The Dad He Wanted To Be

It doesn't take more than a glance for most people to see the obvious similarities between Shawn and his son. Their profiles are dead on, and Brian's bright blue eyes didn't come from his mama. A lady on vacation even commented out of the blue on how much they look alike. And mom noticed immediately in this picture, how similar their strides are.


It's weeks like this past one that reaffirm for me what a great dad Shawn is. I know that from a very young age he knew he wanted to be a very hands on dad. He wanted to be that dad who gets down on the floor to play with his kids, who throws them in the air while they squeal in delight and who gets involved in whatever they like, even if he doesn't.

Take golf for example. Shawn is not a golfer. He took lessons, he tried, but it's just not meant to be. However, now that Brian's so into golf, he keeps talking about how he's going to start up again. He wants to be on the course with Brian, he wants to be a part of whatever Brian wants to be a part of.

Shawn got down in the sand every chance he got and built sand castles for Brian to knock down this week. He made "fish ponds" for Brian to play in in the surf, and even caught "ishies" to put in them. And last night, when we were all exhausted from a long day of traveling, he rocked his baby boy to sleep. He is exactly the type of dad he always wanted to be and it's so wonderful to see!

Too Tired for a Real Post

It was a full day of fun in Myrtle Beach today! I will have to put up a real post when I'm not so tired, but here's my favorite picture from today.


I'd say he's enjoying the beach.

Oh, and CONGRATS TO PAPPY! He hit his first HOLE IN ONE TODAY!!!

Beach Bums Day 2

So this is pretty much our vacation schedule:

Between 7:30 and 8:30 Get up, eat, get dressed for the beach

9:30-12ish Beach
12:30-1 Lunch
1-3:30 Nap
3:30-5ish Lounge

5:30ish Dinner, wander around
9-10ish Bedtime

And I LOVE IT!

Today, we found out that a plastic hoe meant for beach play, makes a nice golf club...not sure what he was hitting? Shells maybe?
Brian thinks big waves are HYSTERICALLY funny. Not that you can tell from the picture below, since he's not looking at the camera, but trust me, he was cackling!


And we were reassured that Brian likes sushi, in case we weren't sure. In fact, he actually BEHAVED at dinner tonight. I guess that's what happens when you take him some where that he actually enjoys the food. The sushi chef thought he was pretty darn funny :)



Oh, and just for Auntie La La...Chad + T.O. What does everyone think??? I'm pretty excited about the possibilities!! La La does NOT agree with me ;)

Pawley's Island Day 1

Hello from Pawley's Island! Today was our first full day of vacation. We left home on Sunday and traveled to Asheville, then continued on to Myrtle Beach yesterday. Last night we ate out and then came back to our beautiful condo for some much needed rest! Brian was ridiculous at dinner last night.
We actually had to eat seperately. Luckily there were ducks outside to provide entertainment.


Today was much better. He loved the beach! And tolerated the ocean. Although I think he was headed toward liking it by the time we left. He was sitting in it, playing in the sand!

After our morning at the beach, Brian and Mommy took a long nap.

Then Auntie Whitney came over and we headed out to dinner. Dinner was good, although Brian nearly ended it before it ever started by knocking the waitresses' tray (full of water glasses for our table) all over himself. We decided he would live and we would survive the embarrassment, and continued our meal.

Brian loved the Marsh Walk which is a long boardwalk where he could run, and run, and run, and run...
Oh, and goose a grown man in public. Um, yeah, he reached out and grabbed some man's butt. OMG, I may not survive TWO!


Good night, heading to the beach again in the morning!

For Me

I started this blog as a means to disseminate information about Brian's medical progress. I found that with all of the appointments we had during his first year, it was hard to make sure and tell every single person the exact same thing because the further away we would get from the river, the more I would forget or confuse! Plus, as much as I love my friends and family, it was taxing calling every single person each time we left an appointment to give updates. So, this became a good way to share the information. Everyone could read it at the time same and Shawn or my Mom (whomever had joined me at the appointment) could double check the information I was posting to make sure I was sharing it accurately.

However, as his medical appointments have dwindled, (THANK GOD!!!) the blog has become more of a record, or journal of his childhood. I love that I get to share things with my friends and family, but often I post things for myself. I want to make sure I remember little moments and silly things that he did. He changes so quickly and it's easy to forget those things.

So, this post is one of those "for me" posts.

I just had to get pictures of him eating pizza. It's hysterical and I never want to forget this particular stage where he is so lacking in social grace. The child inhales pizza, from the top down. He literally smashes it into his face. He eats the cheese first, then actually SUCKS off the sauce. Think MAJOR slurping noises. And sometimes, if he's in the mood, he eats a little crust. We're talking pizza sauce up the nose and it's down right entertaining to watch.

Thus, even though I know I am posting this "for me," I am sure you will also be entertained by the following series of photos.

Swim Lessons!

This summer Brian has been taking swim lessons! His first lesson was incredibly traumatic. As in, Brian was "that kid" on the side of pool screaming, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

They got better. And now Brian enjoys the pool. He's not a little fish by any means, but he likes a little splashing from time to time. Trust me, we'll take it!

Daddy was busy on Saturday, taking the GMAT, so Nana came along to swim lessons so we could get some pictures! Here are a few.

Being "a monkey" along the wall.

One, two three, JUMP!

Learning to use the ladder to get out and back in.

The ball is a tool to try to get the kids to use their arms to "swim." Being the lazy child that he is, Brian waits until we are close and then reaches one arm out to grab it. Every.Single.Time.

Really the balls are the only reason we go. Balls are a great bribe for 2 year olds.

And the splashing, he's really enjoying the splashing!

"The kids on the bus go up and down." We also do the pool version of "Ring Around The Rosy." Except we all go UNDER instead of falling down. You should see the sputtering and frantic face wiping that follows!

Me and my boy :)

Meeting a Monkey

So I am going to have to steal the wording here from another blog that I read, because it's so true and fits this post perfectly. "If you think an activity will be fun for your 2-year-old, it probably won't be. They enjoy simple things, like flushing a toilet 5 times in a row, or climbing up and down the stepladder. Save your money."
This is not to say that Brian did not enjoy any part of his Curious George Train Ride. He smiled a few times.
He wasn't terribly bored.

However, it certainly wasn't all we had hoped.
He was truly excited about the event. Every morning the week before he would ask me, "Monkey Choo Choo?" It was the first time I felt like he was really excited about something.

The train ride was hot. And kind of loud. And sometimes smelly.

And then there's that whole thing where most two year olds do not enjoy dressed up characters. Remember the Easter Bunny?


George was not quite a traumatic, but Brian certainly was not a fan either. Was the train ride worth the $20ish per person fee? Certainly not. However, we got some cute pictures, a really cute color page booklet and we now know better than to try it again.

Amusement Park Rides

Brian got his first taste of amusement park rides today at Pappy's company picnic. He didn't quite ride the tilt-a-whirl, but he did try the giant slide (with Dad) and he rode on a "choo-choo" all by himself!Let's just say, he was not really a fan of the giant slide.

When asked if he wanted to go again, we got a resounding, "NO!"

The choo-choos were more his speed.

Coloring

Brian has decided he likes to color. He has never shown any interest in coloring. He likes to put crayons in his mouth. He also likes to shove them down into his drinks at restaurants. He has been known on occasion to use a crayon as a fork. And he often tears the paper off his crayon. I guess some wisdom comes with being 2. He now uses them properly. Well, properly for a 2 year old. He scribbles on every page of every coloring book he can find.

More Chicago

We were lucky and there was no baseball for the boys this past weekend while we were visiting, so we got to spend a lot of time with them.

We went to the zoo.We played trains.We cuddled.We golfed.And we tried to get a good shot of all 4 boys. Tried being the most important word in that sentence!

Last year when we visited the zoo we got a good shot of Mommy and Brian in the kangaroo. Here's the comparison from last year to this year.




And one of the boys too.