big boy bed.

We converted Brooks' crib on March 22nd to "big boy bed" status. We decided to test it out during nap-time that afternoon instead of diving head first into murky water.  After we put him down, John and I ran to the monitor, turned it on, grabbed some popcorn, and prepared for the worst.  To our surprise, he only climbed out once to mess with his fan (while we laughed hysterically), so John went in there to look him in the eye and tell him that he had to stay in his bed until mommy or daddy came to get him. After that little pep talk, he was there to stay for the remainder of his nap…until we came in to get him. His first night was a success, as well! He stayed put until I got him out in the morning. We haven't turned back since!

I am so proud of my little buddy. He is growing and changing right before our very eyes!

continues.

Brooks' love affair with donuts continues…

tribe 5k.

On Saturday, John participated in the Tribe 5K benefitting Lifeline Children's Services...and he WON! He ran on the standard 5K route, but stopped at 5 stations throughout for a workout before continuing the run. There were hundreds of competitors so we are especially proud of him for placing first overall!

 It was a fun morning exploring Sloss, eating bacon, jumping around in the bounce house, and, of course, cheering on Daddy. Way to go, JB!

zoo date.

It is finally warm enough to take the kiddos to the zoo again. I am forever indebted to my in-laws for our zoo membership. It is a fun, convenient outing that is sure to wear Brooks out, whether we go to solely see the barn animals or make an entire afternoon out of it. We went yesterday afternoon to ride the train, see the bears and monkeys (per B's request) and a few other exhibits. It was so much fun! 

I foresee a lot of zoo excursions in our future! Hurry, Spring!

seven months: ann bennett.

Kissable baby girl, you are seven months old and our love for you grows deeper and deeper as time ticks on. You turned a corner this month and are the sweetest, happiest, smiliest little (well, you're actually not so little...) love button. 

While you're not quite taking off like your brother did at seven months, you are changing and growing and it has been so magical watching you become captivated by this great, big world. 

For one, you now realize when I leave the room and it doesn't please you very much. You aren't afraid to let me know either! But, oh, the minute we lock eyes again the crying stops and you give me a glimpse of that perfect smile. You also started reaching for me to pick you up this month. I always oblige, AB baby. Always. 

It's no secret sweet bit loves her mommy, but she especially loves her big brother. The highlights of her day are when I approach her crib in the morning and after naps and when we go into Brooks' room together to get him out of his crib. She squeals, smiles, and flaps her arms. Anytime he shows her the slightest attention she lights up. He hangs the moon and can do no wrong...even when he steals toys out of her hands, which is often. A sweet something to note is that Brooks insists on accompanying me while I put her down for her afternoon nap and asks to pray for "Baby Sister" every time, without fail. He prays, "thank you, Jesus, for Baby Sister" and waits for me to pray over her, and we both end with "amen" all the while Sis is staring at the both of us, grinning. 

While on the subject of  brother bear, while eating lunch on the 27th, AB was acting silly, blowing bubbles with food in her mouth. She was getting the biggest kick out of it. Brooks decided to join in on the fun, too, and Sis thought it was hilarious. So hilarious that she actually laughed! FINALLY! She still has a quiet, odd way of laughing, holding her breath until her face turns red, followed by cackles. 

Ann Bennett started sleeping on her tummy or side this month. I rarely see her on her back anymore, but she likes to switch it up. I will say, the mornings that she is lying on her stomach are mornings that she sleeps later. If only she would be a consistent tummy sleeper! She also started crib acrobatics this month so I finally purchased a bumper pad. She was bonking her noggin' and throwing her pacifier out of the crib, so adding one to the crib was a no-brainer. There were also three nights straight towards the end of the month where she was waking between 3:00-4:00 crying and would cry even harder after we put her pa-pa in and walk away. Good ol' object permanence at its finest. Brooks did the same thing at this age. I'm glad it was short lived and she is back to sleeping 11-12 hours a night! 

On to food...

On February 18th AB tried sweet potatoes, on the 25th she had carrots and peach, on the 26th she had acorn squash and apples, and two days later she ate apricot. We added peas and green beans to the mix on March 2nd, blueberries on the 4th, and prunes on the 6th. To be honest, there were some firsts in between, like butternut squash, mango, and oatmeal, and I stopped keeping up after the prunes. Let's just say she's tried it all and loves it all! She is still taking four, 6-8 ounce bottles during the day and somewhere late February she went from eating solids twice a day to three times a day. She consumes 4-6 ounces of solids in each sitting. Baby girl LOVES to eat and I'm convinced she was unhappy during month six because she wasn't getting satisfied off just bottles and wanted food, food, and more food. Also, it took her until a week ago to completely lose the tongue reflex. No more messy mealtimes, thank goodness! And lastly, I want to note that I am making most of her food, but also rely on pouches. They are great for when we are on the go or dining out. 

Some other random Ann Bennett isms:

She shakes her head ("no") when she is really excited or acting silly. She tilts her her head to the right when she is feeling bashful or flirting.

She spits out her paci when she sees her bottle. She will squeeze and scratch my hands while she is drinking it.

We retired the Zipadee-Zip and transitioned to the Halo sleepsack this month. It didn't phase her one bit.

While she's not crawling, she is able to get to what she wants, whether it be by way of the sit and reach or by rolling over or moving in a circle while on her tummy. No signs of crawling or pulling up yet!

I love you so much, blue-eyed beauty! You are such a blessing to our family. Happy seven months!