4 months

I decided to write Brayden a letter like I have seen other bloggers do.  Written 8/8/2013.

Dear Brayden,
You are four months old. I can't imagine my life without you. I am so honored to be your mom.  Every night when I check on you in your crib while you are sleeping multiple times, I have to stop myself from picking you up to just hold you. You are growing way to fast for me. I get sad when I have to pack away clothes that you have out grown.  You are so much fun and so interactive.  You like to look in the mirror and talk to the baby there. You like to chew on anything especially your fist. You try to get the person holding you's finger in your mouth and you got poppop's today. Which shocked him. You like to coo a lot.  Sometimes it seems like you have a story to tell and you just keep going. A few weeks ago, the jeopardy teen tournament was on and you were staring intently at the tv and had a lot of cooing. I thought it was funny, so you would look at me smile and then stare intently again at jeopardy.  You love to lay on the floor on your gym mat and kick, coo, etc.  you get upset when the bars that hold the toys over you get in your way as you scoot and roll around. You roll on your side and try to get to your belly but that arm gets in your way.  The first time you rolled over was in the beginning of July at 3 months. When you did it the first time, you just laid there silent like you were trying to figure out what happened.  When I put you back on your back, you did it again and cried.  Almost like you were scared.  You didn't roll over completely again for three or four weeks. Now you do it a lot but that arm is a pain.  You love baths and move around a lot on your bath chair.  You love to lay on the changing table before and after bath with just your diaper waiting for belly raspberries, smelly feet, and other fun games.  We usually start getting ready for bed around 7 pm and you are usually ready to be in your crib by 8 pm. You sleep almost 12 hours waking around 7:45 or 8:00 am.  You wake up and lay in your crib making noise patiently.  You don't like your diaper changed when you first get up because you just want to eat, so you will fuss at me.   Then we go to my room and you eat. Unless we have an early appointment or something, we hang out on my bed and you entertain me with little games of peek a boo, patty cake, and etc.
You aren't much of a napper.  You take a nap around two hours after you wake up, usually 10 am.  It's usually 45 mins to an hour and the rest of the day it's twenty minute cat naps and maybe one more hour nap.  Most days you take a catnap around 6 pm and then go to bed at 8 pm.  You would probably nap longer if you were held the whole time!  You like to be held, have your pacifier in your mouth, and hide your head in the persons arm to hide the light to fall asleep for a nap.  One day you fell asleep on your mat while playing but not usually.
You just started cereal this week and you seem to like it. You will sit in your high chair for about fifteen minutes and make a big mess while smiling with cereal running down your face!  You go many places with me such as shopping, out to restaurants, parks, the beach house, and etc.  I have not taken you on the beach yet because I don't want sand all over you but we have done the inground pool and you seem to like it.
I have been home with you since you were born besides six quick days at the end of the year that you were with aunt Cindy.  Now at the end of the month, I return to work for a whole new school year. I am very sad.  I enjoy our slow pace relaxing time together, now it's going to be busy and limited time together. Our routine/Brayden ran schedule will change drastically, because I will have to start getting you up at 6:30 am.  I will miss your cute, adoring smile and your babbling during the day.  Just thinking about it makes me teary.  Next time we have a long break together will be Christmas and you will be eight months.  Oh time goes way to fast. I tell you everyday that I want to freeze you!
Thank you for being my sweet cuddly boy and bringing so much joy to my life! Love you, Mommy

IUI anniversary

As I lay here in bed at my parents beach cottage holding this sleeping baby boy who I don't want to put down right now, I am reflecting on the fact that a year ago at this time I was driving to the doctor's office! I had the iui done, stopped by my aunts, watched my nephew's baseball game, and went to a pool party beginning the 2ww.   My how much life has changed!  Today, I have the cutest, sweetest, funniest, curious little boy! How wonderful life is with B!  I love beginning his mom!  This past year has been amazing!

I am going to enjoy the day and this week of vacation with a 15 week old who is exploring this new world. He stares and studies everything.  And my how good his hands must taste because he is always sticking them as far as he can in his mouth.  Oh and the drool is so cute!

3 month update

B is so much fun. He discovered his hands and he likes them in his mouth. He will slurp on them. He scrunches up his toes when they are tickled. He thinks its funny if I pretend to eat his toes. Mom mom started it and he waits for it from her.  He is very interactive with smiles to anyone that makes eye contact with him or makes interesting noises or talks to him.  When he gets really excited, he makes a little screeching sound.  He is a lot of fun. He discovered slobbering on the security blanket dog. Sometimes he falls asleep with his arm wrapped around it. So cute!

I don't know his exact weight or length because we don't have an appointment with the ped until August but he is moving out of size two diapers and on to size three.  At two months, 24 inches long and 13lbs 10 oz.  I think his reflux is improving too.

We just returned from July 4th long weekend down the beach.  I didn't take him to the beach or pool. It's so hot and humid on the beach which we have to drive too and I don't like the chlorine level of our pool in our community.  We did go on walks every night after dinner since it was cooler with a nice breeze. Wish we had a breeze at home to walk after dinner!

11weeks

I am still here and occasionally lurking.  Busy busy. And no offense but I like to spend time with my baby. When he sleeps, I usually have a million things to do.

So I went back to work for six days. I was sad when I left him but so busy wrapping up the year and packing that I didn't have time to be sad. He was happy and eating like a champ. We have now been off school for a week and we have been hanging out.  I completed two summer projects and have more to do.  First, I packed up two bags off old clothes and took it to goodwill. Second, I purchased the book crawler app and scanned all my counseling book, so now I have a database of all my books.  There are more to do that packed away at school but the majority are done.  Next I want to work on a PowerPoint that needs updating, a schedule, and shampoo the rugs.  Hope to do that before I go away for the fourth.

Now on the baby front...he is so much fun. He smiles and coos.  He cracks me up.  He is growing like a weed. He is in size 2 diapers and many 3 months clothes are packed away.  He is growing fast and I feel sad about that but I love to see him experience the world and growing.  Gotta go my non napper is up and crying.

6weeks

I can't believe that B is six weeks today.  Time flies.

B facts
-  11 lbs 5 oz on Wednesday at doctors
- he got his second hep b vaccine and he has the cutest cry
- went to field day at work after and he did great
- he sleeps for 4-5 hour blocks at night, we do bath or wash up around 7 or 8 pm then he eats or cat naps and them usually another feeding around 11 pm and he will sleep for that block after
- he has been to my nieces communion, nephews bday party, school, shopping, cousins baby shower and at all, he was very good
- we go to baseball games when the weather is nice to watch my neoce or nephews depending on who is playing
- we went to the beach for springfest and spent the weekend
-His reflux seems to be okay with the meds
- he is starting to interact more and smile a lot
- he coos a lot and its adorable
- he takes cat naps at home and we are working on using the crib for his big afternoon nap
- he prefers to sleep on me

I am sure there is more to share but I need to get somethings done while he s napping. Here is smiles from today!

Rough week

Monday we had a doctors appt to just follow up on growth! B had grown in length and weight was 8 lbs 12.5 oz.  When the doctor came in I was feeding B a bottle.   The dr asked about GER D or reflux. I said I knew what it was but he seemed ok.

By Monday night, my sweet calm baby had started to show signs of discomfort.  I started to document symptoms and we went back to the doctor on wed. So now B is on Prilo$ec.  He doesn't like it and gets angry but it seems to be helping a bit.  I just can't wait for the screaming to stop. It happens when he is sleeping and awake. He throws his head around and arches his back.  It's all very sad and exhausting.

The number of daily visitors has died down and sometimes I miss it! We have been out a lot.  I usually plan outings for right after he eats and he sleeps the whole time!

I thought going to the supermarket would be impossible and my mom offered to watch him but I went when she was at work.  With the carrier in the back of the cart and my coupon binder in the front seat, I had to be very creative with where I stuck stuff but it worked out.

We have a busy weekend with my nieces first holy communion and niece/nephews baseball games.  I am excited for seventy degree weather!

1 week old.....4/14/13

We had our first pediatrician appointment on Monday the 15th. Our dr was away last week and we had a home nurse visit last Thursday.  Brayden left the hospital at 7pounds1ounce.  When we went to the drs, he was 8 pounds 3 ounces.  So I had a breakdown last week and paid for a lactation consultant because he was having latch issues but I guess we didn't really need it. It provided me with piece of mind.  Besides the lactation consultant and pediatrician are both in agreement that I needed an ENT referral to have the frenulum under B's tongue because it is tight. That is why breast feeding is so painful but also it can cause tongue tie later in life.  We will see what the ENT says on Friday.

Statistics at 8 days old
Length 21.5 (95th percentile)
Weight. 8 lbs 3 oz (75th percentile)
Head 37.5 (95 th percentile) -- this is why I need to write a post on the birth story!
My sister in law drove us to the doctors

- lots of visitors, lots of gifts, lots of food delivered, one bad night of B wanting to be up and being fussy, now pretty much he wakes every 3 hrs to eat,  diaper change. And back to the bassinet
-lots of cards from students that are cute and funny