Happy Thanksgiving!

Brooke at 5 Months + 4 Weeks Old. Trying out the high chair. "What are these straps?""Hmm, I guess this is pretty fun."
Brooke had lots of fun lap time with the family for Thanksgiving holiday. Here she is with Grandpa Chief.

With Grandma Karen. With Aunt Heather.

Though she didn't eat any turkey, she enjoyed sitting at the table with us.

And closing out with her feet: "little turkey"

Quiet before the Holidays

Here is Brooke at 5 Months + 3 Weeks old.

This is what Brooke thinks of Notre Dame this season.

Waking up from naptime.

Meeting Great Grandma Mary

Here is Brooke at 5 Months + 2 Weeks Old.

This week we went to Minneapolis to visit Brooke's Great Grandma Mary, Aunt Caryl and Uncle Randy, and Uncle Bill and Aunt Linda. Aunt Caryl is all smiles holding Brooke.

A few minutes later, as bedtime drew near, some tears were shed while Aunt Linda said goodnight to her (sorry about the wet shoulder!).

Visiting Grandma was a lot of fun.

Grandma sang to Brooke as Brooke babbled along.

And a parting shot of Caryl and Randy.

Election Week!

Here is Brooke at 5 months + 1 week.

Here's some smiling tummy time.
Yet a new piece of baby gear entered the house this week, a Bumbo chair. It'll be helpful to give her a new view and build her abilities to sit. Unfortunately she's a little small for it so she sort of slumps in it right now.
Other fun this week is watching her dexterity continue to improve. Whether she's in her crib reaching for her pacifiers or laying in her changing table grabbing her stuffed animals (which, by the way, these tiny Baby Gund animals are perfect distractions for the changing table),
or swiping at Maddie as she sits by. (that time she came away with 2 fistfuls of dog hair)Lastly, Brooke's first presidential election of her life was an extraordianary one for our country; electing Barak Obama as the 44th President. An exciting change for America!