Brasen Update, and Baby #2!

Mom life has caught up with me. Brasen will be 18 months old in three days and I haven't posted in 8 months. Oops. I'd much rather spend my time playing with him than blogging. He's asleep now so I wanted to update this. I have high hopes of keeping this blog for him to read someday, as a scrapbook for his long journey into this world. I thank God every day for his precious little soul. Each night I pray over him as I lay him down in his bed. I pray for safety, for him to sleep well (and all night!), and for him to be a loving, giving person. I want above all else for him to have a servant's heart. A man after God's own heart. And I pray Kyle and I can show him the right direction in life.

18 months is full of fun and energy! Our sweet boy can say around 12-14 words. He's beginning to try and say phrases but it usually ends up with him pointing and saying, "mamadadapapa....tractor" Bless him. He loves to play outside on his slide, sandbox, and swing, and draw on the garage floor with sidewalk chalk. He wants me to draw Peppa every day. He loves to ride on anything (tractors, the mule, fourwheeler, drive the car). He is running and loves to run around things (the car, the island in my parent's kitchen...). He is still a good eater and prefers plain fruit or vegetables over grown up food (like casseroles or side dishes). He will, however, choose a cookie or ice cream over anything! He loves watching Peppa Pig and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Brasen now sleeps through the night with an occasional wake-up here and there. He sleeps in a full size bed with a rail. The crib was just too tight of quarters. He loves his space. Goes to sleep anywhere from 8-9 and will sleep until I have to wake him up at 7, or if we stay home he will wake up on his own between 7-8.

Many people have asked if our second pregnancy was natural or if we used our embryos (One of my best friends said she was kind of mad that I didn't tell her we were going back to the clinic!). I don't mind the question at all. Answer is: natural. I am still floored that it is really this easy to get pregnant for some people. We had decided to wait until next summer to use our embryos, but God had a different plan. I was excited but the first thing that ran through my mind was, "I can't do this." But truth is, I can't on my own...God will have to show me how to be a loving, patient mommy of 2 under 2. Brasen already knows where mommy's baby is and gives it kisses every day. Now, when an actual baby is here and it's not my tummy may be a different story! We find out soon whether it will be baby brother or baby sister!   :)

10 months

At 10 months old, we are a tiny bit rotten....

Brasen loves to dance, turbo crawl after his toys and balls, and still loves to go outside. I'm convinced he would stay out there all day. 

He has learned to clap and wave...we wave bye-bye to his bath toys, and to the animals in his books as we turn the page. He'll throw in the occasional "bye bye" with it. He's also saying mama, dada, "ha" for hot, nana for banana, and "buh" for ball and bath :)

This little man got his first tooth at nine months and is now working on tooth number 4! Makes for some fun nights ;) Really, during the night is the only time it seems to bother him that much. He will blow bubbles more than normal when one is coming in but other than that you can't really tell he's teething. He hasn't drooled one drop!

We laugh at him daily over his spunky spirit. He goes ninety to nothing. ALL DAY. The only time he rests is when he is napping or nursing. He's into drawers, the refrigerator, cabinets, toilet paper, laundry, his toy boxes (located in each room of the house, lol)! 

He is a happy boy full of life and energy. And this is a typical Brasen look :)

We love you so much, Bras. 

9 months

4 days until 10 months so I'm still in my time limit. :)

Our big 9 month old is:

-pulling up and cruising
-pushing things to walk
-growling and grunting
-pointing to things
-eating table food
-still waking up a few times at night
-getting better about riding in the car (finally!)
-opening doors and drawers

He LOVES:

-outside
-riding (4 wheeler, mule/gator, and his little car he got for Christmas)
-splashing in the bath
-The Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling"
-music
-books
-playing with pots and pans
-blueberries
-Elsie, the cat

He doesn't love:

-diaper changes
-getting dressed...at all...
-men wearing hats (take the hat off and he's all for you!)

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? :)