Happy Thanksgiving!

Brenden in his new coat and hat!

I am so excited that it's Thanksgiving tomorrow. It's the best holiday - four days off work and no stress - all we have to do is eat and be thankful. And we have a lot to be thankful for this year!

I found out yesterday that I'm anemic. I thought my fatigue was just from being a working mom, but apparently I have an iron deficiency as a result the pregnancy and Brenden's birth. I have lost A LOT of hair in the past few months. It's gradually getting better, but at its worst my hair was coming out in clumps every time I even touched my head. I had to buy a Swiffer sweeper vac to use on the bathroom floor every morning.

My hair is now so thin that I can see my scalp, and I noticed a strange mole I couldn't see before. I went to a dermatologist to have it checked out. She said the mole is normal, but my hair loss is more severe than normal postpartum hair loss. She suspected an iron deficiency, and sure enough, a blood test showed my iron level is really low. I just started iron supplements today and I really hope they give me more energy (and help my hair grow back!).

Brenden's World

My favorite place - Mommy and Daddy's bed. I'm still trying to figure out why they only let me lie there when I'm awake. So far my plan to get into their bed at night has been less than successful, but maybe if I wake up six times every night they'll get the message.

Mom thinks I'm smiling because she's smiling, but she's about to learn an important lesson about baby clothes. This white outfit has "rookie" written all over it. Meeting Aunt Laura. It was way past my bedtime and I was totally freaked out.

Swinging away in my hemorrhoid bear sleeper (Daddy makes fun of the bear for having to sit on a pillow)

I think we can be friends

Lookin' cool in my big-boy high chair

There are ears on this jacket. I hope we don't run into anyone we know.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Check out this handsome man! I know every mom thinks their baby is the most precious, but I know my guy is.

We had the best Friday the 13th, and we needed it. The past week has been absolutely brutal. Work was so busy it made me dizzy. We had a huge submittal and it was invoicing time, so I was completely bombarded. On Wednesday I cried while I was pumping during lunchtime because I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. Adam and I were beyond exhausted from getting up with Brenden at night. We think he's being woken up from pain from teething. Being so tired made it hard to deal with the pressure of working and being a mom. It's a lot of pressure to have to nurse/pump and be the only one working. I wouldn't change anything about our life (except give myself a nice raise so we wouldn't be on such a tight budget), but now and then it feels overwhelming.

I felt like I was coming down with a cold yesterday, so I brought my laptop and some work home with me so I could work from home today. I'm so glad I did. I got quite a bit done while Adam and Brenden napped and played. We all got some extra sleep and Brenden seemed really happy to have me home. We went out to the mall, bookstore, and Target this afternoon. Adam and Brenden go to the mall a lot now that it's too cold to walk outside. Every time I bent down to talk to Brenden in his stroller, he squealed in excitement, like he had forgotten I was there and was excited to see me. Too cute! Thankfully he has traded in the random screaming for random fake coughing, which is easier on the eardrums.

We bought Brenden's first solid food at Target today - rice cereal! We're going to try it on Thanksgiving and see how he likes it. There were three kinds of rice cereal and I agonized over which kind to buy. I'm torn on whether to buy organic. As I already mentioned, we're on a tight budget, but I feel like we should still buy organic if it's better. We ended up getting the regular rice cereal though because it will be easier on his stomach than the whole grain organic, plus the regular Gerber cereal is fortified with more vitamins than the organic stuff.

Running a Marathon

At the pumpkin farm a couple weekends ago - Brenden was not impressed
Brenden trying out a Bumbo chair - everyone swears they're a "must-have," but he looked so awkward we returned it. He prefers sitting on our laps, and we got our $40 back. Yes, $40 for that piece of plastic!!

Whew, this week was grueling. It was a real test of endurance. I had an insane amount to do at work, my "home" to-do list was a mile long, and then Brenden started waking up a bunch at night and went on a nursing strike. He started throwing a fit when I tried to nurse him, which really hurt my feelings. Adam took him to the doctor today and we found out he's teething. The nursing strike peaked on Tuesday and every day since has been a little better. Probably because I was calmer after talking to some friends who went through the same thing.

I had such a hectic week at work. Today we had another Navy submittal (on the same never-ending project), and all day I was race-walking around the office trying to get things together. It was so nice to come home to a crockpot full of hot beef stew and relax for the first time all week. We ate dinner while listening to the thunder and hail raining down outside. Really weird weather for Seattle - it rains all winter but almost never thunders.

Sometimes life is overwhelming, but I got a little perspective when I realized that it's been almost exactly a year since the day we had that ultrasound scare with Brenden. We now live across the street from where we did when I was pregnant, and as I was walking home from the bus stop today I vividly remembered riding in the car down the street after Adam picked me up from work that day. It was the absolute worst experience of my life - I was completely devastated. Remembering that experience makes my busy work schedule and troubles with teething seem so silly. I'm lucky to have a good job and a healthy wonderful son!

Brenden's First Halloween

Brenden had a fun first Halloween. We went to a little Halloween get-together Friday afternoon thrown by the doctor who delivered Brenden. It was cute but he was overwhelmed by the noise and the crowd. He was able to hold it together long enough for a professional Halloween photo. Unfortunately we don't have the photo yet, but as soon as we do we'll load it for everyone to admire. He was ridiculously cute, even if he wasn't wearing a costume. He had a pumpkin costume, but it was too small and he was miserable in it.



Halloween Day was a normal Saturday, except that we read Thumper's Scary Night before bed. The book isn't really scary, but Brenden woke up at 11 pm with a nightmare. He usually kicks his feet and whines when he's ready to get up and nurse, but last night he busted out with a loud scared cry. Adam and I stayed up late (until 10:30) watching Night of the Creeps, and it was actually a really fun Halloween, even without the costumes and candy. I ate just one fun-size candy bar, by far the least sugar I've ever consumed on Halloween.



Here's a late Halloween treat for you, a horror film starring Brenden. Sometimes he starts screaming for the fun of it, and the other night it lasted for hours. It's cute most of the time.