Double Time...and then some!

Brenna has been a bit fussy lately. She has all of the classic signs of teething; biting everything, low grade fever, pulling at her ears etc. I didn't think much of it except for the fact that I felt bad that she was so uncomfortable. Her fever started going consistently higher until last night it was at 102 degrees and she had a really bad cough. I decided that was too high to be caused from teething so I took her into see her doctor early this morning. Diagnosis: double ear infection AND croup! Now she is on 10 days of antibiotic to hopefully get her feeling better. Please pray for our sweet Brenna to start feeling better.

Surprise Visitors

Last Wednesday I got a phone call from my BFF Christy. She and her family moved to Germany in September. She was in Utah and had a few empty days in her schedule and wanted to know if it would be ok for her to fly down the next day for a visit! It is so embarrassing but I have to admit that I actually started crying because I was so excited. I quickly cleared my schedule for a few days and anxiously waited for her arrival. We really didn't do much but that is what is so great about Christy...we don't have to do anything special to have fun together.



Brenna and Spencer had fun playing together. It was so much fun to see how much he has grown since the last time I saw him. Brenna loved following him around and every now and then Spencer would reach out and touch her hair. They loved to sit and listen to books together.

Christy and Spencer went back to Utah to spend more time with family. They will do a bit more traveling around and visiting before flying back to Germany in March. I am so glad that we had a chance to see them again and I can't wait for the next time we get to see each other.

Sick

eCaution: This post will most likely break your heart. It did mine again just thinking about it.

Over our Christmas vacation Brenna got sick for the first time in her life. It is the most horrible thing as a parent to be so helpless when your child is concerned. She had such a stuffy nose and a terrible cough. It was hard for her to eat because she couldn't breath out of her nose. Brent and I spent 3 nights sleeping in the rocking chair holding Brenna. She would only sleep for an hour at a time and then be up screaming. It was truly a family affair to take care of this sweet baby. My parents were so good to sit and cuddle Brenna at all hours of the day and night.

Papa taking his turn holding Brenna.One of the days she was sick she only wanted her Grammy. I did what I could do to help around the house because for this time my mom was glued to the chair with Brenna. She was able to get a few short naps in which was more than she had slept the night before.

This was taken in the middle of the night one night. She woke up with a 102 degree fever. To cool her off we took all of her clothes off and let her jump in her bouncer. She was happy for a little while which was nice.


Daddy with his sick baby.


By the weekend she was starting to feel better. She still stuck to me and her blanket more than usual.

I am grateful that she is feeling better. That is something that I am not looking forward to going through again any time soon. Every day I am thankful for the good health that our family is blessed with. There is nothing better in the world than a healthy family!

Camo for Papa

This year for Christmas Chase got a fleece camo sweat suit. It was a bit big for him at the time and my dad decided that Brenna needed to wear it.



I have no doubt in my mind that she will be hanging out with Papa doing all of the things that he does when she is bigger. For these times she will need some camo...pink camo. For now this will do.

10 Months Old

Ten months have passed since Brenna joined our family. We have watched her grow and develop, enjoying every moment of her life. This past month has been the most changing for Brenna. She is such a different baby now than she was a month ago.


Brenna Stats:
Brenna lost a bit of weight from being sick, but made up for it during her growth spurt. She now weighs 16 pounds 8 ounces and is 27.5 inches tall. She is now wearing some of her 6-9 month clothing, although in many cases the 3-6 month size fits her better. She is still wearing a size 2 diaper, size 1 shoe, and has 0 teeth. Her hair is also just long enough that I can put a mini clip in it. She looks so cute with them in her hair!


Talents and Skills:
Brenna is a super fast crawler now. She can follow me anywhere in the house and is even venturing off on her own now and then. I don't like the feeling of not knowing where she is so most of the time I follow her at a distance. She can pull herself up to anything and is able to walk across the furniture and walls.


Brenna is saying a few words now. She says "mama", "dada" and "papa". She started doing this when we were in Washington visiting my parents. She would yell for Brent and I when she wanted us. My dad was determined to teach her to say "papa" before we left, however he was not quite successful. It wasn't until the morning after we got home. I got her out of her crib in the morning and after Brent left for work she looked around the house and then looked at me and said "papa?" It was so cute I had to call my dad and let him hear for himself. She is also learning to sign. She can sign "milk" when she wants to nurse which is very helpful for me to know what she is thinking.

My dad also taught Brenna to wave. She waves at everyone now, even pictures that we have hanging up in our house. When we got home I taught her to give high fives. She is such a fast learner.

Eating and Sleeping:
Brenna has started eating more lately. She still eats homemade baby food, but also eats soft foods such as bananas, avocado, cheese, bread, and yogurt. I am struggling to think of other things that I can give her that do not have added salt and sugar, are soft enough to eat without teeth, and are not meat. I would like to wait to give her meat until after she is a year old, nothing but preference in that decision.


When we got home from our Christmas trip I had to sleep train Brenna again. She had gotten used to eating 3 times in the night! It is hard when she is in a new place. She wakes up and doesn't recognize where she is. Then I feed her so she doesn't cry and wake anyone up. As of today she is back to normal. I am so glad that she is able to get a good nights rest now.


With only 2 more months until her birthday I am holding on even more to every moment I have with her at this stage. We have more family coming down to visit, and then a trip up north for spring break. I can't wait to see what is in store for us this month. It can't get any better than this.

Tyson

For the past 17 years my family has gotten together with our friends Tyson and his mom Diana at Christmas time. We have sat on many Santa laps together as well as shared dinners, treats, gifts and conversation. This year was the first time Tyson would meet Brenna and Baby Chase. We were all excited since we had been a part of his life since he was 6 months old. To his dismay we shared embarrassing stories of him growing up (I don't think he realizes how much dirt we have on him!) It is different now because my sisters and I have grown up and now have careers and in some cases families of our own. Tyson will be graduating next year and off to college somewhere undecided. For now, we are glad that our paths can cross at Christmas time and give us a chance to stay in touch.

This is Tyson. He is the most handsome Korean I have ever seen.


Brenna agreed with me. She just sat in his lap and stared at him for the longest time.


Diana holding Chase for the first time.


Brenna wanted to show off her dancing moves. She loves to hold my phone and listen to her favorite music. She dances with the phone and grins from ear to ear throughout the song.



I had to include these pictures because she was so funny with her snacks. I gave her a small plate with some of her little puffs on it. They stayed there for less than a second and then ended up on the floor.


Less than a second later...Brenna ended up on the floor with them.


In true tradition we had to get a group picture. Brenna was present, however she was in her car seat reminding us that she would rather be taking her nap.



We all really enjoyed catching up and introducing them to our newest family members. This is a tradition that I hope never dies.

Brenna's 1st Christmas Part 2

We got up bright and early on Christmas Eve to catch our plane to Spokane. I was nervous to wake Brenna up early and take her on an airplane but to my surprise she was a very happy baby and had no problem on the flight. We were met at the airport by my mom and dad and from there we went to my sister's house to meet the newest member of our family, baby Chase.

It didn't take Brenna long to find her Grammy and the Christmas tree.


Grammy and Papa introduce Brenna to Baby Chase. Brenna is so soft with him. I could lay him on the ground and put her next to him and she would just sit and watch him. She loves her cousin.



Grammy with two of her babies. We missed Patrick but were able to spend time with him later in the visit. Notice Brenna's blanket placed gently to her lips. I love that little girl!



The first time I got to hold Chase. He is such a sweet boy and I miss him so much already.



From there we went home to unpack our things and let Brenna have a nap before the Christmas Eve festivities.

Christmas was very different from past years for my family. We had a really tough year with some very happy times mixed in. In May we lost my Grandpa Toner and then three short months later we lost my Grandpa Bessie. Just as we were moving on and looking forward to the arrival of Baby Chase we found out that my Aunt Barbie was dying of cancer and may not make it until Christmas. Normally on Christmas Eve we get together with my mom's side of the family. We meet at my Grandma's house and have dinner and a few presents. This year we went and saw my Grandma. We were lucky to have my Aunt still alive for Christmas, however she passed away on the 26th. I am thankful that we had the chance to be there with my Grandma at such a difficult time. From there we went home to spend the evening with my family.

We were plesantly surprised to have my sister Vanessa home early on Christmas Eve. She had scheduled the day off over a month ago and didn't tell us. We had been expecting her early on Christmas morning. We spent that night watching movies and playing with Brenna. We even left cookies out for Santa.



Christmas morning was quiet but it gave us a chance to sleep in and play some more with Brenna. We waited until the afternoon to open presents because we wanted Veronica's family to be with us. They spent the morning at their house opening presents together.

We always go to my Uncle Kenny's house for Toner Christmas dinner. There is always so much yummy food and it is a fun time to see the relatives that we don't see very often. Brenna and Patrick had a great time together. They even shared a seat at dinner time.


After dinner we all went home to open presents. First came the stockings. Brenna was really excited about this part.



She was bummed that she didn't get a bone in her stocking like Sadie did.



So she decided to take Sadie's bone.


Baby Chase had a good 1st Christmas. Isn't he a heartbreaker!


We had the best Christmas ever. It was so sad to come back to Arizona where we have no family. We miss you all. Our lives are not the same without you.