Snow and Friends

We woke up this morning to the first official snow of the season! Of course as a good parent I rushed upstairs and promptly stuffed Brady into his puffy snowsuit for a photo op. The event was so brief Brady didn't have time to show his distaste with another blow out. The suit is safe for now. I'm glad it snowed this week because the suit is already too small. He barely had room to straighten his arms.

Brady met lots of new friends in the past few days. On Friday he got to meet a dear friend of ours, Amber, or more formally Amber Snapper. A nickname acquired many years ago for no other reason than "it sounded good." She cradled Brady like a pro and I think he forced a couple of fake tears to remain in her arms. If it weren't for the language barrier I think he would of asked for her hand in marriage.

Yesterday Brady met Steve, Beth, Tyler, Shane, Tam Tam and Pierce! It was an active afternoon for the little guy. What a good looking group of kids. Thank you all for visiting and have a safe trip home.

Belated Happy Thanksgiving

The "Stuffed Turkey" outfit
Brady and Grandpa B

Brady's first Thanksgiving went pretty well considering his plate was filled with nothing but milk. I think he showed his distaste for the lack of variety by blowing out his Turkey ensemble twice! The first explosion was done before we even left for the day. Fortunately, I had some time to launder the outfit and redress him before heading over to the Grandparents. Not even 3 hours later Brady decided he had enough of the turkey top and did his best to blow it off his body. We jokingly said that Brady had stuffed his turkey! Its amazing when you become a parent how much discussion happens about your child's #2's. Never in my life did I think I would ever write, blog or talk about the contents of a diaper! For some reason it makes for a good laugh and fascinating conversation. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are truly grateful for all that we have and for all who have blessed our lives.

Play Time

This was supposed to be a great video of Brady playing with his toys, but instead it turned out to be a conversation between us. I'm learning not to turn the camera on with any preconceived ideas or scripts. Brady is his own man and takes direction from no one.

Ready for Winter

Grammie Lou has been hard at work again. She crocheted Brady this fancy new hat. His balding head will average about 100-114 degrees at all times. No chill will even get close to his melon.

Brady likes the cozy wool blend and insists he is a chick magnet in the hat. He said something like "it brings out my baby blues."

Baby Hawk Down

I'm afraid it's true! Brady's hawk is giving way to gravity. Over the last week he has been losing hair by the chunks and the hawk has been swaying downward. It has more of a European twist to it now, proving his fashion forward ways.

Assitance Please

I'm afraid these videos are beginning to paint a less than perfect parental image of me. This is Brady trying to roll over with a small amount of help from me followed by a bit of protest. Maybe Brady is already voicing his need for independence.

The answer

He found his thumb!

Brady reaches for and touches our faces now!

Many people have asked us the same question and many people have wanted to ask us the same question but feel weird about it. So I thought I would pose and answer the question for all of you.

The question: Did we "know" about Brady.

The answer: Yes and no. After our 18 week ultrasound they discovered that Brady's femur measured a bit short and recommended we follow up with a specialist. Little did we know that a short femur is a marker for Down Syndrome. We did 2 follow up ultrasounds with the specialist and in the end Down Syndrome was ruled out. Upon delivery it took about 10 seconds for me to realize Brady had Down Syndrome. It was really more of confirmation of a deep feeling I had for a long time. Looking back I feel like I knew Brady was coming to be apart of our family, extra chromosome and all.

Please feel free to ask us anything you want to know. We're learning that information leads to acceptance.

Baby Shower Baby!

This weekend Brady went to Jocelyn's baby shower. Despite the yawn in the picture he had a blast. I kept catching him at the dessert table slam'n down mini cheesecakes. You may not think its hard to pull a 3 month old away from the sweets, but Brady becomes super natural when it comes to cinnamon rolls and coffee cake. Of course Jeff had a chat with him about the importance of healthy eating and reminded him that high fructose corn syrup and trans fats are a "no no." I'm thinking that sounded something like "blah, blah, blah, blah" to him as he licked the remaining bits of raspberry sauce off his upper lip.

This week Brady had a couple of "firsts," baby book firsts! On Wednesday our boy let out his first laugh. I was tickling his massive belly and he giggled......4 times. It was super cool. I would try and get it on film, but I think you all know by now he'll most likely nose dive into a pillow instead. The second first: Brady reached and grabbed for "Francis the Frog." He looked, reached and grabbed the green critter and promptly put it in his mouth. Through this reach and grab drill we think we have confirmed that Brady is a lefty, just like his Dad.

Slick Willy

After all the attention Brady's faux hawk has generated I'm beginning to think we should have named him "Brady Faux Hawk Shannon." It has a nice ring, but Brady assures me it would be much too long of a name to tackle in Kindergarten. So for this entry I thought I would feature 2 other styles becoming of our young man. On the top Brady fashions a stylish cap. This is truly the only item strong enough to keep the hawk down. On the bottom you will see the styling work of dear old Dad. If you look closely you will see some determined bits of the hawk protesting their matted demise. Once Brady's hair dried the vertical appeal returned.

Welcome Brooklyn

" Peace"

"Talk to the hand"

Brady's beautiful cousin Brooklyn joined the world on Oct. 22nd at 11:19. She weighed in at 7lbs and was 20 inches long. Tonight we had our first family dinner at Grammie Lou's and Grandpa B's with the whole gang. Its amazing how in 1 year our little family has multiplied. Being older and wiser Brady is already trying to mentor her. He advised her on the camera work above, stating "be cool and the rest will come naturally." The results speak for themselves.

Congradualtions Brandi and Scooter!!!

#3 in 33 seconds

I think its safe to say the Halloween costume train did not end on a high note. Apparently the lion was Brady's least favorite. The ensemble was worn for a grand total of 33 seconds and Brady made me promise that I would clarify that this expression is pure hate and not a "cute growl" to go with the costume.