7 months

Brady turns 7 months old this weekend! Its safe to say that time flies. He is getting stronger and stronger by the day. Last night he grabbed his toes and pulled them towards his mouth. If you have kids this may not seem like a big deal, but for us its a thrill. It takes Brady a bit longer to do the stuff other babies do automatically. So when he bangs on the table or yanks on his toes we feel an extra amount of pride. We know that he will do all the things other babies do, but when he actually does it we ooze with joy and enthusiasm. We take nothing for granted. We are grateful when he cries, yells, talks, coos, rolls over, grabs, eats, sneezes and even coughs. In a way, Down Syndrome has enriched each and every minute. It has given us a new perspective and we truly embrace each moment with our baby. 

You look'n at me?!

Videos are never what we really intend them to be, partly because Brady is vein and self obsessed. I am sensing a bit of a pre-Madonna. What Jeff and I were trying to capture was Brady's new skill and instead we got Brady working it. He loves the camera. 

He was tucking his knees under and propping himself up, all too exciting for first time parents. Brady probably thought he discovered the cure for cancer for all the hoop-la coming from us. Please note the diaper attire. Brady does his best work partially nude. We would have gone for the whole birthday suit, but we prefer not to put naked video of our son on the Internet.                                                                                                                 

Growing

Jeff and I have become aware that our little baby is growing up fast. He is almost 7 months and is leaving behind the baby characteristics. He is becoming a little boy fast! Brady doesn't see what the big deal is because he believes he was born with maturity well beyond his months. I have to remind him as long as he is entertained by his toes he has a few more years to reach "grown up" status. 

The Throne

Look who's in the high chair! Brady prefers it to be called "the throne" where he is to be served and waited on, high chair is just to infantile for him. As you can see Brady is about to start his dinner. He is doing so much better with food. He slammed down the entire bowl of acorn squash and devoured some apples the other night. He is not the tidiest of eaters, but at least 97% of it goes down the hatch, the other 3% ends up in my face. The 3% spray is his favorite part. He loves to shoot it and watch as I react. Someone thinks he's a prankster. 

Je T'aime

I know Valentine's Day (or Ballantine's Day) isn't until Saturday, but Mr. Cupid himself said that this is his busy time so we better post while we can. Apparently Brady is spreading the love and has multiple Valentines. He has really taken to the idea of a Holiday that celebrates love.  I've already heard him practicing his french and seen him kissing the mirror. I thought we should attempt English first and maybe put the kissing off until he was 30, but he insists on using the language of love and he said the "art of the kiss" must be tackled at a very young age.  Pardon Moi?!! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

Bradski and Brady

Say hello to big Brady (aka Bradski) and little Brady. When it came to the task of naming our son we had a few simple rules: 1. Choose a name that has more to it than sounding cool 2. Choose a name that means something to us. So we chose Brady John Shannon. Bradski is a good friend of ours and was the best man in our wedding. I should also mention that he was my 8th grade boyfriend. Talk about a small world. Big Brady also facilitated a brief introduction between Jeff and I. Therefore, big Brady had enough influence on our lives to name our son after him. An honor that Big Brady still blushes about. John is my Dad's name. Brady is already sharing many of his kind-hearted characteristics. 

Inspiration

When I came home from work yesterday, Jen was excited to tell me that Brady scored very high on the development chart in the eyes of his Physical Therapist.  Yes, Brady already gets PT, and has since week two.  The PT said that he is doing great and Jen's hard work is paying off.  I can't tell you how important it is to hear that your son is coming along nicely on the physical abilities.  

Its hard to hear your son has Down, because one of the first thing that goes through your mind is that he won't be able to enjoy all the fun sports that you did as a young man like basketball, track, soccer and football, or even the sports you love as an old man (I like to use the word "mature") like triathlon or Crossfit.  I've learned that most of what I thought in the beginning was completely false, and there is a good chance that Brady will be physically able to do almost anything.  I believe this now and it takes away a lot of the scariness of having a child with Down. 

Check out this video of a young man with extraordinary talent.  

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/29030653#29030653

The Stats

Brady weighs 15.9lbs putting him in the 16th percentile and he is 26.5" long sailing him into the 52nd percentile. So we have ourselves a noodle. He must get his slender figure from me and his tall frame from his father. :) The report from the doctor is good. Brady is checking off his milestones and taking names. With Down Syndrome we are to expect delays in about every category, but Brady doesn't seem to be all that delayed. His biggest obstacle is the low tone, which means he is more like Olive Oyl than Popeye, but in a very manly way. Low tone is common among people with Down Syndrome. Brady has been issued a moderate to low rating. Jeff and I are firm believers that with a good diet (that means no sugar Grammie Lou) and exercise, low tone will be a thing of the past. 

The Super Bowl

I think its safe to say that Brady isn't the biggest football fan. He cried for most of the 1st quarter and zonked out by the 2nd. Though he was impressed by the cheerleaders, and would like to request more air time for the ladies. I think I heard a few chuckles during the commercials, but that could have just been gas. The Super Bowl food spread wasn't up to his standard either, milk and green beans again. Damn green beans. I issued him about 40 face masks during our feeding match. I eventually threw him out of the game. 

Brady has his 6 month check up tomorrow! I will post his stats. I think we can sum it up with "big boy."