Cast your vote

A few weeks ago my work held their annual fund raising event.  I was 18 weeks pregnant in this picture and realized this is the first and only belly bump picture I have of Baby #2.  See, it's already starting...second child syndrome.  Now that we are 21 weeks into this pregnancy, I better start taking some "bump" shots.

Similar to our first pregnancy, we are not going to find out the gender of this baby.  So, cast your vote to the right of this blog.  Will #2 (so far this is the nickname most used) be a BOY or a GIRL?

Easter!

We must admit, we are terrible at celebrating holidays.  Case in point, Brock's second birthday.  Poor kid didn't even get a cake!  But we lucked out with Easter this year.  Our local YMCA was hosting a Healthy Kids Day which coincidentally happened to be the day before Easter.  So, one of their courageous staff members donned a bunny suit and let the kids crawl all over her.  At first, Brock was a bit freaked out by the enormous animal waving at him but after a while, he proceeded to give the bunny a high five and a fist pump.  He even gave a half hearten hug near the end.  Sadly, I left my phone/camera in the car so we have no photographic memories to share.  But, as a consolation prize, here is a picture of Brock climbing in and out of our friend's car.  He really likes cars and all their fancy gadgets.

 

Officially Two!

I can't figure out why the pictures are sideways...sorry!

Brock turned two on March 27th.  Unlike his first birthday with family, friends and a fancy cupcake, this year was real low key. We figured save the big birthday celebrations for when he's older and actually cares.

More importantly than cake and balloons, Brock is healthy.  At his two-year check up, our physician was pleased with his weight gain (at 18 months, he was dipping in weight).  This made us (me in particular) very pleased because we had been worrying about his caloric intake these past six months.  He still doesn't get fed any juices or sugary treats, which contributes to being in a lower weight category but we agree that instilling healthy eating habits are a lifetime treat. 

Stats then and now...

March 27, 2010
Height: 19.75 inches
Weight:  7 lbs., 5 oz.
Head circumference: 46 cm

March 27, 2012
Height: 2', 7.9"
Weight: 23 lbs, 6.4 oz.
Head circumference:  48.5 cm

Brock's length-for-age and weight-for-age remains in the 5th percentile but his weight-for-length is in the 30th percentile.  Bottom line,our physician said keep up the good work.  He also couldn't stop saying, "He's so cute!"  But we already knew that!

What's Brock into these days? 

In the food category, he's digging:
- Mac n' Cheese
- Plain pasta
- Cris' rice (our nanny apparently makes the bomb rice!)
- Cris' beans (again, bomb black beans)
- Quesadillas
- Grilled cheese sandwiches with whole grain breads
- PB n' J
- Cheese (string, cream and baby bells)
-Most fruits (apples, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, mangoes, grapes...)
- Carrots
-Sugar snap peas
-Edamame

And, in the play category, he LOVES:
- Anything with wheels - cars, trains, trucks, etc.
- His new red tricycle
- His new baseball bat and t-ball stand
- His new play structure that includes a climbing wall, slide and ladder.  Way cool!
- Running
-Reading books - tons and tons of books
- Singing songs
- Taking baths
- Little Splashers swim class at the YMCA
- Repeating EVERYTHING we say
- Snuggling (he says "cozy")
- Watching Elmo and trash truck you tube videos
- Jumping
-Climbing
-Brushing his teeth
-Coloring with crayons
-Getting into everything
- and sadly, biting and hitting.  We're working on this...ugh!

In August Brock's world is about to get rocked.  A new sibling (also not finding out the gender) is on the way.  Any suggestions on bringing home #2 is greatly appreciated.  

Almost Two

At the end of this month, Brock turns TWO!  We can't believe how quickly time is zipping by. Last week, to celebrate my 40th, Grandma's 70th, Cousin Anna's 16th, and Brock's 2nd, we went to San Diego for a weekend of family and sunshine. 

Brock has been talking about seeing Baby Logan (his cousin, our nephew) for months and months.  So, he finally gets to see Baby Logan in the flesh - finally!  And what does he do?  Hits him.  Many. Times.  Makes the poor kid cry.  Seeing that Baby Logan, who is 9 months old, is already the same weight as Brock, if Little Man Brock were smart, he'd best not upset Baby Logan anymore... Just sayin'...

Well, one thing is for sure, Brock better learn how to share his time and toys because in August, SURPRISE, he's becoming a big brother!  

22 months old!?!

Brock is almost two.  TWO!  Wow, time is really flying by.  In fact, so much that we haven't even had time to write updates on this blog (sorry blog fans, a.k.a. Mom). 

So what have the McCormick's been doing since our last post...in December!?!

January was here and gone before we knew it.  Getting back into work after enjoying some down time during the holidays was pretty much the focus of this month.   And while the holidays are long gone, the memories made during that time are fade-less. 

Grandma came to stay with Brock while we jetted over to Europe at the end of January for a trade show in Amsterdam (for Brian's company) and we managed to squeeze in a lot of site seeing before and after the show.  Just our luck, Europe was having severe winter storms. But the freezing (literally) temperatures did not stop us from finding our favorite restaurants and a street close by that housed a wine shop, a cheese shop and a bakery.  Need I say more?  Paradise!  We've been at the gym every day since we returned.  Oh, but it was worth it.  There is nothing finer than eating fresh breads and cheeses three meals a day.  Yum, yum, yum.  I do miss those chocolate croissants...

Meanwhile, back at the Palo Alto ranch -er (yep, we live in a rancher), Brock and Grandma were having so much fun the little bugger didn't miss us one bit.  I'm pretty sure Grandma had the time of her life, too.  She didn't have to share her Brock time and they really bonded.  Since she's been gone, whenever he wants something and we say no, he starts to cry for Grandma.  Spoiled Grandchild?  Check.  Grandma's job is done!

Clear the roads!

Brock showing off his new driving skills.  Apparently off-road driving is in his future.

Christmas, again?

It's strange to think that this will be Brock's 2nd Christmas.  Brock had a nasty cold that moved into his lungs and landed us in the ER a couple of days after Christmas so even though we all felt fine and enjoyed the holiday, I'm pretty sure Brock was not.  Thankfully, he appears to be much healthier this year and since he is older, more aware of what the holidays actually are.  This picture was taken last year in front of grandma and grandpa's tree.  Poor guy was so congested.

About two weeks ago, we rushed over to the Stanford Shopping Center to pay a visit to Santa Claus.  Preparing for this event, we showed Brock the picture he took last year and really hyped up this Santa dude.  It worked!  Brock loved seeing Santa.  The kids before and after him were crying hysterically while our little man waved and smiled at Santa.  Atta Boy!  Brock and Santa are now besties.

To continue keeping the spirit of Christmas in our home, we brought home a Brock friendly tree perched high on a table out of reach from curious little hands.  After he went to sleep, we decorated the tree and house with lights and decorations. In the morning, we caught Brock's first view of the tree on video. He was very excited to see the tree but once he realized he was on camera, he became more interested in seeing himself on camera.  Such a ham...

As the holidays near, we look forward to seeing family and feeling blessed to have such a wonderful life.