Braelyn in 9 1/2 months and we are 10 weeks pregnant

for those of you who haven't heard, shaun and i are expecting a baby....we are 10 weeks along which puts us due march 5, 2011..we are so excited and couldn't be happier...it is just so amazing seeing our baby on the ultrasound screen, knowing that i have a baby growing inside of me...it is going to be fun to see what this baby looks like...shaun and i couldn't be more excited about this journey in our life...
on another note, braelyn is now 9 1/2 months old...what a blessing she is...she has been the best baby ever....she is just so sweet and has such a wonderful personality...she is changing daily, and with each change she just gets cuter and cuter....her personality has really started to come out, and she is becoming a little girl, and not so much a baby anymore....
some of the things she is doing now...since the last post, she has had many firsts, which is so exciting..she is now crawling all over the place...she first crawled on june 30, when she was about 8 1/2 months old...and now she is pulling herself up on everything...she is eating lots of solid foods, she is miss independent, and wants to feed herself...we give her lots of pick up foods, cause she likes to do it by herself, love that....
she is babbling like crazy..saying so many things, of course we can't understand them all, but some of the ones that we do understand are ma ma ma, dada, and banana, which is "nana"....she is such happy and easy going baby...we love this little girl to pieces and couldn't be more blessed to have her in our life...not only is she a blessing to us, but to sooooo many other people around her...she just makes you smile when she smiles, cause her smile just lights up her entire face...such a sweet girl...


below i have attached the video of our 10 week ultrasound...so amazing as you can see the baby moving and waving to us on the ultrasound machine, and also some recent pictures of our sweet baby girl, braelyn joy:) enjoy!!!

Braelyn's changing daily

Since the last post, which has only been 15 days, Braelyn has done a few new things....to start out, she is now rolling from her tummy to her back in both directions...i can lay her on the floor in the living room, and she rolls all over it, she is usually on the other side of the room the next time i look at her:) We really have to keep our eyes on her at all times now....she is just a busy body:)

Braelyn has also gotten her first tooth....it popped through this past Friday, so April 23...we didn't even know that she was teething...she has been drooling like a faucet over the past few months, but nothing ever came of it, and she was also waking up in the middle of the night, often 2 times, which is not normal for her....So now looking back, it must have been because her tooth was starting to come through....
She is such a sweetheart....growing and changing daily....she is such a fun little girl....We are really starting to see her personality come out, which is the best...
Braelyn and i are heading to Michigan next week, to visit my family, so that should be fun....Shaun will be joining us too:) Should be a blast..It is Tulip Time, which is a festival that I have celebrated since i was a little kid....so it will be fun to bring Braelyn to it...I will post pictures when we get back...until then...
Melisa

Braelyn is 6 months old

Can you believe it, it has been 6 months since Braelyn was born....she is just the sweetest little girl ever! She has the best disposition, and greatest personality, she is just a go with the flow kind of girl..my parents we hear this past week. Braelyn and I took my mom and dad to Disneyland, and she was such a trooper. We were there from 9am til about 8:30 pm...seemed like every time she fell asleep in the stroller, we would have to take her out to go on another ride, but she didn't care...she usually gave us a big smile when we picked her up, or she continued on sleeping....its so nice that we can take her wherever and whenever, and it doesn't even bother her...what a GOOD baby she is....

Braelyn has had a lot of "first's" since my last blog post (sorry for not blogging sooner)...where to begin..Braelyn is jabbering non-stop...most of the time when she has her fingers in her mouth, she is jabbering...she has also tried rice cereal, baby pears, baby sweet potatoes, baby carrots, baby peas and baby apples.....she is not so sure about this baby food stuff...she makes some very funny faces...in fact a week or so ago, she fell asleep in her high chair while i was cleaning up her food, sweet baby girl.

Braelyn is also loving her jumpy, is one of those exersaucer thing that she can jump in..she would spend hours in it if we let her...she really knows how to jump in it now, and just laughs and giggles while she is in it...

Braelyn has been rolling for her tummy to her back for a few months now, but in just the last week, she has now figured out how to roll from her back to her tummy, so she is really becoming mobile..it won't be long now, and i bet she will be crawling...its just crazy how fast they grow, but so fun watching them grow, cause you know as a parent that you are doing the right thing.....

Another thing Braelyn has mastered is belly laughing...it is just the cutest thing in the world...it is so easy to make her smile, and now to make her laugh is just the greatest...

Overall, Braelyn is just the best thing that has ever happened to Shaun and i, as well as so many other people...she really is a joy in our lives...i just can't imagine life without her...when she wakes up in the morning, she gives you this big grin, and it just makes my day all the better...there is just nothing better than starting your day our with a big smile from your sweet baby girl...we love you Braelyn Joy....i will leave you with some recent pictures of her..enjoy!!!!!

Melisa

Christmas 2009--Braelyn is almost 3 months old!!

Braelyn is almost 3 months old already...where has the time gone...she is such a huge blessing in our life...she is the best baby in the world....she is so happy, and now, as her parents, we are able to figure out her cries....its the best!!! she is really starting to talk to us, and she smiles all the time...she just melts your heart, and she has her daddy, as well as her mommy, wrapped around her little finger....along with all the smiles and talking, she is really starting to hold her head up well...i will post some pictures of our christmas blessing:) enjoy!

melisa

Braelyn Joy is 7 weeks old!!!!

Sorry for not posting sooner, but it's been crazy around the McDougall household:) Braelyn Joy is 7 weeks old already. So hard to believe. Everyone says the time goes by so fast, but i didn't believe them. She is getting so big, you can definately tell she is gaining weight. Her cheeks are really filling out:) She is so cute, and such an amazingly good baby!!! She is now smiling and cooing at us, which really makes parenthood fun because she is starting to respond to us!!! She definately knows when i am in the room, cause when she hears my voice she looks for me and tries to find me:)
She is such a great baby! About a week ago, she started sleeping through the night!!! How nice for her mommy, lol. She usually goes to bed between 9 and 10 pm, and gets up at around 5 for another feeding, and then goes back to bed until about 8am or so. I do have to get up a couple times to put her pacifier back in her mouth, but thats not too bad at all. She has been such a blessing!! She has a such a great deameanor. So easy going, and just goes with the flow, which makes life so much easier. She will be 8 weeks next week, and goes to the doctor on Dec. 18 for her 2 month check-up, and shots, so i will post after that to let you know how much she weighs, and all the statistics from her 2 month appointment....until then, enjoy these pictures of her!!!!

Melisa

She made it!

Melisa and I met Braelyn tonight! We only had about an hour or so tonight with her, but we are hoping for more tomorrow. Everyone is healthy and we are still on track with the adoption! Lots of prayers please!

We will blog more after we get her :)!!!

Braelyn's due date is getting close:)

Well, it's official, Braelyn's room is DONE. I finished it last night. I put the finishing touches up, like her name above her bed, and the flower stickers around the room. It's so hard to believe that the time is getting very close now. We have waited so long for this moment to get here. We can't wait to finally meet her. We have been preparing for her for almost 7 months now, hard to believe. It will be great to finally see what she really looks like, and to be able to hold her in our arms. It is so amazing to think that she could be here in 3 1/2 weeks, that is, as long as she decides to come out on october 12. We are so excited and can not wait. We just continue to pray that everything continues to go smoothly, and that she is healthy. I have posted some pictures of the final touches i have put on her room. ENJOY:) Let me know what you think:)

The next time we blog, there should be pictures of Braelyn Joy:) Looking forward to sharing her with you soon! Until then.........

Melisa

Baby's Name and Nursery

Well, with it being less than 2 months until our baby girl is born, I decided that now would be a good time to fill all of you in on what we have decided to name her...so the moment you have all been watiting for....her name is going to be Braelyn Joy.. Joy is after both my middle name, as well as my mom's middle name...so we will have 3 generations of Joy:) We can't not wait for her to get here....
On another note, my mom was out here July 18-25, and we were able to get the painting done in the nursery....it was great having her out here to help paint the room...the room is going to be so full of love! Along with the painting, Shaun and his dad put up the chair rail last weekend...the room is really coming together. There is just a few more thing that we need to get done in the room, but for the most part, it is almost complete....until next time:)

Melisa

ultrasound pictures of our baby girl!!!!

Sorry it has taken so long to post the pictures of our baby girl....but here they are...the ultrasound pictures of baby girl McDougall!!!! We couldn't be more excited....I (Melisa) just got the bedding in the mail, and just fell in love with it! it's pink and brown, and from Gap, one of my favorite stores, as many of you know....and i have been buying some clothes too. I just can't help myself. There are so many cute clothes out there!!

My mom is coming out July 17-25, and so we are going to be painting the baby's room...i can't wait! Her room is going to be so full of love! I will be sure to post some pictures after we get the babies room all ready...

We are still trying to come up with a name, but we will be sure to post it on here when we have a final name...until then:)

Melisa

Its a Girl!!!

It is so exciting to blog about having a daughter! It is so weird to think that we will have a baby in just a few short months and all that comes with it! Melisa is going to be such an amazing mom and I have to live up to that :)
We are truly going to enjoy this gift that God is giving us and we are so thankful for her! We are leaning towards 2 names....Braelyn Joy or Brianna Joy....what do you think?
We really like both, so Im just not sure!

We will post some pics when we get the CD, but we should see 4D pictures!!! Very exciting!!
Hope everyone is great!

Mother's Day 2009!

This mothers day has a special meaning! We did have a baby this year for about a month, but it sure felt special! I found myself praying for our little one that didn't make it, and also praying for our son/daughter to be that is due in October!!! The birth mom is doing well and she is keeping in touch with Melisa weekly! We will find out the sex of the baby in the next couple of weeks and I will post the big news once we find out!

We sure appreciate all the prayers and well wishes this year! We got a really special note from my cousin to Melisa that was amazing, it really was awesome!

Update!

Sorry it has been so long since I have been on here! Things have been a little crazy! We are moved into our new home and it is great! Melisa is doing a great job making it feel like ours and the baby room is getting set up!
The adoption is coming together, I just mailed out the final documents for the certification in California, so we have to work with our lawyers in MI now to button everything up! So far so good! We are so blessed!
My job is going well, I am getting to know all of my new branches and enjoying it! I am going to start teaching at the University of Phoenix 1 class at a time in late May, I am excited and nervous about the time management issue, but I think I can figure it out....
We just got back from Florida with the Mersman's and had a great time! They have a time share in Orlando and the area was awesome, the weather was great and we really enjoyed the time with Wes and Luanne!
We are leaving on a 7 day Mexico cruise in just about a week, (as if we need another vacation, but Im not complaining!) we are going to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas! It will be a blast!
Hope everyone is doing well, this is our quick update, God Bless!

Closing!!!

We just signed papers on our new place...I guess in California the loan has to be funded before it is officially closed, and we signed later in the day today, so it should be done tomorrow!!! We went into the place today and we are so excited!!! The painters come in on Thursday to remove all wall paper and work on the ceiling then next Monday we have new floors coming!!!

Also, the birth mom emailed today and she is a little earlier in her pregnancy than originally thought....her official due date is October 12!!!! And the heart beat today was 166!!! Please pray for her and the baby!!!

Baby McDougall?

Well....we have gotten word that the birth parents want to give their child to us! It is so amazing how this process has worked so far! God has truly paved a clear path for us and we are walking down it! The baby is due sometime in September and we will know more in a couple of weeks! Thank you all for your prayers we really appreciate it! We are working on getting certified in California for an adoption and I have also found a lawyer in Holland to work with! It is all working out!
I will keep everyone updated on our blog and facebook!

Adoption Update

Well.....Melisa and Leslie brought Caleb, Aubrey and Kylie out to Michigan this week to visit family! Melisa headed to Holland with her family and Leslie is enjoying time with the Storr's! On Thursday evening I found out that my cousin Lindsey spoke with her mom and she had a connection with a young couple in Michigan that are pregnant and were very interested in doing an adoption! Melisa quickly sent our adoption book to the prospective birth parents and they responded quickly that they would love to meet! Needless to say I was not planning on coming to Michigan this week, but once we found out they were interested in meeting us, I bought plane tickets for the next day! I surprised Melisa on Friday night and we met with the couple today! The meeting went well, they seem very educated and seem to know what they are looking for. We don't have a commitment right now, but we are going to start the process and pray that they choose us!
Just wanted to send a quick update and let everyone know what is going on! She is a couple months along and due in September, but that is all we know so far! Please pray that God will show us his path for us!
Hope everyone is good!

Its ours!

We have heard that offer was excepted! We are going to be home owners in Yorba Linda! Melisa and I have lived in 6 places since we have been married and we are planning on this being a much longer term investment!

God really has layed out this path and it has been so clear! We are very thankful for that!

Thanks for all your prayers!

Baby update:

We are going to start trying again next month and keep trying until God blesses us with another! Please keep Melisa in your prayers... :)

Sure hope everyone is doing well!

Found a place!

We just made a final offer on a condo here in Yorba Linda! We are very excited about finally getting in a place that is ours! Melisa is already thinking about changing the floors and the colors in the house, to make it "hers"! I am excited because she really does have great taste!
My job is going well, I am not exactly sure what I will be doing yet, but I am working on a few things during the transition, it is just great to see how many Chase branches we will have out here in just a month! Melisa has already been to Disneyland twice and I am sure with our new annual passes she will be many more times! She has taken her nieces and nephew and will probably do some one on one visits with each of them!
It was 75 yesterday!!!!

"Stimulus"

I don't usually like to get political on this blog, but I have to say I am so disappointed in our government....This so called plan to stimulate the economy is now expensive enough to pay off 90% of the United States mortgages!!!! Is it just me or is this CRAZY!!!! Article, read this and see where some of this money is going....
I am not trying to pick one side or the other, especially since there are democrats and republicans who are voting for it and against it. I am just sick at the amount waste we are putting into this bill! I sure hope this is not going to be the "change" we will see over the next 4 years....

Big moving day....again!

Well, we are having the movers here on Wednesday to pack us and they load on Thursday, we are staying the night in a hotel here in Chicago on Thursday night and then we are off on our 2nd cross country road trip! This time we are heading in West direction! I have to tell you Melisa and I are VERY excited to buy a home and settle down, but I wouldn't change any of our moves! We have met some awesome people and have really enjoyed each of our temporary homes!
We are staying with Robert and Leslie for a few weeks as we find a place to live...hope that comes together soon!
We will get our new address out as soon as we find a place!

A glimpse of paradise!

The other day Melisa opened the front door to find a box sitting there! My Aunt Coila from Hawaii sent us flowers from the Islands! It is so nice to have these up in the house when outside it frigid! It was 10 today and a wopping 10 tomorrow!!! YIKES!
California here we come!
Coi thanks for thinking of us!