Sunday, January 27, 2013

Brooks is 2 Months Old!




As you can see, it's extremely difficult to get a decent picture of a two month old when you have a two year old climbing all over you! :)

Little Mr. Brooks isn't so little anymore...He's already 2 months old! Time flies when you are having fun! He is growing and changing everyday and we are loving getting to know him and his personality better. They say that babies get easier around 6-8 weeks, which has definitely been the case for Brooks. We are starting to feel like our lives are a little less chaotic, and more predictable again. Back to Brooks...He's a sweet, cuddly, noisy, sometimes feisty, handsome little man! He makes the cutest noises...lots of squeals, squeaks, and grunts. He has big, blue eyes, and dark hair in the form of male pattern baldness! He's a great eater, a pretty good sleeper, and a mostly happy boy!

We are learning about all of the things that he likes. He still loves to cuddle whenever he is mad or sad. He LOVES the pacifier, and is really good at keeping it in. He sleeps in an inclined bassinet cradle called a "rock n play," that he really likes. I am hoping to move him to the crib soon, though, I fear that will be a difficult adjustment. He loves his bouncer seat, and takes many naps in it. He likes to watch his mom, dad and sister. When he is awake, he always has an eye on one of us. He likes taking baths, and is always very calm and relaxed in the warm water. He also really likes to have his head rubbed...It seems to always soothe him.

It's hard to tell what things he doesn't like. He cries when he is hungry or tired, so he clearly doesn't like those feelings, but who does! He doesn't love tummy time, which has made it hard for me to enforce a strict regimen like the one Kylie was on. He doesn't like to feel overstimulated, which happens in the evening sometimes...So we spend many evenings with all of the lights off and the TV volume turned way down low. Other than those typical things, I can't think of anything else that he obviously dislikes. I'm sure I'll have some others to add next month!

As far as milestones, he is definitely changing on a daily basis. He can hold his head up with fairly good control when we hold him. He can lift his head for short periods of time and turn it from side to side when he is on his tummy. He can support his weight with his legs when we hold him standing up. He is starting to track things with his eyes, and will focus really hard on our faces when he is eating. He is totally addicted to the pacifier, and can keep it in for almost as long as he wants. He can bring his hands together, and is starting to be able to bring them to his mouth. I have even seen him get his thumb and fingers in there a few times. He has been smiling since January 10th, and he makes cooing sounds when he is happy...mostly in the mornings. He is wearing 0-3 month clothes, and size 1 diapers. I would estimate that he is around 11 pounds, but I'm not exactly sure on his height, weight, or percentiles. He has an appointment on February 5th, so I'll report back then. He is eating 4ish ounces seven times per day. He sleeps a 5-7 hour stretch followed by a 3-4 hour stretch at night. So he is now only waking one time, which has been amazing for me! During the day, I'm once again following the "Babywise" eat, play, sleep 3 hour routine. So he eats, then plays for 45-120 minutes, then sleeps for 45-120 minutes. Except he doesn't sleep as soundly as Kylie, so sometimes needs help to fall back to sleep if he wakes early. Overall, he is making really good progress with his sleeping ability, and I am still holding on to hope that he will sleep 8-10 hours through the night within the next couple of months like his big sister did. We will see! :)

For the most part, Brooks is a happy, predictable, wonderful baby boy! We love him so much and can't believe he has already been a part of our family for two months!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Busy, Busy, Busy

We have been crazy busy getting our house ready to sell. We've spent many hours cleaning, packing, and touching up. It took a lot of hard work, but we did it! The house looks the best it has ever looked, and we are hoping someone falls in love with it quickly! If you want to check out the listing (and pass it on if you know anyone who is looking), here is the link:

http://www.results.net/Property/MN/55901/Rochester/3570_8th_Street_NW

And here are the pictures from the last week and a half...

1/14/13
 Huey is my late night buddy.
He likes to greet me at my bedroom door when it's time to feed Brooks!
It's nice to have a companion!

1/15/13
 This big boy is officially in 0-3 month clothes!
We packed up and put away all of his newborn stuff.
How time flies...

1/16/13
 I watched Witt and Helen while Sari went to an appointment.
This is how I found them after a quick bathroom break!
Sooooo cute!

1/17/13
 Mr. Mister loves the pacifier!
And I love that it unfailingly soothes him!

1/18/13
 Friday is Side By Side.
It's always a much needed time to regroup after the hustle and bustle of a busy week!

1/19/13
 The Barlows and Kings helped us to get our house ready to show!
The help was awesome and our house looks fantastic!

1/20/13
 Brooks has been smiling for about a week, but I finally captured it on camera!
How cute is he?!?

1/21/13
 Brrrrrrrrr!
But it sure was toasty inside the car! :)

1/22/13
 This little girl loves to read!
I find her like this multiple times throughout each day!

1/23/13
Our house is officially on the market! YAY!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Another Day, Another Picture

Well, I have managed to keep up with my resolution to take a picture every day! We had a pretty laid back week, and spent most of our days hanging out indoors. The pictures can do the talking...

1/7/13
My two sweeties! 

1/8/13
Can you say, "static electricity?" 

1/9/13
 I missed these guys.
I went for my first post-pregnancy run today!

1/10/13
 Brooks smiled for the first time today!
Of course, I couldn't catch it on camera.

1/11/13
 The view from my chair!

1/12/13
 Daddy snuggling with his boy! 
I think I'm in love...with both of them!

1/13/13
My girly-girl loves to wear heels!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

A Week in Pictures

1/2/13
 Let the packing begin...
Our house goes on the market in a month!

1/3/13
Hanging out with the little man.

1/4/13
Bassinet for sale! 
Brooks moved into his big boy room.

1/5/13
 I love me a sleeping baby!
So sweet and peaceful.

1/6/13
Kylie is the best big sister around.
Feeding her baby as I fed my baby!
Love that girl so much!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2013! This year I have three New Year's resolutions. Two of them are kind of fake, but one is real and good. The first is to floss everyday. I make this same resolution every year, and usually keep it until summer. I'm planning on going for gold this year...365 days in a row! The second resolution is to lose all of my baby weight. This is a fake one because I would have tried to do this no matter what time of year I had a baby. It just happens that it falls around New Year's this time. Finally, my last and best one, is to take at least one picture every day for the whole year. It might be something really important, like a once-in-a-lifetime event, or it might be something insignificant, like my morning beverage. Either way, I will document my entire year in pictures, and post them on the blog on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. I hope to document and remember many memories! Here's the first picture of 2013:

1/1/13
My two boys watching The Rose Bowl.
Badgers lost to Stanford, 14-20. :(