All posts in category Baby Cakes

Garrett’s 1st Birthday; Part 1

If you missed my post about my baby turning 1 year old, you can read it here. Sunday was his birthday and although his big party isn’t until this coming Sunday we celebrated with our family and Dan’s family. They’ve recently bought a house in our neighborhood and are living between here and their home in Pensacola. I can’t even begin to tell you how nice it is to have family close by! It’s great to just say Hello whenever we want, to drop off the little guy for a couple hours so I can run errands or to have someone come over to our house to put G to bed so Dan and I can go out to dinner. We are so happy they’re here! We’ve also got my parents, another one of my brothers, my Grandma, and some Aunts, Uncles, and cousins coming into town this weekend to spend some time on the Lake for Garrett’s party and the 4th and we are so excited to have the company!

I will do a post after Garrett’s First Birthday Party next week, but wanted to share some pictures from his actual birthday because they are just too cute not to!

Our day started out pretty normal, G was up about 6:15 like usual we gave him his sippy of milk and brought him into bed with us for a little while before heading downstairs for his favorite PANCAKES!!! The special thing was that Dan made Garrett’s into the shape of Mickey Mouse…..and he loved it!

After breakfast we played for a while and then I ran a few errands with Dan’s Mom while G napped, and then went to the pool with his Daddy!

We did a little more playing and attempted to do a little more napping but that didn’t work so well so I baked G’s birthday cake and when it was time we headed over to Grandma Lynn and Grandpa Rich’s house for dinner! Another nice thing about having family so close, we had a nice homecooked meal and I didn’t have to do anything for it 🙂

Garrett got to play with his toys over at the Grandparent’s house

He had fun with Grandpa Rich

He saw his special birthday chair

And we had a nice family dinner

Then it was time to get ready for cake!

We sang and blew out his candle

And gave him his hunk of cake….at first he wasn’t too sure what to do with it

But he quickly figured it out and then there was no stopping him!

He even decided to share a little bit 🙂

And ended up looking like this…

After a quick facetime chat with Nana Pam and Grandpa Paul it was into the tub (well the sink at first) and then onto the presents (which unfortunately…G has no interest in opening, but does like the playing)

We played until his “sugar high” wore off and he was ready for bed, then made the short walk home to put him down!

It was a great day and we can’t wait to celebrate all over again next weekend!!

I think it’s safe to say Garrett thoroughly enjoyed himself…

….and his birthday cake too!

3 Comments

by Jenny on June 27, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Baby Cakes, Family, Holidays

Tagged Birthday Cake, First Birthday

Posted by Jenny on June 27, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/06/27/garretts-1st-birthday-part-1/

12 Months Old!

The time has finally come….I’ve oficially used up my last monthly tie because my baby turned 1 year on Sunday! (I’ll do a separate Part 1 Birthday post tomorrow…part 2 will follow after his party this weekend)

It’s a bittersweet moment for me, and hard to believe that he is no longer my little baby, but he has now oficially entered the toddler era. Some say that they don’t consider their kids toddlers until they are at least walking (which G is not doing alone yet) but other websites consider them to be toddlers once they’ve reached the 1 year mark. Either way, this has been the best, most challenging, but also the most incredible year of my life, and I am so proud of my little man. He’s taught his Dad and I so much about life and we are thrilled to be his parents!

G had his 1 year check-up yesterday complete with 4 shots and a finger prick!! Poor little guy, he was a tropper although he really hates being poked and prodded (don’t we all!)

Here are his 12 months stats!!

Height: 33.5 inches (>97%)
Weight: 22 lbs 14 oz (50%)
Head Circumference: 47cm (75%)

Our Pediatrician always tells us what a Good Job we’re doing whenver we see him, which is reassuring coming from a Dr. He’s given us the go ahead to wean G off of all bottles (which we have pretty much done already) He gets a sippy cup of whole milk in the morning when he wakes up (about 5oz) before his morning and afternoon naps (about 4oz each time) and a bottle before bed (about 6-7oz) So total, he gets around 20 oz of milk per day along with his 3 meals and a snack (water with all of these) Our Pediatrician says he should be getting between 10-20 oz of milk each day so I guess we’re doing alright. If he doesn’t want all of his milk, he won’t drink it, and his eating habits have stayed strong, so we’re going to continue on the higher end of the milk/per day with the hopes that all the calcium will give him the strenth to be able to walk unassisted sooner rather than later.

He has no problem walking and actually prefers it as long as he has something or someone’s finger to hold on to while doing it. I think he’s just a little bit scared, and I’m sure he will get it on his own soon enough

He’s still pulling up on everything, and cruising along furniture all of the time

He’s learned with just a small hand signal from me that he has to turn himself around before safely going down the stairs

If he doesn’t like the way something feels on his knees he will bear crawl his way across it

Hes likes to take things off or out of something and then put them back on or in, and constantly finds things to do this with

He’s a great eater, and drinker
Wears size 12-18 month clothes
Size 6 shoes
Size 3 or 4 diaper
Loves to be outside

Specifically with his doggies

Still has 8 teeth and I think some of his molars are starting to work their way in
He smiles, laughs and giggles all of the time, especially when Daddy throws him up in the air and catches him

It’s hard to believe that in just 12 short months, he has gone from this…

To this…

Garrett…you are the best thing that has ever happened to your Dad and I. We couldn’t be happier or feel more lucky that we were the ones chosen to be your parents. Everything about you is infectious….I can’t help but stare in wonder of all of the things you do. Your giggles make my heart smile, and your smile will light up an entire room! You continue to amaze us every day of our lives and we are so proud of the little person you have already become.

Thank you for giving our lives a purpose, you are the best and most handsome little man in this entire world, and we love you more than you will ever know!

3 Comments

by Jenny on June 26, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Baby Cakes, Family, Holidays, Life

Posted by Jenny on June 26, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/06/26/12-months-old/

Munchkin Meals

My friend Brittany over at A Healthy Slice of Life participates in a weekly What I ate Wednesday post and lately she’s been adding in what she feeds her 9 month old little girl as well. These posts have generated lots of interest among other new Mom’s, myself included, as we’re all trying to come up with new ideas of what to feed our little ones. That being said, she’s decided to do a post called Munchkin Meals featuring the meals that she and fellow bloggers give to their kids throughout a typcial day with the hope that we can bounce ideas off of one another and liven up our kids plates, and their palates.

munchkin meals

My son Garrett will be 1 on Sunday and he eats 3 solid meals a day along with a snack and about 3 cups/bottles about 6 oz each of milk. I try as much as I can to give him what I am eating but sometimes that just doesn’t work. He’s always been a great eater, and will try anything but he definitely has his favorites (as we all do)

Below you’ll find a snapshot of what G eats, although the foods obviously change, I try to make sure he gets a protein, a fruit and/or a veggie, and a complex carb at every meal. This is what yesterday looked like for us!

At breakfast he is generally really hungry and eats a lot. I put him in his high chair and give him some puffs or dried fruit to hold him over while I prepare his meal, and if I’m not fast enough….he lets me know!

We split yesterdays breakfast after our morning walk at 8:00 a.m.

Homemade blueberry pancakes with a little bit of butter and real maple syrup
a scrambled egg
pears.
I had orange juice, and Garrett had water.

G didn’t want to take his morning nap yesterday so when we were on our way home from the gym around 11:45 he crashed in the car and slept until 2:00 making for a very late lunch (he usually eats lunch around noon) so again, he was really hungry!

Half of a grilled turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread
Avocado cut into chunks

and more blueberries which should make for an interesting diaper!

Since lunch was late, so was dinner. G usually eats around 5 but I didn’t feed him until 6 last night. Again he ate what I ate

Grilled BBQ chicken
Corn on the cob, cut from the cob for G and cooked to perfection in the microwave!!! (Have you heard how to do this? It’s amazing, and after it’s cooked you literally just shake the corn from the husks and silks and it comes out perfectly clean and deliciously sweet every time!!!!!)
Orzo pasta salad with tomatoes, yellow peppers, arugla, basil, goat cheese and little bit of Newman’s Own Light Red Wine Vinegar and Olive Oil (the orzo is a little difficult for G to pick up, but he at least gets the veggies)
Watermelon

I am trying to get him to learn to eat from a plate but I usually only put a little bit of food at a time or else it all ends of on the floor for the dogs to eat.

Not pictured were the puffs and yogurt melts that he snacked on during our walk and our Target run! So…nothing too fancy, and we do lots of repeat meals although I really do try to feed him what I eat, because it’s just easier for me. Some other staples in our house are ravioli, diced ham, sweet potatoes, organic mandarin oranges, frozen peas, deli turkey meat, bananas, greek yogurt, and pretty much whatever fresh produce I have or what I’ve got in my fridge! I’m looking forward to hopefully picking up a few new meal ideas!

And some after dinner entertainment with my favorite boys!

What are your staples for your Little Munchkin’s Meals??

Here we go Again!!

So our little man is just a mere 5 days away from his first birthday! I seriously cannot believe that just about a year ago I was at the Dr being told that they were going to induce me and we were finally going to be able to meet the sweet little guy who had been rolling around and hiccuping in my belly for what felt like so long! Now almost a year has gone by and I just want time to slow down he’s getting so big so fast!

And he doesn’t seem to be the only one of us getting bigger 😉

Yep, he’s definitely not the only one getting bigger, but he is going to be the Big Brother!!!!!!!!

Hard to believe that I am only about 11.5 weeks pregnant in this picture. I am living proof that you show much earlier with the second one. I was probably about 18 or 19 weeks before I looked like this with G, although, my uterus didn’t even get a full year to shrink back to it’s normal size after having Garrett, so I guess it is to be expected.

So yes, we are expecting another little one due to arrive on December 30th 2012!! I think it will be a New Years Baby, but we shall see! Our newest addition and G will be almost exactly 18 months apart! Some may think that is pretty close, and it is, but it’s also pretty common. One of my brothers and myself are 17 months apart, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! We have a great relationship and I know that the proximity in our age has a lot to do with that. My hopes are that Garrett and his little brother or sister will grow up to be best buds, and the farther along I get the more excited I become to add another little addition to our family!

You’re probably wondering if we were “trying” and I can’t say that we were planning it down to the due date but Dan and I have always known that we wanted to have at least 2 that were close in age, so we took on the whatever happens happens approach and I am extremely fortunate that I seem to be a fertile Myrtle, but I’m pretty sure that runs in my family 🙂 so when we found out we were kind of like “well alright…here we go again!” I’ve been excited about this pregnancy since we found out, but I’ve had other emotions as well. Some days I would be super pumped and feel like I could take on the world, and others I would find myself saying what the hell am I doing? I’m still trying to figure out how to be a good Mother to my one child, how am I going to do 2??? But I’ve been reassured that these feelings are all normal, and I’m lucky enough to have the best husband in the world to figure it all out with. Of course I’ve had my moments of anxiety, specifically before each of my Dr’s appointments, but I’ve had 3 ultrasounds all of which showed a strong heartbeat, and I had my 12 week appointment today where again, I was able to hear the heartbeat through the doppler device. Not to mention my girlfriend is letting me borrow her handheld doppler so I can listen whenever I feel the need.

My symptoms have been pretty similar to those I had with Garrett, although my first telltale sign that I was pregnant came when I was using my favorite bath and body works lotion (that I’ve been using for years) and it smelled much different than it normally does. I almost didn’t want to use it again because it smelled so musty to me! My sense of smell is crazy, I like spicy foods, others seem bland, I’ve been a little more nauseous, but haven’t been sick, ground meat repulses me, and fruits and veggies are my go to snack; also… I am absolutely exhausted, but my Husband swears (even though I think he’s nuts,) that I was this tired with G too. I try to lay down and nap or just relax when G takes his afternoon nap and I’m usually in bed before 10 pm. But other than that, I’m feeling good! Really the only other difference with this one is that the heart rate has been consistently higher than Garrett’s was. G’s was always between 150-155 and this one is usually in the upper 160’s or 170’s. Dan is convinced that this one is a girl…I think it may be too, but I’m not 100% sure yet, only 6 more weeks until we can find out! My belly started popping out a few weeks ago, and it just gets more and more obvious every day. I’m just about not able to fit into my pre-pregnancy shorts/pants, so it’s back to the maternity drawers I go! Luckily I have plenty of summer maternity clothes from last year that I’ll be able to wear, but since I wasn’t very pregnant in the winter with G I’ll have to invest in some winter clothes. Although, if our fall/winter this year is as mild as it was last year, I may be in pretty good shape!

Alright…this post has gone on long enough….thanks for sticking with me through it. I’ll continue to do updates on Baby #2 whenever something neat happens along with my other posts!

Now to lay down for a few minutes before G wakes up from his nap 🙂

Have a Great Tuesday!

4 Comments

by Jenny on June 19, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Baby Cakes, Family, Life, Pregnancy

Tagged Baby #2, pregnancy

Posted by Jenny on June 19, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/06/19/here-we-go-again/

11 Months

I can’t believe we will have a 1 year old in less than a month! Seriously this has been the best, most challenging year of my entire life and it’s crazy how quickly time has gone by.

Garrett turned 11 months last Thursday and we are still enjoying every minute of every day with him. His personality is really starting to come through, and he’s still learning so much every day. No Dr’s appointment this month, but I can tell you first hand that he is getting heavy! I used to feel like I could carry him around all the time, but now that he wants to be free to do what he wants when he wants (and usually squirms when you hold him) I find my arms and back tiring much more quickly now.

Here’s what he’s been up to!

Wears mostly 12 month clothes but can wear some 9 month shorts
Size 6 shoe & 2T/3T socks
Has 8 teeth

Drinks 2 bottles and 2 sippy cups of almost all cow’s milk daily (we’re working on getting rid of bottles all together)
Eats 3 meals and a snack every day and is such an adventurous eater!

Pulls up and cruises on anything he can find

Loves to hold someone’s hands and walk around (though he can’t do it alone yet)
Has so much fun climbing on Oscar and chasing Kuno
Enjoys peek a boo and hide and seek

His favorite toys rigt now are balls, he loves to thrown them and watch them roll

And he still loves playing in any kind of water he can find, though he is NOT a fan of his lifejacket 😦

Another of his new favorite games is to laugh and crawl as fast as he can towards the camera lens when Mommy is taking pictures, and is determined that one day….he’ll get it!

He’s smart, funny, is such a handsome little man, has the cutest laugh, he’s a Mama’s boy, can sometimes act like a wild little monkey, he’s a thinker and sometimes even a stinker

But he’s the cutest little stinker in the whold wide world and I am so proud to be his Mommy!

1 Comment

by Jenny on May 30, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Baby Cakes

Tagged Baby Milestones

Posted by Jenny on May 30, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/05/30/11-months/

10 Months Old

Here we are again, the end of another month and Garrett is now 10 Months Old!!! Time can slow down now before we know it we’ll be celebrating his First Birthday!

I think one of the reasons this month has gone so quickly is because as I wrote in my previous April post we’ve been super busy!! It’s hard to believe that May will be here next week, and it doesn’t look like it will be any less busy than this month!

Dan and I get to see two shows in May; Thanks to his birthday gift to me! (Come Fly Away, and La Cage Aux Folles), which means at least 2 date nights 🙂 G and I have a trip planned to Ohio to celebrate with some of my best girlfriends’; One with a baby shower, one with a college graduation/baby girl on the way, and one who’s daughter is being baptized, not to mention the engagement of my cousin Sarah and Mother’s Day with my Momma before Dan, G and I get to celebrate my first Mother’s Day and at the end of the month we have a trip planned to California for my cousin Leah’s wedding! Although I’m a little nervous as to how G will do on the 5+ hour flight, we’re excited to celebrate with my Mom’s side of the family and take Garrett to California for the first time!

I realize this post was not supposed to be about our crazy schedule, it’s supposed to be about our Sweet Growing Boy so, here’s what he’s been up to

Height, my guess would be getting close to 32″ (his torso and legs are soooo long)
Weight 21 lbs 2 oz (we had him weighed about a week ago)
Wears some 9 month onesies (because he’s so lean) but mostly 12 month clothes (definitely 12 month pants)
Size 5 shoes and he has 12-24 month socks that he is outgrowing
Crawls all over the plac very quickly so he’s always keeping us on our toes!

Has 6 teeth! 4 on top and 2 on the bottom
Eats really well…Lots of different finger foods and still some purees, loving pancakes, cucumbers, chicken, sweet potatoes, guacamole, grilled cheese sandwiches, and yogurt just to name a few

Can pull himself up to a standing postion on any surface and picks out what toys he wants to play with and when

Walks unassisted behind his walker

Still loves his doggies and is adament on getting Kuno to pay attention to him

Naps once in the morning and once in the afternoon and sleeps from 7:30 til about 7
Says mama and baba (sometimes when he’s feeling playful and a lot of times when he’s tired, upset, sad, mad, etc.) we’re diligintly working on dada 🙂

He’s one of the happiest babies I know, but he’s also quite pensive and always seems to be trying to figure things out
He has the prettiest brightest blue eyes, cutest smile, and sweetest giggle and I could stare at him all day ❤

I am so amazed by him and proud of him, and I can’t imagine my life without him. He’s the best thing that has ever happened to both Dan and I and we are so very blessed!

Happy 10 Months to our Sweet Boy…We love you so much!

April so Far

It’s felt like a whirlwind of a few weeks since my last post. Between traveling for Easterand having visitors, getting our new boat and training for my Triathlon (which is only 9 days away!!!!!!!!) we’ve been pretty busy! Garrett is getting bigger and braver every day and it seems like he is getting closer and closer to being able to walk on his own, although, I’m pretty sure we’ve still got some time before we’re chasing him all over the house 😉

We flew back down to Florida to see Dan’s parents for Easter and had a wonderful time!

Garrett got lots of time swimming in his pool,

and even went to the beach and into the ocean for the first time since he was only 10 weeks old!

He seemed to like the water even though the Gulf was still pretty chilly, but he wasn’t too sure about the whole sand thing 🙂 We’re hoping that he warms up to it a bit more next time

He also got to play with his Grandma and Grandpa Brewton a Lot!!

He especially liked showing everyone how well (and fast) he is crawling now!

We’re home now for a while and don’t have any visitors planned in the near future, and are hoping to get in some lake time on our new boat!

She’s sure to be the reddest boat on all of LKN!!! And since I didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time on our boat last year, I’m hoping this year I get to make up for it. I haven’t been on a wakeboard in a while and I’m anxious to see if I can still do it! But first….we’ve got to get G warmed up to his life jacket……so far, he’s not much of a fan 😦 which in turn makes for a little less enjoyment when we’re on the Lake, but we’re not giving up……he’s going to have to get used to it sooner or later!!!

Even though he can be a little stinker sometimes……..he’s still the cutest baby I know 😉

We’re hoping to give the boat thing another go this weekend! Fingers crossed it goes a little bit better than last time!

Got anything fun planned for your weekend???

9 Months Old

Look who’s 9 Month’s old!!

I know this post is overdue and I would have posted earlier but I wanted to wait until his Dr.’s appointment so I could include his stats….and just like I suspected our little man is not so little anymore!

Weight: 20lbs 6oz (50%)
Length: 31in (97%)
Head circumference: 46cm (75%

We had a great month that was absolutely beautiful weather-wise and also included some very special visitors! Unfortunately I didn’t get pictures of all the visitors but I did get some. Aunt Jess came into town for the weekend and she and Aunt Carly came up to see us and go to Discovery Place Kids!

That same weekend Grandma and Grandpa Brunner were in town too! They bought a fun little car to cruise around in and will be back soon to pick it up!

Uncle Tim came for a few weeks and we FINALLY got a picture with him!

Shortly after, Grandma Lynn came to look for houses so she and Grandpa Rich can be closer to us, and guess what?????

They are buying a house in our neighborhood!!! We’re super excited to have some family so close and are hoping that Grandma and Grandpa Brunner will follow in a few years 😉

Call me crazy, but I think Grandma Lynn enjoys Garrett a whole lot!

Along with our visitors, came a lot of new milestones! Here are a few other things we’ve been up to!

REAL crawling!! He army crawled for a few months and got really good at it, and now….he’s up on all fours all of the time now and getting faster every day!

Climbing up stairs. (Don’t worry, we only allow him to climb up the 2 short steps we have to get into our bonus room, that are carpeted all around)

Climbing all over Mommy and Daddy! They make the best jungle gyms!
More teeth…He’s got 4 now with another one coming in on the top…check out those chompers!

Pulling himself up onto things when he’s feeling brave

He enjoys looking at himself in the mirror and thinks he’s pretty funny

We’ve been swimming more and more, and are so excited for our trip to the beautiful Pensacola beaches for Easter! We like hanging out with friends at the park and try to make that a weekly occurance, and his favorite toys this month are….Oscar’s dog collar, the wheels on his trucks, stroller, toys, etc. red solo cups, and anything that rolls.

We also got a chance to to watch Daddy play softall and his team won!

We’re keeping busy and having lots of fun! Each day gets more and more exciting and we are so blessed to have such a sweet healthy boy who brings so much joy to our lives!

1 Comment

by Jenny on April 2, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Baby Cakes, Life

Tagged Baby Milestones

Posted by Jenny on April 2, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/04/02/9-months-old/

8 Months

So Garrett is 8 months old…..already. It seems like yesterday he looked like this, and its hard to believe that a little over a year ago we had just picked out his name. It’s bittersweet that our baby is so quickly becoming a little person, but it’s so much fun watching him learn and grow every day.

February was a very busy month for us.

Garrett went swimming to the pool

Flew to Florida to visit Grandma and Grandpa Brewton

And got his first cold.

Although that was no fun for any of us, I have to say I am pleased that we made it through 8 whole months without so much as a runny nose!

We don’t go back to the Dr.’s until the end of the month so I don’t have any offical stats right now, but if I had to guess, I would say Garrett is just over 19 lbs and around 31″ long.

He’s wearing 9-12 month clothes

Size 5 shoes!! (which is very big for an 8 month old)

He easily maneuvers from his belly to a sitting or crawling position and vice versa

Is very mobile and perfectly capable of getting up on all fours and taking one or two movements forward

but realizes that he can get to where he wants to go much faster if he crawls with his belly on the ground

He enjoys being outside

as long as he is not sitting directly on the grass

He sleeps at least 9 hours at a time

Eats 3 solid meals a day (mostly pureed, but he’s starting to get the hang of finger foods) and takes 3-4 bottles a day

Loves playing with Daddy (even when he’s under the weather)

Bathtime in the big tub

and is the best ever at making people smile.

We love you so much Monkey!!

3 Comments

by Jenny on March 5, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Baby Cakes

Tagged Baby Milestones, Baby Schedule, Swimming

Posted by Jenny on March 5, 2012

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2012/03/05/8-months/

How is our Little Man already 7 months old???

I just cannot believe that our baby is only 5 months away from being 1 year old! How did he get so big so fast??

Although it is bittersweet how quickly time seems to be passing us by, we are definitely enjoying our monkey right now. He is one of the happiest babies I’ve ever known, and he’s been sooo good….sometimes I feel like I should be waiting for the other shoe to drop 😉

Regardless….we are so blessed to have such a healthy and happy little man, and this exploratory stage he’s in right now is just the cutest thing!

Here’s what we’ve been up to this past month…

Weight and Height…guestimates are just over 18lbs and 29in
Even 12-24 month socks are a little small for bigfoot here

We bought a convertible carseat and though it’s much bigger and I can’t just plop it in a shopping cart (it stays in the car)…he seems much more comfortable in it
Sitting up by himself with minimal topple’s over

Getting super fast at scooting (army crawling) towards us or a toy

Likes to blow raspberries

Starting to pull his feet up underneath him and putting his butt in the air in preparation for crawling (won’t be too much longer)

Motors in his little walker, especially after the dogs
Tries really hard to open up drawers and doors (sometimes accomplishing the door feat)
Eats just about anything you give him (including toys and fingers) although food still needs to be pureed

Is able to pick up small finger foods like peas, carrots, etc but hasn’t quite begun to like the texture yet
Seems to have finally gotten the hang of his sippy cup with a straw, and will drink a little bit from that
Still LOVES bathtime and jumping either in your arms or his jumperoo
Sleeps consistently between 9 and 12 hours a night, waking (if at all, only once to nurse and goes right back down
And as always….smiles