New hairdo!

You guys know Brynn has a LOT of hair...so we have been putting it in a cute little ponytail.  Well on Friday when I went to pick Brynn up from Nonna's she was sporting a new little hairdo...pigtails!  I just think it is the most adorable little thing!

I could just eat this little thing up! 

I guess she wanted to give you another view of her pigtails. =)

The other night we watched Ansley for a little while before Sarah got off work.  We decided to take the girls on a walk to Alma Schrader's playground.  Ansley was so excited and she LOVED the slide. 

Found My Feet

A couple of weeks ago Brynn "found her feet."  She is pretty much obsessed with them.  She loves to pull them up to her mouth!

What a cute little milestone!

REAL FOOD!

On Brynn's 5 month birthday she tried REAL FOOD for the first time...CARROTS!  She took the first few bites of carrots without really changing facial expressions...almost like she didn't realize that it wasn't the rice she had just eaten.

Mom...what is this stuff?

Then she began to realize it tasted a little different...HA!

YUCK!

Just for the record...those are Ryan's hands feeding her in these pictures, not mine.  I know I'm in the picture at the beginning, and I'm sure you all realized that Ryan must have started feeding her, but in case you didn't...I didn't want anyone to think "wow...Whitney has some manly hands!"

Getting better...she kept eating it and never stopped, but she sure made some funny faces!

YUM YUM!

I know this is probably too much info...but the next day I swear her poop looked orange!  I hope that's normal!

Fun at Target

Warning - If baby poop grosses you out then just skip over this post!

OH MY GOSH...We just went to Target to get a few things and it turned into one of the most hilarious and also one of the most disgusting trips!  Since we only had to grab a couple of things we decided to just take Brynn out of her carseat and carry her in.  I picked her up and felt something squishy...gross!  Ryan looks down and says "OH MY GOSH!"  She was covered in poop!  We started cracking up (while the weird guy in the car next to us just watched us).  Thankfully I had a random towel in the car so we threw it in the back and laid her on it.  I just had to capture a few pictures with my phone...enjoy (or throw up!)

She was smiling...obviously had no idea the mess she had just made!

Yes...we had to take everything out of the back of my car.  We looked like the Clampett's from the Beverly Hillbillies!  You should have seen some of the looks we got from people driving by.

 We thought we had it all cleaned up until we came back OUT from Target.  When we started to put Brynn in her carseat we realized we had never checked it.  We had a big surprise waiting inside.

Truthfully this pictures doesn't do it justice.  It was all inside the padding, on the screws, etc.  When we got home Ryan found an old toothbrush to help clean it out.  What a guy!

We had to drive home with Ryan holding Brynn in the backseat.  Yes, I know that's illegal...but I think it would have been more illegal to put her in that carseat with all the squishy poop!  HA!  We had to crack the windows (not too far as to be seen and reported to Division of Family Services..ha!) because it smelled BAD!  She has only been eating carrots and sweet potatoes for one week and already her diapers are NOT pleasant. 

It was a trip we definitely won't forget anytime soon!

A Girl After Momma's Heart

We got home from taking a walk last night and turned on the TV.  There was an NFL preseason game on so of course we turned that on after eating supper.  Evidently Brynn already loves football as much as her momma!

Brynn says she's rooting for Mizzou this year.  I think it might be time to break out our Mizzou cheerleading uniform!

Brynn turns 5 months!

HAPPY 5 MONTHS!

 On August 22 Brynn turned 5 months!  I just can't help but laugh every night when we are eating supper and I see little Brynn sitting in the Bumbo next to us...this amazing little person is OURS (well...our gift on loan from God) and I always laugh and say to Ryan..."she lives with us!"  HAHA!  Here are some things we want to remember about this month.

• Brynn weighs about 15.2 lbs. and is about 25-26 inches. 
• She wears a size 2 diaper and most clothes are about 3-6 months.
• She is taking a bottle (or nursing) about 4 times a day now...in the morning around 7:30, again around 11:30, 3:30, and then at night before bed at 8:30.  She is also eating rice cereal after her morning bottle, just started veggies after her 11:30 bottle, and is taking a second serving of rice around 6ish.
• She is taking a morning nap from about 9-10:30 and an afternoon nap from about 1-3, although a lot of days at Nonna's it has been from 12:45 to 3 or 3:30!  WHOA!  Then she goes down again from about 5:30 to 6:15ish.  I nurse at 8:30 and then put her down right after...around 9:15 and we wake her up at 7 am to start the day.  I am LOVING her schedule right now.  I feel like the constant eating/sleeping, eating/sleeping of her infant days are gone and I feel like we can do things again...go out to eat, go on longer outings, etc. She is getting SO FUN!
• She has found her feet and loves to pull them to her mouth and try to eat her toes.
• She LOVES to be pulled up to a sitting/standing position and then we sway her from side to side and sing songs and she smiles so big and sometimes starts laughing.
• She sucks her THUMB now...not just her whole fist.
• We swaddle her "middle" now...we keep her arms out.
• She LOVES to sleep on her belly now.
• She constantly rolls over and loves to lay and play on her tummy.
• She grabs for things and holds them and likes to swing them toward the ground.
• Ryan takes her to Nonna's every morning and I pick her up.  She loves to watch the other kids and is doing so well.  It makes me feel so good to know that she is so loved and well taken care of, and is adjusting so great. 
• She is just the most content happy little thing.  I don't ever want to take that for granted...we just love her sweet funny little personality.  She loves to smile at EVERYTHING!

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

Brynn...WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

When Daddy's Away Brynny will...be such a big girl??

This weekend Ryan went fishing with his Dad and some friends from college.  I took several pictures on my phone and texted them to Ryan so he could see her while he was away.  She seemed like such a big girl this weekend...Ryan jokingly texted back and said "good grief...is she going to start walking and graduate high school while I'm gone??" HAHA!  He missed his little girl!  And yes...I'm a bit of a wimp and I spent both nights upstairs at my parents!  It was awesome having some downtime at MY house during the day, especially since I've been at school all week and needed some time to catch up on laundry and cleaning and SNUGGLING my sweet girl...but at night I am such a WIMP! Okay...now look at these adorable pictures of little Brynn!

Look at this cute new hairstyle!  Her hair is so long and sometimes I don't know what to do with it.  I always feel like I'm giving her a comb-over so I finally decided to try a little ponytail!  I think next I'm going to try two little pig-tails!

She can't stay in this position very long but I bet she will be sitting all by herself in less than a month!  I just feel like she is getting SO BIG!

Little froggy!

Look at me guys!

We had a fun and relaxing weekend but we missed Ryan a LOT!  I am so glad he is back home!

We're on "Nonna" Time!

Brynn is growing up!  She will be 5 months this coming Monday and her schedule is changing as she gets bigger and bigger.  The new schedule she is on at Nonna's has been going something like this...

Eating around 7:20 or 7:30 although she hasn't been eating as much at this time.  I'm thinking that right now it has a lot to do with the fact that she is being fed a bottle by a new person and that there are lots of kids distracting her while she eats. =)  Then she eats a serving of rice cereal.  She has been taking a morning nap from around 9-10:30, although some mornings she goes down earlier.  It is about an hour and a half.  Around 11 Nonna has been giving her another bottle, then she plays until her afternoon nap.  I think Nonna has been trying to wait until 1 to put her down, but she has been wanting to go down about 12:45.  For the last two days Nonna has woken her up at 3!  Wow!  Good afternoon nap!  Then she gives her another bottle about 3 or 3:30.  I come pick her up right after that and we go home and play.  I put her down for a little catnap about 5 and she sleeps until about 5:45.  Then we give her a pretty good portion of rice cereal and go on a walk and play with Daddy.  I don't know if she will want another catnap before bed, but last night she was TUCKERED out...see picture below.  I've been nursing about 8:45 and then we put her down for the night...wake her about 7 am and get up and do it all again!  And I know this is TMI for some people (but just so I can remember in the future) but I'm pumping in the morning before we wake Brynn up and then pumping at school over lunch (around 11) and then pumping when Brynn and I get home around 4.  We are starting to adjust pretty well.  I'm glad I've given up control of her schedule to Nonna...I know it works better for her and I'm glad Brynn is adjusting so well!  Thank you Lord!

How hialrious is this??  We went for a walk and Ryan used the carrier insted of the stroller.  This child FELL ASLEEP mid-walk!  HAHA!  We were walking along and she was bobbing up and down walking with Daddy and seriously I look over and she is starting to fall asleep!  She slept the rest of the walk home!  Nonna's house really must tire her out! 

Brynn LOVES to watch Keegan! 

Just for the record...we seem to take quite a lot of pictures in our guest bedroom.  I guess we don't want Brynn to spit up on our comforter.  HA!

First Days of "School"

Well...these last few days have been quite an adjustment!  I went back to teaching kindergarten this week, so it is Brynn's first week at "Nonna's" house.  Nonna watched me when I was little and she is AMAZING...I feel so blessed to have the peace of mind that Brynn is in wonderful hands with someone who loves her so much!  With that said...both Ryan and I had a rough night Sunday (aka I was bawling!) but God gave me such a peace Sunday night and Monday morning.  I held myself together pretty good Monday morning and I was fine at school.  Ryan actually teared up when he dropped her off Monday morning (I am NOT taking her...just picking her up! HA!)  Sunday night we had a big bath to get ready for Brynn's first day at Nonna's.  She was just too cute not to take a picture of.

Pretty little princess after bath time.

I LOVE this hooded towel!

Brynn looks so excited on Monday morning before going off to Nonna's house...Mommy and Daddy not so much! HA!  I didn't even want to attempt a "first day of school" picture because I thought I might lose it!

"Don't be sad Mom and Dad...I'm going to have so much fun!"

This was taken Saturday night before we went out to eat with some friends.

Allison...recognize the outfit?  It is SO CUTE!

Brynn has done pretty well these first two days.  She is napping and playing really well...really content.  She just isn't taking the bottle as well as normal.  I'm sure that will get worked out.  We are trusting the Lord with everything and know that He has the perfect plan for us.  Well...gotta go.  It's "Back to School night" so I better quit blogging and get ready!

Brynn's new favorite thing to do...

Brynn LOVES to be pulled into a sitting and then standing position lately!  She LOVES it!  She will smile so big and make these silly noises.  I can't believe she will be sitting on her own soon!  (Pardon my hair...I had piled it up in a wet, messy bun, and then I don't know what I did...wow...it's crazy!) 

On a different note, I went back to school two days this week for meetings.  This coming Monday I start for good.  I have really been praying that God would help both me and Brynn make a smooth transition to this next little phase.  I am so blessed to have been able to spend almost 5 straight months at home with her, and also so thankful that she is going to a babysitter who I ADORE ("Nonna" watched me when I was little and she is incredible!) 

iPhone Pictures

Well...I finally got an iPhone and I LOVE having it!  I just learned how to upload pictures from it to my computer so I figured I'd share a few of them.

Today for lunch we went to my grandma and grandpa's house.  Pawpaw is already teaching Brynn how to play cards!

I guess she thought that was a good play! HA!  She kept trying to grab all of his cards.  It was so funny!

This past weekend when Curt was in town we all went to Pagliai's to eat pizza.  After we ate we walked by SEMO's football stadium because they have a new scoreboard and new turf.  Curt and Linz were holding Brynn...can't you just see them having a cute little family in a few years??  SO SWEET!

This little pajama outfit is AWESOME...some of our family friends sent it from a shop in Oregon and it is made out of bamboo...which sounds weird but it is the softest thing ever!  It's called "kicky pants."  She loves them!  And she also loves wearing Daddy's hat! HA!

Brynn with cousin Ansley and Uncle Jason!  Ansley is SO GOOD with her...I can't wait to see Ansley and Brynn play together in the future.  Look at Brynn's chunky little cheeks!  (Thanks Debbie for the cute onesie!)

You guys know my LOVE of all things football....well a couple weekends ago Ryan and I went to St. Louis and the Rams just happened to have their training camp 2 minutes from our hotel...so of course we had to check it out.  We had so much fun!

At the Rams training camp this really nice man (that we didn't even know) gave us wristbands to sit under the VIP tent, which meant we got free food (aka most people took a bottle of water and a granola bar...I get back to our table and Ryan has 8 of them! 8 granola bars!)  Anyway - I kept trying to get Ryan to take his picture with the Rams cheerleaders but this was the closest I got.

I don't think this picture even needs a caption...how adorable!

Hanging out with Daddy down by the river...Linz and Curt were taking engagement pictures so we went to watch.

Ashley took some AWESOME pictures...they are using some of the pictures for a save-the-date thing, and one of her ideas was to use this chalkboard...how creative and cute is that??

I am SO EXCITED that I know how to upload pictures from my phone now!  Welcome to 2011 Whitney!