Time Files!

Brayden reached up for me to pick him up for the first time on Friday.. melted my heart! And made me realize how much he is growing up..

It seems like having a baby in our lives has made time fly by even faster!  He is growing and changing so much all the time it seems like just when we get used to something, it changes.  This past week I packed away all of his 6 month clothes (and discovered his 9 month clothes *just* fit), finally got him to switch to his new 6+ month binky, he's practicing with a sippy cup every day and we let him feed himself puffs now.  He is trying new foods all the time, and loving new flavor combos.  These are some of his new favorite foods/combos: Oatmeal with Apples and Cinnamon, Apple and Blackberry, Cherries, Pears, Avocado/Banana and Sweet Potato with Corn.  He also has started feeding himself small chunks of banana.  Up next week are cauliflower and broccoli!

He has also discovered how much fun playing with his feet can be!  It has made diaper changes a little easier because he will now hold his own feet.. and it's pretty much the cutest thing.

Happy Boy! Friday morning 2/17/12

Swimming lessons are still the highlight of our week!  This past Tuesday he went under water for the first time.  The first time was definitely the scariest on this mommy, but seeing how great he did and just came up spitting water and smiling two seconds later made it all okay.  We will bring our video camera to the pool next week to capture some of the cuteness.   

My hopes for this blog is a way of reflecting and sharing all the little milestones to remember to enjoy the little things in life!

Finally the right binky!

Sippy Cup Practice..

7 Months

Such a big boy!

On January 29th, our baby boy turned 7 months! It's hard to believe we have made it that far already... in some ways it seems like yesterday we had just brought him home from the hospital.  However in other ways, it seems like he has been in our lives forever!  Brayden is turning into such a funny little guy, who loves to laugh, blow rasberries and snuggle with mommy and daddy! Two weeks ago he started swimming lessons and has a blast playing in the water. 

Lately he has also been eating a lot more solid foods, which we love making homemade baby food for him.  After doing a taste test to compare to a jar of food, he MUCH prefers homemade as well!  We are hoping to set him up well with eating habits by exposing him to a wide variety of foods from an early age.  So far these are the foods he eats (in addition to breast milk): brown rice, oatmeal, carrot, peas, green beans, spinach, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, asparagus, avocado, prunes, bananas, apples, mangos and pears. 

Seven Month Stats:

Sits up unassisted for long periods of time

Likes to play on his tummy

On his tummy, he will only rotate clockwise to get to toys

Loves music and banging on his "piano"

Blows raspberries and plays with his tongue

Drools more than our dogs!

Takes 3 naps a day

Wears 6-9 month clothes

Favorite food is mango

Starting to hold his own bottle

Dinner Time!

Ready for his first Superbowl

Didn't quite make it to see the end of the game.. Fell asleep on Daddy

Time for an Update!

I can't believe how much has changed in the past year since I last posted on here!

For a quick summary.. We spent the Spring 2011 getting ready for the birth of our baby!  We found out on March 21st that we were expecting a boy... and spent the remaining months decorating the nursery and preparing for his arrival.  We decorated his room with green walls, espresso furniture and a jungle theme. 

In May Jeff's step-mom, Misty, threw a beautiful baby shower that I was so thankful to have many family and friends attend to celebrate the upcoming birth!  Coming home with everything for the baby made it become more and more real...

The photo to the left was taken at the end of May when we had family over for a Memorial Day party.  I was 7 months pregnant and thought we had at least two more months to prepare...

Much to our surprise, my water broke a month early!  I was just about to leave work on a Tuesday afternoon when it happened.  Thankfully our bags were already packed and we were off to the hospital in no time. Within nine hours of getting there our baby boy was born on June 29th.. he was 5lbs 14oz and 19inches!  After a relatively quick delivery, he spent the next nine days in the Special Care Nursery while his lungs grew strong and he got rid of the jaundice. 

Brayden - One Day Old

Brayden Patrick Richmond is now our happy, healthy 7 month old!  Our lives have been forever changed by the birth of this sweet little boy.  We have enjoyed every step along the way, watching him grow (way too fast!) as we grow as parents right along with him.  He has celebrated his first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, went on a road trip (to St. Louis), attended his Uncle's wedding and many more!  From now on I will make my best effort to post on here at least once a week.. but I will admit, being a full-time working mom, on top of attending school and taking care of the house leave little time to spare anymore! 

For now here are some of our favorite pictures from the past seven months:



Daddy and Brayden



Bath Time



Happy Halloween

Three Months

Merry Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving

Go Bears! 7 months



Go Cubs! 6 months