Thursday, December 4, 2014

15 months

I am so far behind on the blog, it's beyond ridiculous. Having a toddler means you have no free time. You are always on the go, running after that tiny little human, and when you do have free time, you are cleaning up messes or sleeping. Some things never change!

Brooke started walking right after her first birthday, after cruising for weeks. She was also teething really bad as she got her 4 first set of molars. She was saying mama and dada, along with lots of gibberish. 

By 15 months, Brooke was completely off of baby food (although that was no easy task) and eating table food. She loves potatoes and fresh fruit, especially bananas. She stopped getting bottles before naps right at 15 months. She now uses a cup with a straw to drink whole milk with meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), however, she still gets her nighttime bottle. We brush her teeth after breakfast and just before bed every night. She loves the toothpaste; she tries to suck it off with her tongue as mommy or daddy brushes her tiny teeth. She still uses a wubbanub, but only during naps or at night. We will wait until she is done teething (her canines are currently coming in) to wean off of the pacifier. One thing at a time...

She has grown very attached to her bunny lovey that she sleeps with. It is a for sure sign that our little girl is sleepy when she grabs her wubbanub off the window ledge and gets her lovey from her crib. We are still taking two naps...most days. However, some days she just plays and talks to herself in the crib for one of them. I think she may almost be ready for just one long nap.

Here recently she has started saying "go go go" and "doh" (which we aren't quite sure if that is toy or dog), along with babbling all day long. She points to everything and nods her head yes and no. She is very smart when we ask her to do simple tasks, she responds immediately. As for talking, she is on her own schedule and when she is ready to say more words, we are certain she won't stop! In the meantime, we have cut out the television. Maybe once a week, she gets to watch 30 minutes of Baby First TV or a Disney movie (usually Frozen).

She LOVES dancing. She gets her right arm up and bent like a chicken wing and just flaps it away. She also does some moves with both arms up, similar to a dancing toy Santa. She bounces up and down as soon as she hears the phone ring or music on. Speaking of the phone, she loves the telephone. She loves talking to her family and seeing their picture when they're on speakerphone. She loves Daddy's old cellphone that she plays with, along with about 3 other toy phones she has. She knows the put it up to her ear and just mumbles away. Then she will hand it off so someone else can say "Hello. Okay. Goodbye."

She loves her foam playmat squares. She has been known to take the middle piece out and wear the square around her waist. It's the cutest thing ever! She also LOVES hide-and-seek. She will run and hide in the darkest, most quiet corner of the house (usually mommy's closet, the corner of the kitchen or her closet) and wait until we find her. "Where's Brooke? Where's Brooke? ...there she is!" She giggles and smiles the biggest grin when we discover her hiding spot. 

She realized she can pick up her chair (at my parents' house too), so she will do some rearranging and move her chair to a new place to sit in. She still loves her books, especially the lift-flap books. She knows that Spot isn't behind any of the objects until that last page, so she shakes her head no to each flap as you read.

When shes grabs something she isn't supposed to, like the remote or the motion-sensor plug-in lights, she brings them straight to mommy or daddy. We have put her in timeout, for one minute in her chair, only a couple of times, as she continued to do something over and over after being told no. She does really well when you redirect her attention, and is truly a good little girl. We are beyond blessed with this child and I just love watching her personality develop.

I hope to keep the blog more up to date, as she journeys through toddler-hood. It is never a dull moment keeping up with...

 
   

Girl loves her shoes!

   

   

15-month doctor visit:
33 inches, 26 pounds 12 ounces (98th percentile)
head circumference 18.7 inches
Playing in the waiting room,
just before trying to run away!

Sunday, November 30, 2014

November 2014

Brooke dancing to the TV
with her new shoes on (thanks Auntie!)

Sometimes you just need Mamaw and Grammy!

She kept this headband on for a
record of 4 minutes and 37 seconds!
B loves her rocking horse!

Going for a ride in her Minnie mobile!


Pa's 90th Birthday Celebration
at Texas Land & Catlle

Grammy & Grumpy took B on a fieldtrip,
and surprised Mommy & Daddy with this handmade plate!

Thanksgiving selfie!
Thanksgiving this year, Michael and I decided to spend quality time with one side of the family. We will alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, as long as both of our families are celebrating at the same time. It worked out well this year with Brooke's schedule, but of course it was hard not seeing everyone. She spent most of her time at Pam's house (Michael's aunt) outside exploring. Papaw followed her around, so she wouldn't stumble into the pool and she thought rustling in the leaves and playing with sticks was so much fun. Her 7-month old cousin Ellie was not there, she was visiting family in Canada, but she had fun playing with Travis, who is a few years older.

Looking forward to many more holidays with our little peanut...

Friday, October 31, 2014

October 2014

Carrie, Philip and Ellie joined us at Halter's Pumpkin Patch, just down the road from our house for some fun fall pictures. Neither one of the girls cared too much to be out there. It was past their nap time, but it had just stopped raining, so we took our chance. Oh...and just before leaving we tried for one more picture, when Ellie turned and smacked Brooke in the face. No one was hurt, but it made for a priceless photo and a memory for all of us!












  

 For Halloween, we decided to keep her costume simple this year. Mommy figured she had a lifetime of princesses in her future, so we found a ghost onesie on Etsy. Grammy made the tutu and of course, we had to get a new headband to make the outfit complete. Brooke went with mommy to work dressed up and played with her coworker little boy, who is just a month older. They had a blast and everyone enjoyed seeing how much they're grown. 


Daddy carved a pumpkin for us. He did a great job!



She also went to her first Halloween party with Grammy and Grumpy. On Halloween night, Grammy came over for pizza and we went up and down the street trick-or-treating. Brooke could care less about the candy, but she did try to go inside almost everyone's house. We kept her up late since it was Daylight Savings, but found out in the morning that it wouldn't make a difference. She actually work up even earlier than usual!




   

We also visited Gigi/Grandmere's gravesite. Brooke loves the trip out there. There is a bench and a lake with lots of room to run around.