Seven Months

Bryson is now seven months old! This monthly photo deal is taking quite a bit longer as he doesn't want to sit still in the rocking chair! :)

I think this is the first full month that he's gone without being sick or on antibiotics. He's now taking Zyrtec every night to help his Eustachian tubes drain properly. Also, this month, he started going to the chiropractor in an attempt to help avoid/treat his frequent ear infections. Thus far, I'm pleased!

Other milestones/Bryson facts:

* He's just started to scoot/demonstrate a slight army crawl.

* He's eating 3 meals a day, plus his 6 oz bottles of formula. All stage 2 baby food and some puree's I've made myself

* He loves watching and attempting to play with Leia

* He's sleeping from about 8:30pm to 7am, but refusing to nap more than an hour at a time. He's taking 2-3 cat naps a day.

* Still drooling. alot.

* Still no teeth.

* He loves to grab. At everything.

* We haven't found a food he doesn't like!!

Diaper review

I'll eventually get around to posting the rest of my Christmas photos- but I thought I'd go ahead and share my reviews of two different brands of diapers that I have recently tried.

So far, we have been pleased with Huggies- I have been able to stock up at great prices and haven't had too many leaks. However, Babies R Us has run several sweet diaper deals, so I couldn't refuse a $3 or less pack of diapers!

1. Fisher Price Happy Days & Nights Diapers

These usually retail for $9.99 and appear to be sold only at Babies R Us- at least around here. These appear to be thinner than the Huggies, but thus far they have held up nicely. They have a 'size right indicator' around the waste to let you know when your child is ready to move up to the next size. They didn't have as much printing/designs on the diaper on the Huggies- both of which aren't things I really look at when purchasing diapers. I don't think I'd pay over $3 a package for these, but I am pleased with the way they have held up thus far.

2. Earth's Best Chlorine Free Diapers

These usually retail for $11.99 and up. I was able to snag these for $1.50 and $3 a pack on New Years Day with coupons combined with a sale at BRU. These diapers claim to be environmentally friendly. Honestly, I know I should be more concerned about such issues, but right now I just want diapers that are cheap and fit Bryson well.

These diapers are a little thicker than the Fisher Price diapers. They are plain white and are the diapers we currently put Bryson in for overnight. He has yet to leak out of these!! And he rarely doesn't leak out of diapers overnight. These have extra tabs on the front of the diaper that wrap around like the fasteners- and I think that makes for less leaks.

Overall, I still like our Huggies and I don't think I will switch from that brand unless they drop their $3/1 coupons and Walgreens stops running Huggies sales. BUT, if either one of these brands go on sale again, I will stock up (especially if the Earth's Best price is comparable to Huggies) and I'd recommend them to my friends- hence, this blog post :)

Four Months

Bryson turned four months old on Christmas eve!

He has been quite the little ham!

Milestones include:

• started and loves rice cereal
• now drinking about 5-6oz per feeding
• not sleeping straight through the night consistently anymore :(
• more consistent napping
• LOVES bath time!
• doesn't appear to hate car rides, as much as before
• has really started to recognize Brandon and I, and he smiles when we enter the room
• can roll tummy to back, back to tummy
• gums all.the.time.
• refuses to take a paci. Would rather gum on his hands or a teether.
  
  
  
  

Three Months!

Bryson is three months old today! I'm way behind on uploading photos, so I'll upload Halloween, etc soon!

Milestones:

* still sleeping from about 9:30/10pm to about 6:30/7am.

* better head control

* you love to stand!

* you started using your jumperoo and you like to stomp your legs while 'jumping'

* you are now wearing size 3-6 month in onesies and one piece outfits

* you are drinking about 4-6 oz now per feeding- you still love your food, and hate to burp!

* you've started drooling more, thus you've been wearing more bibs.

* you had your 1st ear infection last week :(

* at your ear infection doctors appt, you weighed 14 lbs 3 oz!!!! You are a big boy!

* you wear size 2 diapers

* you love to smile at those around you, and everyone eats it up!

* you sleep in your crib every night now

* I found this mobile at a garage sale- you love it!

Two Months

Bryson is now two months old!

Milestones from this month:

* He sleeps from 10pm to at least 6am (sometimes as late as 7:30am) every night!

* He weighs over 13 lbs

* I'll know his length after his 2 month check up- my guess is 24 inches

* He is such a little ham- he smiles at everyone!

* He can roll over from his tummy to his back, but only to the right. He's done it on 7 occasions now!

* He spent the 1st over-night away from us, with MiMi and Grand-daddy

* He really seems to enjoy preschool/daycare. He loves to watch his friends crawl around.

* He now wears size 2 diapers, 0-3 month pants and shirts

* The 0-3 month onesies are getting to be a little snug- Bryson's just too long!

We are so blessed to have such a sweet baby!

Happy

Bryson started smiling this past week- we love it! He's been haming it up for everyone he comes into contact with, which makes him a very popular baby.

We had an eventful weekend; Friday we attended a bonfire/hot dog roast, Saturday we just hung out around the house and attended a neighbors birthday party and today, we visited a new church.

This afternoon I hope to drag out my fall decorations, make some pumpkin bread and actually clean house.

I start back to work this week, thus Bryson starts pre-school. I'm excited to get us more into a routine...I hope he enjoys his teachers though. They are nice, Christian ladies, I'm sure he'll do just fine!

One Month

Today, Bryson is one month old! And to celebrate, he slept from 10pm to 5:50am, making two very happy parents.

It's amazing how much he's grown- he's so much more alert!

He's now wearing 0-3 months in clothing, although the pants are a little large. He's still in size 1 diapers. I'm anxious to see his weight at his checkup- I think he's at least 11 lbs now!

We got several packages in the mail this week too- the clothing is from our Aunt Susan and the burp cloth, book and toys are from my Texas friends- the Kidd's.

Overall, its been a good week. Bryson has started on a new formula, and it seems to be sitting well with him. He's on more of a schedule and I've actually started to feel like myself again. I can't wait to see what's ahead!

three weeks

Our little man is 3 weeks old today! My in-laws were in town this weekend to meet Bryson, so the weekend flew by.

Now that you are three weeks old:

* You have slept from 10:45pm until 5am on two occasions- I hope this is a new trend!

* I found you on your side in your pack-n-play when I left you on your back, so maybe you are trying to roll over?

* You stay awake longer- mainly in the mornings and after supper

* You have outgrown a few of your newborn sized onesies- they are just not long enough!

* You still wear size 1 diapers- you never fit into the newborn ones

* You have 'watched' two OSU football games and been to church twice :)

* We are finally figuring each other out!

Number 5, baby!

Our amazing Oklahoma State Cowboy football team is #5 in the AP rankings this week. #5!!!

Whoa.

It's been since before I acknowledged college football that OSU was this good! So, to celebrate, here's some photos of my 2 OSU babies :)

My parents kept Bryson and Leia on Saturday so that Brandon, my sister and I could attend the OSU vs. Georgia game. It was great to be back in the football stadium, and to have some 'adult' time. We sure did miss Bryson- but a Cowboy victory and some Mexico Joes salsa helped console me :)
I'm told Bryson enjoyed his time with his MiMi and Granddaddy, and he even watched some of the game on TV!

He's Here!

Bryson arrived on Monday

9 lbs, 11 oz

20 and 1/2 inches long

We are so glad to be home and are trying to figure out each other!

The Nursery, completed!!!

We finally completed the nursery- and I think it came together quite nicely. Wanna take a look?

Here's the view from the door, as you enter the room- my diaper bag is on the floor :) When I was a teenager, my dad and I refinished the dresser, but it's now being re-used as a changing table and dresser. It didn't show in the picture that well, but on the R side, next to the changing pad is one of the 'Sara Bear diaper caddy's' from Target.

In the white rubbermaid drawers (to the left of the dresser) are our receiving blankets and extra sheets. We're using the multi-colored basket as a hamper.

The top narrow drawer of the dresser holds the swaddle blankets, shoes and socks. The 2nd drawer (seen in the picture below) is 0-3 months clothing, and the bottom drawer holds 3-6 month clothing.Here's what you see to the left of you as you enter the room. I haven't quite figured out where to put the cd player/radio. I love the cubbie organizer (also from Target)! I have our burp rags, hats, some toys and books stored there. Here's Bryson's crib......

His closet....I still can't figure out the best way to store blankets, so right now they are in that white basket at the top of the closet.....And, finally, the view from the window. I still have some Target bags to pick up in the corner :)

And- that's the tour! I'm really happy with the way the room turned out.

This past weekend, Brandon and I rounded up 2 baskets full of stuff from the nursery to keep downstairs to help us during that 1st week home. I figured that would be alot easier than explaining where everything was located- especially if I end up with a c-section and I'm unable to climb stairs.

Walgreens deals & counting down

I heard about some cheap Huggies wipes at Walgreens, so I decided to check it out while I was in Walgreens picking up milk. Here's how I did:
4 Huggies wipes- $2.99 each
- 4 $2/1 Walgreens store coupons
- $0.50/1 Huggies wipes manf coupon
- $0.75/1 Huggies wipes manf coupon
= $2.71 for 4 packages of wipes

Not too bad, huh? If you remember my diaper stash post from a while back, we're well stocked in the diapers & wipes department, but I figure for that price, I just couldn't pass the deal up!


On the baby front- we made some tough decisions at our Dr's appt this week. Baby Bryson has been measuring ahead on our ultrasounds for almost 10 weeks. He's estimated to be close to/at 8 lbs now! He's a strong, healthy baby- but he's stubborn, just like myself :)
We decided (with prayer and alot of wise counsel) to go ahead and schedule a c-section. Its a little strange to know the exact date that little Bryson will enter the world- but who knows, he could surprise us and come on his own before! Which would ROCK!
But, if he doesn't come before the set date, that's ok too! I know that we're making the best decision for us, and that's all we can do.

So, now I have just a few days left to get the house ready, bake some stuff to keep in the freezer, celebrate Brandon's 27th birthday, see as many friends as possible and wrap up my cases at work. I'm going to try to pre-plan some meals for Brandon to prepare. Several friends have offered to bring food over, so I'm going to attempt to get that organized....I also plan on relaxing as much as I can and just enjoying this 'alone' time with Brandon.

I'm excited, yet trying not to become anxious! For the past few mornings, I've woke up with this Bible verse in my head.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4: 6-7

Baby Shower #4

Brandon's co-workers/unit threw us a baby shower this past Friday! It was nice to meet his co-workers and see Brandon's new office (since they moved to mid-town a few months ago). We got alot of cute outfits and odds/ends that we needed. Here's an OSU diaper cake that another unit in the building gave us- it was just too cute!

Now, we offically have everything we need for Bryson- he can come anytime! (hopefully sooner rather than later!)

Unique

As I mentioned yesterday, the baby shower over the weekend was amazing. We were given alot of unique gifts, and I thought I'd share some of them.

This blanket and burp cloths are just too cute with his name on them...

One of my mom's good friends, Mrs. Paula put this first aid kit together for us- and it rocks! I'm totally going to copy this idea for future baby shower gifts. It's a Pottery Barn Kids lunch box, crammed full of everything you could imagine needing.........

Inside there's Vaseline, baby sunscreen, little noses spray, gas drops, destin, a thermometer and plastic covers, nail trimmers, medicine droppers, orajel, hand sanitizer, Q-tips and Vick's. Also, there were boogie wipes and rubbing alcohol, but I forgot to add them to the picture!

My mom made a stocking for Bryson that matches ours. Mom gave us our stockings as wedding gift, and now, three years later, we have a third stocking to hang by the fireplace! I love that my mom is so crafty and we have such unique stockings. She makes such neat stuff!

My Aunt and Uncle gave us this blanket- it's from Lands End. It's so soft and light. My picture doesn't do it justice. It's a pale blue with a tractor, truck and other boy-ish vehicles incorporated into the design.

I'm a little addicted to having Bryson's name on things, can't you tell? :)

Homemade

We have been so blessed with gifts for our little guy. I wanted to share with you some of the handmade and unique things we've received thus far:

This cute little duck is from one of my HCW couponing friends. She made him herself- and he's really soft to the touch. Naturally, Leia is scared of it.

Dana, one of the ELL translators at the elementary school painted this for us. I just love it. It matches the jungle 'theme' we chose for his room. And, I hadn't decided if I was going to share the name we chose for our little man here on the blog, but here it is! We are going to name him Bryson.
My friend Karen made us these two burp rags and this really cute diaper bag. I need to take a better picture of it- I love the attention to detail that she had- even down to the lining inside the bag!

My mom made us a TON of these burp rags- the picture doesn't do them justice. They are adorable!

And, this last item wasn't a gift, but I wanted to share it anyways :) We got this glider rocking chair from one of Brandon's co-workers for $40. It was a great glider, but it didn't match our room. So, my mom had it re-covered for us. It looks amazing in Bryson's room and when he's done with it, it'll match most of the other furniture in our home. It's really comfortable too!

Awesome find!

I purchased our diaper bag today- and I got a GREAT deal on it!
I stopped by Gap to check out the sale racks, and I found this- an OiOi diaper bag, originally sold for $120, online only. However, someone had returned it, so it was marked $79.97. Not bad, especially since I had just researched this brand online a few hours before and it was still in its packaging!
But, it got better-when i went to check out, I got an extra 25% off- so I purchased a $120 diaper bag for $60!!!!

Now, I just need our little guy to arrive so I can carry it around! :)

The nursery- part two

The nursery is really starting to take shape. We assembled the crib, the cube like shelf and we've moved all baby items into the room.

Gifts we've received, garage sale finds, etc. have been scattered throughout the house. It feels great to have things 'in their place'. I've sorted, washed, folded and hung up his clothing, which gives me a weird since of accomplishment. :)

Now, we just need to hand those jungle prints on the wall, purchase a mattress, purchase and hang curtains and attend our baby showers! We've been blessed beyond belief already- I just can't believe how smoothly it's all coming together.