Monday, January 27, 2014

Brock's First Haircut

Brock got his FIRST haircut Saturday night! He was so good about it! We scheduled the hair appointment at 5pm so we could do dinner at Bellevue Square afterwards and it was the perfect time for Brock.

Even though "Dooz" is a little pricey, they specialize in baby's first cuts so we wanted to make it memorable. The hairdresser was great! After squeezing his chunky thighs into the bumbo chair, she immediately gave him a distraction. Brock had no qualms testing the toy out for it's fun-factor (how good it tastes = how fun the toy is).
The toy eventually fell on the ground, but she was on top of things giving him a brand new clean comb to investigate.
Yes, the comb is fun too!
Brock did fabulously! He was a little curious about the sound of the electric razor, but after the stylist showed him what it was, he was satisfied and continued inspecting the comb. He sat pretty still the whole time and after he was done, he got to pick out a little toy to take home! They took before and after pictures for us to keep with a little snip of his baby hair too.

Brent and I have commented every day since about how grown up he looks now! He looks like a little boy!

Today was also his 12 month well-check appointment. Stats are as follows.
Weight: 24 lbs 8 ounces (75th percentile)
Height: 31.75 inches (90-95th percentile)

He "lucked out" today because since he wasn't feeling well, he received no shots. Only postponing them a week Brock. :(

Friday, January 24, 2014

Another round of Zulily!

WeePlay Kids
They just love him!! Finally have him modeling the 18 month size now. Such a funny little guy. This time, when I sat him down on the set, he stared at the big light and all the other contraptions all around him. He really wanted to check everything out before he loosened up enough to get some smiles and movement in. Now that he's a super crawler, this may be a little harder to get those good shots. We will see!!
The Bottom Line

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Happy First Birthday Brock!

How did one year go by already? It seems like I can remember every detail of what happened exactly one year ago... the waiting all came to an end and we finally were able to meet our little boy Brock. What a joy it has been to watch you grow the last year. You are such a happy boy - curious, adventurous, in the need to explore how things work, and so in love with your two dogs, Diesel and Oscar.

I'm so sorry that on the big day Brock and I both managed to get sick - complete with a lovely cough. He was such a trooper and really made the best of it. We had to drive all the way in to Seattle to pick up the cake I ordered from Madison Park Bakery. It was well worth the drive - the cake was delicious and I think Brock was able to nap a little better than in his crib because he was elevated.

Brent came home from work and we had Brock's favorite meal - pasta!  Chicken Alfredo with Penne pasta to be exact. Then we opened the cards and presents people had sent. He did a little better opening the gifts this holiday than for Christmas.

Brent had picked up one last minute gift (even though we said we weren't giving him any toys this birthday) and I think he really enjoyed it. He wouldn't sit still long enough for me to take a picture - he kept hitting the ball and laughing!!

A picture of the centerpiece. This was a gift Brock's godmother, Katherin, gave him when we saw her over the summer!

Then it was time to sit down and enjoy the cake!! Unfortunately, I think at this point, Brock was done. He was so tired and just looked so pitiful from not feeling well. We sang Happy Birthday and let him play with the cake. It was a white cake with strawberry jam filling and white butter cream frosting with three blue balloons on top.


He just wasn't that into it. We did cut off a little piece and he did eat some of that at the end, but too tired to put the energy in to explore the entire cake.
It's okay, we still think it was a successful birthday party. Love you Brock!!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Wildlights

Friday night, the family went to Wildlights at the Woodland Park Zoo. Approximately 575,000 LED lights are strung around the northern section of the zoo to recreate wild animals and wild places. You can loop around a trail to view the light display and along the way there are a few indoor facilities opened so you can warm up!

We started out on the Carousel. Well, Brock started out on a horse on the Carousel, but then moved to a sleigh for the remainder of the ride. Woodland Park Zoo's Carousel was produced in 1918 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. It is one of only about 150 vintage hand-carved wooden carousels remaining in the world.

Here is a video of Brock observing the carousel. (Not one hundred percent sure I could commit to the word "enjoying", so I went with observing)

We ventured out into the cold again and made our way to Snowmazium. Inside this building, big kids were having an indoor snowball fight, but Brock was very happy crawling around the toddler area and watching the fish.

Once he discovered this tunnel, he was so proud of himself crawling from one side to the other! Sorry so blurry - he wouldn't stop crawling!!
Then we were back outside to finally conquer the loop. It was a little cold, but we were bundled up nicely.
Thanks Mom for the coat - MY Christmas present :)
We were able to see a few penguins (but they weren't swimming, so they didn't come close to us) and some nocturnal animals - Sloths and Indian Flying Foxes (bats) - but Brock and I are ready for some nicer weather so we can return and take advantage of our zoo membership and see more! Brock has to learn his animals!

Oh and one more picture of earlier that day because he just looks so darn cute!
Thank you Aunt Beverly for our Baby Gap sweater!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Christmas at Home




 It was nice to come home to presents under our Christmas tree and two happy doggies from daycare (one of which gave us the cold shoulder for two days). I couldn't get a good picture of Brock by the Christmas tree (and trust me, I tried for the entire month of December), so Oscar will be your model this year.
First we opened our stockings. I think the boys understood a little more this year and dug right in there for their treats! It took Brock a little longer to figure it out, but eventually he got it.
Bubble Bath!!
Some presents he needed a little help with, especially when Mommy tied a nice ribbon around it!
But then some he wasn't feeling at all....
Planking!! 
Some presents he wanted to play with right then and there - even when the toy was still in the box!!
Little People Farm set from Great-Aunt Carol and Great-Uncle Jeff!!
His first Christmas may have been a little overwhelming (also after doing it in North Carolina), so we continued another day.....
Disney Planes Ride-On toy with moving propeller and lights
All in all, it was a wonderful holiday that we'll always remember. Even though Brock may have not understood everything, he did show signs of excitement with little things over the holiday season and that made it worth it - even with all the redirecting to get him not to eat the ornaments off the tree! Every morning Brock and I would come downstairs and turn on the Christmas lights together and I will miss seeing his eyes light up at the count of three! Thank you to everyone who made Brock's first Christmas a very happy one! He is one blessed little boy.