Brody is a mama’s boy, no doubt about it. I remember always hearing this happens with baby boys: he wants little to do with daddy, and wants to be in mama’s arms as much as possible. Then eventually, when little boys near age 3, they are obsessed with their daddy and it all turns around. Well so far, this was very true up until a few weeks ago.
We were noticing how dependent and clingy Brody was becoming on me, and as much as I loved and savored every one of those tender moments, it was becoming exhausting. I couldn’t so much as make dinner with Brody in the room or I was forced to juggle cooking one armed, and avoid burning Brody near the hot stove. So Beau and I talked about how to handle this.
We decided that everyday we would start having Brody take a bottle from Beau. I would take that time off and pump, and enjoy a few minutes to myself. At first, Brody wanted nothing to do with it. He was introduced to the bottle from the very start of his little life, but I hadn’t really given him bottles consistently because I was always with him and it was just easier to breastfeed him when he was hungry. So it took a few days but eventually, he started taking them again. Initially I had to leave the house so he didn’t hear or smell me anywhere near, but he finally became accustomed to it. This simple fifteen-minute act worked wonders for the physical bond and connection between Brody and Beau.
We started noticing very soon how it affected Brody. One day I was in the living room playing with Brody when Beau walked in the door. Brody looked up, snarled his little nose and started his recently-developed nostril laugh, as he plunged forward in a swift crawl towards Beau. On another day, I was holding Brody and Beau walked up to me, when to our surprise Brody reached out both arms and gestured for Beau to take him. This had never happened before! We were both thrilled (especially Beau), and now this is a normal occurrence.
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Most of you reading this know that we sold our house and in two weeks will be relocated to beautiful Traverse City. We are so excited to be close to family again, and away from all the bustle of this big city. We have come to realize that we simply do not like Chicago. One of my friends put it best when she said, “it simply doesn’t have any luster.” Regardless, this move is very difficult for me.
Beau is very good at moving forward and letting go, which is such a great yin for my yang. As much as I dislike living here, every corner of this house, every stop sign on these blocks, all remind me of a very precious time in our lives. Each time I pass by the community pool, I am flooded with nostalgia as I remember the last dog days of my pregnancy. I chuckle as I think of how HUGE I was and all of the stares I garnered every time I lowered my big belly in the pool.
There’s a road near our house that is in desperate need of repaving, and each time we drive down it, I remember pleading with Beau to slow down and stop driving so erratically at 10mph because every bump and bounce on that road hurt so bad as a pregnant woman! And then of course the adorable red door on the front of our house will forever warm my heart as I remember the day we brought Brody home from the hospital. Never in my life have Beau and I been so happy, and at that point I had never seen Beau so proud. He had decorated the entire front of the house with balloons and window paint announcing Brody’s arrival to the entire neighborhood.
So although our time here was short, the memories and special moments absorbed by this little bungalow are dense. I will miss it forever and despite our evolved general discontent for this area, I don’t regret a moment of being here.
While we have been fortunate enough to sell our house in this horrible market, we have been faced with many additional challenges recently. There are times when it feels increasingly impossible to see the light at the end of that proverbial tunnel, but we are charging ahead with confidence and vigor. There was a moment this week when I was feeling at an all time low, and I took one look at Brody and my heart melted. It’s a magical thing to feel loved back by this little creature, and despite this difficult chapter in our life, having Brody reminds us we are the luckiest people on earth.
P.S. For those of you reading this who haven’t heard, Beau received his first option check from Fisher Price for one of his designs literally ten minutes before he left for China. It was a bittersweet way for him to go, but we will celebrate when he returns! Congrats to my amazing, talented, smart, HARDWORKING, husband!
