29 Weeks - Christmas, Dinner, and More Walking

Doesn't that picture just say it all?  You are getting so independent and you just want to do so much!  Except for those times when you just want your mommy.  Yeah you are still in a bit of a clingy stage, but that is not what we are talking about this time.  What we are interested in today is the real Christmas.

So we left for your Grandma and Grandpa Compton's right after I got off of work on Thursday.  Not a whole lot happened that day.  But the next day we got to go over to Uncle Steve and Aunt Michelle's place for enchiladas.  And guess who was there?  Uncle Keith and Aunt Karine and Donovan and Lucie!

I, for one, was very glad to get to see them again since we hardly get to see them.  The next time we see them Lucie will probably be as tall as your mom and I.

Christmas Eve your Grandma Compton always likes to remind us of "the reason for the season."  Which I think all of her kids quietly complain about but I think all secretly appreciate.  OK, not so secretly.  Especially now that we are all older and most of us have kids of our own.  I mentioned it in the last Christmas post, but it can't be said enough, Christ is the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  Without Him there would be no reason for joy and giving.

So after Grandma Compton's program (where your mom and I read thoughts on Christ's birth in the guise of Mary and Joseph) Thomas, Courtney and Audrey along with all of their family came over for games.  Then it was off to bed to wait for Santa Claus and the presents!

Of course Christmas came.  You have been such a good girl, and a wonderful blessing in our lives.  We all got good gifts and had a wonderful breakfast.  Waffles!  A Christmas morning tradition for my family.  But no one really cares about the gifts you got.  Sure the stories of the games may be fun to recall.  But what does everyone want?  Cute pictures of Brooklynn!

Now what about the Christmas dinner?  Well we had a bit of a break through there.  I believe I have mentioned earlier that feeding you has been pretty difficult.  You try to feed yourself and just generally get in the way of the food finding its way to your mouth.  Well guess what that means?  You are more than ready to feed yourself.

Your mom got some roasted potatoes and broke them into really small pieces.  Put you in a high chair, the potatoes in front of you and this is the result:

We have never seen you sit so still and be happy for so long.  EVER!  We should have know you were just too advanced for spoon feeding.  And of course you just look so very, very cute sitting there eating your tiny potatoes.

The happiness has since been replicated at home in your high chair that your Grandma and P-Pa got you for Christmas.  So has the walking.  For now, photos of you and your new toy getting around.  Soon, video of some of the first steps.

28 Weeks - Free Standing, Walking, Falling

So what could possibly trump an early Christmas for the weekly blog post?  How about free standing and taking steps?  Yeah that would about do it.  And you did it.  That is right little girl.  The day before you turned 28 weeks old you were standing on your own (for about 5 seconds, or more) and you tried to walk on your own and didn't exactly fail (one or two steps)!

Now the standing thing I hadn't really seen much of before.  You are always so busy looking around that you never have stood on your own.  You lose your balance so fast because your head is turning the rest of your body around looking everywhere you can.  So I certainly hadn't expected steps.  Here's the whole story:

You were standing in the living room at P-Pa's house holding onto your Aunt Ali's leg.  Then you just let go and stood there.  Of course when we all started shouting about it you looked around and fell down onto your bum.  Then you repeated this trick while holding onto your Grandma Perkins' leg.  This time instead of just standing there you decided that you wanted to get going.  So you did!  Of course this caused quite the uproar.  Your Aunt Ali and Grandma started yelling "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" over and over again.  Your mom and I had no idea what was really going on until we finally looked over just in time to see you, one baby step away from your Grandma's leg.  Cra-zy!  You did decide to do this again while holding onto Grandma's leg in the kitchen, too.  This instance your mom was able to get a better view of.

So that is the big story for this week.  Unfortunately I have no photo or video proof of the standing, walking, falling at this point in your development. You will just have to trust me.  A rather rare thing in this age of proof and documentation.  But it is true!

"But what about the picture on top?  That has nothing to do with being at Grandma and P-Pa's house!"  You are so observant!  Like your mother.  That was from the day of your turning 28 weeks old (probably one of several reasons why we didn't get a 28 week picture).  We went to go see the lights at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens.  And they were lovely.  Not "Christmasy" per se, but very lovely.  No more words.  Just enjoy the show.

Christmas and Raspberries

I was going to post these two items with your 28 week post, but events have occurred that make these seem paltry.  So here goes.

I forgot to mention in the last post catch up that you have started blowing raspberries all the time.  ALL the time. You give them to your mom, you give them to me, you give them to yourself in the mirror, you give them to any of your toys, blankets and just about anything that gets close enough to your face.  These are sometimes innocuous but other times very wet and unpleasant.  Mostly they are funny.  It is very entertaining for me to watch you crawl to the fridge at your Grandma and P-Pa's house and then see you stand yourself up and give the fridge a big, long, wet raspberry.  Your Aunt Charlotte held you up to the window and when you saw your reflection you gave it a raspberry as well.  When you were pulled away from the window several long drips of slobber could be seen on the glass.

And why were we at your Grandma and P-Pa's house?  This was not just some ordinary visit.  This was part two of the three phases of Christmas.  By now (as you are reading this) you have probably gotten quite used to the three Christmas parties we frequent.  One for your mom's parents, one for mine and one for my dad's side of the family.  So let's back up and review the first parts of Christmas.

It all started Thursday when your Aunt Ali flew in from Utah.  Unfortunately Ali and Kyle could not afford to fly both of them up, so Ali came up on her own.  It was awesome to have her up for the Christmas.  The first thing she did was visit us at our new place etc.  But that night your Aunts Ali and Charlotte along with Grandma Perkins and your mom and I all went to see A Christmas Carol in a theater in down town Seattle.  Even better it was a theater "in the round," which means the seats go all around the theater, not just in front.  But the best was we got in for free by being volunteer ushers.  And the show was great!  Obviously you could not attend with us so you were left in the care of some friends of your grandparents while your P-Pa finished up some duties as bishop.  Once he came back you stayed with him and he got to be in charge.  Mostly because your mom and Grandma weren't there to tell him what to do.  So he took care of you and you were good for the most part, from what we are told.  You cried a little then went to sleep for a couple hours until we got back.

Next up on the Christmas even list was the party at Uncle Rich's and Aunt Connie's.

This was a big deal because Keith and Karine flew back from Kentucky with Donovan and Lucy.  Your mom and I hadn't seen them since we got married and you hadn't met them ever!  So it was great to visit them and play around some.  Lucy was excited to meet you and got to hold you some.  Including during a cousins photo!

Now I know this isn't what Christmas is about, but you cleaned up on presents.  Meaning you got some good stuff from your very kind and generous relatives.  We thanked them for you so don't worry about retroactively thanking them or anything.  You got some good bath time toys, which is great because (as you may have read) you love the bath at this age. You also got an electronic book-like toy.  It is educational.  Which you will probably learn to resent at some age because are supposed to be fun not educational.  But your mom and I love it and we think you will too.

You also got some good gifts at Christmas part two at Grandma and P-Pa's place.  Your Great Grandma Perkins sent you some toys and clothes and a book (according to your aunts she went a little overboard).  Your Grandma and P-Pa got you a toy you can walk behind, a high chair and a set of stackable rings.  Your Aunt Ali also got you some stackable rings.  Aunt Charlotte also got you some clothes.

There will be more news from Sunday on the 28 week post.

27 Weeks - 6 Months & Catch Up

What to say about this last week... It has been busy!  Unpacking and unpacking and more unpacking.  You have started to explore your new surroundings, most especially the kitchen.  I don't know if that is specifically because that is where your mom spends a lot of time, but you sure do love to crawl in there and grab onto someone's pant legs and stand up.  But of course there is so much other space to explore.

You had your 6 month check up.  Stats are still about the same percentage wise as they have been.  Weight was 15 pounds 4 ounces, 45th percentile.  Height was 26 7/8ths inches, 95th percentile.  Head circumference was 16 1/4 inches, 20th percentile.  Weight is still dropping a little bit percentage wise.  But nothing to be concerned about.  The doctor says you are a healthy little girl.  And she is as impressed as everyone else with your mobility.

Speaking of being healthy and happy, I should probably mention your ear infection.  Double ear infection to be precise.  It happened the week before we moved and you were still recovering from it after we moved.  It started with a cold, or what we assumed was a cold because your mom has been told that teething has the same signs as a cold so we thought it may also have just been teething.  But it wasn't teething.  It was a cold.  How do we know?  Well one morning after you were getting over the cold you decided to throw up.  Now there is a fine line between baby spit up and puke.  You definitely puked.  You puked all over.  And since your mom had been taking you into our bed during the night to help you sleep (and because she liked it), that all over was all over our bed.

No biggy.  We can wash the bed spread and sheets etc.  Maybe you gagged yourself as you do on occasion (ie - ALL the TIME).  So we kinda wrote it off.  Next day, the very next morning.  You did it AGAIN!  All over the bed!  This cause us a little alarm so your mom contacted the doctor's office, scheduled an appointment and got you diagnosed as having an ear infection.  A double ear infection.  So we got you some medicine to help out.  As a note, the meds also made you puke on occasion.  For more info on how often "on occasion" is see your mom.

I should also mention that your mom has started to let you cry during the night rather than getting you out of the crib and feeding/soothing you.  Not every time.  But at least once.  She would know more about how she handles it since I sleep like a baby.  Except you are a baby and you don't really sleep so I actually sleep better than that.  I sleep like a coma patient.  And like a coma patient your mom has a hard time waking me up.

It is actually quite the development because, as I noted above, your mom likes having you in bed with us.  I don't mind it but, also as noted above, I sleep through all the fun.  It is also a big deal because we are working on getting you onto a better sleep schedule and hopefully a better eating schedule.  While nutritionists will say eating every two hours is good, your mom would tell you that eating every two hours is annoying and a big hassle.  You should be eating way less frequently than that.  So the crying yourself to sleep during the night is a big deal.

It started with about 30 minutes worth at 4am.  It has gradually decreased every time you have woken up and cried.  Hopefully you will soon stop waking up during the night and will resume your awesome sleeping habits of 3 months ago.  Those were good times...

I can't think of any other new developments to post this week, so prepare yourself for the pre-Christmas posts in the weeks to come!

26 Weeks - Moving!

You have only ever know one place to call home.  Your mom and I have had quite a few more.  Your mom moved several times before she even came to Washington.  We both have lived in three different states (one was during the mission if you want to count that).  But for you, our condo in Kent was it.  Not any more!

We were getting rather crowded in that one bedroom place.  You needed a room to yourself and a place for all your stuff.  So after a long search we were fortunate enough to find a place just about as great as where we are leaving.  Let me make some comparisons between the two.

They are both condos, not apartments.  The later is more of a duplex, but there are six units so it is a six-plex.  The place we left was a true condo.

They both are a great price.  When we originally looked for apartments before we got married we were ready to pull our hair out.  A buyers market had ruined the renting market and what we like was too expensive, what we could afford we didn't like.  Then we found the condo.  Almost the same story this time except it was more of a renter's market, but good places were still out of our price range.  There is another great story to go along with finding the new place, but that is a whole different matter.

They both have fantastic landlords.  Our old place had what might had been the greatest land lord in the world.  He was a contractor so he was able to fix anything that broke quickly (not that much did).  He lowered the rent after being there a year.  He gave us all of our deposit back (minus cleaning fees).  And the new place has a land lord that could rival him.  She is already proving to be nice and fair.  I doubt she will prove to be as handy herself, but I'm sure she will be reliable and take good care of us.

The downside to the new place?  No garage and farther from your grandparents.  The lack of garage has caused some storage concerns, but nothing we can't overcome.  And the extra 10 minutes to Grandma and P-Pa's house is hardly a complaint.

S what does this have to do with you?  Well, let's start with the move itself.  You behaved wonderfully (excluding when you and your mom were alone packing).  You weren't clingy or a momma's girl.  You let everyone play with you and stayed out of the way.  When we were cleaning the old place there was actually a funny moment when you were chasing your Grandpa Compton around while he was vacuuming.  So cute.  More importantly, now you have your own room.  All of your stuff is not in the living room.  It can be stored away in your room... or left in the much larger new living room.  You have a crib to sleep in.  Provided you do sleep and you let us put you in it.

All in all it is pretty exciting and hopefully we are there for a few very good years.

25 Weeks - Stand up for yourself!

Note:  As a result of moving there will be a lot of vague posts posted at a close interval.  I do apologize for this as I probably could have drafted a lot of these as time went on, but the demands of packing and losing internet connectivity after the move kind of slowed me down.  Excuses aside, let's begin.

Almost immediately after you started to crawl you wanted to start walking.  This is a long process.  You will not be able to walk that fast.  But you did start the process by pulling yourself up and standing.  It has actually been pretty entertaining to watch the evolution of your pulling up.  You started by crawling up to low shelved objects or things you could grip.  This eventually progressed up to taller and taller objects that you could reach.  Starting with the lower objects, once you got hold of it you began to pull yourself up into a standing position.  Obviously since you are so tall this would only equal a hunch.  But as the objects that you climbed got bigger you were able to stand more upright.  Once upright your face beamed and you looked like you thought you could take on the world!  And sometimes you did.  Frequently you would leave the safety of what you were holding and set off like you had been walking forever.  This always resulted in a comical plop on the floor.  As time wore on you learned to walk along the edges of the couch, chairs, or whatever you could grip in your paws.

You consistently impress everyone with how fast you are progressing in your mobility.  And you impress your parents with your smarts fairly often as well.  I can't think of any examples but your mom and I have often started commenting on how clever you are in figuring things out or how great it is that you remembered things.

I am already so proud of you and you aren't even 6 months old yet.  I don't care if you keep up this ridiculous pace of progression or not.  I will be proud of you so long as you do your best.  Much like your Father in Heaven all I ask is that you try, have a positive attitude, do your best and return my love.  You could have no worldly success to speak of but as long as I know you are giving it your all I will be proud of you.  I could go on at length about my unconditional love for you even if you aren't trying your best, but that is a discussion for face to face.  Suffice it to say, I love you, I am proud of you and keep up the good work!

24 Weeks and Crawling

As promised, below is the video of the initial attempts to crawl.

Other things I may have failed to mention that are worth noting - You spit when you are happy.  You also spit when you are upset.  So between the two there is a lot of spitting.

You have also been a bit of a stinker when it comes to your sleeping and eating habits.  You will eat half as long as you are supposed to then want to eat about two hours later rather than three or more.  You will sleep for a few hours and then wake up.  What happened to almost sleeping through the night?  I think I may have mentioned that one of my co-workers said that rice cereal was the beginning of his daughters sleeping through the night.  Well that didn't happen and your mom took a hiatus from it while we were all sick, so here's hoping that once we start up again it will help improve your sleeping (and maybe even your eating) habits.

I think that is all (and enough) for this post.

Crawling!!

This definitely calls for a special post!  You crawled today (Sunday November 21st).  Up until now there were a bunch of un-coordinated movements that resembled what, properly orchestrated, could be considered crawling.  You have been on your hands and knees for a while.  You have moved your legs forward.  You have moved your hands forward a little, but that is the hardest and final part for you.  In recent days you have done all the movements just at the wrong times.

Then came today!

You can't really see everything in still photos.  Which is why we have video.  But that video needs to be trimmed a bit to weed out the parts of just fussing and show only the sweet, sweet crawling!

I think that video will be posted for your weekly post "tomorrow."  (I say tomorrow but you will notice that last weeks post got posted one day before the next week started.)

23 Weeks - Smiles for the Daddy

You are now 23 weeks old.  What is there to talk about?

Sure we spent some time with family this last weekend.  You had cousins/second-cousins in from the nether parts of the country (Ohio and Florida).  Sure you are so very, very close to crawling.  But these are all things you have heard before on the blog and nothing really new.  Well maybe the cousins from Ohio and Florida aren't old news, but visiting family is nothing new.

What I felt most important to me this week is your smile.  Not that you smile in general.  No, you smile at me when I say your name.  You smile so big you lose your balance when I come home from work.  And there really is no better joy/reward than seeing you so happy to see me you smile and lose all control.

2 years, but not your 2 years

I know this blog is about you, but this post is somewhat of an exception.  Monday was a big deal.  Not because you turned 23 weeks.  Although we (your mother and I) do love to see you grow and love the addition you have been to our lives, the 15^th just happens to mark our two year anniversary.

It has been a great two years filled with lots of adventures, challenges and a variety of other new things.  When I took your mom out to dinner that night (you spent the evening with your Grandma an P-Pa) we discussed the last year and the year to come.  We both agreed that you have made a tremendous impact on our lives and have brought so much joy.  Not only because you are here, but because you bring out so many different aspects in your parents.  You bring out my nurturing side and your mom’s discipline, for example.

We both look forward to watching you grow as well as how we will continue to change in the coming years.  So here’s to two wonderful years so far, filled with lots of love for each other and now for you.

22 Weeks - Family Photo Shoot

You can't really tell unless you look for it, but the sign does say 22 Weeks 11/8/10.  The marker is running low on ink and your mom and I need to replace it.  It is also worth noting that you can't take a picture next to something without trying to grab it and put it in your mouth.

So this week we had a family photo shoot.  Your mom decided it would be a good idea to have coordinated family photos with the pretty fall colors.  I of course agreed.  The great news is that these photos can be used for Christmas cards as well as hanging on the wall.  We hired a great photographer - your P-Pa!  He has had some practice taking your Aunt Ali and Uncle Kyle's engagement photos so we trusted him.  Not that we trust him just on the results of those photos, but we sure do trust his photography skills based on those results.

We started out at a park just up the hill from our house called Glen Nelson park.  Your mom had done some running around there with her friend Maria Haynie and Credence before they left to Utah.  It was raining a bit which wasn't the real problem.  The problem was the large drops of water coming down off of the trees and the remaining leaves.

Several things you can tell from this photo - First, that the light shade of brown your mom chose to wear did not work out well for the drops of rain.  Second, that unless you have the right umbrella, umbrellas do not look so good in pictures/portraits.  Third, and finally, you can tell that you just have to be holding anything near you.  I mean just look at you holding that umbrella as though you were the one shielding us from the rain.

We took several different groupings in several different places, each with their own set of pros and cons.

Eventually we decided to move on to another park, Lake Fennewick Park.  We drive by it every Sunday on the way to church and all year long except for the dead of winter I think the drive is just gorgeous.  The overhanging branches provide shade and greenery in the summer and there are enough deciduous trees to have some bright color changes in the fall and early winter.

The short version of the rest of this story is we should have started there.  Well, at least we like the pictures best there.  You cooperated the most there and the background was the best there.

One little happy family!