First Visit with Santa

Brady met Santa this past Saturday. Honestly though, I don't think he even looked at his face. He was so distracted by all the decorations and commotion going on in the mall. I'm just glad he didn't cry for the pic :)

Sleep Baby, Sleep!

So lately, Brady has been throwing a huge fit about going to sleep. He's tired and doesn't want to sleep. Or the feeling of drifting off scares him. I don't know. But it's so frustrating.

Upon reading some old blog entries from another blogger, I came across one of her entries and it describes this whole scenario perfectly!

http://babymakingmerrygoround.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-note-to-my-son-re-bedtime.html

A Note to my Son re: Bedtime.

Baby, thank you for passing out at 6:30 last night, suddenly, with no crying.  I asked you earlier yesterday to be nice because daddy was out of town and you were such an angel!

But why two days before that did you also get tired at 6:30, but then cry until a little after 8:00?  I got you ready for bed and we took a nice long walk and I gave you a bottle and I offered your pacifier and I swaddled your legs and I bounced you and I rocked you and I sang songs and I used white noise - the sleep sheep AND the white noise machine - and I turned on your mobile and I took you outside and then I fed you again and walked circles and circles and circles around the rug in your room and no matter how tired you were, you still didn't go to bed until 8:15?

I mean I watch your cues.  I know your bedtime is usually around 8:00.  But when you start yawning and rubbing your eyes at 6:30, I just want to make sure you are comfortable.  I was having grandiose (that means basically means big) visions of getting you to sleep with no tears because I was so carefully paying attention to you.  Sure, I was also thinking "Sweet! I can watch Jeopardy tonight," but I would have been okay with starting bedtime later.

You're the boss...you just have to decide what you want.  How hard is that?

And while I'm asking questions, how can you tell whether I'm standing or sitting?  I rock you just the same in both positions, don't I?

And how come sometimes when I give you your pacifier, you pass out in 30 seconds and other times it makes you an angry monster?  (A very cute angry monster...I just mean that you get very upset.  I don't mean to offend you.)

I'm not even trying to impose a schedule on you.  I'm trying to let you call the shots.  And you're pretty "regular" to start with so I think in general we're doing ok.  I just get confused when you take a late nap or an early nap or when you look tired at a totally different time of the evening.  I just don't know what to do!

Should I let you fall asleep at 5 or 5:30? Will you still go to bed at a decent time if I do?  If you fall asleep at 6:30, will you still stay asleep until 6:00 in the morning?  That seems like a really long time.  And if you just ate at 6:00, should I feed you again at 7:30 before you sleep?  Or should I do a dream feed at 8:30?

I just have so many questions running through my mind ALL THE TIME!

So just tell me ok?  I'll listen. 

Christmas Pics

Just a fun photoshoot in the living room.

He got tired mid-photoshoot and fell asleep :)

No Time to Blog Anymore...Bulleted List

I can barely manage to make time to sleep, let alone blog. So, I'm going to use my last 10 minutes at work to make a bulleted list of the last 4.5 months.

• Brady is 4.5 months already! Seriously, where does the time go?
  
• He's over 17 lbs. now but still only 24". Short and plump :)
  
• He began smiling around 6 weeks, and now it's very obvious. He smiles a ton...lots of giggles. The boy cracks me up!
  
• He mastered rolling tummy to back at 3.5 months and back to tummy at 4 months.
  
• Sleep-wise, still so-so. For a while there, he was sleeping 8 hours straight...waking up to eat, then sleeping another 3-4 hours. That was at around 3 months. But as soon as he hit 4 months...BAM, sleep regression. He now sleeps 9-10 hours total a night, but wakes up 4-6 times, sometimes to eat, sometimes to just lay there awake, other times to talk to whoever will listen, and sometimes he just wants to cry.
  
• I'm still 15 lbs. over pre-pregnancy weight and I don't care. My shape is completely different than it was before. Still have the pooch. But I'm OK with it. Just having to buy new clothes that fit.
  
• Being a mom is AMAZING, even if sometimes frustrating, tiring, very hard work. He's worth it!
  
• Work is crazy, but busy, so the days go by quickly
  
• Already got sick this fall and missed an entire week due to sinus infection.
  
• Hmm, what else. Going to visit my dad next weekend for the second time since Brady was born. Then Thanksgiving is coming up and we are staying home this year...yay! And can't wait for Christmas break...get almost 2 full weeks off paid!
  
• Will be taking Christmas photos of Brady soon to make Christmas cards...if I can find the time!
  
• I've made a few purchases for me lately that I'm excited about...my first order from Anthropologie, some Lululemon stuff, and Ju Ju Be stuff.

Time's up. I will leave you with one of my favorite pics from our fall photoshoot!

I suck at blogging.

...but here are some of my latest pics :) I took these in our backyard after buying some props. Brady is FOUR months as of yesterday!

Family Photos

These are just a sampling from our photoshoot yesterday! I can't wait to see the rest...

2 Months Already!

I apologize for not updating this very often. I finally went back to work so hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this a bit more now.

However, I'm swamped at work (lol), so for now...some pics :)

Onesie says "Lock Up Your Daughters"

"Mom's Little Rocker"

Daddy & Brady napping

1 month old!

I was talking to him about his pajamas and singing Bananas in Pajamas :)

Getting chubby @ 8 weeks! :)

Baptism outfit

I love this one!

DH & I before 1-mile run/walk; 8 weeks post-partum

2 months!

After I got home from first day back to work