Flying By: Time, Airplanes, and Visits with Good Friends

This is the face of one happy little guy.  Ten months.  Wow, where does the time go?  The little old ladies at the grocery store are right, "The days are long, but the years are short."  Countless times each day there's a fleeting moment that I try to bottle up forever in my memory: the whiff of baby shampoo, the chubby roundness of his little hand reaching for mine, the knowing smile when I reach to pick him up from a nap.  Many times in my life I've taken a mental snapshot to remember the moment forever.  But, lately there are too many moments to capture and remember.  What a terrible but wonderful problem!

Each day J and I think we might explode with glee over the new thing Braddock's doing.  J said the other day that it seemed like Braddock was doing the same thing for months and now he literally changes before our eyes every day.  Just in the past month he's started crawling, pulling up on things, cruising, repeating sounds, saying his first word, and eating table foods.  His world is so exciting and frustrating at the same time.  He wants to do so much more than his body will allow, but each day he makes new strides.

J and I decided for me to quit teaching full time in June.  This summer has been just the perfect time for me to capture all of the new milestones Braddock has reached.  What a blessing it is to be with him so much.  I'm going to teach part time at a preschool next year where Braddock can attend with me.  I'm really excited to be more present in our home and get to still invest in little ones.

In July Braddock and I went to Austin to visit my best friend, Joanna and her baby, Isaac.  Isaac was born 1 month before Braddock.  My sweet husband drove me to Austin on the day he was born when I was 36 weeks pregnant.  I had not seen Isaac or Joanna since that day.  Needless to say I was looking forward to loving on that little guy and getting to spend some quality time with Joanna.  We took the boys to the zoo and the splash pad and went for walks. 

This was one of my favorite moments, though.  Braddock is kind of a touchy kind of baby; he just wants to get to know his pals, ya know?  Isaac, not so much.  He likes his space.  He likes to enjoy his pals while they play across the rug.  This happened a few times during the visit:

Braddock:  "Hey pal, how are ya?  Don't cry, it will be okay."
Isaac:  "Keep your hands to yourself, mister.  This is my mommy. "

It was so fun to see our babies together when we'd prayed for years for each other that we would both have a husband and a family.  God has been very gracious to us.  Also, I love to see different babies and how their little personalities develop.  I don't know why it is surprising that babies are so different from the very beginning.  After all, people are all very different.  It's just that it is fun to see their temperaments and early interests and speculate about their budding talents and personalities.  Isaac is one smart kiddo.  He played with so many different toys while we were there, while problem solving to get each one to work in a different way.  Braddock was so laid back and chill and wanted the same book read over and over to him.  I can't wait to see you as you grow up, guys!

During the first weekend in August, we flew for the first time with Braddock to the Bastian Family Reunion in Pennsylvania.  Beautiful Pennsylvania.  80 degree Pennsylvania.  Mountainous Pennsylvania.  Texas folks, who knew PA was so purty?  This Texas girl didn't.  I'd been once before in the winter, but I'm not much for cold weather.  But in August, wow.  It was so green and beautiful.  Returning to DFW airport at 9:00 pm was akin to entering the nasty crowded sauna at 24 Hour Fitness with all of your clothes on.  Yuck.  Anyway, back to the PA visit.  Meeting Jeremiah's extended family was really wonderful.  Plenty of good company, good food, and good scenery in the mountains.  Braddock was a rock star on the flights and made us super proud of him.  Braddock Boy, you secured your future trip to Disney World.  Job well done.

Man, I love these guys.

Changes

Spring is here, and so is Spring Break!  It's been a fun two weeks spending everyday with my boy, well boys to be exact.  Jeremiah took some time off last week for us to visit his mom and dad, Nana and Big Pappy, in Illinois.  We decided to leave around Braddock's bed time in hopes he would sleep in his car seat as if it were his crib.  And he did great!  We joked that he went to bed in Texas and woke up in Illinois!  Including traveling out of Texas for the first time, Braddock has had an eventful week.  On Wednesday we woke up with his first tooth.  It seems like that tooth was a LONG time coming!  He's been a slobbery mess since the first of January.  I tried to take a picture of the tiny white bump, but each time I was attacked by a crazy tongue and the flood waters of slobber.  Yuck.

Last Friday BJ was five months old.  He's been a part of our family for five whole months.  Memories of our married life without him are starting to get fuzzy.  We are creeping into the sweet spot of babyhood, or the sweet spot for this baby at least.  He laughs at us so often now, and it seems like he is beginning to recognize that momma and daddy are special people, different from all the others.  He grins ear to ear for Jeremiah every evening when he comes home.  He's beginning to squeal with delight and grab for toys.  He can sit by himself but is still a little wobbly.  He carefully watches me eat with curiosity and interest.

 

At his two month appointment I mentioned to the doctor that I thought his head was a little flat on the right side.  She agreed and showed us some repositioning techniques to try so he wouldn't continue to sleep on the flat spot.  The fourth month appointment came and I felt it was better.  The doctor disagreed.  She referred us to a clinic in Dallas for a consultation.  After his evaluation we were told he would need a Doc Band (baby helmet) to fix his worsening condition, plagiocephaly.  Apparently, while growing in the womb he ran out of space.  When the lady explained that part to me, I wanted to sarcastically respond with, "Really?  It didn't seem tight in there for him at all."  But I didn't.  Anyway, it became difficult for him to turn his neck in utero, and he began to favor laying to one side which caused the flattening to begin.  Later, the problem was only exacerbated from sleeping on his back. We understood the situation and decided to proceed with treatment.  He got the band yesterday, and he's been gradually wearing it for longer periods throughout the day.  He isn't a fan yet.  At all.

First, he was exhausted during the long fitting appointment.

Then he tried to explain how much he did not, in fact, like white foam things on his head. 

 

Finally, he came around after a distracting, refreshing walk with mommy.

 

Today wasn't particularly fun, either.  He doesn't enjoy laying down with the band on yet, but we hear after a couple of days babies get used to it.  It's mom who is really having the hard time right now.  It's hard to see him get so hot and be uncomfortable.  But, one of these days, right around middle school he'll thank us for reshaping that noggin!

After all, we need a beautiful head to match this beautiful face.

 

I love my Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day

What a great day it's been! This is worth saying because no elementary teacher in his or her right mind looks forward to Valentines. It's worse than the last day of school and the day before Christmas break combined. It should be noted that it is not worse than Halloween or the day after Halloween, though. Not a fan of the sugar hangovers. However, in 9 years of teaching on Valentine's Day you learn you can't beat em so you might as well join them. And, I truly like Valentine's Day, or the idea of it anyway. So this year I planned a fun party with the help of great parents and it went off without a hitch! We had the normal sugar rush craziness at the end but I turned them out to the playground like wild horses to pasture. We celebrated the whole day with Valentine cards and books and the dozen red roses delivered from Jeremiah in the afternoon. How fun to see all the little girls' faces when I read the card out loud.

Now, in all these 9 years of teaching I've helped the kids make what feels like dozens of gifts for their parents...Mothers Day, Grandparents Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving... You name it and I can give you at least three craft ideas with school pictures pasted to it, handprints smudged on it or crooked paper hearts erupting from it. And, if I'm honest, it's never been my favorite thing to do. I'm not crafty in the "let's all make the same glued paper masterpiece and give it to my mom as if it were my idea" way. But, I solemnly swear I will never complain about thinking up a craft again. Here's why. This morning we dropped off Braddock at Daycare. I was so excited to give his teachers their Valentines (movie tavern gift cards) (more on this later) that I didn't expect to receive one myself. But out pops his teacher holding a large red piece of construction paper with red paper lace hearts glued in each corner. She proudly presents the paper with the coffee filter (classic material for mom craft gifts) glued in the center. On the coffee filter were the two most precious foot prints I'd ever laid eyes on. It read 'From the bottom of my heart to the tops of toes I love you.' Swoon. I instantly felt regretful for all those inner complaints about the super glue gun nightmare craft projects I begrudgingly helped kids do in the past. I never thought I could love a piece of construction paper so much.

Happy V-Day party
Roses from JKB
First construction paper craft from my boy
Blessed

Braddock is 4 months!

Tomorrow Baby Braddock will be 4 months old! During his 4th month he started teething, (none yet, just lots of slobber), got his first illness, started daycare, and learned to laugh out loud. It's been a month full of changes for us but we are settling into a routine. Every morning when I wake him he has a huge grin on his face. Jeremiah and I usually take him to daycare together which makes for some sweet family time in the morning. When I pick him up in the afternoons he is beginning to recognize me and smiles excitedly. We get lots of play time and a walk in before the bedtime routine starts, and he will even sit in a little chair pleasantly to watch me cook dinner (on the nights I actually do, lol). Jeremiah gives him a bath every night and he kicks and "talks" the whole time. The past month back to work was way easier because the families in our class provided meals for us three nights a week and for Christmas they gave me two house cleaning sessions. The first one is on Wednesday, whoo hoo! We have been so grateful for their support.

We go to our 4 month appointment next week for "official" measurements but on our scales he's a whopping 24 pounds and 28 inches long. That's amazingly further along than his daddy was at this age.

Poor Baby B!

I knew it was bound to happen. Braddock got his first cold, specifically RSV and bronchiolitis. Bless his heart! We had to take him to Cooks (what a great place that loves children, by the way) on Thursday night because he was wheezing with labored breathing. After a couple of breathing treatments and some suction he was a new baby! We are thankful for good doctors and nurses and medicine.

Post Due

Well here it is already January and I realized I haven't posted any during the holidays. Can't say I'm sorry because I've been busy rocking Braddock. I'd rather do that than just about anything else these days. We enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas at YaYa and Papa's (my parents) house in Canton. Braddock did great traveling back and forth. During Thanksgiving week he was 6 weeks old. He had a regular fussy time each night, but blessed me with a 5 hour stretch of sleep the night before Thanksgiving. What an early holiday gift! He was sleeping 9 to 10 hours through the night by the end of the next couple of weeks.  That made for a very enjoyable Christmas!  He usually sleeps now from 8 pm to 5 am, eats, and goes back to sleep for a few hours.  What a nice schedule!

Our Thanksgiving Turkey

Watching the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day with Daddy

Jeremiah's parents came after Christmas and Braddock met Uncle Jonathan for the first time.  We rang in the New Year with the Bastian crew.  Yaya and Papa came up to Fort Worth on New Year's Eve Day and we all went out to lunch.  The following week was a difficult one because I went back to work from maternity leave.  Braddock did great, and by God's grace so did I.  It was hard to leave him, but I did enjoy being with my kids at school.

Snoozing with Big Pappy

 The Bastian Men

Nap hair

 Batman PJs Uncle Jonathan gave Braddock for Christmas

 First Day of Child Care at Trinity Lutheran Child Care Center ~ Much harder on Mommy than on Braddock

 Napping with Aunt Patty on Christmas Eve

 Admiring himself in the mirror

Braddock's conversation with Mommy

We are so blessed to be Braddock's parents.  He has brought us so much joy.  Life seems to be flying by, and I can't believe he's already 3 months old!  I can't wait to see how he will grow and change in 2013.  Happy New Year!