Tuesday, March 30, 2010

6 months old


Our happy little girl!

Getting closer to crawling!

It is 6:30am here this fine Tuesday morning and Brookelyn is still asleep, but me, oh no I am wide awake. Don't ask how because it isn't because I got a lot of sleep last night. In fact, I think I got a total of 4 hours. I stayed up and watched a movie with Keri Mathews and just as I was going to bed she woke up. I fed her and she went right back to sleep. Then, she woke up at 1:30 and I brought her into bed with me to nurse and after I switched sides I fell asleep. I woke up once and thought about putting her down in her crib, but was too tired to get up and put her in her bed. I woke back up at 5am and decided I would sleep better if she was in her bed. I put her in her bed and ten minutes later she woke up. We let her cry a bit and try to console her, but in the end we put her in our bed. She played with my face for a bit and then started crying. I then nursed her back to sleep. I moved her in between Kyle and I and attempted to go back to sleep. As I was drifting, a tickle in my throat occurred and I quickly and quietly slipped out and coughed up a cat in the other bathroom. Now I am sitting on my couch and I am wide awake.

On to better and more interesting topics...

Brookelyn had her 6 month check up. She is doing great and is a very healthy girl. I was a little worried about the lack of weight she has gained in the last two months, but because she isn't a sickly looking or acting child the doctor was not concerned. She just processes food extremely fast and because she is so active burns a lot of her fat. In the last two months she has only gained 8 oz, making her 13.8 oz. She is 26in long with a head diameter of 16in. After our doctors appointment I got the go ahead to start feeding her more and after the lack of weight gain I plan on stuffing her face (obviously not really). I realize that as much as I am tired of these night feeding I think she still really needs them and that is probably why she still wakes up as often as she does. Can you imagine how little she might be if I wasn't feeding her at night? I feel that as soon as she puts on a little more weight she will sleep much better at night. When you look at her pictures she has fat in all the right places; in her legs and in those cute kissable cheeks. I feel so blessed to have a doctor who doesn't worry about the small stuff and understands that every child grows at different rates. More than likely she will always be the child who is in the lower percentile.
This morning for breakfast Brookelyn is going to have pears and rice cereal. Lunch and dinner will consist of pears, carrots, and rice cereal. Tomorrow, Brooke is going to try butternut squash that I baked in the oven and then purred.These last two months have been a blast. I loved watching Brookelyn's personality unfold and watching her become a stronger and more independent baby. Nap times have become much easier and bed time is always a special time in our house. I really wish this stage could last forever; no crawling, lots of cuddles, independent play, laughing, etc. but I know the next stage will also hold just as many special moments. I am not looking forward to crawling in my house, Bernard's shedding is excessive and it is impossible to keep my floors clean, but I will find a way to make it work (as Tim Gunn says).

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Celebrating Brookely's 6 month birthday!

Kyle was traveling up to LA county for a college fair and afterwords we took Brooke to Disneyland. She was so much fun here is a cute video from the trip.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

We will miss you!




Grandad Ferguson was an inspiration to his family, friends, and congregation. I feel blessed to know him and be apart of his life for seven years (wow!). I will always remember his BIG smile and Kyle and him talking about Jesus, whether it was over the phone or in person. Grandad was always living a holy life sharing Jesus with his children, grandchildren, friends, and being a pastor. He walked by faith in all parts of his life and I pray that God will give me the same fervent passion and faith everyday that I am able to walk with him on earth. We will all miss you, especially Brooke! These are all the videos I have with them and Brooke.


Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Breaking the swaddle habit

Learning how to sleep without her swaddle has been a learning curve for us both. She doesn't know what to do with her hands and because she is such a wiggler it does take more time to fall asleep. I have to help her a lot more, but I find it all so sweet. I sent a couple family members this video, but I then I thought it would be easier to share it with everyone this way. You will see in the video that I have to hold her hands to help her fall asleep and get them in a comfortable position for her. She is such a sweetie! Since this video I have decided to only swaddle one arm at a time and it seems to be working. She is not having the same problem with falling asleep, like she use to. In a couple days we are going to be moving the cradle into her room and then moving her into her bed. I am VERY sad about this, but she is out growing her cradle and I want to start this change before she gets too much older. I am excited about Kyle and I having our pillow talk time back, but I am not looking forward to getting up out of bed to feed her during the night.

Bernard

Opening his Christmas gift

We have had Bernard a year now and he is so much fun! Brooke loves him; sometimes he is the only thing that can make her laugh uncontrollably. He has learned that my day's consist of caring for Brooke, cooking, school, and cleaning. Most of the time you can find him asleep on the couch, resting his head on a pile of pillows.
There are times that he does require much attention and isn't afraid to tell you, literally. He will bark in my face or start attacking me with so much rubbing and kisses it is hard not to fall over. He started a habit of barking when he wanted to go outside, which happened way too often. Kyle bought him a doggie door and he seems to enjoy it. We are hoping that in the next couple of years we can let him stay in the house by himself and use the door when he wants to go outside. He isn't quite ready for it, as he still likes to grab things he shouldn't just to get attention.Sometimes Bernard is afraid to come in through the doggie door because his nails are a little long and when it rains his paws get wet. All of this contributes to major slipping and sliding and it scares him so much. It took him a couple days to come back in through the door after a traumatic run in with the wall.
He has been a lot of fun and I am glad to have him around during the day. He loves us so much and we love to cuddle with him every morning and night.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Sleeping without a swaddle

Last night, Brooke rolled on to her belly with her swaddle three times. Each time she woke up crying, because it scared her and woke her up. We knew she was getting close to doing this and had done everything to keep her on her back; we laid her against the bumper with a pillow wedged next to her to keep her from rolling. But even with all our efforts she rolled over anyways. This morning I put her down for her nap without a swaddle. It was hard for her at first to get comfortable, but after twenty minuted and a couple of positions, she was asleep on her belly. Her nap didn't last as long as they normally do, but I think with more practice she will start sleeping an hour and a half again. I am praying that the rest of her naps today will be as easy as this one. Twenty minutes of a little fussy and some crying is nothing.