Unexpected Weekend

As you can guess, our holiday weekend got off to a very unexpected start. I had a routine doctor's appointment on Friday morning that turned in to a hospital admission. The doctor was concerned about some lab work and wanted to monitor me for at least 24 hours. Twenty-four hours turned in to waiting for more blood work both Saturday and Sunday. Then it was announced on Sunday morning that it was delivery day - 9 weeks early. It was scary and memories of our experience with Carly quickly entered our heads.

We have had a few bumps in the road with my blood pressure, lab work, and medications. I was finally able to get off the IV and out of bed today. Sunday and Monday were rough days for me. I was unable to get out of bed for over 48 hours and was able to see Brady only once each day, around 11 pm. I was able to see him then because the intensive care nursery was less busy and the nurses had room to push me, in my hospital bed, to his side. We were very excited when I was sent to the postpartum floor today and now have a room across from the nursery.

The doctors were able to remove Brady's vent tube last night so he is breathing on his own. They said he didn't need much help, but he has one small issue with his left lung that they are monitoring. So far we have received a lot of positive feedback about his condition and are hoping he continues to progress with strength at a pace that he can handle and sustain. We do know that he will probably stay in the ICN for about five weeks. I am already struggling with leaving another newborn as I return home, but I know it is a necessity.

Carly is doing pretty well with everything. This afternoon Jon and I introduced her to Brady and her facial expression was priceless. You could tell she was really soaking it all in and the wheels in her head were spinning. I was able to get some cuddle time in with her this morning - we both needed it after not seeing much of each other since Saturday.

We really appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers coming our way. We wouldn't have made it through the weekend without our family and friends, so thanks to everyone!


PS - we were able to complete our 2nd and final move on Wednesday, 6/30. We are excited to be in the house! We feel so fortunate we got the move completed before the weekend. Needless to say, lots of changes in our lives this week!!!

Born on the Fourth of July

Happy Independence Day! Today we welcomed our little boy, Brady Carl Class, to our family and the world. Brady was born at 2:10 pm and weighed in at 3 lbs 11 oz and was 17 1/2 inches long. We can't wait to introduce him to everyone!

Fishing Fun

This weekend we made a point to take advantage of some free activities around town. Our favorite was the kid's fishing at Bass Pro on Saturday. Carly caught her first fish, with a little help from Dad.

St Louis Vacation

Jon had some vacation time last week and Carly and I really enjoyed having him around. On Friday morning we were able to head out of town. We went to St Louis and our first stop was Grant's Farm. We visited the clydesdales and had a picnic before we went in the park. Carly loved the horses and enjoyed 'talking' to them in their own language. She and Jon did lots of slobbering while talking to Jerry and Carter in the stables. Later that afternoon we visited The Magic House and it was a much needed break from the heat and humidity. On Saturday we visited the zoo in the morning. That afternoon we walked around the mall by our hotel and then headed to the pool. We were able to enjoy the pool each day we were there and Carly enjoyed the water and watching/telling Jon and I to go under water. It was a great trip and we enjoyed one last outing with just the three of us - before our family expands to four. I have posted some pictures of our weekend.

Grant's Farm

The Magic House

The St Louis Zoo

Move 1 of 2

Our first of two moves is complete! We are in our temporary location and looking forward to our second, and hopefully final, move. Carly has adjusted much better than I expected. She has even gone to bed really well. We are set to close the sale of our house this afternoon and are excited to have that complete. It was really strange to see the first home that we shared together empty, but exciting to know we are moving forward.

Wedding - Uncle Chris and Aunt Becky

Jon's brother, Chris, got married on Saturday. Aunt Becky is now official! Carly adores both of them and she had the honor of being their flower girl. Becky's nephew was Carly's partner in crime and they made quite the pair. The ceremony went smoothly and Carly was a success and dropped all of her flower petals. I wasn't able to get a good shot of the bride and groom with my camera - I will try to find one to share.

Catching Up

Sorry it's been so long. April kept us busy every weekend and during the week we were beginning to pack. We are preparing for our two moves and trying to stay somewhat organized. I think the organization is going to disappear, but we are packing and starting to move things to our temporary location. Thankfully, we are set to close on our current home 5/19 and plan to be out the prior weekend. Some friends of ours own a rental house, that happens to be empty in May and June, and have rented it to us for the month and a half that we suspect we will need a place to live. Our builder still thinks we can be in our new home by the end of June, so keep your fingers crossed. Otherwise, we may be calling some of you for a place to stay :) That's the quick update for us. I have included some pictures from the last month.



This is my friend's little girl that is hanging out with us during the summer. She and Carly are six months apart and get along great!

Playing outside

Silver Dollar City was extra exciting for Carly this spring. This year she is over 36 inches tall, can you believe it?! Thanks to her height, she was able to ride more of the rides and she had plenty of volunteers to accompany her. Papa, Great Aunt Sharon, and Uncle Jody had the honors this trip and Carly loved them all! She even got to ride the lady bugs by herself. That was quite a moment, expressing her independence and venturing out on her own.

Ice Cream at Cold Stone on a sunny Saturday.