Brantley,
Christmas time is always a big and eventful time for our family and this year was no exception! Let’s be honest, the ridiculous amount of Christmas-themed clothes we bought for you is reason enough to love the season.
I could probably write 5 blog posts about our Christmas events with the thousands of photos we took, but seeing that I already have a hard time writing these on time, I’ll just give the highlights…
We had our 4th annual Christmas party at our house after a very ill-timed leaking water heater and subsequent ripping out of our carpets. It was fun. Not exactly my style of fun, but an “adventure” if we can call it that.
Christmas Eve was spent lounging around at home and doing some last minute present wrapping. We also opened gifts with Mommy’s family and you found new love with your Aunt Whitney. You’re usually a pretty crazy kid: you never sit still and even when I try to sing you a lullaby before bed you’re pulling away, yanking on my hair, clawing at my face, and doing whatever you can to ruin my moment. But when I put you in Whitney’s arms you immediately rested on her chest and you just looked like all was right in the world.
Uncle Knate on the other hand, you weren’t so nice to him. Every time he sat with you, you gave him another reason to NOT have kids anytime soon. He got slobbered on, clawed at, chewed on, and received far more “baby experiences” than he ever bargained for.
But the most notable accomplishment of the month was food! Well, you didn’t take to it immediately and when we gave you a banana a few nights before you hit the 6 month mark you kinda looked at it, brought it to your mouth a couple times, then looked at us like “Can I play with my toys now?”
This month I also received a photo from my Dad during one of his babysitting days and it is probably one of my favorite photos of you so far:
As I look at this photo, which I posted on your 6 month “birthiversary”, with you chomping away on a cucumber, I almost start crying. It doesn’t seem like it would be one of those tear-jerker kind of pictures but there’s something about the smile in your eyes that speaks directly to my mama heart. This “almost crying” is not like a tear or two with glistening eyes kind of crying but those big alligator tears that smear the mascara across your face and turn your cheeks every shade of red. I look in your sweet little eyes, a perfect mix of me and your Daddy, and wonder why God gave me the blessing of being your mama. (Here come the big tears. Get up. Grab tissue. Keep typing.)
Over the weekend of your half-birthday, I had some time at home just the two of us and I watched two movies I thought would be chick flicks… and both plots included mothers who had lost their children either through miscarriage, SIDS, or accidental death. It was absolutely heartbreaking and I found myself waking you up just a few minutes early from your nap so I could hold you a little tighter, just a little longer, and cry into the softness of your onesie sleeper. They always say it goes too fast, and I can already attest to that, but for some mothers it’s too soon or it never happens at all. I am so incredibly blessed to have had the honor of carrying you to full term and bringing you home a few days later with a clean bill of health. To have been able to enjoy the last 6 months of life with a little less sleep but a whole lotta love. It’s something I am learning day by day not to take for granted. So many women and would-be mothers struggle with infertility, miscarriages, and having to say goodbye when they’ve only just met. It is not lost on me that you are a gift – a gift that not every woman is fortunate enough to receive. And I will continue to hold you in my arms a little tighter, a little longer, and not be ashamed to cry into your tiny shoulder under the immense weight of this precious gift.
We love you, Brantley.
Happy 6 months, baby boy.
Just a few more weeks until we meet our little man! This week was very productive in the realm of completing the nursery. We finally finished all of the painting in the room and also refinished the furniture. (Well, Blake finished the painting AND the furniture) and even though it was late at night, we just couldn’t wait to set up his crib.
It turned out to be a beautiful day and we took home so many things we really needed for Brantley’s nursery… crib, pack-n-play, carseat and base, stroller, clothes, toys, bath products, medical supplies, humidifier, books, a diaper “cake”, and a hand-crocheted firefighter outfit for his newborn photos!
Mommy and Daddy also had what may be our very last Mommy Dinner (with the Dads, too). We invited Heba, Brent, Blair, and Ty to enjoy a home cooked meal on our deck and celebrate the soon-to-be arrival of our babies with one last hurrah. Daddy cooked of course and dinner was delicious! It was also great to get together with the other couples and talk baby, as always.
So not only did we get to see Josh’s movie this weekend but we actually also got to see Josh! After a whirlwind few weeks of touring, doing interviews, screenings, and premiers, he flew into Virginia Beach to attend his sister’s wedding on Saturday afternoon which we also attended. The wedding was very similar to ours in that it was at the same church, the same reception space, with the same band, and the same caterer (her mom apparently had so much fun at our wedding that she told Chelsea all about it and Chelsea was taking notes!) so it was fun to have that experience as a guest this time around.
Hey Brantley. Thanks for the carpal tunnel. This week I started to feel the very first not-so-pleasant side effects of pregnancy… swelling in my feet, fingers, hands, and wrists resulting in wedding rings that I could barely get off in time and carpal tunnel in both wrists. To top it all off, these braces that I ordered from Amazon put pressure on the nerve in my thumbs so I had to return them and just deal with the carpal tunnel pain. (I’m 37 weeks now writing this post and my thumbs still do a weird clicking thing in the mornings!) Not to mention, none of my shoes fit anymore so I’m down to clogs and a pair of black slip-ons that offer absolutely no support for my jacked up Miserable Malalignment Syndrome which causes my long-term knee problems.
We took our 33 weeks photo in honor of our new favorite recipe. Well, I can’t say it’s a recipe necessarily as it’s really just chips and food on a plate but it’s better than anything I could ever cook so I’m calling it whatever I want. Daddy made grill nachos this week, which has quickly and immediately become one of our favorite dishes. He’s the best.
Blake has been SUPER busy this week with shifts at the fire station and various landscaping jobs so my parents and I decided to surprise him by painting taking off one of the big items on his To Do List. Mom and Dad came over one evening after I got off work, we ate a quick dinner, and immediately went to taping corners, laying plastic sheets, and prepping our paint supplies for a long night of painting. We chose a light turquoise color to go with our surf/wave theme. And thankfully it only took two coats of paint to cover up the dark teal!
Happy Mother’s Day to me! A lot of people (young people mostly, those without kids) have been asking me if I celebrated Mother’s Day this year. Heck yes I did! I’m already giving up my body for this kid! Just cause he’s not out here for the rest of you to see doesn’t mean he’s not currently taking and using me for all I’m worth. It counts.
LifeasMeghan.com 
