Almost 5 months ALREADY!

I feel super bad because I never find the time to blog anymore. Poor Brynnie, she won't know about her baby-hood!

So Brynn is going to be 5 months tomorrow and I cannot believe it. I now understand why when people have their last child they "baby" them. I still feel like Brynn is 6 weeks old. She is doing all these things that I am not ready for! She is rolling in both directions, grabbing for things, jibber-jabbering up a storm and loving on her sissy. Lately, she has been making the cutest growling sounds, like shes a little dinosaur. It's surreal that she is actually a little human being now.

She has always been on the thin side, but at her last appointment, the doctor finally told me to go ahead and give her rice ceral just so that I could get some more calories in her. Yeah, we tried that, about 5 times, and she just pushed it right out of her mouth every time, so we got over that real quick. I never did rice cereal or oatmeal or even purees really with Ellie so I wasn't real excited to give it to Brynn either. I'm secretly glad she wasn't fond of it. I know Brynn will be fine- even if she is skinny! And I also knew that once I introduced formula, she would start to thicken up- which she has! I started to give her a bottle here and there about two weeks ago, just because she gets real fussy right before bed, and that is when my milk is at it's lowest, so rather than watch her squirm and scream, it's easier to give her a bottle.

I am excited, but also a little overwhelmed to start solids with her. I think we have a little time still before she's ready cause she doesn't have the best trunk control yet, but I do not mind. I plan to do baby led weaning with her, just as I did with Ellie, and I think it will be fun, but also time consuming. I hope she is a good eater like her big sissy!

Overall, so far I can say that Brynn has been a pretty easy going baby. Thank God. I am so happy and lucky to have my two healthy girls.

12 Weeks

Brynn will be 12 weeks tomorrow. The time is flying by even faster than it did when Ellie was a baby. I am having a hard time even remembering the very beginning with Brynn. And each and every day just zooms by and before I know it I am tucking my sweet Brynn into bed.

Well, so far, Brynn has been so chill. I cannot believe it most days. She is so low-maintenance. She is so easy and pretty predictable. We follow the eat-wake-sleep cycle and I just watch her cues and everything is just seeming to work. When she wakes up, she will eat, then play for a bit and when she starts to get fussy, I swaddle her up and put her to bed. She seems to enjoy her little bed, and enjoys sleeping too. This week she has been rather sleepy. I have had to wake her up to eat! She must be growing...

We went to the doctor at 10 weeks. Doctor said Brynn is healthy overall, but her growth is a little behind on the charts. Doctor wasn't worried and said this may just be how Brynn develops, dainty and petite, but she will re check her growth at the end of the month just to be safe.

Recently Brynn has been coo-ing more, and smiling a lot. What's funny is that she is so smiley in the middle of the night after she eats. I feel guilty that I am the only one who gets to see such a beautiful smile in the wee hours of the morning. :) I think she is starting to recognize her Daddy and Sissy too. It's really starting to get fun!

Well it's a turning point here with the Gregrows... We are moving this weekend into a bigger house, with a yard and more space for us, and we are so, so, excited about it. And, I am finally going back to work on Monday. I have been so focused on packing and moving that it really hasn't hit me yet that I have to go back to work. I am kinda sad about going back, but very happy that Sonya will be watching the girls. So much anxiety and stress is lifted off of my shoulders knowing that my girls will be well taken care of, and thoroughly loved while I am away at work.

Brynn's Birth Story

So, if I could describe Brynn's Birth story and my experience in one word, it would have to be: PROMPT.

Although I was given many side-eyes and various questions as to why, opinions as to why I shouldn't, I decided to schedule an induction for Brynn. My doctor asked me if I wanted to be induced and I was actually quite surprised that she offered. With Ellie, she would not induce me until I was one full week over due. This time, she said, because I had a healthy and problem-free vaginal delivery with Ellie, she did not see any reason why I should need to go over 39 weeks. She said that babies are fully developed by 39 weeks and that any further time in the womb would just be the baby putting on more weight. So, I scheduled my induction for midnight, Thursday, January 16th.

On Wednesday, January 15th, I went about my day as any other day. I was finishing up all the last minute details with packing my bag, getting Ellie ready, and preparing for Brynn to arrive. Ellie and I went to get the car's oil changed, as well as a car wash. While we waited for the car, we walked over to Target and shopped for a bit. I was just enjoying my last few hours with Ellie as an only child. Later that day, I went for a hair appointment and everything was fine. When I got home from the appt, I felt something different than I had before. I went to the bathroom and discovered I was wet. Now, sorry if this is TMI, but I just attributed it to the end of my pregnancy, Brynn pushing on my bladder and thought it was a little pee that had leaked out. But, once I pulled down my pants I realized that not only were my underwear wet, but my pants were too. I still chalked it up to just being pee, and I even joked with Paul about it. I remember telling him how I can't wait to not pee my pants anymore once this baby was out!

Later that day my mom arrived to stay the night with Ellie. I kept feeling myself leaking from time to time, but again, I just thought it was pee. I text my best friend Brie and told her what was going on. She urged me to call the doctor, but I still didn't want to make a fuss. My mom, Ellie and I went out to dinner (Paul was getting a team workout in before the big day) and I decided I would just wait and see what happened over dinner and if I was still "leaking" I would call. Well, once we got back home I was still leaking. I called. I explained what I was feeling to the on-call doctor and he said "Well, sounds like your water broke to me". So, he said I should head in to the hospital, but not to rush. I then let my mom know, text Paul, and started to get everything together to go. I told Paul to finish up his dinner at his team meeting, and come home and we would go. He got home about 9, showered, and we headed for the hospital.

We checked into the hospital and got settled in, now was the waiting game. I got moved into my room about 11pm, and that's when I started to feel the contractions. They started out very light, I could barely feel them. It wasn't until about 1am when I asked what time would be appropriate to ask for the epidural. I didn't want to miss the window. The nurse said she usually tells her patients to wait as long as they possibly can, so I did. At that point, I wasn't in pain, I just wanted to know what the typical time was to get one. The contractions started to come on stronger, and more close together around 2am. By 3am, I couldn't breathe through them anymore, and I couldn't even open my eyes during them so I decided to get the epidural at that point. Ahhhhhhhh..... the epidural is just wonderful. After getting it, I was able to rest with a few exceptions of the nurse coming in to have me switch sides or adjust my monitors. A few checks later, I was complete and ready to push around 6:15. The doctor came in, and I pushed 7 times, and my beautiful Baby Brynn was born at 6:29am, weighing 6lbs, 13oz and 20 inches long. Her Daddy had a rough time and almost passed out during the delivery because he said he "saw too much". He started to get queasy, started to sweat, and turned pale, he had to sit down. A nurse brought him some juice and he felt better, meanwhile, I cut the umbilical cord! That is something we will laugh about forever I am sure.

Brynn was laid on my chest and she was so tiny! I couldn't believe I had another miracle in my arms and I was so happy. I also couldn't believe how incredibly easy her delivery was! She was so sleepy, of course, but she took to nursing like a natural which was nice. Soon after her arrival we were greeted with all of our family. Ellie was the first one to get to hold her, besides Paul and myself. She was so excited, and I think she was a little stunned too. We are so happy to have our complete family of four.

38 Weeks... See you soon, Brynn!

Here I am at 38 weeks, only 14 days to go!


Well, Brynn, it is almost time. We are so excited to meet you. Everyday we talk about you, and your big sister often asks when you will be here. Overall, you have been real easy on me throughout this pregnancy. You've almost been so easy that I have been worried! I didn't feel you move too much in the beginning, and I was scared because I remember feeling your sister at about 19 weeks. I didn't feel you until about 25/26 weeks. I guess maybe you're just more laid back, more mellow? Who knows.

I have felt better through this pregnancy with all of my aches and pains as well. It may be because I am already used to what it is like to be stretched out from doing this before, or it may be because your sister keeps me so busy I just don't have time to notice that I am in any discomfort. I have even been working out more this pregnancy. I am still working out to this day, and I feel really good when I am there. Today I had some really insane energy while I was working out, it was weird.

Something that is different this time is that I have had some contractions over the past couple days that really didn't go anywhere. Saturday night I had some cramping and back pain for a couple hours, and then Sunday night I had some really intense pain all over my abdomen for about an hour straight. I kinda got scared and thought you might be on your way. I never had contractions before I was actually in labor with Ellie. I started to have back labor, then cramping, then I was in full on labor and went to the hospital. So I am not used to this teasing!

You are much more active at night rather than in the morning. Some days I start to wonder if you're ok, cause you really don't move at all from the time I wake up, until about noon. You night owl!

Well we cannot wait to meet you! I just want to hold you and kiss you and rub your soft little skin! We love you so so much already Brynn. See you soon!