15 Month Brayden Update

Long time no Brayden update!

Since our last update (12 months), SO many things have happened! Brayden celebrated his 1st Easter (his final 1st holiday), he attended birthday parties for several friends and family, he learned the sign for "more" when eating meals/snacks, attended his first crawfish boil, had dinner at McAlisters for the first time (it's the important things, ok?), and he officially began walking.....just to name a few! 
 

Clothing: 12-18 month clothing mostly. He's also between 12 and 18 months - some 12 months fit and some 18 months fit.
Diapers: Size 4 for both day and night time diapers (same as before)
Weight: 28 pounds (estimated)
Height: 30 inches (estimated)

Here's a recap of months 12-15....

His first Easter was spent in the hill country of Texas! We had a fun weekend spent with family!

This little boy LOVES to read! If he ever gets away from me and is super quiet, he's usually in his room, "reading" his books!

He's also discovered his love for popsicles, thanks to the owner of a local diner that adores him!

Brayden still has a pretty "chill" personality and remains a great sleeper! He eats almost anything and everything and has about 18 oz of toddler formula per day. We attempted whole milk twice and had some rough GI issues, so toddler formula it is for now!

He has become super attached to me and doesn't like me to leave him. However, it's SO much fun to see his sweet little face light up at the end of the day when I come home from work! His excitement to see me absolutely melts my heart!

Going outside is another favorite past time of Brayden's - specifically swinging! If you want to become bff's with this little boy pretty fast, all you have to do is say the word "swing" and he will instantly become a ball of energy and excitement!

Brayden also attended his 2nd baseball game at Minute Maid Park and his very first concert which took place after the game (Mercy Me)! He did great through almost the entire game and only got restless at the end.

Brayden loves the water (swimming) and taking baths! Bath time became a nightly routine a long time ago and I feel as if this helps relax him before bed!

At our last pediatrician appointment, we were told that if Brayden wasn't walking by 15 months or saying more words by 15 months, we would need to consider consultations with outpatient therapies. Personally, I feel as if Brayden is just super laid back and he seems to hit all of his milestones at the later stage rather than the earlier stage.

Thankfully, at 15 months and 5 days, he began WALKING on his own! My little momma heart was so proud!

Also, he's saying the word "dada" and trying to say the word "dog". He also learned the sign for "more" and we are working on "eat" and "all done". He definitely knows how to communicate so I know his words aren't far behind.

His 15 month appointment is in a week, so we will see what the pediatrician has to say then!

Brayden is a super curious kid, he loves to smile and laugh, and digs in any cabinet he can reach (the Tupperware cabinet is a favorite)! He also LOVES to push buttons to see what happens, especially on the remote, DVR, light up toys, the dish washer...you get my point - nothing is off limits if it's in reach! Jokingly, I've told Jason that I think Brayden is going to be an engineer because he loves to take things apart then try to put them back together again!

Music is also a favorite of Brayden's! He LOVES to "play" the piano with both of his grandmother's and if a song comes on the TV, he will stop everything to listen!

Last night, Nichole Nordeman's song "Slow Down" came across my Pandora and although my brain told me to skip the song, I didn't listen...and I lost it. Time is passing SO fast and I'm loving every single moment. It took us so long to become parents and I didn't know if I'd ever get to experience this time, so I'm soaking up every moment as much as I can. I keep reminding myself that I won't always have this, so I'm enjoying the snuggles, hugs, and squishy baby rolls as much as I can.

This little guy has completely stolen my heart and is such a momma's boy!

I'm excited to see what the next few months have in store! His next update will be at 18 months so stay tuned! :)

Brayden's First Easter Egg Hunt

Hello and happy "almost" Easter weekend! We are excited for this weekend as it will be Brayden's first Easter and we will have a chance to spend time with family and do a lot of shopping! Let's also not forget the true reason we celebrate this Easter holiday! :)

Last weekend, Brayden attended his first Easter Egg Hunt - and it just so happened that it was hosted by our church!

In the days leading up to the egg hunt, we spent a few minutes each evening "practicing" how to put eggs in a basket! By the time the day of the egg hunt came along, he had the concept down pretty well!

The event opened to the public at 10 a.m. with Brayden's group (0-2 years old) hunt beginning at 10:15 a.m.

When we arrived, parking lot attendants handed us a schedule which was really nice to have in hand so we knew what was taking place and when! 

Behind our children's building is a large field and that's what they used to "hide" the eggs. Some eggs were extra special with prize tags inside!

Parents were allowed inside the egg area with the 0-2 group, so I was able to help guide him where he needed to be!

 The Easter Bunny made a visit and started off the egg hunt!

It was a lot of fun showing the eggs to Brayden and helping him put them in his basket.

His favorite thing to do with them, though is bang them together. Typical boy!

In the basket they go...

I can't wait to see what he's going to do next year as he will officially be walking by then!

Look at my egg, momma!

Posing for a picture with the Easter Bunny!

My friend Kim had the idea to make shirts for the day and I love how mine turned out!!

Along with the Easter Egg hunt, they also had fun jumps, face painting, balloon sculptures, and a train for the kids to ride. I completely forgot about the train, so we didn't get to go - oh well, next year for sure!

After all the groups had finished, there was a puppet show and a fun little message from our children's pastor and kids ministries team where they shared the Easter story. Also, awards for the prize eggs were given out here.

In all, we had a great time and really enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunt! Easter is one of my favorite holidays and I absolutely love spring and this time of year!

I hope you all have a wonderful a blessed weekend! :)

12 Month Baby Update

12 Months.

I can't quite believe we have already reached the 1 year mark with our little guy! It seems like not long ago, he was just a squirmy, brand new, sweet smelling little baby! As crazy as it is to say, I almost forgot how little he was until I went back to look at pictures! I've so enjoyed this past year of his life and am loving each new milestone and watching him grow! If you've missed a previous update, you can check them out under the Pregnancy/Baby tab.

So, what's been going on in our sweet boy's life over the past month? Let's take a look!

Although he's still not walking, he sure can get around wherever he feels the need to go! He is a crawling machine and loves to move move move. He hardly ever sits still (much to my dismay as I still love to hold him)!

Brayden pulls up on everything he can get to and he loves to stand like a big boy! One of his new favorites is a toy he's been playing with since Christmas (a Baby Einstein play table) that now has the legs attached! He loves to stand at the table and make music! Light up toys and musical toys are his absolute favorite.  Although he's not walking yet, I know it won't be long. I've seen him let go of whatever item he's holding on to and stand for a few seconds before holding back onto the item. No official steps yet, though!

Clothing: 9-12 months and 12 months; sleepers are 12 months; I finally packed away the last of his 9 month clothing about 2 weeks ago.
Diapers: Size 4 for both day and night time diapers
Weight: 24.6 pounds (estimated)
Height: 29 1/4 inches (estimated)

Over the course of the past month, Brayden celebrated a couple of holidays....

His first St. Patrick's Day...

...and his first birthday! He had a Mickey Mouse themed party, of course!

Another huge milestone (well, for us anyway) is the fact that he learned how to use a sippy cup! YAY!

We've attempted the whole sippy cup thing for months now and he finally got it! He kind of shocked us with the straw - When we go out to eat for dinner, I like to use a straw to pipe water into his mouth and I've done that for a while now. One day, we put a straw up to his mouth and he knew just what to do...we were all in shock!

Oh yes, and who can forget about Opening Day? It was a VERY special time for us last year as Brayden was born during that week!

Veering off Brayden for a second, I have a crazy story to share. So, on April 5, 2016, Brayden was born at 5 p.m. and the Astros won their game that day 5-3. On April 5, 2017, a couple of times throughout the day, I told my husband and my brother that the Astros could win that night with a 5-3 score once again. They both doubted me. Well, fast forward to game time and the top of the 10th inning - the Astros were tied 2-2 and my brother text me to inform me that my hopes for a 5-3 score were lost. At the top of the 13th inning, the Mariners scored a run, making the score of the game 3-2. During the bottom of the 13th inning, the Astros had 2 runners on base and a prime hitter was up to bat. Do you see where I'm going with this? Well, guess what? He hit a HOME RUN, making the official score 5-3 and the Astros won AGAIN. Yes, it definitely happened and no, I couldn't make that stuff up, even if I wanted to. What are the odds?! Craziness, huh? We've determined that Brayden's magic number is going to be 5. :)

Ok, back to his update....

Brayden still loves food and has started eating a breakfast of baby oatmeal every morning - he loves it and gobbles it down! He's also eating three solid meals per day with a snack in between as well as his formula. He also LOVES water! There's not really anything lately that we've fed him that he won't eat!

His nap schedule hasn't really changed much lately either - he still takes two naps per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. His nap times vary between 1 and 3 hours. He's very consistent about sleeping throughout the night too, which I'm super grateful for.

On the day of his birthday party, another tooth made it's appearance on the top right...making his official count at 8 teeth!

This weekend, we will celebrate Brayden's first Easter! It's funny how the Easter holiday fell last year (the weekend before he was born) and now this year, it's two weekends after his birthday!

He LOVES to clap and anytime you say "YAY BRAYDEN", the face below is what you get....

Teehee!

We are trying to teach him how to blow kisses and wave bye bye. He almost has the blowing kisses part down! 

Just one year ago (on April 3), the above photo was taken...then again on April 3 of 2017. My sweet little baby has changed SO much over the past year and is growing up so super fast!

Throughout the ups and downs of having a newborn, learning their routine, and watching them grow and develop, I've learned SO much and have really enjoyed my time as a mom. I wasn't sure it would ever happen for me, but I'm so grateful for this precious gift God has chosen to bless us with. He's such a precious, happy, loving, and sweet little guy...I am excited to watch as his personality continues to grow and develop!

Happy 1 year, Brayden! We love you to the moon and back!

I want to thank you all for following along on our journey over the past year of Brayden's life! You guys are so special to us and we appreciate each of you!!

Mickey Mouse Themed Birthday Party

Brayden's first birthday party was held on April 1, 2017. Since my due date was on April 1, 2016, I thought it would be funny to have his birthday party on that date, just a few days shy of his actual birthday.

For his1st Birthday Party, I knew I wanted to incorporate some form of a Mickey theme because he loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! I didn't go the "Prince Mickey" route since our Gender Reveal Theme was "Prince or Princess". I also didn't go with a "Baseball Mickey" theme since that was the theme for my Baby Shower. After thinking it over for a while, I finally came up with a classic red, yellow, and black Mickey Mouse theme.

I'm also a huge fan of re-purposing things and although I did make several purchases for his party, I was able to use items I already had at home, too! (Bonus!)

After scouring Pinterest, I finally had my mind made up on things I needed to make for his party and started off by ordering with the things I had NO clue how to make like his cake and the decorative sugar cookies!

Be prepared for picture overload! :)

The welcome sign hanging on our door was made using my Silhouette with card stock from hobby lobby and the idea came from Pinterest.

Our front walk way (not pictured) was lined with black and white polka dot/red and white polka dot pin wheels. My husband's aunt had extra pinwheels left over from a birthday party and they fit with our Mickey theme perfectly! 

The yellow flowers at the bottom left of this picture were a gift from Jason's sister at the hospital when Brayden was born. I planted them and they lasted and grew throughout the passing months and are still thriving! They are also yellow which fit with his party color scheme! :)

Upon entering, the dining room table was used for desserts and his cake. The balloons are from Party City and the two Mickey pots on each end were re-purposed from my sister-in-law's baby shower a few weeks prior to this party. The happy birthday banner on the front of the table was made using card stock and my Silhouette machine. I also included various Mickey elements I had lying around the house within the table.

Each window in the living area had Mickey garland (made from card stock, the silhouette machine, and ribbon) hanging from it as well as extra streamers I purchased from Hobby Lobby.

I was going to attempt to make my own Mickey ear decor, but I found a pack of three on Amazon, so I purchased them to save a little bit of time.

His cake came from a local lady who makes cakes out of her home. I made the "Happy Birthday Brayden" cake topper with my Silhouette machine as well and glitter card stock.

These decorative sugar cookies were purchased from etsy and they tasted great! One thing to point out about purchasing decorative cookies online - although the baker went through great lengths to bubble wrap each cookie and pad the box, the postal service decided to play kick ball with the package. Therefore, only one Mickey hand (out of five) made it without any issues. In total, five of the twenty four cookies were broken, two of which were broken beyond hiding on the bottom of the tray. I LOVED having these cookies at the party but I don't think I'll go with an online baker next time. Sadly, all of the local bakeries that make these cookies were booked up when I began looking. Next time, I'll just make sure to order super early!

What's a party without my favorite - Mickey rice crispy treats?! 

At the entry way table were Mickey and Minnie headbands I purchased from Amazon. I also included a framed picture from his cake smash session as well as the "ONE" letters we used for his pictures.

The Happy Birthday little man sign was an idea I found on etsy and attempted to re-create myself.

Photos from each month of his life were printed and hung across the entertainment center. Also included at the entertainment center was the little Prince Mickey we used for each picture.

His high chair was moved in front of the fire place which I thought was a nice, open spot for cake later on. I also included a photo from his 6 month photo session as well as his cake smash session on the mantle. The balloons came from Party City and the banner was made with card stock from Hobby Lobby and my Silhouette machine.

Oddly enough, I already had all of the ribbon I needed for his high chair banner which worked out great! The middle piece was made from card stock and the silhouette machine.

On one of our side tables, I included the puppy dog that plays Brayden's little heart beat when you press his belly - the puppy was from our 4D Ultrasound experience. I also included a photo album with all of his studio pictures as well as a "clean" picture from his 12 month photos/cake smash session.

I knew I wanted to include his invitation in the decor somewhere, so I found this photo matte that was signed by all of the Mickey and friends characters while we were on board a Disney ship several years back.  A long time ago, you could leave a matte with guest services and pick it up at the end of your trip, all signed by characters. Sadly, they no longer let you do this.

The room needed something else along the wall above the couch, so I searched Pinterest just a bit more and came up with the above idea! This was probably the easiest project I took on for the party!

The drink table included "Pluto's Punch", "Toodles Tea", and bottles of water.

I found these straws at Hobby Lobby, then hot glued little Mickey silhouettes to them. The Mickey heads were also cut out from my Silhouette machine.

These red cups were purchased from Wal-Mart and I added the white stickers on them to represent Mickey buttons. The stickers were also cut out from the Silhouette machine on large white sheets of sticker paper.

The water bottle labels were designed using Paint Shop Pro, then printed on card stock. I used packing tape to affix them to the water bottles which worked out nicely!

Even Pixie and Maddie were dressed for the party, although I have no clue where Maddie was at this point!

The napkins, places, and forks were purchased at Target. I was so excited to find these as they fit the theme perfectly!

We served "Goofy's Burgers" and "Hot Diggity Dogs"...I mean, did you expect anything else?! Hah!

The idea to decorate the condiment bottles also came from Pinterest. Since I'm not an expert with my design program and am still learning, this took the longest to create!

See the Hidden Mickey? :) These red bowls came from Wal-Mart and the yellow bowl was already on hand at home.

Several years back, I used to be able to purchase Mickey shaped cheese bites from the grocery store. Well, I couldn't find them ANYWHERE, so I used a tiny Mickey Mouse cookie cutter I had on hand and made "half" Mickey hats out of the squares of cheese!

Meatballs were my husband's one request for the party! :)

There's the birthday boy! His onesie was purchased from Hobby Lobby and the vinyl was cut using the Silhouette machine. The shorts were a last minute find at Kohls and are Jumping Bean brand.

Our shirts were even special for the occasion! I took the shirts we wore to Disney in February and added "Of The Birthday Boy" to the bottom of them! See, I'm all about re-purposing!

After eating and socializing with the party guests, we attempted to let Brayden open his gifts. I thought he would have the hang of it after Christmas but no...he wasn't quite sure what to do with the wrapping paper and tissue paper! He did enjoy pushing buttons and watching toys light up, though! :)

Up next was the cake! I wasn't sure how he would respond to the cake after last month's cake smash session, but he still wasn't too sure about it!

We sang happy birthday then let him dig in.

Let's just say that he wasn't dirty at all by the time he finished and I didn't have to change his clothing! :)

The bib you see is a design from a onesie I made for his first Disney trip, I just tweaked it to fit his first birthday instead.

Overall it was a great party and we had so much fun celebrating with all of our family and friends! 

I really enjoyed planning and decorating for Brayden's 1st birthday party and I am super excited about next year! I'm already starting to formulate ideas in my head!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my little guy's first birthday!! See ya real soon!

Wanna see more from his birthday party? Check out the footage below! :)