Christmas

We had a busy Christmas weekend! On Christmas Eve we went to Canton to visit my grandmother. It was the first Christmas without my grandfather so the entire family made a point to go visit her for a while. We even got the family to take a picture with my grandmother. We were missing my aunt, Ouida, but she was home getting ready for all of us to invade their house!. :) We left Canton and headed to my uncle's house in Waleska for dinner and opened presents. The night went better than expected. We missed my Granddaddy but had fun just being together. Mom, Dad, Eric & Evan came home with us to stay for the weekend.

On Christmas morning when Brennan woke up she came walking into the den and was so excited to see the Christmas tree. Santa had moved it from the office (where it was protected from little exploring hands) to the den. She would not stop looking at it and touching all the ornaments, I really think she could have cared less for the presents. So after everyone else came down and my sister and her boyfriend arrived we let the kids open their gifts from Santa. Brennan got a baby doll that laughs when you touch her tummy and a baby doll stroller. My grandparents arrived so we made breakfast and ate. After breakfast we opened presents from everyone. Brennan got a tray with some play food, a Vtech Touch and Teach Turtle, an outfit, books, a Little People Palace, a pull out Princess couch and a book from Grammi & Papa for her & Ethan to share. The book was one where my parents recorded themselves reading the book, Brennan loves it! We finished opening the presents and then Vicki & Leonard came over. We visited for a while and had lunch. They brought Brennan the cutest outfit, a pair of leggings with a long sweater. Not long after they left me, my sister & mom started cooking our Christmas dinner. We were in the kitchen cooking for hours but the end result made it all worthwhile! We ended the night with our annual family picture.



The next day we went to Memaw & Papaw's for their Christmas gathering. We got to see pretty much everyone except those who live out of town. We had a nice lunch and got to visit with everyone. Brennan got a chance to play with her cousin, Kaylee, who is 6 months older.

When we left we headed home. My dad's family was coming to our house for our Christmas celebration. As soon as we got home it was Brennan's nap time so we put her down. She slept through the family opening presents. When she got up she was able to open her presents. She got a little car from Uncle Eric & Evan. Grandma & Grandpa gave her an outfit with a furry pink jacket. She loved the jacket so much she wanted to wear it most of the night.

On Sunday we went to Gammi & Poppy's house for brunch. They made an awesome breakfast casserole & french toast, plus we had fresh fruit which made it even better. Brennan loved the cantaloupe! After we ate and cleaned up Brian, Melinda, Chandler & Weston arrived. We let the kids open their presents. Gammi & Poppy gave Brennan some books and money. We plan on using the money to open her a checking account. We then went to the basement where the kids could run around and play. They had a good time playing and we enjoyed visiting with everyone.

A Visit With Santa

I'm so behind on blogging it's not even funny. On Dec 5th we took the kids to see Santa. I wasn't sure how Brennan would react. She doesn't like Leo at church (a guy dressed as a friendly lion) she is terrified of him. But we have to get the kids pictures taken with Santa, right? So we went to Discover Mills and found Santa. We stood in line for a while and I kept trying to point him out to her. I wanted her to see him with other kids, etc. Every time I tried to point him out she would look at something else. Well our turn came and we let Ethan go talk to him first and have his picture taken. Then I wanted a picture of both kids with Santa. I put her down in his lap and for about 20 seconds she was ok. At least they were able to get a picture! I really wanted her to have a picture with him alone but she wasn't having it so I sat next to Santa and held her in my lap. Ethan has never been scared of Santa so this was all new to me. I guess one kid has to have that fear!




















When I got all the Christmas stuff out Brennan had a blast going through all of it. She found our Santa hat and tried to put it on. I put it on her head and of course had to take a few shots.

Growing up way to fast

I can't believe how fast Brennan is growing up. On Oct 19th she took her first steps. She would occasionally take steps but preferred crawling until 2 weeks ago. Over a couple of days she started walking more & more. Then all of a sudden she was walking everywhere!! We love it! It's the cutest thing to watch her walk. Ethan loves to take her hand and walk around the house with her, it's adorable.

Brennan is also saying a bunch of words. She can say: Mama, Dada, Bubba (aka brother), Papa, Grammi, Grandpa, Grandma, book, bye bye, good girl, doggie, woof woof, more, hi and hello. I feel like I'm missing a couple too. She loves to look at pictures. Every time you pick her up she points to pictures and we tell her who is in the picture. I swear we do this 100x/day. She also loves to look at books and loves to be read to. When I sit on the floor she'll go get a book, bring it to me and sit in my lap while I read it. When I'm done she'll get up, go get another book and bring it back.

The other night we went to Chick-Fil-A for milkshakes. I gave Brennan some in her own cup. Once she took one sip she couldn't stop. I'm glad I didn't give her a lot! She was so cute drinking that milkshake that I had to take pictures!







Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving Day:

Halloween

I was so excited for Halloween this year. I couldn't wait to pick out Brennan's costume. At first I wanted her to be a lady bug but the store was out of them. So we decided on a witch, it was the cutest witch costume that I have ever seen. I couldn't wait for Brennan to wear it.

The weekend before Halloween, Sterling on the Lake had a Pumpkin Festival. All the kids were encouraged to dressed up because they were going to have a Costume Parade. So we dress her up and she was so cute! Her witch hat was almost too small but we managed to keep it on her for a few minutes while we took pictures. We went to the Pumpkin Festival and met Gammi & Poppy there. It was a really cold day so we had Brennan in her stroller most of the time bundled up with a blanket. When it was time for the parade the kids & I went and got in line. We couldn't keep Brennan's hat on because it was too windy.

A few days before Halloween we decided to carve our pumpkin. Ethan's favorite part is picking out which face Stephen will cut out. He doesn't really like cleaning out the pumpkin. Not Brennan, she was putting her hands all in it! After we cleaned it all out I told Stephen to put her in the pumpkin, she wasn't so sure about that.















On Halloween we put her in her costume again and we all went to Publix to trick-or-treat with The Lee's. Then afterwards we went to The Lowe's to trick-or-treat in their neighborhood. I didn't take Brennan door to door, we just walked around with Ethan. When we got back Kimberly took some pictures of Brennan in her costume and they turned out really cute. In one pic it looks like she's posing . . .



















Ethan & Brennan getting ready to go trick-or-treating











Here are some pictures we took before we dressed the kids up. We all had our Halloween shirts on.

1 year checkup

At Brennan's 1 year checkup she weighed 21 lbs 10 1/2 oz. and she measured at 29 1/2" tall. She is about the 60th percentile in both. She had to get her follow up flu shot and a couple of others. The day after the shots she ran a little fever for about 1/2 the day. This was a first for her, she's never had any problems with the shots other than soreness.

She can now say Mama, Dada, Papa, Bye Bye, Hi, Hello, Thank You and Bob. We are not sure what Bob is but we think she's referring to Ethan. She is standing on her own a lot more now and has taken a couple of little steps but would rather crawl. I would really like for her to walk but I also know that means a lot more work for us. :)

ETA: I thought of a few more words Brennan says. She also says nana (banana) and I love you!

Last week I took Brennan to get her one year pictures done. They turned out awesome (of course)!!

Brennan's 1st Birthday

I am still in shock that our baby girl is a year old. I can't believe how fast the past year has flown by and how much she has grown. On Friday (her actual birthday) I made cupcakes with chocolate icing so she could have something on her birthday. My brother & nephew were already in town so they got to celebrate with us. I put her in her chair and she started crying. As soon as I brought out the cupcake the tears stopped instantly. She dug into that cupcake so fast and I think she ate it in 3 seconds! After she got the cupcake all over her we gave her a bath and then let her open her presents from us. She was excited to rip the paper off the presents, it was so fun to watch. We bought her a cute little outfit that came with a matching purse and a tea set. She picked up the tea cup and put it to her mouth like she was drinking it! I'm sure we'll be having lots of tea parties!!














On Saturday we had her birthday party. It was a huge success and we had 41 people at our house. We had the party from 11:30-2p. I chose that time because that is one of her happiest times of the days (except for when she wakes up in the morning but I didn't think anyone wanted to be here for a party at 7a!). We made BBQ pork & chicken for lunch and it came out awesome. After lunch we let Brennan open her presents. She got some really cute outfits, books, toys, a baby doll, a stroller that is also a walker and a princess car. I don't want to offend anyone that gave her a present but the princess car is her favorite. It is the first toy she goes to when she wakes up everyday. She has even used it as a ladder. The other day Stephen & I were in the kitchen making lunch and Brennan was playing in the living room. Stephen looked up to check on her and she was sitting on the ottoman. She had pushed her princess car next to the ottoman, stood on it and climbed up on the ottoman. Yes, she is our monkey and trouble maker!! :)

After presents we let her eat her cake. She had her very own cake and got really excited when we pulled it out. She had it all over her and was rubbing it in her hands like lotion. I had her wear her Birthday Girl shirt so it would get dirty. I thought it would be cute to keep it and when she gets older I could pull it out and show her how stained it was. I washed the shirt 2 days after the party and it came out completely clean, I couldn't believe it. She had cake and icing everywhere on that shirt. Oh well, we have plenty of pictures to show!

On Sunday, we went to Canton to visit my grandmother. Since my grandfather passed away she has been in a home and there was no way she could be at the party on Saturday. I decided that we would go up there and have a little party with her. I brought the leftover cupcakes from Friday and I let Brennan have one again. My grandmother couldn't believe I was letting her get it everywhere but I think she enjoyed watching her eat that cupcake. It was a bittersweet day, I was glad to be able to spend time with my Granny but was also sad that my Granddaddy wasn't there. I'm sure he was looking down on us though.

Click here to see all the pictures from her birthday weekend.

Vacation '09

A couple of weeks ago we went to the beach for our summer vacation. This was Brennan's first time at the beach. I wasn't sure how she would react to the sand. The first time Ethan went he was 9 months old and he hated the sand. Well, Brennan loved it! Not only did she eat a few fistfuls but she had no problem crawling in the sand and getting it all over her. One day I was sitting in my beach chair (which is low to the ground) and she decided she wanted to crawl underneath it. She literally had her face in the sand and didn't care a bit. She had a great time exploring the beach and destroying the sand castles. Every time we would walk out onto the beach she was practically jumping out of my arms to get down.

To see all our pictures/videos click here.

It's hard to believe that in less than two weeks she will be one! Where has the past year gone? We are really excited for her party and to celebrate with all our family & friends. I can't wait to see her dig into the cake, I know she is going to love it!!




On Labor Day, Gammi, Poppy, Memaw & Papaw came to visit. We were able to get the kids to take a couple of pictures with their great-grandparents (and it was no easy feat!). Brennan was crying in some of the pictures and Ethan was pouting in some (he didn't want his picture taken) but we finally got a cute one! They won't be able to be at Brennan's birthday party so they brought her presents. Memaw & Papaw bought her a cute little dress for winter. Gammi & Poppy bought her a cute dress for the spring and some touch & feel books. She loves books and especially the touch & feel ones!

I have some catching up to do

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted. I guess we've been busy. Brennan is eating everything! She loves just about anything you give her except cottage cheese (she gagged when I fed it to her). Right now one of her favorite foods is bananas. This is shocking to us because neither Stephen, Ethan or I like them. I can tolerate them a little more than Stephen (he won't even feed one to her) and I'm glad she likes them. She will eat a whole one for snack! She also loves pancakes. I occasionally make them for breakfast and she'll eat one or two. She is still mostly eating baby food but always gets samples of what we are having.

A few weeks ago Brennan started waving. She has a Tickle Me Elmo and every time we would turn him on she would start waving at him. I've also been trying to teach Brennan how to clap. Then couple of weeks ago while she was sitting in her high chair waiting for her lunch she started to clap! It was so cute!! A day or two later when we turned on Elmo she didn't wave, she just clapped. Check out this video:




An extra picture, she loves wearing my sunglasses! Oh, I failed to mention that she finally got her other top tooth. No more Ms. Snaggletooth!

9 month checkup

I took Brennan this week for her 9 month checkup. She weighs 20 lbs 11 oz and was 29" long. I was amazed that she had only gained 1 lb 2 oz in the last 3 months. All the crawling and pulling up must be burning a lot of calories! They had to take some blood to check her iron and when they pricked her toe she didn't flinch. (Ethan left the room because he can't stand it when they prick her.) She did get a little mad when the nurse was squeezing her foot to get blood but she never cried. When the doctor came in she said her iron was perfect and so was everything else. She was happy to hear that Brennan was eating so many different foods. Brennan had to have one shot so while the nurse was giving her the shot I held her hands and played with her. She didn't cry at all! I was so shocked and Ethan was happy! She's such a brave little girl.

4th of July

We had a busy but fun weekend! We went to a pool party on Friday at our friends house, the Saucedo's. Brennan had a great time swimming! We tried out her new raft and she loved it, just kept kicking her legs. I forgot the memory card to my camera so I couldn't take any pictures. I was able to get some pictures later that day at home. Gammi bought Brennan a 4th of July onesie so we had a little photo shoot. On Saturday we were supposed to go to Stephen's aunts house but Stephen was burned from being in the sun on Friday and Ethan had a little of sunburn too so we decided to stay home.

A few months ago I found the cutest dress that I wanted Brennan to wear for the 4th. I put it on her and of course we had to have another photo shoot. I swear she loves the camera. Whenever she sees the light on the camera she starts to smile. Maybe we have a future fashion model???

That evening we went to the Mall of GA to watch fireworks. We got there around 6:30p and set up our "compound". The Lee's and Saucedo's met us there and shortly after we all ate dinner. I had made chicken salad for Stephen & I and Brennan kept eyeing my sandwich. So I gave her a little piece of chicken and of course she ate it up and was looking for more. Around 9:30p the fireworks started and Brennan hardly took her eyes off of them, she was mesmerized.

Food, Food, Food

Brennan is starting to eat more table food. One night I made green beans so I gave her a couple of bites and she ate them up. I've given her crackers, macaroni & cheese, bananas and peaches also. Today I gave her black eyed peas and she loved them. She couldn't put them in her mouth fast enough. By the end of lunch they were all over her face, hands and under her chin. I'm so looking forward to giving her other foods to try.

Brennan update

I'm not sure where the time has gone but I can't believe it's almost been a month since I last posted. I hope I can remember everything Brennan has done, said, accomplished etc. She now has 4 teeth; 3 on the bottom and one on the top. The teething process is not being kind to her, she seems to be in pain a lot. I just don't remember Ethan having this hard of a time. I feel for her and I try to do what I can to make her comfortable. My friend, Michelle, gave us some Hyland's Teething Tablets and they seem to work pretty well. I have also given her ibuprofen a couple of nights so she could sleep. She doesn't like for you to look in her mouth so I really haven't been able to get pictures of the teeth but when I get her to smile really big you can see a few of them.

Last weekend the kids & I went to TN to visit my parents. It was my first trip alone with two kids and it went unbelievably well! They both were great on the way up, we only stopped once! When we got there we were greeted by my dad's dog, Dusty. Brennan has never seen him (actually she hasn't seen too many dogs) and she was so excited when I got her out of the car. I leaned down so she could get a better look and Dusty licked her hand. She squealed and started laughing. All weekend she would get excited to see him. One day we were outside and she was in the baby pool. Dusty came around and laid down near the pool, Brennan leaned over and held her hand out to touch him but she wasn't close enough. I thought it was so cute so I got up to take a picture and this is the shot:
Oops













I felt bad about that so I made it up to her.









On Friday (June 12th) she said her 2nd word and it wasn't Dada. It was Papa, my dad was really excited but he also felt bad that she had not said Dada yet. So for the rest of the weekend he tried to teach her to say Dada but she still won't say it. It really is cute whenever she says Papa because she always whispers it. I also think she is trying to say bye-bye although Ethan thinks she is saying bubba.

She's crawling so much better now and is getting into everything, I can barely keep up with her! Then on Saturday (June 13th) she pulled up for the first time all by herself. She loved pulling up on my parents coffee table and getting into their magazines, remotes and anything else she could find. Once we got home she pulled up on the fireplace and then figured out that she could climb up on it too. One day she climbed up and then fell off backwards. She hit the back of her head and cried for a few minutes then the moment she got down she was climbing back on it. So I went and got the big gate out to keep her away from it for a while.

Yesterday we went to my grandparents house and as soon as Brennan was down she started exploring. They have an entertainment center and Brennan immediately crawled over to it. I had to move some things from the bottom shelf and then she got in and sat down. I remembered that in September 2005 Ethan climbed into the same shelf. Here's one of Ethan & one of Brennan.

































Here are a couple more pictures we took today.