Friday, June 21, 2013

Happy Summer Solstice!

Summer is officially here! Today marks the first real day of summer but we have been celebrating since June 7th baby! Just one of the many perks of being a teacher. I definitely miss my students but nothing beats lounging around in comfies all day with this sweet 7 month old.

It was daddy's day with Brynn so he brought her up to school for the last day of school. We were having our Kindergarten play day splashing around outside and the students LOVED having her there. I didn't mind so much either. Yes... daddy chose the bow! 

I bought this onesie specifically for the first day of summer and was smiling from ear to ear when I dressed Brynn that morning. Thank you Target! :) 

 Stopping for a "selfie" while playing with sweet Brynn on the first day of my Summer vacation.
Could this picture be any sweeter?!?  She was peeking around the chair at Kali. I am telling you, they are going to be best friends. Yes... that is a glob of drool dripping off her chin. Still no sign of teeth, just  very swollen gums.
We also soaked up the sun while celebrating Tom's sister's birthday. They just put a pool in and you can bet that we are going to be taking full advantage this summer to beat the heat. We lathered Brynn up in sunscreen and some love for America. How adorable is a chunky baby in red, white and blue?

Daddy was so excited to take a dip with her. 

 The water was still a little cold but she was a good sport. I foresee many, many days floating around in the water. A blow up pool my mom gave us will be finding a permanent spot in our backyard. Mama and daddy may use it themselves. 
 Happy Summer Y'all! 

Thursday, June 20, 2013

7 Months Old

                     
Oh sweet summer is upon us and this mama could not be happier to spend the next few months with this sweet girl! Brynn is SEVEN months old! Time is flying by and Tom and I are soaking in every moment. We are so blessed with this happy, happy baby! 

Yes, again, I will tell you that this month has been my favorite. Her personality is shining through in everything she does. She is all smiles and we have witnessed many giggles from this girl. We I actually got it on camera on my first day off from school. It was such a gift. She is so observant... taking in everything around us. This also causes overstimulation sometimes which in turn causes a short meltdown before napping. Not very often though. 

Little girl is playing hard. After eating she is on the go until she goes down for a nap. She is busy, busy. She can sit up on her own for long amounts of time and has very good balance. She is reaching for everything and is drawn to toys that light up and play music. We are headed to Target to pick up some new summer toys this week. She has not officially crawled yet but can ooch herself across the blanket or roll repeatedly to get where she wants to go. She is constantly pushing up on her hands and knees and perfected the rock but can't figure out how to pick up her hands. Instead she pushes herself backwards which makes her very frustrated. She is one strong girl... yesterday she pushed up into a baby plank on her hands and toes. No joke! It was so funny.
Little missy capitalized on some tummy time in her birthday suit.

Brynn still hasn't said her first word but watches us very intently when we say Mama or Dada. She will open and close her mouth imitating our mouths so I am sure it will happen soon. Instead we still get the constant bubbles and screeching and of course, that sweet sweet laugh.

Other milestones this month... little girl went on her first plane ride to Pennsylvania. We went on our first vacation as a family to my Aunt's lakehouse. We made so many special memories just the 3 of us and with my parents and extended family as well. First plane ride, first boat ride, first trip to NYC and meeting my Aunt MB and her Great Grandmother. More to come.

First Family Vacation

I achieved my goal. I made it to the end of the school year feeding Brynn strict breastmilk. I had 2 bags of milk to spare! Talk about cutting it close. I am beyond excited to say "goodbye" to my pump for a while. I am trying to feed Brynn a big bottle before bed instead of the boob to help her get a good night sleep and then pump right before I go to bed. This way I can have a few bags of milk in case Tom and I go out for a date. Other than milk Brynn is LOVING, I mean LOVING her purees! So far we have tried; avacados, sweet potatoes, zucchini, bananas, pears, butternut squash, and apples. There hasn't been a puree she doesn't like. I have a feeling she's going to be a food lover. We have also introduced puffs and baby mum mums to her. At first she was having a hard time picking up the puffs and putting them in her mouth but after a bit of practice she's a puff master. These both are great to kill a few minutes while mama is making her coffee and eggs in the morning before we enjoy our breakfast together. 

Brynn was not sleeping through the night since about month 4 but recently (as in the past 3 nights) started to sleep through the night again. We have tried to stretch her bedtime until 8pm and she usually sleeps until 6:30 in the morning. I told you... she loved her sleep. I think the vacation wore her out and made her appreciate her comfy crib. Because Brynn plays so hard she loves her naps! She was still sleeping and napping between each feeding, usually :) Now it seems like she is naturally moving to one longer nap in the morning and then in the afternoon. I am hoping she will find a good schedule that we can keep. She does a good job of being flexible if we are running errands and the carseat and car ride are still her kryptonite. When Brynn wakes up from sleeping we let her "hatch" for a little bit. If we go and get her too early sometimes she is still waking up. She is completely content playing in her crib and singing to herself. It is so fun to watch her on the monitor. 

While we are running errands she no longer likes to be in her carrier anymore, she loves riding in the shopping carts. We love our shopping cart cover we got from our shower. Brynn loves looking around and is completely content playing and chewing on the tags of her toys.