To bink or not to bink!

Well ever since Brandon was born he just really disliked using a binky! I was ok with it cause I've heard all of the cons on starting a child with it and I was really happy that we wouldn't have to worry about any of that, but now that he's getting older and started to discover his hand. He has been trying to sooth himself with it and can't quite get the hang of it, so he starts to get frustrated and I end up feeding him. Even though its not his feeding time I know he's really just wanting that suckling feeling. When he's having a bad day I would feed him almost every hour and will only feed for about 5 minutes. He would end up falling asleep or calming down. So with that being said, I think that maybe it would be a good idea to just at least get him used to a binky so he's able to sooth himself. We've bought a few binks so far and he hasn't liked them. The closest one that he's liked we're the soothies from the hospital, but they were a bit too long and he would end up gagging on them. We went and got a smaller one and tried it out today and so far so good, he hasn't gagged on it yet, but was a bit hesitant when he realized nothing was coming out of it. He's a smart cookie I tell ya! I just hope that he will eventually take it so maybe it will help mommy catch a longer stretch of sleep at night ;)

Brandon at 8 weeks!

Now that I have this little man to attend to it's a lot more difficult to keep up with my blog.  I love blogging and keeping everyone up to date with our growing family!  It's also neat to look back at past posts and see how much we've grown!

Brandon had his 2 month check up today and besides the 2 shots that he got it went really well!  It's always so much fun to see how much he has progressed from his last appointment.  He will be 2 months old tomorrow!!  Here are his stats!

When he was born:

Weight: 6 lbs 10 oz

Height: 19 inches

At 8 weeks:

Weight: 10 lbs 0 oz 8%

Height: 21.5 inches 16%

Dr. said that he's on the small side, but his weight is finally getting up to the normal range!  I'm so glad that he's getting plumped up, cause I was really worried about my milk supply.  I recently just started to take fenugreek to increase my supply, now that I'm back to work.

I seriously can't wrap my head around the fact that I've been a Mom for 2 months, and along with that I haven't had more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep! I remember it being really tough for the first few weeks, I would have to nap with him during the day to function.  I think that cause I was still in healing mode my body craved sleep, but now it seems like 3 hours is enough!

We seem to have him at a pretty good sleeping schedule.  Here is what our night consist of:

9:30pm he starts to get fussy and sleepy so we get him fed all changed and ready for bed.

10:00-11:00pm he'll be in and out of sleep ( kind of like a pre-sleep before turning in)  I think it's because Josh and I are still up and stirring around in the living room. Change his diaper and we all turn in for the night!

11:00pm-2:00sh am sleep

2:00am wakes for some boob juice and we change his butt

2:45-6:00 sleep

6:00-6:30 he's up again for some boob and change him again

6:30-8:00sh sleeps some more

and by 8:30-9:00 he's up and ready for the world!

Now, every night is NOT always like this! Between the hours of 2:00-5:00 are the touchy hours, he sometimes gets fussy and stays up for the 3 hours!! Those are the nights where I want to scratch my eyes out! But for the most part he seems to distinguish that night time is for sleeping, so he'll just feed and go straight back to sleep.  I think I've seriously mastered falling asleep while sitting up!  

Favorite milestones so far:

He's starting to recognize Josh an I's voice and turning his head towards us when we talk to him.

He's smiling a lot!

He's cooing and saying "Aaahh" and "Ooooh"

He's starting to open his hands a lot more and starting to put it in his mouth

He has been really good at keeping his head up.

He loves playing in his baby gym!

He's so in love with his Daddy!

He's just too cute!

She works hard for the money!

Well I survived my first week of work! Even though it was only 3 shifts it was just enough to start off. I had a lot of people ask me if I was emotionally ready to leave Brandon while I worked. My response was yes and no, but more on the yes side. I had been out of work for almost 8 weeks. I didn't think that we could afford for me to be out of work for so long, but Josh made it possible by picking up extra hours at work! Brandon and I are very thankful for Josh and really appreciate all his hard work! We love you, daddy!

I was a little anxious my first day. I spent the night before frantically packing Brandon's bag! I wanted to make sure that he had everything that he could possibly need. I'm sure I could've packed a whole suitcase if I could! Getting ready for work used to only take me 30 minutes, but now with B I have to lot myself at least 2 hours! Sheesh! It would be a lot easier if josh was home to help, but he's already at work by the time I need to start getting ready. Trying to put makeup on one handed is quite a task! I wish I didn't have to put the thing on, but I can't go into work with a busted face and expect to make money! I got a kid that I need to put through college!

Anyway, when I finally got out of the house with baby and 2 bags in tow we got to my moms house and Brandon was so excited to see his Lola! I thought hat he would start fussing due to not being familiar with the place, but he took to being there right away! My biggest fear as a parent is Brandon being colicky with others. He had some issues with colic for a few weeks and just last week it just stopped! Thank god!! It was really hard and took a lot of toll on Josh and I, but we are just so thankful that our boy is back to his happy self!

After 10 goodbyes and countless kisses I finally left the little guy behind and headed to work. The ride to work was a quite. I remember getting a little frog in my throat when I looked in my rear view mirror and not seeing him back there.

When I finally got to work it felt so great! Everyone welcomed me with a warm hug and An "I missed you" it really made being away from Brandon a lot easier! I thought that I would forget how to do everything as soon as I got behind the bar, but it was the exact opposite! It all came back to me and I transitioned back into it like I never left! I got to see a few of my regulars and as a proud parent I bombarded them with pictures of him! One of them said "it's so nice to finally put a face to the belly!" that made me laugh!

After work I couldn't drive home fast enough! There is really nothing like coming home to my boys after a day of work. Just coming home to their smiling face is just priceless! I smothered him with kisses and feeding him was so calming!

I'm so happy be back to work! Its like having some a part of my life back that's mine. I've always been very passionate about my job and I'm glad to have adult time and take a break from being a Mom. I was talking to one of my coworkers Ashley and she made a great point, that having that time away from your child will make you a better parent! It will show your child the importance of hard work and independence...

I want to eventually go back to a full time schedule, but we will just have to take baby steps for now...

Fun is over... Back to work :(

Well after 8 weeks it's back to work for this new mom. I'm filled with a lot of different emotions. I thought that I would have a lot more anxiety leaving him, but knowing that Brandon will be in good hands makes the transition a lot easier! I am a bit sad that I won't be with him every waking moment, but I know that my sanity will thank me. I'm excited to go back and have adult conversations and fill everyone in on being a new mom!

I'm very fortunate to have my Mom, sister Jan, and Mamma Cherrie watch him while I'm at work. Brandon loves them so much and really enjoys being with them! I just know they will spoil him with so much love and attention! I just hope that he'll want to come back home to me when I pick him up!

Finally, back to normal!

I had my 6 week postpartum appointment today. Brandon came along and everyone there were so excited to meet him. Especially my good friend Tini, she has been working there for a few years now and it was nice to have her there and hold Brandon while I had my examination. Brandon just loved being held by her... He was so upset when we had to leave!

Anyway, the appointment went great. She asked about breast feeding and how I was doing mentally. She asked me if I have been crying everyday. Which I found strange but not. I'm sure she asked because I know that there are moms out there that don't bounce back as well as others. Now that I'm a mom I can see how some mom's don't recover well. The mental exhaustion that you experience is just indescribable! As well as the changes your body goes through! there is no way to prepare yourself for what you will go through when you become a parent. Ya, ya, you may try to read all the books and do all your research, but that definitely gets thrown out the window when the baby comes! The best advice that I ever got was "children will do whatever they want and you just have to try your very best to adjust to their needs." I feel like josh and I are doing our best to meet B's needs and feel like he's a pretty happy most of the time, but we're still learning.

Well, after the the exam Dr said that everything looked great and she cleared Josh and I to have "the sex" and she also said that I can go back to the gym with no restrictions!!! I'm so excited to get back into running and yoga!!! Woohoo! I'm only 5 pounds from my pre pregnancy weight, but would like to just get back into my running shape! Now, off to get some new running shoes :)

Cheap entertainment

Now that Brandon is getting older he's learning to smile, frown, and make funny faces! He's just so much fun to watch :)

We've got a cluster feeder!!!

I thought that he was just going through a growth spurt or that maybe he wasn't getting enough boob juice, but after doing some research ( like I always do) I've realized it not me it's Brandon!

Being a 1st time mom, I've learned that no matter how much you may think you know, you will always doubt yourself (especially when it comes to parenting). I always find myself double guessing on everything I do with him. I always ask myself
"I wonder if he's had enough to eat?"
"he's been napping for quite some time now, should I wake him up?"
"he's crying so much maybe I over fed him?"
"maybe my milk is giving him a tummy ache?"

Gosh, this parenting gig would be a lot easier if Babies came out knowing how to talk! Although, now that B is a little bit older I am now able to distinguish what cries are what. Ummm did you know that babies cry just because they're bored?! I sure didn't?! What the heck?!

Anyway, so last week I thought that Brandon has been going through a growth spurt lately, and let me tell you... He definitely is! He has been an eating machine! We've also started him on formula and he's been taking it like a champ! He's taking about 3 2oz formula in a 24 hour period. We were lucky enough to experience his first formula diaper!!! Oh boy was it rank! I've also noticed with formula he's not going poop as much and he sleeps a lot heavier through the night!

So lately he's been wanting to eat more often! He went from eating every 2-3 hours to EVERY HOUR! The nipskees are a bit tender once again! He usually does it around the same time every afternoon! From 11 am til about 5 is when he becomes an eating machine!! Here is an example. I would boob feed him for 40 minutes and an hour later he gets fussy and gets a 2 ounce bottle! He does this about twice a day!! Crazy right?! So in about a 6 hour span he eats about 11 ounces of food! I feel like that's a lot for a 6 week old baby! I guess they call this cluster feeding. Babies just don't eat for the sake of eating, they eat because their bodies need it. I have realized that I have been producing more milk when I pump. I seriously think that my boobs have a mind of their own. They just somehow know much baby needs! I'm
Seriously amazed by the human body!

Plastic or glass??

Well now that I'm quickly approaching my first day back to work I have been trying really hard to build up my milk supply for Brandon. Along with breast feeding pumping has also been a challenge. I was very discouraged in the beginning cause I would barely produce an ounce in one sitting! I tried everything... From a heating pad to even drinking special lactating teas. I would get so discouraged that I would dread even doing it...but knowing that I had to do it for Brandon I kept on and pushed through. I pump every other day now and am averaging about 2.5 ounces a session!!! I've realized that all I needed was to give my body some time to adjust. I've also realized that it helps to do it around the same time every session. Now with that being said... Seeing that Brandon will be feeding out of a bottle soon. I have been thinking more and more about what bottles I should use. I'm currently using the medela cause it's what my pump uses, but I've really been wanting to change directions and start using glass bottles. I've been doing some research and have really liked the lifefactory ones. I've also heard good things about the dr. Browns, but it doesn't have the silicone sleeve like the lifefactory does. Im very clumsy so I think that the silicone sleeves will help!! My good friend is currently using the Dr. Browns and she loves it. I got to try it out on her little one and the only thing that I thought would be a pain would be the weight, but it's something that I can easily get over. I'd rather worry about the weight of the bottle than the chemical leaching from the plastic ones! Oh decisions, decisions... If you or anyone you know uses glass bottles and have reviews about them (good or bad) I would love to hear about it!

Someone is not so newborn anymore...

It's official Brandon is now fitting into his 0-3 month clothes!!! When he was just born I remember him swimming in his newborn clothes, now he's too tall for them! It makes me so sad...i told josh "No way! Maybe the dryer setting is on high, making his clothes shrink?!" He just looked at me like I was crazy!

The one-arm bandit

Well the last couple of weeks Brandon has been super clingy! Getting things done around the house is nearly impossible without having to have him in one arm. Talk about some serious arm work out! Ya, he may only be 8 pounds, but holding him for hours at a time makes it seem like he's 20 pounds! I think I may be getting a mild case of carpal tunnel in my wrists! Damn you, Brandon!

Anyway getting things done around the house was really tough in the beginning, but now I've just learned to do it all one-handed! Although there are certain things that I refuse doing one handed, like going to the bathroom for instance... I really prefer to do that on my own, even if he has to cry himself blue!

So, the other day I remembered that we had a baby Bjorn!! Oh man, can I just say that that thing has been such a life saver! Being able to use both my arms have seriously cut my chore time in half... Hallelujah!!!! Aaand he seriously passes out so quickly that it saves me from having to rock him to sleep... which I'm sure my hips are super thankful for!

Russy on the other hand is not a big fan of the Bjorn. Now that I'm able to eat with both my hands the chance of food falling on the floor is slim... Sorry Russy 🐶