!S

I LOVE all the new things Bear is saying:

A, E, I, O, U....and sometimes Y.
Mom
Dad
Auntie (Aw-ee)
Oma (for Grandma)
Aa-wee (for Allie, our cat)U
Uck (for stuck)
Mom-nnnmm (for nummy- he will also do mm-mm)
Vrrrrmmm(for car because of the sound it makes)
Ho, Ho, Ho (for Santa)

He also makes lots of animal sounds.
He does elephant and moves his arm up and down in front of him.
He makes sounds for owl, kitty, puppy, monkey, tiger. We are working on cow, pig, horse right now!

Pancakes at Perkins

After swimming we headed to Perkins for some much deserved Pancakes for Brandon. They are his favorite. He no longer does high chairs or booster seats well so we let him sit in the booth like a big boy. He even used a big boy fork. So proud of him!

Swimming

Fall Events

As a new mom I want to capture every moment I can and remember everything significant freshly in my mind. However, the 'significant' moments are most ALL moments. I found a great way to keep things documented and those little moments 'frozen in time'. I do take lots of photos and videos but I have a plain, basic wall calendar where every day I record something. It may be an event or activity we did to keep Brandon busy or a new milestone or stress. It is just something to try and remember that day and that moment. Here is what our fall has looked like so far....I will update these monthly or as often as I can.

SEPTEMBER

1. Giggle, Giggle, Giggle
2. GPa Tim watched you and taught you how to play ladder ball
3. You met Dr. Sarkanen who was the OB that delivered you.
4. Lots of poo issues this week. Having a tough time going. You get a bit crabby.
5. You love playing videogames with dad...mostly just running the controller.
6. Pool Time at Aunties Hotel. You eventually warmed up to the idea. You don't like being cold.
7. FUN beach day at Weaver Lake with mom and dad. You just wanted to play in the sand. We cleaned sand out of places where the sun don't shine when we got home.
8. You sign, "More, Bye, Eat, Drink, Help" really well and know what they mean.
9. You love to dance like a peacock sticking your butt out.
10. We think you have night terrors. You are waking up a lot screaming and scared.
11. Mom went to Feed My Starving Children and thought about you. You and Dad had 'boys night'.
12. Visited Gma Kay and Dave.
13. We went to cheer on the Vikings game at Aunties house. We are teaching you how to say. "GO VIKINGS" you will get there!
14. 1st Haircut! Mom Cried hard. You did wonderful.
15. You point to nose, ears, eyes, mouth...but dad has you point to 'boogies'.
16. You don't let Dad put you to bed lately. You know daddy is for play and goofiness and mommy is for lovies and hugs and cuddles.
17. Went out to dinner with Gma and Gpa H. They are leaving for a cruise and will miss you. You mushed your corn muffin.
18. Celebrated Gma Jonis BDay at Aunties house. You Danced and ate cake. You even got close to Gpa and played with him on the couch.
19. We built a scarecrow together at Bachmans! We named him Stan. Mom went to Rascal Flats concert and you and dad stayed home- up a little late.
20. Auntie Babysat you- you had a picnic.
21. 5 Icky Shots today. We have to get you up to date and make sure you get NO chicken pox since Gma has shingles.
22. Celebrated First Day of Fall with a walk outside. Not too many leaves down yet.
23. Went to the park- you are getting used to the big slide.
24. Gma Kay visited and played with you. You didn't cry this time when we left.
25. You are in 24 month shirts and 18 month pants.
26. We went to the MOA with Auntie and Becky. You helped them shop and get them ready for their charity event they had to go to. You would stop in the middle of the hallway if you hear music and start dancing. People would just walk around you and laugh.
27. Apple Orchard! You LOVED the hay pile and eating an apple whole- we had a picnic.
28. Made another scarecrow out front for Stan. He needed a friend.
29. Mom on a business trip- you stayed home with dad- it was cold and rainy out.
30. MOA with mom and dad....don't remember what we did.

OCTOBER
1st-3rd: You are teething. Have small fever, whiny, sad days. We are just trying to keep you pain free. It is cold, wet, rainy, icky. Doesn't help that we can't go outside to play. This will pass!
4. Fun day at Gma and Gpa H's. They took you on a wagon ride to meet the neighbors. You are fond of all the young girls.
5. Forget the water in the tub- you just want to jump over the tub with your clothes ON!. Vikings played Green Bay! Exciting day in our house.
6. I scared you when I screamed for the Twins. You almost cried but then laughed.
7. Ate an ice cream cone all by yourself. You kept your shirt pretty clean but your hair got covered.
8. Gma Kay came to watch you. You waved bye-bye, blew kisses. and said "GeGa"
9. You 'woof' like a puppy and screech like a bird.
10. You and mom were in a fashion show at the MOA for the Worlds Largest Baby Shower and Momslikeme.com
11. You said 'Go'
12. You dipped your chicken nuggest in ketchup. You just want to suck the ketchup off. Oreo face too!
13. You like to 'try' to put your shoes on.
14. MOA with mom, Jan, and Great Aunt Brenda. You were a HAM! Everyone 'loves those curls'
15. Shopping in Albertville with Jan, Great Auntie, Mom, Dad- Space Aliens for lunch. You wanted dads drink- not your own.
16. You are good at scolding the kitties when you know they are doing something they shouldn't be doing.
17. You say "ome" for 'home'
18. We got you to BOO at the Vikings game
19. Mom and Dad 2 year anniversary. We stayed home as a family. You are not feeling too well- worried it is a cold coming on.
20. YUP! It is a cold. Mainly you have a low fever, icky icky icky noses (that are hard to wipe when you don't want us to wipe them). You aren't eating well. You can't have your nuk at night because you can breathe. I wake with you a lot at night.
21. Mom and Dad had a date night celebrating our anniversary. You visited Gma and Gpa H's.
22. After I unzip your jammies you can take them off by yourself.
23. You didn't sleep well at all! I was up with you 4 times.
24. We went to Imagination Movers at the Target Center- I won tickets on momslikeme.com You watched part of it.
25. Vikings first loss....we were bummed. You ate a few bites of corn. We are trying to introduce you to more veggies.
26. You love the Rudolph book and the red nose and Ho Ho Hos from Santa.
27. Your laugh is changing- no more baby giggle.
28. You are loving books- touch and feel books, movement books, sound books.
29. Visit to Gma Kays- you played with her new puppy. She likes you!
30. You went with mom, Gma, and Auntie to MOA for Trick or Treating time-
31. HAPPY 2ND HALLOWEEN- you are a lion. Last year you were a cow!

NOVEMBER
1. Said "Nicky" and "Up"- you also did Touchdown Arms!
2. You love balls of all kinds- football, baseball- anything round.
3. Like to mimic 'A,E,I,O,U'
4. Gma and Gpa H got you a new big wheel that Julie from Gmas work found in the dumpster at her place. We cleaned it up and you LOVE it!
5. Rode your new big wheel to the park today. You met new friends- Krissy, Logan, Bennet
6. 3 plus hour nap. You were tired. Mom got some work done.
7. You have a new favorite food- spaghetti.
8. First day in church nursery. You cried a bit in the beginning and again a few minutes at the end. We will try again next week.
9. Photo shoot with Auntie at St. Anthony Falls- You were so happy! You met a big yellow lab and wasn't too sure about it.
10. MAJOR owie cut from the picture frame that fell on your head.
11. First swimming lesson! SO proud of you. You are the youngest one in the bunch. You weren't too sure and the beginning but then you did good.
12. You helped me unload the dishwasher- mostly putting the dishes on the floor.
13. You love playing with cars. When I ask you to say 'Car' you say "Vroom, Vroom" I bought you a new sound book today "Elmo uses the potty" Today you thought your bedroom floor was the potty. Momma had some cleaning up to do after that. Then you tipped moms big jewelry box over on your head. No injuries and I found my diamond bracelets and earrings....so all is well now.
14. Boys day out- mom has work stuff and helping Auntie. You had fun with dad. When we got home you played with mom throwing your plastic balls. You threw one right at moms forhead and we laughed so hard. You didn't like that we were laughing at you and started crying!
15. Second try and the nursery at church!

Swimming Lessons

Photos coming soon....

Tonight was Brandon's first swimming lesson. It was a parent/child class and dad went in the pool with him while mom watched and took pictures. Walking in I kept thinking to myself, "Ugh...bad mom alert I should have started him a LONG time ago in these lessons". I was SHOCKED to see that Brandon was the youngest in his class (of 12 kids or so) and most the others were at least 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years old and they haven't done any lessons either. I couldn't believe he was the youngest one!

He did GREAT considering it had been a while since we were in a pool (a month or so). He cried for the first minute when he had to stand on the side and 'jump' in. He wasn't too sure but then he did great. He floated and blew bubbles and jumped in the water- even going under! Played Hokey Pokey, catch with floaty toys (encourages them to swim to the toy) and even Pop, Goes The Weasel.

Good Job Bear! SOOOOO proud of you!

Photo Shoot with Auntie

Brushing Teeth

Fall Day

Today we spent the day at Aunties house helping her clean the garage, rake leaves, make nummy lunch and apple crisp....busy day in the beautiful weather.

Today he said "Nicky" and "Up"

He played in the leaves and LAUGHED like crazy.

He also cheered on the Vikings and did "Touchdown" arms.

It was a fun day.

Fall Fun

I have a child who....

I have a child who loves to sweep the floor.

I have a child who also loves to dirty that floor and leave it for mommy to sweep.

I have a child who will eat food off the floor.

I have a child who loves to hear himself scream.

I have a child who will only eat NutraGrain bars all day.

I have a child who thinks syrup is for your hair.

I have a child who likes to sit under the table instead of in his chair.

I have a child who misses me at night he has to wake up to see his mommy (that is my theory).

I have a child who thinks the alphabet magnet letters on the fridge are for pushing underneath the fridge.

I have a child who thinks every toy right now is a ball for throwing.

I have a child who has a GREAT throwing arm but has no concept of what catching the ball is.

I have a child who has to pee on the bathroom floor before he climbs into the bathtub to wash up.

I have a child that knows how to 'hauck a loogie' and mom nor dad taught him that one.

I have a child who thinks wallets are for play time and check cards are for hide and seek.

I have a child that loves to see himself in books and on tv.

I have a child who likes apples- but only the first bite of the apple and not the rest.

I have a child who thinks string cheese is to be used as a laso.

I have a child who can destroy the entire candy aisle in the check out line at the grocery store in a matter of minutes.

I have a child that dances the peacock.

I have a child who now thinks those apples he was eating a moment ago are balls and they are for throwing!

I have a child who takes after his mother when she was little and spins in circles then falls down.

I have a child who would rather play 'sprinkler' with the water he drinks than swallow it.

I have a child who thinks bath water is for drinking.

I have a child who things he is Tiger Woods with a ball and bat.

I have a child who loves to go in mommas jewelry box and leave her earrings for daddy to step on.

I have a child that thinks cats are pillows to lay on.

I have a child that smells stinky feet then laughs at them.

I have a child that grunts, turns red, and makes really funny noises when he is filling his diaper. He will also do the butt cheek lean.

I have a child who loves going for car rides but would rather be the driver.

I have a child who thinks clapping his hands once in the hair is the sign for 'help' when it is no where near that.

I have a child who now thinks those baseball apples will turn into applesauce if he keeps throwing them.

I have a child who thinks anyone's cell phone or camera is HIS cell phone or camera.

I have a child that thinks every storybook character is Santa and goes "Ho, Ho, Ho" right now.

I have a child that has the best laugh ever.

I HAVE A CHILD WHO IS MY PRIDE AND JOIN AND REASON I LIVE!!!!

Our time on the news

Rob, Brandon and I were asked to share our thoughts on why we are not vaccinating Brandon against the H1N1. Here is the story:



http://www.kare11.com/news/health/flu/flu_article.aspx?storyid=827451&catid=393

One BAD day

Today was a bad bad bad bad day. I just was overwhelmed and burnt out. I have so much on my plate I feel like I am spinning in circles. Working from home is getting to me at times. This morning Bear was hungry and wanting BFast. Dad forgot to clean up his plate area last night so while I was cleaning it up and bear was screaming to crawl up on his chair work called with crummy news that the project we worked on wasn't good enough...REDO! Right away tears came streaming. I had a kitty running up a screen, a toddler screaming, a boss crabbing, a phone beeping in on the other side...and me....just crying. The day continued where I just couldn't get it all under control. I had conference calls for work where bear had to play in the living room by himself= momma guilt. Bear had an explosive diaper where I had to throw out an outfit = momma guilt. I got crabby at him when he squished his whole lunch in between his fingers and dumped his milk all over it = momma guilt. I had to let him scream for a few minutes so I can change the laundry = momma guilt.
Sometimes us mommas just can't do it all....but we HAVE TO!

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Too long

It has been too long since the last post. Momma just needed a break from thinking about every little thing and documenting it all. As a new mom (yes, I still consider myself a new mom) I just get anxious about wanting to document and tell every story and every milestone. I know when we decide to have baby number 2 it will be much harder to do this- but there is so much I want to share and have Brandon read his journey when he gets older. I think as moms we try to do it all and sometimes we need to lower our expectations of our self and just enjoy the moment.

Some new updates on Brandon

September 14th was his first hair cut at SnipIts. He did great with the help of a sucker. He had a few second melt down and we had to pull out the nuk to help but he actually did really well. Mom cried!

September 22nd- 5 shots! OWIE! Both arms and legs got poked. Gma H. has shingles and we are worried about Bear getting the Chicken Pox so it was a priority to get his shot for that.

B. is saying "ome" for Home. "hice" for Hot. "HI" for Hi. 'OhNoh" for No-NO. He babbles a lot and sometimes you just know what he is saying.

He will go get something when you ask him to go get it...if he knows what it is you want him to get. He knows when we say, "Lets go take a bath" and he runs to the tub.

He can do stairs up and down just fine.
He can go down the front steps out to the garage or the front of the house.
He can walk really well-we like to walk around the block or to the park and back and he will walk the entire way.
He is now wearing 18-24 months....even though he just turned 17 months.

We weighed him the other day at 27 pounds and he is just over 31 inches tall which puts him in the 50-60% for height/weight.

His highchair is retired and he is sitting at a booster seat at the table. He eats- cheese, berries, muffins, nutragrain bars, crackers, pb&j, pizza, chips, bananas, yogurt, applesauce, chicken, puffies, and the toddler meals.

My new goal- keep updated!

Why the blog?

Some folks have asked me why I keep this blog? There are a few answers.

1. I like to write and don't like keeping a personal journal or diary so I do it here.

2. To keep track of our events and activities. It is like our own scrapbook. We like to look back at the beginning of the blog and read about our days and how far we have come in life, parenting, our marriage, work, etc.

3. FOR BRANDON! This is the main reason I write this blog. In a few years he will be able to hop on and read all about his baby and toddler years. It also acts as his own baby book. It is basic documentation about his milestones and struggles and accomplishments. Yes, and to show his first girlfriend and wife on their wedding day...he he:)

Today I got my first nasty email from a family 'friend' about our blog and the lifestyle we lead. I want to stress I am doing this for our son- not to be criticized or put down on how we parent, work, play, keep up our house, spend our money, do our hobbies, etc. So to those who want to go ahead and write me about that- go ahead. We don't care. Judge all you want. Compare us to others. I am not going to change anything I share or way I go about the blog. This blog isn't for YOU. It is for our bear and will continue to be that. We are happy and content with our life and what we do.

The Weekend

It is Sunday night and the weekend is over. It was one fun and busy weekend for the entire family.

Friday night we enjoyed dinner out at Chili's. We made it a short and simple night with dinner and a couple simple errands. We were home early to enjoy some play time with some new toys we got at the Unique Thrift store. This store is the perfect place to get wonderful toys. They mostly need a simple battery change and a good cleaning and they are brand new for Brandon. We bought him 6 new toys that in retail stores cost up to $45.00 each. Besides the toys we got some golf balls for Rob, canning jars for me (pickle day coming up) and cheap sunglasses for spare (since some little boy likes to destroy mine. All our items came to $19.00 which is a great bargain. After play time it was bath time. Brandon made sure Momma got clean too with lots of splashes!

Saturday morning came quickly as did Grandma and Grandpa. They picked Brandon up at 7am and headed to the airport for a flight to Bismarck, ND to see Great-Grandma and Great Aunts and Uncles. It was a simple day trip up and back. We are blessed that Grandpa Tim works part time for Mesaba airlines and gets discounted or even no-cost flights.

Mom and Dad had a nice child-free day. We love our time with Brandon but some alone time and date time together helps us re-connect. Rob headed out right after Brandon left and did a early round of golf. Rob makes an effort to go golfing at least once a year early in the morning. He says there is nothing like watching a sun rise while golfing on an open course. I (mom) got to go back to bed for much needed extra sleep. 10am came quickly when Rob came home and we were ready for the day. We grabbed an early lunch and headed to Ace Tattoo in New Hope. The owner Randy did a great job after sitting for almost 3 hours tattooing an Autobot signia on Robs shoulder. Then he only needed 20 minutes for me (mom). I did a bear paw on my ankle with Brandon's Birthday below it. The bear paw is because we call him Brandon Bear (obvious with the name of the blog). After 4 hours in the tattoo shop we were very happy with our new art work.

We did a quick clothing change at home and headed downtown to Boom Island Park. We boarded the Paradise and headed down the Mississippi River for over 2 hours. It was the perfect date night for Rob and I. We watched the sun set over the city and enjoyed some appetizers and wine.

After our wonderful date night...or should I say day we headed home and minutes later Grandma and Grandpa showed up with little bear.

Immediately we headed to bed for a much needed sleep after a busy day.

Sunday was spent recovering from our busy Saturday. We ran a few errands and got dad new work boots. We got some more canning supplies for the upcoming pickle day. And I (mom) become a kitchen hero and made a home made cheesecake from scratch. I have always wanted to attempt a home made cheesecake. It is currently still 'setting' and I will attempt it in the morning (or middle of the night).

This was for sure one weekend none of us will ever forget! OK, maybe Bear won't remember it but we have a blog and photos and Gma and Gpa to share the North Dakota stories with him.

Band Aid Finger and AFV

Today was filled with headaches and crabbies. Both Rob and I are not feeling too great with some crazy headaches going on. Brandon has also not totally been himself today either. I think some new teeth are coming in and he is officially a toddler complete with the tantrums.

He is now able to climb onto the rocker/recliner and the couch. Once he is up there he likes to walk on the couch (we have an L shaped couch) and the coffee table is in front of the table. We push it all the way up to the couch because Brandon likes to crawl under it and behind it and get stuck. Now he likes to crawl on the couch and then on top of the table and dance on it.

Today Brandon cut his pointer finger on his left hand. We don't know how he cut it but while sitting on the couch after dinner dad realized his finger was bleeding. We sat for almost an hour trying to get it to stop with putting pressure on it. Brandon got a bit upset about this because he wanted to get down and play. He didn't realize what was going on. I am thinking it didn't hurt him because he was pulling it away and didn't want us to take care of it. We went through half a box of band aids before the bleeding stopped.

As mean as this might sound, the cutest thing was how he held his finger after the band aid changes. He did try and get the band aids off which is why we wrapped it with 2 or 3 at a time. After we were done and he realized he couldn't get the band aid off he would walk around holding his one pointer finger in the air. As of right now the finger is wrapped and he is doing well (sound asleep).

My favorite part of the day today was when we were all watching America's Funniest Home Videos (AFV). Brandon would sit and watch any parts with animals in it. He would laugh hysterically at any puppy/dog ones. We would rewind the show (we love our dvr) and play it over and over so he would keep laughing. He had a fun time with AFV and we know what makes him laugh! Good Show!

Are You One Finger?

We all do it. Ask our young ones "How old are you?" During that question we are sticking our fingers in the air waiting for them to become instant geniuses and answer us the first time we ask.

The most popular time we ask is when they just turn one. They are official a 'finger' a whole 'one finger' years old.

Today I was practicing this with Brandon. I would ask him the question and then hold up my one finger and wait for a reaction from him. Right away he repeated my actions which is what all of us moms want. Thinking, "My he is SO smart" I applauded his answer. The key to kids learning anything is repeating yourself over and over. A few minutes later I asked again, "How old are you?" and held up my one finger. Again, he knew exactly what to do. However, this time he stood starring at me waiting for my next action. I thought he was looking for praise from me but I was wrong. After a few brief moments later he ran over to me and grabbed my 'one' finger. With his other hand he dug for my other 'one' finger and then put them together.

I scared him with my laughing response.

You see, he doesn't think of just the 'Are you one finger' but thinks the 2 fingers that go together. He thinks this because I have been busy teaching him 'Cut the Pickle'. He kept putting my fingers together and apart. He could care less about the 'Are You One Finger' but rather the 'Cut the Pickle' finger because he knows it gets him a good laugh.

Not only does Brandon get his laugh with a 'tickle, tickle' to his belly mom gets a good laugh because he learned 'cut the pickle' before 'are you one' and his reaction to it is just perfect for a 'tickle, tickle' for mom.

The Praise vs. Scold dilemma (TMI Warning)

About 24 hours ago I had one of my worst nightmares come true. I can't say the worst since I consider that to be a childhood illness, death in the family, child abduction...all that sad stuff. But in the 'normal realm of motherhood' it was one of my worst nightmares that jumped outside my overactive mind and came true to ruin my morning which in turn wrecked my day.

At 8:49am on Wednesday morning Brandon woke up chatting like usual. After I secured the living room (aka closed the baby gate) I excitedly ventured down the hallway to get my happy little boy. Obviously he was going to be happy because I could smell the hard work he did in his diaper from the hallway. Thinking, "Boy, that must have been a hard one for him. I bet he feels better." I turned the knob in slow motion like you see in a horror movie. I walked in and screamed (and gagged).

My perfect little boy had learned how to take off his diaper. Not only did he learn how to take it off he also learned how to use his entire crib and himself and a bathroom for his diaper #2 duties. Why is it that toddlers think because it is brown it must be a fingerpaint? I wanted to laugh but I cried! I didn't know where to start. Sadly, I called my sister and my mom to get some moral support.

The praise vs. scold dilemma came when I noticed how proud Brandon was that he took his diaper off himself. He thought he was doing mommy a huge favor and that he was such a big boy because he took his own diaper off. Do you become a proud momma that your little bear learned a new thing and he applied himself or do you scold him for the disaster of a mess he created?

This is not the first time I have pondered the problem. He has had this reaction more than once.

When he tips his entire cup upside down and is so proud he got all the milk out of the cup.

When he knows how to use the remote to turn the television to another division of the world (we have 4 remotes and many different steps need to be taken to just watch tv). He thinks he is so smart he got the screen to change but you have no idea what planet the television is portraying.

When he learns things can go into the toilet and when you push the flush button they disappear. This only happened with a little fuzzy toy once but Brandon thought he was Houdini the Magician.

When he realized the bed skirt on his crib is just for decoration. He realized he could fit under there and get stuck. He knows a good hide and go seek spot now.

When he noticed rocks look just as good in the rock area of the yard as they do the grass area. He was so proud of himself for just starting his own landscaping company and made life easier for dad who doesn't have to mow the yard anymore if you just fill it all with rock.

When he learned Grandma and Grandpa react when they are splashed with water. He was so proud he saved them from the heat and used the water to keep them cool.

Obviously, Brandon is proud of himself for finding new and exciting things to learn and ways to contribute to the world. As his mom, I want to be really proud of him as well and praise him when he learns new things but as a 'MOM' I also want to scold him, discipline when necessary and redirect! So as the BEST MOM you come to a middle ground.

So, you solve the dilemma? What would YOU do? Leave a comment! I want to hear from YOU!

What they never tell you!

There are actually many new mom books (some I have glanced through, some not) that are all about 'What you really need to know but no one tells you: Pregnancy, Labor, Delivery and life with your newborn'. To be honest, I am the FARTHEST thing from a 'by the book' mom. I don't own them, I don't read the, I have no interest in them. I don't think kids are 'by the book' or should be placed between two book covers. This includes pregnancy, labor, delivery, and raising kids.

While 8 months pregnant Rob and I spent some time at our local bookstore where I ventured over to the Mom and Baby section. I found one of these 'What they never tell you books' that I normally are written by a celebrity (Jenny McCartney, Tori Spelling). After skimming through the book I realized 'they' (whomever 'they' are) have really done a good job at telling me what I need to know.

For instance (warning: gore ahead) and this isn't necessarily true for me but for examples,

1. Labor and Delivery hurts. It feels like you are taking the largest poo in your life and then multiple that by 100. Yes, I knew it hurts and would feel like I expected it to feel. You are trying to push a watermelon through something the size of a grape.

2. Some women, while pushing during delivery have their own BM...that actually made total sense to me.

3. While pushing that watermelon through something the size of a grape, some women can tear. Not just a bit but a whole tear from one hole to another.

4. The last month of your pregnancy it feels like a 50 pound bowling ball is not only sitting on your bladder but on your pelvic bone and you swear there has to be a fracture in that bone.

5. The last weeks of your pregnancy it will feel like that bowling ball will fall out as you walk down the hallway.

So for me- these things were not really new. I wasn't totally surprised at all

However there are a few things someone never told me: AFTER THE FIRST YEAR!

1. You will be bent over at the waste, nearly touching your toes, at a minimum of 8 hours a day.

2. Your older infant/toddler can screech louder and longer than a group of tween age girls at a Jonas Brothers Concert.

3. You will say "NO" or "Don't touch that." about 2.25 times a second.

4. You will pee your pants when you are downstairs getting the laundry while your husband and child are upstairs when you hear a thud and a blood-hurdling scream. You know your husband is with your child but your heart will skip a beat.

5. You will sweep your kitchen floor 3 times and mop it 3 times and when it is done you will do it all over again. When you go to bed at night you will worry about the dirty/clean kitchen floor. When it is clean and you wonder how long it is going to last...you look over at your child in the high chair and see him flip his food all over the floor. That was a record- 8 seconds of cleanliness for a floor.


6. You will get sick of picking up your kid over and over and over and over...well, you get the picture. This is how my son learned to do stairs. I was sick of hauling him up and down. I decided to open the gate and tell him to figure it out (with our help of course). It took him 2 stairs and he figured out how to do it. He never once fell and now he climbs them up and down all on his own.

7. Newborn babies sleep all the time. That whole 'sleep when the baby sleeps' is bogus. Your newborn will be asleep more than you can imagine so there is plenty of time to sleep and catch up. Now in the toddler years- you do want to nap when the toddler naps. The main reason is your kid has more energy than a 12 pack of Red Bull waiting to be chugged. You will get tired quickly.

8. You can't always count on nursing to help burn the calories and pre-baby weight. If you can wait until the toddler years you shouldn't have to worry. Your toddler will be your personal trainer...now if you can only figure out a way for them to get paid for it.

9. If you have ever seen a house demolished by a tornado then you have seen a toddlers play area...(only better).

10. When table foods have started and you are planning on going to dinner there is a total plan. First, you have to go to certain places that will serve some kind of food your child can have. Chinese isn't the best. Next you have to have an appetizer for the kid (not you). It is best to bring these from home. When you sit down be prepared to order your meal immediately when giving your drink order. When you get your food- shovel fast because your kid will be crabby and itching to go in a matter of 3 minutes. You must keep all this in mind while pushing all your food and everything to one side of the table so your toddler in their high chair/booster seat can have access to 3/4 of the table.

11. You have to be very prepared for keeping a straight, firm face while sitting with your child in time out. He/She will make funny faces at you, smile, laugh, poke you in the face, try to make you laugh....but you have to stay tough and not give in.

AND most importantly, they never tell you that your kid is kind of picking his nose while posing for the family July 4th photo (hence the photo above).

I am sure there will be plenty of more 'learning' along the way. Learning things that people have never told me before about being a momma/parent. Maybe I need to become a celebrity and write my own book.

Blog Hop...3 things you didn't know about me.

***3 Things You Didn't Know About Me...
Because I write so much about Bear and not too much about momma (plus I share lots about him) I am going to do my 3 things about Momma!

1. I had surgery at 17 weeks pregnant. They had to take out my Gal Bladder. It was supposed to be an in/out surgery and the pain was horrible and I was in the hospital for 3 days.

2. I was born Michelle but my parents couldn't agree how to spell the name so they switched it to Melissa.

3. My nickname on my moms side of the family is Minnie Pearl. As a kid I dressed up in my grandmothers clothes, make up, and fake jewels. The name took pretty quickly and stuck. Now they still call me Minnie. If I called one of them and said, "Hi It's Melissa." They wouldn't know who I am.

***

Mom Confessions

I have this underlying feeling that moms criticize other moms often. However, I think moms criticize themselves even more! I admit I am one of those moms that criticize myself too much. I know I get it from my mom who has always been hard on herself and has passed that talent to me. How do I know I have that trait? On many of my employee reviews my boss, Maria, who is also a dear friend and someone I have worked under for many years has continuously had my “Areas to improve” be “Melissa is too hard on herself. She criticizes herself for her weaknesses and downfalls. She needs to cut herself some slack and at times doesn’t know when or how to do that.” (It is fun reading old personal reviews).
So, I am confessing today some of the things I beat myself up about. Maybe if I can overcome these things I might solve the sleep issue I have.
1. I have done 6 loads of laundry in one day only to go to bed angry at myself I didn’t do an even 10 loads-even if there weren’t 10 loads to do.
2. I have left the sprinkler on for over 4 hours because every time I walk up and down the stairs I have a load of laundry in my arms.
3. I have spent an extra 20 minutes washing and drying dishes by hand because I HATE to load and unload the dishwasher.
4. I have pushed all of Brandon’s toys to the side of the room instead of actually putting them in his toy box. This still makes the living room look somewhat picked up and tidy.
5. There have been nights when I am too tired to put the clean sheets on the bed so I lay a sheet over the top of the bed and sleep on that.
6. I have thrown one too many kitties across the room because they easily annoy me. Ok- a small exaggeration here.
7. I have, one more than one occasion, had a ‘picnic’ with Brandon in the living room. I do this a lot for breakfast because I have this thing about watching the morning news.
8. I have had my days when I am SO SICK of sweeping the kitchen floor that I sweep it all into a pile and leave it there. It will stay just fine until the next sweep or sometimes until Rob gets home to pick it up for me. This is another chore I HATE doing (hurts my back). Rob is nice enough to do it for me.
9. Those 6 loads of laundry I mentioned- I did them all with a few coins in the bottom of the washer because I just don’t want to bed over to pick up 20 coins that my husband didn’t take out of his pocket.
10. I have made Brandon go on a ‘car ride’ with me just to get a Starbucks. Only to go on another car ride 3 hours later for another Starbucks.
11. Do Brandon’s clothes really always need to be put away? Can’t the clean clothes sit in the ‘clean hamper’ and we pull them from there?
12. Only twice have I ‘fibbed’ to my husband about my back pain so he will offer to sleep on the couch and I can have the whole bed to myself. This actually does help my back pain and allows me to get a good nights sleep- something that is hard for me.
13. I have told my husband I have a ‘work meeting’ that will last a couple hours just so I can get out of the house and spend a couple hours on my own. If I were to tell Rob I need a couple hours out alone he would totally give them for me but for some reason my guilt won’t give them to me.
14. While visiting family, I have had them say to me, “I think he needs a diaper change before you head home.” I reply, “No- he is good” only because he will get changed when we get home anyway before bed.
15. I have hit the ‘reverse’ button on our Kirby Vacuum cleaner which then makes it act like a blower only to use it to ‘dust’ the furniture in our living room.
16. I have given Brandon a bottle when he shouldn’t have had one (too old for them now) just because he has figured out how to tip his sippy cups upside down and squeeze them to get the liquid out but when he drinks from a bottle he doesn’t get liquid all over.
17. I have used the Nuk as a mute button.
18. I have searched for ear plugs in our house (seeing Rob does construction we have them around) when Brandon is throwing a tantrum- just to take the edge off his screeches.
19. I have used a walk to the mailbox as a mommy time out.
20. I have left Brandon in time out 10 seconds too long just because I am angry and I think he will realize how angry I am if he has an extra 10 seconds- he really doesn’t know or care- he still just sits and waits for his time out to be over.
21. And something every mom does…uses the bathroom often just because we all know that is the ONE place where we can have some extra peace and quiet. When Rob asks, “You okay” I reply, “Yeah, my tummy just hurts” when really I am just sitting on the edge of the tub checking my facebook!

Princess Movies

A bit of a true momma confession....this weekend we have been working, playing and resting. We played at the Maple Grove Days at the community center. We enjoyed lots of games, batting cages, pitching mound (for dad), watching bike and skateboard shows, business expo, listening to a ragtime band and eating lots of corn from the corn on the cob feed. It was a perfect playing kind of day.

We also got plenty of yard work done, cleaning and laundry!

As for resting (which Rob really needs to do lately after working 14 hour days last week in the heat) we have rented 6 movies and have been plugging away at them one at a time. We rent our movies at Redbox at our local McDonalds. Which brings us to the story....

While picking out a few movies for us to watch today I glanced over to see which 'new releases' are soon to be hitting our local Redbox soon. One was something about a Princess Protection Program which looked like another Princess Diaries with Anne Hathaway. Knowing my husband would not want to watch some movies about princesses that was suited for a 10 year old girl my immediate thought was, "Someday I will have my girl and on Friday nights when dad and Brandon are at the local Twins game I will be at home watching princess movies with my little girl while eating ice cream and cookies."

Don't get me wrong...I am TOTALLY IN LOVE with this funny little boy who makes new faces, attempts new words and has a different laugh every day. I LOVE every little bit of him....good days and bad days! I LOVE our mom/son relationship that we have that nothing can come between. I LOVE his boyhood and love for boy things. I will always LOVE those things.

I just have no problem fast forwarding my brain a few years (or many years) when my 10 year old daughter and I are watching princess movies while eating nummy food and polishing our nails. That is just something boys really can't understand...even if my husband did agree on watching Bride Wars with me!!! (Shhh...don't tell him I told you)

Parade on July 4th

Some New Things

It is 5am and I haven't slept yet. To be honest, my heart is going out to Michael Jackson right now because all I want to do is SLEEP and I just can't. I have 5 meds to help me sleep and I still don't sleep. I don't get it.

So...here I am going to update a few things Bear has been doing lately.

He is understanding more and more but it also makes him more and more frustrated. He cracks me up!

1. He HATES his toys. Has no interest in them at all right now unless he is sitting on our lap using them and we are encouraging him the entire time. This is fine...we do sit and play with him a lot...but sometimes mommy's need to shower, cook lunch, go to the bathroom and he doesn't want to play on his own for those few minutes.

2. If it is NOT a toy- he love it. He wants cell phones, keys (not toy ones- they don't make the alarm go off on the minivan), cameras, controllers, buttons of any kind to push, brooms, mops, kitties water dish, plunger, water faucet in the tub he can reach, laptops, dvds and cases. His newest favorite thing is a wooden paint stir stick from Home Depot. He found it somewhere from when I painted his room. I let him play with it for a few minutes really thinking it is not that big of a deal....it won't change a channel, turn a volume, set off a car alarm. But he still finds a way to get into trouble with it. He thinks the paint stick is a fun thing to use to hit kitties with. One swap of that thing and the run...which makes him laugh....which makes me not a happy mama and takes the paint stick away. That was a fun toy for a few moments.

3. Kitties...oh the kitty saga. He really likes the kitties but doesn't grasp the concept of them right now. Oliver and him are buds. They like to get into trouble together. Two little boys, who would have thought? Today Brandon was on the floor reading a book and Oliver put his two front paws on Brandon's back and started licking his head. This makes Brandon laugh. He loves that attention from Oliver. The unfortunate thing is that Brandon doesn't understand that love/attention giving thing back. So he 'pets' the kitties in his own way which is a nice firm pinch and pull of hair. There is great controversy in my world about this issue. Many family/friends think I should really not let the kitties and Brandon interact. I do get invovled many times and interven when I need to. However, Brandon needs to learn to respect animals in his own way as well. They don't bite him but they will nip at him when he is being too rough. This does scare Brandon a bit and that is a good thing. He is learning he is not their master and all powerful over them and can beat them up how he sees fit.

4. Food. Some days we battle this and some days there is no need. It amazes me how a toddlers likes/dislikes change so much. One day he loves bananas the next he hates them. That is very typical for him. He is learning to like new foods- rasperries, blueberries, strawberries, hamburger, chicken (in specific ways), pizza, cucumbers.

5. He has been learning a lot in the past month. His sign language 'vocabulary' has grown. Besides his typical 'more' (which he knows will get him more) he signs eat, milk, drink, bye-bye, he did 'sleep' once. We are working on 'help'. Many times he wants help with something like getting something out of the toy box or going down a step but just sticks his hand out and says, "EH". We know that means help but we are trying to get him to use his word or sign it.

6. He is also doing more and more on his own. I am very ready to get rid of the gate at the top of the stairs. Right now it is being used as a barrier for the most part to keep him in one location. When it is time for us to go bye-bye I will leave the gate open and say "Follow Me" and he slides right down on his belly to the entry way to get his shoes on. He does like to hold my hand and go down each step of the way on his own like big people. I do let him do that every now and then because he loves it so much but to get him down the steps safe and sound I like him to scoot on his belly. He will walk out of the house on his own (down two steps) and over to the van and once I open the door he tried to put his leg up to get in the van. It is still too big for him but he tries. He likes to walk on his own too which is great but it is mostly when we are out and about and then he wants to run through parking lots. We have a rule that you either hold moms/dads hand or you go in the stroller or get carried. He normally ends up being carried or in the stroller.

Ok- so a few updates for now and some time passed. Wonder if I can sleep for an hour before he wakes up???

Blog Hop

Brandon is trying out his 2 new front teeth.

Learned Time Out

Brandon learned time out today (yes, I know it is after July 4th and I need to post some photos- they are on my facebook page).

We have been teaching Brandon time out lately and we are being very careful as to what we do time out for. We know he is still learning so we don't want to put him in time out for everything but as he is entering the toddler years we are noticing he is starting to throw tantrums if he doesn't get his way. This means we need to guide him and teach him that he can't always have his way and how to control that anger and frustration.

We use time out if he is doing something drastic. Mostly- hitting our big screen tv or the cats. We also use it when he is tipping his sippy cup upside down and squeezes it to let it squirt all over. We always give him a warning first at eye level with a firm voice. We correct the behavior and redirect him. Sometimes that doesn't work. Our time out spot is at the end of the hallway facing the wall (usually he turns around which is ok).

Today he hit the tv and we redirected him. When I was at his eye level with him I told him that next time he hits the tv he will go in time out. He immediately ran down the hall and sat facing the wall. The hall light was off so I went and turned it on and got him out of time out. I told him he wasn't in time out and made a fun/giggle out of it so he didn't think he was in time out. He popped up and went to play. He realized he wasn't in time out.

However, hours later he didn't listen to mommy about not spilling his sippy cup upside down. After the warning he did it again and I took the sippy away and said "Time out". He ran to the end of the hall and sat down facing the wall. He knew he was in time out and knew the drill. I follow him and sit behind him to make sure he sits for a minute. I only had to correct him once and make sure he sits for a minute. After the minute is up I face him and talk to him like an adult and tell him why he was in time out. Sometimes he just wants to go and play but he needs to listen that he didn't listen to mommy and why he was in time out. Then we do hugs and kisses so he know I still love him and then he goes and plays.

It is intersteing how the last few days he is really making a connection to things. When we are eating and ask what he wants he has been signing 'more'. He really knows what that sign means. When we ask him something specific (like "Bring this to daddy") he will do it. His mind is working like crazy these last few days and it is fun to see how things come together. He is also trying hard to talk more and more- the sounds are there but not the actual word.

This is a fun time period right now. I love seeing him learn and grow and make these connections. I love this kid!

Bath fun...oops wrong one but it will work.

Chatty Boy...drinking a big gulp (it was empty)

Yes, the ice falls and smushes his face. He starts crying but didn't get hurt.

Blowing Kisses- and a 'EESSE'

Hot Summer Day

Today it got up to 94 degrees. Thank goodness we got our air conditioning fixed last week. Otherwise it would not be fun. The annoying thing about this new house we are in is that you can't let the air blow through the house when you open the windows. We have to put the deck on so we can keep the deck door open. I am not risking being the next news story of a toddler (or cat) pushing through the screen deck door and falling 2 stories down.

We spent the day inside to stay cool. We did our daily Diet Coke run at Super America and Branon's curls on the back of his head curled really tight. He was hot and sweaty from a 2 mile trip. We finished dinner early and filled up a pool for Punky to play in. He had some trouble getting in but once in the pool he loved it. I (mom) got in with him so he would feel more comfortable. Together Brandon and I soaked dad!

After the pool party we went back to the cool air inside and got our jammies on early. We played with some new toys- and moms camera, dads Blackberry, and moms lap top. Those are some expensive new toys.

After a tantrum (we don't let him tip his water glass all over him) it was time for bed. Even though we stayed inside for the day he still played hard and went to sleep a bit early. He has been sleeping in really late these past few days too.

Oh- it is also officialy: Toofers 7 and 8 have arrived, unpacked and made themselves at home. They did this rather quickly. When I peeked today they were half way up to his other 2 teeth that are almost toally in. 7 and 8 are a bit pushy aren't they.

The Gooser on Father's Day

First of all- Happy Father's Day!

Rob is celebrating his second Father's Day! Now, I have to be upfront and honest...Rob may not be the best husband all the time (nor am I anywhere NEAR being the best wife all the time) BUT...I do think he is one kick a$% dad- all the time. I can honestly say he is madly in love with his son and his son is madly in love with him! They both light up when they see each other and love spending time together.

They watch baseball together.
They both love the movie The Golden Compass
They both laugh when chasing each other.
They love to cuddle with kitties.
They are picky eaters
They can both work a video game controller better than I ever could. Brandon has no idea what is going on but he can still work that controller.
They both screech when going down slides at the park.
They are also messy eaters.
AND...they both give the best hugs in the world!

So- Happy Father's Day Rob! You are a great dad!

Tonight for Father's Day Brandon and I (mom) headed to Grandma and Grandpa's. Rob was not feeling too well after mowing the lawn in total heat and had a pounding headache. (Sorry about the headache honey). We enjoyed a very delicious dinner of poppyseed salad, steak, ribs, kbobs, corn on the cob, watermelon, veggies....oh I could go on and on! It was a fun evening....always is until someone gets hurt.

As Brandon was making a bolt for the stairs and I started to run after him he noticed me quickly approaching. Laughing hard he turned and ran from me and hit a pair of shoes in the front entry way and tripped right over them. He didn't even have a chance to land head first into the ground because his head hit the corner of the wooden steps. Yes-corner! Yes-corner meets head!

Immediately Brandon started screaming and immediately one huge egg began forming on his head. One big GOOSER of an egg formed on his head.

He cried for only 3 minutes top. It was time for dinner so he became distracted with his chicken and dinner roll. As he continued to eat he didn't notice Grandpa Tim putting his new invention of a old dish towel with ice cube in it wrapped around his forhead. I am so bummed my camera was dead. He looked like Rambo or Karate Kid with this killer band around his head. He kept it on for over half an hour. The ice did take some of the swelling down but he still has one big bump on his forhead. After the few minutes of crying nothing phased him and he was just fine.

Happy Father's Day Gooser!

The Shack

I have just finished reading The Shack. It was a tough book to read. I know some folks won't read it because it doesn't portray God in the 'correct' way. In my opinion-you look right past that and focus on the message it is trying to send. The part that hit me hard was when they were talking to Mack about forgiving the guy that took and killed his daughter, Missy many years before. I am horrible at forgiveness. There are many people in my life that have hurt me or my loved ones and I have still not forgiven them months to years later. After reading this book I know now it is something I need to make a priority especially with having a little boy who will soon be talking back to me and will someday say, "Mom, You're mean. I hate you." What kid hasn't said that to their parent. I need to prepare myself for that moment and being prepared for that moment means being able to forgive him for saying it.

"Forgiveness is first for you, the forgiver, to release you from something that will eat you alive, that will destroy your joy and your ability to love fully and openly. Do you think this man cares about the pain and torment you have gone through? If anything, he feeds on that knowledge. Don't you want to cut that off? And in doing so you will release him from a burden that he carries whether he knows it or not- acknowledges it or not. When you choose to forgive another, you love him well."

Mack continues to ask about forgiveness and brings up his anger and asks God if it is okay to be angry at this man who has killed his daughter asking, "Is it alright if I am still angry?"

God answers, "Absolutely! What he did was terrible. He caused incredible pain to many. It was wrong, and anger is the right response to something that is so wrong. But don't let the anger and pain and loss you feel preent you from forgiving him and removing your hands from around his neck."

I think I confuse anger and forgiveness. I think I have issues with both- but need to start forgiving and realize it is okay to be angry. I want to focus on this so when Brandon needs to forgive or I need to forgive him we can both be able to do that.

It all starts from example- which will be from me.

Birthday Parties

After a sleepless night and a quiet day it was time to whoop-it-up. Brandon's friend, Connor turned 3 and it was time to celebrate. Connor is the son of a good friend of Rob's who was also his best man in our wedding. Since they live 30 minutes from us or so we don't see them as much as we would like but they are wonderful friends and have a cute little boy who has his daddy's muscles and is proud of it (or so the t-shirt says). We packed up a sleepy bear and headed to Central Square Park in Waconia. The Thomas Celebration has begun and knowing Connor's love for the little blue train we jumped on board. Punky was even wearing his Thomas outfit fit for the celebration. There were lots of people- adults and children. Grilling out, pinata, park, swings, presents and one colorful cake made for a special evening and the rain knew it was special. Thankfully it obeyed and stayed far away. Despite the severe pain in my back today (a karma thing I think since I was supposed to have my back surgery today) I enjoyed watching Punky run around the green grass, fall down, push himself up, then wipe his hands and run away. I taught him the wipe his hands process.
During the evening, flashbacks of Brandon's first birthday surfaced. Sadly, some of the guests we were expecting were not able to attend due to a severe accident (including hospitalization) in the family and other grandparents on a vacation. Even though I was a bit disappointed I was fully aware family members needed to be where they needed to be and supported it 100%. When I found out I was pregnant one of the first things I thought abou was the babys first birthday and what it would be like. I just wanted it to be a special day for him/her. I think we accomplished that well. Watching Connor with other friends-of all ages-made me think of future birthdays for Brandon. I am excited to see him grow up and learn more and more about birthday parties. I am ready for a big party with kids, adults, cake, treats, party hats, favors, goody bags, games, heck maybe even a clown! The hamster wheel in my mind was racing....where can we do his next party? Pool, playground, zoo, community center, maze....Oh the possibilities! What character? Elmo, Thomas, Cookie Monster, Bob the Builder- just NO Barney. Oh the possibilities are endless!

I am most excited that as the candles on the cake grow so will Brandon's ability to remember the events.

Happy Birthday Connor!

Welcome to the family....number 7 and 8!

The last few days or so Punky has been crabbier than usual. Going though the checklist of "What's Wrong?" possibilities we found the answer; pure whiteness on his bottom gum next to his first 2 teeth. Knowing number 7 and 8 are popping in we (mom and dad) became a bit more sympathetic and sad for him. We cuddled him up a bit more than we normally do. We let him have his way a little more. We let him have an extra bottle instead of forcing him to eat since it hurt him.

HOWEVER, 2 new teeth does not mean he can keep us up all night long playing. Sleep is sleep- hands down and we all need it to function somewhat normally.

It was one tough night! Punky and his new teeth didn't want to sleep. He slept from 9pm to 11:30pm. Dad rocked him from 11:30pm to almost 1am (ridiculous). Finally we put him in his crib to finish crying it out. 2 hours later he was still at it. Finally at 3:30am I turned on the monitor to hear silence and relief on my part. We all were finally asleep...but not for long. Brandon's 2 new friends decided to cause some more pain at 4:30am for another hour. I was shocked that Brandon wasn't conking out from exhaustion with all his screaming and crying he was deeply involved in.

A quick bottle later he was back to sleep (by 5am) until 8am this morning.

One night of little and totally broken sleep has us all a little on edge and crabbie today. Understandably so!

Welcome to the family toofers 7 and 8!

Horse Races

Tonight Brandon and I joined Auntie Key, Becky and Beth at the track. It was Brandon's first time. I mohawked him up and put on a funky "Ladies Man" T-shirt. He was the talk of the track. He liked to watch the horses when they ran by and even giggled at them the first time. He then just wanted to run and run and run. There were many other children doing the same thing. One being a young girl around Brandon's age. Her dad pointed at Brandon and said to her, "You have to stay away from him. He is going to be trouble when he gets older." Of course auntie and I thought it was cute since everyone thought he was definetly a ladies man. He was just a ham and got lots of great laughs.

Welcome, you've entered the TODDLER years

It hit me hard today driving home from Eden Prairie Center (EPC). Brandon (with a new nickname-Punky) and I went to EPC to eat some lunch in a nummy food court and play in their child's indoor play area. Punky was such a grown man today! He ate all his chicken nuggest and fries and milk. He sat nicely and didn't screecc or throw his food during lunch. When he wanted milk he signed milk (he just learned it 2 days ago but he loves using sign language for milk). After lunch time we headed down to the lower level to play. Concern was growing in my blood as I realized school is officially out and all I heard was children. Sometimes the play area is packed tight with all sizes of kids but mostly those who are a bit too tall to be in the area. Being in no rush I decided to let Brandon walk instead of cruise in the Graco. I put him down and away he went. He is a boy after my own heart as he ran and screeched his way right into Zales jewelry store. I was in shock! He passed the shoes sitting outside the lease line of Journey (he loves shoes) and bolted for some very beautiful rings. He must have wanted to pick something out for mommy. Bending down to ask which one he wants to get for mommy he pointed to the perfect turqoise and diamond ring- the one I eyed when I was following Punky into the store. The store gal was very friendly and we swamped stories as her son is turning one tomorrow! He was so bashful with her and she was so complimentary. Drooling mouths and many fingerprinted glass cases later we continued on our way. Punky loved to walk/run his way to the elevator. He listened to every direction I gave him. I think it helps if you don't hound kids over and over on the same things. We had plenty of time so why rush to the elevators? He actually had more fun watching them go up and down and seeing the people inside. We let the big, glass elevator go up and down many times before we took our turn. Successfully making it to the play area we needed to find 'our spot'. We normally have dad with us but today we really wouldn't have a 'spot' as I would be dilly-dallying around a toddler! It was as packed as a sardine can with all ages of children and their parents/nannies sitting on the sidelines waiting and yelling. I was glad to see one dad playing with his son who was about the same age as Brandon. Since Brandon is home all day with mom and dad we always wonder how he will do amongst a group of children. Before my purse was down he was off and running. And not just to play but to meet a new friend. He met many today and he has a preference for little girls- his age and up to 5 years old or so. One girl taught him how to climb one of the pieces.

Brandon has been here many times before. He has ventured off, stayed in one area, stayed only on the benches with us, stayed on a flower the entire time. He knows this area and has played at his abilities that he could at the time. It has been about a month or so since our last visit and today was a new adventure for him at our ever favorite tot lot. Besides immediately meeting new friends and venturing off he strived in doing so much for himself. As a mom you want to do everything for your kids and I make a very conscious effort to stay away. I showed him a tunnel to crawl through once and a flower to climb. After that he climbed that flower and many ladybugs by himself. He would go in and out and in and out and in and out of that tunnel over and over. The other moms were quite amused. He found the fish to climb on and the jet ski and he knew how to climb onto it by himself and ride it. He even made the noise. After a slip and fall from the jet ski he was off (with no tears-and I didn't go running to him) to a new venture. One that was out of my sight. I sneakily followed to find him climbing the stairs to the large 'jungle' piece where there are many slides coming from. Once at the top he laid on his belly and pushed himself backwards until he hit a wall then he would turn a bit and keep pushing until he quickly found a slide and down he went. He got up thinking he could climb the slide to fall right back down. That was one fast learning moment when something clicked in his brain that he had to go up the stairs again. Not even noticing mommy near by (I kept away and quiet to see how he would do.) he rushed to the stairs and did the belly pushing slide move again to another, bigger slide. Out of my sight again I waited. I knew he was safe and I wanted to see if he knew mommy was out of sight and see what his next move was. He came running around the corner to do the stairs again. He didn't need my help anymore climbing, sliding, running, etc.
I was so proud of him for learning so quickly about how things work and how to do things and being so brave to conquer the environment and new things on his own.
When it was time to go I held up his shoes and socks and he caming running over and knew what we had to do. Grabbing the stroller Punky learned of a new device that goes up and down and people ride it. He was curious and interested. So be it....we are breaking the 'No Strollers on the Escalators' rule. I slowly showed him what we were going to do and explained everything (even if he doesn't understand it all- you should always explain it). I pushed the stoller ahead of us and together we stepped on to the escalator. Brandon did it perfectly one step at a time. I was so proud of him for holding my hand the entire time and stepping quickly on and off the escalator. I know my dad is probably rolling his eyes at me right now and saying something like, "Melissa, he is a kid. Whoop-de-do" but when you realize your little 8 pound baby that you delivered now understands how to walk, talk, run, figure things out, learn new things, climb new things, and so on...it really hits you how proud of him you are. It hit me today! I can't call him my 'baby' anymore. I can't do anything 'baby' with him...heck, he does showers and sits at the table now with mom and dad-at 13 months that isn't bad. It has gone too fast.
Driving home from EPC I kept thinking of how yesterday he was so frusterated that he couldn't work a toy or figure out a book but today he could figure out how to get on and off an escalator. It is amazing how every day there is something new from him and to see how he is learning and processing everything so quickly and in his own unique way.
I think we have officially entered the toddler years! I feel very welcomed! And Punky does too!