Bragging Rights

I love this little girl too pieces. Brooklynn got her pictures taken by the ever so talented, Heidi Allred once again. She did Brooklynn's newborn photos, and here she is at 10 months and working it like a pro. Anyways the photos and title can speak for themselves. I am just one proud mommy who has one stinking cute little girl.

To Clarify

I felt a little petty this morning, and decided to remove the post I wrote about my dream's of Brooklynn having a lot of hair at her age. I feel that it could be interpreted wrong. I was more or less mocking my misperception that's all. I want Brooklynn to know that I think she is the most beautiful little girl I have ever laid eyes on and perfect in every way to me. I love dressing her up and making her look very girly, and will continue to embrace it through the years and as she changes.


Brooklynn,
I love you and there is nothing I would change about you. I take pride in knowing you look like your mommy in so many ways. You have brought your daddy and I more joy than we ever knew possible and I want you to know that, and to never doubt it for a second.

Love, Mom

Recent & Random Tid Bits... from the past month or so

Here she is at 10 months old, and has less hair than when she was born. I promise you this, I will be dedicating a whole post to the day I manage to squeeze a (even the smallest) clump of hair wrapped in an elastic band.
Having some pasta with Auntie Manda.

Almost every evening we're at home she has some down time around 5-5:30. She enjoys watching some Treehouse, especially In the Night Garden. Jason and I used to be so creeped out by that show but it's actually grown on me, and she just loves Iggle Piggle.

Beginning of the month- Superbowl Sunday. Check out all the greasy food we're about to chow down.

Roommate Reunion! These don't happen often enough but are so worth it when we do.

It's crazy the different stages we're at now versus where we were when we all lived together - which feels like it was only yesterday!

This year has just whizzed right by me. Everything since the day Brooklynn was born feels like a blur. She will be a year old soon. Her little buddy next door Charlotte, turns 1 tomorrow. They are only 7 weeks apart. Time sure flies, and little babies sure do grow fast.

Brooklynn is looking A LOT older. I just finished watching some home videos of her when she was only a couple weeks old, I can't believe she used to be that little or even the fact that she IS that little infant looking so helpless and new. Now she isn't so helpless. She is into everything. Her favorite being Max's food. I am in BIG trouble when she starts walking. I'm excited for her to succeed in walking but just as apprehensive about it too.

Family Time and Valentines

Our "love day" celebrations were stretched across the ending of last week up until the 14th. Thursday is always, or usually date night for Jason and I, and it's usually pretty simple. Most of the time it's watching our favorite shows (Office and Survivor), you know the popular line-up for Thursday night. When Jason came home from school he had bought me 12 beautiful white roses. He wanted to get them before Sunday, since we don't "shop" on the sabbath. I love flowers, it's all I really want and YES I am sucker for the girly things about Valentines Day.
Friday morning we had our "family day" since we'd be busy on Monday. We took off to Southland Leisure together and played in the tot pool with Brooklynn. She LOVES the water. It was really nice to relax and spend that day together doing something fun.
On Saturday night Jason and I were able to go on a Valentines date. Jason was running some errands Saturday afternoon and before he left, he told me to get ready because we were going out, and that he had lined up a babysitter too! I was so excited and discovered that he had lined up a GREAT babysitter at that. It was Lisa Gough! She had even offered to watch Brooklynn for us because Austin was working late Saturday. I'm sure Brooklynn had fun, and I am MORE than happy to return them the favor down the road when they will know how wonderful it is to get that one on one time together. We didn`t get home too late and after his shift was over Austin came to join us at our place and we had some white chocolate brownies while watching the Olympics. Thanks again Lisa :)
On Sunday I had to give a talk. My topic was, sacrifice and how sacrifice shows love. It was a great topic for me to take time studying over the week, and I think it turned out well. We spent the remainder of the long weekend at Jason's parent's house visiting with Amanda, Dayln and Treyden who were visiting Calgary for one of the last times before Amanda's little one makes his debut. I can't believe she is due next month!
For the next half of the week Jason spends his time studying for midterms and relaxing. He has been going pretty hard at school, and actually received a letter in the mail congratulating him that he is on the Dean`s List! We are very happy and proud of him, and he continues to really enjoy his classes, while we are still waiting patiently for a letter stating whether or not he made is into his program, The Bisset School of Business, and then he can graduate in a year.
With all of that said it's been going pretty good here lately. We've actually been able to relax a bit. I don't want to jinx anything, but I just feel like life has given us a little break from being strung out with the stress of crazy schedules, and sickness. I have also been going strong with my workout goal. I have been going to the gym three times a week for 5 weeks now. I try to attend this one class called, Iron Reps. It is amazing! You burn about a 1000 calories each class, and I feel wiped but amazing afterwards. I have noticed I have a lot more energy and I think all those endorphins are making me happier too.

A Month of Milestones

Its seems as though since the New Year Brooklynn has been making changes left, right and center. Whether it's from trying new food, to riding on her daddy's shoulder and crawling she is just changing and coming into her own so much. I love it.

So because I treat my blog like a journal I have to record these little and BIG events for us to look back on.

• Dec 26th, 2009 Brooklynn officially traveled internationally to the USA
• Dec 28th, 2009 She landed in Jamaica and spent 8 days there
• went to daycare for the first time
• starting eating whole bananas
• now loves yogurt,watermelon, pineapple and even had a teeny tiny sip of a strawberry daiquiri, (she got pretty excited and I knew she didn't need anymore than that)
• went down water slides
• went in the ocean
• played in the sand
• slept in bed with mommy and daddy quite a few times (only because we had a king size at the resort), and went right back to her crib when we got home
• loves to play with toys, learned to push buttons and bang things on hard surfaces to make music
• loves to mimic us, "da-da, ma-ma, goo-ga (good girl) are too name the most popular
• officially became a crawler on Jan 12
• is now crawling everywhere and feels totally empowered by it
• started to make strange a little, basically she ALWAYS wants me, or dad but mostly me (bitter sweet)
• likes to play with Max, or pull his hair
• sleeps on her tummy
• sits up in the crib when shes crying
• started waving good-bye finally !

Her Mom and Dad are very proud of her accomplishments and find just as much joy and happiness in them as she does.

Not so loved firsts:

• Jan 11, got really sick, first time vomiting from sickness
• had a febrile seizure
• went to children's hospital
• rode in an ambulance
• first IV
• all in all the worst scare we've ever had
• likes to spit her food out (at me)

We had to wake her up and try getting her to eat something, so she had some banana and water. Having her able to look at us and make eye contact was an over joyous moment! See her little boot? Thats where they gave her an IV after they tried to poke her hand with no success.

Her little body is busy reseting it's self. I guess the convulsions and the brain activity from a seizure is almost equilvalent to her running a marathon. She was wiped after.

I'm actually exhausted right now but can't sleep. This has been a long day for our family and the stress, emotions and anxiety of it all have just worn me out.
Brooklynn came down with a fever this afternoon and it escalated so quickly that she was rushed to the Children's Hospital in an ambulance. I was on the phone with Calgary Health Link after she had thrown up a few times, and she became very lethargic and almost unconscious. It was only minutes after that she went into convulsions and was having a febrile seizure. The nurse on health link transferred me to 911, and then that's when they dispatched paramedics.
It was so scary for Jason and I to see our baby girl like this. She wasn't able to look at us, or notice her surroundings, she didn't respond to our voices and was having trouble breathing, she was even starting to go blue in the face when the ambulance arrived.
Jason and I just kept praying the whole way, and watched our little girl get hooked up to some tubes and oxygen and lay there on a stretcher looking lifeless. This was the hardest thing I have ever had to witness and another hard thing was seeing my husband so upset too. I have to admit that I think I can now count on two fingers the amount of times I've seen my husband shed tears, this being the second. You really feel like you cross over in moments like this to greater fulfill your roll as a parent. You experience feelings and emotions that you aren't so familiar with but know they come from the love you have for your child. I kept wishing the whole time that I could take on the pain and sickness she was going through, that she could be spared from this whole ordeal and feel normal again.

I know trials like this in our lives help us understand how our Heavenly Father must feel and I'm grateful to be able to turn to him and have a husband who turns to him too. I'm so grateful for blessings and the priesthood and prayer. I know without a doubt that as scary as this was, we were so blessed to have the ambulance come as soon as they did, and normally when you call Health link you can be on hold for over 30 minutes. We got through in 30 seconds! I've never gotten through to a nurse that fast, and it was a great thing that we did.

I'm happy we were able to come home tonight, I don't know what I would do if anything more terrifying happened to her and I wasn't able to prevent it. She is my everything, and whole purpose to my life now. I love her beyond my own comprehension.
I'd like to thank our family members for all their support today. My sister Jenn was luckily there when I was on the phone to 911 and even helped carry Brooklynn to the ambulance. I know my family and Jason's family kept us in their prayers, and I'm glad Jason's parent's were able to come straight to the hospital to show their love and support. It means so much to us.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone enjoyed their Holidays, we sure did. I've been brainstorming some noble goals that I would like the set for 2010 but have failed to solidify anything as of yet... There's always the obvious ones like losing weight, getting in shape, develop talents etc.. and I would like to improve in those areas for sure, but I'm trying to think of something unique, beneficial and rewarding. I'll keep you posted on that...

2009 in a Glimpse:

- prepared for the arrival of our first child most of February and March
- officially went on maternity leave March 28, 2009 and spent my last and final day @ Medialogic (HALLELUJAAAAAAAAAAH!)
- Amanda moved to the Hamlet spot from Ottawa in February and has been here since
- had a beautiful baby shower, hosted by my sisters and Lindsay
- welcomed Brooklynn Mary Lee into our lives April 14th @ 10:43am
- had all my family here to visit and attend Brooklynn's blessing
- have enjoyed learning the roped of motherhood ever since
- went to the cabin in July
- had fun wake boarding and tubing with friends and family
- Jason lit his legs on fire (2nd degree burns)
- flew home in August to visit my family in Ottawa with Brooklynn
- discovered that flying solo with a baby is a lot of work
- went to Montreal with my family
- really enjoyed spending time and relaxing with them
- while I was there Jason ran a 10km marathon with his sister Megan and his time was just over an hour!
- in August the three of us went to Invermere for a little family vacation at Nana and Papa's love nest
- Jason started school at Mount Royal University in September
- Halloween and thanksgiving were great times with family and I remember them being an insanely busy time of the year...
- Christmas came really fast and left even quicker
- boxing day we flew out to Houston to embarke on a vacation in Jamaica with Jason's family (17ppl) this was QUITE the journey getting there, and even more so for Megan's family but it was a great get-a-way for us all and we made many wonderful memories
- we celebrated the New Year as Beaches Boscobel Resort and watched a time capsule video that Jason's family made in 1999, and made another to watch in 10 years
- went horse back riding in the ocean
- snorkeling (saw two sting rays, a flounder and a puffer fish)
- climbed Dunns River Falls
- and went tubing down a river

Those are just some highlights, Jamaica will be in it's own official post soon.

I must say a lot happened in 2009 and it was a memorable year for us, I'm looking forward to 2010, we have a new nephew on the way near the end of March and look forward to meeting him and any other excitement coming our way :)

Happy New Year :)