Let's just pretend that you are not 9 months, 3 weeks old today, and that this post is on time! :)
Brandt Ryder,
You are just the most precious little guy ever. Your smile can light up the world, and your army crawling could win an award for speed. :) You pull up on everything, you crawl through and over toys, people, etc. You love to eat. You love to give mommy big, wet kisses on the mouth. You love to just wear your diaper. You love the turtle song, and you love Mickey Mouse. You are so easy to distract, and you make us so very, very happy. :)
Statistics:
Weight: 21 lbs, 12 oz (80th percentile)*
Height: 29.75 inches (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 46 cm (75th percentile)
*You have been really sick the last few days. You lasted 8 months before your first fever, but this is the first time you have just laid your head on my shoulder all day and been really sick. When I took you to the doctor, you had lost down to 21 lbs, 5 oz. You vomited everything you ate for two days, and you tested positive for strep throat. You are Dr. Fikkert's youngest baby ever to get strep. I told her we like to be medical anamoly's in this family! So glad you're getting better, buddy!
Names/Nicknames: Brandt, Brandt Ryder, Bubbie, Bub, Monkey, Monkey Man, Munchkin, Buddy, Monster, B Ryder, and Brother Bear.
Every morning, you and sister snuggle and watch Mickey after he wakes up from his morning nap! I think y'all favor each other in this picture! You both wrinkle your nose when you smile. I love it!
Sizes: Brandt is still hanging on to a few 9 month jammies, but he mostly wears 9 month clothes! He is in size 4 diapers, and he wears a size 3 or 3.5 shoe! He is just perfect. :)
Sleeping: Brandt has become an amazing sleeper. He takes two naps, one around 8:45 AM and the other around 1:30 PM. His morning nap is usually 45 minutes to an hour, and his afternoon nap is generally around an hour and a half. He goes to sleep a little after 7 every night, and he sleeps until around 6:15-6:30 AM. To get him to sleep, all I have to do is walk in his room (where the diffuser is filling his room with scents of lavender and thieves, his sound machine is playing the sounds of the ocean, and the box fan is on high to drown out any outside noise), and he immediately lays his head on my shoulder. I sing "Goodnight Sweetheart" one time, and then I lay him down next to his monkey and cover him with this fuzzy blanket. He pretty much always goes right to sleep. This was not the case for the first 8.5 months of his life, so we are very appreciative of God's gift of sleep and Brandt's newfound security at night. :)
Eating: I've been avoiding this post because I wasn't quite ready to write it, but here it goes. I was in the hospital for six nights and six days in early October, and I unknowingly nursed Brandt for the last time on Thursday morning, October 1st, right before we left for the hospital. Despite pumping and dumping every three hours that I was in the hospital (since all the meds were too dangerous for him), I prepared to come home from the hospital and pump and dump for three more weeks until I could nurse him again. That is, until the doctors came in to discharge me and told me that I would be on a high steroid/slow taper for at least 8 weeks, and that those doses are not conducive to breastfeeding, and that once I start the biologic medication that I need to be healthy, those medications are not safe for baby either. I had a complete and total meltdown. I nursed both girls for 13 months, and I had that special time with them where I got to know it was my last time to nurse them. I prayed over them, had my cry, and then my body transitioned back to normal in a very peaceful way, and that was not the case this time. This was all so different. I was heartbroken and hormonal, and sick and tired, AND HURTING, and it was just a bad combination. I also got mastitis, and that didn't help the situation, especially since I couldn't hold you without writhing in pain. However, God protected my heart in that when I got home, Brandt did not try to nurse on me for three days. That was a gift. He transitioned to formula very easily, and even though I had never made a formula bottle in my life, we have enjoyed a little more freedom. I know that breastfeeding versus formula is a hot topic among mamas, but it wasn't about that to me, it was just something special that mattered to me and my babies. It was something that I was capable of doing for them--hard or not, sick or not (and I was super sick, and all of my good stuff went to my babies), but it was something that I could do for them. It was something that I could do to help our family financially, and it was just something I treasured. I hope that all of my babies will know that I would do anything for them. // Brandt, I'm sorry that you only got 8.5 months of mama milk--oh how I have mourned that loss, but I do know that you received a good foundation and that you are thriving and healthy. I was unwilling to compromise your immune system by allowing you to absorb all the medication. That is most important to me. You very happily take four 6 oz bottles of formula a day (7 am, 11 am, 3 pm and 7 pm), and you also eat three meals a day (8am, 12 noon, and 5pm). You have developed an internal clock, and you always let me know if it is even a minute past your meal times! I've been told that you take after your great and great great grandfathers in this respect!! :) You eat everything! Your current favorites are chicken, meatballs, green beans, tortillas, grapes, apples, avocados, steak, potatoes of any kind, grilled cheese, gluten free pancakes, spaghetti, and puffs. :) You currently eat more than Felicity, and you still eat the occasional squeeze of peas, pears, and carrot puree in addition to your real food! ;) I have a feeling you will always be a good eater.
New Developments: The best news is that you are off of your reflux medication!!! YAY! We've come SO far from the baby boy that cried 20 hours out of every day and spit up buckets and buckets of breast milk! :) Brandt is not only army crawling EVERYWHERE, but he is pulling up on everything!!! His favorite spots to "cruise back and forth on" are the couch, the girls' piano, and the bathtub. He also loves to crawl to me and pull up on my legs. He is so proud of himself once he stands up! He can also take a few steps while holding our hands. That is both exciting and heartbreaking. I feel like it took the girls at least a month from the time they started trying to pull up until they were cruising along the couch, but Brandt mastered this skill in a just a couple of days! He also crawls straight to the piano, pulls himself up, and then bangs on the keys with a great big smile. :) Brandt also crawls on all fours when he needs to, and he sits on his knees a LOT. We spend most of our time on the floor. He crawls over my legs, and falls, and then crawls back over my legs, and falls, and then he does it again. He is all boy--even though he loves to play with the princess castle and the princesses! ;) He's so fun to watch. :)
Disposition: He's such a happy little guy. He and Felicity are "bosom buddies", except when Lolly is home, and then he "bothers" or is "trying to get her," and she will cry. :) They mostly love, love, love each other though. He's doted on, and he loves them too much also. His kisses will get "softer" one day!
Monkey Man,
You are loved (and sometimes over-loved), little one!
Now, please stop growing up so fast!!!!
I'm supposed to have at least three more months with my last baby!
We love you!!!!!!!
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