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?

Brody's First Fashion Shoot

My mom came and stayed with me for a couple weeks once Tyler went back to work. It was great having her here. One morning I woke up at 9 and kind of panicked because Brooke usually wakes up by 7. Don't worry, my mom got up with her and fed her and played until I woke up. That was so nice! She also made Brody burp rags, receiving blankets, and a silky blanket (they have become famous in our families, a definite must have for the kids!), helped me make some freezer meals that will be easy dinners, did some mending for me, let me get away for a Target run (I was seriously having withdrawals!), took Brooke potty numerous times while I was feeding Brody, and much more! Thanks mom, it was great having you here! My dad was also able to come down and bring a load of wheat (what for, you ask? Check it out here) and spend a couple days with us. They now have 7 grandkids!

She also brought the blessing tuxedos that she has made for the boys in the past (seriously very talented!). So, we put the little trooper in them and took a little photo shoot. We were even able to get a couple with his eyes open. Once again, excuse the very non-professional photos!Now that's a wink and a smile! Check out the little dimple on his left cheek. So cute!

Brody is so sweet and such a good baby. He is much more alert now. Every time he wakes up Brooke says "Mama, he opened his eyes!" It's so fun to see her interact with him. She helps out so much with getting his burp rag and diapers and so on. He still sleeps well and only wakes up around 4 am for a feeding. It seems like every picture I take of him he is sleeping, but I love looking at him and wondering what he is dreaming about. We can definitely tell he is growing, his little face is starting to fill out. So cute! He has also taken to the paci. I'm not so sure how I feel about this, but sometimes he thinks that he has to be sucking on something to fall asleep. I'm avoiding becoming the human paci, so he gets the plastic.

2 weeks

2 1/2 weeks

3 weeks3 weeks

My Little Brookie

So, I am grateful that Camilla set up a little photo shoot for the cousins. Otherwise, poor Brooke would not have any professional pictures of herself for more than a year! (And we know that the photos I take do not come anywhere near professional!) Anyway, here she is - in all her silliness and girly-ness (the doll was supposed to distract her so she would sit still - it ended up being a cute little prop for her as well!).


Last but not least, I had to get one with my little sweetheart! (I told the photographer I didn't want my preggo belly in it!) I LOVE BROOKIE HUGS!!!

My little man's first week

I can't believe that Brody will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. This is just reminding me of how quickly time flies and how he is going to grow so fast. It reminds me that I need to cherish every day! Brody has definitely been changing with each day. He is such a good baby. I seriously am so thankful for that! I was really nervous about having him because I know how hard it can be to have a newborn, and then add a 2 yr old to that! I seriously didn't know how I would be able to hand things. He is soooo good and sweet though! He usually eats every 4-6 hours (quite different from Brooke's 2 1/2 - 3 hour feeding schedule) and has been sleeping 6-7 hours at night. I feel so blessed!

My mom came into town last week to meet the little guy and help me. It has been so nice to have her here and she has been a big help!

Here's some pictures from his first week. He has the cutest little dimple when he smiles, I just haven't been able to catch a picture of it yet! He also has these amazing deep blue eyes, which we are seeing more and more of as he is becoming more alert. (Excuse the amateur photography!!)

Brody on his birth day

4 days old
5 days old

6 days old
1 week old
My two babes

As far as Brooke, she has been doing very well with Brody. She is protective of him and loves to show us how soft she can be. She is very good at not touching his face and loves to give him kisses on his head. The first night we had him home she was trying to figure out exactly what we had here and pinched his cheek. It really made her feel bad because he screamed (didn't cry though) and she realized this little guy was different from the dolls she has! She has been the best big sister!

This is a picture we had taken about a month ago. She looks so old!

Introducing.......

Brody Tyler Workman!!

He was born April 28th at 11:54 am. He weighed 7 lb 11oz and is 20 3/4" long. At first we thought he looked a lot like Brooke did when she was born, although I didn't think that he looked as much like Tyler as Brooke did. His hair seemed to have some strawberry color to it, but every day it seems to be darker and has lost the tint of red.

I need to write down the details of his birth since I'm not good at journaling any other way.

Monday the 27th was my last day at work. I was very tired that night but looking forward the days ahead when I would have time to catch up on things and get the house all ready for the baby. Because I wasn't due until Saturday and I went 6 days overdue with Brooke, in my head I thought that would be the case with this pregnancy as well. I had Braxton-Hicks contractions and some that were definitely real over the previous 2 weeks, but nothing consistent. I saw the OB the week before who said I was only dilated to a 1, which was normal for 38 1/2 weeks but my cervix was still very high.

Tuesday morning I woke up about 5:45 with a lot of lower back pain. I had pain before so I thought that I was just getting to the point that I needed to sleep with a pillow behind my back. I tried to change position and finally got another pillow to put behind my back. As I laid there I started to have pain in my belly like some bad cramps. I laid there for about 30 minutes then decided to get up and see if that made the pain go away.

Tyler and I went downstairs, I had some Cheerios and just kind of waited for the contractions to go away like they always had in the past. As time went on they definitely were not going away and I knew that it would be the day. I started to kind of freak out about all the things that I was going to get done that weren't done yet.

I went upstairs and started packing a bag (I had it in my head so much that I would go overdue that I didn't even have a bag packed). I packed one for Brooke also and Tyler called my sis Emily to see if we she could watch her while we went to the hospital. I decided to shower and get ready and just keep track of the contractions. The last thing I wanted to do is get to the hospital and have them tell me that I wasn't far enough to admit me and to go back home. As I was showering and getting ready I was having steady and worsening contractions. By the time I was done and dressed it was about 10 and I was definitely needing to get to the hospital. We dropped Brooke off at Emily's and Tyler dropped me off at the door of the hospital.

I walked into the Woman's entrance of the hospital and walked up to lady that was sitting at the desk. I was in so much pain I couldn't talk and she said something about registration and to have a seat. I sat down, Tyler came in. After a few minutes I told him to ask how long it would be. He went up there and the lady hadn't told them I was there yet. The hurried and got a wheelchair and took me back into the labor and delivery triage. I was thinking I was at like a 3-4. She checked me and said it was at a 7-8 with a bulging water sack and the baby's head right there.

They immediately got me back into a delivery room and had the anesthesiologist there in minutes. I was so grateful for that epidural! Those who can endure that without one are amazing! A short time later Dr. Beck showed up and told the nurses to prepare for delivery. My water still hadn't broken, so he broke it. On the next contraction they had me push. One more contraction and we had a baby! The hospital has us checking in at 10:54 and he was born at 11:54. It definitely was a different experience than with my 17 something hour delivery with Brooke.

When Brody was born he took a big gulp of amniotic fluid. The nurse suctioned out 25 mL of fluid from his stomach (that's about 5 teaspoons). He has been such a good baby, the only time we heard him really cry for the first 24 hours or so was when he was first born even when they kept sticking the tube down his stomach to draw out the fluid. He also had bruising on his nose and upper lip from being delivered so fast. He caught on to nursing right away.

The first night in the hospital he went 6 hours without eating- I would try feeding him and all he wanted to do was sleep. The only way I knew he was hungry is that he kind of whimpered. We ended up staying an extra night just to make sure all the amniotic fluid was out of his stomach.

The first time Brooke saw Brody she kind of didn't know what to think, she just looked at him. Once she sat on the bed with me and I helped her to hold him she didn't want to stop giving him kisses and saying "My baby". She is such a good big sister, always showing us how she can be soft and helping to burp him.

We are officially a family of 4!!
Brody had lots of family visit him in the hospital, including: Grandma and Grandpa Workman, Grandma and Grandpa Carling, Deena, Landon, Ryan, Camilla, Kayden, Sherri, Mallory, Taylor, Kylee, Emily and Kyden.