Doing So Much

Brandon has been doing so many more things over the last few weeks. He now gives kisses when you ask him for a kiss. It is so cute. He opens his mouth wide and walks over to you and puts it on your cheek. Yesterday he kissed his babysitter's daughter who is his age when it was time to leave. He LOVES to kiss Hershey all of the time too.

Brandon points to his hair, ears, teeth, mouth, nose, eyes, feet, hands, toes, and tummy when you ask him to and sticks out his tongue when you ask him where it is.

He will follow directions and do what you ask him to (example, if you say "Brandon get a book and bring the book to daddy" he will take a book off of his bookshelf and bring it to Stu). He also will run to the bathtub when you tell him it is time for a bath.

Brandon LOVES balls. He has balls that are all different sizes and loves to throw them and then run after them to pick them up. He also likes to walk around carrying the balls.

Brandon is really good at going up and down the stairs. He has been going down the stairs on his tummy for awhile but now he wants to go down the stairs like a big boy. He does great when he is holding your hand but I still don't trust him to walk down the stairs on his own holding onto the railing.

He loves the song If You're Happy and You Know It and will clap his hands, stamp his feet, and put his arms up and say hooray on the parts when you sing it.

Brandon is FINALLY sleeping through the night again. It is so nice. I put him down between 8-8:30 and he usually sleeps through until between 6:30-7:00. A few mornings he has actually slept until 7:30 when I have to wake him to take him to the babysitter.

Mowing the Lawn

This past weekend was so nice so we spent some time outside. On Saturday Stu ran in a 5K at the park near us and Brandon and I walked it. After the 5K there were kids races so Brandon did the 4 and under. He was the youngest and he came in last but he still got a 1st place ribbon.

On Sunday Brandon used his new lawnmower from grandma and grandpa Newman. It is supposed to have bubbles that come out when it is pushed but Brandon had a little trouble getting the bubbles to come out.

Brandon had his 6 week follow up at the ENT today for his ear tubes. His ears look good so he doesn't have to go back for 6 months. He also had a hearing test which he passed with no problem.

March of Dimes March for Babies is in 2 weeks

In 2 weeks from today Stu, Brandon, and I will be participating in the March of Dimes, March for Babies walk. This will be our second year doing the walk.

The March of Dimes mission is to make healthy, full-term birth a reality for all babies. Research funded by the March of Dimes had a direct impact on Brandon's survival. Two drugs administered to him (steroid shots before birth and surfactant after birth) were developed during research funded by the March of Dimes.

We ask that you consider supporting us in this walk. We would love to have you walk with us and join "Team Brando" and/or donate to our team's fundraising efforts. To do this, all you have to do is scroll down to the March for Babies picture/ information on the left hand side after the other blogs I follow and click on the side of the screen. Last year we raised more money than our goal. We hope to meet or exceed our goal again this year.

The March for Babies will be on Sunday, April 25th at 11:30 in Ocean Grove. We look forward to helping to support this wonderful organization.

Cousin Visit

Brandon's Aunt Debbie, Uncle Rich, and cousins, Ben and Zack, came to visit yesterday from Maryland. We saw them yesterday afternoon and they stayed for dinner and then today after work we met up with them at the park and then went to Stu's parents for dinner. Brandon enjoyed his visit with his cousins, aunt, and uncle.

I talked to the pediatrician today because I think Brandon has allergies. He has been coughing on and off since Thursday but not the cough he gets when he is sick. I noticed that it gets worse when he is outside or right after playing outside. He also has been sneezing while outside. He doesn't have a fever, runny nose, or acting sick so I called the doctor to see if it could be allergies. She said yes and told me to give him children's claritin each night. I have to watch to make sure it doesn't turn into asthma or he will need to start getting nebulizer treatments.

Playing in the Sand at the Beach

It was another beautiful day out today. Sunny and in the 70s. We decided to bring Brandon to the beach to see how he would like it. He LOVED playing in the sand. As soon as I put him down he started walking in it. He then sat down and was picking up sand and dropping it. He started putting it in a big shell that Stu gave him and then was putting handfuls of sand in his bucket. He had fun running in the sand and plopping down. He also enjoyed rolling in the sand. I think this summer at the beach will be a lot of fun.

Grandma and Grandpa Jacobs' House

We went to my parents house late this afternoon. It was another nice day (in the mid 70s) so when we got there my parents, Stu's parents, my brother and Laura, Stu, Brandon, and I went to the duck pond. That is the park where I went when I was little. Brandon had fun going on the swings, slide, and merry go round on my lap. He also enjoyed playing with the wood chips on the playground, running around, looking at the ducks, and playing with Slider (Brian and Laura's dog). We had a great dinner at my parents house and Brandon kept running around after Slider. He also went on a sit and spin for the first time. I had to spin him around on it but he liked it a lot.

This morning Brandon got his haircut. All of his curls were cut off. He looks really cute with his new haircut.

A Visit With Great Grandma and Great Aunt Amy

Yesterday we went to visit Brandon's great grandma and great aunt Amy. First we went to see great grandma. Brandon enjoyed seeing her and also playing outside at the park next to where she lives. He went on the swings and on the slides. on the way home we stopped to see Brandon's great aunt Amy. It was his first time meeting her. He enjoyed climbing the steps in the house where she lives.