3 months

I am a little late in posting this, but Braxton turned 3 months old on Sunday. He didn't go in to the pediatricians office this month, so I don't have percentiles to go with his stats, but he is about 14 pounds and 25 inches long. He is growing so fast! Here are some new things that Braxton has learned in the past month!

• Braxton now sleeps through the night! I knew he was close because he has been waking up only once a night since he was about a month old. It is so nice getting that extra little bit of sleep at night. He also takes 2-3 naps throughout the day.
  
• Braxton smiles all the time and is a little chatter box now. He makes all sorts of baby coos and gurgles. He has also started making this awful high pitched squeal when he gets angry.
  
• He can hold his head up and loves to sit on my lap or to sit up on the couch.
• Braxton has recently discovered his hands, and he loves to suck on them. They have gotten really chapped and I have had to put vaseline on his hands with socks over them so they can heal. He gets so frustrated when I do this.
  
• Braxton started laughing the day before his 3 month birthday. It is the cutest sound in the world. He has to be in the right mood or he won't do it though. Usually right after he wakes up is the best time.
  
• He has started to drool. A LOT. He dribbles all down his front sometimes. I googled this and BabyCenter says that it is his body's way of preparing to digest solid foods. Interesting... :)
• Braxton still hates tummy time and will only go a couple of minutes without crying. However, before he starts crying he tries to scoot with his legs.
  
• Braxton loves to go outside. Sometimes when he is fussy, we will open the front door and stand out on our steps and he will instantly get quiet. He is absolutely fascinated by the outside world.
  
• He went up a diaper size. Yay for size 2! He is still in 0-3 mo. clothes though.
  
• Braxton has developed a new love for his silky. He loves having it rubbed on his face and chest. We play peek-a-boo with it sometimes with it and he LOVES that. If his silky is laying on his tummy he will grab it with his hands and move it up to his face. He likes it that much. And he loves to suck on it, too.

I am certain there is something that I am forgetting, but this is all I can think of. Braxton is such a sweet baby. We love him so much more than we ever thought possible. He is so much fun and we absolutely love playing with him- especially now that he is growing and changing so quickly. We love you, Buddy!

He Laughs!!

Braxton laughed for the first time on Sunday, May 22. Here he is laughing the next day. We had been playing for about a half hour before I recorded this, so it is not as good as it was when be started. It is still pretty cute though... Ignore my high pitched "I'm trying to make my baby laugh" mom voice. Enjoy!

Our Fun-Filled Weekend

This weekend was a lot of fun! On Friday, Kyle and I both had to work, but we were able to spend some time at home relaxing and recovering from the crazy week. It is always nice when Friday rolls around and we are finally able to spend some time together.

Saturday morning, I got up early and studied for my anatomy test. I took it around noon, and then Kyle and I had the whole rest of the day to do stuff together. We went to the grocery store and then came home and made some delicious potato salad for the Ward BBQ. The rest of the day was filled with lounging, snacks, laughing together, and naps. At 6:30, we had our ward BBQ, and it was SO MUCH FUN! I am really beginning to love our ward. There was tons of yummy food and games to play. It was fun to meet some new people.

Sunday afternoon, we were able to go to church together as a family. It was a great day with some really great lessons. After church, I went Visiting Teaching and then Kyle and I headed back to the church to meet with our bishop. We got new callings! :)

That evening, we had some friends over for fondu! It was our first time using our fondu set, and it was quite a hit. Kyle googled some recipes for dipping sauces that we made to go with the food. We fondu'd tater tots, onions, popcorn chicken, shrimp and steak. It was delish! Sam and Jeff brought dessert- these AMAZING brownies with marshmallows and fudge on top. They were so good. We ate the whole plate of them.

Also on Sunday, Braxton laughed for the first time. It was so cute-- such a precious sound. I don't think there is any sound happier than that of your baby laughing. Also, Braxton has slept through the night for the past 4 nights. Hopefully this is will turn out to be a permanent change!!

I Love My Husband

Last Sunday, we had a lesson in Relief Society based off of Richard G. Scott's conference talk "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage" (you can read the talk here). It was an awesome lesson with lots of discussion and interesting comments, and it has stuck with me all week. I feel like this lesson was meant to personally remind me of how great my husband is. Here are just a few reasons why Kyle is so wonderful...

• He is always setting goals for himself and for us as a couple. He is always working on improving himself, and it helps me to recognize ways in which I can be better and thus improve myself.
• He works very hard in school to keep his scholarship and to secure a good job that will support our family. Kyle just finished his hardest year in school and ended up with grades that were well above the average in each of his classes. He has spent so many hours studying so that he can get a good job after graduation.
• Kyle is very good at putting his own needs above my own. For example, after Braxton was born I had a hard time finding clothes to wear to church that would allow me to nurse Braxton since most of what I have are dresses. Kyle took me shopping so that I could get a couple new skirts so that I could nurse Braxton without having to practically strip in the Mother's Room. Ya, he figured out a way to afford for me to get new clothes. How many guys would encourage their wives to spend money on themselves?! :)
• Kyle is very service oriented. He will do anything to make me happy. A lot of the time, I don't even have to ask for him to help out. If he notices that the floor needs to be vacuumed or diapers taken out to the dumpster, he will do it. Last week I came home from class to find our bed made, laundry started, and him in the kitchen doing dishes.
• Although he would probably say otherwise, Kyle is a man of great faith. Whenever "something big" happens in our marriage, Kyle is always calm and works to figure out a solution instead of just freaking out (like I would do :) He is really good at recognizing that sometimes the plans that we have for our life just aren't the same as Heavenly Father's plan for us. He is able to adjust to the situation even though it might not be an easy change to make.
• He is a great father. I love Kyle even more now that I have seen him as a dad. He and Braxton already have a special relationship-- Braxton gives all his best smiles to his Daddy. Kyle is so sweet to our son, and I know that Kyle is able to see him as a sweet spirit from our Heavenly Father. Kyle always prays for Braxton to healthy and happy. He even fasted that Braxton's flat spot would go away, and it wasn't even Fast Sunday (ya, he went without food for our son... Great guy, huh?).
• Kyle is very patient with me. We have completely different personalities and sometimes it is hard to work together on certain things. However, Kyle is always willing to listen and help out in any way he can. He is really good at putting up with my emotional, indecisive self :)
• Kyle can always make me laugh when I am having a bad day. He knows just what to do to make my day a little better.
• He wakes up an hour before he has to get up for class so that we can read scriptures and pray together before I have to leave for class.
• Kyle is a worthy priesthood leader. I am never afraid to ask Kyle for a blessing, and he will even offer them to me sometimes when he thinks they might help. It is so calming to know that Braxton and I have access to the priesthood any time we need it.
• Kyle is really good with money. He set up a budget so that we can track how much we spend each month and save for certain things- visiting family, unexpected expenses, life after graduation, etc. We will be leaving BYU completely debt free. Awesome!

I could go on and on about how great Kyle is and how much I love him, but I think this is a pretty good list. The best decision I ever made was to marry him. Our life together is so much happier than I ever could have imagined. I am so grateful for our temple sealing that allows us the opportunity to be together forever. And I am also grateful for the wonderful lesson that has reminded me how lucky I am to have this wonderful man in my life.

Random

• There are only four weeks of class left! Yay! Even though this term is super short, I am already sick of all my classes.
• Braxton is the best baby ever! He only wakes up once during the night to eat and then goes right back to bed. Love it!
• I love having my sister in Provo. She watches Brax for me twice a week while I am in my lab classes. Probably about 10 hours a week. And she does it for FREE! I would not be able to graduate without her.
• I love the rain right now. I want to take Braxton on a walk so I can dress him up in the cute little bear suit we have for him. It hasn't been cold enough for him to wear it yet...
• Even though Brax is a great sleeper, I am tired all the time. Sometimes I will lay down for a little bit while Brax is napping. What is supposed to be a short 20-40 min nap turns into 2-3 hours! Oops!
• The longer we live in our apartment, the more I dislike it. Whoever decided on the floor plan obviously did not stop to think "Is this functional?"
• I hate having quizzes every class period. Seriously?! I don't have time to study every day... gah!
• I have finally reached the point where I love Relief Society. I don't know very many sisters in my ward, but the ones I do know are great! And I love the lessons and discussions we have. I am inspired by these ladies!
• Kyle and I have started reading our scriptures and praying together every morning. 7 am is scripture time. We were so good about this before Brax, but we've had some trouble figuring out a new schedule since Brax was born.
• I hate gum... but mostly I hate all the wrappers I find all over my house. Same with cough drops.
  
• I miss going to the temple every Saturday with my husband.
  
• I love cleaning my house. Unfortunately, I have been so busy that I only get to clean it once a week.
  
• The grad student in charge of my chemistry lab just moved in next door to us. I am never going to escape this class!!
• I am really sad that we aren't going to Lake Powell this summer with the fam. I have been every summer of my life... except this one. Boo.
  
• I am graduating in 3 months! Huzzah!
  
• It drives me nuts when people call my baby fat. He isn't fat. He's chubby. The way babies are supposed to be. Skinny babies look like they are starving.
• I am a major food junkie. I have more cravings now than I did the whole time I was pregnant. Ice cream, chocolate, cookies, daquiris, Dr. Pepper... ah!
• I love it when my husband cooks for me. I like to cook too, but I love it when he does it too.
• I can't wait to have a piano someday. And my violin. Music is a form of stress relief for me. I need it.
  
• I love it when Braxton sucks on his tongue when he is sleeping. Like right now. I think it is so cute!
  

That's all. Congratulations if you made it all the way through this post. :)

Conversation

Just having a heart to heart with my little man...

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was wonderful! I woke up to this little guy (wouldn't that make you happy, too? :) He was so happy and smiley and wiggly that I couldn't even get a picture because he was moving so much. I had to wait until he had calmed down a little... Anyway, I love waking up to this cute little boy.

We had a wonderful time at church. Got my flower again this year :) Our ward is a lot smaller now due to some recent boundary changes, but I am excited to meet some more sisters in my ward and get to know them better.

After church, Kyle made me dinner. Green chili & chicken enchiladas. Yum! They were delicious. After we ate, Braxton and I went and took a nap together. It was so nice to get some extra rest.

My Mother's Day gift this year was a teeth whitening kit. Yay! I'm so excited for my pearly whites! Anywho, it was a great weekend, and I love being a mom. I know every mom probably thinks this but I really do have the best baby! Love you Brax!