Visit from Mark, Shevawn and Claire

We had the best time hanging out with Mark, Shevawn and Claire this week. They drove in all the way from Texas to visit. We had really great weather, so it felt like a vacation for them. We took them to a Pirates game and had the famous Primanti sandwiches at the ballpark. On Monday morning we went to Pamela's for the most amazing pancakes. Most of our time with them seemed to revolve around awesome meals, ha! It was fun to see the cousins interact for the first time. Claire is so animated and happy. She loves to give kisses and dance with her Aunt Kim. We spent lots of time relaxing and enjoying our time together. Mark and Shevawn are always great to teach us new games. We learned a fun card game. I think we would have played it more each night, but Keith and I were super tired from being up every night with Brooke. She is still getting up every 3-4 hours to eat. We were so encouraged to see how well Claire sleeps. She slept all night and took two naps every day. We can only hope this will happen with Brooke sometime soon.
Mark volunteered to watch the babies on Thursday while Shevawn and I went to get a pedicure. It was sooooooooo nice. The last time I had a pedicure was in December, crazy! The week went by way too fast. I am so glad we will be seeing them in Texas in September, October, November and December this year.

Visit from Uncle Ryan and Aunt Kelly

Ryan and Kelly came to visit us last weekend. It was their first time to meet Brooke. She had just gotten her shots earlier that day so I was worried about her being fussy. She was fussy earlier in the afternoon but after some tylenol and rest she was fine. Ryan and Kelly got to our house about 7:30 on Friday night. They helped give Brooke a bath, feed her a bottle, and get her into bed. Amazingly, she slept for 8 hours. I actually woke her up after 8 hours just to make sure she was okay. We spent all day Saturday hanging out around the house. Brooke loved her time with them. She is definitely a cuddler. Ryan and Kelly were super excited to watch the first Steeler's game of the season that night. The Steeler's won and we had a great time relaxing. They had to get back to DC the next morning and we were sad to see them. Brooke, my mom and I are planning to visit them for the first time in their DC condo in October. I'm so bummed that I forgot to take a picture of them with Brooke. I'll have to remember to take lots of photos in October.
Also - Brooke now weighs 10lbs 8oz. She measured 22 and 1/4 inches long at her 2 month visit.

Activity mat

Brooke loves to play on her activity mat. She can reach for the little animals. She loves to kick her legs and stare at the lights. Here is a rough video (my first one) from our camera. Thanks to Shevawn for showing me how to use the video feature. Also thanks to Mary Jo for the beautiful blanket that Brooke is laying on. It is so comfy; especially on our hard wood floors. I take it with me when we go to other people's homes. She will lay on it and coo at the lights.

Brooke 2 Months

Our little baby girl is 2 months old today! She has been such a joy in our lives. I am excited that she is growing and doing so well. She is such a happy baby!!
Here are some things that are going on with Brooke at 2 weeks.
*Smiling at mommy and daddy
*sitting in her bumbo seat
*holding onto her wub a nub pacifier
*playing on the activity mat
*watching the dogs
*occasionally sleeping 5-6 hours at night
*loving her bath time
*cooing at the fan, stuffed penguin, and anyone that will sing to her

We have a doctor's appointment on Friday to get her shots. I am curious to see how much she weighs now.

Bumbo Seat and Activity Mat

Brooke has become much more active in the last week. She really likes to kick her legs and reach for things. I have started putting her on the activity mat every minoring after I start work. She loves to play on her activity mat. She coos, kicks and legs and reaches for the hanging toys. I try to put her on her tummy to start out, but she just rolls right over onto her back.
I also put her in the Bumbo seat for the first time this week. She went through a variety of expressions. She started out kind of serious and even a little bit angry looking. Then she relaxed and decided it was a fun place to sit. She hasn't done any big belly laughs yet but I know they are coming soon. I am impressed that she can hold her head up so well.
Lastly, I accidentally put a newborn diaper on Brooke this afternoon. She did her usual giant daily poo and I wondered why it smelled so strong. I picked her up and was shocked to see that it had leaked all the way through her diaper and outfit. It was a definite poo blowout. She belongs in size one diapers.

Brooks and Dunn

On Friday night Keith and I went to the Brooks and Dunn concert in Pittsburgh. This was our first date night since Brooke was born. Keith's co-resident Pete and his wife Lindsey came to watch Brooke at our house. It was so nice. We could not have asked for a better concert. They played all of our favorite songs. They might be getting old but their voices are still awesome! The concert was outside but the weather was perfect. The only sad thing about the night is that Brooks and Dunn are retiring. If they have yet to come to your town on this tour you should definitely see them.
On Saturday we saw the Turkey family again. Keith was able to get a few close up pictures of them crossing the street. Then they came up to him in our front yard yesterday. I'm going to have to be on the lookout for Turkeys now when I'm outside.