Happy 10-Monthiversary, Dear Brady!

Another month has flown by and, with it, the routine to which we had become so accustomed! Brady sure does mix it up every once in a while, forcing us to start from square one! The boy who used to be such a good sleeper now wakes with sun (read: 6 am), the solid two-a-day napper has decided one is enough, and even if he needs more shut-eye, he now refuses because God forbid he should miss something!! He's also become quite independent in the last few weeks. His crawling quickly turned to "cruising" and he is rarely content to sit. It's all happened so fast that the video I've been trying to post of him crawling now seems obsolete since he's standing and walking while holding onto furniture! He is very busy to say the least. But I am eternally grateful because he's happy and healthy.

His latest visit to the doctor left me with a wet lap--as he chose that point in time to wiggle and squirm enough that his pee escaped his diaper--and him with a clean bill of health. He's right on target in terms of physical and mental development; he's actually considered "tall and slender" for his age! He's an even 20 pounds and 29 inches, and the pediatrician didn't fail to make his usual observations about Brady's "electric blue eyes and white blond hair." Everyone keeps telling me to look out when he's old enough to date. I just laugh because I know my son will never want to leave me for a DATE........right?? (My mother-in-law is reading this, cursing me for stealing her first-born!).

Anyway, Brady is constantly watching what's going on around him and mimics most everything he sees. He's waving, picking up objects, throwing them down, passing them between his hands and to another person, so I figured now is the best time to attempt some sign language. I've done a good bit of research and discussed it with our pediatrician, and I figured since I'm home with the boy all day every day, we'd have a high chance of success. So, we're giving it a go. Zach and I have decided to use American Sign Language signs as opposed to "made-up baby friendly" signs so that they'll be useful in the future, but if Brady opts to create some of his own in the process, we're game! Signing babies are normally less frustrated because they can communicate what they want so some of the "Terrible Twos" can be alleviated this way...fingers crossed!

We'll obviously adhere to the "No-no" foods, but other than those, Brady has free reign to try different textures and tastes. This makes him very happy as he's been balking at the baby food for quite some time. He's also ready to put his new bottom teeth to good use! So far, Brady enjoys any kind of fruit (but really loves bananas), chicken, potatoes, and veggies. My mom was kind enough to make a Brady-friendly wedding soup with chicken instead of meatballs and the kid was in heaven! He always says, "Mmmmmm" when he's eating and while I used to think he was happy to be with "Mama," he's apparently just happy with his meal!

We've had a few play dates since the last post, but our recent favorite was with Lani and Aunt Jen. Both Jen and I want the kiddos to spend time with other little ones, so we've been trying to do one play date a week. I'm sure things will get more interesting as Lani begins crawling, Brady begins walking, and neither of them understands " play nice!!" Nonna and Nonno also got to spend some quality time with Sir Brady when they visited last week. (Special thanks to Gram and Pap who were kind enough to stay with Brady so me, Zach, and my parents could take advantage of my brother's offer to take us to dinner with his tax return!!! It was fabulous actually feeding myself without feeding another person at the same time, but I will admit, I missed my little guy.)



My friend Cynthia came in from Boston and we met her on a beautiful day and ate some lunch outside at the Pittsburgh Mills. Brady had his first "teething biscuit" (they look as gross as they sound), and really went to town! There are some great pictures of that mess...


My favorite development is that Brady is starting to show affection. He'll give hugs and kisses (open-mouth, slobbery kisses) to his Elmo and, on a good day, some of the family! He's begun snuggling into my neck and reaching for me and I just L.O.V.E. it!!! I got a few shots of his love-fest with Elmo, but I'm going to have to pass the camera duties to Zach so we can capture the Mommy kisses!

Speaking of capturing a moment, I tried my best with Brady's 10-month picture, but with every passing week, he's less and less inclined to sit and pose for me! He's perfectly happy to rock the chair himself and then (attempt to) dive head-first onto the floor with the dogs. We've yet to have any professional photos taken, but something tells me it is going to be quite the project when we finally relinquish our photography skills and rely on someone else!

Enjoy the (LONG!) slide show and stay tuned for more fun with Brady! We have a VERY busy Memorial Day weekend (so busy, in fact, we actually had to decline a few invitations; I don't think we've EVER been this popular!), and the weather is supposed to be perfect for picnics, fun in the sun, and great outdoor shots of our little man in action!