Monday, March 26, 2012

Pictures!!

Godmother Paige

Becca and Jake's Wedding

 G. Aunt Barb Graven at wedding with Brooklyn
1 month old

Becca and Brooklyn.  2 days before I-do!

Mike - 1st college loan paid off!!!! YAY :)
Dave Ramsey would be proud.


No, Auntie Becca is not trying to give you a high 5.
She is showing you what Brooklyn did all over her hand!! (and legs and arms)
Let's just say they both needed a bath :)

Trying the new tippy cup after some yummy avacados.

Putting our new closet together - finally!!
 He did such a great job.


My Free stuff from couponing.
2 night lights

Free t-shirts

 New belts - still all free!


Henry and Brooklyn over Christmas Break

Jack and Brooklyn

Friday, March 16, 2012

New Videos. . . .Finally.

3/14/12 - Brooklyn playing with her feet

2/28/12 - first time reaching for her hanging toys and hitting them



Found my beautiful skirt :)

Bouncing.  3/14/12

Found my socks!  I can just see her saying "What am I wearing?"

Peek a Boo with Grandma

More Feet

Auntie Ali

Monday, January 2, 2012

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

2 months old!

Brooklyn is already 2 months old if you can believe it.  We are still wondering where all the time has gone and I think it will continue to be this way forever!  It's funny because when I was pregnant, she couldn't get here fast enough.  It seemed like I might be pregnant forever, but now that she is here - the time is going too fast.

This past weekend I had my first diaper stripping.  Build-up in the diapers (detergent, hard water, stains, etc) gets built up in the diapers and in the inserts.  When this happens the diapers do not absorb as well and repel any liquid (pee and poo) that comes into contact with them.  Stripping them takes time because you have to rinse many times in the wash to be sure all detergent comes out.  After stripping them, a friend told me about an easier way to be sure that you never have to strip the diapers again.  Just add a few drops of tea tree oil to the washer each time and it will keep all the funk out of them!  Sounds much easier and less time consuming, so thank you, Sarah!!

Work has been going great!  Brooklyn is such a great baby for me to work at home with.  She is a big time sleeper (like me!) and spends the morning either sleeping or eating which allows me to work.  She usually sleeps in her playpen in the basement where I work or in her swing upstairs while I listen on the monitor to the same music playing - getting kind of sick of it now . . . . . .

Mike comes home for lunch everyday.  He loves to spend as much time with us as possible and would rather have left overs or whatever he can find than the cafeteria food (except on days when they serve CRISPITO.  Apparently, they are just so delicious that he could never miss out on that.  Mike has school this week until Thursday with an early release at 2:20.

We are preparing for our big holiday vacation and we leave Friday morning.  We will spend a week in Montgomery over Christmas with the McCrady's.  Grandma and Grandpa Meuret will join us there from Brunswick, Nebraska.  We are excited to introduce them to Brooklyn.  Last time we saw them was at Allistair's graduation in June and Brooklyn was just barely a bump in my belly!

I am hoping while in Montgomery that I can finish up some fantastic sewing projects that have been in my box (which is now 2 tubs!) for years and years.  Really hoping some of my projects don't turn into decade-long projects!!

Santa will visit Brooklyn in Montgomery.  She even got a stocking this year.  Wondering what Santa will bring her since she has been such a good girl this year!  She is definitely on the nice list (if you watched the video below).  We will post pictures of her 1st Christmas next week.

On Friday the 30th, we will head to Bemidji to spend New Years with the Hougens!  Mike has to head back to Iowa on Monday, January 2nd because school starts Tuesday.  I have decided to spend a few more days in Bemidji visiting my Brother and Sister's families.  I am excited to see Ryan and Kristy's new house and Jake and Ashley's new addition to their family, Patrick, who is only a month younger than Brooklyn.

I will head back to Iowa on Friday, January 6th.  2 weeks on the road with a baby, cloth diapers and in the dead of winter!  Luckily there is no snow in Iowa or Minnesota.  Looks to be a brown winter.  I cannot remember the last time that this happened.

What a special idea!

A message to Brooklyn from Santa Clause

Just for Fun!

Mike's special video from Santa

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Silly Daddy!

Funny story from this morning!

I usually get up around 5 and get ready to work.  Mike has been in charge of getting Brooklyn up and dressed whenever she wakes and then bringing her to me to eat.  This morning, I am working in the basement and I can hear them upstairs getting ready.  Brooklyn is crying - well, really screaming and I can hear Mike talking to her and trying to calm her down.  It was about 5 minutes of this.

After about 5 minutes I hear Mike yell to me that she has no clothes left! 

Yah right - this girl has way too many clothes.  I yell up at him that they are in her closet (where they have been since day 1). . . .

a couple minutes later I decide to go upstairs to see what is taking so long because she is still screaming.  Brooklyn was laying there waiting to get dressed (and eat) and Daddy still couldn't find anything to wear.  He was frantically going through her closet looking at each outfit.  I tell him to just pick something from the closet and he says:

"But those are all size 3 months."

Yes, dear - she wears size 3 months now - I say

"oh, okay"


She is definitely a growing machine! 

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Look at how big I am! 7 weeks old

Each day I cannot believe how big Brooklyn is getting.  I am so excited for her to be growing and learning new things each day, yet its kinds of sad because I want her to stay little forever!!

She has outgrown nearly all of her newborn clothes and is now in 0-3 months and some 3 month clothes!

Brooklyn is now smiling and coo-ing and making gargly noises when given a lot of attention.  She has been focusing on objects like her mobile and our faces more.  We broke down and bought her an activity gym last night because she is more than ready for it.  She is really thinking hard about wanting to touch these toys or hit them, but hasn't quite figured out how to move her arms the way she wants yet.

Here are a few videos of her smiling, cooing, and playing with her new toys.  Daddy had fun with the video camera!






Updates on her larynx -
We went to the University of Iowa to the ENT (Ear, Nose Throat) doctor after getting a referral from our physician.  She makes a very funny noise with her throat - almost like she is congested and wheezing at the same time.  Her oxygen levels are fine, she just has a very skinny larynx and her disease is called Laryngomalacia (floppy larynx).  We got to see her nose and throat with the use of a scope.  It was really cool and disgusting at the same time to be able to see all of it.  When the Doctor got to her larynx we could clearly see that it was very oval shaped when it is supossed to be quite round.  We go back in 6 weeks for a followup appointment.  Diagnosis - about 90% of infants outgrow it between 6-12 months.  As she grows, her throat and larynx will grow with her.  If she does not outgrow it, she will need to have surgery to trim around the larynx a bit more so she does not make the noise.















Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Getting Ready For Christmas

We put up our tree last night.  Hope to decorate tonight or later this week.


 We put up 2 ornaments right away on the tree that Brooklyn got from relatives at the wedding.

This bulb is from Uncle John who will forever call Brooklyn "Bob".  If you are wondering why just ask Mike - its basically his fault.
 This ornament is from Mike's Aunt Mary.  So cute and has her birth information on the back.
More pictures to come once we get all ornaments up!

Brooklyn and Santa

Baby's first Christmas!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Thanksgiving Wedding Weekend

What a wonderful Thanksgiving and wedding weekend we had in Algona!  On Thursday afternoon, we ate our Turkey dinner with Jake's family in Algona with Uncle John, Aunt Mary, Uncle Larry and Aunt Theresa.  Friday we had rehersal and rehersal dinner. Many relatives flew in Friday as well - Kevin and Barb, Pat and Barb, Bobby and Tessa and many of the McCrady realatives - Ryan and Kristy & kids, and my sisters - Annie and Allistair.

Here are a few pictures from our fabulous weekend!

Uncle John and Brooklyn in the santa outfit he gave her.
 Auntie Becca
 Mike's Godmother Barb Graven

Grandpa Mac and Brooklyn
 At the wedding reception
 Alli and Shelby
 Mike and his Goddaughter, Addison - dancing like crazy at the wedding reception.
Not sure who had more fun - Mike or Addison!

 Bride Becca and Addison

Many exciting things happened this weekend.  We used cloth diapers for the first time outside of our house!  It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be.  Brooklyn had a very large suitcase, but it was worth it.  One thing I know for sure - she IS growing because I had to let out the elastic on the legs of her diapers.

On Sunday we left about noon.  We knew we had to pick up the dogs at the boarding kennel before they closed at 6 and it would take us at least 5 hrs to get home without stopping.  We pulled into the boarding kennel at 5:58! Just in time to get Herbie and Barkley.  Since our truck was loaded to the brim with crap, we had to put the dogs in the front seat with me.  Oh, I forgot to mention that Brooklyn was screaming the last 15  minutes before we picked up the dogs because she was hungry and needed a diaper change. 

With the dogs in tow, we made it home 10 minutes later and while Mike put them away, I went into the house (or tried to at least).  The side door was locked, so I went around to the front - also locked.  .  . we had NO keys to the house. UGH!  And as I was standing there with a screaming, hungry, dirty baby I was thinking about where was the key? And why did I go through the house last week and lock all the windows in preparation for the winter?  I climbed back into the truck to stay warm and began feeding Brooklyn.

Just as Mike was calling a locksmith, I remembered that there was 1 window I didn't lock, the one above the kitchen sink that was rather small.  Mike managed to get the screen off and use a ladder to climb into the window.  Kind of a funny scene considering how big he is and how small the window was!

A very memorable and wonderful weekend.  Congratulations to Becca and Jake.

Monday, November 21, 2011

1 month old!

We cannot believe our baby is already a month old!!  Shelby and Brooklyn are in Minnesota for a few days visiting McCrady relatives.  On Thursday afternoon, they will meet Mike in Algona, Iowa for Becca and Jake's wedding on Saturday.

So far in her first month of life she has been a great eater and an even greater sleeper!  She is growing like crazy and is already outgrowing some of her newborn clothes.

Her favorite outfit to sleep in is a sleeper/swaddler that she got from Mike's Aunt Mary.  She HATES the process of getting swaddled, but once she is swaddled and snuggled in Daddy's arms, she is ready to sleep in her swing!

Cloth diapering has been going great!  Now that she is growing and getting some meat on her legs, the diapers are starting to fite her better.  I have yet to clean up a blow out from her cloth diapers - I just keep waiting, but nothing. . . the few times we have used disposables, when traveling to Minnesota or when out and about she has had MANY blow outs.  I must say that for some reason these cloth diapers seem to hold in her stinky's much better.  Laundry, prepping and stuffing the cloth diapers comes every 2-3 days depending on when she starts to run low on diapers.  As she gets older and is not going through so many each day it will probably (hopefully) be less diapers.

 Godmother Paige and Brooklyn




Sunday, November 13, 2011

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Brooklyn's Baptism

Brooklyn was baptized Saturday evening, Nov. 12th.  Paige and Ted are the proud Godparents!  The dress my mom made turned out beautiful!

After the baptism, we came back to our house and had supper, cake (made by our good friend, Elaine) and played pictionary telephone!  It was a very fun day and weekend with our visitors.