Leberknight Visit
Sullivan had his first out of town visitors this week. First time grandparents Kerry and Mary drove all the way down from Pennsylvania are enjoying the many adventures of Sullivan Brown. It has been fun to watch grandpa Kerry change diapers and listen to stories of when Jill and Jim were little. Grandma Mary has been a Big Help and has become a skilled swaddler. Sullivan likes to lounge in her arms and rest for hours. Grandpa Kerry has also taken notice of all the new baby accoutrements these days compared to 40 years ago. And apparently baby Sullivan is a much more pleasant child than the colicky Jim and attitude filled Jill…must be those Brown genes. Two more days of fun with grandparents before they head back up to PA L already counting the days till the next visit and of course still waiting for our first visit with Uncle Jimmy and Auntie Lynn.

New Tricks
Feeding and Growth – Sullivan continues to grow and mature each day. He is finally starting to gain some weight (7lbs 6.5 ounces). Mommy has been forced to feed him formula since he apparently learned some bad habits in the NICU and wasn’t feeding properly and not getting enough food. He is undergoing breastfeeding training AGAIN to break him of these bad habits and help him feed better with Mommy. Now Sullivan has to do practice sucking prior to each feeding and has a special training bottle which leads to a LOT of spitting up and dribbling. And until we work past these issues Mommy is in cow land pump times which are beyond exciting I tell ya J He is also getting quite strong. Lifting his head more, turning to see and listen to things and focusing more on the people and things around him.

Development – Sullivan has taken on quite a fascination with lights. He loves to look at the lit ceiling fans when they move, the light that comes through the blinds, a flashlight, moving light of any kind. Grandpa Kerry and Grandma Mary bought him a multimedia mobile that projects a light show on the ceiling…he LOVES it and can’t seem to get enough of it at night. He also seems to be more awake these days and enjoys just sitting about and listening and looking at the world around him. He sometimes sits and looks about for hours instead of sleeping…pretty funny to watch him sit quietly and look around….Daddy calls him the little old man “thinking about things”….or as we like to call him around the house – Wee Zachius.

Health – He had his first allergy attack. Starting sneezing a lot yesterday and his nose is running a lot today. Daddy is having one of his bi-annual sinus attacks too so both are sneezing, stuffy, watery eyed, and achy these days.

Little Mr. Insulted
Baby Sullivan is still struggling with the growth and development of his digestive system. After many of his late night feedings he moves into what I call his gas dance mode….stretching, writhing, wriggling, and kicking as he attempts to relieve the discomfort from the gas pain. He fusses a little bit while all of this is going on but its not until the gas actually passes that he lets out a cry….sometimes it is simply the comedy of air and other times the very loud rumble or explosion of a full movement…but when it comes he lets out a most unique cry….a cry that sounds more like he is completely appalled with the human digestive process. …INSULTED by the poop in the diaper or the loud sound that just interrupted the quiet night air. I sat in the chair laughing hysterically last night as I listened to Sullivan cry out in disgust over the whole ordeal.

That’s the latest from Mommy’s update Desk.