Today, my little Braden is exactly a month old. It’s hard to believe that this time last month I was giving birth to this little man. If someone would have asked me if I would do it again, I would have said no. But today, I definitely would do it. As weird as it sounds I miss that day…it was so surreal.
Braden was born ridiculously strong! He came out already able to hold his head up for short amounts of time. It’s been so crazy to watch him get stronger and stronger. When he’s sleeping he’ll lift his head up and switch sides. It’s incredible. We practice tummy time each day! He’s starting to lift his legs up, prepping to roll over. My mother witnessed him rolling over last week… But I’m pretending it didn’t happen because I didn’t see it!
His dad likes to hold Braden’s hands while he struggles to lift himself up on his feet. It’s incredible to watch how strong he is. I love watching him learn how to sit up on his own. He doesn’t last long but it sure is fun watching him try. He’s ready to go places!!
Braden’s dad and I were quickly impressed with his nursing skills. I was prepared for a long and hard journey with breastfeeding. But he surprised us both and the nurse when he immediately latched on! The nurse even said, she had never seen that before! I even had a doctor assume he was my second child because his latching was so great. I think that’s why he’s so chubby! You can’t see his neck and he definitely has a double chin. I feel so grateful and blessed he’s such a great eater.
Braden really enjoys to sleep ( diagonally of all things) but when he’s awake he loves to be entertained! His favorite bouncer has these little animals on them.. I call them his friends! It’s so great to watch him kick his legs in excitement. His kicking allows for the animals to bounce around. I can’t wait for the day when he realizes that he’s causing them to move around.
He also LOVES to talk!! His coos and aahs melt my heart! His grunting makes me laugh. And sometimes he’ll even throw in a smile! Some mornings he’ll look at me and smile. I’m not sure if he knows he’s doing it but I’ll take what I can get!
He lost his cord!! Awhile back his dad asked me if I was going to keep it. I scoffed and said no! But when it fell off I just couldn’t part with it! I still have it until I’m ready to move on. Don’t worry… I’m not keeping it forever!
Once he lost his cord, I was able to give him a bath. I was extremely nervous that he was going to hate it and cry through the whole thing! But he loved it! He’s had a couple since then, and he really does like it. He’s the happiest emerged in the water. I hope that means he’s going to be a water baby!
While these milestones may seem small they mean the world to me! I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next. I can tell he’s ready to learn and take on the world!
Oh and he makes the best facials!!! I love how animated he is, cracks me up!!
Over 10 lbs and 21.5 inches long.
I love you Braden Christopher!
Your mama xoxo

I’m generally your run of the mill germ freak. I don’t like to share food or drinks… Just in case I may catch your goobers. I was a little concerned about how I’d react to my sons goobers. Babies have a lot of them. I’ve seen mothers and fathers touch such goobers on their child and I would cringe in disgust. EW! I will never be like that…
I am like that. But somehow his goobers don’t bother me. In the few short weeks he’s been here I’ve done things I never thought I’d do. Ive picked his nose, caught his geyser of pee with my hand as to not land on his face, and wiped numerous goobers off of his eyes. But what I think officially makes me a mom is that while changing him, I caught his poop in my hands. Hey don’t judge. Washing my hands is a lot easier than doing a load of laundry.
Those moments of nap time are such a gamble. What should I do!? Eat, clean, sleep, or shower!? The shower is the hardest one to decipher. Do I have time? Will he wake up? How long should I let him cry for? Do I really need to wash my hair today?
I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that my leisurely shower days are long gone. Sometimes I forget and take my time, enjoying the nice hot water. Which is quickly ended by a loud cry of, “mama where are you I’m hungry NOW!!?”. So I jump out of the shower, quickly put on the first shirt and pants I can find, and grab my son. As I sit down to feed him I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Last nights makeup streaming down my face (since we all know there was no time to wash my face), my hair in a mess of curls on top of my head, and wait is my shirt wet? I lift it up to smell it. Is it water or pee? It’s most likely pee because Braden can’t control his penis and pees everywhere and on everything. But their is no time to change because he wants to eat. So I sit down with my mascara-ed cheeks and my pee shirt… I think to myself. This is motherhood. It’s not so glamorous. But hey at least my son is cute…

For as long as I can remember I have always been a snob about my sleeping arrangements. Going on family vacations was always a nightmare because I had to share a bed with my sister. She breathed too loudly and I guess I kicked her in my sleep. As I got older, nobody would share a bed with me and I have never been fan of staying the night at a friends house. I am partial to my clean and perfect bed. Today, most people know that my bed is called a “hotel bed” and I don’t like to share it with anyone. I am obsessed.

I haven’t slept in my “hotel bed” in three weeks. And I don’t miss it one bit.

I sleep on the couch with my son, in his room. I also sleep on my back. I hate sleeping on my back. But I love my son, so I sleep on my back. He sleeps on my chest or as of more recently, he likes to sleep on his back on my lap. I love sleeping with him. On the nights that he sleeps on his own I don’t sleep as good. I am sure he sleeps just as good both ways.

I know my  bed is open, and I could easily take him in my bed with me. But it’s so much easier to just be in his room with everything that he needs. He’s a really good sleeper, and I am afraid that in my comfy “hotel bed” I won’t wake up to him when he needs me. So the couch it is.

I have heard both pros and cons about co-sleeping, and to tell you the truth I am taking a little bit of advice from both sides. I guess for me personally, once he’s a little bit more older I will feel more comfortable letting him sleep on his own every night. Plus I know one day he will not want to cuddle with me, so I am taking full advantage.

I love that every morning I wake up to him staring at me to wake up. He never cries…just seems as though he’s waiting for me to open my eyes. I change him. We snuggle back on the couch, and we sing songs. Well, mostly I do the singing while he stares at me like I’m crazy. I give him lots of kisses and tell him how much I love him. I feed him and sometimes he lets me take a shower. He talks to me when I’m in the shower, and I try to answer all of his questions. Some days we take a nap right away, other days he’s ready for the day, and occasionally he’s a little cranky. These are my favorite times of the day (that and bedtime). We’re still learning how our days are going to go, but I know I can always rely on our special mornings together. And that is why I sleep on the couch, because I’m not just any mom. I’m his mom.

I love you Braden Christopher,

your mama xo