Brecken – Reflections on the First Three Weeks

It’s hard to believe that it’s been three weeks since Brecken was born. What’s even stranger to think about is that my due date was this past Monday, October 26th. Life is so different, it’s hard to imagine that I could quite possibly still be pregnant right now. I wouldn’t want it any other way though. Brecken came when he was ready and when God wanted him to come…which means it was perfect timing, even if it wasn’t what we were planning for.



Dad had to go back home a couple days after Brecken was born, but Mom stayed with us for two weeks helping with everything from laundry to cooking to rocking and loving on our little boy. Then Dad came back about a week later and helped Michael complete some projects around the house. Michael’s parents came to meet Brecken that first weekend after he was born. My sister, LeeAnn, Aunt Lindy, and cousin Ashton also came that weekend along with my niece, Salem, who is almost exactly 4 months older than Brecken.



Brecken already has many nicknames. Brecken Bear is our favorite. I’m not sure how I came up with it, but it’s stuck and is appropriate because he has a bear shaped rug in his room. The second most common name is Baby B as coined by my former college roommate, Emily. We also call him Little Man, Handsome Fellow, Brecken Boy (sounds very superhero-ish to me), Baby Boy, Cuddle Bug and many other sweet things that are only appropriate for boys when they are very little. 

Brecken sticks his tongue out a lot. Awake or asleep, it's usually peeping through. Evidently, he gets that from me. I used to stick my tongue out all the time when I was little.

Baby B loves to be held which is perfectly fine with me as long as I’m not home alone and trying to get dressed to go somewhere! He’s the perfect little cuddle bug. It’s the sweetest thing in the world to have my baby boy cuddled up on my chest. Brecken likes to lay on his tummy on my chest. He puts his hands up under his head like he’s lounging on the beach. It’s the cutest thing ever.



In the hospital, they encouraged skin-to-skin contact between myself and Brecken to encourage bonding. It’s one of my favorite things ever now. I know Baby B will soon outgrow wanting to cuddle on my chest so I’m trying to not take these sweet times for granted. A few days ago, Brecken fell asleep on Michael’s chest for the first time. It only took a few moments for Michael to say, “I understand now why it’s so hard for you to get up when he falls asleep like this.” There is nothing so priceless as my sweet smelling, soft skinned, beautiful newborn son falling asleep with us.



I’m a proponent of baby wearing. I have a sling, a wrap, and a front pack carrier that allow me to carry Brecken and still have my hands free. We’ve been taking walks around the neighborhood almost daily. He'll fuss while I'm getting him situated, but he usually falls asleep within the first couple minutes. These walks have been great for all of us. It's good for me to get outside and get some exercise and hopefully, it will teach Brecken to love and appreciate the outdoors like Michael and I do. The other big benefit is that our dogs, Sadie and Keely, get a little extra attention and exercise as well. We don't want them to resent Brecken or view him as a threat to them. Sadie and Keely were our original babies and we definitely want to keep them around for our kiddos to play with and love on, too.

Basically, we just love to be close to and cuddle with our baby boy. These times are short and sweet so we are trying to savor them as much as possible.