Watch Out...Here We Come!!!!

Brady and I will be coming home tomorrow!!! We will be staying for 3 weeks (including 2 weekends). This will be a very busy trip home because we have Regan's shower and bachelorette party, the crab party, a fall/winter wardrobe to buy for Brady, among other things, BUT, as always, I am happy to visit with whoever would like to see us! Just give us a call at my parents house, and we will work something out. Anyone is welcome to visit us there, or we will do our best to get out to visit wherever we can. We are looking forward to seeing everyone!

For those of you who are too far away to visit, here is a little Brady update: He is saying many more words and word approximations (actually, I would call them syllables...the sounds aren't usually right!), when you ask him what a cow, pig, and sheep say, he will answer in his own way. He also tries to make a fish face when you ask him what a fishie does. It's very cute! He climbs all kinds of things (like into his high chair when he is hungry), he is also able to go up the steps to a slide, and get his feet in front of him before he goes down...although, that doesn't stop him from going down head first sometimes (I knew that my preschool teacher training would come in handy as a parent!). Brady LOVES to dance, he shakes his little tooshie (refer to www.osterstockfamily.com under videos), and now, he puts his two index fingers in the air and shakes them up and down. He has also started to like watching TV a little bit more. He is usually allowed to watch at the end of the day when he is tired and he loves The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He has named himself Bubba by pointing to himself in pictures. He also calls "Mommy", and when he says "ma ma", it means "more". He has a little bit of a temper, and is going through a little bit of a hitting stage when another child takes a toy that he is playing with (what?!...not OUR Brady!). When you ask him where his "big fat belly" is, he points to it, as well as his nose (which he usually ends up picking) and his ears. AND...if you think things can't get any better than that...when he toots or belches, he giggles at himself! What a sense of humor...what a BOY!

Jeremy and I are constantly in awe of how quickly he and his friends learn new things. We love him so much, love spending time with him, and LOVE how funny he is! How did we get so blessed?! We are really looking forward to having everyone see how he is growing and changing...if not now, then over Christmas!

Rockin' and Rollin'...Well, Trying to Anyway!

Today, we spent a lovely day at Paula and Louisa's house! Brady, Elizabeth (left), and Louisa (right, obviously) had a great time trying to ride the see-saw, attempting to sneak up the steps, and banging pot lids on the furniture. Despite the mischief, the kids let out their energy while us parents got to enjoy a cup of coffee and relax (for a few seconds at a time). Brady fell asleep on the way home and slept for over 2 hours! Whoo hoo!

We'll Miss These Shopping Trips...

Having a little boy has made a trip to the mall a little bit more work than it used to be, but our trips to the mall here in Belgium have been made a lot more fun with Brady's buddy Cai and my friend Kerry. Unfortunately for us (but very exciting for them!), the Rees Family will be moving to Boston by the end of September. Hopefully, Kerry and I will be able to help the boys stay in touch over the years, and one day, I will show them this picture of Cai sitting on Brady's lap in the stroller, and, instead of shoving him off, Brady put his arms around Cai like a seat belt! It was so cute!

We wish Kerry, Aled, and Cai tons of luck and hope that they have a great time in Boston, BUT we will miss you!!!

More Castle Shopping

Jeremy and Brady took time to explore a castle in Beersel, Belgium. It had an authentic mote, draw bridge, and towers, but didn't appear to be the most comfortable of abodes. Brady had a blast giving his parents and grandma a heart attack as he charged for the mote the second he wiggled away from adult hands! So...I think we'll keep looking.

A Visit with Grandma Janet

Brady's Grandma Janet came to visit here in Belgium for 10 days and we had a lovely time. We had a chance to bring her to new places, introduce her to Brady's friends, and go shopping. We went to Brugge, Monchau; Germany, and Jeremy took her for a whirlwind day in Paris! Brady was thrilled to have attention from someone other than his mom and dad for a little while. We hope that Grandma Janet enjoyed her visit!

House Hunting

Should we buy a vacation house in France? We stopped by a few humble abodes to check it out. Brady was interested, and tried to prove that he could be the defender of the house, if we chose the first castle (formerly owned by William the Conqueror), but Jeremy and I though we might prefer to live on a more secluded island, where we could keep people out each time the tide came in (Mont St. Michel). But, since MSM gets over 3 million visitors a year on it's one 4-foot-wide road, we didn't get a great chance to view the place. Perhaps we will take another look once tourist season has ended! Do you think the owners of the Abbey will sell?

Normandy Beaches

We also visited several beaches while we were away. Unfortunately, each time we tromped down to the beach, laid out our blanket, emptied all 75 of Brady's sand toys from the bag, and got him in a swim diaper, the weather would suddenly turn windy, chilly, and over-cast. We tried 3 times and never got it right, but Brady never seemed to care. We didn't get to swim, but Brady and Jeremy had tons of fun playing in the sand. I, on the other hand, swaddled myself in all of the towels, put my jacket on, and watched the fun through my hair that was whipping my face! Ahhh...the memories!

Suddenly, a 2-year-old!

Gone are the days of walking past a fair, playground, or, well, anything that looks fun, without having to stop! During our vacation, we saw several fair rides and many other attractions meant for children, and Brady let us know each time that he wanted a turn! If we tried to walk past the carosel (pictured at the top), he pointed, cried out, became a wet noodle, and generally threw a fit until we let him ride, or got out of eye-shot. What made it interesting was that the carosel was at the center of town, leaving few ways to get around it without Brady seeing! He also spent time on several playgrounds in each city where we stayind, and a huge kiddie playland (pictured at the bottom) with tons of air-filled bouncy things, and cars to scoot around in! He had a great time, and so did we. We just can't believe that he's actually old enough now to want to do these things...it happened so fast!

The Butterfly Garden

On the first day of our vacation down the coast of France, through Normandy, Jeremy had to work, so Brady and I explored a few places on our own. One such place was Natrospace, a giant indoor butterfly garden. Once Brady woke up, he had a great time trying to touch the butterflies and exploring. It was a perfect place to bring him, and watching him made it so much fun for me!

What's up with the sink?

I can't really explain it, but for some reason, while we were visiting home, Brady started begging to play in the sink. He would sit for hours turning the water on and off, getting soaked, getting stripped down to his diaper, and so on. I, the mean mother, mostly refused to indulge this strange wish of Brady's, but his Aunt Boo and cousin Michelle were happy to give him whatever he wanted (no surprise there!). I tried to make him play outside with the hose, but after stepping on a bee (me, not him) as I went out to play with him, I gave in and let him do what made him happy inside. He's lucky to have so many loving and indulgent family members!

Visiting the Campions

Something that I have wanted to do ever since Brady was born, was get a chance to introduce him to our friends, the Campions. Joyce and Carl have been friends to both Jeremy and I since before we even started dating, and I couldn't wait for them to meet our favorite little man! We went over their house for dinner (Joyce is a wonderful cook!) and had an great time! They spent the evening running after Brady and letting him lay claim to things in their home, while I was able to enjoy a relaxing meal. Even though both of their boys are out in the real world (well, Andrew is in college, but close enough) both Carl and Joyce were so in tune to what it's like having a baby, that it was so easy to be there...at least for me! I'm sure they both slept well that night...chasing Brady could probably tire out even the most successful marathon runner (not that I would know what that's like). And, I hope that he didn't call Japan during all of the time he spent playing with their phone!

Just Sittin' Around, Being a Dude...

...in the refrigerator? This kid LOVES his food. And when he's not hanging around the fridge to scope out a snack, he's swindling water out of Poppy. Does anyone ever say no to Brady? At least not his grandparents! Might I mention that my Dad NEVER shared bottles of anything with us growing up. Brady has managed to help him overcome germ-o-phobia. I guess that's what the stethoscope is for in the bottom picture. This kid is amazing...Harvard, here he comes!

Visiting Nana and Pap!

Another fun event while we were home...Brady, along with my parents, sister and I had a chance to visit Brady's Nana and Pap on their farm. Brady wasn't too keen on this young (and a little bold) stallion that was staying in the stables, but with a few more visits, hopefully, he will get more comfortable! Brady did, however, enjoy the yummy barbecue, great company, and dancing on the porch with his Nana. (I was able to get video of Brady dancing, but can't put it on the blog. I will try to figure out how to post it on our website from my camera.) It was a great night!

The Jersey Shore (or "Beach")

While visiting home this past July, my parents and I decided to take Brady on his first "Fletcher" family trip. So, in typical Fletcher fashion, we loaded up the car to capacity (yes, I said a day trip), then we waited for my Dad to join us (after cleaning out the garage), then my parents argued (staple of a family trip), and FINALLY, we drove the hour and a half to Avalon beach. And I must say, I would wait in the car for my dad for 7 hours if it means getting to take Brady to the beach again. He had SO MUCH FUN! We hadn't even dropped our bags yet before Brady was digging in the sand with his shovel. Uncle Blaise buried Brady's legs in the sand...very fun. And, Brady LOVED standing at the edge of the water as the waves rushed over his legs. He kept trying to bend over and blow bubbles in the water, but by the time he got to it, the water was gone...perplexing. When the water actually rushed up over his face, he didn't even get upset...he just loved everything that the beach had to offer. It was like his giant playground! We will be bringing Brady to the beach on our vacation next week, and I can't wait to see how happy it makes Brady again!

Independence Day!

In the spirit of Independence Day, Michelle and I decorated the airplane that Brady's Aunt Boo bought for him. It took into the late hours of the night before we finished perfecting the glamorous decor on the plane, but come morning, it was drizzling, and quite frankly, none of us felt like parading in a cold drizzle, so we went out to breakfast instead...Hey, it's the American way! And Brady looked darn adorable in his red, white, and blue!