Christmas Party

Tonight we went to the kids Christmas party at the Children's Discovery Museum for our work. It was a little pricey for the tickets and it was at a strange time for us (6-8pm) but it was well worth the fun.

Kenley had been to the museum once before and didn't miss a beat remembering the water table. It was by far the biggest hit of the night. However we explored all of the floors, did a few crafts, watched the ballerinas, had some snacks (M&Ms and juice), and just enjoyed the fun pajama play! (It was a pajama party!!)

Chase slept thru the whole thing (well all but a few minutes where he had to wake up and toot for a bit.. I swear this gas will knock you over...)

Here are a few pictures to show all the fun...

I don't know why the last one turned itself sideways, so just tilt your head to the right and check out the mad pizza making skillz :)

I can't wait to do it all again! She had such a blast!

Places to nap

Oh the life of a baby... it's eat, nap, poop have really bad gas, repeat.  Chase will nap anywhere (and so will I).

Firsts

The Brockmans are working on a lot of firsts lately...

Kenley enjoyed her first cup of hot chocolate and favored the small colored marshmallows :)

We also watched some of the first flurries of the season fly...

Mr. Chase enjoyed his first bottle (and did so well!)

and I froze the first bags of milk for the future (I learned a lot the first time around so I'm freezing them flat to stack them in once we get rolling)

We have also been catching our first smiles and boy do they just melt your heart...

I'm sure we will have many more firsts along the way and we are enjoying all of them as they come!

And so it begins...

I held off as long as I could but it has begun... if I want this to happen...

then I have to resume the Love/Hate relationship with my pump and accessories that I laid to rest over 1 year ago. Oh boy! Granted it's not the actual act of pumping that bothers me. I don't mind the few minutes it takes and when I return to work its a nice little break in the day to clear my head, but what I don't like is this...

All the WASHING and sterilizing. What you see here will need to be washed daily once I return to work. For now I will only pump occasionally and wash the pieces here and there but when back at work and pumping 2-3 times per day (or maybe more) this will need to be washed and washed and washed and washed and well you get the idea.  If only there were some pumping elves to help with it all. With Kenley, Clay and I eventually had a pact that since I had to do all the pumping, he would do all the washing. I know it gets old fast so I don't expect the same deal this time but I know he will help as much as he can.
But I know in the long run it will be a distant memory and if we want to stock the freezer up and make it the first year then we will endure. It will take a few bottle brushes and lots of soap but we will make it in the end :)

1 month....

It feels like it's been more than a month since I posted (when really it's just been a little over 2 weeks) and I'm having some blogging withdrawals.  I wish I could blog in the middle of the night in the dark while I nurse Chase but instead I just sit in the dark quiet and all the thoughts spin thru my head as I rock and lull not only Chase to sleep but also myself. (I have a bad habit of falling asleep sitting in the glider nursing Chase only to wake 2-3 hours later when it's time for him to eat again. I'm sure he doesn't mind but it's killing my butt and I miss my bed.)

So in an effort to catch up today, I told myself that first thing this morning I would STOP tidying (is that even a word?) the house as I seem to do this non-stop everyday and I would blog when Chase fell back asleep. So, here are some of the things happening with us....

Clay finished reading the Harry Potter series. He has been enjoying reading each night a bit before bed. Now that he has read the final book, we sat and watched the final movie last night.

I have been reading more too. I have been trying out my dad's Kindle to see if we would like to get them. I took a recommendation from our friend Bill and I've been reading The Hunger Games trilogy. They are written for a younger audience but provide a fast and interesting read. I have finished the first 2 books now and I'm eagerly ready to read the 3rd. I'm going to see if Bill can send me the 3rd from his Kindle. You have to read them in a certain amount of time when you "share" but I flew thru the first 2 books so I'm sure the 3rd will be just as good.

In addition to the endless tidying which I seem to keep myself busy with I've been driving myself nuts with the endless LISTS. Things I want to do or accomplish like clean the guest room closet, organize the basement, repot a plant, paint Chase's letters, do his baby book, etc, etc. What I'm finding is that each day when I think I can get at least 1 thing done I feel completely unproductive and I just keep adding to the list.  I'm trying to keep caught up on pictures too and that's something I enjoy. Goal today: BLOG (currently in progress so I may accomplish this one!)

Kenley is just as wonderful as ever. She is an amazing big sister and has adapted perfectly. She loves to give him kisses and share her stuffed animals with him. We even try to have her help read Chase a bedtime story before she goes to bed when it times up with his feeding. Yesterday she also helped give him a bath and did a great job until she poured cold water from her island tree (toy) onto him. He didn't much care for that and started to cry :(

Kenley is also showing an interest in the big girl potty. She has actually started asking to go pee pee on the potty and we are seeing where it goes. She has successfully done this numerous times this weekend. We plan on trying to "officially" try and potty train around her 2 year bday at the end of the month when Clay and I will be home for the week and we will keep her home too.  Wish us luck!

Now Mr. Chase is also wonderful!!! He had his 1 month check up this past Friday and he is growing super fast. He is already up to 11 pounds 4 ounces :) (90th percentile) and he is also the 90th percentile for height. It's easier the 2nd time around so we don't have as many of those "new parent" questions for the doctor.  We are getting ready to try something new and give him his 1st bottle this week. I'm sure he will do fine but it makes me a little nervous and I dread it a bit. Nervous that he won't want to nurse anymore (which I know is ridiculous) and dread it cause it means I have to start pumping. I don't miss pumping and I don't look forward to doing it so much over the next year but I know it's worth it in the long run for me and for Chase so I will start. 

I also have to marvel at Chase's temperament. He is his father's son. He is such a laid back and content baby. He is only impatient when he is hungry and just loves to look around or cuddle when awake. He has been great at night and been doing good in the crib. I just love him to pieces!

I'm sure I forgot a few things and they will cross my mind tomorrow morning at 3am in the dark and quiet while nursing but for now I'll leave you with a few pictures.

We had some family pictures taken when Chase was 1 week old (see top of blog too). The pictures surrounded around a baseball diaper cover and hat set I bought. I wanted to use them for his birth announcements and do something clever like "Proud to announce our newest ALL STAR." While I used the pictures, the wording didn't make the cut based on the template I had to use from Sam's photo shop. Oh well, the pictures are still just as cute. (Also made our Christmas card pics but I won't share those yet.)

(If you want to see all the family pics, let me know and I'll send you the Shutterfly album.)

And I'll end with a picture of my lil' man for his 1 month :)