big boy.

brady boy, how are you big enough to sit up in the bumbo already??

i feel like you were JUST this:

where is the time going, little man?  i'm going to blink and it'll be your first birthday.  i love you so much sweet boy.  this is the most fun stage - and i keep saying that, but it's always true. it just keeps getting better.  your daddy & i have always used that expression in our relationship, since we were dating, and i love that we use it now with you.  life is full-circle sometimes.  i laughed so hard this morning when i put you in the bumbo and your bobble head flopped around a few times and then you got control (you're getting so strong!) and looked up at me with your serious expression and then grinned.  and the whole time your toes opened & closed, opened & closed.  you were working very hard to sit up like a big boy and even though it's *just* a bumbo - mama is very proud of you!

three months old.

having a three month old has been maybe the happiest time in my life.  he is so joyful.  brady smiles at the drop of a hat these days and just laughed for the first time this week.  of course, i acted like an idiot trying to get him to laugh again to no avail - but i'm sure we're not far from that sound filling our house more regularly! he continues to be such a happy little clam.  he doesn't fuss much except when he's hungry or tired - and we're so grateful for that.  he's started sleeping longer through the night now and his current routine is to eat around 8 or 8:30pm and then not again til 7am or so.  he usually sleeps 9p-7a, which has been awesome for mama!  this last week he has started waking up in the middle of the night fussing because he's gotten one arm out of his swaddle, but once he's tucked back in and has his binky it's back to dreamland for us both.  i'm hoping that with the new, bigger swaddles i just bought this little problem will go away.  he's far outgrown his newborn swaddle in length and i think stretching his legs out pushes it down far enough that he can get an arm out (see this post for photos).  fingers crossed with the new swaddles!

this month we started supplementing with formula a couple feedings a day - we nursed exclusively til week 11 but then my production dropped enough that we were supplementing with my frozen supply until that ran out.  his weight was down a little bit so we decided to go with the enfamil option and everyone is much happier now with his full tummy and my decreased stress level :)  he's gained weight like a champ since then so i know it was the right decision for us.  i am still pumping several times a day and he nurses great first thing in the morning still which is really sweet time for us.  i hope he hangs onto that for awhile.

although he sleeps great at night, naps are still inconsistent throughout the day although he usually gets a good hour or so in the morning - it just depends on what we're doing.  we are an on-the-go family so a lot of his naps are in the carseat which he doesn't seem to mind - but when we're home he gets longer ones in his pack-n-play or the swing.  i'm hoping to transition him to his bed for naps at least once a day starting this month.  he's starting to wake up more with ambient noise in the house when he's on the main level napping, so i think his room will be a little quieter for that.

i start back to work in three weeks (end of september) and i'm both nervous and looking forward to that.  we're currently working on childcare options which is stressful but worth it to find the right person for our peanut.  we'd like to have someone come to the house to watch him since i have to leave for my shifts at 5:30am!  would rather not have to get him up and ready and dropped off any earlier.  i plan to work just part time now that he's here, a couple days a week at the most.  i have full flexibility though to decide once we're in the routine, if i want more or less work.  we'll see.  i'm hopeful for an easy transition - for me, i know he'll do fine :)

so excited to see what the next month with brady holds.  we are more and more enamored by him every day.  he is God's greatest blessing to our lives and we are trying to soak everything up with him.  it's been such an amazing season in our lives!

(see also: one month old post, two months old post)

swaddle mayhem.

oops!  you're learning to escape!

pinterest fail.

many of you have probably seen the pinterest pins on sweet new babies in their daddy's military uniform pants pocket.  i love those and totally intended to recreate the photo once our bubba arrived.  well, then life happened.  life with a newborn.  and suddenly it's three months later and well, we tried it yesterday but i think it was a pinterest fail ;)

the goal:

the result:

baby's too big!!!  oh well, next time pinterest!

the tongue.

brady's newest three month old trick is sticking his tongue out a million times a day.  in & out constantly.  and the drool!!  maybe he's starting to work on little toofers.  we think it's hilarious, though. reminds us of our puppy sargey who used to have "mouth seizures" (what we called them) and stick his tongue out a gazillion times.  between that, the expressive eyebrows and the crazy eyes - we think these two have a lot in common and we are reminded of our little mutt constantly through our boy.  thanks for that, God.  we needed it.

seriously kid?

dear son,

you haven't yet grown into the leg holes on the pampers size 1 diapers.  and this happened twice yesterday.

please get chubbier soon.

love, mom (the one with stinky sweatpants)

naps on mom.

being laid down would not suffice for napping yesterday, as mommy was the preferred mattress.

i am okay with that, little guy.  you just keep that up, as long as you still sleep through the night in your own bed ;) 

photo shoot with dad.

little man, we did a photo shoot with your daddy yesterday. he was home from an appointment at the base nearby and i wanted some photos of the two of you in his uniform - thankfully you were in a good mood and felt up to the task!  i am so proud that we're a military family.  it comes with a lot of sacrifices, buster, but it's well worth it.  the pride & patriotism i feel is overwhelming, when i see him in his uniform serving our family & country.  he stands for what is right, for justice and for freedom and feels passionately about protecting what is ours.  even for people he doesn't know, and more so now that you're here.  i hope you follow in his footsteps and join him in the ranks some day.  he will probably still be there to welcome you in.

 (sorry about your forehead scratch bubba - mommy fail.  those dang buttons on your outfit dug in as i was undressing you.  after your second diaper explosion of the day!)

happiness in the morning.

this is my absolute favorite way to start the day.  peering over his crib and seeing his face recognize me and grin.  best feeling in the world, and more satisfying first thing in the morning than a cup of coffee!

playdates.

we spend a lot of time these days with the huntington babies.  it's so much fun to have babies the same age, and to have friend houses that are also baby-friendly with places to lay them and change them and nap them!

cora and brady seem to like hanging out on her monkey mat together and eliot is always up for baby entertaining.  he's a good big brother to both of them, and almost always wants to hold "baby brady" :)

jen and i also love to walk them around the neighborhood in strollers, solving all the world's (and our own) problems!!

where's brady?

it's like a game of where's waldo!

there he is!  little snuggle monster!

favorite parts of you.

just so i remember my favorite parts of you at two & a half months:

your grin, the way you crinkle your eyes, and your neck rolls.  oh, and that chin!!

how your fingers and hands are constantly moving now.  your hands are especially active when you're eating.  and i love your little knuckle dimples.  and even the fuzz between your fingers that i pry open to clean every day.

your sweet grippy toes!  i love how you still have the reflex that reminds me of monkey toes.  and those thigh rolls you're starting to get!!

a chapter closed.

the last of my frozen milk supply was used up on august 12 and we started supplementing bubba with formula.  he took to it like a champ and i am still able to nurse him some and pump often throughout the day.

i was a little sad at first to stop exclusively breastfeeding - til my sister reminded me that my job as a mommy is to "do what you have to do to keep him healthy, it's not a shortcoming of yours that you don't make enough milk."  THANK YOU LIZ.  we're all a lot happier now that he's content after feeds and gaining weight.

uncle charlie.

uncle charlie was the only one in my immediate family who hadn't met brady yet (his trip to colorado is next month!) - and he wasted no time rushing to my mom's office to meet him after work our first day in town.  i think he really likes the little baby :)

checking him out!

this is how charlie & brady spent every evening right before bed.  i'd get little man all changed & fed & swaddled and he would fall asleep on charlie's chest while charlie watched tv.  it was really sweet!!

explosion.

this was a very exciting experience for us - haha!

as i sat at a stoplight last week in columbia, on my way to meet my aunts ellen & sarah, little buster started squawking in the backseat.  i stuck my arm back to retrieve his binky which falls down the side of the carseat, and stuck my fingers into something wet.  IT WAS POOP.  we rushed to ellen's office and i was horrified when i pulled the carseat out to assess the situation.  he was sitting in a lake of it.

the clean-up was lengthy, smelly & really overall nasty.  but we got some cackling laughter out of it!  (ours, not his - he was not amused)  poor little mister.  and poor mama with poop under her fingernails.

welcome to my new life.

it's a first!

first ever auction.  first of many, my sweetness.  you're a price baby, afterall.

i think papa was happy to show you off to the crowd :)

swaddle houdini.

new swaddles have been ordered.  these are getting too small & little man has been escaping them at night.  last night i got up at 5am because he was fussing - his arm was up by his ear!  i tucked him back in tight & gave him his binky again and back to sleep he went.  he sure likes having his hand by his face, though.  we'll see how much longer the swaddling lasts.

changing.

you sure have come a long way, little mister.

the first pic was from week one, and the second pic from week twelve.  i can't believe how much you've changed & how fast it's all going.  you're the sweetest thing ever & this has been the best twelve weeks of my entire life.

tubby.

11 pounds, 10 ounces yesterday.

WOO HOO!!

love your little froggy belly, buster.  so glad you're gaining weight like a champ.

future dog lover.

brady definitely has it in his blood to be a dog lover.  i think he's off to a great start.  despite not having our puppy sarge around long enough for him to really get to know :(

he sure loved sassy though!  (my parents dog)

and i think sassy loved him too.

they even got a couple naps in together :)

laughing soon?

you're so close to laughing buster. i can't wait for that day. i'm guaranteed to make an idiot out of myself trying to get you to do it again ;) for now, I'll take your copious amounts of smiles & coos!

talking to grammy.

he has lots to tell grammy. i love it!

brady was so fun to take home to see everyone - he's just so much more expressive & talkative now.  and he smiles as soon as anyone makes eye contact with him.  he's in such a fun stage and i think everyone loved getting to snuggle with him.

groucho face.

his facial expressions continue to be one of my favorite, most unique parts of his personality!  i hope he is always this expressive because we laugh every day over him :)  his eyebrows!!!

take that, golfers.

flexible sleeper.

brady did so great on our recent 12 day trip back to missouri.  mostly i was impressed by his ability to sleep anywhere i put him!  he snoozed on beds while i got ready, in his pack-n-play at the hotel, and even on a desk at my mom's work.  way to go little buddy, you got the price genes for sleeping anywhere!!

happiness in the morning.

oh, brady.  you make the sweetest faces these days.  mornings are definitely your happiest time...just like your mama.  we snuggle on the bed & i laugh & you grin & we "talk."  i love my mornings even more now, with your big smiles & a cup of coffee.  life is happy for us buddy.