elle bee photography: katie.

I have been dabbling in photography again lately, taking pictures for old clients and a few friends here and there. I'm not really focusing on this "baby" because, let's face it, I have a real baby of my own now and it's pretty tough to find the time to dedicate and hone in on this little passion of mine. (I even went as far as removing my photography blog from this so called "blogland"). With that being said, I figured I would share some photos from recent sessions every now and again on this blog for fun.

Today, I had the honor of meeting and photographing sweet baby Katie, the precious little angel of one of Lea's dearest friends, at the Bryant's house for a mini photo session. Here is a snippet of our morning together:

Could she be any cuter? I think not.

(I hope you enjoyed a sneak peek, Sara! It was so good to see you again and love on your newest baby girl!)

toes in the water.

...toes in the sand! "Brooks goes to the beach: Round 2" was a success! We were finally able to introduce those little piggies to the sand and ocean during the Bryant Family Beach Trip 2013 this past weekend. Naturally, I had to document this momentous event in our babe's life.

Our little man really liked what he saw and felt. I think that he could have stood with his toes in the water and sand, gazing out toward the deep blue for hours. He was fascinated! And that sweet ocean breeze? It relaxed him so much he only lasted about 10 minutes in the beach tent before he conked out for an afternoon nap.

I will admit—having a baby turns your world upside down...in a great way. Having a baby on the beach brings about a lot of change too. Gone are the days of plopping your beach chair in the sand, only moving to rotate it towards the sun or for the occasional dip in the ocean as the day passes. I have never spent more time in the shade in my life! Funny thing is, I wouldn't change it for the world. Who would have thought?

During the other hours of the trip we loved on our precious nephews, got to spend quality time with Lea and Bradley, ate finger-licking-good seafood, and relaxed (thanks to the helping hands of Shug and Pops). We are so thankful for the opportunity to take this trip every year. And next year we will be introducing another baby to the gulf...Baby Moore #3 is due in September! We are beyond thrilled for Lea and Bradley and praising God for this little life! As our families grow, our beach trips are only going to get better and better. Rain or shine...sun or shade.

special visitor.

We had a special visitor this morning.

Who, you ask? Here is a hint:

Yep, you guessed it...our most cherished Telluride resident, Lacey!

I am so very happy that Brooks finally got to meet my dear, sweet friend who I've missed so much. It's hard to believe that the last I saw her was in November when I was still pregnant with little bit! Almost six months later and here she is in my den finally holding the newest member of our family. Cherish-able moment. I am incredibly thankful for our time together this morning...

...and Brooks LOVES his hat. Telluride, represent!

greater gwinnett.

This weekend, the three of us went to Duluth to visit my family and good times were had by all. We sure missed them during our time apart so it was really nice to see everyone (Mom, Dad, Gram, Jeff, Katye, Abby, Daley, William, and Andrew).

This year, the PGA Champions tour returned to Atlanta and the Greater Gwinnett Championship was held at the TPC Sugarloaf (where my parents live) starting on Monday and ending today. On Saturday my parents watched spoiled Brooks, freeing up the beautiful afternoon for me and John to enjoy a mini-date of golf and quality time together. Thank you, Nannie and Pop Pops! We had so much fun walking around the course and relaxing at the Country Club.

When we got home, my mom had a delicious meal prepared for us and we got to love on our precious nieces and nephew, who, in return, loved on their baby cousin. It was such a sweet sight! As always, the weekend went by too fast and we are already counting down the days until we will be reunited...definitely Memorial Day weekend, if not sooner (Brooks says,"come visit me in Birmingham, Nannie and Pop Pops!"). 

And speaking of B-man...



I mean, really? Who is this big boy?! Sigh. 

four month favorites.

1. Bumbo - Gone are the days of snuggles and wanting to be cradled, hello wonderful world of strange noises and sights. Little JB is most content sitting or standing these days and what better way to appease his happy heart than to let him sit in the Bumbo. I try to limit his time in the seat because of hip placement issues, but when I need two free hands (usually while preparing dinner) I pop him in and let him do his thing. He loves being able to sit up and look around and it helps strengthen his neck at the same time...win/win.

2. Angel Dear Lovies - We LOVE our lovies! We have both the frog and bear and Brooks is a total fan. We only give them to him during nap time or long car rides when we want to get him to sleep. He throws them over his head and boom...out. It really is the sweetest.

3. Orbit G2 Travel System - We have done a good bit of traveling and running errands this month and I cannot say enough about my Orbit stroller and car seat. SO convenient. While we love our BOB for afternoon walks and jogs, it isn't an easy "go-to" for getting out and about and lacks the bells and whistles of an everyday stroller. For a more thorough review on the Orbit, checkout this post. 

4. Infantino Go Ga Ga Chewy Teether - We gave Brooks this toy in his Easter basket and it could not have been more perfect timing with his infatuation for chewing on anything and everything he can fit into his mouth. It really soothes his gums and is easy to hold. And I love that it is BPA free. 

5. ABC song - Brooks lights up when I sing him the ABC's. He stares intently at my mouth as I sing and gives me a big grin or chuckle. No other song that I sing gets that kind of reaction (unless I happen to yawn while singing...he thinks yawns are funny). English will probably be his favorite subject in school, just like his mommy. I see a spelling whiz in our future! 

6. i play Sun Hat - We have enjoyed quite a few sunny days outside this Spring and this hat has really come in handy. I even ordered an additional size up for the summer months because we like this hat so much. Not only is it cute, but it also has a UPF of 50+ and comes in a gillion different colors. And Brooks actually enjoys wearing it, tie and all. 

shawty.

This morning we had Brooks' four month well check-up. I was so eager to see how much he has grown since his last appointment, two months ago. 

Little nugget is growing, growing, and growing! Brooks now weighs 14 pounds, 9 ounces (30th percentile) and is 24 inches in length (14th percentile). We still have a little shawty on our hands, but I fear not that he will one day be tall like his mommy and daddy. He is perfect and healthy and we could not be more thankful. 

Unfortunately, Brooks had to get his second round of immunizations (Pentacel, Prevnar, and Rota). Only two pricks this go around. John didn't come with me to this appointment because Brooks proved to be a champ at his two month check-up. Luckily, he did just as great at this appointment. Of course he let out a cry and a couple of crocodile tears when he was pricked, but seconds later he stopped...and fell asleep! 

Hopefully he won't run a fever like he did after his first set of shots. But, I am preparing myself for an afternoon of snuggles just in case he does...

four months.

Ummm...month four? Where did you go? Seriously.

I'm not sure if this month flew by because we did a good bit of traveling, we have been getting out and about more, or because the change of the season, but it came and went and here I sit trying to piece it all together.

Our Brooks is one sweet happy boy who is constantly changing and growing. Watching him go from being a passive observer of the world to wanting to be an active participant is such a delight. He doesn't tolerate lying on his back or tummy as much as he did last month. He still enjoys morning playtime on the activity mat, but prefers to sit straight up, stand (with the help of mom and dad, of course), and walk around in our arms looking over our shoulders.

On March 20th, our strong boy pushed up on his elbows for the first time and started to show interest in rolling over.

Just two days later, on March 22nd, he rolled over from his tummy to his back—yet another milestone John was able to witness. I am so thankful for that. Since then, he has only rolled over a handful of times, in both directions. He typically rolls to his right and on the 28th, he rolled to the left. He started a quirky habit of putting his right arm by his side when on his tummy instead of pushing up with both arms. Therefore, we have taken a step back with tummy-time. It's more like, "let's roll around on our belly like a penguin" time. Bless him.

Back to March 20th...

I got another laugh out of our little giggle-box! He thinks it's funny to grab my hair cheeks when I get close to his face and hysterically laughs when we lift him into the air and back down again.

This month Brooks started gurgling a lot more and his familiar smiles turned into LOUD, HIGH-PITCHED squeals of delight. It is too funny. However, a change in his vocals also means a change in the tone of his cries. His cry is a lot louder and he now screams when he is extremely unhappy. Luckily, these tantrums are few and far between.

JB took his first beach trip March 21st-March 24th. More on that special trip here.

We have a scootin' fool on our hands. On March 26th, when I checked on him during playtime on the activity mat, he had moved 90 degrees from where I laid him down. He will also start at the top of his crib when we put him down at night and make his way to the bottom by morning. That little wiggle worm...

On March 27th we graduated from sink baths to tub baths. This didn't phase Brooks a bit! And it is definitely easier for daddy to clean between all those rolls now. Before we know it the tub will be full of toys and bubbles! But, let's hold off for as long as we can. Okay, Brooks?

On March 29th Brooks took his first nap in the sleep sack without his arms swaddled—and slept for an hour and a half! MIGHTY MIRACLE! Of course, the next nap didn't go quite as well, so back to "arms in" we went. This has been an off and on battle since, but only during naps, which Brooks has now decided he is not really a fan of anyway, unless he is completely whipped. His new thing is to pull his paci out of his mouth, yet he cries when it is out so we are running in circles. If I give him a lovey during nap time he plays with it instead of the paci and usually falls asleep in no time...with it over his face. Don't worry, though...I sneak into his room after he falls asleep to move it (also, no lovies at night). And did I mention that even if we do try to swaddle him with arms in, he breaks free? Every.single.time. Without fail. However, I am proud to say, Brooks slept from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. with both arms unswaddled the night of April the 8th and we haven't turned back. Way to go big buddy!

March 31st was Brooks' first time attending a church service. On Easter, of course! My pediatrician advised us to keep him out of the nursery until he was at least four months old, especially during flu season. I really wanted to go worship our Risen King on Easter Sunday so we opted to go the no-nursery route (which we will do until I speak with our doc at his 4 month well check-up on Monday) and he did really good.

My little love bug is starting to show an attachment towards me. He will fuss or cry when I walk away from the crib, he turns his head to look at me while John gives him his nighttime bottle, and tends to cry when strangers hold him and I am still visible. I do love that he loves me so, but we are working towards getting him out and about more and letting him interact with others. I mean, let's face it...he pretty much looks at my face all day, every day. I took my first day trip without him for my friend Sarah's baby shower and it was tough stuff. I cried when I left and cried on the way home. I could not wait to see him. Obviously, we both need to work on this whole attachment thing.

On average, Brooks is taking a 6 ounce bottle of both breast milk and formula at each feeding. Sometimes it is more, but never less. We have also adjusted the snaps on his cloth diapers a bit, but are still trying to figure out the perfect fit at the moment.

And lastly, Brooks is showing big time interest in the tube. So much so, I am having to keep it off while he is in the den. It is a good distraction during "burps," though. He used to throw a fit and stand up, refusing to burp, but now his eyes lock on the TV and he cooperates. Oh. Who am I kidding? Don't make excuses, Lauren. Turn it off.

John and I continue to fall more and more in love with you with each passing breath, Brooks.You have quite the personality and we love watching it blossom. Happy FOUR MONTHS angel baby!