The Cottons

A year at a Glance...

2010-12-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a full year and one day since I posted last. I really do have the desire to be better at this blogging thing, but I'm just NOT. I always say I'm going to try but nothing ever becomes of it. So, I'm going to summarize what I can of our last year and then, well, you will just get to guess whether I keep this updated this coming year. =)

January was pretty uneventful from what I can remember. Crissy and Dusty both have birthdays in January, so we celebrated those. Other than that, it was just the same ole stuff.

February was a little more eventful. We went to the Fort Worth Stockshow (I'll add a pic at some point). There was the Super Bowl and Assaad and Crissy announced they were having another baby!

In March, Dusty and I went to Hawaii again and Brady stayed here with my parents (and Dusty's parents kept him for two nights).

April had another baby announcement... Brad and Jackie announced they were going to be having their second child also. More cousins for Brady!!!

May included some Rangers games and lots of cooking out and pool time!

All I can remember about June right now is that Dusty went to New Orleans for a week leaving me home all alone with an almost two year old! LOL

In July, we took our annual family vacation... this year, we went to Myrtle Beach! On the way, I got to meet a special friend I made in the baby group I joined when pregnant with Brady. I'll post a pic of the 4 of us! Vacation was FUN! But, you know me... I LOVE the beach! Brady loved playing in the sand but did NOT like the big waves in the ocean. He was a cute little beach bum though. Dusty and I also celebrated our 4th year being married! =)

August was HOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTT! We spent a lot of time at the pool or indoors, lol.

On September 1st, Assaad and Crissy welcomed little Cayden! Brady started preschool two days a week at Kinderplatz this month. He LOVES school and his teachers! On September 16th, Brady turned 2! Can you believe it?! I can't... My little baby is already TWO! I'll post a pic or two from his birthday.

Hmmm... All I remember about October is Halloween. We took Brady to the Fall Festival at our church then came home to watch the World Series! Ok, so I guess the Rangers making it to the World Series for the first time EVER is pretty big too! ;) They lost to the San Francisco Giants, but they made it!

We had Thanksgiving in November... There were actually a TON of people at my parents this year! It was really nice to have a full house again (and we were still missing people).

December is always an exciting month! There's my birthday, and then Brady and Jackie welcomed sweet baby Bethany the next day! =) And then Christmas... Christmas was a BLAST this year with Brady. He was so fun opening presents and walking around telling everyone "Merry Christmas!" I'm pretty sure next year will be even MORE fun!

Well, nothing MAJOR happened with Brady this year. He hit all his BIG milestones last year, but he talks SOOOO much now! He can actually hold a conversation with you and it's so fun! He absolutely LOVES Toy Story and Cars. He got some Veggie Tales videos for Christmas and he's really into them now too. He's going to have some new friends next year also as I have SEVERAL friends who are expecting new babies! Brady also LOVES school! I'm so glad he's doing so well! It's nice for him to be able to get that extra interaction and for me to get a short break to get things done.

For this next year, I have a few new goals. I'd like to start being healthier... all around. I want to start working out again, eating better, and spending WAY less time watching tv and sitting on the computer. I think those goals should be easily attainable if I just have the right attitude about it. =) I hope everyone has a Happy and Safe New Years!

~The Cottons

Shopping with friends!

2009-12-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

One of the good things about having two good friends that are teachers, is that we get to hang out any time school is out. So, while school was out over the Christmas break, Brady and I got to hang out with some of our best friends! Alexis and Kensley, and Jennifer and Garrison. I made Brady a Christmas shirt and then I made Kensley and Garrison ones to match. So, after shopping all day at Grapevine Mills, we took pics in the back of Alexis' SUV of all the kids in their matching shirts. They were TOO cute! I can't wait to watch them grow up together. I hope they stay close. Here are a few pictures:

And then, the next week, we all got together and went out to Stonebriar just for fun. Alexis and I rode together, because none of us have a car big enough for ALL of us to fit in. On the way home, we look back and Brady and Kensley are holding hands... it was SOOO cute! Here are a few pics of that.

Christmas 09

2009-12-26T09:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas was SOOO fun this year! We took Brady to see Santa Claus downtown and he was NOT happy, but it made for some HILARIOUS pics.

We ran around like chickens with our heads cut off between Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas... trying to get visits in with all of our families. But, that's what the holidays are all about right? Brady was so fun to watch opening his presents and even seeing the presents Santa got him. I didn't get pictures of him opening everything, but I will post some of the ones I did get. It's so crazy how different this year was from last. No, this technically wasn't Brady's first Christmas, but he was only 3 months old last year, so he didn't have a clue what was going on. I can't believe how fast time is flying right now. He is such a sweet little boy with an amazingly sweet spirit and we just love him so much. I thank God every day for bringing the most perfect baby boy into our lives. I can't imagine life without him!

Merry Christmas!

Kensley's 1st birthday

2009-12-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today, we went to Kensley's 1st birthday party. Brady is just a little party animal this month! Ha ha. I made Kensley's birthday outfit, and it looks mighty cute on her, if I do say so myself. I've been having issues posting pictures, but I will try to put some on here. She was so cute... she was way more interested in the tissue paper than her new toys. Brady had fun playing with them though. He's so lucky to have good friends to grow up with. I just wish we could see them all more often!

Audrey's Birthday

2009-12-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today, we went to Audrey's 1st birthday party. She was so cute in her little tutu! She got LOTS of presens and Brady had fun with all of the other kids. He loves playing with the little dancing frog at Dusty's parents house. If it will let me, I'll try to post a video of him dancing with it. It's so cute!

Thanksgiving 09

2009-11-27T18:12:00.000-08:00

I am SOOO behind on posts, but I'm going to try to catch up and do a whole bunch right now, so bear with me.

So, for Thanksgiving this year, we did the usual. We had lunch at my parents. We got to see my grandparents (mom's parents), my grandmother (dad's mom) and 3 of my dad's sisters. Stephanie wasn't there this year... she went to Colorado with her son. She was definitely missed! We also got to see my uncle's (who passed away in 2004) wife and son and his wife and her little boy. There was just a whole house full!

We came home and let Brady take a nap before heading to dinner at Assaad and Crissy's. Dusty's parents and younger sister were there along with his grandma. Brady had a lot of fun playing with his cousin Audrey.

Here are some pictures:

Brady's first trip to the zoo!!!

2009-11-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

We finally got around to taking Brady to the zoo... he LOVED it! He played hide and seek with a monkey, got to see the elephants playing with balls, he got to hear the lion roar and even got to touch a bird while I was feeding them. THAT was his favorite part. He LOVES birds and being inside a big cage filled will birds was just heaven for him. It was so much fun to just watch him soak everything in. I'm trying to post pictures, but it's being difficult, so if there aren't any, that's why.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well, a few Saturdays ago, we took Brady to the pumpkin patch with Assaad, Crissy and Audrey. We got some really good pictures! Brady had SOOO much fun just taking everything in. If you know him, you know he LOVES to be outside, so this was right up his alley. He saw pumpkins, hay, tractors, wagons, BIRDS, corn and so many other things! They had little wagons for you to put your pumpkins in and push around. Brady found an abandoned one and started pushing it around. It was rather funny because it was full of pumpkins so it wasn't easy to push. I'll post some pics.

After the pumpkin patch, we all went to Grapevine Mills and had lunch then walked around the mall. It was great to spend time with family! We don't get to do that often enough. All around, it was a wonderful day!

Until next time,

The Cottons

Brady's Birthday Party

2009-09-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

Wow... I think this is a record for me! =) Two posts in one week! Anyway, I just thought I would write a little about his birthday party. It went REALLY well. We had so many family and friends here at the house to share this special day with us. His cake turned out SUPER cute! Thanks, Kym, for making it for us! He wasn't too interested in eating his cake. I don't know if it was because everyone was staring at him or if he just wasn't hungry or what. Oh well... he's gonna be like his mom!

Brady got SOOO many presents! He is LOVING all of his toys... well, all of them except for one. Hah... maybe it will grow on him. Dusty and I got him a Cozy Coupe... he loves to get in it and just chill. He's so funny!

We are so blessed to have such great friends and family. Thank you to everyone who made this day special!

Love you guys!
The Cottons

The Big One Year Old!!!

2009-09-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Brady is 1! It honestly does not feel like a whole year has gone by since our sweet baby boy came into this world. There are so many things to update everyone on, but I'm sure I will forget something.

Brady is now pulling up and cruising along just about anything he can reach! He can stand up on his own for a good minute. He's even taken a step or two 3 or 4 times, but nothing consistent. He loves to hold our hands and walk all over the house. That's his special time with daddy in the evenings. He takes him by one hand and goes for a walk around the house.

He also climbs all the way up our staircase and crawls through the gate (and then immediately turns around and tries to close the gate). He's so silly!

He talks ALL the time! He can say mama, daddy, and yay. At one time, it sounded like he was saying "what's that?" and "all done" but I haven't heard those in a while. He can tell you that a puppy says "woof woof" and he's even said "ooo ooo eee eee" when asked what a monkey says. Those are all of the words I can think of right now.

He went for his one year check up yesterday. He got 3 shots. =( He weighes 23 lbs 11 oz and is 30" long. He's still right in that 50-75%... just barely above that 50% line.

We also met Karen and Jordan at Chuck E Cheese for lunch yesterday. He had so much fun! I put him on all of the little car rides. He cried when I took him out! LOL... He's gonna LOVE his birthday present from Dusty and me! =)

I have pics to post, but I'm gonna wait until after his birthday party Saturday. I'll try to make another post after that to let everyone know how his party went.

That's all for now. Love everyone!

The Cottons

9 Months!

2009-06-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well, Brady turned 9 months last week. I can't believe how fast time is flying by! He is learning so much... he JUST started crawling on his hands and knees. And by JUST, I mean like maybe half an hour ago. It's so cute!

Last week, he went to his 9 month checkup. He weighs 21 lbs and is 28 in long. Such a big boy!

We also went to NRH2O last week. He LOVED it! He just loves to people watch so that was definitely right up his alley. He fell asleep on me while we were sitting in the water. Guess all that people watching wore him out! Ha ha

He claps ALL the time now! It's funny, because this morning, he took a small little "step" on his hands and knees so I said "yay!" and he immediately dropped to the ground and started clapping. He's the cutest!

Yesterday, I took him to get his 9 month pics. I was secretly hoping he didn't do TOO well so I wouldn't have to spend much money, but he did AWESOME! I will post some of the pics at the end. Or now...

Ok, so they are at the top. I haven't quite figured out how to get them where I want them. I want to post some more, so we will see if it will let me.

Anyway, I guess that's all for now. I just wanted to update everyone on the latest.

Love ya!

The Cottons

High 5!

2009-06-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well, Brady is now giving high 5's! Ok, so, if he's in the mood to give you a high 5, he will. Otherwise, he'll just look at you and smile, like "Hah... I don't think so!" He started doing that last Wednesday. We were walking around Babies R Us with Ashley and she said "High 5" and he just started doing it. Now it's hit or miss on whether he will actually doing it.

Then, Sunday morning, Dusty was holding Brady while I was getting ready to leave for church and he just started clapping out of the blue. It's SOOO cute! And when you say "Yay!" after he does it, he smiles REALLY big and does it some more.... just to hear you say "YAY!" but I do it because it's cute! =)

Anyway, Brady will be nine months next week... a week from today, actually! I can't believe it! But, I will write again next week and update you on his stats for 9 months.

Later!
The Cottons

8 Months!

2009-05-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Brady is now 8 months old. I can't believe how fast he is growing. It makes me sad that he is not going to be a baby much longer. But at the same time, I can't wait to see him grow. I think I mentioned in my last blog that he has been army crawling. He is ALL over the place now. He followed me into the bathroom twice today! Ha ha...

So, for new things, his second tooth is ALMOST to the surface. It wants to pop through SO bad! He looks so cute with a little tooth sticking up out of his gums. His next big feat... HE PULLED HIMSELF TO A STANDING POSITION! I couldn't believe my eyes! I was in such shock that I couldn't even get Dusty's attention to tell him until he was already standing!

I need to upload some more pictures to my computer and then I'll add some to the post.

Love ya!
The Cottons

7 Months!

2009-05-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well, Brady is now 7.5 months old. There is SO much to update so I figured I better go ahead and do one now before he adds even more to it! So, he just started REALLY army crawling this past weekend and now he doesn't stop. He's constantly on the move even though he's not quite up on his hands and knees yet.

He also just got his first tooth yesterday! It's just barely broken the surface but it IS there... you can feel it's sharpness! I have a feeling his other bottom tooth is following quickly behind. He's been a trooper, but I am pretty sure it's starting to bother him now.

I have pictures to add, but I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet. I will do so soon, I promise!

Oh, something else to add... Brady has a new cousin!!! His name is Jack Evan and he was born on April 30th. He weighed 8 lbs 7 oz and was 20.5" long. I DO have pics I can upload of him! =)

Brady is also rolling ALL over the place now. As you know, if you've kept up with the few blogs I've actually written, he's been more than capable of rolling for 3 months now, but he was just so lazy! Especially once he figured out he could sit up all by himself. He decided he was too big to lay down any more. Now that he's learning to crawl, I can't hardly keep him in a sitting position because he starts chasing some toy all over the floor. I just can't believe how big he's gotten. Before we know it, we are going to be having his 1st birthday party.

Ok, I'll try updating again soon. Until then...

Love to all!
The Cottons

6 Months

2009-03-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Well, Brady is now 6 months old. I'm still horrible at keeping this updated, but I AM working on it! Anyway, he went to the dr on his 6 month birthday. He weighed in a 17 lbs 8 oz (which is exactly what I had guessed) and 27 and 3/4" long! He's still in the 50% for weight but he jumped up to 90% for height! He's a long boy!

A few weeks ago, Brady started sitting up on his own. I still sit near him or put the Boppy around him because he doesn't have complete control yet, but he is very capable of sitting all by himself for more than a couple of minutes at a time. He's actually gotten to the point where he doesn't like laying on the floor any more because he knows he can sit up. He also finally rolled all the way over from back to stomach. He's been so close for months, but was just too lazy to take his fingers out of his mouth and actually do it!

I can't believe how much he's grown so fast. It really does seem like just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital. Every day is just such a blessing. He's such a sweet little boy. His daddy and I love him so much! We can't imagine our lives without him.

I will try to update a little more often, but I can't make any promises.

Love to all!
Heather

2 Months - 5 Months

2009-02-19T17:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I decided I'm just going to skip ahead... there's no use trying to go back in time. Hah! Anyway, Brady turned 5 months old on Monday. Let's see if I can catch you up quickly. He started laughing middle of November, so he was almost exactly 2 months old. I remember it was the Wednesday of the week before Thanksgiving because I was going over to my mom's to keep her company after her colonoscopy. He was laying on his changing table because I was getting him dressed and I tickled him and he giggled. It was the cutest thing I've ever heard. He rolled over for the first time a few weeks ago. He's only done it once since then. I think it scares him. =) He has got the SWEETEST personality and I just love him to death. He is so happy (for the most part)! I just can't believe how fast he's growing. It's definitely bittersweet.

I started a part-time job today... I'm keeping a 1 yr old girl two days a week so that we can go on vacation this summer. Once I get that paid for, I'm going to put it towards paying off credit cards. Brady didn't quite know what to make of the situation. They both wanted me to hold them, and well, that's just not possible. I keep her again tomorrow, so we will see how that works. My mom is supposed to come over (if she's feeling better) after noon, so that will be a big help with Brady at least.

I'm going to attach some pics, but I don't have his 5 month picture uploaded yet. I'll do a post for Valentine's Day once I get those pics uploaded too.

Love to all,

Heather

October 16, 2008 - 1 Month

2009-02-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

Well, Brady turned 1 month old today! I took him to get his pictures done at Target. They turned out GREAT and I will attach a few of my favorites.
Since I'm just now writing this and he's already 5 months old, I don't have a whole lot to write. I'm trying to think back and see if there is anything I can think of that he's doing now. I know he's smiling already. He's such a sweet little boy! We are already getting into a routine. He's definitely a morning baby...

Brady James Cotton

2009-02-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I know I'm a little late getting all of this updated, but better late than never right?!

So, I will start with the birth story. I was induced on my due date because I was not progressing. My cervix wasn't doing anything, so I went into the hospital Monday night (September 15th) to have Cervadil put in to "ripen" my cervix. They put two doses in throughout the night. They started Pitocin at 5:30 Tuesday morning. At 8:30, my doctor came in and I was dialated to a 3. She broke my water and Oh boy, did my contracions get 100x more intense! I think I made it to about 10 am without an epidural. I don't remember every single detail, but I do remember that my Epi didn't work on the right side of my back so I was still in excruciating pain. I was fully effaced, and dialated to 10cm by 1:30, but my doctor had a scheduled c-section so she made me wait to start pushing... UNTIL 3:00!!!! So, I start pushing and pushing and pushing... the little stinker was face up so it was rough getting him out. But, at 4:47 p.m. on Tuesday, September 16th, we welcomed sweet Brady James Cotton into the world! I will try attaching some pics, but I've never done this before, so I don't know how it will work.

It's almost time!

2008-09-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

Well, first of all, sorry I didn't update last week. After going to the doctor last Tuesday, there just wasn't much to update. I hadn't changed any since the week before. So, I went back yesterday and... I'm about a fingertip dialated (which I think might mean about 1 cm) and 50% effaced. That's better than nothing, that's for sure! Then, when she was finished, she asks me if I'm interested in being induced. Well, a lot of you may know that I have been very against being induced, but since my brother is coming in town on the 17th I had recently decided that if my due date got near, I would talk to her about it. So, I told her to ask me next week. Then she explains that it can take a couple weeks, so she's having one of the nurses check the schedule and see if they can find me a date. Most likely it will be the 15th at the earliest, but we shall see. I'm really hoping it doesn't come down to that and that I can still go into labor on my own, but at least I know I have the option if I want it. So, keep praying that maybe he will decide he's NOT comfortable any more and would like to come out and meet his very eager and anxious parents! We are both so excited and simply cannot wait to meet him. I keep looking in his Pack N Play that's in our bedroom and imagining his cute little body sleeping in there. I guess it's time to completely pack all of our bags and put them in my car just in case. They are both ready enough, but I suppose it would prove a little bit more convenient if they were already in my car in case I do go into labor while I'm at work.

Anyway, that's the latest news with the baby. I will try to update if anything changes.

Love ya'll,
Heather

3 Weeks 6 Days to go!

2008-08-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it's definitely getting down to the wire now. I had another doctor appointment yesterday. It went well. She didn't check my cervix so I can't tell you anything about that, but his heartbeat is still good so that's all that matters. I am starting to get so impatient! And, actually, kinda starting to get a little miserable. I think I have dropped, because I can feel so much more pressure now and it hurts! I just have to keep reminding myself that my body is preparing itself for my little man to make his magnificent entrance into this world. I have been thinking a lot, and bearing a child is the biggest miracle I could have possibly imagined. I was telling someone the other day (can't remember who) that any woman who has carried a child or any man who has witnessed his wife, girlfriend, whatever, give birth and still doesn't believe in God is just a complete moron. I mean, how can you NOT believe in our amazing Lord when you hold that perfect little child in your arms for the first time?! Anyway, off my soap box now. I am starting to get really anxious about getting everything set up. Crissy and Assaad are coming over tomorrow so Crissy can help me try to get some of the nursery organized and put together and Dusty said he would start putting stuff together for me this weekend while I'm at Women of Faith. I am going to start packing my bag and the baby's bag soon... maybe Friday... and then it will just become a waiting game on when he wants to be here. =) I am so excited!

Well, that's all for now. I will post again next week!

Heather

The Final Stretch

2008-08-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well... I now have just over 4 weeks left in this pregnancy and it's finally hitting me that I'm about to bring a new life into this world. Dusty and I couldn't be more excited! We are going tomorrow to get the rest of the "big items" we still need like the car seat, travel system and bouncer. Then it's down to just making the house baby ready and getting everything put together, set up, and cleaned up. I'm starting to realize that the little man could make his entrance any time now, and it's so exciting! I am a little overwhelmed at everything I'm feeling right now, but it's all good things. This is just the most amazing experience of my life and I can't believe I am about to be a mother. My dream is finally coming true! Dusty is going to make a great dad, and I can't wait to see him interact with his son. It's going to be awesome!

I guess that's all for now... I will try to start posting at least once a week so you all can see what is going on in our new little family.

Love ya'll!
Heather