The rest of the trip...

Well, we've been back for a couple weeks and have yet to update the rest of our trip to South Carolina. It's been a real busy August for us so far!

After the beach, we met some friends of ours who are living in Columbia, SC now. They drove down to Charleston and we went out to lunch and then downtown to walk around and see the sights.


On Monday, we met Rose for lunch before we left town early on Tuesday. It didn't take long in our visit for Brooklynn to recognize all the new faces she had seen and warm up to them when she saw them again. Rose and Brooklynn enjoyed playing "Patty Cake" over and over (and over...)


I love this picture of Brooklynn sitting next to Nancy in the booth at the restaurant.


By the end of the night, we were exhausted and so Brooklynn and I headed to bed while Nancy squeezed in a little more visiting.


We had to be up and heading to the airport by 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. And that was eastern time! I don't think my body ever left central time the whole time we were there. Brooklynn did great though. She slept the whole way from Charleston to Detroit. Once we got to Detroit, we got delayed and eventually realized we were going to miss our connection in Indianapolis. So, Nancy got off the plane and asked what our options were. The gate agent found a direct flight from Detroit to Austin that would get us home about an hour later than we were originally scheduled. But they only had 2 seats left...and they were first class!

Well, by this point in the trip, Brooklynn was a seasoned flyer, so she was ready for the upgrade to first class. She greeted everyone has they walked on the plane and made them feel welcome.

Once everyone was on board, she got comfortable in the plush leather seats. It's so roomy in first class.


Of course, Brooklynn fell victim to the classic rookie first class mistake. When the drinks are free, you've got to pace yourself...


We made it back safely and we were so proud of Brooklynn. Grandma Coco was there to pick us up and Brooklynn was excited to see a familiar face again.

5 Months

What an adventure Brooklynn had leading up to her 5 month birthday.  Nancy and I made plans to visit some close friends of hers that she knew while she lived in Charleston, SC.  Nancy hadn't been back to Charleston since a few months prior to our wedding and I had never been at all.  This would be Brooklynn's first airplane ride and we had no idea what to expect.

The route we ended up with was not what we would have chosen, but due to the rising airline costs, there was a big price savings if we flew to Indianapolis first, then to Detroit before finally heading down to Charleston.  3 takeoffs and 3 landings for Brooklynn's first flight was going to be a test by fire.  Brooklynn took it all in stride.  For those of you that spend a lot of time with her, this probably doesn't come to much of a surprise.  She often just goes with the flow and quickly adapts to her changing environment.  Plus, she's a complete ham to anyone that shows her attention, so the more new faces on the planes and airports there were, the better.

We left Austin at 2:00 p.m. CDT on Tuesday for our first leg of the trip.  Once we were in Indianapolis, we were able to visit with my Mom for about a half an hour or so. 

Our next leg was a very short flight which left us with an hour and a half layover in Detroit. After having some dinner, we left Detroit around 9:40 p.m. EDT and made it into Charleston just  a little before midnight.  Brooklynn slept most of the way on the third leg since this was around her normal bedtime.  Once we finally landed in Charleston, we felt so relieved that we weren't that family with the screaming baby on the flights.  Of course, I guess there's always a chance on the way back!

Today, we went to the beach and Brooklynn got to see and feel the ocean and sand for the first time.  I always think it's messy to go to the beach and you get sand everywhere.  Well, my experiences are nothing compared to bringing a baby to the beach.  Talk about sand everywhere!  And it's not as easy to clean her up as it is yourself.  Fortunately, the pictures make it look like it was no trouble at all and it did capture the enjoyment of watching Brooklynn see everything for the first time.  It makes you wonder what she must be thinking..."This is the biggest bath tub I've ever seen!"

By the end of the day, the sun and activities wiped everyone out.  Brooklynn was the first to go.

But on the ride back, she was quick to tell us that she gives Charleston two feet up!

4 Months!

Watching Brooklynn grow up is so subtle to our eyes, but when we look back and see all the earlier pictures of her, it's amazing what she's able to do now and how much bigger she is. Brooklynn has discovered her tongue and is trying different ways to incorporate using it, whether while she's babbling or blowing bubbles or playing with her toys. A new toy she's become fond of are her feet. She loves to hold them in both hands and look at her reflection in the mirror.


Before Brooklynn took to her feet, she found that sucking on her fingers helped her to relax. Specifically, her middle and ring finger. Here's a quick video of how this helped put herself to sleep!

Brooklynn's head control is much more stable now and she prefers to be standing (with support) or sitting up rather than lying down or reclining. We recently sat her in her new high chair, a recent gift from her Auntie Sue, Uncle Marcus and cousin Jadyn. Brooklynn really enjoys sitting with us while we're eating and has taken to mimicing our chewing motion. Of course, her version involves sticking out her tongue as much as possible. We'll find out soon whether this will pose any issues with food going in once she starts to eat sold food.



A little over a week ago, Nancy had Brooklynn in her chair in the kitchen and thought she could entertain herself with a wooden spoon while Nancy started working on dinner. Well, Brooklynn entertained us all. After holding the spoon and examining it, she suddenly smacked herself on the forehead with it and caught herself by surprise. Nancy couldn't contain herself and started to laugh. Brooklynn looked up at Nancy, still trying to figure out what happened. Watching her mom laugh started to make her laugh. Brooklynn giggled so hard, she wacked herself again! And so it snowballed and I tried to catch the rest of the escapade on film:

Finally, here's some 4 month shots of Brooklynn. Enjoy!

16 Weeks

Brooklynn turned 16 weeks today. She now weighs 13 lbs. 9 oz. and is fitting in a lot of 3 - 6 mos. sized clothes. Brooklynn had her first successful rollover from back to stomach this morning. She got all the way around with one of her arms still stuck underneath her, but she lifted her head and begged for it to count. We figured it was close enough. :)

We headed to Brenham later in the day and visited with Nancy's parents and family. Brooklynn had fun visiting with everyone, especially her older cousin Jadyn.

Elderberry Necklace

Here's a shot of Brooklynn wearing her first necklace made from the branches of elderberry bushes. Brooklynn's great uncle Carl makes them for the family. The necklace reduces the effect of drooling and teething pain as long as it touches the skin until finally it dries out and you have to get another one. Brooklynn has been drooling a lot for the past month or so and biting on her hands and fingers. We're not sure if she'll be an early teether or not, but this should at least help with the drooling and rash she gets as a result on her neck.

For the record, I got my first tooth when I was a little more than 5 months old and Nancy got hers when she was about 10 months old, so Brooklynn could be on either end of the spectrum.

Cookin' at CoCo's

Brooklynn is whippin' up a tasty batch of something good to eat.

Who wants some?

Happy 1st Father's Day

How great it is to be a Dad!

This morning, after I returned to my bedroom from being outside, I was surprised to find a gift bag on my side of the bed. Inside the bag was a onesie for Brooklynn that had an Indianapolis Colts helmet on it that said "I'm a Colts Fan Just Like My Daddy". We had a long day today, so we didn't get a chance to take a picture of her wearing it, but preseason starts 7 weeks from today and I guarantee she'll be wearing it plenty this season! Nancy actually made the iron-on and Brooklynn oversaw the construction and gave the final approval.

Along with it was a card from Brooklynn. Inside the card Nancy "translated" for Brooklynn and wrote the following:

"I am so happy you're my Daddy. I love the way you play with me and give me kisses. I can't wait to tell you, but for now I'll just keep smiling to let you know how much I love you. --Brooklynn"

Her smiles the rest of the day have told me the same thing

"Look how tall I am!"


"Hey! Why is everybody upside down?"

After church, we went out for lunch and ate at Houston's. The prime rib I had was delicious. Once we got home, Nancy took a nap and Brooklynn and I played for a little while. She's really enjoyed looking at herself in the mirror and she can really hold herself up well now too!

Thank you Brooklynn for a wonderful day. I'm so proud to be your Daddy and I'm looking forward to all the Father's Days to come and every day in between. I love you!

"Bye Bye"


"I said we're through taking pictures!"