5 months

As of yesterday, Braxxton is 5 months old already! He is still a really good eater and has now started cereal and seems to like that also. He drools soooo much and is constantly chewing on his fingers, trying to fit all 10 in there at once. He now rolls both ways and turns himself around if he sees something he wants. Some of his favorite things are baths, reading books, watching Champ and giggling at him, and chewing on everything. He still sleeps really well at night, but not so much during the day. He is still in size 2 diapers (but mostly cloth) and 3-6 month clothes. He is such a laid back and happy boy! We have been so blessed by this sweet boy.

hanging out with Grandma

first time eating cereal

trying to get all 3 of these boys to look at the camera was impossible, but I love it.

Days 14, 15, 16

Day 14 - nap time :)

Day 15 - a husband who is "handy". He is currently building some shelves for Braxxton's toys/books and I can't wait!

Day 16 - pajama friday at daycare! :)

Day 13

Day 13 - free shipping :) I have become a mostly online shopper these days but will only if there is free shipping, which I can usually find somewhere.

Braxxton is 4 months!

Braxxton loves to smile and giggle, sit in his bumbo, and see everything. He now rolls over from his back to his tummy and anytime you put him on his back he pretty much rolls over right away. He sleeps through the night most nights or will just get up once to eat and go right back to sleep. Except for the last week, he's been waking up a lot.. He is such a laid back baby and so happy! He loves to read books, chew on his hands or anything else he can reach, drool, and have "airplane rides." He wears size 2 diapers now (but mostly cloth) and 3-6 month clothes.
At his 4 month appointment he weighed 16 lbs. 12 oz. (84th percentile) and was 27 inches long (97th percentile) so he is doing good!

Day 12

Day 12 - our church. I love the music and the pastor. I feel like I can take something away from each of his messages to use in my everyday life and he keeps it entertaining as well. There are soooo many young couples and babies (I swear there are at least 2 baptisms a week), so I feel like it's a great place for Braxxton to grow up in.

Days 9, 10 & 11

Day 9 - the health of myself, Braxxton, and the rest of my family. We have been pretty blessed.

Day 10 - music. I have always loved music. No matter what mood I'm in, there is something that makes it better.

Day 11 - all the veterans (and their families) of this country we live in and the holidays, birthdays, and just all the ordinary things they miss out on with their families to defend our freedom.

Days 7 & 8

Day 7 - my grandparents - Not many people can say that they have 3 of their 4 grandparents still with them, but I can. I have been very blessed to grow up nearby them and still get to see them often. They are all wonderful examples and I'm proud to have them as my grandparents. Not a day goes by that I don't miss my grandpa, but I have so many great memories of him.

Day 8 - my crockpot - Without this thing lately we would probably not eat supper. :) I don't really like cooking anyways, but this way we can actually eat something healthy before 8:00 and I feel like I don't have to do anything. And then you get a crock pot liner and you don't even have to wash the thing. Talk about lazy. :)

Day 6

Day 6 - the seasons. I'm thankful to live in a place where we get to experience all 4 seasons. Do I complain when it's 20 below and windy? Or heat indexes of 110 (especially when you're 9 months pregnant)? Yup I do, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Day 5

Day 5 - As I sit inside staying warm and cuddling Braxxton, I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with him.

Day 4

Day 4 - my family. I have been blessed with the best family I could ask for. I love the time I get to spend with them and wish I could see them more. I'm still trying to convince Josh that he could commute every day to work and it would be fun. :)

PS - when you have a child, time changes are not nearly as cool.

Day 3

Day 3 - the weekend - naps. cuddling. coffee. football. doing nothing if I don't want to.

Day 2

Day 2 - the husband. I am so thankful to have this guy to spend my life with and raise our kids with. He   is such a wonderful father and is always willing to help, even the not-so-fun jobs. I know that no matter what he cares about me and wants the best for me and our family. I could go on and on but I don't want to bore you. :)

Day 1

This year leading up to Thanksgiving I want to attempt to blog about something I'm thankful for every day. Considering the frequency of my blog posts, we'll see how long this lasts. :)

Day 1 - This one is probably obvious, but I am incredibly thankful for Braxxton. We have been so blessed to have a healthy, sweet, happy baby boy. I have loved every second of being his mommy. Part of me is sad about how fast he is growing up, but I also love watching all the new things he does (he now rolls over!) and can't wait for all the fun things to come. This boy can make my heart melt. :)

my little 3-month-old

Braxxton is now 3 months old and is what people say "filling out." He loves to eat (about every 2 hours!) and smile. He is a very happy baby who smiles and giggles a lot. He has become quite the little cat napper, taking several short naps throughout the day but sleeps long stretches at night (usually 7+ hours at a time). He very rarely cries, just when he gets too tired or decides he wanted to eat 10 minutes ago. His favorite thing is "airplane rides," which can usually get him to giggle. He also loves books and talking to us.  He is still in size 1 diapers, but mostly wears cloth, and now almost all 3-6 month clothes, although I still try to squeeze him into some 0-3 month stuff cuz I just can't put it away yet. :)

Braxxton's Baptism

This past Sunday we had Braxxton baptised. Being a parent has put a whole new perspective on the amount of love God has for his children. My heart could just about explode with the amount of love I have for Braxxton. He melts my heart and in everything I do, I only want the best for him. And then to think that God loves every one of us even more than that. It's pretty hard unimaginable, really. I love this song before but now I can't even hear it without getting a little teary-eyed.

"Find Your Wings" - Mark Harris
It's only for a moment you are mine to hold 
The plans that heaven has for you will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray for all that you might do
But most of all I want to know you're walking in the truth
And if I never told you I want you to know
That as I watch you grow

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage to dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you root and help you find your wings

May passion be the wind that leads you through your days
And may conviction keep your strong, guide you on your way
May there be many moments that make your life so sweet
Oh but more than memories

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage to dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots and help you find your wings

It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off but I'll cheer as you fly

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage to dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots and help you find your wings

Braxxton is 2 months old!

I love to eat, sleep and smile. On a typical night I sleep 5-7 hours at a time (although last night I slept 9!!!) and take several naps throughout the day. I hardly every cry, just grunt when I want something. Lately I have been eating every 2-3 hours except during the night. I love to read books, play with my play gym, be sung to and drool. I wear size 1 diapers (with some cloth mixed in) and 0-3 month clothes (although some are getting a little snug). I am very laid back and a pretty amazing baby.

At my 2 month appointment I weighed 13 lbs. 13 oz. and 24 1/4 inches long, both in the 90th percentile. I had to get 2 shots and really screamed for the first time. :(

11 years

“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. “
- President George W. Bush, December 11, 2001

I'm sure we can all remember where we were 11 years ago on September 11th. I was a freshman at USF and had just gotten to class when they said it was canceled. I went back to my dorm and of course went back to bed. My roommate woke me up and for the rest of the day we watched the reports on TV. I knew it was a big deal, but it wasn't until years later that I really understood exactly the impact of that day. Now I am completely fascinated by it all. For the past couple of years on September 11, I watch pretty much every single documentary that is on. Josh calls me a nerd, but I can't get enough of it. My heart breaks for all the people involved, but the stories of people risking their lives to save other people, mostly strangers, makes me proud to live in this country.

It's baaaack!

The pumpkin spice latte, that is. I am completely in love with fall: pumpkin anything, the cooler weather, jeans and sweatshirts, Pumpkinland, football, and of course the pumpkin spice latte. I'd have one every day if I could. I love that fall means Thanksgiving & Christmas are coming soon and can't wait to make fun holiday memories with Braxxton.

Brax will be 2 months this weekend and is changing so much! Last night he slept for 7 hours straight, woke up to eat and then slept for 3 more hours. Yessss! He also decided he likes to suck his wrist when he's tired, enough to leave a little mark. :)
Hopefully I'll get on here next week to update with 2 month pictures and his stats from the doctor... Considering I just typed this whole post with one hand, we'll see, :)

Here are some recent pics...

"We friends"

love this boy!

1 month

If you want to understand the meaning of the phrase "time flies" have a baby. My baby is 1 month old already! It has been the best month ever, but I would like time to slow down a little. We are loving every minute with this little boy.

You love to sleep and eat and are starting to smile when people talk to you. You usually get up once or twice during the night to eat. Your dad and I call you "gruntasaurus" because you like to grunt. A lot. You wear size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes. You are a very content and laid back baby and we love you more than words.

The day my life forever changed...

Monday, July 9th...

I woke up at 2:30 am to have my water break. I wasn't having any contractions so I wasn't sure if that was really "it" but I woke up Josh and we decided to go to the hospital. Luckily we did because everything went pretty quickly from there. I had 3 contractions on our way to the hospital and they were already only 5-6 minutes apart. I took a minute to completely panic, realizing this is really happening. After getting all checked in, my contractions quickly escalated. Within an hour, they were only 50 seconds apart. Our nurse was amazing. We actually wrote a letter to the hospital because she was that good. I look back at labor and actually can say it wasn't the worst thing ever and it was definitely better than I imagined it to be in my head. I believe that was in big part because of Josh and our nurse. By 7:00 I was ready to push. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours but he wasn't making much progress. Our doctor came in and determined his head was sideways so I had 2 options: a c-section or forceps. I lost it. After Josh, our nurse and doctor calmed me down, I decided to go with the forceps. I'm so thankful I did because after 2 minutes (I actually thought it was like 15 minutes) our baby boy was born. He was healthy and beautiful. Nothing else mattered at that point.

the best moment ever

Braxxton Joshua 

8 lbs. 10 oz.  21 1/2 inches

We could not be more in love.

nothing better than cuddling with this boy

let's go home!

I could do this allll day.

I love his scrunchy little smile.

The Countdown...

We are anxiously counting down the days until we can meet little man - 19 to be exact. Well, that's my due date. I'm sure he won't come on that day... We could not possibly be more excited. I can't stop daydreaming about that moment when we first see him. We have been waiting years for this and there are no words to describe the anticipation. I can't even watch an episode of "16 & Pregnant" these days without crying because I imagine what that moment will be like for us.
I have been very blessed with a healthy pregnancy and overall have felt really good. I am getting to the uncomfortable stage and am just kind of over it but I know that I will miss this. I will miss feeling his little kicks and maybe even having his butt in my ribs. It has been one of the most amazing times in my life and I cannot wait to do it again. :) Ok, it will probably be a little while...
These are some of the things that helped make my pregnancy so wonderful -

1. an AMAZING husband - He has been involved in every step of this pregnancy and totally taken care of me. I am pretty blessed and so is this kid to have him for a dad.
2. leggings - hands down, my favorite maternity piece of clothing
3. my wonderful doctor - If anyone is looking for an OBGYN in the area, I definitely would recommend mine. She has been great with answering all our questions and making me feel comfortable with all of this.
4. a good water bottle - my favorite is my Camelback. I was sooo not a water drinker before I got pregnant. That was honestly my biggest adjustment.
5. a body pillow - definitely a must have if you want to get any sleep
6. Palmers belly butter - I used this every night before bed and haven't gotten any stretch marks. Yes, I know stretch marks are mostly genetic but this really helped with itchy skin also.

Hopefully soon we can have an update introducing our little man...

Father's Day

"It is admirable for a man to take his son fishing, but there is a special place in Heaven for a man who takes his daughter shopping." John Sinor

I saw this quote the other day and it made me think of my own dad. He, a sports-loving farmer, was stuck blessed with 3 daughters. He claims we are the reason for his grey hair. I don't think any of us would deny that. I cannot even begin to count the number of times he has been shopping. He mostly just wanders off and does his own thing, but there's no complaining. :) I am thankful for him every day but especially on Fathers Day, I realize how blessed to have a father that is not only in my life but puts forth effort to be a part of the things my sisters and I do. He is a wonderful grandpa and I'm sure he's pretty excited to have 2 grandsons to help him do chores. :) After our baby is born, the boys will outnumber the girls in our family. He has probably been waiting for this day to come for years.

Fathers Day a couple of years ago

35 weeks and counting...

I am now 35 weeks and getting very anxious to meet our little guy! Yes, I know it could be a while yet and I now understand now why they say the last weeks of your pregnancy drag by. I've always thought it was going so fast up until now. I am still feeling really good and am so thankful for that!

How far along? 35 weeks

Total weight gain: 34 lbs.

Maternity clothes? That’s pretty much all I can wear now other than sweats and a few of my tshirts.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: I can sleep pretty good most of the time. I am finding myself to be a lot more tired during the day now. I feel like I’m back in the 1^st trimester.

Best moment this week: having a shower for the little man last weekend. We are so blessed and this babe is already so loved.

Miss Anything? Breathing and being able to bend over. It is getting harder and harder to move around a lot.

Movement: I feel him move a lot. He is so active and has been having hiccups more these days.

Food cravings: Well, still sweets and sugar. Shocking, I know. I haven’t really been craving anything weird though.

Anything making you nauseous? Not really

Labor Signs? No, but I may panic a bit when I do!

Symptoms: My legs are really restless, especially at night, but nothing else really.

Belly Button in or out? Oh it’s out.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time? So happy!

Looking forward to: meeting this baby! (obviously)