Braden McLaurin

Today my baby boy is 18 months old! Time has gone by so quickly! He has grown into such a sweet, BUSY, and fun little guy. Right now he’s at the independent stage. He wants to do everything by himself. He sits in a booster chair and no longer in his high chair because he wants to be just like Madeline. Once we figured that out dinner time became much better for Braden and the rest of us!! Braden is very adventurous and daring. He loves to climb everything and is quite good at it. He has a love for sports that this mama is so happy about. When given the choice of toys he goes for the soccer ball and absolutely loves to play with his t-ball set. Braden loves to eat just as much as he loves to play. He will at least try anything you put in front of him and he LOVES to dip everything. Since putting Braden in his big boy bed a few weeks ago he has loved his new bed and freedom in his room. We tuck him in every night and once we leave he gets out of bed and plays with his books and sometimes makes a new bed on the floor! (pictures to follow!!) Needless to say a we always go back upstairs and tuck him in again because there is no telling where he is sleeping!! Don’t get me wrong, most of the time he makes it back to his bed, but other times we have taken pictures because he is just too funny. This summer has been filled with him learning new words, exploring his boundaries, lots of swimming, and adjusting to his new bed!

Last night was the 4th of July. We took the kids to La Centerra for the big fireworks celebration. The kids had a blast. Braden went down the big inflatable slide with Madeline and Mommy and loved it! He also ran around enjoying the freedom of being in public and not in the stroller! He had a few tasty treats and loved the fireworks. He just kept saying “wow” and his new favorite word “Whoa”. Here are a few pictures from his summer.

Happy 18 months to my baby boy!!!

17 months 11 days old and Braden is sleeping in a big boy bed! Since he has been climbing out of his bed constantly we decided to put him in a toddler bed. Tonight he was ready to go to bed until I left the room. Braden cried and tried to get out of his room, but because of door knob covers he couldn’t get out. A minute later he realized he had free reign over his room. He read books for a few minutes and then went to bed. He climbed into his bed and curled up on his pillow with his blanket and went to sleep. My sweet baby is so grown up!!! Madeline was so excited for her baby brother. Here are some pictures of the kids right before Braden’s bed time.

Today Braden is 17 months and 5 days. Not a big birthday or anything, but a day that is going to be remembered!!! Here’s why. This morning I came out of my bedroom and turned to go upstairs to get Braden. What did I see sitting on the 3rd step from the top of the stairs??? Braden with a proud smile on his face. Not only did he climb out of his crib with no trouble at all and nothing to aid him in the process, but he opened the door to his room to let himself out, and he had lost his pants in the process. Now I know this isn’t the first time he climbed out of his crib, but this is the first time he has climbed out and there is nothing I can do to avoid it anymore. The bed is as far down as it can go and there is nothing in the bed that he can stand on to give him a boost. So I am hoping this is a one time thing!!!!

This morning while I was getting Madeline dressed in my bathroom, Braden was playing in the living room. Next thing I know I hear Braden through the monitor playing upstairs in his room. What makes this story even better…the gate was locked to the stairs!!! His sister figured out a way to get around the gate and I guess he decided he could do it too. We are so in trouble now!!! At least he can come downstairs safely now!! Here’s a few pictures that show you how he’s doing it.

My baby boy is 16 months (17 months in 3 days!) and let’s just says he’s everywhere!! That’s nothing new since he’s been walking and into everything it seems his whole life, but lately it seems he’s worse!! His coordination is unbelievable! He climbs everything, dribbles soccer balls, and can climb the fort and slide all by himself.  He can say mama, dada, bye bye, no, yes, hi, nana (for banana, sorry Nana!), cracker, I did it, I want to go, and I love you.  He’s not a huge talker, but there are times where he is a chatterbox.  Mostly he’s too busy running and getting into things.   Here are a few pictures and a video! Enjoy!

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Here are Braden’s 1 year pictures. They turned out fantastic! He’s such a ham.  Enjoy.

Pictures taken by Molly Rodriguez Joon Photography

Wow Time sure flies by! My baby boy is 1! He weighs 19 lbs 10 oz (10th percentile) and is 30 1/2 inches tall (up to 75th percentile!!). He had so much fun at his party! He is such a happy, sweet baby boy, and a VERY BUSY little boy! He’s everywhere and into everything! Here are some pictures of his party as well as a few from Christmas. Enjoy and thank you to everyone who was a part of his big day!  He had a great time with all of you.

Here are Braden’s 9 month pictures. For Halloween he’s going to be Mickey Mouse! That’s his favorite!!  Click on each picture to see a larger copy.

Here we are already 9 months! Time sure flies by. Braden weighs 17 lbs 14 oz (still 10th percentile) and is 28 1/4 inches tall (now 50th percentile). Braden is one busy little guy! He pulls up to stand and walks along furniture a little too well even letting go to free stand for lengths of time!!! He has let go and taken 2 steps on several occasions, but still not there just yet. Of course his first word was mama!! He is the happiest, busiest, sweetest baby boy! Here are some pictures from the summertime including Braden’s first trip to the beach!

I have finally caught Braden on video crawling! Here it is!

Braden crawling