Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day 2011

Well, Brady woke up early...But not feeling to well at all.  He didn't really know what was going on and wasn't ripping through the presents like I had hoped.  It actually took us almost all day to open presents.  Poor kiddo...But, after a nap or two he was feeling a tiny bit better and was excited about "Shanta" coming to see him!  Bria was excited about her stocking stuffers (as you can see from the pic below) and even though I was sick with a sinus infection, Brady was sick with croup and Bria was congested - it turned out to be a great day!  The food was great - we had an appitizer spread and it consisted of: Pork tenderloin skewers, Crab rangoon, mushroom caps, ham rollups, spicy cilantro dip, sausage balls, veggie tray and oreo balls...DE-LISH!  The kids were spoiled and it was great family time!

Bria with her stocking stuffers - just a few of MANY gifts!

Brady in his new car!  Once again - one of MANY gifts!

Opening presents piece by piece of paper...It was really funny - he would tear off a little piece, put it in a pile, tear off another piece, put it in the pile - he was a neat opener!  HA!

Baba & Papa opening a special frame from Brady and Bria!

Mayme getting a little choked up opening her special frame from the grandkids!

Richie getting one of his "gag" gifts from Tom & Barb - hysterical!

Brady taking a moment to rest his head...This was after one nap - notice there are presents to open still...It was a long process, but it made the day extra fun!  Hopefully we will all feel fabulous next year!

 Bria after her wardrobe change...A girl has to wear her Christmas bow!  Precious!

The living room - you can barely walk through...I'd say that Santa thought these 2 kids were extra good this year!  We were all very spoiled and it was a fun family filled day!  Thanks to Mayme and Baba & Papa for spoiling all of us, we feel loved!  Bria's 1st Christmas and Brady's 2nd Christmas was great!  Merry Christmas to all - and to all a good night!

Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve started out like every other Saturday..."Donut Saturday"...Let me backtrack...Poor Brady has been getting his molars in for the past week.  Which has led to a runny nose and some diarrhea.  I got a virus the previous weekend and lost nearly 10lbs and had no energy myself.  I'm hoping I didn't pass my virus on to Brady, but when we took Brady to the doctor the Thursday before Christmas - he diagnosed Brady with "croup" and said that it came from a virus...Hmmmm...I felt so terrible for him.  You can tell that "croup cough" from a mile away.  It sounds like a barking seal and it's horrible.  So, along with a terrible cough, no energy, runny nose and diarrhea - Brady had no appetite either...Until "donut Saturday" and he ate every single donut hole!!  YAY!!  I really hope that Brady will look back and remember the special Saturday's with his daddy.  Every Saturday morning Richie will take Brady to get donut holes and I think now he realizes what they are doing and he gets a little impatient if they have to wait in a long line!  HA!  But, you can see from the picture above he isn't having any problems eating these donut holes!

Tom and Barb came over around noon and we all just laid around and watched Madagascar several times (that's all Brady had the energy to do)...And Richie cooked some...Before we went to Mass at 5pm Richie got in a little cuddle time with Bria also!  She's all geared up in her Christmas outfit!

So, we go to church (Brady stayed home since he wasn't feeling well) and we got home and tried to take a family pic...Since he was under the weather, it was a little hard...But, we did get him blowing kisses to the camera!  Santa will be coming tonight and hopefully Brady will feel great in the morning!  Fingers crossed!!

Bria rolls over!

Bria rolls over at 7 weeks old!  On Christmas Eve morning Brady went down for a nap, Richie went to the gym and Bria and I were enjoying a little "tummy time" when she rolls over!!  I can't remember how old Brady was when he rolled over (I know he did everything early) but she may be giving him a run for his money!  What a big girl!  We are so proud!  Good job sissy!  Keep it up!

Playing at the park!

After everyone went home and Richie got off work...We realized we were on day 5 of sickness and a new round of medicine - getting out the house was the best form of medicine and off to the park we went!  We opened up the back door at our house to let some fresh new air in and get the old germy air out...The doctor said that it would be good on Brady's throat to have some cold air also.  Since it was almost 60 degrees outside it wasn't too bad!  We went to the playground at the school that is by our house and we had a great time sliding down the slides and running around.  Bria hung out in the stroller and Brady took a stroll in the wagon.  It was a great time and even though we were only out there for 30-45 minutes, it was nice getting out of the house and having some fun!!!  Much needed!!  I'm hoping we are on the mend and it's all uphill from here!!!  Fingers crossed!!

Someone is SMILING!

Look who's smiling now!  This girl!  And she smiles quite often!  Happy lil thing!  I love this little girl - she is the sweetest little baby and so happy mostly ALL of the TIME!  YAY!  We couldn't love her more!!!

Brady at 15 months!

Brady is now 15 months old!  And has his 1st week of "school" under his belt!  What a HUGE improvement!  The 1st two days last week were very HARD to say the very least.  This week started off hard, and got SO much better!  He is the best boy!  His teachers are seeing more and more of his little personality each and every single day!  Drop off is the hardest, but he gets so much better and has made some new friends!  And we LOVE his teachers and Ms Natalie (the owner) - they are the BEST!  He even made us an ornament with his feet this week!  Of course it went right up on the tree!  And, he painted a poinsetta and it's the 1st piece of artwork that's hanging on the fridge!  In the pics above he is eating a snack (he isn't that great about eating lunch there) but is hungry enough to eat at snack time...He's holding on to his blanket and "May May" which is Mater that he takes with him.  But, he does share them and in fact, every single time I've picked him up another kid has him!  HA!  We couldn't be more proud of our little man!

At 15 months old Brady is:

Wearing 18-24 month old clothes and size 4 diapers still...He is in a size 6/7 shoe and some of his socks are 2T-3T (which I find really funny)...Big feet!  Bria has big feet too!  HA!  His vocabulary is growing on a daily basis and he can repeat almost anything!  YIKES!  His most favorite word right now is "Shanta" although he doesn't like him in person...HEHE!  He knows his numbers 3-4-5 and can pick them out and tell you that's what they are.  He knows several letters too and will tell you what they are: A, E, J, O, T and sometimes Z...But this is only when we read "I Spy" with letters or in the bathtub (we have letters that stick to the side of the tub)...He is a VERY picky eater and will really eat only mac&cheese and anything sweet.  Takes after his momma!  HEHE!  We have to hide his veggies in mashed potatoes & things like that!  He is really good at telling you what his ear, eye, nose, teeth and feet are and his new ones are hair, fingers and toes!  We need to weigh him, but haven't done that since his 1 year check up.  I would assume since he is so active and such he probably hasn't gained much weight if any...And last, he is a great big brother!  He has really adjusted well and aside from a few times of him trying to hit her head (I don't think he is trying to be mean though, just excited) he has been great!  We are so proud of him and can't wait to watch him grow!  I know I'm really going to miss these days with him b/c he is so much fun!!!  We LOVE these little angels!

WOW - Look at this!!

So - here are pictures of Bria (top pic) and Brady (bottom pic) at Christmas time. Brady obviously was a tiny bit older (3 months old) compared to her only being 1 month old...But, look how much they look alike? So crazy!!!

Reflections...

Well, the holidays are my most favorite time of year...They also make me a little sad thinking about family that aren't here anymore and are cherished and truly missed...I was very close with my granny and pa May and I miss them SO much. I really want my kids to have that closeness that I had. I'm posting these pics b/c it's so funny to watch Brady and all the funny things he does...For starters - he LOVES looking at all the pictures that are up in our house (and there are a ton)...This picture is one of his favorites and it's so near and dear to me. This picture is my Grandpa May. Keep in mind that Brady has never met him before and he LOVES going to this picture, picking it up and walking around with it. I wish so badly that my granny and pa could see me now and could spend some time with my kids. They would LOVE them! I know that my granny would love to play chinese checkers or authors with them (ESP when they get old enough to do that). I loved playing them with her and now that I think about it, probably drove her crazy b/c that is ALL I wanted to do! She couldn't get anything done ever! Ha! Brady loves all of his grandparents, but it's so funny to see him with Richie's dad. You can tell that there is something special that has already started. He can be with me and Richie and having fun and Tom walk into the room and Brady will instantly say "Papa" and he could care less what we were doing - he is all the sudden "Papa's boy" and I hope that never changes! I love the holidays and all the fond memories I have with the special people I have loved for many years! I can't wait to have many more memories and watch these precious kids grow up. I'm so eager to hear about what they think is special and what will be their fond memories...

Play Dates!

Mike, Kayla and Ireland all came over for dinner and Brady and Ireland had a great time playing! You can't really tell in the pic above but Ireland was so hungry and dinner wasn't quite ready. We gave her these little cheese puff things to snack on. She was sharing with Brady and feeding him - it was SOOO CUTE! We all got a good laugh at that! She's 2 years old, will be 3 this coming year and even though she is quite a bit older they still played well together! A good time was had by all - since we live so close now we'll have to try and get together more often!

With Brady starting school he is making new friends there...However, it's great to have some familiar faces stop by! One of Brady's best friends is Kate (we actually say they are boyfriend/girlfriend) but we'll let them decide that later on! HA! They had their own little Christmas exchange and it was so cute! They gave each other PJ's! Precious! And Bria also got a cute outfit - how sweet was that!! They had so much fun and I really hope we can get these two together more often!

My most favorite pic of the kids!

My good friend Poco took some pics of Bria and this is the only one she got of both of the kiddos - I LOVE IT! It's my most favorite pic EVER! I can't wait to get a big pic of this to hang on our wall! She does such a great job! I'll have to post a few more (they are on Richie's computer)...

Brady's 1st day at Learning Ladder!

What an emotional day...For everyone!! With Brady being almost 15 months old and never going to day care (aside from the 1 day of in-home day care) he has always been kept by me, Richie or Richie's mom. He loves playing with our friends kids and we know he will enjoy being around other kids, but know that the transition isn't going to be an easy one. I was all geared up and ready to go yesterday with his back pack, etc. and he did AMAZINGLY well when we first got there! I walked him down to the lunch room for breakfast (cinnamon roll & grapes) and it was his 1st time to sit at a little table like this b/c he's always been in the high chair. He did GREAT!!! I was so proud! He started eating off of his tray and I was beaming!!! How easy!!! I kissed him and told him to be a good boy and I took Bria into the office to fill out paperwork, etc. and about 20 minutes had passed & I wanted to check on him before leaving. Needless to say, the kids were coming back down the hall from eating breakfast and the teacher was carrying Brady and he was hysterical. Breathing really hard and quivering b/c he had been crying so hard. As hard as I was trying to keep it together, I broke down and started crying myself. Grabbed him and tried to settle him down in the classroom...Not easy! Especially with me crying myself!!! I decided I would pick him up after lunch on his 1st day just so it wasn't as tramatic for him. I called about an hour later and they said that he was doing better...I picked him up after lunch and when he saw me he started to cry again. POOR GUY!

Day 2 of school went about the same...Richie took him today since I wasn't really emotionally prepared for another day. And he said that he did fine until he sat him at the table for breakfast and then went to leave. He started crying and was hysterical. Thank goodness I wasn't there! Of course, I called to check on him and they said that he was doing really good. He was sitting in the teachers lap and she was reading to him. Which is one of his most favorite things to do so I'm sure he was LOVING it! They are so sweet at Learning Ladder and thank goodness patient with me since this is such an adjustment for us all. I'm so glad we picked this place for him to go! I know it will get easier, it's just hard for now!

And Bria is happy to have some quiet time at home with mommy! Alone! HA! I caught her smiling right after she fell asleep for a nap - could she be any cuter??? Love my little angels more than anything! We are blessed!

1st bath in the big tub!

Well, being the fabulous father Richie is...His nightly bonding time is "bath time" with Brady!  I'm usually cleaning up the kitchen or doing laundry OR these days feeding Bria while they are in the tub!  However, Bria needed a bath and we decided to try and give them a bath together and it went so well!!  It will be the first of many!!  Brady did really well and didn't bother her at all - he was busy playing with his toys and didn't even notice she was in there because the water was running and he was filling cups up, etc.  When he did notice he was pointing and playing with her!  YAY!  It was really precious and I'm so glad Richie told me to grab the camera!  I have the best family ever!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Well, for those of you who know me really well - I LOVE CHRISTMAS!  I love decorating for Christmas and sometimes can get a little out of control...I typically have a big tree in all the main rooms, and a small tree in the other rooms...As well as trees decorated outside!  However, since we've moved we don't have as much room in this house and we also have 2 kiddos now so things are much more hectic!  I have to think about the pitter patter of Brady's feet and everything that he can get into and break, etc.  SO, I have 1 big tree in our living room (this is by our chimney so Santa has easy access)...Not pictured...But, all of the non-breakable ornaments are at the bottom of the tree!  HA!  I'm sure you can guess why...And, pictured above is Bria's sock monkey tree!  It matches her room!  She seems to love it!  And, how precious is she in this picture??  It is the softest outfit ever!

And, here is Brady's Razorback tree!  He really loves it!  He ESP loves the football Santa ornament and will show everyone that comes over that particular ornament and will say "Shanta!!!!"  It's really cute!  And, since he loves Shanta, he has some really cute Huggies Santa diapers!  I thought they were really cute!  So, it's looking a lot like Christmas in our house!  AND I LOVE IT!

Happy 1 month old birthday Bria!!

What an interesting month this has been...Full of ups and downs!  Mainly ups!  Bria is doing great - she is one fiesty girl!  She is very strong for only being 1 month old - she does great with her head and neck and is already trying to roll over...If she is proped up on a little pillow she will roll over!  She is really good at being able to follow our voices and will look right at us!  She will even smile on occasion - but we aren't sure if it's gas or not!  HA!  According to our scale at home, she is weighing in at 8 lbs and 6 oz!  WOW!  Big girl - ha!  We think her hair has grown some (ESP in the back) but she doesn't really care for wearing bows...She is a very good eater!  I'm still nursing her - pumping some and she has had a little bit of formula mixed in with breast milk so she can get some vitamin D since breast milk doesn't have any!  But, she would prefer momma over a bottle any day and we are struggling with that...It will be really hard once Richie goes back to work - which is tomorrow!  I'm dreading that!  I would like to be pumping only...She is wearing newborn diapers still but will be in size 1 any day!  Her legs are just too small as of now (she has Richie's legs) and the diaper just isn't tight enough - one blowout and it's all over!  HEHEHE!  She is sleeping with us...Beside me to be exact - she likes to cuddle.  It's really the only way we can get sleep.  She sleeps ALL DAY long in her "rock and play sleeper" cradle thing...Then, night time rolls around and she doesn't want to sleep in it.  She will grunt and moan - so, for us to get sleep we've figured it out that she needs to cuddle with me!  And, that's fine with me!  Brady cuddled with me for awhile and he went into the crib without any troubles - THANK GOODNESS!  Brady has had a few little mishaps with Bria and we have to keep our eyes glued on him with her constantly, but overall he has done great!  He seems to really enjoy her (when he takes a second to stop and notice her)...He does like to pinch her legs and feet.  But, he loves to point to her ear and nose and tell us what they are...He is going to be a great big brother!  As for me, I celebrated her 1 month old birthday by hopping on the elliptical for a 50min workout while she napped!  I finally can do some cardio!  YAY!  2 more weeks and I can workout - Dec 16th is when I might get the green light at my doc appt!  Fingers crossed!  All in all, I think we have handled having another baby (round 2) much better than we did the 1st time around...She has been a great baby - it definitely has been a challenge juggling 2 of them.  But, I think we are managing!  Ask me that next week after Richie goes back to work!  HA!