Firstborn

When I look at the pictures I upload on Facebook or posts that I post to the blog, it's easy to see that the newcomer of the family takes up a lot of the posts.  They just change so fast that first year and it just seems to go by in the blink of an eye. They are constantly learning new things and I want to catch every moment of it. It seems that already having a kiddo makes me feel that way even more. I know how fast they grow, I know how quickly they change.

Anyways, though Paytin takes up most of my posts, Brayden makes me smile and laugh just as much if not more. Next month he'll be 3 and a half years old and if I really stop to think about that, I'll be drowning in tears in no time.

Two nights ago Mike and I looked through all our past Christmas pictures, and I literally watched Brayden "grow up" right before my eyes. How have we had him for three Christmases already? How did he transform from my chubby little baby to my handsome little boy so fast?

So, I was waiting to post a post about him on his 3.5 year mark, but I was feeling it this morning, as him and I got up a little bit before Paytin and Mike and I sat on the couch next to him and he simply said "I want to cuddle you" and got up and came and sat on my lap with his blanket....

Things about Brayden right now:

• first and foremost, loves his Paytin. He always tells her that she's pretty or looks like a princess, and tells her even more how "chubby chubby" she is :). He loves to hold her, and loves even more to play on the floor with her, and kisses her goodnight each and every night. He talks to her all the time, worries when she cries, and holds her hand in the car. He took to the "big brother" role in everyway I prayed for and then some. She simply adores him, even when he hugs her just a bit harder then she would like, even when he gets right in her face all excitedly to make her squeal, even when he gets in her crib with her (after I've told him not too a thousand times) because he wants to play with her before I get her up from her nap...
• he has always been a pretty timid Momma's boy :) While I have adored and will continue to adore as long as I live how much he loves me and wants to be with me, he is quickly becoming the fearless little boy Mike and I had hoped he would be. Of  course we want him to have discretion about when to be fearful, like of moving cars, roads, strangers, etc. But in the little things, he's been all boy lately. Leaping off the back of the couch, riding a laundry basket down the stairs, riding the dogs, etc. There have been a few things in the past few weeks where Mike and I have looked at each other and said "what is he thinking?!" It's fun to see him experiment and try out new things and put himself out there more.
• One of the things he's been working on, is not being scared of the dark so much. When we would get home after dark, if I didnt hold Brayden's hand in the driveway from when I got him out of the car, till he got inside, he would simply freak out. He was scared of the dark and the "moners" (monsters). But it just wasn't always feasible for me to be able to hold his hand while trying to get Paytin's carseat out of the car. So we worked on it, after some talks about Jesus being with us when it's light and when it's dark, and that as long as we're close to Mommy, even if not holding her hand, nothing can get you, he's been great about it! Still cautious which is a good thing, but not so scared.
• He loves his dogs and in particular Brutus. Brutus has a special blanket at the end of Brayden's bed and he sleeps there with him at naptime and bedtime everynight. I love having dogs, and I've always been an animal lover. There just isn't much better than a kid and their dog :).
• He is the pickiest of all picky eaters. But is getting better about that too. We often make him at least try new foods/things he doesn't like before he eats his dinner and through that he's found out some foods just aren't that bad.
• His heart amazed me while we did the Toy Drive for the Sheriff's Dept. Let me just say, more than any family we helped, more than any toys we could give a kid, I really think I got the greatest gift by being able to see Brayden's heart grow through it. In the beginning, he had a hard time understanding all the toys we were getting and storing in our garage weren't for him, but after a veyr serious conversation about the presents under our tree and the fact that other kids didnt have any, Brayden was SO excited that his "friends" were getting these toys. He helped us pick them out, he "played" with them to make sure they were good enough for his friends ;) and he was truly excited knowing that other kids were going to get presents for Christmas. I really look forward to him being a part of in the years to come and see his awesome heart in action.
• He's been completely potty trained going on 4 or 5 months now. He is about 50% at night time though, so we still do pull ups then. 
• He still loves his hot wheels cars or his big cars he has. Those have to be his favorite toys still to date and he loves to race them and line them up and organize them and take them to naptime with him too.
• He still loves his blanket to pieces. It has to go to bed with him and naptime with him everytime, but he doesnt take it with us when we're going in the car unless we're going for a long time.
• He wears size 3T everything, a couple 4t shirts and wears a size7/8 shoes. 
• He is VERY excited for Christmas and has seen Santa a couple of times. He tells him every time that he wants "a plane from the Cars movie with Finn" (that means he wants the plane from the second cars movie :) )
• He is quite the Daddy's by these days too. Loves to wrestle and fight, and be throw in the air, and all the fun things that Daddy's do :) He always wants to help Mike (and me) around the house and specifically likes to help Mike fix things. He's obsessed with Mike's job and that he fights the bad guys and still tells him to "be careful" when he's leaving for work, all the time :)

Ok, both kiddos want me now, even though there is a million more things I could say about our sweet and caring Brayden who teaches Mike and I more about life and the people we want to be than we could have ever imagined :)