Big Day!

Well, today was Brayden's first day of daycare and it went much better than expected! I just knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would cry on the way to work, but I didn't! The lady whose house the daycare is at, Joan, had to take someone to school so she wasn't there when I got there and I waited on her to turn our paperwork in. I had the opportunity to see Brayden interact with the other kids and the other worker, Keri. He had no idea I was even still standing there because he was so preoccupied with the other kids and the new toys. I'm hoping it was not just being overwhelmed with new things, but that he will continue to just seamlessly fit in there and not worry that I'm leaving. Of course I worried about him all day and the day seemed to drag by!

When I picked him up this afternoon, they said he did very good for his first day. He had some issues with naptime, which I expected because he's not on any kind of nap schedule and he normally naps in the car or in someone's arms. They tried laying him down in the baby bed in the room with the rest of the babies, but he was crying so they moved him into a room where there was a pack n play. He still wasn't happy even with them rubbing his head so they put him in a baby rocker thing and he napped for 2 hours! He also ate peas, carrots, and applesauce for lunch. She said it was a trick getting the spoon in his mouth and he makes the most awful face, all of which I already knew! :) I am so excited about him getting on a schedule and routine that he follows every day. He went to bed around 8 without crying, which is another huge thing!

His daddy sure did miss him today though! Here is a picture that I took this morning before we left for his first day of daycare. He looks so big right here to me - he looks like a toddler! It makes me so sad that my baby boy is growing up so fast! :(

Ok, now for my last big announcement: I am going to be an aunt again! My sister is pregnant and I could not be more excited! I am so excited that Brayden will have a cousin close to his age to grow up with! I know it didn't happen exactly as they planned, but Brayden didn't happen exactly as we planned and we could not be more blessed or happy, so I know it will work out for them. She is due September 21 so Brayden will be about 16 months old, which is about how far apart my sister and I are. I know it's going to be so much fun both having kids close to the same age and raising them together. I can't wait!

Sad Day

Yesterday was Brayden's last day to stay with Mrs. Bettie. It was very heartbreaking for me to make that decision. God totally sent Mrs. Bettie to us. Brayden was born in May and I went back to work in June so my mom watched him in June and July. However, in August when she was going back to school, we had no idea what we were going to do. So, I posted on facebook that I was looking for someone to watch Brayden one to two days a week and a family friend of one of my best friends said that her mom might be interested. Mrs. Bettie goes to our church so I met her one Sunday and then went over to her house one Saturday just to see where she lived and talk to her a little bit. Even though I didn't really know her that well, I had such a peace about dropping him off at her house the first day. I never worried or cried or fretted one time while he was staying with her. Over the past several months, we have gotten to know her and absolutely love her! Brayden was 3 months old when he started staying with her and I could not imagine that it could have worked out more perfectly. Mrs. Bettie always takes him places, which as you can see from my other posts he is very used to being on the go. She bought him a little sweater vest and shirt for Christmas. She's just absolutely wonderful and I'm still worried about him not being with her getting her undivided attention and being cared for so well. Yesterday he got to take some pictures with Mrs. Bettie and her granddaughter, Hannah, who he loves!

Brayden & Mrs. Bettie - I love this picture!

Brayden & Hannah



Brayden in his new favorite stroller

 The main reason we're leaving Mrs. Bettie is because I'm starting a new job where he needs to go to a 5 day a week place. He's starting an in home daycare on Monday with 11 other kids so I'm excited and worried and nervous all at the same time. I'm hoping he learns to crawl, walk, and eat food faster and better. I know it will also be good for him to be on a routine and around other kids on a regular basis. I just hope the other kids aren't mean to him. :(

I start my new job with Shelby County February 7th and I'm very excited! I'm sad because I know I'll miss all of my friends at RDS, but ready for something new and hopefully having my last "first day"! Last big change coming soon! :)

What A Weekend!!

We had a crazy weekend, but let me rewind and give a little backup info that will be needed. Thursday, Brayden's babysitter, Bettie, called around 1:00 that afternoon and said one of her grandchildren had just been sick on the way home from preschool, another grandchild had been sick Monday, and she was feeling a little queasy. Needless to say, I went and got Brayden immediately. He came to work with me for the rest of the afternoon and Jackie did an awesome job of keeping him entertained so I could train someone. Thursday night, Tyler was at work and texted me saying that he had thrown up twice. I know Tyler didn't get it from Brayden because he hadn't seen him that day and I'm still not sure Tyler had it, because if you have it, you know it!

Anyway, Friday I took off just in case Tyler did have it so he wouldn't be watching Brayden and give it to him. We had a great day together - we went to Sam's and got some more formula and wipes. Tyler got up around 12 and called wondering where we were. I told him we were on the way home and he said he needed to take a part back to Sears for a grill and wondered if we wanted to ride up there with him. So, we rode back up to the Galleria and took back the part, walked around the mall for a little while and found some clothes on sale for a great price at Baby Gap, and ate dinner at the most romantic place ever, Taco Bell! :) We got back pretty early so we decided to ride with Mom and Brooke up to Hobby Lobby and Brooke ate dinner at Taziki's.

Saturday morning Tyler was feeding Brayden and he threw up most of his formula. He does that sometimes and he didn't act like he was feeling bad so I didn't really think too much about it. We went and ate lunch at PF Chang's, Brooke's favorite place ever. I actually took some pictures!


Brayden in the car



Mom & Brayden waiting for a table

Brooke & Brayden at the table

Brayden loves water! He hasn't quite mastered drinking out of a sippy cup, mainly because he would rather chew on the spout part, but he loves drinking it out of a straw or even out of a water bottle. It literally would keep him entertained for hours. See?

We also stopped by to see Meemaw and Pawpaw on the way home.

Brayden and Pawpaw

Brayden and Meemaw

That night, we went over to Brooke and Danson's for homemade pizza night. I had to run home to get something and while I was gone, Mom was feeding Brayden and he threw up everywhere. He still hadn't acted like he was really feeling bad though.

Sunday, though, I started feeling like I was going to throw up. I felt like that pretty much all day and finally threw up around 9:30, then 11:00, then 4 AM. It was one of the worst stomach viruses I've ever had! I had these terrible stomach cramps and some other symptoms I won't go into detail about because that would be a little too much information! It pretty much took me out Sunday and Monday. I finally started feeling better Monday evening; however, Mom texted me Monday around lunchtime and said she had come home from school because she didn't feel good and Brooke and Danson were sick too! I also found out Monday night that Pawpaw had been throwing up! Brayden just left a path of destruction everywhere he went!

So tonight, I wanted some real food again! We went to Five Guys - they seriously have the best cheeseburgers!

On a totally different note, I finally got a picture of Brayden pulling up in his crib. My plan was to get one from far back and close up, but by the time I tried to take the close up one, he was sitting down again.

Also, I will be blogging about the changes going on here in the next few days!



Weekend Review

This weekend was pretty normal. Friday night, Tyler was working. I picked Brayden up from Mrs. Bettie's (who will require a post of her own) and Mom called and said she was taking Grandmommy to eat with my aunt and uncle in Chelsea and did I want to tag along. Since I was still in Chelsea, I decided we would. Brayden has been a little fussy lately because his fourth tooth is coming in so he wasn't in the best mood that night. We ate and left pretty quickly and then went over to mom's to just hang out for a little while. Saturday, Mom, Brooke, and I needed to do some running around so of course Brayden tagged along. We went to eat at La Fiesta and then went to Sam's and Belk and Target and Petsmart. On the way home we stopped by my Meemaw and Pawpaw's house to visit. I definitely need to visit and get Brayden over there to visit more often.

My grandfather was diagnosed with lung cancer back in 2006 and has lived a long time with it. He's not doing as well anymore, though so I need to enjoy every minute I have with him. Not to mention he loves when Brayden comes to visit. One morning Brayden stayed with them for about an hour and Pawpaw said he could almost make a sick man well. :(

That evening, my mom watched Brayden while Tyler and I had a much needed date night. As much as I love Brayden more than anything and love spending time with him and being his mommy, sometimes it's nice to be able to just get out of your car and walk in a restaurant. Most people probably take that for granted, but when you have to get a diaper bag out and a baby out and get him set up in his highchair with some toys and snacks to keep him entertained, you're exhausted before you even place your drink order!

Sunday we went to church and rode around for a little while after church so Brayden could nap. Brayden's Grammy came over to visit for a little while. Brayden is changing and learning so many things so fast. He now claps and waves and is starting to "talk" more. He still really only says dada but hopefully he'll start saying mama more because it's obvious I'm his favorite. :) He also can get up on his knees now, but he doesn't really know what to do after that so he just lays back down. Last night, I went to get his bath water ready and when I came back to get him, he was on his knees holding on to the side of his crib. I am looking forward to all the things he will learn in the days ahead.

There are ALOT of changes going on in my life right now. I will be sharing all of them eventually probably in separate posts. It's funny how I either have nothing going on or a million things going on. I guess God is just keeping me on my toes! :)

Of course I don't have any pictures from this weekend but I promise to do better about taking them so I won't have any more posts without pictures (because who wants to read a post this long with no pictures)!

8 Months

Well, Brayden was 8 months old Saturday. It is so hard for me to believe that it has been 8 months since he was born. Before long, we will be throwing his 1 year birthday party! People tell you that time flies once you have kids and you don't really believe them, but it is so true! People also tell you that you won't believe how much you will love until you have a baby and that is also so true! I honestly cannot believe how much I love Brayden. It seriously is like an entirely different kind of love than any love you have ever experienced before. Not to mention I love Tyler so much more because of this amazing, funny, happy, sweet boy that we have created together!

Of course I didn't take any pictures on Saturday so I took a few tonight right before Brayden went to bed while he was playing with his daddy.

We spent his 8 month birthday running around. We ate lunch with his Gigi, Nana, Aunt Brooke, and Mom. He actually ate some carrots, green beans, and potatoes! Then, Aunt Brooke and I went and did some shopping at Buy Buy Baby, Sam's, and Hobby Lobby. We also had a big snow scare, that produced no snow, and I got to stay home an extra day with my baby boy.

At 8 months Brayden is:
*Wearing 12 months clothes
*Wearing size 4 diapers, but would still fit in size 3. We're just trying to use all the ones we received as gifts before we bought some.
*Just started clapping, although he will only do it if he wants to. If he doesn't, he just stares at you like you have an extra head.
*He is still not crawling! Hopefully that will come in the next month.
*He has 2 bottom teeth and 1 almost completely in on the top.
*He pretty much logrolls anywhere he wants to go.
*He has started waving, but doesn't do it very often.

He is a very happy baby who is always laughing and smiling. Just recently, he has started objecting very strongly if you take something away that he shouldn't have or don't let him have something he wants. Overall, my heart grows more everyday with him in my life. Sometimes, I think my heart will literally burst. Life could not be better right now!

Christmas . . . Again!

Tonight, we had our Hutton Family Christmas get together. Tyler's mom, brother, and sister-in-law along with Brayden's cousin, Emma, who is about 2 months older than him, came over. First, we opened gifts. It was pretty much just gifts for the babies and small gifts for their mom. Here are some pictures of them opening their presents. (Please ignore the red-eye, I really need a new camera!)

And one of Brayden with his Uncle Aaron.

After that we went to eat dinner at the Iguana Grill. It was quite an experience. First, we had two babies who were both a little fussy. They were both hungry so it was an easy fix until my sister-in-law, Jessica, realized she had left Emma's formula at our house! So, Aaron had to run to Wal-Mart and get some more. In the meantime, our food came and we ate. So, I got to walk sweet Emma around the restaurant so her mom could eat while we were waiting on her formula. Finally Aaron came back, ate his dinner, and all was well. Here are a few pictures I snapped at the restaurant.

The babies!

Tyler & Me

The Other Huttons

And I'll end this blog with one of my favorite pictures of the night! :)

Eating Struggles

So, my child does not like food. I know what you're thinking, how did Bethany and Tyler give birth to a child who does not like food?! Yes, it's a mystery to us as well. When Brayden, was 6 months old we tried baby food. He hated it!! We tried apples, bananas, squash, sweet potatoes, and I can't even remember what else. He didn't like any of it. He wouldn't open his mouth unless we made him laugh or put our finger to his lips. When we did manage to get some food in his mouth, he would gag and make the most awful face. So, we did that every day for about 3 weeks. Finally, I decided maybe he just wasn't ready and we would give it a rest and try again at 7 months. So, we tried again and guess what? He still hated it! So, now he's at the point where he can try finger foods. My friend Megan told me about "baby-led weaning". Basically, it's skipping baby food altogether and going straight to table food and letting the baby choose what to put in his mouth and how much. Now, we had given Brayden a baby rice cake and he did so good with it. He would hold it in his hand and bite it and eat the whole thing so we just knew that "baby-led weaning" was perfect for us! So far we have tried bananas and carrots and right now he just treats them like a toy and squishes them in his hand. Hopefully soon he will start putting them in his mouth just like the rice cake!

Here are some Christmas card outtakes that I just love!

Ringing in the New Year

On New Year's Eve day, Brooke, Mom, Brayden, and I went shopping at the Leeds outlet mall. Brooke wanted to get Brayden some clothes for Christmas and I needed to pick up a few things too. They had a huge Christmas tree so we took a few pictures. :)

Brooke and Brayden

Mom and Brayden

For New Year's Eve, Tyler, Brayden, and I went out to eat with my mom and dad at Jim N Nicks. Of course, Brayden went to bed right when we got home, but Tyler and I planned to stay up and watch the ball drop. Since the ball drops at 12:00 eastern, we only had to make it until 11, but we crashed about 10:30.
On New Year's Day, it was so rainy and nasty outside. Brayden and I just hung around the house until about 2:30 and then he went over to my mom's so I could clean the house. I hadn't really cleaned since Christmas so it was a big job and there was no way it was getting done with Brayden here! For dinner, the three of us went over to Mom's to eat ham, black-eyed peas, and cornbread. Brooke came and brought her niece, Daniley, who is the cutest, funniest child you will ever meet! She is 2 and it was so much fun to watch her interact with Brayden. I already know that this is going to be such a great year watching Brayden turn 1 and continue to grow and develop. Hopefully 2011 will bring crawling, eating food cooperatively, walking, a first birthday party, and many more memories. I can't wait!

Christmas 2010

Ok, so I've decided to start a blog. My main reason for starting one is because I would love to be able to print out the blog in a book to look back on one day and remember how sweet and perfect my little boy was at this time in his life. I am a little behind considering he is about to be 8 months old, but better late than never huh? :)

My first post is about Christmas 2010. I was so excited about this Christmas season because obviously it was Brayden's first. We decorated the tree the first weekend in December and Brayden was happy to help out by testing out the lights!

He also watched intensely while we decorated the tree.

And here is the finished product!

So, now to the Christmas festivities. On Christmas Eve, our sweet family of three spent time together during the day because Tyler had been gone to the hunting club for the past three days. We went and ate lunch at Wings and ran some errands. That night we went to the Christmas Eve service at our church (my favorite!) and went over to my moms after. We ate and played Phase 10, but only made it through about 3 or 4 rounds before it was time for Brayden to go home and hit the sack!

On Christmas Day, we woke up and opened gifts at our house. Santa didn't bring Brayden too much because he knew he wouldn't really understand. Mom and Dad also figured out they shouldn't have wrapped everything because he got tired of opening after about the first gift!

After opening gifts at our house, we got ready and cooked some food and went over to my Mom's. We opened gifts there and ate lunch. It was so nice to not have to get up and rush around to go alot of places. Here are some pictures of Brayden opening his gifts with some help from Aunt Brooke!

And some pictures from lunch

After lunch at my mom's, we went over to Todd and Susan's. Todd is Tyler's "big brother". He and Tyler met through the Big Brother, Big Sister program when Tyler was like 8 or 10 or something like that and he has been so supportive of Tyler ever since. He was the best man at our wedding and he and Tyler are still very close. They got Brayden the cutest little car race track toy that he just loves!

After we went to visit Todd, it was time to go to my Meemaw's house, which is my dad's mom. Of course I didn't take any pictures! (I HAVE to get better at taking pictures) Brayden had lots of fun watching everyone and opening even more new toys!

The day after Christmas, we went to Tyler's grandparents. Didn't take any pictures there either, but we had a really good time! We can go so long without seeing them and still feel so welcome at the family functions.

Overall, our Christmas was so good and we are so blessed! Christmas is so much more fun and meaningful with Brayden in our lives. One way you know our lives have changed: Tyler is a major Scrooge and hates holidays. This Christmas he was so excited to put the Christmas tree up. I even came home from work one day and he had put up lights outside! He was so cooperative and didn't complain one time on Christmas day and that is a huge thing for him! He is such a great dad!