Punkin

Here are some pictures of our 'lil punkin. Isn't he cute!?!

Exersaucer

Some of my BBC friends were talking about putting their babies in their exercausers. So, I decided to see if Brody was big enough to play in the exercauser I got at a garage sale last summer. He is! He even likes it! He's not really big enough to move around much in it...but it gives him some play time where he's not lying flat on the ground!
He tends to get focused in on one of the toys for awhile! lol

Saturday was Daddy/Brody day. Mike took Brody to town with him while I stayed at home and cleaned house. They went to Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and Orschlens! They were both worn out when they got home :)

I'll post pictures later today of Brody in his pumpkin outfit.

Baby Perfume

I know that Grandmommy, GG, and Sharon are having a hard time waiting until Christmas to get to hold Brody...so I thought I'd tell a story that might make waiting a little easier ;)

Brody does something that's not very pleasant. He spits ups a lot! Mike and I smell like spit up most of the day (meaning all day except for the first 1/2 hour after we've had a shower....I guess Mike probably smells pretty good at work all day since he doesn't get the spit up cologne until after he gets home). Yesterday during Sunday school I took Brody to the nursery to change his diaper. They wanted to keep him in there...so I went on back to class and left him in the capable hands of Christy and Kim. When I went back to pick him up Kim said he'd spit up several times. After church I found Teri holding Brody. She was wisely holding the burp rag too...however Brody decided to turn his head and soak her sweater (it even ran down her pant leg!) Last night was our church's Fall Harvest Party and Brenda held Brody while I ate. Of course he soaked her in his baby perfume. So I think yesterday's count for the number of people Brody spit up on was.....6! It's a good thing he's cute!

Brody Fix

I was wondering why no one had commented on my post from yesterday. I finally went to check my blog and discovered that the post had never uploaded from Picasa. Sorry! I posted some pictures yesterday morning for those of you who check every day for new pics to satisfy your Brody fix ;)

Brody dressed up for work on Friday. He wore his jean jacket and cords. He was all smiles when we got home from work and I asked if he was ready for a photo shoot ;)

I sure hope he's not allergic to having his picture taken!

"Hi Mama. You look kinda funny from that angle!"

This is a picture of Brody at work with me. He was really happy because I'd just nursed him and changed his diaper :)

In other news...Brody has started sucking on his fist. He usually ends up sucking on the pointer finger (you'll notice it glistening in the picture of him sneezing above). Hummm. I wonder if it'll turn into thumb sucking?

I was worried that Brody was gonna wake up really early this morning due to the time change. Just the opposite happened! He slept grrrrrrrreat!!! He slept 9 hours. Yay!!!

The batteries are out of his bouncy seat right now. As he is sitting here in it while I type...he's starting to get fussy. I figured out how to make him stop crying. I bend over the top of the bouncy seat and start singing the songs that it plays (when it has batteries). Keep in mind that it's Baby Einstein...so there are no words...just classical music. If you're laughing picturing me doing this you'll have something in common with my boy :)

Cute Boy

Brody has slept thru the night 3 nights in a row!!! It's wonderful to wake up to your alarm clock (even if it does go off at 3:50 am) and realize that you didn't have to get up with the baby during the night!

This past weekend I was busy studying for yet another accounting test...so Brody and Mike got a lot of father-son time. I don't have much else to blog about right now. I'll just pass along some recent pictures of Brody :)

Brody is ready to go to work on a cold morning. He's in a warm footed sleeper, wearing the camo stocking cap from Mark & Angela, and has a John Deere fleece blanket on top of him!

Brody in his Pooh robe/towel after a bath.

Brody - Future Hunter

Brody at 10 weeks. He kept smiling at me...but the camera was just too slow to catch it :)

Taking pictures really wears a boy out! Last night he didn't play very long before he was sound asleep!

Walking Partner

Last night Mike and I took Brody on a walk. As usual, Remington and Trevor (our dogs) went along with us. However, last night we had a new walking companion. You can see Hank to the left of Mike in the picture below and to the right of me and Trevor in the pic below that. That's right, one of our cats decided that he wanted to go on the walk too. We walked about a mile and he followed along the whole way! He hangs around Remington all the time and we're beginning to think that he thinks he's a dog too!


We went walking at the perfect time. The sun was setting. One of our neighbors, Steve, was out cutting milo. It made a gorgeous picture! 

Be Joyful

This morning Brody woke up crying at 3:00 am. We'd let him cry for a few minutes then go give him his paci. He'd snooze (or at least be quiet) for about 10 minutes and then it would start all over again. To me it is worse for him to wake up at 3 am than midnight because my alarm goes off at 4:00 am. Mike and I were alternating getting up to give him his paci. When I came back to bed the last time I let out a big sigh and complained to Mike about my lack of sleep.

Mike held me tight and said, "I'm thankful that we have a baby...I'm even thankful that he wakes us up in the middle of the night!"

*insert sudden attitude change*

He was so right! Why in the world would I complain? We are so blessed to have a little boy to take care of.

I Thessalonians 5:16 & 18 - "Be joyful always...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Where the Green Grass Grows

Have you ever heard the song by Tim McGraw? It's been our song since we first started dating. In fact...Mike had it playing in the car after he proposed to me :)
Six lanes, tail lights
Red ants marchin' into the night
They disappear to the left and right again
Another supper
From a sack
A 99 cent heart attak
I got a poundin' head and an achin' back
And the camels standin' in a big straw stack

Chorus:
I'm gonna live where the green grass grows
Watch my corn pop up in rows
Every night be tucked in close to you
Raise our kids where the good lord's blessed
Point our rockin' chairs towards the west
And plant our dreams where the peaceful river cools
Where the green grass grows

Well I'm from
A map dot
A stop sign on a blacktop
I caught the first bus that I could hop from there
But all o' this glitter is gettin' dark
There's concreate glowin' in the city park
I don't know who my neighbors are
And there's bars on the corner and bars on my heart
(Repeat Chorus)

Here are some pictures of the new grass that Mike planted around our house. It's so beautiful and peaceful!

 

New Clothes

Julie brought by a box of 3-6 month clothes that Collin has outgrown. I was so excited! Brody can fit in all his 0-3 month clothes widthwise...but they're starting to get a little short lengthwise. Doesn't he look all grown up in this button down shirt?

Saturday night we surprised GG and Sissy with a visit. GG was very excited to get to hold a sleeping Brody. Last time we visited he fussed the whole time!

Sissy watched Brody as he slept.

Namaw (aka. WhatsHerName, aka. WillSheEverDecideOnAGrandmaName?) gave Brody a bath. He really loves baths. Who can blame him? He spits up so much that he smells like sour milk at the end of the day!

 

Sorrow ending with Giggles

This was a very difficult weekend. It was the funeral for Mark and Angela's little girl, Alyiah Grace. We got to TX in time for the visitation on Friday night and got to see sweet little Alyiah. She was so beautiful! She had such tiny features and tons of thick, dark hair!

The funeral on Saturday was an amazing time of praising our Lord and Savior, the author of life! I loved the quote that was on the front of the program:
"Imagine a love so strong that saying hello and goodbye in the same day was worth the sorrow."

Alyiah only had 52 minutes of life on this earth...but Mark and Angela said that 52 minutes was worth the whole nine months! They loved every second they got to spend with their daughter. On the back of the program they wrote a letter to Alyiah:
Our Sweet Alyiah -
We trust and know that you are in the arms of Jesus, but oh how we miss you and long for you to be back in our arms too. We are so thankful that God allowed us to meet you even if for such a short time. We love you far beyond any words could describe. We cannot wait to see and hold you again. You are our priceless treasure.
Love,
Daddy and Mommy

It was a very difficult weekend for everyone. I think I should have purchased stock in klenex before we went to TX! I do have to say that Brody was a champ. I felt like we were in the car from Friday thru Sunday! When I went to take Brody out of his carseat after we got home last night he had the biggest grin on his face! After I got him out he just wanted to cuddle with me. Mike came inside and started to talking to Brody getting him to smile. Then we heard a sound we hadn't heard before from our little boy, a sound that brought joy back into a day of sorrow, we heard....a giggle!

Who decides what's "cool"?

Do you ever long for the days of footed sleepers?

Last night Mike and I had a discussion about why footed sleepers aren't cool for adults to wear. We both were wishing that it would become the latest fashion for adults :) Brody looks so warm and cuddly in his sleepers.

The weather has turned cooler here. In fact it was literally freezing here this morning (32 degrees!) I'm back to living in my fleece and yucky (but comfy) old houseshoes when I'm at home. As I was leaving for work at 4:30 this morning I was thinking to myself, "Staci...I think it's time that you dig out the tub of coats!" That's right....last year I packed up all our coats and put them in a tub in the attic. I didn't have time to search for the tub this morning...so I just froze outside and wished that I'd found the tub last night! (Don't worry, Brody was in a footed sleeper with a warm blanket covering him head to toe!)
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On another note...check out Teri's blog. Wednesday my friend Tina told me about a yellow lab that was being held in the pound at the vet clinic. I went out to see him and he is the sweetest lab (well...besides Remington...he's still the all-time-greatest-lab in my mind ;) The yellow lab was really well behaved and laid back. Tina has been losing sleep because she didn't want them to have to put the lab down! I talked to Mike about taking him and we decided that now was not a good time to get another dog. Neither one of us has time to train him (for hunting)...so....I called Teri! Chris & Teri just happened to be coming to town that day and stopped by the vet's clinic. Check out her website to see how the story ends :)

2 month appointment

Mike called me yesterday and said that he and Dwayne had a chance to get some tickets to the Bronco's game last night. When I heard the message my heart sank because that would mean another night of going to bed without my husband! I was surprised when I found out he was just playing a joke on me and was already home!!!! Brody and I were both so excited to have him home! I was especially excited because that meant he could go with me to Brody's 2 month appointment. I was really dreading it because I knew they'd be giving Brody shots!

Mike went with me to the appointment and held onto Brody's arms while they gave the shots. I sat in the chair beside them trying to hold back my own tears! I can usually handle Brody crying...but that's because I know he's just fussy and everything is ok (ie. clean diaper, not hungry, not cold/hot, etc). I didn't like to hear him cry because he was in pain! He took them like a champ and Mike had him calmed down shortly after the shots were over.

Brody weighed in at 12 lbs. 4 oz. and was 24 1/4" long. He also gained an inch in his head and chest since his 2 wk. appointment. He's in the 90th percentile for his height and 70th percentile for his weight.

Debbie said that he's big enough that I don't need to feed him if he wakes up during the night. Instead we just need to help him learn how to fall back asleep when he wakes up. Last night he slept thru the night. I'd like to think it was due to me allowing him to cry it out on Sunday night...but I have a feeling it's just a side effect of the shots.

I'll try to get a picture of this later...but last night we moved Brody from the bassinet to the pack-n-play (we're having trouble getting a crib...looooong story). He was getting way to big for the bassinet. We could hear thumping during the night from him hitting his feet or hands on the side of the bassinet as he moved about. I think sleeping in the bigger bed makes him look small again :)

Just so that you don't think this is a boring post (b/c pictureless posts are always boring)...here's a picture of Brody meditating before bed ;)

All Alone...kind of

This weekend was kinda lonely. Yes I had Brody, Remington (the lab), Trevor (the yorkie), and the cats (Tex, Hank, & Buster) to keep me company...but none of them talk! Brody makes noises, but I can't have a conversation with him. It's all one sided!

Mike went to CO with Dwayne to work on Dwayne's parents' log cabin. They left Friday morning and will be coming back today!!!! It sounds like they worked hard Friday and Saturday. Yesterday Ben Little met them for a hike up to a lake near treeline to fish. Mike sent me the picture below.

I emailed the picture to Rene and we're not sure who's in the picture. I don't think it's Mike, so it's probably either Ben or Dwayne. I think Mike sent me the picture to make me jealous. Can you believe they got to hike in the snow!!! So fun!

Brody and I tried to stay busy this weekend too. Saturday we got up early and went to Hutch to get an oil change and run errands. We also went to the park and went for a long walk and even walked thru the free Zoo at the park! It was a beautiful day and fun to spend time outside with my little boy.

Since I don't like staying at home by myself (without Mike there as my protector)...I let Remy come inside at night to protect me :) I'm definately ready for Mike to get home. He smells a lot better next to me in bed than Remington does!!!

Sleep and Food

Last night Brody had his very first bottle.

I've been feeding Brody at 8:30 pm and then again right before I leave for work at 4:30 am. One night he slept all the way until 4:30 am...but other nights he's woken up during the night to eat. Last night Mike offered to get up with him if he woke up during the night so that I could get some sleep. So I pumped 5 oz and had the bottle ready to go in the fridge. I had NO CLUE how much Brody would eat (since he's never had a bottle and I don't have oz measurements on my body to know what he's eating! lol!) I emailed Julie and RaeAnn to ask how we were supposed to heat it up (I'd read somewhere that you shouldn't microwave breastmilk). Finally I felt ready for bed.

Brody woke up at 1:15 am and Mike got up with him. He tired giving him his paci first and tried to just get him to go back to sleep...but it didn't work. Finally he ended up feeding him and he ate 4.5 oz. Mike said he took the bottle just fine (once he figured out that I'd put the lid on wrong and that's why nothing was coming out! lol!) I think Mike enjoyed getting to bond with Brody while feeding him :)

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On another note...I got an AWESOME email today! Paula (seen below holding Brody) is an amazing chef. I heard that she'd given Ann a cd containing some of her recipes so I asked if I could have some. She sent me 34 of her recipes this morning! I was reading them at 6:30 am and salivating at the mouth! I can't wait to get home and try one of them out! I think I'm gonna make Deviled Swiss Steak tonight. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm!

Goin' for a Ride

Mike worked on the yard a lot on Saturday. He watered all the new grass that he planted around the house. He also transplanted some trees from our "tree nursery" and lined the drive with them! It was a nice evening....warm but not too hot. Brody and I went outside to watch Mike and Brody ended up getting to go for a ride on our lawn tractor with Mike! Mike took him down the front drive, down the road to the back drive, and up the back drive!

How many 7 week olds have enough hair to get the windblown hair look?!?!?

As you all know...Monday was my first day back at work. This is a picture of Brody luvin' on Mike after he got home on Monday.

This is Brody's 7 week football picture :) Yes he's growing...but he still looks little when you put the football beside him!

 

Crying Rules

Brody had a fussy night last Friday. Mike took him outside and pushed him around in the stroller as he worked on the yard. I guess Brody cried most of the time they were out there.
Mike said that he finally stopped and had a talk with Brody. After their talk...Brody stopped crying! I asked what he said to Brody and he told me that he told Brody, "There are only 3 reasons you're allowed to cry!

1. If you break a bone.
2. If Momma's upset.
3. If the Broncos lose."

Ever since then...anytime Brody starts to cry Mike goes thru the list. "Did you break a bone? Is Momma upset? The Broncos aren't playing so I know that's not the problem! See...there's no reason to be upset!" LOL!

Brody is starting to follow everything so much better with his eyes. He was really watching Mike as he got a bath the other night. He LOVES his baths. I don't think I'll be able to keep this little tub in the kitchen sink much longer. He's started kicking his feet and making LOTS of splashes during his bath. It's so much fun!!!

On the work front...last night I fed Brody at 8:30 pm and then put him to bed. I was in bed by 9:00 pm. My alarm went off at 3:55 am this morning and I realized that I hadn't been up yet to feed him! He slept until I woke him up at 4:30 am to feed him before I put him in the carseat to come to work! Yay! That's 8 hours between feedings and 7 straight hours of sleep for me :)

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We want to wish a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our brother-in-law Mark! (I got the date right this year ;) Last year I got it in my head that his birthday was the 23rd of September. They thought it odd that we sent a birthday present almost 2 weeks before his birthday! lol! I guess that's better than 2 weeks late :)

On the Job

I'm back! Back to work, back to getting up early (on purpose), and back to going to bed insanely early! My body had a little trouble getting used to going to bed early. Last night I lay in bed tossing and turning for over an hour.

For the past week or so I've been feeding Brody for the last time at 8:30 pm and then putting him in his bed for the night. Usually he wakes up between 3:30 and 4:00 am to eat again. That's a pretty good stretch for a 7 week old! Well...he must have gotten the memo that work started today because last night he was up at 2:00 am. Ugh! He did well coming into work this morning. I fed him right before I left for work and he fell asleep in the car on the way here. Once I got here, I took him out of his carseat and put him in the playpen. He's now sound asleep again! Yay!

I'm not just back at my desk today...I'm also back to teaching aerobics. I hear that there is a younger crowd coming to the morning aerobics class. That means that I have to make the class more challenging! I'm sure you'll hear tomorrow about how sore I am ;)

I'm off to do some work.