Reflection

Next week Brady turns 1!! Many people have asked us if time flew by and I say "yes and no." In the beginning we were desperate for the year marker to come and GO because of all the health issues related to Brady's age. The waiting and holding our breath made time creep by. On the other hand since Brady has had a few healthy months, and things seem to be improving greatly, time has zipped past us. He has seemingly changed from a baby into a little boy overnight. I swear he'll be shaving soon.

This past year has definitely had its ups and downs (no pun intended). Many parents of children with DS say that if you make it through the first year you are golden. I would like to upgrade that to platinum. Brady has enriched our lives. He has warmed multiple hearts with his smile and expressive face.

I didn't know what to expect when I became a parent and I really didn't know what to do when I found out Brady had DS. Over the last year the answer became so simple and apparent; Love him and everything else will fall in place.

My hopes for the next year aren't too complicated; I hope he crawls, I hope he walks, I hope he talks/signs and I hope he continues to thrive. A list not uncommon for many parents. Brady's hopes for the next year; a bigger bed, more ladies, later bedtime and a couple of teeth so he can ditch the puree crap.

Play

I think Brady and Bill have made great strides towards developing a working relationship. Since Brady's arrival Bill has been a bit sullen and resentful. He longs for the days when he was the primary focus of the family and yearns for a time when his food bowl was always filled (on time). Most of the time he scurries off when Brady enters the room. A behavior Brady ignores and thinks is immature. BUT lately Bill has turned a corner. I think he has realized that if he is going to get any attention he is going to have to share the spot light with Brady, or as seen in the video, try and steal the show. Bill has decided to put up his furry little paws and fight. He's taking Brady on head first even if it means losing some fur and getting his tail pulled. These are the prices a cat must pay when he has rudely been moved to last place in the attention race.

By the way, this is how we play "catch" with Brady. It appears to be more of an ambush, but he thinks it great.

Success

We are now on day 5 of the Ferberization. Brady has adjusted well. We correlate the level of success with the number of minutes spent crying (by both Brady and us). To both of our delight the number of tears and the number of minutes have greatly decreased since day one. I'm thrilled because when I initially began reading the book there was one bit that really stuck out to me... the "What to do when things aren't working" section. I had a sinking feeling that that portion of the book was going to be highlighted and read through at least 50 times. Well, toss the highlighter out the window, we Shannon's have made it!

When I began typing this post I put Brady down for a nap. He began his typical fuss pattern and I started the timer. Today the wait times are 10, 12 and 15 minutes. Over the past 4 days Brady hasn't even made it through the first waiting period. He zonked out in under 5 minutes flat. BUT since I started typing a brag story Brady decided that a bit more protest was needed. He just has to bring me back down to earth. He has now been crying for 16 minutes and 11 seconds. It's a war of the wills! Only 4 and a half minutes until his next comforting visit. This is tough! Brady isn't a fair fighter. He sticks his bottom lip out and cries "mama." Totally unfair. Maybe I should rename this post "work in progress."

Well, it's been 23 minutes and 14 seconds and Brady finally fell asleep. Thank GOD! It appears that he was testing to see if we were still sticking to the method and the answer is a big fat YES. I would like to add a few more things to the Ferber formula:

1. A bottle of wine

2. A 3rd party immunized to your child's cry

3. Ear plugs

4. Another bottle of wine

Ferber-ize

WHAT?!!! THE?!!!! is Brady's first phrase. I know most babies start with Mama or Dada, but considering the last 48 hours Brady wanted something with a little more impact. Jeff and I have implemented the "Ferber method" to help Brady learn to self sooth and fall to sleep on his own. Due to the fact that Mr. B has been nursed to sleep and has had full access to the 24 hour boob buffet we knew that drastic action was needed to curb this habit and appetite. It is a painful process for all involved. Our poor guy cried for a full hour last night until lulling himself off to sleep land. The process involves a series of progressive waiting periods specially crafted to retrain the most stubborn of babies. The long term benefit of this process is huge, but the short term is not all roses. As I dissected a 45 minute "retraining" period with reassuring words and touch I became especially productive. It drove me batty to simply listen to Brady cry so I cleaned the house, took out the trash, watered the plants, rearranged the basement and took a shower. I decided to embrace the stress!

Today marks day 2 of the recommended 7 day retraining process. Brady didn't even make it to round 2 of the process tonight. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the method, that means it only took him 5 minutes to fall asleep...on his own...without nursing or being rocked. And now we are saying "What??!! The?!!"

Birthday Wishes!

Happy Birthday Claire from your best friend Brady.

I haven't known you long, but you are one heck of a lady.

Two and twirl'n you set my heart a whirl'n!

See you soon!

Swim Baby

I know you are probably thinking "is Brady swimming at the North Pole?" The answer, NO! I must remind you that Brady is 50 % me and 50% Jeff. Unfortunately the 50% acquired from Mr. Shannon includes some of the fairest skin known to man. Jeff has gotten a sunburn sitting on our sofa in the living room and through the sun roof in the car. You know its bad when you have to consider putting on sun block to watch TV and celebrating when SPF 70 hit the market.

In an effort to protect my baby I darted directly for the closest umbrella covered loungers and slathered Brady from head to toe in a modest SPF 30. I figured between the hat, long sleeves and capri length swim shorts, SPF 30 would suffice. After I felt comfortable with his protective layer(s) we headed for the shore. Brady could hardly contain himself. He slapped the water, practiced his back stroke and surveyed the babes. Overall, Brady was in hog heaven and sun burn free. Success!

Busy, Busy

Its been awhile since I (Brady) posted last so I thought I would throw in multiple topics in one posting. Please enjoy!

The above picture is from Brady's 4th of July par-tay! Please note I had him buttoned up in a holiday colored outfit (not themed) and we remained blow out free for the duration of the day. That's right folks, Brady's diaper was fire cracker boom, boom free! Ha! Ha!
Brady and Grammie Lou have spent some quality time together over the past few weeks. She babysat him for 3 weeks while I taught a summer art camp at Creighton. He thinks she's pretty cool. Thanks Grammie Lou!!
Brady and Brooklyn have been hanging out. Brady is adjusting to her vocal range. Currently, Brooklyn belts out a screech and Brady quickly follows with a pathetic pouty lip and cry. He isn't the biggest fan of the decibels Brooklyn can reach. He prefers lower more masculine tones. Luckily she is the cutest cousin in the world. I've given Brady a few pep talks about tough'n up and to stop crying like a sissy, but one screech and the tears roll!
Brady has requested that we become a greener family and switch to cloth diapers. He likes the breath ability and soft bamboo fabric. He demands quality around his privates, no more plastic! So far our venture to cloth land has been a success. It's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Now, if Brady could either potty train in the next month or learn to do laundry.
And last, but certainly not least...... Brady sits up!! Its a bit shakey, but its still sitting!!!