Brantley: 2 years, 2 months

Brantley,

This month was absolutely full of fun memories, adventures, new experiences, and good times!

Nanny is getting ready to sell her home at the end of the year so we wanted to make sure we had as many opportunities as possible to build memories at her house while the weather was nice and the pool was warm. You love playing in the pool for hours with your friends and a day at the pool is never a bad day!

You still love to feed Shadow and now you’ve taken to feeding him by hand. Well, at least when we’ll let you. Usually he just lies down in his crate because he realizes it’s going to take a while and we’ll have to pull you away so he can actually eat by himself without unnecessary human intervention. But it’s so sweet to watch you pick up each food piece by piece while he gently takes them from your fingers.

Our favorite memories from this month of your life:

• Telling stories with Daddy… and Buddy. Going through your nighttime routine with Buddy: stories about “big pool… Ding ding ding… Whoosh.” Then telling him “hugs and kisses” and putting his finger to your mouth and his before putting him in your crib. Our little daily routines really do make an impact.
• Ocean Breeze has become a frequent hotspot for us and you love to “swim” (AKA: crawl) through the water in the kids play area. You also love the purple slide the best and you talk about it all the time.
• Your place in the world as a “Mama’s boy” is becoming more solid as you call for “More Mommy!” every day during your naps. Even though I know Daddy might feel a little left out, I must admit that I absolutely love it!
• Every night we choose a couple books to read before bedtime and recently we’ve been reading your Baby Bible. Now whenever we go into your room for bed you ask for “More Baby Jesus.”
• You’re still terrified to poop in the tub.
• Speaking of poop, you’re starting to hide when you have to go and if I’m anywhere nearby you’ll come over to me and physically turn me around and then act like nothing is happening for the next few moments while you do your business.
• Mommy’s belly is growing to the point where you can no longer sit on my lap while we read books at night. I tried to explain it to you and now you tell me “No Barrett” as you’re climbing up onto the chair to sit beside me.
• When Shadow is in your way, which happens often, you yell “MOVE SHADOW!” about as loud as you can.
• We pray before every meal and initially we would say the prayer for you, thanking God for the people in our lives but recently you’ve taken it on yourself and yesterday you thanked God for “Mama, Daddy, Shadow, Nana, Papa, Bama… and cheese.”
• Whenever you have a poopy diaper we ask you if you have a stinky butt and recently you started blaming the smell on other people, saying “Daddy stinky butt!” or “Shadow stinky butt!”
• Last year we realized your knack for rhythm when you got a drum set as a Christmas gift from your cousins Jackson and Riley and could imitate simple rhythms we gave you. But it wasn’t until this month that you started clapping to the beat of music and we were so surprised! Daddy was playing Uptown Funk in his truck and you were clapping right along. Our little drummer boy.

I hold you a little extra longer every night because I know it won’t be that way forever.

Love you, little one.

Love, Mama.