Tofu...Yummy!

Yesterday Brooke had her first taste of tofu. While her parents dont eat it, we dont eat half of the stuff she eats ... so its not all that different than anything else ;)

I have been a bit leery of giving Brooke meat, but yet she needs to start adding protein in her diet. In addition to being a good source of protein, tofu is also a great source of iron and calcium. There is another reason I though tofu would be a smart addition to Brooke's menu - it makes a great finger food. She is getting better with her hands but still lacks some coordination. This makes is unwise to give her the real messy stuff quite yet :)

Wholesomebabyfood.com has a lot of information on tofu for babies, including recipes! They suggest some delicious tofu combinations as well.

Blend or cube tofu with:
applesauce and squash
avocado and pears
blueberries and bananas
sweet potato and carrots
broccoli and parsnips

First Tooth

Brooke is getting her first tooth! I've noticed a white spot on her gums for a few days, but yesterday it was poking through (you could feel the sharp edge). Brooke is actually a little late in the tooth department ... Babycenter says the first tooth generally sprouts between 4 and 7 months of age, and all of her friends already have more than one. Guess she decided to catch up just in time for her 8-month birthday!

I have to admit ... its going to be a bit sad saying goodbye to that adorable gummy (and toothless) grin :(

Hanging Out At Starbucks

It's been gloomy all week and fun in the sun just isn't going to
happen. The highlight of her week was Wiggleworns yesterday ... She
loves that class. I'm pretty sure we have a future recording artist
on our hands here :)

On All Fours

Brooke can now stay up on all fours (though she cannot get up there by herself). Prior to this, we would try to put her up on her hands and knees and either her legs and arms would collapse underneath her or her belly would sink to the ground. This would normally include some sort of face-plant and often some crying. She now at least has the strength for this pre-crawling stage, now all we have to do is convince her she can get up there on her own ... and from that point she can assume her role as master-of-all-things-in-the-baby-universe.

Good thing ... because she will be 8 months old on June 1st and we are expecting some amazing milestones to be hit in the next few days ;)

Home At Last

It's been a long day and though Brooke gave it her best effort ... She
fell asleep in the car on the way home.

Being a little traveler is hard work, but it's worth it! Now she is
dreaming of her next big adventure. Where will she go next? What
other wonderful things are out there to see?

Bye Aunt Jean!

My plane is boarding soon and I'm off to Chicago. Thanks for letting
me visit ... I had so much fun!

Shuttling To The Airport

Said goodbye to Aunt Jean and now we are on our way back to the
airport. It was a quick trip, but we had so much fun! The heat kept
Brookes cheeks a bright shade of pink from the moment we landed, but
it hasn't seemed to phase her one bit :). I do think she will be
excited to get back home though...

Brooke Checks Out The Fountain

Tries to convince Aunt Jean it's safe for swimming ...

Naptime In Dupont Circle

Woke up, had breakfast, went to Starbucks and then for a walk.
Currently taking a nice nap in the park. Only 2 more hours till the
shuttle comes to take us to the airport :(

A Meerkats Eye View

After a very long day at the zoo and several lengthy conversations
with the meerkat, Brooke has passed out. Meerkat is keeping an eye on
her as she dozes, and we are resting our aching feet. It has been a
great day so far!

A Souvenier

Brooke has a snack with her new meerkat friend.

Early Bird Meets Meerkat

First Zoo Trip

The Little Traveler Has Landed

DC ... Here I Come!

Trying To Be Patient

Waiting to board and ready for a nap

Early Bird Goes To The Park

The Early Bird Strikes Again

I know life is great and every day is new, exciting and wonderful ...
But do we really have to start it at 5:45?

And Now, For Your Listening Pleasure

Brooke warming up before Wiggleworms...

Rolling

Many babies roll from front to back around 2-3 months and from back to front around 5-6 months ... but some skip rolling alltogether. We thought that Brooke was going to skip rolling but she has has a new interest in it the past few weeks. Two weekends ago (the first weekend in May) she rolled over both ways in the morning. She would roll once a day or so after that.

Then we moved to her trying to get onto her tummy at night. After one night of sleeping on her tummy for a bit she hasnt done it again. Perhaps she thought she was a tummy sleeper but found out she wasnt ;)

Her new thing is rolling onto her tummy from her back every time she gets bored, and then crying/complaining that she is on her tummy. She is less comfortable with her ability to go from tummy to back and occasionally thinks she is stuck when on her tummy (though she can easily roll to her back, and in fact, getting to her back is easier then getting to her tummy).

So at 7 1/2 months I can say we have almost mastered rolling. She is a bit unsure of herself, but knows that she can do it. Back to work on some more skills :)

What's On The Menu

Brooke has been eating solids for a few weeks so far. She basically likes everything. She eats anything we give her and begs (well..its more like demands) more.

Here is the list of all of the yummy foods she has had:
Rice Cereal
Oatmeal
Sweet Potato
Butternut Squash
Acorn Squash
Peas
Green Beans
Zucchini
Peaches
Apples
Pears
Mangos
Bananas
Avocado
Gerber Puffs

...next on the list? Broccoli. Yum!

Mothers Day Was Exhausting

Last night Brooke was so tired she needed an extra nap ... And still
could barely make it to her bedtime.

Of course, the early bedtime meant she woke up at 6:10 this morning.
By 8:30 she was crabby so we left the house at 9 to walk around a bit
before class. She passed out on the way and slept all the way through
class ... So I got my first uninterrupted workout!

Mothers Day Lunch

Brooke enjoying lunch with her Grandma, Uncle, Mom & Dad :)

Tummy Sleeping

Brooke has been trying to get on her tummy during the middle of the night for about 2 weeks now. It's been a bit of a disaster :(. She gets all the way over, but ends up with her arm trapped under her body. This results in lots of crying, followed by a return to her back, more crying, another attempt to get on her belly, a stuck arm, more crying ... You get the idea. Last night she was finally successful! She got on her tummy without trapping her arm and slept like that for a bit. She was so pleased with herself this morning that we all did a happy dance. Now she just has to figure how to get into her back from her tummy when she wants to change her sleeping position. I have a feeling we'll be trying that out this evening ...

7AM On A Friday

The early bird (and her momma) grab a coffee at you-know-where.

Cranky Girl

Brooke woke up on the wrong side of the crib this morning. She slept
well last night, but has just been moody this morning. We have an
exercise class at a local park at 9:30 but left early so her
crankiness could get some crash air :)

She barely made it down the street before she passed out. Hopefully a
little nap will return my happy girl to me!

New Videos

Brooke thought since she was 7 months old today she should post a few videos (its been a while). We have two special ones for you today. First, Brooke and Wrigley hanging out. You can see just what their relationship is all about (which is why the video is entitled Love-Hate Relationship).

Next, we have a bit of a long video that shows just what Brooke's life is all about. You'll see she spends a lot of it complaining, occasionally is distracted by something, then complains again. She's in a bit of a tough stage because she bores so easily ... but cant really do anything about her own boredom. I do my best to entertain her, but even my song-and-dance-routine is getting a bit old for her ;)
\

7 Months Old

Weight:20 lbs 3 oz
Height:27.5 inches

According to What to Expect the First Year, at 7 months Brooke... should be able to

• feed self a cracker sort of!
• razz (make a wet razzing sound) X
• coo or babble when happy X
• smile often when interacting with you X

will probably be able to

• sit without support X
• bear some weight on legs when held upright X
• object if you try to take a toy away X
• work to get a toy that's out of reach X
• look for dropped object X
• rake with fingers an object and pick it up in fist sort of
• turn in the direction of a voice X
• babble, combining vowels and consonants such as ga-ga-ga,ba-ba-ba,ma-ma-ma,da-da-da X
• play peekaboo sort of

may possibly be able to

• creep or crawl
• pass a cube or other object from one hand to the other X
• stand holding on to someone or something X

may even be able to

• pull up to a standing position from sitting
• get into a sitting position from stomach
• play patty-cake (clap hands) or wave bye-bye high five
• pick up tiny object with any part of thumb and finger
• walk holding on to furniture (cruise)
• say "mama" or "dada", indiscriminanately

X means Brooke can do this at 7 months