EIGHT MONTHS

I got an email yesterday that completely broke my heart. It said, "At 8 months, your infant is almost a toddler." How have eight months already gone by?! How can my tiny little baby almost be a toddler?! Every time I feed Brooklyn or those rare times she lets me hold her (most active child you will ever meet) I just stare into her eyes and try to capture the moment. 

Some of my favorite things she has started lately:

-saying mama and dada, to the correct parent (this is very gratifying after all those months of blank stares)

-she calls my name when she wants something in the sweetest little voice

-she reaches out her hands when she wants to be picked up

-she is a very speedy and determined crawler

-she twists her bottle in her mouth, alternating between hands in a very cool way

-she likes to pull her self up and press her face on all kitchen appliances

-the moment i walk through the door she calls to me and wants to jump into my arms

-she likes and dislikes different toys

-she knows when she is doing something naughty and will make a little guilty face

-she is still teething aka drooling profusely (since 3 months) but no teeth yet

-she follows me around and hangs on my leg

-she still sleeps through the night and doesn't wake up until 9:30 some mornings

-she knows when it is time for bed and will quietly sit in her crib until she falls asleep

-if we go into check on her and she is still awake she gets unbelievably excited, border line turns into a bucking bronco, jumps crazy, smiling and laughing all over her crib, sometimes even head first into the crib walls

-she picks up baby cherrios with her finger and thumb, every so carefully and places them in her mouth

-she loves the water: pools, baths, anything

-she walks around the coffee table and then moves to walking around the couch

-when i do a fake laugh or high pitched noise she loses it laughing

-she uses her hand to bang on things: her belly, the floor, the bottle while she's drinking

-she has started "playing" with other littles- taking and offering toys or crawling to sit together, wanting to touch their faces, hands, etc

-when she hears music she does dance moves, both while seated and standing up

And the very best for last:

-when i ask for a kiss she moves her face toward my cheek, opens her mouth and presses it there for a minute, after we both cheer and she is very proud. 

We love our Brooklyn more and more every day. 

LIFE LATELY VIA OUR IPHONE

SICK BABY

Brooklyn is almost eight months old and just got sick for the very first time. I think it could have something to do with her first trip to the gym daycare last Wednesday and then to a church baby play room on Saturday. I have been so excited for her to start interacting, playing and sharing with other babies I forgot about the swapping of germs.

It is so heartbreaking to see your baby struggle to breathe, cough and cry in pain. I also have appreciation for parents that have babies who do not sleep. Tuesday and Wednesday night was almost no sleep. Brooklyn woke up every 30 minutes crying because she couldn't breath. We had to use the nose suction which caused her to scream, really wake up and then need to be rocked back to sleep- a painful cycle. Both the next mornings I woke up at 5AM and barely was able to keep my eyes open through the day. Thursday night I realized I couldn't make it to work the next morning and did a work from home day, half dead. I also canceled my girl's trip to Texas this weekend with two of my best friends Bridget and Colleen, so sad! Wish I was with you guys!!

^^ poor girl struggling to drink her bottle 

Little girl seems to be on the up today, smiling and coughing/crying less. We will not be leaving the house this weekend until she is feeling 100%. Hope your weekend is going better than ours!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Hope your St. Patrick's day weekend was as fun as ours! 

WARRIORS GAME

Last Friday we took Brooklyn to her first ever Warriors game! For all those who live outside of CA the Golden State Warriors are the local NBA team, like the Celtics or Lakers. I remember when Rob and I were dating one of my roommates knew he was a big basketball fan and offered us really good seats. I thought it was a farm league or something so I declined, sorry babe!

Brooklyn was really good, sitting on my lap and kind of watching the most of the game. She was very impressed with the different light displays and sounds. She really liked when they shut off the lights and turned the disco ball on before the players came out. We went with two friends from Rob's work so we were able to pass B around when she started moving too much. All was great until the last quarter when they passed out the clappers. We were sitting behind the opponents net and everyone clapped whenever the other team went for a shot. This frightened Brooklyn more than I have ever seen. Unfortunately we had to remove her from the section and split the fourth quarter walking around up top. The night was a success overall and further confirms we have the easiest baby in the world.

^^all snazzy for her big night out

^^ i had to include all the above pictures because they were making THE SAME FACE in every one.

^^ before the clapping got going 

MY NEWFOUND LOVE FOR SAN DIEGO

The city of San Diego is a favorite for so many people. I have been there about fifteen different times between personal and weekend work trips but never loved it. The things that come to mind when I think San Diego are the dirty streets, the overwhelming amount of homeless people, the crazy drunks at night, the below warm, unpredictable weather and lack of beach near downtown area. 

My perception changed last weekend while Rob and I were down there for a work/work rewards trip from Thursday to Sunday. Rob had meetings Thursday and Friday while I worked in LA and attended the W&R sponsored events at night. The weekend was ours for a much needed mom and dad only trip full of relaxation and fun (Brooklyn stayed with my in-laws in CA). We did the usual 5th Ave, Gaslamp Quarter, eating at several awesome restaurants, shopping, seeing a movie, going to a karaoke event, walking around exploring little shops, getting ice cream, etc. On the last day of our trip we decided to rent GoCars and get a guided tour of the city. This opened my eyes to the expansive history and a lot of different areas I hand't been to; little Italy, Petco Park, beach front area and Balboa Park.

^^ i still get so so happy every time i see my "new" last name in print

^^cute husband leaving for his day of meetings, all Waddell & Reed'ed out 

^^A silver lining to my 4 hour drive from LA to SD on friday afternoon... 

Hello, Easter 

^^gaslamp 

^^creepy dark theater shot

^^melting pot, this one in san diego is our favorite!

^^ i forgot work pants,  so did rob. we are organized. 

^^at the start of our GoCar adventure

^^ kissing WHILE driving!

^^such a fun trip in san diego! we will be back!!