One of Those Days

There are days when I feel like I have this parenthood thing figured out. Where he cries and I know exactly what to do to make him happy and content. These days are the majority. The phrase "parenthood thing figured out" seems like a joke anyway. I have a feeling I am going to spend the rest of his life "figuring this parenthood thing out". We've spent so much time together and I'm constantly learning more about him. Example - Car rides have not been his high points. They pacifier falls out of his mouth and he screams like a crazy man until we get to our destination or stopped at a light where I can put it back in. The other day before going for a ride I took the head support out of the car seat because he's got control of his neck now and doesn't need it. He did AWESOME in the car. He cooed and was vocal but it was a happy cry not his ticked off cry. And he moved his head from side to side. He was a happy kid. That was a day I was feeling on my game. Thinking to myself, "I got this."

Today was not one of those days. They are few and far between and I am by no means complaining. I wouldn't trade these days for anything. But I hate that helpless feeling. We were up all through out the night last night with him. He had horrible gas. He would cramp up and then straighten really quickly and pass gas. He'd cry hard and you could tell he was miserable. I hate that feeling! So I made a few changes and did what I could to help him out today and I think tonight is going to be a better night. (Fingers crossed.) And it's all really a guessing game. People tell you what worked for them, but it doesn't mean that is going to work for our baby. You just do what you can.

I'm only writing about this because I want this blog to be the good, the bad, and the ugly. I got ready to leave the house this evening to run errands and when Craig hugged me bye I just started crying. Because I was exhausted and because I spent all night last night feeling completely helpless and unable to make it better for him.

I know I'm going to have days like this for the rest of his life. Even when he's able to talk and tell me what is wrong with him. There will still be days where I feel like I brought nothing to the table. Where I did all I could and it will still not feel like it was enough. Where I am unable to "make it all better for him". But the good far outweight days like this. That's the best part about it. And at the end of the day, he's going to love me anyway. At least I hope. :)

Wordless Wednesday

Home Tour: Brantley's Nursery

A blog that I love to read, Kelly's Korner, has a weekly post on "Show Us Your Home" where she invites readers to show different rooms in their house. This is my first time to participate. I figured I would kill two birds with one stone because I realized I haven't posted pictures of Brantley's room on our blog.

We decided to go with a vintage firetruck theme. I am so happy with how it turned out. My grandfather (who passed away before I was born) was a fire chief. Brantley's shares his middle name with him. Kind of cool that he can grow up in a room the represents his grandfather also.

The bedding came from Pottery Barn Kids. It didn't come with a crib skirt so my mom and I made the crib skirt out of curtains that were the same curtains we hung in the room so they were sure to match. (They aren't pictured here because these photos were taken before it was completed.)


My husband is a huge LSU fan. My mom works for a leather furniture company. They custom make leather furniture. She had this adorable kids rocker made - LSU style! Geaux Tigers! We are taking his monthly photoshoots in this chair - can't wait to watch the little dude grow in it!


I fell in love with a vintage firetruck painting at Pottery Barn Kids but couldn't bring myself to spend the amount on the price tag so I started looking for other options. I found a woman on Etsy that painted an almost exact replica of it for half the price. When I mentioned it to my husband he said he could do it. It turned out even better than I imagined. And it is even more special that Craig took the time to make something that Brantley can appreciate when he gets older. The rocking chair was given to us by my sister. She rocked my nephew in it when he was a baby and offered it to us when we got pregnant with Brantley. It is so comfortable and fits that corner perfectly. I have loved rocking Brantley to sleep in it at night.

Happy Birthday to the Sweetest Two Year Old I Know!

We celebrated Dylan's second birthday this weekend. Josh had made a slide show of pictures of him over his two years of life and it was such a reminder of how fast it goes by. I remember being there with her family when he was born. He's such an awesome kid and I feel so blessed to be a part of his life. Hearing him say "Tisten" never gets old. I hope he still calls me that whe he's fourteen. :) Here are a few pictures of the party and us watching the LSU game at their house afterwards. It was a really fun day! Brantley had a good time!

Last night Brantley only woke up once! Normally I have to feed him at 2:00am and 5:00 am. Last night I gave him an extra ounce than I normally do at 11:30pm. He didn't wake up again until 3:30am and then again at 8:00am. It was amazing! I hope this is a sign of more good things to come. I ordered him a new swaddle blanket called the Miracle Blanket. It has a pocket for their arms - so they can't work their way out of it. I am hoping this will help him stay asleep through the night. We shall see!

More iPhone Photos

Some more recent iPhone photos. I can't believe he has already been with us for 7 weeks. Hard to remember what life was like before him. He just fits with us so perfectly. He does have his moments where he has melt downs and I can't figure out what to do to make it better for him. But they are few and far between. (And honestly I think most of them are because the formula he is on to help his reflux backs him up a little in other areas - if you know what I mean - if we don't mix it with breastmilk!) But for the most part he is all smiles (when he is awake...he still sleeps a good bit - bless his heart!)

My FAVORITE part of the day is when he wakes me up crying in the mornings. Crazy that I love to be woken up by his crying, right? But that's because I know the smiles that are going to follow! When I change him first thing in the morning, he is all smiles. The minute I lay him on the changing table he looks up at me and starts smiling. I can't get enough of it!

After he eats and he's fat and happy is the best time to catch a smile.

This one is a few weeks old. He was three weeks old here. It was at the Sikes Festival in Lousiana when Craig's aunt and uncle were down from Alaska.
Tummy time!
Aunt Julie gave him this bib. I completely forgot to use bibs the first four or so weeks of his life (I blame it on that fog you are in). He would spit up all over his outfit and I'd go change the whole outfit. Bibs are a genious idea! So glad I woke up from that fog and started using them. :)

Walking the neighborhood one afternoon with me. Cut the dude some slack, it was hard work!

P90X

Yesterday was my first day of P90X. I have to do something to get back in shape and I really enjoyed doing it the first time I did. The only problem with it is the length of each work out. I'm thinking once I go back to work (November 8th - not looking forward to that day!) it won't be as easy to keep up with it. I'm planning on walking during lunch when I go back and try to get every little bit of exercise I can in during the day. Because the evenings when I get home are going to be completely focused on spending time with my little guy that I missed all day.

I took before pictures yesterday before I started the workouts. They will NEVER be posted anywhere and are only for me to see - but I should have done that a long time ago. They are just gross enough to give me the motivation I need to keep doing SOMETHING (whether walking during lunch, running on the treadmill, or P90X). Eww. I want to be an active, fun, fit mom. And I need to take the steps to get to that point.

I'm also thinking of doing Weight Watchers (again). It works if you stick with it. I just had a hard time writing everything down and sticking to the points. I'm noticing a pattern of not sticking with things. Huh. Wonder what would happen if I would actually stick with something.

Wordless Wednesday

Things I Could Not Live Without - Mommy Edition

Even in our short first few weeks (6 1/2 to be exact) there are certain things I have learned that I don't want to be without as a mom. Figured I would document them here.


First up - his Graco Plug-In Swing. Awesome because we don't waste money on batteries. This was not an instant hit, we had to work at it. But one morning when it was cool in the living room, I tucked a blanket around him and he went right to sleep. We tuck him in tight every time we put him in it (otherwise he's not happy) and he either goes right to sleep or sits very content watching the bears in the mobile. Didn't care for the tray so Craig removed it for now. We may add it back when he gets old enough to need it. But it seems pretty useless right now.



Pampers Swaddlers New Baby with Dry Max. I branched out and tred different (maybe less expensive) brands. We've tried Huggies and the Walmart Brand, but we end up getting peed on every time we try another brand. These diapers are amazing and I swear by them. Plus, they aren't big and bulky (they are surprisingly thin for how much they will hold). And I have to believe that Brantley likes this whether he can tell me this or not. Swaddle Me Blankets. My boss, Jenny, gave me these pretty much the week I told her I was pregnant. I got to work one morning and she handed them to me over the cubicle wall. She swore by them. And me being the naive soon to be mom that I was, thanked her for them but had completely forgotten about them by the time he got here. I pulled them out in his first week when we were having a fussy night, wrapped him tight, and he went right to sleep. I've noticed that I can try to put him down in his crib at night tons of times without swaddling him. But the minute I swaddle him in these blankets, he goes right to sleep. The best thing about them is that they have velcro on them to secure them. So I don't worry about it coming over his head in the middle of the night.
Island Dreams Mobile with Remote Control. My sister gave us this as a gift before Brantley was born. We use it every night. I turn it on when I am rocking him. It has four different settings - Mozart, Bach, Island, and Nature. We play Mozart most nights. The nature theme has crickets and this really throws Sadie. She spends a lot of time looking around the room for them. This, paired with his Swaddle blanket and a full belly, and he is out. The best part? If he is almost asleep but not quite and the mobile reaches the end of it's time limit - I just press the remote (right from the rocking chair) for it to start again.
Lastly, Babies R Us brand wipes. I keep the smaller packs in his diaper bag to use when we are out and about. I love these wipes! They are quilted and so soft. I think Brantley appreciates them, too. :)
That's all I have for now. I'm sure there will be more that I come across as I get this mommy thing down. And because I think I have the cutest kid ever and can't get enough of him, here is picture we took of him the other night. He is definitely the World's Cutest Alarm Clock!

5 Weeks Old

Last Thursday (October 7, 2010), we moved Brantley to sleep in his crib at night. It wasn't as hard as I thought I would be. And I actually slept very good that night for the three hour increments he let me sleep. We inclined his crib to help with his reflux and when I went to check on him in the morning this is how I found him. He started at the top of his crib facing the other way and ended up at the bottom pressed up against the slats of the crib. I tried lowering the incline a bit, but it hasn't helped much. I may try starting him with his back up against the back of the crib. Brantley spent yesterday with Dad, June, and Gran. I love this picture that June sent me. He and Gran look like they are having an intense conversation about life.

Bath time in the Culberson household is not a happy time - don't let the smiles fool you. What this picture doesn't show is Brantley's screaming face. Oh how I hope this becomes easier as he gets older!

Craig sent me this picture. It was after I had already gone to bed. They were laying on the couch watching football and Brantley was holding his hand.

Sweet boy. Love him to death.

So peaceful. This is my new favorite outfit on him. He's just too cute.

Blurb Book

Brantley's Birth Day by The greatest day of our lives. | Make Your Own Book

So excited about this! Brantley spent most of the day at his Grandma and Grandpa's house so I got creative and made a Blurb book with pictures and stories of his birth day. I am so excited to see it when it gets here!

Some Recent iPhone Photos

Laying with me while we watch some TV in bed.He loves the Baby Bjorn. He gets fussy almost every afternoon around five o'clock. I put him in this and bounce around the house doing chores, etc. and he goes right to sleep.

Our first night out without Brantley. We went to On the Border and ate amazing food. The ride back to my mom's to pick him up - I was so anxious. Could not wait to get my hands on him.

On our way home from the Sikes Festival in Louisiana. Love how he has his hand out of the blanket like "What's up?" :)
Sadie has been so much better than I even expected her to be. When I was pregnant with Brantley she laid her head on my pregnant belly like this. The other day she crawled up and laid her head on his belly. Sadie loves who I love - so I knew she would be just fine.
Playing on his play mat. Still getting used to this one. He does this in small doses before he starts crying. It doesn't hold his interest very long. The swing on the other hand is a different story. He is loving his swing!
Little man with a death grip on my hand while I was feeding him. So cute! It actually started to get painful at one point and I had to pull away.
Gah - I love this little dude so much. Wish I had spent more time taking pictures with our nice camera - but love that I have my iPhone with me all the time to get these little memories!