Brynlee is 11 Months Old!

You are one short month away from your 1st birthday, baby girl! Here's what you've been up to in the last month:

-You have taken to an earlier bedtime (about 7:30) and still sleep until we wake you up at 6 am on weekdays. You usually sleep in a little later on the weekends (about 6:45).

-You are wearing a size 4 diaper.

-Since you got your first official sickness that required prescription medicine, we were able to get you weighed last week. You tipped the scales at a whopping 19 pounds even!

-You are still wearing 6-9 month or 12 month clothes. I have a feeling you may be able to fit in these sizes for quite a while :)

-You are officially weaned from your nighttime bottle as of last Friday and have done great! You're now down to just 3 bottles a day (at mealtimes) and eat snacks along with water in between meals.

-We have our fingers crossed (and toes!) that hair will be one of your Christmas gifts. Anybody know of some "Miracle Grow" for babies?!

-You have 6 teeth (2 on bottom and 4 on top) and we are finally able to start seeing the 4 on top every once in a while.

-You rarely crawl anymore. You're not exactly "running" yet, but if you know you've done something bad, you can definitely move a little faster than just your average "walk."

-Words that you can repeat if you're in the mood to humor us: Daddy, Turner, uh oh, good job, yum, hi

-You have recently become somewhat of a drama queen and are prone to temper tantrums. If something doesn't go your way, it is not uncommon for you to let your body go limp and fall to the ground. You are also a big fan of arching your back when things aren't going well for you :)

-Things you love: dancing to your musical toys, bouncing up and down and all over the couch, opening all the cabinets (especially in the bathroom) and carrying around our mouthwash, unrolling the toilet paper, emptying Turner's water bowl, standing at the door and waiting for Turner to come in from outside, crawling underneath people's legs

Our precious 11-month-old

Enjoying her new winter hat

Dancing along with her favorite Christmas toys

Let the countdown begin....One month until the big 0-1!!

Brynlee is 10 Months Old!

Brynlee, you've reached the double digits and are officially 10 months old! Here's the highlights of the last month of your life:

-You still snooze away from 8pm-6am and tend to sleep in on the weekends. How you know that it's the weekend, I have no idea, but I'm grateful nonetheless.

-You are wearing a size 3 diaper during the day and size 4 at night.

-You weigh 18 pounds 10 ounces (25-50%), are 27.5 inches long (25-50%) and your head is 17.5 inches around (50%). You are average on the charts but anything but average in your mommy and daddy's eyes :)

-You still wear 6-9 or 6-12 month clothes, but we have encountered a huge dilemma in the jeans department. Suddenly your 9 month jeans are too short, but 12 month jeans fall right off your skinny little hips. I have searched high and low for jeans that will fit you to no avail. So, it looks like leggings will be your legwear of choice this winter.

- Luckily, you have not outgrown any more shoes over the last month. We are hopeful that your ridiculously huge shoe wardrobe can be utilized for a while longer since we've already paid Pediped enough money to sustain their business for a year :)

-You eat 3 meals a day and LOVE to drink water from a sippy cup. We haven't fully transitioned to the sippy for all drinks just because formula and a sippy cup are not a fun combo. But once you can drink (much cheaper) whole milk, you'll be on the sippy cup only!

-The hair gods are still not really shining on you yet. The back of your head has sprouted a little more hair and is even starting to flip out and curl a little (yay!), but you still look bald to the naked eye.

-You officially have 5 teeth and I think the 6th tooth will be making an appearance shortly.

-You can now wave goodbye when we say "bye bye", repeat "Daddy" and "puppy" when we say them and your new favorite to repeat is "uh oh."

-Things you love: taking your shoes and socks off in the car, chasing Turner, taking all the diapers and toys out of the baskets on your changing table, smacking your lips, and crawling up the stairs with record speed.

- And the biggest news of this month, YOU ARE WALKING!! You can cruise from one side of the room to the other and can even stand up without pulling up on something. You look so cute toddling around because you are just so darn tiny to be walking. But we are soooo proud of you!

Turner is equally excited about

Brynlee's 10 month birthday!

Birthday kisses from Turner

Getting older is apparently hard

work for both baby and Daddy!

Look at her go!

Happy 10 month birthday, baby girl. Only a few more months and we can really celebrate!

Happy Halloween!

We get to enjoy the biggest "treat" of all this Halloween!

Walk This Way

Brynlee has been really practicing her walking skills lately. What started off as basically falling forward into things has progressed to actual steps! Every day she gets a little more brave and adds a few more steps to her "walks." Check out today's best effort!

Sick Day

Brynlee and I have not been feeling the greatest over the last couple of days. When I picked Brynlee up from her sitter's yesterday, she told me Brynlee was running a 101 fever. So, in the afternoon it was off to the doctor for us. Unfortunately, the sitter had given Brynlee some Tylenol, which in turn lowered her temp, and the doctor thought we were crazy since it appeared we brought in a perfectly healthy child. Brynlee has continued to run a fever for the last 36 hours and this morning woke up looking like this:

All the snot just makes you feel so bad for her, doesn't it?! If you feel really bad for her, we'd welcome you to come make her feel better by trying to wipe all that nastiness off her face every morning. She pitches a fit! Anyways, I decided to use a sick day and stay home with her today and am so glad I did. She's gone back and forth between acting like herself and then being completely pathetic and curling up on my lap. I hate that she's sick, but I'm not gonna lie....I love that she's been cuddling up with me :) I miss those baby days when all she wanted to do was lounge around in our arms. Now, she doesn't have time to snuggle up with her mom and dad....she's got people to see, places to go, and things to explore!

Luckily, it appears Brandon has been spared (hopefully not just temporarily) the nastiness that Bryn and I have endured. Pray that we're on the road to recovery soon and that Brynlee is back to her normal shenanigans in no time :)

Outdoors at the Orchard

This past weekend while my parents were visiting, we all loaded up in the car and headed to our local apple orchard for their fall festival. We didn't stay long since it was cold, crowded, and not exactly geared towards a 9 month old. But, we did get some cute pictures of our little princess during her first fall festivity, so I'll let thm do the talking :)

Brynlee's first hayride...she loved watching the

wheels on the tractor!

Brynlee is 9 Months Old!

Brynlee, you are officially 3/4 of the way to your 1st birthday! How in the world did that happen so fast?! Here's what you're up to over the last month:

-You sleep from about 8pm-6am when we have to get up for the sitter's. But, the last few weekends you have blessed us with sleeping in until 8:00 or later. You are a girl after your mother's own heart :)

-You now wear a size 2-3 or size 3 diaper, depending on what's on sale at the store. I'm sad to see the Pampers Swaddlers go because it makes me feel like you're not a baby anymore. You've worn those since we brought you home from the hospital and it's like a little piece of your babyhood is disappearing :(

-Guessing you weigh around 18-19 pounds. Your 9 month checkup doesn't take place until you're almost 10 months old, so we'll find out for sure in a couple of weeks.

-You wear 6-9 month or 6-12 month clothes. For pajamas, you wear 9-12 month size.

- You have the biggest feet EVER! You are now wearing size 12-18 month Pedipeds and Robeez and a size 5 in other shoes. Your feet are as big as your 18-20 month old friends'! Luckily, you have an aunt and grandma that spoil you rotten so you have 3 new pairs of shoes that fit to add to your wardrobe. Included in these new shoes are a pair of cheetah print kicks....love them!

-You eat 3 (food) meals a day. YoBaby yogurt and a fruit in the morning, with a meat and veggie in the afternoon and a meat and veggie in the evening. You still eat just about anything, but are sticking to your guns when it comes to your hatred of peas. You also like to eat Gerber Puffs and Gerber Yogurt Melts for a snack in the afternoon.

-I don't believe any new hairs have appeared on your head in the last month. One of these days I will be able to take you out in public without a bow and have people not think you're a boy, but it may still be a while.

-You have 4 teeth! It appears as though your two top middle teeth may be making an appearance soon too, bringing the total to 6!

-You can crawl with the best of them, but aren't quite walking yet. You literally run along our furniture and will stand by yourself for a few seconds at a time, but haven't gotten brave enough to let go and take steps. I could be wrong, but I'm almost certain by your 10 month update that you will be on the move via your two feet and not your hands and knees anymore!

-You get into absolutely everything. Your favorite spot is in the corner by the TV where you can try and play with all the cords that are back there. Daddy does NOT appreciate this and you usually get a timeout on his lap if he finds you back there :)

-Things you love: your book on animals that makes the corresponding animal sounds, playing with Turner, trying to reach through the baby gate to play with Turner's food bowl, still chewing on every cord and tag that you can find, cuddling with your blanket in the car, and bouncing up and down at all times. You bob your little head while you bounce and then just laugh at yourself. We think you're pretty hilarious!

HAPPY 9 MONTHS, BRYNLEE!!

Happy Fall, Ya'll

Fall is finally here! We've been enjoying football, apple cider, turning off the air conditioning, and taking pictures of our little princess in her adorable fall wardrobe :) Hopefully this weather will last a long, long, long time and we never have to endure winter. Wishful thinking, I know, but it can't hurt. Enjoy pictures of our cute fall flower child!

Brynlee's so happy to be wearing her flower headband!

Go Irish!

Bryn and Turner enjoying the fall breeze

Brrr...had to break out the tights for church today!

My Olivet, Our Olivet

After the Olivet football game last Saturday, we took Brynlee on a tour of our alma mater, and her future stomping grounds. She thoroughly enjoyed the visit and we look forward to many more trips there with her!

Visiting our "spot" where we

would start to think even

in those early days of college

that maybe we could be more than friends :)

Brynlee's really glad her mommy and daddy

got to spend all that time in the quad getting

to know each other!

Checking out Chapman Hall and dreaming

that she can meet her hubby at Olivet

just like her mommy did!

Seeing where Mommy lived her

freshman year (3rd window up on the right).

Daddy spent a lot of time in the

lobby and on the steps of this building too!

Milby Clock Tower

Grandma looks thrilled

to be at the planetarium!

(P.S.-Mom, how HUGE is that sweatshirt

you've got on?!)

My favorite alumnus along with

our future Olivetian!

She was over the "Olivet Experience"

by this point :)

Our Family!

Brynlee is 8 Months Old!

Brynlee turns 8 months old today! This month has been a little slower in terms of development, and I am quite alright with that. I'm getting a little break before she decides to start walking to catch my breath! Brynlee, here's what you're up to now that you are 8 months old:

-You are back to sleeping through the night again....hallelujah! I think the momentary break in sleeping was due to learning how to stand. You wanted to stand all the time, including the middle of the night, but then you couldn't get yourself back down! The newness of standing has worn off and you're back to being a sleeping angel :)

-You now wear a size 2-3 diaper during the day and a size 3 nighttime diaper at night, which has been a lifesaver in terms of laundry.

-I haven't weighed you recently, but I'm guessing you weigh around 17-18 pounds. It seems like you are really starting to get tall too!

-You're now wearing 6-9 month clothes for the most part. Most of your jammies are still 6-9 month too, but you're probably able to wear 9-12 months pajamas, just because you need the extra length.

-You eat 3 (food) meals a day. YoBaby yogurt and a fruit in the morning, with a veggie in the afternoon and a meat and veggie in the evening. The jury's still out on the meats (you've only been eating them for a few days) but you are finally back to liking vegetables.

-Still not much hair to speak of. The good news is we're getting our money's worth out of all of your hairbows and headbands :)

-You still have just your bottom two teeth. I thought you were working on one of your top teeth, but it's been a few days and still hasn't shown up yet. Maybe soon!

-After almost 2 months of army crawling, in the last 2 weeks you decided to get up on your hands and knees. The transition came out of nowhere and you haven't looked back since!

-You still like to pull yourself up on everything. Just today you climbed up every single stair by yourself (with your mama hovering behind you) and you are now starting to walk (almost run!) along the couch and loveseat. Maybe by your 9 month post, you'll be walking!

-You love being outside and going for walks and we're looking forward to doing more of that now that cooler weather is arriving!

-Other things you love: reading books that make noise, splashing all the water out of the bathtub, chewing on every cord and tag that you can find, chasing Turner and trying to eat his paws and tail, and playing with all of your friends at the babysitter's!

Can't believe that Bryn is 2/3 of the way to her 1st birthday. Time sure does fly when we're having fun!

HAPPY 8 MONTH BIRTHDAY, BRYNLEE!

WE LOVE YOU BUNCHES!

Brynlee is 7 Months Old!

*Note: I originally wrote this post on August 10, but it took me this long to hit the "publish" button, so things are slightly outdated already. I can't believe how much can change in just a week and a half!

Yesterday Brynlee turned 7 months old! This has definitely been her biggest developmental month since she was born. Brynlee, here's what you're up to now that you are 7 months old:

-You have recently decided to NOT sleep through the night. You wake 2-3 times a night, but we've recently started making you cry it out. You don't like it and neither do we, but it seems like things might be heading in the right direction to get you sleeping like normal again :)

-Still wearing a size 2 diaper. I feel like you've been in these forever!

-You weigh about 16 pounds and are roughly 26 inches long!

-You're still wearing mainly 3-6 month clothes, with some 6-9 month outfits. Pajamas are all 6-9 months.

-You eat 3 (food) meals a day. Cereal and a fruit in the morning, with cereal and a veggie in the afternoon and evening. Minus a short stint where you decided to hate peas after previously liking them, you eat anything we put in front of you.

-Your hair is pretty much non-existent still. Maybe by your 1st birthday, you'll have something up top to show off :)

-You got your first tooth about a week ago and it pokes up a little more each day! And as of about 5 minutes ago, I noticed that your second tooth showed up overnight!

-Right after you turned 6 months old, you started army crawling! That's still your main mode of movement, but you occasionally get up on your hands and knees and crawl the "correct" way.

-Just last week you pulled yourself up to standing! Now you pull up on the couch, stairs, your crib, and anything else you can manage.

-You are still a pretty happy-go-lucky baby, for the most part. You still like your exersaucer, love Mommy and Daddy making faces/noises at you, and playing with Turner. But most of all, you like to crawl/climb all over and explore!

With all that Brynlee has done in the last month, I'm sure the next month holds plenty of excitement for us. She sure keeps us on our toes and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Try To Keep Up

Brynlee has been tearing up the milestone chart the last few days and I am having a hard time keeping up with all the new things she is doing!

Last Thursday, Brynlee had a horrible day. By the time Brandon got home, I was crying because she was just whining all day long, never wanted to be put down, etc. I was exhausted. Friday morning, I got Brynlee out of her crib and she was flashing the beginnings of her first tooth at me :) I felt a lot better knowing there was a reason for Brynlee's crankiness and my previously well-behaved and happy baby had not been taken over by aliens!

Saturday, Brandon and I went to a wedding reception while Brandon's parents watched Bryn for us. Before we left their house, we sat Brynlee down to play and she actually stayed sitting! Previously she had been too antsy to sit. But she finally proved that she can do it!

Monday, Brynlee delivered her most shocking development to date. I went upstairs to get her bath ready and left her downstairs to crawl around, play, hang out until I was ready for her. Well, I came down the stairs and was greeted with this:

She had pulled herself up to standing! The girl is not even 7 months old yet! Since she did this Monday, she immediately finds her way to the stairs all the time now and is pulling herself up. And, as I'm typing this, she has used her Bumbo seat to help her pull herself up and stand at the couch. Seriously, I cannot keep up with her and all her new tricks! I also can't stop myself from constantly worrying now that she stands that she will one day fall and bust her head open. Oh, motherhood. So much fun but so much worrying!

Here's hoping Brynlee gives us at least a month before she starts walking, but I've ordered 2 pairs of Pedipeds on Ebay in the last week just in case she doesn't :)

A Review Via Pictures

Blogging has taken a bit of a back seat lately as we have been way too busy. But I'll attempt to review everything we've been up to with the aid of some pictures.

Our dear friends Brad and Aubree welcomed their little baby boy (and Brynlee's future husband) on July 15th. We're excited to go and meet little Owen and hang out with our college crew next weekend.

We attended Brandon's company picnic and Brynlee was the hit of the party. The bow always draws a crowd :) Brandon and Brynlee rocked out their matching Interra shirts, even though it's hard to see in this picture.

We took Brynlee to her first baseball game to watch the South Bend Silverhawks! We put her in the Snugli, which she previously hated, and she was happy and content the whole time. We didn't stay the whole game, but it was a fun experience nonetheless.

Brynlee got to take in the sights and sounds of the Elkhart County 4-H Fair. I intended on taking pictures of her there, but instead all I have to show for our days spent at the fairgrounds is this picture of a pig and her less-than-24-hours-old babies.

Last weekend was Yoderpalooza '09 (aka Yoder Family Reunion). We had a great time spent participating in Yoder Olympics, relaxing, catching up, and spending time with 60 or so of our family members. Brandon won two events in the Yoder Olympics. He was happy about it until he realized he was the oldest winner by about 10 years. I told him it's a good sign...it means that even at the age of 27, he can still keep up with the young kids :)

Brynlee had her 6 month checkup, where she was actually about 6.5 months. She weighed 16 pounds 1 ounce and was 25.75 inches long. She's gone from the 5th percentile at birth to between the 25th and 50th percentile. She had to get 3 shots, but didn't seem phased since she got to show off her crawling skills and play with the toys :)

We've also been doing a lot of baby bathing at our house. Brynlee has decided that her food is far more fun to play with than to eat, so she usually looks like the picture below after every meal. I never thought I'd be the type to undress my kid to eat, but it's either that or change/ruin clothes at every meal.

Brynlee also won Polka Dot Bowtique's Amish Acres photo contest with the picture below. We get free tickets to the Arts and Crafts Festival this weekend and $20 in free bows....woohoo!!

And last, but not least, there has been a lot of this going on at our house. Makes all the fussing, food throwing, and diaper changing worth it :)

She Likes to Move It, Move It

As of yesterday, at the age of 6 months 5 days, Brynlee decided she was no longer content to be sedentary. She is crawling! It's just army crawling on her belly at this point, but when she sets her sights on something, she goes after it in a hurry. The first video is yesterday, when she first started the crawling. She was kind of over it when I took that video, hence the whining. Oh, and pay no attention to the mess that is our house. Baby junk consumes our living room, but Brynlee likes it that way :) The second one is from today, where she's trying to get to Turner. This one cracks me up because she is trying so hard! It's amazing to me how much better she is at it just in one day's time. I'm so excited for her, but all of my friends with toddlers said I needed to treasure the time when Brynlee couldn't crawl/walk because once she does, this parenting thing gets even more exhausting. Lucky us, our child decided to crawl way earlier than the average baby, so we get two extra months of trying to keep up with her! 

 

Morning in Review

Once school let out for the summer, I planned on taking Brynlee out on walks through our neighborhood often. I figured it'd give us something to do, keep Brynlee entertained, and most importantly maybe help me lose the 3 remaining pounds of baby weight that WILL NOT GO AWAY! So far, we've walked a whopping two times :) Today was one of those times. The following is the play-by-play of our morning:

10:52 am- Set out on our walk with Brynlee facing out in her stroller for the first time. She thought she was hot stuff being able to see all around her. I held back tears because she is getting far too big too fast!

10:58 am- Arrived at the park in our subdivision and hit the swings for a little while. Bryn was unsure whether she should lean back or lean forward, so she tried both.

11:10 am- Walked down the street and arrived home to our massive hanging baskets. Yes, they're amazing. No, I don't have a green thumb. I've kept these babies alive and growing since May just by watering them daily. If only all plants were that easy to take care of.

11:12 am- Safely in the garage with Brynlee looking like this:

11:14 am- Spent a few minutes here:

11:20 am- I check on Brynlee and she looks like this:

All in all, a successful walk. Maybe we should try these more often :)

P.S. I realize her crib looks institutional. We had to remove the bumpers because someone tried to rip them apart when she wasn't attended to instantly after waking up. I'm hoping a few days without them will break her of the habit and that we can get them back up since they're just so darn cute!