Brennan's First Boo

Today was Brennan's first Halloween. It was also the last first holiday that she will have! That saddens me a little, but she had a really good time! We dressed her in the outfit Giggie sent: an orange onesie that says 'Take Me to My Mummy', spiderweb leggings, black socks, and her black Reeboks. She was adorable! At one point, we put a wig on her briefly. Hilarious! James has been so busy with his course work that he wasn't even sure that he was going to dress up. However, at the SLP dinner last Friday night, the Korean teachers were talking about what James was going to be for Halloween. So, he really felt that he couldn't let them down by not doing anything. At the last minute (about an hour before he went to work), he decided that he would be a zombie. He had makeup left over from his costume last year, so he used that to pull off "the look". Brennan was fascinated the whole time he was getting ready and kept coming to me like she wanted me to do something to "help" Daddy. Super cute. On the way to work, Brennan could not stop staring at him. Picture ripped clothes, pale makeup, dark circles, fake blood.... It was so great. I was really glad that she wasn't upset. When we got to SLP, the supervisor gave Brennan her first Halloween candy. She was in such a happy mood and really enjoyed seeing everyone dressed up.

Daddy and Brennan. October 31, 2011.

My Brilliant and Busy Little B

Brennan astounds me almost hourly these days. I would say daily, but that doesn't really cut it. She is seriously developing so quickly these days that it is really hard to keep up with all the changes! So, to give a short summary of her activities over the last few days...

Day before yesterday (10/29), Brennan figured out how to get from laying flat on the ground on her belly to sitting upright. All by herself with no assistance from me, James, or anything else located in the house! She just decided that she was going to do it and, voila!, she did! Now to some that may not sound terribly tricky, but here's the thing. For a long time now, she has found it fairly easy to get from sitting upright to lying flat on the ground on her stomach. Finally, she was able to reverse the process. I guess my girl has been doing secret Pilates exercises to strengthen her core muscles! If you think about it, it is a lot more complicated (plus working against gravity) to get back up from the floor position. "OK, so I need to put this leg here and this leg here. Now, all I need to do is push with my arms and pull with my tummy. One, two, three..... go!"

Yesterday (10/30), we had our very first professional family photos done. James worked out a deal with the photographer, Corey Lajeunesse, of Scorpio Studios. James did Corey's fabulous new website and Corey did our photos. Anyway, we went back to the National Museum of Korea. Yes, this is the same place we did my maternity photos (exactly one year ago on the same weekend) and Brennan's six month photos. We really love the grounds there. The trees are always amazing in the fall and they make a wonderful backdrop (as do the many statues, pagodas, and traditional Korean architecture). It was so much fun to take Brennan there at this age. This was the first time that she really got to sit in grass and just feel it. She played with the leaves and tried to eat a few pebbles! The photos are absolutely gorgeous. I am so pleased. Thanks to Corey for his patience and talent! Also, yesterday, Brennan began to vocalize differently. She is trying out a new range. This time it was a very low 'oh ooh'. Interesting!

Today (10/31), Brennan wowed me. I mean I think I even said it out loud! For some reason or other, I noticed that Brennan was really focused on one specific book of hers. It's called, "On My Potty" by Leslie Patricelli. I thought she wanted me to read it to her, so I sat down with her in my lap and we read. Then, she kept going back to this one page and really almost studied it. The pictures on this page are of a little boy (not much older than Brennan) who is learning to use a potty instead of a diaper. She continued to look at this for awhile, even after I had put her down. A little while later (maybe a few minutes), I noticed that Brennan had soiled her diaper. Now, lately she has been very aware of soiling her diaper and will crawl to me or James for an immediate diaper change. She has now figured out the association with the potty and soiling her diaper. I am so excited and can't wait to give infant toileting (ECing) a try again!

Standing Ovation

Brennan is such an amazing child. I know I say that all the time, but it's true. Her latest (and very cute to boot) accomplishments are clapping (at just about everything - diaper changes, when she's nursing, random other times, and when she wants to say 'yes' to something) and waving hello and goodbye. She has even been attempting to say 'bye', but most of the time she yells something like 'BAH BAH BAH'. Quite funny. Last night, Brennan added something new to her repertoire: she used the bed to pull herself into a standing position from sitting on the floor. To emphasize her pleasure and pride in what she had done, I was awarded with a smile that would have shamed the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. How wonderful! Today, we had a playdate with her favorite mates, Ezra and Alex. Those two are already walking around as fast as they can and totally love being able to go where they want to when they want to. Now, Brennan is not yet walking, but I think she is not far behind. I could tell from watching Brennan that she was taking mental notes on what they were doing. Just after we got home, my little Super Girl attempted to get herself off of the floor without any assistance from anything. It was very plain what she was trying to do although a little awkward put into practice. The farthest she got was getting her heinie off the ground, one arm in the air with hand waving, and one leg stuck straight out to the side. Just after that she got on  her hands and knees with her belly way off the ground. In other words, in the traditional crawl position. Very big day for little Miss Hudson.

The Eleventh Month

Date: 10/25/11
Height: 29.1 inches (~74cm)
Weight: 20 pounds, 6.6 ounces (9.26kg)

Eleven months old. October 25, 2011.

'Whatcha lookin' at?'

MILESTONES
Sleeping patterns: sleeps on belly mostly curled up with blanket; usually sleeps between 7-11pm, 11:30-3:30, and 4-7:30am. 2-3 naps/day (45 minutes-1 hour).


Eating habits: breastfeeding at naps and bedtime (~4-5x/day); 2-3 bottles/day; 2-3 solid meals/day.


New foods: tofu, cucumbers, omelette, asparagus, raisins, dill pickle, cheese quesadilla, cous cous, egg salad sandwich, cocktail weiners, bagel bites.


New discoveries: holds toy phone to her ear; turns ball on that flashes; pats own head while nursing; grinds teeth; plays with microwave open button; raspberry conversations; tongue wagging; close inspection of self in mirror; thinks swatting flies with a flyswatter is hilarious.


Accomplishments: clapping hands; babble singing to 'Hey Diddle Diddle' and saying 'row, row, row' during 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat'; standing for periods of time by balancing on her own; waving hello and goodbye.


Places we went: Ezra's and Alex's birthday parties (@ Ezra's home and the British Embassy); shopping in Itaewon, Myeongdong, and Namdaemun; Lotte Mart; Taco Bell


Special friends: met several babies at the parties and finally met Piper Allen (my friend's, Amy Robertson, baby girl).


Baby babbles: lots of interesting combinations 'bwuh', 'vwuh', 'blah blah', 'quack quack', 'lahdle lahdle', 'az-yuh'.


Other stuff: we left Brennan alone for the first time for about ten minutes with Chelsea Dunbar so I could run down the street to the shop. This was while we were waiting to see if she had the measles or not, so we had to keep her home. Brennan also had her first really high fever (103F/39.4C) and came down with roseola infantum (a herpes viral infection that resembles mild measles).

A Beautiful Day in Seoul

Today started off as a normal Sunday for us. We did some laundry, James did the shopping, Brennan napped and had lunch. In the midst of all of this normalcy, Brennan wowed us yet again. She has this toy that plays songs like "Hey Diddle, Diddle" and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." Brennan loves to play the songs over and over again and, most of the time, James and I sing along to her. However, today she decided to sing to us! "Hey Diddle, Diddle" came on and she sang babbled all the way through it and stopped when it was over! Then, to top that off, when "Row, Row" came on, she actually said, "row, row, row"! It literally stopped me in my tracks. I was talking to James and I said, "Did you just hear that?!?!?!" Holy moly.

After lunch, we met some of James's coworkers (Chelsea, Gretchen, and Belva) for a trip to Namdaemun Market and Myeongdong in central Seoul. On the way there, something happened to me for the very first time. As we were all transferring trains, James, Brennan, and Chelsea had just made it onto the train when the door shut on Belva, Gretchen, and I! I couldn't believe it. We all just looked at each other through the doors. However, all turned out well as we caught the next train. The weather was so beautiful as fall usually is in Seoul. Blue skies and very mild weather. Brennan was in a great mood and just took everything in her laid back stride. She had fun giving 'hi fives' to the girls and beeping Chelsea's nose! We really enjoyed ourselves. Even all the people in the market weren't as annoying as they can be. :-)

The Hudsons in front of the fountain at Namdaemun.

Me, Brennan, Belva, Gretchen, and Chelsea.

James, Brennan, Belva, Gretchen, and Chelsea.

Daddy and Brennan.

After returning home from our lovely day out, we were able to watch the New Zealand All Blacks win the 2011 Rugby World Cup. It was the first time in 24 years. It was truly a nailbiter, but the ABs managed to pull off a 8-7 win over France. Congratulations, guys!

I also had the pleasure of hearing James chuckle while he was Skypeing with his best friend, Chris. I love hearing that sound! What a great day!

The Beginning of the End

James came up with the title for this post. I suppose we may have just opened Pandora's box, but only time will tell with that! :-) We decided to head over to Sindorim (three subway stops away from us) for lunch today. They have recently opened a small mall over there with a Taco Bell. Now, previously, we would have had to go all the way to Itaewon (almost an hour away) to consume such consummate American Mexican food. That's no longer the case. Anyway, now that Brennan is eating so well and really enjoying eating with the parental units, we decided to get her a cheese quesadilla to try. SHE LOVED IT. She only ate about 1/2 of one slice of the entire thing, but we decided that was plenty for a first try. I even tried to give her some water and she wanted to drink the water and eat the quesadilla at the same time. This is the only time that Brennan has really had any fast food, but we think, as with everything, moderation is the key. I don't think that this one time has spoiled her for any of the good food I have been feeding her these last few months. And, just to emphasize that point, Brennan ate a bowl of carrots and broccoli this afternoon. Phew! 

Chowing on her first cheese quesadilla at Taco Bell, D-Cube City, Seoul. October 21, 2011.

"Mirror, Mirror...

...in my hand, who's the fairest in this land?"

Brennan was playing for awhile the other day, October 17th, when we noticed she'd gotten very quiet. When we looked over at her, she was doing this:

Look, Ma! Two Hands!

Brennan has become an eating machine lately. I guess another growth spurt is coming or happening as we speak (write?). Currently, she is still nursing (at night and nap times), taking 2-3 bottles, and eating three solid meals every day. She often wants little snacks, too! I am so happy that Brennan is an adventurous eater (which includes tofu, some Korean food, cucumber, and  cous cous). She eats everything that we give her and she always wants what we are eating! Today, I made munchkin a lovely little lunch of steamed broccoli and carrots with rotini (fusilli) pasta. My little monster has now mastered the pincer grasp with both hands and fed herself her own lunch for the first time. It was so cute and a little sad. My girl is growing up way too fast! My photos weren't that flash, so I took some more the next day.

Showing her good form with her right hand.

This cheese requires both hands!

Left hand form.

Contemplating the havoc she is wreaking upon the poor, innocent carrots and broccoli.

Let the havoc continue!

Ain't Eight Great?

In the midst of trying to cheer Brennan out of her bad mood during a diaper change, I noticed something new. She has just cut tooth number 8! It's her upper right lateral incisor. Go bubba!

Swanky soirees

Living where we do, we don't often get invited to parties. However, this was a lovely exception to that! Brennan got the all clear from Dr. Park to attend Alex Cowin's first birthday party on Sunday, October 16. Funnily enough, Dr. Park is also Alex's doctor. He and his mummy, Mihyun, had an appointment with Dr. Park on Friday morning and had asked her to please give Brennan permission to go to the party. When Dr. Park called me, she said, "I didn't know Alex and Brennan were friends!" I am not sure who was more excited about going to the party, me or Brennan. We both had serious cases of cabin fever from staying home all week (and then some bad weather came through on Saturday, so that killed our plans that day!). 

Brennan and I looking quite spiffy! October 16, 2011.

Pre-party silliness. Don't try this at home! October 16, 2011.

Unfortunately, with James having so much work to do for his CELTA course, he had to pass on this party. Anyway, the party was held at the British Embassy in Seoul. When James told his mother that, she said, "I am going to tell everyone that my granddaughter and daughter in law are going to a party there!" The party was very nicely done. Alex's parents thought of everything. There was a play area for all the kids there with toys appropriate for babies on up. There was a lovely selection of finger foods (Brennan really enjoyed the egg salad sandwiches, bagel bites, and cocktail sausages!) and libations (apple cider, beer, wine, soda, water, juice...) as well as the birthday boy's cake. They had also planned games for the kids with the winners receiving prizes. It was great to see so many people come to celebrate with Alex on his first birthday! Brennan enjoyed herself immensely! Lots of smiling, squealing, and hand waving!

Party games. Birthday boy, Alex, in the middle. October  16, 2011.

Sniffles, sneezes, fever, spots = MEASLES?

So, I had to skip ahead a bit, so I could start doing current updates on the resident munchkin. October has been by far the worst month health-wise since Brennan was born. She started off the month with a cold. Fabulous. The sniffles and sneezies. She finally shook that off after a few days. Then, after attending her very first birthday party on October 4th (Happy First Birthday, Ezra Dixon!), Brennan came down with a fever the very next afternoon.

October 5, 2011. The day the fever started.

I really thought she had picked up something from one of the other babies at the party. I heard that not only was Brennan unwell, but two other babies (including the birthday boy) were also sick. It happened so suddenly - just came on during her nap. It was so weird. I gave her some baby Tylenol to see if that would help. It didn't. By the next morning, you could have fried an egg on that baby. So, I took her to the local clinic. Her temperature was 103F (39.4C). The doctor proceeded to explain to me that they consider anything above 37.6C to be a fever. Well, I think Brennan hit that target. Brennan's temperature came down a bit after taking some of the prescribed medicine, but then spiked again overnight. Brennan had no energy at all and wanted to be held all day. She would sleep most of the day with one hour awake, one hour (or more) nap cycles. She was also very sensitive to light. She cried and cried when I put her in the bath, too. That Friday night, Brennan woke up every hour moaning and crying and burning up. She was in the bed with me as she was inconsolable in her crib. At one point, she went to sleep on my chest. She didn't even do that when she was a newborn. It was a really scary thing to witness. This was not my baby. By the time that Saturday rolled around, her fever finally broke. Her skin was clammy to the touch. Still something was not right. I noticed some spots on her head Saturday night, but really didn't think much of them except perhaps that they more baby acne. Sunday morning, we noticed Brennan had a rash on her forehead. Hmmm... Having been home with the baby all week, James was good enough to stay home, so I could go out and get some air with another mommy friend, Amy Robertson. By the time I got home, it was time to get Brennan ready for bed. As I was dressing her, I noticed the rash had spread down her chest and back onto her upper legs. I immediately told James to get on the Internet and look up the symptoms for measles. She met EVERY one of them. I was a little freaked out because Brennan was still about 6 weeks away from her first MMR vaccine, so I knew it was possible. On Monday morning, I called and made an appointment to see Dr. Park at Yonsei Severance Hospital. The earliest I could get in was around 3pm that day. I told them I suspected she had the measles. When we got there, the waiting room was jam packed. Mostly with children and babies (very young ones at that!). I was really nervous about Brennan possibly being very contagious, so I waited out in the corridor with her. And waited. Over an hour later, we were finally called. I explained to Dr. Park what my concerns were. It was fairly obvious that Brennan was not herself. She had no energy and wouldn't really try to interact with Dr. Park. Usually, she gives a great big grin. Dr. Park explained to me that measles were not common in Korea and that she really suspected another viral infection called roseola infantum. It presents in a similar fashion as measles, but is not as severe or contagious (and is caused by a completely different virus). She mentioned it was very common in babies under one year. I thought to myself, "If it's so common, why is this the first time I have ever heard of it?" I still requested that Brennan have bloodwork done to rule out measles. I wanted to be on the safe side as it was possible (but not probable) that it could still be a mild case of measles. Anyway, Dr. Park asked me to keep Brennan at home until the results came in. I hoped that the results would be in before Friday as Brennan had another birthday party to attend on Sunday. I managed to keep Brennan home most of the time (except for about 10 minutes when I had to go get some water from the store!).

Finally feeling better, but still on house arrest. October 12, 2011.

Dr. Park called with the results on Friday morning. She said the test was negative and that Brennan was cleared to go to the birthday party! In the meantime, Brennan came down with another cold which has made her super cranky. It's only October 17th!

The Tenth Month

Date: 9/25/11

Height: 28 inches (71cm)

Weight: 19 pounds, 3.6 ounces (8.72kg)

 Ten months old. September 25, 2011.

MILESTONES

Sleeping patterns: flips onto belly for sleeping; wakes up every three hours (with the occasional all-night sleep); usually 1 morning nap (1 hour) and 1 afternoon nap (1 hour).

Eating habits: breastfeeding at naptime, bedtime, and overnight (~5x/day); 2 bottles/day; 2-3 solid meals; cold water occasionally.

New foods: rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, peas, dinner rolls, zucchini, eggplant, steamed potatoes, sharp cheddar, mozzarella, raw apple, and pumpkin.

New discoveries: follows Mom and Dad around the apartment; bashful flirting (buries her face in our shoulders); pats our shoulders and back like she is saying, 'Good job!'; likes to play with paper and money bills; catches a rolling ball with her feet; zurbers (aka raspberries); teeth sucking; points tongue; likes to talk to, flirt, and touch everyone!

Accomplishments: 1st set of wheels: learned to balance, go backwards, took a few steps holding onto the back; fed self with fork; picks up everything!; can ID Mom and Dad in photos; can ID dog and cat on flashcards; walks when held up by hands.

Places we went: D-Cube City (new mall in Sindorim, Seoul) on 8/27; Kraze Burger (Cheolsan, Gwangmyeong City) where she tried sweet pickles; Tumbland Kids Cafe in IPark (Yongsan, Seoul); ICA Church in Jamwon, Seoul for clothing swap.

Special friends: Met a Western baby, Alex, at the clothing swap and played quite a bit. Have met and shaken hands with a few Korean babies in the neighborhood. Met with Alex Cowin and Ezra Dixon for a playdate!

Baby babbles: Says 'naeng' a lot!; starting to make the 'f' sound; deep throat growls; 'boof'

Other stuff: Cut right and left lower lateral incisors on 9/6. Cut right upper lateral incisor on 9/23.

The Ninth Month

Date: 8/25/11

Height: somewhere between 27.6-28 inches (70-71cm). WIGGLEWORM!!!

Weight: 18 pounds, 8.3 ounces (8.40kg)

Nine months old. August 25, 2011.

MILESTONES

Sleeping patterns: finally moved into her own crib!; sleeping at least 8 hours most of the time (although there were nights that she woke up every three hours); sometimes drops morning nap, but still has 2-30 minute naps in the afternoon.

Eating habits: breastfeeding at naptime, bedtime, and overnight mostly (~5-6x/day); 2 bottles/day; 2-3 solid meals; drinks cold water.

New foods: beef, broccoli, yogurt, porridge, garlic bread/baguette, peaches.

New discoveries: how to turn on/off A/C and TV; helps dress herself for bed (pushes arm through sleeve on cue); likes to ride on trike in Toys R Us; pulls toys and books off the shelf and dumps toy basket to find specific toys; very interested in crib playing; likes to play in tub in the bathroom (like a pool).

Accomplishments: Commando crawling on 8/22; holds herself in a standing position; can seat herself upright from laying on her stomach; rocks on all fours; finger feeds herself bananas; started waving on 8/25; sits well in stroller @ CoEx (My guess is that she can sit up like a big girl!)

Places we went: British Embassy swimming pool; CoEx Aquarium

Special friends: Re-connected with Ezra Dixon after 2 months - lots of smooching going on!

Baby babbles: Really practicing with 'b' sound; also strings syllables together that sound like sentences and questions.

Other stuff: Got NZ passport; cut her fourth tooth - upper right incisor on 8/25.

The Eighth Month

Date: 7/25/11

Height: 27.4 inches (69.6cm)

Weight: 17 pounds, 6 ounces (7.88kg)

Eight months old. July 25, 2011.

MILESTONES

Sleeping patterns: Still in our bed; now sleeping 8 hours straight; occasional wakeups for a feed and a change; usually asleep by 7pm and wake up for day around 6:30-7:30am; 3 30 minute naps; this month dropped last afternoon nap.

Eating habits: breastfeeding 5-6x/day, 1-2 bottles of formula (5-8oz), solids 2-3x/day

New foods: sweet potato (now likes it!); pumpkin; apples; mango

New discoveries: Jumperoo no longer scary; riding on Dad's shoulders is fun; likes being thrown in the air and riding "horsey" on Mom/Dad's legs; hugs Seymour the Seahorse while sleeping; sucks toes and fingers regularly; can breastfeed while sitting up and doing a 'faceplant'; sat in a shopping cart for the first time.

Accomplishments: twists trunk to look around; scooted/shuffled backwards while sitting; can go from a seated position to her belly by pulling her legs out from under her; focuses on moving herself toward specific things; rolled to stomach on purpose to reach power cords; can go to sleep by herself now; gives 'high fives' on request.

Special friends: Everyone in our neighborhood gushes over Brennan every time we take her out. We are often mobbed by people wanting to touch her!

Baby babbles: More and more sounds like short sentences - "Dad, up!". Sucks teeth.

Other stuff: We applied for Brennan's NZ passport; left Brennan with a babysitter (non-family member) for the first time, James's coworker, Chelsea Dunbar. Brennan slept the whole time!

The Seventh Month

Date: 6/25/11

Height: 26.1 inches (66.2cm)

Weight: 15 pounds, 11.9 ounces (7.14kg)

Seven months old. June 25, 2011.

MILESTONES
Sleeping patterns: usually sleeping between 7-8pm with one wakeup for a change and feed; still in our bed; couple of thirty minute naps each day - had slept at least part of the night in the crib for a few weeks, but then stopped because it was under the A/C vent.


Eating habits: breastfeeding ~6x/day, 1 bottle of formula (8 ounces)/day and solids 1-2x/day.


New foods: egg yolk, bananas, peas, carrots (all either mashed or pureed). Also tried some Korean food (pickled radish - 'daht moo jee' and noodles - 'oo dong').


New discoveries: Solids!; does not like sweet potatoes; can blow raspberries; can hush Mom by putting her hand over mouth; likes to hug pig friend toy; looks for bottle on the counter.


Accomplishments: first time swimming (well, in a pool!); first unassisted situp; rolled onto tummy when reaching for toys; splits; yoga baby!; used the toilet for the first time to poop and pee; began brushing teeth with Mom's help.


Places we went: Gwangmyeong Market; Ruby Teacher's wedding in Guro.


Special friends: flirted with Korean baby boy at wedding and said 'hi' to a Korean baby girl in our neighborhood.


Baby babbles: lots of whispering and clucking; more and more attempts to talk with strings of vowels and consonants ('baba', 'dada', 'mama'); even thought you said 'up' when you wanted to get up out of bed.

The Sixth Month

Date: 5/25/11

Height: 25.8 inches (65.6cm) as of 6/10/11. Measurement of 5/27/11 incorrect!

Weight: 14 pounds, 7 ounces (6.55kg)

Six months old. May 25, 2011.

MILESTONES
Sleeping patterns: Still in our bed; consistent bedtime between 6:30-7:30pm; sleeping 7-8 hours with one wakeup for a feeding/change and then 2-3 hours of more sleep; erratic naps - sometimes very short (3-4 20-30 minute naps) or long (1 1.5 hour nap).


Eating habits: Still every 2 hours during the day (sometimes less) and once overnight.


New foods: Still exclusively breastfeeding.


New discoveries: likes playing with wet wipe dispensers; tasted (licked) first foods (cocktail weiners and carrots); textures; Coke and water bottles are cold; chews/sucks on toes; growling (sounds like a bear!); likes to wear some of her toys on her arms and legs.


Accomplishments: occasional short periods of sitting alone; spins around on the floor and the bed; pulls herself toward objects; first teeth (bottom middle) came in on 5/3/11; took a couple of naps in the crib; put pacifier in her own mouth correctly.


Places we went: playdate at Rowena Hunt's; On the Border Restaurant for Daddy's birthday; shopping in Itaewon; Costco.


Special friends: Sally Teacher's son, Seung chan. He was born in January 2011, but he is much bigger than Brennan!

Brennan, Sally Teacher, and her son, Seung chan.

Baby babbles: more and more word like sounds like 'egg', 'yes', and 'hi'; vowels plus consonants ('ehd', 'uhd'); more conversation skills - back and forth with question sounds like 'uh?'; a lot of experimentation with sounds using tongue and teeth.

The Fifth Month

Date: 4/25/11

Height: 24.7 inches (62.8cm)

Weight: 13 pounds, 6.5 ounces (6.08kg) as of 4/18/11

Five months old. April 25, 2011.

MILESTONES

Sleeping patterns: consistent bedtime of around 7-7:30pm, sleeping about 7 hours usually. One wakeup for a feed/change between 3-4am and then 2-3 hours of sleep. Erratic naps-sometimes very short (3-4 30 minute naps) or long (2 1.5-2 hour naps). Still in our bed!

Eating habits: still every 2 hours (sometimes less) and once overnight.

New foods: still exclusively breastfeeding.

New discoveries: figured out how to pull off socks; Mom's glasses and ties on shirts are play things; Mom's and Dad's faces and hair; "typing" on the keyboard; likes to throw toys and have Mom and Dad fetch them!

Accomplishments: sitting without assistance by using hands as support on floor (baby tripod); likes standing with assistance; consistent rolling; interacts with other babies physically and verbally; enjoys tummy time now; learned to turn hand side to side (pre-wave).

Places we went: Toys R Us, shopping at Itaewon and Myeongdong, playdate at Cowin's, walks with Dad, Costco, Yongsan, Pizza Hut.

Special friends: visited with the crew again - Ezra Dixon, Alex Cowin, and Bea Hunt.

Left to right: Ezra, Bea, Alex, and Brennan.

Baby babbles: combining sounds and repetition like "buhbuh". Dad and I also swear that you say "hi" and, one time, "how are you?"! Sometimes, it sounds like you are speaking Korean, too ("umma" and "on-day" meaning 'mom' and 'stop', respectively).

The Fourth Month

Date: 3/25/11

Height: 24.4 inches (62cm)

Weight: 12 pounds, 11.5 ounces (5.77kg)

Four months old. March 25, 2011.

MILESTONES

Sleeping Patterns: usually about 7-8 hours, but won't go to sleep until late (after 11pm). recently sleep has been erratic because of teething issues; started sleeping in our bed.

Eating habits: every 2-3 hours during the day; most of the time no overnight feedings.

New foods: still exclusively breastfeeding.

New discoveries: very interested in watching Mom and Dad eat; able to coordinate with both hands when reaching for things; holds on to bars of cradle while sleeping.

Accomplishments: grasping with both hands fully open; grabbing toes and feet; kicking toys with feet; sitting with assistance from pillows or in Bumbo; head held very high during tummy time and when being carried; rolls well side to side (from tummy and back); giggled around 14-15 weeks; extended periods of laughing at 16-17 weeks; reaches for Mom and Dad when wants to be picked up; rolled from tummy to back at 17 weeks; takes pacifier out with her hands using the ring or rim.

Places we went: walks around neighborhood with Daddy; shopping with Mommy.

Special friends: no people friends, but became more interested in toys.

Baby babbles: more consonant sounds like "muh", "kuh", "guh", "buh" as well as vowels "oh" and "uh"; lots of dynamic expressions and experimenting.

The Third Month

Date: 2/25/11
Height: 24 inches (61cm)
Weight: 11 pounds, 12 ounces (5.33kg)

Brennan and Mommy. Three months old. February 25, 2011.

MILESTONES

Sleeping patterns: finally starting to sleep more - at least 6.5 hours overnight with one wake time, then another 2-3 hours; naps 20-45 minutes several times with one 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. Slept in Pack 'n Play at Giggie's house. Still mostly sleeping in the bouncer chair.

New foods: breastfeeding exclusively.

New discoveries: hands in mouth for self-soothing; grabbed knees; baby in mirror; grabbing rings on the playmat.

Accomplishments: following sounds, voices, and tracking movement; rolling over accidentally; grasping and touching everything; grabbing knees.

Places we went: first trip to USA to visit Mommy's family in Valdosta, Georgia on February 3, 2011. 

Brennan and Aunt Jen.

Brennan and Giggie.

Baptized at Christ Episcopal Church in Valdosta on February 6, 2011.

Brennan in her christening gown also worn by her cousins, Erin and Caty Carter, on their baptisms. February 6, 2011.

Special friends: 

Matthew Zisholtz, Elly's son at baptism. 

Matthew getting introduced to Brennan on February 6, 2011.

 
Alex Cowin and Ezra Dixon at play date at the Cowin's on 2/25/11. Alex was very taken with Brennan the first time they met. He even held her hand on the playmat. So cute!!!

Clockwise from top: Ezra Dixon, Brennan, and Alex Cowin. February 25, 2011.

Baby babbles: squealing, laughing, cooing, responds when spoken to, starting to make more consonant sounds like "nuh" and "neh".

The Second Month

Date: 1/25/11
Height: 22.4 inches (57cm)
Weight: 10 pounds, 7 ounces (4.73kg)

Two months old. January 25, 2011.

MILESTONES

Sleeping patterns: usually between 6-7 hours overnight with one waking period for feeding, then sleeping for 3-4 more hours; short naps (15 minutes - 1 hour) during day in bouncer chair.

Eating habits: one 5-6 ounce bottle of breastmilk at night and sometimes in the morning so Mom could sleep! Every 2-3 hours during the day.

New foods: breastmilk exclusively

New discoveries: baths aren't so bad; Skype calls to overseas friends and family are kind of interesting because it looks like TV; rattle is kind of interesting; swinging in swing is sometimes soothing.

Accomplishments: responds to goofy faces or sounds; social smiles; more arm and leg control, hand opening and grasping; eyebrow raising; responding to different noises; more head and neck strength.

Places we went: Outback Steakhouse with Mom and Dad and Dad's coworker, Erick Georgeson. Also, Costco.

Special friends: On Tuesday, 1/25/11, we went on our first play date with Rowena Hunt and her baby girl, Beatrice Rose. Little Bea was born just six days after Brennan, but she was so much smaller. Bea fell asleep before we could get photos of the two of them together.

Baby babbles: experimenting with different cries and social vocalizations; vowel sounds like "ah" and "eh".