Back to the Braunf

Last weekend we headed to New Braunfels to celebrate Mom's birthday and Father's Day a little early. We always really enjoy ourselves, and this time was no exception. BIG bonus-I got to spend time with my friends Jennifer and Karene, two of my best buds in the world. Jennifer was in town for one of her rare trips home from Colorado where she now lives. I'm sure she's back there now enjoying some awesome weather. Here we are in front of the very tasty and unique Huisache restaurant. After lunch we headed to DQ for some ice cream, then to Landa Park where Brooke experienced her first train ride ever. Mom & Dad used to take us on this very train when we were little. Apparently back then it cost a quarter for a ticket. Surprise, surprise-the cost has skyrocketed to $2.25! Still pretty cheap entertainment though :-)
Brooke also enjoyed some quality time with Grammy. David and I went out to TWO MOVIES! We've only been to maybe one movie together since becoming parents, and this weekend we saw two! Yes, one of them was Kung Fu Panda that we only went to because my nephew needed someone to take him, but still we felt like rebels for all the nightlife. 

I thought I would take this opportunity to break some pretty alarming news to all you readers out there that think I have the happiest baby in town. Yes, even Brooke has her moments, more so now than ever. Little Miss Independent has picked up a strategy for getting what she wants-throwing completely horrible fits! See proof below. I just didn't want you to be shocked if you saw it happen in real life.

And she's back to her sweet self for the trip home. 

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Trying a pickle for the first time

She obviously prefers grilled cheese.

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Bye Bye Bottle

By the way, we dumped the bottle and formula last week. I took some advice from my pal Amanda and tried a soft tip sippy, and whole milk mixed with nutritional chocolate powder. She couldn't get enough of this new tasty treat! Of course we don't give her chocolate milk all the time, but it has certainly helped in the transition. I am so proud of my bottle-less big girl!

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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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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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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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One Small Step For Baby...

She did it!!!

Brooke took her first steps last night. She didn't really know she was doing it, but hey it happened. I was lying on the floor next to her, she was standing holding my cell phone, and there she went. She took two wobbly steps! 

As for the rest of the evening, she was very serious about pushing this thing around. 

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Ten Months! That's almost a year!

To Our Sweet Girl:
You are ten months old, and we can't believe it. Every day you are becoming more independent, and your personality is shining through. You already know how to melt our hearts with one look. Daddy and I constantly say what a miracle and blessing you are in our lives. You are such a good baby. Everyone loves you. You are complimented daily on how beautiful and sweet you are by most everyone we meet. Here are some things that stand out about you at 10 months old:
1) You do your silly scrunchy nose face at will.
2) You have 6 teeth.
3) You enjoy screaming and yelling at the top of your lungs; you think this is hilarious.
4) You are so easy to get to sleep at night. We just put on your lullaby CD, say prayers, give hugs and kisses, and lay you down. As soon as you make your way onto your tummy you are out until morning.
5) You can multitask while standing. You often clap or hold an object above your head while standing unassisted. You are soooo ready to take your first steps any day now, but I think you enjoy crawling too much.
6) You call Daddy "Dadda" when you see him.
7) You have grasped the concept of "mine". No, you can't say the word, but you cry when something of yours is taken away.
8) When you hear applause on TV, you start clapping.
9) You despise your carseat and the idea of being strapped into it. You fight it every time.
10) You give kisses. By this I mean you lean forward with an open mouth for a big wet one. It's the sweetest thing.

We love you baby girl! You are soooo special to us.

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

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Three Quarters of a Year!

Wow Baby, you are NINE months old! What a big girl you are!!!
Here are a few things that are going on in your world right now...

THE PHYSICAL
*You weigh 17 lbs and 13 oz (25th percentile). You are 27 3/4" tall (50th %), and your head is 17 1/4" around (50th %). You are still wearing some 9 month clothes and a few 12 month sizes (for all those curious grandmas out there).
*You are healthy as can be! You have only had one cold (*crossing fingers*).
*You pull up on just about everything, and you can STAND WITHOUT HOLDING ON TO SOMETHING for about 20-30 seconds.
*You are a speed crawler.
*You have TWO teeth on the bottom. FOUR teeth are currently making their way through your top gums--ouch!
*You can clap.
*You can wave bye-bye (sometimes).
*We can tell your hair is growing a little. We think it might be brown.
*We still don't know what color your eyes are. The doctor said they might be hazel.
*You sleep through the night *Yay*, but are a little finicky with naptimes.


YOUR PERSONALITY
*You LOVE people! You have yet to meet a stranger. You give smiles to just about anyone who pays attention to you. You will let anyone hold you. Sometimes you cry for Mommy when you are tired or hungry.
*You are attached to a tall lady in the nursery because you think she is me. At least we think that's what you think. You cry when she leaves your class.
*You sing in church.
*You are still Little Miss Independent when it comes to eating. You don't like Mommy or Daddy to spoon feed you. Luckily you can feed yourself some table foods now.
*You love bath time.
*You babble constantly. Your favorite word? Dadadada.
*You give "looks" now.
*Your favorite game is Peek-a-boo.
*You love to play with your toys, and you are fine playing by yourself for long periods.
*You think other babies are hilarious.

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Blue Jello...Yum!

Last weekend Brooke and I met Mom & Dad for lunch at Luby's.  Well Dad took her out of the high chair while she was still covered in gloppy mixed vegetables and gave her a bowl of blue jello. Very brave move.  She was fascinated. Grandparents are the bomb!

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8 Month Excitement

Well Princess, you are 8 months old! We just cannot believe how fast you are growing and how wonderful it is to see your personality develop. Here are 8 things about you that I love...

1. Your babbling skills are at a high point right now. You talk allll the time to anyone who will listen, even during quiet times at church and during prayer times. You say things like, "Yayayaya, mammmmmmammmaaa (which I count as mama), bababa, heeeheeeeee, aglaa", etc.

2. You are really great at getting around. You crawl so fast, and you climb up on anything you can. You even sidestep walk when holding on to something. 

3. You just started clapping. You love to clap, and you get really excited when someone notices you are clapping. You went to the nursery for the first time on Sunday, and you went to babies class where they sing with you. You did very well I was told. 

5. You are still my snugglebunny. People said the cuddliness would not last, but you are your mommy's girl. We cuddle, snuggle, hug, & nap together just about anytime we can. Your favorite place is in my arms. I just can't get enough!

6. You have developed a kissy face. We make kissy faces to you, and you open and close your mouth and lunge your mouth at us. Most of the time you end up sucking our noses or chins. 

7. You love other babies. Every time we see one of our baby friends you shriek with joy and flap your hands and arms toward them. You love to touch other babies' faces, and you look so concerned when they cry. You even stop what you are doing to notice a baby on tv. 

8. You are the messiest eater I have ever seen! You are so independent that you only want to feed yourself, not take a spoonful of food from Mommy. You love those little flavored puff crackers along with any food you can grab with your little hands. You usually take the spoon away from me and chew on it. You are usually covered in food by the time you finish a meal. 

Here you are getting cozy by the fire Daddy made. This is one of the very few pictures that shows your little teeth. You have two tiny teeth on the bottom (they are bigger now); one has poked through all the way and one is still working it's way up.

a closeup

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We have a crawler...and a climber!!!

Brooke has been making her way around the living room for some time now, but you couldn't really call it crawling. Well now, after much practice, she is officially a crawler. It just kind of evolved this week. 

Something else happened this week. Our baby turned into a monkey. Friday morning I went to get her out of her crib when to my surprise, her hands were on the top rail of the crib and she was peeking over the top of the crib. My heart jumped and I quickly informed David that we needed to lower the crib mattress. So we did and I was very relieved. This morning David went to get her out of her crib and there she was again on her knees, holding on to the vertical rails and smiling like a monkey in a cage. This evening I put her in her crib while I ran her bath water. When I came back, her hands were on the top rail and she was STANDING and peering over the top of the crib. She found it hilarious. The crib is still too tall for her to do any damage, but I have a feeling we'll be moving the mattress down again very soon. Apparently when David was a baby, he liked to jump up and down in his crib while holding on to the rail. One time he jumped right out. Hopefully our monkey will not be jumping out of her cage--I mean crib--anytime soon. 

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6 Months Already?

Dear Brooke, 

I can't believe you're 6 months old! You just went to the doctor and got 5 shots. You were so brave and you only cried for a few seconds. Then you smiled and waved at the nurses who just gave you shots. You are so sweet like that. Your doctor said waving is a 9 month skill by the way. You are also very very close to crawling. You get on your hands and knees and rock back and forth. Every once in a while you take a nose dive, but that doesn't stop you. You sit up unassisted for a long time before you fall over. You weigh 16 pounds and you are 26 inches long. The doctor said you are in the 25th-50th percentile on all of your measurements. She also said you were ready for some table food and a sippy cup. Mommy was surprised; you are growing up so fast! The biggest source of entertainment in your life right now is our dog Kinsey and the Christmas tree Mommy & Daddy just put up. We leave the lights on for you all day so you can see them. Tonight you somehow made your way from the middle of the room to the tree and grabbed a branch. You also love Mommy's cell phone and your exersaucer. You are getting better at eating, but you are still very messy because you like to hold your own spoon and stick your hands in your mouth. You also prefer to sleep on your tummy. I put you down on your back, and when I check on you just a minute later you are snoozing away on your tummy, silly girl. You are a social butterfly. You will let anyone hold you and you are still all smiles--for a few minutes anyway. After a while you cry for me. I guess your separation anxiety has kicked in. You are a snuggle bunny, and you still love laying on Daddy's chest. I am starting to see your independence though. You get really happy when we let you sit by yourself on the couch with some toys. 

Every morning I wake up so thankful that I am your mommy. You are such a blessing. Happy half birthday. We love you!

Love,

Mommy

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Baby's First Cold

I knew this day would eventually come. Brooke has her first cold. By this point she's pretty much over it, but yesterday was pretty tough for her and for us. She ran a low fever yesterday & was very congested. I was babysitting Rachel by the way, so I did my best to keep the two apart. We got in to see the doctor and she assured us it was just a cold and to keep doing what we've been doing--humidifier, saline drops and suction, elevate her head. Still, I hate seeing my baby suffer. She felt much better today, and I'm sure by tomorrow she'll be back to her old self. Phew, we made it! 

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Squash Madness

Brooke branched out and tried some squash tonight. She's not sure of what to make of it, but she knows it's definitely something different. She even tried to hold her spoon. Independent woman!

What are you trying to feed me again?

I don't know about this, Mom.

I can do it myself!

Another cute thing she's doing right now is she sucks on her thumb but all the other fingers stay straight out, so it looks like she's sucking her thumb and waving at the same time. Silly girl!

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The Fabulous Five Month Old

Dear Brooke,

It's hard to believe you have been in our lives for 5 months already. You have brought us so much joy. Being your Mommy has been better than I ever could have imagined. In honor of you turning 5 months old, I have compiled 5 lists of 5 items each.

5 Things You are Doing Now

1. You smile at anyone who smiles at you.

2. You babble often and squeal when you are happy.

3. You can grab toys, hold them, and bring them to your mouth.

4. You can roll over from front to back.

5. You sit up with help and you love standing.

5 Things People Have Said About You

1. "She is such a good baby."/"Is she always this good?"/"She's so easygoing."

2. "She looks just like her Mommy." :)And a few "She looks like David."

3. "What beautiful eyes!"

4. "Look at those gorgeous lips."

5. "She's delicious."/"She's beautiful."/"She's so pretty."

5 Things You Love

1. You love to hear your voice, and you look surprised sometimes when you make a loud noise.

2. You love cuddling with anyone.

3. You love to stand up.

4. You love seeing Daddy when he comes home from work.

5. You love it when people smile at you and talk to you.

5 Things I Love About You

1. I love that you wake up in the morning talking in your crib, and when I come to get you, you give me the biggest smile and flail your arms and legs in joy at seeing me.

2. I love the way your face lights up when you are happy. Your gummy grin, your chubby cheeks, and your eyes that literally do 'smile'.

3. I love taking naps cuddled up with you.

4. I love watching you take interest in new things.

5. I love that you make us a family, and you are a constant reminder of God's blessings in our lives.

5 Things God Has Taught Me Since Your Arrival 5 Months Ago

1. I understand better now how God loves us as children. No matter what you do I will love you beyond words.

2. I have a greater appreciation for my parents and their love for me. How blessed am I to have such wonderful examples.

3. Not having much and not feeling prepared were such unnecessary worries. God provides. All the apprehension we had before you were born about how we would handle having a baby seems silly now. We have all we could want and more.

4. I realize again how blessed I am to have married Daddy. I know he is the best possible father for you and is such a great Christian man that will help lead you through life.

5. I have learned a little more about selflessness.

I am joyfully anticipating what the next five months of knowing you will bring. You are so special to us, and each day with you is such a blessing. We love you baby girl!

Love,

Mommy

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Friends and Firsts

Last weekend was supposed to be a "relaxing" weekend since we have a ton of activities scheduled through mid--no make that through the end of November. The thing is, when you're in town and don't have much planned, things start getting scheduled for those days. So we had a not so relaxing but way more fun than expected weekend full of friends and firsts.

Friday night David attended the high school game with his cousin Mark. Meanwhile, I took Brooke to a Stampin' Up Party at Kimberlee's. Brooke, of course, was so great while Mommy stamped. Saturday morning I woke up bright and early and got my flu shot. When I got home we packed up the car and headed to Colleyville to visit our dear friends Davey, Lacey, and their baby Gracey at their new house! Let me just say that Mapquest is not always so clear, so we ended up turning around about seven times before we found their house. Davey & Lacey were also hosting some out of town friends from Harding, so it was a fun little group. Little Gracey was soo sweet with baby Brooke. She needs the practice, as her mommy will be having another baby in March. Every time we asked Gracey, "Do you want a new baby sister?" She said, "No." It was really funny.

We left at around 4:00 because we had to be at Justin & Allison's house at 6:30 for Dinner for 8. We swung by home and got some new bottles prepared and made a quick stop at Tom Thumb to buy a chocolate cake, as I had volunteered to make dessert. Well someone made it anyway. It ended up being a pretty good cake. I was relieved when we got to their house and saw that I was not the only one bringing store bought things to the dinner. Brooke was really awesome considering she had had a very busy day. Our friends were so sweet with her and very understanding. We were the only ones in the group with a baby, so she had lots of willing hands to hold her.

We got home that night and I cooked up some food for potluck the next morning. We actually made it to early service for the first time as parents, only about 5 minutes late. Brooke was making happy noises during Sunday School, but noises just the same, so we went out into the hallway and played with sweet little Ava. This is their first picture together.

After church and before the Cowboy game, we decided to drive around and look at houses. We needed to stop and feed Brooke, and we ended up finding this cute little park. Brooke tried out a playground swing and slide for the first time. Our little girl is getting so big!

We made it home shortly after the Cowboy game started, and left for evening service at church right after halftime. I was really proud of David for pulling himself away from the game to go to church. What a great leader of our family! It turned out to be a great thing, because watching the outcome of the game would have been pretty painful.

We decided that we can't just pick up and do a bunch of stuff like we did pre-baby. It's rather exhausting for us and for her. We are learning as we go I guess, and we're having so much fun!

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Strollerskating

Yesterday we tried Strollerskating at the local roller rink with our friends Jill & her baby Mason. This was really fun and I have to admit I am a little sore today. I think I will get better with practice. I didn't grow up around much concrete so I'm not exactly the skating expert. In fact, the only bone I've ever broken was done so while rollerblading down a hill in college. I was careful this time, probably going much slower than our friends were used to, and I stuck close to the wall. I think we'll try it again soon!After skating, we headed over for a playdate with our friends Emily & her baby Grace. The girls are pretty funny because they are beginning to notice each other. We're so thankful we have such wonderful friends that hang out with us during the day!

Grace has a beautiful nursery. I didn't really capture much of it with this picture, but it is decked out in brown and pink. So girly!

And here are some fun pictures we've taken lately...

"Does this diaper make my butt look big?" (From some of David's coworkers)

Brooke has found her feet and loves to hold them. Thankfully they haven't made it to her mouth yet.

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First Cereal!

Brooke had cereal for the first time last night. Babies are sooo fun!

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Rockin' and Rollin'

Well I am at the library blogging, sure to not make a sound with my sleeping child in the stroller next to me. We just finished story time here, and Brooke actually noticed the bubbles this time. The older babies in the class were sooo cute chasing the bubbles. I noticed she was getting tired, so we'll just spend nap time here.

Well we are rolling over pros now! Brooke rolled over 3 times last Friday and hasn't stopped since. She's even halfway rolling back over to her tummy! Just like everyone else told me, all babies are different and will hit their milestones at different times. She is becoming VERY talkative and smiles at anyone who smiles at her. She's been waking up in the middle of the night several times this week. The pediatrician mentioned that waking up at night to eat is a sign that a baby is ready to start food. Exciting!

David's team lost both games last night. Apparently 12 players did not pass for the 6 weeks, so that makes it a little harder to win games. He was also the administrator for the 7th grade games on Monday, so Brooke has hardly seen Daddy since Sunday. She did wake up last night at about 10:15 very congested. David jumped at the chance to pick her up and hold her while I suctioned her nose. He rocked her to sleep and for a long time afterward. I could tell he has really missed his girl.

While she's still asleep I'm going to look for a few recipes from cookbooks here, a little idea from my friend Kimberlee.

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