Bathtime Fun!

Got some cute pictures and video of Brody's bath the other night.  He's getting so big and fun!  I'm gonna have to stop bathing him in his tub on the counter because he splashes water everywhere now!

Giggles!

Brody starting laughing!  He was doing it so much, then I went to grab my camera and he stopped.  He was giggling when I'd say momma to him...the second half of the video is boring, but the first half is oh-so-cute!

Saying 'Momma' is fun!

Sorry for all the annoying baby talk...from me, not Brody of course! ;)

3 Months

No doctor visit this month, so I don't have any height and weight stats to report, but I assure you that Brody is getting really big and packing on the pounds!  :)

I'm officially back to work these days, and I was really hoping to post a few more times before I went back, but with the holidays and all, time got away from me.  And now that I'm back to work it seems there are so few hours in the day to get anything done....let alone blogging!  I knew this moment would come, but I really thought I'd be able to post updates more often than I have been.  Oh well...as long as I at least get my monthly post, I suppose I'll be ok with that.  Maybe I'll make it a New Year's resolution...to blog once a week!  Don't keep your fingers crossed though...I am pretty sure I've never stuck to a single NY's resolution in my life.  Ha!

On to Brody's updates for the month...

• Probably the most exciting update is that he is consistently sleeping through the night now.  He had done this a few times last month, but I think it's safe to say that he sleeps through the night every night now.  Whew!   (**note: it is not safe to say after all...I started this blog post on Monday and every night since I wrote this he has gotten up in the middle of the night at least once...guess I jinxed myself!)
• He still hasn't rolled over again yet...but in his defense, I've been really lousy at doing tummy-time with him lately.  And I feel really guilty about it.  New Year's Resolution #2, perhaps?
• Just in the past few weeks we've noticed a big difference in how much Brody talks!  He is always making all kinds of noises now and especially likes to squeal.  Here's a video of what I mean...How cute is this?!  (That is grandma V talking to him).
• Swaddling...umm...Resolution #3??  Still no luck in sleeping at night without  one...I even had to order the next bigger size in the swaddle wraps.  He just seems to love being snuggly wrapped up like a burrito every night.  Jeff and I both say we'd go nuts without our arms free like that, but Brody really loves it...so for now we continue swaddling. 
• On a more positive note...since my last blog post, Brody has slept in his crib at least once everyday for a nap without a swaddle on!  The longest he's stayed for me was about an hour and 15 minutes, but usually I can count on about 45mins to and hour or so.  So, I think hope that night time sleeping without a swaddle is in our near future.  Here's a pic of B taking his morning nap sans swaddle...

• We still do the eat-play-sleep routine every day.  His sleep times are getting shorter and play times longer, so we have a lot of fun these days.  He eats about 5 times a day, every 3 to 4 hours or so. 
• One thing that has changed from the 2 month update post is that I no longer let Brody sleep on his tummy.  Yay for me!  This always made me really nervous, so very shortly after posting that, I stopped doing it.  :)
• Brody loves to suck on his fists!  He really makes some crazy noises while doing this too, it's quite hilarious.  He also tries to put everything in his mouth...toys, burp cloths, pacifier, fingers, anything!  I am sure this will only get worse as he gets older.  Fist sucking picture...

• He also drools a lot!  We gave him a tiny little lick of a peppermint candy cane over Christmas and immediately red drool started running down his chin.  I think he liked it though because he got a huge smile on his face after tasting it.
• He is a very happy baby.  He smiles all the time and really hardly ever cries.  He is super easy-going.  We are able to take him all kinds of places and he does well being passed around at big gatherings with family and friends.  I think he does better than mommy does with this actually... 

Some other things we've been up to...

• Brody took his first "vacation"!  We went to see Aunt Rachel in Ankeny back in December with Aunt Mary.  Brody did great and slept the whole 2.5 hour car ride both there and back.  And he was a champ during our practically all-day shopping trip!  I had to feed him once at the mall, but luckily Jordan Creek has a really nice Nursing room in one of there public restrooms.  It was a private room with a lock on the door, a glider and ottoman, side-table, mirror and low-light lamps.  I was really impressed!  Maybe these are the norm in bigger cities, but I can't say that I know of anything like this in the QC area.  Anyway, I was glad there was somewhere private for me to go.  Unlike the second time I had to feed Brody before heading back to Rachel's house... I fed him in the car!  It worked out ok though because it was really dark out, I have dark tinted windows in the back seat, and the weather was terrible so the parking lot was dead!  :)
• Last week Brody stayed with Grandma V during the day while I was at work. This was really nice for me because I got to check in on them whenever I needed wanted to! And my mom sent me lots of text and picture updates too. This week B started at daycare which was hard for me all over again. I think about him all day long and wonder what he is up to. It's so hard to be productive at work when all you do all day is long to be with your son...:(
• Brody had his first Christmas and met Uncle Chuck and Aunt Randi!  Below are some pics from Christmas.  Everything was great and it was especially awesome to spend time with the fam.  Can't wait to do it again soon...which...
• ...will be in just a couple days!  Brody will be taking his first real vacation in VEGAS!  We are heading there for Chuck and Randi's wedding celebration!  Stay tuned for those details and wish us luck!  Anyone have any tips on flight travel with an infant?

A couple other pictures from the 3 month photo shoot too cute not to share:




I'm SO excited!

Guess who FELL ASLEEP watching the mobile IN HIS CRIB, with NO SWADDLE on, for a NAP, and has been sleeping for 45 MINUTES!?  That's right...my amazing Brody!  :)
Ok, I realize this is no big deal to any of you, but I can't tell you how impressed I am right now.  Hence the blog post about it, hahaha.  For one...Brody RARELY sleeps in his crib for naps.  Night time he is a champ sleeper in there, but I have yet to really master getting him to sleep in the crib for naps.  Two, he also rarely falls asleep on his own (meaning not being held in my arms or the car seat).  He has been getting a bit better at this in the last week or so, but I still consider it a success, none-the-less.  And three...um....NO SWADDLE!!!  I don't ever swaddle him during the day for naps, so that's why I'm so surprised that he is asleep in his crib right now without one.  Despite my numerous attempts, he has yet to sleep without the swaddle at night.  :(  So, I know I shouldn't get too excited, because chances are this won't always happen, but I can't help feeling pure joy and excitement right now!  :)  Yay Brody!

Ok he took a 55 minute nap in his crib, and here are some shots of him after he woke up...

(I have a blanket wrapped around him, but his arms were never tucked in so I don't consider this being swaddled).  :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

I had a great 29th birthday yesterday!  Monday night I got to celebrate with my mom and dad, Brody and Jeff at the Machine Shed for some delicious down home cookin'.  Then yesterday Jeff came home and surprised me in the middle of the day!  It was nice to have him home with me for a few hours like that.  He had to go back to work around 4:30 until 7:00 though, so Brody and I went to dinner with Mary and Owen!  We had some yummy Olive Garden!  Thanks to everyone for celebrating with me!  It was GREAT!  And I'm so GRATEFUL for you all!
So, I'm excited to say that my handsome little prince decided to gift me with a full TEN hours of sleep last night!  Wahoo!!!!  He ate at 8:30 after his bath, went down about 9:45/10:00 and didn't wake up till 8:00 this morning!  Around 6:30 this morning I freaked out a little and had to go check on him, of course.  He has slept almost that long before, but he's always woken up sometime in the night to fuss a little, before going back to sleep.  But last night he didn't wake up once!  At least not that I heard at all.  What a wonderful birthday gift!  Thank you Brody!! :)

Brody on our way to dinner with G'pa and G'ma V:

At Olive Garden with Mary and Owen (Brody was sleeping in the car seat). 

Brody's day-care lady got him this little doggy and he loves it already! 

2 Months

Happy 2 Month birthday, Brody! 
I couldn't decide what picture I liked better, so here's 2!  Of course he wouldn't smile for the camera...  I promise he smiles all the time, but stick a camera in his face and all he does is stare!

At our 2 month well-baby visit on Friday, Brody measured in at 12 lbs 9 oz and 22.75 inches.  That puts his weight in the 89th percentile and his height in the 67th percentile!  Big boy!  His head circumference was in the 73rd percentile too, but I can't remember the actual measurement. 
Updates:

• Brody has officially rolled over from tummy to back.  Although now his favorite thing to do during tummy-time is suck on his fists.  He only ever rolled over that one day, but we still make attempts and practice every day.
• He's really found his voice!  Seems his coo's and gah's are getting louder all the time, and he even surprises himself with this sometimes.
• We're no longer using the sling attachment in his bathtub as he's gotten so big we don't need it anymore.  And it makes bath time much easier because he doesn't slide down as much.  He still really loves bath-time and is starting to splish-splash around in there a lot more.
• Brody still enjoys being swaddled at night, but I'm hoping to try and break this habit soon.  He's almost outgrown the fleece swaddle wrap we have, and the doctor suggested we stop swaddling soon anyway so that he can move his arms freely and suck on his hands to soothe himself, etc.  I'm nervous to start trying because I know he won't sleep as well without it, but...it's for the best.  I'll keep you posted how it goes..
• Brody is actually a super sleeper at night!  He has been sleeping for 6-9 hour stretches pretty consistently now (another reason I'm hesitant to stop swaddling).  We've yet to master a strict bed time, though.  It varies night to night from 8:00-10:00pm, depending on his eating schedule.  I'm really going to try and work on this in the next couple of weeks though since I will be going back to work soon.  But regardless of what time bedtime is, we have a routine of a bath every other night, then pj's and swaddle, Jeff gives him a bottle (of breast milk) while I pump, then he usually falls asleep in Jeff's arms, and off to bed!  We do the bottle/pump at night like that so he gets used to having a bottle and being fed by someone else, so he'll have an easier time at daycare.  Also, it's nice to be able to know exactly how much he has eaten. I think doing this routine has also helped him be a better sleeper at night.  When he nurses, it takes him a lot longer to eat and makes him sleepy and sometimes doze off while eating.  So, I never know how full of a belly he's actually getting.  With the bottle, he guzzles  it down in about 10 minutes, and then we know he's nice and full - which means he'll sleep longer.  :)  For documenting purposes, he is getting a 5 oz bottle at night right now.
• In general things are getting more predictable, which is very nice for me.  We do the eat-play-sleep routine everyday, so it makes it a lot easier to plan out our days.  I'm finally starting to feel more productive now too because of this.  Seems like we are finally figuring each other out!
• I've discovered my little turkey likes to sleep on his tummy.  Eeeek!  I feel so guilty even saying that.  BUT, I never leave him unattended when he naps like this, nor do I let him sleep on his tummy at night.  It's just that he loves to fall asleep on my shoulder, and when I go to lay him down on his back for a nap, he wakes up.  One time I decided to lay him on his tummy...just to see...and he loved it!  Slept for over an hour like that.  So...as much as I hate to admit it, I have been letting him sleep on his tummy for one nap a day.  Which I again, never leave the room so I can keep a close eye on him, but I know it is not recommended, so I'm going to try to work harder on having him sleep on his back for naps.
• Nap-time...unless he's in his car seat, the swing, in my arms, or now on his tummy, he will not sleep on his own.  Ugh....gotta keep working on  this one.  He's still too young to "cry it out", so until then, we'll just keep trying every day.
• He's SO strong! I'm constantly amazed at how well he holds his head up and his arms and legs can really pack a punch. We practice standing on my belly and he seems to really enjoy that.  I also slow dance with him a lot because he loves it!  He holds his head up and stares at me while I dance around the living room.  But, I'm not gonna lie...he also enjoys the Cupid Shuffle at times. :) hahaha

Life with Brody is simply WONDERFUL.  I am seriously dreading the day I have to go back to work, which is fast approaching.  I think I could really enjoy being a stay at home mom.  In fact, thinking about going back to work brings tears to my eyes, so I try not to think about it too much.  Instead I will just enjoy my days at home with my amazing son.  I love you Brody, more than you can ever imagine!

So, having Brody here now really makes me want a nice DSLR camera.  My camera kinda sucks (yes the one I just got this summer), and I'm clearly not very good at photshopping yet!

Still loves his changing table...

Practicing tummy-time...and drooling!  haha 

So precious... 

Bed-time routine.  This is right after his bottle and Gus went and curled up with them.  Love my 3 boys!

Such a perfect little face.  :) 

Posing with Santa at his first Christmas party.  (This was at his future day-care lady's house) 

Love my lil' man... 

Napping on his tummy... 

And in case anyone was wondering how our diaper supply is going...

I'd say we have about 3/4's of what we started with.  Not bad for 2 months!  Wonder how long it'll be before we have to start purchasing diapers ourselves.  How lucky are we?!