Dear Brendan,

Dear Brendan,
    When you're older you will see these blog entries, as they will be a part of your baby book.  You are an amazing little boy, but Brendan, at 2 years old, you are giving me a run for my money.  It's time you hear how you've been acting, and maybe we can commiserate later when you have your own children.

I have to ask you, why do you feel it's necessary to wake up so early in the morning?  Your room is dark, warm, and cozy...why not sleep a little later?  You'd feel much better and act less cranky throughout the day, I promise.  Did you really need to inherit my stubbornness and then triple it?  When you refuse every type of food we have in this house for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it drives me nuts.  You can't have a Trader Joe's cereal bar for each meal.  Really.  Mickey can't always be on the TV and we can't alway be watching the TV.  And when you have melt-downs that would make Ivan the Terrible look like a Care Bear, because you can't have something you want, it drives me nuts.

Why must you run away from me, laughing maniacally, when it's time to get in your high chair, when it's time to brush your teeth, change your diaper, put on your shoes and coat and get out the door?  You slip out of my grasp, on purpose, when we're holding hands in the parking lot and we need to get in the car.  Sometimes you scream, cry and yell "help me, help me" when you don't want to be stuck in the shopping cart any longer.  How do you make your arms go slack so quickly when I'm trying to pick you up.  You're going to end up getting yourself hurt!

You have become increasingly demanding for my time and attention.  It makes sense, but you have to understand that it's okay to play by yourself for a little while too.  And if we're sitting and eating a meal together, if I get up to go into the kitchen, it's not necessary to start screaming and crying for "mommy", as I am only 5 feet away from you and I'm still visible. You act as if I've all of a sudden up and left for Alaska.

The string cheese is not too cold.  You demand that I cut it into slices for you because you don't want to have to take bites of it because it's "cold on teeth".  You need to eat the cheese and stop pretending you all of a sudden don't like yogurt.  I've been telling you it's chocolate yogurt because it gets the first spoonful into your mouth and you realize you do like strawberry yogurt after all and eat the whole 6 oz. container.  You have to eat the cheese and yogurt, because you don't like milk.  Still.  Your doctor yelled at me because you don't drink milk.  I wish you would drink milk.  You don't even like chocolate milk...you're a silly boy.

You tend to fight everything.  Like the brushing of your teeth, the changing of your diaper...the things leading up to your nap, but once we get to reading a few books and getting into bed, you are excited to take a nap.  So why must you fight the process?   Why must you pinch and kick and scream and cry?
You don't even let me skip pages when reading a long book at nap or bedtime.  Just today you wanted One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish again...it's currently your favorite book.  Dr. Suess made that book devilishly long.  I fought you and chased you all morning, so I just wanted it to be nap time, so you'd wake up happy (at least for a little while).  I decided to skip a few pages in your favorite book and when I skipped the Nook who has a hook with a cook book, you told me, "no no, the Nook" and proceeded to turn the page back one.  You're smart.  Too smart for my own good.

Biting.  Why do you bite?  I get the worst mom of the year award for my final solution to you biting me when you're upset.  I tried everything with you to get you to stop biting...what finally worked?  I bit you back.  Yes.  I bit you.  I felt like the worst mom alive.  But it worked.  You haven't bit me since.  But you still bite Daddy.  Why?

Telling me that you want something "right now" isn't going to get it to you any faster, that's where my stubbornness comes in.  I like to sing, it hurts my feelings when you tell me, "no more sing mommy".  And I can't decide if your 'defense mechanism' of pretending to be asleep and making loud snoring noises when I'm mad at you is funny or more frustrating.  Like when you purposely ripped a library book and looked at me and smirked, then I yelled at you, so you promptly laid down and pretended to be asleep and starting 'snoring'.

And then you do something really cute.  Or funny.  Or you run up to me and give me a random kiss and hug.  All of the yucky things you did melt away (until the next yucky thing you do) and my heart swells with even more love than it already had for you.  Even though I just listed a bunch of the things that make me frustrated, it doesn't change how much I love you.  You are an incredible little person.  My love (and Dad's love) for you is unconditional.  I will always love you no matter what.

Love,
Mommy

Mommy, Mommy

I was so excited when B started calling me "Mommy", sweet music to my ears.  Everyone warned me that I would get sick of hearing "mommy! mommy! mommy!" all day long, every day.  So far I'm not sick of it...unless it's accompanied by whining, that does get a little old.  B's newest ones include..."Mommy, look!" (usually it's to look at some sort of vehicle on the road)..."Mommy, watch me!"...and "Mommy, mommy, mommy, play trucks!".  Playing trucks.  B's FAVORITE thing to do.  It's even tied with watching Mickey Mouse Club House.  Playing trucks involves me (or any other willing adult) and Brendan sitting on the kitchen floor--him on one end, me on the other end, and pushing/rolling all of his different trucks back and forth.  Sometimes they crash, sometimes they don't.  Right now his favorite trucks are his fire truck and his tow truck.

B asks me ALL day long to play trucks.  Usually I am asked every 2 minutes, especially when I'm doing something I need to be doing around the house.  In order to get things done AND "play trucks", I have started setting the stove timer for 10 minutes at a time.  B gets 10 full minutes of undivided "playing trucks" attention several times a day.  When the timer goes off, it's time for me to do the things I need to do or for us to play something different.  It has cut down on how often he asks to play trucks, because he knows he'll have that specific truck time with me.

Aquarium with the V's

As part of B's birthday present, my in-laws treated us to a day at the Shedd Aquarium!  B was last there in October, but what a huge difference 4.5 months makes!  B had a blast and it was a lot of fun for us adults too.  B's favorites were the turtles and frogs.  I can't wait until he grows some more and he'll be able to enjoy other attractions like the Museum of Science and Industry, etc.

Uncle Mike, Grandma and Grandpa V, B, and Daddy

Checking out the big fish

We had a great day

The birthday celebrations of March

We celebrated Grandma River's birthday on the 5th...of course cake was involved.

Even though it's Grandma's birthday, B gets the first taste of cake.

And we celebrated Grandma V's birthday on the 11th...we had a birthday breakfast for her, so instead of cake, there was coffee cake, Brendan wasn't too upset about that.

Giving Grandma her birthday card.

Helping Grandma open her present!

Then we celebrated B's birthday on the actual day, St. Patty's Day, and had a family birthday party on the 20th!

B got to take his very first train ride, from our town's Metra stop to a Metra stop about 45 minutes away.  He was beyond excited to be on the train.  He was completely enthralled while looking out the window; we sat on the top portion of the train car.  When we got off the train we went to the Choo Choo restaurant where a train circled the track and even brought us our burgers.  B was in heaven.  "More train please!  More train please!"  That is what Brendan was saying every time the train disappeared from sight.

There goes the train again!

Once we got home, B opened more presents from Mom and Dad and of course we had birthday cake.  A cake that I made, and it had construction trucks on it.  B's biggest obsession...trucks.

My masterpiece.  B still talks about cake being in the dump truck.

Boy oh boy, does he love cake.  Who doesn't like cake?!

Playing with his new trucks and rug.

He loves his new "truck".

2 year old birthday silliness

Family shot!

We had 29 people over (including the 3 of us) for B's family party.  We had B's favorite...pizza and cupcakes, decorated with Mickey Mouse....of course.  He had fun visiting and playing with everyone and of course loved opening presents.  And he certainly opens those presents like a champ now!

He loves blowing out candles...he was a pro!

Super excited to have a cupcake...How did he have room after FIVE pieces of pizza?!

Brendan is two.  TWO!  Two?  Time flies.  And we couldn't be more blessed.  Brendan is a smart, inquisitive, funny, compassionate, energetic, and lovable little boy.

My little star

How come every time I take out my camera to record B singing, he stops singing?  I even try to hide the camera so he doesn't realize, but he automatically clams up!  Right now B's favorite song to sing is Old MacDonald (with the goose making an appearance more than once) and Too Ra Loo (Bing Crosby) is a very close second.  Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is also making an appearance occasionally.  The ABC's are now a big hit and from the letter A to the end it is absolutely adorable; I must get it recorded!  Although, I need to remind myself not to get too caught up in recording/picture taking and try to enjoy the moment and remember it on my own.

Brendan is now realizing that shapes and letters are everywhere...from the "Y" in our quilt pattern to the triangle that is his toast.  We went out to eat and Brendan grabbed a straw and was playing with it, then all of a sudden he used his two hands to form the straw to make a triangle, then yelled "triangle" at the top of his lungs.  I LOVE IT!  And now he can count up to 15!  Maybe he will be a math boy after my own heart...

I absolutely love watching him grow, especially this past month, B is now 23 months old and in just a few short weeks he'll be 2.  TWO!  TWO?  TWO?!  What?!  It can't be.  He is so much fun, has such a great sense of humor, and is talking up a storm (Even though I hear him say "mommy" a million times a day, I'm still excited to hear him say it in that little kid way, "mom-eee").  He's just perfect.  (For this post we'll forget about the tantrums and the hitting/biting when he's frustrated and doesn't get his way...yeah, the biting.  I'm scared every time my child comes up near me and puts his mouth anywhere...but that's a different entry for a different time.)

Good Mor-ding

Well, B absolutely loves his big boy bed, he loves it so much that after one bedtime story he tries to crawl in to bed.  I'm thrilled!  It took one night of "training" so he wouldn't keep getting out of bed at night.  I stayed outside his closed door with our video monitor and each time he started to get out I would tell him to stay in bed and that it's time to sleep.  After 15 minutes of this, he stayed in bed and slept until 6:30 and once he was awake he stayed in bed, what a sweetie!  He doesn't even try to get out of bed, after his normal talking he just falls asleep!  He catches on so fast; my little smarty pants!  A few mornings ago, I got a 5:15 wake-up call and I walked into his room to explain it was still nighttime and he says to me loudly, "GOOD MORDING".  An early riser like me, hmmm.  Luckily he was willing to get back into bed and stayed there like such a good boy until about 6:45, that's a much better time!  Most mornings he is up at 6:00 and then he sits on his floor or bed and reads his books; getting up every few books to try and open his bedroom door.
He does not stay under his covers, nor does his head stay at the head of the bed...just like his crib.  Which is why he fell out of the bed; luckily that has only happened once and he didn't even wake up!

One of his many positions throughout the night

B grew another whole shoe size in just a few months...yikes!  One of my splurges for him is Stride Rite shoes, considering I pay next to nothing for most of his clothes and diapers, but at this rate I won't be able to keep going there!  Once you hit size 8, the shoes go up to $50!?  That's more than the gym shoes I bought for myself at Kohl's!  He was super excited to try on the shoes and then run around to try them out; he was such a good boy.  Once we got home he kept carrying his new shoes around; he really likes them.

So excited to have his new shoes on

He wanted his new shoes on and wanted to try on my hat

Big Boy Bed

B just seemed ready for a toddler bed.  We finally got one in his room, about 1 week before he turns 23 months old.  It may be a little early, but it just seemed right.  B sleeps great in his crib, so the thought of "messing with it" and moving to the trials of a toddler bed were scary.   We have been talking about his "big boy bed" all week and he got to see his big boy bed sheets (Disney Cars) and he ran into the office every chance he got to look at his big boy bed.  He helped us move his big boy bed into his bedroom yesterday and he also helped with the sheets.  He couldn't wait to get in and once he was in, he didn't want to get out!

Helping mom put his sheets on

Crawling in for the first time

Pulling up the covers

Pretending to snore

So excited!

Pretending to sleep

When B went to bed last night, he did a great job.  He now has a special turtle (on the nightstand) that shows the stars and the moon (it's real constellations!) instead of his crib aquarium.  We tucked him in and he moved around on his bed and talked until he fell asleep (just like he did in his crib).  It was great...until 5:00 a.m. came along!  He came down the hall (his door was cracked open) and into my room where he asked for Mickey.  I brought him back to bed and explained that it was still night time and he needed (and Mommy needed) to sleep still.  I tucked him in and by the time I got back to my room, he was getting out of bed again.  So I told him that if he wanted to be awake then he could read books, but needed to stay in his room and I closed his door.  He then read books until 6:50, when he actually opened his door and came down to my room again.

Nap time...not so cool.  He is not staying in his bed and I had to lock his door so he couldn't get out.  He wanders around the room, then reads, then tries to open the door, then repeats.  I guess we're getting the toddler bed transition done with now, rather than later...next up, potty training.  I'm curious to see how bed time goes tonight.  I miss his crib.