A 15 Month Update

Since Brooklynn's almost 16 months now, I found it fitting to go ahead and put up a 15 month update (since we run a little behind on things these days).

Brooklynn weighs 21 lbs. now and is 31" long. She's walking, practically running, and no you can't keep up with her. She's saying "mama", "dada", "papa", and "Jesus"... okay okay, she DID say it but just once! Her "hello" is "LO" and if you ask her where someone is and they aren't in the room she gives a cute, "I don't know" hand movement.

Along with her being into everything, when objects don't "open" she gets very VERY frustrated. My husband has thrown the occasional toy away because it aggravates her so much.

She is a girl in every sense of the word. She doesn't like anything to be dirty on her hands or feet. We are becoming accustomed to shoes, thankfully, yet gets frustrated when she can't put them on herself. Spell it with me : I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T. She gets it honest.

She loves kicking balls around the house. No one in my family is a soccer star, besides the soccer-run my dad had growing up (hence the football kicker) so Kaylin, she's all yours :)

We definitely have a smart cookie on our hands. She can tell you (well, show you) how old she is, point to all of her body parts, and bat her eyelashes when you ask her about her "pretty eyes". You may also get the occasional eye roll. She didn't get that from me. She also loves books and dogs. She carries around her stuffed dog she got from her friend Anna all over the house while giving it kisses and trying to feed it. Have I mentioned she's the most compassionate little girl?

Her favorite foods are mac & cheese, chicken nuggets, pouches, cheese quesadillas, & sweet tea (don't judge me, we're from the South) and anything else sweet for that matter. She gets that from her dad.

She still loves her Doc McStuffins, Mickey Mouse, and Ring Around the Rosy. She gives the best kisses and still loves people. The more the merrier. Don't tell her "I'm gonna get you" unless you're prepared to run laps around the building while she screams from excitement. Have I mentioned she loves to be chased?

We are growing more accustomed to buggies and highchairs but only for a short period of time and only if you're feeding her snacks. After that, all bets are off and she tries her hand at surfing. We're also not fans of the vacuum, hair dryer, blender, or exercise balls. Those are big, loud, and scary.

And, thanks to one of our fabulous babysitters, we have a collage of all of "Brooklynn's faces" Thank you, Allee :)

"Unimportant" Days

July 26...November 8...June 8...August 7...February 3...

These are important dates in my life. Ever since grade school, this is why I hated history. Not because of the history but because of the dates. Give me 100 vocabulary words and DONE A+ but you give me a few dates to memorize and I'm burnt toast.

We've naturally been raised to put great emphasis on important dates. Birthdates, Anniversaries, Salvation birthdates...trust me, my calendar is near and dear to my heart (and my sanity). Dates are circled, highlighted and underlined three times so that I won't forget! But what about the "unimportant"? The blank squares in your calendar, dates that aren't written in red, circled, highlighted, and underlined three times? Pslam 68:19 says, "Blessed be the Lord who daily bears us up; God is our salvation." Reading this, and being my calendaring-type-A-self, the visual in my mind is God's calendar with every.single.day highlighted and circled. God daily bears us up, he opens doors of opportunities for us every.single.day. There aren't those days-He-doesn't-have-anything-to-do...you know, those days that we yearn for.

Going into this week, I had one thing on my mind. Be intentional with Brooklynn. And no, I'm not the perfect parent that goes into each day with that as my goal. On Sunday, we leave to serve the people of Harmons, Jamaica and will be gone 7 days. The longest I've been without Brooklynn is 2. To top it off, we can't FaceTime, talk, or have pictures sent to my phone to keep my blood pumpin'. It's going to be tragic. SO, this week, I'm putting down the phone, the computer (she's sleeping right now, by the way ;), setting aside the dirty clean piles of laundry to play outside or just welcome her presence as she crawls all over my face.

What would happen if we all circled every day in our calendar as a day to be intentional about something or someone. I think it would change the direction of the Church and our own personal lives. Circle those un-important dates in your calendar and make them important to you! Our life is a vapor.

Brooklynn's 1st Birthday Party

This weekend we celebrated Brooklynn's birthday with our family. I wanted something fun but laid back seeing as how she will not remember anything that the pictures don't show. 

We celebrated with all things pink, gold & purple, chicken & waffle sliders, sausage wrapped pancakes on a stick, fruit, rice krispy treats, and cupcakes (my fave). 

I should have known that my child would try and destroy her high chair decor. She wasn't fond of the "O" so we went with "NE" instead.

Brooklynn's smash cake didn't really go as her daddy had planned. No, our sweet little cautious girly-girl picked the sprinkles off the top and ate those first. Then, she got a little more comfortable and went for the icing. Then, with dad's help, she smashed her hands into it and loved every bite. Thanks, dad ;)

I guess we have officially wrapped up Brooklynn's first year of "first holidays"! Here's to year 2!

P.S. It only took one whole year, but my child is on a nap schedule. Thank you for your prayers ;)

Oh, and her party dress? I snagged it for $8 at Nordstrom Rack. (I know, right? My family was there for proof.)

She's One Year Old

My Brooklynn girl is 1 year old today! As much as it seems like she's been here for forever, it also seems like I just had her. First of all, I'd just like to make a disclaimer. When I find out I was pregnant, it didn't hit me I was really having a baby. When I went into labor, it still didn't hit me I was having a baby. And when they put her on my chest, it still didn't hit me that I had had a baby. I think that every single person I've ever met that has had a baby had this reaction: "It was the best moment of my life."..."I cried with joy."...or "it was love at first sight." For me, I didn't experience any of those emotions. Honestly, when they gave her to me, I had no idea what to do. I wasn't emotional or over the moon. I really just didn't know what to do. We had never had babies in the family, I never babysat babies, never worked in the nursery, and didn't have friends who had babies. On a scale from 0-10 when it comes to knowing how to function with a baby, I was a 1 and that's only because I read an article or two before she was born. Saying that, know that I've always loved my child I just haven't always known how to love her. I've never questioned the Lord's plan in bringing her into our lives but I have questioned my ability to parent.

Brooklynn, you came into this world as a big surprise and you've put us on quite the ride. You've allowed the Lord to reveal things about Himself and also about myself that I never would have recognized had you not come into this world the way you did. You've taught me how to be patient, trust God's plan versus my own plan, be a little spontaneous and throw out schedules every now and then. You've shown me God's love for me and how He truly only wants what's best for His children, even when it can be painful for them. You've made me more compassionate and more merciful when I wasn't before. You've chipped away the rough edges of my heart and I love you more now than ever.  Thank you for showing me the love that the Lord has for His children. Happy Birthday, baby girl.

And one last monthly post for the books web.

Diaper size: 4 during the day & 5 at night

Clothing size: 18M

Weight: 24ish

Eye Color: Blue

Favorite Toy: She's loving books, her new "phone" from GiGi & Papa, and anything that she can shake.

Sleeping Habits: It only took one whole year but I think we may have a nap schedule down. She still goes down around 8PM and wakes around 9AM, goes for a nap from 10:30-12:30 then again from 2:30-4. 

Words: Mama, Baba (which I think she thinks is "dada" :)) 

Best Moments: Her fun personality is starting to bloom. She's so happy and very rarely fussy. Which is a complete 180 from where she's been in the past!

Hard Moments: When she doesn't get her naps. And also the fact she's growing at rapid speed :(

Fun info: Brooklynn LOVES food! She will eat anything (unless it's eggs or broccoli) She's getting in her top 2 teeth which will make 4 teeth! She moves FAST...don't blink! 

11 Months!

Diaper size: 4

Clothing size: 12M - 18M

Weight: 20ish

Eye Color: Blue

Favorite Toy: Her toy piano and Stand & Play that we got her for Christmas! 

Sleeping Habits: With the holidays her sleep habits were a little whack...as if they weren't already. She was (and now that the holidays are over is again) taking two naps a day. She will either take two shorter naps or one long nap. Her nighttime sleep is still marvelous. She sleeps from 8PM - 9AM

Words: Mama, Baba 

Best Moments: She is a lot happier than in months past. I've said on here before that she's never been an exceptionally happy baby. This month, she was happy and went to bed much better than in the past! Happy mama over here!

Hard Moments: She's suffered from a cold nearly all month long. Never one bad enough to send me her over the edge though. She did get sick on New Years Day which was beyond pitiful but I did love the cuddles that she gave...because she never does!

Fun info: I looked at Brooklynn today and thought, "she's no longer a little baby...she's a little girl." She can stand on her own and I'm almost 100% certain she would walk on her own if her little fears didn't get the best of her. She gets scared and sits down...gracefully :) She's drinking out of straws, feeding herself big girl food and LOVES the sweets (I repeat - she is her dad's child). We celebrated her first Christmas which was loads of fun. She was a better "un-wrapper" than I thought she'd be. It didn't take her long to figure out there was something for her underneath all that paper. She's also started mocking people. One of her uncles will do something and she'll do it right back. This is probably a bad thing so ya'll be aware of what you do in front of my child ;) 

These posts are coming to an end! Little stinker will be 1 next month!! It seemed like I was just doing those chalkboard updates and now I'm almost done with her monthly updates! Whew...time's soarin'...

Sick Baby and "Resolutions"

We have started off 2015 with bang here in the Hux household. Brooklynn woke up New Years Day with something. Whatever it was, it only lasted 24 hours but that was about 22 hours too long. I guess the good thing about having a super hyper-active baby is you know when she's sick. She woke up, didn't drink much of her bottle (clue #1), sat up and didn't move (clue #2), and wanted to be held and cuddle (clue #3). Yep, that was it, someone call 9-1-1 cause Brooklynn-girl was not herself. We watched her for a bit, gave her some Tylenol, a bubble bath, and put her back down for a nap about 45 minutes after she woke up (clue #4 because she actually went back down with no fuss). We woke her up ( I know, a no-no in parenting 101) but we wanted her to nap again and not sleep the whole day away. She was whiny and so she went back down shortly after lunch. She seemed to get better as the day wore on but she still had a small fever and was clingy. She woke up yesterday with about 95% of her spunk back and today she's as good as new. Having a sick baby is rough on the soul...and the back if they only wanna be held.

Sick and still super sweet :)

Have any of you made your New Years "Resolutions"? I use quotations because I think the majority of us just consider it a joke nowadays. I made some...sorta. I'm really gonna try and lose the rest of this weight that I gained prior to baby...thank you control, I hate you. We did our "healthy grocery shopping" this morning. I think more-so than losing weight I just need my energy back. I also have vowed to myself to be more joyful...in everything...this year. I'm determined to not let things stress me out as much as I did last year. You can usher in prayers for me if you'd like ;)

In other fun news, Brooklynn's first birthday plans are in the making <insert deer-in-the-headlights-look>.

Prayers for good health and joy in your 2015 :)

Brooklynn's Christmas Wish List

Most would think that a child's first Christmas is a big deal, and it is, but not for reasons that you would think. I think the most fun is just seeing Christmas through her eyes. Seeing her light up at all the bright lights and poke and prod at all the things she isn't allowed to touch. This year, we aren't doing a whole lot on the gift side of things for her because well...there's just no point if we are being honest. She's getting a few things for fun and a few things that are necessities for her but other than that, we all know she'll sit all day playing with tissue paper and boxes. Here are a few things she has "asked" for...;-) Plus, her 1st birthday is right around the corner, too :)

1. Discovering Music Activity Table by Baby Einstein  Brooklynn loves music and loves to stand. Hopefully this will be a winner!

2. Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat I think Santa may feel bad for Brooklynn's car-riding blues...we'll see ;)

3. Summer Infant Diner Portable Placemat I probably get the award for the most non-sanitary mother out there by putting B's food right on the table. I think it's time for a placemat. 

4. Lollaland Lollacup We watched this episode on Shark Tank! I'm exciting to see Brooklynn use it. The base of the straw is weighted so the straw goes wherever she tilts the cup!

5. Pop 'n Play Playard This was a recommendation from another mom! Anything to keep my girl confined since our floor-plan in our home is wide open! This will help me get my teeth brushed!

She's also getting a few little outfits, some PJ's, and some shoes sent to us by some friends! If anything, I'll be excited for her on Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas!

Double Digits! 10 Months

Her I-know-I'm-not-supossed-to-touch-the-tree-but-I-can't-help-it face 

Diaper size: 3

Clothing size: 9M & 12M

Weight: Almost 18lbs!

Eye Color: Blue

Favorite Toy: Anything that she's not supposed to have (e.g. cords, remotes, laptop, etc.) Haha! Actually, she really just loves to play with whatever you have in your hand.

Sleeping Habits: This one is always fun. She's a champion of sleep at night. She sleeps from whenever we get home until 9:15-:9:30am. Nap time is still a challenge. I'm starting to think that it will always be rough. As of the last couple of days, she has ditched the morning nap and napped from about 1:30-4:30PM. Sometimes waking up sooner than that. She cat naps in the car...occasionally. 

Words: Mama, dadadada ;)

Best Moments: She's getting so big and so smart. She answers to her name and smiles at you when you walk in. I think everyday she learns a new trick. 

Hard Moments: Brooklynn is a fireball. She's got so much energy that she puts me to shame. I can't keep up to say the least. Therefore, I'm still exhausted at the end of the day. She requires 24/7 entertainment and that means not getting much "mom time". 

Fun info:When I say patty-cake, she starts clapping. She LOVES peek-a-boo but not the normal version...the version where you break a sweat hiding behind the couch or running back and forth from room to room. She also loves food...anything...there is nothing she won't eat. She still has her two bottom teeth and can almost stand on her own. She crawls around...fast! She wants to walk so bad she can't stand it. She grabs everything and puts everything in her mouth. I've given up worrying about germs, haha! She's super dramatic and emotional...let's hope that phase ends before middle school. She's either turning her nose up at you or screaming with laughter. She still hates wearing shoes.

7 Months!

Weight: 14.9 lbs

Diaper Size: 2s during the day & 3s at night. She had been wetting the bed every night and my genius friend Ginny suggested going up a size a night (thank you ;)

Clothing size: 6-9M

Eye Color: Blue

Favorite Toy: Mirrors!

Sleeping Habits: I think we may have a winning schedule going. For the beginning of the month, we still weren't sleeping much. However now, she's been getting in about 2 good 1-2 hr naps a day and an occasional cat nap in the early evening. She's also been sleeping from about 8pm (when we are home...an occasional 9-10pm bedtime when we are out) until about 8AM. Occasionally she will wake up around 2AM but go back to sleep fairly easily.

Words: Mama...actually it's just "mamamamama" Haha!

Best Moments: SLEEPING finally :-)

Hard Moments: Her poor bathroom skills. It's so painful to watch her go poop. She's not quite used to the solid poop yet!

Fun Info: Brooklynn is so attentive. She pays attention to everything and watches everyone. She's sure to make you feel self conscious about yourself. She tries so hard to scoot and get places but just can't and that frustrates her so much! She loves peek-a-boo and anyone that will give her the littlest bit of attention. She'd rather eat table food than her own food. She's started drinking some water and loves it! Her favorite foods are: sweet potatoes, fruit, & anything sweet (like her daddy) She also for some reason finds excitement in watching tennis...haven't figured that one out yet. She loves being bounced and thrown in the air...basically just keep her moving and she's a happy camper. 

4 Months

Diaper Size: 2

Clothing size: 3M or 3-6M

Eye Color: Blue

Favorite Toy: Her play mat

Sleeping Habits: Haha! Ever since we moved, she has no sleep schedule...actually, there's no schedule at all. Some nights she'll sleep till 5 but lately it had been 3am then every three hours after that. However, last night she slept from 8:30PM-7:15AM. We're just rollin' with the punches over here. She also has only been cat-napping throughout the day instead of her usual 3-hr naps. It's her world...we all just live in it :)

Best Moments: Her new noises. She's discovered her lips and loves making motor boat noises. 

Hard Moments: Definefely the lack of sleep!

Fun Info: She loves looking at herself in the mirror, grabbing at things, laughing, blowing "bubbles", chewing on anything you put near her mouth, and beginning to roll over! She also gets very upset when people don't pay her any attention (she obviously doesn't get that from me)! 

"Most mommys would give anything for this."

It's 2:45am and I just told husband that this is the worst week of my parenting life (okay mayyyybe a little dramatic but no really) thus far. And I even feel bad saying that knowing the pain two little families are having to live through from losing their little ones in the last couple of weeks. It's amazing how fast stories of people you've never heard of fly around social media. My sob story is just that in comparison to theirs...a little bit of sobbing. 

As I lye here sleep deprived feeling as if B is only 2 weeks old instead of 14, I'm reminded of a poopy diaper I changed back when we first brought Brooklynn home from the hospital. At my baby shower, everyone wrote "funny" things (and some deep inspirational prophetic words, haha) on a pack of diapers that I quickly went through during night feedings. Along with the "ipood", "oh crap!", and "this ones for daddy" diapers, there was one that said, "some mommys would give anything for this." I don't know who wrote it but they should know this: That has gotten me through way more than one poopy diaper. It's gotten me through growth spurts, the beginning stages of teething, and now the transition to crib "sleeping" that B is not doing much of. 

This week both of our swings, which were the only things B would sleep in, stopped swinging for one reason or another so that meant crib livin for Miss Brooklynn-girl. She sleeps well during the day then the sun goes down and she's all in a tissy at ungodly hours such as 2:45am (hence why I'm venting to the internet). But most mommys would give anything for this. 

To top getting no sleep off, husband was sick last weekend and the beginning of this week and I've been a sick dog since Tuesdayish. Needless to say we exhibit the true meaning of walking dead in the Hux household this week. But most mommys would give anything for this. 

I spend most of her crying hours trying to figure things out...cause that's what I do...I solve the problems. Is she too cold? Too hot? Maybe she didnt get enough to eat. Does she wanna be unswaddled, swaddled, or one arm out?, does she need to be inclined? Is it too dark or too bright? Maybe the sound machine isn't loud enough. Or maybe she's just a baby and babies cry. Then I look over her crib to give her a paci and she smiles and opens her mouth real big. Most mommys would give anything for this. I may have to wear more under eye concealer tomorrow but I think I'll be okay. I think we'll all make it. Most mommys would give anything for the dark circles and the crying. We have much to be grateful for.

3 Months

Weight: I have not a clue

Length: Same as above

Diaper Size: 1

Clothing size: 0-3 months

Eye Color: Blue

Favorite Toy: Her hands

Sleeping Habits: Thank goodness we finally have some sort of a schedule going here. We put her to bed around 9:00 and she wakes up any where between 6:30 and 7:30. I'll list her little "schedule down below".

Best Moments: Her wide smile when her daddy plays with her!

Hard Moments: Her 3-month growth-spurt. Crying all day for two days is hard on mama and baby.

Fun Info:    

• She found her thumb...once. That was so fun. Thankfully, my mom was around and quick on the trigger to document it.
• She's also extremely camera shy (which is not so fun for mama but exactly like her mama). 
• She rolled from her back to her stomach...once. 
• She still requires movement to be content...I'm really praying for an adjustment to her crib soon (if only those bounced. Maybe a crib on hydraulics?) 
• She's starting to like her bath time...actually, she just likes sucking down whatever water gets near her mouth :-/
• We might have finally found a bottle that she will take. Thank you, Nuk!
• She's great in public! She's quiet and behaves! Hopefully she will stay that way, haha!

3-month Schedule:

6:30/7:30am // Wakes up, eats, goes back to sleep

9:30/10:30am // Wakes up, eats, plays

11:30am // Cat nap on me or in the bouncer (30 minutes)

12pm // Eats

12:30-3:30 // Nap

3:30pm // Eats

5pm // Fussy time (haha) Cat nap (30 minutes)

6pm // Eats

7pm // Cat nap (30 minutes)

8:00 // Bath

8:45 // Eats

9:00 // Bed time

Of course her schedule changes slightly depending on the day but for the most part, this is it give or take 30 minutes.

Brooklynn, meet baseball

Being in ministry, you don't really ever get to get away on the weekends because Sunday duties call and being a college athlete you don't really have free weekends to get away either. For those two reasons, my brother Stephen, had yet to meet baby Brooklynn. Since Stephen's a senior at CSU and John is in his last year at SMC we decided that we needed to burn up the road to try to catch their last home games. Brooklynn got to experience her first baseball games and her uncle Stephen finally got to meet her!