The Connell Chronicles: LET THE HEAD TWIRLIN' BEGIN!

Officially.. we are offically..

26		days
628		hours
37696		minutes
2261780		seconds

away from THE one year old celebration... what this means is that there will never be a free second for the next 2261700 seconds of my life :). I only thought it was bad trying to plan an adult party.. shoooooot, ain't got nuttin' on throwin' a SAFARI PARTY like nobody's business, and for a ONE YEAR OLD.. there will be bottle poppin' like you ain't neva seen... MILK BOTTLES THAT IS :). It should be fun... but crazy... because of the size of the family/friends we would like to invite compared to the "fisher price" "party of 3 please" house we live in.. we are going to do 2 different parties.. Family- on November 20 and Friends- November 21.... Both from 11-1 or 2 or whenever they end. From there it is on to helping with the family reunion style gathering we are having for Thanksgiving with my pops side of the family!! So very pumped to see the aunts/uncles/ cuz's :)/ 2nd cuz's that I haven't had the pleasure to meet yet! So needless to say that I have also booked us doing this or that every weekend of November as well so I am fully expecting the next 26 days to go by very quickly and take away my "oh he is ELEVEN months" to telling the inquirer that he is officially in YEARS- ONE YEAR OLD. BOOO HOOOOO HOOOO.. Maybe I will always just say his age in months when asked.. oh he is 216 months.. isn't he perfect ;). Makes me feel better already about my hunkie goin' off and getting older on me.

OK.. onnnnn to what we have been having fun with the past few weeks! The TENTH-ELEVENTH month was, in my opinion, a very life changing month... as in.. I think Brad and I were "winded" from keeping up with the busy"ness" that he brought to the table on Saturday especially.. I am pretty sure that we are going to be famous because my pain tolerant, doesn't need sleep baby might just be the real life superman in the making.

It has become the new thing for bedtime to be somewhat of a comical experience... More and more I find that he is not wanting the "let's snuggle momma" after the bottle.. it's "let's bounce on your ever fading "chest" and have some fun time".. ORRRR, "let's snuggle momma, no stay still this bite won't hurt your shoulder a bit!". Yeah he is a biiiiig ol' faker sometimes when trying to pull off "the attack". The stinker will actually grin as he sweetly.. slowly.. pulls your finger to his mouth to all of a sudden tighten his grip and pretend he is a freaking paper shredder.. then with his teeth IN YOUR FINGER.. he will giggle. Evil I tell ya.. just evil. AND FUNNY :). Really need to stop laughing at him being evil :).

So now generally bedtime goes as it normally does.. bath, bottle, then I try to hold him for as long as he will let me.. we dance... whatever it takes.. anything so that his bottle can have some time to settle. THE SECOND I set him in his bed.. it's no holds barred.. literally. He will start falling all over the bed! Free fallin', bonkin' his head... flailing around like a freaking fish on a dock! OH NO, he is not throwing a fit.. it's QUITE THE OPPOSITE. He thinks it's fun (and I do thank God for this action instead of screaming upset) to just fall.. Generally in our race around the room trying to put his diaper on...then jammies.. we sometimes have things spread everywhere.. I put him in his crib then pick up... Not sure why.. and sometimes I think he is laughing at me picking up the mess??? HAHA... but he thinks that is so funny and doesn't care if he bonks his face.. head.. whatever.. he will just keep laughing.. like BELLY LAUGHING. It's funny.... no longer does Brad ask "is he asleep" every night (that used to make me bonkers..) because he can hear his shrieks of enjoyment and laughter.. then about 20 minutes later it's quiet and the crazy caged monkey has passed out... HAHA... ohhhh so much love for him.

We went down to 3 bottles last week I think it was.. trying to get the little guy prepared for NO MO' BOTTLES here in that whole 26 day thing. Not sure if I will go as exact as "to the day" but we are doing fantastic in preparing. I think he is kind of catching on that the solid food we give him is his "food". I know for a while I think he was just seeing solids as, ohhh I can live with or without em... That is my only worry, but I am also seeing it all come together more and more.. I don't think we will have any type of problem with him not taking a bottle, it's just if he will put two and two together that I need to eat more at meal time with the solid foods.. I ain't gettin' a bottle! It's going to be so weird that after bath time that is it.. game over.. lights out.. instead of sitting down and relaxing with him giving him his bottle. I think I enjoy that more then anything... I am also trying to think of a new plan for the nail clippin'. We do that on Sundays, while he is taking his bedtime bottle. I don't see getting that little guy staying still at any other time.. but I guess we will figure it out!

I am horrified of the hard times ahead as we have such a little dare devil.. He has taken this "RAAHHHRRRR HERE I GO, I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS" outlook and is rearing to walking.. He just takes the plunge.. and giggles the whole time. Lord please do not let the goose eggs be abundant! Scarrrryyyy! He also loves to take these "trust falls" while you are holding him or if he is in your lap... or just whenever... and just fall back with the biggest smile on his face. One of these days.. the world will not be his pillow.. although I am hoping he is not doing it when that time comes. Just a brave little fella!

He has been trying to say uh oh... but it has sounded a tad bit more like a machine gun.. uhuhuhuhuhuh oh hahaha... although last night (10/25- baby book purposes :)) it was clear as day when he started the game of throw cup.. now you go pick it up momma... over and over :). It was cute.. although I can see the cuteness fading with that game :). I still don't have a name... no ma-ma.. no nada.. DADADADADADADA... allllll day :). Sheesh...

He is becoming very repetitive.. it's really neat.. He loves to watch your mouth and then try to make the same "sounds". He isn't saying many words just yet but you can sure tell he wants to! I think I am going to turn bottle time into "book" time now that the bottles are leaving the picture soon.... so we will be able to really sound things out and maybe get some words coming :).

We had THE FIRST DOG NIBBLET taste the other night... dang it :). One escaped and slipped under a kitchen chair where I couldn't see it with the chair covers draped over it. However, inspector gadget over here found it no problem.. ew. :)

I am thinking that with my imaginary love of David Beckham...

Hunkie is taking after his momma's imaginary baby daddy.. and might take up the excellent hobby of SOCCER. He is just too funny... he will bat a ball around the house all day if you let him.. Mom has a video that I will have to pull off of her camera so you can see it.. It's really funny. He has gotten SOOOO quick too with the crawling.. so he creates quite a "game" of one on one :).

NEVERMIND.. HE HAS NOTHING ON BRAD :)....

We decided to enjoy one of the many beautiful days that we have had lately and took a "family date" to the lake to have lunch at Carlos and Charlie's... We had a great time.. it was a fantastic ambience. Daddy took hunkie on the slide.. and the swing.. just a good day all the way around! Such a new world for the Connells... I was trying to aim for the "before the party begins" when going to C&C... Pretty sure it was the EXACT OPPOSITE about 2 years ago :). WHERE'S THE PARTY! WHERE'S THE PARTY :)!

I love the reaching... and the crawling to us.. it's just about the most heartwarming reward thus far... When I drop him off at Gigi's it's arms out to Gigi, big ol' smile on his face.... When I pick him up I hear.. GO GET HER... and then clap, clap, clap- his little hands moving as quick as they can to get to me at the front door.. just so sweet.. when it's bedtime, he doesn't deny it but will reach up to you like "let's give in to this day momma" :). It's amazing how much more rewarding motherhood is becoming to me every new day that I wake up. He is just changing so much and is staying such a sweet kid.. JUST ONE THAT BITES EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE :).

So glad that Santa will be here soon... now my big reason is BECAUSE THE MOSQUITOES WILL BE GONE! Sheesh.. Brady, as we all know, is filled with the sweetest sugar :).. unfortunately the "flying vampires" know this as well. It makes me insane because I don't see them.. but he will wake up with a bite! DANNNNNG IT! I have batted out his wall hangings... under his crib.. mattress.. clothes in his closet.. all hoping that he would fly out... and I would fight him :). I mean he has to be huge! Hopefully he or she, I am not sexist to the "skeeters".. died... or got out in the house and died.. or I will make him die :).

Last but not least because this blog is gettin' long on me.... I wanted to start a "tradition" of going to a pumpkin patch this year. Take a cute pic... maybe pet a pony... buy an overpriced pumpkin... sure I could do all of that at some precious church only a few miles away... but no, I wanted this to be a "roadtrip" tradition... One that we could drive to a small cute town, have lunch, go to the "patch".. I was introduced to SWEET BERRY FARMS... in Marble Falls, TX. My heart filled with admiration for this place as it was just the sweetsie pie place that I had envisioned...in beloved CUTE Marble Falls.. It was all panning out perfectly... the wedding I mentioned in my last blog was on Oct. 15th... so how perfect that we could just go by Sweet Berry on our way back in town on that Sunday! Yeah... not perfect enough apparently :)... Brad was holding Brady during lunch, who had consumed a bottle of juice previously.. well the knee bouncin' from Brad got the belly bouncin' which had Brady bouncing in my arms as Brad received a nice amount of "inside junk" from Brady's belly.. this went all over Brad's outfit that I was hoping for a family pic. in. It was warm out too.. which I had bought Brady a long sleeve white shirt that I had wanted to roll the sleeves up on.. so cute.. but OF COURSE.. the cool dry air had to dissapear and ruin my idea.. ANYWAYS.. we didn't get on the road until three and little guy didn't want to take a nap so I just said.. nevermind the stars aren't lining up. Soooo, we made the attempt on Sunday.. got all packed up so that Brady could take his morning snooze when we were on our way.. it was going perfectly.. Brady fell asleep as planned, got there really smoothly.. driving up to it AT 10 AM MIND YOU, I am thinking how fantastic it was that it was not crowded as I pictured it being so crowded the weekend before Halloween... The closer it is I see a gate.. A GATE THAT IS CLOSED... SUNDAYS- OPEN AT ONE.. soooonnn oooofffff aaaaa! I couldn't believe it.. I couldn't believe that I had been so negligent to not look at the time it opened before making the trip! I assumed way too much with it being my first "patch" year.. figured hey it will be open all day... not like they pick up all the pumpkins and put them up every day or something.. dear, dear, dear... since we were there and Brady was awake we went to a nearby park and ate breakfast... then introduced him to Daffy... which we ended up in the middle of a Daffy gang fight... hahaha.. Oh the entertainment in our lives.. :) I will leave you with some pictures of the duckies... and then the "PATCH" pictures which mind you was.. remember this... "sure I could do all of that at some precious church only a few miles away"?? Well that is exactly where we went after we got back in town and hunkie woke from his afternoon nap.. Downtown Leander it is.. :).

Not quite sure about these "noisey" suckers..

Hold on a second Dad, are those MY SNACKS you are throwing? haha!

I FORGOT TO MENTION... BRADY HAS NOT COME INTO HIS OWN WITH BEING A DIRTY, GRASSY LITTLE BOY.. If you set him on grass he will pick every limb.. or exposed skin off of the grass and balance sitting on his diaper if he has to lol..