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Davis at 12 Months

Aren’t you glad I don’t have to talk about how late I am with Davis’ monthly posts after this one??  I am, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel a little bad that I haven’t been as diligent with his as I was with G’s.  So…I’m sorry little man… it doesn’t mean I love you and your 1 year old self any less!

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I whole heartedly believe it is true what they say, time flies when you’re having fun! And time flies even more when you’re having fun with your kids.  So many times I catch myself thinking how in the world did this happen so quickly??

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A year has gone by in what feels like the blink of an eye and now I have 2 toddlers!  Two mobile little boys who share so many similarities, but at the same time, so many differences.

1 year old boys

We had to push Davis’ 1 year well check back quite a bit because he had a little virus a few days before his birthday and with the holiday and everything we were only able to get in for his  appointment today, almost an entire month after his birthday.  Poor little man had to get 5 shots today and all things considered, he did pretty well.  He’s got a clean bill of health and although he’s still our skinny little guy, he continues to follow his growth curve pretty steadily.

Height: 31″ (80%)

Weight: 19lb 11oz (19%)

Head: 46cm (42%)

At Garrett’s 1 year he was 33.5″ tall, 22lb 14oz, and his head was 47 cm, so he was a bit bigger all around, but that is no surprise.

In other news, Davis scored an almost perfect score on his 12 month questionnaire!  He’s exactly where he should be as a 1 year old and for that I am thankful.

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It’s been a pretty big month in the Brewton household full of lots of milestones that all seemed to happen within the weeks of our Christmas Break.

  • Davis took his first unassisted steps about a week or so before his birthday, and he has since been practicing and perfecting his walking

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  • He can now stand himself up from a sitting position without the help of anyone or anything else, and I find him walking from place to place more so than crawling.
  • We had a little birthday party for him at our house, and discovered that he is not a fan of cake,

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but he does like presents

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  • We had a Christmas with Dan’s parents here in NC, then again with my family in Ohio, and then again as just our little family when we got back from our trip.

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Needless to say…we got a lot of new toys.

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  • We made it to 12 months and 6 days of breastfeeding before he decided he was ready to be done.  We had been gradually dropping feedings one by one for a few weeks before, and he was down to one nursing session before bed.  The night after Christmas at my parents house, he refused to take his cup of milk so I nursed him and rocked him to sleep and the next night when I tried to nurse him again, he wanted nothing to do with it, and has been the same since.  I think I may have been a little more sad if I knew he was going to be our last baby, but I am actually very happy with the way we ended that part of our relationship.

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I did what I set out to do (which was to nurse him longer than I nursed Garrett (just about 9 months) and I did.  I think we were both ready, and now he is drinking milk from a sippy cup 3-4 times a day and is as happy as can be.  He still likes to be held and rocked to sleep (which I am totally fine with) and we are completely finished with bottles and paci’s it seems.  That was another thing he dropped quite suddenly.  He wanted his paci while we were in Ohio, but since we have gotten back home, he wants nothing to do with it because he is now a big 1 year old.

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  • He’s  got 6 teeth and I think he has more on their way, he LOVES Mickey Mouse and smiles and reaches for him every time he comes on the TV

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  • He wears 12-18 month clothes, size 4.5-5 shoe, and a size 3 diaper (though a 2 still fits him too)
  • He is still napping twice a day and I am going to hold on to that for as long as I can.  He will eat just about anything you put in front of him with the exception of fruits and sweets (cake, cupcakes, and some cookies) I’m pretty sure he would survive on a diet of just meat, some veggies or soup if I would let him which is completely opposite from Garrett.

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  • He’s still happiest when he is around and playing with other people, but he is able to play independently for longer periods of time now which is great!  He loves to do whatever his brother is doing and it’s pretty funny to watch them “fight” over a specific toy

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I’m loving how their relationship is evolving, and I’m sure there will be plenty of days when they are at each others throats, but in the long run, I really do feel that they will be best friends.  Garrett is a great big brother to him, he watches over him, and shares with him (sometimes and with certain things) and he always wants him to be included in the fun things that he gets to do.  Sure he will still act like he doesn’t see him when he’s running around with one of his trucks and he “accidentally” runs into him but he’s pretty quick to give him a hug if he realizes he’s hurt him.

  • Davis babbles while he’s playing with his toys and it’s pretty clear when he’s talking about a ball or bath.  He’s consistently sleeping through the night now that he’s not nursing anymore (I’m pretty sure he was waking up just for comfort, and because he knew I would come for him when he cried (my fault, I know) so I am feeling like a different person now that I’m getting 7 or so hours of uninterrupted sleep.
  • He climbs up the stairs, and now that he’s figured it out he’s practicing coming down the stairs as well.  He is definitely a practice makes perfect type of guy.  He’s does not have a lot of fear, and he’s got a bump, bruise or scrape on his face more often times than not.  He will continue to be our little dare devil as he gets older, and I’m convinced (though hoping I’m wrong) he will have stitches or a broken bone before too long.

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He’s definitely ready to take on the world, and we are so excited to watch him do it.  He’s got a fire inside of him unlike any other 1 year old we know and we feel so lucky to be the ones that get to nurture that.  I have no doubt he will give us a run for our money, but I also know he will make us so proud while doing it.  Davis you have brought so much light into our lives and we are so incredibly blessed to be your parents.  We love you more than you will ever know little munchkin!

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by Jenny on January 14, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Baby Cakes, Family, Holidays, Life

Posted by Jenny on January 14, 2014

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2014/01/14/davis-at-12-months/

Davis at 4 Months

IMG_9194Whew!!  This 2 under 2 business is no joke, especially now that Davis is 4.5 months old (yes I realize this post it late…oops) and he’s no longer content just laying around, eating and sleeping, or being tolerant of his car seat so we can run errands.  Now that he’s getting bigger and stronger, he wants to be upright and seeing the world!

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Davis at 4 months

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Height: 26 1/4 inches 90%
Weight: 13lbs 14.5oz 20%
Head: 16 3/4 inches 75%

Garrett at 4 Months

Height: 26 inches 83% Weight: 15lbs 8oz 65% Head: 16 1/2 inches 75%

Height: 26 inches 83%
Weight: 15lbs 8oz 65%
Head: 16 1/2 inches 75%

I am loving comparing the two and as you see, both boys are similar in height and head, but Davis is abit lighter than Garrett was.  I think it’s funny how different their hair lines and their skin tones are.  Poor Davie….hardly any hair and super fair skin!  I’m anxious to see if his hair lightens in the summer, but I do think that Davis is going to have darker hair than Garrett.

Here’s what else Davis is up to:

  • Size 1 diapers
  • Some 3 month onesies (though they are getting really short) 6 month onesies are good on length, but big everywhere else, and he’s in 6 month pants though they are big too.
  • No teeth yet, but he is going through about 2-3 bibs a day from drool and always shoving his hands in his mouth (G got his first 2 right around 5.5 months so D may be an earlier teether as well)

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  • Nurses about 6 times a day
  • Daytime naps are inconsistent he’ll sometimes cat nap in the morning while running errands or at home than usually takes a decent afternoon nap and another short evening nap
  • Was sleeping through the night up until about a week or so ago, now he’s up a few times (sometimes a paci will suffice, but I nurse him at least once in the middle of the night.  I’m pretty sure we’re going through the 4 month sleep regression now and we’re looking forward to coming out of it)
  • Rolls from tummy to back on both sides (when he feels like it) and just recently rolled from back to belly, though he’s still not crazy about being on his belly for a long time.
  • Holds his head up with ease
  • Loves forward facing in the baby bjorn
  • Smiles all the time

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  • Laughs when you kiss his belly or his collar bone!
  • Talks a lot
  • Tolerates his jumperoo for a few minutes at a time but gets frustrated with the toys
  • Drools with the best of them!
  • Is starting to take an interest in his big brother

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We are beyond blessed with both of our beautiful, healthy boys, and are loving being a family of 4!!

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by Jenny on May 8, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Baby Cakes, Family, Life

Posted by Jenny on May 8, 2013

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2013/05/08/davis-at-4-months/

Davis at 2 Months

Happy Guy!

Happy Guy!

Davis is already 2 months old!  It’s kind of hard to believe, but then again; not really.  I know from experience that time goes too quickly especially when it comes to raising your kids so we are all doing our best to cherish every moment of this crazy journey we are on!

I’m happy to report that things are going really well in all departments!  I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of parenting a toddler and an infant, and while some days I feel like I’ve accomplished nothing but keeping my kids fed, most days we are all dressed, fed, happy and rested, and we even make a point of getting out of the house at least once a day.  I have said it before, but I have to say again that I am so thankful (and lucky) that Garrett is such an independent little boy.  He is great at keeping himself entertained while I am tending to Davis, which is a good part of the day, and even though sometimes I can tell he’s bored and really wants my attention, he is pretty easy to please, and it makes the times we get to spend together with just the two of us that much more special.

I also have to brag a little bit in saying that Davis is a GREAT baby!  He is healthy and he eats and sleeps really well.  He smiles a lot and is happy most of the time.  If he needs something he lets us know, and we’ve gotten pretty good at figuring out what his daily schedule will consist of.  I love that he is starting to look more like his own little person, and not just like a newborn anymore, and the older he gets the less I think he looks like (or will grow up to look like Garrett) Either way he is one of the cutest little boys around, and I am so excited to watch him change, grow, and learn new things!  This post is going to be pretty photo heavy, so please bear with me….you have been warned 🙂

STATS:

Height: 22 3/4″ (83%)

Weight: 12 lbs (45%)

Head Circumference: 39.4 cm or 15.5″(59%)

Skinny little boy

Skinny little boy

More about our sweet boy:

  • 3 Month Clothes
  • Size 1 Diapers
  • Nurses every 3-4 hours during the day and about 2-2.5 hours in the evenings (I purposely do this because it seems to help him sleep in longer stretches throughout the night)
  • Was sleeping about 5 hours before waking up to eat but for the past week and a half he’s been sleeping between 7-11 hours at a time, sometimes not even needing to wake up and nurse!!!!!!
  • Probably takes around 3+oz at a time when he nurses, and will take a bottle if he has to, but they make him super gassy
  • Has a little bit of reflux, so he needs to burp a lot or else he will spit up, and has mastered the art of getting it everywhere but on himself 😉
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Who doesn’t love being naked?

He is pretty easy going, as we try to keep busy during the day (especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays when G has school up in Mooresville) He’ll sleep in his carseat while running errands, and sometimes he’ll snooze a little in his swing, but I try to get him in his crib for naps when I can because he sleeps better and longer that way.

If he he gets over tired he lets you know

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…and done.

so I try to be pretty consistent with the “BabyWise” schedule of eat, play sleep, and so far, it’s working really well!

  • He likes to look at himself in the mirror when he’s in the bath (or while I’m doing night time duties solo and need a safe place for him to sit while I bathe G)

Infant tubs aren’t only for bath time

  • He always sleeps in his crib in a swaddling blanket with his pacifier and noise machine on at night
  • Prefers it to be warm when he’s sleeping (the warmer the better)
  • Doesn’t usually need to be rocked to sleep anymore (although I still do it sometimes because I like to)
  • Still hates being in a wet diaper and is all smiles after you change him
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Changing table smiles

  • He’s finally started taking to my ERGObaby carrier when he’s ready to relax and will sleep in it when we’re out and about
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Yay!

  • But if he’s wide awake, wants nothing to do with it and very much prefers to be looking around I think I’m going to also try wearing him facing out in the Bjorn now that his neck is stronger and head control is pretty good
  • Holds his head up really well especially when he’s being held, and for short intervals when he’s on his tummy.  However,  if he’s on his tummy for too long he starts to get a little upset
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Just about over it

  • He smiles if you look at him and smile
  • Coos when he’s happy and loves to “talk”
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Happy Camper!

  • He likes to look at people’s faces and at natural light
  • Starting to track objects
  • Will hold on to a rattle or small toy for a little bit if you put it in his hand

Although he is a bit smaller than Garrett was at 2 months old he’s still tall and thin like him, and has big hands and feet

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He also has just as much personality,

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And I think he will be just as photogenic as his big brother was, he seems to like the camera

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Beautiful Baby Boy

Once again, we are beside ourselves with joy and are so happy and in love with our little Davie Boy! Can’t wait to see what this cutie pie grows into!

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Big ole’ Baby Blues

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by Jenny on February 21, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Baby Cakes, Family, Life

Posted by Jenny on February 21, 2013

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2013/02/21/davis-at-2-months/

Davis’ Birth Story

Finally…11 days after welcoming our Sweet Davis into the world, I feel like I have a few minutes to spare and get a post out about his special day. It all happened so quickly that I’m afraid if I don’t document it….I’ll forget some parts of it, but I can assure you, there is no way I will forget all of it. It was just too real.

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As I’ve mentioned in previous pregnancy updates, this pregnancy was for the most part….perfect. I hate to say that, but it’s the truth. God has blessed me with 2 very “easy” pregnancies with just a little bit of elevated blood pressure towards the end, at the 38th week to be exact. Luckily, my elevated pressure has never escalated into pre-eclampsia, so I think, that’s just the way my body lets me know that it’s getting ready to do its thing.

In my last post I told you that when I went to the Dr they requested some extra tests due to my higher blood pressure. I was hooked up to a non stress test and everything was fine, I did the 24 hour urine, and it was normal, but my blood pressure was still high so Dan and I headed over to the hospital on Wednesday the 19th so they could get my lab results and monitor me and the baby for a little while. After everything checked out normal, my Dr. came in and checked me for dilation and I was 2-3 cm, and 60% effaced which was exciting for me, but could still mean little, so we scheduled a follow up appointment for me on Christmas Eve, and an induction for the 27th, just in case my blood pressure remained elevated. I was bummed, about the scheduled induction but still hopeful that just maybe our baby would come on his own.  Dan and I were discharged from the hospital and went out for Mexican before picking up our little Man at his Grandmas house, and enjoyed what neither one of us knew would be our last night as a family of 3 before putting G to bed.

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The last photo we have of our family of 3!

My contractions started around 8:30 that evening, but I thought they were just Braxton Hicks at first. That was until they started coming pretty regularly, but still between 9-11 minutes apart. I opened up my contraction timer app on my phone and started keeping track. The contractions continued throughout the night while we were relaxing and watching TV but they were still pretty far apart. Around 10:45 I decided to head to bed but just in case, I made sure all of our hospital bags were packed and ready should I go into labor. My contractions increased in intensity and got closer together so needless to say I didn’t get any sleep and finally at 12:08 am, I woke up Dan and told him I thought we may need to go to the hospital as I was calling my Dr’s office. My water hadn’t broken but my contractions were averaging about 3-4 minutes apart and lasting about a minute and a half each and they told us to come on in. We called my MIL and she came over to stay with G, Dan grabbed our bags and pillows, I kissed my Little Man and told him how much I loved him, tucked him in once more and we were off. Lucky for us the hospital is only 7 minutes away from our house; because my contractions were very intense at this point and I was ready for a little relief.

We got to the hospital at 12:30 and they checked me in, took me to my room, and got me all situated then they checked me for progress and I was 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant, at 3.5cm, with contractions still coming every 2 minutes and still lasting about a minute and a half. They asked me if I wanted an epidural and I said yes, so they brought someone in to get my IV going so I could get a liter of fluid. They require you to have at least a liter before they administer the epidural, and after they blew through the vein on my left hand they went for a vein on my right and started my IV. At this point the on call Dr, who I had seen at the hospital earlier that day (well technically the day before) came in and checked me for progress again to make sure I could stay and I was at 7.5 cm and 90% effaced!! This was probably about a half an hour after they checked me the first time!! Dan and I couldn’t believe how quickly I had progressed and obviously, I was admitted to stay.  My contractions were really really painful and coming very fast, and I overheard the nurse telling Dan that I may be able to have this baby without any epidural. I then heard him say, “don’t let her hear that” and I couldn’t agree more. I was really uncomfortable and in a lot of pain but still hadn’t even come close to getting the entire liter of fluid in me. I continued to labor a little while longer and Dan could tell that I was seriously in a lot of pain and asked the nurse to check me again. After a few minutes she did and my water broke. She also informed us that I was at 9.5 cm and that I wasn’t going to be able to get an epidural because the baby was coming. I was shocked, and a little pissed, and scared to death, but there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it. I was going to have to suck it up and have this baby naturally.

They called all of the nurses and Dr to come in and told me to let them know when I felt like I needed to push. It wasn’t long before I was screaming through my contractions and ready to push.  I was that obnoxious pregnant woman yelling because I could feel everything, and it hurt…a lot. My Dr. told me to re-direct my cries to pushing and I don’t know how, but with some deep yoga breathing and a change of focus, I was able to, and our nameless baby boy was born a few minutes later. I distinctly remember saying “Thank God” when I felt the last of his tiny little body come out at 2:08 am. They waited for him to cry, let me see his perfect little pink body and took him to check his lungs for meconium. My Dr. finished up my delivery and checked me out and let me know that I wasn’t going to need any stitches because I was in such control of my body and the instructions he gave me while pushing. Again….I was shocked and happy but couldn’t take my eyes off of my perfect little boy who when the nurse asked Dan what his name was he said, “Davis” which was my first choice 🙂  He weighed in at 7lbs 13oz, and was 20 inches long.  (Garrett was 7lbs 8oz and 20 inches long)

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Healthy Baby Boy!

The time between when I woke up Dan at 12:08 and the time Davis was born at 2:08, was the fastest, most surreal thing I have ever been through. So fast in fact that we didn’t even have our real camera to take pictures after the delivery. It was in the baby’s bag, which Dan had left in the car in his mad rush to get me up to my hospital room. Thank goodness for camera phones

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I was amazed at how alert Davis was after he was born, because I had no medication in my system, he nursed right away for about 40 minutes and was wide awake for about 2 hours after that. I was also much more mobile, and didn’t have nearly as much pain as I did with Garrett and my third degree tear from him. Garrett’s birth story and Davis’ birth story were very different but the end result was exactly the same. We had 2 beautiful, healthy baby boys, and I was once again amazed that we created this perfect little life and that he grew inside me for 9 months.  It truly is such a miraculous thing, and I am once again, so thankful and so incredibly blessed.

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Garrett

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Davis

Let the chaos of raising a newborn and a toddler begin!

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by Jenny on December 31, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Baby Cakes, Family, Life, Pregnancy
Tagged ,

Posted by Jenny on December 31, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/12/31/davis-birth-story/

Weekend re-cap and my 38 week check up!

It’s been a trying couple of days for everyone as we can’t even turn on the news without being reminded of the horrible events that took place in Sandy Hook, CT on Friday. My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the victims, families, and the entire community, I can’t even imagine what they must be going through, but my hope is that they can find peace in knowing that their Angels are safe and sound and watching over them from above. I thank God every day for all of the blessings in my life and now more than ever I am reminded to not take a single moment, tear, hug or tantrum for granted. Despite this tragedy, I am amazed at just how much love and support our world is capable of, and I hope that this trend of good can continue to trump the evil that we live with.

To continue on a “good note” Dan and I hosted a Christmas party at our house on Saturday and it was a huge success! We only asked that our guests bring their appetite and an unwrapped gift that we could donate to Toys for Tots and I am so pleased with the amount of gifts we collected. I feel that this is a season for rejoicing in the birth of our Savior, remembering our blessings, and giving to those that have an impact on our lives as well as those that are less fortunate than we are. Dan and I worked hard for the few days leading up to our party. We shopped, I baked, we cleaned, and cooked, and by the time our guests arrived we were as ready as we were going to be. It was great to see everyone happy and enjoying each others’ company despite everything that had transpired, and I loved seeing all of the kids dressed up in their Christmas outfits. We ended up having a little over 30 people, and our house was bustling with holiday cheer which makes my heart smile. I was a little pre-occupied with everything that was going on so I didn’t take a single picture, but my friend Brittany did, so I ever so graciously borrowed one of the pictures she posted on her blog yesterday

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Brittany and her adorable daughter Hailey, me, Christie, and Susan as well as some of the food we had!

It’s hard to believe Christmas is only 1 week away! This month has flown by and even though I won’t be in Ohio with my family for the first time ever this year, I am looking forward to my parents coming into town this weekend to celebrate with us as well as starting our own Christmas traditions with our little family.

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On another note, I had my 38 week check-up today and honestly I feel like I should just refer you back to my 38 week post when I was pregnant with Garrett. This appointment went almost exactly as my 38 week check up went with him, which is unfortunately, not what I was hoping it would be, but it could be much worse. To sum it up, my blood pressure has been great this whole pregnancy, very much normal for me, and I actually even lost a pound at my 37 week check-up, so I had high hopes finishing up this pregnancy. However, when the nurse took my BP today, for the first time, it read high…..perhaps it is just my body’s way of preparing for labor, perhaps I overdid it a little over the past few days, or perhaps it is just a fluke, but either way, it happened, and it’s disheartening to me. I started getting a little bit of swelling over the weekend though nothing nearly as bad as I had it with G, and I worked pretty hard getting ready for the party, and trying to finish everything up for Christmas and our little guy’s arrival so I’m resting a lot today, and I feel fine but I am repeating everything I had to do with Garrett at 38 weeks. I had protein in my urine today (sign of pre-eclampsia) and my pressure was high even though it had lowered the second and third times they took it, but my Dr. decided to hook me up to a monitor for a non stress test (basically it monitors my heartbeat and the baby’s heartbeat and the way he reacts every time he moves or I have a contraction) and everything looked fine for that but I still have to do a 24 hour urine test again, and go back for another check-up tomorrow. If my pressure continues to be elevated or they find more protein in my urine I will most likely have to be induced again, which I really wanted to avoid this time. But again, I feel fine, and baby is healthy, and it could be a lot worse so I’m staying positive, and resting, and drinking lots of water in the mean time.

Here is a modified breakdown of my 38th week!

How far along? 38 weeks 2 days

Total Weight Gain: Around 32 lbs (I blame the beginning of my water retention and too many Christmas cookies)

How I’m feeling: A little uncomfortable and ready to meet this little guy

Sleep: As long as I don’t wake up in the middle of the night I’m ok, but if I get up, I have a hard time falling back to sleep.

Best Moments: Hosting a successful Christmas party, and getting caught up on my wrapping

Movement: Not as much as he was moving but is still definitely shifting

What I am looking forward to: Celebrating Christmas with my parents this weekend

Milestones: He could come any day now!

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by Jenny on December 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Baby Cakes, Holidays, Life, Pregnancy
Tagged , , ,

Posted by Jenny on December 18, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/12/18/weekend-re-cap-and-my-38-week-check-up/

Munchkin Meals…Challenges

I feel like my son (Garrett, 16 months) could be the walking billboard for eating challenges…..ok so he’s not that bad, but we definitely have a very picky eater on our hands which surprises me because when we first introduced solids…..he was a champ!  He’d eat pretty much any and everything we would put in front of him, but in the past few months, he’s just become very preferential when it comes to his food.  I apologize in advance, that I don’t have great pictures of his food, I always have good intentions of snapping pictures of what he’s eating, but you would see the same things over and over again, so I’ll spare you.

First things First.  Garrett LOVES his milk.  He would probably live on milk alone if we would let him, but we only give it to him 3 times a day, when he wakes in the morning, before his afternoon nap, and before bedtime….I’d say he drinks about 18-20 oz a day which to me seems like a lot, but he still eats…sort of…so I guess I’m ok with it.

He also drinks a lot of water and sometimes watered down apple juice so that’s a good thing too.

Even though we have a picky eater, we continuously try to incorporate new foods, with the hopes that he’ll find another food he likes, and we can add it to our small list, but he is no fool, and if something looks or feels new on his plate or tray, he usually just turns away from it, and sometimes, he’ll put it on his tongue, than make a face and spit it out.  Stinker.  So because I’m terrified that my son will starve if we try to give him something that he doesn’t like, and then refuse to give him anything else, we always keep his favorites on hand.  These include….pancakes, greek yogurt or yogurt pouches, bananas, toast, oatmeal, blueberries, mandarin oranges, peaches and pears.  He’ll pretty much eat any fruit, but absolutely no eggs, and although he loves milk, and he likes whole grain peanut butter cheerios, individually, he will not eat them together.  He’s getting better with a spoon, but he still doesn’t really understand how to scoop up the food on the spoon, so we’ll scoop and put it down on his tray and he’ll pick it up and eat it, say Mmmm, and hand it back.

Our lunch staples are sliced turkey from the deli, sometimes he’ll eat ham, cheese, bread, or any combination of the 3, i.e. grilled cheese, or grilled turkey and cheese, again pretty much any fruit, veggie pouches, peanut butter and jelly, yogurt, applesauce, etc.

He’ll get snacks of goldfish, yogurt melts, apples with peanut butter, peanut butter cheerios, or some sort of graham cracker bunny thing sometimes throughout the day.

His favorite dinners are spaghetti or ravioli (sometimes I can sneak turkey meatballs in there with it), macaroni and cheese, peas, corn, bread, sometimes he’ll eat pizza, or a chicken quesadilla if the chicken is shredded and sometimes black beans….some days he will eat every last bit of what we put on his plate, and others, even if it’s the exact same thing, he may hardly touch it.  Sometimes, I just don’t get him….but like I said, as long as we’re getting some sort of food in him, I’m content.  I’m really hoping this is just a phase and that he will outgrow it eventually….Lord knows his Dad and I eat a pretty wide variety of foods, so I don’t know where he gets it from.

On occasion, we will also give G a special treat.  These are definitely not every day occurrences, but include, soft serve ice cream or frozen yogurt, fig newtons,  cookies or a little bit of a cupcake or a dessert we may have around the house.  He eats all of these things right up….go figure, that’s why we only offer them on occasion.

Again, food challenges are a part of our every day life, but we’re hopeful that we will overcome them.  Here’s to hoping number 2, due at the end of December isn’t as picky as his big brother!

Anybody else have a very picky eater on their hands???  Do you have any suggestions for working in new foods?

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by Jenny on November 8, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Baby Cakes, In the Kitchen, Life

Posted by Jenny on November 8, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/11/08/munchkin-meals-challenges/

Garrett at 16ish Months

It’s been a little while since I did an update on my sweet boy, so I figured I would fill you in on what he’s been up to lately.

Right now, his favorite activity is playing outside with his doggies,

climbing up the slide (at least trying to) and sliding down.

He has also mastered walking up the big hill we have in our back yard but still needs a hand to hold to come down or else his feet start moving faster than he wants them to and he ends up falling down.  And I think, that like me, he’s also enjoying the cooler fall weather.

He doesn’t go back to the Dr. for another well check until he’s 18 months, so his height and weight measurements are from my perspective.  I tried to be as accurate as possible, but I’m not sure how well I did.  Regardless, he is about 36″ tall, maybe a little bit less, and probably weighs around 28 or 29 lbs.  He is tall and thin…go figure, so he’s in 18-24 month clothing however, if it weren’t for my Mother in law taking in the waist of multiple pairs of his pants, they would be constantly falling off of him.  The length is good, but the waist is big, and I have a feeling that, like his Daddy, I’m going to have to do a lot of shopping online in the tall department for him in the years to come.  His shoe size is 6-7 and he likes to run!

He’s generally happy and we spend our days keeping each other pretty busy.  Unfortunately right now, he’s battling his first ever cough and it’s heartbreaking.  I’m pretty sure he picked up a little something from school.  Yep….school!  I have always been a very strong believer in socializing kids from a young age, (and although I do what I can to make sure he is around other kids his age, and other adults, so that we have an easier transition when his little brother comes along, and my attention is divided between the two of them)  I can only do so much, and I really believe in the Primrose School and their approach to tying in an academic curriculum even at such a young age.  We enrolled Garrett a few weeks ago, and even though it’s been an adjustment for both of us, it’s getting better, and easier every day.  He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from about 9-12:15, and I think that it’s a very good thing for him.   I’m so happy with our decision to enroll him now as opposed to January, it takes him a little while to warm up to different people and situations in general, so we wanted to make sure we did it before the birth of his little brother.  I am super excited for Baby Boy Brew #2  (yes he’s still nameless) to be born, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous as well.  I know it will be fine and great in the long run, it may just take G and me a little while to get used to.  My heart is going to have to grow in order for me to love another little person as much as I love him, and divide my attention as well, but like everyone says…..it just does and you just do.

Our days usually begin pretty early as Garrett is up between 6-6:30 every day.  Typically we’ll let him play in his crib for about 20 minutes just in case he wants to go back to sleep (which never happens) and then we’ll give him his milk, change his diaper and put him back in his crib with his sippy or bring him into bed with us and let him drink it there.  When he’s finished with his milk, he scoots off of the bed and says good morning to the dogs, then either finds something to entertain him in our room, or goes into his playroom and plays with whatever he feels like, while coming back to say Hi every once in a while and make sure Dan and I haven’t fallen back to sleep 🙂  Luckily, he is very good at playing independently and seems to enjoy it as long as it’s not for too long.  After we’ve watched a bit of the news, we’ll get up, get dressed, and get G dressed then head down for breakfast between 7:45-8

He’s eats while I get breakfast ready for Dan and I and he’ll play downstairs for a bit, then depending on the day, we either head to the gym, followed by Library story time or playing at the park; take him to school; play together and then go to the gym; go for a walk; or go to Gymboree to play for a bit.  I do what I can to keep our mornings as busy as possible, so that Dan can get some work done, without Garrett constantly barging into his office.  Regardless of what we do in the mornings, we try to be home around noon so G can eat lunch and then be down for his afternoon nap between 12:30 and 1.  However, if he sleeps in the car on the way home from whatever we’ve done in the mornings, I have a hard time getting him to sleep at all in the afternoons.  While he naps, I eat lunch and then get some stuff around the house done (or I just relax with my feet up for a bit because at 32.5 weeks pregnant, the third trimester fatigue is creeping up on me again.

After he wakes up from his nap between 2 and 3 we have a snack and play upstairs for a bit, then either run errands or play outside, or when his Grandparents are in town, we’ll scoot over to their house for a change of scenery while Dan finishes up his day.

Having a husband that primarily works from home is great, but it’s also challenging with a toddler, who always wants to check in on Daddy and see what he’s up to.  Thankfully Dan’s company has an office space close by, and his customers are all pretty local so he can spend time at the office or out with customers on occasion.  I have a feeling that when the new baby comes, he’ll be spending more time there than he does here, because that will probably be easier on all of us, but that is fine with me as well.

 G will play in the kitchen with the tupperware and leave a mess while I prep our dinner, he eats around 5:30 while I finish making ours then we’ll eat.  Yes we are kind of like old folks in that we try to eat around 6:00 every night so we can have some time to relax and play together as a family before he goes down at 7:30, and then we start all over the next day!  Repetitive, perhaps, but I wouldn’t change a thing.  I love that I get to spend my days with my little guy, and feel so blessed and thankful for my husband who works as hard as he does so I have to opportunity to do so.

Along with what I’ve written above, these are some more of G’s favorite things:

Balls, particularly throwing and kicking them, stacking cups, this fisher price cone thing that teaches kids to place rings over the cone in biggest to smallest order (which G has mastered)

a shapes cookie jar, where he has to put the shapes in the corresponding holes (which he has also just about mastered) climbing up and down the stairs, books, things with wheels, his motorized spiderman bike

stroller walks, being thrown up in the air by, or just playing with daddy,

bath time (or anything where he gets to play with or in water)

and being so stinking cute that you can’t help but smile at him

I have thanked God every day for the past 16.5 months that he chose me to be his Mom.  I am truly one of the luckiest girls in the world!

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by Jenny on November 7, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Jenny on November 7, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/11/07/garrett-at-16ish-months/

Fall Festivities

Our outside fall decor

We’ve had a pretty busy past few weeks/weekends and are trying to soak in as much fall fun as possible.  Have I mentioned how much I love this season??  The cooler mornings and  evenings and the warm sunny afternoons, the vibrant colors and the fall decorations, the hearty meals that fill your belly and your house with warmth and happiness, and of course…the Holidays!

Though I’ve never really been a huge Halloween fan, I still enjoy getting ready for it, and now that G is a little bit older, I think it will be that much more fun! Plus, Halloween just means that Thanksgiving is that much closer!  I always feel that every year I have more to be Thankful for than the last, and this year has already promised to continue that trend…I am already 30 weeks pregnant!!  What???? How did I get here so quickly!  I’m super excited to meet our newest family member but as I’ve mentioned before, I am doing everything I can to enjoy my one Little Man as much as possible…..which brings me back to my topic. Fall Festivities!

Our fall festivities started when Garrett and I went to Ohio, to visit my family, but they have continued as we’ve been back home with Dan.  Since he’s been traveling more with work, we do everything we can to pack in as much family time as possible on the weekends.  That means lots of backyard fun with the dogs

A visit to Patterson Farms to check out their produce, animals, and activities

Not too sure about this huge blow up pumpkin

Loving on the little goats!

Followed by a play date with some friends at Lazy 5 Ranch to feed some exotic animals

Garrett and Leia, checking out the scenery

Yes the animals actually come right up to your wagon (or in our case the car) and you can feed them!

Crazy Teeth!

We couldn’t get up close to the giraffes

I made the mistake of feeding the zebra, and he bit down on my entire cup of feed and I couldn’t get it back…oops!

A visit to another area attraction Zootastic, where we encountered and fed yet some more exotic animals, I was hoping we would be able to pet some of the lion and tiger cubs, and the Joey’s, but they weren’t available at the time we were there, so I’m looking forward to taking G to an actual petting zoo in the near future

Parrots

Feeding the tigers!

And finally our somewhat successful visit to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out our pumpkins (check!) and get some family pictures (no check) the good part…I got a few shots of of G….the not so good part…..he was over the pumpkin patch before we could get a family picture 😦  so we may have to try again.  On a side note….it’s crazy how much changes in a year!

Just over 3 months old in early October 2011…so small!

Now almost 16 months old, mid-end of October 2012!

Picking out his pumpkin!

So, we’ve been busy, taking advantage of all the great things that our town and the surrounding areas have to offer, and we’re looking forward to enjoying the rest of the beautiful fall season!

Have you done any fun festivities yet this fall??

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by Jenny on October 22, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Jenny on October 22, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/10/22/fall-festivities/

Ohio Trip

Last weekend, Garrett and I hopped on a plane and flew to Ohio for a visit with my family.  And with a little help from Mickey, some new books, and lots of snacks, G was a champ!

Every year I try to make a trip up North to check out the leaves, and get my fall Ohio fix.  Our visit was a little earlier this year, so the leaves had just started to change, but we still saw some colors, got fresh apple cider, and enjoyed the cooler temps.

View at Patterson Farms

 We had a super busy weekend (which we always do when we’re in town) and tried to fit in as many visits with family members and friends as possible and I think we did pretty well considering we were only there for 3 days.  G got some QT with Grandpa Paul on Friday while my Mom and I spent some time at the Salon.

Playdate with Grandpa Paul at Uncle Nick’s Shop

Visiting GiGi

Playing the piano with Auntie Manda

Garrett had his first real run-in with a  younger baby(cousin Lauren’s 4.5 month old Nolan) which for the most part he couldn’t have cared less about, but he did become a little bit curious when I was holding him.

Who is this other baby in my Mommy’s lap??

At the pumpkin patch

Practicing his running!

Snapshot with Grandma Pam

We had a clam bake at my parents house on Saturday night and Uncle Randy and Uncle Jace came out, but unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of G with them (Fail)  However, Garrett loved playing outside and running away from Bodie, he was soooo good with him!

Riding on Cousin Bodie

On Sunday we all went to Mass and attempted to make it through breakfast too, but I think the Priest’s homily lasted a bit too long for Garrett.   He had to make an early exit because with the combination of being run around like crazy, and his schedule being thrown off along with 2 molars coming in and a few missed naps he was exhausted.  So back to Grandma and Grandpa’s he went to nap (while I got busy on some delicious pumpkin bars) to take to meet all of my best girlfriends’ baby girls!!

Homemade pumpkin bars with cream cheese swirls

After G woke up from his morning nap we packed up and headed over to my friend Jess’s parents house to see/meet everyone!  Avery and G were a bit outnumbered, but they didn’t seem to mind.  Again, Garrett didn’t really get a chance to interact with the little babies (between nursing sessions and naps we were lucky to get this one picture all together ) but Avery was nice enough to share his toys so he did get to play with him a little bit.

Erica and Lily (7 weeks) Erin and Alisz (7 months) Jess and Elle (11 weeks) Me and G (15 months) Amanda and Annabel (3 weeks) and Wheezy and Avery (Almost 9 Months)

After our visit with my friends we headed out to see Great Grandpa Brunner and Marguerite before grabbing a quick bite to eat and making it to the airport for our flight

My apologies for the blurry iphone picture, I forgot to bring in my good camera and G was about done getting his picture taken. Either way, we captured 4 generations!

We had a late flight on Sunday evening, so I had a feeling that G would have a hard time if I couldn’t get him to sleep before hand, and of course I couldn’t so we had a good 20 minutes of crying before he finally passed out in my arms on the plane.  Thankfully no one said anything mean (at least that I heard) on the flight and he slept for the rest of the way but boy were we happy to see Daddy waiting for us at the airport!!  Traveling with a toddler is stressful enough, but traveling alone with a toddler while 27 weeks pregnant is a whole different ball game!  I was so lucky that Garrett did as well as he did, but I can’t say that I’ll be doing it again in the near future.

Our weekend away was action packed and lots of fun and it’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I won’t be back until late winter/early spring with not just one but TWO little ones (definitely driving) but time with family and friends that you don’t get to see very often is priceless…

…and getting to share this smile with the people who you love makes it all worth while.

1 Comment
by Jenny on October 3, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Life, Travel
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Posted by Jenny on October 3, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/10/03/ohio-trip/

Weekend Recap

Whew!  I finally feel back like I’m back on track after our Impromptu Family Beach Trip for Labor Day Weekend!  We had a great time watching Garrett explore the beach, he had so much fun!

With last week being a short week, I had a lot of catching up to do  and was happy to have “nothing in the books” for this past weekend.  We spent a lot of time as a family and did a few fun things to go along with it.  Here’s a snapshot of the weekend

Saturday was spent at home and at Taco Mac for a boys lunch out with Daddy, Caden and his Dad, while I got some me time at the nail salon

Cheering on the Buckeyes!

Riding on his motorcycle

The cooler temps on Sunday meant yard work for Dan and meal planning for me while G took his morning nap, followed by lots of time outside

Trying to convince G that walking outside is really not that bad

Playing with his Doggies

And after a family trip to the Grocery Store, G (not so happily) got his first haircut!!!!!

First haircut!!

His certificate, before, and after shots

While G took his afternoon nap, I got busy in the kitchen baking my first ever homemade loaf of French Bread and Lentil Soup!  It was pretty yummy, but G was happy with his own dinner 🙂

Yummy Ravioli!

Now it’s Monday again, so we’ve been busy!  We were at the Dr. this morning because Garrett got a few bug bites while playing outside all weekend that swelled up and now look like knots on his head, so I naturally got worried and took him in to be sure it wasn’t anything serious.  Turns out, it isn’t at all, they don’t seem to be bothering him and since he’s still so young and hasn’t had many bug bites in his days, his body is reacting to them in its’ own way.  Hopefully they’ll go down and sooner rather than later his immune system will build up a tolerance to bug bites and he won’t look like he’s knocked his head multiple times!!

After the Dr. we went to to the Gym for my favorite class, Monday’s spinning and strength, and G didn’t get his 30 minute power nap this morning so of course he passed out on our 7 minute ride home at noon.  Luckily I was able to wake him, feed him lunch and put him back down without any problems.  These 2-3 hour afternoon naps are nice!

 

So…was our weekend fancy and exciting???  Not so much, but honestly those are usually the weekends that I cherish the most.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing this smile!

 

 

 

Have a Fantastic Week!!

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by Jenny on September 10, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Life

Posted by Jenny on September 10, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/09/10/weekend-recap/

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