This baby just gets better and better.

We have a water baby! Thank god. I know most babies love the pool, but there are those rare few that have distaste for it. Brock and I have been to the pool everyday for the last 3 days and he gets happier with each visit. He is also very dead set on crawling now, after seeing all the other little ones moving about. Any day now little buddy, any day.

And to make things even better, afterward, he takes a long, peaceful nap to wake up refreshed, rejuvenated and in a wonderful mood. Now, what to do about that white, Irish skin...

A Golden Shower...er, I mean Birthday.

Annora turned 29 on May 29th! So, to celebrate, we regressed and headed to Dave & Buster's for a night of drinking and arcade game playing. (Ok, so the drinking part is age appropriate.) As we sat to eat and drink, we witnessed a few kids come up to this game called "Jumping Jackpot" - similar to Dance Dance Revolution, only like a jump rope. Instantly, I knew this was to be my game for the night. Let me just say, way harder than it looks...don't worry, after a few tries (not mentioning how many) I won the jackpot. On another positive note, Sega has created a game where you can actually breed, feed, name, train and race a horse! I created a little black filly, Sebastian Steele. It printed out a card, so I can keep racing her if ever I go back. Brennan managed to create a horse that started winning all the races - so he camped out at the tracks most of the evening.
Lastly, Matt won a 410 ticket jackpot on this bouncy ball game. All in all, we made out with a substantial amount of candy and a mini-basketball for Brock. What a night! Who needs Vegas?

Whoa. A Half Year?

That went fast.

Specs:

Height - 27.85" (85%)

Weight- 17lbs 10ozs (50%)

Brock continues to be a tall, skinny baby. And I think the best way to describe his personality is a 12 year old trapped in an infant's body. He loves to drink water out of a glass. He thinks he can walk and marches forward when given the chance, only for Matt to catch him as he plunges head first toward the floor. He plays patty cake (erraticly). He continues to enjoy paper. He loves sweet potatoes and hates peaches (he literally gagged when I gave him some). And he loves his new stroller!

Aha! I get it now...

I thought I truly appreciated my mother on "Mother's Day". I tried to help her out around the house, bought her gifts, wrote her notes, made her breakfast, planned things for her with my siblings; now, I realize I was just going through the motions. In the back of my mind, I always felt this qualified as a "Hallmark holiday". Not anymore. After carrying my own child for 9 agonizing, uncomfortable months, sacrificing sleep, movies (at the theater), really, not having my own body for that last 14 months, (the list could go on) I realized this is a deserved and much needed holiday. I am not bitter about the things I have given up because I have gained infinitely more; I LOVE that child and I can see that he loves me. I would not have it any other way - as Matt put it: being a good mother is a choice.

That being said, I experienced an incredible 1st Mother's Day. Brock(Matt) got me a Trek running stroller. I call it "running" instead of a "jogging" stroller, as is customary, because you have to run to keep up with this thing! I swear, it is pulling me - I am not pushing it. I feel pressured to get back into shape so that I can match the standard that this stroller sets. I think I might roll up to Starbucks around 10am so all the suburban housewives can drool over my BMW of the stroller world (even though it is the '08 model & I don't really know anything about strollers, so I am just speculating...)

Other events of the day include a brunch at my mother's house, where we played Disney's Scene It for the 2nd time; boys verses girls, and the boys won every time!!! The girls have yet to win a single game, I think it is 6-0. I am sure my brothers are secretly watching Disney movies all day long, when they claim to be playing video games. Then we headed to the O'Laughlin's for dinner. We got Mimi a birdfeeder, as she had a nest of Finches in her mailbox. Personally, I didn't have much confidence in this gift (Matt's idea), but, alas, it was a hit. Mother's day was a success.

Best Phh-riends

Brock really loves his dogs. He does not leave them alone, obviously. I turned my back on Brock sitting by his Boppy only to turn back around and find him streched out over it petting Tater's stomach; Tater was in heaven.