Don't Blink!

Here I "roll" again...

What was the big fuss about?

-Brooks rolled from his back to belly for first time! He is such a big boy! We are so proud of him. He of course decided to show off his hard work at G-Ma's house. I was working and missed the big milestone. Probably won't be the last time. That is the hard part about being a working mommy. I miss out on so much during the day. I love spending time with him and it is hard being away for long days...but probably the best in the long run. He is adjusting so great to being around so many different people (and dogs!). He has an "on the go" schedule and usually "goes with the flow". This is hard when trying to establish a nap schedule. However, I have found that as long as you are offering him naps...he will take them. This usually does the trick. He may never be a "10 and 2" napper...but whatever works! Of course this makes it difficult for planning out the day, but it is probably helping me be more flexible.

-He tried squash and loved them! He is now almost "singing" when eating and opens his mouth wide to take a bite. Plan to try sweet potatoes next and then onto the fruits.

-I am really enjoying watching him grow and I feel like I can't blink because I'll miss something. I LOVE this age and don't want him to grow up. He is my heart.

INDY 500

Mommy's first Indy 50o!!

Just chilling...

Not too sure about having to share my mommy

-We had a great Memorial weekend! Our good friends, Mandy and Toby, from St. Louis came into town with their 23 month old little boy, Nicholas. It was SO nice of them to take the time to visit us. We had a great time. Nicholas is such a smart boy and so funny! I can't wait until Brooks is able to run around after him. Brooks really enjoyed watching Nicholas play around him.

-I went to my first Indy 500! It was so much fun and so crazy there! It was amazing to be so close to those Indy cars. It was loud and hot!! Of course I had to go to the hottest race day on record. Oh well....well worth it. Thanks to my sister and brother for watching Brooks and Nicholas while the adults could have some fun!!

Play Time!

Mommy decided to give in and let me have fun

in my exersaucer...everything in moderation!

Must play, no sleep, must play, no sleep...

-Brooks is doing great this week and really into playing with toys. He is grabbing for everything! He especially loves cold bottles. He is doing well on the rice and oatmeal cereal. We started green beans on Friday and he was not too sure about them. Tried them again today and he did much better! He really loves making a mess by chewing on the spoon after every bite. He even cried when taking the food away today. I think he's starting to get the hang of it!

5 months old

All smiles...

Getting kind of bored...

Oh, what's this?

Got it! I'm so silly!

-Brooks is 5 months old today! Wow...time flies by when you're having fun:) What a different place we ALL are from a few months ago. I am really loving being Brooks' mom. This stage of development is SO much fun and easier than the newborn stage for me. He is such a happy baby now and really social. His smile melts my heart!!

-He still has a lingering cough every once in awhile, but overall is doing great this week. He is back to sleeping 8-9 hours versus the 10-11....but can't be picky! I feel really lucky that he sleeps well at night and is beginning to sleep a little longer for naps. He is doing a little better with the cereal and loves the spoon. I figure we can start something more exciting this weekend. He makes the funniest faces and is enjoying the physical activities/play. I try not to focus on the physical development too much (because that's my day job!), but he's doing great for his age. I'm so proud of him and all he is learning each day. It is such a blessing to have him in my life.

Yummy in my Tummy!

My first go around of real food...yummy?!?

-Brooks had his first bites of rice cereal today now that he is close to 5 months old. His face was priceless after his first taste. We got it on video and will try to upload (not good at all this technical stuff!). He really did well and I think he will like food. No choking or gagging....just reaching for the spoon for more.

-Brooks had been coughing all week when asleep or after feedings. I thought maybe it was reflux. Nope....our baby was getting his first cold. I took him to the doctor Friday and his lungs were clear. I was almost expecting to come home on reflux meds and was not even thinking cold! Typical first time mom! There was no runny nose and only occasional sneezing. The doc wanted us to keep an eye on the cough and asked if we had history of asthma. Ugh...hope its not the start of things to come! Josh had asthma when younger. He has such sensitive skin and stomach...why not lungs?!?

-Brooks has been a sleeping champ lately. Probably because he is not feeling 100%, but it was so nice to have him sleep for 10-11 hours this past week. Of course, next week may bring on something completely different, but for now I'm catching up on my zzzzzz's!

Mommy's First Mother's Day!!!

I really love my mommy!!

-Today was such a special day for me. Brooks is such a blessing in my life and has already taught me so much about myself. I am learning everyday from him and strive to be the best mom for him. I have so much more to learn, but I am excited about this journey ahead of us. He is so much fun to be around and I think he is going to have his dad's sense of humor! He gave me some beautiful flowers and a voice recorded card. Daddy helped out by doing housework....the best gift ever!

-Today is also so special because I have the greatest mom in the world! She has always been my best friend, but having my own child brought us even closer. I have gained so much knowledge just by watching her take care of Brooks. She is so good with him! I feel so blessed to have her in my life and to live so close. Happy Mother's Day to my mom and my mother-in-law (Grammy)...as well as all the mothers out there!!! I have now realized that being a mother is the hardest job on earth....but the most rewarding!

Four Month Pictures

Say Cheese!

I can't get away from these Bulldogs...

Pass the remote

Ah...not too sure about this photo shoot thing...

Oh...I'm getting the hang of it now!

My silly face that mommy loves...

All smiles

-I decided to go ahead and get a few "professional" pictures taken of Brooks at 4 months, 8 months, and then at 12 months. We decided this time to go to Portrait Innovations because we could get a few cute/funny pix for a cheaper price. I just posted a few pictures for you to enjoy. I can't believe Brooks is 4.5 months old! He's doing really well overall and so much fun to be around. He's still spitting up tons after nursing, so I'm struggling with what to do next. I do NOT want to stop nursing...but if he is allergic to something else I'm eating, then it is so hard to figure out what it is without taking EVERYTHING from my diet. So, we'll see what happens in the next few weeks. I'm not giving up quite yet!

My First Hair Trim

Think I need a trim?

Superman!

What's all the fuss about? I think I look good :)

Family event....daddy thought it was crazy to get a trim.

Here I'll help out...

What do you think? Glad Aunt Tammy is a hairstylist

-Ok....don't make fun on me...but Brooks got his first hair trim at 4 months of age. It was getting so long on top that it would do nothing. It looked like he had a comb over when it was greasy. My sister Tammy is a hairstylist at ADo and would not have her nephew looking like that:) So....we decided to give it a little trim on top to help it lay a little better. He's almost bald on the sides, so there really is no good way to fix his hair. It really does not matter because he's so cute any way it looks (ok...I'm a little partial!).

Do you believe in miracles????

I did it!!!

-This week was HUGE for us!!! My mom and I have been beating our heads against the wall trying to figure out why Brooks will not put himself to sleep nor sleep in crib for more than 30 minutes for naps. We were going to get down to the bottom of this now that he was 4 months old. My mom tried a modified version of the Ferber method. Some of you may not agree with this method...but it has been a miracle worker for us! Last Wednesday my mom tried it out for the afternoon nap time and after only a few minutes of crying (seemed like eternity to grandma), he put himself to sleep and slept 45 minutes (see above picture with his "love love"). The next day she did it at am and pm nap time and he did it again! This time slept 2 hr in am and 2.5 hrs in pm!!! He then did a similar thing for me all weekend long. I am SO proud of my big boy. It was like something switched and his nervous system matured. He can now fall asleep and is almost on a nap schedule. I know it could change next week on us...but I now know he CAN do it!!! You have NO idea how huge this is for me and my sanity. I was having such a hard time balancing all my "hats" in my life because Brooks did not nap nor fall asleep on his own. It is hard to get anything done with that schedule. He is working out of his colic and now so amazing to be around. I always thought he was something special...but never knew it could be like this. Like I said....this sleep thing could change tomorrow.....but today I'm counting my blessings. I DO believe in miracles :)

"Holy Roly Poly"

-After getting home from our trip to STL, we laid around and did lots of floor time. All of a sudden he rolled from his tummy to back! I thought it was an accident...but he kept doing it! It was so fun to watch him get so excited. He was so proud of himself...and so were we. We captured it on video, but I'm having a hard time uploading the clip. He's doing so well with his floor time. He loves reaching and grasping toys as well as his toes. He is actually enjoying tummy time as well. It is so fun to watch him change daily!

My First Trip to the STL

My Great Grandpa Postol...how cool!

Grammy Videmscheck giving me a bottle

I got to meet my Cousin Miranda for first time

-We took Brooks, Brutus and Sweet Pea on a road trip to St. Louis. This was our first time traveling as a family. It was a packed car. Brutus was up front with Josh driving. Sweet pea was on one side, Brooks in middle, and I was on other side in backseat. Brooks was a champ again! He slept 3.5 hours straight on the way down there and half of the time on the way home. We stayed with Josh's mom and step dad Friday night. Brooks loved his Grammy! He slept in his pack'n'play for the first time. He did really well considering he was in a new place. We got up the next day and traveled into the city to stay with Josh's dad. Brooks got to meet his Great Grandpa for the first time. It was such a special moment. He also got to meet his Great Aunt Marsha and Uncle Ham. We then went over to our friends' home (Mandy and Toby) for a cookout in honor of Brooks. It was so nice to catch up with everyone. We had to leave a little early to avoid a big sleepy meltdown by Brooks. He is still struggling to fall asleep on his own, which makes nap time hard. Brooks did so great on his first family road trip and we were so proud of him. It was a busy, jam-packed weekend...but he loved all the attention!

4 months old

Don't make fun of my hair...it needs a trim!

-Happy Birthday Daddy! We love you so much!

-Brooks is now 4 months old. He weighs 16 lb 3 oz (75th percentile) and 27 in long (97th percentile). Still a big boy. He did so great with his shots (actually checkup was 4/30) and barely cried. He slept extra long that night. He is doing great and very healthy. He is now getting a few formula bottles of the Similac Sensitive. I had to cut out dairy from my diet due to Brooks' gas, fussiness, green poops, skin sensitivity...and it seems to have helped! I now have no storage breast milk to give him when I'm gone, so we had to supplement. It actually is nice to not have that "pressure" on me to provide all his meals :) I am slowly building back my storage supply. His bm's have slowed down due to the formula. Poor guy....only goes about 1 time every 3 days. The doc said we could start cereal feedings when we were ready. I think I'm going to start when he is 5 months old...just one more thing to have to do! He's sleeping 7-8 hours at night. Not bad...but ready for him to wake later than the 4-5 am time frame. But, he has been more consistently nursing and then going back down for 2 more hours...nice!

Spring Break Fever

My first hotel stay on my first road trip...I can get used to this!

Our first "pit" stop and some diaper changes

My first Easter bunny picture and I slept through it!

Go Butler Bulldogs!

My first time on the beach...the ocean was cold!

Wish my Daddy was here

I love my cousins!

My first time in the pool...not too bad

Ahh...the life of a baby!

My mom and I got a hole in one!

-Brooks and I went to Sanibel, FL on spring break with my family. It as so nice to get away from the everyday routine (or no routine) of reality. My mom, dad, Brooks and I drove...yes drove...21 hours to get there. Brooks was a traveling champ! We only stopped 3 times the first 12 hour day and 2 times the 9 hour day. Not too bad! Thanks to my mom for entertaining him in the back and my dad for navigating...we made it there with all our hair! He was just as good on the way home.

-We stayed in a condo with my parents and my sister Tara's family. They were all such a great help with Brooks. I got to go bike riding and kayaking with my sister and family while grandma watched Brooks. No laying out for me...but nursing him on the beach under the umbrella was so relaxing. We had great weather and food. It was so special to me to spend that time with my family. It had been years since I went on vacation with them. We hope it is a start of new traditions for Brooks....spring break with Grandma and Grandpa McCarroll and family. Josh was not able to make it because this is the busiest time of year at work for him. We missed him so much!!

-Brooks had many firsts on the trip: first hotel room stay, road trip, swimming pool, bathing suit, beach, ocean, Easter, put put

Getting Big

-Happy Birthday Grandma McCarroll...thanks for all you do!

-Brooks is getting so big and developing such a great personality. His smile melts my heart. He still is figuring out this sleep thing....but is much more content to play on his own during the day.

-He has some crazy hair that is falling out on the sides and curling up on top. Aunt Tammy is determined to give him his first haircut soon. It looks like he might have auburn hair with green/blue eyes.

3 months old

Look how big I've gotten!

I'm learning to nap wherever I can. Someday

I'll nap in my crib.....mommy hopes:)

-Brooks turned 3 months old today and is getting bigger each day. He is probably over 15 lbs now. He is eating every 3-4 hours and has been taking 5 oz of breast milk during the day from my mom when I'm working. He's still working on naps as you can see from the picture above. He's still inconsistent with his night time sleep. He sometimes sleeps 8 hours and sometimes only 4. That sometimes makes it tough during my work days. My mom is doing a great job of getting him to nap more often and that has helped me out tons. I've learned so much from her and hope I can be half the mom she is to me.

Working Mommy

Why are we getting ready so early mommy?

How many babysitters does it take to change my diaper?

My Grandma loves playing with me during

the day while mommy is at work.

My Uncle Tyler was in town this week for his spring break.

We share the same birthday!

-Well, this week I went back to work one day. It was a nice way to "break in" my return to work. I had so many mixed emotions about returning. It all went really well and it was so nice to have some routine in my life again. I missed our little stinker so much...but knew he was in great hands with my mom. She has been a life saver by watching Brooks 3 days a week. I also have the help of my 2 sisters if needed. I feel so blessed to have them so close. I had my two sisters, brother and mom all there fighting over who gets to watch him my first day back to work. I am sure Brooks was eating it up!