Brooks: Week 26-29

It has been a while since we’ve blogged but so much has been happening that there just wasn’t time to stop and write! Brooks is growing like a weed! Everyday is a new adventure for him and both Mark and I are enjoying every minute of it. As of today Brooks is 7 month and 1 week old. He now weighs 22 lbs according to the scale at Publix. I really think he is starting to lean out in his legs and tummy so that means he must be getting longer! He is sitting up so well these days and he has reached several new miles stones over the past couple of weeks. He is starting to “scooch” around of his tummy…I do believe that this is the precursor to crawling…it is in our near future…I can feel it!!!!

He can now roll from his tummy to his back and vice versa. That is HUGE now is a tummy sleeper and we are no longer swaddling him. This all came about by way of some sleep issues we had to deal with about 3 weeks ago. Fun times in the Batia household! It was so bad that I had to break down and buy a book on baby sleep habits. It’s been a big help so far…if anything it is just reassurance that I am in fact NOT screwing up my child! Letting your baby “cry it out” is never fun…it’s so hard that we’ve started calling it “Baby Boot Camp!” It was rough but all three of us made it through unscathed!

Thank goodness Brooks is such a smart boy and learned very quickly that we were not giving in…it only took him one night of hardcore crying to realize that we meant business. It has been smooth sailing ever since and we are ALL much happier with the results…an earlier bedtime and a baby that sleeps 11-12 hours SOLID!!!! Woohoo!

The week before Easter Mark’s dad and sister come to Orlando to visit us. It is always great to see family and so important that Brooks gets to know his Pops and Aunt Lyn…especially since they both live so far away!

Mark had a great fishing trip with his dad and Brooks got a lot of good playtime in with Lyn.

That weekend Brooks and I took a day trip to Jacksonville to see a bunch of my girlfriends from my undergrad days at UF.

We even got to see Caroline Smith, my very best roomie from college. She is expecting their first baby in a few short months and we can’t wait to see if Brooks had a new girl or boy buddy!

We had an amazing first Easter with Brooks. He was such an adorable little Easter bunny and was so good that he received two baskets this year!

We ended up going to the super early church service and then over to my mom’s house for a yummy Easter brunch.

Afterwards we all changed up (yes, Brooks had not one but TWO Easter outfits…thank Mom!)

and went over to Epcot for the afternoon to enjoy the beautifully warm weather and the Flower and Garden Festival. We had a great time and the exhibits were amazing!

The following Tuesday my mom, Brooks and I loaded up the car for a road trip to Auburn! We were all so excited to get up there to visit with Heather and Lillian! We had a wonderful time just hanging out and stealing lots and lots of newborn sugar!

Lilly is such a great baby and Heather is doing such an amazing job as a new momma. Our visit just wasn’t long enough and before we knew it, it was time to load the car back up and head home. Brooks had so much fun getting to know Lilly…he especially loved her hair! He couldn’t keep his hands out of it! It was so adorable but I am not sure if Lilly felt the same way!

On the way home from Alabama, we stopped off in Perry for the weekend. It was so great to see the family and to visit with all the kids. It was great to see my dad while we were there too. It has been a really long time since he’s seen Brooks and he just couldn’t get over how big he is getting…I know exactly how he feels! While we were there we got invited to a cookout where Brooks got to see his first horse up close and personal (he LOVED it!) and he got to swing with his daddy for the first time too. They are so precious together…best buds!

Brooks just loves animals…this is a new thing for him. His favorite song is Old MacDonald and I swear he can be in the worst mood and you’ll sing that and he his mood will change instantly! He fell in love with Heather’s Boxer while we were visiting…he just thought it was so funny when Kaden would lick his face! Now whenever we see a dog he just laughs out loud and gets so excited.

Another one of Brooks' favorites is still tags. Give him any toy or blanket and he WILL find the tag and chew, chew, chew! His Aunt Becky was so sweet and sent him a special toy that is FULL of tags...he loves it and it keeps him occopied for quite a while in the carseat! What a life saver when we get stuck in I-4 traffic!

This past week was a SUPER busy one for us. It was my last week of work at UCF so that meant that I had to get out to see all 14 of my interns to conduct their final evaluations. It was so much driving and it made for long days but with my mom’s help we were able to get it done! It feels good to have another semester behind me! I would have never been able to do it without my mom…she was such an amazing help. We’ve spent more time together in the car than anywhere else! She and Brooks are official “Backseat Buddies”!

We are all looking forward to some time off from so much work and traveling and we can’t wait to spend our free time by the pool. Brooks needs to get to work on that tan!

We started off our summer break right this weekend at Disney World! Richard, Jennifer and the kids came down to Orlando and we had such a great time together.

Brooks got to go on his very first theme part ride…Pirates of the Caribbean! He was riding with his Uncle Richard and everything was kosher until he got splashed by cannonball fire! He was not too excited about that and he felt the need to ride with momma from that point on…poor little guy...he was such a trooper!

Brooks’ favorite part of the day was getting his first taste of a popsicle! He thought that was too much fun and it sure did feel good on those gums.

Speaking of gums…Brooks got his first tooth this past Saturday while we were at Disney! How is that for a memorable milestone! It is his bottom left tooth and Saturday you could only really feel the tooth but today you can really see it! This is a terrible picture but it is the closest that I got to getting it on camera...he would NOT hold still long enough!

But let me tell you, teething is NO fun! He was up last night at 4:00 (the first time in weeks he’s been up in the middle of the night) and he was just miserable. He didn’t really want to be held but he definitely didn’t want to be put down…he wasn’t hungry and really didn’t want to be rocked. It was a tough hour but he and I made it through. Bless his heart!

We have really been enjoying spring time in Orlando the past few weeks. Brooks and I go on numerous playdates with other mommies and babies. We all go walking, or to yoga, or Starbucks, or we just hang out in Winter Park. It is so much fun for all of us especially when we end the date with lunch or dessert! Brooks just loves the social time with the other babies too.

His little friend Ella thinks Brooks is funny especially when Brooks wants to lick her toes! She wasn’t too enthused and I don’t think he could quite understand why!

Both Brooks and I are looking forward to the pool to warm up so that we can host a playdate there! He just loves being outside and the water…can you tell!?!?! What do you think about my flipflops? Pretty cool, huh? Thanks Aunt Lyn!