2 Months Old! (June 23rd, 2010)

The adventures of the Brusven Boys continues...

Snuggling after eating:


Going for a walk and seeing a hot air balloon:






Discovering that couches are best for napping:



Crying:


More crying:


Even more crying:


Post crying:


Tummy time:
(Aiden is still dominating in the strength category, but Reid is giving it a shot.)




2 months old:






Aiden:


Reid:

Happy Father's Day!

[Dad and Marlowe, Happy Father's Day too!]

Thursday II

On Tuesday night we had the boys' pulse-ox levels tested overnight. This meant taking them off of the supplemental oxygen while machines read their levels. When their levels dipped below 88%, an alarm sounded. I've heard of parents having to have their babies hooked to one of these machines for weeks, if not months. That would be hell. Our boys' levels looked great, but if they were too active, then the machines' alarms would sound. I can't imagine going through that night after night.
Throughout most of the night, their levels were between 94-96%. (We know this because Eric barely got a lick of sleep as he monitored the machines. I managed to fall asleep in between the alarms.) Unfortunately, we haven't heard back from the doctor yet with the results.
I guess that hasn't stopped me from being a little rebelious because I ended up not hooking the boys back up to the oxygen. I was going to last night, but forgot to do so before I gave them the bedtime feeding. They looked great througout the day today, so I decided to leave them off again tonight. It can be challenging to manage everything when it's just me and the boys. Having them off of the oxygen over the past 48 hours has been so liberating.
In fact, we even went to watch part of AJ's baseball game. We arrived during the 4th innings which I thought was a pretty amazing feat. Eventually, we'll arive for opening pitch.
Here are the boys sacked out as I stop off to get the mail. (Mom & Dad- more junk mail for you. Although, the other day you did have three letters from Comcast.)

Hanging out this evening... I love that they're now smiling in response to us.
(In the following pictures: Reid, Aiden, Aiden-left, Reid-right)






And finally... Aiden's feet. Awwww! Aren't they the cutest!

Thursday

It is Thursday? Right?
Here are some pictures from the past few days.

A Couple More Pics

From my mom's camera:

Keri, Aiden, and Jeani

Family of Four
(Aiden really didn't seem like he was slouching THAT much when I was holding him. Whoops! This photo also makes me realize that we don't have many pictures of the four of us together.)

Celebrating Jacob's Baptism

John, Jacob, Keri, Aiden, Eric, and Reid celebrating Jacob's baptism. (Eric had just flown in from Detroit that morning.)

Meeting Mark & Jen:

Wearing our ties... just like Daddy. (Thanks, Janina & Colette!)

Parenting in 2010

Times have changed since I was a baby 32 years ago. My parents and I have joked more than once recently that all they needed to do when they went down the road was throw me in a clothes basket and they were set. In fact, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (a book from La Leche League that my mom recently unearthed in her collection) says:

Baby Furniture
There are so many kinds of special furniture and gadgets for baby that you can indulge your inclinations just as far as your own pocketbook and the generosity of the cheering section permit. There are four* items, though, that we'd like to recommend. Bear in mind that these are nice, though not absolutely necessary.

Third, a car bed that can be put on the floor behind the front seat (the safest spot). This could double as the baby-toter for indoors, too, if you like.

(*The other items: 1. comfortable rocking chair, 2. basket, cradle, buggy, 4. canvas sling for toting baby)

That's right, folks. Just throw the rug-rats behind your seat and you'll on your way. Not for our little guys. They roll in car seats with 5-point harnesses that have been put through rigorous crash-testing and if a recent state law passes, they'll have to sit in a car seat until they're in college.

My goal for today's post is to record some of the items and gadgets which today's parents use.

Smart Phone

Jeani found a great app to use with our Verizon Droid phones for keeping track of what the babies are up to. It's called Baby ESP (eat, sleep, poop.. ha, ha) I mainly use it for keeping track of when I last nursed and for how long, but it can also be used for keeping track of bottles, naps, diapers, medicine, and baths. Plus, it can be customized to add anything else you want to keep track of. Well worth the $2.99. Especially at two in the morning!

Computer, Digital Camera, and Camcorder

Thirty years ago, parents bought film, took only the best pictures that were worthy of being on the roll of 24, dropped the film off at the store, and finally a week later had photos in hand. A movie camera may be shared by four different members of an extended family and rotated from family to family throughout the year.
Today, parents may take hundreds of digital pictures in a single day. The favorites are uploaded to the Internet in seconds to share with friends and family via email, text messages, blogs, and Facebook.

Video Monitor
One of our most used items. We received two monitors with the thought that we would put one above each boy's crib. Since the boys are still sleeping in the living room, we have one camera sitting on the counter above their pack n play. The two monitors are in the living room and in our bedroom. It's perfect for being able to check on what the little guys are up to.

For example, today we put them down for a nap...
"Aiden, can you believe Mommy and Daddy think we're going to take a nap?"
"I know, Reid. Nuts to that!"

Little did they know, we were watching.
At first the boys flailed their arms and legs about all herky-jerky.

Then they worked on their secret hand shake which apparently includes a fist bump.

Eventually... they did catch a little shut-eye.

_________
Past, present, or future, one thing that will never change...
babies eat, sleep, and poop.