21 weeks continued...

This was a fun week. Monday I went to my college sorority house to meet the girls. I am the new PR Advisor for the house. They are an amazing group of girls that I can't wait to get to know. This week I also realized how old I actually am. 30 is a big number, isn't it? YIKES. Anyhow, while Monday night meeting was going on... I looked at the girls calendars and was wondering when we were going to go over the dates (like we used to do... take out our clip boards and write in the info)... well much to my amaze they don't do that anymore. Why? Because dates and events are emailed to the girls... The reminders are sent to the entire house by the president or girls in office. That's when I realized... I'm old. We didn't have email addresses... I had a college email address that I barely used. We just started using cell phones then. Facebook... what the heck was that? My junior year Myspace and AOL instant messenger were becoming popular. Too funny. We are so "connected" now. Makes me wonder if we are too connected?

Tuesday late afternoon Grant needed to speak at a meeting in San Diego (impromptu) so he asked if I wanted to go down with him. I called my friend Julie to see if she could watch the house and she agreed... So, without planning I grabbed a bag of things that Jake would need and a few things in case we spent the night and we jumped on the road. It was so fun! We carpooled down and got there in an hour and a half. Not bad for leaving at 5pm! Grant made it on time and went to speak. I went shopping. Then when Grant was done we went to dinner. Grant had an early morning but we thought it would be better if we just got up and went around 5 am. It was a pretty far drive down so we didn't know how Jake would do driving back that late, so we made the decision to stay the night. We went to dinner at 8:30pm and thought there would be no problems with the time and Jake. Not taking into consideration he hadn't taken a very long nap, and  the long drive down... Jake became fussy. I took out the bottle and asked the waiter for hot water. I started heating the bottle up... Jake was now officially screaming... time was now 8:45pm. Bottle was ready, but he was fussing with the bottle. He was crying and choking on the bottle. So, Grant shot me a look. Hooter hider out... baby now on me. Grant asked the waiter to pack up our food and paid the waiter. By the time the food hit the table 9pm Jake was fast asleep. We decided to open the take out boxes, ordered a beer and let Jake sleep on us while we ate. Then we went to our hotel and watched TV till we fell asleep. It ended up being such a fun spontaneous trip! And Jake did so well considering the long drive with no naps. We have learned that we don't go to restaurants past 8pm. ha ha.

The rest of the week was cleaning and playing with Jake. The weekend was so fun! Grant, Jake and I went on a date Saturday night. We went to a new Mediterranean restaurant. It was yummy! I also started back rice cereal for Jake last night. I first started rice cereal on December 28th (J was 3 1/2 months), then after seeing the doctor for his baby well check up (4 month appointment) I was advised to stop until he is 6 months so that he doesn't develop allergies. But, after the last week of waking every 2-3 hours I decided to start again. Jake will be 5 months on Feb 1st. Last night Jake slept 5 hours before waking for the next feeding and then slept another 4 hours. Poor little man was probably starving. Tonight I will try and give him the cereal via spoon. I bought a tray for his Bumbo chair so he can sit up with us! I can't wait to see how that goes!

Hope you all had a great weekend... Here are some more pictures of our little muffin:

Hat I bought in San Diego. Super cute!

Fills my heart with joy!

Playing...

He grabs the bottle on his own!

Back to the rice cereal!

Super Jakey!

21 weeks!

Jake is almost 5 months. Wow. Time is just flying by. He's laughing and smiling all the time and generally just a happy baby. Lots of drool so I think teeth are around the corner. Everywhere I take him people tell me how much he looks like Grant. Ok, so he does. :) I wanted to post a few pictures. I will continue to take more throughout this week.

It's 80 degrees in January!

SO big!

Drooling...

Brady

Hanging out in my stroller.

Love,

Brooke

What you can do to help! Hair drive 2011!

Have you ever thought about donating your hair for a good cause? Are you currently looking to donate hair? Can you grow hair fast and are interested in donating it?

I first donated my hair for locks of love in 2008. I always knew my hair grew fast and I wanted a change... so I thought why not donate it!?

Well, I have a very close girlfriend that has Alopecia (Wikipedia.org - Alopecia). She went from doctor to doctor trying to get answers, took medications, had shots directly to the scalp, etc. Nothing can stop the hair loss. Sometimes the hair grows back, and then other times doesn't. She lost her hair back in 2007, and it started to grow back. Right before her wedding in 2009 it started falling out again. Now, she doesn't have any hair. She wears wigs. She went from having long goregous hair to losing it all. I want to start out by saying how incredibly beautiful she is even without hair! Not only beautiful on the outside, but beautiful on the inside! She is one of the kindest women that I know. While she was going through all of this she has told me how much wigs cost. They are SO very expensive for real hair. I felt so bad for her. Not only losing your hair, but having to spend thousands on wigs. So, I decided that I should help her. I decided to grow my hair again and donate it to her. 

There is a wig company in Newport Beach that makes custom wigs. They need about 3 or 4 people to create an entire wig. The hair length needs to be between 12 and 13 inches. I already have another girlfriend that is also going to donate her hair. Now, we have 2 people... I thought since I have so many wonderful women that follow and many of you maybe interested! If you are interested, please contact me at donateforwigs@gmail.com.

I wanted to post this video. It's Miss Delaware Kayla Martell. She also has alopecia.
Kayla Martell

Hope to hear from you!

Brooke 

One year ago today...

We found out that we were expecting our first little one. The excitement was overwhelming. We found out on a Sunday evening (January 17, 2010). Texted the picture of the pregnancy test to my doctor (a good family friend of ours of course) and made an appointment to see her. We went to the movies that night and saw It's complicated. We giggled the rest of the night together! That Tuesday we went to the doctors to confirm. We didn't tell anyone the night we found out. It was our secret for a few days. That was VERY hard! We wanted to call everyone at the moment "pregnant" popped up. But, we wanted to confirm everything first! When we found out I was 6 weeks and 5 days along. Our due date was September 9, 2010. Once we left the doctor we called everyone. We wanted to do something clever for everyone... but, we couldn't wait! I will never forget that feeling. The feeling of a little being growing inside your body. It is truly amazing. I remember after I found out... taking a moment to breath and thank God for the little blessing he gave us. I remember praying and thanking God for the opportunity to become a mother. The most overwhelming feeling of pure joy. It was one of the happiest moments in my life... until he arrived! Nothing better than the day I became a mother.

 

And now...
September 1, 2010 at 7:57pm arrived Jake Bowman Stone.
Our little 7 lb, 1 oz and 19.5 inch boozy.

He has quickly grown! Considering he's now in the 90% percentile in weight, and 95% percentile in length!

Have a good week everyone!
Cheers,
Brooke

20 weeks!

My little guy is 20 weeks today! What have we been up to? Well, we still don't have the internet. I'm at Sweet Jill's. Coffee in hand, and baby in stroller typing. I'm getting really mad at Verizon. I actually have been stalking them on the streets of Long Beach. They have been fixing the wires that had been exposed (they never spent the money to fix exposed wires), and then water logged (from the storms) there are spots of our area that they are still trying to fix. Is this our fault? Should we be paying for our services while we still don't have a home phone, and internet? I think not! They guy that is in the utility van pretends he's on the phone while he works outside my house because I yell at him everyday. I know... but, you would be frustrated too!

Anyhow, my little guy has been to lots of cool things lately. He is sitting up, rolling over, and trying to crawl... YES! CRAWL! He isn't full on crawling but he's trying to get the hang out it.

He is such a good boy. He just isn't a very sleepy boy. He does love to sleep on us. So, my goal starting today... Every nap he will sleep in his crib. Even if it's for 20 minutes. He needs to get the hang of it. We will start his bedtime routine upstairs. And put him down after I nurse him. If he wakes up, I'll pick him up and try and put him back to sleep. A little crying will be involved, but not the screams... hopefully! Wish us luck with this venture. I'm feeling good about this.

Here are some pictures of my BIG boy and what we have been up to:

He's always talking!

And... he's moving! Watch out!

Wednesday mommy walk. Walk and lunch! :)

My babysitter Michelle... love her!

Even had a little girls night last Friday! We went to wine bar and Mahe!

My girls! 

You can take the boy out of the country... but, you can't take the country out of the boy! Love my OK boy! ;)

My babes

Brady on a walk

Where we live.

Enjoying the sunset with our neighbors.

The sunset from our street. 

Bathtime!

Jake found his feet! 

Yummy! 

Cheers,
Brooke

4 months

Our Internet went back down and is still down... how am I typing this? I'm at Starbucks. I took a walk with Jake and brought my lap top. Verizon says that the state of California is under a state of emergency and that is why we don't have it. Um... I live in California... there is NO emergency. The weather is mild like usual and it's not raining nor snowing. Verizon... you suck. Ok, now back to Jake.

My little man turned 4 months on January 1st. He's off the charts ladies and gentlemen. He's in the 90% percentile in weight and 95% percentile in height. So, he's 27 inches long, and 17 pounds. He is now wearing 12 month size clothes and I'm starting to buy 18 month sizes. He is now rolling from front to back and back to front. He grasps things with both hands and is always checking out the scenario. Smart boy. Happy boy. The only thing he isn't doing.... SLEEPING IN HIS CRIB. He still sleeps in our room.
I started sleep training... And I don't like it. I have several books. Baby Wise, Happiest Baby on the Block, Baby Whisperer, etc. I tried the Ferber method. My little guy just doesn't sleep. 2 nights in a row I let him cry it out.
Night 1: Cried 1 hour straight. Went in there... sweaty, red, screaming baby. Done. Back in my room with me.
Night 2: Cried 1 hour straight. Picked him up... then did the Ferber method. Laid him back down... he screamed. Went in after 5 min, then back at 8 min, 11 min, etc. For about an hour. Back in my room.

Mommies, how long did your babies take? What books did you like and what part? Or are they still in your room? My little guy doesn't tucker out! He isn't a napper either. More like a power napper. ha!

Hope everyone is doing well! Blog again soon!
xo Brooke

4 months

Big boy

NYE with the Levenshi (annual holiday together)

Pop pop and Ya ya

Now that I have a baby I often wonder what it would be like to see him grow old and have a family of his own. Why jump that far ahead... not sure. But, none the less... I have.

After my parents arrived I asked them how they feel about being grandparents. My dads answer was the following:

"I'm having a hard time. You are my baby. My baby had a baby. Having a hard time because I still picture you as my child. My baby. And now your a mother"

I almost cried. I will always be daddies little girl. But, I did grow up. I have my own family now.

My father through out the weekend did something that even shocked my mother. He was a VERY active father growing up. My memories of my father ranged from barbecuing, swimming in our back yard, sports, family dinners at the dinning room table every night, etc. But, my mom recalls my father being some what nervous when we were little. Nervous that he could drop us or not be able to stop us from crying. Mainly when we were newborns. My father was also 20 when he had me and 22 when my brother Marty was born. Can you blame him then? Personally, I didn't even change my first diaper until my son was born... and I was 29! Anyhow, to my amaze... my father held Jake the majority of the time. Every morning he would walk in my room to check on the little guy. Any time the little guy made noise my dad would jump up and ask to hold him. It warmed my heart. He was able to calm him down quite easily. He probably held him more than anyone else that was here. They formed a bond. Jake would see my father walk into the room and light up. It was amazing.

When my father left he told me he was going to miss us... but, mainly Jake. He called me from his connection flight just to tell me he missed J. I was all choked up. Again, I'm sad we live far. I wish my dad could see Jake more often. But, I'm lucky we get together as often as we do.

I took a few pictures of my little guy and his grandpa:

YA YA (Grandma in Greek)
My momma. Was awesome. She made pretty much all our meals and slept in my bed with me. Every time my mom visits I try to suck in all the information she tells me about Jake. We gave Jake rice cereal for the first time in his bottle! How nice would it be if I could just drive over when I need a break or just have her come over to show me what to do? My mom was so happy to be spending Christmas with us back in California again. She had said that she just wanted to spend as much time with Jake as she could. Knowing how fast we all grow it makes her sad to leave. When I talked to my mom on NYE she said that she missed Jake so very much. I'm pretty sure my parents miss my little man more than me.

Most the pictures with my parents they aren't looking at the camera... They are too busy looking, hugging, and kissing on J. :)

Jake getting a bath by 3 of his grandmas! Grandma Spellman, Grandmother Stone, and Great Grandmother Hodges.

Cheers,
Brooke

Jake's first Christmas

I haven't blogged in over a week! Apparently Verizon has been down all over areas of California. However, our neighbors are just fine... Makes me wonder what is really going on. Hello... CA has severe storms? Well I guess this weather has been extreme for us. Anyhow, our Internet seems to be working tonight so I will try and catch my blogging friends and family up to date.

First I want to start off by saying I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! Christmas Eve I always start getting a little sad knowing it's almost over. All that preparation and then... OVER. But, then knowing a new year is approaching and that we can all strive to be better and do more in the upcoming year is uplifting. Right?

Well this year we had Christmas in little ol' California. With Jake only being 3 1/2 months we weren't planning on going anywhere. We usually spend our Christmas in Boise. This year my husband surprised me with bringing Boise to me! :) So, it was Vicki (Grant's mother), my parents, my grandma, my brothers Dylan and Marty, Marty's wife Ashley, Renzi (Grant's brother), his wife Lee Anne, and their son Jackson, My uncle Phil, Aunt Audrey, and my cousins Bryan and Mitchell. Phew. It was a pretty big Christmas.

Vicki got into town a few days before Christmas, and my parents got into town on Christmas Eve. I made sure I had the refrigerator packed and Christmas decorations up. And that was challenging enough with a newborn. Ren, Lee, and Jackson got into town on Christmas afternoon. Marty, Ashley, Phil, Audrey, and the boys stopped by before dinner.

It was a packed house. We only had one breakdown. So, I think that's pretty good right? Grant, Jake, and I got lots of great things. Jake of course got the majority of things. I had ordered a box full of presents off Amazon (again... a little challenging getting to the mall with a newborn in the heat of Christmas shopping) and I couldn't find the box anywhere. In fact, I still can't find the box. I have searched high and low. I'm a neat freak so I know where everything is and everything has a place. The box had to have been thrown away. I'm so darn sad. One of the presents in that box was Sophie. Sophie the giraffe. This is our second one. The first one went missing and now the second was thrown away. Grant has told me I can reorder what was in the box if I stop complaining about it. Or stop talking about it in general. haha.

Well with all the food my mom cooked this week/weekend and lack of exercise I am back on a diet. AGH. I have been doing so good too. Oh well. It was the holidays! I enjoyed myself.

Here are some pictures of our Christmas. I will be blogging more this week... hoping my internet stays up and functioning.

Christmas Eve

Christmas morning

My gift within a gift ;)

Daddy with J

Cousins

Uncle Renzi and Auntie Lee Anne

Pop pop (my dad) with J

My uncle Phil and J.

Auntie Lee Anne put me right to sleep

Grant and Dylan

Thank you for all coming and making our first Christmas with Jake special. We are blessed. 

Cheers,
Brooke