BR at 5 Months Old

Brantley Rae is growing and changing so much every day. We've got a cute on our hands!

Weight: 12 pounds 9.5 ounces

Diapers: Size 1-2

Clothes: 3-6 Months

Naps 4 times a day

Eats 6-7 bottles a day. Very little solids, if any at all.

At this point Brantley:

-Still takes a pacy

-Falls asleep in her crib, on her own

-Enjoys tummy time and is now pushing her chest up off the floor

-Still not rolling over consistently

-Is starting to eat solids. She still has a little bit of tongue thrust.

-LOVES playing in her Exersaucer. Best toy purchase we've made so far

-LOVES taking baths. She kicks and kick, which gets me totally soaked

-Sleeps from 9pm-5am pretty much every night. She then goes back to sleep until 7:30 or 8:00

-LOVES swinging in a porch swing and at the park

-Watches Marley while we play and smiles at her. (Marley is scared of her. LOL!)

-Doesn't like rice cereal, peas or pears very much. But she LOVES prunes. 

 

 Kinda artsy, don't you think?

New bloomers we got as a gift this week.

These turned out so well. They are by far my favorite pictures of her so far. I love them!!

She was very interested in the necklace and didn't want to look at me or smile for any of the pictures while they were around her neck. I still think it's a cute picture.

 I love her SO SO much!! I thank the Lord every day for entrusting Chase and I with this sweet little life. We're truly blessed and so lucky to have such a wonderful daughter.

Happy 5 Months, Brantley Rae!!

Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

Saturday Morning Surprise

After being really sick on Friday, this sweet girl made my Saturday morning sweet. Her smile lights up my life and there was no way I was gonna stay in bed away from her all day. I missed her SO much yesterday while I was sick. 

(Thank you to my wonderful husband, who was thankfully here to take care of this sweet little thing while I was sick. Such a lifesaver he was! And he got to experience what I do all day everyday. It was an eye opener, to say the least!)

We get this wide, bright-eyed look all the time. :o)

So this weekend she has started doing something pretty special. Are you ready??

She's starting to sit up all by herself!! See!!

And that's not all she can do...

She can now push her chest up off the floor. Watch out! We might be crawling in a month or so. **She still isn't rolling over on her own, but hopefully that is next on her list of milestones to complete.**

During our little playtime, Marley decided she wanted to be in some of the pictures.

**Note: I really need to fix Marley's ponytail and give her a bath, I know, it's on our list of things to do. She likes to scratch it out every time I get it just right. Stinker!!**

So, that was our Saturday morning that turned my weekend around. Thank you to all my friends that said little prayers for me while I was sick. I'm feeling much much better. I sadly missed out on Jami's surprise party and Ashley pre-birthday dinner, but I will for sure get to celebrate with them on Tuesday night and I can't wait!!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Another Funny Video

Dad Life

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo. I thought this was hilarious so I had to share it. Happy late Father's day to all the Dad's out there!

Happy 1st Father's Day, Daddy!!

We went to Aldridge Gardens after lunch today and took these adorable pictures. BR needed some good pictures with her Daddy on his first Father's Day. They are so cute!! I could just eat her up!!

Happy Father's Day to our wonderful Daddy and husband!! We love you!!

Mommy of course couldn't miss out on taking pictures with our little stinker so here are a couple of the ones Chase caught of BR and I.

We had a wonderful day with Daddy! We also got to see Pop Pop and Paw Paw for a little while this afternoon. Brantley helped me sign all the Father's Day cards. They were so cute!! 

We tried to finish our day out by having some Yogurt Lab, but FYI, they're closed on Sunday. Darn! So we headed home and Chase had an Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich here at home. Yummy!!

I hope all the other Father's out there had a great day as well!

Happy Father's day, to all!

Sips 'N Strokes...#53 Check

Last Thursday night, I went to Sips 'N Strokes with Jami, Nicole, Grace and Holly. We had such a great time painting our funky crosses. Here are a few pictures from our night.

This is my cross beginning to end. I think it turned out pretty cool. 

I had so much fun and I can't wait to go again! I have now checked #53 off my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days.

Afternoon Snooze

They are totally zonked out in there. So cute! Too bad I can't join them. It's time to head to Chase's parent for dinner. I hate waking them up!!!!

Number 43...In Progress

Okay, I've put this off long enough. Number 43 on my list of 101 Things To Do In 1001 Days is to start working again. I would prefer to continue being a SAHM, just me and BR hanging out during the day, but those days are coming to an end. In order for us to start our house addition, continue to pay off my student loans (which is another thing on my list), and me being able to go shopping for myself and/or BR whenever I want, I need to be working. 

I've decided that my top preference for working is to keep another child in our home or the other families home as long as they don't mind I having Brantley as well. I really don't want to put her in daycare quite this early so being able to keep another child along with her would be perfect. We would go to the park, play in the yard, go to the library for storytime and lots of other fun stuff depending on the age of the other child. We would schedule naps times and meals just like in daycare (and for my sanity) but without all the extra germs and craziness of having bunches of other kids in the class.

So, friends I need your help. If you know of anyone that is needing/wanting in-home childcare for their child please let me know. It doesn't have to be 5 days a week, but that is preferred. I've been trying to just think of someone to ask but that hasn't worked so I'm now asking you guys. Do you have any friends in the Bluff Park, Hoover, Vestavia areas that need childcare but also don't want to put their child in daycare. If so please give them my information or have them email me at

awilliamson1018@gmail.com

My other possibility is to find a church MDO or daycare program to work at but that also allows Brantley to be in school there as well. The problem I've found is that most programs either don't take babies until they are 18-24 months or they don't take babies 5 days a week. Hmm? What should I do?

I'm kinda at a loss. I would much rather Option A work out, but if any of you know of a program that allows babies 5 days a week and might be hiring for the fall please let me know.

So friends, if you or some one you know is looking for childcare for their little one please contact me and we can talk more about the details. Thanks for your help in advance. Also, and most importantly, will you please pray with me that God will guide me in the direction I need to go and open the door for the job that is right for Brantley and I at this time.

Thanks so much and I hope you all have a happy Wednesday!!

Favorite Toy

On Saturday, I bought this Exersaucer for Brantley because I knew she would love it. Her friend Alice has one at her house and Brantley has loved playing in her's, so I decided she needed one at our house. Boy was I right! She loves this thing so much!

I can't get over how much she has changed in just the past week. She has started reaching for toys and actually playing with them. Also, she is getting so close to rolling over from her back to her tummy. I help her every now and then but I know she'll be doing it all by herself before I know it. She doesn't even try to roll from her tummy to her back. I think she's afraid to hit her head again. One day soon I know she'll be rolling all over the place and I'll be wishing she would be still long enough for me to change her diaper. haha!

Weight update: On Monday, she weighed 12 pounds, 3 ounces!! Yay! Every time she makes it to another pound, I do a little dance. She gains weight SO slow, so every pound is something to celebrate about.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Hopefully I'll have something else to update about before the week is up. I miss blogging!

Number 95..Check

Number 95 on my list of 101 Things To Do In 1001 Days was to cut the grass for Chase at least once.

I just finished mowing the lawn for the first time ever at our house and the second time ever in my life. I'm exhausted!! But it was a great workout and I actually liked it. I'll definitely do it again!

I don't have a picture to prove it so your just gonna have to take my word for it. I'm taking a shower!!!!!!

Number 32...Check

On May 28th, 2010, my friend, Ashley married the man of her dreams and I got the privilege of being a bridesmaid. We started the day out with rehearsal at the Aldridge Gardens. Then we all headed to get our hair and makeup done.

This is most of the bridesmaids and Brittany, the photographer, at Merle Norman after we had our makeup done. Ashley looked gorgeous already!

I don't have any good pictures from the ceremony but this is a picture of us girls celebrating that the reception. Ashley gave us those cute wine glasses as our bridesmaid gifts. They had our first initial on them and pink and brown polka-dots.

I love going to weddings with this guys because it reminds me all the reasons I married him. 

Congratulations to Ashley and Jeremy on their marriage!! 

Best wishes for many years of happiness and love!!

Snuggle Bug

This baby girl loves watching TV in Mommy and Daddy's bed. Really she just loves laying in there with me but sometimes she does actually look at the TV like she's watching it.

I'm pretty sure we were watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

She's so snuggly!! I love her!!

Splish Splash - Number 93...Check

Last week I took Brantley to the swimming pool for the first time with our playdate friends and she LOVED it! I was worried that she would cry and not like the chilly water, but surprisingly she didn't mind it. She kicked and chewed on her fingers, aka totally enjoyed herself!

We borrowed this super cool float from AnnaBelle and then went and bought ourselves one a few days later. She's still too small for it, but under very close supervision she sits in it great.

We had a great time with our friends Sarah, Alice, Rachel and AnnaBelle. One of these days I'm gonna get a picture of all of us together instead of just our girls (I know they aren't all pictured in this post, but I'm just sayin'). 

 ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

On Sunday we went swimming again with Alice and her Mommy & Daddy (Sarah and Will).

The girls got to have some Daddy-Daughter swim time when we first got there and they were so cute!

You know who's on the left and that's Alice an her daddy, Will on the right.

They still don't know each other exist but they're still super cute together!

She's probably going to kill me, but this is Sarah. I don't have any other pictures with her in them and she would be the only one not pictured in this post if I didn't share this one. Hehe! I think it's great! We met through a New Mommy support group a couple of months ago when the babies were only a few weeks old. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and we love hanging out with she and baby Alice. 

(I met Rachel (AnnaBelle's mom) and Liz (Cooper's mom) through the same group. They have all been great friends and I'm looking forward to our kiddos growing up together.)

We had so much fun Splish Splashin' in the swimming pool. Thanks to Sarah's friend, Kali for letting us come over and swim in her pool.

After swimming we went to Davenport's in Mountain Brook Village for some yummy pizza. I had never been there before so it was about time! I really liked it and hope to go back sometime soon.

She looks like a little otter in this picture. Don't you think?! She loves chewing on her fingers and clothes and being all wet in the pool was not going to stop her. (I sprinkled water on the top of her head, she did not go under.) I'm so glad she likes the water and I can't wait to start teaching her to swim.

I hope everyone is having fun in the sun this summer!!

4 Months Pictures

I took these pictures about a week ago but I'm just now getting around to posting them. I think they turned out pretty cute but of course I'm partial.

Check out that reddish hair!! Thanks to her Daddy.

ABC's I Love

I got this cute idea from my friend Marcie. So I decided that I wanted to share my favorite things.

Auburn University. It's my Alma Mater. I believe in Auburn and love it! WAR EAGLE!!

Brantley Rae. She's my beautiful baby girl and I love her to pieces. The past 4 months have been amazing and I can't imagine life without her now that we have her in our family. She brings so much joy and laughter into our lives.

Chase. He's my husband, my best friend, my soul mate and the one I love most of all. I love every moment we get to spend together. The past year 2 years and 3 months since we met have been the happiest times in my life. He is the greatest!! I love you, Honey!

Dove Dark Chocolates. Really any kind of dark chocolate, but Dove is what I have at home right now. I discovered my love for dark chocolate a long time ago from my Dad. It's his favorite also!

Eating. I know, I know, it awful how much I like to eat. This pregnancy weight isn't going away if I don't start controlling my love for eating.

Family and Friends. I have the greatest family and friends. I'm not sure what I would do without them.

Grilling out with friends or even just by ourselves. I can go for a juicy steak or hamburger anytime and grilled chicken is always awesome!

Homemade ice cream. I love summertime because that means at family get togethers there is sure to be some homemade vanilla ice cream and that just happens to be my favorite type of ice cream.

IPod. I love my iPod because we use it as Brantley's sleep machine. It helps her sleep so peacefully. I also love my iPod because it holds my music. Music has such a special place in my heart. I love the way the songs can speak to me and tell a story. I'm totally one of those girls that you see and the red light singing in the car and jammin'. So fun!

Japanese food. I love the places that cook in front of you for 3 reasons. They cook in front of you which I really cool, the food is so yummy and I love Sushi. Yum!!

Kissing my husband and my baby girl. I loving stealing sugar from BR and Chase too. hehe!

Long walks on the beach. I have always loved going to the beach and taking love walks alongside the crashing waves. I'm so sad that our beaches down in the gulf are getting hit with the oil from the BP spill. Those beaches are beautiful and our wildlife precious. I hope and pray that they aren't all ruined so that we can have many more years to fun down there. I really want to take BR to the beach too!!

Make-up. I know this is so silly of me but I can't leave the house without at least foundation and blush on. I feel so naked and vulnerable without it.

Netflix. It's so nice to have movies come in the mail that we pick out on the website instead of having to drive to the movie store, pick out a movie, pay,go home and watch the movie, then return the movie and do it all over again. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius!

One Tree Hill. OTH has been my favorite show since I was in college. The story lines have always kept me coming back for more. I love how the show just keeps the surprises coming and the characters are so great. I just love it! I really hope they come back next year. I can't wait to see what happens next.

 

Playing with Brantley Rae. She is so much fun to play with even though she still doesn't do all that much. Last night we took her to the park so she could try the swings for the first time. Guess what...she LOVED it!! We're totally going to buy a swing for a tree in our yard soon so that we can swing daily. Shes starting to giggle more and more, which is so rewarding because that means that I'm actually entertaining her. ha! Oh and I took her to the pool the other day for the first time and she loved that too. No fussing at all. She was all smiles!!

Quilts and making Quilts. My MIL is the Queen of Quilts, if you will, and she has taught me how to make them. I've only made one but I'm itching to make another some time very soon. Once I get a job and some extra cash, I'm totally going to Heart to Heart in Trussville and buying some fabric to get started. I can't wait!!

Rain or rather, napping or sleeping in on a Rainy day. There's nothing better than a nap with the sound of rain on the roof. Ahh! I'm not a huge fan of it when it rains during a fun outside activity though but I know it has to rain so I just get over it and make the most of the rainy days.

Scrapbooking. I have started a scrapbook for BR and it's turning out so cute. I love when I get to add new pages. Before too much longer I'm gonna have to start a new one because this first one is getting pretty full.

Target. Seriously, Target is my favorite store to shop in. They have great clothes for our whole family and pretty much everything we need for BR. It great now that we have one so close to our house. Oh and another thing I love about Target is that they like to put the formula we buy on sale every few weeks. It's great!

Updating my blog. Ever since BR came along I obviously don't have as much time to blog as I would like, so whenever I get the chance I love it. I like to keep it up to date so I don't get too far behind. Our blog is great to have and one day BR will love looking back at everything I've blogged about.

Vacationing. I don't get to travel much but when I do get the chance to get away on a vacation I love it. In high school I went on lots of mission trips and those were some of the best trips. Vacations to the beach or the mountains have always made some of the best memories. I think I just love getting away from everyday life and relaxing or helping others.

White water rafting. My family and I went rafting a lot when I was growing up and I've always really liked it. Even when I was scared it was still really fun going through the rapids and coming out on the other side. I'm hoping that Chase and I will get to go sometime soon because he has never been before. Can you believe it? The boy is missing out!

SiX Flags. I have always really enjoyed going to Six Flags over Georgia. When I was young I didn't like roller coasters, but now that I'm older, I've decided that I like them a lot. Chase and I haven't been in a while since I was pregnant last summer, so I'm hoping that we'll find time to go some time this summer.

Yorkies. Especially our yorkie, Marley. She is such a cutie and loves to have fun! Most of the time she's a joy to have around the house but I'll admit sometimes she gets on my nerves. She means well though.

Zaxby's Roadhouse Salad. Oh my goodness, if you haven't tried this salad yet and you like southwest ranch salads then chances are you're going to love it. I've had it twice this week. Ha! I told you I love food!

Okay that was harder than I expected, but I finished it. So fun!! Give it a shot if you have the time.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend. LOVE!!

Giggles!