2.5 Year Toddler Update

I might be a month behind on this one, but better late than never, right?!

Last month, Brayden turned 2 1/2 years old and has grown, developed, and changed so much in just 6 short months! I'm not going to lie, I'm super sad that his baby features (chubby cheeks and thighs) are slowly fading away.

Clothing: Mostly 2T and some 3T
Diapers: Size 5 - working on learning to use the potty has been an interesting time!
Shoes: Size 7 and some 8's
Weight: 34 pounds (estimated)
Height: 36 inches (estimated)

In his last update, I mentioned that he hit a "word explosion" right before turning 2. Since then, those words have turned into more words which turned into phrases and he hasn't looked back for a single second. His current favorite phrase is to say "I want _____"! It's also hilarious to hear how he mispronounces things. Take orange pumpkin for example - "ooo-range pun-kin". I just love it!

His favorite place ever is the park. He also still LOVES the splash pad! Anywhere water is, that's where Brayden wants to be. We keep a pair of boots at both my house and my mom's house so he can splash in the puddles after it rains.

Like the rest of the country, he’s super obsessed with the “baby shark” song and it’s so cute to see the look on his face when the song starts. We’ve listened to it at least a million times!

He also LOVES his momma which of course melts my heart. I've heard before that there's just something about the bond between a little boy and his mom and "they" were right!

As far as food goes, Brayden loves it, especially "ice cream" aka frozen yogurt. Other favorites of his include pizza, spaghetti, tacos, waffles, chicken nuggets, cereal, chips, refried beans, french fries, fruit, and of course, candy (which is totally limited). He's not always open to trying something new, but once you convince him to take a bite, he will usually want more.

Favorite TV shows include Puppy Dog Pals and Mickey Mouse, but he now asks for Little Einsteins by name as well as "Paw Dogs" which is also known as Paw Patrol.

Landmarks are something he's picked up on as well. For example, he knows when we've made the turn to go to the park, my mom and dad's house, the frozen yogurt place, school/church, etc. 

Over the summer, we had all kinds of exciting adventures like swim lessons...

...seeing the 2017 World Series trophy on its tour...

...feeding the giraffes at the San Antonio Zoo...

...an Astros game...

...and Sea World in San Antonio!

Brayden travels really well in the car and we love going on new adventures and exploring new areas!

He LOVES animals of any kind, especially dogs! My dogs still aren't super agreeable to allowing him to touch, but we can convince them every once in a while with a little snack or treat!

Just like any boy, Brayden loves playing in the dirt. I ended up purchasing a giant plastic container that I keep topsoil in for him to play with. He loves using his shovel and bucket to repurpose the dirt (aka put it all over the backyard)! Another new fascination as of late has been dinosaurs. Being a boy mom sure is interesting!

Since moving up to the two year old class at school (where we also added an extra day), I've seen a huge change in the information Brayden absorbs. He knows his numbers of 0-10 and even surprised me the other day by counting to 10! He also knows his colors very well. We are currently working on letters and shapes, too! He's come a long way in just 6 months and I love seeing the new things he says and does every day!

Personality wise, Brayden is still a pretty chill, happy, and sweet kid although he has his moments/days just like most toddlers. He's easily redirectable when he's upset by reminding him to use his words and asking what he wants. We are loving and cherishing this time with this sweet kid we've been blessed with!

Thanks for following along in our journey! Stay tuned for his next update at 3 years old! :)

Astros World Series Trophy Tour

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend!

We had an amazing weekend to say the least and the highlight of our weekend was seeing the Commissioner's Trophy from the 2017 World Series (earned by the Astros, of course)!

A local business decided to add our town as a stop on the World Series trophy tour and the rest is history!

As a little back story - in January of this year, the Astros hosted a "fan fest" event in Houston which is a free event to enter, but there are several "extra" options you have to pay for (including a picture with the World Series trophy). Well, we obtained the entry passes but did not snag the "extra" options in time before they sold out. Also, fan fest was held on the weekend we returned from Dopey Challenge and an extra 2 hour drive "just because" didn't sound like much fun at the time, especially since all of the events I was interested in were sold out already. So, we missed out. I assumed I would see the trophy at some point during a game this season, but to have it up close and personal like this was an even better treat!

The local Toyota dealership went all out with this event including Cracker Jack, Popcorn, Sunflower seeds, hot dogs, and hamburgers!

A local news outlet was also at the event and they interviewed several fans (including us) which was fun!

Buy me some (popcorn) and cracker jack...

We arrived early and the line went pretty quick!

The Astros game was also playing on several tv's inside the show room floor!

Brayden LOVED his first taste of popcorn!

As a surprise, the Astros mascot (Orbit) was there, too! I told him that I loved his ring, so he had to show it off! 

No inappropriate pictures with the trophy, please. Seriously...it's sad they even have to tell people that.

This was seriously so cool to see in person!

It's so shiny! (Then I started singing that song from Moana...)

No trophy tour is complete without a selfie!

After we finished with our pictures, we sat for a minute to text people and post to social media. Orbit walked by and started "helping" Brayden with his game. I died.

Oh yes, and while waiting, they called a door prize number and guess what? It was mine! I won this orange Astros hat! YAY!

Sunday afternoon was SO much fun and I really appreciate the Tarver family for hosting this event! Seeing the World Series trophy in person with my little family was a pretty incredible experience, one I'll never forget!

World Series Champions

Source

When you reminisce about your childhood and the way you were raised, there are few things that have remained consistent through time. You could say that family, faith, and some friends have always been there, but as times change and children grow into teenagers and then adults, few hobbies/likes/dislikes stayed constant.
 
As far back as I can remember, baseball has always been a huge part of my family life. From April to October, you could almost always catch an afternoon or evening game on our television. If we weren't watching baseball on TV, we were playing baseball/softball at the ball fields or even better, we were attending a game at the Astrodome or Minute Maid Park.

Those rainbow seats, the giant scoreboard, Orbit running around on the field, Junction Jack, Tal's Hill, the roar of thousands and thousands of Houston fans...there's just not quite anything else like it in the world. 

Throughout my childhood, we took yearly summer vacations to Houston where we would spend a day at Astroworld (rest in peace) followed up with an Astros game the next day.

As a teen, my dad and I formed a bond over our love for this sport. One day, he showed me his box of baseball cards that dated back to the 1960's and I was instantly fascinated. During those teenage years when relationships can be strained between a kid and their parents, my dad and I spent HOURS at local card shops over the weekends, scouring through boxes and boxes of baseball cards. I was determined to find rookie cards of all of my favorite Astros and I almost succeeded. Those cards still remain in a box under my bed to this day and I pull them out on the random occasion to take a walk down memory lane.

It's funny how over time, those moments and memories come and go....even funnier how a smell or sound can bring us right back to that moment and all of those memories come flooding back. Baseball will do that to you. It's a sport where you can experience some really big highs and some really incredible lows. It's an unpredictable game and one that makes you truly believe that anything can happen.

Biggio, Bagwell, the Killer B's - the mid to late 1990's were perhaps one of my favorite times as an Astros fan, as my true love for this organization began to develop. I spent many a night cheering on my favorite boys of summer as they went through division wins to the playoffs, the World Series in 2005, and back to the rebuilding process to start over from scratch again. Watching Craig Biggio receive his Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown New York two summers ago was a pretty special moment, too.

Now that I'm a parent, I want to pass on the tradition of the love for this sport to my son - one that began back with my own grandfather and his son (my dad). I want to tell him stories of how I grew up watching baseball with my dad and how 9 innings of a World Series game on November 1, 2017 was added to the list as one of the best moments of my life.

I honestly never ever thought I would see the day when the Astros would win the World Series. Not at all because I didn't believe in them, but because luck never seemed to be on their side.

The. World. Series. Y'all. Somehow it still hasn't fully sunk it.

I finally understand how Saints fans felt back in 2010...and Cubbies fans felt last year. When your team, a team you've been following most of your life is able to accomplish what seems to be a near impossible feat, it's one of the most incredible feelings in the world. I'm pretty sure I'm still walking on cloud 9.

Thank you, Astros. Thank you for allowing the heart of a young girl and her dad form a bond over the love of a team and a sport. Thank you for showing people everywhere that anything is possible if you believe. Thank you for giving hope to the city of Houston after such devastation. Thank you for a lifetime of precious memories. You will never know how much it truly means to me.

Dopey Challenge Training Week 18

How is it already Friday again?! I honestly can't believe how fast this year is going by! Each passing day draws us closer and closer to Dopey Challenge and I cannot wait!

How did this week go? Let's take a look and see!

 
Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA

Saturday - 14 mile training run
Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - 3 miles
Tuesday - Squats/Lunges/PT with cross training
Wednesday - Rest Day
Thursday - 4 mile run
Friday - Rest Day

This week has been a good but busy one! Along with work, life's daily duties were busy as well. We had dinner with Jason's dad one night followed by dinner with my parents the next. Add in a trip to the pumpkin patch as well as a couple of World Series games and well, there you have my week! A cold front also came through this week which felt incredible and I loved every minute! It's supposed to rain again today to cool off for the weekend! Here's hoping!

Saturday's run was the longest one of this training cycle yet! I ran 14 miles and shared my experiences on Monday. 

One of the best parts of recovering from that training run was a soak with this amazing bath bomb! I definitely need more of these!

On Monday after work, Jason, Brayden, and I completed three miles. I didn't have a chance to take any pictures as we were pressed for time a bit.

Thursday after work, Brayden and I went out for a four mile run. It was a great one with awesome weather! I'm seriously loving it!

Friday will be a rest day since I'm planning on running a 10K on Saturday. I'd planned on running 6 miles anyway and this 10K is one of the only ones in my home town, so why not?! I'm not attempting to PR or go crazy - I just want to run it and have fun!

As I mentioned, we also visited the pumpkin patch this week, so I have to leave you with one of my favorite pictures from our trip!

He LOVED playing at the pumpkin patch - we will have to visit again soon (maybe even today if it's not raining)!

Last but not least, I'm SO excited for the Astros who are holding their own in the World Series! Wednesday night's game was amazing and I can't wait to see more! I've been sporting Astros gear to work all week! :)

Go 'stros!

Have a fabulous weekend!!

Birthdays & Awards & the ER...Oh My!

WOW...what a weekend it's been, as I'm sure you can tell from the title of this post!

It all began on Friday with a luncheon and an awards presentation. For the past two months, we've had a summer program at my hospital where high school seniors have rotated through various departments in the hospital.

The program is an amazing one as it gives each student a chance to see what areas of medicine they might be interested in and what areas they might not be interested in. I sure wish a program like this one had been around when I was in high school! Fun fact: As a junior/senior in high school, I volunteered at the very same hospital where I am currently employed! Fun times!

Each month of the program, the students voted a favorite physician and an employee of the month. For the month of July, I was nominated as the employee of the month! What a fun honor!

On Friday night, my brother and his wife came into town for a little birthday celebration. My mom's birthday fell on Friday and my brother's birthday is this week, so we combined the two celebrations!

Two birthdays means two cakes!

So good!

Jason worked this weekend, so my friend Kim volunteered to watch Brayden while I went out for my Saturday morning long run. I wanted to add a few extra miles to my long run to see how it would go. I've been keeping at 6 miles on Saturdays since May, so I added a few extra for a total of 8 miles.

Along the way, I spotted lots of beautiful flowers and a few yard ornaments, too! These birds scared me at first because I thought they were real!

They were kind of hiding behind the brush and the flash of pink made me do a double take!

The humidity and heat kicked my TAIL on Saturday. I felt gross by the time it was all said and done and my legs were so sore. Thankfully, I have plenty of time to train before January and Dopey Challenge but I'm not gonna lie, Saturday's run worried me a little bit...

It'll all pay off in the end, though!

After the run, I brought Starbucks home for my friend Kim and I to enjoy.

Not long after we ate, Brayden was walking down the hallway and wiped out. His feet got tangled beneath him and he hit the ground HARD and lost consciousness. It all happened so fast (pretty sure it was no longer than the span of 30 seconds), but after re-evaluating the moment, we think he actually held his breath and passed out. I was on the phone with 911 when he came to. I did a quick neuro check on him and although I knew in my heart and mind that he was 100% ok, I still wanted another set of eyes on him and maybe even a CT Scan. (I told the 911 operator that we would be driving him to the ER instead since he was screaming by that point.)

My friend Kim rode with us to the ER to keep Brayden awake in the backseat because (of course), all of this took place around nap time. After being evaluated in ER, we were told that the fact that Brayden lost consciousness warranted a non-contrast CT Scan (non-contrast meant no IV)! He also didn't have to be sedated as they allowed me in the room with him (with a lead apron) and they had all of the equipment to strap him to the table.

Brayden cried from the moment they attempted to put the hospital bracelet on him until we walked out of the door. I thought it was funny that we were put in "room 5" aka the room at the VERY end of the hallway!

Within a very short time frame - seriously it was less than 90 minutes from start to finish - we were given the green light and were discharged home.

Am I glad we went? Absolutely. We were given excellent care and the peace of mind knowing everything was ok was completely worth it.

After we returned home, we watched a little Lilo and Stitch and hung out for the remainder of the afternoon.

On Sunday, the bow tie returned as we had church to attend! 

These two crack me up! What a pair!

After church (and during Brayden's nap time), I watched the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony with my second favorite Astro, Jeff Bagwell!

It seems so crazy that just two short years ago, we were in Cooperstown to watch as my all-time favorite Astro, Craig Biggio, was inducted into the hall! I was so excited to watch Jeff's induction via the MLB Network this year! Such a fun time to be an Astros fan! :)

Well, that was my weekend in a nutshell! How was your weekend? Any exciting things happen?