So many changes

The last time I checked in on this blog was almost 2 months ago, and oh boy, have things changed since then!  Brendan--you are the most amazing, but yet the most challenging parts of each of my days.  You are too smart for your own good and at the end (or start or middle) of the day I'm at my wit's end!  As you say, "You're driving me nuts!"...because when I sigh or use a certain tone you just know and intuitively know to say, "you're driving me nuts!"...which is usually the case.  You are one of the most stubborn people I have ever met (gee, I don't know where you get that from!), but you are also the sweetest and most sympathetic.  If I'm crying, you always run to get me a kleenex and then you wipe my tears and tell me "now you're all better mommy".  Then 30 minutes later you are refusing to eat dinner or refusing to get dressed.  At the age of 2 years, 5 months you are already a perfectionist.  You become insanely embarrassed if you make a mistake or accidentally drop something or if you can't complete a task on your own (oh boy, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree).  For example, this morning you accidentally dropped one of your toys down the basement stairs as you were trying to carry it up to me.  You were so upset that you didn't succeed in bringing it up the stairs that you put yourself in time-out and wouldn't even look me in the eye as I tried telling you that it was okay.  You are incredibly smart, picking up on everything, working on your letter sounds, singing all of your favorite songs--you may be the only 2 year old who is able to sing all of Bing Crosby's Too Ra Loo on your own.  It's so fun to watch you make connections between our life and the outside world and to watch your thought process on things new to you.

Brendan, you're going to be a big brother---how exciting!  I know that because you are so sympathetic, thoughtful and helpful you will be an amazing big brother.  One morning while snuggling in bed with me, you accidentally kicked me in the stomach and I told you that you needed to be careful of my stomach because I have a baby growing in there.  You looked bewildered at first, but then shook that off and asked me "how do you clean the baby? you know, the pee pee?".  Always the thinker, that's you Brendan.  And I love that about you.  Even though you drive me nuts a greater part of the day, you make me incredibly happy and I'm so proud to be your mom.