Another Snow Day

We got another 5-6 inches of snow yesterday. What an unbelievable winter it has been! Brennan got some great snow gear for Christmas though, so this time, we were prepared. He had on his Spiderman snow boots from Nana and Baba, snow pants from Aunt Kerry and Uncle Philip and his sled from Grandma and Grandpa. He was so bundled that he had trouble walking. It reminded me of Ralphie in 'A Christmas Story.' If he fell over, he couldn't get up on his own. But, at least he was dry and warm!

Once out of the sled, he headed for dry ground in the garage and played with Brian's punching bag. He kept saying, "pow-pow" when he hit the bag.

Here is Brian giving Brennan a little ride around the yard.

1st Week of Professional Mom

I haven't announced this on the blog yet, since there are a few friends that I wanted to tell first hand, but I still haven't gotten around to speaking to everyone, so Alissa, Regina and Joanie, forgive me if you read about this on the blog before we actually talk. I resigned from my job after returning from my time off at Christmas. Thursday, Jan 21, was my last day of work. I don't have anything lined up and am planning on giving the stay-at-home mom thing a try. A former colleague of mine calls it being a Professional Mom, I like that!

Our first week at home went really well. I feel so free. It's amazing what it feels like to be off from work, without anything waiting for you back at an office. Brennan naps in the afternoon, so we made the most of our mornings. We stayed home a few days and played at home. We also went to the mall one day and while there, ran into a friend of mine who also stays at home with her daughter, who is Brennan's age. We will hopefully be seeing more of them in the coming weeks. We also went to storytime at the library. I am hoping to get into a workout routine, so on Wednesday, I tried Mommy Bootcamp, which is a pretty serious workout where you can bring your child with you. It took me a few days to recover from that class, but I think I will check it out again next week. The weather was moderate, so we got out and took a few walks and played outside a bit.

Brennan has been working on the jack-in-the-box (really, bear-in-the-box.) He has a tough time winding it through the whole song, but recently disovered how to pop it open without winding it at all.

Brennan naps for 3 hours in the afternoon, so I use that time to do work around the house, catch up on email and prep for dinner. It's been nice to eat around 6 with Brennan and have dinner cleaned up before he goes to bed. Previously, we were eating after he went to sleep, so we were washing dishes around 8:30-9 PM. I think Brian is enjoying having extra down time at night.

I didn't take many pictures this week, but here are a few from this morning... fun time with Daddy!

Hello Potty

I have not starting potty training with Brennan yet, but I have introduced him to the potty. He seems interested in the potty itself, but not very interested in going to the bathroom on it, which is fine for now. He loves the "Once Upon a Potty" DVD and dances to the Potty Song at the end of the story. He can't get enough of the book "Diapers Are Not Forever." The book "My Big Boy Potty" hasn't been quite as much of a hit though. His Bjorn Potty Seat is currently hanging out in our living room and I caught him snacking on it after church this Sunday!

(Editors Note for parents considering the Once Upon a Potty DVD: While I believe the Once Upon a Potty DVD was a worthy purchase, you might want to rent it from the library or read the Amazon reviews before you commit to it. It is disappointingly short and the graphics are really dated... it uses pac-man lettering for the credits! However, I like that it addresses anatomy - be prepared to be a little shocked - and has a catchy song with young kids sitting on potties.)

Just as I was thinking about doing a potty themed post, I caught Brennan heading for his potty seat on video. You can also hear him say dog in the beginning of the video.

Christmas Gift Organization

Since getting back from Christmas, we've been working on integrating the gifts into the house. Brennan got a great new toy bin for the family room and a colorful play table with built-in storage. He's been working on figuring out his new puzzles and can complete the shapes puzzle on his own without any help.

While we keep a few books and toys in the family room, the basement is officially the playroom. Thanks everyone for giving Brennan such wonderful toys! We haven't had to buy him much ourselves since the family has been so generous with Brennan.

The Pecorinos got me Pottery Barn wall organizers from my Christmas wish list. I am hoping to be more organized in 2010! I didn't want to hang them on my plain, unpainted walls, so I went for a rich chocolate color to give a nice contrast to the organizers. Now, if we could only find a new vent cover. Apparently, the size vent cover needed is no longer carried in Home Depot or Lowes. Other than the gaping vent opening, I think the hallway looks pretty good now. And, the best part is that the mail is no longer piling up on the kitchen table! Mission accomplished!

Outside Playtime

We finally had some mild weather on Friday and Saturday. I heard heavy rain was in the forecast for today, so we made sure to get outside and enjoy it while we could. It was so nice to be outside without having to completely bundle up. And, a bonus for me is that taking outdoor photos usually means no red-eye, so that saved me a lot of a time in not having to clean up all my pictures. Brennan's blue eyes are beautiful, but they are a challenge for photos!

I took Brennan cruising in his little car. The yard is pretty muddy from all the snow melting, so we stuck to the road. After literally running him back and forth for a while, I was ready for a rest. And, Brennan wanted to push (or pull) the car himself. He has also been working on closing the seat buckle by himself. He hasn't got it yet, but has come very close. This first video isn't anything special, but I thought it was funny how he shimmied past my car to avoid the plants, after he brought the car to the garage.

After playing with the toy car, Brennan ran straight for our neighbor's back yard. He practiced his climbing skills and enjoyed zipping down the slide. He also got to see a few airplanes in the sky, which is always exciting for him.

Then, Brennan headed back to our yard to play in his own playhouse. He was not thrilled that the play telephone was covered in mud! That reminds me, I need to go get the phone from the yard and clean it off!

During my attempt to lure Brennan from the backyard into the house, so that I could start to prepare dinner, he caught a glimpse of our neighbor's Christmas lawn ornaments, across the street. He darted right for them, yelling "Apple" all the way. He tried to pull them out of the ground, but thankfully, was unsuccessful.

Hope your weekend was as action packed as ours was! I am hoping for more mild weather in the coming weeks!

Congrats Dad!

My dad was named Business Person of the Year by the Riverhead News-Review. Congratulations Dad, we are so proud of you!

18 Month Stats

The little man is 18 months old. Time has really flown by. We saw the pediatrician today and Brennan weighed in at 27 lbs 1 oz (65th percentile) and was 34 inches tall (90th percentile.) He got three shots (DTaP, Hep A and the H1N1 booster.) He wasn't too happy about getting the shots, but made a quick recovery from the initial startle and didn't have any side effects this weekend.

Brian is excited about the Jets making it to the playoffs. He enjoyed watching the game yesterday. Brennan got dressed in his Jets gear to help root the team on.

I wanted to share this cute picture below of Brennan in his outfit for church today. Everyone commented on what a big boy he is turning into.

Holiday Wrap Up

We had a really nice trip to NY for the holidays. Since returning, I have had to start reorganizing the den and playroom, since Brennan got so many new toys. Here are some photos of Brennan enjoying his new toys on Christmas morning.

Mariah, Howie and the twins came to visit us while we were staying at my mom's house. Since 18 month olds don't like to cooperate for photos, the best we could get was a shot of me and Brennan with Mariah and one of her daughters, Olivia. You'll have to see the action shot to get all the three kids together.

We were able to fit most of the gifts in the XTerra, but there were a few boxes that didn't make it with us. Aunt Debby was coming to DC for New Years, so she kindly dropped the rest off, including Brennan's play oven. Since this gift arrived, he he has been busy at work, baking cookies!

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful and generous gifts! My next blog entry will be posted from the new laptop that Brian surprised me with for Christmas!!!