Happy Birthday, Brayden!

July 24, 2010 by · 4 Comments

Dear Brayden,
A year ago yesterday, this was your dad and I getting ready to leave for the hospital. There was no rush because I was being induced, and Aunt Jamie was more impatient then all of us combined!

After almost 24 hours and a C-section later (stubborn?), you were brought into this world on July 24, 2009 at 6:32pm, weighing in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces and were 19.5 inches long. You were perfect. I couldn’t wait to hold you, but I had to wake up completely first. When I saw your daddy carrying you towards me, I started bawling. You were finally here. At about 7:05pm, I finally got to hold you. My baby boy. We had started our family, and you were the perfect beginning. 
I remember how proud your daddy was that day (and still is!) and I remember thinking that there is no greater love in this whole world than the love I have for you and your daddy. We prayed for you for a long time before we were blessed with you, and continue to pray for you daily.

We love playing with you, rocking you, teaching you new things, and watching you grow. This is the absolute toughest job on the planet- it isn’t always this much fun- but it is SO worth it and SO rewarding.

You are the most curious little boy, wanting to know how the world works. Of course, I think you are incredibly smart and you are a comic in your own right. You love playing with toy balls, your Mickey Mouse from Sheana, blocks, Tupperware, and books. You find ways to get things to work the way YOU want them to, and I can’t wait to see where that takes you in life.

I love being your momma. You bring joy to my every day, and I often wonder what I did without you. I love you big.

Momma

Filed Under: Brayden, the first year ·

Houston, we have a WALKER!

July 17, 2010 by · 5 Comments

Filed Under: Brayden, the first year, walking ·

Brayden’s 1st Birthday- Cake Inspiration

July 15, 2010 by · 6 Comments

Many of you may not know this, but my sister likes to decorate cakes on the side, and she is pretty darn good at it! So, in order to save some moolah on the party and to let my sis be in on the fun, I am more than likely going to have her make Brayden’s cake. I am going to do a small, 8 inch round cake for him and then probably cupcakes/sheet cakes for everyone else. I really like the looks of these cakes, but I will have to see what my sister can come up with!

(photo credit)
Filed Under: birthday, the first year ·

My big helper

July 7, 2010 by · 1 Comment

Last weekend, Brayden was helping my brother hook up the sound bar for the TV at my mom and dad’s. 
Doesn’t he look like a big helper? I assure you, he wasn’t, but he had fun!

This kid is a BIG fan of boxes. Always trying to open them, shut them, push them around, etc. It is so cute to watch him figure things out.

He loves to watch his Uncle Kris. Doesn’t matter what he is doing!

I have to post this picture. My mom got this backpack carrier for Brayden for our upcoming Colorado vacation in October, and she wanted to try it out! At first, he wasn’t a huge fan, but we have used it a couple of other times and he is getting better in it! It will definitely come in handy when we are out in the mountains!

Filed Under: Brayden, the first year ·

random cuteness

July 5, 2010 by · 1 Comment
These were my sad attempts at his one year pictures. He won’t sit still! I am hoping that some morning in the next two weeks (after his birthday shirt arrives!) that my sister will help me get some good outdoor ones of him. This whole inside picture thing with only me just doesn’t work for my mobile little man. 
Filed Under: Brayden, the first year ·

Anxiety: 6 months later

July 1, 2010 by · 4 Comments

6 months into my struggle with anxiety, I can honestly say that I feel much better than I did at the start of this journey. No longer do thoughts like “What if the house is on fire when I get home?” or “Brandon didn’t answer his phone, he must be in a ditch somewhere.” plague my mind. Occasionally some of those thoughts come creeping in, but I shake them off, knowing that where they are coming from is something I can somewhat control now.

I still get nervous about going places with Brayden, the what-if’s ringing in my head like a church bell. Family get togethers make me nervous as well, just because I want Brayden to stay on schedule as much as possible, but sometimes I feel like no one hears me when I say “it’s time for us to go.” Yes, that includes my husband, but also everyone else. I feel like I am the one screaming and they are all deaf, just looking at me like I am crazy. It is also getting a little easier now that Brayden is becoming slightly more independent. He is on a great schedule and a bit more predictable. I mean, if there is such a thing a a bit of predictability for an almost one year old! I have really learned to just take each day as it comes, try not to sweat the small stuff, and let things go. So what if the dishes need done? If Brayden is upset, there is nothing more important than comforting him. The dishes, laundry, and cleaning will ALWAYS be there. He is only little once. And I am savoring that baby smell on his neck for as long as I can. When he is 16 and smelling like boy and the great outdoors, then I will do the dishes.

I am still taking Zoloft once a day. If I forget to take my Zoloft at night, I can really tell the next day. I am not as easy going or like myself. I get nervous about stupid things, and my anxiety starts to rear it’s ugly head. (Note to self: Don’t skip the Zoloft when you feel like you don’t NEED it anymore.) I see my doctor again on the 13th of July to talk to her about how things have been going. I don’t think I am ready to go off of it just yet, since I can tell when I don’t take it, but I am confident still that this isn’t a forever thing.

Filed Under: anxiety, the first year ·

Brayden’s 1st Birthday- Preparations

June 28, 2010 by · 6 Comments
For Brayden’s 1st Birthday, we are keeping things pretty low key. We are inviting family and friends over for cake and ice cream to celebrate, and having the party at our house in the garage/backyard/new patio. 
I ordered the invitations from Shutterfly…
(sorry for the crappy cell phone quality- I just cut off our address instead of blurring it out) 
…and I love how they turned out! I wasn’t going to use these pictures of Brayden, but after I saw the color on the invite, it looks like I totally planned it that way. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. 
My sister makes cakes, but I haven’t quite asked/convinced her to do it, only because she will be babysitting Brayden and studying for her national boards, so I don’t know if she would be up for it. I want to do something either jungle themed, car themed, or of course, there is always farming! As of right now, I am definitely undecided on the cake!
Another thing that I am struggling with are favors. There will be a few kids there, the oldest of which is 4, so I want to have SOMETHING for them, but I don’t know what to do! Suggestions? Please?
Filed Under: birthday, Brayden, the first year ·

best friends

June 26, 2010 by · 2 Comments
As I have mentioned before, Brayden and his buddy Caden, are only 10 days apart! We love spending time with Caden and his mommy Laura! Last week, we decided to take the boys to the zoo in town, and boy was it an adventure!

After the zoo and an unsuccessful trip to the little water park area outside (my child is still super afraid of water but loves the tub. What?) we went back to Laura’s house so the boys could play. They were so cute playing together and I can only imagine the things they will be getting into when they are a little older. 

Filed Under: Brayden, the first year ·

11 Months

June 24, 2010 by · 3 Comments
11 months old. Where does the time go? Brayden changes and grows by leaps and bounds every.single.day and I kind of want him to just stop. 

See that lovely bruise on his forehead? He fell while playing at my mom and dad’s the other night. The first of many, I am sure, but this one sure has stuck around. I am waiting for it to fade a bit so I can take his one year pictures.
He is fiercely independent, cruising everywhere, standing alone, and took one step by himself last week. I have yet to see him do it again, but I am sure that will happen soon enough. He loves to eat and will eat just about anything, his favorites being bananas, cheerios, yogurt melts, peas, green beans, cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, pancakes, and toast. We have been playing outside a lot lately and loves to climb UP the slide on his playhouse, then go down on his belly. He just has to do everything differently! I think he gets it from his dad!
He is also starting to test the waters, as I posted earlier. He is starting to throw food off of the high chair (signaling to me that he is done eating!), continues to try to eat the cat food, and really hates when you take things away from him. This whole toddler thing is challenging! BUT also very rewarding and fun. 
My baby is not a baby anymore, but an independent minded toddler. I just can’t wrap my mind around it sometimes! I am enjoying every moment of his first year, and anticipating all the goodness that is to come. 
Filed Under: Brayden, the first year ·

testing the waters

June 18, 2010 by · 5 Comments

My little boy is starting to test the waters at home. Like really test them. He threw his very first temper tantrum, complete with stomping feet and real tears. Why, you ask? Because I wouldn’t let him play with my brother’s very real, expensive guitar. I am mean like that I guess.

I know that this is just him learning, but it is SO darn frustrating. He goes and sits right next to the fireplace and WAITS for me to tell him no, because I KNOW he is going to turn around and start banging on the glass doors. So I wait. And watch. And just when he thinks I am blinking, he turns around to bang on the doors, I say “no!” and he has a meltdown. Sometimes those meltdowns are of epic proportions.

It is like he knows what I am saying, and that what he is doing is wrong, but he just wants to see what I will do. First, I just say no. The second time, I say no and remove him from where he was and try to entertain him with something else. If there is a third time (and lately there has been) I look him straight in the eye AGAIN and say NO, you can’t have ______ because of _______ and remove him again. The third time has worked, but wow, after awhile it sure is exhausting!

I never really thought about how hard it would be to discipline Brayden. It is very trying. I mean, I knew I was going to have to discipline him, but realizing how tough it would be was something I never really thought about while I was pregnant! He is still little and learning, so I know that I have to be cautious in the way I go about disciplining him. I feel like kids need to know why they can’t have or do a certain thing, and even though he can’t completely understand that now, it is a good habit to start.

It is like he is 10 months going on 3! I will admit, sometimes it is just funny to watch him get a little upset. The face when he realizes that I am not going to cave is pretty funny. But then, he does this:

And it makes it hard to say no! Those big, beautiful blue eyes…we are in for it I believe!

Filed Under: Brayden, discipline, the first year ·
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