He Knows What He Wants

Bryan definitely knows what he wants when he wants it. Shortly after waking up, he wants a bottle, but you can't force it on him - he will hold it until he feels like giving up the binkie to make room.

He knows what snacks he wants and will dig in his diaper bag to find the right ones (they are in baggies, not just loose). He knows what toy he wants, and although he hets a little distracted along the way sometimes, he riffles through his toy baskets until he finds the right one.

Last weekend he wanted peaches.

It's peach season here in Utah and my parents had been up to Brigham to get a few boxes to freeze for pies and such in the winter. One of said boxes was hidden behind the kitchen table, waiting it's turn to be skinned, sliced and frozen. The problem was that Bryan quickly found them and instantly took a big bite out of one.

I wasn't ready for that size of mess, so I quickly took it away and put it in the fridge to be eaten later, closer to bath time. Well, he found another one. Imagine that. So, I decided, why not? It'll keep him occupied and he obvoiusly wants it bad enough to climb over and through chairs rungs to get it.

He tore into that peach like he hadn't eaten in days! When the pit got in the way, he didn't cry to have me fix it. Oh, no. He ripped that thing out, tried to bite it, and when he found that it wasn't so good, threw it aside to resume devouring the rest of the peach.

It was pretty fun to watch. Once he was done, I mopped up the floor while Matt took him right down to the bath.

I hope in later years, he'll have that same drive to go after what he wants until he gets it...as long as he wants good things!

Enjoying the fruits of his labors....with so much in his cheeks that he almost can't close his mouth!

Let's go to the Movies

One of my favorite memories as a kid was pulling our big blue van, Bertha, into a prime parking spot at the Drive-In. We would pull out the back seat of the van, and, armed with plenty of sugary snacks and drinks, hunker down under plenty of blankets for our lovely double-feature.

We were able to take Bryan to the drive-in with us a couple weeks ago and for the most part it was great! That's because he slept most of the time. He did have fun before the shows started, playing with our candy and in the road. No, I don't normally allow him to play in the road, but he just wouldn't stay on the blanket. He is subject to no one. He knows no boundaries.

I'm so glad we have a drive-in close by. It brings back a ton of memories and, of course, saves us big bucks on the whole theatre experience, which is always a plus. Besides...who doesn't want to get two movies for the price of one. (Although if you stay for both shows, you end up getting home at two in the morning, but so worth it.)

Little Things to Make Me Smile

As Bryan is getting older, I find it harder and harder to leave him every day to go to work. I love that Bethany is watching him (Thanks Beth!!) and couldn't be more comfortable with the arrangement, but I feel like I'm going to start missing more firsts. I got to see his first real smile, even if it was for Nana, the first time he rolled over, started crawling and, last weekend, his first camping trip.

He's so grown up now! He took over Drew's chair and was quite content to chill by the fire, hanging with the adults. He got his first jelly sandwich, a big hit by the way, and probably got smoke inhalation poisoning from his first campfire. It was great!

But, best of all, this morning as I was leaving Beth's house he waved at me for the first time and said "Bye-Bye". I just wanted to pick him up and squeeze him tight. As much of a pain he was this morning, all the irritation and frustration was wiped away in that one moment. I love being his mom and could not have imagined the amount love he gives me back.

I know there will be other firsts that I will miss, but I can always say it was his first for me, and I'll love it just the same.

Whoo hoo!

Today I will be leaving work as soon as I am done training new sales reps, driving home, getting into Matt's fully loaded (and not with car accessories) car and making the 1.5 hr drive to the Uinta mountains for a weekend of camping.

As much as I am looking forward to getting out into nature and breathing fresh air with no hint of the lake stench, I am very nervous about Bryan and his restless sleeping, lack of warmth, and getting into the fire opportunities that I'm sure will be endless and require even more constant watching than he gets at home.

Wish me luck and sanity...and hopefully a few good memories to bring back along with many pictures of a dirty ornery boy!

Aaaahhhh.... Routine

Sorry it's been so long since we've posted anything... I warned Bethany that I might not be the greatest blogger, but atleast we got past that first one, right? So much has happened since the last blog and I don't have much time right now (I have to start work in about 9 minutes) so here's just a quick note.

I just need to say how thankful I am for my sister Bethany who is now watching Bryan while I'm at work. She has a schedule that she sticks to and I know that Bryan can be a bit of a pain and is very loud, as Cameron has reminded me many times by asking that I bring them ear-plugs, so THANKS! It's made my life so much better! Bryan goes to bed at about the same time every night and is getting better at sleeping through the night.

Yes, this is a bit of a guilt trip so that she never tells me that she just can't put up with him anymore and I need to find someone else. ;)

Bethany also has structured play time with the boys, time when they play by with each other so they aren't dependant and need adults playing with them all the time, and many other great things, like playing in a pool. The first pool adventure didn't turn out so well and I think he's now afraid of any water that is not in his bottle or in our tub at home. Okay, not that bad, but he doesn't like fountains, sprinklers, or anything that might get him with cold water.

But, all in all, I lovce having Bethany and her boys watch Bryan. Thank you so much!

Bryan eating, like he always is...

In the pool, not having too much fun :) Notice Drew's shirt: "Ididn't do it". I don't believe it.

We thought it would be smart to introduce Bryan to Boomer early so that he would not be afraid as he grew up.  Now, at almost 8 months old, Bryan loves the dog. He just giggles if we chase the dog. He half army crawls, half rolls to wherever the dog is sleeping just so he an pull his ears, feet, jowls...anything in reach, really. And he lunges off my lap as Boomer walks by, trying to play with him. I'm glad that he's not afraid, but I think they're spending too much time together. Now Bryan is starting to pick up some of Boomer's oddities. He's starting to reach and explore any time I change his diaper (no, the dog does not have a diaper, but he definitely has a fondness for that area). Bryan follows his mommy around wherever she goes and won't eat for anyone else if he knows I'm nearby. Most recently, though, is his love for water bottles. Like Boomer, if he sees you with a water bottle, he tries with all his might to get it from you, finally resorting to staring at you with his weepy, longing eyes. So, naturally, you give in. And, oh, how he loves to roll around, chewing on his new toy. I'm just waiting for him to get the lid off and, deciding that the puzzle has been solved, leave the pieces laying in his wake as he moves on to the next non-toy item.

Matts Log:

The one thing I hate about vacation is the time you spend anticipating it. And with this trip we have to Vancouver coming up I have been anticipating it way too long. It just can't come soon enough. I would say one of the main reasons is (I hope none of my managers from RC Willey are reading this.) I hate my night job. And the worst part is that I have a 40 -45 minute drive to think about how much I wish I weren't driving in to work. Every night it is the same thing. I drag my self into the bedroom to get my work close on then I try to convince Kellie that I don't need to go to work. (That never works though.) of course I can't wait to see my family that is the main reason that I am in anticipation but man will it be nice to not go in to RC Willey for a week and a few days.