A year ago, I was at Piedmont Fayette Hospital, recovering from surgery. I want to record these events as a reminder of why it is important for me to take care of my body, and hopefully help someone else realize the same before their own health issues become a problem. The new year had just begun, and I'd gone out for coffee earlier in the evening. I'd received some unexpected news, and went to bed not too long after returning home. Soon after getting in bed, I suddenly couldn't get comfortable. I was having pains in my back and right side that were worse than labor pains. This very thing had happened a few times before, but it usually subsided the next morning on those previous occasions. I went downstairs to the couch in an effort to avoid waking everyone. I didn't get any sleep, and I spent much of the night in the bathroom, either getting sick or trying to relieve my pain. I was still in tears once Brent and the kids woke up the next morning. I explained to Brent ...

Our sweet Lana Rae's birthday is today! She is four! Lana has her very own lovable personality, and keeps us laughing. She has a love for shoes, and has since she was a toddler. She loves them so much that she's stolen   claimed a pair of her older sister's Cinderella dress up shoes. I think Ella has maybe been able to wear them a handful of times. Lana has worn them out as she wears them almost every day. Any time we return home, off go her shoes and on go the Cinderella slippers. She must get her love of shoes and heels from me. ;) Before I had kids, I lived in heels. Now, I choose function over fashion. I do miss wearing beautiful shoes! Lana also loves babydolls, fashion, The Little Mermaid, and Ursula. At the beginning of the year, The Little Mermaid came to The Fox, and Ella and I went to see it with my Grams. When we returned, Lana was looking through the book and saw the picture of the actress dressed up as Ursula. From that day forward, she has become intrigued ...

In looking back on this year, I've dubbed it as the year of unexpected surprises. Some of these surprises have been good, others weren't, while still others were somewhere between. I've intended to write down and process each of these, but I haven't gotten around to it. I will start here with the most recent unexpected surprise. My second-born started Kindergarten this year, so I now have two in school! We've had to adjust to a new schedule as there are a couple more subjects in 1st Grade, and then simply adding another child into the schooling mix is a big change! Add in the new and frequent sibling fighting, and it has been a challenge in starting this new year. I *think* we've finally found some sort of a groove and schedule, but time will really tell. Recently, Owen's Kindergarten teacher stepped down as his teacher in order to take on a different job. As a result, the kindergartners are now in the 1st Grade classroom with Ella's class and teache...

As we get ready to embark on year two of homeschooling, I wanted to take some time to reflect on our first year and the journey to homeschooling for our family. I wanted to remember our story because I want to share it with our kids, and the best way for me to remember anything these days is to write it down! That 'pregnancy brain' turned into 'mom brain'. Also, I'm a sucker for a good story and sweet details. :) I grew up in a household where we were sent to public school. I rode the school bus. My mom even became a school bus driver when I was in middle school so she could be home with us during the summers. I LOVED school! My grandmother was a school librarian! At one time, I wanted to be a Kindergarten teacher! I would get so excited about going back to school-- meeting my new teacher(s), getting new school supplies, picking out new clothes, and seeing my friends. I was fortunate and had so many great teachers- I can't think of a single teacher who wasn...

Now that today marks one whole year of Knox's life, I thought I would finally publish his birth story that I've been working on and editing for a year now. I think it took me longer to write it because I've had to process his birth and presence in a whole new light given our circumstances before he was born. (Those circumstances are detailed here  and  here.  I thought we might lose Knox, I thought he may not have a chance to learn to eat in the same way his sisters and brother did, I thought his quality of life may be absent, and the list goes on. Anyway, I needed some time to decompress and bask in the joy of Knox's life. My pregnancy with Knox was full of joy, lots of stress, feelings of loneliness, fear of losing our baby shortly after birth, fear of a possible surgery, and so many other emotions I cannot even express in words. Due to not knowing whether or not he would need surgery or if he would make it, I froze in many ways. I couldn't continue prepari...

Hello my friends! In case we haven't spoken since we've added another baby to our family, here's what us Bradleys have been up to as we've adjusted to our new normal. Shortly after Knox was born in June, Brent entered a contest with the new Middletown Chick-fil-a location that would open early July. I caught a glimpse of a fb/Instagram photo contest while Brent was at Target picking up his new, toy Velicoraptor claws. (These claws play an important role in the events leading up to our future.) I sent him a text and told him he should enter since he was close to the Chick-fil-a (the contest involved taking a selfie on their new campus and the most creative pics would win). He used the claws in his pic and ended up winning a VIP experience for two before the restaurant opened. He took Ella on a special Daddy/Daughter date night with a behind the scenes look at all things Chick-fil-a! They sampled most things on the menu and some employees shared different things about t...

For those of you who have been praying and keeping up with any news about Knox, we have an update. We had another ultrasound last Friday, May 15th. The ultrasound tech reassured us that she couldn't see anything wrong other than the stomach being on the smaller side. Once Dr. Weeks came in, he took another look and was able to see the best view of Knox's stomach he's seen since we started this process with the specialists. He told us that if he had seen this view during our first appointment with him, then we would have never come back for any follow up appointments. He stated that every human is different and Knox may just have a different size and shape stomach than others. Dr. Weeks thinks we can go from here with a normal delivery with my own doctor. He went ahead and scheduled an appointment with the neonatologist as a precaution- in the event anything arises after Knox is born. This past Tuesday, we met with a neonatologist and he discussed the different type of t...

On April 28th, we had our specialist ultrasound, and we really don't have any more answers. The ultrasound tech was able to see Knox's stomach, but it is still really small. His stomach was more visible than it has been in previous ultrasounds. Seeing that brought a glimmer of hope. However, Dr. Weeks came in later and let us know that his stomach is still small and it isn't the normal cashew shape they like to see. The doctor  used the word "stumped" and said he doesn't have any more info. He said everything else looks perfect. Usually with esophageal atresia, they would see other signs in addition to the small stomach. For instance, my amniotic fluid levels should be really high as a result of him not being able to swallow, but my levels are normal.  Fortunately, the absence of other markers probably means there is not an underlying genetic issue, but we won't know anything with certainty until Knox is born.  I have been in somewhat of a rut since ...

Not exactly sure where to begin. As some of you know, we are expecting our fourth child who is due June 19th or June 15th, if you ask me. We're expecting a baby boy! He will even things out in the Bradley household. No longer can the girls claim to outnumber the boys. ;) Owen will have his own little buddy. We decided to name our baby boy, Knox Reid Bradley. Knox as a sentimental tribute to Knoxville, the Tennessee city where Brent and I first met and were married. We picked his middle name to go along with his siblings and their middle names also beginning with "R." From the beginning of this pregnancy, I've been a bit more worrisome as to whether everything was alright. I heard of more pregnancies ending in miscarriage than I had at any other point in my life. I also saw a statistic of 1 in 4 conceived babies end in miscarriage. (Not sure if it was accurate or where I saw it, but it scared me as we have 3 healthy babies and expecting the fourth.) Once we finally g...

I know that I've said it before, but I enjoy being pregnant very much- even when I'm running to the bathroom with morning sickness or aching with pain as I'm chasing my other little ones around and playing all day. It is an experience unlike any other. Even though we hadn't planned on becoming pregnant so soon after having Owen, we were thrilled to add another baby to our family. When I first became pregnant with Lana, I had been dealing with lots of anxiety. It was to the point where I was unable to sleep at night. Becoming pregnant made me so exhausted, and it forced me to sleep as soon as I laid my head on my pillow. I prayed to be released of my extreme anxiety, but I didn't know that the answer to my prayers would bring Lana. What a sweet sweet surprise. Lana's birth story begins a bit before her actual due date. I had my routine doctor appointment on Thursday, September 26th and measured at 2 and a half cm. A week later, on October 3rd, I measured 3 cm...