Family of 4

39 weeks, right before heading to the hospital:

Jett, fresh out of the oven:

Braden family of 4:

36 weeks

It's been a while since I've posted a belly photo, so here you go:

(click here to see me at 36 weeks with Callie)

We've slowly been working on getting baby things out of storage and washed. Tonight we got the little carseat out and put it in the van:

Can't wait to meet our newest addition! :)

27 weeks

This pregnancy is going by super quick...only 13ish weeks to go! :)

Here's my ever-growing baby bump at 27 weeks:(27 weeks with Callie looked like this)

Destin!

We're back!

Not that most of you knew we left in the first place! :)

But we took a family vacation down to Destin, FL this past week. It was truly a relaxing time spent laying on the beach, taking naps, watching tv, shopping, and eating. I told Braden that we can't let 3 years go by without going to the ocean ever. again. Last time we went was back in 2008 to Hilton Head, SC to celebrate our 2 year anniversary...that was pre-Callie and pre-baby #2 on the way!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip. Just had to share :)

22 weeks along (here's a post from when I was 22 weeks with Callie):

2 Things

1. This picture was taken of me yesterday:Yes, I'm pregnant! :)

I haven't mentioned it on the blog before so it may or may not shock you (depending on if you already know) that I am 19 weeks along! Things are going well and we couldn't be happier. My due date currently is September 9th. Click here to see photos of what my belly looked like with Callie at 19 weeks.

2. I have been changing the direction of my etsy shop for a while now to sell knit/crochet baby hats. I am so excited about it, mainly because babies have been on my mind alot lately (see 1.) and also becuase I love knitting and crocheting...especially for babies! Anyways, a few weeks ago I came in contact with the lovely Leslie Styler of Leslie Styler Photography and I've been working with her to get some better photos of my hats. Here's some of her talented work:You can visit Leslie's blog here and she also is on Facebook.

Happy Halloween, Take 2

36 Weeks, Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!
This is the third year in a row that I've worn my cat ears.
I guess I'll make it a tradition to bring them out every year...it's just too easy! :)

Just counting down the weeks til my due date...less than 4 weeks!
I'm down to weekly appointments at the doctor's office.
I'm 1 cm dialted, little over 50% effaced....not that that really means anything at this point.

Staying busy with "nesting".
Getting anxious to meet our little one and find out if we have a he or a she! :)

32 week maternity photos

We went home to St. Louis at the beginning of the month to visit and for a baby shower :)
My mom took some pics for us...kinda like a mini maternity photo shoot. :) So finally, here they are:The hands in a heart shape over the belly...so cheesy, we had to do it! haha!
Then we rallied up all the aunt and uncles-to-be to get a group shot...of course, it took awhile...
...but in the end, it turned out perfect! :)
Soon I should be posting my 36 week pictures...I can't believe I'm less than a month away from my due date! It keeps going by so quickly.

32 weeks

... more to come! :)

31 Weeks

Here is my 31 weeks belly picture:Things have still been going great! No complaints, except for the 5 pounds I gained in between my doctor appointments! lol! It's for a good reason, but I still freak out every time I step on the scale.

For all of you pregos out there:
A great tutorial on how to revamp and old pair of pants to make maternity pants can be found here. Thankfully, I have been blessed to have a good friend that was 8 weeks ahead of me give me all of her maternity pants...she just had her baby last wednesday! :)...ummm, yeah I guess that means I have 8 weeks to go! ahhhh! YAY!

Feeling LARGE!

Here's me at 30 weeks (see my lovely hardwood floors?)!Seriously, I can't believe how much I've popped in the past few weeks and I'm totally feeling it! I'm finally outgrowing clothes and my appetite is huge! On the flip side, I've also been getting tired alot easier...which is totally fine if that's the only "bad" pregnancy symptom that I'm getting! :) I'll take a better picture next week for my every-four-weeks-picture post.

I checked out a lovely antique/consignment shop today that is really close to our new apartment. It's called "Charlotte's Web", leave a comment if you would like their info. It has a great sale section in the back corner of their store which is where I found this clock for the baby room:It was so much fun just to look at all the old stuff they had...I would've been in there for hours if it wasn't for my stomach growling and saying, "Baby is hungry!". I definitely would recommend checking it out if you like that sort of thing.

In other news, I'm very proud of two of my younger brothers who are trying new things.

Dylan is a freshman and tried out for football at the high school. This is the first time he's ever played football and he is already getting playing time on the field during games! GO DUDE! :)Ty started the police academy earlier this summer and looks like a stud in his uniform. He's really taking it seriously and has gotten intense about his working out and staying healthy...he will be my motivator once I have the baby and need to shed some pregnancy pounds. :)

Oh! And I almost forgot! My dad has taken up reffing soccer! Here's him in his uniform:

Nice socks! :)

27 Weeks

Not the best picture of me...so let's only pay attention to the baby belly bump. OK? :)
27 weeks along and I've still been feeling great, eating a ton (it seems), and counting down the weeks til we get to meet our little boy or girl. :)

Life has been particularly busy the past few weeks because not only has school started up again, but we also have moved to a new apartment! The main reason for the move was because we were really needing wash machine and dryer hookups in our apartment...you know, all that extra laundry with a baby would make it difficult to get to the laundromat. We love our new place (hardwood floors = amazing!), the location is great (Target!), and I can't wait to get completely settled in and also to start working on the nursery!

Braden's parents came in town to help us with the move and the Feelers and boy Casey came over and were a HUGE help too. All we have left is reorganizing closets to fit things in better and hanging stuff on walls! Oh and the kitchen could use a little more work. Maybe someday I'll get around to posting a few pictures of our new place...

Oh and back on the subject of school, this semester Braden is taking Missiology (Missions) and Ethics and I'm taking (through SWI) Discipleship I and II and Biblical Parenting. I'm actually off to school now to get books for both of us! :)

Week 22

I've been feeling great, eating more, and doing alot of research lately...mostly pertaining to filling up my baby registries and reading about the oh-so-scary part of pregnancy: labor/delivery.

Here's the bump, which is getting bigger every week:

Weird things about my pregnant self that I've recently discovered:

1) I swear that all of my brain cells are going straight to the baby...I thought today was July 7th, not the 21st. Wow. (Thanks, Alicia, for not making too much fun of me for that!)

2) I still sometimes freak out when I catch a glance of my naked self in the mirror. I have to stop and remind myself that I'm pregnant and haven't just suddenly put on weight specifically in the midsection.

3) Going back to the lack of brain cells...I still think it's weird for people to ask me how I'm feeling everytime I see them...lol! It's a common question I have to answer now, along with..."Are you really not going to find out? Any names picked out? When are you due? Can I touch your belly?..."

4) Though I certainly don't think it's a bad thing, I have found that I'm becoming more and more like my own mother as each week of my pregnancy passes. I am saying things I vividly remember hearing her say when I was growing up, so funny. (I love you mom!)

5) I put lotion on my belly constantly to avoid stretch marks, even though I'm perfectly aware that there is no real cure or preventative for them. Still, it couldn't hurt, right? :)

Summer (Pregnancy) Wardrobe

Summer is in full swing (actually, it has been for a while now) and as my belly expands (20 weeks along now!), my wardrobe decreases in the things that I am still able to fit into.

One thing that has been a lifesaver is my BellaBand. I love it because it allows me to still wear my regular jeans and shorts, which also saves me $$! I own two of them and would definitely recommend them to expectant moms out there! :)

Also, lately I've resorted to living in long t-shirts and stretchy waistband shorts...and to make it not so boring, I've been finding ways to accessorize...like these:

Summer 2009 by cbraden7 featuring Coach accessories

Boy or Girl?

I set up a poll on the left side of this page for you all to vote whether you think we're having a boy or a girl...the bets start NOW! :)

Drumroll please!

We're so thrilled to be turning to the next chapter of our lives as a married couple to...... PARENTHOOD! TA-DA!

Baby Braden is 19 weeks along and doing just fine. I had an ultrasound yesterday afternoon, so we got to see our little 10 ouncer and (wow!) it was AMAZING! :) I can't wait to meet our little one sometime at the end of November (due date is Nov. 23rd.)!I've had a relatively easy pregnancy so far...just the usual tiredness and nausea. But it's been smooth sailing since I've hit the 2nd trimester...and my tummy is just starting to pop out a bit. Here's me at 7 weeks:

11 weeks:

15 weeks:17 weeks:

19 weeks

I know you're dying to know if we're having a boy or a girl, but just for fun...

WE'RE NOT FINDING OUT!!! :)