Match Day 2011

Match Day was another day full of special memories! We started the day off with some tailgating in the Williams Brice parking lot. We all made our way into the Zone shortly after that and the festivities began. Match Day fell on St. Patrick's day this year, so there was a lot of green around!

{Ashley, April, and I tailgating}

{Our families both came. The rest were inside saving seats.}

{Class of 2011}

We thought it would be special to go up as a family and let Maddie read our card. We actually made it in the newspaper. You can read all about it here!

{Posing with the dean before we opened our envelope}

We were so excited to match here at Palmetto Health Richland Children's Hospital. I am looking forward to working with so many wonderful mentors and teachers in the pediatrics department.

{Reading out our match card}

After wards we came back to our house for some lunch and champagne. What a great day!

{Class of 2011 Composite}

Maddie's 7th Birthday

This is a little late, but we celebrated Madison's 7th birthday with our families in March. Her birthday was March 9th. I remember the day of her birth like it was yesterday. I cannot believe my babygirl is 7! She is so smart, funny, and loving. She adores her baby brother and is truly an exceptional big sister. So proud of this little cutie pie!

{Opening presents}

I came to Maddie's school for lunch and brought her Chic-fil-A and homemade cupcakes. They have this tradition at her school where the birthday boy/girl has to stand in the center of the cafeteria and all the kids sing to them. The birthday boy/girl then has to sing back to everyone in the cafeteria. She was so brave! I would have been mortified.

{Maddie and Miss Stenson listening to the singing kiddos}

{Maddie's super sweet teacher Miss Stenson}

On her actual birthday, we went to dinner at Zoe's (our FAVE) and dessert at 32 degrees. Harrison made a scavenger hunt around the house with a present at each spot leading up to the big present...BUNK BEDS!!!!! She is in love with her new beds!

{One of the presents along the way}

{Present hidden in the dryer!}

{Putting together the treasure map}

{The bunk beds...so much fun!}

Dance Open House

Back in March Madison had an open house at dance. Here are some pictures to enjoy!





She also takes ballet, but I was not able to get any pictures in that class. I am so proud of her for working so hard at dance. She is really becoming a beautiful dancer.

Ski Weekend

Back in January we took a ski trip to Cataloochee in Maggie Valley, NC. This has become an annual tradition and it is always tons of fun. This year I did not hit the slopes with the gang. Bragan and I stayed behind in the cabin and relaxed. The weekend coincided with my interview at Vanderbilt and it worked out well since Maggie Valley was right on the way to Nashville. We loved Nashville and will be reconsidering it in a few years for fellowship!

Since I didn't hit the slopes I don't have too many pictures of actual skiing. Here are some from our fun back at the cabin.

{Makeover night! Maddie had so much fun with all the sweet girls there.}

{She's got the wind machine going for her runway show!}

{My sweet little snaggletoothed ski bunny!}

5 and 6 Month Update

It has been waaaaayyy too long since I have updated, so I am going to combine the 5 and 6 month posts. Bragan has learned so many new tricks since the last update.

Here's what he is up to these days:
- Rolling EVERYWHERE!!! Blink your eye and he is in a new spot.
- He is a laughing machine. He loves when we jump out and scare you - he giggles and giggles and giggles. His big sis is a pro at getting him to giggle.
- He loves to chat with anyone who will listen. His cooing is beyond adorable!
- He started clapping on April 8th. His pediatrician was amazed when he saw him doing this trick :)
- He is not sleeping through the night anymore ever since we stopped swaddling. He is waking up usually once in the night to eat and snuggle :)
- He has conquered rice cereal (hated it), oatmeal, and ALL of the stage 1 baby foods. We are now trying out some of the stage 2.
- He had his first taste of water and loved it.
- He had his first trip to the zoo on April 20th. It was pretty hot but he still enjoyed it.


Here are his stats:
-Weight 18 pounds 13 ounces (76%ile)
-Length 27 3/4 inches (91%ile)
-Head circumference (74%ile)

...and now for the photos!

{Had to take the monthly shot in a new place...we were putting down new floors and his bed was blocked with stuff}

{I just thought this was funny!}

{You know, just hanging around in my ducky jammies...}

{Such a happy boy!}

First Fever

Bragan had his first fever yesterday at daycare (March 2, 2011) and had to get picked up by Daddy since I was in Greenville. He was not fussy at all during the day but last night he did not want to sleep in his bed. His temperature when I got him up this morning was 101.5F, so we called the doctor and headed in to get checked out. Turns out he has an ear infection in his left ear so we got some pain relief drops and headed home. I can tell he just is not himself since he is not too interested in eating :). I am so thankful that we made it through this far without any illnesses. I prayed everyday that I would not give him any germs from the PICU! It breaks my heart seeing my baby not feeling well.

Baby Food Bonanza!

So we have officially started solid foods and Bragan has been doing well with it. We did 1 week of rice cereal 2-3 times a day and then did oatmeal for 1 week 2-3 times per day. After he successfully competed those 2 weeks we moved on to the good stuff! We are introducing new foods every 2 days.

Here is our progress so far:
Sweet potatoes - He loved these!
Peas - Did not like them the 1st night, but ate them all the second night.
Squash - Enjoyed these, but appetite was not good these days because of an ear infection.
Apples - Loves these!

I thought it would be better this time around to make his baby food from scratch. Not only is it more economical, but this way I know exactly what goes into his food. I spent a few hours tonight steaming and pureeing sweet potatoes, carrots, and peas. I also pureed some avocados. The freezer is fully stocked. I am looking forward to letting him try all these new things and knowing I am feeding him wholesome delicious food with no preservatives or strange ingredients.

*We made a video of the first feedings and will post those later.