Just like her Mama!

Today Brooke discovered the love of reading! We usually read her Goodnight Moon before bed time, but today she wanted to hold her own book. I have tons of board books but this particular one I bought at BRU this weekend because when I took it off the shelf, her eyes lit up. Well, I was getting socks out of her suitcase and found it, so I let her hold it while I kept sifting through clothes. She loved looking at all the pictures and even turned the page once or twice, even though it wasn't on purpose. Reading is my favorite hobby and I hope to pass it on to Brooke, just as my mom passed it on to me.

Philly

Friday afternoon, around 4pm, we jumped in the car and started the 12 hour trek to the east coast. We strategically planned our departure so that Brooke would get maximum sleep time during our travels. Out of the 11 hours it too us to get to my parents home, Brooke sleep a little over 9 of them. I call that a success. Our trip back tomorrow should be interesting as we are leaving when we wake up in the morning.

Saturday we went out to lunch, spent 2.5 hours in BRU, walked the mall, and grabbed dinner on the way home. Let me back up to 2.5 hours in BRU. I will not be able to make it out for my brother and SILs baby shower in May so I wanted to buy their gifts and leave them with my mom. First it took us forever to find gifts, and second, it was just too much fun looking at everything. Brooke ended up aquiring a dress with matching shoes and socks, a book, and a Phillies onesie. Thankfully, there is a Best Buy right next door (think that was planned long ago?) so that is where my dad and Dustin spent their time.

Today we sadly were not able to make it to my home church. Dustin and I were still recovering from arriving at my parents house at 3am the night before, and to top it off, Brooke was up 6-7 times throwing fits. She was up to for good at 8am so Dustin and I handed her off to my mom and slept for another 2.5 hours. We then got ready for my brother's wedding reception. He was married in the Bahamas over Christmas so they had a party here for friends and family. It was nice because my one set of grandparents and one of my aunts had yet to meet Brooke! She did pretty well, finding a lot of time to nap on people's shoulders. She did get somewhat overwhelmed and clung to me a bit, but other than that, it was fun! It was at an Italian restuarant and we were spoiled with a big feast.

Sorry for the novel, here are some pictures.

Our little family!

Papa and Nonna (my parents)

Brooke

Miss. Mischeveous!

The day Brooke turned 5 months old, she became a different baby! I am still getting used to her new curiosities and moods, and today I was caught off guard. First, she kept trying to take a graham cracker out of my hand so I let her hold it. She had a paci in her mouth and, well, no harm done right? WRONG. I looked away for a minute and when I looked back the paci was out and she was biting off pieces, happily gumming them and swallowing. Thankfully, no choking was involved, but she was so pleased with herself. I know what snack she is going to love when it is age appropriate! It doesn't end there. I laid her on her playmat and a couple minutes later, I heard her talking near the feet of my chair. She had rolled across the room, grabbed a piece of paper, rolled onto her back, and was sucking on it.

Lesson learned: I need to keep on my toes around this little girl!

Prayer Request

Please take a moment to visit this blog and pray for this family. I read a few blogs dedicated to sick children that are thriving through God's miraculous healing. This little boy, Stellan, almost died in the womb and even though doctors said he would never live, he has! Our God is good and He has a special purpose and plan for this little boy.

Chic Bowtique!

Click Here
(the picture should redirect as well!)

My friend and I recently launched our Etsy website for baby hair bows. We are targeting infants and toddlers, so if you have a baby girl or know someone who does, take a look! We have had a lot of fun making these bows each week and it has been a great opportunity for me to draw closer to a great friend. We update weekly so check back every now and then to see what's new!

5 Months

WOW. Where has the time gone!?! Our precious baby girl is 5 months old today. Even though she is still under 13 pounds (our little peanut) she is definitely full speed ahead on her motor skills. She can sit up for a minute or so unassisted, but we always sit with her because it isn't long before she topples. She also tripods a lot, and that helps her stay up for long periods of times. She loves to babble at us and kick her legs like crazy. She even rolls across the room at times, which makes us realize how scary a true mobile baby will be!

I don't think the paper thing is going to work anymore!

Such a big girl!

Jeremiah 29:11

This has always been my favorite verse, and I have definitely found myself going back to it over and over again lately. Dustin and I have been searching for a home to buy since the beginning of January. 2 weeks ago we stepped into one we immediately fell in love with and after sleeping on it awhile, we started the bidding war! Well, Thursday we put in what we thought was our final offer -- and it was very reasonable -- and found out they accepted a different offer. We were, and still are, very disappointed and find ourselves back at square one. Through this whole process I have been asking God to guide us to the home/area He has planned for us and to close the door when needed. This was obviously a closed door, so now I just must accept. I know that the perfect house for US is out there somewhere and hopefully we find it soon!

Duck tubs and more!

For Brooke's bathes, we have been using an old fisher price bath tub found at a garage sale. It has been loyal and served us well, bringing fun to each and every bath time. Now that Brooke can sit up by herself if something is there for support, we decided to bring out the duck tub. Who doesn't love a tub that quacks? What is the duck tub you may ask?

The HOT at the bottom tells you if the water is too warm. I decided it was wrong.

You can run to your local Target and get your own today!

And here are some more pictures for your viewing pleasure....

What's that?

What is that sharp little white thing sticking out of my baby's gum!? Oh....

Brooke got her first tooth Wednesday! Tuesday night we were at the grocery store and she was chomping on everything she could grab. When I checked her gums they looks gray and swollen so I knew it was a matter of time! Sure enough, the next morning she woke up with a tooth and it is pushing out further and further each day. I have a feeling the one next to it is coming soon as well, so I will post pictures whenever I am able to get one.

Working on sitting...

Brooke has been working on sitting for awhile now. It started with sit-ups and now she can sit up if the boppy is behind her. If she leans too far forward she is done for! She probably will not be able to sit on her own for another month or so, but it is nice to have her play on her own supervised by the boppy!

Sleep update: Last night she slept for 6 hours, then two 3 hour stretches. This is the first time she has done that in a long time. I have a pretty bad cold and getting over it with little sleep has been hard, so hopefully she sleeps well tonight! She went down at 9:30pm -- our little night owl -- and has woken up twice but Dustin has been able to shush her to sleep. I hope this doesn't set the tone for the night.

Bows!

Look what I made! A month or so after Brooke was born I connected with a mom with a daughter 2 and 1/2 months older than B. We have been getting together twice a week to craft and have started making no-slip bows for little girls. We are working on setting up an Etsy site so look for that in the near future!

How sweet is she?

First Solids!

Slap me on the wrist! Our Pedi told me at our last appointment that I could wait til 6 months to start solids since everything is on track with Brooke's growth. Well, after a week straight of extra hunger at night, I decided to start cereal last night. Also, I could tell she was ready for something more so I made a personal decision... now all I have to do is face my Pedi in 11 days! Back on topic, Brooke LOVED rice cereal. I was expecting her to spit it all over the place and give me some "that stuff is gross" facial expressions, but instead she kicked her feet and opened her mouth for more! If anything, she was really confused. I gave her a little less than the recommended serving because I was so nervous she would throw is up with her reflux, but she kept it down all night! Tonight we had round two and it went just as well, except she has a bit of a cold and kept sneezing the cereal all over the place!