Thursday, September 29, 2011
Little Helper
Brennan loves to be a "helper" for Mommy and Daddy! For example, he likes to put his toys "back", hand us our towels in the bathroom, throw away trash, and put clothes in the dryer. We're hoping to find a way to continue this behavior!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
20 Months!
Our little miracle is 20 months old! He is such a blessing!
~Brennan is talking up a storm. He repeats almost everything and uses many multiple word phrases independently.
~He names many friends and family members independently.
Mama = Grandma
Papa = Grandpa
Adda = Aunt Renata
Za-son = Uncle Jason
Tomin = Tobin
Zac = Zac
Anna = Eliana
Um = Miriam
A-Deena = Aunt Adrianna
Uncle Well = Uncle Will
Vava = Ava
Kin = Corrine
Ees = Elise
Uncle Matt = Uncle Matt
Jenn = Jenn
Ma-zin = Madison
Zu-zan = Susan
Zaza = Sara
Passon = Paxton
~"Ok" is heard frequently. He'll sometimes say it after falling down. He says it most when asking for something; "Oranges? Ok!" We assume this stems from us repeating his requests, and then complying with an "ok"
~He enjoys singing the alphabet and will sing the entire song, using many approximations and mumbling of letters. When asked to identify letters from his foam bath letters, he'll consistently give the name of a letter.
~Tracy, Brennan's babysitter, has established a great routine that has eliminated his morning Mommy-itis. When we arrive in the morning, he watches a few nursery rhymes on the computer, which is in the front room. He frequently asks for "E-E" (5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed) or "Twinkle Star" (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star). Mom is old news and I barely get a goodbye wave. At times, he'll start asking for a song as soon as we pull into the driveway.
~His love of books continues and he'll easily sit through several long books (full length Dr Suess) in a row. He also likes to read them to himself. When looking at Fox in Socks, he's been heard saying: "Fox. Sock. Knox. Box"...flip a few pages..."Whose socks? Sue's socks"
~Brennan regularly asks for things by using "please" We're working on "thank you" and "you're welcome." He'll repeat "thank you" when prompted and say "el-come" when asked what you say when someone thanks you. A few days ago, he greeted me in the morning with an enthusiastic "Good morning!" when I got him out of bed. We love that he's using his manners!
~He likes to eat his food with a spoon/fork and off of a plate. When down with his meal, he's started to put his utensil on his plate and hand it (right side up!) to us. When asking for more, he'll lift his plate (right side up!) and ask for more. He continues to like dipping his food into mustard/ketchup/ranch/sauce.
~He uses his name regularly. Sometimes he'll use it when asking for something by pointing to the object and stating "Bennan!" He also uses it when giving turns for something: "Mommy bite! Daddy bite! Bennan bite!"
~He'll 'count' to 13, occasionally skipping 9 or 10. He'll usually start counting when asked or when asked "how many ____?"
~He continues to like Sesame Street characters and now also likes naming Disney characters. "Mickey Mouse", "Minnie Mouse", "Pu-to", "Voo-fy", and "Don-dald" are his favorites.
~Although he can definitely make a mess, he also likes to put his toys "back"
~He enjoys listening to music. He frequently asks for his "songs" in the car, will help to sing some nursery rhymes, and sings others independently. He can recognize many songs within the first few beats.
~Brennan is talking up a storm. He repeats almost everything and uses many multiple word phrases independently.
~He names many friends and family members independently.
Mama = Grandma
Papa = Grandpa
Adda = Aunt Renata
Za-son = Uncle Jason
Tomin = Tobin
Zac = Zac
Anna = Eliana
Um = Miriam
A-Deena = Aunt Adrianna
Uncle Well = Uncle Will
Vava = Ava
Kin = Corrine
Ees = Elise
Uncle Matt = Uncle Matt
Jenn = Jenn
Ma-zin = Madison
Zu-zan = Susan
Zaza = Sara
Passon = Paxton
~"Ok" is heard frequently. He'll sometimes say it after falling down. He says it most when asking for something; "Oranges? Ok!" We assume this stems from us repeating his requests, and then complying with an "ok"
~He enjoys singing the alphabet and will sing the entire song, using many approximations and mumbling of letters. When asked to identify letters from his foam bath letters, he'll consistently give the name of a letter.
~Tracy, Brennan's babysitter, has established a great routine that has eliminated his morning Mommy-itis. When we arrive in the morning, he watches a few nursery rhymes on the computer, which is in the front room. He frequently asks for "E-E" (5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed) or "Twinkle Star" (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star). Mom is old news and I barely get a goodbye wave. At times, he'll start asking for a song as soon as we pull into the driveway.
~His love of books continues and he'll easily sit through several long books (full length Dr Suess) in a row. He also likes to read them to himself. When looking at Fox in Socks, he's been heard saying: "Fox. Sock. Knox. Box"...flip a few pages..."Whose socks? Sue's socks"
~Brennan regularly asks for things by using "please" We're working on "thank you" and "you're welcome." He'll repeat "thank you" when prompted and say "el-come" when asked what you say when someone thanks you. A few days ago, he greeted me in the morning with an enthusiastic "Good morning!" when I got him out of bed. We love that he's using his manners!
~He likes to eat his food with a spoon/fork and off of a plate. When down with his meal, he's started to put his utensil on his plate and hand it (right side up!) to us. When asking for more, he'll lift his plate (right side up!) and ask for more. He continues to like dipping his food into mustard/ketchup/ranch/sauce.
~He uses his name regularly. Sometimes he'll use it when asking for something by pointing to the object and stating "Bennan!" He also uses it when giving turns for something: "Mommy bite! Daddy bite! Bennan bite!"
~He'll 'count' to 13, occasionally skipping 9 or 10. He'll usually start counting when asked or when asked "how many ____?"
~He continues to like Sesame Street characters and now also likes naming Disney characters. "Mickey Mouse", "Minnie Mouse", "Pu-to", "Voo-fy", and "Don-dald" are his favorites.
~Although he can definitely make a mess, he also likes to put his toys "back"
~He enjoys listening to music. He frequently asks for his "songs" in the car, will help to sing some nursery rhymes, and sings others independently. He can recognize many songs within the first few beats.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Master Bathroom Remodel
Our major house project this summer was remodeling our master bathroom. Due to water under the floor, this home improvement project moved to the top of the list. We love our new, updated bathroom! Special thanks to Adam's Dad, who traveled to Sandusky many weekends over the summer to help.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Sunday, August 21, 2011
19 months!
19 months already?!
~Brennan is quite the talker! When asked, he'll repeat almost every word he hears. If he's being a stinker, he'll smile and giggle instead of repeating you. He's also using more words and phrases independently each day!
~While talking spontaneously, his pronunciation is becoming more an more accurate. For example, "accles" are now "apples"; "curcle" is "purple"; and "belly butt" is now "belly button"
~He says his name! At times, it sounds more like "Brenden", but it's cute either way!
~In addition to completing phrases in books, Brennan is also finishing song lyrics if we pause while singing.
~He requests many songs: "Ashes" for Ring Around the Rosey; "Twinkle" for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; "Happy" for If You're Happy and You Know It; "Dinkie" for Skinamarink"; "A, C, C's" for the alphabet; "Baby" for Rock-A-Bye Baby; and "E, I, E, I" or "Donald" for Old McDonald.
~When he sees several of the same object, he's likely to state "More ____" or "Two ____", even if there are more than two of the object.
~When looking at people in books, he's able to label and distinguish boys and girls.
~His fascination for shoes continues. He enjoys walking in others' shoes. He'll also state the owner of the shoes: "Mommy shoes!", "Daddy shoes!"
~He's cut his last canine tooth! Farewell, swollen gums and drool! ...until his 2 year molars.
~After slipping in the tub, we think Brennan may have his first scar. Ouch!
~Mommy has returned to working full time. Mommy-itis usually strikes in the morning when I tell him I need to leave. Some mornings, he goes and plays without a second thought. Other mornings, the babysitter has to pry him off of me. I almost always get a long bear hug before I leave. He has a great time there and has a lot of fun after Mommy leaves.
~After recent visits with his grandparents on both sides, Brennan frequently talks about grandma and grandpa. When asked who he is going to see, where he is going, etc, he immediately responds, "Mama! Papa! Mama! Papa!"
~Brennan enjoys counting. He's counted to 12 several times, skipping 9. He doesn't seem to have one-to-one correspondence, but it's still impressive!
~He's mastering more colors: red, blue, green, yellow, purple, and orange. He occasionally identifies pink, grey, white, and black.
~Going to the grocery store is quite entertaining, including for other shoppers. "Bread! Apples! Nanas! Milk! Yogurt! Crackers! Cookies! Hot dogs! Pickles! Olives!"
~Brennan is quite the talker! When asked, he'll repeat almost every word he hears. If he's being a stinker, he'll smile and giggle instead of repeating you. He's also using more words and phrases independently each day!
~While talking spontaneously, his pronunciation is becoming more an more accurate. For example, "accles" are now "apples"; "curcle" is "purple"; and "belly butt" is now "belly button"
~He says his name! At times, it sounds more like "Brenden", but it's cute either way!
~In addition to completing phrases in books, Brennan is also finishing song lyrics if we pause while singing.
~He requests many songs: "Ashes" for Ring Around the Rosey; "Twinkle" for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; "Happy" for If You're Happy and You Know It; "Dinkie" for Skinamarink"; "A, C, C's" for the alphabet; "Baby" for Rock-A-Bye Baby; and "E, I, E, I" or "Donald" for Old McDonald.
~When he sees several of the same object, he's likely to state "More ____" or "Two ____", even if there are more than two of the object.
~When looking at people in books, he's able to label and distinguish boys and girls.
~His fascination for shoes continues. He enjoys walking in others' shoes. He'll also state the owner of the shoes: "Mommy shoes!", "Daddy shoes!"
~He's cut his last canine tooth! Farewell, swollen gums and drool! ...until his 2 year molars.
~After slipping in the tub, we think Brennan may have his first scar. Ouch!
~Mommy has returned to working full time. Mommy-itis usually strikes in the morning when I tell him I need to leave. Some mornings, he goes and plays without a second thought. Other mornings, the babysitter has to pry him off of me. I almost always get a long bear hug before I leave. He has a great time there and has a lot of fun after Mommy leaves.
~After recent visits with his grandparents on both sides, Brennan frequently talks about grandma and grandpa. When asked who he is going to see, where he is going, etc, he immediately responds, "Mama! Papa! Mama! Papa!"
~Brennan enjoys counting. He's counted to 12 several times, skipping 9. He doesn't seem to have one-to-one correspondence, but it's still impressive!
~He's mastering more colors: red, blue, green, yellow, purple, and orange. He occasionally identifies pink, grey, white, and black.
~Going to the grocery store is quite entertaining, including for other shoppers. "Bread! Apples! Nanas! Milk! Yogurt! Crackers! Cookies! Hot dogs! Pickles! Olives!"
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Counting!
Brennan impressed us today as he counted out loud to 10 several times! Mommy and Brennan were playing with blocks. As he removed them from the pegs, Mommy counted "one, two, three, four, five." She stopped and Brennan continued on, "six, seven, eight, nine, ten!" After Mommy/Daddy started with "one", he counted independently several times!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
18 Month Doctor Appointment
Brennan had his 18 month well baby doctor appointment today. The doctor was very pleased with his language and motor skills. He was amused with Brennan's curiosity as he investigated the examination room. Everything looks great! The doctor joked about Brennan being a future football or basketball player, based on his above average size.
His eczema is returning after Brennan is outside in high temperatures. We're starting to apply his prescription cream periodically, which is helping. Luckily, Brennan doesn't seem bothered by his dry spots.
Brennan had his follow up appointment with the ENT last week. His ears look great! We won't need to return unless he begins to have chronic ear infections again. Since his ears look fine, we wish his ENT appointment was after his appointment today. We anticipate the 90 seconds we spent with the ENT will be expensive.
He received his second Hep A vaccination today. He wasn't thrilled about it, but after some snuggles and a crocodile tear, he was happy again. With the exception of flu shots and any possible changes in vaccination age recommendations, he shouldn't need another vaccine until he is 5 years old.
Current stats:
Length: 35 inches; 90-95th percentile (Nurse: "Holy Toledo! 35 inches!")
Weight: 27 lbs, 11 oz; 75th percentile
Head: 75th percentile
His eczema is returning after Brennan is outside in high temperatures. We're starting to apply his prescription cream periodically, which is helping. Luckily, Brennan doesn't seem bothered by his dry spots.
Brennan had his follow up appointment with the ENT last week. His ears look great! We won't need to return unless he begins to have chronic ear infections again. Since his ears look fine, we wish his ENT appointment was after his appointment today. We anticipate the 90 seconds we spent with the ENT will be expensive.
He received his second Hep A vaccination today. He wasn't thrilled about it, but after some snuggles and a crocodile tear, he was happy again. With the exception of flu shots and any possible changes in vaccination age recommendations, he shouldn't need another vaccine until he is 5 years old.
Current stats:
Length: 35 inches; 90-95th percentile (Nurse: "Holy Toledo! 35 inches!")
Weight: 27 lbs, 11 oz; 75th percentile
Head: 75th percentile
Saturday, July 23, 2011
18 Month Photo Shoot
We had Brennan's 18 month professional pictures taken today. As usual, Brennan was quite a ham! We asked Brennan if he was ready when the photographer was set up. After most background and prop changes, he would go to the backdrop, sit down and exclaim, "Ready!" The photographer encountered several technical difficulties before and after the photo shoot, but Brennan was pretty patient while we waited!
The winning shot
The winning shot
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)