Brady 4 months

Brady,

You are 4 months old!  Sorry I am writing this blog so late, but life has been crazy the last week! 

You are developing quite the personality.  Your new thing this month is to growl like a sick dinosaur.  If you see anyone, you will start making that noise while staring at them.  I think this is your way of telling us something.  You will smile any time you see anyone also.  You are such a happy baby.  You are still quite the mover and will roll everywhere, grab your toes, and just cannot stay still!  You learned how to roll from your tummy to your back and your back to your tummy this month.  You will get on your belly and will push so far up and look around everywhere and then do what looks like a rocking horse.  We really think you will be crawling within the next couple of months.  You are also a hair grabber.  If I am feeding or rocking you, you will grab onto my hair and not let go!  It hurts so bad.  You also started this new thing where you will turn your head towards my face and try to eat my cheek or chin.  It makes me laugh so hard!

You are not sleeping very good.  You will go to bed anytime between 8:30-10:30.  You still wake up at least once in the middle of the night to eat. You are a little social bug and instead of sleeping you just want to practice rolling around or talking to your dad and I.  You are supposed to nap three times a day, or so all the books say.  But, I am lucky if I can get you to take one good nap, sometimes two.  Once you are asleep, sometimes you will wake yourself up because you roll to your tummy and get mad about it.  But, I left you like this the other day and you fell asleep on your stomach!  So, for now on, I will let you sleep however you want little one!

 

 

You still have tummy issues but they are getting better.  Sometimes I think this is why you have a hard time going to sleep because your tummy is trying to settle down and you will either poop, fart, or need to burp again and it interrupts your nap time. 

This week, you started cereal once a day.  You are hilarious!  Since you are such a mover, it is hard to get the spoon to your mouth.  You will try to grab it, try to eat your bib, or will knock the food all over yourself.  Once it makes it to your mouth, you make the funniest face like we are trying to feed you liver.  We knew you were ready to start cereal because you get mad if you are not at the table with us, you watch us eat, and you started staring at our food.  You also started acting like you were still hungry after having milk.  Also, at your 4 month appointment you only weighed a little over 13 pounds, so you hadn't gained very much weight.  You will get the hang of it, and hopefully eventually it helps you sleep through the night.  You are still breastfeeding anywhere from 5-7 times a day. 

You got your 4 month shots this week.  Later that night, your little body got bumps all over it and you developed a fever.  We also found out that you have ezcema and it is mainly on your cheeks and forehead right now.  The pediatrician told me to put Eucerin lotion on you and once I tried it, your face broke out into bright red hives and you rubbed the lotion into your eyes making them puffy and hard to open.  So, after talking to the nurse, she told me to discontinue using.  After you ate cereal last night, you rubbed it on your face, and your face broke out into the itchy bumps again.  We are trying to figure out what to do to help your dry skin and we feel so bad for you.

The older you get, the more you are realizing if we are in the room or not.  You are sometimes content being left alone and sometimes you don't want to be all by yourself.  You have totally fallen in love with your brother and you watch him do everything!  Owen is interacting with you more and brings you toys, gives you hugs and kisses, and has started talking to you.  It is so sweet!

You are still a long boy.  At your dr. appointment, I couldn't hear when they told me how long you were because you were crying since you were hungry.  But, I can tell you that you look a lot longer and are hanging off of your bouncer and are wearing some 6-9 month pants already.  You are long and skinny just like your daddy. 

We love you so much and you bring so much joy to our lives! 

Owen 2 1/2 years!

Owen,

We really cannot believe that you are 2 1/2 years old!  Oh my goodness this CANNOT be possible!  So much has happened in these last 6 months of your life.  Well, we moved to Arkansas in January, you had your 2nd birthday party at Fun City in March, Brady was born in May, you started Mother's Day Out on Wednesdays in August, and now we are moving to a new house in September! 

 

 

 

You are such a sweet boy!  You love to give hugs and kisses and always tell everyone "I love you."  You are also so polite and are always saying please and thank you.  Sometimes you get a really whiny voice and we have to tell you to ask us in a big boy voice.  You love to help us too.  You will help me during the day by bringing me diapers or burp cloths.  You help pick up your toys (after having to be reminded a few times sometimes), and love to help throw things away. 

You are a really smart boy.  You can identify about 15 letters now, red, blue, green, and yellow, you can count to 20 and you will count items by pointing at them one at a time.  You speak in complete sentences and will repeat yourself over and over if your dad or I don't answer you.

Lately, you have started pretending.  You are constantly bringing us medicine, food, drinks, or other random items.  One time you brought me an imaginary man and I pretended to eat it like I always do when you bring me stuff and you got upset at me.  I apparently wasn't listening to you sweetie.  You love to play with your cars and will drive them all over the house.  You also love puzzles and books.  You love to have a story read to you and then will "read" it back to us.  You love to dance and anytime you hear a song whether it is a commercial or in a store, you will start dancing.  You have become really affectionate and will hug stuffed animals, tell them you love them, and give them hugs and kisses. 

You are very busy and are in constant motion.  You love to play outside and to be able to run around to get some energy out.  You also love going to parks, but we have taken a break since it is so hot, but also since you haven't obeyed mommy the last couple of times we have gone.  Lately at the park, you are becoming a lot less scared and are starting to climb more.  We go to the library for story time, Chick fil a to play, Fun City to play, play dates with friends, and MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) where you get to play with friends too.  You also love to swim and have been to the Bentonville pool and the Walmart Fitness Center pool.  You go to the splash pad also, but you have never liked water on your head so you have just started becoming more comfortable going.

You can be honery at times, but for the most part you are very obedient and a good boy.  When you do get in trouble, you either go to timeout or you will get a spanking.  If you get hurt by your toys, you also put them in time out and tell them no no.  You are so funny.

 
You are still in diapers and when we move into our new house, you and I are going to really work on potty training.  You are showing interest, but I think there is so much going on that you just don't want to mess with one more thing.  I don't blame you.

You are still in size 6 shoes, size 2t-3t shirts and 2t shorts and pants.  You are also in size 5 diapers.

 

You still don't have your two year molars in.  You really are a slow teether and always have been.  But, I know those teeth will come out soon and won't bother you anymore.  When you are hurting, we will give you tylenol and will sometimes rub oragel on your gums.

We love you so much Owen and you are such a blessing in our life.  We love you funny personality, gorgeous red hair and blue eyes, your sweet demeanor, analytical brain, and your easy going self. 

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Brady 3 months

Brady,

You are now 3 months old!  Where does the time go?  It seems like you were born only yesterday.  You are such a growing boy and are getting more and more of a personality every day.

You are in size 2 diapers now.  You have stomach issues and I have cut out all dairy, caffeine, spicy foods, garlic, tomato sauce, and greasy foods.  If I eat any one of these things, even by accident, your stomach is messed up all day.  You have a ton of poopy diapers still, we have to burp you for a good 30 minutes to an hour, and you get gas trapped in your little tummy.  I know that as you get older your tummy issues will improve, but for right now we are being patient with you little one because we know it isn't your fault.

Your favorite new thing this month is your bouncer.  You have some hanging animals on it and you LOVE to talk to the raccoon.  You will have a conversation with him for a long time.  You also love to talk to the baby in the mirror.  You have learned to roll to your side, but haven't gone all the way over yet.  I know that will come very soon though because you strain your neck like you are wanting to roll over.  If you are on your tummy, you will kick your legs like you are trying to get somewhere, will lift your head and look around, and will push on your daddy or my hands.  When we are holding you, you will push straight up and try to walk up us, will hold your head up and look around, and drool all over us.  You are quite a drooler and you love to blow bubbles too!

Since you are the second, and you have a crazy two year old brother, you have learned to take at least one nap a day in your car seat.  You have been to the library, the park, birthday parties, playdates, etc. all while napping in your car seat.  You have adjusted pretty well my dear.  You also do not get as much time focused on getting you on a routine as Owen did.  I don't have as much time to devote to that, and I'm sure you will understand one day.  :-).  But, you are pretty consistently taking 3-3 1/2 naps a day and are sleeping anywhere from 8-9 hours a time at night, which mommy is greatly appreciating.  You are wanting to go to sleep now anywhere from 7:30-8:30pm.  We are so glad you are not wanting to stay up until 10ish anymore.  Since you have had tummy problems, it has been harder letting you figure out how to fall asleep on your own, but I know you'll get it. 

We haven't weighed or measured you this month, but you are definitely growing.  You still have the chubbiest cheeks and thighs and are so long.  You have outgrown some of your onesies because you are so long.  You are starting to get pretty heavy too but are still so much fun to cuddle and hold becasue we know you will only be little for so long.

You are down to 5-6 feedings a day and sometimes still want a feeding in the middle of the night.  You are eating about 20-25 minutes at a time.

You love to coo, giggle, and smile and you have the biggest blue eyes that get so huge when the lights change from on to off.  You are such a happy baby and will only fuss if you are really tired, hungry, or when your tummy hurts. You will follow us with your eyes or turn when you hear our voices.  Owen loves to show you his toys and tries to feed you his snacks sometimes.  The other day he tried to feed you a plastic bag.  Don't worry...mommy took it out of your mouth and explained to brother that you don't eat bags. 

We love you so much "bugs".

Brady 2 months

Brady,

You are growing so fast my love!  At your 2 month check up, you weighed in at 12 pounds and measured 24 1/4 inches long!  You are in size 1 diapers and are in 3-6 month clothing.  We love your chunky cheeks, your chunky thighs, and your fat tummy!  You are filling out!

You are eating 8 times a day every 2-3 hours.  You like to cluster feed right before you go to sleep every 2 hours.  You are a good eater and you usually finish between 25-30 minutes. 

We have started you on a routine where you eat, are awake, and then take a nap.  You do so great with this routine, except at night time!  At this age, your brother would fall asleep at 8ish and you want to stay up until 10-10:30 no matter how hard we try!  We think you will be our night owl and your big brother is our early bird. 

You have started cooing, smiling so much, and even giggled this month!  You love to follow people with your eyes and to find the person you hear talking.  You are such a sweetie and are so fun to have a conversation with. 

You are such a mover!  You were quite the little gymnast in mommy's tummy and you have continued since birth!  When we put you on your tummy, you can already lift your head up and you look like a rocking horse with your feet in the air.  While on your back, you kick so much that it is impossible to keep a blanket on you, which isn't a big deal right now since it is so hot outisde!

You have begun liking your baths this month.  You could be in the worst mood and then right when we put you in the water, you instantly get calm and start looking around.  It is so cute. 

Something else that we are noticing about you is you get really bad gas.  You don't burp easily, get so mad when you have to fart, spit up a lot, and you have had quite a few poop explosions.  Lately, you and I have gone through quite a few outfit changes.  We think this may be one of the reasons you have a hard time going to sleep sometimes.  I know the older you get, the better your stomach will get at handling what's being fed into it. 

This month, you got to meet mommy's Grandma Emily and my Aunt Marlene and Uncle John.  They loved getting to hold you.

You have such a sweet demeanor and really only cry if you are hungry, tired, or gassy.  We all love you so much, including your big brother who loves to give you hugs and kisses.  You are such an amazing addition to our family and we can't wait to watch you grow every day!

Brady 1 month

Brady,

You are a month old!  Oh my goodness, the time has flown by.  You have blessed our lives beyond belief and we love having you in our family.  You are such a calm and down to earth little guy, and you are a big boy!  At your one month appointment you weighed 9 pthus ounds 10 ounces (50th percentile), measured 23 inches long (90th percentile), and your head is in the 75th percentile. You have gotten chunkier this month and have chunky thighs, cheeks, tummy, and a double chin.

Just this week you have started smiling at your dad and I.  You had smiled for other people before, but not us.  It brings us so much joy to know that you recognize us.  I will get a picture of you smiling, but you do it so quickly it is so hard to capture right now. You also recognize our voices ans will try to find us with your eyes. You will lift your headup when being held, but it gets too heavy for you and it will plop back down. You also try to stand up or climb while being held or crawl while on your tummy, which makes sense because of how much you moved in mommys tummy. You also love to be held, talked to, and swaddled.

You were born with goldish hair, but recently your hair has started looking a lot redder.  So, it looks like we will have two red head boys.  Who would have ever thought that your blonde haired mom and your brown haired dad would have two red heads? 

You usually sleep for two four hour stretches at night, but you have gone a few nights of five or six hours.  You eat about eight times a day and you usually finish in about 30 minutes.  You usually have to poop while you are eating, so that prolongs it.  You make the funniest gas faces too.

You have recently started putting yourself on a little routine.  You will eat, then stay awake a little bit, then will take a nap.  You get fussy at night anywhere between 6:30-8:30.  Your daddy likes to hold you during your fussy time to give me a break and he will talk to you or rock you.  The only other times you get fussy is if when you get a bath or if you are really tired or hungry. 

You like to suck pacifiers.  You don't suck them all the time, but you like to when you are trying to go to sleep, then you will spit it out right when your eyes start to close.  You also like to suck your hand.  Your daddy tells you that you think your hand is an ice cream cone. 

Just this week, I started pumping to get you used to taking a bottle.  You got your first bottle on Saturday, June 23rd and you took it like you have always drank from a bottle.  I know that your daddy loved feeding you too because he has never gotten to since I am breastfeeding you all the time.

You love to watch your brother Owen.  He is loud and busy and you always try to watch him with your eyes.  He loves to kiss and hug you and to tell you "it's ok" when you are crying.  He is mommy's big helper and he loves you so much.  He calls you "Dray".

You had to go to the hospital on Sunday June 10th because you had a high fever and diarrhea.  We thought we would just be taking you to the ER and they would give you tylenol and send you home.  But, because you were so little and young, they wanted to admit you.  It was so hard for mommy and daddy to watch you go through all of the tests and to see you hooked up to monitors.  You got better, and you got to go home on Tuesday morning. 

We love you so much and love to see how your personality develops. You bring so much joy to our lives and we love having you here.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Brady Birth Story

On Thursday, May 17th, we had our weekly Dr. appointment.  I was 38 1/2 weeks pregnant at this appointment.  I was already effaced to a 4 and had been 75% effaced for the last three weeks.  We talked with our Dr. at this appointment about how you were measuring a week ahead, the progress my body was already making, and about how easy induction would be if I decided I was ready to have you.  So, your daddy and I (especially me) decided that we were ready to have you!  We scheduled your induction for Monday, May 21st, which was exactly a week before your due date.  On Sunday, May 20th, we met Mawmaw and Pawpaw at Cracker Barrel to drop off Owen.  We were scheduled to start induction at 5:30am, so we got up extremely early and got to the hospital at 5:20.  It took a while for checking in after we had to wait behind other patients checking in.  We got up to our room a little after 6, and they started an IV.  I was hooked up to the monitors and noticed I had 2 contractions on my own and pitocin hadn't even been started yet.  So Brady, I think you would have been born on your own that week anyways.  Pitocin was started, then my water was broken a little after 7, then we just waited, napped, daddy paced, watched tv, talked on the phone, and waited some more.  I started feeling a little uncomfortable so I decided to get the epidural around 9.  After this, we waited some more.  You were finally ready to be born at 1:23pm.  You weighed 8 pounds and 15 ounces, a whole 2 1/2 pounds bigger than your older brother was.  You were 20.5 inches long and your head was 14 1/4 inches around.  They told me most newborn heads measure about 13 inches. 

You had a lot of visitors come to see you and everyone commented about how laid back you already were.  You picked up eating pretty easily, although you wanted to sleep a lot too and I had to wake you up for several feedings to make sure you were getting enough.  I can't believe how much you look like your daddy, and a lot of your newborn pictures look like Owen.  You can definitely tell you are brothers.  We already love you so much our sweet little Brady and it is amazing how quickly you have become a part of this family. 

Baby Brady is coming!

Brady,

This is the last weekend that you will be in my belly!!!  You are measuring a week ahead, I am huge and uncomfortable, I am making a lot of progress (I'll spare you the details), and all in all you are big enough and ready to be born.  So, your birthday has been scheduled for Monday, May 21st.  We can't wait to meet you!!!!  This is our last weekend as a family of three and we can't wait to become a family of four.  We have been talking to Owen about your arrival, but I don't think he will fully grasp that you are coming until you are actually here little one.  We can't wait to see what you look like, what your personality is like, and to watch you and Owen bond as brothers.  We already love you and are so excited for you to join our family. 

Love,

Daddy, Mommy, and Owen