Life isn't fair

Okay Mom, you've finally won.

When I was little I would always say "that's not fair" in my not-so-cute whiney voice. To that, my mom would said, "life isn't fair." I of course felt the need to argue that point...long into my adult life. I am an eternal optimist. While that hasn't changed and I will still continue to look on the bright side, I've finally come to the conclusion,

Life is NOT fair. Or rather, death isn't.

This past weekend a friend of mine died in a tragic car accident at the age of 27. She had been engaged for less than a month, completely in love and planning her wedding. Her fiancee was in the car with her. Along with two of their friends. All of them were very young and all of them deserved to live much much longer.

Even if you didn't know her, this is clearly unfair.

My heart is broken. It breaks for her family, her fiancee's son and her best friends.

I've known Becky a long time and we've been in the same circles of friends since 5th grade. Ever since this weekend I've been remembering the most random things about her. The glasses she used to wear when we were little, when everyone fought over the same guy in 5th grade, New Years Eve parties at her house in high school and hanging out in the pool at Jason's apartment after our senior year of college. The last few times I saw her our conversations were usually about her fiancee, rings, weddings and usually Jason and I telling her how we couldn't wait until her Jason finally pops the question. She was happy and always had a smile on her face. My very smart and strong husband reflected last night, "I will never forget her smile."

And this brings me back to the beginning of my post. LIFE IS NOT FAIR. I believe in God, I know He has a plan and I hope someday I'll understand it. But for now, I can't help being pissed. I'm mad that she didn't get a chance to walk down the aisle, be married, become a step-mom and possibly have children of her own someday.

The last time we saw Beck. I remember joking with her about how she was standing closer to Jason than I was. They were much closer friends but we will both miss her dearly.

Open Wide!

It's hard to see in the picture, but Brody has two little teeth coming in! They've already broken the surface and you can feel their sharp edges against his gums. He's hanging in like a champ and doing great.

So Close!

I apologize for the bad video quality, it looked much better before uploading!

Happy half birthday Brody!

Brody is 6 months old! I know, I know, they grow up too quickly. I've been hearing that since the day he was born. But what truely amazes me is how in 6 short months he went from this:

to this:

No, he's not crawling, but he can push himself up on his knees and arms and rock back and forth. Then he loses momentum and collapses to the floor. He can push himself backwards quite sucessfully which drives him nuts when he's trying to go towards a toy! In the last week he's been trying to pull himself up by grabbing onto us or a couch or anything nearby, but he probably still has awhile before he has enough strength.

He's not quite double his birth weight, but weighs in at 16 lbs (only 25th percentile) and is 28 inches tall (90th percentile). Brody wears mostly 6-9 month clothes but I think he'll grow out of them length-wise sooner than later.
He's eating baby food purees twice a day and so far had tried: Applesauce, Peaches, Pears, Bananas, Prunes, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans and rice cereal. He doesn't seem to love the green beans anymore, but he likes the rest of what he's tried. I'm working on making most of his baby food and so far he loves my homemade carrot & sweet potato baby food.
He sits up great by himself and has learned to catch himself before he falls to the ground. He'll roll a little as he tumbles to soften the landing. And when he doesn't quite catch himself, he usually doesn't cry. Though every once and awhile he'll slip away, tumble or fall backwards resulting in tears that usually only last a few seconds. He even ended up with his first bruise this week. Since he's half-mine, I know he's in for many many more of those in his life.

He's still a very happy active baby boy. He doesn't like to be held still, but when he's sleepy or needs comforting, he's a great cuddler. He turns towards voices he recognizes and smiles at familiar faces. Even if your face is familiar though, he sometimes gets a bit apprehensive. I haven't quite figured it out. He may be experiencing some stranger anxiety, but it's a little early on the learning charts for that one.

No teeth yet but he continues to show symptoms of teething. It could be awhile before we see anything pop through or it could be right around the corner. It's really hard to tell!

Other new experiences for Brody this month include: first family vacation, first "swim" in lake Michigan (big fail!), first beach experience and first fireworks.

Happy 4th of July

Brody celebrated his first 4th of July this weekend. It was a busy weekend and overall he had a great time!

Saturday we headed downtown to the fireworks that I used to go to when I was a kid. It meant a lot to take Brody with me even though it took a toll on his regular sleep schedule. He decided to boycott his afternoon nap and didn't fall asleep until well after 9. Then when the fireworks started he woke up again. However, he didn't seem to mind the noise at all! He actually started to giggle at some points and just wanted to play. We were so close the fireworks that debri was falling down on us, so he stayed in his stroller well covered up. But we did let him see the fireworks a little.

Then on Sunday we headed to Brody's Uncle Nick & Aunt Jenny's house to celebrate the 4th with Jason's family. Again, his sleep schedule was very off. Despite his constant yawning and rubbing of eyes he refused to miss out on any fun by taking a nap. We couldn't get him to sleep all afternoon/evening and when he did fall asleep, he woke up 15 minutes later. Finally he fell asleep....once the fireworks started! Who knew that loud booming and crowd noise could put a baby to sleep? We were smart enough to keep him strapped in his carseat the whole time, so he slept through the fireworks and straight to bed when we got home. Apparently this is also the trick to getting him to sleep in until 8am.

To wrap up the fun-filled weekend, Monday afternoon we headed to the Brewers game. This was Brody's third Brewers game in his short 5 month life. He slept a bit during the game waking several times to loud cheers. I don't think he appreciated the crowd constantly interupting his sleep. He handled the heat really well, but his clothes didn't last long. What's cuter than a baby in nothing but a diaper in public? I didn't care as long as he was cool enough.

In the last month...

Brody has started eating solids:

Been swimming:

Started sitting unsupported (he cannot pull himself up yet, but will stay sitting for quite awhile!):

Got an exersaucer:

Started playing in a jumper:

He's also had multiple runny noses, fevers, two ear infections, a sinus infection, hives, rounds of antibiotics and passed all sorts of germs around the house! So between the doctor appointments, busy summer activities and my busy work schedule, things have been a bit quiet on here. If not sooner, I'll definitely be back to posting more regularly in the fall!

Our little Tiger

His daycare teachers have so much fun with him!

Wordless Wednesday (mostly wordless)

This is the closest Brody will be to a McDonald's cup until he's much, much, older.

4 Month Check-Up

At the end of May Brody had his 4 month wellness check-up. I originally scheduled it for the same week he turned 4 months. Then realized we'd be taking him on a road trip the same day, which probably wasn't a good idea since he didn't do so well after his 2 month shots. So, I rescheduled.

My favorite part of the appointment, growth stats: weighed in at 14lbs 6oz (25th-50th%), 26 inches tall (75th%) and a head circumfrence of 42 cm (50th%). So in reference to the charts, his weight is lower, his height is a bit lower and his head is becoming more average. I've never taken too much stock in the growth charts, but it's always nice to see where he fits in. Even though his weight looked on the lower side, he went to the doctor again 3 days later (another post on this later) and he already gained a couple ounces.

We talked with the pediatrician about his soy formula and he recommends keeping Brody on it. He's been doing pretty well and although he still doesn't digest it as well as nutramigen, there doesn't seem to be any evidence of an allergy.

Next step...solid food! (Well, you know, that pureed baby food that looks nasty but I hear tastes alright)

This will definitely be a new adventure for us. The doctor recommended we start rice cereal for about 2 weeks and then move on to veggies then fruits. He expects that Brody should be eating solids about twice a day by his 6 month appointment. This did surprise me a little since some babies don't start any veggies or fruit until 6 months. However, these are only guidelines and I'll be following Brody's cues as to whether or not he's ready. For the first year of Brody's life, he will continue to get formula, since it includes many important nutrients that he'll need.

I talked to the pedi about how much Brody is eating of formula each day. I've read mixed opinions about formula toxicity, which is when actually having too much formula can be bad (who knew?!?) Apparently it has to do with the amount of vitamins in it. He kind of looked at me like I was crazy and said I don't need to worry about too much formula right now. At Brody's 30ish ounces a day, he has no concern. Also, since he'll be phasing in "solids" soon, he'll end up eating less formula.

On a side note, does anyone else think it's weird they say that he's starting "solids" when it's actually mushy and not very solid. Anyway...

His pediatrician saw pretty quickly how much Brody moves around and made sure to do his safety lecture. This is nothing new, he goes over safety stuff at every appointment (back to sleep, rear facing car seat etc.) But this time he was very clear to say, keep your eye on this guy, he can roll off of something in a second. While I obviously already knew this, I do have to remind myself every once and awhile. I have gotten a little too used to leaving him on his changing table for 2 seconds while I grab a diaper. Now, 2 seconds is all it takes to fling himself over.

End of appointment = vaccines. Same ones as 2 months, same screaming from Brody. I also thought it would be a great day to go shopping with Brody since I was off all day, but that didn't last too long. He ended up getting pretty fussy when we left the mall because I hadn't given him any Tylenol yet. Unfortunately I still had to run to the store to buy generic Tylenol because all we had was the recalled name brand Tylenol (thanks a lot!) Once he had some pain relief and a nap, he was great the rest of the day.

Look what I found Mommy!

Brody loves discovering new things
Ooh, what's that? Okay, I just have to reach for it now...Almost there...

Look Mommy, I got it!

Stomach Sleeper

Where's Brody?

So I have to admit it, this blog has fallen down on my list of priorities in the last couple of weeks. As many of you experience first-hand, the start of summer can be a very busy time! We've been out of town, in town but away from the house and busy watching Brody grow up.

So what's Brody been up to? He's rolling back and forth, but he's better at rolling back to tummy than tummy to back. He went "swimming" for the first time this weekend. He's trying to sit up, but is far away from actually doing it. He'll be practicing eating with a spoon starting tonight! I'll make sure to post the messy pictures.

In the meantime, I'll catching up on the last couple of weeks soon.

Brody is 4 months old

Time continues to fly by as Brody is another month older, bigger and smarter.  He's over 14 lbs and around 25-26 inches.  We will know for sure how big he's gotten when he has his four month appointment next week.

He can roll over from tummy to back though its not consistent yet and he still does it more often at daycare than home.  He has rolled from back to tummy but this really involves him turning on his side, which he loves to do, and then accidentally ending up on his tummy.  He's done this in his crib a few times at day-care and buries his face in the mattress.  The teachers know to keep a closer eye on him and they do.

He loves moving and will dance I you hold him in a standing position or be unable to keep his head still.  His favorite pastime is watching other kids, observing facial expressions or just looking around.  This makes it pretty easy to entertain a 4 month old.  Aside from that, he love his Tigger toy.  Its a blanket with a stuffed Rigged head attached.  Of course the thing he loves the most is that he can hold it well enough to stick it in his mouth.  He hasn't truly discovered something new unless he's put it in his mouth.  This includes your fingers, so watch out when he gets his death trip on you!

He also loves mirrors, things that light up, and toys that make a crinkly noise.  He hates getting his nose suctioned.  Since he's been sick with a cold for two weeks and now has a sinus & ear infection, we've been battling over the nose suction for awhile.

He's still a pretty happy boy and smiles at us all the time.  Now that he takes better naps at daycare we get to see his happy face during the week again.  We'll be discussing practicing solids with his pediatrician and getting him ready to start diversifying his diet, though formula will still.provide most of his nutrition for awhile.

We love him more and more each day and I cantnwait o see him develop even more over the next month.  I just hope he doesn't start crawling at 6 mmonths like his teachers keep predicting!  I'm not ready for a mobile child yet, he can stay put!

Wordless Wednesday

Not so fun first

Baby's firsts are always great right? First smile, first laugh, first time rolling over...ah the joys of a little baby.

Well...first cold? Not so fun!! Brody has had a stuffy nose for at least two weeks now. We've been vigorously cleaning it out (which causes him to scream his head off) and just trying to keep an eye on his temp. This is what the pediatrician suggested and it makes sense. There's really nothing you can do to get rid of a cold.


However, we're past the stuffy nose stage and now on to the chest congestion, tiny cough and I can't breathe and suck on my paci at the same time stage. So sleeping of course is a real challenge. The first night after the cold worsened, Brody kept spitting out his paci so he could breathe. Then he wanted it back. Remember how I told you he'd try to get it on his own? Apparently sick-Brody isn't that independent. So that just resulted in crying every 10 minutes until he was in a deep enough sleep not to need his pacifier.

Night two went much better, but he still woke up screaming his head off at 3:30 in the morning. I'm not sure why, but he's much crankier when he's sick. Just like his mommy...

Luckily he's still sleeping well at daycare, he doesn't have a fever and he's still a pretty happy guy. And what did his teachers tell us when we mentioned his cold? Oh yeah, most of the kids in the room have been sick this week. Ugh. Well at least he's working on building his immune system!