw her hand back onto her forehead! Such a drama queen already! She weighs 9 oz!! Which is 2.5 oz above what most babies are at 18 weeks! She measured perfectly at 18w2d for her halloween arrival! We saw her profile and her eyeball! haha 10 fingers & 10 toes are all there!

I got a call back from the Doctors office yesterday. The results of the alpha-fetoprotein screening came back! NEGATIVE! I'm so relieved!

Chris had an interview at Wells Fargo yesterday! He feels very confident about it. Hopefully they call him back for a second interview! They will, they will!!

... We are finally moving! Next Friday is the big day! It'll be nice to actually be able to use all our stuff thats in storage again AND live like normal people. Plus I can't wait to start our daughters room! :)

We love you so much little girl!

love mommy + daddy

17 WEEKS!

2009-05-23T17:57:00.003-04:00

17 weeks!

We're almost halfway there! 17 weeks has come so quickly! Not a whole lot is new. Still waiting for movement. Sometime I think I feel it others I don't. I guess I wont know until they're the hard kicks and punches haha! I can't wait for them though! The baby is definitely making huge changes and developments! The baby is now about 5.5 inches head to butt & 9 inches head to toe, if he or she could stretch out. The retinas are also sensitive to light already, but still fused shut. If you were to shine a flash light on my belly, he or she would probably move away. Oh, and my uterus is now about the size of a CANTALOUPE! Oh my!

Other exciting news! We found an apartment! It's nothing super fancy, of course. But It's pretty roomy, accepts the doggy & is getting completely redone before we move in! The bedrooms are pretty big & I'm allowed to paint the babies room! We did find a nice one in raddison, owned by the same company, but this place is like 2 minutes from my work & not such a haul to get to!

All for now!

We love you little one!
love mommy + daddy!

16 WEEKS ALREADY!!!

2009-05-19T12:29:00.004-04:00

We've made it to 16 weeks!!!!

Mommy and baby are good! Daddy too! I'm growing and growing which means so is our little one! I've gained another 2.6 pounds! Up to 132!!! The doctor thinks I'm gaining weight just fine & to continue eating like I am! Healthy of course! The heartbeat is still loud and STRONG! I just love hearing it! I will post it as soon as I find my adaptor! I'm still waiting for the baby to move! I asked my doctor and was told by 20 weeks, but it could happen anyday now! We will see!

Also!!! June 4th we're having our anatomy scan & should be finding out the gender of our little one! We cannot wait!

Some info:

Your baby's nails are well formed, and some babies are even in need of having their nails trimmed at birth. The ears have also moved from the neck to the head.
Your baby is emptying his or her bladder every 40-45 minutes ( just as often as mommy!). The limb movements are becoming more coordinated. Your baby is about 3 ounces and 6.3 inches

Thats all for now!

We love you little one!

love mommy + daddy

Hearing the heartbeat is AMAZING

2009-05-13T13:11:00.002-04:00

I read about a website that offered Fetal Doppler Rentals at a pretty decent price. After everything we have been through, I figured if it will ease my mind between appointments, it's WORTH IT! So, Thursday I ordered mine & it arrived today!!! I'm having a very "boring" pregnancy & I am NOT complaining. Since, I'm not really feeling the baby move & I don't even feel pregnant, I get a little worried sometimes. Especially this morning. I woke up several times throughout the night & all morning I just felt like something might be wrong. Wellll.....As soon as the UPS man dropped off my package, I got right to it! The babys heartbeat was there immediately! VErY STRONG & LOUD! We can also hear when the baby moves! It's really cool! I'll post a recording of our little ones heartbeat tomorrow!

I also started a couple scrapbook pages for the baby! Exciting, I've waited sooo long!

we love you so much little one!

love mommy + daddy

We have MOVEMENT!

2009-05-05T16:52:00.000-04:00

We had a doctor appointment yesterday morning. I am officially gaining weight steadily. At my first appointment with the perinatal doctors, I weighed 124 lbs.. then a week 2 weeks later I was up to 126 & now 2 weeks later I'm weighing in at 130! WOW! My belly is now starting to poke out a little! The baby gave us a little scare at the doctors office. When the nurse went to listen for a heartbeat, she couldn't find it. I had just finished telling her how I had a dream where we came in to our appointment and they couldn't find a heartbeat. She didn't want me panicking, so we checked with a sono. The baby was moving and the heart was beating strongly! Chris commented how the baby must have his genes because the it's already making trouble! :) We got a picture of the heartbeat but no close ups! :(

Oh and we have MOVEMENT! Last week, Chris and I had a very busy day! He took me to Chittanango Falls and we had lunch by the falls! Very sweet! He planned the whole day. Afterwards we went to beaver lake and walked one of the trails. Came home, took a nap and as we we're waking up, I felt the baby move. It felt like little taps on by my bladder which made me think it might not be the baby. It lasted a good minute or so then stopped. I didn't feel anything again until this morning. Again it came and went. My doctors nurse told me she was sure that was the baby!! :) :)

I've been at my job for almost a month now & I really like it! I'm doing pretty good & the people are really nice. Everyone there knows I'm pregnant & people keep asking to touch my belly. Not yet, sorry!

Chris is still searching, the economy still sucks! We hope we can be moved out of here by june! This civilian life isn't as easy and I thought it would be! I really miss the perks of the military, minus Chris being gone a lot!

Well, thats all for now!

We love you Little One!
love mommy+daddy

Well behaved baby!

2009-04-22T15:29:00.001-04:00

So, I had my nuchal translucency scan this morning. Everything went very well. The tech and NP said everything looks great, but we wont have more accurate results until my second round of blood comes back at 15 weeks! As you can see, our little one is growing, growing, growing. It seem like just yesterday, he or she was the size of a poppy seed ( thats probably how small when I got a +hpt ) or a grain of rice! Now, he or she is quite a bit larger! During the ultrasound, the baby kept jumping & putting its hand over its face! :) Not a whole lot more to update on! We're finding out the sex June 3rd during the anatomy scan! We can't wait!!

My new job is good. Good hours, except that I work late. Good pay. It's a little tough right now while I'm still learning my scripts and working the phone at the the same time. Most of the people I talk to say it takes about 2 weeks on the phones to get the hang of where things are on the come and just getting used to it! I like it a lot though!!

Chris is still having a hard time finding anything. The economy sucks!!

We both hope these are mommies legs!
but thats definitely daddies butt!! ;-)

we love you so much little one!
love mommy + daddy

Pumpkin Baby On it's Way!

2009-04-13T21:28:00.000-04:00

Our little Pumpkin is Now Due On Halloween!!

Today was our first appointment with Doctor Spadola at the Perinatal center! We really liked it there! They took their time with us. The nurse spent quite a while with me asking a bunch of questions without Chris. The he was allowed back. The doctor alone met with us for about an hour going over history and answer all of our questions. We were there close to four hours, which is what I expected from the first appointment. Dr. Thompson never gave me the time of day. Todays ultrasound was the first belly ultrasound I had & our little one was clearly there. I was told to drink 4-6 glasses of water an hour before my appointment, so I did! Then I was afraid the baby wouldn't be pushed up high enough by my bladder so I drank another glass when I got there. That was a bad idea, I was forced to pee before the ultrasound because I was just too uncomfortable. Either way, the babes was high enough and we got pretty pictures! S/he even waved to mommy and daddy for the first time! :) Again the doctor said everything is progressing wonderfully! The baby's heartbeat was also heard for the first time on the doppler. The doppler is basically a stethoscope with a radio attached to hear the little ones heart. Very cool! Thursday I was 10weeks 1 day and four days later I measured 11 weeks 2 days! Grow Baby, Grow!!

I'm going back on the 22nd to have my NT test done. Which will be my last ultrasound until we find out the sex of our little punkin! Dr. Spadola said in about 6 weeks we should be able to find out! It's going by so quickly! We've started planning how were going to tell all of you who don't know the good news yet! hehe!

Easter was pretty decent for the most part. We had a late lunch with Chris' grandparents,father and Sister. Headed over to my parents with Kirby & had a nice dinner with Mom,Dad & Kait. Prime Rib & Ham all in one day, I bet the baby loved that!! My parents got the baby his or her first I love grandpa and I love grandma bibs. It's still too early to be shopping for anything, but we still appreciate it and thought they were very cute!

Tomorrow is my first night of work, and thats about it! No more news. If anything else comes up, I'll post it, but don't hold your breath! :) More updates after my appointment on the 22nd!

We love you so much little one!
love mommy + daddy!

We've got Fingers and toes!

2009-04-09T19:35:00.000-04:00

We've got Fingers and Toes!

So, we had our 2nd appointment with the Dr. today! Thank goodness we saw a different Ob though since Dr. Thompson was delivering a baby! She was very very nice and took her time answering questions and showing us the baby!! I've thought its a boy for a couple weeks now. Probably cause of all the salty and sour things I've been craving! & I just have this intuition. The Dr. asked us today if we planned on finding out the sex? We said yes of course! After all this time, I cannot wait to plan!! Pink Or Blue!! We need to know! Anyway, so she was looking at the screen and started laughing and says " I just keep thinking I'm seeing something between the legs " It was probably the umbilical cord but she just couldn't help saying "him,his and he" We know it's still too early. No harm in thinking about it though. Plus she said sometimes a Mom just knows! :) So, The baby is doing AWESOME!!! "He's" Growing like a weed! He's definitely going to have his mommies long legs! Maybe He'll have the Hooley height gene and the Bratt Athletic gene and we'll have ourselves a little basketball player! The first thing that popped up on the ultrasound was the little feet! They actually looked like little baby feeties, with toes!! The baby must really get it's dance moves from my dad and sister cause he wasn't holding back! haha Danced all through the sono! At first he wasn't moving much, and I swear the minute I said, why isn't he moving? It was like he heard me, and got happy feet! He was kicking and waving his arms all around too! We were amazed at just how big the baby has grown & how active!

The Dr. said everything looks like a very healthy pregnancy! Theres good fluid around the baby, he's growing perfectly we're measuring a day ahead of last time, his heartbeat is good & everything pretty much looks great!

The ice cream place finally opened today!! It felt so good to finally have soft ice cream that I have been craving for the last 4 weeks! Ahh not a whole lot new, I guess. Oh, I got a job! That's great news!! At a call center bribing people to buy stuff that doesn't work! So hopefully we'll be in an apartment very soon!

I get my new Dr. on Monday at the High Risk Perinatal Center. We'll have another sonogram done then too! I don't know what I'm gonna do when I get further along and don't get them anymore! I was told today that they are very nice over there. I hope so!

So, I guess more updates come monday! Happy Easter!

We love you so much little one!
love mommy+daddy

Us @ the Doctor!

Our baby is a growing machine!!

2009-04-03T09:41:00.000-04:00

Our Baby is a Growing Machine!

It's Friday already! So, we had our appointment on Monday and everything looked normal! The baby now looks like a baby and not like a dinosaur! S/He has a little body, arms,legs and a head! I think this baby has my dads dancing gene, cause at the ultrasound he or she was dancing all over the place! :) It was so cool! The heartbeat was 189 beats per minute, a lot faster than the 7 week U/S. My doctor wasn't what I had expected based on the reviews I read. He was very short with Chris and I. He cut both of us off mis sentence numerous times. Chris spoke up & I was proud. I'm being transferred to the perinatal specialists due to being high risk. I'm OK with that though. Especially since, a. I don't like this doctor, b. I'll have better care & be watched closer and c. I think it's a little closer!

Last night we told my parents & they both took it surprisingly better than I thought. I know our situation isn't ideal right now. Now we just have an even stronger drive to get back on our own ASAP! Mom & Dad both seemed to be genuinely happy. Dad is probably worried. Don't worry Dad. Enjoy that your gonna be a grandpa! We'll be alright, I promise!

My next appointment is next Thursday! 6 days!!! I think I'm getting another ultrasound by the way the nurse made it sound. Then my first appointment with the perinatal doctor is the following Monday! 10 days! Unless something really awesome happens between now and then, I'll update after my appointment Thursday!

we love you little one!
love mommy+daddy

8 weeks; Kidney Bean

2009-03-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

8 weeks: Baby is the size of a kidney bean

Yesterday I had an appointment at WIC. They do a whole lot for pregnant women, infants and Children (wic) such as provide checks for specific foods, such as veggies,fruits,bread,milk,peanut butter & eggs. They keep up with your weight & check your iron. After the baby is born they will even supply you with the supplies to breast feed ( which I plan to do ) or formula. Very helpful!

How am I feeling? Still not a whole lot different. I'm very tired & lazy. My jeans are getting a little bit too tight to be comfortable. I find myself wearing longer shirts so I can leave the button undone. It's still too early for a baby bump, but I guess it's normal to grow out of things before the bump. I can feel my uterus now when I push down gently. Baby has started moving, still way too early to feel anything. I'm having ridiculous cravings. I NEED candy! Tootsy rolls, sour patch kids, gum balls, sweet tarts! Comfort food! the other day I made my entire crockpot full of beef stew YUMM! I need soft ice cream so bad! I called the icecream place yesterday to find out when they open! I hope my ice cream craving stays for another week, it will be wonderful to finally give in to it!

Well, thats all for now. We have our first Dr. appointment Monday morning. YAY!
More updates coming Monday!

We love you little one!
love mommy+daddy!

Introducing... Our Little Miracle

2009-03-25T14:55:00.000-04:00

Introducing... Our Little Miracle!!

I picked up the CD with all the pictures from my ultrasound on the 19th!
The picture on the top is our baby's heartbeat! Very Strong 154 bpm!
The picture on the bottom shows the yolk sac on the left and our little one on the right! :)

We love you little one
love mommy+daddy

Catching Up!

2009-03-24T14:05:00.000-04:00

Finally!! We're Expecting!!

Chris and I have been trying to get pregnant for 18 months now. We've succeeded 3 times, but our babies just weren't strong enough to make it past 5 weeks.

On February 23rd 2009, I found a pregnancy test & figured "Why not?". Not even expecting anything, since we just miscarried a baby 2 weeks ago, I was gonna toss the test. DOUBLE TAKE!! TWO LINES!!! It's positive?! I kept the news to myself all day. I was going to wait a few days to tell Chris but I couldn't control myself when he got home from work. We watched TV for a little while and I waited till after he ate. When Chris got up to put his dish away, I said, " Ohh, I forgot to tell you.. I'm pregnant!". Very Casual. He took a step, then stopped and very caught off guard said " really?!".

I think we're both feeling confident about this pregnancy. I waited a week or so before making any appointments. I got all set up with insurance on the 19th & due to my history they scheduled me an early appointment with my doctor, on March 30th. After getting home from the insurance people, I was having pretty strong pains on my right side and was nervous about a tubal pregnancy. Chris and I went to the ER and everything looked good!

Blood levels were 86,361 GOOD
We saw our little pumpkin via Ultrasound & heart it's heartbeat!
Very strong at 154 beats per minute!
I measured 7w1d =]

Today I am 7w6d & still not really feeling too much. I'm Hungry, tired & get a little queasy here and there but nothing bad at all. We go back Monday for our first appointment with the doctor!

Mommy&Daddy love you little one!