The Cannibal?

Our little shrimp seems to have a taste for shrimp.  Brad scarfed down at least a dozen fried shrimp today at lunch.  Fried is the key word there.  I offered him a regular shrimp and he spit it out.  At least he tried it.  A lot of time he will just say no and push your hand away.

It's About Time

Spring is finally here! That gave Brad a chance to take his bike out for it's first spin. He went out once in the morning with mama and Lisa. The afternoon session was with dad. Even with the nice weather, Brad was able to find some time to kick back with his buds, have a snack, and watch some racing.

Having Fun

The nearby park district had a "Time Out for Tots" event on Saturday. There was a variety of activities, such as music, crafts, and gymnastics. Bradley was unusually shy when we first arrived. He was more social after a snack, but still wasn't his normal self. He was quite leery of Ronald McDonald.

Boozin' in the 'Burgh

Bradley is turning 2 soon and that means the end of free air travel for him. We thought we would take one last trip with him and head to Pittsburgh to visit Grandma, Grandpa, and Great Grandma. However, the "free" air travel came at a high cost. Bradley was squirming around on our laps most of the time on both legs. The return trip was especially tough since we sat on the tarmac for nearly an hour after landing. Actually, we were pretty lucky. On the day we flew to PIT, nearly every airport east of there was closed.

Anywhoo...the non-flight portion of the trip was nice. Bradley had a good time and so did his parents. The weekend featured Brad's first trip to a liquor store. Some of you may say, wait, he's already been to a liquor store. However, he never went into Big Daddy's in Kentucky. He stayed in the car.

Lights, Lights, Lights

Look what Bradley can do. He can turn on and off lights with a little help from his stool. If there is a light switch that he can't reach, he will issue a directive to the nearest adult to adjust the lighting to his specifications.

By the way, do you like his new prison pants?

Big Helper

Bradley is at it again. He now can clean counter tops. Add this to his resume, which already includes sweeping, vacuuming, and laundry.

What's New

In addition to his increasing verbal skills, Bradley's physical skills are improving. A couple times this week, he walked up the stairs like a normal person. He just used one hand to steady himself along the wall. Brad has been getting better with the Lego blocks, although he had some help with the sculpture in this picture.

His vacuuming skills are excellent! He seriously cleaned up most of the family room. For the part he missed, we created a game. One person chases the other with the little vacuum. You have to jump on the couch in order to be "safe". Bradley likes being chased, but he also played the part of the chaser.

His throwing is pretty good too. There is not a lot of distance, but the accuracy is good. Catching is non-existent.

Finally, bubbles. Bradley made some bubbles in the bath tub this week. However, it was not the way children usually make bubbles in the tub. He did it with his mouth. Finally! We spent 10 weeks in swim class trying to learn this and never were successful. Now, out of the blue, he does it.

Watch Your Mouth

Bradley is starting to learn words that we haven't been trying to teach him.  On Thursday, he said "keys".  I was really stunned by that.  His vocabulary is expanding.  He can say "back", as in "I will right back".  Brad also says "beep, beep", as in "get out of my way".  Even his pronunciation of older words is improving.  Today he said "water", not "wa" or "wa-wa".

Best Day Ever!

After dinner on Saturday, we went on a donut run (Bradley's first).  Even though the Hot light was not on, they were making donuts at the Krispy Kreme.  That means Bradley got to see the icing waterfall!  He didn't express any excitement.  Come to think of it, he has never had icing, so I guess he has no appreciation of the icing waterfall.  We had bought the donuts for breakfast on Sunday, but ended up having them as a dessert on Saturday.  They were delicious.

It was also a good day for daddy, who got to feel the new baby for the first time.

Chore Boy - Video Added

Bradley continues to help with chores around the house. Today, he put his laundry away. He opened the drawer and took everything from the laundry basket and stuffed it in the drawer, in a completely random fashion. That will make getting dressed in the morning more of an adventure. Later, he helped vacuum the floor. UPDATE - Click picture for video.