new links

in my quest to make sure that no baby is forgotten, no matter how small, i have added a few links to various support and information sites. if you have lost a baby or pregnancy or know someone who is dealing with such a loss, please visit these sites; knowledge is empowering and it's what has helped me to deal with our losses. i will try to update and add links as much as possible...if you have a site that isn't shown here, please let me know (add comment). thanks!

this post is in honor of taylor ryan (25th august 02) and london avery (4th october 05) brotzman.

well, here it is- photos of our apartment! i've been meaning to get them up sooner, but those life with a demanding infant doesn't leave much time for very many other things- including housework. i think it was probably a harried mom on her last nerve, company at the door, that invented the junk drawer...REAL handy for throwing all those loose odds and ends in. gotta love the junk drawer! anyway, back to the photos. our kitchen in GREAT- i love the counterspace, and even though you can't see it in the pic, the dishwasher is to the left of the sink. the door between the fridge and microwave is our little laundry room...i wasn't able to get a decent photo of it, but it has cupboards too, where i keep all the cleaners and stuff so that when cole is more mobile, i won't have to worry about him getting into it.

our living room is not very big, but thanks to whoever came up with 'open-concept' design, there are plenty of possibilities. the dining area is pretty cozy- the boxes stackedby the kitchen are the boxes we usedfor moving, and when stacked together just right, make great temporary end tables. i have to get something to cover them...small tablecloths or maybe wrapping paper. i don't know- the inspiration hasn't really hit yet.

our room is bigger than the one we have at home! great closet, too. no dressers...yet. i've heard tell of this nifty place called ikea...sounds like i may have to one day plan a trip there! there's a store right in phoenix, which should be pretty handy. :) and our bathroom, well, i like it. the big mirror over the vanity is great- the entertainment value is astronomical! cole loves to play in front of it; he'd do it all day if we let him.

so, that's about it. there's more photos of the complex at the website: http://www.cottonwoodcrossingapts.com/. not too much else going on today- cole is still very over-sensitive...it's gotta be the teeth. if we look at him wrong, he sobs. goofy kid. even the gigantic mirror doesn't hold much charm for him today. this too shall pass... days like, this i am SO glad we brought the swing along. thanks, mom and dad!

one more update- it's back to the bottle for good. we tried the whole relactation thing, and even though the first two days went really well, cole ran out of patience. oh, well. he got to nurse the first almost 6 months, so that's the most important stretch, i'm told. it doesn't seem to bother him not being able to nurse. it's hardest for me...my baby doesn't miss me! joke- it's still so peaceful to hold him when he has his bottle. as long as he's healthy...:)

weebles wobble- this one falls down!

two posts in one day, a bit excessive, i know, but this was too cute! because cole's legs are really strong and he's got the hang of supported standing, i've been trying to work with him on sitting. he's done it a little since just before we moved (the first week in february), but we've been so busy lately that we really haven't had a chance to 'practice'. once kelvin got home, we had a "sitting session" and turns out, after a few tries, he really got the hang of it...or rather, he got better at it. once he figured out how to use his arms as supports and shift his weight, he did very well...he looked like a weeble, with his belly hanging out, except that he DID fall. several times. but he's ok. no tears or anything. way to go baby!

creepy crawly and brahms

cole is on the move! yesterday, he was creeping around the floor pretty good (backwards all the way) and is now into marathon log-rolling. hey, everyone needs a hobby... last night i had him on the floor in the bedroom; i ducked into the closet for five seconds to get a shirt and when i came back out, he was a good distance from where i'd put him. apparently, sometimes rolling is far more efficient than creeping. the movin' round is cute. the ear-piercing shrieking, not so much. i'm hoping he outgrows that REALLY soon!

well, we tried the johnny again today...cole jumped! not very much, but some. it was basically a bit of bouncing spaced between long bouts on twirling- bounce, twirl, bounce, twirl... he got really excited when he discovered that bouncing gets major attention from mommy, which sent him into some rather speedy spinning. he was incredibly proud of himself. as he should be...he also learned to turn on the music on his crib aquarium all by himself. he was quiet all night, and when kelvin's alarm went off this morning, we simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief that the night had been uneventful...and then were quite puzzled by the faint sound of "brahms lullaby" coming from the living room. hmmmm... seems that cole had been awake before us, but politely occupied himself until we woke up too. what a big boy! i'm hoping that this means no more clumsy midnight strolls to the crib to push that silly seashell button!

one more thing- cole is SO ready to crawl. he now buries his face in the carpet or blanket, whatever he happens to be on at the moment, and pushes himself onto his knees. he looks like a little yogi, arms out and head down, diapered butt in the air. kinda cute... anyway, he knows that a bigger and better world awaits, just out of his grasp, and he's got no reservations about voicing his frustrations. wow... he is one cranky kid! of course, teething doesn't make matters any better. it shouldn't be long before we see that first chomper- i hope. makes me realize just how far he's come; looking at his pictures from 6 months ago, it's hard to believe that he was that tiny AND that he's grown so much. blows my mind...

not-so-jumpy johnny-jump-up

well, we got cole a johnny-jump-up from walmart last evening. the last few days, he's been 'jumping' whenever we stood him on any surface, so we figured we'd get one for him. i didn't pay close enough attention to the door jambs in the apartment, so when i got it put together, i discovered it doesn't work to hang it between the kitchen and laundry room...kelvin and i found that the only doorways it will hang from are the entry door (probably not a great idea), the coat closet door (better, but almost no visibility), our bedroom closet door (ok, but not optimal) and the bathroom door (fine for when i'm taking a shower). guess that's apartment life...anyway, we hung the johnny in our closet doorway and stuck him in it. for all the jumping he's been doing, the urge petered out when he sat in the johnny- but he was more than happy to twirl round and round. we tried to show him how to jump, but he just giggled and went back to spinning in circles. hey- as long as it keeps him occcupied...:)



today has been pretty uneventful- the weather is great, sunny and almost 80! days like this, we don't miss the snow much. everyone down here tells us to 'wait until summer' to see just how well we like it. i'm sure on the super hot days, we'll be thinking of snow...



cole thought it would be fun to snack on his toes this morning...you know, cause toe-jams are much tastier than pears and bananas. it was pretty cute- i had put his high-chair tray in the dishwasher for a good cleaning, not thinking that i might need it for snack-time. cole viewed it as an opportunity to ham it up for the camera, and proceeded to stick his toes in his mouth between bites of his pear/banana puree (which, incidentally, tastes really good if it's home-made!). it was cute and had me laughing pretty good! as cute as it is, it's not all that convenient to try to navigate a spoonful of pureed ANYTHING through a maze of chubby little fingers, toes, feet, legs and other various appendages that composed the baby-shaped pretzel named cole. what a clean-up...i can still smell the faint aromaof bananas.



and for those who are curious, despite being on formula for the last 3 or 4 weeks (the last 2 exclusively), we are again attempting nursing. according the the la leche league website, it's possible to relactate and if it's approached with patience from both the mother and the baby, it can be very successful. amazingly, i tried to nurse again last night and cole was so relaxed. i was amazed at how well he did...of course, we had to finish with formula, which he's become very used to (he took to it very well, and seemed to have no problem switching back and forth from the beginning). maybe this will solve the sleeping issue...it wasn't until mom asked if he started any new foods that he might have a sensitivity to that i realized that it was about the time cole made the complete switch to formula that he started getting up several times a night. of course, the move out here didn't help matters any, but after nursing just that little bit last night, he slept until after 5.30...now, after a little nursing again this morning, no problem going down for a nap. mystery solved? i sure hope so...

cole, cacti and picacho peak

well, this is me, a first-time blogger. i'll one day look back on my first entries and laugh at how uncertain and simple they were. but hey- i'm always up for a good laugh...! no photos posted yet, but i'll have them up eventually. it may take awhile, as do most things these days...i'm typing this entry one-handed, my screaming son in the other. cole has learned to throw his weight around a bit- all 20 lbs. of it; not bad for 6 months!

today, cole learned to creep! only going backward, he's still very proud of himself, until he realizes he's been at the same activity for more than 30 seconds, which in his book, warrants a slight tantrum. poor kid- bored with rolling, not yet crawling...what a frustrating place to be. oh, but he did enjoy 'helping' in the kitchen...he's very skilled in the art of eating wire whisks and beating measuring utensils! at least he had fun for a few short minutes.

most of our friends and family know- we've temporarily relocated to arizona for a little while. we found an apartment in casa grande: the cottonwood crossings. nice- i do believe i'd take the kitchen home with me, if they let me! lots of counterspace. it's a one-bedroom, which means cole has his pack-n-play in the living room for awhile, at least until he's back into the habit of sleeping through the night. there's a pool, which isn't heated, but will soon be warm enough to swim in comfortably, and a small fitness center. kelvin and i went the other night to work out (about half an hour or so) and so cole amazingly spent the whole time happily watching us from his stroller. he was probably chuckling at mommy and daddy, "you guys...running nowhere, getting sweaty, and the whole time you could be chillin'"!

anyway, we were able to get out this past weekend- dan and ruby came to see us, along with grandma and grandpa brotzman. they were excited to see their grandchild/great-grandchild...we went to eat at golden corral and then went hiking at picacho peak state park for awhile. andy and casey came with, which added to the fun. i got quite a workout, carrying cole in the snugli uphill...felt good to get the exercise! it was nice for him because he could screech all he wanted and nobody minded (another of his new-found talents...that boy has lungs!). i've never seen more beautiful country...the cacti still blow my mind! so different from the trees and stuff back home. in wisconsin, we have trees, trees, trees...here there are cacti, palms and a few other random trees. it's like a whole different world. a warm one. a sunny one. no snow!!