Brayden is 5 Months Old

Sweet little man, on Tuesday, you were officially 5 months old. Oh how much I love you! You make my days fun (and busy). I love to watch your personality grow daily.
You are stubborn, headstrong, smiley, funny, and you love to laugh. Lately you have been:
- playing more with your sister on the floor (and she loves this!!)
- rolling over from your back to your belly
- but you forgot how to roll from belly to back!
- you think all food is disgusting and give me a look of horror when I try to give you a taste of food
- boob is still the best
- we use cloth diapers, but if you do use disposables, you wear a size 4.
- we are switching your clothes from 6-9 to 12 month clothing.
- at the last check up last month you were 21 lbs so we can only guess you are 22-23lbs currently!
- you are a mommy's boy through and through.

You are such a joy. Daddy is loving this stage and we are all excited to watch you continue to grow

We love you sweetie <3 font="font">

19 Months Old!!

My little princess is 19 months old today! Holy cow, has timed flown by!!

She is growing and learning with leaps and bounds. This is such a fun (and difficult) age. Something that excites me sooo much is seeing her love for reading, as noted in both of these photos! Currently, she is sitting in front of our bookcase reading out loud (well gibberish but she understands her own self). Its precious and I am so glad that all of our reading to her and encouraging her to read books has paid off.


She runs everywhere. I don't think walking is possible anymore.
She understands so much now. She loves to be a big helper and throw things in the trash for us when asked. She has her own little "chores" such as filling the dogs bowl with food, helping Mommy dust, and picking up her clothes off of the floor and putting them into the dirty hamper.

I think its so important to do things with her such as this. Don't let anyone tell you that they can't because they can AND they find it fun!

What really excites us is her ever-growing vocabulary! Watch out! And don't say anything if you don't want it repeated!
Lately, she has been telling me that things are mean: Mommy is mean, PapPap is mean, Ni-Ni (bedtime, naptime) is mean AND bad lol.
She likes to watch Buddy go outside and will tell me that he is outside and going potty.

There are so many more but it is just exciting to watch her learn! This month has just reminded me how much of a blessing motherhood is!

Birthday Party!

This is a bit delayed, but as my last post said, we have been a busy family lately!




Caelyn's party was on January 30th. It was a great time!


We had it at my parents house from 1-3, but it definitely ran over to close to 4. Oops! It was a puppy dog theme!
I sent out invitations that were hot pink cardstock that I had cut out into a dog bone shape. I wish I had a picture! But, it said "Come Wag Your Tails for Caelyn's 1st Birthday at Grandma's Doghouse!"
Totally cheesy, I know, but come on.. I had to think of something!

I had the tables set up with white table cloths and then I used a stamp and stamped hot pink paw prints on the tables. I tried to get a picture, but they didn't turn out right!
Her cake was oh so cute and oh so yummy!

I made a huge huge batch of puppy chow the night before. It was a hit. I can't wait to make it again, except this time, its just for us! I had these little green bowls that are Caelyns and we use them for her snacks, so I took them and put paw print stickers on it for the puppy chow.

Oh and lets not forget the doggy bags for the kids with a lot of candy in it and the crescent dogs to eat! There was a lot of other food as well.

As for the cake.. well we enjoyed it, but.. Caelyn was too dainty for the whole smashing cake. My sister thought she would help her and she really wasn't happy about that.

You can't tell but she was fussing and NOT a happy girl!

All in all, it was a great party. She got some really nice presents. Mommy needs to get cracking on the thank yous! I have to get to Wal-Mart, probably tomorrow after work, to buy them!

I can't believe my baby girl is 1!!
Speaking of being one, today we had her one year check up. She is 31lbs and 6oz. Sweet! She gained like 2lbs since her last appointment about 2-3months ago and she is 32inches tall now! She had two shots, but she was awesome! I gave her my iPhone with some Baby Signing Time YouTube videos playing, she cried for about a split second then just continued to watch it.
Sigh.. my girl is growing up.

11 Months, Baby!

This post should have been written 2 days ago, but I too was sick lol so I was totally unable to write it as I hung over the toilet lol!

Dear Caelyn -
Baby, you are 11 months old! Where did the months go? Your personality is coming through and you are your momma's daughter for sure!

So far...
- You are running! Go baby Go.. wait, come back! lol You never stop!
- You really enjoy screaming as loud as you can when you don't get your way. You too have a temper like me and your Grandma!
- We have been giving you a lot of table foods and you are doing great! I don't know if I can even name everything you've had, but you love hot dogs and pizza - a true kid - and love peas, green beans, olives (ew?), sweet potatoes, breads of all sorts, chicken, turkey, and tons of other things.
- I love to watch you play because you are finally getting what you are supposed to do with the toys.
- You love Dora, Diego, and Signing Times. We watch them every.single.day.
- You can sign - bottle, diaper, eat, more, all done.
- You like to be read to and will sit for a book.

I think one of the most exciting things is just watching you understand more. It is so obvious how much more you understand and how much you understand what we are saying to you. Thats a joy. You are a joy, when you aren't screaming at the top of your lungs!

You are momma's love, heart, and soul. I love you, even when I make you mad and refuse to hold you for 30 minutes after you fall asleep (your new want). I promise you I do. I promise you that I love you. I love how you petted me when I was feeling sick. I love when you give me kisses. I even love that you are starting to say "ma" even if it is just when you get upset and mad, its a start.

Keep growing baby! We are behind you, cheering you on! Go baby, go!

Half Birthday

So, I am a bad bad blogger and this should have been posted Wednesday, the 28th, so lets pretend for a moment that it is Wednesday again!

Dear Caelyn -
Happy half birthday baby! You are 6months old and I don't know where the days and months went - they FLEW by. You are the joy in our lives - you make us a family. Everyday when I wake up, I know you will fill my days with happiness.
I feel like you have changed so much in this month that I could barely keep up.

You have started to roll and within a few days, you were rolling all over the house. Now my days are filled with chasing after a rolling body before you hit the hardwood floor or the tile. You are a quick one.
You can sit up and stay up without any help from the boppy which is great. We are so proud of you.
You are trying to crawl.. and I love when you get on all 4 and look at me for help.
You love to hold onto your mirror toy on the floor and get on your knees - such a funny baby.

Toys are so much fun - we have filled our house with toys for you little girl and more coming each day it seems.

You have this toy that you sit in front of and it has a mirror. You are so smart - you look at the side of the mirror and you can see me sitting in the recliner behind you so you stare at me until I make a face and then you giggle!

Did I mention how much you love your Daddy and want to be wherever he is?

We bought another stroller for you and when Daddy set it up, you were trying to crawl into his lap to watch him. It was so precious.

You eat so much now I won't even list it all but you are trying out yogurt and meats. You love some good mashed potatoes!

No more ducky bath tub - you are a big girl and sit in the tub or lay back!

I can't wait to see what the next 6 months bring us. I know it will be nothing but joy.

We love you little girl

5 Months Old

Dear Caelyn -

Baby, you are 5 months old today. Its amazing how time is flying!

We got you weighed a few days ago because we had to take you to the doctors for this strange cough you have and they said you weigh 23 lbs and 11oz and are 28 1/2 inches long. Wow! What a big girl you are becoming!

In the last month you have...

- Swam for the first time. We swim alot now and you LOVE to swim!!

- To date you have ate: sweet potatoes, carrots, green beas, peas, country mixed vegetables, sweet corn casserole, sweet potatoe and corn, mixed vegetables, avocado, pears, bananas, apples, prunes, apricots, pinneapple, mango, blueberries, cinnamon raisin granola, peaches.. You like ALMOST all of these except carrots, green beas, avocado and blueberries.

- You can almost sit up by yourself.

- We took out the pack n play and its our living room - you play in it everyday!

- You are cutting two teeth and they both have broke through the surface

Everyday you are growing bigger and getting smarter. You now where 6-9 months clothes in everything, minus jeans which we can't get over your fluffy cloth diaper butts!

You definitely can recognize and know people, especially the family who you see the most. You get so excited to see them. We love to go to Aunt Bretton's games and watch her play. Being outside is so much fun to you.

You generally sleep through the nights almost everynight now except every now and then.

You love for mommy to wear you in the carriers. You fall asleep on me.

You can reach out and grab EVERYTHING. Your hands are quick. We have to watch what is near you because you grab everything and eat it!

I love watching you grow. I can't wait to write another letter to you next month because I know you will be doing so much more!

Love, Mommy.

4 Month Checkup

I totally forgot to post Caelyn's 4 month checkup!
We went on Wednesday. It was really strange because in the waiting room, she was her normal happy self, but as soon as we laid her on the scale to get weighed, she became the demon from hell! She screamed the ENTIRE visit. It took forever for the doctor to check her out because she just wouldn't stop!
But, she weighs.....
22lbs 3oz - yes you read that right lol
and she is..
27 1/2 inches long!
My little one is getting so big.
The doctor did say she weighs alot, about 2-3lbs over what she should assuming that she would weigh what her height says she should lol. He said to try to cut back on the cereal on her bottle, which we have been doing because of the reflux. He said to wait on baby food lol, well... as much as I love my doctor, I disagree with him. Why?
We tried little cereal and no baby food for a day. She drank an 8oz bottle every 2 1/2-3hours. So, she isn't going to lose weight because she will be drinking a huge amount of formula.
So, me and Robert came up with a solution..
She needs cereal for her reflux so we are trying only 1 1/2scoops. We might even cut back more if she does ok. I don't want her puking it all up.
She still will get baby food, in the morning and afternoon. Her night bottle will have the full amount of cereal.. because we want her to sleep lol. If we can, we are going to cut out all cereal in the afternoon bottles (2 of them).
I know my doctor doesn't want her to gain too much weight, and he even told me to expect her weight gain to slow down around 6 months when she starts to move. As much as I agree she shouldn't gain so much weight, the statistics or graphs shouldn't be applied to all children. We aren't following his advice completely because I know my baby better than him. I know that an 8oz bottle 8-10 times a day is WAY TOO MUCH FORMULA. So, we are going with what we feel is right.
But, he said she is amazingly healthy and has awesome muscle tones for a little one her age. She is almost able to sit up for extended periods of time by herself and can hold onto things like her play table and stand by herself and play. Yes, my 4 month old does that!
Oh, we got a roll out of her today, but haven't since. But, on her back, she rolls to her side and is ALMOST there and the same for her belly. She just needs like a tad bit more momentum and she will be rolling! yay! I can't wait =)

4 Months Old!

Dear Caelyn:

Today baby, you are 4 months old. These last 4 months have flown by!

This month you have...

• You now can reach out and grab things - by things, i mean EVERYTHING! It all goes into your mouth including the remote, mommy's iphone. You grab our faces and try to "eat" whatever is near your face. Its hilarious. We love it.


• You are starting to teeth which makes you mean like a monster sometimes!


• For the first time, you sat in a shopping cart!


• You have moved into a big girl carseat.


• You had your first fall (more on this tragic day later)


• Your Daddy said to put that you are starting to find your voice more. You loveeee to talk and squeal and just make noises!


• You like to be put into carriers on Mommy's back.


• You love toys! We have started buying you toys and you love to play.


• You love to stand up like a big girl.. Its all you want to do now!


• You have tried so many baby foods I can't name them all - but you still hate carrots, green beans, and squash.


• You are laughing like a "big girl" too - not just squealing!


• You think Dora the Explorer is soooo funny and love to watch it!

We are loving to watch you grow up. You truly are the light of our life.

Mommy loves you. Daddy loves you.

3 Months Old!

Dear Caelyn -
Little Princess, you are 3 months old today! Boy, these last 3 months have flown by! It is an absolute joy to be your mother. I love you.
You are getting big already. Here are some notes about what you are doing so far:

• You fit into size 3 diapers, but now we have switched to cloth!


• You wear size 3-6 onesies, and 3-6 pants, but sometimes those are too long - your legs are a little stubby! If only there was an in between size for 0-3 and 3-6. Those you would fit into perfectly!


• You hold your head up great now, only sometimes you get a little bit wobbly!


• We think you might have found your hands, we aren't too sure yet. You absolutely love to suck on your hands and your thumb!


• You loveeeee to look at everything! You are such a nosey little girl. Even if you are screaming at the top of your lungs, looking outside or walking outside makes you calm down instantly. If we go out someplace we can't keep you in the car seat for too long when you wake up because you just want to see everything!


• Lately, you've finally decided to lift up your head at a good 45 degree angle while on your tummy. You really hate tummy time!


• Speaking of tummy time, you've started trying to rock yourself while on your tummy. We are hoping to get a roll out of you soon!


• You now drink a full 8oz bottle with 3tbsp of cereal every 5 hours. You are such a little piggy girl.


• You don't really "laugh" just yet, its more of a chuckle.. but you squeal when you are happy! It is soooo high pitch, I think it could break glass!


• We started giving you some baby food! You like sweet potatoes, but it made you poop immediately. Mommy and Grandma figured that maybe it wasn't a good choice for you. But, you thought it was yum yum! We tried green beans and you loved those too! Luckily, those don't make you poop immediately.


• Speaking of baby food, you sure are a piggy with that too! You scream in between bites until you get more. You open your mouth waiting for more. Its so funny!


• You finally have had your first real diaper rash issue =( you had a tummy bug recently and got it pretty bad because of all the pooping you did. Its going away slowly. It makes mommy sad =(


• You smile all the time and love to kick your feet and "talk" to us.

You are becoming so fun already. I see the differences, even the small ones, since you were born. It is amazing. I love you little girl. I can't wait to see what you will be doing in another month! Mommy can't keep up!
I LOVE YOU

2nd Month Checkup

Today was Caelyn's 2nd month checkup! Let me begin by saying that Caelyn was a big baby at birth - 9lbs 3oz and 21 inches long! She was beautiful and still is.

We went in and waited in the waiting room. Let me vent for a moment haha.

My baby is a WELL baby, so why must I wait in the same waiting room with all those darn kids with sickness and germs?! Usually, the well child room is open, but not today, and boy I was not happy. I don't want my little baby getting sick because they didn't want to have two waiting rooms. Whatever, I vented haha.

So, after filling out paperwork about her and her milestones and etc, off we went into to be checked.

Caelyn weighs... ready??... 15 lbs 11oz. Yes, you read that right. 15lbs 11oz and 24 1/2inches long. She is big for her age, but she is also tall, like me and her daddy. Her head is big also, about 44cm.

The doctor did say she was big for her age.. but not to really worry because she is also tall for her age and it balances out.

He told us to start giving her Pedialyte (I'm going to use Kroger's brand - Comfort for Baby) in between feedings to hold her off - I think so she will stop eating so much because she has to have cereal for her bottles because of her reflux.

He told us that at 4 months to start with baby food - vegetables. This makes me sooo excited! Thats the end of May. I love trying new things with her and seeing the excitement in her eyes.

We will continue to give her juice because of her constipation issues. She isn't regular - but, I know TMI, neither am I! Only well.

All I care about is that she is healthy. She showed off for him - kicking, cooing, and squealing. I love it.

She got two shots and it was a very serious meltdown. It broke Momma's heart. Then, I was holding her and the band-aid fell off and blood got all over my shirt. She slept for a long time and after she woke up, she was very happy - but sleepy.

I love my little girl.