Walk This Way, Talk This Way

For a couple weeks now, B has been putting her best foot forward ;o) and taking a step or two at a time, but the other day, she realized how far she could actually make it and now she is off......

So proud of you, Brynnlee Bear!!!

I'm supposed to be planning a Birthday Party?

How? How? How is it already time for this?? 

Poor second child syndrome for B. I don't have nearly as many ducks in a row for her Birthday, but I'm sticking to the same theme I used to J's first birthday, so I can't be THAT far behind, right? 

I have so much going on lately and feel so behind, but that doesn't stop our precious Chunk-A-Monk from growing and learning and approaching her First Birthday at the speed of light!
 

She is talking more and more and making some of the most fun noises that I can't help but laugh at and then laugh at myself when I completely fail at my attempt to replicate those noises!
Her vocabulary now consists of:
Hi
Bye Bye
Baby
DooDoo
Doggy
Peppa [I think I win Mommy of the Year with this one!]
Dada
Mama [VERY rare]
Ow
Day Do [Thank You]
 
B is wearing 9 and 12 month clothes, along with 18 month white onesies because that's all we have. Again, poor second child syndrome.
She is still in size 3 diapers and sporting her bottom two teeth only.
She loves to walk while holding your hands, but the second you let go, she either stops her feet and her upper body falls forward, or she squats down and crawls.
 
B loves dancing to music and playing with her big sis. The feeling I get when the two of them are laughing and playing together is indescribable. It is the best thing ever!
 
She's an incredibly happy baby, but is still very attached to her mama! I don't mind a bit!
Her sleep schedule has remained the same....waking up between 6 and 7, nap around 9 or 10 for about an hour and a half, nap again around 2 or 3 for about 40 minutes, and then bedtime around 7.
 
As the weeks go by, my supply is getting harder and harder to maintain. I still pump three times a day at work - 8am, 11am, and 2pm. I'm hoping to make it to next Friday [she'll be 11.5 months] and then I'll start introducing a little bit of goats milk to supplement. I don't have even the slightest concern that she won't take to it. She has already managed to steal several sips of her sissy's milk when it's left lying around. From there, I think my plan will be to drop my 2pm pumping session at work and then drop the 11am session next. When that next will be is still TBD. I am so anxious for the freedom, but at the same time, I don't want to rush it. B is still so baby to me that I'm not ready to stop as soon as I did with J. One thing is for sure though.....everything will fall into place. It always does. So I'm trying not to stress about it. 
This girl LOVES her some green smoothies, almost as much as she loves her milk!

Aside from her milk intake, which is at three bottles of 6 ounces while I'm at work, she still does great eating solid food. Her vegetable intake has slowed as she has found more of what she really likes to taste, but she is still a great eater overall and even know how to blow on her food when it is hot.

I love the mischievousness of a newly mobile toddler. I find her in some of the most random places and it makes me laugh and then contemplate how I'm going to keep her from ever doing it again!

B is such a gentle natured and sensitive one and I love every bit about that. When she lays her head on my shoulder or shys away from people and buries he face in my chest, I melt. I wish she would stay like that forever. 

Even though it's amazing to me that she's almost a year old, I can't wait to see the beautiful little girl that she becomes. Sass and all =o)

We love you Brynnlee Bear! Enjoy your last month before your First Birthday!

Totally Late and Worth the Wait!

Our little Brynnlee Bear hit the 10 month mark a week and a half** over two weeks ago. Double Digits!!!

The past month has been a huge one for this sweet girl of ours. 

She is completely on the move and into everything these days.



She pulls up to surf the furniture and more recently has come to the realization that she can squat down and pick things up while she's standing as well! Her balance without assistance gets better by the day and she loves to practice with a huge smile on her face!

Her first word was "Hi" just a couple weeks ago, but she only says it when she wants to! She has also started saying "Bye Bye" and waving, but refuses to do once I pull the camera out. I think she has also started saying "DooDoo" for Snickers, but I have yet to get confirmation that she actually knows what she's saying and not just mimicking us.Along with her first few words, she loves making all kinds of new OOOOOOOOooooOOOoOo sounds and I briefly got a mamamama out of her, but only ended up with this on video...

Her sign language has blossomed a bit and she uses the milk sign quite frequently. You'd think we had our very own cow in the backyard or something. Oh wait, that's me! I also saw her practicing the "more" sign and she definitely understands "all done", but does not use it until after I use it.  She has also taken to pointing and can shake her finger "no" in the cutest way ever. PLUS....she now knows how to give those awesome, open-mouthed, slobbery baby kisses too!

I've decreased the amount of milk that I leave when I go to work and she now gets three 6 ounce bottles instead of 7. While this made me feel a little less stressed about the fact that my pumping levels have decreased a ton, I don't think I'm doing myself any favors. She's been waking up earlier and earlier over the past few weeks and I'm starting to think that it's because she's not getting enough milk. Doh! As a result, I turned to power pumping last night after I put her down and I pumped for 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off for an hour. Allegedly, this pattern mimics a growth spurt and triggers the body to release more prolactin, resulting in more milk. We shall see! Hopefully she will start getting more milk before she goes to sleep and I can at least be able to sleep past 6am on the weekends. Pretty Please?
Along with the decrease in bottle size, we hit a huge milestone and put away the bottles last weekend. B is officially a sippy cup girl only now! GAH! Slow down, please!

 
She's still hanging out in 9 month clothing, but can totally pull off some of the bigger stuff as well.

We had a little stomach issue with both girls (pretty sure it was old watermelon) and they both woke up one morning covered in throw-up.

Neither one of them seemed bothered by the events at all, and after early morning baths and stripping bed sheets, the incident was over. As a result of needing to strip B's bed and her bumper, I took the opportunity to lower her mattress as well. I know that before long, I'm going to be converting it into a toddler bed just like J's and it makes me so sad! I also left the bumpers off and it allows us to see her on the monitor easier when she curls up at the foot of her crib.

B's personality grows and grows as the days go on and I EAT.IT.UP! Regardless of the fact that I can't put her down or leave the room without her throwing a fit, she's the sweetest, cutest, smartest, funniest 10 month old I know. 

We love you to pieces Brynnlee Bear!

Father's Day

Aside from hitting up our new favorite breakfast spot, Mama Kat's, for breakfast, we didn't really have any plans for Father's Day. Bobby and I had talked about maybe going on a bike ride, but he decided he'd rather just play things by ear.
When Bobby got home from work that Friday, J couldn't wait to give him the card that Maria had helped her make. How cute is this??

 
When Sunday came alone, J and I started the day off by giving Dada his prizes...a new coffee mug that was long over due (I've been getting him mugs with J's pictures since she was born - this was the first one with pics of B)

and a mousepad to go with his new job! [I don't have a picture of the final product, but this is the picture that I used on it]

Once B woke up, it was GO time to hopefully miss the crowd at the restaurant. We didn't avoid it like we did on Mother's Day, but it wasn't too bad.
We had a wonderful breakfast full of silly faces

and spoon tricks

and then we were headed home

Just before we pulled up to the house, Bobby decided that he wanted to spend the day outside, washing the cars. I got J in her "baby suit" and lathered up in sunscreen and the two of them headed outside while I took B upstairs to put her down for a nap. 

I joined them a short while later and we all enjoyed the beautiful weather and time together. 

J even got to go swimming!

**please excuse the condition of our neighbor's front yard**

We finished off the day with a dinner with our neighbors at a restaurant that we had never been to, Sublime Ale House. It was wonderful and it was a lot of fun getting to spend time with the Bensusens! Thanks for the invite!

While Bobby was putting J to bed and B was already down, I crept upstairs and found the little box with my dad's picture on it. Inside, I keep all of the postcards that he sent me during my college years while he was on international business trips. I can't remember the last time I had read through them and it was heart warming to read his words like he was still here with us, but just away on business. 

Near the box are some old pictures, mostly from trips to Cabo. Looking through them brings back so many good memories. 

I wish it were true that he was just away on business, but regardless, I know he knows that he is still celebrated on Father's Day. 

To the first man to win my heart and to the man that will hold it close forever, Happy Father's Day! 

I love you both!

XOXOXO

The Brynnlee Bear Crawl!

B is officially crawling!!!

Then later that afternoon she realized she could pull up on things and cruise a bit as well.

 It's fun to see her sitting up in her crib when she wakes up now and she even forced us to hang up the camera for her monitor!
Way to go Brynnlee Bear! We are having so much fun watching you learn and grow!

9 Months In and 9 Months Out

A little late on this one, but our sweet Brynnlee Bear is 9 months! 

Ughhhh, how does this happen so fast?? Luckily, she still seems so much more "baby" than J did at this age since she's just starting to show signs of becoming mobile. Forward movement is becoming more and more frequent and I have witnessed a hand move forward followed by the opposite knee and then she flattens out. 

B has also really started to enjoy "walking" while holding are hands and just in the past week or so, she is able to get both feet up (not simultaneously) to take steps. For awhile, one leg would step and the other would drag a little. 

Her big sissy is still her favorite. Ever. 

She even enjoys being a canvas for J's stickers!

J is still totally smitten with baby sister as well, although, I think she is just now starting to realize that her toys are no longer just "her" toys! 

Her first two teeth have made their way all the way in now and while they are sharp, they sure are cute!

These chompers are put to good use and just about anything we put on her tray is consumed as quick as she can get it in her mouth. B loves any and all food so far. Let's hope it stays this way!

Over the past week or so, it's become clear that we have officially moved on to just two naps. As a result, she's been doing a wonderful job giving us at least one hour+ nap while the other is only about 45 minutes. 

Bedtime is still around 7 with a bath with sissy every other night. 

She's up for the day between 6 and 7 with the occasional day of sleeping beyond 7. 

She's in pretty much all 9 month clothes with a little dabble in 12 month and I think she's in a size 1 shoe, but I rarely put them on her, so I don't even know for sure. 

At her 9 month appointment these are the stats we were given:

20.1 lbs (78.97%)

27.5 inches (43.71%) **Dr. thinks this measurement is a little short**

45 cm head circ. (78.66%)

I can hardly believe that 9 months has already flown by. A lot faster than the 9 months she spent in my belly, that's for sure!

While I cringe at the thought of having two mobile babies to chase after, I cannot wait to see her on the move and exploring as much as I can see that she wants to. She's so calm and collected, sensitive and loving. 

We've got nothing but love for this child of ours. We have been so blessed with two amazingly sweet girls. 

Let the birthday party planning begin!!! [sob]

Love you, Brynnlee Bear!

**ETA: A couple other fun, cute, exciting things that B is doing that I forgot to mention are clapping and waving! 

Memorial Weekend

Our Memorial weekend was the perfect mix of family time, friend time, productive time, and down time. 

Friday night was just me and the girls because Bobby was still on his way back from Florida (his last trip as a Cobra PUMA employee!!). We had a great time and rocked out to Wagon Wheel after dinner.

Saturday took us up to Orange County to help celebrate Gianna's 2nd Birthday. Gianna is Bobby's cousin's granddaughter. We got to see lots of family from Bobby's side and were even surprised with some Christmas gifts! J made out like a bandit and got a drum set AND a keyboard. I'm not in the market for some noise cancelling headphones ;o)

On Sunday, after enjoying our coffee and morning cartoons with the girls, I was able to spend some time outside getting some sun and letting J play her heart out. I got a little more crispy than I had intended, but I'll chalk it up to my first (and only) burn of the summer! I've got my base color now, right? 

B joined us when she woke up from her nap and Dada was busy working away on finishing up our bathroom. These girls bring so much joy to my laugh and seeing how happy B gets and how much she laughs when J laughs is just amazing. I pray every day that their relationship grows strong and they stay close sisters as they get older. 

Sunday ended with a yummy dinner of BBQ chicken skewers, a veggie salad, and quinoa/brown rice mixture.And of course, a glass of Chardonnay =o)

 

Monday brought about some light shopping for new towels for our bathroom and after the girls' naps we headed over to their nanny's house for some amazing homemade Mexican food. Good lawd that woman can cook! We started off with tacos de adobado (YUM!) and were then given a plate of cheese, chicken, and potato enchiladas with rice and beans. The meal was perfectly ended with Bobby's Chocolate Eclair and I'm pretty sure I should have walked home after all of that!

It's always such a bummer to have fun plans on Monday holidays knowing that you have to go back to work the next day, but we enjoyed ourselves regardless. 

Now, I'm just looking forward to another 4 day work week next week (taking June 7th off to kick off my 30th Birthday a little early!)

WW