Brandt Grows Up: ELEVEN Months!

This is the last monthly update before we have a one year old. My stomach seriously hurts just writing this. Ohhhh how there are a thousand things that I am looking forward to about my babies growing up, but ohhhhhh how I LOVE my babies. Can't I just keep ONE of them little (especially my best sleeper)???  He's so close to walking, and I know he will lose so much of his baby-ness once that happens. I seriously cry just thinking about it. My baby is growing up. In just 6.5 short years, I went from a young girl that always dreamed about being a mom but really wasn't sure if she'd be any good at it, to a 32 year-old Mama that can't even remember what life was like before her babies.  Ahhhh, anyway, back to the sweet little guy that makes our world so fun!  Weight: 22 lbs, 6 oz. 
(Thank you to the amazing Maleigh Canon of Canon Creek Photography for the following three amazing pictures of my little guy!)

 Size: Brandt is still wearing a size 4 diaper! (Side note: Felicity ran out of pull ups a couple of weeks ago, so she and Brandt shared diapers for a few days! I think it's hilarious that they can wear the same size!) He also wears size 12m and 12-18 m clothes! He also still wears size 4 shoes!

Development: Brandt babbles constantly! He also has a few words! He says, "Hi," "Da Da," "Ma Ma," "Go,"and he also signs "bye bye," "all done," and "eat." Brandt hardly ever "army crawls" anymore. He crawls like a big boy, he stands for several seconds at a time by himself, and he "cruises" around everything that he can pull up to. He also loves to walk holding our hands. :) One of Brand'ts favorite things is to point at things and people he likes/wants! Brandt still just has two teeth (though that doesn't stop him from eating), but his third tooth has finally broken through the skin! 

Sleeping: Brandt has started sleeping again! He went about 8 nights where he was up at least half of the night, but he was sick and teething, so we're all so happy he's back to normal! He usually goes to bed just after 7pm, and he usually sleeps until 7 am as well. He also still takes one or two naps per day. I think he is already trying to transition to one big nap in the middle of the day, but sometimes he still takes a short morning nap around 10am, and then he'll take another nap around 2:30, but he's pretty flexible. 

Eating: Brandt still loves to eat. He gets four bottles a day, and we will start weaning those in just a couple of weeks. He went through 7-8 days where he didn't want any people food, but his appetite is back. By far, his favorite food is grilled cheese and grapes! He also loves Annie's cheddar bunnies and lots of vegetables! We gave him a tiny lick of ice cream on his 11 month birthday (third kid perks), and he went crazy over it! We told him he'd have to wait another month for his own portion of sweets, but he was a fan of just the lick, too! :)

Brandt just experienced his first Christmas! It was precious to watch his little face as he watched the girls dive into all things Christmas. He loved the music, and on Christmas morning, he was able to help open his present! He still melts my heart with big, open-mouthed (and rather aggressive) kisses (that sometimes turn into bites)! He also has started trying to "kiss" his sisters. Felicity screams, and Avaree just giggles! He loves them so much. 

It's so much fun to have a baby boy. He loves to play, and we play all day long. He especially loves if anyone is on the floor with him. If you lie down, he will crawl over you again and again. :) He bonks his head all of the time, and he rarely ever cries. He's just a precious little love muffin. 

We love you, Brandt Ryder--even if you keep us on our toes more than we ever imagined!  PLEASE STOP GROWING UP SO FAST!  WE LOVE YOU!

Brandt Grows Up: Five Months!

On Friday, our baby Brandt turned FIVE MONTHS OLD!!!! Five Month Stats: Weight: 18 lbs, 6 oz Height: 26.5 in.

Sizes: Brandt is still wearing size three diapers, but I had to put away the 3-6 month clothes. This is my third baby, and I still cry when I pack up clothes. I thought that I cried with Avaree because she was my first, with Felicity's clothes because they were also Avaree's, and I was envisioning two babies wearing them, but this time I have mostly borrowed clothes that I've never seen before, and I still cry. I'd say that I am just in love with my children and that growing up is bittersweet. Brandon and I were talking yesterday, and he was saying how he is looking forward to the stage where the kids don't need naps anymore, and we can just go and do more freely with them, and just hearing those words made me want to cry! I know that I will love every stage that my kids are in (and I will not be sad to sleep all night again!); however, I love my babies. Anyway, he is in 6 month and 6-9 month clothes! He's the cutest baby boy I have ever seen, and he's the perfect size. :)  Sleeping: I know when Brandt goes to sleep because he grabs a big chunk of my hair with his right hand, and he reaches his left hand as far over my shoulder as he can get it while still snuggling his head between my shoulder and chin. While he's falling asleep he turns his head out, but when he's ready to go all the way to sleep, he always turns so that his cheek is next to mine. He always smells like a mixture of breast milk and lavender. I hope I never forget that smell or the feeling of his sweet little cheek against mine. Little buddy is sleeping better though. The 4-month sleep regression was real and rough, but we made it! :) He is still in his crib in our room, and Daddy was ready to move him yesterday, but Felicity still needs a crib! :) Brandt doesn't have a specific pattern for night sleeping lately. In fact, this past week, we (he and I) only slept 11 hours out of 5 nights. That was rough. Then, he slept for 10 hours two nights (Glory, hallelujah!) in a row before going back to the crazy sleeping patterns again! This boy! :)  Brandt also takes two larger naps, and one to two short naps per day! He always sleeps best when I'm holding him, but he's getting better about sleeping in his bed or our bed (with pillows around him). Way to go, buddy! He pretty much wakes up between 5:30 AM and 5:45 AM every morning, but it's hard not not be happy when you're awakened with a smiley, talking baby that just wants to give you lots of slobbery kisses. He just makes me smile!
Eating: My sweet little guy loves his mama milk. He eats every 3-3.5 hours, and he gets so excited when it's time to eat! :) He tried rice cereal with breast milk (out of a bowl and spoon) for the first time this week, but I think we proved to Daddy that he wasn't quite ready yet, so we'll wait till six months. Exclusively breastfeeding is not only a wonderful experience for my baby and for me, but it sure is easier. Once they start eating some, it changes things a bit! ;)
Playing: Brandt loves to play on his tummy on the floor! He chews on anything that he can get his hands on! He loves Sophie, the giraffe, his ball, his rattles, the mirror (he loves to look at himself), and his giraffe and elephant! He still loves his mat! Brandt also loves to roll over! His very favorite, though, is to be talked to! :) He loves to stand up and talk to us! His expressions are the best! I can be looking at him, and he'll notice me, and then his whole face will just erupt in the brightest smile! He just makes everyone happy! He especially loves his sisters that give him no less than one hundred kisses per day! :) Our latest development is that he can even sit up on his own for a few seconds at a time. His record is about 20-30 seconds right now! He wants to do it so badly! 

Disposition: He was a little fussy last week, but it turns out that he had his first ear infection! I'm proud that he has made it this long without any sickness, but the only reason that I knew he was sick this time is that his disposition changed just a bit. He was a little fussy, but the reason that I took him to the doctor was that he started scratching his ear (rather violently) so much so that he made it bleed! He always does his little Paw Paw move (where he puts his arm behind his head), but this was different. I had decided that it was either his teeth or his ears, so I'm very thankful that I took him to the doctor! He never ran a fever or even acted sick (aside from that little mannerism and disposition change). What a sweet pumpkin! Otherwise, he's happy most of the day! He gets upset when he's hungry, wet, or tired! That sounds pretty typical to me!  I love you sweetest baby boy!!!!!!!!!! You make my heart soar!