Hometeaching according to Tom...

My Big One-Year-Old Boy

Braxton had his one year well check on the 27th. Here are his numbers:
30.5 inches tall (75%)
22.6 lbs (66%)
Head circ. 18 inches (38%)

Here are some of the new things our little one year old has been up to.

Braxton loves craisins. A 3 lb bag from Costco lasts us about 3 weeks.
He is a picky eater, but has six foods that he will eat consistently every time:
craisins, cheerios, toast w/ peanut butter, yogurt, grilled cheese, and oatmeal.

I love this picture. It is my new favorite. We have been teaching Braxton how to wave hello and bye bye. He will do it sometimes, but moves his whole arm (like a barbie, haha).

Figured out how to drink from a straw

Loves books, balls, and cars

Love of my life. Second to Kyle ;)

He looks so peaceful when he sleeps. Don't be deceived-- he is a crappy sleeper!
That is a whole different post though.

Standing and walking. His favorite place to play is in the kitchen. He likes to take the lids on and off of the tupperware and to roll his golf balls on the hard floor.

Obsessed with buttons, zippers, strings, knobs, etc.
Here he is eating the buckles in his infant carseat.

He loves anything that makes noise. Don't worry, there isn't advil in there!
And I love how he crosses his ankles.

Fell asleep on my lab the other day. It's hard to tell, but he was sitting facing me and bent forward to rest his head on my lap. Not sure how comfortable that is, but he fell asleep like that...

Watching TV with Uncle Chad. Braxton will watch about 2 seconds of TV before he is bored and wants to play.

Loves being outside. Loves going for walks in his stroller. watching the cars drive by, and going to the park and playing on the swings.

Learned how to clap his hands. This picture was taken right outside the temple. I would say "Yay for the temple!" and he would get all excited and start clapping.

Putting his golf balls in the cup holder for his new big boy car seat.


I love, love, love this stage of child development. It is so much fun to have a one year old. Everything is funny and there is the perfect balance of parental reliance and independence.
Braxton is still a little mama's boy, but sure gets excited when Daddy gets home and they get to wrestle and rough play. When he is tired or hungry though, you can bet he wants his mama.
I am trying to wean this guy. I never thought that I would be nursing past a year. If I could just get this turkey to sleep through the night again, we would hardly be nursing at all. No worries, it will happen soon enough. Braxton started taking steps a few days before his birthday and by the next week he was everywhere. It is so cute to watch him toddle around. Plus, now that he is walking, I make him go throw away his diapers after I change him. He walks all the way from his room, through the living room and into the kitchen and throws the diaper away. It's awesome! Braxton also has a new fascination with kids. Both babies and bigger kids. He loves to touch babies, but he isn't very soft. And he laughs at them all the time. It is so cute!
We are currently working on a couple things with him: folding his arms for prayers, waving hi/bye, pointing out items in his books and to things that he wants (ie- pointing to his sippy cup if he wants a drink instead of just screaming). It is getting easier to teach him new things because he understands SOOO much more now. He can follow simple commands like "Let's go throw your diaper away" or "Let's go in your room and read stories and get ready for nap time."

I love my son so much. Each day I have to spend with him is a blessing. I always wanted to be a mom, but to experience it is so much better than I ever expected it to be. So grateful to have this sweet and silly boy in our family.

Love Notes

So in our ward's Relief Society, we have a fun little tradition of writing "love notes" to the girls in our ward. We have a binder that gets passed around each Sunday during Relief Society and in this binder are a bunch of envelopes, each with the name of a sister in our ward. As the binder is passed around, sisters are able to write little notes to each other and leave them in the envelopes. Not something typically done in a traditional family ward, but it is a lot of fun.

This past Sunday I got a love note that truly touched me, and I wanted to post part of it.

"...I love watching what a good little mom you are for Braxton. You have so much patience no matter how wiggly he gets. During the Sacrament I was sitting in front of you and I think I even overheard you trying to tell Braxton about Jesus. He is so blessed to have you as a mother. Thank you for your wonderful example..."

I read this note for the first time during Relief Society. It made me tear up just reading it. Actually, every time I read it I start tearing up. Yes, this is a really sweet note, and yes I do try to teach Braxton about Jesus during the Sacrament (that IS what it is for, obviously). But that isn't what got to me. I really feel like this sister was prompted to write this note to me. Last week was a rough week. Every day seemed to be filled with situations that left me thinking, "oh man, I really should have handled that situation with Braxton better" or "wow, I really need to be more patient with Braxton today." I think I really just needed to hear that I am a good mom and to be reminded that I am trying my hardest. Because I am. I try dang hard to be the best mom I can be. And I think I do a pretty good job. Most of the time. But sometimes I fall a little short and I get a little short-tempered. Especially when I am overly sleep deprived. Which pretty much describes every day last week. I am just very grateful for this sister that LISTENED to the Spirit and HELPED ME in my time of weakness and for my Heavenly Father that knew I needed a little pick-me-up.

Braxton's First Birthday!

Our little man turned one on February 22nd! We can't believe that it has already been a year since our sweet little baby was born. We had a little get together with some of our family that lives in the area-- just small and low key. Perfect for our little guy.

For his cake, I made cupcakes into The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It is one of Braxton's favorite books.

(sorry the picture isn't that great. I promise it looked a lot better in real life!)

Braxton wouldn't even touch his cupcake. I was kind of disappointed that he didn't smashed it and make a huge mess, but that's ok. It's just the way he is-- very cautious and reserved.

Here's a picture of my big 1 year old boy! I can't believe how grown up he is.

Sadly, I don't have any other first birthday pictures. Only videos. So here is a video for all the family back home of Braxton opening one of his presents. Thanks to all of our family for the presents! Our little guy sure is spoiled!