A quiet week - 13 weeks old

Here is Brooke at 13 Weeks Old. Tomorrow she'll be 3 Months (8/30/08). Her weight is now 11 pounds, 14 ounces.
Last weekend we went to the dog park (Brooke, Scott, Maddie and I). However, Maddie had no interest in running around with the other dogs. She just stuck near me. We're thinking it was because I was holding Brooke, so Maddie needed to hang around to "protect" her. Scott was disappointed with this outing, since I had been talking about how fun the dog park was...

Still having fun watching her grasp more and more things. Though not so fun when she grabs a handful of Mom's hair, with her unreleasing fists...

Andy and Joanna Visit!

Here is Brooke at 12 Weeks Old.
I was excited this week to see her "grabbing" at her toys now, primarly when laying on her playmat. During our morning walks she 'bats' at Hector's face and feet.
This is Hector:
Maddie resting before our daily walk.

Last weekend we were excited to have Andy and Joanna visit. The weather was fantastic Saturday night so we enjoyed dinner on the deck.
We also had our friends Mike and Karen over.

In other news, folks are gearing up for football season around here...
Need I say more?

Summer is flying by!

Here is Brooke at 11 Weeks Old. This past week I caught her twice waving her pacifier around in her tiny fist. It was probably pure luck that she was "holding" it, but got Mom pretty excited.

Brooke posing with her Uncle Brad and Aunt Heather, in the cute dress they gave her.
She got to meet more of Dad's family -- here she is with cousin Mike.
And with cousin Tim.
And, always, Maddie is nearby as Brooke "dances" on her playmat.

Vacation in Michigan!

Here is Brooke at 10 Weeks Old. She's motioning with her fingers that she's grown "this much" this week. This week she started sucking her lower lip and sticking her tongue out. Pretty funny to watch.

We went on vacation last week to Michigan with our friends Mike and Heather and their 7 month old daughter Hailey, and Ross and Erin and their 6 month old son Charlie. It was a lot of fun, though a bit different from previous childless vacations...

Here the babies show off their Bears onesies (Brooke, Charlie and Hailey).
Scott took Brooke in the lake. She wasn't so keen on the idea.
The dads had some good bonding time with the babies.
It was a great week!

Uncle Brad and Aunt Heather Visit

Here is Brooke at 9 Weeks Old. This week she started firmly grasping/holding onto things like our thumbs, blankets, etc. Brooke turned 2 months old this past week!

Last weekend Scott's brother Brad and his wife Heather visited us. Friday was a bit of a "coming out" for Brooke as she made an appearance at two parties thrown by friends. She was eagerly held by many other moms, and really just slept most of the time. It was also funny to see the other youngin's (like 2-3 years old) come up and look at her. No idea that toddlers liked babies so much!

On Saturday we drove to the capital to check it out. Here we are strolling on the campus.

On Sunday we ventured to the zoo. We're now officially one of "those people" with the annoying stroller navigating the crowds. (Hmm, something Mom's patience will need to get used to.) We had a nice time and we're impressed with the exhibits.
We're off to Brooke's first vacation (in Michigan), where she gets to meet her soon-to-be best friends, Hailey and Charlie.