Thanksgiving Adventures

We traveled to Florida this past week to celebrate Thanksgiving with John's family. This was my first trip back there since we moved away over 2.5 years ago, so I was a little apprehensive about returning. I was quickly reminded of how thankful I am to not be living there anymore! Despite the warm temperatures (I'm a northern girl; it feels slightly weird to eat Thanksgiving dinner while wearing shorts!) and crazy drivers, we truly enjoyed our visit and the boys experienced some good quality time with their grandparents. Brennan warmed up to them very quickly and asked regularly where "dammy" (grandma) was, including asking as soon as we arrived home again!





One of the challenges with traveling means that sleep can be a bit disrupted. That was definitely the theme for our kiddos during the week. Brennan was so tired by Tuesday evening that it made mealtime a bit interesting! Only one other time has he fallen asleep during dinner due to extreme tiredness--and we were glad to get this time on video. Even though he was exhausted, he continued to "sleep eat" because he really wanted his waffle! (And, yes, we made sure he finished chewing his food and put him to bed before he fell out of the chair)

Owen turned seven months old yesterday. We celebrated by finishing our drive back home. I can't say it enough: we are super thankful for this little guy! He charmed everyone he met on our trip, smiled at everyone, and was thrilled to get held and loved on by his relatives. He's also been perfecting his sitting up skills, which means more interacting and playing with Brennan. What a joy Owen is to us!

A Weight-y Issue

At Owen's six-month check-up, we learned that he had gained virtually no weight since his four-month appointment. A disappointment, to be sure, as well as a matter for some concern. Since solids were still a challenge for him, it began to look like a milk supply issue. We immediately began supplementing with formula, but that presented it's own challenges. First, it was simply getting him to take a bottle. Then, between nursing, supplementing, and attempting solids, it seemed like I was constantly trying to get him to eat, which took up all his awake time and left him no time to play. Then came the somewhat difficult decision to stop nursing him. Thankfully, both Owen and I have adapted well to our new feeding arrangements. He takes a bottle like a champ and has finally decided that opening his mouth for solids might actually mean that he'll be rewarded with something tasty.

We headed in for a weight check this morning. Boy, were we surprised! After about 2.5 weeks, he's gained nearly 1.5 pounds--putting him at 15 lbs., 7.5 oz.! We are so thankful that he's gaining weight well and really thriving on his formula and solids.

Country Boys

Since I love country music, we listen to a LOT of country music throughout our day. Brennan really enjoys it and has a blast dancing to the tunes. His current favorite: "That's How Country Boys Roll" by Billy Currington. I got some of his moves on video (but, alas, when the camera comes out, the silly behavior starts), and even Owen showed some of his excitement.

Upright

Now that he's six months old, Owen definitely shows much more interest in being upright and engaging more in "conversation" with the rest of his family members on a little more level playing field. We've been working with him a bit on sitting up without assistance and last night was the first night he achieved more than just a few seconds. We loved catching this milestone on video!

Box Art

Thanks to Amazon Mom and a special promo code in my "Parents" magazine, I placed my first online order for diapers. While it might not be practical (or as cost-effective) to do that on a regular basis, it was really nice to have them dropped right on my doorstep. For Brennan, the best part was the huge box the diapers were shipped in. Its been a place to park his vehicles, and now it's becoming a huge work of art. Who knew what many functions a box could have!