Bradley's Medical Adventure

Between Chris' adventure at MD Anderson and my adventure at the Women's Hospital of Texas... you'd think the Hill family would be all tuckered out. But little Bradley wanted an adventure of his own... so I got to know a third hospital this year... Texas Children's.

Actually, it wasn't so bad. Bradley's left kidney is a little large, so they wanted to do some tests. He was a little nervous about his ultra-sound, but Mimi assured him that it wouldn't hurt.

He was so good during the exam!

I told him that I'd had many ultra-sounds during the past nine months-- and not one of them was painful!

He did have to have another test a week later-- which was a bit more involved. But Bradley smiled through most of it (minus the part where they used a catheter... yikes) and snuggled up with mama when it was all over.

The diagnosis came back good: Bradley is a healthy, normal boy. His left kidney is a little bit of an over-achiever, but there is no cause for concern. Hopefully this is the last of the adventures for the Hill House... I think we've earned a year (or five) away from the Texas Medical Center!

Bradley's First Outing

For our first outing with Bradley, Chris and I took him to the jewelry store:

Chris had gotten me a present that we were picking up and Bradley learned an important lesson about husband and wife gift-giving (the lesson, of course, being that husbands should give gifts to their wives!).

Afterwards, we all went to Antone's for a sandwich:

Bradley was a little too sleepy to enjoy his... maybe next time...

WBW: Brace Face

Like most teenagers, I wasn't a fan of having braces.

So the day I got them off was quite momentous. My shutterbug mom, of course documented the experience:

Outside the building (which, by the way, is still there!)

Before:

And after:

And in case you're wondering... I'm purposefully not commenting on my denim shirt. Hey, it was the 90's!

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Adventures in Swaddling

Chris is a master swaddler.

Here he is with our little burrito:

When Chris swaddles Bradley, he looks like a mummy:

 In contrast, when I swaddle him... he looks... different:

I try hard... and think that I'm pulling everything tight... but somehow our little Houdini is able to wiggle out of my swaddles.

How did this even happen??

One things for sure, Bradley LOVES the swaddle! I just need a little more practice on getting our Wiggle Worm all tied up!

WBW: And He Grew!

Last I checked, Bradley was 8lbs 3 oz. It's hard to believe that he'll one day grow up to become a man.

But... I suppose it's inevitable.

Here's my cousin, Adam, at around Bradley's age:

That's me holding him with some awesome bangs.

Here's his mom, my Aunt:

And my mom, his aunt!

Being such a little baby, it was hard to imagine him growing up to become a man.
(With his sister, my cousin, Laurel:)

But he did! Here is that same tiny little boy... all grown up at 6ft, 7in!!
(With his girlfriend, Harley:)

It's fine with me, though, if Bradley takes his time getting there... we're enjoying his little toes, tiny sighs and sweet cuddles for now!

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Bradley's First Bath

Bradley did not enjoy his first bath. At all.

He started off a little unsure:

and as soon as dad came at him with the sponge, he got quite concerned:

Chris was quick, but thorough:

Look at this concentration!

But Bradley was an unhappy baby!

Soon enough it was over... and mom swooped in to save the day:

And all was well again!

To my future, sixteen-year-old son, Bradley: you're welcome for me posting these "going to be embarrassing later" photos of you on the internet. Now go clean your room.

Bradley: Month One

We've made it through the first month (plus 6 days by the time this will post)!

At times we were all uncomfortable:

But we survived:

Despite a fair amount of tears:

Looks like Bradley has a question!

He wants to know his Month One stats!

Bradley, you are in newborn diapers and newborn clothes (and the newborn clothes are even a little big).
You are 7 lbs, 1 oz (I think... had a hard time reading the scale).
At your two week appointment you were 20" long, but I'm pretty sure you've gotten longer-- getting you into your sling has been harder the past few days!
We don't really have a schedule, but you seem to want to eat... alot. Then you go to sleep. With an occasional hang out time or forced tummy time mixed in.
You once slept for 6 hours in your crib! But usually it's more like three hours at a time.
You've been spoiled to have Mom AND Dad home this month, but that's all going to change now that Dad is going back to work.
Your nicknames are: Squealy-Bopper, Fussy Face, Little Buddy (not Fuzzy Buddy-- that's our dog), Houdini and Sir Grouchy Pants. 
You met your 97-year-old Great Grandpa Beard this month (as well as Papa T, Papa P, Mimi, Aunt Jojo and Cousin Maria).
We're still learning why you cry and what we can do to help you... but it's a process! You seem to like to be bounced, rock in your rocker (sideways), be swaddled and hang out with mama in the sling. You also love to eat with mama (but will also take a bottle of milk-- woohoo!) and your pacifier wab-a-nubs. Sometimes you like riding in the car and going for walks in the stroller, but other times you scream. So... not sure how you feel! You started the month loving the sound machine app on our iPhones, but after about three weeks it stopped doing the trick.
You found your lungs and now know how to SCREAM when you're unhappy. You also started producing tears-- which break my heart!
You have some great facial expressions and seem to look serious/concerned most of the time. You furrow your brow often. This makes us both laugh as we imagine the boy and man you will become.
My favorite time is your early morning feedings (around 5am). After you're done we snooze in the chair until Daddy wakes up for diaper change.

We are sleep-deprived and get a little frustrated when we can't seem to keep you from crying... but usually you're a happy, adorable baby and we love having you in our family!

WBW: Changing Times

The past two Way Back When-sdays I documented Bradley's birth. He was born at Women's Hospital, which is also where I was born! I found some photos of that day...

Here's my mom getting gassed up for the c-section:

I asked for some of the gas mask (due to my self-diagnosed pain intolerance) but I guess they don't do that anymore.

Pretty soon I was born and my parents took a similar photo that Chris and I took 5 weeks ago:

And just like Bradley, I got my footprints documented:

Later, I was weighed (by someone with awesome hair):

And for some reason put into this cooker:

I adore this photo of my mom and I:

When it was time to leave, it appears as though my mom was wheeled out by a thirteen-year-old volunteer.

And look at all those plants!

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The Long Road Home

Driving home from the hospital with Bradley started out great!

 I was able to catch his little feet on camera:

And he held onto my thumb for the first few minutes of the ride:

So precious!

Then things got bad:

Real bad:

I think it was the silly bear straps... because a few days later we tried again and he was 100% content!

Don't you worry, Bradley... we'll wait a few months before we try putting those on again!