It's Been A While

I know I know, I haven't been the best "blogger" these past couple weeks. I'm still getting over the Patriots defeat, which was over a week ago.

Not much int he way of new news to report, although we are taking Brady in on Thursday to have tubes put into his ears. This should curb those pesky ear infections.

All Charged Up!!!

We just finished watching the nail-biter victory for the Pats. What a great game! What an end to a long day too.

We just spent six hours in the ER at Mass General Hospital. Brady spiked a fever this weekend, and his doctor told us this morning he didn't think it was an ear infection, so he wanted to check his urine. Easier said than done...we have been kicking ourselves for months for not giving Brady the old snip snip when he was born. Now, several ear infections have led to several yeast infections which has practically closed Brady up tight. You'd never be able to get a tube up there to get a good sample. So, to the ER we went. They couldn't draw a sample with a needle into the bladder, so they had to settle for what they collected in the bag. We are headed tomorrow to an ear, nose, and throat specialist, and we'll be back at MGH early next month to see if the kidney reflux issue has correctedc itself or if he needs an operation. We'll also discuss his snip-snip.

Oh the joys of parenthood!

Brady Learns Some Words!

15 Month Update: A Little Older, A Little Wiser, by Brady Stack

This week I'll turn 15 months. Wow, I'm getting to be so old! Here are some of the new things in my life since the last time I blogged:

1. I'm a very good eater now. Mama and Dada rarely have to make me a separate meal at dinnertime, I eat whatever they eat.

2. I'm learning how to say a few new words. Right now, when I want Mama or Dada to get my juice, I simply walk over to them and say, "Cup." If I want them to play with me, I run and get my ball, throw it to them, and say "ball!"

3. Dada moved his office downstairs to the finished basement. Now, I have my very own toy room, and I love going in there to play with all my new toys. Dada even repainted his old basketball lamp that used to hang in his bedroom to put up in my toy room. Its great!

4. I'm still battling ear infections. Next week, I am going to see a special doctor who is likely going to put some tubes in my ears to stop all the infections. At least then I won't have to feel sick so much.

5. I babble a lot. I guess it is because I don't know too many workd, but I want to talk because other people are talking.

6. I own my house. I go everywhere, and I get into everything. One of my favorites involves running into the dining room to bang on the fireplace doors, then running into the kitchen to try to open all the cabinet doors (which have these hooks on them that I can't figure out), then running over to the pantry, opening the doors, and pulling out the bottles of soda, then running into the bathroom to unravel all the toilet paper, then running to the stove to pull the dish towel off the door, and then going back into the dining room to take my bib off the hook and running around the house with it. When Mama and Dada aren't looking, I go into the trash and take things out of it. I'm in charge. But...

7. Sometimes I do things I'm not supposed to do. Pulling out trash is one of them. When I'm being a good boy, I stop what I am doing when Mama and Dada ask me to stop. Sometimes, I like to test them. For example, the other day, I went over to the trash. Mama looked at me and said, "No, no Brady. Make another choice!" I looked right at her, smiled, opened the trash up, took out a piece of paper, and booked it for the playroom. As you might imagine, I ended up in a timeout, which I don't like at all. When I am in timeout, I have to sit in a corner and I can't play for a whole minute. Then, Mama or Dada has to talk to me about why I went in a timeout. I have to apologize to them by giving them a hug, then I am off again to play. I don't like timeouts. That is why when Mama and Dada say no, I make another choice....usually anyways.

Movie Review: The Pursuit of Happyness

IMDB synopsis: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/plotsummary

In 1981, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) was a struggling salesman in little needed medical bone density scanners while his wife toiled in double shifts to support the family including their young son, Christopher (played by Smith's son, Jaden). In the face of this difficult life, Chris has the desperate inspiration to try for a stockbroker internship where one in twenty has a chance of a lucrative full time career. Even when his wife leaves him because of this choice, Chris clings to this dream with his son even when the odds become more daunting by the day. Together, father and son struggle through homelessness, jail time, tax seizure and the overall punishing despair in a quest that would make Gardner a respected millionaire.

My Take: Great movie! It was an eye-opening look at what so many American's live with every day: Poverty, not knowing how they are going to pay for their next meal, not knowing if they are going to have a place to sleep at night, etc. I highly recommend you see this drama before it leaves the big screen (and then you'll understand why they spelled "happyness" with a "y")