11 Months

Excuse me while I neglect the fact I have missed a few milestone blogs for Miss B. We've got a lot, I mean A LOT going on at our house right now. From chalkboards orders a plenty... to halloween costumes and 1st birthday planning I am definitely behind. 

It is hard for me to think that one short year ago we were praying hard for our little pumpkin while she spent the last few weeks snuggled inside. We were counting down the days until we would see her face. I can't believe how life has changed...

 And has changed for the better...

One more month and this happy girl will be turning one.

Girlfriend is on the move. In the past month Brynn has gone from a few unstable steps to full blown walking. She has found her balance and started by walking from piece to piece in the living room but now she can be found making laps around the loving room and/ or kitchen. The other night my parents came over for dinner and she was walking all over the place from person to person, chatting up a storm. Little show off... With each milestone we feel so grateful that we have a healthy little girl. 

Now that our little is walking and after a shoe less venture to the park {mom of the year} we decided to buy Brynn her first big girl pair of shoes. I mean, she did have a few pairs of shoes but she rarely wore them because she would just pull them off. And then summer came, and no one wants to wear shoes during a Texas summer. So girlfriend went barefoot... Mama's girl at heart. It was a big day when daddy took little girl to Stride Rite and got her a legit pair of walking shoes. I got a phone call in the middle of the day at school about their outing, and daddy did not disappoint. Brynn Marie is rockin' her silver sparkle Stride Rites all over this town. She also has a few more pair thanks to her mama's love for  shoes. 

Baby proofing... it's funny. Everyone asks, have we baby proofed yet. We really don't let her out of our sight but this past month she has been infatuated with opening the cabinet doors. So guess what we will be doing this weekend? Luckily the previous home owners left some behind. We've got a dare devil on our hands. If you're not careful little lady will dive out of your arms, off the couch or anything she is on.  This girl has no fear. She is into climbing as well. She can climb a flight of stairs {with supervision of course} and it makes me so happy we don't have a 2 story house. Kali often becomes her jungle gym. Brynn does not look where she's walking and often dives over Kali instead of walking around. Hence the constant bruises on her forehead. 

Somedays it seems like toys have become a thing of the past. Brynn's favorites are mama's chalk markers and daddy's remote controls. And these are obviously not toys. We have graciously received many amazing handmedown toys and are excited for the next stage in toys. We may be doing some packing up of the baby toys. Little lady is not so little anymore. 

I think we've got a reader on our hands. This girl is OBSESSED with books. Brynn is not a snuggler but when it comes to books she will grab it and crawl into my lap. She is one sassy lady and knows what she wants. We re read the same story over and over and when we stop she let's us know she wants some more. And because there is no cuddling at bedtime I will take this. So here's to Spot Goes to the Farm 100 times a day.

With all of the reading she's doing she has picked up on some new words. We have perfected "baby." We went from saying "day day" to full blown pointing to and saying "baby." It is the sweetest sound. In order to prevent full blown melt down in Walgreens I gave her a coupon book for babies that I received and it became her favorite toy. She walked around the house for days repeating "baby" and did that until the pages fell apart. Brynn is a chatterbox in car. She will sit in the backseat chatting away to anything and everything. 

In the past month we started taking Brynn to an in home daycare once a week so Tom can catch up on his sleep. He would sometimes have a 22 hour day before policing the streets. We LOVE Mrs. Connie!   In the past few weeks Brynn has grown so much developmentally. Chasing around 2, somedays 3 older kids will push a girl! I was so anxious in the beginning but she comes home in the best mood and I can sleep easy knowing Tom is fully rested. 

This month we were sure Brynn would get her top two front teeth. Instead we were surprised when she sprouted her top "vampire" teeth! Talk about a true snaggle tooth. Tom was so funny! He shouted, "Google that... what does that mean?!?" 

Seriously... what a worrier. She looked so funny when she smiled her big tooth grin. This week she has been a drool box again and the middle teeth are finally starting to poke through. We have been so lucky with teething this far. Nothing more than a bunch of drooling and constant toys everything in the mouth. I feel especially grateful about this. I have heard horror stories.

Tom and I both have agreed how nice it is now that Brynn is eating table food. We have loved seeing her explore all types of foods. There's still a part of me that is stuck in the bland {baby foodish} mind set but Brynn is all in. She wants anything and everything we are eating and likes it all. We have nick named her Grabby McGrabberson. She's a swiper folks and is quick. I can't wait to see her when we give her the smash cake. Mrs Connie tells us everyday what a good eater she is. Good thing her favorite  foods are her veggies. 

Lady is still sleeping through the night and recent growth spurts have led to sleeping in on the weekends a bit and longer naps. She still loves mama's blanket... but I don't think it's mine anymore. The downside... it's a full size blanket and we bring it with us sometimes. The sitter's and the nursery at church. I am contemplating cutting and sewing into two small blankets. The worker in the nursery said it was a godsend. She loves it! The thumb instantly pops in the mouth and she rolls all over it. I love that she adores something I loved so much.

We cannot believe that ONE year has almost passed. Where did my baby go? She is growing into an independent, strong, curious girl and I am so excited to see who she grows into. Not too quickly though. This mama can't handle it. We are in full blown party planning mode. I am loving every minute of creating a beautiful day to celebrate my favorite little lady.