One year, and Two Weeks...What a Big Girl!

Brenna continues to grow and change so much!  She is still getting into everything, though we've made it a little harder for her to explore by adding a few childproof lock on cabinets.  She still manages to locate lots of fun things to unpack from drawers.  Her favorite thing to unpack is the diaper caddy on her changing table.  The diapers apparently look much better on the carpet than in their bin :p  Brenna is also dancing more and more.  She had an impromptu dance party with a grown woman at a restaurant last week.  They were breaking it down to that old song "Neutron Dance."  Brenna was twirling, popping and locking, jumping, and squatting/dropping it (her favorite).  It was quite a show for everyone. 

It's almost time to select a costume for her for Halloween.  She will probably be getting her first tutu out of the getup.  She is 100% girl and will probably love the feel of such a big skirt.  She had a blast wearing some of the extra tulle we had from decorating her high chair at her birthday party.  It was easy to see she will like  playing dress up as she gets older.  I wonder where she gets it from...ha!

Brenna's vocal vocabulary is growing, too!  She now says mama, dada, baba, baby, dog, Dexter, Bible, night-night, mum-mum, and no.  She likes to brush her own hair with any brush she can find.  She loves to give her stuffed animals and babies hugs and "sugars".  If only she would do the same for Dexter!  As usual...pictures coming soon~

Brenna's First Year in Pictures

Brenna's First Year in Review

Our little Brenna has reached her one year milestone!  What a year it has been for all of us :-)

Parenting truly is one of the most amazing journeys in life, and one that we have thoroughly enjoyed so far.  We have never been as overjoyed, fufilled, blessed...and tired!  We could not have made it through this first year without the selfless help of our own parents, siblings, grandparents, lifelong friends, playgroup mommies, and of course lots of prayers.  Thank you all so much for your support, love, and extra hands.

As we celebrated Brenna's first birthday yesterday we were humbled and thankful for all of you who love her and tolerate us, hee hee!  On a serious note, our daughter's life is enriched because of the kind nature of each of our friends and family members.  We love you all!

Moving on, we will try to blog more regularly, with the goal of having a more complete record of Brenna's ever-changing life.  We hope you enjoy the latest happenings and get a few laughs along the way.  We have a little darling with LOTS of personality, so this next year should be...interesting!

Till next time...

Approaching Brenna's First Birthday...

Brenna's almost ONE!!! 

It's pretty hard to believe that at this time last year we were patiently awaiting her arrival.  My how life has changed since August 25, 2009...these last few days have been filled with reflection and downright joy as we try to comprehend the depth of the blessing we have been graciously given.  This is a sweet time of celebration, and we give all our thanks and praises to our God! 

It's clear that we haven't had much time for postings :)  Brenna is very, very active and keeps us all on the move.  She began cruising and crawling at nine months and has been walking (quickly!) for about three weeks.  She is getting into anything and everything she can!  She loves to walk into the kitchen and open the cabinets several times a day.  She likes to play with the Tupperware containers and Dexter's bowls the most.  She also likes to try to change the TV channels with the remote control.  Communication is one of Brenna's strengths...we often find her talking and texting on Mom's cell phone.  She gets a kick out of using the computer as well.  We have a toy laptop for her to use, but for some reason it is not nearly as exciting as the real deal. 

Brenna is eating well these days.  She enjoys lots of tasty things - mashed potatoes, crab, avocado, tuna salad, shredded chicken, refried beans, green beans, bread, and of course her favorite baby food snacks (mum-mums and yogurt bites).   She gets "special" food when she's with her grandpa.  She's learning to drink from a sippy cup and a big-girl cup, but still likes her bottles.

Brenna likes to go on stroller rides while we walk Dexter.   She is very inquisitive and loves to people-watch.  Extremely extroverted, our little Brenna meets many friends everywhere we go.  She is becoming quite the drama queen these days.  She hams it up and loves to get laughs.  Her favorite tricks are making the classic "Home Alone" face and shaking her head No repeatedly.  She loves to dance to all kinds of music too.  As music lovers and dancing enthusiasts, this really warms our hearts! 

We are so excited about Brenna's first birthday!  She has brought so much happiness into our lives in just this first year.  We cherish each stage she has been through so far and look forward to the many stages yet to come.  Happy Birthday to our beautiful Baby Brenna!

Many new firsts!

So, we've established that we are not too good at regular postings by now..
Brenna has grown and changed SO much since our last blog.  Here are a few of the highlights:

Developmentally, Brenna is turning into such a big girl.  She can sit up on her own, hold her own almost-empty bottle, and grabs anything and everything she can get her hands on!!  She can say "mama" too :) 

This month, Brenna has had several unwelcome firsts as well.  She had RSV and also her first ear infection.  Thankfully (and surprisingly!), Brenna did amazing with her breathing treatments.  We love our pediatrician, with whom we are getting to know very well!  This household is certainly ready for spring and warmer weather.

Brenna loves Baby Einstein videos and likes to laugh at the puppets.  We ordered Your Baby Can Read this week, so hopefully we will be able to report Brenna is learning to read soon :-)

Six Months Old Already??!!

Brenna will be turning 6 months old Thursday!  It seems like we just brought her home with us yesterday.  She is at such a cute stage now.  She is laughing, moving her feet and arms around A LOT, almost sitting up on her own, and sticking her feet in her mouth as much as possible.  We know what makes Brenna laugh and have tons of fun cracking her up repeatedly.  Her little laugh is contagious! 

After not really wanting to get Brenna started on watching TV too early, she watched Baby Einstein at her Mimi and Grandpa's house while Mom and Dad were at a friend's wedding.  She LOVED it!!  She gets soooo excited when it comes on...even the copyright warning screen at the beginning of the DVD is recognized and gets a big smile.  Who would have known she'd get such a kick out of it?  Her Nap Nanny doubles as a safe and comfy TV chair, so she has the full set up.  It's actually helped us get a few things done around the house!  We just ordered a baby signing DVD set today so that we can make the TV (a little more) educational. 

This is a fantastic time for our family.  Our baby has given us so much joy and love since her arrival.
Happy half-birthday, Brenna Laine McBeth!

Our Growing Girl

Brenna is growing at what seems to be rapid speed.  It is so hard to believe our little baby is already almost 4 months old!  We have been having lots of fun with her lately, as she is really starting to babble and coo.  Her smiles light up the room and seem to get bigger each day.  We've even gotten a few legitimate laughs from The Bear!  Brenna seems to be teething, as many of the teething signs are present.  Let's hope we have awhile before that first tooth comes in! 
Thanksgiving was a treat, as we hosted our collective families for the first time.  We had 23 people celebrating with us!  Our house has never been so full.  We enjoyed a large spread of traditional dishes and desserts.  The weather was absolutely beautiful too.  It is always a special time to get together with grandparents, parents, aunts, and cousins.
We had a great time with Mimi and Grandpa Dobbins this past week when Daddy was out of town.  Brenna loved being held and sung to almost continuously while they were here.  She has several new favorite songs...
Our little lady went to the church nursery for the first time today.  She was a well-behaved girl and we didn't even have to be paged!  Amazing :)  Her friend and birthday companion, Addison, was in the same room.  Both girls were wearing Christmas dresses today!  We did well with letting her go for the first time as well, as she was in very good hands.
December is proving to be a very busy month for our family.  We are getting used to having to slow down on social activities (somewhat) and fully understand the dilemna of getting a babysitter (or not).  As much as we want to attend holiday parties and other events, they simply must come second for this season in our lives.  We continue to learn what it means to be parents and each month brings new lessons and experiences.  Parenting is a journey...we are truly Blessed to walk through every moment with the guidance and protection of our Heavenly Father, with each other, our families and also our friends.  The network of support we have is truly appreciated.  We love you all!!

Our busy little bear

Brenna has been very active lately!  She seems happiest when visiting friends and family, "eating out", and...shopping!  She enjoyed going with Mom to a Holiday Shopping Event in the neighborhood last week.  The ladies all thought she was adorable. 
Today Brenna went to the Galleria for the first time.  She was well-behaved during lunch at Cheesecake Factory with Mom and Auntie Deb (Debra).  Her argyle leg warmers were a hit with everyone :)  Luckily for her mom, she slept all the way home!
Brenna was dressed up in her Christmas dress this afternoon for family Christmas pictures.  She looked precious and did pretty well.  She wanted to go to sleep by the end of the photo session though.  Our friend Kelly did a great job catching her attention.  We will post pictures as soon as we get the proofs...