You Say Hello, We Say Goodbye

Little did Brady know, but just as he was saying hello to life as a toddler, he was saying goodbye to a life as a "bottler!" It was a few weeks ago that we began replacing his afternoon bottle with a cup of milk and even though he balked a bit in the beginning, he took to the milk fairly quickly and easily. It only took a few days and one cup-change to find something he liked and would use rather than throw! We were dreading replacing the nighttime bottle the most, but since we officially ran out of formula this past Monday, it was go time.

Practicing his new favorite thing to do: drink from a straw!

 We weren't quite sure what to expect from Brady. He would normally drink his last bottle on one of our laps and then grace us with some snuggling before we put him to bed. Without the lure of the bottle, though, we thought the cuddles were out of the question! So we opted to give him some milk and attempt story time in his room. This was not successful. Brady assumed that because his overhead light was on and we were sitting next to his toys, it was play time. Who can blame him for the confusion? It was our fault. We've since moved his room around a bit to make it more conducive for a lamp-side reading session before bed. Unless we're reading one of two books, Tummies ("by" Elmo) or Baby Says Peek-a-boo, he's really not interested, so we've indulged him in these reads each night (and morning and afternoon...) and things have been going smoothly! Lucky for us, the kid loves his crib, so he hums himself to sleep shortly after we tuck him in. And to our surprise and pleasure, he still allows for some snuggles :-)

Brady also said hello to a few new friends today; we went to the zoo for the first time today! It was pretty hot, so most of the big animals were lazing about and not really moving, but the ones that did earned a standing ovation from the kid! The ring-tailed lemurs, penguins, sea lions, and fish were a big hit with Brady. He loved watching the water move and fall which is what drew him to most of those animals in the first place. We stayed for almost 3 hours and he was perfect. We ate lunch (a bit of hot dog and some fruit and yogurt for Brady), and perused one end of the zoo to the other. I was so happy he went with the flow and allowed us to spend the afternoon there. At the end of the day, he was exhausted...and so were we!

Brady wasn't the only one greeting new experiences this week; Zach and I welcomed our fourth wedding anniversary on July 29th. Our friend Beth was kind enough to stay with Brady so we could indulge in some deliciousness at the J-Barn restaurant in Sarver. We then vetoed our original plan to see a movie and hit up some sales at the mall in an effort to prepare Zach's closet for back-to-school. The poor guy only had, like, two pairs of pants, so we hooked him up with a few more and a couple of shirts. He also gave in and bought new jeans. It had only been NINE years, so I'd say it was about that time! When I asked him how in the world he could go NINE years without buying such a staple wardrobe item, he reminded me that he prefers his "coaches pants" (AKA: wind pants) so he buys those more often than jeans. Do you understand why it was necessary to miss out on a movie and help him shop??!!

This weekend Zach's brother (my brother-from-another-mother!) Derek and his long time girlfriend Kim are tying the knot in an outdoor ceremony at Saxonburg Farms. It's surely to be gorgeous all decked out in blacks, whites, and a hint of pink! The weather looks like it's going to cooperate as well! Zach, Brady, and I are all in the wedding, so prepare yourselves: COMING SOON: BRADY IN A TUX. I'm so excited to get him all dressed up I could just burst! I am beginning to envy mothers of girls--they get to feel this kind of exhilaration for adorable clothes a lot more than mothers of boys do! I then remind myself that I was a huge project between the ages of 11 - 17 and I wish for more boys...

Until the big wedding day, enjoy our pics from the zoo today. Most of them are of the sharks because I have big plans for these shots: my brother is pee-your-pants terrified of sharks (and snakes and spiders and...), so I'm thinking I'll blow up a few and send them via snail-mail. If I could only be a fly on the wall when he opens that envelope. Ahhh good times.