Right now, it's 55 degrees. It may get up to 65 today. I'm wearing a sweater and it's July.
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7.30.2009
Brrrrr!!!!
7.25.2009
Hiking adventures
Today Jamie, Theresa, Breeson and I went to Roxborough State Park (South of Denver). We did a little hiking. Here are some pic's of our hike.
We had to keep finding ways to keep Breeson happy. Can you say our son is SPOILED?!!(it looks like he's picking his nose!! He isn't, although, he is a boy) :)
(Theresa fanning "King George", as that is what Breeson was called today b/c he was so spoiled)
(also check out the new post below...)
Final baby shower
Last Tuesday, some sweet friends (Danielle, Jill and Theresa) threw Breeson and I our final baby shower. We are so blessed to have so many friends and family who have supported and blessed us with baby showers. Thank you everyone for loving us. We are so extremely grateful!!
This shower was later than all of the others because I wanted Breeson to be here. I knew it was hard for people to buy us stuff before since we didn't find out the sex of the baby. This time it made it a little easier. :)
This shower was later than all of the others because I wanted Breeson to be here. I knew it was hard for people to buy us stuff before since we didn't find out the sex of the baby. This time it made it a little easier. :)
Danielle's friend made the cake. (Breeson's room is decorated with Giraffe's)
She did a great job!! :) And it was super sweet and yummy.
7.24.2009
Reflections...
Breeson's 2 months old today. Earlier in the week, we went and visited some friends who just had a baby girl, Catherine Honey, whom they call "Honey Cate". She was so tiny and delicate. Breeson sitting next to her looked like a monster truck. My baby is getting big. :(
We accomplished two major things this past month: 1.) Breeson's now on the bottle and takes it very well, and 2.) he now goes to bed without us holding/rocking him to sleep. In the beginning, both were very hard, but with a lot of determination and support from one another, Jamie and I have survived. Thankfully, Breeson has no problem taking a bottle while I'm gone during the day at work. In fact, he takes it so well that he is beginning to refuse breastfeeding at night and in the mornings. He pretty much only drinks from me in the dead of the night when he's too tired to fight it. It's crazy?! You would think the nipple would always win over a bottle. Who knew?!
As for the 'going to bed on his own', he's doing okay. The first couple of nights were the hardest, both on Breeson and on us. But the next couple of nights that followed, he went to sleep without crying at all. One night this past week, Breeson and I were out late b/c of a baby shower that some friends threw for me, so that threw him off-schedule. The last couple of nights he's cried when he went to bed. Last night though he cried for about 20 minutes when I finally went in and gently put my hand on his chest and talked to him in his ear (w/out picking him up) and he immediately went to sleep. Poor little guy - he just wanted someone close. :( Broke my heart.
As for the fun things...he is "talking" much more and he's really starting to make eye-contact. It's fun to see him smile and hear him coo.
I still get up and feed him during the night, but it's pretty consistent that he gets up around 2ish and goes right back to sleep after eating. I'm okay with that. I'm just thankful he goes back to sleep after eating.
I'll try and take some pic's and post them on here.
We accomplished two major things this past month: 1.) Breeson's now on the bottle and takes it very well, and 2.) he now goes to bed without us holding/rocking him to sleep. In the beginning, both were very hard, but with a lot of determination and support from one another, Jamie and I have survived. Thankfully, Breeson has no problem taking a bottle while I'm gone during the day at work. In fact, he takes it so well that he is beginning to refuse breastfeeding at night and in the mornings. He pretty much only drinks from me in the dead of the night when he's too tired to fight it. It's crazy?! You would think the nipple would always win over a bottle. Who knew?!
As for the 'going to bed on his own', he's doing okay. The first couple of nights were the hardest, both on Breeson and on us. But the next couple of nights that followed, he went to sleep without crying at all. One night this past week, Breeson and I were out late b/c of a baby shower that some friends threw for me, so that threw him off-schedule. The last couple of nights he's cried when he went to bed. Last night though he cried for about 20 minutes when I finally went in and gently put my hand on his chest and talked to him in his ear (w/out picking him up) and he immediately went to sleep. Poor little guy - he just wanted someone close. :( Broke my heart.
As for the fun things...he is "talking" much more and he's really starting to make eye-contact. It's fun to see him smile and hear him coo.
I still get up and feed him during the night, but it's pretty consistent that he gets up around 2ish and goes right back to sleep after eating. I'm okay with that. I'm just thankful he goes back to sleep after eating.
I'll try and take some pic's and post them on here.
7.22.2009
7.20.2009
First time out
Tonight was Jamie and I's first night out away from Breeson as a couple. A sweet co-worker and her niece babysat Breeson so we could go out to dinner. This was so sweet of them to do that, especially since neither of us have family around. Breeson cried for them, but they (graciously) said it wasn't that bad. We were gone less than 2 hours. But I know that when I've babysat for people in the past, watching a crying baby isn't fun. And 2 hours can seem like an eternity if the baby is fussy.
Here is Debbie (co-worker at DFN) on the left and her niece, Sarah.
Here is Debbie (co-worker at DFN) on the left and her niece, Sarah.
We didn't want to venture too far off, especially since we didn't have much time to choose. So we ate at Thai Basil. It was pretty tasty! I love Sesame Chicken. :)
In all, it was great to have dinner with just my hubby. It was nice to eat dinner at the same time and not have to trade off holding a baby!! :)
Thanks Debbie and Sarah. What a blessing.
7.18.2009
I'm not holding my breath...
Last night was the 3rd night for putting Breeson to bed without rocking/holding him to sleep. 3rd time must be the charm because he didn't cry at all!!! I was in total disbelief. I kept going in there and waiting on it, but it never happened. He "talked" to himself for a little while and then he was out. Now, I'm not going to hold my breath on this and assume this will happen every night, but it was really good to see some progress. One day at a time, one day at a time....
Praise God - that's all I can say!!
Yesterday, I caught this on video. Breeson's been "talking" more and more lately. It's been fun to hear him. For some reason, he talks more when he's laying on his changing table then anywhere else. He can be happy as a lark laying on there getting his diaper changed, but then you move him and he changes moods. Weird child.
Praise God - that's all I can say!!
Yesterday, I caught this on video. Breeson's been "talking" more and more lately. It's been fun to hear him. For some reason, he talks more when he's laying on his changing table then anywhere else. He can be happy as a lark laying on there getting his diaper changed, but then you move him and he changes moods. Weird child.
7.17.2009
It's Friday
Last night it took Breeson 45 minutes exactly to cry himself to sleep. We cut down the time by 20+ minutes. So I guess that's progress, right?
It was still hard, but not as hard as the first night. Jamie made a good point the other night: We could either be holding him and he'd still be crying, or we'd let him stay in his crib and cry it out, all in the hopes of him going to sleep. I guess this way, we're killing two birds with one stone - teaching him to go to bed on his own, and I can get stuff done around the house. Is that horrible to think that way?
Work this week has been SLOW. Monday was my first full day back to work. At one point during the day, I actually thought it was Friday. :( Not good. Other than that, it's been pretty good. Being on a diet and going back to work hasn't been easy. There's too many "goodies" laying around the office and in the break room. Self control, Joy, self control.
Jamie's had a full week of being Mr. Mom. Whenever I call/text him during the day, he seems to be in pretty high spirits. The nice thing is, the daytime is Breeson's best time. So I'm thankful for that.
Other than that...not much to update. This weekend my cousin Tiffany is coming to visit us. Then on Sunday I'll get to visit an old college friend/roommate, Kristy, who is in town visiting her fiancee.
It was still hard, but not as hard as the first night. Jamie made a good point the other night: We could either be holding him and he'd still be crying, or we'd let him stay in his crib and cry it out, all in the hopes of him going to sleep. I guess this way, we're killing two birds with one stone - teaching him to go to bed on his own, and I can get stuff done around the house. Is that horrible to think that way?
Work this week has been SLOW. Monday was my first full day back to work. At one point during the day, I actually thought it was Friday. :( Not good. Other than that, it's been pretty good. Being on a diet and going back to work hasn't been easy. There's too many "goodies" laying around the office and in the break room. Self control, Joy, self control.
Jamie's had a full week of being Mr. Mom. Whenever I call/text him during the day, he seems to be in pretty high spirits. The nice thing is, the daytime is Breeson's best time. So I'm thankful for that.
Other than that...not much to update. This weekend my cousin Tiffany is coming to visit us. Then on Sunday I'll get to visit an old college friend/roommate, Kristy, who is in town visiting her fiancee.
7.16.2009
1 hour, 8 minutes
1 hour and 8 minutes. That's how long Breeson cried (actually - mainly screamed) last night when we laid him in his crib for bed. After about 45 minutes, I began to cry as well. Poor Jamie, he had two babies last night.
I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I prayed all day yesterday. I'm sure the next couple of nights will be tough, but hopefully (and prayerfully) we'll see results if we stick with it.
I believe we will stick to this routine: bath, bedtime feeding, hold him for 10 minutes, then lay him in his crib. My only fear in having a routine is, if an evening gets messed up and we can't do one of the things, will that mess him up?
I will say this, he slept really well for the rest of the night. I did have to get up to feed him a couple times (one at around 1:30 and the other at 4:30), but after eating he went right back down. Although that part is pretty normal, not long ago he had started doing this thing where we'd put him down thinking he was asleep, and then after a few minutes he'd want up again. This time though - when he went down, he stayed down!! Poor little guy wore himself out.
So...we'll stick with this for a while, if we don't see results, then we'll have to try a new method. I pray it works though. I hate changing things up on him. I know it's not easy for us, but I can't imagine how hard it is on him.
It's amazing that at such a young age (7 1/2 weeks) you can already see his strong-willed personality. Doing all of this is not just to get Breeson in the habit of going to sleep on his own (although that will be nice!). It's also to teach him that he cannot have everything he wants and get by with it. During our 2 week trip early on in Breeson's life, we got into a nasty habit of him always being held (mainly b/c so many people wanted to hold him). Well...he still insists on being held. So hopefully this will help teach him to be a little more independent.
I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I prayed all day yesterday. I'm sure the next couple of nights will be tough, but hopefully (and prayerfully) we'll see results if we stick with it.
I believe we will stick to this routine: bath, bedtime feeding, hold him for 10 minutes, then lay him in his crib. My only fear in having a routine is, if an evening gets messed up and we can't do one of the things, will that mess him up?
I will say this, he slept really well for the rest of the night. I did have to get up to feed him a couple times (one at around 1:30 and the other at 4:30), but after eating he went right back down. Although that part is pretty normal, not long ago he had started doing this thing where we'd put him down thinking he was asleep, and then after a few minutes he'd want up again. This time though - when he went down, he stayed down!! Poor little guy wore himself out.
So...we'll stick with this for a while, if we don't see results, then we'll have to try a new method. I pray it works though. I hate changing things up on him. I know it's not easy for us, but I can't imagine how hard it is on him.
It's amazing that at such a young age (7 1/2 weeks) you can already see his strong-willed personality. Doing all of this is not just to get Breeson in the habit of going to sleep on his own (although that will be nice!). It's also to teach him that he cannot have everything he wants and get by with it. During our 2 week trip early on in Breeson's life, we got into a nasty habit of him always being held (mainly b/c so many people wanted to hold him). Well...he still insists on being held. So hopefully this will help teach him to be a little more independent.
7.14.2009
I finally put away all of my maternity clothes yesterday. I now have a little more room in the closet. I'm not really sure what to do with them. I figure the next time we get pregnant, the styles will have changed (not that I was completely stylish during my pregnancy!!), but then again...maybe I should keep them just in case some of them are and we won't have to re-buy the clothes. If by keeping them, are we setting ourselves up?? Yikes.
I've now been back to work (full-time) for 2 days. It kind of feels longer than that. ?? Not sure why. It's actually gone okay. I enjoyed my job before I left on maternity leave, and I enjoy it now. It's a great cause - but even more than that, I enjoy the people I work with. God has really blessed me with a great work family.
Jamie has been surviving being the stay-at-home dad. I'm so appreciative of him doing it - not because he has too, but because he does it without grumbling or complaining. We're both looking at it right now as God's blessing that he gets to spend so much time with his son. Not a lot of dad's get to do that. Although, we will admit that we'll be praising Jesus just as much when He opens the door for a job/ministry position. Until then...
Jamie and I have this deal where every other day, we each get to leave or do whatever we want for an hour and a half. We started our new deal yesterday. This week, Jamie gets Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm on for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It allows each of us to just go off and get some downtime. For me, since I'm the one gone all day at work, I probably won't the entire time. It's kind of sad to think I only see Breeson for about 3 - 3 1/2 hrs after I get home from work before he goes to bed. Plus, it's sometimes hard to catch up life with Jamie when we're taking care of Breeson in the evenings. When we go to bed we don't stay up too long talking b/c we're so tired. And the cycle starts all over again the next morning!! But, all in all, it's a good idea for us to each "get away" and catch up on our sanity.
Tonight, I went jogging for the first time since pre-pregnancy days. I ran for 1 mile. I will build slowly back up. I didn't want to overdue it. I'll probly be sore tomorrow as it is. Which reminds me, I need to stretch again. I would like to be back to running at least 3-5 miles in a few months. I'm in no rush and I don't plan to kill myself to get there.
I've now been back to work (full-time) for 2 days. It kind of feels longer than that. ?? Not sure why. It's actually gone okay. I enjoyed my job before I left on maternity leave, and I enjoy it now. It's a great cause - but even more than that, I enjoy the people I work with. God has really blessed me with a great work family.
Jamie has been surviving being the stay-at-home dad. I'm so appreciative of him doing it - not because he has too, but because he does it without grumbling or complaining. We're both looking at it right now as God's blessing that he gets to spend so much time with his son. Not a lot of dad's get to do that. Although, we will admit that we'll be praising Jesus just as much when He opens the door for a job/ministry position. Until then...
Jamie and I have this deal where every other day, we each get to leave or do whatever we want for an hour and a half. We started our new deal yesterday. This week, Jamie gets Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm on for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It allows each of us to just go off and get some downtime. For me, since I'm the one gone all day at work, I probably won't the entire time. It's kind of sad to think I only see Breeson for about 3 - 3 1/2 hrs after I get home from work before he goes to bed. Plus, it's sometimes hard to catch up life with Jamie when we're taking care of Breeson in the evenings. When we go to bed we don't stay up too long talking b/c we're so tired. And the cycle starts all over again the next morning!! But, all in all, it's a good idea for us to each "get away" and catch up on our sanity.
Tonight, I went jogging for the first time since pre-pregnancy days. I ran for 1 mile. I will build slowly back up. I didn't want to overdue it. I'll probly be sore tomorrow as it is. Which reminds me, I need to stretch again. I would like to be back to running at least 3-5 miles in a few months. I'm in no rush and I don't plan to kill myself to get there.
7.13.2009
7.09.2009
back at it
Well, today is my 2nd day back to work. I thought I would cry when I left the house yesterday, but I didn't. I had already had my meltdown last week.
Everyone at work is glad to have me back. And to be honest, I am glad to be back too.
I just hate that I am at work and Jamie is at home taking care of Breeson. I know it's Jamie's desire to be back in the work force and not be a stay-at-home dad. (Although, he takes GREAT care of our son). We continue to pray on a daily basis for God to open up a door for Jamie. We know that God promises to watch over His children - and He has. His provision over the last few months has caused us to fall to our knees in gratitude on several occasions.
At the same time, we try and look at this situation as a wonderful opportunity that most dad's would not usually get - to spend so much time with their son. I just feel bad when I call home while I'm at work and I hear a screaming baby in the background. :( My poor husband!!!
As for Breeson...yesterday was also big day for him. He went to full bottle (during the day). I am going to only breastfeed him at night. The reason we're doing it is b/c with me working, we can't have him be dependent on breasfeeding. And he is still giving us a hard time in taking the bottle. So instead of going back and forth so much, we felt it would be best to stick to a "routine". :) So from now on, he'll pretty much be on the bottle from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
So needless to say, yesterday was hard emotionally and physically. For the first two feedings, it took over an hour (almost an hour and a half) for him to finally give in and take the bottle. No fun when he's crying and screaming the entire time.
Everyone at work is glad to have me back. And to be honest, I am glad to be back too.
I just hate that I am at work and Jamie is at home taking care of Breeson. I know it's Jamie's desire to be back in the work force and not be a stay-at-home dad. (Although, he takes GREAT care of our son). We continue to pray on a daily basis for God to open up a door for Jamie. We know that God promises to watch over His children - and He has. His provision over the last few months has caused us to fall to our knees in gratitude on several occasions.
At the same time, we try and look at this situation as a wonderful opportunity that most dad's would not usually get - to spend so much time with their son. I just feel bad when I call home while I'm at work and I hear a screaming baby in the background. :( My poor husband!!!
As for Breeson...yesterday was also big day for him. He went to full bottle (during the day). I am going to only breastfeed him at night. The reason we're doing it is b/c with me working, we can't have him be dependent on breasfeeding. And he is still giving us a hard time in taking the bottle. So instead of going back and forth so much, we felt it would be best to stick to a "routine". :) So from now on, he'll pretty much be on the bottle from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
So needless to say, yesterday was hard emotionally and physically. For the first two feedings, it took over an hour (almost an hour and a half) for him to finally give in and take the bottle. No fun when he's crying and screaming the entire time.
7.06.2009
First off, thanks everyone for your great advice. It's comforting to know there's other mom's out there that understand where we are, even if our kids are unique and different from each other. We are thinking that Breeson is a routine guy and we're going to do our best in keeping some type of schedule, although we won't be strict. The one piece of advice that I really appreciated and have already seen a difference in, is to let him sleep when he's tired, even if it's close to bed time. The "over-stimulation" aspect seems to be true if we keep him up and we've noticed already that he goes down a little better at night if he takes a short nap before his last feeding. Thanks again!!
In other news...
Last night, Jamie and I went to test out a new Mexican restaurant (well, new to us) down the street. I'd give it a 6 out of 10. The waiter must have been new b/c he forgot everything!! One of the ways we "rate" a good Mexican restaurant is whether or not they have good salsa. The salsa on the left was incredibly spicy, so I asked for some mild salsa. So, he brought out ketchup!! :)
Other than that, the food was pretty tasty. And since we only had to pay for 1/2 of the meal (we had a buy one, get one free coupon), it wasn't too bad.
This is Breeson expressing his feelings. He usually has this look about 30% of the day; sometimes 40% - it just depends on his mood. :(
As for the 4th of July...we spent the evening at some friends' relatives house. We left early b/c of Breeon's colick. I saw a few fireworks from our dining room window after I got done feeding Breeson. Happy Independence Day - woo hoo. Next year will be more enjoyable b/c Breeson will be able to enjoy them a little more, and so will we!!
Diet update: we did cheat a little this weekend. We had a cookout at Clint and Theresa's on Friday night. However, on the 4th, we did opt for Turkey burgers rather than a hamburger or hot dog. We did eat some carrot cake that night, but it was well balanced with a lot of fruit too.
In other news...
Last night, Jamie and I went to test out a new Mexican restaurant (well, new to us) down the street. I'd give it a 6 out of 10. The waiter must have been new b/c he forgot everything!! One of the ways we "rate" a good Mexican restaurant is whether or not they have good salsa. The salsa on the left was incredibly spicy, so I asked for some mild salsa. So, he brought out ketchup!! :)
Other than that, the food was pretty tasty. And since we only had to pay for 1/2 of the meal (we had a buy one, get one free coupon), it wasn't too bad.
This is Breeson expressing his feelings. He usually has this look about 30% of the day; sometimes 40% - it just depends on his mood. :(
As for the 4th of July...we spent the evening at some friends' relatives house. We left early b/c of Breeon's colick. I saw a few fireworks from our dining room window after I got done feeding Breeson. Happy Independence Day - woo hoo. Next year will be more enjoyable b/c Breeson will be able to enjoy them a little more, and so will we!!
Diet update: we did cheat a little this weekend. We had a cookout at Clint and Theresa's on Friday night. However, on the 4th, we did opt for Turkey burgers rather than a hamburger or hot dog. We did eat some carrot cake that night, but it was well balanced with a lot of fruit too.
7.02.2009
Advice anyone??
Breeson will be 6 weeks old this coming Sunday. He currently has colic in the evenings starting anywhere around 5-6 p.m. and can go up to midnight. Some nights are better than others.
During the day though he sleeps a lot. I usually try and keep him up after feedings for about 1-2 hours, but then after that he gets super fussy. It's easier to just put him to sleep rather than deal with his moodiness. He is starting to make eye contact and "play" on his floor mat (not sure what that's called?). He is fun to play with for the first 1/2 hour after he eats. At this age (almost 6 weeks), how much should he be sleeping? And how much should we allow him to sleep? After his 2nd to the last meal in the evenings, we try and keep him up before his last feeding so that he'll be sleepy. Sometimes it's too hard to keep him happy and entertained for that long, so we occasionally let him take a short nap. The funny thing is, it's super hard to keep him awake before the last feeding, but then after we do feed him, he doesn't want to go sleep. Grrr!!
I tried to look it up on how much sleep during the day is appropriate for his age, but didn't find much. Are we to just let him sleep when he wants to sleep? And if the answer is "no", then are we wrong in wanting him to sleep rather than hear him cry (more like scream)??
What to do, what to do?!?
During the day though he sleeps a lot. I usually try and keep him up after feedings for about 1-2 hours, but then after that he gets super fussy. It's easier to just put him to sleep rather than deal with his moodiness. He is starting to make eye contact and "play" on his floor mat (not sure what that's called?). He is fun to play with for the first 1/2 hour after he eats. At this age (almost 6 weeks), how much should he be sleeping? And how much should we allow him to sleep? After his 2nd to the last meal in the evenings, we try and keep him up before his last feeding so that he'll be sleepy. Sometimes it's too hard to keep him happy and entertained for that long, so we occasionally let him take a short nap. The funny thing is, it's super hard to keep him awake before the last feeding, but then after we do feed him, he doesn't want to go sleep. Grrr!!
I tried to look it up on how much sleep during the day is appropriate for his age, but didn't find much. Are we to just let him sleep when he wants to sleep? And if the answer is "no", then are we wrong in wanting him to sleep rather than hear him cry (more like scream)??
What to do, what to do?!?
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