17, 18 & 19 Weeks

 Brynn Marie... you've become quite the gymnast! You're feet are always near your mouth.

 You are all smiles! You melt my heart with those gummy grins! I could kiss those cheeks all day.

We have been enjoying the warmer weather. Spring is here! 

To celebrate we busted out the Jellies... come on you know you had a pair.

The Adventures of Sophie and Brynn

I swear these ladies are Best Friends.. although it may seem quite the opposite in these pictures. This was a mama's try to postpone our first feeding of rice cereal until daddy got home from the gym. If you couldn't already tell from the pictures this girl was HUNGRY!  Needless to say, the rice cereal waited and I had to swoop in and save Sophie before Brynn bit her head off.

4 Months Old

I cannot believe our girl is 4 months old today! We woke up this morning with thoughts of our 4 month check up looming over us. She was a sleepy girl this morning and slept the majority of the morning while we ran some errands. I LOVE our pediatrician! It was fun to take Brynn this morning so I could see Dr Burgess and Nurse Janet. They love our girl well. They were commenting on how sweet she was showing her off to the other nurses. Little bit is climbing the charts in weight and height; 15 lbs 6 oz in the 89th percentile for weight.

This mama's got a confession to make... earlier this month we were having a blowout at least once a day. This went on for about a week. And after scrubbing multiple outfits I thought to check the weight for size 1 diapers. Sure enough the top weight was 14 lbs. DUH! New mama problems. Since then no more blowouts :) I think we may have a volleyball played on our hands. 25 inches... this girl is long. The time I notice it most is when she is swaddled for bed. She looks like a little papoose! She can still fit into some 3 month outfits but because she is so tall, some have become too small and is graduating quickly into 6 month clothes. Her thighs are so pinchable, if that's a word. They are chunky little things, but boy they are strong. Brynn would rather be standing on our laps then held or rocked anymore. One of her favorite things to do is start on her back then we will pull her up by her arms and she will stand up on her own... like I said, those tree trunks are strong. Our girls got a grip! She smiles so big and is SO proud of herself.

This past month I have seen Brynn grow the most and has been my favorite month. (I will probably say that each month, I know..) But seriously-she is so fun and is smiling all the time. From the moment she wakes up this girl is all grins. The morning is by far my favorite time and I secretly love when she wakes up before I leave for work, even though it's a long day for daddy. She has begun to recognize both mommy and daddy and will smile that gummy smile the second we come into view. I wish we could see or know what all she can see, but she is definitely taking it all in. She is mesmerized by the TV and the bright lights. We don't like this too much so we have started turning off the TV in the evenings for family time. She is holding her gaze a lot longer with anything she sees as if she is studying every inch of it. She is going to be one curious girl!

A morning conversation.

We love our playtime. Brynn's favorite toys right now are her Sophie the giraffe, her Lamaze caterpillar, the activity mat and her new exersaucer. Sophie is the perfect size for her to wrap her little fingers around. We put it in her car seat for each ride and Sophie constantly ends up in her mouth while we drive. She is a kicking machine on the activity mat and will hold her own conversations with each of the characters. The dragonfly/ butterfly is her all time favorite because he makes the most noise. Brynn has fallen into a natural routine without much forcing or guiding on our part. She will eat, then we play and about 1 hour to an hour and half later she's done and ready for a nap. She let's us know..

The exersaucer is wonderful because Brynn wants to be standing up and upright most of the time. We can already tell a difference in how strong her core has grown. I am glad she has good head control so this toy could come into our lives. It's perfect for when mama's making dinner in the kitchen and I can keep an eye on her. The double whammy... caterpillar on the exersaucer tray! Mind blowing :)

Drool Monster..

Obviously from our stats you can tell Brynn is a good eater. She is still breastmilk only, feeding when I am home and bottle when I am working. I am boycotting pumping over Spring Break... oh it's been glorious! Pumping deserves an entire blog entry for itself. I started hearing the pumping noises in my sleep, that's when you know you need a break. It's nice that she can easily transition back and forth. She graduated to the big bottles this month. One- because sometimes she would eat more than the small ones could hold and two-because our dog destroyed the "shorties" one unnamed daddy would leave out. Yes, my husband calls them "shorties." The doctor gave us the go ahead for rice cereal! This is on the agenda for tomorrow night. We couldn't wait for daddy to get home from the gym before supper time tonight. We will have the camera ready for sure :)

I am so glad Brynn loves her sleep. She is still napping in her swing for the most part- or our arms :) But bedtime is crib only. After her last feeding around 8 or anytime after that we swaddle her, read a story from her bible and rock her. The majority of the time she's down for the night unless she needs to burp. The past few weeks she started waking up around 3 or 4 to eat which surprised me because she had been sleeping through the night. But it's not a big deal because she goes right back down and sleeps until around 7 or 7:30. Girlfriend loves her nightly stories. I hope she stays this way when she grows up. She is so intrigued by the pictures and I am enjoying the bible stories as well. I will add her bible to her monthly favs :)

OK.. OK sorry this one is a novel. Sorry but I'm not sorry :)

Miss B, 

Oh your mama loves you so much! You are easily the best part of my day. When I see you smile that ear to ear smile everything melts away.  You are so strong! Even your doctor said so. You are enjoying tummy time more. You are constantly reaching for something mostly your feet. Girl you are flexible! Your little voice is so sweet. We have the best conversations.. your face is so serious when you are telling me your story. It's the funniest thing. Then there are your screeches and screams.. girl you are loud! I blame myself because I squeal and sing to you constantly. But we don't mind :) You are trying to imitate everything! When we motorboat our lips or stick out or tongues to blow bubbles you tongue comes out and now you are trying to make the sound.. your are so close! Let's not forget to mention the drool! Drooling machine! We think the teeth are coming soon.

You have such a good nature about you and are such a good baby. You don't cry unless something is wrong, or your are overly tired. Lately you have been playing so hard you don't fight going down for your naps. I cannot wait to see the girl you grow into. I pray you have your daddy's determination and (part) of his hard-headedness :) Baby girl, I love you so much! This Spring Break has been the break I needed to make it until summer. I cannot wait to relax and soak in the sun with you.

Happy 4 Months Baby! 

Love Mommy

 "Hey Mom, look what I can do..."

Kali is SO not impressed.

Mommy Daddy Day

(1st things 1st... please ignore my hair. I'm over it! LIKE OVER IT. I cut it. I hate it. The end)

On a lighter note :) My sweet husband took this entire week off of work in hopes that we would go on a trip somewhere. Call me Debbie Downer, but traveling with a 4 month old during flu/ RSV/ and whatever else season did not sound appealing. So opted for lots of quality time as a family and a day for just the two of us.We threw around a lot of ideas, big and small, but decided on a low key day with lots of good conversation.

We started the day out at our favorite breakfast spot, Swirl Bakery. My mom took me there on my last outing BB, before Brynn and we have been hooked ever since. There lunch is to die for as well but we are breakfast people. These blueberry scones are amazing and the sugar on top... HEAVEN. Isn't my husband the cutest?!? Outloud he said, "This is just so nice..." Yes it was.

We wanted to go to the new Perot Museum, but due to Spring Break madness the museum was sold out until 4pm and we couldn't ignore Brynn all day. Instead we went to the Dallas Aquarium. Tom and I actually went there almost 6 years ago when we were dating for an extra credit project I had to do, so it was fun to go back again. They had so many neat animals, not just fish. We saw an anteater, penguins and the cutest little monkey. It is actually the tiniest monkey in the world... in Texas.

Aren't they cute?

The Aquarium was packed. We thought we got there before the crowd but inside we kept getting pushed along. We kept talking about how fun it is going to be to take Brynn to places like the aquarium. This summer is going to be so much fun... no school... daddy waking up early to join our adventures.

If Spring Break is any indication of how great this summer will be, this mama is stoked.

Being a teacher is wonderful. 

After the aquarium we went to Northpark Mall and walked around for a bit. The only thing we bought was, of course, something for our girl. New jammies and this adorable giraffe onesie.

We had a great day with one another, but we missed our girl.

16 Weeks

 I cannot believe this girl is 16 weeks old! She is growing SO fast! This is such a fun stage and I can see her changing and growing everyday. Brynn was unamused by my picture taking this day :) I could kiss those cheeks all day... I pretty much do!

Her TRUE 4 month birthday is on the 15th, this Friday. Which is also the day of her 4 month check up. As excited as I am about getting to go to the appointment, this Mama is NOT excited about seeing her get her shots. Tom has taken that bullet this far. Our pediatrician only takes newborn appointments at 1:30pm when I'm at school. Spring Break allows me to go this time.

This picture cracks me up. Toe jam is ONLY cute on baby toes. 

Happy 16 Weeks Baby Girl!

Weekending

 Friday night we introduced Brynn Marie to her new best friend, Sophie. She seemed a bit uninterested at first... the picture above CRACKS.ME.UP! But she hasn't let go of her yet. The neck is the perfect size for those little fingers. Sophie has been the carseat stole away. While I was driving I heard a few squeaks from the backseat. So glad we got two of these puppies. I can tell this will be a favorite toy around here.

After seeing a few picture ideas on Pinterest, my mom and I were on the hunt for an antique high chair. I got this beauty for an early Valentines present. The antique shop added some extra boards to create a shelf, and I had a weekend project on my hands. Nothing a screwdriver and some pretty coral paint couldn't fix. Brynn was mesmerized by the color. I can't wait to use this chair.  

 Saturday me and my girl made a special trip to Target specifically for an exersaucer. But of course we left with more... Target gets me everytime. Little girl LOVES this thing. We have had so much fun watching her explore the toys. I can't wait until her toes touch the bottom to watch her bounce.

Sunday was a day full of snuggles. Brynn has started grasping things on her own especially her Lovey! My mom, Brynn's Nana, bought this lovey on our trip up with Michigan this past summer and I am so happy she loves it as much as I do.

We received a package in the mail, well actually 2! Both from our most recent purchase from GroopDealz! We love this site. Brynn got 2 new Jameson Monroe headbands and this adorable owl hat. A little too big, but perfect for next year. She was not happy about this...

15 Weeks

 Sweet Angel Baby I cannot believe you are almost 4 months old.
You amaze me every day with your strength and personality.

Mama loves you.

Weekending

 This week Tom and I realized how lucky we are to live near family. Last week my cousin went into labor a few weeks early and my mom went up to Oklahoma to be with her when she delivered her son, sweet Cooper. She usually watches Brynn half a day on Thursdays and all day Friday and when she left we were left scrambling for someone to watch our girl. Family to the rescue.... Tom's sister watched her on Thursday morning and my dad, Brynn's Papa, watched her on Friday. We are so grateful to have people who will step in and help us out when we are in a bind.... so thankful! Here she is on Friday headed to Papa's house bright and early.

Friday night the 3 of us headed to dinner with some sweet friends from our church Homegroup. They invited us over for crawfish. Brynn had a ball with their 9 months old daughter. (No pictures.. bad mama).

Brynn has found her voice this past week. And by voice I mean screech.... this is what I woke up to on Saturday. I have been singing to her a lot lately, making up songs for everything. I like to say this is her singing voice. I would rather wake up to this than fussing anyday.

 We spent Saturday morning playing...

 and shopping... I am dreaming sweet, warm, sunny dreams of our girl splashing in the pool this summer. We already have plans to visit my Aunt's lakehouse in Pennsylvania in early June. I can't wait to see her little hiney in these ruffles. 

Saturday night was Lasagna night over at Memaw's and with the rest of the family. Brynn was passed around and was the center of the party. Her Auntie's can't get enough of her.

Here's my little nugget rockin' her new pink skinnies. I adore the pastel colors. I may have bought her a pair in mint green as well. So much fun shopping for her.

Mama had a late night Girls Night and finally got to watch the new Twilight movie.... amazing! 

Sunday morning brought a blowout and an early morning bath. We took advantage of the moment and Brynn had her first "big girl" bath! She graduated from the puj tub and LOVED it! She was kicking and splashing. She had a blast.

Mama had big plans for the day. We were going to hit up a consignment sale in town but I couldn't resist a lazy day full of snuggles. I complain over and over about never having a day with nothing to do. So I ceased the moment and snuggled on the couch with these sweetcheeks. A 2 hour nap for this mama was amazing, but now leaves me wide awake at midnight. I wouldn't trade my lazy Sunday for anything.

One more week until Spring Break... 

This family of 3 has some big plans- some still in the works. Until then one day at a time.

Living for the weekends.

Our Little Lady

Our girl can burp and toot like the best of them. This weekend while taping our morning conversation I caught a toot on camera. Tom says we have miles and miles of blackmail... Sorry Brynn!