10 months old

Yes, another month has flown right by and I can not even believe it, as usual!  This month has been so fun and it is a blast to watch him do new things almost everyday!  Let's see what is going on....

• He is a cruiser.  He will walk around and along any and all furniture.
• He still gets a 10 for perfect form while crawling.  All of the babies we are around have very different crawls.  Brax's crawl has always been very perfect but not fast at all.  He is a very slow crawler even when he is excited and trying to get somewhere fast. 
• He takes three bottles a day.  2 five ounce and one 7 ounce at night. 
• He loves all food and continues to eat us out of the house.  I am trying to think about a favorite food of his but I have no idea what that would be.  He eats all food, ha!
• He still has 8 teeth and I suspect his molars are on their way through any time now.
• He wakes up in a good mood every morning, even if I have to wake him up he will sit up really fast with sleepy squinted eyes and a smile behind his pacifier.  So precious!
• He has still been sleeping good.
• He had an ear infection this month that the doctor thought was part of all four of his molars shifting into place.
• He LOVES LOVES LOVES to play outside.  He crawls all over the back porch and into the grass and loves the dirt.  I love what a boy he is already. 
• He will stand on his own but not for long. 
• He can push his walker and his train with control now while walking behind it (he just started this last night). 
• He says dada, ba ba (he doesn't know what it means though), go, uh-oh (this is our new favorite thing, so cute!), and many other new babbles just in the last week and a half. 
• He can pull up in his bed to a standing position now.
• He will not sit down very long in the bath, which makes for a very nervous and sometimes very short bath, haha!
• He loves to play with drawers and cabinets. (Don't worry they are baby proofed)
• His hair in the back is getting so long that it comes down over his colar when he is wearing one.  I know it needs to be trimmed but the rest of his hair does not need to be trimmed, for example the top.  I am not sure what we are going to do.  We do trim it around his ears but not sure what to do about the back. 

I can not believe that in two short months we will be celebrating his first birthday.  Man time really does fly by.  We love every minute of it!  Happy 10 month birthday baby boy, mommy and daddy love you!

MIA

I realize I have been MIA but SO much has been going on.  I will write soon!

Not sure where this road will lead us

As I sit here right now... numb, mad, in complete disbelief, scared, unable to control my emotions, angry, weepy, hopeful, shaken, and the list goes on and on and on....I can't even sort my thoughts.  I don't even know where to begin.  Yesterday, my family's world was turned upside down by one word, carcinoma.  Yesterday, we found out my mom has now begun her fight with breast cancer.  I am still in such disbelief.....I took her Tuesday for a biopsy that was supposed to come back as a fat or calcium deposit, right?  (.... Lean not on your own understanding. Prov. 3:5).

I keep trying to digest this but thus far I have been unable to do so.  Litearlly the only thing I can do is pray (and cry) and pray some more. (Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. I Peter 5:7.)  The devil keeps rearing his ugly little head and catastrohizing everything but the Lord spoke to me plain as day yesterday and told me "this is not a death sentence." (.... for I am the LORD, who heals you. Exodus 15:26)--I am clinging to this. 

This is all so new, fresh, and painful.  I want to be selifish, I want to be mad, I want to scream and cry and kick something, but it won't make this ugly, nasty, disgusting disease go away.  To be honest, this all hurts so bad and I strongly dislike it. 

I ask that you pray and please keep praying, actually, never stop praying.  We are all so unsure of what lies ahead for us but I do know one thing... He has a plan.

Mumble Jumble Monday

My title says it all: Mumble Jumble! I do not have anything in particular to write about-- just a bunch of mumble jumble!

First things first!! We celebrated our nieces first birthday this past weekend. It was so much fun and we are still in awe that it has been a whole year since she unexpectingly joined us four weeks early last year! Peyton is so beautiful and such a little fire cracker. At least once a week I find my husband laughing and he has thought about something that she has done and is still laughing about it. **He sure loves both of our nieces** We had such a great time at her birthday and enjoyed playing with all of the kiddos. Brax was so worn out Sunday that he took two naps- one was 2-1/2 hours long and the second one was 1 hour.

Date Night: This is totally random but I have the hardest time with this. Hubby and I were talking the other night about having "us" time and how we really do not take a lot of time for us as a couple without Braxton.  Since Brax has been born we have not gone out too much. We might go to dinner or out with friends but we never stay gone long. I have had many people tell me that we need to make sure to take time for us as a couple but I seriously have the hardest time with this. I always want to tell them "We did not have kids to go out every weekend" or "We did not have children for them to be with a babysitter all the time." I know it sounds rude but I seriously have the hardest time with someone telling me that I need to leave my baby. (Yes, I get horrible anxiety and guilt about being away from him for a long period of time) Anyways.... we are going to work on this. We both agreed that it is important to take time for "us as a couple" so I am planning a date night! I really have NO idea what we will do or where we will go but we are both excited! 

Christmas:  103 days until Christmas and we are bound and determined to get all of our shopping done and not charge any of it.  I feel silly asking for people's lists now but we have to do what we have to do!  So.... I have been collecting ideas and we will be starting our Christmas shopping this month.  I love Christmas shopping!!!  and I LOVE wrapping!!!!!! 

School:  I am loving this year so far.  Yes, there have been a TON of changes but I just do what I am suppposed to do and try not to gripe or get caught up in others griping about it and it makes it all easier!  My kiddos this year are FABULOUS!  Of course there are always a few that will keep you on your toes but so far they have been GREAT!!!!  Love them! 

Braxton:  He is still just as cute as ever!

Labor Day weekend wrap up!

I really do not have anything specific to blog about but I thought that I would just give an update on some stuff.  We had a great Labor Day weekend as a family.  We really did not do a lot but we did get some great time in with family and friends.  We hung out with my husband's brother and his wife (my best friend) on Friday night.  Their daughter, our niece, is three months older than Brax and it is so fun to watch them play together.  Well I call it play but it's more like cat and mouse... following each other around and trying to steal every toy that the other one is playing with.  Saturday we hung out as a family and did things around the house then went to hang out with some friends at their house.  They cooked a great dinner and Peyton and Brax had a great time exploring their house.  Sunday we finished the laundry, packed up what felt like our whole house, and headed to the lake.  My step-grandmother has a lake house on Eagle Mountain and although we had no intentions of swimming  (we were both pretty paranoid with all of the talk about blue-green algae, etc) we were very excited to get away for the night.  There is no TV or computer at the lake house so it is really a time to just get away from everything, which we do not do enough.  My sister and Madelyn came out and I was so excited to find out that they were spending the night too!  We ate and hung out and played all afternoon/evening!  The babies got their baths and of course would NOT go to sleep.  I thought this is was only a problem that our child has but I guess Madelyn was having the same trouble that night too.  Brax will NOT go to sleep unless he is in his crib (or the car), so finally at about 9:30 Saturday my sister and I loaded up the babies and took a drive.  It was so good to have time with her while the babies fell asleep, definitely something we don't do enough!  Yesterday we got home about 12:45 and did stuff around the house.  Brax took a nap for 3 hours and 40 minutes (he was worn out!) so hubby and I were able to do stuff outside in the yard and finish up everything we needed to get done for a new work week (I was so glad we had completed all of the laundry before we went to the lake!). 

**GULP** 9 months old

I know, I know I say it every month but really 9 months?!?!  NO WAY! As I sit here thinking about all of his milestones I literally have a tear in my eye.  He is growing and developing so fast and although I love it all, it makes me so emotional.  This little boy grew inside of me for over nine months and I look at him now and think how in the world was that ever possible, ha!  (I know, you don't have to say it, I am a very emotional momma, haha!)  Anyways....baby boy is nine months old.  He seriously is so fun!

• He crawls wherever he wants to as long as it is not far from me or his daddy.  He is very attached to us and a lot of times would rather be held than to be down on the floor.  He is not a baby that likes to crawl off really fast and get away from us, he would rather be right by our side.  
• He smiles and laughs a lot, especially since his momma and daddy are two goofy people.  
• He is on all table foods.  For some reason this whole process makes me smile.  We love eating dinner all together and actually getting to eat at the same time!  He eats A LOT!  I know they say that babies will stop eating when they are full but I truly think he is a bottomless pit. 
• He takes 3 bottles a day. 
• Size 4 diapers.  
• He weighs almost 22 lbs according to the nurse yesterday (we took him to get his ears checked).  
• He loves when other kids are around.  
• He says dada (first word) but has only uttered mama very few times.  
• He still has 8 teeth but I am fairly certain his first molar has almost broken through.  I am going to get the doctor to look Thursday when I take him for his 9 month appt.  
• He still loves drinking water.  Weird, I know, but this boy would drink water all day long if we let him.  
• He loves bubble baths. 
• He can pull up and does more and more everyday, but there are still some things that he can not manage to pull up on.  
• He has been sleeping all night again, woo hoo! 
• He can wave but it usually just ends up being his hand sticking up in the air.
• He wakes up every morning in the best mood.  Always Smiling! 

Oh me oh my.... we have picked the date for his first birthday and have the theme picked out.  I guess I will be getting to work on details soon.

Brax, you are such a blessing to your daddy and me.  You are the sweetest little boy and you bring us so much joy.  We love you to the moon and back.