You are now three months old. Time is flying. You change, grow, and get more beautiful and sweeter everyday. Just when I think I can't love you more than I do at that moment, the next second is upon me and and my love becomes even stronger.
I can't wait for the morning to come each day. When I hear your first cries in the monitor, I all but sprint to go see you. You like to sleep on your tummy, like me. I love to roll you over on your back and wait only a matter of seconds until your sleepy eyes open and your incessant smiling begins. You like to wake up slowly. You coo and smile while I rub your belly for a good five minutes or so before I pick you up to get you ready for the day. You're always well rested and so are daddy and me for the most part because you have been going to bed around 8:00P and waking up around 5:00A to eat 4 ounces and back to bed until about 9:00A.
My absolute favorite thing about this third month has been the beginning of your intentional smiles and sounds. You can tell that you smile because you're genuinely happy, excited, pleased or tickled and you have the most adorable sounds to accompany the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. You love to be talked to and have our undivided attention.
This month you started grabbing and holding things. You have discovered your hands and LOVE to put them in your mouth. You love to have your hands in your mouth so much that sometimes you gag yourself with them, so we have to watch you very carefully. Your favorite things to grab are Bugs, your crackle paper and your rubber giraffe, Sophie.
You also loved to grab my hair, so I cut it so it wouldn't be so easy for you to get a hold of.
You love to play your piano, too! You're a Mozart in the making! I love to watch your tiny toes make pretty sounds when you tickle those ivory keys.
One sad thing happened this month. You got your first set of shots from Dr. Leung. You have to have a set of shots to keep you healthy when you're 8 weeks old. I made the appointment and dreaded it for days. When we went, you were happy-go-lucky as usual. The nurse measured your height and weight. You were 24 inches long and 12 pounds 4.6 ounces. "Perfect" she said. Then, Dr. Leung checked your eyes, ears, and listened to your heartbeat. He made you smile and that made me happy. Finally, it was time for your shots. You got three. You cried so loudly and it broke my heart. You had your first real tears that day. I brought you home, gave you some Tylenol and snuggled the rest of the day. Here's a picture before shots...
...and here's after.
On a happier note, I started your tea cup collection. Gigi found this beautiful cup at an antique store in Granbury and she also got you a beautiful tea kettle. We can't wait to have tea parties complete with dainty cookies, pretty music and dress up clothes!
Some constants that continually provide you with happiness are the times we spend at coffee shops with friends, listening to music, reading books and sitting on daddy's lap. You spent more time with your friend Sloan and Aunt Jenny at the coffeehouse, I introduced you to Billie Holiday's beautiful voice and you love any book!
You got your first "old lady" headbands this month. You're so adorable!
You made your great grandpa Barad (& everyone else you encounter) smile his most beautiful smile.
We had several fun dinner dates with Daddy.
And you continue to melt our hearts every second of every day.
You have been a blessing in our lives for two months now. You are truly a miracle. We look at you everyday in amazement and awe because you are the most incredible creation. You are a perfect mixture of me and daddy. Everyone says how much you look like dad and I have to agree - but your temperament is a carbon copy of mine. You are stubborn, strong-willed and know what you want. I don't think there's anything wrong with that either. We may be in for it later in life though, because you're as persistent as me and as cute as your daddy. That's a lethal combination. You don't cry much, but when you do, you really let us have it. You let your presence be known with a cry like I've never heard before, to say you're loud would be a gross understatement. Most babies have a cry that gradually gets louder and louder - not you, you start at the highest decibel you can reach and daddy and me run to tend to your every need. Most of the time you only cry when you get hungry, so we are thankful that we are able to quickly make you happy again with a bottle of soy formula. As of now, you are eating about 3 or 4 ounces of soy formula every 3-4 hours. You also get so angry when you have the hiccups. They frustrate you and you cry, so of course, we had to figure out how to fix that for you. We have discovered a great fix - Gripe Water! As soon as we hear the hiccups, we give you a squirt of this amazing stuff and before you know it, you're smiling again!
In this second month, you have hit some awesome and exciting milestones! The most exciting for us is getting to see your AMAZING smile almost constantly. If you are awake, you are smiling. I remember the first day you smiled at me. June 11, 2014, you were only 5 weeks and 1 day old. I was surprised because you were still so little, so I Googled "when do babies start smiling?" and sure enough - other mommies had experienced this bliss early on, too! Your eyes light up at the sound of mine and daddy's voice and you make me feel like I can do anything when you smile at me. You also love to "talk". You babble and coo. Your dimples add another element of "adorable" to your smile.
You've also started sleeping in your own room in your big girl crib! This happened just two nights ago on June 30 when you were 7 weeks and 6 days old. I think this transition was harder on me and daddy than it was on you. You are so brave. I was just sure that you would bawl when we left you alone in your room for the first night, but you didn't. You fell asleep peacefully in the glow of your nightlight. I think you are confident and independent and I admire those qualities in you so much. You love to have your bathtime, massage (yes, mommy rubs your belly and back slowly and you coo like it's nobody's business, most of the time), story time and a bottle with Karo. Then we wrapped you up tightly and lay you down to rest. Sometimes you put up a fight because you wanted some more of daddy's snuggles, but I don't think he minded rocking you for a few extra minutes until you're in a deep sleep. It took a couple of nights of you lying in your crib restless for us to realize that you love sleeping on your tummy, just like me. We went to Buy Buy Baby yesterday and bought a very fancy baby monitor for you. It allows you to sleep on your tummy without us worrying about you because it monitors your movement. Currently, your favorite music to listen to as you're being rocked to sleep is Jeremy Camp. During the second month of your life, your daddy's first Father's Day came upon us. Of course you were too small to really give him anything...and what more could he want but you, but I did get him a card and signed it "Love, Brooke & Brier". We went to Kyle and Paige's for lunch that day because we found out the hard way by trying to visit Burkburnett and Granbury that you're not a fan of traveling. Here you are looking super gorgeous with your daddy on his first Father's Day.
You love being with your daddy. Some of your favorite things to do are swinging in the hammock, reading books, and gardening!
One of your favorite books this month is Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman. It is beautiful. It goes like this...
I wanted you more than you will ever know, so I sent my love to follow wherever you go.
It's high as you wish it. It's quick as an elf. You'll never outgrow it...it stretches itself!
So climb any mountain...climb up to the sky! My love will find you. My love can fly!
Make a big splash! Go out on a limb! My love will find you. My love can swim!
It never gets lost, never fades, never ends...
if you're working...
or playing...
or sitting with friends.
You can dance 'til you're dizzy...
paint 'til you're blue...
There's no place, not one, that my love can't find you.
And if someday you're lonely, or someday you're sad, or you strike out at baseball, or think you've been bad...
just lift up your face, feel the wind in your hair. That's me, my sweet baby, my love is right there.
In the green of the grass...in the smell of the sea...in the clouds floating by...at the top of a tree...in the sound crickets make at the end of the day...
"You are loved. You are loved. You are loved," they all say.
My love is so high, and so wide and so deep, it's always right there, even when you're asleep.
So hold your head high and don't be afraid to march to the front of your own parade. If you're still my small babe or you're all the way grown, my promise to you is you're never alone.
You are my angel, my darling, my star...and my love will find you, wherever you are.
You have had some special visitors this month. Poppy Steve came to see you! Gigi has been here and you visited Grandpa Barad at work, too! Neena, Poppy Kirk and uncle Hayden are planning a trip to see you next week! I don't have a picture of you and Gigi, but trust me - she's here a lot to be with you (at least once a week!)
Other firsts? You wore your first pair of shoes and sat in your Bumbo for the first time this month.
You also celebrated your very first 4th of July - Independence Day! We went to Granbury and spent the day with Grandma Sally, Popa Bruce, Neena & Poppy Kirk. You don't look so excited about the day, but you had a fun time! You smiled and made everyone's day. When we got home, we watched the fireworks on TV. Next year, you'll get to watch them in real life! We were afraid the sound of the fireworks exploding might scare you!
We also were asked to be the stars of special commercial for Grandpa Barad's credit union. A film crew came to our house and took pictures and videos to produce this awesome keepsake that will double as advertisement for Union Square! You are a tiny star.
Here you are on the day you turned two months old! Thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives! I feel more love than I even knew I was capable of feeling and all because of you, sweet babygirl.
Up until this point in time, I have been blogging each week - every Sunday at the same time because dad and I like to keep a predictable schedule. Needless to say, we haven't really been in control of our own schedule lately, and it has been anything but predictable. You dominate every decision we make and consume every hour, minute, second of our days - especially mine as I have been home with you everyday since you were born. I wouldn't have it any other way. I would be lying if I said having you enter our lives isn't a huge adjustment as I am accustomed to doing what I want when I want. I don't mind, though. Your precious, tiny face always reminds me of just how helpless you are at this point in time and it is an honor that we are able to take care of you and make you happy (most of the time). I'm also not used to feeling some of the feelings of worry I have since you were born. I love you so much it scares me. It scares me because if something were to ever happen to you, I'd never be the same. The intensity of love a parent feels for their baby is something that it difficult if not impossible to explain. I worry about you every second. I want you to be happy every second. I never want you to feel pain or any other negative feeling. This kind of sums it up.
One milestone that has been reached since the last blog post is that you have started sleeping through the night! You did this at a shocking THREE weeks. That's really unheard of. Most babies wake up every three hours to eat, but not you. You started sleeping 6 or 7 hours at a time a couple of weeks ago and mommy and daddy are so rested now. I don't know how other parents who have babies who don't sleep through the night for months do it. Thank you, Brier. You are gaining weight. You weighed 10 pounds, 4 ounces two days ago when you turned a month old. You love your bottle most of the time, but you especially love the one that has Karo syrup in it. Karo syrup is a sweet syrup that we put in one bottle a day to help you go to the bathroom. (I know you'll really love reading this when you're older, but you sometimes have a hard time going to the bathroom and that makes you cranky because your belly hurts). Karo syrup helps you go and you love the sugary taste of that bottle. Needless to say, because you're so smart and determined and stubborn, you fight mommy and daddy really hard when we give you the next bottle without Karo syrup. In fact, daddy and I were worried that you were developing a preference for mommy's touch a few days ago. Dad would come home just about the time you were supposed to eat your first bottle without the Karo syrup. You would yell and cry and scream for an hour while we tried to feed you. I was the only one who could make you stop crying. It really didn't have anything to do with you wanting to be with me more, I had just perfected the way to comfort you. Daddy thought you were crying because you only wanted to be with me, but that wasn't the case. You just didn't like the regular bottle. Daddy would carry you around in the carrier sling and take you to water the garden and bond with you.
We finally figured out to give you your Karo bottle before bed and you'd forget about the Karo by the time you woke in the morning. We fooled you, sweet baby girl! But, it's for your best interest. Dad and I have tried explaining to you that the Karo is like medicine and you don't need it everytime, but for some reason, you just weren't accepting that - maybe it's because you're merely four weeks old. :) You love to go for walks with me! I am trying really hard to eat right and be healthy after my pregnancy. I gained a total of 54 pounds with you and I have lost 30 pounds in 4 weeks so far! I feel so accomplished bringing someone as beautiful as you into the world, but I would love my flat stomach back, so I'm really working on that. You are such a fun walking partner! After your morning bottle, we have been going on a 3 mile walk on the trail near our house. We listen to Jason Aldean, John Mayer and Damien Rice on mommy's iPhone as we walk on the trail and you usually fall asleep before I'm finished with the first mile.
You have also met some very important people this month. Great Grandma and Grandpa Barad came to visit you. We took you to lunch with Gigi and Grandpa Barad at Patrizio's in Highland Village and then everyone came back to our house to hold you and spend time with you. You also met your second cousin, Adam.
You made your first road trips to visit family. We have been to Burkburnett and Granbury in the last two weeks and we realized you're not quite ready to travel. You were very cranky and restless away from your home. We loved being able to share you with family, but they will be traveling to visit us for a while. You need a little time to grow before you're ready for such long trips and that's just fine. You also love to go on coffee dates with mommy and her friend Kristen. Kristen has a new baby named Kolbe who is just two weeks older than you. We have been making it a habit since you were born to meet at a coffeehouse, usually Roots, and sit together to talk. You are such a good girl and I can't wait until you can have your first latte or Americano with me!
You have changed so much in such a short amount of time since the last post. You turned a month old last Friday and you are cuter than ever! We love you more than we could ever explain. You are our world and our reason to smile everyday.
Love you more... P.S. Please never outgrow your desire to be comforted in my arms.
Sweet baby Brier, We were in for some of the best and scariest moments of our lives after we brought you home from the hospital. Daddy and I could have read every book about bringing a newborn home from cover to cover and not possibly been prepared for what was about to happen in the first couple of days of your life at home at 4616 Sandera Lane. You were dressed so cute on the way home, a precious pink outfit complete with a matching hat that I decided against putting on you because you were too tiny.
While in the hospital, you were pretty good about breast feeding. You were a little fussy and we had to send you to the nursery both nights, but manageable. If mommy hadn't had a C-Section and needed rest, we would have kept you in the room with us. Once we got home, though, it was a completely different story. You were trying so hard to get nourishment from me, but I wasn't producing enough milk for you. I didn't realize this until you had been home for about two days. You cried and cried and cried. Not only did you cry, but you screamed! Your precious face was red, your mouth wide open, your legs were straight out and your little fists were clenched almost constantly. It made mommy and daddy crazy because we couldn't figure out what we were doing wrong! We wanted more than anything to make you happy and content, but it just wasn't happening. You looked so miserable and sad and that paired with mommy's hormones was a lethal combination. I felt so horrible because I said things like "I can't do this..." and I felt horribly guilty that I couldn't pacify you. I had written for months about how my number one goal was to make you as happy as I possibly could. Everyone told me "you only have to feed, love, and change a newborns' diapers and they are happy". Well, everyone lied.
The first two nights of your time at home were spent completely in your nursery. Your daddy would lay on the floor of your nursery while I would attempt to feed you. It was a vicious cycle of you trying to eat, crying, screaming, changing a mostly dry diaper, and starting over again. It wasn't until the third day of you being home unhappy and exhausted that daddy had a wonderful idea. He asked me to try to use the breast pump to see how much milk you were getting. I pumped for 45 minutes and only got about half an ounce. I was starving my baby! I had a meltdown immediately after that because I felt so guilty. We immediately tried giving you Enfamil Newborn formula and you sucked down 2 ounces in record time! Here are some of the faces you made over the course of the first two days at home.
You were precious and so happy afterwards. You haven't really cried since we made the switch to formula. You cry only when you're hungry and you took to a routine so quickly! You appreciated the routine we think and we are so glad you're happy and healthy. You were also going to the doctor frequently in the first few days because before we left the hospital, the doctor tested you and said you had a minor case of jaundice. The first visit to the doctor, you were being breastfed, the second we had you on formula and you had gained 11 ounces in five days and the jaundice was completely gone. I felt confident that we had made the right decision for you and for our family. Daddy had a couple of days to really enjoy the routine and happiness until he had to go back to work. He was off work for a week and a half after you were born.
Once we had you settled in a good routine, we felt ready to have lots of visitors. You are surrounded by so many people who love you! Gigi stayed with mommy and daddy for a little over a week after you were born and then Neena came to stay with us! While Neena was here, you had a ton of visitors including - Grammaw and Popa Allen, Poppy Kirk and Uncle Hayden, Aunt Pat and Uncle Kenny, Cheryl and Bruce, Aunt Kristen and Aunt Meagan, Uncle Josh and your cousins, Gavin, Brody, Mattison and Landreigh. We had so much fun letting you meet the most important people in your life. You will soon get to meet the other side of your family, I can't wait for that! On this day, I cried because I was overwhelmed with a kind of love I have never experienced before. I was so in love with you and I could literally feel the love that was being showered over you and us. It was indescribable how blessed and happy I felt that day. Best day of my life and you were at the center of it all - my reason for smiling and pride.
Some "I wonders" that can be answered in upcoming posts:
1. Who do you look like?
2. Will your eyes stay blue?
3. Do you like baths or not? Mommy should have taken a bath with you here - you were so disgruntled at the beginning of your bath that you peed on me! It's ok, I love you anyway.
Things you love this week: Everything DADDY, Mommy's singing (especially Jesus Loves the Little Children), story time, cuddling, your swing and your pacifier!
Things that bother you this week: Bright lights, getting your diaper changed with an empty stomach.
