Christmas 2011

I was super excited for Christmas this year. Brady is finally old enough to understand Santa and all the hoopla that goes along with it. An Elf was delivered to our house on Thanksgiving and was named "Pedro". We made ornaments, decorated a gingerbread house, watched Christmas movies and decorated cookies. We spent Christmas Eve day with Troy's family followed by church. Both kids were exhausted and fell asleep on the way home at 7:00. We quickly moved them to bed and got to enjoy some much needed time together before going up to my family's on Christmas Day. 

 Christmas Eve

 Brynn's Christmas Dress

Opening Gifts Christmas Morning

Brynn-7 months

She has successfully tried all her 1st fruits and vegetables and has moved on to finger foods like   puffs, dried fruit bits, crackers, etc. She wants to eat ALL THE TIME.

She's a squealer. She squeals when she is happy, whiny, tired, and hungry.

No crawling yet

No talking yet

She is still taking 3 naps a day-9, 1 & 5-making it virtually impossible to go anywhere.

She loves Brady and is generally content as long as he is playing close to her.

She smiles a ton for the lucky few she likes. You really have to win this girl over.

She sleeps on her tummy now and wakes up with the cutest little pink cheek.

A much needed update and pics not taken on my phone to come after Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Taking a little break on the boppy pillow

 Playing with Brady

 Trying to move, but not getting anywhere.

Waiting for Brady to get done with school

Brady and I had our first heart to heart talk about his arm last night. He understood so much more than I ever imagined a 33 month old could.

He was making fingerprints on the countertop with his greasy hand and said "Look Mom, paw prints".

Me: "Do you have hands or paws?" B: "Hand-I only have one hand". I no have other hand."

Me: "That's right, but you have a helper arm, don't you?"

B:"When I get big I get other hand."

Me: "No Honey, you will never have another hand like Mommy. You are special and don't need another hand. You are perfect and strong just the way you are."

B: " Please."

Me: "I know it's hard Buddy and I'm sorry. Someday you will learn to use your helper arm to do all kinds of things. That's why you have beeen meeting those nice ladies at school."

It pains me that at such a young age he is already so aware of his differences. We have been meeting with Occupational Therapists to evaluate where he is in comparison to his age group and to help him with adaptive tools. He is resisting a bit now, but our hope is that he will come around and start to utilize the grapsing tool his arm provides.

Brynn-6 Months

Her smile just melts me...she is a total Mommy's girl. She is starting to recognize people she sees frequently. When she gets excited she pants and kicks her legs. She devours her rice cereal-you can not feed her fast enough. Don't even think about cleaning up her chin while she eats or she will scream. She is starting to sit unsupported. She wants to touch everything-she steals the newspaper out of your hands, and tries to eat your food if you are holding her. She loves to pull Mommy's hair and touch faces. She likes her infant playtime class and responds with big smiles during song time. She is still only up about 2 hours at a time during the day before a 1 hour nap. Overall she is very content and has been an easy addition to our family.

I am far from in love with this picture, but it is the first successful attempt at getting a family picture since we were at the hospital with Brynn 5 1/2 months ago.

We tried Brynn with cereal this weekend. She took 2 spoonfuls, spit them out and then refused to open her mouth for more.

I hate to even jinx it, but we unofficially started potty training this week. He is still wandering around in diapers, but we are making frequent trips to the potty. He stays dry most the of the day, but hasn't managed a #2 yet. I am so proud of the progress he has made in only a few days.

How cute are her little cheeks?

ABC's with a little Twinkle Twinkle

Brady started school this week-Tuesdays he goes with me, Thursdays he goes alone. This morning I dropped him off and was missing him after 10 minutes. I picked him up and tried to piece together what they did. He rambled on about basketballs, his new friend Colton, his teacher Miss Carol, playdoh, and snack time. I hate not being there for every moment, but I guess that is part of them growing up. Ugh

Brynn-5 Months

Brynn turned 5 months this week and has grown so much. She is rolling, laughing, and smiling a lot. She is only waking up once per night and a napping schedule is starting to form. She loves her Infant ECFE class and her exersaucer. Her favorite things to do are pulling Mommy's hair and play peek-a-boo.

Brady 2.5

Brady turned 2.5 in July and it was right about that time he started wanting to do everything himself. In typical 2 year old style it has resulted in monster tantrums. He has a defiant streak that makes me want to pull my hair out. He eats only when hungry, refuses to nap when he doesn't think he needs one and often stays up in his crib until 9PM because he can. When he is ON, he is so sweet and polite. When he is hungry, tired, or frustrated it makes for some long days.

He has had a lot of firsts this summer-movie in a theater(Cars 2), first time bowling, first time in a bounce house, and first carnival.

He still loves trains, but also loves emergency vehicles and tow trucks. He tries to tow everything with his tow truck, and often gets frustrated when he can't get it to work. He pretends his trucks are talking to each other-"You need help?", "Ok, I help you.".

His favorite people are his cousins-he talks about them all day. He begs to go see them. If you ask him who his best friend is he often says Grandma.

He loves to sing. Favorites include-Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Take me out the ball game, and the ABC's. He recognizes songs he hears often on the radio and always asks me what they are called. His loves a song called "Dirt Road Anthem" and begs for me to turn it on.

He got a new prosthetic arm in August which I hope to do a post on soon.

3 month photo comparison

There is definitely a resemblance....what do you think?

Summer Fun

Play date with the cousins...

Snuggle time with Grandma

Dunking his face in the water table

Bath time

Our new backyard friend

11 weeks

Wow, time has gone so fast. I hardly get a minute to myself most days, but I just love being home with both my kids. Brynn is starting to develop a nappng schedule-it only took me 10 weeks to figure out that lullabies are her trick. Meanwhile, Brady is giving us a run for our money. He is still napping well during the day, but getting him to sleep at night has been a challenge. Last night, he talked, yelled for us and played for 2 hours before finally deciding he was ready for sleep at 9:45PM. When Troy tried to have a little talk about how big boys don't need their Mommy's and Daddy's to tuck them in 6 times he replied "but I miss you".

Brynn is starting to like her play mat more and more each day. She even has taken a few rides in the swing. She is still very much a Mommy's girl. She still sleeps in the pack n' play in our room, but will be moving to her crib soon since she sleep so well at night.

Work at the house has dragged on due to this crappy summer weather. We STILL don't have grass so we are forced to play in the garage and driveway.

Brady has a Little Fins gathering in a few weeks and we are excited to get together with other families dealing with limb deficiencies to get advice on how to deal with potty training, and park gawkers/grabbers. We also have an appointment with his arm doctor/occupation therapist. He has finally reached a stage where getting his prosthetic on has been a challenge. Brady's 2.5 year post coming soon!

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2 Months

Height: 23" (76%)
Weight: 11 lbs. 8 oz. (69%)
Head: 64%

Brynn is growing into a sweet little baby. The first 6 weeks she wasn't very content awake EVER. The last two weeks have been dramatically better. We see smiles and hear little coos. She likes tummy time and is getting really good at keeping her head up. She sleeps scarily well at night, but hardly sleeps a wink laying down during the day. She is more than happy to sleep in your arms, but don't even try to lay her down.

8 weeeks

7 weeks

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the best partner a girl could imagine. We love you!

5 weeks

She is smiling, but only for a lucky few. She makes you work for it and usually follows it up by crying seconds later. Her hair is taking on an orange hue that makes me smile. Her eyes are bright blue just like her Daddy's.

5 Days Old

Tired...that pretty much sums it up.

Brynn Margaret

Introducing our baby girl Brynn Margaret
8 lbs. 12 oz.
21 1/2"

Due Date

Today is my due date-I still look like this. Uhhhh.....

Easter 2011

Brady got Ruby from "Max and Ruby" from Grandma & Grandpa and hasn't stopped playing with them since.

Brady loved everything about Easter. He did a small egg hunt at home with Mom and Dad before opening his basket. He got "Cars" pajamas, train tracks, and a remote controlled fire truck that he loves. Then we headed to Grandma & Grandpa's house for lunch and to play outside.

26 Months

Photo Courtesy of Anne @ Fatj
-Brady can identify 15 letters pretty consistently. He loves to count, but skips 2 and 10 most of the time.
-He is a Daddy's boy right now. He wants Daddy to change every diaper and read every book. He has pushed me away several times recently saying "Mommy don't" when I try to help.
-He has become a little conversationalist. His favorite topics include Grandma & Grandpa (Mima & Pipa), Choo Choo Bob's, and trucks.
-He is starting to use his imagination for play. He likes to color with Mom or Dad and dreams up all sorts of things for us to draw.
-Favorite toys include: Thomas Trains, Disney "Cars" cars, and soccer ball with net.
-Favorite shows include: Wonder Pets, Sesame Street, Dora & Diego
-Everything is "Mines". Sharing is not coming easy to this child.

We are all very excited to be welcoming a new baby in just 5 weeks. Brady has been a big help in setting up the baby's room. He loves to see Mommy's belly button and today told me I looked like the moon (I'm assuming he's refering to my round shape).

Snow

As you can tell, blogging has taken a backseat to moving and the tiredness of being 33 weeks pregnant. I promise to do a big update soon....

Happy 2nd Birthday!

We can't believe he's 2! Brady requested a "Cars" themed party and that's what he got. I am pretty sure it was one of his best days ever.

Almost done...

We have been beyond busy the last few weeks and I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Moving day is in a few weeks and we are all desperate for some more personal space.

Brady is talking non-stop these days and starting to form sentences. He has an interest in letters and so far can identify E,B,A,R,Y,& O. He looks for letters he knows on every sign we pass in the car. He loves to help Mom sing the songs we learn in ECFE.

Brady's future playroom...


Brady's Bathroom