Welcome to the World Brynlee Lynn!

My newest baby niece made her entrance into the world earlier today in Rochester, MN.

Brynlee Lynn

8/31/2011

4 pounds 14 ounces

18 3/4 inches long

Congrats to my brother, Papa Bear, Brandon and my sis-in-law-to-be, Mama Bear, Jen!  And we can't forget about big sister Shiayne...she is going to have so much fun with a little sister!!

I can't wait to meet the little peanut and for Morgan to meet her cousins next month!!

My Baby Turned 6 months old!

Wowza, where has the time gone?  Morgan turned 6 months old LAST week...a little late on this one, but that is the norm for me these days.  There are some potentially big changes coming to our little family that I can't mention right now until we know more.  And no, it's not baby #2 (yet).  So there, that's my defense story and I'm stickin' to it ; )

Morgan's 6 month well check was great.  She weighed 13 pounds 10 ounces and is now in the 10th percentile for TERM baby girls.  She's moving up the curve nicely!  Her doctor was so thrilled with her progress and said from a medical & developmental perspective, he cannot even tell she was a preemie.  He gave the green light to start solids (vegetables & fruits).  She got her vaccinations that day plus 1/2 dose of the flu vaccine.  She was MAJORLY mad!!  Later that night, she developed a fever, poor thing.  And of course, we happened to be out of town.  Nothing like sleeping in a strange place when you feel awful.  So I was happy to oblige her with plenty of snuggles.

So enough of my rambling, here are some photos of my sweet girl soonish after she turned 6 months old.  I'm loving this age because she is full of smiles.  But on this day?  Not so much.

This sweet litle outfit was a gift from a former co-worker of mine.



Not interested.





A half smile, if I have to.




Are we done yet?




I'm getting up out of here...



Peace.  I'm out.

I told you I was done with pictures Mom!!!

My Happy Baby

Morgan is a pretty happy baby, overall.  Unless, that is, you are trying to get her to go to sleep.  This kid WILL NOT go down without a fight every. single. time.  I'm getting a wee bit worn out, but hoping it's just a phase.  Currently, she will not nap anywhere but her swing or my arms.  I've tried...

Until she outgrows that whole "fighting sleep" thing (if I type it, then it will come true, yes?), here is what she's been up to lately:

We are trying rice cereal.  Most of it ends up on her face and bib, but she is slowly getting the hang of it.  I'm going to wait til her 6 month well-check next week to discuss moving onto purees.  I'm in no rush.  I have a feeling the doctor will tell me "If she seems to tolerate it, go for it, if she doesn't like it, don't force it".  I guess I'm just looking for something more definitive, specifically referring to her age/digestion.  Should I consider her 4 months old (her "adjusted age")?  Or 6 months old (her "chronological age")?

I don't know Mom....can I just have a bottle instead?

She LOOOOOOOVES her new exersaucer I got her recently and spends lots of time jumping around like a little maniac and giggling like crazy.  It's pretty cute.

Notice soaked onesie and massive amounts of drool?

She is a drooling machine.  She soaks multiple onesies each day, sometimes I even throw a bib on her for an extra layer of protection.  We are wondering if she's teething.  There were a couple days she was REALLY fussy/irritable and just screamed and cried.  But every time I run my finger along her gums, I don't feel anything.

She is really finding her voice and exploring making new sounds. She'll just babble on and on and suck on her hands while she squawks.  Sometimes she is SO loud!  I just love it.

She is really starting to notice the world around her lately.  Like Dakota for instance....I know they will become best pals.  She's also more interested in books now:

We got her a Bumbo tray this week and I think she likes sitting in the Bumbo much better now.

She is much more aware of when I'm not around and when others are holding her now too.  Last weekend we had a bridal shower and I was passing her around to eager family members.  She lasted about 2 minutes before she screamed like we were cutting off her toes.  Wowza!  Several times I had to take her outside to calm her down.  That was one of the days I think her teeth were bothering her, because it lasted all night long as well.

She let Dwynella, Daddy's Medical Assistant, hold her and snuggled right in!

See?  I'm a happy baby!

Gotta go, somebody's officially done with her time in the exersaucer and wants out NOW.

One Year Ago Today

We found out -- for SURE -- we were pregnant with Morgan.  I had been driving myself and everyone around me CA-RAAAZY wondering "Am I pregnant or not?"  I felt like I was.  I missed my monthly visitor.  We "capitalized on our fertile window".  But every single pregnancy test I took kept coming up negative.  And believe me, I took a LOT of them.  The cheap ones, the expensive ones, and all the ones in between.

I remember the Hubs being so fed up with me and my crazy testing, just to mess with me he suggested "Well maybe you should take just one more..." 

I was excited -- "REALLY??  You think so?" (yes! yes! I just KNOW it will be positive the next time!)

My bubble was burst when he said "NO.  STOP TESTING.  For the Love of God, STOP TESTING."

Yeah....like I said, I took a LOT of tests.

So I did the next rational thing:  I scheduled a blood test to confrm one way or the other.  I had to wait a painfully long 24 hours for the results.  Turns out my hCG levels were really low - meaning I was more likely days pregnant, not weeks like I had thought.  That explained why all previous tests were negative.  But yes, I was indeed, with child.  I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.  Ladies, trust your instincts!

Thank you for taking that little trip down memory lane with me, ha!

Our lives have been forever changed, for the better and I love this sweet little girl more than I can put into words!!

Baby Things I Wouldn't Want to Live Without

Now that Morgan is nearing 6 months old (Wow, feels SO unbelievable to say that, like I'm making it up!)...I think I've had enough time to determine which items have been awesome to have and which things were a complete waste of money.  (All images via Amazon)

In the beginning, I was all "I'm not going to have my house turn into a junkyard of baby stuff.  We don't need that much stuff!  We'll be just fine.  All she'll need is me and her dad to give her lots of LOVE and ATTENTION.  Because babies only cry when their needs aren't being met"  Yah.  Right.

Up first, for I praise its existence EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  The Fisher Price Snugabunny Swing:

If we can't get Morgan to sleep, this thing does the trick every night time.  The price was a little off-putting, but we had a bunch of gift cards to Babies R'Us and one of our parent friends said we'd absolutely need this.  So thankful we listened!  Also, it can be found on Amazon, new, for a lot cheaper.

I should confess, Morgan's bedtime routine currently consists of falling asleep in this swing.  She absolutely will NOT go to sleep in her crib.  She wants to stay up and watch Prison Break on Netflix with mom & dad.  Can't say I blame her.  So we giver her one last bottle for the night, put her in this magical piece of equipment and *VOILA!* she falls asleep.  Then it's time for "The Transfer", which must be done quickly, efficiently, and quietly, requiring ninja-like skills.  I'm the ninja, in case anyone's wondering...

Anyway, this thing rocks side-to-side OR back and forth and the little seat is adjustable.

Next Item:  Bright Starts Bouncy Seat:

This was a gift from some friends back in Minnesota who had a baby girl about 4 months before Morgan was born.  (Hey Debbie, John, & Bekah!  I don't think she even reads my blog, but if she did one day, she'd probably be super pumped she got a mention in it.  And then she'd maybe feel bad for not reading it all this time and realize what she'd been missing out on .  OR NOT.  Ha ha ; )

Anyhoo, MoMo spends a lot of time in this thing up on our kitchen counter, strapped in of course.  This allows me to do things like fix dinner, empty the dishwasher, and fix her a bottle.  When Morgan was first born, she actually slept in this thing A LOT.  She needed to be upright because of her reflux and it kinda cradles her, so it was more comfortable than her bassinet or crib.  It's completely portable too, which I've loved.  We thought it was so great, we bought one for another set of "new parent friends" in Minnesota, who had a baby boy about 2 months after Morgan was born.

Next on my list:  The Medela Freestyle Breast Pump.

Worth every penny.  Since I was in the hospital so long, I got used to their industrial strength pumps and was at first kinda disappointed in this.  But I came to appreciate it.  I love that the module itself is tiny.  I didn't love how LOUD it was.  Sometimes I'd put a blanket over it to muffle the noise because my little light sleeper wakes at the slightest sound.  Anyway, this allowed me to continue to provide my baby with breast milk when I might have otherwise given up.

Next up:  The Philips Avent Bottle Warmer and Sterilizer.  Could it get any easier??  I don't know how people lived without these before...

 And lastly, the Munchkin Wipe Warmer because even I know it's no fun to have cold wet wipes on my lady parts in the middle of the night.  Again, this was a gift from another Minnesota new-mom-friend.  I find they give the BEST gifts (new moms, that is.  Who just happen to be Minnesotans.  Duh.)

 As for the things I didn't use as much -- I guess I wouldn't call them a waste of money, necessarily, but we just didn't use them as much as I thought we would.

1. The Moby Wrap.  I'm home alone a lot.  This thing is reeeeeaaaalllly long and kinda tough to put on and maneuver all by yourself with a squirmy infant.  It was nice when she was a newborn though..
2.  Any pacifier or NUK that was NOT a green soothie.

Yes, this one is superior in Mo's mouth.

This is what they used in the NICU and the ONLY pacifier Morgan would take.  I would've included it above, but she's not really into them anymore.  Her hands are her pacifier of choice these days.
3.  The Sleep Sheep.  Overrated.  But nice to have.  I think I was expecting miracles from what I'd heard.
4.  Disposable Nursing Pads.  Luckily, didn't need them at all.  TMI, maybe.  Sorry.  Now what to do with the 200-and something pair I have left?  Better keep them just in case for Baby #2 whenever that happens (not yet! Although we are talking about it ; )