a bit of henna

Bracken's very first henna tattoo, at the market this summer.

My henna tattoo. Think the last time I had any body henna I was pregnant with Bracken.

Beautiful henna around market.

Ever since Bracken got his first henna tattoo, he's been wanting to do it again. I told him we would do it at home sometime. Things got so busy and I put it off longer than I meant to, but we did finally have our "henna tattoo day", as he's been calling it, this week. I followed the recipe on page 167 in 'The Creative Family' by Amanda Blake Soule. We had a little container that worked great for putting the henna in. However, I had cut a bit too much off the tip and it made too much come out all at once, making it hard to do very intricate patterns. More like big blobby designs. When I went to the store to get henna powder, they had all different colors. I chose brown. Now I think I should have picked black because after our henna dried and we were all excited to see our henna tattoos, they were barely visible at all and then faded right away. Even with that, the three of us had fun decorating ourselves and each other and we very much enjoyed our "henna tattoo day." Bracken has already asked for another one. Perhaps with  black henna this time and a new applicator, we'll be all set. (Any henna tips out there from those of you with some experience? Is black henna what you want for body henna?)

baa baa black sheep (& what's been unsaid)

Gorgeous carved spinning wheel by Q's Quality Wood Work.

.

There was much to see over the weekend at the Black Sheep Gathering. Colorful felt, spinning wheels, yarn bowls, drop spindles, weavings, books, yarn, yarn, and more yarn. When we first went to set up our booth, we explained to Bracken that we wouldn't be setting up our booth at the Saturday Market like usual, but at the Black Sheep Gathering. He started calling it "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and when I woke him up in the morning he said "Baa Baa Black Sheep day!" The time that our family visited the Black Sheep Gathering before, Jeff mentioned that he felt kind of claustrophobic inside the building and I agreed (it happened to be very noisy and crowded that day.) We requested an outdoor space when we applied for the show and after doing the show for the weekend,  we were both glad we did that. We did get rained on at the very beginning and some of our stuff got soaked (and the wind was inconvenient with our display at times), but the rest of the weekend had beautiful weather and it was wonderful to be outside. Here's a peek inside our booth.

I snapped this picture of our sign before we set everything else up. It was a quick, last minute sign, but I'm happy with how it turned out. (We printed it out, got it laminated, and Jeff attached it to a piece of wood.) As far as the sign goes, we mostly had buttons and only a few wool things. We didn't bring any of our herbal products because we were running so low, only having enough for an online order here and there.

 The display for the shawl pins that I wrote about last week.

 The sale buttons were more popular than we could have imagined. The glass container we originally had them in was good in that people could see them from a distance, but actually trying to search through it didn't work out as well so we moved it to a basket instead. After seeing how popular they were the first day, Jeff came home that night and grabbed the rest of the buttons that we didn't have time to tie on cards for the show and put them in the basket as well. So, there were some perfectly good buttons in there. It was so fun to watch people's excitement when they found buttons they loved. It was like a treasure hunt. By the end of the weekend, we only had a small amount of our seconds buttons left. We'll definitely be doing that more.

I was looking forward to meeting the sweet family behind Armadillo Dreams, when Amanda told me they were coming to the show. When they visited the booth, though, Bracken and I had left to get some food to bring back. Knowing I would be bummed to miss meeting them in person, Jeff took a picture of them in front of our booth for me. I love this picture of them.

.

We had friends visit throughout the weekend, which was really fun, and met many new people. It was a really great show for us, which we felt so grateful for, and we were so happy with the positive response we got there. Bracken and I visited the sheep and goats regularly (later Bracken pretended to be a sheep and wanted me to give him a "haircut" like we had watched the sheep being sheared at the show.) Our booth neighbors made beautiful spinning wheels and told us about a child who came in their booth once and destroyed a 3,000 dollar spinning wheel. Whoops. We made the rule Bracken wasn't allowed to go inside their booth, but he wanted to visit his new friends and say hi regularly, which meant he always wanted to be in front of their booth and I was afraid he would be blocking their booth too much. Plus, when they were talking to customers, he would interrupt to chat. So I tried to keep him moving. Bracken has been used to going to the Saturday Market since he was a baby and knows not to touch the ceramics and to be gentle with other things (there are some booths where he is allowed to touch things), but he's at a hands-on age and that makes me constantly vigilant, which can be exhausting. He was a bit of a handful over the weekend, out of sorts and not his usual self. Things got pretty challenging and a few times we just got in the car and left to run some errands. Hanging out in the booth wasn't really an option. Bracken wouldn't stay in there long and Jeff was busy (yay!) and needed his full concentration. I knew heading up to the show that three days in a row would be too much for Bracken and wondered about staying home for one day, while Jeff ran the booth. We would have done just that, but I wanted to help Jeff set up on Friday, tear down on Sunday, and wanted to deliver a custom order Jeff made for someone to the market on Saturday. On Friday we were at the show for most of the day and Bracken and I left to run a few errands. On Saturday Bracken and I went to the Saturday Market to deliver an order, say hi to friends, and pick some things up at the farmer's market. Bracken usually has a nap every day and getting up extra early two mornings in a row, plus two days in a row without a nap, made him very tired. Instead of being sleepy, though, he was wired and mixed that with fruit overload on his sensitive system. The week up to the show was hard for him too because our pace was so fast. There were times Jeff and I looked at each other with wide eyes, when Bracken wasn't listening to a word we said and was being a crazy thing. Saturday afternoon we left Jeff at the booth, got in the car, and just started driving. It took about two seconds for Bracken to fall asleep in the car seat. I should have used that method the day before. When he was little, he would just take his naps in the Ergo while we were at market, but as he's gotten older the naps usually get skipped that day. Skipping it once a week is not such a big deal, but too many days in a row is not good news. Anyway, we picked up Jeff at the end of the day and Bracken slept the whole way home. Sunday morning, day three, I woke up with a migraine. Jeff insisted I stay home with Bracken. We both felt it would be best for Bracken to be home that day anyway, but I was worried about Jeff tearing down the booth by himself. 

Why? It's something I haven't written about here yet. Now's as good a time as any to tell you. I guess I've mentioned here and there that Jeff has had sciatic pain, but we weren't ready to fully discuss it here until we felt we had more of a handle on things. For quite some time, Jeff has had a lot of pain when he walks for too long or drives for too long. Before, at the market, Jeff and I would take turns running the booth and walking Bracken around market. I usually walked with Bracken the most, but we would switch a bit here and there. Starting around Holiday Market time, that wasn't an option for Jeff anymore. He stayed in the booth all day and I walked Bracken around. This year at the Saturday Market, if you've been wondering why you haven't seen Jeff walking around the market much at all, that's why. Before he almost always drove the car and I sat in the passenger seat and knit. These days I do most of the driving. Jeff can drive if he needs to, but if we can avoid it we do as much as possible. For awhile we were really confused about all the health problems he was experiencing and it was scary. Jeff has a higher pain tolerance than anyone I've ever met, so if he says he's in pain I know it must be pretty bad. He's had back pain over the years, but what he's been dealing with these days is a whole other level. 

At May Faire this year, Bracken and I left to get some groceries at the end of the day, while Jeff tore down the booth. We came back to pick up Jeff and carry our stuff across the field to our car, but when we arrived Jeff had already started transporting much of it. Right when I saw him, I could tell by the look on his face that he was in a lot of pain. I kicked myself for not getting there sooner to carry things, I didn't know he would tear it down so fast. All that walking across the field made him in a lot of pain. By the time we got the car loaded and were driving home, he was in the passenger seat in extreme pain. On a scale from one to ten, he said he was at a level ten. I've never seen him in so much pain. (The type of sciatica pain he gets is sometimes compared to childbirth.) I was afraid he was going to go into shock or something. That really scared us. Jeff did lots of research. Before, our doctor didn't know what to make of it. Then he retired and Jeff switched to a doctor he had gone to a long time ago. That doctor didn't know either. He had some ideas and one of his only options offered was painkillers, which wasn't the route Jeff wanted to go. But Jeff asked him to refer him to a physical therapist, which we felt would help. We would have loved to bring Jeff to the chiropractor regularly, but it's cost prohibitive for us and our insurance doesn't cover it. Our insurance covers physical therapy. On the very first appointment, the physical therapist pinpointed exactly what was going on. He's only had two appointments so far, but they've been really helpful. What he is dealing with is very slow to recover. It's a long process. It's making us rethink everything. It's not just walking that is a problem, he's also had problems with his elbow and his hands. When he sands, carves, woodburns, and does all the other things his work requires, over and over again, it's been wearing on his body. And his body has been rebelling in a big way. It's hard when something you love causes you pain. He doesn't want to stop working and making things. But we do need to come up with new ways of doing things that is not harmful to his body. Since he can explain it better than I can, in his words: "Basically I have Sciatica caused by piriformis syndrome, where the piriformis muscle pinches the nerve. The theory is it was caused by my shifting back and forth as I work for long stretches on my sanding machine.  Also have "carvers elbow"...same thing as tennis elbow minus the free time to play tennis."

It's been a big learning experience for our family. It's been hard for all of us. Hard for me to see someone I love in pain. Scary to see someone who has always seemed so strong and invincible, drained by constant pain. But, of course it's been by far the hardest for Jeff. Since I met Jeff, he has always been on the move. If you know Jeff, you know he likes to be moving and doing things all the time. Upon meeting him, I was blown away by all that he could accomplish in a day, I had never met anyone who could be so insanely productive. So, if there was anyone I could think of who would have the hardest time not being able to move and having physical limitations, it would be him. Honestly, much of his life he worked his body like a machine. Now it's taking it's toll and forcing him to do things differently. It hasn't only been challenging for our business, but for our entire lifestyle. The life we've chosen requires a lot of energy and a lot of physical work every day. I can't imagine how frustrated he feels when things he used to do easily before are so challenging now. He can only work in the garden for so long. Or around the place. Splitting firewood is not the same as it used to be. Sometimes even walking in the grocery store is too much. But his spirit is just as strong as ever.

Even though Jeff and I have always been close, I feel like all of this has brought us even closer together because it's more important than ever for us to work as a team. Teamwork is how we accomplish everything in our daily life. I do believe that everything happens for a reason. Even though it's been hard, I feel like it will end up being better for everyone in the long run because we'll be able to arrange our life to be more sustainable for our bodies and to find a better balance. When things get hard, I keep praying for the lesson. We keep searching for answers. Change is hard, but the changes we make will be for the better. What now? He just ordered a sciatica belt and has exercises to do on a regular basis. We're learning as we go. One day at a time. So, to make a long story short, that's why I didn't want Jeff to have to tear the booth down by himself and do too much walking when he loaded the car at the show on Sunday. But he had help and it all turned out okay. (By the way, so I don't forget, our Wooly Moss Roots Etsy Shop is open again.) 

We're open to new ideas and new solutions, and more are coming in all the time. It's time for us to be creative and flexible. Sometimes we have to ask for help, which isn't easy for us, but I know it's good for us.

a full weekend & familar laughter

We had quite the full weekend. At the Saturday Market, my dad and uncle drove up from my dad's house to visit us. My uncle was visiting from Colorado. He got to see the market for the first time and he got to meet Jeff for the first time to boot! (He had met Bracken at my sister's wedding.)

 Later in the day my aunts, my dad's two sisters, came with their husbands. My cousin and his wife came also, along with their daughter. We were a big bundle of Bakers wandering around the market that day (Baker is my maiden name.) After market, we went out to eat. Then took turns taking the group shots. I listened to the familiar laughter that I've heard my whole life and Jeff got to meet people and see the similarities.

 On Sunday my dad and uncle came over to our place, my uncle seeing it for the first time. We spent the day outside, working on projects. We got a lot done with their help. It was so fun having them there.

 Never too old to do bunny ears.

 When Bracken fell asleep for his nap, Jeff stayed with him at the house while I brought my dad and uncle on a hike up the mountain behind our place to see the view. The path (that I once took nearly every day) was very overgrown. It was like a jungle of thorny blackberries, so it was an adventure getting up there.

It was such a treat having my Uncle Chuck out here and getting to show him my world. He enjoyed the market and farmer's market, and appreciated all the things we were doing around our yard. We have much in common.

 Bracken took pictures too. (He inherited an old digital camera and has been loving it.)

Today they left and went back down to my dad's place in southern Oregon. What a great weekend! Most of it was spent outside in the beautiful weather and all of it was spent with good company.

at the sink

One of Bracken's favorite places to be (when he's inside, that is, being outside will always win) is at the kitchen sink. He constantly asks me if he can do the dishes. When he sees me doing them, he thinks I'm having all the fun without him. Some mornings I get the bulk of them done and then I leave dishes in the sink for him. Jeff discovered that our dish soap could disappear quite quickly this way, so he took a clean dish soap container and filled it with a little bit of dish soap and a whole lot of water. Bracken liked having a soap of his very own, especially once we told him that it had his name written on it. Even watered down quite a bit, the soap makes bubbles which was the most important thing to him. The bubbles are very important. Bracken washing dishes at the sink has been going on at our house for quite some time. It's especially wonderful on rainy days, when we're stuck indoors more. He's always loved to play with water, pouring it from one container to another. I've jokingly called him King of the Sink at times. He's up on the chair, sleeves rolled up, completely immersed in what's happening before him. The sink is his domain. Who ever knew dishes could be so fun? I smile every time our boy begs his mama to please do the dishes. May this continue for a long, long time.

staying home (& a dandelion in his pocket)

On Wednesday night, I woke up in the middle of the night to hear that Bracken had a runny nose. Yesterday, we came down with something. I wanted to stop by here to say that we will not be making it to market tomorrow, even though we were very much counting on it. I said aloud "I wonder what picture to use for this post?" and Jeff pointed across the room and said "How about that bag of tissues?" (haha. You can always count on him for a dose of humor.) With continually runny noses, we have been going through a crazy amount- roll after roll- of toilet paper. I thought a picture I took recently of the dandelion Bracken stuck in his pocket, would be more enjoyable. An epsom salt bath felt good on an aching body today. And when my throat felt a bit sore last night, our coconut oil treats with frozen blueberries felt wonderful going down. Apparently I reek of garlic. Jeff says he can smell me from across the room. It's worth it. I was up with Bracken for much of the night. His runny/stuffy nose would wake him up and, half asleep, he would ask for tissues. We finally got some sleep, but not enough for this tired mama. I am feeling much better than I was. But that's when I'm sitting down, not doing anything. So we'll be staying home this weekend, filling up our online shops to try to make up for not going to market. Not having a nap today, I'm very much in need of an early bedtime tonight.

Wishing you all a good weekend & be sure to come back tomorrow for a great giveaway!

cleaning & a strip of bacon

Sheets drying by the woodstove.

.

We're going to pick my mom up from the airport tomorrow. She is dedicated to being here for Bracken's birthday each year and we're so grateful for that. Having Grandma Julie visit makes Bracken so excited and makes his birthday so special. I've been getting extra cleaning done around here. I do the basics on a daily basis, but when she visits it's a good excuse to get some deeper cleaning done. Today I went around the house like a whirlwind getting things all cleaned up (there's still a bit left to do.) While I was sweeping underneath the couches (with the footrests up) I expected to find some interesting treasures from Bracken, but I found one I didn't expect. An entire strip of bacon! I found that absolutely hilarious and showed Jeff. You just never know what you'll find under your couch with a toddler in the mix! 

I've been getting some last minute birthday presents finished up and getting as caught up as I can on my work so I can spend the weekend with my mom while she's here. I can't wait!

recovering

 Some beautiful flowers I saw in Eugene the other day. Anyone know what they are?

 .

I had been sensing something was off with my body for awhile. My nose was running nonstop. I wondered if it was allergies, but I had a feeling I had caught something. It stayed as a runny nose for quite awhile. My immunity seemed down. We needed to run some errands on the morning of my birthday. When we got home, I realized I was sick. (It seems like often times when I've gotten sick, we've happened to be out of cod liver oil. When I take it regularly it really seems to help my immunity.) My throat started hurting, I felt congested, my chest heavy. I was extra glad we decided not to go to market because I wouldn't have wanted to get sick out in the cold and rain. Jeff made me some magical tea that really helped my throat. I went to bed. I noticed in the night that Bracken had a light fever. We usually get things together. On Saturday I didn't feel great, but on Sunday I started feeling really lousy. I had no appetite, a headache, and just walking out to the chicken coop and back with Bracken took all my energy. All I could really do was lie down. If I stood up I felt weak, lightheaded, or nauseous. Every time I tried to eat, food didn't taste good to me and I felt repelled by it. Normally I have a voracious appetite. (Just ask Jeff.) As I was laying on the couch, Bracken came over and snuggled with me a few times and then went and grabbed a blanket and put it on me. It really melted my heart. I wanted to distract myself from how awful I felt, so Bracken and I went over to the computer and picked out a movie on Netflix. When do I ever watch movies during the day? Hardly ever. I don't even remember the last time. But whenever I got sick growing up, my mom would let me lay on the couch and watch a movie, so the idea comforted me. We chose Hachi: A Dog's Tale. Partway through our electricity went out. (It's been pouring here for days. Sometimes when it's stormy it goes out.) Eventually the power came back on and we finished watching the movie. I cried like crazy. It was nice to have the distraction of watching a movie. My entire body was aching. I'd go from being cold to hot. It seemed like I was spitting up phlegm every few seconds, which made my stomach feel queasy. I kept feeling like I had to throw up, but I would go over to the toilet and nothing would happen. Bracken came over to me and patted me on the back a few times. It was so sweet. It's not easy caring for a little one when you feel so terrible, but Bracken was pretty wonderful for the most part. Finally I did throw up and immediately felt so much better. I was able to eat a popsicle after that. Then I went to sleep. I woke up in the night with a painful migraine. (Probably from the lack of food.) It made for a restless sleep. This morning I woke up and my headache was gone, thank goodness. I smelled soup on the stove and it actually smelled good to me. I managed to eat a little bit. Still exhausted and not really functional, Bracken and I watched another dog movie, this time: Red Dog. Also made me cry. Then Bracken had an extra long nap and I read a book. As I'm finally emerging, I don't remember the last time I felt that sick. At first I thought it was a cold, but after the body aches and vomiting decided it was the flu. Bracken's light fever went away quickly. His nose was a little runny, then clogged, but he seems like he only had a very mild version of what I had. I'm really hoping Jeff won't get it. 

The blessing in disguise? It seems like my body forced me to slow down when I really needed to. I have a hard time giving myself permission to do that sometimes. The thing about feeling so awful in your body is that after you're over the worst, incredibly humbled by pain, you emerge with a new quietness and a sense of peace. You go a little slower. You're reminded not to take your body- and all it does for you everyday- for granted. You feel weak and exhausted, but the lack of pain makes your body feel in pure bliss. Tasting food- and having it taste good again- makes it taste better than it ever has before. Beauty in each moment is more readily noticed. You come out on the other side with a renewed sense to enjoy feeling good.
And it's a gift to remember that.

we woke up to.....

Remember how I told you that we were going to market today? Scratch that. This morning we woke up to a surprise. Bracken was covered in chicken pox. Earlier this month, a friend from our Waldorf class got chicken pox and I said "darn, I wish I would have known so we could have gotten the boys together." I wanted for Bracken to get chicken pox at a young age so they would be more mild because everything I've read said the older you get, the worst they are. Well, my wish came true. So far he doesn't seem bothered by them a bit. I really hope he has a mild case. We do need to run a few errands today. I will be waiting in the car with Bracken (so we don't spread them) while Jeff goes to into a few places. We are keeping the errands to a minimum. 

Then we will be home for awhile.

his summer haircut

 Today Bracken and I went to get his second "professional" haircut. (Remember his first?) He's not exactly smiling in these pictures, but he did a wonderful job of sitting still and when it was all said and done (pretty quickly I might add) Bracken seemed pleased with his new 'do. The timing is good because there is a heat wave and his shorter hair will keep him much cooler.

 When we got home, he was overdue for a nap, but he let me get some pictures before we headed inside.

 And this one? A new favorite.

(The boots are hand-me-downs from his best bud. They are his favorite, even though they're too big.)

 Then he closed the gate and we came inside for his nap.

.

By the way, we will be at market tomorrow. Would love to see you there!

Have a great weekend!

unexpected

This picture doesn't really have anything to do with the post I am about to write (but I needed a picture and saw this beautiful hydrangea just starting to bloom today.) On Saturday night, after Bracken and I fell asleep exhausted from a long market day, Jeff's computer got hacked. He told me about it when I woke up on Sunday morning. It was a nasty virus that has been going around the internet for awhile. It made it so his computer completely stopped working. The screen that came up said that he would have to pay four hundred dollars or they would release all his information. He talked to a technician on the phone and apparently with that particular computer virus, they steal all your passwords (banks, credit cards etc.) and sell them on the black market. We thought we were protected by our Norton Antivirus, but I guess not. We were figuring out what we would need to get his computer working again, but by the time we would buy a new hard drive and malware program for his old computer, we might as well buy him a new one. To get it fixed by someone else, which would basically mean a wiped hard drive, would have cost more than a new computer. We had lots of plans for our Sunday to get things done around here, but instead we headed back to Eugene to buy a computer. Jeff always buys refurbished computers, so buying a new one was really something different for him. He got a new computer he liked without spending a ton, and it came with a new malware program. The guy who helped him at Best Buy had gotten the same computer virus and knew exactly what Jeff was talking about. His new computer should be protected now. Jeff has been painstakingly changing all of his passwords. Luckily he was able to retrieve everything from his old computer (pictures and writings, the most important things to him.) We will be getting something to protect my computer better as well, so we hopefully won't have to deal with something like this again in the future. 

Too many days in a row of busyness is always a little hard for Bracken. He starts acting out of sorts. He's usually fine in the midst of it until we come home and he lets it all out. I'm ready for some good home days to balance things out. We were able to get a lot done today that was on our list for Sunday. And just in time too, Jeff brought in the last of our garden harvest today right before the rains returned. Some garden time was just what we all needed, it's amazing the positive impact it has on all of us. 

I'll show you some things around the garden tomorrow.

his words

We are often asked if Bracken is talking yet. Ever since he was born, he's been very expressive and vocal. When we started using some sign language, he loved it. He still uses a lot of signs, mixed with some words. As long as we understand what he is signing, he's not that inclined to use words for it. When he's at home, he can be quite the little chatterbox and loves to make up songs. He doesn't talk as much when we are out and about, but most of the time has always been really social. He says "Buh-Bye, Wuv-Wee" (Bye Bye, Love You) in a singsong way at home (whenever Jeff goes out to his shop or we are getting off the phone with grandma or auntie.) Lately he has been doing something that has been warming our heart so much- at the grocery store, our Waldorf class, at market... he'll say it to people he knows and people he doesn't know. He's been going around telling everybody he loves them! It has brought some big smiles. How often do you have someone you don't know come up to you and tell you they love you? Pretty sweet. 

Have you ever read that most of communication is actually body language? I know I read that somewhere. I feel the early years with our children, when we have other ways of communicating other than words, is an opportunity to form an intuitive bond that is so important. When we can't rely on words, we must rely on our gut instincts, our feelings to guide us. We pay closer attention to body movements that give us clues to what's happening and help us care for our little ones. It's a special time. Just as all the different phases are in their own way.
There can be such an obsession with reaching milestones at specific times in our society, a tendency to rush things along to the next phase. Someone asked me awhile ago if Bracken was talking yet and when they learned he wasn't talking in long sentences at that point, suggested a speech therapist. I was surprised at the suggestion, thinking: he's only two. We would certainly do that if our intuition guided us in that direction, but it hasn't. All children (and people) do things at there own pace and in their own time. Bracken is intelligent and bright and he chooses to use words as much as he wants to or not. Many of the children his age in our Rainbow Bridge class are talking more than he is and he seems to have more of an interest in speaking after being around them. Jeff and I understand what he is communicating a large majority of the time and when we are with others, he looks at me to translate what he's saying to them. It seems to motivate him to use words more. Sometimes he does get frustrated at home if we don't know what he means and as soon as we figure it out he is so relieved. He uses many signs, lots of which he makes up himself. Sometimes he uses his whole body to say things. He has very expressive communication. To me, his speech seems to be unfolding just as it is meant to. He loves people and watching the way he interacts so lovingly with others really warms our heart. The love he shares is beyond what any words could say.

Today, I am writing a list today of some of the words Bracken uses because someday I will look back on this list and be so glad I wrote them down. These are a few off the top of my head and I'm sure I'll forget plenty.

"Wuv-Wee" (Love You)

"Dada"

"Mama", "Mommy"
"Baby"

"Hi"

"Yay"

"Dah-Dee" (Thank You)

"Dee" (Cheers)

"Moh" (More)

"Nay" (Please)

"Ba Ba" (Chickens)

"Bloo-Bay" (Blueberries)

"Wah-Wee" (Water)

"Buh-Bye" (Bye Bye)

"Doo" (Dude or Two or Dirt)

"Nanoo" (Tangerine)

"Bay" (Bear)
"No"
"Hah-Hah" (Hot)

"Boo" (Brr or Bird)

"Woo" (Wool)

"Boom"

"Muh Muh" (Muffins)
"Gar-Geh" (Garlic or Garbage)
"Ga-Ga" (Clock)

"Ooooo" (Moon)
"Bee" (Pee)
"Whoa"
"Ahm Ahm" (Vroom/Car)
"Nan-ner-nuh" (Banana)
"Bebee" (Apple)
"Oof Oof" (Woof Woof/Dog)

"Boh" (Bone)

"Guh" (Nut)

"Bah" (Beef)
 .

I love the way he says "yay" with so much sweetness and excitement, the way he says "bay" (bear) when he wants to give a good bear hug, and the way he says "wuv-wee" (love you) so sing-songy. He loves to touch glasses together and say "dee" (cheers.) He has said the word "blueberries" clear as a bell before, but most of the time says "bloo-bay." His word for grandma is also "mama." One of his favorite words lately is "moh" (more.) More fruit, more time in the bath, more everything. My mom absolutely cracks up when she hears him say "nanoo" (tangerine) because she will always remember a phone conversation we had where Bracken was in the background saying "Mama, Nanoo!" over and over and over. He wanted a tangerine in a real bad way. He refers to himself as "baby" and if he wants something sometimes he will say "baby" and then point to it. Today as he was napping, he was talking in his sleep and said "nay, nay" (please.) We say please and "dah-dee" (thank you) a lot. I think "nan-ner-nuh" (banana) is one of my favorites.
Well, I have a lot of favorites.