one year birthday - well check - and the little gym

we made it :  the big ONE!

it's amazing how your life can change in a year.

we had a great birthday with lots of family and friends.

the past year seems like a big 'ol blur : so many changes, so many ups-n-downs,

so many new and exciting experiences... i wouldn't change it for the world!

went to our first year well check yesterday : had my list of questions so i wouldn't forget anything.  we are one healthy baby!

hers waiting on the doc...

weight:  23lbs

height:  29.4"

so now's the time :: or so they say :: to throw out the bottle.  really?!?

is she really ready for that :: is mommy ready for that?

we still do 4 bottles a day totaling 24oz along with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

no longer likes the jar baby food - she wants the real thing!

whole milk :: the ped said we could stop formula cold turkey and go straight to whole milk.  16-24oz per day.  she's been on what we call 'gold'... the nutrimigen formula due to her milk allergy as an infant.  i think i'm confident that she no longer has this allergy for she eats yogurt and has had a few bites of ice cream with no breakouts.  i'll go ahead and say it... love bottle time... that's when i get all my cuddles and sugars... can i give that up?

we still take 2 naps a day... not quite ready to transition to the one nap but i have a feeling it won't be long!  we've had to lower the crib all the way down due to her lifting up and of course, momma paranoid that she'd figure out how to fall out!

she's crawling :: pulling herself up to her knees :: now to her feet :: and if you hold her under her arms and walk she'll walk with you... but nope, she currently has no desire to walk alone.  the ped said she would when she's ready which she thinks will be any day now.

we still go to the little gym weekly.  we have a big class this summer!  she and another little girl are the only two not walking on their own yet :: but know watching the others walk and play will do her some good!  Nana and Granddad got to come with us last tuesday so we have pics to share...

so here we are :: one year old!!

it's been an amazing year but hard year!

we look forward to what's to come!!!!

Hawaii

I survived my first time away... in Maui!!!

7 days away for the first time is a lot!!  not gonna lie, the first days 

were actually peaceful - definitely enjoyed the views, the sleep, the peace and quiet...

then it hit me... with only three more days to go... the tears came for the first time.

as much as I enjoyed being in a place I had never been - I started counting down the

days till I got to see my little girl!!!
i have to thank my hubby for being so sweet and understanding and making me feel that I was not a horrible mom for leaving!!!!!  afterall... we had to leave sometime... right?!?

so let's recap...

we left houston @ 8:45am on tuesday and arrived in maui @ 3:30pm.

take into consideration the time difference and it was almost 9pm our time!

so the first day was pretty much unpacking, walking around the hotel, grabbing an early dinner and calling it a night!!!

wednesday - seeing as how we are quite the spontaneous peeps (hehe) we decided to rent a jeep and go exploring... and yes... we survived the road to Hana... barely!!

maui is not as 'commercialized' as other parts of Hawaii so we figured getting on the open road would be a lot of fun... i ask myself now - why did we chose the road to hana???  let's just say i was on the verge of getting car sick... the winding roads and one lane bridges made it quite interesting... but... we can now say we did it and well... one time is enough!!!

we stopped along the way to take pics...

we saw surfers, paddlers, wind surfers, waterfalls and yes,

lots and lots of flowers!!

(forgive the lack of photos... we're the only ones I know who would

leave for Hawaii and forget our camera!!)

thursday was filled with work stuff for Dray and then a luau that night...

pretty cool!!  I took lots and lots of pics however... they are on dray's phone and well,

he just left for MN so... will have to share at a later time!!

seeing them take the pig out of the ground and knowing that was what we were about to eat was priceless!!!  

friday was beach day for us... just hung out, enjoyed the view and had a great

time in the water!!!  that night was the 'formal' dinner so we had to be on

our best behavior!!

saturday we went to the spa... now, we actually joined a spa here and we go once a month but... it didn't compare to the massage we had!!!  first time doing the hot stone massage and can I just say... i'm in love!!!!  highly recommend!!!

sunday... check out day!  our flight didn't leave till 9:15 that night so... we rented a convertible camaro (go figure.. hehe) and decided to go explore the other direction.

as you can see... the 'other' direction was primarily lava fields!!!

we then drove to La'haina... we parked and walked the streets.  alot of wonderful shops, museums and places to grub.  we chose bubba gump shrimp's... I mean... who wouldn't :)

it was a lot of fun... the waiters go around doing forest gump trivia to all the tables... shout out to my hubby for pretty much knowing every answer!!!

we headed to the airport... flew out @ 9:15, went through LAX and landed in

Houston @ 12:40pm on Monday!  whew - can I just say thank heavens for first class!!!

so... what do I come home to???

my little ice cream lovin', sunglass wearin' little cutie... who, by the way,

is quite the forward walking nascar driver in her walker!!!!!

a huge thanks goes out to nana, g'pa and aunt mandy for taking care of our little one!!

ok... now to start planning her first birthday... wow, a year already?!?!?!?

until then...

Aloha...

thoughts of a worried mom

worried doesn't seem to sum it up :

fear?  maybe.  scared? could be.

for now, let's stick to... just unsure.

no pics for this post, sorry.  this is about me : my never ending, mind wandering worries about our little girl.  we are 10.5 months old.  we are a very, very happy baby : aside from those darn teeth!  we have two full bottoms, half of one on top and there seems to be two more trying to break through... poor baby girl but we're making it through.

I know my worry comes from comparing... as much as I tell myself I need to stop, it's just not working.  especially since we now belong to the Little Gym.  we do love it!  we are in the 10-19 month group - otherwise known as little birdies.  here's my hang-up... we are the youngest in the class : by at least 3 months.  so... all other little ones are crawling like champs, walking around like there's no tomorrow... and here we are doing everything we can to get her to put one foot in front of the other.  I know joining is the best thing we can do - it gets her around other little ones and allows her to see how the 'big' kids play and act.  

we started crawling about a month ago... I use that term loosely cause crawling to us is army crawling!  I mean, she gets down and goes for it.  she will stop herself, arch her back to get up on all fours but can't quite seem to figure out that if she stays on her hands an knees and just puts one hand in front of the other she would get there a lot faster :)  so of course, I'm happy she's getting around other than rolling everywhere (although she got pretty darn fast at rolling!) but it begs the question of... am I doing everything I need to for her development?

being a stahm is a dream come true - i enjoy seeing her grow each and every day.  her hand coordination is beyond perfect - she feeds herself, drinks from her sippy cup by herself (she still won't hold her bottle unless I make her... guess that's mommy and me time and our cuddle time so I'll take that!)  so worried about that stuff, not at all.  she talks in her own language - she does say dadada (not sure if she knows what that means) and I'm always saying 'mama' and she just looks at me and gives me that cute little smile.  

standing:  she's gotten good at it.  she can't pull herself up to a standing position, she's not holding on to furniture and moving around it... I want so badly to hold her hands and try to get her to walk but I can't : she's got nurses elbow and if you pull her arms up by her hands, the muscle moves over her bone and it's extremely painful... we've been to the docs 3x for it and they finally taught me how to put the muscle back in place.  

so here I am - worried about my little ones development.  I'm sure all moms get worried.  we've seen a lot of 10.5 month old that are walking (with support) and I ask myself 'what am I doing wrong?'  then, of course, they say their little one goes to daycare and a light bulb went off... do babies learn quicker when going to daycare due to they are around other babies and learn from each other?  we can all answer that question.  should i put her in daycare...  should i be doing more for her... when i already know that the correct answer is to STOP dwelling and enjoy each and every day with her!  dray tells me to stop stressing over it and the doc isn't worried at all and tells me that a) crawling isn't a milestone even though parents expect their children to crawl and b) she'll walk when she's good and ready.  even with the support of the doc and my wonderful hubby - i still can't help but worry.

as I'm writing this i think... i should be writing about all the wonderful things and how much joy she's brought to my life... she has and i am very blessed to have a wonderful, happy baby.

like all moms i just want the best for her... am i overreacting?  with all this going through my mind... i am now going to go get my little one up and enjoy each and every second with her... dear worries, please go away.

DOC Band journey ends... Easter... and...

I am happy to say that our DOC Band journey has come to an end.

it's been a long (almost) three months - she's been a trouper and

actually - she sometimes will touch the top of her head like she's missing something!

we are ecstatic with the results!  I tried to post the before and after pics from our

consult but it's not letting me... so... you'll just have to take my word for it :)

just one journey of many more to come I'm sure!!!

Easter...

we had a great day full of family and friends.

I have fond memories of going to my grandparents house in OK

for Easter when I was little.  I truly wanted to take her to OK for her first

Easter but we just couldn't make it this year - but next year she'll be old enough

to actually go on an Easter Egg hunt so... we can't wait!!!

here are a few of my memories... please hold your laughter :)

and can't forget the year my grandmother got us chicks for Easter...

(just so you know - I also have memories of my grandmother ringing their

necks when they got bigger and... having fried chicken one night for dinner!)

with our sweet Dorothy!  it's pretty scary - looking at me in this pic and looking

at Bryn from the side... wow!!

and these are well - just pics... don't think they were for Easter but c'mon,

who doesn't love an Olan Mills pic!!

enough of memory lane :)

now on to Easter 2012...

we missed nana and grandpa but we get to see them in a few weeks - YEA!!!

and... in just a few short months our little munchkin will be... ONE!!!

where does the time go????

  

9 months

feels like it was just yesterday we had these pics taken

can't believe our baby girl is 9 months old!

the past 9 months have been the greatest 9 months of our lives.

believe me when I say it hasn't been all roses... i'm not gonna lie, motherhood is

absolutely the hardest job out there... most rewarding... but hard!  over the past months

i've done what every new mom does - worry, laugh, pray, compare, cry, scream... 

but most of all... love.

we had our 9 month well checkup today.

weight - 20lbs 5.5oz - 76 percentile

height - 27.75" - 57 percentile

head - 17.6" - 71 percentile

we weren't scheduled for any shots today - but - we had to get our third

hep B immunization.  she's cried before while getting the shots but now that she's

older - the crying was much worse - brief - but worse!  those big crocodile tears running

down her face made my heart break!  maybe daddy can take her next time - please!!?!!

we are still on our 4 hour schedule:
7am - wake, 7oz bottle
9am - nap
11am - wake, fruits, cheerios and 5 oz bottle
1pm - nap
3pm - wake, 7oz bottle
4:30-5pm - nap
5:30-6pm - wake, meats, veggies and fruit juice
bath time - 6:30ish
7-7:15ish - 7oz bottle and bedtime
there are days when we don't get that last evening nap - she's starting to stay up longer and longer and am thinking about changing the schedule soon.
as for food - I plan on starting adding some 'real' food in at meal times.  so far it's only been baby food.  we have tried bananas and frozen peas... I'm not sure why i'm so hesitant to start real solids... maybe because she's still on her hypo-allergenic formula and I'm just scared she may have a reaction to something.. but... guess we gotta go for it and see!


she loves her jumper and play time.
she's not crawling yet... I asked the doc about that because yes, I was a little worried - but she said that's fine and she's got her own way of getting around right now (rolling).  she did let me know that crawling isn't a milestone for a baby - even though we all expect them to do it - but she'll either do it when she's ready and feels the need or... she'll just start getting up and walking.
in all honesty... even though i was a little worried about the lack of crawling at 9 months... i'm selfishly ok with it for now cause I know that once she starts crawling she'll be everywhere and into everything!!


she's a healthy, well-rounded, happy baby and that's all we could ask for!!
I can't believe it will be one year in just 3 months... wow... for all those people who told us to cherish every moment cause it goes by so fast - you weren't lying!

my dear brynleigh...
you love to laugh.
you love to talk/scream... dadadada (we're working on mama :) ).
you love to hug and cuddle and it melts mommies heart everytime you do!
you can clap now and love to do so after you get that cheerio in your mouth.
you can waive hi and bye.
you love, love, love to roll!!  you roll around on the floor to get to where you want to go
and giggle all the way through.
you have started cracking up at peek-a-boo.
you giggle when you see yourself in the mirror.
you love your bath time.
you have 2 full bottom teeth and we expect your top teeth any day now.
you love your fruits and veggies... but cheerios are by far your fav.
you love mickey mouse playhouse and dance when it comes on.
your starting to really enjoy reading time... you like to turn the pages.
you love to make mommy and daddy laugh and yes, you still light up when 
daddy enters the room.
you love your nana and grandpa
you love your pooh bear daddy bought you
you keep my heart full each and every day and I love you with all my heart.

so much...

long overdue - we are now residents of spring, tx.
so far, it's everything we thought it would be.  I will say...
it's going to take me some time to get use to the weather... again!
growing up in louisiana... hot, humid, mosquitos... living in spring...
hot, humid, mosquitos.  i'm sure i'll adapt quickly!


whew - packing, moving, unpacking... getting this house into a home.
we still have quite a bit of work to do... but it's coming along.  funny thing - 
the one thing that's taking me a while to get use to is the tile!!  we put in new
carpet and are expecting to put in wood floors...eventually... so until then - tile
it is!  thanks mom for the house shoes for xmas... they are coming in VERY handy!!


baby girl is adapting.  she has a newfound love of the outdoors!  in the evenings,
we go sit on the patio... her in her jumper, me relaxing and daddy trimming the trees.
she loves watching the fish eat... daddy work... mommy relax... and all the squirrels 
and birds running around.  of course, living in the 'country' comes with new experiences.
like walking out on the patio in the morning to feed the fish and run into a snake!!  of course,
it was a baby snake... but, wouldn't that mean a 'mommy' snake is not too far behind?
I did what any wife would do - ran into the bedroom to get hubby out of bed (wasn't
too happy!) but go figure... by the time he got out there it was gone.  so of course,
every time I walk outside I tip toe and look around like a hawk to make sure there
are no slithery little creatures!  good times!

let me start with saying we LOVED our visit from aunt mandy!!  she was so helpful!
I, on the other hand, wasn't so much!  I was so exhausted and took a nap and missed
spending some time with her... but, I have promised that next time she comes I will
have a fun day played for us!

we are also excited about Easter and going to get our pic taking in

the blue bonnets with our cousin caleb!!  can't wait to share those pics!

now for the house... as mentioned, lots of work to still do... here are a few

'unfinished' pics... :)

update... the office is now the playroom with the ABC flooring.  here's the issue

with that... momma made the mistake of playing with her on the carpet and now

she loves rolling around on the carpet!!

and there ya have it.  nothing too exciting but we're doing well!  I can't believe I'm

saying this... 2 days... 9 months old!!!  post coming soon all about Miss B!!!!!