15 month appointment and 1st ear infection :(

Brayden started again with another fever Monday night.  Poor kid can't seem to catch a break this winter. I feel like he is a germ magnet, every time we turn around it's something else.  I hate when we gets a fever and he seems to run a fever for everything.  I was hoping this time it wasn't going to be a repeat of Decembers sickness.  He was screaming and inconsolable for the last 2 hrs before it was time for bed on monday, he wouldn't eat or anything and i felt AWFUL not knowing how to make it better for him.

Saddest face :( 

We had his 15 months appt on Tuesday so it worked out perfect for the dr to see him.  I called in the morning and told them about his fever since it was over 102 i told them we would have to wait on the shots. He was due for his MMR vaccine and since it's a live virus they were on board with waiting till he is healthy.

Not that i'm happy there is something actually wrong with my child but I was relieved to know that there was an actual source this time for his fever. He officially has his 1st ear infection.  Poor baby. We had a later appointment so I was glad we were able to get his prescription for his antibiotics called in and were able to start his meds that night.  I had asked the pedes about ear drops at the appt and she seemed confident advil would do the trick for the pain. HAHAHAHHA.  It was a hellish night to say the least. he was up literally every 30-60 minutes screaming and crying. It was awful, I felt terrible that I couldn't make it better. Needless to say none of us got any sleep and it was looking like it was going to be a rough day. he fever kept spiking despite alternating tylenol/advil every three hours. In the morning I called the pedes and told them the HAD to call in an RX for the benzocane ear drops. Fortunately we got them but he still wouldn't eat or drink anything from a sippy cup. We got desperate and let him have milk in the bottle as often as he wanted.  All i cared about was getting fluids in to him. Normally he only likes milk and water and he won't drink anything but milk out of the bottle so I didn't really have much of a choice.

In the meantime, things have gotten better.  He's still not close to being 100% but his fever finally did break this morning.  I'm hoping it stays away!! He is eating a little bit but not much so i'm trying to push the fluids and keep him hydrated. Hoping he feels better soon and starts sleeping better. He doesn't sleep through the night as it is so anything has to be better than getting up a few times a night to an inconsolable boy.

As far as the rest of his 15 month appt goes he is doing really well! He weights 22lb 2oz (18%) and is 33" tall(95%).  I was concerned that he has barely gained a 1lb over the last 4 months but the pedes was okay with it since he is staying on the same growth curve (percentage).  his overall height to weight is only in the 10th percentile which just means he's tall and skinny! Lucky for him he got that "Nolte" metabolism that skipped me.  lol

His language and motor skill development is really great!  I am so proud of him. He now says 18 words, and 5 two word sentences. Which the pedes said is at a 18-24 month level.  Of course he doesn't use all the words every day but that's still great. He seriously blows my mind with how smart he is. He knows how to do so many things and can follow all kinds of directions. He is really getting to big too fast!

Like I was saying we are still working on his sleep. He is a horrible sleeper! He has never been a good sleeper but i had a long talk with the pedes about things.  She feels like we have tried and are doing everything right so it's really no fault of our own.  He is a restless sleeper, fusses in his sleep wakes up min 1-2 times a night inconsolable and even had night terrors on occasion. His lack of quality sleep definitely affects how he naps so it's a vicious cycle.  For now we are going to keep trying and see how things look at 18 months. She said sleep studies are out b/c he wakes too much and that won't really help at this point.

I feel like time is going WAY too fast and I'm sure it'll go even faster when we have two kids.  Brayden is definitely my "dramatic" child and can be moody but he is so much fun. His laughter and excitement really make even the worst days better.  I can't wait to see what he has in store for us next!

Now some fun pics! 

What mom, i'm eating a cupcake! 

 Oh coloring! 

 What happens when he gets bored! 

One Year Old!

Okay he is like 12 months and 3 weeks and I am finally posting about his 1yr appt, stats and all. See I told you I am WAY behind. I promise I won't slack off, all the IVF stuff and everything else going on has definitely had me preoccupied!

Side note, to get ANY photos of brayden with his 12 month sticker is was damn near impossible! Of course it took two of us, and we pretty much have to toss him on the couch and keep putting him back on his butt, acting silly, tickling just to "attempt" to get a good photo. I got lots of funny and cute ones but I don't think I have one solid one of him sitting, facing forward and smiling! I'll add a bunch in the mix so you can laugh with me :)

Brayden continually blows my mind. He is so smart and is really picking things up. Warning, proud mom bragging lol.   Of course he has to do everything on HIS terms but we are working on his "listening" skills now, aka "come to mommy", "put that down" ext ext. But Brayden being Brayden he knows exactly what you are telling him and does the exact opposite. Apparently my son is EXACTLY like me as a child (in many ways) so if that is any indication I am really in for it. lol  Other than wanting to do things his way he is doing wonderful with commands and how things "work". He's command he is great at opening and closing, putting things in and out of containers, finding and grabbing specific items and toys when requested, the list goes on.  He knows at least 10 words and the phrases "all done" and "i did it" which comes out like "did it". Of course when he talks its baby talk so if you don't spend a lot of time with him sometimes you'll have no idea what he is saying. lol  He does have his "alien speak" as we affectionately call it. It's this crazy fast gibberish when he talks to you like he's in a conversation, it's awesome and hilarious. Of course he tried to regress using words. for example he can say and use the word cup appropriately but decided in the last week or two it's more fun to grunt and point at it. lol  Again, always on his terms.  :)   He is really learning places for things, he knows where the tub is and when it's bath time, if he goes in the kitchen he will reach up to the counter if he wants a snack and so on.  It really is amazing watching him grow up and develop, you never know what they are going to know how to do/say next!

His 1 yr pedes appt went great! He is weighing in at 20lb 130z (25%) and 32" tall (97%).  The dr said his speech and ability to do commands puts him at a 15 to 18 month level, so i'm really proud of him.  He got his 1 yr shots and we opted to get the flu shot, he did well but as usual he ran a fever the next few days. He is my fever kid. Whether it's teething, sickness, shots he ALWAYS runs the min of a low grade fever and is good for the 103+ ones too.  He also decided to RE-start clapping his hands. lol He was able to around 7 months and decided that he didn't want to anymore.









Sleep is still an issue we fight with. He is a good napper. He dropped to one nap b/w 10 and 11 months on his own.  He usually sleeps 2 to 2 1/2 hours for nap and if it's a really good day I'll get 3 hrs. But that almost never happens.  But he continues to wake atleast 1x a night. If he is sick, forget it, we are up min 3x a night. I'm not going to lie after 1 year not NOT sleeping through the night completely it has been tough. He has NEVER been a good sleeper and we continue to try and fix things. Hopefully we will get there at some point.


Brayden loves food!  Although he has been on a breakfast hating/picky binge for a while. At this point I give him whatever kind of food he will actually eat for breakfast.  He LOVES breakfast sausage. I get him the Jones natural patties, so i know he will atleast get some protein in. He will eat eggs, depending on the day. It's funny b/c the "fanicer" the food the more likely he is to eat it. I don't give him plain eggs, he gets "baby omlette" with black olives or even cheesy eggs. He loves oatmeal, apple strudel and blueberry muffins, fruit, fruit and fruit. lol  He is not at all big on pancakes, french toast and waffles, yogurrt, cereal ext. but he will pick at them if he's in the mood so we try all kinds of things. Otherwise he loves to eat anything we eat, black olives and tomatoes are his current obsession along with any kind of veggies.  I have also been pushing a lot of snacks, cheese sticks and  fruit in between meals to try and make sure he is nice and full through the night.  Right now he is loving the yogurt covered raisins and any kind of crunchy snacks like the earths best elmo crackers and teddy grahams.

Milk...we successfully transitioned to whole milk at 11 months. Successful meaning he was no longer on formula but still taking it out of the bottle. By his birthday we were FINALLY down to 3 bottles per day. For him and his glutenous appetite for milk this was no simple feat! We have in the mean time been able to drop the afternoon bottle with no problems.  The problem we were having was he REFUSED to drink milk cold, and out of a sippy cup. We had introduced milk months ago, so i was kinda suprised when he would spit it out the second he realized his cup wasn't water.  We tried everything to get him to drink it out of the cup and in the last week he FINALLY came around. Actually he drank cold milk out of his sippy for his Grammy but ever since then he's been interested in it in a cup so i can't complain. That'll make dropping the other two bottles a little easier. Honestly I think the early morning one is going to be harder to stop than the night time one.  But we will figure it out and get there.

Bray is in to EVERYTHING!  Literally if it is not strapped down or locked up he thinks it's all game!  lol Since he started walking so early he is really good at running away from you really fast!  He knows exactly when he is NOT suppose to be doing something and either backs up from you really slowly or turns and runs, all the mean while having a giant smile on his face. LITTLE STINKER!  He is a daredevil and climbing machine!  Its amazing to watch him stare at things and think of crazy things to do. Like his mini Power Wheel car we got him for his bday, that thing is a heart attack toy. he loves to crawl on the tiny, slippery hood and stand up on it.  Yup this is my life.  lol He is obsessed with steps and anything that looks "climbable". Anything that is wide enough to fit two feet on is apparently fun to climb on and do a "stomp dance". He loves to try and scare mommy!


He has daddy's temper... oh yes he does! lol (Sorry Jason!) Since bray was about 9 months and walking he has MASTERED the ability to throw a tantrum in the most violent and loudest way possible. Seriously this kid thinks he can have what he wants whenever he wants no matter what it is. lol God forbid you look out for his well being  and he literally throws himself on the ground kicks and screams. Its ridiculous and honestly embarrassing in public. But I don't give in b/c I am not going to be THAT parent who's kid is a total jerk and expects what they want all the time. Guess we just started the terrible 2's a little earlier. Although all of my friends tell me 2's are rough and 3's are way worse.  lol

Ok, I think i wrote enough... whew! I seriously can't believe my baby is ONE!  It has been the most amazing year of my life and I feel so grateful everyday to be able to be Brayden's Mommy :)

6 month and gastro appt!

Busy week with dr's appointments for Brayden!  Yesterday we had his follow up appointment for the gastroenterologist at CHOP (children's hospital of philadelphia).  Things are looking good. I am SO relived. The dr was happy with his progress and we are keeping him on the same dosage of medication until we go back in three months. At that point we will cut his dose in half and go from there. Our goal is to hopefully ween him off by 12 months if his tummy allows.
He was so good at the drs, i think his favorite part was the paper on the table. lol He had a ball!

Today was his regular pedes 6 month appt! He seriously is getting so big!   The dr was really happy with his growth. Of course he was a little ham and was flirting with the dr. He is now 28 1/4 inches long (98%) and 16lb 8oz(36%)!! TALL and SKINNY! :)  She was really impressed with his development. Fortunately he has been a little ahead of schedule on things, so you know i'm a proud mom!  : )  So now we are going to add a third meal a day and he can eat more meats, beans ext.  

He did REALLY well with his shots.  he had one oral and three in the legs. He only cried and little and didn't scream bloody murder this time. Of course mom shed a tear but we played right after and his adorable smiles were back 30 seconds later!! 

4 months old!!

I can NOT believe how much Brayden has changed in the last month! it's amazing what he can do and how much more attentive he is.  He is learning at such a rapid pace and discovering his world. I LOVE every moment of it!  I hate how fast time is going but the older he gets the more fun he is.  He is a big talker now.. babbling,growling and screeching at anything and everything. He even had a 2 mins conversation with a pillow feeling and scrathing it the other day. lol  His leg and body strength is insane. I swear he is going to skip sitting and crawling and go straight to pulling himself up and running away. Okay may not to that extent but he really is experiencing things in a whole new light! He really makes every day amazing.... I'm SO IN LOVE!

Trying to sit up like a big boy!!  Doesn't last long but he is learning! 

 Drool monster! 

Some of the 4 month sticker shots! 

He is most definitely standing on his own.. his butt is the only thing touching the couch.. nuts! 

Look at those giant feet! size 3!! : P 

 I ABSOLUTELY love this one! 

CAUGHT eating his feet AGAIN! :) 

Doing the "model" pose!