The 12 Month Doctor's Visit

Brian had his 12 month well-being checkup on Wednesday. He now weighs 21 pounds 2 ounces (which is in the 50 percentile range), is 29 1/2 inches tall (in the 25-50 percentile range) and has a head circumference of 46 (also in the 50 percentile range). He is the picture of good health and the doctor (as well as his parents), are very happy with his development. He got the go ahead to have whole milk instead of formula and he LOVES it! He wanted his first bottle warmed slightly, but from that point on....he has taken it straight from the frig and guzzled it down! He is enjoying sampling more and more varieties of table food but still has some jarred baby food to balance out his menu. This picture was taken in the lobby of the doctors office where Brian gave their toys a test run.

Tool Of The Day!

As you all know, last week we had a large storm that blew through our neighborhood and knocked out our power. As Mommy and Daddy sat cowering in the corner not knowing what to do, young Brian spoke up and said "Hey, Mommy and Daddy, why don't you just use my McCulloch FS 5700 AK 11 Horse Power 120/220 AC Portable Generator!" Needless to say, Brian saved the day once again and we had enough power to comfortably make it until our electricity was restored........and our family lived happily ever after.

TIMBER!!!!

As we mentioned earlier, last Thursday a very large storm came through the Chicagoland area. There is a picture on Spencer's blog of one of the large branches that fell off our neighbors tree and almost hit Daddy's truck! That same tree had another branch that was damaged but was still attached to the tree..........that is until Monday morning! Mommy heard a loud bang that sounded like something had hit the roof of the house. When she looked out the front window, she saw what looked like a tree laying across the street right in front of the house! It wasn't a tree. It was that large limb that was damaged from the storm. As you can see, it was now blocking the entire street. Fortunately, there was nothing but a couple garbage cans in its path when it fell. Here's Brian in the midst of the damage (and yes, he is sitting in the middle of the street!)

He brought his hand saw with him just in case he needed to help the boys from the Village who came to cut it up and clear it out of the street.

Happy 1st Birthday Brian!

Wow - where has the last year gone? Brian Thomas turned one year old today! Although his "official" birthday party won't be taking place for a couple more weeks, he did have a couple packages to open this morning.

It's a good thing Daddy was handy since we about needed to break out the chain saw to get through all the safety wrap in these toys!

Mommy's Birthday

Oh what a difference a year makes! One year ago on Mommy's birthday, she and Daddy ended up making a quick trip to the hospital. They weren't anticipating his arrival for 2 more weeks so making that trip came as a bit of a surprise! The next morning Mommy received an amazing birthday present, and he goes by the name of Brian Thomas! He has brought more joy and delight into our lives than we ever dreamed possible and we are looking forward to all the fun (and probably some not so fun) adventures and challenges we will all go through together in the years to come!

Look Out Below!

What is it about toys that you haven't seen or played with for awhile suddenly being more interesting? Since Brian had pretty much outgrown being able to bounce in his exersaucer a few months ago, it had been packed away in Spencer's room. Once Brian saw it again, he rediscovered all the toys on it and found that crawling under it was even more fun!

****Update: As of 2:00PM today, we have power once again!!!!!!!!!!!! We are thankful that we were able to locate a generator and it was a huge help to us in the situation, but it sure is nice to not have to listen to the roar of it's engine through the house anymore!

Patio Playground

We are all weathering the effects of the storm (ie: no power other than the items that are plugged into the generator) pretty well! It was almost nicer outside that inside the house today so Brian took his toys on the road - or shall we say - out onto the front patio!

Tool of the Day

Thursday's Tool of the Day segment had to be delayed due to my little brother coming home from the hospital. The storm that hit shortly after we got home did make this weeks tool choice an easy one though!

All of the tree branches, limbs and trunks that came down in the storm needed to be cut up and hauled to the curb where our Village will eventually come pick them up. What does a person need to do a job like this? Well a Homelite 18 inch 2 cycle Chain Saw of course! Daddy said he wished the blade had been sharper - and with no electricity, he wasn't able to sharpen it in the shop, but it still did the trick! So, on a side note, always make sure your chain saw is good and sharp because you just never know when you might need to cut down the tree in your own front yard!

Welcome Home Little Bro!

Daddy and Brian went to the hospital to bring Mommy and baby brother Spencer home today! Brian was very helpful, wanting to make sure he had his "bebe" properly secured in his mouth at all times!

The Big Brother!

To the regular viewers of this blog, many of you already know that Brian has been anticipating his becoming a big brother. Yesterday, Tuesday August 21st at 6:26PM, Brian's little brother was born. Spencer Paul weighed 7 lbs 4 ozs and measured 20 inches long. Since Brian was having dinner and was having way too much fun with Grandma and Grandpa anyway, he opted to wait until today to come to the hospital to visit his new sibling.

After playing with his little brother for awhile, Brian wanted to climb into Spencer's baby bassinet so he could make funny faces. It's hard to believe that just one short year ago, Brian looked just as tiny and helpless as this new little guy does!

Spencer will have his own blog which is located at: http://spencerpblog.blogspot.com

Now that we are a two blog family, Mommy can't guarantee how quickly updates will be made (at least initially), but hang with us and hopefully she will get into a system very soon.

Overnight Fun!

Brian had big fun last night and all day today because he got to stay overnight with Grandma and Grandpa! Grandpa has told him he is getting almost big enough to have hot dogs, french fries and RC! (aka: soda) In the meantime though, Grandma brought out a bunch of toys and books for him to entertain himself with!

Today was a big day for Brian for another reason too.........but, unfortunately he is not going to be able to go into more detail on that until tomorrow. Please check out tomorrows post for much more information and pictures. How's that for a Tuesday night cliffhanger?!?!

Your Attention.....Your Attention Please......

Brian's personality is really starting to shine through. For the most part, he has always been a happy baby and that has continued as he has gotten older. Don't get me wrong, he is also a very strong willed little boy and if he misses a nap and gets over tired, he can be a real handful! Those moments aren't the ones that stick out in Mommy and Daddy's minds. The huge smiles, giggles and belly laughs do though. You can see the recognition in his face and eyes when he sees a person or toy that he is familiar with. We think he is understanding more and more words that we say to him since he responds accordingly to the commands......well, MOST of them anyway. "Brian, come here" usually sets his little legs to walking right over to you. "Brian, don't put that in your mouth!" doesn't always get the same immediate reaction though! Maybe he has what his Grandma has referred to as "selective hearing"!

?????

We got a short reprieve from the hot humid weather today. It was so comfortable in fact that Brian wore long sleeves and pants to church this morning. Once he was dressed in his size 12 month outfit and had his lace up shoes on, Mommy and Daddy looked at each other and asked "Where did our baby boy go?" He looked so grown up....TOO grown up! How quickly it happens huh?

The New Parking Pad!

As luck would have it, this mornings weather was perfect for pouring concrete! With Brian on deck once again as Job Foreman - Daddy, Grandpa, Uncle Kevin and one of our best friends, Uncle Ralph got to work loading in the concrete. The finished result of their work will be a brand new parking pad for Mommy to put our "RSV" (short for Red Sport Vehicle since Mommy and Daddy just can't bring themselves to call it a Mini Van!)

Once all the concrete had been poured into the framed area, Brian felt comfortable taking a nap. After he was fully rested, he had to make the very difficult decision as to what kind of mark he should carve into the drying surface.........

....as you can see, he couldn't decide on feet OR hands so instead he just opted to go with all of the above!

How Much Wood Would A Woodchuck Chuck.....

The order of wood chip mulch that Mommy and Daddy had been waiting for came today. When Daddy got home from work, Brian was ready to play Job Foreman and supervise it's proper placement. When the installation was all said and done, Brian told his Daddy how great everything looked and what a terrific job he had done! I wonder who will fall asleep faster tonight, Daddy or his Foreman!

Tool of the Day!

When we left you last week, Daddy was working on a project in our backyard. Today's Tool of the Day is a continuation of that project. Since Daddy will be having some concrete poured this weekend, Brian has selected the proper tool he will need for the job. The 18-inch Marshalltown Magnesium Concrete Float! Not only is Brian showing you the correct tool to use when leveling your newly poured concrete surface, he is also demonstrating the proper technique to smooth the concrete! Be aware that before your concrete has firmed up, you may be tempted to leave your mark behind -maybe in the form of a hand print or some initials. This is perfectly natural response. In fact, we are quite certain that Brian will find a way leave his mark in the concrete as to be able to alert all future generations that he was here! For that matter, it will probably be more difficult keeping his Mommy and Daddy from doing the same!

Ol' Blue Eyes

I was hoping to get a close up of young Brian's big toothy grin, but we will have to settle for it just being a close up photo. Brian has sprouted another chomper so he now has 3 teeth on the bottom! Still no signs of anything getting ready to come through on the top yet but given the recent increase in his drooling quantities, he may be working on some more as we speak!

Our Little Taco!

When Mommy was pregnant with Brian, his parents nicknamed the poor kid "Taco John". This is because Mommy's favorite vise back in South Dakota was the fast food chain by the same name. Fortunately for everyone, the nickname didn't stick after he was born but Mommy's love for it did! Restaurants in this chain are few and far between in Illinois, but there is one "somewhat" in our area. So, Sunday afternoon, we took a family trip to have dinner there! All I can say is that Daddy must really love Mommy to be willing to make a 65 mile trip one way just to satisfy her taco cravings!

Got Milk?

In addition to the baby food and table food that Brian eats, his doctor still wants him to get at least 18 oz of formula a day. For him, that breaks down to a morning and afternoon snack bottle and one before bed. This photo is Brian doing his impression of being a bottle lamb - pretty impressive huh? We had been discussing the possibility of just filling one of those hamster feeders with milk and attaching it to his crib, but we thought the Grandparents might object to that idea!

Ladies Handbags......3rd Floor!

It was a nasty hot and humid day in Chicago today so our family plan was to stay close to somewhere air conditioned. I think Brian could tell that wanting to stay in the air conditioning didn't necessarily mean wanting to be trapped in the house all day, so he made a suggestion. "Mommy and Daddy, why don't we make a trip to Woodfield Mall? Its huge so you can push me in my stroller which I really enjoy, you can get some walking exercise which you enjoy and we can all take in some window shopping while we stay nice and cool!"Is this boy is wise beyond his months or what?!?!

No More Calls Please - We Have A Winner!

Not too long ago, Daddy's cell phone died and went to cell phone heaven. This meant that not only did Daddy get a new phone, but Brian got a new toy out of the deal too! Don't get us wrong, he would still MUCH prefer to play with one of the actual working phones, but from time to time, he is willing to play with the toy one. Speaking of the real phone, last night Brian got ahold of it and was doing his thing punching in numbers and pushing buttons. Somehow, and we have no idea how, he managed to call Grandpa Hansen's cell phone! It's not that this is a problem mind you - we just can't figure out how he did it! The number he called was not saved in the phone's memory nor was it one of the recently called number on the phone he was playing with. How he came up with that number out of the blue........?????? Maybe since they share a name and a birth date, they really do have a secret Grandpa/Grandson connection!

Feeling Boxed In!

This box is getting a little tattered around the edges, but that doesn't make it any less fun! Granted, Mommy and Daddy placed it in this spot to serve as a little boy blockade - but Brian doesn't seem to care! It works quite nicely as a spot to bring some toys in to play with, or as a good spot to corner the cat in, or as a space to just curl up inside when your feeling a little tired! Talk about your multipurpose box!

Tool of the Day!

Earlier this week, we asked if anyone could guess where Brian was.......since he was sitting in this weeks Tool of the Day.




Hmmmmmm.......it would appear that he is in a bucket of some sort...........

Sure enough- its the bucket of a Toro Mini-Bobcat! Daddy had it at the house for a few hours last weekend while he began working on his newest backyard project. Of course, Brian (and Daddy) couldn't be this close to a "toy" like this without playing with it a little bit too!

Who Needs A Stuffed Animal!

For being an older dog, Walter is very tolerant to being poked, pinched, yanked and having a small boy literally roll over him. But there is nothing cuter than watching them cuddle up together like best pals. I don't generally have the camera handy at these moments but I got lucky today.

Spider-Boy!

Does this look like an accident waiting to happen? I think we can officially say that we have a budding climber on our hands. When Brian comes across an object - any object that he feels has the potential to be used as a step stool, he just can't pass up the opportunity to try it out! I do think that he purposely seeks out things that would be as unstable as possible though. Take this toy for example - by having wheels on it, it gives the whole experience much more of an element of danger don't you think?

A Trip to the Vet

Walter was due for his annual shots and even though he is usually very good at letting the doctor do what he needs to do, Brian went along to lend moral support. He wanted to be there in case Walter got scared and needed his paw held. Unfortunately, Walter is not able to return the favor by going along when he has his shots!

Footies!

It appears the Mommy has fallen behind on getting Brian's laundry washed so, he will be wearing a pair of footie pajama's tonight. With the air conditioning on and given that he kicks off his blanket during the night anyway....I think he will still be comfortable as he enters slumber land tonight.

Seeing him in this outfit tonight did make me wonder what it would have been like if he was dressed like this all the time while he has been learning to walk. Since the majority of our house has hardwood floors, I would think that having your feet covered with fabric while your learning to walk would add an additional degree of difficulty! Fortunately, Brian is getting very comfortable with his walking now and he is amazingly steady with his footwork. I know he would have learned to walk even if his feet had been covered, but I bet there would have been a bunch more bumps and bruises to kiss in the process!

Where Am I?

Today's post is part of next Thursdays Tool of the Day segment. This picture is a close up of Brian in the Tool of the Day. Can anyone guess what it is? The correct answer will be posted next Thursday but feel free to make your guess in the comments section!

How Would You Like Your Burger?

Isn't it amazing the kinds of "toys" that can keep a small boy happy and entertained? Since he looks right at home with a spatula in his hand, maybe if we get him a chef apron of his very own, he will be able to work the grill as good as his Daddy does!

Tool Of The Day!

They may not look flashy or exotic, but every good carpenter should have a variety of basic tools on hand in his shop. With that in mind, Brian has brought out his wooden mallet for today's Tool of the Day segment. Sure it doesn't get used every day, but it is a staple tool that every shop should have! By the way, the mark on the middle of Brian's melon (aka: head) in this picture is not from the improper use of his mallet. It may look like an innocent little tool but you should use the same amount of care when using this tool as you would a power tool - remember, safety first! While doing some walking today, Brian took a header into the corner of the couch so the mark you are looking at is the nice little bruise he will have to show off.

Clang Clang Clang Went The Pot Lids!

Our kitchen cabinets and drawers are not exactly child friendly. There isn't much space between them which makes it nearly impossible for little fingers to slide safely between them without getting pinched. Needless to say, Brian has a couple bruise marks on his knuckles from where drawers have "bitten" him. Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped him from coming back for more. Hopefully he will make the OUCH connection soon. Daddy has come up with some clever ways to lock the cabinets currently within his reach. One of which you can see in this photo. He has an idea in mind of how he is going to lock the drawers too. Until that lock goes into place though, Brian is demonstrating how to get into the lid drawer. This is an excellent drawer due to the fact that not only can you make lots of noise banging all the lids together. As an added bonus, if the lids are not replaced in a certain puzzle type way, the drawer won't close. This means that Mommy isn't constantly saying "Brian, NO!" since she knows he is not at risk of a finger pinch!