What. I. Am. Loving.

What I am LOVING these days...

10) That I am almost done Brayden's scrapbook.

9) That Brayden has starting enjoying his playtime in the pack n' play right next to me while I try to occasionally squeeze in a quick workout! Happy Mama, Happy Child. :)

8) That Brayden sleeps through the night and is a wonderful napper.

7) That Brayden loves to play outside, go for long walks, and throw drop the ball for Bailey dog.

6) That Brayden recently learned to blow kisses, which usually entails him just covering his mouth. haha.

5) That when asked if he can smile, Brayden will smile and say "cheese".

4) That Brayden has started to laugh at random things, including his sneezes. :)

3) That Brayden loves to give hugs and kisses!

2) That I am a Mama to a very active, very curious, very happy toddler!

1) That I have a very hard working and devoted husband who loves me and our family more than anything!

13 Months

Brayden turned 13 months today and we continue to be amazed by how quickly he is learning new things! We are also still getting used to saying that he is a "toddler" and not a "baby" anymore...(tear, tear, tear)! 

Some Updates:

    Clothing Size: 18 months

    Diapers: Size 5 (day and night)

Doctor Stats:

   No doctor's appointment this month, but I am guessing he still weighs 24lbs (maybe 25 at the most).

Updates from the past month:

-Brayden continues to get better and better at walking each day! Although he is still a little wobbly at times... especially when he first wakes up or is really tired. No running yet, but he does walk pretty fast at times. Brayden can also stand up now without pulling himself up on things, which has minimized his crawling...however sometimes I think he gets a little lazy and still prefers to crawl if he falls down.

-We also purchased Brayden's first pair of shoes today! :) We have been having trouble getting him to walk in shoes. One of my cousins gave me a pair of shoes that her son used when he was younger. They are called See Kai Run shoes and are the only ones that we have been able to get Brayden to walk in. However, since Brayden has such a high instep (thanks to his father), the shoes are already a little small. So we went to Nordstrom looking for a new pair. Long story short, the helpful workers convinced us to get these..I love them and Brayden was too cute walking in them!

-Brayden's vocabulary has also expanded by leaps and bounds this month...new words include cheese and bath. He also loves to say Nana for banana and my mom (Nana). Brayden continues to roll his tongue all the time and now has several variations. He still says dada all the time and says mama too, but only when he is really mad or upset...so picture a yelling "mamamama". Oh and we can't forget "dee"...that is Brayden's word when he is pointing at something or wants something!

-Brayden still loves to clap, do "so big", and give Bailey his ball (or any other toy he has decided to share that day). This month, Brayden has also learned where his head is, how to give hugs (in addition to kisses which he learned last month), where mommy or daddy's nose, ears, and teeth are (although he won't point to his yet).

-A few of my favorites, aside from giving me kisses and hugs, is that Brayden learned to sign "more" and "all done". We have been working on these two for a long time and he has understood them for awhile, but would never sign them back to us. Dan has also taught Brayden how to help feed Bailey. Brayden will go over to the closet with Dan, watch him dish up Bailey's food and then carry the cup over to Bailey's bowl and give it to Dan to dump in. Then Brayden will carry the empty cup back to the closet and put it in Bailey's food container. It is adorable to watch. One of these days I will have to catch it on video!!

-It continually amazes us how much Brayden truly understands and is trying to communicate with us daily. I think we are in for it when he actually starts talking, haha!!!! Some of Brayden's favorites this month include: his Scooby chair, his dinosaur toy, Scout the dog, his drum set, his puzzles, his tunnel, his ball popping toy, and anything he can carry and put up on his stool or a shelf. Brayden also LOVES being outside, whether it is going for a walk in his stroller, playing on his swing set, or playing with his toy car or sand box. He loves it all!! Brayden has also started noticing airplanes and birds and is fascinated.  I love watching him learn! It makes me so proud to see him discover and figure out new things!

-Brayden still continues to be a good eater and is doing great with people food! However, he is starting to become a little opinionated...maybe he is just testing us. For instance, Brayden has always loved watermelon...however, this week he refuses to eat it. I am sure it is a phase, so in the mean time I just keep offering it and go with the flow. For the most part, Brayden will pretty much eat any fruit. For vegetables, Brayden loves carrots, peas, corn, zucchini, asparagus, and broccoli. Green beans have never and still do not go over big. Brayden's all time favorite foods right now are probably yogurt, cheese, peaches, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, his Little Crunchy Gerber Graduate snacks, and goldfish...although he doesn't get them too often.

-Oh, and how did I almost forget, Brayden finally cut his top two teeth! He looks even more grown up now (bitter sweet)!

Sleep habits:

-Wake time is around 7:30 or 8am

-Brayden now takes one nap a day, typically around 12:30pm and usually sleeps for 2+ hours.

-Bedtime is 7:30 to 8pm

-Brayden still sleeps on his side or tummy 99.9 percent of the time.

13 Month Pictures:

As you will see, getting a 13 month old to sit still for a split second is nearly impossible, as is getting him to smile on demand. Yet, it is even harder to catch that split second and/or smile/laugh on camera at the same time. I would love to invest in a new/faster camera...maybe one day!

Playing with Legos

Upside down baby

Love these two!

Happy baby! See those two top teeth?!

Feeding his Scooby chair an apple

Smiles

Love. Him.

And just because I love this photo...

Watching Daddy cut the grass

We LOVE you Brayden! Happy 13th Months! The best 13 months of our lives thus far!!!

Pictures and More Pictures

I was organizing pictures from my camera tonight and came across some more Labor Day pictures from Tilghman Island that I love...

Brayden loved watching the water/waves!

 Bath with Daddy and Great MomMom

And then there are some random pictures that I had never posted...

Hurricane Irene 

Playing with the flashlight while the power was out

 Yes, throwing tantrums already.

Make a mess play time

Always my baby!

Better Late then Never..

Our Labor Day weekend was very busy, but we spent lots of time with family which was wonderful! Here is a brief recap. Friday was low key...dinner, a walk around the neighborhood, Brayden went to bed, and then Dan and I watched a movie. Saturday morning we packed up and headed to my parent's house after Brayden's nap. My Aunt Carol, Uncle Scott, and cousins Sara, Heather, and Diana (and her husband Abe) were already at my parent's house. As well as my cousin Elizabeth (and her boyfriend Martin) and my brother. We hung out there for the rest of the day ... spent lots of time with family, ate great food, laughed a lot, played games outside, took Brayden to the park, and went to an amazing local creamery (Woodside Creamery in Hockessin). We gave Brayden a bath at my parent's house and left that evening at his bedtime (well way after, but you get the point...he fell asleep in the car on the way home). 

Sunday we were back at it and headed over to my parent's house for brunch before all the family headed home. Then we said our goodbyes and headed straight to Tilghman Island (a 2-hour drive) to spend the afternoon with Dan's family and have a BBQ. We had a great time and the weather was perfect! Brayden loved watching the waves and seeing all the birdies too! :) Monday was spent catching up around the house and with a brief visit from Jill, Andy, and baby McKenna. Then Tuesday was back to work and our normal routine, until the evening when my Aunt Sue and Uncle Jerry from Las Vegas were in town. We hung out at our house for a while and then went out to dinner. Brayden was an angel at dinner and it was awesome to visit with them!!!

Of course I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I had hoped or wanted, but here are a few that I believe my  cousin and mom took...

Cousin Diana

Cousin Heather

Got a hold of Nana's camera

I wanna play too!

First taste of ice cream....

...and clearly loving it!

And I just LOVE this one of my boys!!!