Goodbye, January!

5 February 2013

January came and went and is all but a blur now. We filled it with so many good things, like the first snowfall, a first visit from Aunt Tina and a second from Grandma Rachel,  and of course a first birthday!  So many new and exciting experiences jam-packed into one month.  How does one survive being sick for two weeks with a fussy toddler, a hubby on night shift and manage to throw a fabulous Mustache Bash? Family-thats how! If only I had this much help every day, all would be right in the world.  Right? 

So February, you will be more low key, especially now that Darren is TDY for 6 weeks.  To Florida and Vegas. So basically he is getting a paid six week vacation.  Why does he always get to have all the fun? 

To see the pictures from B's first birthday and Mustache Bash, click here.

Great! Now I'm The Sick One

11 January 2013


 Sitting here feeling miserable with the flu, but Bradyn is helping ease the pain some. He's sitting perfectly still watching cartoons on tv.  (Oh, why couldn't he have been this cooperative all day.) He's quite attached to me and is of course going through separation anxiety.

 He's moved into the pretoddler room and doesn't even take a bottle while he is there. The week before he was drinking two during the day. He's so busy with a routine, he doesn't notice he hasn't had a bottle. The transition lasted just 5 days and overall he's doing very well with the others. It's leaving me that we're struggling with. It breaks my heart, but by the time I pick him up all is forgiven.  Watching him interact with little people and eating with them at the big boy table is quite possibly the cutest part about him right now.

This Time Last Year

30 December 2012


Remember this!? This time last year I was full on pregnant and tried to cleverly disguise my bump as a Santa belly. Oh, what a difference a year makes.

 

Then there was NYE. The day before the year that completely turned our lives upside down. I looked cute and happy, but I was  screaming for a back rub or even a stiff drink by the end of the night! We were celebrating a friends nuptials and wide awake well into 2012. Three short weeks later, lil B arrived, which is all the time I have to prepare for his big ONE! My mom and sister Tina will be here to help out. Let the party planning begin!

Right now I am listening to Darren tickle Bradyn. I adore B's laugh and mutant hairs that are beginning to show on his head. Strawberry blonde no less. He's going to a be a little heart breaker.
B is now into the destroy anything in sight phase. What you put down he picks up and throws across the room.  If there's a drawer or door within his reach, he's opening it and tossing out anything he can grasp in those death grips.  Sometimes it's my mouth, nose and ears. He gives us several tight squeezes/hugs followed by a drooly kiss right in the eyeballs. My lil Houdini is quite the escape artist too and rarely sits still through a diaper change and disappears in the blink of an eye. He's getting to be so fast on his feet! He started walking on my brother's birthday, so we know he has great timing.  Poor kid has gotten four teeth in the last month though, followed by ear tubes.  Hopefully the surgery was curative for his long-lasting infection. We're not entirely sure at this point. He will go in for his 12 month well check and follow-up this week and then we'll see. Fingers crossed.

First Chrsitmas-11 months

 

Flag Artwork

The flag Bradyn and his class made for the art auction. We won it with 12 cans of food, which were donated to the food shelter!

 

 

Turkey Time!

18 November 2012

We have had two turkey dinners and it's not even Thanksgiving yet!  One at the CDC, and one with co-workers last night.
 
We were the only parents to show up at the CDC. At least we didn't have to stand in line and wait for food! We even walked away with a great piece of artwork B helped make. An American flag with tiny hand and feet prints. (Pic to come!)

The other parents couldn't make it and were most likely sick. Bradyn is finally feeling better after a month long ear infection and ugly bout of thrush. He had a 104 temp last week and had to stay home from school with Darren for two days. Turns out he was teething too and he has his first top tooth coming in! 

Lil B is 10 months old today! He took five steps the other day.  I am going to have to strategically place the Christmas tree this year.  Most likely he will find a way to get himself tangled up in it. He is starting to eat more solid food and loved his first taste of pumpkin pie! He can also clap and loves to sing and dance. One of these days I will get him on video.  He has such a loving personality, but he has a stubborn side too. Especially when  he doesn't get a long enough nap! We are enjoying every stage with him and wonder what he will be doing this time next month.  Eight more weeks until Grandma Rachel and Aunt T come for a visit to help celebrate the big ONE!

Weekend Wonders

12 November 2012

The poppy is worn to remember those who sacrificed their lives during war.
 Remembrance Poppy

 

A teacher friend of mine has her students write about their weekends every Monday and cleverly titles it, "Weekend Wonders". Last weekend was Veteran's Day/Remembrance Day here in England and we ventured to Manchester and Birmingham so Darren could pick up some more of his "Walking Dead" graphic novels. He has quite the collection and even attended a comic book convention. I never thought I'd live to see the day the words Darren and comic book convention would be uttered in the same sentence. He says some day B will have a lot of money! :) While he was busy toting B around town, I made sure to get in some much needed retail therapy for myself. Manchester is filled with stores galore and although it was mad, I roughed the crowds and found a lot of great pieces for work and some inexpensive clothes for Bradyn. 



We spent one night in Birmingham and two nights in Manchester. Bradyn doesn't exactly love sleeping in hotels. (He clearly has nothing against the tv screens in them.)  These unknown places freak him out just a little and he has a hard time sleeping in unfamiliar places. The first night was rough because there was no baby crib for him so we had to do some co-sleeping. The next night our genius minds came up with a plan to make our own crib. See below. Yes, those are the two chairs from the corner.

He would let me give him a bath morning, noon and night he loves it so much.

Gorgeous staircase in Britannia Hotel-Manchester

 

 

First Halloween

31 October 2012

 I was just looking at this picture and the jack-o-lantern sitting beside B thinking, this time last year I was painting a pumpkin on my belly!



Thanks, Grandma Rachel for the costume! I nearly bought the same one on base. Great minds I tell ya!



Bradyn as Pooh Bear

Bradyn didn't really take to the candy at first. He just thought they were toys and threw the suckers on the floor. I let him have a couple licks of one and then couldn't pry it away from his chubby little hands. Luckily he loves bananas just as much!

 

 

 

Jo helped hand out candy too!



Bradyn's third wardrobe change of the day. Glow in the dark skelton pjs.

 

By the way, this lil critter is on the move and is taking his first steps already! He stands on his own and puts his hands up in the air as if to say, "Look what I can do!" We will have a walker by 10 months, I'm sure of it!  He also understands when I sign "banana" and "milk" and says "mmmm" every time. LOL!