Friday, October 31

Twins!

Today is Friday morning, Halloween morning actually, I was about to walk to out the door with baby in hand to go to Brendan's day care when I get a phone call from my Tawni (who had the same Day Care) calls me on my phone a little upset. It seems as though our day care lady had to go in for unexpected surgery on her throat this morning and didn't call us. When Tawni showed up that morning, her husband was there to watch our babies instead. We were frustrated from not having met the husband before and not being informed ahead of time.

I decide to take the day off from work and just stay at home with Brendan. I ask Tawni if she wants me to go pick-up Sammy as well. What was I thinking? I just volunteered to have two babies 5 weeks apart all day?? Our Day care thanks me for picking up Sammy, it makes the day a lot easier on her husband!

The day wasn't so bad, they boys took naps at the same time, and played together. The downfall was they were also fussy at the same time as well! I brought our Pack-n-play (a wonderful invention) to the living room and I have two swings so they could both be content to swing at the same time. I even had a little extra time to pull out my laptop and do some work from home!

In the end, I realized, I could handle twins, but I would rather not!! By 5:00, I was ready to get out of the house!

Tuesday, October 28

Rocks at Joshua Tree

One of my favorite things about Joshua Tree is the rock formations. "Who piled up all those rocks?" I read the answer, but it not nearly as entertaining as looking at them, climbing them and making guesses of what they look like. (The one on the bottom right looks like a bulldog to me, the one on the top middle is supposed to be "Skull Rock" you see what I mean?) While we were camping at Joshua Tree, we took a Hike/Walk on Saturday to admire these wonderful creations. Brendan had a great time in his front pack walking around, and Mercy & Jackson enjoyed the walk as well, of course, the boys enjoyed climbing the rocks to get higher, and higher... Here are my pictures of our rock climbing experience:
David, Tim & Scott (and Robyn) all decided to not take the trail back to the camp sight, but to go rock climbing and cut across all the rocks to get back to our site. Casey and I just took the trail and beat them back. Here are the boys accomplishing their goal! Poor Brendan got a little sunburned, and was extremely worn out after a long hot walk, it was nap time.
David, Tim & Scott (and Robyn) all decided to not take the trail back to the camp sight, but to go rock climbing and cut across all the rocks to get back to our site. Casey and I just took the trail and beat them back. Here are the boys accomplishing their goal! Poor Brendan got a little sunburned, and was extremely worn out after a long hot walk, it was nap time.

Monday, October 27

Camping at Joshua Tree

Last weekend we went camping at Joshua Tree with our friends, Robyn & David, Casey & Tim and Melissa & Troy. This was Brendan's second trip camping (although I forgot to take pictures of his first time) and it was a little bit stressful, not just for our family, but for everyone it seemed.
For us, we started by trying our best to be as organized as possible. Scott and I packed the car the night before, I have gotten pretty good and making everything fit in our tiny Hyundai Accent so that wasn't a big deal. We were sharing food with Tim and Casey, so Casey had already packed everything (since they went down Thursday night, this was a BIG help for me since I had just come back into town from Sacramento on Wednesday night). On Friday morning, with a full car, I took Scott to work, dropped off Brendan at Day care, and went into work early (after picking up ice from the grocery store). I got off of work a little early, picked up Brendan and then headed to Scott's school to pick him up, we were on our way!

Unfortunately, there is no cell phone service at all in Joshua Tree, not convenient at all for meeting a group there. The instructions of how to find the group were a bit confusing and we ended up driving around the park (the park is REALLY big) stopping at every posting sign in hopes of finding a note of where to find our group. We finally did find them and started setting up camp. Little by little we find things that we had forgotten to pack, like pillows for ourselves, and the rain cover to our tent. We didn't expect rain, but without the cover, it was just open mesh - and it was VERY cold at night! Luckily, Tim & Casey had an extra tarp that we were able to use instead.
Overall, we made it work, it was a great time spent with friends, even if it was a little cold at night. Brendan didn't do so well in the cold tent and ended up sleeping with me in my sleeping bag half-way through the night but we had a good time. Below are some more pictures of our trip.

Friday, October 24

Scott's Birthday

Scott's Birthday was on October 21st, but since I was in Sacramento on his birthday, we didn't get to celebrate on that day. Instead, we all went out on Thursday, (10/23) to celebrate. I had given Scott his birthday present before I left so we just wanted to go out for his birthday dinner. We ended up going to Islands for dinner. If you join there Birthday club, Islands will send you a certificate for a free MEAL on your birthday. A free burger or entree of your choice plus one of there Kona pies (to die for!). We had a wonderful evening together as a family, even if Brendan slept through the whole thing!
I ordered their Baja Tacos, which were really good, however, I do enjoy the Yaki Tacos better. Scott had a very large burger (can't remember which one) but we both really enjoyed our meal, especially since Scott's was FREE!! The best part was of course the Kona Pie "Mocha almond fudge ice cream and cookie-crust topped with chocolate fudge, roasted almonds, whipped cream & a cherry" Mmm, Mmm Good! Plus, it was also FREE! After dinner we headed to Borders to look around, one of Scott's favorite places to go. I'm sure he bought a book, I just can't remember which one. We had a wonderful evening.
Happy Birthday Hunny!

First Airplane Ride

Brendan had his first airplane ride on Saturday, October 18th. He rode from Ontario to Sacramento. I must admit, flying alone with a baby is quite an adventure, I hope not to do it too often but it is manageable. The most difficult part is going through security.

Southwest Airlines will let you take the stroller all the way to the gate; they will put it under the plane and then give it back to you when you get off. However, security it not so baby friendly! I get to the metal detectors and I have in my possession as little as I could get away with; his diaper bag, my purse, a stroller, and a car seat. No problem! But I have to take out the Ziploc bag with his "liquids" my "liquids" out of my purse, and I have to show security his formula. I am not allowed to take water to mix formula with, but I am able to take pre-made formula through security as long as I show it to them.

After our carry-ons (and my shoes) were through the x-ray, they told me I also had to send the stroller through, so as I am trying to balance a three month old, take out the car seat, and fold up a stroller to go through the x-ray, Brendan starts to cry! Luckily, one of the security guards (?) helped me to fold up the stroller, and send it through the machine. As I start to walk through the medal detector with a baby in my arms, I am stopped "you need to remove his shoes." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? A three month old's cloth shoes have to be removed and sent through the x-ray; what has this world come to?

Well, we made it through that fiasco, next time I guess I will be prepared for what is expected. I was a little worried about Brendan on the plane, I didn't want to have one of those crying children that everyone is annoyed with and wishes the parents would just shut them up! But as soon as the planes engine started, Brendan fell right to sleep.I was glad he was able to sleep through most of it, he woke up as we started to descend and I fed him a bottle then just cuddled him with his pacifier to keep him calm. Luckily for me, Brendan is not a loud crier, so the screaming three year old a few rows backs took center stage.

As I got off the plane in Sacramento, my stroller was there (already set up by the airline staff) for me to stick the car seat in and go. My parents and brothers came up to greet me just in front of security. Of course my mother doesn't say anything to me but immediately went to see her grandson; I guess that is the way it goes once you have babies. I think my (little) brother on the other hand, cared more about seeing me than seeing my baby.My luggage and car seat base came shortly after we went downstairs and so all-in-all it was a pretty easy trip. No complaints here; except that I had to take off his shoes - that is ridiculous!

Saturday, October 18

Follow-up Appointment

We had a follow-up doctors appointment on Friday morning at 9:30 am. Dr. Mackey looked Brendan over and said that this was not the same baby he saw two days prior. Brendan was getting better quickly and he could already tell he was feeling more like himself. He confirmed that all tests came back negative and that Brendan just had a bad cold (just like Daddy and Mommy did). I asked about my Sacramento trip and he said to go right ahead and plan it, this age is the perfect age to take flying.

I got home and looked into plane tickets, because I had to work around my parents schedule, I either had to fly in before 3:30 that day, or wait until Saturday evening. I tried to make it to the airport for a flight that took off at 1:00 but after running around crazy for an hour trying to throw everything together in an hour, I realized, there was no way I could do this. It was better for us all though, with Brendan still getting better and me with my bad cold, we just stayed home sick together. We were both very miserable, but did get a little rest.

Friday, October 17

Hospitals

Three months ago today we were sitting in the ER of Loma Linda waiting to be admitted. Brendan was very sick and we had no idea why, all we knew was that our baby had almost lost a pound over two days, he wasn't eating, he didn't cry and he was not acting like normal baby. I was so upset, all I could think about was the possibility of losing this precious baby I had given birth to only three days prior. My heart hurt knowing that my baby was sick and there was nothing I could do. The doctors at Loma Linda were wonderful and after a weeks stay, Brendan was over his birth weight and was eating like a healthy baby.

Now, Three months later, our baby is sick again. Wednesday afternoon, our friend Tawni picked Brendan up from day care, she called me at work to tell me she thought Brendan was sick. At this point it was 4:30 and I knew the doctor's office would close soon, so on my way home, I made a call to the doctor's office to see if there was anything that I could give him or if I needed to come in. The nurse called me back a few minutes after I got home, I explained his symptoms as I checked his temperature, 101.2 degrees. "How far away are you?" was the response I got. So Scott and I quickly grabbed Brendan, a blanket, the car seat and ran out the door. No diaper bag, no medical card, we left everything, even my cell phone! When we got to the Doctor's office, Dr. Mackey looked Brendan over, talked to me a little bit and then left the room saying "I need to make some calls." I was pretty calm at this point. Scott had been sick for at least 5 days, and I was starting to feel sick the previous day, we figured that Brendan just caught our cold, as careful as we had been, we couldn't keep him away from it.

Dr. Mackey came back in and said "Okay, you have been admitted" WHAT?? "Go to Riverside Community Hospital, enter through ER, tell them you have been admitted to the pediatrics ward, I will meet you there." My first thought was that I was suppose fly to Sacramento the next day. So I asked him, "do you think we will be there overnight?" his response was "you will be there a couple of days." Looks like my plans just went out the window, I was ready to cry. All of the sudden, the thoughts and feelings from three months ago came rushing back at me. The feelings of depression and all that comes with being in a hospital for a week with such a tiny baby.

I held it together as we drove to the hospital and got Brendan checked in, the nursing staff in the pediatrics ward were great, I had a much better experience than when he was born. It could have to do with our doctor too, Dr. Mackey wanted to be sure everything was okay with Brendan and not take any chances. So they ran a number of test on him, gave him an antibiotic and then we waited. All tests came back negative, his white blood cell count was normal. Looks like he just has a cold. Part of me was frustrated that we were in the Hospital for a cold, but the other part was thankful that we have a doctor willing to go the extra mile to insure his patients are healthy.

I stayed the night with Brendan in the Hospital. Scott went home and brought me back a change of clothes, the diaper bag and of ocurse my cell phone! Brendan and I came home yesterday evening at 5:00.

Now, this morning, I am sitting waiting for the doctor's office to call so I can make a follow-up appointment for today. I am hoping still to be able to go to Sacramento but we will have to wait and see what the doctor says.

Wednesday, October 15

Last Weekend at the Pumkin Patch - 2008

Last weekend Scott, Brendan and I went to Oak Glen with some friends. David & Robyn, Troy & Melissa and little Jackson. Since it is now fall and starting to cool off it was a great weekend to go see the pumpkins at Riley's Farms...Unfortunately, everyone else thought so too. It was a little busy but we enjoyed getting out of the house and enjoying fall.

3 Months

Brendan hit three months yesterday. Three months ago I was in the hospital with a brand new baby, and now I have a three month old smiling and now laughing. I would change it for the world! Last night, we had a wonderful evening as a family at home. Scott and I had dinner that I had made in the crock-pot so it was ready to go when we got home from work. After diner we sat down in our normal evening seats on the couch and started to look for something to watch. This has become our nightly routine. But last night, when we couldn't find anything to watch and as we discussed possibly watching a movie, we decided to not have our evening focused around the TV for a change. We sat and talked about our day, about work, and about our family. As Brendan got fussy, we both gave him a bath. We sat in the bathroom watching our three-month-old splash around in the tub. When we finished bath time, we built Brendan a new toy, Baby Einstein jumper. Too bad he is still too young for it....

Overall, it was a very nice, relaxing evening. The best part was that we experienced everything together. We bathed our baby, dressed him for bed and put him down to sleep together. It is nights like this that I really thank God for my family and how lucky we are.

Saturday, October 11

Shopping with Babies

Last night my best friend and I were able to get out of the house and go shopping together. When we go out we don't get to go out for very long since we can't meet until after work, about 6:00 and Brendan's bed time is about 9:00 so we head out around then. However, we had a wonderful time. Tawni's baby, Sammy, is five weeks younger than Brendan (check out her blog at robtawnisammy.blogspot.com). We started with dinner at Chili's, our favorite place to eat, with a bowl of soup and an appetizer to split. The we took our babies shopping at Babies R Us, Old Navy and Target. We were quite the sight with two babies in the cart! What a night we had, I love to get out of the house, I love to shop and I love spending time with Tawni and Sammy. I am really glad that Tawni and I are going through this stage of life together. It gives us the opportunity to spend time together without getting frustrated that we have to stop and feed or change diapers. Our boys will be close friends!

Friday, October 10

Baby Smiles

So Brendan's first smile was on August 28th. Now he smiles more and more, and at anyone and everyone! Since his first smile I have been trying to catch it on camera, I haven't had much luck but this morning I got as close as I think I will get for now.

Wednesday, October 8

Well Baby Check-up (2 months)

Brendan had his two month check-up yesterday afternoon. He is now 13 pounds, 5 ounces and is over 25 inches long. That is on the 90% for height and 75% for weight. Not too bad if you ask me! Our doctor's office is one where they train student doctors to give them practice seeing patients. I really enjoy this concept, it could be partially because we spent a week at Loma Linda where the entire hospital is full of student doctors, but I think it is a great opportunity. It also means that More than one set of eyes are looking my baby over and they bounce ideas off of each other. The biggest reason I like the student doctors is that I feel as if the appointment is more thorough. Because the students are learning, Dr. Mackey takes more time with each patient as to show the student's what to look for, and explains more to the parents and to the students so I know exactly what is going on with my baby.
So yesterday, we had the student doctor come in and check Brendan over. I showed him the rash that Brendan has had on him tummy for the past couple of weeks (you can kinda see it in the picture below). He looked really concerned and mumbled something about what it could be (some technical name I don't remember). He felt the rash and it wasn't dry or chafed, just red and blotchy. So he went and explained it to Dr. Mackey. When they both came back in, Dr. Mackey took one look and exclaimed "that's just baby rash". My poor kid has inherited my eczema. About 20% of babied get eczema that can be brought on by heat, laundry detergent and itchy materials. The doctor said it is completely normal, I just need to continue to wash all of his clothes in Dreft laundry detergent and put cream on the area. I have found the best thing that works is A&D ointment. When I told my day care provider about this she looked at me like I was crazy to put diaper rash cream all over my baby's body. This is not just diaper rash cream, it is really just skin ointment with vitamin A & vitamin D that is usually used for diaper rash. It also can be used on minor cuts and burns.
Brendan did get three shots yesterday and was not happy about it! I know they hurt him but he was actually easier to calm down than last time. I just had to rock him a bit, give him his pacifier, and his blanket to grab onto. Then it was no problem to put him back into his seat. It was at this time that it hit me, my kid will probably be attached to a blanket since at this young age he already calms down when holing a blanket in his hands! Oh well, it's cute for now.

Tuesday, October 7

Too Big....

Last night Brendan hit another milestone; he is too big for his cradle.

In our master bedroom, we have a cradle that is beside our bed for Brendan to sleep in instead of a bassinet. This cradle was the same one that I used as a baby as well as all of my siblings. The bedding was sewn by my aunt and used by my cousins. I loved having this family heirloom our apartment for my own baby to use. But now, less than three months old, he is too big to sleep in our room anymore.
Last night when we woke up in the middle of the night to feed him, Brendan had kicked himself around where he was completely vertical and was pushing with his feet against the edge which, in turn, pushed his head against the other side. With him getting bigger, rolling over, and moving a lot more, we decided that it was safest to move him to his own room, in his own crib. This was actually a hard move for me. I know that it sounds silly but it seems as though it is the first step to him growing up and needing me less. It was difficult for me to sleep as soundly knowing that he was in the other room and that I may not hear him cry as quickly as before. I know that this is just the next step and that Brendan will gain independence slowly, this is a good thing - just a little difficult. He actually did really well and I think he might actually sleep a little longer in the mornings without hearing us move around getting ready. For now, he is still my baby boy, one day, probably sooner than I expect, this will all be in the past and he will be grown son. Until that point, I am just enjoying every minute of his growth.

Monday, October 6

Angel's Baseball!

Last night was a stressful night! "Here we go again!" I thought, "Another sweep from the Red Sox in the Post Season!" But to our excitement, the Angels actually won last night! That means that we are still in the running for making it to the World Series! I know it is a long shot, but the Angels have been playing well all year, we might make it! The Angels must win 2 more games to clinch the series against the Red Sox, where Boston only has to win 1 game against us.

We were on the edge of our seats most of the night watching the roller coaster of a game just to see who would come out on top! My heart was racing as we entered the 12th inning, but the Angels were victorious in a thrilling 5-4 victory.

As I said, it was a roller coaster of events, Torii Hunter along with Howie Kendrick, let a routine pop-fly fall right in the middle of three outfielders letting Boston score, as every Angel fan started yelling at the TV. (Check out Torii Hunter's blog and he will tell you all about it.) Then my favorite player comes up to bat - Catcher Mike Napoli! Scott starts making comments about my player as I tell him to watch out - "Napoli is going to do something great right now!" Just seconds before his big play Scott tells me, if Napoli hits a home run, I'll buy you whatever you want!" Thanks for coming through Mike! The next time Napoli comes up to bat, HE DOES IT AGAIN! What an Amazing player! For all you guys who laughed at me for choosing Napoli as my favorite player, look who's laughing now! But Napoli doesn't stop, he goes on and hits a single in the 12th, which then ends up scoring the winning run. Hopefully we can keep it up to win again tonight. Man I love baseball!
P.S. The pictures above of Brendan were from his 1st & 2nd baseball games, only a few weeks old at the time, these are not recent pictures, maybe I will post more tomorrow of Brendan in his Angel gear, depending on how the game goes tonight...

My Amazing Baby - Week 12

A baby's development is simply amazing! This weekend, Scott and I were watching Brendan play and discovered that he is growing leaps and bounds and is developing more than we realized.

Brendan has now discovered his hands; he clasps his hands together when he sits on my lap as if he is waiting patiently for the next event. He is amazed with these little fingers that he can open and shut them, and just stares and the wonder of these little things attached to his body. He can also grasp on to items, Mommy's hair is a favorite. He holds his blanket when covered and now he can hold onto toys when they are handed to him. We love to watch him play with his toys.

Brendan has always been very strong, at only a few weeks old, he was working on holding up his head. Although at times he still looks like a bobble-head, he does pretty well. At his last "Well Baby Check-up" Dr. Mackey said he held his head up really well. On Thursday, we put Brendan on his tummy and realized how strong that head really was! He was able to hold his head high while laying on the floor. We were once again amazed at his development!

What happened yesterday morning just blew us away! We laid him on his tummy once again for "Tummy Time" and were playing with him when all of the sudden, (okay, not too quickly) he kicked himself over! What an amazing baby! He tried it a couple more times and he was able to roll from his tummy to his back. Of course, whenever I tried to record this feat, he would just whine and cry. And so I do not have a clip to show you, maybe tonight he will perform for the camera.

It was at this point that Scott and I realized, we really need a video camera. We do not want to be missing out on his milestones but want to capture everything on film. Hopefully soon we will be able to purchase a video camera to savor our family moments!