Just unbelievable that Braden turned one year old today. We re-read the blog entries from last February and enjoyed taking a stroll down memory lane. We learned how naive we were (e.g. we thought Braden ate a lot back then) and certainly don’t miss the 3-4 times per night we used to have to get up.

We also realized that even though we didn’t record every detail (e.g. the first two hours after Braden was born, the first night at our house, etc.), we still have them in our memories.

In just one year, he learned to crawl, stand, almost walk, climb up stairs, get himself down from places, cough-talk, self-peak-a-boo, do ‘so-big’ with his arms, wave good-bye, high-five, kiss, say da da, feed himself, use a remote and cellphone, flip pages from a book, throw, dunk and much, much more.

We’re fortunate that he was only sick once (back around Memorial Day), though he was a bit congested in January. Maybe his immune system is too strong, as evidenced by his sensitivity to dairy, eggs and nuts (hopefully temporary).

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We had our family over for a party in our condo’s community room. Braden was a very good boy–he ate, acted cute, played, opened his gifts (sorta) and even walked a little for everyone. We are appreciative of the nice gifts he received, though Braden’s favorite was the container of puffs that he likes to eat.

Props go to Kristin for doing most of the preparation for the party. She even baked a non-egg, non-dairy cake for Braden, and he really seemed to enjoy it (he really has nothing to compare it to).

We promise to upload the photos soon.

Journal birthday

We are working hard to get Braden to walk. As we and our family have noticed, he can stand for about 8-10 seconds at a time, but only because he forgets that he’s not holding on to something (very cute).

Usually we sit a couple feet from him while he’s standing (holding or not), and he can take a few steps toward us. The other day, Braden set a personal best with eight steps before falling face forward onto us. Wish we got that on video!

We were told by another parent that the one-year-old mark is a magic number, and that he’ll just suddenly be able to walk after that. We can’t wait, as it will (hopefully) make life more convenient not having to carry him everywhere.

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Braden now knows how to get down from places. For example, if he’s on the couch, he reverses himself and slides off feet first. He has transferred this skill to the stairs, so now he can go both ways. Babies are so smart!

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We’ve been ordering off the kids’ menu at restaurants now. It’s neat to see Braden eat burgers, chicken tenders, etc. He no longer likes carrots, and we still can’t get him to like strawberries or blueberries. And when Braden gets sick of an item or is full, he gets mad and slaps his hand onto the table. He’ll also drop the item to the floor–so damn cute.

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Braden is still pretty bald, but he’s been growing a lot more hair on the back of his head. We swear some of it is blond!

Journal feeding, standing, walking

What a difference a year makes. At the end of 2008, we were eagerly awaiting Braden’s arrival. Now, he’s almost 11 months old!

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Braden is standing a lot more frequently now without having to lean against anything. We think most of the time he does it inadvertantly, but there are a few occasions where it seems he is purposely trying to stand by himself.

Another cute thing Braden is doing is now when he lies down, he put his hands behind his head like he is relaxing. We’re just waiting for him to cross his legs …

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Braden’s first Christmas went well. We thought he would tear through the wrapping of his presents, but he was surprisingly uninterested in opening anything. He is, however, enjoying his gifts.

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We took Braden to the UW basketball game on Thursday. Fortunately, he was a good boy, not crying or being overly squirmy. He fell asleep with about 4 min. left in the game, then slept the entire walk back to the car. Braden had not been to a sporting event since the Brewers game that Brian took him to back in the summer.

Journal going out, holidays, standing

We had brunch Sunday at the Madison Club. In addition to a choir, guests also were treated to an appearance by Santa Claus. So of course, we had took pictures of Braden sitting on his lap. As you can tell by this photo, Braden was not happy!

Later on we had Kristin hold Braden while she stood near Santa, and we took another photo. Braden still looked concerned, but at least he didn’t cry this time.

Journal, Pictures Santa

Braden and Brian did two Thanksgivings on Thursday–one at Brian’s mom’s house, and the other at Kristin’s parents’ house (Kristin had to work so she missed the earlier one). The two Lee boys ate a lot, as to be expected.

At the latter Thanksgiving, Braden got to hang out with two other babies–Bennett (son of Kristin’s cousin Gretchen) and Elise (daughter of Kristin’s cousin Katie). Braden was a bit fussy, perhaps from the fact that there were 23 people there. He did lighten up a bit when he and Bennett starting chasing each other around the house.

It was cool to have a four-generation holiday, and it was neat to see how times have changed (each age group moved up). Pictures will be posted soon!

Journal holidays

Yesterday, while Brian was sitting on the ground, Braden grabbed Brian’s arm to stand up, then he let go and stood for seven seconds! It was an amazing sight to see. Braden’s legs are getting stronger, and his balance is getting better and better.

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Braden had his nine-month check up last week. He has not been gaining as much weight as before because he’s been crawling and climbing so much. In fact, he went from the 95th percentile in weight down to the 83rd! If you take a close look at him, his cheeks aren’t as pudgy as they once were.

Braden also got his H1N1 shot at the appointment. He has to get a booster shot in four weeks (or, as  Brian likes to joke: he got his H1 shot last week, and he’ll get his N1 shot later).

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Braden really enjoys climbing the stairs, which he can do in only 30 seconds. The first time he ever did it, he was out of breath. Now, he’s not even close to being winded. He’s in good  cardiovascular shape!

Journal new skills, pediatrician, standing

Braden really enjoys standing. For example, his favorite spot is the window, where he’ll grab onto the ledge and pull himself to a standing position. He does this easily with any object (stairs, coffee table, etc.). Some times he’ll let go just to see if he can stand without any aid (and he will for a few seconds!). As a result, Braden’s arms and legs are getting pretty strong. We’re certain he’ll be walking soon.

Braden’s only difficulty is sitting down again. He usually just lets go and falls on his butt, which is obviously padded by his diaper.

With Braden so mobile, we’ve really been trying hard to baby-proof the house. Brian installed gates to the stairs and cabinet locks, while Kristin has installed socket protectors everywhere.

Braden also likes chasing and being chased. If the latter, he’ll stop to make sure you’re still coming after him. With all the crawling, he’s starting to get some rug burn on the top of his feet. We would put socks on him, but with our wood floors, it would too slippery for him to continue trying to stand.

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Braden’s front two teeth are coming in. That makes six visible teeth in his mouth. Now instead of just baby food, we’re giving him other foods like bananas, cereal and other non-mushy foods.

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As previously reported, Braden can say “Hi dad” and “da-da.” He just added “ma-ma” the other day, much to Kristin’s happiness. Still no luck in getting him to say, “May I help you with some more chores, father?”

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Happy 9-month birthday, Braden!

Journal crawling, teething, walking

Okay, Braden is officially crawling, and he is fast. We cannot take our eyes off of him for even a second, as he’ll race across the room in no time. He’s also really enjoying standing; Braden likes it when you hold his hands to help balance him as he stands up on his own. We’re sure he’ll be walking in no time.

We have more room in the living room now, as we bought new furniture. We have just a couch and chair now, and they’re both smaller than their predecessors. Without a love seat, we have clear access to the window, which gives Braden some more room to play. Brian is trying to figure out a fencing system so we can keep him toward the window area (instead of by the TV-related equipment and the stairs).

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Some day Braden is going to kill us for writing this, but he gets pretty constipated every now and then. In fact, you can see his face turn red as he tries to push (unsuccessfully). Poor guy, he seems to be in so much discomfort. We’ve been adding more Gerber prunes to his diet to help him.

Journal crawling

We are constantly amazed with the new skills Braden learns. One day Kristin’s sister was babysitting, and when she went to check on Braden in his crib, he was sitting up. We both soon witnessed how he gets up on his own: first he rolls to his stomach, then he walks his hands toward himself until he is upright.

Braden’s crawling has improved, too. Instead of dragging his legs with him (like an accident victim), he can now move his right leg as well. He’s actually pretty fast, so we really have to keep a close eye on him. Unfortunately, the gates we bought don’t fit our stair system (in fact, we don’t think any gates will fit), so we’re not sure what to do. Once we get our new furniture, we’ll create an enclosed play area for him, and hopefully that will help.

We once said that we thought Braden would walk before crawling–well, he was close. Braden can now stand if he rests his hands against something. For example, he can stand facing the couch.  He seems to enjoy it!

Lastly, Braden can shake hands and give high-fives.

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We are now feeding Braden two meals of solid foods each day. The hard part is knowing when to stop–he seems like he could eat indefinitely. When we went to dinner at Fitzgerald’s, we fed Braden almost the entire time we were there!

Journal crawling, feeding, new skills

We went to Farmington, Conn., this past weekend for Kristin’s cousin’s wedding. Thank God the flights were uneventful. We got the worst out of the way first–Madison to Minneapolis, then Minneapolis to Harford–and Braden was a good boy. After one of the flights, a mother said to us, “That is the cutest baby I have EVER seen.”

On the way back was a bit easier, since the flights were shorter (Hartford to Chicago, Chicago to Madison). Basically, Braden either ate, slept or flirted with other passengers. Brian changed a wet diaper in the bathroom, which was an immense challenge since there was no flat surface (Brian changed Braden on his lap).

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Saturday marked the first time we had a non-family babysitter, a person who was recommended by the groom’s family. She was nice, and fortunately Braden didn’t have a meltdown with her (again, he’s a big flirt). We did stop back in between the ceremony and reception to feed him (Brian also took the babysitter to get pizza).

Journal babysitting, travel