Ty Turns Two

It's hard to believe that Ty is 2 years old today. Time is flying by. He's such an incredible little guy. And it's been a joy to watch him learn and grow.
Today we went to have his 2 year pictures done at Portrait Innovations. He's not one for getting his picture taken, as you will see with the first picture. But he warmed up and in usual Ty-fashion, he was a "ham" by the end.

The wonderful photographer also talked us into doing a few family & maternity poses. Although being 9 months pregnant is not the prettiest thing in the world, I'm glad she was able to capture our last couple weeks as a family of 3.

Ty's 2nd Birthday Party

Today we celebrated Ty's birthday at Bouncertown with his cousins and a few favorite friends :)

AND...they're off!!! Bounce away Brie!

Ty's cousin Griffin

Friend Katie & Cousin Montana

Weeee...! Ty's cousin Layla

This would be when the staff had to go up and get Ty from the top of the big slide b/c he wouldn't come down. LOL :)

Cheeeeese! Ty's cousin Brie

Ty's Great Grandma Black, and puffed up momma (being good and staying in my seat).

Oooo...Pizza Time!

Ty was excited about his Diego cake and ready to DIG IN!!!

He wasn't sure what everyone was doing when they sang Happy Birthday to him. But he joined in clapping at the end :)

Make a wish!

YUM!

Dig in "Mamble". Ty's best friend, Campbell.

And "Mamble's" adorable brother, Cooper.

Present Time!

Me & my beautiful mom :)

My SIL Dana, who I owe a huge thank you to, for running the show for me.

This adorable little guy is Kyler. He's my friend Brandy's newest addition :)

Cousin Brayton practicing his Spider Man moves.

We all had a great time!

Beautiful Weather & Clean Cars

We have had a few days of beautiful weather. It's been nice to open the windows and hear the birds chirping, especially while on bedrest. Tonight, the boys were outside for awhile, so I decided to see what they were up to. This is what I found:

My sweet boys were washing my car!

Baby Shower

My wonderful friends from church hosted a shower for both myself and my friend Aimee who is due about a week after me (yes, I know...I look MUCH further along ;)
A HUGE thank you to Bobbie Jo, Traci P., and Jennifer for putting it on.

I received so many wonderful handmade gifts. These girls are so talented. Above is an adorable tag blankie and bib from Sarah Pead. Below with the monkey blanket is some cute burp clothes from Kellie Nowacki. The yellow one has a banana stitched in it- LOVE IT!


The blankets under my arm are just a few of the handmade gifts from Bobbie Jo, along with the handmade thank you notes AND everything else she organized for the shower!

And this ADORABLE monkey outfit from Debbie McDowell is what I have decided to bring Drew home in :) I don't know what is with my monkey obsession all the sudden.

And my mom got us the one big item that I felt we still needed: the swing :)

There were so many other gifts that I am so thankful for. These are just a few that were captured with a picture.

Friendship is such an amazing church because it lives up to it's name. These are a few of those awesome ladies and the current Pregnant Women of Friendship :)

34 Weeks!

Yea! 34 weeks. Each week is another milestone from here on out. As a NICU nurse, at this point I know that Drew is capable of suck/swallow/breathe coordination. It's all just such a miracle. I remain on modified bedrest at home, which despite an occasional boring moment, I have begun to enjoy. Ah oh!...that probably means it's coming to an end ;)
There are definitely feelings of guilt watching Dennis & family members pick up my slack. But at the same time I feel so blessed to have that support.

Drew is now measuring 6 lbs 5 oz by ultrasound.
He looks nice and healthy and is very active.

I have switch to a new medication to control my contractions, Procardia. It has WAY fewer, if any side effects, and seems to be managing my contractions much better.

Ugh...Bedrest

After multiple visits now to the hospital with consistent contractions that would not stop, it looks like I'll be on bedrest for the long haul. The ctx started at 30 wks, then again at 33 & 34 wks. The Terbutaline didn't work for very long and they increased it over the weekend. Unfortunately that too wasn't enough, and the side effects were becoming too much. Now I'm on Procardia. The ctx still come and go, but at least they "go".

My parents have been an incredible support through this. They have set up a "Boys Room" at their house for our boys. And a "Girls Room" for Greg's girls. Ty has a racecar toddler bed at their house and has been enjoying his sleepovers there.

And Dennis...I can't say enough about how incredible he is as a husband and daddy. It's so hard to stay down and watch him take over Everything that has to be done. The cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, taking care of Ty...on top of his two jobs! I tried to get up and pitch in one day and make dinner. Big mistake, the ctx started again. So as much as I want to help, I can't. I try to thank him a million times over because that's all I feel I can do. He's amazing though and just keeps trucking on without complaining.

I have much more respect for women on bedrest now. I've always heard them "complain" about how difficult it is. But like with most things in life, you can't ever truly understand until you experience the situation for yourself. Most people would give anything to be told to stay in bed for several weeks. The problem is, during pregnancy, you're so uncomfortable, that you don't rest that well anyway. As soon as I find a comfortable position, my leg falls asleep, or my hips start hurting, or I have to pee for the million'th time.

It's hard not to be selfish and just want this kid out. I know he's better off each day he spends in the womb. There is also a lot of time to sit and think. And as a NICU nurse who probably knows too much, all the possibilities run through my mind. March is a confusing month for us anyway. Our miscarriage was in March '06, Riley was born & passed in March '07, and Ty was born in March '08. I just want this kiddo out and healthy. But God is reminding me daily that He is in control and He has perfect timing and wants good things for me. So I just hang onto that for now.