1 Year Old!!!

I can't believe we have a toddler already! This year has certainly had it's ups and downs but I can easily say it's been a lot of fun. Braden's personality is sure coming out. He's so much fun, Marty and I laugh with him ALL THE TIME!

He is walking quite a bit these days. He frequently walks across the room at home but still uses crawling as his main form of locomotion, especially when he's in a hurry. I don't think it'll be too much longer before he foregoes crawling all together.

He is STILL teething! I don't think it's ever going to stop. He still has 8 teeth right now but is working on a couple of molar teeth on the bottom. So far he's been really good about it....hopefully it stays that way.

His ear tubes are definitely doing their job! I didn't think it was possible but our happy baby has actually become even happier. The kid cracks up at absolutely nothing! Of course, the laugh is contagious so we just keep him going after that. But, no runny nose, cough, etc. since the surgery. Hopefully we'll be staying healthy for a long time now!

We went to the doc for his 1 year check up. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get any of his shots because he had the blood transfusion in March. The antibodies in the donor blood could result in an allergic reaction to the vaccinations if given too soon. Good news is, he didn't have to have any shots! Ha, ha. Anyway, all the vaccinations he needed can be safely held off until 15 or 18 months. So, we're going to split them up over the next 6 months. Everything else went well. He is growing like a weed! He has shot up in height big time! He's grown almost 3 inches since his 9 month check up!! He went from the 50th percentile in height to the 95th! He now weighs 22 lbs and is 32" tall. Getting to be a big kid! Yeah!

We celebrated his 1st birthday...twice. Once in NE at the lake and once at home with friends & family. Braden did a GREAT job with both of his cakes! Great Grandma gave him a little help getting started on the first and he was digging in like a champ. There was no question how to handle the second one, he's a pro now! After a bit of cheering, he realized it was time to show off!

Great Grandma Beverly was celebrating her 80th birthday with us at the lake as well. Unfortunately, a pretty good storm rolled in before we were able to sing and cut cake! We owe you a birthday song!!

It was awesome to see family over the 4th of July. We had such a great time playing in the water spending time with everyone. Dominick and Tanner are just way too cute! Those boys sure have grown. It'll be fun to see them all a few years down the road. I think we're going to have our hands full!

I wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the wonderful birthday gifts and for sharing such a special birthday with us! We love you all and appreciate everything!

Now for all the pictures I've delayed in posting!

I wanted to be sure to take a few pics of Braden in his duck...in the bath tub. Before he graduated to just being in the bath tub!

May 25th

Braden being a ham

He sure does love his baths!

Oh! You're taking pictures? Here, let me give you a BIG smile!

Memorial Day Weekend
Braden's 2nd camping trip....but the first one where he was old enough to actually have fun!

No step is too high! I'll crouch down and spring up like superman!

Braden & Dad hanging out

Braden, Dad & JR hanging out by the fire. Nice hat JR!

Braden & JR having a good time!

June

Braden played with Jessica's water table at her 1st birthday party. He had such a good time we had to buy him one! This kid will stand and play here for an hour!

This is how Braden sleeps all the time now!

Braden & Jessica playing on Father's Day. Can we really share a push toy?

The answer ended up being NO!

July

My first dip in the lake!

Kevin, Tami & Dominick

Braden in his cool sunglasses

Kandi, Great Grandpa PH, Dominick & Great Grandma Beverly

Braden & Grandma dancing

A little help from Great Grandma

Yummy!!! Thanks Great Grandma! I'm gonna hang out with you more often!

Yeah! Being a ham now!

What'd I do?

Check out my muscles! Cake makes you strong!!!

I have a goatee....like dad. Only better!

Kandi & Mom cleaning up the cake-monster!

Braden on his birthday, opening a present in his new wagon!

Braden's birthday party at the house

Braden & his cool new battery operated 4 wheeler from Angie, Bill & Trevor

Just push the button & go?

Braden & Jess going for a ride!

Ahhhh! Fire!!!

11 Months, Ear Tubes and Taking His First Steps!!

Where does the time go?? I can't believe our little guy is almost a year old. I've been putting of posting until I downloaded pictures and found time to post them. Well, I decided I'd better at least get the post done to keep everyone up to date on Braden's milestones! I'll hopefully get the pictures done soon.

On May 24th Braden had another tooth come through. He has 8 right now. I think he's working on some molars, but I'm not brave/crazy enough to put my fingers in there to find out! He yawns and I look. Ha, ha. It's hard to tell but he's drooling LIKE CRAZY again. So, that's probably what's going on.

Marty and I fired Braden's pediatrician. Long story. But, I found a different doc in Brighton and he's been there a few times for his persistent ear infections. They called Children's Hospital to try to get his surgery moved up to have ear tubes placed. We were scheduled for July 6th, which I felt bad because it was right before his birthday. The hospital called when they had a cancellation and we had it done June 22nd!! Yeah! We keep hearing that it will help tremendously not only with the ear infections but runny noses and coughs as well. We're hoping that's true! He sailed through surgery no problem. It was a quick 10 minute surgery once they got him in the OR so that was nice. We had to leave the house at 5am for a 7:30am surgery. Poor guy. But, even with no food or bottle, he was his usual, happy self. He went into recovery and chugged some pedialyte, got down on the floor & stood at the glass door banging. The nurses would laugh and wave as they walked by. He was ready to go home! He was a little fussy for a couple hours that afternoon, but otherwise, happy & ready to play. He did even better than I expected...he's a tough kid! We've done well since but it's only been a week. We're keeping our fingers crossed!

Braden shortly before his surgery

Braden & Dad playing before surgery

Saturday, June 26th Braden took his first solo steps! He's been so close for a while. We played all day Saturday while dad tinkered with the boat. He was close to letting go and walking to me a few times. So, after dad got home that night I saw Braden hanging onto the recliner with one hand. I KNEW he would do it. I said, let's show dad a new trick! I went into the living room, held my arms out & asked him to come see me. He took 3 big steps and into my arms! Too cool! He did it again without prompting last night so I don't think it'll be too much longer. It's so fun seeing him learn new things!!

Today he sat at a small table at daycare and ate lunch! The chair has short sides on it. He just seems to little to be doing things a big kid does!! Sitting at a table eating? Crazy! Daycare texted me a picture, he just looks adorable sitting there!

Braden is starting to "play games" with Daisy. The dog doesn't know she's playing but hey, Braden likes it! We say, "I'm gonna getcha!" and Braden gets all excited, breathes fast, and takes off crawling away as fast as he can. Now he sees Daisy coming and he squeals, gets all excited, and starts crawling away. Then he stops to look back and see if she's still coming. If not, he heads her way. When she turns, it's on again! It's too funny to watch! He also loves to crawl over the dogs belly. He ends up with his head on the carpet and his feet in the air. Pretty funny stuff. I think they're going to be good buddies when he gets bigger.

Well, I think that's about it for now. Of course, I'll try to get more pictures up!!

OMG!!! He's already 10 months old????

First of all, I added A LOT of pictures to the 5/14 post on 5/17, so if you already read it, you may want to look again!

Where has the time gone? I can't believe our little guy is 10 months old already! Time really does fly when you're having fun! We're only half way through May and already this month has been very eventful for Braden! It seems like he's learning new things every day!

Braden loves music now! Of course most of his toys has lights and music. He has a little farm thing that sings different songs. You open the barn door & the music starts, you close the door & the music stops. He loves to play with that thing and bounces when the music is going. I also downloaded some toddler songs to my iPhone/iPod and started playing them for him. He smiles & laughs and now bounces to it as well. It's good fun. Whenever he starts to fuss a bit because he doesn't want his diaper changed I sing a song to him and he immediately quiets down & smiles. It's great!

May 9th: So, I'll give the best news first. On Mother's Day, Braden started saying Mama!!! :-) From what I've read & what others have told me, babies usually say Dada first because the "D" is easier, etc. I fully expected it. HA! My smart boy said Mama first! He's been saying it A LOT since then and it makes my heart sing every time! LOL. The things that make me happy anymore.

May 10th: Braden FINALLY got another tooth in. He's been working on 2 more FOREVER. As usual. The one on the bottom to the right of the middle 2 teeth finally came through. He's still working on the one to the left but it hasn't quite shown up yet.

May 13th: Every day I leave Braden at daycare I give him a kiss & say bye-bye and wave. Michelle at the daycare grabs his arm and helps him wave. I knew one day he'd finally get it! On the 13th he waved bye-bye! Yeah! He did it again the next day and today the 17th also. Too cute!

May 14th: Braden learns how to clap! It was bedtime so B & I were in his room rocking & relaxing while he drank his last bottle of the day. He usually falls asleep before or right after the milk is gone. This night, he was still bright-eyed but just hanging out in my arms looking at the animals on his walls. All of a sudden he starts clapping. Then he realizes he's making sounds while he slaps his hands together and it's great fun! I've played pat-a-cake with him quite a bit and I also say "YEAH!" and clap when we're playing. Obviously the light came on and he realized what he was doing. It was pretty funny. Fortunately, he just relaxed after that and went to sleep. The next day, he was smiling and clapping A LOT! I would say "YEAH" and he smiles & claps. He's been doing it all weekend! It's really cute to watch and was fun to show dad our new trick when he got home from globe-trotting on Sunday.

Marty:
So, Dad has been globe-trotting quite a bit the last couple of months. He left for South Africa on 5/4 and got home on 5/16. He flew in to Johannesburg, then drove out to Lephalale to the Medupi Power Station. He worked on a few cranes there and left a couple of days later back to Johannesburg. He was able to go to a wild game reserve which sounds like it was a lot of fun. He has some great pictures which I'll get posted shortly. He was able to see lions, tigers, zebras, wart hogs (boy are they ugly), rhinos, hippos, impala, deer, weird birds that he doesn't know the name of, panthers, cheetahs, cougars, meerkats, lizards (or whatever they were), water buffaloe, etc. He got to go to the nursery and pet lion cubs. I'm totally jealous! They look adorable, you'll see the pics. And then he was able to pet full sized cheetah's. Way too cool!

So, he had a nice, relaxing weekend. Then it was off to Tete, Mozambique on Monday! So much for relaxing! The airport has a tiny, 2 lane short runway. I looked it up on the satellite maps. He headed SE to the Moatize Coal Mine. It's supposed to be one of the biggest when it's done. Right now, there isn't much there and it's definitley 3rd world. The accomodations weren't much to say the least. The guys at the mine warned him that everyone that had been there gets sick for 2-3 days. So far, Marty hasn't gotten sick. We're hoping for the best! If someone takes a shower, there is no hot water left for anyone else to shower. Marty got up at 3am to shower before he left. I told him he was going to be the stinky guy that you get stuck next to on the plane! The public restrooms are on the side of the road....people go anywhere and everywhere. Yuck! The locals bathe and wash clothes in the river. Occasionally a crocodile gets one of them. The camp has a kitchen that feeds 3000 workers, the food isn't good and you have to wait an hour to get it. Fun, fun! But, one of the crane guys, Stan, took Marty down to a shack one evening and bought him a cold beer. :-) Who knows how they get it and the fact that it was cold was surprising but Marty was pleased. Marty repaired the 2 cranes he went there to fix AND was able to put together their biggest crane yet in a record-breaking 2 days. Well, they had a couple small things to do after he left but it was nearly complete. The guys at the site were surprised and happy. Friday morning Marty was headed back for Johannesburg. He got stuck somewhere else along the way, sorry I don't know the name of the city. It was supposed to be a quick stop in which he ended up waiting 2 1/2 hours to leave again. He arrived in Johannesburg late and ended up having to meet with several people at Kentz (the company that purchased the cranes he's been working on). It was decided that he need to make the 3 hour drive BACK to Lephalale to work on one of the cranes again as it had a bad computer chip. So he was up at 4am Saturday morning and headed back to the Medupi power station. He got the crane running correctly and had to make the 3 hour drive BACK to Johannesburg to catch an evening flight to Atlanta. Fortunately, he made the flight! But, he arrived in Atlanta and was a bit late to make his connection to Denver. Luckily, the next flight was only an hour or so later so he didn't have to wait long. He finally made it home around 11:15am Sunday.....after about 26 hours of travelling! Ugh! Anyway, he's glad to be home and has some wonderful pictures and memories. Oh yeah......he brought home diamond and tanzanite earrings for me!! Woo-hoo! Tanzanite is a gemstone more rare than diamonds. It's found only in the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Due to export laws, etc., it's difficult to find quality tanzanite in the US. So, I guess Africa is the best place to get it. I thought it was pretty cool to receive something so special and unique.

I tried to keep this post as short as possible while giving the important details but, as you have read, a lot has happened in the last 2 weeks! I hope this post finds everyone well. I'll get the pictures up soon...promise. :-)

If Braden can't crawl with it in his hand, he puts it in his mouth and crawls/climbs everywhere!

Catching up on posts -- 8 and 9 months old

Well, I got so far behind in my posts that I have much to catch up on. Since I always seem to write a book, I'll try to tone it down a bit this time and just give you the basics!

March  -- Braden was 8 months old

Obviously, we spent some time in the hospital. Braden and I had a talk. We're never doing that again.

Braden got his 2 front teeth in. They came in after the two on either side of the front ones, a little backward but they're in and looking good! :-)

Around 3/8 he started crawling. So yes, he's been crawling for a couple months and I hadn't posted it. Sorry!

April -- Braden turned 9 months!

Braden still has a total of 6 teeth. Four up top and two on the bottom. He has such a great smile and shows it off ALL the time! He's been working on 2 more bottom teeth for a bit and had recently started biting! THAT we're going to stop. I think it just feels good on those emerging teeth, little stinker. You're holding him and his head is close to your shoulder. Somebody plays and gets him all excited and he leans over and chomps down on your shoulder! Or, should I say, MY shoulder! Ouch! Marty does it on purpose and thinks it's SO funny! I finally got bit twice in a row on my way up the stairs one night (Marty was behind us getting Braden going) and I got mad at Marty and turned around & punched him in the chest! :-) That'll teach him to think biting is funny!! Ha, ha. So, we're working on teaching Braden NO.

He's pulling himself up to a standing position on most things. There is a little fence in the room at daycare where they put the swings & bouncy seats, etc. with the tiny babies. It protects the little ones from the mobile monsters. :-) Braden is starting to shuffle down the fence. Too cute.

Of course, we had to lower the mattress in the crib. Marty said he now needs a step stool because he can't reach way down  in there to get Braden! Ha, ha! Although, since we've lowered the mattress Marty hasn't been home much and has yet to put Braden to bed. So, it has yet to be an issue.

Pictures!!!!

Great Grandma Beverly, Great Grandpa PH and Grandma Phyllis came out mid-April. Braden was needing to get his 9 month pictures done so it was great timing. We had a few 4 generation photos taken! They turned out pretty good. Braden hadn't hardly slept all day so he was pretty tired. Fortunately he wasn't crabby but he wasn't real smiley either. He was just somber and ready for a nap. But, we managed to get a few smiles out of him (with some hard work) and a few good pictures. Dad put his cowboy hat on him and we ended up with a great solo picture of him as well!

Okay, so I'm FINALLY adding some older pictures of Braden that I just downloaded from the camera!

January

Grandma Phyllis came out for the stock show. The weather kept her from being here at Christmas so she brought his presents in January. Boy does Braden looked shocked at his gift!

Grandma! You REALLY got that for me?

And Braden becomes the present!

February

Our perpetually happy kid!

2/28/10: I just pulled myself up for the first time!

March

3/14/10: Daisy playing with her little buddy!

3/28/10: Kandi holding Braden 2 days after he got home from the hospital. Still a sick little guy but being very sweet and cuddly!

April

4/1/10: Definitely on the road to recovery!

Easter morning! My dad bought me this cool crane but....look at these eggs!

4/17/10: Mom made me a burrito and I ate the WHOLE thing! It was yummy!

And messy too!

4/25/10: My friend Jessica came to visit today. Doesn't she look cool in my wagon?

Hey! These balls are great for teething huh!