oh boy..

I leave Brekka with her Daddy for a couple hours and I come home to find her looking like this! Just look at this outfit and messy hair! Hearts with stripes even!

Me: "That's quite the outfit you've got on her."

Darrell: "I know, I told Brekka," 'I like this shirt, and these pants look really comfortable. So you're wearing them and I don't care what Mommy says.'" Poor girl. It's a good thing Mommy was there to save her from this fashion crisis. I'm sure it won't be the last.

Oh my... what are we going to do with that Daddy? Hmmm..

watch me grow

Brekka is such a little bundle of joy. I've been making mental notes of all her latest quirks.

Her short little arms still don't reach the top of her head.

When she's sitting up she likes to push off with her feet and rock back and forth.

When she smiles she kicks her legs at the same time. (She likes to kick with her right leg the most. Maybe this explains why she only has two fat rolls on that leg.) She also loves to kick and thrash her legs around in the bath, reminds me of a little frog.

Her head is still growing faster than her hair.

She likes to suck her bottom lip in and out, over and over.

She also started talking with her tongue hanging out, giving her a daffy duck effect. She stopped this after about a week. Maybe she figured it wasn't an effective way to get her point across. It melted our hearts to see her trying so hard to find ways to communicate.

When she gets really excited she sucks in all her air and squeals.

She likes to look at herself in the mirror.

This girl loves to shop. She will go for hours, just napping and smiling all the way.

She loves to have her head and ears scratched. While I scratch her head she reaches up and tries to scratch with me, her tiny little hand opens and shuts..

Just a few days ago she started grabbing her toes.. only a matter of time before they end up in her mouth.

She is still very patient and sweet. Such a good baby. When she's tired she gets quiet, lays still, stares off into space, sucks her thumb and dozes off. I feel bad when wake her... her thumb jerks out and she looks at me with a startled look. Baaah!

Today was her 4mo check up. She is still growing wonderfully!

Weight: 13.62 lbs. / 48th percentile
Length: 25.0 in / 76th percentile
Head Circumference: 15.7 in / 21st percentile

She has reached all the milestones for her age, and even exceeds them.

She rolls over from front to back (did that a long time ago)
Grabs toys and puts them in her mouth..
Knows and prefers Mom and Dad
Pushes up with her arms
She babbles, laughs, smiles and squeals

And did I mention I'm pretty sure she's BRILLIANT?

Brekka also had to get those dreaded shots. Only two this time, so she didn't cry quite as hard. Her daddy and I took turns holding her to calm her down. Poor little thing. Made our hearts hurt.

Now she's just fine, lying next to me, gabbing away, sucking on her arm. Haha.

so sorry

Not every day can be completely blissful. Some days are off days. Brekka can be cranky, I can be tired and things just don't seem to go right. (Life tends to do that to you at times.) We had a day like that awhile ago. I was getting Brekka dressed. She was fussing and crying, not wanting to be confined in clothes. I was trying to hurry because she was hungry and ready for a nap. Now I didn't have a grumpy attitude what so ever. I even had a smile on my face because I love her fiesty little cry. As I picked her up and turned her around to pull her pants up she lost balance. Somehow while readjusting my grip I scratched her little gums. I felt it, and instantly turned her around to see if I hurt her when she started crying, even louder than before! Then to my horror I saw her top gum was BLEEDING and filling her lip. Oh my goodness my heart dropped as I hugged and kissed her. I sank to my knees, put her on the floor and tried to see where I had cut her, but I couldn't find the spot. To my relief her gum stopped bleeding and she settled down after a minute or two.
I fed her (feeling like the worst mom in the world) and when she was finished she looked up at me, put her tiny hand on mine, said a couple "words," then buried her face in my arm and fell asleep. (no exaggeration) I thought to myself, "Of course, she forgives me and loves me just the same. She is a sweet little angel and I don't deserve her." I took pictures of her that day because for some reason I felt the need to capture the moment. I also felt I should blog about it as if I needed to make a confession! I'm sure this wont be our last off day. Luckily they are few and far between, and I will happily go through them with her. Hopefully she'll be happy to go through them with me.

christmas angel

Our sweet little girl fell asleep looking at the lights on the tree. What a peaceful sight.

?

Pig tails or little horns.. sometimes I think it could go either way!

just for fun

Uusally I'm the one doing all the picture taking, so we don't get t lot of pictures together. I thought it would be fun just to snap a couple to show how small she is, and how big she's getting! Notice her little pig tail. It's the first one she's ever had. Too cute!

tiny thumb

Just recently little missy has started to suck her thumb. First she started out by cramming as many of her fingers in her mouth as possible and chewing on them. Then one day she discovered her thumb! I don't know why but it is so cute to see her sucking away at the tiny little thing. Even the sound if it is cute. With the other hand she rubs her eyes and covers her face. She will keep herself content for the longest time before quietly dozing off to sleep. Hopefully she won't suck her thumb until she's nine like her aunt Tone did. ;)

happy talk

Brekka has such a sweet, social spirit. Every day I am amazed at how expressive she is. There is no doubt in my mind she is extremely intelligent and bursting with thoughts. She observes every little thing happening in the room. She knows familiar faces, and places. When I look at her face, I can almost hear what she's thinking through her smiles, her expressive eyebrows and shiny eyes.
Oh but she is far from silent. We get such a kick out of listening to her constant chatter. At times Brekka can sound so matter of fact, it almost seems rude not to reply with a "Yes I agree.." There have even been times when I swear she's said something and cracked herself up.
Brekka tries to tell us when she needs something, and will only cry as a last resort if we don't understand what she's saying. There is a special yell/cry she does when she's in a room by herself. If I could translate I think it would mean something like, "HEEEY! I'm all by myself over here!!! HEEY!" Her favorite words to say are "Agooo" and "Ungeea." I really wish I knew what these words mean as she says them quite often.
Sometimes Brekka will be nursing, stop, look up at me, say a few "words," pause to think, smile and then go right back to eating... as if she had a thought and just had to share it.

The other morning I was slowly coming out of a deep sleep, realizing I had been listening to a noise and didn't know where it was coming from. Finally I woke up enough to see it was Brekka just talking away. I rolled over to look at her, she looked right at me and grinned. Luckily I had the camera there so I could catch her in the act. Now this is my idea of an alarm clock! :)

momma's girl

Isn't this a darling old fashioned picture of Brekka? Hee hee it's not Brekka it's ME! I was surprised when I came across this picture and realized how much we look alike. I must have been about four months old.

Not only do we look alike.. we can't stand being away from each other. As I've said before, long naps or a night out will always leave me "jonesing" for her. And just recently Brekka has decided being with mommy is the only way to go. She cries if we're in a store and people try to talk to her, or if she can't see me for more than a minute. It's terrible but I can't help but LOVE it. I think to myself, "Ohh are those big, awful strangers scaring you? Well your mommy is right here.. (big grin). Then last night Grandma Wright was babysitting while Darrell and I went on a date. About twenty minutes after we left, Grandma called and said Brekka had been crying really hard the whole time and wouldn't stop. We headed home, and as soon as I held her she quieted down. Ok, ok I realize it isn't exactly healthy for her to have this separation anxiety, but I right now I'm selfishly enjoying it! Maybe later it will become more of an issue but for now I think this codependency we're sharing is perfect! :)

Ok now this picture really is of Brekka. :)

footsies

I've always thought it was cute the way Brekka pulls her feet to her belly and holds them together. Just another baby quirk that's so adorable.

in the moment

Today I was feeding Brekka when she fell asleep in just her diaper. I didn't have the heart to wake her to get her dressed so I wrapped her up as cozy as I could and put her down for a nap.
Awhile later I heard her yelling down the hall, so I went to get her and when I picked her up OH MY her skin was so warm and soft just like BUTTER! I love how she gets super warm and yummy when she sleeps. I could just EAT her! I thought to myself, "I'm going to have to do this more often!" I propped her on the couch for pictures and this is what I got. If you look close you can see a fat roll over the top of her diaper. Chunky little monkey... the pictures are random since I was more focused on getting her to smile. So in the moment. And a side note: Brekka loves being naked. If she's fussy we change her diaper and leave it off for awhile, or we start taking her clothes off. Why do I have a feeling we're going to have our hands full with this one?

the good and the not so bad.

Have you ever hugged someone and felt a loving warmth spread through your whole body? Sometimes I feel like Brekka is a drug I've been without. When I hold her close I feel a strange familiarity, like I've held her time and time before. These feelings are even stronger after a long nap or restful night. I am just itching for her to wake up. When she does, she sees me and smiles. I snatch her up and squeeze her tight. Then I get that rush of love and peace that warms my soul.. FINALLY I'm holding her again.
Now most of the time our days are filled with peace and contentment, but sometimes Brekka can be a real stinker and I don't feel so much warmth! Lately she thinks is fun to stop mid-feeding and just look around and talk. If I try to pull her close, and encourage her to finish eating, she gives me the stiff arm and screeches at me. About five or ten minutes later she starts yelling at me again because she wants to eat, and it has to be RIGHT NOW! Then she latches on like she's been starving for days. I used to think she was having tummy pains or something, but now I've come to realize she wants to eat when SHE wants to eat. It has to be her idea and on her time frame! Sounds like somebody else I know...
There is a stark contrast between these two scenarios, but the truth is I will take Brekka any way I can get her. She can treat me any way she wants to and I'll love her the same. Just look at this mischievous look on her face.. she's definitely up to something.

a few of my favorite things..

There are so many things I adore about this girl I can't keep track of them all...
I love the way she contently plays until she falls asleep. All the sudden it will be quiet, and I'll find her fast asleep on the couch, the bed or floor. Aww my heart melts at how sweet she is. Sometimes I won't even know she's awake again until I see her little peekies looking out over the blanket.
I love the way she yawns and stretches. She leans her head back, arches her back, puts her fists to her cheeks, and pulls her knees up to her tummy. I'll lift her up in the air and just watch her contort into a little ball. The boys used to do this too.. so cute.
I love her little nakie body right before a bath. Her skin is so soft and flawless. I can fit her tiny bum in my hand as I carry her to the tub.
I love how the rate at which she kicks her legs is directly related to how happy she is. When she's really excited she kicks them super fast.
I love how patient she is.. until she has finally HAD it and gets her "mad on." The way she looks and the way she sounds when she's crying makes me smile. She's just seems too small to be so opinionated, so feisty and full of life.
I love seeing her tiny toes.. or any other part of her sticking out of a blanket.This list will be never ending. You may want to check back on this post from time to time as I'm sure I'll add to it. :)

just to see you smile..

Just recently Brekka has started to show an affinity towards her mommy! Her first smile was for her daddy, but now she seems to have a smile that never ends for her mommy.

Almost every time she sees me, her face lites up with a smile unique to all others. When she hears my voice she'll start to smile before she even sees me. If I smile at her when she's crying she can't resist giving a smile back. Just tonight she was crying with tummy pains. I smiled and talked to her, thinking if I had a sad look on my face that would only make her feel worse, and she smiled back even through her tears. My absolute FAVORITE thing is when I look over at her, and she's already looking at me with a precious smile on her shiny face. My immediate reaction is to smother her with kisses! When someone else is holding her and I come close she'll smile and lean over for me to take her. As many times as she's smiled at me, I've smiled at her a thousand times more!

I do realize that her adoration for me has a lot to do with the fact that mommy means grub. But I'm pretty sure there is more to it than that. One day she'll probably be a daddy's girl, and someday she'll care more about friends and BOYS. But for now her mommy is her world and I am going to absorb every second of it!

♥

Me: "I don't deserve her.."
Darrell: "None of us do."

what happens at grandma's stays at grandma's!

Grandma Wright bought Brekka an outfit that said just that. I'm sure there is a lot of spoiling going on at Grandma's house. Brekka was about a month old in these pictures. Grandma's arms.. what a warm and cozy spot to be in...

Blakely saw this picture and said "You won't want to put THAT one on the blog."
I said, "Why Blakely?"
"Because you look so tired."
I was happy with this comment, thinking he could have said a lot worse! It's true, I was tired. Blissfully tired. In fact a lot can be seen in this picture, things I can look back on and smile. We are happiest when we are busy thinking about things other than ourselves.
Case in point: I'm still in my pj's while Brekka is all cleaned up and ready for the day. (A common occurrence) My hair is messy, dark roots grown out. In the background are popcorn bowls from our at home "date night." Notice there are two.. Darrell had lemon pepper on his, which I couldn't have since the seasonings give Brekka tummy pains. And I always have two pillows to prop up for those late night feedings. I bet if you zoomed in close you could even see an extra laugh line or two..
But notice the most important thing... a chubby baby sleeping contently, surrounded by her Mommy's love as her Dad grabs a camera to capture the special moment.
That's what it's all about.

hee hee

I don't really have much to say other than this picture cracks me up. I wonder what she's thinking? Must be something funny, ironic maybe, as she dozes off.

big girl!

Yesterday Brekka reached out and grabbed her toys for the first time! The whole eye/hand coordination thing is really starting to work out for her! Another first... just the other day she rolled over from her stomach to her back without a hitch, like it was no big deal. She didn't even have to try. And today I got her to GIGGLE! She was sitting up on my lap, propped up with my legs, looking straight at me. I grabbed her arms, pulled her forward and said "Aboo," blowing in her face at the end and letting her fall back. She opend her mouth wide and let out an amused chuclke every time. Oh it was so fun. She also smiles when we're trying to play by tickling her sides saying "gitchoo, gitchoo, gitchoo." Three firsts in on week! This girl is on a roll!

good morning merry miss sunshine!

My absolute favorite time of day with Brekka is the morning. As I get the boys ready for school, I hear her waking up, calling out "Agoooo" from our room. I walk down the hall with a smile on my face, a skip in my step, thinking what a lucky girl I am. "Good morning sweetheart!" I say as I pick her up, snuggle my face into her neck and breathe her in. How does she smell so good? Her head smells like a perfect combination of cotton candy and angel kisses. Even her toes smell sweet! Her body is so warm and cozy. Her hair disheveled, bow hanging cooked. Her eyes are still sleepy, eyelashes drooping. When she sees me her face lights up. Then we talk, we smile, we sing songs and plan our day. It's impossible to have a bad day that begins like this. And I bet if she could tell you, Brekka would say it's her favorite time too.