Updates

It’s been over a month since I’ve blogged. So obviously my resolution to blog more often is failing. As for my other three resolutions, I’m 1 for 3. Organizing – I’m made good strides here: updated fridge calendar, coupon organizer, place to put bills and even organized my pictures on our computer.

As for the other two, I haven’t lost any weight and a promotion at work in early January hasn’t been helping my ability to be home more often. But it’s early in the year and at least I’m trying to make an effort on working less & living in the moment more – I swear!

As for our adorable little toddler…

Brody continues to change in front of our eyes everyday. I think I say this about every stage, but I’m really loving all the new skills he’s learning.

He’s up to using 4 baby-signs to communciate with us (more, all-done, eat and please/help). The last one just recently and he’s using the sign “please” but seems to use it mostly when he wants help with something. He understands the sign “drink” but doesn’t use it. We, however, use it with or without the word and he understands what we want him to do.

He also understands us really well. We ask for a hug or a kiss and he’s happy to share them with us (by far my favorite skill – even though his kisses are a bit sloppy 🙂 ). We ask him where his doggies are and he’ll point right to them. He knows the word “no” but cleverly ignores it when he wants to (how young they start!)

Brody’s favorite activities these days are: playing catch with his doggies (although he does get upset when they run off with the ball and don’t come back), playing with shape-sorters, dancing and playing with blocks. He giggles constantly and I can’t get enough of it.

Brody and his puppies

Before we became Brody’s parents, we were already parents of two adorable chocolate labs:

Cody and Ben

Cody is 5 years old and Ben is 6. We’ve had them for almost 3 years after my Dad raised them for the first few years. He did a great job training them, so we’ve had it easy for the most part. They instantly became part of our family and we weren’t sure how that was going to change with Brody on the way. So far it has been great.

Ben is naturally a protector. He follows me around the house and “stands guard.” He’s a pretty calm natured dog and would rather lay out in the grass than play catch. He’s already begun protecting Brody and will lay next to him while he’s sleeping.

Cody is playful and full of energy. He follows Jason around the house and begs him to play catch. He’s taken a very different approach to Brody than Ben has. Cody now spends a lot of time upstairs away from us and the baby. He has his “safe zone” in a bedroom that we have set aside as the dogs room. He lays on his dog bed most of the day. It may be jealousy but he doesn’t take it out on the baby. He just seems to have no real interest in Brody and is even a little scared of him. When we’re holding Brody or if he’s in a bouncer or car seat, Cody will approach him and smell him. When we put Brody at his level on the floor, he backs away like he’s scared of him. It will be very interesting when he starts crawling.

This picture is great because Cody is on the right and sort of not sure what to do with him. Ben is on the left and just watching him.

Since Ben is a much calmer dog, I think he will handle the toddler years much easier than Cody. Jason has already put Brody on Ben’s back and Ben just laid there. I think both dogs will be great when Brody starts crawling and walking, it will probably just take Cody a little more time. Brody handles the dogs very well. Ben constantly licks Brody and he never even flinches. He sleeps through dog barks and even if they wake him up, he’s rarely scared by the barking. We’ve also exposed him to friend’s dogs as well and he’s not phased at all. He got along great with our friend’s 4 lb Chihuahua and another friend’s German Shepherd. Not that he has much of a choice, but I think he’ll definitely grow to be a dog-lover, just as I am.