Happy Second Birthday, Brady!

Two years ago today, Brady Thomas joined our family and our lives have been fuller and more meaningful ever since. He is growing into a very intelligent, kind, happy little guy. He's constantly giving Ella kisses and runs over to us for random hugs throughout the day. He surprises and impresses us every day with his ridiculous memory (the kid is an elephant--he doesn't forget a thing!) and expansive vocabulary. He's gets very excited about directions: "the car is going around the bend; the man is walking up the hill." He's been putting together complete sentences for a few months now. He knows his colors, numbers, letters, opposites, animal sounds, and other random things like the sun "sleeps" at night. He's also the most persistent child I've ever met in my life. The latter is a challenge at times, but I think that's all part of being a toddler. He hasn't hit the "why?" stage yet, but he is questioning everything about everyone: "What is Dad doing over there?" "Where is Gramma going?" It can make for some very long car rides, but his voice is so cute we can't help but love it!

We've learned that Brady is quite sensitive, which can turn disciplining him into an art form. We can't raise our voices to correct him (unless, of course, he's in immediate danger) because it embarrasses him and then he cries. And not just a normal cry, but a cry like someone is sawing off his leg. It's best not to have these interactions in public, so we've learned that distraction and/or bombarding him with questions like, "Do you remember what you ate for breakfast yesterday?" work well to diffuse his meltdowns. Maybe that's why the kid's memory is so stellar...

Brady still loves golf and "hitting balls," and is also fond of throwing things. Fortunately, "things" is beginning to refer only to balls and other items that are meant to be thrown, so we've had less incidents involving him firing his silverware from the dinner table. Speaking of dinner, he still eats anything put on his plate. Some of his unique favorite foods include black olives, raw onions, and yogurt. He sleeps just about as well as he eats, too. There is never a fuss putting him down for a nap or at night (aside from his talking to himself, recalling the day's events), and he's usually good to go for 12 hours over night. He is the best sleeper EVER.

Among more of his favorite things is the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and one of the best birthday gifts he got, a portable DVD player from Gramma Terri and Pap Rick (equipped with two Mickey DVDs), has been a Godsend. Brady believes he's watching Mickey on a computer "just like mom and dad" and it keeps him quite busy for an extended amount of time. Since we're celebrating his birthday at the beach this year, that gift came in handy for the ride down AND any time we needed him to amuse himself for a few minutes.

While one could certainly characterize him as a Momma's Boy--and at age 2, who isn't?--Brady absolutely adores his dad. He repeats everything Zach says, tries to do things the way Zach does them, and gets so excited to spend time with him. Zach has always been the one who could calm the boy down, put him to sleep as a baby, and he is still the preferred playmate. Brady is definitely a better kid when his dad is around, too; he doesn't have near the amount of tantrums when I have my trusty sidekick, Zachary :-)

Even though the boy's official birthday is today, we celebrated it last weekend with all of our family and a few close friends. I did a pretty good job of picture taking (for once...), too! Some of the pics are from the party, some from the beach, and others are from the last year in the life of Brady. So enjoy the slideshow and again, Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet boy!

Free digital slideshow made with Smilebox

Ella's Baptism

On Sunday, July 17th, Ella Faith Jankowski got the "special water" poured on her head before a small crowd of usual church goers, our family and friends. Brady was especially interested in the procedure because he was under the impression she would be getting a bath with Jesus. I was under the impression she would scream her face off and when the entire Sacrament went off without a hitch, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. To top it off, she looked absolutely adorable...

After mass, we had a joint celebration for Ella's Baptism and Brady's second birthday (his actual birthday is tomorrow, so there will be a separate post for the little man). We had a beautiful day and the pool came in handy. I attempted to make treat bags for the handful of little kids and I'm not sure that they even opened them. And when a family friend (who, I think, meant well) suggested we host some kiddie games, I shuddered at the thought of overseeing water balloon toss. It was then I realized I suck at creating kid-friendly parties. I'm really screwed when Brady and Ella get older; I think those things are a parental requirement or something.

We asked Jen and Mark to be Ella's Godparents and they kindly obliged. To complement her gown, Aunt Jen got Ella a gorgeous bracelet. This is the best shot we got of it:

Uncle Mark started a tradition and a new collection for our girl: milestone figurines. She just got her baby in the cradle and each year on her birthday, he'll add to it.

Aside from the big bash for the Jankowski kids, we've been laying low and enjoying the summer. Luckily, the weather has cooperated. We sure did pick a good summer to put in a pool; the heat is sweltering and the temperatures are hitting record highs in western PA. Brady is having a blast in the water and requests rides on "the big boat" (AKA: a raft) every afternoon.  He has also learned to put his face in the water and blow bubbles. Unfortunately for us, he insists on doing the same thing in the bathtub and now absolutely refuses to get out until every last ounce of water has been drained. On the plus side, he is very, very clean.

We are currently in Bethany Beach with my parents so I plan to update the blog with vacation tid bits and pictures. In addition to Brady's birthday, Zach and I will celebrate our anniversary here. When we were on our honeymoon in St. Lucia, we said we wanted to return on our 5th anniversary. Who knew we would be in Delaware with two kids and Tom and Louise instead?! It's no white sand beach, but I have no complaints :-)

Two Years & Two Months

Even though Brady doesn't turn two until the end of the month, we were able to coordinate his two year check-up with Ella's two month. The boy is weighing in at 25 pounds and is 34 3/4 inches tall. His pediatrician is predicting he will be about 6 foot tall. We're not getting too excited about that, though; my 5'6 brother was predicted to be that tall, so...

As seems to be the case around every holiday, Brady has been under the weather with a nasty cold. He's not happy when he sees us coming at him with a tissue, so we've been using a cloth diaper to keep the snot at bay. He'll wipe his nose if reminded, but more often than not, he'll bring the diaper to us and say, "Boogers." Fortunately, he's on the mend. Unfortunately, he infected both of his grandmas, his dad, and his sister.

The above picture is a nice representation of the kind of moods we've been dealing with courtesy of Brady's bad 'tude. The slightest thing will send him over the edge these days. He'll cry, hit whatever is nearest to him--even if that's me--, throw things, etc. He's not opposed to hurling himself onto the floor to amp up the drama, either. We've learned that distraction is only a temporary fix for the boy, as he doesn't forget ANYTHING and eventually comes back to the original topic that sent him into a downward spiral in the first place. It's a vicious cycle. So, we've opted to ignore him as best we can. Sometimes it works to our advantage and he becomes a source of entertainment; he recently had a meltdown as a direct result of not having enough marshmallows in his Lucky Charms. I filmed part of it. Enjoy...

Since Brady is a fan of giving kisses, I anticipated Ella catching his germs and asked if we were able to do anything for her at the two-month check-up. In addition to the ever-popular bulb syringe, we're able to use saline drops in her nose and, if necessary, give her a very small dose of baby Tylenol. So far, we haven't needed to do any of that, but we're stocked just in case. Aside from the stuffy nose, she's acting and feeling just fine. Although, the night she got her shots, she woke up screaming bloody murder rather than gurgling and cooing like usual. Fortunately, she's back to her old self, sleeping wonderfully and smiling up a storm.

Ella is growing very well! She was born weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces and now weighs 10 pounds, 7 ounces (piggy!). She's also grown a full two inches and is now 23 inches long. Like her big brother, Ella is considered tall. She doesn't have my stocky build for which I'm grateful, so maybe she will be on the long side. I just pray she gets Zach's metabolism. Hell, I pray I get his metabolism..

How does a trip to the zoo with a 7-week-old sound to you? If you answered "Horrendous!" "Terrible!" or "Are you out of your mind?!", you are correct. Thinking it would be totally fine was our first mistake; our second was going on the weekend. Why would two teachers who have the entire summer off go on a Sunday? Our friends who don't teach could only go on Sunday and we thought it would be nice. While it was definitely nice seeing everyone, the crowd and our screaming newborn were not. When Ella was under control, Brady's terrible twos reared their ugly head and he refused to put his on shoes or threw a fit over something else. It was the most stressful zoo trip EVER. And we have zero pictures. Who has time to take pictures with an infant in one hand and a toddler in the other?!!

We ventured to church for the first time as a family of four this past Sunday and surprisingly (and thankfully!), all was well. Ella did nurse for a bit but then fell asleep and was quiet the remainder of the mass. Brady is always pretty well behaved, and Sunday was no exception. We opt for the 8 am mass because he's a bit sluggish for the first half and then we keep him quiet with snacks the second half. It works well, so here's hoping future masses pan out as successfully.

We celebrated the Fourth of July with a few friends and our pool. The deck is all but done, save the railings around the pool itself. It was wonderfully relaxing and our nutball neighbor dropped what appeared to be his life's savings on fireworks so we took advantage of the fantastic view. The next day, we took the kiddos to my parents for dinner and they had a few "fireworks" for Brady. Two looked like cars and when my dad lit the wick, Brady was instantly concerned. He didn't understand why PapTom would ruin the toys. He kept yelling, "Uh oh! Oh no!" as they sparked and when they left behind a pile of ash, he was upset over the "big mess." He did, however, enjoy the snappers. He fired those things to the ground with such enthusiasm! And he didn't even cry when they were all gone. That was my favorite part of the day--a tantrum-free Fourth.