Month: November 2013

Disneyland

Britnee Graham1 Comment

I decided to take Braden to Disneyland for the first time. What an exhausting experience. I commend all parents that take their children to Disneyland – yikes. I am hoping that as he gets older, the Disneyland adventures will get easier and easier. Let me just paint you a picture of how the day went.

Every nap and feeding was perfectly placed out in my mind of how the day would go. It was supposed to go according to plan, allowing ourselves to be at Disneyland on time. We so generously were able to get signed in by my dear friend Shae. And honestly, if it wasn’t for him I don’t think we would have gone. Anyway…the day did not go according to plan. Which was my first mistake – to have a plan. I know by now that the day never goes by my plan, and yet I still do it. Whatever… : )

Naps were off, feeding was off. But somehow I managed to get it all put together and out the door on time. Except one problem. Braden hadn’t pooped yet. He usually poops about once a day. When did he decide to poop? As I was holding him, heading out the door. Where did he poop? All over his back and my arm. Was anybody home to help me? Nope. AWESOME.

I never really understood the need to count to 10 until I became a mom. I love counting to 10. 10 seconds to shut my eyes, breath in, breath out, open my eyes (to a smiling Braden no doubt) and attack the situation. Poop everywhere may not seem like that big of a deal, and it’s not in hindsight. But when you’re on a time crunch it’s pretty much the end of the world – for 10 seconds.

So after managing to bathe and clean Braden, oh and myself, we were out the door 20 minutes later. Not too bad if you ask me! I picked up my sister and away we went! I was not brave enough to tackle the tram with the stroller. People with strollers are crazy. It’s the worst kind of road rage you can imagine. Stroller drivers have no morale when it comes to their surroundings – cutting people off, running over toes,and cursing in front of their children. And now I’m one of them. Disneyland did it to me. But I digress…

After getting signed in, we took our pictures right in front!

Immediately after we went to City Hall and got Braden’s 1st visit pin. Luckily, Mickey Mouse made an appearance right in front of the big tree. We stood in line and took a picture with Mickey himself. What a treat! Mickey recognized Braden’s pin right away and made sure to make his experience memorable. Well, memorable to me and my sister. Braden really didn’t have an opinion about Mickey. He just checked him out, looking him up and down. He did let out a little cry as we were leaving. I’m not sure if it had to do with Mickey or the fact that he was hungry.

I used the Baby Care Center for the first time. A little crampy and very busy, but I was grateful for the clean changing tables and little space to feed Braden. After getting Braden freshened up we took him over to Fantasyland to ride Casey Jr.’s Train. It really is a cute little ride. We opted to sit in the caboose. Just the three of us. Honestly, I don’t think Braden could have cared any less about being on that ride. He acted as if he had been on that ride a thousand times and was so bored with this old train. I think my sister was more excited about the ride!

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After Braden’s first Disneyland ride it was time to find a spot for the parade. We got so lucky with front row seating in front of the popcorn machine. I was a little nervous how Braden would do with all of the loud noises and bright lights. But he really enjoyed it! He loved to look at everything. I was relieved that he didn’t get overstimulated and have a meltdown.

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After the parade we had to fight against the crazy stroller drivers and make it back to the parking lot. My sister decided to carry Braden and he fell asleep in her arms. It was the cutest thing. She carried him all the way from Main Street through Downtown Disney. If you know Disneyland, you know that’s a pretty long distance.

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Honestly, I was so exhausted when we got to the car I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make it home. Braden was so overtired he whined and cried the whole way home. I don’t think we will be going to Disneyland for awhile. I’m still recovering!

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I love you!!!

your mama xoxoxox

Braden’s first ride at Disneyland. Not very exciting, but I had to capture the moment : )

Disneyland

<3

Britnee Graham1 Comment

Tonight I stay up a little later, enjoying a glass of wine. I watch his little sleepy movements through the monitor, and my heart is full. I love him so much. I didn’t know it was even possible to love someone this much. I’m so incredibly blessed by my baby Braden.
I’m writing this so I can remember this moment. This moment of overwhelming love for the tiny human sleeping away. I love that you hold my finger when you’re somewhere in between sleep and awake. I love to hug you close to my chest in the early morning just before sunrise. Please don’t grow up too fast. I’ll miss those little moments when they’re gone. But for now, I look forward to morning when I get to roll over and see your smiling face.
I love you nugget!

Your mama xox

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<3

5 months of milestones

Britnee Graham, , , , 1 Comment

And just like that, another month has passed. Braden has accomplished so much in just these last 4 weeks. About 3 weeks ago, Braden started to learn to sit on his own. He started out by putting his hands down in front of him…the traditional tripod pose. I wasn’t expecting him to be able to do that so early, but there he was, learning to sit on his own. Every now and then I would sit him down so he could practice his sitting. But I didn’t think much of it because I thought sitting wasn’t supposed to happen for at least another month.

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It wasn’t until we went to our first Gymboree class, that I realized how well he sits – all by himself! He is such a champ at Gymboree. The teacher always exclaims about how well he sits up, grabs for objects and his ability to hold onto things. He is so aware of his surroundings. Curious about the people around him. He loves to look at older kids doing things he can’t do yet. You can see him trying to figure out how he can get from one place to the other. He doesn’t know how to crawl, but you can see his mind wondering why he can’t do that yet. I won’t be surprised if he starts to crawl early, he just wants to move!

He’s finally found an adoration for his papa (my dad). It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. He truly recognizes him when he walks into a room, and always gives him the biggest smile. My dad is the only one that can get him to just chill next to him on the couch. I don’t know how he does it. Braden thinks I am a jungle gym. Always wanting to crawl all over me, pull my hair, grab my nose and eat my cheek. But not with papa. Braden nestles into papa’s side, holding on tightly to papa’s finger. I’ll go away for an hour and when I come back, he’ll be in the same place, super content, chewing on a toy. I wish I knew my dad’s technique.

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Braden got his first postcard in the mail. I know it may seem insignificant. But it was the first time it really registered to me that he is an actual person. A member of society. It truly was addressed to him, from one of his teachers at Gymboree. It wasn’t addressed to me, talking about Braden. It was a little letter to him, about him. I have it placed in his room atop his dresser. I love to look at it when I pass by.

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I’m such a sucker for a really great photo. And Braden’s 5 month picture was no exception. I had it all planned out. Which was my first mistake. The shoot only lasted 5 minutes. Braden’s little hands got ahold of the balloon strings, and within seconds the balloons whisked into the air. I laughingly jumped, trying to catch the balloons. But no, it was too late…and away they went into the air. I looked down at my little Braden and there he sat with the cornucopia and a headband of paper feathers, giggling away at me.

Braden still only rolls from back to front. He’s moved on from rolling and tries to sit up. If I lay him down on his back, he lifts his head up trying to sit up. I like to gently push his forehead back down and tell him he’s not old enough to do that yet. However, sometimes he gets a good momentum going and pushes up on one arm. I don’t know how he does it. His strength is bizarre!

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Solid foods are a mere few weeks away. I am nervous, excited, terrified, overjoyed, and horrified! I’ve never seen a baby so interested in food. He reaches for it, mimics me chewing and watches my food go from plate – to fork – to mouth. I always said I wouldn’t give him food until 6 months, but he’s ready. So I must let my little baby Braden grow up just a little bit more.

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I’m looking forward to sleeping through the night. But for now I try to be patient and realize this is just a short amount of time in his life. One day he won’t need me to rock him to sleep, or look for me in the middle of the night. As much as I would love for a solid 10-12 hours of sleep, I’m learning to just enjoy each moment. It’s hard to not push for him to learn and grow. But I think it’s important to sit in this moment. To stay present in this time. It will only happen once, and I want to embrace the good, the bad, and even the ugly.

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I love you,

your mama xo

A boy and his toy : )

5 months of milestones

Halloween

Britnee Graham, , , , , 1 Comment

Braden started out his first Halloween by imprinting his foot onto a Halloween canvas. I never would describe myself as a perfectionist, but I could not get this craft right. I tried two different times before I got it “right”. Third times the charm right? Of course, I did the writing, spider and spider webs to my liking, but Braden’s footprint was a little off. He didn’t seem to understand what was going on. I think it looks good regardless. And I will always remember his chubby little feet slipping around in the paint. Not to mention, the little piece of black paint (non-toxic) that is still apparent underneath his toenails. OOPS.

Braden also had his first professional pictures done. He wore his snazzy Burberry jean outfit that my mothers friend so generously gave to him. Unfortunately, Braden was on a nap strike during that week. Only a couple of pictures turned out alright, since he got pouty after about 15 minutes. Babies. What can ya do?!

I took Braden to Pumpkin City – his first pumpkin patch! He was a wee bit too little to really enjoy it. But he was a real good sport when it came to posing with the pumpkins. He loved being inside of the teepee with mama, and riding the hay horse. I mean, who wouldn’t?

Pinterest is still so confusing to me. But sometimes I have it figured out and gain great ideas from it. I saw a picture of a baby in a pumpkin, and I just had to put Braden in one. The only problem was, Braden is huge. Like really. I had to find the perfect pumpkin so it could work. I scoped out the scene and found the largest pumpkin I could find. I carved it the top first. Then I cut out where the legs would go. But when I attempted to put Braden inside of the pumpkin, he didn’t fit. I was laughing so hard. Who is this kid? So I had to cut the pumpkin down from the top – making it big enough for his chunky thighs to fit through. His legs BARELY fit through the holes. It was such a close call that when taking him out of the pumpkin, he let out a little cry because his legs were stuck. Yikes. He was such a great sport through the whole thing. Although I do admit he was a bit distracted with the grass tickling his feet and the taste of the pumpkin head. It was fun to watch him experience it all for the first time.

Braden was a monkey for Halloween. It seemed fitting since his dad and I nicknamed him our little monkey before he was born. Obviously, I had to be a banana to complement him. It was perfect. Except by the time Trick – or – Treating came around Braden was over Halloween. It was a lot for his little 4 1/2 month old self. With Grammy K and Auntie Lindsay in tow, we went a knocking down the neighborhood. Well, he lasted about 2 houses before he had enough. It was win for me since I got to eat all of his candy.

I look forward to next year. Holding hands, walking door to door. Maybe even a little Halloween party or two.

I love you,

your mama xoxo

Halloween