Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas

Ho ho ho and Merry Christmas to all of you! Can you believe only 2 more days until Santa Claus comes to see me? I wish I could tell you how very excited I am! Santa gave a dry run in UB last night; he came to my house on a firetruck! Guess what else...he gave me a candy cane AND an orange! I was so tickled, I took the orange to bed with me. I also had some of it for breakfast. You will never believe who's here hanging out and counting down to Santa with me. Seems to me there's another reason they are here but in my excitement for Santa, candy canes and presents, it escapes me. That's right, Gram and Gramps B. are here for the duration and you wouldn't believe how much I love them! As a matter of fact, I don't know who is having more fun, mom or me. As you can see from above, I have been practicing for Christmas opening a few presents each day. The jig was up when Gram and Gramp got here and insisted I open their presents. Little did I know that mom and dad had such wonderful toys hidden underneath all the pretty paper and bows. Once I figured it out, they are having quite a time keeping yours truly out of the presents. At least I am an equal opportunity opener, yesterday I opened one of mom's gifts from dad. Luckily, Gramma B. was the one who caught me! So far I am cleaning up. Gram and Gramps got me a bruder cement truck. It is AWESOME!! I love stuffing my hand in the cab and all of my hotwheels in the barrel. Mom hasn't quite figured out how to get them back out, but I trust her ingenuity. I also got a Nemo bath towel and wash cloth that lights up, a Nemo hotwheels car, a Nemo lunch box, a deck of Nemo cards, a hotwheels carrier, Barney videos with my very own Barney, some new hotwheels cars, an awesome ocean book, and some new gardening gloves all from the Costello gang and aunt Helen. As you can tell, I do love Nemo and Barney. I really love my new big boy magic markers and coloring books from Ms. Michele too. For some reason, mom watches me like a hawk with those; perhaps she is worried about me writing on something I am not supposed to. Can you imagine?! Word on the street is that we can also expect Grammy and Pappy J. for a visit. Seems as everyone is waiting for the big arrival, and not so patiently at that. Poor mom had a false alarm yesterday; she thought she was going to finally get to meet my brother. Her doctor said she is 2cm and 50% effaced and even mentioned the word induction. Mom actually did a dance in the exam room. While she waited, the doctor phoned labor and delivery, but to no avail, they were all booked up until at least next Monday. SO, unless the little guy decides to come on his own, mom has yet ANOTHER date with Dr. Barnett next Monday. Keep her in your prayers; you know she is being a trooper. She told me, if it was meant to be, they would've had a spot for her, so, we wait! That's ok, I know she is excited to be home for Christmas morning. Seems as if mom, dad, and Santa are all in cahoots for some big surprises. Fine by me, I am all for conspiring for presents. As you can see from above, Gram and Gramps are keeping me busy and very entertained. You should have seen me applying sprinkles to the cookies Gramma made, I am such a big boy. They are beautiful indeed, and you know my sprinkling finesse made them taste TERRIFIC. We are planning peanut butter kiss cookies for tomorrow and possibly doing lunch at Chick-fil-A. This morning we went to Panera for bagels and coffee. Bless mom's heart, she is like a new woman with all of the help. She went from constantly stressing about all there is to do, to being on top of everything! She even napped while I did the past two afternoons. I must tell you I have been doing naps in my big boy bed. Can you believe how fast I am growing? It breaks my poor mother's heart! Well folks, thank you for checking in, but it is getting late and I better hit the hay. I want to be well rested for the big day! We will let you know as soon as Baby B. gets here. The holiday greetings are already designed, we are patiently waiting for the pictures. Don't worry, you'll get yours hot off the press. Meanwhile, we thank you kindly for your cards, gifts, and pictures, and of course for your well wishes. We will be thinking of you and counting you in our Christmas blessings. Please keep us close in heart and come and see us when you get the chance. Have a blessed and beautiful Christmas and hopefully, you'll be hearing the wonderful news from us SOON. We love you dearly, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Cooper B.

Santa Claus is Coming!

Hello out there and Happy Holidays, did you know it is almost Christmas? We have a lot to look forward to here in UB, to say the least. We are having several A-list guests in the next few weeks to include, my baby brother (brand spanking new), Gram and Gramps B, Grammy & Pappy J, and the new and instant favorite of mine, Santa Claus. He is so nice. I tell mom every day all about Santa Claus and how he is coming to bring me presents and candy canes. Have you had one of these delicious concoctions? If not, do yourself a favor. They are obviously and seriously underrated as no one has bothered to mention them up to this point. I could eat about 30 a day, possibly more. Mom bought me the cherry flavored kind at Walmart the other day (these are her favorite), but I LOVE those peppermint ones too. I say, "mine want candy canes." Of course, this does the trick nearly every time, except when I have yet to have my breakfast. For some reason m&d place quite a bit of emphasis on this meal as I have noticed I get NO candy before my breakfast, no matter how many times I ask for it. I guess I should count my blessings though, the way mom tells it, Dad is so hard core, I am lucky to get candy at all. He told her the other day that the stuff stays out of the house once the baby comes. Poor mom, her gravy train is almost over!! On with the news...I finally got my picture made with Santa Claus. But don't fool yourself into thinking I sat on that man's lap alone; mom squeezed in the picture with me, she's always horning in. I almost worked up my nerve to do it solo this Sunday, but Santa went to lunch before we made it back for the picture. More great news...mom is finished wrapping almost all of the presents. She has been busy as a bee making the house ready for both Christmas and my baby brother. I have also been doing my part in case you were wondering...every once in a while, I tear up the house when mom looks a little bored or lazy. I can't have her resting on the job too much or getting out of practice; it's about to get even crazier around here, you know. Also in the news, yesterday was my aunt Deb's birthday. If you get the chance, please wish her a happy belated. Speaking of birthdays, I think we need to throw poor mom some sort of party; she has been quite overwhelmed and emotional lately. She tells me she's fine and she sure is trying her best, but between you and me, I think those crazy hormones are getting the best of her. Needless to say, we are all anxious for both Santa C. AND Baby B. Luckily, help is on the way soon, in my most favorite form (read playthings), Gram and Gramps B. Bless their hearts, they have elected to spend their precious Christmas vacation days with us among the caterwalling and madness. Are they troopers or what?! They will likely need another 16 days of vacation when we are finished with them here in UB. Oh, big news before I forget, don't think we left you out of our holiday greetings. You know mom is always crazy about sending out the cards. But, if all goes well, we should have another big announcement before the New Year arrives to add to our Christmas/New Year cheer. Sooo, be sure to look for your holiday wishes in the form of a Merry Christmas/Happy New Year/Announcing the arrival of Baby B trifecta. We promise not to disappoint. We would also like to say a big ho, ho, ho, MERRY CHRISTMAS to you while we have the opportunity, just in case we become unavoidably detained in the near future. Not that we are holding our breath around here, but you never know when the baby may choose to arrive. We will keep you posted with any progress; mom goes back to the doctor on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed. Also, please know that even though there's no Christmas card in your mailbox, we are still thinking of you and wishing you the happiest and healthiest of Christmas and the New Year to come. May your days be merry and bright...and if you get the chance, drop on by to say hello to all of us here in UB. I will tell you a big story about candy canes, Santa Claus, snow, snowmen, and of course, presents. If you are really lucky, I may even share one of my candy canes with you and we'll watch Frosty, Santa, or Rudolph together. Until then, you take care and enjoy the Christmas preparations. Don't forget the reason for the season; it's easy to get caught up in the STRESS (according to mom). Rememer to count your blessings as we'll be counting loved ones like you. Lots of love dipped in peppermint and wrapped in a beautiful package, yours truly, Cooper B.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi to all and happy turkey day! Hope this finds you doing well and not nearly as stuffed as your turkey was today. Speaking of stuffed turkeys, you should see mom's belly! Someone in Walmart asked her if she had a basketball under her shirt the other day! Can you imagine? He must have been either crazy or in the mood for a serious brawl! We are having quite a wonderful Thanksgiving so far. We have completed round one of dinner and are anxiously awaiting our bellies to empty so that we can go for round two. In the meanwhile, maybe some pecan pie will speed up the process! Mom made two pecan pies and bought an extra frozen one just in case. Needless to say, she loves pecan pie, and I guess she was afraid of not quite getting her fill. We have some surprise Thanksgiving day guests...the Costello gang came down to spend this fine holiday with us. And boy are we thankful! We only wish Gram, Gramps and Kamrie could have made the trip with them. Luckily, Gram and Gramps had their own surprise in store last weekend. They came down on a whim on Friday night and were there when I got up Saturday morning. They are loads better than Saturday morning cartoons!! We had a ball. We hung around the house, relaxed, and played our hearts out. Talk about a great time. And now, this weekend, cousin Kent is my new plaything. I say his name about 25 times an hour; I am honestly not sure if there is anyone cooler. We have had such a great week, with the aforementioned guests (did I say how much we LOVE company), and yesterday, we had a Thanksgiving feast with Ms. Michele and all of my friends at the daycare. I ate for about 30 minutes straight! My favorite was the corn, and of course the turkey! I even said, yum, yum! That's not all, I am practically saying everything these days, whole sentences, you should see how hard I try. In fact, if you get the notion, you should come on by and hear how much I have to tell you; I promise you will be amazed. Now that we have Thanksgiving under our belt, both literally and figuratively, we are more than ready to tackle Christmas here in UB. Mom has been busy, busy, mostly with thinking about what in the world to get everyone for Christmas. She has made a few purchases, but bless her heart, she has quite a handicap going on as far as the actual shopping goes. Between that big belly and my impatience, it looks like she'll be doing most of her browsing online! We hope you are checking your list off quickly; mom says she may just give everyone a group gift in exactly their size and color, a bouncing baby boy! Sounds good to me, how about you? Well folks, I wanted to let you know I was thinking of you and thankful for you this fine turkey day. I better get going as I hear the leftovers calling. Please think of us and we will keep you posted, you know the time for Baby B's arrival is drawing very near! Take care and eat lots of turkey and dessert for me. Lots and lots of love with gravy, gobble, gobble, Cooper B.

November Rain?

Hi, howdy do, and how in the world are you? I must apologize once again for my neglect to you, my faithful reader...I squeezed an extra post in for October and I have almost missed the proverbial boat to wish you a Happy November!! I hope you are doing well, staying warm, and bedding down for the upcoming winter months. Let's hope the weather stays as temperate as it has been thus far. If it gets any colder I can personally assure you both Dad and I will freeze to death. In case you didn't know, the two of us are living with a walking, talking, hot flash. If you have these similar symptoms, we will gladly send her your way. While the two of you hang out in your t-shirts and flip flops, Dad and I will work on rewarming our extremities! Bless mom's heart, all she keeps saying is what a great time of year it is to be really pregnant (for some of us anyway)! I have posted some pics from the wild Halloween party we attended at the UB fire hall. There are also a few extras from my trip to the pumpkin patch with my daycare friends. We are still visiting them once or twice a week, and both mom and I look forward to our playtime at Ms. Michele's. She drinks coffee and chitchats while I play to my heart's content, definitely a win win situation. We are both so thankful for Ms. Michele and her family; we honestly do not know what we would do without them! By the way, have you been raking leaves? Well, I certainly have and I hope you are not forgetting the best part of the job is jumping in the pile. I had poor mom out there raking last week and I wasn't sure she was going to make it. She's quite a trooper, but I honestly thought she would cry when she looked out the window later that day and they were all over the back lawn once again! Pesky hormones! Good news...mom finally got a few Christmas presents ordered. I think she is really starting to feel the pressure (both figuratively and literally) of our upcoming arrival. There's been quite a bit of hustle bustle here in the Bryant household and you should see how my new room is coming along. Dad has been working his fingers to the bone painting, hanging, putting together, you name it, and I will have to say it is definitely paying off. My only concern is that the two of them will be moving into my room when it is finished. They are both obviously jealous of how utterly cool it is and I am not ashamed to say, I'm not quite sure I trust those two. Furthermore, I can't say what's worse, mom eyeballing my storage bins, or dad's outright lust for my new alligator mirror. For my next post, I will take some pics of the finished product so you can see what they are up to and what all the fuss is about. Mom said today my room is the only one in the whole house with matching curtains (read curtains period). All I can say is that I guess they really do love me. Dad has to paint the crib and dresser Ms. Michele so kindly gave to us for Baby B., and then they are almost all done. Poor mom is worried sick she'll wait too long for all the tasks she has in store; don't tell her I told you, but she is waddling already and can barely get herself out of our chair, forget the floor! Yet she drives on...you know we only have one more swimming class left! Can you believe it has been four weeks already?! I LOVE IT!! I talk about it non-stop to dad at dinner every Tuesday and Thursday evening. Heck, mom has even heard me talking about it in my sleep. Friday she asked me, "how about we go see Ms. Michele?" I answered right back, "how about we go swimming?" She doesn't know what she'll do next as she isn't quite sure she will be swim-ready for the next four weeks but she hates to see yours truly landlocked. She is trying to recruit Dad for Saturday mornings, but we can't sign up for this class for another four weeks. I know we will figure something out...meanwhile, great news, I got to go swimming with dad on Tuesday and we had a blast. He was a trooper, singing songs, chasing moo cow (I throw my toy moo cow and then 'swim' to get it), don't you know he got an "A" in class participation from Ms. Susan. Don't tell Mom, but I personally think Ms. Susan likes dad best, something about him being less confrontational... Other good news, Uncle Bart is home for the holidays, and we are thankful to have him back safe and sound. Both he and cousin Robbie are heading out after Christmas, so please remember to keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers. While you are at it, please also add Mr. James' dad and Ms. Michele's dad to the list; we sincerely appreciate it. In fact, we appreciate all you do for us, especially checking in on me, Cooper B., when you have a spare moment. Oh...more wonderful news, Dad got his first paycheck for Crossfit Retribution, and you know if he wasn't watching so closely, mom would already have that baby spent! Lucky for him that he's already a shrewd businessman, and he'll get plenty more practice prying the plastic from mom's clenched fists! Between you and me, I think she is starting to go into shopping withdrawal. Her self-discipline has been commendable in that realm; I only wish I could say the same on the chocolate chip cookie front! Oh well, soon enough and she will be back to leaves (this is what I call lettuce) and nuts. I know I have told you how much I am talking, but I want you to know we have been having some serious conversations here in the Bryant household. You will simply have to come see for yourself to get the full effect. Please do so any time you have the opportunity. Before I forget, we spoke to cousin Stephanie and she is doing well; it's always nice when mom gets an opportunity to commiserate with a fellow mom-to-be. Oh, two more items that deserve attention...first of all, HAPPY BELATED 2ND BIRTHDAY to the Smell triplets and a big thank you to aunt Helen for mom's birthday package and for not forgetting I like presents for mom's birthday too! Also, don't worry too much about the swimming situation; I always have my fallback in nerdville at the local library. And hey, I don't mind mom using me for an excuse to fulfill her need to read. Let's face it, she could have worse addictions although I will say probably none quite as geeky! She dreams of me growing up to be a voracious reader and lover of board games. There are worse hobbies you know. Anywho, now that you know mom's deep dark (dork) secret : ), I guess I should be running along. Please take care and let me know how you are doing by posting a comment or two. Better yet, give us a ring or come by and we will put you to work on one baby's room or another; there's more than enough work to go around! We'll be thinking of you, please think of us too. Much love to you from me, Cooper B.

Happy Halloween!

Hello and a great big Happy Halloween to all of you! We hope your Halloween is going swimmingly, so far, ours has been pretty great I must say. We started off the day wild and woolly at the local BJ's, what a hot spot that is! Mom and I frequent this venue and today was especially special as we had to renew the membership. Very exciting stuff. We also purchased some hors d'oeuvres for our big and spooky night. The Bryants' have actually been invited to a pizza gathering and some trick or treating in not one, but two elite neighborhoods in the area. Try not to be too jealous about how fancy we are getting here in UB; mom has really been working it to try to up our social status. We are doing pizza with the Farinas' (pictured above at Lily's first birthday) and their family, then we are topping off the night with a visit to trick or treat Ms. Michele and her fam. We are all very excited and thankful to have such wonderful friends to visit on this fine holiday eve. I must admit, I had some early practice in the frog costume; we attended the UB Lion's club party Tuesday night, unfortunately, the costume contest was bought out, and yours truly came home empty handed, but with a belly full of cookies and cider. I also have wonderful news to share. If you didn't know as yet, say you were vacationing on another planet, I have a baby coming to live with me very soon, at least this is what m&d keep telling me. Also, you may not have known, but my mom is neurotic, again, maybe if you never met her. I digress, anywho...she has been beside herself about sleeping arrangements practically since we found out about baby B's existence. Recently, she discovered she is likely going to have to purchase another crib and possibly some furniture to go with it. As you do know, mom has no job, so this has been a MAJOR source of stress and worry here in the Bryant household. Well, I am ecstatic to report that Ms. Michele has once again saved the day by giving us a dresser AND a crib for my little brother. Is that fantastic news or what?! Mom is so excited she can hardly contain herself. Dad is too, of course, as he is any time we can stop mom from her 2nd favorite pasttime, SHOPPING. I have to commend her though, all she buys these days are groceries and the occasional Barney video. I don't know if I have told you, but I LOVE BARNEY. I call him Barndney. Yet another one of my amazingly cute and charming attributes. More news, I have also been to TWO swimming classes. They are quite fun, even when you have a bit of a cold, except I fear that mom might possibly beat up the swimming teacher. Yes, you heard it correctly, but it would simply be to defend my honor. That teacher had the nerve to ask mom if I am a "stubborn two year old". Imagine our chagrin...I will have to say, mom handled it with poise and tact, but I fear what may happen if there is a next time...we shall see. Hell hath no fury like a pregnant woman...at least, that's what dad always whispers in my ear! The good news is, I love swimming, mom doesn't force me to do anything that upsets me in the pool, and the two of us are just fine in the knowledge that I am still a prodigy, even if the swim teacher doesn't recognize this yet. I know today is halloween, but I would like for all of you in blogland to join us with thoughts and prayers for Uncle Bart, who is once again fighting the good fight (thank God for the few and the brave), and also for Pop (pictured next to me on the big John Deere). He is Ms. Michele's dad, and my 3rd granddad, and you know we love him like family. He is going to have a tough upcoming few months of chemo and we all need to keep him and his family close in heart. He is tough as nails and strong in faith, so we know he can and will get through it. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about my outing to the pumpkin patch with all my friends at the daycare. I drove a big tractor, rode on some hay, and picked some 40 odd pounds worth of pumpkins, what a great day!! Poor mom almost got arrested for pumpkin theft before they realized that wasn't what she was smuggling under her shirt! Hee hee. Well folks, I better get on my way, I have a frog costume to don and some treats with my name all over them. I will let you know how it goes for the world's most handsome reet, reet. If you are in the area, stop on by and I will share my booty with you, that is, if m&d (read mom), doesn't eat it all first. Yes folks, the proof was on the scales yesterday at mom's doctor visit. She had a five pound weight gain since last visit and we are mysteriously missing 4 1/2 pounds of chocolate bars which, by the way, were meant for Halloween (gone missing roughly 10 days ago). I am trying to keep an open mind, you know innocent until proven guilty and such, but you can do the math. Meanwhile, if you have any tips on our missing bag of candy, you can call UBPD! Take care of yourselves and have a safe and happy Halloween. We love you so much and miss you bunches, Cooper B.

I'm 21 months old!! Reet, reet, trick or treat!

Hello out there to all of you blog fans and a great big howdy do! I am happy to report the Bryants' of UB are doing great today, of course, we have been for quite some time. For those of you who don't know, today is my mom's 33rd birthday. We have been having quite a day for sure. I got to see a real live fireman at Ms. Michele's house, I had corndogs for lunch, and I also got an awesome new hat out of the deal. I am attaching a picture of me with my cool new hat, and of course, one with my cool mom. We are planning a big dinner out tonight, maybe in Frederick, and dad says he has a surprise or two up his sleeve. Mom has been very excited all day. In honor of her birthday, I tried not to take a nap so we could party hearty, but alas, she won that battle yet another day. I have LOTS of news to report for the upcoming week, for starters, I'm going swimming. After weeks of neurotic phone calls to the local YMCA chapter, mom finally made contact and was able to get me signed up for swim class. Monday, we are going on a hayride at the pumpkin patch with my friends and Ms. Michele, and Thursday, we have the fall party at my daycare. Tuesday, not only do we have swim class, but my reading circle is having a costume party at the library AND there's a Halloween extravaganza at the UB fire hall that evening. You may think this sounds a bit full for a 20-month old's social calendar, but first and foremost, thankfully, I am now 21 months old. Furthermore, mom is strategizing early for Halloween night. She not only expects me to put that frog suit on, she also wants me to wear it for more than 30 seconds. What is up with that?? Don't worry though folks, I am used to her asking alot of me and all I can say is...I will do my best, no promises. Luckily after today, we have a back-up costume; I can always wear my brand new fireman's hat. We have had quite a wonderful week so far, as if you couldn't tell; yesterday, mom and I crashed the 2-3 year old reading circle at the library. Don't worry though, I really played it cool. That librarian was none the wiser and they're supposed to be fairly bright! Mom and I sang songs, danced, listened to some big boy books AND we made a cuckoo bird out of a paper bag. Poor mom was starting to perspire about the craftwork as no one would provide her a visual aide. As it was, the bird's face and beak ended up on the wrong side of the paper bag and now the poor thing can't even open its mouth. Thank goodness dad has artistic ability, otherwise, I would be in some SERIOUS trouble in that department. More big news, guess who came to visit me on Tuesday? My friends, Ms. Michele, and me-mom! You should have seen how excited I was. I twirled circles around my living room, played cars with everyone, I even shared my decorated pumpkin cookies that Gramma B. made for me. Talk about showing some love!! We had a great time and we are hoping they all come back soon. Speaking of coming back soon, we had more visitors this past weekend, of a particularly special nature. None other than Gram and Gramps B. came to UB and boy, did we have fun. No beating around the bush this time, I gave them my most special grin as soon as I saw them, and it just kept getting better from there. Saturday morning I practically jumped out of my crib and mom's arms so I could get downstairs to see them! Of course, the visit was way too short, but we kept their shoes and hotdogs as a little insurance policy. If that doesn't bring them back soon, I don't know what will! Guess who else is going swimming with me, besides mom of course, my friend and neighbor, Lily! How about that? We also have a few birthdays to announce, cousin Kirk, uncle Jr., Becca High, uncle Keith, and YOURS TRULY turned the big two one yesterday, months that is. So if you see these special people, be sure to wish them the happiest of birthdays. I hope you have also received your Halloween present from us, what better surprise to find in your mailbox than a picture of Cooper B in a frog suit! Reet, reet! OH! One more very important item of business, be sure to keep up with your daily visits to dad's website at www.crossfitretribution.com. Dad is doing so well, kicking butt and taking names, not that we would expect anything less of him! We sure do have so much to be thankful for, including friends and family like you! Well folks, I think that is about enough news for you to digest on a Thursday afternoon. This handsome devil will be signing off with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you. Please take care and call, write, or even better, come and see us as soon as possible. We'll be looking forward to it! Until then, we'll be thinking of and missing you bunches. Reet, reet, trick or treat and lots and lots of love, Cooper B.