Posted on Thursday 1 July 2010
What a crazy few months it has been. I think Brayden or I took turns trading sickness pretty much for the month of Ma
y and then once we were all better Ray had to have hernia surgery! If you will remember a few years ago he took some not so flattering pics of me when i was in the hospital so I’m going to return the favor haha! Here is my hubs on drugs right before surgery!
We had a great Fathers Day weekend with our families! Brayden got Daddy a mold to make his foot prints for his first Fathers Day to match the handprints he got me for mothers day. He also wrote him a letter complete with pics of all the things he loves about his dad. Happy Fathers Day to my Dad, Eddie, Gleason and of course my hubby Ray. You are a wonderful father and Brayden and I love you.
We spent Saturday of Fathers Day weekend celebrating Ko’s 2nd birthday! Happy Birthday Ko! Also happy Birthday to Sandy & Gleason in June.
Introducing my newest nephew Tylan Brack!
Tylan was born May 20, 2010 at 1:51 p.m. at Johnston Memorial Hospital.
He weighed 8 lbs and was 21 inches long. Mom, baby & Dad did great! Congrats Powers family!
Here are all three of the boys together at Koen’s Birthday party. You guys are in for a lifetime of fun together! What a bunch of cuties! I love you boys!
I don’t have any pics yet, but she’s HITCHED! On June 5th, the Angels helped our Kentucky girl get married to her sweetheart Mark. Congrats Lara & Mark! It was a beautiful wedding on a beautiful day for our beautiful girl. Thanks for letting me be part of your special day.
Last week I was in Athens, GA completing my Third year of Institute. It was a hard week mainly because I missed my sweet boy oh so much, but somehow I 
made it through with lots of pics from Dad & daycare of my little cutie. Only one year left and I will graduate next June as an IOM.
Brayden is becomming a little boy much faster than mommy would like. For a baby who hated tummy time I now cant keep him off of it! He even ends up on his tummy during the night when he is rolling around in his crib. He is becoming more mobile every day and I swear is trying to crawl. He does this army crawl and scoots himself around the floor. He is teething already and has a little white spot poking through on his bottom gums. He laughs, coos and smiles all the time. He started out hating rice cereal but in the past few weeks is like a little bird when you feed him. You can’t get it in there fast enough. Almost as soon as you take the spoon out of his mouth he poops it back open wanting more. I"m cherishing each and every moment I get to spend with my baby who almost isn’t a baby anymore!
It’s been a fun month celebrating births, birthdays, weddings, fathers and family. I am truly blessed by wonderful friends, family and of course my little angel. I hope all of you had a great May & June!
New pics are posted in Brayden Summer, Sickly, Ko & Ty and Fathers Day.
The Momma, Wifey, Auntie, Daughter, Daugther in Law & Bridesmaid Niki
Happy Mothers Day to all the mommys out there. I’ve always known I was blessed to have such a wonderful, caring mother. I’ve only been a mom for 3 months now but it brings tears to my eyes to realize just how many sacrifices she has made for us and just how much she loves us. It’s a hard job and I am so thankful God blessed me with her. I am also blessed to have a wonderful mother-n-law who welcomed me into her family and is a blessing in our life.
B-Ray in his my mom is cooler than yours onesie!
My sweet smiley boy!
Ok so we know it won’t be her last night out.. especially not with this crew, but when someone gets married you just have to call it that or it just isn’t as fun.
Of course I can’t leave the blog without giving you an update on what’s happening in my Bray days. It is hard for me to believe that my little guy is 9 weeks old! He is already growing up too fast. We went for his two month check up last week and he’s a whopping 9.4 lbs! I know some babies are born this size, but its hard to believe my tiny little booger is getting so big. He got his first round of immunizations that day and I think it hurt me to watch him cry like that more than it actually hurt him to get the shots. He cried, I cried and I spent the afternoon hugging and kissing his little face to make the boo boo’s feel better. 
He moved out of mommys room into his nursery a few weeks ago. I did it because i know it’s what’s best for him, but I miss listening to him breath and snore at night. I find myself getting up and going in his room to make sure he’s breathing even though I have the video monitor to reassure me. When I lay him down to sleep I lay there and watch him drift off to and fight sleep every night before I can go to sleep myself. I’m not sure I will be able to stop waking at night even when he no longer does!! Ah maybe one of these days I will get more than 2 or 3 hours of consecutive sleep in a row. It’s been so long since I’ve actually slept like that I’m used to the lack of sleep now!
He loves to watch the animals make circles on his swing mobile. I love watching the wonder in his eyes as he stares at them like how are they doing that..haha!
Last weekend he got plenty of Nana time. She has been sick and it’s was almost a month since she last saw him. So she came over and spent Friday with us and on Saturday we made the trek for his first visit to Nana’s house. His onesie says " that’s it, i’m going to grandmas house"
There he got to meet his cousins Yvette and his little cousin Aiden (remember the one who thought I ate my baby at my baby shower..haha) and of course his great Aunt Neda aka Aunt Ne Ne. 
I’m almost 32 years old and I still call my Aunt.. Aunt NeNe..some things never change! He will have to endure the multitude of hold you down (when you get big enough to run away..haha) hugs and kisses Aunt NeNe gives.. it’s a right of passage.. we all went through it B-Ray.. hang in there buddy haha. 
Well this has been an eventful week. Last Friday we celebrated Ray’s birthday. Happy Birthday boo. I love you and this wonderful life we have together with our new family. 
Here’s Bray helping Daddy open his presents. 
We then headed to C-Wood for Braydens first Easter and sunrise service. 
Aunt Lara.
Brayden got several Easter baskets from us and his mamaws and papaws. Here he is showing them off. And no he wasn’t afraid of the big bunny.. just really exhausted after a full day of fun, food and family. 
Monday after a LONG wait Les finally arrived.. both momma and B-Ray have been anxiously awaiting her visit. As always we had a blast and racked up some fun Aunt Yessie time. She taught Brayden to stick out his tonight and he is trying his hardest to blow his lips like she does. It’s so very cute. It was nice to relax all week, have my best friend with me to help me do everything from cook dinner, go shopping, change diapers, do laundry, give Bray baths and just hold him when he was fussy. She woke up early in the mornings to take him so I could sleep a little longer, was there to make me laugh constantly and reassure & answer any of my mommy questions. 
Today we headed to Bristol to pick up Aiden and do some shopping before they headed back to NC. Aiden loved meeting Bray. He was so helpful when we were out.. carrying the diaper bag, opening the car for me and of course amusing me with his wit. 
The good news is the tears are only temporary.. hopefully her and the boys will be moving here sometime in the next year. When Les asked Aiden if he was excited to move here where Aunt Nicole and Brayden are he said "oh yes.. i can’t wait.. and i’m going to teach Brayden things and pull him in the wagon!" Gotta love an 8 year olds perspective!
We drove around town while she was here looking at housing, showing her k-town and searching job listings. I cannot wait to have her, Aiden and Hyland just a short drive away instead of 5 hours!!
New pics are posted in the Ray bday, Easter, Brayden and Les visit folders. I’ll leave you with some pics of my happy boy, who now coos, smiles, sticks out his tongue and is getting good at holding his head up and grabbing things! He’s 
definately captured my heart and soul and makes my life worth living!
I hope you had a blessed Easter.
hen I started working out again I realized something had happened to my battery. I could only get about 20 mins of music into my workout before it would die and I would have to finish with no music which isn’t very motivating!
On a side note here is Bray watching his first General Assembly session via live streaming video. We were watching because my good friend Jason announced today that after 14 years he won’t be seeking re-election. Good luck J, I know you will continue to do great things! Thanks for showing me the ropes when I first took this job 6 years ago. 
This past weekend mom & dad (aka Nic & Ray) busted out of the house and went racin with our peeps. I’m thankful for my awesome big brother who LOVES his nephew. Brayden spent the day with Uncle Bub & Aunt Ambra. I think they had as much fun hanging with Bray as Ray and I did getting out of the house and spending some much needed quality time together. 
Nicka got FREE tickets in great seats on the opposite side of the track from the start/finish line for all of us and we met Nick, Chels, Luke and Stu at the track for a day of fun in the sun. The weather was awesome and even though I missed Brayden like crazy and hounded my brother with multiple text messages it was a nice break for me. Dougie sent me pics of Bray throughout the 6 hours I was gone. I left him plenty of bottled breast milk and it was nice for a little while to not be a milk maid ha! 
Luka and I trying to do a crazy eyes McGee pic in the sun..it 
didn’t work and we look like freaks!
I posted two new pics to the Brayden folder. We are working on some family photos and pics for B-Rays birth annoucement. Here is our first family pic. Trust me it took a long time to take. Bray was originally naked until he literally pooped into my hand and all down my jeans..haha! Don’t try to take a 5 week olds pic naked until you are sure he has recently pooped…that’s my advice..ha! Daddy just stood there and laughed at us. Anyway we will eventually get his birth announcement done before he is a year old! 
In case you were flipping through the Sunday the 7th Progress Edition and wondered who took the incredible photo shown in the full page Wellmont ad.. well wonder no more.. it was my amazing photog Ray Ray. For more of Ray’s photos visit 
ooping (keep in mind his diaper was off) as I walked away to get paper towels because it was soaking through his changing pad he started peeing! Lara now with poop on her hands starts shielding the pee from getting everywhere.. haha! It was quite the hot mess and Lara and I laughed until our stomachs hurt! Way to go Aunt Lara.. I love that he is breaking you in. He only does that to people he loves! You need to go ahead now and start writing your "Aunt Lara & Brayden’s adventures in babysitting memoirs" because I have a feeling there will be more funny stories ahead!
Vinay was in town for another visit to the Austin Inn, so last night we all took Mr. B-Ray out to dinner for the first time. Isn’t he just the cutest in his St. Patty’s get up!
I just cannot believe it’s been a month since my little Ray of sunshine arrived. He has changed me and my outlook on life in wonderful ways that I have no words to describe. I thought I would take a few moments in this blog to share with you some photos of the past month.
After being sick for what felt like forever, he FINALLY got to meet his crazy aunt Lara.. aka the one who "soothes" him. Hahah.. that’s what she said because everytime she went to feel my belly Brayden would stop moving! She only got to feel him a few times while I was preggo even though we probably spent more time together than anyone. but he’s here now and will see his Aunt Lara ALL the time.. yay! 
His first crazy eyes pic with Unc Luka.. the boy is a natural..haha.. seriously only my child would appropriately give the crazy eyes look on cue. 
His first meeting with Auntie Emmeline. She’s telling him about all her bridesmaid duties when she was the Matron of Honor in my wedding and how much fun we used to have.. oh how i miss you Emmie.. move to Kingsport so it can be like the old days..ha! BTW he is yawning not yelling.. he is actually pretty good.. hardly ever cries.. shew let’s hope it stays that way. 
I like to call this one.. three men and a baby! Need I say more. How many grown men does it take to change a diaper anyway! He already has these three wrapped completely around his tiny little fingers!
Kicking it with dad & smo
A frequent guest at the Austin Inn here is his first meeting with the loud and loveable Unc Nay Nay. It may take B-Ray a few times to get used to the noise!
Brayden has a very strong suck instinct and will latch on to almost anything. He had this toy from Aunt Sheryl in the swing with him ..he gave it an odd look, turned and opened his mouth and latched on. I laughed out loud watching this it was like.. hrm.. hello friend.. let me see if i can eat you hahaha!
Look he has crazy hair like Aunt Wendy..well most likely more like my dad but this pic is funny either way!
Auntie Sheryl.. telling him about "dance to live" and all the fun times she’s had with his momma.
Sister, why are you yelling at my baby? Haha.. just kidding.. she was actually singing to him or talking one, but it looks like a full on yell!
And in a few short months Brayden will become a big cousin himself! Michelles baby boy will be here in May… babies babies and more babies. What will Sandy and Gleason do with all these little boys?
Whatchu talkin bout Uncle Tim??? I love that Brayden often gives people the stink eye.. i think he takes this after his momma!
Since I’m breastfeeding I was the only one for the first few weeks that could feed him. We are slowly introducing him to a bottle of my milk to get him ready for daycare and for when I just need a break. This was his very first bottle and the first time his daddy got to feed him. He took right to it, my boy is an eater!
He loves to stare at PaPaw Eddies orange hat. Of course mom and Eddie continously fight over who gets to hold him while he is awake. It’s turned into a competition. Eddie tries to put him to sleep before handing him over to nana!
Brayden taking a nap in his nursery under surveillance! You know Ray would have to have this.. within a week of his birth it was delivered to our door. It’s a video montior. Forget the simple ones that have sound… Bray’s crib is wired with a camera so we can watch his every move! It’s portable and has sound so you can take it from room to room and at night we simply leave it plugged into the tv and see if he really needs me or if he is just fussing himself back to sleep. Pretty awesome huh.. yeah I know my husband is pretty amazing!
All the way in from Charlotte, NC here is Bray hanging out with Aligator! Of course this pic made another special person in NC jealous because she hasn’t made her trip in to see him yet.. that would be Aunt Yessie (aka Les Lou). No worries though Les has patiently waited until things calmed down so she could come in and spend and entire week with us.. yay! I can’t wait until you get here in a few weeks Les!
All the kiddos love their new playmate Brayden. Nick & Chels brought Harper by to see him and she would just smile and touch him. Dave and Carrie also brought Mr. Wesley up to meet his new buddy and neighbor. 
Speaking of Auntie Carrie.. she knitted him the cutest hat to wear when it’s cold! He loves it and your chicken spagetti (ok so maybe it’s me that loves the spagetti.. but I bet he will too!)
As most of you know my best friend Linsey & I were pregnant at the same time, but she was 3 weeks behind me. However in typical Linsey & Nicole fashion we ended up having our little boys on the same day. Ray sent Jeremy a message that morning to let Linz know I was in labor and delivery. A few hours later Jeremy sent one back that said Linz was headed to L & D. Jeremy sent Ray a message that said linz was dialated to 5 and Ray sent back a picture of our little Brayden. A few hours later Ashton arrived. Our boys are going to be lifelong friends anyway.. but now they will have another bond and share a birthday. Welcome to the world Ashton William Allenbaugh. 
Brayden Ray Austin was born at noon on Valentines Day and it’s the best Valentine I’ve ever received.. he came straight from God to bless my life forever. He weighed 5.13 ounces and is the sweetest face I’ve ever seen. I get it now mommies. I never understood what all of you meant before when you said its something you have to experience to understand. The moment I saw his little face I knew that I would do anything to protect him, fight a grizzly bear or give my own life to make sure that he is safe. I never knew that I could love someone so much until now. Its a beautiful and terrifying experience. I worry about the craziest things.. like my newborn will somehow figure out how to roll over and tumble off his boppy to the floor or that he will suffocate in his sleep because his pacifer is too big for his tiny face. His first night home I found myself standing over his bassinet watching him sleep making sure that he was breathing. 
l mom & dad finished watching Pretty Woman at 11:30 Sat night. As the credits were rolling my back (which has hurt throughout my preg) started hurting really bad. Shortly after came my first contraction. After a few of those, Ray and I knew it was the real deal. So what did we do you might ask? Well Ray vacuumed while I did the dishes and we straightened our house..haha we both then took showers. When the pain became too much to deal with and when they were coming 6 mins apart we headed for the hospital at 3 in the morning. 
OUCH) he had to break through the tissue to allow me to dialate and then break my water. Once he did I immediatly dialated to 4. 
down in the bed. I was told that if he didn’t perk back up we would have to do a csection. About 30 mins before i started pushing the drugs finally kicked in fully. So for 10 and a half hours i felt part or all of my labor! UGH.. advice.. pay attention to the breathing exercises…it may be a while before you get good drugs! I will spare you from here.. a few times we were told if he didn’t progress he would have to come out surgically. He was face up which isn’t a good thing so it was harder for him to make his exit. I pushed for an hour and a half and he finally arrived at noon on the dot. It truly is like running a marathon. You dont really get a lot of rests in between and hands down was the hardest thing ive ever done. However thankfully all the aerobics paid off. At one point the labor nurse asked Ray if i was an athlete because my blood pressure was lower after all that than most peoples is on a regualar basis! So all you future mommy’s workout.. you will need it! it was an exhausting night.. Ray and I were up for over 40 consecutive hours and since haven’t had a whole lot of sleep.
He was welcomed into the world 30 mins after arrival by our family who unbeknownst to us were right outside the door the whole time. Since i was the only woman in labor they let our fam stand outside. Mom and Ray were in the room with me to see his birth, but the rest of the fam got to hear his first cries too as he made his big debut. It takes a little while to do all the stuff after he is born. So about 30 mins after the birth we heard my brothers voice say "Ray Austin.. all i know is someone better produce that baby or a pic of that baby or we are coming in!" So they got us ready and opened the door and my dad, Kitty, Dougie, Ambra, Eddie, Sandy, Gleason, Michelle, Tim & Koen all joined me, mom and Ray in the delivery room to meet our little joy for the first time. 
I have never seen my family be so over the moon for someone as they are for Brayden. 
I would like to take a minute to brag on Ray. He truly is an amazing daddy. He gets up with me in the middle of the night to do diaper changes and burping after I feed him and he was absolutely wonderful during labor and delivery. I was no picnic during my preganacy but luckily i have a wonderful husband who overlooks my flaws and loves me anyway. He has loved me when I was a hormonal crazy pregnant lady who cried at the drop of a hat, he loved me and told me I was beautiful even when I knew it wasn’t true especially in those final weeks when my face, neck, hands, legs and ankles became a swollen mess and I was so huge I had to roll out of bed and he gave me comfort, stood by my bedside and looked at me like there wasn’t another woman in this world the night I went into labor when I was worried, scared and in terrible pain. He is an amazing dad and husband and I am so very blessed to be his wife. 
And we are both very blessed with Brayden who is a great baby. He smiles all the time.. and its so cute because it’s all gums! He hardly ever cries and will sleep through most of the night if i let him. Most of the time I have to wake him and when he wakes me he doesn’t cry.. he just coos and sings his little hunger song. 
What I do know is that he is VERY VERY loved. He has a long line of mamaws, papaws, great grandma, aunts, uncles and of course all our friends who are his adoptive aunts and uncles who already love him and us like we are family. Thanks to everyone for your best wishes, flowers, 
texts, phone calls and friendship. Big thanks to my friends and family for the food & supplies. My amazing friends worked out a food schedule and because of you (Wendy & Gerb, Lara & Mark, Amy, Sheryl, Carrie, Chelsea, Neil & Emmeline, Alex, Dad & Dougie, Michelle & Tim, Mom, Sandy & Gleason) I haven’t cooked since we’ve been home. We’ve tried to limit his visitors for the first few weeks to just immediate family and a small group of friends because his immune system isn’t yet developed and im terrified of him catching something. And it wears him and me out when he has too many visitors at once. So if you haven’t had a chance to snuggle that cute little face yet be patient with me and I promise you will get to soon. We have had a revolving door of people in the past two weeks and i’m trying to space it out some. But rest assured I love and miss you and you will get to see him soon. 
I am blessed and while I have a feeling motherhood will be the hardest, yet most important thing I will ever do i’m up for the challenge and looking forward to my new role as Brayden’s mom. 
I’ve posted lots of pics in the Brayden’s 1st weeks folder on the website. We hope to do his birth announcement pics soon.