Weird Quirks and Sweet Moments

Most people who know Brody know he has some weird quirks. He has been this way since he was very little. As a baby this took the form of not being able to sleep anywhere unless it was pitch dark (with the exception of the car) and not wanting to drink a bottle in public. We found ways to accommodate to his needs, we put foil in his bedroom windows and always fed bottles to him in his room. My mom would even hang sheets in the guest bedroom when we went to visit so that Brody could sleep. As he has gotten older he has developed some new quirks. I know all kids have them and I find them funny, cute, and annoying all at the same time. As we have been potty training we have noticed a new quirk of his. He can't stand public restrooms. He has been in underwear for 2 weeks now and has done fantastic! We noticed this was an issue when we took him to a high school football game a week ago. He said he needed to go to the bathroom so we fought the crowds and ran so that we would make it in time. As soon as he gets in there he starts saying that no he doesn't need to go and freaks out. I usually just lock him in the stall with me and force him to go...as awful as that sounds. But this week at preschool he didn't want to use their restroom so bad that he held it for 7 hours!! I was so proud of him for not having an accident, but as we drove home he told me that he didn't use the bathroom while he was at school. I didn't know whether to believe him so I called the teacher. She said that Brody had asked to go to the bathroom three times and each time they would take him and then he would freak out and not want to go. I told her he had some issues with this and she said she would work with him. I was quite concerned about his poor bladder and what I should do. Thankfully when I picked him up from school on Thursday she had gotten him to pee. I also thought I might show you how Brody pees. We never told him to do this, it is just what felt most comfortable to him. He also insists on taking off almost all of his clothes. This includes shoes, socks, pants, and underwear. That is why in most of his pictures he doesn't have pants on....I got tired of getting him dressed!

At least he has great aim!!!

Bryson was gone to New Mexico this week and just got back home tonight. Brody missed him, but did let me fill in for Bryson while he was gone. It was suddenly ok for me to play football again and I even got the ok to put on the knight gear and "fight", as Brody calls it. It was very sweet to see Brody run up to Bryson in the airport and give him a big hug. You can see below the great souvenirs he brought back for Brody. I always appreciate how Bryson takes the time to pick out things Brody will really like. My dad traveled a lot when we were young and he always brought us back such neat stuff. I am glad to know Brody will be getting these special treats from his dad as well.

The rainmaker

The drum!And the lizard!

On to the sweet thing Brody did this week. We were sitting in the rocking chair one morning and he had his blue blankie that he loves and then his little yellow blankie that I bought as an attempt to be a back-up to the blue blankie (it didn't work). I was telling him that he could give the yellow blankie to the baby. So he started calling the yellow blankie the baby's blanket. He then laid one blankie on each of my shoulders. He laid his head on the blue blankie and then said the baby could lay on the other blankie. We just sat there for a while and rocked and I thought about how nice it will be if I can really rock both of my babies at the same time. Even if this never really happens, it was a sweet thought.

Brody has also started to suggest punishments for himself. I find this very funny. I will be warning him not to do something and he will say, "You spank my bottom" (one of the reasons we don't spank him....he certainly prefers this type of punishment). Other times he will say "I sit on naughty mat". The funniest was when we were out walking and I had told him numerous times not to chase Rosco with his tricycle. He wasn't listening well and eventually turned his bike around and headed toward the house. I said, "Are you ready to go home" and he said "I not listen to mommy, I go home". He has also started sitting Rosco on the naughty mat when he doesn't listen and telling him he is a bad doggie. He has even started sitting stuffed animals on the naughty mat and getting on to them for not listening to him!

This is just a funny picture to me. Brody told me he wanted to play baseball so he put on a motorcycle helmet and a golf glove and we threw a baseball back and forth. When he caught it I was supposed to tackle him and then do a dog pile. He obviously has his sports/hobbies a little mixed up!

Playing football with Bryson while watching the OU game!

Waiting to catch the football. He even gets in a stance and says "Down, set, hut"

My sweet boy helping me clean. He is surprisingly very good!

A big thank you to my dad for keeping Brody on Friday while I had a garage sale with my grandmother! I had tried to sweeten the deal by telling dad that Brody was potty trained. Then Brody had to go and poop in his underwear while they were at the park. Oops! And somehow Brody still ended up with a cool new police car that he hasn't quit playing with. He had him for over 6 hours and I think he was ready to head home by the time I made it back!

I also thought I would let everyone know that we have decided on a name for the baby. Meg Caroline Varner. Have a great week!