On Memorial Day, Brian brought most of his childhood toys home for Braden (and eventually Carson) to play with. It was like Christmas all over again for the kids. Braden especially like the Legos and the ninja turtles.

But the best moment was when Brian had to head upstairs, and Braden–who normally is too scared of the basement to play by himself–said he was going to stay put to continue playing.

Just to show it wasn’t a fluke, Braden went downstairs by himself the next day and played until he was eventually called upstairs for dinner. This is a breakthrough, since it means Braden is capable of independent play.

Now if we can only get him to sleep with the lights off …

Journal basement