Brylee's First Hair Cut

For several weeks I have been wanting to get Brylee's hair trimmed. I want it to keep growing long, but it had started to get a little wild and mullet-like, and the baby strands had a mind of their own. I also had several people tell me that once you cut it, her hair will start growing a little thicker and fuller (although I don't have really high hopes of her having thick hair based on her mama & daddy's hair!). And although I wanted it trimmed so the ends were even, I also didn't want to spend $20 for someone to snip a few strands...

...so I decided to do it myself!

After her bath Thursday night, I just combed it straight down in the back and used some hair trimming scissors I have for some unknown reason and just trimmed off the long stringy baby strands!

I was pretty nervous at first, but it took me all of 2 minutes to trim the ends and even it up a little bit. Her hair curls up in the back anyways, so I was not too worried about it having to be perfect.

There you have it... a crying-free first hair cut for free! And a pretty cute, blonde headed girl, don't you think!

Memorial Day Weekend - Fun in the Sun

We have a fun retail area near our house that has a fountain play area and a sandy beach area. We thought a family night out Sunday after Brylee's nap would be a good way to spend our Memorial Day weekend. Although a little cautious at first, Brylee quickly warmed up to playing in the fountains!

And she has always enjoyed playing in the sand!

Have I mentioned she loves to climb these days!? And is obviously not afraid of heights!

On Monday night we were invited to cookout at our friends, the Shivers, house.  We  enjoyed playing outside with all the other kiddos near Brylee's age.

Thoroughly enjoying this stage of life!

Memorial Day Weekend - Rangers Game

Friday night we headed to the Rangers baseball game as a family. We debated if we should try to take Brylee to a game that would last significantly passed her bed time, but decided you only live once and she could sleep in Saturday if she needed. So off to the ballpark we went!

We took Brylee to several baseball games last year, her first as early as four months old. But back then, I wasn't worried about her falling asleep with me if she needed, nor was she very mobile so it was easier to sit with her in a seat.

When we arrived, she was fascinated and was stunned as she took in all the sights and sounds.

Our seats are on the shady side this year, so it is much more enjoyable even before the sun sets!

We invited some friends to come with us. Tate, who is about two weeks younger than Brylee, is the sweetest boy!

Our friends, the Edmondsons

We watched the game from the new outfield interactive area for a few innings to let the kids burn off some energy.

About the eighth inning, Brylee started getting pretty mellow, and I could tell she was getting tired...

...but then got a second wind in the fifteen minutes following the end of the game in preparation for Friday Night Fireworks!

She wanted to hide and watch the fireworks at the same time! Too cute!

Once we were in the car, she finally zonked out at 11:15pm (more than 3 hours passed her bedtime!) She slept in until after 9am the next  morning. We had such a good time at the game, and look forward to making Rangers' games a family tradition! Oh, and we won 14-3...Go Rangers!

18 Months

On Wednesday we went to the pediatrician for Brylee's 18 month well-baby check-up.

The Stats:

Weight: 25lb 11oz (50-75%)

Height: 32 inches (50-75%)

Head: 48cm (75-90%)

She was immediately scared when I put her on the scale, and our visit only went downhill from there. She absolutely hated the doctors visit this time! Even though she didn't have to get any shots, the toe prick to check her hemoglobin was not her favorite! And even the simple stethoscope and pediatrician's evaluation was very traumatic for her.  Luckily, she checks out very healthy right now. We're still battling the dry-skin issue, but its not nearly as bad as when she was an infant.

She is so funny right now, and becoming a full blown toddler right before my eyes. She loves to climb on everything, and is really enjoying the park, jungle gym, and all things dirt. She is fine-tuning the art of running, and her fine-motor skills are progressing well too. She does well with a fork and spoon, and drinks out of a straw sippy-cup, but still can't figure out how to tip up a regular sippy-cup up high enough to get liquid out versus air.

She can be a bit of a drama queen, and switch from giggling to crying in a matter of seconds if something does not go her way. She gets frustrated very easily when she cannot figure something out, but she's good about asking for "elp eeze" (help please) when she can't do it alone. She loves to try to buckle straps and fill and empty buckets or bags.

Her play is getting more creative. She makes sucking noises when she is giving her baby a paci or bottle. She also pretend-plays with her farm animals on their farm. Speaking of farm....her absolute favorite song is Old McDonald, which she refers to as "ee-i-ee-i-oh" and asks for that song by name in the car and uses that name to refer to her farm animals dvd. She knows many basic words, which include many animals and animal sounds.

Overall, she is such a love and joy to be around. She loves on her dog, Paisley, all the time now, and is really good about giving her mama and daddy kisses. She doesn't sit still very long at all, making it a little more difficult to go out to eat, but I know its just her active toddler stage shining through. She's still a mama's girl, but is loving playing a little more "actively" with her daddy these days. We're working on giving her appropriate choices to help calm the beginnings of the toddler tantrums, and I think she's actually starting to catch on. This sweet baby of mine is growing into a little girl, and we're loving every minute of it!