2 months old :)

Dear Brooke,

Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you, baby girl! You've grown so much this month and are such a ham now. We love your gorgeous smile and nothing warms our hearts like the sound of your sweet voice. And boy do you love to use it! Oh, and those cheeks - it's impossible to hold you and not kiss them incessantly. Looking at photos of you from one month ago, it's amazing to see how much you've grown, both physically and developmentally. These are a few of your favorite and not-so-favorite things this month:

Favorites

Your Swing - Now that you can see and focus on the little things that dangle down from it, your swing is one of your favorite pasttimes. You love to stare up at the little bug that dangles down, as well as, oddly enough, the pivot point on the side (possibly a sign that we have a future engineer like Daddy on our hands?) You coo and giggle and kick your little legs while you swing. Though, like everything else, you only last about 10-15 minutes before you're bored.

Bugs - Because your Mommy didn't want to overwhelm you with animals on all of your things, several of our toys have bugs on them (butterflies and beetles and such.) And you love them! They literally make you giddy. Are you going to be a nature girl? You didn't get that from your Mommy...

Your Flower Carseat Toy - This toy has become a lifesaver. You aren't a fan of being in the car, but this little toy delights you. It sings and the flower lights up when you pull on the dangling bug (another bug, shocking.) Mommy and Daddy have the 5 or so songs that are on a loop memorized already, after only a couple of weeks.

Old McDonald's Farm - "With an oink-oink here, and an oink-oink there..." This song is by far your favorite. Mommy sings it to you daily and you love to sing along. Sometimes we sing so long that Mommy runs out of animals!

Talking - You love to hear yourself talk, a trait you definitely get from your Mommy. Sometimes the sounds that come out of your mouth surprise all of us, even you.

Not-So-Favorites

Tummy Time - Not many babies like tummy time, and you're no exception. It's a lot of work having to lift your head and shoulders. You're a big girl, after all. But you do it so, so well, Mama (Don't be confused; Mama is just another one of Mommy's nicknames for you. Yep, your Mommy is a strange ranger.) If you're in a good mood and we lay on the floor with you, you can last up to 10 minutes doing it. We're trying to come up with alternative exercises that simulate this without you having to actually be on the big belly.

Bellyaches - Your poor little tummy is still strugglin'. When you start to get stiff and grunty, we know it's because your belly is a-rumblin'. Mylicon and certain squatting positions seem to help, but it's heartbreaking to watch you get so sad.

Outfit Changes - If it were up to you, you'd stay a Nudie Judy 24/7. You just don't like having to get your clothes changed. And, unfortunately for all of us, you sometimes explode through your clothes multiple times a day. After the 2nd day in a row of ridiculous, throw-the-onesie-away explosions, we've upped your diaper size. Hopefully this will help minimize the # of changes, munchkin.

Fleece - Being hot is just not your thing, so fleece clothing gets a big fat No Thanks from you. When you get too hot (usually in your carseat and typically when we're nowhere near our final destination when we can get you out), you start flailing about and this only makes matters worse. Talk about a sweaty mess! It may be cold outside, but fleece is just out of the question for you.

Hiccups - You hated them in the womb, so it's no surprise you hate them now.

Mommy and Daddy adore watching you grow each and every day. We're so in love with you, Miss Brooke. Happy 2 months, Ladybug!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Nightly chats.

As promised, here's one of the nightly daddy-daughter conversations had on Kingsport. So delightful. They have serious chats, full of political banter and economic debates. No? Ok, fine, she's not that advanced. Maybe they're about diaper explosions, bubble-blowing, and tummy time.

She already knows most of the chorus to NKOTB's The Right Stuff. "Oh oh o-o-oh, oh oh o-oh...." (If you're not singing this song in your head right now - or out loud, if you're a true fan - you didn't grow up in the late 80's/early 90's.)

Eight Weeks.

Eight weeks feels like a big milestone, though I'm not sure why. The Big Lady is doing so well this week! She's finally sleeping through the night most nights. (According to "the books", STTN officially means 5+ hour stretches at a time. Brooke's hit 6 and 7 hour stretches this week.) She's got herself on a pretty killer schedule, which is so funny to me as I didn't influence it a bit. It's quite nice for me, as I can now anticipate having a little time to myself to get things done. Her little digestive system wakes her up every morning; she grunts and jerks around throughout the night and then gets it all out in the morning. Poor thing. We change outfits with almost every poop now, which is causing a Great Debate in our house - is it time to move to size 3's (ridiculous for this age, right? There is such a thing as too big/loose!) or is this just what babies do (I'm leaning this way...)?

Doctor's appt on Monday for official weight/height, but we are definitely over 15 lbs now. She'll get her immunizations at this appt, so Mommy's preparing herself for heartbreak. We were brave with the last one; we'll see how this goes. I'm going to give her Tylenol before the appt so it can kick in by the time they stick her. I'm interested to hear what the pediatrician thinks of her size this time. Will we get another "Holy Smokes!" or perhaps something even more graphic?

Brooke is acting much older this week, what with all her conversations and facial expressions. She's growing up right before our weary eyes (yes, you read that right.) Two months old on Sunday :)

"Hey Bug. Tummy Time is boring. Want to have a staring contest?" "I'm going to drool through this game; it's my distraction technique."

"Ready, set, go! You don't stand a chance, Bug."

"Haha, I win! Victory is sweet. Better luck next time, Bug."

Baby jeans.

Jeans for babies. They elicit gleeful squeals from this Mom. In the words of Rachel Zoe, I die. (Oh, you don't watch The Rachel Zoe Project on Oxygen? Well, you should. Right after you stop judging me for watching - scratch that - DVRing it.) Gymboree, I love you and your baby jeans.

You know you're a new mom when...

...you find pacifiers down your shirt. Not kidding, this has happened twice. Last night, I get down on my stomach to join Brooke in tummy time and kept feeling something hard underneath me. Assuming it was just a button on my shirt, I roll over and feel a hard lump. A pacifier. 2nd time this week.

...you have no interest in shopping for yourself, yet you instantly gravitate towards babyGap the second you enter the mall.

...your husband gets home from work and you're still in last night's pajamas, but your baby is on her third outfit of the day (sometimes more with the Poop Monster here.)

...(speaking of last night's PJ's) you sleep in whatever you wore that day because, let's be honest, you don't wear anything that isn't comfortable and sleep-worthy anymore.

...the most frequently used word in your vocabulary is "pappy", and it's not even a real word (it's our word for pacifier.)

...wait, today's Thursday? What happened to Tuesday and Wednesday?

...you're 2 sips into a mimosa at Grandma's 95th birthday brunch and you can feel it, thanks to a wicked combo of sleep deprivation and being sober for a year.

...you find yourself encouraging your child's bodily functions. "C'mon, baby girl, give Mommy a big burp" and "Just poop it out, Big Lady, you'll feel so much better if you get it all out" are daily phrases.

...you catch yourself listening to (and enjoying) the Disney Lullabies CD in the car when you know your little princess is fast asleep...and has been for awhile.

...you've mastered one-handed typing. And eating. And cooking. And laundry. And just about every other task.

More to come, I'm sure :)

Brooke & Daddy.

He may not always think so, but Brooke loves her Daddy. Sure, she's often fussy and inconsolable when she's with him. It doesn't help that her crankiest and most awake time of the day is between dinner and bedtime, right when he gets home from work. So, she's hit and miss with happiness for most of the time she spends with him. And it doesn't help that she instantly calms down once he hands her to me. Talk about frustrating for him (still boggles my mind that I am the person that can do that...) But when it's time to play or sleep, Daddy's the guy for her.

He almost always takes her the second he gets home from work, which is a-okay for Mommy, who is usually ready for a tiny break at that point. If she's asleep, they cuddle. If she's awake, they play. He's pretty aggressive with her, scaring me at times. I think I'm less scared for her safety and more scared for his clothes. Throwing an infant into the sky (and by throwing I, of course, mean just gently lifting her - see below), especially the Spit Up Queen that has taken up residence in our house lately, frequently results in dirty laundry; it's just a fact. And guess who does all the laundry... Anyway, I've been around my share of babies and I know she won't break as he throws her around and pushes her quickly in her swing - that doesn't mean I don't get a little nervous.

They have conversations together (video to come - too cute!) They have staring contests. They have watched their fair share of TV together (poor baby girl has to watch Daddy's DVR'ed History Channel shows...) Brooke and Daddy are best-good friends. And let me tell ya, it's precious to see. Daddy thought he wanted a little boy, but this little girl has him wrapped around her chunky little finger already :)

Seven Weeks.

Seven weeks already - I can't believe it! It's been quite a busy week for Miss Brooke. She celebrated the start of her first Olympics (hooray!!), her baptism, and her first Valentine's Day. All 3 events were wonderful. She's been loving the Olympics as much as her Mommy, even staying up late to watch Bob Costas' full coverage (our sleep has seriously taken a hit due to the Olympics!) Her baptism and the party after went off without a hitch. She was an angel during the service and wasn't even bothered by the water as it was poured on her head. Valentine's Day was a lazy day for the whole family; we literally napped the day away, staying in and even getting Chinese take-out. She was all dressed up for the occasion (see below), just with nowhere to go!

Brooke is super animated now. She can now be entertained by hanging objects on her swing or car seat for a decent chunk of time. She laughs all the time, straight up Stevie Wonder-style with the closed eyes, open-mouthed goofy grin, and head swivel. Too cute. She's a huge fan of Mommy singing Old McDonald to her - she even sings along with a Moo-Moo here and a Moo-Moo there :) She hates her car seat more than ever, but we've attached a blinking musical toy to it that seems to be helping calm her a bit. Hmmm, what else...still a poop monster. Still wearing 6 mo. clothes (but the 6 mo. Ralph Lauren stuff is already getting too small...sigh.) Weighing in yesterday at 14 lbs 13 oz.

To make up for the picture-less post, I even have a little video for you from Valentine's Day. The end of it is the best part, so try to suffer your way through my voice to get to the end. Enjoy!

Time Out.

The Reeder House had its first time out tonight. Who would have thought we'd reach this milestone before Brooke was even 7 weeks old? Only it wasn't the Big Lady in Time Out; it was Mommy. (C'mon, who puts an almost 7-weeker in time out? What would that even entail? "You lay there on the floor instead of in your swing and think about what you did while you stare aimlessly around the room as usual, young lady!" I mean, really...) Anyway, I put myself in Time Out tonight.

After spending close to an hour trying to make dinner, she wakes up from a small nap just as we're sitting down to eat. I got through about 4 bites of mac n' cheese and a bit of zucchini before she decided it was time for her dinner (an hour early, mind you.) So, my baked potato remained untouched and was cold by the time I got back to it after her feeding. (Random dinner, you say? Blame Ash Wednesday.) I was so frustrated by the whole scenario that I just gave up on eating, passed her off to Daddy, and sent myself to my room for an hour. See, I was starting to get snippy with my baby girl and, at 7 weeks, she doesn't deserve my frustration. So I removed myself from the situation for a while. Daddy handled her perfectly while I was away and was being extra sweet to her when I finally came back down (maybe he sensed Mommy's attitude from earlier and decided to compensate for it with the munchkin - thanks, honey.)

All is well now, as the Big One is nestled in my neck sleeping as we speak. I apologized for being short with her; she forgave me with a precious little grin. (She kinda had to forgive me...I am her milk supplier.) So yeah, we're friends again :)


- I know what you're thinking: "WHAT?! A picture-less post? Why did I bother reading through that whole ridiculous diatribe, full of whining and 'Oh, woe is me' moments, if I wasn't going to be rewarded with an absurdly adorable picture of her chubby baby at the end? What a waste." Not to worry, blog readers (...both of you...) I'll make up for it tomorrow.

Hi there.

Oh, hello. Do you like my fantastic headband and 80's-style leg warmers? How about my heavenly smiles? I mean, seriously, they need to develop a new word for me because "cute" and "adorable" just don't cut it.

Six Weeks.

Our little girl has made it to 6 weeks! She's becoming quite a little character, hamming it up for us all the time now. We are blessed with adorable little smiles, laughs, and coos on a daily basis. It's absolutely heartwarming. After a long, rough day at work, she can get her Daddy to cheer up quickly. She suddenly seems so old to me!

Well, the Big Lady has gotten even bigger. We've topped 14 lbs this week, meaning we're close to having added 50% of her birth weight in just six weeks. Holy moley. We graduated to size 2 diapers a few weeks ago, but have now completely ditched any 3 month clothing items and moved straight to 6 months in all brands. sigh. Her baptism is this weekend and we're going to squeeze her into my Christening dress from 1984. I was 9 lbs 8 oz when I was born, but I didn't plump up quite as quickly as she has, so we'll see how this goes!

The precious little pictures that are gracing this blog post are from her 6 week pictures that we took today. Most of the photos are in the same outfit because we started to melt down after awhile (the outfit/diaper change mid-shoot was just a little too much for her.) Everyone's first impressions so far? She looks so big...those cheeks, the double chin, the fact that she's neck-less in most of them. All so adorably chubby. Those cheeks are irresistible, aren't they? (Disclaimer: I was not prepared to be in photos today, but the only way she was quiet in outfit #2 was if she was held by Mommy. I didn't buy any of the ones with me in them, but I thought I'd share a few.)

Girly girl.

People frequently mistake babies to be the opposite gender. No one has done this for my child. Why? Could it be her girly face with the long eyelashes? Could it be the pink outfits she's always wearing? My best guess = headbands. Brooke has a headband on her head most of the time. Partly because I think they're adorable and she looks like a little princess in them. But mostly because I can't bear the thought of someone mistaking my Big Mama (my newest nickname for her - I'm fully aware of how random I am...) for a boy. She's 100% girl and will dress like a girly girl (whether she likes it or not) until she's old enough to dress herself...at like age 18.

All of this brings me to her Jordan outfit. Her uncles gave her this before she was even born, when everyone still held out hope that we'd have a boy. Alas, she was born a lady but still needed to dawn her little jersey-onesie to one of Daddy's basketball games. (Perhaps I should explain this further for those that don't know my husband as well. When I met him, he owned more shoes than me. Most of them were in the form of Air Jordans #'s 1-23. [I'm sure I'll get a lesson tomorrow on which ones he truly does and does not own, but I know it's many of these...] It's an obsession that I'm happy he outgrew. That's not to say we don't still have a stack of size 13's in orange boxes in the closet in our guest room...) So anyway, Brooke wore her little Jordan outfit to Daddy's game and it did look pretty cute. But I caught myself saying a million times "She looks like a boy," pretty much every time we showed her off to someone new. Apparently I have a complex about this. To remedy this, I wrapped her in a pink blanket and fought the urge to put her headband on over top of the hat.

(Oh, and can we talk about how big she is? Yowza. She looks so much bigger just this week. We're definitely over 13 lbs.)

Five Weeks.

5 weeks for the Big Lady. There is one word that defines this week: patience. My patience has been tested so many times this week. Brooke hit the infamous 6-week growth spurt a few weeks early (because she thinks she's that old) and has been a handful. She decided to spend an abnormal amount of time awake in a 48-hour period. On top of a lack of sleep, she got hungry more frequently than usual but would only eat a little bit at a time. Oh yeah, and the Poop Monster (the nickname our poor child has received from both of her parents and will more than likely send her to therapy in the future) has been ruining outfits left and right. 4 a.m. explosions are my favorite - nothing like stripping a half-asleep, half-pissed infant in the middle of the night, trying to calm the starving child while dealing with the poop that is just everywhere. Let's just say we're down 1 onesie as I decided at 4 a.m. it wasn't worth my time or sanity to clean it and so into the trash can it went.

Today was the (knock on wood) turning point for us. We had a pretty good night, going 7 hours between feedings. This morning, I woke up to find that my little one, still fast asleep, had fallen from her side-sleep position onto her belly. That's right, her belly. Call the SIDS-police now, folks, because I *gasp!* left her that way. I took a shower, got ready, and even ate my breakfast, and all the while my baby girl was sleeping on her belly. And I don't feel bad about it, nor did I worry about her - she's freakishly strong. Plus, I felt like a human being again! Not only that, but not having to depend on someone else to help with her so I could do all of these things left me in an incredibly good mood. Bonus!

Speaking of freakish strength...the pediatrician told us to increase Tummy Time from now on to improve Brooke's already incredible upper body strength. So, we worked some in today. Here's the step-by-step process in pictures: first, figure out what's going on; next, rest up for what is going to be a tough couple of minutes; then, it's go time - lift, lift, lift!

Holy Smokes!

This is what Brooke's pediatrician said as she walked into the room at her one-month appt today, after having taken a peek at her chart. The nurse had weighed her in at an incredible 12 lbs 13.6 oz. This shocked the doctor, as did the fact that she's now 24 1/4 inches long, up almost 2 in. from birth. Her head has also grown an inch (like it really needed to...) and is now 16 inches around. When I say Big Lady, I clearly mean Big Lady! When she checked the growth charts, she told me Brooke is completely off the charts. OFF THE CHARTS! Apparently they don't make babies this big. And by "they", I mean society. She's not the least bit concerned by her size - she's proportionate, she doesn't really eat all that often, and when she does it's not for very long. She says she's just an "efficient eater" and has a "big stomach". So, as long as the doctor's happy with her size, I'll proudly continue putting my brand new baby in her 6-month sleepers (wore the first 6-monther today!)

Brooke was so good throughout the whole appt. She was very quiet and calm, super alert, smiling and cooing at the doctor. I think the doctor was both impressed by and enamored with our baby girl. She got one shot today, which made Mommy almost as sad as Brooke. But there were no tears involved for either of us - she doesn't have fully-developed tear ducts yet and, well, I was just brave :) She has her very first Princess band-aid to show for it! (Can you say precious?)