Our lil' pumpkin.

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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.

Fever update.

Sigh.

It's been a very long, hot day in our house. Long because Brooke has had a fever all day. Hot because Brooke has had blazing hot skin all day. It hovered around 101.5 most of the day, until about 5:30. I woke her from her 2nd 2.5 hour nap of the day when I felt her and realized her skin was on fire. Her temperature hit 104.8 degrees. Slightly terrifying. I had a minor 10-second panic attack before reaching for my phone. I called the after-hours nurses' line, unsure what the "take the baby to the hospital" fever threshold was. Evidently, it's 105 degrees. No hospital for us, thank goodness, but we did have a very hot baby to take care of. Some Tylenol, a strip-down, a popsicle, and a cool bath later, her temp was down to about 100.6 by bedtime. I plan to check on her every few hours throughout the night to ensure she's okay. Keep those fingers crossed that she's all better by morning!!

(Luckily, we have our 9-month check-up tomorrow at 1:30, so either way she'll be seen by our pediatrician! I will be sure to update everyone after.)

Fever city.

I know you're expecting a big post today with our letter to Miss Brooke and her 9-month picture (9 months! Holy guacamole!) But you're going to have to wait until at least tomorrow. The Big Lady is under the weather. Her fever is down to 101.5 (yes, that's down....we started at 102.7 last night) and I just can't bring myself to put her through a photo shoot. Today, this PJ-clad, juice-chugging, Elmo-watching babe and I are just hanging out, on an around-the-clock Tylenol regimen. Hopefully she'll be back to her perky, smiley self for you tomorrow.