mommy's blog

I put an inordinate amount of pressure on myself to be a great mom. After all, the life of another human being depends on it, right? But sometimes I don't give myself enough credit or cut myself enough slack, and this morning I realized that if I could chill out and not feel so guilty, I would be a better mom!

A few months ago we noticed that Brennan was stringing together four and five words into a sentence. He did it so effortlessly that I don't really know when it started. It is pretty funny to me that a year ago I was worried about how little he spoke. I couldn't get him to repeat me when I said things, and his speech was rather limited. I couldn't understand it because we read to him so much and speak to him non-stop. Now, I have to be very careful what I say around him!

Brennan and I have been reading books since 6:30 this morning, and it is now twenty to nine. (I know, I know... It's a good thing. But sometimes I like to eat or go to the bathroom!) Anyway, the last story we read is one about all of the things different Sesame Street characters love. At the end, it asks, "What are some things that you love?" His response was so cute. He said, "Nennan love Annie... love... Claudeo... love... Chloe... love... Gramma... love... Jenny... love... Nana... love... Mommy... love... Daddy... love... mans... love... books... love... dogs... love...

Our routine in the morning has variations, but most of the time Jim takes Annie out just before leaving for work, gives her a few dog biscuits, gathers his things, kisses us good-bye, and Brennan and I sit down and have breakfast. This morning, Jim came in from taking Annie, and as he was trying to kiss Brennan, Brennan kept saying, "Breakfast." I said, "Okay, Brennan. Do you want a waffle and a banana?" Brennan just kept saying, "Breakfast, breakfast," and he seemed very urgent.

Time is sure getting away from me, as I realized this morning that Brennan is fourteen months old today. I haven't been very good about blogging because I can't seem to find a whole lot of spare time these days. I'm always thinking about certain moments and how I ought to take time to write about them, but I get overwhelmed and don't find the time that I need. Between Brennan's newfound energy level and mobility, Mother's Day, Jim's birthday, my birthday, a garage sale, and wrapping up a class we coordinated at church, May has been a busy month.

As most everyone knows, Brennan turned one on Friday! It was a wonderful, emotional time, and the good times keep coming. I had to leave for the Women's Retreat that day, but I got to spend the morning with my cutie, and he had a great birthday night with Daddy. They had pizza and a cupcake, although I think Brennan only ate a dozen bites of everything shown on that tray. Daddy sure made it look like they lived it up in his photos, though! This Friday we're having a birthday party at a nearby park, and Aunt Jenny will even be here to help celebrate! On Saturday morning Nana and Pop-Pop (my mom and grandfather) will arrive to spend the next several days with us, including Easter. It will be a wonderful time with so much family visiting.

Today we had Brennan's check-up, and he weighed in at 20 pounds, 4 ounces. This was a surprise since he weighed close to that a few months ago, but some recent illness made him lose over a pound. He is now eating to make up for lost time, and we're not worried that he will gain plenty of the weight he lost.

Brennan is still not walking, which is a shock to us all since he has been cruising for about five months!! The doctor says he believes it is because Brennan's ear infections affected his balance and made him less sure on his feet. He is convinced that it will happen any day now, and we're waiting with the camera ready!

It seems like I'm always telling Brennan that he is a "little toot" or a "little turkey." He definitely has a naughty streak, but at this age it's still somewhat comical. (I know it won't be for too much longer!) The other day it took everything in me to stifle my laughter when B decided he was sick of the carrots I had put on his tray. He picked them up, one at a time, and tucked them into the pocket in his bib. Occasionally he would drop one over the edge of the high chair and watch it fall, but mostly he just enjoyed putting them away.

Brennan had an incredible day yesterday. It's like he decided to package a bunch of developmental milestones into one day. Two days ago I was amazed as he entertained himself for about an hour on a friend's play mat. He doesn't usually like to be without me for very long, and I couldn't believe he was so content to play alone for such a long time. So today I put him on his own play mat, and, lo and behold, he entertained himself for thirty-five minutes without a complaint! He grabbed a toy with each hand, bent his knees back to his chest, and slammed his legs into the toys on the opposite end of the mat with incredible determination. This was great fun for him! The part that was great fun for me was feeling like I didn't have to be at his side every moment. It was also fun for me to watch as he successfully reached high up for toys he didn't used to notice and persistently stretched for them with a capable grip instead of whacking them blindly. So, that was the start of our memorable day. After a nice hour and a half afternoon nap (always greatly appreciated on a Sunday afternoon), I decided to read a few new books to Brennan, and I was amazed as he stared at the words and pictures and reached for the pages. He stayed completely captivated and even smiled at appropriate times when I varied the inflection in my voice. Another change is that yesterday Brennan became really interested in the things that went into our mouths. He is starting to show interest in food and eating, which will make the transition to solids a lot easier. But the biggest milestone occurred last night, while Brennan was on the play mat again (this time for almost an hour and a half!). Excited about all of the fun things beneath him that he wanted to see, he (finally) successfully rolled over from his back to his tummy! It was a wonderful accomplishment, as he has been working on this for a long time. I am one proud momma, and it is amazing what joy can come from the little things.