6 Months!!

Brooke is 6 months old today, and guess what that means? A trip to the doctor! Brooke did fine and dandy until the nurse came in and gave her an oral vaccine and three shots. I don't know who cried more, Brooke or her Mommy :( Brooke is now peacefully sleeping it off and will hopefully forget the whole ordeal took place, that is, until we go back again in 3 more months.

Weight:19 lbs 11 oz
Height:27.25 inches

The picture was taken this morning ... she had no clue what was in store for her just a few hours later


We have a great book that gives us ideas of the milestones Brooke can (and may possibly) reach at each month, What to Expect the First Year. According to the book, at 6 months Brooke... should be able to

• keep head level with body when pulled to sitting X
• say "ah-goo" or similar vowel-consonant combinations X

will probably be able to

• bear some weight on legs when held upright X
• sit without support
• turn in the direction of a voice X
• razz (make a wet razzing sound) X

may possibly be able to

• stand holding on to someone or something X
• object if you try to take a toy away
• work to get a toy that's out of reach X
• pass a cube or other object from one hand to the other X
• look for dropped object
• rake with fingers a tiny object and pick it up in fist
• babble, combining vowels and consonants such as ga-ga-ga, ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma, da-da-da X
• feed self cracker or other finger food

may even be able to

• creep or crawl
• pull up to a standing position from sitting
• get into a sitting position from stomach
• pick up tiny object with any part of thumb and finger
• say "mama" or "dada", indiscriminanately

X means Brooke can do this at 6 months

Mmmmmm... Tasty!

Today Brooke & I went to a baby food making party. Brooke got to hang
out with her friends, pet a kitty, and try some peaches! I came home
with enough food for her next 30 meals. Not bad!

Who knew that the slime they use on Nickelodian was made out if peas?
At least, they sure look similar :)

Good Girls

25 Weeks - Eating Superhero!

Brooke is now a champ at eating and has mastered the "baby bird". She pops her mouth open waiting for us to dump in the next spoonful and eats everything we give her. She sometimes closes her mouth before the spoon gets there, but she is getting the general idea. Hope this continues, because on Friday we are moving off of sweet potatoes onto summer squash ;)

She has learned something new this week, the "high five"! We have been asking her to give us "high five" for a few weeks now, and generally we take our hands and hit hers when we say it. Often, this is followed up with some silly giggles (on behalf of all parties involved). The other day I said "high five" and went in to hit her hand, but before I could she lifted hers up and moved it towards me. She got it! Now we do it all the time, and it appears to be the funniest thing she can do. She also is loving showing off her newly acquired skill to everyone we see.

Does It Look Like She's Sleeping?

We walked to the grocery store during Brookes afternoon naptime to
test if she sleeps as well in it as she does her other one.

She dozed a bit on the way, but woke up inside. I strolled around a
bit and eventually she fell back asleep. Close one!

While at the store we picked up a summer squash. Brooke was loving
her sweet potatoes yesterday (after a very unhappy experience with
them on Sunday) and she is ready for veggie #2!

New Wheels!

Brooke's new stroller arrived just in time for some warm(ish)
weather ... So we took them for a spin.

She must have enjoyed the new view a big stroller provides because she
laughed and giggled our whole walk.

When we got home we celebrated the occasion with our 1st vegetable -
sweet potatoes! Brooke ate it, but wasn't too sure if she liked it or
not. We'll see when she gets them again tomorrow ;)

24 Weeks Old!

Brooke is 24 weeks old today! It was a bit of a sad day because Aunt Jean left town ... but Brooke had a lot of fun with her and I am sure she will be even more excited the next time she gets to see her :)

In the past week we have had a few more "firsts" including Brooke's roll from tummy to back (which she hasnt done since) and the insertion of her foot into her mouth :) She also has something very exciting just around the corner - her big girl stroller is on its way!

Stroller Shopping
We decided that we wanted an all-terrain type stroller to be able to handle a lot of walking on the city streets and sidewalks and after some searching found ourselves down to just a few options after researching both online and in the stores. Baby Gaga and JoggingStroller.com were very useful sites. We limited all of the choices down to 4:

BOB Revolution
Bumbleride Indie
BabyJogger City Elite
BabyJogger Summit 360

There were pros and cons to each stroller, but ultimately 2 things were our factors. 1) The way the stroller handled when we pushed it around and 2) The appearance of comfort for the rider. In the end we decide on the BabyJogger Summit 360, and ordered it online to save on tax and shipping. Current estimated delivery date is 3/20. We cant wait!

An Hour Of Fun

We have found a great new way to entertain Brooke. So far, this
bottle of water has brought us almost an hour of non-stop fun.

Room To Grow

Grandma got Brooke a sun hat ... But it looks like maybe she needs to
get a little bigger before she can wear it :)

A Watched Pot DOES Boil

Every morning I put Brooke on her tummy 1st thing. I watch as she repeatedly almost rolls over and then stops herself at the last second (she also does the same when on her back, turning 99% of the way to her tummy and then stopping). Honestly, I think this signals that she has skill ... a lot of babies cannot stop themselves from tumbling over, and she doesnt seem to have any issue with controlling her movements.

This morning she finally did it! She rolled from her tummy to her back! Twice! Yay Brooke!

Sleepy Baby Goes For A Walk

There is a guy doing some work in the house ... And it's a loud kind
of work :). It's Brooke's naptime, and though she can generally sleep
through loud noise, I am not sure how she will handle trying to fall
asleep in the midst of it!

I popped her into her stroller and figured it was in our destiny to
head to Starbucks. Poor Peanut, she could barely keep her eyes open
and was out cold by the end of our block :)

Maybe she knows she needs to rest up ... Aunt Jean is coming into town
tonight!

How Much Should Baby Be Eating?

I've tried to figure out and understand what role solids should play in Brooke's daily food intake. Babycenter has an excellent article "Age-by-age guide to feeding your baby" which offers some pretty good (and understandable) guidelines.

Age: 4-6 Months
What to Feed: milk/formula, PLUS Semi-liquid iron-fortified rice cereal, THEN other grain cereals like oats or barley
How much: Begin with about 1 teaspoon dry rice cereal mixed with 4 to 5 teaspoons milk/formula. Gradually thicken consistency and increase to 1 tablespoon dry cereal (mixed with milk or formula), 2X a day.

Age: 6-8 Months
What to Feed: milk/formula, PLUS Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, oats), Pureed or strained fruits (banana, pears, applesauce, peaches), Pureed or strained vegetables (avocado, well-cooked carrots, squash, and sweet potato)
How much: 3 to 9 tablespoons cereal, in 2 to 3 feedings, 1 teaspoon fruit, gradually increased to ¼ to ½ cup in 2 to 3 feedings, 1 teaspoon vegetables, gradually increased to ¼ to ½ cup in 2 to 3 feedings

Age: 8-10 Months
What to Feed: milk/formula, PLUS Small amounts of soft pasteurized cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese (but no cows' milk until age 1), Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals), Mashed fruits and vegetables (bananas, peaches, pears, avocados, cooked carrots, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes), Finger foods (lightly toasted bagels, cut up; small pieces of ripe banana; well-cooked spiral pasta; teething crackers; low-sugar O-shaped cereal), Small amounts of protein (egg, pureed meats, poultry, and boneless fish; tofu; well-cooked and mashed beans with soft skins like lentils, split peas, pintos, black beans), Non-citrus juice (apple or pear)
How much: ¼ to 1/3 cup dairy (or ½ oz. cheese), ¼ to ½ cup iron-fortified cereal, ¼ to ½ cup fruit, ¼ to ½ cup vegetables, 1/8 to ¼ cup protein foods, 3 to 4 oz. non-citrus juices

Age: 10-12 Months
What to Feed: milk/formula PLUS Soft pasteurized cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese (but no cows' milk until age 1), Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals), Fruit cut into cubes or strips, or mashed, Bite-size, soft-cooked vegetables (peas, carrots), Combo foods (macaroni and cheese, casseroles), Protein (egg; pureed or finely ground meats, poultry, and boneless fish; tofu; well-cooked and mashed beans), Finger foods (lightly toasted bread or bagels, small pieces of ripe banana, spiral pasta, teething crackers, low-sugar O-shaped cereal), Non-citrus juice
How much: 1/3 cup dairy (or ½ oz. cheese), ¼ to ½ cup iron-fortified cereal, ¼ to ½ cup fruit, ¼ to ½ cup vegetables, 1/8 to ¼ cup combo foods, 1/8 to ¼ cup protein foods, 3 to 4 oz. non-citrus juices

---

Considering that Brooke is now refusing to eat her cereal at all, we are not quite near the recommended 1 tbsp for 2X a day. Tomorrow I'm going to try oatmeal in the morning instead of rice cereal. Hopefully she digs that a bit more so we can move to 2X a day instead of our current situation: 0X a day :)

Sitting

23 Weeks - Stranger Anxiety? No Duh!

Babycenter discusses stranger anxiety this week:

Your baby may start showing signs of one of her first major emotional milestones — stranger anxiety. She may become clingy and anxious around new (and even familiar!) people and may cry if a stranger suddenly approaches her.

Keep this in mind when you're around people she doesn't know, and try not to be embarrassed when she cries in someone else's arms — just take her back and calm her down by holding her yourself. Tell your friends and family to approach your little one with slow gentle movements.

A case of stranger anxiety doesn't mean you have to avoid new faces. Your baby will benefit from getting used to being around people other than you and your partner. Just remember that she needs your patience and understanding to get through this very important stage of development.

Brooke doesnt mind the approach too much, she just gives everyone the evil eye. But we have had a very hard time with others holding her - people she is familiar with or strangers, it doesnt matter. Its more of a separation anxiety issue than a stranger anxiety issue, and we have been working on getting her more comfortable with these situations.

Several other sites this week talk about sitting - Brooke should soon be able to sit on her own (although for quite short periods of time). I have also been working with her on this. In fact, when she wakes up from her nap I will snap a picture of her "sitting". Its a bit to hard to explain in words ;)

Caught Wet Handed

Not In The Mood

Today Brooke decided she wasn't really into her cereal. She only ate
1/2 and gave me a nasty look after each bite. Perhaps she was trying
to tell me she wants a little variety :)

63!!!!!

Brooke and I are out in the backyard watching Wrigley play ball :) It
feels like spring!

It's 61 And Sunny!

Time for a nice, long walk ... And lunch with Brookes friend, Owen
(and his mommy too)!

TV's Not For Babies

Another study on tv and kids with basically the same result. "Want a smart baby? TV's not going to help" doesnt actually find any harmful results of babies watching tv (other studies have found decreased attention spans, reduced language development and even a possible autism connection) but doesnt find any positives either. Basically, those Baby Einstein DVD's are a waste of your money ;)

We have decided to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation not to allow Brooke any tv time until she is 2. It has been hard for us, as not allowing Brooke to watch tv also means that we dont get to watch tv. But I think now that we are used to the change in our viewing habits we both feel that the time we spend with her (without tv) is of better quality, and that is really what matters.

22 Weeks Old
Brooke officially turned 5 months old this past Sunday. She is 22 weeks old today! Jeff and I both laughed when we read what parents.com had to say about the development of a 22-week-old baby:

Your baby's mobility continues to increase by leaps and bounds--or twists and turns--as he approaches the six-month point. He'll test out new perspectives, arching his back to look at the world upside down and flopping over to see things sideways. He'll also hate to be immobilized, taking it as a personal affront when you prevent him from reaching exciting new toys (such as electrical cords or the telephone), or restrain him when he tries to dive-bomb the cat.

All this activity can make diaper-changing a special challenge. You'll now appreciate the fact that most changing tables come equipped with restraints, although parents of especially active babies may want to use the floor anyway. To minimize the struggle, have all materials--diaper, wipes, new clothes if needed--close at hand, and be prepared to distract your little squirmer with a series of toys, songs, and funny noises.

In the past week we have noticed that Brooke has become a squirmy-worm. She is all over the place! She aggressively throws her body forward and backward in suprising moves and at unexpected times. It has made diaper changing difficult, but its actually made everything difficult. Just holding her can be a bit scary because you never know at which time, which way, or how often, she is going to pull one of her new stunts. Brooke likes to make sure that life is an adventure ... a non-stop-roller-coaster-kind-of-adventure :)

Ready For Summer!

Brooke and I made a very exciting purchase today! Her first swimsuit ;)

Mommy's Ab Class Wore Me Out!

Brooke normally sleeps through 1/2 or all of my ab class, but today
she was awake for the whole thing (10:00-10:50). She laid on her
blanket and chatted the whole time - wearing herself out to the point
where she fell asleep in the middle of playing with her toy. If you
can see ... Her finger is wrapped around the pulley, but she is sound
asleep:)