We couldn’t wait for this weekend to come and it was over in a flash!

After four long months, we made the trek to New York for the weekend with little Brandon man. Not only did we literally pack EVERYTHING the child might need for five days, but we also took Zoe with us for the trip. Can’t take one kid without the other one!

I ended up going home Thursday and Kevin didn’t come until Saturday…I was a little nervous having to do everything at night myself as it can be a little stressful especially when I have to pump after I feed the little man. We didn’t take the swing with us so I had visions of Boston all over again of him waking every two hours. My parents invested in a Pack-n-Play so that was Brandon’s crib for the trip. He did AMAZING in it and we have since transitioned him to his crib at night and not his swing!!! Big deal! He still gets his bath/bottle/bed which starts around 7:15pm and he’s to sleep by 8:00pm. He woke up at 1am, back to sleep by 1:20am and awake again around 5:30am – sometimes goes back down until 6:30-7:30am. He started that schedule Thursday night at home and he’s still with it. I really cannot complain.

Friday and Saturday my Mom and I tagged along with my Dad for his morning walk. It was nice to get out and get some exercise and give Brandon some fresh air. He loves his walks in the stroller and we had a good time.

It was a low key weekend compared to other trips home. We did hit up some yard sales and scored an awesome 3-wheel Jeep Stroller which we will leave at my parents house for future trips…one less HUGE thing to pack is totally worth it.

One of the main reasons for the trip was to take Brandon to see his Great-Grammy! I was excited for her to finally get to meet her first Great Grandson and she just loved him. Gram was afraid to hold him as he’s a heavy little guy, but she did and he was content! This lady is in her 90’s, give her some props!

My parents had an “Open House” on Sunday so family and friends could come and go and visit Brandon. Sadly, we didn’t get as many pictures as we had hoped. Here are a couple, my little cousin loved him and my friend with her two little boys!

 

 

 

 

Thank you to everyone that came and were so generous to bring a gift to Brandon. We all loved seeing you and hope to be back soon.

Aside from Brandon sleeping in something stationary (on his belly of course), he also has started sitting in his high chair! He clearly loved it!

It was an amazing five days at home and now back to reality, luckily it’s a short week. Saturday is Kevin’s Graduation Party and come Monday, Mama’s going back to work!! I’m excited, but in the back of my head a little sad. I’ll be working three days a week so at least I’ll be able to spent time with the little guy for a couple days. How can I leave this face!

Big eyes and skulls for life! <3 I love my little family. Zoe is glad to be home and has been sleeping since we walked in the door.

I feel like there are so many things to post lately so be on the lookout for frequent goodies here!

This will be one of the most exciting and happy posts I will ever make because of how proud I am of my hubs!

Kevin is now a College Graduate from the University of New Haven with a BS in Computer Science. It has been a long time coming but he stuck with it through everything and was able to walk across that stage to receive his diploma!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day was a little busy and it’s difficult bringing an infant to something like this but we all managed. There were plenty of hands to help carry things for me which I appreciate more than anything. Brandon fussed a little, ate, then slept for the remainder of the ceremony. We went right out to dinner afterward, again fussed a little and then hung out in his carseat the rest of the time. Apparently, he won for cutest baby in the bar – or at least that’s what our waitress told us. There was a younger baby at another table and all the waitstaff was voting!

Brandon loved his UNH onesie that Daddy bought. 🙂

I am so proud of Kevin. I don’t think he would have imagined he’d be married with an infant when he graduated college. Our goal was no kids until he graduated…we were close to that but he stuck through everything and working full time while taking classes part time and he did it. It was an important day and I couldn’t be happier for him!

Age: 8 Weeks / 2 Months (technically, 9 weeks today)

Stats: 12lb 2oz (42 percentile), dome 39.5cm (59 percentile), 24.5″ (96 percentile)

Clothes/Size: We are basically out the Newborn clothes and entering the 0-3 and 3 Month sizes. He’s only wearing the NB pants when it’s cold inside or out but he’s mostly in one-piece outfits or a onesie when it’s sweating out! I think we’ll be in the 0-3 month range for a while.

Favorite Foods: I’m still pumping so Brandon is getting mostly milk. I give him milk all day (from his first feeding after 6am until his dinner feeding around 5pm), the remaining nighttime feedings he gets milk mixed with formula to stick with him a little longer and to help me stash up milk for the next day. My milk storage is backing up so I think we’re going to transition to milk at all feedings.

Diaper size: We are officially in Size 1…lets hope we stay here for a while since I have quite a few.

How much am I eating: We were originally going back and forth between Enfamil and Similac (for Supplementing) but we noticed Enfamil was making him fussier than normal (even if it says it helps colic and fussiness…not). He had a huge growth spurt last week and ate nonstop – like close to 30oz in a 24-hour period. Now he manages 3-4oz at each feeding.

Mama’s weight: I haven’t been on the scale in a while and I’m not happy about how I look or feel lately. Just been run down and the free time on weekends is spent doing other things than working out. I’m in all my normal clothes, just have a little extra “skin” around the midsection that will come off with focused gym time. I hope to do that once I start back to work.

Words: Hes cooing a lot more and now smiling!

Activities: We’re still trying to get Brandon to spend time on his play mat. I’ve been giving him more toys to play with during the day that he can try to hold – his hand coordination still needs some improvement but I don’t think he’s supposed to have that just yet. He has made huge improvements on his belly!

Sleep: Brandon’s sleep really has been decent. We’ve implemented a routine at night which consists of Bath/Bottle(Boob for you nursing Moms)/Book (eventually)/Bed. It definitely has seemed to help. We try to play with him and tire him out then start the bath around 7:30-8pm which puts him to bed (in his swing) around 8:30pm or so…he usually falls asleep while feeding. He’ll wake up around 12:30-1:30am, feeds and goes right back to sleep. He will then, usually, wake up in the 3:30-4:30am time to be rocked/walked right back to sleep and then wakes up for good around 6:00-6:30am. It’s definitely doable. He’s had 3 nights of 8-10 hours of sleep with a 30 minute feeding…that we can get used to!

Favorite Things: B-man still loves to be swaddled. He has also taken a liking to the Summer brand blanket we started throwing over him. He snuggles it and just loves it.  Side note – We just started using Aden and Anais Bibs and in less than 12 hours the snap ripped and we couldn’t use it properly. I contacted Aden and Anais directly and they are sending a new one. Great company to work with.

 Signature Moves: He’s getting better head and neck strength. Hopefully he will be able to push himself up on his elbows soon and then roll over after that.

Mom’s Proudest Moment: I have a lot to be proud of since little man’s 1 month check up. He’s becoming such a big boy now, getting stronger every day. He has taken to our nightly routine SO well and has been sleeping like a champ at night. Transitioning to the crib will be a bigger challenge. We had great doctor’s appointments, he’s growing at a great rate as well. Brandon is smiling a lot more now and finding his little voice which we are loving. Brandon got a cocktail of shots today and he was so brave. Only a little crying and then soothed to sleep. I love this little guy more and more every day!

Dad’s Proudest Moment: Daddy is happy that both of Brandon’s Ultrasounds came back with good news!

We’re finally taking the trip home to NY this weekend for my family to meet Brandon. It’s been about four months since I’ve been home which is unheard of and I couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait for everyone to see him and hold him and especially for my Grandma to meet her first Great Grandson! I’m so excited!!!

This week has completely flown by and we have accomplished a TON!

If you remember, I had gotten lots of Ultrasounds while pregnant due to the enlarged kidney in Baby Laroche – of course we all did some Google searches and it seemed to be more common in boys, we all suspected Baby L was a boy from that point. We were told a follow up Ultrasound on the baby after birth would be necessary to make sure everything turned out fine. This is very common and not something Kevin and I were concerned about. Brandon was prescribed antibiotics three days after birth which we took for two weeks, just in case there was some sort of infection. Fast forward to this week, he had an Ultrasound on his kidneys and they both look perfectly normal! He does not need any follow ups, hurray!!!

Next, because I have hip dysplasia, there is a good chance of me passing that onto my babies. Boys have a smaller chance of carrying the gene but we got Brandon checked out anyway. Our pediatrician always checks his hips but I don’t trust our hips to anyone but my surgeon in Boston. We took our annual trip to Boston with my family last week. I was so nervous taking Brandon and having it be a decent trip. Mostly because he only sleeps in a swing which we definitely were not taking with us. He slept in the hotel crib, on his belly, which turned out to be very interesting. ANYWAY, we had appointments Thursday morning with yet another Ultrasound on his hips and X-rays of mine. Turns out, his are perfectly fine and mine are doing well also. We were so happy to have GOOD news this week and glad our little man is healthy.

Brandon is happy that his appointments are all over with and so are we! Next is his 8 week check up which will consist of a number of shots – I don’t think we’re prepared for that. Argh.

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL the Momma’s out there. I know Kevin and I are so appreciative of everything our Mom’s do for us and everything they’ve taught us about how to be great parents.

I still don’t think it has set in quite yet that I’m a “Mom”…say what!?! I’m sure everyday will be different and it will hit hard when the little guy is talking and able to call me Mommy. He will have my heart for sure.

Brandon decided he didn’t want to give me the gift of sleep on Mother’s Day and woke up every 1-2 hours. Thanks little guy, I can always count on you. We started our day at Babies r Us getting a few things then some grocery shopping. It’s been another day and will be hard tomorrow when Kevin goes back to work and it’s just the two of us to face the week head on. But for now, I’m enjoying all my goodies from my Mom and my Boys.

The Marc Jacobs – Daisy Dream In Your Dreams perfume set was a gift to me from me at bargain pricing. How could I say no? My Momma gave me the Coach Poppy Blossom and the rollerball of Poppy Blossom and Poppy. I had also asked for the Baby Pandora bead so she also gave me the “B” for Brandon and…

Kevin got me the Baby Boy Bootie! I love my goodies and being a Mommy. Here’s to my first of many Mother’s Days. I have a fantastic role model to look up to and try to do this thing the right way. So far I think we’re doing alright.

  I love you Mom!

Super late on this update but clearly the life of being a new Mom has proved to be crazier than I expected!

Kevin and I celebrated our fifth, yes FIFTH, Wedding Anniversary two weeks ago on May 1. I cannot believe how time has flown by and it’s only going to go by quicker from here on out. I was so excited for date night that I got up, got showered, did my hair and makeup all before 8am….wow. It was a good thing because Brandon did not let me get much done during the day. Kevin was SO sweet and woke up early to make breakfast and bake Blueberry Muffins which tasted delicious.

 

After going back and forth about where to go to eat and when, we decided to try a new restaurant downtown – it just changed owners but the same delicious food. We were SO thankful to have our friends Jen and Dan volunteer to babysit the Bran-demon so we could enjoy ourselves. Having them watch the little guy put us at ease and let us enjoy the evening together without worrying – not to mention he ended up sleeping 7 hours straight that night. Jen is the baby whisperer for realz.

Talk about a much needed night out to enjoy a real meal, uninterrupted and not a casserole! We had some drinks, some Ceviche, Ox Tail Croquettes, Duck and Quail. To top off the night, we have a delicious dessert in celebration of five years.

Brandon and I are so lucky to have this guy in our lives! Here’s to the man who puts up with my good and not so good shenanigans! My great husband and even better Daddy. What’s in store for the next five years?

Being fit and healthy is very important to me and my mental state. I can’t be the wife or mother I want to be if I’m not getting what I need. As mentioned previously, I have been taking part in some fitness challenges to jump start my fitness. While I was pregnant with Brandon I gained a total of 25 pounds. I saw the 160 mark on the scale and didn’t think I could get back to my pre-baby body, and I definitely didn’t think it would happen so quickly. I feel extremely lucky that most of that belly was Baby Boy! One week postpartum I was in my regular jeans – barely. Now 6 weeks out I feel like the home workouts have been helping, although I have a long way to go before I get toned like I was. Kevin has been great on weekends allowing me to hit the gym and really get that burst I needed! I’m only a handful of pounds away from my ideal weight but have extra skin that needs tightening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The left picture is 3 weeks post baby and the right is 6 weeks. I’m so happy being back in my own skin and my own body but I will be the first to admit I kind of miss being pregnant. I didn’t think I would say that!! As much as I love my little man, it was so fun feeling him inside!

Here’s a taste into what I eat on the daily!

Breakfast: I made some Egg Cups over the weekend (and forgot the hash browns!) with peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, turkey bacon and turkey sausage. I top it with 1/4 of a slice of cheese and serve it with sliced avocado and a dash of hot sauce, I like Tabasco. Sometimes I have it not in a muffin form with a slice of Ezekiel Bread.

 

Snack: I try to get a morning snack in during Brandon’s longer nap. It typically consists of 1/2 cup of Cottage Cheese (the chalk type – so my Dad says) and a handful of Almonds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch: I try to whip up a salad while Brandon sleeps so I can grab it when I get hungry and not worry about the prep. I use Romaine or Spinach (or both), cucumber, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, tomatoes and baked chicken breast that I prep over the weekend. Sometimes I throw in some brown rice if I have it on hand. I top my salad with a simple oil and vinegar or homemade vinaigrette if I have it.

If time permits, I have eggs. I toast two slices of Ezekiel bread, spread on avocado (mixed with lemon and cayenne), topped with hard boiled eggs mixed with a dollop of Mayo (or avocado). Sometimes I make this for breakfast or snack and add spinach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner: This is one of the only meals that is all over the place sometimes as Brandon’s schedule around dinner time is a total guess. I had prepped some meals before I went into labor so we’re still eating those which is baked ziti, chicken and veggies, meatballs and whatever else people have brought us. When we do cook, they’re been a lot of one-pot wonders (is this parenthood?) which are delicious and easy- and usually good for us. The key to making quick, healthy meals is to have the proper food on hand! I always have chicken (ground or breasts), ground turkey, rice, sweet potatoes, beans and fresh vegetables in the fridge – worst case scenario we throw it all in a pan with some soy sauce and call it a stir fry. We have tacos, turkey burgers (always have Arnold’s Rounds in hand too), grilled chicken and any kind of chicken and rice dishes.