Family Hug

Over the past few nights, we've started a new step in Brennan's bed time routine. Per his request, we have a "family hug"...or three or four! Then, with a giggle and a "muah!", he gently pushes Mommy and Daddy's heads together for a smooch!

2 Year Portraits!

We had Brennan's 2 year portraits taken today. Despite our best efforts, we fell victim to the cuteness and deals of Portrait Innovations and have a lot of pictures! It was hard to narrow them down. Who can resist such incredible cuteness?!

2 Year Check Up

Brennan had his two year well-baby check up today. He spent most of the appointment investigating the room, climbing onto chairs, chatting, and looking at books/magazines. The pediatrician was pleased with his development, commenting that he is excelling in his milestones. He was particularly pleased with his language, commenting that he has the "best language I've heard from a two year old boy in a long time!"

Unfortunately, Brennan has another ear infection. After a recent cold, we wondered if it was a possibility. Luckily, his mood wasn't impacted and he likes to take medicine!

We got the green light to slowly introduce peanut butter. We tried a bit on a cracker the night of his appointment and he loved it! Appropriately, and coincidentally, it was National Peanut Butter Day! We've tried it again a few more times with no noticeable reactions!

Current stats:
Height: 38 inches (97th percentile)
Weight: 30.4 lbs (75th percentile)

2 Years Old!

Brennan is 2 years old! It's seems like just yesterday, we were bringing home our new baby. He's quickly transformed into a wonderful, amazing young man!

-His love of books and reading continues. Occasionally, one can hear him "reading" some of his favorite books to himself, having memorized all of the words.
-He's showing more interest in movies and television, but doesn't last long when watching shows, usually attending for about 5 minutes. Current favorite show requests are Sesame Street, Super Why, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Toy Story ("Woody, Buzz, Jesse, Dinosaur, and Mr. Potato Head movie")
-He can identify many numbers (0-9) and letters. It's neat to see him identify letters and numbers in his environment!
-His pronunciation of words is improving every day! What was once "ba-ghetti" is now "spaghetti" and "hippo-anna-potamus" is now "hippopotamus." He still has some cute mispronunciations. One of our current favorites is "Snuffy-atticus" for the Sesame Street character, "Snuffaluffagus", aka "Snuffy"
-We also hear more sentences every day. Some recent examples include "My turn in Daddy's chair", "I want more ______, please", "(toy) fell down!", "I neeeeeed ______", correcting Mommy and Daddy when they don't say "please" or "you're welcome" fast enough, and "I said please!" when not receiving his request fast enough.
-He's showing more interest in dress himself. He can put his shirts over his head and put his legs in his pants. He can also completely remove his pajamas.


-We celebrated Brennan's birthday with a Dr. Seuss themed party. He had a great time spending the day with friends and family. This was the first time he seemed to "understand" presents. After opening a gift and briefly investigating it, he moved onto the next gift. This is far different from just a few weeks ago at Christmas where he only wanted to play with the first gift and needed much encouragement to open another present.
-Our wonderful friends Jenn, Madison, Susan, and Scott came from Cincinnati to celebrate on his actual birthday weekend. When being told that he is two years old, Brennan responded "No, no, I one first!" or "No, no, I one!"

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"