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!

One Month

Brantley turned one month old yesterday! I've decided to make him a onesie each month that corresponds with the number of months he is turning. I'm also going to put him in his LSU chair next to his bear so that we can see how much he has grown.





At one month he...

- Is still mostly in newborn clothing but some 1 to 3 month clothes don't swallow him whole.
- Has skinny little legs.
- Nicknames are "Monster", "Bubba", "B", and "Goose".
- Hates being burped. The minute you take the bottle out of his mouth he starts grunting and crying.
- Is up to 2.5 oz of milk every two to three hours.
- Sleeps amazing at night! He wakes up every three hours (four is the longest he has gone so far) ready to eat, but once his belly is full he is right back asleep.
- Laughed in his sleep a few days ago and it was the most precious thing ever.
- Hates bath time - I hope this gets better over time!

He is the most amazing little guy ever. This month has been the greatest of our lives. Such a huge change and adjustment, but so incredibly worth it.

We are so in love.

I never knew my heart could feel this much love. Wow. Brantley is here and absolutely perfect.

He was born on Friday, September 3rd. We went in the hospital to be induced that morning. After waiting in the waiting room for an hour they took us back at seven o'clock. I got hooked up to my IV and the pitocin was started around eight o'clock. Putting the hospital gown on and getting hooked up to the IVs made it all real.

I was pretty slow progressing but by dinner time I was at 8cm and things were looking good. But they slowed up pretty quickly and by 9:30 pm when I was still 8cm, Dr. Wiist decided our best bet was a C-section. Everything happened pretty quickly after that. They upped my epidural to numb me, gave Craig some scrubs, I kissed my mama, and we were off.

The time in the operation room where they got me set up on the table and Craig had to wait outside was the longest however many minutes it was of my life. Once he was able to come in and sit down at my left shoulder, I was fine. And then we waited. We stared at each other and he talked to me and we waited. To hear Brantley's cry. I remember Dr. Wiist telling me that I would feel pressure up high in my chest and then he would be here. I felt the pressure and then heard his cry and I instantly started crying. Dr. Wiist held him up over the sheet and we both felt such relief to finally have him here with us and to be able to lay our eyes on him.

I finally feel like (at almost two weeks old) I am finally getting the hang of this. Living your life on 3 hour increments (for feeding time) can be quite an adjustment coupled with lack of sleep. But I wouldn't trade the 2am feedings for anything in the world. Craig has been amazing and helps out tons. I love watching Craig hold him and talk to him. It has just made me love him that much more.

God is so good and we are so blessed.