13 Months!!

Not much has changed in the last month except a few new hobbies have arrived! First of all, Brayden now finds the "silly" things we do on purpose actually funny. Like putting a toy on my head or dancing around like a fool! Total giggles from the little one. Also, he is definitely starting to test boundaries. He knows what he is not supposed to do and tries to do them anyways. He is sure to look at us to see if we are watching and then goes on his merry way doing exactly what he is not supposed to do. Sweet!! On the upside, he plays with toys for longer. He used to see a toy, push a button or whatever, and then dismiss it and move on. Now he will actually sit down and concentrate on the toy for a few minutes! Hooray for concentration!! Oh and he is also very into figuring out how something works. He loves to turn things over and see where the music is coming from or open and close something multiple times. It is so fun to see his little brain working so hard to figure things out!

We don't go back to the doctor until Brayden is 15 months so I won't have exact weight or height measurements until then! For now I will just let you know that he is getting HEAVY! I am pretty sure I need to carry him on my right side more because my left arm is noticeably stronger than my right. Or maybe I can just work out like a normal person...HAHA! Just kidding!

Likes:
-Elmo
-food (yogurt packs, banana, berries, cottage cheese, chicken, crackers, peas, hummus, carrots, sweet         potatoes, ravioli, pasta noodles)
-baths...or the lawn hose..or the pool...basically he LOVES water!
-throwing things
-screaming..and of course we laugh and he screams more..oops!
-"dancing"
-running
-the park
-swinging
-books
-music
-bike rides
-bubbles!

Dislikes:
-being fed...he likes to feed himself
-being held
-sitting still
-green beans
and yeah he likes pretty much everything else!!

He saw a cute girl and decided to give her a little whistle ;)

He must take all the blocks out of the basket....every. single. time.

I think he has finally adjusted to the new apartment because his naps are back to being normal! Thank goodness!! Those were a rough few days for the both of us!
So another month has come and gone WAY too quickly!! These days really need to slow down...Brayden is just growing up too fast! Does anyone have a trick to slowing things down?! No...okay well work on that!
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1 Year Stats!!

So I mentioned that Brayden was going to his wellness check in his 1 year post and I want to brag about my boy!!! He is perfectly healthy and on track with his developments! I love to hear those words from a doctor! He weighed in at 21 lbs. 9 oz (just 1 lb. 8 oz. more than his 9 month wellness check) but he grew 1.5 inches in height/length! He is now 30.5 inches long! The doctor said that he is getting the toddler body that is long and lean! Whew...we were a little worried when we saw that he had only gained about 2 lbs. So this puts Brayden in the 25th percentile for weight (skinny mini!) and the 75th percentile for length! Long and lean is right!!!

We are so happy to have a healthy little boy that is growing on track! We are still waiting on his first "real" word but for now we are enjoying all the sounds he makes! He loves to mimic us and will say "mamama" or "nanana" or "dadada" so he is getting very close! He is able to point at things he wants and can communicate when he likes or doesn't like something. I LOVE that he is able to communicate better now. It was so hard knowing that he wasn't happy at times and I just had to figure it out...I am glad that stage has passed! We are reading to him and saying the word for every object we come across and hoping that he starts talking soon.

If this isn't the photo of a happy and healthy boy, I don't know what is!!

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9 Month Stats

I am a couple of days late but lets be real here...when am I ever on time?!?! I think the correct answer is never. Anyways, Brayden turned 9 months old on the 11th and I can't believe it has already been 9 months. I know I say that about each month but seriously people, how does the time go by so dang fast?!
Brayden has changed so much in the past few months. He is such a quick mover so I can't ever have my eyes off of him! He gets to anything he wants within just a few seconds. In just the past two days he has actually stood up without assistance! He has been standing for quite a few weeks but he always had to pull himself up on something...apparently that is a thing of the past. He even blew our socks off the other day by taking a couple of quick steps to get to the edge of the couch! I am SOOOO not ready for him to start walking yet! I really think his grandma might start pushing him down...just kidding!

So besides the crazy new things he is doing, here are some of his current favorite things:
Elmo(still)
Super Puffs( similar to Cheerios)
Fruits and veggies
Sesame Street
Banging things together
Clapping his hands
Tickling fights
Spitting
Playing with his tongue
Bath time

I am sure there are many more things but that's all I can think of right now. Brayden has also been so great at going to sleep on his own. When I see that he is getting sleepy, I hold him for just a couple of minutes for him to relax and then I put him right into his crib. He usually sits right up when I do this but I just turn on his sleepy music and leave the room. It only takes him about 10 minutes, at the most, and he is asleep. This is WONDERFUL!!! I absolutely love that he goes to sleep on his own. Now if he could just self-soothe during the night then I would be golden! Don't get be wrong, most nights Brayden sleeps right through and we don't have any wake-up-calls. However, some nights Brayden will wake up and so of course I have to go in there and get his binky and hold him for a few minutes for him to go back to sleep. I know that we are so lucky that he is such a great sleeper but I think it makes those nights when he does wake up even harder because I am not used to it anymore. Oh well, when he wakes up in the morning with a smile on his face and the only reason he wakes me up is because he is giggling and playing, I can't even complain!!
Brayden has so much personality and it is getting bigger every day!! I absolutely love being a mom and it is so fun to see Brayden experience new things. I love to see his brain working trying to figure something out. I know we will probably have even more changes in the next month (hopefully walking is not one of those changes) and I can't wait to see what his new favorite things are in a month from now!
Here are a few favorite pictures from the past month!

Elmo makes him happy!

4 generations!

Haha!!! He tried lemon.

@Claim Jumper for Tip-A-Cop!

He loves bath time!

And blueberries!

Grandpa and a blanket...that's all he needs!

Let the chasing being!

Silly sleeper!

Finally, a place to organize his books and toys!

6 Month Stats

Yes, I am aware that I am a little behind on this post but Brayden went on his first vacation that included road-tripping to San Francisco! More on that later. As for now, you all need an update on my little man! A few weeks ago, Brayden got his first cold and let me tell you, a baby with a cold isn't fun but he is such a trooper! He was full of snot and sleepy for a few days but he was still his happy self. Thankfully that cold is gone and he is back to normal! We went to the doctor on the 12th for Brayden's 6 month wellness check and the boy is growing like a weed! He weighs a whopping 17 pounds 10.5 ounces!! He is HEAVY!! His length didn't change much, he is at 26.5, but the doctor said that always depends on who is measuring and how far they stretch his legs...not to worry! We know he is getting longer because his feet now touch on his Jonny Jump Up and his bouncer.
As for changes in behavior, Brayden is still super happy and he has become quite the ham. He smiles at everyone and absolutely LOVES when people make silly faces at him or play peek-a-boo! He is eating a lot of real food now including peas (although we have to mix it with bananas or something) pears, peaches, and mixed veggies. He only eats about 3 bottles a day and those happen right when he wakes up, before his afternoon nap, and right before bedtime. Between those bottles he just eats regular food. Brayden has definitely developed his voice and is constantly making some sort of noise. While in San Francisco, he was so loud in a restaurant that I actually had to cover his mouth!! He wasn't crying or anything but instead of just talking, he really enjoys screaming!! It is pretty funny when we are at home but a little embarrassing in front of a bunch of strangers! Brayden is ALMOST sitting up on his own...he can sit on his own but he can't get there on his own. He did it once yesterday but hasn't done it since...it's coming though!! He also isn't crawling yet but that is super close as well. And although he isn't crawling, that doesn't stop him from getting where he wants to go. He moves so fast and of course he always goes where I don't want him to go...like near the corner of a wall or large piece of furniture! Oh well...I guess I should just wait until he starts crawling....then I will always have to keep a close eye on him!
So there is the update for Brayden at 6 months old...I cannot believe he is half a year old!! YIKES!! I need to start planning his birthday party if the next 6 months are going to fly by just as quickly as the last 6 months! And let me just say, I am the happiest person ever! I absolutely LOVE being a mom and Brayden is just so perfect! Of course there are days when I just want to rip my hair out because the house is a mess and Brayden is hungry but I don't have any clean bottles so I have to hold him while cleaning one just so he won't cry (yes, this happens!!) but overall....I wouldn't trade this for the world! And his little smiling face always makes everything better!

How can you not smile at that face??

His favorite bib!!

On a walk...his hat finally fits!

Sexy pose!!!

Smirking

Happy traveler!

Out for a walk in San Francisco!

Bundled up for the cold weather

His first time in the shopping cart!

Always smiling!

4 Month Stats

So Brayden isn't exactly 4 months just yet but we had his 4 month appointment and I know you have all been dying to know how much Brayden weighs so here we go.....are you ready?!?! He currently weighs a whopping 13 pounds 10 ounces. Okay so its not as whopping as we thought he was going to be but he sure feels heavy to me! This puts him in the 50th percentile for weight and he made the 97th percentile in length coming in at 26 inches!

Overall, his doctor appointment went well. He is in perfect health according to his pediatrician. She said that he will be ready to start eating solid foods in the next couple of months. Oh boy!! He also got two shots and an oral vaccine and he didn't do too bad at all. He didn't even notice his first shot and he seemed to enjoy the oral vaccine but that second shot was not his friend!!! He let out quite the scream but it stopped just about as quickly as it started! Such a tough little boy.

Today we took some professional pictures and I can't wait to get them back. The next three weeks of waiting just might kill me!! Brayden behaved really well for the most part but toward the end he was really over it. Who can blame him?! He did a great job though and I think we will have some really great shots! Get ready for a super cute Christmas card this year :)

I can't leave you without pictures so here ya go!

Such a happy boy!

Attempting to get a picture of us with him smiling

Nakey Boy!!!

Holding his own bottle...getting so big!!