Liam ~ 32 Week Doctor Appointment & Belly Pictures

~ Doctor Appointment at 31 Weeks ~

I had my 31 week doctor appointment on July 7th.  I'm still measuring 2 weeks big, but they are not worried since I'm having a c-section.  I met with the head doctor at the practice and she said I could do the c-section as early as August 31st.  She said if I do it on Aug 31st I will have the option to put him in kindergarten at age 5 (he would be the youngest in his class) or age 6 (he would be the oldest).  She recommended that I do it on Aug 31st so she put me on the list for that date.  I will hopefully know at my next doctor appointment on July 27th if my c-section will be Aug 31st or Sept 1st.  I'm still #2 on the waitlist for Sept 1.  The heart rate was normal at around 120-130.

~ 32 Weeks Pregnant ~

Major kicks...

Baby Liam is very active and loves to do crazy kicks.  Sometimes I feel like he's doing a kickboxing class in there.  He is also getting the hiccups a lot.  I love feeling him move around.  Sometimes I can feel body parts popping out that I think might be his foot or leg.  Craig can't get over it either.  It's so amazing to feel from the inside and outside.  I don't remember Grayson kicking so much, but I'm sure he did and I just don't remember.

Cravings...  

My major cravings right now are key lime pie yogurt flipems (they have a white chocolate and graham cracker crumble that you dump into the key lime pie yogurt), cherries, chocolate and caramel.  

Weight Gain...

I have gained 22 pounds so far.  Babycenter says I will gain about a pound a week from now until the baby is born and half of that goes directly to the baby.  They also say he will gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks.  Amazing!

How I'm Feeling...

I'm exhausted!  ha ha.  I am normally rarely relax because I always have a million things to do, but I have definitely slowed down.  As soon as I put Grayson to bed I'm ready for bed, but I normally prop my feet up and relax for a little bit.  People tell me I look like I could have this baby any day, which is not what you want to hear when you have 7 weeks left.  Hopefully these next 7 weeks will go by quickly.  I'm so beyond excited for baby Liam's arrival and can't wait to meet our sweet little boy.  His room is all ready, but I'm still working on Grayson's new room.  I bought some new pacifiers and size 1 bottle nipples and I will need to get a few little things before he comes.  I also bought some cute outfits as I mostly used onesies with Grayson.  I even bought Grayson and Liam some matching outfits.

~ Belly Pictures 32 Weeks ~

Here is what BabyCenter says about 32 weeks...

By now, your baby weighs 3 3/4 pounds (about the size of a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Liam ~ 24 Week Ultrasound & Belly Pictures

I'm 24 weeks and the countdown to BABY BRAHAM #2 is on...16 more weeks!  It's finally becoming real.  

We decided on a name...

~ L I A M ~

~ R I C H A R D ~

Liam is a name we both love (Daddy did not love it when I first brought it up a while ago, but now he loves it and doesn't remember not loving it.  ha ha :)  We think it goes great with Grayson too.  Richard is after Craig's dad, Richard Howard Braham.  He's a great man and we love him so much and wanted to honor him.  Grayson's middle name is after my dad so we thought it was very fitting.  We are very excited to have the name picked out so we can start calling him by his name.  

~ Goldenview Ultrasound ~

We did another 4-D ultrasound at Goldenview Ultrasound and got some great pictures, although he wasn't cooperating at first.  He was putting his legs by his head and blocking his cute little face.  I'm not sure why he was squished so much when he still has plenty of room, but maybe he is comfortable that way.  It looks painful to me.  Our little Liam is such a cutie already and we can't wait to meet him.  He gave us quite a show with the spread leg shot so we got a good laugh.  Our little guy is very active just like his big brother Grayson.  

~ 24 Months ~

My belly is getting so big.  Liam has been moving around a lot more.  It's funny because my BFF Allison was the first one to feel Grayson move from the outside and the same is true with Liam.  She felt a tiny kick while we were staying with her and Craig was out of town.  When Daddy got back from visiting Mimi and Papa he felt baby Liam give a little kick too.  He loved it and was so excited!  

I can't believe I'm almost in my 3rd trimester.  The time is flying by.  In 3 weeks I will be 27 weeks and officially in my 3rd trimester.  I'm looking forward to this as the baby can most likely survive in the outside world at this stage.  If he is anything like his brother he will not want to come out anytime soon.  I feel great other than being a little tired.  My nesting instinct has kicked in and combined with my organizing OCD it's driving Craig a little crazy.  The house is already very, very organized, but of course I had to reorganize a couple more things.  There is nothing left to organize now other than the bedrooms for Grayson and Liam.  Liam's room will be easy to change as I'm keeping the same theme, but Grayson's new room will take a little while as I'm still working on the details.  I will be moving Grayson into Ethan's room, Liam into Grayson's room and Julia's room will become her room when she's visiting from college/Ethan's room every other weekend/guest room.  (Julia moved out to live with her mom for the summer because of her internship and then will be moving to college in August.)  Liam will take over the nursery so there are only a few things that need to be changed including the pictures in the collage, circle letters on the wall and some monogramed blankets.  I already bought the monogrammed blanket for Liam that my friend Christy got for Grayson (orange minky dot on one side and gray and white chevron on the other side with his name written in white).  Our friend Diane gave Grayson a gray small Pottery Barn chair with his name on it and a blanket to match.  She mentioned she is doing the same for Liam so we are very excited.  Grayson's new room with be the same colors as his old room with the addition of blue (gray, white, orange and blue) and decorated with vintage airplanes.  I'll do a whole post on the new rooms soon.

~ 24 Week Doctor Appointment ~

My doctor appointment went well.  He is measuring a 1/2 week big, but that is normal.  We decided on my c-section date...September 1st.  It's a Tuesday and my doctor would be the one to deliver as that is her hospital day.  She told me to register for the hospital and they will take care of scheduling the c-section.  How crazy!  I can't believe I only have 16 more weeks (actually15 more weeks because my c-section will be almost a week before my due date of September 6th).  My next doctor appointment is June 8th for my 27 week appointment and glucose test.

~ Pictures ~

What BabyCenter says about 24 weeks:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at about 1 1/3 pounds. Since he's almost a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Baby B #2 - 20 Week Ultrasound, Doctor Appointment and Belly Pictures

20 Weeks ~ 

I'm 20 weeks and halfway through this pregnancy.  It's amazing how fast it's going.  I still feel great, but definitely feel tired a lot.  My belly is huge!  People can't believe I have 5 more months to go.  We have been going back and forth on names.  I like Cayden, Liam and Camden.  Craig likes Liam and Camden and Julia likes Eli.  We are 99% set on the name Liam.  We both think it sounds very strong and love it.  

I felt him move on the inside around 18.5 weeks and it was so much fun.  I really missed that feeling after Grayson was born and very happy to feel it again.  I can't wait to feel him move from the outside and for Daddy and Grayson to feel it too.  I've gained 8.5 pounds so far.

Doctor Appointment ~

The doctor appointment went really well.  I was 20 weeks and 1 day and measuring 20 weeks and 5 days so just a little big.  He weighs 13 ounces and is in the 55th percentile.  His heart rate was 142.  The 20 week ultrasound was very long as they measure every part of the baby.  My doctor said everything looks great and next time they will start measuring my belly from the outside.

1st Picture ~ 20 weeks with Grayson

2nd Picture ~ 20 weeks with Baby #2

Here's what BabyCenter says about 20 weeks:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — about the size of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)  He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Baby Braham #2 - Ultrasound & Belly Pictures at 16 Weeks

We had our 16 week ultrasound and OB appointment and it went really well.  The baby measured a little big (measured 16 weeks, but I was actually 15 weeks 4 days), had a strong heartbeat at 144 and weighed 4 ounces.  They confirmed we are expecting a little boy.  We are so excited!

This pregnancy has been flying by and I'm still feeling great, but definitely feel tired.  It's hard to keep up with Grayson as he is going a mile a minute.  I'm not sure how I'm going to handle two boys (oh my!), but I know I'll figure it out, especially since Grayson will be such a great big brother. :)  I always said I would have all boys and I can't believe my vision is coming true.  I'm so happy and still shocked that I'm having another baby.  We are so blessed.  Now we just have to wait for baby boy #2...24 more weeks to go!

Pictures below:

Ultrasound pictures of baby boy #2 

My belly pictures - boy is it getting big!

Here's what BabyCenter says about 16 weeks:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erectthan it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Baby Braham #2 - 1st Trimester

My 1st trimester: 1 ~ 14 Weeks

Wow!  My 1st trimester is done.  I can't believe how fast it went.  In the beginning it went very slow.  I'm so excited that I made it to this point and pray everything continues to go well.  I'm still in shock and thank God everyday for this incredible miracle.  What a true blessing.

How I'm Feeling 

I'm feeling great and luckily did not have any morning sickness.  I definitely feel more hungry and have less energy.  I'm also a little tired at times.  I feel like I'm still dreaming and can't believe I'm expecting my second baby.  I always thought Grayson would be an only child.  I'm so incredibly happy that Grayson will be a big brother and we will add another amazing baby to our family.

Food Cravings 

My main food cravings are desserts and fruit.  My favorite desserts are molten chocolate cake and chocolate chip skillet cookie.  I crave these all the time, but try to keep it to a minimum.  My other cravings are chocolate with caramel and fruits such as pineapple, apples, clementines and grapes.

Weight Gain

I gained 45 pounds during my first pregnancy with Grayson, so I'm trying hard to gain less weight with this pregnancy.  So far I'm happy with only gaining 4 pounds compared to 7 at this point with Grayson.  The main difference with this pregnancy is I'm eating healthier and running all over the place with Grayson.  He is a busy body and keeps me on my toes.

1st Trimester Pictures ~