It’s so funny how much easier it was to get things done with just one kid. I had way more time. When it’s just me at home with the kids, I’m outnumbered and I feel like I’m playing defense alllll the time.

Back to the party.. I’m pretty sure I will throw together a good birthday party but it’s not going to Pinterest worthy or anything of that sort. As long as friends and family are there we can make it a good time, right?

Well anyways, this past month was a blur. It went by so fast and I think it’s because Bradley is moving quickly these days. He’s not walking but he’s crawling so fast he might as well be walking. He has the best army crawl I’ve ever seen and he alternates between the knee crawl and army crawl.  I think he’s actually faster with the army crawl. I might need to incorporate that exercise move into boot camp this week

BRADLEY’S 10 MONTH UDPATE

Weighs 25.5 pounds

Length He was 31.5 inches at 9 months I won’t find out his length until his next appointment!

Bradley is currently in 18 month clothing and we dress him in some 24 month stuff although it’s a little loose it seems more comfortable then some of the tighter clothes he has. His wrists and ankles are pretty thick right now!!! haha

I know I have mentioned a million times that we have a happy baby on our hands, but it’s true. Through tough teething days/nights and ear infections, Bradley is a trooper. This past month brought another ear infection That meant lack of sleep for this lady and a couple rough nights. I hope these end soon. He can’t afford another ear infection, and I really don’t want him to get tubes in his ears!!!!

Besides that rough patch we had loads of fun watching Bradley strut his stuff as he climbs the stairs and pulls himself up on tables, chairs, couches, people, basically anything he can grab he will climb. This phase went by a lot faster with Ava because she was already walking at this age so I’m trying to enjoy it. I really can’t imagine chasing after 2 walking/running kids. HELP!

Part of the reason I work out is to keep up with these 2 kids but I swear they tire me out more then any class I teach!

EAT

Bradley’s a machine when it comes to eating. Any time of day you can hand him something and he will eat it. There’s no food he won’t devour right now and I love it because Ava is so not into food right now. At least I have one kid that will sit and eat.

Bradley loves cheese, avocado, eggs, turkey, meat, meatloaf, dad’s grilled chicken, bread, potatoes, bananas, all the fruit, all the veggies, pasta, mac and cheese, oatmeal, cheerios, yogurt, oh and did I mention cheese ALL the cheese please! We also tried peanut butter this last month and it was a success. He’s definitely mama’s boy, I never go a day without peanut butter!

SLEEP

We go through phases with sleep. We will get a couple weeks of good sleep and then there will be teething or he’s sick and it will be rough. I mean it’s still ok, but it could be better and then again it could be worse. We had a little sleep regression after our trip to Rhode Island. He started taking 3 naps again. We would put him down for what we thought was bed for the night and he would wake up after 30-40 minutes ready to party again. Every once and a while that’s cool but not every night, I need a little break here and there!

In all seriousness though sleep has been fine. Bradley is usually asleep between around 6:30-7pm and sleeps until 6am. We did have some 4am and 5am wake ups this past week but I think he had a growth spurt because he was eating non stop.

Bradley naps twice a day. The morning nap is around 9:30 and is sometimes 45 minutes and sometimes an hour and a half. His second nap is about the same length but usually on the shorter side. As long as he sleeps good at night I don’t really care about the naps.

PLAY

Playtime these days involves a lot of me pulling Bradley off of things, like hanging from cabinets and stairs. I’m all for teaching him how to do things and I encourage climbing and exploring as long as I’m there to help.

This picture makes me so happy because Bradley LOVES Cooper and was snuggling him in this picture. Cooper is also the best for letting Bradley pull his fur out!

Ava has been the BEST helper this past month. She has learned to stand behind him if he pulls himself up on something or if he knocks over the gate at the bottom stair she calls for me to let me know.  I have tried giving her more responsibility so that she feels extra important and let her know she’s the best helper.

Bradley loves playing with Ava and basically wants to touch and take everything she’s playing with. This has tested my patience and Ava’s as well. She’s learned to give him a different toy when he reaches for hers or sometimes I ask her to give it to him and find something else to play with. She’s pretty good at sharing and I’m thankful for that. I think she learned from Cooper always taking her stuff when she was little

BRADLEY LOVES

• saying hi and waving like a mad man. It doesn’t exactly look pretty yet but he’s getting it
• Clapping his hands
• Patty cake
• being sung to or listening to music
• playing with Ava and being near her at all times
• food
• being outside
• walking his dog
• PEEK-A-BOO it’s his favorite and he does it by himself now
• Climbing anything

BRADLEY DISLIKES

• being put down when he has to burp
• when you leave the room
• the vacuum and blender. I use the blender every single day so he’s getting used to it! The vacuum on the other hand… I can stop using that right?
• being held unless he’s tired or not feeling well. He wants to be on the go.
• when someone doesn’t share their food

I’m so curious to see when Bradley will take his first steps, I know it will be soon but his personality is a little different then Ava’s. She was a go-getter and still is. She always strives to do more, jump higher, and be the best. She doesn’t like when she fails at something and we are trying to teach her that it’s ok to fail because you learn to do it right the next time. Bradley on the other hand is more laid back. He still wants to learn and do things but he’s not in a rush. I love seeing their differences and sitting back to watch them play is the best. I caught myself telling Ava not to do something to Bradley this past week but it was making Bradley laugh so I backed off. The 2 of them giggled back and forth for about 5 minutes and I couldn’t help but laugh myself.  It reminded me that I need to leave the room more because they can play together without me breathing down their backs.

I think in today’s world we are so fearful of letting our kids do anything alone. Even leaving the room to pee or shower feels like you are doing something wrong. When I grew up we played outside until our Mom called us in. I got dirty, I got bumps and bruises but I got fresh air and played with friends. Today if you let your kids play outside alone you will get in trouble or something bad could happen. That doesn’t seem right?? Any other moms out there feel the same way?

I know there are a lot of rambles in this post, it’s a sign that I need to blog more. I SOO miss it but I SOO don’t have a second to breathe these days. Thank you all for reading… if you are still out there

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.

I won’t ramble any more because I want to talk about my little boy who is getting bigger and brighter by the day.

BRADLEY’S 5 MONTH UPDATE

At 5 months there are no doctor check ups but we do own a scale at home and Bradley is weighing in right around 20lbs. How did that happen? I mean it’s not like he’s eating lasagna and steak yet.

EAT

Speaking of food. We just started introducing solids these past 2 weeks. Bradley tried oatmeal cereal first which he seemed open to. Then we tried green beans which were making him gag.

I’m so glad I caught this priceless photo of him saying no more mom.

Three days in a row he looked like he wanted to puke from green beans so I guess that veggie is a no no. Next we tried carrots. He seemed okay with them, but they didn’t agree with him. He spit up a couple times after. Coincidence or not we stopped feeding him them.

Lastly we tried Sweet potatoes and those seemed to be a hit. Just like him mama he woofed them down.

On a daily basis he will eat one serving of veggies at lunch and one serving of oatmeal at dinner. He still takes about 5 bottles on top of that.

SLEEP 

Bradley is a belly sleeper and has been since he learned to roll onto his belly. He was sleeping so well and my sleep was getting good until the pacifier started taking over. Bradley loves the pacifier at night. You know who doesn’t like the pacifier…. ME!!! It’s such a pain. He spits it out several times at night but then wants it back.

He’s almost able to put it back in his mouth but most of the time it’s not successful. Probably because he’s sleepy and his room is really dark.

Sooo here I am at 2am, 330am, 5am and then some sticking that darn thing back in his mouth. We had a couple nights where he only needed it once and that was amazing but then he got a cold this past weekend and it’s been a little crazy during the night.

I told myself yesterday that I will never sleep again. It’s probably the truth and I’m trying to adjust to the no sleep thing but man I crave it. My body needs it and I don’t see it happening in the near future but I’ll pray anyways.

PLAY

Play time is the best time and I’ll say that over and over. I love every second of playtime with Bradley. He’s so interested in everything you show him. It can be a book, a toy, a piano, a stuffed animal or even a package of wipes. His little hands and eyes get excited and he smiles.

He rolls and rolls for days. He really only rolls onto his belly and then when he’s done playing on his belly he kinda freaks out and we roll him back even though he knows how. It’s odd I know.

He can sit up pretty well but not entirely. If I let go he would definitely roll to his side but he’s almost there!

Bradley’s smile is CONTAGIOUS. His whole face lights up when he smiles and he literally brings so much joy to everyone in our family.

He instantly smiles when you smile at him, he smiles when he’s playing, when he’s looking at his sister, he even smiles when he spits up. He’s happy and I love it.

Bradley LOVES his sister so much. He needs to have eyes on her at all times. If he hears her voice his head swivels so fast and he catches her and smiles. It’s probably one of my favorite things besides his laugh.

He also loves Cooper. He smiles and reaches for him when he’s laying next to him on the floor.

His laugh is hilarious. While it does sound like a baby laugh it also sounds mature too. I don’t know what it is but I guarantee you will laugh too if you heard it. The easiest way for me to make him laugh is to tickle his armpits, his neck or peek a boo. Ava is the best at making Bradley laugh and It’s so cute to watch how hard she tries for those giggles.

Every day with Bradley is so much fun and we can’t wait to see what’s in store this month!!!

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

He weighed in at 8 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 inches long.

He is the sweetest little boy and has melted my heart from the second I laid eyes on him.

I feel blessed that he is healthy and super strong! To be honest I can’t even put to words how happy I am.

My heart is full and my family is complete….

Stay tuned for Bradley’s Birth story and some more mom & baby updates. Lets just say this last week has gone by SUPER fast and my days have been filled with diaper changes, making sure my kids are fed, and enjoying all the baby snuggles and smiles from Ava & Bradley. I plan to soak up my maternity leave as much as possible!!