Happy Valentines Day 2012

So today was a rather interesting day which starting off with the dog getting out of the fenced in yard and a trip to the doctor's office. After about an hour and a half we did get Bailey dog back. This then prompted a bath because he clearly had rolled in some awful smelling goodness. Shortly after this was all taken care of, we packed up and headed to the doctor to have them look at a rash that Brayden developed over the weekend. Hand-foot-mouth. Have you heard of it? It is a virus that primarily causes a rash/sores on your hands, feet, and in your mouth. That is what Brayden has. As of right now, he is in great spirits considering everything and primarily seems to have the rash on his bottom, legs, and feet, with some spots elsewhere. We did notice a few red spots in his mouth tonight though. We are praying that those don't get any worse, because according to the doctor those are the ones that cause the most pain. They thought that Brayden was very pleasant and happy in the doctor's office considering the virus, which made me feel good. So we are hoping and praying that he is over the worst and on the road to recovery.

Anyway, the rest of our Valentine's Day was wonderful and since I have already typed enough, I will let the pictures tell the rest. 

Playing with Bailey dog.

Happy boy found all the remotes!

Mommy's Valentine

Then we ended our day with presents, heart-shaped grill cheese and tomato soup, and red velvet cupcakes and cookies that we made for Daddy!

Beautiful Weather and New Activities

We were blessed with several days of nice weather during the past few weeks, which meant lots of playing outside for us! Brayden also learned how to water the plants everything in the yard!

We introduced some new activities this past week as well, which Brayden has really enjoyed...play doe and stackable crayons!

Growing Up

I thought that when Brayden turned one, maybe the growing up and changing would slow down just a bit. But that doesn't seem to be the case. I love seeing the little man that he is becoming, but I wouldn't mind if time just slowed down a tad! All of a sudden, Brayden is really starting to talk a lot more and copy words that we are saying. He is also perfecting drinking out of a "big boy" cup and using his own utensils to feed himself!

It has also been neat for us to see Brayden's imagination developing! He loves to "cook" and have picnics. Also watching his music dvd is another favorite. However, that one we have had to put a few limitations on. 

Silly boy attempting to smile for the camera in the morning. I know, I wouldn't want my picture taken first thing either, but I couldn't resist capturing his laughter on this morning. 

Happy boy with wild hair after bath time!

A little bit of this, A little bit of that...

So far Brayden has not been much of a talker. However, I must say that he has learned to say several new words this week, including up, on, off, apple, wow, boy, and roar. 

Here are some random pictures from the last week...

Relaxing in my PJ's.

An attempt at smiling, haha.

LEGOS!

Helping Mommy dust.

This one just makes me laugh!

Happy Boy!

Bedtime.

First Snow of the Winter..

Okay, so it was only an inch or two of snow followed up by freezing rain. This made it pretty icy, but we still managed to get out and "play" in the snow/ice for a little bit with Brayden this afternoon. He was not a fan of walking in his boots or the snow/ice at all for that matter, but he did enjoy going down the slide and playing in the back yard!

Getting ready to head out in the cold.

All bundled up.

Protest against walking in the snow.

Loving the slide with Daddy!

Watching Bailey dog run around. 

17 months

So as I write  Brayden's 17-month post/update, I look back at little notes I have jotted down as milestones have happened and I am continually amazed by how quickly Brayden is growing and learning. It is easy to get caught in the day-to-day monotony of having a child...feed, change, play, nap, but when you stop to notice, remember, and take in the little things, every milestone is a wonderful adventure!

For the most part, Brayden's stats and schedule have stayed the same this month. He still wakes up around 7:30am, takes one 2 to 2.5 hour nap around 12:30 or 1pm, goes to bed at 8pm, and eats three meals and one snack a day.  While I believe that Brayden's weight has pretty much stayed the same this month, I think he might have had a little growth spurt since his 18-month pants are now too short.

This month:


-Brayden is loving the following things: his work bench and tools from Uncle Bryan, puzzles, his letter blocks, his play food, his little people and pirate ship toys, his singing Scout dog, dancing, singing (especially the "A,B,C's" and "the Itsy Bitsy Spider), vacuuming with Mommy, feeding Bailey, bath time, and of course his blankies and teddy. 


-Brayden's vocabulary now also includes the words knife (I know, a little creepy, but whenever we have a knife at dinner and he is reaching for it, we always tell him what it is and that it is not a toy...so I think that is how he picked it up), light, on and off. Brayden can say quite a few words now; however, I would not say that he is a big talker at this point. He is continuing to learn words and take it all in...I am just waiting for him to come out with a full sentence one day.


-So last month I talked about Brayden's "screaming" phase. Well that has pretty much ended for now. Brayden has gotten a lot better about saying more or help when he wants something, instead of screaming. And although he had stopped signing these words last month and was just saying them, he now says them but is also signing again too. It is very interesting to see how he learns and picks up on things.


-Brayden has learned a few new animal noises this month. He now says "oo-oo, aa-aa" for a monkey, and "gobble, gobble, gobble" for a turkey. Brayden also recognizes pretty much all animals now when asked.


-Brayden also learned all of his letters this month (also part of why he loves to sing the ABC's I think) and can identify them (upper and lower case) when asked.

Other Updates:

-Brayden now has 8 teeth, one molar, and is also working on cutting two more molars right now (they are only partial through at this point)!


-Brayden has officially given up that paci at nap and bedtime (see previous post).



-Brayden now uses a plate at all meals without flipping it over, yay! And is working on using his fork  and spoon at meal times too! He has the right idea, just can't always pick up the food with it. Also, although we still help feed him, Brayden now insists on holding his yogurt container on his own when eating yogurt.


-Brayden started his first swim class this month and absolutely loves it! He is my water baby!


-Brayden is also running everywhere now! No more walking, we are in full run mode in this household!  Oh and Brayden has learned to climb...chairs, benches, tables, you name it... haha, 24-7 energy! :)

Brayden continues to be a ball energy, but has really made leaps and bounds in his learning of patience, self control, and communication this month. Although, Brayden is not using very many words yet, but he has quickly learned that his version of saying "help" or "more" will get him something a lot quicker that screaming will. Brayden has also learned to play quietly with the same toy for a lengthy amount of time, not just .5 seconds like he used to and he will also stay on a blanket and play for about 30 minutes while I cook dinner. Brayden is very observant and a where of his surroundings as he takes it all in. Sometimes it seems as though Brayden is in his own little word, but you can just tell that he is soaking it all in and learning more than we even realize! Above all else, Brayden is a very loving, cuddly, kind, and affectionate little man. He has an endless supply of hugs and kisses and I don't think I will ever be able to get enough!!! The unprompted hugs are by far the best, but even when you ask Brayden for a hug and then he leans in for a kiss afterward, it melts my heart to no end!!!!

We love you beyond words Brayden! 

Bye, bye Paci

So we have officially been a paci-free house for a week now. Since about six months of age, Brayden has never really had his pacifier aside from bed time and nap time. However, for the past few months Dan and I have been contemplating when would be a "good" time to take the pacifier away completely. We don't really mind Brayden having a paci to sleep, but we also didn't want to wait until he was much older and potentially experience a greater struggle. After much debate, we decide to wait until after the holidays and try in the beginning of January. So, last Friday night we decided to put Brayden to bed without his paci. Dan and I sat downstairs with great anticipation waiting for the screams to kick in, but guess what?! We never heard them. It took Brayden a little longer to fall asleep than normal (20ish minutes), but he never cried or fussed once! Needless to say, we have not looked back. We are so proud of our little man for handling this transition so well!!!


Here are a few pictures just for fun...

I love sleeping babies. So peaceful. 

(This was a day or two before he gave of the paci)

Love me some PB&J!

Ahh a Slinky...they still exist!