Beach and zoo

We went to the zoo last friday and Bryson had a great time. He rode the train for the first time. He enjoyed watching the baby elephant play in the water with his mother and started crying when we were leaving the exhibit. He also liked the aquarium with the big fish and the sea lion exhibit. He made friends with a couple little girls. He would walk up to them and start laughing to get their attention. He sure enjoys being around other kids.

We went to the beach for the weekend and he loved playing in the sand. He didn't want to play with me or ken though, I brought all his sand toys, but he only wanted to play with other kids stuff.(see video) He just kept moving down the beach, he never even looked back to see if we were watching him and he cried when we brought him back and refused to play with us.

Bryson is talking more and is more articulate with his words. He is still obsessed with Thomas and we've been getting new videos from the library every couple weeks. His favorite toys are his trains, cars and trucks. He requested to sleep in his big boy bed last night (he usually wants to be in the crib) and I think he didn't know where he was when he got up (too early 5:30!)because he was crying.

Kyle is growing fast, he's already to big for some of his 0-3 month clothes and I just got them out a couple weeks ago! He weighs about 12 lbs now and is in the 2% on the normal growth curve. He had his 4 month check up last week and he is developing on schedule and is even ahead (for his corrected age-2 months) with some things. He is smiling alot and has laughed a few times. He loves to look at himself in the mirror and is getting much better at lifting his head during tummy time. He likes to sit in his bouncer chair now, so I don't have to always rely on the swing. He likes to look at his toys and he swings at them with his arms. He's really getting cute now that he is so smiley, it is so sweet!

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Well, Ken has nearly completed the house painting. He just has a few touch ups to do and to put the gutters back on. I am very happy with how it turned out. We got Bryson a big boy bed. It also turns into bunk beds so we'll be able to use it later too. So far he's only napped in it once. I don't think he's ready for it just yet, but we have a month or two before Kyle will grow out of the cradle. Kyle is doing great, he smiles alot and you can tell he is looking at you. He has also started cooing. He weighs about 10 lbs now. Bryson likes to ride his bikes, read books (the same ones over and over and over....) and watch his Thomas the Train movie. He loves the swings at the park. We bought plane tickets to go home the end of October, it'll be great to see everyone again. Check out the new video on drop shots......

Hot summer!

Well, we've had some real hot days this summer and more to come (100's next week). Bryson and I have been spending some time at the fountain by the school to keep cool. He's still a little afraid of the water, I don't think he likes to get his face wet.

Ken and Sheila have been working hard getting our house painted. I think it looks great, I'll post some pics when they they finish (hopefully this weekend.) Kyle is getting much better head control and really looks around at his environment. His doesn't like to sit in is bouncer chair, but his likes his activity mat on the floor. Bryson likes it too, he points to the mat when he wants me to put Kyle on it. I have to watch him real close though, he can get too rough with him.

Bryson loves his Thomas the Train video. Every morning he wakes up and points to the TV and says 'train". He wants me to sing him songs when I feed the baby (he waves his arm up and down) and will only let me sing the Thomas songs, he cries when I sing anything else.

My garden is doing well. I posted a picture of a crazy carrot from my garden. It looks like a man running, he even has a penis!

Happy 4th!

Bryson and I had a little 4th of July parade down our street. We decorated his wagon and waved flags. Of course Bryson didn't want to ride in the wagon, he wanted to walk! It was a very hot weekend (90's), so we sat in the creek one afternoon to stay cool. Bryson had a great time, it was a good thing he had a life vest on, cuz he was being a little dare-devil. He's starting to enjoy the water more.

Kyle is two months old now! He had his checkup with the doctor yesterday and he is right on track with his growth, but his lab results for his growth panel were abnormal. So, I'm waiting to hear from the nutritionist, he may need to go back on some fortified milk because he's not getting enough vitamins and minerals from my breast milk. She also found a hernia below his bellybutton which is pretty common I guess.

Kyle's first outing

Well, things are going great! Kyle has mastered breastfeeding, no more bottles and I've tapered off my pumping to just 2x/day. By next week I should be finished with the pumping all together. Kyle has reached his "birthday" now and he's starting to really wake up. He is awake more and seems to be looking at you now. He is getting chubby cheeks, so I think he is still gaining weight. We went for our first family outing over the weekend to the Columbia Gorge with our friend Sheila. The trip went well, we just had a hard time fitting everybody in the car with the dog and the BOB. (we had to strap the BOB to the top of the car). We may need to get a bigger car!

Bryson had a little scare last week, he fell in the house (unfortunately no one saw him) and wouldn't put any weight on his left leg for almost a full day. When we brought him into the urgent care, he was finally starting to walk a little (but with a limp). They recommended just to keep an eye on him and get an x-ray if it wasn't better in a few days. He seems to be back to his old self now, running around as usual, so he must have just sprained his ankle or something. But it really slowed him down for a couple days. Bryson is showing more and more interest in Kyle. He likes to touch his hands and feet and point to his body parts and he loves to give him kisses!

Welcome Home Kyle!

Well, Kyle has been home for three weeks now. He is 38 weeks old and weighs 6 lbs! He is breast feeding some, but gets most from a bottle, so I am spending alot of time breast pumping. I have a great milk supply, I'm actually running out of room to store all the milk, I even have a freezer in the garage that is full! Kyle usually has a couple hours a day when he is awake and alert. He doesn't cry much, but when he does, he has a much stronger cry. He enjoys being held and likes to sleep in your arms. Bryson seems to be adjusting well. He shows some interest in the baby, but mostly doesn't pay him any mind. Bryson is obsessed with books. He reads books or wants you to read books to him all day! He carries them all over the house. He also loves to be outside and play in the dirt.

My mom came to help out for a little over a week and my dad came for a weekend. My mom was a great help and cooked and cleaned for us and watched Bryson so I could focus on breast-feeding with Kyle. It was sad to see her go. Steve, Jan and Anna were able to come by on the weekend to meet Kyle and visit with Bryson as well. Ken's friend Sheila is staying with us while she looks for a job in Portland. She is helping out with Bryson and some work around the house. I feel like things are under control now, I don't think I would be able to do it all on my own yet (Ken is working full time). I am thankful to all our friends and family who have helped us out in our time of need!

Welcome Kyle!

Well, it's been a crazy couple weeks! My water broke at work on 4/29/09, I went to the hospital and they verified it was amniotic fluid and they said I would be in the hospital until I had the baby. It was a pretty scary experience, I got steriod shots to help the baby's lungs develop. They said 75% of women go into labor within 72 hours of their water breaking. I made it one week. On May 6 the baby's heart rate dropped periodically and when they did an US they found he was in an unusual position. His "hand" (it turned out to be his foot) was over his head (he was head down) and the umbilical cord was next to his "hand". The doctors felt this was a bad position due to the posibility of cord compression and recommended a c-section. So I decided to go with the surgery and Kyle was born at 9: 56 that night. He had his foot up by his head. He weighed 3 lbs 14 oz and was 16 and 3/4 inches long. He was able to breathe on his own and had good color. He was crying vigorously (I took this as a good sign.) The surgery went much better than the first for me and I recovered much quicker. After a couple hours Kyle started to show signs of labored breathing and they put him on a c-pap machine. He was only on the c-pap for one day. I was glad, it was hard to see him with it on because his face swelled so much he couldn't even open his eyes. He had IV fluids for a couple days and he needed to be under lamps for a couple days due to jaundice. He has tried breast feeding twice a day to practice, he's done really well overall. I am so happy with how well he is doing. I got sent home from the hospital on saturday the 9th. I think it was very hard on Bryson, I sure did miss him. It's great to be home, but it is also difficult to juggle everything. I try to be at the hospital form Kyle from 9am to 4pm and then I come home to put Bryson to bed and then I go back to the hospital to "feed" Kyle at 9 pm. I am lucky because I am producing alot of milk for Kyle, he is eating through a naso-gastic tube, we practice breast feeding twice a day.