Maternity pictures

We just got these pictures a couple of days ago and wanted to share a few of them.

2 months

Watching Brooke grow these past two months has been so much fun! I look at her now and I tear up (currently doing so as well) because she is growing fast. She is such a talker and a wiggler. I love laying her down and watching her kick like a crazy girl, jabber up a storm, and drool all over her hands as she puts them in her mouth while she is talking. She doesn't like to be held like a little baby unless it is bedtime. Her preferred mode of transportation is looking out and around. Her smile lights up the room and she turns to me when she hears my voice and smiles and squeals with delight. I love this stage, but I am already missing the true newborn stage. I asked Kyle the other day when we could have another, because Brooke is growing fast and I know that baby stage is almost done. For now I am trying to treasure every moment. She always sleeps about 45 minutes in her crib before she starts crying. I go and get her and she sleeps another 30 minutes in my arms. This week I have let her sleep in my arms for one of her naps. She sleeps so soundly that she went five hours between her feeding.
I love watching her sleep. I peek in on her all the time because she still looks like that little baby I brought home from the hospital 10 weeks ago. She is swaddled and all I see is her chubby cheeks and round face. When she sleeps she smiles, frowns, whimpers, and grunts- she is an active sleeper liker her daddy. She is still getting up for her early, early morning feeding (4am). Last week I thought I was doing something wrong because she hadn't slept through the night yet, but this week I am embracing those feedings because I know eventually she will no longer want them. Last weekend I had to work for a couple hours and then run some errands. Kyle stayed home with Brookelyn and fed her milk that I had lovingly pumped (me and the pump do not get a long). I was gone about five hours. When I got home and saw her smile I started to cry. It was the longest I had been a way form her and I missed her terribly. I didn't realize how much I missed her until I walked through the door and saw her face.Brookelyn is 11lbs. 2oz and 24in. long. The doctor said she is above average on her height and average on her weight. It seems she is going to be taller than me. This month Brooke has learned a lot about herself and her surroundings. I can't wait to see the new things she is going to learn next month.

Brookelyn is here!

Brookelyn was born on September 28, 2009 at 1:04pm. She was 8lbs. 6oz. and was 21.5in. long. She has such a cute, chubby face and the sweetest personality. She is not much different then she was in my belly; she wiggles and stretches all the time and gets the hiccups regularly. Kyle and I love to wake her up in the morning, take off her swaddle and watch her stretch and groan. It is the cutest thing.

It has been very interesting becoming a mother. I find myself praying that I stay calm and trust that God is taking care of her. I have stressed over her umbilical core, her breathing, the way she sounds when she is crying, her hiccups, her dry skin, and much more. I am constantly referring to our book to make sure everything is okay. Kyle and I are learning a lot about babies and he is doing a good job of researching and reassuring me that everything is okay.

She is really the best baby. I'm not saying that she doesn't have a fussy time (everyday around 7pm-11pm), during that time all she wants to do is eat. Other than that, Brookelyn would sleep through the night now if she could. I am constantly having to wake her up to eat and she is great about going down for her naps. I think she is blessing us with sleep after the ordeal she put us through at birth. She is trying to redeem herself for being so stubborn about coming out and meeting us.

Labor was gruesome and I am sad to say that I am that woman with the horror story. For that reason I will spare you the details. Brookelyn did not make it in time to meet Grandma and Poppa Ferguson and that made Kyle and I very sad. She also waited too long to come and missed meeting her cousins and aunites. She did however, meet Grandma and Grandpa Pendleton. It was so nice having my parents around the first two weeks after the baby was born. I ended up having a c-section and needed a lot of help while I was recovering from surgery and much more.
Kyle and I are very thankful for all the help, love and prayers that our friends and family supported us with.

41 weeks and still pregnant

Today is the 41st week of my pregnancy and Kyle and I are getting extremely antsy to meet our little Brookelyn. I have tried every natural remedy out there to get labor started and none of it has worked. Today, I drank 3 oz. of castor oil for breakfast and still not much is happening. I have had a few more contractions than normal, but nothing consistent. We shall wait and see. I did read that it could take some time for it to start labor, but maybe Brookelyn just wants to come when she is good and ready.

Kyle's parents have been in town for the past two weeks and are leaving this Thursday to go back to work. We will be extremely disappointed if she doesn't appear before that. I never would have thought that I would be waiting this long to meet my little girl. In the mean time, Kyle's parents have been doing a ton of work outside, creating a nice area for Kyle and I to start landscaping our yard. Because Brooke has decided to take her sweet time to join the family, we have had the opportunity to take the Ferguson's to the beach many times and go snorkeling. We have also been able to enjoy going to the movies and eating out.

Although I would rather have my little girl in my arms, I feel blessed to have the chance to spend more time with my in-laws and my husband. Please come soon Brookie.

Brooke's Baby Room

We had to move our office into the guest room to make room for our little girl. The room didn't originally have blinds, closet, or even a ceiling fan. We have spent the last 7 months getting ready for her and have a lot left to do to make it the perfect nursery.

Look how cute her name looks!

Finally a place to put all her new things.

This is my old dresser. We sanded it, put on a couple coats of paint, and replaced the knobs. It looks so cute!

If you look closely you can see the pencil outline of a tree painting that my friend is putting on the wall. These are all the gifts from my first baby shower. My school showered us with wonderful gifts.

Kyle putting together the closet.

Bernard

We purchased Bernard in February when he was 8 weeks old. He is now 7 months old and so cute! He is the best dog and I am excited for him to meet baby Brooke.

This picture is from his first night in his new home. We knew right then what a good dog he was going to be. He didn't whine the whole night and slept so nicely right above my head. He must have felt at home from the very start.

He has always been a cuddly, lazy, and loving dog.

He loves jumping in the bath and sneaking in the shower when we are not looking.

This is Bernard's second visit to the beach. He loves watching the other dogs play, jumping the waves, and rolling in the sand.Bernard is 6 months old in this picture. He just finished playing in the pool and was ready to layout with Berkley.

Kyle and I purchased our fixer upper in October 2008. It has been fun and exhausting fixing it up. We started with the kitchen and haven't had the money or the time to do much more. Here is the progression of the pictures. There is still a lot of little things left to do in the kitchen, but overall it is a big transformation.