Sounds Like Fun

I have discovered the ability to make an admittedly non-humanesque noise that Brooks really seems to like.

Would You...

...hire this guy...

...to be your dentist?

So What if His First Word is "Internet"?

The Brookster has been getting lots of computer training in of late. First, he helped Polly understand the intricacies of the new Photoshop software Seth bought for Mother's Day:

They're both still a little new to overwhelming number of tools and effects, so this took them a few hours to create:

Then that got too easy, so Seth taught him how to DOUBLE-COMPUTE!

(don't worry-- he was safely guarded in his Bumbo on the couch)

Why is Brooks So Ready to Face the New Day?

Because it's one day closer to meeting BABY BOY Safran! Yes, Linds and Jason just found out that they will be bringing home a son in November. We are so excited!

More Bath Time Development

What comes with sitting up? The other end of the bathtub!! So, continuing with the progress recounted here, we now have a little boy who LOVES to splash:

I'm sure it surprises absolutely no one that, in our house, we play with rubber piggies and not rubber duckies! :-)

And That's What They Call....CLOSURE!

I might be known every now and then to worry just a titch...

That being said, I'm sure at least one of you out there has commented to yourself whilst reading this blog, "Wow, that Brooks sure has an open mouth a lot of the time!!" Since he's pretty smiley, it can be camouflaged without too much trouble but watch out if there's not a smile in sight! I haven't yet resorted to the scarf/ribbon around the chin and tied up on top of the head (a la Marley in A Christmas Carol, or at least what I attribute to that. Accurate memory?) and maybe I won't have to.....because, my friends, check this out:

I "caught" him doing this multiple times yesterday kinda out of the blue and then took some pics this morning. It's weird how it changes the shape of his face, but it also raises his perceived IQ quite a few points so it's all good! :-)

Oh, and just because:

And finally-- BONUS POINTS for whoever can cite the source of this post's title!!!

Things to Do on Tuesdays When You're Bored

1) Get some early morning exercise with bf2k7 peeps.

2) Steal all the babies who have mothers named Emily.

3) Ride an elephant.

4) Listen to a small pirate present a plan for world domination...

5) ...Only to have him look on innocently when you engage in Project "Poke Andreas."

5b) Make friends with the big boy on the right so he has your back when Pirate Jack pretends he has no idea what you're doing.

You Know How in the Movies...

...when the demon gets the red glare of death* because the glowing angel is getting all the attention?

*credit to Seth for this lovely turn of phrase

Thankfully, the moment passed and Ethan and Brooks got in some good playing time. You will notice, however, that the glowing-ness continues. B-man is as pasty as they come.

The camaraderie didn't last forever, unfortunately. Brooks became enraged with jealousy (and drool) at all the fun an upside-down Ethan was having!

Author's disclaimer: The older baby pictured here, one Ethan S, is in no way comprised of anything other than goodness and light. (He's sure been IN the light more than that see-through younger boy he's seen playing with!) Any other comparisons made are strictly for artistic purposes...and because the first pic is the best case ever for not removing red-eye!

Three Faces of Brooks

Now that Little B can sit up, "photo sessions" are a bit more fun! I took the lazy photog route today and had him sit up on me lying on the couch. (I don't like to exert much energy in the heat, you know.) Here are three shots that I found entertaining:

More Cocktail Sauce, Please!

So I've realized recently how much enjoyment I derive from cropping and editing pics and I don't even have any fancy software. I could do it all day and, um, sometimes I do! :-) Take the pic below, for example. It was originally taken with a portrait orientation because the B-man is sitting on the sidewalk at our feet. But who wants to see all those boring legs just to catch a glimpse of a (albeit cute) little baby looking bored? It's far more fun to get a better view of us...

...and then a more active picture of a smiling Brooksie from this morning:

As you can see, we recruited Polly to come meet us for lunch since we were in her 'hood of Canton to go to Mamas on the Half Shell, the sister site to Nacho Mamas where we've been before. The Austin Kentons ordered up a big ol' platter of local oysters to share and I think those slippery creatures probably made Polly want to run screaming from the table! (Side note-- is it just in Texas/on Gulf Coast that one is supposed to eat oysters only in months that have 'R's?) We certainly appreciate that she was willing to stay and chat while Adam and Sara got their Maryland crab cakes!

Put on Your Jingle Booties and Come Play!

Busy day today. Since Adam and Sara were arriving from Austin this afternoon and I was going to have to clean the house anyway, I figured I might as well go whole hog and invite my maternal crew over for our Thursday gathering. We had a small crowd but no shortage of good times. Here's the gang before everyone departed:

Aunt Sara and Uncle Adam brought Mr. B some fun treats including these rockin' jingle booties. As you can see, the booties brought out the model in Brooks as he poses below:

Oldie but Goodie

Is it bad that this picture makes me laugh? Seth calls it the "Winston Churchill"!

(This pic was taken in Dallas last month so is a bit outdated. Seth's brother and sister-in-law are coming to visit us from Austin today, however, so it's also an attempt to...make a Texas connection? Yeah, it's weak. Really, I just think it's a funny picture!)

You Called It, Jen Sellers!

My local mom peeps can back me up on the fact that Little B was face-planting just last Thursday if I tried to prop him up in a sitting position. That rice cereal must have some magical powers because all of a sudden, the Brookster can sit. This development was quite unexpected for me so thank goodness Jen was tuned in at lunch today to recognize that he was very close. So close, in fact, that he performed the following tricks when we got home:


Oh, and just for funsies (because Tuesdays are for random pics)...here's what Brooks would look like as an astronaut:

Tuesdays are (sometimes) for Random Pics

Don't these two loyal readers look like a) they just did something really bad, or b) they want to sell you a car??

If Only Texmati Made Baby Rice Cereal...!

So the baptism and Father's Day weren't the only big events yesterday-- it was also Little B's 5-month birthday. The doctor had told me at the 4-month appt that he could start on cereal whenever we wanted which I wasn't expecting since starting at 6-months seems to be pretty common. We decided to split the difference and he had his first rice cereal yesterday.

Now that you see from above how it ended up, take a gander at the journey:

(NO idea where he gets such a penchant for facial expressions!!)

The Baptism of Brooks

What a special way to spend Father's Day! Mr. B behaved fabulously and we were very blessed to have so many of our friends there to share in the baptism with us. (Thankfully, they appeared all to have taken showers since Field Day!!)

Christy Says: Put on your Bug-Eye Glasses-- It's Time for Field Day!

Our young adult group from church celebrated the 2nd Annual Field Day today. Not surprisingly, I celebrated my 2nd annual not-participating-in-athletic-events!! Thanks to Mr. B, I was preggers last June and just "too busy with my infant" this year!! :-)

What is Field Day, you might be asking yourself? Well-- it's a day where there are:

VERY WEE CHEERLEADERS:




(Pictured above are the 4 products of BF2k7-- Baby Fest 2007--in birth order from right to left. We're still waiting for our other friends to pick up the torch for BF2k8!!)

FIERCELY COMPETITIVE EVENTS :

VICTORIES:

NAPS:

WINNERS:

FUN WITH FRIENDS (and, occasionally, drool):

Gotta Spend it Wisely

We've started giving B an allowance for the little things-- you know, popcorn at the movies, valet parking, newspaper subscriptions. It has made us very proud to see that he has chosen to hold tight to much of it: On second thought, however, perhaps he should start spending it on treats for his buddies because they've recently begun excluding him from the party:
He needs to make up for this: And this:
Thank goodness the big guy loves him!