Ready for the Holidays

Already walking???

My family always calls her "stiff as a board Brooke" so we'll see how soon until she can walk since she obviously doesn't have any problem standing up!

Laughing at her daddy

Brooke with her great grandmother

First plane ride

Brooke took her first plane ride last week. My mom, sister, Brooke and I all flew out to Virginia where Brooke was able to meet her great grandmother and great aunts. I was a little nervous about flying with a baby. As we were boarding the plane I was making jokes about how everyone was watching me get on with an infant and was praying that I wouldn't be sitting near them. Several people were smiling at me and I could tell they were thinking just that. But then another guy said he'd love to have us in his row (. . . sounds creepy I guess but he looked like a dad that was probably missing his own kids)! Anyway, the flight out went great. Brooke slept the entire time (besides nursing on the way up and the way down). She didn't make a peep! While waiting for our baggage in the terminal, several people came up to me and couldn't believe what a great baby she was and others said they didn't even know there was a baby on the flight until they saw me get off. Of course I beamed under the compliments . . . like I had anything to do with her being so well behaved!

The return flight home turned out to be slightly more eventful. Since the way out was so easy I figured she'd probably cry the whole way back, which would be a frightening prospect for me since Brooke hardly ever cries I don't know that I would be all that adept at calming her down (hey, I don't claim to be an experienced mom)! But on the way home crying wasn't the issue . . . her bowels were!

Luckily we ended up being some of the last few people to board because the plane felt like an oven. After we got in our seats my mom pulled off Brooke's pants . . . which proved to be a fatal error for my shirt! So I nursed Brooke on the way up and was burping her against my shoulder. Nana was napping peacefully next to me when I felt a rumbling in Brooke's diaper. I started to giggle! Then I felt more rumbling and the giggle turned into a chuckle. Then Brooke pretty much blew the doors off and I was laughing out loud. I leaned over to Nana and told her what her little granddaughter was up to. With all the action going on in her diaper I figured there was going to be a mess on our hands and sure enough . . . I picked Brooke up and found a giant yellow splotch of baby goodness on my shirt! Since the flight was 2 hours long and we were only 15 minutes in I didn't think it would be prudent for me and my smelly daughter to endure the rest of the trip as we were. So my mother suggests that I change her on my lap! I look at my mother like she has two heads because I'm thinking it must be logistically impossible to change a messy diaper within the confines of a cramped airplane seat. The stewardess is headed our way with the drink cart so I said I wanted to ask her if there was a place to change the baby.

Sure enough, the stewardess said there is a baby changing station in the bathroom. So I tromp to the back of the plane juggling the baby, her pacifier, a changing pad, a new change of clothes, a diaper, wipes and a ziplock bag to put her dirty clothes in. I struggle to get the door open and luckily the passenger sitting one inch to the side of where I was standing helped me with the door!

Whoever called it a "changing station" must have a flair for the dramatic since a changing station to me implies that there is a nice comfortable area with a place to get organized and set down your wipes and paraphernalia with plenty of room to change your darling infant. This consisted of a small board over the metal toilet! Since the plane we were on was a small plane (with 2 seats on one side and a single seat on the other), the bathroom wasn't even the size of a small closet. So I get in there and don't even have enough hands to lock the door. So I get the board down and get Brooke up there and am looking around thinking that if any of her clothes or the pacifier hits the floor or the shiny stainless steel toilet then they'll be a goner! Brooke's eyes were as big as saucers and it was like she was stunned because a) the noise of the engines was pretty deafening and b) everything in there felt like it was vibrating. So I got her changed and got back to my seat.

About 15 minutes later I felt the rumbling again and smelled a suspicious odor! Luckily this time the diaper did it's job and contained the mess! But I went tromping back to the bathroom for a second round of fun. This time while I was changing her, Brooke wasn't quite so shell-shocked so she was smiling and kicking her feet like we were at a party . . which made things a little more difficult! But thankfully we all made it safe and sound and since the worst thing was having to endure the afternoon with a yellow stain on my shirt, I consider myself blessed!

Chatty Cathy

I think spending time with cousin Ariya is teaching Brooke that it's fun to talk! :)

Chillin' with the Cuz

Brooke and Cousin Ariya are becoming fast friends!

Ariya is showing Brooke the ropes on posing for the camera!

Another Doctor's Visit

At 9 weeks of age Brooke had another doctor's visit. Now she weighs 11 pounds, 4 ounces which puts her in the 50-75th percentile for weight. She is 22 1/4 inches long which puts her in the 25-50th percentile and her head cirumference is 39 cm which is the 25-50th percentile. So all is going well!

Young Jedi

Morning Bed Head

Daddy Day - Part Deux

Fridays are daddy day (except from January - April 15th). Ryan eagerly looks forward to spending the day with Brooke. Last Friday was the first daddy day, but I ended up taking a half day off work so Ryan only had her for the morning. Brooke and I are both blessed that Ryan is an extremely capable and involved dad. Ryan is also a lot of fun which Brooke will appreciate a little more when she gets a little bigger! I remember Ryan trying to play peek-a-boo and blow strawberries on her belly when we were freshly home from the hospital and I was thinking . . . does he really think she'll respond to that yet . . . she's not even a week old! :) God bless him for trying! So right now we're currently in the middle of remodeling our basement and daddy lost track of time since Brooke was napping so he woke her up close to an hour and a half late to eat (which I wasn't too thrilled about hearing). When he woke her up she realized how hungry she was and she let Ryan know that she didn't appreciate it . . . but who came blame her . . . I love food as much as the next person (okay, maybe a little more) and I don't appreciate missing a meal either! Then she chugged 8 ounces (which is a lot for a newborn) and it knocked her out (pictured here).

Ryan even said that she propped her fists up around the bottle because she was so eager and he said he let go off the bottle and she held it there! Albeit, a newborn propping up a glass bottle by herself isn't the best of ideas, but what can we say . . . Brooke's got skills (and dad might need some refreshers on child safety)! :)

Hanging with Had

Brooke had a crazy weekend with the family. Pictured below she is hanging out with her cousin Hadley who is a month younger than she is. They are relaxing on what my sister dubbed "the dusty dog"! Hadley's mother wasn't too keen on her daughter lying on a big dog that has surely been collecting dust for years. I'm surprised by some of the things my sister comes up with to worry about! :) Last night my mother had all of her grandkids in her house and it was a zoo with 8 kids who are 9 years old and younger . . . with 5 of them being 18 months and under. Talk about chaos!

A Halloween Chick

Happy Halloween! Brooke got dressed up like a little chicken and went down to the annual bash that Christian Fellowship hosts every year that has games and candy for kids. Obviously Brooke was a little young to participate, but she did get a lot of attention being in her cute little costume! The picture quality of this video isn't very good, but the noises she makes are so cute!