Happy Halloween!

Today was Brandon's first Halloween and what a wonderful day it was! For his first big day with the ghosts and goblins Brandon dressed up as a bear. I'd say he was more cute than scary but check out the photos and judge for yourself ;)

We got up early and headed to Marilyn's house around 11am for a party with our play group friends. Marilyn had done a wonderful job of decorating and Brandon seemed to enjoy wearing his costume. All of his little friends were there - Dakota was a ladybug, Kahlan was a cat, Nolan was a monkey, Leighton was a lion, Micah was a shark and Kaleb was a scary bug.We stayed for a few hours before heading home for a nap. After nap time, we brought out our pumpkin and got the candy ready for the trick-or-treaters. We also watched one of the best Halloween movies of all time - Disney's "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow".

Though Brandon didn't hit the streets himself, he did help Mommy shell out the candy and he seemed to enjoy all the other kids in their costumes. By 7pm our little bear was exhausted and off to bed he went. It was a wonderful day for a first Halloween and I couldn't be more proud of my little Brandon bear :)

Stair Master

For the past two weeks Brandon has been busy going up and down stairs. Given that our house is a four level split - he has plenty of stairs to practice on! And with all that practice, I'd say he's gotten pretty good. He did take a couple of tumbles but he seems to be a quick learner. He now knows how to turn around and go down the stairs safely on his tummy. With any luck he'll soon be good enough at stairs that we can remove the four or five gates we have set up around the house! :(

Going, Going, Gone . . . West

As an early birthday present, my parents bought me and Brandon a plane ticket to go back to the island. This was to be out last excursion before I headed back to the office and I was really looking forward to it. I had dreams of window shopping downtown, strolling along the habour and beach combing at the waters edge. The dates were set for Oct 4 - Oct 9th.

I am happy to report that once again, Brandon was excellent on the plane. He was a little harder to handle (because he's 20 lbs now) but overall still a very good boy. We landed on time and without any problems. Shortly thereafter we all got sick.

Yep. Mom, Dad, me and Brandon all caught a cold. It wasn't very fun. Brandon and I had just gotten over a nasty cold that had lingered for a week before our trip. It was a disappointment but we made the most of it. We got to visit with my brother and his family. We were invited to dinner at my Uncle Steve's. While there we caught up with my cousin Sarah and her little 18 month old daughter Evelyn. We also saw my cousin Katie who was 30 weeks pregnant at the time (baby's due in December). Later in the week we visited with my grandmother and I could tell she was pleased to see Brandon again.

There was no shopping downtown or walks over to the ocean but we got to spend quality time with family and let's face it, that's what makes a holiday special. So thank you Mom and Dad for your generosity and your hospitality. I do hope we get to see you again soon!

11 Months Old Today!

The last month has been huge in terms of development for Brandon. He can now crawl forward on all fours. And is he ever fast! He is so fast that we cannot take our eyes off him for even a second. This has prompted us to consider creating a playroom for Brandon - a completely "kid zone" friendly place where he can go nuts and we don't have to worry about his safety . . . at least not nearly as much.

Brandon has also become very good at standing up. He's surprisingly strong for only being about 20 lbs. If he can get a good hold of a chair, table or knee he can pull himself up to standing. He's trying to "cruise" but he's not very good at it yet.

He has a total of six teeth now and his appetite remains strong. Aside from the obvious like nuts and shellfish, there isn't anything he hasn't tried. We're slowly weaning him off formula and introducing him to cow's milk. He likes it well enough when it's in a bottle but doesn't much care for it in a sippy cup. I think it's because he believes sippy cups are for water but I don't really know, I'm just guessing :)

Brandon and I are taking music lessons every Monday morning. Of all the things we've tried, he seems to like music classes the best. He can bang on drums, hit the triangle, dance with scarves and shake the maracas. So far he's loving all of it!

This month we should be pretty busy. Brandon is going to try his first Thanksgiving dinner - first at the neighbours and then at the Finnigan's. Soon after that is his first Halloween. Brandon is going to be a bear this year so stay tuned for some cute photos. And only a week or so after that, we'll be celebrating his 1st birthday. Isn't that amazing! Time really does go fast. I'd better get started on planning a little party for him now :)