Time

I tried to update this yesterday and I could not get the pictures to post. I think I got it to work this morning. There might be two posts. Things are going well and we are starting to get in a routine. Really don't have much to say - so I thought I would share more pictures with you. These boys are such a blessing in my life. They are both growing so fast. Enjoy!

Visitors

Pictures: Brent and Brazos napping after their long drive, Cheryl reading to the boys (Karson and Braxton), Brazos napping, Karson and Braxton taking a bath.

We have had a lot of visitors and we are very thankful for all the help that they have provided. This has been a very exciting time and we are thankful for how God has blessed our lives. Special thanks for all the help and visits.

Uncle Brent and Aunt Cheryl and cousin Karson were here from Friday to Sunday. We enjoyed their visit. Karson and Braxton had a big time playing and running around. I wish our weather would have been warmer so we could have been outside more but we enjoyed our time that we did have. Our weather has been very cool. We have not hit 70 in the last week. We hope to see 70 again this week. Here are some pictures of our weekend with family.

Mama Z went home on Saturday and MeMe arrived on Saturday. It has been a true blessing to have so much help. I will have more pictures with MeMe later this week.

Congratulations to Tio Jorge!! He graduated form Texas A & M with his masters on Saturday. We know he is glad to be done. Wish we could have been there, but are proud of him for his accomplishment. Now to work they will go. Look out Greenville - you will never be the same!

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there. We are blessed to have our mothers in our lives. How special they are to us. Hope everyone enjoyed their day.

Fun Times

Here are a few pictures from this week. You can see just how they are growing.
Braxton has loaded his lawn mower in his car. Andy and Brazos enjoying the outside. Braxton in his favorite outfit (diaper, socks, and shoes). Brazos chillin in his boppy.

With all that it is going on I have to stop to see just how fast Braxton is growing. He is really starting to put words together to make sentences. He is amazed by the lawn mower, the vacuum cleaner, and the sewing machine. He love anything that make noise. He loves to drive dad's pickup and going for walks. He loves his little brother and having his Mama Z here to read to him. He has been a real trooper.

Brazos is growing everyday. He seems to change everyday. We are finally getting a good schedule and made it through the night last night with him sleeping in his bed. He has been confused with days and nights but after a week seems to be getting better at adjusting his schedule to meet ours better. He is such a delight.

Changes

We are making adjustments to being at home and all the new that it brings with it. The boys are adjusting well to each other. Braxton loves his brother and would like to hold him all the time. He would really like for Brazos to get up and run with him and I know it will happen soon enough. Braxton has been doing really well and playing a lot with Mama Z while she is here.

I am so very thankful for my husband and my mother. This has been a good week full of a lot of emotions! I am thankful that I have these strong people in my life to get me through this adjustment time. Mom has been wonderful helping us get through the nights as Brazos is still a little mixed up with his times. Andy has been great to make sure we all have what we need and to spend all his extra time taking care of us. I am so blessed! Thank you God for family that loves us. The daily phone calls from the family have also been a blessing.

More to comes as we being our life with our family of four.
Here are some pictures from this week!

Special Thanks for all the prayer for Granny Zant. She is doing better and was moved from ICU to a room on Tuesday. She is improving daily and we are very thankful. Thank you GOD for answering our prayers.

Back Home

We have made it through 48 hours of our new home life. There is still a lot of adjusting to be done. We are making changes as we go but for the most part things seem to be going very well.
Braxton is adjusting to all the changes that being a big brother brings about. He is doing very well. Brazos is a chow hound. He loves to eat. He would eat every 2 hours if we would let him. He is changing a lot every day. He is had a case of jaundice so he is yellow in some of the pictures. His face is starting to clear up from all the scratches from the day of the birth. Both boys are doing good.
Dad has been a life saver and I am so blessed to have him in my life. He has really taken care of Braxton and is also adjusting well to all the changes that have been made. I thank God every day that I have such a wonderful husband and a loving family!
My mother is up for the week and I truly do not know what I would do without her. I am so blessed. I know she also needs to be at home because there is a lot going on there, but I am thankful for each day that she is able to spend here helping us adjust.

Special prayer request. My Granny Zant is not doing well at all. She is in ICU in Paris and has been there since Friday. They still do not know what is wrong and we are just praying for one day at a time. It has been a very stressful situation for everyone and we would really appreciate prayers on her behalf.

I know mom would like to be there as well to help ease dad and the family. I am thankful that the family is so close we can rely on each other even when we are not all there together.

More news to follow. Enjoy the pictures.

Braxton and Brazos finally meet

Here are a few pictures with Braxton and Brazos. Braxton knows the baby brother is here, but does not know what he does beside sleep and eat. We all slept at the hospital last night. Brazos does not know the difference between night and day yet. He actually has them reversed right now. He is eating ggod from Mom, but not a bottle. Since her milk has not started up, Brazos is sometimes hungry and upset.

To end, here is a quiz. Which baby is Brazos and which is Braxton? Results will be posted tomorrow.

Brazos is here

Brazos Zane Beck arrived at 8:26 AM this morning. He weighs in at 7 lbs, 9 ozs and is 20 inches long. Mom and baby are doing fine. Here are a few pictures to tide you appetite.

Still Here

Well it is Sunday and we are still here. I think at this point it is a good thing that we are having a C-section because I don't think this baby will come out any other way. I have had contractions now for a week straight and still nothing. We will be glad to welcome Brazos into the world.

It has been raining all weekend. It started late Thursday and is still going, it is suppose to continue until Tuesday sometime. We will all be ready to see some sunlight. Braxton has been wanting to get outside for days now and we just have not been able. We did get out and play in the garage for a while but it just was not the same. We went and played at the mall on Saturday at the play area there. We are going to try and go again tomorrow with Rosa and Logan so we can get out some energy before our hospital stay.

We will keep you posted on how things go. I am scheduled for Tuesday at 8, we have to be there at 6. Pray that things go well. We will update as soon as we can. I hope by Tuesday evening - we will let you know.

My appointment today went well. There were a few surprises. The doctor did not think that I needed to be checked so I do not know if I was dilated or not! I have had contractions every night this week but nothing that has amounted to anything. She said that since we were doing a C-section on Tuesday she did not think we needed to do the full exam. The stress test was okay and it was the last one!!! I am glad that I will not have to go to the office twice a week.
So we are still set for Tuesday morning at 8 am unless we have a surprise between now and then.
Today has been a rainy day - it is suppose to rain all weekend. That means we will be inside for most of the weekend. We got out today for a couple of hours while it was clear. We are going to try to get out and do some fun things with Braxton tomorrow.
The above pictures are of Rosa and Braxton playing in the tent MeMe and PaPaw gave Braxton from Christmas. They have really enjoyed it.
We will let you know how things progress this week.

One week to GO!

Dad and Braxton at the park and Braxton playing in the sand with his toys.

We have a park about 2 blocks from the house and try to get there at least 4 times a week. It has been good. We go when dad gets home from work and play then we come home and have dinner. Braxton loves going to the park. Dad pulls the wagon and we go play on the swings, slide, merry-go-round, and the sand pit. He likes it all. It is a good release for him and for us as well.

The stress test went well today. I had a lot of contractions last night. I was able to time them for over 4 hours, but they never got close enough to go to the hospital. They were having trouble finding the heart beat today on the monitor at the doctors office so we had to make a trip across the street to the hospital to have them do the test. Everything was fine - he is just one stubborn baby! What fun is on the way!

We have our last OB appointment on Friday if we make it till then! I think that should not be a problem. Only time and the baby will tell us for sure. We have been working hard on keeping everything in order so we are ready when he decides to make his appearance.

We will keep you posted!

The Look!

The look in these pictures says it all. These are two of Andy's favorites. Our little boy is getting big! We have been trying to prepare Braxton for the arrival of Brazos however I think no matter how hard we try the next couple of weeks are going to rock his world. He is such a sweet child and I really pray that this will be an easy transition for him. Please keep him in mind over the next couple of weeks as all the changes in our lives begin - again.

Today we saw the OB doctor and had a stress test. All went well. They said the baby had dropped but there was no progression. The nurse did not seem to think I would make it to next week. Only time will tell. I have been feeling good and trying to get everything done just in case I do not make it till May 2. Other than that all is well here. We are taking things one day at a time. I am looking forward to Saturday so I can have Andy's help to tie up a few loose ends that I can not seem to get done by myself. Will keep you posted on our progress.

Good news from Emaline in that all the test came back good and she is feeling better. Thank you God for all the ways you work in our lives. Thanks everyone for the prayers. God is so good.

More to come!!

Here are a few pictures from Easter morning. He has just had his bath so no clothes yet. We did not get a picture of him in his Easter clothes as he was not able to make it through class with out an accident. I will have to get a picture later to put out here. Enjoy!

We had a really good day. I spent most of the day trying to get the house in order for the arrival of Brazos. I needed to move some clothes around, do some washing and get all of his room ready. I accomplished most everything I had wanted to get done. I still have a few ends to get tied down and will try to get it all done by Saturday so I can spend next week doing the things I really have forgotten and don't know about yet!

Braxton and I went to the doctor today and he got a really good report. He weighed in at 23 pounds and 5 ounces - this is a record for us. He was also 32.8 inches long. He was up to the 12% for his weight and 43% for his height. This is real progress for us. They (the doctors) decided to skip the GI specialist for now and see us again at the 2 year mark to see how things are progressing. I was very glad to hear that.

All in all we had a great day and look forward to our OB appointment and stress test tomorrow to see how things go. We will keep everyone posted!

Finally

Well it has taken a while but I have a moment to write, so bear with me and I will give you all the updates I can get in.

Thursday's test and OB appointment went well. We were good to go and got a pass to go to KC for LTC. We took off at 1:30 or so and got there around 5. We were able to go out to dinner with some friends. Andrea and Karl arrived around 10:30 and we all crashed somewhere around midnight.

Friday - we had a relaxing morning of swimming and playing with Andrea and Karl. Andy had board meetings and such so he did not get to play with us. We had a good time and got everything ready for the kids arrival around 3. They all got to KC safely and from there things being to speed up. We feed 60 in the suite and them all went our separate ways to participate in different events. We all got back to the room and in bed by midnight.

Saturday came early - we had kids and adults that needed to be down stairs at 7 so we opened the suite for breakfast at 6:30. We got everyone feed and to their destinations by 9:30. I did not feel so well. I was worried that I might be in labor! I stayed in the room till after lunch with a stomach ache and what I though might be contractions. After spilling my guts I felt much better and rested for a little while and then out the door with the kids after lunch for more contests and such. I could not have made it through Saturday morning without Andrea and Lisa. They really saved my tail. I know the kids where wondering what was going on - the boss was not there to tell them what to do. It all went well and we did not have the baby in KC (thank you GOD!)

All the events were completed around 4:30 and most of the kids headed home, Andrea and Karl got off to the airport around 5:30 and Braxton and I headed down for the closing ceremonies. It was a very long day. We left KC around 9:30 after Andy's board meeting. We got home at 1. It was a long day - but knowing that we are training the leaders of tomorrow make it all worth while.

Sunday - Easter - with the late arrival I did not get the basket put together so I got up that morning and put it together while dad and Braxton got their shower and bath. Braxton was excited to have some new toys and was ready to go. We had breakfast and got our lessons ready for Bible Class. We actually made it church on time even after all that. We came home and had Easter lunch with Colby and Lisa. After lunch we put the awards together and planned out the banquet for the LTC kids for that evening. They left around 2 and we decided to meet at 5 to set everything up. We got a 2 hour nap - it was wonderful.
Back to church for a lesson and the awards for the LTC kids - home again at 9:30 and to bed.

Monday - Early doctor appointment for stress test - it was all okay. We go back on Thursday for another OB check and stress test. We rested and played. Rosa and Logan came over to play so their parents could go on a date - Andy and I will be doing the same on Saturday. Weekly call from Andy's parents and then to bed.

Tuesday - Rest. We did not have anywhere to be! Started getting everything in order around the house for the arrival of Brazos. 2 weeks left and still some things that need to get done. The doctors office called to let me know that Braxton had an elevated test and they would like to see him again. We will go in tomorrow to check his weight and see if we need to be referred to a GI specialist. I will let you know tomorrow how that all turns out. Andy got home and we went to the mall to get a couple of outfits for Brazos to wear home from the hospital. It is time for bed!
I will try to keep up a little better this week. Just had a long couple of days!

Ultrasound

Well it is official - we are still having a boy! It is always good to confirm - just to make sure that everyone is still on the same page. He is growing and weights right at 6 pounds right now. He is not very big for a diabetes baby which is very good. Everything looked good so now we will just wait and see. Because of his size I do not think they will move the date - so we are still looking at May 2 unless something happens before then.

We have another stress test and our weekly check up tomorrow - will let you know how that goes.

Got all the rest of our shopping done this morning for LTC. LTC is always on Easter weekend. It is a time when most schools are out for Good Friday and it is Easter - what better time to show our Leadership to Christ. It is the same dates around the US so there will be over 30,000 kids serving our Lord this weekend - that is amazing and we should be very thankful! I have to pick up our meat tonight and we will finish packing the car and head out tomorrow. I will let you know tomorrow how things go and then the next update will most likely be on Sunday or Monday. Have a Great day.

Friends

Here are a few pictures from the last week. The first one is Alex (one of the kids from church) reading to Braxton. The other picture is of Braxton and Rosa doing their Bible reading for LTC practice.
Our appointment on Monday went well. Once they found him he put on a show and we were able to get in and out of the office. We spent most of the day outside. Our weather got up to 77 yesterday and we enjoyed every minute of it. We did some work for LTC, but mostly just enjoyed the day.
We have our ultrasound tomorrow and another stress test and doctor appointment on Thursday. We plan to leave on Thursday around 1 to head to KC for LTC.
We will post the updates before we head out.

Nothing really

This has been a really busy weekend and couple of days. I am afraid it will only get worse in the next week. LTC is this coming weekend. We are doing everything we can to make sure the kids are ready to go and well prepared for their events. It is a lot of fun, but does require a lot of work.
Tomorrow is our last practice before we head out to KC on Thursday for the weekend. I am looking forward to going and having this year completed and put in the books. I am glad that Andrea and Karl will be able to come up and join us. I am excited and ready to see them.
The kids are excited and at this point we are just trying to control all of their emotions!
I have another stress test on Monday, an ultrasound on Wednesday, and another stress test and OB appointment on Thursday all before we leave. This is going to be a very busy week. I will do my very best to keep everything updated.
The pictures above show Braxton last week at our LTC practice. You can see that he is learning a lot. He loves to lead singing and do the Bible reading with the kids. He is also very interested in the puppets. I do not have a picture of that one yet, but I am sure I will get one soon. Thank you God that Braxton enjoys these things! I hope he will continue to be a leader for God!

Random

This is a random blog. Just a couple of things on my mind.
The first picture is of Braxton and Buddy (Aunt Ruby). Buddy is my Mama Denton's sister. We lost Mama Denton in May before Braxton was born and when we went to Paris in March we were able to make a trip over to Clarksville to visit. It was nice to see her and see the all similar things between she and my Mama Denton. What a blessing to still have her. She is 91 and doing well.

The other picture is of Braxton and our new friend Logan. Logan is Rosa's little brother and he arrived on Feb 11th and has been growing. Braxton likes to hold him and does not want to hear him cry. I know it will be a little different story when Brazos arrives but I like the fact the he is getting some time in with a little one so it is not such a shock.

Our stress test this week went well. Both were quick compared to the last few. We got them down to about 30 minutes. Better! We saw the OB today and started out weekly appointments. There was no progression - surprise, surprise. I did have quite a bit of swelling, so I got to meet with the diabetes doctor again. They decided that we do need to do another ultrasound. It is scheduled for Next Wednesday at 9:20. I am interested to see how big he is going to be. The diabetes doctor gave me some new insulin as I guess it can go bad, we are going to try and see it that will help and call in again Monday and see where we are.

One last thing. Just wanted to tell everyone to pray for our little cousin Emaline and her family. She is going through a lot of tests and medical labs. This is a trying time for them as children and their parents as evidence of our last blog. Just pray that they can find out what is wrong and how to make it better!

Tough Day!!!

The day got off to a good start. We were up and going by 7:15 which is late for us. We had a good morning, playing and hanging out around the house. We had lunch with at home with dad. We all left after lunch - dad went back to work and Braxton and I headed to the hospital for our meeting with the dietitian and some lab work.

We got checked in and things were going real smooth. We got to the lab upstairs to find a male lab tech who was not real excited to see us. Lets just say he was not kid friendly. We made our way to the back where they were going to draw the blood. Braxton quickly picked up on the fact that the man was not excited to see him and did all he could to get away from him. The lab tech called for help and the three of us held him down so the tech could do the draw. He got a good stick, but it was short lived with all the screaming and moving around Braxton was doing.

The frustrated tech removed the needle and in a rough voice told me he did not get enough and would need to stick the other arm. He them preceded to tell me I needed to do a better job holing on to him if I wanted this to be a successful trip. I asked if he had any suggestions for me to make it better. I did as he asked and we all held Braxton down again while he took another stick. I could tell right off it was not a good stick as the blood did not com right away. He prodded the needle around for a little while and got some more blood. There was still one vile that needed to be filled. The tech removed the needle and told me he did what he could and he did not think that he was able to get enough blood and that we would most likely have to come back another day to finish. He then proceeded to leave while we were still sitting there.

The lady tech that was helping him came back and got our phone number and said they would call us to let us know if we would need to come back. Then she left. By this time I am in tears but have managed to get Braxton calmed down. He is looking at me trying to figure out what is going on. She came back with our paperwork and suggested that we go somewhere else if we needed to have more blood drawn. She said they really did not deal with to many children. Big surprise! I told her we would definitely do that. She asked if I was okay and I told her I would be and she left again.

We went back down stairs and saw the dietitian. Since our insurance did not cover this appointment we paid for it up front. She was very nice but did not offer any new suggestions. She told me over and over again that we were doing all the right things and to keep up the good work. She said he was a hard case and did not have any real suggestions for us. Thanks! I really enjoy paying someone $125 an hour to have them tell me a doing a good job handling him and his diet.

We left there and headed home. Braxton and I were both worn out. He did not make it more that a mile down the road. I finished my frustration cry and decided to call the doctors office. I called and let them know what we had been through and I would not be going back there for anything else. The nurse was very kind and said she would call me back and let me know what she found out. She had called the house 3 times before I could get home. I called back and spoke with her. She said they had gotten enough blood and make notes of the way things went and would not refer anymore children to this lab.

The sun is out and we are headed out to play. The day will get better and we are now smiling again after a nap and time to cool off. And a prayer of thanks that we do not have to go back for another blood draw! We should know the results in the next 3-4 days.

Thank you God that are kids are healthy and that we do not have to do this very often.

Sun and Rain

We have had a very eventful weekend. Saturday went well. We had a good baby shower with good turn out. I failed to take pictures so I do not have any from the shower to share. I do have some of Braxton helping me get things in order. We ran around trying to get things done for LTC Saturday afternoon. Andy took me out for dinner on Saturday night.


Sunday was a long day! Time change and all day LTC practice. We were at church from 9:00 till 7:30. It was a long say! We were all give out. We were glad to get home and get to bed. Although when we got home Andy had a board meeting with the LTC board till 10:30 - he was really tired.

Today was a good day. The weather was good and the sun was out. We went for a walk and played some in the park. Over all we had a good and very busy weekend.

LTC is just a little over a week away and we are just trying to get everything done. I hope we can get everything together and have a success weekend. It will be here before we know it.

All my tests have gone well so far. I have one more this week on Thursday. I also see the doctor that day. I will let you know then how things go.