There is one thing that Brooklyn has definitely inherited from her parents. One thing that isn't exactly the best thing either. She has absolutely NO patience. None. At all. What-so-ever. This is especially apparent when it is time for her to eat. She will be perfectly fine or asleep one moment, and then next awake and ready to eat, immediately! Now if she is breast feeding, it's not that big of a deal. Her meal is ready for her in seconds. If she is eating from the bottle though... oh boy, it's a whole different story.
More often than not, she doesn't give you any warning that she is ready to eat, unless you are aware of her eating schedule, which she doesn't always like to follow. When her grandparents watch her, they have to feed her milk from a bottle. I think this can usually be handled by one person, but not in Brooklyn's case. It becomes a two person job. One person has to warm the bottle up, because obviously the milk has to stay cold. This process can take a while. Then once it's warm, if it's too warm, you have to cool it down. In the mean time, the other has to take care of Brooklyn and try to calm her down. Well, this whole process just isn't fast enough for Brooklyn. When she wants food, she wants it right then. No exceptions. She will cry and fuss until she gets her way too.
I am hoping that as she gets older she will learn to grow out of her impatient attitude and mellow out. Though I am thinking, if she is anything like her daddy or myself, we will have no such luck!
Love,
Jennifer
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Late Night With Brooklyn
It looks like it is going to be yet another late night with Brooklyn. As I type, with one hand, I am in the rocking chair, holding Brooklyn tight, trying to rock her to sleep. She isn't feeling her best right now. Not only is she fighting sleep, but she started screaming about 15 minutes ago because we think her tummy was hurting her. I finally got her calmed down from all the screaming and now am just working on getting her to sleep. The recliner I am rocking her in continues to pop every time I go back and forth in it. It's old and worn out. Thankfully we will be getting a new recliner for me to rock her in within the next week though.
Anyway, this isn't the first night Brooklyn has kept me up late recently. Last night I was awake with her until 1:30 in the morning. Luckily it wasn't because of a tummy ache though. No, this time it was my own fault. I had her sleep most of the day and then she slept all evening too. So when ten o'clock rolled around and it was time for her feeding before bedtime, she was wide awake. I think I tried about three times to rock her to sleep, only for her to wake right back up as soon as I got in the bed room and laid down.
So the bedtime thing is something that I really need to start working on. On average, we don't get o go to bed until sometime between 10:30 through midnight. She always has to have that one last meal to get her through the night.On one hand, I don't mind being up that late with her because I know it will help her sleep all the way through the night. On the other though, her daddy needs to be in bed at a decent time because he has to get up earlier than we do in the morning to go to work. She is a work in progress though. Hopefully we will be able to fine tune her routine soon enough. Until then, we will just stay up and enjoy Jay Leno!
Love,
Jennifer
Anyway, this isn't the first night Brooklyn has kept me up late recently. Last night I was awake with her until 1:30 in the morning. Luckily it wasn't because of a tummy ache though. No, this time it was my own fault. I had her sleep most of the day and then she slept all evening too. So when ten o'clock rolled around and it was time for her feeding before bedtime, she was wide awake. I think I tried about three times to rock her to sleep, only for her to wake right back up as soon as I got in the bed room and laid down.
So the bedtime thing is something that I really need to start working on. On average, we don't get o go to bed until sometime between 10:30 through midnight. She always has to have that one last meal to get her through the night.On one hand, I don't mind being up that late with her because I know it will help her sleep all the way through the night. On the other though, her daddy needs to be in bed at a decent time because he has to get up earlier than we do in the morning to go to work. She is a work in progress though. Hopefully we will be able to fine tune her routine soon enough. Until then, we will just stay up and enjoy Jay Leno!
Love,
Jennifer
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Sleeping Through the Night
I have been told that I am a very lucky person. Every time some one tells me this, I like to knock on wood and hope that nothing will change. Why am I lucky you might ask? I am lucky, because at 7 weeks old, Brooklyn was already sleeping through the night. Now at 9 weeks, she still sleeps though the night! We are finally getting into a routine and Brooklyn is growing up.
I feed Brooklyn every night between 10 and 11. Never any later than midnight, and that is if she ate a late "dinner time meal." After that last feeding, she goes to sleep and will sleep clear through the night until about 6 to 7 in the morning! Usually some where around the 7 o'clock hour, she will start to get really squirmy and wake up ready to eat. Every now and then she will get a little fussy in the middle of the night, but not very often. It's nice to finally get some "sleep" though.
So I am going to keep on knocking on wood and hope that Brooklyn will continue to sleep through the night!!
Love,
Jennifer
I feed Brooklyn every night between 10 and 11. Never any later than midnight, and that is if she ate a late "dinner time meal." After that last feeding, she goes to sleep and will sleep clear through the night until about 6 to 7 in the morning! Usually some where around the 7 o'clock hour, she will start to get really squirmy and wake up ready to eat. Every now and then she will get a little fussy in the middle of the night, but not very often. It's nice to finally get some "sleep" though.
So I am going to keep on knocking on wood and hope that Brooklyn will continue to sleep through the night!!
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn's 2 Month Doctor Appointment
This morning I took Brooklyn in to the doctor for her two week check up and to get her shots. I was not too excited about this appointment, but overall I think it went pretty well.
Brooklyn is 9 pounds and 8 ounces now and 22 inches long. She gained 7 ounces in 2 weeks and grew half an inch. The doctor said the slowing down in weight gain was ok though and there was nothing to worry about. She was gaining about a pound every 2 weeks. Brooklyn is currently in the 10-15 percentile for her weight and 25 percentile for her length which Dr. Beard said was good.
The main reason Brooklyn went in was to get her shots. They were wanting to give her 6 shots at once, but I wasn't about to let that happen. I just got done reading a book on all the immunizations and the affects that they have on children when they are given to them all at once. It gave me a look into both sides of the situations. The doctor that wrote the book gave her opinion and what she does with her patients about giving the immunizations and when. The doctor in the book suggests not giving children any immunizations until they are at least 4 months old and their immune systems are further developed and able to handle all of the vaccines. They think one of the major contributors, (based on studies, but not completely proven), to autism developing in children is them getting their vaccinations all in mass dosages. They think getting too many of them overloads their system and they are not able to handle it. Not to mention the mercury and other things in the vaccinations. I asked though and all of the shots that Brooklyn's doctors office gives are mercury free. They also do not combine multiple shots. Each shot is it's own individual one.
The suggestion given by the doctor in the book is to spread the shots out and only give them one at a time that way if there is some kind of reaction you know what shot the reaction was to. So today she only got the Rotavirus vaccine, which was oral, the HIB, and the polio shot. Then at four months we will go back in and start her DTaP shots and maybe one other. Dale's mom said Dale had a really bad reaction to that shot on the fourth dose so he never finished it. So before she gets that shot I will have to ask the doctor if she is at a higher risk for having side affects since Brooklyn's daddy had a bad reaction to the vaccine.
Dr. Beard wasn't too happy that I wasn't giving her all her shots today but I told her that it was a risk I was willing to take postponing them for two more months, especially since Brooklyn is not going to daycare and all. I told her since autism spectrum disorders run in her family that I don't want to do anything that might potentially increase her risk of getting it. Since it is still neither proven or disproved that vaccines don't cause it, her getting all the shots at once just wasn't happening and that I didn't mind the fact that I would have to come in every month for her to get a shot.
So anyway, Brooklyn was really good until they gave her the shots. Then she turned into a firey, red, angry looking Elmo and screamed at the top of her lungs until I picked her up. Then she calmed down a little but still cried until we got to the car where she fell asleep. She has been fine since though. I have to give her .4 of Tylenol every 4-6 hours as needed and massage her thigh 3-4 times a day with a warm cloth.
The doctor is also going to keep her on her acid reflux medicine until she is 6-9 months old since it seems to be helping with the spit up problem. She still gets fussy after she eats and still chokes up a couple hours after, which is why she wants us to keep giving her the medicine three times a day. She said eventually Brooklyn will grow out of it though and be fine.
Dr. Beard also said Brooklyn is going to be eating a lot more during the day and that it was fine since she sleeps through the night and she will start going through a real growth spurt here soon. I was concerned I wasn't producing enough milk and that she wasn't getting enough but the doctor said the 3-4 ounces she eats at a time are fine. The doctor said that I will know if she is dehydrated because of her number of wet diapers will decrease. So as long as that doesn't happen then she is ok.
I also had the doctor check all Brooklyn's joints because I was concerned since Brooklyn's daddy doesn't have any joints in ankles, and Dr. Beard said they were fine also. She was impressed by how strong of a grip Brooklyn had, how well she can already hold her head up, and how she was smiling and trying to laugh. I guess not all babies do as well as she is doing at 9 weeks, at least that was the impression I got from the doctor.
The next well baby check up is at four months. By then I think Brooklyn should be around 13-14 pounds maybe....I will have to call and schedule that appointment around the end of March. Overall, Brooklyn is perfect. I already knew that though!
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn is 9 pounds and 8 ounces now and 22 inches long. She gained 7 ounces in 2 weeks and grew half an inch. The doctor said the slowing down in weight gain was ok though and there was nothing to worry about. She was gaining about a pound every 2 weeks. Brooklyn is currently in the 10-15 percentile for her weight and 25 percentile for her length which Dr. Beard said was good.
The main reason Brooklyn went in was to get her shots. They were wanting to give her 6 shots at once, but I wasn't about to let that happen. I just got done reading a book on all the immunizations and the affects that they have on children when they are given to them all at once. It gave me a look into both sides of the situations. The doctor that wrote the book gave her opinion and what she does with her patients about giving the immunizations and when. The doctor in the book suggests not giving children any immunizations until they are at least 4 months old and their immune systems are further developed and able to handle all of the vaccines. They think one of the major contributors, (based on studies, but not completely proven), to autism developing in children is them getting their vaccinations all in mass dosages. They think getting too many of them overloads their system and they are not able to handle it. Not to mention the mercury and other things in the vaccinations. I asked though and all of the shots that Brooklyn's doctors office gives are mercury free. They also do not combine multiple shots. Each shot is it's own individual one.
The suggestion given by the doctor in the book is to spread the shots out and only give them one at a time that way if there is some kind of reaction you know what shot the reaction was to. So today she only got the Rotavirus vaccine, which was oral, the HIB, and the polio shot. Then at four months we will go back in and start her DTaP shots and maybe one other. Dale's mom said Dale had a really bad reaction to that shot on the fourth dose so he never finished it. So before she gets that shot I will have to ask the doctor if she is at a higher risk for having side affects since Brooklyn's daddy had a bad reaction to the vaccine.
Dr. Beard wasn't too happy that I wasn't giving her all her shots today but I told her that it was a risk I was willing to take postponing them for two more months, especially since Brooklyn is not going to daycare and all. I told her since autism spectrum disorders run in her family that I don't want to do anything that might potentially increase her risk of getting it. Since it is still neither proven or disproved that vaccines don't cause it, her getting all the shots at once just wasn't happening and that I didn't mind the fact that I would have to come in every month for her to get a shot.
So anyway, Brooklyn was really good until they gave her the shots. Then she turned into a firey, red, angry looking Elmo and screamed at the top of her lungs until I picked her up. Then she calmed down a little but still cried until we got to the car where she fell asleep. She has been fine since though. I have to give her .4 of Tylenol every 4-6 hours as needed and massage her thigh 3-4 times a day with a warm cloth.
The doctor is also going to keep her on her acid reflux medicine until she is 6-9 months old since it seems to be helping with the spit up problem. She still gets fussy after she eats and still chokes up a couple hours after, which is why she wants us to keep giving her the medicine three times a day. She said eventually Brooklyn will grow out of it though and be fine.
Dr. Beard also said Brooklyn is going to be eating a lot more during the day and that it was fine since she sleeps through the night and she will start going through a real growth spurt here soon. I was concerned I wasn't producing enough milk and that she wasn't getting enough but the doctor said the 3-4 ounces she eats at a time are fine. The doctor said that I will know if she is dehydrated because of her number of wet diapers will decrease. So as long as that doesn't happen then she is ok.
I also had the doctor check all Brooklyn's joints because I was concerned since Brooklyn's daddy doesn't have any joints in ankles, and Dr. Beard said they were fine also. She was impressed by how strong of a grip Brooklyn had, how well she can already hold her head up, and how she was smiling and trying to laugh. I guess not all babies do as well as she is doing at 9 weeks, at least that was the impression I got from the doctor.
The next well baby check up is at four months. By then I think Brooklyn should be around 13-14 pounds maybe....I will have to call and schedule that appointment around the end of March. Overall, Brooklyn is perfect. I already knew that though!
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn the Fussy
So we thought Brooklyn was going to be a colic baby. At about 5 weeks, Brooklyn started becoming very fussy and there was nothing we could do to fix her. It turns out that she in fact suffers from acid reflux. After three different prescribed medications, we are starting to think that we finally got the situation under control. Her doctor, Dr. Beard, is convinced that the acid reflux problems is what was causing her to spit up. She thinks that she may also suffer from colic, but that it wasn't the only reason she was fussy.
The first medication that we tried was a pill that I had to hold in Brooklyn's mouth as it dissolved. That did not go over well because this pill did not dissolve fast enough and she got tired of my finger being in her mouth. So then we were prescribed a liquid medicine. Well that didn't work because it actually caused Brooklyn to spit up even more. So then, finally, Dr. Beard gave us Zantac for babies. We had some problems with it at first, but after keeping at it, it has seemed to help cut down on the spit up.
Trying to get Brooklyn to take it is a whole other thing though. This medicine is a nasty mint flavor, which she HATES. I have to give her this medicine three times a day too. So thinking that it might help, I took the medicine and had it flavored. The only flavor Walgreens could add to the medicine though was grape. So now, the medicine is a nasty grape mint flavor. I tried a little bit of the medicine just to know what it taste like, and it is SO gross. I feel horrible having to give her this medicine. She gags on it and everything. I have to hurry and give her the medicine and then hurry to feed her so she will keep as much of the medicine down as possible.
Brooklyn still has issues, even though she is on the medicine. Usually about an hour or two after she eats, she sometimes gets choked up and I have to hurry to sit her up and pat her on the back. Plus, every now and then she will still become really fussy after eating. We think this is because she is a pretty gassy baby. So to help with that problem we give her something they sell over the counter called Gripe Water. This stuff is AWESOME! It's an herbal supplement that is suppose to help with gas, stomach cramps, hiccups, and colic. Almost the second we give Brooklyn some, she calms right down. I don't know what I would do without it!
Anyway, Dr. Beard seems to think Brooklyn will outgrow all of this by 6-9 months. Just another thing to look forward to as she gets older!
Love,
Jennifer
The first medication that we tried was a pill that I had to hold in Brooklyn's mouth as it dissolved. That did not go over well because this pill did not dissolve fast enough and she got tired of my finger being in her mouth. So then we were prescribed a liquid medicine. Well that didn't work because it actually caused Brooklyn to spit up even more. So then, finally, Dr. Beard gave us Zantac for babies. We had some problems with it at first, but after keeping at it, it has seemed to help cut down on the spit up.
Trying to get Brooklyn to take it is a whole other thing though. This medicine is a nasty mint flavor, which she HATES. I have to give her this medicine three times a day too. So thinking that it might help, I took the medicine and had it flavored. The only flavor Walgreens could add to the medicine though was grape. So now, the medicine is a nasty grape mint flavor. I tried a little bit of the medicine just to know what it taste like, and it is SO gross. I feel horrible having to give her this medicine. She gags on it and everything. I have to hurry and give her the medicine and then hurry to feed her so she will keep as much of the medicine down as possible.
Brooklyn still has issues, even though she is on the medicine. Usually about an hour or two after she eats, she sometimes gets choked up and I have to hurry to sit her up and pat her on the back. Plus, every now and then she will still become really fussy after eating. We think this is because she is a pretty gassy baby. So to help with that problem we give her something they sell over the counter called Gripe Water. This stuff is AWESOME! It's an herbal supplement that is suppose to help with gas, stomach cramps, hiccups, and colic. Almost the second we give Brooklyn some, she calms right down. I don't know what I would do without it!
Anyway, Dr. Beard seems to think Brooklyn will outgrow all of this by 6-9 months. Just another thing to look forward to as she gets older!
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn, The Car, and Kanye West
Brooklyn loves to go for rides in the car. Almost any time she is fussy, we can just strap her in her car seat and take her for a ride. She will 9 times out of 10 calm right down. There has to be something about the movement of the car and maybe the noise that calms her down and puts her to sleep. Every now and then she will fight going to sleep and will still try to fuss. At that point, we play a little Kanye West and she calms right now. I don't know what it is about Kayne West, but it soothes her.
When Brooklyn was still in my tummy, Dale would play Kayne West in the car, and would turn it all the way up. Brooklyn would kick every time he played the music. Now, it calms her and will put her to sleep. It's amazing! I think he should make a rated G baby album next! So thank you Kayne West for helping calm Brooklyn down and put her to sleep!
Love,
Jennifer
When Brooklyn was still in my tummy, Dale would play Kayne West in the car, and would turn it all the way up. Brooklyn would kick every time he played the music. Now, it calms her and will put her to sleep. It's amazing! I think he should make a rated G baby album next! So thank you Kayne West for helping calm Brooklyn down and put her to sleep!
Love,
Jennifer
Who Brooklyn Looks Like
So it is said that Brooklyn looks just like her daddy. It is also said she looks just like her mommy. So who does she really look like? Well that is a question that continues to go unanswered because Brooklyn continues to change every day. She might look like me on one day, then her daddy the next.
According the her Grandma Carrie, Brooklyn looks like me because of her hair color and eye color and nose and mouth. In fact, there are some pictures were Brooklyn does actually look like me. This is especially true now that he hair is starting to turn red and her eyes are blue. Her nose though, I think is her daddy's. I think the only thing Brooklyn has of mine for sure are my hands, feet, lips, hair color and eyes (currently), and temper. I am hoping, as well as everyone else, that her eyes will stay blue. The temper thing she can lose though because one person with my temper is plenty for her daddy to handle.
Now, according to her Grandma Belinda, Brooklyn looks like her daddy because of her eyes (the shape), her ears, nose, dimples, and the build of her body. Brooklyn has a long body and short legs, which is totally her daddy's build. I had long legs and arms. She is definitely getting her daddy's ears. They are starting to stick out from her head a little like her daddy's did when he was a baby, which is SO cute. Her eyes seem to be a little bit bigger than her daddy's, but the angle of them look like her daddy. Then, Brooklyn has dimples. She has one on each cheek and then two on her chin, which her daddy had, and still has to this day.
So to recap from head to toe. Brooklyn at this moment in time seems to have my hair color, her daddy's perfectly round head, her daddy's eyes, my eye color, her daddy's eye lashes, the nose is still at a toss up, her daddy's ears, my lips, her daddy's cheeks and structure, her daddy's dimples, her daddy's build, my long fingers, my feet, my toes, her daddy's bottom, or lack there of, and my temper. Overall, I think she is a perfect, beautiful mix of us both.
Love,
Jennifer
According the her Grandma Carrie, Brooklyn looks like me because of her hair color and eye color and nose and mouth. In fact, there are some pictures were Brooklyn does actually look like me. This is especially true now that he hair is starting to turn red and her eyes are blue. Her nose though, I think is her daddy's. I think the only thing Brooklyn has of mine for sure are my hands, feet, lips, hair color and eyes (currently), and temper. I am hoping, as well as everyone else, that her eyes will stay blue. The temper thing she can lose though because one person with my temper is plenty for her daddy to handle.
Now, according to her Grandma Belinda, Brooklyn looks like her daddy because of her eyes (the shape), her ears, nose, dimples, and the build of her body. Brooklyn has a long body and short legs, which is totally her daddy's build. I had long legs and arms. She is definitely getting her daddy's ears. They are starting to stick out from her head a little like her daddy's did when he was a baby, which is SO cute. Her eyes seem to be a little bit bigger than her daddy's, but the angle of them look like her daddy. Then, Brooklyn has dimples. She has one on each cheek and then two on her chin, which her daddy had, and still has to this day.
So to recap from head to toe. Brooklyn at this moment in time seems to have my hair color, her daddy's perfectly round head, her daddy's eyes, my eye color, her daddy's eye lashes, the nose is still at a toss up, her daddy's ears, my lips, her daddy's cheeks and structure, her daddy's dimples, her daddy's build, my long fingers, my feet, my toes, her daddy's bottom, or lack there of, and my temper. Overall, I think she is a perfect, beautiful mix of us both.
Love,
Jennifer
When Brooklyn Sleeps
So currently, Brooklyn sleeps with me at night. There has not been one night since the day she was born that she has slept by herself. Especially since that incident where the hat got pulled over her face on the second night home. I am just too paranoid. Plus now, Brooklyn has acid reflux problems which we are treating her for. She still gets choked up even a couple of hours after she eats and I have to rush to sit her up and pat her on her back. So this makes me even more paranoid that something is going to happen if she sleeps by herself and I won't hear her choking.
Now I know, I know, I shouldn't' t let her sleep with me because then I will NEVER get my bed back and then there is the increased risk that I might roll over on her. However, since I have become a mother, I find that I don't really sleep at night. Brooklyn always sleeps on my left side, so there is no risk of her daddy rolling over on her, and she sleeps on her side. She is not a back sleeping baby. She is comfy on her tummy and her side. The only time she sleeps on her tummy is when she is laying on my chest, or during the day for a little nap. Other than that, she's on her side. So at night, she sleeps with her head on my arm, on her side, curled into a ball with her binky in her mouth. I make sure that she doesn't roll into me and suffocate by keeping my chin on her forehead at all times, so she is a safe distance away from my chest.
Her daddy is still worried about her sleeping against me like she does, but for me, it's a comfort thing knowing that she is right there next to me at night. Plus, like I said, I don't really sleep. I am constantly aware of every single move and noise she makes. Now I have tried to put her in her bassinet, which is right beside my side of the bed. This doesn't work though. Usually, as soon as I put her down, away from me, she wakes up and starts crying. The longest she has ever slept in the bassinet was for an hour. Then she woke up and started screaming. As soon as I pick her up though, she is perfectly fine and goes right back to sleep. I will try to let her cry until a certain point, when she starts hyperventilating. Then at that point she sleeps with me.
She has become so spoiled to being held all the time that very rarely am I able to put her down during the day. She either sits in my lap with me all day while I do whatever needs to be done on the computer ( like she is right now, passed out, sleeping on my lap), or she is in the sling that I wear around my shoulder. Brooklyn will lay in her crib every now and then and allow me to get things done though.
I spoke with the doctor today and asked how long the risk of SIDS lasts, and she told me only until about 6-9 months, until she is able to roll over on to her stomach by herself. After that it won't matter really how she lays. So I am excited for that risk to go away.
I am sure that I am one day going to really regret holding her so much, but right now, I love it. Like someone once told me, "a child isn't really ever spoiled, they are just loved a lot more than others." So that is my excuse!
Love,
Jennifer
Now I know, I know, I shouldn't' t let her sleep with me because then I will NEVER get my bed back and then there is the increased risk that I might roll over on her. However, since I have become a mother, I find that I don't really sleep at night. Brooklyn always sleeps on my left side, so there is no risk of her daddy rolling over on her, and she sleeps on her side. She is not a back sleeping baby. She is comfy on her tummy and her side. The only time she sleeps on her tummy is when she is laying on my chest, or during the day for a little nap. Other than that, she's on her side. So at night, she sleeps with her head on my arm, on her side, curled into a ball with her binky in her mouth. I make sure that she doesn't roll into me and suffocate by keeping my chin on her forehead at all times, so she is a safe distance away from my chest.
Her daddy is still worried about her sleeping against me like she does, but for me, it's a comfort thing knowing that she is right there next to me at night. Plus, like I said, I don't really sleep. I am constantly aware of every single move and noise she makes. Now I have tried to put her in her bassinet, which is right beside my side of the bed. This doesn't work though. Usually, as soon as I put her down, away from me, she wakes up and starts crying. The longest she has ever slept in the bassinet was for an hour. Then she woke up and started screaming. As soon as I pick her up though, she is perfectly fine and goes right back to sleep. I will try to let her cry until a certain point, when she starts hyperventilating. Then at that point she sleeps with me.
She has become so spoiled to being held all the time that very rarely am I able to put her down during the day. She either sits in my lap with me all day while I do whatever needs to be done on the computer ( like she is right now, passed out, sleeping on my lap), or she is in the sling that I wear around my shoulder. Brooklyn will lay in her crib every now and then and allow me to get things done though.
I spoke with the doctor today and asked how long the risk of SIDS lasts, and she told me only until about 6-9 months, until she is able to roll over on to her stomach by herself. After that it won't matter really how she lays. So I am excited for that risk to go away.
I am sure that I am one day going to really regret holding her so much, but right now, I love it. Like someone once told me, "a child isn't really ever spoiled, they are just loved a lot more than others." So that is my excuse!
Love,
Jennifer
I'm Staying At Home
So it is official! I am now a stay at home mom. I am so excited and blessed to be able to stay at home with my beautiful baby girl! I don't think I would be able to handle going back to work because I am so attached to her. I am so happy that I'm not going to miss the memorable moments in her life like her first word and when she starts crawling and walking. I will miss my job a little, mainly my friends, but I don't mind giving that all up for her. Eventually I will start working from home as a medical transcriptionist, which I am currently in school for now. For the time being though, I am just going to enjoy and soak up every minute I spend with her because she is already growing up too fast for me!
Love,
Jennifer
Love,
Jennifer
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Brooklyn Pictures
I posted a bunch of pictures of Brooklyn and I playing yesterday at the link below.
http://cid-c9637eff6a113174.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Brooklyn%2001.17.2009
http://cid-c9637eff6a113174.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Brooklyn%2001.17.2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Brooklyn Can't Hold It!
It has come to our attention that Brooklyn likes to mark her territory. She has now pee peed on her momma, her daddy, and both of her grandmothers, multiple times and I few other people too. Her daddy is extra special though, because he's been privileged enough to be pooped on! It sounds gross, but it is oh so funny! She does it out of no where when you least expect it. By now we have learned of course not to take the dirty diaper out from underneath her until we are ready to put the new diaper right on her. When you take her old diaper off she seems to think that is the time to go again. I haven't been able to keep a changing table pad cover clean for more than a day since the day she was born! She always seems to mess on it. Yet, when I only have a blanket over the pad, she does fine! I'm beginning to think she is playing mind games with us! Anyway, Brooklyn is starting to get better, but she still has her moments, which from the other room are pretty funny when you hear a sudden "ahhhh... Puppy!"
Love,
Jennifer
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn's First Bath
Brooklyn had her first official bath on Sunday, December 14,, 2008. She had sponge baths before this time of course. This was the first time she actually got to be in the bath tub though because her cord had finally fallen off the Friday before. So Brooklyn took a bath with her momma, which was very nerve racking. With daddy's help, we quickly tried to go through and get her washed off and cleaned up. Brooklyn was not impressed though. She was ok in the water, but once she was lifted out of it, she started screaming. Then she discovered that hey, she was in the bath tub with momma... momma has food... I need to eat!! So what did she do? She started to eat in the bath tub!! Eating calmed her down and allowed us to continue with her bath, so we went with it. The only problem was, when we were done, Brooklyn wasn't. So taking her away from her food was not a pleasant experience. She was not happy one bit. She cried and screamed the whole time her daddy was trying to dry her off and was not content again until I got out of the bath tub and she could pick up where she left off.
So that was her first bath experience. She has had many since then, but now she takes baths with her daddy. Now, obviously, her daddy can't feed her, but he seems to be able to keep her calm without the food. Brooklyn and her daddy jut sit and chill in the tub. She doesn't start to get fussy until it is time to get clean, which she is getting better about. Now the only thing we have to work on is her crying and screaming her head off after she gets out of the tub. Which, I can understand why she would be upset. I wouldn't like to be taken out of a warm environment into the cooler air like that either. Once we get her warmed up though she is fine. At least until it is time to put lotion on her. Then she starts with the crying again.
When everything is said and done though, we have started having quiet time after where we try to calm her down and then I read her a bed time story to try to put her to sleep. We will see tonight if she has gotten any better with bath time. I think the older she gets the more she will enjoy the time though.
Love,
Jennifer
So that was her first bath experience. She has had many since then, but now she takes baths with her daddy. Now, obviously, her daddy can't feed her, but he seems to be able to keep her calm without the food. Brooklyn and her daddy jut sit and chill in the tub. She doesn't start to get fussy until it is time to get clean, which she is getting better about. Now the only thing we have to work on is her crying and screaming her head off after she gets out of the tub. Which, I can understand why she would be upset. I wouldn't like to be taken out of a warm environment into the cooler air like that either. Once we get her warmed up though she is fine. At least until it is time to put lotion on her. Then she starts with the crying again.
When everything is said and done though, we have started having quiet time after where we try to calm her down and then I read her a bed time story to try to put her to sleep. We will see tonight if she has gotten any better with bath time. I think the older she gets the more she will enjoy the time though.
Love,
Jennifer
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Brooklyn's First Christmas
Brooklyn's first Christmas was a very hectic one. We had so much family to go visit and see that by the time Christmas was over, we were all exhausted. It all started with Christmas Eve. We went over to her Great Papa's house for daddy's family get together. Everyone was there, but not many people got to really hold Brooklyn. She was claimed early by the arms of her Great Papa as she is every time we go to visit. He sat there and talked to her most of the night as everyone else opened up presents and we played a game of dirty Santa. Brooklyn received some presents of her own. Her Aunt Michelle got her a stuffed Thumper bunny, a baby Minnie Mouse rattle, a Pooh bear, and a really cool car seat cover that keeps her warm and keeps everything inside from falling out. The her Grandma Belinda got her this really neat worm that will teach her colors and letters and how to count and all kinds of neat things. She also got a really sweet prayer bear that will teach her different prayers to say at night. Brooklyn's Great Aunt Laura and Uncle Raymond got her a really cute ballerina outfit and a really cute prayer bunny, and then Brooklyn received money from her Great Papa and Edith. So she made out like a bandit on Christmas Eve.
We didn't get home from Christmas Eve until late, so Christmas morning we slept in. This year, Brooklyn wasn't aware of what Christmas meant, so it wasn't anything too special. We got her a little stuffed hippo and a stuffed penguin, and that was it for this year. Next Christmas will be crazy though and will be extra special. After we got up Christmas morning, we headed over to Grandma Carrie and Grandpa Walt's house for lunch and to open presents over there. Brooklyn's gift from her grandparents was this really neat fish tank that hangs over the side of the crib. It plays music and has lights and bubbles. It gives her something to look at and to entertain her until she falls asleep.
After lunch and presents, we got everything together and headed over to her Great Grandma Betty and Grandpa Jack's house. There we had snacks and yep, you guessed it, opened even more presents. From her great grandparents, Brooklyn received more money and some hats and mittens, as well as a red blanket with teddy bears that her great grandma made her. Brooklyn pretty much slept the whole time we were over there though. She was kind of oblivious to everything going on that day. We did manage to sneak in a four generation picture from my side of the family, which I was grateful to be able to get. (Now we have to get one of her with her daddy's family.)
Anyway, when we were done with the great grandparents, we headed out to her Grandma Belinda and Papa Kevin's house to eat dinner. We stayed out there and visited for a while, and then finally headed home for the evening. On the way home we stopped by our cousin's David and Nina's house to visit them and to see our Godchild Mila. Brooklyn got even more gifts there a couple of gowns and a little stuffed bear.
Needless to say, we had a long and exhausting day, so when we got home, we crashed. So that ladies and gentleman was a recap of Brooklyn's first Christmas. I am very certain that the next Christmas will be 10 times as hectic, but also a LOT more fun because she will begin to understand what Christmas means, which to her, will be a creepy old man in a red suit and presents!!
Love,
Jennifer
We didn't get home from Christmas Eve until late, so Christmas morning we slept in. This year, Brooklyn wasn't aware of what Christmas meant, so it wasn't anything too special. We got her a little stuffed hippo and a stuffed penguin, and that was it for this year. Next Christmas will be crazy though and will be extra special. After we got up Christmas morning, we headed over to Grandma Carrie and Grandpa Walt's house for lunch and to open presents over there. Brooklyn's gift from her grandparents was this really neat fish tank that hangs over the side of the crib. It plays music and has lights and bubbles. It gives her something to look at and to entertain her until she falls asleep.
After lunch and presents, we got everything together and headed over to her Great Grandma Betty and Grandpa Jack's house. There we had snacks and yep, you guessed it, opened even more presents. From her great grandparents, Brooklyn received more money and some hats and mittens, as well as a red blanket with teddy bears that her great grandma made her. Brooklyn pretty much slept the whole time we were over there though. She was kind of oblivious to everything going on that day. We did manage to sneak in a four generation picture from my side of the family, which I was grateful to be able to get. (Now we have to get one of her with her daddy's family.)
Anyway, when we were done with the great grandparents, we headed out to her Grandma Belinda and Papa Kevin's house to eat dinner. We stayed out there and visited for a while, and then finally headed home for the evening. On the way home we stopped by our cousin's David and Nina's house to visit them and to see our Godchild Mila. Brooklyn got even more gifts there a couple of gowns and a little stuffed bear.
Needless to say, we had a long and exhausting day, so when we got home, we crashed. So that ladies and gentleman was a recap of Brooklyn's first Christmas. I am very certain that the next Christmas will be 10 times as hectic, but also a LOT more fun because she will begin to understand what Christmas means, which to her, will be a creepy old man in a red suit and presents!!
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn and Santa
Brooklyn went this year to meet Santa Clause!!! We tried to take her to the mall the week of Christmas while her daddy was off to get her picture taken with him. That was a HUGE mistake though. The line to meet Santa was about 2 hours long. So then, one of daddy's friends told us that Santa was also at Bass Pro Shops, so that is where we went to visit.
It was extremely crazy trying to get Brooklyn ready for her picture. I had to get her changed into her Christmas dress once we got there, which is really hard to do in a public bathroom on a changing table about a foot wide, while trying to be extremely cautious of germs! However, momma was able to do it! Brooklyn's first Christmas dress was way too big for her, but it was all we had, so we made it work and it turned out great!
The Santa at Bass Pro was awesome and the whole back ground and set up was really nice too. There wasn't a line at all to see this Santa. We walked right up to him and handed Brooklyn over, which was an awkward transition because she was still so tiny since she was only three weeks old at the time. Santa had no idea how to hold her because she kept curling up into a little ball! Needless to say, the pictures turned out great! I was so proud of Brooklyn because her first picture with Santa wasn't one of her screaming her head off, terrified to death of the "scary man in the red suit." She was perfectly content and looked so precious. She was the perfect little present. Now I just hope that next year's picture with Santa will be as easy as the first!!
Love,
Jennifer
It was extremely crazy trying to get Brooklyn ready for her picture. I had to get her changed into her Christmas dress once we got there, which is really hard to do in a public bathroom on a changing table about a foot wide, while trying to be extremely cautious of germs! However, momma was able to do it! Brooklyn's first Christmas dress was way too big for her, but it was all we had, so we made it work and it turned out great!
The Santa at Bass Pro was awesome and the whole back ground and set up was really nice too. There wasn't a line at all to see this Santa. We walked right up to him and handed Brooklyn over, which was an awkward transition because she was still so tiny since she was only three weeks old at the time. Santa had no idea how to hold her because she kept curling up into a little ball! Needless to say, the pictures turned out great! I was so proud of Brooklyn because her first picture with Santa wasn't one of her screaming her head off, terrified to death of the "scary man in the red suit." She was perfectly content and looked so precious. She was the perfect little present. Now I just hope that next year's picture with Santa will be as easy as the first!!
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn's 2 Week Check Up
Brooklyn had her two week check up with Dr Beard on Monday, December 15, 2008. Her daddy and I took her in together to make sure everything was going ok due to the previous problems we had with her being jaundice and losing weight. So the end results... Brooklyn had gained more weight. She was up to 6 pounds 10 ounces at that point. She hadn't grown any in length yet, but Dr. Beard said that was fine and that Brooklyn looked and was going great! She told us we could go back to a regular feeding schedule and that she didn't need to see us back again until her two month check up in February when she would need to start her immunizations (which momma is NOT looking forward to!)
I'm sure there was other discussion with Dr. Beard about other issues and questions we may have had at the time. Seeing how Brooklyn is currently 6 weeks old now though, I do not remember them. The important part though was that she was gaining weight and was a healthy baby at two weeks.
Love,
Jennifer
I'm sure there was other discussion with Dr. Beard about other issues and questions we may have had at the time. Seeing how Brooklyn is currently 6 weeks old now though, I do not remember them. The important part though was that she was gaining weight and was a healthy baby at two weeks.
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn and Chi Chi
Brooklyn has a new Nanny! Introducing Nana Chi Chi! Our 10 year old Chihuahua has taken to Brooklyn surprisingly well. She has become very protective of her and goes everywhere she goes. When we do have to leave Chi Chi at home while we are away, the first thing she does when we get back home and let her out is run to Brooklyn's car seat to try to find her and make sure she is ok. Chi Chi is always on alert and has to investigate everyone that holds Brooklyn. She never lets her out of her sight.
The first few nights we had her home, Chi Chi slept right beside me and woke up at every noise Brooklyn made. The pictures below shows just that. Brooklyn was laying in her bassinet and made some kind of sheep like noise. Chi Chi jumped out of the blankets and looked over the side of the bassinet to make sure that Brooklyn was ok.
When Brooklyn cries, Chi Chi is right there, looking at us like, "you need to fix her pronto!" The first time Brooklyn really started crying after we got her home, Chi Chi got so upset that she was crying that she peed right in the middle of the floor! Lucky for us she has got used to the crying and hasn't done that again. Anywhere Brooklyn goes though, Chi Chi isn't far behind. We are so grateful that Chi Chi has taken to Brooklyn so well and isn't insanely jealous like we have heard other dogs of being. Noah has even taken well to Brooklyn and has become more of an alert gaurd dog when he is outside.
Anyway, so that is the story about Brooklyn and her Nana Chi Chi.
Love,
Jennifer.
The first few nights we had her home, Chi Chi slept right beside me and woke up at every noise Brooklyn made. The pictures below shows just that. Brooklyn was laying in her bassinet and made some kind of sheep like noise. Chi Chi jumped out of the blankets and looked over the side of the bassinet to make sure that Brooklyn was ok.
When Brooklyn cries, Chi Chi is right there, looking at us like, "you need to fix her pronto!" The first time Brooklyn really started crying after we got her home, Chi Chi got so upset that she was crying that she peed right in the middle of the floor! Lucky for us she has got used to the crying and hasn't done that again. Anywhere Brooklyn goes though, Chi Chi isn't far behind. We are so grateful that Chi Chi has taken to Brooklyn so well and isn't insanely jealous like we have heard other dogs of being. Noah has even taken well to Brooklyn and has become more of an alert gaurd dog when he is outside.
Anyway, so that is the story about Brooklyn and her Nana Chi Chi.
Love,
Jennifer.
Brooklyn At Night
So Brooklyn doesn't like to sleep by herself, which is my fault. The first night in the hospital she slept on me in my bed. Then the first night at home she slept with me in the rocker chair. We tried to put her in her bassinet the second night so I could sleep on the couch right beside her, but that didn't work either. About 30 minutes after we turned the lights out, Brooklyn woke up screaming. The hat that the hospital had given us and told us to keep on her head so she would stay warm, had gotten pulled down all the way over her face and was suffocating her. It freaked me out so bad and I still to this day can picture seeing her with that hat over her face in my head and it scares me to death.
So every night since then she has pretty much slept with me. I am so worried about her suffocating or choking in her sleep that I hate putting her down at night. The whole SIDS thing also really freaks me out. I have gotten better about trying to put her to sleep in her bassinet, but now she doesn't want anything to do with it. She will sleep in there for about 5 minutes before she starts crying and I have to pick her back up to hold her. We've tried all the tricks... a sound machine, a heart beat, a night light, a sleep positioner, a higher end sleep positioner that has a heart beat and vibrates, but nothing works. So now we are trying to put her in the bassinet during the day to get her used to laying in there to see if that will work.
I'm afraid I have started a bad habit, but yet I don't really mind because with her laying on me I am aware of every move and noise she makes and that makes me feel more comfortable, and I think makes Brooklyn feel more safe as well. Once she is laying on me though, she goes right to sleep and will only wake up when it is time for her to eat again. It wasn't until this past Monday night that we finally started having problems, but that is a whole other story.
Love,
Jennifer
So every night since then she has pretty much slept with me. I am so worried about her suffocating or choking in her sleep that I hate putting her down at night. The whole SIDS thing also really freaks me out. I have gotten better about trying to put her to sleep in her bassinet, but now she doesn't want anything to do with it. She will sleep in there for about 5 minutes before she starts crying and I have to pick her back up to hold her. We've tried all the tricks... a sound machine, a heart beat, a night light, a sleep positioner, a higher end sleep positioner that has a heart beat and vibrates, but nothing works. So now we are trying to put her in the bassinet during the day to get her used to laying in there to see if that will work.
I'm afraid I have started a bad habit, but yet I don't really mind because with her laying on me I am aware of every move and noise she makes and that makes me feel more comfortable, and I think makes Brooklyn feel more safe as well. Once she is laying on me though, she goes right to sleep and will only wake up when it is time for her to eat again. It wasn't until this past Monday night that we finally started having problems, but that is a whole other story.
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn's Binky
Brooklyn loves her binky! We tried to get her to use the new orthodontic ones that are suppose to be good for when the baby starts getting teeth, but she wouldn't have it. She uses the round rubber one that the hospital gave us. She won't take anything else. We had to go out and search through Babies R Us to find other binkies just like that one. You wouldn't think they would be hard to find, but we only found one other brand like them. We were starting to think we would have to try to buy some from the hospital or something. Anyway, the binky is great. It helps keep Brooklyn calm and comfortable and she loves it.
Love,
Jennifer
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn and her Daddy
Brooklyn already has her daddy wrapped around her finger. She understands all the wacky animal noises he makes at her and loves hearing her daddy's voice. The first few weeks, he was the only on that could get her to wake up. The first weekend was really hard since we had to wake her up every two hours. Dale would wake her up by singing her a song called Hippo Feeding Time. He said she looks like a little baby hippo because when she yawns she stretches her mouth open all the way. The song actually worked for a while, but then she got used to her daddy's silliness and now he has to do other things to try to get her awake. She is quickly getting used to him though.
Anyway, the first few weeks, anytime she heard his voice she would wake up. When Dale had to go back to work the week after she was born, she would sleep all day and wake up when he got home because she would hear his voice. When he was holding her she was busy looking around, exploring everything around her and getting to know her daddy's face. I would hold her, and she would go to sleep.
Just last week, Dale started playing what he calls "Rawr" with her. He was holding her and would say "rawr" at her, and make a face. She would then in return make some kind of noise of her own and try to mock that same face back at him. The went back and forth doing this with each other for about 10 minutes. This is now his favorite thing to do with her besides take pictures, which he is addicted to doing.
We have, from the time she was born alone, which is less than a months time, over 3000 pictures of Brooklyn. Dale even bought a new camera so he could make sure that he has good quality pictures of her. They have special "photo shoot" times two of three times a day right now where Dale just takes tons of pictures of her. I am sure this will slow down some when he returns to work next week. He has been on vacation to spend time with her the past two weeks. I have a feeling Brooklyn is going to grow up and either hate having her picture taken, or she is going to think it is perfectly natural to have a camera in her face all the time.
Anyway, like I said, Brooklyn loves her daddy and I know as she gets older she will love him more and more because he is just eaten up with her and loves playing with her and spending time with her. He takes such great care of her and does more things for her, like changing her diapers and clothes than I have had a chance to do. I pretty much feed her and get her to sleep and he does everything else. As a matter of fact, Brooklyn loves her daddy so much that she has peed and pooped on him more than anyone else!
More to come later!
Love,
Jennifer
Anyway, the first few weeks, anytime she heard his voice she would wake up. When Dale had to go back to work the week after she was born, she would sleep all day and wake up when he got home because she would hear his voice. When he was holding her she was busy looking around, exploring everything around her and getting to know her daddy's face. I would hold her, and she would go to sleep.
Just last week, Dale started playing what he calls "Rawr" with her. He was holding her and would say "rawr" at her, and make a face. She would then in return make some kind of noise of her own and try to mock that same face back at him. The went back and forth doing this with each other for about 10 minutes. This is now his favorite thing to do with her besides take pictures, which he is addicted to doing.
We have, from the time she was born alone, which is less than a months time, over 3000 pictures of Brooklyn. Dale even bought a new camera so he could make sure that he has good quality pictures of her. They have special "photo shoot" times two of three times a day right now where Dale just takes tons of pictures of her. I am sure this will slow down some when he returns to work next week. He has been on vacation to spend time with her the past two weeks. I have a feeling Brooklyn is going to grow up and either hate having her picture taken, or she is going to think it is perfectly natural to have a camera in her face all the time.
Anyway, like I said, Brooklyn loves her daddy and I know as she gets older she will love him more and more because he is just eaten up with her and loves playing with her and spending time with her. He takes such great care of her and does more things for her, like changing her diapers and clothes than I have had a chance to do. I pretty much feed her and get her to sleep and he does everything else. As a matter of fact, Brooklyn loves her daddy so much that she has peed and pooped on him more than anyone else!
More to come later!
Love,
Jennifer
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