Brooklyn // 7 months

Time.stop.it.now.

7 months?!

I mean that is PRACTICALLY a year old. At least closer to a year than newborn. HOLD ME!!

What a fun, crazy, month it has been!

Weight:  16 lbs 13 oz

Length: Tall enough to not need a pillow under her bouncer ;)

Hair: Her brown locks are getting thicker!

Eyes: The prettiest blue eyes I ever did see. 

Clothes: 6-9 month, an occasional 9 month, and a few 6 month that still work. 

Diapers: Size 3

Nicknames: B, Brook-trout, Baby B, pretty girl, baby girl, monkey girl (she seriously acts like one - lol), smiley-girl, …..not very exciting nickname, sorry Brooklyn!

Sleeping: Can I just laugh at this one? My 9+ hour sleep is long gone. Where oh where has she gone?

Likes: piper, jumperoo, excersaucer, eating everything, standing up, ribbons, Sophie the Giraffe, music, jumping, crawling to get what she wants, eating eating and more eating, playing with Piper, being outside, anything we have, iPhone, when people talk or sing to her, going on walks, books, baths, and a million other things I probably forget that I will add on to later ;)

Dislikes: when mom leaves the room (she freaks), doing anything for a long period of time, when she is tired or hungry…the obvious, when Piper doesn't share..haha!, laying down, getting those boogies out, strangers. Overall, she really is a very happy baby!!

Eating: She eats BM every 3ish hours, but can go longer. I try to keep it around there though! She eats solids right now a couple of times a day and we are being super casual and relaxed about it. Just giving her things here and there and letting her explore food. She LOVES food. All good, any food…LOVES it. It's so so fun.

Milestones: said MAMA (holla!), says babababa, and has said dada once or twice, CRAWLING (oh my word…busy to a whole new level, standing up, looking in and under things, more food choices, throws things for Piper, "gets" things more

Events: Another big month for B! Let's see in April we….went back home for a funeral, traveled to North Dakota, celebrated 7 month mark, and I'm sure I'll add to this once my brain comes back to me :)

Sweet girl,

What another fun month with you baby girl! You are so darn fun I can hardly stand it. You are also getting VERY busy and wearing your momma out ;) Your personality just keeps getting more apparent and I love it. You are definitely going to be a little firecracker, lol. You LOVE life and just are content doing just about anything…as long as momma doesn't leave the room. Then…all bets are out the window! It's so nice to finally be able to be outdoors more because you sure love it out there. Lots of grilling time to come in your future. Your daddy loves his little grilling buddy! So much fun to be had and I cannot imagine a day before you were born. You are truly the light of my life and make each day a special one. Thank you for allowing me to be your momma, it is the best job I've ever had. 

Love you always and forever and ever,
Momma

Brooklyn - Four Months

Brooklyn - Four Months
It can't be….

Weight: 12 lbs 12 ounces
Height: Not sure on this one. We go back next week!
Nicknames: Baby B, Sweet girl, sassy pants, B, Baby Girl, stinky (still-haha)
Eating: She usually eats every 2.5-3 hours and is at least eating 6 ounces when we de-thaw milk in a bottle. Otherwise I have no idea how much she eats. haha. Praise the LORD we are finally weaning off of the shield. THANK YOU. It has been a little transition for both of us, but we are getting there. Moral of the story: Sista likes her FOOD. She is definitely her father's child.
Sleeping: Still stinks at naps, but she does sleep all night. I am forever and ever thankful for that. Please baby don't change that. I may or may not cry! She usually sleeps anywhere from 8:30-10 to 6 ish. Sometimes she gets all fired up and wakes up at 5:30. I can definitely tell an early bedtime is better for her because if not she is annnnngry at night. Like whoa. So I've been trying to stick with bedtime around 8:30 or 9 if possible. She still only naps on me, which isn't ideal but I do love her cuddles. Hopefully she learns to love her crib in the very near future. 

Diapers: Just switched her to size 2. 
Clothing: She wears 3-6 month clothing and has fit into a few 6 month shirts. After having a really frustrating appointment about her weight, I'm so thankful to see physically that she is growing. Grow baby grow….but not too fast :)
Social: This one gets so much more fun every month. She has changed SO much in this department. She is rolling over, giggling, talking up a storm, grabbing things and putting them into her mouth, getting really strong in her upper body, eating everything she sees, and gosh so much! She loves when anyone reads, talks, or sings to her. Loves it. It's so funny when I play country music and sing to her, she smiles from ear to ear. She also loves looking at herself in the mirror, she sure thinks she is pretty cute. I have to agree. She has just recently discovered her feet…and eating them. Mmm mmm, tasty. She always wants them up by her face though. They are her new bff. She has just started sitting in the bumbo, which she is still pretty wobbly in. I put the tray on it but don't really like how she leans all over so I don't let her stay in it long. Same with the exersaucer. She does love it for the time she is in it thought. Lastly, she likes being outdoors and will stop crying the second I go out there with her. If only it was nice enough to go on more walks! Thankful for the few days lately we were able to. I'm sure there is a million things I could say  but I'll stop :) She is just too flipping fun.

Dr. Apts: We just recently went to the doctor because she has been spitting up an abnormal amount and had a low grade fever. Come to find out she may be allergic to dairy and/or other things so we are trying to get that figured out because it is affecting her weight. I was a mess after finding all of that out but am going to try eliminating all things dairy and see how that works. Everything else seems to look good, which I am thankful for. Let's fatten you up child!

Likes: She likes eating (duh) sucking her hands, eating her feet, her play mat, being read/talked/sang to, Sophie, anything that makes noise or music, grandpa's motorboat noises, holding on to things, grabbing for her toys, kicking her little feet, sitting up (assisted), TV (somehow she always finds it), taking her binky out, baths, and I will stop there.
Dislikes: Being overtired or hungry, her car seat right after she eats, being in something for too long
Mama: I seriously just fall in love with that child every second of every day. Well, most seconds. :) She is just everything I hoped for and more. She is my little sidekick and I'm so thankful for her. I say it all the time, but it's seriously true. I cannot believe that I get to be her mom. Her mom needs to start working out though. That is a fact. I feel like I can but gosh I am TERRIFIED of losing my milk supply. Terrified. Maybe I'll be able to figure it all out. 

Daddy: Daddy is a professional cuddler and loves his little girl. She is pretty fond of him, too. Thankfully for us he is not a worry wart like me and always calms me down when I get all fired up over something. 
Milestones: Baptism - 1.25.15,  First trip to the lake and Roaring River, rolling over, giggling, lifting herself up on her arms more than usual, grabbing toys, eating her toes (does that count - ha), control of head for the most part

What we're looking forward to: Every day, the doctor saying she has gained weight, continuing to feed her with no shield, Valentine's Day, spending time with grandparents, watching her grow.

Dear Sweet Brooklyn,
4 months…really?! Gosh little miss, how I love you so. Every little inch of you. I examine your little ears, your tiny nose, your growing brown hair that likes to stick up in the back, and every other part of you while you are laying in my arms and I love it all. Every part of you is completely perfect. I hope you always remember that. You are perfect the way you are. Never let anyone tell you any different. I'm so proud of you this month and all you've been learning and discovering. Life is just way more fun with you in it. Thank you for eating with the shield, momma is extra happy about that! Your personality continues to shine and I know you are going to the a sweet, fun, sassy, and adventurous little lady. I just love watching you grow baby girl. Love it more than anything in this world. Thank you for this gift of being your mom. I will never take it for granted. Happy 4 months! Can't wait to see what each day brings :)
Love,  Your Momma

Brooklyn - 3 Months

Brooklyn - Three Months



Three months…3.5 months…whatever you want to call it :) I did type this closer to three though…I'm just now posting it. Whoopsie!
Nicknames: Sweet girl, baby girl, brook-trout (lol, from my dad and niece), Baby B
Eating: She is still eating around every 3 hours. Almost on the dot really. I'm not sure how much she drinks because I breastfeed her, but she was eating 6 ounces while we were away for Jeff's Christmas party. Whoa girl! I heard this may be too much but she screams after 4 so I'm not really sure on all of that business. She LOVES her food though. That is a FACT. Always has been. Don't mess with a girl and her food.
Sleeping: Sleep during the day is AWESOME….ONLY when she is sleeping on someone. Otherwise, no sleep. It's the weirdest thing. So therefore momma gets  nothing done but she gets snuggles for days so I'll take it. I can't complain about that. 
She does sleep all night though and I still am SO THANKFUL for that. I did hear at 4 months that will probably all change. Nooooo. She usually sleeps anywhere between (9-11) to (7-8). Our schedule is called follow Brooklyn's lead. This probably isn't the recommended schedule but it works for us. She is on a eat play sleep "schedule" though and therefore I usually always know what she wants and when she wants it. Girl is getting some sass in her these days trying to tell us what she wants. Too funny!

Diapers: Size 1 diapers - pamper swaddlers. About to switch her to 2 in the near future.
Clothing: She has been wearing 0-3 and 3 month up until now. She has outgrown 0-3 almost has outgrown 3M. On to the 3-6 month we go!
Social: Gosh this one just keeps getting more and more fun! She is really starting to show her sass and personality these days. She lets us know with a high pitched squeal if she doesn't want to sit somewhere for too long or just isn't happy in general. She would much rather be held and sitting up rather than laying down chilling like her newborn self used to. She loves to explore and I just cannot get enough of all that she is taking it. She particularly likes when people talk to her and talks back like she knows what the heck you are saying. I cannot believe some day they will be real words! She is getting so much stronger and can hold her head up, ROLLED OVER (that I caught while snap chatting a friend), and getting better at grabbing toys. When she locks eyes she is focused!

Likes: She likes talking, smiling, laughing (SO fun), cooing, motor boating, spit bubbles, kicking her feet 110mph, grabbing toys on her play mat, looking at herself in the mirror, being read to and sang to, Sophie the giraffe, LOVES baths, her vitamins, sitting up (assisted), looking all around (especially trying to find the TV).
Dislikes: Being overtired or hungry, being in one spot for too long, laying sideways or laying down in general, naps, loud sudden noises. 

What we're looking forward to: Every single day we get to spend with our sweet girl! Her baptism and many more exciting things coming up!

Dear Sweet Brooklyn,
Oh Brooklyn, so many words…so little time. I think I say the same thing every month, but they are always so true. I can't help but love you more and more each day. You are developing quite the personality little lady! Your smiles melt my heart and your laughs are the best thing I've ever heard. You think a lot of things are pretty hilarious! You are starting to get a mind of your own and tell us a lllll about it. Too funny! I can tell you will give us a run for our money and I.can't.wait. Each day is better with you in it and I will continually to thank God for you all of the days of my life. You are the best blessing and I can't even imagine what life was like before you. YOU are the light of our life. The pep in our step. Thank you for being my greatest little love. I pray you always know just how much you mean to us and never forget it! Happy 3 months baby girl!
Love,  Your Momma

Brooklyn - Two Months

Brooklyn - Two Months
How another month has come and gone so quickly, I will never know. This month was a whole different ball game than Month 1. Well, at least the end of this month was. Most days I still wonder if I'm doing it all right, but she is growing into a healthy little girl so I guess we are doing something right! This month as been SO fun watching her little personality grow and her grow in general. We are finally figuring out this whole parent thing and are loving, loving, loving our new title. Some days are easier than others, but I would not trade it for a darn thing. Not even for wine. She is that awesome.

Weight: 12 lbs on the dot.
Height: I will update this when we go to the doctor on 12.11.14.
Nicknames: Sweet girl, baby girl, sweety, stinky (still , haha), boo-boo, B
Eating: She went through a growth spurt and was eating at least every 2 hours, but now she is back up to 3 (for now). She loves to eat, that is a FACT. At night though she goes about 6-8 hours without eating. Needless to say, she wakes up ready to feast. I haven't introduced her to a bottle yet, but I know I probably should soon. Confession: In a way I have been putting it off because the thought of someone else being able to feed her makes me a little sad. It's our thang. BUT I know it will be a little bit of the weight off of my shoulders and it will be nice for her to bond with daddy and her grandparents in that way. Call me selfish. Haha. 
Sleeping: What is sleep, she asks. Haha. She is a CAT napper for sure during the day. She barely sleeps during the day. Most of the time it's in my arms because she strikes against anything else. She occasionally will for about 30 min. in her rnp. We are finally figuring our our Maya Ring Sling and she sleeps in that, too. Speaking of, I just put her down for a "nap" I will call it, and already has woken up and is sucking on her little fingers. This is when I'm all like is she hungry, is she still tired, I wonder if I should pick her up, no I'll just leave her in there and see if she falls back to sleep……which usually leads to me finally being all like "she is NEVER going to fall asleep Molly…just pick up the poor child".
At night though I could kiss her for DAYS because she usually lets me get 6-8 hours of sleep. Praise the LORD! I pray this only gets better instead of worse. I am SO thankful for those hours of sleep. So thankful. Good girl :) 

Diapers: Size 1 diapers - pamper swaddlers are my LIFE. We have tried others but they are truly the best for her. And smell freaking good. Is that weird? Yeah…probably. 
Clothing: Oh my gosh clothes I thought would be huge forever and now fitting her. It's insane how fast they grow! She was wearing 0-3 at the beginning of the month, but now she is fitting into 3 months. Hold me!
Social: This one has changed so much from the first month I feel like. She is giving us LOTS of social smiles and I can feel the giggles are going to shortly follow suite. It has been so fun to see her explore the things around her. She loves to kick her little piano on her play mat and stare at herself in the mirror. She smiles back at you and I looove it. She also has been very intrigued with faces and watching things carefully. I keep reading her books and even though she has no idea what is going on yet, she will watch me and smile while I read (when she's happy…that is). Another new development has been lots of cooing. I wonder what her little lips are saying? Sometimes I don't think it is very nice things ;) I love (have I said that enough) watching her grow and I can't wait to see what she discovers next!
Dr. Apts: I had my 6 week appointment and everything was healing well. Down side is I had (and still have) hemorrhoids. Yippee :/. I am hoping they get better soon because this is for the birds! I am thankful though everything else looked good. I was a little worried. She also has had a couple of appointments for cold like symptoms and we have been giving her saline drops and sucking snot one day at a time. So sad to see her uncomfortable but I know it was going to happen sooner or later! Glad she is feeling better. I can't handle when she isn't happy. Well, don't like to handle it at least.

Likes: She likes eating (per usual), sucking her hands, kicking (a lot ), cooing, ceiling fans, her bouncer, her piano play mat, her grandparents, baths, stretching out, being sung/read/talked to, her carseat, smiling, her bink when she is sleepy, and the famous sleep sheep.
Dislikes: Being overtired or hungry, tummy time, her swing, being in one spot too long, stop lights (haha). 
Mama: I am finally feeling more like myself and it is great! Still a zombie at times,  but getting more and more like myself. Next step is working out. Yeah…I'll work on fitting that one into her 5 second naps. Lol. I need to start scheduling better and doing it at night once Jeff is off of work. We will pretend that will work out. 
My momma heart has grown more than I ever thought possible. She is the best part of every day and even when she wakes up at 5, as I pick up her smiling self I can't help but be thankful that I even have the chance to wake up at 5 with my little girl. I adore her so dang much and I hope I always remind her of that. She is so special to me.

Daddy: Daddy = king of getting her passed out. He is like a walking sleep king. I am so thankful for his help with that because she fights me for.ev.er and then he will get her she's out like a light. It's insane! He has been more than I ever imagined with her and loves her so, so much. He also is the nose frida king too. Thankfully he can do that things that I am no so good at. 
What we're looking forward to: Every day we get with her, CHRISTMAS, and everything else she throws our way. But mostly right now, CHRISTMAS! Ah, she makes the holidays so much sweeter!

Dear Sweet Brooklyn,
I pray that one day you experience a love like we have for you. You are the greatest joy we have ever experienced. You just roll with the punches and are one happy little girl. Well, unless you are hungry or tired. THEN you let us know we are the worst ever :) You LOVE kicking. And you kick…a whole lot.  You have started cooing and talking to us and pretty sure that is the cutest thing in the world. I try to talk back but I have a feeling we aren't on the same page :) You are so sweet, little girl. You give us lots of snuddles and I try to soak each and every one up. Naps though, aren't your thang. You would rather party or sleep on someone. I mean, I guess I can't really blame you. Just know you are our WORLD. Our everything. Everyone who meets you just loves you because you are such a special little gal. I can't wait to watch you grow. We love you more than life!
Love,  Your Momma

Brooklyn - One Month

Brooklyn - One Month

We officially have a one month old. I know everyone says it but how does time go so fast. I can't even BELIEVE it's almost November. I really can't. Holy cow Christmas is in 1.5 months. So much to plan for her first big Christmas. It's crazy to think how different our lives were just a short month ago and how much it has all changed, in the best way. 
This whole parenting thing is one of the hardest and scariest jobs I've ever had...I doubt myself all of the time, feel like I'm never going to have a clean house or look decent, long to spend time with Jeff, and I am running on baby fumes most days….but it is the BEST job and most favorite job I've ever had. I've honestly never wanted anything more and I praise God for trusting us to be her parents. There is no love greater. Even in the hardest moments, there is no where else I'd rather be. She is by far the greatest blessing and I will be forever grateful. And forever scared :)

Weight: 8.13 oz (last week) 
Height: 21 in. + (I totally tried to do this with a tape measure, not as easy as it sounds)
Nicknames: Baby girl, pretty girl, B, Stinky (from her daddy - who of course she takes after), an occasional Brookers, boo boo
Eating: She eats about every 2-3 hours, but I always wake her up at the 3 hour mark during the day to feed her if she isn't awake yet. That is very rare nowadays though. She's usually fired up ready to grub.
I do let her sleep through the night and she usually eats every 3-5 (5 is quite rare but HAS happened) hours at night. We are still using the shield and hope to wean off of it soon, for both of our sakes. She is not wanting to give that one up and honestly…I'm a little nervous to do so. I do love feeding her though, even though it is literally one of the hardest things I've done. I never knew it would be, but we are getting through it…together. 
Sleeping: During the day she tends to take short tiny little naps and they are usually longest when laying on someone or if we are riding in the car. One of these days I'll get brave and put her in the crib for her naps but for now I like having her close by. She usually sleeps in her rock-n-play, on me, or on her boppy next to me. At night she sleeps in her rock-n-play swaddled with her sleep sheep on. She did have her arms in the swaddle but now big girl likes those arms FREE, so we just swaddle her under her armpits. She used to sleep in the bassinet but she spits up so bad it started making me nervous so we switched.

Diapers: She is still in pamper swaddlers newborn diapers. We did like huggies snugglers too that we got from the hospital. We will probably stick with pampers though because I have a boat load I bought when I was pregnant. They seem to work well for her, that is if her mom gets her diaper on nice and snug. 
Clothing: She is currently still in newborn clothing. A few of her hands-me-downs are getting a little short though. Girl is growing and I love it, yet it makes me sad to think of her growing so fast. I mean seriously how is she a MONTH old already?! So big!
Social: Our bright eyed girl! She is becoming so alert and it's so fun to watch her discover things around her. She loves bright colors and tends to smile at them. She isn't a big fan of her play mat yet but occasionally she will get locked on something on it that catches her eye. She loves looking at walls, ceilings, lights, etc. She loves when you talk to her and just stares at you like she really is listening. I'll pretend she is. She adores walks and I need to get outside and do it more often. I'm always nervous if it is too hot, too cold, etc. I have been reading to her and she listens and stares at me for at least a few pages.  I cannot wait until she can really listen to them and find her own favorites.  She tends to listen longer to the more song like books, which makes sense. Or maybe because I'm overly excited when reading those ones to her. I hope she loves books as much as I do!
Dr. Apts: She had her two week appointment (looked great and passed her hearing test-yay!), and then we went back the following week because she had increased spit up that was curdled and I didn't know if it was normal or not. I really just called to ask about it but they had us come in to check her out. All was good, she is just a spitting up little lady. She also had to go to the doctor at about 1.5 weeks old for more testing on thyroidism because her numbers were off. Daddy was gone and Diana was with me and had to get blood drawn in both arms, heel, and then had to go BACK to the hospital when we found out they did not draw enough blood. I think I cried as much as she did. It was the worst thing EVER ever ever. Thankfully a NICU nurse did it at the hospital and her numbers came back fine. They thought my blood was still in her at the newborn testing at the hospital.
I did have a bout of mastitis but didn't have to go in as they just prescribed me some antibiotics, which I actually think gave me thrush. Ha ha, always something!

Likes: eating, going on walks, car rides, dancing with her daddy, being walked around to get to sleep, baths, being rocked, being wrapped in blankets, her hands (starting to find her thumb), staring as you talk to her, being held, sleeping on momma or daddy on her tummy, her sleep sheep (okay, maybe that's just me…but she tends to sleep more soundly with it), and her sister Piper…even though she doesn't know it yet. 
Dislikes: Being changed, fighting sleep, being hungry right when she wakes up, drying off after a bath, burping, the swing, and being on her tummy.
Mama: Still not completely back to myself, but getting closer and closer. I've had bowel movement issues but I won't even go there. Occasionally I'll have sharp pains where my stitches are but it's getting better. I'm hoping soon it will be all healed up. I feel much better during the day now that she is sleeping a little bit at night and is getting faster eating. I'm also a little less emotional about everything and can sort of control my crazy emotions. Key word on sort of. Sometimes I just get so overwhelmed with love, happiness, frustration with myself at times, exhaustion. Hearing songs that make me think of her and quotes that relate to her make me break down in tears. Even talking about her brings tears to my eyes. I just love her so so so dang much. So much.

Daddy: We are forever thankful for this guy. He has been so great with her and is learning along with me about what she likes and doesn't like. He is also the best calmer downer. He dances around the house with her and sings to her and I love every second of it. So does she. He has been so helpful as I've struggled to get back to myself with cleaning the house, cooking, and other things I just couldn't manage to do myself. He really has been our rock, even when I have gotten frustrated with him because he can't "read my mind", he has been the best and I'm so thankful for his help, love, and making me feel like a good mom even when I question if I'm doing it all right. He makes me feel good and I've never needed that more than now. Hopefully he knows just how much that is appreciated.
What we're looking forward to: Going home for Halloween (Neewollah), for her to "really" smile at us, watching her grow, more cuddles, and every single things that comes along with her. We love seeing her grow day by day. She has changed so much already!

What most of the pictures looked like :)

Dear Sweet Brooklyn,
I hope you know just how special you have made this past month. I honestly cannot even remember life without you. It was mostly just waiting and waiting and more waiting for you. And now you are here and it is more wonderful than I even imagined, yet also scarier than I ever imagined. You are such a cuddle bug and even though I know I should let you sleep in other places, I adore having you on my chest or in my arms when I can. There are so many times I just sit back and stare and you and am overwhelmed by love and happiness to have you…forever. I'm so thankful for you sweet girl. So thankful. I adore every little ounce of you and it's just fun to watch you grow, but you can stay little forever. I promise I won't mind. Thank you for showing us a love we never knew was possible and for being such a sweet, overall easy going little girl. I know we have learned a lot this month and will only continue to learn more as we get to know you better. Promise me you'll always know how much you are loved. Always and forever. Never forget that. And never stop dreaming big little one, because believe me…dreams really do come true. And you are everything I've ever prayed and dreamed about. You are everything I could have hoped for and more. Happy one month little Brooklyn!
Love,  Your Momma