Two months!

Dear Brooke,

Yesterday was your two months birthday.  I can’t believe that  two months have already flown by.  I go back to work in just a week and a half which makes me a little sad.  I just love being with you, but I know you will be in the best hands while I am at work (your Daddy!). 

You have graduated from the newborn clothes and are wearing 0-3 month now.  You are still in a size 1 diaper, but I think we will probably move to size 2 before you turn 3 months. 

You are still doing great with breastfeeding.  We survived the dreaded six week growth spurt.  You are not crazy about a bottle yet, but you will take one, begrudgingly.  Your dad and I are relieved that you will at least take one, because it will make me going back to work much easier.

You are getting better at sleeping.  I can usually count on at least one four hour stretch, but that will sometimes be as long as six hours.  Your napping pattern is starting to be a bit more predictable which is helping me gain a little more sanity.

You are one smiley baby!  I just love when I go to get you out of bed from a nap and you beam at me with your gummy grin.  You also do that when you are done nursing and have a full tummy.

You are such a sweet and easy going girl (unless you are hungry).  We love you so much and are having so much fun with you.  We are so happy to have you as a part of your family.

Love, Mommy

First Day of School

 

Mikayla started first grade today!  I absolutely can not believe how big she is getting.  It is going way too fast!  She has had mixed feelings about going back to school.  She is excited to see her old friends, make new ones and get to know her new teacher,  Mrs. Tenuto.  However, she keeps saying how much she will miss being at home and spending time with her family.  I tend to agree!  I am excited for her to learn and discover new things, but man, I miss that girl and her infectious smile!!

She looks like she is ready to conquer the world!  I am so glad that she has so much confidence.  I know that she will have a great day….I can’t wait to hear about it!

Blessing Day

On, Sunday, August 7th, Brooke was blessed at our church by my dad.  She kept up with the tradition of her sister and brother and was a complete angel during the blessing.   It was such a special moment for our family.  I am so happy that we were able to have most of the members of our families their.  It was such a good day. 

Brooke had lots of hands that went into making her blessing ensemble.  Her dress was sewn and smocked by Jeremy’ mother.  My mom crocheted the the blanket that she was wrapped in during the blessing.  My sister, Emily made the flower that was in her hair and the shoes that were on her tiny little feet. 

Our family

My three sweet children – so many blessings.

Sleeping Sweeties

Mikayla wanted to cuddle with Gavin the other night.  Summer is winding down, so I knew we won’t be able to have nights like these for much longer.  I went up to check up on them and this is what I saw.  So sweet!!

Old Soldier’s Day Parade

I love this parade.  It is your typical small town parade.  I was in it a couple of times when I was in high school.  I love taking my children to something that is a part of my personal history.  They had a great time.  Mikayla and Gavin had a blast getting candy ( and a ton of it!) and Brooke slept in the carrier for the entire parade.  She stirred slightly when the fire engine blew its horn, but that was it.  It always amazes me that babies can sleep through that, yet they seem to wake at the slightest sound in the middle of the night. :/

One month check up stats

Brooke had her one month check up today.  She now weighs 8 lbs 13.6 oz (50%), is 21” long (50%), and has a 14 3/4” head circumference (75%).  She is meeting all milestones and growing quite nicely.  She did have to get one vaccine, which was pretty pitiful.  I was glad that, all in all, though, everything went well.   Oh!  She also started smiling last week!  They aren’t a frequent appearance yet, but I just love seeing them. : )

One month old!

Brooke!  You are one month old today!  This month has flown by so fast. 

You started out at 7 lbs and 19 1/4 inches long.  I can’t wait for you one month check up to see how big you are.  I think you will be a good bit bigger.  You are really starting to fill out and have the cutest little chubby cheeks! : )

You are still wearing newborn clothes, but I think our weeks are numbered with that.  You are in a size 1 diaper (grew out of the newborn diapers after about two weeks).

We had some road bumps on our breastfeeding journey, but now you are doing great.  So much so, that now you don’t want anything other than me – no bottles or pacis!  We are working with you on that and hope you get it figured out before I go back to work in six weeks. 

You are a pretty good sleeper and we have a couple nights here an there where you will go four hour stretches.  Some nights its every 2-3, so you definitely aren’t predictable yet.

You have followed in your siblings footsteps and seem to have reflux.  You are currently taking Prevacid which has seemed to help.  You are still fussy in the evenings, but I think that is just a bit of your personality. 

Your whole family loves you so much.  Your brother and sister want to be with you all the time.  Your dad and I are loving having a baby again and watching you discover the world around you.  You are such a wonderful addition to our family.  We love you!

Love, Mom

Bedroom Redos

With the addition of a new little person into our home, we had to do some redecorating of the kids’ bedrooms.  We have a three bedroom house, which meant that two of the kids needed to share a bedroom.  Originally, we had thought about having Gavin and Kayla sharing a room for a bit until the baby was older.  However, when we found out that the baby was a girl, we decided to go ahead and have Brooke and Mikayla share a bedroom.  Mikayla is a super heavy sleeper, so I know she will do fine sharing her room with a baby that may wake up in the middle of the night.

We had a difficult time finding bedding that had a crib set and twin set that matched.  Thankfully, Target came through and we were able to find something that everybody liked.  It’s the perfect combination of sweet little girl bedding without looking too baby-ish for Mikayla. 

I also made these bow holders to put on the back of their door.  With two girls, I have had NO trouble filling it up.

 

Gavin gave up his crib and traded it in for a brand new big boy bed.  I’m not big into character bedding, but I figured if it would get him to sleep in his bed without argument, then I would do whatever it took.  He LOVES his Toy Story bedding.  I was also able to find some stickers at Target (love that place!) to put on the wall. 

It was fun getting to decorate the kids’ rooms.  The best part is that we didn’t have to repaint anything.  We were able to make the colors that were already up work.  I’m sure Gavin will be getting a change in the next couple of years after he tires of Toy Story.  We will probably also redo the girls’ room in about 2-3 years when Brooke moves to a big girl bed – we can take our time on that, though.

First photo shoot

My sister, Laura is  trying to get some experience with photographing babies and children.  Thankfully, for her (and me!) I am more than willing to volunteer my children for the sake of helping her build some experience.  Her and my mom (for much needed moral support) came to our house this past Friday and we got some pictures done.  The main subject was Miss Brooke, but we included me and her siblings (Jeremy was at work).   It was pretty exhausting getting a very active six and three year old to cooperate.  It was even more exhausting to get a 2 1/2 week old that was NOT a happy camper to cooperate.  However, we were able to get some just beautiful pictures done.  It was definitely worth the work.  

Here is a small sample of the beauty…..

Week Two

I can’t believe two weeks have passed already since Brooke was born.  Time is flying by way too fast! 

Breastfeeding is going great!  We had some definite hurdles that first week, but now she is a nursing pro.  We have had some issues with fussiness after feedings, so I took her to the pediatrician this morning.  They confirmed just what I thought – reflux.  Mikayla and Gavin both had it, so I was not at all surprised.  We started reflux – hopefully that will help to make her a happier baby.

They weighed her today and she was 7 lbs. 8.8 oz.  She is packing on the weight!  I’m hoping this will lead to the ability to sleep longer than 3 1/2 hrs at a time soon….

Here are some pics from this week for you:

Sisters!

I caught a sleep smile!

Sweet girl

Proud big brother

She wiggled an arm out of the swaddle – too cute!

Kayla, with permission, painted her finger nails and toe nails all by herself.  She did a pretty good job and was very proud of herself.