Thanksgiving & Update

Happy late Thanksgiving to everyone! I meant to update prior to the holiday - but got extremely busy.

I have been swamped, and just don't have the energy to do any of it! Last week I had 3 exams and needed to finish some large research papers. I can't wait for these large projects to be finished. I turned one paper in already, and next week I have one due Tuesday, a presentation on Wednesday and another paper due Friday! It almost feels like finals will be the easy part! The good news is that I did apply for graduation for May 2011 so there is a goal and end in sight!

We haven't been up to much besides playing and homework. We're still working on Brode's bedroom but we did finish his little reading corner. We had these letters from his nursery:

We moved them to the opposite wall and built him a little area to read, and hang up his 20 hats! I don't know where the kid got so many, but each of these hooks at least 3 hats on them and there is always one on his head! The rack was a must.
Wednesday afternoon Brode and I made a trip to Oshkosh to meet a family going through the Craniosynostosis journey right now. They have a 4 month old daughter, Brynn, that is scheduled for surgery in February. We brought Brode's scrapbook and shared our story and answered questions while the kids played. It was great meeting another family in the same situation and being able to help with all questions!

Thanksgiving was wonderful for us! I went out with friends Wednesday night and it started to feel like a class reunion there were so many people. It was great to see so many people and catch up! Thursday morning we headed over to Matt's moms for breakfast and watched the parade. Everyone took a nap then we were off to Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncles with the whole family! Brode liked playing with the other kids, trying out UNO Attack and eating all the food!

We are very thankful for all we've got this year. We're very lucky to have so many friends and family, but it always seems to amplified with Brode and everything he has been through. I think one of the things high on my list this year is our health insurance. Brode is blessed with two insurances and although they give me extreme headaches and use up all my phone minutes calling every week - they have covered tremendous amounts of bills that have enough numbers strung together to make me hyperventilate. I don't know where Matt, Brode or I would be if we were left with all of them. I can't imagine other families with sick children with ten times more!

We didn't do much Black Friday shopping. We did run errands in the late morning but not really as Christmas shopping and not to the high demand stores. We did make a lunch stop at McDonalds and Brode tried out Playland and loved it, so he had a fun morning!

So there is a minor update for now, I'll try and get some pictures soon!

Pull Up A Chair

Pull up a chair, grab something to drink, this could be a long post. Come catch up with our lives. I'm obviously doing awful at catching up, and I don't want to start them all as separate posts and forget about them, so I'm going to combine several into one. There is one advantage to you, the reader, lots of pictures!

Some of these aren't updates, just some silly pictures we caught of Brode around the house as well.

Grandma did some cleaning a few weekends ago and our little labor child (you may remember the post about washing his tractor) once again wanted to help and wash the windows. It didn't take long for him to figure out the spray bottle and there was cleaner dripping everywhere! He did a pretty good job at wiping it up though.

You may notice the stars painted on his cheeks. Brode does art at Grandma Beth's on Saturday morning and he has just gotten back. They just add to his cuteness as he scrubs the windows.
In my last post I pointed out that Brode did NOT enjoy Halloween. We have two pictures that do not include Brode from the entire night, here they are:

Matt and I went as cookie monster and big bird. we each wore yellow and blue with ours masks as we dragged the elmo costume along with us and Brode wore a hockey jersey. Let me tell you, we were a big hit.
We also carved several pumpkins and Brode painted one at day care. This is the only one I snapped a picture of. Our neighbors grow pumpkins in their garden each year from seeds the year before and they got this very big one out of it! They generously gave it to Brode so we thought we should carve it up with who else but his favorite character, Mickey!



Brode got another birthday present in the mail! They just keep coming, that boy is very loved! This one came from my LaCrosse roommate, Leah! It is a hand crafted puzzle of under water creatures. Each piece has a small magnet in the middle that corresponds to the magnet on the end of the fishing pole. Brode enjoys picking them all out, then putting all the pieces back in!
I know you can't hear him, but every time he catches something he yells "I got a octopus", "I got a fish" or "I got a turtle"! He is very good at identifying all of them!
Last week we had a dinner party at our house! United Way does larger events at work every fall and one of the items auctioned this year was a catered dinner party. The chefs and one server came from work with all of their supplies and table settings and cooked dinner at our house. Our menu included appetizers of mini chicken wellingtons and salmon spread, a main course of salad with homemade strawberry vinaigrette, steak, lobster, asparagus, and baked potato, and lastly a strawberry cheesecake and coffee. We were stuffed, it was by far the best meal I've ever had. They cleaned up all of their things, prepared our to-go boxes and we were left with a spotless kitchen!


This past weekend we didn't have any plans so we did a little cleaning and re-organizing. Back in June we got water in our basement and had to rip out the carpet. After the new carpet came in last week we were able to put it all together and move some things around. You may remember pictures of Brode's toy pile taking over the living room, well it got moved downstairs and we couldn't be happier! Everything is organized, and he got a much bigger space to run and roll around. He loves it too! It was very exciting to see his face, "Look all the toys!"


Along with the re-organization downstairs came a few new moves upstairs. Brode finally got his toddler bed!!!
He has not once tried to climb out of his crib, but when he regularly uses the potty we're getting close to seriously potty training so he is ready for his bed. Brode is very resistant to change so he wasn't too sure about it at first. We do still have his crib up for emergency or if he climbs out, but it will soon come down.
This is how he actually spent his first night in it to avoid a large fall out. He did great! Only few more things to move out of the room, some shelves to hang, and a train table to put in there and he will have his very own big boy room!

Update

I know, it has been weeks since I've updated, again.

I had a post written, just needed to add pictures, but never got around to it.

I wish I had good reasons for not updating, but here they are:

15 page paper on mold in the workplace for environmental health
20 page paper on mixed martial arts needs analysis for principles of strength training
10 page paper on exercise during pregnancy for research techniques

It's awful. I've been reading articles every minute between classes and when I'm not at work.

I know many of you would love a Halloween update and that is the main reason for checking. Well I regret to say that there is no update and there are no pictures. Brode refused to wear his costume. Matt and I wore big bird and cookie monster, but our little Elmo was very stubborn. He went trick or treating in his hockey outfit, used his manners, and got candy - but it was a complete bust. He cried at half the houses and got scared by people in masks. We're going to forget about Halloween for a while then give it a go next year.

I do have a few random pictures to add, but the screen on my computer is broken right now so I can't get to any of the pictures. I'll find a way and update with something more fun later!

First Badger Experience

Our little sports fanatic got to experience his first Badger event, and his favorite sport, hockey! They had an afternoon game last Sunday that work well into Brode's schedule so we decided last minute to go, packed up the car, and headed down! Brode loves hockey as everyone knows, and he has been to games before and loved them so everyone was excited to see how much he would love this Badger hockey game.

He didn't love it. He was scared. It was loud and there were spot lights. Brode got nervous and watched the majority of the game like this.

Secretly we all know he liked it. He would come out of his shell and yell "HOCKEY" every few minutes and he did get a few smiles in as well.

Of course, the minute we got in the car he was overly excited about the entire trip and began yelling and cheering for the Badgers (just 3 periods too late).Even if Brode was nervous it was fun to take him.

"Here Fishy, Fishy!"

Brode got fish!

He has actually had the tank set up in his room for quite a while but we finally got around to actually filling it up and getting some fish in it!

Last night we went to the store and picked our first 4 and will gradually add more. It is a large tank and will hold many fish! He was excited to look in all the different tanks at the store and watch his fish swim around in his own tank in his room!

They were still swimming this morning after we slowly got them accustomed to the new tank and water. As you can see the food is sitting high on the top and we take care of the feeding (can you imagine a 2 year old with an open jar of fish flakes. Huge mess. I'll handle that thank you!).

The only thing we have left to do besides keep them alive (good thing there is a 30 day gurantee), is name them! Daddy's suggestions include: Kane, Gretzky, Crosby, and Badger. Grandpa's suggestions include: John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

I'll leave the naming to Brode as these other boys have a clear bias.

Favorite Children's Book

Hello All! I wanted to do a different post today, we don't really have much to update on.

Brode has a bookshelf full of books, a few in the car, a few in the diaper bag, and a stack in the living room. There are books everwhere. Some were mine when I was little, some were Matt's, and a lot are Brode's that he has received. It is fun digging back through my books, reading my favorites, and seeing which ones were Matt's favorites then combining them all for Brode. They're all worn broken in, but I can still remember which ones we read the most. Brode's books are fun and he is developing his favorites. He enjoys books with things that he is familiar with like Mickey, Franklin, animals, trucks, colors, etc so we try and get a variety. He also really enjoys books that he can be involved in. We're currently reading a group of books about Trucks, Tractors, Diggers, and Emergency Vehicles that hides hammers, screwdrivers, or pliers on each page and he just loves finding them! We spend a lot of time picking out new books from the library too!

One thing that is new and different is that I'm not on the listening side. Most of the books I enjoyed was because of the way they were read. Some had many details that I loved to listen to and picture. I now have my favorites that I love reading to Brode. Matt and I have agreed that we both love 'You Are My I Love You'. It is a perfect book to read before bed as we calm down and get ready for good-night kisses. I suggest it to any parent or as a gift to any new parent!

You Are My I Love You

Maryann K. Cusimano & Satomi Ichikawa

I am you parent; you are my child

I am your quiet place; you are my wild.

I am your calm face; you are my giggle.

I am your wait; you are my wiggle.

I am your carriage ride; you are my king.

I am your push; you are my swing.

I am your audience; you are my clown,

I am your London Bridge; you are my falling down.

I am your carrot sticks; you are my licorice.

I am your dandelion; you are my first wish.

I am your water wings; you are my deep.

I am your open arms; you are my running leap.

I am your way home; you are my new path.

I am your dry towel; you are my wet bath.

I am your dinner; you are my chocolate cake.

I am your bedtime; you are my wide awake.

I am your finish line; you are my race.

I am your praying hands; you are my saying grace.

I am your favorite book; you are my new lines.

I am your night-light; you are my starshine.

I am your lullaby; you are my peekabo.

I am your good-night kiss; you are my I Love You.

Do you have any favorite books from your childhood, or books that you like reading to your kids? Please share, we can always use new titles!

Tree Planting

Tuesday afternoon Brode and Grandpa planted a tree!

My dad received the tree from a work event. It is still a bit (ok a lot) unsturdy so they planted it in a pot for the winter until it gets big enough go in the ground (and tall enough that the tractor won't run it over!).

Brode loved putting the dirt in the pot. He loved it so much that he wasn't as interested in putting the tree in the dirt or watering it, but what more can you expect from a little boy.

We'll be sure to teach Brode to water his tree and hopefully one day it will grow as big as him!

Trigger Thumb

Today, Brode had his left trigger thumb released! We noticed his thumb was not able to extend, just over 6 months ago. Brode was sent to a hand specialist who then decided to watch it for 6 months to see if it is a something that would fix itself (less severe cases can clear up over time). Last month we found ourself back in the office and his thumb was still stuck. He then decided that it would be to do the operation at any time. We had three choices of surgery dates and between school, work, and holidays we chose to do it right away in October.

BEFORE

This surgery, unlike his others, was done at a hospital here instead of Childrens. We had to arrive nice and early at 5:45! After an hour and a half of prep they brought him back and before we knew it the doctor came in saying he was done! Brode had a bit of a hard time waking up, but eventually adjusted. We were able to go home by 9:00! The wrapping on his arm is the hardest part but he is slowly adjusting.

AFTER

We're hoping after a nice nap Brode will be back to normal!

It was very strange for us going through this surgery because we didn't need an extravagant week long preparation and we were in and out in no time! I tried to remind myself that there is still anesthesia, it's still a big deal and we must be careful and concerned, but I am much happier being home 3 hours later, not 3 days!

We will go back in 2 weeks and get the wrapping taken off, do a few exercises, and hopefully his thumb will be all back to normal! Good job Brode!

Fall Leaves

The last few days have been beautiful! Brode and I got a chance to get outside, rake some leaves, and jump in them! Brode ran through them, threw them in the air, jumped in them, and threw fits when they got in his pants and shoes. He loved to crinkle them! I decided to get his pumpkin, add it to the pile, and take some fall pictures:

This was his "cheese" face picture.

Libby came over to check it out, so of course I dragged her in to join in the pictures. Take a look for yourself how it went:

I did get ONE that they were both looking at the camera, rather fearfully, but they're looking!Brode was home sick with a bit of a fever today, but we're hoping we can spend the rest of the weekend outside and having fun!

Present Highlights

We celebrated Brode's birthday on the 26th, but a lot of people have been asking what he got for his birthday so I thought I'd go back and give some highlights!

First, he got some great clothes! He was in need of fall/winter clothes so he got some sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts, jeans and sweatpants. He is ready to look good and stay warm.

Brode also got many books and puzzles! He got a prayer book for kids, a halloween book and a Mickey book. He also got 5 puzzles with letters, animals, and trucks! Matt got him a 400 page Curious George coloring book that will keep him busy. Brode also got a TAG junior reader from Grandma and Grandpa. It's a Leap Frog reading assistant made for toddlers to help them learn to read. Brode also got books to go along with his reader, including Curious George colors, Shapes, Music, Cars, and a few others. The TAG Junior is placed on the books words and pictures and it reads the words and plays music!


He got some fun things as well including a race car track, a Little People castle, and some hot wheel cars! Brode got a play kitchen and food, and he has loved cooking on it since it was opened!

Matt also got Brode a "Light The Way Thomas". The lattern flashes a red light and Thomas drives all around following the light - much easier than a remote control for his little hands!
We're so happy with Brode's presents he got a lot of things to learn from, to challenge him, essentials that he needed, and a few things to have some fun. He is only extremely lucky little boy! Hie family and friends sure do love and spoil him!