This kid is giving us a run for our money...

...in fact Jason is researching military schools online right now. We think we can send Brady as young as 6 weeks old.

I'M KIDDING! We love our little troublemaker. We just wish he would play nice.

Today I had a doctor's appointment and a non-stress test to follow up on my blood pressure issues. My bp was fine - still not great, but not too high. During the non-stress test they noticed that Brady wasn't very active and wanted to check it more carefully. They immediately gave me another ultrasound (I've lost count at this point, we have had so many!) and during the ultrasound Brady had 30 minutes to accomplish a few tasks...some kicks or punches, rolling over, and practicing "breathing" by using his diaphragm. He scored a 6 out of 10 which is just not good enough (He's already a "D" student!). They told us we needed to come back and do another non-stress test in the morning at the hospital. In the meantime I needed to count Brady's kicks or fetal movements and call the doctor if the movements were drastically reduced.

All afternoon I barely felt a thing. I tried not to panic but when I came to the point that I hadn't felt even a quiver for almost 2 hours, I decided to call the doctor. They said, "Come in. Now." Then I panicked. Jason was the picture of calm but I know he was sweating it too. We got to the hospital and the nurse immediately hooked me up to the fetal heart rate monitor and right away we heard the wonderful "waw-waw-waw-waw" of his heartbeat. Praise the Lord! We still needed to feel movement, so they hooked me up to the other monitors and we just waited. After about 30 minutes Mr. Sleepyhead came out of dreamland and began punching and kicking with all of his might. It was the best feeling. The doctor stopped by after about an hour of monitoring and said that Brady looked GREAT and I didn't even have to come back in the next day.

So it was a complete false alarm! I kind of felt like an idiot for calling in at all, but the medical staff assured me we did the right thing, and I think it was worth it just for our peace of mind. Now I can sleep soundly tonight. I am still feeling those kicks right now and I've never been more thankful!

Between the high blood pressure, placenta previa, and now the decreased fetal movement...I'm not sure how much else we can handle! We both choose to trust the Lord with this little child and will continue to lift him up in prayer. I'm sure Brady has a few more tricks up his sleeve - he's got six more weeks to mess with us, after all!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all your encouraging support and prayers! I can't tell you what it means to have so many people praying for us.

And now, one more thing...Happy Birthday to my husband, who turns 33 tomorrow (the 28th)!!!