Baby Friends!!

I think the biggest difference between raising one child and raising two (besides the chaos) is that you have relationships with people that already have kids! When Jacob was born we pretty much only knew Gabby and Jason who had a baby, and yes Kimmy was pregnant. But in all reality, it made play dates a little more difficult because I had to go meet other moms first!! Well, now that we have had two years of developing relationships with other kid "owners," it has made it really easy for Brayden to meet friends!!I swear this child has met more babies in his short 7 months than I have as a PICU nurse!!

 His first friend is baby Angelina, or "Lina." Her mom, Melissa, and I work together and this is baby girl number three for them! Lina is about a month younger than Brayden and probably one of the most calm babies I have ever seen!! I think they will continue to be good friends...considering Brayden tried to kiss her the first time they met!

This baby Blake, our friend Ariana and Kieth's youngest. Their older boy, Cody, is one of Jacob's good friends. We owe them a lot because they introduced us to the balance bike! Anyways, Blake is exactly to the day a month older than Brayden! Here they are having fun at the Children's Museum!

And of course we cannot forget about Brayden's BFF...Tessie!!!! I think they have grown to tolerate each others presence now. Granted there have been a few mishaps, including Brayden trying to rip her face off (that's a day for another blog). I'm glad they get along because I see a very bonded future with them ;0)

And of course last but definitely not least... his favorite play person in the world is...Jacob!!!

Jacob loves showing Brayden how to do things!! If anyone has seen this guitar at our house, then you know how treasured this coveted toy is to Jacob.  He almost always shares it with Brayden!! It's so cute!!!

Hall of Fame

A few weeks ago I had a very exciting night, one that I thought would never happen... I was inducted into Cal State Hayward's Hall of Fame for soccer. I can honestly remember (it wasn't that long ago I know), but I remember looking in the halls of the KPE building and seeing all the Hall of Fame plaques on the wall and thinking "Wow, wouldn't it be awesome to have my name up there one day?!?" Well it has happened!!! I feel so incredibly honored. There was a really nice ceremony that I had to make a speech at!!! EEEK!!! It was a lot of fun to catch up with all my old coaches and teachers.  It was definitely a walk down memory lane. Here are some photos...

 Here is Amy and I... It was so much fun to hear her talk about the old team. It really made me want to go out and play again. Between this and the World Cup, I have been having major soccer dreams!

Here I am with the future Hall of Famer Mike Wood!!!!  I can't wait to see him up there!!

Here is the whole class of 2014. Yeah I am the youngest...lol

Six Months Old!!

I know that every month I am shocked by how old Brayden is turning, but there is something special about a baby turning 6 months old.  I feel like it marks a milestone that he is no longer a newborn and that he is well on his way to toddler hood. It becomes even more apparent everyday because he is physically doing something different everyday.  This happy little munchkin melts my heart every time he squeezes my face and sucks on my nose!! (I have the face scratches to prove it!)

• He is so close to crawling!!! He gets on all fours, sways back and forth, and then face plants!! LOL Jacob is working hard on trying to get Brayden to crawl.
• He LOVES food!!! I know big surprise that yet another child of mine loves food. He has had, apples, pears, carrots, banana, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes. 
• He is sitting like a champ!! He is even pushing himself up to it!! 
• At daycare the other day he pulled himself to standing!!! I think we may be in trouble!! All he wants to do is stand.
• He is such a happy baby!! He is constantly laughing. Of course he laughs his hardest at Jacob. Those two brothers are bonded!!
• He is sleeping okay. He is still waking up 1-2 times a night on average.
• He loves being naked and being in water!! We are hoping to get him into a pool this summer!

 I just love this little man!!!

Here's his  sixth month stats:

Weight: 18lbs 8 oz

Height: 28 inches

A month to Catch up on!!

WOW!!! This past month really flew by!!! I was reminded the other day that I had not blogged in a while...and man has it been a while!!! Things around here have been crazy busy!! Mike just finished up the school year and is starting a basketball camp this week (surprised I know lol), I have recently started in a new business venture, Jacob is crazier than ever, and Brayden is starting to be on the move!!! Needless to say, we are running around like crazy!! So what exciting stuff has been happening?

Jacob is in full soccer mode!!! He is loving his new sport!!! Although basketball continues to be his favorite, he is enjoying expanding his horizons. It is nice for him and Melo to have something to bond over. As they are getting older the boy/girl differences are showing. For example, Melo wants to play princesses and Jacob likes to juggle the princesses. When the princesses inevitably fall to the ground, Melo starts saying to Jacob "You broke it!!!!" LOL. So soccer is a great way to keep their friendship intact!! As for the babies... well they are not as impressed with the siblings soccer skills...

They are very patient watching them play, but as you can tell by the look on their faces, they think they can do better.

This month there has been a couple trips to the Children's Museum. As always it does not disappoint! Gabby and I tread the water by ourselves, and it honestly wasn't too bad! It's nice to have a place to go where the kids can't escape! Is it weird that we try and pick places that have locked doors or fences? I guess their are different priorities of being a toddler mother now! LOL

Jacob has been way into singing lately...it's probably the cutest thing that he does!

We have recently discovered a new place that is totally amazing!!! It's called Wacky Tacky! It is basically an indoor crazy house for toddlers!! There's jumpy houses, mazes, giant slides, ball pits, and a whole giant ballapalooza!! I know I am explaining this really well, but it's definitely one of those things that you have to see in person.

All the kids had a blast!! And yes, there was some major crying when we left. However, that crying turned into about 3 hours of silence...it was a major nap time after that! That carries me into the next and last topic.  There has been many naps in this house recently, seeing as we are always on the go. Brayden has turned into an excellent napper! He may not sleep long, but he can sleep anywhere!! In true Shadd fashion!

Bouncer Fun!!!

Recently we decided to bring out the jumper for Brayden because he started jumping in our laps ALL the time!! So, to save our arms from being sore every single day, we decided he is at that age to enjoy jumping on his own. It's crazy to think that he is old enough to do this already!! I must say that the jumper could be my new favorite thing to watch Jacob and Brayden do together. It is hilarious!!

I can't help but laugh at this video! Now, I want everyone to know that I do tell Jacob that Brayden needs breaks from jumping with Jacob. I recognize that this could get out of hand pretty quickly, so Jacob always asks before he "jumps with Brayden." Brayden just loves his jumper!! Almost as much as his big brother!

 Jacob likes the bouncer for another reason... it allows him to have Brayden's full attention!! This is often the time that Jacob decides to read to Brayden.  In this photo, the story went as follows, " Pooh bear goes to work. Brayden jump. Jacob jump. Mama jump. That's a good story!!" LOL Jacob's vocabulary is just cracking me up lately!!

Easter Festivities

With our mellow Easter Sunday, we somewhat forgot to do a lot of the Easter traditions before hand. For example, dying eggs!! We waited until Easter morning to do that!! LOL I must say though, it was one of my favorite experiences with Jacob. He thought it was the greatest thing in the world, that the eggs would change colors...almost like magic!! He only broke a few eggs... and I walked aways giving Mike and I an A+ on the no mess making and inventing colors (oh another thing when you dye eggs on Easter Sunday... you shouldn't wait to buy the dye until that morning because no one carries it!)

We had so much fun dying these eggs, that it makes me want to do it again just randomly through the year!!  Jacob was very proud of all his eggs.  He was sad when they had to take a "nap" in the fridge until dinner...LOL.

The Easter Bunny made a visit to our house too!!! Jacob was very excited to see all the stuff he got!!  As Uncle Matt Matt said, "Why is Jacob dressed like he's going to a rave?" LOL I guess the Easter Bunny got a little crazy with accessories this year! The Easter Bunny even got him underwear, so we'll see where that takes us!!

I had to share a couple of my favorite pictures from Easter... they just don't get any cuter than this!!
(And yes Jacob is trying to eat the egg with the shell on it!! LOL)

5 Months

Yet another month has come and gone!! This past month he has really moved from the newborn stage. He isn't just satisfied sitting being held or fed anymore... he is completely aware of his surroundings and constantly wants to move or look.  The other great thing about him moving beyond the newborn stage, is that he and Jacob are actually interacting a lot more!! In fact, Brayden laughs his hardest when Jacob is the one entertaining him. The phrase "Jacob go make Brayden laugh!" never gets old!! He has really accomplished a lot this month...

• He had his first food! Rice cereal!! He seems to really like it!!
• He found his toes!! And boy does he love them!!! He may be the soccer player out of our two boys.
• He can be carried on my hip. Now, this may not seem like a huge accomplishment, but those who tote babies around know what I'm talking about! My arms get a little break!! LOL
• He is waking up 1-2 times a night (minus one night that was every hour, yikes!!)
• He's becoming a champion napper at daycare (finally!)
• He LOVES his big brother!!! I can already see the future in that Brayden will want to do every thing Jacob wants to do! 
• He is gnawing on anything and everything (watch your fingers people!!)

I have taken a lot of photos, but I again reduced them to the special few!! LOL