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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Four Months

Life at 4+ months....



 Cereal, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots or green beans...



Lots of tummy time and playing on the floor...



I'll probably be crawling any day now...



Laughing at the silly mommy...



Late night parties in the crib with the glow worm...


Lots of sleep!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Drangon & Daddy's Birthday

One of the greatest things about St. Joe; 2 great-grandmas!





Hope everyone had a great Halloween, our little dragon did. The weeks are more than flying by and the holidays are rapidly approaching. I’m counting down the days of school I have left this semester- I see the light! Justin’s birthday is Tuesday and to celebrate, we went to dinner at the Melting Pot Saturday. We had the best French Quarter, Cajun infused dinner and we’re already making plans to go back. I also managed to pull off a surprise party, which I have no pictures of! :O( Justin had no idea and was truly shocked. Thank you to our friends and family who came over and being part of such a super and unforgettable day!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

3 Months Old

Our sweet boy is 3 months old today. I feel redundant, but time is flying! Justin and I are balancing work and school while trying to squeeze in family and friends. Recently we have discussed (too frequently!) the fragility of life. We find ourselves being very grateful for the small things, especially wellness.


Mr. Brennon is getting very big, growing and changing so much every day. His next well-baby checkup isn’t until December, but my guess is that he weighs 16 pounds and is 26 inches long. Brennon is still eating 6 ounces every 3-4 hours a day, but thanks to the increase in his reflux medicine, he’s FINALLY sleeping 5-6 hours at night. It’s amazing, in my analytical mind, to see how many birth order traits, of the “oldest child,” he already embodies. Independence is the frontrunner, but also his desire to move! This child is dying to be independently mobile, which is making it increasingly difficult to snap a photo. I’m afraid he’ll skip crawling and go straight to running! Frustration is the best example of a new emotion from Brennon. For example, when something is out of his reach or he can’t manipulate things into his mouth. Brennon is becoming very curious and much more attentive to his environment. This afternoon was one of the first days he has spent any length of time in his exersaucer. He was working and concentrating so hard, for so long, that he threw up! Busy doesn’t even begin to describe his character. Brennon has also become quite the little babbler! He Skypes, talks to Horton painted on the wall, talks on the phone, talks to his toys, just talks to anyone/thing that will listen. More than anything, he’s just a good baby. Still not so fond of having his clothes changed or falling asleep, but he is perfectly content the rest of the time. Just wanna kiss his squishy little face! :o)

Thinking about how fast the past 3 months have gone, I can’t help but reflect a little. I’ve seen a lot of other bloggers do a List of 10, so here are my 10 Reflections on the past three months;

1. People always told me that we would be doing a lot more laundry; however, no one said that it would be our laundry due to constant clothes changing because of spit ups!

2. I wish I would have known how tired I would be (she says typing at the laptop at 1:33AM).
3. I don’t know how single parents do it. I don’t know how teenage parents do it. I constantly find myself being so thankful for Justin and our partnership.
4. I wish I knew how to describe just the feeling you get from being a parent. The joy, the excitement, the fear and utter horror. If I could just describe it all, I could make millions writing the BEST parenting book ever!

5. I wish I had better prepared myself for the not-so-good/very-bad days. The days where you clip a finger nail too short and hear your child scream in pain, knowing that you caused it, immediately followed by hitting his head on the car seat handle OR, my favorite, visiting family and him all of a sudden letting out the hunger cry and you realize that you brought everything except a bottle or formula or both!

6. This job is hard, and it’s okay for me to say that.

7. I love our families so much and I did before we had Brennon, but now I find myself feeling so lucky and being so sentimental.

8. I NEVER thought I would think or say this, but I miss being pregnant. It’s amazing how quickly you forget all of the bad and the U-G-L-Y that pregnancy offers. Had I known, I would have forced myself to enjoy pregnancy so much more.

9. Having children changes you. It’s hard to not look at the world and all of its ups and downs in a completely different light. Parenting truly makes you be a different person. Brennon has really completed my life.

10. I always thought that being a teacher would be the best, most rewarding and fulfilling job ever. Well, it’s only been 3 months and I already know that I was wrong.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Oh Happy Day!

This picture is from September 18, my friends Sara and Steven got married and we spent our first weekend away from Brennon. Thanks Grandma Bridget for taking care of Lil' B.



Our 2 month checkup was last Thursday and out little man is getting SO big. Brennon weights 14 pounds (90th percentile) and he's 24 inches long (85th percentile). He also had his first experience with immunizations. Oh goodness, Mommy wasn't ready! Brennon actually did really well, but as soon as the nurse pinned his legs down he started screaming. I'm not sure there's anything more difficult than seeing your child in pain- even if it's only for a few seconds. The Ped also increased Brennon's reflux meds, based on his weight and now he's sleeping longer! WAHOO! I've had 5 consecutive hours of sleep 2 nights in a row. On Friday we made the familiar trek to St. Joe to watch part of a LeBlond football game and Aunt ReeRee was nominated for Homecoming queen!






Below are just a few pictures from today. This little boy is SO happy all the time, I thought I would share some JOY!

Should he have a fake smile already?

wait for it...

wait for it....

CHEEEEEEESE!


He's been working VERY hard to use his hands and grab objects.

Monday, September 20, 2010

2 Months; Let's Catch Up!

Our baby is 2 months old today!

I have been meaning to update for awhile, but life keeps politely interrupting and needless to say, we’re as busy as ever! You can see in the photos that we’re becoming quite a diverse sports fan!




Brennon is growing and changing so fast. Our days are filled with smiles, tiny laughs and lots of jabber. We started watching Signing Time last week and he absolutely loves the series, we’ll see how many signs we can pick up before he turns one. He still loves bath time, his swing, car rides, a MAM binky and hates getting dressed. I think our little guy is big and SUPER strong. He’s still eating 6 ounces about every three hours, sometimes sooner. Brennon's fingernails are still a danger to him as well as everyone who hold him and I think we're currently battling some baby acne.We packed up the newborn size clothing a long time ago and it’s a good thing we only had a few 3 months, because we’re already up to 6 months in most clothes and some are getting snug! Brennon constantly holds his head up and currently enjoys sitting and being held in an upright position. Sometimes he even bends his knees and works them in a crawling motion. Yesterday I went in to check on him during a nap and he had rolled himself over onto his stomach! We go for the 2 month check up and first immunizations on Thursday, so weights and measurements to come!





About 2 or 3 weeks ago, when we ventured into the big boy bed, we went and picked up a mobile that a friend of Justin’s recommended. It’s made by Fisher Price and has the standard animals that circle, music, nature sounds and a heartbeat sound, but it also has a projector that projects animal pictures on the dome of the mobile. Brennon has been absolutely spellbound since day one. Even during the day when you can’t see the projector as well, he will lie in his bed and talk, swing his arms and kick his legs at the animals.


On one of Justin’s days off last week we went and picked up an entertainer also made by Fisher Price called the Luv U Zoo (I have a real problem with corporations using “text” spelling on products, especially for children, but that’s another story). He absolutely loves the little gym. It even came with a little elephant shaped pillow that we use to keep him elevated for his reflux. We also picked up a Bumbo chair and his first Halloween costume- It’s a surprise, so don’t even ask! :o)




Buster wants to be Brennon's friend so darn bad! Last week he started paying a lot more attention to Brennon; sleeping in the trundle under the crib, watching and coming closer to him, sniffing him a lot more and giving the occasional lick. In this picture Brennon was under his gym and Buster kept bringing him dog toys, he's a good friend!
 
 
We’re also thinking a lot about Brennon’s buddy Leon. Leon is my mom’s boyfriend and he was in a horrific accident while working in Tennessee on Friday. Every bone in his right leg was broken and he lost a lot of blood while waiting for help. He’s currently in orthopedic ICU at Vanderbilt Hospital, has already been through 2 surgeries and has a long road ahead, but he’s fighting really hard. When I was pregnant, Leon was one of the people most excited to meet Brennon. Leon calls to check on us at least 3 times a week ever since Brennon was born. Keep fighting Leon so you can come home and play very soon!

Monday, August 30, 2010

Almost 6 Weeks

It’s hard to believe how fast babies grow and change. Tomorrow Brennon will be 6 weeks old and already he looks like a different baby. Things are going much more smoothly. His reflux seems to be much more regulated and he has been switched to a completely lactose free formula, without breast milk. Taking him off breast milk completely has really been a weighing issue on my mind, but the fact of the matter is that he’s better without it. Literally.

When we went back to the doctor on Wednesday for a weight check, Brennon weighed 9 pounds and 15 ounces, gaining almost a pound in a week. His demeanor has totally changed since switching to the lactose free formula and his personality is really starting to show. Every night Brennon wakes up between 11PM and 12PM and again between 3AM and 4AM to eat. All Night Long by Lionel Richie frequently runs through my head because he’s SUCH a night owl! He still loves his swing, bath time and just laying in his room and looking at the walls. He’s finally big enough to wear sleepers and has started sleeping in his crib. He really likes to be a big strong boy; when you hold him on your shoulder he lifts his head and looks around and tries to use his knees and feet against you in a crawling motion, on the changing table he squirms and kicks and has almost rolled himself over. He’s also figured out how to fight sleep, which is super fun. Last week he really started trying to mimic mouth movements and began cooing. This morning, at one of our 4AM fiestas, he smiled back at me! Best thing ever!




Uncle Drew, telling us we need to "make it rain."




Cooing and talking away!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Holy Birthdays!

August is a big birthday month in our families;


August 9th, Happy 21st Birthday cousin Greggory!

August 13th, Happy 49th Birthday Grandma Becky!

August 14th, Happy 21st Birthday Aunt Brittany!

August 19th, Happy 53rd Birthday Grandpa Steve!

August 23rd, Happy Birthday Great-Great Uncle Terry!

August 31st, Happy 27th Birthday “Aunt” Candice!

WHEW! I hope we didn’t miss anyone. Thursday we made the familiar trek to St. Joe to celebrate Grandpa Steve’s birthday. Steve is probably the biggest BSer I’ve ever known, but he’s super special and important to us. Thank you for serving the community everyday as a firefighter and for being a great dad. We’ll never be able to thank you for all of the things you’ve done for us. Hope you had an awesome day! We love you!

Happy Birthday!

FINALLY legal!