Happy 9 month Birthday !!!

I cannot believe my little man is 3/4 of a year old- CRAZY! We just booked his 1st Birthday party at the Philadelphia Zoo- so exciting and yet it makes me want to cry.

So Brooksles (that nickname is courtesy of Eric). Here is what you are up to at 9 months

Every single day you do something new. You have your strength and are trying to learn how to use it
* you sit easily on your own, I don't even worry much about cushions for you anymore.
* you propel yourself from sitting to a crawling position. This is the point you get really annoyed that you don't know how to go farther. Eventually you kerplunk onto your tummy
* you just started scooching backwards - half real crawl, half army crawl
* you lift yourself from a crawling position to your hands and feet (kind of like a yoga position)
*you are just starting to pull up on things- you use me, your toys, your chair and work yourself from sitting- to your knees, and eventually to standing. But you are not too good at that yet, I have to be around
* You are going to the big boy bath because of pulling up using the bathtub in the kitchen
* We are lowering your crib this weekend because you attempted to pull up on the mobile, better to lower it now before you master your skills and topple out!
*you stand holding onto things- and sometimes let go and stand on your own for a few seconds before falling
* you are babbling up a storm- the consonants you say are h, a hard k, a hard g, m, and b
* YOU HAVE A TOOTH!!!! it broke through on 3/16. It is still very low and not visible, but it is through the gum and I can feel the sharp little pointy vampire tooth with my fingers (not that you let me feel it willingly)
* you love your mommy and daddy- we get the best greetings from you
* you have started to grunt to indicate what you want- you look at it and go ugh ugh ugh
*you are wary of strangers- they have to earn a smile. It isn't until you see how Daddy and Mommy act that you open up- and even then they usually only get a close lipped smile, sometimes only a half smile
* you eat almost everything now (except the high allergy foods we avoid and fish). You had corned beef for St Patty's Day, tofu at the sushi restaurant, and you eat a wheat blueberry waffle every day for breakfast
* You are taking pity on Mommy and sleeping like a champ. For about a week now you have been sleeping 8-8:20 and only getting up once between 5-6 to eat.
* You are taking 2 naps a day at about 1 hr 40 mins each
* You are interacting more and enjoying things like gymboree and playgroups
* You love to look out the window, in the mirror, or go outside
* you snuggle up and lay your head on our shoulders if you are real tired- but otherwise you are pretty independant and just want to try to move around and play
* you are perfect and wonderful and the love of our lives


1 month vs 4 months vs 9 months- oh how you have grown!





(his face seems to say 'How many more times do we have to do this Mom!?!')


Fun in the chair! (and evidence of pulling up on it to stand!)






More interested in eating his 9 month sticker than showing it off...

Pulling up!



You are such a happy baby!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

And Happy 9 monthday Brooks!!!

The 9 month post will be coming tomorrow.. for today we will just say we hope everyone enjoyed their day and May the Luck of the Irish be with you! And Yes! Brooks is Irish from my mother's side.

Taking pictures of the leprechaun is very hard!



I could not get him to look at me for anything. It was beautiful here- 70 and sunny- and this is really the first he has been out and about since he has been old enough to take everything in (besides the swing- but that is confined so doesn't count). Not to mention- looking up put the sun in his eyes.



Due to the beautiful weather and the bright sun- I could get no smiles, this is the best I got.



Eric was home early from work and we took the dog to the park to play frisbee. I tried to sneak in a few more shots and get Ming involved.

Brooks thought it was hysterical, Ming not so much







Ming at the park- she is a frisbee dog!

What a wonderful weekend...

Well- it may have been rainy, but we had a great weekend! Saturday Eric was on baby duty and I got to go get a pedicure and mini massage to help ring in the spring. Then the 3 of us went to Gymboree class together- Eric's first time. We had a blast. Later that night, we went out for dinner at a new sushi place that opened 2 blocks from the house (it was good but not great). Sunday we didn't do much at all- it was lazy but nice.
Miracle of miracles Brooks has been sleeping slightly better. He has been waking 1 time at night and for the past 5 days has been taking 2 naps a day- each of which has been 1hr 45 mins. I am not bragging (God knows if I do tomorrow will be horrendous sleepwise), but I am hopeful that maybe he is getting there.

Here is Brooks and Eric at gymboree- watch it through to the end, I can't stop laughing.


Here we are at the sushi restaurant- Brooks had tofu

Rain rain go away...

Well, I guess another beautiful weekend was too much to ask for- but at least this week was nice and Brooks and I got to enjoy lots of outdoor time. We took Ming to the park and threw the frisbee around, had playgroups, had playdates with other moms and walked to the coffee shop, and just enjoyed this pre-spring. I cannot wait for it to be nice out full time- it has been fantastic getting out of the house and outside!

What else is going on around here?

Well- his royal cuteness remains cute





I have started feeding him without a shirt because even in clothes he gets sooo messy.




I have to figure out what to do about a playmat- he has been doing this nonstop ever since he started flinging himself from a sitting position to his tummy... I have no idea how to solve this issue, but YUK!


We had a playdate with Sammy Hesh- who is 3 or so months younger than B.

We are working on the sippy cup- he doesn't quite get how to tip it himself, but he loves drinking water.



And, he is really getting way too big for his whale bath tub. I dread moving him to the upstairs tub because we have glass doors rather than a shower curtain, and the toilet is right next to the faucet side, and I feel like it will be so difficult.



And lastly- A VIDEO!!! Now this is not a very exciting video, but you can see how close he is to crawling, and you can also hear how annoyed and disgruntled he is about his inability to move. He is getting very very frustrated with being stationary- I think crawling will be within the next few weeks for sure!

Beautiful Weekend

Brooks is feeling much better- his cold seems to be all better! Just in time for the beautiful weather. Spring is coming to Philly- and it is about time! We had a great weekend- Eric worked a little bit but we had plenty of time to do some family things. We went to the park, went for walks with the dog, went to happy hour, and my parents came into town to have brunch. We had brunch at Sabrina's- which is 2 blocks away and great- the wait for a table on the weekends is upwards of an hour. We were a bit brave and ordered Brooks banana wheat pancakes- he LOVED them.

(photo courtesy of Grandpa!)


Not to much to update since the last post... B and I have been out and about. Lately we have been playing a lot with bubbles. We do this at gymboree and those songs stick in your head, so we have had tons of bubble time at home. Let me tell you something- the bubbles and bubble blower that gymboree sells is awesome- and those bubbles don't pop- but fall and stick on everything!



Bubbles are fun, but let's take a break to do our business!

ahhh that's better!



And- another new food this week! Guacamole!!! (okay- mushed up avocado, but hey- that's baby guac if you ask me). I tried avocado a month or so ago but he wasn't feeling it, this time- success!! (albeit a messy success!)

Limited Time Only

Nudie Baby has been removed- if you didn't see it, you missed one adorable tush!

In other news: My little guy is sick and it is breaking my heart to look at him and see the bags under his eyes. For 5 days now he has been fighting a low fever and his nose is just poring liquid. I know it could be way worse, but it is just so sad. I feel terrible that he isn't feeling well and getting the rest he needs :(

Healthy baby last saturday getting into trouble:

I didn't do it I swear...


No really, it wasn't me?


Fine, you caught me, but this is so much fun!


And here is how he has looked all week- bags under his eyes and laying his head on everything. I know it is wrong to enjoy him being sick, and I really don't, but my heart is melting at all the head laying he is doing.

NEW TV!!!

Before: please ignore the mess. I was cleaning out the entertainment unit and gathering all the kiddie stuff to move it to the basement when I realized I should take a before picture:


After- we don't like the entertainment unit and hope they let us return it. It sticks out way too far. That is why all the wires are hanging out- wasn't worth making it all neat if we are just going to get rid of it. I also painted the molding covering the wires to match the wall so that is barely visible now. We ordered a black cabinet/console that is half the depth of this one and I think it will look great when it comes in.
The new tv is really cool because we got a bluray player that streams netflix movies and youtube. We can watch all our videos of B on the big screen!