The Baby Fishbowl

Brookstravaganza

2009-04-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

We live at Brooks College at Baylor and this is the second year of the Brookstravaganza- a weekend long, fun event filled extravaganza. Yesterday was the Brooks Olympics and we have some fun playing outside.

Brooks (the baby boy) loves to run around.

Playing Big Friz with dad.

With Jenny one of our baby sitters

Playing in the tires with Jenny and Zachary that were waiting to be set up for the big obstacle course.

This little car is my consignemnbt sale deal of the year -$7 and Brooks loves riding in it!

Just one look

2009-03-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

And I knew...

Just one look...that's all it took.

Happy First Birthday Baby Boy!

2008-12-10T09:08:00.001-08:00

Fun with our Friend!

2008-11-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

Our friend Ezra come over this weekend to play- here are some pictures of the fun!
Ezra's mom and dad are Kendel and Eric. Larry and Kendel work in the same department so we all live on campus. Ezra was born just a month and a half before Brooks and they love to play together!

Riding in the strollers

Playing with toys outside on the blanket. The weather has finally turned cooler and is so nice!

Two sweet boys!

Fun in the tub!

Not sure what Brooks is trying to do here- either he is giving Ezra the toy or squirting him in the ear??

Playing in the living room.

Best Buds

2008-11-11T13:25:00.001-08:00

The many faces of Brooks

2008-10-16T08:26:00.001-07:00

We captured these after dinner the other night. We've also had some fall/seven month pictures taken and I'll post those as soon as i get them. My baby boy does love to have his picture taken:)

Because it has been so long...

2008-09-21T12:53:00.001-07:00

since I last posted, here are a slew of pictures from the past couple of weeks:

totally enthralled with Corky the crazy dog at Grandma's

hanging out with dad on the couch- I think they were watching "meet the press." Larry says I always catch him in pictures with his shirt off- but I think this is only one of two shirtless pics.

starring out the floor to ceiling window in my office- you may be able to see the slober smears:)

Graduation from the infant tub in the sink to the bath seat in the big tub. Much less water gets on us and all over our kitchen now.

He look slightly intoxicated now- funny. I have a couple more and a video that I will post later, but my guys are waiting for me to walk over to the library- so for now I'm off!

Recent Pictures

2008-08-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots from the last week or two:

After the bath cuteness

Chewing a block

And for the grande Finale- sitting up!!!! (sort of)

Holy Guacamole

2008-08-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

Brooks has started the adventure of solid food (by solid we mean mashed up, pureed, liquefied vegetables and fruits).
He also sat in his highchair for the first time today to eat some of the yummy homemade baby food I prepared for him. Today it was avocado or baby guac as we call it. He liked it and is a great eater -swallowing most anything I put in his mouth without any fuss at all.

Before:

After:

2008-08-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been a while- busy life I guess.

Here is a cute video of Brooks enjoying his jumper. He doesn't so much bounce as he swings but still I give you:

Rolling Over

2008-06-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

Brooks rolled over for the first time today- front to back.

Independent movement- its a monumental thing in a person's life.

Big Larry and Little Larry

2008-06-22T05:54:00.001-07:00

I caught Brooks and Larry both looking at the computer very intently. I snapped a few pictures because Brooks looks so much like Larry and well it was cute.
The other two pictures are just a couple from the past week or so...

Playtime

2008-06-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

Suddenly my newborn has become an infant and is interacting with his world. This short video is of Brooks playing and enjoying his activity gym.

Houdini Baby

2008-06-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

We have swaddled Brooks from the very beginning for sleep. Now that he is older, if he is not really sleepy, he will struggle and try to break free.
Here he is all snuggled up ready for sleep...

And here he is after fifteen minutes of thrashing around....
He doesn't cry or fuss, he just throws himself about in the crib and gets loose. It is funny, but he cannot sleep unswaddled, so we wait until he is sufficiently tired, wrap him up and usually it is lights out:).

Here is another completely unrealted video. Brooks is a gassy baby and sometimes needs help moving the gas on out. Larry does this really cute mountain biking exercises with him to help:

As I have been at the computer uploading this video and post, my son has decided to blow out a pile of poo into his diaper, out of his diaper and all over the bouncy seat he is currently in. I now must go and hose off my kid and a bouncy seat. ICK.

Our Smiley Boy

2008-05-31T09:46:00.001-07:00

Lots of smiles lately and some funny moments in the (not)bumpo chair. Brooks went from smiling to crying in record time:).

Bath Time!

2008-05-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video for you all to enjoy. Brooks is becoming so much more expressive as every day passes. It is so much fun to watch.
Bath time is fun and he cries when we take him out to get dressed.

Our trip to SC

2008-05-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

We went to my family's home in South Carolina this past weekend. We got to see a ton of family which was very fun and Brooks got to meet lots of aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time.

after the one big family get together, when I went to bathe him and get him ready for bed, he smelled like five different kinds of perfume from being passed from one lady to the next- so funny!

Here are some pictures:
My mom and Aunt Karen. My aunt is holding our cousin Logan who is three days older than Brooks. Notice that Logan is very unhappy with this picture taking and Brooks is snoozing away- but later you will see Brooks screaming his head off and Logan is sweetly sleeping:).

Brackston and Rhodes holdling Brooks- such cuties!

Me and my cousing Alicia- my first cousin and Logan's mom.

Brooks and Logan in the cutest matching outfits (thanks Aunt Karen). Brooks was none too happy to have his picture taken!

Brooks in the Blue Bonnets

2008-04-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

It is blue bonnet season here in Texas. The weather has been just fabulous the past week or so and this afternoon was no exception. We took advantage of the lovely weather and spent part of our afternoon in Cameron park. We found a shady patch of blue bonnets and subjected our son to a photo session beside the road.

at rest and at play

2008-04-16T17:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of Brooks and a VIDEO!

Granted, video of an infant is not too interesting, but it is also not very long:)

Brooks had a check up this weekand weighs in at 10lbs and 14 oz- growing like a weed and starting to get lots of fat rolls that I love to squeeze- so cute!

Also- All his hair is falling out. He has a receeding hairline. I told Larry we should take pictures now so he can see what he will look like at 40 if he goes bald. If he does he can blame his father because there are no bald men in my family- on either side:).

He loves to play under his activity gym ( if he doesn't have gas) and he swats at kicks at the toys that hang down. We usually do this in the evenings as to help keep him awake a bit before bedtime. It helps him sleep longer- which is good for all involved.

Bath Time :: Nap Time :: Trips to Great Grandma's

2008-04-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

The above are pictures of current events in the life of Brooks Bradley.

Bath Time- he loves the bath and we know this not because he reacts in any real way to the bath- but he does relax and does not have a melt down when he sits in the warm water so we assume he loves it:).

Nap Time- I (Christy) just love to watch him sleep. He is so peacful all wrapped up like a baby taco in his swaddler. I snuck a few pictures the other day as he was having a nap. The great news is he has gotten himself on a schedule that we can all live with and takes regular consistent naps. This allows me to have some sanity and get a nap of my own in from time to time.

Trips the Great Grandma's- This past weekend we drove to east Texas to visit with Larry's grandmother and let Brooks meet one of his great- grand parents. We packed up ALL the stuff that BRooks needs to go away for a night and let me tell you- it is a lot of stuff! It really makes one consider the necessity of traveling and the length of the stay when you have to pack up so much gear. Brooks did great - he likes riding in the car- he pretty much hates the car seat if it is not in motion- long redlights and traffic jams could prove problematic in the future.

He ate and slept on schedule and only had a meltdown at the very last as we were pulling into the parking lot here at home.

We got to spend some time with Grandma and see Larry's brother Roy and his baby- Justin who is 8 months old and weighs 25 lbs. He is seriously a large baby.

We also stopped in and had a short visit with Larry's mom and dad. I was hoping to see some baby pics of Larry- but his mom had not had time to look for them. evidently when you are the fourth child it is more difficult to find pictures of you around the house.

It was a good trip and we enjoyoed our weekend away from home.

2 Week Check-Up

2008-03-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

Brooks went for his two week check-up yesterday.
We really love our pediatrician- he is very patient, thorough and lets us ask more questions than we probably should and never makes us feel stupid or like nervous new parents:).
Brooks weighed in at 8lbs and 9oz - almost back up to his birth weight.
He checked out all good and is hitting all his milestones normally- lifting his head, reacting to noise, looking at lights, etc.
We were given the all clear to let him sleep as long as he wants to at night. We were having to wake him up every two-three hours to eat, but now that his weight is back up and he is gaining steadily he can sleep for longer periods.
This was good news because so far Brooks does sleep at night. Last night was the first night we let him sleep and he went for two four hour stretches at a time. Larry fed him at the first wake-up call and I fed him at the second which allowed us both to get a longer interval of sleep.

He's here!

2008-03-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

Brooks Bradley Correll-Hughes is here!

8 lbs 12 oz

21 inches

8:25 PM on March 12th

Everyone is now home and doing well.

You know you are DONE being Pregnant when...

2008-03-08T17:33:00.000-08:00

…you are out of breath from your 3 point turn to change positions in bed.

…at the doctors office you can no longer see the cup you are supposed to pee in and have to go by "feel".

…trying to shave your legs involves some pretty ridiculous maneuvers.

...you have to have your husband put your socks on.

...your belly is so big and so low you have to sit like a man with your legs sprawled apart.

...ALL your shirts become too short and you have to buy new clothes with only a few weeks left to wear them.

…you have trouble washing dishes since your belly is so huge you can't stand very close to the sink.

…the 50th person comments that it should be anytime now, or they just know that you aren't going to make it to your due date.

…something falls on the floor and you stare at it for a full minute while deciding whether it's important enough to pick it up, or if it's easier to ask your husband to pick up (or wait til he gets home if he's not around).

…you go to a restaurant and they no longer ask if you would prefer a table or a booth--they just take you straight to a table.

…you have to use the handicapped stall in public restrooms because there is no room to turn around in the regular ones.

Nothing new to report

2008-02-25T10:35:00.000-08:00

Dr. apt. today was uneventful. Still at 1cm, a bit more effaced. The only thing that has changed is that this baby boy is getting bigger-
Doctor is currently guessing 8lbs.
I am tired, swollen, and miserable. I am pretty much whiny and unpleasant to be around.
Feel sorry for my husband...

2008-02-16T11:38:00.001-08:00

Some pictures as promised:
The finished nursery pics complete with safari animals. The monkey is my favorite.

A 35-36 week picture of me. You can tell how enthused I am to have my picture taken.

Finally- Larry took this one- it's a line up of all the apparatus for our baby to sit/ride in. This baby has a lot of gear.

2008-02-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

Quick Update:

My feet are swollen- I no longer have ankles.
I saw the dr. today and I am 1cm dilated and about 50% effaced.
I have some pictures to post, but our computer at home died and I am at work so I will have to remember to bring my camera here to upload some pics.

Baby Showers and Other Updates

2008-01-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

Several great friends from both Church and Baylor gave me the final baby shower. We received almost everything we registered for minus a few larger ticket items and it seems we are ready for the baby to arrive- at least as far as gear and clothing go.
It was a very fun shower and I enjoyed getting to see some friends I don't see as often as I'd like.

In other news- I had my 34 week apt today. Everything is normal. The Dr. "guessed" that the baby currently weighs about 6 lbs and will be between 8 and 9 lbs at birth. Bradley is currently head down and just gaining weight getting ready to be born.

Still Growing

2008-01-15T06:02:00.001-08:00

Here is my 32 week picture. I am currently at the stage where I take myself by surprise in the mirror.
It is hard to imagine I can get any bigger, but I continue to expand...

A lady a church told me that seeing a pregnant woman affirms her belief in the miraculous. And while I do appreciate the sentiment and the miracle that is having a child, I do not currently feel miraculous. Maybe next week...

The Baby's Room

2008-01-10T14:04:00.001-08:00

I have spent much of my free time the last week working on getting Bradley's room ready. We decided to do an African safari theme with some kid elements, but hopefully not too kiddie and cartoony.
A friend of ours is from Ghana, Africa and makes the most beautiful batik fabric. She has a business back in Ghana, but she and her husband and kids are living here while her husband attends Truett Seminary. I purchased the fabric from her and am really pleased at how things turned out. I sewed the crib skirt, the curtains and the toss pillows on the bed. I may sew up a crib bumper from the orange colored fabric, but am still undecided if we need one or not. The darker fabric is a navy blue with green and purple mixed in and the lighter color is an orange with white and purple mixed in. Both are a smaller stripped batik.

Some great friends from church gave us the crib. Their kids are bigger and they no longer need it. It is a really nice one, far nicer than we could afford to buy and we are very blessed.

The changing table/dresser is something we already had and the giant leaves came from Ikea. We will be adding these animals to the walls and then the room will be finished. (They will be slightly different in color and about four-five feet tall on the wall. They will also be adhered with removable adhesive so Baylor people don't freak out.)

The pictures over the bed are from my trip to Kenya last summer and are from the actual safari I took in the Massi Mara.

I am so excited and love the room so much. Sometimes I just sit in it and look around enjoying the space. Now that it is almost done I feel more ready for the baby to be here. Aside from some gear and odds and ends that we will hopefully receive at our Waco Friends Shower we are all set for Brooks Bradley to arrive!

2008-01-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

If anyone is interested you can play in our little online guessing game:

We know the gender of course, but you can guess the weight, birth date, time, length, etc. and there are points!
the only prize will be bragging rights though- sorry:)
Have fun guessing!

2007-12-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Week 28 update:

Dr. apt. was good. The usual. I only have one more 4 week appointment and then I start going in every two weeks and then every week! There are only 12 weeks left! Yikes!
There is so much to do!

I had my glucose test last week and while I was at the lab there were four other pregnant women having the same test done. One lady asked another how far along she was ans she answered "27 weeks." I was like- "really? you are so small?" She had this tiny little bump. I was by far the largest belly in the room and we were all due around the same time!!!!
Needless to say- I am feeling very large and getting larger by the day.

I didn't get the results of my glucose test yet, but I will call the Dr. today and see whats up.

Here is the 28 week picture:

The First Baby Shower

2007-12-11T18:07:00.001-08:00

University Ministries threw us a baby shower today. I am graduating in a few days and will no longer be working at Um as a grad assistant. It is sad to go, working there has been like having an extended family. The shower today was small, but very fun. Here are the highlights:

Dinosaur cupcakes! Yum!

Larry and I opening gifts.

All of the goodies Bradley received from our friends at UM

Cute little dinosaur cards where friends wrote well wishes and blessings for our family.

More gift opening...

Thanks to everyone at University Ministries for all the love, gifts and support. You guys are the Best!

2007-12-03T07:50:00.001-08:00

here is a 24 week picture:
sorry its a bit blurry

Finals are essentially over- i have two left each a week apart.

We are having a baby shower on December 11th. My office is throwing me a shower because I will no longer be a graduate assistant after December 14. I will be a graduate!

It is exciting to start having showers (the party kind- i do bathe regularly) and to have time to start thinking about baby stuff, getting the nursery ready and all such nesting activities.

Not much is new...

2007-11-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

There isn't much new to tell. The baby is growing fine and normally. I had a Dr. visit this morning it took all of 10 minutes. The Doctor says this is the boring time, but it is also the good time, when I feel great, am not huge and can still sleep at night.
I say boring is good- it means everything is fine.
I'll try to post some pictures this week... I have a lot of assignments due before I graduate from seminary in 25 days!

2007-10-30T08:35:00.001-07:00

here is a 20 week picture- same dress
it just happened that way. I only have so many outfits in my current rotation:)

The baby is moving a lot more now and Larry has been able to feel some kicks from the outside which is fun for him.

We registered this weekend- it was fun, but a tad overwhelming. I think I have finally gotten the list correctly edited and ready via the online features.
www.target.com and www.babiesrus.com
Personally Babies r Us is the better store with a better return policy and more selection, but it is not as convenient for everyone. Certainly not for us, since we had to drive to Fort Worth to register.

We are also registered at www.nurturedfamily.com for cloth diapers. *GASP* yes we are going to cloth diaper. People either think we are great or crazy for doing this. I have heard it all, "Yeah we tried that, it got way old, way fast." "You know you are going to have to do laundry all the time?" "Do you know how much work that is going to be?"
Cloth diapers are better for the environment. (disposables take up to 500 years to decompose in landfills) Cloth diapers are cheaper in the course of a babies diapered life. (literally thousands of dollars cheaper) Cloth diapers are not the same as when I was a kid. They Velcro on, have built in water proof covers, they are made with fleece linings that wick moisture away from the babies skin. And they are just as absorbent and trim fitting as disposables. AND the best part- cloth diapered babies typically potty train 6 months earlier than babies who wear disposables. (this is a statistic- every kid is different- i know)
Yes they have to be washed and yes I will have to do something with the poop. But I will have to deal with poop either way. And will have more laundry either way.
Bottom line- this is what we have decided is best for us. There is no judgment on disposables and we are giving ourselves an out if it is just too overwhelming for us in the long run.
Besides, I have no intention of being a total purist- We will NOT be using cloth wipes- ick.
We will probably have some disposables around for the church nursery and baby sitters.

And the Ultrasound Says...

2007-10-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

It is a BOY!

I'd like to introduce you to Brooks Bradley Correll-Hughes.
We will be calling him Bradley.

Here are some pictures:

You can see his arm and part of his leg and of course his cute profile.
I think he has Larry's nose:).

Here is the boy part. He was a bit lazy and didn't move around a ton. Mostly kicked his legs and waved his arms. The ultrasound tech had to maneuver to get a good shot of the "area." This pic is of one leg and the parts.
However, we did see the little turtle as the tech called it, several times and there is no doubt- he is all boy!

Some pictures

2007-10-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of tummy Pics- just so you know, I have no intention of posting pictures of my bare belly. I think my belly is remarkable but not in a lovely pregannt lady kind of way- more in a seriously it is getting larger! type way.This is me at 8 weeks- not much to see.

This is me at 16 weeks- there is a little more bumpage. The picture is bad. Larry is a great person- not the greatest photographer. It usually takes about five tries to get a picture that is not too zommed out and actually shows my belly. I also hate having my picture taken which doesn't help. I wish I has smiled better in this one- oh well. There will be more...

2007-09-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

We went to the doctor today. It was a good visit, but we had to wait a while.
Evidently the hyphenated last name is just difficult for people to understand. The receptionist couldn't find my chart because she was looking for Hughes instead of Correll-Hughes and then she got busy and forgot about me.
Larry went with me and as patient as he is, got a bit frustrated with the whole name mix-up.
I have only gained one pound which is the pound I lost from the last visit. So far there is no concern about my weight gain or loss.
I did the usual visit stuff- pee in a cup, get on the scale, blood pressure check and then we scheduled the BIG ultrasound. You know the one where they check all the parts- heart, lungs, brain and gender.
We could have scheduled it for October 16, but Larry will still be out of town for work conference. SO... I have to wait until October 23.
I am going home on the 11th of Oct. and my sister is an OBGYN. She has offered to do an ultrasound for me for free. But Larry has made me promise not to while I am home and he can't be there. I am tempted- really- but i will not give in because I love my husband.
We listened to the heart beat again and everything seems to be normal. I have been having some trouble with headaches and my heart does this little flutter/pause thingy. But the Dr. assures me that both are fairly normal for preggos. I have to endure the headaches with Tylenol doing precious little. And if the heart thing starts happening very rapidly (like 6 or 8 times a minute) then I need to call.
Evidently pregnant people have more blood and all that extra blood causes all sorts of lovely symptoms in our bodies. But on the positive side- it makes us look prettier. That is where the pregnancy glow comes from- all the extra blood.
I also left the office with a ton of vitamin samples. I have been having a hard time taking my prenatal vitamin as it make me sick. Dr. R gave me a bunch of different ones to try hoping one will work with my system and not make me so queasy.
Speaking of Queasy- I have been feeling better lately- but the evenings are still pretty rough. The only times I have thrown up in the past week have been when I took my vitamin. I really can feel the difference of more energy during the day.
I need to start taking pictures of my belly- but it is kinds weird to me to take pictures of my belly. I'll get Larry to do it and hopefully post some in the next week.

2007-09-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

I shouldn't have posted about feeling better...

When I feel fine- I do feel better- less tired, more energy
BUT the nausea has gotten worse at night and I have thrown up more in the last two weeks that the entire two months prior.

I am so ready for this part to be over- I am really hoping and praying that in a couple weeks I will start feeling better than I do now- I am not sure I can do this for 6 more months...

I went to the doctor two weeks ago- routine check. I listened to the heart beat on the doppler and the doctor said everything is fine and normal. He said the baby was moving around a lot and pointed out this swishing noise on the doppler as evidence. I took his word for it:)

School is pretty stressful and I am more focused on that right now than anything else. I have Greek readings (the book of James) and Hebrew classes on the same day. Maybe the baby will learn something in utero:).

2007-08-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

I am not sure I should say this
I might jinx myself-
but I am starting to feel better-

I can go longer between meals and I start feeling crummy later in the day.
I am really glad- because I wasn't sure I could take this for weeks and weeks to come.

Also, clothes are a problem.
I don't fit into my regular clothes OR my maternity clothes!
I have used the rubber band trick (thanks Sarah) and as long as my shirt is long enough or thick enough to cover the bulkiness of the open button it works.
They make these things called Bella bands that work on the same principle as the rubber band trick but it is a band of elastic that goes around your waist and looks like a layered shirt underneath your regular shirt. You can check them out here.
I may order a couple to make the next month or two bearable. My capris will last longer and it is too hot for pants most of the time around here.

2007-08-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

I have been sick now for about five weeks- it stinks.
I am not violently ill or anything- just queasy all the time- worse at night.
Apples are the magic pill that make it all better - at least for a little while.
I am so tired of eating apples! I may develop a hatred for them before this is all over.
Green apples are the current favorite
Gala Apples were two weeks ago-
Any other recommendations????

We're Having a Baby!

2007-07-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

About 5 weeks ago we got this:

And that makes me about 7 weeks pregnant. We have decided to tell people this early because well, we are excited. The reasons to not tell a lot of people have more to do with fear of the unknown and we decided that if something horrible does happen people will know anyway so we are telling.

We had a dr. apt. this morning and saw the heart beating away in the little peanut. it is amazing how something so small can have such a profound impact on our lives already. More so me than Larry as I am sick most of the day and especially at night. Eating often helps- but by the time 5:00 rolls around I am so tired and queasy that I am pretty much good for nothing. Larry has been super and patient and all around the perfect husband so far. He actually cleaned the entire house last night after i went to bed. I was so tired I slept right throught the vaccum cleaner!

Here is our first baby picutre!

You can see the head and the outline of the amniotic sac. It is pretty amazing!