NFL Recap

8-week weigh-in

Guess what: I weigh "Err"! Mommy and Daddy's fancy digital scale only goes up to 11 pounds, so I guess its either time for me to go on a diet or for them to get a new scale. I vote for the new scale. I have my 2-month checkup coming up on Friday, so we'll find out for real what I weigh and how long I am and how big my head is and how much I like to be poked with needles. Wait a minute... needles!?!? I think I need to have a chat with the pediatrician.

G&T

I have another new friend! His name is Tony Brown. I think we're going to like each other, even if he is a Vikes fan (Go Bears!).

Grandma Debby

I had a special treat on Christmas day - my Grandma Debby came for a visit! We were very glad to see each other. Mommy & Daddy went to bed early so Grandma and I got to hang out together for a long time. We talked about lots of stuff and watched tv and Grandma even fed me a bottle while mommy & daddy slept. Thanks, Grandma - I love you!

Daddy wanted me to post this note he received from Santa:

Dear Brandon, I give to you the best Christmas present ever: I give to you a healthy and happy son. This boy will be the joy of your heart and the fulfillment of your life. You already know his mother is the apple of your eye, but now she is not just your wife and best friend, but the mother of your child. The three of you will have a happy and wonderful life together. I know you've always wanted a child and now he is here for you and Julie to teach him the best of life and show him the way in this crazy world. I know you will do a great job along with help of your wonderful wife. Merry Christmas Brandon and enjoy your son. Love, Santa

Winter is Here

And with it came the snow. Here are some pics from a snowy stroll along the Blacksmith Fork River.

Big day yesterday

Yesterday we had some fun visitors. Greta and baby Junpier (almost 6 months old) came over with Melanie and little Ethan (15 months old). As if that wasn't exciting enough, we all went for a walk and I got to ride in my fancy new Chariot carrier! (Thanks again, Bill & Bruce!) Even though it was windy and rainy I stayed warm and dry and very comfortable. I felt kinda bad for everyone else.... for a minute. Then I fell asleep.

Grandpa Dale

Grandpa Dale came to see me over the weekend. He sure is a nice guy and I can tell he really loves me and is going to spoil me rotten. I appreciate him coming to hold me and see how big I've gotten. He's pretty impressed with me and he's a very cuddly grandpa and I love him lots! Thanks Grandpa for the cool racing suits!

Happy Holidays!

Another hike

Yesterday we explored the CCC camp at the mouth of Blacksmith Fork Canyon. It was really cold out but we all enjoyed the much needed fresh air. The dogs were so happy to be out romping in the snow!

I got more chins than a Chinese phone book.

Mom knows first-hand what a good eater I am, but she was still blown away when she saw the scale. Two weeks ago I weighed less than 8 pounds, but now at 6 weeks old I weigh 10 pounds! The scale says 10.45 lbs, but if you subtract the blanket and the milk that I spewed shortly after the weigh-in, I'm closer to 10 even.

Fun times!

You might be wondering what I've been doing with myself since Nana & Papa left. Well let me tell you - I've been busy! Yesterday I was sitting in my papasan, minding my own business, when all of a sudden this rabbit appeared out of nowhere! Shocked the heck out of me, as you can see from the picture. Exciting stuff. I also have this really great mobile that hangs above my crib, and next to spitting up on mommy, watching my mobile go around is about the best entertainment there is! Oh, yeah - one more thing. I got my first Christmas present in the mail yesterday from Aunt Missy & Uncle Dave. Mommy & daddy put it under that weird tree with the stuff hanging on it and said I can't open it until Christmas. Is it Christmas yet or WHAT??

I love my Nana and Papa!

What a wonderful week I had with Nana and Papa. We went for walks around the neighborhood with the dogs and went on multiple successful dining/shopping adventures. I even went to Idaho for the first time! One day we went to a place with a bunch of chopped down trees and brought one home and hung lights and junk on it. Weird. Anyway, I got lots of snuggle time and I especially enjoyed the couple of hours when mom and dad left on a date so Nana and Papa could have me all to themselves. I will miss them.

Gavin the boy. He's the best!

Baths are the best as long as I don't have to get out of the tub. I'm the best bath baby until it comes time to get out!!! But as long as there is warm air coming from the vent and as long as the temperature is at least 1000F, I'm OK!!
Nana and Papa enjoy my love and wonderment in life. Of course there's always Joie to compete with. What do I do??
AAAHHHH. I sooooo love my mommy. She snuggles and cuddles and feeds and is making me be a real person. Sleeping with my mommy and daddy is one of the best things in my life. Of course bouncing and listening and observing are right up there in a close second!
Pretty sure that my focus on that froggy, and focus on other aspects of life is something that will help me endure myself to the crazy world I'm coming into.
Lucky!! Nana and Papa got to babysit me for the first time while mommy and daddy went out for a date. Nana and Papa are great babysitters and mommy and daddy got to reconnoiter for the first time in over 2 months!!

Photos for the enjoyment of all

Nana and Papa came to see me today. They are nice people and I love them! I won't hold it against them for making fun of me getting weighed in a Rubbermaid container!

Today I weigh 8.15 lbs (that's 4.047 kg--mommy and daddy said they are going to make sure I know my SI units), but after you subtract the blanket, binky, and diaper it's only about 7.75 lbs. That means I've gained almost 2 whole pounds in one month. Thanks Bruce (mommy's boss) for the scale! Now we have a way to stay up to date on my growth progress. I'm sure my mommy and daddy being the geeks they are will be providing growth curves in the near future.

Mommy and daddy said they really like snowboarding and that yesterday was the "Pray for Snow" party at Beaver Mountain. Well, I'm going to do them one better and send out a little prayer myself so they can have lots of powder this year (but not too much, cuz I don't want them to be gone a lot). Grandma Debby said that for my parents christmas present she would watch me while my folks go "shred the gnar"!!

Contemplation of life

As my mommy shops for shoes, I can't help but lie here and contemplate life as I know it. Those two people I live with are sure nice to me and they sure act like they love me a lot. I'm not too active right now, but I can't wait until I'm big enough to play catch, and fish, and camp, and hike, and ride bikes with my mommy and daddy, but until then I'm going to enjoy the snuggle time I get with both of them! My daddy tells me that's he so happy that I'm here and that I'm ok after my rough start to life. It was hard on my daddy to see what me and my mommy went through for me to be here and he is extremely grateful that we are both ok and healthy and strong. Well, that's enough thinking (and stinking) for now. Time to get back to what I do best, SLEEP!

My first snow!

Not that I really noticed, but yesterday was the first snowfall of the season. We didn't get to make snowmen or anything. Didn't even go outside. What a rip-off. Yesterday was also the first day that Dad had to go back to work. He's been working from home some over the last 3 weeks but the time came for him to get back to the real world while Mom and I stay hunkered down at home. Today she and I went to the grocery store, which seemed like a big deal since it was the first time we ventured out into the world without backup support from Dad. I was a perfect angel (it helped that she fed and changed me right before we left) and didn't fuss at all until we were 1 block from home. Mom is encouraged by the success of our mission and might even try it again tomorrow with the carwash as our destination. Nana and Papa are coming for a visit soon and our car is FILTHY inside and out!

A few pictures just because

* Grandma Debby came for a visit and held me in her arms the WHOLE TIME.









* Aunt Heather and cousin Rhiannon thought it was pretty neat when I demonstrated my famous "butt explosion" for them.






* Dad is already reading to me!



* Joie is dealing with her postpartum depression by surrounding herself (literally) with toys.


* I'm so darn cute - don't you agree?

I wasn't born yesterday...

...but I was supposed to be! My "due date" was Thanksgiving but I figured it would be lots more fun for everyone if I could spend Thanksgiving with my Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Elison and Grandma Debby. And then today I got to meet Grandma Deb, Aunt Heather and my fun cousin Rhiannon. What a holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends - and a special "Happy Thanksliving" to the river crew in Apple Valley. We miss you!

Publicity at the Crop Physiology Lab

Photosynthesis - It's all I think about! Well, besides eating, sleeping, pooping, and various other gang-related activities....

Rub-a-dub-dub

This is an OLD video (taken last week) of me getting a bath but I think it's funny when dad says that the warm water feels good on my ____ so I wanted to share it with you.

Another hike and other fun stuff

Everyone thinks I just sleep and eat all the time but I've been busy! I went for my second hike a couple of days ago. Dad found us a new place to go where we can climb up a ridge and see the Wellsvilles (the mountains on the west side of Cache Valley) to the west and Paradise (a town in southern Cache Valley that's as pretty as it sounds) to the east. Joie and Brody got really excited when they flushed a Hungarian partridge. The rest of us just enjoyed the chance to get some fresh air and enjoy the mild temperatures before the wintry weather hits.
Mom and dad are relaxing a little about me having visitors. I've had the pleasure of meeting my Aunt Brooke & Uncle Ken, Grandma Debby, Grampa Dale & Gramma Cheryl, Tom & Paula, Sarah, Hart & Buffy, Sean & Emily, and Leanna. The mailman continues to bring me boxes with fun stuff from well-wishing family and friends, and friends & neighbors have been keeping us fully stocked with baked goods and the occasional dinner. Today I went for my first ride in the stroller. We walked to the Hyrum Library to pay the fines mom racked up because her books came due when we were still at the hospital, and then we stopped at the Bear Creek Bakery for lunch and to order our Thanksgiving rolls. Some day I'll have teeth and stuff like that will be more interesting. Overall I think we're all doing great. Mom and Dad are kinda tired, but that's to be expected, right?

I went for a hike! And then the next day...

I went for my first hike with mom and dad and the dogs on Thursday November 15th. We explored the foothills at the mouth of Blacksmith Fork Canyon, not far from our house. The dogs were VERY excited to finally be getting some fresh air and real exercise. Daddy carried me the whole time in my Baby Belle. I would tell you more about it but I was asleep for most of it. Today (the 16th) we went into town to meet with a lactation consultant (she said I was doing really well and would be getting the hang of the breastfeeding thing soon - but I already knew that), and then for my 2-week checkup with Dr. Firth. I gained almost a half pound since last week! I was really proud of myself for a minute but the next thing I knew I was being poked with a needle to numb my little wee wee and SNAP - I got circumcised. Dang, that hurt! And then they had the nerve to prick my heel and take my blood for yet another battery of "routine" tests. Good thing my rough delivery prepared me for this kind of adversity. Dr. Firth told mom I'm "tough as nails". Aaw, yeah.