September 13th:

WHEW, I'm sure glad that's over.  These past few months have been a whirlwind to say the least.  I'd like to tell you about all the cool things we've done since Justin was born, but I spent most of it sleepwalking, so I don't really remember much.   I never realized just how lucky I was with Jake, he was a good sleeper by comparison.  Justin, let's just say, he offered a "different" experience.  Some nights  I was up every 2 hours, others, every hour.  Finally, after 9 weeks of sleepless nights and a near breakdown, I decided to put him in his own room (versus the cosleeper that was next to our bed).  I'm not really sure why I did it, but I count my lucky star that I did.  That night, the clouds parted and the Gods spoke… Justin only woke 2xs!  It's amazing how something so simple nearly brought tears to my eyes.  Since then, Justin has even slept through the night a few times (but of course, those are the nights that Jake decides to wake up for one reason or another)!  All in all, I am a new person.  Same with Justin.  Now that he is getting more sleep, he is so much more pleasant, rarely cries and is full of smiles.  Since peace has been restored in the Brenner household, I am finally sane enough to type this blog!

Backing up…for those that don't know the details: Justin was born on June 27th, exactly one month after Jake's birthday on a Wednesday (like Jake) and weighed 7lbs 13oz like Jake.  Strange right?  If you remember, I was almost  2 weeks late with Jake and took castor oil, which worked like a champ.  I was tracking to be late with Justin as well which wasn't a good sign for my Mom who was patiently (not really) waiting for Justin's birth so she could fly back home.  I tried castor oil with Justin (3xs what I took with Jake) to no avail.  Reluctantly, I scheduled an induction.  On the day of… I was induced at 8am, water broke at 9, felt my first small contractions at 11ish, asked for an epidural at 2:15 because I felt the contractions starting to progress, received epidural at 2:45, dilated to 10cms at 3 (I guess I didn't need that epidural after all).  The Dr. was busy so I basically sat around cracking jokes for 30 minutes while Justin nearly crawled out himself (here is the G-rated version of a pic we took while killing the time).  Dr. comes in and 2-3 minutes later, out comes Justin.  Seriously, I think I was put on this planet to procreate.  The entire pregnancy from start to finish was a walk in the park.  Too bad we're done!  

 

 

You know, now that I'm typing this, I'm realizing I was probably being punished for having such an easy pregnancy/delivery.  Maybe that is why I didn't sleep for the first 9 weeks of Justin's life.   …it all makes sense now!

Here are a few pictures of the newest Brenner.

As for Jake, we couldn't have asked for a better child.  Since day one, he has been so warm and embracing towards Justin.  We haven't noticed a jealous bone in his body.  Every day he gives Justin kisses everywhere and says he loves "Baby Justin".  The video clip below is a small sample of just how sweet this boy is.  It just melts my heart.

 

Jake started preschool almost 2 weeks ago and is doing fantastic.  The only challenge has been getting him dressed.  He's suddenly become very picky with what he wears.  Basically, if it doesn't have the Nike swoosh or a superhero on it, he won't wear it. 

 

Here's a random, but very cute picture of Jake with his cousins at the beach this summer.

As for me, I still have almost 2 months till I have to go back to work.  Now that I don't have to waste the day napping, it's kind of nice being home.  I just wish the day didn't fly by so fast.  Sometimes after telling Marshall what I did for the day, I wonder to myself what exactly did I do for 9+ hours??

Marshall is doing well, but he has been super busy these days with frequent trips to LA which has been tough with the lack of sleep in the Brenner house.   And, to make matters more challenging, he keeps getting stung.  First by a bee a few weeks ago and then a wasp a few days ago.  As it turns out, he's allergic to both.  His swollen foot and now his arm have been quite the sight.  Maybe we should have him wear a mask to protect that pretty face.  Poor guy.

In the middle of all this, we had a date night for my birthday which was a lot of fun....

 

And this...this is the only picture we have to date of the entire family.  As you can tell, we dressed up for the photo. 

Lots of Love, The Brenners