Week 10 -

Gearing up to fly to Boston tomorrow for a week vacation in NH and Maine.  Mom tried on a bathing suit for the first time yesterday.  Yup, time to go one size up!  But she has been working out every other day since Brady was six weeks old and eating pretty well.  Her old clothes will fit her again soon. This will be Brady's first trip.  We plan to nurse him on takeoff and landing so he will sleep and hopefully not have any problems with his ears.  We're excited to try JetBlue now that they fly out of DFW.

Brady is doing really well finding his left thumb and sucking on it to self-soothe.  He does this a lot during diaper changes, when he's falling asleep on you, and to fall back asleep in his swing.  We still use the pacifier when he gets really upset which helps him calm down and is a sign he's tired and needs a nap.  He still smiles a lot and occasionally giggles.  He really likes interactive songs like itsy bitsy spider and head-shoulders-knees-toes, these get lots of smiles.  During tummy time he will roll from belly to back, but still hasn't really tried back to belly or crawling.  He is strong though, and will grab your necklace or hair (ouch).  The drooling and bubbles continue, but no teeth yet and he's never really been much for spitting up.  It also seems like he gets hiccups less.  We've taken him outside when we can, usually with a gel ice pack as the temps here have been over 100 degrees.  He seems to like looking around outside and tries to focus on trees.  He'll get to see plenty of trees soon in Maine.  Depending on the brand, he's started wearing his 3 month clothes.  Brady starts daycare the week we get back from Maine.  It's probably time for him to start playing with a wider variety of toys and interacting with other babies and caregivers.  He'll also be learning sign language.  Mom goes back to work in 2 weeks, hopefully part-time.

Our big guy held his own bottle last night!  It was brief but it was a surprise.  He's growing up so fast.

Brady had his 2 month checkup today - he weighed in at 11 lbs 4.5 oz and 22.5 inches long, putting him in the 30th percentile (he was 10% weight at his 2 week checkup).  He has gained almost 5 lbs and 3.5 inches since birth.  No wonder our arms get tired.  Daddy once again lost the over/under bet (12 lbs), meaning Braum's for mommy!  Brady also had his first real set of vaccinations. One was oral, the other two were shots in his thighs.  The needles are HUGE!  Something about having to get through the baby fat to the muscle.  I don't know, it was rough on all of us.  And they don't give the mommy's time to prepare, they just stick your kids.  Brady cried, nursed, and slept until about 4 hrs after the shots.  Poor guy woke up uncomfortable and crying so we gave him some infant Tylenol.  That seemed to do the trick.  


Here's a picture of one of the band-aids on Brady's thigh.  We go back to the pediatrician when Brady is 4 months for the next round of vaccines.

Week 9 -

Seems like Brady grew a foot this week.  He has outgrown his newborn insert in his car seat.  Surprisingly with it removed there really is no padding but he doesn't seem to be bothered by it.  Depending on the brand some of his 0-3 months clothes are starting to fit snugly and he now fits comfortably in his 3 month clothes.  Brady has always hated diaper changes getting upset and crying whenever you put him down on his changing mat.  This week he started pulling in his legs and sucking on his thumbs self-soothing, even smiling, during the occasional diaper change.  This is very relieving to his diaper changing Daddy.  We also learned the most dangerous position to hold Brady in when he's pooping is at a 30 degree angle (his back to your knees, in his car seat, etc) - this greatly increases the chances of a diaper blowout and we did some serious laundry this week!  Another change was putting Brady back in his play yard.  He used to HATE being put in there and would cry and cry until you picked him up.  Now he seems to enjoy it looking at his mobile and mirror.  He did scratch his face 3x this week so Mommy broke out the infant nail clippers.  They're super easy to use, take very little effort to clip, and didn't nick his skin at all (phew!).  Grandma Riles (nana) gave us a tip on feeding babies - when they're full their "soft spot" will be flat instead of indented.  We tried it and she seems to be right!

Daddy had a great father's day getting to spend the day with his expanded family.  The day started with a trip to Movie Tavern for "Flapjacks and a Flick".  We watched Rock of Ages while Brady watched the back of his eyelids.  We also gave Daddy a digital photo frame and a special book from Brady that Daddy can read to him at night.  At Stroller Strides Daddy won a $5 Starbucks gift card for having the youngest infant.

Brady had a second play date this week going to lunch with Suzy's co-workers at Mancuso's (super yummy Italian).  Unfortunately he woke up in the middle of a nap during the lunch and was Mr Groucho, but after being held by a couple experienced grandparents he was able to go back to sleep.  He also pooped 2x which played into his waking up.  Thankfully he does tell us when his diaper is dirty and needs a quick change.  It was good to see everyone, but reminds Mommy she unfortunately has to go back to work in 3 weeks.

Brady has his 2 month checkup on Monday for another weight/length check and his first round of vaccinations.  We know our tough guy will do great!

Brady is 2 months old today!  To celebrate he is wide awake and playful this morning (ie Mom is still in her pajamas and hoping for a workout and shower later).

He had fun on his first play date yesterday.  We met Michelle and Randy Riles, Michelle's nana, and baby Kiera at the Japanese gardens.  Kiera was wide awake but Brady slept through the whole thing.  Then we went for lunch at SushiYaa (Mom can do this when Daddy's not around) and Brady was awake while Kiera slept.  They did manage to be awake at the same time near the end of the play date.  It will be fun to see them grow up together since they're only 2 weeks apart (Kiera is 2 weeks older).  And it was really nice to have some adult time hanging out with Michelle and Randy.  The Japanese gardens were really beautiful and Mom will definitely be making future trips to SushiYaa!

Someone pinch me! Brady slept through the night, took a long nap allowing me to workout, played on his bouncer allowing me to take a shower, and just coaxed himself to sleep during tummy time sucking his thumb. I must be dreaming...

Week 8 -

We ask ourselves "Has it sunk in yet we're parents?"  The answer is still no. Can't believe we created this little angel, he is such a good baby!

This week Brady took his first shower with Dad.  He seemed to enjoy it, didn't cry like he does at bath time, but he was a slippery little guy!  He continues to be more alert, sleeping only 4-6 hours during the day but continues to sleep through the night.  Earlier in the week he was a little fussy wanting to eat a lot and only dozing off if he's being held.  He also rediscovered his hands sucking on them (Gary's favorite sound) and he's been drooling like crazy.  Could this be an early start to teething?  He continues to get stronger, and has been getting a really good grip on things.  He will grip Mom's shirt, Dad's collar, or if he doesn't find anything else will grab your skin (major ouch).  His fists are getting more open and he seems to be getting more control of his arms.  Today we started "high fives" in addition to "fist bumps".  All in all he seems to be growing well weighing ~11 lbs and ~21.5" long (home measurement).

Mom joined Stroller Strides in Arlington on Saturdays and met a couple cool Moms.  She also had her 6 week postpartum checkup getting the all clear to exercise with no restrictions.  She's been doing some mild workouts on her own trying to build back up strength and muscle tone when she can coax Brady to take a nap.  Looking ahead, Mom met her boss for lunch and got her support for a flexible work schedule.  She's looking into options to telecommute or even work part time.  Only 4 more weeks of maternity leave (boo).

This was a big week for Dad with both his birthday and upcoming first Father's Day.  For his birthday Brady and Mom gave him Bluetooth headphones for running and took him out for dinner.  Dinner with an 8 wk old is really an eating rotation, one parent at time.  We can usually distract Brady but he doesn't like to sit still long.  But long enough for Dad to enjoy his chicken fried steak.

This week we started trying to figure out our daily routine to get ready for work and get Brady to daycare.  The hardest part appears to be the morning.  Getting ourselves ready for work in addition to feeding him and getting him ready could easily take 2.5 hours.  We also have to watch the 9 hour days and traffic/weather.  That could easily push us past the 6:30pm closing time.

Week 7 -

Really? Week 7 already???  Brady continues to sleep well, sleeping 7 hours straight last night.  He continues to be more alert and is spending more time self-soothing whether it be checking things out from his co-sleeper in the morning or from his swing during the day.  His favorite things continue to be toys that play music - his crib mobile and play mat.  His fists remain clenched unless he's really relaxed or when self-soothing, but we encourage him to feel different objects and textures during play time.  He also continues to say more "ooo" and "ahh" noises during active alert time, usually when playing with his musical toys or his parents.  And we love all his smiles!

Mom is feeling good and started mild exercise this week including stretching and light weights.  Her next postpartum doctor appointment is next week.  Dad continues to handle diaper duty through the night and is an expert at helping Brady "break wind".  We've signed up for a family stroller strides class this coming weekend and are joining an Arlington meetup group going to an outdoor concert Saturday.  Should be fun!

Next month we'll be flying to Boston to spend some time with family and friends on the lakes.  Should be an adventure traveling with a 10 week old, but we're up to it.

Today Brady and I went to BYB (Bring Your Baby) movie day at the mall for a mother-son movie date.  We saw "What to Expect When You're Expecting."  The showing is just for moms and their babies, with free giveaways, stroller parking, and room to nurse and cuddle your baby.  It was also nice to meet other local moms. Afterwards, we walked around the mall in the air conditioning (it was 99 deg here today). It was fun!

I've had a couple requests to post new pictures and videos - enjoy!

Week 6 -

Brady is becoming much more interactive.  He coos and ahhs at his crib mobile, has grabbed onto his stuffed elephant, and listens to his lullaby sheep.  This was the first week he didn't cry when we put him down for tummy time on his play mat.  His "fist bump" practice with Daddy paid off and he was able to fist bump (aka swipe at) his play mat mobile and rattle.  He actually giggles and laughs when he plays, this lasts about 1 hour a day.  We just love this kid!

Pumping and bottle feeding are going well.  Mommy is using a Medela Freestyle pump which is really light, quiet, and easy to use.  Daddy loves bottle feeding and gives him more opportunity to bond with Brady.  We give Brady 1 bottle a day and in a typical feeding he will eat 3-4 oz.  Brady is going to be a good eater like his dad, he can chug 3 oz of milk in less than 5 minutes! And so far, this hasn't caused any undue spitting up.  We put his newborn clothes away (sniffle, sniffle) in saving for baby #2.  Yes, you heard it here and no we're not pregnant again yet.

As we mentioned in an earlier blog, he is sleeping 5-6 hours straight at night.  He did that all but one night this week.  That off night he had lots of gas, poor guy.  And sometimes when he sleeps he smiles and laughs out loud.  At first we didn't know where that was coming from! Wonder what babies dream about.

We also took advantage of the nice weather and met Daddy for lunch one day.  Brady slept the whole time (he likes to nap around lunch time).