True Blue Fan

Brielle was born into a family who's blood runs Blue. She was more than happy to join in on the fun of celebrating the kickoff of college football season.


GO BLUE!

Brielle 6 Month Photos

Here are just a few of Brielle's 6 month pictures taken by Kristen of K. Holly Photography. Please do not copy these pictures without permission from myself and/or Kristen. She worked very hard and did a wonderful job and deserves to have her work properly credited.

Good thing this blog isn't Brielle!

I've sorely neglected this blog (and my other one). In my defense Brielle has been keeping me super busy!!

Can you believe she's over 6 months old already? She's been sitting up on her own for well over a month. She has started eating vegetables and she loves people watching. She's growing like a weed and I'm trying to enjoy every minute.

I still have a ton of pictures to share. In the coming days look for a post showing the progress of Brielle's room. It's an amazing transformation. Also be on the lookout for a ton of cute Brielle pictures. Need a fix right now? O.k. Head on over to the K. Holly blog and check out Brielle's 6 month photos. So adorable! Now you can see why I've been MIA.

Run!

I haven't talked about it on here but this year I made a New Year's resolution to run a 5k. When I announced it a few people got a good chuckle out of it. I'm sure they were thinking the pregnant woman lost her mind. They probably were right.

Six weeks after Brielle was born I was given the go ahead to start exercising again. Shortly there after I started training for my first 5k. That was two months ago. The race is approaching fast (in just 34 hours) and I am getting a little nervous. How will I do? Will I make it? How will I feel when it's all said and done? So many questions. So much to think about. But I'm trying to relax.

When I started training for the run, I wasn't able to run a block. A month into training I ran my first 3.25 miles without stopping. It was slow but I did it. Just two weeks ago (6 weeks into training) I ran over 4 miles in an hour. Every week I get a little further and slightly (very slightly) faster. I'll admit it's hard but it's so worth it! Nothing like a runner's high to keep you going!

"Inspiration" is a word that I've heard to describe me a lot in the last 8 weeks. I'm not sure I feel that way. Yes, I had a baby 4 months ago. Yes, I've managed to run pretty far in a short amount of time. Does that make me an inspiration? I'm not so sure. I'm glad I am able to inspire people but truthfully I'm doing this for Brielle. She needs and deserves healthy parents. I hope that by seeing Ben and I run, eat well and exercise there will be no other thought in her head but to be healthy.

So while I'm flattered that others think I'm inspiring I'm truly doing this out of love. Love of my daughter. Love of my husband. Love of my family. To be the best mommy and wife that I can be I need to be healthy. There is no other choice. I started a year ago. I'm keeping at it. It's a slow journey down a long road but I'm (now) running it. At the end is my smiling baby girl. I'll run faster just to get to her.

One year ago today....

This is how we spent our evening

It was one of the best nights of our lives and I will never forget how it all played out.

When I got home from work that night I told Ben I thought we should get a pregnancy test that night instead of waiting for the weekend like we planned. I had been feeling a little "off" for a few days so I was pretty sure I was pregnant. We headed to dinner and stopped by Target to get a pregnancy test. We decided to get the "dumb" proof test so there would be no wondering if there was a line or not.

As soon as we got into the house I took the test into the bathroom. When I was finished I walked out and told Ben we had to wait 2 minutes to get the results. I walked back into the bathroom, a whopping 30 seconds later, and the test already said pregnant! I brought the test out to Ben and showed it to him. We laughed, we hugged and Ben said "we're having a girl"! He knew right away. It took me a few days but before long I was sure we were having a girl too.

To celebrate the one year anniversary we gave our little girl a bath, a massage and lots of cuddles. I also went back and read a few posts from the pregnancy blog. It was a nice look back.

Easter

My dress is cute but I'm cuter!


Do you like my baby legs?

My grammy made them for me!

I hear there's a bunny who brings goodies to little girls like me. That's pretty cool!

I'm ready to find this bunny. Let's go!!

Uh.....that's one GIANT bunny!

That bunny was neat and he made me happy!

Brielle - Two months

Just a little warning....she's so cute you'll want to spend your whole day looking at her!

Brielle - One Month Old

Here are a few pictures we took of Brielle when she was a whole month old!


Such a big, happy girl!

Hanging with daddy!Even at such a tender age she has an attitude!

We are alive and well!

I know, I know! I haven't posted in, oh, two months. I have LOTS to catch up on here. I've been busy having lots of fun with Brielle though! She is growing so fast! Her little personality is coming out and she's is so much fun! I have lots of pictures to share so there may be a few posts of just pictures in the near future.

Here is a quick run down of the happenings

- Brielle will be 3 months on Sunday. THREE MONTHS!! Holy cow!
- Brielle is a sleeping champ! She goes to bed by 9pm and sleeps till just before 8am. Sometimes she wakes up for a little reassurance but a little pat on her tummy and she's good. We are VERY lucky parents.
- Brielle loves to talk! She babbles and jabbers all the time. She can say "oooo", "ahhh" and "ohhhh". "Oh" is her favorite!
- Brielle thinks she is the funniest girl ever. She cracks herself up all the time!
- Brielle is a pro at sitting up! She loves to spend time in her Bumbo checking out the cats and Kita.
- Bri is up to 5 ounces of formula. Sometimes feedings can take forever because she's is so interested in looking at everything!
- Brielle is a little social butterfly. She always has a smile for the people she knows and new people too.
- The reflux is under control. A month ago we switched formulas again. So far so good with that. We're hoping she's getting to the point where she's about to grow out of needing the Zantac.
- Brielle's room is done!! FINALLY!

Well I think that's all for now. Be on the lookout for one month pictures, two month pictures, Easter pictures and more!

A week of goodness

Wow! What a week! Things are really starting to take shape in our house.

Brielle's reflux is so much better! It's almost like she's a completely different baby. No more random puking! YAY! She still fusses a bit from gas but it's not that bad at all. Not enough to complain about that's for sure.

Bri is also eating between 3 to 4 ounces at a time! I think if she keeps it up she'll be adding a third chin. I can't complain though. When she eats the 4 ounces before bed she sleeps pretty darn close to 6 hours. We're very lucky parents! I know there are a few people out there that are slightly jealous of us. LOL!

The most exciting development this week is probably minor to others. I think you have to be a parent to truly appreciate what I'm about to say. Brielle slept in her bassinet last night! YAY! She's been sleeping in her swing since coming home from the hospital. Yesterday she took 2 naps on her back and then last night was able to sleep on her back. I think now that we have the reflux under control is doesn't mind being on her back so much. If she keeps it up I'll be able to take the swing out of our bedroom and gain a little floor space!

Now that things are starting to fall into place a little more we're going to get moving on getting Brielle's room done. We're hoping to get it finished within the next two weeks or less! That means she'll be able to move into her own space and sleep in her crib. YAY! Not to mention I'll FINALLY be able to share pictures of her room with everyone. It's going to be so stinking cute! I cannot wait!

Fun with daddy (and kitties and doggies too)!

Brielle hanging out with her favorite guy, daddy!



Daddy is comfy to sleep on.


Napping with Daddy and Sierra.



Hanging out with Ella in the pack and play.

If you take too many pictures of Brielle you have to answer to her body guard, Kita.

The doctor agrees

Today Brielle went to the doctor to try to get answers about all the puking. The doctor we saw agreed that it seems like she has reflux.

We talked about options and treatment. We decided that we'll try medication first. If for some reason that doesn't help we have the option of doing testing. I'm not too keen on doing the testing. It's uncomfortable for babies going through it. I'm not sure that the "problem" is bad enough to put her through that.

So we're hoping the medication works. Too bad the medication doesn't taste good. Brielle makes the most horrible face when she takes it. Poor pumpkin.

Be on the lookout for pictures coming soon!

May have figured it out!

So I'm sure you were tired of reading about all of Brielle's puke. Don't worry, I'm pretty tired of it "surprising" us. I'm hoping that we're closer to figuring out what's going on with my little pumpkin.

My mom (aka Grandma Lisa) has said all along that she thought Brielle has a bit of a reflux problem. At first I brushed off the suggestion. I thought for sure the problem was just gas. Well after the formula switch and not too much improvement I started to look into reflux a little more. Sure enough for everything I've read Brielle has the classic symptoms of GER/reflux. If gone untreated it can turn into a bad case of colic. Needless to say tomorrow morning I will be on the phone with the doctor's office to see what we need to do to get things under control.

The good news is that with a mild case it's pretty easy to treat. The bad news is we're going to have to stay awake an extra 30 minutes after those middle of the night feedings. We'll need to do that so we can keep Bri upright. A little less sleep but in the long run it will be more then worth it!

On the new formula front while the puking hasn't really stopped the gas problem does seem to be getting better. Brielle seems to be burping and passing gas a little easier. The soy formula leaves a lot to be desired in the way of smell when it makes it's exit. Who knew something so stinky would come out of such a little girl! LOL!

So that's my update for now. I promise I'll have a fun post with pictures up soon! It's not all puke at our house.

More Puke

Yeah. We're getting to be pros at handling puke. This time it was hiccups and then puke. Fun stuff.

Trying Soy

Today was a rough day for Brielle. She was so fussy and I quickly figured out why. She was having problems with gas. Her poor little belly was so hard that I wanted to cry with her.

While at the doctors office this week we were given the o.k. to try a different formula if Bri continued to have problems. We were putting off switching but I think with today's developments a switch is needed. Thankfully I have a can of soy formula in the cupboard. So now we're on a trail run of soy. If that doesn't work then it's a call to the doctor.

It happened again...

The puking that is. Not as bad this time though.

This mom is not a fan of gas bubbles!

Holy cow!! Baby Puke!!

Baby puke is not fun! Especially when it catches you off guard and comes spewing out of your daughter like a scene from the exorcist! Holy cow!

I have no idea why she puked up but I did call the doctors office to ask about it. They said it sounds like a fluke incident. Since she doesn't have a fever and was acting fine afterward we're chalking it up to a gas bubble that took out everything with it.

Everything seems to be fine now. I just hope it doesn't happen again anytime soon (wishful thinking I'm sure).

Oh the joys!

Getting the hang of this

Things are starting to come together. Brielle is doing good with her schedule. We've managed to get plenty of sleep at our house. The gas drops are helping with Brielle's fussiness and she's still eating well.

I forgot to mention before that on Valentine's day we ventured out for dinner. It was a quick trip to one of our favorite restaurants for pizza. Brielle slept the whole time and we were able to enjoy some time out. I was happy that we didn't ruin any one's Valentine's dinner with a crying baby. Instead Brielle received a ton of attention. Everyone was amazed on how well she did for being a whopping 4 days old! She's already making mom and dad proud!

First Visit to the Doctor

Toady we went to Brielle's first doctor's appointment. She suggested that we start giving Bri gas relief drops. We're hoping that will help with the night time fussiness.

Brielle has already gained some weight. Today she weighed in at 8 pounds 1/2 ounce. It's not surprising since she eats so well! She's taking in around 3 ounces now. We're able to go about 4 hours between feedings too. I'm hoping that a schedule is getting set up!

Rough!

We knew the first few days of parenthood would be rough. Boy did we learn fast how rough it can be! Sleep is a luxury that I miss already. Thank goodness for Grandma Lisa! She came over and sat with Brielle while Ben and I caught up on sleep. It's going to take a while to adjust to this new life!

Brielle Marie

Brielle Marie joined us on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 5:09pm. She weighed in at 7 pounds 12 ounces and was 20 inches long.

This is our start of parenthood!