A Name and a Blessing

Brody was given a name and a blessing on June 6th. It was a great blessing, Tyler did such a great job and didn't seem nervous at all. Brody looked HANDSOME! Oh my! My mom has this amazing talent of making, well, pretty much anything from prom dresses to Easter bunny suits to her grandkid's blessing outfits. She didn't think she would have time to finish little Broder's outfit so she bought one but knew that she would not be happy knowing that he was in an outfit she didn't make. So she put in long hours to complete it and the finished product was STYLIN'!

Look at that dimple!

The little cutie is growing like a weed. I took him in for his 5 week check and at 10 lbs 5 oz (63%)he had gained almost 3 lbs! He also grew 2 inches in length to be 22.75" (84%) and 2" in his head (41%). He goes back into the doctor in a few days for his 2 month check. We'll see where he's at then. He has been awesome at sleeping through the night too - eats about 10 then doesn't wake up until 5-6 am. I am so lucky!!

Love those little chubber cheeks!

In other happenings, Miss Brooke is getting to be quite the little boss of the house. Here she is sporting a spinach smoothie 'stache. She is picking up on so many things and remembers EVERYTHING it's scary!! (I need to be better at writing these down so we can read about them later!) Today I was grinding wheat and she asked me if I was making granola bars, which is what I made the last time I grinded wheat, at least a month ago.

She is such a little mommy, too! :) I was putting toys away the other day and put one of her babies in the basket in the closet. She saw it in there and scolded me "Don't put her in there", stood there for another couple minutes, appalled that I would have the audacity to put her baby in the closet "Don't put her in there, that scares her!"

I don't remember if I've mentioned this, but ever since Christmas Brooke has had this OBSESSION with Baby Jesus. Every baby is Baby Jesus. She was looking through the Friend the other day, saw a woman in a covered wagon holding a baby and got all excited that it was Baby Jesus. We have a Book of Mormon Stories book and the only pages she will even look at are 2 that have pictures of Baby Jesus. She carries around a little purse that has a felt puppet Nativity set and a little plastic Nativity set. One of the Mary's has a pink robe and the other has a blue, hence they are pink Mary and blue Mary. The have their home in her purse which she is sure to zip up so they are safe (because that's what a mom's job is - to keep them safe) and their home on the shelf in the entertainment center since that is where the first Nativity set was. She has learned to "read" her first book. It is about.......drum roll please...........take a wild guess......... Baby Jesus! It's a 5 stanza poem that she can recite word for word in her cute little voice. I guess if there's anything to have an obsession with, this one is not too bad!!

I had to move the little family out of the swing before I could put Brody in it. I guess it was nap time for them too!

Her other obsession is with Homeward Bound. Remember that Disney movie from 1993? She loves it! She tells me all the time about Shadow, Chance, and Sassy and how each one of them got hurt on their journey. On our recent trip to Canada (future post to come) we took pictures by a waterfall. Brooke was quick to point out that it was where Sassy got hurt and fell in the water. Good thing that nice guy was there to save her!

Mommy Must Haves

So, now that I'm the mother of two (crazy!!!) it is evident that there are several must have items that have helped to make my life a little easier and less chaotic. Thanks to Craigslist, I have been able to get most of them at a great price too.

My Brest Friend

Funny name, awesome pillow! With Brooke I had a Boppy handed down to me and it worked fine. But, I always wanted one of these because it has the back support and straps to you. Let's just say, with 2 kids you can't always be sitting down to feed and this makes that much easier!

Medela Double Electric PumpThere's no way I would have been able to nurse Brooke for a whole year without this thing. I would bring it with us when we were out an about so I could pump in the car as we were driving then I had a bottle ready whenever she decided she was hungry. Just be careful when going through airport security - they'll take it aside and do a chemical test FOR SURE (ask Elyse about that one). It's a breast pump, not a bomb!! I have also been known to pump as I'm driving home from work. Yeah, I know....it's a little odd, but hey, you've got to multi-task sometimes!

Udder Cover

I also didn't have one of these with Brooke and said that I would get one with the next baby. My sister Emily was awesome and got me one. I LOVE IT! I was never good at covering up with a blanket and always felt like I was going to flash someone so I would have to go in the other room to feed her and stuff. This has eliminated that! It would totally be easy to make though.

Front Carrier

Yet another item I told myself I wanted for the next baby. This has been awesome and I have used it a ton already. Brody loves it and it makes it so we can go out and go into places that the stroller wouldn't fit. We bought it brand new at a garage sale. I have seen the cloth wraps and stuff but I guess I'm more skeptical of those. I saw someone using one once and she had the thing wrapped around her about 8 times and I thought "No thank you!"

Bumbo chairWe bought this for Brooke and absolutely love it. It sure makes things easier when you're trying to keep the kid in one place

Gripe water

This I like to call "Magic in a bottle". This stuff is seriously amazing! I don't know exactly how, but this stuff will calm a fussy baby instantly. I asked the Pediatrician at the hospital what she thought of it, just to hear her opinion (since I had already formed my own through experience) and she said "Well, there's no real proof that it works, and although you really can't overdose your baby on it, why use it if it doesn't work?" Let me tell you, when I can't get Brody to stop fussing and everything else has been checked off (full tummy, diaper changed, blanket, pacifier) I give him some of this and he instantly calms down.

What are your Mommy Must Haves?