Mini Milestone!

Today my little Bradester had a little milestone -- he was sitting up holding that heavy little head of his up all by himself!! And he looked very old while doing so. Tear. :(

Now, this is not all new news for us -- just a step up!  I may have shared his very first "head holding" milestone but I'll recap.  The day after Brade was born, Scott and I took him to a sort of "infant care" class in the nursery.  Remember how we wanted to take a new baby class at the hospital pre-baby but then all the drama happened and we never got around to it?  So when our nurse told us they were having a mini version of one in the nursery that day and that we could go, we decided - how perfect! We were still kinda nervous about having to bathe our own baby at home. alone.  And it forced me to get out of bed and walk down the hallway, which was a huge milestone for me post-labor! haha. So we went to the little baby care class and sidenote, it was the best first decision we made as parents.  We walked in with a very fragile baby -- and after Nurse Rita used him as an example and forced us to throw him around a little bit -- we walked out not feeling like we were going to break him with every touch -- and thus became real parents :). 

But anywho, the main point here is while we were in the class, we had to put the baby on tummy time for a minute.  Well Brady, like the other newborns, was lying on his tummy with his head cocked to one side.  Then, unlike the other (non-advanced obvio) newborns, Brady picked his little head up and turned it to the other side! Nurse Rita was very impressed with our little over achiever! As were we! (Clearly, the kid is destined for great things! hehe) But even though he picked his head up on his own and moved it, it did not mean he had total neck control.

But since we've been home, his neck control has been pretty impressive for a newborn.  When he's on our shoulder getting burped or lying on our tummy, he's always picking his head up and swinging it around in a total big baby way.  But if you put him in a sitting position, he acts like a little bobblehead. (A super cute one though!) But then this morning, voila!  Just sitting pretty, head holding up high! Scott was still in bed (rain day!) but I was like "Scott come here quick!" Naturally, he ran in thinking I killed the baby, but was happily surprised to see his big boy just chilling!  My little man is growing up quickly!

I will give him this one milestone because we both really want him to have good neck control (bobblehead babies are scary!).  But that's it. No more growing up quickly!

Oh and remember, if you ever deliver at Prentice and are offered by your nurse to take the baby to the infant care class, do not think you are too good for it -- you might just learn something. (And they're gonna charge you 20 grand either way so you might as well get all you can out of your stay!)

Brady's 1st Bears/Packers Game!

BEAR  DOWN!

Brady's 7th week of life :)

This week Brady was sooo lucky! Daddy got a day and a half off this week extending his jam packed weekend with Mommy and Daddy! Daddy's job got rained out (boo) but then it got nice out and Daddy got to be home!  Brady celebrated with long walks, enjoying the last of the beautiful days this week before that fall chilliness arrived, and lots of cuddling.  He got to visit Mommy's doctors (again!), got to meet more of his "aunts" and "uncles" and got his social security card and ordered his birth certificate ... he's like a real person now! This weekend, he enjoyed a little Apple Fest in Lincoln Square and is gearing up for his first Bears-Packers showdown!   He also got left for the first time alone with Gramma while Dad was at work and Mom got her hair highlighted!  And while Mommy had a super hard time leaving him (though it was nice to blast the radio in the car and sing along again), Brady did not care less and slept peacefully most of the time that she was gone.  Sigh.  On a brighter note, he's also doing lots of smiling and cooing making Mommy smile even more :)  And he's getting very big and grown uppy. (Ok more grown up than a newborn!)

Brady -- 6 weeks old :)

Go Cubs Go!

Yesterday, September 17th, Brady made his first historic trip to Wrigley Field to watch his beloved Cubbies beat the Houston Astros (quite the incredible match-up!) (insert eyeroll).  Nonetheless, the Cubbies DID beat the Astros (even though by the 8th inning the Cubs were 0-9 with players in scoring position and the Astros were 0-11 .. ugh, please baseball president -- start paying players based on performance!), but more importantly, Brady got to experience his first baseball game .. and he did *Awesomely*!  Ironically, the only time during the 8 innings he sat in the stands that he cried was when the Cubs hit a homerun! Our Uncle Tim suggested he was crying because he knew, sadly, it was too little too late this season... once again.  Sigh, one year ... besides, it's totally okay this year because *when* the Cubbies win it all, we want Brady (and all of his siblings) to be able to remember it ...

Anywhooooo, it was a beautiful 70 degree day, a bit chiller in the Wrigley stands as usual, so Brady was bundled up and warm.  He slept on the walk to Wrigley, in his Bjorn, and woke slightly when we entered to stadium to the National Anthem.  During the whole game, he was mostly awake, charming the pants off the ladies and gents next to us, the kids in front of us, and the older people behind us.  Only around the 8th inning did he get a wee bit fussy (don't we all by the 8th inning of a Cubs game this year!) so we walked the boy home.  I was initially nervous about all the noise in the park and if it would effect Bradester, but of course, this kid couldn't care less.  He was all la,la,la the whole time.  Such a trooper! And next year, he'll be old enough to actually cheer on the boys! (They need it!)

For the record, the Cubs ended up winning the game (it was 2-1 Cubs when we left) so Brady must be good luck! ;) Here's some pictures from our wonderful day!

On our way to the game!

Brady (can you spot him) with Daddy and Grampa and Ronnie!

He's thrilled to be at Wrigley, can't you tell?

Brady's 1st Cubs Game!

Check out my Cubs onesie!

With Gramma and Grampa!

Cubs are winning -- all smiles :)

Hey Chicago, whadda say!

Extra bonus! Today, Brady got to watch his first Bears game with Daddy! Sadly, it did not go as well as the Cubs game ... Brady slept through most of the game and da Bears lost. Bummer. BUT Brady looked cute and isn't that most important? ;)

Geez mom, cool it with the pictures, I know I'm a stud!

Bears lose! What! Waaaah! :( (But more importantly Mommy, are you still beating Daddy in fantasy this week?)

First smiles :)

Yes, little guy starting smiling this week! And not in a man-that-was-a-good-poop/fart kinda way! He's such a cutie!! When we get up for our middle of the night feeding (or early morning feeding if Brady's feeling ambitious enough to make it through the night -- more on this in a moment), I like to sit and talk to him after we feed (mostly because after a burp attempt, he's wide awake again and just staring up at me.)  And this week, he decided to make those feedings all the more fun -- by smiling up at momma! :) It's my most favorite thing and oh so ridiculously adorable -- unfortunately, no matter how long he's smiling for, everytime I get the camera, he immediately turns the smile down and its grumpy face! haha. So sorry no pics! I guess you'll just have to come visit him to experience the cuteness! But really, if you haven't seen him a while, you should, he's getting so expressive and fun!

On top of our first smiles, we have a continuing pattern of sleeping almost, if not all the way, through the night!! You may remember that at 1 month, Bradester decided to astound us all and sleep all the way until 7am!! Happy momma!! Over the last week, I have done ONE 2-3am feeding! He still woke up at that time a couple of times this week, but took his pacifier after one try and fell back to sleep for a couple more hours.  He has been waking between 5-7 am the last week for his first feeding! Bliss.  And if he feeds before 7am, I make him go back to sleep for a couple more hours until 9 or 10 --  trying to get him on a mommy preferred schedule! ;)

Also, this week, Brady decided that he was too cool to nap during the day -- at least more than once or twice and for no longer than an hour.  The other day he fed at 7am and did not nap until almost 1, was only asleep for about half hour, was awake again until after 6pm and then again, only napped for about an hour until his 10pm bedtime routine.  Crazy kid! He wasn't even that fussy, until the late afternoon! He hung out with momma and not only did I get a shower in (while he chilled in his bouncer in the bathroom being oh so good!), I made homemade muffins, cleaned most of the house, and had quality mommy/baby time! If I could get dinner on the table, I would be the ideal housewife!  Judge all you want, this new life makes me happy :)

Even though most of the week was chilly (hello fall!) and was spent inside snuggling (and being productive), Brady did get to enjoy an eventful weekend out last weekend! On Saturday, he got to go to his very first block party -- mostly because Daddy wanted to go to his very first block party! -- at Grampa and Gramma's and got to meet the bajillion children that live on their block - including the 3 super cute triplets that live next door to my parents and have provided Bradester with a ton of their cute clothes! How very sad that next year he'll be able to run around and chase the rest of the kids. Tear. 

Brady chillin' at the block party on his Cars chair!

 And then on Sunday, he went to our cousin Jene's wedding shower where he was just an angel sleeping most of the party away ... and looking oh so handsome (of course!) while doing so!

On his way to the shower! (You can't see but he's wearing his super cute sandals!)

Will he be attending his first wedding for Jene next month?? We shall see ...

Baby's first smiles, first sleep through the nights, first i dont need to naps, first parties ... and first scare! Whoops! The other morning Brady drifted off for a short morning nap hanging on the couch in his boppy ... and then Mommy drifted off right next to him.  When I heard his stirring, I woke up and had my head on the side of his boppy.  Brady opened his eyes, stretched, smiled ... such a perfect way to wake ... and then turned his head and saw Mommy -- oh so close! -- and the poor baby jumped a foot, his whole body shaking and immediately shrieked out into crying.  Eek! Mommy totally, unintentionally, scared her poor baby! I'm so sorry Brady! (But seriously, it was kinda funny -- once he stopped crying!)

We're soo excited for this weekend -- its a sports filled one! Wish us luck -- we're attempting to take Brady to his first Cubs Game tomorrow! (Never too young to visit Wrigley!) And on Sunday, the football season starts for us (we were busy with the shower last weekend!) so the little fam is cozying up on the couch, making a turkey (cuz we found one in the freezer and who doesn't love mini thanksgiving!?), and cheering on Da Bears! Family filled weekends are my *fave*! 

Now if I could only find time to go sweater shopping for myself ... sigh.

10 years. And countin'.

September 11, 2011.

This past May, it had been 10 years since I graduated high school.  That feels like a very long time ago.  10 years ago, today, I was starting my first week of college.  That feels like yesterday.

It always amazes me when people can tell me exactly where they were when JFK was shot.  I think it's so cool to learn about something in a history class and then have people who actually experienced it remembering exactly how the day went and what they remember.  It will never not be weird to me that someday when Brady and his brothers and sisters are learning about 9/11/01 in their history books, not only will I remember where I was, I will have the pictures to prove it.  They will come home from school and say "Mommy do you remember where you were on 9/11?" And I will tell them, "Yes, I was standing on 5th Ave. in NYC watching the towers fall."

I started the morning being woken up before 6am due to a fire alarm in our freshman dorm.  Honestly, the sleep deprivation from having a baby probably still doesn't compare to the sleep deprivation of my first year (especially my first weeks) in college.  Hey! It was NYC! The city doesn't sleep, so why should we! The last thing any of us wanted to do is head outside with bedhead and pj's -- we were still working on first impressions here! But we all huddled across the street from Brittany Hall, embarrassingly waving at our new friends and patting down our hair and hiding our glasses and noticing the fact that there was no smoke and no flames.  No fire.  Hello! Why were we awake!? Didn't anyone realize we had *just* started classes and had only gone to bed a few hours ago and had to be up soon for a long day at studio!? We growled under our breath at the firemen as they took their time claiming it "safe."  The next call these exact firemen would get, would be to the Twin Towers.  They were one of the first groups of firemen down there and many would lose their lives later that day.  And to think, they had to start the day with a bunch of grumpy, spoiled college kids. May God bless their families and may they all be enjoying heaven.

A couple of hours later, I was brushing my hair on my bed, waiting for my roommate Libby to finish in the bathroom, the clock radio still on low from my alarm, when I heard an incredibly low plane zoom over my dorm. I remember being like "ugh why the hell is that plane flying so low, its too early for this loudness."  Not 10 minutes later, as I was ready to run out the door to meet my friend Derrence who I walked down the street to breakfast with, the dj on the radio informed us that a plane has crashed into one of the twin towers.  Libby and I both stopped what we doing, looked at each other, and turned the radio up.  We thought it was a joke, until we both said "Did you hear that plane a minute ago?" Afraid of being late for breakfast, and thus studio (a HUGE no-no), I raced out the door to meet Derrence.  We made it one block, to 10th and University, before we looked up and saw the smoke out of the first tower.  We were both like "Hm, this is probably going to be historic, we should go take pictures."  We decided to forgo breakfast for documenting history and raced back to our dorm.  When we entered, the radio that the doorman had on told us a second plane had crashed into the second tower.  How ironic right?! We ran upstairs to the Brittany Hall penthouse, where we joined a whole slew of kids in our dorm (the ones that were up before 9am anyways) and took pictures of this weird occurrence.  Little did we know that in minutes our lives would be forever changed.

In the hours that followed, I spent time running around NYC in a panic with a bunch of other new 18 year old NYCers trying to decipher what had happened ... and what was going to happen.  I stood on 5th Ave. as I watched the second tower fall.  I listened to the screams and panics of everyone around me.  I watched dozens of New Yorkers fall to the ground in tears.  I watched friends and strangers grab one another and hold them.  I watched what had to be the biggest cell phone outage ever as everyone tried to call someone .. and no one got anyone.  All we had was each other.  And that had to be enough that day.  And it was.  I will forever feel bonded to those friends that I ran through the streets of New York with.  I was always treasure my new freshmen roommates who became like sisters that night.  I will always miss New York City on 9/11.

On that night 10 years ago, I joined most of NYU's population as we congregated in Washington Square Park with candles.  We cried on each other's shoulders.  We choked on the smoke from downtown.  We weeped

Many of us in New York deal with "survivors guilt."  We discussed it it many of our classes, with many of our teachers for many years.  We felt guilty -- why did we survive when so many New Yorkers did not?  Why did God decide they should die, but we shouldn't?  Why should we mourn for our lost childhood when so many children were mourning their dead parents?  Why should we feel scared when it wasn't truly our city yet that was threatened?  But, it was our city too, and we deserved to be hurt and scared too.  I am lucky enough to not have lost anyone I loved that day.  I thank God everyday for that.  But I will always mourn what my mind refers to as "the beginning of the end."  The beginning of the war on terrorism-- if they got through our "barricades" once, they will again.  It's only a matter of time.  So today, I will hug my son a little bit tighter, kiss my husband a little bit longer, and thank God a little bit more for keeping me safe that day and then I pray a little bit stronger that God continues to keep my family, and the rest of America, safe, for many many more years.

Thank you, God, for keeping me safe 10 years ago.  Thank you for giving me friends shoulders to cry on and the strength to go on as a New Yorker.  I will forever be stronger for going through the experience and I will always appreciate that God put me there at that time.  It took me years to figure out why God would grant me the courage to move to New York on my own, and then put me through that experience.  I'm pretty sure it was not just so I could take a canceled tourist's ticket to see Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane in The Producers (though that was pretty awesome!).  But I know that going through that, and the subsequent years, made me stronger, made me the person I am today.  And I couldn't be more happy and grateful for where I have ended up.  And I truly hope that all those who lost a loved one 10 years ago may find peace in their hearts.  I will never forget all the heroes that died that day.

When they are old enough, I will tell Brady and his siblings all about my experiences on 9/11.  I will give them my journal of the day to read.  Not to scare them.  So that they may have some sort of semblance of what I felt that day so that they may learn to appreciate all that God has blessed them with and never take the little things for granted.  I hope that they will learn that everyday is a gift and that you have to live it to the fullest because we don't know if God is going to give us a tomorrow.  All of the people that went to work at the twin towers this morning 10 years ago thought they were going to come home to kiss their children and husbands and wives and for some reason, they didn't get the chance to.  So not just on 9/11, but everyday, I try to remember that.  Because I can still hear the screams, I can still see the buildings falling, and I can still feel the smoke in my throat.  So I can't forget.  And I don't want to.

September 11, 2011

Happy 1 month baby boy!!

Yesterday was Brady's 1 month birthday!! Happy birthday Brady!! Can't believe the first month is over! Not looking forward to how fast the next billion are going to go!

It's my 1 month birthday today!

Brady -- 1 month old!!

 Brady celebrated his 1 month birthday by ... dum dum dum dum ... SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! That's right! My baby boy fed at 11pm (eek a little late!) and did not wake up to feed until 7am! What an amazing little guy! The coolest part ... I first slept through the night on my 1 month birthday too! He's just like his mommy :)
(*For the record, this whole sleeping through the whole night thing did not quite continue last night, but he fed at 10:30pm and then had his first "night" feeding at 5am ... still an awesome start to conforming to society!*)

Speaking of just like mommy, Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Minneci sent us a box the other day filled with old baby clothes and blankets that were Grandpa Joe's when he was a baby in the 50's ... along with a pile of pictures ranging from Grandpa Joe's baby pics to my baby pics and random pics of me and Uncle Joey in Arizona when we were kiddies.  And there is a picture of Grandpa Joe at 3 days old that looks *so* much like Brady! And a picture of me when I was a tiny babe that also looks *just* like Brady!! It's so funny because so many people say he looks like Scott (and I think he does), yet a ton of other people say he looks like me ... but I look (and have always looked) like my dad, as does my little brother Scottie, and Scott's baby pictures (my husbands, stay with me here folks) look a lot like my brother Scottie's baby pictures so Brady, maybe, looks like a Minneci.  We shall see, hopefully he grows as *adorably* as his daddy and not with the big forehead his Grandpa had haha!

In other Brady news, I must add that today I decided to go shopping for more baby clothes for him (because, you know, that's all we need, more baby clothes).  But seriously, it's starting to get chilly and Brady has a ton of little clothes that are summer themed or onesies and mommy wants him to wear itty bitty outfits that are weather appropriate soooo I just had to go get some! :) I found super cute long sleeved thermal style onesies for $5 at Old Navy, along with itty bitty jeans and cargo pants for $10 there too!

Like my new jeans?!

Pretty affordable for super cuteness! And now he has clothes that actually might fit him instead of being huge on him! (When he's wearing 6 months he has awesome clothes, till then, he's only got a few "outfits.")  And then I went to Baby Gap, where I could always spend a fortune if I didn't have such amazing self control (;)), but I splurged just a tiny bit today and bought him the cutest baby jean jacket EVER. Because it's chilly and he has no jacket! I HAD to! Sadly it's going to be back in the high 70's/80's the next couple days so he won't have it on till next week ... but next week, Look out!!  Honestly, how cute is this kid!?! (His super awesome hat is a new present from Grandma Kathy - her shopping habit is even worse than mine!)

Ah! I love my new jacket mom!

I'm stylin'!

Man, I'm cute!

 I'm kinda torn, because it's been sooo long since I've been able to buy cute clothes and I soo want to, especially because I LOVE buying new fall clothes (I think it may be my favorite time to shop for new clothes!! I love fall colors ... purples and browns and greens ... and I love sweaters!).  However, I only have so much "extra" shopping money for clothes and I want to buy myself clothes and I want to buy Brady clothes and I can't afford everyone's new wardrobe. Sad face.  So, this week Brady got new clothes, but next week (ok maybe next month ... or in 2 weeks) I will go out and buy myself a couple of new sweaters/shirts.  I still need to get a dress for October weddings ... I went to Anthropologie all set to for real splurge on a not-on-sale-but-oh-so-cute dress ... and it was GONE from the store! And the internet! Ugh. Hate when that happens to me! So, now I must find a new dress and some new sweaters! And the most challenging part of it all, I still only get about 2/2.5 hours in between feedings in which to find these treasures.  Challenge Accepted.  Stay tuned for my success (and/or failure) ...

... And, till then, wish Bradester a (belated) happy 1 month birthday and look forward to pix in super cute fall outfits (him, not me)! :)

Too busy to blog!

Ah, remember the days when I had nothing to do but hang out with my computer and share my thoughts on the world ... err, my life ... well, those days are gone.  Now, I'd much rather spend my "free time" cuddling on the couch with my little cutie. (If you need further proof of this, just check out the amount of dust taking over my condo! If I don't have "time" to blog, you can just imagine how much time I have to clean!) I mean, I have time -- babies sleep a lot -- but I don't want to do anything with my time but hang out with my little angel.  And since I only get like 2 hours (if I'm lucky!) in between breastfeeding sessions -- I decide that that is my rest time.  Meaning, nothing gets done.  But hey! babies grow too fast to be spending the day vacuuming when I can spend the day oozing up baby goodness! :)

Um, mom, who is this?

 Brady is now almost 1 whole month old!! (tomorrow!) Can you believe it!? I cannot.  Well part of me feels like I've been waking up every three hours and letting this kid nibble at my sore breasts forEVER now, while the other half of me just can't believe the first month of his life is already here and gone.  He visited the doctor at 3 weeks (on the 30th) and weighed in at 10 lbs. exactly!

Brady -- 3 weeks!

He's getting *SO* big so fast that sometimes I shed tears ... yes, already.  I find myself holding his little hands all the time thinking "I wonder how long I have until he won't let me hold his hand anymore."  :( Trying to be a bit more positive, but how do thoughts like that not cross your mind constantly?

Let's see, where did we leave off in the life of Bradester?  The last couple of weeks have been busy for the little man.  He's met a ton of his new "aunties" and "uncles" and loves taking walks.  We even survived his first case of the sniffilies, poor baby!  He spent a few days nice and congested, but luckily, never developed a fever and we nursed him back to health! I have to say, yes having a baby is a ton of work and all, but it's also not that bad at all.  Honestly, if I wasn't breastfeeding, I feel like it'd be even easier.  We manage to do a lot with our little guy in tow.  It's very important to us that our life not stop for him, but rather incorporate him into our life.  And yes, there are movies out that I want to see that I'm just gonna have to wait till dvd and there are restaurants that I want to eat at that are just too small for our big stroller and too intimate to chance him shrieking in and yes, I just want to go the mall and buy tons of new clothes but I don't know what size will fit my gigantic boobs (and I don't know if that will go away when I stop breastfeeding) but it's still not as dramatic as I thought it would be.  We still go out and have dinner with our little guy.  We still get to go shopping -- we just let his carseat take up most of the cart.  I got to get my hair cut! Last weekend we even took him on his first "road trip" to Lake Geneva for the day!! He did *wonderfully* in the car -- we only had to stop once on the way there (to feed) and once on the way back (because he was shrieking so loud mommy and daddy got all cliched and pulled over on the highway to check on him -- he was fine, babies cry, we know.)

At three weeks, Brady celebrated Gramma and Grampa Minneci's 30th Anniversary with mommy, daddy, his uncles, aunt, and little cousin Taylor.

Brady with his cousin Taylor

"Uncle Scott, please don't drop me!"

Aw so cute right? (I swear, he didn't sleep through the whole day!)

He is, however, starting to sleep through the night a little bit more!! Yay Brady!! One night, he even went 6+ hours -- it doesn't happen often, but it did happen.  A more normal night is about 4-5 hours in between feeding, which I think is still pretty awesome for a little man who is less than a month old! He can probably handle that long because he's eating like a barracuda during the day! The doctor says we can start weening the 3 am feed at 6 weeks -- I'm so excited for that time! See, he may go 6 hours in between, but I still can't seem to get into bed the same time as him -- there's all that cleaning and stuff to get done! -- so I, sadly, am not getting as much sleep as him!

Sadly, it's not all fun and games over here ... the last couple of days I haven't been able to sleep because I now have mastitis!  (Mastitis is a breast infection - which is super painful and gives you a fever, etc. Awesome, right?!) Apparently, God didn't think I got enough of my fill of pregnancy problems, he decided to keep on adding on! It seems only appropriate that I would get to experience all of the issues that pregnancy/post pregnancy would get to offer! Seriously, if my son wasn't so damn cute and awesome, I would be currently considering getting my tubes tied! Buuuut, Brady is so perfect it doesn't seem right not to have more kids like him! :) And besides, if I can make it out alive from this pregnancy/nursing experience -- I can do it ALL :)  And it's supposed to rain the next couple of days so it'll be perfect to kind of sit back and recover (though my antibiotics say on the warnings not lie down for 10 minutes after taking them! I'm pretty sure I'll die if I do so!  Eek!)

Oh! Also this week, Brady had his first real bath! We're trying to get him used to water because momma and dadda can't *wait* to take his to swim classes and water parks ... but it's not quite his thing yet.

Mostly I think because he got cold pretty quick ... brrr.  And he's not the biggest fan of water being poured over his head, yet ;).  But once he was warm, he was all good again! Love this kid!

Brady -- 4 weeks old!