Silly Mommy

I just couldn't resist.

He has the cutest little belly button on the cutest little body!

Pictures are Here!

Bryson's "newborn" pictures are here!!

You can go here to see them.

(click on 'Images' on the left. The pictures in the Gallery haven't been touched up yet)

But, if you look at them, you have to tell me your favorite(s)!!  :) 

Michael was at work, so he didn't get to make it for the pictures. I was also in a whole lot more pictures than I expected because Bryon never fell asleep the whole time we were there, so I had to hold him most of the time.

**Thank you to Sandra for his amazing pictures and for not kicking us out of the studio when Bryson pooped and pottied all over her floors :)

**Thank you to my mom for being the official "wee wee" coverer. She was standing within inches of him at all times with a towel to catch any spraying that might (and DID) happen! Unfortunately, I happened to catch some of it, too.

Recent Happenings

We have had a lot of "firsts" this week!!
(I left my camera at my parent's house, so these pictures are all courtesy of my iPhone)

We put B in the Baby Bjorn for the first time. He LOVES it! Michael and I both LOVE it! He can be close and snuggle with us and we can have both of our hands to do what we need to do around the house. :)

We have started to give Bryson a paci this week. He's not quite sure what to do with it most of the time, but after a while he starts sucking and he seems to like it.

He slept for 6.5 straight hours a couple of nights ago. It was amazing!! I, however, woke up several times to make sure he was still breathing. He was, so I went back to sleep and crossed my fingers that the same thing would happen again!

He's smiling intentionally now! He especially likes Papa's kisses :)

He rolled over onto his back today!!! It was SO exciting!! I put B down for tummy time and within a minute, he rolled onto his side. I jumped up and got the video camera and waited for him to do it again. The battery died and then 30 seconds later, he rolled completely on his back! It scared the patooty out of him and he started screaming while I was squeeling and cheering for him. I ran and got my phone to call Michael since he was at work. I was bummed he didn't get to see it. But Michael wanted to see him in action too, so he did some tummy time with him while I was taking a nap and he did it again!! Hooray! You can count on that video camera being glued to my hand during tummy time from now on until I catch him rolling over on video!!! :)

He also got to meet my Grandpa and Mary for the first time. He loved being held by them!

I wonder what he'll surprise us with next!! :)

The Babysitter's Club

Michael asked me out on a date this weekend.

We were both really excited to get to spend some special time together without the bambino, but I was a little hesitant about it, to say the least. I tried to prepare myself all week for leaving him. Fortunately, he had seven on the best baby sitters around!

Meanwhile, Michael and I enjoyed a delicious sushi dinner. I hadn't had sushi since I got pregnant and was SO excited about it! Michael had the hibachi grill.

We were kinda on a time crunch because Bryson usually goes about 2ish hours between feedings, and since we haven't given him a bottle yet, we had to be home in time for me to feed him. I'm not gunna lie, there was some serious self-control going on on my part to not have my eyes glued to my watch checking the time and also to not have my phone in my hands texting them to make sure he was ok and wasn't starving to death.

But, we had a great time together and got home just in the nick of time :)

We had a lot of lovey-dovey time with him when we got home :)

More Family

Bryson got to meet my Grandma, Aunt and Uncle this weekend!! He LOVED being cuddled and loved on by them.

I am so glad he got to meet them and we got to see them again. Visits are too few and far between, for sure. Hey, I have an idea. Y'all should move to Dallas!! :)

Happy 1 Month!

Bryson was 1 month old on Thursday!! (That sentence started out "B is 1 month old TODAY!" Then changed to "Yesterday" and now "On Thursday") I'm a few days behind. I pretty much feel like I'm a few days behind in everything: blogging, running errands, laundry, etc. I guess that's what happens when your life is consumed with your little boy. :)

 

Bryson had "newborn" pictures taken this week. We totally dropped the ball on getting them taken when he was first born. oops. I can't wait to see the pictures!! She said that she was going to try to have them finished by this weekend, so I'm anxiously waiting for them!  :)

Bryson was SO good during the session!! I was kinda worried about how he'd be, but it was great. He didn't fuss at all and did pretty much exactly what she wanted him to do. He was wide eyed and bushy tailed the entire 2 hours we were there, which means we didn't get any sleepy pictures of him, but oh well. :)

So, typical newborn pictures are all nakey nakey, right? And of course we wanted naked pictures of him. Well, naked = no diaper. And no diaper = a mess. A mess ALL over Mommy. In the 2 hours we were there, Bryson had 5 poopies and 7 potties. It was pretty amazing how much stuff kept coming out of him! He pooped all over my shirt about 15 minutes into the pictures. Fortunately, I could wipe it off enough so you couldn't see it, but boy could you smell it after a while!

In one short month, Bryson has changed SO much!

I'm not sure of his exact weight, but I'm pretty sure he weighs over 9 lbs now. He has also gotten longer, for sure. He was actually out of  Newborn footed onesies by week 2 because he was so long. He's still in newborn  and 0-3 month clothes for now. He's been in newborn diapers all month, but as soon as we use up the last 10 or so diapers, we moving on up to size 1.

He's eating every 2 - 2.5 hurs during the day and 3-4 hours at night. He's a very efficient eater and usually only eats for 15-20 minutes, which makes it really nice for mommy in the middle of the night. He poops and toots and burps constantly! He's such a boy :)

He still loves tummy time and is getting stronger by the day! He's also decided he likes bath time, he doesn't fuss at all anymore, just lays there very content.

He is SUCH a cuddle bug. He'll lay on your chest all balled up for hours...and I love it!!

He has also started to get a little baby acne on his face, poor thing. It should go away shortly though.

He tracks things with his eyes now. He was in his crib for a few minutes while I put laundry away and he found his mobile :)

He's "talking" and smiling more. He really likes to "talk" during diaper changes, tummy time, and laying in his crib in the morning before I get him up.

In one short month, Mommy has also changed SO much!

Mommy has left the house without Bryson twice now. The first time I ran to Target to get a few things while Daddy was watching him. Man, I felt like I was on "Supermarket Sweep" running up and down the aisles as fast as I could!

Mommy may or may not go several days at a time without a shower... and may or may not even brush her teeth until the late afternoon on some days.

Mommy is SUCH a cuddle bug too! :)

When she lays Bryson down at night, she often has to seriously think about whether she really needs to go to the bathroom bad enough, or if she needs that extra 2 minutes of sleep and just hopes she can hold it until the next time he wakes up :)

Mommy and Daddy both love to sing to Bryson, and he loves it too. It calms him down instantly if he's fussy. Night time favorites- You Are My Sunshine and Jesus Loves Me. Day time/Play time favorites- Father Abraham, Deep and Wide, Head and Shoulders and Old McDonald

Mommy has learned to cover Bryson's wee-wee at all costs!! It erupts without any notice and makes a big mess. Daddy learned this the hard way! :)

There were days at the beginning, that if Michael didn't literally put food in front of her, she would totally forget to eat.

Going out to run a few errands is a big production. She have to make sure she has his bag, extra clothes (for him and mommy), diapers, wipes, blankets, and burp cloths. Once we're out we have to have a time out for feeding. Then diaper change. Possibly outfit change if the geyser decides to go off. Then back to running erands.

Mommy has also realized that she needs to start working out. BADLY. Especially her arms, or her arm is just going to fall completely off from carrying his carseat around. That sucker is heavy!

I can't believe a month has already come and gone, but Michael and I are both so blessed and so thankful for that little boy's life. Our lives have completely and totally changed since we brought him home from the hospitlal. They changed in the best way possible. :) We've said several times that we can't even remember what life was like before him, and that's the way we like it. :)

Happy 1 month, sweet boy!

 

Recipes!

Here are the recipes for the delicious things Michael cooked this weekend!

It's not as hard as it looks/sounds. They took about 35-40 minutes together. YUMM YUMM!!

Grilled Chicken with Basil and Mozzarella

8oz mozzarella cheese

4lg chicken breasts

8 basil leaves

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 Tbs olive oil

salt & pepper

Cut mozzarella into 8 thick slices, set aside.

Slice each chicken breast horizontally without cutting all the way though (butterfly the chicken). Open the chicken and season wih salt and pepper.

Put 2 basil leaves, a few garlic slices, and 2 slices of cheese in each breast, then fold back over, pressing firmly together. Secure with toothpicks.

Brush with olive oil and cook on grill or grill pan for about 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the cheese is oozing.

Linguine with Pancetta & Sage

1 cup peas

4-5 Tbs olive oil

1/3 cup bread crumbs

16 oz linguine

3 oz thinly sliced panchetta

3 garlic cloves, crushed

5-6 sage leaves, finely chopped

1/3 cup white wine

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Cook peas, drain and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in skillet. Add bread crumbs and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Cook pasta and drain. Set aside.

Heat 1 Tbs oil in a saucepan large enough to hold all the pasta later. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, until browned, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute, don't let the garlic burn. Stir in sage and wine. Cook, stirring, until liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute.

Add pasta to the pan with the pancetta. Add the peas and 1-2 tablespoons of oil over low heat. Toss well to mix. Stir in cheese and bread crumbs.

Enjoy!!

Someone's in the Kitchen with Kristin

Every once in a while, Michael will cook dinner, but I'm usually the one one that does the cooking in the house. Lately, we haven't been cooking at all because we've been blessed with some amazing friends and family that have been brining us meals since we came home with baby boy.

Last night, we had Ray and Alicia over for dinner and we actually decided to cook! Michael and I started cooing the meal together, but I had to keep running between the food and the baby. Between feeding, changing, comforting, and changing more diapers, Michael ended up cooking dinner by himself. And it was delicious!! 

He made Stuffed Chicken with Basil and Mozzarella, Linguine with Panchetta and Asparagus. YUMMY!!!!

Fun times at the Fant's

Bryson made his first trip to Mama Mel and Papa John's house on Sturday.

We had so much fun! John made an amazing dinner (I wish I could cook like him!!) and we all just sat around and talked for a long time.

Bryson entertained us with tummy time. That's kinda his only trick right now :)

We all gathered on the bed (away from the 4 dachshunds on the floor) and watched B do his thing.

More Tummy Time

We all love tummy time!

It's such a fun time for Michael and I to spend with Bryson because he's so active and happy.

Bryson is getting stronger by the day and a lot more active. It's amazing to watch his development. I did a little tummy time with him morning since we skipped it last night and I caught this little cutie pie on video :)

This afternoon was Bryson's first trip to Target--my (and B's) favorite store! YAY! He did so good, he didn't make a peep the whole time we were there. This was my 3rd time to take him out of the house all by myself, and I'm starting to feel much more relaxed and confident about it :)