Happy 2nd Birthday Brode

Brode turned 2 on Sunday!

We celebrated with friends and family at our house. Brode had a great time running around, visiting, opening presents, and eating cake!

Showing everyone how old he is now - he needs more practice.

So what is Brode up to as a 2 year old?

Brode is 34 inches tall and weighs 27 pounds.

He is wearing 24 month clothes, still some 18 month pants, and size 6 shoes.

He has an extremely extensive vocabulary and only needs to hear a word once before storing it in his memory.

He knows the sounds of a large amount of animals, can count to 14, and can say the alphabet.



He LOVES anything sports - hockey, baseball, soccer, basketball, golf, everything.

He has now moved to the 2 year old room at day care with his best friend and they love playing keyboard, pizza, and kitchen in between the playground and art project times.

He loves to run, jump, and do somersaults all over the house.

He is still in his crib and has yet to try climbing out so there he will stay.

He uses the potty at least three times a day when asked to go - but no regular routine.

His favorite foods are... everything! Brode is not picky and will eat everything! He has rejected tomatoes before, but everything else he has loved!

He eats with silverware and is learning to drink out of an open top cup.

He is great at his manners, saying please and thank you, helping clean up, and throwing things away!


Brode is an extremely fun, loveable, wild 2 year old boy and I couldn't be more happy! He entertains us and amazes us with his knowledge every day!

Happy 2nd Brithday Brode!

Quarry Quest

Today in Neenah was Quarry Quest at Michels quarry! My friend Claire and I took Brode down for a few hours this morning. The Quarry is huge and there are many activities, but Brode wasn't the biggest fan of the whole experience. He LOVES diggers, we read books about them, he notices them all along the road, but he brushed these diggers off like it was nothing. After we walked around he started to lighten up and played in the "Tot Spot" sand pit. Eventually we made it to the little diggers, watched some of the cranes and big diggers, climbed the large sand hill and rode in one of the trucks. Brode was exhausted by noon and started melting down. I knew if we stayed longer he would get a bit more comfortable and do some more activities, but we couldn't skip nap today and he just wasn't interested in many of the big kid activities. Maybe next year at 3 will be a bit better.Can you see that he is the only one that didn't want to wear his orange vest. Typical Brode.

On a different note, I couldn't help but laugh at Brode's sport apparel yesterday. He wore his Packer jersey and his Brewer hat to day care while he held onto his Badger hockey stick in the car. Last night I then did all his laundry and pulled out his hockey jersey, his brewer shirt, his cowboy jersey, and his packer jersey. He clearly isn't faithful to one team, but he sure loves his sports!

Forgotten Posts

I started posts - 2 actually. Then I forgot about them. So I'm going to sum them up in here with a big update post (what else is new!).



1. School - I started school on Wednesday September 7th, that gives me just over a week of classes, and it feels like 4. There are very clear advantages and disadvantages to upper level classes. Advantages include: I've had all of my teachers numerous times before, all the kids in my class are in all my classes and we're all friends, and they're interesting as they're all my major class. Disadvantage: Jumping right in, none of that get to know you stuff. Read 3 chapters, start your research paper, etc. I had a test already on monday after 2 lectures and it's one of our largest tests of the semester! Whew. Oh yeah, and the books get bigger every semester, I'm exhausted already.



There is light at the end of the tunnel: I'm a senior! I can't believe it either. Actually, I'm not really confident I am a senior after taking a semester off with Brode. I made up classes in summer and interims so 'technically' I am and as my STAR report currently states, I will walking in the May graduation then completing a summer internship and fully have my Kinesiology Bachelor of Science degree!



Ok on to something more positive.



2. Brode moved to the 2-year-old room! His birthday is coming up and they wanted to start transitioning. There are a lot of 1's coming into his room so they moved early. Brode moved with his friend Dante (they're 5 days apart) and so far it's been going well. They're transitioning well and quickly because they know each other so well. We're going to miss his old teachers but Miss Alexa, his new teacher is very nice and loves both the boys - she only had girls in her room before so this is new and exciting! I'm excited to see how he grows in this room. They get more independent oppotunities, more individual attention with learning and art projects, and they also start potty training! I mentioned last time we had started, but he is much better about going at day care. He likes to do it when all the other kids are sitting on the potty too so hopefully we'll make progress!



3. Deer Trail's Tiniest Hick - Brode won an award! Last weekend was our neighborhood party with the theme "Yee Haw" and let me tell you, our country 'hood pulled it off well. The party had a parade. Families were instructed to decorate their tractors, bikes, go-karts, etc. and be in the parade. We decorated Brode's tractor with streamers (which Brode hated and pulled off), put a large oversized golden dog in the trailer with a "Libby" nametag, Brode wore his John Deere hat and we were on our way! Brode drove in the line around the circle of the neighborhood and waved at all the people. He got a fun little trophy and some toys as a prize, he was huge hit!



4. Lastly, Brode's thumb. 6 months ago we noticed that his left thumb is constantly bent and he is unable to stretch it out. I began looking at his babies pictures and it is quite evident that anything after 7 months shows this best thumb. We were referred to a hand surgeon, but he wasn't too alarmed. Brode does have a severe case because it has zero mobility, but it is easily fixed! The doctor said this condition, Trigger Finger, is something they like to wait to see if it improves so we gave it 6 months. Today we went back and it isn't any better. We've now gotten to the point that it will not improve, but it also won't get worse so we're going to pick a day that fits in our schedule and get it over with. The procedure is rather easy (ok, I say that having gone through 2 cranio surgeries so it may be biased). It is done at a hospital because he is too young for their center, it takes 20 minutes, his hand is then wrapped for 10 days with disolvable stitches and it's all over with! It will be fixed as he leaves the operating room so there isn't any therapy, just incision healing.

So, there is our update! Nothing overly exciting. We're loving the fall weather and are hoping for a fun weekend with lots planned!

And for all of my friends that have been pushing me to put more videos up - I'm working on it!

Little Farmer

This weekend we made our annual Little Farmer trip! Last fall we waited until late October and it was cold, rainy, and Brode was miserable. This year our schedule got booked so fast we ended up with the first weekend in September. The weather must have known we were going because we went from 80's to 60's overnight and it was cold and windy! The sun was out and by later in the day it wasn't too bad so we ended up with perfect fall weather for our trip! We did all the fun things first:

The corn maze that went on forever....

and ever.....

and ever.....

...but we eventually made it!

Brode played in the playground. He liked walking around checking it all out, but he wasn't too sure about the big hay pile with tunnels.

He sure loved the tractor though!

We also fed the goats. Brode has seen and pet goats, but this was his first time feeding them.

After all of the fun activities we went and stocked up on our pies and carmel apples. Can't go wrong with Little Farmer homemade pies!

Sunday and Monday we went to my grandparents cottage for the holiday! Sunday our whole family went golfing which was rather entertaining. I was a bit rusty, my arms a bit sore, but I ended up in the 2nd place pair! Afterwards we had a birthday party for my uncle with a little cookout and campfire. My Aunt and Uncle have two cats that Brode chased the whole night. I had to give them a break and take him to the park down the street for a while, but overall the little guy had fun running around!

Today we spent the day doing some work preparing for winter (getting boats and rafts out of the water, etc.) and got the firewood ready then relaxed. Brode was exhausted and took a long nap before we headed home. We did get a chance to play outside between rain showers and we worked on Brode's hockey drills:

I'm convinced someday when he is in the Olympics or winning the Stanley Cup they're going to be asking me for home movies of Brode playing hockey when he was young, I have to catch all of this now!

Tomorrow is my last full day back at work, then back to school on Wednesday it is!

Lastly, I'm going to pull a total 'proud mom' moment. Last week I went through the 2-year-old rooms at Brode's day care because he will be transitioning next week before his birthday. The biggest change between rooms is that there is a smaller number of kids, they do more individual learning and art projects, and they begin potty training. In order to prepare I got Brode a potty to set in the bathroom for him to get used to and sit on with his diaper just to adjust. Well he clearly gets his patience from me and Saturday night before bath Brode is on the potty with no clothes, stands up and says "all done!", sure enough he has successfully gone on the potty! We quick took a bath and he was so excited to sit down and try again. Tonight we got home and planned on taking another bath. As I prepared the water Brode sat on his potty and successfully went number 1 and 2! I yelled hurray, goob job Brode and told him he could get a special prize. He clapped for himself then told me to sit on the toliet, I sat there with my clothes on as he clapped and said "Good Job Mommy!" He hasn't been to into the sticker reward system, he just shrugs it off like this potty thing is no big deal. Looks like we can only move forward from here and hopefully as he transitions next week into the 2-year-old room where they regularly try the potty he'll pick the habit up quickly!! Yay Brode!

Milwaukee Monday

We were back down to Milwaukee today for Brode's 1 month post-0p check! We scheduled a later appointment this time so we had time to sleep in, play, and eat a big breakfast. Brode got all dressed up in his "Maschers" (Masters) shirt and plaid shorts and we headed down to Milwaukee, golf ball in hand.

We're at that stage. That "say cheese with your face all scrunched" phase.

His appointment went well. They were all happy with his progress, and shocked at his hair. They double checked his procedure date to make sure they were correct that he grew all that hair in a month! All the nurses loved him in his outfit with his golf ball marching down the hall. Dr. Braly took more pictures for his file (they always do before and afters so we have a lot through Brode's journey and large number of appointments). I'd love to see them all in a row now - his first ones were at 6 months!

After our appointment (it was extremely short) we went to the Betty Brinn Childrens Museum in Milwaukee. Brode loved all the different areas and was much more involved from the last time we were at a Childrens Museum. He spent much of his time at the sand table. It was located in the section for children under 3 and luckily he was the only one in there so it was quiet for him!

The only exhibit that the Children's Museum near home and Betty Brinn both have is the golf ball track exhibit. They have loops, U's, hills, and spirals that golf balls are dropped and twisted around. One little boy was running around gathering all the balls up so we weren't able to try. We finally remembered Brode brought his own golf ball so we tried each one and held onto it tight!


Next was the Music in Motion. There were drums, guitars and dancing everywhere!



The area we came to next was a large gameboard. One of the stops was mini-golf and Brode loved it! We were worried he wouldn't leave. Unfortunetaly Milwaukee doesn't believe children can be left-handed and Brode had to improvise and turn the club upside down.

He eventually found the golf ball cart. I think he needs one of these to follow Grandpa around the yard when they're practicing chipping!

(Yes I see the No Shoes Allowed sign as Brode sits under it with his shoes on!)

Around 4:00 everyone started leaving and we had the roam of the place. We made our way back to "Home Town" because Brode was a bit to overwhelmed the first time. We stopped in the auto shop, real estate office and the grocery store/deli.

He loved the grocery area. We went shopping for a bit, but he then fell in love with the delivery truck. Brode ran from one end to the other grabbing food, putting it in the back of the truck and then delivered it to Grandpa's house.

(Notice the bacon and single piece of chicken in the back on it's way to Grandpa's)

He combed the cow and horse quick as we walked out the door.

One of my favorite comments from the day was "WHOA! Big house!" As Brode points at the skyscrapers in the city. I guess we need to get him out of the country more.

The ride home: exhausting. We stopped for dinner, but this guy was not tired. We searched everything in the car for entertainment. Here is Brode practicing his "Cool Dude" thumbs up with my sunglasses on.

Weekend

What a beautiful weekend! The humidity is finally gone and we're sitting around the 87's with nothing but sunshine! We were able to get a lot of outside time in this weekend.

Saturday we all did yardwork outside as we're working on some landscaping. N0thing exciting.

Sunday however Brode had a very fun day. We went to the parade in Greenville in the morning. Brode was extremely nervous about the firetrucks and large tractors but he loved the floats with candy, hockey, puppies, and little tractors! It took him a bit to catch on to the "they throw candy, I pick it up" concept but he still came home with lots of loot:

After the parade we went to the corn roast at the park then home for a nap. Brode took a long nap then headed to Grandma Beth's for dinner. Mr. High Maitinence himself loved the steak they had, its the only meat he'll eat large amounts of!

Monday we're off to Milwaukee for Brode's 1 month post-op check!

The Past Month; Update

Yes, I realize it has been a month.

Yes, I am very sorry.

Yes, people have been harping on me for it (they all just want to see that cute little blonde-haired boy)!

No, people probably aren't even checking for updates anymore.

Things have been crazy. 4 weeks... what have we all done?!? Where did they go?!?

My main reason of not updating for 2 weeks was because of this: www.caringbridge.com/visit/Brode. All of you that follow know about Brode's surgery, but that was my main communication. We have many more friends and family that were looking there for the week so it seemed almost pointless to write it all over again here. We spent 4 days down in Milwaukee, then Brode and I were home recovering for 8 days. We had a wedding that weekend for our neighbor and had a lot of fun! On the 9th we went back down to Milwaukee, got his staples out and went to the Milwaukee Zoo. Brode loved the zoo and seeing all the big animals (favorites included the hippo, polar bear, lions and monkeys!)

Everyone went back to work and day care that week. It took a bit to get back into the routine, Brode did the best out of all of us! I was extremely worried after 2 weeks with family, field trips and ice cream shops he would he a terror at day care. The past 2 weeks since he has been back we've gotten nothing but good reports that he has been sharing and using his manners very well!

Sunday the 15th Brode and Matt had lots of play time while I went to Noah's Ark with some friends! Us girls got a beautiful sunny day to ride all the water slides and had a lot of fun. The boys had a good day peeking in on Extreme Home Makeover as it was starting right in Neenah this past week. Our fun weekend was followed with another week of humidity and work.

For our last week of failed blog updates - we were camping! Matt and I left Friday morning to meet his mom, stepdad, cousins, aunt and uncle for their yearly camping trip to Chipewa Falls in the Lake Wissota State Park. Brode stayed with Grandpa and Grandma and we all had fun! Matt and I were given some time to relax and Brode had lots of fun playing. We had good weather camping except for a bit of rain(ok a LOT, all night, puddles to your ankles, and matt's drenched clothes on the clothesline) Friday night but luckily it was all while we were sleeping. We toured the Leinenkugels Brewery, went to the Leine Lodge, sat around the campfire, swam in the lake, hit up the ice cream shop and played lots of horseshoes! After our long 3 hour drive back Matt and I stopped home for 5 minutes then continued on to a family get-together. My aunt and uncle are in town from Houston so we had a good-weathered afternoon to have a cookout at my cousins. The whole family gathered for grilled burgers and horseshoes while the little kids jumped on the trampoline (for HOURS). By the time we were leaving the sun was setting over the lake and we were all exhausted from a fun-filled weekend.

My night didn't end there. This leads me into the other 'excuse' as to why I haven't been updating. My computer sits in my bedroom, but I've got this little roommate for a few weeks that gets to bed around 7 so I'm not able to do much updating on my computer. I'm also busy with a large project, the reason for the roommate. We're re-doing Brode's bedroom! I don't want to post pictures until it's finished but I know a lot of friends want to see how it's looking. It might be a bit until we get it completely put together so I'll just give a bit of a preview. We're still going to move his crib back in and hold onto his toddler bed (not even trying to get out so we're not going to rush it). We're hoping to get the queen bed and rocking chair out to make room for his train table, shelves, and some of his toys. This will clean up the living room, and give him a fun toddler space of his own! My painting scheme has taken a week and a half so i've been busy trying to get it done and not drag it on any more!

(No he doesn't dress like this every day, it was mismatch day at day care!)

I'm hoping to get Brode's room finished so I can work on his surgery scrapbook, his toddler scrapbook (the zoo gave many good pictures that need to get in there!), construct some thank-you cards for our surgery followers and well-wishers, and finish some of the books in the Pretty Little Liars seris before school starts on September 8th. I'm thinking 20 (18 really) credits aren't going to be very nice to me and then they definetaly won't get finished!

Sorry again for the month-late update. Once I'm able to get all the pictures from the last few weeks organized I can give a few more details of what we've been doing.