Finally Home

Here are some new pics...we finally got home today at noon. YAY! We are very very tired but hanging in there. Shannon is doing ok but still doing the grandma shuffle around the house. Funny how Halle basically just poops, pees, sleeps, and eats. That is the extent of a 4 day old babies life!

Well today is Wednesday and we are still at the hospital. Halle is great, she's a little jaundiced, so they're watching that and still helping me feed her. I feel the best I've felt yet, so that is an answer to prayer! I have been up and around a lot. Halle had her first photo shoot with the photographer this morning. She was so cute- I swear she's the cutest baby!! She melts my heart. She is so cute with her eyes open, very alert and looking around. Brian is amazing with her. It's been so neat to see him step in and help and be eager to do the dad stuff. He has already changed many diapers and is very good at it. He is the best care taker ever! Here are some updated pics and you can go to www. mgh.net to see her professional pics under baby pics at the nursery link. She's so precious!

New News on Halle Anne

Here is the latest for ya'll...it has been going pretty well...everyone eventually left last night about 9pm and so for the first time, just the 3 Bradfords were together! Pretty cool...and a huge praise that my parents (Rev. C. V. and Dee Bradford) made it here yesterday at around 6pm! With the Gervels already there, both sets of grandparents were present...pretty amazing I think! Impressive for my parents was that they made a 900+ mile trip in less than 2 days...
Now, the challenge yesterday was trying to get Halle to breastfeed...I never dreamed it would be a challenge to start the baby eating in that way! Finally this morning it has started to come easier and Halle is taking to it a little better now...Keep praying for rest though as they wake Shan up every 2 hours or so to feed, thus keeping her quite tired.
Also, it has been such a blessing to have our church family here care for us...College Wesleyan has been so amazing at doing just that...loving on us!
Oh and I was able to sleep some last night here in the hospital room on a roll out single bed, so at least now we are coming to rest a little, which is a much needed change. Lastly, the nurse said the goal today is to get the magnesium drip, IV, and catheter out, so yay! Making Progress...but thanks again for praying! We will keep you all posted! Our Pediatrician is getting ready to come in and wake up my sleeping beauty wife so I am outta here.

Halle's here!

Ok after 16+ hours of labor, with 2 of those hours being hard labor, my wife finally delivered our first born by C-section at 6:40am this morning. Halle Anne Bradford is 8 lbs. 6 oz. and almost 21 inches long and 14 inches around her head. Thus, because the head was so big and she was facing up, she was delivered by C-section. Sorry this post may not be coherent but I have had 15 minutes sleep in the last 27 hours! But thanks especially to Marilyn Simons...we could not have done it without you being up here all night helping my wife every step of the way! So here are what pics we have so far.

Baby on the Way

Ok, this is not Shannon posting but her husband, Brian. We are sitting in Marion General Hospital right now in Marion, IN. It is 11;30pm and we came in at 1pm for what we thought would be a routine check. We were sitting in church today and right in the middle of Pastor Steve's message, Shan poked me and said she had blurry vision and was seeing spots. So we went ahead and left and called the doctor. Dr. Swan told us to go ahead and head to the hospital to have Shan's blood pressure check. Thus, that was now 10 hours ago. Needless to say, they decided to go ahead and induce her. She was in a ton of pain up and squeezing my hand to death during contractions but finally the miracle maker arrived...epidural! Anyway, she is dilated at 5-6 cm now and we are just waiting! Thanks to Pastor Steve, Dr. Judy, Emily Vermilya, The Mazellans, and the Purvis' for already coming up and checking in on us. Now, Shannon parents are here and mine are already north of Memphis and stopping for the night. Kinda cool too but Marilyn Simons, IWU nursing prof, is just hanging out up here at the hospital with us tonight in case we need anything! Thank you Marilyn. Anyway, here are some pics we have so far.

School's Out for the Summer!!!

Isn't that an old song?? Not sure. Well today is the last day of school. I wondered if I'd make it, and I did! I have to admit there were times, when I would have been fine with not making it- but I did! I was reflecting this morning on how much this job has been a blessing. It has been quite a different teaching experience than any that I've had. It has been more challenging and discouraging, but also the most encouraging and uplifting for my spirit. The people that I've worked with-you know who you are- have been such a blessing and have made it seem much more like home here. So today marks the end. The end of my Lakeview experience and the end of teaching for at least a year. I think I may be more excited than the kids. Little girl has been very active and tricking me for the past few nights- which has gotten me little sleep. So she may as well just be here, so I can hold her when I'm not sleeping, not curled up all crampy! So I'm signing off probably until she arrives!! Happy Summer!

Babies

Doesn't he melt your heart! No he's not mine! Little Josiah Ray was scheduled to be born after Halle. He decided to come last week! He was born at 35 weeks. He was able to go home from the NicU yesterday. He is adorable. My cousin and his wife already have another son, Noah, who was one of our ring bearers. I'm so excited for them to have their little cutie pie at home with them. I wish Halle could meet him very soon! Hurry up little girl!

Happy Birthday Brian!!

Friday was Brian's 29th Birthday! We had a great time celebrating. A bunch of us went to Logan's for dinner, and then to Pinheads, which is super cool. No, I did not bowl, I just hung out with the girls. It was such a great time hanging out with Brian's friends, which are becoming mine. And Bob and Brenda Simpson joined us- which was so awesome. They fit in so perfectly and we were so glad they came! Here are some pics!



Everyone yelling Yee-Ha to Brian!


Our private bowling suite at Pinheads! We smoothe talked the owner to let us have it for free! Thanks Jon and Danielle!


Strike!


Happy Birthday Hunny!


Tony get off!


Bob trying to be pregnant!


The non-bowlers- except for Julie- we cheered our husbands on!

You can look at more on Brian's blog.

Halle's room!

Here are some pictures of Halle's room! We are all ready for her. I like going in there and just looking around. Her drawers are full, and her bed is ready-(although she won't be using it for awhile.) My bags are packed and I'm ready to go. Yes, I know I still have time. I'm not anxious or wanting it to come too soon- I'm just prepared!!!

Labor 101

Last night was the night...Pre-Labor class at the hospital. I was so excited, but more for Brian since I feel like I know way more than he does. I thought it was very informative. We got a tour and a lot of the procedures explained to us. It just helped me to have a better picture in my head of what to expect. Then we saw a totally 80's movie about breathing techniques, labor positions, etc. They even showed 2 births- which actually I thought were so gross. I'm glad I won't have to watch it. Brian did surprisingly well, I was so proud. The class was pretty intense since we were the only couple there!! The other couple actually went into labor, so they missed the class!! But when I got home I was swarmed with all of these thoughts. I'm sure every mother has experienced these kinds of thoughts, but it set in. Fear. I kept asking myself, "Am I even old enough for this?" "What happens when we come home, how will we know what to do?" "Am I strong enough for this?" "What if everything is not ready when we have to go to the hospital?" And on and on. I guess reality is setting in- along with the excitement and anxiousness to have our baby girl here, is the fear of how we'll do, and how our lives will change. This morning as I browsed over the labor packet, and did my quiet time, I was amazed at the process of it all and just how fascinating it is, how everything in your body coordinates with the baby, and how it all just simply works!! Brian was reassuring me how people have been giving birth for thousands of years- and how we'll know what to do. So with that said, I really hope I don't become too anxious- that tends to happen to me- and that I can just enjoy the rest of our time together before she comes, and have a peace about whenever she arrives!!!

My new favorite pic!

This is my new favorite picture! We took Brian's parents up to Winona Lake this weekend and had some good photo opportunities! We don't really have any of the two of us with me being pregnant. This is my favorite when Brian kisses his little girl and says hello!

CWC Shower

Thanks girls who threw me my wonderful shower! It was very special and such a wonderful time!!! And thanks to Keetha for her wisdom. Here are her parenting tips:

10. Keep them relatively clean

9. Expect Surprises

8. Keep your sense of humor

7. Ignore other people's "rules"

6. Choose your battles

5. Be transparent

4. Savor the Joys

3. Keep first things first

2. Love them

1. Keep an open line to the one Perfect Parent

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

They got me!

This weekend I traveled back home to throw a shower for one of mmy best friends, Bethany who I have known since kindergarten. I was supposed to be in her wedding on June 15, but because of a little girl in my tummy, I most likely won't be there! So me and some other friends spent a lot of time planning and I hosted the shower at my mom and dad's house. Well after the shower, everyone went to Bethany's to look at her dress, including my mother, and they had a surprise shower for me! I was like, "you guys- this day is about Bethany!!!" So needless to say we had 2 showers in one day!! It was so much fun! Here is Bethany and I...


Here are some pics from my shower...
















It was a lot of fun since I'm the first one to have a baby out of my friends, so I answered many questions for them all! It was so great to see them, and it makes me miss friends! But always fun to reminisce and see where everyone is at now in life. Only about 7 more weeks to go- so no more traveling for me!!!

Easter Weekend

Well we didn't spend our weekend with family like most people, or even relaxing much, we spent it on Halle's room! It's taking forever!! We painted the walls, which was not horrible, except for we had to cover bright purple which took a few coats, but we had dark wood trim, and that is what took nearly 3 days! Poor Brian, he's such a perfectionist and couldn't bear with me slapping paint on. He spent so much time intricately painting all the trim, about 4 times! I put together the bookshelf and the crib, with a little bit of his help, so it's coming! We're getting new carpet soon, so once that's done, we'll be all set! It's so wierd to look in there and see baby stuff! That tiny room is quickly filling up! There is still a lot to be done, and only 54 days until she's due!!!

It's so much easier said than done

A year ago, I felt like I was in a place in life where I really needed to trust in God. I worked so hard at it, I mean really tried to figure out what it meant to live that out. Once again, I feel like I'm here again. Today I just really needed to get out of the house. So I took a drive. Driving and listening to worship music are some of the best times that I connect with God. I used to drive down to Lake Michigan and always find a comfort, yet a power in the water. I was really able to meet with God there. So what do I do here? Matter Park is about the only place I've found beauty here, so decided to take a drive down and just listen to a few songs. Once again, I was comforted by the words, "Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side." It's such a comfort to know that God's plans for me, are his very best- and if we're not in the center of that, we're not living out God's best for us. So here I am again, feeling a little lost, a little discouraged, a little worried, and a little scared, I need to find my comfort from God. How do I do that? Brian and I have been memorizing scripture lately together which has been helpful to me, as I'm able to quote it to myself and remind myself of God's word. The bottom line is that we can always trust more, we can always wait more, we can always search more- for God. These times are countless in life, I just want to learn how to do it right. Brian talked to other night at 747 about God's will for your life, and said, what if God is more concerned with shaping your character than about your destination? We are so focused on the end result instead of the times in between- so I guess as I sit in this coffee shop and I've driven around to search for some sort of comfort or answer, I just found it. God, how can I be a better woman of God?

Shower PIcs

SPRING BREAK!!!

I am so sad to say that my spring break is nearly over! It went by way too quickly, but it was wonderful! My mom was able to join us here for a night, which was a lot of fun. She was able to hear Halle's heartbeat and meet our doctor. Then we headed home to Naperville for the rest of the week. I went out for a night with my 2 pregnant cousins. We were a hit at the nail salon getting pedicures, and of course, scooted next door for some ice cream. We are all 2 weeks apart and I am in the lead, although, Heather looks like she's beating me in size! Most of the week was spent with mom shopping for baby furniture and maternity clothes. I had a minor breakdown in the dressing room since everything I put on for 2 days looked so ugly on me! Thank goodness for mothers, so I had a shoulder to cry on and she got me home in a hurry to rest. Brian joined us later in the week and we met up with our best friends from Michigan and their kids. They moved at the same time as us and are now in IL, so it was a blessing to see them and their kids, who are so much like family. The main event of the week was our first baby shower! My cousin Jori put it all together and it was a lot of fun to be there with some relatives and old friends. Brian even surprised me by letting us stay Saturday night at my parents and had taken off Sunday morning. That has never happened before! It was so great to go to my home church and see some people I've known for so long. We had a great service for Palm Sunday and I was really inspired by our pastor's message. Here we are gearing up for Sunday night at 747. It's wierd how quickly we slip back into our routine. Here are some pictures from the week!