2013

2013 was quite an exciting year for me and Mike! This was the year that Mike and I became parents and journeyed into the adventure of parenthood.  This year has definitely been full of challenges and stresses, but it was also a year full of much joy, adventure, love, and laughter.  And of course, lots of cuteness courtesy of my sweet baby boy!

January

Brady made his entrance into the world on January 9th, 2013 bringing so much love and joy to those around him. 

Brady got his newborn pictures taken when he was 9 days old. 

Grandpa and Grandma W traveled down from Michigan to spend a few weeks with us.  They were here for Brady's birth and helped us care for our newborn.  We showed Grandma and Grandpa around town so they could enjoy the warm Texas winter weather.  We took Brady to Galveston and to many different parks and trails around town.

February

Mama's favorite little Valentine!

Mike celebrated his 34th birthday!  We had a crawfish boil at my parent's house.

This was the month that Brady started to flash his beautiful smile!

Snuggles with Cousin Emily

Brady spent lots of time sleeping on my chest...pure bliss.

This month Aunt Michelle, Uncle B, and cousins C and R made a trip down from Michigan to visit us and meet Brady.  They stayed for a week at our place.  It was so much fun having visitors!

Uncle Jason came to visit from San Diego and met Brady for the first time!  All the Uncles and the 2 grandbabies!

March

March 1st: Their Mama's put them in matching St. Patty's day outfits.

Wearing a SD Padres outfit from Uncle Jason. 

My lucky charm!

This was the month that Brady started to enjoy bath time.

My little stinker!

At the end of March, Brady made his first road trip up to Michigan.  We drove for 3 days and two nights driving through 8 states.  Brady did very well on this road trip.  We stayed with Grandma/pa W for 2 weeks.

Brady celebrated his first Easter in Bay City, Michigan at St. Stan's.

Brady's first Easter Basket full of books and a bib shaped like a chick.

All bundled up in his cousins snow suit in Michigan. 

Playing with his cousin.

April

We were lucky enough to be in Michigan for the birth of Cousin E

While in Michigan, Mike's sisters and Mom threw me and Brady a Sip N' See at Harvey's Restuarant in Bay City for all the relatives to come and meet Brady.

Me, Mike, Brady, and Busia

Brady also made his first trip to San Antonio this month. 

Mike and I also celebrated 2 years of marriage.  To celebrate, we took Brady out to dinner at La Cinterra to enjoy BBQ on the patio.

May

Brady went to his first baseball game at Minute Maid park to watch the Astros v. the Tigers.

Sporting his Tiger's gear.

I celebrated my first Mother's Day with my two favorite boys!

This month we enjoyed Friday nights at City Centre in Town and Country where we ate dinner outdoors and listened to live music.

June

I celebrated my birthday at Yard House in City Centre with Mike, Brady, and my parents.

At the beginning of this month, we took our second road trip of the year back up to Michigan where we stayed for a whole month. This is Brady's second trip up to Michigan. 

Along the drive up north, we made a stop in Nashville, Tennessee on Brady's 5 month birthday.  We walked around Hillsboro Village as well as toured  Vanderbilt University where we couldn't get enough of the beautiful magnolia trees all around campus.  We stopped at Mass at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in downtown.  The we headed over to the Strip where we stumbled upon Fan Fest and got to hear some live bands perform.

During our stay in Michigan, I took advantage of the nice summer weather and went on daily walks up and down the road where Mike's parents live along side the corn fields.

Daddy and Brady playing in the grass and enjoying the cool summer weather.

Brady made his first visit to Frankenmuth, Michigan where we showed PawPaw and Mimi around and then took them to eat at Zender's. Brady also made his first visit to Bronner's 

Brady Celebrated his Baptism at St. Stan's Catholic Church.  Cousin E got baptized along side him. Afterwards we celebrated with a backyard party at Grandma/pa W's house.

Father's Day

Mike celebrated his first Father's Day!  We are so lucky to have such a wonderful Daddy!

Brady celebrated Father's day with Grandpa W and with...

PawPaw!

This month Brady enjoyed lots of play time in the Exersaucer.

Brady also started eating rice cereal this month.

We made a short drive from Bay City to Caseville to visit the beach.  

We took Brady to his first St. Stan's Polish Festival.

July

Brady celebrated his first 4th of July in Bay, City.  

 After the 4th, we said good-bye to our Michigan family after enjoying a month long visit and started the long drive back home to Texas. But first we made a stop in Destin, Florida to visit Tammy and cousin Emily!

Brady turned 6 months old in Destin, Fl.

August

I decided to go back into teaching after being a stay-at-home-mommy for 7 months.  I accepted a job to teach PreK in the school district where I grew up and graduated high school.  While Mama and Daddy were working, Brady got to stay with Aunt BoBo, Emily, PawPaw, and MiMi!

This month Brady started crawling around and getting into all types of trouble.

We enjoyed lots of evening walks around the neighborhood.

September

Not much went on this month except that we decided to build a house...

First day of day care.
 Brady started day care this month.  There is a day care facility at my job, so Brady and I got to drive to work together each morning. 

Brady started standing up in his crib this month.  

October

Brady continues to explore around the house...

Brady visits Seven Lakes Pumpkin Patch.

We also took Brady to Dewberry Farms...

Brady dressed up as a little monkey for his first Halloween...

November

My little turkey celebrated his first Thanksgiving.

First Thanksgiving as a family of three!

December

 Family pictures for Christmas cards

For Christmas, we took a 2 week trip to Michigan to be with Mike's family. This was Brady's third trip to Michigan, but his first time in an airplane. Although we had some delays traveling from Houston to Detroit, Brady did such a good job both in the airport while we were waiting and on the plane.  He is such a good little traveler!  

Waiting at the airport

Visiting Frankenmuth 

Opening presents on Christmas Eve 

Christmas morning at Grandma/pa W's house

  Brady enjoyed his first Prus Christmas Party up in Gaylord, Michigan. We got to stay at Busia's house and Brady enjoyed playing and spending time with Busia.

Brady enjoyed lots of quality time with Grandma and Grandpa and loved playing with all his Michigan cousins!

On New Year's Eve, everyone gathered at Grandma/pa W's house and we celebrated Brady's 1st Birthday.

Everyone in the living room ready to watch the ball drop on NYE.

This is what the weather looked like during our two week trip in Michigan.

During our two week trip to Michigan, we experienced an ice storm upon arrival, Brady had two ear infections and visited urgent care twice, and we got stuck in one of the worst snow storms Michigan has experienced in recent years.  The snow storm delayed our trip home by a few days, but we eventually made it home safely to the Lone Star State!

Happy 11 months, Brady Bear!

I have an 11 month old!  One more month and I will have a ONE year old baby boy! 

So what does the 11th month bring?  This...

...the temper tantrum!  The one where he throws himself to the floor and fake cries. My favorite is when he throws himself to the floor and places his head into his arm as he cries.  So dramatic, this kid!

This is another classic...

...the open-mouth cry!  When this boy gets mad, he will bust out in all kinds of wailing and crying. And temper-throwing.  

Besides the tantrums, 11 month also brings this...

...all kinds of silliness, laughter, mischief, smiles, cuteness, and fun times!

At 11 months:

-wearing 12-18 month clothing

-wearing size 4 diapers

-has one tooth on the bottom, but I can tell a few more pearly whites will make an appearance soon due to the excessive saliva and slobber coming from Brady's mouth, as well as his constant need to chew on everything.

-diagnosed with eczema this month. Brady has a bad breakout on his face, as well as on his arms, back, and legs. 

-with teething and being sick, Brady has been sleeping horrible at night.  Brady has never slept through the night, but this month he has been waking up and crying more than usual. However, my little cat napper has started taking 2 hour naps during the day!  

-is 24 pounds

-celebrated his first Thanksgiving

-is eating just about everything Mama and Daddy eat.  Brady's favorites are yogurt, waffles, pasta, turkey, chicken, beef, and puffs.

-still takes formula in a bottle about 4 times a day. We tried using a sippy cup this month and Brady did not like it.

-is standing for long periods of time

-can take up to 10 steps unassisted

-climbs up the stairs

-waves hi and bye

-loves to jump up and down on the couch

-loves music and dances whenever he hears a tune

-loves reading books, especially loves when Mama reads "Peek-a-Boo, I Love You"

-loves cars, balls, and push toys

-Brady loves to walk around the house pushing his walker and can turn his walker to any direction

-still loves his Wubby

-has such a fun and happy personality!  He loves getting attention from others, but mostly, I think he just loves to flash his beautiful smile at everyone he sees!

Big Ten!

Hellooo 10 months!  This has been a big month for my little Bear!

This past month was full of many firsts:  Brady's first time to a pumpkin patch and Dewberry farms; first Halloween and trick-or-treating at the mall; first trip to the ER courtesy of a 102.8 fever and croup;  first ear infection; first major diaper rash;  first tooth(well, more like a little pearly white sprouting from the gum line; first taste of non-pureed foods; and many first tumbles, falls, and bruises!

Brady's personality continues to come out more and more.  He is such a happy baby!  He smiles, waves, and claps at anyone he sees. He giggles and laughs at just about anything.  He will giggle with joy when he sees his cousin Emily.  They have a love-hate relationship right now. They love each other when they are not together, but then are crying and fighting when they are together.  Brady doesn't understand the concept of taking turns and sharing.  He likes to take things out of Emily's hands especially if its food. Brady also likes to chase Emily to which Emily goes running the other way screaming, "No, No, No".

Brady is also a little jokester!  He loves to take off crawling and then stop and turn around to giggle at me until I get up and chase him. Brady loves to wrestle on the floor with Mama and Daddy, as well as climb on and over Daddy. And nothing brings out a giggle than pulling on Mama's hair. He thinks it's the funniest thing in the world. He also loves to play peek-a-boo, throw things, and stick out his little tongue at people!

Brady is a typical boy!  He is fearless and always on the go.  He has been refining his skills of cruising the furniture, crawling under tables, pulling things off the coffee table, reaching up to pull on something, pushing buttons, climbing the stairs or big toys, opening and closing drawers and cabinets, pushing toys across the floor, banging on everything, and getting into all kinds of trouble.  And he does all this with a cute smile and a sweet giggle.

Brady at 10 months:

-Sleep:  It's no surprise that Brady continues to be a horrible sleeper!  He is the king of cat naps!  He takes two 20 minute naps during the day. If we are lucky, he will have three naps.  And if we are really lucky, he will take a nap that is longer than 20 minutes!  He still does not sleep through the night. Since he has been sick so much this month, he has been waking up numerous times during the night.  We try to put Brady to bed by 8:30 at night and then Brady will be up for the day at 5:30 am.  He is a ball of energy from the time he wakes up until the time we put him to bed at night!

-Eat:  Brady has been eating much more food and taking less formula this month.  He takes 4 six oz bottles of formula during the day and eats three meals of food along with snacks during the day.  He loves bananas, yogurt, puffs, mum-mums, and yogurt melts!

-weighs about 23 lbs

-wears size 4 diapers and 12-18 month clothing

-still loves bath time and loves to play and splash in the water.  Once he hears the bath running, he will make a mad dash for the bath tub!  He has started standing in the bath tub and loves to try and reach shampoo bottles and wash cloths.

-started waving and clapping this month

-loves when Mama sings to him and reads him books

-his hair is still a golden brown and about the same length as last month, but his hair has started to curl up a little in the back

-scared of sneezes and loud coughs

-answers to his name

-understands when I say "NO"

-can throw a mean tantrum when I take a toy or object away from him

-has the cutest pout face!

Little Bear is 9 months old

My sweet baby boy is now nine months old!  This month has come and gone so quickly! And in baby world, there is so much change and growth that happens within a month.

 Brady is so much fun this month!  He is so playful, energetic, and curious!  I love watching him play and move around and discover things!  If he is not showing off his favorite skills of pulling himself up to a standing position and cruising around on furniture, then he is sneaking off somewhere to open a drawer, pull at a cord, crawl under small spaces, bang toys together, or put something strange in his mouth. This baby of mine is all boy!  He loves cars, balls, and throwing things!  Brady loves to play with this bouncy ball that is just as big as he is.  He will laugh and grunt at the ball as he tries to wrestle, tackle, or bite it.  It's all fun and games with the big ball until the bouncy ball overpowers him and knocks him to his butt.

This month, Brady has become very attached to Mama!  Mama secretly loves it!  There is nothing sweeter than having your baby boy reach his tiny baby arms upward to you wanting to be held!  He will cry when I leave a room or whenever I am not in his sight.  He also cries when I first enter a room or within his view, and he will then crawl over to me and demand I pick him up and hold him. Of course, I oblige to this very demand because he is simply too cute not to pick him up.  Brady has been very snuggly with me this month, and I have a feeling it's because he has been in daycare for a whole month now and he simply doesn't get enough attention there.  I am loving all the clingy, snuggly, sweetness from my Brady Bear this month!  It warms my mommy heart to no end!

He is still a lover of the outdoors and loves to go on daily walks around the neighborhood.  We have been enjoying the cooler evenings in the backyard after dinner time and have let Brady roam around freely in the grass. Besides the occasional grass in his mouth, I love letting Brady crawl around the grass and explore!

Brady at 9 months:

-At his 9 month appointment, Brady weighed in at 22.4 lbs (86 %); 29 inches in height (75%); and 18.5 inches in head circumference ( 93%).  Now that Brady is crawling, cruising, and standing, he has really started to thin out and slow down in his weight gain.
-Squeals, babbles, and laughs so much!  He can say dada, mama, and ba(ball).  He likes to hear himself grunt and squeal out loud.
-Brady is still a horrible sleeper!  He falls asleep at night a little before 9 pm.  He always wakes up about 2-3  times during the night. Usually it's because he lost his paci or a wet diaper.  He is up for the day usually around 5:30 am. He takes a 20-30 minute nap every 3-4 hours.  
-Brady takes 6 oz of formula 5 times a day plus eats his pureed food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He also likes to snack on mum-mums, puffs, yogurt melts, and puffs. My boy loves to eat!
-Monday through Thursday, Brady goes to daycare.  Brady drives to work with Mama on these days.  Brady's daycare is in the same building as Mama's work.  I love this because I get to drop in during my lunch break to say hello and give him kisses.  I also love that I can look out my window of my classroom and see the daycare ladies taking the kids and Brady for their daily walks around the courtyard in their big red buggy.
-He is still toothless!  We are waiting for some pearly whites to sprout soon!
-Brady is done army crawling!  He is now crawling on his hands and knees!  If he is not crawling, he is cruising on furniture or walking around in his walker. 
-This month Brady has been experiencing a lot of congestion and stuffiness in his nose.  I blame it on daycare and the horrible Texas fall allergies!  Poor kiddo cries because his nose is so stuffy.  And he is not a fan of the nasal aspirators, so it's hard to help the little guy!
-He still loves taking baths and splashing and playing in the water.
-We moved Brady out of his infant car seat to a convertible car seat.  It's still rear-facing, but he just looks like such a big boy!
-Loves to clap, bang toys and make loud noises, and throw his toys or food.
-Still attached to his Wubbanub paci
-He understands "no" and turns his head when I call his name.
-loves to read books and have Mama and Daddy sing to him
-He will throw a tantrum and arch his back when he gets frustrated
-Loves people and will give a big smile to anyone who gives him attention
-Loves his cousin Emily
-Loves raspberries from Mama and Daddy and will laugh the cutest laugh when he receives them
-Loves going to Mass each Sunday and loves to stare at all the people and listen to the music and prayers! Such a good little Catholic baby boy I have!

I love you so much Brady Bear!  You are my sunshine!