Peas

Our first try at peas. Branner loved them! I have learned it is best to feed him solids while stripped down to a diaper. Baby food can leave some impossible-to-get-out stains!

Reading List Update

Has anyone else noticed how bad summer tv sucks? If it weren't for The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami and True Blood, I probably wouldn't even turn mine on except to watch the Today show in the mornings. I need my Rachel Zoe, Kell on Earth and Flipping Out back, please. Can you tell I have a Bravo addiction?


The one upside to tv being the worst right now is that I'm reading like crazy. I have been devouring books at record speed. Here is what is left of my Summer Reading List. I will definitely be making a revised version before my long vacay in August.


Summer Sisters by Judy Blume (definitely saving this one for the beach trip)

Kings of the Earth by John Clinch

The Art of Racing Rain by Garth Stein

Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris

Branner's First Mountain Trip

Vintage Beech Pic

This past weekend, we added another adventure to the list Branner's firsts. We visited my parents at their home on Beech Mountain and were able to escape the sweltering Charlotte heat. It was so nice up there!


We arrived Friday just in time for wine o'clock for the girls/beer thirty for the boys (minus Branner). We enjoyed dinner and drinks outside and went to bed early. Saturday morning, Barry and Branner went for a walk and we all went out to lunch before the boys (again, minus Branner) went to play golf. Gigi, Branner and I trekked down the mountain to Banner Elk for the Craft Fair and a little shopping. We relaxed the rest of the afternoon and waited on the boys to finish golfing before heading down the mountain again to Boone to take Brett out to a belated birthday dinner at Makoto's. Branner was enthralled with watching the hibachi chef do his thing. He now enjoys sitting in high chairs rather than staying in his car seat. He is becoming such a big boy! We went on a family walk Sunday morning and went out to lunch, then hit the road back to Charlotte. It was a perfect weekend with the only minor glitch being I forgot my camera :( See what happens when you have a baby and you try to pack last minute?

6 Months Old!

Today, my precious boy is 6 months old. Like I say every month, I can't believe it! My life has changed so much since January, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Spending my days with Branner makes life so much better and so much more fun. I really can't believe I'm going to be planning his one year birthday parties soon (we've already decided to have one in Charlotte and one in Asheboro)!

We had his 6 month check-up with Dr. Craig today. Everything is great! Branner continues to progress ahead of schedule and weighs 17 lbs, 14 oz. He is 27 1/2 in long. He had two shots and did great as usual. He also scored perfect on his 6 month questionnaire as he is able to complete all of the tasks listed.

Likes: Jumperoo playtime, rolling around on the floor, being thisclose to crawling, Bumbo chair, bananas, peaches, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, squash, bath time, books, being read to, BAILEY, the cats, yoga (he has added side planks to the list of poses he enjoys), going to the pool, swinging, napping, talking, his Blackberry (one of Barry's old phones) and drooling (see pics).

Dislikes: getting dressed, teething and being too tired.

Clothing sizes: 9 and 12 months.

Diaper size: still 3.

Sleep pattern: 7:30 am-7:30 pm with 1 night feeding.

We will be celebrating his 7 month birthday at the beach as it falls during our long vacation at Holden. We can't wait!

Shoes

As you can see from the pictures above, I attempted to put Branner in shoes for the first time. They are so cute! Unfortunately, he was not as enthusiastic about them and took them off the second I left him in Childwatch. At least he let me have my moment and take a few pics!

Swim Class on Hold

After enjoying one day of his swim class, Branner and I both came down with colds. We were sadly unable to finish the session. I am so sad, but he was a little young to comprehend what was going on, so I think we will give it another go in the fall. Happy swimming to everyone else this summer!

Fourth of July

For the fourth of July weekend, we had big, important plans. We attended the wedding reception for Barry's brother, Chris, and his partner, Shawn, in Winchester, VA. We packed all of our stuff and Barry's other brother, Jason's, up and hit the road Friday morning. After driving all day, we arrived at Chris and Shawn's mountain house late that afternoon ready for a weekend full of fun and family. We had a blast!


We enjoyed hanging out and a fire on Friday night as everyone arrived from locations throughout the world. Saturday morning, we took Branner on his first hike. The reception was Saturday evening, complete with an awesome fireworks display compliments of Lori! What a great night! We are so blessed to be surrounded with so many wonderful people who we truly love. We are lucky to be able to consider the Gardner's family!


On Sunday, we had a nice little lunch date while Branner spent time with his Aunt Kiki, Uncle J, Devyn and Courtney, we were back at Chris and Shawn's for more food and more fun. Branner, Devyn and Courtney and I ended up going back to our cabin early so that Branner could go to bed and the girls could splash around in the hot tub while I watched fireworks from two other cities on the deck.


After we finally got everything packed up, we began the trek back to Charlotte on Monday morning. All I can say is that long car rides with an almost six month old can be exhausting. I've been so tired all day. I did make another significant dent in my reading list this weekend, but I need to work on crossing a few more things off my summer to-do list this week. I think the making homemade ice cream and starting to plan my girlfriend luncheon sound like good tasks to tackle. Hope everyone had a great July 4th!