Rewinding a bit though to recap the month... we had a great time leading up to their birthdays. This month the boys celebrated their first Thanksgiving. We cooked a small dinner and ate all together. I think they liked the food but mostly I think they liked that we were all home together for 4 full days!
Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went with my aunt, cousin and friends to cut down a Christmas tree. This was the first time I had ever cut down my own tree and it was great fun. Brody started saying "what's that" a few days before this so he pretty much pointed to every tree on the lot and said "what's that". So cute, and not annoying at all (ask me again in 6 months).
all hands on deck
The next day we spent some time decorating the tree. Each boy got to top the tree with the star. Everything gets done twice around here!
This month we upped our intensity at the park and let the boys try the slide. Of course, they loved it. I love watching Chris go down the slide with the two boys. It does not get cutter than that.
We also celebrated the boys' first Hanukkah. We lit the candles, said the prayers and let them open presents sent by Great Grandma. They loved every aspect of the gift including the paper, the box, and the actual gifts themselves. I made latkes and we celebrated into the evening. What a fun night!
This month, we attended our first twins party. It was fun to be someplace with so many twins and to see people experiencing the same joys and challenges that we experience. There was a Santa there so we tossed the boys into his lap and snapped a picture before they knew what was happening. Not too bad for a first Santa picture.
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Last but not least, we celebrated the boys' first birthday! I made individual cakes that the boys got to smash. We coordinated with both sets of grandparents so they could watch the boys blow out their candles via video chat and we let the boys eat cake for breakfast. Yes, we are vying for coolest parents of the year awards.
cakes
Brody and Brady on the morning of their first birthday
Opening presents from Granny and Papa
Riding on their motorcycles
eating cake
Pointing at fish at the aquarium
Brady looking at the sharks
After the aquarium we stopped at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Sam's house, opened more great presents and ate more cake. It was a great way to end a special day.
Fun 1 year old facts about Brady:
At one year, Brady weighs 20 lbs 10 oz and is 29.5 inches tall, more than tripling his birth weight. He is a sweet, loving, squeaky, opinionated and strong-willed little boy. He is a logical thinker who likes to plan his moves instead of using brute force to get his way.
Nicknames: We still call Brady A-b-the-baby, Abers, Braidster, Squiggles, Man Baby, Brady Bear and Biscuits.
Nicknames: We still call Brady A-b-the-baby, Abers, Braidster, Squiggles, Man Baby, Brady Bear and Biscuits.
Favorite eats: Brady likes cheese, yogurt and grapes. When you give him a food he really likes, he says "yummmm" and wiggles his legs excitedly while he is eating. I love that about him.
Tricks: Brady has been standing for awhile and he officially took his first step before his first birthday (just under the wire!). He says lots of words including Ma, Dad, duck, ball, again, tree, that, and the other day when Chris walked into the room he said "Hi Dad". He loves to clap, wave and touch fingers like ET.
Favorite pastimes: Brady is still obsessed with trees. He is fascinated that we have a tree inside the house. The first day the tree was up, he cried because I would not stand with him in front of it for hours. He also loves to chase the dogs and cats. Mostly, the likes to crawl after them and head-butt them and then laugh uncontrollably because he is ramming them with his head. He likes nesting cups and putting small objects into bigger objects. He like to climb on stools and laundry baskets and he likes to hold large and small objects over his head while standing.
Teeth: one bottom tooth. This one tooth is so cute I almost don't care if he gets anymore!
Some of My favorite things about Brady: I love that after eating at night, Brady will smile, open his mouth, move his face over to mine and burp right in my face. I love that when he is settling down to sleep (either on my shoulder or in his crib) he likes to pop his butt out a bit and wiggle it back and forth until he is comfortable. I love that he is gentle and when he wants to give you a kiss, the gingerly approaches your face both with his mouth and his hands. I love that he will motion for his mom to hold him especially when he is upset. I love that he giggles at his brother's antics and that he loves to be tickled. I love that he does not seem to mind when Brody sits on him and when he is annoyed by it, he cries for us to help, but never pushes or tries to remove his brother. I love that he is enamored with car rides, is quite when Brody is loud and is generally good natured about most things. I love that he does the most controlled and precise squats of anyone I know. I love that so many of Brady's characteristics were apparent from day one and he is growing into a wonderful sweet little boy.
Fun 1 year old facts about Brody:
At one year, Brody weights 24 lbs 10 oz and is 30.25 inches tall, also tripling his birth weight. He is funny, outgoing, tough, silly, loving, snuggly and fearless. Brody is more likely to just "go for it" no matter what the task is, without fear of falling or hurting himself or his brother. He is both a wild-man and snuggle-man and he has an amazing sense of humor.
Fun 1 year old facts about Brody:
Nicknames: We still call him Gunsy, B-B the Guns, Brodster as well as Brody-Bear, Man Baby and Gravy.
Favorite eats: There is very little Brody does not like to eat (hence the 4 lbs advantage he has over Brady). He seems to love peas, apples and baby guacamole.
Tricks: Brody is so very strong. He can manipulate toys and blocks into position while standing and he has taken 3 steps! He is able to stand and dead lifts heavy wooden toys over his head. He can also manage to find his way out of any enclosed area by pulling gates/fences away form the wall and slithering out. Brody can say the same words that Brady can and he also says "what's that".
Favorite pastimes: Brody loves to smash things, chase the animals, play with Adriane, lay his head on his brother, snuggle with us or his brother, hug, make dragon noises, clap, put his hands on his head and crawl with so much gusto, he grunts while doing it.
Teeth: Brody has 5 teeth, two on the bottom that came in at the exact same time and three on top.
Some of my favorite memories about Brody: I love that he lays his head on my should during playtime just to say hi or to get a little extra love. I love that just when I think he is calm and relaxed after eating a bottle, Brody will immediately open his mouth and laugh in my face, escalating the mood of the moment. I love that he can dance and if you say "dance, dance, dance" he shakes his butt and goes low. I love that he LOVES to laugh and constantly waves at strangers and says "HI" in a really loud voice to passerbys at the store. It breaks my heart when people ignore him or do not hear him because his effort is so genuine. I love that when Brody is aggravated it sounds like he is yelling at us in German. I love that Brody would rather sleep on me than in his bed and he loves his white bunny (who we call stink bunny because he is stinks most of the time from Brody chewing on him). I love that Brody randomly claps for us when we do mundane tasks like take the milk out of the fridge. I love that he loves is brother so much even though he is a bit rough with him and tends to sit on him and lay on him a lot. I love that he is a brute and a love all rolled into one!
This has been one incredible year! I can't wait to see what the next year holds for the McLeans!
P.S. Here is a small video of Brody taking some of his first steps. I have yet to capture Brady but I will! http://youtu.be/XKB5_NEpn78
Favorite eats: There is very little Brody does not like to eat (hence the 4 lbs advantage he has over Brady). He seems to love peas, apples and baby guacamole.
Tricks: Brody is so very strong. He can manipulate toys and blocks into position while standing and he has taken 3 steps! He is able to stand and dead lifts heavy wooden toys over his head. He can also manage to find his way out of any enclosed area by pulling gates/fences away form the wall and slithering out. Brody can say the same words that Brady can and he also says "what's that".
Some of my favorite memories about Brody: I love that he lays his head on my should during playtime just to say hi or to get a little extra love. I love that just when I think he is calm and relaxed after eating a bottle, Brody will immediately open his mouth and laugh in my face, escalating the mood of the moment. I love that he can dance and if you say "dance, dance, dance" he shakes his butt and goes low. I love that he LOVES to laugh and constantly waves at strangers and says "HI" in a really loud voice to passerbys at the store. It breaks my heart when people ignore him or do not hear him because his effort is so genuine. I love that when Brody is aggravated it sounds like he is yelling at us in German. I love that Brody would rather sleep on me than in his bed and he loves his white bunny (who we call stink bunny because he is stinks most of the time from Brody chewing on him). I love that Brody randomly claps for us when we do mundane tasks like take the milk out of the fridge. I love that he loves is brother so much even though he is a bit rough with him and tends to sit on him and lay on him a lot. I love that he is a brute and a love all rolled into one!
This has been one incredible year! I can't wait to see what the next year holds for the McLeans!
P.S. Here is a small video of Brody taking some of his first steps. I have yet to capture Brady but I will! http://youtu.be/XKB5_NEpn78
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