Just for Fun!

Mike's special video from Santa

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! 

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.



Brooklyn's Baptism Video

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!

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.

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





Visitors!

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.