Exciting News!

Since I've last written, Brady has blessed us with a full night's sleep! That's the first bit of exciting news! I surveyed my Mommy pals and they gave me some great advice about how to transition Brady into his nighttime habits. What worked best for us was Trish's suggestion--thank you, Mrs. Kovall! Brady is always falling asleep between 7 and 7:30, so we're maintaining that as his bedtime. He gets his bath, we do our nightly routine, and then he's down for the count. But to help him (and us!) sleep through the night, we wake him for a last changing and feeding before we got to bed, usually around 10. He's up around 5 or 5:30 am, so that's a huge chunk of time for the Jankowski Clan! This has worked for five straight nights in a row, so we're hoping that's how it'll stay. Unless, of course, Brady wants to sleep from 7 - 7, then that would be even better!

In addition to his improved sleep habits, he's been all smiles lately. It's safe to say that Brady is a very happy baby! He's also been "talking;" he really has a lot to say! When he wakes up, he rarely cries; he just starts to chat and in his mind is probably saying, "I'm ready! Come get me!" On a strange note, Brady has a pretty discerning sense of smell. When a smoker tries to hold him, he struggles against them. Just today, when Zach came home from the Elks smelling like his smoker friends, Brady went nuts when Daddy tried to give him his bottle! He wouldn't eat, he kept gagging, he started yelling. The only other time he's done this is when my mom, who's a smoker, tried to feed him before she took off her "smoking jacket." (Yes, we ask her to wear a jacket when she smokes and then take it off before she holds the baby. We're Nazis.) My hope is that everyone will learn a valuable lesson from Mr. Brady and QUIT SMOKING!

More exciting news is that Zach and I have taken a look at our family budget and concluded that we can swing a full year of maternity leave! So, I get to stay home the entire year with baby Brady! I am so grateful that we saved the money we did AND that Zach is the hard worker that he is. He would seriously take on five extra jobs if he had to, and that just means so much to me. But even though he's willing, Brady and I agree we like it best when he's home with us.

Until next time, enjoy the latest and greatest Brady Jankowski photos :o)