Monday, October 26, 2009

One Month Old


It's hard to believe that a month has passed since this little guy has come into the world. Here we are already at one month old. We've really enjoyed the past month bonding as a family of four. Keely has done great adjusting to having a baby in the house. She's become more and more curious and observes each move Brayden makes. Her newest sign is "cry" and does it each time we here Brayden cry on the monitor. Brayden is so much more alert throughout the day. He's up for about an hour at a time and takes about 2 hour naps. When he's up he enjoys looking around taking in the surroundings. He's not a big fan of the swing, but doesn't mind sitting on the floor.

Over the past couple of weeks we've had many visitors in our home. Last week Whitney brought over some dinner and got to hang out with Brayden. This weekend Aunt Cheryl and Cousins Jaccob, Domilyse, and Simon came up from Carlsbad to meet their new cousin. Lydia came up too but ended up spending the weekend with her friends in Edgewood that she hasn't seen in a year. She'll get to meet him at Thanksgiving.

All in all it's been a busy month. As we enter this last week of October I'm bracing myself for life to kick back into reality. Next week Brent goes back to work, after having him home since mid-September it will be an adjustment not having him home everyday. Keely sure has enjoyed having so much time with her Dad. I feel like I've got a good routine set to get me through the day, however I know that kids are unpredictable and I'll just have some of those "off" days. Each day is getting a little cooler which also means more time indoors. That adds up to a cage crazy toddler who is into everything these days. Time to get ready for winter and become more creative with at home activities. I'm going to take advantage of this last week with help at home and time to take some cat naps throughout the day.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Lil' Mama

We have another Mama in the house. Miss Keely has been helping me out with the cleaning (as usual) knowing that I need an extra hand these days. She is such a great helper! She also has been busy with her own little baby. We found a baby doll with a car seat at a garage sale before Brayden was born and gave it to her after Nana and Pop-Pop left. She has made sure to take care of her baby like Mommy takes care of Brayden. She walks around with the car seat putting her baby in and out of it and makes sure to take a break to change her diaper. It really is just too cute. Luckily we got some footage of it today.

First Bath!

Today we gave Brayden his first bath. This guy sure does love the water. Whenever I gave him a sponge bath I would wash his hair under the sink and it would calm him like you wouldn't believe. I remember the first bath we gave Keely, she did NOT dig it at all. It was nice to give a bath to a baby who wasn't screaming :) Thankfully Keely loves the water now, hopefully Brayden will continue to love it too.



Saturday, October 17, 2009

Maternity Photo Session

About a month ago we went to the Botanic Gardens to have some pictures taken while I was still pregnant. Originally my sister, Patricia, was going to do the photo session but unfortunately she got sick and could not take them. Thankfully she called in a favor from one of her friends, Knate Myers, who helped us out by capturing some precious moments..here are a few.



Thursday, October 15, 2009

Brayden and Backyard

So it looks like I'm officially in new Mommy mode meaning I have NO extra time on my hands these days. Instead of laying down and getting some sleep I thought I'd finally update you all with some pictures from our last week. Included in the montage are pictures of Brayden and our backyard that Brent's been working on. When his parents were here Brent and his Dad (and Mom) were working everyday trying to punch out as much as they could while they were here. It's amazing to see the transformation to our yard and see where it's going. I'm looking forward to many summers out there.

As for Brayden, he is doing great! We had his 2 week appointment yesterday and glad to report that he is growing beautifully. He is now 9 lbs 4.5 oz (64%), 21 1/2 in (76%), and his head circumference was 37.5 cm (57%). He's hitting all milestones in his little life and such a delight. Each day he is more and more alert. We are really cracking down on trying to get his routine going. Today we started letting him nap in his crib and tonight will be the first night moving him in the crib to sleep. Last night we actually got a 4 1/2 hour stretch of sleep, whoo hoo!

Keely is still doing great as a big sister. She helps me out by throwing away Brayden's diaper and lets me know when he's crying. She's having a blast playing in the backyard while Brent's working.

That's an update for us for now. Again, thank you all for being patient with me. I know I've lacked updating pictures but I'm trying! Hope you enjoy the pictures and thank you to everyone who has called, came to visit, and sent meals. Every thought and gesture is greatly appreciated. Thank you again!

Monday, October 5, 2009

1st Dentist Visit

Today was Keely's first visit to see the Dentist. She was such a great patient and made Mom and Dad so proud. Her teeth look great with the exception to the overbite she has thanks to her thumb sucking. The Dentist did warn us that we'll probably be seeing ortho work in our future. Better start saving now!
Hanging out in the waiting room.
Getting her teeth checked.
Keely and Dr. Meckler
Meeting the office dog, Lucy.
Leaving the office with her new pair of shades from the Dentist.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

1 Week Old

It's hard to believe that Brayden is 1 week old already. I was sitting here on Friday night thinking how crazy it was that a week ago I was sitting at home pregnant and now we have our sweet little boy home. This week we've been busy going to the Doctor's and showing Keely how to be gentle with her brother. We've had to make several trips to the Doc this week getting his bili level checked since he had some jaundice going on. But the levels are getting lower so we are okay as far as that goes. This week was also our last week with Brent's parents. They will be leaving tomorrow heading back to Virginia. Having them here has been a huge help and we will miss having them here, especially Keely. She's had so much fun hanging out with her Grandma and Pop-pop. She even made Pop-pop's day when she said his name last night at dinner. Anyway, we've had so much fun this week getting to know the newest addition to the family. Brayden is becoming more and more alert each day and we love watching him explore the world around him.
1 Week Old

Never too young to work on Tummy Time.
Big Sister Keely cuddling with Brayden.
Special Mommy time with Keely (look at those GREEN eyes).
"Hands Up!" At the park with Grandma.