One Last Look!

This morning was my 38 week appointment. My third non-stress test was scheduled right beforehand, so I opted to let Kaiser play with Meaghan and Austin at their house instead of having him tag along. Though he did great at my last one on Monday, I thought two appointments back-to-back would be a tad too long to try to entertain him!

Again, everything went smoothly with the NST. The nurse told me as we were walking back to the room that she was a novice, but despite my being her "guinea pig" we were able to work together to strap on the monitors in the right spots, and in the end the printouts of my contractions and Baby's heartbeat were approved by the specialist.

I was glad to see Dr. U again this week, since he is the one who has ordered the additional testing. We chatted for a few minutes about a friend of mine who came to see him as a patient for the first time yesterday (I try to send I all of my baby-makin' friends to him and Dr. W!) and then about the fact that she and I go to the "Chinese restaurant church" in Oakland. (Our campus is located in a small building that used to be a Chinese restaurant.) When we finally got to talkin' about Baby, he said that the NST results looked "as good as they can look". So wonderful to hear! I was having contractions every 4-5 minutes, during which Baby's heart rate would increase, just like it's supposed to. Dr. U then surprised me by suggesting that he check my cervix to see if I was dilated. (Both of my OBs are generally very conservative -- without a special reason, they do not do a physical exam until 40 weeks, induce labor, etc.) However, he said that considering the mild concern we've had about size, if he were to check me and my cervix was "favorable" (3-4 cm dilated), he thought it would be a good idea to induce at 39 weeks. What?!? This totally threw me for a loop. Of course, I trust his judgment, so when he said that it was my choice, I told him that would be fine. He left the room for a few moments, and my mind was going a mile a minute. On the one hand, I would really prefer that labor come about naturally, when our little one and my body is ready. On the other hand, it would be nice to have a set date (assuming he didn't decide to come before next Friday) for the sake of making arrangements for Brett's work, Kaiser's care, Oma and T-Pa's arrival, etc.

Dr. U soon returned for the exam and informed me that although Baby was low, my cervix was closed. Phew! I knew that everything would be okay either way, but I thanked God that, at least at this point, the decision was made for me. He did say that as yet another precaution, he wanted me to go for another (final?) ultrasound in the next three days to check my amniotic fluid level. Before going out to print out the order for me, he went over all of the "remember to call if"s that I need to know in these final days. I said goodbye, telling him I'd see him in a week if not sooner!

From there I went down to the ultrasound department to see about scheduling my appointment. Unfortunately, they were already running behind for the day, and there was no way to squeeze me in until later that afternoon during Kaiser's naptime. I was ready to book an appointment for tomorrow or Saturday, but then got word from Brett that he was going to have an early day and would be able to be home soon, so I nabbed a 4pm slot. I went to fetch our boy (who, as always, was having a blast and sad to leave "Miss Meaghan's house") and took him home for lunch and to rest, then turned around a couple of hours later to get back to the hospital yet again.

Of course, they were still running behind, but around 4:40pm I was buzzed and taken back. The ultrasound tech was the same one we had at 33 weeks, and again she was very friendly and efficient. She was quickly able to measure my fluid levels and assure me that everything was normal there, which was great news. She also did a basic biophysical profile (which assesses his breathing, body movement, and muscle tone in addition to the amniotic fluid), on which he scored 8 out of 8. Just like last week, Baby Boy Braly was head down and facing Mommy's spine, which made getting a clear shot of his face pretty difficult. However, this tech was much more willing to try than last week's, and with a little bit of prodding we got him to move enough for this 3-D profile picture:

It looks here like he is sucking his thumb, but it's actually his big toe! Mommy is anxious to get her hands on those little tootsies and munch on them, too. Nom nom nom. :) I can't believe we have two weeks or less until we meet this precious gift from God!

Basement Redo--Take Two

So, I've alluded to our basement saga for several months now, but have been avoiding sharing all of the nasty details for multiple reasons -- most importantly, the fact that every time I thought about it, much less talked about it, I would get angry and/or start to cry! It has definitely taken a huge toll on us physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially. Those who know us best already know most of the story, but about two weeks after our initial renovation (made necessary by a flood in June 2009) was complete, it flooded again. And then, a few days later, again. Like, bad, people. This past Memorial Day Pittsburgh had record-setting rain, so while Kaiser and I were in Michigan visiting my sister, Brett was at home moving rugs and furniture and baling and sucking up with a wet-vac 100+ gallons of water off of our floors. :(

Clearly we had underestimated the problem and made a serious mistake by not dishing out the money to fix it a year ago. After seeking bids from three basement waterproofing companies (each of whom, in their "professional" opinion, recommended something very different, making an extremely stressful decision only more so!), we chose to go with Keystone Basement Systems. Keystone was the most expensive, but also the most extensive. They offered a lifetime transferrable guarantee that no water would enter our home. And, let's face it: That's what we needed. We could no longer live paralyzed with fear, constantly checking the weather report, unable to go out if there was a chance of thunderstorms (much less ever plan to travel out of town again!). Their solution was to install an internal French drain and sump pump. It's a complicated process, but basically it involved demolishing our entire basement. We reluctantly said "so long" to our beautiful stained concrete floors, wainscoting, chair rail, and fresh paint. :( Here are some pictures of the work that they did over the course of three glorious days in the middle of July:

Shower in the corner of the bathroom had to be ripped out.

Busted out concrete around the perimeter of the basement.

Discovered we had not one, but two concrete floor layers to jackhammer through. Awesome.

Lovely foot-wide trench.

This beast made the most horrible sound I've ever heard!

The drain is made of the material you see here and covered with gravel.

The sump pit.

Surprised to learn that they ripped out the enclosure around the radon system in our bathroom.

French drain covered with new concrete.

Covered sump, which pumps water out of the house through the white pipe, and dehumidifier, which drains into the pit.

The Keystone foreman was not happy about it, but I stuck to my guns and the owner promised he would replace steps that they tore out.

Interior wall rebuilt behind the tub.

New bathtub and shower walls installed by a plumber and contractor.

Once all of this French drain/sump pump work was done, we were instructed to wait for 30 days for the new concrete to cure before having our floors redone. In the interim, Brett and our friend Mark got down there to cut out additional drywall/furring strips and to treat for mold. (Mark, you know you rock!) As for the rebuilding of the walls, the initial plan was to have Brett and Daddy do all of the work (like Brett had done the first go-round); however, when we thought about it more, the fact that the job would be significantly more complicated this time around, along with the reality that Brett has very little free time (and what he does have is precious), helped us decide to hire a contractor. The man who had installed our new shower walls, Paul, was a total hippie who I joked was high half of the time he talked to me. I must say, though, he did a good job and worked quickly at a reasonable price. So he came in for a few days in mid-August to build, hang new drywall, and put up paneling. All that remained was installing the chair rail and baseboards, some mudding, and some caulking. Here are some shots of the progress he made before the flooring guys came in:

New wall enclosure around radon system in the bathroom.

New wall enclosure around sump pump pipe.

New drywall and paneling installed.

This was actually after the first sanding of the floors.

I knew without a doubt that I wanted Titus Decorative Concrete Coatings, the same company that had put in our floors last year, to come redo them. We were so pleased with the job they did the first time, and the owner Matt was happy to work us into his very full schedule (especially once he found out I was pregnant and insistent upon having this all complete before D-Day!). It took over a week to sand the floors, pour two layers of concrete, pour a textured layer of concrete, apply six coatings of acid stain, and finally apply two coats of epoxy. I was slightly nervous during this process because the color I was seeing show up did not match the original color. It was more reddish-brown than chocolate brown, and I knew that our existing paint (which I had planned on keeping on the upper part of the wall) wasn't going to work. Matt did everything he could to get it the way I wanted (or thought that I wanted), but the floor color still ended up kind of like a dark tanned leather. Looking at it more closely, though, I realized that I actually loved it, and so set out to pick new paint to coordinate.

Fast-forward another month (through Paul completing his contract work and my daddy bending over backwards to help us get the space painted and put back together), and here, my friends, is the finished project. All that remains to be done is installation of the new bathroom door (currently on order at Home Depot) and installation of the carpet on the steps (the old was nasty, so we decided to replace). Brett is more than capable of handling both of these jobs!

So, let's take a tour...

Nothing really changed here, except the paint color.

Rearranged a little so the wood chest covers the sump pump pit and hides the dehumidifier in the corner.

(And the bouncy seat is ready and waiting for a precious baby boy!)

Play area, where I added a table and chairs purchased from IKEA.

(I hope in the near future to paint them cute like my friend Ilena had done for her kiddos!)

Looking into the guest "room"...

The old bedding I had totally clashed with the new wall and floor colors, so I picked up this comforter set at Target. (Please ignore the wrinkles; I put it in the dryer in the hopes of getting them out, to no avail.) Nat, I know you have a special bond with this bed, so I hope you approve!

Bathroom with fresh paint and new floor...

...and a toilet that doesn't wobble! Hooray for no more cardboard!

Needless to say, we are beyond thrilled that this enormous undertaking is complete. (Please, Lord, let it be complete!) I know that there will always be bumps in the road of home ownership, but I seriously don't know how I'd handle something this huge hitting us again (at least not while we're still living here). Brett and I have said multiple times, though, that we can't fathom what victims of real natural disasters, who lose everything, go through. It gives us a whole new appreciation for all that God has given us -- not only our home, but family and friends that have supported us through prayer, finances, and physical labor during this difficult season. We are truly blessed!

Non-Stress Tests

Yesterday morning Kaiser accompanied me to my second non-stress test for Baby Boy Braly. As I shared in my update last Friday, based upon the results of my latest ultrasound, Dr. U decided as a precaution to have me come in two times a week from here on out in my pregnancy for these additional tests. For those not familiar with NSTs, they basically consist of about 20-30 minutes of this:

The top monitor records contractions in my uterus; the bottom monitor records Baby's heart rate. Want to know something cra-zy? I keep the lovely pink and blue elastic belts they use to strap the monitors to my belly and bring them back for each appointment, because the nurse informed me that they cost -- Are you ready for this? -- $100! My jaw dropped when I heard that number come from her mouth. Brett said that is what is wrong with our health system!

Just like last Friday, yesterday's test went very smoothly. Baby cooperated well and was moving (sometimes pretty violently!), so his heart rate rose and fell like it needed to. As for the Big Boy, I was confident that between a bag full of library books, a couple of trucks, and a snack, I could keep Kaiser occupied during our time there. Fortunately, we were alone in a small room with a closed door and without too much stuff for him to get into. At first he seemed frustrated that he couldn't climb up into my lap and touch the belts...

...but with a bit of encouragement, he climbed into a seat beside me and read some of his books, instead.

Then Kaiser got comfy on the floor with his "struction truck" books and kept busy searching for specific trucks that I asked him to find. He also greeted the nurse when she periodically came in to check on us.

Soon the stinker decided he was finished reading, but quickly found a new way to entertain himself: hiding from Mommy behind the room divider curtain!

Here is a clip of us playing "Where's Kaiser?" We had to cut our little game short when the nurse came in to tell us the doctor had reviewed our printouts and we were free to go!

As of right now, I'll be going in on Mondays and Thursdays (before my regular weekly checkups) for six more NSTs -- that is, of course, unless this little guy decides to make an appearance before October 15! Still much to do, but I'm feeling more and more peaceful about the possibility of an early arrival (though I have no real reason to think that will be the case). Until then, I'm thankful for good results and the chance to soak up sweet time with his Big Brother!

Weekend in "Cin" City

My handsome hubby and I had such a fabulous time spending a couple of days away from Pittsburgh this past weekend! When we first learned that our hopes for a last-minute "adults only" getaway could actually become reality, we talked about going to Washington D.C. or Niagara Falls, which are both a 3-4 hour drive from here. However, over Brett's birthday weekend I realized that he was suffering from severe Sooner football withdrawl, especially since we've cut our cable. (I'm so thankful we made it down to Dallas for OU/TX last year; we gave thought to skipping the game, but I remember saying then that we might not make this year's if I happened to be pregnant!) Anyway, Brett had said something about OU coming up to play the University of Cincinnati, which, as I'm sure you can guess, was scheduled for the weekend we had free. I suggested that we head there to hang out and go to the game, but he seemed hesitant, wanting me to have a little more relaxing getaway before baby. I finally convinced him that it was a great idea and would make for a fun weekend (although I didn't have to twist his arm too much), and he got our hotel reserved and tickets purchased.

Everything worked out perfectly on Friday, the day we planned to leave. One of Brett's awesome chiefs offered to round for Brett, so he had the entire day off (completely unheard of!) and was able to help me with last-minute things that morning, such as dropping Berkeley off at "doggie camp" for the weekend. I had my 37 week appointment scheduled that morning at 10:20am, which he was able to attend with me, too. Before going to the doctor, we dropped off Kaiser at Miss Meaghan's house. She was so thrilled that she, Mark, and Austin got to hang with him for the weekend, and he just adores their family, so even though it was hard for us to leave town without our son for the first time ever, we couldn't help but be excited for the fun we knew they'd have!

Saying goodbye to our big boy.

"See you on Sunday!"

After a pleasant visit with my OB and a quick stop back at home, the two of us set out a bit after noon for the almost 5-hour drive to Cincinnati. I have to say, it was so bizarre being in the car for that long alone! We had kind of forgotten what it's like to have that much uninterrupted time together. I was afraid I would totally pass out, but managed to stay awake (I think!) so as not to be a horrible passenger. We started out talking a lot about work and Kaiser, which was no surprise, but eventually worked our way to other subjects, too. Brett also got to listen to lots of his music, and I brought along a small crafty project that kept me busy during part of the drive.

By the time we pulled into the city, this preggo was more than ready to be out of the car! We chose to stay at the Westin downtown, which put us very close to the stadium where the game would be the next night. We were surprised and excited upon getting to the hotel to see so much crimson and cream! (I realize that I am, at heart, an OSU Cowboy, but since moving north I will take whatever Oklahoma I can get, so I root for the entire state!) In addition to all of the fans, the team was also staying in our hotel. So even though we were still hundreds of miles away, it made us feel so close to home! Sigh.

We got checked into our room and freshened up a bit, then checked our email and found this video that Meaghan sent us of Kaiser and Austin playing in his ball maze. Mommy and Daddy were so glad to see that he was his happy self and having a blast! (Not that we ever doubted he would!)

Then we took a shuttle across the Ohio River into Kentucky to hang out for the evening at a place called Newport on the Levee. After walking around the eating and shopping area to look at our options, we decided on dinner at Bulldogs Roadhouse. Brett was excited to see that they offered Schlafly beer, which is made in St. Louis and whose brewery we toured last time we were there.

My man and his Schlafly pumpkin ale.

After our meal, we needed to move around, so we walked to Barnes & Noble, where we each got a new book (The Secret Speech for Brett and The Girl Who Played with Fire for me), and then took another stroll down by the river. By then it was dark, and the city's night lights on the water were pretty.

Downtown Cincinnati.

There was an Oktoberfest celebration in full swing, which we thought would be fun to check out. We happened to arrive right at the end of a wedding ceremony. Here are the bride and groom participating in the German tradition of "log-sawing" after they got hitched.

Showing how well they will work together in the future!

Then there was a group of German dancers to provide some entertainment.

The teenage boy on the left looked like he'd rather be out doing things regular teenage boys do on Friday nights! Ha!

Of course, there were also all types of foods and beers to be had under the tent. I passed on this, but had to take a picture of the sign, because I am a natural proofreader and typo freak. Can you spot the mistake?

I did, however, succumb to the temptation that is the funnel cake. I told Brett I'm always talking about how good they sound, but I never actually let myself get one. Not this time. Brett and I shared, and it was de-lish.

Oh yes we did.

(For the record, though I enjoyed every bite, I paid dearly for this choice with an upset tummy that woke me in the middle of the night. Ugh.)

Oh yeah, as we sat out in the nice weather and enjoyed the sound of German music nearby, here is what we got to gaze at: the "USS Nightmare", some kind of haunted house boat/ride. Lovely.

Reminiscent of Halloween lawn decorations in Pittsburgh.

When we'd had enough of Oktoberfest, we headed back up to catch the shuttle home.

Just bein' cool.

Me and my belly waitin' for our ride.

Some random scary flyer speaking out against the police?

Right outside our hotel, there was a neat area called Fountain Square, where Mid Point Music Festival was being held that weekend. We hung out down there for a bit and enjoyed the music before heading up to our room and to bed.

Beautiful fountain.

Another typo spotted... :)

Brett really liked this band from Atlanta.

Looking back down at the square from our window.

Saturday morning we had the luxury of sleeping in! Of course, my body naturally woke me up at 7am. Go figure. Brett, on the other hand, was able to sleep until almost 9, despite me making noise getting showered, etc. in the bathroom. Once we were both ready for the day, we went downstairs to eat breakfast. Nothing was on our agenda besides the big game that night, so from there we got in the car and went to a nearby shopping area. We stopped at Babies R Us to pick up a couple of things for our own womb child and a friend's, whose baby shower is the week after my due date. Then we drove over to the mall, where I found some awesome deals on boyfriend sweaters at Gap, and Brett picked up a couple of CDs. While we were there, I also decided to get a pedicure. (Hopefully my toes stay pretty for at least the next couple of weeks!) Once we were shopped out, we went back to the hotel to rest for a few minutes (and for Brett to check college football scores). Before going out again, we set the camera timer to get our only picture together from the weekend.

Blurry us, but us.

We joined a ton of fellow Sooner fans in eating a late lunch on the patio at Rock Bottom, then sat at table in Fountain Square and dove into our new books for a little while.

"It's hard to concentrate on reading when you're taking my picture..."

Soon it was time to start our short walk toward Paul Brown Stadium (where the Cincinnati Bengals play) for the Main Event!

I couldn't wait, but my excitement was nothing compared to that of my Sooner Sweetheart. We waited in will call to pick up our tickets, which were for seats at club level--quite a treat! We sat down in a section well-populated with people dressed in OU attire, which was comforting. Then we watched our team take the field...

Boomer!

2nd largest crowd in history for the University of Cincinnati.

The game itself was...well...it wasn't pretty. OU, which was ranked #8, was highly favored to beat the unranked Cincinnati Bearcats. People we talked to from Cincinnati had been jokingly asking us not to whip them too badly throughout the day. I won't pretend to be a football commentator who really knows what she's talking about, but we made a lot of mistakes on our side and benefited greatly from mistakes made on theirs. Our poor bambino was probably wondering what on earth was going on, what with all the jumping up out of my seat I was doing there for a while! On several occasions, Brett and I were worried that we were going to have made the 5-hour trip only to watch the Sooners lose. At halftime, we (well, mostly Brett) decided that we needed these to keep up our energy:

Aptly-named "Monster Nachos".

I know, I know. After the previous night's experience with funnel cake, what was I thinking? But they were darn good, and fortunately didn't come back to bite me later! The second half of the game was nerve-wracking. There were a couple of ridiculous calls by the refs, and we almost witnessed a fight break out in our section between a Sooner fan and a Bearcat fan. Mercy. Needless to say, you could tell that Bob was not a happy camper.

This one's for you, Nat!

In the end, by the grace of God, OU pulled off a win, 31-29. Whew! We breathed a sigh of relief and headed out of the stadium and back to our hotel with equally relieved Sooners. Though we didn't need it after consuming that chip and cheese concoction a few hours before, Brett went on a quick sweets run and came back bearing a mint chocolate chip malt for us to share. What a perfect way to end the day! We were both wiped and crashed while watching SNL.

On Sunday morning we had breakfast delivered around 7:30am, keeping Brett from sleeping in as late as the day before. We were anxious to hit the road and get home to our boy! On the way back, though, a massive outlet mall that we had passed on Friday afternoon was calling our name, and we couldn't help but stop to take a look. A couple of hours later, Brett had some nice new dress pants and shirts for clinic from Banana Republic, and I had a couple of comfy postpartum items for me and a few fall staples for Kaiser from Gap. I was a sleepy passenger on the way home and dozed off here and there between chatting, reading, and crafting. I'm so thankful for a wonderful husband who doesn't mind being behind the wheel! Thanks for getting us home safely, Baby!

We pulled into Pittsburgh around 4:30pm, picked up our fur child from doggie camp, and dropped her and our bags off at home. Once I finally was able to get ahold of Meaghan (who had informed me that she was not giving my son back, and I was convinced was avoiding my calls!), we made our way over to the Edwardses right in time to get Kaiser up from his nap. I teared up a bit when I saw him look up at us with surprise from the pack n play. It may sound silly, but I swear he looked older to me after just two days of not seeing him! I tried to smother him with hugs and kisses, but he really just wanted to get back to playing with Baby Austin.

These two make quite a pair!

Too busy working on Meaghan's iPhone to love on Mommy. :(

We stayed to catch up on the fun they'd had while we were away. I had received pictures and texts here and there (all solicited by this momma, who missed her baby!), so I was anxious to see some more documentation of and hear stories about Kaiser's time away from us...

Playing in the front yard on Friday afternoon.

Clearly they do not own a dog. Food on the floor wouldn't be there long at our house!

Playing with playdough...which later progressed into throwing playdough at each other...

Time with "Mahk" in the backyard.

Visiting the Strip District on Saturday. Both boys look so happy. :)

Got this pic via text and laughed out loud.

Handsome guys ready to go to church!

Chipotle for lunch on Sunday.

Also got this one, along with the message, "Help Mommy! The aliens have kidnapped me!"

Clearly they didn't have trouble staying busy. :) Among other things, Mark taught Kaiser to say, "I love chockit!" and "Austin is my bud!" All in all, it sounded like they'd had a stellar weekend!

Finally the Bralys decided it was time to say goodbye, and though Kaiser was not super pumped about leaving, he perked up with the promise of eating dinner at home. We were about an hour behind his normal schedule at that point, so we took a quick dip in the bathtub and put him to bed right away. I don't think he fell asleep until after 9pm, though. Brett and I were pretty tuckered out after the weekend, too, and retired relatively early.

Edwards Family, we can't thank you enough for adopting our son for the weekend so we could enjoy some time together before our family grows. We know Kaiser was loved like crazy and in the best of hands. You guys are incredible friends, and we love you!