Tryce's Birthday Question - Age 3

What is your favorite color? red
What is your favorite toy? blue... white (later he said airplane)
What is your favorite place to go? race this downstairs
What is your favorite TV show? Mickey
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner? cakes
What is your favorite thing to wear? football shirt
What is your favorite game? Battleship... Battleship's a good game
What is your favorite snack? crackers
What is your favorite animal? cow
What is your favorite song? ABCDEFG
What is your favorite book? Airplane book, no Johnny Tractor
Who is your best friend? Landon, no Brooks is
What is your favorite cereal? Chex Mix
What is your favorite thing to do outside? play chalk
What is your favorite drink? water (but it's definitely milk)
What is your favorite holiday? hot charge
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? teddies (but he doesn't)
What scares you? crabs, nope bugs
What is your favorite car? Humpty Dumpty
What do you want to be when you grow up? a big boy

Tryce's Birthday

I'm only about four months late writing this. Our household is pretty busy these days. I thought I would get bored on maternity leave but it turns out I barely had time to even check my email. Thankfully work did not have to bother me at all except for a few HR matters related to my leave. I've been back to work for about a month and a half now and we are slowly adjusting to the new schedule. Now back to Tryce's birthday...

We knew we would be having a C-section again this time around, so we were able to schedule the baby's birthday. Brett's dad's birthday is September 20th and the due date was the 23rd so we kept it in the back of our minds that maybe we could choose that day. Typically they take C-section babies a week before the due date which would have put us at September 16th. I really wanted to wait until at least the 18th because there is a big tax deadline on September 15th and I would always be busy and stressed out on this child's birthday. I figured if we were waiting that long, I could go another couple of days if the doctor was okay with it. Turns out, it worked out perfectly for his schedule to go on the 20th. We kept the date a secret from Brett's parents so we could surprise Grandpa Charlie on his birthday. And we decided that the baby's middle name would be Charles.

We had to be at the hospital by 6am so we went to Topeka the night before and stayed at my aunt Shelly's house. Our "last supper" as a family of four was the night before when we went to Sabetha to eat Mexican. Then on the way to Topeka, Brett and I had our last quiet dinner in a while in Holton. We tried a new place and it was delicious. The morning of delivery went pretty smoothly unless you ask Brett. I agreed to let a nursing student try to put my IV in and let's just say he about passed out.

We got to the operating room a little earlier than our 8am surgery time so things went very quickly. It was a big room and I felt very exposed as I laid on the table, bottom 2/3 of my body numb, and bright lights over me. It was a relief when Brett finally made it in there. It seemed like it took forever and I thought they were starting without him. I felt pretty good during the surgery, much better than with Myelle. They really had to push to get Tryce out. He had dropped back in July but went back up and by the way the C-section went, I would say he wasn't wanting to come out. My whole body was being pulled and pushed and rocked as they tried to get him out. It seemed to take forever and I was really worried about whether the baby was okay because I wasn't hearing a scream. Then finally, there he came and as always, the tears of joy came with him. He was born at 8:00 on the dot. I'm always so thankful when they say the baby is out and healthy. When they showed him to me, I thought he seemed big. Sure enough, he was a whole pound heavier than his siblings. He had a lot of dark hair. It looked curly at birth before it was washed. His head was a little boxy when he first came out and it reminded me of the old man on the movie "Up." Brett followed him around the O.R. getting pictures of him and I laid there listening to him scream. He did not like to be messed with. When he was cleaned up they brought him back over and I gave his face a little snuggle. They finished me up pretty quickly and we were off to the recovery room for some skin to skin contact. I was able to nurse right away and Tryce seemed to know exactly what to do. It was such a great experience, and I'm so glad the hospitals are starting to give C-Section mamas their babies right away. It was two hours before I held Kyler so things have come a long way in a short time.

I didn't want to give up my little guy, even for his bath in the same room. It was a slow day so far and they didn't need the room so the nurse just let us take our time and really get to know each other. He was the sweetest thing and just loved to cuddle. When he got his bath, he loved getting his hair washed and brushed. Then we asked to get moved to our room so Brett had a more comfortable place to hang out. Kyler and Myelle and my parents were some of our first visitors. They came right after school. Ky was too cool for his Big Bro shirt that day but Myelle proudly wore her Big Sister shirt. Myelle kept commenting on how soft he was and they were both so proud and excited to hold their new baby brother. They had written a book for the baby several weeks before, so Kyler read it to him. It's really cute, and they wrote it as sort of a guidebook for survival at the Brack house. They came up with chapters and dictated the words while I typed them. Then they illustrated it, alternating pages. We had lots more visitors the next day, including Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Tammy. Brett had FaceTimed his dad the day before to wish him a happy birthday, and told him to wish his grandson happy birthday as well. It was a fun surprise! Throughout Tryce's first month I was shocked at the generosity of our friends, family, and neighbors. It seemed that everyone was thinking of us and sending us something, bringing a meal, or gifting us clothes, diapers, and supplies. I couldn't even keep up with thank you's and writing them all down. My recovery went really well, probably the easiest yet. They seem to get easier and easier which is crazy because I'm getting older and older. We even left the hospital a day earlier and everything went very smoothly. The nurses at Stormont Vail were excellent and we had an awesome experience there. Everything was laid back and at our own pace which was so nice. They really left us alone a lot which we actually enjoyed. They called us the easy patients at the end of the hall. We also didn't give him a pacifier while in the hospital because he was doing so well nursing without it, except for the circumcision. The woman who gave his hearing test was pretty frustrated with us for not giving one because he wouldn't stop crying for it. When he finally did, she said it was the fastest test she's ever done and his hearing was great.

Some things I remember most about Tryce as a newborn are his cuddly personality, his smiley face, and his long feet. What set him apart from his siblings were his hair and his size (although he was still so tiny). Nursing really did come naturally with him. And the thing he was not good at was sleeping in the crib by himself. The hospitals really don't take the babies to the nursery anymore so you can get rest so that was a downfall. We were up at night a lot with Tryce and never had much luck getting him to sleep on his own. We weren't sure who he looked like. He definitely didn't favor the Brack side at all, and we could see a little of some of my cousins in him, but nobody was jumping out when he was that little.

Just a Couple More Weeks...

I have officially reached the point in this pregnancy where I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore. Just in the past couple of days things have gotten pretty uncomfortable. The skin on my belly is stretching so much that it sometimes burns and bending over to do anything has gotten very difficult. My plan was to clean the house good one last time before the baby comes once we get our appliances in but the thought of scrubbing the floors is daunting. 

Work has also been very hectic trying to get the September 15th deadline stuff wrapped up along with as much as I can get through for the October 15th deadline so that others don't have to deal with it. Plus there are all the instructions and transitions and communications to make sure everything is covered while I'm gone. Hopefully it will all be worth it and I can pretty much unplug for 12 weeks once this little guy gets here. I'm sure I'm being delusional. 

So, poor Brett has to deal with an uncomfortable, hormonal, and stressed out pregnant lady. He's doing pretty darn well at it though. I am amazed at his patience and so appreciative of all the things he just steps in and does without my asking, even when I don't show my appreciation. On top of that, he has been teaching Myelle how to tie her shoes which is something I have not had the patience to teach either of our kids so far. I couldn't ask for a better daddy for this little one.

We have all but decided on Tryce for the name but are still working on a middle name. We'll probably end up picking something in the hospital at the last minute like we did for Kyler. He has been pretty active given how late in the pregnancy we are - I think usually they slow down since they are so low on room. He just pushes and shoves around as he pleases, which isn't the most pleasant thing for me, but it's good to know he's still okay in there. While I'm not ready for being up all hours of the night, I am getting pretty excited to see and hold this tiny baby. Just a couple more weeks now!

27 Weeks

The 2nd trimester is ending this week and we will be in the home stretch. Unfortunately for baby boy, he won't have room to do much stretching. My doctor told me I basically have until around 30 weeks until things start getting really crowded and uncomfortable unless I can somehow grow taller. Conveniently, that starts right before we drive to Colorado for our summer vacation. That should be a fun car ride for everyone. 

Things have been going well. I've felt probably the best I have during the entire pregnancy the past week or two so it would be great if that keeps up a little longer. I require a lot of sleep, have the occasional heartburn, get really bad tailbone pain if I do a lot physically (my current excuse for not having a clean house), and have to take it slow if we're walking anywhere but other than that I've felt great and haven't thrown up in over a week. I feel like a ticking time bomb just waiting for the next symptom to start since it seems I will be getting all of them this pregnancy. My dear husband is so helpful when he tells me it's all in my head or that I shouldn't be eating this or that because it's unhealthy. Let's just say that combined with my hormones does not go over well even though I am used to his honesty by now. I really wish he had to take a turn being pregnant, even just a week would be so fun for me. Really though, he has been great through most of it, especially that rough first trimester or so. I was absolutely worthless and he took care of it all with no complaints. I don't know if I would have done that well if the roles were reversed.

Baby boy has been busy lately and for a few days was so full of energy and movements I could hardly stand it. But then he slowed down and makes me super nervous sometimes. We're pretty much ready in terms of having everything we need. I should pick up some diapers and my cousin will be loaning us her infant seat but other than that I think we have it all. Now I just need to get myself mentally ready for having a newborn. I can't wait to hold and cuddle him but don't know if I'll ever be ready for those long nights and being so tired. We are just hoping that he's a better baby than his big sister was! 

We are trying to get the upstairs remodel done before delivery day. I ordered living room furniture and we should be placing our order for the kitchen cabinets today. Everything should be here in about 6 weeks so if you're bored around mid-August, feel free to come help Brett get everything installed! We still need to pick out a stove, dishwasher, microwave, and faucet and will have to make a trip to Lincoln to pick out the granite for countertops and the sink. The lighting will have to wait until this winter when there is time and the attic isn't a million degrees. The good thing is that the bathroom is essentially done other than the mirror and lighting/electrical and most of the doors are installed other than bedroom closets and the ones that go out to the garage. We still have quite a bit of trim to do though which isn't a big deal other than the garage space. After we finish this up our poor savings account will be looking pretty sad so we are even more determined to make our existing vehicles work for our increased family size. We've played around and I think it will be fine. We can use the third row in the Highlander except during overnight trips and then I think we can squeeze the car seat and two boosters in the middle row so we have room in the back for all of our luggage.

The kids are really excited especially that the nursery is set up and all the baby toys and gadgets are out. I catch Myelle in there quite often and sometimes her baby dolls are in the swing or bouncer. Everything might need a little wipe down before little brother uses it. They really want us to decide on a name and have been calling him "Baby Brother Tryce" for a while now. I have a feeling that name will stick but I just have to see him first before we decide for sure. They are going to be such awesome older siblings - I can't wait to see that part. My cousin brought her baby by last week and they wanted her to leave so we could babysit. They're perfect with babies - not too pushy but very entertaining and helpful. 

Almost 22 Weeks

We've made it past the halfway point and things are going much better. Sickness for Mama has almost completely gone away the last 2-3 weeks (except for a surprise vomit last night - baby apparently isn't a big fan of broccoli) and the little guy is moving around like crazy at different times of the day and night. He's really low which can be pretty uncomfortable at times, and he doesn't seem to like waistbands on my pants/shorts. My belly is definitely getting bigger in the past couple of weeks and maternity clothes are arriving on the doorstep weekly - I'm so scared I'm not going to have anything to wear to work when I travel to the office in a couple of weeks.

We had the anatomy scan last week and baby was looking perfect. He measured 20 weeks, 4 days which was exactly the day we were there - the doctor (who is retiring and thus has seen plenty of pregnancies) said that never happens. He weighed in at 13 ounces and the sonographer told Myelle he was about the size of a pop can.

We've rearranged the bedrooms (Kyler is not thrilled about losing his room) and the nursery bedding came in this week so we are pretty much ready in terms of the big stuff. Just need to get some diapers and supplies and a car seat which we are borrowing. I'm hoping we can score some hand-me-down clothes so we don't have to go buy a bunch of stuff again.

We have a short list (which is probably kind of long) of potential names and we'll probably wait to see him before we decide for sure. Tryce is the front runner as of now and I'm betting that will stick. Myelle already calls him that. About 17 weeks to go before we see what this little bean looks like. I'm savoring my sleep but also can't wait to snuggle a newborn. Please pray that everything continues to go well!

Gender

Oops, how did that happen? I was set on not finding out gender when they called with blood results. However, Brett had happened to walk in right before they called (totally random since it was at 9am) and I just lost all self-control apparently. We found out that we're having a BOY! We were both pretty happy with this result because let's face it, boys are just easier, at least in our experience. Neither of us cared one way or the other too much and I am kind of sad that we aren't going to have "sisters" but this will be good. Myelle wants us to tell her but we decided to keep it a secret for now. I am thinking we will do a gender reveal for the kids and whoever else wants to attend or watch online. Maybe an Easter egg thing! The best news is that the screening they did came back normal which is another great sign of a healthy baby and that is the most important thing to us. We're still just beaming and shocked at this blessing and the fact that everything is looking good so far. Can't wait to meet the newest Mr. Brack! Now if anyone has name suggestions...

Excitement

What an exciting week it's been for us. We had a doctor appointment on Wednesday (the 8th) and heard the heartbeat again. The doctor says we're in the clear and headed for a full term pregnancy. What a relief! Brett and I both felt like it was "right" this time so it was great to truly be able to get excited without so much hesitation. It took a little bit to get used to the idea of another baby, but we are 100% on board and so thankful for this gift. Now we just pray for a healthy (and ideally HAPPY baby) come September... six months to go.

Since the sonogram measured so close to the date estimated by my last period, they are using September 23rd as the official due date. Since I will have to have a C section (due to having them before), they will take the baby one week early. Unfortunately, this falls on September 15th which can be a pretty harsh tax deadline. I'm hoping they will let us wait until that Monday, September 18th so that I won't be a stressed out mom on this little one's birthday every year. We'll have to switch doctors over the summer since ours is sadly retiring, so that is a conversation for later.

Speaking of our doctor, this one has been completely different than what we're used to but in such a good way. He's what I would consider "old school" and he's very forward and blunt. I've heard he has horrible bedside manner and I get it, but we LOVE him. We have thick skin and living in a tiny town kind of gets you used to old people stating their opinions, wanted or not. It's pretty entertaining actually. He told us about two deliveries he did this week - a vaginal birth and a c section on women that were 300-400 pounds. Yikes! It came up when he asked me how much weight I usually gain during pregnancy. But the real reason we love him is that there is virtually no stress involved. I'd had a check up back in December and asked our chances of having more kids, just to put my mind at ease and move forward. He was pretty direct and said that absent doing some sort of fertility treatment, our chances were pretty low. Apparently I was holding onto some subconscious stress about that because less than a month later I was pregnant. Then after I got pregnant, I expected them to run labs right away and check my progesterone, etc. Nope. Nothing. Just come in for a sonogram next week. Again, this was a huge relief. Nothing we had done in the past had stopped an inevitable miscarriage and just made me feel worse so I happily went about my business without added stress of knowing my numbers were off. I think it was just the right timing, but not having that added stress couldn't hurt. This baby is healthy and thriving as far as we can tell.

The best part of the week was telling the kids and hearing all of their questions and discussions about the baby. They were pretty excited and have lots of questions. It seems like a long time before the baby will come for them. Both of them worry about what I eat, asking if it's okay for the baby. It's so adorable and they are going to be such great siblings to this little one. Kyler gave me a hug today and then cupped his hands on my stomach to give the baby a hug too. He just melts my heart. Of course he wants a brother and Myelle wants a sister but most of all we just want a healthy baby. We've also started telling our families and the kids apparently told some of their friends at school yesterday, so the word will be getting out. Everyone so far has been just as shocked as we are - we thought we ere done with this part of our lives but are so blessed to be able to experience it once again.

The biggest disagreement at this point is whether we find out gender or wait until the baby is born. Brett is adamant about finding out and claims he can keep it a secret if only he knows. I am skeptical and although I really want a surprise in the operating room, I think if he gets his way to find out before, we will do a gender reveal party and find out what it is the same time as everyone else. To be determined...

1st Sonogram

We had a sonogram today to find out what's going on in there. We were excited and nervous to find out if there would be a heartbeat. When the wand went in, we could immediately see a big ol' baby on the screen with the heartbeat just flickering away. Thank goodness we are past that 7 week mark. The heartbeat was strong at 179 beats per minute. The baby measured 8 weeks, 5 days which is great since based on dates it should be right at 9 weeks. We have good thoughts about this one, so let's hope and pray everything continues to go well. The next appointment is March 8th with the doctor. He should be able to get a heartbeat with the doppler so we will know whether the baby is still hanging in there. Based on how horrible I'm feeling, I'm pretty sure things are going well. This is the worst "morning" sickness of any of my pregnancies and I am constantly exhausted. Poor Brett is having to pick up the slack as I spend most of my free time (and time I should be working) in bed. Myelle is constantly asking if I'm going to throw up. The kids are worried but we're hesitant to tell them anything until we get past the first trimester. Plus they'll blab to everyone else. We may have to spill our secret to a few people in the next couple of weeks for various reasons, but we will probably wait closer to 16 weeks to really announce it. I can't wait!

Having another little one is making us think some things through. First is the trip we booked to Mexico at the end of June. I think I'll be somewhere around 27 weeks pregnant then. Unfortunately, with the Zika virus going around, we are probably going to have to cancel. We've paid for flights and put a deposit down on our rooms and we're not optimistic we will be able to get anything back for cancelling. It would be really nice to have a baby-moon at an all-inclusive resort but probably shouldn't risk it. We will check with the doctor before we cancel anything. The other thing that keeps coming up is our vehicle situation. The Highlander technically would fit everyone, but we would have to use the third row seats for one or both of the big kids. That leaves us with very little room for luggage and "stuff" after the dog is loaded up. I really don't want to fork out a bunch more money for a bigger vehicle, mostly because I want our upstairs to be done before the baby comes. I also keep thinking about where this baby will bunk up. At the beginning I think we'll just put a small crib in our room - something we haven't done in the past (besides Kyler's first two weeks). I really want to keep gender a surprise again so we will have to figure out bedroom arrangements after the baby comes. Depending on gender, one of the kids will have a new roommate eventually. Myelle's room seems bigger so if it's a boy they may have to swap rooms. Names are another thing I keep thinking about. I really don't want to think about it at all though, so if that continues this poor kid may not have a name for a few days until they are wanting to kick us out of the hospital. Hopefully something clicks and makes it easy on us!

6th Pregnancy

I know a lot of people close to us will think we are crazy. In fact the definition of insane fits pretty well here. But it's happened again. I have felt like absolute crap the past week or two and decided that I was going to take a pregnancy test before I go to the doctor. Well, Brett got me a pregnancy test at Dollar General for Valentine's Day and I had to run to the front door and call him back in because it was positive. We both had smiles on our faces and were pretty much terrified inside for one reason or another. A baby is scary in its own way but another miscarriage is obviously on our minds as well.

It's so dumb of me to get excited but I felt really good about this one. I'm having horrible morning (all day) sickness, am super tired, and the test was positive right away. Brett has been a lot more cautious although he was even asking already what we would all have to go out and buy again.

I find that I want as little information as possible this time around. I don't really care to know what the labs say, how low my progesterone is, etc. I am looking forward to the sonogram where I'm hopeful we will see a strong heartbeat and healthy baby moving around. Based on my last period, I'm 8 weeks along but I'm guessing the measurements will be a little less than that just due to my irregularity.

One thing that is definitely different than my two successful pregnancies is that peanut butter is NOT a craving. I can barely stand to think about the smell, let alone eat it.

Afraid

After having multiple miscarriages, I now find the thought of possibly being pregnant terrifying. Honestly, the best months are the ones where my period starts before I have time to even think of what the alternative could be. This month is not that way. My cycles are often irregular and long so I really have no reason at this point to be concerned. But I am. Especially now that I asked Brett if it would stress him out if I found out I was pregnant and he looked up beaming at the idea and gave me a fist pump and a "yes" when I told him I haven't had my period in a while. What if I'm not pregnant? We have been "not preventing" since the first of the year after the previous miscarriage.