He Rolls!

Brennan is mastering the skill of rolling! A few days ago, he independently rolled from his stomach to his back. Despite my carrying on, he only did it once on his own. This afternoon, he rolled from his back to his stomach! We were both very proud and excited! He continued to roll over and over again...sometimes with a little help and other times independently!

Practice Makes Perfect

Recently, Brennan has been kicking quite a bit. When laying down, he'll raise both of his legs at his hips 90* and slam them down onto the floor/mattress/changing pad. He'll do it when he's excited or upset, more likely the latter. The optimist in me thinks he's practicing for future extra curricular activities: karate, soccer, swimming, etc. The pessimist in me thinks he's practicing for future temper tantrums.

New Neighbors

Over the weekend, we helped Adam's mom, step-dad, and brother move into a townhouse in Huron, about 15 minutes away from our house. They moved from Salem, about 2 hours away. We're all happy to be living closer together! ...but why is it that the weather is always near record high temperatures on moving days?

Our "Gerber" baby

Is it just me, or does Brennan look remarkably similar to the "Gerber" baby?

Skin Update

Brennan's skin is improving rapidly! He's back to being baby soft again!

He continues to get his antibiotic three times a day. He's not a huge fan of taking it and I think he's mainly bothered by it's cold temperature (we store it in the fridge). It also bothers his stomach, which is causing more frequent diaper changes and spit ups. I think we'll all be glad when he's done taking it on Thursday!

Last week, the pediatrician called to follow up on Brennan. He gave us the green light to start using his eczema cream again. He responded to the cream very quickly! We also apply Eucerin lotion several times a day to his entire body. His neck still gets red at times, but we think it's from wet bibs against his skin (refer to the previous statement about frequent spit ups). We've been going through several bibs a day in attempt to keep him dry.

5 Months Old!

Our beautiful boy is 5 months old! He's learning new things every day! He has a wonderful personality and loves to learn about his surroundings. We now understand what it means to see the world through the eyes of child! He becomes so excited and thrilled about little things..it's amazing!

*Brennan has mastered the skill of reaching for and picking up his toys and other objects. He's also become quite "grabby"--reaching for mouths, glasses, shirts, etc.
*He enjoys blowing raspberries, especially at the dinner table. This should make eating cereal and other food interesting!
*He likes to lick his lips and stick out his tongue.
*Brennan appears very interested in moving when laying on his stomach. He's very good about holding up his head and pushing up with his arms. But, when he moves his legs, he lowers his upper body and pushes his head into the floor...ouch!
*He continues to be very social, including smiling, laughing, and talking regularly. Many people that meet him ask if he is always so happy...yes, he is!
*We're continuing our sleep training and having Brennan put himself to sleep at night. He's getting better! Sometimes he cries for about 20 minutes, sometimes he talks himself to sleep, sometimes he cries for less than 5 minutes, and sometimes we don't hear a peep out of him! He continues to get up once during the night, usually around 3am, and is typically very good about going back to sleep on his own after eating. He rarely makes a sound after I put him back down!
*Brennan often tries to put his toes in his mouth, especially during diaper changes.
*He continues to enjoy sitting and standing and will regularly pull himself into one of these positions.
*In addition to grabbing at items, he's also repeatedly squeezing and scratching at objects, including some of his toys, burp clothes, our hands, and his highchair tray
*Brennan is becoming more interested in books. Previously, he would look around his room or at us when we read books. Now, he looks very intently at the illustrations and appears to be excited about some of the pictures.

Sensitive Skin and Sleep

Due to another issue with Brennan's sensitive skin, we made a trip the pediatrician yesterday afternoon. Over the last few days, his skin was very red in his creases (behind his knees, in his elbows, in his cute leg rolls, etc). Then, his entire body was very dry and attempts to moisturize with lotion appeared to be very painful. The doctor explained that Brennan has a minor case of staph infection related to his eczema and was prescribed an antibiotic. In just one day, his skin appears to be getting better. Although, the eczema on his cheeks returned very quickly during our break from his prescription cream. Poor little guy!

While at the doctor, Brennan was weighed. He's a whopping 18lbs 3oz!

Over the weekend, we started having Brennan put himself to sleep at night. Since then, the duration of his cries and whimpers have decreased slightly. The first night he cried for 27 minutes. Tonight, night 4, he fell asleep after approximately 15 minutes. He's woken up overnight each night, but after eating he is typically able to go back to sleep rather easily independently. We'll work on more consistent naps when I'm off of work for the summer.

Standing Tall

Brennan loves to stand, with a little help, of course, and is quite proficient at this new skill! He's also sitting with some support, but if you're holding his hands while he's sitting, he'll pull himself up into a standing position! He is very proud of himself and enjoys the new views!

He has also been a "Hokey Pokey" baby several nights this week. "Hokey Pokey" as in, he turns himself around in his crib! It's always a surprise to see him turned around 180* in the morning!

In other news, we're having new carpet installed in our house today! Most of the flooring in our house is either tile or hardwood, with the exception of our living room and hallway. The current carpet is white, has random stains, shows everything, and has an occasional odor of wet dog. We also have plans for curtains and new wall color. We'll have before and after pictures once the room is complete!