No Jacket Required

We decided to celebrate New Year's Eve by having an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Since it was an unbelievable 55 degrees, we left our jackets in the car. It was a double celebration because the Steelers beat the Bungles. Bradley ate a lot of the food on the baby plate and a little bit of orange chicken. He's got his appetite back and is almost back to 100% health.

Perfect Child?

While playing in the basement, Bradley brought me my pillow, blanket, remote control, and game controller. So, I laid down to watch football. (Now, I need to teach how to open the beer fridge.) He may have had ulterior motives. First, he asked me to watch a Baby Einstein video rather than football. Rookie mistake. Then, since he had tricked me into the supine position, he pulled off the blanket, lifted my shirt, and blew kisses on my tummy.

Merry Sickmas!

Christmas was rough this year since both Bradley and Dad were sick. Brad didn't even open all of his presents. It was still nice to have everyone over for the holiday. Mommy got sick later in the week.

Brad was sad to see Grandma and Grandpa leave on Tuesday.

12 Days of Bradley

Santa Swings Through Town

Overcast, 35 degrees, and melting snow everywhere: Hey everybody, lets go to the golf course! The course was technically open, but we just stayed in the clubhouse. There was an open house with free food and drinks and Santa. The first time we went over to him, Bradley was screaming like mad, but he calmed down when mommy joined him on the golf cart. After a few snacks, we went back and tried again, with better results.

It Takes A Village

We took a big trip to Hawaii over Thanksgiving. By "we", I don't mean the 3 of us. Bradley took a huge entourage with him, which was good, because mommy and daddy need all the help they could get. A big mahalo to the entire ohana for their helping hands. This is Bradley's last vacation for a while. A new family rule came out of the journey - nobody goes on vacation unless they carry their own luggage. (Good thing my dad doesn't apply that rule, or my mother would never get to go anywhere.) Thanksgiving week was extra special this year since Bradley got to see all of his forbearers in just a few days.


As you can image, with a big trip like this, there were many first for the little one.
1st real vacation
1st (& 2nd) tropical island
1st time in the Pacific Ocean - he really like jumping the waves
1st tan line
1st luau
1st cab ride & 1st limo ride
1st time getting air sick - thankfully that was toward the end of the flight
1st time walking on a moving side walk - he loved it, we must have rode it 40 times

During the trip he started talking more and is more comfortable laying and sitting on a real bed. Before he used to crawl off the bed he second you set him on it.

I will post more pictures later, but here is a short video for now.

Look Out Emmitt

Christmas came early this year for Bradley. Great grandma gave him a singing bunny before Thanksgiving. He likes to dance to the music and he uses Pooh bear as a partner. Click here for video.

Report Card

We had a parent teacher conference today and got a real report card from school.

Some of the categories he is doing well in are:

• Playing interactive games (i.e. chase)
• Separating from parent easily

Area for improvement:

• Talking (multiple words)

A couple categories that were not on the report card that I feel Bradley excels in are:

• Giving orders
• Closing doors
  
• Jumping into the pool, and now jumping off the top stair

No, No, No

Brad has been talking a little bit more lately. His favorite word is "No", which is usually expressed in triplicate. He will also occasionally say "Ya". There are unconfirmed reports of him saying "poppy", "grandma", and "football".

I Plead The Fourth

For the longest time Bradley has only had 3 lower front teeth. Well, finally, the fourth one started to come in this week.

New Talents

Bradley has reached a couple of developmental milestones that I would have rather avoided.  First, he can unzip things.  This means that he can now undress himself, as he did last Saturday morning.  The other new thing is that he can reach the faucet in the bathroom and turn it on.  We have a little stool for him, but it is not tall enough to reach the faucet.  I don't know how he hoisted himself up there, but he did.  What's next? Climbing over the gate?!

Big John

Grandma, Grandpa, and Great-Grandma came for a visit this weekend. We took them downtown on Sunday to show them the big city from the top of one of the biggest skyscrapers. You know that Bradley loves to do chores, so we let him help clean the windows.

While we were there, Bradley ran into his twin sister. They just stood there next to each other for a while. I don't think they ever made eye contact.
We stayed for sunset and looked at the trains afterward.

De-lic-ious

Some people like to dunk donuts in coffee. Others go for Oreos in milk. Personally, I like an occasional graham cracker dipped in a peppermint mocha. Bradley has a more refined palette. Tonight he was dipping cheese crackers in pureed green beans. He also tried Teddy Grahams in green beans, but that wasn't as satisfying.

This happened when we were out to dinner at Rock Bottom. When the check came, Bradley immediately grabbed it. A most gracious offer, but it rang hollow since he didn't bring any cash with him.

And in This Corner

At 33.25 inches, 25 lbs 7 ounces is Bradley "The Branch", undisputed cutest baby in the world! His weight is at the 46th percentile and the height is 78th.

Over 1 Billion Served

Not quite yet, but today saw the 1,000th visit to the blog. In an effort to hit our goal of 1 billion served, I realize we must expand globally. Therefore, a translation tool is now available. This is on the lower right side of the blog. Please tell all your friends, especially the ones in China and India.

A Trip to the Orchard

Brad, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa all went to the County Line Orchard in Indiana. The main attraction was a petting zoo. We saw goats, cows, llamas, chickens, and turkeys, but the only thing Bradley actually petted was a bunny. The orchard also had kettle corn and very good donuts. Click picture for a video.

Early Halloween

We did some early trick or treating in downtown Glen Ellyn on Saturday. Bradley was dressed as an angry bumblebee and daddy went as a suburban cowboy. An angry bumblebee cries and screams a lot and is usually upset by the presence of a hood or hat. Rather than catching runaway livestock, a suburban cowboy catches trains. Another difference is that a regular cowboy drives cattle to market, whereas, the suburban kind drives through the pick-up window at Wendy's to get 99 cent chicken nuggets.

Is that a trick or a treat?

Wednesday was dry and sunny so we went out and played in the yard after school. Due to his lack of mobility, it was a lot easier taking a picture of Bradley and the leaves last year.

October Flashback

Twelve months ago the main topic of conversation was about rolling over. Click here for all of last October's posts.

There's Something About Bradley

If any of you are looking for an eco-friendly hair gel, try powdered mixed grain baby cereal. It is very effective, bio-degradable, and has not been tested on animals.

I Respectfully Disagree

Bradley doesn't like it if you suggest a nap when he isn't ready for one.  If you give him the nap sign, he will come over and swat your hands.

Truck or Treat

On Friday, the whole family went out to do some truck or treating. Bradley liked sitting behind the wheel of the tractor and big golf cart. But, of course, he did not like getting out of the drivers seat.A fireman gave him this hat, which Bradley voluntarily wore for a few minutes.
There was also a playground on the premises, so Bradley had to check it out. He played on the slide from nearly every angle.

More Signs

Bradley started using three new signs this weekend.  Twice on Saturday, we made the nap sign when he was tired.  He also gave the sign for car and table.  However, I think he may have just been mimicking me.  He didn't actually use them in context.

How Do You Plead?

Bradley doesn't mind admitting when he's been bad.  Most days he will throw his milk (and more) on the ground during dinner.  Of course, our response is to tell him that he is being bad.  His normal response is to give us a big smile and a little laugh.  Yesterday, after he threw his milk on the ground, we told him "bad!".  In response, he screamed "baaaa!"  This caused both mommy and daddy to crack up.  So much so, that we had to cover our faces so that he wouldn't see it.

This is similar to his behavior with the broom.

The Sports Minute is Back!

Click on the picture for the latest edition of the Sports Minute (20MB). Brad is talking football.

Just as long as it wasn't the other way around...

Picture the following, if you will: mommy and daddy are relaxing after lunch by watching a little TV. Bradley runs into the sunroom and is making all the noises he usually makes while playing. After a few minutes Bradley gets a little louder and sharper, so daddy goes to see what's up. Bradley is in the playpen! He moved the chair next to the playpen, then crawled up on the chair, and then, apparently, into the playpen. The photo at right is a reenactment.

Where is...?

Bradley is really learning stuff at daycare.  It never seemed like there was any actual teaching in the infant room, but the toddler room is a different story.  Bradley knows the answers to the following questions: 

Where is Bradley's nose?

Where is Bradley's ears?

Where is Bradley's eyes?

Where is Bradley's tummy?

Where is Bradley's hands?

Where is Bradley's toes?

 

He can also give high fives.  He even slipped me a couple low fives.

Swim Class

Since daddy was sick, mommy got to go to swim class this weekend.

15 Years Early

A couple times this week, Bradley has hopped into the front seat when we get home. If I can keep this car running for 15 more years, I am going to give it to Bradley. He will look so cool rolling in a 23 year old Honda Accord. At our current pace, it will only have 120,000 miles on it.

Sad News

Bradley wasn't too happy after hearing that the Steelers lost to the Bungles.

Fall Fun

The weekend wouldn't be complete without a trip to the park. We went to a new park and had fun on the slide. Click for video. This is a far cry from his first slide experience.

Staying Dry

There was no swim class today. We have a week off between semesters. So what's a little boy to do on a Saturday morning? Plenty! We strapped in for a tour around town on the bike. First stop: the latte store. Mmmm. Next, the playground. We were the only ones there at first. We were just biking around when we found a football game. Actually there were two. The field for the big kids was nothing special. However, the little kids playing flag football had a electronic scoreboard, a press box, and an announcer! The only thing missing was a blimp. The last stop on our tour was the dog park. I guess this was enough excitement for Bradley. He fell asleep on the short ride home.

Try Again

The early stages of potty training are not going well. He hasn't grasped exactly which part goes in the potty. I'm afraid Bradley gets a "deferred success" rating on this topic.

Flashback

What a difference a year makes.  One year ago, Bradley's biggest achievements were rolling over, laughing, and sitting (not eating) at the dinner table.  Now he can not only walk, but run.  Soon he will be doing summersaults.  As for eating, he is a pro.  He can use a spoon, although his accuracy rating is a little low.  If he doesn't like what is served to him, he will retrieve crackers from the pantry. 

September 6, 1901

In honor of the 105th anniversary of the assassination attempt of William McKinley, we made a pilgrimage to the McKinley monument in Canton, OH over Labor Day weekend. It was about a 7 hour drive, but well worth it. Bradley was so excited about it that he barely slept a wink the night before.

Just kidding. We headed east to see cousin Jeff before he shipped out to Belgium. The reason Bradley didn't sleep is because he had a fever. He launched several screamestas during the night, which means mommy and daddy didn't get any sleep since we were all in the same hotel room. Brad had a similar illness one year ago while visiting the same group of relatives. Coincidence?

Slinky Fun

Why is it that the cheapest toys are the most entertaining? In this video (hi- or low- res) Bradley has a lot of fun with a free Slinky that Grandma gave him.

Climbing

Brad & Dad went to the Illinois Tree Climbing Championship today. Although Bradley can't climb trees yet, he did figure out how to climb kitchen chairs this morning. He also knows how to move kitchen chairs. Once he puts these actions together, nothing will be safe from him in the kitchen. He can already reach the table and the desk. The regular counter is our last safe haven (for now).

Akron Zoo

We went to the Akron Zoo on Sunday. This was Bradley's first trip to a major zoo. We saw lions, and tigers, and bears. I guess it would be more correct to say we saw a lion, a tiger, and two bears. There was also a red panda. It was a smaller zoo, so there weren't any elephants, giraffes, or gorillas.

First Haircut

Bradley went to Kid Snips for his first haircut on Friday. He got to sit in a Jeep and watch Baby Einstein. After the haircut, he got a trip to the treasure chest, where he picked out a comb.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Yes! Being small has it's advantages. To you and me this may look like a 48 inch TV, but to Bradley it is over 100 inches. And, when you stand that close, it is like a baby Imax. Lucky boy!

Anti-nap

Every day Bradley takes a siesta from about 12:30 to 2:30 (PM).  A couple times in the last few weeks he has also done the complete opposite - waking up for an hour or two around 3 AM.  So what the word for this?  After consulting several internet resources, I could not find an antonym for siesta.  Therefore, I get to make one up.  (Immortality is mine!)  Since this anti-nap includes a lot of screaming, I hereby coin the term "screamesta".  This also begins my campaign for 2006 word of the year.

More Biking

Today we hit the Prairie Duneland Trail in Indiana. It is a nice flat paved trail that starts in Chesterton. It was cool and cloudy, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway.

It was nice to see you, but I really must be going...

We were visiting Grandma & Grandpa in Indiana this weekend. After we finished lunch on Sunday, Bradley grabbed his shoes and convinced Grandpa to put them on. Then, he picked up his milk cup and retrieved daddy's shoes. He waved goodbye to both grandparents and then headed for the door. He did all of this without any prompting or encouraging from mom and dad. We were planning on leaving after lunch, but not that quickly. I think he has learned our trick of getting into the car at nap time. He started to close his eyes as soon as we got to the car. It wasn't until we were on the highway that he was completely out.

Dining Out

Bradley had his first kiddie meal at a restaurant tonight. He had chicken strips, fries, and milk at Applebees.

Too Skinny

Brad's been getting his fill of fast food lately. In the last couple weeks he had McDonald's and Taco Bell at school. Last Saturday, he ate 5 chicken nuggets from Wendy's (only 99 cents!) and today he ate a lot of mommy's quesadilla at Baja Fresh.

Bradley's Book Club

Bradley has taken quite the interest in books lately. His favorite is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See. He will read it forwards, backwards, upside down, right side up, in the crib, on the floor, and even in the dark. Each page has a different animal pictured on it. However, the page with the brown bear is usually stuck shut, so Bradley never sees it.

Baby Signs

Bradley has really improved his use of sign language this week. I am really glad about that. It must be more than 9 months that we have been teaching him. Here are a few of his favorites:
More
All done
Milk
Upstairs - this one isn't in the book, we just came up with it on our own.
Get that away from me - this is probably Brad's most favorite sign.
Dirty diaper - he hasn't quite mastered this one. He gave us the sign for the first time yesterday. Today he made the sign just before he made a dirty diaper. He made it again after the diaper was dirty. However, he made the sign again about 10 minutes later when the diaper was fine. We'll keep working on it.
Go outside - this is another custom sign. Bradley forms this sign by picking up his shoes (or yours) and then throwing them at your feet.

All Wright!

The family all saddled up and participated in the Wright Ride on Saturday. We only did the 10 mile option. That was more than enough. Bradley slept for the first half and was very well behaved on the second half.

Splash Park

We went to Ty Warner Park on Saturday for a birthday party. Bradley had fun both in the water and in the sand.