Football Season

Brenna and I made it to 11 out of 11 football games! She did awesome and loved watching all the activity going on around her. Away games were a challenge, but we made it!

Holidays

Where to begin?...I have been a blogging slacker. Three months of updates...I think the easiest thing to do will be to cover the holidays.

Halloween was a blast with my little Boo! I think that she is going to love dressing up in costumes as much as her Mommy does. After searching the internet, and at least three Halloween shops, I decided that the perfect costume for Brenna would be a little lamb! She was a real trooper. The costume had a head piece and footies, but our little B didn't mind one bit.



We began our fall/Halloween season by meeting our favorite McCullers family at the local fall festival. Brenna's favorite part was playing in the huge box of corn.



We rounded out our Halloween celebrations with two parties. One was a kid party put on by Erica Golding. The kiddos in all the many costumes were precious! The other celebration we attended was hosted by David and Kendra Houghton. It was mainly adults, but Brenna did enjoy playing with her far away friends, Piper and Carson.



Up until now, Brenna had mastered the army crawl scoot. She could get anywhere she wanted by pushing and pulling herself along on her stomach. Within a few days at the end of October and the beginning of November, Brenna found her legs and achieved pulling up to a stand and crawling! She amazes us on a daily basis!

We were graced with a full week off at Thanksgiving and it was absolutely wonderful! Even though Brenna started our break with a stomach virus, we enjoyed our full days together and did some traveling. 16 hours total in the car and B was still a great traveler. We were able to visit with lots of family and friends. One of the highlights was meeting Ethan Lee Stroud!




The Christmas holidays have come upon us quick. Needless to say, Justin and I have more wrapped presents under the tree than we have ever had before. I know that Brenna will like the wrapping and the boxes more than the presents, but there are so many cute things I can't resist to buy for her! My mom is coming to stay with us and be here for Christmas, then we will go to Chattanooga to see Justin's family and join his sister and brother in law during their visit. I am looking forward to having two weeks straight with my Boo!

"Solids"

Brenna has started eating "solids." I write this in quotes because, as all mothers know, the new food is anything but solid. The cereal is a watery mixture of grain flakes and formula. At first, I had a hard time getting the mixture just right because the directions switched from ounces to tablespoons. I had mastered the bottle language of ounces and the cereal wanted you to add a certain amount of tablespoons! Ah! For anyone who knows me, you are well aware that any measurement language is foreign to me.

I finally was able to find the correct ratio and Brenna loved eating it. We started cereal one time a day. I quickly realized that my sweet little one was going to be a very messy eater. Now, I strip her down to her diaper and put on the biggest bib that I can find. It still gets everywhere, but at least we aren't staining clothes. Poor Brenna sneezes for at least five minutes after we are finished eating, trying to get all the food out of her nose. She, also, likes to have her hands in her mouth when she is eating. I think she uses her fingers like a bottle. She sucks on them and feels like she is drinking. So cute, but what a mess!

The first vegetable baby food that Brenna tried was squash. I mixed it with a little of the cereal and she gobbled it right down. She has now had carrots and sweet potatoes. Brenna has realized what the containers mean. She starts kicking her feet and cooing whenever she seems them. I hope that she continues to follow in her daddy's eating footsteps. Please let her like vegetables and things that are good for her!

Watch Me Grow...

Five Months





Four Months



Three Months



Two Months



One Month

Brenna's First Football Game

It's official...Brenna is a football daughter! She did very well at her first game. We were lucky that the sky had a nice, hazy cloud cover. It was still very hot, but not unbearable. Brenna loved watching the giant OC flags and was thoroughly entertained by all the action going on around her. She is at the stage that anyone smiling around her, makes her plaster a giant grin on her face. There were plenty of spectators to keep her smiles coming and to keep her entertained.

Brenna made it through the entire game and was able to greet her daddy on the field afterward. Ever since Justin has been coaching, he has watched other coach daddys with their kiddos. He loved when the children would run out on the field to greet their proud papas. It seemed to make the victory of the win even better and the bitterness of defeat bearable. Even though B is not running out to great him, he was still so proud to have her meet him on the sidelines!

One Month


Two Months


Three Months


Four Months

Back to School

Wow, what a week! Our little family started another chapter in our lives. Justin and I went back to school and Brenna had her first week at the sitter. Overall, it went very well. Our happy baby was able to adapt, which seems to be a talent of hers. The first day was very hard on Mommy. I was pretty weepy on our last full day together and Monday morning. My fears were assuaged when my little sunshine was all smiles when we dropped her off. Mrs. Denise had a crib, boppy, and swing set up for Brenna. Once I got to school, everyone asked me about how my little girl was doing. I knew everyone meant to be thoughtful and sweet, but it was hard being reminded that she wasn't with me. When I walked in to pick her up, she immediately flashed me a huge, toothless smile. With that little gift from her, I knew that we would be ok. The rest of the week went about the same. B has had no problems and is adjusting great!

I am truly thankful that my girl is such a great baby!

Our Summer

I can not believe that my summer only has two more weeks! Of course, I have to remind myself that I have been off since April... These three months have been some of the most rewarding and challenging months of my life. Learning to be a mother is a wonderful experience, but has it's moments of frustration. Luckily, I have realized that those frustrating moments are quickly forgotten when Brenna holds on to my finger for the first time, smiles that gummy-toothless grin, or achieves another small achievement in the baby world. She has grown and changed so much that I really have a hard time remembering how small she was and how helpless she was when she was born. My obsession with taking pictures and videos helps me to see how far we have come in the short three months, but it already seems like another phase in our past. I have been very lucky, in that she is a wonderful baby! She sleeps and eats well. She is happy and smiles everytime I look at her (or her daddy walks in the room, he is already her hero!) I never thought that I really would be able to distinquish between her fusses and cries, but I definitely can tell when she is hungry, sleepy, or just "talking" to us. We leave tomorrow for a week on the beach. I know that this will bring more milestones and even more firsts into my little B's life. As I have done for the last three months, I plan to cherish and relish every second of the next two weeks. I vow to look into B's big eyes, that are slowly turning green, for as long as she will let me. I will sniff and kiss her sweet smelling head and snuggle her little soft-self every chance I get.

Watch Me Grow - 3 Months

1 month


2 months


3 months

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays...

We have now officially been initiated into the world of infant and toddler birthdays. It is a great world! I am amazed by the creativity and time spent by my friends to make special days for their kiddos. We have been attending Cam McCuller's birthdays for four years. His have included: a polka dot party, a UGA theme complete with Hairy Dawg appearance, the Wonderpets at Chuck E. Cheese, and Tom and Jerry. Now little sister, Maeve, has joined in the birthday fun with a pink ladybug party for her first birthday. Caroline Golding's party, for her first birthday, was this weekend. It was a red ladybug theme. So cute! I have ten months before B's first birthday. Of course, my mind is already starting planning. Birthdays are so much fun!

Please leave any birthday party ideas that you have used or heard...

Watch Me Grow - 2 Months

Brenna Suzanne Barnes
The onesie that matched the chair was an accident. I guess I like yellow with white polka dots.







1 Month

Over the river and through the woods...

We spent the last week of May in Tennessee traveling from Chattanooga to Nashville, with a brief visit to Martin. Brenna was introduced to great-grans, great aunts and uncles, cousins, aunts and uncles, and lots of family friends. She was a great traveler and enjoyed her long naps in the car. Everyone loved and hugged on our little girl. She is so very loved. In this week, Brenna reached several milestones! The first developmental jump left me a little skeptical. Justin and B were having some tummy time, when he shouts that she is trying to turn over. I didn't even stay in the room because, at 6 weeks old, there was no way she was going to achieve a roll. I was proven wrong. Seconds later, Justin exclaimed that Brenna had turned over! I figured that her achievement was a fluke and an accident, but throughout our trip, she rolled from her tummy to her back several times. Since we have been home, B has had less motivation to turn and has not repeated her performances.

Also, Brenna has begun to brighten our days with smiles on a regular basis. She really likes when we change her diaper, when Mommy or Daddy come back in the room, and when you make her legs "run." These sweet, toothless grins are some of the sweetest expressions I have ever seen!