The Ice Cream Man

The eating war wages on! Brady vs. adults. If you go by numbers alone it should be an easy victory for the parental figures, but its going to take more than a village before Brady waves the white flag/spoon. Over the past few weeks Brady has sealed up his lips like an iron gate. He has thrown in another tactical move which involves a whiplash like motion followed by a bobble and dive. It sounds complicated and it is. He is no amateur. I swear he was an anorexic teenager in a previous life. No fear, he is still gaining weight thanks to a healthy liquid diet. At this rate he will be nursing until he is 27.

In an attempt to end WWIII I put a tactical move of my own on the table.....ice cream, good old fashion sugary, creamy goodness. Let's just say thanks to the good people at Breyer's we have reached a truce. The iron gates fly open and while things are still frozen in bliss I stick him with some of the real stuff. It turns out Brady is so elated by the ice cream he hardly notices that he is slamming bananas, pears, peas and carrots.

For now both sides are at peace. Who knows what my mini commander will come up with next.

Happy.....

belated Father's Day. Jeff's list of "it's my day to-do list" was so demanding that I didn't have a spare minute to post on the actual holiday. Yes, posting on the blog was on the to-do list, but mowing the yard, fixing breakfast lunch and dinner, spa pedicure, foot massage, facial, ironing and freezer defrosting left me with very little creative juice. Kidding! We went out to breakfast, napped through lunch and watched our lawn guy from our air conditioned living room.

June 21st marked Jeff's first official Father's Day. Sure he was a Father last year, but only by title. Over the last year he has become a Dad. Brady absolutely lights up when Jeff enters the room. Similar to Pavlov's theory, if Brady hears the door chime he immediately cranks his neck and begins looking for Jeff (salivation is automatic at this teething time). It is elation I have yet to duplicate. Jeff claims it's because I'm all business and he's all fun. This takes me back to a PB (pre Brady) conversation about how I will be the wussy and Jeff will be the hammer. Oh how

contrary!

In the top picture Jeff and Brady are sitting in front of Jeff's modest garden. He has been busy this spring and summer with his square foot garden of peppers, onions, cucumbers, parsley, cilantro, brussel sprouts, mint, rosemary and carrots. We both look forward to when Brady can go out to the garden and help us pick or cut what we are having for dinner. There is tremendous pride and excitement from growing and eating your own food.

The Arts

Brady attended his first mural dedication! He is posed so proudly in front of the masterpiece located at Dewey Park in Midtown. Jeff looks so dapper for a couple of reasons: 1. Brady demands formal attire for most public photos opps 2. Jeff is the president of the LNA (Leavenworth Neighborhood Association) and they were directly responsible for getting the mural painted. 3. Jeff introduced the artist in front of a crowd, the mayor and channel 6 news 4. This is how Jeff looks most days Monday-Friday from 8-6:30.

Brady was taken by the event. He clapped and "raised the roof" as the artist defined his inspiration. If I do say so myself, Brady has an inclination for the arts. You should see the way he artfully smears his food on his high chair, the wall and my face. Not just anyone can make Jackson Pollock look like an amateur.

Hello Claire!

Brady wanted to see Claire so we packed up the car and drove to Lincoln so he could oogle over his lady. By oogle I mean let Claire have her way with him, and by "have her way with him" I mean poke an eye, grab some hair and throw in a left hook. Brady's going to have to sharpen his defenses if he's going to be able to stay in the game with this dame. You can see some of her tactical moves in the sequence above. It starts out with a flash of those baby blues and then like a bear cat she pounces. The attack is followed by quick moving parents swooping in to neutralize the zone. As you can see from Brady's expression he could care less and would accept any form of Claire's attention.

The weekend was loaded with BBQ's and friends. Brady had multiple opportunities to mystify his audiences with several kissy faces, clapping routine and yes... the ugly face. He managed to attend several social events (sans nap) and remain the center of attention. I am always amazed at his popularity. He is like a magnet of praise (by design he reminds me). It makes us so proud when he warms other peoples hearts like he has ours.

PC

A lot of times people stumble over their words when they are referring to Brady or people with Down Syndrome. So I thought I would do a quick PC lesson to help you understand what is PC and what is not, but first please understand that I am not an expert and very few of you have ever said anything to offend us. We are new to this just like you.

PC- "Brady is a baby with Down Syndrome."

Not - "Brady is a Down Syndrome baby."

A subtle word change, but it reiterates that Brady is not defined by this syndrome, but a condition with which he was born.

PC- Down

Not- Downs

It's just one Down.

PC- Different ability or very abled

Not-Slow, mentally retarded, handicapped or disabled

You would be surprised how many people still use these words. Before Brady I wouldn't think anything about throwing the "R" word around as a multi use adjective, but now my perspective has changed.

If you ever have a question please don't be afraid to ask.

Reality Check

This is one of my favorite pictures of Brady. He loves being outside and I think this captures his contentment. Everyday that passes he gets stronger and stronger. I can almost see the discovery in his eyes. He soaks in every minute and lights up when something new happens. Lately I've been reading about other parents experiences with their children who have Down Syndrome. I began reading for curiosity sake and I've ended up feeling so incredibly lucky. So many of them have had to go through so much. The other day I found myself complaining and feeling a bit sulky that Brady isn't sitting up or eating solids very well. Then I read multiple stories about babies and their open heart surgeries and that gave me a quick does of reality and a solid reminder of how lucky we are. Sure things don't plug along in perfect fashion, BUT we are truly blessed and extremely fortunate that Brady is so strong and for the most part...healthy. One thing that Brady and his wonderful little life has taught me is to never take anything for granted, not for a second.

10 months

Our boy is 10 months old! All this really means to Brady is that he only has 2 months until he taste the sugary sweetness of his birthday cake. The Shannon household doesn't take to kindly to sucrose loaded belly fillers. So an occasion such as a 1st birthday is pretty much the only time our boy will feel a confection buzz. 

Brady is still working on sitting up. Yeah, 10 months and still lying on his back. I think this is all part of his master plan to lure you in and then "pow! he gets ya with the fish hook" Suckers! He has all the makings of a good sitter, but our boy would prefer to stand. His core muscles are no match for his over sized belly and long torso. Crunches or no crunches, Brady will sit when he feels like it. Until then, we will continue to work on our patience. 

Ugly Face

Ugly never looked so good.