Charlie's House

Brooke and Charlie had a fun playdate during our week in Chicago. They played on the deck, with Charlie showing Brooke his fun slide, swing and sand/water box.

Then they took a dip in the pool on the roof (an inflatable pool that Iggy their dog enjoyed possibly the most). Brooke unfortunately didn't enjoy it too much and tears ensued.

Afterwards they roamed the house and checked out the toy box, while their swimmer diapers dripped puddles across the floor.Later that week we also had a fabulous dinner at Charlie's house, with other good friends joining us. Here's Joanna and Isaac.And Hailey.The kids left a tornado trail in Charlie's room, with books and toys strewn about.

Zoo

Brooke and I took a last trip to the fabulous Henry Doorly Zoo. Upon arriving we first had lunch, with Brooke in her stroller and Mom on the bench.Next we stopped to see the elephants. Brooke laughed at them. I guess they looked like large gray "Maddie's" to her.The giraffes were also fun.

1 Year Old!!!

Brooke at 12 Months Old!
My baby has turned One! Boy, has the year gone by fast!

She now weighs 20 lbs 3 oz (33%) and is 28" tall (16%). I keep telling our little pipsqueak that she needs to eat her broccoli and spinach so she can grow up tall and be strong like Popeye.

Spending a week in Chicago, we had a fun playdate with Anne and Evan. It was really great because Brooke and Evan are ~3 weeks apart so they're essentially doing the same things right now. We went for a stroll to grab lunch. On Brooke's birthday day, she started off the celebration playing with her balloons. Hours of fun!

Brooke's cake eating experience wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. We sang her happy birthday,then Dad helped her try some cake,
and then we realized she doesn't like cake (for now...I'm sure that'll change).We were surrounded by family and friends on this fun, slightly warm day. Here's a shot of ever smiling Anne.Charlie telling mom Erin about the ball he's holding.Hailey riding on a scooter car.Erin and Heather.Tim and Brad grabbing some dinner.Jimmy and Molly.Kim and Kelly with their margaritas.Ross giving Charlie some dinner.Brooke going for a ride on Dad's shoulders.

Sitting with Dad.

New House!

Here is Brooke at 11 months + 3 weeks. Giving Teddy a kiss. (sort of by luck I happened to get this shot...though she is giving kisses, albeight, open mouth wet ones...)With our current house sold, toys and books are being extracted from their hiding spots (hid in drawers to "declutter the house"). Brooke re-acquaints herself with Snoopy.Exciting news this week is that we found our new house! We move mid-June. Yet another new chapter in our lives opens up and we're excited! Though, most excited to be living under the same roof together again!!!For those that will never visit our current house, here's the view looking back to Iowa, and here's the view looking to Colorado. Just kidding, this isn't really shot from our house, but it is a "scenic" point near the Missouri River. (scenic? really? I just call that flat)

House Sold!

Here is Brooke at 11 months + 2 weeks.This past week was Mother's Day, and I received beautiful flowers, as well as being banished from the kitchen.

Also, we went out to watch my Detroit Red Wings, and Dad paced the restaurant with Brooke to keep her occupied so Mom could watch an entire period uninterrupted -- thanks Dad! After Brooke's baths, she gets wrapped up like an Eskimo baby. I think she likes it too -- must "remind" her of being swaddled.Our exciting news this week is that we received an offer on our house!

Climbing Stairs

Here is Brooke at 11 Months + 1 Week.She's been busy climbing the stairs, and she's mighty fast! (don't worry, we have a gate now so she can't do this un-supervised)

Apparently she was paying attention last August (when she was 3 months old), when we visited Erin and her kids, as their youngest son William had a habit of climbing into drawers. Brooke recently exhibited that skill.

Otherwise, Brooke and Maddie watched the neighbor kids playing outside with the nicer weather.One last activity for the week: Brooke likes to play "hide and seek" with the doors, often closing doors and sticking her fingers under them or peering underneath. Pretty funny!

If you look carefully here, you can tell she's peering under the door to the left of her hand.

Maddie's Diet Expand

Here is Brooke at 11 Months Old.With Brooke's meals expanding into more and more finger foods, so has Maddie's dining options. During meals, Maddie is always camped out right below Brooke's highchair waiting for that morsel to drop on the ground (but then again, Maddie is usually never too far away from Brooke's side).

So, Maddie has now tried: carrots, peas, corn, broccoli, kidney beans, vegetable beef pilaf, Cheerios, strawberries, bananas, cantaloupe, rice cakes, the list goes on... If Maddie wasn't begging before (which she has been), she definitely is now! Urr!!!Oh, and Brooke finds it very funny to stick one of her hands, covered in food, over the side of her highchair for Maddie to lick. That brings lots of giggles. (and Mom swooping in with a wet rag to clean off the dog slobber)

3rd tooth

Here is Brooke at 10 Months + 4 Weeks.After numerous tries, I finally got a shot of her 3rd tooth coming in. It started bothering her the day after Easter, and is located on her top left. I think it is the 2nd position tooth -- yeah, sort of odd that it isn't the 1st position tooth.She spent some time exploring the pantry and checking out the cookbooks.Naps were interrupted this week by the installation of "gummi strips" to deter the chewing on the crib. This new material on the crib rails provided for a lot of examination during the napping and bedtime periods...