Bryson: Eleven Months

Weight: 24.5 pounds.

Height: You haven't been measured since your 9-month appointment, at which you were 29 3/4 inches.  I would just about bet you're over 31 now.  Your 12-month jeans are a good inch too short.

Eating Habits:  You're down to 2 small bottles a day, once when you wake up and one right before bed.  You're getting the majority of your calories from real food and are a master at feeding yourself.  You are also getting diluted juice, which you LOVE.

Favorite Foods: You're definitely your Mama's boy because you LOVE spaghetti.  I make it with whole wheat elbow noodles because they're easier to hold than regular spaghetti and you absolutely go to town on it!

You eat bananas like they're going out of style.  Each morning, you have a whole banana and a waffle.  You always go for the banana first.  You have figured out how to peel them, but if you hold the whole banana, you shove it in your mouth and take a huge bite.  I'm talking a bite so big that you look like a squirrel with a mouth full of nuts- cheeks fully extended and banana hanging out of your mouth.  You think it's hilarious too because you always crack up.

Chicken, ribs, cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese also top the list.

Least Favorite Foods: The only thing you refuse to eat is peaches.  I just don't get how you don't love them.  You're also not a big fan of most green things, but will occasionally tolerate a few small pieces of broccoli or green beans.

Notice the spaghetti face? :)

Milestones:
You, sir, are a tooth-making machine.  You have SEVEN now.  So far, teething has basically been a breeze.  You're a tough little cookie and don't cry when they're coming in.  On every tooth except one, you've gone to sleep and woken up with a new tooth. Daddy says nature is just taking care of you because you need all those teeth for all the meat you eat!

It probably seems like an odd place to put this, but as a boy, the first time you touch a frog is definitely a milestone.

We went to Aunt Sandy and Uncle David's house for Maw Maw Hill's 93rd birthday party and there was a big tree frog on the side of the house. I picked it up and held it in front of you so you could see it.  I kept it enclosed in my hand with just its head peeking out so it wouldn't jump on your face, but you wanted it!  You immediately reached for it.  When its head popped out, you did your excited dance, then started poking at its eyes.  I didn't want you to hurt it, so I let it go quickly.  We'll play with frogs again when you're big enough to touch and not to gouge eyes.  Ha.

You are a crawling master now.  You army crawled for about a month, then lifted yourself to your knees and hands.  I have to tell you how this happened because it's too funny not to share.  You LOVE to have some naked time after your bath each night, so I give you about 5 minutes to let the lotion absorb in your skin.  You usually stay in your room and pull all the books off the shelf, but one night, you decided to venture next door to your play room.  I tried to stop you, but you were persistent.  I knew the ceramic tile would be cold on your tummy, etc., but I thought it might make you give up the belly crawling, so I let you do it.  The floor wasn't that cold on your belly, but as soon as your weewee touched, you shot up like a rocket and haven't army crawled since.  I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life.


Favorite Things: You love to sit at the front door and watch what's going on outside.  When we open the door, you take off with a shot and join Jenna on watch.  This is the only time when you are truly still and don't need a toy.  We live on the main road of the neighborhood and are in an intersection, so you see a lot of cars, puppies, kitties and people.

I have a full-length mirror in our bedroom that I sit in front of to get ready.  You make your way to it often and carry on conversations with the boy in there for minutes at a time.  He must be absolutely hilarious because you crack up mid-sentence.

If you pass a mirror, you always have to look at yourself, and you usually smile.  I guess if I was that adorable, I'd smile at my reflection too. :)









Since you've been crawling, you've discovered a whole new world.  Our house has some super fun things in it, one of which is the dryer.  If it's on and you're passing by the laundry room, you sit in the hall in a trance.  I started turning the drum light on and now you have to make your way into the laundry room to watch it spin.  I love to watch your wide-eyed curiosity as you discover these new things.  You're so intrigued by so much and learn so much from your exploration.



We took you to the outdoor pool at the gym and you absolutely loved it.  You have been in the pool before, but this time, it was PACKED and there were tons of fun people to watch... and splash.  You got splashed a time or two and didn't miss a beat.  The pool is a walk-in, so it starts at about 1/2 an inch deep and gets deeper the further you walk.  We sat you down at about the 6-inch mark and you immediately start slapping the water and even tried to lay back and kick your feet.  You totally ignored your water toys and just wanted to splash.  Everyone had to get out for a 30 minutes, so Daddy and I found some loungers and in a minute or two, you were sound asleep on my chest.  You didn't move a muscle when Daddy lifted you off of me or on the walk to the Jeep.  When I put you in your carseat, you immediately slumped over, sound asleep.  The pool wore you out!

For the longest time, you didn't move in your sleep, but now you're all over the place! Each morning, I like to peek in on you and see how you're sleeping.  Sometimes it's on your side with your hands under your cheek; on other days, you're sprawled out on your book with your hands are behind your head.  My favorite, which happens most often, is when you're on your belly, hands tucked under you and booty straight in the air!










In your exploring around the house, you have discovered door stoppers.  You slap them and the springs make a noise you love!  With the way our house  is designed, the sound echoes all over, so when you get going and hit it fast, it sounds like a machine gun is going off in the hall.

Not-So-Favorite Things: At times, you don't like being put down.  If we start bending to put you in your walker, you lift your legs so they're parallel to the floor and won't go in the walker.  If we're intending to sit you on the floor, you stiffen your legs so they won't bend and we can't get you to sit down.  Seriously, kid?  You're a stinker!

You have developed a serious attitude when you don't like something.  You do this weird scream/screech/squawk noise and throw your hands in the air to tell us you're displeased.  You really only do this if you're hungry or sleepy and aren't entertained by what we give you or you are being put down against your will.  Otherwise, you're pretty content.

Other Bryson News:
May 11, 2013 was our first Mother's Day together.  I have been blessed to be surrounded by incredible role models in your grandmothers and great grandmothers, so this day is full of celebration.  We went to Cullman to see Grandmama Heald, and as usual, you were the life of the party.  Fortunately, it was a nice day, so we got to play outside for awhile.  Granddaddy Heald, Aunt Christa and Daddy were playing washers, and you were so curious as to what they were doing, so you spent a lot of time belly crawling in the grass.  You eventually fell asleep on my shoulder, which is one of my favorite times of the day.  I love Bryson snuggles.

You may have your Grandmama Heald wrapped around your little finger.  You took a nap after just about everyone had left, and when you woke up, were still a little grumpy, so Grandmama held you.  You played with her necklace and laid on her shoulder, very contentedly.














On May 18, we went to Holly Pond for Maw Maw Hill's birthday party.  We currently have 5 generations living on my dad's side, which is incredible!  Maw Maw Hill is an amazing woman and I'm so glad you've been able to spend some time with her.  She just loves you to pieces.  As soon as she sees you, she holds her arms up so I'll hand you over and she smothers you in kisses. I know your great great grandfather, Papa, loves you too, and is watching you from his perch in Heaven.

While we were at Aunt Sandy and Uncle David's for the party, Grammy T took you to see the cows.  They weren't very enthused to see you, but you were amazed by them.  You stared with wide eyes for a long time, then looked at me to see if I was seeing them too!

Bryson Reed, I've said this so many times, but I love you so much.  There isn't a day that goes by that Daddy and I don't tell you that and we try very hard to make sure you know it by our actions as well.  At this point, it's hard to remember life without you, and almost inconceivable that life was happy without you in it because you fill us with so much joy now.  You are the greatest thing that either of us have ever done and are so incredibly proud of you.  You amaze us day in and day out and we feel so blessed that God chose us to be your parents.  We love you, Stinkbug, more today than yesterday and less than tomorrow!

- Mommy

Bryson: Ten months

Seriously, how is it possible that you're only two months from being one?

Weight: At your appointment on April 30, you weighed 22 pounds and 12 ounces.

Height: You haven't been measured since your 9-month appointment, at which you were 29 3/4 inches.  You've definitely grown since then because we soared past 12 month pajamas and you're in 18 month pjs now.

Eating Habits: You're down to 4 bottles a day for a total of about 23 ounces.  You're still a big fan of your baba, which really sent me into a tailspin because the bottle will be gone soon!  You eat breakfast, lunch, supper and a snack of "real" food.

Favorite Foods:  You LOVE bananas now and can finish an entire one in one sitting.  I gave you blueberries for the first time this month and went through 10 quickly without dropping one.  The next carton we got was pretty bitter, so you won't eat them.  Ha.  In addition, ribs, chicken, waffles, strawberries, sweet potatoes and carrots top the list, but you eat most things really well and aren't super picky. Grandmama made a chicken casserole that you devoured, so I've been making it too.  I also make chicken nuggets with ground carrot and apple inside that you chow down on.  In one week, you finished about 25 of the nuggets!

Least Favorite Foods: You don't like peaches AT ALL.  I've tried fresh, canned, pureed and even in a healthy cobbler, but you won't touch them.  It's things like this that make me wonder if we're really related. :) You don't like corn either.  I thought you'd like to try corn on the cob because it's different, but it turned into a hammer and your green beans were flattened all over the kitchen!

Milestones: 

You're crawling!  We had your buddies, Kellen and Levi, over one day.  You were the only baby not crawling.  As soon as they left, you deserted your toys and started practicing crawling.  A few days later, you were zooming all over the house.  Of course, by "zooming," I mean slowly making your way around, considering your crawl is mostly Army-style with a few regular crawling steps mixed in.  I was thankful that you waited until tax season was over to start crawling because you are in to EVERYTHING, especially since you're speeding up now!

End of busy season party. Y'all were both happy it was over!

Speaking of tax season, we made it through your first tax season.  Right now, you don't get how difficult it can be, but tax season is tough since Daddy is a CPA.  There were some days that he didn't get home until I was already in bed, so he missed seeing you those days.  Most days, he left work early enough to spend some time with you, then worked after you went to sleep.  He works very, very hard for us!





After tax season was over, we took a few days off work and school and just spent some time together as a family.  On April 18, we went to the zoo and you had a BLAST!  The first animals were saw were the elephants and you stared in wide-eyed amazement. When you would see something you liked, you always looked back at me to make sure I was seeing it too.  On occasion, you would laugh and point.  Your favorite animals were the squirrel monkeys because they moved so fast and were apparently hilarious.



You said "Dada" for the first time on Saturday, March 30.  We heard you say it and tried to get you to repeat it.  Daddy was especially excited and wanted you to say it again.  You looked up at him and with an attitude, said, "Mama."  You're a little stinker.  To add insult to injury, you busted out laughing at yourself.

You got your first professional haircut on Friday, April 19, 2013.  You were SO GOOD during the cut.  The woman who does my hair, Alexa, did it.  You sat in Daddy's lap and just let her cut.  You were curious about the scissors at first and when she turned the clippers on, you jerked your head around to see what the noise was, but turned right around and let her work.  You looked so handsome and so much like a big boy with the new 'do!

Your first Easter was a blast!  We spent the day with Nana and PawPaw in Fayette.  You got dressed up for church and everybody there wanted to meet you since they've known your daddy since he was your age.  People passed you around like crazy and kept telling you how handsome you were.  One woman told you that and you rubbed her face softly and sweetly.  I thought she was going to melt into a puddle of goo.  Always the ladies man.  After church, we went to Nana and PawPaw's house and you played with your cousins and had an Easter egg hunt.  It was raining, so we hunted eggs inside.  You really enjoyed getting your Easter basket.  You had a monster truck, Snickers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Bubbles, maracas, a crinkle monkey and Easter eggs that look like footballs and baseballs.

When we went to see the Easter Bunny, you looked around like you had no idea what was going on.  The Bunny's helpers couldn't make you smile and neither could any of your toys.  I started doing the silly mommy dance and you smiled.  I heard at least 5 people giggle and say "Awww," as you smiled, confirming that people had been watching me be silly.  Thanks, kid. ;) Nah, it was worth it to have such a great picture.  I LOVE this picture.












Favorite Things:  You love to play outside.  I take a blanket out with us when we go outside, but in true boy fashion, you're on the grass instantly.  You love to feel it on your toes and pull it out and throw it.  You better be careful showing your fascination; Daddy is itching for you to mow!

We've been blowing bubbles a lot and you love them.  I started blowing them right at you the other day and you squealed each time you caught one.  They're the one thing that will keep you occupied as long as they're around.

As much as you love bath time, we decided to take you to the pool when we joined our new gym.  You absolutely loved it.  Actually, love is probably an understatement.  As soon as you touched the water, you began splashing around and didn't care that the water hit your face.  We took you deeper and deeper and Daddy even held you under the water showering down.  You stuck your hand and head straight in.  A little girl kept coming up to you to play and you were polite and didn't splash too, too much until she left.

Not-So-Favorite Things: Outside of the few foods you don't like, it's hard to come up with not-so-favorite things.  You're the happiest baby I've ever seen!

You still fight naps, but all it usually takes is a few rounds of "Jesus Loves the Little Stinkbugs" and me rubbing your head or patting your booty and you're out.

You aren't a big fan of being strapped in the car seat, but as soon as you see the scenery changing outside the window, you're happy.

Other Bryson News: You have 6 teeth!  I hope all your teeth come in as easy as these have.  You don't complain at all; we just notice a new tooth that wasn't there the day before.  Of course, you won't let me snap a picture, you little Stinkbug.

You've been a master at standing up for months, but now, you like to stand up and play.  The ottoman is your favorite play mat.  Your monthly pictures are getting harder to take since you want to crawl away, so I thought I could get you next to the ottoman.  That didn't work well either.

The past 10 months have flown by.  I watch you playing sometimes and miss my squishy baby, but I also love this age and watching you grow.  You are so much fun and have such a wonderful personality.  You're laidback and have fun in every situation.  You very rarely get upset and I'm pretty sure have never had a bad day. I love to watch you discover new things and the amazement that's apparent on your face.  You are very inquisitive and pick up new things very quickly. Bryson, you are such a joy and bring so much happiness to our home and family.  We love you more than you could possibly know.  Mommy & Daddy

Bryson: Month Six

Bryson: Month Five

Weight: At your last appointment on 11/27, you weighed 19.6 pounds!

Height: You haven't been measured since your four month appointment, at which you were 27 inches long.

Eating Habits: 
You started eating solids this month and you love them!  You are still getting milk every 3 hours, but twice a day, get a vegetable.  So far, you have tried squash, carrots, corn, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, avocado and sweet peas.  You LOVE carrots and sweet potatoes and absolutely HATE avocado.  You're a boy after your mama's heart. :)

Accomplishments: 
I feel like I could write a novel on all you accomplish each month.  This month, your biggest accomplishment is sitting up on your own.  You're still a little wobbly when you see your feet, and can't pull yourself up to a seated position yet, but you're getting there.

You're also really trying to crawl and mommy isn't ready for it!  You don't like being on your tummy still, so you don't give crawling a try for very long, but you put the time you spend on your tummy to good use.  You are good at pushing your booty in the air and balancing on your elbows.  You can even scoot a few inches in that position.

You are really starting to like toys now, especially if they make music.  Grandmama bought you a set of keys (for Christmas and she's a sucker and you have them already) that has fob that looks like keyless entry.  It has a button that starts the music and you've figured out how to push it to make it play.

You laugh ALL. THE. TIME.  You've been giggling for awhile, but some things just make you belly laugh.  When the puppies walk by you, you grab their tails and think it's HILARIOUS.  Grandmama also plays a game with you where she pulls you across a mat by your ankles and you think that's the funnest thing.

Favorite Things:
Toys!  You love to look at yourself in the mirror on your playmat and have to have your Cookie Monster wherever you go.

Bathtime is still a lot of fun.  Since you're getting stronger, your spirited kicks usually end up in a soaked mommy and bathroom.

Carrots and sweet potatoes.  You love them and can knock them back in minutes.

Not-So-Favorite Things:
Avocados rank at the top of the things you don't like list.  Mommy and Daddy don't like avocados either, but since they're so good for you, wanted you to like them.  I wish I would have taped your reaction to the first bite.  Typically with the first bite of a new food, you make a face and let it fall out of your mouth.  With avocado, however, you projectile spit, screamed and shuddered from head to toe, then looked at me with a death glare.  I didn't even try a second bite, but don't you worry, we'll try it again in a few weeks. :)

Being on your tummy is still not fun.  You're content for about 3 minutes, then pull the familiar shove your face in the blanket and snort while trying to breathe stunt.

Other Bryson News:  You've had a lot of firsts this month:

Halloween:  You were a cute ferocious little dragon.  We didn't go anywhere, but did stand in the driveway and watched all the other kids trick or treating.  You even scared a few neighbors. ;)

Thanksgiving: On Thanksgiving Day, you got to meet the majority of the family on my side.  You loved all the attention and fought to stay awake.  You finally had enough and passed out in the middle of the living room floor at Grandmama and Granddaddy Heald's house.

Iron Bowl: It's a good year to be an Alabama fan, so I'm hoping that since you were born this year, you'll pick the right side.  This year has been a different one than I've ever experienced.  Alabama was at the top of the polls and because of some coaching issues, Auburn was winless in the SEC.  It made for a very boring Iron Bowl.  You enjoyed it though, like you do with any football game.














You saw fireworks for the first time on November 16, 2012, when they lit The Summit for Christmas.  A lot of babies and kids bigger than you were terrified of the loud noises.  You were amazed by the pops of color.  Daddy and I joke that you didn't blink for 10 minutes.  We couldn't get you to look anywhere but at the show!

On November 23, you went to your first football game.  Daddy's alma mater, Fayette County, played Leeds High School in the playoffs.  Since Leeds is just a few miles from us, he wanted to go.  It was pretty chilly outside, so we all bundled up and cheered on the Tigers.  When we got there, you were enthralled by the band.  You love music, so having real, live musicians there thrilled you.  When the football players took the field, your eyes locked on them and you watched their every move.  You hung in until the third quarter, when you got hungry, and then so sleepy you couldn't stand it.  

With each day, you are becoming more fun.  You are the happiest baby I have ever seen.  Even if your lips aren't visible, your eyes give away that you're smiling.  Your smile is the highlight of my day and I do anything necessary to see it over and over.  You're a pretty incredible little guy and Mommy loves you more than you will ever know!

Little Punkin' Pickin' Pumpkins

Saturday evening, we loaded up the truck and headed to the pumpkin patch closest to our house.  I've been dying to go and wanted a BIG pumpkin to use for Bryson's 4 month pictures.  We drove 20 minutes, only to find the worst pumpkin patch ever.  There were very few pumpkins and what little they had were tiny, almost like sugar pumpkins.  I was so disappointed, but decided to make the most out of it and get some pictures anyway.  That dream was short-lived because there were yellowjackets EVERYWHERE.  One even flew in my diaper bag!

Sooo we just walked around and posed at some of the decorated spots.

He got a little excited after touching the pumpkin and started dancing.  

Bad mom moment- I really should have put a blanket under him or pulled his pant leg down!

This picture was just too funny not to get.

God bless you, B!

Sunday, we went to Clay's mom's house for her retirement party.  On the way, we passed a church that had a TON of pumpkins, so I made a mental note to beg to stop there.  Fortunately, Clay knew how important this was to me and made no bones (Halloween pun totally intended) about stopping on our way home.  

Along with finding the massive pumpkin my heart had been desiring, B finally paid attention to the pumpkins!

He didn't cooperate very well because he was sleepy, but I got pictures and that's all I wanted!