First Family Photo Shoot

Well, we FINALLY got some family pictures! It only took us five months. We would have done it a bit earlier but I had some zit issues that needed some attention! Anyway, we went to JC Penney and they did a great job. The photographer was great with Brady and so kind to us. She let us take all the time we needed to get the shots we wanted! It was a really great day. I probably stare at the pictures about 30 times a day - I just have to stop and pinch myself some days! Is this really my life??? Here are some of the shots - enjoy!!!

Happy Father's Day

When I was a little girl, I remember dreaming about who I married and what our life would be like. As I got older, I just prayed that Heavenly Father would help me find someone that would be my perfect match. Luckily for me, Heavenly Father answered all my prayers and Nick has made all my dreams come true! I love you Nick. Happy Father's Day!

Though I haven't rolled, I turned 5 months old!

It's true- baby Brady turned 5 months old on Monday. This is, by far, my favorite age. He's so fun and able. I love to watch him discover new things. I love to put socks on his feet just to watch him pull them off. I am really enjoying how he can pretty much keep himself entertained with his own hands and feet. This frees me up for showers, blogging, lunch, etc. All kidding aside, he is such a happy boy and really such a joy. He greets me with a big smile every morning with his arms shaking so vigorously I am afraid he might poke an eye out. He smiles and laughs at about anything I do which is really making me feel good about myself!!! He loves to give slobbery, slimy kisses all day everyday which are so worth it! Besides a little sleeping set back - I really can't complain. He's the best. Here's a few pics!

There have been some sad moments - he's teething

His favorite toy!!!

Isn't he the sweetest?!!? In the words of Paula Abdul, "I just want to hug you, squeeze you, rip your head off and dangle it from my rearview mirror!" :-)

"I'll be sad later..."

I have had a humbling couple of days. My heart is heavy but also very full of gratitude. Yesterday was my 4 year checkup for my kidney transplant. I was pretty anxious about this appointment because I was going to have to make some decisions about my medical care and I am not good at this. I am, however, really good at doing exactly what they tell me to do - but this was not a decision they could make for me. I get down to Georgetown after 2 hours of driving and am feeling frustrated with my crying baby. Who blames him though, right?!?! I rush up to the Transplant unit and sit down. By then, Brady has calmed down and is flirting with anyone who will look his way. Across from me, was a smiley woman holding a very sick looking baby who was obviously hooked up to dialysis. At that moment, I felt so ashamed. Ashamed for being so ungrateful for my health, ashamed for being frustrated with Brady for crying and ashamed for not thanking Heavenly Father everyday for such a healthy happy boy. She looked at Brady and he laughed and so we began talking. She asked me how old he was and I told her he was five months. I asked her how old little Clay was and she said 4 months. She then paused and looked at me and told me to not be so sad for her. She told me she's okay and she knew Clay would be okay too. Little baby Clay is waiting for a kidney transplant. The only problem is, he can only receive a transplant from another baby so he is facing, possibly, a very long wait. I had visible tears in my eyes and said I was so sorry. She said, "Why? One of you is obviously not well or you wouldn't be here." I told her how I was there for my four year check up from my own transplant that I received from my mother. This made her cry. She said she would give anything to give her baby a kidney but she would have to wait until he was at least 5 years old. But then she said something that will change me forever. She said, "I'll be sad later. I am going to enjoy every second of his life and just live, come what may." At that very moment, the nurse called little Clay back for his appointment and we parted ways. I felt to grateful that I got to meet her. The thing is, everybody is suffering from something. It could be mental, physical, financial, etc but we all have our burdens. We also all have a choice about how we will handle these things and I think my new friend has hit the nail on the head. I'll be sad later - today I will live! Fast forward to today. I was feeding Brady and turned on my tv to pick a show from our DVR. There was a recorded Oprah from yesterday that I remembered I really wanted to watch. Oprah was featuring children who were considered miracle children and during the commercial for this upcoming episode, I saw two little girls that I recognized from a book written by their mother that my mom just finished reviewing. Anyway, I turn it on and am amazed at the stories I am hearing about. I am feeling so uplifted. I am snuggling my baby and feeling so blessed and grateful and humbled. The last story was one of a little baby named Eliot who was born with Trisomy 18. His parents found out at 30 weeks gestation that he had it and and because babies born with it don't usually live past infancy so they started writing him letters and taking pictures to put together in a video diary. They played it today on Oprah and it made me so sad and happy at the same time. The 99 days this boy lived, he was loved so much and he really did LIVE! After the video, Oprah, through tears, interviewed Eliot's parents. The mom basically said the same thing as Clay's mom. She said she decided when she was 30 weeks pregnant that she was going to love this baby and live each day independent from the next. She was going to treat Eliot as if he would live forever and celebrate his life. She said there would be time to be sad later. Once again, I am bawling my eyes out as I realize that two days straight I hear this advice and realize that this is a life lesson for me. Some people who know what I have been through say, "You've been through so much. How are you so happy?" or "I could never have gotten through what you have." But, we all have things - hard things. I would rather have a kidney transplant than watch my baby suffer through it. Clay's mom doesn't see it that way. She just loves and lives. And that is what I am going to do from now on. Come what may, I'll be sad later, but today, I will live!

Update

My mom's third installment of the series Free Men and Dreamers, titled Dawn's Early Light, is coming out in October so another author decided to do an interview with her! If you want to check it out and learn more about my mom, the author, go here: http://www.kathiswritingnook.com/ I thought I would do some shameless promotion for her because I am so proud of her and what she has accomplished. She has taught me so much but one of the most important things is to dream big and then make it happen! She has certainly done that for herself! So, if you are into historical fiction, check out her series! It's really, really good and I am not just saying that because I am her daughter - I am also her biggest fan!

Brady's New Buddy

When Mommy's Away.......

This is what happens when I leave Brady with Nick:

Exhibit A Exhibit B All jokes aside, Nick is a great dad and Brady loves him to death. I was a little bit shocked, though, to come home from Enrichment with my baby looking like a punk rocker!!

First Comes Love, then comes MARRIAGE...

Adam got engaged this weekend! He is so happy and we are beyond thrilled for him! I am so glad that we got to meet Brittany in April and see how comfortable they are together! It's so great to see him so happy and content! They are getting married on August 15th in Ohio and we can't wait!

The Signs are ALL there...

I AM GETTING OLDER! I was washing my face this morning and I looked, looked again, looked real good and it's true. I am getting wrinkles. In the corner of my eyes - those are definitely wrinkles. Time to buy some lotions and potions!

Firsts

The last couple of weeks, we've been introducing Brady to a lot of new things! Luckily, it has been just as fun for him as it has been for us!! The Saturday before Memorial Day, we took him to his first picnic! It was a super hot day but he loved being outside. Most exciting for me, though, was his first swim in the pool on Memorial Day. I LOVE swimming! My parents have a pool so I spent summers swimming all day, every day! I really want Brady to grow up loving the water so we took him for a quick swim. The water was pretty cold so we spent most of the time in the hot tub! He just loved it!! The other day, my mom, grandma and I went to City Park in Hagerstown where Brady met his first feathered friends. He wasn't too sure what to think about them but it's always fun for me to see him discovering new things! Here's a picture of me and my boy at the park!