Patriotic giggles.

Brooke says Happy 4th with one heck of a little giggle :)

Making memories.

I feel it is my duty as a Mom to fill my daughter (and future children) with wonderful childhood memories. I want her to smile in the future as she remembers all of the special occasions and celebrations we had, as well as the simple, fun things we did on a daily basis. I want her to look back on her childhood and think, "Wow, what fun we used to have!" I want it to inspire her to then create the same memories with her own children. I strongly believe it is my job to give her one heck of a delightful childhood. It's a lot of pressure to put on myself, but it's non-negotiable in my mind.
That being said, we had a Half-Birthday party for Brooke yesterday. Yep, a party. For a 6-month-old who hasn't fully developed her memory yet. Call me ridiculous if you want, but it was great and I'm so glad we did it. We had a few of our closest family and friends over for dinner and dessert. I made her half of a birthday cake, which she proceeded to dive into. I didn't let her eat it, but she had fun playing with it! Even though I specifically told people not to bring gifts (as this was just an excuse to have everyone over for dinner and to play with the Big Lady,) they all did anyway. Miss Brooke has some new toys to play with today! Again, I realize that she won't remember this. But I have some adorable pictures and will happily tell her all about the time we celebrated her 1st half birthday. Celebrating half birthdays is going to be a tradition in our house (though not to this degree; just our little family in the future, with 1 present and 1/2 a cake.) I see nothing wrong with our kids having yet another special day all to themselves. And so, the tradition began last night :)

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.