Crawling

She isn't quite there but she is getting so close.

And here is a picture of the new face she likes to make

Baby Food

This last month and a half she has eaten, peas, butternut squash, winter squash, avocado, carrots, sweet potato, banana, pear, apples, mango, blueberries, and apricots. She liked everything but the butternut squash; it didn't make her gag, but she was never very eager to have more. I think the blueberries made her butt a little red, so we are going to hold for a couple more months on all berries.

Last night, I spent two hours cooking baby food. It was actually a lot of fun and I think we should be good for then next two months. I decided to make her one orange vegetable combination and one green vegetable combination. For one dish, I sauteed a little onion in unsalted butter. Then I added carrots and leeks and sauteed those for a couple more minutes. Then I added potatoes and covered all of it with a cup of water. I ended up using yukon gold potatoes because that is what I had in my fridge. When the potatoes were fork tender I added a cup of corn. Cooked it through and then put it in my food processor. I blended it well, but really liked the texture a little coarser so she could get used to thicker textures in her mouth.

For my green veggies, I sauteed sweet potatoes with a little butter. Then I covered it with water and when they were fork tender I added cleaned baby spinach and peas. I tired both of these after they were blended and they were yummy!

For her fruit, I kept it simple this time. I peeled apples and boiled them until they were soft. I then chopped up a mango (no need to cook) and added that with the apples. For her other fruit dish I made it a little special. I boiled apples, pears, and dried apricots (without sulfur dioxide) with a little cinnamon and one sprig of vanilla bean ( I stole this recipe and combined it with another to make this combination). Kyle said it tasted like Christmas in a bowl.

I plan on mashing up bananas in the morning to go along with her apples and oatmeal. For dinner, I will also mash up avocado to go along side her other vegges. I like giving her the avocado, because of all the good fat that is in them. She could use some good fat!

This morning she seemed to really enjoy her breakfast and I am interested to see what she thinks of all the other combination's. She hasn't been a picker eater, but she isn't a very big eater (sometimes). I usually breastfeed first and sometimes she only eats a little bit after, but then other times she seems to eat a ton!

She is making these new face that I think are hilarious. She makes them when she is irritated and when she is laughing. As soon as I get in on tape I will post it.

Easter

I don't have time to write a blog, but wanted to post some videos from our festivities. I will have to write later.

Easter basket hunt! Playing in her saucer



Playing with Grandpa

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).

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.

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.

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.