Christmas Play

Bradley had his acting debut last night. His daycare put on a Christmas play and even the infants were part of it. Scott and I have been looking forward to it for so long so we had the camcorder battery charged, a new tape ready, and the camera ready to go as well. We got there early to get good seats and Scott scoped out an eagle eye spot for optimum video recording. Bradley comes out being carried by one of the teachers in the same clothes he wore there along with a green vest and a scarf on his head. As Scott later said, "He looked like a current Wiseman". Miss Carol corrected him by informing us that he was a Sheppard. Could have fooled me! Either way it was pretty funny.

Catching Up

I have been seriously falling behind in writing so I have a few things to say this time. The first being that Bradley took his first steps on the 10th! It was wild to see! He is so sturdy standing up on his own now but lacks the confidence to take more than one or two steps at a time. He loves walking so much though and chuckles to himself anytime he walks with his push toy. I think he will be walking on his own pretty soon as he goes from couch to table to couch and his transfers are so easy for him now. He doesn't hold onto anything but reaches out to the object that he is leaving behind and that he is trying to get to so he is on his own but doesnt realize it.

He loves dancing and watching Scott and I make fools of ourselves dancing and singing with him. He gets a little smirk on his face and starts bouncing. Now when he hears music on the radio or TV he is dancing almost every time.

They say at daycare that he is trying so hard to walk and it will be any day now. I love his daycare and the teachers there. Well at least until last night when Scott brought my world crashing down. He picked Bradley up from daycare and caught one of the teachers painting on Bradley's art work trying to pass it off as Bradley's. Now, I do realize that my 10 month old son is not able to paint and color yet but I figured they were helping him by holding the brush in his hand and moving it around. What I didn't anticipate was them painting it with him across the room playing with a toy. I am traumatized.

Fall Fun

It was such a nice day on Saturday that I thought I would play with Bradley in the leaves. I had this vision of him crawling around and playing in all the leaves but he had other ideas. When I first put him down in the pile, he scrunched up his face and the tears started flowing. After some comforting, I put him back down he was fine and started to explore and eventually even started making his dinosaur noises at which point I knew he was happy.


"Hmmm, I wonder what this tastes like..."

Belle Comes for a Visit!

My Dad came over to help Scott work on the screen room we are adding onto our house and Debbie came and brought her full sized poodle, Belle. Belle is really good with Bradley because she has been around a lot of babies and kids so she doesn't really lick his face or react when he pulls her hair (and he does that a lot). I get a bit jealous though because all she has to do to put him into a fit of giggles is walk around or sneeze. It is really sweet how they are together though.

Bradley watching Daddy work outside.

Bradley and Belle supervising the workers!

Halloween Fun!

The day before Halloween I was so happy that the weather was amazing because that should mean nice weather for the next day, right? Wrong! It was windy and freezing! We carved pumpkins as a family and had Bradley play in the guts (or at least tried to make him).

"I am not so sure about this..."

"No more, no more!!!!"

We had planned on going to a couple of our friends houses in the neighborhood with Barry, Melissa, and Jaxon a little early so we would be able to pass out candy still. Barry and Melissa rang the doorbell just after 4:30 which was a little earlier than we were thinking and we didnt even have Bradley in his costume yet. However we figured it wasnt that big of a deal so we suited him up quickly and headed to our first neigbor. They werent home. We went to the second house, they were walking out the door to go to a party. We went to the third house, they were just sitting down to dinner. Fourth and fifth houses were eating dinner. We all felt so stupid we called it a night and took some pictures of the boys together.

Here's my bat baby!

The boys together:

Never fear, super baby is here!

It was a good first Halloween and I am so glad we didnt spend a lot of money on his costume because I think he wore it for a total of 30 minutes.

Pointer

Bradley has learned something new. He is now pointing at anything and everything. I picked him up from daycare and he points at me. He points at his toys, his food, and himself in the mirror. I know it is something so small but it is almost like he is saying, "Look! There's my mommy!" It is so cute! He is turning into such a little person!

On another more depressing note, he is sick AGAIN. I took him into the doctors yesterday for a check up and to ask my doctor about the H1N1 vaccine and I am so glad I did because we caught an ear infection early. When I picked him up from daycare he had an elevated temperature so it was good we were already going to the doctor office. I don't take ear infections lightly. I had chronic ear infections as a child and as a result have nerve damage that has reduced my hearing to that of an 80 year old and have had 6 ear surgeries. It isn't something I want Bradley to go through. He is back on antibiotics and is going back to the doctor in 2 weeks to make sure he is cleared up before he gets his vaccine.

Hoover

As you all know, Bradley loves to pick stuff off of the floor to eat. Well, I dropped him off at daycare this morning and even before I set him down Miss Carol asked what he was chewing on. I replied it must be his tongue because I didn't give him anything besides cereal. I left not thinking anything of it. Here is an email I get from Melissa, who has her little boy at the same daycare.

"Miss Carol told me to tell you that Bradley wasn’t chewing on his tongue this morning…she scooped her finger in his mouth and it was a carrot!!! Probably got it from his highchair or on your floor!!! She says they call Bradley the Hoover Vacuum! And that he is so fast!"

I have no idea where he got a carrot from because he hasn't had carrots this week and I just cleaned the floors! I need to step up my cleaning apparently! I cant believe the daycare teachers call my Bradley the Hoover Vacuum! I am starting to think that I have to start putting his dinner on the floor because he eats better when he isn't supposed to have it than if it is on his tray!

Frankenmuth

We took a family trip along with Mike, Jen, and Mackenzie to Frankenmuth on Saturday. We went downtown and visited a couple shops. We drooled over the handmade fudge but didn't buy any and strolled around. In the Bavarian Inn they have an amazing toy store that we just had to check out. Bradley loved the Thomas the Train room and didn't put down the Thomas engine the entire time we were there!

Bradley and Mackenzie posed for a picture.

Then we went over to Bronner's, the Worlds largest Christmas store, and had some fun with our cameras.

Oh no! The elf has Bradley!

Then, Uncle Mike dressed up as Santa for Bradley!

It was a great day and we all had so much fun! Both babies were so good and happy the whole day as well. We bought personalized Christmas stockings with our names on them too so we are all set for the holiday!

Pumpkins

We went to the pumpkin patch today. It was a great day for it too because the weather wasn't too cold.

Bradley riding in the wagon with his pumpkin!

"I want this pumpkin!"

Playing with the pumpkins.

Grapes

So far the stories from daycare have been very entertaining. I got out of work early on Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday and I was so excited to be able to pick Bradley up from daycare and see him in action. Of course, every time I get the opportunity to pick him up he is eating when I get there so I don't even get to see him playing with the other babies. I noticed that some of the older kids were having grapes as snacks but he was eating Cheerios (his favorite snack) when I got there. About an hour after we got home I noticed he had something in his mouth so I fished it out. It was a half of a grape skin! How in the world did he get a grape and why does he still have the skin in his mouth? When I dropped him off on Monday at daycare I asked them about it and here is what they told me:

Miss Carol: "We didn't even give him grapes!"
Me: "I have noticed he is starting to pick things off of the floor now."
Miss Carol: "Yeah, he goes up to the table and picks food of the the other kids plates or eats what falls on the floor. He even goes up to the kids in the highchairs and they hand him food!"
Me: "Are you serious?" LOL
Miss Carol: "Yup, he is such a little scavenger that we have to lock him in the other area while we feed the other kids!"

At this point I am picturing him begging for food and having to be separated in order for him not to steal from the other kids. It is a pretty funny picture in my head. I wonder if that is why he came home on Tuesday with an incident report stating that he got bit on the thumb by another baby...

My Growing Boy

Here is a good picture of Bradley's first tooth

And he is now able to crawl under things so he is double the trouble!

Holy Crap!

Bradley and I were sitting on the floor playing with his toys last night. He was sitting right in front of me and just stood up! I mean, he went from sitting to standing and just stood there like he knew how to do it all along. It was the coolest thing to see and frankly, I was pretty impressed because I cant even go from sitting to standing without pushing off with my hands but somehow my baby who cant even walk can do it. I better start working out!

Mr. Independant Still Needs His Mommy

Bradley has had a cold for over a week now and it only seems to be getting worse. Before it was only a runny nose and now it has turned into a stuffy nose and cough as well. When I got home from work yesterday, Scott and Bradley were playing together perfectly fine but within minutes of me walking in the door Bradley starts crying. The night before he was fussy as well and ended up going to bed at 7:00 which is about an hour and a half earlier than normal so I am thinking we are in for another night like that. After feeding him, he was still fussy and didn't want to play or do anything besides be held. I complied with his wishes since he is sick and held him for a long time. He just relaxed and laid there in my arms with his head on my shoulder. Then he poked his little head up and gave me a couple sloppy open mouthed kisses on my face. He seemed more content and relaxed so I set him down on the floor and started playing with him. He was in a great mood then and was back to him normal self banging on the coffee table while making dinosaur noises. I think he just needed a little momma lovin!

Scott told me earlier about a new trick that Bradley is doing but wouldn't tell me what and that I would just have to see. After a bit, I got to see for my own eyes his new moves. He goes from sitting up and puts one foot flat on the floor and raises himself up into a crouching position like he is just going to stand up! Right in the middle of the floor! He is starting to let go of the wall or table while standing up and balancing on his own more but is still not sure if he is comfortable with that. We thought he would walk early since he has always liked to be upright and on his feet and I think we are going to be right. I guess we will just have to wait and see. He seems much too small to toddle around!

Food Fun

The other day Miss Carol-the lead daycare teacher for the infant room-asked me if it was OK to give Bradley Cheerios and toast. I have wanted to have him try these two things for a little while but kept holding off because Scott was nervous about him choking. Over the weekend though I finally let him try both the Cheerios and lightly buttered toast. I wasn't sure if babies automatically know how to pick food up and put it in their mouth but Bradley answered that question for me (for him at least). As soon as I put the food on his highchair tray he grabbed some and shoved them in his mouth. Granted, half went in his mouth and half on his lap but that's not too bad for his first attempt. He seems to really like taking charge of eating and I must say it is adorable to watch him eat and chew with his non existent teeth! The only problem is that since trying the Cheerios he seems to think anything is edible such as the pea gravel at the playground. It is so fun to see him growing up and eating big people food that I have to stop myself from letting him have part of my dinner with me. I think he needs some teeth before we give him chicken!

Busy busy busy

I survived my first week back to work and am starting to realize how difficult it is to keep a household organized, work, and have a moment to relax. I would have thought weekends were supposed to be my time to chill out and not do too much but I was wrong. We walked up to the wine fest that was being held in our town on Friday night. It wasn't too impressive actually. It was just a live band that played a lot of Celtic music and a couple drunk people dancing in the street. On Saturday we drove to an apple orchard to go apple picking but when we got there the place was deserted. Out of a row of trees an old dilapidated mini van with no side or back door drives past us and both the driver and the passenger, who was missing most of her teeth, stared at us in an erie way on their way past. Nobody came out to help us so we decided to leave while we still could. We went blueberry picking down the road instead. Later that day we went over to a friends for some dinner. Bradley loved their wall of mirrors and kept crawling over to it, standing up, and laughing at his reflection. It was pretty funny to watch!

On Sunday my Dad and Step mom came over to help us with our screen room that we are building. Deb, Bradley, my cousin Brady, and I all walked to the park and played for awhile. Bradley must be gaining confidence from daycare because he was crawling all around the playground and got super dusty from the ground. All of that wore him out and he was falling asleep sitting up in the wagon on the walk home.

I didn't relax at all during the weekend but did have a good time. I think this coming weekend I am going to have to take it easy a little more so I don't burn myself out. Between being busy all day and Bradley not sleeping well due to teething, I am worn out!

Checking In

I am that annoying mother that calls the daycare daily to ask about their baby. Yes, that is me. I do that because I like to hear what he is doing and savor it the rest of the day. For example, today Miss Carol told me that Bradley and some of his buddies were all standing around a table banging on it with their hands and making each other giggle. I wish they had nanny cam there so I could see that but I am sure if they did I wouldn't get any work done! I am so glad that he seems to be having fun with the other babies, it makes it so much easier for me.

So Far So Good

So far work and daycare are going well. I have had half days the last three days and start working full time hours tomorrow. Bradley seems to be adjusting really well though. He (knock on wood) hasn't cried when I dropped him off and seems ready to play with the other babies. He naps well there which was one concern of mine since he is a light sleeper. The only thing that still has me worried is that he isn't taking too well to formula yet. We have tried a bottle, sippy cup, different bottles and he just isn't interested. I know he isn't going hungry since he is eating solids too but I want to make sure he is getting the milk that he needs as well. It is a work in progress...

He has done a lot so far this week especially considering he has only been there for half days. He has done arts and crafts and played in the paste (flour and water), and I guess loved it. They sing songs, learn about colors and numbers, and develop motor skills like standing on his own. They were telling me today that he was making them laugh today because for about a half of an hour he was playing by the mirror laughing and making noises. He seems to like them and they like him. I am really happy with the daycare so far but I still envy them the time they spend with my little boy.

Changes

I am going back to work! It all happened so fast too. One minute I was wondering what I was going to do all day and the next I got offered a job. Not just any job but the one that I had been trying to get for about a year before I had Bradley. Now instead of driving an hour and a half one way to work I get to drive about 20 minutes so that is a huge bonus. Within an hour of the offer I had daycare lined up and everything. I am really excited to go back to work especially because I loved my job and the people in the office I will be working at are great but it is hard to leave Bradley. I am thankful at least that I was able to have 8 months off with him rather than the 3 I thought I would get. I have had a busy last couple days trying to get Bradley somewhat weaned and buying, packing, and labeling everything the daycare needs for him. I go from one minute thinking that it is going to be so hard to be away from him all day to the next minute thinking that this will be a good change for the both of us. The daycare really seems great and they do a lot of learning activities in addition to him learning to interact with other children. I know it will be hard but I hope that it is harder on me than on him!

Yowzers!

He is growing up too fast! I have always heard of that happening but I didn't realize that it is actually so true! Less than a month ago Bradley started to crawl, now he is walking while holding onto things for support. On top of that, I caught him letting go and standing completely on his own yesterday. If that all isn't enough, I can now feel his first tooth that must have just broken the surface. He seems to take after his father in terms of independence that it seems like he is racing to hit all of his milestones in the shortest time possible.

Here is his newest video of him trying to walk:
http://www.youtube.com/tburns612#play/all/uploads-all/0/EKWNdA48uGI

Labor Day Weekend

We headed up north Michigan to my Dads cabin on Friday night and stayed until dinnertime on Saturday. We got to take Bradley out for a nice little tour around the lake on the boat and spend some quality time with family. I was a bit worried how it would be watching him at the cabin with him crawling now but he was really good actually! He stayed close by for the most part just making occasional breaks for it. He was most interested in the DVD player and the fireplace pokers. Yikes! He did manage to stay out of trouble though. His infatuation with my Step-Mom's Poodle has grown and now he will just laugh while looking at her. He also loves to grab hand fulls of her hair and yank which she deals with without hardly a flinch. We stopped at this convenience store called "The Bear Store" that has a bit of a non-petting zoo including a bear and some other animals. Bradley was too tired to wake up for this pit stop but we got a picture of it anyway.

On Sunday we headed out to Mitchell's Bay to go out on Scott's parents boat. Poor Bradley had to wear his life jacket again but he does seem to be getting used to it. It was a beautiful day for it and we anchored at the sand bar and just hung out for a few hours. He did manage to get me to share the honeydew and cantaloupe again. He seems to love fruit as long as it is not in baby food form. I hope he eats regular food better than he eats baby food! Here are some pictures of Bradley on the boat with his Grandma.

Daredevil

There is no doubt left, my son loves to climb. He is going to give me gray hairs any day now because every time I turn my back he is climbing something else. He fell and gave himself a bruise already too. I have cushions strategically placed around my house to prevent bad falls but there is only so much I can do because he is a boy and he will find a way to climb.

Climbing the stairs...

Standing up in his crib...

Standing up against the stools...

And finally...his bruise.

We are trying to make him tough by not reacting when he falls but it is so hard to do! I don't care about my own rules when it is a bad fall though, his little teary face is too hard to resist!

I think there is something wrong with me. I cant spoon feed Bradley without opening my mouth every time he takes a bite. It's not so bad when I am at home by myself but when I go out in public I feel like such a weirdo! I wonder if it is somehow related to the fact that I cant rub my stomach and pat my head at the same time...

Our Day Out

Bradley and I met my mom and sister at the Olive Garden by my sisters house yesterday and had some lunch together. I guess before we arrived mom and Tab had a hard time getting the waiter to understand the meaning of 3 people plus a baby in order to get a highchair but by the time I got there it was all straightened out. I don't know why but I always have a hard time getting people to understand that too! Of course, Bradley couldn't resist grabbing everything in his reach that was on the table. Bread and salad plates were his favorite and I think the chilled salad plate must have felt good on his gums because he favored that one. My sister was holding him and he climbed up on the table and started doing the river dance while she was hanging onto him. All the surrounding tables were laughing pretty hard about it. He was having a great time making dinosaur noises too. After lunch we went back to my sisters house to hang out. Bradley showed them his new moves (crawling) and my sister showed us her house newly renovated. Right before we left Tabitha brought her Doberman, Red, inside to see Bradley. He didn't seem to care too much for the baby but Bradley sure did love him! He was laughing at Red and watching everything that he did. Bradley really wanted to pet him but Red wasn't interested. Red did go in for a lick and was rewarded with a big laugh from Bradley. It was really cute to see him like that! I think they are going to be great friends when Bradley is a bit older.

The only damper on the day was that Bradley has a runny nose. I don't know if it is from him teething or if he is getting a cold. He is perfectly happy other than when I am trying to wipe his nose though. I feel so bad for him because he is already getting a raw, red nose and applying Vaseline is not effective as it wipes off every time I wipe his nose. I wish he understood how to blow his nose already!

Good Buddies

My neighbor/friend Melissa called me the other day to see if I wanted to go for a walk and try out their new wagon. They make them so nice now! They actually come with seat belts and cup holders which is a far cry from the flat, shallow wagon that might come with tetanus if it was old and rusty enough. Jaxon loved the wagon and was laughing and making all sorts of cute baby noises the whole time. Bradley however took his "cool guy" approach and put on his poker face. I say that he liked it because he didn't cry.

The boys got along great too! They were just enjoying the ride except for every now and again when Jaxon would grab Bradley's feet and then Bradley would grab Jaxon's hat.

We took them to the park and pushed them in the swings for awhile after that. Bradley finally gave in and cracked a few smiles.

Later that day, Scott took Bradley and I out on the lake. Here's Bradley waving at the camera:

The wind blew his hat "Hugo" off!

All the fresh air from the day really wore him out and he gradually started to close his eyes and fell fast asleep.

Busy Baby

Bradley woke up in the middle of the night and after letting him cry for a couple minutes I went in to get him. I walked into his room to see him standing up in his crib. I literally gasped and picked him up right away. I know, it might have been slightly an overreaction... We already lowered his crib one notch so he really wasn't in any danger of falling out unless he somehow developed major upper body strength to pull himself up but it still made me worry to see him standing there. I think with him reaching milestones by leaps and bounds these days I would feel much better lowering his mattress to the lowest setting. He has turned into quite the little busybody these days. He is climbing on our stools, chairs, his walker, the stairs, and even me! I have turned my back for a second and he managed to cross the room, pull himself up into a standing position, and fall down in that short amount of time. I don't want to coddle him too much so every time he takes a spill he wants comforting but it is so much easier said than done. I have been going on a case by case basis of comforting. He is such a sweet boy though. He is giving me kisses all of the time now. He grabs my face with his little hands and lays a nice open-mouthed kiss on me. It is so amazing to watch the baby who couldn't even turn his head when he was born develop and become his own person.

Now I Understand

The day after Bradley figured out how to crawl this is what he is now doing...

It isn't necessarily the fact that he is trying to stand that bothers me but rather him trying to do it against movable objects such as his highchair and walker. Whenever anyone told me how fast children grow up I would think "I am sure they do" but without any true understanding. Now I get it.

He's Crawling!

Bradley and I were hanging out today playing with his toys and all of a sudden he gets up on his hands and feet and crawls over to me like he knew how to do it all along. I couldn't believe it! I caught him on tape crawling a little later in the day too. Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvDh6Uh6tCY

Jaxons First Birthday

We had such a busy weekend! My mom came down on Friday to babysit while we went to a friends wedding and then the following day we had a birthday party to attend. Our friends that live across the street have a little boy that turned 1 on Saturday so they threw him a big party. They rented a bouncy castle, had tons of toys for the 25 kids that were there, and plenty of food for the 80 adults in attendance. Our other neighbors even opened up their pool for the party which was a huge hit considering it was a really hot day. Mike, Jen, and Mackenzie came over to stay the night as well so it was a busy day. Bradley played with Mackenzie in the shade of a bunch of beach umbrellas and even got his feet dipped in the pool. The best part though was when our friend Melissa kicked all the older kids out of the bouncy castle so the babies could go in. Jaxon, the birthday boy, Mackenzie, and Bradley all got in (with the help of the parents) and bounced around.

Bradleys cool outfit

Bradley loves bouncing!

Scott and Bradley bouncing

Bradley trying to bite Mackenzie

The next morning, Barry and Melissa invited us back over for breakfast. Mackenzie and Bradley are old enough now that the age difference between them and Jaxon isn't as profound. Mackenzie is 8 months and Bradley is 7 1/2. They were fighting over toys but eventually could learn to get along and share. He slept good over the weekend from all the fresh air and play time!

Hmph!

Bradley was cruising around in his walker and making a bunch of bird noises as usual when I decided I wanted to pick him up and give him a big "I love you" squeeze for being so cute. I scoop him up into my arms and he wiggles in and blows a raspberry on my face. Is there anything more perfect than motherhood I wonder to myself? However, I no longer smell the clean baby smell that I associate with my son but instead a foul odor. At the same instant I smell this I realize that my arm feels wet. He might be cute but he sure makes diaper companies out to be liars with the "leak proof protection" promises. Oh well, what is a second shower and some additional laundry really in the big scheme of things?

My Child is a Genius

From the very beginning when Bradley was hungry he would say "ma ma ma" and I obviously thought it was a coincidence. However, last night while I was out with the girls Bradley said "da da da" when he got hungry. Not only was it the first time he made that sound, it was while only Daddy was home to feed him. Therefore my baby is a genius that knows which parent to address when he is hungry. There is clearly no other explanation! ;)

Rash

Bradley developed a rash on his abdomen on Thursday morning. At first I thought it might be an allergic reaction to plums since it showed up right after I gave him plums for the first time but the rash never spread and hasn't gone away. We went to the walk in clinic this morning since our family doctor is booked for weeks in advance and that doctor was stumped. He had no idea what the rash could be caused from. He ruled out a virus since it isn't bothering him and he has no other symptoms. It isn't a food allergy since it is only really on his stomach and no where else. He recommended trying Aveeno bath products and if it doesn't go away by Thursday to come back and see him again. I am rewashing all of his clothes and doing an extra rinse in case it is the detergent that is bothering him just so we can rule everything out. I am glad that he doesn't seem bothered by it but I hope that it goes away soon!

Messy Messy Messy

I am not sure what happened to my good eater but for the last two days Bradley hasn't been interested in solid foods at all. Last week he must have been having a growth spurt because I was constantly feeding him but so far this week he has eaten his milk but refused fruits, veggies, and even his favorite cereal. He is so interested in his sippy cup full of water that he follows me around in his walker as I am filling it up though. I think he likes the do-it-yourself aspect of it. While I am trying to feed him solids, he reaches for the spoon and takes it from me. He does manage to get the right end in his mouth along with most of the contents on the spoon but a lot does end up on his face, clothes, high chair, and even on me. I don't know if he is just not hungry or he is showing his independence by proving he can feed himself. He will eat if he has control over the spoon so that makes me think he just wants to do it himself. I would have less of a problem with this if it didn't require as much of a clean up as it does! I know, I know, this is just the beginning...

Balancing Act

It was right after Scott got home from work yesterday that Bradley decided to show us a new trick. He was on his hands and knees trying to figure out how to move forward without doing his usual worm impression when he lifted one hand up and balanced on the other. No sooner did he do this then he started experimenting and figuring out what else he could do while balancing. He can pick up toys, chew on his fingers, grab our faces, and put one hand in front of the other.

Overnight he has somehow changed his tactic and can now scoot forward to get his toys so much faster. He can also go from sitting up to be on his hands and knees now when something is too far away to reach. My child is mobile. This is the end of my freedom, isn't it?

Our Weekend

We have had a busy weekend so far. On Friday night, Scott and his brother Mike, went out for a friends birthday so Jen and I made dinner at her place with the babies and watched chick flicks. Mackenzie has this blow up cylinder shaped toy with jungle animals printed on it. Last time we were over Bradley started crying when he saw it. I didn't know if it was a fluke so I sat him down and rolled it towards him. He went from smiling and cooing to crying when he saw it! I moved it away from him and then put him in their exersaucer but apparently that wasn't far enough away for him. Just catching a glimpse of this toy makes him upset! I don't know what it is about this seemingly harmless toy that he hates but he really doesn't like it.

Scott, Bradley, and I stayed over that night so we didn't have to drive home late at night but for some reason I couldn't keep Bradley asleep. He is pretty used to sleeping away from home so I don't think that was the problem but every time I would get him to fall asleep and put him down in his bed he would wake up crying. Not just a normal cry but an all out wail. After several of these failed attempts I decided to just let him sleep with me so I could actually sleep that night. Of course that did the trick and we both were able to get some shut eye.

Last night, Jen and I left the babies with our husbands and went out downtown with a group of girls for a friends bachelorette party. Scott dropped us off downtown and picked us up when we were ready to come home so we didn't have to worry about parking and walking too far in our cute but uncomfortable shoes. When we got back to Mike and Jen's, Bradley and Mackenzie were asleep but no sooner did Bradley hear my voice did he wake up and demand food. This kid is going to have a tough time weaning that is for sure! He fell back asleep after eating though and we left shortly after that to go home. Now the fun begins. He would not sleep and nothing could make this baby happy. He didn't want to eat, he didn't want to be held, he didn't want to be in his bed... you get the point. I figured it must be a stomach ache from the way he was stiffening up and crying so I gave him some Gripe Water, bicycled his legs, and bounced him around the house. He finally burped a couple times and seemed to calm down right away. By this time it is close to 4:00 when we managed to lay him down and sleep. He slept good after that but we are all dragging a little bit today except for him who gets to take naps whenever he wants. I don't understand the whole concept of "sleep when your baby sleeps" because somehow I cannot fall asleep during the day and if I do manage to do so it is a nap interrupted by a phone call or Bradley deciding he wants to get up right when I fall asleep. We are planning on taking a long walk today and getting Bradley in some fresh air with the hopes that it will help Bradley sleep tonight.

It Starts

I turned my back for one minute and this is what I find...

Wanderer

Bradley loves his walker so much but he sure does get into stuff while in it!

He drunkenly runs down the hallway and stops at the end where his room and our room are and looks back and forth deciding what room he would rather go in, then heads right into our room and straight for the DVD player to push buttons. I have to go and wheel him out and close the door. He runs back down the hallway into the kitchen and does laps around the island occasionally checking drawers and cupboards.

Here he is "playing" in his room.