Since Dr. Nash said his head wasn't rounding out as much as she'd like to see, we have been trying to keep Gunner off his back as much as possible. Meaning, unless he is sleeping, having his diaper changed or in his car seat, he is off his back.
We have found that this is nearly impossible and totally inconvenient. He doesn't exactly love being on his tummy, even though that is the new trick he learned. He likes to flip from his back to his tummy, but once he is there, he doesn't enjoy it nearly as much as we would like him to.
We also have a Bumbo chair that we put him in. But he gets sick of it pretty easily and tries to get out of it when he gets tired of sitting in it or he sees something interesting on the floor and tries to grab it.
What he does enjoy a lot are his Excersaucers, or activity seats. He sits in them and plays with all the toys. And when I say "play," I mean he tries to get them in his mouth. It also helps him stand up a little bit.
He gets really excited and will stay busy for a while. But when he's tired of it, he is pretty vocal about getting out. Luckily if he is tired of it, he is just tired in general and will go for a nap.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Yum yum -- cereal!
They say there are certain cues for when your baby is ready to try solid foods. He may try to grab your food or watch you intently as you eat. Since Gunner was sort of showing these signs, we thought we'd give rice cereal a try.
A couple of things to note: Rice cereal does not mean Rice Krispies. It sort of looks like instant mashed potato flakes. And "solid" foods is pretty misleading. You are supposed to add formula until it becomes a soupy consistency.
Anyway, we tried to give it to G. He didn't really know what to do with it, so he sort of pushed it out of his mouth. Dr. Nash said he might do that. I think he managed to get a little bit of it down, but we'll just have to keep trying until he gets it. Seems like he may not be totally ready yet. But we're sure it will be pretty soon!
A couple of things to note: Rice cereal does not mean Rice Krispies. It sort of looks like instant mashed potato flakes. And "solid" foods is pretty misleading. You are supposed to add formula until it becomes a soupy consistency.
Anyway, we tried to give it to G. He didn't really know what to do with it, so he sort of pushed it out of his mouth. Dr. Nash said he might do that. I think he managed to get a little bit of it down, but we'll just have to keep trying until he gets it. Seems like he may not be totally ready yet. But we're sure it will be pretty soon!
Here Comes Santa Claus
It's Gunner's first Christmas. It wouldn't be complete without a trip to see ol' St. Nick.
We took Gunner to Aisha's work party to see Santa for the very first time. We stood in line for a good 20 minutes just so Gunner could sit on Santa's lap. Mrs. Claus was there too.
Of course, G didn't really know what was going on. He was sort of looking off in the distance.
We took Gunner to Aisha's work party to see Santa for the very first time. We stood in line for a good 20 minutes just so Gunner could sit on Santa's lap. Mrs. Claus was there too.
Of course, G didn't really know what was going on. He was sort of looking off in the distance.
4-month Doctor Visit
G had his 4-month doctor appointment Dec. 9. We couldn't wait to get him in there to see how much the little guy weighs. He feels heavier and heavier every day. We figured he had to weigh at least 16 pounds.
And we were right. Gunner tipped the scales at 17 pounds, 9 ounces. Hard to believe that is pretty much 10 pounds more than what he weighed at birth. It is unbelievable how much he has grown, not only in weight but in height too.
A few people have affectionately called him "chubby" but Jim and I think he is just fine.
Also at this appointment he got his dreaded 2nd round of immunizations. He was very brave again and only cried for a little bit.
Dr. Nash gave us the go ahead to start giving him solid foods, so Gunner will get to try rice cereal in a few weeks. She also said he needs to play more on his tummy because she is worried about his head staying a little flat in the back. Looks like we got some work ahead of us!
And we were right. Gunner tipped the scales at 17 pounds, 9 ounces. Hard to believe that is pretty much 10 pounds more than what he weighed at birth. It is unbelievable how much he has grown, not only in weight but in height too.
A few people have affectionately called him "chubby" but Jim and I think he is just fine.
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| I'm not chubby, I'm just very healthy! |
Also at this appointment he got his dreaded 2nd round of immunizations. He was very brave again and only cried for a little bit.
Dr. Nash gave us the go ahead to start giving him solid foods, so Gunner will get to try rice cereal in a few weeks. She also said he needs to play more on his tummy because she is worried about his head staying a little flat in the back. Looks like we got some work ahead of us!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Gunner gets things rolling!
Well, we knew this day would come. Gunner had been so close to rolling over for the last week or so that we knew he was about to get there. It happened three days ago and now, it's old hat. Gunner is rolling over quicker than the Chiefs out in San Diego.
And with his ability to go from his back to his belly so easily, his nights have become interesting as well. He rolled over for Nan Monday afternoon and when it was time to go get him from his crib Tuesday morning, there he was sleeping away on his belly. Not bad for the little guy. He tends to get fussy after about 20 minutes of tummy time during the day.
Aisha saw him close to rolling over at about 3 a.m. when she got up to check on him. My guess is that he made the move a few seconds later because his whimpers and whines stopped on a dime and we didn't hear a word out of him until he woke up, grinning ear-to-ear at about 7:15.
Now he's everywhere in the crib. Aisha checked him last night at about 1 a.m. when he was squirming around a bit, not only had he rolled over, he was facing the opposite direction from when we put him to bed earlier that night.
Look out world, here he comes. Next thing we know, he'll have his driver's license.
And with his ability to go from his back to his belly so easily, his nights have become interesting as well. He rolled over for Nan Monday afternoon and when it was time to go get him from his crib Tuesday morning, there he was sleeping away on his belly. Not bad for the little guy. He tends to get fussy after about 20 minutes of tummy time during the day.
Aisha saw him close to rolling over at about 3 a.m. when she got up to check on him. My guess is that he made the move a few seconds later because his whimpers and whines stopped on a dime and we didn't hear a word out of him until he woke up, grinning ear-to-ear at about 7:15.
Now he's everywhere in the crib. Aisha checked him last night at about 1 a.m. when he was squirming around a bit, not only had he rolled over, he was facing the opposite direction from when we put him to bed earlier that night.
Look out world, here he comes. Next thing we know, he'll have his driver's license.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Raspberries and LOL'ing
Gunner has an array of noises that he makes. Sometimes he coos. Sometimes he sighs. Sometimes he burps. Sometimes he cries. Wait a second ... that sounds like a Dr. Seuss book or something.
Anyway, lately he has added blowing raspberries and laughing to his repertoire.
I think he is still in the earlier stages of blowing raspberries. It doesn't quite have that farty sound to it yet, but he does stick his little tongue out and make cute little mini raspberries. We tried to catch some of it on video.
He also smiles (a lot -- he is such a happy baby) and a few times he has laughed (or close to it). Once when he had the hiccups and Papa bounced him on his knee making hiccup sounds; another time when I kept calling him a scallywag over and over. "You ... scallywag!" I got that from Mrs. Doubtfire, a fine film starring Robin Williams in drag.
Then there was the time when Aunt Allison kept saying "dasso ... dee-double-oh-gee good" (aka the jingle for KFC with a Bradford twist). And by the way -- who were the marketing geniuses that came up with THAT jingle? No matter how annoying, Gunner just loved it and smiled every time she said it. He'll probably be hooked on KFC when he grows up.
Anyway, lately he has added blowing raspberries and laughing to his repertoire.
I think he is still in the earlier stages of blowing raspberries. It doesn't quite have that farty sound to it yet, but he does stick his little tongue out and make cute little mini raspberries. We tried to catch some of it on video.
He also smiles (a lot -- he is such a happy baby) and a few times he has laughed (or close to it). Once when he had the hiccups and Papa bounced him on his knee making hiccup sounds; another time when I kept calling him a scallywag over and over. "You ... scallywag!" I got that from Mrs. Doubtfire, a fine film starring Robin Williams in drag.
Then there was the time when Aunt Allison kept saying "dasso ... dee-double-oh-gee good" (aka the jingle for KFC with a Bradford twist). And by the way -- who were the marketing geniuses that came up with THAT jingle? No matter how annoying, Gunner just loved it and smiled every time she said it. He'll probably be hooked on KFC when he grows up.
Decorating Our Tree
The day after Thanksgiving, we skipped the Black Friday mayhem and stayed home to watch some college football and decorate our Christmas tree. That's usually when our tree goes up every year, right after Thanksgiving. Any earlier just doesn't seem right.
I thought Gunner would be excited about seeing the tree go up and all the colorful lights, but he took a nap instead. Oh well. It gave us time to finish decorating and clean up a little bit.
But he did discover it later on that night after we plopped him down in his Bumbo seat (that's the blue chair thingy in the photo). He sort of just stared at it for a while. Probably wondering where all the presents were!
I thought Gunner would be excited about seeing the tree go up and all the colorful lights, but he took a nap instead. Oh well. It gave us time to finish decorating and clean up a little bit.
But he did discover it later on that night after we plopped him down in his Bumbo seat (that's the blue chair thingy in the photo). He sort of just stared at it for a while. Probably wondering where all the presents were!
Gunner’s first Thanksgiving
Sure, we had a barbecue for Labor Day.
Gunner even got to dress up as a penguin for Halloween and go trick-or-treating at Rick and Karen’s.
But we really didn’t get a chance to celebrate our first real holiday with Gunner until last week when the whole family got together for Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving has always been a big holiday with our family. It got even bigger when Aisha joined in on the fun several years ago. We’ve always had plenty to be thankful for, but man, never anything like this.
What a day.
We made our way over to Nan and Pa’s house with Oma Dhani, my sisters, the boys, my Aunt Pat, Grandma Margaret and cousin. We even got the pleasure of a visit from my cousin from Chicago, Erin, her husband Brian and their two sons Nathan and Cullen.
So much fun, so much food.
Gunner was the life of the party. And he behaved so well.
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| GG and Gunner |
And as much as Nan wanted to give him some mashed potatoes, it’s just not time. Gunner’s first Thanksgiving meal came in a bottle.
The sweet sounds of bedtime
Every night, we get Gunner ready for bed at about the same time. First he gets a bath, then he we get his pajamas on and get him ready for his last feeding before bedtime. It’s a perfect time to get him to unwind and relax a bit.
And lately, he’s been getting a little bit of extra help — a little bit of music.
No, not from tone deaf dad or the delicate soothing sounds from mom, it’s the soft sounds from the stereo that have been a favorite in Gunner’s room.
An awesome CD from Nan and Pa that was personally made just for Gunner starts it off. Some lullaby standards made just for Gunner with his name in the songs and everything. It’s pretty awesome.
Follow that up with lullaby renditions of U2 and Journey (courtesy of Jerry and Lisa) and there are times when Aisha and I get caught singing along and don’t want to leave the room. I never thaought that a xylophone, chimes and a glockenspiel could make “Don’t Stop Believin’” any better. Who knew?
It’s a perfect way to end the day.
He loves it now and he’ll appreciate it later.
Roll Over. Sit. Stay.
Uh-oh. It's happening. He's starting to get mobile! Well, not really. But sort of.
Gunner can now roll over onto his side when he's on his back. He has yet to flip all the way over, but it will just be a matter of time. He just hasn't figured out what to do with his arm yet.
He also is consistently holding his head up during tummy time. Although after about 5 minutes or so of this and he gets tired and either gets fussy or just lays his down. So we probably don't have to worry about him crawling around just yet.
Gunner can now roll over onto his side when he's on his back. He has yet to flip all the way over, but it will just be a matter of time. He just hasn't figured out what to do with his arm yet.
He also is consistently holding his head up during tummy time. Although after about 5 minutes or so of this and he gets tired and either gets fussy or just lays his down. So we probably don't have to worry about him crawling around just yet.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Back to work!
Today was Veterans Day, the day we honor our military veterans. It was also the day I went back to work full-time.
I chose to go back on a Thursday. People say it is better to come back mid-week so you don't have to endure a whole week right off the bat. I think that was pretty sound advice.
It wasn't as difficult to leave the house as I'd imagined it would be. And throughout the morning I wasn't nearly as sad as I'd imagined I'd be. My morning actually went by really fast. Before I knew it, it was 11:45 and I was out the door and on my way home for lunch.
I really didn't worry at all because I knew that Gunner was in good hands at home with his Nana. If we had to send him to a day care with strangers I probably would have been a little more worried and a lot more frantic as the day wore on.
When I got home for lunch, Gunner was happy as a clam, taking a nap while Nan ate lunch. He woke up soon after I got there, and I got to cuddle him and tell him how much I missed him!
My afternoon back at work also went by really fast. It helped that I had plenty of work to do and a couple of afternoon meetings. When 5 o'clock rolled around, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the day had gone for me, and I made my way home, excited to see my baby.
At home, Nana said that little Gunner had some tummy troubles in the afternoon. He was fussy and didn't nap well. He welcomed his Nana to her new job with a giant stinky diaper load. I'm sure she forgave him though.
So all in all, day 1 back to work went fairly well for all of us. And we'll start it all over again tomorrow. But at least it will be Friday!
I chose to go back on a Thursday. People say it is better to come back mid-week so you don't have to endure a whole week right off the bat. I think that was pretty sound advice.
It wasn't as difficult to leave the house as I'd imagined it would be. And throughout the morning I wasn't nearly as sad as I'd imagined I'd be. My morning actually went by really fast. Before I knew it, it was 11:45 and I was out the door and on my way home for lunch.
I really didn't worry at all because I knew that Gunner was in good hands at home with his Nana. If we had to send him to a day care with strangers I probably would have been a little more worried and a lot more frantic as the day wore on.
When I got home for lunch, Gunner was happy as a clam, taking a nap while Nan ate lunch. He woke up soon after I got there, and I got to cuddle him and tell him how much I missed him!
My afternoon back at work also went by really fast. It helped that I had plenty of work to do and a couple of afternoon meetings. When 5 o'clock rolled around, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the day had gone for me, and I made my way home, excited to see my baby.
At home, Nana said that little Gunner had some tummy troubles in the afternoon. He was fussy and didn't nap well. He welcomed his Nana to her new job with a giant stinky diaper load. I'm sure she forgave him though.
So all in all, day 1 back to work went fairly well for all of us. And we'll start it all over again tomorrow. But at least it will be Friday!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Grabbing Toys
Coming up on 3 months here. Gunner is now able to grab and hold some of his toys. They seem a lot more interesting to him now. He smiles and plays a lot with all kinds of toys: Charlie, Monkey, Bob and Jeffrey (toys named by his cousin Corey), and Ladybug. He pretty much will play with anything you give him, even a spit rag.
It is really amazing to watch him reach for toys and discover that he can touch and feel them. It really happened quickly. One day he just stared at toys with closed fists and the next he was grabbing him and bringing them to his face. It's so cute!
It is really amazing to watch him reach for toys and discover that he can touch and feel them. It really happened quickly. One day he just stared at toys with closed fists and the next he was grabbing him and bringing them to his face. It's so cute!
Sleeping through the night!
Gunner started sleeping in longer stretches right around the age of 11 weeks. At first we put him in his swing because he slept the longest stretches in there. But after a few days we tried migrating him over to his crib. Now we can put him in his crib and he is sleeping through the night. We usually try to get him in bed by 9 or 9:30 p.m. and sometimes he wakes up around 7 a.m., sometimes around 8 a.m. -- it varies. But we are so lucky to have such a good baby!
Once in a while he will be noisy in the middle of the night, but usually if we put a pacifier in his mouth he will go right back to sleep. Those days of waking up every 2 hours or so seem like a distant memory now.
He is also the happiest when he first wakes up. He must be very happy to see people after being in slumberland.
Once in a while he will be noisy in the middle of the night, but usually if we put a pacifier in his mouth he will go right back to sleep. Those days of waking up every 2 hours or so seem like a distant memory now.
He is also the happiest when he first wakes up. He must be very happy to see people after being in slumberland.
Gunner's First Halloween
For Gunner's first Halloween we dressed him in a penguin costume. I'm not sure he was really excited about his first Halloween, since he doesn't eat candy and all, but it was still fun for us.
We went to Aunt Allison's in the afternoon for chili and cinnamon rolls. Then we put him in his costume so that everyone could see how cute he was. His bow tie was bigger than his face!
Then we headed home so we could pass out candy and Gunner could go trick or treating. It was a little brisk, but Gunner stayed warm in his penguin costume. It was like a giant fleece blanket. We went to our next door neighbor's house and our neighbors Rick and Karen gave Gunner his very first ever Halloween candy, even if he didn't say "Trick or treat." He got some M&Ms, which Jim and I enjoyed on his behalf.
We went to Aunt Allison's in the afternoon for chili and cinnamon rolls. Then we put him in his costume so that everyone could see how cute he was. His bow tie was bigger than his face!
Then we headed home so we could pass out candy and Gunner could go trick or treating. It was a little brisk, but Gunner stayed warm in his penguin costume. It was like a giant fleece blanket. We went to our next door neighbor's house and our neighbors Rick and Karen gave Gunner his very first ever Halloween candy, even if he didn't say "Trick or treat." He got some M&Ms, which Jim and I enjoyed on his behalf.
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| That's the cutest penguin I've ever seen. |
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| Helping mom and dad pass out candy. |
Future quarterback?
The other day, I told Omar that Gunner has now received 2 shirts that say "Future Quarterback." And Omar's response was "Of course. With a name like Gunner Bradford, what do you expect?"
So -- no pressure or anything, son, but you kinda DO have a pretty good quarterback name.
We think the football looks good in his hands. We're just sayin'.
So -- no pressure or anything, son, but you kinda DO have a pretty good quarterback name.
We think the football looks good in his hands. We're just sayin'.
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| His rookie card. |
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| Pass is complete! |
His First Cold
Dr. Nash said it would happen right around 3 months old, and it did. Gunner got his first cold after he turned 12 weeks old. He was sneezing and had a little cough. Plus his little nose was running.
I felt so bad for him. All we could do is give him some saline drops in his nose and try to suck out the snot with the booger sucker.
It didn't really seem to affect Gunner at all. He was still very happy and playful. He just sounded congested so it was sort of sad. Poor little baby ...
I felt so bad for him. All we could do is give him some saline drops in his nose and try to suck out the snot with the booger sucker.
It didn't really seem to affect Gunner at all. He was still very happy and playful. He just sounded congested so it was sort of sad. Poor little baby ...
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| His little runny nose :( |
12 weeks old? What?!?
October 23, 2010 ...
It really is unbelievable. There are no other words for it. Gunner is now 12 weeks old. What's that you say? Yes, 12 weeks. Has it really been that long since our little Gunner entered this world? Seems like the blink of an eye.
Dr. Nash let us know some the milestones we can expect to reach as he approaches 3 months old. He is starting to see in color (which is evident by his increased interest in his colorful toys), he will start smiling and cooing, and he will start holding his head up more and more.
And he is just getting so big!
It really is unbelievable. There are no other words for it. Gunner is now 12 weeks old. What's that you say? Yes, 12 weeks. Has it really been that long since our little Gunner entered this world? Seems like the blink of an eye.
Dr. Nash let us know some the milestones we can expect to reach as he approaches 3 months old. He is starting to see in color (which is evident by his increased interest in his colorful toys), he will start smiling and cooing, and he will start holding his head up more and more.
And he is just getting so big!
Uh-oh! Time for shots!
September, 29, 2010 ...
Hard to believe, but Gunner has passed the 8-week mark. Unbelievable that he is 2 months old now! And if you didn't know, that also means it's time for his first immunizations.
We went to see Dr. Nash and the nurses at College Park today for his 2-month checkup and the dreaded shots.
G weighed in at 13 pounds, and 23 inches. He is around the 70-ish percentiles in both areas. So he has basically doubled in weight since birth.
He was very brave today when he got his shots. He cried of course, but calmed down soon after and was asleep and seemingly normal by the time we put him in the car. We'll see how he does tonight. Hopefully he stays strong and brave and doesn't fuss too much the rest of the day.
Hard to believe, but Gunner has passed the 8-week mark. Unbelievable that he is 2 months old now! And if you didn't know, that also means it's time for his first immunizations.
We went to see Dr. Nash and the nurses at College Park today for his 2-month checkup and the dreaded shots.
G weighed in at 13 pounds, and 23 inches. He is around the 70-ish percentiles in both areas. So he has basically doubled in weight since birth.
He was very brave today when he got his shots. He cried of course, but calmed down soon after and was asleep and seemingly normal by the time we put him in the car. We'll see how he does tonight. Hopefully he stays strong and brave and doesn't fuss too much the rest of the day.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Fashion Show
Gunner has received so many great gifts from family and friends, especially clothes. He is growing so fast though, I am afraid he won't be able to wear them all. I have not yet resorted to playing dress up with him, but here are a few pictures of him wearing some various outfits, just in case he can only wear them once.
He has many more to show off. You'll have to wait for the next fashion show to see the pics.
Where's the poop?
For the past week or so, Gunner's digestive systems seems to have slowed down. He goes a few days without a dirty diaper at all! We asked Dr. Nash about it at his 2-month appointment and she said that it was completely normal for babies his age to go several days without a poopy diaper.
We recently introduced some formula into Gunner's diet, so that also could have contributed to the change in BM frequency. It is sort of worrying Jim and me, but I suppose we should be happy that we don't have to wipe up as much poop as we used to!
He does still have a lot of farts, and boy he sure does take after his daddy in that department, because they are pretty stinky!
We recently introduced some formula into Gunner's diet, so that also could have contributed to the change in BM frequency. It is sort of worrying Jim and me, but I suppose we should be happy that we don't have to wipe up as much poop as we used to!
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| It wasn't me, it was daddy! |
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