Brianna's First Christmas in Pictures

 Great Grandma Rosie                                                                                               Grandpa Terry

                                            

Great Grandma Rosie

 Uncle Jon

Helping herself to presents on Christmas Eve (She may or may not have used her teeth)

All of the little guys on Michael's Dad's side of the family- notice only two girls!

Carrie, Jon, Susie, Mike's Dad (Terry), Michael, Me and Brianna

We're getting close to the end of weekly pictures!  I LOVE this one :) 

Christmas Morning at Grandma Pam's

Aunt Katie and Uncle Adam

                        Grandma Pam                                                          Lexie sharing her "food"

Standing up like a big girl- she hardly slept on Christmas Day!

Lexie loves to call out for "Bri Bri!" 

Brianna wearing Bella's hat

Aunt Erin in town from Pittsburgh the day after Christmas

Grandma Peggy

Overall, Brianna's first Christmas really was wonderful.  She got too many toys and we're still working on getting them out of their packages.  She was interested in opening a present or two but the rest were up to Mommy and Daddy.  Christmas Day brought lots of presents and three outfit changes, of course :)  She still didn't get to wear all of her Christmas clothes this season. She is a very loved little girl! 

Curls, Curls Everywhere!

I will be posting about Baby Brianna's first Christmas very soon but for now I'd like to discuss... HER HAIR!!!

Let's begin by taking a look at my sweet girl's hair in a picture taken October 3, 2011.  Just shy of three short months ago...

I thought she had a lot of hair at that point.  It was curly when wet but after drying it was straight and was perfectly controllable.

Because I see her every day it has been a slow progression.  Looking at pictures now I have noticed this EXPLOSION of curls...

This picture was taken December 26, 2011... 

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I have struggled with my curly hair my entire life.  

I was so hoping that my baby, boy or girl, would not inherit this madness.  

But now that I'm looking at this sweet head full of curls with a colorful bow to hold it off her face... I dare to say I love it!  I know there are going to be many days she wishes she had the straight hair of her friends.  I'll be there to dry her eyes when she has had enough of the teasing, because that day will come. When that day comes I want her to know that she is gorgeous and perfect.  I will never say "people pay good money for those curls".  I've heard that a million times in my life.  I HATE THAT STATEMENT.  I will be there to help her straighten her curls when she is ready and I'll be there to help her make them big and bouncy if she should choose. 

I want her to know that now that she is here, I am finally accepting my own crazy curls.  I'm thankful for this maddening head of hair because it is what first made my baby girl laugh.  In the middle of the night while changing a diaper she saw my curls sticking up and cracked up laughing.  A lifetime of hair struggles is worth that sweet, sweet sound.  I also am very short on time these days and am thankful that I can take a shower, let my hair dry by itself and let the curls take over.  I'm sure I'll go back to straightening some day... but for now I'll appreciate the crazy hair and smile when a  stranger says.. "She has your hair!  People pay good money for curls like that!"

Not us... not ever :) 

Christmas Love

 Brianna has learned a few new things throughout her 42nd week of life and has been very busy!  She now loves to say "Hi!!!" in her little high pitched squeal.  She has a little baby doll that she says "Hi!" and then kisses it.  She also likes to say hi and kiss the baby on the pampers wipes container.  

She learned how to drink out of a straw this week so she has been drinking a lot of water!  

She continues to stand by herself and has started to take a step without holding onto anything.  She is still cruising and can take a few steps with her little walking toy.  

She has gotten a little more table food this week.  She loves little pieces of bread and tiny pieces of cheese.  She has also had some mashed potatoes and of course loves them... I would be concerned she wasn't my baby if she didn't love them!

Saturday Brianna and I went to see Isabella in her Cheerleading Competition.  Man do those girls mean business!  She did a fantastic job and I am very proud of how hard she worked.  She is so beautiful and I absolutely love to see her happy with her little friends.  Have I said how much I love Isabella Art lately?  I do! :)  I didn't get any pictures of Bella but her performance video is posted on my Facebook page if you'd like to check it out.

I did, however, snap a few cute pictures of Ethan and Brianna.  Ethan had two basketball games Saturday but stopped by to see his sister perform.  Brianna was so happy to see him and they played together a bit.  On a side note,  we were sitting in the third row so there were lots of people sitting behind us.  Everytime everyone would cheer, Bri would think they were cheering for her and she would throw her little arms up in the air and yell "Yay!!!" and then clap.  It was so funny and adorable!  I love my happy girl.   

Here are a couple shots of that happy baby playing with Ethan: 

Here is a picture (far away, I know) of Bella's squad... sitting with the squad I liked to call Toddlers and Tiaras...

My angel baby sat in the bleachers completely entertained for 4 straight hours!

Some Week 42 pictures:

Brianna met Santa Claus this week!  Grandma Pam and I took Brianna to Cookies with Santa at Town & Country on Sunday.  She was in a great mood and loved looking at all of the kids running around.  I had no idea how she would react but when we put her on Santa's lap she just looked up at him and smiled and was perfectly fine!  I think she knew he would be bringing her some fun presents in just a couple weeks :) It was a very fun experience!  

I had Tuesday off work so Michael and I took her to Florence Mall to have her official picture taken with Santa.  She loved him too.

After visiting with Santa I called Libby to see what she was up to and we decided to go over to visit with her for a little bit at her house.  This was Brianna and Jack's first date!  I got a few pics on my phone but I'm hoping to get some of Libby's soon because they were so cute.  Baby Jack made a move and put his arm around Brianna.  She was playing it cool.  It is love.  Julianna loved Brianna too!  She wanted to play with her and feed her.  She is such a sweet girl! 

We have been busy but these past couple weeks!  I'm going to try to continue to be better with pictures.  I want to remember every moment of these fun moments!

The Luckiest

Sometimes I feel like everything is going wrong and why is this happening to me!

Then I realize...

I feel loved every day.  I still believe anything is possible.  I'm challenged daily.  

I'm not doing so bad. 

I knew from a very early age that God had a special plan for me.  I had a deep desire to HELP.  I had a special passion for people that had it harder than I thought I did.  Specifically, people with disabilities.  I spent a lot of my free time in the special education classroom helping teachers and connecting with the kids that were always in a different room.  I didn't understand it.  But I knew I made a difference there.  

Every year my family drove to Florida for a two week vacation.  I'm not sure if I've ever told my parents about this but one year, I was probably nine or ten, my brother and I had fallen asleep when we were fairly close to home after two fabulous weeks on the beach and sixteen hours in the van.  I woke up when we were just ten or fifteen minutes from our house.  I almost drifted back to sleep when I realized, HEY... my parents are talking about me!  It very easily could have been a conversation about how I'm always fighting with my brother or how I don't do THAT great in school.  But no... they were talking about how much they love me! They were asking each other, how did we get a daughter with such a kind and giving spirit?  They were wondering how my passion to help and care of others came to be.  Hearing this conversation, without them knowing I was listening, was probably one of the most affirming moments of my life.  In this random moment, I felt like my parents SAW me.  They got me.  They appreciated me.  

I know God had me hear that conversation for a reason. I stuck through school to get the education I needed so that I could not only help people, but get paid to do it.  

My parents made sure that I always felt special.  I will spend the rest of my life trying to do the same for Brianna.  It might seem at times that I'm bragging about my beautiful baby.  And I might be... because I'm already hoping she will overhear my conversation :)  

Slow Down Baby!!!

As I mentioned in my last post, Brianna is learning so much every day!  I took these pictures a couple weeks ago and I can't believe how big my girl has gotten as I look at them.  

Since these were taken, she has gotten even more brave and adventurous.  She wants to explore... constantly.  Her favorite toy is a little radio that plays different songs and she will press the button and start dancing.  It doesn't matter if she is in the middle of a meltdown, she hears the music... and she dances.  It is pretty funny!  Not quite as funny in the middle of the night but still cute. 

Her surgery went very well and I thank everyone for their prayers.  She was loving the attention from all of the nurses and I'm pretty sure the nurses loved her as well.  It always makes my heart happy to hear someone new say that she has such a wonderful little temperament and is such a happy baby.  It makes me feel like I might be doing something right!  She bounced back very quickly after the surgery and I'm looking forward to fewer trips to the doctor's office (fingers crossed!).  

The same weekend of the surgery she had two new teeth come in.  She now has three on top and two on bottom.   On Sunday she stood all by herself for the first time.  I was so excited and wanted to yell for everyone to look but didn't want to knock her over.  She has done it again several times since then but I'm not sure she realizes she is doing it. She has been a very busy girl!  She seems to be getting a lot closer to walking.

 Why wouldn't I be holding on with just one hand???

 My sweet, happy girl!

This is one of the first times she stood up using this toy.  So far she has gotten more enjoyment out of the box it came in than the actual toy.  

The past few days have brought very little sleep because she seems to be fighting a cold.  I am really hopeful she will be feeling better this weekend so we BOTH can get a little bit of sleep!  

9 Months and Thankful

So I'm not going to post any pictures right now but I will have put some up after the next few crazy days.

Brianna is 9 months old!!!  I am having an absolute blast these days with my baby girl.  She is sweet, funny, smart and of course beautiful :) She is crawling, pulling up, walking while holding onto furniture and looking for things to get into at all times.  This week she has started to do this little dance and clap her hands when she hears music.  This was very interesting tonight when I was rocking her to sleep and she was nice and relaxed with her Binkie and Blankie and I started singing her little lullaby and she sat up and started to dance.  TOO FUNNY!  She does patty cake and itsy bitsy spider (her version, anyway).  She is always wanting to share whatever she is playing with or eating.  She still takes a pacifier when going to sleep and she will try to put it in my mouth and get the biggest smile.  She thinks Mommy's "serious" face is hilarious.  Every time I give her that sideways big eyed look that is supposed to tell her to stop getting into whatever trouble she has found she laughs.  It doesn't help that I give her that look all day long just to hear the little laugh.  I'm sure she has no idea what that face means.

She has gotten pretty serious when around someone she hasn't seen in a while or a stranger.  She is still super friendly and will let anyone hold her but she really takes some time to study the person before she starts acting like her silly self.  If we have been somewhere for a little while she is okay with me leaving the room but I can never go in and put her with her toys and try to walk away.  Luckily, she has no problem with this around two people... my Mother and Carrie.  She absolutely adores them and this makes me so happy!  Being able to drop her off and know that she is happy and not crying makes me so incredibly happy.  I know this could change but I'm enjoying how easy going she is at this moment.

Bath time is still really fun at our house.  I have to keep the bathroom door closed because she likes to crawl in to find her bath toys.  I'm just now introducing some meat into her diet and slowly some dairy to get ready for the big milk switch at 12 months.  It is unbelievable how close that is.We have started teeth brushing as well and she loves her little toothbrush.

I am so very thankful for my healthy baby girls.  Things have been very stressful in pretty much every aspect of my life these past few months.  I'm not really feeling like myself and there are many changes to come that are causing a lot of worry and anxiety.  I know that this is the way life tends to go... when everything is good it is great and when things start going wrong it feels like everything is wrong.  But I know EVERYTHING isn't wrong.  I have a lot of wonderful people in my life that are incredibly supportive and a gorgeous baby girl who makes my life forever changed in the most fantastic way possible.

Please pray for our little family as we make some big decisions.  Also, please think about Brianna on Friday... she is finally getting her tubes so we can hopefully decrease the ear infections around here!  I can't wait for her to feel better but I'm sure the surgery day will be a little scary for all of us.

I plan on posting some Turkey Day pictures and possibly pictures from Friday some time this weekend.  I hope everyone is enjoying the thankful spirit around them and letting a little of the holiday season into their hearts no matter what they are going through.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

More Every Day

Brianna is now well into her eighth month of life and it is still hard to believe that I am lucky enough to be  her Mommy.  How did Michael and I create such a sweet, happy, beautiful little baby girl?  I really am amazed.  I have always thought that I loved little tiny newborn babies.  And I do.  But I really am in love with this baby phase that Brianna is in right now.  She is crawling all over the place.  She has two little teeth.  She babbles random things that sometimes resemble words.  She holds her little arms up every time I walk past her.  She shakes her head no but doesn't understand what it means.  All of these sweet little things are an absolute joy to watch her study, learn and imitate.

I still worry a lot about if I do certain things right or what I should be doing better but ultimately I'm learning that I need to just appreciate every day and make sure she feels loved.  Because she is.  And if is possible she is loved more every day.

32 Weeks

Our precious little girl started crawling last night! I picked her up from Miss Carrie's house and when we got home I sat her on the living room floor and walked across the room to get the mail. When I turned around I saw a little angel up on her hands and knees with a huge smile on her face. I think she was inspired from spending an entire day with Chloe who has been crawling for a few weeks.

After Michael got home we were both sitting on the floor playing with her. Michael put her on one side of the room and we sat on the other side of the room with some toys. At first she just got frustrated and started fussing. After moving a toy over to her that was just beyond her reach she started the crawling motions! She still isn't that great at lifting her little belly off the ground but she definitely has the concept down!

I'm taking Brianna to Children's Hospital tomorrow afternoon to discuss with a specialist the possibility of Bri getting tubes. She has had 5 or 6 infections in her left ear. Every time she gets an infection she is much more fussy than usual and then we have to start on antibiotics and they hurt her belly so it makes her even more fussy. She is VERY close to getting her first tooth. Her gums are very swollen and she keeps holding her mouth really funny. I think she will be such a happy girl once that tooth pops through and her ears feel better. I look forward to that!

Brianna is starting to show signs that she is pretty attached to certain people. When I sit her on the living room floor to play she tries to work her way over to me and pull herself into my lap. One of the sweetest things she has done in the past week or so is try to put her pacifier in my mouth when I'm trying to rock her to sleep. My sweet baby has already learned to share :) We won't talk about when she pulled Chloe's pacifier out of her mouth and started the great binkie war of 2011.

She is starting to get a little more picky when it comes to her food. She isn't liking the green stuff as much as she used to but I can get her to eat Mixed Vegetables which has carrots, peas and potatoes in it. Her favorite is probably still Squash. She loves her Grandma Pam's oatmeal with fruit. For some reason she only eats it really well when Grandma makes it! Already she is judging my "cooking"... She has started to show a real interest in table food.

We have now gone from having physical therapy every 2 weeks to only having it every 4 weeks in an effort to start weaning her off. All of the measurements have been completely equal and she is doing everything she is supposed to be. Her little head will never be completely round but we are counting on her having my curls and it won't be too much of a concern.

That's all for now. It seems like she is doing something new every day so I'm going to try to post more often so I can document and remember everything!

7 Happy, Scary, Fun, Exhausting Months

Bri is 7 months old this week! I'll begin post by sharing with you how I kicked off Bri's 7th month of life. I was leaving for work Tuesday morning, carrying her, 3 bags and some blankies and we took a tumble down the stairs. My Mommy instincts took over and I have no idea what happened but there we lie. At the bottom of the stairs... Brianna completely fine... Mommy... not so much. The injury is minimal... broken toe and torn ligament but I am so thankful my baby girl is okay.

Now on the the happy news... our gorgeous girl is really beginning to discover the world on a whole new level. I definitely feel like she knows Michael and I are her parents and she loves her grandparents. She has taken a dramatic turn for the better... She seems happy, busy, and loving. She smiles all of the time. She thinks very hard about things and is stubborn when she doesn't get to play with those items that should be kept from babies... such as Mommy's Parent's magazine and Daddy's cell phone. She is sitting up. She scoots on her belly to get to what she wants. She rolls across the room until she gets to places that she shouldn't be or gets stuck. She seems to have found so much happiness in this little bit of independence she has learned. This makes me very happy.

We are now about to prepare for our first trip as a family of 3. Flying with a 7 month old... this may be interesting. We are excited to get away from the stress of life here and will have so much family down there with us so it will be great. I will take lots and lots of pictures.

I love my baby girl. She brings me so much joy and I think God every day for the blessings in my life.

Sleep is for the Weak

Please don't judge... yes, it is 4:11am on September 11th. 10 years since our nation's tragic terrorist attack and I can't sleep. I've been watching the specials on television and reading what i can in short bits and pieces. It very well be the disturbing, very real images are stuck on mind. It also may be the fact that for the past 2 weeks I have had a sick baby that wakes up screaming every 5-40 minutes all night long and is fighting sleep during the day. She is doing much better sleeping through the night other than an occassional coughing spell but the naps are not happeneing during the day. She is tired, mommy is tired, she cries, and so sometimes mommy cries too.

The part that I'm asking you not to judge is that I'm not reflecting 9/11 or motherhood. I just ate a piece of cold pizza and opened a book I picked up a while back . I picked it up at a Border's closing sale. Probably after another week of no sleep when I was feeling frustrated about being a working mom. Let me share with you the introduction. If you have had kids or a have a friend with kids... I hope you find it as hilarious as i do. Chances are... the lack of sleep has gone to my mind but i truly believe this is funny stuff.

The Book: Balance is a Crock, Sleep is for the Weak: An Indespensible Guide to Surviving Working Motherhood
Written by: Amy Eschliman and Leigh Oshif
(exceprt from the very first few paragraphs of the introduction)

"Do you recognize this woman? She's always screeching up late to the office carrying a stylish pleather breifcase, a computer bag, and a Venti nonfat latte, while wiping some offending organic material off her shoulder. By six a.m., she'd packed two lunches, flipped hte laundry, negotiated a backup nanny for next week's business trip, referreed an argument over "orange bear," coordinated a service call with the cable company to coincide with a conference call to discuss the latest contract negotiation, AND found her husband's wallet.

So it's no wonder that when you greet her with a "Good morning," she either screams "Great!" or looks too spaced0out to hear you. In meetings she's the master of efficiency and laser-focused on wrapping up at 4:55pm. And the last time the gang asked her to drinks after work, tears welled up in her eyes. Once the epitome of "tucked and belted," you could swear that's the third time this week you've seen her wear that skirt. Shemight not be "killing it" at work like se used to, but you can tell she's going to DIE trying.

Aaahhh. Now you recognize her. It's the working mom in the office... the one who either just returned from maternity leavev or got hit with the brick that she's working a full time job with a kid (or more) to raise, a household to run, ,and the dawning realization that she hasn't had a moment to herself for the last eighteen months. your best friend? Your boss? Oh, it's you. YOU! you're the one with the Crazy Eyes. Welcome tot he party! We've been waiting for you to arrive."

Yes, that struck a nerve with me :) I think I may be sharing more from this book as a find moore short moments at 1am to read a few chapters in an attempt to have a little "me" time before the screaeming begins again.

Okay... I'm going to try to go squeeze in another half hour of sleep before its time to get us both ready for church. This is going to be another day in paradise :)

6 months old!

My baby girl is already 6 months old! I really cannot believe how fast time is going. There are days that I am so exhausted that I'm not sure I can function but then I look up and realize how fast time has gone. These have been the hardest 6 months of my life but definitely the best.

Brianna has developed quite the little personality. She is beginning to have quite a little temper when things don't go her way. I have no clue where she would get such a trait :) She is rolling over and can sit on her own for a short time. Her Daddy loves to put a toy just a little out of her reach when she is on her belly and she will use her legs to push forward to reach it. She puts absolutely everything into her mouth. She has a few favorite toys and they are all ones that she can hold in her hand while she throws it around and also chew on. She will play with her toys for a short time and then the dropping game begins. She plays, drops then screams. We repeat this hundreds of times each day.

Brianna's favorite song is hands down "Old McDonald". She can be fussing like crazy and you start singing and making animal noises and she can't help but crack up. It is adorable.

Her Daddy is still her favorite person. She giggles and smiles whenever he walks into the room.

She is still a great sleeper (when she isn't sick). She sometimes will wake up during the night and jibber jabber and play for a bit and then go back to sleep. My favorite time with her is when going to get her out of the crib in the morning. Sometimes I have to wake her up but some days she wakes up on her own and I hear her playing quietly. When I walk into the room she breaks into a giant smile. She starts kicking her legs with excitement. The only time she has ever woken up crying throughout these 6 months has been when she is sick. I love my mornings with Bri!!!

I'm really going to make a good effort to appreciate every day with this beautiful baby girl. I'm excited for her to grow out of some of this sickness and fussiness but I know I will miss these days. She couldn't be loved more!

Visiting the Pediatrician

So now that my little one has had to make several trips to her pediatrician's office I am catching on a bit to how these things go. Some good, some bad. I've learned that calling to speak to a nurse about an issue seems to land us in the office approximately 80% of the time. We have to schedule well visits months in advance but this allows us, and other sick babies, to be able to be seen when there is a problem.





This past weekend Brianna was extremely fussy. EXTREMELY fussy. I have a fussy baby but this was EXTREME. Have I made my point? :) So I waited until Sunday morning... after 6 straight hours of screaming through what should have been her morning nap. I knew something had to be wrong so I call the on-call nurse who tells me if the ibuprofen and tylenol are not helping than she should probably be seen. When I got off the phone with her Michael started looking up where the nearest Urgent Care is to our house.





I take her in... sitting in a germy chair (more on that later)... and wait for the nurse to take us back to another germy room. Once the doctor enters Brianna's room she turns into a happy smiley baby- no more screaming , no more fussy baby. The doctor determines she has two ear infections so we leave the germy office with a prescription in hand.

The next day Brianna is having side effects from the new medication so I put a call into her regular pediatrician. They won't just call in another medicine so I have to take her AGAIN to the doctor's office.

This is where my observations really kicked in. You approach the door while holding a baby. How do I open this germy door? I guess I will just grab the bottom where most people don't touch. I approach the counter. Oh no!!! I have to touch the germy pen!!!! I sign in and turn around to find a seat. Oh the segregation!!!!! Do we sit on the well side because she has been on antibiotics already and isn't contagious or can I sit on the well side. Man... we are here for a sick visit so I guess I should go over there. Okay... there are chairs in two areas. Which area do fewer sick kids sit in and then which chairs would be least sat in? UGH... I'll pick this one. Brianna don't touch anything. NO! Definitely don't throw your toy on the floor. No you can't get down to jump. GERMS GERMS GERMS!!!!!

Then there is the whole situation with the mothers or fathers there with their sick children. You look at each other with compassion and understanding but at the same time think, "Keep your sick kid away from mine."

We finally get called back to see the doctor. I lay my own blanket on the paper covered exam table. Bri wants to roll over and play with the instruments hanging on the wall. No!!!! Let mommy hold you so you can look at the doggies on the wall. Come on doctor!!!

Whew... the visits are done for now. Her ears have been cleaned out and we are waiting to see how things go until her 6 month check up on Thursday.

Please be thinking happy Germ-Free thoughts for both Bri Bri and I on Thursday!

Out of Town

Ahhhhh.... a nice peaceful, quiet room with a big comfy fluffy bed to stay in for two whole nights. The best thing this room offers is the fact that I don't have baby laundry to fold and organize, laundry of my own to do, cleaning of bathrooms and kitchens and baby bottles and it goes on and on and on. Here... I can just simply BE.

Now on the other hand I really am missing my peanut and Michael. I'll get to go right back to normal tomorrow but for tonight I get to sleep 8 hours with no baby monitor and I get to wake up and have a long hot shower.

The training I am here for is a training that I already went through 4 years ago. As I sat through my meetings all day I found myself being very reflective looking back at how much my life has changed in these 4 little years. Michael and I continued to date, eventually became engaged, planned a wedding, had a wedding, went on a honeymoon and a few weeks after... discovered we were pregnant with our now 5 month old angel. Throughout those years I completed my Master's Degree and then received Employee of the Year award for my agency and Michael has been promoted to General Manager of his store. We have lost some friends and family and gotten closer to others.

Ultimately I'm feeling blessed, grateful, happy and overwhelmed by how many good things have happened in these 4 years.

So tomorrow when I complete my day of training I will be able to focus on getting home to that baby girl I am so thankful to have :)

22 Weeks!!!

5 MONTHS OLD!!!!


My poor baby girl after spending Wednesday at Children's she screamed for hours that evening. I was freaking out... did I pull a muscle in her neck doing her stretches... did I hurt her little brain... oh my goodness!!!! Well, went to work the next day thinking it would be better and after checking with Carrie, she let me know Brianna wasn't doing any better. I scheduled a doctor's appointment that evening and we found out she had an ear infection. Poor little baby! So between her teething, ear infection, and really disliking her PT stretches there has been a lot of LOUD crying in our house. She has been a trooper though!

I'm not sure how much I said in her 20 week post but she has discovered her feet. She loves to lay down and play with them. She has been rolling over some... the first time was at Children's Hospital and the nurses and physical therapists were asking us which milestones she has reached. I told them the only thing she isn't really doing is rolling over. The nurse put Bri on the table on her belly and what does my child do... she rolls over!! It was hilarious. Everyone cheered for her. My baby girl was waiting for an audience of people who would appreciate it :)

Michael is working a ton this week and I have to go out of town the end of this week. It will be madness but hopefully we will be able to enjoy the weekend a little more.

Til next week...

Visit to Children's Hospital

We have noticed since Brianna was a month or two old that she prefers to sleep on her right side. At her 4 month doctor's appointment we discussed the flat spot that has developed and agreed we thought it best to have it checked out by a specialist. We made an appointment with Children's Hospital Plastic Surgery Department to participate in the Plagiocephaly Clinic. It was an overwhelming experience. I myself, fearing there was something terrible wrong with my baby girl, spent a couple days crying, anxious, and worried about this appointment. Then to top it all off I had heard from friends that they have no bedside manner and they typically make you feel like you are a terrible parent.

THANKFULLY, the day went very well. No one was mean and everyone we met had great bedside manner. Bri's flat spot is considered severe but we're going to continue repositioning and doing more tummy time! We also are going to work a physical therapist for a couple weeks to make sure she isn't turning her head to lay on the other side for a particular reason.

So family and friends, please pray and think happy thoughts for us over the next couple months in trying to help our Bri Bri be the most beautiful and healthy baby she could possibly be.

More to come...

20 weeks!?!?!?

Oh my goodness... 20 weeks already? Where has the time gone? I kept waiting to blog until I had time to catch up all of the many weeks I've missed and I finally have reached the conclusion there never will be time. So, I am starting now... and will catch up later :)

Brianna is a healthy, happy 20 week old baby girl! The amount of happiness she has brought to our lives is immeasurable. I have said this a million times but I really thought I would have a good handle on this mommy business. I've been around children and babies more than most but being the mommy is a whole new ballgame. Even though it is completely different than I ever imagined, I love every crazy minute.

Brianna is now "talking" up a storm. She tries to say "gooooood" and "hiiiiiiiii". In the past 2 weeks she has found a new octave and she likes to squeal all day long so everyone knows it. She smiles all the time... she can be crying and when you talk to her breaks out in a big grin. She is starting to giggle more and more. Michael and I will just lay with her taking turns making her laugh and look at each other and agree there is no better feeling in the world.

Even though most of her time is spent with me, her favorite person in this world is her Daddy. She absolutely adores him... and the feeling is mutual. Michael is a wonderful father and I am very blessed to have him. In the first few weeks following my C-Section he really took fantastic care of both of us. He has stayed strong through all of my emotional ups and downs with all of the hormones and I love him even more for it. I give him a hard time that he doesn't get up with her enough or change as many diapers as I'd like but he really is a great daddy. I love how much they love each other!

Thanks to "Becoming Babywise" my little angel sleeps 10-12 hours a night! If you are pregnant, thinking of becoming pregnant, know someone who is pregnant or know someone who is thinking of becoming pregnant (you get the picture) I recommend this book!

We have started to add cereal and a little baby food into Bri's diet in the past couple weeks as well. She didn't like it at all at first but is doing really well now. Her favorite is a spoonful of apples mixed into her oatmeal.

Bathtime is probably her favorite part of the day. Just being in the same room as running water seems to calm her. She has gone swimming once and wasn't as excited about it as I expected but I'm hoping that grows on her.

I had many anxiety attacks before returning to work, mainly because we didn't figure out childcare until a few weeks before I went back. I just could not even think about the idea of leaving this little baby. How in the world can any person have a child... the most precious thing in your life... something you have carried for 9 long months and stayed home with for 3... and then just go back to work? I didn't understand!!!! The way I thought about this before having a baby and the feelings once she was here were two totally different things. I would stay awake at night and just look at her and cry because I couldn't imagine leaving her. After much prayer and discussion the solution has been a miracle. My mom (sometimes known as "Pammaw" among many other names these days) is keeping Bri Bri 3 days a week. My mama has always been incredible in my eyes but now that I am a mother myself, I appreciate her and all of her sacrifices even more. She continues to sacrifice soooooo much for me and now her little grandbaby. She takes Bri to work with her on Mondays and Fridays and has her at home on Wednesdays, sometimes after only getting a few hours of sleep after working the night before. It has been amazing knowing that Bri is in such great hands. My mom has helped me feel more confident as a mother. She doesn't question the decisions I make, she supports them. When I ask her opinion, she offers it but always makes me feel like I will make the best decisions for myself and Brianna. This, and how much she loves little Brianna, are the best gifts I could ever imagine from a mother and grandmother! I love you, Mama!

What about Tuesdays and Thursdays, you might ask. Well... Miss Caroline Tipton has been my other answered prayer. Carrie and I went to high school together but lost touch after graduation. Thanks to facebook and having baby girls just 5 weeks apart we reconnected. Carrie offered very early on to help me out with childcare. I thought she was insane at first... she has a new baby herself and works full time in the evenings. This girl is Superwoman. She is so flexible with my schedule and doesn't look at me too crazy when I come up with my crazy requests. PLUS Brianna gets to hang out with her little BFF Chloe when she goes to Miss Carrie's house. Carrie is going through a lot herself but is always there for us and we love her! I hope she really knows how much we appreciate her!

Well... that is enough for now! Hopefully I write again before another 20 weeks passes!