Some new pics

Jordan's favorite picture of Sawyer



Grandma gets some lovin' in



Hudson is curious about this little one...




Hudson lounging in Sawyer's bouncy seat




Grandpa takes his turn with the little man

Our family of four

Sawyer warming up next to our faux fireplace

Hudson and Sawyer finally meet...

The boys finally got to meet!!! Hudson was so curious about the little bundled guy who Mommy and Daddy were both holding. He kissed Sawyer, tried to feed him cookies and wanted to hold him. So far he's a perfect older brother (except for trying to poke Sawyer in the eye...)

How priceless is that face?

Welcome to the World Sawyer Keegan

After scheduling our repeat C-Section for December 26th, our little one decided to make an early entrance.

Sawyer Keegan arrived on December 17th at 7:10 am.

He was 6 lbs. 12 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long.

The story...
I woke up on Tuesday the 16th with Hudson throwing up, and then I felt "off" all day. I had nausea and diarrhea, and my stomach felt really weird. I called my doctor because I really didn't know if I was having gas pains or contractions or what. He asked me to go to the hospital to get hooked up just in case, telling me I'd probably go home because I had a virus. Jordan came home from work and our friend Jenn (thank you thank you!!!) came and hung out with a sick Hudson while I went to get checked out. They hooked me up to the monitors and saw that I was having irregular contractions every 2-8 minutes and found that I was a little dehydrated. They dropped some fluids in an IV thinking that getting me hydrated would get rid of the contractions, but they kept coming, just a little farther apart and stronger. They called my doctor and he decided to schedule me for a C-Section the following morning bright and early. I instantly became an emotional mess...I was SO not expecting them to tell me I'd be staying. After all, I had so much to do at home!!! : ) I stayed the night in Labor and Delivery, continuing to have contractions throughout the night.

My parents came down from CT to watch Hudson for us and my mom is still here through the holidays. What a huge relief to have them here to help us out. Thank you!!!

Wednesday morning came quick, despite a mediocre night of sleep. I went in for my C-Section at around 6:30am and got prepped on the table with my spinal and whatever else they do.Morning came and I went in for my c-section. My doctor (Dr. Michael Campanella) and his staff were all great. I was pretty nervous and shaky from the Spinal, and I swear I almost threw up, but thanks to the anesthesiologist I didn't...he knew all the right drugs to drop into my IV! They told me what was going on every step of the way and gave Jordan enough notice to stand up and watch as they pulled Sawyer out of me. Shockingly, he didn't pass out. : ) Sawyer let out a good cry after he came out so we knew he was doing OK. After getting cleaned up and into the nursery they thought his breathing seemed a little raspy so they sent him up to the NICU to get checked out and he stayed there until we left the hospital. The doctor thinks he may have been exposed to whatever virus Hudson has, so they had him on some antibiotics and were just keeping a close eye on him. It was really hard for me to be down in maternity with him up in the NICU, only able to visit him from Noon-6:30p and 7:30p-8:30p. The first night I slept horribly because I had a roommate and she was feeding her baby every 3 hours or so...which means the baby would be brought in, the light would go on, the baby would cry, etc etc. It's really hard having to wake up to someone elses baby when yours is in another part of the hospital... That next morning my nurse came in and talked to me for a bit and then the Nurse Manager came in and told me she was going to move me to a nicer room. I ended up getting a private room for the rest of my stay and I didn't have to pay the $200/night to get it. What a great Christmas present! The rest of my stay was much more comfortable. Unfortunately for me Jordan ended up with Hudson's virus and wasn't able to come to the hospital one day for fear of getting me sick.

Anyway, long story short, we both were able to get discharged yesterday afternoon and are both home and doing well. My recovery has been far easier this time around...I really feel pretty good. The hardest part now is that we have to keep our boys separate so that Sawyer doesn't get Hudson's diarrhea/puking virus. They haven't even met yet. : (

Oh...and I bet you'd like to see some pictures. Here are a few. We'll be taking more as the days go by and hopefully we'll get some good ones when Hudson and Sawyer get to meet for the first time.

Jordan dressed to head into the O.R.

Our little man

Sleeping soundly

Admiring my boy in the NICU

Happy Holidays to all. We already received the best Christmas present we could ask for. : )

Our little Syracuse Getaway

We went to Syracuse a couple of weekends ago, but I didn't pull my camera out to get pics of Lisa, Maria or Alicia. I didn't get a shot of my delicious Big Ass Pork Plate from the Dinosaur BBQ. I missed some good things. However, we did get a few pics while we were up there including Hudson's first time in the snow this winter.

Hudson and his new friend Oliver
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This is what Jordan will look like with two boys...only the second one will probably be a Jordan/Hudson clone as well.

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Jordan and Hudson climbed the hill during a snow squall

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Do you think Hudson likes the snow?

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This is what our drive out of Syracuse looked like.

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We should have some good pictures after Thankgiving. The Branem clan is coming up to laugh as I attempt to make my first ever Thanksgiving dinner. It should be amusing. And then comes Black Friday. You all probably see that as the day to get out shopping and save some big money. I think of it as 4 weeks until my C-Section. The clock is ticking and there is so much to get done between now and then. Wish us luck!

My latest belly pic

Boots...enough said

Our uncooperative giraffe

Hudson "dressed up" as a Giraffe this year. When we first tried on his costume he had no problem putting the head piece on (it is sort of like a hood); however, on Halloween he threw a giant tantrum when we attempted to put it on. Hudson was all giraffe from the neck down which was good enough for all the generous people on our street who gave him candy. Here are a couple of pictures:

Our weekend in CT

We went to CT this past weekend to visit my parents. Guess what Hudson is obsessed with? I think you'll see a pattern start to emerge in the following pictures...

Hudson getting his first (but definitely not his last) taste of Grandpa's tractor.

Hudson inspects a piece of corn in the middle of the corn maze.

Oh LOOK! Another tractor.

And another...but this one is Hudson sized!

Family Picture. Happy Halloween!!!

Another tractor? How many different tractors can Hudson ride on in one day?

Taking a ride with Grandpa.

Petting the goats at the Ruwet's.

A face to face encounter with a couple of the Ruwet's Llamas.

What is fall without some fun in the leaves?

I wonder where he learned to do that?

More leaf throwing...

Hudson is busy at work loading and unloading the trucks with precious fall cargo.

It's not quite a tractor, but it will do!

GO SOX!!! (and a recent pic of my belly!)

Here is the most recent picture we have of my ever growing belly...

and a rare shot of Jordan in uniform.

Hudson apparently wants a riding lawn mower like Grandpa and Papa have. He just started wearing the Red Sox hat Heather and Obie gave him... He must know that the Sox need some help right now!!!

Hudson and the Pumpkin Patch

Hudson's first hayride to pick out his first pumpkin from a pumpkin patch. SO many firsts for this young man! The tractor is no means to an end for our son; he loves the ride just as much as the destination! This one is sort of like the toy tractor Hudson has and the lawnmower his Poppa uses...only much bigger than both. These men are enjoying being passengers today.


I spy something ORANGE and it ain't clockwork. After a bumpy, muddy ride down an old farm road Hudson and his Grammy can finally see the pumpkin patch. They were both excited; can you tell?

Hooray Hooray! We're here at last. The Branem's have arrived! In fact, Grammy's so happy, she decided to sing a song. "I'm a little pumpkin orange and round, welcome to my patch, all around on the ground". Let Hudson's great pumpkin picking adventure begin. Poppa, you look thrilled; was that hayride a little too bumpy for ya? Good thing we normally ride on paved roads and only sit on haybales once a year...


Peek-a-boo, I see you! I was trying to hide behind a pumpkin but Hudson quickly spotted me. "I see you Dad", he seems to be saying. Waldo doesn't stand a chance. SOooo many pumpkins, so little time.


The men are hanging out by a bundle of corn stalks wondering where our women have gone. Or are we? Did we put them in a pumpkin shell to keep them there, very well. We'll never tell!


Guess not. A classic fall picture of mother and son. Actually, this is a picture of Kristin, Hudson and our yet-to-be-named baby boy #2. Can't tell? Kristin hides it well. There's a tiny bump barely showing just under where Hudson's rests on his mother. And there you have it, my family, both seen and unseen. How I love them all!


Too cute: Hudson milling about the pumpkin patch handsomely. Still searching for the perfect pumpkin. Grammy says the one I want will have little curlies on the vine. "I'll know it when I see it", she says, "it's the epitomy of fall". Ok Grammy, but I still haven't found "the one"...


Poppa, take a stroll with me, I think I see "the one" I want...


Where'd it go? I know it was around here somewhere...


Paydirt! Hudson finally finds "the one."

The End.