First 4th of July: Boom, Pow, Bang....

I got to hang out with my Great GPa again...he slipped me a $20!

(He's SO cool!!)

Hanging out with the boys...

My first vacation with mommy and daddy

My Great Aunt and Uncle Wehmeyer's lake house

at the Lake of the Ozarks

Side view

A view to die for!

I loved watching the birds feed on the porch

Grammy helped take good care of me

(No she did not let me have a taste!)

My first time in the lake...so cool!

I'm such a boy....I loved riding in the "mule"

Slap happy and so silly this night!

I loved the fireworks...but stayed close to mommy just in case

I loved my Great Aunt and Uncle Wehmeyer's beautiful home

My third cousins Jake and Zane were so cool!!!

I loved getting to know my second cousins Jamie and Jeff

Can you see my second tooth starting to pop?

-Where do I start? We had such a wonderful 4th of July weekend! We decided to take our first family vacation to visit Josh's aunt and uncle at their beautiful home. They have 40 acres on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. It was a 7 hour drive from Indy. We left Wed. am and drove half way to St. Louis to visit with Josh's dad. Grandpa Lee was also helping take care of the bullies while we were at the lake. We got to hang out with Great Grandpa Postol again and then visited Grandpa Lee's work to show off our little guy. Grandpa was so proud! Brooks put on a good show and flirted with all the ladies:)

-We left for the lake on Thursday and met Josh's cousin (Jeff) and his family (Jaime, Jake and Zane) up there. We had such a great time! Despite the fact that their boat was in the shop, we sill had a blast. We got to ride super-charged jet skis (they fly up to 70mph!) and lay out on the large dock. We enjoyed ourselves by visiting with family, having a few cocktails, eating good food, hanging out on the deck with a view to die for, and watching wonderful fireworks. Josh and I felt so spoiled. We were well taken care of with all the good food and drinks! Brooks was SO amazing. I could not have asked for a better son:) He was happy the whole time and loved all the attention. He had everyone going crazy over him and his fun new tricks. He loves sticking his tongue out, shaking his head "no", and smacking his lips by opening and closing his mouth wide. I heard a few "ma ma" vocalizations this weekend as well!

-Brooks had many firsts.... He went in the lake for the first time and seemed to enjoy himself by kicking his legs. He rode on a utility vehicle (mule) for the first time and loved shaking his head in the wind. He saw fireworks for the first time and no cries! He actually seemed to enjoy them! He got to watch birds tweet while they ate from the large bird feeder. He also started to get his second tooth while on vacation. All this while smiling, laughing, and sleeping through night in pack'n'play. Can you tell I'm SO proud of our little man? He is so amazing to me. I know I'm a partial and proud mommy...but I feel so lucky that God sent me this wonderful little boy for me to be his mom. I'm so blessed to get to know him each day. I'm so proud of the little man he is becoming. I just pray I am able to always be there for him to keep safe, offer guidance when needed, and raise him to be a respectful young man. So much to look forward to...for now I am just enjoying being his mom.

Showers of Love...

I attended my first wedding shower today.

It was for my Aunt Tammy. I was the only boy there..

What's up with that?

I got to meet my Great Aunt Sharon, Cousin Heidi,

and second cousins Maddy and Gretchen....so fun!

There was a hot chick there though! She has not noticed me yet...

Hey there...I'm trying to put my moves on you!

I'll try this chick instead....

(Grandma is so silly....she's not real!)

-Today was my sister's wedding shower. It was so nice and she had a good time. Her wedding theme is "peacocks" so we tried to incorporate that theme into the shower as well. We had lots of yummy food and cupcakes to die for! Brooks joined the party and of course was the only boy. He loves the attention as was so good! He got to meet some of our extended family for the first time. He also got to hang out with my best friend's (Jen) baby. Cheney is 3 months old and is such a good baby! Brooks was trying hard to get her attention.

-Brooks's first tooth popped through! It is his bottom left center tooth. He really has been SO good...but of course the hard part is yet to come. He ended up sleeping off any pain he is feeling by sleeping 12.5 hours last night!! That is not like him...so I knew he needed the sleep. He rolled to his tummy in the middle of the night and slept that way until 8:30 am. It was like he got stuck in that position. He did not move all night long. He was SO stiff and swollen on the left side of his face when he woke. It was a little scary. He had snot all over his face. He must have been so comfortable he did not want to move. Weird! He is usually such a mover when sleeping...but not last night. It was crazy! He likes to keep me on my toes.

6 months old: Happy Father's Day!

Yep...those are bulldogs on my pants.

What is my mom doing to me?

I love my daddy! He's so funny.

What's up with the color of this picture? Oh well,

I'm still having fun in the sun!

Finding fun new things to do with my tongue

Working hard! I love to roll around on the floor.

The bullies are not too sure about me. I'm on

the move now!!

-Josh had his first Father's Day! He started the day by sleeping in until 9:30 while Brooks and I hung out. We then met the rest of my family for brunch. Josh's request for his special day was to play his video games and watch soccer/golf while lounging on the couch. Nice! Brooks and I hung out some with Josh and then went to swim at my parent's home. He enjoyed kicking his legs in the water...but still is trying to figure it all out. I hope he likes the water more than I do!

-Brooks had his 6 month checkup on Friday. He now weighs 17 lb 9 oz and 28 1/4 in long. He dropped to the 50th percentile for weight and is still in 97th percentile for height. We are keeping an eye on his weight...but he still eats like a champ. I am still primarily breastfeeding with some formula bottles while I'm at work and baby foods now 2 times a day. He has liked most of what we offer him...but for some reason is not crazy about the peaches. He loves his bananas! We are to start baby meats next...yuck! Could be interesting!!

-Brooks is so much fun. He is starting to imitate actions and sounds. He loves shaking is head "no no" and saying "da da". I have heard "ma" a few times. He is still teething and it looks like his bottom left tooth might come in soon. I will miss his toothless smile. Not looking forward to the biting while nursing...ouch! He is rolling and getting stuck against a wall or under his bouncy. It is so funny! He is reaching for everything in sight. Eating with him on your lap is a little more tricky now when out for dinner. He enjoys being the center of attention and on the go. He is so social and loves to take everything in while we are out and about. I love my days off of work with Brooksy. He's something special to us!!!

Weekend with G-Pa Blackmore

I love getting sugar from my Grandpa!

I also love putting everything in my mouth

Yummy...carrots!

-We had a very nice weekend with Josh's dad in town from St. Louis. He got to spend some special time with Brooks. It means so much to us for him to make the trip into town. We had an early Father's Day weekend with him. Brooks misses him already! (so do we)

-Brooks really enjoys his food now. He is all smiles as you can see from the picture above. He has tried green beans, sweet peas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, rice cereal and oatmeal. Fruits are next...yum yum! His 6 mo checkup is next Friday. Can't wait to see what the big guy weighs now!

USA-USA-USA

Go U-S-A!!!

Practicing my moves

-Brooks is all ready to go for the World Cup. GO USA! He loves to kick his feet so fast and loves balls. He's a natural!! ;) Watch out Beckham...here comes Blackmore! Ha Ha

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!