Vocabulary

Brode has a good vocabulary if you ask this biased mother. He gets a lot of it from day care and we try and use similar words so he can learn their meaning easier. Brode has this weird way of learning the harder words first and catches on pretty quick when you say something directly to him or multiple times in a different context.

We joked when he started talking that mama, dada, and gramps/papa were competing to see who's name he would say first. Gramps practiced every day on the way to day care so we were all convinced he would be first. Nope, and guess what, to this day Brode has no name for Gramps. We try. We practice the G's and P's and he just refuses. Brode does well going through a list:
"Brode say hockey" - "Ockey"
"Brode say Libby" - "Lib"
"Brode say music" - "moo-gic"
"Brode say football" - "foo-ball"
"Brode say gramps" - silence (sometimes even a snicker)

He has an attitude that is for sure.

He picks things up easily and you know that whole "he hears you no matter where you are" thing. Brode is becoming a mini me. He is like one of my girl friends that I hang out with too much and we start saying the same expressions. What can I say, he is my best little bud:



Oh yeah and for all you girls in LaCrosse that miss waking up to "OPEN! OPEN! OPEN!" a little reminder at the end to fix your withdrawls.

I have my doubts

I'm having mixed feelings. Doctors are people just like you and me, they make mistakes. Are we always sure they know the exact answers and are confident? we have had our fair share of ups and downs. I trust every word our surgeons tell us - I am extremely reassured with everything they tell us and know it is best for Brode. We have been to just about every pediatrician in the Fox Valley sometimes for easy things such as his barking seal cough or split lip that don't take a genius to figure out. Other times we all sit there up in the air about why Brode keeps getting sick with pneumonia or if he truely does have asthma, but at least then we know he at minimum needs medicine to get better. These glasses - I don't know. I hate doubting because what if I change my mind about something and thenin 3 years we find out he is almost blind beacuse we didn't help. His glasses are blurry. I cannot look through them or believe how bad his eyes must be. He was doing so well with them, but lately not so much. He has started looking over the top of them. It's funny to watch, but also confusing. Does he really need them? Is he looking over the top because it is clearer? Is it just because his depth perception is still trying to adjust to them? I'm just not convinced he can see better through them. We're going back to the ophthamologist in a few weeks and I will be bringing my list of questions with me (even though I already asked a million) to try and get answers.

On a completely different note: we went to LaCrosse again this weekend! Brode and I made the 3 hour drive to see all of our friends there! He had so much fun playing with all the girls. They spoiled him with all of their attention and each got their time with him. As usual he showed off and laughed a lot! I think they enjoyed his entertainment and I always love to see all of them and catch up so we'll have to make another trip when we get some free time! I extremely surprisingly didn't take any pictures but everyone else did so I'll get some copies to post (and scrapbook of course)!

Slow and Steady.... Gets The Picture

Our first few glasses days were a struggle, but now that Brode is adjusted it seems easier than I was stressing about. At home Brode refused to put them on, pulling them off and throwing them every second we tried. I picked him up from day care Tuesday and both his teachers were so excited to tell me, "Brode kept his glasses on for 2 and 1/2 hours this afternoon!" We went home and he once again refused. This morning we tried multiple times and he yet again wanted nothing to do with them. My dad packed them up in his neon yellow case, took Brode to day care, took his coat off and handed him his glasses. Sure enough Brode put them on by himself and went over to the reading corner and grabbed a book. He clearly only liked them at day care to show off or something strange. Well today I picked him up and he still had them on and he wore them all the way until bed time! He even cried when they had to take them off for nap! I'm so excited and glad that he is starting to realize he can see a lot better with them on. He asks for them when you take them off and it didn't take long to learn the word "glasses".

Here are the pictures everyone has been waiting for after a million attempts:

What do you think?

They usually end up sitting pretty strange on his head and need to be re-adjusted so the pictures look a little goofy, but I still think he looks adorable. Our little professor.
We do have some questions about how he actually sees with them on that we have yet to clear up. I previously had no idea he couldn't see because he loved books, he could see small ants on the pavement, and he could identify familiar objects in the newspaper. Today he went over to his books, grabbed one and exclaimed "OH!! FISH!!" in his little high-pitched voice like he had never seen them before. It's reassuring to know that this can only help him excel in many areas!

Big News: Big Day, Big Eyes, Big Bed

Finally - every piece of anxiety, frustration, and curiosity has come to rest and our recent events have come to rest for a bit.

First: We got our surgery date! After five long weeks of waiting I called back again and because I was so impatient she let me schedule. We were given some options and picked what works best for our familes and our schedules! It was one of those "oh my gosh she called back, oh my gosh she is going to let me schedule, oh my gosh I'm about to hear the dates" kind of thing, and then it was all over. I ran around the work office telling everyone I encountered that has been asking, sat down at my desk and felt that - "well now what do I do now that I know? I was frustrated for that?" feeling. All in all we're glad to have a date and we're able to plan much more and know what to expect. Our date - JULY 28TH - falls at a great time and still gives us a lot of summer, works around holidays, family trips, etc. We do need to go down on a Monday prior to surgery to get an updated CT scan and meet with Dr. Denny. At that appointment we will look at all of his healing, plate placement, and skull symmetry to determine the plan of action for surgery and how much work will be done.

Second - Even BIGGER news. Brode got glasses!

When we began the process with his Cranio condition Dr. Denny asked if we have ever seen a wandering eye on Brode. It is something they have seen with other patients and often work with ophthamologists during surgery to correct it (as long as they are "in there"). We answered no but kept an eye out for it. Last summer his pediatrician had a concern that his right eye didn't track right and sent us to an ophthamologist here. This specialist had no concern but wanted to see him back in a year. 2 months ago I noticed his right eye looking strange when he looked far in either direction, getting it in the corners of his eyes. Then at his 18 month check up a few weeks ago his pediatrician again was concerned he could not track that right eye out to the side. We went back to the ophthamologist and her very first instinct was correct - "He looks severely far-sighted to me and that eye is trying to correct it" - sure enough. There are not any tracking problems (Dr. Denny's "wandering eye" concern), the eye just pulls in an attempt to correct itself and see clearly.

I wish someone would have been there with me and had a camera to capture the moment. I'm sure my face couldn't have been any more shocked. That is not at all the thought I had when I went into that room, it was not what I was expecting, and I ended up very upset. I wasn't upset with Brode's head surgery I just said we need to do it and get it over with, but this I just couldn't adjust to. I had glasses for all of one year (I don't think I wore them often) and my astigmatism isn't anything bad enough for glasses now so it just isn't something I'm used to. Everyone seems to have glasses, it is an extremely common thing, this isn't some freak phenomenon but I just couldn't answer the Why Brode? question. I had all the confusion of not knowing how we would keep them on, why this is happening to Brode and adding another thing to his list, and how we were going to keep from smashing them in the multiple sports we know he will play.

We picked out some cute little glasses, I battled my thoughts, wrote a large check, and here we are. We'll have to see how he adjusts (and how I adjust)! They are optomistic he will begin to like them when he realizes he can see better and if he wears them he will be out of them by the beginning of middle school!
(Pictures soon!)

(Yeah that was a whole other issue - my baby, in middle school? Come on doc can we just talk about him making it to the 2 year old room at day care, don't say those things!)

Lastly - this post is getting long so I'll keep it quick. We got Brode's big toddler bed today! You may remember me asking for any tips/advice. We've decided to get him a toddler bed for a bit. He isn't quite ready, but we want to be ready for the day we hear the "CLA-CLUNK" on the floor because Brode figured out how to get his leg over. I wasn't sure what kind I wanted but then I found fun bedding at IKEA with multi-color outlines of cars, buses, and trucks on it (pictures when it all gets set up) and decided it would look great in THIS:

(this obviously is just the ad picture because that is not Brode's room, his bed is taken apart in pieces, and that is not Brode - but you get the idea)

So Brode got a fun car bed to match his fun bedding and fun egg chair. His room will be perfect for a wild little boy!

Spring Weekend

This week has been a mess! We have had OK weather, then it snowed 3 inches, and today we were back to 65. It was beautiful out so we spent the whole day outside!

Right away this morning we had every toy from the garage out in the driveway and were playing! Brode protested a bit but we finally got him in for lunch and a nap after getting a bit sunburnt. When Brode woke up we took a trip with the neighbors to The Twist - a local ice cream shop here for a cool treat. Brode loved sharing my ice cream and had fun sitting outside seeing a lot of people.

When we got home we of course played outside even more running around in the lawn, playing more basketball, and throwing frisbees. We got inside just in time for dinner, a bath, and bed time. I'm sure Brode will sleep great after all that fresh air!
(He ran down the hill multiple times and this is how most pictures turned out: Goofy):

I just hope it stays this warm!

Friday Project

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons I'm done with classes at 1:00 so I block off two hours before I get Brode for homework, errands, etc. It's really my only quiet time to study and get things done. Friday are my homework filled days with 3 labs and composition class. I usually have a write-up for each of these labs so very uncharacteristically I always get them done on my Friday afternoon breaks. Everything is still fresh and they're easy to do so I like to just get them over with and not panic later the next week.

Well today, I completely threw my strategy out the window and did a project! It was an important/needed project so it wasn't a complete waste of time, but it was still fun. Brode hasn't been falling asleep quite as easy at day care so they asked for suggestions. I didn't really know what to tell them because Brode naps fine at home so we've never had to do anything. Our conclusion was that their time is a little earlier than he is used to so he isn't quite ready to lay down. Our two decisions were that Brode stay up and play quietly for a while after the other kids go to sleep, and to also get him a sleeping bag.

Toddler sleeping bags - hard to find. They're on every website but available online only. I was being picky that I didn't want some bright huge character on it, but I couldn't even find one option!

I decided I didn't want to waste the time searching anymore and got some fabric and made him his own nap mat! I'm so happy with how it turned out! Usually I have these visions but I'm not actually good at the "making" part and it's a disaster! I think Brode really likes it too!
The bottom cover around the batting is soft fleece and the Tigger and orange fabric is flannel so he isn't too hot when napping in the summer!

I had some troubles with getting the right amount of fabric so I had to switch the green and orange and had to improvise with velcro instead of a button to hold it shut.

It's so nice that it folds up small to fit in his little cubby, and it is easy to take home and wash! I hope it lasts a while!

Easter Weekend

We had a pretty busy weekend.

Friday wasn't so fun as it was pretty drizzly outside. We got a little bit of time outside, but nothing too fun.

Saturday morning Brode slept until almost 9:00 so we didn't make it to swimming class, but had fun dyeing Easter eggs anyways! Brode didn't help color, I didn't know how he would handle it, but he loved watching. I gave him an egg of his own and after he figured out eggshell isn't tasty we peeled it and he loved biting off the whole egg.

Brode and I ran some errands and played for a bit at home. Brode had some lunch then headed to Daddy's for a nap. When the boys were hanging out I got some time to go out to lunch with some girls that were in town for the holiday and do a bit of shopping. When Brode woke up from a nap Matt, Brode and I went to a birthday party for a friend that was turning two! Brode had fun making new friends.

The birthday boy's mom made a cute dirt cake in some sand toys for summer! It was so festive and delicious. Brode loved it as well!

After the party we went over to my friend Claire's house with some friends and had dinner. Brode loves showing off and playing with everyone. He had a fun time in the back yard in the dirt!

He was sure tired when we got home!

Easter morning I had to wake Brode up at 7:30 so that we could get breakfast, a bath, and dressed to be to church on time. We got some spare time so Brode got to find his Easter basket before we left. Libby (the golden retriever) found hers first and Brode was very interested in that, but we finally got him searching for his own.

His favorite thing within the basket was a "Bathketball" toy. It has suction cups to go in the bath tub, but Brode wanted to try it out right away. He also got a book, some giant paints, candy and sand toys!
Once we got him away from the hoop (even if the balls were in his death grip) we were able to get him dressed and off to church. I can't believe how big (and adorable) he looked!
After church Brode had lunch and a nap while we got everything ready. My moms family came over and we all socialized, hunted eggs, and had dinner. Brode got some down time to play with Daddy.

Easter was very fun. Brode was tired and quite ready for bed by the end of the day. He hasn't really caught on to why we made him look for a basket and pick eggs off the ground, but he had fun with family and friends anyway!

One and A Half

Brode - You're 1 and 1/2!

The past 18 months have gone so fast! You've changed so much in the last six months since your birthday!

You learned to walk (and RUN!). You also learned to jump somewhat well and how to kick a ball!

You are so unbelievably interested in sports. You are a true fanatic! If the TV is on it has to be on hockey, you carry your stick, bat, and ball everywhere. You recently got your first hockey jersey! You also are beginning to love baseball caps! You are also very good at swinging a golf club, except we need to get you a left handed club!

I have a feeling this is going to be a summer of playing outside!

You have learned to talk in a very short amount of time. Your vocabulary includes: Bus, Plane, Puppy, Open, Close, On, Off, Yellow, Apple, Banana, Book, Car, Hockey, and Milk among MANY others.

You're also very smart and catch on quickly to everything. When asked what a cow says you say moo or what a horse says you say neigh. You have your favorite baby book memorized. You have started to put 2 and 3 simple phrases together like "I got it" or "Come back!" You know where to put your laundry and throw things away (even when they dont belong in the garbage sometimes). You have started to tell us when your diaper is dirty or just head for your room and the changing table. You're also great at trying to help vacuum, sweep, or fold clothes - we can't help but smile and laugh.

You love music as well. You're always dancing and try to sing! You actually know a few songs yourself like Wheels on the Bus, If You're Happy and You Know It, Ring Around The Rosie, and Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. You know all the actions!

You've been growing a lot. You weigh 26 pounds and you're about 33.5 inches long. You mostly clean your plate and ask for seconds, and you LOVE your milk.

Your favorite foods include bananas, green beans, peaches, and grilled cheese!

You love day care and we love it as a home for you during the day! You've done fun units like transportation, dinosaurs, health, and world cultures. You come home with new songs and activities every day. You always eat great and are still napping very well. They have taught you sign language for More, All Done, Please, Thank You, Apple, and Open. (That I know of, you always show me more!) You love to read and do art projects there too!


You are SO social. Any store or restaurant we are in you must wave at everyone and say Hi or Bye. Everyone laughs and gets a smile on their face. You're not shy at all!

Brode - You're so much fun and always make us laugh! You do have a little attitude and throw tantrums but you always move on and play or giggle again. You love to give kisses and big bear hugs and we couldn't be more happy... just don't turn two!

Random

Today I just have some random things to update on:

1. We haven't heard a surgery date yet. I get asked every day, multiple times a day. Trust me, my cell phone is on, right next to me, at all times. They have our house number and my cell phone number. My patience gets thinner every day because I just want to know! I did very well being gone for a few days it was off my mind but we're coming up on 3 and 1/2 weeks and I can't stop wondering. I am confident in saying we will hear this week... and if we don't... well then I'm tough out of luck and hopefully Easter will keep my mind off of it for a few more days!

2. A few videos! I know everyone loves the videos because most of my readers are relatives and best friends that aren't able to see Brode as much as possible.

First, my favorite, the phone. When we went to Tundra Lodge Brode LOVED the phone.I had completely forgotten about it, but we were unpacking in the hotel and Brode was wandering around and all of a sudden we hear:

He LOVED the phone once again. It took him 3 seconds to find the speaker phone button and who know a dial tone could be so incredibly interesting? None the less we unplugged all the phones for the weekend so he could talk on them. Also, do you like how he says "Hi-lo?" He says hello "normally" and clearly in every day conversation, but on the phone he gets this little excited "Hi-lo?"

Well I had another video for right here and after many longgggg attempts to upload it it hasn't worked out so I've only got the one. Maybe it will work another day.

I think those are my only two randoms for now! I've already got more posts coming up soon as well - I feel like a blogging machine - so be sure to check back!

Minneapolis

This past week was my Spring Break. The first few days I worked, then we decided to take the last few days and head to the Mall of America. We packed up the car at 5:30 on Wednesday night, put Brode in his pajamas, and headed out for the weekend.Brode lasted a while in the car, then cried out of frustration and tiredness. After an hour he finally fell asleep like this, blocking the sun:

We stopped to get dinner around 7:30 and Brode woke up and wanted OUT of the car. We took a break for a couple minutes then got right back on the road. Brode didn't sleep the last stretch from 7:30 until 10:00 but now that it was dark he sat contently resting and whispering. He tried as hard as he could to fall asleep, not even Tigger or his blanket could help:
We got to our hotel late Wednesday night and headed right to bed. Thursday morning we woke up, had breakfast and went right to the mall. Brode has lunch and naps around 11 so we didn't have much time. We walked a few laps, played in the theme park, and checked out Lego Land.

Brode was wishing that he could have been bigger and rode on the big rides!
He had to ride the little quarter ones. Can you believe I had to peel his hands off the steering wheel as he screamed to get him out of here?
Because Brode's schedule was so messed up from the night before he napped for 3 hours! My mom sat at the hotel with him while my dad and I went back to the mall and ran in some stores. When the little guy woke up we headed right back to the mall and actually did some shopping this time around. I got in touch with my friend Alix who lives in the cities and she met us for dinner at Rainforest Cafe!
Brode loved all the things to look at, but wasn't too sure about the large fake snake in the ceiling. He got very into his coloring and flirted with Alix the whole meal.
Brode hasn't been eating the greatest lately. It is very obvious he is not in his growth spirt. He eats a few bites and drinks a LOT of milk but he hasn't been cleaning his plate like usual. Most of his kids meals didn't get finished this week, but he did like these carrot sticks:
After dinner we sat outside the restaurant and let Brode run out some energy! He did so well for sitting all day long in the stroller, but he was ready to laugh and have fun. Gramps took him for a ride on the escalator!
While packing and getting ready for a long weekend or trip with a young child you always need to figure out how to improvise. You need to figure out the most important things to remember, think of his few favorite toys, and never forget the blanket! We had a suite so it was very easy with Brode this weekend, but he had a tough time not getting time to play, run and sit with toys. Friday morning after breakfast he did get a little bit of time to play with some toys that got mixed in:
After we had our breakfast on Friday morning we all finished getting ready then headed out for my favorite store: IKEA!
It doesn't matter what you are there for, you always come home with more! We had to walk around the whole store and picked up quite a few purchases. My main goal of IKEA this weekend was to find things for Brode's room when he needs to move to a toddler bed. He tested everything out for us, and it was determined as he jumped and rolled that he still need a crib!

Yes, we came home with one of these egg chairs. The canopy fold all the way down to make a full, round egg and Brode just loved playing in it so he got one for his room:


I think Brode enjoyed IKEA just as much as I always do!
After IKEA we still had some time until lunch and nap so we headed out to another mall fairly close to our hotel. They had some different stores we wanted to check out. We ended up walking around here a bit and got some lunch before heading back:
Back at the hotel Brode napped for another 2 and 1/2 hours. My mom sat with him again and my dad and I ran back to the mall and did 2 more laps and went through different stores. We came back when Brode woke up and we all packed up and went back to the mall AGAIN. (I feel like the whole weekend was sleeping and traveling back and forth to the mall and the hotel)! Because Brode napped so long it was already dinner time. We headed to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company to get some seafood because it was Friday and it seemed like the perfect opportunity! This was another fun restaurant to bring Brode to because there were so many things to look at! We all had a great dinner and had fun doing trivia!
We got fun lemonades that came in light-up glasses we got to keep. Brode enjoyed them very much!
When we were finished with dinner we headed to the theme park. The first time I went there was I was 7? 8? 9? ish my dad and I got our picture from the large log chute ride they have. We then went back when I was in my mid-teens? i think, and got another one. So yet again we had to ride the log chute, get soaked, and get our picture. We had some tickets left over so Brode got to ride some rides with a chaperone! We rode the trucks first and oh boy did he love steering and honking the horn:
We rode the Blues Clues ride next. I didn't know how Brode would react because they go up and down in the air but he loved it!
We had a few tickets left so we rode the trucks, again. He threw a fit every time our turn was over!
We headed to Lego Land to pick something out for Brode - what I called his 1 and 1/2 year old birthday present because our little boy turned 18 months on Friday! He once again wished he was bigger to play with the kids.

Saturday morning we were checking out and heading back so we took our time getting ready. We had breakfast then Brode and I hit the pool. He had to miss swimming lessons so I thought we could brush up on his skills. He loved it!
We packed up the car and headed out around 11:00. After a stop we were home at 4:00 and had to find a place for all of our purchases. Overall we had a very "relaxing" weekend. We walked a lot, but we got some time to do some fun things and had lots of time with Brode! I think Brode would agree that he felt pretty relaxed as well: