Ten Months.

Dear Brooke,

Look at you, you big 10-month-old! It's been an eventful month, but we all survived and you are happier than ever. You are so full of life and energy, chickadee. You are go-go-go all day, right up until the last minute of the day and then you just crash. You play and think so hard all day that you're just wiped by the end of it. Your intelligence still astounds us; we constantly find ourselves saying "Should she be able to do that already?" More often than not, the answer is no. Like how you can climb out of your high chair & stroller. And how you can stand unassisted for several seconds before sitting down. You even joke around with us, offering us something and then pulling it away at the last second and giggling. And you even give hugs on command now, even though Mommy seems to be the only one blessed by these hugs so far. Here's what makes you an especially happy girl these days (and a few that make you not-so-happy):

Favorites
Your Playhouse - A very kind friend passed off her daughter's playhouse when she grew out of it and we were the lucky recipients. You spend a significant chunk of your day playing with this little musical house. Your favorite things to do on it are press the buttons on the radio, turn the light on/off, climb through the door, and open the mailbox. You learned to dance bopping along to the music it plays. And playing peek-a-boo with the door sends you into a fit of giggles!
Books, books, books - We have a Barnes & Noble explosion in our family room at all times and you are to blame! You are obsessed with books - big, small, touch-&-feel, lift-a-flap...you love them all! We probably read 25 or more books a day (thank goodness your cousins let you borrow theirs so we have some variety!) You will happily sit on the floor flipping through them yourself. But you especially love to have them read to you. When we tell you to go get a book and bring it to us, you do just that, cozying up on our lap for storytime. Sometimes we read the words and other times we just point at the pictures because you turn the pages too fast. We're thrilled you love books so much; we bet you'll be an early reader!
Food - Oh how you love to eat. Anything and everything. You are an eating machine. We fill your high chair tray with an assortment of bite-sized pieces and you gobble them up in no time. You aren't very picky and will try just about anything we give you. Fruits are certainly your favorite, with baby snacks (like puffs and wagon wheels) a close second. You've just started enjoying cut-up meats and cheese, too. Veggies are a little tough for you to eat as finger foods, so we still do quite a few purees of those, but we're working on it. We're so grateful to have such a great eater on our hands!
Playing Ball - There is hope for you, athletically-speaking, after all! Mommy & Daddy aren't the most athletic people you'll ever meet (especially Mommy) so we were concerned our children would be a bit uncoordinated. But you've already taken a huge interest in playing ball, and you're pretty good at it. So you may actually be able to take advantage of your well-above-average height on a volleyball court!
Tongues - You learned how to stick out your tongue this month. Talk about hilarious! It usually takes someone else sticking their tongue out at you to get you to do it, but once you remember how, that tongue goes in and out at a rapid pace. And you think other people's tongues are hysterical.
"Helping" - You're already trying to be helpful. You are the official Garage Door Button Pusher every time we come in and out. You like to try to turn off the light when we leave your room, just like you do with the giant light switch on your playhouse. You're a big help when Mommy does laundry; you help sort the clothes (i.e. you throw the sorted clothes all over the laundry room) and take them out of the dryer (i.e. Mommy puts the wet clothes in the dryer from the washer and you immediately reach in and take them right back out.) You especially love "helping" us use electronics, like answering the phone, changing the channel, and typing on the laptop. You just love to follow us around and "help" whenever you can.

Not-so-Favorites
Covered Feet - We aren't sure if you hate to have your feet covered or if you just love to play with sock & shoes, but you insist on removing them if we put them on you. Within minutes of strapping you in your carseat, off go the socks & shoes. Most mornings, we find you playing in your crib with your socks in your hands (or sometimes on the floor outside the crib.) You used to love playing with your toes, so maybe you just don't like to have them covered.
Animals - Your fear of dogs is actually a fear of all animals. You're okay with them if they are far away, but once they get in close proximity, you are very afraid. This doesn't surprise us, as there are zero animals in your life, but we are working to overcome this. We took you to the zoo and you did surprisingly well. However, we know we aren't making that much progress because you are afraid of the little stuffed dog we used for your Halloween costume. We'll keep trying in hopes that you aren't deathly afraid of animals until you're 12 like your Mommy was.
Getting in the Car - You really don't like getting into your car seat anymore. It started as just a nighttime thing, but now you don't want to get in all the time. You cling onto us as if you might be strong enough to resist being put in. We're able to distract you 90% of the time with toys or books while we strap you in, but sometimes you require a pacifier to keep you quiet. We think you'd be much happier if you were turned around, but, sadly, that won't happen for a long time (not until you hit 40 lbs, the weight limit for being rear-facing in our seat.)

You are so precious, little one. It's the little things about you that we just adore. Like how you cross your legs when you sit on the floor, proving you're already so ladylike. Or how you look at us each time you start having fun with something, as if you need assurance that it's okay to have that much fun :) Or how, whenever you see Mommy & Daddy hugging or cuddling, you crawl right on over and join in because you think group hugs are better. Our hearts melt minute after minute with you, Cheeks (Daddy's nickname for you.) Love you tons, girl!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Off to the zoo!

An animal lover I am not. But I do appreciate a good trip to the zoo, so I wasn't going to pass up free tickets the husband could get for his company day at the Cincinnati Zoo today. My brother & sis-in-law went with us, and we all had a delightful time. It was pretty cold this morning and much colder at the zoo than at our house. Luckily, frozen fingers and noses didn't keep us from enjoying all the outdoor exhibits. (Please don't judge me for not having gloves on her tiny hands. I was guilt-ridden the entire time we were there and kept blowing hot air on them. Lesson learned.) I was a little worried that the munchkin would freak out over all the animals but she did surprisingly well. Only when the animals were close did she grab on tight (i.e. she was NOT a fan of the Children's Petting Zoo.) Free tickets, free lunch, free memories - can't beat it!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Brooke has the wingspan of an American Kestrel :)

October in videos.

This month has been a whirlwind, but we did manage to catch a lot of it on film. Her personality really shines in these; they are just too cute not to share.

The first one is from Fevergate #1, almost a month ago. We were 3 days in to it, but she was playing like she didn't have a fever of 103. She loves to walk behind this little toy. She's so close to walking without it now.


In this one, the day of one of the Reds playoff games a few weeks ago, Brooke & Daddy are playing with her big red ball. She's really good at catching it (possibly because her sweaty hands just stick to the rubber...) Every time she "threw" it, she'd raise her hands in the air with pride. Playing with this ball brings about some fantastic giggles :)


Elmo is Brooke's BFF and she gets soooo excited when he comes on. This is her reaction to hearing the Elmo's World song. She knows what it is within hearing, like, 2 seconds of the song. Genius baby? I think so. Anywho, the pure excitement of getting to watch her furry friend is quite evident in the wild arm shaking she does. (And I promise the TV isn't broken; for some reason, it showed up that way on the video camera.)


The last one is from this morning. She just recently started "dancing" along to music. It's pretty much awesome. The music is coming from her little house; she is obsessed with pressing the buttons to play the little songs. (I have the songs memorized and find myself singing them all. the. time.) But whatev, the girl adores dancing away so who am I to stop her. Rock on, girlfriend! (Though hopefully not so hard that she literally rocks the house down...)

Extra thankful.

It's easy to be thankful today. I started the day very apprehensive, taking our little pumpkin in for some unsettling tests. Brooke was a rockstar! There were tears, don't get me wrong. First up was an ultrasound, then she was catheterized (again...twice in 2 weeks) and pumped with fluid/dye before getting X-rayed. Plenty of reasons to cry. But honestly? She really was a trooper. And she's already forgiven us for putting her through it. So not only am I seriously thankful that she got through it, but the results are already in....and all is clear! She doesn't have reflux, or any other problems for that matter. She is anatomically great. This is the best news I've heard all month. So, so thrilled. 

Here are a few more things I'm thankful for on this perfectly chilly Thursday.

~ Orange corduroy jumpers and hot pink bows. Heaven.

~ The library of childrens' books my sister lent us for the Big Lady, because she would rather page through books than play with toys (not a bad thing, in my opinion.) And the fact that my sister doesn't care what state these books are in when they are returned. (No amount of crazy glue can fix some of them...) That's godmotherly love.

~ Halloween carnivals that are put together so flawlessly that both kids and adults alike can't help but have a ton of fun.

A little costume sneak-peek. The full reveal of cuteness to come on Halloween :)

~ Chocolate cupcakes with butter cream frosting made on a whim, simply because nothing else in the pantry sounded sweet enough.

~ 3 healthy family members at 10242 Kingsport. Finally.

~ A husband that reads to his baby girl every night before bed and laughs hysterically with her while they bounce the big red ball and whose patience with both his girls is unwavering.

~ Apple cinnamon donuts, and subsequent cinnamon-sugar kisses :)

Excuses, excuses.

Busy.

Exhausted.

Worn out.

Busy.

Sick baby...again.

Call #2938 to the pediatrician this month.

A load of baby laundry almost daily due to this new digestive problem.

Busy.

Tears, mostly hers but some of mine, too.

Crabbiness, mostly mine but some of hers, too.

Busy.

A million and one excuses for not blogging in a week. I wish I could say it'll get better, but it might not. I just don't foresee a break anytime soon.

But I promise Halloween pics and the 10-month post will not disappoint :)

Feeling better!

We are fever-free, y'all! Finally. And this time, it's likely for good.

Because the fever was still high on Friday, I took her in to the doctor again. (In case you're counting, that's 4 trips to the pediatrician in just the first half of October. All the nurses know her. And, not surprisingly, love her.) She sent us to Children's to get a urinalysis, which very sadly meant Brooke had to get a catheter. Thankfully, the nurse was very fast so the tears/screaming only lasted a minute or two. It was heart-breaking, but we all survived.

Results of the test proved that she does, in fact, have a urinary tract infection. My poor girl. We've been on antibiotics since Friday night and her fever has been gone since then. Hopefully, any pain she had with the UTI is also gone. Now comes the bad news. UTI's are very uncommon in munchkins her age, so they're concerned something else could be going on. She may have inherited a condition I had when I was her age. Consequently, we have to take her in for some testing next week. An ultrasound, another catheter, and a few x-rays - it's gonna be a loooong day that day.

Anyway, my pretty girl is finally feeling better so I couldn't be happier. She's back to her old self, getting in trouble and making me laugh constantly. Such a relief :)

(p.s. Doesn't she look so grown-up in this outfit? To die for.)

Thankful...somehow.

It's very hard to feel thankful in the midst of Fevergate #2. Though, I imagine that is the point of this whole deal: to remember to sit down once a week and realize that, despite all the crap you've been dealt that week, life is pretty damn good. So, here's my list on this finally-getting-cool-again Thursday.

~ A healthy family. No, not right now. Brooke was still around 101 degrees when I put her to bed tonight. But in general, we're a healthy bunch. And I couldn't possibly be more grateful for this, that a 5-day fever is the biggest medical obstacle we face. We are blessed.

~ The triple batch of chili that I made this afternoon that is now portioned into 5 frozen dinners for chilly nights when I don't feel like cooking.

~ Lestoil, because no amount of Dreft can deal with this amount of spaghetti sauce. We took her shirt off before she ate, but not the pants... (p.s. This is what 102 degrees looks like. We lucked out in the awesome-baby department, no?)

~ 3.5 hour naps. While I wish it was mine, it was the Big Lady's. And I woke her at that point. (Fever- & medicine-induced, mind you.)

~ Support from family in a new venture that I'm (considering) undertaking. More on this later, but I'm super excited/scared about it. But their support makes it 10% less scary.

~ This face.

Not again...

I have a riddle for you. What has 5 teeth, just learned how to clap, and has yet another high fever?

Ugh! The Big Lady is miserable again. Fever started last night at 103.1 degrees. We got as high as 104.7 this afternoon. Again. Deja vu, no? We've pretty much spent the whole day cuddling on the couch, watching an excessive amount of Elmo. Except for the trip to the pediatrician we made mid-afternoon. Same story, different week: everything looks clear so we're going to wait it out until Friday unless other symptoms present themselves in the meantime. At that time, if the fever persists, we'll go in for further investigation.

I just put her to bed with a fever of 104.1, some Infant Advil, and a prayer that the poor girl kicks this mysterious fever overnight!

Our lil' pumpkin.

'

We're one step closer to being ready for Halloween! We spent Saturday morning picking out pumpkins at Iron's Fruit Farm. It was a beautiful day, actually a little warmer than I'd prefer for pumpkin-picking (something about 80+ degrees & short-sleeved shirts just doesn't scream "autumn" to me.) We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, picked our little family of pumpkins, looked at the farm animals (and by that I mean Brooke lost it near the farm animals,) and purchased some quite yummy homemade pastries (deep-fried apple pies? yes, please!) And somewhere in there we managed to take advantage of a few photo opportunities - shocking, I know. (Alright, let's be honest. The whole trip was just a big photo op. If it wasn't, we'd have bought our pumpkins at Kroger.)

This was such a fun little adventure for our family, one I hope becomes a family tradition. I know Brooke won't remember doing this at 9 months old, but it will be great to say to her years down the road "You've been picking out your pumpkins here since you were a baby!" (You know me and traditions - um, hello half birthday party - I'm a sucker for 'em!)

Our adventure in photos - enjoy!

She chose her pumpkin carefully. Pretty perfect, if you ask me :)

Enjoying her first hayride :)

She loved looking at all the lights and gadgets on the fire truck that was there for the kiddos.

We'll be back next year!

Thankful Thursday.

A few Mommy blogs that I read do a weekly thing called Thankful Thursdays. The basic idea is that we should all spend time each week to reflect on the little things, both silly and serious, that bless our life and give us joy. While I have no naive notion that I'll actually keep up with this weekly, I certainly have a lot in my life worth recognizing more frequently than just once a year over a plate of turkey, you know? Here's what I'm thankful for on this sunny Thursday.

~ The gorgeous mums in fall colors adorning my front porch.

~ Surprise boxes of Bill's donuts on days when I need them most (okay, maybe need is a strong word...)

~ The new season of Sesame Street, with current celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser!!) dancing around as the Shoe Fairy instead of the old episodes with horrible 80's graphics and weird music. So much more fun to watch Jack Johnson sing with Elmo than Gloria Estefan.

~ Hot pink Polo sweatsuits. For babies. Phenomenal.

~ A hot cup of my Mom's spiced tea on a crisp, cool morning.

~ The smell of a freshly bathed baby covered in Aveeno lotion.

~ Help in the kitchen making dinner.

~ Grandparents. Not just my own, though I have some great ones. So does the husband. I'm very thankful for Brooke's grandparents. She has 2 very fantastic sets of them. That are willing to watch her for a while just to give me a break after reading the blog and seeing that we've had a tough week. Or that invite us over for a big spaghetti dinner and not care that Brooke smeared sauce all over the table, the chair, the floor, etc.

So...what are you thankful for on this Thursday?

A new roommate.

We have a new roommate. She's the polar opposite of the nice, happy baby I've been loving on for the past 9 months. She's sad & cranky & whiny. She doesn't play independently. She doesn't sleep at night. She fights with her Mommy all day. She's just not the happy-go-lucky type. Certainly not the baby we all know and love.

This is who we live with now:

And let me tell you how much fun she is: tons. Teething is super! She has 1 new one (#4) with 2 more on the way. I don't remember what it feels like to have sharp objects jutting through my gums, but based on her reaction, it must suck. Mucho.

We went from the 5-day fever (which is totally gone, by the way) straight into this. And I am thisclose to losing it. I spend my entire day struggling with her. She hates bottles now and will only drink a few ounces; we are not even coming close to the 24 oz. she should be having a day. She's not sleeping well at night; we had turned a corner and were doing well with it, and then that darn fever went and messed everything up. So that becomes a fight, too. She isn't playing well, which is a huge change for us. She used to be willing to sit and play by herself (supervised, of course) for a long time, so entertained by all her books and toys. Now? I'm lucky if she plays for 2 minutes before crawling over to climb on my lap. And the only logical explanation for all of this? Teething.

The one thing saving my sanity right now is naps. She has become a Supreme Napper. We're talking 1-2 hour naps twice a day. Thank goodness. It gives me a chance to remind myself that she's just a baby and she's not trying to give me a headache every day (though she is succeeding.)

Three quarters :)

Dear Brooke,

Have you really been brightening our days for 9 months already? You are seriously the coolest thing since rollerblades. You wear your heart on your sleeve, which we adore about you. The faces you make are the talk of the town; you were called the "most expressive baby ever" just the other day. And the things you can do now just baffle us. You tell us when you're "all done" with your meal by throwing your hands up in the air. You crinkle your nose when we ask you where it is and you point to the sky when we ask you where "up" is. You say "Dada" and "Bubble" all the time. And, most exciting of all, you can walk (!!!) around the room pushing a toy on wheels. You'll be running in no time! This month has been a whirlwind of excitement and you just grooved right on through it. Here are some of your favorite and not-so-favorite things this month:

Favorites
Big Girl Cups - We have some plastic Tupperware cups with lids that you adore! They aren't spill-proof and don't have handles, so we call them your Big Girl cups. You think its such a treat when you get to use one.
Touch & Feel Books - Whoever invented touch & feel books deserves a round of applause. You can't get enough of these! And we're not talking about amateur books, like Pat the Bunny. You've got some pretty cool, clever books with crazy textures to feel. You know exactly what to do with them; as soon as we turn the page, you instantly start rubbing or scratching the new texture on the page. It is incredible that, at this age, you are able to find them on your own. Our favorite book right now is called Twinkle Toes; it's very girly & sparkly and you love it :)
The Bathroom - Why oh why are you so fascinated with the bathroom? Sure, the toilet probably looks like a big fun toy to someone your size. But we keep telling you it's not! You love to crawl into the bathroom. It's become somewhat of a game to you, seeing if you can crawl fast enough to get in there before we can grab you. You even turn back and look at us, as if you know you're not supposed to go in there, give us a mischievous smile, and then dart. Hopefully your love of the bathroom will mean you'll be an early potty-trainer!
Dancing - You and Mommy love to dance together! She twirls you around while singing silly songs, and you just laugh away. And sometimes, when a good song comes on, she shows you how to shake your hips while you stand. You really rocked out at Uncle Kyle & Aunt Sarah's wedding this month; you loved being on the dance floor! If this keeps up, we'll have to sign you up for ballet & tap, just like Mommy used to do :)
Your Grandmas - These ladies are your favorite people right now. We are so thrilled that we live so close to your Grandmas that you get to see them all the time. Your face lights up immediately whenever you see either of them. You will gladly go to either one and happily play with them. They both shower you with hugs and kisses when they see you, and you return the favor with lots of those mega-watt smiles of yours.

Not-so-Favorites
Bottles - This has been your first full month as a bottle-fed baby. You've never really liked them, but you did surprisingly well with them at the beginning of the month. But lately, you've wanted nothing to do with them. We are just barely getting you to drink the minimum amount of formula you should be having each day, and even this is a struggle. We may just have to skip the bottle altogether and try to get you to drink formula from a cup in the very near future.
Facial Hair - To be honest, men in general make you uneasy, but men with facial hair scare the daylights out of you. Perhaps you think they are in costume (which totally freaks you out...Halloween should be fun), or maybe you just aren't a fan of the way it looks, like your Mama. Either way, you're not used to it and it freaks you out.
Black Beans - Our little texture girl doesn't like the taste of beans- surprise, surprise. Daddy has tried to give you black beans more than once and you make the Prune Face each time. Mommy agrees with you, yuck!
Being in the Car in the Dark - This is a new one for us. Because you were still little last winter, you didn't seem to mind being in the car in the dark (you were usually asleep.) Then we moved into the Spring & Summer months, when its light out pretty late. Now that its getting darker earlier (and now that you're so smart), you greatly dislike being in the car at night. We really hopes this isn't a fear of the dark so much as a frustration that you can't see what you're playing with. We're going to try to find some light-up toys for you or maybe even attach a book light to the seat to keep you calm. Otherwise, its going to be a long winter!

Each day with you is an adventure; we never know what the day will bring. Some days you learn something new, like how to cruise around the room holding onto the furniture. Some days you reach a milestone without even trying, like when your 3rd & 4th teeth popped up this month. Other days you figure out how to do something you're not supposed to do, like how to stand up in the bath tub. No matter what, each day you wake up full of life. And it's contagious. Mommy & Daddy are happier people because of you. We adore our Big Lady. Love & hugs, baby girl!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Say cheese!

Well, she's still a hot tamale. And by that I mean her fever isn't going anywhere. So we still haven't taken her traditional 9-month onesie picture (hopefully tomorrow.) Since I know you're dying to see it, I thought I'd help satisfy your Brooke craving with her 9-month professional pics.

These were taken on Wednesday afternoon, just hours before Fevergate 2010 began. To be honest, I think they're just okay. I mean, she's cute as hell, don't get me wrong. But the photographer scared the bejeezus out of her, this photographer was horrible (who puts a kid wearing a cream outfit in a white chair with a white background?), the lighting was horrible (which I attribute to the craptastic, scary photographer), and Brooke was well on her way to a pretty nasty fever, unbeknownst to me. It just wasn't a super pleasant experience. We got a few good ones, so it wasn't a total loss. I've already decided that her 1 year pics will be taken by a legit photographer outside of a stuffy studio. Anyway, enjoy!

p.s. I certainly didn't buy all of these, especially not the sunflower one (what's with the one random fake flower? Idiot photographer.) I never get more than 3 poses (I got the 2nd, 5th, and 9th from the top) but we get a CD of all the images so I can share more. I felt the need to clarify this for some reason. Wouldn't want you thinking I'm some crazy first-timer sitting on a ridiculous stack of pictures or something. I'm obsessed with her, but not crazy.