Taking some time off

Just a note that we are taking a week off or so from the blog. We are going out of town for the week and I forgot a few things for the camera and cords to keep the lap top going. We will update more later.

Last few days

It has been a simple few days.

Tuesday we went to Mom's work and visited everyone. I didn't take any pictures (sorry). We were there for an hour or so and got the latest work news and how things are going with our clients. One outing a day is enough so we headed back home to normal life.

Wednesday we decided to stay in all day. Brandon and I hung out in bed until noon. We normally don't do that but one day won't hurt. I actually took something to help me sleep. It was a prescription that is safe for nursing moms. Well it really isn't because it makes you really sleepy and hard to pay attention to your baby. I was a little sleepy all day. Dad came to the rescue that night for a couple of hours so I can sleep. I have been having sleeping issues and not because of Brandon. He is sleeping better and better. While I lay in bed awake.

Thursday Brandon helped me with laundry (got to teach them young). Grandma Kay came over so mom could run some errands and do date night with dad. Mom got her errands run but date night was spent at the management office discussing the dog issue. GRRR!!!! They are going to resolve it by letting us move. How wrong is that!!!! Mom and Brandon took a walk to the pool to dip his toes in however he fell asleep before we were out of the driveway. So we just went for a little walk minus the pool. It was packed anyway.

Brandon has had fussy moments off and on. He loves going for walks outside, still loves his swing and bouncy seat. He LOVES when dad comes home and spends time with him. Dad makes funny faces and noises and entertains Brandon really well. He is loving his baths (learned how to splash with his feet now). He loves eating his hands (both at the same time sometimes). He is now able to see better. We have Christmas lights up in the living room and I change them to twinkle and race so he can focus on them better. We will eventually take them down but for now they are up for Brandon. He also can see from further away. When I shower in the morning now I put on channel 2 for him to watch and he likes it. Today he saw Big Bird. He also has noticed the cats when they walk by.

I am off to enter Rob in the Hot Dad contest for Parenting Magazine!

Doctor Visit

We had our 2 month visit. It took 2 hours which we weren't too happy about but we survived. Brandon was already having a fussy day so we were glad it was 'shot' day too.

Dad met us at the clinic. He got weighed, measured, and checked out. Everything looks great. He is right on track and doing well. She gave us some tips on feeding (I found I am dehydrated which is causing my milk supply to go down so I have to work on that).

Then came SHOT TIME! He had one oral vaccine which he did really well. We made sure he was hungry at the end of shot time. He sucked down the oral med and liked it. The shots were in his thigh- 2 on one thigh and one on the other. Dad couldn't watch so I held his arms and sang to him. She was fast but we have never heard a scream like that before. We flipped him and she did the last shot. That was all I could handle too before my tears started coming. I didn't freak out though...just a little tear. I looked over at dad to see the same little tear. I cuddled Brandon and quickly sat down to feed him and he calmed down in less than 2 minutes. We were so proud of him. He did good.

Here are some photos of the visit....with the statistics.

In the waiting room...very hungry. Measuring his height.

Measuring his head.

Saying AHHHH

The stats.

Motherhood...You Just Have to Laugh

So Monday was a Motherhood Day of Hell....but all I could do was laugh about all of it. I will try and give you the short version.

Woke at 7am to no cable, phone or internet. They disconnect our service instead of the next townhome because they just moved out. It was going to take up to 4 hours to fix. They needed to send out a Comcast van. Reason numer 200 why we don't like Comcast. We finally got it back on at 6pm tonight. I am already stir crazy at time being home full time...add to it we have no tv (not even local channels), no internet (which I live off of) it was not going to be a fun day.

We went to my mom's house since they are out of town. Brandon was fussy from the get go and screaming when we got in the car. He stopped when we started to move only to get not even a mile and be surrounded by construction. What should have taken 3 minutes to go not even 2 miles took over 20 minutes with a screaming baby. Poor guy.

Spent some time at their place checking emails and trying to feed Brandon. He really didn't eat well at all today. He didn't nap more than 20 minutes here and there. He was in his cutest favoritest outfit that is easy to get on and off for the dr. apt. He decided right when we were getting ready to leave to poop. I decided to wait till we got home to change him since it takes him usually a few minutes to finish. Luckily it only took a few minutes to get home- not 20.

Got home to find an explosion in his diaper, on his pants, all over his shirt/onsie. GRRRRR!! Got him undressed (with half of it now on me). Got him upstairs, into a bath (him screaming the entire time), he peed on me once his bum hit the water. He stopped crying though. Allie decided to come visit (our little devil cat). She decided to climb a drawer thing we have and knocked it over- everything was all over the floor with some liquid leaking. I was able to clean that up while standing next to Brandon. Took Brandon out (he hates getting out so he screamed), bundled him up while Allie was ready to jump in his tub. So I dumped his baby tub...all over the bathroom counter and floor. I threw Allie out, threw towels on the floor and left it. Laid Brandon on our bed (post diaper). Cleaned myself up...pee free. Headed downstairs to rush to deal with the dog issue. Came downstairs to see that Allie decided to use her full water dish as a hockey puck. Put Brandon in his car seat to clean up the water and his dirty clothes which the cats attempted to investigate. This cat is going to give me a heart attack. Went and dealt with the dog issue to hear what we didn't want to hear.

Went back to my moms to check more emails (this is all happening from 7am to 1pm). Brandon didn't sleep at all. It was finally time to get to his Dr. Apt. Which took over 2 hours. GRRRR!!! On the way some kids decided to ignore the DO NOT WALK sign (I had a green light). They flew through the intersection on their bikes. I slammed on my breaks (to make Brandon mad) while a truck coming the other way slammed on his brakes. That kid actually fell off his bike but wasn't hit. I just kept driving. Wrapped up Dr. visit, went home, Brandon fell asleep, I cleaned, refused to cook so Dad brought us Subway....Finally at 10pm went to bed!

You just have to laugh at the wonderful day.

Dr. Visit update on next entry.

Weekend is over

Well it was one of the most uneventful weekends ever! We went to visit Gma and Gpa Jurgens. We haven't been over there in months...even before Brandon was born I think. We just had burgers and played with dogs.





We have napped, watched movies, walked outside, napped some more, did one load of laundry. It was really a relaxing weekend at home. We have had a lot of those lately, but this one was different. I think it was also because mom hasn't been feeling really well lately and has been fighting some headaches. Sunday night we took a blanket outside and laid with Brandon. He loves being outside. The issue is we have a big black lab that runs loose in the townhome development we live in and causes problems. He is a mean dog and last night at 9;30pm noticed the cats looking out our sliding glass door and attacked the door. We have a nice hole in the screen door (the second one he has caused in the last 6 months). We have complained many times and called the police on them. We'll see what happens.

Off to the 2 month checkup. Any guesses on height or weight? We'll let you all now how the shots go.

So Brandon is a hilarious pooper. Watch his funny face and noise he makes. Sorry if this is too much info or gross- but we think it is super funny. Notice the pics below too.

And this is the result of that video....Both Mom and Dad had to do the bath. It was a 2-person one. We were laughing the whole time too. And you won't ever see this outfit on him again. It ended up all over the outfit and we have many of these kinds of pj's so we placed it in the hazardous waste bin. Enjoy our laugh of the day!

End of the week

Sorry I haven't posted. I (mom) have been in bed off and on the last few days with migraines and just not feeling too hot. I think it is a sinus infection and ear infection. My right ear is on fire and hurts all the time.

Because of that dad has been the hero taking care of Brandon. He is up with him in the morning which lets mom sleep in (today until noon). They have had fun bonding together.

Friday night Mom and Brandon went to Gma/Gpa Herbst's. He got to meet Great Grandma Shirley (Tim's mom) and cousins. They are all going up north to a rented cabin for a week so Friday was a perfect opportunity to meet some more family. They all live out of state so it was a good time.

The rest of the time we have all been at home. Brandon is spending lots of time in his bouncy seat. He is grabbing the rings more and 'laughing' at them. He really likes his bouncy seat.

I am going to post a great video (maybe 2 of them). They are short. They are funny...it is of Brandon working his bowels which is really funny. All I can think of right now is what is he going to say to me when he is 18 and finds out I did this!

Late night...but worth it!

We had a late night...not Brandon but mom and dad.

We stayed up late and watched the Celtics win the NBA Championship! I remember almost a year ago calling Rob in the middle of the day to break the bad news to him that Kevin Garnet was traded to Boston. Rob is a HUGE fan of K.G. I remember the day well. He said, "Good, you watch with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce they will win the championship." I thought he was just being a big dreamer but had faith with him throughout the season and all the playoffs. We KNEW they were going to win it and they did! What a game too!

Brandon watched the first part with us and then it was his bed time. We love putting him to bed. We do bottle, hugs and kisses, little snuggle and put him in his pack and play. He is usually asleep in a few minutes. We just look at each other and say, "We have the best kid." We are so blessed! He is such a good baby and we are so in love with him.

He did WHAT?

Yes, this is more about dad than Brandon.

Brandon is doing great. He has finally pooped a few times (massive amounts) so his tummy feels much better. He is sleeping well at night and is still putting himself to sleep at night. Sometimes we want to rock him to sleep but I force myself not to as he needs to be able to put himself to sleep and I don't want to break that habit. Monday Mom and Brandon tried to take care of the dog issue at the townhome. We had a quiet rest of the day at home. It was beautiful day!

When dad got home from work he decided he needed a haircut. He did need one (his hair grows really fast). He decided to save some money and do it himself...that and it is hot working outside all summer so he decided to do this.....

He says he wants to be like his son. So now I have 2 bald men in the house! :)

Actually Brandon probably has more hair than dad now! It does make sense. Dad is outside all day and he gets really hot so this will help him stay cool. Plus if he doesn't like it- it will be back in a week or so. His hair grows so fast. Kinda funny though!

Brandon eating his hand

Brandon has learned something new! He likes to try and put his fist in his mouth. Here is a quick video of that. Enjoy! You can hear him too!

Father's Day

It was a great Father's Day (after a long horrible night with a upset baby who can't poop). After just 2-3 hours of sleep we got up and made pancakes. We relaxed for the morning/mid-afternoon with Brandon. Then we went on a picnic. We got Subway and went to a park close to our house. We ate at the picnic area then went for a walk around the lake. It was a beautiful day. Brandon slept the whole time. See photos below and notice dad's gift that he is wearing! He loved it.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads!

A few photos

Dad and Brandon nap time- this is a regular at our house!

Hi Auntie Nicky

"Whatcha doing mom?"

Mom and Brandon- after 3 hours of sleep. Notice Brandon looks great...mom is a little tired.

Meeting mom's good friend Bonnie. He 'broke her in' with a little spit up. Sorry Bonnie!

Brandons new favorite chair from our neighbors at the cabin! He loves the red, black, and white. Notice he is grabbing it!

B-Tom and G-Tom

Brandon's first boat ride on the pontoon.

Ready for a Celtics game while watching more hail come down. Notice Allie climbing the screen. We are going to change her name to either Spider or Decaf since she needs to switch to Decaf.

This outfit makes him look like a school prep boy. Our son is not a preppy boy...more of a sports guy we think. But it is cute. We love the outfit- not the hat!

Dad and Brandon seeing eye to eye!

Sorry for the delay

So we haven't posted in a few days. I had camera issues (battery was dead and I didn't put it on the charger the right way to charge and didn't notice it for a few days). Then my lap top had some issues. We have just had a up and down kind of week.

It has been really stormy and icky so Dad hasn't been working too much this past week. Now the rain has somewhat gone away he will be working a lot more.

We have been fighting with the neighbors on a dog issue that has been going on since the day we moved in. This week he managed to pee on our grill and jump on my car when I was putting the top down on my convertible. His owner was even out!

Brandon has had a few visits to Gma and Gpa's and Gma came here yesterday. Friday night mom and dad got to go to a movie and have a quick dinner. Saturday mom got to sleep in late while gma watched him. It was a nice treat.

Brandon has also been fussy the last couple of days. We think he has an issue pooing. He has gone from many messy diapers a day to one or two. This is normal at 7-8 weeks (which he is) but we think it is just the adjustment of it that takes some getting used to and his tummy needs to get used to it. Last night we all finally fell asleep around 5am. We can't complain that this was the first bad night we have had. At least we got to sleep in until 9am!

Brandon has also grown a lot. He now weighs about 12 pounds. He has started making better eye contact and coos. He also smiles a lot and responds well to us playing with him. We can't believe how quickly he is growing. We did a height prediction calculator (3 of them). They all say he will at least be 6 feet 6 inches tall when he is around 21 years old.

I will throw a few new photos up here too on the next entry.

Off to celebrate Father's Day!

Wedding Photos

I will write more later and upload the weekend phots (camera battery is charging) but we finally got back the professional wedding photos...here are some shots. If anyone wants more I have them on Kodakgallery.com. Email me at Lissaquick@hotmail.com and I can send you the link to see the full slide show.

Brandon is doing good. He is smiling a lot lately. He laughs a lot at daddy.

Quick Weekend Update

I will write more later but a quick weekend update...

Friday was dinner with the extended Herbst family since it was Gpa Tim's last day of work. He is now retired and really enjoys it. Then we went to the cabin to celebrate an early Father's Day. Brandon fell asleep on his own in the crib.

Saturday was Brandon's first boat ride (photos to come later). He also saw baby birds, helped daddy play poker online, helped cook a great evening meal, and sat in his new bouncer seat. He again fell asleep on his own in the crib! See a pattern?

Sunday we slept in together as a family. We also visited the neighbors and met Roger and Belva who just loved Brandon. We went for a walk around the cabin, saw the fishies in the water and had a very crabby morning because he couldn't poop. Finally at 4pm there was a large explosion in his diaper and he was happy and content the rest of the day. He slept the entire way home. When we got home we cheered on the Celtics (WON again) and then went to bed...again fell asleep on his own!

Photos to come later. It was a great weekend.

Wednesday

Yesterday Brandon and Mom ran a few errands. We enjoyed a busy 'running around' day. Dad even beat us home.

The three of us ate dinner and went to Target. We needed some bottled water. We have decided to use formula at night time before bed. That works much better by keeping Brandon fuller for a longer period as well as for some reason helps him sleep better. He is now in a routine of putting himself to sleep at night. We put him in his bed and he talks and kicks for a little bit and then falls asleep. Sometimes he will cry and I just look over the pack and play and hold his hand and sing to him. He needs to learn to put himself to sleep at night. My Dr. today told me that she knows some 4 and 5 year olds that have to still be rocked to sleep. I don't want him to get into that habit.

We went to bed at 10 last night and his first wake up was again at 2:30am and then again at 4:30am. It seems to me that the formula works well and gives mom a little break.

We have been asked how the cats do with him and they do really well. They are protective of him as well as notifies us if Brandon is crying and we aren't super close to him. Sometimes the crying bugs them and they give us a look like, "Seriously...he is crying again." Allie sometimes wants to remind us that she is still around. Last week she chewed up one of Brandon's diaper (a new one- not a used one thank heavens). Then she knocked over lots of stuff on the coffee table and tried to taste moms lemon bars. She got past the foil and there was a nice paw print in the bars. They took a nice trip to the garbage and Allie got a firm talking to. We have been trying our best to keep her off the counters and coffee tables. However at night or when we aren't home it is hard to monitor that.

Photos and Slide Show info

Tuesday was a busy day having lunch with Auntie and some friends. It was a quick lunch. Then Mom and Brandon met Mom's friend Melissa who is having a baby boy in July. It was fun to share baby stories. The last few days have been really mellow and relaxing. He is sleeping well. Last night we put him in his bed at 10pm and he was awake. He stayed awake talking and kicking until after midnight. He fell asleep on is own too which was great. We fed him at 9pm and he didn't wake up until 2:30am for a feeding. It was a good night for him. Mom hasn't been sleeping well at all the last 3 nights but that isn't keeping her down.

If you want to see more photos (professional ones that Auntie Nicole took) and the 2 slide shows set to music you can visit her photography blog site at:

nicolebergephotography.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Funny Shots

Monday Mom and Brandon stayed home and did nothing. He was a great baby. Mom cleaned the house and got 4 loads of laundry done. Dad came home and we decided after dinner to run a few errands. We went to Target to get some basics and then did Brandon's first Gamestop trip. He actually sat in the truck with Mom but it was still his first trip to Gamestop. Dad was proud. Here are some funny shots of Brandon.

He is boxing with Dad.

Disco Dancing

Stats

Sunday was a mellow day. Since it was Dad's only day off this week we spent some time together. We went out for lunch (the first time in a long time) and walking around The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes. We got through close to half the stores when Brandon got fussy and needed to eat. We just decided to head home. We all rested, napped, watched movies, played XBox, and basically did much of nothing. Mom then went to the grocery store...just so she can have a quick car ride with the top down. It was a nice treat for her.

Some new stats on Brandon...

He is 6 weeks old today!
According to our scale and how we weigh him he is just over 10 pounds.
We can't tell how long he is- but it is long.
His next Dr. apt is the end of the month.
He isn't sleeping through the night yet (We don't expect that yet). He usually wakes 1-3 times at night for very quick feeding and diaper changes.

We are starting to get him used to his room. He sleeps in his crib as much as we can get him in there. I spend time in his room every day just putzing so he is in his crib during that time. We also change his clothes and diaper in there as much as possible too. I want him to hopefully fully transition to his crib at night time before I return to work, but we will see about that.

Happy Monday!

Stormy Saturday

Dad had to work on Saturday so it was another Mom and Brandon day. It started rather early when the neighbors put their dog out before 5am. He was unleashed and barking like crazy. After an hour Mom wasn't too happy and called for someone to take him away. He is a big black lab that likes to bark and growl at people he doesn't know. The funny thing is when the owners were looking for him at 10am that morning. Interesting????

Brandon watched his first DVD while Mom showered. He loved his Baby Einstein movie. It was a counting one.

Here is him watching that....

After chilling at home for a little bit Mom and Brandon ran some errands. Then we heard ab0ut the storm heading our way. We knew it was going to be bad. We decided to stop by and see Grandma since Grandpa Tim was gone and she was alone. That way neither of us had to be home alone during the storm. Dad called and was on his way so he stopped by too. He had about 10 minutes with Brandon outside on the deck with the hail started falling...here are some shots of Dad and Brandon outside and then the hail storm hitting our area. Dad's truck needs to visit the car hospital and have some plastic surgery done to the hood now.

Dad and Brandon outside- right before the storm.

Dad and Brandon: "What was that? Time to head inside?"

All is well....we survived the exciting storm!