Category: Brady John

Brady John

Brady John: Mr. Particular

Becca Schmitz4 Comments

If there’s one way that Brady was not like his daddy, it was in his particularities.  Jeff is pretty chill about most things.  And I’m particular, so we can say that this is probably my contribution to our little man.  Sorry, little buddy.

Once again, I’m so grateful that we had the amazing nurses that we did.  They spent so much time with him, and always filled me in on the funny and particular things they noticed about Brady.  I remember coming in one morning for my normal visit, and getting a rundown immediately from Diane on Brady’s most recent likes and dislikes.

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Brady John

Brady John: Just Like Daddy

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It’s amazing how a baby can show so much personality when they are only days old.  Not only did Brady show us his awesome little personality right away, he also showed us which parent he took after right away.  That’s right, his daddy.

I hear women complain all the time about how they carried their baby for XX amount of weeks, only to have their child turn out exactly like dad.  I felt the opposite.  I was THRILLED that Brady was just like Jeff.

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Brady John · Life After Loss

The March for Babies

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On Saturday, April 29th, we got to walk in the March for Babies to support the March of Dimes.  My little sister, Christina, had text me a few weeks after Brady passed away, and asked if I would want to do the walk and raise money in honor of Brady this year.  I thought it was a wonderful idea, and a way that we could continue to honor Brady’s memory year after year.

Me and my sister

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Brady John · Life After Loss

The House That Brady Built

Becca Schmitz2 Comments

Many of you know that my husband and I bought a new house right before Brady was born.  Jeff and I hadn’t been looking for a new place at all until we found out we were pregnant.  It became abundantly clear that we needed to move when we started cleaning out the guest bedroom that would’ve been Brady’s room – there just wasn’t enough room for all our stuff.  We had a 2 bedroom townhouse, and it would’ve been busting at the seams.

Because we never would’ve moved if it wasn’t for Brady, I’ve started calling our new home “The House That Brady Built.”  It’s only recently that we have started actually trying to make our house our home, and I’m finding my inspiration through Brady.  The horrific burnt orange accent wall is now a soothing blue.  A collage of Brady photos adorns the upstairs hallway leading to our master bedroom and Brady’s nursery.  And, we have the most perfect cedar chest for Brady’s things.  More on that in a minute.  Just last night, I remarked to my husband that “Brady lives here.” – and I truly feel his presence in our home.

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Brady John · Life After Loss · Pregnancy

Preparing for the Future

Becca Schmitz2 Comments

With everything that happened with my pregnancy with Brady, we had a lot of questions about what future pregnancies would look like, and whether we would be willing to take on the risks associated with any future pregnancies.  We had always been hopeful we could find a way to reduce our risks and still be able to have children in the future.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to make more babies with this stud?

     

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Brady John

Brady John: Our Little Fighter

Becca Schmitz5 Comments

Brady’s second week of life is a bit harder to write about.  While his first week was full of ups, his second week was much more of a roller coaster.  Then, of course, there is the fact that Brady’s second week of life does not have a happy ending.

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Brady John

Brady John: Mr. Popular

Becca Schmitz1 Comment

This is the point in the story that I have to start looking back at journals to make sure I get all the details right.  I thought my life was crazy leading up to Brady’s arrival, but it pales in comparison to how hectic NICU life is.

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Brady John · Pregnancy

Brady John: Happy Birthday!

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Sunday started out like any other day, well, besides being on day 4 of our hospitalization.  Due to my sassiness the night before, and my hesitation at staying longer in the hospital, Dr. Pates had requested that Dr. Wagner round with me first that morning.  Jeff had to leave early that morning to deal with our cable hookup at the new place (#priorities) so my mom had come by to hang out with me.

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Brady John · Pregnancy

Brady John: Two Days of Monitoring, and Then I’m Out, Right?

Becca Schmitz4 Comments

When we last met up, I talked about heading to the hospital for monitoring since the flow to Brady wasn’t looking good all the time.  We’re going to call our little man “Brady” from here on out.  In the last week or so of my pregnancy, Jeff and I had started calling him Brady, since we knew that’s what we wanted to name him.  Friends had cautioned me against this, just in case he didn’t come out looking like the name.  What can I say?  I don’t like following the rules! Continue reading “Brady John: Two Days of Monitoring, and Then I’m Out, Right?” →

Brady John · Pregnancy

Brady John: The Pregnancy

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If I’m going to tell our story, and do it justice, I need to start where it all began.  Jeff and I knew that we wanted to start a family as soon as possible after we got married in May 2016.  After an amazing honeymoon in Jamaica, we came home and “pulled the goalie”.

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