Wichita Weekend

4 months, 1 week (ok, I'm losing count on the true number of weeks old because it's actually more than just 4 months, 1 week - SOOOO, from here on out, it'll say number of months and number of weeks to keep things easy)

We had quite a fun filled weekend in Wichita! Our activities included watching Brigdon's soccer game, visiting the pumpkin patch, dinner with the family and shopping!!

We left Friday night for Wichita and as usual, Brock was wonderful on the way down. He slept most of the way, but about 45 minutes outside of Wichita he started to fuss a little bit. I got in the backseat and sat with him the rest of the way and he was just fine! We got there early enough to spend some quality time with Meme and Poppy before our big day on Saturday. I was a little nervous about how he'd sleep in the pack 'n play, but of course, he impressed us as usual.

Saturday was a big day!! We got up and went to watch my nephew Brigdon play soccer! It was a perfect morning for it and they won 6-3!! Brock enjoyed being outside and everyone was excited to see him! After the game, we went out for lunch and then headed to the Pumpkin Patch! This pumpkin patch had everything!! They had cannons to shoot pumpkins, gourd shooting slingshots and guns, big slides, a corn maze and a hayride. It ended up getting very sunny and a little warm so we didn't stay too long. Here are a couple pictures from the day:

After the pumpkin patch, we headed back to Meme and Poppy's house for a family dinner. By this time, Brock's cheeks got a little red and it looked like maybe he got a tiny sunburn. Despite the big hat and being covered by the top of his stroller all day, he still managed to get red cheeks like his daddy!

 Sunday we got up and went out for breakfast, then went over to Aunt Teea's house to see her new kitchen and Halloween deocrations! She made Tatum's Halloween costume (a peacock) and it was soooooo cute!! Brock was great again on the drive home. He slept about half way and then woke up and needed some more mommy love. I rode the 2nd half of the trip in the back with him and we both dozed in and out of sleep.

We are constantly amazed by what a great baby he really is. And he's so cute!! Here are a few pictures from this month that we've taken!

4 Month Stats

Brock had his 4 month check up appointment yesterday and it went great! As usual, he was absolutely perfect!! He let the doctor poke and prod him without a peep. Everything looked and sounded great! He got his shots and the first shot, he didn't even cry!! The 2nd one he cried a little bit, but not for long and nothing his binkie covered in sugar couldn't cure. As we were checking out, he was wide awake, talking and checking out the receptionists and within a second, he was passed out, totally asleep! At first we were worried it was a side effect of the shots, but he was just wiped out! He slept the whole way home, then woke up and was happy as usual. You seriously would not have even known he'd just had shots!

Stats breakdown:
- 25 and 5/8" (80th percentile)
- 17 pounds (80th percentile)
- again in the 90th percentile for his big 'ole head
- GREAT head control and neck/arm strength
Here are some other fun facts about him right now:
- Wearing size 3 diapers (and has been for about 2 weeks)
- Wears 6 month onesies and about to grow out of his 3-6 month clothes
- Wears 6-12 month jeans
- Eats 6, 6 oz bottles per day (every 3-4 hours)
- Sleeps about 10 hours a night (goes down b/w 9-10 and up around 7)
- Grabbing at things in front of him - he loves grabbing ahold of his blanket or burp rag and pulling it up over his head
- Still gets a binkie at night or for naps, but doesn't need it or really use it much
- Gets about 1-2 long naps a day and then sometimes has other cat naps
- He's found his tongue! It's always sort of been there when he smiled, but now he sticks it out and plays with it
- Giggles and talks ALL THE TIME! So much fun! He especially loves to talk in the car

What we're working on:
- Rolling over - the doctor thinks b/c of his size it might be a little harder for him to roll over, so she's not concerned
- Starting solids - we'll be starting this around the 5 month mark
- Sitting up - he can sit up leaning against things, but not on his own yet
- Teething - so far, still no teeth, but the doctor said it could be anytime

We're heading to Wichita this weekend and everyone is so excited to see him! Aunt Teea and his cousins Tatum and Brig haven't seen him since June and Meme and Poppy haven't seen him since his Baptism a little over a month ago. They are all going to be so surprised by how big he is!! We're going to watch Tatum play soccer and then hit the pumpkin patch!!

The check up yesterday just reminded us how incredibly lucky we are that he is so healthy and happy! We never want to take that for granted and thank God every day for our little blessing!!

Likes/Dislikes for the first 4 months

When I started this blog, I thought it would be a great way not only to keep track of Brock as he grows, but also to share with other mommies and daddies out there, things that have worked (or not) for us. I am a huge believer in recommendations. I am the first person to recommend something that really worked well and the first person to tell you when something was awful! So, here's a few things we've liked/disliked or some ways we found to save $$/time so far.

Likes:
- Carter's brand clothes: Between the constant sales (I swear nothing is ever full price there) and the coupons I get in my email, they are not only affordable, but they are great quality. They are thick, don't fade out/shrink or de-soften in the wash and they sizes are usually closer to Brock's age range.

- Baby Trend jogging stroller: We LOVE our stroller. The jogging stroller with the 'real' tires instead of plastic wheels is awesome. It can go over any kind of terrain - rocky sidewalks, uneven streets, grass, etc. It rolls so smooth and  Brock loves it!

- Enfamil forumla packets: Enfamil makes formula packets (4 oz) that you can throw in the diaper bag and head out. They are perfect to have just in case you end up being gone somewhere longer than you plan.

- Aiden and Anais blankets: We got a set of 4 of these as a gift and we love them! They are super light weight so they were great for the summer, but they are also nice and big so you can wrap them up. They are soft and super cute!!

- Huggies wipes: So far, all of the Huggies wipes we have gotten have been the 'tear apart' kind and they are SOOOOO much easier than the 'fold in' ones (which we'll address in the dislike section).

- Backpack diaper bag: We got 2 diaper bags for Brock before he was born. We have my large one for extended stays at Grandma's or something, and then we have Nick's little 'back pack' one. I didn't see a point to it at first, but now that's what we take more than anything. We can throw a few diapers, wipes, a change of clothes and anything else we may need and head out the door.

- Trumpette socks: Since Brock was born in May, he didn't wear socks most of the summer. Now that the temperatures have started to cool off, he's been needing them almost daily. We got some Trumpette socks as a gift and they look like little shoes. They are the best! They stay on better than most socks AND they just 'finish' his look for the day!

- Pottery Barn blankets: We have a couple different blankets from Pottery Barn and they are the best when you need 'warm' blankets. They are a little pricey, but they are so soft and you can tell they are great quality.

- Bath Ball: I bought this bath ball from Buy Buy Baby after a recommendation from a friend (Thanks Suni). Not only is it a fun toy, but it fills with water and when you pick it up, the water sprinkles out of the bottom. So you can run it over baby in the bath to keep them warm with the water while you soap them up.

- Pampers Swaddlers and Baby Dry diapers: Super soft and absorbant.

- Nuk pacifies: Brock seems to hold on to the Nuk pacifiers that have the bent nipples better than the straight ones.

Dislikes:
- Pampers wipes: They fold inside of each other and are SO HARD to pull out of the package. We still have a huge pack in his diaper bag and it's such a pain every time I change him while we're out. He'll be laying on one of those bathroom changing tables (which make me soooo nervous) and I'll be fumbling with the wipes trying to get one at a time out!

- Huggies Snug 'n Dry diapers: Everyone swore these were better as they got older. Well, maybe that's for when they get mobile. Because we just bought a pack of these and so far, are not impressed. They are stiff, hard to pull apart and don't seem to fit very well on his sides.

- Pack n' Play (and accessories): While it's a necessity for traveling, putting the pack 'n play back into it's nice little carrying case is like trying to stuff a size 12 woman into a size 6 jeans. The diagram in the instructions shows you how perfectly it all folds back into itself, slides right into the case and zips right up. After about 30 minutes, we threw what we could into the carrier and the rest went home in Brock's bag.

- Cheap, super fluffy blankets: Yes, they are soft. And yes, they may be cute. BUT, they will get little fuzzies all over everything. Clothes they are washed/dried with, pacifiers, babies hands, anything.

- Diaper Genie refills: These are a necessity, but are SOOO expensive. Nick actually did a little searching online and found a way to make your own at home. After the refill is totally empty, take a large rubber band and a regular trash bag. Feed the top of the trashbag through the refill opening and use the rubber band to hold it in place. We've been doing that for a couple of months now and it works great and is so much cheaper! We saved 2 of the refill cartridges so we always have one ready when the other one needs replaced!

We are just about to embark on starting solids (rice cereal starts this week!!) so I'm sure we'll have lots more to update on this in a few months!!

First cold AND first tooth???

17 weeks

It seems a little early, but I think the dreaded 'teething' phase is upon us. Or at the very least, right around the corner peeking it's ugly head around just waiting for the right moment. Everything Brock touches goes straight in his mouth. His hands, toys, blankets, your fingers, whatever is in the area, heads straight for the mouth. I've noticed him taking whatever he's chewing on and sort of trying to position it back to the right, so I took a peek. I was shocked to see what looks like a potential MOLAR (yes, like the big teeth you have in the back of your mouth) coming in!! It hasn't broken through yet and really you can barely feel it, but you can definitely see a bump. After the horror of imagining the pain it was causing him, he woke up on Sunday with what is definitely yet ANOTHER tooth. This is his top left 'fang', as I like to call it. This one you can not only see, but you can feel it as well. As usual, he's been a total champ about the whole process. He's been very rarely fussy or anything, but the couple of times he's seemed fussy with no other reason, I've given him just a little baby Tylenol to try and ease the pain.

Cynthia was off on Friday and Monday so that meant Mommy got to be home with him for 4 days straight! Friday morning started off with a little trip to the doctor. Brock's voice had been hoarse for about a day and a half with no known cause. No fever, no cough, no attitude changes, just a hoarse little voice that sounded so pitiful! We took him to the doc and they said it was probably just a little cold (his first one - sadface!) that he could have picked up from either daycare or could also be a symptom of teething (see above paragraph). We did get a weight on him and he's a perfectly plump 16 pounds! He was acting fine and there really wasn't anything we could do for him so we went home for the day. I was working from home so I sat him in his high chair next to me (best office buddy ever!) and worked awhile. By that afternoon he seemed totally back to normal and we enjoyed the day.

We had a Barbosa family gathering for Nick's grandma's church on Saturday night so he get to see all the family and show off his voice. Nick's brothers and their ladies came back to the house to watch the KU game after the dinner and Brock was obsessed with Drew. He would just stare at him and laugh at him anytime Drew would talk to him! He showed everyone what a loud mouth he really is! LOL! He was talking up a storm! It's the best sound in the world and he's got the cutest little voice!

Sunday was the Chiefs game so he stayed home with Grandma Judy while we all went tailgating and to the game. Instead of working from home on Monday, I just took the day off altogether and loved every minute of it. I fed Brock in the morning, then brought him in with me to sleep in some more. He LOVES to snuggle and so do I!! We spent most of the day in the basement doing laundry and getting caugh up on TV! We didn't really do much else but relax and chill together which was wonderful! It makes me wish so much that I could be home with him everyday!! I had a bit of a Mommy Meltdown. He was acting very tired so I thought he needed a little nap yesterday afternoon. I popped in his beloved 'binkie' and laid him on the couch and he started to doze off. I went to take something upstairs and could hear him crying a bit, but figured he was just fighting the sleep. It was close to his next bottle time, but not quite there yet so I finished what I was doing upstairs and went back down to find him absolutely BAWLING. We're talking real tears here people! Well, I felt so terrible for misreading him and making him cry so hard, that I started crying! I got his bottle ready and pretty much cried the entire time he ate. He quickly got over it, but I'm clearly still scarred!

He's definitely starting to realize who Mommy and Daddy are. He smiles every time he sees either one of us and it's the best sight to see!! He's definitely getting a little more attached to me now. If I'm not holding him, he's either looking for me or at me. He's still totally chill and lets other people hold him, but he's got his Mommydar on at all times. On one hand, I LOVE it because I feel the same way, I almost don't even want to share him, but on the other, I know it's important for him to get comfortable being with other people. Plus, he's so cute everyone wants a squeeze!!

He's still eating 6 oz at a time, but it's more like 3.5-4 hours. Every once in awhile, he'll start to get hungry at 3, but I sort of wait for his cues now to tell me when he's hungry instead of just feeding him at the 3 hour mark. He seems to spit up less that way. He talks ALL the time (LOVE IT), still goes down SO easily at night, usually around 9pm, and sleeps until 6-7 am. He takes a binkie only when he is trying to fall asleep. Still no rolling over, but he definitely starting rolling on his side from his back this weekend. He grabs for things and pulls them in to him a lot and it's so fun to watch him discover everything!

Long labor day weekend

16 weeks

What a wonderful weekend we had!! It was Labor Day weekend so we got 3 full days with our little angel and made sure it was jam packed full of fun activities! We started out Friday with 'early dismissal' from work for both Nick and I so as soon as we got home, Brock and I took a nice little afternoon snuggle nap. We woke up and went to Carter's (new store just opened SO EXCITED) as they were having a sale - 50% off the ENTIRE store, plus I had 20% off your total purchase coupon - double score! Anyway, we got Brock some more sleepers and his Halloween Costume!! It's a little bat and it's SOOOO cute! He actually has 2 costumes - a spider that Carter wore for his first Halloween and then the bat. They are both SOOO cute I don't know how I'll choose. The bat is a heavy fleece jacket and pants so it may depend on the weather! Either way, it was only $15 and the fleece pants he could totally wear this winter!

Saturday was Brock's first KU game!!! And it was quite the adventure! We started with a trip to Mass St to shop around a bit (and found the CUTEST shirt for Brock), then to the Union to look some more. Nothing too exciting there, but we stopped to feed Brock before going in to the game and also we snacked on some food. They sell hot dogs, nachos, drinks, all the 'game snacks' for $1 each right outside of the Union so we stocked up!! As we got settled into our seats, the announcer came over the loud speaker and told everyone that 'severe weather was approaching Memorial Stadium and we all had to leave the stands and take cover'. I went into total Mommy Mode and had a hold of Brock so tight as we carefully walked back down under the stands. Well, it was extremely hot/muggy as the storm was bringing in a cold front behind it, so carrying him made me drip with sweat! However, I wasn't letting go for anything! After about 10-15 mins, people started heading back up so we followed. Not more than 5 mins went by and I felt a HUGE raindrop hit my face. I stood up and immediately started heading down the stairs, just in time for the giant DOWNPOUR to begin. Of course that caused everyone else to get up and it was a mad rush to get back to covered ground! Luckily, the storm was short lived and we finally got back to our seats just in time for kick off. The storm actually brought much cooler and more comfortable temperatures! As usual, Brock was WONDERFUL! He slept through part of the game, the other part he was watching the big screen (a giant TV I'm sure to him). We couldn't have asked for him to be any better!!

                                                   Here's a picture of him in all his KU gear!

On Sunday, we got some VERY exciting news!! Uncle Drew and Aunt Erin finally got engaged on their trip to Mexico!! We are sooooooooooo excited! We had them over for dinner and I got a little overly excited....we had burgers, dogs, brats, mac n' cheese, corn on the cob, watermelon and a 2 layered chocolate cake I made that afternoon! Yeah, went a little overboard on that one...lol!

Since we had an extra day to the weekend, we used Monday to take Brock on his first trip to the zoo! Mia had 4 free passes to the zoo from her work, so Mia, Mom, Nick and I all loaded up and headed to the KC Zoo! It was an absolutely perfect day for it! It was packed but the weather was so gorgeous! Fall, when we have one, is by far my favorite season in Kansas. It was the perfect temperature and we got to see soooo many animals! Brock really loved all the animals and people watching because he stayed awake for most of the 3 hours we were there!

We had our first experience with what normal babies do and what normal parents deal with on Sunday night. Brock just did NOT want to go to sleep. He kept spitting out his 'binkie' and crying his head off! Finally, we put him in bed with us until he got tired enough to move back to his bed. He went right to sleep and slept like a rock! While it wasn't much of a fit, it definitely made us realize how unbelievably lucky we are that he's normally such a happy, chill little man.

He's still laughing and smiling a lot, but that has almost given way to him talking all the time! He just loves to talk and squeal, especially in the car! It's so adorable and funny!! He loves when you talk back to him! We ate dinner outside on the deck last night and put him in his high chair...he loved it! He's loving the nice weather because that means lots of walks in the stroller! He still hasn't rolled over yet, but he definitely likes to sit up. I'm not totally sure because it's still a little early, but there may be a little tooth trying to come in. He's chewing, drooling, etc all the time. We'll see if anything pokes through soon!

This is Brock's first 'full' week at daycare and I'm having very mixed feelings about it. I'm happy because Cynthia (our daycare provider) is AMAZING. I've known her for over 20 years and she's like family to us and I know she already loves him like family. I'm happy that he'll be going to the same place every day and we don't have to figure out who is going to watch him and piece together daycare arrangements. But I'm also completely sad because up until this week, I've been able to see him at lunch every day. Now, I drop him off around 7:30 and don't see him again until 5:30 and it KILLS me. I thought it would get easier, but it gets much harder to miss out on time with him. Luckily this week Cynthia is going out of town so I'll be working from home with the baby Friday and I took Monday off completely to just enjoy a full day with my little angel boy!

Sometimes I surprise myself. I used to not just want, but NEED 'me' time every weekend. Naps, laying on the couch doing nothing, etc. Now, I want to spend every second with Brock. If I'm napping, it's only because he's napping with me. I was NEVER a morning person before. I push the snooze button 10 times before I get out of bed (and set my alarm accordingly). Usually Nick gets up with him in the morning to feed him, but on weekends if he gets up early, I get up with him. If Nick gets up, I'll usually change Brock's diaper and get him changed, while Nick makes the bottle and then feeds him. And it doesn't matter how tired I am, as soon as I see his sweet little face and he smiles at me, my whole day is made! This weekend we had his 'breakfast' outside on the deck because it was so nice. And after he was done, we just sat there and listened to the birds and enjoyed the weather. This morning he woke up much earlier than normal, and Nick was still asleep, but I didn't mind one bit to get up early and get him changed and fed. It was actually a bonus to get that extra bit of time with him!!