Yay!

I have almost survived this semester! The past three weeks have been very stressful but NIck has been fabulous. I really didn't expect such a tough semester and Nick has been taking such good care of B. Most Tuesdays and Thursday I don't even see her! Luckily all that is behind me and grad school is almost over!

We are headed to Greenville this weekend. Dad called yesterday and said that Blake won two tickets on the 50 yard line to the Clemson game. Of course we can't pass that up and we all know that Blake Bonner isn't going to miss a UGA game! I wasn't sure if I would be able to go, but Dad and Mom both volunteered to skip the Georgia game to babysit. I didn't even ask and both of the immediately volunteered. haha. They must need some Brooklynn time.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Kayla

Brooklynn and her spaghetti face want to wish Aunt Kayla a happy birthday!

Steps

Brooklynn is starting to show some interest in walking and her balance is getting better every day. At this point she can only take a few steps, but we may have a walking Brooklynn before we know it.

Macaroni and Cheese

Brooklynn officially has a new favorite food, macaroni and cheese. She will not allow us to feed her as much from a spoon as we once could. She will still eat from a spoon, but she always gets a little irritated if she can't stick her fingers in whatever she is eating or if she can't feed herself. As you can see every time we have macaroni and cheese Brooklynn has to head straight to the bathtub afterwards.

I've added a November album to the link.

Baby Swing

Brooklynn has been testing her boundaries lately and trying her hardest to get to every place she is not supposed to be. The past day or two she has been crawling to the corner to investigate her baby swing, which she is much too big for now. I decided to put her in it just to she what she would do. It was pretty funny to watch her try to rip the mobile off. Needless to say, her time in the swing didn't last too long but I did snap a few pictures.

Sorry for so long without a blog. November has been full of essays, papers, research, and presentations. Luckily after a 45 minute presentation this week the worst of grad school will be behind me!

Christmas Time!

Today Brooklynn went Christmas shopping for the very first time. I learned several valuable lessons today:

1- The importance of stroller straps. I have never needed to strap Brooklynn into the stroller before this morning. She decided first thing that riding in the stroller is much more fun if she is standing up. She was not pleased when I strapped her in.

2- Trying on clothes with a baby is not an easy task. Even with Mom and a stuffed Mickey Mouse, B really wanted to get into everything. No dressing room will ever be big enough for a baby who would rather stand up in her stroller and bang on the mirror.

3- Shopping is difficult. I had to go in every store and weigh all my options before buying, I just knew there was something cheaper out there. Me, having trouble shopping?!? This may be a result of being married to Nick for five years. Shopping used to be fun, now it just seems stressful. Today just made me realize how much more I appreciate online shopping, it is so much easier to compare prices!

4- Nick, Nick, Nick! I wish you all luck when shopping for my husband this year. Each November I start pestering Nick about his Christmas list with no luck on suggestions. This year Nick is asking for money to help pay for his bar review class and materials. As important and EXPENSIVE as this is, I cannot stomach the thought of Nick not having any presents to open on Christmas morning. I can't imagine him asking for things for himself when we have daycare expenses and bar review courses to pay for in the spring. For those of you who have been asking and asking about what to get Nick, I have added a wish list to Brooklynn's list. Just click on B's Wish List and you see a link on the left. I will add things that I overhear until he reads this blog and makes me stop. Just as a side note, Nicholas needs clothes- work and casual, t-shirts, and boxers!

Trick or Treat Surprises

Nick and I just wanted to thank everyone for all the wonderful Halloween surprises Brooklynn received over the weekend.

Thanks to:

Granny and Papa for the framed poem of Brooklynn's name. It matches her nursery perfectly. Thanks also for the book and mouse stuffed animal!

Uncle Blake for the two books with DVD's and the bath toys. B LOVES her bath toys!

Super Nana for the tugboat that floats in the tub and all the animals. Bath time is so much fun.

Aunt Bidney for the overnight bag filled with goodies and most importantly thank you for making Brooklynn smile so big after I tried an entire day to get a good picture of her in Halloween costume! Aunt Bidney can always make Brooklynn smile!!

Pops and Mimi for the instruments/noise makers. Maybe B will bang on those instead of Tugboat's water bowl from now on. Thanks also for buying Brooklynn some warmer clothes, we appreciate you replenishing her dresser drawers.

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful family and we can't wait to see everyone during Thanksgiving! Thanks again!