Play Ball!

Apparently the sight of me tossing a toy softball is the funniest thing Brooke's ever seen. I think we'll need to work on her form a little before she goes out for the softball team - she kind of throws like a girl. Enjoy!

Eleven Months

Brooke turned 11 months old on Monday and if it's possible, she just keeps getting more and more fun. She is definitely a "talker" and quite the ham. She's warming up to strangers more and more. She has a particular fondness for cashiers. Her book of the month is "First Words" by the Baby Einstein company. It has actual pictures of all kinds of things and she'll look at it for 15 minutes at a time.

She's saying "dada" for Matt now. She grabs her head when you ask where her head is or start to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes". She's also saying "Ahs" for Ozzie. As demonstrated earlier, she's saying "tickle tickle" and "num num". "Num num" also substitutes for "mama". She's stacking things, too.


She's able to get around pretty well, but I don't think she's fully aware of the power that gives her. She tends to stop crawling when she gets to the door of a room. She's still easygoing and if you're willing to do the work for her, she'll let you. She's doing well standing when she's propped, but I am sure not holding my breath for pulling up or walking anytime in the near future. And that's okay.

In the short eleven months that Brooke's been around she's taught me so much, but I think the most important thing that she's taught me (or I should say reminded me of) is how little control I have over things and that I need to stop, breathe and enjoy her for the miracle and joy that she is. I look forward to her continuing to teach me as she grows.


We're so incredibly blessed.

Yee Haw!

Jefferson had their family hayride on Friday, so I decided to take Brooke along. She seemed to have a pretty good time! She loved watching the "big kids" and horses and eating the goldfish crackers that were being offered as refreshments. I got her all decked out in plaid for the occasion, but it was pretty chilly so we had to add the sweater. I'm now realizing how easy I had it last winter when I didn't have to worry about shoes, coats and other winter accessories for her thanks to the Bundle Me.

Then, on Saturday my parents were able to come up for the night. We went out to eat at Olive Garden for my mom's birthday. We pretty much go there weekly during Never Ending Pasta Bowl Season (it ends Oct. 10, FYI) . It's always so great to have them visit. Happy birthday, Mom!

P.S. Brooke is ELEVEN months today. How did that happen?!? I'll post about her last month in the next day or two. Right now the house is quiet and I'm on a mission to catch up on some DVR'd shows.

Self-Inflicted Wounds

I thought Brooke was being dramatic/tired when she cried after falling on her wooden puzzle earlier today, but the scratch on her face would argue otherwise.

Caught on Camera

Here's another video of Brooke - but this time she's actually moving forward. She gets a little distracted by Ozzie outside her door (I had to close him out because he kept getting in front of the camera) at one point, but she makes it.

*Disclaimer* I took the pen away from her right after I stopped filming. I think the theme of my posts this month is how cruel I can be when it comes to getting videos of her.

No Thanks

This video is a CLASSIC example of our attempts to get Brooke to move. She was super-interested in the pen that I was holding, but sized up the work that it would take to get there and opted for the nearby basket instead. Notice also that she pulled the basket TO her. She's been using her blanket to pull toys TO her rather than moving for them for months. If nothing else, she's a problem-solver.

Big Girl Bath

With Brooke being more mobile, she was getting a little frustrated being in her baby bath (I think I mentioned before that it takes me a really long time to try new things), so we've recently begun bathing in the bathtub.

Nothing like a mid-bath snack.

That baby in the reflection is pretty stinking cute (if I were a good photographer, this is where I'd have zoomed and gotten a picture of her reflection).

The kid loves to share.

Not Taking it Lying Down

When Brooke wakes up, she starts talking to herself - often loudly. The other day, I was finishing something before getting her out of bed when I noticed that she had gotten quiet again. I checked the video monitor to find her sitting up! It's now become a regular occurrence. Time to lower the crib mattress!

Little Foodie

Brooke continues to be a great eater. She's not yet completely turned down anything she's been offered. I'm knocking on wood as I type that (not real wood, but the plywood stuff that Target desks are made of - hopefully it has the same effect). She does definitely have her preferences, though. It's fun to see her pick and choose her favorites. This meal was pinto beans, peas and avocado. The avocado went first, then the peas. She had a few of the beans, but I don't think they were her favorite. Had carbs been offered, I guarantee those would have been dominated.


She's also a pretty stinking neat eater (knock on plywood again). She almost never wears a bib. It's like her mom as OCD or something.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

I'm not. Ever. Maybe it's because I've never attended a school with a football team or watched my brothers play football. Or maybe it's because I equate football with standing for 2 hours with chattering teeth as the wind batters my face. At any rate, much to my husband's chagrin, I'm not a football fan and he's doing everything he can to prevent Brooke from the same fate.

On Saturday the two of them hung out and "watched" some football. Daddy had pretzels and beer while Brooke had peas, an orange slice and water. I think she enjoyed the "num-nums" more than the game, but we're not above bribery in this family.

P.S. I'm not a completely horrible wife. I tried to take her to the WWS game on Friday - she looked really cute in her orange and white (I didn't get a photo of it, naturally)- but we were deterred by horrible parking, a whiny girl who was up past her bedtime and Brooke.

Excuses, Excuses

Part of the reason that I've been neglectful of the blog lately is that so many of the fun things that Brooke's doing are either hard to capture in a photo or I don't have the camera around when it happens. For instance, WE HAVE FORWARD MOTION! Halleljah! It's not consistent, but it gives me hope that she won't have to back down the aisle on her wedding day. She's also putting rings ON her stacker and putting blocks INTO her bucket. Not a big deal to most people, but need I remind you that I'm an OT?

She's also becoming more and more verbal and I kept the camera in her face until I had proof. In the first video, she imitates the words, "tickle, tickle" (sorry for her whining - I told you I was being persistent). In the second video, I'm taunting her with a canister of puffs to get her to say "Num-num", her word when she's hungry or thirsty.



Finally, we've noticed lately that anytime we ask her a question, her answer seems to be "yup". After answering me, she went on about what she thought of her dinner.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Brooke and I went to St. Louis for Labor Day weekend and I did a pathetic job of capturing our visit. We went for my "pseudo-niece", Mati's, birthday party and Brooke slept through it and I took zero photos.

On our last day, I took Brooke for a laundry basket ride and she played with Grandma Gigi.


If I ever have aspirations of designing vacation pamphlets, I don't think I'll put this entry on my resume.

*Edit - now that I'm back at work, it seems to be easiest for me to do a blog-entry dump about once a week. So for those of you who like to check daily, I'll suggest just reading an entry every couple of days.*