Crawling and Swimming!

As the title suggests we now have a crawler! Woohoo! Or more likely, crap, we still don't have any baby gates! So next on the shopping list, you guessed it! BABY GATES!!! Not that he is getting around super fast or anything. He is still kinda shaky and he does this thing where he tries to walk on his feet but with his hands on the ground when he crawls. It's super funny! The hubby and I were sitting on the floor trying to get him to come to us but he just kept repositioning himself, after he got on his knees like he was gonna crawl! So we have learned he likes to tease us with the whole crawling thing. But if you put a phone on the floor, just out of his reach, then you can watch him crawl! He has some important calls to make! Apparently. I wonder if he would buy it if we got him one of those toy phones? He probably wouldn't even play with it! We'll see I guess. So shopping list so far: BABY GATES, toy phone, super glue (in case the gates don't work!), I think that's about it. Whew short shopping list this week!

I think I alluded to swimming as well. We went to the giant bathtub again (babes second time!) and he was just as impressed as he was the first time, he wasn't. Well he did warm up a bit I guess, towards the end, when we were getting out. Actually he liked it when anyone splashed. He would giggle every time someone splashed. So after a little bit he just floated around the pool in his floaty (that's the technical term) and giggled. He also tried to, well we aren't sure if he was trying to lick the floaty or the water, but he was definitely trying to lick something! We all had fun and stayed at the pool for almost two hours! I know right! Just swimming! We had the pool to ourselves though, well us and some friends also with babes.

Then we came home, the magical walker worked for it's time off and then we crawled some more! On a side note it is amazing what you can find when you do that crawling inspection thing so the baby can play on the floor. Just amazing I tell you. I'm pretty sure I found a cheese puff and I don't think we have ever had cheese puffs here! Brogans girlfriend must be sneaking in snack foods again. How many talks do I have to have with that girl!

This video shows what I was talking about with the whole walking on his feet with his hands on the floor. Just imagine a much cuter baby (you know, because he is mine!) with less equilibrium and not really going anywhere, and that's how Brogan crawls! This baby is much more advanced, obviously training for the baby Olympics. We didn't make the cut this year, thanks a lot worlds fastest baby!

The Walker

So now my son absolutely loves his walker. How do I know? Well not only does he love being in it all the time, he will cry if you have to take him out to feed him or change his but. Want more proof? Well now he will wiggle and squirm when you lay down with him to get him to take a nap, and he just won't fall asleep, he moves and moves and keeps himself awake. Then I finally decide, fine he doesn't want to take a nap so lets just play. So I sit on the floor with him surrounded by toys, and he just picks them up and throws them away from us. Then he will get really cranky. So I will put him back in his walker. A couple minutes later I will look over and, yes his magical walker did what I just couldn't do. The evasive nap has been found! The magical walker is a staple in our house.

On the other hand though, it is definitely a pain! We love that the baby gets around wherever he wants to go, since he still won't crawl, but now we have to set up barricades so he doesn't get to certain places. He loves to play in the kitchen, which I don't have a problem with, except when the oven is on. Since I bake bread every other day, the oven is used regularly. His new thing is running down the hall. He has figured out where we keep the big thing that he gets to splash in ( he LOVES his baths). So now he tries to run all the way down the hall and get into the bathroom before I get down there to turn him around. We try to keep the door closed and that has helped a bit, till he rams into it and opens it. He also likes to follow us around. Where ever we go he will follow. That's how he found out where the bathtub is, he followed me when I went to the bathroom. So he absolutely loves his walker and he never gets stuck or in a place that he just can't get out of. He has of course ran over mom and dads toes many times!

When he is not in his walker he can still get around by rolling everywhere. It is the funniest thing I have seen. He will point himself in whatever direction he wants to go and start rolling! A couple of days ago he started rolling towards the dining room and stopped at the corner of the love seat so he could chew on it. Really baby! We have I don't know how many toys that he can chew on but he prefers things that get reactions out of mom and dad! Like the love seat, his changing table, our fingers, anything that might surprise us! He definitely keeps us on our toes!

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go relieve the wonderful, magical walker of its duties for a little bit.

First Annual Heart Walk of Michigan!

Brogan staying dry, well all but the feet!

Bananas for Brogan officially got to participate in the first annual CHD Heart Walk today! Well technically it was yesterday but I haven't been to bed yet so it's today still. So Saturday we were a part of the large group of wonderful people who gathered to support the funding of research and awareness of CHD's! Yes we are still taking donations! Our small team consisted of myself, my adoring husband, mini me, the banana, and of course Brogan himself. We raised money through wristband sales (they say Bananas for Brogan) and a couple of bake sales. We haven't even hit the mark to get a free t-shirt yet, but we are still working on it!

For the walk though we didn't get the banana (she had a funeral) but we got my mom and hubby's cousin Renee.

Some of the bandannas I made the hubby help with!

We made bandannas that of course said Bananas for Brogan for the walkers that participated for our team, but of course I forgot to get them out of the car before the walk started. At least we were all wearing our wristbands! It was amazing to see so many people out to participate in an event like this and we will be a part of anymore that are in the future! I have met some heart moms at the Ronald McDonald House when everything was still new to me and still confusing, and I have met even more online through blogs. So it meant a lot to me when I could be in the same place with numerous other families that are experiencing something similar to our journey. You didn't have to over explain everything you say when they asked what your little Heart Warrior was born with. They understand all the lingo that comes up. They understand the tears that spring to your eye without notice when you hear of another little baby who is now a Heart Angel. They understand the mini celebrations for each new month and each new smile. A lifelong connection comes with the honor of having a Heart Warrior or a Heart Angel that get to share their perfect broken hearts, even for just a short time.

So I met a wonderful woman who has a beautiful little girl that was born with a CHD. We also got to hear the story of another little girl who is now a Heart Angel. If I had to stand in front of  a group of Heart Parents and their supporters, I don't think I could do it with half the grace and determination that was displayed by these two women. It makes you realize you are apart of something that is changing the future. We will find better ways of mending little hearts, we will make sure every little baby born with a CHD is given a fighting chance, we will bring greater awareness so it's not a secret club only meant for those with experience.



 After the speakers we got to release balloons. Brogan was a little tired I think and didn't really mind at all that the balloon escaped his fist. I tried to show them floating in the sky but it was still raining so he didn't really care for looking up.

Then came the walk. We all headed out in a big group and slowly the group split into two groups. We were somewhere in between the two groups, so at the very end of the first and the somewhat beginning of the second. It was still rainy for the walk to but it was refreshing knowing we were walking for a cause! When we finally made the finish line we were handed red ribbons to pin on and they called the winners of the 50/50 raffle! I never win anything that I enter myself into but I was surprised today to learn that we won a handmade baby quilt! That's pink! For my son!? Oh well guess we are just gonna have to have a girl now!

This is the groups in front of us.

This is the group behind us, with the wonderful Renee in the front!

Mothers Day!

Today was my first official mothers day! Woohoo! My baby didn't realize this day was suppose to be special and so acted no differently. The best mothers day gift ever! Seriously, I believe I have the best baby EVER! Of course I may be biased, but this is why it was the best gift, he was his normal, happy, easy going self! I got to spend my day with baby and daddy, we went to a family function (congrats great gr ma and gr pa for making it 60 years together!), then we went to see my mom together (well just me and baby) while dad cooked me (well I guess it would be us) dinner. Spaghetti and homemade bread. Good job baby! It was delicious!

One of the funniest things I have seen I witnessed today. We were at the park with the family and they have a BMX course set up and some of the kids brought their bikes to ride through it. Well uncle Mike started daring everyone to go through the course and so grandpa Cowboy (hubby's dad) decided to try it. So the family group shifted to cover the BMX course and we all watched as grandpa Cowboy, then uncle Mike, then aunt Jean rode through the course. It was funny that they were just riding through and not trying to get air on the jumps and almost getting stuck on some of the bigger hills, but the funniest part was when they made it to the end of the course and got off the bike. Well tried to get off the bike! And then tried to walk! Too funny! Then to keep the excitement going my niece was finding every puddle or ditch to walk through, losing her shoe once, and going up to strangers to say hi. She was all over the place.

And of course we had to get family pictures, which involves family members yelling anything from cheese to fuzzy nipples. Then as we posed for the second and third and fourth picture they started getting creative with different kinds of cheeses. So we had provolone, and feta. Then they just started counting down as aunt Kathy set the timer and ran for her seat. We never knew exactly when it took the picture and turns out aunt Kathy wasn't in any of them after all of her hard work. So it was a lot of fun and by the end of the outing poor Brogan was so tired! He fell asleep as soon as we started driving. We all had fun, and it was awesome that the hubby actually got to come hang out with us for once!

Bake Sale and Wristbands!

We decided to have a bake sale recently to raise money for the Heart Walk that we are participating in. The Heart Walk is for the funding of research and awareness of CHD's. Since this is something that is very close to our heart we knew we had to do it. So I had this idea to do a bake sale. Yeah! Well the first day we baked little star cakes, peanut butter cookies, and 4 different kinds of muffins. We made $7.75.

The second day we made 3 different types of muffins, sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, and banana bread. We made $9. I'm starting to think we should sit in front of Walmart next time!

I also had some silicone wristbands made. They are yellow and say Bananas for Brogan ( of course, what else would they say!). We figured we would sell them for $3 a piece or 2 for $5. Honestly I was hoping that sweet deal would entice everyone to just give us $5 so we wouldn't have to deal with change, and so far I am right! Woohoo! So now we are selling wristbands and actually making some money for our team. Woohoo!

We are also going to make bandannas that say, you guessed it Bananas for Brogan!, to wear on the day of the walk. I have a banana costume from last Halloween that my sub commander is going to wear at the walk and that she also donned for the bake sale. Come to think of it maybe that's why people wouldn't really look at us, well mostly the crazy lady in the costume!

Doesn't she make a beautiful banana!

That's about it for now. Two days after the sale and I am still cleaning up from baking. Maybe that's why I don't do it that often. Maybe I should just get a housekeeper. Hey that's a good idea! Alrighty gotta go so I can pick some leaves off the money tree so I can get me a cleaning lady! Woohoo!