Brinleigh's 4 Month Well Baby Check Up

Wednesday we had Brinleigh's 4 month well baby check up with our Doctor, whom we love.  She indeed confirmed that our little girl is growing like a weed.  Brinleigh now weighs 13 lbs & 3.6 oz. & she is 23.6 inches long.  

She usually has no problems with being at the doctors office, but this visit was rough to say the least.  First off, we usually only see our doctor & her nurse, Kat, but this appointment was different.  Kat's CNA is the first one we saw, (I don't even remember her name) she is the one who took Brinleigh's vitals, measured her & weighed her.  Brinleigh was fine letting the CNA listen to her heart & measure her.  THEN.... she had to get weighed.  Well not only did this CNA not seem very confident with what she was doing, but she also seemed to not know how to work the scale very well either.  So after weighing Brinleigh several times, she laid her down on her back on the bed/table that is always in the doctors office rooms.  As she laid Brinleigh down, I had turned around to grab a new diaper from Kolt.  I'm not sure what this woman did to my baby girl, but Brinleigh started crying & screaming & turned a shade of maroon that I had never seen before.  This cry/scream was the kind she lets out when she is physically uncomfortable or in pain, like something hurt her.  Well this woman was just so convinced that Brinleigh was just so upset because she must not have wanted the CNA to put her down.  B*tch please!  My baby is not upset about you putting her down, you did something that hurt her & she is screaming because she is pissed.  UGH!  So of course I pick her up & I'm trying to calm her down while I examine her to see what hurt her.  Kolt can see the anger forming in my face & hears how his baby girl is crying & Daddy knows that all of this is NOT normal.  I don't know if Kolt has EVER heard Brinleigh cry & scream like this, much less turn herself maroon from head to toe in the matter of seconds.  Thankfully, for this lady, she quickly left the room while we were preoccupied with calming Brinleigh down before I lost my shit.  This Momma was NOT happy, at all.  As this CNA lady skirted out of the room, Kat & our Doctor came in.  They are excellent with Brinleigh & as she started to calm down, she became entertained with the doctor talking to her & feeding her compliments.  You can't go wrong telling Brinleigh how cute she is, she absolutely loves to hear it.  So we told the Doctor & Kat about when Brinleigh started crying & they checked her out to make sure there was nothing physically wrong.  

The doctor said she is growing perfectly & was very pleased with all of the things she is learning to do.  On Tuesday, Brinleigh had actually rolled herself over from her tummy to her back twice while laying in her play yard.  I thought it might have just been the way I set her down but as the doctor was examining her, she laid her on tummy & Brinleigh started to roll herself over to her back again.  The doctor confirmed that Brinleigh was doing this on her own & was pleased to see all of her progress.  She also got to hear Brinleigh's new voice as she babbled to the doctor & witnessed the mass amounts of drool she now produces.  The doctor confirmed my suspicions that Brinleigh has starting teething but no teethe are present as of yet.  It's only a matter of time now.  She is always chewing on her hands, she loves to suck on wet washcloths while in the bathtub, & pretty much anything she can grasp with her tiny hands is guaranteed to make it to her mouth.  The appointment ended with an oral vaccination which Brinleigh sucked down with no problems & then 3 shots which understandably, sent her into a fit of rage..... again.

      

4 more Days.....

I've made my packing/ to-do list & checked it twice...... okay, 15 times is probably a more realistic number.  I am taking care of a little bit every day so that I'm not swamped at the end of the week.  I started packing myself & Brinleigh's suitcases tonight.  Last night we spent a little time trying on outfits to see what fits her or was close to fitting her.  She is in the middle of a growth spurt right now where she has almost outgrown some of her 0-3 month clothes & she can barely fit into some of her 3-6 month clothes.  So needless to say, we aren't going to get away with packing as lightly as I thought for her.  I'm also bringing almost all of her 0-3 month clothes with us 1.) for her to wear while we are there and 2.) for my sister, Dana, to go through & pick out what she wants for her new baby, Peyton.  I'm pretty sure that when we come back home in a month, she will for sure not be able to wear her 0-3 month clothes anymore.  

On another note, I've decided to start giving up specific unhealthy foods that contain no nutritional value at all, as part of my weight loss plan.  My first food to give up:  Chips.  So let's see how this goes.  I haven't decided if I want to do this bi-weekly or monthly, but as of right now.  No More Chips!  Wish me luck. 


We got our first snow of the winter this last weekend.  It started late Friday night & we woke up Saturday morning to a light blanket of snow.  It continued to snow all day & night, throughout Sunday & into Monday morning.  I think we got a total of around 11-12 inches.  It is supposed to rain/snow throughout the week & I am praying that this does not effect or delay our flight out of here on Saturday.     

A House Full of Packages

You would think Christmas came early in the Foreman household today.  I've been doing a little online shopping lately & all of my Black Friday purchases just so happened to all arrive today.  We had boxes & packaging everywhere.  It was a little overwhelming to be honest.  But I was like a kid in a candy shop.  
Our first package of the day was from Kohls.  It consisted of a knew block knife set for Kolt, which he of course was very excited about.  He got to open that & set it all up.  Then there was also a new black cardigan for Brinleigh, a pair of jeans & leggings for myself.  It is sooooooooo nice to have a couple pairs of pants that are not maternity jeans, that actually fit me.  I don't plan on buying a lot more because I WILL get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes.  I am determined.  The next delivery were packages from Babies R' Us & Best Buy.  From Babies R' Us, we got Brinleigh's new high chair which of course I opened right away, put together, & then set her in to see how she liked it.  And then of course I opened my box from Best Buy.  Can you guess what it was????  MY NEW CAMERA!!!!!   I am beyond excited to learn how to use this thing so I can get to taking some Amazing pictures, which will most likely be all Brinleigh.

After running a few errands this afternoon, we came home & Brinleigh was sleeping in her car seat.  This of course was a prime opportunity to try & read a little about my new camera & play around with it a little until she woke up.  Here are some pictures from after I learned how to turn it on & snap a few shots.  I'm still not sure what I'm doing though.  This thing is serious business.

Tonight Brinleigh & I decided to venture outside in the freezing (literally things are frozen) cold to check out the neighbors Christmas decor that they were in the process of putting up outside.  This of course also gave me yet another opportunity to take some adorable pictures of Brinleigh in her winter jacket & hat.

 
  

30 Days of Thanks: Days #28, #29, & Finally #30!

Day # 28:
Thankful that my husband FINALLY shaved off that stupid mustache even though "movember" isn't over for 2 more days.


Day #29:
Thankful for wonderful neighbors. Maybe it's just because it's coast guard housing, but everyone knows everyone. If we ever needed anything from a cup of sugar to help moving a piece of furniture, there is always someone willing to lend a helping hand. We love our neighbors & it's nice knowing I have people watching out for me when Kolt isn't home.


Day #30:
I DID IT! Posted something I am thankful for every day this month. It's weird, now that I have done it every day I realize how fast this month has gone by. so this being my last thankful post.....
I am Thankful for anxiety medicine, such as xanax which will help me to stay calm & not react like a schizo on the plane ride from Alaska to Arizona next weekend.
I am Thankful for pla

nes, which is pretty much my only way of getting off this rock when I need a break, like going home for Christmas.
I am Thankful for my husband agreeing to fly home for Christmas, since his anxiety is probably even a little worse than mine when it comes to flying. (Yes, he fly's around in helicopters for a living, but can't stand to fly commercially.)
I am Thankful for having the money to afford to buy tickets to fly home for the holidays so that we can be with our family.

Can you tell that I am excited to go home for Christmas?

 

30 Days of Thanks: Days #26 & #27

Day #26:

Thankful for my husbands smart decisions & wise choices. I've been watching "Married to the military: Alaska" & I have to say that I am extremely thankful that Kolt chose to get out of the Army. Living in Alaska is hard when you're not from here & I couldn't imagine moving here & then having my husband deploy for a year. Especially with a baby. It takes a very strong woman to survive an Army marriage & I commend the women who do. Kolt's decision to join the Coast Guard is one of the best things he could have ever done for himself & our family. He knew the Coast Guard would be different & he knew it would be better for us. He was right & I am proud of the choice he made to join.


Day #27:

Thankful for my baby girls smile! Because no matter what happens or how my day is going, it fixes anything that is wrong. I wake up happy every morning, it keeps me patient & kind when she is screaming her head off crying because she wants to be held instead of put down, & I get to watch it melt her daddy's heart on a daily basis. I stare at her for hours, just to see her smile. ♥

30 Days of Thanks: Day #24 & #25

Day #24: 

Thankful for patience. The patience that others have had for me & the patience that I have acquired & learned throughout my years. I truly believe it has helped me to be the best wife, mother, & friend that I can be.








Day #25: 

Thankful for my husbands understanding, appreciation, & compassion for everything I do. Whenever I ask him if it's ok to buy something or ask him his advice on whether or not we need it or should get it (like the new play yard that we have absolutely NO room for in our house)..... his answer is "whatever is going to make things easier for you" & even though I tell him, he will never know how much that means to me. ♥

Black Friday

When we lived in Arizona, I would go shopping on Black Friday with my cousin(s), sister, mother, whoever.  It wasn't the wake up at 3am to go stand in line by 4am for a store that opened at 5am to race other shoppers to *hopefully* snag at least one of the five laptops that were on sale.  When we were in San Diego for Thanksgiving a couple years ago, I actually woke up at 5am (by myself) to try & get to an office depot by 6am (which was when they opened, no standing in line for this girl) to snag a laptop for my mother.  Thankfully, I arrived & parked just as they opened the doors & there was probably only 15-20 shoppers who had been waiting.  So as soon as I parked, I bolted from the car, into the store, straight for the first sales person I saw to point out the laptop which I had circled 5 times with a black sharpie in the sales ad.  When the salesperson returned from checking to see if the laptop was still in stock, I was handed a tag & told I could pick the laptop up from the cashier.  YAY!  My first Black Friday mission completed.  After that I decided to head to the mall & target.......  I mean, I was already awake, so why not?   

Last year I don't remember buying much online, I couldn't do any shopping in the stores because we don't really have any here.  I think I bought a wireless printer which was one of my Christmas gifts from Kolt.  

But now, a year after we moved to Alaska, & with months of online shopping experience, I decided to go Black Friday shopping online.  But *only* for the things we either have been needing or expensive items we were planning to get in the near future & only if we could get a good deal on them.  So a week before Thanksgiving I started researching the Black Friday sales ads, made my list of items to get & which store to buy them at, & of course, discussed the planned purchases with Kolt to make sure WE both agreed that it was a deal we couldn't pass up.  I think I did a great job with the money we saved, not getting out of control with the shopping bug, & I was able to purchase almost everything on my list.  So here it is:  My Black Friday bragging.

First off let me start by saying Kohls, Best Buy, & Target are my go-to stores, so those were obvious places of interest, but also the great thing about online shopping is that I can compare prices a lot easier with other stores to make sure I am getting the lowest price.  I also like to check the ads to make sure that the Black Friday Sale price is actually a good deal, not just $2 off -or- to make sure that a regular every day sale price isn't actually lower than the Black Friday Sale price (Kohls had a few items that were actually cheaper when they went on a regular sale than they were at the Black Friday Sale price.)

Everything we bought at Kohls was not only on sale, but they also sent me a 15% off coupon to use for Black Friday & we earned $15 Kohls cash for every $50 spent.  So.... we bought a kitchen knife block set, a cooking skillet/pan, a cardigan for Brinleigh to wear over her Christmas dress, & a pair of jeans & leggings for myself (because I still can't fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes & planned on buying them when we came home in December).  I ended up buying $390 worth of items for only $204 & earned $60 Kohls cash, with Free Shipping.  The Kohls cash will be used for items I planned on buying but were not marked down any lower for Black Friday than the normal sale price.

We also decided that living in Alaska is a once (maybe twice) in a lifetime opportunity for us & the scenery here is just too beautiful to not be able to take great pictures of.  We have point & shoot digital cameras & our iphones, but we wanted a NICE professional type camera.  Not to mention that all of our friends with kids always talk about how it is extremely nice having such an awesome camera to capture memories with.  After seeing some of the cameras our friends & family use, & hours of research on my part, we found a camera that we wanted.  The original plan was to buy it with our income tax return money, however, it was on sale for Black Friday.  It is normally $819.99 & was on sale for $499.99 (Free Shipping) so we just couldn't pass it up.

  

We have been planning on buying Brinleigh's high chair soon, since she likes to be in the dining room when we eat & the kitchen when we are cooking/baking.  We usually just put her in the bumbo seat on the table or the counter but we can't be more than a few feet away from her when she is in that seat.  We were going to wait until after Christmas since we won't be home for most of December & it would save us some money to go to Arizona with, BUT, it was on sale at Babies R' Us for Black Friday.  It is normally $59.99 + shipping, however, it was advertised on sale for $27.49.  When I went to purchase it though, it ended up being $39.99.  Brinleigh will also be starting on solid foods in the next few months so we bought some dishes, utensils & bibs, which were buy one get one free on specific brands.  So what originally would have cost us $25, we only paid $13 for & got free shipping. AND The Ruey family paid for the Babies R' Us purchase because they wanted to get Brinleigh a baby/Christmas gift.       

So there it is,  My Black Friday deals of 2012.  All made from the comfort of my couch & not to mention Kohls sales started online on Wednesday, Best Buy sales started Thanksgiving day & therefore, Babies R' Us was the only shopping I had to do today.  Other than my Babies R' Us Black Friday purchase, I spent the day with Kolt & Brinleigh.  Kolt made a delicious breakfast, we all got ready & walked around downtown to look at some of the stores that were having sales.  Then we decided to stop at the grocery store to pick up some stuff to make our own pizza's for dinner.  After dinner, I took a short nap with Brinleigh while she off & on watched "How to train a dragon" with Kolt.  It was a GREAT day!