Eat Baby Eat!

At Brooks' 6 months check-up in December, his doctor said that he dropped on the growth curve and wasn't gaining weight "like he should".  So she scheduled us to come in a month later to do a weight check.  Well, he looked fine to me but we obliged and came in anyway.  So we went in again a month later to check his weight ... that was last week.  The nurse weighed him again and said he only gained 1 oz.  Now the Dr. was really concerned.  He dropped from the 50th percentile to the 5th.  She grilled me on how often he ate, how much he ate, did he poop, sleep, etc?  Yep, got it all covered!  She asked about the quality of my breastmilk.  I think it's good.  He still drinks it! 

So she ordered up some blood tests to check his liver, his thyroid and who knows what else.  She assured me it was a simple finger prick and wouldn't take long.  We walked down to the lab where the tech pulled out these giant needles and huge vials!  Was MY  baby's blood going to be filling those??  Then she informed me it was way more than a little finger prick.

Alright this is where I draw the line.  I look at my baby and he is a healthy little guy.  He eats well, sleeps well and poops well.  He is active and content and an all around really happy baby.  So was it really necessary to stab him with all these needles, only to determine that he's fine and simply a tall skinny kid ... just like his dad??  So I said no.  The nurse looked puzzled.  I said no again, we're not going to do this.  She assured me it would be fine - she even offered to hold Brooks for me.  Umm, no, we're leaving.  By the looks on their faces, I don't think people refuse doctor's orders very often.  So they sent me back down to the doc's office where I talked to the nurse and again told her we weren't going to do the blood tests.  She tried to convince me of the necessity of it all, but sticking to my guns, I said no.  And we left.

So we avoided an unnecessary blood test, but it did make me think a little.  Is Brooks getting enough to eat?  Maybe my breastmilk isn't fatty enough for him?  He seems happy and content, but I want to make sure we're doing everything we can to feed him well.  So we've been working on feeding him baby food at every meal ... breakfast, lunch and supper in addition to nursing him 5 times a day.  I also called a lactation consultant who said that it's common for babies his age to be going through a growth spurt.  (well that would explain the crazy amount of food he's eating!)  So I scheduled an appointment to go in and have my breastmilk tested.  They apparently have a machine that measures the calories in your milk.  Cool!  I'll also feed him while I'm there so they can determine exactly how much he's getting at each feeding. 

It feels good to have a plan.  And it seems much more practical than poking him with a bunch of needles.  So for now, I have a baby who is 90th percentile for height and 5th percentile for weight.  He is the tallest skinniest baby I know.  Now for my other problem ... where am I gonna find pants that fit him???

teeth

Here's a picture of the infamous teeth!  There's four on the top and two on the bottom.  I have suspicion that there's more coming on the bottom, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Playin' in the Snow

So today the sun was shining and the temperature was finally above freezing.  So we strapped on our snowpants and headed outside.  This was Brooks' first time ever playing in the snow.  We were only outside for about 15 minutes, but it was still fun.  Here's some pictures from the big event.

Chris' attempt at a snowman.  It was tough since the snow didn't "pack" well.

Tada!

He actually rolled over in his blue marshmallow suit!  Wow.

We had fun!

Holy Teeth, Batman!

So of course after writing that we haven't hit any new milestones, just yesterday Brooks cut through his 6th tooth.  Yep, that's right, his SIXTH!  And here's the crazy thing.  It's been exactly 5 weeks since his FIRST tooth came in.  So in five weeks, he cut in six teeth.  Whew!  To be honest the first 4 came in with little fuss.  But the last two (the two top middle ones) have been more of a bear.  I think because they're bigger than the rest.  But now they're in and my former "toothless wonder" is now my "toothed wonder".  No more gummed smiles in our house!  Pretty soon he'll be looking like Dr. Teeth over here.  I'll try to snap a picture to show you.  They're still pretty small so they're hard to see on camera.

The Little Things

The last few weeks I've been contemplating what to write on here.  Actually, I've just been waiting for something big to happen so that I could tell you about it.  But in the last two weeks we've taken no big trips, there have been no major milestones, and no big holidays to mention (now that Christmas is over ... even New Years wasn't worth mentioning)  And looking back, it seems that our lives are quite dull.  But I started thinking ... I kinda like it this way.  Too many people we know are so busy and their days are so booked that they hardly have time to sit down.  We work pretty darn hard to keep life simple and uncluttered.  I like spending my evenings at home with my family.  And although it may seem uninteresting to the onlooker, I treasure each moment with my wonderful husband and my handsome little boy.  So here's an ode to all the little things in life...

... to listening to Brooks blow raspberries
... to watching the football game on Sunday afternoon in my sweats (and by watch, I mean sleep through)
... to eating a big breakfast on Saturday mornings
... to watching Brooks beat up on pet the dog and giggle while doing it
... to finally beating my husband in a game of cribbage (only 27 more to go and I'm caught up)
... to singing goofy songs in the kitchen while cooking dinner
... to enjoying a warm bed thanks to our electric blanket
... to washing the dishes and then having the satisfaction of a clean kitchen
... to seeing Brooks splash in the water at bathtime
... to praying with our little boy before bed
... to making it through an entire grocery shopping trip with no fussing or crying (from Brooks, that is)
... to having play dates
... to trying new foods
... to actually having the dog listen when I tell him to do something
... to knowing how cold it is outside and having a warm home to be in
... to reading books about firefighters
... to making a big meal, just for the two of us
... to suprise visits at work from Chris
... to seeing all of Brooks' new teeth when he smiles :o)
... to falling in love with my husband more and more each day
... to spending time with my family whenever I get the chance

So while sometimes I think we should be busier and doing more stuff, I realize that I really like things just the way they are.  What are the simple things in life that you enjoy?

hairy baby

So the weekend before Christmas, Brooks received his third haircut.  Yep, that's right ... his third!  He also received haircuts at 2 and 4 months, each time taking about 1/2 inch off.  I can only imagine what he would look like if we never cut it.  Here's some pics from his last trim.  Look at all that hair ... and he still has some on his head!  What a hairy baby!

 Look at all that hair!  It's all over his back and arms too.

 My handsome little boy with his new haircut!

6 months

I know I'm a bit late on this post, but on Wednesday our little guy turned 6 months old!  I'm starting to understand why parents say "they grow up so fast".  It's true.  What scares me is that in 6 more months he'll be a year old!!!  I'm not ready for a one year old.  But I truley love having a 6 month old in the house.  He is soooo much fun.  Here's an update on what's been going on in our house.

• Brooks starting eating solid foods about a month ago.  Started with rice cereal then moved on to all the homemade baby food I prepared over the last few weeks.  So far we've tried squash and peas(and I say we because I'm always a bit curious about how it tastes).  Squash is a hit!  Peas will take more work.  He's a good little eater.
• He is now fully aware that the dog exists.  He reaches for Charlie and has on a few occasions grabbed his ears or fur.  I was nervous about how the exchange would go, but I'm so proud of our goofy little pooch.  He just walks away when he's being harassed.  Charlie has also taken to licking Brook's fingers - quite funny if you ask me.  What's even funnier is that Brooks has the attitude of "eh, no big deal."  What a laid back kid.
• This is Brook's first Christmas! He helped decorate the tree last week with mom and dad. And by "help" I mean he puts all the Christmas ornaments in his mouth, then we pry them out of his hands to actually put them on the tree. But he loves looking at the lights and the shiny decorations. I'm just glad that since he's not mobile our tree is safe .... for now.
• Brooks loves to explore everything.  I know that's totally normal for his age, but it's so exciting to see him discover the things around him.  For instance, he loves water.  Whether it's a running faucet or spray from the shower, he loves it!  He touches it, then tries to hold it, then tries to eat it (see the following point).
• Brooks puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.  I mean it ... whatever he can hold onto goes straight into his mouth ... toys, fingers, the dog's ear, blankets, his clothes, his feet, the changing table railing ... you name it.  If it's close to his mouth, it's in it.  Which leads me to the next big news ...........
• He has TEETH!!!  My little guy has teeth!  No wonder he's been chewing on everything.  I wasn't sure if I would be happy or sad at his dental progress, but I was giddy with excitement.  He's so cute with those two little teeth poking out of his bottom gums.

So that's Brook's life in a nutshell (which means that's pretty much our life too).  Next week we'll be traveling to Green Bay, WI to spend Christmas with my parents.  I'm so excited about the trip.  I find I need to physically remove myself from the busyness of life before I can relax and enjoy Christmas.  We're going to try driving at night so Brooks will hopefully sleep most of the time.  We'll see how it goes.  Merry Christmas!