Imitation is the Highest Form of Flattery

Somebody's angling for a spot on the 'nice' list... dressed up like Santa and slept peacefully through the whole visit. 

Side note - isn't the Stoneridge Santa quite authentic, unlike the first Santa that Seven met?  Petco needs to step up their game.

Brady at 2 Months

Brady had his two-month pediatrician visit yesterday, and I can report with complete certainty that he is not a fan of shots, nor is he a fan of oral vaccines and the nurses who administer them.  Things started off very smoothly with a visit to the scale, where he smiled at Nurse Jaclyn and allowed her to weigh him (12 lbs, 10 ounces) and measure him (23.75 inches), but later the relationship turned very, very sour.   

At two months, we are having fun watching Brady's personality begin to emerge.  He is smiling, cooing and even doing a little chuckling, confirming my long held belief that I am hilarious.  His sense of humor does seem to be a bit dark, though - his favorite bit of mine is one in which I repeatedly threaten in a raspy voice to eat him. 

Around 5:00pm every day, our happy little guy enters what we refer to as his 'witching hour', and if he's not eating, he's fussing.  'Witching hour' is a bit of a misnomer because it usually lasts until 8:00pm.  On the upside, Brady is probably helping me move toward my pre-pregnancy weight much more quickly, since we don't exactly get to linger over dinner these days.  Once the witching hour wraps up, he sleeps like a champ and usually only wakes up once during the night.

It's hard to believe two months have already flown by!  Our next visit with the pediatrician comes at four months.  I'm guessing Nurse Jaclyn will not endear herself any more to Brady at that appointment. 

Thanksgiving

Brady enjoyed his first road trip for Thanksgiving!  We drove to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Whittier, where Grandma has set up the house in such a way that all we really needed to pack was Brady himself, which made traveling much easier. :) 

While in Whittier, Brady took his first trip to the Seafare!  He celebrated the occasion by sleeping through dinner, a rare treat.

We had a fun trip and overall, Brady proved himself to be quite portable, with the notable exception of a projectile vomiting incident that I will not describe in detail.  I will say that he managed to hit four different surfaces and ruined a pillow.  But projectile incidents or not, we have much to be thankful for this year - topping the list is a happy, healthy baby who can not yet object to my wardrobe choices.



An Open Love Letter to Molly May

Molly May, Carrot Top, Maldy - by any other name you would still smell as sweet.  Our shopping trip with our mothers yesterday was pure delight and I look very much forward to another outing.  Even though you appear to be playing hard to get in this photo by refusing to acknowledge me, I'll win you over. 

PS - My deepest apologies for soiling myself in Nordstrom.  It will not happen again in your company.

King of the Castle

As is probably the case with many first babies, Brady's room is the nicest in the house.  So far, he only uses it for brief stopovers - diaper changes, outfit changes, visits with his best friend in the mirror, and some occasional rec time in his crib, where he loves to gaze up at his mobile and stare into (surprise, surprise) yet another mirror.

In honor of our first Youngster, we chose a puppy theme for the room - we figured it was as neutral as possible since we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl.  Since Brady's birth, it has started morphing into a puppy/football room.

The below photos were taken before Brady was born... I'll spare you the 'after' shots, but today they would show a messier room, complete with overflowing hamper and clean laundry stacked on the rocking chair.  Can I still get away with the 'new mom' excuse, or is six weeks too old for that?  By the way, it is not lost on me that I could (should?) be cleaning up said mess rather than writing about it...

Man in the Mirror

Brady hasn't yet met anyone he doesn't like, but he does seem to have a favorite person - himself.  There is a mirror on his changing table and he reserves his most charming smiles and coos for the boy in the mirror.  If he's crying when he's put down on the table, he stops as soon as he sees his reflection, as though he doesn't want to embarass himself by crying in front of his friend.  Occasionally he is so thrilled to see this boy that he begins to flail his arms and legs in excitement.  Here's hoping the relationship stays friendly - so far the only bone of contention is that his buddy always shows up in the same outfit Brady has on - how embarassing!

Halloween 2010

Our angry little bat was not a fan of his costume, or being paraded around the neighborhood.  He loves candy though.

Brother From Another Mother

Before Brady was born, we were asked often how we thought Seven would adjust to having a baby in the house.  With his mellow disposition and the fact that Seven pretty much doesn't care about anything other than food, walks, and trips to the park, we didn't think it would be a problem.  Happily, Seven is adjusting like a champ.  He is gracefully tolerating the fact that his walks and dog park trips have dwindled considerably for the time being.  He occasionally regards Brady with mild interest and likes to give him a good licking if we let him, but other than that Seven seems unfazed by the changes around here.  It probably helps that my mom has been in town for two weeks and she always makes sure Seven gets extra love (and the last bite of whatever she's eating).  Here he is, hovering around the kitchen doorway, hoping Grandma will notice that he's starving.

Welcome Wagon

When we moved into our new house a year ago, we had no idea how lucky we were - we have some of the best neighbors in the world.  Everyone on the block has been so excited for Brady's arrival.  From the shower they threw for us in August to the home cooked dinners they've delivered since his birth, everyone has made us feel like we hit the lottery by moving here!  This neighbor-made welcome sign was the first thing we saw when we arrived home from the hospital - Brady very much appreciated that it was designed using Bronco colors.  He's been a big fan since birth.

They Say It's Your Birthday

We were thrilled to welcome Brady Lleyton Young on Sunday, October 3rd at 5:02am.  He apparently likes to make a grand entrance because he was a week late and started the process on Thursday, September 30th.   Because labor took so long and my epidural only worked on the right side of my body, leading the doctors to offer me alternative sleep aids/painkillers, Brady was born with what I can only assume was a wicked Ambien/Stadol/Fentanyl hangover, though he showed no signs of it.  At birth, Brady weighed in at 9 lbs, 8 oz and was 22 inches long, proving that my recurring nightmare wherein I gave birth to a giant was not totally unfounded. 

Welcome to the world, sweet boy!