This past month was SO much fun. Bradley is crawling all over the place and exploring every corner of the house. He still plays with lots of toys but he wants to explore and find things like Cooper’s water dish, Cooper’s toy bin, ALL the cabinets, pull out the dvd’s, take the shoes from the shoe rack, play with the dishwasher when I’m unloading dishes… you know the fun stuff.

Bradley is so much fun to be around and his smile lights up the room. He keeps me smiling and laughing on a daily basis and I’m so thankful for him every day!

Big sister Ava loves entertaining him with her toys, her songs, her load screams, her running and jumping moves, peek-a-boo and whatever silly tricks she has up her sleeve. He adores her and if she leaves the room or goes upstairs he starts to whine (we know he is saying come back Ava, or bring me to her now!)

Bradley’s 9 Month Update

Weight 24.5 lbs (99 Percentile)

Length 31.5 inches long (off the charts for length)

Bradley is solid and big. He currently doesn’t like to be held unless he’s tired or teething which is fine with me because he is heavy and my arms get tired quick! Sometimes I think of him as a toddler but he is still really a baby.

He is currently in 18 month clothing and some 12 month stuff still fits. Believe it or not he wore a 24 month shirt the other day and it fit great. I need to get shopping for spring and summer outfits fast before we run out of clothes.

EAT

If you say food or show Bradley food, he starts kicking his legs and his eyes widen. There’s no hiding his love for food. He has become so self sufficient this past month as he grabs to hold the spoon and reaches for his finger foods. We are slowly introducing finger foods and he can’t get enough. I crack up watching him put cheese into his mouth. He basically shoves his whole hand into his mouth he can’t get the food in fast enough.

We do 3 meals a day with a mixture of finger foods and pureed food. He eats some finger foods like cheese, avocado, turkey, mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potato & banana pieces, etc. There’s still not a food Bradley won’t eat!.

I have to keep my eye on Ava when she’s eating now because she will leave stuff on the floor and Bradley scurries over to see what it is. She also lets him take licks of her ice pops and I’ve seen her stick food in his mouth. Luckily we haven’t run into any big problems with that but I’m still all eyes on her

SLEEP

Sleep will always have its ups and downs as I’ve realized 3 1/2 years into this parenting thing. If it’s not Bradley who’s fussing in the middle of the night, Ava or Cooper will wake up to use the bathroom or Ava will be hungry at 4am just to tortute us.

Bradley has been doing pretty well on the sleep front though. His bed time is between 6:45 and 7pm give or take 15/20 minutes. He will sleep until 6:30-7am or unless his sister decides to wake him up which annoys me so much.

A couple weeks ago Marc was in Florida for work and I thought I could handle the 2 kids on my own but that only lasted a day. Bradley decided it was a perfect time to start cutting some more teeth so we had some nights I was up several times to help him get comfortable or give him his pacifier and Ava wasn’t sleeping great either. Lets just say I chugged a lot of coffee to get through. Thank god for my moms help too

Bradley is now down to 2 naps which is much better for our schedules. His first nap is around 9:30am and his second nap is between 1:30 and 2pm. Those naps are usually an hour and a half each for a total of 3-4 hours of nap time. I have found the days Bradley naps well, the whole day runs smoother, there’s less fussing and more play. All in all I have no complaints on the sleep front

PLAY

I love playtime!! Bradley loves interaction with everyone but can still play quietly on his own which is awesome. He’s so easy going. Now that he’s crawling at a rapid pace I find myself moving him a lot. He gravitates towards wires, coopers food bowl and the dirty shoe rack. Clearly his toys are getting old.

I love seeing Bradley’s face as he explores anything new. He loves

• any toys that light up or sing music
• playing peekaboo
• having songs sung to him
• clapping his hands
• chewing on toys
• banging on drums
• figuring out a new trick
• crawling under tables and chairs
• pulling himself up on everthing
• playing in Ava’s room
• Absolutely loves bath time
• splashing water
• eating in his high chair
• walks in the stroller
• saying dada, baba, yaya
• playing with coopers paws

Bradley dislikes

• diaper changes
• being put on his back for diaper changes
• getting his face wiped
• getting pulled out of the bath tub when bath time is over (he doesn’t want to stop playing in the tub!!!)
• being tired
• when you take a toy from him
• when you put the pacifier in his mouth, he has to do it on his own 90% of the time

Play time is the best time of day and I really enjoy sitting back and watching Ava interact with Bradley. I encourage her to talk to him, show him new things and also to help me do things with him like changing diapers or wipe up his spit up. It helps boost her confidence and keeps her involved since he still requires more attention right now.

I sometimes catch myself being super cautious because Ava does throw toys, does pull him by his pants, lay on top of him, and take stuff out of his hands. There was one really bad week where she was not being nice to him at all, pushing him, pulling him throwing toys at him. I tried really hard to explain to her to be gentle, tell her we don’t hit but nothing was sinking in. I realize it’s a learning curve for her and she’s still learning how to handle her tiny brother but sometimes I want to close my eyes when I see her jumping in mid air over him on the floor. Yikes. I swear.. kids will make you want to pull your hair out, but then you will catch them giggling in the other room and walk in to see them holding hands and all those bad moments disappear.

I’m still a work in progress with parenting two kids but I’m accepting I’m not a perfect parent and I’m learning something new each day. When I look back to 6 months ago we have grown leaps and bounds and I can’t wait to see what fun stuff we can all do together this next month!!

]]> http://thefitskool.com/?feed=rss2&p=10564 0 http://thefitskool.com/?p=10510 http://thefitskool.com/?p=10510#comments Thu, 16 Mar 2017 14:31:05 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=10510 Continue reading →]]> I’m back again with another Bradley update. Yay or nay? I personally love writing these posts. It lets me look back on the past month and how much I absolutely adore this little boy.

Sorry this post is a little late, but finding time to sit down on the computer these days is very challenging!

(This is Bradley’s favorite pose, he probably does it about 100x a day and I love it! He flashes his cute little smile and looks over his shoulder to see where we are)

Okay, so this past month has been REALLY good. We have been having so much fun watching Bradley explore the world and enjoy seeing him interact with Ava.

Besides having a small cold for a couple days, Bradley has been healthy and happy.We have been having a blast watching him crawl all over the place. He has so much determination, you can see it written all over his face. I purposely place toys on the floor to see his reactions.

This phase of babyhood is really a joy because everything is new Bradley. I find it easy to entertain him and it’s so easy to get him excited. You can literally hand him a spatula and his eyes will light up. It buys me about 20 minutes.

BRADLEY’S 8 MONTH UPDATE

We don’t head to the doctor for a check up until he’s 9 months but we did put Bradley on the scale for our own curiosity.

WEIGHT 23.5 lbs
LENGTH 30 inches

Last time we were at the doctor he was 98% for almost everything. I am assuming now that he’s crawling and more mobile he might not gain as much weight as he did before.

He is currently in 12-18 month clothing. It’s so crazy to me that he’s outgrowing 12 month clothes but he is large so it makes sense.

EAT 

Bradley is a fantastic eater. He usually lets you know he is hungry by making some fussy noises, he doesn’t usually scream for food but he lets you know. Bradley has 3 meals a day plus 4-5 bottles.

He loves sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, avocado, butternut squash, apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, oatmeal, rice cereal. He doesn’t like peaches and so far that’s the only food he won’t eat! We are slowly expanding his foods which is always fun. Ava loves checking out his funny faces to any new foods he eats.

He loves eating at restaurants and is so well behaved!!

While Bradley is a great eater and doesn’t usually leave any leftovers we have noticed that when he wants to take a bottle he can’t seem to settle down, so I find myself holding his hand or singing to him while he drinks and he seems to calm down. I basically think he fears that he is missing out on playtime with Ava!!

SLEEP 

I am writing about this and I hope I don’t jinx anything in the meantime but sleep the past few weeks has been great. Sure there are the occasional wake ups but for the most part we are all sleeping more soundly.

Bradley is usually asleep anytime between 7-8pm and will sleep until 6/630am. This works great for our schedule right now. We did travel to Rhode Island this past weekend so his schedule was a bit off but he seems to have caught up!!!

Bradley is napping 2-3 times a day.His one nap that is pretty consistent is his morning nap which is usually at 9:15am. Sometimes its an hour and sometimes 2 hours! When Ava is home from school it seems to be more difficult to get him to sleep but his second nap is usually around 1:30-2pm and again can range from 30-90 minutes. If his second nap is short he will definitely take a short 3rd cat nap before bed.

I don’t mind his afternoon schedule being a little all over the place because it gives us the flexibility to run errands, go outside, go for walks, etc.

PLAY

I love talking about playtime because it just keeps getting better each month. Bradley is on the move and you can see in his eyes he wants to explore and touch everything. We are pretty much baby proofed but I have run into a couple things that I realized we needed to fix. We had a floor lamp that he almost pulled over so that got moved to the basement and he recently tried to pull the monitor cord out of the wall so I quickly changed that spot!!

Bradley really enjoys playing with Ava or near her. If she’s not in the same room he needs to find her and see what she’s doing. He loves putting any and all toys in his mouth and loves pulling bins of the shelf and taking toys out. Ava was a little more agile at this age then Bradley but boy is he strong. I don’t remember Ava being able to pull bins out on her own at 8 months and his grip is so strong I swear he could swing a baseball bat already.

I can already see him trying to pull himself up on things so I am guessing that might be his new trick at 9 months!!

When we are out and about, Bradley loves to flash a smile at anyone he meets, I think he is going to be outgoing and social as he gets older. I know I have talked about his first word before which was dada but now I’m pretty sure he can say hi. I don’t think he knows what it means but he babbles hi dada dada dada. We are also getting some babas too. When I say baba and show him his bottle he kicks his legs and smiles, my boy loves his food!!!

Of course MAMA isn’t one of the first words, but I know I will be super happy when that word comes out of his mouth. I say it to him all the time so  he knows its me right?

As I look back on this past month I couldn’t be happier with the relationship that is developing between Bradley & Ava. I honestly believe that the best gift I could have ever given Ava was a brother. She has matured so much this past 8 months.

She is my assistant during diaper changes, she shares all her toys, she makes him laugh with her crazy dance moves and peek a boo tricks. She literally makes him smile so easy, she has a natural gift!

Of course i have highlighted all the good stuff in this post, but there were several days this past month I wanted to pull my hair out. Kids screaming, kids not napping, kids not listening, kids torturing mama…I have gotten better at walking away, taking a deep breathe and then having a glass of wine with Marc when he gets home

I can’t believe another month has come and gone, it really feels like I posted Bradley’s 6 month update last week.

This past month has been GREAT. I attribute the greatness to the extra hours of sleep I’ve been getting, thank you Bradley, it’s about time. (just kidding.. well not really)

I like to talk about a lot of positives in these posts but lets be real and honest here, there are a lot downs with those ups. There are sleepless nights, there are days where kids are crying and screaming left and right but those days get out numbered when there’s laughter and baby giggles, those bad days somehow get forgotten.

Before I get started on all the baby updates I want to let you know how much joy Bradley brings into our lives. He has been such a blessing not just to me, but to Marc and Ava. Even when the day seems tough, he will flash his smile and somehow our day turns around. We are lucky with this little one.

Bradley’s 7 month Baby Update

Current weight an ounce shy of 23 pounds (at his last check up he was like 97th percentile for height and weight)

Bradley is outgrowing 12 month clothes. I can’t believe I just bought 18 month onesies!!

He’s a big boy for sure. I almost debated measuring his thighs and comparing them to Ava’s because I swear they are probably the same size. There’s so much chunk to those little legs you can’t see his ankles and I LOVE it. It just makes him that much cuter.

LIKES

• to be tickled
• when people sing to him
• to play with anything and everything
• roll over especially during diaper changes
• watching his sister at ALL times
• to reach for Cooper when he’s in the high chair, mainly to clean his hands I think
• smile with his mouth open
• put every item he can in his mouth
• scream loud when people are talking so we can hear him. Yes we know you are there Bradley
• smiling
• and smiling at everyone he sees

DISLIKES

• when someone takes something from him
• being put down when he needs to burp
• his face being wiped after he eats
• getting dressed
• getting his buggies sucked out of his nose
• staying still for diaper changes
• waking up from naps (he wakes up crying and then 2 seconds later smiles so big)

EAT

Bradley is a great eater. He loves food, milk, and chewing on anything he can get his hands on. Bradley has about 5 bottles a day and we are trying a new solid every week. So far we love: sweet potatoes, oats, rice cereal, green beans, peas, apples, bananas, avocado, butternut squash. We do not like peaches. To be honest I didn’t like them either. Peaches were one of the foods I ate every day while I was pregnant, but these gerber pureed peaches taste nothing like the real thing. Which reminds me that I need to start making my own baby food. I will… I will.

He currently has 2 bottom teeth and one of his molars and other bottom teeth are coming in so I guess we could probably try eating steak soon?? just kidding.  I bet he would like it but we’ll stick to our pureed food for now. I can’t wait to continue trying new foods because it’s so fun to see what new foods he will devour.

SLEEP

Last month Bradley had a couple of ear infections that left me craving sleep. Thank goodness these past 3 weeks have been so much better. Bradley goes to bed anywhere between 7pm-8m and sleeps until 6/630am. Sometimes he falls asleep earlier if Ava interrupts his naps during the day. For the most part I won’t complain about sleep, he’s made drastic improvements this past month and I’m loving it. I honestly think he’s sleeping more soundly because he eats 3 meals a day and his belly stays full!

PLAY

Ohhhh how I love playtime. Bradley’s smile and laugh are contagious. He smiles at everyone he sees and it makes me smile to watch him. We are currently in teething mode so a lot of playtime consists on putting as many toys into his mouth as possible. He likes toys he can hold and chew on. We have a zillion toys and we rotate them so he doesn’t get bored, but believe it or not he loves the random things that aren’t toys…. packages of wipes, diapers, remotes, phones, plastic spoons and cooking utensils that Ava gives him. It makes me question why we buy toys?????

Bradley is rolling and scooting all over the place. He will be crawling any day now.

It’s funny to me because Ava was already crawling and pulling herself up to a standing position by 7 months so I’m enjoying the slower pace that Bradley is moving at. He can stay put for as long as his little heart desires

Ava and Bradley’s interactions continue to melt my heart and also give me heart attacks. Ava has been such a good big sister though in all honesty. She helps me with diaper changes and brings me wipes, garbage bags, whatever I need to take care of his mess. She wipes up his spit up, she brings him toys, sings him songs when he’s crying, she tickles him to make him laugh more and I couldn’t be happier with her for doing the things she does.

I can’t wait to see what new things these two do together this month!!

We can’t forget about the bond between Cooper & Bradley. It’s super special and they both have so much interest in one another.

Cooper is a SAINT for letting Bradley tug on his ears, rip out his hair and tickle his paw. I couldn’t ask for a better dog to lookout for our baby.

I love this little boy so much, even if he is wearing a Boston Red Sox hat that Daddy makes him wear.

His smile is contagious and I hope that he always remembers to share that smile with everyone he meets.

Check back this week for a workout that you can do at home on your own time and under 30 minutes!!!

Anyways, this past half of a year has flown by in a blink of an eye. Part of me really can’t believe Bradley is already 6 months and the other part of me can because he looks like he’s 14 months… NO JOKE.

My boy is huge.. weighing in at 22lbs and 28.5 inches long. He’s outgrowing 12 month clothing and I really can’t keep up with his clothing changes. I am afraid to buy him anything because it probably won’t fit him next week. I’m sure you are thinking ya right, but he has clothes he’s worn once because once I wash it it seems to be too tight the next time he wears it.

Lets talk a little bit more about this sweet little face…

BRADLEY’S 6 MONTH UPDATE

EAT 

Bradley is making me so proud with his eating. I guess because that’s all he really does. He eats a lot. He has 5-6 bottles a day plus 2 meals, one veggie or fruit and one serving of oatmeal. We loved oatmeal for a while, but now that we are eating the good stuff oatmeal isn’t his favorite anymore.

Bradley loves…

• sweet potatoes
• green beans
• peas
• butternut squash
• pears
• apples

Carrots didn’t agree with him so we stopped that. We are just getting into new fruits this week. I’m sure he will love bananas and avocado too.  When bradley eats, he opens his mouth wide and he takes every last bit that I offer him. He would probably keep going if I let him but then that might cause some other problems that I don’t want to deal with.

Let’s just say I’m so happy he’s a good eater and I hope he continues this way.

SLEEP 

Is this sleep section about Bradley or me?? Lets talk about him first because his sleep is more important.

I think Bradley is a good sleeper for a 6 month old! he’s usually in bed between 630-730pm and he will sleep usually until 6 the next morning, sometimes 7am sometimes 5am but I have no complaints about that.

I will complain about his pacifier that we are trying to get rid of. He usually wakes up at 145/2am for his pacifier and then again from 5am on… sometimes it’s easy and sometimes he spits it out thousands of times and I want to chuck that stupid thing out his window…….

but I secretly love it because he can soothe himself when he has it. Why do we have these things?? It only drives parents crazy. Anyways,  when the time is right I will get rid of it but for now it works, especially when he’s teething.

This week sleep was horrible… a double ear infection means no sleep and a mom that is cranky.

Bradley didn’t want to be put down so I held him the whole night so he could sleep. The sacrifices moms make for their kids is insane but I would do anything to have a healthy happy kid. That smile in the picture is me enjoying the baby cuddles not the fact that I knew I wasn’t going to sleep.

So my sleep could be better, but it could be worse. I’ll take what I can get right now in the sleep department and push through!!! It’s just a phase of life right? If I could only remind myself that at 3am.

I currently drink 1/2 cup- 1 cup of coffee to survive. Marc laughs at me and tells me not to drink all the coffee but the truth is I’m not a big coffee drinker so that’s a lot to me

PLAY

The best time is always play time. Bradley with a full belly + playtime = lots of smiles and baby giggles. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, his smile & laugh are contagious to our whole family. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is he somehow makes us grin from ear to ear.

Bradley loves peekaboo, toys, books, songs, anything he can put in his mouth, rattles, and all of Ava’s toys.

If you put a toy far away from him he will roll and scoot his way to the toy. I foresee crawling in the very near future and that makes me nervous/excited. Once Ava started crawling it changed the game, but we are prepared this time and our house is baby proofed.

AVA & BRADLEY

This past month Ava and Bradley have been interacting on a daily basis. Ava now realizes Bradley can play with toys, he can make her smile and he can pull her hair She loves him and always wants to be around him when she can.

When we pick her up at school she runs over to him to give him a big hug and a kiss, it makes my heart melt. Sometimes we have to tell her not to squeeze him so hard when she hugs Bradley but she must be confused since we always ask her for big hugs.

This past month there have been some funny moments:

• I went into the kitchen to grab a baby wipe and came back to Ava laying on top of Bradley. After a mini heart attack I was relieved to find Bradley laughing hysterically at her.
• I asked Ava to babysit Bradley so I could go pee. He was sitting in the rock n play and when I came back she had piled as many toys as she could around him. She said he needed toys to play with and I couldn’t help but smile.
• I came into the living room and Bradley was naked and Ava told me she was giving him a diaper change. Luckily he didn’t pee on her because she wasn’t prepared and had no diaper to change him with!

There’s a lot of crazy with these two kiddos but I wouldn’t change a thing. Ava is so sweet with her little brother and all of the chaos is worth it when I get to see the two of them laughing uncontrollably together over nothing but baby tickles.

_______________________________________________________________________

Prior to Bradley’s arrival on July 8th I promised myself and my family that I was going to try to keep him as healthy as possible. Keeping him healthy to me meant that I was going to love him as much as possible and nurse him as long as I could.  My secret goal was 3 1/2 months. That is how long I nursed Ava and I knew I could at least make it that far.

I never had issues nursing Ava. It was easy, she was quick, there was less interruptions at night from making bottles, she was healthy and we saved some money. I also developed a special bond with Ava and I learned a lot about myself from those late night feedings and long nights.

What I also learned was that nursing wasn’t always a positive experience. There are so many issues you can face such as getting the baby to latch, engorgement, nursing pain, long feedings etc. While I didn’t have major issues, I did find it challenging to leave the house to nurse. I wasn’t able to do it in public. Some women have no issue with this, but to me I dreaded being out and nursing. I would do it at someone’s house, but only if I was in a room by myself. After a few months I felt trapped and it was starting to take an emotional toll on me. While I wanted a healthy baby, I also wanted to live a “normal” life. For me that meant getting out of the house and feeding my baby from a bottle whenever I could.

Similar to Ava, I had no real issues nursing the second time around with Bradley. He was a little harder to feed, and a lot bigger and heavier to hold, but both minor problems I easily learned to work around.  So after about 3 1/2 months with Bradley my supply started slowing. Part of it was probably from a big hungry boy and part of it was me secretly starting to wean off and add in more formula so I could go out more. When I went to Bradley’s 4 month check up he was over 95th percentile for height and weight and I told his doctor I was probably going to slowly stop nursing.

She gave me words of encouragement and told me I had done a wonderful job.  She ensured me that he was not only healthy, but also an extremely happy little boy. That was really all I needed to hear to give myself the okay to stop my journey… and the best part is HE’S STILL HAPPY drinking formula. The hardest part of the transition was me letting go of my guilt.

For me, nursing was a positive experience and even though I probably could have kept going, it was the best choice to end my nursing journey when I did. I no longer had to plan my day around Bradley’s feeding schedule and we were all much happier.

For all you new moms out there my advice to you is not to put any pressure on your feeding choice for your baby. You need to do what’s best for you and your family and I encourage you to take it one day at a time. In the end, we all want our babies to be healthy & happy and your feeding choice will always be the best one.
XOXO,

Kelly

Learn more about feeding options from The Honest Company.

I know how truly blessed I am and I will never take you for granted. Thank you for being my best friend, the best dad, the guy I can tell everything to, the guy I can sweat with, smile with, laugh with and share our amazing family with!

I know there are so many beautiful memories ahead <3

Today I’m sharing a 4 month update on my big boy Bradley!

I apologize in advance for the terrible iPhone photos but I haven’t received my new phone… long story (and you don’t want to hear about it) so I’m stuck with some terrible blurry photos. I just want you to see through the blur and realize that we have a happy baby that warms our hearts day in and day out.

Bradley at 4 months

Current weight: 18 lbs 8 oz and 27 inches long

This was the exact weight that Ava was at 9 months.  I can’t imagine how big he will be 5 months from now.

Bradley is a big boy. He’s an arm full and my biceps get tired carrying him around. I’m pretty sure he’s getting used to playing on the floor on his play mat because mama just gets tired holding him (especially after I workout myself!!)

Bradley is currently in 9 months clothing and I’m sure at christmas time he will be in 12 month clothing.

As I said in my last post Bradley is truly an easy going happy baby. He makes EVERY day so much brighter and brings a smile to everyone’s face he meets. He’s a big boy with a BIG personality and I’m blessed he joined our family. We all can’t get enough of him.

EAT

Bradley is a hungryyyyy baby. I am jealous of all the moms who’s babies eat strictly every 3 1/2 hours but that’s not the case here. He usually eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. It could be worse but I still feel like he’s eating all the time.  I am praying his doctor approves him for some cereal soon or maybe even a hamburger?

SLEEP 

I won’t complain about my sleep but I do hope things get better soon! I am usually up every 3 hours with Bradley but lately he gives one good stretch of 5 hours in the beginning and then goes another 3 hours until the morning. He goes to bed around 7:30/8pm feeds at 10pm, 3pm and 6am. He’s usually up for the day around 7:30am unless he goes to the bathroom

PLAY

Playtime is awesome. The smiles from Bradley are endless. He absolutely loves toys, his sister Ava’s crazy faces and noises, he loves TV (which we don’t let him watch but his eyes always seem to find it). he also loves his doggie and gets super excited when he’s around.

He’s not too interested in books but it’s still early. For now we will keep the bright colored toys and stuffed animals around.

FIRSTS

• rolling over back to belly (it’s his favorite trick)
• holds his bottle but only for a few seconds
• belly laughs at Ava
• slept through the night!!
• can stand for long periods with support

How’s mama doing?

At 4 months postpartum I feel like my fitness journey has just begun. My body can handle a little more. During month 3 I pushed hard and I was crampy and had some stomach pains here and there so I backed off a bit. It was quite odd but I listened to my body and didn’t do any high intensity exercises.

I am feeling great overall and of course I feel amazing on the days I actually get a good nights sleep. 2 kids is no joke. It’s fun, challenging, rewarding and draining all at once!!

Cooper loves being a big brother again. He’s used to all the baby chaos and has been a saint with Bradley. Minus a few pacifier steels

Over the last month Ava’s love for Bradley grew significantly. She’s much more kind & gentle with her baby brother. She actually loves sharing her toys with him and loves hearing him laugh at her.

I wouldn’t have this crazy life any other way and love the little family we have.

I also promised myself I would post his birth story and I finished PART 1 so that will be posted next week!

Bradley at 3 months

Current weight: 17 lbs.. my boy is BIG!!!

Bradley is currently in 6 months clothing and I’m not even sure how long he will stay in those he is growing so fast!

Bradley is truly an easy going happy baby. I feel lucky to have him in my life and he makes every day so much brighter with his BIG smile, he is so happy that he makes me happy. His grin lights up the room and no matter what mood I’m in he will always make it a good one.

EAT

Bradley’s eating has gotten a lot better this month. He’s probably not as good as Ava was but he’s starting to get more of a schedule going and he’s quick & efficient which makes my life a lot easier. None of his feedings take longer then 10 minutes. He probably feeds about 5-6 times a day sometimes 7 but his stretches are about 3-3 1/2 hours.

I can’t complain at all and I won’t!

SLEEP 

Another thing I won’t complain about it sleep. This past month we made leaps and bounds. He started off giving me a 6 hour stretch, we regressed a little and went back to 4 hours but then we hit 6 1/2. We also were fortunate to get two 8 hour stretches and when mama gets 7 hours of sleep I feel like a new woman. No joke.

When I wake up and the clock says any number passed 5am I’m like… What the… AWESOME!

I didn’t want to get my hopes up after those good nights but I take that good nights sleep and run with it. I also secretly pray that this is the light at the end of the tunnel.

Ava started to sleep for 8-9 hours around this time so I was hoping my little boy would do the same!

PLAY

Playtime is the best time. Probably because smiles, laughs, flailing arms and legs and happy noises make my day. Bradley adores Ava’s craziness, her toys that she shows him, he loves staring at Cooper’s sweet face, he can’t get enough of looking in the mirror at himself, he loves his playmats, his colorful stuffed animals and anyone that will talk to him. I think he knows he’s cute and that’s why he always smiles.

It’s so fun to watch him as he observes his surroundings and I would pay to know what is going through that little brain of his as he reaches for toys and giggles at the light on the ceiling.

Lets talk about some of Bradley’s Firsts.

FIRSTS

• reaching for toys
• holding onto toys
• diaper blowout thank god dad was home for this one
• projectile vomit all over mama and the rocking chair.. again thank god dad was home for this one
• smiling & giggling (2 months)
• rolling over from Belly to Back (2 months)
• holding his head up on his own
• sleeping through the night (I wish there were endless amounts of these)

I can’t wait for more firsts and to see how much Bradley grows this month. I know that time flies so I’m really trying to soak in all of the baby moments that I can while he’s this little. I know that in the blink of an eye he’s going to be as big as Ava and while that’s great I just can’t let him grow up that fast!!

How’s mama doing?

I am officially 3 months postpartum and I’m feeling great. Last month I was feeling good, but not THIS good. I’m sleeping better and I swear when I get my sleep I am an all around better person. I can tackle more of my to-do list, I can workout harder, I’m a better mom, a better wife, a better everything I think? Don’t you feel better when you sleep good?!

I am starting to see more physical changes now that fitness is part of my normal routine. It really does feel good to be back to exercising consistently. Boot camp kicked my butt this past month and I was sore after every workout that I completed. Is it weird that I like kicking my own butt? My arms and legs are a lot stronger and my mushy belly is FINALLY starting to give a little. For a second I thought I was stuck with the dough boy but it’s slowly getting tighter thanks to all the boot camp planking. Lets not forget my boy is big, Bradley’s an armful and I gotta admit that my arms are a lot stronger this time around thanks to my 17 pounder.

As for exercise, I have been getting in at least 4 days of workouts per week. I have listened to my body more and if I miss a day of exercise I don’t sweat it because you know what, I don’t have the time to worry about that. My day is filled with kids activities and family stuff that I literally don’t have time to think about anything except for what’s going on in that moment. While sometimes it’s great, other times I miss my super organized planner self that has coffee and lunches packed the night before. I’m getting there and each day I’m getting better at everything!!!

Enough of my rambles…. I’ll be back soon with a non baby post for you I Swear!!

I hope you aren’t giving up on me and The Fit Skool just yet. I’m taking time to adjust to being a mom of two, easing back into work and making time for myself.

I do miss blogging on a regular basis, but I guess my priorities have changed and I have to cut back a bit for now.

So in good old baby number 2 fashion, this 2 month update is coming about a week late. I also apologize for lack of pictures but my iPhone broke and I am currently without my photos I will definitely post some separately once my phone is fixed.

BRADLEY

is officially 9 weeks old and past 2 months. His current weight at his 2 month check up was 15 lbs. He was 24 inches long.

Basically he’s huge. Ava wasn’t 15lbs until she was 5 months old so he’s a big baby to me.

He is such an easy going baby that loves to smile tons and give silly faces. He brightens each morning for sure!! I would have to say he’s like a cup of coffee and to be honest I haven’t been drinking much because he literally increases my energy with his big old grin on a daily basis. So does Ava

EAT 

Eating has been totally different compared to my experience with Ava. This boy has no set schedule and to be honest I’m okay with that. Sometimes he eats every 2 hours sometimes it’s 3 or 3 1/2. I just go with the flow and feed him when he’s hungry.

Speaking of hungry. Bradley knows how to cry when he’s hungry. He screams so loud you could probably hear him down the street, and I basically try to avoid him getting to that point and feeding him before he gets SUPER hungry.

SLEEP 

Just like his eating, daytime sleep is ALL over the place. Partially because our schedules are crazy and he’s in and out of the car a decent amount, plus Ava makes it a little difficult to nap when he’s home.

He naps a few times a day, probably 3-4 naps. Some are 20 minutes, an hour, and his longest one is the afternoon nap which is usually around 2-2 1/2 hours.

At night he’s been sleeping around 8pm until 6:30am with 2 feedings in between. I get one long stretch of 5-6 hours which is pretty good for a 2 month old. Don’t let me fool you though, I can’t wait until this guy gives me an 8 hour stretch

PLAY

Playtime is an all time favorite with Bradley in our house. Marc, Ava and I love putting him on his play mat or on the ground and talking to him, tickling him and making noises with him. He’s such a happy smiley baby and we enjoy all those moments.

He rolled over from his tummy to his back several times already which is super impressive. My boy is STRONG like his sister.

I can’t wait for more playtime fun and all the new things he’s going to learn these next 2 months!

How’s mama?

Fitness & Health….

I am currently at my pre birth weight which is great, I’m not looking to lose more then a couple pounds but things with my body have definitely changed. I still have a mushy belly, my arms aren’t as strong, and I have some fitness goals to lean out a bit.

As for being a mom of two…

Motherhood has taken a whole new turn with 2 kids and although I have had numerous challenging days, I have amazing days that make those bad days disappear. I have 2 happy healthy kids that give life a whole new meaning. They are so much fun to be around, they keep me on my toes, and they make me work 110% to be the best mom possible.

I found myself struggling a bit the first 3 weeks after having Bradley. I had my old mindset of being superwoman and wanted to get everything done between bills, cleaning, feeding kids, entertaining 2 kids, taking care of myself, walking the dog and all the stuff that comes in between that. Realistically I couldn’t do it all, I needed Marc to help, my family and whoever else lent a hand.

Once I let go of the unimportant things in my life everything got so much easier. I was able to enjoy more of the time with my family and worry less about a messy house, a sink full of dishes, 3 large piles of laundry and Cooper only getting 1 walk instead of 2. I knew we would all live and get through the chaos once I was fully recovered.

Now that I’m recovered things are back to normal and I feel like I can be superwoman again. JUST KIDDING… being superwoman is nearly impossible but it’s worth a shot and I will continue to strive to be that woman.

I hope that you will continue to support my blog and I promise I will be getting in more posts

The title of this post really should have been ADJUSTING TO BEING A MOM OF 3. Cooper is absolutely one of my children and requires almost as much attention as Bradley & Ava do. I have to feed, walk, play and give Cooper cuddles just like the other two, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

These past few weeks have been crazy busy and I can’t believe how fast the time is going!!! I have had my hands full with Bradley’s baby duties, keeping Ava entertained 24/7, getting Cooper his exercise, taking care of myself during my recovery, making meals for my family, and finding time to sleep in between. Moms have the toughest job right?? Well dad’s do too and Marc has been a tremendous help with EVERYTHING from jumping in to do a late night feeding so I can rest, taking Ava to the store or park so I can get a break, to walking Cooper daily so that he is tired!

Right now I have both Ava and Bradley home with me until Ava starts preschool on September 1st, so I haven’t really had a chance to do anything for myself besides shower and eat. I miss blogging but to be honest any 30-60 minutes of free time that I’ve had, I pretty much spend resting. Ava hasn’t been napping consistently during the day anymore which doesn’t give me much of a break!!

My first 2 weeks of recovery went pretty smoothly. I had some really good days where I felt like I could tackle everything and then usually the good days followed with a bad one and I would feel crampy, tired and pretty much useless. That’s how I know I overdid it!!

Week 3 I was sleeping a little better and moving around easier. I went for several walks with Marc, Cooper, Ava & Bradley. They weren’t long or strenuous walks but enough to get some fresh air and get Cooper his exercise.

Week 4 had been my best energy and my most active since having Bradley. I didn’t want to sit still, but come night time I was ready to sleep whenever Ava & Bradley fell asleep!  I haven’t been crampy at all in a while and I would say that by week 5 I’ll be itching for a workout

My recovery with Ava was slow and I started feeling good around 4 weeks postpartum but this time with Bradley I felt like I could do things around 10-14 days after. My body definitely isn’t ready but I guess when you have a toddler you have no choice but to be playing outside in a kiddy pool, squirting the hose, making trips to the library while lugging a car seat, playing at the beach in the water even when you probably shouldn’t be, and doing whatever I can to entertain my 2 1/2 year old with boat loads of energy. I swear she could probably do 10 boot camp classes and still not be tired!

Now… A quick update on Bradley. He is just the sweetest little boy with the largest set of lungs! He can scream when he wants something but I like knowing he’s strong and healthy and only trying to tell me something. Ava was pretty quiet as a newborn so it’s funny to see how different they are already!

He’s a good sleeper once he’s asleep. Getting him to sleep is sometimes challenging when Ava is singing, making noise, banging on things, or touching him and telling him not to sleep! Lets just say we are working on her whispering and quiet time. She’s improved drastically this last week and I’ve noticed an improvement in Bradley’s naps and he’s crying less. Clearly he needed more sleep and Ava wasn’t letting him

My sleep hasn’t been terrible, it could always be worse right? I think this time around I knew what to expect so I’m not expecting to sleep in long chunks and it’s been fine so far. I have had some mornings where I wake up ready to start the day with a smile on my face and I have had a few rough ones where I’m like seriously… can’t I sleep just another hour please!!!

I know that it’s just a phase and I will be sleeping longer in a few weeks so that’s how I’m getting through the late nights.

Speaking of late nights, I really do enjoy my alone time with Bradley. It’s special bonding time since during the day I try to split my time between Bradley and Ava. Ava has been handling my shared time pretty well considering it’s only been a month with our new little guy. It’s a learning curve for all of us and I think we are doing the best job we can right now!!!

(Isn’t this picture just the sweetest thing?!)

I miss blogging and I promise my next post will be Bradley’s Birth Story. It was pretty EPIC so stay tuned

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