Basement

No time to blog- but look we finished the painting and got carpet in the basement! We are so pumped!

3 months

I can't believe it- BJ will be 3 months in 2 days!  Crazy.   Time has definitely flown, although days away from him seem to be extremely long.  BJ started daycare and has been doing well the first week.  He and the caregivers are trying to get used to each other (and their communication).  Alhtough he still takes the same number of naps at daycare- he has a hard time sleeping for longer than 30-45 min straight there, which means most days we pick up an exhausted little boy.  We think the stimulation and playing may be causing some problems since he will sleep anywhere from 1-2.5 hours per nap at home.  He continues to lose his hair- poor guy- although my hair is starting to fall out some too (it has to do with the pregnancy and the stress of delivery etc.) so I say we can be bald together!  He still loves to eat and has even convinced the caregivers at daycare one day that he needed to eat every 2-2.5 hours, but then wouldn't eat at home that night!  They said he really sucked all the bottles down, and they ran out of milk that day.  Who knows we weren't there, but we have to remind them and ourselves that he likes to eat and won't refuse a meal if he is offered it!  Work is getting a bit easier, although I still hate being away from him.  I survived my 12 day in a row stint just recently.  I keep counting down my call- 3 more this month!  I have to say though, I like post call afternoons- the extended time with him- I'm just usually as exhausted as he is!  

We have been working hard on the basement- priming and painting- carpet comes Sat. so it will be awesome to be at a stopping point.  I think we will take a break before we start the entertainment center and the wet bar.  

Anyway, sorry- quick update, but BJ needs his afternoon snack!  Here are some pics of the balding boy- it barely does it justice, but will give you an idea!

Back to work

As many of you knew and some of you might have guessed- I went back to work. Thus my lack of blogging. To say it has been a hard transition would be a huge understatement. I've heard man describe having a child as your holding your heart in your hand- and I would agree. It is really hard to hand your heart over to someone else for the day (and in my case the night too). Fortunately I have had some wonderful people help with the transition. We had some great friends watch BJ the first few days, then he spent a day with his Uncle Matt and Aunt Maria, and then my mom came out to help with the transition. It was wonderful to have her- I can't even describe how great my mom is. Take your average great mom, multiply it by 1000 and you get my mom. Not only did she help watching BJ, doing laundry, but she was a great support, talking to me on the phone about BJ and being there for me when I was crying (and even crying with me). I will never be able to adequately thank her. She is amazing. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mom- who is my best friend too. BJ is doing well with the transition- his first day of daycare was today and he did well. The place is really organized and clean- I think it will be great for us!

Work has been busy- or just hard to come back running. I've done 3 30 hour shifts so far, so B is learning how great it was that i was taking the nigh duties all this time. I definitely miss them both though when I'm gone that long.

BJ is working on his sleep. He did a 5 night stretch where he slept from a 10:30 p.m. feed to 5:30 or 6 am feed, but he's currently back to waking up at least once during the night. Hopefully that 7 hour stretch will come back soon. He continues to grow, we think he might be close to 14 lbs now- what a chunk. And he is losing his hair- it is pretty impressive since he has a bit of a mohawk plus a rattail but nothing in between!

B has been working on the basement like crazy- we ordered carpet and he is texturing the walls tonight. Hopefully we can prime, paint and get carpet in before Feb. when the Loewen's guys and their girls come to go skiing. Anyway, BJ is done eating and ready to play, so I'll leave you with pics.

Cheering the Huskers to victory in the bowl game.

Loving time with GrammyReady for churchPlaying video games with Daddy

Christmas Family Pics

Some pics for you from last night.  BJ looks like he has had enough of Christmas!  We love you all!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Brandon, BJ, Pedro, and me (the guys and me)! We hope you all had a wonderful day and season. We have had a very busy last 2 weeks. We hosted a residency applicant dinner at our house with about 18 people attending on the 17th, which went great. Then EARLY the 18th, Brandon dropped BJ and I off at the airport, and we flew back to Omaha to celebrate Christmas with extended family. BJ did great on both flights- he ate and then slept the whole way- good thing it is a short flight. We met Grammy at the airport- she even brought one of BJ's Christmas presents to the airport- a carseat carrier to shield him from the frigid weather. We had planned to go see Brandon's grandpa in Creston Friday, but were unable to do so after and ice and snow storm came through and Hwy 34 was deemed "travel not advised." We were really bummed since we wanted him to meet BJ, but weren't able to travel. We spent Friday night at Grandma and Grandpa Workman's house having a wonderful meal and were spoiled with presents for both of us. We spent Sat. in Lincoln with my grandmothers, Sunday was my mom's side of the family's birthday party for Jesus. Monday we made Christmas cookies at Aunt Miranda's house, Tues. we watched the traditional White Christmas before BJ and I got back on the plane to come home to Daddy. It was a whirlwind trip. BJ did great- although did have a hard time sleeping while away- traveling was hard on his schedule- and he always sleeps better in his crib or pack-n-play rather than the carseat. It was great to be able to see everyone and be able to introduce BJ to the family.

Yesterday, we had his 2 month check-up- complete with his first round of shots. He weighs 13 lbs 3.5 oz- 85%, 24 in long 80%, and 16 5/8 in head- 75%. Growing well. The doc says I should donate my bionic milk! He did okay with his shots, but I have never seen him so mad- red faced and screaming. Both Mommy and BJ survived!

Today we relaxed, opened presents, ate well, and went for a walk. It was definitely one of the most relaxing Christmases we have had, and we thoroughly enjoyed it, but did miss being with family. BJ was definitely spoiled by everyone-books, toys, clothes, CD player, and humidifier. In fact, flying back, I got 31 lbs of books in a duffle bag- very interesting! Above all, we want to remember the baby in a manger today who grew into the man who died on the cross for our salvation- the greatest gift we have ever received.

Christmas Eve present

Playing video games with Daddy

Cuddle time with Daddy (don't worry I'll try and remind Brandon to take Mommy pics!)

Smiles and coos

BJ is definitely growing bigger and older. He loves to eat and continues to get heavier and longer. He is slowly able to wear more 0-3 month clothes (depending on how big they are) and he now likes to kick the side of the glider while he eats (which he couldn't reach as well a while ago). He is also getting more interactive with us which is really fun. He is working on smiling. When you put him down on the changing table he loves to look at you and give you a big grin! It is so cute!! Also, he has started cooing some, making all kinds of noises. It is so fun! The first time he looked at me and smiled I started crying- it just warms your heart- even though I think it was just a fluke. The funny thing now is, I'm not sure when to mark down in his baby book as his first smile! He still makes me wonder if he is smiling at me, or merely smiling and just happens to be looking at me! His other big step- he is sleeping almost all of his naps and at night in his crib. Occasionally we will put him back in his bassinet if he is having some trouble sleeping- but he's gone a few days being exclusively in his crib- what a big boy!! The funny thing is that we put him in the same place so his video monitor will show his face and now there is a dent in the mattress where his head goes!!

Visits and Prayer

So we have had a busy time since I last blogged. I'll try to quickly update you on all that is going on in our house.

Black Friday- Brandon headed out for Black Friday shopping for the first time leaving for Best Buy at 2:30 a.m. Even at that crzy hour, he would have likely missed out on the door buster deals if it wasn't for his friend who set up an entire camp at 2 p.m. Thanksgiving Day- complete with tents, propane heaters, LCD TV's with gaming systems and a coffee bar. He was pumped to get a great deal on a Playstation 3 which he claims is for BJ.

Last wek we were blessed to have or friend Liz visit from Arkansas. We had an awesome visit- despite how short it had to be. During a snow storm here in Denver, we took BJ on his first all day shopping trip. We hit the mall, 2 shoe stores, Old Navy, Babies R Us, and had dinner at Sweet Tomatoes before curling up with a chick flick. BJ did great despite the cold and the snow. It was great to have her here- and she was a pro with BJ- she will be an amazing mom when God decides to bless them with a little one.

Unfortunately our visit was cut short after getting a call Wed. morning that my grandpa (my dad's dad) had passed away Tues. night. He had been having some health problems the last 6 months, but had only this year stopped working. He was 87 and a great man, but we were all saddened by the fact that to our knowledge was not a Christian. So Friday afternoon we packed up and started the long trek back to Omaha for the funeral. Despite having to stop every 3 hours to burp and change BJ (I pumped and fed him bottles on the way to avoid having to take him out of his carseat for feedings that would have been 30-45 minutes), we made good time (I don't even want to know how fast Brandon was driving). BJ did well in the car, but definitely was happy to get out of his car seat. The funeral was nice, I actually got to see much of my family we haven't seen in over a decade. However, the highlights of the trip were getting to see Grammy and Papa, meeting Aunt Miranda and Uncle Jason- and seeing their awesome new house in Omaha and Miranda's growing baby bump- she looks amazing. BJ can't wait for his new cousin to arrive in May.

The whole trip just reminded us however, how important a personal relationship with Christ is in life and in death. I am encouraged to pray continually that one day I will have the pleasure of leading BJ in the most important decision of his life- giving his heart and life over to the one true God. Please remember my family in your prayers as they adjust to the loss and join me in praying for the salvation of our little boy.

Pic of the whole fam: