Just Daddy and Me!

Quentin has gotten the unique experience of staying at home with Brady while he is in between semesters. And Brady LOVES his Daddy, as you can see. (Also check out how chubby his little legs are getting). It is fun to see them play together and even better when Brady laughs! And it's a lot easier to go to work knowing that Brady will be taken care of by someone who loves him as much as I do! I am so blessed to have a husband so willing to help with Brady. He is such a great dad and Brady and I love him so much!

3 Months

Hard to believe this boy is 3 months already! He is so close to rolling from back to belly and he loves to do big boy things like have you help him sit up and stand up. He thinks he's pretty hot stuff when he does that! He also loves to suck on his hands (and ours). He is just generally a happy guy (of course he has his moments, but who doesn't?) and so stinkin cute!

Back to Work

Well, my 12 weeks of staying at home sadly came to an end this week and I was forced back to reality...back to work. And by back to work I mean my paying job because, as any mom knows, staying at home to take care of a baby is by no means an easy job! I had a very hard time leaving him that first day. In fact I was in tears most of the night before and in the morning before I left for work, on my way to work, in the parking lot of work, and so forth. But I survived. And Brady survived. And Quentin survived his first day of Mr. Mom. And then I did better the next day (although it was still hard to leave, especially because he was so smiley!). Here we are before I left for work my first day back.Quentin is officially done with his semester. Aliisa was kind enough to watch Brady this morning during Quentin's last final. We are so lucky to have such a good family to volunteer to help out like that, and it is a lot easier on me to leave him with family than at daycare (which will eventually come, but I prefer not to think of that). Quentin doesn't start back until he starts his program on June 21, so he gets a whole month of being Mr. Mom. It will be a good experience for him to bond with Brady and I hope he is as happy as I am that he gets the opportunity. Also Brady was sweet enough to roll over for the first time the day before I went back to work. He has done it several more times as well, but Quentin has yet to see it.

So going back to work is not really all bad. And after going back I have realized just how much harder my job was when I was pregnant...now it seems so much easier physically. I try to think positively to make it easier, so here is the positive:
1. I bring home a paycheck
2. I get awesome benefits (our insurance really is the best!)
3. Bringing home a paycheck will (hopefully) allow us to continue debt-free, even with outrageous tuition
4. I get adult interaction
5. It gives me the opportunity to show off how cute my baby boy is (trust me, I have shown pictures to everyone I can think of!)
6. This month it allows Brady and Quentin time to grow closer
7. I think it helps me appreciate the time I do have with Brady even more
8. We don't have to wear green scrubs anymore! Seems pathetic that I get so excited by this, but I had to wear my Hunter Greens for two years and the two years before that as a student I had to wear black. So having options is nice.
8. At the end of the day, I get to come home to this...
...and then it's all worth it!

Wal-mart Pictures

We took Brady to Wal-Mart to get his 3 month pictures (it's about a week early, but I wanted to be there for the pictures, and I go back to work Thursday). He did so good and it was very hard to pick one. Anyway, here's the link if you want to see. Let me know what your favorite is!

Click for Cute Pictures!

Mother's Day

I had a great first Mother's Day and it all started with Brady giving me the best gift he could...a good night's sleep! The last few nights had been a little rough with the sleep training stuff, but I think this little guys is really catching on. He learned almost immediately how to put himself to sleep when you first set him down at bedtime or naps (like on the first day!) and the tricky part has been learning to put himself back to sleep when he wakes up in the night, but even that is improving and I am so proud of how well he is doing. Not to mention I feel so much better and more energized and able to care for him appropriately I think. So anyway, thanks little guy, that's just what Mommy wanted! I also got pretty much everything I wanted from Quentin for Mother's Day: some kitchen shears (to be used ONLY in the kitchen so I don't have to hunt them down every time I want to use them), new mixing bowls as ours were really wearing thin (literally, one has a little cut in it so it does not hold anything really), a new body pillow since mine was one I made 5 or 6 years ago and was pretty nappy looking, and a card that he put little scribbles on a said was from Brady. It was a really great day and I am so grateful to be a mom. It is definitely hard work, but one of the most rewarding things ever.

Bumbos and Overalls

Yesterday Brady wore overalls for the first time. And anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE overalls and when I was a little girl I wore them all the time and cried when I outgrew them. I mean, look at this and tell me it's not adorable! If he looks a little tired, it might be because he refused to sleep the night before and took VERY short naps all day, making for a very long day and a grumpy boy (and mom). And then it took nearly 3 hours to get him down last night. It was awful and something I would rather not have to endure ever again. So tonight we will start with the Ferber method. Yes, it is kind of a cry it out, but you go in periodically and reassure him you are still there. Basically it forces them to learn to put themselves to sleep, which is what we need. It is supposed to take less than a week, so I guess we'll see. Cross your fingers (and maybe say a little prayer) because we need to figure something out so I can make it through the day at work. I go back next week already!
In an effort to get some relief from this fussiness yesterday, I was willing to try just about anything. Sadly nothing really worked, and if it did it was very short-lived. Brady loves to have you help him sit up. He thinks he's pretty hot stuff when he's sitting, so I gave the Bumbo a shot. He is probably too young, but like I said, I was willing to try anything. And he was happy....errr until he realized it had been a whole 5 minutes since he cried. As you can see, head control is still a work in progress.

Our KC Getaway

Brady made his first trip to Kansas City this weekend and did a pretty good job in the car. He screamed his head off at first, but once I moved to the back with him he was ok. He took a bottle in his carseat when he got hungry, so we didn't have to make any stops along the way...what a trooper! We stayed with Michelle and Kendall and had a great time. Friday night we watched Tangled and it was really cute. Saturday was the 5K, and Quentin is proud to say he ran the whole way with absolutely no training (and is feeling it now!) We went to some garage sales before the race and then I dropped off our racers and Brady and I went to park...out in Timbuktu. It was seriously like a 20-25 minute walk just to get to this dang race and the road we had to walk did not have a shoulder. So basically I risked my life - and Brady's - to go cheer on these racers! Brady did really well the whole time and was content to sit in his stroller and chew on his burp cloth most of the time. It was right by the temple they are building in Kansas City, so it was fun to get to see that and we look forward to going inside soon enough. Saturday afternoon was Garrett's birthday party. Can you believe this little guy is a year old already? He is so cute and it is funny to watch him walk because he just seems too little to be walking. We had a great time as always. And to make it even better, Brady got to meet his Great Grandma Weekes, who was returning from her winter in Hawaii.