Chapter #2

It has been an incredibly long time since Ive made any postings on this Blog, Going back to work and trying to raise Brooke has been difficult for me in terms of "free time"

I think my child is an amazing little human, and she amazes Jeff and I every single day, like a super sponge she picks up everything and really is very smart, she is super sweet and she is hilarious!!  She has found a new love and admiration for Bailey our puggle.  He is very attached to Jeff so quick story, Jeff went to get the mail the other night, Bailey sat at the front door and whined and whined and whined, My precious child marched right up to Bailey, got down on her knees, gave him a hug around the neck, and a kiss on the head and proceeded to say "It's Ok Baiye, daddys coming back soon"  she stood with Bailey, one hand on his back until Jeff got back a few minutes later!  When Jeff came in she said "see, here he is"

 My favorite thing is I often put my hand under her chin and say"your so pretty, or Your so beautiful" Brooke without fail repeats my hand gesture and says "Yours so pretty too mommy"  

What I wish is that the brain could pull up memories and special moments and put them on to DVD so that you can catch those moments, the ones that are unexpected and cant be duplicated :(

On to other news.... Brooke is going to be a big sister!  We are expecting our second baby in Early May 2012... She gets it when i ask her what is in my belly, she says, "theres a baby in your bewey(belly)" but I dont think she comprehends the changes that are to come ahead.

Because we are having the baby, we are currently under a basement renovation that my husband is doing and AMAZING job on...We just felt like since we weren't going to be moving anytime soon, we needed more space, it will be nice to have the toys out of my upstairs and have a place for the kids to play, a spare bedroom for guests, and third bath (eventually with a stand up shower, for now toilet and sink will have to do) I'm most excited for the office space that will be down there, it will get me my full kitchen back!!!

no more desk up there, no more printer and cables and mess! We cant dump junk on there anymore, and my kitchen is going to feel unbelievably HUGE when its gone...I cant wait.

Brooke will be having some major changes too, we are transitioning her to a big girl bed in the next few weeks, and then we will work on the potty training.  I dont want to overwhelm her with too much all at the same time, plus i dont think she is physically ready for the potty yet, so bed it is.  We refuse to buy another crib, it just seems silly to us, she is capable of sleeping in a big bed, she naps in one every day and always wants to be in ours....so im hoping the transition is as smooth as the getting rid of the soother was!!

I apologize about the lengthy post, its been a while and I will try to make them shorter and more frequent in the future.

until then....Bye!

Terrible Two's

OH BOY ...

I know everyone says just wait for the terrible two's, well I think we are on the brink of them!  Brooke has surprisingly incredible strength!  She carries bags of oranges, things that easily weigh 5lbs +, I dont know where that strength comes from, but those little popeye arms are strong.

Getting back to the terrible two's, well last weekend, Brooke really wanted cookies for breakfast, which typically I can easily persuade her to a piece of peanut butter toast and a yogurt, but NOT this time! 

This was the sequence of events:

Brooke:  Mommy, more cookies!

Lisa: No baby, we can have cookies after lunch, would you like some toast?

Brooke: NOOOOOOO

Then she proceeded to pick up our bar height kitchen chair and toss it at her mother, my leg taking the brunt of the fall, then proceeding to hit the ground and break!!

Thats right, my child broke our kitchen chair, leaving the largest bruise on my leg! She then flopped herself on the floor and pouted, which in all honesty, is HILARIOUS to me, she thinks im going to give in, but I laugh, which sometimes makes her even more angry!

How could something so sweet act that way? LOL

Ahh if only adults could "test the boundaries" like children by throwing tantrums.  I sometimes wish I could!

I hope you read and enjoy these memories one day Brooke, I know your dad and I certainly will!

Easter 2011

I know what your thinking 2 posts in 1 day! Im on a a roll and wanted to get this years Easter photos up before I forget for another 6 months or more!

So here they are...Grandma and Grandpa McEacherns easter egg hunt!

And here is the Easter Egg hunt at Daddy's work! The very next day!

It's Been a While...

So it has been a super long time since Ive put a post up and I know its no excuse, but life just gets busy, especially now that I am back working!

So my baby is nearly 2, and how that saddens me, and it has all happened soooo fast I can barely believe it.

Right now, Brooke is counting to 5 (one, twooo, sreee, sore, niiiii) so its close, but she understands as we count her toes every night!!  And if you ask  Kelly, she told us she has 10 toes I SWEAR she said it., saying so many words I cant keep count...And she has most recently started calling me MOM! Im only mommy when shes sad or wants something...which makes me sad, but its cute all at the same time.

She is full of life, and a ball of energy.  A true daredevil...she really has NO FEAR!  Which I guess is a great thing as she hopefully wont be afraid to try things.

This winter has been a hard one on us both, Brooke and I have basically been sick since December 25th 2010!  For those of you who know us, you know that's the truth.  1st year at "day care"  is apparently the worst for kids.  We just couldn't stay healthy, and it has seriously taken a tole on us both.

 On a happier note, she comes into the kitchen where we keep our computer and DEMANDS that Jeff and I dance with her!  Says "mommy, daddy Dance" and gets angry when you dont cooperate!  What can I say,...1.5 years of kitchen dance floor parties has really stuck!

I say this every month...but THIS is the BEST age!  She really just surprises Jeff and I and makes us laugh constantly! She is the best baby ever! And we tell her every night!

I hope you enjoy the updated photos!  I will try to be more diligent and post more frequently!

So Dance Dance like its the last last night of your life life........

Sleep is So Important

It's really hard when your baby has slept through the night since 4 weeks old to run into some sleep issues.  You have no clue how to handle the issues, you aren't a pro at dealing with it, and the lack of sleep isn't helping either initially. Brooke went through a 2 month period of up 4-6 times per night, and at least once staying up for 1-3 hours.  this means, tired baby, tired mommy & daddy. But why wasn't she sleeping?  What was it that all of a sudden made her change her sleep patterns and be up all night?  Who will ever really know.  We tried everything, sleep training, letting her cry it out, sitting with her till she fell asleep..and it was nearly a frustrating hour even to get her to sleep every night.  it makes you feel like your not a good mother, you should know what is wrong with your child, you should be able to comfort them to make them sleep at night, that should be enough?? 

Although most mothers would love to believe this to be true, it isn't the case!

SO was it teething? a cold? nightmares? Some studies show that around the 1 year mark, babies can begin to have nightmares, of what I'm not certain.  maybe childbirth is traumatizing, and they are reliving every moment of it, maybe the thought of running out of milk makes them wake up screaming.  Whatever it is, my advice to sleepless mothers out there...stick to your gut, try and stay patient, and you will get through it.

We finally have made and stuck to a routine pretty closely in efforts to get Brooke back sleeping, and for the last 3+ weeks it has worked.  She is going down better at night, maybe 5 minutes, and often on her own, and she is sleeping 12+ hours straight, and if she wakes up, she puts herself back to sleep.  MY CHILD IS BACK!  Here is another piece of advice...

BABIES NEED SLEEP TO SLEEP WELL. 

Most people think that if you want your child to sleep at night, get them really tired so they are knocked out...this may be true for kids who are much older and no longer require naps during the day, but at 15 months, naps are so important.  But its not that simple. there are no generic rules about napping for babies...every child is so different.

Brooke requires 2 hours of napping a day...anything more or less she is up in the night.  Yes we have tried and tested this theory, trust me, Ive kept logs of her sleeping and waking up, and this is how we have come to this realization.  You might think this is overkill...but after 2+ months of not one night of good sleep, I was ready to try just about anything to make it work...I have read book after book, and searched every website google has to offer...I took  piece of everything, and created something that works for us.  this is our routine.

7:30 pm we go upstairs and on the change table we go, Brooke gets a massage legs, feet and tummy to get that gas out just in case using lavender infant massage oil, then her diaper is changed, PJ's go on, we sit in her chair and read a storey, Jeff brings up her bottle, we sit in the dark and she drinks her bottle, then I lay her down, tell her I love her, and off to sleepy land Brooke goes!

We used to keep a night light in her room, more for my benefit in the middle of the night, however, since we have made it lights out in there, she has slept much better. Your eyes will adjust eventually!

Anyhow, knock on wood, I'm glad its over for now, she is much happier in the day, and I don't have anxiety all afternoon as bedtime approaches.  If your having these issues, do whats right for you...don't just accept that your baby doesn't sleep, really and truly try and find something that works because a good nights sleep is important for mommy and daddy too! And how they sleep and fall asleep now, will shape them for the rest of their childhood.

Good luck.

SHE WALKS!

After months of standing, cruising around furniture, walking assisted with her car, baby stroller, and mommy and daddy's fingers, Brooke finally took her first steps tonight all on her own, like a big girl. Wednesday September 29th!