Zoey Ann {One Month}

Zoey Ann, 

You have rocked our world in so many ways and we couldn't love you more. 

Having you here with us completes our family of 4. Your sweet button nose is the spitting image of your sister's but you definitely have your own fiery personality with the red hair to match it.

You've had a rough go in your first month on the earth; jaundice & acid reflux, where you have had PLENTY of chances to prove that you have a WICKED set of lungs on you. 

You are going to be one tough girl with a lot of determination. 

We have prayed for you and God is using you to teach me so much about perseverance & unconditional love. I have learned so much in this short month; about balance & to focus on what is truly important. As hard as these days may seem I know they are fleeting so I am holding onto every moment with a tight hold. 

I love you so much Red! 

Mommy 

 

Sometimes

Sometimes you take a step back and haven't blogged since your first born's first birthday...

Sometimes that quiet first born turns into a non stop chatterbox & steals your heart everyday...

Sometimes in said hiatus you get pregnant & have a second daughter... 

{Hello sweet Zoey Ann} 

Sometimes God throws you a curve ball and everything you thought you knew about parenthood is different the 2nd time around... {thank you God for grace and allowing us to start new each day} 

Sometimes you fall in love with your husband ALL OVER AGAIN watching him dote on your daughters... y'all he seriously adores them. 

Yes... life is different... but it's oh so crazy beautiful! Here's to trying this blogging thing again :) 

One Year

Where did this past year go?!? My sweet squishy baby is now one year old (plus a week or two…) 

When I think back on the past year it has been some of the sweetest memories of my life. Tom and I have been blessed with a happy and healthy little girl. Our day in and day outs have changed dramatically. Tom pulled out his winter jacket for the first time last week and told me a monkey rattle fell out of the arm hole. You know you're a parent when… He said he just smiled. 

Brynn Marie you are the light of my life. Your spirit is oh so sweet! You are so brave and courageous. You don't fear a thing… trouble for the future? Nose dives off the couch and head first down your slide. But then there are moments where the shyness shows and I am reminded you are just a one year old. Your daddy and I both think you are advanced beyond your one year old self.. 

You love just about everyone, but you definitely have your favorites. You may reach for your momma, but you get the biggest smile on your face for your daddy. I love running to the door with you when we hear his truck so I can see the shear joy on your face when you see him through the glass door. You adore him. 

But I think you're a momma's girl… and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love walking in to get you in the mornings and see how you light up. You are so chatty. You are talking so much more and I can understand more of your words each day. Your babble has always had meaning and I love that I am understanding what you are saying, and so do you. Some words you can "say" are:  Dada, Mama, dog,  ball, baby, snack, uh oh, oh no… PRECIOUS! 

Lately you've been a little snuggle bug and it melts my heart. Since we freed you from your swaddle, you've been a independent baby wanting to stretch out. In the past few weeks before nap and bedtime we've had a few snuggle sessions. Last week while I was rocking you, your eyes locked with mine and you didn't break the gaze for literally 15 minutes. I felt like your brown eyes were staring into my soul. Oh little lady, I pray that you could see the love I have for you. It was the sweetest time just looking at you and praying for the girl you will grow into. 

As you reach each milestone, more of your personality begins to show. We are learning your likes and dislikes and what your enjoy. Your daddy and I always talk about what you will be like when you grow up. We imagine what sports you'll play (because that's a given…) and what you will enjoy. All I wish and pray for is that you love the Lord and find people & things you enjoy. I hope the joy you have now is the same spirit you will have always. PURE joy… 

In the past year the Lord had taught me so much about selfless love and showed me how selfish  I was before. Friday nights out with the girls have been a memory but when I find one of your strawberry puffs mashed to my shirt, I know I wouldn't have it any other way. There is nothing like being a parent that will open your eyes and show you a glimpse of how big God's love is for us. Each night I just stare at you baby girl, and I am amazed that if I can love you this much, how big is God's love for you?!? You are not mine, you are His. And I will love you with open hands. 

Parenting is hard…. Tom and I had to say it out loud the other night. It has stretched us, challenged us and brought us to our knees but in the end I am proud of us. All 3 of us. My family. The family that I have dreamed of for so many years. There is so much love in this home and I feel abundantly blessed to  be your mommy Brynn Marie. 

Thank you for making my dream a reality. I love you big girl! 

You are my everything.

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. 

9 & 10 Months Old

Yikes... this has been sitting in my Drafts for WAY WAY WAY too long.

I can't believe that this sweet girl is 10 months old. The summer flew by and I held onto every last moment with her before school started. It was so nice to have a break from work and see her grow into her personality. She is such a ham and has both her mommy and daddy wrapped around her finger. Many times a day Tom and I stop and say, "I just love her so much." I don't think anything prepared us for the immense love of parenthood. 

Brynn has perfected the crawl! If she sees something she wants, she is there in a second. If you turn your head she is pulling up on something. And usually something other than her toys. Her favorite "no Brynns" are the fireplace, the end table {on wheels}, the entertainment center with daddy's sound bar and the white chest in the living room. Playtime consists of chasing after her and redirecting or walking her back to the play area. 

In the last post we predicted she would be walking before her 1st birthday. I stand by that statement because she took her first steps last weekend. One step and now she is up to 3 small steps. She takes a bit to find her balance but then she falls our way with a few steps of her feet. It is the cutest thing. She is so proud of herself and so our we. She's going to be full on walking in no time. And it will be another game changer.

Brynn is still infatuated with anything that makes noise, sings or lights up. She has recently become fond of stuffed animals & dolls. Brynn's Memaw gave her the sweetest crocheted doll and she loves it. We give it to her in the carseat and she talks to her the entire car ride.  It is a constant tug o war with the "babies" and Kali. We have had to wash a few because Kali was raised on stuffed animal babies all to herself and now thinks they are all for her. WRONGO! 

Speaking of Kali, our first baby... She has definitely taken the back seat. I feel so bad but I will say, she is so good with Brynn. At first she wanted nothing to do with her and would walk away whenever she came close. But now she lets Brynn climb on her and they play tug o war with the babies. Kali is so soft, I think she thinks it's fun! 

Brynn has definitely found her voice. The past few months I felt like she was in an observing stage, taking everything in but turning a little quiet. Not anymore. She is chatting up a storm. Lots of babble and it is the SWEETEST sound. Her first word was Dada. But she has also said Mama. It was the most amazing feeling. She had pulled up on my legs and we were working on walking and she said it. I cried. I hugged her. It was amazing. I love being a mama.

Brynn still has her two snaggle teeth. Good grief those little things are sharp! No more chewing on our fingers. We had been giving her celery and apple chunks to chew on when she was teething, or to distract her when we were fixing dinner, but not anymore. I gave her an apple chunk in the bumpo while making dinner and she used those two little teeth and bit through the entire chunk. It scared me.  I also was reassured about feeding all the table foods, knowing what she could do with only 2 teeth.

At her 9 month appointment the Dr. gave us the go ahead to start any table foods that could be mashed. I didn't think of myself as a planner but when she gave the ole "I'm not going to tell you how much or when to feed your baby" I panicked. I wanted to know how much of each food and what time to feed her. We quickly figured out a good routine. We wake up and she has breakfast; usually oatmeal and a 1/4 cup of fruit. Then we play and she has her first bottle before her morning nap, anywhere from 9- 10am and sleeps for 1-2 hours. She eats lunch around 12-1pm; a protein (babyfood meat) 1/4-1/2c veggie and 1/4c fruit. We play and then she takes her afternoon nap. The another bottle when she wakes up. This is her long stretch of playtime before dinner around 6 or 6:30;  a protein (babyfood meat) 1/4-1/2c veggie and 1/4c fruit. I recently started mixing cooked chicken pieces in with the jarred food. She's done so well for only having two teeth. We are going to have no problems weaning her off the bottles at a year. She loves her food! She is constantly reaching for anything we are eating. Luckily no food allergies. She's even had a few bites of peanut butter. {i know.. new research is showing the earlier you give them p. butter, the less likely they are to acquire the allergy. But you can find research for any side you believe.}

Brynn is still sleeping through the night. We put her down anywhere from 6:30 -8pm. She gets tired early and we feel there is no reason to fight it. She's a trooper if we are out though.. but sometimes the car rides home are full of meltdowns! She sleeps through the night until 6:40am when I take her to my moms. Brynn loves her sleep. I love the early bedtimes. It allows Tom and I some along time before he leaves for work and then I get Mama time when Daddy leaves.

When nesting/decorating Brynn's nursery I put my baby blanket in a basket. Mostly for decoration and filler. But when it got cold there were a few night we would lay it over her she snuggled to it as much as she could all swaddled up. Of course when summer came, the blanket went back in the closet. Somehow it was thrown into the hamper and went through the laundry. Brynn was "helping" me fold laundry and when she saw the blanket she pulled it down and started snuggling to it. She remembered the blanket!!! Luckilly I had my camera/phone right there to capture this special moment with her mommy's blanket. I cried! {thebottompicture} Guess it's not mine anymore. Now she can't sleep without it.

Today we worked on mastering the snack cup. After a hiatus from puffs {for no reason} Brynn made up for lost time with this new contraption. She's a pro.

 When I look at these pictures, I get a little sentimental. Out little girl is not a baby anymore. 

She's my world. I cannot believe how big she is getting. 

{please excuse our nap hair} 

Happy Monday...

Happy Fall!

Today was the first day of fall and we celebrated hard! We had been keeping the party going- Tom's birthday decorations were still claiming the mantle. But one night last week colors of orange, yellow and red took over the mantle in anticipation for the first day of fall. One of the chalkboards from White Magnolia looks great against the blue window frame and amongst my dollar tree leaf garland! 

The weather was perfect this weekend. The windows were open and the air was off. {my air conditioner and next month's electric bill thanked me} The temperature only reached 85 this weekend! AMAZING!! Brynn and I woke up and met a good friend and her son, Seamus, for an attempted walk/playdate. Homegirl was not having the stroller or the bjorn... bossy girl. Instead we lived it up on the playground. Brynn loved making new friends with the other littles in the little tykes area.

Yes I was that mom who let her baby crawl/walk around bare foot at the park. She's just like her mama, she doesn't like to wear shoes. Okay, honestly we just haven't put any sort of footwear on her since the early spring.  I actually didn't even know what size shoe she wore until today. 

A recent scenario went like this. 

A parent from 2 years ago: "What size shoe does Brynn where?"

Me: "......... uhm, I'm not sure, she's kind of in between sizes {lie}, why?"

Parent: "There's some really cute shoes out right now."

Me: "Okay, she really doesn't where shoes."

Don't worry... after the park experience and a morning nap we hit up Payless' BOGO 1/2 sale and Old Navy,  but no luck. I want to get her a pair of shoes she can where with alot of her fall/winter wardrobe. But seriously... shoes? In the Texas summer? What is the point.. she wasn't walking. But now that she is standing and taking steps, she definitely needs some shoes. She's my little Polock.... barefoot beauty.

Even though we didn't find any shoes to cover her piggies, we did indulge in a pair of skinnies for fall. There are so many cute fall clothes out! Clothing is just one of the things I LOVE about the fall.

Things i LOVE about Fall: 

windows open

cool breeze

cuddling

blankets

boots... Oh, the boots

honey crisp apples

pumpkins

snickerdoodles 

dark dark dark nail polish

cardigans

football 

soups 

Halloween 

the decorations 

jeggings 

hot chocolate

homecoming

the Texas mums

leaves changing 

acorns

long walks

yoga pants

sweatshirts

sleeping under the comforter

an extra blanket on top

fuzzy socks

long sleeves

piles of leaves

crockpot meals

pumpkin patch

baby's first Halloween

As you can see i LOVE LOVE LOVE the Fall! It is by far my favorite season. As the weather changes and we say good bye to the sticky summer and those pesky mosquitos I feel like I can really breathe. There is something about the fall air that makes me feel centered, relaxed, and ever so grateful. It's hard to explain. I mean, look at this Fall sunrise. Our God is amazing. 

This Fall bring baby's last FIRST holiday. Halloween is Brynn's first but the last holiday before her 1st birthday.... say what?!? That's crazy. This year has flown by and this makes this fall even more special for our family. Costume planning is in full swing. I am going to follow in my mom's footsteps with the homemade costumes. Starting the tradition now :) 

And you know I this mama has a secret board brimming with pins for little girls 1st birthday party. 

Happy Fall Y'all! :)