Landon is Here!!

We want to let everyone know that Landon Joseph Braisted was born Wednesday, June 27th at 5:15pm. He weighs 8 pounds and is 19 inches long. Landon and Mom are doing great and we are enjoying this beautiful gift from God. Here are a couple of pictures for now and when Mom is feeling better I'm sure there will be more details and pictures to come. Thank you everyone for your prayers!

Baby Landon shortly after birth.


Landon relaxing in the nursery.


Mom, Dad, and Landon Braisted!

Our Trip to Wisconsin

Our trip to Wisconsin was great. We were able to relax and do a lot of fun things with my family one last time as a family of two. We went to a Brewer's game (see picture above) where they lost 7-2 to the Cubbies. Mike and I aren't really very good luck charms apparently. We went out to eat a couple times (my favorite pasttime activity). And had a baby shower (see pics below). We were also able to meet with several members of the Northbrook Church Missions Board over lunch. The discussion went very well and they seemed genuinely interested in supporting Mike and I and our work in the Dominican Republic. It may be a little while before they make a decision, as they are currently seeking a new Mission's pastor.

I hope you enjoy the pics and we will continue keeping you updated as we are getting closer and closer to the arrival of our little guy.



Baby Shower cake...it was SOOOOOOOOO good (pretty sure I had more than one piece!)



Sash and Me...with the BEAUTIFUL quilt that she hand-made, and we all thought I was the artistic one



Playing a game of "Guess how huge my tummy is using toilet paper" (many were surprised to hear it was only 11 squares around)



My mama and me...

36 weeks...Holy Cow!

Yep, I'm HUGE!!!! I just could never imagine that my belly could stretch this much, but sure enough....I officially have a watermelon under my shirt. We have entered our 36th week of pregnancy and it feels like about week 84. The anticipation is mounting with each passing day and my ability to be patient is dwindling. I know, not good, considering the road ahead but I'm sure my patience will improve as I learn to be a mom.

This past weekend, Mike and I went to Wisconsin to visit a church and also to have a baby shower with family and friends. It was an absolute blast and they all went above and beyond when it came to their giving. I feel so much more prepared for this little guy now that we had that shower and I am just so excited to get to put some of those cute little outfits on him. Within one day of receiving our gifts, Mike had already assembled our stroller and baby swing as well as the mobile for the crib. I went right to work washing clothes and bedsheets and making the crib look BABY BEAUTIFUL! We are so excited that we can hardly handle it.

Physically, it's getting a little tough. I've had moms tell me before in order to try and prepare me for this but it's just not the same as going through it yourself. The back pain has probably been the worst but I try and tell myself that "this too shall pass." Getting in and out of bed at night has also become a task, as well as the 15 trips to the restroom in the dark of night. Also a little annoying are the swollen ankles and the body parts that seem to increasingly become numb. I can hardly sit or lay in one position for longer than 15 minutes before my hip or hand or foot fall asleep. All and all, I wouldn't trade it for the world and I'm sure many of you who read this understand exactly what I'm going through. It's all worth it and that will just be confirmed when I hold Landon in my arms for the first time.

Doctor's Appointment

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday that was just a routine checkup. It looks as if Landon is a little over 5 pounds and is growing at a steady rate. He measured my tummy and said that I was right on track as well. We listened to his heart and it was beating strong. This appointment made everything a little more real as we discussed what I was wanting out of the birthing experience. We discussed pain relief, labor coaching, who I want in the room and other things associated with the exciting day that is approaching. We also have our first birthing class tomorrow night which should make things feel a little more real and also help me feel a little more prepared.

The really exciting thing is that Mike built me a changing table. It is SOOOOO cute and way better than anything we could have bought. By him building it, we saved about $30.00 as well. He let me pick out paint colors and even put on this cute little decorative border. I walk past it and just look at it imagining the MANY times our little guy will be laying on that table with a stinky diaper. I don't think I've ever been more excited for anything in my whole life. The pics are below!

Nashville and Timmy

Visiting Nashville was a last minute trip that Mike and I wanted to take so we could go see his younger brother, Tim. Tim is currently living in Nashville and getting plugged into the Christian music scene. You can see him at www.myspace.com/timbraistedmusic and here some of his great songs. We hadn't seen his new apartment since he moved in in January and we didn't know when else we could given his gig schedule and our impending new arrival. So we hopped down there for the weekend to hang out with Timmy and see a bit of Nashville.

We went to the Nashville Zoo and walked around for about 5 1/2 hours (yah...hello swollen ankles). It was a ton of fun and what an odd group of the three of us "grown-ups," no kids with us, walking around looking at EVERY exhibit. That's right, we didn't miss even one. We did go into downtown Nashville on Sunday, but just to go to Tim's church at The Globe. I'd like to visit again and maybe hit up a couple of the karaoke places!!!! Enjoy the pics.



Me and Timmy



HUGE blue birds at the Nashville Zoo



Mike and I in front of the elephant exhibit



Baby Camel



Brotherly love, Mike and Timmy hangin' out

Week 32

Let the puffy face begin! Yep, I've finally started the "water weight" phase. I can't believe what a difference there is in my face and extremities in just a few weeks. But I just wanted to give you a quick update. We had an appointment May 2nd with our American doctor and she says that everything looks great. We listened to Landon's heart and she took a couple measurements and all was well. She did mention not to adjust the due date any, as babies grow at different rates during the last trimester. She basically just said, "He's going to come when he wants to come." Only a baby and already has his mama's personality! :)

This week is a milestone of sorts: Babies born after this time tend to do well even if they are premature. Nearly 10 percent of babies are born before week 37, when they officially come to term. At 32 weeks, all major organs are functioning except the lungs, which may need further time to develop. But our little one doesn't exactly look like a rosy cherub--he weighs about 4 pounds, and his thin, wrinkly skin hasn't filled out with the layers of fat that develop later. Luckily, in many cases, all he'll need is some time in an environmentally controlled isolette to add some of the fat he will need to regulate his body temperature. But let's hope he's not born for several more weeks!

Unbelievable!

There's a baby in there! Today Mike and I had a 3-D Ultrasound done of our baby boy and the experience brought me to tears. We were able to see him move and wriggle and kick as if he was laying right in front of us. He even got the hiccups and we watched his little belly jerk every 5 seconds. It was absolutely amazing! One of the most incredible things was that when we started the ultrasound, I was laying on the ultrasound bed and I had my hand over my forehead watching the screen. As soon as little Landon's face popped up, he had the same arm over his forehead and he didn't move it the whole time we watched him. It was like he was mimicking my moves! It was by far the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

The ultrasound tech said that everything looks great and that he is already 3 pounds and 10 ounces! No wonder I've been so uncomfortable lately! He is supposed to grow a 1/2 pound every week for the next 8 weeks so that gives us almost an 8 pound baby! WOW! She also took measurements of his head and large bones and seemed to discover that our due date may be off by a week or so and that the ultrasound machine suggested his due date to be around June 28th! But we're not going to get our hopes up yet (as we are both impatiently awaiting his arrival) and we'll wait until we're back in the states and see what our OB says.

It was an incredible day and we are so excited to come back to the states to show all the pictures we have from our session. Praise God for the little man that grows inside me everyday!

Surprise!!!

Well, Saturday evening I was surprised for only the third time in my whole life. (The first being when Mike proposed and the second being when we found out we were pregnant) My good friend Audrey threw me a surprise baby shower! Many of my friends were there including our Gringa staffers and women from the church. I would have posted a pic of when I first arrived, but I didn't feel like posting a picture of me crying. Imagine that...me crying! So below are several pictures taken from the baby shower courtesy of audrey and jen. They had it planned down to a "T."

The pregos!!!! Carmen Dilia and I. She, however, is about to pop and is due to have her baby on April 26th. She is so lucky! Only one more week of waiting...


A view of the decorations and of all the wonderful women who attended!


Part of the Decorations. A little table with a picture of Mike and I and little party favor's with babies in a basket.

The absolutely BEAUTIFUL cake. They don't mess around when it comes to cakes in the Dominican Republic.

Me standing with the decorations that were hand-crafted by a good friend, Vanessa! She is so super talented. She also hand-made a scrapbook for people to sign their names and write a little note to me.

A pic of me with Marisol and Yessica. These are the ladies that I cook up in the kitchen with when there are teams here. Marisol already calls herself ABUELA which means Grandma. So when my mom can't be around, Landon will have someone to spoil him rotten!

The women of G.O. Ministries!

A game that was played where one woman is the mom and the other is a baby. It was a contest to see who could make the best baby outfit out of toilet paper!

The WINNERS!

The next game played was to see who could guess how big my belly was without measuring first. So they passed a roll of toilet paper around and they had to cut a piece off that they thought was the right width. Three people got it right on the mark!

Opening gifts. These women were so generous and got the CUTEST stuff ever!

Me with my "bathtub 'o fun." All the gifts that they graciously gave to me.

It was absolutely a blast sharing this time with all of these women. Most of them I won't be able to see for FOUR MONTHS until we return to the Dominican with our little guy. It was a very special time of celebration and fellowship. I will never forget how much this baby shower meant to me and to our expanding family!

28 weeks, whew!!!

All is well in the Dominican Republic as our stay here is coming to an end. The pregnancy is going much smoother and I only get sick about once every two weeks. I still have nausea but mostly if I don't eat every two hours. We will be having another doctor's appointment, our last in the DR, on Monday or Tuesday and will update after that as well.

Our baby boy is on another growth spurt, shooting up half an inch this week to measure about 14 inches from head to toe. He weighs roughly 2 1/2 pounds, and will gain approximately half a pound each week for the next 10 weeks. I can't believe that there is even going to be enough room in my tummy for a baby to gain all that weight! Landon has continually gotten more and more active and Mike and I thouroughly enjoy watching the little soccer game that goes on in my tummy (now that we can actually SEE him kicking and moving everywhere). The little guy has found my ribs as well as my bladder and I try to talk him into moving into a new position so that mommy is a little more comfortable. He doesn't always listen! Typical Braisted boy. :)

24 weeks and counting...

I know I probably say this every time, but I can't believe it's been 4 weeks already! I am officially 6 months pregnant which seems just totally insane since I found out I was pregnant when I was only 2 weeks along. At times, I feel like it has been forever and times I can't believe that we have less than four months left.

We had another Dominican doctor's appointment today. It went great! Another good bill of health for baby Landon. It was so crazy, that just 5 weeks ago, Dr. Gonell only had to go a short distance on my stomach to see Landon in full. Today, he had to go from the bottom of my stomach all the way to my ribs to get a full shot. He has grown SO much in such a short time. I've only gained about 3-5 pounds (3 on the scale in the doctor's office, 5 on the baggage scale at the airport!). But I think that I had lost some "extra baggage" since the food I eat here is all natural. I'll have to watch myself back in the states.

Landon is approximately 8 inches long and weighs a pound. The heart was beating perfectly and he said that I am in perfect health as well. He took a femur measurement and said that we are right on track for 24 weeks. Landon has been a bundle of movement, especially in the last two weeks. Not only has Mike been able to feel him move, but you can see him kicking around just by staring at my stomach. Pretty amazing. The other night, from 4-6:30am, I couldn't sleep a wink because he was kicking and somersaulting all over the place. I just couldn't help but laugh thinking about what a little baby can do in there for 2 1/2 hours. Praise Jesus for all His provisions and protection. The only thing I am needing some prayer for is MAJOR heart burn. I'm doing what I can to limit it, but I guess it's just a natural part of pregnancy.