My Little Smurf

So I call Braden many things, B, Mr Man, Bug, Boo Boo, Papa, Angel, and my personal favorite, Smurf. Why? Do most of the other nicknames make much sense either? No reason. But it was the inspiration for his Halloween costume and also the reason I "voluntold" my husband we would dress as a smurf family.... at our work party. He was such a good sport. While a very quick trip to the party we managed to look completely ridiculous and get plenty of laughs from people.

On a more serious note, today marks one year exactly from when my water broke. Wow, what a difference a year makes. That experience felt like an eternity and it is amazing how long ago it already feels. Our boy is so strong and thriving and we are so grateful to all of you who still follow this blog and keep track of his progress and the true miracle he has become.

Look Ma No Hands

Braden is continuing to do so great. He has finally discovered his tummy at night and almost immediately flips over to it for his 12-13 hours rest at bed time... yes we know we are lucky.

He is eating all sorts of things including anything in his reach. He loves his car keys and is already asking about his wheels when he turns 16.

We just celebrated the marriage of Brian's brother to my wonderful sister-in-law Suzanne. B was at home but he got to hang with the family including his great grandpa over the course of the weekend (yes there are FOUR generations of Betts boys walking around).

He reaches with intent and is really such a joy. All his blood work came back normal and now we are just keeping up on shots to keep him protected from all the kiddo viruses flying around.

He is still as stocky as ever, hence the crazy amount of rolls in his first picture.

Braden Taste Test

Braden weighs 20lbs 9oz and eats everything we put in front of him. Lately anything he can get into his hands goes immediately into his mouth. I call it the Braden taste test. It is hilarious to watch him get a hold of things, put them directly in his mouth, and then watch his facial expression either approve or disapprove. One of the worst reactions came when he gave my blackberry a taste... guess it looked more fun than it tasted.

Braden is sitting up and rolling around all the time. He wants NOTHING to do with his tummy and always rolls to his back, even when he sleeps. As a result he is not crawling or even close to attempting. We even try to put objects in his way, sometimes even ourselves, to try to keep him on his tummy but he is just not having it!

It is so fun to watch the discovery process and how he is connecting things. For example when he hears the front door open he looks up for who the new person is that has entered the house. Seems like a small thing but it is huge to us as another step in his development.

His determination inspires us every day!