Bran...4 Months

Brannock is 4 months old and all smiles!  A lot of people have started to say Bran looks like his Mommy, but we still think he is a good mix of both of us.

Weight: 15 lb. 6.5 oz.
Height: 25 inches

Sleeping Pattern: Bran has continued the great sleeping pattern.  He consistently sleeps through the night from about 8:30p.m.-6:30 a.m.  By the end of the month we stopped swaddling and instead had him in a wrapsack with his arms out.  This has been very entertaining because now he can wiggle around a lot more at night.  We never know what way Bran will be facing in the crib by the morning!

Feeding Schedule: You eat 6oz. or nurse every 3 hours during the day, with no night feedings.

Bran Likes: Laughing, playing, and cooing.  Being tickled. Bran is becoming very playful. 

Bran Dislikes: Being overly tired (yet he fights naps). He also dislikes being startled (Mommy burped really loud while Bran was eating and he cried hysterically, it was pitiful!)

Changes This Month:

Bran can roll up onto his side now.  He swings his legs around and almost never ends up where he started while playing on his playmat. He loves playing with any toys he can grasp.


Bran can sit up well with support.

Bran laughs hysterically now.  It happened for the first time when the Mayhill's came over for a cookout at the beginning of the month. Mommy was bouncing Bran up and down on her lap and Bran just couldn't get enough.  Bran is such a smiley and happy baby.  He also laughs uncontrollably while being tickled.
 

What We Have Been Up To:
We spent Mother's Day weekend at Lake Norris in TN.  We went with a bunch of Mommy's college friends, their husbands, and kids.  We had five kids two and under in one house.  Bran was the youngest and the only boy. It was our first longer road trip with Bran and he did great.  We only had to stop once both ways and he slept most of the ride.

Happy Mother's Day!

Bran with all of his ladies.

Our little family on Mother's Day.

Boats rock babies to sleep.

Bran really enjoyed watching all the "big" girls play all weekend.  It was Bran's first visit to a lake and he even got to go on his first boat ride! Bran and Daddy got Mommy the perfect Mother's Day gifts, a necklace with Bran's birth stone and a very sweet picture, poem, and figurine to display.

Mommy went back to work after 16 weeks at home with Bran.  Mommy did better than expected and only cried once after she dropped Bran off the first day. Mom is working 2-3 days a week and Bran is at an in home daycare.  He has a 4 and 6 year old girl to play with that love all over him all day.  They love to share their my little ponys and he has been known to come home with the occasional glitter on his head.

We spent Memorial Day in Sardis at Grandma Lude's house.  Bran got to meet all of his great Aunts and Uncles.  He also got to meet his second cousin Zane for the first time.  They look and act a lot alike, although I think Bran takes the award for biggest ham and wiggle worm.

Bran also had a visit from Peg (all the way from Asheville) this month.  She brought a custom measuring board with Bran's name that we'll be able to keep track of our growing boy on (Thanks Peg, Mark, and Jackie!).

Photo Ops:

Go Cavs!

Bran's Baby Mullet

You like my shades?

Bran...3 Months

What a great month it has been!  I think we are all finally figuring things out. Bran's low weight gain at his 2 month appointment earned us a check up in a week to make sure he was gaining appropriately.  A week of some additional supplementation of formula and ensuring he was actively feeding while nursing worked wonders.  Brannock went from 8 lb. 13 oz to 10 lb. 2 oz. in just 6 days! The pediatrician said little boys seem to always be hungry and wanting to feed, I believe it. And by his 3 month appointment Bran weighed 12 lb. 2 oz. It feels good to know we are back on track and Bran is growing and happy.

Weight: 12 lb. 2 oz.
Sleeping Pattern: Bran progressively slept longer stretches this month until finally sleeping through the night by the end of the month!  A usual night is from 8:30/9p.m.-6:30/7a.m. Bran also moved into the nursery mid month and has done great sleeping in the crib as long as he is swaddled. Daddy was the one brave enough to move Bran into the nursery, and we are all sleeping better because of it! (Bran is a very noisy sleeper, and farts as loud as his Daddy!). Naps on the other hand are still a challenge, and Bran's favorite place to nap is still on Mommy or Daddy.

Bran looks so tiny in his crib.

Feeding Schedule: Bran eats 4-6 oz (either nursing or bottle) every 3-4 hours, and dropped the night time feedings by the end of the month.

Bran Likes: Bath time, being tickled, kicking and playing while laying on his back.
Bran Dislikes: Being overly tired, tummy time.

Mom, the toys aren't making tummy time any better!

Changes This Month: Bran is completely holding his head up on his own, can sit with support, likes to help hold his bottle, and is really starting to show his personality.

What We Have Been Up To:
Brannock went on his first road trip and overnight this month to visit Grandma Gina and Grandpa Jeff.  Who knew two dogs and a baby could need so much stuff for one night?!  It took way longer than expected to get packed and out the door.  But once we were on the road it was smooth sailing. Bran rides great in the car and slept the whole way. The fur babies were a little sad to have been relocated to the back of my car this trip but I think they were still happy to come along.  We really enjoyed the extra hands while we were in Elyria.  All of the aunts, uncles, and cousins came over to visit and love on Bran. Sleeping was a little tricky.  Even though we did the best to recreate the sleeping environment from home Bran was just a little off and woke up much more frequently.  Grandma was officially Bran's first babysitter! She let us go out to eat baby free with our friends Jason and Lauren who drove over from Cleveland.  It was really weird to be at dinner without having to worry about Bran.  Grandpa Jeff teased that they were going to call me to make me nervous but decided against it (yes my phone was sitting right beside me the entire time).

We also visited Great Grandpa.  Bran of course had a poopy diaper while we were there.  He joined the ranks of way too many kids to count to be changed on that living room floor.

Grandma Lude, Uncle Justin, Aunt Alicia, and Serena all came for a visit.  Aunt Sarah also brought Cade to meet Bran!

Scarlet and Jordyn stayed the night and we went to Danielle's for Morgan's second birthday party. Bran really enjoyed watching all the kids play.  Joe made us dinner later that night and Scarlet got to witness Bran's first huge blowout.  It went all the way down Mommy's pants.  Daddy ran off so fast to go run the bath he forgot Mommy was covered in poop.  Thankfully Scarlet was there to help (and get a good laugh at our misfortunes).

Baby Swap

Bran and Mommy went to work to visit and have lunch with Daddy.  All the guys at work got a kick out of dressing Bran up.  Maybe Bran will be a perfusionist just like Mommy and Daddy, but I think we are going to have to minimize his time at the "bachelor pad" for now, they might be teaching him bad tricks!

 
Photo Ops:

I wonder how much longer he will fit here.  It is one of Bran's favorite places to hang out.

Bran loves his wubba elephant!