5 month day!

What an exciting way to celebrate Braeden being born 5 months ago today! (Is it technically his "5-month birthday" or what? Anyone have clarification on that?)

We had a great time celebrating his 5 months with us and also the official start of the Penn State football season (Let's Go P-S-U!) These last 5 months have really gone by quickly (people told us they would but that was hard to see especially during some of the tough times early on.) He continues to change so much from week-to-week that it's getting hard to keep track of all the milestones he's already reached--thank goodness for his baby book and Mommy's scrapbook! We really feel so blessed that God would "loan" him to us and give us the privilege of being his parents.

Braeden Josiah, Mommy and Daddy love you with every fiber of who they are and hope that they are able to show you that every day of your life. We treasure the special morning smiles you share with us when we come to wake you up, the hugs that you've already started to give, the giggles and even the not-so-happy moments because they're all a part of who you are.

Braeden and "Squirt"

What a precious little foot!


Chillin' out with Mommy


Look how tall I am!

Braeden's 1st "boo-boo"

Okay, so it's not exactly his first "boo-boo"...it's actually his first encounter with a band-aid. Daddy did an excellent job of distracting while Mommy applied the Spongebob glow-in-the-dark bandage. Teamwork! The tiny wound came about while Mommy was clipping Braeden's tiny fingernails (though Mommy insists on pointing out that Daddy has done the same thing repeatedly...he just was too lazy to get a band-aid). Another first!

"I like feet" and "...roll over, roll over..."

Over the last week and a half, Braeden has discovered his feet (and toes) and has also been spotted rolling over (belly to back). Small accomplishments to some, but HUGE to his proud parents!


(Please pardon the randomness of the color mixed with the black and white...mommy was playing with the camera..hehe)

Belly...

Side...almost there!

(The initial shock) Oh my goodness!

I did it! Wow!

Pics from August

Just wanted to share some cuteness with you!

"See, Uncle Adam understands me!"

Family pic

Oooooo....Sonic!

This is my sweet face

I love this b/c it looks like he doesn't even have a diaper on!

Chillin' in the pod

Watching TV

Our baby BOY..."Mommy, why do you insist on putting hats on me?"

Too sweet...eat that fist!

Oh, hello!

Schrute Farms

For all of you fans of "The Office", we have added this post especially for you. One night this week, Matt decided to be cute and comb Braeden's hair with a part down the middle. It's crazy but in some small way we think that Braeden looks like Dwight K. Schrute (even more so when he wears Matt's glasses but as you can see, that didn't really go over too well.) Since his looks are constantly changing, we're not too worried about him growing out of it. It'll happen sooner or later!

Yummy, yummy in my tummy!

Well folks, it's official...our baby boy is growing up! He had his first experience with Rice Cereal on Monday afternoon and it went over smashingly well! We decided to let him sit in his big boy highchair on Sunday just to try it out and he loved it. So, after introducing him to that, we took the next step and actually fed him his first "solid" food on Monday. Since we knew it would be quite messy we just left him in his diaper, put a plastic bib on him and went for it. He did so well and even wanted to help us with the spoon. Needless to say, he was a pretty big mess afterward but content as could be. :) Thank goodness for a vinyl highchair seat! Here are some pictures and video to commemorate the event! Enjoy!

First taste...still a little skeptical


A little more interested


More mommy, more!


Mmmmmm, this is soooo good!


A messy but satisfied Braeden

Random

By the way, feel free to post a comment if you'd like so we know that someone besides Matt and I are actually reading this thing. :) Hehe (I know, that's so sad! Begging for comments!)

Unconditional Love

This picture is dedicated to Mimi, Granddaddy, and Uncle Ryan who have reminded me what it means to love unconditionally. I am sure that many of you are going to be like, "Well, duh!" when you get through reading this but please, indulge me. :)
On our last night in Charleston, Braeden woke up early from a nap he was taking in his car seat while we were driving around town seeing the sights. Upon waking, he realized that he was confined in his car seat and this made him incredibly angry. Well, nothing we did seemed to console him and he spent the next 45 minutes throwing the biggest fit I have ever seen. Ryan was great about trying to get us back to the hotel as quickly and safely as possible but pretty soon, it got so intense that I joined Braeden in a little cry-fest. When we finally got back to the hotel and got Braeden calmed down, I thanked my family for being so understanding. I noticed how even after that extremely trying time, we all still loved on him and raved about how he's the best baby in the whole world as though nothing had even happened. As simple as it might seem, it reminded me about how that's the way it is with family (and if you're lucky, maybe a few close friends but mainly just family.) Because you are bonded as blood relatives, you don't have to work to win one another's affections or love. It is just naturally there. Even our son who has only been alive for just over 4 months received that love immediately from Matt & I and our families. It just really hit me and I thought I would pass that along. So, thank you again for helping me through that and for teaching me something yet again. Learning from your parents definitely doesn't stop after you "grow up" and move out!

Alternative sleeping positions

Being that we were on vacation and not always in the room for every one of Braeden's naps, we had to improvise on several occasions. I thought I would share a few of those fun moments with you. He's just soooo precious!

Comfy in Mimi's arms


Snuggle time with Uncle Ryan


In the Snugli


More Snugli...


In the stroller with "Squirt"

Vacation time

Last week, Braeden and mommy set out on an adventure to drive to Charleston, SC to see Uncle Ryan and also Mimi and Granddaddy Miller who were taking a week's vacation there. I (Heidi) drove the first 6 hours to Spartanburg, SC where Braeden and I spent the night that Saturday. Then, we woke up VERY early the next morning and drove the rest of the way to Charleston (about 3 hours) so that we could make it to Uncle Ryan's church. Let me just say that it must have been hysterical for the people in our hotel early Sunday morning to watch me drag a pack 'n play, 2 travel bags, a "Pump In Style", 3 bags of other odds and ends (formula, breast milk, baby toys, etc.) and a wide-eyed baby in a car seat all in one trip through the lobby in a nice church outfit. I wish someone would've taped it because it definitely could've won some money for us on "America's Funniest Home Videos". On several occasions, the rolling pack 'n play decided to tip over, threatening to totally destroy my "system" of carrying things to the car. And on top of all of that, Braeden decided that it was the perfect morning for a HUGE diaper load of solid mess (as if I hadn't already had a whirlwind of a morning) and so I ended up having to take a brief pause from packing the car to change a very messy diaper.
Anyways, I was amazed at how well-behaved Braeden was on the long trip there and back to Nashville. Long car rides with minimal stopping seem to fare well with him. (Many thanks to Amy and Aaron Joley for the use of their portable dvd player which kept Braeden mesmerized for a good bit of the trip.) We did a good bit of sight-seeing (carriage tour and boat cruise of downtown Charleston), made a trip to the downtown market, visited the beach, made a day trip to Myrtle Beach to visit family, toured North Charleston-Ryan's new home turf, and ventured out to several malls/outlets. Although we had our moments of craziness with Braeden and the heat was pretty intense, we had an incredible time with my family and I was so thankful that I made the trip. They were a huge blessing to have there to help and I'm glad that they were able to have that time with Braeden. Ryan, you are truly a miracle-worker. :) "B-raeden" already thinks the world of you. Thank you to all 3 of you for keeping me sane and level-headed when Braeden had his moments of intense stubbornness and strong-will. I love you so much! Since daddy did not get to come with us on this trip, it was sort of bittersweet to leave. But, needless to say, we are back home safe and sound.
And so, after a LONG introduction, here are some pics!
(In 2 of these pictures you'll see me giving Braeden a bottle in his car seat as well as Braeden attempting to drink from the bottom/side of his bottle. This was his first introduction to a bottle of water as it was EXTREMELY hot that day.)