A day at the park!

Well now that it is finally cooling down here in Yuma, we are taking advantage of being outside! We took B to the park yesterday and had a little photo shoot. It was his first time in the baby swing! He loves being outside!

Pictures to: Adventures in Solids

Here are the pictures from Brayden's first taste of solids, SWEET POTATOES! YUM!

 First time in the high chair

 hmmm...what is this stuff?

 Give me more!

And just a random cute one

Baby Led Weaning: Adventures with Solids

This past weekend, Brayden was being fussy and we thought it might be his little tooth that has been playing peek-a-boo for a while now. I gave Zack a slice of my cold apple to give to Brayden. B LOVED IT! He was gnawing on it and got mad if it got taken away. He has been pretty interested in what we have been eating for a bit now. I know at this age (almost 5 months) then tend to become more aware of their surroundings and what is going on. But because he grabbed the apple and knew where to put it I took it as one sign of being ready.
At his 4 month appointment his pediatrician and I talked about when to start solids. She said when he becomes VERY interested in what we are eating (check), when he can sit supported (check; actually he sits UNsupported) and when breastmilk isn't enough (he is satisfied with just nursing so this one doesn't really apply) we can try solids.
I have been researching solids since I was pregnant. There is SO much information about when to start, what to start and how much. The World Health Organization just recently changed their reccomendation of strictly breastmilk or formula for the first 6 months back to their old reccomendation of 4-6 months with the appropriate developmental milestones met. Experts say to start with rice cereal. It is bland, can be mixed with what the baby is already eating and teaches them to eat off of a spoon, BUT it contains NO nutritional value. This is also where baby led weaning comes into play.
BLW is all about not feeding your child from a spoon, but letting them decide how much they want by picking up their own food. You give them chunks and they bite off the appropriate size. They are in control! This makes it easier on me, as I want to make all his food. We may do a few purees and he can do the spoon himself but I want him to explore on his own.
We tried our first veggie on Sunday! He had sweet potatoes and seemed to LOVE it. I cooked it pretty soft and put little chunks on his tray, which he SMASHED and licked off his hands and mine. I cooked it a little too soft so it was a little too easy to smash. I mixed in a little BM to see if he would take it from a spoon. I think he would rather do it himself which is okay by me. He had fun and I think we will try some other things here soon.
I told myself NO solids until 6 months no matter what, but I am letting Brayden decide. If he decides that next time he doesn't want any solids, that's fine we will wait a little longer. He's only had them once and is still satisfied with nursing so we aren't going to push anything on him. I will let him tell us!

I will come back and post pictures of his first experience!

Daddy's Promotion November 1, 2010

Zack got promoted and Brayden and I got to go and take pictures. It was an early morning for us, Brayden tends to sleep in and I was surprised at how well we actually did.

The Bug's First Halloween!

Apparently standing up on hay is no fun

We found a pumpkin patch here in Yuma and decided to take Brayden and get some pictures of him. He had fun, but was not a fan of the hay touching his sockless toes!

 Brayden enjoyed passing out candy

 We carved pumpkins and let B play

Our pumpkin butt :)

Pumpkin Patch in San Diego

Brayden and I went out to California for a week. We got to spend some quality time with grandma, grandpa and auntie Sarah. He had a BLAST! My sister and I took him to a pumpkin patch before we left. He was such a good sport!

Grandpa Rick's Celebration of Life

Grandpa Rick passed away on June 5, 2010, just five days before his first grandbaby was born. On October 2nd we celebrated his life and scattered his ashes in the Pacific Ocean in Newport Beach, CA. We had a wonderful day and I miss Rick so much. I wish he could have met Brayden, I know he would have loved him.

 Dolphins!

 Brayden, mommy, grandma, auntie Sarah and Aunt Maureen

Brayden, Mommy and Grandma

4 Months Old!

I can't believe it, the bug is 4 months old already! Time is flying and he is getting so big, so fast! He is learning so much and is SO active. He can roll from his tummy to his back and from his back to his tummy. He loves playing on the ground with his toys. He still talks ALL the time and can get quite loud. He can sit up on his own for a few minutes. He still needs someone to catch him, or a pillow so he doesn't face plant. He is so strong. He loves to kick and grab at things. He is also scratching at different textures. He loves to read books and enjoys singing songs.

He went to the doctor on October 19, 2010 and he is 15 pounds 7 ounces and 25 inches long! He is in the 75% for weight and the 90% for height! He is our big man!

3 month pictures!

Here are some pictures from when the Bug was three months old!

2 Months Old!!

 Sleepy little man

I love tummy time...sometimes

Hanging out on Daddy's shoulders

 "Puppy"...Daddy's from when he was little

Daddy...Brayden...Grandpa...and brother Dolce

Just a few pictures when he was two months old! He is growing like a weed!

A LONG overdue update

It has been a while since I have updated this. We were having computer issues and  then just got kind of busy.
Let's see...Brayden had his 2 month check up on August 17th and he was 12.6 pounds and 23 inches! He is getting so big. His doctor said he has a slight case of reflux, but we won't be doing any meds to treat it. It doesn't seem to bother him and he is a "happy" spitter. Just means more laundry for us!
It was a sad day for mama at the doctors. He had to get two vaccines. He would have gotten 6 I think, but I am spacing them out. No need to overload his already fragile immune system! He will go each month until he is a year and then we should be all caught up. We are following the Dr. Sears alternative vaccine schedule. Brayden will only get two vaccines at a time and only one live virus.
Brayden is a little mover now! On August 27th he learned how to roll from his tummy to his back intentionally. He had rolled on accident a few times, but now he knows what he is doing. He gets pretty proud of himself when he does it. Now we have to keep an even closer eye on him!
We have stayed here in Yuma for quite some time. Our last trip out to California wasn't too pleasant. Brayden was not a happy camper and we think we overloaded him with all our traveling so we have stayed put. We do miss everyone out there and we like visitors!
Brayden's new favorite thing is to sit up in the bumbo. His friend Bruce (who I went back to babysitting for) is letting us borrow his little seat. He loves sitting up and looking around. We put him in it while Zack makes dinner or while we eat. It keeps him content for a while. He also likes to look at his toys while he sits in it.
The little man has also found his voice! He loves to talk and will have conversations with you for quite a long time. He is so darn cute when he talks too.
He is full of smiles and such a happy baby. We are so lucky! It has been an amazing three months with our little man and we are looking forward to watching him grow and learn new things. I will try and update this more often! I lost track of time for a little bit.
Pictures will be coming soon, I need to upload them once I find the cord :)

Let's Try this Again 7/31/10

We tried to take Brayden swimming while we were in San Diego and it didn't go so well. We were thinking that the water and the weather may not have been warm enough for him. He is used to Arizona after all! So since it has been in the 100's for a while here in Yuma, we decided to try the pool here. He did SO well and really likes it now. Now we just need to get him a floatie and a hat that fits. The sun out here is pretty powerful and it scares me to have him out in it for too long. I am just a protective mama bear and don't want our bug to get burned.

All done and headed home