Happy Halloween !

Bo's first halloween!  Boy did Mom and Dad make it hard on him.  We dressed him in two different costumes, carved a pumpkin and stuck him in it, and took pictures of all of it!  He will thank us someday.  Cousin Sara Simmons gave us a bumble bee outfit that fit him the best and looked the best in the pictures.  But, since it was our first halloween with a baby we had to buy a costume for him too.  Heath picked out a monkey outfit. 

Big Boy In My Bumbo

Grandma Sue's Birthday

Grandma Sue turned 52 today.  We had big deli sandwiches and chocolate birthday cake at the cabin.  Great Grandma Lynn was there to help celebrate too!  We snapped a family photo since it has been since Bo was in the hospital since we did that.  

The Brandts Go Green

What a big day we had!  First we went to Pecks to purchase another tree.  This has become a yearly tradition.  This year we bought a Linden tree.  We planted it in our backyard.  Later this afternoon we drove to Marengo where we picked up our long awaited Ford Escape Hybrid vehicle.  We ordered our hybrid in May and it finally arrived.  How GREEN can you get in one day?  Plant a tree and buy a hybrid!  We ended the evening at the cabin where we celebrated Grandma Sue's 52nd birthday. We were all pooped by the time we got home.  But, still had enough energy to take a ride around the block in our new hybrid.  I think Bo really enjoyed his first ride on Mama's lap in the front seat.  

Grandpa & Grandma Roux From Wisconsin

Bo sure enjoyed meeting his great-grandparents from Wisconsin for the first time.  It was an enjoyable weekend to visit with G&G.  It had been about a year since we'd seen them.  Thanks to them for making the long drive to come see all of us.  They were able to skype Corrina and Kevin in England too.  It was a great time!  

Four Generations

A Day At The Hillcrest Garden

We made a trip to the pumpkin patch!  This is Bo's first Halloween so we thought we would create a tradition of going to Hillcrest Garden which is just down the road from the winery where we were married.  We were able to pick out a pumpkin and weigh it on there big ancient scale.  We picked out a 32 pounder.  Bo wasn't in the mood to hunt too long for the perfect pumpkin.  He received his 4 month old shots at Dr. Momany's office just an hour before this.  

First Day At the Park

Bo's World

What a cute close-up!  Bo has his 4 month appointment with Dr. Momany this week.  We will see just how much he has grown since last time!  

Trying on Hats!

Fun With Uncle Casey!

Uncle Casey came to visit this weekend.  As you can see Bo was all smiles!  Casey says he will teach him how to "Bo" hunt soon enough!

Happy Hands

Bo has found both of his hands this week.  He constantly has them in his mouth.  He went to church with Grandma Brandt this weekend.  He slept through the whole service.  Heath and I are planning a baptisim for possibly November 9, 2008.  We will certainly get the final date out to all of you soon.  I got a brand new camera last week.  My "investment" for the family memories for years to come.  I have been having lots of fun just taking pics of our little guy.  I will post them for all of you to enjoy.  

Fast Asleep

Baby Bo fell asleep in a really funny position.  So, Mommy had to snap a picture.  

Our Little Cutie !

It took Heath and Dad 3 hours to put Bo's crib together.  It was midnight before Mom and Dad left our house that night.  Thanks Dad!

Bath Time !

Bath Time at the Brandt house. Daddy and Bo get clean after a long,hard, day in the sandbox. Baby Bo just loves the warm water. He sure is a good swimmer.

Our Baby Is Discharged From NICU

Baby Bo is strong enough to go home! It took Heath and I a half hour to get the base for the carseat secured in the car. We were so nervous to drive with him in the back seat. He was discharged at 4 pounds 13.5 ounces!  Bo will meet his pediatrician tomorrow in Amana.

Mommy is Sick AGAIN

I woke this morning with severe right flank and pelvic pain.  I had to call Mom at 8:00AM and say "help me".  I couldn't take care of Bo because of how uncomfortable I was.  I got a 1:30PM appt. to be seen in the OB clinic again.  They did a CT of my torso.  It turns out that I have a 8mm right kidney stone. The stone is blocking the urine going from my kidney to the bladder.  Causing the urine to go right back into my kidney.  Not to mention 2 other kidney stones in both kidneys that are 2 mm in size just waiting for another rainy day.  Mom spent the night with Bo and I in the hospital.  I was put on some strong narcotics for pain.  The doctors put me on a special medication that will help me pass the kidney stones.  

Bo had to do a trial run in his car seat.  He passed the car seat test! Hopefully he will go home tomorrow.  He could have gone today, but I was too sick.  

First Year Wedding Anniversary

Heath and I have been married for a year!  What a fast year it was!  Heath brought our wedding topper to the hospital.  We both took one bite and spit it out.  Year old cake is never good.  Bo was circumcised today.  It turns out the doctor that did the procedure was a gal that I went to high school with.  

Bo Loses His Belly Button!

Heath and I were changing Bo's diaper and his belly button fell off.....and  yes we kept it.  He is no longer in the isolet bed.  They have put him in a normal baby crib as he is able to regulate his own body temperature.  His weight today is 4 pounds 7 ounces.  Grandma Alicia and Jeff brought Mommy and Daddy Olive Garden for supper in the hospital room this evening.  It was so good.  I haven't eaten anything for a couple days because of the mastitis.  

Mommy Very Sick

I woke up this morning with a fever of 38.8 degrees celsius.  I have the chills.  I had to walk to the OB Clinic here within the hospital.  They diagnosed me with mastitis.  I have never felt so miserable.  I was put on antibiotics and hopefully this never happens again.  I was so sick that it was too difficult to take care of Bo.  The nurses stepped up and helped me.  

Baby Bo Has Hit Four Pounds!

Our little guy is growing up.  His weight today was 1842 grams or 4 pounds 0.9 ounces.  A big victory to celebrate on the same day as Auntie Corrina's birthday!

Bo is now 3 pounds 12.04 ounces.   I introduced him to the breast for the first time.  No suck swallow.  Just a proper first introduction.  He was transferred to Bay 4 this afternoon.  This is a more family driven unit.  It encourages parents to room in with the babe and provide all the cares.  This is right up my ally.  The nurse showed me how to get Bo in and out of the isolet by myself.  The nurse made me feel like a real mother, taking care of my baby.  I have held Bo for every feeding today.  This "isolet" bed is what keeps him warm enough that he won't waste his calories trying to keep warm.  He can be out for short periods of time during each day.  

Holding our son for the first time!

Bo is 3 days old. The doctors have slowly reduced the oxygen in his nose. He is now being fed 8ml of breast milk every 3 hours. We have found that he digests better on his side or laying on his belly.
This was the first time I was able to hold Bo. When the nurse asked me if I'd like to hold him, my eyes filled with tears. I was finally going to hold our little boy! This made the moment real. We were really parents. Heath just grinned as he watched me cry with happiness. This was a moment I will never forget. Bo felt tiny and warm as I cradled him in my arms. He was connected to so many tubes that we had to sit still as statues. I was able to hold Bo for 30 minutes. Best moment yet! Daddy was able to hold Bo for his first time later in the evening.
I was finally discharged from the hospital. Heath and I checked into the Ronald McDonald House down the road from the hospital. This is a facility provided to families of babies in the NICU.

First Family Photo

Time to Visit Our Son

4:00AM I woke up and saw that the 24 hours had passed. I was finally off of bedrest and able to go see our baby in the NICU. I sat up in the hospital bed and my legs were like jello. Heath helped me stand. He ran bath water for me and I sat in the whirlpool. It was like heaven to finally soak my hoo-ha. Heath helped me wash my hair and scrubbed my back. Soon, I was in a wheelchair being pushed by Heath on our way to meet our son in the NICU. The anticipation for this moment was more than I could take. As we wheeled to the NICU I was trying to imagine what he looked like. Heath had been taking pictures and bringing them to my hospital room just to pacify me. But, now I will be able to touch him, and smell him.
Finally he is in front of us. Laying so peacefully in his baby bed. He was naked and tiny. Perfectly proportioned. His head is so perfectly round. A little note card that said "bo" at the bottom was tucked near his feet. It read "It is nice to meet you Mommy. I slept very well last night. I like to lay on my left side the most. My diaper was dirty at 2:00 AM and I really let the nurses have it with my strong, loud cry."

First Video of Bo-Boy

Bo Preston Brandt is Here!

After three days of induction our son was born at The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics at 3:57 am. He as 3 pounds 12 ounces and 17 1/4 inches long. I was able to see him right after he was born, he was soon taking to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He required a little assistance with breathing and keeping warm. I wasn't allowed to go see Bo for 24 hours after he was born because my blood pressure was too high. That was a day and night of torture. Heath would go over to the NICU and take pictures of Bo and bring them back to me in my hospital room. It was such a surprise to see he was a boy! I was 100% sure that he was a girl! Heath was 100% he was a boy! Heath was right!

Baby Brandt

On March 19th 2008 we were able to see the smiling face our expected baby! If you look carefully you can see that the baby has its eyes open and has a great big smile on its face! What a fabulous first photo! Of course, I cried the whole way through the ultrasound. It was so magical to see this life moving inside me. Heath just held my hand and had the biggest smile on his face. We are so excited to see baby Brandt!