8 months

Yes that's right, 8 months (almost nine months actually....finding time to blog is almost impossible!)

What Brasen is doing now:

crawling- poor guy has red and bruised knees and tries to bear crawl sometimes...I think maybe his knees are sore?!

jabbering like crazy (mamama, dadada, and bubba...not sure what that means but it's a common jabber!)

feeding himself- he would much rather feed himself than eat from a spoon. He doesn't like pureed anything anymore- he wants the chunky stuff he can chew up (with the ZERO teeth that he has!) He eats any fruit or veggie, and has started oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and crackers. The occasional bite of brown beans or pancakes.

He still wears size 3 diapers, and he is in 12 month clothes. But those are quickly getting too small! We are still working on clapping (not one bit interested), and waving bye-bye. He waves about half the time. The other time he just looks at you like you're crazy! Changing diapers and getting dressed is like wrestling a hippo...impossible!

He loves to read and can pick out his favorite book when a few books are laid out in front of him. It's Dear Zoo. My Dad got it for him when he went on a field trip to Tulsa Zoo with his class at school.

Brasen, you are a joy to watch grow. Your little personality shines all day every day. We are so thankful we get to be your mommy and daddy!

7 months

 Fun, fun, fun!! That's what our life consists of these days. Every stage has been fun and such a learning experience, but Brasen is really interacting, laughing, playing now and it is a blast. He's sitting up and reaching for things, and comes back up to sitting. He will sit and play with his toys and can "scoot" very slowly toward things he wants. He will reach forward and sit back up, several times until he's scooted a few feet. The kid gets something on his mind and that's it! He wants it!

He had sinus/allergy issues a few weeks ago and had difficulty breathing so he slept with us so I could prop him up. I was dreading transition back to the crib but he did great. Still waking up 1-2 times a night. I will forever be grateful for the night that he decides sleep is valuable!

He's starting to eat some table food if I smash it up really well. Mostly soft things like peas, potatoes, soft fruits. He's got a great appetite! He has started drinking less milk at the sitter's. I'm thinking that may be related to teething? Not sure. But he's not cranky with it, really- he just doesn't seem to want it. Still no teeth.

He loves to shake his booty and dance with a huge grin on his face. I love this sweet baby so much. And (please don't tell...or laugh) but I'm already planning a little for his first birthday party. I don't want to rush it here at all. But I also don't want to wait until the last minute to plan it. Spreading the purchases out over a few months is better than all at once, right??

As we go into November, the list of things I am thankful for seems never-ending. Always pray for what your heart desires. God wants to give it to you. It may not be immediate. But he places those desires in your heart so plead for them daily. He delights in your faithfulness and happiness. Our greatest desire we prayed for 4 years. And what a blessing....

6 months

Oh how time flies when you're having fun!

This little guy is so much fun. He's pretty easy to figure out, but throws us curve balls all the time. He's such a happy baby, but can turn a smile to a frown in a second's time! This picture is so funny...he is blowing bubbles like crazy!!

What Brasen is doing now: Eating fruits and vegetables. I make all of his baby food. No longer than he will be eating it, I decided to make it all. Soon he will be eating what we eat and I want to keep what he eats now very clean with no added preservatives. He, of course, likes his fruits better but we mix it up and he does very well with solids!

He weighs 20 lbs and is 27.5 inches long. 75th percentile for both height and weight!

We found out he is severely allergic to some kind of insect...he had a few bites that turned into 3/4" rings and finally went away with a little benadryl and warm compresses. Bug spray on that baby at all times when outside!

He is sitting up so good. He is reaching for things and coming back up straight. He can scoot forward just a little bit while sitting up when he's reaching. When he is on his tummy, he has cleared his belly and gets his legs moving, and he will get up on both arms; just not all at once yet. I'm not rushing that. I want my baby to still be a baby! :)

Brasen still loves being outside more than anything. He will ride in the stroller but only for about 20 minutes :) He prefers to ride in my baby carrier and be right up against me. We actually took the trail to the highest point in Arkansas last week on Magazine Mountain and he did well!

Sleep....oh, sleep, where are you?! He was sleeping sooo well and his new normal is waking up once a night. But sometimes the little stinker thinks he needs up a few times. I don't do a strict napping rule during the day. He sleeps when he's sleepy. And most nights he does well. I think teething has a LOT to do with getting up more than the one time. Still no teeth, but we sure are chewing and chewing and chewing on everything. Like, even wood.

This is a fun stage and we feel so blessed to call this sweet baby boy ours!

5 months

Well, right on schedule...almost a month late for the 5 month post!

Our sweet baby is growing so fast and doing new things every day. He can sit in supported sitting for several seconds, his hands are working together great to reach and grasp objects, he's now eating vegetables, and he wears 6-9 month clothes. He's a little chunk!

He ooohs and ahhhhs and carries on a conversation of great detail (or he thinks he is!). He still loves being outside and usually takes a mule ride (my parent's side by side) most evenings with Mamaw and Papa before bath/bottle/bed. He still wakes up about once a night but usually will go right back to sleep with a little pat on the back. Sometimes a lot of pats on the back. :) Occasionally he is hungry but we are pretty much past that.

This is the month that he started at Mrs. Kelly's 3 days a week. He has done well and loves her boys. He is WORN OUT when he gets home and usually takes a long nap in the afternoons. Happy to report our car rides are getting better. He is still not a fan, but will make it about 25 minutes (that gets us to Mrs. Kelly's!) most days. I would say about 50% of the time is no screaming. He does the best if we can leave right after he eats but that doesn't always work out. We have a wedding in Jonesboro in a few weeks and I'm anxious/nervous/scared about how that car ride is going to work out.

I'm still trying to find diapers that I like the best. As I said in the last post (I think), he just cannot do cloth diapers and I'm super sad. Because now I have all these cloth diapers and he hates them! I've tried the regular brands and the worst for us is Huggies. He will sometimes get diaper rash and I tried the Honest diapers for awhile. Love them (they are adorable and don't get super bulky and squishy in a short period of time), but he was having a lot of leaks with dirty diapers in them. Now that he's eating more that might not be as bad. I used Target brand for awhile, and I've ordered Seventh Generation for this month. We will see. I just want a good diaper that doesn't leak and is mostly chemical free. :)

Isn't he just so cute? :)

4 months

Well, now that our son is almost 5 months, I'll go ahead and post the 4 month blog! Our internet was down for awhile and I'm just now getting time to post it.

Brasen is such a fun baby. He laughs and squeals with the best of them. He loves going outside. He loves to play. He's discovered his toes, and grabs them to pull to his mouth. However, when he has a diaper on, it's not happening. Too much belly. :) At his 4 month check up, he was 16 lb, 10 oz and 25.5 inches long. We WERE sleeping through the night, but on his 4 month birthday, that all went down the drain. That first week he was waking up every 2-3 hours. It's a little better now.

To all you nursing momma's, if your baby is a little fussy and you can't figure out why: if you're drinking caffeine that may be why. We couldn't figure out what the deal was but he was having quite a few fussy days in a row. I didn't drink a lot, but I'd have a glass of tea at lunch or a coke. Nothing over 12 oz. a day. I quit that to see if it has made a difference, and oh my word. He is such a happy baby. It is unbelievable the difference it has made!

Here is our chunky boy and his 4 month stats:

3 months

 

How can it be that I have a baby that is 3 months old?? I remember thinking when he was born, soon he will be a few months, and then a few years old before I know it. And a few months is already here. Brasen has done so much this month- he amazes me at what he's doing daily. Here are some things:

-observing things and finding them with his hands
-staring at his feet
-"sweet talking" to me in the mornings with soft cooing
-squealing when he's playing on his mat
-rolling over (not consistently yet)
-holding his head up really well
-sleeping through the night
-napping in his crib
-chewing on his fingers/hands

We went through a phase where he wouldn't let me lay him down for his naps. And now I kind of miss it. I love the cuddling time. He stayed for the first time with a babysitter that will be watching him when I go back to work. It was tough for me to leave him but she sent pictures throughout the morning so it helped. She said he did well. I know the more he goes, the more he will be used to her. She has three boys (whom are all very polite) and I really think he will love it there.

Brasen is such a light in all of our lives. He is a precious boy with a sweet and predictable personality. New things scare him but he observes them and the more he gets used to something, the better he does. My dad had an accident last week in which he broke a vertebra in his back, fractured some ribs and 5 transverse processes. He will be down for the whole summer and some of the fall, I'm afraid. So no hay, no feeding/working cows, no taking the boat out, no camping...you get the drift. The things my dad loves to do- he can't right now. One thing he can do is love on Brasen, so I've been taking him down every day to see him in hopes that it will make his day a little better. Both of his son in laws have helped out around the farm and dad likes to go watch. He said, "I know they are doing it right, it's not that. I just want to be out there to watch them." Please keep him in your prayers.

Some things that I love about our baby boy right now:
-how he rubs his fingers back and forth on my back when he's nursing
-how he puts his arm up by my neck when I'm rocking him to sleep
-how he follows me until I'm out of sight when I leave the room
-how he recognizes me when I walk into his field of vision

Happy 3 months, sweet boy! Momma and daddy love you so much.

2 months

Big boy is 2 months old! He amazes me every day at what he is doing. He loves to look at anything with color contrast. He is beginning to find us in the room by following our voice. He still doesn't enjoy tummy time that much, but with a little help he can hold his head up for awhile. He just gets ticked off quick and wants to roll back over. He loves to lay in the floor or propped up on the Boppy pillow and sing or play with us. His naps during the day are shorter (unless he sleeps while we are holding him...he loves to cuddle!) and he is still sleeping well at night. I get up either once or twice to feed him.

Brasen loves to be outside. I hope he continues this because I do too! We go to the park, sit on the porch, or lay on a pallet on the ground and he is perfectly content! We haven't quite mastered a day out with momma yet...the car seat is what gets us every time. If he gets fussy back there, I can't reach anything to help him calm down. Solo trips with just the two of us are limited. :)

We go for his 2 month check up, which will actually be 10 weeks, next week. I'm not sure what he weighs, but 3 weeks ago he weighed 12-6. So I'm guessing around 14 or so pounds? We will see. He's had a growth spurt this last week and has been eating every 2 hours. And it's showing in his thighs! Such cute fat rolls.

We started cloth diapers this month. I'm still trying to figure out the best ones, how to not make them leak, and how often he needs changing with them. I think I will use them exclusively at home, and if he stays with someone and when we start the babysitter he will use disposable ones. I just don't want to ask anyone else to spray his dirty diapers out. I wouldn't want to do that if it wasn't my kid. :)

Much happier with our monthly picture this month than last month!

I love this little boy so much and am so proud to be his momma.