More teeth on the way

We know it won't be much longer before more teeth are on the way. Clues...runny nose and everything in the mouth!

Kitchen Helper

Braxton loves to entertain himself in the kitchen while mom is getting dinner ready! Who knew that a kids favorite toys would be right in your cabinets! Enjoy!

New Daycare

For those of you that have been following our daycare situation, Braxton began daycare number 3 last week! We are very excited about his new facility and the wonderful staff that work there! He has seemed to just "fit" right in! We are excited about how easy this transition has been on both him and mom and dad. The nights in our house have been very quiet too this past week! Poor Braxton is pooped by the end of the evening from all of the new experiences at this daycare that when he goes down, he is out for the count! We can tell that he jumped right into playing with all of the new toys and kids at his daycare. During all of these daycare changes, Braxton has been the trooper never letting it phase him. He's always just a happy baby! That could be one reason he seems to just go to any and everyone! We are thankful for the prayers and support that everyone has given us during these past few months! We know that God has Braxton exactly where he wants him to be! Praise God!

Bronchitis finally goes bye-bye!

Braxton back to his healthy self!

Oh the joys of having a little one that is sick...it seems the past 3 1/2 months Braxton has spent in and out of the doctor's office. It started the first weekend of October when we were out of town for Haley and Daniel's wedding and ended over Christmas break (when we were out of town) when we finally dispensed his LAST treatment for bronchitis. I think I'm seeing a pattern here?!?! During these 3 1/2 months Braxton would be coming out of his illness, only to fall back to square one which would require another visit to the doctor. These nights were tough on mom, dad, and Braxton as his sleep was interrupted during his coughing fits and the just not feeling well moments. Mom and dad spent many nights with Braxton asleep on our chest in the middle of the night and learned to function on just a few hours of sleep. We could never completely get him "healed." It was during this time I felt like I had our doctor's number on speed dial. :D Braxton ended up having three treatments for bronchitis as well as breathing treatments. The first treatment was 5 days, then we moved to 7 days, and then finally his last treatment was a 10-day one and was the white penicillin instead of the pink. Supposedly the "stronger" dose. So as I write this we have had a full week of him normal sleeping "through the night stint 8-7"! Who-hoo!

First Christmas

Braxton celebrated his first Christmas in Western Kansas! As always the trips back home are a whirlwind for us, but we always seem to manage. We were blessed with seeing both sides of our families, even if it meant traveling back and forth between our parents houses just a few times! Let's just say this year all of my brother's and sister's were in at different times, so we had to balance all of the visiting on both sides so we could see everyone. Braxton enjoyed the Christmas season! He didn't know what to think about all of the gifts, but soon figured out that inside the wrapping paper there were lots of gifts that made lots of sounds! Let's just say that when we finally arrived home, it looked like our living room had exploded from all of the gifts that he had received!

First Tooth

Braxton officially has his first tooth! He began cutting it around 8 months; sorry I'm just know blogging about it. It seemed liked he "teethed" forever, but now that it's in, all is good! This first tooth has opened up a vast variety of new foods! Braxton now enjoys just about anything! Some of his favorites are breakfast casserole, pancakes, spaghetti, mac-n-cheese, and of course bread to name just a few! We are excited to know that he is well on his way to all "people-food" and no more baby food! Mom is especially happy too as this means shopping will be that much easier and quicker! Now if he can get a mouth full of teeth, then we can bring on the steak! :D

Braxton's First Snow

Braxton got his taste of his first snow this past week! To make his first snow even better mom got two snow days in a row and was able to stay home and cuddle her little man all day long! We had 6-7 inches of snow and then the snow drifted to make it even deeper! Mom and Braxton stayed in and did a whole lot of nothing! It was great for both of us! We did sneak outside for a few pictures and boy was it sure cold and wintry outside!

Sitting, Kneeling, and Standing

Sitting, kneeling, and standing, oh my! Braxton has realized that he no longer wants to crawl around or play on the ground, but that he wants to be up on his feet! He is now pulling and standing up on anything and everything he can get his hands on. This of course means that he is toppling and falling all over the place. I have to remember that he's a baby and this is the stage where he does all of that, and to take a deep breath and not run over every time he bobbles! I'm definitely getting better at it, but still have a long ways to go. Another favorite of Braxton's is to sit, kneel, and then stand up in his crib! He realized last week that he could do all of this and boy has it interrupted his night time routine to say the least. I know that it'll get better! He's learned a new task, so he just wants to practice, practice, and practice! I'm glad to see that he has determination to tackle this new skill, even at 3 am when I find him sitting, kneeling, or standing in his crib! It really is a cute sight!

First Thanksgiving

We ventured back to Western Kansas for Braxton's first Thanksgiving! While home we got to spend quality time with both sides of our family! We are thankful for this time we had with them. Braxton enjoyed his Thanksgiving feast of mashed potatoes, fruit salad, banana pudding, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream of course! He enjoyed being a "big boy" at the table and getting to explore so many new foods! Thankfully he wasn't allergic to any of the new "many" foods he had! Enjoy the pictures and video!

Beloved Nikki

For those of you that are unaware on November 9 we lost our beloved Nikki dog. Nikki got sick and had to have emergency surgery. During this surgery she lost a lot of blood and the infection she had, spread to all parts of her body. We were able to bring her home for one day before taking her back to the vet. It was during this trip, that she passed away. It was an extremely hard time for us as we had to cope with losing our mans-best friend, Nikki. Nikki and Braxton had become great buddies and we were looking forward to Braxton growing up with our beloved Nikki dog as his pet. We are peace with losing Nikki and know that she is out of pain and resting peacefully. We are thankful for the time that we had with Nikki and the joy that she brought to our family. She is deeply missed!

Hiatus Ended

Wow, it's been over a month since I last blogged about Braxton! Oh boy, do I have a lot to catch everyone up on. My apologies to my faithful blog readers and let me just say that my hiatus has ended!

So first things first, Braxton! He is almost 8 months old and is EVERYWHERE and into EVERYTHING!!! He is crawling on all fours and can get to whatever he wants very quickly! Dave and I can no longer take our eyes off of him, even for an instant, or he's into something he shouldn't be! He is also into pulling up on toys, his Exersacuer, and the couches! He wants to be up on his feet! He's learning all about his balance and he'll try to push his play table around the room. He'll get a few steps or pushes in before he comes crashing down to the ground.

It's also been a tough past month for Braxton in terms of sickness. This poor boy has been sick on and off the past month and a half. It seems just when we get him well, he's sick again. He's had bronchitis two times, he's had a viral bug, the terrible cough, runny nose, and the list goes on and on. I am happy to say that I think, fingers crossed, that we might just finally be done with all of this sickness! Thank goodness!

Playing, playing, and playing!!

Braxton enoys playing with all of his toys! He's recently found joy in playing with his blocks! He likes to try to eat them, throw them, and stack them!

Happy Halloween!

For Braxton's first Halloween he was an elephant and the cutest trick or treater ever! Braxton had the chance to go around and visit some friends and good neighbors last night. He obviously isn't old enough to have the candy, but our friends made sure that mom and dad got their share of sweets for the night! A good neighbor of ours also had a treat bag just for Braxton that included a teething ring and crackers to chew on. Thanks Darren and Marcia! Braxton enjoyed his costume for the most, but wasn't too fond of the ears. Good thing the head part just snapped on, so we could easily take it off.

Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend we took Braxton to his first pumpkin patch! Nana and Papa were down for the weekend and helped Braxton pick out a perfect-sized pumpkin! It was a fun trip with lots of smiles!

6-month Pictures

Braxton turned 6 months old last week! Wow, where has the time gone! He is all over the place! At half a year he is rolling everywhere, sitting up all on his own, drooling at every possible chance, and babbling like crazy! We took him to JcPenney's in Topeka with his Nana and Papa Odom and had his 6-month pictures taken! He did such a great job!

He even got spoiled by Nana and Papa while at the mall! He got several new outfits and a winter coat! Thanks Mom and Dad! We ate lunch at Red Lobster and Braxton enjoyed chewing on a French fry! He's well on his way to real "people" food! We hope you enjoy looking at his 6-month pictures! We can't wait until they are in so we can mail them out to all of our friends and family!

Sitting Up!

Braxton is officially sitting up on his own without assistance! He seems to be enjoying the new view! It won't be long before he's crawling and then walking! Watch out mom and dad!

First Wedding

Braxton attending his first wedding this past weekend. Congratulations Uncle Daniel and Aunt Haley!

Go K-State

Braxton is officially a Wildcat! He went to his first tailgate and first football game two weeks ago! The weather was perfect for the little man! He enjoyed the game and even took a 40 minute nap! I can already tell he's going to bleed the color Purple! Go State!