2 Months Old!

Well, today was the day ... the dreaded 2 month check-up. I say dreaded because Brianna had to have her second round of shots today, which meant 3 shots and one oral vaccine. She was not a happy girl and still isn't. They've made her a little fussy and uncomfortable so we broke out the Infant Tylenol and rocked in the glider for awhile until she settled down. Other than the shots though, it was a good check-up. Here's the stats:

Length: 24 1/4 Inches (97th percentile!!!)
Weight: 11 pounds, 3.2 ounces (55th percentile)
Head Circumference: 39cm (55th percentile)

I knew there was a reason that last growth spurt made her so uncomfortable. It hurts to grow two whole inches in a month! So, for now at least, it seems she's inherited her daddy's height since she's at the top of the range for her age. I'm hoping that holds out as she grows because I'd be perfectly fine if she outgrew me eventually!

Here's this week's Pic of the Week:

She's started smiling more and I was able to capture it this week. She loves to go outside so when its nice and not windy, I've been taking her out in her bouncer to watch Moab and I play. She loves to watch the patterns the tree branches make and will turn her head back and forth following Moab as he runs around the yard. Since he's right on her level when she's in her bouncer, they've started to make friends with each other. He's even started dropping his toys in front of her like he expects her to play with him. I keep trying to tell him she's not big enough yet but he doesn't seem to understand that!


Also, I've been meaning to video her when she wakes up, just to preserve it for my own memory but I thought I'd share it with everyone as well. She makes the funniest faces and stretches when she wakes up! I'm sure all babies do this, or something like it, but still, its pretty darn cute to watch her wake up.

That's it for this week ... love you all!
Lucretia

Yeah for Sleep!

Okay, just had to post this because I'm so proud of my baby girl! I woke up at 6:30 this morning completely in shock at what time the clock said it was because if it was true and I wasn't dreaming, that meant that Brianna had slept through the night. I'd actually gotten 7.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep for the first time since the end of the second trimester of my pregnancy! And to top it off, she ate breakfast and went back to sleep for another 3 hours so it was almost like I'd gotten to sleep in since she didn't wake back up till 10:30. Ahh ... sleep ... that most precious of commodities might actually be making an appearance in our house again. I don't expect her to do this every night, though it would be nice if she did, but for now, I'll take what I can get you know?

Love you all,
Lucretia

7 Weeks Old & Growing!

Its that time of the week again ... time to post some new pictures of Brianna and what's been going on in our world the last few days. The highlight was Grandma and Grandpa Petrik coming to stay with Bree and I while Justin went jeeping with the boys (and Jen) for the weekend. We were both completely spoiled to say the least. I lost count of how many times they threatened to pack her up and take her home with them! They're not proud grandparents or anything like that you think??

Brianna's becoming much more aware of what's going on around her as well. I've fallen in love with her crib mobile because she'll lay there for a half hour or more just watching it go around. That led to this week's Pic of the Week. She loves to watch the jungle animals as they spin in circles of their own while the whole mobile turns and plays music. She's also realized that her hands are connected so they're frequently in her mouth now. In addition to all this, she's started sleeping for a good 5 to 5.5 hours at night which means she isn't waking me up till some time around 4 am. She'll go back to sleep till at least 8, which overall is much nicer for me. She was quite the little snuggle bug yesterday and since it was a rainy, nasty day, that suited me just fine. There's nothing better in my world that snuggling a happy, content baby! Here's a couple candid pics of her on her pillow snoozing with mommy.I know I'm biased, but isn't she just the cutest little thing! We've got our 2 month check-up on April 6 and I'm anxious to see how much she's grown. Justin and I can't believe it almost been two months already and we're still amazed at how she's changed over the last 7 weeks. She's started smiling real smiles on occasion and I haven't had the camera with me to catch one yet. She's also starting to make lots of new noises, besides crying. She's developed several new cooing noises and almost has a little giggle worked out. Its not quite there yet but in a few more weeks, I'm betting she'll have it figured out.

That's it for this week...love you all!
Lucretia

6 Weeks Old

It dawned on my this morning that not only is Bree 6 weeks old today, but my maternity leave is half over! I'm not ready to think about going back to work yet ... blah!

Pic of the Week:

Its been a busy week for us so there's lots to share. We had our first play date, our first trip to the grocery store and our first excursion outside for a walk. On a slightly melancholy note, Bree's starting to outgrow her newborn outfits after only getting to wear them a few times. I'd bought some of the cutest footed sleepers at Target and now, they're not long enough for her little legs, as she very loudly informed me a few days ago. She woke up from her nap in a fit and as soon as I unswaddled her, she tried to stretch her legs out. But, they didn't stretch out all the way, much to her very vocal dismay. So, I've put all the newborn footed pajamas aside to be put in storage (sniffle). My baby girl's growing up way too fast!

Speaking of growth, she's having another growth spurt. I can't seem to keep her little tummy full the last few days (or nights)! She's eating more frequently, which is more than slightly exhausting for me. I think she's having growing pains though because there are times where all she wants is to be cuddled and comforted, which I don't mind at all. I'll take all the cuddle time I can get!

Now, for some pictures of our first play date. We went to see Ashley and Carter Simons for an afternoon. I don't think Bree realized she was on a play date but Ashley and I both enjoyed the chance to catch up and have someone else to talk to besides our little ones. We've both realized there is nothing on TV during the day and just how precious those afternoon naps are. Here's a picture of our two little cutie pies together! I love the expression on her face in the second picture. Its like she's already starting to think boys are icky. Her daddy thought that was very smart of her to discover at such a young age!
Here's a few random candid photos of her over the last week. I'm getting more camera happy now that she's making all kinds of faces. She's even starting to smile on occasion. Its not a full smile yet, but she's getting there!

She loves her bathtime so its become a more frequent event since its so much fun for both of us. She kicks her little feet and waves those hands around with that half smile on her face the entire time. It won't be too long before she's splashing around and laughing at me who's laughing at her! Here's what she thought of me taking pictures of her in the "picture basket"... this was almost the pic of the week, just because of her funny little face with the tongue sticking out!
That's it for this week ... she's asleep at the moment so its time for me and Moab to go play outside and enjoy the sunshine for a bit!

5 Weeks Old

Pic of the Week: Playing Dress Up

Since Brianna wasn't wanting to take a nap this morning, I decided I'd play dress up for a bit and take some pictures. Of course, this was also prompted by the fact that my mom has been asking for pictures of her granddaughter for a couple days now and I've been lax in sending them to her. I'm also realizing that my precious baby girl is growing like a weed and if I don't start having Picture Day occasionally, I'll never get to see her in many of the cute outfits she's been given before she outgrows them. I don't think she's in any danger of outgrowing her newest gift though. Our friend Kris saw this onesie and just had to buy it for her. I have to agree with him, she's totally cuter than Daddy, as much as I love him!

This past week was also our friend Presley's first birthday party and we helped her celebrate it. You'll have to visit Parker's Paradise to see all the fun birthday pictures though! I captured a few pictures of Brianna with our friends and finally got one of her and I together where I don't look quite so sleep deprived!


Speaking of sleep, I'm beginning to think Bree's going to be a night owl like her daddy. She hasn't gone down for an extended night's sleep before midnight a single night this week. Seeing as I'm used to being in bed by 10, this really hasn't been a popular thing with me. Sure, I start her bedtime routine around 9:30 by feeding her, reading her a story followed by a little time in the rocking chair but regardless she's wide awake. No amount of rocking, reading stories or any other soothing technique gets her sleepy enough to go to bed and stay asleep. That means she's usually hungry again around midnight and finally drops off to a sound sleep by 12:30. The nice thing is that she's starting to sleep longer and doesn't wake up till around 5 am, eats, then sleeps again till 7:30 or 8:00. This morning she blessed me with an extra hour and didn't wake up till 9:00. She doesn't really wake up and get going though until around noon, much like her daddy. Consequently, they spend a lot of mornings snuggled in bed snoozing and I finally got a picture of them together. Justin's going to shoot me for posting this but I can't help myself! She's all propped up and snuggled up in his arms sound asleep ... what a precious baby!
She's also starting to discover her hands, but has yet to fully grasp the idea they're connected to her body. Her feet and toes are still no where to be found in her world. She'll track objects with her eyes and has started turning her head to follow them in the last few days. She's also starting to reach for things on occasion, whether she realizes it or not, and has even grasped on to things other than our fingers a few times while we're playing. I've also discovered she likes going outside. The weather's been beautiful the last few days (not counting today ... its chilly & raining) so I've been taking her outside for a few minutes during the afternoons. She absolutely loves it. She'll look around with her eyes wide open and can't seem to take it all in fast enough. While I don't want her to grow up too fast, I can't wait for her to be old enough to start exploring the world around her so that I can watch her experience things for the first time and laugh along with her as she discovers all this world has to offer. Of course, the camera will always be by my side so I can capture every moment possible.

Update to Doctor's Appointment

I thought I'd post a quick update on how Brianna's doing since we saw our pediatrician yesterday. By the way, I really like her doctor, Karen Goff, so thank you Lisa for the recommendation and helping us find her. She's wonderful ... takes time to answer all my questions, didn't rush me out the door even though she had to work us in, took her time examining Bree and just in general is very easy to talk to. She's also very proactive and noticed that Brianna favors turning her head to one particular side so she gave us some basic stretches to perform on her to make sure her neck muscles develop equally.

Brianna's up to 9 pounds, 6 ounces now so that put all my worries that the reflux was keeping her from gaining weight. She's still in the 75th percentile for her age on weight. She's even starting to get those cute chubby baby cheeks and a little double chin! It makes me feel so much better to know that she's gaining weight at a healthy rate. The doctor was able to rule out a milk protein allergy as well but advised me to continue cutting any dairy out of my diet that I can just to help reduce any possible irritation to her. Dr. Karen did decide to start her on Zantac to help alleviate the pain and discomfort she's feeling from the reflux. So far, it seems to be helping. I haven't noticed her expressing as much discomfort after eating and the spitting up is lessening since she's not as fussy afterwards either.

Right now, she's asleep on Daddy's chest. Its hard to tell who enjoys snuggling more, Brianna or Justin, but I'm not about to disturb either of them. Its such a precious sight to see this tiny little baby snuggled up on her daddy's chest and both of them sound asleep.

One Month Old ... Oh My!

I can't believe Brianna's a month old already! Time's gone by way too fast, particularly when your days run together like mine tend to lately. I'm starting to feel like I'm figuring out the whole mommy routine but then there are days when her reflux kicks in and nothing I do seems to help the poor thing. We're heading up to the doctor's office tomorrow morning for a weigh in and to start her on Zantac to see if that will help. Hopefully, that will ease the discomfort for her and make it easier on all of us.

Since I didn't get a Pic of the Week posted last week, here's a double installment.

Week 3: Surrender

This was one of those days where she couldn't fall asleep because of the reflux and when she finally did, this was how she slept. What a sweet baby! Too bad it took so long for her to settle down and get to this point.

Week 4: My First Outing

Justin and I have a weekend tradition of going to Panera Bread for lunch on Sundays. Since it was a beautiful spring day, we decided to take her with us and get out of the house for a little bit. Daddy dressed her in her little jeans, her "my black dress" onesie and her pink OSU beanie and socks. She was perfectly behaved and didn't fuss a bit in the car or during lunch. Altogether, a successful first trip out into the world for our little baby.

She had another first this past week ... her first bottle. On Justin's day off, we decided to try giving her a bottle and see how she'd do with it. Plus, I really wanted Justin to be able to feed her on occasion when he was home so he'd get some more time with her. They both did great and made me so proud!Brianna also got to meet her cousins, Bethany and Addisyn, again and spend a little more time with them. Aunt Amanda and Uncle Josh stayed the night with us and spoiled both Brianna and I. Bethany kept asking if she could hold the baby so we were able to get some good pictures of her playing "mommy". She kept telling anyone who would listen that she would be 6 when Brianna turns 1 since they share a birthday. I think she was pretty happy to have someone to share her birthday with!
Well, she's waking up and needs her mommy so its time to go.
Love you all,
Lucretia