Carnival Ride

So this may seem alittle wierd but Scott plays what he calls the "Carnival Ride" every day with Braden when he gets home for work. I guess it sort of is like a carnival ride in that it doesn't seem all that safe, but Braden hasn't been hurt or even gotten tired of it yet. It was actually one of the first places that Braden would giggle with glee. Braden now absolutely loves playing on the bed. He can be in the absolute worst mood and you put him on the bed and he just starts crawling around giggling! Below are two videos one from October and one from just last week.

Bouncing Balloons

Braden brought home two balloons from church last week and he loved to just bounce and move and see them move all around. He didn't giggle with glee but he was definitely entertained because he didn't want to stop playing with them. Don't worry all you grandmas...we didn't let him suck on the balloons. =)

Dancing and Crawling!

Here's another video of Braden dancing to the music and bouncing! He's also crawling all around like normal! He just speeds around from place to place!

Balls of Fun!

Here's a video of Braden playing in the balls! He just loves them! He'll be playing in the living room and then crawl into the bedroom to play with them. A few days ago Scott found him at the master door putting his fingers under the door. =) This video shows some of his new sounds he's been making!

March Madness!!

Isn't this the cutest little butt in the world?!? Braden is ready for the Big Dance! He was sad to wake up yesterday and hear the Illini had lost. His dad said there's always next year, and I told him to get used to it. =) He's still excited to see who wins the tournament and he likes playing out on the new patio while dad is watching the games!

8 Months!

Our precious little Braden is 8 months old! He is getting into everything! If you do something else for a minute then he is either into Abby's water bowl(a new favorite...somehow all the water end up on his butt I'm not quite sure how that happens), crawling through the end table, or trying to climb up on something! He loves to bounce and bounce and bounce, make funny noises with his tongue, crawl on the couch and look over into the kitchen, roll around on the bed, fly through the air, drive in his car, feed himself, wave hi at anything and everything, play with cords, bang things together to make any sort of noise, water the plants with dad, make fart noises on the couch or mom's arm, splash the water during bathtime, and clap!! Yes, clapping must have rubbed off on him! Thanks Weston! He loves going to places and just watches the people and waves at everyone! He still isn't a big fan of the car, mostly because he hates being in one place for very long! He's just so active I don't think he'll ever have any fat on him! He'll probably be just like his dad! The only problem with that is that I don't know if I have enough energy for both of them! =) Maybe they'll wear each other out! He's been eating a lot more real food lately. He loves mashed potatoes, french fries, bananas, bread, pickles(he gets that from his dad)...really just about anything we give him! It's fun to see him try different things and see his reaction to the taste. Poor little guy has his four top teeth coming in at the same time right now! He's congested and a little cranky but all in all we can't complain. He's very happy and excited to do anything the majority of the time. I can't wait to see how much he changes in the next month! He's been pulling up so well lately I bet he'll start cruising up and down the couch pretty soon!

Braden's Noises

Braden learns a new sound everyday and then he practices it all day long. Here is a video of him making weird noises. This day's noise came with lots of slobber! As he crawled on the wood floors there was a trail of wetness from where the slobber dropped and then he crawled through it. =)

Last night Braden went crazy before bedtime. He learned a yelling noise and was full of energy! It's hard to believe that he had croup but he did. It was pitiful to see him after he woke up from his nap and it wasn't very fun around midnight either. Anyway, as he crawled around he just kept yelling and yelling. This video is long but it's funny how crazy he was and the ending is funny too. Braden's says sorry Grandma Dianna! He just wanted to play with the coaster you gave us. =)

So I wasn't kidding when I said he was full of energy! He lasted for about 30 minutes when we finally just changed him into his pjs and put him to bed! Here's one more video of him pulling up and playing on his musical table. Such a cute boy!

Braden's New Friends

Over the past few weeks Braden has had a couple friends over. Kate came and stayed with us for a night when her brother, Ben, was born. She and Braden played together really well. They wore each other out pretty well and took a nap at the same time which was bliss for me!

We've also had Weston over a couple times. Mandy, my friend from school, and I are tutorig some high schoolers in the mornings a few days a week and we are trading turns watching the boys. They have been doing pretty good together! It's really cute to see them coo at each other and crawl around following each other. I'm hoping that some of Weston's skills like clapping and saying ma ma will rub off on Braden! =)

Weston doesn't normally take a pacifier but he found Braden's and thought it was funny to pull it between his teeth. It was really cute!

Braden's First Car!

Braden has started pulling up on things the last couple weeks so it was time to get him something to start walking behind! We got this because we can push him in it now and the arms come off so later he can get on it by himself. He likes going fast in it and when you stop moving him he bounces up and down until you start pushing him again. He's not spoiled or anything. =)