2.5 months

How quickly the 2 month post became the 2.5 month post. I'm learning that some things just don't get done when I want them to now that Brooke is here. No big deal. 

Here are the most recent stats for our big girl:

Weight: 11 lbs. 2 oz (45th %ile)

Height: 24 in. (90th %ile)

Head circumference: 37.5 cm (16h %ile)

We've been working hard to help her gain weight, as her demand during her growth spurt was greater than my supply. We had to supplement with formula for a few weeks. But now we are good to go on her weight (and my supply) and have decreased the formula to almost nothing. She's gained almost 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks, and Jeff and I sure are feeling it. Our arms, wrists, and backs hurt. Guess it's time to get serious about getting back in shape, especially with the resistance training. Gotta build up our arm muscles. She may be in the 16th percentile for head size but that thing weighs a ton when it's laying on your forearm while she sleeps.  :-) 

I've been walking frequently, usually with Brooke wrapped up in the Moby with me. On the days when I have Brooke at school with me, we go to the fitness center in my building and walk on the treadmill. She seems to like the motion and generally falls right asleep. We get a lot of smiles from people too. Not too many babies work out in the student fitness center on campus. I've moved on to running now but can't do that with Brooke in the Moby. Maybe we'll get a running stroller soon (hint hint).

Brooke also got her shots at her 2 month check up. I have to say it wasn't as hard for me as I thought it was going to be. Mostly because our nurse, LaShonda, was a pro and had all 3 of those shots done in less than 10 seconds. Brooke cried for about 5 minutes but fell asleep in the car a few minutes later. 

Brooke was blessed on March 3rd. It was a very special day and Jeff gave her a beautiful blessing. She enjoyed being bounced during the blessing and didn't cry at all. Grandma and Grandpa Townsend were able to come and stay for 10 whole days. We were glad they were here because Brooke started smiling during this time.

This is one of the first good smiles we caught on camera. In the beginning, she passed out smiles freely to Grandpa and daddy. I had to work a little bit harder to get them. But now she gives them out all over the place. 

Happy St. Patty's Day!! I sure am a lucky girl. 

 Brooke has always had pretty amazing head and neck control since she was born. It was something we noticed in the hospital. We work on tummy time as often as we can, even though she doesn't like it. She usually lasts about 5 minutes before she's had enough of it. We've figured out a way to trick her into tummy time by putting her on her tummy on our knees upright, then slowly lowering our legs. She lasts much longer when we do it this way. What manipulative parents we are becoming.

WE LOVE THIS FACE!!!

 The smiles make this cute face even cuter!! We love when she does big open mouth smiles, and can't wait for a giggle to come out with it. She is very vocal and doesn't mind telling us when she doesn't like something, or when she needs something. We look forward to the day when she tells us she is happy with her voice. For now, the smiles will do.

We only have a few dresses that fit her so far, but it's great because they are so cute (like this one) and she will get to wear them a lot before she grows out of them. Brooke is very long, but not very robust. Her newborn onesies are being stretched to their limits. So clothes that are a little big are just fine. We are going to be using cloth diapers as soon as her little bum grows a bit to fill them out. 

 When Brooke is awake, she is AWAKE! She likes to look around at everything. We went to CVS the other day for passport photos and she was mesmerized by everything in the store. EYES WIDE OPEN. She also likes to people watch at church. She is 1 of just a handful of babies in our ward...maybe 3 others. So it's kind of fun to see people fawn over her.

She is also starting to make some funny faces. Rarely do we capture them on camera, but Grandma and Grandpa Townsend hit pay dirt with this one. It's quickly becoming one of my favorites and I can't help but smile every time I look at it. She has such a small mouth and its often in the shape of an O when she's in a happy mood. Recently she's discovered her hands and they tend to be in her mouth all the time now. And she's figured out how to make bubbles. Maybe she's just drooling and it comes out as bubbles. Either way it's cute and make her faces even cuter.

 On St. Patty's weekend we ventured out to Sardis Lake for an afternoon/evening picnic. Brooke did great! She really likes being outside which is awesome considering who her parents are. We can't wait to introduce her to all the outdoor recreation activities that we love. Can you take a baby canyoneering?

Twice a week Brooke comes up to school with me. We bought a pack 'n play for my office and have created Brooke's Corner. She likes to lay in here and look out the window, which is great for stimulation and development...not so great for nap time, however. I think everything at school is so new and interesting to her that she just wants to be awake to see it all. Naps are difficult on these days, but we are working hard to help her get into the routine with school so she will sleep up there. No naps creates Lil Miss Crankypants in the early evening. No fun for anyone.

Mommy, daddy, and B-money in the backyard. We were thinking about having a fire one night but realized all our wood was wet.  :-(  Everyone says that Brooke looks like Jeff. Rarely has anyone said she looks like me. We can't really tell, probably because we look at her so much. What say you? One of these days we'll get some baby pictures of me and Jeff up here so we can compare. 

We continue to fall more and more in love with this little girl. She is such a blessing in our lives and we can't imagine much without her. We love her smiles and are looking forward to hearing laughs and giggles. We REALLY love that she is such a good sleeper. We love that she loves bath time, especially because we are probably going to be swimming a lot this summer to beat the heat. She already loves the water, and we couldn't be happier about that. Swimming should come naturally. We love you Brooke!!