On the Mend

Braelle is feeling much better than she did last week when she came down with salmonella. She's back to smiling, waving, and talking galore. Meanwhile, she is also completely off her schedule! She got really used to me holding her day and night when she was really sick and still expects that of me. I have gotten her back into sleeping in her crib at night, but she wakes up a gazillion times to get hydrated. I'm exhausted...but she is feeling better and that is way more important! She has also gained back the pound that she lost which is great! 18lb 3oz

What kind of facial expression is that?! haha

Might I also add that Braelle is now wearing size 4 shoes to accommodate her giant feet. And even some size 4s are not large enough...smh

 Much better!

 Silly girl puckerin up for a kiss!

This week, after getting a lot of close up snuggle time, I've noticed that Braelle's eyelashes are getting really long. I LOVE long eyelashes and I think hers are so beautiful



Sick with Salmonella

My sweet, precious, baby girl has salmonella! It has been a really tough week for us. Sunday morning Braelle went from crawling around on the floor, to barely moving at all with a high fever. Sunday night was even worse when her temp struck 104.5 degrees! I was sick about how pitiful she looked and felt. Such a small person should never have to go through any kind of sickness.

Some of the symptoms for salmonella include: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, chills, headache, and blood in the stool. All of which she had. The girl felt HORRIBLE!

Mom and I took Braelle to the doctor on Monday who instructed us to take a sample of her feces to the hospital. We did that right away and just now got the test results back. (thursday) Well some of the test results anyway...more to come! Hopefullly, salmonella is the only infection she has!

I moved my mattress into Braelle's room so I could monitor her throughout the night. = no sleep. I told her we were having a sleepover and that we were going to tell secrets!

By Wednesday, she started to feel better...but not 100%. And when I took the camera out, she knew what to do! :) Ellie the Elephant has brought so much comfort to Braelle this week. Thanks Noelle!

Funny/gross story: Braelle suddenly decided last night when I was eating chicken pot pie that she was ravishingly hungry. She's been just drinking breastmilk which has been perfect for her. I thank God for breastmilk all the time because without it, she would have been in the hospital for being dehydrated. Anyways... I picked out the carrots and peas and gave them to Braelle. 3 hours later...out they came the other end...EXACTLY like they went in! Apparently she didn't even chew them up because if you wouldn't of known better, you would have throught someone had put carrots and peas from the pie straight into her diaper. I'm still amazed as to how they were perfectly shaped and colored. hahaha gross but funny!

Throughout Braelle's sickness, I have been so upset about it. It's broken my heart to watch her in so much pain and agony. But then I think about other kids who are going through so much worse. A couple at my church have a son that was recently diagnosed with T Cell Leukemia. Please pray for Luke Shamblin. Throughout Luke's journey, I have learned to thank God for LIFE! And to be thankful for everything. No matter what you are going through and no matter what kind of sickness you have, praise God that you are alive...because it could always be worse. Thank you for those who have been praying for Braelle's recovery and remember to add Luke Shamblin and his family to your prayer list!

 "Let us also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5

Beach Vacation

Braelle and I love the beach! For my short summer break in between classes (2 weeks) Braelle and I spent 1 week at Kiawah and Seabrook (our favorite beaches!) The first half of the week, we spent at Kiawah with Rachael, Catherine, and Caitlyn. They love on Braelle and I and we soak it up! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera for that trip. I remembered it though when my mom and I took Braelle to Seabrook. Enjoy the pictures of my adorable, brown lil girl. :)

It also just so happened that Braelle turned 11 months during our beach trips! How cute is she in her full coverage bathing suit?! Gotta protect that perfect skin!

Natural Toys!

I love when she sits on her feet!

She LOVES the water. I had to hold her back from going deeper and deeper in!

Sweetest thing I've ever seen

Basically, she uses her feet like hands...nothin like likin the sand right off a toe!

Doctor's Visit!

Doctor's visits are always hard on all of us. (Braelle, my mom, and me) I always get the first appointment at 8 a.m. because patience is not one of my strongest suits. Yet somehow every time we go, it takes 2 hours from the time we get there till the time we're home again. Poor Braelle always gets one shot every time we go. She really hates it and always cries really hard :(

Today she got a shot for Hep B and we'll have to go back in a month for the 2nd dose. She also got her finger pricked to check her hemoglobin and iron. Both were perfect.

Here's her stats:
18lb 3oz = 50th percentile
29 in = 50th percentile
And well her head circumference is still in the 95+ percentile... haha the girl has quite the noggin!

Braelle has been standing on her own for about 3 weeks now. I finally caught a pic today!!

 I wish that blue play spoon wasn't in her mouth but oh well...I love how wide her stance is! haha



Here's a few more of her just being cute :)

 What's cookin?!

Her shot has not affected her from the looks of it! :)

A Year Ago Today

A year ago today, I felt love like never before. A few of my favorite women threw me the most precious baby shower ever. It was incredible how many people showed up (51) to support me and my little girl. There aren't words to describe how incedibly grateful I am for the people who have supported me and Braelle through out this entire situation.

When I first got pregnant, and no one knew but a very select few, I was terrified of how people would respond to me. Would I be looked down upon? Would no one want to be my friend anymore? Would my family be isolated? Many negative thoughts went threw my head. I was afraid, and I think I can speak for my whole family. In a time when I would expect people to disown me, I was shown unconditional love, mercy, and support. It was all in God's hands and of course He continues to take care of me and Braelle today just like He always has. Thank you to all who have shown God's love.

Here's a couple pictures from the baby shower exactly 1 year ago!

 (Before everyone got there ha)

Precious and delicious cake!

I am in a really happy place in my life right now and I pray that God continues to shine in. Because of yall, I have survived the toughest time in my life. I've come a long way in 1 year huh? I can't believe how much Braelle has grown. She was still in my tummy just last year... check out some more pictures of this time last year!

My Story: The Road to Hope

We all have our ups and downs. Some crash harder than others..(me).. but my experiences have brought me to where I am today. And am I thankful for what I put myself through? Oh heck yeah...because I now have a much greater understanding of just how much my Heavenly Father loves me and how much I mean to Him. Let me tell you about it...

We all know I got pregnant unwed. So clearly I was a secretive, disobedient teenager. I had drifted from God, got caught up in sin, and knew where to turn but ignored it. I ignored God. The funny thing is, He never ignored me, even though I wanted Him to. He was constantly in the back of my mind giving me a way out, welcoming me back. But I never took it. Well, that was until He gave me the ultimatum.

I realized I was pregnant on January 10th 2010. That night, God spoke to me loud and clear, "This is your way out. I'm fighting for you. I want you back. This is my gift to you, this is HOPE." God gave me HOPE for a better life, to live a better me. And I took Him up on it. Out of impurity, He gave me purity. Out of a horrible situation, He brought out the good. Crazy how He can do that huh?!

By giving me this child, God was serious about getting me back to Him. I had ignored his easy way outs several times. He knew he had to do something big to grab ahold of me and get my attention. He didn't have to do that..but He did, because He loves me. Even though it was going to make my sister lose her cool, and even though it was going to nearly kill my dad from another heart attack, and even though it was going to break my brother's heart, and even though it was going to make my grandma lose all of her marbles, and even though it was going to send my entire family into a huge fizzy, I was worth it to God. He loved me enough to send HOPE through giving me my daughter, Braelle HOPE Runion.

God loves you the same way He loves me. And He loves me like crazy. Don't test God like I did. Don't push you're luck too much, because He might just have to do something big, really big in order to get you back. Because you are worth it. What's your story? Take a moment and think about what God has done for you and how much he loves you.

"I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us"

10 Months Baby!

Braelle is now 10 MONTHS! Like, I can't believe I've had a baby for 10 months!! She gets more amazing, talented, and beautiful everyday.

We haven't been to the doctor for a well visit in 3 months and won't be going for another month, (we're on the 'we make our own rules' shot schedule), so I don't have any cool stats yet. Although I do know that she is the healthiest baby ever, very strong, and over 18lbs.

Things Braelle Has Been Working On Recently:

• Perfecting her wave (girl LOVES to wave at anyone and everyone all the time...remember when she was a grumpy pants and only gave the mean mug?? ha well she still does that...but now she is also willing to smile and wave too!)
• Capable of sleeping till 5 a.m. (Yeah, she still wants to get up and nurse at least once or twice. She normally wakes up around 4 a.m. but this morning it was 5 a.m.! We get up for good around 6:45-7ish.
• Clap hands on command.
• Saying "please"
• Playing Peek-A-Boo
• Standing alone for 1 second..haha
• Unrolling toilet paper...all of the toilet paper in my house has been rerolled

A couple of months ago Braelle and I were watching Oprah and Beyonce was performing...that's when Braelle started busting out her own moves...since then, Braelle will dance to ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that has a beat or  rhymth... including:

• Dancing to my dog, Chance, licking up water from his bowl (HILARIOUS)
• Tapping, clapping, snapping or knocking
• Singing or music...like normal people do
• And scraping dough off of the pizza board.

See what I mean by talented?? haha
Enjoy the rest of Braelle's 10th month photo shoot :)

I love this next picture of Chrissy and Braelle :)

I saved the best for last...standing up on her tip-toes to look outside!

Braelle's first 4th of July!

Braelle looks really good in red, white, and blue! Well, she actually looks good in every color...her skin tone is just so perfect and I'm so jealous. I love dressing her in the colors that I love looking at, but can't pull off! (yellow, orange, red, cream, and my mom would say gray).
Anyways, we had a good day! She looked adorable of course and we lounged around for most of the day until we went to the Thies' for a cookout! The girl LOVES a party...something I'll have to channel in her future teen years! :D

The Sleep Easy Solution

It has been one crazy week at my house! I decided that it was time to wean Braelle off of her night time feedings, so both of us could get some sleep! To be able to successfully do that, she needed to know how to put herself to sleep, so that she would be able to go back to sleep in the middle of the night without a snack. Chrissy went online and ordered a book to help us with this process, "The Sleep Easy Solution." By Monday afternoon, we had highlighted what we needed to know and had a plan!

So...here's the plan!

6:00 - Dinner Time (Braelle basically just downs a ton of blueberries)

6:45 - Bath Time (Braelle and I still bathe together & this is her FAVORITE time to lean over and get something to drink! ha!)

7:30ish - Quiet Time (We read books, play with toys, and rock...all in her room)

8:00 - Bed Time (I put Braelle in her crib, whisper some encouragement, and close the door!)

If she cries, I go back in every 5, then 10, then 15, ect minutes until she is asleep and tell her that I'm right outside the door, that I'll see her in the morning, to have sweet dreams and that I love her very much!

The Results

Night #1 - Braelle screamed, cried and sniffled for 45 minutes

Night #2 - Tears for 30 minutes

Night #3 - Tears for 30 minutes...*sigh*

Night #4 - 13 minutes!! HOPE!

Night #5 - ZERO MINUTES! I put her in her crib, she laid down and went to sleep without a peep!



8 Months...8 Teeth

Braelle started getting teeth when she was 4 months (VERY early). I can't believe she already has 8 teeth when she's only 8 months old. This whole teeth situation makes breastfeeding interesting...but a bite here and there, even though it hurts really bad, is well worth the pain to have a healthy baby girl. Check em out!

(please excuse the turkey in between her bottom teeth) :D

Braelle has grown up a lot this month. She went from practically exclusively breastfeeding for the first 8 months of her life, to really enjoying some good solid table food. (Yes, she skipped baby food-she's too independent to let someone feed her). Some foods she really likes include: asparagus, green beans, carrots, apples, grapes, cherries, blueberries, and recently, chicken and turkey! Healthy girl, I'd say!

A recent HUGE pet peeve is when other people try to give MY baby foods I wouldn't approve of. (like cake icing and potatoe chips). There is a reason why she is my baby and not theirs...God wants her to be healthy and I take my job seriously. It would be great if they'd stop going behind my back.

On a lighter note, Braelle was all smiles today. Ahhh I just love her so much :)

And So Began "Our" Love Affair With Water

I couldn't wait to take Braelle to visit the Oenbrinks at their amazing house on Lake Murray. I've grown up here in Charleston loving water...from being on the Coosaw Creek swim team for 9 years, to learning how to water ski when I was 8, to ocean kayaking every summer. I want Braelle to have the same appreciation and love for God's amazing creation of water. And so far, so good!

It was time for dinner, we loaded everyone up, put Braelle's life jacket on, and were off! Braelle enjoyed her first boat ride...she fell asleep!

How cute is this Bee life-jacket for Baby B?!





After Tom treated us to dinner, the boat ride back wasn't as smooth as the ride over. Lil brown girl was getting tired and hungry and wasn't excited about having some patience.

Thanks for the memories Oenbrink family, Catherine Duckett, and Rachael Beebe! Yall the the best!



Birthdays & Boo-boos

It's my last year to "be a teenager"... as if I'm not already living like I'm 30. :D
Today I got to share my birthday with my little girl. I'm glad we were both born on the 17th. My amazing mom took us out to eat at the West Ashley Mellow Mushroom for lunch...it was delicious as always. She then proceded to take us downtown to Cupcake, where she bought me not one, but two cupcakes. I might have talked her into it but still. I got a French Toast cupcake (AMAZING), and a Turtle cupcake. Both were scrumptious but I prefered French Toast.

We almost got through the day without any mishaps. That was until Braelle slipped and fell on her wipes container, cutting her bottom lip with her sharper than sharp puppy teeth. As Braelle bursted into tears and shrieks, I yelled, "We've got blood!" My mom and dad came running, offering a wet wash cloth and a frozen teether to stop the swelling. She stopped crying shortly and I, of course, grabbed my camera to capture Braelle's very first boo-boo.

Now THAT is a fat lip...poor girl