First Days at Home

Just some moments from the past few days. Life at home is going great. Keely is doing great being a big sister and helping Mommy. She has helped changing diapers and making sure Brayden has his pacifier. He is doing so good eating and having more "wake" time during the day. Brayden does have a bit of jaundice, we have another appointment tomorrow to check his bili levels, so far nothing alarming but we still want to watch it to make sure that the levels aren't too high. We'll keep you posted!

Mom with her handsome sleeping boy!

Hanging out.

Daddy time.

Keely checking on brother.

Story time!

Brayden Edward Duncan

Brayden Edward Duncan

September 26, 2009

3:19 am

7 lb 11 oz 19 3/4 in

He is here! Early Saturday morning we welcomed Baby Brayden to the world. I am thankful to say that it was a quick and safe delivery. Brayden is thriving and just perfect. He looks A LOT like Keely when she was first born with the exception of the dark, thicker hair. We came home tonight around 5:00 and were greeted by "The Big Sister" Keely. She has done so good with the new baby and is very curious to his every move and sound. We did have a small moment of jealousy when I started to nurse him but everyone is doing their part to make sure she knows that is loved and not being replaced. Below is a small montage of moments from his birth and coming home. I will try my best to bring more pictures in the days to come, but please be patient with me as I adjust to being a Mom of 2! Thank you everyone for all the wonderful wishes during this celebrated event. We can't wait for him to meet everyone!

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Phase 2

While I try to keep myself busy waiting for Brayden's arrival, Brent hasn't had a hard time finding a few things to do. He is trying to make use of the time and having his Dad's help to continue "Project Backyard". This past week they have finished digging out where the deck will go, built another wall, and began framing the floor for the deck. At least one of us is doing something useful! The backyard may look like a construction zone, but it is coming along and I can't wait for next summer when I get to plant flowers, grass, and play with the kids.

The second wall and dug out patio on the top tier.

Dad working the Bobcat.

View of our second tier.

Beginning framing and posts for the deck.

Lumber for the deck, posts, and cover.

40 Weeks

Today we hit 40 weeks which means we hit our due date. Last Thursday I saw the midwife who thought that he was coming for sure by the weekend. Well the weekend has come and gone and still no Brayden. Just goes to show who is really in charge here. I've been having contractions on and off for the past few weeks. Last night I was up til 3 feeling some contractions but nothing rhythmic. We have another appointment on Thursday. If Brayden still has not made his debut then we're going to see if we can be induced over the weekend. In the meantime I continue to wait and try to stay in good spirits. I'm trying to take advantage of this time with Keely, knowing these are the last days before she is our only child. I'm also trying to remember that this is my last pregnancy and enjoy each moment that I do have left feeling little kicks and turns. When the time is right and when he is ready Brayden will come. We need to remember to be patient and that his arrival will be that much more precious when he does come.

Baby Signing Time

We've been working on signing with Keely for a few months now and she's been doing great with it. A few months ago Brent's parents got a couple of DVD's for her to help with her signing and she has a blast watching them. In this video she is doing baby, sleep, and bubbles! Another exciting moment for us is that Keely is actually saying the word "baby". Can't wait to bring Baby Brother home for her.

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They Look Alike, Act Alike...

They say that you start to look like your pets after a while...what do you think?

Grandma and Pop-pop are visiting and they brought along Maggie. Keely loves having a dog around the house. She likes to chase her around the kitchen and really loves sitting in Maggie's bed.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Keely's new trick this week: she figured out how to open doors! The worst part is that it started with the front door. Now the front door stays locked at all times. This morning she opened the pantry door and knocked over a glass bottle. Thankfully I got to her before she could touch anything. Ahh...just in time for Brayden to arrive. I know everyone has said it, I will have my hands full!

39 Weeks

Yup, 39 weeks and still pregnant. The anxiety is really starting to get to me. I've been having a harder time sleeping at night just wondering, "will tonight be the night?" Of course having this little guy tease me is no help at all. Tuesday morning I woke up around 2 am feeling some strong contractions. They lasted about an hour and then stopped. As most of you know I've been stating that the 16th would be the day. Last night I was so anxious knowing today is the 16th that it was past midnight before I could finally get some shut eye. Thanks to some thunderstorms I got some restful sleep. Now I need to find something to do today so I won't drive myself crazy anticipating when I'll go into labor. The 16th isn't over, so we'll see if today is the day, but after waking up this morning I'm just not feeling it. In the meantime....tick, tock, tick, tock...

ABC's & 123's

New toys to play with while Mom works in the kitchen. Keely is enjoying her letters and numbers. Yes, I know she is too young to know what "A" or "7" is, but we thought there wouldn't be any harm in having the letters/numbers around. She loves the different colors and putting the magnets on and off the fridge over, and over, and over...

Are you Ready for some Football?

Today is Sunday opener for football season. We make it a family affair around the Duncan house. Brent's pretty excited that he has his Dad here especially since the Giant's are playing the Redskins (that's his Dad's team). We are braving a BBQ today with guys that Brent works with. I'm hoping that today isn't THE DAY in the middle of the BBQ. Guess we just have to wait and see, GO GIANTS!

Beautiful Girl

Taking some time to do her hair and get ready for pictures.

At the Carwash

Yesterday Keely helped Pop Pop wash Dad's truck while he was a school. She had so much fun washing herself with the bubbles, but she tried her hands out on scrubbing the truck some too.

38 Weeks

Here I am at 38 weeks. I know I haven't been very good lately at posting updated pictures of the growing belly these past few weeks, but things have been busy. Last week Brent's folks arrived to help us play the "waiting game". They will be here until October 14th to await the arrival of Brayden, play/help with Keely, and help me out around the house as we adjust to family of 3 to 4. Last Thursday I was surprised with a Baby Shower from my Bunco group I meet with out here and then had a small shower with friends and family on Sunday. In between that we had a family/maternity photo session on Monday and friends from Italy stop in for a visit for a few days. So, pretty busy around here. However, in between all that still no Baby Brayden. I have been feeling contractions here and there, but nothing consistent yet. It feels like he is getting lower, so my body is getting ready for him to make his debut. Tomorrow I have my weekly checkup with Felicia. We now meet weekly every Thursday for checkups until "D" day. We'll see if she has any opinions on how soon he'll be coming. My feeling is still sometime next week, but of course you just never know!

15 Month Well Baby

Monday was Keely's 15 month well baby appointment. Happy to say that Keely is doing great! She is now 22 lbs and 31 in. She has moved up in her height and on the same track for her weight and head. The doctor was so pleased with our friendly little girl. He couldn't believe that she just sat there as he listened to her heart and would run up to him and let him hold her. Such a good patient she is. We got the go to visit the dentist now that we have 12 teeth! She has got 4 molars now. Dr. Sikora gave us a recommendation for a pediatric dentist in town that we're waiting to hear from. She still has a very innocent heart murmur that he listens to when we visit but so far nothing to be alarmed by. While there Dr. Sikora also gave us some tips to help with the arrival of Brayden. Just some things to lookout for to cope with jealousy and how to handle all the changes. We've been trying to make sure we talk to Keely daily about her brother and that a baby is coming to our house. As the Doctor pointed out, she takes in a lot more than we know. We can't wait to see how big sister will be and know she'll be a great helper for Mamma.

Meanwhile, I had my appointment today. 37 weeks now! Everything still looks good. Brayden still has not dropped, so it doesn't look like he'll be arriving at least in the next few days. His heart rate is still strong and things are still looking great for me. Brayden seems to be very active when we go to our appointments. I went ahead and filled out my pre-admission paperwork today so when I do go into labor all the paperwork is taken care of. Now we're reaching the point where we just wait. Thankfully I have Keely to keep me occupied which makes the time really speed up. Hopefully in just a couple of weeks we'll be announcing the arrival of #2!