Teeda and Brad's Baby Blog

Jett Visits Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day when we visited the Stonycreek Farm Pumpkin Festival to find our perfect pumpkin. Jett was such a trooper as we had to wake him up to get pictures of him! This was a trip that we will be sure to make a tradition of!

4 months and some!

2009-10-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, this poor blog for Jett has been put on the back burner. It's been hectic with school work, parenthood and everything else! Most importantly, Brad and I are loving life with Jett. He is growing way too much way too fast, it's almost sad to see how fast time if flying by. Jett is still as good of a baby as he was months ago. He's a curious little fellow exploring new toys, new environments and new people. We are doing great and I am looking forward to finishing my Master's so I can just spend every moment with my little man! Here are some pictures from the past month.

3 Month Photo Shoot

2009-09-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

Jett is 3 months already!!!

2009-09-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful life this past three months has brought us. Jett is growing faster than we can keep up with. He is doing great and his fun personality is slowly but surely revealing itself each and every day. Jett loves to giggle, drool and his new thing is to blow bubbles! He is becoming a lot more alert each day and is able to hold his head up on his own. Mom and dad are doing great too! We are adjusting more and more as time passes. We couldn't ask for a better baby. Here are a few pics that were taken recently. Can you tell he's ready for football season!!!

What Was I Thinking?

2009-08-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure why I thought I'd have the time to manage this thing with a new baby, a new school year, Master's work, sleep deprivation and much much more. Anyways, I am actually enjoying one of my first nights where I haven't had one thing to do. I'm finally done with my Master's portfolio (whew!) and other than the 146 essays waiting for me in my classroom, I don't have much going on! AAAAHHHH, yeah right. Life with Jett has been absolutely amazing. I recently shared with a friend that motherhood is the hardest, best job ever and I mean that! Jett is already 9 weeks old and he's doing great. He seems to have a good sense of night and day (thank goodness) and doesn't fuss too much unless he's hungry. For the past few weeks or so I've actually been able to get some decent amounts of sleep, too! New dad Brad is doing a wonderful job learning the ropes of fatherhood. Sadly, Jett is changing so much every day. It breaks my heart to think that in a few months, he'll want to forget about the cuddling and crawl and roll around. I know he'll always need me, but I have especially loved our little cuddle (a.k.a. nap) sessions we've shared. Brad and I really couldn't have asked for a better baby. Jett has brought nothing much endless amounts of happiness, laughter, joy and love to our lives. We can't wait to see what God has in store for our lil guy. Here are pictures from the last month...enjoy!

More pictures for you to enjoy!

2009-07-26T10:24:00.001-07:00

We're Surviving!

2009-07-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

If you've been checking the blog lately, you've probably noticed the lack of posts I've been publishing. Between the lack of sleep, cleaning the house as much as I can, working on my Master's and now preparing for the new school year, this has unfortunately been placed low on the priority list. Nevertheless, we are loving life as parents and Jett is doing great. He's growing a lot and changing each and every day. Here are some quick pics for you to enjoy!

Jett's Big Arrival!

2009-06-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 22, 2009 marked a day we'll never forget! At 10:04 a.m. Jettrin Tai Sottong made his grand entrance! He weighed 8 lbs. and was 20 1/2 in. There are no words to explain how wonderful it was finally meeting our new lil guy. It's hard to believe, but I actually had a wonderful delivery. We spent the next two days in the hospital and headed out on Brad's birthday. We are thrilled to begin this journey with Jett and hope to be the best parents possible. It's amazing to experience falling in love all over again!

Brad's Soon-to-be Father's Day!

2009-06-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

So it's Sunday morning of Father's Day, or for Brad, Soon-to-be Father's Day. Later today we'll finally be on our way to the hospital as we try to lure lil Jett to make his big arrival. There have been very few signs of me going into labor on my own so I'm very relieved to know that by tomorrow, we'll hopefully have our bundle of joy. I'm still feeling well considering I'm 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant, but I've definitely hit the point of wanting him out so I can feel like a normal human being again who is able to move faster than a snail, bend over without wanting to puke, and I'm not going to lie...enjoy that first frozen margarita! My mom, or Nana, arrived yesterday so we are very excited to have her join us on this journey from the get-go. We've got our bags packed and we're ready to go. We'll be sure to keep you posted with the most recent updates and pictures! Thanks again for all of your love and support you've shown us! It means the world to us! Oh, and Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! Feel free to send Brad any words of wisdom on his new role as DAD!!! Scary, huh? Here is a picture of us arriving at the hospital!

So when's your due date?

2009-06-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

This has been the popular question for the past few weeks as my due date has been approaching for Baby Jett's arrival. Well, to answer the question, today marks my actual due date! It is so hard to believe that I've been pregnant for 40 weeks...that's 10 months!!! I thought perhaps I should post a blog with as much as I can remember because I know once he's here, my mind will be everywhere! To give you the most recent update, all was well until last weekend when I woke up with a sore back. I simply didn't think too much of it as it was in the middle of my back on the left side only. As a few days passed, it progressively got worse. On Tuesday, I ended up waking up around 2:30 a.m. with excruciating pain. It hurt to sit, stand, lay, breathe, everything. I coughed or sneezed and seriously thought I was going to die. I was able to contact my wonderful doctor and after a few pain killers and muscle relaxers, I felt good as new again. Continuing on, Brad and I went to my last doctor's appt. this past Wednesday. Although I love my doctor, I'm so glad to not have to take anymore urine tests. It really did keep getting more difficult getting it in the cup as I was growing bigger and bigger.

Anyways, we have scheduled for me to get induced on Father's Day (yes, perfect for Brad, huh?) which is in two days. Unless he comes before, I will be admitted on Sunday evening, then on Monday morning, my doc will break my water and hopefully by mid afternoon/early evening, we'll have our new lil stud! It really is hard to put into words the feelings that have taken over me these past few days. Although it has not really sunk in how drastically my life will change, we know Jett will be welcomed into the world full of love and laughter. We are sooo excited for you all to meet our man! I will be sure to get his pictures up here asap once he makes his grand entrance!

I've made it...9 months!!!

2009-05-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

Wow! 36 weeks as of today! It's unbelievable how fast this time has gone by. I never thought I would still be this chipper so far along in my pregnancy. Baby Jett is doing great and still treating me well. Other than just getting bigger, I am doing great, too! If I can complain about anything it would be that bending over still makes me want to puke, and I'm getting slower and slower simply moving around and getting up and down. My doctor has been very pleased with Jett's growth and my well-being so we are just anxiously awaiting his arrival. Until then, I'm just enjoying feeling him move around in my belly. I think that's his way of saying "Hi mom, I'm doing fine and just hanging out!" We are finished with his nursery with the exception of a few decorative details, but we are content knowing that our lil guy will have a safe, comfy place to sleep whenever he comes home. Brad and I are doing our best to enjoy this time to ourselves before our lives completely change. Our friends and family continue to be supportive and wait patiently as well for Jett's big arrival! Thanks again for thinking of us. Be sure to stay tuned as our big day will be coming soon!

A Whole New Meaning

2009-05-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day this year definitely took on a whole new meaning. Although our little guy isn't here yet, celebrating this wonderful day couldn't have been more special. My mom came up and was able to celebrate with us. Here we are at Stone Creek Dining Company after stuffing our tummies full of delicious food. To all you moms out there, thank you for all that you've done for your children young and old. What a wonderful gift motherhood truly is. I can't wait to join the club here shortly!

And he shall be called...

2009-05-06T17:22:00.001-07:00

I can't tell you how many people have asked if we have a name yet chosen for Baby Sottong. Other than Baby Boondong, we never had an official name...until now! As you may know, we wanted to be sure to choose a Thai name that was unique, but simple enough so he wouldn't have to deal with the mispronunciations growing up. With that being said, we chose the name Jettrin Tai Sottong. Both his first and middle names are Thai, and despite the fact that Sottong sounds really Asian, it's German. We plan on calling him Jett and think it is very fitting for our little bundle of joy. Our only problem is that we cannot figure out the meaning. Between both of my parents and their friends, all we know is that it is a very proper, popular Thai name. Knowing our luck, it probably means something ridiculous, but regardless we'll love our lil Jett with all the love this world can offer. We hope you like it and if you don't, we honestly don't care! In all seriousness, we are excited to have this part done with so we didn't have to wait until delivery day. That probably wouldn't have been a good idea.

8 months already!

2009-04-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

Many of you probably don't believe me when I say I've had a great pregnancy so far (knock on wood), but I really don't have too many complaints despite me being 8 months pregnant. If it makes you feel better, I'll share with you some small struggles that I have experienced so far. The first one being the pain my feet endure by the end of each day. Between teaching all day, coaching, working out then making dinner, I have found myself plopped on the couch attempting to enjoy a foot massage by Brad. At the same time, Brad has surely realized how much pain I am in because he knows I hate foot massages because I'm too ticklish. The second challenge that I've been experiencing is something that I have always taken for granted all 27 precious years of my life...bending over to simply pick something up! Whoever knew that picking something up from off the floor could make me feel so miserable as if I was going to puke all over the place. Those are the only two struggles appropriate for me to share. If you're a mom, then you know the others. Sorry guys, you're on your own on this one!

On a more positive note, I'm absolutely loving being pregnant. Baby Sottong is moving around so much, our nursery is halfway done, and we still continue to be surrounded by so many people who love and care for us. That's what's most important. I can't wait for you all to meet our lil guy.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2009-04-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

I can't speak for my mom herself, but it hasn't quite hit me yet that she's going to become a grandma here in a few months. I've completely embraced the idea of becoming a new mom, however, I've somehow not made the realization that this new baby means a new journey for her, too. Without a doubt, I've prayed since day one of finding out I was pregnant that I would be a mother like she was and continues to be to my brother and I. I have always said that if I can be just a portion of what she has been to me, then I'll be just fine! And that's the truth! I look forward to seeing her spend time with the baby in her new role as "Nana." We decided that name since she said it doesn't make her sound "too old." Just looking at her, I must say that she doesn't look old at all, but she's definitely going to be one heck of a grandma!

Today, April 18, Baby Sottong was spoiled and showered once again! Our wonderful friends who are basically family threw Baby and I a wonderful shower at the new library back home in Newburgh! Although I was extremely exhausted, a little antsy and somewhat uncomfortable making the 3 hour 15 minute trip back home, it was definitely worth it. There's something about seeing those who love and support you despite how often, or in this case, how little we get to see one another! I got to meet many of my mom's wonderful friends and had the chance to catch up with those who I hadn't seen in quite some time. The beautiful day and the yummy cake topped it off! We continue to be grateful to those near and dear to us, despite the miles that physically separate us. Nothing is more important than knowing that our little one is going to be surrounded by those who love him and love us as his parents! Thanks again to all of you who made this day possible. The gifts will be treasured, of course, but the memories will truly last a lifetime!

7 months and still going strong!

2009-04-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

So as of today, Wednesday, April 1st I am officially 28 weeks! No, that's not an April Fool's joke! Just 9 more weeks, and my pregnancy will be considered full-term! I can't tell you all how wonderful Baby Sottong has treated me so far. Each day I thank him for treating mommy so well! After talking to so many of my friends who have children young and old, I know I'm lucky that I've actually been able to enjoy this experience. Indeed there is nothing better than feeling him move around which he does a lot especially at night. The other day Brad felt him moving and said how weird it would be to have that feeling in his belly. Perhaps, he's understanding more and more the beautiful gift of motherhood...and the fact that no man could handle it! I keep knocking on wood that Baby Sottong will continue spoiling me, but I have a feeling the warm weather is going to zap me here in a few weeks. At this point, I still feel great, have been able to exercise regularly, can still bend down to pick things up and tie my shoes and have managed to not forget too much. As I always say to Brad, "If it's not written on a post-it note, it's not going to happen." We are still in the process of finding the perfect name, so as of today, he still goes by Baby Sottong or Baby Boondong! Again, the name Boondong is a long story! We are so grateful for you, our family and friends, who continue to love on baby and us as we prepare for this journey. There is not a day that goes by that someone doesn't ask how I am doing or how baby is doing. It truly means so much! As we continue to get everything ready for his big arrival, we pray that God will continue to bless us and our little bundle of joy! Thanks again for sharing in our excitement!

PREGO-LICIOUS

2009-03-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

So Saturday, March 7, marked my first baby shower! The day was gorgeous with the windows open, the sun shining in, time spent with our good friends and of course, yummy food!!! We were truly showered with so many thoughtful gifts and they are already beginning to fill up the nursery! I can't thank our friends enough for their generosity and thoughtfulness. And yes, my shirt says "PREGO-LICIOUS." It was a special end of the year gift from two of my cheerleaders, Katie and Maddie. They were so excited to watch me open it as I couldn't stop myself from laughing. They asked if I would wear it to school and my immediate reaction was "YES!" I'm sure my students will just get a kick out of it as it brings a smile to my face each time I look at it! I'm not sure if "Prego-licious" is the word I would use to describe myself at this point, but it'll do for now!

23 weeks...and counting!

2009-02-25T06:34:00.000-08:00

Today officially marks week 23, and believe me...I'm counting! I'm still feeling great and nothing much is new other than my clothes getting tighter and tighter. I have not completely shifted into the whole "maternity clothes" mode at this point, but I can tell it's right around the corner. Thanks to the wonderful invention of the Bella Band, I've been able to squeeze Baby in some "normal" clothes but not for much longer. Baby Sottong is moving a lot, but hasn't caused me any discomfort YET! We are still searching for names, but the Thai name idea may not be as easy as I thought! Thanks again for your thoughts, support, prayers and laughs!!!

Baby Belly #1

2009-02-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

So thanks to my good friend Emily who just became a mom a few weeks ago, I decided that I should try to jump on board with this whole "blog" thing. I figured since I don't actually talk to many of you on a normal basis, this would be a wonderful way for you all to join in on the baby fun! As of today, I am just shy of 23 weeks, so a little over 5 1/2 months. It's hard to believe that I'm already this far into my pregnancy as things have been going so well (knock on wood). I haven't had any puking or morning sickness, have regained my energy and have only given in to one, and only one, craving which was for Little Debbie Nutty Bars. I'll blame Brad for that one after he scarfed down two little Valentine cakes in less than two seconds the other day! We did find out a few weeks ago that we are having a boy and we are just thrilled. You can only imagine the sense of relief Brad felt when the nurse showed us the "turtle." We don't have any names picked out yet as I'm looking for a unique, but not too crazy, Thai name. Until we find the perfect name, we are calling him Baby Boondong...there's a long story to it! All in all, this pregnancy has been wonderful and other than needing more clothes that fit, I couldn't ask for anything more. I know Brad and I have so much to learn, but hopefully with much of your help, we'll be just fine! We can't thank you enough for sharing in our excitement!