10 Things I Don't Want to Forget About Cheeks

1. When he gets tired, he holds his ears, or plays with mine/his mama's ears.

2. When he laughs, he gets the hiccups (just like I did when I was young).

3. He loves his cars and trucks.

4. When I come home from work, no matter how cranky he is, I always get a huge smile.

5. At 9 1/2 months old, he LOVES peek-a-boo.

6. I swear he has said the word book on several occasions - but it could just be him babbling.

7. He gets overly excited when he sees grandma in the box. (The laptop).

8. He is not a fan of getting his nails cut or of having his boogies removed.

9. He gets SO excited and proud when he does something new (i.e. pulling himself up to a stand).

10. When his mama puts him to sleep holding him, they fit perfectly together.

Merry Christmas!!

Cheeks has had a fantastic Christmas so far. He is passed out in his crib now after playing with all his new toys. I love that he loves his new books as much as his new toys (and I'm having just as much fun as he is playing with his new toys!)

This is a rough Christmas for Doc - it's her first without her mother - but she said it best when she said it's the saddest yet happiest Christmas for her. Cheeks allows it to be that way. Here are a few pics that brightened our day :)

The trip from hell with a bit of sunshine

So much happened on this trip, that I will just bullet point it. I'll start with that I had this fabulous idea to fly into Detroit on Spi!rit and then drive 3 hours to Akron. Here is how that went:

• Plane to Detroit was delayed by 3 hours. We were stuck in the airport until 8pm with a 9month old baby who was ready for a nap.
  
• We finally boarded the plane to find that Sp!rit seats do not recline - unless you pay more for a reclining seat! Water and peanuts also cost extra. 3 hours on a plane with no reclining seats and a baby is a lot!!!
  
• Cheeks fell asleep but woke up as soon as we took off. He was fantastic and loved the plane. A perfect little traveler.
  
  


• We landed in Detroit around 11 something at night. We purposely got a hotel room in the terminal because we figured it would be the easiest with Cheeks. Well, the Detroit airport has two terminals - SEVERAL MILES APART!!!


• We had to load a baby, stroller, and 5 pieces of luggage on a shuttle - in the snow - with a baby who wasn't dressed for the cold because we didn't realize we were leaving the terminal. He kept pulling his hat off.


• We get to the hotel, check in, get Cheeks to sleep, and realize there is no where to eat because the hotel doesn't allow you to get to the fast food places in the terminal. We had to order a $26 turkey wrap from room service. Doc and I split it.

• My fantastic parents felt so bad with what we were going through that they said to forget about driving back from Akron to Detroit and they bought us one way tickets from Cleveland to Orlando. YAY!!! However, we now had to get a one-way rental, adding $200 to the rental price. BOO :(
• We get to H*rtz rental car, and they give us a Camry and an infant seat. Well, the infant seat was for a newborn, and the Camry barely fit our stroller and one suitcase. Stress levels raising more at this point.
• They upgrade us to an Imapala - everything fits, and they give us a rear facing toddler seat. Seat takes 45 minutes to install and Doc and I are on the verge of divorce (not really - but you'd have thought it if you didn't know us!!)
• At 2:30 in the afternoon, we were FINALLY on our way to Akron.
• We arrive in Akron and get to spend time with family there. It was my first time meeting Doc's family in 6 years! They were great and made me feel at home. :) It was verrrry cold though - and Cheeks had to be bundled up constantly (don't forget, he is a Florida baby!)

• We took Cheeks sled riding!! He loved it and laughed when we went down the hill (pic of this to follow when it is uploaded).
• While we were there, Cheeks mastered his pulling up to a stand!! Especially during naptime :)

• After a snow and family filled weekend, we packed up and drove 45 minutes to the Cleveland airport. When I return the car, apparently it was 1 hour late and we were charged an additional $60.
• Once there, we were told that we had to pay to check a Pack & Play!! Apparently C0ntinental doesn't believe a crib is a necessity and charges for it. I was fuming, but what could I do?? I plan to call up the company and make a complaint soon.
• We FINALLY made it back to the Orlando airport, after Cheeks napped the whole way back! He woke up a happy camper to a sippy cup of juice.

• Doc got our bags and Cheeks and I went to get the car. When we got to the car, it was DEAD.
• 2 hours and $113 later, we had a new battery and were on our way home.

We have NEVER been so happy to just walk into our house. I cannot wait for this weekend - since it is Christmas, we get Friday AND Monday off, and I will be spending every minute of it enjoying my little perfect family :)

On the plane

I just lost my whole post! Ugh!! Cheeks is doing great on the flight...he was sleeping but woke up during take-off. He was fascinated looking out the window. Doc is trying to put him back to sleep and I am blogging while he holds my finger.

While Cheeks is doing good, Doc and I not so much! We will NEVER fly Spirit again. Everything is extra - $3 for a bottle of water..almost $60 to check our bags...and THE SEATS DONT EVEN RECLINE!!! I normally don't recline...but it would have been nice to with a baby. They didn't even give us a chance to preboard...it was insane. I will be writing a letter!

Well I am going to assist on putting Cheeks to sleep..

STRESS

Flying with a baby for the first time is VERY stressful - and we haven't even left the house!!!

A Cause for the Fussiness

Our normally very happy go lucky, non fussy, boy has been overly fussy lately - as my recent posts have explained. Well - last night, the reason has been exposed - not only has he been pulling himself up more and more (in his crib twice) - HE BEGAN CRUISING YESTERDAY!!! He pulled himself up to his leapfrog learning table - and next thing I know, he moved his way around to another side of it!! No wonder he has been fussy - his body has been going through so much getting him ready for these new and improved skills :) So with that, I end with an adorable pic of Cheeks (I know, I'm partial ;))

Mr. Fussy Pants

For the past few days, Cheeks has been overly fussy. Sometimes I feel like he isn't even as smiley as he was a few weeks ago. I think he's just going through a phase/growth spurt/teething/testing his mommies period. I'm hoping these two top teeth pop through and he returns to his normal self.

On happier news, we have a development in Cheeks-World! He has officially pulled himself up in the crib. Doc called me at work today to tell me Cheeks stood up twice! Of course he was SO proud of himself and gave a huge grin both times that he accomplished his feat. Tonight, Doc and I are lowering the crib when I get back from my hair appointment.

I'm constantly pulling my hair back because I just don't want to deal with it. Tonight, I shall chop off a few inches and get my roots fixed up. I really hope Cheeks isn't too fussy for Doc while I'm out. I'll be at work all day, then go straight to my hair appointment, then home - probably won't get home until 8 or so. I don't know why, but I feel bad about that. I feel like taking time for me isn't fair to Cheeks and Doc because I am constantly at work. I just don't know when else to go get my hair cut/colored with us leaving for Ohio in a few days.

Testing out my new app!

I just downloaded Blogpress and wanted to try it out. On a side note - trying to cut Cheeks' nails while he sleeps just woke him up! And now I am off to dreamland - more about the nails tomorrow.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cheeks' Fussiness and Upcoming Trip

Cheeks has been quite fussy the past few days. I'm hoping that it's just a phase and maybe his top teeth are coming through. I hope it is short-lived because we are going on our first plane ride with him on Thursday evening up to Ohio to visit Doc's family. Words cannot express how nervous I am about how this plane thing is going to play out - especially if Cheeks is cranky.

I'm trying to plan it as much as possible - but I don't even know where to begin planning. I guess it is more hoping than anything. I am hoping he isn't cranky. I am hoping he sleeps on the plane. I am hoping it's not ridiculously cramped on the plane. I am hoping that TSA doesn't molest me. I am hoping that we can pack everything in as little bags as possible. And I am hoping that TSA doesn't give us any issues with the formula! I need to research to see if the airport has a children's play area - that would tire him out to crawl around in there. But it could also get him sick. OY. I just need to get my lists together and go with the flow.

Cheeks' First Hanukkah Hurrah

Every year, we have our family over for a huge Hanukkah feast. I make appetizers, matzoh ball soup, brisket, noodle kugel, potato latkes, chicken, challah, desserts out the kazoo. We open presents, have a $5 grab bag, and eat all while filling the house with love and laughter. It's a lot of hard work, but I look forward to it every year.

This year was Cheeks' first Hanukkah Hurrah! He was a natural!! We had my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, niece, aunt, and uncle...plus Doc, Cheeks, and me, 4 cats, and two dogs - it was a houseful for our tiny two bedroom townhome - but everyone fit and everyone had a great time.

Cheeks kept up wonderfully with the conversation. When people would laugh or talk loud, he'd look up from what he was doing, and give everyone a hearty "AHHHHHHHHH" then go back to what he was doing. We bamboozled him with gifts and he made out like a bandit with a Fisher Price Speedway toy from his Aunt and Uncle, a Little People Garage from his Grandma and Grandpa, and a fun 4-in-1 rocker/ride on toy from his Great Aunt and Great Uncle! He had a blast playing with everything. He even participated in the grab bag game by purchasing 5 $1 books from Target's dollar bins! His Aunt picked that gift, but Cheeks was sure to steal it right back from her!

When we ate dinner, he enjoyed chicken, noodle kugel, carrots, potato, challah and matzoh balls! He is a natural when it comes to Matzoh Balls - he couldn't get enough!

After a long day of playing and visiting, Cheeks passed out in his crib and slept allll night. All in all, I'd say he had a fantastic first Hanukkah Hurrah. Can't wait to see him next year when he's walking around at it.

Today's Moments that Made Mommy Smile

Night One

When I got home from work last night, Cheeks was napping. After a quiet dinner with Doc (which was very weird because we are SO used to eating with Cheeks now) the boy woke up and we were ready to celebrate Hanukkah! I carried him downstairs and we twisted the menorah bulbs together. He enjoyed looking at the flickering. Then, I set him in front of his present (which I had basically just laid a piece of wrapping paper over). He touched the paper and then just looked at it. I showed him how to pull off the paper and crinkle it. Once the paper was off, he stared at the chair and reached out to touch it. I picked him up...and put him in it....and.....the lip went down, arms went out, and the cries came!! If he could talk, this would have been his comments:

"What is this?? I got jipped!! I thought you get toys on Hanukkah and all I got was this stinking chair???? I WANT TOYS!!!"

Well, we tried a couple of more times...more tears. We decided to let it be for a bit and Cheeks and I went to the food store. When we got back, Doc took Cheeks inside and I unloaded the car. When I came in, this is what I saw:



Doc was brilliant! She put on Baby Einstein, put Cheeks in the Chair, and voila! no more tears :) Night one turned out to be a success after all. Tonight, we light 2 candles and Cheeks gets his second gift :)

Happy Hanukkah!

Tonight is Cheeks' first night of Hanukkah! I have so many great memories of Hanukkah growing up. My sister and I would wait on the couch in the family room while my Mom and Dad would go into their closet to pick out our gift(s) for the night. We'd light the menorah, and open gifts. The gifts that stick out in my mind from childhood are (in no particular order):

1. Red Schwinn 10-speed
2. Yellow Sony Boom Box
3. NKOTB Christmas Album
4. Amy Grant Album
5. A box of stickers (I don't know why this stands out, but it does - and I remember we had dinner at BagelLand the night I got the box of stickers!)

I am excited for Cheeks to form these same memories and pass them along to his children. Tonight he will get his big boy chair. After he goes to sleep, I will clean the house in prep for the big Hanukkah Hurrah dinner on Saturday, and I will wrap the remainder of his Hanukkah gifts.

HAPPY HANUKKAH TO ALL!! :)

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

We are a lucky family - we celebrate both Hanukkah AND Christmas! I am very excited for Hanukkah and Christmas this year with Cheeks and Doc. This Saturday, we are having the family over for our annual Hanukkah Hurrah! My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, niece, aunt, and uncle will be coming to our little townhome to celebrate, eat, and open presents! I normally stress out about where people will sit - but not this year, this year my only focus is on making sure Cheeks has a fantabulous time opening his presents and eating his chicken, carrots, and matzoh balls!!

The first night of Hanukkah is actually Wednesday 12/1 this year, but we always have the Hurrah on the Saturday night during Hanukkah to allow me time to prep everything while working. Thank goodness Doc is here to help with the prep! Can't wait to post pics. But this Wednesday, Cheeks will get his first Hanukkah present - A BIG BOY CHAIR!



So we have our Hanukkah traditions. Christmas is a whole new ball game this year though! Even though Cheeks is only going to be 9.5 months, he is going to bake cookies for Santa with his Mommy! I want to put out cookies and milk every year before he goes to bed. Baking is something I love to do - and it is something that I want to build into our holiday traditions. Maybe we will take a drive and look at lights on Chrismtas Eve..hmmm...note - must discuss all of my ideas with Doc!! In the meantime, here are a couple of holiday pics of Cheeks:

Cheeks and Thanksgiving - Two Peas in a Pod!!

Thanksgiving weekend has been wonderful so far this year. We took a road trip down to my parents - Scottish neighbors in tow for their first Thanksgiving holiday! They were very excited and wound up enjoying it tremendously. Cheeks did great on the ride down as Doc had strung up the backseat with links, and toys hanging from the links...it was a baby wonderland back there!

So Cheeks hasn't been wanting to eat too much in the past couple of weeks. Baby food has become a modern day form of torture for the boy, and formula just doesn't seem as tasty to him anymore. Fast forward to Thanksgiving. We spread turkey pieces, stuffing, sweet potatoes, pieces of a dinner roll, and peas on his high chair tray. THE BOY GOBBLED IT ALL UP!!! He loves Thanksgiving as much as his Mommy and Mama do!! We had leftovers tonight, and he repeated the eagerness to eat all the bits on his tray. I decided to mix in some Beech-Nut Sweet Corn Casserole as he ate his bits and pieces of Thanksgiving leftovers. You would have thought I was trying to feed Cheeks glass shards!! He made faces, pushed away the spoon...but again, gobbled up all of the goodness on his tray that was from the normal foods. I'm so glad he enjoyed his dinner...and can't wait to start introducing Cheeks to more foods. My question now - has anyone else experienced this? Is 9 months too early to stop baby food??

I followed up Thanksgiving Day with a wake up alarm at 1:45AM to start my Black Friday shopping. Four hours later, I was back asleep and felt accomplished with my deals from K0hl's, Tar.get, T0ys - R - Us, and Best.B*y!

Thanksgiving pictures to follow once we are back home and I have a chance to download them! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thoughts on Traditions

I am very sentimental. Doc likes poking fun at me for just how sentimental I am. But I think it's important to have traditions, and things to look back on as well as forward to. I want to make sure that we create traditions for Cheeks that he will look back on with smiles and carry on for years to come with his spouse and children.

That being said, it is that infamous time of year for family traditions. This Thursday will be Cheeks' first Thanksgiving! I am running a bit behind, but I've yet to decide what our Thanksgiving tradition will be. We ALWAYS spend it with my side of the family - and that in itself is a tradition. When I was a kid, breaking the wishbone with my sister was a tradition - and I'm excited for when B is a bit older to do that with his cousins or brother/sister (whichever he may have!) I want to make sure (while he may not be able to this year) that he reflects back on what he is thankful for - because when I hear stories of such horror in the world, I know exactly how lucky our family is. I hope to shield Cheeks from that horror - but at the same time, make sure he knows too, just how lucky he is.

Speaking of traditions, it is a family that enjoys them. Last night, we made a decision on our family. For quite some time, Doc and I went back and forth - I wanted three children, she wanted two. After a lot of thinking, and digging, and thinking, and thinking, I now agree with Doc - our next child will complete our family. I am very excited that we made our final decision. It puts our family on a path with a plan, and I like that. Now should we have twins, I wouldn't be opposed (although reading some of your blogs, that would be VERY hard I think!!)

And with that, just in case I don't get to blog - HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO BLOGLAND! :)

Mommy Instinct

So today we took Cheeks to our pediatrician's urgent care. I love our pediatrician's office - they have a nurse practitioner in the office until 9pm on Weekdays and from 12-9pm on weekends and holidays. So we utilized her services and brought Cheeks in for a bout of diarrhea, not wanting to eat, ear pulling, and a slight cough. Mommy instinct before we went - teething. Nurse practitioner's diagnosis - a stomach bug and.....*drum roll*...TEETHING! I was worried he may have had an ear infection because of the ear pulling, but nope - my instincts were right - his two top teeth are pushing to come in. It's causing his gums to hurt - hence the ear pulling. I can't wait for those two boogers to pop through so my baby isn't in pain anymore.

A New Favorite Past Time

Cheeks is growing up. This week, we put away the infant tub. The one that he started off in with a sling to hold his little body. Then graduated to the slanty side of the infant tub. Recently, he moved onto the older baby side of the tub...the side that allows him to sit straight up on his own. This week, that tub went away. My baby is no longer an infant. My baby is going to be one in less than 4 months! My baby has a new favorite activity - playing with his toys in the big boy tub!

A revamp

My blog has received a makeover! I was never crazy about my blog's title. And now, on a lazy Friday at work, I have developed a new persona for my blog! I'm very excited about the change. I've changed the title, the look, and now need to think of new blog aliases for my family. Going forward, the family's blogland names will be:

Wife: Doc
Son: Cheeks

What is the reasoning behind these names you ask? Well - the wife loves her Dr. Pepper. She cannot live without it. Should she be stranded on an island with only one thing to bring, I truly believe she'd bring a lifetime supply of Doctor Pepper! My son...well...he is all cheeks....always has been....and I hope always will be! You can see him smiling from behind because his cheeks are so big. I eat those cheeks daily :)

So along with the new look of the blog, I am going to make a commitment to blog at LEAST every other day. I am thinking of this blog as a way to look back on my life with my son. He is only 8 1/2 months old, and it is already very neat to look back and read things from when we were conceiving, pregnant, and when he was first born. I want to make sure I have lots of stories to look back on.

So while I am not sure if anyone out in blogland is reading this, if so, I hope you enjoy the new revamp of my blog!

Happy Halloween from Mr. B Scarecrow :)

Thanks to my friend Melanie for the great pics - here are just a few of my favorites :)

Milestones upon Milestones

So shortly after I wrote that last post, B started army crawling!! It seems like he is doing new things daily. He's been army crawling for a bit now. Yesterday, I was in his bathroom warming up a bottle. I look down...and there is a little smiling face staring up at me from the bathroom floor. He army crawled after me into the bathroom!

Just last night, he started the beginning stages of pulling himself up to a standing position. He grabs my shirt...and pushes his legs...and bam...he is standing. Time is just flying by...and I am soaking up every minute I get of it.

I am going through a phase right now where I am hating leaving him and going to work. At least he is home with his Mama...but I can't help but be jealous at times. I don't want to miss anything. I just love this boy so much I hate being away from him.

Ladies and Gents....we have a first tooth!!!

At 7.5 months, B has sprouted his very first tooth! It's the bottom left middle one. He had been sooooo cranky and snotty for the past two days. The night before last, he wouldn't fall asleep and then was up at 3 - very uncharacteristic of the B-Man. Some orajel seemed to put him right back to sleep. Yesterday, he was still quite the fuss pot. Then, last night, I felt in his mouth - and BAM...sharp little tooth coming through!!! I'm still trying to get a picture...he isn't fully cooperating in that aspect.

Then, last night, after B's bath, I was letting him roll around on the floor. I went into his bathroom to empty the tub and put his toys away. When I came back into his bedroom, (note - the bathroom is IN his bedroom, I didn't leave him unattended!!) HE WAS SITTING!!!! He had somehow pulled himself up from on his belly to a sitting position!!

So much is happening this month. We also have MMMMMMMMM sounds coming out of his cute little toothy mouth now :) My little man is growing up so fast!!!

The Neverending Cold

Poor B has been plagued with one heck of a cold. I think we are going on 4 weeks now with the stuffy, runny nose. We've been to the doctor and got medicines, done what the doc said, but still just have that runny nose. Poor little guy HATES HATES HATES the boogie ball now! Anyone out there with suggestions on how to kick this thing, it would be greatly appreciated!!!

The Smiliest Baby

When I was 6, I won the "Smiliest Camper Award" at West Hills Day Camp. I still have the award in an old scrap book. I think my son takes after me.

Just over 7 months

Dear Son -

You are becoming such a big boy so quickly!! You are just over 7 months now. You are eating foods of all sorts - peaches, bananas, applesauce, pears, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, green beans, and oatmeal!! At this point, you have yet to meet a food you dislike.

You also love storytime - always have. I read you a few books every night. Your favorite is Goodnight Moon. Just last night, you started helping me turn the pages!!! I was so excited that you made yet another accomplishment. I am full of nothing but proudness for you.

Every night, you go to sleep with your Nan (your sock monkey). Once you fall asleep, you stay asleep! It is wonderful :) However, you still hate to nap most days. We will work on that my boy, we will work on that :)

You love your puppy and your kitties. So far, they love you too. We shall see what happens once you start really pulling at all of them!

The past 7 months have been wonderful. I can't wait to see what the next 7 bring :)

Love,
Mommy

Adios Puerto Rico!

I had to go to Puerto Rico for work this week. I was gone from Wednesday morning through LATE Friday night. I missed my B more than anything. So while I was in a tropical oasis - I couldn't be happier to get home and snuggle with my baby. I know it's horrible - but I woke him up at midnight so I could hold him - I gave him a bottle too. Oh how I missed him. Since I've been home, I haven't done anything but spend time with my chunky baby. And I am loving it. So adios Puerto Rico - you were lovely - but home is where the heart is :)

In sickness and humidifiers

My little man is sick with a horrible cold. I feel so bad - I hate that I can't do anything to make it go away. During the day, he continues to smile as snot runs down his little face. At night though, the smiles go away as he tries to fall to sleep but can't because he can't breathe and suck on his paci at the same time!

Thankfully, neighbor-friend A lent us her humidifier last night. I really wasn't sure what those did - and still am not sure I know - but I do know that it helped him to sleep through the night last night! So humidifier - to you I say thanks.

B used to be fascinated by the boogie ball. He would open his mouth every time he saw it and try to eat it. Now - when the boogie ball comes, he turns his head and gets frustrated that he can't get away from it fast enough! Hopefully, this cold does not scar him from the boogie ball.

I'm not sure who, if anyone, is reading this blog. But if you are out there - please please please post some advise on anything to help a 7 month old baby with a cold!!!

Kindermusik and Smiles

Being a full time working out of the home mom, I struggle to find mommy and me type classes I can do with B. It always seems like the classes are predominantly on weekday mornings - when I am required to be in the office (rather than with my boy:( ) I digress. I found this place called Amaya Papaya in Cassleberry. They offer Kindermusik playdates once a month...at NIGHT!!! The class was tonight from 6:30 - 7:15. Perfect - gave me time to come home, scarf down dinner, and off we went!

B LOVED it. We sang songs, we danced, we swayed, we played with instruments, and B just had a perpetual grin on his face. I cannot wait to bond like this again with him next month.

I highly recommend these classes/playdates for anyone with a young child. The flexibility of time is fantastic - and the children love it!

6 month visit

Poor B didn't have fun at the doctor today. On top of having his shots, he had an adhesion on his *peepee*. The doc had to fix that which the Bman did NOT enjoy. It is so hard to see your little baby in any sort of pain. I just hugged and held and kissed him after. On the positive front, he is a big boy at 20 pounds 5 oz and 28.5 inches long!!

Once we got home, B fell straight to sleep. He woke up 45 minutes later and was his same old self again - sans so many smiles. His *peepee* was obviously bothering him. Hopefully by tomorrow, the vaseline will have helped to sooth it and he will be even more on his way back to normal.

Oy - I think now begins the not fun to go to the dr time. He was FINE his first few visits - but he's a bit more aware now, and isn't liking it so much anymore!!!

Has it been 6 months already??

It's been soooo long since I have blogged. I never seem to find the time. And when I do have the time, I just want to veg. Well Bryson is now 6 months, 1 week, and 3 days old! He is the most amazing boy I have ever met in my life. He is soo happy. And I am not just saying that. Everyone who meets him comments on how much this boy smiles. He has a head full of blond hair, HUGE blue eyes, and dimples that melt my heart.

Within the past month, one of his favorite pasttimes has become rolling over. He rolls from back to belly and back again. When he gets on his back he lets out a loud shreik of excitement. And he gets so excited when I repond to his excitement. He is just a happy baby!

We've packed up the baby swing the infant carrier. Our big boy is weighing in over 20 pounds at 6 months old. He's in his big boy car seat (rear facing of course) and enjoys his big boy toys (the fisher price tool box is is absolute favorite). He is developing a personality and lets us know when he doen't like something. For example, take away his fisher price tool chest and he is no longer a happy camper! But within a few seconds he is on to something else and enjoying life again.

He LOVES LOVES LOVES Baby Einstein DVDs and Yo Gabba Gabba. Whenever he sees DJ Lance from Yo Gabba Gabba, he gets a huge grin on his face. He will sit for hours if we let him and watch those two things (don't worry - we put in place a 1 hour TV rule per day for him!) A couple of days ago, he laughed for the first time AT the TV. He was watching Baby Einstein Neighborhood Animals. There is one part where a dog puppet comes close to the camera - B found it hysterical. It was adorable.

Needless to say, I am so in love with my little man and fall more in love with him daily. I had to travel for work for the first time in late August - I missed him terribly. I have to travel again the beginning of October. Not looking forward to it!

Being a mom

Being a mom is the most exhausting, tiring, frustrating, and WONDERFUL thing I have experienced to date. Bryson has his days and nights mixed up. He's gone from breast feeding to breast milk in a bottle to being a formula baby. He couldn't quite latch on right away due to a tongue tie, so we began pumping and giving him breast milk in a bottle. At about 2 weeks old, he decided he'd start projectile vomiting the breast milk. So we moved on to formula - Similac Advanced. This gave our little one a HUGE amount of gas which made him quite the fuss pot. A call to the pediatritian and two samples later, we are now Enfamil GentleEase users. This seems to agree with him a bit better - but it's only been a few bottles, so we won't know for sure just yet. Keeping our fingers crossed!

So the past few weeks have been indescribable. I say this because I went through a bout of the baby blues when he was first born - crying at everything and anything and nothing at all. I went through a fussy, gassy, not wanting to take to the boob baby. I went through countless gas smiles and tons of adorable little noises as he eats. I went through sleepless nights which led to sleep deprivation. I went through the most amazing thing ever - and love my son more than words can say.

Welcome Bryson

Bryson Michael Cooke was born on March 4th at 5:05pm weighing in at 9 pounds 5 ounces and 22 inches long! The labor lasted about 9 hours with 45 minutes of pushing. I got an epidural and was SO glad I did!! More to come when time allows...

Countdown - 1 hour

Well this is it. It's been a few days since my last blog, and a lot has happened. After the midwife changed her mind TWICE on us regarding induction, we switched to a different doctor in the practice. The result - we are being induced this morning (March 4, 2010) at 6:00 am. I am a bit nervous, a lot excited, and 100% ready. I had a hard time getting sleep last night (although J said I was snoring quite a bit). Amazingly, I am wide awake and rearing to go. We are going to stop at Dunkin Donuts on the way to get a nice bagel with cream cheese and a cup of coffee before our big day. I never thought this day would come, but we are going to finally meet our boy today. Here is to a quick, easy, and eventless labor and delivery :)

Lack of a voice and information

I haven't had my normal voice for 3 days now. It is horrible - it hurts and I sound horrible. Not fun for someone who enjoys talking. I also have a lack of information. We were supposed to find out if I'd be induced today. Unfortunately, the midwife didn't e-mail the doctor until yesterday and hasn't heard back yet. So that leaves us where we have been - waiting and in the middle of the unknown. Quite frustrating - but we've just decided we can only wait - Bryson will come when he is ready to come and that is that.

Induction Thoughts

I want to be induced. It would be so nice to just KNOW that OK - he is not coming any later than this date. It would help me mentally and maybe even physically. It would help me fully prepare at work and let me tell my parents when to plan on being up here for the birth of their grandson. But my midwife will not induce for convenience. She says the baby knows when he's ready to come out and I need to think like a mother. This statement bothers me. I believe I am thinking like a mother with the planning I am trying to accomplish. I am not asking to be induced at 35 or 36 or 37 weeks. All I want is to know - OK - I've been pregnant for 40 weeks - on March 3rd if Bry Bry isn't here, we will induce you. But no - that doesn't look like it's going to happen. The best I could get is that if he's not here by March 10th (one week past my due date) that they will induce then for medical reasons.

I am just so frustrated. What does it mean to "think like a mother". I am officially a mother - and this is how I am thinking - so don't you think that is "thinking like a mother"???? Perhaps I'm just over this pregnancy thing - I'm ready for Bryson to join the family - I'm ready to have my son.

Doctor's Appointment

We had our 35 week Drs appointment this morning. Bryson is doing amazing! This dr. is guesstimating his weight to be around 6 pounds right now - and thinks he'll be around 7 pounds when he is born. Different from the last doctor - but I guess we will find out when he comes out! His heart beat was 158 bpm - and I lost 2 pounds (definitely water weight!) All in all - things are going perfectly and I couldn't ask for more.

Come on Bry Bry - we are ready to meet you :)

And the countdown continues

6 weeks left of being pregnant! It's bittersweet actually. I have not really enjoyed being pregnant like I thought I would - but love feeling him squirm around inside of me. Seeing the little kicks and punches makes me laugh. That being said - I am SO HAPPY and EXCITED to meet this little guy. We are all set for the most part - swing set up - stroller put together - nursery in order. All we need is our Bryson Michael to join the family. 6 weeks to go little man.

Yoga, Kicks, and the Countdown Begins!

For anyone out there who is battling the backaches of pregnancy (which can be quite painful as we all know) I highly suggest prenatal Yoga. For a couple of weeks now the backpain has been near unbearable. I hadn't gone to my Yoga class in awhile, so I decided to try it again last night to see if it would help. I feel like a whole new person today! My backache is gone (for the time being) and I feel more energized. I slept much better last night too! So ladies - PRENATAL YOGA!!!

On the kicking front, B is an active little boy today. I wonder if it is the cold weather (30 degrees in Florida?!) Whatever it is, it's nice to feel because I know he is doing OK in there. Kick away little boy - kick away.

Lastly - we are in the beginnings of the final countdown (queue Europe's final countdown song lol). Tomorrow - 8 weeks and counting until we meet our boy. I am so excited for that day I am just praying these next few weeks fly by. I should start working from home the beginning of February (just waiting on the final approval) and then before we know it he will be here! We are all set for him. His nursery was finished over the weekend - all we have left to do is push him out! Well - and a few other things like kid proof the house, pack my hospital bag, get the animals used to their tails being pulled - you know - the usual :)