Camping Fun

This past weekend we went camping with Eric's family at Lake Chelan and it was Brooklynn's first camping trip! She absolutely loves being outside, so she had a blast! She did really well the whole weekend, in fact she slept 8 hours at night the whole time we were there (wish I could say the same about when we came home)! Camping to me is so relaxing that it always feels like I camping for much longer than I really am (definitely a good thing). It was so fun to spend time with Eric's family and to see all the grandkids running around and playing (there were 6 of them in all, including the 2 babies). Eric's brother, Steve, and his family (who we don't see all that often) came and so it was great to be able to spend time with them and their 2 boys. We even rented a boat and those brave enough to get in the water went on the inner tube as well. All in all it was a great long weekend filled with family, fun, and dutch oven cobbler!

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Brooklynn is now 14 weeks old and, for the most part, continues to be a happy little girl. She is going through a phase where she will just randomly start screaming at the top of her lungs. As far as I can tell there is no reason for it. No fun for us at all!

When we got home from camping, I was getting a bath ready for Brooklynn and Eric was playing with her on the floor and he got a little laugh out of her. We've been trying to get her to laugh by tickling her and we've gotten these little grunts and a one syllable "laugh" (but mostly grunts). Whatever he was doing caused a string of her "laughs" and it was the cutest thing!

Speaking of baths, Brooklynn sure does love them!

Waiting for mommy to get my bath ready

Splish, splash!

Gotta wrap that baby up!!

Brooklynn still hasn't been willing to roll over for the camera, she's only done it once or twice since her first time and I think it's because she gets frustrated! But what she has been doing is turning herself in circles during tummy time. I put her down the other day and she turned herself 270 degrees! (She probably would have gone a full 360, but she got frustrated and was tired of being on her tummy so I decided I didn't need to torture her just to watch her do it!)

At this point she stopped to take a break and watch some TV (which I then turned off!)

I love how she crosses her feet when she is on her tummy, so cute!

If you look closely you can see that she is crying because she is so done!

I still have a hard time with how fast Brooklynn is growing. She just keeps getting bigger and bigger and along with that she gets stronger and stronger. I think I mentioned last week that she has started pushing her bum up when she gets her diaper changed. Well, the smart little cookie is understanding that she has control of her legs. When I put her in her carseat the other day (which she doesn't really like) she fought me! She pushed her bum up so that I had to struggle with her in order to strap her in. Little stinker!! 

Since we only have a one bedroom right now, Brooklynn just sleeps in a pack 'n' play in our bedroom. Her pack in play has a sleeper attachment that we have now had to remove! She kept kicking the edge of the pack 'n' play, which I am sure didn't really bother her but made me feel bad for her kick it and not take it off. Where did my sweet little infant girl go?

Our snug little baby in the sleeper her first week home

Just a few weeks ago...you can see her legs scrunched up! We even took the headrest thingy out and she still hit with her feet!

Such a big girl! No more sleeper!

How do you stop them from growing up too fast?!?!

I love this cute little face and her sweet smile!

3 Months!!

This happy little girl is 3 months old today! I feel like I am saying this all the time, but I really can't believe how fast time is flying by. I was looking at the picture I have posted of Brooklynn on Facebook and I already can't believe how tiny she used to be. I already miss that tiny little infant and holding that sweet little body. Brooklynn is just growing so fast and keeps getting bigger and bigger (there really is no stopping that, right?)

What does this adorable little 3 month old do? Let me tell you:

~She consistently sleeps at least 6 hours at night, and on occasion has slept 8 hours (like the last 2 nights!)

~She loves to stand up

~She loves to sit up (in your lap, in her bumbo, in the boppy...as long as she can do it she's happy)

~She rolled over (twice) yesterday, but has not been willing to repeat it so that we can get it on camera (and so Daddy can see it)

~She has really started to love her playmat. She loves to reach up and play with the hanging toys

~She has always loved her hands and now she loves to suck on her fingers (or her whole fist) or anything else that she manages to bring up to her mouth

~She loves having her diaper changed and gets so excited as soon you put her on the changing table. And now she likes to push her bum up in the air, which makes for a rather difficult time!

~She loves getting kisses (and mommy loves giving them, so it works out for everyone!)

~She has great head control and can lift her shoulders off the ground during tummy time

Aside from her amazing accomplishments she is the light of my life and the joy of my day. Her smile melts my heart. I can't imagine my life without her. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a mother and to have such an amazing little girl. 

Right after she ROLLED OVER for the first time!!

Can't get enough of those hands!

She'll even put them in Daddy's mouth

She loves to "eat" her mommy and daddy

With her friend Alice.

I wasn't fast enough getting the camera, but when Alice was first set down she grabbed onto Brooklynn's toes. It was SO cute!!

Since she was born in the summer I've pretty much always just swaddled her in a onesie because I didn't want  her to get too hot. It's started to cool off a bit, so I put her in jammies last night....can I just say that she is ADORABLE is her jammers!

I am SO in love with this girl! I can't get enough of her!!

Where is the time going?

I cannot believe that this little girl is 12 weeks old! Seriously, where did those weeks go? Brooklynn is getting so big and growing so much (in size, personality, and developmental skill), I just can't believe it. She's not my tiny little infant anymore! She is SO strong!! She stands like a pro and loves doing it. She loves, loves, loves sitting up, whether it be in her bumbo, in someone's lap, or propped up in the boppy. If she is propped up in any fashion she will grunt and groan trying to sit herself up, usually succeeding in getting her shoulders up and forward and she has even succeeded in getting enough momentum to sit forward on a rare occasion. There is no doubt in my mind that she is going to be a very active child, she is almost always on a constant move! She has always mover her arms like crazy, and now she is kicking like crazy.

What a cutie pie! Can't get enough of her!!

She seems to be becoming more and more aware of herself and things around her.She has more control of her arms and hands and is able to grab onto things. She's finally figured out that there are toys in her playmat and that she can grab onto them!

Such a smart cookie!

She continues to love her hand and always finds a way to interwine her fingers and they are almost always in her face. She has a newfound love of sucking on things, so her intertwined hands also often find themselves into her mouth (yes at the same time).

Her other newfound love is talking. She has turned into such a talker, we can't get her to stop! She loves talking so much that she will stop eating after just a few minutes so that she can talk to me! I don't think she is my daughter if talking is more interesting to her than eating!! She just might give her Aunt Ali a run for her money!

Heading out for a Saturday morning walk!

Who needs a carseat when you have a trunk!?!

Words cannot even express how much I love this little girl! She is such a blessing and a joy in our lives. I am so grateful to have the wonderful opportunity to stay home with her and spend so much time with her. She continues to constantly amaze me. Call me biased, but I think she is the smartest baby ever and I love her bright smiling face. I don't know how it's possible, but every time she smiles at me I fall deeper in love with her! 

Blessing and other fun

Brooklynn is just conquering each week! She is growing like a champ and impressing us daily. 

Her new thing is spitting. She blow bubbles with her saliva and then she will literally spit it out. It makes for a wet shirt front for her or a wet shoulder for whoever is holding her! She is getting stronger and stronger and wants so bad to be sitting up by herself. I've been putting her in her bumbo chair more and she is getting so good at keeping herself upright and not wobbling. When she is sitting on your propped up knees she tries to sit herself up and will successfully get her shoulders in the air. When I was taking her 10 week picture yesterday she was doing the same thing with the boppy (you can see in the picture how she is holding herself up). She is such a strong little girl and will be sitting up on her own in no time! She is even starting to become more aware of herself as well. I am pretty sure that she has discovered that she has feet! The other day in the car she was looking down and reaching for them and a few days ago I gave her her feet and she was so happy to touch them. She is also figuring out what her hands do. She grabs on to things more frequently and is even using her hands to bring things to her mouth. What a smart cookie!

She's always got her arms moving it's hard to get a picture without one, or both, of them doing something crazy!

So I don't know if you have noticed in Brooklynn's pictures, but she is a little obsessed with her hands! They are always by her face in some fashion, and now they are very often in her mouth. We do not have a thumb/finger sucker though, we have a fist sucker! She loves her some fist!

Who needs a pacifier when you have a fist!

We had quite a busy weekend this past weekend. My Grandma Perkins and Aunt Nancy came in on Thursday afternoon, Ali & Kyle's reception was on Friday, and Brooklynn was blessed on Sunday. Whew! It was jam packed and whirlwind but it wasn't too much. We've been enjoying spending time with Grandma and Aunt Nancy and introducing them to Brooklynn. My Grandma Perkins is Brooklynn's only Great Grandparent still with us, so it has been really special to be able to have this time for them to meet and spend time together. 

Meeting Great Grandma Perkins for the first time!

Spending some time with Aunt Nancy

Ali and Kyle had a beautiful reception on Friday night. It was in our friends backyard which was the perfect backdrop and the weather was pretty much perfect. They had delicious cheesecake bites (made by my mom and Ali) and grilled cheese! My dad has teased us forever about serving grilled cheese at our weddings, I was very adamant about not having grilled cheese at my reception, but Ali called him on it! It was actually pretty popular, everyone seemed to really enjoy it! 

 

What a great couple! We are so glad to have Kyle in our family!

Enjoying their cheesecake! No smashing at this reception!

Ali getting as much time with Brooklynn as she can before moving back to Utah. We are going to miss Auntie Ali!!

Cousin Bryson enjoying the grilled cheese!!

Look at that face! How could you not love this little one?!?!

Sunday was such a special day for us. We were so happy to have Grandma and Aunt Nancy with us as well as Ali and Kyle still here to be able to witness Brooklynn's blessing (as well as the rest of our families!). Brooklynn was able to wear my great-grandfather's (Grandma Perkins' dad) christening gown, which is the blessing gown that my sisters and I all wore, so it made the day even more special to have her wear that beautiful handmade gown.

 Eric gave Brooklynn a beautiful blessing. We truly are so blessed to have a beautiful, smart baby girl and we are so grateful that our Heavenly Father has entrusted us with one of His children. She is such a joy to watch grow and develop and I hope and pray that we will be able to teach her all that she needs to know in order to be prepared to return to Him someday. She definitely will not be short of love from us, or from her aunts and uncles and grandparents, and hopefully she will not be short of spiritual example and guidance as well.

Gotta Get a Move On!!

In case you didn't check out this video on Eric's blog I thought that I would post it as well. Brooklynn is definitely a leg kicker and always has to have them moving. When we put her on the bed in one of our hotels she was trying to get somewhere in deed. If she was able to control her upper half better and move her arms then I think she would have been gone! Before we got this video she was moving her lower half so much that she was ramming her face into the bed with her bum in the air. It was so cute! Unfortunately I wasn't able to get the camera before she got frustrated and was ready to be done! Keep trying Little One!!

Are we there yet??

I know, it's a little late!

So last week we went to Utah for Ali's wedding, and yes, we drove! It was our first long car ride with Brooklynn (the farthest we have gone before our Utah trip was Yakima!). Brooklynn has had a love-hate relationship with her carseat and being in the car since the day she was born. We have had many nights coming home from my parents house where she would scream the whole way home! Considering her history of being in the car she did really well. We drove straight through (from Eric's parents house in Wapato) on the way there. We were traveling for 11 hours and only stopped for a picnic lunch and a carseat break just outside of Boise. Brooklynn was the perfect little traveler until just outside of Salt Lake. She had a few moments of fussiness but other than that she slept pretty much the whole way. 

Look at that tired little traveler!

The drive home was a whole different story! We broke it up into two days, stopping in Boise the first night, and after spending 4 days in the  car Brooklynn was beyond done! We had to stop every few hours to console her as she would start screaming! She wouldn't even sleep longer than an hour without waking up screaming. Poor little baby! I promised her a break from her carseat and so we are staying home all day today!

We're in the car again?!?!

We had a great time in Utah visiting family and friends and most importantly attending Ali & Kyle's sealing. 

Congrats Ali & Kyle!

Brooklynn did great in unfamiliar surroundings and loved being passed around to Aunts and Cousins who wanted to love on her! I think we pretty much ran her ragged as we were out and about and she didn't always get a good nap in. But she slept well at night and even let us sleep in until 9:00 when she went back to sleep after all her night feedings. 

Looking beautiful for the wedding!

It's very tiring being so cute!

Brooklynn hit a few milestones while we were gone. She turned 2 months old the day of Ali's wedding! I cannot even believe how fast the last 2 months have gone. It is so amazing to watch our little girl grow. I love how observant she is, she has to take everything in and is not happy unless she is able to see every corner of a room. She really is pretty mellow and content to just be. She has been a good sleeper from 3 weeks on and I don't think that I could ask for a better baby! Speaking of sleeping, the night before Ali's wedding Brooklynn surprised me and slept 8 hours straight! I almost couldn't believe it! (She even repeated her amazingness last night as well!). I hope that this is the start of something great! 

That's right, this little just slept 8 hours straight (and then another 3 after eating)!!

My two babies sleeping peacefully!

She has also started drooling! Before our trip she had definitely started slobbering and would soak your shoulder if you left her up there too long. But while we were in Utah she started soaking her front! She loves to blow bubbles with her saliva and then she just lets it dribble on down! 

Notice the drool accumulating!

We had her 2 month appointment when we got home. Brooklynn is now 11 lbs 23 5/8 inches. She is in the 95th percentile for height and 70th percentile for weight. We always hear how tiny she is from people who stop to admire her, but she is definitely above average! I love Brooklynn's Doctor, she is so nice and takes the time explain things about her development. I think that Brooklynn likes her as well because as soon as I put down on the table to be checked out she was smiling. It was actually the easiest I have ever seen Brooklynn give a smile to anyone (maybe aside from my mom). I am very happy to report that Brooklynn is a healthy baby! And her Doctor was very impressed with her ability to hold up head, she said that Brooklynn is at a 4th month level in that regard. Way to go Little One!!

Sitting up on her own in her Bumbo!

It's also fun to eat our Bumbo!

 I am also very happy to report that Brooklynn's hair is growing! Her peach fuzz on the top of her head is no longer fuzz! There is actually length to it! So exciting!!

She's getting SO big!!

Some more pictures, just because she's so cute!!

She's getting so good at standing!

We love bathtime!

Spending time with Aunt Ali before she went off to get married