Saturday marked Braylon's 3 month birthday. Unbelievable! We have celebrated many milestones since month two of his life. First, we heard our very first giggle from Braylon a few days ago. This was a certifiable belly laugh, not just a smile and a coo, but a real chuckle! Now, we tickle him to death in an attempt to re-experience that wonderful sound! Braylon is able to hold his head up high during tummy time and is even trying to roll over. He'd definitely have it if he could keep his hands out of his mouth long enough to use them to push himself over! He's also sitting up fairly well with some support. He's talking and cooing, sharing his daily adventures. His schedule is becoming more and more predictable with regular feedings and naps. Nighttime is an ever changing event, but we deal with it. 
Aunt Amber and Uncle Chad came over to help us celebrate! Bryan and Amber cooked a wonderful meal and we had a good time playing and hanging out. By the end of the night, though, we were pooped! 
The next few weeks will bring about more change. We hope to close on our new house on or before November 3rd, thus a big move is in store for us! Also, I anticipate going back to work in November. I'll go back part time at first and then by December, I should be back full time and Braylon will begin day care full time. This will likely be more of an adjustment for me than Braylon, but I'm positive that we'll make the transition just fine. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy every minute I have at home with my little guy.
We broke out the Baby Einstein jumper a bit early, but Braylon really seems to like it. He can't quite touch the floor, nor can he sit up in it without a little support, but we make it work. We use a towel to help support him; otherwise, he'll face plant into the toys. He has really taken to a few of the toys on the jumper. He loves to look at the sunshine smiley face. He looks at it very intently and will coo and smile at it. Here he is, in a trance-like state, as he gazes at its goofy little smile. 
He also really digs the spinning frog. He reaches for it and leans forward as if he really wants to put it in his mouth. In the picture below, he seems determined to eat it! He sat like this, both hands gripped on the side bars, staring down that frog for several minutes. If you look closely, you can actually see the drool! 
There are other great gadgets like music, lights, spinners, and noise makers. This thing is a life saver, especially when I need to get some work done around the house. Braylon stays entertained for a good 10 minutes and then it's on to the next adventure!
On Saturday, Bryan, Braylon and I visited Braylon's newest buddy. Briggs Patrick Tomlinson was born on Oct. 7, 2008 to our good friends, Greg and Sara Tomlinson. Briggs weighed in at 9.5 lbs and measured 20.5 inches. It was amazing to see him at just 4 days old. He was so tiny. It's hard to remember Braylon being that little. As you can see, Briggs is dwarfed by Braylon at this point. Soon, however, they will be chasing one another around and getting in to all kinds of trouble together. We are happy to welcome Briggs and look forward to the years ahead.
On Wednesday, Braylon and I ventured out to the local pumpkin patch with Kelly, Riley and Tristan. It was such a nice day; the weather was fantastic! There were so many photo opps, it was great! I snapped as many pictures as Braylon would tolerate. Tristan was so cute, running around, excited by all the tractors and pumpkins. Riley just hung out, minding her own business. And Braylon, well that was a different story. After I sat him up with the scarecrow, lay him in a batch of pumpkins, and propped him up for a group shot, he had had enough! 
As we made our way out to the pumpkin patch atop the hay bales and trailer, Braylon started to get fussy. I inconveniently forgot to pack the paci, so we were in trouble. Once we had the paci, we were good. We didn't leave with a pumpkin, but we did get some cute pics so all was not lost! 
Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby? I love to snuggle with Braylon while he's sleeping. 
I also love to watch him sleep. He seems so peaceful and at times, he'll make the cutest sounds ever. Over the past few months, I've captured numerous photos of Braylon while he sleeps. Here are a few of my favorites.
We've been putting in some extra time on the "tummy time" mat, building our neck and back muscles to support this heavy melon. Braylon enjoys tummy time for the most part. 
Sometimes, he'll fuss a bit when he's had enough... (he's either screaming, "Get me off my belly!" or "Get that camera out of my face!")
We've broken out the bumbo and love it! It allows Braylon to gain a different perspective on the world. He seems to enjoy sitting upright in his bumbo as he plays with his toys. He's even figured out how to make his favorite toy play music by swatting at it randomly. It surprises him sometimes and he'll laugh and coo at it! Once we get a video camera, we'll be able to share some footage of him playing and cooing. In the meantime, we'll continue to share the still photos of his progress. Here's a series of photos I took as I tried to get him to sit up...as you can see, we failed. He didn't really seem to mind as evidenced by the goofy smile on his face as he face planted onto the couch.
