This one was also taken in February. Bradley was two months old and had just discovered the joys of flying from Uncle Ryan.
April 29, 2011
Video of the Week (Duex): Flying Baby
So we've gotten a little behind on posting videos. Hence, TWO video's of the week in ONE week! Aren't you just so lucky??
This one was also taken in February. Bradley was two months old and had just discovered the joys of flying from Uncle Ryan.
This one was also taken in February. Bradley was two months old and had just discovered the joys of flying from Uncle Ryan.
April 28, 2011
Video of the Week: Serious Baby
Bradley is one serious baby. He has been since birth. Funny how you their personality can show through even at such a young age. This video, taken in February, shows just how serious he can be. :-)
April 27, 2011
Another Attribute from Dad
In high school, we called it the negative.
I happen to like the negative a lot.
Especially in jeans.
It might just be my favorite attribute of his.
But don't tell him.
I don't want him thinking that this could be his ticket to kid number two.
I'm still trying to recover from kid number one.
Speaking of...
I think kid number one inherited the negative .
We'll call this one Negative 2.0.
We'll call this one Negative 2.0.
Which I happen to also love.
A lot.
April 26, 2011
Happy Four Months!
Four months?! Can you believe it??
This month has by far been the fastest. Each day, I stop and try to make myself soak it all in so that I don't forget any of it. But it's happening so fast.
Here are some cool moments of the month:
Bradley rolled over.
And rolled over.
And rolled over.
He can now roll onto his stomach and back onto his back. I still cheer him like a dog. But he seems to really like it so I keep on.
He is getting so close to crawling. He figured out his legs quick and is now starting to figure out how his arms. We've had a few almosts, but not a definite crawl. I think I'll cry when he crawls. It's such a big boy thing to do and it's just so fast.
He's now sleeping 12 hours at night!! Yes, we praise Jesus every day.
He really likes songs. We sing all the time. He can actually mouth along with me to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. He also has started to try to sing himself.
He is still extremely talkative. But mostly it is at midnight, in his crib, alone.
We've really enjoyed the beautiful weather by spending a lot of time outside. Bradley loves being outdoors.
This month has by far been the fastest. Each day, I stop and try to make myself soak it all in so that I don't forget any of it. But it's happening so fast.
Here are some cool moments of the month:
Bradley rolled over.
And rolled over.
And rolled over.
He can now roll onto his stomach and back onto his back. I still cheer him like a dog. But he seems to really like it so I keep on.
He is getting so close to crawling. He figured out his legs quick and is now starting to figure out how his arms. We've had a few almosts, but not a definite crawl. I think I'll cry when he crawls. It's such a big boy thing to do and it's just so fast.
He's now sleeping 12 hours at night!! Yes, we praise Jesus every day.
He really likes songs. We sing all the time. He can actually mouth along with me to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. He also has started to try to sing himself.
He is still extremely talkative. But mostly it is at midnight, in his crib, alone.
We've really enjoyed the beautiful weather by spending a lot of time outside. Bradley loves being outdoors.
My best friend's mom made this for Bradley. Soo sweet and special!
Bradley's first grocery trip. He was confused to have so many items around him.
He smiles all the time. We are so blessed to have such a happy baby.
Jeremy needs to quit taking photos. I'm starting to think he prefers us asleep.
About to go for a walk.
The sun!
Just so sweet.
April 25, 2011
A Conversation with My Husband
Me: "Ugh... I can't find my phone again. Will you call it?"
Jeremy: "Sure." (Calls phone.)
I find my phone and proceed to place a call.
Jeremy: "Are you calling me back?"
Me: "Why would I call you back?"
Jeremy: "So we could talk."
Me: "But we are in the same room."
Jeremy: "I know..."
I think I might take back last week's post where I called him smart...
Jeremy: "Sure." (Calls phone.)
I find my phone and proceed to place a call.
Jeremy: "Are you calling me back?"
Me: "Why would I call you back?"
Jeremy: "So we could talk."
Me: "But we are in the same room."
Jeremy: "I know..."
I think I might take back last week's post where I called him smart...
April 22, 2011
Parenting Mishaps
I'll be the first to admit that having a kid has some pretty great perks. People open the door for you. Cashiers will run and get that one item you forgot off the shelf so that you don't have to take your baby all the way to the back of the store. The bag boy takes your groceries to your car. And you get to relive your childhood.
Case in point: Sidewalk Chalk. Yes, on a recent visit to Target and the dollar aisle, I came across sidewalk chalk. I was elated. Four colors PLUS a holder for one dollar. I just knew Bradley and I were going to have so much fun this summer writing on our brick back porch... that is until I got home and Jeremy pointed out that there was a 3+ age sticker on the cover and that Bradley would probably just eat it anyway. And so now we have chalk for Bradley's 3rd birthday!
Second case: Songs. Bradley LOVES all the childhood songs. His favorites are Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and The Wheels on The Bus. This works out really well because I love to sing. And he happens to prefer my voice to Jeremy's. (Score!) So when we were casually walking through Wal-Mart and heard The Wheels on The Bus playing, we both stopped. Bradley let out a coo and smiled really big sealing the deal to buy the CD.
And, of course, I was just as excited so the minute we got to the car, I opened it and put it in my CD player and waited... and waited... and waited. But nothing played. I pressed a couple buttons. Took it out. Put it back in and still nothing. So I immediately pulled Bradley back out of the car and went right back in and told them it was broke.
Now, just so you know, you cannot return an opened CD or DVD. You can only exchange it. We did.
Back in the car, I open the new one and put it in the CD player. Still nothing. I am beyond myself. There's no way two would not work. I immediately assume that it must be my player and decide to try it in our computer. As we are leaving the parking lot, I realize that I forgot to press the power button to turn on the stereo...
So today I am thankful. I am thankful for a fun, working CD, the fact that in three years I will not have to buy sidewalk chalk, and that Bradley has a really smart dad.
Case in point: Sidewalk Chalk. Yes, on a recent visit to Target and the dollar aisle, I came across sidewalk chalk. I was elated. Four colors PLUS a holder for one dollar. I just knew Bradley and I were going to have so much fun this summer writing on our brick back porch... that is until I got home and Jeremy pointed out that there was a 3+ age sticker on the cover and that Bradley would probably just eat it anyway. And so now we have chalk for Bradley's 3rd birthday!
Second case: Songs. Bradley LOVES all the childhood songs. His favorites are Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and The Wheels on The Bus. This works out really well because I love to sing. And he happens to prefer my voice to Jeremy's. (Score!) So when we were casually walking through Wal-Mart and heard The Wheels on The Bus playing, we both stopped. Bradley let out a coo and smiled really big sealing the deal to buy the CD.
And, of course, I was just as excited so the minute we got to the car, I opened it and put it in my CD player and waited... and waited... and waited. But nothing played. I pressed a couple buttons. Took it out. Put it back in and still nothing. So I immediately pulled Bradley back out of the car and went right back in and told them it was broke.
Now, just so you know, you cannot return an opened CD or DVD. You can only exchange it. We did.
Back in the car, I open the new one and put it in the CD player. Still nothing. I am beyond myself. There's no way two would not work. I immediately assume that it must be my player and decide to try it in our computer. As we are leaving the parking lot, I realize that I forgot to press the power button to turn on the stereo...
So today I am thankful. I am thankful for a fun, working CD, the fact that in three years I will not have to buy sidewalk chalk, and that Bradley has a really smart dad.
April 14, 2011
Staying at Home
Over the past week or so, I've been asked multiple times about me staying at home with Bradley full-time. I've been asked whether or not I enjoy it, how I cope with no adult interactions, will I ever go back to work, what I do in a typical day, how can I not keep my house clean staying at home full-time... Yes, it has all come up. So, I decided that I should blog about it. I mean, why not, right?
Let me start by saying that in a million years I would have never, ever thought I would choose to stay at home with children. I honestly think that Jeremy and I both laughed out loud when I first asked him what he thought about me staying at home. For one, I love being busy. I try not to be and yet somehow my calendar still gets full.
Take April for example. Jeremy and I have not had any real alone time with Bradley since he's been born. With him coming around the holidays and our families' crazy schedules and being split in a million different directions, we seriously had not had a weekend to ourselves. So we decided that the best thing we could do for our family was to tell our family not to come visit during the month of April. We needed a month to ourselves. However, I completely forgot about my schedule in April. I had this huge event this past weekend that literally took up the entire weekend (Yes, I was simply a wet nurse to my son for two days and, yes, we survived, and, no, I probably won't ever be that crazy again.) And this weekend I have a fun shower to attend and a church-wide picnic... You see, what I mean?? Even in my month off my calendar is booked solid.
I also love adults way more than I love kids. No offense to your adorable little ones, but if I were to be completely honest, I'm just not much of a kid person. I'm the person who rolls my eyes at a crying baby in a restaurant, whispers under my breath about how annoying it is to walk over kids while trying to shop for clothes, and doesn't make eye contact with kids so that maybe they'll think I'm boring and ignore me. And, yes, I'm pretty sure if I met me randomly on the street I would roll my eyes at myself. Bradley even came with Jeremy and I to a cocktail party on Saturday night... I was the person I get annoyed by.
However, for some reason staying-at-home full-time became an option.
We never really moved in that direction. We toured daycare facility after daycare facility, researched moms who would keep him with their kids, got tons of advice from other moms, but nothing felt right. At every single place we went to I found something wrong. "It smells funny." "She didn't look excited." "Pumping at work seems like a pain." "It looked dirty." "One of the kids had a runny nose." "There's only white kids there." Seriously, none of the places made me feel good about leaving Bradley.
Then, Jeremy said it. "You should stay at home if that's what you want." And in that instance, I knew he was right. I should stay at home.
Was I worried? Heck, yeah! I kept thinking, "what will I do with all that free time??" "What will I do for entertainment?" And rightfully so. When I first moved to Macon, I worked from my home... and hated it. I was bored. I had no friends. It was disastrous.
But, today, I am in a completely different place.
I go to a wonderful church with some amazing women, many of whom stay at home as well. They go to the park, eat lunch, are in bible studies together. It is a great network of friends.
I also am involved in the Junior League of Macon. Talk about some great people. It's a mix between young, single women to working moms to a few stay-at-home moms. And that's what makes it fun. I get to still go out for girls' nights or talk to other moms about their kids or talk to the working women about their jobs and the business world. Plus, I get to help our community and try to make a difference.
Then, I have my bible study. These women pray with me and encourage me and laugh at me when I complain that I have tried to clean out my underwear drawer three times- all of which have ended unsuccessfully and this justifies how badly I need a maid. These women are all newlyweds and it is a joy to hear their stories and to walk beside them.
Truthfully, though, Bradley makes staying at home the easiest decision I have ever made. It is amazing to me how busy I am with him. We play all day long. We are on the floor, reading a book, in his exerciser, outside, chasing Parker, cooking... I seriously get very few moments of nothingness... and when I do I am so worn out that all I want to do is lay on the couch and try to get a little rest.
Like I mentioned above, I do like to be busy. And if I ever get in a fever because of being in the house too long, I'll load Bradley in the car and we'll go out. We'll go walking, or to the mall, or to the grocery store, or out to eat, anything to get me out and about. Plus, he loves the change of scenery.
However, I quickly realized that if I did insist on going and going all day long, I would miss out. I would miss out on the way that he follows me with his eyes when I am trying to tidy up after him. I would miss out on recognizing when all he wants is to snuggle. I would miss out on way too many conversations. I probably wouldn't know just how much he likes farting sounds. And I would miss out on that first little hug he gave me. I think the biggest lesson I have learned in these short four months is how to cherish every moment... how to sit still and just enjoy him and enjoy this time in his life. He might not remember any of it, but it's definitely something I will remember for forever.
Let me start by saying that in a million years I would have never, ever thought I would choose to stay at home with children. I honestly think that Jeremy and I both laughed out loud when I first asked him what he thought about me staying at home. For one, I love being busy. I try not to be and yet somehow my calendar still gets full.
Take April for example. Jeremy and I have not had any real alone time with Bradley since he's been born. With him coming around the holidays and our families' crazy schedules and being split in a million different directions, we seriously had not had a weekend to ourselves. So we decided that the best thing we could do for our family was to tell our family not to come visit during the month of April. We needed a month to ourselves. However, I completely forgot about my schedule in April. I had this huge event this past weekend that literally took up the entire weekend (Yes, I was simply a wet nurse to my son for two days and, yes, we survived, and, no, I probably won't ever be that crazy again.) And this weekend I have a fun shower to attend and a church-wide picnic... You see, what I mean?? Even in my month off my calendar is booked solid.
I also love adults way more than I love kids. No offense to your adorable little ones, but if I were to be completely honest, I'm just not much of a kid person. I'm the person who rolls my eyes at a crying baby in a restaurant, whispers under my breath about how annoying it is to walk over kids while trying to shop for clothes, and doesn't make eye contact with kids so that maybe they'll think I'm boring and ignore me. And, yes, I'm pretty sure if I met me randomly on the street I would roll my eyes at myself. Bradley even came with Jeremy and I to a cocktail party on Saturday night... I was the person I get annoyed by.
However, for some reason staying-at-home full-time became an option.
We never really moved in that direction. We toured daycare facility after daycare facility, researched moms who would keep him with their kids, got tons of advice from other moms, but nothing felt right. At every single place we went to I found something wrong. "It smells funny." "She didn't look excited." "Pumping at work seems like a pain." "It looked dirty." "One of the kids had a runny nose." "There's only white kids there." Seriously, none of the places made me feel good about leaving Bradley.
Then, Jeremy said it. "You should stay at home if that's what you want." And in that instance, I knew he was right. I should stay at home.
Was I worried? Heck, yeah! I kept thinking, "what will I do with all that free time??" "What will I do for entertainment?" And rightfully so. When I first moved to Macon, I worked from my home... and hated it. I was bored. I had no friends. It was disastrous.
But, today, I am in a completely different place.
I go to a wonderful church with some amazing women, many of whom stay at home as well. They go to the park, eat lunch, are in bible studies together. It is a great network of friends.
I also am involved in the Junior League of Macon. Talk about some great people. It's a mix between young, single women to working moms to a few stay-at-home moms. And that's what makes it fun. I get to still go out for girls' nights or talk to other moms about their kids or talk to the working women about their jobs and the business world. Plus, I get to help our community and try to make a difference.
Then, I have my bible study. These women pray with me and encourage me and laugh at me when I complain that I have tried to clean out my underwear drawer three times- all of which have ended unsuccessfully and this justifies how badly I need a maid. These women are all newlyweds and it is a joy to hear their stories and to walk beside them.
Truthfully, though, Bradley makes staying at home the easiest decision I have ever made. It is amazing to me how busy I am with him. We play all day long. We are on the floor, reading a book, in his exerciser, outside, chasing Parker, cooking... I seriously get very few moments of nothingness... and when I do I am so worn out that all I want to do is lay on the couch and try to get a little rest.
Like I mentioned above, I do like to be busy. And if I ever get in a fever because of being in the house too long, I'll load Bradley in the car and we'll go out. We'll go walking, or to the mall, or to the grocery store, or out to eat, anything to get me out and about. Plus, he loves the change of scenery.
However, I quickly realized that if I did insist on going and going all day long, I would miss out. I would miss out on the way that he follows me with his eyes when I am trying to tidy up after him. I would miss out on recognizing when all he wants is to snuggle. I would miss out on way too many conversations. I probably wouldn't know just how much he likes farting sounds. And I would miss out on that first little hug he gave me. I think the biggest lesson I have learned in these short four months is how to cherish every moment... how to sit still and just enjoy him and enjoy this time in his life. He might not remember any of it, but it's definitely something I will remember for forever.
April 1, 2011
The Joy of Motherhood
Happy 100th Post!
I feel like I should have a fancy cake from Charm City Cakes, a champagne toast, and confetti. But alas it is just me and Bradley hanging out at home. Which is just as fun... especially since he now rolls over for me n.o.n.s.t.o.p.
The first time I was thrilled. I mean, I literally scared the kid because I squealed so loud. Parker thought I was cheering for him, "Good boy!! Good boy!!" And you can see it all below.
The back story is that this entire morning all I wanted was to see Bradley roll over. He came so close so many times while I watched. I have over 30 minutes of footage that I will not bore you with. He also rolled over every time I left the room. There was also one point in our fun morning that Bradley got upset, I picked him up, he spit up, I put him back down, I went and cleaned up, I came back, I turned around to warm my wet shirt by the fire, I counted to 5 (don't ask why- I just do random things like that), I turned back around and Bradley was on his stomach.......I was mad.
So I rolled him back over on his back and then hid me and the camera and waited. Sure enough he rolled over right in front of me!!! Hence, the freak out and pet/child cheer confusion. (Parker does tons of tricks because I cheer him. The same could work for Bradley, right?)
Well, my excitement quickly wore off as the rest of the day (l.i.t.e.r.a.l.l.y. the.rest.of.the.day) was spent like this:
Bradley rolls over.
I cheer.
Bradley smiles.
Bradley cries because now he doesn't like being on his stomach.
I roll him on to his back.
Repeat.
I was hostage to the two feet around him. And while I watched and waited for his cry a few of things crossed my mind. One, I need to be careful about what I ask for. Two, Bradley knows exactly how to torture me best. Three, he's growing up way too fast. And Four, I wouldn't trade this time with him for anything.
I love being his mom.
I feel like I should have a fancy cake from Charm City Cakes, a champagne toast, and confetti. But alas it is just me and Bradley hanging out at home. Which is just as fun... especially since he now rolls over for me n.o.n.s.t.o.p.
The first time I was thrilled. I mean, I literally scared the kid because I squealed so loud. Parker thought I was cheering for him, "Good boy!! Good boy!!" And you can see it all below.
The back story is that this entire morning all I wanted was to see Bradley roll over. He came so close so many times while I watched. I have over 30 minutes of footage that I will not bore you with. He also rolled over every time I left the room. There was also one point in our fun morning that Bradley got upset, I picked him up, he spit up, I put him back down, I went and cleaned up, I came back, I turned around to warm my wet shirt by the fire, I counted to 5 (don't ask why- I just do random things like that), I turned back around and Bradley was on his stomach.......I was mad.
So I rolled him back over on his back and then hid me and the camera and waited. Sure enough he rolled over right in front of me!!! Hence, the freak out and pet/child cheer confusion. (Parker does tons of tricks because I cheer him. The same could work for Bradley, right?)
Well, my excitement quickly wore off as the rest of the day (l.i.t.e.r.a.l.l.y. the.rest.of.the.day) was spent like this:
Bradley rolls over.
I cheer.
Bradley smiles.
Bradley cries because now he doesn't like being on his stomach.
I roll him on to his back.
Repeat.
I was hostage to the two feet around him. And while I watched and waited for his cry a few of things crossed my mind. One, I need to be careful about what I ask for. Two, Bradley knows exactly how to torture me best. Three, he's growing up way too fast. And Four, I wouldn't trade this time with him for anything.
I love being his mom.
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