4 months

I can't believe how fast the time goes by and how much this little boy has changed in 4 months. Looking back, I can hardly remember how little he used to be. Braeden is doing so great these days. Chad and I are amazed everyday by some new little face or sound he is making.

I love how he grabs both of his feet and rolls into a little ball. Apparently this is called the happy
baby pose in yoga and judging how much Braeden does this, he is definitely a happy baby.






He also started turning over (both ways) during the last month. The funny thing is, for some reason he finds it easier to turn from his back to his stomach, which I believe is supposed to be the harder way to turn. In fact, he will turn over to his stomach almost as soon as I lay him down to sleep, and then he freaks himself out because he has a hard time turning back. I guess he will either get used to sleeping on his stomach or learn how to turn back more quickly. But it is definitely making his already undesirable sleeping habits a little more challenging. Oh well, some day consist ant sleep will come :-)




This is a picture of him at about 4 months in his exersaucer. He LOVES this thing and he really hasn't figure out all the toys yet. I can't wait to see how much he loves it when he discovers everything it does.






He is also a bubble blowing champion. One of his favorite things to do is blow is lips back at you when you do it to him. I have even been lucky enough to catch it on video :-)

His 4 month visit went great. He is 15 lbs 12 oz and 26 1/2 inches long. Definitely a big boy.
It has been such a thrill being a parent. I am amazed by how much he grows and changes each week. I am constantly reminding myself to enjoy every stage, because he will be on to something new soon :-)

Go Broncos!

I love fall in Colorado. Not only is the weather fabulous, but it is the beginning of football season! As you all know, I am a die hard Bronco fan and when I married Chad I was lucky enough to marry into Broncos season tickets. I joke with Chad that his season tickets closed the deal :-)

Lucky for us, Braeden has 2 sets of amazing grandparents that are willing to babysit during Bronco games. However, I wanted to wait until Braeden was 4 months old until I left him for a long period of the day. He is not a great bottle taker and his naps aren't the greatest yet (hopefully, that will change soon), so Chad and I decided to watch the first home game of the season, Broncos vs. Cleveland, from home. They won, and Braeden got to wear his Bronco outfit.

As you can tell, he was very excited about the outcome of the game!

I am definitely looking forward to the games this year, and I am really looking forward to taking Braeden to a game when he gets older. This kid has no choice, he will be a Bronco fan!

More Park Time

It has really been a very cool thing to share the experience of motherhood with my best friend Liz. Our boys are only 3 weeks apart in age and really go through the baby stages at just about the same time. On September 9th, Declan had his 4 month appointment, so Liz took the day off from teaching to take him to the pediatrician. That afternoon, Braeden and I met Liz and Declan at Wash Park. For those of you who don't live in Denver, Wash Park is (in my opinion) the best park in Denver. It has lots of paths, huge grassy areas, multiple playgrounds, a small lake, basketball and tennis courts, and just about everything you would ever want from a park.

On this particular day, Liz and I loaded the boys in the strollers and walked on one of the paths until we found a nice shaded spot (with not too much goose poop, one of the only problems at the park.) I laid out a blanket and we unloaded the boys and some of the toys we brought. It was a great day hanging out with our little guys and catching up on each others lives. I am soo looking forward to all of the fun times ahead.

Labor Day Weekend!

This Labor Day weekend was a little different than those of years past. Usually I was out of town, either in Aspen playing volleyball or Vegas gambling and staying up way too late. This year, not only do we have a new baby, but Chad is involved in a major move at work that required him to work all of the weekends in September, including the long holiday weekend. Needless to say, we stayed in town :-)

Friday night we stayed home and had a little family barbecue. We have definitely used our grill more this summer than any other. I have really come to appreciate a relaxing Friday night at home (I never thought I would say that :-)

Since Chad was working on Saturday, I scheduled some fun Braeden and Mommy adventures. My parents have been going to the Cherry Creek Farmers market on Saturday mornings for the past several years. I have always wanted to join them, however, they go at 7:30 am, and in all summer's before this one, I was definitely asleep on Saturday morning at 7:30 am. As all of you mom's out there know, 7:30 am is now a perfectly acceptably hour to be up and out and about. So, Braeden and I headed down to Cherry Creek to meet Grandma and Grandpa Staebell. I really can't express how cool it is to see my parents with Braeden. I knew they would be great grandparents, and that doesn't even begin to describe them. That Saturday morning at the Farmer's market, I couldn't help by smile as my dad proudly toted Braeden around to all of the different shops at the market. He loves his grandson and jumps at any opportunity to carry him around and show him off. I am soo glad my parents are nearby, not only for all the help they provide me, but for all of the memories they get to share with Braeden. It was a great morning at the Farmer's Market and I know it will be even more fun next summer when Grandpa is chasing, rather than carrying, Braeden around.

After the Farmer's market, my mom, Braeden and I met my Aunt Luanne at an antique fair that was near my house. Braeden fell asleep on the way there and slept in his stroller for the next hour and a half. My little guy isn't the greatest sleeper. In fact, he sleeps best in his carseat/stroller. This is a situation I am working on fixing (meaning getting him to sleep longer in the crib), but on this particular day, I was just happy he was getting a nice long nap. He looked so comfy in his stroller and I thought it was really cute the way he had his hand resting on his toy cow.

Our Saturday didn't stop there. That afternoon Braeden and I met Liz and Declan at Wash Park. We don't get to see them as often now that Liz is back at work, so this was a special treat (more for me than Braeden :-) When we arrived at the park, we found a nice shaded area and spread out a blanket to play with the boys. However, nature and the weather had other plans for us. Within about 15 minutes of our arrival, it began to rain. At first it was just a light sprinkle and with the shade of the tree, we could hardly feel it. When the rain started to come down a little harder, Liz and I quickly realized we needed to find cover, and fast. We loaded the boys into their strollers and headed for a small covered area near the rec center. We proceeded to stand there with 2 other ladies who were out for a walk for the next 45 minutes, huddled away from the rain. Luckily, Braeden fell asleep and Declan took a bottle, so both boys were mostly happy. Not quite the afternoon at the park we had planned, but not much goes as planned these days :-) This picture was taken after the rain stopped and we were getting ready to go home. Trying to get them both to look at the camera at the same time was a daunting and unsuccessful task. Braeden and I are definitely looking forward to lots of future visits to the park with Liz and Declan.

After a long Saturday of events, Sunday and Monday were fairly uneventful, and thankfully so. We hung out with dad, cooked out and relaxed. There is no other way I would have rather spent my Labor Day weekend!