6 Months

I cannot believe what was once our little tiny peanut is six months old already. He's looking more and more like a little boy than a baby every day, which is scary and exciting all at the same time. He's showing his personality more and more. He's a very happy little man, always ready to flash a big smile. And he's very friendly, he'll work his charms on anyone and everyone. Of course, he loves his Momma best. And his Daddy second best (hehehe).

The most exciting development of late is that Brendan is finally starting to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT. YAY!!!!! The first night was December 17th, Daddy's birthday. He woke up bright and early at 4:40 but I was still super happy about it. He's gotten through eight of the last 14 days without waking up for a bottle with four of those eight days being the past four days. Of course, I still wake up a few times throughout the night out of habit (and to fulfill my OCD need to make sure he's still breathing). Hopefully I'll stop that soon.

We spent Christmas with my family and Brendan got to see his Uncle Keith and Aunt Shannon who hadn't seen him since he was five weeks old. They were very impressed with how good he is, just hanging out soaking everything in. I'm hoping they're going to give Brendan a cousin very soon...

Aunt Lauren was also there and of course Grandma Annie and Grandpa Charlie, who hosted the day at their house, along with Rob & Susan and their sons Jason and Christopher and Charlie's mother Mimi and two sons, Charlie and Nicky. After everyone was sufficiently buzzed the karaoke competition started. Grandma Annie started it off and Little Charlie "sang" a few songs too. I'm happy to report that I got the high score of the evening. There was a claim that Uncle Keith got the high score after I left but I'm not counting that. Anyway, I've heard him sing.

We celebrated Christmas with Kenny's family this past Sunday at Nana's. Uncle Scott, Aunt Splat and Aunt MaryAnn were all there too. Brendan got a lot of cool presents, including a rocking horse from Aunt MaryAnn and Uncle Jay that sings and talks. Brendan is already trying to eat it. Oh, he also got his third tooth for Christmas! Well, the day after Christmas anyway. He'll be eating steak in no time.

Here are some photos from our first Christmas celebration. The other pics are on Nana's camera so we'll have to wait for her to send us those.

Styling in his argyle sweater vest


Snuggling with Aunt Susan


Snoozing on Mommy


Some hats Daddy bought Brendan for Christmas






And one of the shirts he bought (yes, that's his middle finger)


Uncle Keith showing Brendan how to use the jumper


Doesn't everyone sleep with washcloths in their mouth?


Doing what he does best - being cute



Brendan is 6 months and 1 day old today!

When it rains...

It's been a banner week at the Gaska household. Brendan developed an awful cold last weekend that just wasn't getting any better. He started to have a fever Monday that wouldn't go away and he wasn't interested in eating - he was only getting about 15oz a day. Mind you, he's not a big eater to begin with. He takes in an average of about 25oz/day. The rule of thumb is 2-2.5oz per pound per day. He weighs about 16lb so that's 32-40oz. I'm convinced our son is anorexic. The dr is not concerned because he's growing nicely from month to month.

Anyway, clearly 15oz is no good. I took him to the dr on Wednesday morning. Diagnosis = bronchiolitis and yet another double ear infection. Bronchiolitis is a lung infection caused by a virus, most likely RSV in the baby's case. We have to do nebulizer treatments with him 3 to 4 times a day for about 10 minutes. And holy cow, he HATES it. He'll be ok for about the first 5 minutes and then turns into Mr. Squirmsalot for the next 5 and cries the whole time. I've learned the easiest way to get it done is to sit him in his carseat and distract the heck out of him with toys. The noisier the better.

Thankfully, we're pretty sure he's on a teething break this week so that's one small blessing. He now has two adorable little teeth on the bottom that he's constantly rubbing with his tongue. Ken lovingly refers to him as a coke addict since that's exactly what he looks like when he does it.

We must have caught the ear infections nice and early because they don't seem to be bothering him a whole lot. Or it could just be that the rest of his ailments are distracting him enough where he doesn't even notice they hurt. He's got lots of gunk in his chest which makes him wheeze and cough a lot. Not to mention the boogie factory. I change my shirt a few times a day when I'm home with him because when I hold him he uses it as a hanky, rubbing his nose all over me. And when he coughs, he makes sure to turn his head each time so he can cough in my face. So there's some saliva mixed in with the snot for good measure. But that's what parents are for, right?

Here's a pic of Brendan self-medicating



Brendan is 5 months, 1 week and 6 days old today!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with Nana Darlene, Uncle Scott, Aunt Splat and Uncle Al at Nana's. Nana made a delicious turkey and some homemade stuffing and mashed potatoes. Brendan sat at the table with us in his big-boy high chair and enjoyed some rice cereal and applesauce.

Some more firsts: Brendan has his first tooth! I brought him to the pediatrician Wednesday so she could make sure his ears were completely healed and she felt his gums. Sure enough, he's got a little tooth on the bottom and another one on its way. Our little boy is growing up so fast! Another first: Brendan discovered how to turn the bathtub into a jacuzzi Wednesday night. Not quite as exciting for me, but fun for Daddy and Brendan. (What is it about guys and farts???)

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, we can look forward to celebrating Christmas! We decorated inside the house and put the tree up yesterday. Brendan was a little freaked out at first because he was napping when I put the lights up around the living room. But when it came time to decorate the tree, he sat in his bouncy seat happily helping Mommy decide where to put each ornament. He was extremely excited about it, squealing and laughing the whole time. Mommy even wore a santa hat and Daddy put Christmas music on to get everyone in the mood. And get this - Mommy cooked dinner! (Get away from the window, pigs are not flying. I do cook--every once in a while.) I made pot roast in the slow cooker and we had some biscuits and garlic mashed potatoes.

Okay guys, I'm ready for my turkey!


Seriously, where's my turkey?


Hanging out with Nana


And Uncle Scott


Looking very cute, as always


Turkey coma strikes again



Brendan is 2 days away from 5 months today!

Whatnot and other stuff

It's been a while, I've been a very bad blogger. Let's see... the big things since we last chatted were our first trip to the emergency room and the baptism.

November 15th started and ended normally enough. Brendan went down at 8:30 -- an hour past his usual bedtime but this happens every once in a while so I didn't think much of it. He woke up at 12:50am for a bottle and fell back to sleep within 15 minutes. He woke up at 1:30am and was crying like someone was stabbing him. We tried desperately to calm him down. Kenny did laps around the room, bouncing him around and that helped a little. But every time we went to lay him down in the crib the hysterics would start again. Finally, Kenny put him in the bouncy seat on his side of the bed and turned on the TV and I rocked him until he fell asleep around 3:00am. Not 20 minutes later he woke up screaming again. We went through the routine again and nothing was helping. I brought the swing into the bedroom, put it next to my side of the bed and he fell asleep in there for about 2 hours. But then at 6:30am he woke up again screaming.

We finally decided it was time to go to the ER. Got to the hospital and of course once we were there he seemed totally fine. I was starting to feel like a giant idiot. Then the dr came in and he was giggling away at her while she was checking him. She got to his ears and the hysterics started again. Sure enough, both ears were infected. Poor thing. We were thinking it was a stomachache and here he was with two earaches. He never tugged at his ears, at least not more than he usually does when they don't hurt so we had no clue. The dr had us give him Motrin and gave us a Rx for amoxycillin. He was so not loving the yummy bubble gum flavored amoxycillin but after about a day he decided he absolutely LOVES the stuff. He's pretty confident that he can administer it himself as he's always grabbing the syringe with his chunky fingers and jamming it in his mouth. He'll be done with the medicine tomorrow (10 days) and then we have a follow-up appt with the pediatrician on Wednesday to make sure the infections are both cleared up.

We've been feeding him baby cereal for a few weeks now. He absolutely hated it at first and cried every time I tried to feed him. But then I started adding baby applesauce and now he can't get enough. Just like the medicine, he tries to grab the spoon and feed himself but he just ends up jamming himself in the gums. He's prety good at getting it all over his face. He has a habit of jamming his fist into his mouth in between spoonfuls, getting the cereal on his hand and then rubbing his face. This is why Mommy feeds him before bathtime.

Yesterday was Brendan's baptism. He was very well behaved, no crying or fussiness. Although, he did start talking during the ceremony. I guess he wanted to add a few words to the sermon. He's very religious, you know. My sister Lauren stood up as the godmother and Kenny's brother Scott is the godfather. After the ceremony we headed up to Grandma Annie's to hang out and have some food. Brendan changed out of his baptism outfit - which he wasn't terribly fond of - into an adorable little outfit that I tortured him with. In all fairness to me, I did leave out the bowtie. Once we were done with pictures I changed him into windpants and a cotton shirt. That boy has more clothes than Kenny and me combined. I suppose that's my fault. Daddy is guilty of adding to the growing wardrobe too though.

Some pictures for you.

Here we have Brendan doing his Jesus pose:


The happy family. By this point Brendan had enough with the pictures and refused to look anywhere near the direction of the camera:


The crew. Notice how we're all looking in different directions:


The happy family with the grandmas:


Looking dapper in his after-party outfit:



Brendan is 4 months, 3 weeks, 4 days old today!

To eat or not to eat...

We attempted to feed Brendan his first bowl of baby cereal on Saturday night. He was excited about his cool new chair and the funny faces Mommy and Daddy were making to show him how to eat but he wasn't quite sure what to do with the cereal once it got in his mouth. He mastered opening his mouth and moving the slush around in there (and everywhere) so we'll just go ahead and label that a success. The next night I think he actually even managed to swallow some! Hopefully he'll get the hang of it soon. Before we know it he'll be asking us for a bite of our cheeseburger (get your own!).

Here's the video of his first meal:


And here's a video of him rolling over:



Brendan is 4 months, 1 week, 4 days old today!

Sleep is for wimps

I will no longer ask other mothers about their babies' sleep habits. I just can't listen to another person tell me how their little angel started sleeping through the night at three months. ::shaking fists of fury:: Lies! It's all lies.

I mean, how is it possible that EVERYONE else's baby sleeps all the way through the night without needing a lil' snack here and there?? Oh Brendan, it's okay that it's 1am and you can't possibly survive another second without a bottle. And oh sure, 4am is a perfect time to have a really LOUD conversation with your imaginary friends. But seriously, as soon as I peer over that crib and he sees me and flashes that huge gummy grin, I can't possibly be annoyed about the early wake-up call. Kenny and I have laid (layed? I can never get this right) still in bed many a time at wee hours in the morning stifling a giggle when the baby starts his incessant high octane babbling. The trick is not to let him know that you're in the room or it's all over. Of course, there are times when he just won't give up and we have no choice but to surrender.

Anyway, our little guy had his 4-month checkup on Wednesday. He's up to 15lbs and 25.5" tall. So just below average for weight and a little above average for height. Long and lean. He had to get three shots. Oy. Still not easy for Mommy to deal with so I was grateful that Daddy was able to get to this appt too. Brendan was pissed about the shots and let us know it but this time he calmed down very quickly and was fine for the rest of the night. Thankfully Nana Darlene was watching him the next day so when he woke up with a little temp and crankiness she was able to give him some Tylenol and make everything better.

We got the all clear to start giving him baby cereal and we're hopeful that it will help him sleep for a longer stretch at night. We're going to give it a whirl tomorrow night. Have to make sure the video camera is fully charged for that one. I'm sure it will be an interesting (read: messy and hysterical) adventure. Don't worry, I'll make sure I upload it to You Tube so I can post it here.

Here are some recent pics of the little munchkin. He's just too cute for words.

Halloween:








The new toy:
(Notice the big drool spot on his arm.)




(Moving in for a closer look.)


And of course, a sleepy picture:



Brendan is 4 months, 1 week, 1 day old today!

More Milestones!

Brendan rolled over last week, October 22nd to be exact! He was laying on the bed next to me while we were pretending to get ready in the morning. I had put him on the Boppy pillow like I always do so he could watch Disney and he wanted nothing to do with his beloved Boppy. So I laid him flat on the bed and all of a sudden he rolled from his back to his belly! He did it a few times but of course every time I called Daddy in he would lay on his back looking all innocent like I was making it up. Once he got on his belly he would get annoyed because that's his least favorite position and he kind of got stuck there so I'd have to help him roll back the other way.

Within the last week he's gotten noticeably better at holding himself up when he's laying on his belly. See exhibit A:
It's absolutely amazing what a difference just one week makes.

And here's a sleepy picture, just because.


But the best new thing of all is the laugh! He does it for Mommy and Daddy every once in a while but apparently he does it for everyone else all the time when we're not around. I was able to get a video of Grandma Annie playing with him and a good chuckle at the end. Hopefully I've figured this you tube thing out and the video works:




Brendan is 3 days away from 4 months today!

Milestones

My darling son woke up at 4am this morning. Nothing unusual there. I gave him his bottle, he drank it, fell asleep. I lifted him up to put him in his crib. Big eyeballs. "I am wide awake now Mommy, entertain me!" I turned on the rainforest soother that he loves. It has a light show, a swinging monkey, a fish and it makes all kinds of rainforest sounds. He usually will watch it for a few minutes and then conk out. Not this morning. No. This morning he decided to talk to it. FOR TWO HOURS. I pleaded with him to go to sleep so I could get some much needed rest before it was time to get up but he was merciless. Babble, babble, coo, giggle. And repeat. He FINALLY fell asleep at 6am. Just in time for me to get up for the day.

It gets frustrating sometimes. But then something always happens to remind me how lucky I am and how grateful I am to have this beautiful baby. I stumbled upon a blog today about a woman who gave birth to her baby boy via c-section and was able to hold him for sixteen precious minutes before he passed away. I had only gotten through the first few sentences of that entry before I lost it. I'm not even sure of the details surrounding her son's short life but from what I gathered she knew she would lose him shortly after his birth.

Before I had Brendan I obviously would have been upset to read that. Anybody would. But now, knowing what it's like to go through the journey of trying to conceive, then growing this miracle inside me, then giving birth to him, I really just cannot imagine having to say goodbye ever, let alone moments after meeting him for the first time. So now every day I will make sure I hug him a little longer, give him a few extra kisses and tell him how much I love him.

Our favorite little jumping bean is learning how to roll over. ::Cue the scary music:: This means we're closer to the day he becomes mobile. I won't be able to stick him on the Boppy pillow on our bed to watch TV while I get ready in the morning. God forbid I come back in and he's managed to roll himself off the bed. Yes, I am a horrible mother. I let my baby watch TV. Sue me. This is the only way I get 45 minutes of peace to do everything I need to do to get us both ready in the morning. He watches Johnny and the Sprites and the Wiggles, which actually both have some educational value. Johnny is alway teaching some lesson about patience and right from wrong. And those crazy Wiggles sing about the merits of fruit salad (yummy, yummy) and vegetables. So there. He's learning some valuable stuff.

He rolls over onto his side, gets stuck for a few minutes, then rolls onto his back. Once he even rolled onto his stomach. And got stuck there. Until I finally rolled him back the other way. He's quite proud of himself and flashes a big gummy grin every time he does this little trick. His favorite spot to practice his rolling skills is on his new elephant cuddle mat.



In this picture he was taking a break from rolling and became too engrossed with whatever was on TV to pay any attention to Mom.



We also tried out the Bumbo seat. It's a seat for babies who can hold their heads up but aren't able to sit up on their own just yet. The first time he sat in it for about 30 seconds before he was overcome with boredom. But this time he stayed in it for a while longer, which is promising.



So many new adventures we're having! Stay tuned...


Brendan is 3.5 months old today!

Where has the time gone??

How the heck did it get to be October already?! The cold weather has started already -- I actually turned the damn heat on today. It's never a gradual change, always from warm to holy crap it's cold out here! Today is Kenny and my 3rd wedding anniversary. Go us!

Last week Brendan turned 3 months, had his first cold and had diarrhea for FIVE DAYS. It was quite a week! Poor little guy just sort of swats at his nose because it's bothering him and he doesn't know what to do with it. I try putting saline drops in there and sucking those babies out but I might as well be poking his eyes out with a dirty fork for all the fight he puts up. Every once in a while I get a good one out and even though he won't acknowledge my efforts, I know he appreciates my determination. Kenny insists that I have an unhealthly obsession with boogers and poop. I just might.

So yeah, on to the poop. Started Saturday night and didn't stop until we finally switched him to soy formula Thursday night. His little tush was so raw that the changing table -- his absolute most favorite hangout -- became a torture chamber for him. No squeals and big smiles and jogging in place. Just absolute terror that we were going to have to wipe his raw skin again. The woman who watches him recommended Triple Paste. That. stuff. is. AWESOME. And expensive. But totally worth it because his little bootie is back to normal and we're back to being excited about the changing table. Good times.

Brendan is growing by the second. Every time I look at him I can't believe how small he started out and how much bigger he's gotten in only 3 months. Kenny weighed him the other day before his bath and he's up to 14 pounds! His 4-month checkup is next month so I'm curious to see what he'll be up to then and how tall he'll be. I'm not excited to see him get more shots though. That will be another sad day for Mommy.

He isn't doing any full-blown giggling yet but he's definitely much more expressive and has a wider range of happy sounds now. He is such a happy baby with a nice, even temperament. We get lots of smiles and squeals and some little laughs. I really can't wait until he starts giggling, that has got to be the best sound in the world. He also is able to hold his head up pretty well now so all he wants you to do is hold him in a sitting or standing position so he can check things out. He is NOSY. Always staring at everyone wanting to know what's going on. I just don't know where he gets that from. ;)








Brendan is 3 months, 1 week, 1 day old today!

Back to the grind

Monday was my first day back at work and Brendan's first day at daycare. We are bringing him to a woman who watches 5 kids at her home. One, because I'm more comfortable having him in a smaller setting and two, because it's a crapload more affordable than sending him to a big daycare center. Anyway, I dropped him off Monday morning and cried. Then I got in my car and balled on the way to work. Then I got to work and every time someone came over to welcome me back and ask how it was dropping him off I'd get teary eyed again. Brendan, on the other hand, had a grand old time being with the woman who watches him and the other kids. I'm sure they're a lot more entertaining than dear old Mom. Needless to say, it ended up being way more traumatic for me than it was for him. Now, at my third day back at work, it has already gotten much easier. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I know he's well taken care of and he's having a good time.

Here's a pic of Brendan on his first day of "school":



Work has been going well so far. The 12 weeks off did wonders for my patience because the few people who used to irritate the shit out of me with their "I can't do what you're asking, everything is impossible" attitudes don't bother me one bit. At least not yet. I'm all smiles and sunshine for now.

Brendan seems to be getting bigger and older by the second. He'll be 3 months old next Tuesday which, frankly, is just insane. Because it means he'll be 16 before I know it and because it also means I'm 3 months closer to turning another year older. The little ball of mush who used to fit in the crook of my arm is now too heavy to hold for very long (granted, I'm a little out of shape at this point but that's besides the point) and can't sit still long enough to cuddle with me unless he's fallen asleep on me. But hey, I'll take what I can get.

So Halloween is just around the corner. And being the thoughtful and compassionate mother that I am, I searched high and low for the perfect costume for my little man. Let me tell you, costumes for infants under 6 months are hard to come by. Every time I thought I found the perfect costume I'd get all excited only to find out that it didn't come in his size. Unless I wanted him to be a hot pepper or a pea in the pod, my options were very limited. Well, on a shopping trip where I was supposed to be getting myself some new pants for work, Grandma Annie happened to stumble upon a very snazzy costume. And they had one in his size! We scooped it up (along with several pairs of pants and sweatshirts -- for Brendan) and proceeded to run back to Grandma's house to try it on. I think I've sent most of you the pics but here are the shots, for anyone who hasn't seen them. The costume came with pants but we thought it best not to press our luck just yet:








Brendan is 2 months, 3 weeks, 4 days old today!