22 Weeks

Another week down... another week that I can't believe Brooks is growing so fast!!

With hesitation, I will say Brooks is sleeping SO much better!! I guess the Lil Guy was just getting hungry at night! (Plus it helps he can now easily [and quickly!] roll from tummy to back to tummy!) We started baby food this week--and alas!--Brooks has slept ALL night the last 3 nights in a row! The first night he had applesauce (for the standard 3 days) and he slept better [their isn't much "substance" to applesauce, so I doubt it really filled him up], but not all night. The 4th night we did peas and he only ate about half of the container... he wasn't crazy about the peas, so the 5th night (shhh, we didn't follow directions) we did sweet potatoes. Every night he's eaten the whole container and slept all night. YAY! He's done 3 days of sweet potatoes, so we'll try something new tonight (probably either squash or carrots). Fingers crossed the sleeping patterns continue.

Brooks is a rolling machine! After putting a pallet on the living room floor started becoming hazardous to his head (I heard his head hit the hardwood ONE time and that was enough. I think I was more traumatized than he was.), we opted to leave his Pack-n-Play in the living room... and the kid LOVES it. He will roll and play in there for almost an hour. He loves that he can watch the dogs (and the TV) and it's all soft and comfy. It's still a shocker to get him out of his crib in the morning and him being in a totally obscure position (and no where near the place we left him the night before).

Brooks has also had 3 "equipment" upgrades this week as well (he's just getting SO big)! When we started giving him baby food, we also tried the high chair. He LOVES it. Prior to that, we'd been using his bouncy seat and sitting it on the kitchen table. He loves the high chair though. Big success. Then, we tried his new, MUCH smaller stroller for our weekly Target stop. Previously, we'd been able to get about 3/4th of the way through the store and Brooks would have a meltdown. [Let me stop and say, Brooks' "meltdowns" are no where near the knock-down, drag-out tantrums some babies throw in a store. Brooks would simply get tired of sitting in his car seat and start "fussing." Todd and I both have little patience when parents let their children SCREAM through the entire shopping trip. Do SOMETHING... even if you have to leave the buggy and take the kid outside for a minute. Bribe them, feed them, spank them... but don't let them scream the entire way! That being said, at the on-set of fussiness that can't be consoled, one of us will resort to carrying him and 9 times out of 10, it works.] Now that the Lil Monkey is getting heavier (my guess is at least 17 pounds), walking through a Super Target isn't as fun with a baby on your hip. SO... we decided this trip we'd forgo the carseat and opt for the small umbrella stroller. SUCCESS. BIG Success! Now, we have the super-nice big stroller that his car seat snaps in. It's nice when Todd's with me, but that thing is super-heavy in itself, not to mention a beee-otch to get in/out of the car, unfold, and set up (think 100+ temps in Alabama)... plus, Brooks thinks of it about like riding in the carseat in the grocery cart. He's fine for about 20 minutes, then he's done. The umbrella stroller, on the other hand, allowed us a good 45 minutes in the store without so much as a peep. [Again, knocking on wood.] I was so excited, I wanted to take him to the mall last night! Daddy didn't think it would be as fun and we opted to watch TV instead... :) And lastly, we gave in and bought Brooks a walker yesterday. He's still a little young to "know" what he's doing, but with our hardwood floors, rolling is easy. He sat in it yesterday for about 15 minutes at a time and can slowly roll backwards. He'll get the hang of it. Right now though, he likes the fact that he can position himself for optimal TV viewing! :)

Well, I guess that's about it for our weekly update. I need to get out the measuring tape and see how long he is these days. Todd's former teammate, Jared (Ross) and his wife, Evy brought over their 9-month old son, Cameron Friday night... While Cam is a good bit bigger than Brooks (not fat by any means, just bulkier), Brooks is pretty darn close in height. It was crazy seeing them lay next to each other. Unfortunately, that was about the extent of the boys' interaction... It was Brooks' bedtime and apparently, not even company is going to stand in his way of going to bed on time! :)

Hope everyone is well... to our Michigan family, we'll see you in a few more weeks for Labor Day!! Love everyone!