11 Months

Happy 11 Months Lady Bug!

Here is what you have been up to this past month:

• You weigh 18 lbs 7 oz (I'm starting to wonder if you will make it to 20lbs by your first birthday so we can turn you around in your car seat??!!)
• You are not really fitting into 9 month clothes any more so I am starting to buy you 12 month.
• You are in a size 3 diaper still.
• Your biggest news this past month is you took your first steps!!!  10 1/2 months old :) 
• We have had a nice few months of no teething.  I think I am just about as glad as you are!  You currently have 8 pearly whites :)
• This has been a BIG month with "understanding/comprehension"!!!  One day we were playing on the floor and I said, "Where is your baby doll?", not really thinking you understood, I was just talking and you stopped what you were doing, looked around, went right over to your baby doll and picked it up!!!  I could not believe it!  Made me wondering how much else you understand, but I wasn't really giving you the opportunity to show me ;)
• You always seem to be trying to figure things out or how they work.  We bought you some stacking cups and you LOVE them....you have become pretty good at stacking them together!!!  It just amazing us :)
• You signed "MORE"!!!! Oh this made me soooo happy cause I have been working on it with you for a long time.  We happened to be in the doctors office (to get your ears checked) and you just did it. Woo Hoo!! Now you do it all the time :)
• You also sign "ALL DONE" but it kinda looks like you are waving, but I know what it is when we are eating.
• You got an ear infection again (why we were at the doctor)...that makes number 2 :(
• You still love to WAVE to everyone...and everyone LOVES when you wave to them :)
• You are doing better at church.  Still squirmy, but not too vocal.  You will be starting Bible Class really soon!!!!  I think you will LOVE it :)
• You love to empty the shelves whether it is your toys in your toy room, or my cookbook in the kitchen.  You won't stop till everything is on the floor.
• You also like to do the same with drawers...when I let you Ha!
• I can really tell your little brain is "organizing" up there. Not sure if that is the right word, but you are really thinking about things.  For example, when you are in the bath tub you move all your toys to one side of you one at a time until they are ALL on that side and then you stop and look and move ALL your toys to the other side of you one at a time.  You will do this over and over!  Or you take everything out of a draw and then put everything back, but you won't put everything back in until everything is out...ha!
• You pointed a couple times this month.
• You love music....every time you hear a song you "dance dance" whether you are sitting or standing :)  
• You understand what a brush is and what to do with it.  You will try to brush your hair, mommy's hair, or your baby doll's hair.
• Sometimes you eat a lot and sometimes you don't.  I never know.  I have been trying to give you about 2 meals a day.  Once in a while you will gobble it all and maybe want more and some days you might take a bite and be "All Done"! You are still nursing great which is great with me :)
• You went to your first swim party and LOVED the splash pad.  Daddy took you around int he water and you would splash.  Your favorite thing to do was watch the big kids.  One girl have a kickboard that you kept trying to get. HA!
• You are staring to become a little cuddle bug.  Oooooooohhhhh we just can't get enough!

I had the hardest time this month when you turned 11 months old.  It just really hit me that NEXT month you will be ONE!!!  I got a little teary eyed thinking about it, but excited too!  Looking forward to getting started planning your celebration.  Love you sweet girl!!!

Enjoy her pictures and videos :)

Here are a few up close of our blue eyed beauty ;)

Mommy's little helper/cook ;)

So proud of herself when she opens doors!

Brooklyn took her first trip to IKEA!!  

I thought this high chair was so cute....the girl is pretty cute too ;)

Polka Dot Cutie!

Brooklyn loved seeing her Cousins Kyle and Kelli and meeting Kelli's niece Mary Raines

A Sweet girl from church came over to play with Miss B :)  I could not believe my eyes when I saw her sitting her listening to Hannah read to her.  She always just wants to eat her books...hehe ;)

"Love me some pasta and marinara sauce!"

Singing "MORE"

My little social butterfly!

Lovin' her some good music ;)
(ummm yes she is wearing her St. Patricks Day PJ's......
Daddy believes you still need to get use out of them if they fit HA!)

Toys

Here is how her toys look in the morning :)

Let the destruction begin...lol!

Yes...her favorite thing right now is to take EVERYTHING off the shelves!

OK with me....at least she is having fun ;)

Oh and the stuff on the top shelf....no problem!  She know's how to get it ;)

Fathers Day

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

What can I say??!  There is just a special bond there that no one can break.  Brad LOVES his little girl and she LOVES him :)  It has been so awesome to see Brad as a dad over this past year!  It makes me smile and I love to watch them interact with each other. I could list so many things, but here are just a few things that come to mind about Brad and his Little Girl:

• He always gets her to laugh :)  He will do the funniest thing or play with her in someway I never have and she just giggles and giggles. The other day he was grabbing her legs and turning her upside down and she just thought that was a hoot!
• He loves to pick out her PJ's. He likes the footed ones still and he lets me know when she is outgrowing them ;)
• He is the bath guy!  When ever he is home and can he gives Brooklyn her bath at night.  I always here them in the bathroom having a good ole time....HA!
• He loves to video her as she plays.....there are quite a few LONG videos of her just playing that we watch from time to time.  I have not put any on here b/c they are so long but I know we will love to look back on them one day and just watch her trying to figure something out, or playing with her baby or even just a simple box.  It really is neat to watch her and we always wonder what she is thinking ;)
• When ever he comes home he always says her name outloud.  If we are in another room she will look up from whatever she is doing and look towards the door with a BIG smile on her face! She gets so excited when daddy comes home :)
• After he comes home he likes to take her outside and they look at the flowers, trees, birds (whatever is outside) and they go and get the mail :)
• He LOVES when she lays on his shoulder or cuddles with him in anyway (who wouldn't), but he always says, "Lydia look!" in a quiet voice when she does and I try to get a picture as fast as I can.  You see our sweet B has not been much of a cuddlier so we soak it up now when she does.  Lately she has become more so and we both LOVE it :)
• He still likes to pick out her clothes and a bow to match :)
• He loves to hold her and we play chase around the house.  Brooklyn LOVES when her daddy chases her or gives her "sugar" (I think his goatee tickles her!)
• He loves to watch (and video) Brooklyn eating...he thinks it is really cute!
• He calls her 'darling' and it just melts my heart :)
• He always tells me if he saw her do something new and when he does he is super excited ;)
• He is always taking pictures of her...our computer is on picture overload!
• He really enjoys taking Brooklyn riding on the golf cart :)
• He ALWAYS tells her how much he loves her and how proud he is of her....Something I know she will hear the rest of her life :)

Love you so much Brad and thank you for being such an amazing father to our precious Brooklyn :)

Reading his card from Brooklyn....she looks so proud ;)

All ready to go to Church!  

She LOVES her Daddy!

Getting Some "Sugar" from Daddy!

Grandma gave us this picture of Brad....Most everyone says Brooklyn looks like me, but when I look at this picture I am amazed how much she looks like her daddy too! :)

1st Steps!

Miss Brooklyn has taken her first steps!!!!

10 1/2 months old :)

The other day we were at church and I had her in the back and she stood up all by herself and took about 6 steps!  I COULD NOT believe it!!  Over the past fews days she has done it again and we have caught her BIG accomplishment on video!  

GOOOOO Brooklyn! You are such a BIG girl!

Here she is standing up!

Her first steps :)

She is still pretty wobbly but can get about 4, 5, or 6 steps in :) She is so proud of herself!!!

Everyone kept telling me she better wait until Brad got home from camp before she walked...HAHA!  And that is pretty much what she did!  He came home Saturday and she walked Sunday!

Camp!

"I Will Survive"

(This has been my theme song for the past week and a 1/2!")

I did it! We (Brooklyn and I) made it a week and a half without Brad here!  Brad ended up having to go to College Station for a big grass job.  He was suppose to go the week before but it was rained out.  That pushed the job to last week.  He came home on Thursday night and had to leave Friday morning for Camp!  He is a counselor at Dry Creek FC Camp and has been for years.  I use to be a counselor with him.  Last year I was preggo with B and so that was my first year not to go back.  He was very thoughtful and almost didn't go even after I told him to, but I reassured him we would be fine and I knew Grammy and Poppa were just down the street if I needed anything :) Anyway, so he left friday for another week.  Boy did we miss him, but Miss B and I stayed super busy and Grammy came over to give me some rest from time to time :)  I really enjoyed all my time with Brooklyn!!  

Camp was ending on Saturday and I really wanted to go up there to see Brad (and he REALLY wanted us to come up b/c he missed his little girl (and momma)) so I was trying to figure out how to get up there! Well the farm was kinda slow so Mark offered to drive us up in the bus on Friday and we could stay at the campgrounds nearby that night, pick up Brad, and drive back on Saturday!!!!  Ahhhh I was so excited!  SO we left Friday...this was Brooklyn's first Bus trip and she did great :)  I even put her in her car seat at nap time and she fell right asleep.  The bus was SOOOOO nice b/c she could be up and move about for the 3 hr drive.  

When we arrived we quickly found Daddy :)  I'm not sure who was more excited to see each other, B or Daddy?!  We stayed the night and B slept in her pack in play right on the bus!  It was so nice to have Grammy and Poppa there.  After I put her to bed they stayed on the bus and watched a movie while I went and enjoyed some of the camp shows with Brad!  Just like old time  :) It was wonderful to see all my friends (counselors and campers) and introduce them to Brooklyn!  Brad was one proud daddy! I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted but here are a few!

I LOVED having our "girl" week and I'm sure there will be more to come, but there is nothing like having Daddy at home with his girls :)

Poppa showing B the Bus...I LOVE this picture!

Awww she found a rocking chair just her size....

(she loved rocking in this...she would just rock and rock and laugh and laugh!)

And the GIANT one!!!

She missed her Daddy so much!

Here she is as we were headed to camp.....

Paci Thief??!!

Well Bryce and Brooklyn are growing like weeds and it is really fun to see them start to interact with each other!  Brooklyn is ALL over Bryce (who is not crawling quite yet so he can't escape her "sweetness") but he tolerates Brooklyn very well :)  Brooklyn has gotten into the habit of "stealing" Bryce's paci when he is around.  It is so funny b/c she would never take a paci herself, but she always wants his.  Bryce sometimes gets her back by grabbing her bow when she has one on....goooo Bryce!  Ha!  I caught her in action the other day........

Ooooh she just spotted it!

 Going in for the kill!

"Ah ha...I got it!"

"It is mine...all mine!"

I think Bryce gets the last laugh b/c he knows it's not going anywhere since it's still attached...hehe!

Poor Bryce!  He really does put up with a lot from her...Bless His Heart ;)
I keep telling Brooklyn paybacks are brutal ;)

First Swim :)

Summer is in Full swing here in Texas so we decided to take our "Little Fish" our for her first swim :)

Our neighbors were out of town and they graciously offered to let us use their pool.  Brooklyn loved the little wading area and she seemed to enjoy swimming around with Daddy, but was not a huge fan of the floating thing we got her (I think she lasted just a few seconds..ha).  We had a great time and couldn't get over how cute Miss B looked in her swimsuit :)

"Our Little Fish"