The Braden Bunch

Kylar 3D

2012-01-24T17:14:00.003-06:00

I just was able to hook my scanner up to my Mac. So I scanned in a couple of the pictures from the 3D sonogram. She wasn't very cooperative and kept her hand in her face most of the time. At least we got a couple that looked like a little baby.

We are so excited to welcome this little girl. We are getting close. Only have 6 weeks left!

Here comes Santa!

2011-12-04T20:48:00.003-06:00

Kase was talking about Santa for almost a month. He really really wanted to see Santa and said that he was going to sit on his lap and tell him that he wants trains and golf clubs for Christmas. I assumed Kase was going to get there and panic. But of course we needed our annual Santa visit. We were in The Woodlands area visiting my family for Thanksgiving so we decided to visit Santa there. We got there pretty early right when the mall opened on Saturday and guess started waiting in line. After about 20 mins and no one actually taking pictures with Santa an Elf finally came by and told us that the camera was broken. About 10 mins later they got it working.. but Kase was already running out of patience. 15 mins later we were almost to the front of the Santa line and Kase was still very excited and sure that he wanted to see Santa.

Here is a shot of Santa reading to the kids while they were working on the camera.

He did much better than expected. He ran up and gave Santa a great big hug and a high five. Then once Santa put him on his lap he froze. He didn't scream and cry like past years but he didn't say a word and just looked at him. Santa kept talking to him and asking him if he was good boy and what he would like for Christmas. Kase finally gave in and said " I want Red presents" Santa laughed and said what would you like inside those presents and Kase said "Toys." So very open ended. He really wouldn't smile for his picture either, but better than in the past years. About 5 minutes later he said "mommy I do that again?" of course the line was very long so I told him he would get to see him another day.

Here is the final result!

South Padre!

2011-07-02T14:07:00.006-05:00

Hey Guys,

I am sorry for not updating the blog for a while. I had some very weird issue where I couldn't access Blogger or view my own blog it was really really odd. So I downloaded a new Internet browser and it is working now!!! YEA!!!

At the beginning of June we took a family Vacation with Barry, Ginny, John and Kaylene to South Padre. We all rented a condo at Isla Grand and had a GREAT time! Here are a few pictures from the week!

The Gang under the Umbrella.

Barry and Ginny at Dirty Al's!

Uncle John and Aunt KK

Daddy and the Boy!

We had a great dinner at Dirty Al's. We order big platters of seafood. Kase ate fried Calamari and oysters. Strange!

Meet Fred. The sand dolphin... Kase destroyed him!

I Love the Beach!

I love my Wake Board!

Oh Never mind I don't like either :( This will be a great one to show to any of his future girl friends!

Disney World Part 2!

2011-03-13T20:13:00.005-05:00

This is what Kase looked like after day 1 at Disney. He slept pretty good that night.

On Day 2 we work up early and went to The Animal Kingdom Park. It was so much fun! We headed straight to the safari ride hoping to see alot of animals out in the morning. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the elephant herd and the silly lion was asleep. All I could see was a bunch of hair on top of a rock. lol We did get really lucky and saw a couple giraffes walking really close to the truck.

After the safari we took the train out to Rafiki's planet watch and saw Rafiki himself. Kase was scared of the big monkey. Oh well.

After all that Kase said that he really wanted to see Mickey again so we headed to Camp Minnie Mickey to visit. We stood in a pretty long line to see Mickey but were able to visit with both Goofy and Donald pretty quickly. All those pictures were on Disney photo pass so once I get that CD I'll post some more of those cute pictures with the characters.

After nap time we decided to go back to the Animal Kingdom lodge for a wonderful dinner at Jiko. That is a great restraunt! We ate there a few years back when Chris and I went to Disney and decided we liked it so much we had to eat there again! 2 thumbs up for sure.

The next day we visited both Hollywood Studios (in the morning) and EPCOT. We thought we would only do 1/2 day at Hollywood Studios, becusae according to Disney.com they had all of the Playhouse Disney things shut down for the redeisgn to Disney Jr. We actually talked about heading to Magic Kingdom for another day instead but decided oh why not we'll see what they have for the kiddos. We are SO glad that we decided to go any way and actually needed alot more time then what we had. Disney had the makeover compelted early and were doing Test Audiences for the Disney Jr. Live on stage. So we made it in to one of the first shows. Then after the little Einstiens made an appearence. Kase was in heaven. He got big kisses from both Annie and Leo.

The longest line we waited in all week was to see Woody and Buzz. Who would have thought but Kase kept asking where were Woody and Buzz so we had to see. At least the area that we had to wait in was pretty entertaining.

After a fun day at Hollywood Studio, we left headed back to the hotel for a nap then headed to EPCOT. We at a great dinner at Rose and Crown pub. We had a couple beers and Kase at meaty macaroni. He really enjoyed that meal. I really need to actually figure out how to make that for him at him. We also rode a few rides and then found a place to watch the fireworks show. The show at EPCOT is pretty impressive.

This is the view of the castle at Magic Kingdom from our hotel. Sorry the picture quailty is so bad but it was AMAZING at night. You could even sit on the beach at the hotel and watch the fireworks.

Disney World!

2011-03-13T19:27:00.004-05:00

We took Kase for his 1st Disney World trip the week of his 2nd birthday! We headed out Monday Feb 28th. We were little nervous about Kase's first plane flight. He was a champ!! We had a 2 hour lay over at IAH and then made it to Orlando at about 3. We stayed at the Polynesian Hotel which was perfect. Right on the monorail route out the front door. Out the back door was the boat to the Magic Kingdom and to the side was the Ticket and Transportation center. We were able to get to all the location SO easy. We will for sure stay there again!

It was a very long day but we were all excited and ready to do something. We made a visit to Down town Disney. We visited the Lego store and save the Dragon made of Legos in the lake. Kase LOVED the dragon that kept his attention for almost an hour. He still talks about the big dragon in the lake.
We then ate at a really cool place called T-Rex. It is like the Rain Forest Cafe but Dino Themed. Kase had a cautious respect for the Dinos and stayed a good distance away. As long as he didn't have to pet him he was fine :) I couldn't get him close enough to any of the Dinos to get a good picture.

The Next day was our big day at the Magic Kingdom. It was so Magical! It rained for the first half of the day. We rode Buzz's Space ranger spin several times since it was indoors. About 11 it cleared up and we were able to find Mickey and Minnie. I was nervous that he would be scared of the costumes but he LOVED them. I have some cute video that I will post once I can get it off the Iphone.

We also got him the Mickey Ears that he enjoyed. He wore them every day that we were at the park and a few days at home.

The Tea Cups and Dumbo rides ended up being Kase's Favorite rides. He still talks about wanting to go back and ride the tea cups. He even figured out how turn it and make it spin. I got a little dizzy but the faster we spun the more he loved it. We have a little dare devil on our hands.

Check out Disney World Part 2 for more fun in the other parks!

Blogger Slacker

2011-02-05T12:04:00.003-06:00

Ok... So we all knew I was a blogger slacker... However today I was surfing the net, visiting some friends blogs and decided to look at mine. I realized I haven't posted anything at all since Halloween. So I think I've officially become the biggest blogger slacker ever! lol

The Braden Family has been quite busy over the last few months since October. We've had a busy Thanksgiving, Christmas and now its already Feb of 2011. I've been working ALOT of extra hours at work the last few months with all the really high priority projects. I'm hoping that after Feb things start to slow back down. Over the last week Kase has been sick so I haven't been on the computer much at all. I figure it would take forever to put up all the pictures that I haven't posted so I'll pick a couple of my favorites. (Actually to tell you the truth I haven't even put the pictures from Christmas on my computer yet).

Since we have all been so busy with work we are lacking family time. So Chris and I decided to take Kase on an adventure for his birthday! We are flying to Disney World on Monday Feb 28th. We are so excited and actually ended up with pretty good reservation on such short notice. We'll be back in town on his birthday which is March 5th. Kase is so excited that he gets to see Mickey for his Birthday! I also told him that he is going to see Buzz and Woody and he is very excited about that too. We have been teaching Kase the names of all the other Mickey Gang so that we are prepared for the visit. Kase loves watching Mickey Mouse Club House and is kind of crazy about Goofy, I'm hoping we'll be able to catch Goofy around Disney somewhere.

Here are a couple pictures from recently!

A couple of pictures from the cotton bowl party!

Part 2: Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T21:06:00.003-05:00

We had a great time on Halloween! We didn't do any trick or treating this year but we did have some great cousins over to play in their Halloween costumes!

Batman, Robin, A pirate and 2 princesses. Quite the little crowd.

Not 100% sure what these little guys are looking at!

The little kids swinging

Taking a break with a juice box!

The Little Pirate

Cute little pirate, even though he kind of looks a little drunk in this one :)

Part 1: Braden Family News

2010-11-01T20:43:00.004-05:00

Hi Every one! I know its been a long time since I've updated the blog. We have been crazy busy doing all kind of really fun things. However my computer has been broken an I haven't been able to update the blog. I know I know you say... how dare you have only 1 computer. But we do :(

I have several pieces of fun information to share. For some reason Blogger only lets me add 5 pictures into one post (if any one knows how to fix that let me know!!!)

1. While I was slacking off on the blog posts Kase grew up and turned 18 months. At Kase's 18 month check up we talked to the doctor about big boy beds. Kase decided to almost bail from his crib. I walked in and caught him with one leg over the rail. So on his 18 months birthday we bough Kase a big boy bed. We just got his bed spread so now that its all dressed up I'll take a couple pictures and post them on the blog

2. We got a new Puppy!!! He is a beautiful German Short hair pointer named Hank!! He has been a fun and amazingly energetic addition to the family. I thought nothing could compare to the energy of a boxer puppy but GSPs rival that of the boxers. Riley doesn't really care about the puppy and pretty much just lets him do what ever he wants. Tyson is a great big brother and loves to wrestle and play. Kase thinks its all great!! I hope you enjoy some of the pictures!!!

Anniversary Weekend Part 3: Cabela's

2010-09-12T20:14:00.003-05:00

We made the trip up to Buda to visit Cabela's. We have been there several times because Kase loves to go and look at the big fish in the aquarium and the mounted deer. They have one room that is never very crowded full of large award winning mounted bucks. He loves it and runs from animal to animal saying "wow!! Bucks!!" So cute :)

He ran around till he made himself and me very tired. So we got back in the car and made our way back to San Antonio. He gladly took a nap in the car on the way back.

Kase and a bear

Kase and Daddy testing out a cot

And nap time on the cot... maybe mommy needs to buy a cot.

Running from mommy because tents are more fun!

Anniversary Weekend Part 2: Children's Museum

2010-09-12T19:54:00.005-05:00

As part of our long weekend we visted the children's museum in San Anotonio. It was so much fun to watch Kase run and play. I do have to say that the one in Houston is much bigger and better but we still had tons of fun!

Enjoy the pictures!

Milking the Cow!
Big nail board. Daddy made lots of fun hand prints with Kase!

They had this really cool water table that had a current. You can make a maze and block the water to watch which way the boats would go down the table. I think Daddy had more fun the Kase did.

Slide at the children's museum that sounded like water running when you slid down.

Kase loved the lightboard especially when mommy decided to write his name in it.

The event of the day... The Air plane!

Anniversary Weekend Part 1: San Antonio Zoo

2010-09-12T19:31:00.004-05:00

I know I know, It's been forever since I've posted. I'm trying to do better :) So here is some fun stuff.

A couple weeks back for our Anniversary we decided to get a hotel room on the river walk. We had so much fun on a 4 day weekend. We went to Cabella's, walked the Riverwalk, ate at the Rain Forest Cafe, went to the zoo and children's museum.

We had an amazing day at the zoo. It was Kase's very first trip to the zoo and as far as I can remember my first trip to the San Antonio zoo. The first half of the day started out cool (well for Texas weather). We were able to see several of the bears and big cats before the day got too hot. The big hit was the new area called Africa Live. This area has an indoor view of Hippos and several other African animals. You can then walk outside through a really nice walk area to see the Giraffes, Elephants and Okapi. The hit of the day was by far the hippo. Once Kase noticed the Hippo in the water that was all he was about to talk about all day. It was so exciting.

At the Zoo they have a little kids play area complete with a little river that you can play in. Kase had tons of fun with the little rocks.

We road the little zoo train around the park. Kase loves choochoos so this was the 2nd best event of the day!

Relatives?

Look we've adopted :) lol The hippo experience is great! I love that the kids can get so up close and see the hippos face to face.

Kase having a solo moment with his favorite creature on earth. He loves to talk about hippos. At the house we have a little floating hippo. He had a hard time saying Hippo at first so it came out baaboo. Now that he has perfected the word hippo we now have a stuffed animal named Baaboo the Hippo :)

Ever Expanding Vocabulary

2010-06-07T20:10:00.002-05:00

Kase is growing up so fast... he is now 15 months old. He has his 15 month check up next week so I'll get you his stats then! He is growing and learning every day!

We are up to quite an extensive vocabulary. Not only is he learning new words, he's learning new ways to use those words. As you know his first word was Ball.... That is still his favorite word. He loves balls and walks abound the house constantly with a ball in his hand. He makes it a point to show you and say "ball" ever second that he can. However he is learning to associate ball with alot of different things. "My Ball" has started happening. The other day we were watching Star Wars and the second the Death Star came on the TV he ran up and said... "BALL!!" Very true! That is a ball. My favorite and also most embarrassing use of Ball was yesterday in the swimming pool. Kase and I were swimming around the pull, he points down my shirt and announces to every one in the pool "BALL!!!" Kids are too funny!

Some new additions to the vocabulary are Hello... its sounds more like hiyo. He will grab the phone and put it up to his ear and say Hiyo! He also says, Juice, Dog, Shoe, Sock, more and Tickle Tickle. The newest two words that started over the weekend are Water and Bubble. Bubble actually comes out pretty clear. Water needs more work. Its more like Wa-ao. He hasn't quite mastered the T sound in the middle of words yet.

I just look forward to every day experiencing new things and watching him learn and grow. I am so proud.

Mother's Day weekend at Port A

2010-05-09T19:54:00.005-05:00

Click here for more pictures!! (sorry for having to link, couldn't put all the pictures I wanted to up on the blog)

We decided to take a few days off of work and head to the coast. This was Kase's first trip to the beach! We had a great time at Port Aransas. We stayed at condo called the Mayan Princess. We found this place on a referral from a friend of mine at work. It was great. The condos are for sure the way to go with a baby. We were able to save some money by cooking at the condo. We did go out to dinner though.

The first night after we got checked into the condo we went to the Port A brewery which was great fun! Kase got a BIG cookie for dessert.

The second day we went to the Texas State Aquarium it was so much fun to watch Kase chase the dolphins back and forth by the big viewing window. Kase was also very fascinated by the jelly fish. I loved the sea turtles... too cute! That night we went to dinner at a place called Moby Dicks. Was a lot of fun, Kase slept through alot of it.

Saturday we hit the beach and then the pool for most of the day! We had so much fun playing! We got all cleaned up and then went to a nice dinner at Virginia's by the bay, had steaks and watched the water as we ate in the open air by the bay.

It was a wonderful mother's day weekend! I think we will plan to do this every summer.

Spring Fest

2010-05-09T19:37:00.005-05:00

Every year our company puts on an awesome event called Spring Fest. It is great. They have different areas set up with booths for food, drinks and fun. This year the areas were by country. They had an Asian area with egg rolls, fried rice and Tai Chi demos. They had Italian area with meatball subs, sausage on a stick and also a demo on pizza dough making and tossing. Fun stuff. Kase loved the egg rolls I think that was his favorite event of the day. Next year I'm sure it will be the boucny houses. I really want to help Kase into a bouncy house and bounce a little myself.

They also had a petting zoo. They even had a petting zoo. Kase had a great time with the Zebu. Mommy decided that she needs one to go with the mini horse in the back yard. Who dosen't need a mini cow?

They also had military demos and we were able to see a Black hawk helecopter. Kase thought it was pretty cool... Chris wanted to shoot the gun :)

That was a great weekend and a wonderful event at work!

We have a walker

2010-04-17T18:03:00.003-05:00

The last week or so Kase has been trying to walk. He would take a step or two between me and Chris, or from holding on to something to one of us. Today he was pulled up and decided to just walk all the way across the room. He is still doing most of his traveling through crawling but any day now he will just take off and start running. (Help us!!) It was a nice suprise and a much needed reward after a very trying week at work.

Easter Bunny

2010-04-03T14:57:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter Everyone! The day care was closed on Good Friday. So Chris and I took of the day to have some family time. We woke up and headed to San Antonio and met the Easter Bunny. I don't know why parents feel it necessary to torture their children about 75% of the kids were screaming and crying but I had to do it at least once. I was looking back at pictures of me with the Easter bunny at about Kase's Age and I Loved it, even though the Easter Bunny looked truly evil (see below). Kase did really well with the Easter Bunny and even smiled and shook hands with him. However once I put him in his arms for the picture he tried to quickly escape. We almost bought the picture of him escaping but decided to go with the one were he looked slightly like he was having a good time.

After our Easter Bunny visit we went to Bravo and had a nice lunch with a couple of Friends Christina and Anu from work. Then we did a little shopping and got Kase a swimsuit and sandals for the summer. We finally headed home and Kase had a really long and much needed nap.

I wish every one a blessed Easter weekend!

Me with the REALLY SCARY Easter Bunny at 15 months of Age. (Golly mom is a miracle I'm not scared for life)

Blue Bonnets 2010

2010-03-27T11:41:00.004-05:00

This year the bluebonnets are amazing. We have had a lot of great rain and a good freeze right before they bloomed. The wild flowers are out in force. Now that the weather is better we wanted to take some pictures while they were in major bloom. It was a little windy so in some of the pictures he looks like he has a Mohawk!

Blogger was giving me a hard time and I could only get it to post one picture. Please click the picture to see the rest of the picture! Enjoy!

A few of my favorite things!

2010-03-21T16:31:00.004-05:00

COOKIES!!!

What cookie!! I don't see a cookie!

(Chris had made Chocolate Chip cookies today, I thought the plate was empty but apparently not. Kase had 2 cookies one in each hand chowing down.)

My new play room mommy and daddy are building me! I can't wait for it to be finished!

The Wii Nunchucks!
(Why out of all the toys we have for the boy, he goes straight for the nunchucks. He then hangs them around his neck and crawls around the house. Why?)

Blocks!
Would you like a block?

Wheel of fortune! My favorite TV show.

At 6:30 every night Kase crawls over to the TV and makes sure Wheel of Fortune is on. What an internal clock the boy has.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-21T16:23:00.003-05:00

Playing Peek a boo with the hat!

Awww The hat finally stayed on :)

Mommy told me that if I stole this little dude's hat there would be gold in it... No gold so I put blocks in there!

Kase did wear green all day, however we had spaghetti for dinner so he had to wear the hat so that he wouldn't get pinched. He did inform me that there is green on his diapers so if daddy can get away with green boxers then he could get away with green on the diaper :)

1 year Doctors Appt

2010-03-09T08:28:00.002-06:00

We took Kase to his 1 year doctors appointment. The dr. looked at him and said, "Yep, Still huge!" Kase is a very tall boy. He is 33 inches tall, which puts him in the 95% for height. He towers over most of his 18 month old cousins. Kase average for weight, weighing in at 24 pounds. He falls in the 75% for the Height/weight combo.

Kase is getting very good with his hand eye coordination and is a pro at catching a ball. (Looking good on some sort of pro sports career :)) He is very into the color Yellow. He is also really into putting things in things. Which is very nice when helping mommy clean up. Lets hope this continues in the future. He is a very organized kid and likes his toys in the right place.

Kase had 5 shots yesterday. Very sad. It is really hard seeing them get shots in their legs, but they he had to get one in each limb. They started giving shots in the arm. So sad. I can't believe the vaccinate against Chicken Pox now. Come on I lived through it! Oh well. I guess we have to follow instructions so he can stay in day care and eventually allow him to school.

The doctor instructed us to move Kase over to whole milk and start to get him off the bottle. Yea that sounds like fun. He is such a good eater I hope this process is not too stressful for him. His favorite food is by far bananas followed by oranges. He is just a fruit eating boy :)

We are so blessed to have a healthy little boy!

Kase's 1st Birthday Party

2010-03-08T20:18:00.005-06:00

Click on the picture for additional party pics!

We had a big shin dig for Kase's first birthday. Kase was feeling a little under the weather so he had a very short temper. He was diagnosed with RSV a few days before the party. His fever broke on Friday so he was better but still not 100%.

He did get to have some fun on his birthday though. Some of his cousins still came even though he was sick. Most of the cousins had already had RSV when they were babies. We ended up having about 30 people at the party. The whole family came, including my mom, grandma, Colby & Ryan and Aunt Dana from Houston. Even a few of our friends Jenn and Heather showed up. It was so much fun but crazy!

Kase was a little stressed out with all the people staring at him while he was opening his presents he got a ton of toys and some really cute clothes! All was well once he got to tear into the cake. He really wasn't into the cake part but really enjoyed licking off all the icing. Mommy thinks thats the best part too!

The balloons were a big hit with the kids. Most of them flew away and a few were popped. The kids also enjoyed pulling Kase and Jackson around in the wagon that Barry and Ginny got Kase for his birthday.

Kase is such a lucky little boy to have all these people that love him! Thank you all who took part in his big day!

Kase's 1 year Pictures

2010-03-08T20:04:00.004-06:00

We had Kase's 1 year pictures take on his birthday Friday March 5th. He was a little fussy but we got some great shots!! Click on the picture to enjoy the rest!

1st Hair Cut!

2010-03-08T19:04:00.003-06:00

My little boy had some scraggly curls. So we decided to have his 1st hair cut on Thursday before his birthday. We went to a place called "Sharkeys cuts for kids." It was amazing. They had really cool chair like cars for the toddlers and big leather chairs with video games for the bigger kids. They had tons of toys and fun stuff to look at!

The ladies that worked there were amazing. They were so patient and quick. Kase was amused in his Lighting McQueen Car. He did so well. He only cried a little when she turned on the clippers to buzz off the back of his hair. Once we distracted him with the car he sat there like a champ!

My little boy now looks like a little man. It kind of makes me cry a little.

Rodeo

2010-03-08T18:52:00.003-06:00

The weekend of Valentines day, my mom came for a visit. We went out to the SA Rodeo and hung out at the fair grounds. Kase really enjoyed the petting zoo! He loved all the goats and the deer. The big hit was the Alpaca. I'm trying to convince Chris that Kase needs an Alpaca. :)

Yea! Alpaca!

Kisses from an adorable Goat.

Bacon?

Aww but I still love the Alpaca

Once we got home Kase enjoyed applying everything he learned at the rodeo and did a little steer wrestling of his own.

TGIGSC?

2010-03-08T18:45:00.002-06:00

Thank Goodness Its .... Girl Scount Cookies!!!

We love this time of the year, the Girl Scouts camp out in front of Walmart. This year we were lucky because we had a friend of ours as Cookie mom! Yea Short Breads!

PS this should have been posted on Feb 7th. I'm a slacker :)

First Words and First Groundhogs day!

2010-02-02T09:40:00.003-06:00

Not even 11 months old and we officially have our first word!! He has been saying the mamma, dadda stuff for a while now. According to speech pathologists, mamma and dadda do not classify as first words. :( On Sunday night we were playing with his big plastic ball that he got as a Christmas gift from Mangaw. He was rolling it back and forth with mommy and daddy. I rolled the ball back to him and he caught it and said "ball." It was all very exciting. Not only did he say the word... but his a pretty good catch. He has amazing hand eye coordination. Ball is a pretty cool and very boy first word! Mommy is so proud. So an interesting statistic that the doctor shared with me yesterday was that children that are 11 month should say 1 word. 12 months should say 2 words. 13 months should say 3 words, etc. This continues until 18 months when their vocabulary grows exponentially and the rule then doesn't apply. Of course not all kids follow this, some say more, some say less. Our doctor however thinks its a fun stat so he shared it with me.

Speaking of doctors! We had to make a visit yesterday. Kase was starting to get fever over the weekend and started running a 103 by Monday morning. I took him in thinking it was an ear infection, but nope! the tubes are doing what they should and his ears are clear. The doctor thinks that the problem is a sinus infection. Yuck. So we started an antibiotic. Then last night his fever spiked all the way to a 105. I felt so bad. I put a cool cloth on his head and let him sleep it off. The Tylenol finally helped and brought the fever back down. Of course then he was feeling better and didn't want to go to sleep. Hopefully today that antibiotic will start to work and the fever will go down. :( We shall see. I hate it so much when they are sick, I just wish that I could take it all away! Heads up to all my friends with little ones. The doctors warned me that RSV has been very bad this year. They are testing every kid that comes in with fever and a running nose. They tested Kase. He had to hospitalize 4 kids in the past day with RSV... So all my friends that think it could just be a cold, be on the look out. One of the major ways to know is if they have a stuffy nose and their breathing starts to Wheeze instead of rattle. Take them in immediately, the test for RSV is just a swab and wait about 12 mins. Painless and totally worth knowing.

Kase also had another first today! It is his very first Groundhogs day. On Kase's 1st groundhog day, Mr. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow :( . Sadly 6 more weeks of winter. Now we tend to forgive those weather men that are wrong. Especially really cute huge fuzzy groundhogs. Since Phil has only been right in 34% of his 124 prognostications that he has made. The video is on Youtube for all those that would like to see the presentation :).

I wish every one a wonderful Groundhog day!

Baptism

2010-01-09T19:06:00.002-06:00

We had Kase's tubes put in on Friday, Baptism on Sunday! It was a crazy crazy week. We had a house full of company come as well. My mom and David, mangaw and Colby and Ryan.

All of Chris' family joined us on sunday morning. We had the baptism at the 10:45 service and then had a lunch afterwards. We were really lazy and just made hamburgers!

The baptism was very nice and it was really great to be able to share it with all the family.

9 Months and Ear Tubes

2010-01-09T18:50:00.003-06:00

We had Kase's 9 month Doctors visit on Dec 7, 2009. At his appointment he was 30.25 inches tall and 22 lbs. My Big boy is still exceeding the growth curve in the 95%. Crazy. Now we are just shooting for a lefty so we can have an all star pitcher on our hands :) lol.

The doctor said that he was looking good, with the exception of his ears. He still had an awful ear infection. Since we had been going on 120 days with ear infection we were referred to an ENT. The ENT we used was wonderful! He got us in later that week to his appointment. The ENT looked at his ears and agreed that he needed tubes. It was bitter sweet for me. I wanted him to get better for sure but the idea of him being sedated and having surgery really upset me.

We directly to the scheduling lady at the office. Dr. Hatch had a cancellation for the next day so we took it. This was a little scary since it was such short notice but also gave me no time to get all worried and worked up.

It was really sad because we could give him anything to eat or drink after midnight. I was worried our hour drive to the surgery center was going to be a nightmare. It wasn't. He did really really well. The procedure really only took a few minutes. The longest part was the knocking him out and waking him up. We were warned that when boys come out of anesthesia that they normally thrash around and scream. Kase did really well. He was a little fussy but all he needed was his mommy and a bottle. As soon as he finished his bottle we left and went back home. It was great because we were back home by 10.

He was feeling 110% better by the next day! I am so glad that we did it. I know that he will feel so much better in the long run!

Family Pictures on Daddy's birthday

2010-01-09T18:31:00.005-06:00

Mangaw wanted new family pictures of every one for Christmas. We used this photo shoot as Kase's 9 month pictures, family pictures and Christmas pictures. We decided to go to the Mall and use The Pictures People. We joined the portrait club. This club is a great deal and gives discounts on prints. We had a great time having our pictures taken there. The girl that took our pictures was adorable and very good with Kase.

We made a day of it. It was Chris' birthday so we went into San Antonio, Took the pictures and while we were waiting for the proofs (they develope the pictures in less the an hour) we visited Build A Bear. We made a Moose it was so cute. Kase really had a thing for Frosty so we got one of those too! It will make a nice addition to my Build A Bear Rudolph I got last year!

The pictures turned out so great! We will for sure use them again.

Santa!!

2010-01-09T18:07:00.003-06:00

Kase had his first visit with Santa! It was so fun!! We went to The Woodlands Mall to visit with Santa. Kase was 100% sure about this big guy with a beard. He has always been very curious about facial hair. He loves to grab and pull on the beard. He often does that to Grandpa Dave and Uncle Colby. This time the beard in question was a big white fluffy one. Kase was so mesmerized by the white fluffiness that he didn't even realize that I had sat him on Santa's lap and walked off behind the Camera.

I went behind the camera and started to call his name to get him to look up away from the beard at the camera. It took a few tries but he did. We got a pretty cute picture just before the tears started. The second that mommy picked him up again he was fine. It was great fun to have his first picture taken with Santa and I was so glad we were able to share it with Mimi, Grandpa Dave, Uncle Colby and Aunt Ryan.

Kase got a second shot at Santa at the Day Care. The had a Christmas party for the kids and Santa flu in on a helicopter. The pictures that I got copies of from the day care had Kase pulling on Santa's beard, of course!

At the Day care they have a professional photographer come in twice a year. The first time is for Christmas pictures. I found Kase an adorable santa suit and dressed him up in it. The pictures turned out great!!!

The Children's Museum

2009-12-01T19:47:00.004-06:00

So apparently I just saved this instead of posted it... hehe.

We met Amanda, Brian and little Gabriel at The Children's Museum in Houston. This was a wonderful place to meet. It was one of the only central locations that we could think of. The mall on black Friday wouldn't work. We also thought about the Zoo but decided inside would be better. This turned out be be a GREAT idea. The boys had so much fun. I do have to admit the adults had fun as well. We were able to visit and catch up and play with all the toys!

The Childrens' Museum has a great toddler play area with pyramids and lots of great areas to crawl on. They also had TONS of toys, the great thing about the toys is that they were constantly changing them out and cleaning them. They had a really cool big lite board. The ball pit was a big hit Kase and Gabriel had tons of fun in it. The adults enjoyed watching the boys take just one ball back and forth from each other when there were tons of balls in the pit. :)

We miss hanging out with Amanda and Brian. We for sure have to get the boys together again really soon! Click on the link below the previous post for the pictures of Thanksgiving and the Children's Museum trip!

Kase's First Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T19:21:00.003-06:00

Kase had his first Thanksgiving! Chris and I took of a few days from work and drove to Magnolia to visit the family on Wednesday. We had Thanksgiving dinner at Mangaw's house! We had 37 people at the house for dinner. It was crazy! Kase got to meet some of his cousins that he has not had a chance to meet before. Kase had his normal baby food lunch but also partook in some big boy food. He ate a few bites of turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and a bite of potato salad. He had so much fun trying different foods and eating with us at the dinner table.

After dinner the sisters traded Thanksgiving gifts. This has been a tradition that they have done for as long as I can remember. We had some desert and coffee and shared family memories. The boys played the bean bag toss game for hours to work off the Turkey. Of course there was a little football watching too.

We have so much to be thankful for again this year. We are so very blessed with our new addition to our family. I want to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and friendship. We wish every one a Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas!

Kase and his "my first Thanksgiving bib." His little outfit is cute... it says "turkey rocks!" but we forgot to get a picture :(

Cousin Reagan with Great Aunt Whitney

The gift bag from one of the Turkey day gifts. This bag has been passed back and forth every year between Mangaw and Aunt Jane. The tags are on the outside to prove it.

The boys playing. Every one is in deep thought. It was a very heated game.
Great Aunt Dana and Reagan enjoying the weather.

Click here for more pictures!!

Oh memories

2009-11-14T20:45:00.002-06:00

While trying to find something to entertain Kase with tonight, I found some videos of my FAVORITE Sesame Street guys. The Yip Yip Martians were the best!! Hours of fun and enjoyment. Chris' favorite was Oscar. Chris and I started talking about other characters that were a close runner up to the Yip Yips and Oscar... The results were Snuffaluffagus, Slimey (the little worm who hung out with Oscar), Barkley and of course Count. I hope you enjoy the video!

Also Happy Birthday Sesame Street. Last week was Sesame Street's 40th Birthday!

My First Halloween

2009-11-01T14:47:00.003-06:00

EWWW there is something icky on me mommy!

Lunch with my first Halloween bib!

Let me at it!

I'll get the guts !!

YEA!! That was fun!

We had a great first Halloween. Kase loved his Paci with Vampire teeth !! He also got to carve his very first pumpkin!!

Halloween Night

2009-11-01T14:41:00.000-06:00

Kase and few of his cousins, Addi (a ballerina) , Jaxson (a Lion) and Amber (A cheerleader).

Mommy and her little Monster

The Monster Man!

Kase enjoyed his Halloween with all of his cousins. A few cousins showed up a little later so we didn't get pictures with them in their costumes. So we are missing picture of Coy (Popeye), Coryn(butterfly) and Carter (can of Spinach). Kase got hot in this little stuffed outfit. It was really funny and he didn't mind that thing on his head at all. He's such a good boy. He even growled a little while in his monster suit!! The adults enjoyed a little conversation time as the kids ran around and played. We made some great cupcakes and ate hot dogs. It was a really fun first Halloween for Kase.

Spaghetti

2009-10-18T17:46:00.002-05:00

Kase loves Spaghetti. It is Beechnut Pasta and Veggies, but tastes like Spaghetti O's. He practiced chewing. Since he was acting like he was chewing we tried moving on to the yogurt melts, but he choked on them so we'll have to wait a little longer on those.

We've also started trying the pureed meats. The Earth's Best Dinners he really likes. Beef and spinach tastes like Chili and he really enjoyed that. It doesn't sound that appealing to mommy but he's such a good eater. We've only found a few things that he hates. Beechnut Mac & Cheese, but he likes the Gerber Mac and Cheese and of course broccoli.

Crawling

2009-10-18T17:05:00.002-05:00

Kase is on the move! Not quite sure if it qualifies as a crawl... Its more of an army crawl / scoot! Who knows. He will get up on knees like he is going to go for a crawl... then lays down on his tummy and does this. :) lol He's growing up way to fast ;(

Corn Maize

2009-10-18T14:08:00.003-05:00

Kase in the Pumpkins!

Yummy! My Pumpkin

Hi Mom! Why am I in the dirt?

Lost in the Maize

Picture moment! Kase is hiding his eyes.

We had a great time last night out at the Corn Field Maize. We only got lost a couple times! It was very dark and we only had our cell phones to light the path. They had question pages that helped you along the path. If you get the question correct it would give you the next set of directions. If you get it wrong it would send you in the wrong direction. We did the first half of the Maze with just Jason, Kase, Chris and me. Then the rest of the group joined. This was the first time that Megan, Lindsae, Robby and Michael got to meet Kase. Kase loved the maze and just talked the whole time through. We didn't get to make it all the way out of the pumpkin patch before dark. We took some pictures in a little picture spot that they had made. He was so tired by the time that we made it home.

First Big Boy Bath

2009-10-17T10:06:00.003-05:00

MMM I caught a crab!

My loofah mommy!

He is learning the "you've got to be kidding me Dad" look early!

Kase has officially out grown his baby bath tub. We had to move to the big boy bath. He has always loved his bath but this has taken it to a new level. He can kick and splash and play. He loves the Loofah! We bought a fun color changing loofah. He laughs when we bathe him with it. I guess it tickles. He loves to splash his bath toys around the bath and yells at them when they won't come back. Since he can't sit really well for a long period of time, I was afraid he was going to float away in the bath so we purchased the Safety 1st bath seat. It is WONDERFUL! Kase loves it... it still allows him to splash around and play. It also allows mommy to not have to hold him every second and can play with him in the bath too.

Our first injury

2009-10-05T18:33:00.002-05:00

My little boy had his first little injury last night :(. Kase was rolling around on the floor playing with all of his toys. He rolled over and bonked his head on the TV console. He didn't hit it very hard but he did start to cry. Daddy picked him up and he said mama and tried to come to me. I held him for a few minutes and then put him in the bath. Once he was in the bath I noticed a little bump on his forehead. It wasn't even big enough to get a picture of :(. Of course being the paranoid mommy that I am... I had to google how to tell if an infant has a concussion.

We had a long night last night too. Kase has a stuffy nose and he seems like he's teething. He didn't sleep from about 2 till 4. So mommy is very very tiered.

Also today was Kase's 7 month birthday. He is growing so fast. I am excited for all his milestones but it makes me sad too. Last night while up at 2 am. I was rocking him in my arms trying to get him to go back to sleep and it brought back memories of the first few weeks we had him home. I used to be able to hold him in one arm and now it takes two. Its amazing to me now how big he is and that he ever fit in my tummy.

Kase did get to have a little special fun today. His cousin Jackson turned 1 yesterday. Jackson brought in cupcakes at the day care for his birthday. Kase doesn't like sweets but he did love to tear up the cupcake. He liked to feel the difference of the texture of the icing versus the cake. The cupcakes were green, so he looks like a little munchkin.

First words?!?

2009-10-04T16:38:00.004-05:00

Kase sitting on the floor playing.

Enjoying a football game with daddy!

Nap time to recover from the fun!

More napping!

Trying to crawl, Getting so close!

Last weekend Chris, Kase and I were in the car heading into town. It was very quite in the car and all of the sudden Kase said "mama." Chris and I both turned to each other and laughed. We both chalked it up to baby talk not thinking that it meant anything. Pretty much just baby babble coming from the back seat. I didn't get my hopes up and classify this as his first word. Over the course of this week, the ladies at the day care swore he said "dada." He also says "baba" but I don't think he has any idea what he is saying nor does he identify what he's saying to an item. Well that was until yesterday. Chris still thinks I'm crazy and it doesn't count but I think it does. :) Last night Chris was holding Kase and giving him his night time bottle before bed. Kase was really fidgety and was acting like he didn't want to be held. Kase turned around and looked at me and said mama. Then again today we were playing on the floor and Kase said mama as I got up to walk off. Most websites out there say that kids really don't say their first word until 13-18months. But other web sites say that you count the babbling of the mama and dada between 6-9 months? I dunno?

Until further notice I'm counting it!

Kase will be 7 months old tomorrow. He is growing so fast and reaching so many milestones. He sits pretty well now. As long as he is focused on the toy he is holding he will sit by himself for several minutes. No official crawling just yet. He scoots on his belly and rolls to get where he wants to go. He made it down the hallway and into the office the other day on his own. He doesn't have any teeth yet either. He has two little bumps on the bottom but no change in the last few weeks. You can tell its bugging him, he bites everything and drools buckets. I'm hoping that the tooth will come soon so he can have some relief.

Here are some pictures from the last week! Enjoy!!

Where has the time gone!

2009-09-13T14:19:00.003-05:00

Where has the time gone. I can't belive that Kase is over 6 months old now. I apologize it has taken me so long to post for his 6 month info, but we have been batteling all kind of sicknesses. Also I appologize for the delay of offical 6 month pictures. Our flash for our camera is in the shope :(

We went to the Ped. office on Tuesday. His ears are looking better and recovering nicely from his ear infection. Kase wasn't able to get his 6 month shots or flu shot becuase he started getting congested and they didn't want to add anything to make him worse. The Doctor said that he was growing well. He was 18.5 lbs and 28.5 inches long. He is in the 95% for height and about 50% for weight. So we had a tall and skinny kiddo.

Also another interesting thing is that he is grabbing everything with his left hand. That would just make daddy happy to have a really tall lefty. That would make for a great pitcher :).

Kase is so close to both sitting and crawling. I just know any day he's not goign to be where I left him. He seems like he is goign to get teeth any day now too. I can't belive how fast he has grown. Time sure does fly.

Gig'em Aggies

2009-09-05T22:36:00.002-05:00

WHOOP!!! Well today marks the first game of the 2009 football season. This is a very bittersweet day. Today marks the loss of my husband for about 4 months. Between Aggie football games and Cowboy's games, my husband is a lost cause until the Superbowl. I haven't decided if its a good thing or a bad thing. He focuses all of his energy on football which mean I get alot of alone time. Scrap booking, shopping, what ever I want to do. This year is slightly different. We have Kase now. So my normal scrap booking or shopping time is now Kase time. Chris is so excited about getting to watch football with Kase, so I could just leave the boys to it. My fear is that Chris gets so engrossed in the TV that he might completely ignore his cries. To break the TV hold I must stand in front of the TV or call Chris' name loudly. I don't know if crying will do it or not since I can talk non stop and he will not even know I'm in the room.

Any way :) I do want to give a shout out to the Aggies. Tonight they won their first game against the New Mexico Lobos. 41-6. My son's first Aggie football game, on his 6 month birthday was a winner! Gig'em Aggies... Lets hope this season is better then the last couple! Looking forward to Sept 19th against Utah... this will be the first game of the year at Kyle Field.

5 Months Part 3: Bad Dreams

2009-08-23T19:54:00.005-05:00

As Kase gets older, he is becoming much more expressive. You can tell now what he wants. He reaches for things and acutally moves to go and get them. He laughs at his daddy and me when we do something funny. He is also developing quite the little temper which at times is funny but others can be a little frustrating. On the weekends he wakes up around 7:30 and has a bottle. He then likes to take a morning nap. He hangs out on the couch with mommy in our PJs. One morning we caught him having a dream. Poor little guy. It really makes you wonder what they dream about.

5 Months Part 3: Who needs a roller coaster

2009-08-23T19:35:00.004-05:00

I have decided that Kase is going to be a roller coaster lover. He loves to be thrown around. He also loves to look upside down and hang off the couch. He loves to bounce on the bed. There is a bed at our ranch house that is really bouncy and squeaky and that is great fun! Any time he is upset if I pick him up and toss him in the air or give him a little bounce he starts laughing and cheers right up. His giggle is just so cute. This is also a great work out. I work my biceps and triceps without ever having to leave the couch.

5 Months Part 2: NO Broccoli

2009-08-23T18:47:00.006-05:00

At 5 months old we found out that Kase HATES broccoli. Our doctors encourage us to make our own baby food. So we were pureeing anything we could get our hands on. He has really enjoyed peas, carrots and apples. He tolerates sweet potatoes, and dislikes squash. He has a whole level of hatred for broccoli. It was actually pretty funny. Broccoli can flying back at me... he even shutters at the after taste. Check out the video :).

5 Months Part 1: Inks Lake

2009-08-23T18:19:00.005-05:00

Kase turned 5 months old. We had alot of very exciting happenings during his 5th month of life. Our first exciting event was Inks Lake! Every year my side of the family gets together and spends a long weekend at the lake. The last few years we rented a house. The house has 3 rooms which is tricky with 16 people. However to me it works better then camping because it has an AC. This house also has a hot tub and a pool table for entertainment. So along with hanging out with family Kase got to go on his first boat ride. He really seems to like it. We bought him a really cute little life jacket. We bought the smallest one they had and it was still way too big!

The little green clad family, resting after our day of traveling from Hondo to the Lake. Yea for vacation.

Uncle Colby makes the best highchair!!

Blog Catch up - Part 8: Jumperoo

2009-07-19T11:44:00.002-05:00

Well I think this is my last post and I've caught up. Due to all the other toys we have we were not planning on purchasing a Jumperoo. Our cousins who have little boys a few months older then Kase were going to pass theirs down to him. However, Kase is bigger then his two cousins. Or pretty close in size so Kase would grow out of the jumperoo before he would be able to inherit it. After looking at Babies R Us we found an adorable one. Kase LOVES Old McDonald Had a Farm. Thats his favorite song. He smiles and laughs every time he hears it. We found this Jumperoo at the store called the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn. It has barn animals and plays Kase's favorite song. So we went ahead and bought. He likes it alot and he's trying to figure out how to turn the seat around. He can some, but he gets stuck and frustrated still.

At the front of the toy there is a ball that spins around with some ducks in it. That is by far his favorite part of the Jumperoo. Ducks are his favorite right now. Other then the Elephants he still loves. I really do think Yellow is currently his favorite color. He'll drop anything he's doing for something yellow if its offered to him. Its adorable. I'm afraid mommy and daddy are going to have to buy ducks pretty soon. lol

I'll have to get some video of him in his Jumperoo but the pictures will have to do for now!

Blog Catch up - Part 7: Peas Please

2009-07-19T10:57:00.005-05:00

We decided to go ahead and move to veggies. Chris and I have decided to make our own baby food. Last weekend we spent the whole weekend making a stash of baby food. We made sweet potatoes, Broccoli, Squash and Carrots.
I couldn't find any peas at the store so I went ahead and bought baby food peas from the store. We decided since we were still in the middle of making the food we'd start with the canned stuff. Plus I thought starting with Peas would be funny. I LOVE Peas. Chris HATES Peas. Every since he was a baby he hated peas. Ginny said that even when he was an infant Chris would spit peas right back at her when she tried them. That is pretty much the same reaction we still get today as an adult. Due to the family drama with peas I decided it would be an appropriate food to start with. Chris grabbed the video camera. I was bracing myself for projectile peas coming back at me. Kase loved them. It even came with a YUMMMMMM. It was so cute. He savored those peas and swished them around his mouth a bit and talked about how much he liked them. We've been making the yummy noise with him while eating his cereal and he's caught on to that.
In this video its hard to hear but you can hear him going "mmmmmm" when he takes a bite! Enjoy!

Blog Catch up - Part 6: Outdoor FirePlace

2009-07-19T10:47:00.003-05:00

I know its been a while since I've caught you up on Chris' outdoor project. We now have an outdoor fire place. It turned out very well. I can't wait till it gets cooler outside again and we can use it and make some smores!! We also bought some Furniture from Potterybarn.com. A great outdoor section and a table with an umbrella. We can now completely enjoy our outdoor kitchen. As soon as we find some time with all the events coming up we will have a party and invite every one out to try it out!

Blog Catch up - Part 5: Other Babies

2009-07-19T10:27:00.003-05:00

Living out in the country we get to see all sort of cute little baby animals. The other morning Riley and Tyson found this brand new Baby deer that was still wet. He was so cute! He was born only a few hours before we took this picture.

Blog Catch up - Part 4: 4 Months Old

2009-07-19T10:06:00.003-05:00

Kase turned 4 months old on July 5th. On Monday July 6th we went to his 4 month old check up. The nurse measured his height, weight and head. We then went back to our room. About 1 minute later another nurse came in and told us they had to remeasure his length. So we went back out to the scale and they got the same measurement. The first nurse put the measurement into the computer and he shot off the growth chart so they decided to remeasure in case he messed up the measurement the first time. It was correct. Kase is off the growth chart for height. 27 inches. He is also 17 pounds.

We spoke to the Dr about all of the issues we've been having. From constipation to diarrhea. At first we thought it was a food allergy. We switched to a hypoallergenic formula and it still didn't make a difference. A few days later he got better so Dr. Benbow believes it was a stomach bug. Kase received his 4 month old shots and took them like a champ. He slept alot during that afternoon.

Another big conversation we had with Dr. Benbow was about solid food. He told us to give him cereal with every bottle and he told us to start on veggies as soon as he has mastered solid food.

Yea for moving on to Veggies!!

I can't belive it's been 4 months already. They grow up way to fast :(

Blog Catch up - Part 3: Kase with Popa's Ring

2009-07-19T09:46:00.002-05:00

We have been wanting to get Kase's picture taken with Popa's Aggie Ring. Kase's Great Grandfather wore his ring every day since he got it. The ring is completely worn down and you can barely see the Eagle. Kase really didn't want to cooperate because he was really tired from the previous day being 4th of July. We did get a few really great shots though. Enjoy!

Blog Catch up - Part 2: Misc pics

2009-07-19T09:34:00.003-05:00

Chris took a few misc pictures in the "photo studio." The one of the elephant is one of Kase's favorite toys. His name is Eddie. You can play a scale on its nose. If you punch the button on his left hand he'll play continiously. Kase has learned to push it to play the music. Its pretty cute :)

Blog Catch up - Part 1: 4th of July

2009-07-19T08:32:00.003-05:00

It was Kase's First 4th of July. Of course we have the bib to mark the day. We were pretty busy on the holiday. What was supposed to be my relaxing 3 day weekend turned into a very busy 3 day weekend. Since 4th of July fell in Saturday this year, we were given Friday off. That was a nice treat.

On Saturday we had a family reunion we had to attend. This was the Zerr family reunion. Chris grandfather Metz Zerr, (who passed away last year) had 5 brothers and sisters. The only time that side of the family ever gets together is when some one passes away. So last year we all decided to have a family reunion some time during 2009. It proved to be a very interesting afternoon. Some of these people haven't seen each other in 20 years. I had never met most of them. Chris didn't remember any of their names but that's understandable since he was in diapers the last time he met most of these folks. We had an afternoon of BBQ and Volley Ball.

Kase was the only baby there for a long time so he did get alot of attention. We decked him out in his cute patriotic overalls. Eventually another baby who was almost a year old showed up. We laughed because Kase was bigger then he was.

After we got back from the family reunion we took a little nap and then went down to the pool for a swim. We normally have the twins put on a fireworks show for us but since it was so dry we didn't get to see fireworks this year.

Kase was so worn out that we pretty much stayed inside for the rest of the weekend to relax.

Laughs caught on Video

2009-06-27T12:13:00.006-05:00

I was finally able to catch a laugh on the video camera. He's still not really good at keeping it going but that is coming :) Enjoy!

And here is a really cute pic of Kase sitting on the couch with Sophie.

Father's Day Weekend

2009-06-21T16:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! A special happy father's day to Chris on his 1st father's day.

This weekend we had a lot of fun. John and Kaylene came into town again this weekend. We went to down town San Antonio to the Majestic theater to see Wicked. The Musical was AWESOME! I really enjoyed it. I am currently reading the book and not enjoying it very much, but the play was great! Out of all the musicals we have seen we decided it would rank right up there in the top 3. This was the first Musical and first trip to the Majestic for John and Kaylene. They were in aw of the sets and time that went into putting the play together. I am excited to be able to share their first experience with them. After the show we went to Bohanan's Steak House. It was so good!! We really enjoyed the meal there. I ordered bananas foster for dessert and when they lit it on fire it scared the girls at the table next to us. It was kind of funny!

Another fun experience we had this weekend was giving Kase his oatmeal in his highchair. Up until now we had been feeding him in our arms sitting at the table. He really enjoyed eating while sitting in his high chair.

On Sunday for father's day we went down to Angela's and Stefan's to the pool. We let Kase swim for a little while and had some fajitas. For Chris' Father's Day gift, I had been searching for a Shot Gun for him. I found it and hid it in my closet to give it to him today. He loved it. Kase was napping or I would have gotten a picture of of the two of them with the Shot gun. When he's up from his nap I'll get one and then post a picture later. I found matching Shirts for them from Diaper dude. There were at Babies R us and I thought they were so cute. Chris' shirt says "My kid totally rocks" and Kase's said "My dad totally rocks." So fun! After a few hours at the pool we all came home to take a nap and watch a movie. I took the opportunity to blog while Kase was sleeping.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

What a weekend!

2009-06-14T21:00:00.003-05:00

This weekend was the annual D'Hanis Youth Association benefit dinner. We go every year. They have what they call a reverse raffle, which we never win. This year we got so close. The last 5 in the bucket get a cash prize. We were in the last set called out just before the last prize before the cash. So the whole night I was on pins and needles hoping to win the money. Oh well it was still a fun evening. My mom came to hang out with Kase while we were out at the dinner.

Sunday was a fun filled day. We had some Kase and Mommy time. Kase was not feeling well for part of the day. Poor guy has had his first bout with constipation. So I'm going to call the Pediatrician in the morning to see what we can do for him. I feel so bad because he's in so much pain and just tries to go and screams. :(

Even though we had a rough day we still managed to have a little bit of fun. The big news is that he sat up for the first time. He was laying down and I look over and he was sitting up. It was for a very short time as he fell over side ways. He loves sitting up so I knew it was only a matter of time before he would figure it out on his own. It is kind of funny that he tries to sit up but doesn't roll over much. I know he can do it. I've seen it with my own eyes but chooses not to I think. He likes to do things when he wants to do it on his terms. It's very cute now but I'm sure in the future that might lead to a few groundings. :)

The other very funny thing is Kase has had his first introduction to Tim Burton. We decided to watch The Corpse Bride. Kase was very amused with the movie. Check out the video of him experiencing the craziness that is Tim Burton for the first time!

Kase’s First Cereal

2009-06-08T19:31:00.003-05:00

On Saturday June 6th we had Kase’s first cereal experience. It was pretty funny. He was so hungry and the cereal was so new he got a little frustrated. On cereal day 2 he had a much better experience and was able to eat a table spoon or so of the cereal. He also went 6 hours between feedings after eating the cereal. We are only giving him the cereal around lunch time once a day.
The Doctors all say wait till 4 months to move to solids but he was just so hungry all the time so we decided to let him have the Cereal at 3 months. Kase is consistently eating 8 oz of formula and still hungry. I think since sleeping through the night he’s just so hungry. YEA! CEREAL!!! Enjoy the video ya'll. :)

And he rolls again

2009-06-07T18:29:00.001-05:00

Well Kase Monster rolled again yesterday, which was June 6th… Again didn’t have a camera ready when he did it. It was a shock when he did it. The first time he did it he rolled off of his tummy onto his back. This time he went from back to front. That was very exciting for us. But, Kase hates tummy time so one he rolled over to his tummy he started screaming. It was pretty funny. It took him a while to calm down. It was kind of cute :)

Hopefully we’ll get a video one of these days!

2 Posts in 1…

2009-05-30T17:09:00.001-05:00

So the computer finally made me mad enough so we got a new one… YEA!! its amazing how fast I can actually blog now. On the old computer, because it was on its last leg, it took almost and hour to put up one post… now as soon as I type it its up!!

So The BUMBO Seat. We love the Bumbo. Kase enjoys watching TV… all the colors. So every now and then he will sit in his chair and enjoy the sights. A lot of Doctors recommend the use of the bumbo chair. Since babies spend so much time on their backs, a lot of children have issues with misshapen heads… Spending time on the tummy or in a bumbo chair helps take that pressure off. Kase HATES tummy time so the bumbo chair is right up his ally.

Also today we had our first trip to the pool…. He love it. We had our first experience putting on sun screen and his little swim suit. He then sat on the edge of the pool with daddy! After his pool experience he took a little nap in mommy’s arms.

His post swim nap!

Mommy and baby with matching shades !!

The first dip in the Pool!

Milestone

2009-05-28T19:57:00.003-05:00

Well Kase decided to Rollover yesterday. I think he did it more on accident. He hasn't done it again yet. Kase just does things when ever he wants too and only if he wants to so we shall see how long it takes for him to roll over again.

I think he hasn't done it by now because we don't do tummy time very often at all. He screams really loud when he's on his tummy so we just don't do it. I made him do a few minutes last night and thats when he decided to roll over... We tried today and no roll, just cry. Oh well. One of these days we'll get it on video so we'll be able to prove it. :)

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-24T17:03:00.003-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. My computer has not been working properly and I finally am able to actually get on the Internet... YEA!!!

I had to go back to work this week... It was very sad to leave Kase, but alas I have to have the cash to keep a roof over our heads. Silly mortgage. I never dreamed it would be this hard to go back to work after I had the baby. Every day I'm at work I feel like a little piece of me is missing. Kase is trying to adjust to his new schedule but he has been fussy in the evenings. Leaving the few short hours that I have with him every day to be his fussy time.

Luckily I was able to have a 3 day weekend due to Memorial day to ease my way back into work. My Brother in Law and soon to be Sister in law Kayleen came to visit on their three day weekend. Tomorrow is John's birthday so we celebrated with a birthday dinner today since he has to make the trek back to BayCity.

Kase is almost 12 weeks old and is officially sleeping through the night. He's been toying with it since a few weeks ago. Every now and then he gets up at about 3 am but last night he slept from 9:30 to 7. Since he has been sleeping through the night it makes him hungrier during the day. He wants to eat every two hours or so. (Milk just isn't cutting it any more, I think we are going to end up moving to rice cereal sooner then when the doctor says.) This along with me going back to work makes him off of his schedule. There are some days he wont nap which makes the time in the evenings even fussier. I also think he might be going through a little growth spurt and might have his first issue with constipation so all of that adds up and makes him not feel well.

Well here are some pictures from the last few weeks since I haven't been able to put them up.

Kase with his little aggie blanket and little aggie suit. One of these days we are goign to get all the aggie rings together and take a picture of him with the all of our rings.

Kase in his Cammo. Taken 5/10

Weekend Visitors

2009-05-11T11:18:00.000-05:00

This weekend our best friends Amanda and Brian came to visit. They recently had a baby named Gabriel. Gabe is about 2 weeks younger then Kase. We were so excited to have them visit from Clute Tx. We don't get to see them very often but we were so excited to be able to share this experience of having our first babies together. Amanda and I have known each other since Junior high and we added Brian and Chri in college. Amanda and I have had alot of firsts together. First dates... First time living on our own... First speeding tickets... etc.
We had a great time this weekend watching the babies hang out together and meeting each others kiddos for the first time. Kase and Gabe are on two different schedules but we finally got them awake together. Gabe was having a great time posing for the camera while Kase didn't want to smile but he enjoyed hanging out with Gabe looking out the window. We laughed and thought that they were both gazing longingly into their futures. We hope to get the boys together as much as we can. We hope that they become great friends like the 4 of us are.
Sunday was Mother's Day. It also made our visit more special to be able to share at least part of our first Mother's Day together. Click here to see more pictures of Kase and Gabe.

2 Months!

2009-05-06T13:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Kase! We have made it to the two month mark. Last night Chris took a few pictures in the "photo studio." It was right before nap time so he was having some naked time. He was laughing and being silly so we decided to snap a few pictures. In one of the pictures above he was practicing... "I love you THIS much."

So on this two month date Kase is now reaching for things and practicing his hand - eye coordination. He's not that great at it but he's getting better. He is working on focusing on objects too. It is kind of funny when he focuses on something, we move the object, then he goes cross eyed. I try to tell him that his face is going to freeze like that but he just laughs. He loves looking in the mirror. He is becoming much more active and can even kick and scoot him self one way or the other. I'm not sure if he is doing it on purpose yet but he seems to be doing it only when he wants something. I tried to tell him that he needs to be able to roll over and sit up first... but he's not listening.

We went to our 2 month Dr. appointment today. Our normal Pediatrician Dr. Benbow is on vacation in Africa right now so we saw another doctor in his practice, Dr. Purnell. We have seen Dr. Purnell before, he was the one that gave Kase a clean bill of health to release us from the hospital 2 months ago. We got all measured and weighed. He is still in the 95% for every thing. He was 24 in. long and 13.25 lbs. He did need a diaper change when we weighed him. By the size of his diaper that may have attributed to the extra .25 lbs :). Kase also has a condition on his face. It looks like a little rash but its actually created by hormones. It is similar to cradle cap but on his cheeks and neck instead of top of the head. There's really nothing to do to treat it other then put a cream on it like cortaid or something like that. It will eventually go away on its own once his hormones adjust themselves. He also had is first set of shots today. They gave an oral vaccine for Rotovirus. Its supposed to not taste very good and a lot of babies spit it up. Kase took it like a champ. He was hungry so he chugged it :). He was also given 5 shots. He had 2 in the right leg, which he took like a champ and didn't even cry. He just looked right at me. The next 3 were in his left leg and he started crying. By shot number 4 he was tied of it and pitching a pretty big fit. Once she was done and left the room Kase was all smiles again. We put his paci back in his mouth and went to the car. He did so well and I am so proud of him. I attached a picture above of his band aids from his shot. How sad is that, the nurse gave him purple and pink camouflage.

Our next visit to the Doctor is not until 4 months. By that time he'll be starting on rice cereal too so there should be some fun milestones between now and then!

The Aspiring Photographer

2009-05-06T13:19:00.000-05:00

Little did I know that my husband is an aspiring photographer. Chris has set up a makeshift photo studio in our office. He conned Riley and Tyson into being his models. What those two won't do for a bone or a cookie :). Then Kase was the next tester. We took a few pictures on his two month birthday. I'm sure there will be more to come. These pictures turned out great. Maybe we should start our own photo business. Heck... if it worked out maybe I could be a stay at home mommy? Yea right :)! Chris would never let me.

The Rainforest

2009-04-26T17:03:00.000-05:00

Kase loves to spend time in the Rainforest. The activity gym plays music and has flashing lights to the beat of the music. The large Giraffe on the left holds a mirror in its mouth. Kase loves gazing into the mirror. He also loves making the elephant rattle. This is how Kase spends some of his afternoons at home. We try to do some tummy time inside the gym to give him motivation to hold his head and push up but that frustrates him more.

The Gym plays several songs like twinkle twinkle little star. It was playing a song that I used to sing when I was a kid but it was very frustrating because I couldn't remember the words. I googled and now know the lyrics to the Animal Fair song. Poor Kase now has to listen to me sing the words to all the songs that it plays. I feel sorry for him :( But he is still very entertained by this even with my bad voice singing.

Softly call the muster...

2009-04-26T16:35:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday April 21st we attended Aggie Muster. Click here to check out info on Aggie Muster... Aggie Muster is a great tradition where Aggies all over the world get together, eat a little and honor fallen Aggies. After dinner a roll call is read to remember those Aggies that have gone on before us. The muster for medina county is held at the Medina County Fair Grounds. We had a great time catching up with friends and reminiscing about days on campus. This year the Aggie Muster was very important. Not only was this Kase's first offical Aggie function but the roll call contained a very special name. Chris grandfather Metz Zerr passed away this year. A candle was lit in his name. It was a very special moment for our family.

Check out Kase in his future class of 2031 Duds!

pssst... hey baby!

2009-04-18T11:50:00.000-05:00

Hey Baby! Gimme that Paci... I won't tell mommy if you don't.

Hey! Where's mine? Tyson wants the paci too!

Baby Furniture...

2009-04-18T11:42:00.000-05:00

Who needs a Laz-e Boy when you have a mommy!

Pictures from Easter

2009-04-13T14:30:00.003-05:00

Kase completly tired out after our long trip to Houston.

The car all packed and ready to go. What you can't see is that there is more stuff on the floor under the camera.

Nap time after packing all day!

Kase ater the Easter bunny visit. He's checking out his iPod.
Check out his Ralph Lauren Duds!

Kase in his baby's 1st Easter attire. Totally cute.

Happy Easter from the Braden family!

2009-04-13T14:08:00.004-05:00

We were planning a trip to Houston to visit my family for Easter. We had to pack ALOT to take to make sure Kase was comfortable for the trip. The back of the Highlander was packed to the brim. We actually remembered to pack every thing that we needed. After packing Chris and I were very tired. So Kase and I took a little nap on the couch.

Chris had to work on Good Friday so Kase and I drove to pick him up. To give Kase a little break from the car we went into the office to visit my work friends. We were able to show Kase off to a few people that were around on Friday. Alot of Chris' work friends were off already to celebrate the holiday. We headed out to Mimi's and made by about 7pm. Kase was very tired of being in the car by the time that we made it there. I was too.

Saturday morning we woke up and took Kase's 1 month pictures (even though he's officially 5 weeks). They change so much so my goal is to have pictures taken as often as I can. Of course I'm going to take some snap shots but its fun to have professional ones taken too. After pictures we ended up meeting my dad for lunch at the Olive Garden, then went over to Karen and John's for a family get together. (John is one of David's Nephews) There were a bunch of people around and Kase got to hang out with his cousin Hayden.

Sunday morning we went to Easter church. Kase did very well at church. We gave him a bottle when we first got there. Then during the service some very loud speaker feed back occurred it really scared him. He then fell asleep. I would say that he enjoyed his first Easter even though it was raining and we didn't get to have the first Easter egg hunt. We'll save that for next year :).
The Easter bunny brought Kase a cute little outfit and an ipod at mommy and daddy's house. Then at Mimi's the Easter bunny brought some cute little rattles and a silly bunny that played music and moved his ears. The bunny made him cry at first then later he thought it was kind of funny. One of these days I'll post a video to show his reaction to the bunny when I can figure out how to do it. He also got his first bible and a cute puppy rattle at Gran's the week before.

Over all it was a long weekend and Kase was very tuckered when we got home. Is is off of his schedule and been up about every 2 hours. We are working on getting back on his schedule today and hopefully will be back on his 4 hour schedule by tomorrow.

The Braden Family wishes every one a very Blessed Easter. We are so blessed in our family and there is no better time to remember that then during Easter holiday when we remember the best gift of all. Christ's Sacrifice.

5 Generations

2009-04-05T19:32:00.000-05:00

This weekend we all got together for a Pre-Easter gathering since we'll be in Houston on the acutal holiday. Kase was able to hang out with his Great Grandma B and Great-Great Grandma Smith. How many kids actually get to say that they were able to hang out and hear stories from their Great- Great Grandma. In the picture above we have the 5 generations. Kase, Chris, Grandpa Barry (Chris' Dad), Great Grandma B (Barry's Mom) and Mammaw (Shirley "B"s Mom). Mammaw is a young 90-something. We aren't quite sure exactly. A lady never tells her age. Not much gray hair on her head. She still spends hours out in the heat picking weeds and gets frustrated with her self when she has to take a nap. She is amazing and I hope that Chris and Kase take after her with her health and longevity.

First Bath and Happy 1 Month

2009-04-02T19:39:00.004-05:00

Yea for a clean baby :). Up until now we have been just doing a sponge bath, which he didn't like. He would cry the whole time. Due to both the circumcision and his umbilical cord we were not able to submerge him in bath water. Now that all of that is healed we decided to give the real bath a try. We have a nice baby spa. It has a built in thermometer so that we can make sure we are not getting the water to hot for him. He did very well. He squirmed a little but over all I think he really like it. There was no crying or screaming! It also gave us some embarrassing pictures to show the future girl friends one of these days!

Also today Kase is offically 4 weeks old. I can't belive he's 1 month already. Were time the time go?

More 3 Week Pictures

2009-03-26T20:22:00.002-05:00

21 Days old!

2009-03-26T19:59:00.004-05:00

Happy 3 week Birthday to Kase!

Its amazing how much they change and so quickly. We started at 8 lbs 4oz. In the hospital lost a pound to 7lbs 4 oz. Last Dr appointment he was back up to 8lbs 6 oz which was at 2 weeks. I really think he is 9 lbs now. We go back to the doctor at 1 month so I'm excited to see his progress.

He is so strong and has really good control of his head already. He has a killer grip too, he'll be holding his bottle by himself before we know it.

I hope you guys enjoy the pictures that I took today. We had a good day today, playing on the blanket that Aunt Judy made. We had some tummy time and he's already trying to tuck his knees under him. He also had some swing time this afternoon. That only lasted about 5 mins though. I don't think he's very crazy about the swing just yet. Maybe he'll grow into that.

Chris hanging out with Kase even though he is sporting his "Totally Cutter then Daddy" T-shirt.

And we had to poke a little fun at Jason since he hasn't come to visit yet!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-18T15:44:00.002-05:00

There will be no pinching the baby. He wore his green on St. Patrick's Day!

Kase Update

2009-03-15T17:06:00.003-05:00

We take Kase to his 2nd check up tomorrow. We also have to go and have his PKU done... That is really sad. I'm hoping we have a good person and it doesn't hurt him too bad.

I wanted to share a couple more pictures. This is Kase in his adorable Janie and Jack out fit Manda's Mom gave him. Its very cute. In one of the pictures Tyson tried to steal the scene but I wouldn't let him. The poor puppies don't know what hit them. They are very concerned when he grunts or cries. They are very protective I think and want to make sure that we are taking care of him when he cries. Its kind of cute. They love to sniff him but haven't tried to lick yet.

After Kase's First Dr. appointment his weight was back up to 8 lbs which is good and he had grown a quarter of an inch. I'm really interested to see what he's grown too now in a week.

Welcome Kase Michael Braden!!!

2009-03-09T17:06:00.004-05:00

Born on March 5th, 2009

Weight: 8 lbs 4oz

Length: 20.5 in

Check out http://www.our365.com/ for the pictures that were taken by the hospital.

Check our more pictures of Kase on Picasa http://picasaweb.google.com/BradenAgg/KaseBirthAndHomecoming#

Thursday March 5, 2008

2009-03-09T16:45:00.002-05:00

Well it was 5 am at Methodist hospital. We got all checked in and moved into a Labor and Delivery room. During the time we were waiting for a room we met a couple that lived out our direction and they were having a C-section at 6 so by the time I was induced their little boy Ryder was already here. Chris bumped into him several times during our stay at the hospital.

Once we got to our L&D room we got all comfy. I got hooked up to tons of machines, heart monitors, contraction monitors, blood pressure monitors and the worst of all an IV. I have rolling veins so that took a bit to get me hooked up. They started the Oxycontin (like petosin) a little before 7. No problem. I started having contractions about 2 mins to 1.5 mins apart. I actually could feel them so for the first few hours of labor I was hanging out and watching TV.

About 9:30 Dr. Cerney came in and broke my water. I had dilated to about 3.5 at that point. Very exciting. She told me I could have an epidural any time I wanted it since I was being Induced it wouldn't have much effect on my progress. I declined at the time since I was feeling pretty good. About 2 hours after my water broke I couldn't stand it any more and got an epidural about noon.

Epidural was awesome. I was so nervous about having that large needle and catheter in my back. It was a piece of cake actually. Getting the IV was much much worse the the epidural. in about 5 minutes I was numb and in 7th heaven. I actually took a little nap. About 2 I called Amanda to let her know what was going on. Chris thought it was funny. I was having contractions off the Richter scale but blabbing away with Amanda the whole time. Right before I called Amanda the Nurse checked my progress and Nothing. from 9:30 - 2 I had no change.

The Dr. was called to let her know my progress and she said that she would be back before 5 and if no change we were going to have a C-section. 4 o'clock rolled around and nothing. Not even a little bit of movement from 9:30 - 4. Dr. Cerney stepped out of the room and went to check OR status. We went right in. By 4:22 I had my little boy.

The C-section was very interesting. The OR was COLD. I was shaking violently. Due to the epidural and all the pushing and pulling I got really nauseated. It took them less then 10 mins to start the surgery and Kase was born. It took about 45 mins for them to sew me back up. By a little after 5 I was in the recovery room.

My temp was way to low coming out of the OR so they used this cool contraption called a bear hugger. It was a thin plastic sheet, that was hooked to a vacuum type hose that blew hot air all over me. I stopped shaking immediately. It was amazing. I need one of those at home!

By about 7 I was up in my hospital room all settled in. They sent Kase off to the Nursery because he had some fluid in his lungs and his White blood count was a little high. They called in the pediatricians and a consult from the NICU Drs. They decided the best course of action was some antibiotic treatments. So Kase had an IV in his foot with a little boot on that made his foot purple. It was so sad. We were very nervous about his condition but the Drs said that it could be a small infection or that it could just be from stress due to being induced all day then having to have a C-section was pretty stressful for him. I finally was able to have him back by about 11 pm that night.

After a fun few days in the hospital and a bunch of great visitors we were finally able to go home on Sunday. Kase got the green light from the pediatricians saying all was good with him at about 6 am on Sunday. It was a great big relief. I do want to say that the staff and Methodist Hospital was amazing. We had some great nurses and help during my stay there. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Well Wednesday was intresting

2009-03-09T16:34:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday 3/4 we had our normal baby check up. The check up was scheduled for noon. 10 days left till the due date. From a previous appointment I was starting to show signs of Pre-Eclampsia so I had to watch my blood pressure very carefully. When I got to my appointment my blood pressure was pretty high. I had gained 4 lbs in one week. So I was diagnosed with Pregnancy induced Hypertension.

They immediately took me and hooked me up to a machine to monitor Kase's heart beat and if I was having contractions. I wasn't. Kase's heart beat was fine and he was moving around like a champ. So that was a relief that the baby was ok. After that, the Doc checked me to see if I was dilating at all. I was only at 1 cm. Due to the Hypertension and other signs of Pre-Eclampsia, she didn't feel comfortable leaving me pregnant for another week to see if I would dilate even more. She said that I would be very sick if the Pre- Eclampsia progressed even more. She decided to induce immediately.

She left the room to call Methodist hospital to see when they had time available. 5 am Thursday morning. That was tomorrow. In less then 12 hours I was going to be a mom!! Holly cow. Needless to say it was a rush to get back to work. Get situated there. Get home and get everything ready for baby. I didn't sleep a wink.

3:30 came awful early. We had to leave by 4 to make it to the hospital by 5. Who needs coffee that early the excitement and the nerves were enough.

The Completed Nursery

2009-02-23T18:48:00.004-06:00

This weekend we officially completed the Nursery. There is still a little closet organization that needs to be done. We have washed all the sheets, blankets and some clothes. I just needs a few more hangers now. I still need to sterilize the bottles and pacifiers so that should be my project for this weekend. We are getting close to the little guys arrival... about 3 weeks.

Well this is me at 37 weeks standing by the crib. I think Kase is moving down some getting ready to join this world. I think my belly is getting lower but I'm really not sure. Just to the left of the crib is our laundry hamper. It was actually custom by Amanda's Mom in Law. It works so well in the room. It has Kase embroidered in it and actually has some of the same material that Gabe's Blanket is made out of. That is very special. :)

Just to the right of the polka dot pictures Chris created, we hung the board Manda created. Its so cute and works perfectly. I don't have any pictures up on it yet and couldn't quite get the right angle to get it in the picture.

We have Kase's name on the wall above the shelf... it's a little hard to see but its blue polka dots and stripes.

The Ravings of a crazy pregnant lady:

2009-02-18T19:00:00.003-06:00

Sorry about this long crazy post but it’s been a while since I posted last. I thought I’d give you a run down of my thoughts as the big day approaches.

So here I am in the last few weeks of pregnancy. There is a count down going. 24 ish days left. Every one always warns you… “the last month is the worst.” How could that be when comparing to the sickness of the first trimester? I was perfectly fine. Happy and content with the way my pregnancy has been going. I’ve had it really easy. Very little sickness in the first trimester. No issues arising during the second trimester and fairly comfortable in the last trimester. Unless you count the insomnia. Sleeping is highly over rated. I believe that its God’s way of training me for what’s to come. I really wish it was the other way around though and that he would let me get plenty of sleep to get ready for the big day. NOT!! The warnings, I have listened too but said “Oh no, not me! It’s all been going so smoothly.” Sunday… The day that began the four week count down it was like hitting a brick wall. Everything hurts and by hurts I mean it. My back, hips, legs, stomach. I’ve been having some almost like contractions not rhythmic but more of just tensing of my stomach and back muscles. I think I’ve started nesting to make matters worse. Trying to clean the house, but again my whole body hurts so not much progress is made… Heather!! When’s your spring break again? (My friend Heather who is a teacher in Vidor has her spring break the week before I’m due. She has so graciously volunteered to visit during the first part of her break and help me clean the house and get it ready for the pending arrival.)

So besides all the strange physical issues that just decided to crop up this week, mental issues arise. Every one always warns you about pregnancy brain. I have experienced my fair share of not being able to express my thoughts or do simple math… But most of this occurred during trimester 2. Well it came back last night. I was writing down a few lists of things I needed to accomplish, looked back and all my bs and ds were backwards. Dad and Debbie turned into Dab and Deddie. This happened on multiple occasions. I hope this is normal and not some sort of brain abnormality!

Also you get used to your body and things in your life being a certain way. During pregnancy that all goes out the window. I don’t know what my feet look like any more. I can barely put my shoes on by myself and don’t even get me started on if my shoes come untied. I can’t shave my legs. But my major concern is my belly button. Isn’t that strange that of all the things to worry about… labor, delivery, what to do with the kid when it gets here… my primary concern is a belly button that has no function what so ever. (Well that and making sure I’m at the hospital on time to get an epidural) At the beginning of my pregnancy it always hurt. Now it just pokes out. I have turned from an innie to an outtie. Will it ever go back in? Please say yes! Also as my friend Heather pointed out … it’s never in the middle. (It used to be)
Something else that I have decided is that i have to choose 1 eating or breathing. I haven’t decided which one is going to go first, but something’s gotta give. In the end it all ties back to, I think I’m having a big kid, heaven help me. I’m huge; my Doctor says though that I’m measuring just about where I should be. What I think she’s not telling me is he’s huge! Here is my thought process with this.

1. I really have a hard time breathing to start. Kase is head down and making his progress to get into position. He moves a foot jabs me in the ribs or in the lungs … I can’t breathe.

2. I eat, which is a necessity, I get really hungry because of my growing boy. Alas, no room. This has 3 results. Result A: Stomach pushes up; I can’t breathe for a very long time till I digest. Result B: Stomach pushes down, no room; I have to pee every 5 seconds because something’s gotta give. Result C: All of the above, AHHH which tends to be the most frequent result. Like they teach you on standardized test; when in doubt choose C?

3. At least 3 times a day Kase gets the hiccups. I have decided that its mostly after meals. I can’t really prove it though. While adorable, it results in not being able to breathe. As he bounces up and down, his feet decide to reside in the lungs causing small sharp moments of a lack of breath. I try everything to help. Holding my breath has no effect on his hiccups. No spoonful of sugar… and scaring him doesn’t work believe me I’ve tried. The one time I actually accomplished scaring him it actually gave him the hiccups. (I was laying on the couch last weekend. Dead silence in the house… contemplating nap time. My stomach growls really loudly, apparently I was hungry. Scared poor Kase, he actually jumped, my whole stomach moved several inches. Poor baby, mommy's sorry.)

Well I think that might conclude the rants of the crazy pregnant lady. In summary, I think I’m weird being more concerned about the mysteries of pregnancy with the not breathing, innies becoming outties and baby hiccups. Heck with labor pain (yea large needle in my spine) my Belly button freaks me out. Epidural fixes the labor pains but to my knowledge there’s nothing you can do to fix the belly button.

Stroller!

2009-02-05T18:40:00.003-06:00

Recently we decided to go ahead and purchase our travel system. That is the Stroller Car Seat combo. After much deliberation we decided on the Chicco Keyfit. The color pattern was called Discovery. I love Green!!

Chris was very excited and put it together right away. We were able to practice putting the car seat / baby carrier in place in the stroller frame and making sure we know where all the buttons are to fold and unfold.

The puppies found it very interesting and Tyson decided to put his head in the car seat. It was really funny to see the prospective of his large head where the baby will go!

Less then 5 weeks till we are going to need to use this quite often. How cute is Chris with the stroller?!

Houston Shower

2009-01-31T15:35:00.004-06:00

Last weekend, Chris and I drove out to Houston to visit my family. We were also there for a couple of special occasions. Amanda had her baby shower on Saturday and mine was on Sunday. We both had a great time at our showers and received a lot of really great and useful gifts.

My Aunt Dana and Aunt Whitney were hostesses at the shower. They worked very hard getting the house ready and preparing all the food. Everything was delicious. The decorations were very cute and included a table of pictures when Chris and I were babies and a really cute topiary made out of baby socks and wash cloths.

It was a lot of fun to see all my family and friends for a few hours and share in this special time. It was also a nice treat to get to see Amanda two days in a row. It's been very exciting for us to go through this pregnancy thing together but it is sad that we don't get to see each other as often as we would both like. Once the boys get here we hope to be able to travel soon and see each other. Heather and Brooke also join us.

I received some great gifts that Kase is going to love. We received everything from clothes to baby monitors to a stroller and of course diapers. We have just about everything that we need now and more to welcome this little rug rat into the world!

Since I was unable to post all the pictures... I have included a link to my picture site to check out more if you would like!

Click here for more shower pictures

Oh Baby!

2009-01-13T19:24:00.004-06:00

Well the count down continues! We just finished week 30 and are in the middle of week 31... which means that there is a little less the 9 weeks till we meet our little guy. We have crossed over to the single digit numbers! Scary! Exciting! Crazy! It seems like just yesterday that it was 4th of July when we found out that we were expecting. Time flies when we are having fun.

I am getting bigger by the second. We are to the point where when he turns over my whole belly moves. Little arms, legs and elbows poke out frequently. Today I learned something about Kase. He is ticklish on his feet but likes his head rubbed. Today I was sitting at my desk at work and he was moving around. A little foot poked out of my right side so I reached over and rubbed it... he quickly tucked it back in. On the opposite side there was a larger bump sticking out (his head) so I rubbed that. He then pressed harder in my hand like it felt good. I thought it was rather cute! So we will see if that continues in March with the ticklish feet. It doesn't surprise me much because I have very ticklish feet and I love it when some one rubs my head. So like mother like son?

I have posted a couple of pictures of me and Chris when we were babies. I was going through pictures like my aunt requested for the shower and got to thinking that we were pretty cute babies so I'm hoping Kase will be a cute baby too. I can't wait to see what parts of me and what parts of Chris he gets.

The outdoor Kitchen

2009-01-13T19:10:00.002-06:00

I know its been a while since I've given you an update on the outdoor kitchen.... It's almost done! The counter tops were installed just the other day and tomorrow they are going to come out and finish sealing them. Kudos to Chris for doing all the work himself. I'm looking forward to having a party out there when the weather warms up a bit to show it off! I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Cordblood Banking

2009-01-05T20:56:00.002-06:00

Chris and I made the decision to do cord blood banking today. After much research and thinking we decided to go with Viacord. I was very impressed with their customer service. The people all were very nice and spent as much time with me as I needed. I didn't feel like I was being rushed off the phone. We decided to go with a Private bank for many reasons. Number one is that we have a bank with genetically matched stem cells that if heaven forbid one of our family gets sick we will be able to use these banked cells to cure what ever diseases may come our way. There has been great success with curing leukemia and other forms of cancer with these type of Stem Cells. I hope like heck we never have to use this and that the money we spent will go to waist. This at least gives me the piece of mind that I've done everything possible to protect my little guy against the worst case scenario.

Happy New Year!!

2008-12-30T19:30:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year Every One!!!
2008 has been a very exciting year. This year has had alot of challenges and excitements. Challenges come in many shapes and sizes. This year I was presented with the opportunity to change jobs! I am really enjoying that new change in my life. Its presenting me with new challenges in my career, it was a very welcomed changed. Another challenge was Chris' grandfather, papa Metz's passing. I know the whole Zerr family is looking forward to 2009 to start the year off with a clean slate. A third challenge this year was my mom's surgery. She is well on her way to recovery and attaining her goal weight.
Our exciting news this year of course is our pregnancy. That is giving us a whole new reason to look forward to 2009 and meeting our little guy! We get to share our excitement with our best friends Brian and Amanda who will also be having a little guy in March as well. She has been presented with a new challenge. She has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes which will make her last few months a little more challenging. Several of the people that I have known with the condition end up having their babies several weeks before the due date. That would be kind of funny if that happens with her. We could all get to meet Gabe before Kase, or who knows they might even share the same brithday. That would be an interesting 2009 twist.
Thank you all for your love and support during 2008 and I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Wishing you all the very best in 2009!

Baby Kase Update!

2008-12-17T20:03:00.002-06:00

Howdy! Well today was a very fun day. It was my 28th birthday. I had a regular doctor check up. I got to hear the babies heart beat today which was a really nice present for my birthday. My doctor said that everything was going very well and that I gained some weight this month. She said that it was normal and on course. I chalked it up to Thanksgiving dinner. I also had to do the glucose test today. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The worst part of it all is that the drink tastes like orange soda. I hate orange soda. They served it very cold so it made it a little bit more palatable but I tried to chug it as fast as I could. Then I had to wait an hour and have blood drawn. Next week I should find out the results. They said they'd only call if something was wrong so here's to not hearing from the doctor until Jan 15th (which is my next appointment).

After my appointment we went to celebrate my birthday. Chris and I went to a restaurant called the Roaring Fork. It was very good. I really enjoyed my steak and had Green Chili Mac & Cheese. I didn't order dessert because I had enough sweets for the day with the Glucose test.

Well I wanted to wish every one a Merry almost Christmas. Remember there is only 1 weekend of shopping left. Good luck!

The Car Story

2008-11-30T14:33:00.004-06:00

With the baby coming Chris and I had been discussing getting a new car. This discussion has been going on for quite a while. The debate of either pay off the Maroon car and drive it till it dies or trade it in and get a new loan on a new car. The main debate was due to the warranty. The warranty on the car was over ... we were riding on the extended warranty that covered very little. We had to get new tires, new brakes, and I was going to have to take it in to have the suspension looked at because it was making funny noises when we hit bumps. So we were going to have to invest a lot of money into a car that we would get absolutely nothing back for it if we traded it in or tried to sell it. I'm starting the nesting phase and wanted to make sure that we had a very safe car for the new guy.

Well on the way home the other night a deer ran into the car and dented it pretty good. The door and the side panel of he hatch back were both pretty damaged and we would have had to file a claim on the insurance. That would have cost us another $500 easy for our deductible on top of all the other money were about to have to outlay onto the car. So that made the decision easy for us. We traded in the car.

We went to Toyota and talked to our guy Jay. We and several of our family have bought cars from him and he cuts us a great deal. We also figured we would get a good deal on a 2008 SUV since the 2009s were coming out and SUVs aren't selling all that well. Jay gave us a great deal and we got 2.9% interest. So as of Wednesday we are the proud owners of a new Highlander. I added the Highlander onto my insurance policy and replaced the HHR. The new policy was actually $50 cheaper for the new car then the Chevy so that was pretty exciting as well. I feel a whole lot better now in the new car!

Happy Thanksgiving from Hondo Texas!

2008-11-29T22:49:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving All!!!

This year I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a wonderful hubby and we are expecting a beautiful baby boy. We are thankful that our pregnancy is going well and also that my best friends Amanda and Brian are having a healthy pregnancy as well!

On Thursday we all celebrated Thanksgiving. This year we stayed in Hondo for the holiday. My grandma informed me that I missed a great party at her house. 23 people traveled to have Thanksgiving at her house this year. What a crowd. Wish it could have been 25 but we have our family here in Hondo that we rotate with every other year. I also heard that I missed a great reunion of some of my old high school buddies. Hopefully they will do it again and I can meet up with them the next time I’m in the Houston area.

At the Braden Thanksgiving we had quite a few family members as well. The normal Braden Crew was there, plus a few special additions. John brought home a new friend Kaleen to meet the family; she is a very big T-sipper. So that made for a very interesting Thanksgiving evening. She was obviously rooting for Texas. She was the odd man out at the major A&M rivalry game at our house. Of course her team won. Which brings me to another item I’m thankful for… the end of this dreadful season! We also had the Mullen’s join us from Austin. We rarely get to see them so we were excited they were able to come and spend a few days with us. This crowd gave us a total of 14 to enjoy the fried turkey and all the fixing’s of a traditional Hondo Thanksgiving dinner. Even though the fried turkey was great like normal… I do really miss my grandma’s baked turkey and her famous dressing. I look forward to Christmas day lunch!

At this point I don’t have any pictures from Thanksgiving to post. I tried to stay away from the camera because I wasn’t feeling 100% and didn’t want pictures to prove it. So I’ll see if I can at least get some of the crew from my mother in law.

The rest of the weekend we just enjoyed relaxing and started decorating for Christmas. I need all the rest I can get. Kase is wearing me out and he’s not even here yet. I hope every one had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that it continues throughout the Holiday season as we head into the Christmas events!

17 Weeks and Counting

2008-11-22T18:35:00.002-06:00

Well, We have about 17 or so more weeks to go till we get to see our little guy. We had our Dr. Appointment on Wednesday. Everything is going well. It took a while to find his heart beat like normal but once we did it was good and strong. He's kicking around like crazy, so either he's becoming more active, or he's getting bigger to where I can feel him more now. I'm not really sure the reason but it is kind of strange if I don't feel some sort of jumping jacks every couple of hours.

I have been very sick the last few days. I had to take off Tues-Thurs from work. I'm doing a bit better now. The Dr. said that there wasn't much I could do other then rest, drink OJ and take some Sudafed or Tylenol Sinus. That also makes me think his recent activity is attributed to the OTC drugs. Who knows. I sound horrible though. I have my 1-900 voice happening. I also have a nasty cough that keeps a 3 of us awake at night. The dogs sleep through it though. I know so becuase they SNORE!!!

My next Dr. Appointment is scheduled for my birthday. They really didn't have anything else that worked with my work schedule available that week. I have to do the glucose test that week. Dr. Cerney said that she really wasn't worried about me having a problem but they have to do it to be on the safe side. So I'm going to leave work a bit early on my birthday go to the appointment at 2. Drink the nasty stuff, then make Chris take me out for a nice dinner to make up for it.

Well as for the other news, I think we've decided on Kase Michael Braden as the baby's name. Its been a big debate. It is a very hard decision but I still have Konnor in my back pocket and I'm sure once I see the little guys face in March We'll know for sure! Kase seems to me more of an Athlete's name and since he's been so crazy active I think he's going to be. Only time will tell. Kase also means Brave in Irish which is pretty cool. I really wanted his name to mean something.

Well Thanksgiving is next week! I'll post some pictures then. Until then I hope every one has a safe and fun Thanksgiving. Eat alot of Turkey!

20 Weeks!

2008-11-02T18:43:00.003-06:00

We have made it to the half way point last week. This picture was taken on the Sunday which was the start of our 20th week! So on Sunday I had a revelation. I am getting huge. If this is the half way point, I'm going to be 2x as big as I am now. Wow! I wont be able to do anything, see my feet, nothing! So when I went to work on Monday morning, I started talking to my friends about my new revelation. This just made it worse. They told me I would be lucky if I was only 2x as big as I am now. It would probably be more like 3x times. AAAAHHHH! I'm scared!

The good thing about all this is that we have a healthy and energetic baby. So far he's very active in the afternoons. Which is good. He lets me slip at night and I'm hoping that his is a sign for a good sleeper. Only 20 more weeks to go till we get to meet our little guy!

It's a boy!

2008-10-25T17:37:00.004-05:00

Well we had our Dr appointment on 10/22. We decided to go ahead and find out what it is. I had a feeling ever since I was pregnant that the baby was a boy. Amanda and Brian found out the week before that they were having a little boy. Amanda and I were having alot of opposite issues. She is carrying low. My baby bump looks higher. She wants sweets like pumpkin Cheesecake. I can't eat sweets at all or I'll get sick. So little things started to make me think well if Amanda's is a boy then maybe our is a girl? The suspense started to bug me and I was a little jealous that they knew and I didn't. So I begged Chris to let me find out. Sure enough it was a boy. Its amazing how different pregnancy is sometimes for each of us. So the Chinese baby calendar is right again. 2 March baby boys. Unless the Drs have one of ours wrong. Only time will tell!

The little guy is perfect. According to the weight measurement he is almost 12 oz. So he is a little big for his age by about 4 days.

In the pictures, we have a close up of his feet. All ten toes present. We also have proof of the boy. We also have his first profile shot with his arm resting behind his head, his thumb is sticking out and some say he's already an Aggie displaying a Gig'em. Other believe its a hang 10 and we just can't quite see the pinkie finger.

The Baby's Room

2008-10-25T16:46:00.004-05:00

We have started working on the baby's room. The curtains are hung and the Crib and Changer are in. Thanks to Jason for helping Chris set up the crib. The furniture turned out to be very beautiful. It's starting to look like a baby lives here.

Chris wouldn't let me paint the walls so I made him do a polka - dot art project to put on the wall. The next thing that he is going to do is create some letters to spell out the baby's name above the crib. We are getting really close to having a complete nursery.

The Braden Bunch!

2008-10-25T14:26:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our family Blog! The Braden Bunch. I know we aren't quite a bunch yet but getting close. In march we will become three. Well Nine if you count our fuzzy family, who I'm sure will show up in the Blog quite often. We have 2 Boxers, Tyson and Riley, and 4 horses, Roany, CC, Apache and Buddy. I hope to be able to keep up as much as possible on the blog so our family and friends that don't get to see us very often get to keep up with the goings on in Hondo Texas. We'll include everything from back yard organizing, family trips to most importantly baby updates! Love you all and hope you visit often!

More then one baby bump

2008-10-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

Well most of you know already that there is more then one baby being born in March. Our best friends Amanda and Brian are having a baby too. I'm due March 15 and she due March 22. This was not planned and was a surprise to both of us. We were so excited to be able to share this together. We are both having boys as well so that adds to the fun to be able to watch our two little bouncing baby boys grow up together. This picture was actually taken on on Oct. 10, 2008. Amanda was 16 weeks and 5 days along and I was 17 weeks and 5 days. Our goal is to have our picture almost at the half way point and then another very close to the end to compare our baby bumps!

Back Yard Project

2008-10-25T13:45:00.000-05:00

Chris has been working so hard on his BBQ Pavilion. He really wants to get it done so we can have a Super Bowl party at the house. The roof is on and the counters are getting close. He still needs to put on the rock and call out the guy to make the counter tops. Then hope and pray that all the grills ad drawers and such fit in the holes that are cut. More to come!