Chatty Bria

We had Bria's 1 year check up on Monday and it went pretty well.

Weight: 20 lbs 4 oz 30th percentile

Height: 29.5 inches 60th percentile

Head: 18.25 inches 65th percentile

She cried for the shots of course but actually calmed down pretty fast afterwards so they weren't that bad. I was happy about that since Brian has training all week and couldn't join us. But what was more challenging was trying to talk to the doctor and keep a toddler happy. It was pretty much impossible so I didn't get to ask half my questions. Like: "What do I feed this child who won't eat anything I give her?"

At the doctor's office emptying her diaper bag.

I was disappointed that the pediatrician never asked about her virus (since we ended up in urgent care 2 days after we saw her) or how her acid reflux was doing. Speaking of, ever since the virus Bria has not been throwing up, yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That has been a huge relief. Although the past 2 days she has slowly spit up a little more but I'm praying that it's not the reflux returning.

The cranial specialists aren't going to call us for a couple weeks since Bria isn't a top priority. I take that to mean that Bria's head is fine and she is sending us to a specialist simply because she can. I realize I'm being quite negative but I honestly have that gut feeling that nothing is wrong with her head and I really don't want to waste my time and money driving 2 hours north so some specialist can look at her head and say, "Yep, it's normal." But if the pediatrician wants us to then we will. Since it won't hurt Bria I'm not going to put up a big stink.

Big girl in her big girl carseat!

"Does my hair look okay Mom?"

Once Bria hit 10 months and didn't have separation anxiety I thought silently, "Yes!" But in the past 2 weeks Bria has clung to me like there is no tomorrow. It is crazy and I feel awful that she won't let people hold her. I always loved that she'd go to anybody and smile at them, but no more. Hopefully this little phase doesn't last too long. I do feel loved and am glad she wants me but sometimes I need a break!

Since Bria turned 1 she apparently thinks she needs to remind us how big she is, maybe she wants me to stop calling her a baby, who knows. But either way she has started saying more and more words. I was sitting with her and I asked her where her eye was, not only did she point to her eye but she said eye! Brian and I were stunned and kept asking her and she kept saying it. She did the same thing when I asked her where her mouth was and said "mow," I was flabbergasted. Funny that she won't say nose and show me where it is, guess she has a sensitive nose ;) Just today she said "ball" when I showed her a picture of a ball. I'm pretty sure she'll be giving speeches in a month or 2.

Bria always sits with one leg bent behind her, I think it's for stability.

In other news.....wait, I have no other news. My news revolves around Bria, and I kind of like it like that ;)

It's my party...

Warning: There are an obscene amount of pictures in this post, I'm talking LOADS of pictures. Probably hundreds. Maybe more. And I'm not even posting half of them. We like pictures.

You were warned.

Bria's 1st birthday party went wonderfully and I could not be more excited and relieved. Our families helped in every way they could and definitely saved the day. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and in the 60's. Perfect for a birthday party.

The birthday girl!

She was still napping as guests arrived so when she woke up to a house full of people it took her awhile to wake up and have fun :)

I had a mini meltdown when Bria's cake was a disaster, I don't just mean that it was a little bit of a mess, I mean it was a complete pile of messy cake. I used a new recipe and it's a healthier cake, but it was so moist and heavy that getting out of the pan caused it to break into pieces. We salvaged it a little and then tried to frost it and it was getting worse and worse by the minute. Finally I had to leave the kitchen because I was so frustrated (plus Bria was waking up from her nap). Brian and Anna (my stepmom) saved the day and made a pile of cake become an adorable little rectangle cake for Bria. Thank you!!!

The salvaged cake

After that little bit of drama everything went smooth. It only took Bria an hour and a half to warm up to so many people and it was the present opening that did it, the girl loves her some presents :)

Everyone socializing and enjoying themselves (hopefully!)

We rearranged our furniture for the party but we might keep it this way, it's kind of nice.

Just some decorations

Funny side note about the picture up on the tv: When we were on the Blazer Stunt team we had a photo shoot and held up all sorts of signs so they could make cards with our pictures. Well we put up a picture of Brian and our coach, Linus, holding up a happy birthday sign. It was hilarious and awesome.

It was so awesome having our family and close friends there to help us celebrate this big occasion. Bria clung to me for the first half but then I was able to distract her and run away so I could try and socialize with everyone. She's definitely a mama's girl these days so she needed cuddles from me every few minutes.

It's a wonderful feeling to know that some hugs from me helps her feel better.

She definitely enjoyed all her balloons.

Chillin' with Aunt Heather and taking everything in.

But then she needed cuddles again, darn ;)

Playing with her Aunt and cousins, from left: Cassidy (my half sister so that means she is Bria's aunt), Jaidyn, and Kailey

My sister Jaime (on the left) is holding my cousins little girl Bristol, then my mom, then my sister Jenny (in yellow). Bristol was so stinkin' cute, she is such a happy baby and she would let anybody hold her. Such a cute little peanut.

"Are all these people here for me?"

Family photo

Snuggling with G'ma & G'pa Brooks

We kept it casual and got some pizzas and then had a bunch of appetizers and cupcakes for everyone to enjoy. I made a video of Bria's first year so we showed that (I am trying to upload it to blogger but of course it's giving me problems, hopefully in the next few days I can get it to work), then ate, opened presents, and of course gave Bria her first taste of delicious cake.

Bria loved opening presents and was such a ham. She loved all the clothes, bows, and toys and I can't believe how much she made out with, the girl is spoiled!

Showing everyone her new headband

"This present opening is exhausting. I'm going to put my foot up and just rest."

Then it was cake eating time! At first she picked off the pink polka dot frosting pieces but soon dug in and enjoyed herself quite a bit. Of course, when it was time to clean up she freaked out and let everyone get a glimpse of crabby Bria. But as soon as I was done she was fine and that is why we refer to her as a drama queen :)

Blowing out her candle

These 2 pictures (above and below) are out of order. The one above is when we were cleaning her up, she was not happy. But, it was her party and she could cry if she wanted to.

Enjoying her chocolate cake.

"I just need to cuddle with my mommy for a minute."

Kailey, Porter, and Rebecca playing ball out back. It was a GORGEOUS day out.

Chillin' outside with Dad

Grammy M. and Bria

"Where's Bria's tongue?"

"Where are Bria's toes?"

"Where's Bria's ear?"

"Where's Bria's eye?"

"That was a fun party Mom, let's do it again."

I could not be more thrilled with how the day turned out. It was so much fun and it was even more perfect than I had envisioned.

Thank you to our friends and family for making it such a memorable day, you all are the reason it was such a wonderful day. We love you sooo much.

And thank you to everyone for all the birthday wishes, I got all teary eyed at all the people who wished Bria a happy birthday, she is truly a loved little girl.

And since I did what I said I was going to do yesterday: enjoy it and have fun!

I now will go curl in a ball and cry that my baby is 1. She is growing up so fast.

Happy 1st Birthday

Today is a big day Bria.

One year ago today you came into our home and our family grew by 3. One year ago today we held you in our arms for the first time, kissed you for the first time, and cuddled you for the first time. One year ago today we looked into your eyes and instantly fell in love. One year ago today is a day I will never forget.

I look back on the last year and can't believe how much you have grown, how were you that tiny newborn just one year ago? Since the day you were born your trademark blue eyes have worked wonders on my heart. And your pouty bottom lip can get your Dad and me to do just about anything for you. Your blond hair is getting curly and starting to grow a little more. Your feet are still tiny so I'm pretty sure you have your mama's small feet. It's not so bad, shoes are easier to find.

You are very cautious and sensitive. It is essential that I give you time to observe new surroundings and people, but once you warm up you're an adorable ham who loves to smile and laugh. I also call you my sensitive baby because it doesn't take too much to make you mad so we have to walk on egg shells...some may say that you're like your mom in that way.

It's amazing the different phases you go through in a year, I think 9 and 10 months were my favorite ages. You were so easy to please and played independently, plus you were a good napper for a few weeks during that time. But overall you are like me and hate naps.

Becoming a mom was incredible. It's overwhelming and scary, but amazing and wonderful at the same time. I truly didn't know my heart could love a tiny person so much, I am always thinking about how I can make you happy because I love to see you smile.

You are crawling all over the place and love to cruise along the furniture. You love giving us your toys and anything lying on the floor and get mad if we don't take it from you. You point at everything and I spend a majority of my day telling you the names of different objects that you point at. I think your favorite is the tree in our computer room, you even try to say tree.

You just started saying "bye-bye" when you wave and I am sooo excited, it's so darn cute. You have also started screaming at me which is interesting, you definitely know how to demand attention :)

I love our mornings together, after I nurse you you're just so happy and content. My other favorite part of the day is when Daddy gets home because you are in such a good mood. You smile and laugh and talk and we play games as a family, it's a beautiful thing.

We go for walks to the park often and you love the swing and watching all the kids play. I think you'll be in heaven when you can finally walk around and join them.

But for now you're still my little baby who loves to cuddle. Multiple times a day you need mommy time and we'll just sit in the brown chair while you lay your head on me and I'll sing and scratch your back. It is the best feeling to hold you and give you kisses, I love it so much.

I hope you always know how much I love you Bria. I would do anything and everything for you and I pray we always have a good relationship. I thank God everyday for giving you to me, I love you so much.

Happy 1st birthday Bria,

Love Mom

Hold me

Bria likes to be held and cuddled and I love it. Although lately I've realized that our messy house shows just how much attention she wants from me :) Plus it's kind of tiring and sometimes I'd like a little bit of time to myself. I was telling Brian how exhausted I am and he said, "One day you're gonna be so sad that she doesn't want to play with you. Enjoy it."

He's right.

I'm getting really excited about Bria's party and hoping that she is in good spirits for it. I've picked up some of the party supplies but need to get a few more things. I am making Bria's cake for her and I am not a baker or cake decorator. So it's going to be just a frosted cake, nothing fancy, but she won't know the difference. Plus if it was all pretty I'd have a hard time watching her dig in so this way I won't care. Or maybe she won't even like it and it'll end up on the floor where MJ will promptly scarf it down, but that'll just make for a good story in her baby book. Either way my baby is turning 1 in two days and I'm excited to sing her happy birthday first thing in the morning. I can't wait to give her some presents and watch her face as everyone sings her happy birthday. I think she'll like that part.

It's nice and sunny here today which makes me in such a good mood. February is such a tease because we have sunny days which makes me long for summer, but then March and April and May and June are pretty rainy. We need to move south where the sun visits more often.

We started swim lessons last week and it's been really fun. Bria takes awhile to warm up to things so I go early and let her watch everybody swim. She is not a fan when I hand her over to the instructor to be dunked under water, but she does pretty good if I go under with her. She doesn't mind floating on her back as long as I'm holding onto her and I can tell she is getting more comfortable in the water because at bath time she is crawling all over the place :) It's a good thing because in June we are staying on a house boat in Shasta so she'll need to become friends with the water.

I never posted about Valentine's Day so here is a picture of my baby in her ADORABLE Valentine's dress:

Heather's friends sister-in-law (did you follow that?), Gina, made Bria 2 adorable pillowcase dresses and a bunch of bows. I am IN LOVE. This little dress is just the cutest thing ever and the best part is she can wear it next year as a shirt. She wore it on Saturday and Sunday because it was too cute to just wear once this year. The other dress is for St. Patrick's day and I can't wait to put it one her. I just love them. The bows are to die for too, she even made her a pink and brown one, yay!

Remember how I said that we had no plans for Valentine's day? Brian surprised me with dinner out and it was just so sweet. We went to our favorite restaurant ever. It's local and a little spendy but soooo worth it. The food is divine. We had a wonderful time and it felt good to be out just the 2 of us.

He had the whole surprise figured out, including his mom just "stopping by." It was adorable and Grammy wins an award for her acting skills.

Better go get the munchkin, she thinks nap time is over.

A night out

We are still recovering but each day Bria is more herself and smiles and laughs. She is less and less clingy and more and more independent, although I don't think she would object if I held her all day long.

Bria will be 11 months old for just one more week, which means I can't say she's a baby for much longer. Soon she'll be walking and I'll have a toddler and that is just plum crazy. Bria doesn't seem interested in walking by herself these days, and truthfully I'm ok with that. I know with walking comes more bumps and bruises and I'm so not ready for that, so for now crawling will be just fine.

Someone is ready for summer :)

"Who me?"

"I want dat!"

Giving loves to Thumper

I had a wonderful moms night out last night and it was soooo what I needed. I've felt incredibly stressed and anxious for 2 weeks so going out with a bunch of moms felt really nice. Brian stayed home with Bria and for the first time since she was born he put her down for bed all by himself. Brian was not worried at all...I was a little anxious about it. But my fears vanished when he texted me at 7:27 pm saying all was well. Whew! Slowly but surely I'll let go of my anxiety. It helps that Brian is such a good Dad. He really likes their time alone together and I know Bria has fun with him.

We aren't really doing anything for Valentine's day this year. Today we may go shopping and have some fun with part of our tax money, but that's about it. It is Bria's first Valentine's so maybe we'll get her a little something :)