11 Months and Counting

Brooke,

You are so much fun at eleven months old! We are incredibly blessed to have you as our daughter. We love you more and more every day. 

Here's what you are up to at eleven months old....

1. You talk! You can say Dada, Mama, ball, bubbles, Kinsey (wow!), up, shoes, and lots of other babble we just can't decipher! What a smart girl.

2. You dabble in baby signs like "bye bye" and "all done".

3. You still hate the car seat even though we got you a fancy comfortable new one!

4. Sitting in grocery carts really isn't your thing either.

5. You're walking! You can take several steps at a time on your own.

6. Bubbles excite you.

7. You are such a monkey. You climbed into a basket the other day.

8. Favorite toys: Mommy's phone, Mommy's keys, magazines, Princess Bear, your pink dragon, balls, Mommy's sunglasses.

9. Favorite foods: CHEESE, bananas, jello, goldfish crackers, quesadillas.

10. You enjoy being outside! Grass is very interesting to you. This is one reason I am so glad we have a yard now.

11. You love on Mommy, Daddy, & stuffed animals with sweet hugs and kisses.   

We are thankful for every moment with you. It is so much fun to watch you grow and learn. We love you sooo much!

Love, 

Mommy & Daddy

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Roughin' It

We had planned to spend a relaxing weekend at Lake Buchanan with my parents.

Brooke throwing up at small group Wednesday night told us that camping was probably out for the weekend. Then she got better...or so we thought. After following doctor instructions carefully, and because she was showing no symptoms of being sick anymore, we decided to continue with our plans. David was also a little sick to his stomach. Still, we pressed on.

We stopped at Whataburger on the way. One minute after stepping inside, Brooke Whatavomited several times all over the floor. And Mommy. We profusely apologized to the unfortunate teenager assigned to cleanup duty, and swiftly made our exit. I stripped down poor baby and decided to venture on to the cabin since it would be shorter than heading back home. David was pretty sick by this point too. I said the Serenity prayer a few times as I changed out of my vomit covered clothes.

I have learned something new about my baby through all of this. She is such a trooper! Aside from the obvious outward symptoms of being sick, she acts happy and sweet as ever. This is really what fooled us this weekend. We kept thinking she was getting better.

Anyway, the cabins my parents reserved in Tow (rhymes with "cow") were awesome...equipped with A/C, kitchens, bathrooms, tv. (The roughing it part of the title was the sick baby). We enjoyed relaxing for the most part with scenic drives through the countryside, a visit to the nearby winery, and the lake breeze on our cheeks. David started to feel better after an afternoon of resting. Mom was awesome with her yummy breakfasts and a picnic dinner beside the lake. We all enjoyed a fun game of "redneck" golf and a few rounds of the basketball game Horse, or as we renamed it-Catfish. Dad pretty much ruled at that game. We took Brooke to an urgent care clinic on Saturday just to make sure she was okay. We were assured that she was on the mend.

Brooke loves baseball.

We started our journey home on Sunday. Brooke slept for what seemed like forever in her brand new carseat. David even had me check to see if she was okay. A funny smell in Hillsboro prompted us to check out the back seat, and our fears were confirmed. Our poor little baby was sick again. The new carseat is now broken in.

We finally made it home and prayed our little girl would feel better. I don't want to speak too soon, but she is doing really well today!

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Chompers

Don't let this sweet face fool you...

Raaarr!

She will attack when you least expect it! I nearly lost a fingertip today while shopping. I seriously almost yelled out loud when Miss Priss bit me! Of course she doesn't realize what she is doing hurts me, but I will certainly be more careful around those chompers.

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Bluebonnet Trail

Paige's cute pictures got me thinking: I had better get some pics of my girl in the bluebonnets! So here she is... (ERIN: Check out those cute boots! Thanks again, she loves them.)

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Lovey Dovey

Brooke has formed some strong attachments lately, the big one being to me. She has not been doing so hot in the nursery lately without Mommy. Our poor friend Jordan watched her while we were doing house stuff, and he very nicely said she "wasn't too happy about three seconds after you left." She finally wore herself out after about an hour and a half. 

Brooke is also quite attached to her bottle. She enjoys having it in her hands at all times. 

Wanting to avoid a big issue (since the doc recommended nixing the bottle at a year), and heeding advice from my friend Emily, we are trying to soothe her during fussy moments with a "lovey". So for the past two days, we have been rotating three washable stuffed animals into her daily routines in hopes that one will capture her heart. I think we have a winner...her princess bear. This is sweet because it is really the first stuffed animal she was given. My mom gave it to me shortly after we shared the news that our family would be growing. We are keeping the runners up on stand-by, of course. Here she is loving Miss Bear...and a piece of cardboard.

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Offer Accepted!

We just finished signing a bunch of papers for our new house! We are super excited about it. Looks like the seller wants to get things rolling, so we are looking at a closing date of April 21st! That doesn't leave us much time to get ready to move, but I know it will all work out. :)

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House Hunt

We have been looking for a house for a while now. We finally found the one we want, and after counter-counter offering, we are waiting to hear back if we will get it! Hopefully we will know tomorrow one way or the other.

Our small group lesson was perfect this week. It was the story of Gideon, and it was all about how God gives us peace when we feel inadequate/worried/insecure/doubtful/discouraged. Through much prayer, David and I have left this home decision completely to God. What a relief to know that we are not in control of this situation, and all we have to do is pray and listen for direction. Thank you to all our friends and family who are praying for us too! I will update with (hopefully good) news soon!

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