The Greatest Show on Earth

We finally got the opportunity to take Evan to see the Barnum & Bailey circus last week, and his little brother got to go too.  We have been wanting to take him for the past few years, and the timing was just never right.  This year, we found out about a half-price deal on opening night which just happened to be on a Wednesday night (the only night Mommy doesn't have class) so we couldn't pass up the opportunity.  Eddie checked Ticketmaster online and found some pretty good seats at $15 a pop and snatched them up.  Daddy had been staying home with the boys so they took Mommy to work and picked her up since she works close to the arena in uptown.  We tried to make it in time for the boys to get to go on the circus floor and meet the performers and animals, but by the time we picked up our tickets at will call and found our seats, it was only 30 minutes until show time, and there was quite a crowd already.  The boys seemed to really enjoy the show, and we are glad we went!  

My little ringmaster steals the show. 

The boys in the ring. 

Evan's daddy had promised him some cotton candy as a treat, and he got this special hat with it.  It'll make a nice keepsake since it does say Barnum & Bailey on it. 

The boys sit back in their seats and enjoy the show. 

The ringmaster starts the show!

Brody just stared in amazement. 

The elephants lead the procession.

The fantastic and colorful costumes were gorgeous. 

Brody tries on big brother's hat. 

Beautiful horses. 

The "tall" man. 

The circus is not complete without an astonishing tightrope performance. 

My sweet boys having a great time. 

Now that's a happy boy!

The show was called "Fully Charged" and it was!

The tigers performed well. 

A "man" ladder. 

Brody lasted through the first half. 

About to shoot a flaming man through the air. 

Gotta love the dancing elephants.  

Elephants even played dead. 

Smart animals!

And the grand finale!  

WOW!  WHAT A SHOW!

Brody's 9th Month

Brody's Stats at 9 months:  

Size: Brody is scheduled for his 9 month check up this week so we should know a little better about his size after that.  We suspect he weighs over 20 lbs. now though.  He still wears a size 3 diaper and has progressed to mostly 12 month clothes.  The green outfit above was worn by his big brother during his second winter when he was over 18 months old, but we figured we better start letting Brody wear it now before he outgrows it! 

Developmental Accomplishments:  Teeth were a big change this month.  He went from having only two teeth on the bottom to having seven teeth (four on top and three on the bottom)!  He still hasn't attempted to full crawl yet but is doing quite a bit of slithering around on his belly to reach stuff he wants.  He likes to stand up more than lay on his belly though and is working on his balancing act.  He can stand up for maybe 2 or 3 seconds on his own and can stay up for a pretty long time holding on to something.  He has also learned several commands like "splash splash" in the tub, "clap clap" to clap his hands, and "dance dance" to move his little body like he is dancing.  Brody still loves peek-a-boo and will just cackle at Mommy when she hides and then says "Boo!"  Mommy and Brody also play ball together, and he does seem to have big brother's same affiliation there. 

Sleeping: Brody is still sleeping well in his crib all night.  We have also stayed pretty healthy over the last couple of weeks which is probably attributable to some pretty nice weather for January.  

Eating: Yep, he still loves to eat, and with all those teeth, it is no surprise that he can eat more substantial meals!  We are feeding him thicker pureed baby foods and mixed meals.  His favorites so far seem to be pears and mangoes and peas and carrots although mac and cheese and veggies was also a favorite.  He is eating three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with either a fruit or yogurt for breakfast, usually a fruit for lunch, and a veggie or mixed veggie and grain food for dinner. He still gets about 4 bottles of formula (6 oz. each) a day with cereal. He definitely seems to prefer solid food to his milk now. He is feeding himself baby cereal puffs and yogurt bites and is very cute trying to pick his food up with his little fingers and get it to his mouth. We will probably try some more finger foods soon.  



He's cuter than the quarterback...at least that's what his shirt says!





So sweet at 36 weeks old. 





Suffering from his first little ear infection, but he was still all smiles most of the time. 





Wearing big brother's hat. 





Giving Daddy love for his birthday. 





They have a blast together!










Sweet big smiles. 





Brody loves playing in the bathtub...and makes quite a mess now going "splash splash."





Washing his face. 





So sweet wearing another outfit of big brother's.

Oh how we love that face!

Sweet little smile. 

Nothing says boy like OshKosh overalls.  

"Oh Mom, are we done yet?"

Happy teething baby!

There's that big smile!

So pretty in his new outfit from Uncle Paul and Aunt Jessica. 

Pretty in blue!

Sweet brothers. 

The sweetest kiss. 

Mr. Irresistible!  

"I'm so cool!"

"My future's so bright, I have to wear shades."

But I do hate to hide these beautiful eyes. 

Brody gives big brother a ride. 

Sweet boy loves his "Mom." 

He's getting so big. 

Playing with big brother's valentine's puppy. 

Wearing big brother's 12 month outfit. 

Adorable!

Prayers for our Nanny!

I write this post with a sad and heavy heart.  We have had a rough week this week.  On Monday morning, we awoke as usual to begin our weekly routine of getting ready for work, getting Evan ready for school, and getting Brody up and fed.  Our sweet nanny called at about 7:00 a.m. sounding just awful and informed us that she was too sick to come to work.  We, of course, told her to stay home and rest and get well.  Eddie had a work meeting to attend that morning so I stayed home with the kids until he could get back at lunch time.  I enjoyed the morning with Brody as I cherish any extra time I get to spend with him, and when Daddy returned, we picked Evan up from school and ate lunch together.  Afterwards, I headed to work and then school.  We didn't hear anything from our nanny the rest of the day but just assumed she was resting and taking care of herself.  She is a sprightly 60 plus year old lady who lives alone but has children and family close to her.  On Tuesday morning, we didn't hear anything from her so I called but did not get a response.  I left a message and then went on to work because Eddie was available to stay home with the kids.  I did not return home until almost 10:00 p.m. (my usual Tuesday/Thursday work/school schedule), and we still had not heard from the nanny.  I had an inkling something was wrong, but I assumed her family would have checked on her.  Wednesday morning I again attempted to reach her by telephone and received no answer.  I then proceeded to call her daughter (I had her number in case of emergencies) and left a message for her.  Then, I called my office to let them know I would be home with the kids again and left a message for my co-worker who was our nanny's friend and former employer.  She got in touch with the nanny's daughter finally, and someone went to check on her.  Apparently she didn't respond to their knocking on the door so the door had to be broken down by emergency personnel to go in.  She was found unconscious and in very bad shape on her couch.  She was immediately transported to the emergency room where tests were performed which revealed she had suffered from kidney/renal failure.  She had always been in reasonably good health for her age except for some arthritis and orthopedic problems with her knees and legs that is expected in a woman of advanced years.  She had also been battling some colds and bronchitis this winter.  We just don't know what could have caused her condition to deteriorate so quickly.  Dehydration, maybe?  She was transported to a different hospital with an acute care facility and has been kept sedated as they track her enzyme levels and monitor her.  Her enzyme levels are almost back to normal now, but she is still very sick and sedated and faces a long road to recovery.  The doctors are also worried now about some potential internal bleeding.  We are praying for a speedy and full recovery for this dear lady who has been such a blessing to our family.  After coming to work for us this summer, it didn't take long for us to realize that she considered us part of her family.  She loved her boys right from the start and gave them the loving care they need and deserve when their parents could not be there.  She worked with Evan this summer while he was out of school on his reading, writing, and letter recognition.  They made many art projects for me too.  I know the boys cherished their time with their "Nana."  She was just another grandmother to them!  

Happy Birthday to our Papa!

Evan and Brody wanted to send Papa Smith big birthday hugs and wishes today since they don't get to see him so they hijacked the blog!

We love you, Papa!  Have a wonderful birthday!

Love,

Silky Love

Oh my goodness, is there anything more cute than a little baby sucking on a blanket...especially when going to sleep?  I have never had an experience with a baby being seriously attached to an object like a blanket or stuffed animal.  I had a little boy who found his thumb at about 3 months old so I knew all about self-soothing, but I am just so tickled by this baby.  Neither of my boys have ever cared for pacifiers and have never really been fussy babies.  Evan could always soothe himself with his thumb when going to sleep.  We are quite thankful that Brody never found his thumb, and we're equally satisfied that he didn't really ever like pacifiers...here's hoping we have at least one child who can avoid expensive orthodontics!  In the last few weeks, Brody has really taken to loving his blankies.  While he doesn't really have one favorite, he does have a pretty specific requirement for the blankie.  It absolutely must have a silky soft satin lining.  When he gets tired and fussy at naptime, he will get the satin part of his blankie and just hold it against his lips and make a little sucking motion although he doesn't really put it in his mouth.  He seems to just like the feel of the soft satin against his lips.  My only theory is that it somehow reminds him of Mommy since he started doing this shortly after we ended breastfeeding.  He will usually fall asleep within minutes of getting the blankie.  Seriously, he is just too sweet!  I can see him taking his silky blankie with him everywhere over the next few years.  

Evan's Snowman Story

Evan had to "dictate" a story tonight about his snowman friend as part of his homework.  His class has a notebook with all their stories written in it.  I thought Evan's story was very cute and shows a lot of potential for storytelling.  He has always had a great imagination. 

If I had a snowman for a friend, I would take him to the grocery store.  We would go to the freezer section and watch TV.  We would watch shows about snowmen.  I would eat some carrots, but Mr. Snowman would not because his nose is a carrot.  Mr. Snowman would eat snow cream instead to keep him nice and cold.  After lunch, we would go ice skating and enjoy playing together. 


The End. 

(I especially liked that his story recognized that the snowman needed to stay cold.  Some of the other class stories had snowmen playing in volcanoes and getting warm by the fire.  Ha!)

Happy Birthday to the bestest Daddy in the world!

Around here, we definitely love our Daddy (or Dada as he is affectionately termed by one in the house).  I often feel that Daddy's birthday is "uneventful" because it follows so closely on the heels of Christmas, and we are usually trying to unwind from the busy holiday season.  Daddy always understands and just enjoys being with his family.  Usually, Evan and Mommy like to make him a special cake, but we were just too busy this year because Mommy had to take care of both boys by herself that morning (Saturday) while Daddy had to go help with a booth at the annual Landscape Expo in Charlotte.  He returned in time for lunch, and Grandma came up so we took Daddy out to eat...he picked Tony Roma's.  After lunch, Evan and Mommy stopped to pick out Daddy a yummy ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins.  We all enjoyed going home and spending a wonderful afternoon playing outside in the backyard on an unusually balmy day in January.  We hope Daddy enjoyed his special day as much as we enjoyed being with him!  We sure do love him and know he is the best!


A perfect cake for Daddy...red and white for N.C. State with oreo cookie ice cream inside!



Daddy with his boys and Mama.



Singing happy birthday and getting ready to blow out his candles.



Evan was a big help to Daddy!

The Cutest Video Ever

Video:  We really think this may be the cutest video we've ever seen.  Brody just had so much fun entertaining his six month old cousin, Cate, at Christmas this year.  He has been waiting for her to learn to sit up with him.