Raisin' Bran and Amelia: April 2016

Our little boy is two months old. He is still a tiny little peanut but definitely starting to grow into his features. It has been really enjoyable to start to see his little personality shine through. Mommy and Bran have been much more on the go this month. Bran helps me run errands all the time and really enjoys the extra stimulation. It is crazy how much you notice all the other Moms out during the day once you are one of them. Joe and I had a good laugh when we had dinner at Matt the Millers one late afternoon. Apparently all the parents go out to eat at that time and we were sitting in a row full of parents with their kids. Bran also went with me to my OB appointment and got to meet Dr. Turner. She was so excited to meet him and said he was "all boy".

Parenthood continues to bring new challenges. Bran still does not get the easiest baby award, and our pediatrician agrees haha! He seems to need constant stimulation or wants to be held. He also fights naps during the day (our pediatrician claims her smartest kid is the same way, but I think she is just trying to make us feel better). It is sometimes a constant struggle to figure out what he needs. After talking with his pediatrician about his increased fussiness we decided to try supplementing formula. My struggles with mastitis have apparently hurt my milk supply more than I realized. The formula has helped keep him full for longer periods of time (and freed me up from constantly feeding to try to keep up), but it has brought about new challenges with Bran seeming to constantly be gassy. The pediatrician claims a baby will not over eat, I agree...but Bran will continue to eat when offered then spit up when he is overfull. Sometimes Bran will scream and chew on his hands acting like he is still starving, then just spit up the additional formula we give him. We have noticed he is a very "lazy" eater while nursing so I have to be very careful to make sure he is actually eating and getting as much of the "liquid gold" as possible. So we are learning to take it slow with supplementing and working to find balance between breastfeeding and formula. We also watch the clock, because Bran gives us the exact same signals (since he is often trying to find his thumb) when he is just plain over tired. Sometimes you have to work very hard to get him to nap but once he is out he usually will take a nice long nap and wakes up so much more pleasant. We are slowly starting to figure the lil guy out since they definitely do not send you home from the hospital with an owners manual.

Even with all the challenges, being a parent is amazing. It is so fun to watch Bran grow and change. I never knew how much you could love something before Bran. I will do whatever it takes to keep him fed, happy, growing, and thriving. I am learning to live in the moment instead of constantly waiting for the next milestone. I would love him to sleep all night every night, but am trying to cherish our middle of the night snuggles while they last. I couldn't tell you how many times I call him my beautiful baby boy every day, even when he is having a bad day. I am not sure when he will be too old to call beautiful and I will have to switch to handsome, but for now...he is beautiful in my eyes.

Height: 22 1/4"
Weight: 8 lb. 13 oz.
Sleeping Pattern: Starting to sleep in longer stretches at night (usually about 4 hours). But we have had a couple nights where he has slept anywhere from 5-7 hours. One morning Joe's alarm actually went off before Bran was awake! I couldn't believe he hadn't woke me up all night! We really want to start transitioning Bran to the nursery because he is such a noisy sleeper (hopefully then Mommy won't hear everything). We have attempted a couple naps in his crib, but the longest he has made it is about 30 min. We may need to just try it at night since he is not the best napper. It is just such a risky move since one of Bran's best traits is his ability to go to bed so nicely for me every night.

He looks so tiny swaddled in his crib.

Feeding Schedule: Breastmilk and/or formula every 3-4 hours.

Mom says I can be a mess when I eat from a bottle so sometimes she makes me wear a bib.

Bran Likes: Bath time (especially with Daddy). Car and stroller rides. Bran loves being on the go. Playing on his playmat or riding in the mamaroo. Napping on Mommy and Daddy.

Bran Dislikes: Stopping to burp now that he is getting more bottles. Being gassy. Having a really wet diaper. Going down for a long nap (he tends to cat nap instead).
Changes This Month: Bran has continued to get stronger. He is able to hold his head up for short periods of time. He is also kicking away these days. He loves to push off of us to "stand". Bran also started smiling this month! That is my favorite!!

I love his silly smile.

Bran will grasp an object that is given to him.

Probably Bran's favorite discovery this month is his hands, especially his thumb! He has not fully grasped how to get his thumb in every time (sometimes he ends up with his whole hand in his mouth) and gets very angry when he loses it. But he has gotten much better and seems to prefer his right thumb (although he still tries both). Looks like we are going to have a thumb sucker (just like Mommy was).

What We Have Been Up To:
Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Nikki, and cousin Greer were our first over night visitors since having Bran. Uncle Justin, Aunt Alicia, and cousin Serena also came with Grandma Lude to meet Bran this month.

Bran celebrated his first St. Patty's day and made sure to dress in green.

Bran had his first Easter. He received lots of nice gifts and even a letter from the Easter Bunny. We spent the day with the Mayhills and Stimsons since Joe was on call and we couldn't leave town. It was a gorgeous sunny day. All of the sunshine and extra attention really wore Bran out. Everyone got a good laugh when Mommy was rocking with Bran on the porch and he had a big blowout that got all the way through onto Mommy's pants. Good thing we brought an extra outfit! It was also really cute when we were saying grace before dinner and both Bran and Lily chimed in at the perfect moment.