3 months old

   This post is a little late, but with family in town and all the holidays it was a challenge to blog. Since my last post I have returned to work, celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my birthday, and Bradley has turned three months old. That is a lot for one month!!
   I went back to work on November 18th. That Monday was pretty rough and long!! There were tears shed in the morning, of course by me and not any of the boys, but once my sweet little 2nd graders walked in and showered me with hugs and I missed yous it made my little heart feel a little better. A student's parent even sent flowers to my classroom to help brighten my day! Bradley of course had a great first day. Kyle was a sweet hubby and even called to check on Bradley mid day for me to insure everything was going well.
   Since going back to work our school has had a week off for Thanksgiving, three days off for snow, and now two weeks off for Winter break. So our little family hasn't really been able to establish a great weekly routine. I am not complaining one bit about the extra snuggles and family time I have gotten. But if you know me well you know I thrive on a good routine!!
   Over Thanksgiving break Kyle's parents flew in to meet our newest addition and to spend Thanksgiving with us. While they were here we got the chance to take Carson to the Science Museum for the first time. He really loved the big tree house area, the train exhibit, and the children's area. We also went downtown to look at the Christmas tree and all the beautiful lights. Also over the break my brother, sister in law, and nephew moved back to Oklahoma. Devan took a position with the ROTC at OU teaching a class. We are so excited to have them back and to get a chance to make some cousin memories with the boys. Unfortunately, sickness feel over everyone on Thanksgiving and the rest of the weekend so we didn't get to do much of anything else. But we enjoyed his parents visit and Bradley's first holiday with us!

 Playing at the museum

 My first Turkey

 Thanksgiving 2013

  Kyle's Mom and Dad at Thanksgiving dinner

 After Thanksgiving break a big snow storm hit Oklahoma. Carson loved all the snow and getting to play in it. Kyle and Carson built their first snowman together. And every day after Carson insisted on checking on him! It was a sad day when he began to melt :(

   Kyle and I were given tickets to the Bedlam game, which was in the middle of the below freezing temps and snow. But we went anyways!! I don't have any pictures to show of it but we had a good time for as long as we lasted! And I like to think the only reason we pulled off a victory was because we attended the unbelievably cold game!!
   We visited Santa again at Bass Pro Shop for the third year. This year was very exciting since Carson had a better understanding of what the whole Santa thing is all about. So he took telling him his wish list very seriously. However, I guess Kyle and I didn't explain WHEN he would actually get the presents very well. As we were walking away from Santa and getting our picture Carson burst into tears. Once we were able to calm our upset and napless two year old down a little, we discovered that he thought once he asked Santa for the gifts he would receive them right then and there!! I felt terrible for him, he was soo upset and confused. We rediscussed when he gets his presents, had a nap, and perhaps a little I'm sorry gift was involved, and he was good as new and excited for Santa to come to our house again!  We of course also did a lot of talking this season about what the true reason for the season is and celebrating Jesus's birthday was something he looked forward too. The entire candle lighting service at church he kept asking Kyle and I when we were going to have the cake since we were there celebrating Jesus's birthday, lol! So as you can see our little man takes everything very literally and this month has really taught Kyle and I a lesson on how to explain things to him!

 Carson, Bradley, and Cousin Aidan

   Bradley and Carson (Carson wouldn't stop waving at the man taking the pic)

On December 14th our little Bradley turned three months old!! I can't believe it (I'll probably say that every month.) This month he has been smiling like crazy, giggling when tickled (he is very ticklish), he rolled over on Christmas Day, and is staying awake longer during the day. He enjoys listening to everyone talk, being held, any toy or chair that vibrates, standing up, his elephant toy, and being swaddled. He no longer needs a feeding in the middle of the night and only occasionally wakes for a paci!!  On Christmas eve I had to take him in to the doctor because he was unable to sleep due to a bad head cold. We were afraid it was something worse that is why we visited with the doc. Thankfully it wasn't and we just needed to give him some extra snuggles, saline, and Tylenol to help him get over the it! While at the appointment they took his weight and he is now 13lbs.

 One month

 

Two months

Three months

   Unfortunately that same nasty head cold hit Carson Christmas morning. He woke crying and with a fever so the excitement of Santa leaving him gifts wasn't as mommy and daddy had hoped :( Carson wanted more trains, train tracks, race cars, and Thomas the Train books for Christmas. Santa, mommy and daddy granted those wishes so in spite of the cold we did have a very thankful and happy 2 1/2 year old most of the time!

   It was a very busy and fun month for our little family of four. However, having these boys makes the holidays and all of our celebrations twice as much fun and even more worth it!
  

Bradley's 2 months old

 September 14, 2013

 

October 14, 2013

 

November 14, 2013

Bradley turned 2 months old this past week, and I am yet again amazed at how fast these little boys grow!! He turned two months old on Thursday and we had his wellness doctor visit on Friday. He now weighs 11 lbs 12 oz which is the 35th percentile, is 23.5 inches which is the 72nd percentile, and his head is 39.8 which is the 70th percentile. The doctor says he looks great! This past month he has started smiling, "talking", occasionally giggles, bats at objects and has really good head control! He enjoys being held, talked to, swaddled, being in anything that moves or vibrates, and bath time. He is sleeping pretty good during the day and only wakes once during the night. So I feel we are pretty lucky! 

Friday marked my last day of maternity leave :( I really thought it'd be a little easier since I had done this once before but having to let others care for your little tiny one is not easy! I am praying that the next week flies by and that we all have a wonderful week of transition! I am however excited to see my 22 little friends. I have worried about them for the past 9 weeks, and am ready to be with them and insure that they also have a wonderful 2nd grade experience while they are away from their moms and dads all day! Bradley, and occasionally Carson, and I all had a great time on my leave. It was filled with fun days of leisure, visiting friends, and fun outings. It already makes me excited for summer vacation and all the fun me and the boys will have! 

Since the last post Carson had his fist neighborhood trick or treating experience. He seemed to have a really good time once he figured out the more houses he went to the more candy he received. Towards the middle of October my sister and I took Carson to look at Halloween costumes. Once he spotted the Thomas the Train costume he was done! Currently he LOVES trains. I may be biased but I thought he wore it well! The picture on the left is Carson getting ready to go to his "school" (daycare) for the Halloween party. He was soo excited all week waiting for that party.

 Our little pumpkin on his first Halloween.

 Though I am sad to be off leave, I am looking forward to getting into a routine and having a great rest of the school year. And our little family is excited for the holidays and all the exciting upcoming events! 

Bradley's 1 month old!!

 

Sept. 14, 2013

Oct. 13, 2013

Our little man has been with us for 1 month, and I really can't believe its already October!

 Bradley is staying awake a little more during the day and is enjoying hanging out in his vibrating bouncer chair, tummy time, being held, and swaddled. He is getting really good at holding his head up for small periods of time and has started doing a little "talking." Each week he gets better and better at taking naps and sleeping through the night, so I'm hopefully we will get a goods nights rest sooner rather than later :) We've also started venturing out together and besides hating the car seat or when the car stops he is a pretty good companion. He even made his first trip to the OKC Zoo this past month. We went with big brother and our fun friends, the Kochenowers, and we all survived and had a good time! We also took the boys and my mom to Chester's Pumpkin Patch this past month. Carson really enjoyed running around, seeing the animals, and picking pumpkins, Bradley was just happy to be fed and burped by Grandma. 

 Pumpkin Patch 10-12-13

Carson seems to still really enjoy and love Bradley. He loves to help, even when help isn't needed ;) Last night we were coming home from a friends house and Bradley just wasn't enjoying the ride and Carson sat through the whole crying spell holding Bradleys hand telling him it was ok. And all the while Carson is smiling and dancing to the music, just enjoying the moment. It made my mommy heart so full! I pray they continue to grow to love and enjoy each other like that always.

We are also working hard with Carson on using the potty. We had one successful moment and since then no others, but we are determined to help him figure it out. He does however love underwear and getting to wear those around, so I think that's a step in the right direction.

So I guess we've had a pretty exciting month and we are looking forward to all the Fall festivities and holidays to come with our family of four!

Settling In

Bradley 1 week old

Carson 1 week old

Bradley 2 weeks old

 

 Bradley 3 weeks old

The first three weeks have really flown by, full of so many changes! Many have asked if it is harder or easier now with the second one. And honestly it is an entirely different ball game! Knowing what to expect with the hospital, bringing home a newborn, and the lack of sleep were a little easier to handle since we already knew how that went. But having a toddler to think about and entertain make it more of a challenge in many ways too! So I could get to know Bradley and his personality and to not rock Carson's world too much we have been keeping him on his daily daycare routine. His teachers tell me almost daily how he comes in talking about his new baby brother and how tiny he is. He really seems to enjoy the baby and getting to help and touch him whenever possible! However, the first week Carson was a bit of a hot mess. I was thinking it was a mix of the terrible twos and a new sibling, but we later found out he had a double ear infection! Since we've gotten that taken care of things have really changed and everyone seems a bit happier. It is the cutest thing to see Carson interact with "his baby."

Before we were discharged from the hospital our pediatrician came to check on Bradley and found that he has an asymmetric butt crease. Which sounds funny but actually can be a sign of a tethered spinal cord. The doctor assured us that Bradley was probably fine but if at the weight check in a couple of days the crease didn't seem to even out we'd have to have an ultrasound on his spine. Well at the weight check a few days after birth the crease had not evened out, so we were scheduled for an ultrasound. The percentage of newborns with some sort of birth mark near their lower back with a tethered spine is about 5 %, but to air on the safe side the doctor ordered the ultrasound. On Thursday, October 3rd we went to Children's Hospital to have Bradley's ultrasound. The tech thought things looked fine, but we'd have to wait for the doc to confirm that. Friday morning we heard everything was normal! Thank you Lord!! 

Bradley stats at his 2 week check: Length 20 3/4 inches / 50% compared to others, Weight 7lbs 15 oz (we have another big eater)/ 20% compared to others, and Head 35.3/ 20% compared to others. The doc thought he looked great!

Thanks to my dear friend Whitney, who set us up a meal train, we have been showered with many many meals and visitors. It has been so nice to see so many neighbors and friends and not have to worry about dinner! I'm not sure I'll remember how to make dinner for the boys once this month is over!

Bradley's Arrival

Bradley James Bertholf arrived September 14, 2013 at 11:27 pm! And we honestly didn't see it coming!

The Saturday before Bradley arrived Kyle and I went into Labor and Delivery triage thinking Bradley was trying to make his appearance then, but I wasn't contracting regularly enough for them to admit me. My doctor later told me if she was on call that weekend she would have just had me stay since I was so far along. But like all things, everything happens when it should. So we went home and I rested up and Kyle went on to the OU game. Tuesday of that week we went to the weekly doctor visit and scheduled my induction for Bradley's actual due date, September 17th at 7:30 in the morning. My doctor really felt confident that I wouldn't make it that long since I was already dilated to a 3. But I really felt since he hadn't come that he just wasn't going to come on his own, and had it set in my mind that we wouldn't be going to the hospital till the 17th. So I let my school know that Friday the 13th was my last day till after my maternity leave and tied up all the loose ends there and Kyle and I had already decided we'd get everything at home ready during the weekend. 

 Saturday the 14th was an OU home game and unless we are really ill we always go to the games, so we went! It was an 11 o'clock kick off and we were actually happy about that so it wouldn't be too hot for me and we'd have the rest of the day to get things done.  We got down to Norman right before kick off and made the long walk to the stadium and another long walk to the top of the stadium and enjoyed most of the game. About the middle of the 3rd quarter the sun started to hit us and I started having small contractions. Which I had been having for about a month now, so I really didn't think too much of it, especially since they didn't seem regular. I told Kyle I was having them and it was getting hot so we went ahead and left. Then headed out to Chuy's for a nice Mexican food lunch date. When we got back home Carson was still down for a nap, so we decided to do the same! Once we all got back up we went to run some of those last minute errands we kept putting off, by the time we were all settled back in at home it was time for Carson to go to bed, around 8 pm. Kyle and I rotate nights to give a bath so it was my night and when I went to get the bath ready I realized I was having such bad contractions I had to close my eyes and breath through them. And up to that moment I really didn't feel like I was going to be delivering a baby that evening! We started timing them and found they were four minutes apart and getting longer. We got a hold of my mom and she flew over to our house and we got to the hospital a fast as we could. 

We checked into the hospital at 9:45 pm, they found out I was a 6 almost 7 and rushed me to labor and delivery. I was laboring so fast they were afraid I wouldn't get my epidural or my doctor in time! Everyone worked as fast as they could and luckily my doctor walked in right as they said it was time to push and the medicine worked at that exact moment, thank you Lord! Bradley was here at 11:27 pm, we were literally at the hospital an hour and 45 minutes before our son arrived! Thank goodness we went when we did.

OU game 9/14/2013

 6 lbs 13 oz /20 inches

 

Right after Bradley's arrival 9/14/2013

  

Right after Carson's arrival 6/1/2011

 

Bradley's first bath

 

Right after Carson's first bath

 Right after Bradley's first bath

 Meeting little brother 9/15/2013

 Bradley's ready to head home!! 9/16/2013

Maternity Shoot

Around the first of August, Kyle, Carson, and I took our last family photos as a family of three! They were taken by a fellow teacher and friend at my school, Julianne. She did a wonderful job trying to keep Carson engaged to get some cute pics of us, which is no easy task! We also had a side deal with him that involved ice cream, so over all I think he did a pretty great job! Julianne also capture our precious new addition a week after he was born and I can wait to get those and share them as well!

 These were taken downtown OKC at the Myriad Botanical Gardens and at the Farmers Market.

Diaper Shower!!

Two of the three hostess, Whitney & Jennifer.

My whole family!

 

At the beginning of August some of our sweet friends, Jennifer, Whitney, and Rebekah, threw us a wonderful couples diaper shower. We were showered with tons of diapers, which is a huge blessing when you've got two in them!! (Hopefully, not for too much longer :)) It was a fun evening of eating BBQ and seeing all of our friends and their sweet little ones. It was made extra special for me because for the first time in a long time my brother, sister in law, nephew, sister, and brother in law were all able to be at an event to celebrate together! Thank you girls for throwing such a fun and relaxing shower and thank you to everyone who came and spent some time with us!!!