18 Months!!!

Today was Brendan's 18-month doctor's appointment. It's so hard to believe that he's already a year-and-a-half old. Time sure does go by quickly when you have a little one! As always, the pediatrician raved about how well B is doing. He is such a big boy! 60th-percentile in weight and 96th-percentile in height. Can you believe it?! He may end up tall, yet.

He tested at a 18 1/2 month level on his denver developmental tests, which does not surprise us one bit. There are so many things he has learned to do since our last appointment. Here are just a few:

• He can sing (and he enjoys it).
• He helps around the house.
• He's getting picky about certain foods (this one is a bummer).
• He's starting to climb (and fall A LOT more).
• Can kick a ball forward.
• He can spoon feed himself (although he still prefers his fingers).
• He can brush his teeth with help.
• And he has a much more complex vocabulary including "tah"=hot, "puh"=up, "dao"=go, "ba duh"=bad dog (guess what that one's about), and Mommy's personal favorite..."WOW!" (this one is super cute.)

With all this growing going on, it's no wonder we haven't posted in a bit. Thought we'd catch you all up on a few pics while we were at it.

These pics show his milestones. This one is his new climbing skill. Mom was in the kitchen doing dishes when Brendan started laughing one of those "I'm doing something I shouldn't be" giggles. When she looked over here he was...on top of the dining room table.

These pictures are of Brendan's spoon-feeding milestone. It's a messy business:

This video isn't that interesting, but Mom was pretty proud at that moment. Brendan feeding himself:

This picture doesn't show a milestone, but we thought it was pretty funny. This was his face after he touched one of the branches on our Christmas tree this year. Ha ha.

Faust Park

On Saturday, Mommy had a rare day off with nothing planned so we decided to have a family outing. We went to Faust park to ride the Carousel. Unfortunately Brendan was clearly not a fan. He cried the whole time the carousel was moving. Afterward, we decided to play on the playground--a much better idea. Bubba enjoyed swinging on the swings (as usual), going down the slide all by himself, and playing with the leaves with Daddy. But Brendan's favorite part....running! He just laughed and laughed as he ran the length of the playground. Maybe we should get this kid into track and field at an early age!

OK, so the deer he was riding looks WAY creepier in photos than it did in real life.

Photos Just Because

These next few are of Brendan's first bubble bath. He was pretty afraid of the bubbles at first. But as you can tell by the pics, he got used to them.

Guess What Happened...

Pumpkin Patch 2009

So our annual trip to the pumpkin patch has come and gone. It's hard to believe that it was a year ago that we had our baby boy dressed up in his lobster bunting costume in the sweltering heat at Eckerts. This year the weather was much nicer. It's starting to feel like fall. Both the Coles and Pelhanks were able to join us which made it a true family event. Brendan and his cousin, Jaxon, dressed up in their Halloween costumes. B was Momma's little Edward Cullen (a vampire to the non-Twilight Saga fans) and Jaxon was a monkey. They were so adorable.

We started the day with a photo shoot of the cutie-pies. It seemed that all Brendan wanted to do was walk away and play with the rocks. When Mom was satisifed that we had the perfect shot, we were off to sample some of the awesome down-home cooking. From funnel cakes, to corn dogs, to kettle corn, we had our fill of wonderful treats. We were then off to pick (and eat) apples. Jax was a natural at picking straight off the tree (with a little help from Johnny). He even ate off his own apple. Brendan, as usual, was a little more reserved. He needed some help getting the chunks off the apple. He loved him some Jonathan Apples, though. After apple picking we took the hayride to find the perfect pumpkins. As is our tradition, we picked a Daddy pumpkin, a Mommy pumpkin, and a Brendan pumpkin. To finish our day, we went to see the farm animals. Turns out, Bubba is not such a fan. He had had a long day.

Too Cute...

We can't believe how big our little man has gotten even in the last couple weeks. He has developed this wide toothy grin that is just too cute for words. Thought we'd post a few pics to show him off. And the video isn't really anything special, just momma's little helper but it does show how unbelievably mobile he's getting. (Sorry about all the commentary in the video, it's just how we communicate.)

Brendan's 15-Month Drs Appointment

To anyone who follows our blog, we're sure you've noticed it has been awhile since we have last posted updates. That's because we have been CRAZY busy. What's new?! We've tried to catch everyone up on the latest with the large number of posts today.

Today was Brendan's 15-month doctors appointment. His pediatrician always beams at how well he is doing, considering that he was a preemie. We feel like he is growing like a weed, and his measurements today prove it! He weighed in at 25 lbs. 12 oz. (65th percentile) and even more astonishing 33" tall (95%!!!). He may not end up with Daddy's stumpy genes after all. His head is still a little small for kids his age at the 40th percentile but we've been assured it's nothing to worry about.

His Denver Developmental Scores put him at the 15 1/2 month range--he's a smartie! He has so many new things that he can do. He runs around like crazy. He can dance like no other. He's learning so many new words: "Ba" (ball), "Dah" (down), "No" (nose)--where he points to his nose our yours, "Duh" (dog), and many others. He's got a firm grip on "Uh Uh" when he shouldn't be doing something--although it doesn't always mean he doesn't do it. With that, we've started the horrible task of disciplining. Like all kids, he does not like his time-outs but we're sure that he understands the concept. But it really is a challenge to keep that kid sitting in one spot for an entire minute.

He's eating very well, but his tastes seem to change daily. For example, he used to love mashed potatos, and then one day last week he absolutely refused to let you put a single bite in his mouth. But he will eat cheese all day if you let him. The doc gave us the green light to discontinue jarred baby food. That's great for us...anything to lower the grocery bill.

The pediatrician did mention his pigeon-toed feet today. She noticed that it is getting a little better in that when he stands still, he straightens them out. But he still has trouble tripping over them as he walks, especially while wearing shoes. She pointed out that his right leg is really starting to bow because of those pesky feet. We're going to wait it out until our next appointment (18-months) and if they are not dramatically better he will be seeing a specialist. That thought is a little disheartening, but at least it's while he is still young and won't really remember.

All in all it was a positive visit if you leave out about the 3 shots :( We always leave the office feeling so proud of how far our little man has come. It helps that the pediatrician is so positive with her feedback of his progress. We feel really blessed.



Peas....yum!

Learning to eat big chunks like a big boy.

This boy still loves the park!




Do I look like a bug?




Brendan plays Superman with Daddy:

Tory and Danny Are Engaged!

We are so excited to announce that Ryan's sister, Tory, and her boyfriend Danny are FINALLY engaged! The date is not officially set yet for the wedding but it looks to be next summer. Lots to do before then, but we are so proud that they have finally decided to tie the knot. Congratulations you two!

Danny and Tory at their engagement party:

Ryan Turns 30!

Ryan's 30th birthday was on July 12, and we celebrated while in Chicago with double-header Cardinals/Cubs baseball games. But he was completely surprised when we threw him a party later in July. It was held at Sky Music Lounge and That 80's Band was performing. A number of Ryan's fraternity brothers were able to come which really made his night. We had an awesome time with all those who were able to attend. Thanks to our friends and family who made it a special night for Ryan.