moving on up.

well, our first year with our boy is complete.

what an amazing year it has been together, creating our little family of three.

i'll now be posting on our family blog...stay in touch with us!

http://teamapostle.blogspot.com/

my fave book.

this morning you pulled down the "good dog carl" book & looked at the pictures, and waved at the puppy.  it made me so happy, as it's my favorite book in the world.  it reminds me of our sargey, who we miss so much!  i love that you love puppies (and hopefully rotties) as much as mama!

birthday boy, officially.

even though we celebrated your birthday early with our friends & family, the day of your birthday was really special for us too.  the night before, when your daddy & i were ready to go to bed, we snuck into your room late to see you one last time as an 11 month old.  we picked you up, and you stayed asleep in our arms as we snuggled you & smelled your hair & kissed you & felt the heaviness of you in our arms.  it seems so crazy that just one year before on may 28 at 11pm we were driving to the hospital to have you.  we put you back to bed after a few minutes and i don't think my heart has ever felt so full.  your daddy & i have had the best year together and with you.  it was sweet to quietly celebrate that in your warm dark room.

the next morning you were up early to celebrate being one!  i got up with you & once daddy woke up we took him coffee and both got back in bed with him for a few morning birthday snuggles.  it was almost your morning naptime so you were extra snuggly.

while you napped, we then headed out for a hiking trip with josh & liz, who were still in town.  aunt kate watched you and your cousins and i think you had a great day!

me & daddy on the long's peak trail hike.  it was chilly!

only a few minutes into the hike it started snowing on us.  so awesome!!

the snow was a little deep in places as we got further up the trail :)

we even did a little glissading!  i'd never done it before but i was brave & tried it out and i LOVED it!  here's to being brave more often!

meanwhile, back at the ranch...

you and laney and audrey enjoyed the warm morning at the park.

and on a walk.  LOVE this pic.

we got back that afternoon in time to play with you for awhile in your playroom, just the three of us.

now that you're a big boy, you're very into your trucks!

and for the first time, we heard you making "vroom" noises as you drove the trucks around.  and we died from cuteness overload.

after your bath, you got to open your birthday present from auntie suz, uncle berto & your sister dog maggie!!  all the way from australia!  you loved the koala ears they sent & insisted on wearing them for present opening.

 the next morning you donned your "one" shirt & we went out for donuts for breakfast.  you approve of being a big boy & getting to eat donuts now.

happy birthday sweet boy!  thank you for a perfect year with us.  we love you more than words.

talker.

you're quite a talker these days bradykins.

you babble CONSTANTLY & about everything you see.

the only things we can pick out so far are ball, bye-bye, bubbles & binky (in your own language of course).  you've got the "B" words down pat.

but yesterday afternoon as i was walking out the door for a baby-free errand, daddy said "say bye bye to mama!" and you said "mama" right back.  and i almost died hearing your sweet little voice calling me mama for the first time.  you can keep saying it, please.

this is the best job i've ever had.

lunch date.

after working a short shift at the hospital this morning, i met kate & mike & bubs up at the golf course club house for lunch.  what a great follow-up to work, seeing this little grin when i walked out onto the patio!!

mama kisses.

he does this all the time to me - so glad i had my phone handy this time to catch it in a photo.  i LOVE this stage he's in, super snuggly and lots of kisses.  the snuggles last only a nanosecond, but they are the sweetest thing ever.  being his mama rocks.

meet shantelle.

this is shantelle, one of B's sitters....we met her through our pastor's recommendation & she has been so wonderful to have part of our family, since B was about three months old.  she hadn't been here in awhile and when she came over yesterday to watch him for a couple hours, he crawled over to her as fast as he could, grinning the whole time.  just the response we want with our sitters!!  we love her & so does he.

mornings.

the moods quickly change around here - but our mornings are awful sweet together.

slumber party.

these are some pics your aunt kate sent me during your slumber party while we were in boulder.  you slept til 6:45am for her!  normally you're up by 6:15ish, so great job buddy.  you woke up in a fantastic mood & i know from her texts that she was having a blast with you as well.  thanks for being on your best behavior!  she is a great auntie to you & you're so lucky to get to grow up with her being so close!!

well, mostly your best behavior.

ovenighter.

your dad & i went to boulder for an overnight this week.  as soon as he brought our suitcase downstairs you cruised over to it to check things out.  i guess maybe you thought you were going to get to go with us:)  

you quickly lost interest though (you have about a 10 second attention span!) & raced off to something else.  of course we missed you while we were gone but it was wooooonderful to sleep in and enjoy the get-away, knowing you were having a blast with your aunt kate!

bath with daddy.

right here is all i need in life.

auntie suz.

snuggles from his favorite auntie suz.  these two have a very special bond & it's so sweet for me to see. we will miss her lots.

gym rat.

little bug & i have been spending a lot of time at the gym lately as i work to get my body back.  good news is, i'm down to my pre-preg weight after the last six weeks of work.  but bad news is, i still have lots of toning to do.  things just aren't exactly what they were before!  brades loves to go to the gym daycare and always kicks his legs excitedly as i hand him over the counter.  i love knowing that he's having fun with new toys & friends in there while i get an uninterrupted hour to myself to sweat & listen to good music.  win-win!

peeker.

love seeing this smiley little face peeking up at me while i sip coffee on the couch.  and then he giggles when i make eye contact & i'm aware again of just how much i LOVE HIM.

end of the day.

sweet little bath bug, this is my favorite time of day.  you go from being kind of fussy in the 5-6pm "witching hour" where you are clingy & not terribly excited about staying up any longer - to happy & splashing & laughing & smiling & charming me to death.  it all ends when i pull you out of the tub (sometimes 30 min later!!) and you melt down again for a few minutes til your bedtime bottle is in your mouth & the lights are low & bedtime is near.  but for these few minutes you are happy as a clam and absolutely darling.  i love you so much.  i'm so so so lucky to be yours.

selfie.

who doesn't love a good self-portrait ("selfie" as kate calls it, love that)?!

brady & i were saying hi to dad this morning on the computer and thought we'd share.

oh, and i got new glasses!  brady is giggling at how funny mama looks in glasses:)

mama kisses.

i love how when i come home after being away for a couple hours (mani for mama!), B grabs my face and gives me kisses. sweetest thing ever.

a letter to the boy.

dear brady,

i love these days with you.  even though i'm so tired at the end of the day, because we have played and rocked and wrangled and laughed and fussed and snuggled non-stop, i am deliriously happy.  i never imagined i would love being home with you, so much.  i never dreamed i would want to walk away from my job so often to just stay at home with you (even though i know the balance is good for this mama, and a day or two away from you each week can be a good thing for me).  i never imagined i would snuggle your neck so many times in the day, and kiss you until you fuss.  i never knew your smile would make my entire face hurt from smiling back.  but i'm understanding now that i couldn't have imagined the depth of my love for you if i tried, before you were here.  and i love you son, more than anything on earth.  differently than i love your dad, because he is the love of my life.  i know already that i will miss these days where you are tiny and soft and gentle and snuggly. already they are going so fast and i just want to hold onto each day a little longer (even if i'm kind of glad when 7pm rolls around and i get to eat dinner quietly & have a cup of tea by myself).  some day soon you will be loud and rambunctious and destructive but i imagine still sometimes snuggly.  and i just want you to know that no matter where you go, or how big you grow, i will always love you unconditionally and with my whole being.

thanks for teaching me so much in seven short months already.

you're the best decision dad & i ever made.

success.

success people: a bedtime routine!!

desperate for sleep with a little monkey who decided around five months to STOP sleeping through the night, on 12/15/12 i started a dedicated bedtime routine.  i cancelled my evening plans for the week and decided that for ten days in a row only i was going to put him to bed, and we were going to do the same thing every single night at the same time.

i'll be honest, the first few days were MORE than rough.  for five nights in a row, he cried for up to 2 hours when i laid him in bed at 7pm sharp.  on day six he fell asleep easily, stayed asleep for twelve hours, and we haven't looked back since.  YAY!!!

his routine now is baby food at 6pm, bath at 6:30pm follwed by lotion & jammies & a six ounce bottle in the room with only a nightlight on.  he's laid in bed awake at 7pm.  he's usually asleep before i get downstairs to grab the monitor.  he now knows too that bedtime is coming, and starts rubbing his eyes as soon as i take him out of the bath:)

this mama is so happy i pushed through the first week or so though - and grateful for the support of kate who stayed at the house with me through all the crying and reminded me over & over again that i was doing what was best for him.  mike left for his deployment on 12/14 and i was delirious getting up several times a night with brady to give him his binky and knew that since he wasn't needing to eat in the middle of the night, it was just habitual waking.  so i pulled the trigger on the hard thing of letting him cry - but so glad he finally learned to fall asleep on his own & stay asleep.  and we are all so much more rested & happy now.

i want to remember.

favorite thing in life: snuggly baby sleeping on me in the morning, with hoodie sweatshirt, coffee & the fireplace on.  i waited a long time for this sweet feeling & i never want to lose sight of what matters most in my life.  it's not work on the computer, or phone time, or a hectic over-committed schedule.  it's sitting still with a heavy sleeping child on my chest, smelling his fuzzy hair and hearing his binky sucking in & out.