Monday, June 20, 2011

fun with Grandpa

I promised my Dad I just wanted shots of his hands holding Brekka, but he's never on this blog so shhhh don't tell him about these or I'll be in trouble!

Brekka loves hanging out on Grandpa's lap. She plays with the remote, chews on his necklace and lately likes the yank on the cords of his heart monitor. She flops around and climbs up and down him. Every once and awhile she'll settle in for a quick snuggle.




She definitely has her Grandpa Goodwin wrapped around her little finger. As we were about to leave his house after our last visit, Brekka was in her car seat on the floor and Grandpa got down on his hands and knees to say goodbye. When we got home I realized her blankie smelled just like him. :) The way he dotes on her is slightly out of character for his rough mountain man image, which makes it even more special.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

movin' and a groovin'

I can't believe it's only been about six weeks since I wrote last. We have had a very eventful and fun filled spring. Here is the latest.. I'll start with her firsts.



Brekka is now on the move and it's all I can do to keep up. Since my last post she has started crawling! At first she did baby push ups on her hands and toes. Then she started pulling her knees under her and rocking back and forth. In the last week she has figured out how to move her arms and legs forward at the same time and covers a lot of ground! She leaves a little trail of messes in her wake.

A couple weeks ago I went into her room and found her standing up in her crib! Soon after that she started using my skin to clamp on to and pull herself up with. Now she'll use the couch or ottoman and sometimes falls over when we're not quick enough to grab her. She's a tough cookie though and so freakishly strong. If I'm on her level she attacks me, elbows my chest, pulls my hair, pulls on my skin or clothes and smashes her face into mine. One time she pulled me forward and licked my nose!

She can pick up the tiniest piece of food with her little pointer finger and thumb. ( In slow motion.) She uses that same pointer finger to poke food back into her mouth that's stuck on her chin. She's really great with her feet too and will use them to hook on to things or dig in my ribs!

Sometimes when she cries she claps her hands.

Sometimes when she talks she sounds Japanese.

She hates peas and chicken & stars.

Her orange polka dot blankie is her favorite. When she's tired we look for it together. I say, "Where's you're blankie?" and she anxiously looks around saying, "Ooh hoo hoo hoo hooo." When I hand it to her she burries her face in it and snuggles in to suck her thumb.

She has two, very sharp bottom teeth. I love it when I catch her eye and she gives me a giggle and cheesy two tooth grin.

She loves to laugh and will laugh with us even if she doesn't understand what's so funny.

She likes to scrunch her nose up and breath quickly in and out of it.

She gets REALLY ticked off if we try to get something out of her mouth, especially if she knows it's something she shouldn't have. She bites down then freaks out when we finally get it!

She will resort to yelling if she doesn't get her way. I giggle at how dejected Darrell looks when she yells and gets on his case. Sometimes she makes such a high pitched squeal it sounds like a smoke detector that's running out of battery. Wow this girl is a pistol!

We went to her 9mo. check up in May. Thankfully no shots this time. She tolerated the doctor a bit better, but was pretty good at smacking the otoscope away from her ears and ripped the stethoscope from his hands. The doctor said, "She's good with those!" Here are her 9 mo. stats:

Weight: 15.63 lbs - 5th percentile (light but healthy and normal for her)
Height: 27.75 in - 57th percentile
Head Circumference: 16.9 in - 22nd percentile

She is healthy and perfect in every way.

For the last couple months we've pretty much lived at the baseball fields. Blakely and Trentin had games and practice every day of the week. Brekka was good about it and enjoyed the outdoors for the most part. Sometimes we were stuck in the car due to bad weather and I would be completely exhausted after an hour or three of juggling her around.

Blakely earned the first game ball of the season when he was up to bat and got hit in the ankle with a pitch. To my surprise he decided to give the ball to Brekka. He handed it to her in the car and when we got home he went in her room and set it on her shelf. My heart melted at the sight of it.

And last but not least Brekka finally got to MEET HER GRANDMA AND GRANDPA GOODWIN! On May 17th Mom and Dad came home from Chile after a year and a half. They left when I was just three months pregnant. I can't describe the joy and peace I felt when they held her for the first time. They were completely in awe of her.

My Dad is especially smitten and it's so cute to watch. He plays with her and copies her baby noises. They stare into each others eyes and size each other up. Once she stared him down without blinking and even leaned forward show her dominance. ;) He thinks she's petty smart and doesn't miss a thing. Once he said that she doesn't just look at you, she looks right through you. That is EXACTLY the description I've been looking for all along. Dad and Brekka are a lot alike in appearance. They have the same ears, head shape, piercing blue eyes and stubborn attitude. I think he has met his match with her. ;)

And of course there was instant bonding between my Mom and sweet Brekka. Grammy kisses her all over, and forgives her for being a "turncoat" by going blond like Grandpa. She is Brekka's #1 fan, besides me and the boys of course, and thinks she's perfect in every way. Just last night my Mom and I sat in Brekka's room and just talked. It seemed like a dream, so surreal to see her there. I am so excited that they are finally here and can witness all of Brekka's future firsts!