10 MONTHS!

TIME SLOW DOWN! I blink and it's the next month, or so it seems. This past month has been full of lots of fun for the little guy as his mobility has enabled him to explore the world around him in all new, fun, and exciting ways. He absolutely loves being able to roam about freely, and makes sure to make life interesting for his us all, he keeps us on our toes.

He is finally starting to eat more solids, maybe it is because his top two teeth are breaking through, or maybe it is because he had a taste of what the good stuff tastes like ;), but I am pretty sure he just likes feeding himself. He is EXTREMELY picky as far as what kinds of foods he will try, just like his sister was...lets hope he grows out of that soon!

He loves playing with trucks, trains, and cars...anything that has wheels, he is so fascinated by them. He loves music too, and all the musical instruments we have (sometimes we even notice him dancing). He likes balls, splashing in the water, being read to, walks, mommy, Christmas lights, Disneyland, swinging, his brother and sister, daddy's tickles, being outside, sleeping, and crawling everywhere.

He recently has started pulling himself up in his crib and on furniture; he is so proud of himself for doing that. And we have gotten a few waves out of him, although he likes to wave to his reflection in the mirror the most.  He even blew kisses for us, once. He babbles all day long making sure he is heard just as much as his very loud and very talkative older siblings.

His little personality is coming out more and more each and every day, and it is so fun to watch and to see how similar he is to both of his siblings and also how very different too. If I had to sum up this month for him it would be curiosity! He is so curious about EVERYTHING, and watching him discover the world and life around him is just so much fun, I love this age!

Sweet Brandt, you are such a blessing to us all, I fall more in love with sweet little you day after day. Praying for your soul, most importantly, and that you would fall deeply in love with Jesus.  Happy 10 months little bean!

9 Months!

Our littlest guy is 9 months old today! Lots has happened in the past month for this little man. He is officially on the move (watch out world, here he comes!), eating solids well, broke in another tooth, and says mama and dada regularly (both of which make us melt).

He is quite the serious observer, reminds us of his big brother. He likes to take it all in, and definitely makes you work for that smile. He is a mama's boy which I LOVE, and gets so excited whenever he sees me or hears my voice. He loves watching his siblings play and now that he is moving he definitely is wanting in on the action (not sure how excited the other two are about this).

His favorite foods are sweet potatoes, bananas, carrots, raspberries, pears, squash, and blackberries. He loves to hold his own food and munch away, which is SO cute to watch. He LOVES drinking his wawa (water) too!

He loves balls, trucks/cars (he is currently obsessed with the wheels on everything...such a boy), bubbles, being outside, swinging at the park, animals, being held, baths, crawling, eating, sleeping, being read to/books, and being sung to.

He had his first visit to Disneyland this month and LOVED it, although he wasn't so sure about the characters, he loved taking it all in!

Can't believe we only have three more months to call him a "baby"...soaking it all up with this little precious babe! Happy 9 months our blue-eyed boy! Mama and Dada adore you, and so does everyone else that meets you. Excited to see all God has in store for your little life!

8 Months

The little guy is 8 months today, and I can't believe it!

This month was unique for this little guy. He finally got his first tooth! Yay teeth! And battled his first illness which we are so thankful the Lord protected him through.

He still isn't mobile, and I'm curious to see if he starts moving towards the middle-end of this month just like Brayden did, at the moment he just rolls around everywhere and gets frustrated that he can't do much more (so we will see!). Life is going to get quite crazy once he does finally figure out how to get where he wants to be.

He still LOVES water play, reading books, being sung to, balls, blocks, watching his siblings, being outside, MOMMY (separation anxiety is in full blown force), putting everything in his mouth, and being held. His perfect sleeping record has been shaken up lately thanks to sickness, and we will see if it ever gets back on track.

He is growing well, eating well (real food too, slowly but surely), and loves drinking water from a straw. He almost has the clapping thing down too ;).

And the greatest highlight of this month, at least for mommy, is the fact that he says "mama" when he wants mommy. Too much for this mommy to handle!

Happy 8 months little Brandt-o-bean, we love you, and can't wait to see how the Lord will continue to work in your life-you are a gift!

7 Months and Counting...

I feel like just yesterday I was posting about this little man turning half a year, and here we are again. Brandt is such a joy to have around. He loves being part of the action with big siblings and get so excited when they include him. Unless he's sleepy, teething or hungry, he is a happy camper. He loves talking, smiling, and observing everything (he is very inquisitive lately).

He still is a good sleeper and as of the last few days has become more okay with eating solids, but we still have a long way to go to make that something we do regularly...he still is taking after Brooklyn in this department. But I'm enjoying the cuddles I get from all the nursing, so I'll take it one day at a time, I know before I know it he will be eating just like the big kids.

He still doesn't have a tooth! And honestly I am shocked, one because he seems to have been teething forever, and two, because both his siblings had multiple teeth at this point in their life. So come on tooth!! Not going to lie though, I adore the toothless grin.

He is no where near crawling (like big brother at this age). He is perfectly content sitting and just hanging out and anytime he's on his tummy he immediately flips to his back. He can push himself backwards but he just gets frustrated and rolls over ;). Speaking of frustration, this kid is again, like his brother, and gets frustrated when toys don't function the way he wants, or when he doesn't get his way when he wants it...so we will see if the easy going personality I thought he had stands true as he matures.

He still loves water (playing in it and drinking it), being outside, books (being read too), being sung too, balls, music, playing head shoulders knees and toes or patty cake, playing "with" the big kids, being tickled, being talked to, playing the piano, his jumper and trees/plants.

He is growing well, still chubby just the way we like it :). We adore this sweet boy and praise the Lord for the 7 months we've had with him. We pray his life would be a sweet offering to the Lord.

Half a Year!

Somehow we have already reached this point...the half way mark to his first birthday! I cannot believe it, the days are long but boy the years truly are short. I feel like I blinked and a half of a year is gone. I cannot imagine life without this precious babe, but at the same time I feel like it was just yesterday that we were welcoming him into this world and becoming a family of 5.

He continues to grow and develop more and more with each passing day. He is in love with his toys right now, grabbing everything in sight and shoving it in his mouth (including things that are not toys too). He loves his sophie the giraffe, balls, peek a boo scarfs, musical toys, water toys that blow air/water into his face, and watching big brother's trains go around and around. He can sit up unassisted, although he still prefers to lay on his back, which is evident by his rolling over to his back the moment you put him on his tummy, so I am sure there isn't going to be any crawling anytime soon ;), and I'm okay with that. He does push himself backwards when on his tummy though and can make a 360 circle kicking those legs, so who knows. He stands very well and I think loves being at the level of his siblings.

He is still a great nurser/eater and a pretty good sleeper despite teething which has been happening FOREVER over here, we are waiting on the tooth or teeth to pop through any moment now. We have enough drool to fill up buckets. Mommy needs to jump on the solid food band wagon soon too, he has sucked on some watermelon and peaches (which he loved), and I actually tried a couple foods with him but he was NOT a fan, so I am curious how he will take to solids.

He loves being outside, the pool, baths, books, music, jumping, being tickled, songs (Head Shoulders Knees and Toes and Jesus Loves Me are his favorites), watching his siblings play (he wants to get in there and play SO badly, he flails his little arms and toes its hilarious), and being held (he is definitely a cuddler).

He chats away, SCREAMS all the time (this kid has a set of lungs), and blows bubbles/raspberries. Still waiting on that mmmmm sound for mama although he does go mmmm for food but not mama, I heard the dddddd sound the other day and of the last couple days he says dadadadadada, so daddy wins again.

I still can't believe he is  6 months old, but it has been a blessed 6 months for sure. So thankful for this little bean, and for how he has filled our hearts with so much joy. He is such a gem, and we thank Jesus for his life and pray for his salvation daily.  Happy half a year baby boy!

5 Months

Our sweet precious Brandt is 5 months old! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this age. He is such a joy, and a lovebug. His little personality continues to develop, and I am pretty sure that he is the sweetest baby there ever was. He is looking more and more like his big brother (except for his coloring is COMPLETELY opposite!) each day.

He LOVES to talk still (waiting for him to say mama and dada), and scream (to get our attention over all the noise with his big siblings of course). He loves being outside, going for walks, watching his siblings play and trying to participate, baths, toys, sleeping, eating, being talked to, music time, patty cake and this little piggy, and cuddling. He is totally aware of mommy and daddy and familiar faces and lights up whenever he sees you...melt my heart!

He has rolled over a handful of times from front to back but I am pretty sure he regrets it every time ;). He can sit up for a little bit on his own, and I am sure will be doing it more regularly this month. He loves sucking on those hands still and bringing everything into his mouth (toes included).

He is still an EXCELLENT sleeper, SO SO thankful for that! And a great eater! He has been teething for the past few weeks and we are anxiously awaiting that tooth to pop through, because let's face it, teething is no fun for anyone :(.

I can't say how much we love this little boy, I can't imagine our life without him. I am cherishing every cuddle, every early morning feeding, and every precious moment with this little man. He is a gift  and we thank the Lord for him! Happy 5 months little baby.

Happy 4 Little Man!

Oh Brandt (or Brandt-o-bean as your brother and sister so sweetly refer to you as ;)), you are such a love and my goodness, you make mommy want ten more (haha just kidding, but seriously). You have started noticing when mommy isn't in the room, and whenever I come you lock eyes on me and stay focused...I LOVE it, and I love you. You get so excited when I pick you up or come near you, squealing away, kicking those legs, pointing those toes, and flapping your arms around. It melts me every time. I can't believe you are already four months old, and if I could I would stop time now, please grow slowly my sweet baby.

 You are such a cuddler, and I LOVE that about you, I hope you never outgrow that, at least not for a long long time. You LOVE to talk, ALL the time. I am not sure if you just like the sound of your own voice or if you are trying to make sure you get just as much attention as your other two siblings, but it is probably the cutest thing in the world listening to you chat away about anything and everything (if only I knew what you were saying). And boy are you strong, you can stand forever, reminds me of your big brother.

This month you have started sleeping LONG stretches at night (8-9 hours) and taking pretty good consistent naps. You are the first one of our kiddos to do this at this young of an age, you are mommy's little champ when it comes to sleeping. Let's hope it lasts!

You are so interested in watching your big brother and sister play, and they of course love you too! You started taking baths with them which is SO cute, and I am pretty sure you love it because you give them some belly laughs when they splash you (why do siblings always get the best laughs?!). I know you cannot wait to join in on all their fun, soon sweet boy.

Tummy time still isn't your favorite thing, but you tolerate it pretty well, and now are moving around on the mat. You LOVE your hands, they are in your mouth pretty much 24/7. You have grabbed your toes a few times too, but they still haven't captured your interest quite yet. You can hold toys and bring them to your mouth too. You love music, books, balls, being outside, water, blowing bubbles, playing patty cake, if you're happy and you know it, and this little piggy.

You are mellow, pretty content most of the time, and quite the observer. You are serious around new faces, but with the ones you know you are all smiles and talk constantly. You are just the sweetest little peanut, and I don't know what we did without you! We love you little boy, so very much...here's to four months, we thank Jesus for you!

Brandt at 3 Months

My baby is no longer a newborn, and I can't believe it! I've said it before, and I'll say it again, TIME FLIES! The sweet little bundle of newborn littleness we brought home from the hospital just 3 months ago has turned into a growing baby, with his own personality developing, and boy do we love watching him grow!

He is still a good eater and growing quickly, although he's slowed down a little he is still a big boy, and mommy loves the chub. He is wearing mostly 6 month clothing and almost ready for size 3 diapers. At the beginning of the month he was sleeping like a champ but as of the last few weeks he's been too excited about life to sleep as well ;) (or maybe he has just become too dependent on the pacifier and other things, but I am enjoying the extra cuddles) but we're working on it. He officially moved from mommy's bedside in the bassinet to his room and crib too this weekend!

He LOVES his siblings, especially Brayden. He lights up whenever he sees them. He also LOVES his daddy, which is the sweetest thing ever. He is overall a very happy and content little guy. He smiles at us ALL DAY LONG, and boy, those smiles melt this mommy's heart every single time. We've discovered he's ticklish and that he likes to laugh! He can roll from tummy to back but doesn't do it that often, and tummy time is now becoming a nuisance to this little fellow ;). He coos and talks quite often, and has recently started talking to his toys (so precious). He loves his crab, being outside, reading books, daddy, bath time, and being talked to. He doesn't like his car seat or being tired. He is batting at toys and can hold onto things when we give them to him. He puts his hands in his mouth constantly, and is figuring out what they are there for.

He is such a love bug, cuddler, and sweet little man. We adore him in so many ways. He is  a gift to us, and we praise Jesus for entrusting him to us. We've chosen Psalm 86:11-12 as his life verse and pray that he will walk in the ways of the Lord, all the days of his life. "Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. "