Brody is Quite the Helper

Brody has become quite the helper in the last few weeks. He does everything from picking up his toys to weeding the flowerbeds with me. Today he helped Jim clean up after a Baby Shower for our neighbor and showed us that child locks may not have been such a great invention! Brody and I have been sharing a cold for the last week, so not too many pictures have been taken. I will update again once I start feeling better!

Happy Easter

We had a great Easter Weekend. We started it all off by decorating easter eggs (it took a few days to get the green off Brody's legs!)

The Easter Egg Hunt was so much fun! Brody was so excited to keep finding more and more eggs!

And finally he arrived at the best part of the hunt - a 4 wheeler! He quickly learned how to make it go (without constantly jerking) and was styling with his leather jacket (courtesy of Uncle Neal) and shades!

Update

Everything went well with the process of getting tubes. It is unbelievable the difference it has made in Brody! He is now walking without falling down, is HAPPY! and is starting to say so many words (baby, cracker, ball, Jackson (I guess he really likes his friend at school)! Everyone has noticed the difference and at DayCare they are just amazed at how he is talking and eating so much now! I am very thankful that this whole process went so quickly and can't believe what he must have felt like before this. Just wanted to give everyone the updated - I will add pictures in the next few days.

Picasa Software

I just found the Picasa Software available from Google and decided to test it out. It has some neat features that you can use to create collages. I haven't gotten too far yet but thought I would post some pictures from the last week using it.

We go in tomorrow morning for Brody to get tubes placed in his ears. I will update after tomorrow to let everyone know how it goes! I am a little nervous because it requires him to be sedated - but everyone who has had it done says I will be amazed at how fast it goes. The procedure is at 8:30am tomorrow morning and we have to be there at 7am so it will be an early morning for us!

We have an Eater!

Last weekend we went to Detroit to celebrate my friend Barb's daughter's 4th birthday. We had a great time playing with Brody at the Bounce House! That night Brody also decided to start eating like a big boy! We were having pizza and he just started eating it by the slice! His appetite continued this week when my mom and dad came to stay with us while Jim was gone and we scarfed down her spaghetti! I couldn't believe it! He seems to have turned the corner on being a picky eater! Hopefully this will mean that he will grow out of the 25th percentile!

Grandpa and Brody

Jim is finally home (for the time being) and just in time! I took Brody back to the doctor yesterday for a followup on his ear infection and unfortunately it is still not cleared up! He has already been on 2 antibiotics and it has lingered around for 3 weeks...so it looks like it might be time for tubes! I am taking him to the ENT tomorrow to get an opinion and we will go from there.

Not too much has been going on here, we are all just waiting for the warm weather to come! As always Brody is keeping us laughing....here are some pictures to enjoy!

Brody playing with the maracas Uncle Neal gave him

Jim's trying to teach Brody how to be a biker!

Missing Daddy for a Few Weeks

Spending quality time with Daddy before he leaves again for work

It turns out that Jim has to travel for about 3 weeks in a row for work (luckily he comes home for the weekends). This past week Brody kept me busy and definitely let me know that he was missing Daddy. I went to get him ready on Monday morning (a task that Jim normally does) and he pointed at his door and said "Da Da Da". It broke my heart to have to try to explain to him that Daddy was at work and wouldn't be home until the end of the week. With the realization that it was just Brody and I, he started to test the waters. Each night we went through a trial of him screaming for about 10 minutes after we came home and then an awful bedtime routine (I had to stand in his doorway each night until he fell asleep). To top it all off he fell/threw himself into a bench in the house after having to come in from outside on Wednesday night that resulted in a large bruise on his forehead! We also had to go to see the doctor on Thursday night to have a recheck on his ear infection and to receive a vaccine. Unfortunately for me, his ear infection had returned and I had to be the evil one holding him down on the table while he got his shot. Then it was off to wait about 30 minutes for our prescription at Walgreens (10 minutes in the store and then 20 in the car because Brody was taking EVERYTHING off the shelves (who was in such a hurry to have him walking?)). We were very thankful to see daddy come home late Thursday night!

Hey Mom - do you mind if I use your computer?

Hey! That's me!!!

Brody has been continuing to develop on schedule. At his last doctor's visit he weighed 23lbs and was 31 inches long (putting him the 25th percentile for both length and weight). We were a bit surprised to hear that he was only in the 25th percentile - it seems like he is pretty tall to us. We were all glad to hear that his head had not grown since they measured it in November (dropping him into the 95th percentile!). He has also started saying Mommy and Daddy (appropriately), ball and at times car and dog. At daycare they thought they even heard him say cracker - so I have a feeling that we will have a talker on our hands sometime soon. He is also constantly keeping us laughing - the newest routine is walking his pet mouse (video below).

Brodzilla

Busy Weeks

We have had a range of weather in the last few weeks - starting out with a lot of snow and VERY cold to sunny and 60! Unfortunately we are back to the cold and snow today. I cannot wait for the winter to be over - not only to get rid of the snow but because hopefully that will help Brody stay healthy! We have been dealing with a respiratory virus and an ear infection for the past week. It seems like he is now on the way to recovery.

Ready to go out and help dad in the pole barn!

Sledding with dad

A week ago we took Brody to the Children's Museum in Grand Rapids. We all had a great time! It was so fun to watch Brody discovering all the new things (especially the bubbles!). We are planning to go back again sometime soon.

Watching Dad make bubbles
Chasing a bubble

Wow! Look at all the Brodys!
A great day at the museum!

Today Brody was going to go and stay with my parents for the night, but due to a high fever on Thursday night we decided it would be best for him to stay home and recover. So we have spent our Valentine's Day running a few errands and hanging out at home.

Brody trying to ride the donkey!




Playing with dough mommy made!

Trying on mom's slippers

Holiday Update

Brody - being his crazy self!

(His bottom eye teeth are finally poking through - making his checks rosy!)

I know - I am awful at keeping this updated! Things have just been crazy since the start of the New Year with Jim traveling during 2 of the last 3 weeks and with Brody on the move it is difficult to find time to sit down and blog.

Grandma Sue started the tradition of Christmas Pajamas this year!

Christmas was so much fun! My parents and brother came on Christmas morning around 10am so Jim and I were able to give Brody his bigger presents when he first woke up (a dinosaur and play kitchen). It took us almost 3 hours to open presents - but it was all worth it! Brody was very dainty - he would rip a small piece of wrapping paper off and hand it to whoever was near him before moving on. He was definitely a spoiled little boy! Due to all the toys and the increasing size, we decided to change our sunroom into his playroom.

Since the last time I wrote Brody has grown in so many ways! He is a pro at walking now and has mastered standing up all on his own. It is just amazing to watch your child transform from a baby that needed everything to a little person with a mission of their own (and in just one year!). Jim and I have quickly learned that one of his favorite things to do is throw things in the trash can. It is pretty funny to watch him - you can tell when a light bulb goes off in his head and he is on his way to throw something away - needless to say we are constantly checking the trash for toys and socks! He is also saying momma and daddy (in the appropriate way), waving goodbye and at times still throwing kisses, pointing at everything he wants, playing phone with anything that resembles one (and we think trying to say hello).

At daycare he is mostly in the toddler room but the teachers in the infant room are having a hard time completely letting him go. They tell me that he is a great child and follows directions well. While they struggle to get the other kids to take care of their blankets after nap, Brody is standing waiting for them to take his. The teachers also said he always notices when the food enters the room and is the alarm to all the other kids to get ready for snack! I am amazed with how fast he catches on to routines and follows our lead.

We missed his 15 month doctor's appointment because he got sent home from DayCare with the flu (although when he got home he didn't act sick at all). So we will hopefully get that rescheduled for this week and we are also going back to the allergist for a followup. He seems to be doing really well, with the exception of a constant runny nose and occasional cough.

He is definitely getting closer to the terrible two age. This week Jim was gone and Brody tested me each night with a tantrum. I cannot wait until he can tell me why he gets so mad - but it starts with crying, then throwing himself on the floor and then about 10 minutes of screaming and twirling in a circle. I have tried picking him up and trying to distract him - neither works! So I resort to ignoring. Then about 10 minutes later he is fine and happy....all I can say is thank goodness Daddy is home!

I do have to say even with all the tantrums - I wouldn't trade him for anything (as you see in the pictures - how couldn't you love this little man!)

Yesterday we celebrated Jim's Birthday with my side of the family. Brody was the center of attention and we had to laugh when he picked up the DVD remote and tried to mimic Grandpa bowling on the Wii.

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a great start to the New Year! My resolution will be to blog on a regular basis!