Biased...

That is exactly what I am when it comes to my son.




I'm sorry, but he is possibly the cutest kid in all of Northern Alabama :)

We spent most of Saturday at Big Spring Park and I found it the most opportune time to get camera happy.

It's hard to believe that he is 5 months old now. Time has just flown by, seasons have changed and my little boy is growing up.

We successfully moved out of Brad's parent's house and into an abode of our own, and let me be completely honest.....IT FABULOUS! Minus the lack of cell phone reception or absolutely no cable what-so-ever, I love it.

Yesterday we went and saw Dad and everyone. I will admit, that Daddy doesn't see him as much as he should and I do feel bad for that after watching those two last night. Grandma J isn't the same, but I guess you can't really expect that once you start to age and get closer to 100.

Brayden was a little on the Hungry side. Dad and Brayden were just hilarious. Brayden would pull at his mustache and Dad would blow raspberries. I wish we could have that happy Daddy back minus some other things. I know it won't happen but a girl can hope and pray, right?

And Brayden is also a big boy! He can hold his own bottle! WOOHOO!!!!

I also saw this picture of Humpa, my paternal Grandfather, and after questioning who Brayden looks like, both Bradley and I agree that it is Humpa. I'll have to get this picture so Monica can get it scanned and I can show ya'll. It is too unreal.

My flower is growing like a weed ;)

So Brayden went to see Dr. Carter today for his 4 month check up and he is indeed growing like a weed.

He weighs a whopping 16.4 pounds and is 26 inches long with his head circum. being 17 something inches.

BIG HEAD. Even Dr. Carter said something along the lines of "yeah, its big...95th percentile." Thats my boy!

Monica just heard him laugh his little, well big, head off and she just loved it.

He did end up getting 4 shots and an oral vaccine. Yes, 4. I believe that you SHOULD vaccinate your child. But I won't get on that soapbox because I've already irritated enough people. Sorry, I just value having a living being rather than a marble slab with his name on it.





AND GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're moving out of Brad's parents soon!!! We've gotten this beautiful little duplex that is just gorgeous! The kitchen!! !OH!! If it was just a little bigger I would be so completely in love :) No one has ever lived in it and the bedrooms are large. The living room has hardwood floors!!! Sorry, I'm just a little excited!


I'll post pictures of the inside next time I go over there to move some stuff, I can't wait!

speechless

Just moments ago I was doing my daily ritual of reading posts on Baby Center and I again came across the very thread that just still makes me cry. It's a memorial to all these families who have lost children due to anything under the sun. It just makes me cry and ache for these families who had someone so innocent taken from them.

Just the other day I read a post about a little boy name Sawyer who, like Brayden, was born in June. He was just like any other baby with the exception that he suffered from Spinal Muscular Strophy. Here's a brief description of SMA and how it effects the body:


Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a motor neuron disease. The motor neurons affect the voluntary muscles that are used for activities such as crawling, walking, head and neck control, and swallowing. It is a relatively common "rare disorder": approximately 1 in 6000 babies born are affected, and about 1 in 40 people are genetic carriers.

SMA affects muscles throughout the body, although the proximal muscles (those closest to the trunk of one’s body - i.e. shoulders, hips, and back) are often most severely affected. Weakness in the legs is generally greater than in the arms. Sometimes feeding and swallowing can be affected. Involvement of respiratory muscles (muscles involved in breathing and coughing) can lead to an increased tendency for pneumonia and other lung problems. Sensation and the ability to feel are not affected. Intellectual activity is normal and it is often observed that patients with SMA are unusually bright and sociable. Patients are generally grouped into one of four categories, based on certain key motor function milestones.



When he was diagnosed, he was given 10 months...that was only a few months, if not two months, ago.

I honestly don't know what I would do if I was to lose Brayden. I can't imagine what his family, or any of these families are going through. That's why I never, ever take advantage of the fact that although I'm only 21 I have a beautiful baby boy who is healthy.

I might not want to get up out of the warm covers to feed him when he wakes up, but to be able to run my hands over his smooth, innocent skin and just stare at him makes it all worth wild. Just one gaze into those big, blue eyes makes the day that much better.

Please pray for Sawyer's family and for everyone who has lost a child or is in the sometimes long process of trying to have that one child.


Sawyer Eberhardt
Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Bandwagon jumping....

I'm not usually one that does what other people do, if I do, its usually on my own accord and at my own pace. Well I jumped on Monica's bandwagon a few weeks ago to see if I too could make some extra cash. Yes, I am now half-heartily attempting to try GPT sites. I seem to favor Fairy Tale Treasures more so now than I did before, which when I started I favored Treasure Troopers, but NEVER got anything to approve so eh.

I just wish I had more time to sit down and do it. But living with Brad's parents and having to share the one computer that is fast enough for the internet is tough, esp with Toni being such a computer hog. I'm seriously thinking about hooking up my desktop or something. We've got wireless set up, but for some reason it only gets 11Mb so it is INSANELY slow. I'll have to play later!

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!

As I previously posted, Brayden usually wakes up anywhere from 4-5 in the morning, which is fine because now I've fallen accustomed to it so it doesn't bother me. So this morning when I woke up around that time and waited to hear him stir, I didn't. So I checked on him, yup, still breathing. So I let him sleep.

6 o'clock came and I told Brad to be quiet while getting ready for work because Tater had yet to wake up. Well he slept through Brad leaving and continued to sleep.

And when did my lovely child decide to arise??? 8 o'clock! YES!! HE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!

It would have been lovely of him though to give me a warning so I might have been able to sleep and not worry whether my child was breathing, but thats Brayden for you...he likes to pull stunts and surprises.

Maybe we will get two nights in a row....who knows but wish me luck!!

4 month photoshoot

its so hard to believe that on Sunday my little booger will be 4 months old. time has flown by. since the weather was lovely and he was in a wonderful stick a camera in my face mood, I did just that :) I have to say that I am fairly proud of myself with the lack of photography experience that I have. Enjoy!

I'm going to have to lock him up if he keeps flirting like he is....we went to a highschool football game Friday and he just fell in LOVE with the cheerleaders and they just flirted right back.

sorry for Brad looking so rough...I tried to get him to shave but he will before I take him Brayden to Big Spring Park so we can have nicer pictures then.

as he sleeps

poor Brayden has been battling a cold and he just sounds so pitiful. his little nose is conjested and hes got a cough and a slight fever :( you can tell he doesn't feel too good since he has been sleeping all day. normally our routine runs something like this:

8:30pm-5:00am~sleepytime
5:15am~bottle and smiles
6:00am-8:30-9:00am-more sleepy time

Then we are ready to start the day and I start work.

Except this week....its been more like:

8:30pm-5:00am~sleepytime
5:15am~bottle but no smiles
6:00-8:30~sleepytime
8:30~bottle
9:00-12:30~sleepytime

and then he sleeps on and off most of the day.

last night Brad gave Brayden a bath and you could just tell that they were having a good old time.

Tuesday night we started Brayden on cereal and he took to it like an old pro. I'll post pictures later.