22 Months Old!

Dear Brenna,

Here we are, in 2012! This is going to be a big year for you. You'll be potty trained, give up your paci, become a big sister, and maybe even move out of your crib. I know you'll change so much in other ways too, because I've already seen so many changes in you just over the past few weeks. You're really growing up - which is exciting and heart-breaking all at the same time!

You really love to talk, and I catch you saying the funniest things lately. Some of the ones I remember most are:
"I love you sooo much" when holding your bear like I hold you.
"Who/What's that?" anytime you see a picture or see/hear an unfamiliar sight or sound.
"Daddy be riiight back" when Daddy is at work or outside with Maggie.
"Mommy gorgeous" as we walked down the aisle at Target. Hilariously embarrassing. You call Brady, Morgan, Whit, and Finn gorgeous, too, when we look at our Christmas cards on the fridge.
"Shew, had fun at Target" when we got in the car after a short shopping trip. I still can't believe you said this, but it sounded so clear and I can't think of what else it could have been, unless it was "Shew, it's cold at Target."
"Mommy potty!" when pointing to the bathroom at Target. Yep, Mommy is definitely pregnant!

You also LOVE to sing. You learned all the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" over our Christmas trip. It's the cutest thing. You also know almost all of your ABCs - just the other day I was singing them, and after I said "LMNOP" you just sang the rest. You amaze us at how quickly you pick things up! You're also doing better with counting, instead of stopping at four every time.

You love to be outside swinging, pushing your lawnmower, or sitting in your lounge chair. Unfortunately it's been colder and we've been sick, so it hasn't happened as often as you'd like. Here's hoping for a mild winter. I get excited thinking about when we have our own house and you get to play all the time! I really hope we have a big yard and you have some little neighbors to play with!

You are currently on your second double ear infection in the past month. The last round of antibiotics gave you a yeast infection, so you've been on lots of medicine since before Christmas. Now we're all 3 fighting a cold/sinus infection/bad cough. Luckily you seem to not be too bothered by any of this! Your naps are shorter but that's about the only difference I've seen. Still sleeping great at night - thank you!!! Oh, and you weighed 24 lbs, 1 oz when they weighed you 3.5 wks ago (25 lbs, 1 oz this week with clothes on) - so you're growing great! You're still in mostly 18 or 18-24 month clothes and size 6 shoes.

You did great while we traveled for a week over Christmas. We spent 2 days at Nana's, then 3 days at Nanie's, then we went to visit Grandpa Halsey and stayed another day and a half at Nana's. You had a blast with your cousins and other family. You got lots of new toys and clothes! I think your favorites are your baby and stroller, your tricycle, and your kitchen/grocery set. Oh, and you love my new iPad. You've figured out how to go into iTunes and find your Elmo videos. You are like your daddy - you love technology!

I have so many memories from this month, but I want to share 2 from this week. One day I was working on dinner and you were in the floor playing quietly. I got suspicious so I looked to see what you were doing. You had one sock off and had it in your hand. You were holding the chicken from your grocery set - and you were pretending to wash the chicken in Maggie's water bowl. It was hilarious (and kinda gross)!! Then today I decided it was warm enough to go outside to swing for a little while. I told you we were going and your sweet face just lit up. We got our shoes on and headed out. You started running and grinning and swinging your arms. You were just so excited about a simple thing and it made my mama heart smile! Nevermind that you were "all done" swinging about 3 minutes later! This next year us going to be SO much fun!

I love you more every day!
Love, Mommy

Baby Survey

I did this exact same survey at the exact same time when I was pregnant with Brenna. So here goes!

How far along? 17 wks, 4 days
Weight gain? about 1 or 2 pounds
Belly button in? Yes
Maternity clothes? a couple of shirts but no pants yet
Cravings or aversions? I'm mostly over my weird food issues for now. I still want a lot of salty and sour stuff, but also want cucumbers and tomatoes. Oh, and shrimp sauce.
Signs or symptoms? headaches, restless legs, and exhaustion
Feeling baby move? Yep, mostly at night every day since Saturday.
Milestones? feeling baby move, belly has officially "popped out"
Upcoming appointments? Next Monday, January 9 - the big one!
Name? Nowhere close. We've hardly even talked about it.

I'll be putting up a gender poll over the next few days!! Will Brenna get a baby brother or sister?

2011 in Review

It's no secret that 2011 was a hard one for me. I'm hoping 2012 will be the welcome change that our family needs! Here's our year in review....and I'm sure this will remind me of how blessed our family has been, even through the tough times. (A second annual thank you to Merritt for this idea!

January
*Brenna became an official walker, talker, and big girl food-eater.
*I fell on the ice with Brenna and she hit her head. All checked out okay, thank goodness.

February
*We threw my mom a surprise 60th birthday party in Bristol.
*Jonathan interviewed with Apple.
*We found out my sister was pregnant.
*Jonathan and I went to a Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley concert in Roanoke.

March
*Brenna turned ONE! We celebrated with friends and family at a party at the Christiansburg Rec Center.
*I helped throw a baby shower for my BFF April.
*Tinley Reese Basham was born!
*Brenna switched to a "big girl" car seat.
*Bill, Jonathan's stepdad, had to have open heart surgery. While wevwere there Brenna had her first overnight stay with my mom.
*I weaned Brenna.
*We all got the stomach virus.

April
*We put an offer on a house in NC.
*Brenna had a sleepover with Pa Bill and Nana.
*We celebrated Easter in Bristol and Pine Mountain.
*Jonathan worked his last day at ALTESS and we attended a goodbye luncheon for him.

May
*Our church threw us a going away party. Sad times.
*Jonathan started working for Apple.
*We got our new dSLR camera.
*We celebrated my second Mother's Day.
*Jonathan went to San Francisco for job orientation
*Brenna came to school with me and spent 2 days with Lea Beth and Larry Bowers.
*Brenna and I went to Abingdon for Jayla's second birthday party.
*We celebrated Kristen's graduation from Tech.
*I started giving my last round of SOL tests.

June
*I taught my last day at Macy. I cried for days because of the way my time there ended.
*We celebrated Jonathan's second Father's Day.
*Brenna was a flower girl in Carrie and Eric's wedding in Bristol. I directed my first wedding!

July
*Brenna and I celebrated the 4th of July with our neighbors in Christiansburg.
*We spent lots of time at a park near our house. Brenna loved it when Liam was there, too.
*Brenna called ALL men "Daddy". I blushed a lot.
*Brenna and I attended our 2nd annual Cow Appreciation Day at CFA.
*I threw my sister a baby shower in Bristol.
*I went to NC for a thirty-one party and an early anniversary getaway while J's parents watched Brenna.
*Brenna went to 1 nap each day.
*We celebrated our 3rd anniversary with a dinner at Nawab and some Bubblecakes!

August
*We went to the beach with the Bashams.
*My sister had an emergency c-section while we were at the beach. I cried to be so far away.
*We left the beach early because of Hurricane Irene. B and I headed to Bristol to meet Brady!
*We sold our townhouse.
*The 3 of us attended the Steppin' Out festival in Blacksburg.

September
*We spent a Saturday at a local Pumpkin Patch.
*We found out that Baby #2 was on the way!

October
*I ran a 5k in Roanoke.
*My great aunt Phyllis died, so I left Brenna with my in-laws and went to Bristol for 2 days.
*I ran the entire Huckleberry Trail - 6.2 miles!
*I found out my BFF teaching partner Sheri was pregnant and due 5 days after me.
*I finally got an iPhone.
*Jonathan and I watched the Hokies play while Lisa and Kevin watched Brenna for us.
*We celebrated London's second birthday.
*The contract on our townhouse fell through. I cried a lot. We decided to rent it to the potential buyers in hope that they will be able to buy in the spring.
*I had my first prenatal appointment for the baby in NC at 7 weeks, 5 days.
*We spent Jonathan's 30th birthday packing up our house and moving out. Brenna hung out with my mom for 3 days.
*We moved into a rental house in NC and took Brenna trick-or-treating.

November
*I continued with morning sickness all day, every day. This didn't help me get excited about our new home.
*Brenna learned a ridiculous amount of new phrases and kept us laughing!
*I found out my BFF teaching partner Lisa was pregnant and due 3 weeks after me! Yep, that makes the entire third grade team pregnant!!! It makes me miss them even more.
*Brenna and I spent a few days in Bristol while Jonathan worked on Thanksgiving. He met us there on Friday and we had Thanksgiving dinners with both of our families.

December
*J and I had a weekend alone - which we spent at his company Christmas dinner and then shopping in Charlotte.
*Brenna got an ear infection. Then she got a yeast growth from the antibiotics.
*We celebrated Christmas here On the 22nd, in Pine Mountain on the 23rd, with Jonathan's family on the 24th, with my family on the 24th and 25th, and with Jonathan's dad on the 27th. It's a good thing Jonathan got 12 days off for Christmas.
*I got to see Sheri while we were in Bristol.
*I felt the baby move for the first time!
*We celebrated NYE at home with a fondue dinner and some Netflix!

Next year there will be TWO babies sleeping down the hall on New Year's Eve!

21 Months Old

Dear Brenna,

Since I wrote your 20 month post a couple weeks late, not a lot has changed this your last letter. But I really want to tell you some things about your sweet personality and how we spend our days together now.

You are a jabberbox! You repeat nearly everything we say all the time. I'm constantly amazed at the things you say and what you remember. You love to pretend to read your stories. Yesterday I was wrapping some gifts and told you to go read your story to Maggie. You went over to her, sat down on top of her back, and started "reading" your Jolly Barnyard book - "Farmer Brown, horse, cow, all done"! HA! You know the names of some of your favorite books - Yes Day, ABC Book by Dr. Seuss, and call some of your other favorites "George" (Curious George), "Pooh" (lots of Winnie the Pooh books), "Fip Fop" (The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss), and "Elmo Mommy" (a Valentine's Day book with Elmo). Sometimes you want me to read to you and other times you want to read. I hope you continue to love reading!

You will say "Brenna Halsey" when we ask you what your name is. You sometimes call your reflection in a mirror "Bren" or Brenee" because those are two nicknames that I use for you a lot. You still call Maggie "Magnie" which I love!! You love to list members of your family and look at pictures of them, too. You especially like to see pictures of Brady - and give them kisses! You're a sweet cousin.

You are quite the little comedian and like to tell us when think you're funny by saying, "Brenna funny". Unfortunately sometimes you still say this when you are being naughty - such as kicking us while we change your diaper. We're working on that daily. You love to put on hats (which is so weird, because you used to HATE them) and prance around the house with them over your eyes. You chase Maggie around while wearing these hats, which is pretty funny. I definitely need to get that on video soon.

You are still obsessed with music. You love to hear "songing" and usually demand "more songing" when a song goes off. You try to sing your ABCs and you can carry the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" really well. I hope you got your daddy's musical talent. Speaking of talent, I hope you got his artistic talent, too. You really love to color and are doing so great with naming your colors. Right now we spend a lot of time each day coloring in your Sesame Street coloring book. "You also sneak crayons away sometimes and have colored in many of your books. I can't figure out how Nanie and Nana have so many undamaged books from when your Daddy and I were young when you've already ruined so many! Oh well, I suppose!

Yesterday you brought your blanket over to the couch where I was and said, "Cuddle." It melted my heart. We laid on the couch together and read a few books. Times like that remind me how lucky I am that I'm the one that gets to cuddle with you every day. I'm trying to remember to be thankful for this time, even when it's not the easiest thing in the world. I know I will miss these times more than I can even imagine. I look forward to time with you this month as we decorate for Christmas, since you love "Chismus tees" so much. We also have some shopping to finish up, so I'm thankful that you are pretty cooperative when we're out and about. You narrate everything we see in the stores - sometimes really loudly. I catch people sneaking a peek at you all the time and commenting on how cute you are. I agree, 100%!

I'm thankful that you are a happy, healthy, intelligent, creative little girl. I'm amazed at how fast you are growing and learning. I look forward to Christmas this year because you know more about what is going on and will have so much fun! Daddy and I are so lucky to have you!

I love you, cutie Sprout!

Love, Mommy

Baby Survey

I'm too tired to compose a blog post, but hopefully that'll all end once I'm out of this dreaded first trimester. For now, here's the same survey I did a few times when pregnant with B.

How far along? 12 weeks, 3 days

Weight gain? Down 2 pounds so far. But I already look a little pregnant - ugh!

Is your bellybutton in? Yes

Wearing maternity clothes? Not yet. Seriously doubt I'll be able to hold off past 20+ weeks like I did last time.

Cravings or aversions? Craving sour stuff again. Aversions to most everything except sugary cereal, pizza, and regular Coke.

Signs and symptoms? Everything imaginable. Nausea, headaches, heartburn, constipation, dizziness, frequent peeing, restless legs, etc. etc. 200 times worse than my pregnancy with B.

Feeling baby move? Not yet.

Pregnancy milestones? We heard the heartbeat with the Doppler last Monday. I will be in my second trimester next week - thank goodness!!

Upcoming appointments? Dec. 19 for my 15 wk. appointment.

Name? Nowhere close. I've been too sick and tired to even make Jonathan talk about it. Soon enough, soon enough.

20 Months Old!

Dear Brenna,

I'm FINALLY sitting down to write your 20 month post. I'm 2 weeks late. It's been a chaotic last few weeks, and although I've meant to sit down and do this almost every day, it just hasn't happened. There are 2 main reasons for the delay. Reason #1 - We moved to North Carolina! We packed up our house on Daddy's 30th birthday, October 28, while you stayed in Bristol with Nanie. We all loaded up and headed south on Monday, October 31. We unloaded the truck that day and have been trying to get settled in ever since. You seem to be adjusting well, which I'm so thankful for. Reason #2 - You're going to be a big sister! Your baby brother or sister is making Mommy SICK, SICK, SICK! It's terrible timing because I have so much I need to do here at the house we're living in, but I just have no energy. You've been pretty good about playing on your own, cuddling up to read stories on the couch with me, and being pretty tolerant of me when I'm barely in commission during the days. I'm thankful we are here with Daddy now, and he helps out with you and plays with you a lot! Hopefully I'll be feeling better soon and we can explore our new city together!

You still seem to be growing well and have been pretty healthy. You've had a bit of a cold for the past week or two, but it doesn't seem to bother you too much. You had a few days with a fever when you just wanted to rest and cuddle (perfect for me!), but otherwise you are your same happy self! You went through a period of short naps, but you've been doing much better this week - with 4 days of 4+ hour naps. Just this weekend you cut your bottom two canine teeth, so you've been drooling like crazy! Luckily none of this has required a doctor's appointment or any medicine other than a little Advil and some saline spray! I'm hoping for an ear-infection free winter!!

We celebrated your second Halloween on our first day in our new town. We met some of the neighbors and you got some treats while dressed in your Chinese girl outfit. We were walking between 2 houses and Daddy had a mini Twix bar in his hand. He looked down and you were chowing down on it through the wrapper, saying, "MMMM, choc-it!" It was hilarious. You don't have chocolate often at all, but you are definitely a fan! You still eat really well. Your favorite veggie is probably broccoli. You love ALL fruit. You like fruit snacks and crackers for snacks. You eat pretty much anything we give you for dinner. I'll even admit you've had a few helpings of pizza since that was the only mommy could think about eating for a little while during the early part of this pregnancy. Here's to more broccoli and less pizza!

You love counting, trying to say your ABCs, singing "Happy to you", which is your version of the happy birthday song, giving hugs, coloring (multiple times every day!), playing outside with your lawn mower and golf club set, reading your books, playing peek-a-boo, harassing Maggie, and playing "spish-spash" in the tub. I definitely notice a difference in your demeanor if you don't get to go outside on a given day. You've also played at the play place in the Hickory mall two times and you ADORE it. There is a slide you can climb up and go down on your own, and the way you look at us and grin when you do it is so cute. I have a feeling we'll be going there a lot during the colder winter months.

Some cute things you've started saying lately are:

*Good mornin!

*Brenna sorry. (Or Mommy/Daddy sorry if you think we should apologize for something).

*Mommy/Daddy hold her. (when you want to be held)

*Hi Daddy! Hi Mommy!

*Daddy home!

*Brenna want it! or I want some!

*Riding Maggie. (Apparently you think Maggie is a horse!)

You talk in sentences almost all the time these days and it blows my mind!! I think you got your parents' love of talking.

You've had a bit of a hitting/kicking spell lately. I'm not sure if it's because you're bored when Mommy is sick during the day, but it's a trying little phase. We're trying to discipline you in a way that shows you lots of love, but also lots of structure. We're still working on it and hoping it's a really short phase. You've started saying, "no hitting" when I get you from time-out, so maybe it's clicking!

All-in-all it's been the month with the biggest change in your life so far. I'm optimistic that we'll start getting more settled in our new town and can find new adventures to have together. I love you to pieces, Brenna, and so does your Daddy!

I love you, BIG SISTER Sprout!

Love, Mommy

30Before30 - #20 - Get an iPhone

I got one!! We realized Jonathan's employer qualified for a good monthly discount on plans, and Verizon had a good deal on iPhone 4s, so we went for it! I love it already. So here is my first blog post written from my pretty new white iPhone! If only it could take a picture of itself for you.