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!

Eight Months!

These last couple months have made me realize how much I love this stage of babyhood. From about 6 to 9 months is my favorite. This little munchkin is so aware of her surroundings, is so fun to interact with, is so loveable, and is still so dependent on me, but yet she doesn't talk back and she isn't mobile! It's the best of both worlds really. 

She's still only moving backwards when she's left on her belly and will only momentarily pull her legs into get up on her knees. 

Her reaction to me when I have been away from her for an extended period of time makes my heart skip a beat. She gets so excited and gives a little pouty face and whines till I pick her up. Her separation anxiety has really picked up though as well. If I set her down to play so I can make dinner, do laundry, clean up, etc. she throws a little fit as I walk away. A lot of the time she'll get over it after a minute or two, but sometimes she wont calm down until I tend to her. 

B is eating lots of different foods now. I touched on purees for a bit, but have since moved into anything she can gnaw on and break down on her own. It's been so much easier and she has taken to it really well. Some new foods that she has tried are shredded cheese, green beans, black beans, pinto beans, baked beans, toast, hummus, apple, and red bell pepper. She has enjoyed all of these foods, but is always very cautious when taking her first bite of anything.
Her pincer grasp has improved greatly over the past couple weeks as well. I love watching her little hands and fingers working so hard to grab a tiny piece of food and then attempt to find their way into her mouth. Usually after the entire fist has been shoved inside. 

I've been working on getting her to say Mama, but Dada is still winning the race and takes credit for both of her shout outs...dadada and bobobob. 

B has turned into quite the chomper when she gets bored while nursing and if it weren't for the ridiculously adorable smile she beams up at me after she does it, I think I may have taken the boob away from her by now! {Note to self: teach her not to bite before she gets any teeth!}

She is starting to leave a couple ounces in her last bottle when I'm at work, so I'm thinking about cutting back on the amount of milk I'm leaving since she is now eating three meals a day. I've been keeping up with her intake pretty well and am pleased with the volume of my freezer stash, but cutting back on a couple ounces a day would help even more. I'm still pumping three times a day at work, unless I get scheduled in a meeting that conflicts with my pumping time and I haven't been pumping before bed since we went on vacation, but I plan to pick that back up soon. 

That pesky cradle cap is still hanging on strong. I haven't been diligent about using the coconut oil or trying any other remedies and I know I need to.
Whether we do bath before bed or not, I am thoroughly enjoying the special time that we have together, just the two of us, as I put on her jams and get her ready for bed. Her mirrored closet doors make for such fun pictures and I love smooching on her and enjoying every bit of who she is in that moment. Taking in all of her rolls, smiles, her smell, and her soft skin.  

Her sleep is still the same aside from her wake up time getting earlier and earlier. It's not rare for her to be awake before I head to work at 6:30 or shortly after.

Naps are still crappy at about 20 to 40 minutes and it never seems to fail that she will take a long nap (anything over an hour) when I'm expecting her to wake up so we can go somewhere or do something. 

I look forward to B learning to crawl and do new things, but I'm in no hurry. I truly, truly love this stage!!

My sweet and sensitive Brynnlee Bear, 

Words cannot describe the love that I feel for you. Watching you take in the world around you is amazing and so rewarding to me. I wouldn't mind one bit if you could slow your roll toward your first birthday. I can wait awhile, I promise. Keep sharing your infectious smile with everyone you meet and your loving, tender heart will be admired by all. 

I love you THIIIIIIIIS much, sweet pea! 

7 Months

 I swear I hit the baby lottery. We had our rough patch with the sleeping bit, but really, I know it wasn't that rough. I know that there are babies out there that sleep much less than B ever did. And now that she's sleeping??? This girl is so mellow. So easy going. So...dare I say it...EASY! I feel like I've had two easy babes in a row and I don't even want to think about what a third would be like. We're due for a wild ride, huh? 

Aside from that, B has been up to a lot in the past month. She's sitting up by herself so well now and has even graduated to sitting in shopping carts! This mama is LOVING it! Random shopping trips are so much easier now. 

Hey, mama! I have a secret...

I blew out my diaper in the shopping cart!!

Just in the past few days, she started making progress with crawling. I call this the Millimeter Worm (Instead of the Inch Worm, get it?) Ok, enough bad jokes for one post.
 

We haven't made much movement in her clothes. Mainly because I don't really have any footy jams for her in 9 month, it's still not warm enough to go without, and she pulls her socks off in the middle of the night.

She has now experienced the taste of avocado, lima beans, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, zucchini, banana, and I got her these organic puffs that are kale, broccoli, and cheddar and she goes to town on those.

 
 Her overall feeling about the taste of food is not very enthusiastic. Her first taste of everything elicits a response like this..

  

I mixed some avocado and banana the other night and after giving me the face, she was whining for more. And more. And more. Guess she liked that!
After moving to solids, I noticed that she was having more trouble pooping for a while, so I also introduced her to a sippy cup with water. While a good portion of the water ends up on her clothes, she thoroughly enjoys it and does a great job handling the cup on her own.
 

She has also managed to perfect her timing with sneezing while she's eating. Mama looooves getting sprayed with food! Grrrr!

You know what else mama loves? Cleaning up puke at 1 in the morning. I am actually surprised this hadn't happened sooner. Like, with J. However, I can honestly say that this being my first experience with a baby throwing up in their crib, it wasn't too horrible. The smell was the worst part. Sorry for the TMI. Other than that, I could tell she was feeling fine (must have been a fluke??) and I enjoyed getting to comfort her, bathe her, and enjoy that sweet little face in the middle of the night with no other distractions, but knowing we both needed to get back to bed.

Hey, mama, these middle of the night parties are a blast!

Another first came this past month and B came down with a virus called Roseola. The nanny had texted me while I was on my way home from work the Thursday before Easter and said she had a fever of 100.2. When I got home, she was very warm and I could tell she didn't feel well. I got a cold rag to put on her forehead and got comfy on the couch with her and let her nurse herself to sleep. She took about an hour nap and seemed a bit better, but was still warm. We went about our night as usual and she slept just fine. Luckily, I had Good Friday off, and she woke up acting completely normal, but as the morning went on, I could tell she was still droopy eyed and not her normal self. The fever was gone, but she he had periods of agitation, where you could tell something was really bugging her, and then she would go back to normal. Saturday was spent in La Jolla watching my cousin Georgie play soccer and as the day went on, B was getting more and more irritable. My mom pointed out some red splotches on the back of her neck and I thought nothing of it. I've seen that before after she's been in her carseat or laying down. A bit later, it seemed as if it was spread across her forehead, into her scalp, and a little below her eyes. I finally decided not to worry myself any longer and we packed up and decided to head to the doctor. I called on our way and they had just closed for the day, so I left a message for the on call nurse to call me back. When she had heard B's symptoms, there was no hesitation at all and she said it sounded like Roseola. There is nothing that can be or needs to be done. The rash just has to run its course. She welcomed me to come in the next morning, but she assured me that it really wasn't necessary unless B was having trouble breathing or if her temp spiked again. So, we rode it out and when she woke up Sunday, she was still not 100%, but was close to it. By Monday, the rash was completely gone and I had my happy baby back!

Oh and Mother of the Year Award....that goes to me. Not because I took great care of my sick babe, but because we sat out in overcast weather without sunscreen or hats and SHOCKER, both girls got sun burnt. J's wasn't so bad, just some pink cheeks, but when B woke up Sunday morning, the edge of her scalp was all bubbled up and oozing. Ughhh, I still feel horrible about it. 

Her poor head a few days in. A lot of healing had already taken place.

After she had fully recovered from being sick, I got her back sleeping through the night (had a few nights of feedings around midnight) and she's sleeping from about 7 pm to 7 or 8 am. She will still wake on occasion, but she puts herself back to sleep.  For naps we seem to be getting one long-ish nap - and by long-ish, I'm talking an hour - and one or two 30 to 45 minute naps. 

In the past month she has started using me as a teether while she's nursing and it drives me nuts! She will nurse, nurse, nurse and then decide it's play time and chew, chew, chew! Mama don't play that!

Speaking of nursing...aside from the pure excitement and joy that she shows me when I get home from work, she also wants to nurse right away. Not a full meal, but she gets a little snack in and then she's golden.

When J was about this age, we used to sing the ABC's to her to calm her down. With B, she likes BINGO. She will go from crying and upset to wide eyed and smiley the second she hears me start singing it.

These hotel beds are amazeballs, mom!

Sun bathing beauty

You stay away from my milk stash, ya hear?

Lovin' the new wheels, mom!

I'm too sexy for my clothes. Too sexy for my clothes...

6 Months, 27 Days

SLACK-ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Yup, that's me. Some things just never change, right?

Well, here we are, nearing B's 7 month birthday and I'm just getting to a recap of her 6th. C'est la vie!

Happy Half Birthday, Brynnlee Bear!

Your 6 month stats were as follows:

17.10 pounds (76%), 27 inches (88%) and 43.5 cm (79%) head circumference

The doctor made her usual comment about how you don't look like you ever miss a meal and that she can't believe it's all from breastmilk alone, but it is! You are strong and thriving. 

You love your milk and that's all there is to it. Oh wait, except for that yumminess you started noticing me, your dada, and your sissy eating. You start thrusting your tongue, smacking your lips, and reaching for it all. You had your very first taste of real food at Disneyland. It is the happiest place on earth, after all, right? I let you have some smashed up steamed carrots from my rice and while most of it ended up on your shirt, you still enjoyed the experience. A few days later, I made you plain oatmeal mixed with breastmilk for your very first meal. I wouldn't say you loved it, but you definitely didn't hate it! It didn't take you long to get used to your spoon and learning how to keep some food in your mouth.
After oatmeal, you moved on to pureed carrots with oatmeal mixed in and then you went on to have peas. Nothing has really gotten you excited, taste-wise, but you definitely perk up when I put you in the Bumbo and you see me mixing your little bowl with your spoon!

When you are in a familiar environment, you are full of smiles, giggles, and tons of babble. Would you mind throwing a little shout out to the one that gave birth to you though?? This "dadada" stuff is giving Dada a big head ;o) On the flip side, when we take you out of your element (ie: out of the house), you are still adorable as ever, but your shy side comes out. Your stranger anxiety picked up quite a bit between 5 and 6 months and as long as those darn "strangers" don't get too close, you just like to sit back and watch everyone interact with an expression like you see below.


To you, anything your big sissy does and says is pretty much the best thing ever. I love watching the two of you grow and play together and I know the years to come are going to bring such amazing memories for all of us.
Just before you hit 6 months, you started sitting up by yourself a little bit. I would get you balanced and see how long you could manage. It was my own little baby bootcamp for you, in hopes that you would be able to safely sit by yourself for some professional pictures (post on that to come soon). The practice didn't come in to play for our photo shoot, but your strength and balance definitely improved.


Rolling has never been something you are fond of. You are able to roll front to back, but would rather complain and throw a fit for someone to turn you over. I have yet to see you roll back to front, but Auntie Meghan found you on your belly at Grandma's house during her baby shower and I found you on your belly one time a few weeks later. Other than that, this is the most of what I have seen...
 
You're still somewhat fitting into your 6 month clothes, but your sleepers are getting a bit tight in the length. Your 9 month clothes fit great and your closet has exploded with options because of this. A lot of it is for summer weather though, which is why I'm still holding out on packing up the 6 month stuff.
Retiring your swaddles was flawless and I'm so proud of you for that. Now that you can move freely, though, you sometimes move all around your crib and like to sleep with both hands behind your head or one hand behind your back like this...

Speaking of your sleep...THANK YOU my little chunk! We are finally getting more sleep in this house. At about 5 and a half months you started making it through the night without feeding. I never expected to do this, but one night I had nursed you and then topped off your tank with an extra bottle and when you woke at around midnight, I let you FUSS it out. Ok, you did cry a bit at some points, but it was nothing horrible and about 20 minutes later.......SILENCE! Pure, beautiful, peaceful, SILENCE. You went back to sleep and did not make a peep till around 5am the next morning. You woke up, played with your feet and babbled for a bit and you'll never guess what happened next! YOU WENT BACK TO SLEEP AGAIN! Yup, I swear. This is no joke. From then on out, I knew it was possible. As long as I know that you have a full tummy and we're not spending the night away from home, I pretty much just let you do your thing and see you the next morning. You go down a little after 7pm and are up between 7 and 8am. It's awesome. It really is. Keep it up sweet girl!
Naps, on the other hand......naps are a different story. You are a total cat napper. You consistently get three naps each day, but the majority of them are only 30 to 40 minutes with the occasional 20 minuter or rarely something more than an hour. Your morning nap is about an hour and a half to two hours after you wake up and your midday and afternoon naps are about two and a half to three hours after you wake from the previous nap.  
The cradle cap is still holding on and I am trying to be consistent with applying coconut oil about 30 minutes before wash wash. Hopefully it will be gone soon.

I can't wait to get home from work each day and smother your face with kisses. Your face lights up when you see me and it fills my heart with so much joy. Being able to have you in my arms and stroke the silky soft skin on your hands is heaven for me. You are my sweet and sensitive one and I'll eat up all the time you need to cuddle up with me and hold on tight. As we celebrate your half birthday, I cannot believe it's already come and gone, but I am so anxious to see the little girl that you will become when you start moving and talking!

Happy 6 Months, Chunk A Monk! Here are a few more of my favorite pics from the past month. 

I Love You!