12 weeks - getting stronger & loving life

Where have the weeks gone?  Brycen John has had such a roller coaster ride these first three months.  At eleven weeks he spent three days in the hospital fighting off pneumonia.  The nurses were the most amazing people I have ever met.  They made us feel so comfortable and loved!  I am sending happy thoughts to each of them wherever they are :)  Brycen John seems to be on a upswing in his cycle of life.  His stuffy nose is ceasing, antibiotics ended this morning, and the smiles are abundant.  I love you Brycen John!  During his hospital stay he got to wear this fancy outfit!  Smirks....too cute :)

Gavin and Brycen continue to acclimate to each other and their lives as brothers.  I am in awe of Gavin's ability to unconditionally love Brycen and be intimate with him with kisses and hugs daily.  It touches my soul to watch him be such an amazing big brother.  Sighs....I love you Gavin!  Brycen is such a lucky little man to have you in his life :)

Gavin language is really blossoming.  He is putting words together and often speaks in short phrases.  He has recently become interested in the moon, playing with pretend food, and boxes of all shapes and sizes.  He continues to stack everything he can get his hands on, and enjoys playing with play doh, bath crayons and other arts and crafts.  During bath time we play with foam letters and Gavin loves to repeat the letter names.  His favorites are for sure "O" and "E" :)

Though Brycen has been challenged these first few months of his life, he continues to bring smiles to our faces.  When he smiles his whole face lightens up and grows from one side to the other with gleaming dimples.  I just know in my heart that he will persevere and be strong because of it.  He enjoys being swaddled when he sleeps at night and is getting up one to two times a night.  The swing and play gym are his favorite activities outside watching his brother play in the world around him.  He is tracking and attempting to engage with objects.  He is growing too fast for me...where has that little baby gone.  He is 23 1/4 inches and 14 pounds :)  God bless him!

In closing, we had the opportunity to attend a Holiday Mini Session with one of my favorite photographers in the area Kelly Cronin :)  Please check out her site and if you have the opportunity attend a session with her.  She has this amazing way of capturing expression in such a pure fashion.  i just adore her work.  Here are just a few of my favorites of the boys :)  Thanks so much Kelly!!

10 weeks - where did that baby go

Weeks 9 & 10 here we come and go again!  Brycen is off and running making cooing sounds and tracking me as I chase Gavin around the house.  He is smiling and beginning to giggle sporadically, especially when playing under the play gym.  On top of that I have managed to get him to sleep from 8-2:30 and 3-6 for three nights now....whoo hooo!  Let's hope the trend continues with a little help from mr. swaddle ;)  We had a 2 month check up last week and Brycen is 23 inches and about 13 pounds.  Gosh he is growing fast....just from week 9 to 10 you can see he is filling that six month onesie out more!!!  LOL 

smile

mr. bird I will get you

tubby time

Here is a photo of Gavin and Brycen at 9 months that I created to check out any similarities and differences.  Smiles....thinking of baby gavin brings such happiness to me!!!  It went by way to fast :)

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  We had some close friends over to spend this special day and lucky us it was so beautiful we could play outside.  I managed to get some fantastic photos of Gavin and Ridge playing and riding in Gavin's wagon.

Though Brycen chilled in the carrier most of the outdoor time he did manage to have a spotlight seat at our Thanksgiving dinner!

Other exciting happenings include Gavin's new big boy truck....from his daddy who just couldn't wait to give it to him!  He loves it and actually watched the entire Cinderella disney movie in it LOL!  Talk about a new school "drive in".  Love him ;)

Last week Jessie and I visited our local ceramic shop to have a "girl date" :)  I painted a piggy bank for the boys to collect change in for a rainy day.  Here is a photo just in case it doesn't make it in the future.  For some reason I can envision it being broken unintentionally.....

love <3

brycen & gavin ~ 2 & 20

blanket from busia

Wow! I stare at this photo and just wonder where the time has gone.  They are two amazing boys who I so enjoy watching grow and change.  As Fall continues to get darker and colder we are spending less and less days outdoors.  However, the ones we do continue to be filled with fun and laughter.  Here are a selection of great shots at our favorite local playgrounds.  We are still wondering where there is an indoor playground?  Maybe we should build one!

Leaf collecting in the yard!

Sporting his new winter jacket!

Buddies at the playground :)

Gavin continues to grow each day.  He is currently obsessed with stacking and building with objects in the house.  Blocks are a favorite but he will stack pretty much anything he can get his hands on.  He is also continuing to expand his vocabulary and loves to tell you stories of most we are still not sure what he is saying LOL.  

Yes that is his Motrin bottle... :/

Block stacking while momma watches The Voice :)

Brycen is getting so big too fast.  This morning I put a 6 month onesie on him and it was tight....!  Gosh he is only 2 months old!  We have his two month doctors appointment tomorrow.  This poor boy has been through the ringer.  He appears to be allergic to dairy...at least that is what we can identify.  We tried eliminating from my milk which didn't help and the blood continued in his stool.  We then tried three formulas which he had reactions to.  Now he is finally on the right track we think with another formula that is dairy free and hypoallergenic.  Then on top of all that he ended up in the ER with pneumonia.  Poor little thing...them taking blood was horrible.  He got two days of injections of antibiotics and an eight day oral treatment.  Let's hope we are on the way to recovery.  Just like Gavin you wouldn't even know he was sick except for the lack of sleep. 

In between sickness and allergies Brycen enjoys chilling in his bouncy seat and practicing sucking his thumb.  I have tried to give him a paci to calm him when he is trying to sleep, however he will have nothing to do with it.  Might be a blessing as I will soon have to break big daddy of his.

This is the shirt his daddy bought him on the day he was born!
Love this photo....it also calls to my Strawberry Shortcake collection...
check out those striped socks ;)

brycen john week 6 - halloween and chickens

Animal blanket Busia bought for Brycen's bed.

A blanket Busia knitted for Brycen!

Brycen is growing before my eyes.  He is beginning to take control of his head which is so exciting and he loves belly time!!!  We visited the GI specialist in Boston to try to identify what is happening inside his little belly.  Brycen has had blood in his stool since he was born.  Sometimes it presented microscopically but most times is was gross blood.  It's is so hard as a mom to watch you child go through something that could be uncomfortable for them.  The doctors and specialists removed egg, dairy, and soy from my diet....though it didn't appear to help.  After putting him on a hypoallergenic formula for 48 hours with probiotics we reintroduced breast milk.  Within 24 hours there was gross blood back in his stool and his demeanor was fussy in comparison :(  Alas, Chad and I made the executive to put him back on the formula, though my soul was torn as I know that breast milk is/should be the best for him.  sighs... We have a follow up with the specialist on the 16th, though we have transitioned him to prescription formula and I am drying up begrudgingly.  All I care about is what is best for him :)  

Gavin continues to acclimate to the new world around him.  With introducing Brycen to the bottle came more struggles since Gavin wants to drink his baba when the baby does.  Though I try to explain that he is a BIG BOY, he does not quiet get the concept.  However I did buy some sweetened almond milk for him to enjoy when his brother is eating.  His language continues to expand with words like car, block, box, rocks, and he loves giving kisses to well his stuffed animals, Brycen, himself in the mirror and other children.   It's precious.  He has also learned to imitate a chicken thanks to his dad LOL!

This week we also had the pleasure of watching Zoe!  Gavin just adores her and they have so much fun playing together :)  I got some great photos of them.  It was fascinating to watch them explore an old television together.  Zoe kept pointing and pretended to read the menu to Gavin :)

Last week we were so lucky not to loose electricity with the Sandy coming though.  It saddens our hearts to see so many people who have suffered.  Our prayers go to them!  During the storm we did ready ourselves with candles and charged laptops and phones.  Jessie, her mom Marge, and Ridge came over after the storm to charge up and chat with us since they did loose electricity.  Lucky for them it was back up and running the next day.  

Halloween still was on though we had to miss one party due to a cold. Gavin did go treating with Auntie Elissa, Uncle Tim, and Patrick.  He was very polite I was informed and thanked everyone :)  He dressed up in my old mouse costume which was nice and toasty for outdoor activities.  Brycen sported a Giraffe costume.  Gavin thought it was fun to stack his candy on his brother.  Lucky for us he didn't realize candy is for eating!

 

We also went to a super fun Halloween party with all our friends a week after since the storm was coming through.  Here Gavin dressed in his costume for this year with his buddy Ridge........these two make my heart melt!

Gavin also enjoyed playing with Amelia at the Halloween party.  They spent quiet some time in a dog bed...and were very hairy. Additionally, Gavin found many balloons to play with and also discovered that they like to bounce up and down in the toilet....Who Knew!

In closing here is a favorite photo of mine this week.  I just adore Gavin's ability to show off his shear love for those around him.  He is my soul!

Awe...Baby....MMMMWAAA :)