5 Months Old

Dear Eva Kate,

You are 5 months old today! How does every month fly by more quickly than the last? You are such a fun little baby and I love taking care of you every day. Earlier in the week Daddy and I took you out to Southlake Town Square for some fun family time and a mini photo session.

What are you up to at 5 months?
* Rolling over from your tummy to your back. Now that you know how to do this tummy time is quite limited but I just keep rolling you back over.
* Standing up. You much prefer to stand on my lap than to sit especially when you are enjoying play time.
* Reaching out for everything. Hair, rattles, cups, noses. If you notice it, you want to reach it. And then....
* Putting everything in your mouth. We always joke with you that you eat all of your "friends" (your stuffed animals). Once something is in your hand the next step is into your mouth.
* Laughing. You love for me to say the same thing over and over again in different voices or speeds.
* Growing some hair. It's light colored like mine was as a baby, but it is definitely growing longer and filling in. Except for your one random bald spot.

What does your day include right now?
* You sleep for 10-11 hours each night. We're trying to get you to go to sleep earlier but you've decided to just take longer eating at bedtime.
* You sometimes take 2 long naps and 1-2 short naps. We're working on conquering the 45 minute nap beast. Some days are good. Some are not. Today is one of the good days!
* You nurse 5 times a day, occasionally 6 if I feed you in the middle of the night.
* Are you sleeping through the night? It's hard to say. Since you were sick for a big chunk of the month we were up taking care of you more. Now that you're well, you usually wake up 1 or 2 times but you mostly just want your binky. It wakes me up but you fall right back asleep. So to sum it up I'd say that YOU are sleeping through the night, but I am NOT.

How big are you?
* Bigger than the tiny newborn I brought home! I'm not actually sure of your measurements since we don't have a well check visit this month, but I don't think you weigh more than 15 pounds.
* You still fit perfectly into all of your 3 month clothes. You also wear some 6 month clothes because they are your winter clothes. And then there are the newborn dresses that I still put you in and just layer with tights or leggings. I wouldn't say you are a huge baby.

What is my favorite thing to do?
*Give you kisses! I love to kiss your cheeks, your head, and your round tummy. I probably give you a thousand kisses a day.

You bring so much joy into our lives! We love you cuddle-bug!

love, Mama

Our Weekend 2.4.12

Lots of people that I know do weekly postings called Our Weekend in iPhone Pics. They have a collage of cute photos capturing their whole weekend. I would do that, except that I don't have an iPhone. I have a regular old phone that sends texts and calls people. It takes pictures but not good ones. I'm sure that if I had an iPhone I'd love it, but since I never have, I don't know what I'm missing out on and and I'm okay with that. So here is Our weekend in Non-iPhone Pics. Starting with Saturday night where we were invited to.... 2 parties! That's right, the Bradley family is pretty popular :)

My best friend Erica, along me, Ryan, Eva, and many other good friends, attended the Valentines open house at our friend Marianne's house. Umm, who knew that Marianne was so amazingly popular? (Even more so than our Bradley family). I asked one girl how she knew Marianne and she played high school volleyball with her. Of course, Marianne is one of the sweetest people I know, so it makes perfect since that everyone she had ever met would want to hang out at her party. We had a great time and Marianne, I hope you enjoyed the friendship Valentine I left next to your pillow. Cute idea for the card making station!

Then we were on to party number two - a 50th birthday celebration for our friend Rob from church. His wife surprised him with a 9 member mariachi band! His wife and kids also serenaded him with a traditional Hispanic birthday song while the band played. It was incredible. We had so much fun hearing the band and eating amazing food.

And this was Eva's face while the band played. Not quite sure what to think about it all. Alas, the clock finally struck 9:30 PM and we headed home to put our baby to bed. Yep, 9:30PM and the Bradleys had already conquered 2 parties. What can I say, we're party animals.


And finally, a note about Sunday. Right after church on Sunday I found out that my grandfather had passed away. I am going to do a posting in memory of him, but I am waiting for my mom to send me a favorite picture of me with him. I am also wanting to give myself a few more days to reflect on all my wonderful memories of him before I write about it. Yesterday Ryan asked me when I was going to blog about our fun Saturday and I shared with him that my initial reaction was to feel guilty writing about a good day when I had just lost someone that I love. But as I thought about it more I decided that it was okay for me to enjoy writing about Saturday. Writing about fun things doesn't mean that I care any less for my grandfather. I feel like it's okay to balance joy with sadness. So that is what I chose to do.

Can I get a little help peas?

We're all sick. All 3 of us. We've become a pitiful a-choo-ing, kleenex using, medicine taking, sleep loving, pajama bumming family. You know when you were a kid and you got sick and all you wanted was for your mom to take care of you? Well, I guess that now I'm the mom. As hard as it can be to wake up in the middle of the night to take care of a sick baby when I feel bad too, it is honestly wonderful to be broken of selfishness and be filled with abundant love for your child. Yes, I wish we could all sleep all night long, but if I have to get up out of my bed, at least it is to rock and care for a beautiful baby who looks to me to take care of her.

Of course, there are moments when I'm exhausted. Like around 10 pm last night. I just wanted to get a quick snack and go to bed. I reached into the freezer for a treat, but unexpectedly knocked over a bag of not-so-well sealed frozen peas.....

Ugh. This picture doesn't do the huge mess justice. It was one of those moments where you can choose to cry because you are sick and tired and hungry and just want to go to bed. Or you can laugh about the fact that there are 500 frozen peas rolling around your kitchen floor. I decided to laugh and grab the broom. And the camera. I figure there are much worse messes you could end up cleaning up when your family is sick. A few hundred peas don't seem so bad when you put it into perspective.

We have had lots of friends offer to help if we needed anything. We appreciate your offers so much! Thank you sooooo much to everyone who has prayed for Eva and our family. And thanks to my mom who still loves me so much that she came out and helped out on Saturday. I guess she loves me as much as I love Eva. And I've already made a Walmart trip so we have plenty of food and kleenex and medicine so we're good for a few days. Plus I have a helpful husband who has done his fair share of baby cuddling. What else has our family been doing while we're all home sick?

Giving our baby a beard of bubbles. Every night we're steaming up the bathroom and giving her an bubble bath with special soap that helps with congestion. This is the highlight of Eva's day. She loves the steamy bathroom because it helps her to breathe and she loves the bubbles. The other night she was playing in the bubbles and rubbed some on her face so Ryan helped her to make a complete beard.

Look at Eva holding her own bottle! When she's coughing a lot and can't breathe it's much easier for her to take a bottle than to nurse and last night she held it all by herself! Proud mama.

I know this seems like a lot of pictures for a whole week of nothing, but I wanted to capture the sweet moments, like her watching me make oatmeal this morning, so that when I look back at the first time she was sick I can remember what made my heart smile. And now, I'm ready for all of us to be healthy :)

Sick Baby

You can't tell by looking at this picture, but our little girl is sick. I got lucky and caught the one smile I've seen today on camera with the help of her daddy - they say laughter is the best medicine. She started coughing late yesterday afternoon but we figured it was just the weather. It was much worse when she woke up this morning. Worse as in our sweet baby sounded like she had the smoker's cough of an 80 year old woman. She didn't want to play, she just wanted to be held. She also had the saddest continual cry. It made me think about how I feel when I'm sick in bed with the flu. I called the pediatrician who said to bring her on in. Eva tested positive for RSV.

I know that all kids get sick but it's so sad when it's your baby and it's the first time. I know she will get better. I guess all I can do is make her comfortable and give her a big dose of love. So for the next couple of days we are staying home so that we don't infect other babies since RSV is super contagious.

On a side note, Eva is 20 weeks old today! 20 weeks ago I was in labor.... 20 weeks before that was the exact day we found out she was a girl... 20 weeks before that was the first day of my pregnancy.

Date Night? Yes, please.

Saturday night I got a chance to go out on the town with my handsome hunk. Before going out I had to find something to wear. You know, an outfit that wouldn't make me look like an ex-2nd grade teacher or pastor's wife or stay at home mom. Not an easy task. I didn't want to wear anything inappropriate, just a fun going out ensemble. I managed to put together something that would make me look almost as good as Ryan.

We were super appreciative of Ryan's parents who came out to babysit Eva. Since I'm with her all day, every day I get mixed emotions about leaving her. On the one hand I'm ready for a grown up break, on the other hand it breaks my heart to leave her. I know she will be happy and well taken care of but it's still hard. One thing that made it easier is that she is finally taking a bottle again after a 2 month bottle strike. We figured out that she wants it to be very warm or it's not happening.

Back to the night out... Marianne is famous for picking new interesting places to go eat on her birthday. I'm sure one day we'll all fly to Italy to celebrate it! (Just give us a few years to save up, Mares) We went to this Italian Market/Deli/Restaurant in Flower Mound. They sell fresh meat, cheese and vegetables there so we hoped the food would be good. It was. I got pizza made with delicious fresh mozzarella. Out waiter was a real Italian chef who enjoyed socializing with us. If I had to leave my baby, I'm glad it was for such a fun night. Happy Birthday, Marianne!

11 Randoms

I was tagged in this post from Kati, and I finally have a few moments to sit and write a little bit about myself. From the picture above, you now know one fun thing about me.... I've been snorkeling! I sometimes get mixed up and say I've been scuba diving, so if you ever hear me say that, feel free to correct me. On to the questions....

1. What is your favorite thing to search for on Pinterest?
Apparently Pinterest is quite popular. So popular that I have been placed on the waiting list to get an account. Either that or they don't think I'm cool enough. I hope to use it to look up recipes, home decor, craft and baby ideas. IF I get off the list :)
2. Have you ever been outside the country you currently live in? Where?
I've been to Canada twice - once to Toronto for my Uncle's wedding when I was 10 years old and then once to Vancouver for vacation 2 summers ago. I spent a day in London on my way to a one month mission trip in Kenya.
3. If you could speak a second language fluently, what would it be?
Spanish. When I was teaching I definitely could have used that skill.
4. Are you a cat person or a dog person?
DOG! I love my Boston Terrier, Cosby. If we had a house I'd consider getting another dog to be his friend. I am highly allergic to cats. If I had a cat I'd probably die.
5. What type of house is your favorite? (Colonial, Ranch, Tudor, etc.)
Haha, this question made me think of picking a house card in the game of Life. But I'd have to say my favorite house would be the one my grandparents used to live in. I would want a house with lots of open space so that I could host family gatherings and other parties.
6. What is your dream car?
One that doesn't have a cracked bumper??? I really don't care much about cars. I guess I'd like to have a black Honda CRV, or something similar, so that we could fit all of our stuff inside when we visit family. What can I say, I dream big.
7. If you were vacationing 10 hours away would you drive or fly? (and not because of money)
Fly. I love jet setting.
8. Would you relive high school if you could? What would you do differently?
Nope. I had tons of fun in high school but I love my life now so much more. If I had to go back I would be nicer to people and not just hang out with people that were like me.
9. If your significant other had an accent, what would it be?
Country. Oh wait, he already has a country accent. I hope Eva talks like Ryan :)
10. Would you rather not shower for a week or not brush your teeth for a week? (EWW!)
I would want to shower. I hate the feeling of not showering. I didn't get a shower the day I went into labor so by 8:00 AM the next morning I was bugging the nurse to let me get up and shower.
11. Would you rather have all girls or all boys?
All girls - since I already have a girl I could reuse clothes and other baby gear. Plus I honestly LOVE the idea of a house full of girls. I've told Ryan though that if one day we have a boy I will definitely still love him.

And now, 11 random things about me:
1. I dated my husband because he is so funny. I married him because of his character and his good looks didn't hurt... but if he wasn't funny I wouldn't have even considered him. Laughter is the way to my heart.
2. Without Jesus I would have a bad temper and be extremely bossy. It's amazing how the Holy Spirit can change you.
3. I wish I could be on Dancing with the Stars. If I ever got an opportunity to do it I would. Maybe they'll make a stay at home moms edition.
4. I frequently brush my teeth and my hair in the middle of the night after I've taken care of Eva. Something about being up and awake for more than 10 minutes makes me want to be fresh even when I'm exhausted.
5. I really want to be a better photographer. I own a good camera. I just don't want to read the instruction manual to figure out how to use it better. I'm not sure why.
6. I love watching the same movies over and over again. Knowing what will happen and why things happen eliminates the need for me to ask Ryan 50 questions when the movie is over. Plus I already know if I'm going to like it.
7. I LOVE yellow sticky notes. I have no strong emotion towards other colored sticky notes.
8. I've always wanted to go to a murder mystery dinner or weekend getaway. I actually know of one that is happening soon, but we can't afford it. Maybe next time.
9. I hate to sweat. It smells, its sticky, and then you have to use time to shower and freshen up again. I wish sweat could be eliminated from exercise.
10. I want to write a children's book series one day. Being a teacher helped me discover my love of writing.
11. My goals in life are to be a contagious Christian, an encouraging wife, and a loving mom (in that order). These are my most wonderful priorities and where I find purpose. If I do those 3 things well, I'll be completely content at the end of my life.

Roll on over, roll on over BABY!

Eva, loving this warm January weather!

My heart is beaming with pride. After hundreds of minutes of unhappy tummy time over the past 4 months, Eva just rolled over from her tummy to her back! When we are doing tummy time sometimes I try to distract her by showing her how to roll back and forth - this time she did it all on her own! We were honestly so surprised that we were just sitting there going, "Is she actually going to do this?" the first time it happened. I know this may seem like a small thing, but for new parents it's a big accomplishment. I am posting a short video clip for her grandparents to see. Good job, Eva!!!!