I Spoke Too Soon...

In my last post (Madison's 3 month update) I mentioned how well Madison has been sleeping at night. Well she must have known I said that because she has completely changed. Last night she was up 3 times starting at 12:30! I am not sure what is causing this change in her sleep pattern but I am not too happy about it. I am hoping that she is just going through a growth spurt and her normal sleep hours will return quickly.

It wouldn't be so bad if Brayden didn't wake up at 5:45 in the freaking morning! The boy is killing me! I used to be able to bring him into my bed and he would fall back asleep for a little bit but that doesn't work anymore. He is ready to go play. The good thing is, I get a lot of one-on-one time with him in the morning since Madison is still sleeping. I am thankful that we get that time together although I am usually very sleepy!

And to make my sleepy mornings even worse, I can't have any caffeine! Madison is sensitive to it so I haven't had any in over a month. I used to have at least a cup of coffee each morning to get me going and I have been cut off. It's so hard to wake up without it but I am finding that drinking a hot, caffeine-free tea helps a little. I mostly just like that it is warm which is wonderful on these chilly mornings.

On a side note, we took away Brayden's pacifiers about a month ago. I am not sure if I already mentioned this but he is doing so great!! He still asks for them from time to time but overall, he doesn't seem to miss them very much. I am so thankful that it was a smooth transition and I am crossing my fingers that potty training goes just as well when the time comes.

The funny thing is, even with the lack of sleep, the tantrums thrown, the crying and no caffeine, I wouldn't have my life any other way. Brayden is constantly making me laugh and I am so blessed that I have two beautiful, healthy children. I cannot ask for anything else! I love being able to spend my days with them and see Madison grow and learn and Brayden be so creative with his imagination. It truly is amazing.

Madison: 3 Months!

I know I said this last month but I can't believe she is only 3 months old. It seriously feels like she has been apart of our lives for SO much longer.

Madison is getting a little better with being on her own in the playmat or bouncer. I can usually get about 10 minutes before she starts getting upset (shorter if she is tired). She still really doesn't like the carseat and cries for most of the time she spends in the car. Total stinker!! She is getting a little better with the stroller and I actually got to go on a run a couple weeks ago. Today she only lasted about 5 minutes so I transferred her to the Ergo and we walked instead.

One thing she always likes is bath time! She will gladly sit in her tub and let the warm water roll over her soft skin. She doesn't even cry when I take her out and put lotion on her. Such a good little girl!





































She is still proving to be pretty high maintenance though. She doesn't take a bottle or a pacifier so I have to be with her at all times. I gave my parents the wonderful job of trying the bottle with Madison for the first time while hubby and I went out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary. I got a text saying the bottle wasn't going over very well and it was time to end our date and head home. So until she takes a bottle, it will be short dates for us!

Although pretty high maintenance, Madison is doing some pretty cute things! She is totally smiling all the time (except for when she is crying of course) and she most definitely holds up her head and pushes up her upper body during tummy time. And.....SHE ROLLS OVER!! Yep, my little tiny baby girl can already roll over from her stomach to her back. She has been doing this for about 2 weeks and she isn't exactly a fan of her new skill. She doesn't really like being on her back (except for when she is on the play mat) so she bursts into screams and cries when she rolls herself over. She is also talking up a storm, especially after she eats. It's so fun to hear all her little noises! And this just in...she giggles! I caught it on video last night....so. dang. cute.

Now I have mentioned the ways she has been more difficult than Brayden was as a baby but there is one crucial way she is much easier!! Sleeping. This little lady sleeps like a champ. She usually goes down for the night around 9:00 and doesn't wake up to eat until 5:00 AM! Then she is right back to sleep until about 8:30 AM. Brayden was definitely waking up at least 2 times during the night at 3 months and I am pretty sure it was more like 3 times.



Another thing she most definitely loves (besides being held) is he brother! She is always watching what he is doing and when she hears his voice, she tries to see where he is. It is amazing to see how attached she is to him. I can't wait to see how their relationship grows!

Lately: Halloween

This is my final post in the "lately" series to catch you all up on what has been going on around here. 

I really thought our Halloween would be great this year. Brayden picked out his own costume at Target...a cow...and we had been talking about it for a good week. He was excited. 

Or so I thought. 

It came time to put on his costume and he wasn't having any of it. I got his legs in and then the tantrum started. He wanted it off. NOW. He kept saying "I just don't like it!" and I couldn't help but laugh and take pictures.

So we gave up trying to convince his that his costume was awesome. Instead, we baked some cookies.

Obviously, that was a much better decision than wearing his costume.

Surprisingly, he was really excited to pass out candy to all the trick-or-treaters that came to the door. I thought he might be a little afraid of all the costumes but he loved it.

Hubby was working so I am kind of glad that Brayden didn't really want to dress up or go trick-or-treating. I didn't want hubs to miss out on that. Hopefully next year hubby will be off work and Brayden will want to dress up. 

It was a great Halloween this year anyways. It was so fun to see Brayden pass out the candy and he would tell every person that came to the door "Happy Halloween!!" Adorable.

Lately: Boys Hunting Trip

Brayden is lucky enough to have TWO men in his life that love to hunt and will no doubt, take him on hundreds of hunting trips during his life. A few weekends ago, Brayden got to experience his first hunting trip with hubby and my dad. They got the truck loaded up around 3:30 in the morning and then got Brayden in the truck around 4 and headed to the flats to hunt quail. I guess Brayden did pretty good sleeping in the truck until about 6. They stopped and got some breakfast and continued on their way. After arriving at the flats around 8, they unloaded the truck and set up camp. Brayden helped collect sticks for the fire, watched as the boys all shot their guns, and ran around camp like a crazy person.

He was obviously not allowed to touch any guns and the boys were all on strict orders to keep all guns away from Brayden for the whole trip. Although they didn't end up getting any birds (because there weren't any birds there), they did enjoy some hiking and a campfire. ! Brayden actually slept really well in the tent with my dad and hubs and then they headed home the next morning.

Brayden had a blast with the boys and he loved being out in the wilderness. I can definitely say that they will be taking many more trips and we actually plan on going camping as a family in the spring. 

Here are the photos the boys took while hunting (they did such a great job capturing the trip!)

Playing in the truck while the boys set up camp.

My two boys...by far my favorite picture!

Collecting fire sticks just like Daddy.

Sitting around the fire.

It was COLD in the morning...all bundled up with his 

DVD player, pacis and "friends" Buzz and Jessie.

So beautiful!

I am so glad that Brayden gets to experience this stuff. I loved going hunting with my dad when I was young. I have such great memories of bird hunting and camping out with my family. I just hope that on day Brayden cherishes these moments as much as I do!

Madison: 2 Months!

Little Miss Madison is growing like a weed! We went to the doctor today for her 2 month wellness check and it went great. She weighs 11 pounds 3 ounces and is 22.5 inches long (between 50th-75th percentile for both). Right on track!

Madison is starting to show so much more personality now. I LOVE it! She smiles all the time and has started making cooing sounds. So dang cute! 

She is still pretty difficult but I have high hopes that it will get better. She still doesn't like the bouncer or the swing or the car seat. She will usually play on her mat for a few minutes but that's about it. Madison just cries in the car seat...unless she is sleeping. Just today Brayden told Madison to stop crying! Haha I guess he finally got sick of it. 

Sleeping...the only time she is quiet in her car seat.

We are exclusively breast feeding and she is doing great. She eats about every 2-3 hours and we haven't tried a bottle yet. I have a feeling she won't take a bottle considering she HATES pacifiers (literally gags and pushes them out with her tongue) but I think we will be trying a bottle soon. I would like to have the option of being away from her for more than 2 hours.

Everything else is going pretty good around here. She sleeps for a good 7 hour stretch at night before waking up to eat. Then she goes right back down after eating for at least 2-3 more hours. It is amazing!! Now only if Brayden would stop waking up at 6:30, I might get to sleep in one day. Madison actually loves her baths...just smiles and coos the whole time. The lotion is a whole other thing...she cries until I have her dressed and warm. Poor thing! 

We can't wait for even more of her personality to start showing! I love when they start having an interest in toys and books...so much fun. I think Brayden will have even more fun with her then too. Although he is pretty obsessed with her now and thinks she is HILARIOUS, I can't wait to see them start to actually play together. So many great things to come!

She loves being held obviously!

Lately: Pumpkin Patch

So I have been pretty absent from the blogging world mostly because the charger for my computer died and I haven't been able to use my computer. I bought a charger yesterday so I am hoping to be back to blogging more regularly. I am not making any promises since life with a newborn and a two-year old is crazy but I am going to try.

So here we go with my first of three "lately" posts. While my sister and her fiance were in town in the middle of October, we went to the OC Zoo and then to the pumpkin patch they have there. It was so fun to have my sister in town (as always) but especially for us all to go do something fun with Brayden. We usually just sit around relaxing since she is so busy at work but we were determined to do something active this time. It was great!

This was the best family photo we could get...total fail!

We didn't buy any pumpkins because honestly, there were so many people there and the lines were all crazy-long! Brayden was over it, and ready for a snack, so waiting in a long line just wasn't going to happen. We had a great time and I was so happy that my sister was able to be there (and Mike too!). 

Stay tuned for my next "Lately" post which will include a "hunting" trip with just the boys!

Sleeping.

The title of this post should really indicate the LACK of sleeping that has been going on.

Since transitioning Brayden into his toddler bed, he has been pretty good. Until now.

The last 3 days, Brayden has basically refused to nap. He gets into bed and immediately starts whining and crying that he doesn't want to take a nap. I explain to him that he has to nap, like he does EVERY day, and that we would go do something fun when he woke up. Well, that usually works on those days where he is struggling a little bit but that is definitely not working any more!

I leave the room and shut the door and Brayden starts with the full-blown crying tantrum. He gets out of his bed and goes to his door. He cries at the door and calls out for me and then knocks on his door (it's still closed). I have tried everything...putting him back in his bed, reading him a story, scratching his back, just sitting in his glider while he fake sleeps, etc. Nothing would make him actually go to sleep.

This was our attempt at napping on the couch...clearly unsuccessful!

Finally yesterday after 30 minutes of crying, he decided to just play with the toys in his room. I wouldn't let him leave his room in hopes that he would eventually get tired and get into bed to sleep. After another hour or so of playing with his toys, he opened the door and was talking to me from his doorway. I was eating my lunch and he asked me if I was done with my food...I told him no and then I didn't hear from him for a while. I got out of the chair to check on him and this is what I saw...

He fell asleep in the hallway...on the hardwood floor...with no blanket. He is crazy! I knew he was tired and this just showed me that he does still need a nap. He slept like that for over an hour!

Today I decided to put him down later than usual (12:30) thinking that maybe he just isn't ready for a nap at that time anymore. Today I put him in bed around 1:45 after reading two books to calm down, and he was asleep by 2. He did still call out for me and he threw all his pacis and blanket out of his bed. I went in just once to give him his things back and then that was it. He actually fell asleep on his own...in a bed. Woo hoo!! 

I am hoping that with the new schedule of going down later, he will continue taking good naps.