Bittersweet Moments: Brayden, Beach, and Bee-Boo
June was a month spent enjoying the summer (and 100-degree heat!) and getting our “ducks in a row” in preparation for the arrival of Bee-Boo Jones. As you know, we started the month with a wonderfully relaxing adult trip to the Turks & Caicos while the grandmas (and aunt) took care of our little girl. Brayden got about five inches chopped off her hair, I started a prenatal swim class, which is actually quite a workout and really fun. There is also something quite comical about watching 15 pregnant women holding swim noodles and run toward each other with our feet kicking our hineys and smacking them into each other—the noodles, not our hineys (you have to be there to understand)! I’m also the only one brave (or stupid) enough to rock a bikini in this class. No tankinis for me. I’m proud of the Buddha belly!
We participated in the Komen Race for the Cure the second weekend and it was all I could do not to knock on some random person’s door to use their bathroom. Those kegel exercises come in handy during times like these. It was pretty warm, but as always, we had a great time and treated ourselves to some yummy Mellow Mushroom afterward (I think this is becoming a tradition). Peapod turned 13 and Indiana turned nine…it’s hard to believe how old those little dudes are! We enjoyed a night at Carter-Finley stadium one evening to watch Madagascar on the jumbotron from the football field. It was the first time the Wolfpack Club hosted an event like this and I don’t think it will be the last, either. We had a picnic, Brayden played with other kids, and the weather was wonderful. We spent a lot more time getting Bee-Boo’s room in order as well. One evening, I came home from my swim class and Trent had surprised me by converting Brayden’s bed into Bee-Boo’s crib (Brayden had already moved into her “big girl” room). I didn’t expect that and experienced a wave of emotion (read: started crying) upon seeing that little crib sitting there. It was at that moment that I realized our little Brayden is growing up. It is bittersweet. We are really looking forward to this next phase in our lives and making our family complete, but knowing that the little crib won’t be holding Miss B anymore (even though she’s been out of it for almost two years) was hard to see. Trent painted the walls “Lily Pond” green (very refreshing!) and I worked on cleaning out the closet and moving things either to the attic or Brayden’s room.
Our last weekend of the month was spent in Nags Head with the Mantaks and Bryans. We were joking how every year there are more kids added to the crew. We remember the days when it was just us six adults…and now there are an additional five kids! Oh my! We still have just as great of a time, though! Brayden wanted nothing to do with going in the ocean, but when we ventured over to the back of Jockey’s Ridge one day (on the sound side) where the water is extremely calm and about 18” deep (even 100 meters or more out!), she had an absolute blast!
Bee-Boo has started to have hiccups nearly every single day now. It is so cute, but sometimes she gets them for a very long time and it’s all I can concentrate on. I just tell her to swallow some fluid or ask her when she last ate a hamburger to see if they stop. Normally, that approach doesn’t work. As of my 32-week appointment, the doctor felt her position from the outside of my belly and said she believes she was head down with her back and bottom curved around my right side. That may explain all the tightness I’ve been having on that side over the past few months! As of my 36-week appointment, I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. I had been having some occasional, sharp pains “down there” for about a week, so I wasn’t surprised to hear that I was starting to dilate. Now, the 50% effacement did take me a bit by surprise, but then I thought back to when I was pregnant with Brayden and I believe I was 1-2cm and 50% effaced for a few weeks. We’ll see how this week’s appointment goes. I’ll keep you updated on any progress!
Here is an update on the status of Mimi with respect to her treatment options: chemo was ruled out nearly immediately due to the nasty side effects, age, drug sensitivities, etc. She had a PET scan and a brain MRI, of which both came back clear! Radiation was a consideration, but after seeing the results of the tests and there being no detection of any cells, there wasn’t a specific area to target with that type of treatment. So, the final decision was to do nothing at this time. Of course, she will continue to have routine checks to make sure everything looks healthy. I know she and Dadaw are glad to have this tough decision behind them and they have the full support of all the doctors and the family!
Brayden’s Cute Quotes from June:
(While sitting on the potty one evening)
- Brayden: “Grandma lives in the state above ours?”
- Becca: “Yes.”
- Brayden: “Nana lives in the same state as us?”
- Becca: “Yes.”
- Brayden: “But, we all live on planet earth. But, there could be people on other planets, too, right?”
- Becca: “Yep.”
(While cooking in her “kitchen” upstairs and on her cell phone)
- “Yeah, hi, Bee-Boo. This is Brayden. Well, I was just calling to say…well, do you know that I’m going to be your big sister? Ok. Love you. Bye. Love you. Bye.”
