Christmas 2011

Our Christmas was wonderful--full of family, food, and celebration!

Grandma and Grandpa Mealy spent Christmas weekend with us in Sandusky. We hosted lunch on Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa Mealy, Grandma and Grandpa Swartz, Uncle Matt, Aunt Adrianna, Uncle Will, Ava, Corinne, and Elise.

We spent Christmas day at home with Grandma and Grandpa Mealy, and later with Grammy and Uncle Matt. Brennan enjoyed having so many visitors and loves his new toys!

The following weekend, we traveled to Cincinnati to celebrate Christmas (and Mommy and Daddy's 6th wedding anniversary!) with the entire Mealy clan. The house was full of laughter with all 8 grandchildren, 7 years and younger! We were also able to meet up with our great friends, Jenn, Susan, Scott, and Miss Madison.


Mommy, Brennan, and Daddy on Christmas Day

A Full Set!

Brennan has cut his last tooth! Overall, he's handled teething well, but we're still glad to reach this milestone!

23 Months!

We're almost at the 2 year mark!

~He's transitioning from using phrases to sentences. It's amazing to hear him express himself!
~Brennan is almost done with teething! He has one more 2-year molar to cut, and we don't think it's too far away!
~Reading books continued to be a favorite activity. When being read a book, he'll typically states the next word/phrase if you pause.
~Brennan has many foam letters and numbers that he plays with in the bathtub. One of his new favorite bath time games is holding up a letter and asking "What letter/number is that?!"
~Imaginative play is emerging more and more everyday. It's so neat to watch!
~He's improving his in rote counting of objects. He counts to thirteen, and usually continues with "fifteen, seventeen, twenty!" He has also counted backwards from 5. He can identify 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8.
~Brennan is getting better about independently saying "Thank you." If he needs reminders to say it ("What do you say?"), he'll usually respond, "Thank you, Welcome!"
~He knows to blow on his food when it's hot. Although, when others are at the table, he asks everyone to also blow on each bite.
~He frequently breaks out into tune. Favorite songs include "Baa Baa Black Sheep", "Jingle Bells", "Happy Birthday", the alphabet,"Old MacDonald", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

Mr. Manners

Brennan typically says "please" when asking for things. When given a reminder, such as "how do you ask for ____?" or "how do you ask nicely?" he likes to cover all of his bases and will reply "Please, welcome, and thank you!"

Thanksgiving 2011

Our Thanksgiving this year was a bit more exciting than we imagined. Brennan woke up on Thanksgiving morning with a fever. We thought he might be a bit under the weather, gave him some ibuprofen and traveled over the river and through the woods to Grandpa and Grandma Swartz's house.

Once there, Brennan was a bit clingy, but played and had a good time. He didn't eat much, especially at Thanksgiving dinner. At bedtime, he had another fever. He slept in Mommy and Daddy's room and when Mommy went to bed, she noticed he was very warm and breathing rapidly. After several times of waking up unhappy, he slept in bed with Mommy and Daddy. Around 2am, Daddy woke up and noticed that Brennan was even warmer than before. His heart was racing and his breathing continued to be very rapid. We decided to take him to the Salem Emergency Room. His official temperature was 101.7 and his heart rate was 170. After a quick check of his ears and throat, we were told he had an ear infection in his right ear. Since he got sick while getting ready to go to the ER, he was given a medicine to keep him from getting sick again. He was also given an antibiotic and fever reducer. Unfortunately, the anti-nausea medication didn't work.

On Friday, Brennan seemed to be more himself, although he was very fatigued. He fell asleep before leaving Grandpa and Grandma's house, slept the entire drive home, and continued to sleep once we arrived home, a total of 4 hours!

Brennan again felt very warm when he woke up on Saturday morning and was very lethargic. We made an appointment with the pediatrician later that morning. His official temperature was 103.4 and heart rate was 150. His ears looked fine, but his throat was swollen with white spots. No official strep test, but the pediatrician did not think it was strep. He was prescribed a different antibiotic, and were told it would work better than the original prescription.

After his fever broke, we noticed a slight rash on his stomach and back which disappeared the next day. Grandma Mealy suggested that he may have Roseola. The symptoms seemed to match up and we wondered if he had Roseola and a throat infection.

Exactly a week after Thanksgiving, our happy, giggly little man returned!

22 Months!

~Our little chatterbox continues to amaze us with his language skills. He frequently uses new phrases and words. Some cute examples:
~~~"Here" or "Want it" when asking for or giving us an object
~~~"Say 'cuse me" and "Bless you" after burps/sneezes
~~~"Thank you, 'elcome" ..we're still working on the give and take of "thank you" and "you're welcome"
~~~"I reading a book!"
~~~"Hi guys!"
~~~"I sleepy"
~~~"I did it!"
~~~"Uh-huh!"
~~~"Mommy's home!" or "Daddy's home!"
~~~"I snuggle Mommy/Daddy"
~~~"I want some more please" or "I want some _____"
~~~"I swimming!" as he kicks while laying on his belly or back in the bathtub
~~~"Right theres" or "Right here" when showing where he wants something or locating something/someone
~~~"Hmmm...Ummm..." when he doesn't know the answer to a question

Some not-so-cute toddler language examples: "Mine!", "No!", "No this!", "Na-uh" and "Stop it!"

~We've come to the conclusion that he enjoys songs and music in television shows and not the actual show. For example, he'll ask for a show, but after the opening song, it's an immediate "No this! No this, honey!"

~He continues to love all fruit, but it's becoming more difficult to get him to eat vegetables. We typically try to give him his vegetables first. Condiments for dipping also help a lot. "I dunk it!"

~Daddy and Brennan have added a new and adorable step in our bedtime routine. After reading him his books, getting snuggles, and handing Brennan over to Mommy, Brennan and Daddy play a fun game. Daddy leaves the room and closes the door. Brennan calls out, "Daaaddddy!" and Daddy pops back into the room. Repeat a few times with laughs all around!

~He's cut one 2 year molar. We think we feel another coming soon. Teething is almost over!

~He likes to count objects, especially in his books. He's not always accurate, but it's cute!

~Kisses are accompanied by "Muah!"

~You have to be on your toes when reading books. If he's not turning pages, you'll frequently hear: "Next page! (turn page) Read it!" And don't think about skipping the title page because he'll go back to it!

Our Little "Reader"

Brennan enjoys helping us "read" his books!


An added cuteness bonus, he gives a "cheese!" for the camera!