Have You Seen My Pinky Ring?

Apparently Brady lost his pinky ring at the "Batta-Bing" last night! He and the boys where out all hours of the night partying like it's 2099! We woke up to him stumbling into the house this morning. He was covered in glitter and smelled like cotton candy. He was pretty proud of the quality of his fake ID and his cover name "Nick Pappagorgio". He said the bouncer didn't even question his ID or the swing'n stroller he was low-ride'n. For the evening, Brady sported his new Puma jumpsuit he received from Jill, one of his lady friends. His only complaint was that when his pager blows up, it vibrates his money clip full of Benjamins out of his pocket. Needless to say, Brady drank a bloody mary, shot a raw egg, took two advil and will be sleeping the whole afternoon. Kids...they do the craziest things!

New things

Today for the first time I put Brady in the seat of a shopping cart! This may not seem like a big deal to most of you, but to us it is HUGE. Until a few weeks ago Brady wasn't strong enough to hold himself up in the seated position. For the last year I either put him in the stroller and tried to jam as much stuff in the little basket under the stroller or Jeff would come along and push a cart beside us. Either way it wasn't the most convenient. I've even tried putting Brady in the Baby Bjorn. You should try carrying a 19lb, 30" baby in one of those suckers, not exactly comfortable. Plus, I would get the occasional "wow how old is your baby?" What they really mean is "why the hell are you still carrying him in that thing?" There's also the car seat option, which is like being strapped down in the depths of hell for Brady. I think he would rather pull his hair out than sit in that thing for a shopping trip. So yesterday a whole new world opened to us. I plopped him in the cart (after a good dose of antibacterial spray) and we were off. Brady's face lit up. I think he knew what a big deal this was, or it could have been a reaction to the smile on my face. In addition to the cart we can now put him in a highchair at restaurants. This is a wonderful deal. Previous to the highchair Jeff and I played hot potato with Brady during dinner. Inevitably, one of us ended up eating a cold meal. We pretty much stopped going out, but NOW Brady sits in his own chair and we all enjoy going out to dinner again!

Happy Pants

Happy days are here again! Brady is feeling much better. The sparkle in his eye has returned just in time for a beautiful weekend. We plan to hit the road for another bike ride and enjoy the fresh air. It is such a relief that Brady was able to weather this cold on his own, without a hospital stay. This is a very good indicator that Brady is getting stronger with every passing day. Jeff and I are thrilled and reassured. Brady officially titled himself "tough as nails."

Sicky pants

"Hey if I mix this in with my milk, will it make me feel better?"

Poor Brady has come down with a MONSTER cold and croup. He has snot running from his nose like Niagara falls. So much snot that I think he is supplementing his diet with it as it runs into his mouth. Grosssss, I know!

This all started Monday. He is improving now and that is a huge relief to us all. Monday night he was coughing and struggling to breath so Jeff and I carted him off the the ER at about 11 at night. Typically, we would have scurried out of the house in a panic, but given our past experiences we have become seasoned pros. Jeff and I remained calm and got Brady the help he needed. Which in the end was a dose of steroids and a big hug from the doctor. Brady has handled this cold better than we anticipated. A few months ago a bug of this magnitude would have landed us in the hospital for a week. This is a great indicator that his airway is getting stronger. YEAH!

Today Brady hasn't had a fever and has begun playing and laughing again, a refreshing sight for tired and worried parents. He is a trooper!

Sunday Funday

Today the family took a bike ride to the Joslyn Sculpture gardens and then downtown for a refreshing snack at Blueline Coffee house. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the fresh air. Brady has really taken to the Burley. I rode in back so I could watch him in the trailer and also act as a human bumper in case any lunatic driver got sloppy. Jeff and I have been on a million bike rides, but nothing is as nerve racking as riding behind my two boys. My head moves like a sprinkler going round and round. I watch every car like a hawk. Speaking of birds...one might have been spotted on my left hand. It came out in response to a lame-o idiot that honked at our humble little family. Apparently the 3 lanes to our left weren't providing him with enough room and he put the pedal to the metal and layed on his horn. Brady was so fired up I had to hold him back. He wanted to give him a knuckle sandwich and a piece of his mind. Our boy was about to blow!! He replaced his cry with a GRRRRRR, a "why I otta!!!" and a*@h+-e! Such language for a one year old.

Just the Two of Us

This is a great video of Brady SITTING!!! He has progressed so much in the last week and we are so proud of him. His latest moves include the plank (like in gym class) and a faux crawl! What is a faux crawl you ask? Well, its when a stud like Brady brings his knees under himself and rocks back in forth so hard that he lands on his face. The actual ground covered is limited, but who really cares.

Par-tay

Brady finally got his party! We celebrated on the hottest day of the year at Mama's Pizza. Brady really wanted to wear his birthday suit and claims it was due to the uncomfortably hot weather, but I saw through his plan. I told him that the only time naked counts as proper attire is either on your very first birthday (the one at the hospital) or on your 98th, when most of your friends can't see you anyways.

Brady enjoyed some birthday pudding as opposed to cake. He is extremely fond of vanilla and quickly housed it before his Dad could swoop in and take his sugar away! Pudding is the safest bet considering he has yet to get a tooth. Overall the party was a success. Brady really dug all the attention and couldn't believe the number of cool gifts he received. He was disappointed that a pretty girl didn't jump out of his birthday pudding though. I told him there's always next year. Thanks to everyone for celebrating Brady's first year of life! We really had a great time!

Case dismissed

We met with Brady's Cardiologist on Friday for a final Eco cardiogram. The doctor wanted to follow up on the 2 VSD's in Brady's heart and some slight hypertension he developed the last time he was sick. The Eco is nothing more than a fancy ultrasound machine. It highlights the flow of blood, beats and structural things. Brady just likes to take his shirt off so this test is no big deal in his book. When the tech was doing the test she said "whoa you've got abs of steel." Brady chuckled and said "that's what ALL the ladies say." I caught him flexing in the mirror before we left for the appointment and I believe I heard "I'm too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts" playing in the background. I've created a monster people!

Back to the test. Post exam we were sent back to the waiting room for what felt like an eternity. I was not concerned about the VSD's, but the hypertension caught me off guard. Then a better than average looking resident called us back to the room. He made small talk, took a listen to Brady and then left. More waiting.... Then Dr. Danford came in with 2 more residents. The Dr. quickly took a look at Brady then sat down and said "Well......" Seriously, he paused and then seemed to gather his thoughts for about an hour. "Wellllll....... it appears that Brady's heart is great! The VSD's have closed and the hypertension has resolved itself." YES!!! He continued by saying " I'll send your pediatrician a dismissal letter and I probably won't see you again." This was the best news we could have possibly gotten. Brady's heart is golden. No surgery, no nothing. We are so fortunate that Brady has a healthy heart. Many babies with Down Syndrome are preparing for their open heart surgeries around their first birthday and we are lucky enough to get to move on without a visit to the OR. Yet again we are blessed!

Birthday Weekend

Hey ladies!

So dapper

The fam

Presents from Grandma Robin and Aunt Hailee

Brady had a splendid first birthday! We actually made him wait until his birthday to open his presents. This may not seem unusual for most of you folks, but for the Shannon's, that's no easy task. Jeff and I typically open Christmas gifts on Thanksgiving, birthday gifts on our half birthdays and May Day Baskets in April. We just don't have the patience to wait it out. So in an effort to better ourselves and start Brady out on the right foot, we decided he should wait (pretty convenient since he can't protest, nor does he understand what a gift is).

Brady attended his first wedding reception this weekend. He is an amazingly talented dancer. You should of seen his flying Dutchman. AH-mazing. He also lead the crowd in the electric slide and slipped the bride a 50 spot for the dollar dance. I tried to tell him that $50 was a bit much, but he insisted stating that he's a ball'er and that's the smallest bill he had. He slammed some cake, high fived the groom and he was out!

Today Jeff took Brady out on his new wheels. We got Brady a new Burley and helmet for his birthday. Our boy loves speed. He griped on the uphill, but giggled with excitement on the decline. Jeff and Brady plan to start the Tour De Omaha very soon.