One question...What is wrong with this picture??

Graphic nature - if you have a weak stomack do not look at the picture below - I'm warning you!!

 

I almost feel as if this were a "Where's Waldo" picture...and let me set the story up for you...He's napping (in his bouncy of course - still not in the crib) and I'm in the kitchen and I can hear some cooing so I go and check in on him and say "Hi there, is someone awake?"  He then smiles at me (keep in mind I have not spotted the poop b/c I'm still not that close) - I then smell nastiness...And I get closer and he reaches for me with poop on his hand!!  WHAT??  You can see in the picture that his hand is right there...He has shot poop out of his diaper and then rubbed it all down his leg with his hands!!  OMG!!  SO, 15 wipes, 1 naked boy, 2 Wal-Mart sacks & a bath later...We have a clean boy!!!  What happens 20 minutes later???  Another poopy diaper...It was pretty runny so I'm thinking it's all related to his teething...When will this tooth completely come through???

And - I hate to say that it wasn't an eventful week...Brady started rolling over 1 week before his 3 month old birthday...Belly to back of course...Everyone says that back to belly takes awhile and it's usually around 5 months.  Well, earlier this week (actually it was Monday b/c Richie was at work) I was sweeping and talking to Richie on the phone and Brady was on his jungle mat cooing and I just glanced over at him and he was ON HIS BELLY!!!  What???  I missed it???  Since when did sweeping keep me from missing such an important event!!??!!  OMG!!  Well, that wasn't his one and only time to do it b/c he continued to do it all day long - I even got it on our handycam so Richie could see when he got home.  He saw it in person too!  I don't have the video on my cell phone but I'll have Richie do it on his phone and email it to me so I can upload it to the blog so you can all enjoy it!  We are proud parents!! Poop and all!!

Sunshine Saturday!!

Oh yes - it was almost 70 degrees this Saturday!  Can you believe that for January weather??? Boy did we take advantage of it!  If you follow our blog, you'll remember that just last week I posted a picture of Brady in the snow!  Yes - 5 inches of snow!!  Now it's 70 degrees???  When I was little my dad used to say to me and other people "If you don't like the weather today come back tomorrow" and I thought he was so dumb!!  Boy, he really had something to that didn't he??  That is Arkansas weather for you...But, the dogs were loving the weather and really loving the peanut butter pig ears that they got and we took the longest walk and enjoyed the sunshine!  Richie went and golfed with some friends and he enjoyed the weather too!!  Is it summer yet??  I am READY!!

Friday night fun!

Friday night Carrie and Shawn had a little dinner party at their house in Alma!  It was a lot of fun!  Carrie fixed Mexican Chicken and green beans wrapped in bacon with some dips!  It was a great time!!  I met some of her Alma friends and they were really sweet!  As you can see from the pics above Harper (we like to call her the cougar) is attacking Brady!  It was actually really funny!  She was LOVING her some Brady!  I can't wait until they are a little older so they can actually play!!  That will be even more fun!!  How cute are they???

Lazy days...

Well, not a lot going on this week...I will start by saying that before Brady was born Richie and I were very strict on the whole "not having the baby in the bed" rule and for the first 3 & 1/2 months of Brady's life we really stuck by it!!  However, since he is STILL sleeping in his bouncy seat due to the whole acid reflux thing when 2-4AM rolls around and he is starting to stir I will grab him up and put him on my chest.  I mean, we are wanting our sleep too, right???  Well, a couple of nights into this he was wanting to sleep beside me...So, we make Richie move over, I move over and Brady takes the bed over!  No lie!!  Needless to say our rule has been broken and he thinks that he has taken daddys spot in the bed!  HA!  Which is why I took the above pic b/c we give Richie a hard time about Brady being in the bed and booting him out! HA!  And I couldn't resist the pic of Brady in the laundry basket - he was helping me do chores...What a sweet boy!  I mean, can you ever get enough of his smiles???  I know I can't...

Saturday night fun!!

This Saturday we went to Kin & Kate's Engagement Party!  We were one of 10 couples that hosted it at Fayetteville Country Club and it was a blast!  They make such a cute couple and it was a great time!  Babs and Grampie came to watch Brady while we partied down and I think they would say that they had more fun than we did!  HA!  It's so funny b/c they just saw him last week but they even think that he has changed & gotten so much more aware of everything (especially his hands) just in a weeks time!  He is growing up so fast and we are just enjoying every moment of it!

He's growing up so fast...

So, we had our 4 month old check-up and shots this week...Brady is moving right along!  When he was born he was in the 10th percentile of height/weight.  At his 2 month old check-up he moved up to the 25th percentile of height/weight.  So, this Wednesday he was up to the 50th percentile!!  WHAT A BIG BOY!! He weighed 14lbs and 9oz and was 25 & 1/2 inches long!  Which means that he's grown 6 inches since birth and has more than doubled his birth weight!  He is now eating about 6-7oz at a time and is playing for a lot longer with fewer naps during the day.  Dr. Davis said that Brady looks really good and that he was really strong for his age!  DUH - look at his dad!! 

Updates on things - When I started back to work on Jan 4th I decided that I couldn't drive as much as I do and travel and continue to breast feed...So, I quit.  We had about 400oz saved and in the freezer and WOW does it go fast...We were mixing 1/2 BM & 1/2 Formula in his bottles for about 3 weeks and we seriously have two 8oz bags left!  So, he got breast milk for the first 4 months of his life.  I'm sad that I didn't go longer, but in the same breath it's been so nice not having my life revolve around that pump!!  We are saving those last 2 bags for when he gets a cold or something so it will hopefully boost his immune system.  We've been lucky that he hasn't gotten sick or anything the 1st 4 months of his life so I hope the trend continues!  He loves his little car that MeMe and PaPa got him for Christmas and he does really well in his jumper and he likes his jungle mat a lot more these days!  I think it's bc his puking is getting less and less (thank goodness) and we think his acid reflux might be getting a tad better too.  He still isn't in the crib yet (sleeps in his bouncy still which he's about to outgrow) and he's sleeping about 10:30-5:30 every night.  We are hoping that within the next month he will be in the crib!  We've gotten tips from a lot of people and the majority of them say "You just have to let them cry it out"........UH........Easier said than done........I can handle the fussy cry but as soon as it gets to a scream and a tear - I just can't handle it.  The tears get me every single time!  Say a prayer for us!!  But, he is the happiest little guy I've ever seen.  You can see from the majority of posts that he smiles all the time.  Not just at us, but other people too.  And he laughs and coos and kicks to get our attention.  He may talk sooner than later!!  HA!!  And, at the rate that he is going he may walk before he crawls...Hehehe!  He can roll over (both ways) on his own but it's hit and miss.  Seems like he will do it more for just me and Richie than anyone else (although he did it for Ryan and Jami this week) and he is just about sitting up on his own.  He will do a sit up and grunt and it's just so cute!  He's wearing 3-6month old clothes and as onsies/sleepers are concerned - 6 month size...3 month sizes are just too snug!  I know this seems like a ramble, but I'm trying to not forget anything!  These past 4 months have been the best of our lives and we can't wait to watch this lil guy grow up!!

It's so funny b/c he really wants to stand or walk (with assistance of course) all the time!  He is going to be a handful when he figures out how to walk on his own!  He LOVES looking at things and getting around to different parts of the house.  And he loves it when people clap for him!  It makes him want to show out even more!  I wonder where he gets that from...HA! :o)

He also has figured out his hands in the past week.  It's precious - he will reach for things and really focus on them!  He is growing up so fast!  In the picture above he will grasp my fingers and then scoot himself out of the bouncy seat to stand up - boy does he think he's a big boy!  It's just the best!  Every week is something different and it's like he just gets smarter and smarter!  We are so proud of our little angel!

Visit from Ryan and Jami!

Ryan and Jami came over to show us their pics of Costa Rica!  It looked like they had a great time!  Richie fixed some chili that was AWESOME and it was great catching up with them!  As you can see from the pic above Brady enjoyed getting spoiled - SHOCK!  Haha!!

SNOW DAY!

So, on Tuesday of this past week it SNOWED!  Yes, we got 5 inches on top of freezing rain so needless to say - INCLEMENT WEATHER DAY!  We bundled Brady up in his snow gear and got him out in it and he didn't know what to think!  It was funny!  You can see by the pictures above it was still coming down really hard and we didn't stay out in it long but we did get some really cute pics!!  He's my little snow baby!

Sunday best!

Uncle Blake got these super cute overalls for Brady when he was born and we've been dying for him to grow into them so he could wear them b/c they are PRECIOUS!  Well, this past Sunday (not yesterday but past Sunday) he wore these to church!  And boy did he get flirted with!!  Everyone thought Brady was the stuff!!  HA!  A random man even walked up and said to Richie "Man, you got a cute boy dude" and yes that's what he said...HAHA!!  Thanks to Uncle Blake for these cute overalls - he looks like a little man!!!

Busy week...Last weekend!

Last weekend Laura came over to see lil Brady and boy did they have fun!  He hasn't seen her in awhile and he was pumped!  They played and loved on each other - it was precious!  And, aunti Laura acted like a pro when Brady puked all over her!  It didn't even faze her at all!  He misses her already and was asking this weekend when she would be back over to visit.  He has some new tricks to show her - he's growing up so fast!!  It was a great visit and hopefully she will come back over soon!

4 months old!!!

Well - it's truly AMAZING at how much he has grown these past 4 months.  What is crazy to me is that you are pregnant for 40 weeks (everyone says 9 months when in fact it's really 10) but it seriously feels like years.  Then you have a baby (and we think Brady is just wonderful) and we have blinked an eye and he is 4 months old!  Where does the time go???  He has brought our lives so much joy over the past 4 months and it has changed us for the better.  We can't even remember what we did without him!  Brady just has the best personality and I truly think he is a perfect blend of me and Richie and we couldn't be happier to have him! 

Side note - these pictures with the stickers on the onsies are getting harder and harder to take b/c he is wanting to do sit ups now...HA!!! :o)

Brandy's baby shower!

Last weekend - after getting back from Memphis and having Friday to spend with Brady, I drove to Maumelle for Brandy's baby shower!  It was GREAT!  From the top - me and Brandy with the diaper cake (Carla made the cake as a gift & I got the stuff to decorate around it) - I wish I had a picture of the cute wreath, but I don't have one...Kelli and Brandy are posing with the SUPER cute cup cakes - they were DE-LISH!!  And they were just too precious!  Kelli did a great job with those!  And, Brandy with Laura - the shower was at her house and she decorated it up really really cute!  And, she has a FABULOUS house and I just LOVED the floor plan and had to have a tour of the whole house before I left!

Food and decor - it looked WAY cute and the food was YUMMY!

This was a sign in sheet and it was set on a little music stand - PRECIOUS!

Brandy fixing her plate - YUM and part of the people that were there!  It was a great shower and she got a TON of really nice things!  Lily Kate will be here before we know it and I think she has gotten just about everything!  We can not wait to meet her! 

I survived!!!

Ok, I survived my 1st week back!  It was really hard leaving him (I had an overnight my 1st day back to work) and I went to Memphis for a work meeting and it was hard, but I survived!!!  I got home late last Thursday night and we spent all day on Friday playing and cuddling and we had the BEST day!  I'm giving the update...The past couple of weeks he has found his feet and he LOVES them!  He wants to grab them and stretch them and play with them a lot.  He will also try and eat them sometimes especially in the bath!  It's the cutest thing I've ever seen!!!  He is so aware of his surroundings and it's amazing to me just how much he's grown and changed and how week to week things are different!!

He is also teething...BAD!!  He wants to eat on his hands or teethers or bibs or burp cloths or fingers or his toes...ANYTHING!  He has also found his tongue and sticks it out quite a bit as well.  Which we are thinking goes hand in hand with his teeth b/c we think he can feel his gums with his tongue.  But WATCH OUT - he will bite...HARD!  And yes, it's really cute!!! 

It was really great because I explained earlier that I'm only working 3 days a week.  So, I was off on Friday.  I then had the weekend - I then was off on Monday for one of my family care days THEN Tuesday was an inclement weather day THEN I had Wednesday off for my other family care day...It was a GREAT 5 week stretch to not work!!!!  But this past Thursday and Friday I worked and I called on my favorite clinics so it wasn't bad at all!  They all were excited to see me and especially excited to see pics of Brady!!

First day back to work...

Here is me telling Brady that I had to go back to work...I left on Wednesday for Memphis and my flight left in the afternoon...It was SOOOO HARD leaving him.  We did have some play time before, but just knowing that I was having to fly to Memphis for a meeting and leave him for a day and half was soooo hard!  I of course cried when I left the house but I was strong.  Once I got on the road I was ok.  And, it was actually nice getting back in the swing of things.  I came back at a great time b/c I'm launching a new drug and it's important that I'm out working (at least 3 days a week)...It was good seeing everyone that I work with and just getting back into my groove.  This coming week should be interesting b/c not only am I launching a new drug but I'm using a completely new computer system...Whew...Keep me in your prayers!  I do think the picture above is hysterical b/c he was seriously pouting!  I used to do this very thing when I was little and my granny May used to say "A chicken is going to fly by and poop on that lip" so I guess I can say that to Brady when he pulls this lip out in the future - here I think it's precious!

He's getting smart!!

Well, he takes after me on his personality, but he takes after his dad on his kicking ability!  He's so funny because we play "Peek-a-boo" with the blanket but now when I drop it on him he will kick his feet to get the blanket off his face.  It's soooo cute (at least we think it is)...This was taken this past week before I started back to work - our days were full of lots of PLAY TIME!!

Hardest week ever....

 

This pic was taken yesterday after church!  Does he not look like a little man???  Freaking adorable I think!!!  SO, Brady was born on September 15th.  I had 8 weeks of maternity time (due to c-section) and I had saved up my vacation and used vacation & family care leave to finish out the year to be able to stay home with him...This is the BIG week...I START BACK TO WORK...So, 3 months of cuddling...breastfeeding...pumping...diaper changes...reading books...burping...explosive poop...playing with toys...holding him close...smiles and giggles...taking him on day trips around town...hanging out with daddy on his days off...getting into a routine...having people stop me to tell me "you have the cutest baby I've ever seen"...daily tummy time...lots of hugs & kisses...staying in our pjs and just hanging out...These are just a few of our most cherished times the past 3 months and I have had such anxiety over starting back to work!  Those of you who know me well, know that I am a workaholic!  I love my job and love what I do and I didn't think I would be able to make it being off for 3 whole months but there is something about having a baby that brings out that motherly instinct that I just can't imagine leaving my little angel!!!  So, back to me saying that I have the most wonderful husband in the whole world...HE IS THE BEST!!  He is letting me use the rest of my family care days and I'll be working 3 days a week until Sept!  This will mean that between my days off and Richie's days off, we won't have to do any daycare for his 1st year!!  It also means I'll only be getting 60% of my paycheck but these are months that I will NEVER get back!!!  And, totally worth it to me to continue to have these moments with him!  I have the best family in the whole world!!!!  I truly am blessed!

This past week!

We got a visit from Brady's bestie!!  Here is Maddox!  He was missing us so he and Jeremy & Poco came over for dinner and we had the best time!  Aren't these boys the cutest?!?!?  It was so funny watching them watch each other!  Maddox is 1 month older than Brady and they weigh the same!  I think Brady is going to be a chunk!  HAHA!  But, just so you all know his parents are small!  Poco (real name is Kristen - and she is the one who took Brady's newborn pics) is TINY - she barely weighs 100 lbs and Jeremy is a small guy too!  They make the cutest couple and as you can see from the pics above a very cute baby!  Brady looks like he is wanting to punch Maddox, but he actually hugged him!  Precious!!  It was Jeremy's birthday and Chef Richie cooked up a fabulous meal - a good time was had by all!  I think our boys were tuckered out!!!  HA!!  Brady can't wait to see Maddox again!!

Christmas Day at the Fire Station!

We decided to go and see Daddy after they had finished with training, etc. and we took some food up there to those guys that were working on Christmas Day.  It was a very quick trip, but there are always a few minutes for a couple of pictures!  This is us beside the rescue truck.  It's HUGE!  Little Brady had just woken up from a little nap so he wasn't as impressed at first...But woke up and got really excited!

Dad is showing him how to drive!  He's such a big boy!  He looks really excited, huh??  HA!

Here is that award winning smile!  He loves his dad soooo much!  So happy we got to see him on Christmas Day!  We are very blessed!  I'm so blessed to have a wonderful husband and the best son in the whole world!  WOW at how much can change in a year...Madness!

Finally uploaded from my other camera...

Ok, so I'm finally uploading from my SONY digital camera that is tiny and fits in your pocket...Not the new big one so these pics aren't in any order or from this week...However, these pictures are PRECIOUS and I had to post them!  My friend Brandy watched Brady when me & Rich went to my company Christmas party in Little Rock.  Brandy lives in Conway and is expecting a little girl (Lily) in Feb!  Here is her SUPER cute dog Ginger and everyone has been asking her "What are you going to do when you are breastfeeding Lily and Ginger wants to get in your lap???" Well, apparently Ginger will not mind at all bc anytime Brandy was holding Brady she just found her place and was the best lil girl ever!  I have a feeling that Ginger will not lose her place as their 1st baby!  HAHA!  Are these not the cutest pics????  Brady loved Ginger and he had the best time with them!!  I can't wait to meet Lily!!!  And neither can Brady!!!