Brett's laughter is contagious

18 months...who does he get it from?

As another month has come and gone, Rob and I are still amazed that we made this little ball of energy and life. We’ve noticed some characteristics/tendencies that reflect one or the other of us and we thought we’d share…

Brett loves BBQ sauce (or any condiment) and will not rest until a pile is on his tray to dip his food in, or to lick off his fingers...this is straight from his MAMA
Brett is fearless and does not seem to care about falling or getting hurt...DADDY
But then cries and comes running if he actually does fall...DADDY (very I-told-you-so-ish)
Brett is social at times and I’ve noticed always says hello and smiles to the ‘older folks’ when we are at the store...I’m thinking MAMA
Brett on the other hand struggles with appropriate social interactions and often stands uncomfortably close ‘observing’ or ‘staring’ at other kids while they play (quite frequently, this is a girl)...DADDY (they both have much to learn:)
Brett loves to listen to music and dance...BOTH
Brett has recently learned how to ‘head-bang’ (see video posted soon) and thinks this is hilarious...DADDY for sure, with the influence of Uncle Pat
Brett has always and is still a HUGE snuggler...MAMA?
Brett daily wrestles and ‘tackles’ his father...yes, this is from a very proud DADDY
Brett will wipe his tray when done eating...MAMA
Brett can not stand to have his feet under covers...MAMA, you have to have at least one foot out to balance the temperature (everyone knows that)
Brett on a few occasions has grabbed his bucket of toys, given me a kiss, said ‘bye’ and tried to walk out the door...I’m guessing trying to be his DADDY going to work
Brett loves anything boyish, i.e. football, basketball, soccer ball, cars, trucks, etc...DADDY
Brett also loves to be ‘handy’, he constantly is pretending to hammer things in the wall, screw things into the furniture and build things...I have no idea where this is from, both his parents are extremely unhandy
Brett is full of curiosity and loves to see how things work, or how high he can stack his blocks...both?
Brett then gets extremely frustrated and will throw said blocks if/when they happen to fall...DADDY
Brett seems to be empathetic; he gets sad if he sees others upset...MAMA
Brett also shows resistance to boundaries and challenges authority (ex. When told to get down from his toys and redirected, he looks at me, smiles and does it again)...this is very much from his DADDY!
Brett knows how to warm my heart, even when I feel I’m about to lose it because he’s being difficult, Brett will come give me a hug and kiss and magically all is well...definitely something he learned from his Daddy

Rob and Brett Training

Something Brett learned from Uncle Pat

18 months

Our boxer in Ohio

Oct 09

17 Months

Another month has come and gone. The Harmans finally moved into their new house and are SLOWLY getting settled in. There’s still lot of work to do…with of course another baby room to prepare!
Brett is becoming such a big boy. He’s communicating more and more (lots of talking, pointing and yelling). All the sudden he’s been doing the signs for ‘more’ and ‘please’ and does them consistently at each meal. Grandpa and Grandma Wood were nice enough to come out and have a weekend of house projects with us. Granted, there was still a little playtime. Brett loved playing with Grandpa and trying to tackle him…must be a male thing.
I was worried about Brett transitioning to the new house but he seems to love it. That may also have something to do with not having the gates up yet and he having full reign throughout the house. It’s very funny for him to run from his room to our room which is across the hall instead of on a different floor. I keep finding his bath toys in our bed…
We’re headed to Ohio for Halloween/Early Thanksgiving/Great Grandma’s 90th Bday party! I’m sure we’ll have lots of pictures to share after…

Flying with Grandpa! More! More!

Summer is over, back to school and what...The White House??

Summer is over:(
It has been a wonderfully busy last couple of weeks. At Brett’s 15 month appt, we discovered he is still in the 25-50th percentile for height and weight…and still standing strong with 75% for head size. The doctor commented “well, he’s always had a big head”.
Brett is showing us more and more that he is understanding what we are saying. When we say ‘bathtime’, he gets up and walks to the bathroom. When we say ‘eat’, he walks to his highchair. When we say ‘bedtime or nap’, he cries. It really became apparent when Rob and I were discussing what we were doing one day and Rob volunteered to take Brett with him on some errands so I could rest (such a sweet husband). Rob mentioned that he would have to put pants on the baby (by the way, whenever Rob changes Brett’s diaper, he NEVER puts pants back on him). Brett was running around and when we went to go look for him, he came out holding his shorts for Rob to put on. Brett had walked into his room, opened the correct dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of shorts to wear. It didn’t even occur to us that he was paying attention.
Brett’s starting to say a few more words; he says ‘dadeee’ ALL the time, ‘mama’, ‘hi’, ‘eat’, ‘nana’ for banana, and ‘woof’ when he sees a dog. Brett and I went for a walk this morning and when we were in front of the Colellas’ house, Brett walked right up, climbed the stairs and looked in the window saying ‘woof’ for their dog Penny. He also knows that his friend Josie lives there and sometimes she gives him kisses…:)
We are still finishing up work at the new house. Most of the construction work is done; we built a new garage, changed some walls and fixed the hundreds of holes that the previous owners left. We are still looking to paint and redo carpet before we move in. Ironically the new baby is getting the bigger closet, which is nice since we are having a girl. Rob is still getting used to the idea of a little girl, apparently it came as quite a shock. I think he is scared how much she will have him wrapped around her tiny, delicate finger. Brett, on the other hand, could care less at this point but does very much enjoy my growing belly and thinks it’s funny to line his toys up on it.
Other amazingly astonishing Harman news….Rob and I were invited to the White House and were able to meet the President and First Lady. To clarify, Rob was invited and I tagged along:) With Rob’s teaching and wrestling success last year, he was chosen to be highlighted in the final Chicago Olympic bid presentation. Film crews from LA got footage of our house, Rob’s school, Maine South, and even rented out UIC to tape his wrestlers. It has been a whirlwind of uncharted territory for the Harman family. In the chaos of filming, World Sports also invited Rob, along with other youth coaches and former Olympians, to the White House to attend an event where President Obama was promoting the Chicago bid and advocating for youth sports. I would say in the brief minute that we had in introductions; we’d say that the Obamas are lovely people, tall, and quite approachable. And really just quite impressive to meet in person. As Rob loves to share, I was hugged by the First Lady…TWICE!

End of Summer and White House Trip!

Such a smart baby!!

This one's for Aunt Bobbie

This wonderful metal cup was given to Brett from his Great Aunt Bobbie. During breakfast the other morning I realized Brett was in the mood for hitting things, when it occurred to me that he could go to town on his shiny red cup. As you can see he had a great time. When I gave it to him, there was a moment that he looked at me questioningly...as if to say 'you're really going to let me do this?'. When I didn't stop him, his face lit up with pure delight. It was a joy to watch him make ‘music’!

14 months

14 Months

Another month has come and gone, and rather quickly I might add. Still enjoying our summer vacation, the Harman crew took one more round trip to Michigan and Ohio to visit family and friends. We spent a week in Grand Haven sharing a condo with Uncle Phil, Auntie Kylie and cousin Aubrey, and spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Wood. Brett thoroughly enjoyed the beach and played happily in the sand with his new Thomas the Train toys. We spent most of the afternoons in the pool, which Brett soon became quite comfortable with. Brett loved getting out, walking on the edge (much to his mother’s dismay), and jumping in the water. Thank goodness for floaties and fast swimming by the adults! He also thought it was pretty humorous to push in a nice little boy who we did not know. Thankfully the boy could swim and played along for Brett as he laughed hysterically.
Our condo was only a few minutes from Great-grandma Johnson so we were able to visit a couple days. Brett actually tried to join the seniors during their ‘activity time’. The nursing home residents got quite a kick out of this little toddler running around after their balloons. One discovery that as proud parents we will have to share…Brett seems to be showing signs of an incredible sense of direction. On the second day of Great-Grandma visits, Brett left the dinning room and walked right down the hall. He made a stop by the activity room where he was playing the day before, after seeing it was vacant, he proceeded down to his Great-grandmother’s room and walked right in. At the condo where we were staying, Brett correctly made the 5-7 turns through the halls, to the elevator, and to our room on a number of occasions. This would be a talent from his Uncle Brett as I hear he had a great gift for finding his way…unlike Rob and myself.
The Harman family finally closed on their new house and is excited to start working towards making it our home. There is much to do so the time will undoubtedly pass quickly again in the next couple of weeks. We will find out if Brett will be welcoming a little brother or sister at the end of this month. Which means, we are half-way through the pregnancy already! Wow.

A few stories from Rob...

Two recent events stand out and put my mind at ease, Brett will live a good life like his namesake. Yesterday walking through the park, Brett put in the equivalent of a couple miles, considering his tiny legs, pushing his big colorful toy car/stroller, and wouldn’t relent even though it was apparent he was tired; we tried to ease his burden by placing him in it as a passenger. He would have none of that as his self-appointed job for the day was to push the massive car forward, objects in its path be damned! We finally had to override his sense of duty as the exhaustion was taking over. He started to lean forward, dropped his forehead down to the concrete and almost completed a picturesque forward roll. He didn’t cry or complain; he had given his all and was spent. An afternoon well lived.
Today after a brunch at Luxbar near our favorite corner of Rush and Oak in the Gold Coast, we perused the Barnes & Noble on State St. Upon reaching the second floor I noticed a large man that was Derrick Lee, the all star first baseman for our beloved Cubs. Although I’m a fan, I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by saying anything to him, figuring how many times does one person need to hear, “I hope it’s our year!”. Brett was not as cool. I was looking through the biographies section and let Brett wander nearby in the games section. I looked over and at first I thought he was staring at the vibrant colors and characters displayed on the various game boxes. On further inspection, he was unabashedly staring at Mr. Lee’s daughter. Brett seemed transfixed by her beauty and not deterred in the least by their age difference (5 years?). She moved to the end of the small aisle and Brett followed and stopped near by, continuing to gaze with his mouth agape and drooling (he’s a drooler, it wasn’t a creepy thing). She walked around to the other side looking at the games and Brett followed. She finally noticed the little boy following her and smiled, Brett came out of his trance and smirked back, his face aglow. Derrick had walked up and I was feeling a little uncomfortable with Brett’s naked adoration. I picked Brett up, commenting, “Sorry, I think my son has a crush.” He chuckled
I was impressed with Brett’s persistence and don’t fault him in the least for his social miscues as I haven’t explained to him how to properly express his feelings toward the opposite sex. He’s got a great eye for the ladies and wears his heart on his sleeve. You gotta respect that.

13 months!

We had a wonderful weekend hanging out with the Thornburg and Wood families. We had Big Brett(Thornburg) and little Brett(Harman), both named after the original Brett Harman. It was a little confusing at times as to who was talking about who, but it was a lot of fun! Rob, Dustin, Phil, and Kylie took Big Brett to his first Cubs game against the Indians. They said they had a good time but came home early since it was extremely warm. Cubs won:) Sorry Phil. Uncle Phil was kind enough to blow up the Rainbow pool to cool off. But the water was so cold, only Big Brett seemed to enjoy it. Poor kid was still inviting us in even after he was shaking and turning blue.

Other Brett news: our Brett got his 2nd haircut. He looks so grown up, but did not handle the cut very well. I'm surprised the stylist was able to do such a good job since Brett was crying and thrashing around.
This month Brett has started bringing us books to read to him. His favorites seem to be The Very Hungry Caterpillar and 5 Croaking frogs. He still likes to head-butt his father and often challenges him to a forehead fight. Brett was nice enough to also 'affectionately' head-butt his Great Aunts Bobbie and Barbie at Rob's grandmother's 90th birthday party. I guess someone had to bring the entertainment:) Brett has certainly gotten used to both his mom and dad being home for summer break. He does not like it if we leave him and has no problem telling us so. With my growing waist we’ve been trying to tell Brett ‘there’s a baby in mama’s belly’. Brett just seems to enjoy belly buttons and thinks it’s hilarious to pull up our shirts and poke our belly buttons. Funny for home, but embarrassing if he starts doing this in public!
Brett has recently shown us a 'Happy Dance' where he stomps his feet and laughs hysterically. We are still trying to get it on video.

Brett and Josie dates, Ohio friends and trip to Columbus Zoo with Asha!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! Love my new slide!

Happy Birthday Brett!

Brett playing catch

Brett's One Year Photos

Brett's ONE!!!

There is so much to update for May! Brett is walking constantly. He is really into pushing things...anything with wheels. During a trip to Ohio, Brett tried to get behind his great-grandmother and push her wheelchair! Thankfully he couldn't figure out how to unlock it. The other day, I took too long talking to a friend at the store and Brett took off with the shopping cart. Even at the park now, Brett would rather push the stroller around than play. And if you tell him no, or it's time to go....watch out. New to appear this month is Brett's little friend - Temper Tantrum. He will either throw his head back and scream or throw himself on the ground...and scream. Yes, I was that mom walking out of the park with the kid who hollered and thrashed around all the way down the block. Ironically Grandma Nancy has recently shared that this is quite similar to what Rob used to do. I should have figured…
We went for Brett's 12 month check up and his doctor commented on how CUTE he was on more than one occasion. Clearly we agree. Brett's had a little growth spurt and is now in the 60th percentile in height for his age! YEA! His weight has not quite caught up and he's only around 25%. Not to worry, the most consistent growth would be his head circumference and that is a standard 75%.
Obviously 1st Birthdays are a big deal for the parents. We ended up with 3 cakes, 2 parties and 1 tired, sick baby. Brett is stocked up with tons of toys; cars, multiple firetrucks, blocks, etc. Very manly toys of course. If you missed one of his parties, then you missed the BIG present: for Brett's birthday he found out he's going to be a BIG brother! As if things are not exciting enough, it appears we will be adding ANOTHER Harman baby in January. Thankfully his parents finished their Masters this year, so really this one should be a piece of cake, right??

12 months

Brett gets so excited trying to walk

Silly monkeys in the house

11 Months - Many firsts!

Yet another month has flown by. Brett is keeping his parents very busy as he is constantly active and getting into everything. As noted earlier, Brett has taken his first couple of steps. I was naive to think that this whole walking thing would be a slow progression giving us time to adjust. But Brett has other plans. He frequently is standing and taking multiple steps at a time. If you hold onto his hands, he literally tries to run - Ask Auntie Zora! He also loves it if you 'chase' him when he's crawling. He'll make a mad dash across the room, turn to make sure you are following, squeal and then continue. It's so funny.
Brett's been eating more and more big kid food. He still loves hotdogs, peas, and is currently obsessed with these Gerber puffs. What an amazing discovery that was! He is feeding himself now, which is certainly a big help and amusing to watch.
Today was a big day...we went for Brett's first haircut AND moved him into his bigboy carseat. We loved his curly locks but they were starting to get a little out of control. Brett couldn't have been better. He played with the car, flirted with his stylist and made friends with the other little babies. Brett didn't shed a single tear...not the same for his mama. Rob said if this is bad, just wait until he goes to school. It's hard to think that his first birthday day is next month!!!

11 Months

If you're happy and you know it

First Step

Yes, it is with bitter-sweet emotion, I share that Brett took his first for real legit step today. I yelled for Rob, who always thinks I'm overdramatic when it comes to Brett. And in true Harman fashion, Brett then proceeded to take two more with both very proud and tearful parents watching. Rob will never admit to the tears, but they were there!! Ironically Brett’s first steps were not walking to his mother with her arms open wide or his father playing with a ball. Brett’s first steps were walking towards a picture of himself that I had just framed….I don’t know what that means.

Playing ball!

Typical Harman Evening

Ten Months

Ten Months!

We have a Biter! Yes, now at 10 months Brett has started a new thing…biting! He has become more lovey; he hugs, snuggles and kisses. But every once in a while when you think he’s being sweet, he bites down hard on your skin with his amazingly strong little teeth and holds on for dear life. He has left his mark on more than one occasion. Certainly something we will need to work on before preschool, we can’t have him be the kid who bites.
Other than that, we are enjoying new things everyday. Brett is getting much better at standing and even tempts fate occasionally and to let go of support and stand alone. We may have had a run-in with the legs of the end table and chair which left really pretty parallel bruised lines down his forehead. One or both of us cried for while about that:(
We were at a baby shower recently and Brett LOVED his first experience eating a hot dog. He also quite enjoyed the cheese…he is definitely my child.
Brett has had a few playdates with our neighbor Josie. Even though Josie is younger by a couple of months, Brett seems to let her have her way. She always seems to take his pacifier or toys away...his father told him that he should get used to it.

Brett dancing away

9 months!!!!

Brett is 9 months now! I can’t believe how fast it has gone by. We went this week for his check up and the doc said he was ‘perfect’ (her words, not mine!). Brett is now 18 lb 12 oz. He’s in the 25th -50th percentile for height and weight. Apparently with his below average to average parents this is on track for his genetic potential (sorry honey). Not to worry, we are still leading the race with head circumference and Brett remains in the 75th percentile for that:) So when Rob calls Brett his big headed boy, it's truly more than just an affectionate name. The doctor comments at every appt how happy Brett seems to be and how much he appears to enjoy the attention from all the lady nurses! Again, anyone else seeing the resemblance of another Harman boy??
Brett spent Vday with his other 2 cousins (Asha 4 & Aubrey 2 ½ months) at Grandma and Grandpa Wood’s house. This was the first time for the grandparents to have all 3 babies at their house. Apparently everyone made it out ok. Brett loves to watch Asha run around…and thoroughly enjoyed hitting Aubrey’s chair making her bounce. I was told that Brett at one point crawled up and whacked Aubrey on the belly but then gently rubbed her head so maybe he knew he wasn’t supposed to do that!
Brett definitely seems to prefer standing over anything else…which has led to many, many falls and nose dives unto toys, floors and really anything that is close by. He typically gets mad and cries for a second and then goes right back to whatever he was doing. He still slams his head when he’s tired…this weekend he actually head butted his mama so hard that he ended up with a mouth full of blood and she walked away with a swollen lip. It’s tough being a mom of a rambunctious boy!!

I mean, should I take offense that he only says 'Mama' when he’s mad??

I was really trying for Mama and this is what I got

Someone is very ticklish

Feb - 8 months

Brett is getting better at crawling although still stays pretty low to the ground. He also is trying to pull himself up on toys, furniture, legs, whatever he can get his hands on. Uncle Phil and Auntie Kylie got Brett a music table for Christmas that he is really into now. He loves to hit all the instruments and dance in front of the mirror (a mini Rob no doubt).
Brett LOVES bath time. If you ask him if he's ready to take a bath, he laughs and jumps around. He is ecstatic when you lay him on the floor to take his clothes off. On the other hand, he HATES it when you take him out. You can always count on a good couple of minutes of screaming protests when you dry him off. He could be cold and shivering and still happy in the tub.
We are hearing more word-like sounds...his favorite seems to be 'dadadada'. Rob is quite proud. I always tell Brett to say mama, he smiles and then say’s 'dadadada'.

Starting up

Brett has been such a good and happy baby. He certainly has been the joy of his parents' lives since his arrival on May 24th, 2008. He smiles and laughs the majority of the day. You can even catch smiles sometimes when he's sleeping. His Auntie Zora and I like to say that's Uncle Brett entertaining him in his dreams.
Brett is 7 1/2 months and is really curious about everything around him. At his last check up (6months) he was just over 17 1/2 lbs. We've started a little bit of crawling....it looks more like an army crawl but at least it's forward movement! Brett's still eating baby food and his favorites seem to be sweet potatoes, carrots and bananas. It took quite awhile to get peas down, but it's easier now. He has two teeth on the bottom and we're thinking there will be some more soon! Brett is still a great cuddler, he loves snuggling up to take naps. You can tell when he is tired because he will SLAM his head into your chest. If he's not quite out yet, he'll raise his head, look around and then do it again. I swear he's going to crack a clavicle one of these days!