Happy Halloween!

Brenna's first Halloween has us buzzing . . . she is dressing as a cute little bumble bee. Even though she is a bit young to trick or treat, it's fun for mom & dad to dress her up! And the trick or treaters that come to our house tomorrow will enjoy seeing a little bee hand out the candy.
Brenna's daycare will also be dressing the babies up for pictures - some of them might make it onto this site. Brenna is having a good time at day care (we think). She surprised all the teachers by rolling over the other day - even though she's already done it for mom and dad. This weekend she rolled from back to belly and back again! We really enjoyed getting to spend some time with her this weekend. It's been hard to be away from her during the week!

At the pumpkin patch

We took Brenna to Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili party this weekend and had so much fun! She got to see her first pumpkins, meet her first sheep and goat, watch pig races and sit in hay. She was such a good girl and we all enjoyed ourselves. Unfortunately, we were only there in the daylight for about an hour and could've done much more if it hadn't gotten dark. We'll know for next year to go earlier in the day! This weekend was special for mommy since she is going back to work Monday and Brenna is starting day care =( It will be a sad day and I'm sure mommy will cry! But, the day care - called A Child's Place at the Ranches - is a very nice place and all of Brenna's teachers are nice too. Not as good as mommy of course, but until that powerball hits it'll have to do . . .

Rollin', rollin', rollin' . . .

Brenna has figured out how to roll over! We have found that she really enjoys laying on the floor (on a blanket of course) on her back and playing. She'll babble away and kick her little legs constantly. She has been rolling onto her side for awhile now, and now without any help, she rolls herself right over onto her belly. It is funny to watch her go from happy and babbling to really mad that she's on her belly. She can't quite figure out how to get out of that position and starts crying after a few seconds. But, as soon as we move her onto her back again, she's rolling back over!


And here's a bonus smile picture from today . .

Brenna's travels

Whew - this last week has been busy! Last Wednesday, when Justin went quail hunting, I decided to take Brenna up to Show Low to visit (and so we wouldn't be all alone with Justin gone). First, she went to her 2 month checkup and got her shots =( She weighed in at 10 lbs, 13.5 oz and was 23 inches long, so she is making good progress! We got to spend some time with Grandma Diane and with friends in Show Low. On Saturday, we drove back down to the valley, did some shopping and spent the weekend down here. Aunt Jamie had been in Boston for the weekend for a friend's wedding and flew back on Sunday. When her flight was delayed, her plans to get back home to Tucson were messed up, so we ended up taking her home on Monday. So, Brenna got to spend some time with Aunt Jamie too - mostly in the back seat of the Explorer. After dropping Jamie off, we continued on up to Show Low again to make sure Grandma Diane made it to work on Tuesday. Then, we got to spend some time with Grandad Dave. The weather was definitely cooler up there, but it was a great visit! On the way home, we stopped to see Great-Grandad and Aunt Sandy in Globe and finally made it home this Wednesday. Brenna had a great time - she smiled a lot and we even think she's on the verge of laughing! These pictures are the only ones I got (the camera just wasn't on my mind). So, we have one with the back of Grandad Dave's head - oh well, there's always next time!

2 months old!

Brenna officially hit the 2 month mark on Sunday - October 2nd. We can't believe that she's already 2 months! We've really started to see lots of changes in her - she focuses much better on her mobile and her toys, she smiles at them (and at us) more, she has found that her hands taste really good, and she rolls onto her side to sleep and sometimes she sleeps 6-7 hours at night. Although she is still grouchy pants sometimes, she is becoming a more happy baby than she was a few weeks ago, which makes her a lot more fun for us too! These pictures show her laughing at the animals that hang above her bouncy seat and on her 2 month birthday in mommy's favorite outfit.

Hanging out

Brenna is getting much more active in her sleep lately. When she first starting napping in the crib, we moved the bumper so that we could easily see into the side of the crib to make sure she was doing ok. Now, when she sleeps in there, we find her in all sorts of positions, some of which require that the bumper be put back! I have found her with her feet through the slats, as in this picture - and one morning she bonked her head on them and woke herself up! So, now the bumper is back and all the hard parts of the crib are covered. No more bonks on the head allowed!

Overcoming a hurdle

Brenna is not a big fan of traditional tummy time, so mommy figured out (with some help from Jody and Jacy) that the Boppy can be a great help with getting that tummy time in. You can see in the first picture that Brenna is learning to hold her head up really well - she has a very strong neck (as she shows us frequently by tossing her head around when we are holding her). During this tummy time activity, she decided to climb over the Boppy. It took her a few minutes, but I could see her little legs and arms working to push her body over the top of the Boppy. After a little struggle and a little bit of fussing, she managed to get herself almost all the way over it - into the position on the 3rd picture. Then, mom came to the rescue. We are very excited to see this kind of activity in our little girl already - we think it's a good sign of her strength and abilities!

Favorite Pastime

Everyone loves this picture, so I thought it would make a good blog post. Brenna has definitely inherited one of her daddy's favorite pastimes - napping. This picture was taken one weekend when Justin had worked hard out in the heat and needed to catch up on his sleep. During a very messy diaper change, Justin never heard the calls for help, so Brenna was plopped on to his chest while mommy cleaned up the mess. She instantly fell asleep with him and stayed that way for quite awhile.

Say cheese!

Well, here it is, Brenna's first official smile (on camera anyway). She's been smiling for about a week - real smiles, not just the kind associated with gas or other bodily functions. Today, after this afternoon's bottle, Brenna was in a playful mood, so mommy decided to try to capture a smile on camera. You can see mommy's hand in one of the pictures - after a pinch/tickle on the cheek to solicit a smile. Gotta love that little grin!

Road Trip!

This weekend we took a trip to Show Low (and stopped in Globe on the way home). It was an exciting weekend - lots of people that got to meet Brenna for the first time! We had a small open house at Grandma and Grandpa Pearson's house and Brenna got to meet lots of family friends who live in Show Low. Unfortunately, she was not at her best. A gas bubble (or something horrible) got the best of her for most of the party and she was fussy and crying the entire time. But, she did get to meet her buddy Colton who is 9 days older than her. This is a picture of them with Colton's mommy and brother (Meghan & Sean). The weather was a bit chilly in Show Low (compared to the 100+ degrees here in the valley) so we didn't venture out too much. It was a fun weekend and a nice getaway!

On our way home, we stopped in Globe to visit Great-Grandad Pearson and Aunt Sandy. Brenna is Gran's 5th great-grandchild and it was very fun to visit.
This picture represents 4 different generations of Pearsons! Fortunately, Brenna was in a pretty good mood during this visit - once she was fed. The ride home from Globe was sort of noisy, but overall, Brenna handled this road trip well. And she should, we'll be making it often!

Is crying contagious?

It would seem so after seeing Brenna spend a few hours with her friend Jason. This weekend, we had dinner with our friends the Martins and experienced what appeared to be contagious crying episodes. If Jason was content and Brenna started crying, Jason would soon start crying. This phenomenon also worked the other way around. It also seemed that once we got one baby calm, the other one would pick it up! Needless to say, we had a pretty noisy night, as indicated by the picture of them crying together. But, we did have fun!


Brenna also discovered a new toy while we were there. Jason's swing has 2 different motions and during one of her crying spells, we thought we'd try out the cradle mode to see if it helped her. And . . . it did! So, that has been our most recent purchase. Although Brenna had a swing already, the cradle mode makes a world of difference for her, it really seems to soothe her, so we gave in and bought one. As you can see, it will probably help mom and dad stay sane.

Slumber Party!

Brenna had her first official slumber party with her friend Jacy this weekend. Our friends the Simmers had some bad luck with air conditioning and stayed with us for a couple of nights. Although Brenna mostly slept during the slumber party (she wasn't very entertaining for Jacy), they had fun! The other major activities included crying, eating and watching Jake and Scruffy (the dogs) chase each other around the house. All in all - a great party!

Brenna's day out

Well, Brenna is sleeping much better these days. The fussiness still continues, but we are all hanging in there. Attached is a picture of one of our calming techniques - the swing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it's just not enough! Yesterday was a very exciting day. We had a visit to Dr. Beals (the surgeon who will repair her cleft lip/palate), went to the County Attorney's Office to visit mommy's work friends and went to a restaurant for the first time!

The visit with Dr. Beals went well. He was very positive about her repairs, indicating that her lip will be easily repaired since it has a small section that is already connected. She will not need the obturator (the prosthetic palate that may have been needed) because of this connection under her nostril. They gave us the time frame of 4 months indicating that surgery on her lip would be done sometime in January. They explained that it will be an outpatient procedure and that she should be able to eat with the Haberman Feeder almost immediately out of recovery! So, stay tuned for updates. We'll be seeing Dr. Beals again in a few months for a pre-op appointment and will know more then.

To sleep or not to sleep?

Lately, it seems the answer is not to sleep. Brenna has made mommy and daddy the parents of a colicky baby! It comes on suddenly and makes us all nervous wrecks (not to mention tired too). The doctor says to try gas drops or colic tablets for a few days and if they don't work - it's on to soy formula. So, we're just waiting to see how she responds. Here is a picture at one of her more pleasant times!

Lost the Stump!!

I know this may not seem like exciting news to everyone, but it is a little milestone for Brenna! Yesterday evening, Grandma Harvey was changing Brenna's diaper and found the little umbilical cord stump wandering around in her onesie. So far, it looks like she'll have an innie =) Now she can be submerged in the water for a bath instead of fighting with mommy and the soapie washcloth like she had to before this picture. Hopefully those baths will be a bit more pleasant!

Oh Baby!

Brenna Lee Harvey made her appearance at 3:59 am on August 2, 2005!! She weighed in at 8 lbs, 1 oz and measured 22 inches long (we've since learned that she's not quite that long, more like 20 1/2 inches). Mom and dad are getting used to little sleep - especially between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am (that's when Brenna likes to party) but are loving every minute of having precious Brenna around.

As expected, she was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate and will have surgery to correct both once she is strong enough. We have the first appointment with the surgeon, Dr. Stephen Beals on August 24th and will learn more then. The lip will be repaired first - when she is between 3 - 6 months old. The palate will be repaired later - when she is between 6 - 12 months. So far, she is doing well and has pretty good sucking abilities (which was a concern initially). We use a special bottle called a Haberman Feeder to feed her and she does pretty well with it. Otherwise, she is a normal, healthy baby girl who keeps our hands full!