Baby Makes FOUR!!!!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

The creeper & crawler has definitely hit perpetual motion, much to our glee, so getting them together, still, for even a moment's time is a *huge* accomplishment!! :) My two little elves w/ the big guy in the red suit! Happy Holidays!

On the MOVE!!!!

2010-11-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

May I present....our creeper & crawler! Given, she's NOT crawling a room's length @ a time, but this is a start!! I'll TAKE it, especially after there were those who cast their doubts & made it VERY clear they didn't expect she'd crawl before Thanksgiving!! Ha ~ perpetual motion here we come!!!

Pumpkins!

2010-10-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

THIS was last year...

A year later, and look what happens...!

It's never ceases to amaze me the growth and change that happens in a YEAR in the life of a child, mine or others. Yes, I tend to favor a small walk down memory lane now-a-days, but seeing the growth, the change, the mastery with which kids tackle life and all they teach us leaves me at a loss for words (Ha, not to mention adding a whole new PERSON to the mix!). I'm so blessed to BE a parent and be able to take it all in, for better (awesome trip up to the pumpkin patch up North) or worse (coming home w/ a badly sunburned baby :( and a toddler w/ a pus-filled finger)! Ha! Here's to next year's pumpkin journey & the leaps & bounds with which they'll grow between now & next October!

Halloween Who's Who?

2010-10-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

It's funny ~ having a boy & a girl many have commented that they look NOTHING like each other...though these aren't EXACTLY the same, I've tried to catch some of the same shots with them in/on the same things to compare at each age/stage...and the likeness is, I think, startling! Ha ~ some genes, huh?!?! :)

The Waiting Game

2010-10-07T21:00:00.001-07:00

Where we were a month ago:

Where sweet baby E is today:

You can barely make out the scars on her right heel, and if you didn't KNOW it was her right arm, it looks almost normal...the waiting game of 6-12 months is maddening, but I'm looking forward to her first return visit to OT tomorrow to measure the progress she's had thus far (even though the neuro said we won't see progress 'til a minimum of 3 months out). Fingers crossed and hopefully this surgery will be all she needs!

Rolling Rolling Rolling...

2010-08-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

She can roll!! After MANY hours & efforts to try to help her roll, our girl can do it on her own!! :) Not her best roll, mind you, but still, we'll take each one!! :) Go E!

Music to my ears...

2010-07-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Who knew that having a big brother was SO much fun?!?! Apparently, even at the 4 mo. mark, little E has discovered this about her big brother, and BOY did she ever let us know how funny SHE thinks he is...Daddy reset the camera and cut out the beginning shrieks of laughter, but I still think her belly laugh is pretty darn cute. :)

We love to READ!!!

2010-06-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Our evening tradition, before bedtime, is to read. Any book is game (usually) and B often stretches the books out as loooong as he can to read multiple. :) With the addition of little sister, B has taken seriously the job of "reading" to his little sister like we read to him. Thanks, Auntie Meg, for the enclosed super-cute book...last night he "read" this to E no less than 3 times, including the ladybug puppets, much to his sister's delight! :)

With no further ado, I give you B and "Five Little Ladybugs"!

Flashback....

2010-06-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

Not so long ago, I popped little man in the basket while I did laundry & it turned into a photo op...why not?!?!

Funny how life changes yet stays the same...fast forward ahead three years, and here's the new little lady, slightly larger than big brother and barely fits into the same basket. :)

...And We're Back!!!

2010-05-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

After a LOOOOOOONG hiatus, here we are with newest member already chatting!! Ms. E will be 3 months old in a few days and we're loving her red hair & chatty little personality!! Ha ~ she already knows she'll have to work hard to get in a word, edgewise, around her brother!

Here's a video only a parent (or grandparent) could love...nothing crazy or flashy, just cute, but Grammy & Grampie, eat your heart out!! We miss you!

Halloween preview...

2009-10-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

Let the festivities begin...

Trick-or-treating tomorrow @ school, haunted train rides this PAST weekend, pumpkin carving tonight w/ Daddy, all before our Halloween party & trick-or-treating with his "best bud" on Saturday night!! Can't wait!!

"EARNING"...

2009-10-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to wonder if B's concept of "earning" things has become a bad thing based upon a conversation we had as he laid on the house in his yuck-fest of the last several days. Unfortunately, because he's gotten to watch WAY more "toonies" (cartoons) than usual in any given day (or week, for that matter!), B has also been exposed to many commercials. Uh-oh.

Upon watching a commercial yesterday (or maybe the day before) for something like a "rockin' robot" (?), he looked at me and said, "Momma, can I earn that?? Can I? I LIKE that Rockin' Robot! Can you get me one and I can earn it?"

We've not seen or had a discussion about it since then...

Perhaps it's good he knows that he doesn't just GET everything, and has to DO things to acquire things he wants...good 'ole hard work, even if it is potty training...

Perhaps I should be worried, however, for him to think that he can have anything he wants, as long as it's "earned"?? Given, he's not hounding me for it, bent on material possessions, for which I'm thankful...but I wonder? Should he be more encouraged to work, for work's sake, for the intangible benefits one gets from hard work and attaining one's goals???

Oh the journey of parenthood...!

What a Difference a YEAR makes?!?!

2009-10-15T20:55:00.001-07:00

What an amazing difference a YEAR makes in the life of a child...

Last year's trip to the pumpkin patch:

Today's trip to the pumpkin patch:

How fun to see him grow!

Little Mr. Bossy

2009-09-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

While it's a relief to know that our "lessons" have not fallen on deaf ears, it's always funny, nonetheless, when they come back AT you, and NOT out of your mouth. We had a double-dose of this yesterday that just cracked us up.

S came home from work early to get prepared for his golf tournament today, and was around as B and I had our normal, "Mommy-day" routine. As B was eating lunch, S came into the kitchen, being goofy or something, to which he got an earful:
"DADDY, DON'T DISTRACT ME. I'm 'posed to be eating my grilled cheese, Daddy."

Touche!

Again at dinner, S was contributing some monkey business and B piped right up: "Daddy, do NOT distract me!! I'm trying to eat some tacos for dinner, Daddy. Don't DISTRACT ME!"

I am pretty sure that my preggo brain isn't making this up, but I feel as though little B was even chiding himself in the past 24 hours...I vaguely (but can't remember which meal) remember him saying to himself, "This time is to eat. I can't play with these toys because I need to focus on eating now."

Thank heavens HE at least has the brain like a sponge right now!!! ;)

Night Time Prayer

2009-09-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

I truly want to get this recorded because it's so sweet, but will try to capture the essence of his endearing night-time habit. Before delivery, he was given a little lamb who says a little prayer. We play it for him each night before bed & awhile ago, he started reciting it with the lamb. Insert toddler speech patterns, though, and I never can help but smile:

"Now I lambie down to sweep
I pway the Wod my soul to keep
Angels watch me fwoo the night
Atil I wake in mowning's wight.
AMEN."

Don't ya want to kiss him?? ;)

He Just Can't WAIT....

2009-09-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

B has added a new phrase to his vernacular which never ceases to make us laugh:

"I can't wait to _____________"

He uses it about EVERYTHING...the constant joy, wonder & amazement of the world through his eyes is wonderful to behold.

This a.m., for instance, the school bus drove by. "I can't WAIT to ride the school bus to school when I get bigger bigger!"

At the grocery store the other day, buying EGGPLANT..."I can't WAIT to eat that eggplant!"

Upon anticipating a craft project we're planning on doing: "I can't WAIT to make that craft w/ you Momma!"

I just love it!

Bouncing, Summer Fun & other Silliness

2009-09-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

We have survived through a few nightmarish scheduling weeks and seem to have come thru unscathed, and still find time for fun in spite of the long days!! Just some silly pix of newer delights (the Bounce Gym), and some tried & true squirt park, or otherwise just silly shots!! :)

He is LOVING his new school, and exclaimed when we walked in this a.m.: "Look! It's ME!" at a picture hanging over his head...to which he then clarified, "It's me in the mobile!" I can tell you he didn't learn mobile from us!! ;)

Adventures in Eating...

2009-08-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

One plus of Mommy's cravings are that Brendan gets to insist on using chopsticks, like Mommy/Daddy, with which to enjoy his Chinese food. Never hurts to start practicing, I guess.. :)

This was the upside of the meal.

Downside was that it was THE worst (probably) lo mein I've EVER had...not really fair when that was what I was craving!! WRONG!! :)

Little Man Heads to "School"

2009-08-19T21:48:00.001-07:00

Here's to hoping he can make it to day 2 tomorrow @ his new "school", but had a GREAT first day on Tues.!!! :) After demanding his Batman, NOT his Star Wars lunchbox, we finally got him OUT the door on Tuesday where he settled right in! Yeah!!

SURPRISE!!!!

2009-07-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

At long last, I finally feel comfortable sharing our news...

We are expecting #2!!!

After infertility treatments and a bit of an ordeal, we wanted to lay low until the end of the first trimester before sharing the news.

I will be 11 wks on Monday, and had my 3rd ultrasound today. Baby is looking GREAT and was moving so much the pix don't clearly show (ha!) the appendages since he/she wouldn't sit still!! :) Frame of reference, in the pix, the head is to the left, looking down, and the little arms are right off the head, at shoulder level. Legs on the right hand side, kind of pointing down... Like I said, he (feel compelled to call it a "he"?) was rolling all around, so we didn't get any cute profile pix ~ I'll TAKE action shots, though!! :)

Hooray!!!

"st" --> "sp"!!!

2009-07-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

I have gotten used to (and love), the "B-isms"....

sprinkler heads = stinkabuh heads

spoon = stoom

special = stecial

trash truck = twash twuck

rabbit = wabbit

You get the idea...

Blends & diagraphs are tough for him, but that's normal developmentally, so we just enjoy the "little man" in him since he's growing so quickly.

THEN, in the last 48 hours, I've noticed...

"Momma, my SPoon is COLD!"

"Mommy, what's SPecial?"

My little boy is growing up!!!!!!!

...And We're Back!!!!

2009-07-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

We are getting back in the swing of things after an exhausting but fun two weeks back East!! We started with a few days w/ Scott's side of the family & went to Ocean City for a few days of fun in the sun:

The beach was DEFINITELY a bigger hit THIS year than last since he was big enough to jump through waves, play in the sand w/ his cousins, etc. Fun times!!

After that we were in PA w/ my side, for several amazing days up in the woods at the family cabin. I will post pix when I get them (didn't pack a camera as I was flying back alone w/ him!), but there was lots of frog/lizard catching, finger-painting and fun in the woods!!

Thanks to ALL the family for hosting & entertaining us!!

Overheard...

2009-07-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

When I put him down for his nap today, I locked myself in the office to get work done...and overheard him happily chatting. Then the tone changed, and I heard:

"MOMMMMM!!! QUICK!!!!! GET SUNWIGHT (Sunlight, his beloved duck) MOM. MOM! QUICK!"

I darted around the house, trying to recall where we'd last had a discussion about Sunlight before our errands/park outing this a.m. Checked the kitchen table, no luck.

meanwhile:

"MOM!!! QUICK! I NEED SUNWIGHT! PWWWWWEEEEEAAASSSSSEEEEE!!!!!!" (that's please in b speak)

Through the door, I respond: "I can't find him. Do you know where he is?"

B (whining): "On the kitchen table. Pwwwwease! I need him!"

(run around again. duck is NOT on the table for the 4th time)

B (desperate): "MOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!! I NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED SUNWIGHT!"

Finally, the little duck was rescued from the couch, put into B's hands....

....and then he needed his "nuk" (mind you, he rarely, IF EVER, used one when he was little little)...

so we rescued his Nemo nuk & he was off to dreamy land.

*sigh*

The Joy of a BOX!

2009-06-28T08:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we headed down to Grammie/Grampie's house to help put together some furniture. B capitalized on the opportunity and claimed this box as his "cave." You KNOW he loves something when he knows he gets to go to a restaurant for lunch, and STILL isn't interested, because he'd rather play in the cave!! Hours of fun, he had a snack in there, had "mail" delivered to his cave...he LOVED it!! :)

Father's Day Follies...

2009-06-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

Who knew that toddlers didn't keep secrets really well?? ;) I wondered if we would actually MAKE it to today w/ the surprise intact, and we normally would have, had I not strayed from our routine last night.

As B is "reading" lots of things now (actually just memorizing & reciting), when I ran across a book, "I Love You Daddy" about a month ago, I couldn't resist buying it to pre-read w/ B, in hopes that he could "read" it to his Daddy today.

Last night, S got to put little man to bed since I was out...and that's where everything fell apart. :) S was snuggling B in the big red chair, talking about today being Father's Day, when B says, "Oh. Have surprise for you for Father's Day. Have I Love You book hidden right under here." Figured as much!! :) S reported that he didn't let B unearth it from our hiding spot, but enjoyed "reading" it with him several times today.

Hey ~ it's the thought that counts, right?!!

BFF

2009-06-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

Sitting @ dinner tonight, little man looked at me:

"Mommy -- you're my best friend forever."

How could you not be??? :)

Cookies & Cartoons

2009-06-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

On occasion, my son gets to watch a cartoon on our bed while I shower. Hey ~ quick 7 min. shower can't hurt as our master bath is attached to our bedroom, right? We'll, we've never really had a "problem", but this is what I saw when I walked out of the bathroom to check on him after my shower yesterday:

me: (laugh, or yell?)
B: (noting the internal dilemma Momma is facing): "Umm, this cookie is YUMMY," as he gripped the small ziploc bag with two remaining oatmeal raisin, and gleefully devoured said cookie in hand
me: (opting for peace & putting life in perspective): "B, what happened to the good choices we make for breakfast? Bananas? Yogurt?"
B: "But we are all OUT of bananas, Momma...." (hopeful silence. begins to devour a second cookie)

hey ~ can't blame him for improvising, right??? ;) He usually pushes his breakfast chair over to our counter, climbs up, and grabs his "own" banana from the basket in the a.m.'s. When I returned to the kitchen, I noted the appropriately placed chair. With the lack of bananas, he went for the next easiest thing, one supposes?!?! Hahaha ~ a laugh a day keeps the Dr away!!!

Compassion

2009-06-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

We were at the park today w/ a few of B's little play-date friends. Said friend, G, has a little sister who is approximately 10 mo. old. My heart swelled as I observed the following interaction:

Baby on ground, crawling around curiously, picks up small stick & you know it will soon be in her mouth.
B crouches down to eye-level: "That stick is not a good choice. That stick is yucky."
(takes stick away)
B puts her pacifier in her mouth: "Here, this is better for you."

True wonderment.

THE PERFECT POPSICLE

2009-06-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is a random posting, but it's totally worth it & needed to be said...for any Moms out there w/ kids who've been sick before, and spent at least 12 min. in the frozen dairy section debating the pro's of frozen dairy treats, say no more. I too have pondered the sugar-free, no high fructose corn syrup, all fruit permutations of the endless brands in the freezer case...throw it all out the window & buy these. TRULY.

First of all, they're all of two inches long. Literally. There's a reason they're called mini's. Want to review how many boxes of "all fruit" popsicles I bought that were "normal size," and after 4 licks, my ailing toddler declared he'd had enough, and the remnants were chucked, so as not to share germs with anyone else? What a waste! THESE are the perfect size. The other day, B polished off his first in a mere 2-3 min. Which brings me to my second point.

SLOW MELT. Read again, slow melt. They have a touch of gelatin, so that your carpet/floor doesn't look like an early Christmas after he's eaten the strawberry/raspberry/lime all-fruit bar. Aside from a few drips after he slobbered all over it, HE gets the whole thing and the carpet lives to see another day.

Third, yah, even though they're not sugar-free, how much is one really GETTING in two inches of frozen delight, and they're VERY low calorically (3=40 calories), so it's not like they're heavy hitters either.

Regardless...they really are the best. thing. ever.

They come in a box of 24, which I was leery about at first. No more. He can eat two a day, in any range of flavors from lemon lime to strawberry kiwi, and we still have backstock.

Kudos to the genius at Popsicle who thought up this one!!!!!

B the Tool Boy...

2009-06-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

While he's been mending, Daddy DID get him a bribe for such good behavior @ the ER, etc...now he's "busy working" every day... :) He loves it!!
(Note: YES, the tools are all plastic, look very realistic but ARE safe...!)

On the Mend...we thought..?!

2009-06-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Just a little insight into the last week...

He's practicing going into the medical field after all of our visits to the hospital & ER...

Staples came out today, looking good, but he threw up again tonight, so we're still not quite sure WHAT'S going on after the isolated puking Tues. night?!?! Ack.

Eat your heart out Betty, err, BOB (?) CROCKER??

2009-05-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

After seeing Mama in the kitchen, B is at the point where he REALLY REALLY wants to help cook. SO we did. :) After mentioning blueberry pancakes, as a feeler, he told me to "follow him" and dragged me over to our pantry to remind me where the pancake mix was...on the top shelf of our TALL pantry, behind the sugar...and he pointed it right out. That began his first entre into the "culinary" world...

Aside from occasionally getting a BIT too close w/ the spatula ("Momma, need that YELLOW spatula!") because he wanted to flip the pancakes on the skillet (UMM, NO!), he did really well & fun was had by all!! :)

Our FABULOUS result:

Yum!!

The Resiliency of Kids...

2009-05-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the week, this is where we were...thank HEAVEN for pediatric kids' medical staff, as we got great treatment after he was admitted Sun. for the worst case of croup he's had yet. I never thought my baby would stay in one place for 24 hours straight...but he barely moved from this bed and 23 of those 24 hours, I was wrapped up with him. Poor little guy.

As you can see from the video below, taken this a.m., he IS doing better, though...we went for a check-up w/ the Dr. this a.m. to confirm the meds that he's on in hopes we don't have such a siege again, and to check up on his lungs. Aside from a nasty, lingering cough, he actually is getting his energy back along w/ his appetite, so we're encouraged...fingers crossed!!

On the Trike...

2009-05-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

I've taken several pix of him on his little trike, courtesy of Aunt Melissa, but haven't taken video. Though he'd rather I PUSH him than actually push the pedals by himself, he CAN get it moving...we're working on it. I can't help it, though ~ he's still darn cute!! :)

We Heart Playdough!!!

2009-05-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Again, per Auntie M's request ~ I was going to grab the camera but then I remembered, M, and he was too darn cute to NOT document this SOMEHOW. Reasons why we LOVE playdough #418 ~ he literally was fixated on this for 30+ min. (which is saying a LOT for a 2 yr old!) and was only deterred because I NEEDED to get to the grocery store...he LOVES it, esp. w/ the cookie cutters!! FABULOUSO!

ENJOY!!

Elmo, Crafts & more...

2009-05-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

HOW am I so behind?!?! The past few weeks have been a BLUR...but we've had fun with Elmo in our own suite, included a random pix of an Easter craft he brought home from the sitters, but loved his face & love that he does fun stuff like that!

Now we just have to figure out why he keeps heaving and we'll be good!!

By Popular Request II

2009-05-08T18:35:00.001-07:00

Auntie M, eat your heart out...this makes me :) and he does it FREQUENTLY...the song, for context, is a Disney reference, two monkeys named Ooh and Aah who come on before his much-loved Little Einsteins...

JUMP!

2009-05-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

So, by popular request, we have more video. The first 40 sec. are the ones I'd hoped to capture (his new acquisition ~ jumping w/ BOTH feet off the ground), then he was just cute & chatty so I kept rolling. Enjoy, Auntie M & thanks for the feedback!!

The Growing Chatter...

2009-04-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

I've been musing on this one & wanted to share it for the greater ponderings, I suppose. Had I never had a child, I would never have truly appreciated the ABSOLUTE miracle of language acquisition. It's one thing to read it in a textbook (and I have). It's an absolute OTHER thing to witness it, first-hand, and fathom the minutia of changes that have to occur for all the pieces to fall into place when they're supposed to. I'm telling you ~ there aren't words to aptly describe it, but I delight in it each day as I'm chatting with B.

His current milestone is the inclusion of linking/helping/"being" verbs, call them what you may. All of a sudden, within the past week (or two?), I hear: "My diaper is NOT wet." "I am NOT tired yet." "B would like a fruit snack PLEASE." "ARE YOU TIRED? Need to go to beddie?" over the monitor as he wakes up: "MOMMA, where AAAAAAAARRRRREEEEE YOUUUUUU?" "Mom, are you making DINNER? What ARE you making for dinner???" Unreal.

What kicked me also was when the questions started, so did the little vocal lilt. As a fluent speaker, I'm never cognizantly aware of raising my voice at the punctuation mark that denotes I'm asking a question; I just do. Furthermore, raising your voice isn't something that we explicitly TEACH when we're teaching our kids to talk; well, I didn't! :) Yet, he has this little toddler lilt, almost sing-songy, and it's unmistakeably going to be a question when it pops out of his mouth. UNBELIEVABLE.

Just to WATCH how language unfolds is a joy & a miracle. Yes, I'm an education/psychology nerd @ heart, I can't help that it fascinates me, but how can it NOT?!

Ha ~ his next language step is a funny one. He's got personal pronouns. He just can't yet associate them gender-appropriately. :) Today at the park, he repeatedly talked about his little friend, M, who he will tell you as a girl, and said: "Momma, his shirt is pretty." Explaining that one as the six-yr old girl pushed his swing was a different matter, but it'll all come soon enough!

DUCKS

2009-04-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Though I've mentioned it fleetingly in the past, I have to devote an entire entry to the phenomenon that's rocking our house. That would be ~ DUCKS. B LOVES ducks. He has for quite some time after his very early ducks akin to those found in Bath & Body:

to one of his newest acquisitions, "Cutie" as he dubbed him, an early Easter gift:

to his now, much beloved [I'd say favorite] "Sunlight" duck, who goes with him EVERYWHERE, including his crib. I pondered the extreme loyalty & love for such creatures @ 1:30 this morning as I balanced on my hips on the front rails of his crib, to reach over & THROUGH the back rails of his crib (up against the wall), to retrieve said duck from the floor, where he inevitably falls during the course of B's sleeping. (Mind you: This one's only 1 1/2" tall, so retrieving a mini-size duck who's ONLY that big @ 1:30 a.m., while balancing on one's pelvis is more of a feat than what it might sound!!) :) But, he loves him.

Sunlight:

I just have to shake my head, though, at the things these little people fall in love with that we absorb in due time. Makes me laugh. If I counted all of the ducks in our house, I'm sure we'd have at LEAST two dozen (and that might be a GROSS underestimation), including his assortment of rubber ducks, fire ducks, etc. I laughed even harder when, the other day, he found Easter socks I'd purchased QUITE awhile ago, then tucked away & forgot I'd even gotten them for Easter. I hear, "THESE SOCKS HAVE DUCKS!" Needless to say, they were on the feet in 3 min. or less:

SO, there ya have 'em. I want to get a picture of ALL of the ducks, just for posterity's sake, but now you know the truth: my little man loves ducks!

Why we love our pediatrician...

2009-04-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

They know me. They know my son. That's enough for me to begin, but the last 24 hours have me REALLY loving Step-by-Step Pediatrics!! (www.stepbysteppediatrics.com)

First, enter my son's little accident from yesterday a.m. ~ dropping a rather smallish, but heavy padlock on his big toe. Good news was that, though it's black, it's NOT swollen, the nail's not bubbling up, so he didn't have to have it drained. Good thing ~ they would have been scraping my rear off the floor.

Thinking we were all good, last night he went to bed, no complaint, then 12:30 woke up gagging for breath, hysterical because he couldn't breathe, and coughing so hard he was nearly vomiting. Yeah for Round #20+ of croup. Gotta love it. Only thing I DID love was that we're fully stocked w/ albuterol, pulmacort, and an oral steroid to get it under control so we don't have to repeat the 9-1-1 from LAST April. *sigh*

SO, this a.m., here we were:

Again, GOD BLESS Susan & the crew @ Step by Step for calling, 2nd a.m. in a row, to make sure I was OK w/ a 5 mo old script, figuring out dosaging from an unusual 1 a.m. dose, etc. etc. ugh!!! I love a Dr's office who will still cheerfully help you, numerous days in a row, when you need!!

Grand scheme of things, we're hanging in ~ he's cheerful and has his normal piss & vinegar, so things shouldn't get ugly, and if they DO, hopefully we're ahead of the game enough that we'll be golden.

On Occasion of Grammie & Grampie...

2009-04-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Another reason I've been OFF the blog habit, as of late, is because we've had the occasion for a houseful of visitors, namely Grammie & Grampie as they drove out to AZ...and flew...

for their NEW HOUSE IN AZ!!!!!! HOORAY!!!!!

After an ordeal w/ realty, indeed, the house is theirs and they'll be abiding in-state half of the year to help w/ their little B & watch the little man grow!! Yeah!!!!!

EASTER!!!

2009-04-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Our newest "addition" to the family for Easter ~ B LOVES his "cutie duck" as he dubbed him, hopefully little J likes his cutie II too!

Fun @ M&J's for the boys' Easter Egg Hunt!!

Boy Things...

2009-04-20T16:11:00.001-07:00

This has become a weekly ritual in our house. NOTE for the nervous viewers @ home, B has one sans a razor blade, don't be worried. He LOVES "Daddy shave" time!

a MONTH?!

2009-04-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

How has it been a month since the last post? UGH. Time has flown with all that's hit the fan. Here are a few fun pix from our photo shoot last night w/ Darcy Jacobs Martin (LOVE HER! www.darcylynphotography.com) to start to get the ball rolling again! Hope more updates will be soon to come?!

Best $3 EVER

2009-03-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

Who knew that a quick, unplanned $3 purchase could wield so much fun? Our bath bubbles/body wash for B are one in the same, so I decided to get just a bottle of bubbles for his bath.

Enter Curious George. :)

Who knew that at Target, they have Curious George bath bubbles, with CG himself on the top (he pops off the top of the lid), and upon opening the lid, you find a bubble WAND to blow bubbles. Well. Curious George + bath time + bubble wand = one very happy 2-yr-old. :)

By the time we got CG HOME from the store, he was begging, ABSOLUTELY BEGGING, to take a bath. "NO, B, we have to go to the park and get dirty FIRST so we can take a bath." [NOTE: Did you ever really think I'd tell my kid we had to go GET dirty?!?] Off we pranced to the park, then back again for George time.

"Brendan do dis. BRENDAN DO. BRENDAN'S TURN." Mind you, he blows bubbles, which equals wand smooshed up against baby lips. Yuck. Nevertheless ~ worse things have happened! The fun really began, though, when he decided he needed to give George a bath.

"Brendan's turn to wash George." After requesting bubbles for George, washcloth for George, etc., I told him George didn't need any more bubbles. "Umm, need some SHAMPOO!" crazy. How do you deny that request, pulled deep from his little 2-yr old brain?? :)

$3 for Curious George bubbles.
Smiles...priceless.

Fun w/ Arts & Crafts!

2009-03-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

In one of Brendan's recent pieces of "Brendan's mail," the little magazine (BabyBug, I believe?) shows a colorful caterpillar that you can make from a cardboard egg carton. Upon first read (and every time thereafter), he has WANTED to make that caterpillar. BOY has he. So I finally got my act together to BUY eggs in a cardboard carton ;), get kid-friendly, washable paints (thank heaven!), and we found time this a.m. to sit outside and make the caterpillar. Easy enough, right??

WRONG.

Beautiful, sunshiny day. Don't underestimate the eagerness of a toddler, though, when going at it with paint brushes. I got these NIFTY new brushes that are chunky handles, and have the paint INSIDE the handle. Refillable, you squeeze the handle, and the paint comes out, into the brush. No more rinsing brushes, worrying about mixed colors so they're all mixed together and the color of poo, easy, individual brushes w/ easy-made paint! NOPE. Clearly, several years of advanced education weren't a necessity to make these darn brushes work. One had to unscrew the brush top, peel off a little seal, then rescrew brush before smooshing paint out. Of the 5 colors, only 2 were usable. Truly. I could open the yellow, but took me the entirety of the project to get the brush to screw back on. I got the red, but it didn't screw on perfectly, then I was unable to REMOVE it again, so it's cock-eyed at best, but it works. The other three, well, let's just say he "pretend painted" with them while alternating w/ the real thing. *sigh*

THEN, shall we mention how less-than-amused he was when he got paint on his hands, and would proceed to wipe anywhere and everywhere? Again, read, WASHABLE. Thankfully. Mind you, this was AFTER having him change his clothes into "messy" clothes, in preparation of this happening, which created a firestorm of hysterics like I NEVER anticipated. ;)

Ah well. We got 4 of 6 painted, he was covered in red & yellow, I was also covered, and three brushes sit untouched. Here's to starting arts & crafts escapades w/ a 2-yr old!! :)

Ladybugs, Caterpillars & Bugs, OH MY!

2009-03-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

Patience is a virtue. Yesterday we were running around, supposedly going to the park, but he kept getting side-tracked, climbing on rocks, and finally I'd had enough. Just then, I spotted a lady bug. WELL, that translated into probably an hour of ladybug hunting in this green grassy patch, while the little voice in the back of my mind kept reminding me that dogs used this particular green grassy area (though large) as their toilet, it was poo-free, he was LOVING the creature exhibit, and there's always another reason to wash hands, right?! :) *sigh* SO, we ventured into the lands of bugs and beetles (well, lady beetles if Mom got her way ;)) and had a great time! Enjoy!

Lessons From a 2-Yr Old...

2009-03-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

Don't have to work hard to learn from even the littlest souls. Today we were walking back from the park, and I pointed out these gorgeous wildflowers. I am partial to our desert wildflowers, but took a moment to reflect when my son, my very active, very busy son, wouldn't move (well, not 'til we got towards the end of the video, at which point I finally thought I'd catch the moment).

"Brendan sits and looks at flowers, Mama."

And he did.

Something to be said for simplicity, eh?

I heart poison control

2009-03-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

Truly. I heart the voice on the other end of the line who answers when, in a moment of panic, I need someone to tell me that truly, my little man will be just fine.

Just Thursday, I believe it was, I called poison control for the third time in my son's two years.

First-ever call: "my son just got triple paste on his fingers when I was trying to change him and they went right into his mouth and it said if ingested call poison control so i am what do i do (breathe)???!" luckily, i've never been laughed at. the woman said he's consumed such a minor amount, he'd be fine. and he was.

Second-ever call, I was so overwhelmed w/ my multi-tasking life, I forgot that I had a pot of water (with his nebulizer mask) on the stove, and the water boiled away, and the medical thingy melted, leaving plastic fumes in the house. we threw open every window in the house (when it was maybe 40 degrees outside) i was neurotically paranoid we'd all die from poison gas in our sleep. i called again.

Thursday's, third-ever call, was actually FROM a public park. How many Mom's have actually called poison-control from a PARK? I did. Truly, the city planner/landscape architect who planned the park down the street from our house must have NEVER thought for a moment that small children might ACTUALLY be at a PARK. amazing concept. the playground equipment at the park is surrounded by oleanders. true fact that oleanders are NOT only poisonous to dogs, but to all mammals, including small, innocent children. when consumed, oleander leaves/flowers can cause death. hence our close shadowing of B as he loves to run in between these bushes. But on Thursday, he was picking the adorable little pink flowers, as these lovely bushes bloomed, and was telling his Mama that they were umbrellas. Mama looked up to see who was walking our direction, then looked down to see a saliva-covered hand, with a partial leaf of an oleander.

panic ensued.

Mama: "B, did you eat the flowers?"
B: "YES. SILLIEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD."
Mama: "B, it's NOT silly. DID or did you NOT eat the flower?"
B: "YES. SILLIEST thing i've EVER heard!!!!"

Looked in mouth. no apparent flower petals or paraphenalia. "YES" persisted, but my gut told me that he'd NOT eaten it (silliest thing he'd EVER heard), but how quickly can symptoms come on? how much do they have to eat?

1-800-222-1222, I believe...I believe this time, the woman DID tell me to take a deep breath, he'd be fine, he'd have to consume large amounts of flowers or leaves to be poisoned. Should I expect him to have ANY symptomology? NO, I was told. Give him a drink and just let him do his thing.

Needless to say, I placed the call to the City to complain after we'd THOUGHT about it so many times in the past...close calls NOT needed!

Hooray for poison control!

snowbowl

2009-02-28T13:58:00.000-08:00

This post is LONG overdue, but these are our promised fun-in-the-snow pix w/ the B. A great time was had by all, in spite of the:

a) obnoxious vomiting by my husband on our 1st night, which happened to also be Valentine's Day!
b) inability to sleep on 1st night by B, and subsequent 1:15 a.m. conversations:
"Mommy. Hear somesing (something). Hear horn beep-beep, Mama."
c) no power in the entire HOTEL on our 2nd night. hooray for flashlights & open windows so we don't gas ourselves w/ the fireplace when it's 23 degrees outside.

these minor hiccups were laughable and made the trip, which included sledding AT the hotel (no need to fight the masses @ the slopes) and B's first snow, MUCH worth it!

A Brief Sabbatical

2009-02-11T20:43:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize it had been SO long since I'd posted anything up-to-date, but thinking over the events of the last two weeks or so, I guess I have a valid excuse!

Series of events:

Jan. 28th: last post
Jan. 31st: Date night (aka B gets the flu)
Feb. 1st: Superbowl (Go Steelers!)
Feb. 2nd: Puking. Lots of it, toddler-style. Hooray for the ER.
Feb. 3rd: Began in the ER, and continued, at home, with more of little man's vomit. Gotta love it.
Feb. 4th: I started puking, and Scott left for CA & OR.
Feb. 5th: I think we're getting better.
Feb. 6th: Did I mention more puking?
Feb. 7th: Think we're better, dinner w/ friends
Feb. 8th: Take a guess...and more baby puke! 4 a.m., 4:30 a.m., 6 p.m....I literally thought it would NEVER END.

Also in the middle of our slightly not-so-happy state HERE, a new little man joined the parade (welcome baby Cooper, congrats Mommy Melissa!), and another special family celebrated their very special "Famiversary" (yeah little D!). Lots of happy things going on ~ we were celebrating & thinking of all from a far and appreciated the happy things to focus on in the middle of yuck!

SO, breathing a sigh of relief (hopefully not prematurely!), we seem to have turned the corner here, and should have LOTS of fun pix to boast next week, on our return from snow-land where B will experience his first white precipitation! :) Hooray!

In spite of the puke Olympics, I did snap a few shots last week ~ I didn't realize how bad we all looked until I looked @ little man in this picture ~ he REALLY was sick! These picture were how he spent many of his non-puke moments, poor little (but rather industrious) guy!

YES ~ this one IS what you think ~ let's just say he played dress-up briefly with Mommy's shoes! :)

I don't think he's EVER bathed THAT many times in a week since he's been born :(

Gotta love the funk-a-delic hat! :)

BOY oh BOY

2009-01-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

I am officially outnumbered by TESTOSTERONE in my own house. Check out the BOYS tonight....little man escaped after his bath and just HAD to play WII w/ Daddy, absolutely deaf to my pleas for a non-naked event!

Fun w/ Grammie, Grampie & Auntie!

2009-01-28T21:01:00.001-08:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Another smattering of pix from our last, fun-filled week! Thanks Grammie, Grampie & Auntie for making the trip and for the great times together!!

Happy 2nd B'day Brendan!!!!

2009-01-28T20:49:00.001-08:00

Just a few snapshots from a VERY fun day. WIPED him out and fun was had by all!! You'll note the shirt ~ actually has "2" for his b'day, along w/ Rocket & Leo from his much-adored Little Einsteins! :)

Happy B'day B!!

On Top of Old SMOKEY...

2009-01-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

Orange Picker!

2009-01-05T21:32:00.001-08:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

When Mommy got to go out for coffee and Mommy-time on Sunday, B was NOT a happy boy. Crying and running after me certainly makes me feel wanted & loved, but sometimes a little space is nice too! :) When Daddy played the, "want to go out back and help pick oranges?", B snuffled twice, turned OFF the alligator tears and perked, "umm hmmm!" The proof is in the pudding ~ a marvelous time was had by all (including Mommy who got to sip her pumpkin spice latte), and we're able to enjoy the fruits of their labor on a daily basis! Yeah boys! Enjoy a peek @ the fun!

The Littlest Firemen

2009-01-05T20:15:00.001-08:00

Superman

2009-01-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

Overheard as B stuck his head in as Scott finished getting dressed:

"The REAL SUPERMAN...!"

Note: Scott was pulling on a Milwaukee Brewer's long-sleeved tee, so who KNOWS what sparked that, but little man was in AWE! :)

Reading at Lunch

2008-12-31T16:08:00.000-08:00

WATCHER be WARNED: This is a long video. I find it adorable, but then again, I'm biased. I just LOVE watching him "read" and the chatter he produces with it. Just another day in the life, nothing earth-shattering, but I can't get enough of it. :) I had recorded a second (well, it was first, really) video prior to this of him "reading," then he threw down that book, exclaimed, "Big Bird ABC's" and this reading came about. Enjoy!

Urban Living Excursions!

2008-12-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

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As you might notice, B and I got to be among the first (thousands) to ride the new Light Rail, Metro Phoenix's newest addition to make the crazy commute easier and hopefully more efficient for those nearby. We are not so lucky to have it close enough that we'll be able to use it, but all riders could ride through tomorrow for free, so we decided to venture out.

Aside from the fact that we had to wait THREE cycles to get a train BACK because it was so full and the other riders were completely insensitive to the fact that I was travelling with a little one, the light rails are clean & attractive, comfortable, and he kept shouting, "faster, faster" as they accelerated between stops. Got one of him ON the light rail, then at our stop in between where, thank heaven, I had animal crackers to satisfy him during the frustrating wait. Altogether, not a bad way to explore & show him one more fun type of "train", which he loves!

Merry Kiss-ee-mess!

2008-12-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

As little man says, "Merry Kiss-ee-mess!" Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas...ours was wonderful with a not-so-little man running around adding joy, wonder and assorted humor to every minute.

Brendan's Top Ten Christmas Moments:

10) The third (?) piece of candy to ever cross his lips...the much beloved candy cane which creates an alarming mess of sticky, red baby slime that he LOVES!

9) The flashlight. Need we say more?

8) Riding home from Grandma's tonight, "Brendan home right now. Brendan tired." Upon donning his new Christmas jammies and rocking for a little while, he said, "SOOO tired" and asked to be put in bed! :)

7) As we pulled open his sun-block curtains after his afternoon nap, a hummingbird was nose-to-nose at his window, looking in. I had turned my back to get him and didn't see right away 'til he declared, "Little hummingbird FLYING! HOW CUTE!"

6) "Daddy, HAVE COOKIE! DADDY! COOKIE!!!" (someone wanted a LITTLE bit of dessert!)

5) (in car): "DRUMMER SONG! HEAR SOMETHING....DRUMMER SONG!!!!" (when Little Drummer Boy came on the radio)

4) "HOW cute! New books!" (upon opening several new books)..."how cute" was uttered SEVERAL times today!

3) Opening ONE present this morning then declaring, "Dinner's ready" and promptly consuming a banana, breakfast casserole AND an orange for breakfast.

2) Talking to Grandma's cat, "Hi kitty. Come on WALK!" (the cat was busily snuggling in his cat bed)

1) Playing with the nativity scene. When prompted about what was Baby Jesus' Mommy's name?, he was reminded, "Mary" to which he piped, "Mary Christmas!"

Merry Christmas to all & to all, a good night!

Green Beans, Day #2

2008-12-22T20:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is. I'm not even sure if I should discuss it for fear of jinxing it. Two days in a row now. TWO. He has eaten green beans eagerly, and even uttered, "umm. ummm" while consuming. why am I slightly alarmed, some may ask? In the past, we have days. He might want & eat them one day, then the next day they're the worst thing I could ask him to consume. Even on a good day, not many are getting eaten. Now, it's 5...6...and no complaints. Even with "All done" uttered, and a few left on his plate, he'll concede to eat (3) more (hurriedly) to make a tent w/ his napkin. As he, and only he can utter: "holeee moses"!

The GRINCH!!!!!

2008-12-20T13:15:00.000-08:00

Though slightly chaotic & somewhat crazed, we had a VERY fun morning. Aunt J & Uncle M (along w/ Baby J), clued us in to the reading of Grinch @ a wonderful, local bookstore, and pix w/ the green guy afterwards. Little did they realized how MUCH B LOVES "Ginch," so attending this suaree was a MUST on our holiday to-do list!! Though it was somewhat hard to get B to SIT during the reading (though finally convinced w/ a gingerbread cookie!), he DID sit and listen. Must to her delight, Aunt J's appearance was the highlight of the a.m. ~ he exclaimed in the middle of the reading, "AUNT J'S HERE!" at the top of his lungs. (oh dear). When Grinch himself snuck up behind the storyteller, B uttered not a peep, much to everyone's shock!! :)

Look Who's Here!

2008-12-15T14:26:00.001-08:00

Alas, we've been having such fun that we've not even had a moment edge-wise to get pix posted of B's latest visitors! Take a peek & see if you recognize them:

Yesterday, B dragged the grandparents (x3) and his parents to the train park up the street, one of his FAVORITE places, so that Grampie could ride the train. Here is the little aficionado checking out the lay of the land:

I L Y

2008-12-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

for once, it needs no words...

Hi

2008-12-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

This little man's gregarious self makes me laugh...just from a random a.m. walk...

Countdown, anyone?

2008-11-24T21:06:00.001-08:00

I am excited for the Holidays, don't get me wrong. But the more I look @ this picture (and others like it that will NOT be released 'til closer to Christmas [sorry Grammie]), the MORE and MORE excited I get.

Last night, well, the wee hours of this a.m. (3 a.m. to be exact), I was in B's room after a rough time coughing. After tiptoeing in to close his window, thinking he was asleep, I was greeted with, "Good morning Mama!" Mind you, this is 3 a.m. And he was totally perky. Crumbs ~ I guess karma has a way of coming back to bite us, doesn't it? Anyway, after picking him up to snuggle & get him back to sleep, he was in my arms, HIS arms outstretched in question pose (make THAT one part of your next yoga routine, yoga auntie M), saying, "OUTSIDE?! NOISE?! OUTSIDE? MEN! ROOF! NOISE!" Haha ~ it didn't occur to me 'til I was better rested that perhaps he was thinking about Santa, as we've been reading Elmo's Night Before Xmas book? There definitely WEREN'T men (or noises) on the roof @ 3 a.m., but perhaps this little Xmas hat has gone to his head...."who knows?!"

"Mama, Kiss"

2008-11-23T20:23:00.000-08:00

It amazes me how little man finds a kiss truly curative...today he was buckling the straps together on his diaper changing table when his fingers got stuck & he pinched them. He whimpered, held his tiny fingers out to me and said, "Mama, hurt. Kiss it better." One little kiss & he was totally appeased. If only all ills could be cured so easily!!!

Round #6

2008-11-22T20:25:00.001-08:00

I've been in absentia the past few....we fought yet another bout w/ round #6 of croup. Poor little man. He's on the mend but it's been a stressful few days!

Triumph!!!!

2008-11-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

I feel kind of strange blogging about this, but I'm too excited NOT to!!! Over the course of the last week, potty training has taken a notch UP towards the big leagues...I didn't mention it last weekend, on the outside chance that it was a fluke, but last weekend he contributed his first solid matter to the potty. THAT was a big first, and he's peed occasionally this week (usually right before bed time he asks to go). Then, this afternoon, he said, "Mommy, potty", so we dropped what we were doing, ran to the bathroom, and it was the first time I've seen him pee a STEADY stream, and he'd taken off a completely diaper to do so. THEN, as is common as we're putting on his jammies, "potty, potty." I always feel a LITTLE frustrated because I wonder if it's a stall technique, but after tonight, I'll never question again! :) He said he wanted to go on the little potty, so he hopped on & proceeded to pee a steady stream, not very much. THEN, he hopped on the big potty and did BOTH!!!!! We'd just CHANGED a poopy diaper, so I didn't even think he might have more stored up, but sure enough...made both contributions as I cheered him on!!!!!!!!! Yeah little man!!!!!!

Random Fun Stuff...

2008-11-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

Two pictures I had to share ~ our new happy hibiscus in our front yard, and Mr. B sporting Mommy's flip-flops!

Mutterings of Little People...

2008-11-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

I wish that random, spontaneous moments were captured to fully shed light on this little one, his personality & his vernacular. He says two things, appropriately in context and of his own volition, that absolutely SLAY me no matter how many times he uses them. The first is:

"Oh dear"

Note, in toddler talk without the oral motor control, it sounds more like, "o deaw." I can't help but grin everytime I wonder what he's "oh dear"ing...could be anything from a piece of food he's dropped, to something/someone falling or having a blooper...you never know what will prompt it, but it makes me laugh. The second is:

"Good job"

He LOVES to congratulate anyone and everyone (including television characters or himself) on ANYTHING they do that's laudable. Today, this included a brief moment on one of his favorite DVDs, "Little Einstein's Christmas," when the character uses his "Christmas Wish" to help another little character/teammate. We were sitting, snuggling & winding down before we went to his favorite "Red Chair" to read his bedtime stories, when this scene flashed before his eyes. I commented not one breath, when he said, "Good job Rocket! Help Annie!" (or something VERY similar) I loved that he was praising the characters for good behavior, that he had a string of SEVERAL words, and that he recognized the benevolence of his little cartooned friends. Though he does not watch a lot of TV, I guess I can feel less guilty that he does watch it?!?!! :) Maybe we'll make a point to watch it just so I can hear him echo, "Good job!"

Fuzzy.Green.Pajamas.

2008-11-11T03:36:00.001-08:00

need i say more?? :)

All in a Day's Work...

2008-11-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

Should we start the bidding at $50? Ha ~ child labor laws aside, we could really hire him out. He LOVES to vacuum! :)

Trick or Treat!

2008-10-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

B's first trick-or-treating experience was nothing short of a BLAST. He toddled/ran around the block which was farther than we'd planned, but he was getting his toes wet w/ the whole, "knock on door, say trick-or-treat, then walk away" thing, so it took a bit of practice (e.g. he quit trying to go IN people's houses!) and we figured hey, let him wear himself out! Our "last" stop was OUR house so you could get a peek of him in costume, with the pumpkin. too cute! he loved all the decorations @ the houses, referring to several as "spookables" (from his fav Halloween movie) and surprisingly didn't get scared apart from the last house we visited. He repeatedly gave away candy as he was meandering between neighbors, got to hold hands w/ two older neighbor girls & joined them for a few houses...we couldn't have asked for a better night all around! :) We ended the evening w/ a little "It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" before we convinced Superman to retire! :) ENJOY & Happy Halloween!

For Grampie...

2008-10-31T17:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Grampie,
I know how much you love dandelions, so I pick them at the park & do my best to further propagate the species. I thought you might want to see me hard at work.

Love,
B

Leading up to the Big Day...

2008-10-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

We've been waiting for Halloween...oh, so patiently.

B got to go to a "trunk or treat" with Grandma & Daddy with Cousin Baby J, where he also met up with Batman. We also carved up a few pumpkins to prepare for the big day!

Overheard...

2008-10-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

Overheard on the monitor this a.m. while I was getting ready & letting him chat to himself:

"Mommy Hi. Good morning hi. Mommy? Mommy! Good morning! Good morning hi!"

Waking up & getting ready to that happy little voice (and he wakes up like that 99 days out of 100) is quite possibly one of my favorite things of ALL time!

Bologna? BOLOGNA!!!

2008-10-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

The things we learn @ daycare never cease to amaze.

Today, I asked little man what he wanted for lunch. The adamant and very definitive response caught me totally unawares: "BOLOGNA." NOTE: I've probably not eaten bologna in twenty years, since I had ketchup & bologna sandwiches with my Dad. Yuck. (sorry Dad)! B has cultivated his liking for bologna @ daycare, apparently. I was tempted to call her and inquire what KIND she bought, so I'd buy the appropriate kind for his palate, but thought better of such a call. We ventured to the store to buy said bologna, and when asked by the deli man if we wanted a sample, I passed it over to him, to which he promptly piped, "THANKS!" HA ~ will talk for bologna, AND use his manners, apparently! Normally, he'll only sign thanks, under duress, but this was unequivocal! :) The joys of a 21 mo. old! :)

H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N

2008-10-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

9 days and counting? Less than the time since I last posted an entry. :( Sorry! Needless to say, we found the Halloween costume. He's going to a "truck-or-treat" festival w/ Grandma on Friday night to test-drive the costume, then will partake in the Halloween Parade @ my old school the morning of Halloween, followed by a few houses of trick-or-treating on the block!! :)

why we love pumpkins

2008-10-10T21:21:00.001-07:00

Potty Update

2008-09-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today was his 3rd successful attempt to actually make a contribution in the potty! Yeah B!

Pumpkin Heaven

2008-09-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks/months back, I had to put AWAY Brendan's Halloween books because he LOVES them, and wanted to read them OVER & OVER. I had to at least hide them so we weren't preparing for Fall/Halloween in the middle of our heat roast here. SO...I hid them away, he found ANOTHER Halloween book we've been reading until I finally succumbed yesterday, and brought out all of the fall decorations, along w/ the hidden Halloween books. The video doesn't do justice, but we've read each of the new Halloween books @ least four times today, and he's been RUNNING around the house, playing with the decorations, declaring, "pumpkin! ghost! pinecones! (in our fall leaves), pumpkins" and has been carrying his little monogrammed trick-or-treat pumpkin from Grandma Laura that he'll get to break in this year (at least a little). SO...still a month to go, we have to figure out what he's going to be, but we're in FULL Halloween/Fall swing @ this house!! :)

fun with silverware!

2008-09-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

I love the tippy toes in this one...my little helper when we were getting ready for dinner. :)

Video, Take III

2008-09-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

OK...third video. It started off as an attempt at capturing his memory reading, which you get a glimpse of, but it needs to be better planned in the future...anyway, it's a glimpse, but then turned into him coloring and chatting. Of the three to ignore, I almost contemplated NOT including this, so feel free to ignore this, but if you want another Brendan snippet, you have it! This will give Auntie M viewing pleasure for a FEW days @ this point! :)

Chatter II

2008-09-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

I am not going to post all (3) new videos in the same blog entry because Blogger MIGHT have a breakdown. It doesn't like the format the videos are in, or the memory, or length or SOMETHING...so here's the (2nd) video, titled Chatter II, since that's all it is, really, by popular request from Auntie M., who loved the first one. I tried to recall his newer additions to the vocab bin, so there should be some words you've not heard yet!! :)

Past Due!

2008-09-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

OK, OK....so apparently, we're overdue for a video update. By popular request, I'm adding not ONE, not TWO, but THREE videos (yah, prob. overkill, I know!) for your viewing pleasure! Our schedule is a little screwed up this weekend...after he didn't get to bed 'til a few min. before 9 last night after getting to view his horsey pals, he woke up last this a.m., then indulged in a 3 1/2 hour nap this afternoon, so he got to bed late tonight too. WHICH means we're probably in for a late a.m. tomorrow; NOT good as we need to be at the babysitter's by 8! Glad that he got Mommy's sleeping genes, though. :)

The Little Protege

2008-09-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

He makes us laugh. All the time. I had a candle open house this weekend, so of course, one of his new words is "candle." Even funnier is his new discovery, and this just as I type, of a holder I got at our last team meeting, a pinecone looking contraption w/ a votive holder. Perfect for MY son, the pinecone guru, who now also says "pinecone" and is contenting himself playing w/ the votive, the little votive holder, and taking them all in & out of the pinecone very happily. :) One of Sandra Boynton's books, "Blue Hat, Green Hat" has had him in stitches all weekend...we'll try to get a video but he giggles & shrieks w/ glee when reading it, and read it four consecutive times w/ Scott the other night before bed. :) He's also been on a fruit kick, particularly with apples of late. He's already eaten two bananas & one apple today. :)

Other new-ish words:
snuggy (for his "snuggy blanky"
carousel
fire duck
turtle
dolphin
candle

there are others...will add them later.

cheers for now!

More Words...

2008-09-10T22:52:00.000-07:00

The vernacular of the baby has now spread to include:

overalls
teeth
neck
please (peez)
tickle
candle (if you can believe that one!)
quesadilla (which he calls 'dee-yah')
tortilla ('tee-yah')
fire truck....just to name a few.

I, however, just looked @ the clock & realized what time it is, so no more musings on his chatterings, I've got to sleep! :)

Chatterbug

2008-09-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

I officially admit that I can no longer keep track of his chattering. The words per day, if I miss a day of blogging, are too many to keep track of in my head before I make it to the keyboard!! :) That's apparent on the video I've attached ~ on video, with him live & captive, I couldn't even remember them all to get him to SAY them!! :) Some very recent acquisitions in the word department include:

Today's Words:
Tickle
TV

*He actually woke up from his marathon nap this afternoon & was content just playing in his crib. When I went in he was still just lying, relaxing, so I started to tickle him, and after several tickle attacks, he actually said, "please tickle!" and kept signing please & nodding his head because he wanted MORE tickling!! :)

Then words from the time since I've last blogged:
Ladder
Moose
Mouse
Beep-beep
Ziti (you can guess what he had for dinner)
Cookie
Milk AND Please (now says both, doesn't just sign)
Circle
Oval
Nose
Tummy
Mall
People

...to name a few. I know there are more...my brain capacity just won't go there right now! :)

This weekend was a good one, in spite of the fact that it's still in the hundred+ degree heat. We went to the train park yesterday, and he got to play on the playground equipment before riding both on the train & carousel when they opened!
Yesterday afternoon, he shocked the stripes off of us when he said (and with his whole body made the shape) "circle" (sounds more like stirkel in his language), then proceeded to find several circles around the house. After being introduced to the concept of oval vs. circle, he also was showing us appropriate oval vs. circle shapes. Insane. Didn't see that coming, or the fact that he also knows and will show you a star shape either!

We also had several (albeit brief) car rides and he got to play with his little friend, Ben, today, which required a 3 1/2 hour nap this afternoon to recover! :)

He also got a haircut (awhile in the coming!), so there are a few questionable spots, but he looks much more presentable.

The curls to which we bid adieu:

Locks shed:

Our Walking Dictionary

2008-09-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

Each day, the words that pop out of his mouth amaze me. I am just trying to keep TRACK of them, to keep a running record here, but know I've neglected to list some SOMEWHERE along the way!

Here's a list for today thus far:
sticky
apple
people
pumpkin
fox
fork

We were at the mall this a.m. to play on the indoor play area for a change, and he went wandering out and into the mall...I asked him if he wanted to go see the "puppy" store, so we wandered over to the pet store. Good vocab practice and he was eagerly pointing out ALL the puppies, but heartbreaking to see sad dogs who deserve to not be cooped up! :(

Yesterday's Words:
bug
puppy
happy

He's asleep now, so we have a brief respite from NEW words, but I'm sure there will be more to come! He seems to have his Mama's gift for gab! :)

The Royal Potty

2008-09-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

Per one of my recent posts, we did buy him a potty this weekend, after much debate. He has, a few times, said the appropriate word when he did something in his diapers, is curious about going to the bathroom and dirty diapers, etc. SO, I decided that we could at least get the potty to have for him here to look at, talk about, as he nears "readiness"...

We opened the box yesterday. Within 15 min. of it being open, he wanted to sit on and try the potty, so we took his diapers off. Hey ~ can't hurt, right? He sat on it, figured out how to position himself, etc. Then, he squatted down next to it for a bit, got back up, walked around it and I realized there was a puddle on the floor. He had peed, RIGHT on the floor next to the potty!!! I felt slightly relieved after battling with the "Do we, don't we" potty debate.

Today, we got back from the zoo, and he said, "potty" and ran toward the bathroom. After sitting on it, getting off, sitting on it, getting off, he crouched next to it and peed right on the floor. SO...we're CLOSE...literally & figuratively! At least it's easy to clean up (floors can always use a washing/mopping) and he's at least aware!!

A Day @ The Zoo...

2008-09-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

B has gone to the zoo several times, but Scott has been hankering after another visit, especially given his recognition & vocab for so many more animals, now! SO, we headed this a.m., a perfect activity for a holiday a.m., as it's starting to cool down and there weren't many people there!! Little did we expect his vocab to include the word "baboon" after today, but that quickly became his favorite word!!! Take a peek...

Peek-a-BOO!

2008-08-30T22:51:00.000-07:00

He manufactured this game himself...

again, things that just make me laugh. he's done this, now, a few days in a row & does it just to make me laugh. :)

New words of the day:

STUCK (after he got lodged in the kid-car grocery cart, and proceeded to holler, "STUCK, STUCK, STUCK" at the top of his lungs after I asked him if he WAS stuck...

POTTY (yes, you guessed correctly that we bought him one today to start "practicing," to which he vehemently shook his head "YES" that he wanted to buy it! :)

DUCK BOOTS

2008-08-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

Very much like Auntie Meg when she was little, little B has very explicit ideas about he wants to wear...and for the last two days, it's been the duck boots. I'm the first to admit...the boots are ADORABLE, but who would really want their feet in rubber, knee-high galoshes? Apparently, my son. :) Here are a few pix of him IN the boots, but he grabbed them first thing this a.m. to wear to the babysitter's...new staple of the wardrobe, anyone??

STOP!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

Recently, he's acquiring anywhere from 1-3 words/day. It's remarkable & I would not have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes. Among recent words added are: "step, body, duck boots, sippy", etc. One BIG addition is the reason for the title: "STOP"!!! We've been looking @ stop signs and have a little (albeit not the best pix/quality) of him practicing his recent vocab below, then more of a story afterwards!

SO...brief replications of "STOP," which, as you can imagine, makes car rides QUITE entertaining!! :) My puzzlement came, however, at CostCo yesterday, as we're in the diaper aisle and he's shrieking, "STOP! STOP!" HA ~ not exactly what you want your child to shriek in public, but we didn't get any stares, I was just trying to figure out what prompted his vocalizations. Lo & behold, I followed his line of vision, only to see that Huggies wisely has a red octagon on the sides of the box, with "STOPS leaks" written over top. As my son pointed boldly to the diaper box, he was faster than his Mommy to realize that Huggies had included such a sign on their box. I was amazed & blown away! :)

Airplanes. Mama.

2008-08-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

I/we survived my first separation from little man over the past weekend. I flew home to be with my family for my grandfather's funeral, and B stayed home with Daddy so as not to totally screw with his circadian rhythms after changing triple time zones twice in 48 hours. SO...how did the first separation go, many inquired??

Just fine.

I didn't sob, he didn't sob (well, after regaining his composure when they left me @ the airport), and Scott was fine! Phew!

On our way to the airport, I told B to find his stuffed airplane when he got home and to snuggle it since Mama was going away on the airplane.

Never one to slack on the parental requests, indeed, Scott found B curled up, sound asleep the second night w/ airplane affixed under his arm. SO sweet.

Since my return last night, however, and my absence tonight for a Vendor Fair for work, B saw an airplane when out for a walk with Scott, pointed to it, and said, "Mama!" while signing airplane. Will he forever think I've been scooped away by an airplane when I'm not with his person? :) Those little hardwired brains NEVER cease to amaze, though!!

Cottage Cheese & other sundry things...

2008-08-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

I can't help it, but I just love his little chippy voice.

In case you are wondering, the two words he's saying are "doorbell" and "cottage cheese", both of which he decided to spontaneously parrot. They have since become a cornerstone in his vocabulary. For example, tonight, at dinner, "B, do you want fruit for dessert?" He whispers: "Cottg chee" but as soon as I started telling his father what KIND of fruit was in the fruit salad, he began signing, "strawberry" "grape" "watermelon" and conceded to eat the fruit instead of having a SECOND helping of "cottg CHEE" for the day! :)

In Memoriam...

2008-08-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

At the time this picture was taken, Brendan was much more "subdued" if you will, and certainly not as mobile as his last visit with Great Grandpa. At our last visit in July, Great Grandpa was a LITTLE overwhelmed at the absolute level of activity and curiosity of his only great-grandchild. :)

We are all thankful that Brendan got to know his great grandpa, even if he will never fully appreciate his suspenders! He will be missed. May he rest in peace.