Lessons

"I swear I'm old enough to babysit....trust me"

He may not be old enough yet, but he will be soon enough. Having two kids has allowed me to learn some impressive new mom skills. We ventured back to Fontenelle Forest this week. It was a typical morning on a typical August day and then it happened!....Mallory's first blow out. Dang it, why does it have to happen 1/2 a mile into a massively wooded forest area? The answer? To teach me a new mom lesson. Jeff has a saying "adapt, improvise and overcome. This little mantra was on repeat as I fumbled with the baby Bjorn, diaper bag, a poop covered baby and a "helpful" two year old. The old Jen would have thrown in the baby wipe and ran home crying, but not the new and improved version...oh no! We still had terrain to cover and a poop covered newborn/mom were not about to stop us. So I shimmied Mallory out of the soiled onesie plopped her on my lap/changing table and we were back in action in no time.

More lessons learned: Jeff and I have continued our "self feeding 101" for Brady and let me tell you he has passed with flying food and colors! He is now eating with a fork and landing 90% of his food in his mouth. Of course ketchup is still doubling as hair gel, but it's a good look for him. We are so proud of him and can't believe how well he is doing. The lesson? NEVER DOUBT him. I didn't think he was capable of being so independent. I am ashamed of myself for not giving him the opportunity sooner. At this rate I'm going to give him a whirl behind the wheel. haha!

Final lesson: Expect nothing different for Brady than I would for Mallory . As parents we are the first to set limits for our kids. Of course some limits are necessary, but just make sure they aren't holding them back!

ps. Happy 1 month birthday to our little girl!

Feed Me Seymor

Jeff and I have really been working on teaching Brady to self feed. He has been shoveling grapes for months now, but has preferred to be "served" his main course. Well enough is enough. The process combines art class, mud pie 101 and shot-put. The art involves painting every surface with Ketchup, mud pie 101 is Brady's unbelievable talent to turn chicken and veggies into small sculpted launching shapes, which leads us to shot-put. This process has been a stretch for me. I typically like things tidy, a preference that probably has kept Brady from feeding himself long ago. While Brady is enjoying his dining experience I just have to remind myself that everything can be cleaned up and then I promptly remind Jeff of our need for a maid.

We are on day 2 and Brady is already landing more in his mouth than on the floor. We are so proud of him!

Mallory update! She is almost 9lbs and has grown over 2" already. What a moose! She still prefers to party-it-up in the pm hours, which is a bit tough, but I know she'll conform to the Shannon ways. Soon she'll be in bed at 8 with the rest of us!

Off topic:

If you would like a 2011 calendar featuring our famous Brady boy please let me know. If you have already placed your order with me, your $15 check made out to ODSPN and mailed to me is due by Sept.1. Email with questions or to place an order: jen_shannon@cox.net

RIP Bill

"Peace out dude"

No Bill hasn't died, he is just Resting In Palmdale. Brady has declared victory over his greatest nemesis Sir Bill Walton. The stress of a toddler finally wore Bill's tail too thin. So in an attempt to live out his senior years peacefully he has set up shop at Grandma Robin's in Palmdale California. Today, as Bill stepped into his fancy airplane carrier I heard Brady shout a "mmmm ohhhh ahhhh hhaaaaa." Impressively he even tapped his fingers together like the evil count!

In my eyes this is a bittersweet victory for our little one. Bill was our original baby, the one and only for many, many years. I really didn't like seeing him go, BUT for his health we had to send him out to pasture. The addition of 2 little ones to our family did not sit well with Mr. Walton. He was actually getting sick with severe urinary tract infections, which then made him transform our newly recarpeted basement into one large litter box. NOT COOL for anyone! So if we were to keep Bill he would have to be on Valium and if you have ever seen a cat doped up on a sedative you know its a sad sight. After Bill's first dose Jeff asked "do you think it's working?" At that moment Brady went up to Bill and pulled his whiskers. Bill's response?? NOTHING. It was like a stoner behind the wheel...slow and giggly. Right then we knew this was no way for our Bill to live.

Thankfully Grandma Robin had a vacancy in her home and her heart for our furry little friend. He will spend his days lounging in the California sun and basking in the delight of a child free world. Now who's the victor Mr. Brady?

"who needs wipes?"

Since Mallory's arrival Brady has turned up his "do'n" dial. He is moving and a shaking a million miles a minute. In the last 3 weeks it seems like he had a growth spurt and a burst of sneakiness (Mallory will be 3 weeks tomorrow). He has taken this new opportunity, and by opportunity I mean mama bear's diverted attention, and literally run with it. The minute I am nursing Mallory, Brady takes after the cat, "prunes" the plant, "repositions" the wall art and tests the laws of gravity. Overall I am impressed with his agility. Our boy can move!

The solution? Return Mallory? Nope! Return Brady? Never! Instead we have decided to channel Brady's energy in good old fashion activity. He has been to Fontenelle Forest, the Children's Museum and the pedestrian bridge and it's only Tuesday. Thank God for nap time!

Babies Daddy

Jeff has earned his parenting badge! He has been an amazing partner through our transition to a family of four. Fortunately, he gets paternity leave from work so he has been able to be home to help. I've never heard him say "I've got it" more. When Brady arrived he was more of a deer stuck in the headlights, but now?!! He is a man on a mission. Diapers flying, bellies being filled, napping on schedule, sweet "hormonal hugs" for me and a completed to-do list a mile long. Thank you my wonderful husband.

Life

Life is plugging away at the Shannon house. Things feel a bit crazy, but I know they will settle down. G-ma and G-pa have been taking care of Brady for the last couple of days while Jeff and I focus on Mallory. Her jaundice has landed her under the lights and in the ER. She is doing much better now, but had a bit of trouble maintaining her body temperature. It makes things a bit tough when she has to be fed every 2 hours and on the light belt 24 hours a day. Hopefully she will get off South Beach soon. Her bilirubin level is currently a 16 and needs to get down to a 14 in order to get out of the tanning bed. Until then we are tied down, a concept that any 2 year old is not cool with.

Brady has been a trooper. We finally got to celebrate (the proper way) his 2nd birthday. He slammed a cupcake complete with sugar loaded frosting (thank God he was staying the night at my parents house). Sugar is not a common visitor in his life, so when the sweet train came a knocking he took full advantage. He frosted himself for a good 10 minutes and then we slammed dunked him in the tub. He had purple frosting in every nook and cranny possible!! That'a boy!!!!