Brice at 2 1/2

I missed the 2 year old update because we had our hands full with the new baby, end of the school year stuff, a double birthday party at our house, and a new baby (he counts twice). But Brice is at such an interesting and (mostly) fun age that I wanted to capture it here.

At 2 1/2, Brice is:

-Talking nonstop. The boy has so, so much to say. He has questions and wants to have conversations. He wants to tell you something silly or describe what he saw. We mostly understand what he says, but sometimes others have trouble. It can be hard to understand him because he talks fast, drops some letters and a few syllables, and replaces some sounds with others. So we're working on him slowing down, and making all the sounds he can. 

-Chase's echo: when Chase says he wants something, Brice echoes him. When Chase says he did something at school that day, Brice echos him. Pretty much anything Chase says, Brice echos. Unless, of course, Brice is trying to tell his own story over Chase.

-Trying to give up nap...When he naps, Brice has trouble falling asleep before 8:45 or 9. But when he doesn't nap (which happens about 30% of the time), he's cranky and irritable by the evening. Really, I think his natural schedule is to wake up late, take a late nap, and stay up late, but inevitably Chase wakes him up early in the morning. So he needs a nap to make it to bed time. We'll just call it a work in progress.

-Speaking of sleep, Brice is sleeping in a real (big boy) bed. We originally transitioned his crib into a toddler bed, but he was getting out of it and we couldn't lay with him in the little bed so we just changed him to the big bed. He still gets out more than we want him to, but so does Chase. Another work in progress.

-Going to school 3 half days a week. He loves it. It's a different school than Chase's preschool, a coop with many more parents aound, which is great because now that I'm working part time I want to be more involved. It's also so much easier to get to with far less traffic. Brice is the youngest in the older 2's class, but he's doing great and having fun. After every class he tells me what they did, who he played with, what songs they sang, what book his teacher read, and what he had for snack. His best friend is JP, and he talks about him nonstop.

-Running, jumping, playing, and wrestling like the little boy he is.

-Whiny. Maybe he learned it from Chase or maybe it is the universe getting me back for being a whiny kid, but boy can Brice turn up the whine. He wants something and will whine to get it. And cry if we say no.  "But I want it..." is one of his favorite phrases. It's a special time.

-Not using a paci any more. It was becoming far more of a crutch than we wanted. So we told Brice he could ask for any present he wanted if he gave up his paci. He is obsessed with golf. A couple weeks ago, he found a golf/pool set in a catalogue and really wanted it. So we decided that if he sent his paci's to Santa, maybe Santa would bring the golf set. Lo and behold, it worked! 

We expected bedtime to be rough, but the most surprising thing about not having a paci was that Brice would get upset and not be able to calm himself. We had underestimated how much he needed it to self-soothe. After a couple of weeks, he was fine and back to normal. He hasn't asked for his paci since the first day and his teeth are straightening out.

-Not potty trained, but sort of interested. He's peed on the potty and holds in his pee...but doesn't always go on the potty (resulting in overflowing diapers, fun!). He hasn't pooped on the potty. Golf bribery has not worked on him yet. And, only one child in his class is potty trained! We were hoping for far more peer pressure.

-Singing the ABCs and counting to 15. I think he has the concept that one item counts one time already too. He knows that his name is B-R-I-C-E. In fact, he points at any words and the letter and says "B-R-I-C-E, Brice!"

-Obsessed with the golf game on the phone/ipad. He secretly steals my phone when I'm not looking and plays golf or tombrunner. It's pretty funny that he's so sneaky, but also frustrating.

-Loves coloring and "writing my name."

Brice is a sweet, hilarious, opinionated, active little guy. We love him so, so much!

Brice at 22 months!

So I had pretty much given up on these monthly emails for Brice, but he has such a little personality and is doing so many cool things that I wanted to document. I will add more pictures soon.

Brice is a happy guy most of the time, but boy is he opinionated! He know what he wants and he really wants it! He rarely takes no for an answer and can no longer be distracted from what he wants. Brice also isn't old enough for positive reinforcement/bribing, which makes negotiating difficult. But he's mostly silly and funny and playful, not to mention talkative. 

Crazy hair, Elmo, and Mommy's shoes. Pretty typical Bricey.

At 22 months, Brice is:

-Talking, a lot, about everything. He probably has over to 100 words (we have a 100 word book and he knows them all and then some). Brice says simple sentences, with 5 or 6 words regularly (Monkey in Mommy and Daddy room; Daddy, more juice me please. ). Although we don't always understand him, he will sometimes tell longer stories with gestures and everything. You just sort of have to nod and say, "oh really, buddy?" The other morning I asked him why he had stayed up so late and he said "ummmmm....(looked up and smiled)...umm...because Happy Birthday, Mommy!" It was quite hilarious. He sure thinks he is a big guy with big explanations.

-Calling his (inside) baby brother Baby Meow or Baby Dusty (the character from Planes). And if you call the baby Dusty, then he'll say "No, Baby Meow!" and vice versa. For the most part, he's not that interested in the baby, though. He's too busy to be bothered.

 

-Very opinionated (I mentioned that, but it deserves reinforcing). If Brice want something, he really wants it. "Ipad, me!" "Snack, me, me, me, me, me!" He and Chase fight over toys a lot, although it seems to have gotten a little better over the last few weeks. They like to steal toys from each other and then run away so that the one has to chase the other. There's a very thin line between both thinking this is a funny game and one crying. Brice isn't exactly prone to tantrums, but he'll lose it if prompted!

 

-Counting to 12. He obviously doesn't know the values, but he says the numbers. He often starts at 8. One of the kids' plates has numbers along the outside and Brice points at them (randomly) and counts.

 

-Singing! His favorite songs are Friends, Friends, 123; Happy Birthday; and Wheels on the bus.

 

-Very polite. He says please and thank you. He says "bless you" after you sneeze. Or cough.

 

-Talking on the phone- Every time the phone rings, Brice says "Hi, Carol!" He also likes to talk on the phone to everyone. When I call during my walk home from the metro at night, he says "Hi, Mommy." When I ask how his day was, he'll add "It good."

 

-....and stealing iphones. Brice has mastered the iphone and likes to steal them and run off to play a game or watch a show. Carol sometimes has to search for hers (although Brice generally knows where they are). If I put my phone down anywhere that he can get it, he is sure to steal it, run away laughing, and sit down to play a game on it.

 

-A no boy. His default answer to everything is "no." You can tell that he really want something when he says yes. Similarly, if you ask an or question (do you want apple juice or milk?) he says both things back (apple juice milk).

 

-Enjoying apartment living, for the most part. Both boys love to go running into their bedroom or our room since everything is on one floor. Both boys love pushing the buttons on the elevator. Brice insists on unlocking and locking the front door (it has a weird plastic key thing so he's able to do it).

 

-Barely sitting down to eat. He refuses to use the booster chair and prefers the regular adult chair, which is fine. But the boy only sits still for about 10 minutes to eat for us. He sits longer and eats better for Carol. I'm not sure what we're going to do when we move back into the house and he's up on a counter-height stool. Probably just strap him into the booster and insist he sits (until he throws a tantrum....at every meal)

 

-Eating....sorta. He's gotten skinny and is more picky about food than he ever was. But he LOVES pizza. And if you ask him what he wants to eat, his response is usually "pizza!"

 

-Becoming a night owl. The first night we spent in the apartment, Brice didn't fall asleep until 11pm. To be fair, we hadn't gotten in there until almost 8pm and then Stephen had to build the crib, and it was a completly new space. Plus he is sharing a room with Chase. But our little guy who we used to be able to count on to fall asleep by 8:30 is now often rustling around in his bed until 9 or 9:30pm. Sometimes he will sleep until 7:15 or 7:30am, but usually Chase wakes up earlier than that and wakes up Brice when running out of the room. I guess this is a downside to having the kids in the same room. Brice still takes a solid 2 hour nap every afternoon.

 

-Still using his paci, but only when he is going to sleep. Actually, he sometimes runs into his room and steals one out of his crib (a downside to living on one level, I suppose). It helps him sleep so I'm not pressed to take it away from him yet. Let's get through the new baby transition and then the preschool transition and we'll think about it.

 

-An expert on cars, trucks, trains, and all forms of these. Brice especially loves "Nee-naws go up up up!" which means firetrucks with ladders that they raise into the sky. Most of the books and toys that Chase loved around this age are now Brice's favorites.

 

-Ready for the next step.  I can tell that he is ready to do something more structured with kids his own age. He'll be going to camp with Chase this summer to try out being apart from us and being with other kids without parents/nanny. We're finalizing our preschool decision for the fall. I'm sure there will be some tears at the beginning (either from me or from him), but Brice is ready for it.

  

Overall, Brice is a bright, happy boy. He's a sweet and a good snuggler before bed time. Brice absolutley adores Chase and even though he doesn't understand what is involved in getting a new baby, I'm sure he will dote on his little brother too.

We love you, Bricey!

 

Brice at 16 months!

Better late than never, I suppose! This little guy (and his big brother) keeps us on our toes! Really, I forgot how exhausting this phase is. It's fun, but Brice also needs someone constantly watching him, lest he get into trouble! He thinks getting into trouble is HILARIOUS, which makes it all the more important that we watch him.

At 16 months, Brice is:
-Saying and repeating a lot of words. Pretty much any word we  say, he will repeat.

-Running
-Climbing. On. Everything.
-Nodding yes and shaking his head for no.
-Loudly making his preferences known....and not agreeing to do what Chase wants to all the time. -Wrestling with his brother
-A contradiction- he cries when I leave for work, but then runs away from me in the park or other public places!


Brice is a bright, sweet, and mostly happy boy. It's amazing to see his personality develop into something so distinct, especially in only a few months time. We're hopeful that has his language develops more, he'll have an easier time communicating and that will reduce his frustration with not getting what he wants. Stay tuned!

Brice at 15 months!

Phew! I forgot how challenging toddler-hood is, especially with a little guy who has a big brother showing him the ropes (and how to climb, move things, find what he wants....). Although still a happy guy, Brice is finding his voice and making his preferences know- both vocally and with his actions. At 15 months, Brice...

-Has 11 teeth- 4 front bottom, 4 front top, and 3 premolars

-Has a lot to say! His words include: Dada, Mama (MAMA!), Chees, Abu (Mueller), ball (BALL), bird, book, baba (bottle or cup), down, nigh-nigh, apple, that, more (he signs it and says it), noh, and yeah. He also makes sounds for dogs, ducks, and trains (choo-choo)

-Trying to feed himself with a spoon and often insisting that he has a spoon for mealtime and something to eat with it (like yogurt)

-Getting into all kinds of trouble- climbing the stairs, climbing into the high chair, climbing into chairs and the sofa, pulling things out of the cabinet, throwing himself off the bed/chair/sofa onto the floor

 -Only taking 1 nap from about 12:30-3:30

-Slowly giving up the bottle and moving to a sippy cup

-Has favorite books: Peek-a-Who? and Where is Baby? are his favorites, but he also loves animal books

-Getting mad when he doesn't get what he wants. Brice says "Noh!" and hits. This behavior *may* have been encouraged by his big brother. We tell him no and he laughs. We ignore him and he keeps doing it. We try to distract him and he still does it. So we're out of ideas.

-Understanding most words and concepts- He will do things when asked (if in the right mood) that demonstrate his understanding. For example, with prompting, he'll walk into the kitchen and get out the dog treats and give one (or more) to Mueller.

Playing hide-and-seek. This is Chase's favorite game and Brice has grown to love it. At first he was really upset about me hiding (can't find Mommy, oh no!), but now Brice loves to "hide" behind the chair in his room and the curtains in the living room. He is also getting to be very quiet while hiding with me from Chase during family games of hide-and-seek.

Brice at 13 months

This is what happens when I get behind on posts-- the months start ticking away and I'm further and further behind!

 

 

 Brice is still a sweet, loving boy, but this month he has learned how to voice his opinions. If he doesn't like something, he will yell, cry, or (most commonly) squirm away. He also indicates when he wants something-- he's an excellent pointer-- and gets upset if he doesn't get it. Brice is also a true toddler and into EVERYTHING: playing in toilets, pulling trash out of garbage cans, climbing on step stools to get to faucets, constantly climbing the stairs, opening drawers and cabinets and emptying them, etc. He is exhausting!

At 13 months, Brice is:

-Walking! About a week ago he decided that he would walk almost all of the time, and he's done it ever since. He still has some Frankenstein moments, but for the most part, he's steady on his feet. He also learned how to stand up from sitting (rather than having to crawl over and pull himself up) and to bend over and pick something up.

-Talking! His new words are a perfectly formed "ball" and "Car-ol"

-Getting into everything (see above)

 

 

-Taking one nap on the weekends or when we are around

-He still only has 8 teeth and his front top 4 aren't all the way in, so Brice has a funny baby smile.

-Eating almost exclusively table food. Brice especially loves: strawberries, pasta/rice, and peas. He also loves California rolls and vanilla ice cream, but he doesn't get those very often!

-Cheers!ing He thinks it is hilarious and makes us do cheers throughout meal times.

-Quite hilarious. And cute!

Brice at 1 year!

At 1 year, Brice is:

 

-Walking! Not all of the time, but he can walk across the room and does so regularly. He's a great (and fast) crawler, so that is still his preference. We encourage him to walk as much as possible!

-Eating everything-- He even tried sushi on Mother's Day/Chase's birthday, and loved it. Brice only has 8 teeth (all in the front) so he has a tough time gnawing on food and often he winds up spitting it back out, but he is getting better. Brice is not longer interested in pureed baby food-- he'd rather feed himself solids.

 

 

-Drinking cow's milk. It was an easy transition for him. And this mama was happy to put away the pump at 1 year post-partum.

 

-Talking up a storm! Brice makes all kinds of sounds that sound like a conversation. He says dada (for daddy and mommy) and sometime mama, Ba (ball), Bad (bird), something like "Aaaace" (Chase), baba (for bottle and cup and something that sounds like Hi when someone comes in and Bye when they leave. Once in a while he'll say "Bye Dada" or "Hi Dada" and I'd say it's a fluke but it's happened multiple times now. Regardless of whether he is making real words or not, Brice is doing a good job communicating what he needs or wants- he points and makes sounds to indicate his displeasure (or happiness).

-Blowing kisses, waving, and giving kisses.

-A silly, sweet boy

 Brice's birthday was a special day for our family. Stephen and I took off work. Chase's class had "Family Day" with a performance and a picnic (post coming), which we all enjoyed. We had a low-key lunch at home and then Chase napped while we played with Brice.

 

 

 

When Chase woke up, we went to the park and the bookstore, and had dinner out before a cupcake celebration.

 

We love you, sweet Bricey. You are adorable and funny. You are so sweet to your Mommy and Daddy, and love to play with your big brother. You have made our hearts grow even bigger than we had ever imagined. Happy Birthday!

Brice at 11 months!

I am seriously in denial about how big Brice is getting. He is not quite walking, but he still seems like a toddler- he's certainly as silly and coy and wiggly as a toddler!

At 11 months, Brice is:

-Not quite walking, but taking a few steps. He doesn't need to walk- he's such a good crawler! He's definitely strong enough and has the core strength, so I bet one day he just decides to walk.

-Teething- at 10 months, Brice had 4 teeth. Now he has 7 and the 8th is coming through. Those middle front teeth are finally almost in! Brice puts everything in his mouth and has been pretty uncomfortable with tooth pain often over the last month.

-Doing all kinds of cool things:

     -Saying, "ut oh" when he drops things. I think it qualifies as his first word
     -Saying dada, dah (dog), baba, chah (for Chase).
     -Blowing kisses and making kiss noises
     -Responding to, "Is that a hat?"by putting whatever he is holding on his head
     -Looking up and pointing to ceiling fans when we ask where the fan is (he learned this one in Florida)
     -Dunking the toy basketball
     -Playing with lots of toys and anticipating what happens- like when Brice puts the car on the ramp, he knows where it comes out

-Hates to have his diaper changed or to get dressed or undressed. He squirms...he turns over....he crawls away. It is not fun for the changer.

-Going through a terrible bout of separation anxiety. When we were in Florida, Brice did not want to be with anyone but Mommy and Daddy. He screamed if we left him and almost hyperventilated. He's been much better since we've been home so I think it was a combination of his age, his stage (learning to walk), teething, and a new environment. It's not his usual  personality so we're glad he's back to normal.

 

 

-Learning to eat more table food. For a while he wasn't eating much besides baby food, and not much of that, we think because his teeth hurt. But now Brice is eating more table food and enjoying it. If he doesn't enjoy it, we know because he throws it all over the floor.

-Playing with Chase. Brice rolls on the ground with Chase and leans right into him. They also play at the train table a lot- Brice mostly watches and plays with a car or two while Chase is creating a whole scene and narrating it. It's really nice that they can play together now and to hear them giggle together is just awesome.

-Adventurous and on the go. We need to keep our eye on him, lest he get in trouble or hurt himself. He'll climb the stairs in a flash.

Brice is still a sweet and silly boy. We have so much fun tickling and giggling with him and playing all kinds of games. I'm so sad that he's growing up so fast, but so proud of all of his developments. We love you, Bricey!