Wow, Bronson is 1! And what a gorgeous, lovely and fun one year old he is!

Weight - 11.6kg and Height 84cm (in comparison: Magnus weighed 12.5kg and was 83cm at 1, so Bronson might be a slighter build)

We had a lovely, low key birthday celebration on the 1st of July with family.  We enjoyed the morning opening presents, well big brother Magnus opened the presents and Bronson played with them. His favourite pressie was a simple dump truck (with no bells and whistles) from Mum and Dad that he pushed around the lounge for about half an hour. We had afternoon tea and birthday cake with Mama, Granny, Aunty Nic and Riley, G. Aunty Diana and Cathy.  Bronson was just the cutest when we sang “Happy Birthday”; he was very coy and obviously knew it was all about him and almost fell off his chair (Mum caught him )  Bronson also managed to blow the candle out all on his own – what a clever boy! He then preceded to very delicately poke his finger into the cake to try it out. Of course he then was loaded up with chocolate and cake to hoe into and make a royal mess out of (pics below).

So, at one year, what can Bronson do???…

• Words – da da (for Dad and Dada for Denis), mum-mum-mum (for Mum), yum (when he likes something he’s eating)
• Favourite things – bedtime doggie, playing with anything in the kitchen cupboards and drawers, throwing clothes into the washing machine or out the catflap, swings, singing Old MacDonald has a farm
• Favourite books - Bronson seems to prefer to get the books rather than read the book! He brings a book over, sits up on our lap, stays for one page and then gets down again and goes to get another book, and does it all over again! But if he does stay to read, he loves Farmer Jones and Old MacDonald has a farm and a BabyTouch Playbook.
• Favourite food – watermelon, mandarins, hot chips and icecream in a cone

Bronson’s special ways and tricks:

• Walks amazingly well, very steady and cautious, he’s walking all the time now. Bronson is an expert at going down stairs backwards (thanks to Dada’s patience and teaching), and he can now reach right up and open internal doors in our house so loves being able to follow me around
• Kisses – he walks from Mum to Dad and back to Mum and back to Dad giving kisses, blows kisses, especially to doggie when we get him up from a sleep
• Dancing – walks around with his hands in the air when there’s music on
• Gives ‘high fives’

So that’s our Bronson at one!

Bronson happily having water dumped on him by big bro on the eve of his birthday

Length 82cm

First Steps – Bronson took his first steps on the 23^rd of May, a birthday present to Daddy!  We really set him up to walk between Mum and Dad and he happily threw himself at us… getting a couple of steps in before we caught him!  He can now take up to 12 steps but is still mostly crawling.

Bronson is the cautious one (not like his big bro!) and doesn’t like to do something he doesn’t think he can.  He will sit at the top of the stairs and think about crawling down, but most of the time waits for someone to come and get him.  He loves to clap hands and loves singing and dancing.  The hands flap like crazy when we put a Wiggles DVD on and he bops away!  He loves to climb already and often climbs up onto his highchair, stands up and just hangs out, or he’ll climb into a box or up onto tables.

So we’re gearing up for the big 1 Year Birthday next month, can’t believe our baby is almost one!

A cuddle for my big brother for giving me a push on the swing!

It has been a busy month with lots of new and exciting things.  We’ve had Bronson’s first Easter, his first haircut and he cut his front teeth on his 10 month birthday, we’ve had the 6 Cameron Grandchildren all together and we had a little holiday in Wanga-vegas.

Bronson stood on his own for the first time on the 19^th of April, for just a few seconds!  But he’s getting more confident at it and is very good and cruising around the furniture, but not quite ready to take a step on his own yet, despite some coxing!

We had a little Easter Egg hunt on the back deck which consisted of Magnus finding the eggs and Bronson crawling around after him getting his hands on any eggs that were left behind.  Bronson loves chocolate and now well recognises the coloured foil to mean that there’s something tasty inside!

We had a fun weekend with all the 6 Cameron Grandchildren together, including the 2 new editions, Nicola and Stephen’s 2 month old Riley and Rebe and Matt’s new daughter, Grace.

We went off to Wanganui to stay with friends Pete and Maryanne and their 3 little ones. We had loads of fun and laughed at how things have changed when we are saying Wanganui is actually a great place to holiday!!!  Bronson decided that he wasn’t happy at all about sleeping in a new place so ended up being up quite late each night, which isn’t like him. Bronson had his first ride on a boat; Keith took us up the Wanganui River and under a few bridges which was fun. While we were there Bronson cut his 2 top teeth and had a haircut, so he doesn’t look like a baby anymore at all! Mum was quite devastated to see the hair go and it took me a few days to get over it! 

MY FIRST HAIRCUT

Before shots

I sat nicely for the first couple of minutes, but then it was a bit of a struggle to keep you still…there was so much hair to cut!

After Shots

The official Plunket check stats at 9 months are:

Weight – 9.7kg (so not as heavy as we thought he was) and Height – 77cm

Bronson is very mobile now, crawling and pulling himself up to standing and cruising around.  He has started to walk along pushing things and will tussle with Magnus for a toy. Magnus has taken to pushing Bronson when he gets in his space, so that is not so fun for either of them.  Bronson has quickly learnt how to turn on the tears any time Magnus even looks like he’s going to push him! So ‘Mum’ has to be careful to not baby him too much (so Dad says!)J Apart from the pushing the 2 boys interact a lot now and that involves lots and lots of giggles!

Bronson is proving to be a quietly patient and persistent little one.  He is probably going through the ‘clingy’ phase and follows me around everywhere and needs lots and lots of cuddles.  He is always at my toes and keeps following me until I pick him up, but he doesn’t complain if he has to wait.  Such a good boy!  He is also very persistent when playing with shapes and can sit with me for ages working away at the ShapeO.  I am often so impressed at how long he will sit and play with one toy.  He has taken a liking to touching the DVD player and has the cutest little giggle when we try to tell him ‘no’! It’s amazing how quickly they learn when they are up to mischief and turn on the charm!

Ambulance Ride!

On the 21^st of March Bronson had a severe allergic reaction to egg so we had an Ambulance ride to the hospital, but all was ok. We tried to give Bronson a small piece of omelette which he spat out and wouldn’t even take a second look at.  5 minutes later Bronson came up in a rash all over his chin, neck and chest and another 5 minutes later his lip swelled up. So I quickly rang 111 and called Keryn to come home (from the petrol station). It was more a precautionary thing has Bronson was still pretty content, I was just worried what would happen if the reaction continued.  As it was, the swelling didn’t progress and it appeared it was just the area of his lip that touched the egg that swelled up, so it was fortunate he didn’t eat it.  The ambos were the loveliest people and were really reassuring and said we had done the right thing.  They took us to hospital where the Dr gave Bronson some meds and sent us home again.  So we are a ‘no egg household’ until we find out more about this allergy (which a blood test has confirmed).

Bronson also had a plane trip up to Auckland with Mum to visit Aunty Rebe and Uncle Matt and meet his brand new cousin Grace, what a treat!  So it has been a busy month! Lots of pics of Bronson below, his hair is getting pretty long and I think he looks just gorgeous!

Bronson with Grace (10 days old)

74cm long and still around 10kg

Well, we weren’t far off the mark saying Bronson was ready to crawl at 7 months old…just a couple of days later on the 8^th of February Bronson started crawling, text book style.  So he is now a much happier baby being able to get around.  Magnus however, is not so keen about his little brother being in his space a bit more and is learning to adjust to that.

 At about 7 ½ months Bronson pulled himself up to standing while in the bath, so much of the bath time is spent standing up holding onto the side of the bath.

 Bronson definitely loves his food!  So quite a bit of my time is spent making batches of meals that would probably feed a baby for a month but Bronson demolishes in 1 week.

 One of Bronson’s favourite things to do is explore in the pantry and try to climb in – too cute!

7 Months Old Stats:

 Weight – 10kg and Height – 72.5cm

It’s amazing how quickly Bronson has gone from showing no interest in solids to being a hungry little boy who can’t get enough food!  He went from a teaspoon a day to 3 big meals a day in the space of 3 weeks, and now even needs an afternoon snack! He eats all his fruit and veg and lambs fry and his favourite is wine biscuits. His little hands twist back and forward (like he’s ridding a motorbike) when he’s waiting for the next spoonful. Bronson is an expert at holding a sippy cup, turning it around to get the spout and tipping up the cup to drink his water. I thought that was quite impressive for a baby who has never had a bottle and only started drink water a couple of weeks ago.

Bronson is so ready to crawl and is getting pretty frustrated with not being able to put it all together.  He can roll to get places but doesn’t seem interested in doing that, now he just wants to crawl. He can get from sitting onto all fours and then sways back and forward, puts one arm fwd and falls onto his tummy – so it won’t be long now and he’ll be on the move. 

The current favourite game is playing catch with a big beach ball – and he can catch it!  He’s still very particular with his hands, touching and exploring next textures and he always manages to find a crumb on the carpet… even when i’ve just vacuumed 5 mintues beforehand.

Bronson continues to be a contented little baby and just so easy! Check out some shots of the last month below. xxxx

‘The Cracker Monster’ – Bronson loves to plain crackers and wine biscuits!

Trying to eat cake with Granny, but had to settle with fruit salad

At Aunty Nic’s 30th birthday party

7 months and I can drink all by myself

On the cable car with Dad and Magnus

Good times in the shower with my big brother

Bronson and his bedtime doggie

At 6 months Bronson is 71cm tall (90th percentile) and weighs 9kg (80th percentile). Just for the record, Magnus was also 71cm and weighed about 8.5kg)

Well, this month has been a busy one with lots of firsts and Bronson’s very special Dedication. Bronson first sat on his own, got his first tooth, had his first Christmas, tried his first solids and went for his first swim!

So, to the first first – Bronson started sitting just after he turned 5 months old, thanks to Grandfather.  He asked if Bronson was sitting yet and I said no, he won’t sit until 6 months. So Grandfather sat him up in his backyard and Bronson sat and sat and sat – didn’t topple over at all!  Bronson was very proud, and I felt like a bad Mum who was trying to hold her little baby back!

The first tooth came on the 15th of Dec with much ease, the dribbling had just started and while Bronson was chomping down on my finger I felt the little tooth – no pain or unsettledness (yay!). You can just see the tooth in the shot below.

The Dedication of Bronson Alexander Martin

This was a lovely day to celebrate baby Bronson and for Keryn and I to promise to bring him up in the ways of the Lord, to pray for him and to always do our best as his parents. Our wonderful friend Greg took care of the official proceedings for the day with an excellent message about the importance of family and parents leaving a spiritual inherritance for their children. Andrea brought an exciting word, that Bronson has been set apart for God’s purpose and a special task that he will have to stand up for. And was had lots of family and friends there to promise to support us along this very special journey with Bronson.

My First Christmas and Christmas Dinner

We had Mama, Dada, Jarad, Adele, Erika and Royce all staying for Christmas, which has made it a very fun time. Christmas for Bronson was all about the wrapping paper and watching all of the action with Magnus, Royce and Erika.

Bronson lying infront of the Christmas tree on Christmas morning with Magnus and cousins Erika and Royce

We had a good couple of hours opening presents in the morning, a quick visit from Aunty Rebe and Uncle Matt and then went over to Aunty Nic and Uncle Stephen’s place where Bronson met Uncle Toby for the first time.  Then it was home for Christmas Dinner and Bronson tasted his first solids wearing a good old Christmas cracker hat!

He seemed quite keen on the apple but enjoyed chewing on the spoon more and wanted to hold it himself. I tried apple again for the next 2 days and the novelty had worn off and Bronson pulled all sorts of funny faces and wasn’t interested in eating at all. So i waited another week and he is starting to show a little more interest and eating a small amount of pumpkin and apple.

 To celebrate Bronson’s 6 month birthday we went for his first swim at the pool.  As always he was very chilled about the new experience and was happy to just lie back and float in the water and watch Magnus charging around the pool.

We are all making the most of having Mama and Dada staying before they leave this Thursday. Bronson has definately created a lovely bond with his Grandparents and has given them a million smiles to remember him by when they go back to Dublin.  Mum and Dad have been enjoying a few evenings out and Bronson has been lucky enough to be rocked to sleep by Dada a couple of nights

As always, we have enjoyed having more of the family in town over the Christmas period.  We have had a few trips to the beach to enjoy the great summer weather and a quick outing at the zoo.

With Uncle Toby and Aunty Rebe at the beach

Bronson having his first dip in the ocean at 5 months old – check out those gorgeous rolls!

The stats
Weight 8.44kg and Height 71cm

Well, what can I say…Bronson is still a cruisy happy baby! I am pleased to say breastfeeding is still going well and Bronson seems content with just milk for now (as you can see in those legs!) so we are holding off on the solids for a while longer.

Bronson is definitely getting a bit more active with lots of kicking in the bath, lots of thrashing around on the floor and he actually jumps in the jolly jumper now. He has progressed to the upright position of the exersaucer and loves when Magnus plays with him and brings him toys to hold – they just giggle at each other!   This month’s new trick is blowing raspberries!

Enjoy the 5 months pics below xoxoxoxo

Gorgeous Bronson at 4 months old – Height – 70cm and Weight – 8.3kg

Bronson is just the sweetest little bubie and is totally thriving. He is now sleeping in his cot in his own room and has slept through every night. He was probably being woken up in the bassinette when his feet or arms hit the ends – he really was too big for it, but Mum was holding on and didn’t want him to move into his own bedroom!

Bronson is just the happiest little baby and we get loads of smiles and giggles. He loves being sung to – favourites seem to be ‘Round and Round the Garden Path’ (he knows when the tickle bit is coming!) and ‘Wheels on the Bus’ (he loves being pulled to his feet for ‘the kids on the bus go up and down’ – he giggles and squeals)! He found his feet at just over 3 months and had them in his mouth straight away. He rolls non stop from his back to his tummy, so we are once again glad to have the change table with sides to hold down baby at nappy changing time!

Last weekend Bronson had a tummy bug and vomited Friday night and after every second feed all Saturday. He was still a happy little boy and only grizzled slightly just before he threw up – he was really amazing for a sick little baby. I ended up taking him to the after hours Dr on Saturday night as a precaution, but as expected he was coping just fine with the upset tummy – what a trooper!

We flew down to Dunedin for a week’s holiday with Philippa, Morgs, Max and Jonty and to celebrate Grandad Pat’s 80th Birthday. We all had such a fun time hanging out and it was just the cutest to have the 4 cousins together. Bronson got lots of loving kisses from Max and Jonty.  Keryn came down for the long weekend and we checked out a few of Dunedin’s touristy spots.  Bronson even got a ride in an Argo across some rugged Otago countryside – it was a pretty bumpy ride in the back in his carseat, but he happily slept through most of it.

That’s all for this month, check out some fun pics below xoxoxoxo

Magnus Granny and Grandfather, Bronson, Jonty, Aunty Pip, Mum and Max

Bronson with Great Grandad Pat at his 80th Birthday Party

The family at Purakanui Beach in Dunedin

Meant to put this in ages ago…Magnus had his first haircut on 22 July 2008.  He was a very good boy and fascinated by what the hairdresser was doing.  Every time we go past the salon down in Plimmerton he says ‘haircut’ – so was obviously a memorable experience for him!

The long hair before the cut!

Getting his haircut

Checking out the new “Me” in the mirror

What a hansome we toddler