Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all! We hope you and your families enjoyed the holiday. We sure had fun with our little guy. He was supposed to be the tiger that you all have seen previously on the blog that he has already worn for MIZZOU games. But, instead, he ended up being a skeleton thanks to gifts from Grammy and Aunt KK. And, I went out and found matching skeleton outfits for the dogs. They were SO cute! We had a few trick or treaters but Brooks slept through the whole evening. Mommy had fun taking pictures though....

This past week was a special one because Brooks got to meet Adam's mom, Betty, and Michael for the first time. He is such a lucky little boy to have so many wonderful grandparents. We had fun showing them around where we live here in Michigan and just hanging out with Brooks. The puppies are always so excited to see Grandma Betty and definitely sad when she leaves. We were all sad to see them go, but are so happy that they came to spend time with our family.

I was very excited because the weekend they were here, Brooks finally was big enough to start wearing shoes. Another milestone!

And, of course, I had to take a picture of the men at the end of the weekend. Pretty cliche'...women cleaning up the house, men sleeping on the couch. Go figure:)

Before Grandma Betty left, she made sure to put socks on Brooks' hands because she thought he was cold....and it's only October! I'm afraid we are in for a long winter here in Michigan.

OK, I need to give a disclaimer for this next picture. All Grandmas need to skip looking at this next picture because I know that if they look at it I will hear quite an earful! But, how can I resist when Shocker wants to show so much love to his baby brother?!

Adam and Brooks are still having fun together. Brooks still loves his bouncer, but he doesn't pay much attention to it when daddy is standing over him sticking out his tongue!

Ok, this next picture is for Shrampa (my dad). I'm sad to say that it looks like your Grandson might be picking up on some of your moves. Look at his right hand...this is exactly what you look like on the dance floor. I'm in for it!

Brooks is big enough now that many of his clothes finally fit him. So, of course, mommy has fun playing dress up. He doesn't seem to mind and we get many compliments from the little ladies at the grocery store. And, his cheeks are chubby enough now that they all want to pinch his little cheeks. Such a cutie...

Another milestone this week was that we finally got switched over from the hospital paci to the regular paci. It is much better because it isn't so heavy and doesn't fall out of his mouth so much. That's great for mommy because there have been days that I have felt like the only thing that I got accomplished was successfully putting the paci back in his mouth.

And, finally, yes....it is definitely turning colder here in Michigan. I went out this past week and bought Brooks his first coat. Yes, I know, it is a little big for him. But, at the rate he's growing, it will be fitting snug in no time. I promise, Grandma Betty, as you can see from the pictures below he never goes outside without a good bundling!

Well, happy November to everyone. We hope all is well with you and yours and we would love to hear from you anytime. God Bless and take care until then...

6 weeks old!

Wow...I can't believe 6 weeks have passed since we brought baby Brooks into this world. Even so, it's so hard to remember what life was even like without him here. Daddy and Brooks love spending time together...whether that be riding around in the Baby Bjorn on Adam's chest or sleeping side by side or watching TV together...they are definitely two peas in a pod. Not to mention how much they look alike! We have Adam's baby picture from when he was 3 months old sitting on our dresser and it would not be hard to mistake the picture for one of Brooks. "Like Father, like son" is definitely a true statement in our home!

Speaking of watching TV, Brooks didn't seem to be as upset as Daddy during the past two MIZZOU games. The picture below was taken during the beating we received from Texas last Saturday...needless to say, those two games are ones that we would like to forget.

And, as you can see below, with much of Adam's attention being given to baby Brooks, Shocker and Tiger do everything they can to squeeze some cuddle time in. Of course, we are definitely trying to give them extra special attention. No rooms in the house were tee pee'd this week, so I think we are doing a little better!

Of course, spending time with baby includes changing diapers...even the extra special dirty ones. Below, I caught a glimpse of how Daddy responds to those "extra special" diapers...you can't really tell but he is changing Brooks in this picture and had to walk away for a moment to catch his breath. What a weenie!

This past weekend, I left Adam alone with Brooks for less than an hour to run a couple errands. When I returned, he was pacing around the living room holding a screaming Baby. He had a record of cowboy songs that Grandma Jody sent to us last week playing and he was singing to Brooks and trying to soothe him. The minute I walked through the door, he stretched out his arms and said, "Oh, please take him! I can't take it...he's been crying this entire time." I was only gone for 45 minutes!! Again, I smiled and refered to my previous statement...WEENIE!

It is definitely starting to turn colder here in Michigan. We have been taking nightly walks with baby and two dogs in tow. This past week, we had to start bundling the baby quite a bit more. Even so, I doubt these walks will last much longer in the Michigan chill.

I know this is going to be hard to believe, but Brooks got his first hair cut last Saturday! I don't know if I've ever heard of a baby needing a haircut at 5 weeks old, but our boy definitely did. His hair was growing so long over his ears they were about to disappear and the back of his head was starting to look like he was sporting a mullet. So, we got out the scizzors and went to work. Daddy did most of the cutting because it made me too nervous. And, as you can see from the pile of hair that Adam is holding in the picture below, we didn't stop with the little hairs over the ears and in the back. We trimmed his entire head! I couldn't believe how much older it made him look. He looks like such a little boy!!

Our days are still full of smiles and new expressions. I think there are days that my son would probably sit up and tell me to stop flashing that camera in his eyes if he could...but, I just can't resist. Sometimes, like the set of pictures below, I just stand over him and flash pictures as each expression changes. I know, pretty cheesy...but I still can't get over the miracle of his life and don't want to miss a single breath.

I would like to thank Kari Tovar for the pictures below. She is one of my childhood friends...our families are best friends. Anyways, she had a baby this year as well and did a lot better than I on researching all of the best baby products and finding all of the best resources. She told my about this sling that her son Miles just loves to hang out in. Thank you Kari for this advice! You were right! Brooks loves it and I can get things done in the meantime. Yipee!

At 6 wks, we've finally reached the point where Brooks is big enough to play in his bouncer. He sits in it and gets all goo goo eyed when the vibrations are on. Then, he starts to giggle. And, for this, we have Laura (Bryan) MacBean to thank. Laura was my next door neighbor growing up and my best childhood friend (BFFAE)! Thank you Laura and we can't wait to introduce you to our little guy.

Brooks has started spending quite a bit of time under his activity gym as well. It is so amazing to watch him reach out for the rattles and toys and then break out into a huge grin. I truly do get overwhelmed with amazement and gratitude every day watching our little boy discover this world. He is our little boy, but God's little miracle...what a precious gift!!

And, finally, the hallmark of our past week was that Brooks is now sleeping and napping in his crib in the nursery. I can't tell you how light I slept the first night we had in out of our room. I was so scared that I wouldn't hear the monitor. But, as all of you mothers know, God created us with that sixth sense to know when our child needs us. I actually owe all of this to Aunt Kim (Tandy). I was really struggling a few days ago after a night of sleep that only added up to about 1 1/2 hours, so I picked up the phone and called her because she has been a nurse in the NICU. She gave me quite a few tips and all the motivation I needed to start doing things a little differently. And, only in a few short days, I have a baby who has slept 8 and 9 hours at night, sleeping in his crib, and who settled in to a consistent little schedule. So, Kim, I owe my life to you! :) But, seriously, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking your time to hold my hand and guide me through the journey of motherhood. All you need to do is take a peak at the picture below to see how content Brooks is sleeping in his nursery, and you will see the fruits of your labor. Thank you for this gift of self and helping me to regain my sanity!! I owe you one :)

We send our love to all of you and hope all is well in your world. We miss you all so much and think of you often. Until next time...