Winter came early to Texas this year giving us a day of sleet and snow and closing daycare (it was already and off-Friday for Mom and Dad).  That kept us inside most of the day, but when we ventured out to build a snowman we were disappointed to find it was ALL ice.  We built an iceman instead.  Brady loves playing outside in the snow, running around, knocking down icicles, and throwing snowballs (ice chunks).  Only in Texas is it 80 degrees to start the week, and 20 degrees to end the week!

Mom and Brady (19 months)

Moms flowers frozen in ice 

 Enjoying the ice in his new gear

How can I build a snowman? 

Playing with Indy

It has a been a chilly rainy November in Texas, but all the better for getting in the holiday spirit!  Brady enjoys watching the Polar Express, and Mom and Dad have watched Christmas Vacation more than once.

Here are some photos of the family getting ready for the holidays.  Looking forward to having Grandma Reggie, Jeff, and Uncle Erik down for Thanksgiving (and catching the Pats game in Houston).  And later in December, spending Christmas with the Muzzey family in NH.  Hope to get Brady out in the snow for some sledding and making snowmen!

Impromptu photo in front of the tree at the mall - Brady 19 months (1.5 yrs)

Fenway "enjoying" her holiday outfit

Foxy trying the hat on

Daddy and Indy getting in the spirit

This was a busy week with a quick weekend getaway, Halloween, and the Red Sox winning the WORLD SERIES!  Mom and Dad have been working hard so decided to take a little road trip to Arkansas for some rest and relaxation.  We originally planned to go to buffalo river, but shortened the time on the road and stayed at Denby Point on Lake Ouachita.  It was a really beautiful park with big pines, oaks, and maples all in their fall foliage colors.  The sides of the lake were pretty rocky, long flat rocks, and Brady had a lot of fun throwing rocks in the water.  We were going to do some hiking but it was rainy.  Instead we explored the park (the large trees provided a good canopy), drove around the lake, and enjoyed the scenery.  Brady had a lot of fun in the RV, playing outside, and sitting in his camp chair.

Our site 

 Special treat - breakfast donut

 Helping Mom and Dad grocery shop

Hanging out with Mom 

Check out this stick!

Mid-week we had Halloween.  This year we went as superheros - the Avengers!  Similar to last year, we went around to our close neighbors to trick or treat.  Our street was pretty quiet this year (older neighborhood I guess).  Then we drove over to see some family friends and played with their kiddos.  Brady was the youngest and of course had a blast running and squealing with the big kids.  Bad for Mom and Dad, we ended up with a bunch of candy we don't want to eat.  I'm sure our co-workers won't mind us bringing some in.

 Ironman and the Hulk

 The Hulk and Captain America

 Hulk SMASH!

Even Hulk's get sleepy

And the Boston Red Sox beat the St Louis Cardinals to win the 2013 World Series!  Last year we were the worst team in baseball, look how far we've come.  We're happy to represent Red Sox nation and root them on from Texas - congratulations Red Sox!!!

The champs with Big Papi (MVP) at the center with goggles

Great city, great atmosphere, great team!

Brady had his 18 month (1.5 yr) checkup last week.  He weighed in at 24.8 lbs (25%), 31 3/4 in height (30%), and 47 1/2 cm head circumference (50%).  The doctor was very impressed with his talking and sign language, his overall happy demeanor, and how much fun he was having stacking and unstacking blocks.  This was his 4th and final PCV vaccination, and he also got the flu shot.  Initially he did ok with his shots, a little crying but was easily distracted.  He went down fine to bed, but about 2 hours later he started moaning so we went to check on him.  He got to the point he was literally shaking, like he had chills, and was groggy.  At that point we didn't know if we should call 911 or take him to Cooks Childrens.  His temp was 102.4 deg.  Mom held him and wrapped him in a blanket, Dad gave him some Tylenol, and pretty quickly he responded become more responsive to the pictures Mom was reading him in his books.  That night Daddy kept a close eye on him, having him sleep on his chest until morning.  Since he was still running a low grade fever (100.4 deg) the next morning we kept him home from daycare.  He did fine all day, bouncing back to his usual self but it was a little scary.  And a good reminder for Mom and Dad to pay close attention to the doses in these shots and effects on little toddler bodies.  

Happy fall everyone!

Brady's school photos - 1.5 years old (Sept 2013)

 Checking out a pumpkin patch

What's this Daddy?

Our little guy continues to grow up.  Some of his favorite things now are pointing out body parts including eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, head, hair, chin, hands, fingers, buns, knees, feet, and belly.  He's eating a lot and for a long time (he can eat for like an hour straight), and he's growing taller.  You have to be careful with pots on the stove because he can reach the handles.  He loves stairs, but now instead of crawling up them, he wants you to hold his hand and he will step up the stairs (you're still going to do 75% of the work).  His communication skills are very good, he understands what you're asking him to do even though he can't always form a recognizable response.  He still gets the mail with Mom, he responds to stand up/sit in the tub, he helped Mom unload the washing machine and load the dryer, and in general will come when you call his name.  

This week he started doing something new.  We have always read him two books before bed.  The last two nights, after we finish his books he points to his crib and says nigh-nigh.  I guess he's ready for sleep!  We ask him to give us a hug and he will then we lay him down.  Last night when Mommy told him she loves him, he said it back with sign language, it was really sweet.

Grandma and Grandpa Seminara fly in today for the weekend, we're getting excited to see them!

The biting at daycare continues, but now it's Brady getting bitten.  Today he got his 5th bite on his arm.  The teachers indicated there's one kid in class that's the biter (we know through unofficial sources it's the manager's son).  The biting seems to occur during disputes over sharing toys or boundaries.  See picture below (mid left forearm).

We did forget to mention a few of Mr Independent's other habits in our last post.  For one, he is very particular which books he wants to read at bed time.  When you pick out a book he will shake his head "no" and point to the book he wants.  And we don't always make it through the entire book before he wants to read something else.  He also has this habit when grocery shopping, pointing until you get moving or give him what he wants (typical guy lol).  And he'll let you know when he is done drinking his milk.  In the mornings, he will push it away and squirm until you put him on the floor.  C'mon Mom I've got things to do and places to be!

We also forgot to mention he's getting better at his animal sounds.  When we ask him what a lion says, he will say "roar".  When we ask him what a monkey says he will do "oo ooo ah aah".  It's pretty cute.  He enjoys wrestling with his Mom and jumping on the bed.  This gets him giggling and giggling.  It's a lot of fun.  He has such a big personality, we just love this little guy!

Mr Brady is growing up every day.  He values his independence, enjoying doing things on his own.  For example, he helps Mom get the mail.  He'll hold her hand down the front walkway, wait patiently at the curb, and carry his very own piece of mail back to the house.  He's eating with plastic forks and spoons now, and eats out of a bowl or off a plate like a big boy.  For the most part he has free reign of the house, with Mom or Dad looking on.  Thanks to the little gym, he has figured out how to climb up on things like the fireplace, couch, or a laundry basket.  Now we're trying to teach him how to get back down.  Another thing he enjoys is piggy back rides.  He's still too little to understand to hang on, but he's starting to get the idea and giggles and giggles.  He will drink his milk in the morning, or eat at his highchair, but then wants to get down and go play.  He's a very active little boy.

His words are getting clearer.  This week he started saying "bubble" which is really cute.  He can also say doggie, baby, more, water, ball, kitty, mom, and dad.  He's moved up to size 4 diapers which works well given how often he likes to eat (but not a whole lot at a time).  Today he tried and liked grapes.  We had to stop buying Horizon organic milk.  Poor kid, after he'd drink it he'd get diarrhea and a horrible diaper rash for a week.  Thankfully we figured it out after 2 tries.  This was a bit of a rough week on sleep as he had some congestion and coughing which woke him up in the night.  Mom and Dad took turns putting him back to sleep and are looking forward to catching up on some sleep of their own this weekend.  We also bought him a new car seat for Mom's car, moving him up to a convertible car seat which is good both rear facing (until age 2) and forward facing (after age 2).  It is much larger and takes up half of the back seat of Mom's BMW!

He also had another play date with Ms Keira.  She has a much larger pool now, we're thinking this was more for Mom and Dad than just Keira :)  Brady had a lot of fun in his floatie and Keira in her life jacket while us parents got some sun.  Then the kids played and played and played inside.  It's never hard to get them down for a nap after a playdate.  It was a lot of fun and nice for Mom to spend some time with her friend.

It is summer in Texas, and although we did get some rain in July, August is here and it has been HOT.  To get some relief, we play in the backyard in Brady's pool, or with his new water table, or we go to a local sprayground.  These spraygrounds are a ton of fun and perfect for little kids.  The water is shallow, and there's all kids of obstacles and fountains and sprayers for the kids to splash in.  Brady had a blast splashing, getting sprayed, and watching the other little kids.  

Piggy back ride with Mom

Climbing is fun

Mr Handsome

 Tackling the cheese mat at the little gym

 1st Mellow Mushroom experience - enjoying some coloring

Playing peek-a-boo with the camera

 Getting some relief from the heat at a local sprayground

 These two have their own language

BFFs

15 Month Checkup today - Brady weighed in at 22 lbs 13 oz (25%), 30.25 in tall (25%), and 47.5 cm head circumference (50%).  The pediatrician was very happy with his development.  He's eats well for his age (grains, fruits, dairy, and some veggies) and is learning the taste and texture of meats.  He eats chicken occasionally, ate turkey last night for the first time, but steers away from pork or red meat.  The pediatrician recommended we try fish since it has a soft texture.  He was very happy and energetic at his visit, playing games with the pediatrician and tearing the paper off the table.  She was impressed with how many words he uses (mom, dad, doggie, cracker, cheese).  Otherwise his behavior is typical for a 15 month old - copying his parents, sleeping through the night (~11 hrs/night), and being energetic and curious.  His tubes are still in his ears although the left one is hanging on by a thread.  Normally tubes should last a year.  If the left one falls out, and he goes without ear infections, she doesn't recommend replacing it so here's hoping.  He's broken two more teeth on the bottom (canines) bringing the total to 16 teeth.  These are his last baby teeth until he gets his second molars between 2-3 years old.  She recommended we brush his teeth to get him started on good habits, and to hold off on the first dentist visit until he's 2-3 years of age.  When we told her about the biting at school, she said all kids go through either a biting or hitting stage.  She recommended we talk to the daycare and ask they watch him closely to see his behavior leading up to it.  It could be teething or frustration (stealing his blankie is definitely the latter).  Either way he will need to be disciplined and she encouraged us to use time outs if needed.  He got 3 more shots today - Hib, DPT, and Hep A.  This is the last Hib, 4th of 5 DPT, and first Hep A.  Poor Brady cried and wimpered, but he felt better when he got home and shared a popsicle with Mom.  Overall he is doing great!  Our next visit will be at 18 months.

I'm not afraid of shots!

Monkey see, monkey do.  That's the best way to describe Mr Brady these days.  He is a little sponge watching and copying every move.  This works to Mom and Dad's advantage after dinner helping us get him to wipe his hands and his mouth with his face wipes.  He imitates words we say (like turtle, doggie, baby) or motions we make (tossing a ball, sitting in a chair).  While he is keen to watch and learn, he also is very independent exploring new toys or objects comfortably on his own.  He's loving his time at the Little Gym, learning how to swing on rings, walk a balance beam, learn how to do a forward roll, or play with the parachute (an old fav from gym class).

Developmentally he just got his two upper molars and has broken the third row of teeth from the upper front.  This brings the total to 14, and he's only 14 months old!  6 more teeth to go until he has all his baby teeth.  Unfortunately all these teeth have lead to a couple incidents of biting at day care.  You do not cross Brady and steal his blankie or he will bite you.  They try to curb this by explaining to him that it hurts his friends.  While he may bite he's immediately sorry and will lean in for a hug.  Another really sweet thing he does is give kisses.  He used to open mouth kiss, now it's closed mouth and given with a hi, good morning, or good bye.

Since he has done so well with his sign language, we bought him a couple baby signing time DVDs.  He really enjoys those and will communicate by signing "baby" when he wants to watch them.  It's hard to pick out his signs sometimes, but it's really amazing to speak to him and see him sign back.  For instance today it was raining (odd for TX in July).  When Mom held him to look outside and said it was wet out, he did the sign for rain.  Very cool.  A couple of the videos have songs and he loves dancing this one called the "diaper dance".

He enjoys his bedtime and morning routines, and instead of fighting us to get dressed he holds his arms up to go into his sleeves and feet up to go into his shorts.  He giggles a lot too and loves to be tickled by his Mom under his arms, on his feet or belly, and on his neck.  Another new parenting mistake - diaper rashes are not just for babies, in fact he gets them more now that he's on a variety of foods than as a newborn.  He's also a lot messier and dirtier eating, playing, and coloring at school or at home.  We do a lot of laundry and there's only 3 of us!

Brady loves throwing tennis balls.  Mom tried to teach him how to catch, and for some reason he really wanted to do this from his rocking chair (she admired his sense of challenge).  He didn't catch too many, but had a great time swatting at them and playing with his Mom.

 Helping Mom sweep

A little less "helpful" with the laundry

Why washers and dryers have child locks

It's been 3 weeks since we last posted (sorry), and we have lots to report on Brady and his adventures.   For his second 4th of July we took a week and went to Maine to spend some time at camp with the grandparents and uncles.  Seems every year our family grows, this year we had Uncle Paul's girlfriend and her two kids join us.  The weather was great and we got to spend a lot of time on the new dock and in (or behind) the new boat.  Brady loved the water, the squishy bottom and chilly temp did not bother him one bit.  It was great seeing everyone!

Camp with the new porch and new dock

  The new boat

 

Our little moose

Feeding the ducks

Watching from the porch

The boys tubing 

Uncle Chris on the wakeboard

Hanging out with Grandma Reggie 

Grandpa Bob did I win the duck race? 

Walking with my Grandmas

 Going for a dip with the girls

Swimming with Daddy

Grandpa teaching me how to drive the boat

Riding with Mom

 Playing in the sand, fun!

Our little family

Flying home to TX