Baby Girls turns 1!

Brooklyn's Birthday was celebrated in chunks since Craig had a long KMK weekend.  A group comes in to the school 2 weekends during February to help the students study for the first part of board exams that they take in March.  The 2nd weekend of course had to be over Brooklyn's birthday.  Craig felt so bad that he wouldn't be there to celebrate with us, but he definitely needed to take advantage of this study time, especially after we paid almost $600 for it.  So, since he had KMK all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and we weren't sure if he would get home before Brooklyn went to bed, we decided to have her open her presents on Thursday.  She got a new car seat from Nana and Pops.  She got a super cute outfit, a fun laptop, and a Book of Mormon ABC book from G&G Williams. Craig and I got her a dress and puzzle from the second hand store and a soccer ball and football (she loves playing with any balls she can).

On Saturday the 22nd we had the playgroup over to the house for a little party.  It wasn't anything exciting, the kids just played and we ate some cupcakes.  We went out to the backyard to try to contain the messiness of the cupcakes.  Brooklyn was a little confused at first when I gave her the cupcake, she wasn't really sure what to do with it.  She only took a few bites of the cupcake but she did like to play with the frosting. I thought she was going to get a lot messier then she was.  I thought I would for sure be cleaning frosting out of her hair, but it was really just on her hands and around her mouth.  We had a lot of fun and it was nice to pass the time while our husbands were at school.  Brooklyn loved having her friends over.  Craig got home a little earlier then expected which was nice and Brooklyn showed him her steps.  I think all-in-all it was a great day and I can't believe that our sweet little girl has been part of our family for a year now.  It has been a year full of happiness and joy and a few rough days and nights and I wouldn't change a minute of it.  Our little princess is the JOY and LIGHT of our lives and we love her to pieces.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

Her Funfetti Cupcakes

12 Months Old

February 22, 2013
weight: 19.5 lbs (30th percentile)
height: 29 inches (30th percentile)
Size 3 diapers
Size 9 & 12 month clothes

I can't believe that a year has gone by already.  She has grown and changed so much in such a short amount of time.  She still only has 3 teeth, which makes it a little difficult to eat some foods, especially since she wants to eat whatever we are eating.  She loves to eat blueberries, apple sauce, crunchies, rice of any kind and flavor, and still loves cheese.  A few weeks ago she up and decided that she no longer wanted to drink her bottles.  She was drinking 3 a day and now she will drink one in the morning and then will drink formula from a sippy cup at different times during the day.  Some days she drinks quite a bit and others not very much. Luckily she eats her solid food well and loves to drink water out of her sippy cup that has a straw.

She is still sleeping well at night, typically about 12 hours a night.  She has been back and forth between one and 2 naps.  When she takes a morning nap it is only 30 to 45 mins and then her afternoon nap will be and hour to 90 mins.  Recently she has been waking up early from her naps because she is pooping, it is very frustrating for me. Since she has stopped drinking her bottles she has been waking up a little earlier then I would like (around 7/7:15 am) and she wakes up starving.  Hopefully soon she will get used to this new eating routine of hers and will get back to waking up at 7:45.

She is still all over the place and constantly into everything.  She loves to explore the house, I am forever chasing her around.  If I forget to put the gate up at the stairs she is up them in 2 seconds.  We have really been working with her to get her walking.  I really want her to be able to walk when the weather warms up so that when we go to the park she can play with the other kids and I don't have to worry about her eating the grass, leaves, dirt, bark, dog poop, etc.  She has a little toy that she loves to push around and she has gotten really good at it.  She also walks really well holding on to just one finger of ours.  On her birthday she took her first steps.  She took 2 steps twice and then took 3 steps to Craig.  Hopefully it will all click soon.

This month we started putting her hair into ponytails and pigtails.  They poke straight up and looked kind of funny at first, but she doesn't like to keep headbands in anymore and her hair has started to get into her eyes. We have had people at the grocery store or gym or other random places call her Alfalfa or Pebbles or things like that.  I also had a little kid tell me at church that if we keep doing her hair like that then it is always going to poke straight up. She still loves to give kisses and she has also learned how to give hugs.  She has gotten really good at waving and giving high fives and will do it for just about anyone. She loves to give kisses and hugs to her Pooh Bear and Cat in the Hat stuffed animals.

I think she is going to be a shoe-aholic like me

This is at the zoo for playgroup at the polar bear house

She loves to put on my workout head bands

This is the one place at the park that I don't have to be holding her

Katie turns 27

Birthdays have never been that big of deal to me, don't get me wrong it is always fun to celebrate, but I've never been into big parties.  Celebrating with family is the best way for me.  My birthday was on Sunday so we did most of our celebrating on Saturday.  Normally I like to get sushi for my birthday dinner, because it is the one time a year Craig will come with me, but the place we have gone before isn't super kid friendly so I decided the next best thing would be steak, so we went to Outback Steakhouse instead.

We headed to dinner early like always, it's just easier with Brooklyn especially when she only takes one nap.  We got to the restaurant at 5:00 thinking we would get right in but the place was packed already and we had to wait for over 20 mins.  Craig got some yummy pork and I ordered steak and shrimp, but I had to send mine back.  I ordered it medium and it came out rare, like I swear I could hear it moo.  But they re-cooked it and brought it back out and it was perfect and I even got some extra shrimp out of it.  That evening Craig and I ate cake and watched a movie after we laid Brooklyn down (don't worry she got to eat some on Sunday).

Only a little bit of cake on her face, but she sure loved it

Sunday, my actual birthday, we had stake conference which meant I didn't have to prepare a lesson.  Craig entertained Brooklyn while I took a nap and he changed her diapers all day, which included a massive poop.  We ate more cake throughout the day and had a yummy dinner.  I then opened some cards and a couple of gifts.  I got a lot of phone calls and text messages from friends and family.  All-in-all it was a great day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ms. Brooklyn sported her heart onesie for Valentine's Day.  When I picked her up from the child watch at the gym they had painted hearts on all of the kids cheeks.  Sadly it didn't last long because she got her lunch all over her hair so she took a mid-day bath.  Brooklyn got V-day packages from both of her grandma's and she got some super cute outfits.

Since Valentine's Day is so close to my birthday we have always just combined the two, which not only helps because we are poor, but neither Craig or I have ever been that into Valentine's Day.  Craig did get me some beautiful flowers though, even though I told him not too this year (what a good husband, one time that it's good not to listen to me).

First Major Boo-Boo

At church on Sunday, February 2nd Brooklyn got her first major boo-boo.  Of course Craig wasn't at church that day because he had KMK all weekend, so it made it all a little more stressful for me, but I do feel like I handled it well.  So we are sitting in sacrament meeting and there is a family with 4 young kids sitting behind us and another family also with 4 young kids sitting in front of us.  Brooklyn was having a great time going back and forth interacting with these kids.  As we are listening to the testimonies Brooklyn is sitting on my lap playing with the kids in front of us.  I took one hand and my eyes off of her to get a toy out of her diaper bag and before I know it she has slipped off my lap and is screaming bloody murder.  Her face broke her fall on the corner of the hymn book holder.  I rush out to the hall and get gasps from people that are out there.  She immediately had a goose egg and it was bleeding a little bit.  I was worried that it was so close to her eye and of course my husband the optometry student wasn't there, so someone grabbed a 4th year student who is in our ward.  He checked her out and said that she was fine (of course Craig checked her out as well when he got home) and luckily another mom had some baby Tylenol. She only cried for about 10 minutes. Luckily she did great the rest of church and her eye didn't seem to bother her at all after the initial injury.  I of course felt awful about it and I am so glad that kids are so quick to forgive and forget.

Here are a few pictures from the days following the "accident". As you can see she was happy regardless of her eye.  I did get quite a few funny looks where ever we went.  I'm sure some people thought I beat my child, but most people asked, "oh is she learning to walk?" and I would just say yep, so I didn't have to explain the whole thing.

Sunday

Monday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday