Brandon's "Baby" Luv

Most of you probably know by now that Brandon has a doll - a stuffed toy - named "Baby". And if you know about Baby then you probably also know she is Brandon's most prized possession.  She is such a big part of his life, I thought maybe I should dedicate a post to her and tell her story.
Before Brandon was even born I received two Babies as shower gifts. Cute little sack-like organic toys  - I was highly suspicious of their purpose. They didn't make any noise or light up. They didn't appear to have any developmental or educational benefits so I put them up on the shelf and that's where they stayed for many months.
When Brandon was about 5 months old, we began "sleep training"him. As all good parents do, we consulted a book we had purchased from the second-hand store ;) The book suggested that if we wanted our baby to sleep alone in his crib, we needed to provide him with an object he could derive comfort from. The book recommended a soft toy that didn't make any noise or offer any distractions. I was racking my brain trying to think of something that would fit the bill when Jamie grabbed one of the dolls off the shelf and said "What about this?" Well it was love at first sight! Brandon had never taken a soother as a baby but when he got a hold of that doll, he started sucking on its little head and off he drifted to dreamland. We've never looked back since:)
Baby, as we started to call her (we even gave it a gender) is Brandon's little luvey. Some kids have a blanket or teddy bear but we've got Baby. She's with him for every nap, every nighttime sleep, most story times and even some car rides. She's gone for walks, sat in front of "Cars" a million times and travelled across the country with us.
So with all this love from a toddler you can imagine how she looks today - not good! Jamie and I went on a mission to replace Baby and found this to be way harder than originally thought. To the best of my knowledge, you can no longer purchase Baby in Canada. We have to order her from the manufacturer - Goldberger Toys - in New York. This is something we have done twice already! That's six Babies to-date and heaven knows, there will be more. It's not so bad though. Every kid has a luvey and Baby is Brandon's. She's so much a part of him now, we even had her professionally photographed with him back in New Brunswick when he was 9 months old. I guess that makes her like family :)

22 Months Old Today!

I was saying to Jamie just last night that I am having the best summer I can remember. The weather has been perfect, visiting with friends and family has been tons of fun and the joy on my little toddler's face whenever we go outside is priceless. When I get the time, I'll post about our amazing summer but this  post is about Brandon turning 22 months! Wow, he's almost 2 . . .
So what's new with Brandon? Well not much has changed since last month. He still loves water and trucks and bubbles. Lately, he has been trying to walk up and down stairs like a big boy. It makes me nervous but I'm awfully proud at the same time. He also doesn't want to be in his stroller as much anymore. This has become a double-edged sword as I appreciate his growing sense of independence but at times, get tired of picking up all the stuff he's managed to discover and re-arrange in the stores (i.e. throw all over the place).
He went through a little growth spurt this summer. In July I bought him the cutest sandals in Calgary. I thought I was being clever by buying them in a big size - 5.5. Well 4 weeks later they almost don't fit him and I'm busy trying to locate size 6 shoes. Due to his growth spurt, he's been having 3 hour naps and eating like a horse. It's awesome :)
I've decided to do away with his high chair and have him sit at the table in a booster seat. I found myself surprisingly sad as I cleaned up his high chair for the last time and put it in the basement. I recalled how he ate his first solid foods in that chair and later his 1st birthday cake. It's so silly to get sad over a chair but I can't help it. His babyhood went by so quickly.
Anyways the sun is shining and I need to get out and enjoy this weather for as long as I can. Here's some pictures of Brandon having the best summer of his life! Ha ha :)