Just Had to Have it!

Tadd, Brogan, and I were in Target the other day shopping for Brogan and I was looking up and down every aisle looking for baby stocking stuffers. As I was looking, I saw a movie display and THERE IT WAS...

I have been talking to Tadd about this movie for years! He didn't remember it and I only remembered bits and pieces of it so it was a little difficult trying to describe it to him. As a kid, I LOVED this movie! Usually when I want something, I will wait a day or so and go back and buy it if I still want it. Not this time! I snatched it up and bought it right then! Good thing it was only $5.50! I couldn't wait to get home and watch it...and I have to say that it was just as good as I remembered it. I hope that Brogan will get just as much enjoyment out of it as I did as a child.

Santa Baby has Hives

My poor baby boy has somehow inherited very, very sensitive skin from someone...not me. Not Tadd. He has "severe eczema" (doctor's words) that just won't go away. We use soap, shampoo, detergent, and wipes made for sensitive skin. We use 2 different medicated creams. We put Vaseline on Brogan's body after his baths to lock in moisture. I don't wear any perfume. And if we miss ONE day of this, his skin breaks out with teeny little bumps and red patches. It's pitiful. Now if that isn't enough to make you feel for the little guy, he's now got a weird hives thing going on.

This is where I admit to being stupid and ignoring all the baby books I've read just for a cute picture.

Last Friday night, Tadd, Brogan, and I were out with some friends at Cold Stone. We got vanilla ice cream with oreos and thought we'd give Brogan just a taste. Well, he loved it (of course) so we gave him a couple little tastes. Stupid Stupid Stupid!!! I know. While I was busy taking pictures of his cute little "oooh it's cold" faces, my friend mentioned that he had some red spots on his face. I thought it was just where he scratched himself. I looked again and there were several red spots with white bumps in the center- all around his mouth, by his eyes, and on his right fist that he sucks on. I freaked out on the inside, thinking, "Okay, the ER is only one exit away" and "Where's the doctor's phone number?" Within minutes, the hives were gone. Whew!!!! I was so thankful it didn't get any worse. I figured that either a) the milk in the ice cream caused the hives or b) he has a nut allergy and the ice cream must have touched a nut. I don't know.

Fast forward 36 hours later to Sunday morning. I was busy getting ready in the bathroom and Brogan was playing in his bouncy seat beside me. I glanced down at him and he had more Hives on him. There was NO ice cream involved this time. Nothing! They were scattered on his face, behind his ears, on the back of his head, but none on his body. Again, they went away in about 5 minutes. This has gone on for 10 days now. It never gets too bad, but it's just WEIRD to me. This morning while I was nursing Brogan, he broke out severely around his mouth again. I am going to call the doctor tomorrow because it's gone on long enough. I'm scared he's going to have to be tested for allergies at some point. It won't surprise me if he has some food allergies (I'm allergic to pecans and walnuts) since the doctor thinks Brogan MIGHT have asthma. If you have any words of wisdom (besides the obvious "Don't give a baby ice cream") let me hear it! :)

Hives around Brogan's mouth

The red blanket that I thought was cute for pictures...

Red blanket = BAD IDEA!!!

We've been Elfed!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I saw this on Jennifer's blog and thought it was hilarious so of course I had to make one of my own! I love Brogan's face! :)

Gobble! Gobble!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week. We started off at my Nana's house for a yummy lunch with my family. Then we headed up to Lynchburg to see Tadd's parents and eat a yummy supper. I love living so close to both sets of parents. It makes the holidays so much fun. Brogan did great- he is such a happy baby and loves to be passed around to everyone! He turned 5 months old the day after Thanksgiving- so hard to believe! He's had a horrible cold lately and last Tuesday, he started to really wheeze. I took him to the doctor and they think he could have asthma. They don't want to diagnose him this early, but since I have it, he's got a good chance. We've been giving him breathing treatments a couple times a day and he's actually gotten used to it. We put him in front of the TV and just cuddle with him while he does the treatments. Here are some pictures of Thanksgiving, our trip to Lynchburg, and my sweet baby Brogan. :)

Oh minty chocolate- how I love thee!

I have been craving Christmas candy lately- not that it tastes any different, but it just looks so festive and cute. I went to Walmart last night to indulge and I saw these. I love Andes mints so I figured I'd try these:

They are a piece of HEAVEN! If you like mint-y chocolate- you gotta try these bad boys! There are three varieties: mint milk chocolate, mint sweet chocolate, and mint white creme with candy bits:

I have to say they're all delicious, but the white chocolate with red and green sprinkles just rocks my world! I love to put mine in the refrigerator and eat them cold. But here's an interesting fact for ya- I don't like mint chocolate chip ice cream. So, I hope I've inspired you to go buy a bag of pure bliss to enjoy during this holiday season! ONE MONTH TIL CHRISTMAS! WooHoo!

November has been crazy!

It's been a while since I last posted, but life has been crazy lately! On Nov. 2, Tadd, my mother in law, and I drove down to Douglasville, GA to stay with my sister-in-law and her family. Tadd and his brother left on the 3rd (my birthday) to go to Burkina Faso, Africa for 10 days. It was nice to have some help with Brogan while Tadd was out of town, but we really missed him. While we were there, Brogan decided to have several "firsts". He started teething! :) I can't believe my baby has 2 teeth coming in! He's also gotten very interested in watching us eat- so I let him try some cereal on a spoon- and he LOVED it! He opens his mouth like a baby bird and lets me put the spoon right in. I thought all was well until he didn't poop for 5 days because the cereal was "clogging" him up. So, I gave him some pear juice and it did the trick! He's also gotten very good at rolling from his tummy to back and is getting close to rolling from his back to tummy! We came home Nov. 15 and now we're trying to get back into our routine. I told myself that I would transition Brogan to his crib when we got back, but every night I say the same thing: "Just one more night in our room..." I didn't think it would be this hard! Maybe I'll do it by the time he's 5 months (that's 8 days away!)
I can't find the cord that downloads pictures from my camera to the computer, so I'll have to post pictures of our trip later. But here is a gorgeous picture of my baby that my sister-in-law, Tandy, took while we were there. I love that she captured him sucking on his fist.

Brogan's First Halloween

Poor baby boy...had to get his 4 month shots on Halloween. Tadd and I took Brogan to the doctor Friday morning for his check up. He weighed 15lbs. and was 25 inches long. While the doctor was talking to us, Brogan stared at him and started laughing really hard and loud. It was too funny! Bless his heart, he had no idea that a set of shots was right around the corner :(
Since Tadd was home yesterday, I was able to fix a fun Halloween supper. My parents came and brought Stevie so we all enjoyed mummy hot dogs, tator tots, caramel apple dip with apples, and ghost cookies.


After we ate, Stevie got dressed up like a Carolina football player and we put Brogan into his pumpkin costume. (Just my opinion- I feel like all babies should be pumpkins for their first Halloween since they'll probably never actually choose to be one). Anyway, we had a great time and ate lots of yummy candy. Maybe Brogan can have a taste next year :)

Happy AND Sad

Yesterday, Brogan turned FOUR MONTHS OLD! All day long, I went back and forth between being so excited about him growing up and being so sad that it's happening way too fast. It really does seem like just a few weeks ago that he was placed in my arms at the hospital. I mean, every time I get off the Huffman Mill exit, I get tears in my eyes because it's the hospital exit. Honestly, I've been struggling with the thought of my little Brogy Bear (heehee- he'll so hate that one day) getting older. I usually can't WAIT for Christmas to come...this year is no different, except that I don't want it to come either. Brogan will be SIX months then and that's half way to one year. Ohhh, I need someone to shut off my brain.

God, please help me to focus on the positive- Brogan is a happy, healthy baby and I have so much to be thankful for. Thank you for his sweet smile and laugh. Thank you for the joy he brings me every day. Thank you for allowing me to stay home with him and witness all of his "firsts". Thank you for the four months we've had with our baby and I pray that you'll continue to keep him safe and healthy. Amen.

Brogan's big boy outfit :)

Facing "out" in his stroller...and loving his fist :)

My little stud muffin :)

Yummy date night!

The State Fair has come to NC! And for the first year in a long time, I decided not to go. Yes, I gave up my usual funnel cake, cotton candy, corn dog, ice cream with sprinkles, and kettle corn. (I know- that's a mammoth amount of food- but it's once a year!) I decided that I would rather spend our money (and calories) on a date night with Tadd.
Last night, my mom and aunt came over and watched Brogan for us. We started off with the Cheesecake Factory (where I did NOT get cheesecake- ickkk.) Tadd got a gigantic burger and cleaned his plate.

I got the romano chicken and it looked like I barely touched my food (even though I ate until I was stuffed!) The leftovers will definitely be eaten tomorrow!

Then we went to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory where I got the most delicious MONSTER apple! I wish I had taken a picture of my actual apple but I had to hide it in my purse until the lights went down in the movie. Sneaky sneaky, I know :)

We went to see Eagle Eye- which is SOOO good and suspensful. I was gnawing on my fingernails the whole time- oops.

It was so wonderful to get out of the house and spend time with Tadd. I have to admit, though, that we talked about Brogan most of the night, but that's okay- neither of us minded :)

Could it possibly be???

Last night, Brogan did the unthinkable- he only woke up to eat ONCE! YAY YAY YAY! This may not seem like such an amazing accomplishment to most moms of 4 month olds. However, most 4 month olds don't get up 4-5 times to eat each night. This comes after two horrible nights of Brogan waking up and screaming like he's in pain and Tadd and I trying our hardest to figure out what is wrong. Last night, he fell asleep at 9:45, woke up at 3:45am to eat, and finally woke up for good at 8:00 this morning! I was actually waiting for him to wake up! We hope this isn't a little fluke, but that Brogan finally realizes he doesn't need to eat 5 times during the night. :) Here are some pictures of our little man...just because he's a cutie :)

Uncle Bryan brought Brogan his first drum set!

Looking like a little man on our way to a family cookout!

Brogan and his cousin Chloe with MaMa on her birthday!

Brogan and his Gammie at the cookout

Poor Little Guy!

I haven't posted in a while because Brogan has had a horrible cold. It started Wednesday night with a fever, runny nose, and some projectile vomiting (yikes!) The fever went away and since then, he's been struggling with sneezing, coughing, and so much snot in his head it's crazy! Tadd had to go to Atlanta Wednesday night for the Catalyst Conference and I was so nervous to be by myself with a sick baby! But I found out that a sick baby is actually a very easy baby to entertain. In fact, he didn't want to play, just snuggle and sleep. I rocked him and he buried his sweet face in my neck and sucked his little fist. He does this all the time now- so cute!

Besides feeling yucky, Brogan has gotten very good at sitting in his Bumbo chair! At first, he could stand it for only a few seconds. Now, he'll stay in it for 10 minutes! He looks adorable in it.

Brogan is also starting to enjoy tummy time more. He can now pick his head up and look around and smile! It won't be long before he rolls from his tummy to his back.

He's Amazing...

On June 28, 2008, our lives were changed when our son, Brogan Timothy Grandstaff entered this world. He is my baby boy and I love him more than my words could ever explain. I've never known a love so instant. I love this line from the song: "You came blazing, right into my heart." I knew I would love my son, but never knew just how much. He is our amazing gift, given by God. My sister in law, Tandy (www.photosbysugarsnap.com), took these pictures of Brogan when he was a little over a month old. Enjoy the slideshow and listen to the words of the song, as they echo my heart. I sing the words to this song every night as I rock my baby to sleep.

Smiling and Laughing!

Brogan laughed for the first time on Monday- four times in a row...but not since then! It was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. It made my heart so happy to know that my son was happy. It made me think: I bet God feels the same way when He hears us laugh...really, truly laugh with joy in our hearts. Just as I am trying to get Brogan to laugh again, I picture God waiting to hear me laugh too!

Apple Core Baltimore

While we were in the mountains, we went to Hillcrest Apple Orchard. We didn't get to pick any apples off the trees, but at least we got fresh apples! I held an apple up to Brogan so he could see it, and he started sucking on it!


While we were driving home from the orchard, I was eating an apple and I said to Tadd: "Apple Core, Baltimore, Who's your friend, Me!" He had no idea what I was talking about. Every time I eat an apple, I either say this aloud or in my head. It's from an old Donald Duck cartoon with Chip and Dale. It goes like this:
Chip/Dale: Apple Core
Donald Duck: Baltimore
Chip/Dale: Who's your friend?
Donald Duck: Me! (and then he's hit with an apple core)
Here it is for you to enjoy!

Amicalola Falls State Park

Last week, we went to the North Georgia mountains and enjoyed a relaxing 5 days in a beautiful cabin. My two requests for the week were to go hiking and to go to an apple orchard. So, we went to the Amicalola Falls State Park. It was a beautiful and easy hike (which is good since Tadd had to carry Brogan!) It was so nice to be outside. Brogan really enjoyed it- for the hike up, he was wide awake, just staring at the world around him. On the way back down, he was fast asleep!

Go Heels!

It's that time of the year...football season! Tadd is super excited to have his own Little Tarheel now!

Triple-Layer Peanut Butter Brownies

I love Kraft's Food and Family magazine. Mainly because it's free, but also because the recipes are pretty simple and definitely yummy. This is one that my mom decided to bake and I got to be the guinea pig and try them. They're heavenly! If you like chocolate and peanut butter, you'll love these!

Triple-Layer Peanut Butter Brownies

Prep Time:
40 min

Total Time:
2 hr 10 min

Makes:
Makes 32 servings.

What You Need

1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz.) brownie mix(13x9-inch pan size)

1 cup cold milk

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)

3 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup PLANTERS Dry Roasted Peanuts, coarsely chopped

Make It:
PREPARE and bake brownies in 13x9-inch pan as directed on package; cool. Meanwhile, beat milk and pudding mix with whisk 2 min. Add peanut butter and sugar; mix well. Refrigerate until brownies are completely cooled.

SPREAD pudding mixture over brownies.

MICROWAVE COOL WHIP and chocolate on HIGH 1 min., stirring every 30 sec. Spread over pudding; sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate 1 hour.

I got a blog- yayay!!!

I finally did it. I made a blog! I feel so cool and computer savvy- we shall see how long it lasts! Mainly, I just wanted another way to show off my baby boy haha! I will try to blog during Brogan's 20 minute naps (yes- really only 20 minutes grrr!)

Ok, so last night my mom and I went to this humongous baby consignment sale at a mall in Raleigh. It was unreal how much stuff they had! We were in baby heaven! Brogan was a trooper and slept most of the time (2 hours- Praise Jesus!) I found a travel swing, some toys with flashing lights (his favorite right now), and lots of clothes. As we were paying, we heard the lady say to another woman, "probably six months". We turned around and she asked us if Brogan was six months. My mom and I just looked at each other and laughed and said, "noooo- he's 11 weeks!" My baby is a CHUNK! I love it!