Brantlee Grace- 1st year

When we first discovered we were expecting the 4th member of our lil family, we certainly had mixed emotions. First there was the obvious: "OMG! How on earth are we supposed to do this?? Collin is barely 7 months old!!" Then there was excitement and joy at the fact that it took a fraction of the time to get pregnant than it did with Collin. And I would have never admitted it at the time, but I really did want babies close together. (I never dreamed it would actually happen tho) But what I most remember was feeling like I wouldn't be able to show enough love to two babies like I could with just one. Of course these feelings were all put to rest when our little angel arrived.

After months (okay maybe weeks) of contractions, I just knew that this time around my water would break and I would be put out of my misery the natural way. But no, my impatience got the best of me, and I opted to be induced. I waddled into the hospital on October 9, 2009, one week prior to my due date. Three hours from my first dose of Pitosin and one failed epidural later, we witnessed the birth of precious Brantlee Grace. Holding her in my arms, I again felt love at first sight and more joy than my heart could handle! Weighing 7 lbs 4 oz (exactly the same as big brother) and measuring 19 1/2 inches, she was perfectly healthy and ... perfect!

We brought our Brantlee home on a beautiful October Saturday

From the start Brantlee was a fairly low-key baby, - typically very quiet and only cried when it was necessary. She was excellent at nursing, and she quickly became bonded to me.

Big Brother Collin was a little unsure at first. But he very quickly adjusted to his new baby sister and has loved her ever since!



Although colic wasn't an issue, Brantlee battled the same acid reflux as her Big Bro. She definetely struggled in the area of sleep, and for a couple of months I literally thought I might die of exhaustion. But I didn't, and she eventually learned to sleep in her own bed and through the night ... most of the time anyway. For the first three months, we pretty much functioned in survival mode. But even as challenging as those times were, we had perspective the second time around, knowing that these times were temporary so we did our best to enjoy them.


Just one week old and loving her swing


3 week photo shoot


One month old! Already a "ButterBall"


I know this looks crazy, but she HAD to sleep elevated, she HAD to be swaddled, and she HAD to be out of her 16 mos old brother's reach...so this is what you get


8 weeks old

Brantlee "Bug" quickly grew into a happy, happy baby - smiling every chance she got.


1st Christmas - 2 months old


Always smiling - 3 months


What would we have done without our swaddle blanket and blankie??!!

4 Months
At this age, Brantlee really began enjoy the world around her more and more. She began eating baby food from a spoon. (Since she starting taking cereal in her bottle at an insanely young age, we decided to skip straight to the veggies!!)








This priceless piece of baby equipment was a fav of Brantlee (and Collin too)

5 months & Starting to sit up!


Brantlee was an early sitter...she was able to sit and play with toys by the end of the 5th month. She also began to actually consume baby food when we fed her, instead of just providing entertainment for us at mealtimes :) With her smiles and sweet spirit, she rarely met a stranger!

6 Months & So much fun!!




Brantlee celebrated her first Easter at 6 months old. Collin and Brantlee got a visit from the Easter Bunny, and they both LOVED their new treats. I absolutely love the 6 month mark...Babies become so much more interactive and expressive! Miss Brantlee was certainly not afraid of the camera ;)

7 months and finally a TOOTH!

Memorial Day

Breakfast time!


After months of drooling and chewing, Brantlee finally got her first tooth. Oddly enough she cut the ones on top first, which I'm told is rare. From the beginning, Bug has wanted to do things just like her big brother. So things like picking up her own food and drinking from a sippy cup happened before I knew it. Her first non-baby food was little bites of banana, which she is still a huge fan of today. She still wasn't crawling at this point. (In fact, she down right HATED being on her tummy or any other form of crawling practice. I just so happened to snap a good picture of her having "tummy time")

8 Months


Such a precious age! "Talking" and laughing all the time. Still not crawling, and that was the source of MUCH frustration.


"I think I can...."

"Oh forget it! Ugh!!" (She gets that honestly :)


This fine piece of equipment did ease the frustration tho.


Brantlee could pull up to standing, and she was so proud of herself!

9 Months Old & Mobile!!


Enjoying the summer time and our fancy swimming pool :)


Almost 9 mos July 4th. She bagan to push her toys all over the place


Beach trip in July


Crawling!! And loving the sand!

This month marked the beginning of some much anticipated mobility. Cruising on furniture and crawling around were her major milestones this month. Not to mention, ditching the baby food (or most of it anyway). She much preferred eating from the table. She loved fruits and veggies the most! Brantlee also proved to be an excellent traveler when it came to sleeping away from her crib. This made going over night pretty easy.

10 Months

Showing off her newest teeth


Beginning to take steps... holding on of course


Posing before going out to eat


Relaxing on a hot summer day

This month was pretty much a continuation of the last month. Only this month, Brantlee became more adventuresome with her cruising and exploring. At this age, she began to show her independent personality more and more. Sometimes we would lose her, then find her quietly playing in another room :)

11 months

This month was a very busy one. In the full swing of teaching again, I realize I didn't take as many pics this month. All of these pictures were taken during our trip to Orange Beach in September (which was SO fun and much needed). At this point Brantlee could stand alone some would only take steps holding on. She would say "dadda" and "momma" with meaning, and occasionally "bye bye."




She loves that Daddy :)


What a big girl!!

Brantlee is ONE!!
I literally blinked and this baby girl was one. How could one year possibly go by that fast??


A Cupcake Party
All of our family and closest friends came to Brantlee's Cupcake Celebration. Check out these precious cupcakes made by my friend Amanda.



She loved her cake and probably would've sat there all day


The weather that day was pretty dreary, but thankfully the rain went away for the party. All in all, the party was a success!


All of the kids enjoyed the Dinosaur jump

Even the Birthday Girl got to jump!

The best part of all was Brantlee deciding to walk across the room on her birthday. We can officially say she walked at one.

Brantlee Grace has a sweet, sweet spirit. Yet she is one little girl who knows exactly what she wants. I can already see in her so much determination and independence. Still, somehow she is a "momma's baby" through and through. She brings us so much joy, and you can't help but smile when she walks into the room. We have been so truly blessed by this little girl :)