first photos

Here are our very first "family" photos.   Mainly Bradley, he's the cutest one in the family.  He is so photogenic!!!  Love these pics so much.  There are plenty more where these came from!!!

Holy Moly... I am updating!!!

Side NOTE***I am still needing lessons from Emily on placing pictures correctly... as seen here!

October was a very long time ago.  Last post stated it was a boy!!!

How do you recap that much time??  Impossible.  It is safe to say A LOT has happened since then. So, I will start with January.  In January, I started going to the Dr. weekly.  He wanted to monitor the baby and keep a close eye on my blood pressure.  We did weekly non stress tests and all were great.  Due to swelling, protein, and high blood pressure, I was put on bed rest.  So, in a whirlwind, I was able to get an amazing long term sub and write sub plans through April.  WHEW!!!  Teachers out there know how difficult that is.  

School was set!  Now I just needed to focus on myself and the growing baby inside me. 

 I stayed home and took it easy for 3 LONG weeks and then on the morning on February 12, after a sleepless night due to a continuous pain in my side, we went to the hospital just to be on the safe side. 

We didn't leave until the 15th and we didn't leave empty handed.  Little did we know when I woke Brandon that morning that we would be having a baby that night.  We were admitted to the hospital and I was hooked up to monitors and IV's galore.  Everything was going good, no explanation for the pain in my side and I thought I was about the go home.  Boy was I mistaken.  The Dr. on call, who will remain nameless, came in shared the news that we were inducing due to high liver enzymes (possible cause of side pain) and low blood platelets.   We were having this baby a month early and I was so scared.  They started pitocin, and after nearly 12 hours, there had been no change in me.  So, at about 10:30p.m., my amazing nurse and even more amazing sister walk in with scrubs for Brandon to get dressed for the c-section.  WHAT?!?! 

The Dr. would be there at 11:30 to start.  He was there and in we went to the Operating Room.  

Bradley was delivered at 11:59:40.  20 more seconds and he would have been born on the 13th. 

It was the most amazing sound when I heard his first cry.  He was perfect and I was so thankful. Brandon left with him while they closed me up.  Talk about the most exhilerating feeling in all the world.  To say I was happy, relieved, excited, ecstatic, thrilled...all would be an understatement.  There is no word to describe that feeling.  I was in love like I have never been before.  Bradley Luke Schuetz weighed a whopping 5 lbs. 13 oz. and was doing great.  God was watching over us that night and gave me a true miracle.  He is the most precious gift from God.

I have been healing up nicely, minus a nasty staph infection, and Bradley is growing perfectly too.  He is almost up to 8 lbs now.  Since he has been here, days and nights fly by.  We are in love with being parents to this precious angel.  He is amazing!!!

"The Day" is finally here!!

Today was "the day." I was so excited I couldn't sleep last night. Brandon said he was sick to his stomach with anxiety all day too. We got too our appointment and after having downed a Dr. Pepper to assure the little tyke would be moving around, I couldn't sit down. The receptionist even mentioned, "You are excited everytime you are here." Yes I am, that's a good thing right?? Anyhow, we go back and they look at all the baby's organs and measure bones and claim to see things such as kidneys, bladder, heart chambers etc. I couldn't see it, but I believed her. Anyhow, we finally get to the good part. (it's all good, but the highly anticipated part finally arrives.) Aleesa and the sonogram tech say they think they know but keep trying to look and finally we can see it. (with the help a trained eye pointing it out) Our modest SON was bent over showing Mommy and Daddy and Mimi and Aunt Aleesa and anyone else willing to look his family jewels!!!! We were so excited. He looks precious and healthy and great!
What a fabulous day and what a lucky little boy to be brought into a family who is so totally in love with him. Brandon and I are incredibly lucky too!!! I can't yet imagine how wonderful our lives are going to be with our sweet SON!!!

Got the Password!!!!

Ok, so I know it has been a long while since the last post, over 2 months, but there is a good reason. I forgot my password....but thanks to Emily, once again, she has gotten me back into blogging!
Ok so I will try my best to recap the last two months.
We have had two other Dr. appointments, where we have been able to listen to this amazing creature growing in side of me. The heart beat has been good every time and so exciting to listen to. I just love it and am so amazed at what the human body and God can do. My tummy is growing although not too much but it is definilty growing. This Wednesday is my 19 week appointment and hopefully at this appointment we can see what it will be, if he/she decides to cooperate. I am asking it to on a daily basis. I hope it listens to its mommy!

Aside from the all consuming topic of the baby, I have been teaching and going to school. My kids are growing on me and we have fun most days. My Abnormal Behaviors class at Texas State is kicking my bootie. I am looking forward to having next semester off. Brandon is also doing great! He is gearing up for the long awaited deer season. We have been shooting our bows in the yard each week and are ready for that fun. Although it may not be as much fun for me this season as it has in the past. We made it to Harper for opening weekend of bow season but haven't been back yet. We have also gotten in one last fishing trip before deer season. I caught and tagged my first redfish. 31 inches!! Put up a great fight and had a blast reeling it in.

Things are still moving along great and I am looking forward to the months to come. I will attempt to keep this updated more frequently. Be looking on Wednesday to see if it is Bradley or Brooklee in here.

Baby's First Picture!

Ok so obviously the date on the camera is wrong. Oh well!! The first picture is the 4D picture. The picture of a picture just doesnt do it justice. It really is so cute and Brandon claims it looks just like him. The other two pictures are just the regular sonogram pics. It is almost 1 inch long.

Yesterday was our first Dr. appointment. It was totally amazing. We were able to see the baby and it was "squirming" all around. It was unbelievable. Brandon was able to come and even had to help the nurse in the llllooonnngggg process of drawing blood from these wonderful veins my mom so kindly blessed me with. It was all worth it though. We got some awesome pictures and the doctor said everything was looking great. For those funny ones in the audience, there is only ONE baby!!! I will go back on September the 8th for my next appointment. Also, the due date was moved up a bit from March 17 to March 12. YEA!!!

And just when I thought this day couldn't get any better, it did!!! After nap time, there was a knock on the door and the lady was holding a vase of flowers. FOR ME?? Yes, from Keith/Papa. I was so excited. Who knew they would deliver flowers out here?? The flowers are gorgeous and brought an even bigger smile to my face. For some reason however, I cant get the picture I took of them to upload to my blog. Not real sure why???

EMILY---I need some more tutorials on posting a blog and putting the pictures where I want them. Everytime I try, they are in random places. HELP ME!!!!!

It's Been a While

Ok...So it has been a while since I have posted anything. We have been very busy around here lately. I am in the process of wrapping up yet another fun filled summer session. YUCK!!! I am currently working on a developmental theories paper. DOUBLE YUCK!!! And then will start studying for finals.

Last weekend Brandon, my older brother, Gary, my little brother, Tyler and myself (somewhat) pulled up the carpet in all three bedrooms and layed wooden snap laminate flooring. It turned out beautiful and forced us to clear a room for the new addition to our family. Brandon cooked for the boys and felt it necessary to include the pictures of the food on this blog for Emily to see.

This weekend we went to Rockport for my father-in-laws 60th birthday!!! We were able to have a short party for him while he was feeling okay and then it was over. Short, Sweet and to the point. Brandons grandmother, uncles and aunts, brother and nieces were all there. It was nice to see them all but I didnt get any pictures.

We have 7 more days until our first Dr. appointment. I cant wait!!!!! I will surely post after that. Hope everyone is doing well!

New Beginnings!

My great friend Emily, who is totally addicted to Blogging, created this hilarious surprise for me. MY VERY OWN BLOGSPOT. She was tired of waiting for me to create one of my own. Thank you Emily. I am now in your world and not cleaning out closets like I was supposed to be... Why you might ask did Emily feel the need to do this for us? Well, Because for those of you who may not know, we are going to be parents. Believe it or not Brandon and Valerie are going to be a daddy and a mommy. Holy Moly!!! We are so excited! I will be updating my NEW blog with baby news when I can remember to do it. Emily I am sure will let me know when it has been too long since the last one and I will update then. Anyhow, here we are to start our new life as parents and our new life in the blogging world.