He's Here!!!

Introducing:


As you can see from the picture, he was born Friday, December 17 at 11:28 am. He weighed in at 6lb 13 oz, and was 20 in long. We could not be more in love with this baby!! :)

I woke up Thursday, December 16 geared up for a day FULL of cleaning and preparation (see previous post). Shortly after posting, I went upstairs to strip down our bed to wash all bedding and curtains to rid the room of any dog hair or allergens JUST in case Chandler decided to make his appearance. He will be staying in our room until I go back to work so I wanted it to be very clean. I started to head down the stairs with the quilt under one arm and the sheets under the other .... I got nearly to the bottom and my foot got caught on the bottom of the quilt ... I fell down the stairs. I panicked. I called Stephen hysterical. All I could do was worry about Chandler. I was quite certain I may have broken my right arm but all I could think about was him. I called my OB's office and they ordered me to go to L&D immediately for monitoring. Stephen left work and from what he told me ... he went 95 mph all the way home. We arrived at the hospital almost 30 minutes after it happened and on went the monitors. I was told I needed to stay at least 4 hours for monitoring to make sure Chandler was okay. I had lab draws to make sure there wasn't internal bleeding and to make sure I was okay. 4 hours passed, no changes as far as labor progression and Chandler was just fine. I was discharged with strict instructions to stay off of my feet and to not worry about all of the cleaning. I was also told not to carry anything up and down the stairs. We went about our day and had dinner at my parent's house with my Grandma and Grandpa Johnston (dad's parents). We came home after dinner and made it an early night. I was surprised that we went to bed so early but Stephen had a pretty worrisome day and had to work the next. His plan was to wake up extra early to tackle the mess that awaited him at work. Little did we know, Chandler had plans of his own.

((((THE NEXT PART OF THE POST MIGHT BE A LITTLE MUCH FOR SOME PEOPLE ... I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT CHANDLER'S BIRTH STORY - THOSE WITH WEAK STOMACHS OR NOT WANTING TO HEAR ABOUT BIRTH .... LOOK FOR PICS LATER! :) ))))

9:45 pm: I was asleep, a good restful sleep. I woke up feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom ... 'oh no, I feel like I wet my pants!!!' I jumped up, walked to the bathroom ... I got to the end of the bed ... 'Oh my gosh, am I really peeing my pants?!?!' .... I rush to the bathroom ... 'Oh my gosh, STEPHEN!!!!!! My water broke!!!!!!!' I was immediately hit with millions of emotions .... I was scared, shaking, excited, panicked, worried, happy.... seriously every emotion AT ONCE!! I rushed around looking for my phone ... called my mom 'Mom, we're going to the hospital...' She said 'yep!' It's like she knew. I didn't even have to say what for... 'We're having a baby!!'

We rushed around gathering the last minute items that didn't get pre-packed. We gathered up the dogs and put them in their beds. I sent out texts and we hit the road. We arrived at the hospital, checked in and I was taken back to my room. The room I would spend the next 17 hours in, the room I would meet my son for the first time in .... 2137.

I was told that although my water broke, I hadn't progressed any... I was given IV fluids and told to just wait it out. At that point, I wasn't having contractions ... or so I thought. My mom and dad came to sit with us for a few hours ... my mom stayed until probably 9ish the next morning and then went home to nap.
Friday December 17th
6:45 am: I got my epidural - AMAZING!!! :)
8:30 am: Started the pitocin. I wasn't feeling much of anything.
10 am: I was dilated to about a 4/5 and Chandler had definitely dropped quite a bit!
10:52 am: I called my mom and told them to get the hospital. I was dilated to a 9 1/2 and was 100% effaced. She could feel his head!! :)
11:10 am: I was complete (10 cm) and the dr was paged. I was told to push with my first contraction ... so I did. And wow, the next 5 minutes drug on and on and on. I had to wait for Dr Micus to come in to push any more. TORTURE!!
11:15 am: Dr Micus walks in and gets suited up. She talks to me and tells me the game plan .... and so I push with each contraction. The next 13 minutes flew by .... I don't remember much .. just lots of breathing and pushing .. haha.
11:28 am: Chandler was born ... he had a nuchal cord (umbilical cord around his neck) x3 ... yes, it was wrapped 3 times. The dr noted that it was an insanely LONG umbilical cord .... and that had it been any shorter, there would have been complications. BUT there weren't any and he was absolutely perfect. I didn't get to hold him for a while, mainly because of the repairs ... and can I just say 'OUCH!' ?! haha.

I spent the next few hours just chilling out in my room and soaking in the reality that we just had a baby. I couldn't wrap my mind around the little human in my arms was actually the same baby that I was worried about just a day before. I have never ever in my life experienced love at first sight until then .... he was perfect ... and all mine. :) I got moved to a room on the postpartum unit and was finally able to eat. It was the best meal I've ever had. ;) Stephen and I spent the next few hours together with Chandler. It was an amazing experience. :)

We got discharged on Sunday morning. Chandler had some temperature issues so we had to stay overnight again on Saturday for monitoring. He's fine now, but it was extremely frustrating at the time.

I'm sure I left out quite a bit, but the important thing is that he's here and a complete angel! :) Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers over the past 9 months. We really appreciate it. I can't wait to share all of our new experiences and all of the super adorable things that Chandler does. Pics to come later!! :)

Love,
Brittany, Stephen, and Chandler!

39 weeks.

Today marks 39 weeks 3 days ... still no 'great' news from the doctor this week. Even she wishes that there was a way to tell me when he will arrive. However, we are both very healthy and still growing on track. He has definitely dropped & still head down which is just one step closer! :) So we are still just waiting ... and waiting.

I'm officially done at work until my maternity leave is over. I am so relieved. It looks like I'll have at least a few days to get some things done around the house before he arrives. I am also very excited about my time with Stephen! I feel like so much of my time has been spent either sleeping or working these last few months! Today I plan on cleaning up the house and wrapping Christmas presents. I'm hoping to get our office in order, too. We'll see how much time I have left though! ;)

I'll keep you updated a little more over the next week. Any thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated! We are SO ready to meet our little man! ;)

-Brittany, Stephen, and CJ

38 weeks!

So, last week's appointment didn't go as we had hoped. Still no progression, but that doesn't mean that he won't be here soon! We are FINALLY in the 2 week countdown! WOOHOO!! :) :) We have another appointment on Thursday so HOPEFULLY we will have more news then. This baby is just a little too comfy in there! ;) I'm still working full-time and it is definitely getting more and more uncomfortable - but, I'm hanging in there. My last day is going to be December 15th -yay!! So if CJ decides to stay put until D-Day ... I'll have a good 5 days off to rest and relax! :) Stephen will be taking 2 weeks off when he arrives so I'm really looking forward to that. I can't believe it is so close! Please keep us in your prayers as we get closer! COME ON, CJ! We're all more than ready to meet you! :)

-Brittany, Stephen, and CJ

37 weeks.

We are FINALLY full-term this week! I am so relieved that we finally made it! We have about 3 weeks to go .. although I wouldn't really complain if he decided to come a little bit early! ;)

I have an appointment on Thursday so I hope we get some news then! Everything is ready to go and prepared for his arrival ... I have all of our bags packed and waiting! I am getting more and more nervous as the time approaches. Stephen has been great, though! He is very excited and reassuring about everything! :) I will be taking some 37 week pictures today .. so look for those and an update from our Dr's visit Thursday!

-Brittany, Stephen and Chandler

Update

Well, I didn't get checked this week .. she starts them when I'm full term! So NEXT week we will see if I'm progressing AND if CJ is getting ready to make his debut. My Dr was so impressed that I don't have a single stretch mark ... I'm sure they're coming now! haha. I've also gained a total of 13.6 lbs this pregnancy! :) I've been very good about watching what I eat! Being a nurse is probably one of the next best workouts you can get! ;) I'm constantly on my feet and walking around. Looks like I'll have a better update for y'all next week! Fingers crossed that he wants to come soon! Mommy's getting WAY tired! ;)

The Final Countdown...

We are now merely WEEKS away from meeting our little CJ! :) I could not be more nervous/anxious/excited about the arrival of our son. I have my 36 week appointment in a few hours. Hopefully we get some news that I'm progressing and getting closer and closer to D-Day (delivery day ;) ...). I know it doesn't mean much, but to hear that SOMETHING is going on makes me feel a little better about being so uncomfortable! I'll update after we know more today!

I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes after failing both my one hour and 3 hour glucose tests ... which in all honesty I feel is a total mistake. My blood sugar numbers have been fine ... even if I'm not following a strict diet. I have NONE of the risk factors that they say you need to be diagnosed ... but we're doing fine. I don't see how I'm going to have a baby that weighs over 9 lbs. haha. We shall see though!

His nursery is absolutely adorable.

I could just spend hours sitting in the glider and soaking it all in ... We are about to have a BABY!!!!! I cannot believe this! If you had told me a year ago that I would be having a baby before Christmas - I wouldn't have believed you! Stephen and I have had the best time getting the room ready and washing his little outfits. We can't wait to meet him and see what he looks like ... what traits he has from me ... what traits he has from Stephen. He is bound to be handsome - I mean, look at his daddy! :)

The dogs are doing well with all of the changes around the house. I'm sure it will change even more once he's here ... but I think they will do fine! :) They love being in his nursery with us ... especially Bailey. I think that they think it's for them! ;) See what I mean?!













I will try to be better about updating ... I've been pretty busy with working and getting the house ready for the baby. I will definitely update on any news that the Dr has for us! :) I have a feeling our next big post will be about his arrival! YAY! :) Stay tuned!

-Brittany, Stephen & CJ!

Sleepless on Saturday!

I'm taking a quick break from some apparent nesting thing I have going on this morning to give a little update on life and the pregnancy .... ;)

DISCLAIMER - I've been awake since 3 am .. so bear with me if there are some grammatical or spelling errors - ha! ;)

I am almost done organizing the kitchen .... fridge is cleaned out - pantry cleaned out and organized. Now I make the dreaded trip to the grocery store this afternoon. BLAH!

I have also started to organize my cookbook this morning (which is actually a 3-ring binder with miscellaneous clippings, printings, or handwritten recipes) ... It's a little ridiculous how many recipes a girl can have for fried pickles and chicken fried steaks! LOL! :)

I am feeling pretty good despite the lack of sleep I have been getting lately. A few friends have suggested a 'Boppy' sleeping pillow so I will be purchasing one today! I'm hoping this will at least help my restless nights become a little less restless!

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and all is well. I had my glucose tolerance test - NOT fun at all. I'm still waiting on results to come back from it. Chandler is doing great! His heart rate was 156 and still going very strong. He has become a lot more active over the last week. Wednesday morning after I got off work I was laying in bed and noticed my stomach was severely deformed. HAHA! I wish I had taken a picture but I'm certain it will happen again. Apparently, this little guy had his butt way up in the air and it was showing through my belly! :) My belly has been moving quite a bit the last few days which is very exciting .. My mom and Stephen have all been able to feel some pretty intense kicking over the last few days! :) It makes my heart melt to see their faces when the little guy kicks! I can't wait to meet him! He already has such personality! :) We are still working on the nursery which is why there aren't any pictures to be seen. I want to wait until we get a little bit of the decor up so it looks like a nursery. As of right now we have a crib, changing table, and 4 painted walls - NOT very exciting! lol.

Stephen and I are doing great - still trying to get moved into this gorgeous house of ours! :) I still can't believe it's ours sometimes. I guess that's a good thing! Working opposite of Stephen really doesn't allow for much decorating and organizing time. I feel like all I ever do is work and sleep. Hopefully being off the next few weekends will allow me to get some things done around here! I'll be posting pictures as we get rooms finished and tidied up! I hope all is well with you guys! I'll be trying to post weekly updates as we progress into our 3rd trimester! I can't believe it's almost here!!!!!! :) Time has really flown by!

xoxo!
Brittany, Stephen, and Chandler

Catch up!

Well, I haven't been the best blogger now have I?! ;) I'll do a little bit of catch up and I promise I will do better with more frequent updates! Working nights is really taking a toll on every aspect of my life. I feel like all I ever do is work and sleep anymore.

I'm 25 weeks now and feeling pretty amazing! Well, aside from the ball of fire (pregnancy acid reflux) that is permanently making a home in my chest. I haven't really had an eventful pregnancy which I am extremely grateful for! We saw a Perinatologist on the 25th of August for a follow-up ultrasound. CJ is SO stubborn .... he won't let us see his sweet little profile long enough for any pictures. I have more pictures of this kid's spine, heart, and extremities than any parent should ever have. haha.

I am feeling ALL kinds of movement from this little guy. He is definitely a night owl like his momma. Poor Stephen! :) Stephen has been feeling him move around for a while now. On August 8th, he felt CJ kick pretty hard! Now it's all of the time, mostly at night. I don't think he ever gets used to feeling the little guy kick. Every time CJ does, Stephen's face lights up! It's enough to melt your heart! :) He is such a proud daddy!

I have a few pictures I can share. I haven't been the best at taking them lately. Mostly because of me working nights ... I realize I haven't taken a weekly belly picture but it's already too late! :( I don't think there has been much of a change lately but I'll post what I have!

13 weeks












16 wks

















18 weeks















21 wks 2 days


















21 wks 3 days .... I think over 1 day I look a little bigger!


















22 weeks, me and the hubby!


















25 weeks
















25 weeks, close up!
















And THAT is where I'm at now! :) I will scan CJ's U/S pics from our appointments and post what I have so far. We are still debating on going to one of those 3d/4d places to have more pics done! :) I can't believe how much he has grown from the size of a little peanut at the time we heard his heartbeat! :) I am so excited to become a mommy! Again, thanks for the many prayers and sweet messages throughout this pregnancy! I have the best family and friends a girl could have & I am so grateful!

Love y'all!
Brittany, Stephen, and Chandler

It's a....

BOY!!

We are SO excited! We had our U/S appointment on Thursday July 22. It was the most exciting experience of my life. It's absolutely amazing to have a name for the baby instead of 'our little peanut'. I had an idea that Baby G was a Boy from the beginning. I guess mother's intuition is always right! :) We had a gender reveal party on Sunday July 25 and had a blast. We told my parents and Stephen's parents on that Friday evening. We found the cutest onesie ornaments from Hallmark (since we are having a 'Christmas baby') and a blue bib! :) They were very excited. My mom said she knew the whole time! ;)

Now for the name .... Chandler James (CJ)!! Chandler was my great grandmother's maiden name. I never got to meet her - she passed away when my Nana was 4. James was my Nana's brother. I never got to meet him either. :( I have always loved the name Chandler and it wasn't hard to get Stephen on board. He is a pretty big 'Friends' fan and Chandler was his favorite character. So there it is! :) We are so excited to have a name to call him instead of 'baby g' or our little 'peanut'!

We don't really have any good U/S pics from the appointment.. BUT we have to go back next week to see a specialist. No worries, Chandler James was just a little shy and didn't want to show his face. We had a hard time getting pictures of his head/brain so they just wanted to do a follow-up to make sure all is ok! I'll hopefully have some better pictures from that appointment. :)

I'm doing well... I'm at 22 weeks now. I feel great and I'm really starting to show. I'll post some belly pictures later! :) We have been working on the nursery - so far we have the crib put together. The changing table will be here in a few days and we will be painting the room this weekend. I cannot believe we are FINALLY at the point where we can start preparing for his arrival! It will be here before we know it! Thank you for all of the messages checking in on us and all of the prayers throughout the pregnancy! We can't wait to share many more of these experiences and memories with you guys!!

Love,
Brittany, Stephen, and Chandler

At last ...

We are FINALLY in our new home! We've been here a little over a week ... but NO internet or cable until today! I never knew how much I rely on the internet to check messages and do quick research! We are very excited about being here and we are having so much fun making it a home! :) I will post pictures as soon as we get most of these boxes cleared out! We are loving life out here in the 'country'! :) It's not nearly as busy as the neighborhood we were in before and definitely still has a small town feel to it! I think we are going to fit right in around here!

We have an appointment on July 22 to find out if Baby G is a BOY or GIRL! :) It will remain a secret until July 25th evening - we will be having a gender reveal party with our family and close friends ... they will get the first sneak peak on the baby's gender and then we will announce it to the rest of the world. One of my best friends Erika and her hubby Gil had a 'What is it?' Party for Maddux and it was precious! We are super excited to have everyone over to the new house and share in our exciting news! :)

So for now that's all of the update I have for you! We will be spending the entire next week getting this house into shape! :) I'll post pics then!

BREAKING NEWS!

Stephen & Brittany
sitting in a tree
k-i-s-s-i-n-g
first comes love
then comes marriage
then comes...

A BABY IN A BABY CARRIAGE!!! :)

Although this isn't breaking news to many of you that are on facebook. I wanted to blog about it. I can't wait to keep up with all of the memorable events that are about to take place in our lives! :) Feel free to bookmark the blog so you can keep up with all things Baby Gohring AND all of the exciting things going on with me and Stephen!

So if there are any questions you have, feel free to ask! I'm not shy! :)

As for the basics:
-We found out on Sunday, April 18 at around 11:30 am - immediately ran to Walmart to buy two other tests to make sure it was REALLY positive!!! THEY WERE! :) We didn't break the news to the parents until Tuesday, April 20th after our first visit with my OB. We got an US done and had our first picture of Baby G. I was dated at 4 wks, 5 days which is way too early to know anything - so we decided to keep it a BIG secret from everyone but immediate family until our 8 week ultrasound to confirm :)
-Three weeks later we were confirmed to be at 8 weeks even and got to SEE the little flicker of the heartbeat! :) It was adorable! We got to see Baby G's cute little nose but he/she was shy and turned away from us - haha!
-We're due December 20th so that puts me at 11 wks and 1 day today! :)
-I'm not feeling 100% but I'm getting better. I had some serious morning sickness that started about 4 days after we took the home pregnancy test. Luckily, there are wonder drugs out there for me to take! Thank goodness for Zofran and Phenergan! :)

-We have a few ideas for names in mind - but for now they will remain a secret! I want some of our family to be surprised once we choose the final name!
-Hopefully we can find out whether Baby G is a boy or girl at the end of July/beginning of August.
-We will probably have a big 'What is it?!' Party to tell family and friends what Baby G will be - stay tuned!! :)

I think that about wraps up the basics :) If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in a comment and I will address them in the next post. I'll be updating with pictures .. and possibly some of my baby bump(?) if I can even call it that yet - ha!! Thank you for all of the many comments, prayers, and sweet messages we have received over the past few weeks! It means more to us than you'll ever know!

-Brittany & Stephen

PS: PLEASE vote in our poll and let us know what you think Baby G is going to be!! :)

One Step Closer!

First of all, I want to thank you guys for giving me your input! Your ideas have been a great help!

Well, we have made our decision....
and we put an offer on house number ......

*drum roll*

ONE!! :)

We feel that it is the perfect pick for us - as well as having the most potential for our family's growth - well, a little ways from now! ha! So now we wait to see if it has been accepted or declined. We aren't really feeling that confident about it, but we needed to start somewhere. It wouldn't be real if they accepted our first offer - lol! Hopefully we can share our good news with you guys soon!! Please keep us in your prayers as we make some BIG decisions and make our way through the whole 'first time homeowner's' experience! :)

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe ...

Help us pick our house! :) We have it narrowed down to 4 different homes! I'm taking any identifiers off of the pictures so we don't get a stalker! haha! I will give you all of the details and if you don't mind, please post a comment telling me which you like the best! :) I really appreciate any input you might have!

(PS: I'm not just letting some stranger pick my home - just need a little push toward the home we think is right for us - from a stranger's POV! :) )

House #1:
Not many pictures that do it any justice ... I meant to take some as we walked through but it was fully decorated and isn't really our style. SO just use your imagination :)

This house is in a quiet little neighborhood outside of Waco.
-3 bedroom
-2 baths
-large Game Room/study
-2 car garage
-formal dining & a breakfast area
-built-in hutch in breakfast area
-Laminate floors in main living space
-Tile in bathrooms
-large backyard
-large kitchen
-WB fireplace
-1967 sq ft

House #2:

House #2 is located in a small quiet neighborhood where I grew up!

-4 bedroom

-2 baths
-much smaller kitchen
-granite countertops
-stainless appliances in kitchen
-dark hardwood floors
-large backyard
-wb fireplace
-large laundry room
-1610 sq ft

House #3:

This house has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. 2 of the rooms are pretty small - we aren't really sure what to do with them yet! The master bath is kind of small. Only one sink and the garden tub/sep shower are sorta shoved in the back corner. There are wood floors throughout, however we think they started the main living space and bedrooms at different times. The floors don't really match AND they are going opposite directions. It kinda looks funny! I LOVE the back yard on this one .. It has a set up for a tv and has a deck and a storage shed! :) It's super nice for the dogs .. and I'm pretty sure we could get a pool put in at some point! The fireplace is Austin Stone ... Stephen's fave! The kitchen is pretty unique. I love the hand-painted tiles on the counter/backsplash! :) Other than that it's a cute house! Prob not our first pick, but still in the running! 1696 sq ft

House #4:
This house doesn't have a picture, but I'll show one close to what it looks like!



The house we like is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home. Laminate floors throughout main living space, tile in the kitchen, bath and laundry room. this has a HUGE backyard that will be fenced and have grass down sometime in the next 2 weeks. It has a sprinkler system AND a security system. It has a fireplace. The kitchen is pretty small ... which is kind of a major drawback for me. I love to be in the kitchen and this one just doesn't do it for me. it's smaller than our duplex's kitchen! :( I love everything about this house EXCEPT the kitchen size ... what a bummer! It's a beautiful home and the neighborhood is super cute and very friendly. Most of the families here are retirees and young couples .. some with kids! 1770 sq ft

So, again, please drop me a comment with your input! :) I would greatly appreciate it! -Brittany

Home Sweet Home ... well, soon!

The hubby and I are in the process of buying our first home! We have 4 or 5 prospects that we LOVE, LoVe, love! Now we just have to decide what is more important to us! We are going with Stephen's uncle (our Realtor) this afternoon to look through the houses that were locked over the weekend. I will update this post later with all of the details of the potential homes! We could really use some input and get some opinions from friends/family! :) Keep us in your prayers and keep your fingers crossed that this works out - and SOON!! I'm getting just a little bit tired of living in a cramped duplex! haha.

Big things are happening!

Wow - it's been a while since I've done any updating! LOTS of wonderful things are happening in my life right now ... I don't even know where to start!

In December - I graduated from UMHB with my BSN! After nearly 5 years of hard work and lots and lots of tears I made it out in one piece!! :) We also had a wonderful Christmas/New Year's with our families.

In January - I studied my heart out for NCLEX. I was a total hermit and did nothing but sit at home and study ... and now, it's paid off ...

I am officially a REGISTERED NURSE in the state of Texas!!! :) Woohoo!!!!

I'm working in the NICU and LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! :) I never really knew my calling in nursing until I started working there. I have NO doubt that this is where I'm supposed to be! :) I never ever thought I would be truly happy with a job and look forward to going to work EVERY day! It's so surreal to sign 'Brittany RN, BSN' :) :) Life right now consists of working, living life to the fullest, and spending time with family and friends that I never got to see that often while I was in school! I'll work harder to keep this updated - we shall see! :)