There's a new sherriff in town....

...and his name is Connor Dodson Brandes. Born June 27, 2009 at 1:06 PM. 7 lbs. 10 oz. Baby and mom doing well, parents adjusting to even less sleep than before. Big sister Caroline is enthralled with "baby cah" and we're pretty dang happy about that. Here are some pictures of the little guy and the past few days (all self-explanatory):

Spring Fling 2009

Kids = Cute. Never more true than this vid clip of the Toddler II class singing "Wheels on the Bus."
More pictures....
Crazy dad at the pre-school circus:
Climbing thru the wormhole at the circus:
With Poppa on the carousel at the mall:
Class picture day dress!:
On the swing in the mountains:
Hiking through the woods:
First bubble bath (again in the mountains):
Styling and profiling in the mountains:
OUCH! On Easter I cut my finger and Mummy and Daddy had the first cut to take care of. I've scratched my knees before, but this was a lot different...
After they got it all better (and kissed it of course) I rode home with Granmere - she and Ed really helped me through it:
On the slide - check out that hat:
Hanging out with Granmere:
It's a bunny! Later on, Caroline (who had been following the Cooper's dog around most of the day) was on the porch playing with Owen (the dog). She looked up at a friend of ours and said - in a voice that plainly and innocently suggested nobody else knew what she knew - "It's a puppy."
In the back yard at the new house:
At the zoo for a field trip:
Class picture at the zoo:
Spring fling!:

Better Late Than Never....

Criminy! Nothing since November? What am I thinking? Was it laziness, indifference, or too many other things elbowing out my time for this? The latter, for the most part with a little of the former thrown in for seasoning. Since November, let's see and think about what's happened, first with words then with pictures... Caroline is of course walking like a champ and is showing us the beginnings of her future running ability. Late last Fall she went through a spurt where her vocabulary seemed to explode, as did her penchant for being a chatterbox. Everybody at the Publix and Lizard's Thicket is a friend (Caroline greets them all with a wave, a smile, and a "Hiiii-eeee"). She met Santa at the Five Points Festivus Celebration, developed her first crush on Michelle and Phil's oldest son Jackson, continues to be a daredevil - neither unafraid to climb to the top of anything nor has she met a slide she refused to fly down, and remains wholly enamored of all things puppy. We've since discovered that in fact she will not be having a little sister - as we were first 90+ % sure of - but instead will be having a little brother to dote on. We're expecting him to arrive in early July, no names picked out yet (what a difference between him and the naming business preceding Caroline's arrival). She's also recently entered another spurt. It's hard to describe exactly, except that she seems to be "getting" a lot of the things we tell her much better than before, she's entered a new world of communicating with us, her vocabulary is getting better and better, and she is demanding more and more hugs (which she calls a "ho"...no comment) every day. She loves pointing at things and declaring their existence - airplane, slide, swing, balloon, bus, car, blues clues, elmo, big bird, tree, puppy, kitty, pinecomb, fan, chair, bubbles, and much more. She constantly demands to go "outside" and if we delay our efforts to let her out she tells us impatiently to "c'mon!" along with a sweep of her arm. She's showing signs of outgrowing her diapers (she sometimes tells us the right answer if we ask whether she has poopies and will often tug at them), has taken well to the "time out" punishment, which has helped us cut way down on throwing food off her tray during dinnertime, and enjoys allowing daddy to help her brush her teeth twice a day. OK, onto the pictures....

Walkin', Talkin' Baby

Caroline has moved, sigh, from infant status firmly into the early stages of toddlerhood. Watching her walk around like a drunken sailor on shore leave, arms raised up and askew in an effort to maintain balance while she squeals with laughter is only our first clue. It's also the constant babbling in an effort to repeat everything we say to her, her ability to understand what we say to her, her hugs that she is starting to give out freely, and the kisses she's blowing us. Here are a few most recent pictures.

My first vinegar french fry...mmm-mmmmmmm

Getting ready for my first SC State Fair!

At the park with mommy

Mimi's glasses fit me!

Wild Wings with Mimi

FOUND!

With mommy and daddy at Halloween Trunk or Treat

My first Halloween

On the carousel for the first time

At the fair, riding the elephant with daddy

Blurry, but it's me! Girl in motion on the swing!