Baby Mallory is Here :)

Mallory Lynn Braquet was born on Friday, September 10, 2010 at 1:12pm. She weighed 7lbs, 1 oz and was 20 inches long. Here's how it all went down :)



We reported to the hospital at 8:30am to get prepped for my C-Section. We quickly found out that the hospital was PACKED and we were put in an overflow room, which was tiny! They also found out that the A/C wasn't working on the wing.....but they quickly fixed it so they wouldn't have to listen to numerous hormonal women :) I wasn't too nervous about anything except the IV....I hate getting IV's! The nurse we had was very good. I filled out paperwork, answered questions, and then she told me that Dr. Killeen wanted me to have not one IV but TWO...one in each hand just in case. They weren't sure what all the fibroid would cause them to do and so it was a precaution. Megan (the nurse) was great and got both IV's the first try!!! :)



About 10:30am they began to wheel me back only to find out that a lady had just came in with an emergency situation and so she got my time slot. That wasn't a problem...however, they kept saying I would go back anytime so I just stayed in the wheelchair....and sat there for 2 hours! My feet were so swollen and my back was hurting!!



Finally about 12:15pm they came and got me! The nerves kicked in a little at this point. Once we got back to pre-op I was informed that my blood work that was drawn 3 hours earlier at been LOST--so a nurse had to come and try to draw more blood. She got an earful from me because she kept grabbing my hand where the IV port was located and squeezing! It hurt so bad and I ended up crying :( It was a combination of nerves, pain, hunger, and all of the emotions of my Mimi's death and Ryan's mom's death swirling around at once. They finally got my blood drawn and took me back to surgery. The spinal was inserted (which didn't hurt at all!) and they quickly got to work.



Once they let Ryan cvome back in everything went so fast!! It was so weird to be completely numb from my chest down. I did get nauseas during delivery but the anesthesiologist was amazing and gave me some meds to combat the sick feeling. Before I knew it I heard our baby girl crying!!! Ryan was crying, I was crying, she was crying..it was a beatiful moment that I truly believe only parents understand. I got to watch them clean her up and after she was warm and wrapped up they brought her over so Ryan and I could love on her. There was a nurse taking pictures the whole time with our camera...she was so great!



Ryan got to go with Mallory to the nursery while the doctors began deciding what to do with the fibroid. I kept hearing things like "Wow, that's interesting!" and "Man that's huge!" After a few minutes they actually sent a nurse back to get Ryan because he had the camera. They normally don't let the dad come back to the operating room so I knew immediately that they really wanted pictures. I found out why rather quickly! The fibroid weighed in at over 2 POUNDS!!! Dr. Killeen told us that day after that it was very close to some of my major arteries and also wrapped around the connection between my kidney and bladder. He said it was very risky removing it but they had to because of the size alone! It was way bigger than Mallory's head!!! I am so thankful I had two wonderful surgeons who took the time to make sure they were making the right decision and that I had many prayers being lifted up for me.



Most of Friday I was very out of it. The morphine they put in my spinal for pain made me incredibly sick and most of the day was spent throwing up and drifting in and out of sleep. I don't even remember the visitors we had or Mallory nursing :( They did come in at 8:30 that night and move us to a much bigger room! It was wonderful and we were so blessed with the best nurses!!!



It is now a week later and we are doing great! Mallory had her one week check-up this morning and weighs in at 6lbs 3 oz. They are not concerned because we now know that she was not getting the nutrition she needed from me--yesterday we had a formula day and there was an obvious difference in the way she acted. I am coping ok with not being able to breastfeed...especially knowing that I was basically starving her for the past few days. I am pumping as much as I can now but it's definitely not enough for her to get the calories she needs!! She has a little bit of jaundice as well but the Doctor isn't concerned with that either because her levels are low.



Thank you again for all of your prayers and support over the past few weeks. We are doing very well considering all of the sadness we have been dealing with. Our little blessing has arrived and is healthy! That's all that matters!!!! Feel free to come visit anytime :)

The Countdown Begins

WOW!! I can't believe two weeks of school have already went by! Ryan and I are both enjoying our new jobs...Ryan has settled in to teaching kindergarten and has a really good group of kiddos. I am still learning names (700 in all...gonna take a while) and am settled in to the schedule but of course will be out for a while as of Friday :) We are sooooo excited to finally meet little Mallory in person! We go in Friday and will update as soon as we can! We want everyone to meet her....our prayer is for a safe delivery and a healthy little girl. I am currently just trying to get all my lesson plans done so I don't have to worry about them while I'm gone :) Thank you all for all your prayers and love! I can't believe this pregnancy has flown by!!!!

Summer is Gone.....But A New Chapter is Beginning

Well I can't believe it but summer is officially over! Tomorrow marks the first day of school for both Ryan and I. We have been going hard getting ready for the past 2 weeks so it will be nice to get to see our kiddos and get going!

As many of you know my Mimi, Mom's mom, passed away two weeks ago....she passed away peacefully in her sleep and is now happy and healthy at Jesus' feet. It still seems like a blur and it is hard to think about...but I just hold on to the fact that she will be watching over us with renewed vision and the ability to walk. I do miss her though.

Here's the latest on Baby Mallory: As of last Tuesday she weighed in at 5lbs 7oz and was in the 28th percentile. Because of this they took me off of twice a week NST's and so now I will only be going to the doctor twice a week...my regular OB once and then the specialist for a NST and ultrasound the other. We were super excited to get a good report!!!! They also showed us that she has been under the average weight line on the graph since we started, so it made more since that she is a little smaller. The fibroid is getting blood flow and therefore taking some of her nutrients.

We also found out they had already scheduled my C-Section for September 10th!!! That will be an amazing life changing day ( LOL...unless she decides she wants her birthday earlier).

We can't wait! We just invested in a video camera and will hopefully be sending out and posting some test videos in the coming days!

My hospital bag is packed, Mallory's carseat is installed, and we are just waiting now....enjoying the final days of just the two of us (+ Clyde).

Love you all!! Thank you for all of your continued prayers.

Update on Baby Mallory--32 weeks--Prayers Please

I'm 32 weeks pregnant today....and overall still feel pretty good. We went to the Perinatologist this morning for a sonogram. I love going to those because we get to see literally every inch of Mallory's body...she showed us the blood flowing through her umbilical cord and heart. We listening to her heartbeat, which was 145 at the time and she measured the fluid around her. As she does the ultrasound she explains what she's looking at and said everything looked really good.

She then looked at our "second child" as we call it "Freddy Fibroid." You kinda have to just find something to laugh about or it could be super scary :) She measured it and then put all the numbers in. She said Mallory was exactly 4lbs, which we thought was good. She was 2lbs 11 oz at our last sono at 28 weeks.

I went to the bathroom....a regular occurence lately :) and when I returned Dr. Atkinson's nurse was there. They had shown him the numbers and all and said that Mallory is only in the 23rd percentile for growth. She should be larger than 4lbs. Yes...we know ultrasounds aren't always accurate but the technology that they have is pretty darn close. She said that since the fibroid has actually grown in the last four weeks they are afraid it is taking nutrients from the baby and therefore wanted to start NST (Non-Stress Test) monitoring twice a week from now one. Basically they hook me up to the monitor and monitor for contractions, Mallory's heartbeat, and her movements. She has to meet several criteria to pass the test and if she doesn't then we look into other measures.

We had the first test today and she was sleeping so they came in and "buzzed" my tummy and woke her up. She moved around after that. She passed for today. I go back this week on Friday and then after that I go every Monday and Thursday.

I am also keeping a chart for her movements on a daily basis. This will also help us make sure she is not in any stress.

We trust that God is in control and I know He is going to take care of our baby girl....but we are also preparing everything just in case she decides she wants to get out of there early :)

Thank you for all your prayers and I will be sure to keep everyone updated!!

Love!

Ryan, Liz, & Mallory

It's Been A Good Trip :)

Well Ryan and I are packing up to head home today. It's been a very good trip and we are so thankful that we were able to make it. We got here on Wednesday and just hung out at the house for a while. On Thursday and Friday we visited Ryan's mom, walked the mall, and took Nana and Paw Paw out to dinner for their 50th anniversary (which was in May). Saturday was the baby shower and it was wonderful. Nana, Sissy, and Melinda worked so hard and we are so thankful for everyone who came and showered little Mallory with so many blessings.

We are excited to get home though....only 2 weeks until we both get back into the swing of school. I'm praying I'm able to make it through a full day...I get tired sooo easily. But it'll be ok! This week is full of doctor's appointments, Ryan has a few trainings, and finishing up getting stuff ready for Mallory so we don't have to worry about it when school starts.

And....Clyde has had a great time at Grammy and Papa's....but he's ready to come home too. Papa fed him a carrot the other night and he sorta liked it. He loves them bunches but I bet they are ready to get rid of him too :)

Love,

Ryan, Liz, Mallory, & Clyde

On the way......

We are headed down to Nederland. We left yesterday and drove to Corsicana, where we spent the night. We could have driven farther but because I'm 31 weeks pregnant we decided to take it easy and take two days. We are going to finish it out today....I'm feeling pretty good :) Prayers accepted though for peace of mind and safe travel.

Things are going well for us...we were so blessed on Sunday by Mallory's baby shower in Plains. She is definitely never going to go naked :) We are so very thankful for all of God's blessings!!!!

Love,

Ryan, Liz, Mallory, & Puppy Clyde

Praising the Lord for HE Provides

Well alot has happened in our lives in the past week!!

A week ago Ryan got a call from the Seagraves Elementary principal asking him if he would be interested in coming for an interview for a Kindergarten position. Of course he said yes :) Seagraves was one of the schools that he had just sent in an application even though they didn't necessarily have any openings at the time. We were prayerful as this was his first interview in a couple of weeks and frankfully he was getting a little depressed about the whole situation. We knew God was going to provide but Ryan was feeling defeated....he had sat through about 6 hour and a half-two hour interviews only to be told that he wasn't the right one for the job.

We had plans to go to Ruidoso for the weekend and so we packed up and headed to Seagraves for his interview and then we were going to just leave from there for Ruidoso. Ryan was in the interview for 2 hours and 45 minutes!!! He came out and felt extremely positive about the experience--he had spent over an hour with the principals and then about an hour talking to another kindergarten teacher. While he was in his interview he got another call to set up an interview with another school that would've been closer but we just kept praying for God's will and for Him to only open the door He wanted for Ryan.



We had a wonderful time in Ruidoso celebrating a good family friend's birthday and just relaxing :) We came home on Sunday since Ryan had another interview on Monday afternoon. He had that interview and when he was finished found that Seagraves had called :) They offered him the kindergarten position and of course he accepted!!!! It is going to be an interesting school year with both of us starting new jobs and him having to drive about an hour one way but when we look back at the last year of our lives we are just simply amazed at how God has answered EVERY one of our prayers:

Last June we decided it was time to start a family---Answered
In February we started praying about moving/a house--Answered
In February when we decided to move we started praying for our future jobs--Answered

So many other prayers have been answered but these have been so evident in our lives!!

We are getting excited--Mallory's baby shower in Plains is this Sunday at 2pm and then on Tuesday we are going to travel down to Nederland (taking our time of course...I will be 31 weeks pregnant on Tuesday) and have our last celebration next Saturday!!!

We are happy to get to travel down to Nederland--please pray for our safety and for a continued healthy pregnancy! We are all a little nervous-I've been feeling good though and we need to go down to see family.

Sorry it's so long...just so much to celebrate and Praise the Lord for!!!!!

Love,

Ryan, Liz, Mallory, & Clyde

29 Weeks Today!!!

It's flying by and we are continually thankful for the cool weather God has blessed us with since moving. I know the summer isn't over and it'll probably get hot but I'm taking it one day at a time. We have had alot of rain---10+ inches in two days!!! Dad's crops look great though and I know all the farmes out here are thankful for the moisture :)

Baby girl is doing great...we had a checkup last week and she now weighs in at about 2lbs 11oz. She is active and always moving! The doctor did confirm that because of the fibroid that I have I will have to undergo a C-section for delivery....but they will also get a better look at the fibroid and be able to see whether they can remove it or not. I'm not really thrilled about it....but at least I know now and have 10 weeks to get over it. :)

Not much else going on here....just getting settled into our home and trying to get the nursery ready! Ryan is still searching and praying for the right job for him this year....please continue to pray for that! We know God has a plan for him....and remain faithful that He will provide!!!

Love,

Ryan, Liz, Baby B, & Clyde (who loves his new dog house that Grammy & Grandpa got him)

YAY for Internet

We have internet!!!! YAY!!!!

Camp went well last week....we had a great time with some folks we only see once a year at camp :)

This week we are continuing to work to get our house in order!! I am going to post some pics of the nursery....not finished but getting there!!

Keep on praying for Ryan....God has a school for him.....we just don't know where yet!

Sorry It's Taken So Long

Sorry it's taken so long updating! We still don't have internet service at our house but are staying the night at my parents as my dad severely sprained his ankle and my mom was rear-ended today and has whiplash...so we are taking care of them.....so here we go:

Well we got moved in.....it went rather smoothly. Thanks to a couple of kids from school, my parents, and wonderful hubby we loaded up Wednesday morning and headed for Lubbock. Ryan and I spent the night in a hotel and my parents went home to get some rest!! Thursday we did a few errands and then had our new home orientation.....everything checked out so we were good for closing on Friday. It was so awesome...during the orientation he was showing us all of our instruction manuals for our appliances and stuff and he pulled out a box and said that at Betenbough homes they believed that the most important instruction manual was the Bible and in the box was a nice leather bound Bible with our names on it. The wife of the owner of Betenbough had written a really sweet message and scripture on the inside. It made me cry! :)

Friday morning we went to a job fair at the Region center...Ryan talked to several schools and is in the process of following up with them. We got a phone call from Betenbough asking if we wanted to move our closing up....which we of course agreed to!! So we closed on the house at 1pm instead of 3pm. Closing was a neat experience as well.....they had a tv screen with a slideshow and it would say "Welcome New Home Owners" and then the next slide would say "Ryan & Liz Braquet" We met the owner of Betenbough and then at the end we were shown a video where he blessed our home and family and then at the end it panned out showing all of the staff and they said "Welcome Home" and started clapping. At that moment the whole building broke out in cheers and clapping!!! It was such a neat moment!!!! After that we headed home and were all unloaded in an hour and a half (don't worry...I didn't do anything :)

It's now been almost 2 weeks and we are getting settled in. I will post some pictures soon! So far we have painted the nursery (orange) and our laundry room (teal). We are slowly unpacking boxes and decorating!


Job updates: Thank you for all your prayers: I have accepted a job as the elementary music teacher for Lubbock Cooper South Elementary. Ryan is still searching and we know the right school will take him :) Please continue to pray for him and for the school that God wants him to be at!!!

Baby update: I am now 26 weeks and feeling pretty good! We had our first appointment with our doctor and he is very nice. He said everything looked good and sent us to a perinatologist (fetal specialist). He sends all of his patients to the specialist at least once just to make sure all is good. We went to that appointment yesterday and it was a neat experience. They did a full ultrasound: anatomy (YES SHE'S A GIRL), brain, heart, lungs, everything! She looks great and weighs 1lb 15 oz....almost 2lbs! They took measurements of my fibroid as well....it hasn't grown much more so that's good and they said that we need to wait until delivery to see what it actually is and where it's located. They don't forsee any issues but I will go every two weeks for ultrasounds.....and since it is basically blocking my cervix I will more than likely have to have a C-Section....but a good of that is that the doctors will be able to get a better look at the fibroid and possibly take it out then.

Well I guess that's about all for now....Ryan and I will be traveling back to Brownwood next week to work the HPU Band Camp.....and the week after we plan on getting internet service at our house so hopefully we will be able to update more then!!!! Love to all!!

Last Day of School

Well, I'm officially done, other than graduation tonight and packing up all my little office stuff lol. I've checked in all but my keys and laptop which they will come get any minute and will spend the remainder of the day writing thank you's and cleaning my desk. Later on in the weekend I hope to spend some time reflecting on my time here at Coleman....right now it's all too overwhelming!!! I love these people and am sooo gonna miss them but am so excited about our future at the same time :)

Oh and if anyone knows how to put a baby ticker on this blog please tell me because I've tried everything!!!

Love!!!

We'll Be Updating

Well we are about to embark on a new journey! Next Wednesday we will be packing up and heading to Lubbock on Thursday. We close on our house on Friday and will work hard to get settled :) We hope to keep you as updated as possible but as of now are unsure of how long it will take to get tv, internet, phone! Our main forms of communication for a while will be texting, phone calls, and facebook as we can do all of those through our phones :) We love all of you and look forward to keeping you updated!!!

Ryan, Liz, Baby Braquet, & Clyde