Well, my cousin Courtney has informed me that way too much time has passed since I last updated, so I think it's about time that I did. :)
We are doing very well, though we've been busy as usual. Ryan's second job is wearing him down, and he's already anticipating the day when he won't have to work 7 days a week anymore. Bless him, he works so hard for us. God willing that day won't be too far off. I've been trying to help out by eBaying some things. Clothes, and brand new Clinique makeup that I got from a nice Freecycler. Ryan also gave me the go-ahead to order tickets through a pre-sale for the upcoming Keith Urban/Carrie Underwood concert. Not for us to attend, of course, but for me to sell. (I did it once for a Kenny Chesney concert, and made a boatload.) I asked him if I could try and do it again IF I were able to get really good seats, and he agreed. Well... I got two 4th row seats! I currently have them listed on StubHub, but will auction them on eBay if they don't sell on their own by about March 25th. I expect to double my profit with them.
Brooke is doing GREAT--she's just a happy, babbling, curious baby. She loves playing with her toys a lot more now, and is forever putting things in her mouth. She babbles on with "ba," "da," and "ma," but obviously isn't forming real words just yet. She has been napping a lot longer these past few days, so she must be going through a growth spurt! She's definitely a tall one... she has been wearing 9 month clothes for a while now, but will probably need to move to 12 month relatively soon. (mostly in Carter's sizes) Carters brand clothes have been great, because they're cut more for a tall baby. Some brands of baby clothes look like they'd be more suitable for a short, squat, chubby baby... which Brooke is not! She has her next appointment on the 25th of this month, and I'm curious to know how much she has grown.
She is obsessed with glasses of water, and will grab for the glass if you hand it to her. She will drink from it, but only half the time she will actually swallow the water. :) I think she likes that it is cold. I figured she'd like a sippy cup, since she obviously likes our glasses, but she wasn't a huge fan yet. She is expanding her food horizons, and has just added a new favorite to her list: Squash! So far, she LOVES bananas, carrots, and squash. Applesauce and peaches got big thumbs down, and she quickly learned not to tolerate rice cereal anymore once more exciting foods entered her world. I can't say I really blame her... rice cereal smells like paste. I guess that's fitting, because it looks an awful lot like paste, too. Can't blame the kid on that one!
With the nicer weather rolling in, Brooke and I have been able to take walks/jogs outdoors. She's able to sit up in her stroller now without being in her car seat, which is a whole new level of exciting in her eyes. Along with the warmer weather came... bugs. I have to say, I did not at all miss the bugs. I told Ryan that I saw my first spider of the year in the garage yesterday, and he asked, "Ah, did you tell him hi?" To which I replied, "I told him "hi" alright, then promptly squashed him."
I know I'm bigger than a bug, but, contrary to common belief, I can guarantee I'm more afraid of him than he is of me. What may sound rather shocking is that I used to love bugs as a kid. (My poor Mom.) I remember getting a cute bug catcher as a gift for one of my birthdays, and I used to catch lady bugs, roly polys, lightning bugs, all sorts of different critters... but now? I can't stand bugs. Unfortunately, as much as I love our townhouse, and love that it backs to woods, this means we see our fair share of bugs. No, scratch that, I see my fair share of bugs. I was vacuuming our tiled front entryway yesterday, and to my horror, I sucked up roughly a dozen curled up, baby centipedes. Uuuuuugh! I think we need new weatherstripping under our front door, because I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be able to see sunlight through it. I know, they'll probably get inside no matter what, but it wouldn't hurt to make it a bit more difficult for them. They probably see it as a welcome invitation.
I really hate bugs. If Brooke takes after me, (the former me, as a bug-loving child) I'm really in for it.
So, on to something I love: my daughter! I have quite a few pictures to share. Enjoy!
Hanging out in her Brooke chair
"Look, no hands!"
Brooke & Mommy
Kisses for Brooke!
"Baby's got... blue eyes"
Watching basketball with Daddy
Those eyes.. that face.. Bound to break some hearts
