4 months of growing

Braylen is 4 months old as of yesterday....MLK day! She has changed dramatically and it amazes me each and everyday. We went to her 4 month check up and Braylen weighed in at 14 lbs and she was 25 inches long......I couldn't believe it.....they said she is in the 70th percentile and is proportioned all over......I liked hearing that! The best part about her growth is that it is all because of me.....that makes me one proud Mama!

Braylen has reached a few milestones since my last post. She holds her bottle when given one, she rolls onto her back from her stomach, she blows rasberries with her mouth constantly and she trys to do the "spitting sound" with her tongue.....it is hilarious. She is also sleeping through the night and only getting 5 feedings a day. Braylen will babble all day long if we would all listen and she loves putting anything and everything in her mouth. She has become more interested in the books we read her, and she loves to always be on the go.......she hates to sit still. That is probably my fault from running with her the whole time in the womb.

Our family is doing wonderful and always staying busy. We have a lot of fun things going on in the next several months and I look forward to sharing that with all of you!

On a side note.....as a new mother and having my body/hormones go back to normal...I am losing my hair and it is thinning out...dramatically. I googled about it and they said that after pregnancy, usually in your 4th month, this happens. Well this morning, after my shower and all, I noticed I am balding right about my temples.....I have FREAKED out....what do I do? I have immediately started taking my Prenatals again and I am going to get some volumizing shampoo...does anyone have suggestions......I MIGHT HAVE TO GET MY HAIR CUT SHORT....AHHHHHH! I love having long hair but it is starting to look too thin and I am having a bald spot......I am disgusted with myself. I also am breaking out a little here and there....I have never had skin problems....why now? I am back on the "MINI" pill but would that make my skin react funny! Any suggestings would be greatly appreciated before I go CRAZY!

Now, back to Braylen.....I forgot to mention she loves Baby Eienstein....I put her in her Bumbo seat and she just sits there and chews on her rings and watches it....it is ADORABLE! I have contemplated over starting RICE cereal with her...however...the Pediatrician recommends to hold off unless I thought Braylen was unsatisfied......Braylen seems content with the feedings she is getting, I just wanted to try something new. So I will probably introduce it in the next few weeks....just to do it.....all I want to do is see her reaction....ha! Braylen also has been able to visit with lots of people who love her...here a just a few who love Braylen

Hope you have enjoyed the update...more to come and sorry for the delay.

After the Holidays....

We had such a great time during the Holidays and being able to share the experience with Braylen. On Christmas morning she slept the whole time we were doing gifts....but she wouldn't remember anyways.....however....Christmas was all about Braylen...it was awesome. She got every gift in the world. A few of her (my) favorites were the Red Ryder Wagon...it is awesome, a BEAUTIFUL TUTU....I can't wait to put her in it, and some awesome outfits. She also got lots of toys.......she really doesn't know how to play with them yet but that will come. I last blogged about transferring Braylen to her crib...well it was a success! Grant and I slept upstairs the first night we started it, and then Grant never made it back upstairs the remaining two nights I chose to be up there......he wanted his KING bed back....we were sleeping in a FULL....alot different...ha! Anyways, she did really good....she had a hard time adjusting at first b/c she moves constantly. In the pack n play, she use to do complete 180's on her back....I would put her one way and then when it was time to feed early morning she would be complete opposite. The difference in the pack n play and the crib...was the crib is not as WIDE and I still have the bumper on.......however.......she has managed to make her 180's....it just took a couple of nights to get to moving. SHe is still eating one time during the night...which is still in the late 4:00 hour.....I don't mind...b/c she is going down at 10:00 so she is getting plenty of sleep prior. Her next doc appt is January 19th....I can't wait to see how much she weighs....I know she has gained so much...she is growing like a weed! The week of the 19th...I am going to introduce rice cereal....at dinner time....in order to try to eliminate a breastfeeding. We are still managing about 6 feedings throughout the whole day including the night...I would like to get that down to 5 but we will see how that goes. Below are some pics of Braylen over the holidays with her GREATGRANDMOTHER and Mimi....and then with her Grammy (my mom) and then her Uncle Adam....and then there is one with her Poppy (my dad).....

I also forgot to mention that Grant and I spent the night out for the first time New Years Eve! It was such a blessing to have Braylen's Mimi come spend the night with her and celebrate. It was a much needed night out and I had no worries...I knew she was in great hands. However...the pumping thing was quite annoying...I had to do that the whole evening...not so bad...but I ended up showing all the girls that I was with that night how to PUMP.....I hope that is a sight they NEVER remember.....lol!

3 months old

Braylen is 3 months old...can you believe it! She is doing very well and we have a pretty set routine...which varys here and there. We have started putting Braylen in her crib early mornings so she gets a feel for that room. She has been in her pack n play since she came home and that pack n play is in our room. The reason we have chosen not to move it yet is b/c I am getting up once during the night to feed her....which is great compared to what it use to be. She wakes up to eat around 3:30, 4:00 and then she goes back down till the 7:00 hour. Grant and I are going to move upstairs with Braylen and start putting her in her crib at night but when she wakes up to feed...I will be in the next room instead of all the way downstairs...we will probably do this for a week or so and then I am going to try to ween her from that 4:00 feeding.....I will let you know how it goes. So Braylen got to meet Santa and she did really good. Those photographers have some good tricks so the kids don't freak out over the stranger. Braylen however did excellent. We are so excited about her first Christmas and honestly this is the best present we could have ever gotten. Braylen is changing everyday and has become more of a baby instead of a newborn that doesn't really interact.....she ahhhgoohs all the time....and plays by herself with her toys....she grabs things.....and she talks to me all the time...I LOVE IT. The one thing that she has been doing constantly for the last few weeks is SUCKING HER THUMB! She hasn't taken the passey and I thought she just liked her fingers but now it is truely the THUMB....I have caught her several times and I have to share some of those photos. Grant and I still can't believe that 3 months is here already....she has been life changing and we can't wait to see what else is in store.

Family means the world!

Before Thanksgiving....Elisabeth and Adam came home and we were all able to grab some family pictures together. We haven't had family pictures since we were kids so this was super important to us and we were so excited to have them done. Here are a few shots that were taken. Nothing has been edited yet, these are just shots pulled from the CD. Braylen looked like a boy in these shots but oh well......! It was super cold this day also. I have some Christmas pics of Braylen that I will post next.

Blink of the Eye

Braylen is always changing....it seems as if everytime I blink....she is doing something new....it is absolutely amazing.

Braylen has been a busy girl by spending lots of time with her family and friends. The week before Thanksgiving, Braylen and I had the opportunity to go to my dad's classroom and celebrate Thanksgiving with them. He loved having Braylen around and showing her off.

Braylen had her first Thanksgiving and it was a success. She really enjoyed traveling around to visit all of her family. For dessert at my mom's house...I was eating M & M's, of course, and she couldn't take her eyes off of them....it was hysterical. She got to play with Uncle Adam and her Uncle D and Aunt Jo came over to see her and Uncle D put Braylen to sleep.

Braylen has been more alert than ever and loves playing on her play gym, she is putting the toys in her hands and in her mouth....and she also loves to kick the rattle that hangs from the play gym. Braylen has also been doing lots of tummy time...and she loves to do it NAKED. She also loves her fingers.....we keep trying to work with her on her passy but she just likes her fingers better.

My last blog I bragged about Braylen giving her mom 5-6 hours of sleep...well...Grant and I are starting to see a pattern. She has been eating in the 6:30ish to 7:00 hour and then she stays awake for a little bit and then falls alseep...however...if we try to put her in her bed when she falls asleep...she wakes up immediately...so we either hold her or put her in her swing. THen I feed her in the 9:30ish -10:00 hour and then we put her to bed. Braylen doesn't wake up again until the 3:30ish-4:00 time frame....I feed her and then put her back down till the 7:00am hour. This has been a trend the last week and a half....and we are loving it...why...b/c it is somewhat of a schedule that she put herself on....it is awesome and yes....I am LOVING the extra hours of sleep.

2 months old

Today Braylen is 2 months old.....I can't believe it....and yes....so much has changed. She is so alert and wide eyed....she focuses on EVERYTHING.....she tends to remind me of Stevie Wonder and how he moves his head back and forth while he is singing.....okay maybe I only think that but it is funny! We got a good routine down in the mornings and we are slowly developing an evening routine...which I am loving. I can pretty much guess now when she is going to sleep during the day...when her wake time is going to be....which feeding she really isn't going to care about...and when she is getting tired/cranky.....I also love figuring all that out...it has taken time but it definitely helps....! Braylen's fussiness has also died down...I mean she still has a little in the evening but it is only because she is tired....in fact....the only time she really crys is when she wants something....food....sleep...warmth...or to be held (which my mother in law has completely spoiled Braylen and now she always wants to be held....NO BIG DEAL...right? ha!) Knock on wood but last night was the first night I actually got 5 hours of sleep....she slept for a long time. I woke up at 4:00am wondering...oh my gosh...did I not hear her...is she really sleeping.....is this for real???? I probably am speaking too soon but if this was the only night I get this for even a few more weeks...I am VERY THANKFUL......so way to go Braylen...given your ole ma a break...hehheee! Today we went to Braylen's 2 month well visit. It went very well and she got 2 shots and one oral vaccine. I will admit...she was perfect and she is GROWING SO MUCH...she weighed a little over 11lbs and is now 23 inches long...my baby girl is a BIG girl.....momma is feeding her good! Dr. Khan said she looks excellent and was very pleased. Then the nurse comes in to give her her shots and of course I am getting already sad for Braylen.....so she sticks her in her upper left hip and I am up by Braylen's face...and all of a sudden her mouth just shoots open...wide as can be.....with NO NOISE coming out....and then this yell...and then the nurse does it again...I mean...OUCH....I now have tears in my eyes. All I could think was Braylen did so good for me during the night last night.,....I just want to reward her...and the I bring her here to get shots.....I mean it is rewarding her by fighting off viruses but come on...poor thing...I felt horrible. Fortunately....since I am breastfeeding....I immediately put her on and that soothed her right to sleep. So I was thankful for the good ole milk on demand.....and so was Braylen. Well the Holidays are coming up and I look forward to having more stories to share with LOTS of photos...I promise! She will get to spend hopefully lots of time with her aunts and uncles....so we can't wait!!

6 weeks and 3 days....wow!

WOW! Time sure has flown by....I can't believe that Braylen is already 6 weeks and 3 days old......! Since I am still trying to catch up on my blogging....this post will contain the last six weeks of Braylen's life. It has been quite adventurous starting from the night we came home.....Grant and I didn't even sleep a wink. Braylen was making so many noises and obviously they are noises you aren't use to....so we were starring at the monitor and her all night wondering what she was doing.....needless to say we were exhausted the next day and wondering what have we gotten ourselves into. Since then we have not had a night like that....we quickly adjusted to her noises and have set a little routine for her feedings and diaper changing in the middle of the night.....GRANT IS A TREMENDOUS HELP....I wouldn't be able to do this without him. So Braylen has had TONS of visitors which have brought us dinner and Braylen fun gifts....we are very Thankful for all of it.....it has been such a blessing. Braylen's favorite guest were her Aunt Lis and Uncle Adam....she really enjoyed spending time with them and Thank you to Elisabeth b/c she allowed me to go to a Closing I had scheduled a week after she was born....it was my first time leaving her...BOO!!!! Let's see, what else....Braylen and I have tried to create a little routine for the day.....during her wake times....we play on our back and we have tummy time and we go on walks and we bounce around the house and we cry and we eat a lot and we sleep and we cry...lol!!! Actually our routine changes all the time but I am definitely use to what she wants or needs when she crys or when she is fighting to go to sleep...I am learning all the cues! She went to her first doctors appt. and it went very well....she weighed in at 9lbs and 3.5 oz and was almost 21 inches long....yay she is growing. She had a first shot and actually did pretty well for getting a shot....I will say I am nervous for her next check up because that is when she is scheduled to get 6 shots at one time.....I might have to schedule them seperate but I am not looking forward to it.....I will probably tear up b/c it will hurt me just as bad as it hurts her....wahhhhh! Lately the weather has been really good so every Sunday we go over to my parents house so they can spend time with Braylen and then we go on a 3 mile walk and Papa loves this b/c he gets to stroll Braylen around the neighborhood....it has been a nice routine but the days are getting colder so we might have to figure something else out. :) During the last week or so...Braylen caught a small stuffy cold (or runny nose) I did take her to the doctor and there was no fever but they gave me a lot of remedies to help us get through it. And sure enough I caught a cold also....I never get sick....I guess now that I have a child that is going to change...ugh! :) I am trying to remember all the fun milestones that we have come by since Braylen has been born.....oh yea...this one is my favorite...Braylen smiled....not a Gas smile but a for real smile....she actually smiles a lot if I tickle her chin (odd I know) but she likes it....and I LOVE IT...it makes my heart putter.....it feels so good to know that Braylen has expressions and emotions.....yippee!!!!! Braylen also got to hang out with her friends for Halloween.....she even let me put her in a Pumpkin Costume for newborns that her cousin Dawn Schmeelk gave her....she looked cute but Orange isn't her color...she looks like a boy in Orange..ha! But she did have fun and I look forward to the many years of Halloween and seeing our Precious Braylen dressed up saying "Twick or Tweat" (baby talk..lol!) Grant and I had our first night out without Braylen this past Saturday....we went to Ryan and Amanda Campbells wedding......her Mimi kept her for us and they had so much fun. We were very appreciative of our time out by ourselves but I missed Braylen so much and couldn't wait to get home and hold her. In fact, the minute I got home, I changed and picked her up out of her bed and loved on her and then fed her.....and by the way she was awake just laying in her Pack n Play (it is still in our room!) I am sure I am leaving stuff out but this is a brief catch up on what has been going on in Braylen's life. Oh....I did forget one of our favorite moments.....her PHOTO SHOOT at 4 days old. Aunt Lis and I helped Audrey snap some awesome shots of her. Don't let the pics fool you though.....it was definitely tough getting her to be still and not be fussy.....I think the material she was laying on was aggrevating her skin...but we got through it and every photo was worth Braylen's tears. Until next time.........oh yeah...and sorry for the pics being scattered at the top and not in order...I am still trying to figure this whole thing out! :)