Summer Fun!

Since today's first post was long and boring, here's something a little more fun...

Brett has been working a lot lately, including over the weekend, so he came home early Monday afternoon to hang out with Kyler and I.

So we went to the pool and it was Kyler's first time.

He loves his bathtime so I thought he would probably enjoy the pool as well. Sure enough, he did!

And later that evening we went for a walk at the dog park. Kyler loved being outside and up where he could see everything.

But by the end of our walk, he was pooped!

Back to Work

We have been going back and forth on what I should do regarding going back to work. Well, we have finally come to a decision and the plans are finalized. I will be going back to work starting August 17 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and working from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. It is going to be tough on me leaving my little buddy but as long as he can nap there, I know he will absolutely love daycare.

Hanging out on Mom and Dad's bed 7/15/10.

At first we were thinking maybe I would just stay home with Kyler, we would put our house on the market in the spring, and then move to Seneca. This option was okay but we would have been digging into our savings most months before the house sold. I actually even went into work and told my boss that this was our plan. He was surprised and we came to the agreement that I should try to come back and work three days per week until we get our house sold. This is helping him out since they don't have anyone to replace me and I am scheduled for quite a bit of work and it helps us out since I will be bringing in at least some money. We will still be moving to Seneca as soon as the house sells. Brett is able to work remotely with his current job and I will pick up accounting and tax work around the area. We want to move to reduce our cost of living, be closer to family, and mostly so that Kyler can grow up in a small town.

This week we went and visited a day care center. It is pretty pricy even for three days a week but I really didn't feel all that comfortable leaving him in a home daycare with a bunch of other older kids since he is so tiny right now (okay, he is getting bigger but still my tiny baby). We felt like it was a good place for him to be so we secured his spot there. The whole time we were touring he was silent in his seat and really enjoyed watching some of the other babies play so I know he will love that part of it. As much as I try I'm just not that entertaining all day long.

Kyler watching his little friend, Kadence, play with blocks during our trip to Seneca last week.

My only major concern is that he will have a hard time napping at first. I have been trying to get him to sleep during the day in his crib but it is just too bright in his room. The only way I can get him to take a good nap is shutting the blinds in the living room and making it dark and quiet so there are no distractions (otherwise he will look around and be entertained enough to stay awake). And I put him in the swing with a paci and he usually falls right to sleep. So he naps in his swing, which he will not be able to do at daycare. The stupid state has a stupid rule that as soon as a baby goes to sleep they have to be laid in a crib. So poor Kyler will probably be a tired boy until he can get used to sleeping in a crib during the day in a bright and sometimes noisy room. And that makes his mommy sad and mad. The other negatives are that they will not use cloth diapers so we will end up buying disposables afterall. This is also sort of irritating because even Brett commented that "they really are easy." And they also don't allow glass bottles which isn't that big of deal but most of our bottles are glass.

So hopefully it all goes well. I know it is going to be way harder on me than Kyler but unless we want to be hermits and not buy anything or go anywhere it is the only way.

Little guy in the Bumbo chair on 7/16/10.

Yo Gabba Gabba

You may or may not have heard of the kids' show called "Yo Gabba Gabba." I had heard a couple of my friends with little kids describe it as "awesome" and "weird" but in both cases their babies and kids loved it. So I Tivo'd an episode to check it out and see if Kyler would like it.

Umm... he loved it!!! I sat him in his bouncy chair and his eyes were wide and glued to the screen. He was smiling, squealing, and moving his arms and legs like crazy. It was the cutest thing and the most happy and excited I have seen him. (Although how sad that the TV is more entertaining than his parents.) Here is a picture of the characters on the show. His favorite is Broby (sp?) which is the green one. I think Kyler likes his long arms that sort of swing around.

Don't worry, we are not letting the little guy watch too much TV. I just turn it on once or twice a day if he is getting a little fussy and I can't find something else to cheer him up. The shows are only about 20 minutes and sometimes if he's tired he doesn't even stay content watching it that long.

2 Months

Kyler's two month checkup was on Friday. He weighed in at 11 pounds 3 ounces. He is now in the 45th percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for height. The doctor thought his eyes will be green or hazel so we will have to wait and see. He also got a couple more shots which he wasn't too happy with but he didn't have any reactions once we got home.

We spent the first part of the week in Seneca at Grandma and Grandpa's. Brett was traveling for work and Great Uncle and Aunt Gene and Anita were visiting (Kyler's great great uncle). Kyler suprised me by sleeping through the night until around 6:00 am both nights we were there. He did the same the first night we were home but has been waking up once during the night since then. I guess we need to do a better job of wearing him out!

Saturday we went to Brett's parents' home to celebrate Great Grandpa Sonny's 75th birthday. It was a quick trip but we had a good time seeing everyone again. Kyler wasn't in the best of moods, probably due to the shots the day before.

Kyler likes to sit like a big boy in the stroller at Daddy's softball game on 7/15/10.

At two months...
Kyler really enjoys being upright to look around when he is held. He also enjoys lying on his back and stretching out, especially if he was been in the carseat or held a lot. He can roll over from front to back if he is in a good mood for his tummy time, otherwise he gets frustrated and upset. He is a pretty good eater although sometimes a little slow. And he will let you know if you are not doing the right thing for him - he goes into this ear piercing scream and his face turns bright red. You would think he was in some serious pain, but no, it is just his temper. He smiles and "talks" back to people pretty often and acknowledges people a lot more than he used to. And he loves watching the dogs play, and especially likes Baxter. Baxter can sometimes get him to smile when we can't get Kyler to stop fussing. He is starting to try to bat at toys on his activity mat but doesn't quite understand how to move his hands where he wants them to go. He can get his hands and arms into his mouth pretty easily though. And he has become a drooler lately, always trying to suck on his shirt collars and will sometimes bite on his paci rather than sucking on it. We think it might be a sign of an early teether. The doctor said he could be starting teething and might get them around 3 months. His favorite soother is definitely the swing accompanied by a pacifier. We can't wait to see what is in store for Kyler in the upcoming weeks/months. We are most looking forward for him to grab and play with toys and to hear him giggle!

Kyler and his Baxter Boy on 7/14/10.

Proof

Here is video proof that my baby rolls over. We were shocked to see Kyler rolling over again this morning. I was sure that yesterday's activities were just a perfect storm and we would not see a repeat performance for weeks. From what we've read, rolling front to back is an advanced skill for a 3 month old baby, and Kyler isn't quite even 2 months. But this morning before Brett left for work he wanted me to put Kyler on his tummy to see if he would roll over. It took him a long time but he evenually did it for Daddy to see. Then after Brett left I grabbed the camera to see if I could catch it on tape after his diaper change. Sure enough he did it again, and even faster this time. We are some proud parents but we can't believe how fast he is growing up already!

(Pardon the baby talk and bragging!)

Roll Over

Well, I'll get right to the point... Kyler rolled over on his own from front to back this morning. Brett had just left for work and Kyler had just finished eating. He was lying on our bed in a really good mood so I thought maybe he would be okay with some tummy time (he usually can't tolerate it more than 10 minutes or so). He was pretty happy and started sucking on his right arm/hand so it was way up near his head. Now that that arm was out of the way, he was able to move around and kick himself over on his right side. I was really excited but I don't even think he realized what he had done. After calling Brett and waiting a few minutes I turned him back over to see if we could get a repeat performance but Kyler was done with tummy time by then.

In other news, Brett and I had our first night out without Kyler on Sunday. For his birthday I ordered tickets to the Sublime/Matisyahu concert at City Market. My mom was nice enough to come spend the night and babysit. As we were getting ready to leave around 6:00 Kyler just started screaming... and he would not stop. This was by far the most screaming/crying he had done since he was born. We could tell it was because he had a tummy ache. Brett and I felt awful for Grandma Debbie for having to leave her with a screaming kid. But we had put him in his swing right before we left and he calmed down. And when we got home he was sound asleep and Grandma said he was a good boy after we were gone. Phew! So all was well at home and we had a great time at the concert. It was a nice night, they put on a good show, and we didn't even get rained on.

Kyler's Birth Announcements

As many of you already know, we finally got Kyler's birth announements out. I was super excited with the way they turned out. Our friend Amanda took the pictures for us and did an amazing job. You can see more from the session on our Picasa page (also linked at the top of the blog). Those photos were taken when Kyler was a little over two weeks old. My aunt Sandy did the announcements. She had also done the shower invitations. As you can see she is extremely creative and outstanding at what she does. If you know of anyone who needs wedding invitations, etc. check out her website at anythingcreativestudio.com.

Here is the front of the announcement.

And here is the inside and back. I thought the back was pretty funny/cute!

July 4th Weekend

We had another busy weekend over July 4th. Friday night we went to a friend's barbeque. Saturday night we headed to Topeka for my aunt Shelly's annual Independence Eve party. We watched and listened to lots of fireworks. Kyler was not frightened of the noise at all and he loved the pretty ones lighting up the sky. In fact, he was wide-eyed throughout the show and fell asleep as soon as it was over.

Kyler looking a little patriotic.

On Sunday morning he headed to Wichita and met some friends for lunch. They live in Colorado and are expecting a baby boy in September. Brett is excited that Kyler will have a little friend in Colorado, one more reason to get out near the slopes. Then we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Brack's for the family gathering. Grandma Tammy's 50th was on Friday so we celebrated with ice cream cake. Yum! Kyler must be used to his own bed because he slept in about 30 minute increments all night. Mommy and Daddy were pretty worn out by morning. But the birthday breakfast on Monday morning in the nearby Amish community of Yoder made up for it. After breakfast we headed back to the farm for lunch with some close family and friends.

Thankfully when we got back home Kyler was a good baby and slept 6 hours. He was a very happy baby on Tuesday which was very enjoyable. Even last night he slept pretty well and woke up happy again. When he woke up at 6:00 Brett went in and turned on his mobile and we could hear some happy squeals coming from his room. What an awesome way to start the day! Below are some videos of some more happy moments in Mom and Dad's bed this morning.

Precious Moments

After a bit of a rough night, Kyler gave me some precious moments to forget all about it. Here is a picture of our growing boy and below are some videos for your enjoyment.

Here he is during our little play time. He has the hiccups and is making some other cute baby noises and faces.


And here he is (still with the hiccups) talking to his mobile.


And one of my favorite things is to watch him as he is dosing off for a nap.

6 Weeks Old

Kyler is 6 weeks old today. Time is flying by! He is getting bigger and developing more and more of a personality. Although I hate seeing my baby get to be more of a big boy, he is more and more fun every day.

Yesterday was Brett's birthday. He is 28 and feeling a little old. :) But to celebrate we grilled some steaks for dinner and then headed to the Royals game. It was a BEAUTIFUL night to be outside at the game. And we thought just maybe they would come back and win. But of course they lost by one and their last out was a strike-out looking (and not swinging). Typical. Anyway, Kyler did really well at the game. He sat on our laps just looking around like crazy. Brett kept commenting on how much he was moving his arms and legs. Sometimes we think Kyler really thinks he is going somewhere. He loves sitting upright where he can take it all in. And he really really loves being outside.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

I purchased a mobile for Kyler's crib and it came in yesterday. He was already smiling and cooing at it as I was putting it together. But the real value came this morning. Usually when the sun comes up and it gets bright in Kyler's room around 6:30 he does not want to go back to sleep. But I do! So this morning I got up and fed him and he was of course wide awake. So I put him in his bed with his paci and turned the mobile on. And that's how I was able to sleep in until around 9:00. Well, I had to get up to turn the mobile back on since it shut off automatically after 20 minutes... but I can handle that.

The Tiny Love Sweet Island Dreams Mobile

This morning Kyler had a doctor visit. He is right on track in terms of growth. His weight is 9 pounds 14 ounces (50th percentile), height is 21.5 inches (45th percentile), and head circumference is 15 (50th percentile). Although he wasn't due for any vaccinations until 2 months, we asked the pediatrician if we could space some of them out instead of him getting a bunch at one time. Since he is 6 weeks, she went ahead and gave him a couple today and he will get the rest at our 2 month visit. Today he got the Rotavirus vaccine which was something he had to drink. And he got one shot for DTaP/Polio/HIB. He screamed as expected but got over it pretty quickly. I thought it would make me really sad based on what I have heard from other moms but Brett and I were sort of laughing. Maybe we are just bad parents. ;)  Or maybe we just have a tough guy that only screamed for a few seconds. He has done well since we got home, just screaming harder than usual when he does fuss or cry.

"OOOOUUUCCCCHHHH!!!!!"

"A kiss from Daddy and my paci make it all better!"

"Mom, quit taking pictures of this and pick me up. This isn't funny!"