Another Thanksgiving has passed. I just have three weeks of school until Christmas break! Next semester brings some changes…I’ll fill you in on those later.

Brynleigh had her nine-month checkup on November 13.  She was 17lbs, 1 oz – still a tiny girl!  I recently bought a bunch of size 9 months clothing, but it’s still too big for her.  I am hoping she’ll fit into them a little better by Christmas.  For now, though, her 6 months stuff fits just right!

Here are recent pictures of Miss Brynleigh, since I know that’s the real reason you’re here.

Here, Brynleigh models some booties that Ben's mom knitted for her before she was born.

Our happy girl on Thanksgiving Day. Look at that cute tooth!

Striking a silly pose.

I found these adorable bunny slippers at Carter's. I told Brynleigh, "I don't care if I get in trouble with Daddy when we get home. Whatever these cost, they are WORTH it." Turns out her dad thought so, too!

This is a video of Brynleigh making some silly sounds.  She’s too cute!

And this video shows how much Brynleigh likes to be tickled.  We took this one after dinner tonight.

It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and things are a little bit awful.

I know, I know: I’m supposed to be tapping into that grateful feeling.

In the big picture, I am deeply thankful for all that I have. My husband loves me (it is a challenge he rises up to meet every single day); our baby is gorgeous and lovely and so, so sweet; we have a big, soft doggy who likes nothing more than to cuddle up with us on the couch every night and watch television. We’re both employed and we can afford the cost of daycare.

But, on the surface, it’s an awful time of year.

My entire life perspective is skewed right now. This is because I’m a public school teacher and we’ve not had a day off since Labor Day. At this point, teachers and students are exhausted, crabby, and just plain tired of seeing each other every day. In short, it’s awful – and the mental, physical, and emotional toll that it exacts on all of us is a hefty one.

Next week will be restorative on so many levels. I have big plans for Monday: big plans to do nothing but rest! I will probably work on the laundry and catch up on some Law & Order. I might stay in my pajamas all day, just because I can. I will NOT be thinking about school.

Yes, next week is going to be good. Next week will make the awful parts worthwhile.

Brynleigh is a very busy eight-month-old.

Here she is jumping in her Jumperoo – it is her favorite activity as of late, and now anytime we put her in her Exersaucer she tries to jump…and then fusses when she can’t.  I think the Exersaucer’s days are numbered!

Last night I consulted a parenting book from the American Academy of Pediatrics to see if I could find out what sorts of toys are appropriate for Brynleigh at this developmental stage.  One of the items on the list was “balls of all kinds.”  So, during our weekly shopping trip this morning, Ben and I purchased some cute little chime balls as well as a stacking toy (also on the list).  Here she is playing with the balls.  (P.S. Enjoy the hair bow for the 49 seconds it’s on screen…that’s as girly as we get in this house!)

Hope you all have a great week!

Miss Brynleigh is really growing up! Watch as she goes after not one, but two bunnies.

It has been awhile since my last post (January 29, hereby known as Brynleigh’s birthday), so I thought I would fill y’all in (okay, Sarah talked me into it).

I have been very busy with work – for those that don’t know, I used to be a manager for WaMu. My store was shut down at the end of February and I moved into another bank down the parking lot (Chase). We officially converted at the end of July which left me without a bank, or people, to manage. To keep it short, I am “training” now which involves driving all over DFW, mainly FW, helping other bankers out.  Boring, I know.

Outside of work, I have also been busy with our company and seeing it grow (hopefully someday I can do just this). Today gold hit an all-time high and that’s great news for my clients. You can learn more at www.newgoldira.com Tell your friends and family

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so instead of writing about Brynleigh – I have to get up early and drive 3 hours tomorrow – here are some recent pics..

A couple of weeks ago, I plopped Brynleigh in her dad’s chair in the office and she looked pretty pleased with herself.  I took the opportunity to snap a few photos and thought I’d share them with you. 

She's so grown up!

Sweet little smile!

In other news, I am back at school full-time.  Things are hectic, but I am enjoying being at work again.  Brynleigh is doing well at daycare, and that definitely makes it easier to be away from her all day.

Much to do today!

Instead of just uploading photos today, I thought I’d go ahead and post some recent videos.

Here is Miss B. enjoying some cereal.

Here she is playing in her Exersaucer.  She loves to play with the crackly leaves on the tree.  When you pull them, they say things like, “Where’s Daddy?”

She really likes to chew on the little teething toys on the Exersaucer.

And finally, here is a video of Miss Brynleigh sitting up on her own.  She is really starting to get the hang of it!

Enjoy your weekend!

A couple of weeks ago, Brynleigh and I had a visit from our friend Claire.  Claire and I taught together during the 2007-2008 school year.  Last summer, she moved to North Carolina to be closer to her fiance; they got married in November!  Claire has had a very exciting year – seriously, it’s been full of non-stop action – and I am excited to see what she does in California next year.

Claire brought a little surprise with her: an ADORABLE baby blanket that she made for Brynleigh.  That’s right – she made it with her own two hands.  It is awesome, and my favorite part is that there is absolutely NOTHING “baby” about it.  It’s fun, it’s fresh, and I know Brynleigh is going to enjoy it for years to come.

It's reversible, too!

Thank you, Claire, for such a beautiful gift!

Last Friday, Brynleigh and I went to Angela’s house to see her and Brynleigh’s friend Dylan.  As a bonus, our friend Darren was there, too, along with his wife and one of their little girls.  Darren is leaving for Kenya today; he’s going to spend two weeks with Made in the Streets at their property outside Nairobi.  You can keep up with his adventures on his website.  While you’re there, check out some of his pictures from his trip to Kenya last year – you won’t be disappointed!

While we were at Dylan’s house, Brynleigh took his little Exersaucer for a test drive.  She had so much fun that Ben and I went out and purchased one for her over the weekend.  Here are some cute pictures I took of her playing in it.

Look how cute I am!

WHAT?!

I'm not sure I like where this is going, lady...

Monday held another first: cereal.  Brynleigh spent last weekend wanting to eat every four hours at night.  It was not fun for Ben and me!  I called her doctor first thing Monday morning to make sure it was okay to start her on cereal.  (I knew it would be fine; I think I needed the approval for myself more than anything else.)  She only managed about 12 bites that first night before I had to pour the rest of it in a bottle for her to finish, but last night she ate the entire bowl with the spoon!  She has already figured out how to open her mouth before each bite, and she makes cute little “MMMM…MMMM…MMMM” sounds while she eats.

I see my cereal and I am excited to try it!

Yummy!

On Tuesday, I took Brynleigh to a local imaging center to have her hips x-rayed.  It seems the right one pops in and out of the socket pretty easily, so her pediatrician ordered the x-rays to make sure that the joint is formed properly.  They called me with the results yesterday; thankfully, everything looks normal!

Who knew?!