Auntie Nancy Visits From Atlanta

Brody is a lucky little guy with lots of "aunties and uncles"...! Nancy came this past weekend to visit from Atlanta, was so great to see her as it had been far too long since we were able to get together! She arrived on Friday and left on Sunday so it was a short but enjoyable weekend. Nancy and her husband Kevin don't have any children but she was a real natural with Brody. Well wait, they do have children...furry children...2 dogs along with horses and cats...and all sorts of other barn varmints! While Nancy was so excited to meet Brody she also got a very exciting outing with Jason and Chad to the gun range...YEAH the gun range! She shot several guns but said the highlight was the AK47 and a 50 cal, which i think weighs as much as she does! Of course I stayed home with Brody as the gun range is no place for Brody...and me for that matter! On Sunday I took her to the Mall of America as everyone needs to experience that place! We met up with JRo, Logan and Landon at Bubba Gump for lunch. Nancy was able to get in a little power shopping and was surprised to learn that she didn't have to pay sales tax on her clothing, a great bene to living in Minnesota! Jason looked after Brody so it was a nice time for Nancy and I.Nancy and Brody

Bad Ass Nancy at the gun range!!Me, JRo and Nancy @ Bubba Gump (kid friendly resturant is important these days!)

It's A Bird...It's A Plane...

...It's SUPER Brody! We do tummy time several times a day...of course the goal of tummy time is get Brody to strengthen his neck muscles by lifting up while on his tummy. However, our little superman LOVES tummy time not so much for neck strengthening but more for napping. He can fall asleep within seconds of laying him down...photo below...30 seconds and he was out...of course due to my paranoia for tummy sleeping he only gets about 5 minutes of Zzzz's before i turn him over and then of course he wakes up!
When he is awake he does a great job lifting his head and has gotten so strong.

Dolly Needs Love Too...

We both try to give Dolly as much attention as we can however she's no longer our #1 baby! Of course since she likes Jason the best the minute he walks in the door she is following him around meowing and the minute he sits down she's right there. I know she misses the days when Jason worked from home and she could sit on his lap all day...now she has to deal with me and Brody...which aren't nearly as much fun!

7 Week Update

It amazes me that our little guy is already 7 weeks old, where has the time gone?! He's growing like a weed and is such a big eater, he polishes off 5 oz of breastmilk every 2.5-3 hours. He's starting to babble more, especially when i'm talking to him. I've also seem a few smiles this week when i get him real excited but it's not consistent...i think this coming week he'll really start to smile on demand or so i hope! I continue to read to him on a regular basis, the pediatrician said it didn't matter what I read it's just the words that help...therefore he gets a dose of Hollywood every week as my reading selection is People. It will be great when he's older because i'll be able to say, "Brody did you hear about Britney Spears this week?" I know he's just going to love tracking Hollywood as much as i do...LOL!!

Yesterday we had a field trip...Brody met my coworkers at the office. I must admit that when i got to the door i teared up...anything that makes me think about taking him to daycare just kills me. Mama is going to have a hard time come May 3rd. It was fun to see everyone and catch up on the latest office gossip...!

Dan and Pete Meet Brody

Jason's friend's Dan and Pete were in town last weekend from Chicago for March Madness so they were able to meet Brody! We met them downtown at the Lyon's Pub (so fitting as Dan's last name is Lyon's and he's a boozer...so it worked out well!! hehe). It was fun to see them and introduce them to Brody.
Of course i have to share this story...Poor Pete...he was holding Brody and like most men Brody likes to pass gas and typically with him gas=poo. So without being too detailed...Pete got a poo shower on his shirt and you can imagine what kind of surprise Brody had in his pants...Pete was very calm about it given he has little Gabrielle at home and one on the way it wasn't a big deal...now if Dan would have been holding him that might have been a different story!!! Thank goodness Dan's wife Emilee had sent along a baby gift which included 3 onsies as we didn't have a change of clothes in the diaper bag for Brody! Thanks EM!!!!!

Dan and Brody

Pete and BrodyBrody and I in his new outfit!

An Evening With The Zastrow's

Originally we had planned to meet the Zastrow's at our favorite sushi place in Woodburry but due to a certain someones personal agenda we decided to just have dinner at Chad and Kristy's instead. They had quiet the spread...burgers, chicken, filet...all off the grill, YUMMY!! Those types of meals get you really excited for summer (what we long for after a winter inMN)...unfortunatly we couldn't eat outside as it was raining but Chad braved the rain to grill up our grub! Brody did great, he was a happy baby the entire time and of course he got tons of love and attention from Chad and Kristy.

A Mind All Of His Own...

As I had stated in the previous post, we went out for dinner and Brody was an angel. I was super excited about the ability to take him out and be a good little baby. So on Thursday, Kara came to town so she and I along with Jenny and her little guy Chase, JRo and Allie all met at California Pizza Kitchen (kid friendly is important) for dinner. Once Brody woke from the car ride I changed his diaper and then fed him...thinking that he'd then be quiet alert or fall back to sleep after he ate...OHHHHH no...not our little guy, he's got a plan all of his own. He proceeded to fuss and then cry the whole time...i walked the mall with him in hopes to comfort him and no such luck. Thank goodness all the girls (except Allie) have kids and totally understood...so Kara and JRo took him so i could eat (thanks ladies). Needless to say it was not a pleasant experience and I sensed many resturant patrons starring at me thinking, "control your child"...you know like I used to do to people before i had a baby!! I now have a new found appreciation for moms trying to comfort crying babies in public...

I believe there is a lesson in everything i experience with Brody. So what was learned...taking Brody to a resturant between the hours of 7-9 is NOT recommended for right now!

Happy St Patrick's Day....Week 6 Update

I can't believe Brody is already 6 weeks old...seems like just yesterday we got home from the hospital. On St Paddy's Day we ventured out to our first resturant...and nothing says St Paddy's like Mexican food!!! We fed Brody before we left and he slept the entire time, he was an angel!! I had my first alcoholic beverage since May 2008...a blended strawberry margarita...Mmm tasty!!

Judy and I enjoyed a margarita...while Jason and his dad enjoyed tea and water! =)

Spring has sprung in Minnesota...well at least it did last week! We enjoyed unseasonably warm temps which allowed me to get out with Brody and go for a walk...so nice to get fresh air for both Brody and I. We are loving our Valco stroller; it turns on a dime, is light weight and can be pushed very easily with one hand, love it! Jason and I even went off roading where it was muddy and it handled well in that terrain.Getting stronger...Brody can hold his head up for brief moments. Here you see how strong he is while Jason is holding him, such a big boy! He also does very well with tummy time (when he doesn't fall asleep right away) as well.

Where Has The Time Gone...Week 5.

I can't believe it...another week has passed and Brody is changing so much! He's far more alert and makes great eye contact. He's also starting to make more noises and we are just waiting on that first smile! He's still eating at least every 2.5-3 hours if not more on some days. In the last day he has gone through a growth spurt and has wanted to eat non stop...I guess he gets that from his dad! Here are some week 5 photos of our little peanut.

OK so yes i was posing Brody by Leo for a photo shoot, he wasn't all that excited about it...except when Leo's lion mane brushed his cheek and he started "rooting" thinking that hair may have been a boob!! LOL!
How cute is the hat and blanket!! Our friend Chad stopped by the other day and dropped off these beautifully knitted items for Brody from his Mom, Sandy. We've never met Sandy but clearly she has a big heart like Chad and is incredibly thoughtful. Thank you SOO much Mrs Zastrow!!!!

Grandma Judy and Grandfather John Have Arrived!

YEAH, they are here! Grandma Judy and Grandfather John arrived last night around 8pm. They decided to drive from Maryland this time so they could make a few stops along the way. It was a very long drive for them...some 16 1/2 hours...but what a present at the end of that long drive...Grandchild #6. Brody makes grandson #3, so now we have an even split!! Brody was very intrigued by Grandma Judy's grey and white stripped shirt. As you see here in this photo he can't take his eyes off of it! We are so excited to have them here, not to mention I'm going to get out of the house for a massage AND a much needed hair appt...I'm so excited!

PS Brody's middle name (Malcolm) is Grandfather John's middle name as well!

We Love Visitors!

On Monday Ann and Tate came over to visit. Tate was born 6 days after Brody, so it will be fun as they get old to get the boys together for play dates! It's been fun having Ann to compare baby notes with along the way. We work together and we both wonder how its possible to work all day, come home to a baby and husband and then still have time to cook/clean/do laundry and find 5 minutes for ourselves, I guess come May we'll both find out!

Tuesday afternoon our wonderful neighbors Shelley and Courtney came over to watch Brody while i ran to Babies R Us to make an exchange. It was so nice for me to get out of the house as some days i don't even get fresh air. Brody slept the whole time i was gone which i know was a bummer for Courtney but there will be plenty of awake times in the future for Courtney to entertain Brody! Thank you sooo much for coming over!!
Our other neighbor Cami came over late Tuesday afternoon and would you believe i forgot to get a photo!! I'm kicking myself as i've been so good about getting pics of all the visitors! Good excuse for you to come back and see us Cami! Cami has two children and is expecting a third little boy in May...so it will be fun to get the boys together this summer and also go for walks around the neighborhood! I need to spend more time with Cami because she's super Martha Stewart...she made two swaddle blankets for Brody and brought some TO-DIE-FOR blueberry/lemon bread....oh my gosh is it good!! Perhaps if i just spent more than 5 minutes in the kitchen i too could make something wonderful like this...but don't hold your breath!! See you soon Cami!

Our Favorite Products So Far...

I've had a lot of friends ask what baby products we like so far...so here is my list at 4 1/2 weeks, I will update once i use more stuff as Brody gets older.

1. Boppy Newborn Lounger-different than the regular Boppy, we got both and i think its worth it. Click HERE
2. My Brest Friend Pillow (once you get past the silly name...), this is the best thing EVER for breastfeeding. It has two bumps on the front of the pillow that allow baby's head to rest comfortably while feeding. The regular Boppy just didn't cut it for breastfeeding purposes. Click HERE
3. Itzbeen Timer-when sleep deprived this is the best thing ever! Has a timer for diaper change, feeding, sleeping and another for misc timing. Awesome! Click HERE
4. Aquaphor Ointment-my coworker recommended this item to help protect against diaper rash. It also helps moisturize very dry skin...also there is one for baby and one for adults...they are the same thing, just different packaging (baby more expensive). Click HERE
5. Wipe Warmer-especially for little boys, the cold wipes tend to startle them which inturn could give you a nice spray! Click HERE
6. Halo Sleep sack-best to keep them warm and also to swaddle...keeps them snug verse blankets that can come uptucked. Click HERE
7. Baby scissors-i tried filing his long nails...forget it...go for the scissors, they work awesome and you don't have to worry about cuting them like you would with nail clippers!
8. Sunny Sunshine from Infantino-Brody loves this item; Sunny lights up and plays music. Click HERE
9. Diaper Champ-keeps stinky diapers at bay...and you use grocery bags as refills so no added expense. Click HERE

Brody with his buddy Sunny!!

Phaedra and Dave Stop By

This past Sunday Phaedra and Dave stopped by to meet Mr Brody. It was so great to see both of them...Phaedra cuddled with Brody and put him right to sleep! They also treated us to yummy homemade chicken noodle soup and some to-die-for cheese bread, Mmmm nice work P!! (PS the bread lasted until Monday!) Phaedra is such a great cook that she created a blog all about cooking and her favorite recipes...click HERE to to steal some great recipes! My mom tells me that she has already tried a couple of them and they were delicious.

They also have a couple of kitties at home, so Phaedra made Dolly another crack bag (jumbo sized this time) and Dolly was in heaven...rolling all over the cat nip bag. The cat nips seems to jack her up so much that she runs through the house like she's a possessed little kitty, good exercise for her!

Thanks again P/D for coming over, for lunch and the gifts!

A Blessed Event...

We were honored when JRo and Jesse asked Jason and I to be Landon's godparents. Last night was the baptism and church service...he was baptized Lutheran. It was a very special event and we'll pray that we never have to really be Landon's godparents!

Brody did great...we fed him a bottle before we left to ensure he had a full tummy and he slept the entire service. In fact we even got to have a very fancy dinner last night at Salad Creations on our way home from the baptism...ohh so romantic! He sleep so much yesterday/last night...he was up every hour from 1:30am on!!

Mama needs rest...but a trip to Target today too priority over a nap!

We Are F-A-M-I-L-Y...

We got all the photos back from the photographer...this is one of our favorites and of course our first family photo together!

I've loaded them all to Kodak so that if you want to order any of them you can!
Click HERE to view and order prints!

Happy Birthday Brody...1 Month Today!

Where did the month go?! Seems like just yesterday we were in the hospital and now our little guy is 1 month old!

What a blessing he has been. As someone said to me, "parenting is the toughest job you'll ever love"...and i couldn't agree more!

Aunt Tiffy and Uncle Dean Come To Visit

My dearest friend Tiff and her boyfriend Dean came to visit from Chicago this week! It was so fun to see both Dean and Tiff interact with Brody. Both of them have a slew of nieces and nephews so totally know what to do with babies! Aunt Tiffy of course was a natural with Brody and entertained him while i was able to get a shower and a few other things done around the house! She also helped me with laundry and other household chores...now if only i could get one of our visitors to stay forever and continue doing laundry/house chores that would be great!!

Thanks again for visiting us and we'll see you in Chicago in June!

Movin' In The Right Direction...Week 4

I think we may have turned the corner...hopefully in the right direction! Brody is sleeping much better now and i think its because we've figured out the feeding situation. I'm hopeful as he's been such a good baby lately!

Jason had the opportunity to feed Brody for the first time with a bottle. He loved the bottle, but sucked it down quiet quickly...guess he was super excited to not have to work so hard for a little supper. Jason feeds him with 3 oz of breastmilk and 1 oz of formula each night before bed. The formula supplement has really helped keep his tummy full for a longer period of time during the night. That longer period is only 3-4 hours but its a far cry from the 1.5-2 hours i was experiencing before!

Anna Lee stopped by to meet Brody...she's a friend I met through Junior League. She was so kind to bring us breakfast...Mmmm a good excuse to eat a couple of croissants, my favorite!! AL was such a natural with Brody, perhaps it's time for she and Justin to have one of their own!! Thanks AL for visiting.

Nana Daycare, Cooking and Cleaning Service

WOW, words can't even begin to express my sincere appreciation for my mom!! She spent 3 weeks with us and she was a saving grace! Both Jason and I were thankful to have her here...she helped out some much! She cooked a yummy meal every night, she always got me breakfast and lunch while Jason was at work, she cleaned the house nonstop but most importantly she was able to spend quality time with Brody. She was here during, what we pray was his peak of fussiness and had a way to really soothe and calm Brody. She's the one that identified that he loves to be sang to and often times in his state of frustration a little "Mary had a little lamb" went a long away...and the GOOD news is that he doesn't care if you can't hold a tune, he just likes the noise!

Jason and i offered to hire her on full time for her services but evidently we can't afford her! She headed back to Nebraska on Tuesday and we really miss her!!

THANKS AGAIN MOM FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP!!!!

Arrested By The Sheriff...Week 3

Here I am...I've just been released from jail by Sheriff Brody Ward. Appears that he's got me under lock and key these days, therefore i've had very limited time to post any updates to the blog. Week 3 posed MANY challenges at the Ward residence all because the Sheriff wanted to ensure we knew that HE was in charge. During week 3 there is a toss up of who cried more...Brody or me. We struggled with a very fussy baby due to tummy gas which we believe now was due to some breastfeeding challenges. Last Friday we went back to the lactation consultant and it appeared that Brody was getting more foremilk than hind milk...(ahh yes if breastfeeding isn't challenging enough you have to try and get them a good balance of milk types to fill their tummy). I understand that foremilk is first to come and its like having a salad for every meal (who the hell wants that?!?)...then after that is gone than the rich, fatty, filling hind milk comes which is like dessert (NOW we're talkin'). Appears that i had an excess of foremilk therefore he wasn't getting the hind milk...so he was always hungry which in turn left him fussy and irritable, caused him to cry and ingest air...causing tummy gas...a very vicious cycle.

Shannon said it best..."when you have a baby you meet your match". So imagine what our child is like…he doesn't sleep much (nothing like a newborn)…he's wide eyed and bushy tailed at 3am feeding…he goes from 0-60 in 2 seconds and gets just PISSED off, for whatever reason…and when he's hungry he wants it NOW (Oh the Ward's will know who he get's that trait from!!), he doesn't have time for any dilly-dallying around, super high maintenance and he gets bored easy and likes to be entertained. He also likes to cuddle so much that he refuses to sleep on his back, would rather be held while sleeping and the minute you put him down he's awake...but then again who doesn't like to cuddle.

While I struggled during week 3, I wouldn't trade him for the world...but i'm still wondering...WHERE IN THE HELL IS THE OWNERS MANUAL TO THIS BMW?!?!??!?!