Half Birthday!!

Brooke,

Happy Half Birthday, Ladybug! We have now spent half of a year loving you, our sweet girl. In these 6 months, you have changed so dramatically. When we brought you home from the hospital, you were a tiny little 9.5 lb bundle, relying on Mommy & Daddy to take care of your every need. Now you're pushing 24 lbs (maybe more) and such an independent girl. You've started rolling and scooting all around the room this month, and just this week decided to start pulling yourself up on things. If you want something, you now know how to get yourself to it. You're also eating so many new & exciting things - pretty soon you'll be ready for table food! Here's what you're loving and hating at half a year old:

Favorites

Puffs - We introduced you to puffs this month, your first non-pureed food, and it was a huge hit! You gobble up the little sweet potato puffs. You can't get them into your own mouth, but you like to push them around on your high chair tray (inevitably pushing them onto the floor) and gum them when we feed them to you.

Clapping - You think it's so funny when anyone claps. The noise immediately captures your attention and the motion is just so exciting for you. You haven't quite learned how to do it yourself, but we're sure it won't be long!

Books - You have always liked reading books. You get this very serious look on your face whenever we read them to you, like you can't quite figure out why we aren't turning the pages faster or something. They have a new benefit for you now: a chew toy. Anytime we give you a book now, it goes straight into your mouth. Apparently books are yummy :)

Bumblebee Song - You love this song! "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee, won't my Mommy be so proud of me?..." We learned the hand motions for it from your cousins and you love it, especially since there is clapping involved.

Ice - It has been an unusually hot summer so far. You really enjoy the cool sensation of ice. We've stopped down at the concession stand at the pool on our walks for a shaved ice treat a few times now and you're in heaven :)

Biting - Oh how you love to use those new teeth. Yikes. You will bite down on anything you can get your hands on. Your new favorite things to chew on are celery, the diaper bag straps (random, I know), and Mommy (we've had a few talks about this - it's one of Mommy's Not-so-Favorites!)

Light Fixtures - This one is hysterical. You are fascinated by lighting. Lamps, recessed lighting, chandeliers, you name it. If it glows, you're a happy lady. Whenever we have you in our bed with us, we laugh so hard watching you take inventory of all the lights in the room. You move your head back and forth between the lamp on Mommy's nightstand and then the one on Daddy's, occasionally glancing up at the ceiling fan light. This sometimes goes on for several minutes - your head goes back and forth like you're watching a tennis match. So so cute!

Not-so-Favorites

Sitting Still - You are a mover & a shaker now, Miss Brooke. Sitting still is so last month. You hate when we try to contain you or hold you down because you're just so curious about your surroundings.

Diaper Changes - What a little wiggler you have become! Diaper changes have become quite a challenge for Mommy & Daddy because you squirm so much. You instantly try to flip onto your belly when we lay you down. It takes twice as long to get the new diaper on you now, unless we provide you with something to chew on to keep you still.

Wearing Shoes - This is kinda a Favorite, too, as shoes are an instant toy when they're on your feet. You immediately start trying to take them off when we put them on. Yesterday you successfully got all of your toes out of your sandals, but couldn't work the strap at the top. Maybe when you start walking you'll appreciate them more.

Boredom - You need constant stimulation. We'd say that's because you're just so stinkin' smart, but that would be bragging. Oh, who are we kidding, it is because you're so smart. You always want something to look at/hold/play with/chew on. Now that you're so mobile, you can take care of this for yourself most of the time. Car rides would be very rough if it weren't for the mirror on the back of the seat; it gives you something to look at - you!

Mommy has spent a lot of time today thinking about the day you were born and how much joy you instantly brought to our lives. It's incredible how one tiny lady can make our days brighter and our dreams sweeter. We can't wait to see what the next 6 months will hold, how beautiful and strong you'll be when you blow out that first birthday candle. Honey, we love you more today than yesterday and we'll love you even more tomorrow!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Celery.

So apparently celery is delicious. And feels like heaven on aching gums. Unbeknownst to me, the husband gave Brooke a piece of celery to chew on yesterday. I was unpacking groceries while Brooke was sitting on Daddy's lap as he ate lunch. I turn around and she is going to town on a piece of celery. And LOVING it. It was pure unadulterated joy.

Guess we've found ourselves a new teether!

I know this pic is blurry, but look how happy she is! These two are the best of friends.

On a completely unrelated but absolutely thrilling note, Brooke slept 8 straight hours last night without interruption! She went down just before 9 p.m. and didn't wake up to eat until 5 a.m. After eating, she went back down until 8:30! While I didn't go to sleep as early as the ladybug, I did get in bed early last night and got an unprecedented amount of sleep myself. I don't know what to do with all this sleep! And I realize this was probably a fluke night and I'm just jinxing myself for a really crappy night tonight, but I don't care - it was awesome. Have a happy Tuesday!

Handsome?

Someone told my daughter she was "handsome" tonight.

Some old lady (like walks-with-a-cane old) walks past our table at dinner tonight (mmmm LaRosa's) and says, "What a sweet little boy you are." The husband and I both let it slide - much easier than the awkward "She's actually a girl" comment and their subsequent apology. Well, Old Lady didn't pass by, as she should have; she lingered. I know what you're thinking - if she was walking with a cane, maybe she was resting/just that slow. But no, she was dead in her tracks. I could tell we were in for a full-on convo at this point. She clearly must have seen the sign on Brooke that says "Please interrupt my Mommy & Daddy's meal to comment on my cuteness." Clearly. Anyway, she lingered and continued with "Aren't you such a handsome boy." Unfortunately, I knew I couldn't help Old Lady save face anymore because she was bound to see the pink baby doll on Brooke's lap at some point. So I, of course, chimed in with "She's actually a girl..." And, on cue, Old Lady starts apologizing and is all "Oh, now that she's smiling I can definitely tell she's a girl." Whatev, Old Lady, nice try on the recovery. Yes, she was wearing a blue striped Polo dress and yes, it probably looked like just a shirt since she was sitting in a high chair at the time and you couldn't see the bottom. But still, those eyelashes scream GIRL, don't they? Oh, and all this was after our waitress asked how old HE was. To console myself, I convinced the husband to take us out for ice cream after (mmmm Graeter's).

Serves me right for leaving the house without one of her trademark headbands. Never again.

(Lucky for us, Brooke's grandma started making headbands for her so we have new choices besides just plain white or pink. A few have graced the blog already - they are precious! Mom - looks like we're going to need a navy blue one...)

Nudie Judy.

The husband assures me Brooke won't kill me when she's 14 for posting this picture. This was after a walk on a 90 degree day this week. As she guzzled the sippy cup of ice water I gave her periodically on the walk, half of it ended up on her shirt, requiring a complete strip-down when we got home. She was a sweaty mess - hot, but by no means overheated. She very quickly cooled down when we got into the A/C. Her to-die-for cheeks are even more to-die-for when they're rosy, aren't they? :)

Oh, and if you ever doubted how beautifully chubby our little girl is, doubt it no more. Pictures do not do the rolls justice!

Owner's Manual.

Where is the owner's manual for this kid? We have the Your Baby: Week By Week book on loan from my sister, but that describes how to handle the average kid. Where's the one for my baby specifically? Because I am desperate to find it.

I'm at my wits end with the whole not sleeping thing. I'm tired, y'all. Like really tired. I can't remember the last time I slept more than 4 hours consecutively. I knew this was a part of motherhood, not sleeping. I guess I just never thought it'd last this long.

Brooke's still waking up a lot at night. She wakes up EVERY night between 1 & 3 at some point. I used to use a 3 strikes approach - I'd comfort her and give her a pacifier the first and second times she woke up, then feed her the 3rd time she woke up. I figured that if she cried out a 3rd time, she must be hungry. Lately, I've been trying to eliminate this night feeding by just continuing to comfort her every time she cries. Sometimes it works and she doesn't eat at all overnight, which leads me to believe she's waking up because of her teeth. Well, after 90 minutes of getting up and down out of bed last night, I just gave in and fed her. We both needed to sleep. And now I feel like just giving up the whole weaning thing so we can all sleep.

Sometimes I feel like I just don't know how to do this. I feel like there's something that's not clicking in my head, like the secret to helping her sleep, for example. Also not clicking is how to comfort my suffering little girl and her aching gums. If she's not eating or sleeping, she's crabby. I'm doing everything I can think of to help her (including around-the-clock Tylenol and Orajel) but it doesn't seem to be enough. Poor thing is just miserable. In fact, she proved it by giving Mommy a pretty sharp bite with her two new teeth last night...while I was nursing her. There are lingering bite marks, my friends. Yowza.

Ok, Debbie Downer is going to go now. As evidenced by the above photo, the munchkin passed out cold on the way home from running errands so I'm going to capitalize on this and nap myself. Sweet dreams.

Happy Summer!

(Oh, hello. Remember me? Probably not, considering I haven't blogged in forever. Apologies for the lack of blogging last week - there really is no excuse for it, just didn't ever take the time to do it. But you'll forgive me for a few pics, right?)

Today is the official start of summer (though we've had summer-like heat and thunderstorms for weeks now.) Hooray! I love hot, sticky weather. No really, I do. I also love seeing chubby little arms and legs sticking out of tank tops and shorts. So darn cute!

What's new in the world of Brooke Mary? Not much. It's been a pretty uneventful, quiet week. She's doing great, still such a happy girl most of the time. The two bottom teeth have settled in, so the fussiness subsided for a while - but it's back as of yesterday, so there must be more on the way! She's sleeping a little better now, especially at nap time. She flips onto her belly while she sleeps sometimes, which is a double-edged sword; she sleeps better on her belly...if she stays asleep. But most of the time it wakes her up and makes her angry. Brooke is super-active all the time, flipping and rolling and turning and scooting all over the place. The child does not like to sit still. Mommy is already getting exhausted and the munchkin isn't even crawling yet! What else, hmmm.... Oh! She discovered that she has hair on her head today. She kept playing with it and pulling it, and then would make this face like "Yikes, that hurts a little bit." Hysterical. It's fascinating to watch this little girl's reactions when she discovers new things.

Here are the some of the latest pics of my big girl! (Big time papparazzi this week. I can't resist these eyes.)

Laundry baskets double as play pens when Mommy needs to fold laundry.

Guess who learned how to play peek-a-boo with her own dress. So funny. Plus it's a great look at that adorable belly!

Peek-a-boo! (I promise she has other bibs. This one just always seems to be at the top of the pile, I guess.)

Pretty girl in a pretty dress on Father's Day.

Dresses get in the way when you're trying to move. Also, check out the baby cleavage :) Can you see the 2 little teeth? What a big girl!

Just being cute.

"Enough with the headbands, Mom."

Father's Day.

Thank you.

Thank you for being the father I knew you would be. For loving our little girl, making her laugh, and taking such good care of her (and her mama.) Our baby girl adores you and I hope you see that. It is my greatest wish that the two of you have the kind of father-daughter relationship that I have with my Dad, full of unconditional love and admiration.

Thank you also for being my partner-in-crime in this crazy thing called parenthood. You make my job as Mommy a million times easier. I am so blessed and proud to be your wife.

Happy 1st Father's Day! Your girls love you :)

Brooke-o.

I'm not a nickname fan. Just not my thing. I chose a name for my child that doesn't easily lend itself to nicknames, after all. Other than my own quirky nicknames for her (Big Lady, Mama, Ladybug, etc.) very few people have nicknamed Brooke. With the exception of her cousins. Out of the blue one day, her cousin Molly started calling her Brooke-o. And it stuck like glue. "Brooke-o" this and "Brooke-o" that. Honestly, I find it endearing.

My sister's 2 little girls ADORE my little girl. They think Brooke is the bee's knees. They get so excited to see her. And Brooke lights up when she sees them, too. They love to talk to her, sing to her, and shower her with hugs and kisses (though Claire just gives her air kisses, as if she's afraid to really touch her,) and Brooke just eats it all up. They already have the sweetest relationship and that thrills me. Molly & Claire are preparing for a baby brother or sister of their own - and what great big sisters they will be!

Especially Miss Molly. She spent a few hours at our house tonight and was very helpful. She made sure Brooke had toys to play with at all times (the ones she wasn't playing with herself), helped me bathe her (well, really she just wanted to play with Brooke's bath toys), and even watched Elmo with her (you know, because Brooke really wanted to watch it.) All in all, it was great having a real "big girl" around tonight.

p.s. Speaking of cousins, Happy Half-Birthday to Brooke's cousin Owen! We can't wait to have him back stateside to spend some time with all the girls!

23 Weeks.

Brooke is 23 weeks old. I know what you're thinking: "23 weeks? Who cares? That's an oddball occasion to celebrate." And I'd agree with you most of the time. But in this 23rd week of life, our little woman decided to grow the heck up. She got old this week, my friends. How so?

~She now has 2, count em, TWO teeth! I tried my very best to capture it in a photo (do you have any idea how hard it is to get a 5-month-old to open her mouth long enough to snap a picture?) You can kinda see the first tooth (the one on the left) but the 2nd has just barely broken through the gum.

~She has decided she wants to roll both ways now. She has conquered getting over that second arm to roll from back to belly, which is now her favorite way to go. She especially likes to do it in her bed, which then makes her angry because she can't fall asleep on her belly...yet.

~She can now drink from a straw. This is huge. And very beneficial to her, though she doesn't even know it yet. It means she'll get even more sips of Mommy's water while we're out and about.

~She scoots backwards. She'll go across the room if you let her, though she's not thrilled about doing it. She still doesn't like being on the tummy all that much.

~She helps me sort the mail. Ok, well not really, but it was funny to watch her throw the ValPak coupons everywhere.

~She has started rocking on her hands and knees - could we be in the beginning stages of crawling already? Sheesh!

~She wears 2-piece jammies now. I realize this isn't a developmental milestone or anything, but she looks so old in them! And as the jammies say, she is one in a million!

Worries.

Is she going to be cold with the thermostat at 69? Should I go down and turn it up to 70? What will I feed her for breakfast tomorrow? Is she getting enough to eat now that she's on solids? Should I be giving her more breastmilk? Will she start to hate veggies if I introduce more fruits? When was the last time she pooped? Wait, did she just grunt or was that something else? Is she waking up again? If I feed her now, when do I think she'll get up again? If she gets up by X o'clock, will she have enough time for a morning nap before we have to leave? If I get up an hour before that, will she sleep long enough for me to shower? Did I turn the monitor off downstairs before I came up? Did I pack enough diapers in the diaper bag for the whole day tomorrow? Oh crap, did she just grunt again? Did I remember to wash her pink pajamas in that load of baby laundry I did today? When is her next doctor's appointment? Will she still be way off the charts? Should we be concerned she's so far off the charts? Did I put her teething ring back in the fridge for tomorrow? When is that second tooth going to pop up? Do I know where the Baby Orajel is in case she needs it in the middle of the night? OK, that was definitely a grunt. How long should I let her cry before I go in?

...and it goes on and on.

This is why I can't go right to sleep at night. This is why I can't fall right back to sleep after getting up with her each of the 6 times she's up during the night. This is why I go up to bed at 9:30 and am still awake at 11 when the husband comes to bed. I'm constantly thinking, wondering about all things Brooke. She is my first and last thought of every day and a significant majority of the ones in between. When I was pregnant, no one told me I'd spend my whole day worrying about her well-being and if I'm doing an okay job parenting her. It's constant.

Does the husband have this problem, too? Doubtful. The man is asleep within 60 seconds of his head hitting one of his 4 pillows (yes, that's right, the man that gave me so much crap about all my pillows when I was pregnant now sleeps with 4.) It's not because he doesn't care, but because he knows I'll take care of all of it. I'm the mom - it's my job. And, frankly, I love that he trusts that I'll take care of it all.

But that's not to say I wouldn't mind one worry-free night's sleep now and again. Surely it'll happen one day, right? I know, I know, not likely. Because I know for a fact that my mom still worries about all of us...and now her grandkids, too. I wonder if "When was the last time Brooke pooped?" is in her thoughts as she tries to fall asleep...

(p.s. The pic above is the aftermath of a teething meltdown, hence the wet eyes. Love this picture of my pretty girl with her hazel eyes and long eyelashes - she gets those from her Daddy.)

Not yet a fishie.

So my daughter enjoys the bath now. She can sit up by herself (though she does slip around a bit so we keep our hands super close) and loves to play with her duck and octopus toys. I mean, look at this face, water dripping down it and all. Could she be any happier?

But then there's the pool, this giant expanse of water with loud fountains and giant inflatable whales and rambunctious kids freshly out of school for the summer. Our little munchkin sooo does not like the pool yet. We took her to the Family Pool Party down at the Rec this weekend and she was not having it! She lost it the second we sat her in the super shallow part. I think it was partly due to the cold water and partly because she felt very insecure. When I picked her up, she clung on for dear life. I took her out into the deeper water and got most of her body in the water to keep her warm and she seemed to handle that okay, but did not want to go to anyone else. I think it's going to take some serious getting used to for her to enjoy the pool. (Doesn't surprise anyone that she isn't a fish yet; both her parents are reluctant around water.) Fishie or not, she looked a-dor-a-ble!

Oh and did you notice I said "I" took her out into the water? That's right, I went in the pool. I wore a bathing suit. In front of people. A lot of people. First time in years (aside from the FL trip in Sept when I was 6 mos. pregnant and couldn't care less if my sister, BFF, and FL strangers saw me in a suit.) Why? Well, because I have decided that I cannot deprive my child(ren) of summers at the pool and beach vacations just because I have insecurities. That, and it's much easier to be happy with myself in a suit these days. I am now 50 lbs lighter than the day I gave birth, which also happens to be 25 lbs less than the day I got married. I've said it before and I'll say it again - breastfeeding is a beautiful thing.

(Try not to stare directly at me. My pasty white skin might blind you. I haven't had a tan since 2008, my last pregnant-free summer.)

30 minutes.

I'm such a fool.

I went ahead and posted all about Brooke's new tooth and how there were no signs of teething, no drooling, no fussiness, yada yada yada. And then BAM! We've been attacked by the all-time fussiest child ever. OK, well that's probably a tad dramatic. I'm sure there have been fussier children in history. But when she just sits there bawling for no reason it certainly doesn't feel that way. I guess there is a reason - there's something sharp jutting through her gums; I don't remember how it feels, but I can imagine it blows big time.

I'd be willing to bet this fun crying-out-every-45-mins game we've been playing each night for the past bazillion nights is all thanks to her new tooth (and its imminent incisor buddies that I'm sure will be joining us anytime now.) Did I mention how much fun this game has been? Pardon my language, but Brooke's mommy is flippin' exhausted. And, frankly, so is she, which is also contributing to the fussiness. She is the queen of 30-minute naps. Her Highness herself. No joke, 30 mins and she's done. She's happily in dreamland at 29:59 and then, as soon as her internal clock switches over to 30:00, her eyes pop wide open. The girl has incredible timing. She must have a 30-min REM cycle or something. Needless to say, 30 minutes is just not enough. On rare occasion she can be coaxed into going back to sleep, but it's rare. Sigh.

When she's not being crab-tastic, Brooke is getting cuter by the day. She's such a ham, loving when Mommy plays paparazzi. Here are a few pics of her in her oh-so-yummy pear dress. The second one is mid-laugh and I love it. Also, thanks to my new camera, when you zoom in really far, you can see her budding little tooth! The last one is from the park - our daredevil loves to swing! Enjoy!

Sophie & a tooth.

First, let me start by saying (or, rather, yelling) GUESS WHO HAS HER FIRST TOOTH! I felt it this morning as she was gnawing on my knuckle. Something sharp poked me and I thought "Well that can't be a tooth." She hasn't been drooling, isn't very fussy, and has shown zero signs of teething. Not to mention the fact that the husband and I were late teethers and it's a hereditary thing (or so I'm told.) Well, after struggling to see her bottom gums myself (her tongue instantly hid the gum when I put my fingers in her mouth,) I enlisted the help of my mom. It only took the seasoned mother-of-6 half a second to separate her tongue and gums so we could see it. And sure enough, her first little tooth has popped up! She has never seemed older to me than she does today!

Ironically, this happened on the same day I was going to post a photo of Brooke going to town on her buddy Sophie the Giraffe. This little rubber buddy of hers provides endless chewing entertainment. It's not a fancy or even modern toy; it has been around forever and, evidently, is all the rage in Europe. As its popularity is not as rampant state-side, I had to order it online for Brooke after reading about it. And she LOVES it. Seeing as she's now most definitely teething (I still can't believe it...) I'm sure she'll be munching on her more often.

Weekend in Pictures.

It was a very fun and eventful long weekend for the Reeders. Here's a taste of what we did. (Prepare yourself for picture-overload. There are some really cute ones and, according to the husband, I owe my readers quite a few.)

We took a very hot walk, like 87-degrees hot, and Miss Brooke was dressed for the occasion. She loves taking walks. We brought along a sippy cup of icy juice to keep her hydrated.

Brooke discovered her German roots this weekend with a liter at the Hofbrauhaus. Not surprisingly, she ADORED the giant, cold mugs. She wanted to take a drink in the worst way. She even danced up on the benches with her Grandma.
This one is my absolute favorite. It's bigger than her head.
These are the infamous ab crunches I've mentioned before. She does this the instant you lay her down; makes diaper changes a little more difficult.

Just being cute during our 5-month photo shoot. Loves those toes.

Brooke attended her first Memorial Day parade, a family tradition. I've missed very few since I was a kid (one of which was the day we left on our honeymoon.) She seemed to enjoy the whole thing, especially the music.

Someone was a little tuckered out from all the excitement. This is also the very last time she rode in her infant car seat. See how her feet stick out the end?

Hello, Big Girl car seat! Here's our princess in her throne.

Apparently the big toe tastes the best :)

Hope your holiday weekend was as fun as ours!