Friday, September 30, 2011

Random photos
































~ Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday, September 29, 2011

More Brodyisms

When we tell him something, that he already knows, he will, in this completely teenager-esque, annoyed, and above-it-all voice, say, "I know that." Except he's only 5, so it comes out as "I know dat."

He makes Liam laugh just by saying, "Watcha laughin' at?"

When Brody was born, I started calling him bubba thanks to my friend Linda who got me calling all babies "bubba" because I think it's something Australians do. When Liam was born, I called Liam bubba in front of Brody. Brody then asked, in a slightly unsure, smaller voice than usual, "Am I still your bubba, mommy?"

He steadfastly maintains that he will NEVER get married, never leave our home. I tell him that's fine with me but when he's 18 he has to get a job and earn some money. When I ask him what he will do for a job, he says he is a fire dog.

For Halloween, Brody feels that he can assign me my costumes. I am, depending on the day, either a Princess, a SuperPrincess, or Thor Girl. I'm not sure which I prefer more.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Streaming & Brodyisms

I’ve wanted to blog so often of late – and I just haven’t. I have so many things I want to remember.

Brody. Brody has expressed more about his limb difference in the last month since starting kindergarten than he has in his whole life. He has expressed that it is unfair that his hands are different, that he is sad about it, not the actual limb difference, but that people ask him about it. Our approach has been to encourage questions from others, get it all out there, ask questions if they must. But he hates that. HATES.IT.

I’ve told him that we can make his arm straight if he wants – the one he always comments on – he says no, he doesn’t want to. I tell him we love him just the way he is. And we do. Personally, after initially thinking when he was born that we’d do the lengthening procedures, I’d prefer he never have another surgery. He notices the difference not just between himself and others, but between his two hands, how one is straight and the other is not. He describes it. I just agree with him. I told him recently how he had surgeries to get thumbs, because he was talking about his new hand. I explained what the surgeries were. He had no memory. He doesn’t even remember Shriners’ Hospital and Mike and Sully. Which is kind of awesome. He asked me today if the surgeries hurt.

He loves kindergarten but lately keeps getting in trouble. He has developed this independent streak, that prevents him from heeding instructions from parents or teachers, because in his mind, he knows better. He got in trouble one day because he kept drawing the picture and the teacher told him to sit on the carpet in circle time. “But mommy, I wasn’t done drawing.” “Yes you were. The teacher said so.”

Liam. Liam is teething and will not sleep through the night. Ever. He has probably slept through the night 5 times in his 9 months. He takes a bottle though, usually close to a whole one. I don’t know. After a year, we let Brody cry it out. First night – 40 mins. Second night- 15. Third – slept through the night. Then we had surgeries and his sleep got screwed up.

Liam is sweet and smiley. Very smiley. And giggly. And when I let him, he will kiss all over Brody with the drooly, open mouthed baby kisses. Brody screams and I say, “Let your brother kiss him!” and he does, laughing. It’s awesome. Liam is terrified of the vacuum, and the blender, and the hair dryer. And the statue of liberty at Red Robin. He cries more during those noises than with the shots. Remember those shots? I have forgotten a lot of that. It’s lovely. He is crawling and trying to walk and pulling himself up onto things, like stairs. We have 3 staircases in our house. Liam will shake his head, left ear to shoulder, then right ear to shoulder. If I do it back to him, he will do it back to me more and laugh. He reaches his hands up for me to pick him up. And he sucks on my chin – maybe it’s a kiss? He has two bottom teeth, and one more coming in on top. He giggles when he kisses my chin. He will also kiss a picture of himself. He will also hold a plastic sword in the air while smiling and let Brody have a sword fight with him.

I miss my family. I want to visit Michigan but I have no money and no vacation. I miss my mom. Her brother passed away, and I want to see her so badly. Again, money and time.

Brodyisms.

Me: Brody, talk quietly, I can hear you all the way upstairs.
Brody: Well, I can hear you all the way in my room when you snore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brody asked me about “Indians” and so we talked about the Native Americans and the Europeans and how they pushed the Indians off their land. I was pretty impressed with him, until he said the Indians should have just used Thor’s hammer to fight the Europeans.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brody: Mommy, I miss you even when I’m WITH you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brody: (upon seeing a picture of me in my wedding dress) Mommy, you’re beautiful
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He still says pesketti for spaghetti, and ly-bary for library.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brody: (when told he’d have to wait to go outside until I was done feeding Liam) YOU ARE BEING INCONSIDERATE! YOU ARE BEING SELFISH TO YOUR CHILD!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brody: (watching Liam laugh) Liam likes being a baby.