Tidbits

Boy, does time fly! Cannot believe it's been over 6 weeks since I've posted and Brady has been home for over 5 months. He just keeps growing, learning, amazing me, and getting cuter by the day.


I planned on doing a post weeks ago about Brady's verbal skills, but time got away from me. To sum up, he is saying several words and seems to be adding a new one every couple of weeks. His first word was "moo" in response to my asking him what a cow says on the way home from daycare one day. We had been reading Sandra Boynton's Moo, Baa, La La La and I guess it rubbed off. He says "la la la " now too. We're also working on sign language. He very quickly picked up on "all done" but the first time he waved his little hands to sign it, he also said it! Too funny. Now he says "ah da" at every meal as he hands me his spoon and his sippy cup and tries to squirm out of his high chair. He can sign "more" and "eat" although I don't think he fully understands what they mean yet. "Uh-oh" and "apple" (which really means "applesauce") and "up" are also part of his repertoire. He also says "hi" when he holds the remote to his ear. No "mama" yet though, at least not in context. He does say "mamama" when I put him in the highchair, but I think he is actually saying "yum, yum, yum" since that is what Mommy always says. He babbles, squeals, screeches (going through that ear-ringing stage again), and utters all kinds of things constantly that might be words, but mama isn't getting it.

His receptive language is even better. He understands so much! Yesterday I asked him if he was ready to go see Miss Kelly (his daycare teacher) and he ran to the door into the garage and started pounding on it. When I said, "Brady, no pounding!" he proceeded to close the laundry room door, which was between us, then returned to pounding on the garage door from inside the laundry room. I've had to deadbolt that door now.

He's also gone from toddling to running. And climbing on every piece of furniture in the house. And standing on tippy-toes at every available surface pulling off whatever he can get his little fingers on. A new favorite is the toilet brush (major ick) which is now in hiding. And opening (and closing) every door in the house. And standing on toys (only the big ones with wheels, of course) and then squealing to be sure I look ("See mom, no hands!") and have a heart attack. He is also rearranging the furniture. Anything he can push around he does. Stools, kitchen chairs, garbage cans, end tables, you name it. My hardwood floors have the "stressed" look already. Really hoping this is just a stage!

Mama is having some neck/back trouble these days -- combination of age, sitting in front of a computer all day, and (surprise, surpise) packing around and lifting a 24 lb squirmy little boy! I had the steroid injections into my neck a few weeks ago. It took a week or so (and several days of nausea from the anesthesia), but at least my neck isn't as painful any more. Unfortunately, the rest of my back is still hurting and tingling most of the time. My disks had better slow their degeneration, cuz I fear I have a few more years of carrying and lifting my little bundle of joy.

Okay, I have to admit to giving Brady's bangs a trim. Oops. Well, every little boy needs the "mama cut" at least once. Thank goodness his hair grows fast! He's only figured out how to go backwards on this riding toy. It's kind of funny.


Callie is definitely warming up to the little alien in the house. She follows us everywhere, stays in Brady's room at bedtime (and after I leave) until the lullaby playing on the "soother" is over, scavanges under his highchair (far cry from a dog, but I'll take all the help I can get in cleaning the floor), plays with his toys, and I caught her playing "hide and jump" with him a couple of days ago. It is really interesting that for an 11-year-old cat that has never been around kids, she truly understands that he is a baby and she needs to be gentle. He has grabbed her a couple of times and she hisses and squirms, but doesn't claw or bite. She'll claw and bite me when she feels like it, no problem! A couple of days ago, Brady wouldn't leave her alone when she was eating. He kept getting closer and pointing that little finger at her. She backed up and swatted at him. Just a warning -- no contact. I told Brady to leave her alone, but instead he got closer. As I watched, she did the whappity-whap on his little pointing hand 5 times in about 1.5 seconds. No claws, but got the message across. He was startled, then started crying. Just hurt feelings. I did my best to not let him see me laughing.

Brady loves his Uncle Lyle. Check out the little ears over his right shoulder. Jealousy indeed!


I felt like I really dodged a bullet with Brady when he immediately took to eating just about anything I gave him and all of it. Well, those days are over. Now, if it looks like a vegetable or fruit, he ain't touchin' it! And I mean he won't touch it, except to push it off his plate, and then to the far side of the tray, and eventually he picks up whatever the offending food is and puts it piece by piece on the table next to his highchair. Applesauce, mashed potatoes, this frozen spinach/pea/grain baby food, and avocados are the only produce-like foods he'll eat. I'm back to grinding up veggies and putting them in the mashed potatoes or spaghetti or whatever. I also know you have to keep trying, but he has been getting broccoli, green beans, corn, carrots, or peas at daycare every day for two months and hasn't eaten a morsel. The problem could be taste, but more likely texture. Half the time he won't eat things that he's eaten tons of in the past. He'll eat a chicken quesadilla, tuna sandwich, cupcake, and crackers, but won't eat a pea, green bean, banana, pear, or peach. Go figure. I'm getting grayer by the day. Arrrggh!

At least he has mastered the spoon. Actually he has, but he gets distracted and starts waving it or pounding with it, so Mama has one too or mealtime would be a two-hour event.



Okay, you asked for it: even more pictures! It's funny how even when taking so many pictures, they still don't capture all the cuteness and you always miss the best shot.

Brady in his new chair (it's a rocker, but had to take the rockers off, cuz he likes to stand in it. Oy!) BTW, his TV attention span is only about 3 seconds (except for when the Manly Men song comes on, of course), so no worries about the electronic babysitter. Notice that gate in front of the TV? Needed a deterrent from banging on the screen with a toy. Worked for about a month, now he is just reaching over it!

And for some reason (maybe just Mom's entertainment) this is how he gets into his chair.



Playtime in Mom's bathroom. Yep, torpedo alley! Was actually cuter when he was younger, cuz he would get so excited and wave the "torpedoes" in the air for a full 20 minutes. Good blackmail photos for when he is older. ;)


Brady is getting so big, but when I see him climbing up the stairs, he still seems so tiny! His little legs are only about as long as each step is high. And how do you guarantee a growth spurt? Buy a bunch of 12-month pants and then discover two days later that he has to suck it in to get them snapped! Sheesh.


This is the way he goes up the second half of the stairs. He wants to hold the railing just like Mommy. It can take 15 minutes to get to the top.


I put 'em on myself! What a giggle-fest trying to get them on him the first few times. Still haven't tried them out of the house, but soon. Definitely need shades in this area where the sun is so bright.


The perpetual cowlick. Fitting for the Kazakh version of Dennis the Menace!


Can't get those pieces in the puzzle, then stick your feet in and use them as cymbals!


Brady was home sick last Monday. This is how he entertained himself. I still don't have a good picture of it, but this little guy will blow his nose into a Kleenex that he pulls out of the box himself. Of course, the goop gets smeared all over his face, but he thinks it is pretty fun. After he pulled all the tissues out, he blew on half of them, then shoved them back in the box!


And he has discovered the toilet paper roll.





He likes to climb into tight spots, but Mommy had to take a picture before she helped him out. I just loved seeing all those teeth! The last of the bottom ones are coming in, so next up is the second molars in a few years. Hopefully once the current teeth are completely in, the biting will stop at daycare. Keep your fingers crossed!


And last, but not least, he found a new hat. When I first saw him, he was just sitting back in the chair with his hands on the arms enjoying the hat, which was squarely on top of his head. This "hat" is the cat's canned food dish. Yes, it was full of warm smelly Tuna Feast.