2 Months and a Cast Comes Off

Brenna turned two months yesterday and Spencer got his cast off today. To save time I'm putting the two events in one post. Enjoy the myriad of pictures and videos.

Brenna, the little chunk, weighs 12 pounds 1 ounce now. No wonder her car seat is so hard for me to carry. She is now 22.5 inches long. She got three immunization shots and then slept the whole day and night. She had a few wakeful periods when she howled anytime I touched her legs. I tried giving her Tylenol, but she spit it all out. I then gave up and decided if she wants to sleep she can sleep. I finally had to wake her up at 10:30 to feed her before I went to bed because it had been 5 hours since she'd eaten last. I don't remember the other two kids sleeping this much or complaining so much after shots. Maybe I'm just so used to her not crying at all that her fussing seems like more than Lauren and Spencer's fussing after shots.

Now that Brenna is two months she can track with her eyes really well. She smiles a bit, coos a lot, and grabs things inadvertently. When she lies on her back she'll reach up and grab a little patch of hair on the back of her head. She doesn't pull, but instead just holds on until I disengage her. She is so cute and we love her. Lauren says that Brenna looks so smooth and fat that it makes her want to bite her. I know that feeling. I nibble her cheeks sometimes because you just can't help but nibble such pudgy cheeks. (Face cheeks that is, not bum cheeks.)

Spencer got his cast removed today. He laughed while they cut the cast off because the vibrations tickled his hand. Much better than Lauren who cried and complained about how it hurt. He did complain a bit during the x-rays and he was really timid at first about moving his arm for the doctor. However, by the end of the visit he was reaching for things with his arm and trying to tickle the nurse. What a stinker. Going to have to keep my eye on him.

No, he isn't biting his nails in anticipation. He is snarfing some goldfish before they cut off the cast.

His arm looks just fine. Nice new bone has grown around the spot where he had his fracture. His movement is looking really good and he isn't complaining too much. He has the same exercises as Lauren had to get his full range of motion back. Right now he is taking his first real bath in a month. Hurray!!!

This is right after the cast came off. He was a little timid and worried about his arm, but that passed quickly.

Now for several videos of Brenna doing her stuff. These were all made today since she spent yesterday sleeping and crying.

Here is some of her cute cooing.

Here is a demonstration of her strong ab muscles with some impressive leg lifts.

You can hear Spencer singing Star Wars in the background.

These thighs are only cute on a baby.

See my blue blue eyes.

Cold and Flu Season

We all got flu shots so we should be safe from that, but they have yet to manufacture a cold shot. We all have caught a doozy of a cold. Right now Spencer and Brenna are sick and the rest of us are on the mend. In this video you can hear Brenna's horrible cough. She is such a sweet baby and even with the head cold she sleeps well at night, aside from the stuffy snoring, and she doesn't cry. What a trooper.

This other video is just Brenna wiggling and making cute sounds. Enjoy.

Baby Blessing Day

Brenna Ani Stanley was blessed today. It was a great blessing. Ben blessed her to have courage, wisdom, to be a blessing to her parents and a joy to her siblings, to be a peacemaker, and to be full of grace and beauty. She is a great blessing already to our family.

A friend of ours in the ward took some pictures for us. Brenna got to wear the blessing gown my mother made for Lauren. I noticed today as I put it on Brenna that it is still missing a button that never did get sewn on for Lauren. I forgot to sew it on later so it is still missing. Oh well, one button seems to be sufficient.

Brenna means little raven in celtic and Ani is short for Kanani which means beautiful in Hawaiian. She is definitely beautiful.

New Year and New Resolutions

I made just five resolutions this year. I can count them on the fingers of one hand. Hopefully that helps me remember them.

1) Get back into pre-Brenna shape. There were definitely fat deposits in places other then just my tummy. A song I heard at Girls Camp comes to mind, "My Thighs."

2) Read scriptures regularly. The way to stay close to the spirit is to read your scriptures. The way to come to know the Savior is to learn of Him through the scriptures. I need the spirit and I need to be like the Savior so I want to read my scriptures. This will be a struggle for the first part of the year because with three children now I am finding I get very little done during the day beyond feeding people. I do want scriptures to be a priority in the few things I get done, hence it is a goal.

3) Magnify my callings. I was very touched by Elder Eyring's Priesthood Session talk "O Ye That Embark" and I want my service in the church to be like the kind he spoke of in his talk.

4) Send birthday cards to family members. I write their birthdays on my calendar at the beginning of each year when I get a new calendar and then I think about them when the day comes. I would like family members to know that I am thinking of them on their birthday so I want to send cards. Plus my sister in law, Kristi, sent me a birthday card last year and it really made my day to get it. Hopefully my cards can do the same.

5) Finish my Christmas tree skirt. This goal is contingent upon having a dedicated sewing room where I can have my sewing machine and iron set up without having to be put away for dinner. That means I need a bigger home to complete this goal. Essentially this goal is a thinly veiled dream of a house this year.

So, come Christmas time I better be posting pictures of my tree skirt and my family members had better all have received a birthday card. The other three will have to be monitored by me. I'm pretty honest so I think it will be a great year.