the amazing adventures of carson and kellen: Summer School & Brody

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Summer School & Brody

Well, we have had some exciting changes around!

First of all, thank you for your prayers for my pregnancy and delivery. Brody Nicholas was born Monday, May 15 at 7:29 am, 6 lb 11 oz and 19" of sweet baby perfection. He was only 36 weeks (so was a month early) but he did REALLY well and came home with us two days later. THAT (the fact he was healthy enough to come home with us) was a HUGE answer to prayer. It was a dream that I didn't really know would ever be a reality for us because of how the boys had to be delivered and the fact we couldn't carry this baby to term. It has been the SWEETEST gift to get to enjoy all the newborn smells, sounds, and feels in the comfort of our home! I stare at him for hours of the day and revel in the miracle of his life. It is hard to think about these things that we missed out on with Carson and Kellen but it has made the joy even greater this time around. Carson & Kellen LOVE being big brothers and often request to hold Brody, and give him lots of love throughout the day.

Two other miracles that happened surrounding Brody's delivery. First, we found out my high risk OB that I LOVE is leaving the end of June...so if we would have been just a little later we would have missed his knowledge and expertise in determining the timing of Brody's delivery. His advice & opinions were so important to me because he was the one who delivered the boys and so knew much more about my specific case. And the second thing, that makes me tear up if I think about it too much...during the delivery, my doctor was able to visualize my uterus and see if there were any thin spots (that lead to possible uterine rupture which is an immediate danger to the baby & me). Preston got to see it too but there was an area of my uterus that was so thin that you could see through it. AHHHHH! That is so scary to think about...it may have ruptured if I would have carried Brody longer or had more contractions etc and from what we have heard from doctors...if your uterus ruptures, you only have minutes to get the baby out (we live an hour away from the hospital)...I think you probably get the picture. But it is hard for me to think about something happening to Brody. (And the other thing...my uterus is still intact...because of the risk for rupture there was actually the equipment in the OR to do a hysterectomy if need be...so thankful that wasn't the case). With all that said, that's when I really appreciate all the prayers that covered details I didn't even know to pray for specifically.

And the second big event, Carson and Kellen starting summer school today!!! They had a blast and didn't seem to have any nerves about it. They told us ALL about their day when they got home! Carson has a nurse that is with him all day in case something happens with his trach. Praying there are not any issues but I do feel confident in the nurses' ability if something did. This is the first time since leaving the NICU that Carson's emergency care has been in anyone's hands other than Preston or myself and the occasional times that a family member watches him. It's a huge step for us and I think this independence is going to be great for the boys! I hope they love school and learning as much as I did!

Here are some pictures...