To My Baby Boy

Dear Brogan,

Monday morning, you threw your first “real” fit…over a banana. This included rolling all over the ground, kicking your legs wildly and screaming, no shrieking, as loudly as you possibly could. You wanted the world to know you were mad. Daddy and I were shocked. You are somewhat mild-mannered and usually leave the fit throwing to your sister. I guess you had enough yesterday though. You had inhaled your banana and you were so upset that you couldn’t eat your sister’s banana, too. This is just another sign that you are part monkey. I must say, I am quite impressed your first fit was thrown on a Monday morning. If you’re going to throw a fit, that’s the time to do it. Mommy has trained you well.

You are doing great in your new class at daycare! After the first two initial weeks of adjusting – which included getting bronchitis, a sinus infection, roseola and a HUGE scrape on your head from falling (not once, but twice on the same day) – you’ve done great! You are the smallest child in this class, but probably the loudest (at least when it comes to wanting to eat). You don’t let anyone mess with you, not even your teachers if you don’t want them to. I think this is a survival skill you’ve learned as a result of having Addi as a sister. The girl loves to knock you down at random times. We told her today that if she wants to be a princess and a big girl, she must stop. We’ll see if that works.

At your one year check-up, you were in the 30th – 40th percentile for weight and 90th for height. This will be great for you as you grow older, but it makes it tough to dress you right now! Nine month pants are too short, but 12 month pants are too big in the waist and fall off you. As a result, you wear a lot of jumpers. This works well for me. I like to dress you preppy and that’s my perfect excuse. I wonder how many years I can get away with doing this?

You are a funny boy. You love to do silly stuff to make all of us laugh. If you do something that makes us smile, you do it over and over again. Your newest thing…you walk around saying, “Burp!” You think this is hilarious. Your sister does, too. You also love to say, “Quaaaaaack!” All.the.time. I guess it’s safe to say, you quack me up. (Lame joke, I know). :)

You have lots of nicknames. Your sister still calls you, “Buddy.” Your daddy and I do, too. So does everyone at your daycare (well the kids, not the teacher. Except for Lynn…she’s your teacher and your babysitter so she has special privileges). Of course, you’re also referred to as “Squeaky” by your daddy. He calls you that because sometimes when you’re excited, you squeal and it sounds like a squeak. Sometimes your whining sounds like that, too. So now, you’re “Squeaky” to daddy and Addi. That’s right, she says it all the time. :) You’re also called, “Sir,” “Brogie,” “Mr. Malogie,” and “Bro.” Sorry about the Mr. Malogie name…that’s courtesy of yours truly. I wonder what you’ll respond with when people start asking you your name.

You have a piece of my heart that is meant only for you. You are my sweet baby boy. Words cannot express what you mean to me. So I try to tell you in hugs, kisses, tickles and giggles every day. I love you so much!!!

Love, Mommy

Bubbles and Applesauce

Today Addi asked to blow bubbles. I rarely do this because usually it turns it to a session of me telling her, "No, you can't hold the bubble bottle" and, "You have to blow on the wand, not try to put it in your mouth." Addi's temper tantrums usually accompany these statements. In an effort to live life to its fullest as much as possible, I decided to let her hold the bottle full of bubbles today. I mean really, it's a bottle of bubbles, not expensive or toxic if she spills or eats it. Yes, she spilled some of the bubbles and yes, she tasted it and thankfully, decided it was gross. However, had I not let her do these two things, I would have missed out on one of the greatest moments of the weekend. Addi learned how to blow bubbles properly and LOVED it!! She was so proud of herself and the more I cheered her on, the more her face would light up. Brogan joined in on the fun - puckering his lips and blowing, and yelling, "POP!" as he clapped his hands together whenever a bubble would come near him. (Sidenote: He seriously the cutest little blonde haired boy I've ever seen!) At one point, Addi blew a huge bubble and I started laughing, which turned into fits of giggles between all three of us. Being a little dramatic, I laughed once and slapped my knee as if it was hysterical. Addi started doing the same thing and Brogan followed suit. :) Unfortunately, Jared had to miss out on the fun due to work, but Addi made sure to include him by randomly yelling, "Jared's funny!" Not sure what made her say that, or call him Jared, but it was super cute. :) Anyway, after 45 minutes of bubble blowing fun, we moved on to snack time. I gave the kids their applesauce and started to clean (which is what I typically do when the kids are contained at the table eating). Before I picked up the first item, I decided that instead of cleaning, I was going to enjoy some applesauce with the kiddos. Addi's lit up once again as she saw me sit down to join them. More fun ensued as we ate our applesauce and talked and played at the table. At one point, I got teary-eyed thinking about how blessed I am to be able to spend such priceless moments with these beautiful gifts from God. I promised myself to allow the kids have more opportunities to make messes in an effort to learn something new and to enjoy more snack times with my sweet babies while I can. Bubbles and Applesauce...who knew the memories they could make. :)

Living Life

I love to spend time with God, my husband and my kids. No denying that. Somehow in the midst of the daily tasks of working, cleaning, feeding, bathing, I’ve allowed the praying, playing, talking and living in the moment to take a back seat. Today, I’m changing that. For at least a week, perhaps longer, I’m limiting my computer use to work and work alone. Phones will only be used when I’m by myself. I am going to do my best to not think about the future, except of course our August vacation we have to plan this week, and I’m not going to think about missed opportunities that have long been gone. I am not going to do work at night, or think about my job when I don’t absolutely have to do so. I am going to focus on God, my husband, my kids, and myself. I am excited - no, I’m thrilled about this little adventure. It’s been much needed for a while. So, hello life! Happy Weekend! 