Our hilarious growing girl

Our sweet Brie now has 5 teeth and is working on number 6 on the other side on top. She is doing well with weaning and is just about done. She drinks yogurt, soy and rice milk and can make it through the night without nursing or taking a cup. She loves all kinds of juice and I'm quite happy about giving her stuff with carrots and sweet potatoes in it:) I feel like my sneaky mom, but that is how I have to get vegetables down Danny, so I might as well let Brie drink the juice too! She likes to eat all sorts of stuff...like Potato Chips. She is so hard to resist. She'll yank on the arm until she gets to bite whatever you're eating.

Or she'll come stand and look up at you with those big eyes and that silly toothy grin until you let her try a bite:)
Brie absolutely loves playing with Babies and Stuffed Animals. She is always grabbing and hugging one and she even pats them on the back now. It is too adorable. She takes after her Grammy in that way.

Brie has been spending time with Micah lately too. She is pretty funny with him. He just talks to her like she's one of his buddies and she seems to go along with it. He tries to fool her if she has something he wants, but it won't work. So when she screams he quickly gives it back to her and watches quite impatiently for her to be done with it. As soon as she puts it down he snatches it right up! It's a good thing they get along reasonably well since they'll have to play together for a whole day next week! I'm going on an Air Force trip for a few days and she's going to be staying with the Castleman's for one of those days. Hopefully she doesn't kill Micah! Who knew?!?!

Go Milk!!

We are trucking along here. No walking yet, but still much standing. She is looking so much older though...I don't really know how that works. I talked to one of her doctors and then decided to start her on soy milk yesterday. She LOVES it! She drank a whole sippy cup full on her own in the car last night. She was just sucking it down. She likes it SO much better than formula and it lasts longer than 72 hours once opened. This will totally make things easier. She doesn't nurse during the day, but she wasn't getting any milk other than what she got in her yogurt once a day. So, now she can drink milk again.

She is totally a jabber box now too. She "talks" incessantly with voice inflection and facial expressions and everything. It is incredibly adorable! She got a little chair called Baby Jamz that lets her "mix" some nursery rhyme hip-hop songs with sound effects. She and Walker have a blast with the chair.

We've been ill, but all is well

It's been a sick couple of weeks here in Lexington. Hopefully our house is through with it. Luckily we only had colds...but bronchitis, pneumonia, strep throat and the flu are all running rampant.

Through her cold Baby Brie has continued to learn tons of things and she's grown up so much in such little time! She says Uh-oh now...ALL the time. It's incredibly adorable. She has this new thing where she shakes her head from side to side grinning uncontrollably. And then there's the matter of standing. She has been standing almost non-stop for 3 days!

She even has me put her down into a standing position and then she sits down on her own. The end is near I'm afraid!:)

The other thing she's getting good at is eating solids. She was sitting on her Grammy's lap last night while her Grammy was eating some bread. She took both hands and grabbed the arm that had the bread attached and pulled it down to her mouth to try to bite it. It was hilarious! She's very determined to eat solid foods:) She can actually eat her Teething biscuits now too. It's quite messy, but she enjoys it.

We also decided that there are too many times little Miss Brie needs to be contained, so we got her a "pen" as her daddy calls it. That way she can crawl around or walk around and play without getting into bad stuff. It makes our lives a whole lot easier!

We also reached another benchmark...I spent a weekend without her! She stayed with Grammy and Grampa since her Daddy was sick. They had a big time playing and snuggling since she wasn't feeling her best.

And...I didn't even cry! So, when we went to the doctor right before I left to make sure I wasn't leaving a dying kid :) she weighed in at 17 1/2 lbs. They didn't measure her length, which I'm sure is changing daily because her little chubby thighs are thinning out.

She still loves to play with Walker. Now that they're both well, they seem very happy to be reunited. She seems more on the same level as him now too. It's pretty cool to watch!

Brie's first Snow!

Last night we had a beautiful snow! It didn't stick for long of course and it only took a couple of hours for it to turn into rain, but it was gorgeous while it was coming down. Gabrielle had a big time with Grammy showing her the snow.

This week was also her first week of "playgroup". On Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm watching a little boy from church who is two months older than her. They are really enjoying each other. Being with Walker is teaching her how to appreciate her pacifier more (she loves to steal his...I guess he makes it look good) and it's helping her to want a bottle.

Brie had a fun grocery store trip last night as well. She was completely taken with the Publix bagger. She even cried when I took her out of the cart to put her in the car and she had to stop watching him! She's such a mess...and she totally flaunts those little teeth with huge grins all the time. She is still stealing hearts!

Little Big Teeth

Gabrielle's right top tooth finally broke through 2 days ago, so she is a much more pleasant little girl. She's crawling all over the place and she started pulling up yesterday to stand. She'll even be in the middle of the floor playing with something and she'll push herself up to her feet but she's all bent over with her hands still on the little toy on the floor. It's completely adorable. Now that she's mobile she plays very well by herself...but I of course have to be right there because she's into EVERYTHING!






The weaning is going pretty well. She consistently takes one bottle a day without protest. Next week, we'll work on two. She eats solids REALLY well though. She's eating 4 times a day! So far I haven't found anything that she won't eat, which is very refreshing. She loves the Wonder Pets and music in general. When songs come on she stops what she's doing and "directs" the music. It's hilarious and beyond cute.

We had our first doctor visit this week for an "illness". I was so concerned because she had a "rash" over the weekend and it was horrible on Sunday morning. When the doctor came in she said, "So, your here for a rash. I see she has some eczema. Where is this rash?" Well, that was the rash in question. Apparently she has a very mild case of eczema and she should outgrow it. It's already cleared up with just a few days of use with her prescription lotion and I just have to lotion her 2ce a day with good thick moisturizer. So, we've gotten into a good routine and she does great with it. No more signs of this "rash":) Part of our routine has been that she showers with Daddy in the evening and they both love it. She just snuggles into his chest and totally relaxes as soon as the water hits her. And what Daddy could resist such a sweet snuggly babe? Life is getting slightly predictable at the McNeil house, so I'm sure something interesting is going to happen. Things don't usually stay in a state of normalcy for very long!

Growing Girl

Brie munching on her first veggie blend with Spinach. Yeah, she likes it!

So I know my posts have been scarce, but such is life with a Mobile Babe! Brie started crawling last week and she is completely adorable! Grammy says she looks like a little wind up baby. She is also more regularly drinking out of a cup...feeding herself Gerber Graduate finger foods and eating solids basically 3 times a day. We are quite busy keeping up with her appetite and her mobility.

We have been contemplating weaning her. I actually started the process and then I got sick and she got sick so I couldn't make her take a bottle. We're starting to feel better...she actually slept really well last night, so I'm planning to try again. With all her teeth I just don't think I can wait til she's one!

We spent a wonderful 2 days in Canton, NC at Christmas. We got to hike up the mountain and see snow. It didn't stick for long or even cover the whole ground...but it was great anyway. The cool air was so clear and refreshing. Plus, who wouldn't love Christmas by a fireplace! It was perfect:)

Time for Joy

We had a nice Thanksgiving with the family in Tennessee and then we stopped in Asheville on the way back and spent some time with Mick, Nancy and Kelc. Gabrielle met all their four-legged creatures including the Rottie and the horses. She loved the dogs but didn't really have any feelings about the horses.

December has been a very busy month for us. We had an ORI that we were prepping for and now it's over. We got an Excellent, so life is good. It has been a VERY big month for Gabrielle. She's been changin so much and learning tons of things. She's quite mobile although she doesn't crawl on her hands and knees yet. She'll get up and rock and lay back down and that makes progress toward where she's trying to go, so she keeps doing that and is satisfied. She's used a walker, and within a week figured out how to go forwards and even turn around and change directions. She's spent 2 nights without me and did great!
She has 3 teeth and is working on the fourth. Unfortuneately, part of her teething process is gritting the 3 that she has. I can hardly stand it!

Right now, Danny's mom is here, so Gabrielle is being spoiled by another Grandparent and absolutely loving it. She's helped Gabrielle taste some new foods. She likes pudding and ketchup sucked off a french fry.

We're having a blast!

Autumn in Tennessee

Brie and I have had a great visit with the family here in Tennessee. She has had her first grocery cart ride in Kroger with Grandmom, Granddad has taught her how to stand up holding his fingers, and with Aunt Dot she experienced her first balloon.

She has had a ball visiting the nursing home and being the center of attention. She jabbers and jabbers at Gran and just smiles at everyone else. Right now her Grammy and Grandpa and Daddy are on their way from SC, so she will see them shortly. They have been going crazy without her and can hardly wait to see her. I said I would let her start mashed meats once she turned 7 mos. so her Grammy is excited to feed her actual Thanksgiving dinner. We'll see how that goes...I'm a little nervous. I'm so glad that we got to come visit early. Everyone has really been able to enjoy getting to know our little miss and she's had an amazing time getting one on one time with each of them.

Homecoming

Well, the Road trip was quite the adventure. Brie did very well. We only had to stop for her once, about 10 miles before our exit to Jackson! That may have been due to the fact that we had a 3 hour layover due to a flat in Canton, NC. Luckily, it was something that happened while we were off the interstate and we got it fixed and were able to keep going.

While MaryAnne and I were at homecoming, Gabrielle was staying with Grandmom and Granddad. I was a little nervous, but she did great! She played and took naps for them and ate her carrots and sweet potatoes and they all had a ball. She is crazy about her Granddad and jumps into his arms whenever she gets the chance. She plays well with Grandmom and she even likes the noisy Tippy:)

Today, we used a toothbrush for the first time. She seemed to really like it. I don't know if it's really necessary or not, but she has two teeth and she eats more than milk, so I don't want to take the chance on letting her teeth get ucky.

Road Trip

So, things have been trucking along with much stress. I decided to withdraw from my COUN501 class that I was taking. It sounds like a great idea to get your master's degree while being a stay at home mom...only to those who haven't tried it. I think it would have been easier to do it in residence because then I would actually get to leave the house and the kid behind and perhaps have a small chance of focusing on something remotely intellectual. Some people have to learn things the hard way....and so, now I've learned and we can all move on and I can focus on being a much less stressed wife and mommy:)
We had a doctor's visit on Oct 29 and Miss Brie weighed in at 16 lbs. and was 26inches long. The doc said she's doing great and unless something happens and I need to come in she doesn't want to see her again until she's 1!
I've started doing Baby Sign with her and she's learned to do one sign and it seems like she understands about 3. It's pretty cool. She loves to watch me do songs and stuff and she really is paying attention. You can almost see the little wheels turning:)
Tuesday she was going to Grammy's house for the evening so my mom could get her fix before we are gone for 2 weeks. Keep in mind the child is not a fan of her carseat. Well, she was giggling beside herself when Grammy walked in the house. Then she was sitting on the couch with her right next to the car seat and Gabrielle practically jumped into the seat and was laughing and happy while we were buckling her in. That child knew she was going to her Grandma's house and was happy about it!!
So, today we leave to go up to Yadkinville and pick up my friend from college MaryAnne. Then tomorrow we will head from NC to Jackson, TN where Brie and I will be staying until after Thanksgiving. I'll let you know how the Road Trip goes.

We Have TEETH!!

SO, apparently last night Gabrielle cut 2 teeth! Both the front teeth on the bottom have now broken through the skin...and boy are they sharp. The good news is that I have only felt them with my finger:)
We also had a Halloween party last night and little miss got to dress up like a little cow:) She is the most adorable little cow ever. We got pictures made at the Picture People this week in honor of her turning 6 months old. Some of them were in her little cow suit. She loved chewing on the cow bell, it was so hilarious!

Brie makes new friends

So, there's been a good bit of chaos in our lives with me working and then being off for a week and working for another week. I think we may be settling back into some sort of routine again finally. Gabrielle is doing well with eating "solids". She loves her cereal, sweet potatoes, squash and prunes. She's not such a fan of peas, however. She has started going to Sunday School and she looks like such a big girl sitting at the table with all the other kids. She really does like to interact with other babies now. We took a trip down to Summerville to visit Kimmy and her girls Rylie (3 yrs) and Kenna (8 mos). Both girls were crazy about Brie from the minute we walked through the door and she thought that they were truly amazing. She's had a little bit of separation anxiety, but I think she's getting over that and letting other people hold her again. She was very social at small group Sunday night at Mom and Dad's.

She is still growing so fast. I had to change diaper sizes again, which is always bittersweet. I want her to grow, but I want to be able to enjoy her being small for as long as possible. So, thanks to Kimmy's advice, she is in a size 2/3 diaper now. I didn't know they made a size like that, but it is PERFECT for her.

Brie is also doing pretty well about sitting up on her own. She prefers to play sitting up now. She has an old exersaucer from a garage sale that keeps her busy and it is so funny to see her touch everything and just move around so fast. At Mom and Dad's she's using Skylar's old jumperoo and she gets so tickled the minute the music starts to play. She doesn't actually jump so much as she sort of runs in place. It is so funny to watch! I am torn between wanting her to become mobile because I know she is frustrated about her lack of mobility at this point, and terrified about how busy she's going to be once she becomes mobile. She's so busy already and she is contained!