Brantley: 23 months

Brantley,

We started off this month going strawberry picking at Cullipher Farms in Pungo! It was your first time strawberry picking and I guess it was also our first time as a couple because your Daddy had no idea how excited I would be. Growing up, your Nana always took me to the strawberry fields with your Granny and we would spend a few hours hunched over the rows and rows of strawberry plants picking and eating and picking and eating. So of course I had to teach you the ways of strawberry picking… which really just turned into you eating most of them. But that’s what kids do, right?

You were actually pretty interested in finding the red ones and filled our basket about as high as it could go… even when we told you we were done and we couldn’t fit anymore, we still had a long way to walk back down the row and back to the car so that meant a constant repeated “No Brantley, no more strawberries. No Brantley, no more strawberries.”

And then you took this great family photo with us.

The highlight of your month was probably the motorcycle exhibition at the beach. You seemed really excited at first but the second they started revving up their engines you got totally spooked and cried to leave. We knew you just needed a few minutes to adjust and take it all in so we stepped away for a few minutes so we could let you watch from a distance and eventually you did warm up to them and really loved watching them jump the ramps and do flips in the air… constantly yelling “UP HIGH!” every time they took a jump. Even now, you still make all of your trucks and cars do jumps off the coffee table and yell “up high!” every single time.

And let’s not forget about your neighborhood girlfriend. Unfortunately, they moved out of state this month but before they left we took every opportunity to enjoy long afternoons playing in the yard, chasing bubbles, and going on wagon rides down the street. She just adores you and every day you still come home asking to go next door to see her. She may have moved away but we’ll always have special memories of you and your first crush.

With beautiful weather and a five-day break, we headed down to the beach house with friends to enjoy a few days of vacation! It’s rare that the beach house is available at any point in the summer so this last-minute trip was definitely unplanned but such a great getaway. We invited a few couples to join us which also included two of your best friends – Aiden and Alexis. We spent all morning lounging around the house and all afternoon playing in the sand, and you kids had a blast.

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Of course, our favorite moments were the quiet mornings spent in the sunroom – Mommy’s favorite room in the whole house. We didn’t get to sleep in with a bunch of littles in the house but we did get to spend most of the day in pajamas which is just as fun.

Every morning as soon as you wake up, when we pull in the driveway, when we pick you up from Nana and Papa’s and pretty much any moment you happen to think about it, you ask to play baseball with your tee-ball set. So Daddy decided it was time for you to see your first baseball game at Harbor Park! You skipped nap time but didn’t miss a beat and you and Daddy had a blast watching the game, eating lunch with a great view of the field, and you even got a foul ball!

We take bike rides and walks around the neighborhood whenever we can and your favorite trip is to the walking path in the back of Shadowlawn. You love walking over the bridges, finding all the pine cones, and playing at the park at the end of the path.

Daddy spent a lot of time at the fire station this month and our little boy, who is never one to cuddle, only wanted to be held this time we went to the station for Sunday dinner. It was the sweetest thing but also so heartbreaking to see how Daddy’s work schedule can sometimes effect you, even when you can’t put it into words yet. We are so appreciative that Daddy has so many days off with you to do fun things together like go the beach, take bike rides, and play baseball in the front yard instead of you spending the days at a daycare, but his long hours do sometimes take a toll and it was a precious moment to see how much you just wanted some extra love from him.

Oh Brantley, I always want to remember these things about your 23rd month:

You sleep with your feet propped up on the crib rails.
On our way to the beach house, you insisted on eating chips out of the dog’s bowl.
Every time we ask you where the baby is, you point to my belly and come and give Barrett a hug.
This month you started saying “no way!” instead of just “no” …and so begins the terrible twos attitude?
We hear “help Mama” all day long, even when you’re talking to your Daddy.
Every night before bed I sing You Are My Sunshine while holding you so tight, with your head on my shoulder and arms around my neck. These moments are the ones I will remember my whole life.
We are so lucky to have so much family in town and this month you made precious memories with your Grandma and Nanny. You had a chance to spend a few afternoons at Grandma’s house where you love to feed the fish in their backyard pond. And on our way to Nanny’s house one day we made a quick stop at Sam’s Club and picked up some flowers for Nanny – now every time you see flowers ANYWHERE you say “Nanny!” It’s the sweetest thing.