Twenty Seven Weeks

Hanging out in my airplane PJs just for Uncle Neal!

Sorry for the late post but this was a busy week! My friend from high school, Barb, had her second baby on Friday - it was a girl! We wanted to go and meet the newest edition so we headed to my parents on Friday night. When we got there Grandma and Grandpa were ready to take Brody to the neighbors to introduce him to cows and horses! On Saturday we headed to the Detroit area to meet Sydney - it made for a long day but was definitely worth it! I cannot remember Brody being so small and she was a pound and a half bigger than him! I can't remember it seeming to be so easy when he was first born either - Sydney just laid in her bassinet and slept most of the time we were there visiting!

Sydney Browning

On Sunday my parents came to our house so my dad could help Jim work some more on the basement. While my mom and I were playing with Brody I discovered his first tooth had popped through on the bottom! I was so excited that I took Brody down to the basement so Jim could feel it! Now we know why he has been kind of cranky recently!

Brody has tried a few different foods this week - he really likes bananas and sweet potatoes. Tonight Jim mashed up a banana and fed it to him as part of his dinner and he really enjoyed it! We haven't had another full night of sleep yet but the days of midnight feedings are over. It is just a quick trip down the hall to give him his pacifier back and he is sleeping again.

The weather has turned colder here again so the walks each night have been put on hold. Hopefully it will warm up again soon.

Brody is pretty close to sitting up on his own - when he gets distracted he ends up going what ever way he is looking!

Sorry there aren't many pictures this week - next week I will try to post more!

Twenty-six weeks

What a great week! This week started out with a day off to celebrate my birthday and take Brody to his 6 month checkup. He did very well - thankfully his head did not grow at all during the last 2 months so he has returned back to the 75th-90th percentile (down from the 105th!). He had gained 7 oz since the week before! The cereal is really packing on the pounds! He handled the shots like a big boy and cried for less than a minute! Thankfully for mom and dad he won't have to receive more vaccinations until he is a year old. The other big milestone was that he slept through the night without waking up once on Thursday night! Jim and I woke up at 6am when he started crying and we couldn't believe that we had made it all night!



We have tried a few different foods this week - peas, applesauce and carrots and we have found that Brody is not a fan of carrots! Feeding time is fun though and very messy most nights!

The weather has been very nice this week allowing us to go for a walk every day (sometimes 2!). Brody loves to be outside! I spent Tuesday and Wednesday alone with him because Jim was in Allentown (which was nice for him because he got to visit with some of his family). Brody and I had a great two days together - he has become very attentative and makes me laugh at how serious he can be when he watches you do something.

Today we attempted to take his 6 month pictures again - I think they turned out really well.

Brody's first time seeing a pansy!

We hope everyone has a great week!

Six Months

I can't believe Mr. B turned 6 months old yesterday! It is amazing how much he has grown in the last 6 months - going from a helpless baby that slept most the day to a little boy that loves to laugh and play.


Our milestone this week was officially starting cereal which led to 12 hours of sleep on Friday night! We didn't go the whole night sleeping but he just woke up one time around 5am on Saturday morning and then we all fell back to sleep until 8:30! Jim and I could not believe it! Saturday night went about as well but Brody was up a lot more often - but Jim and I have agreed that the middle of the night feedings are now a thing of the past since Brody showed us that he can go all night.

Brody had a check up at the doctor on Monday for followup and he passed with flying colors. It seems that he recovered just as fast as he started to go downhill. We were alone for most of the week because Jim had to travel to Arkansas. He had a very eventful trip being rear ended on his way to his hotel Monday and experiencing some major storms where he saw golf ball sized hail and had to stay in the lobby area of the hotel while they waited for a tornado warning to go through. Luckily he returned home safe (and on time!) Brody returned to daycare on Wednesday and I had a lot of anxiety when I saw the little kids with their runny noses...I just wanted to run the other way with him! But I was strong and left him there and he did survive! Although last night he started with another cold! I can't wait until winter is finally over and we all stay healthy!



Tomorrow is my birthday and Brody's six month visit to the doctor so I decided to take a vacation day so we could spend it together. Unfortunately he will have to get more vaccines so it won't be a great day for him.

Here are some pictures of Brody this week - he has really mastered the Jumparoo and loves to kick around at night before he goes to bed. I tried to get him laughing or blowing bubbles through his lips (he figured that out this week too) but he didn't feel like doing that when the camera was on him.



I hope everyone is having a great week!





Brody loves his feet!






Making Jim's day by playing with the Penn State Football blanket








Enjoying his time in the jumparoo


Last week Brody seemed to get REALLY excited about the jumparoo!



My attempt at Brody's six month pictures

Twenty Four Weeks - What a Week!

Sorry there are not many pictures this week - there really wasn't anything we would want to remember via pictures happening! This week started with Brody having what I thought was a typically runny nose and cough (seems like he has had that for the last two months!). I dropped him off at daycare on Tuesday and asked them to watch him because he had started to wheeze the night before. I had a feeling that something was going on with him but also thought maybe it was just me being worried (as usual). When I went to get him in the afternoon they told me he just wasn't being himself and that he had a temp of 101.5. So I packed him up and took him right back to work. One of the doctors were nice enough to see him after hours and it was decided after watching him that he was really breathing heavy and that I should take him to the ER. So I headed home to get Jim and we headed down to Grand Rapids. We were seen right away and they started monitoring his oxygen level. By the time we got there his breathing had gotten a lot more labored and his little belly was moving so much to try to get the air in. He got another breathing treatment while we were there and then a chest xray. He was put on oxygen and an IV was started so they could give him antibiotics until they could figure out what exactly was happening. By midnight we were informed that they thought it was a viral infection and that we would need to be admitted so he could stay on oxygen - but there were no rooms! So Jim and I had to stay in the ER until the following day. They brought in a crib for Brody and Jim and I tried to sleep together on the bed (boy was that uncomfortable!). The next morning they moved us to the Peds side of ER and then up to a room around 11am. My mom and dad came to stay with us so that we could have a little break once in a while. My friends from Ferris were nice enough to stop by and see us too (it is really nice to have friends who work at the hospital because you always know you will have support!). It was determined that Brody had RSV (which is a viral infection that affects a lot of people but only a small percent have to be hospitalized - most people just have symptoms similar to a cold). So there was nothing we could do but wait for him to be able to come off of the oxygen. My mom stayed with me in the hospital Wednesday night so that Jim could get some much needed rest. Brody came off his oxygen on Wednesday night and they watched him over night and he did fine. The doctors came on Thursday morning and we were allowed to come home on Thursday around 12pm. Brody is doing much better now - although still not eating well but that seems to be slowly improving. He is back to his happy self and actually learned how to use the jumparoo yesterday afternoon (the only picture I have to offer this week).

Last week I wrote how I never knew I could love this little man so much - and this week has shown me that I never knew I could worry about someone so much either! This week was so trying - I really didn't know that I could handle much else going wrong but I guess things like this just show you how strong you can be. It really was heartbreaking to watch your little baby lay in the hospital with all of these tubes and cords attached to them and the worst was that you knew he just didn't understand that you were trying to make him better. I am so thankful that our stay was so short and that he has improved so much...a child really does change your life in ways you could never imagine!

Twenty Two - Twenty Three Weeks

I am always so happy!

What a busy couple of weeks! Everything started out by going to Pennsylvania to visit Jim's family a week ago. Brody did pretty well on his first plane ride - with the exception of when the plane was not moving! He screamed until the engines turned on and then went right to sleep. I don't think Jim or I have ever felt so uncomfortable before! It seemed like everyone was annoyed with our baby screaming...but I guess they should have been thankful that it only lasted 10 minutes instead of for the whole 2 hour flight.

I've got my ticket!

Finally a moment when mom could relax (we flew at night if you can't tell by how tired I look!)

It was great to see Jim's family (although we were bad about taking pictures!). We were able to visit with a lot of Jim's family while we were there and even our friends the Santos'. The best part I think was seeing Brody and his cousin Dylan together. They are three weeks apart but could not be more different from each other! Jim named them spaghetti and meatball while we were there - looking at the pictures below you can probably guess why.

Brody took advantage of some quiet time

Brody was checking out cousing Dylan's toes!

Can you guess which one Jim named meatball and which one is spaghetti?

Brody enjoyed his time with his cousins Amber and Sydney too!

We got back home last Saturday and they lost our bags so we were without some of our things until Sunday afternoon. My mom and dad met us at home so they could spend some time with Brody. They spent the night and went to Easter Sunday Church with us. Then my brother and grandma came to have lunch with us. We celebrated my brother's birthday and Easter together. Brody was in a very good mood all day with lots of smiles for everyone!

Grandma Christiansen gave me a great big duck for Easter!

I was showing off for the camera (and uncle neal was just as excited!)

I enjoyed my time with Great Grandma Sanderson

Over the past few days Brody has learned how to roll from his back to his stomach! Jim and I are so proud of him! Although now it seems like he has forgotten how to roll off of his stomach once he gets there. He is so coordinated now even reaching for toys as he lays on his stomach. He really loves this little cow that my brother bought for him a few weeks ago.

Today was another milestone - Brody's first haircut! I suggested it this morning and Jim was shocked. I thought his hair was getting a little too long because it was over his ears and everyone on the airplanes thought he was a girl even though he was wearing blue! So we went to a place called Snip-its today - it is a hair place dedicated to kids. Brody did a great job in the chair and he looks like such a little boy now! I was okay with the haircut until we left and I started to really look at him...I miss my old little baby! He does look nice now and has a little bit of a style to his hair. I think the "rockstar" days are over though!

I'm such a big boy!

Mom what is she doing?

Where is my baby?! His hair looks so different!

My new hairdo!

I hope everyone had a great Easter! I will make sure to update next week with all of Brody's new accomplishments. I really don't think I could love him any more than I do! It is hard for me to imagine life without him...

Five Months Old

I can't believe my little baby is 5 months old! It does not seem like it has been that long since I was suffering from morning sickness! It was a year ago this week that Jim and I heard Brody's heartbeat for the first time (at that time we were thinking he was a she!).



This week was not the healthy week I was hoping for. Brody started out on Monday with a fever that just kept sticking around. We couldn't figure out what was going on until Wednesday night when he started screaming at me when I took off his onesie - our first ear infection. The doctors at the office I work at are great and I was able to take Brody in on Thursday morning before 8am and get him seen. His right ear was full of fluid so I had to hold him while the doctor flushed out all of the junk in his ear! It was so gross and hard to listen to my little man scream! He was feeling much better by the end of the day on Thursday. We are still trying to figure out why he isn't eating very well - maybe he is teething? He always keeps us guessing!

This is a short week of work for Jim and I. On Wednesday we are off for Brody's first plane ride! I hope it goes well! I am pretty nervous since he will be recovering from an ear infection. We are going to visit Jim's family which will be a lot of fun. We haven't seen any of them since Thanksgiving so I am excited for Brody to see everyone again. We will be coming home on Saturday afternoon and then celebrating my Brother's birthday/Easter on Sunday with my family.

I hope everyone has a great week and a Happy Easter!

My head is just sooo heavy!

Momma's little angel!

I can roll over!

And I'm getting close to sitting up on my own!

Are these my toes?

Mommy and me

Twenty Weeks

I love to smile!

Well our weeks seem to be getting a little less hectic. Although after I updated the blog last week I came home on Thursday to the furnace being broken! The house was at 54 degrees so Brody and I cuddled on the couch with a bunch of blankets. Jim was not able to fix the furnace although with the help of my brother we knew what was wrong. Luckily the repair guy came out around 10pm to fix it so we didn't have to worry about Brody freezing over night.


This week has been much more relaxing. Last Saturday Jim and I enjoyed a day to ourselves as my mom and brother watched Brody during the day. Jim and I went to IKEA and to my friend Barb's house for her daughter's 3rd birthday. While we were at my parents I got a new camera. I am very excited about it! I think it will allow me to take some of Brody's monthly pictures here instead of going to a studio every month.



Brody is growing more every day! He is so alert and coordinated! He likes to play with toys and eat his hands! It seems like he always has his hands in his mouth and drool all over his clothes! Sleeping at night hasn't been going too well though. We are down to him eating only once during the night but just when we think we are getting to only waking up once a night he goes back to getting up multiple times.

Checking out his new toy - Freddy the Firefly

This week should be another easy week with Jim home with us all week. Brody finished his antibiotic last week so I am hoping that we will all make it through this week healthy! I am slowly learning that things will probably never be "perfect" again but I hope at least manageable!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Uncle Neal got me to smile for my pictures!

I like to play in my bath while I sit up!

No wonder he gets everything he wants! Who could say no to this face?

Freddy the Firefly was a big hit - Brody played with him until he fell asleep today