The Gang's All Here (in Carlisle)

We had a great time visiting with the Brown side of the family on Sunday. It is hard to get everyone free with our busy schedules so it was really nice to all be together. We were celebrating several birthdays (Grandma's, Grandpa's and Aunt Hillary's) and anniversaries too (Mommy and Daddy's included which is on Sept. 5th). It is also amazing how big Cousin Sohpia is getting...hard to believe Morgan was that small only a few short months ago. Check-out Morgan trying out Daddy's high chair...it's been around for almost 30 years now...what an antique!

A Big Thank you

We want to give a big thank you to our babysitters over these past couple weeks and let them know how appreciative we are of all their help.

Having mommy return back to work is a difficult transition for any family and ours was made much easier by having such supportive family members like you. Thank you for being there when we needed you! And we know Morgan loved every minute of it.

7 Months

Morgan is 7 months old today! Crazy, huh? There have been so many amazing little developments this month that I don't know where to start.

Milestones

Mobility - While Morgan isn't technically mobile yet she definitely is getting ready to crawl (pulling her knees up all on her own) and finds her own way of covering some distance. She is an expert at rolling to get places, spinning in a circle, and just recently pulling herself forward to move across the floor. Watch out! Daddy installed our first baby gate (at the top of the stairs) this past weekend.

Attention to Details - Nothing gets past Morgan. She has shown a huge interest in little details this month...Mommy's necklaces are no longer safe and barrettes have been ripped out. It is so neat to watch her lock-in her gaze on something and try to process it, and then reach out to explore it further (sometimes delicately, sometimes aggressively). She also notices small changes in her typical surroundings (i.e. a box in the hallway or a new item in her room). And any new sound her head whips around to figure it out.

How things Work - Morgan also seems to be starting to try to figure out how things work. For example, she is fascinated by the "magic rod" on the window blinds...somehow when you touch it, the room gets lighter or darker. And it has been fun watching her figure out her new toy (the classic/basic stacked color rings) throughout the month. First she just knocked them over, then she figured out lifting them off, and finally starting to put them back.

Communication - A huge communication improvement (for Mommy and Daddy at least), is replacing screaming with trilling her tongue to show frustration. You know, as if she was rolling her R's; she is going to be a natural at speaking Spanish. Morgan also started holding her arms out to get picked up and showing signs of knowing her name (whipping her head around when you say it as if to ask, "Yeah, so what do you want?"

Movement - We have also noticed Morgan has a fascination with inanimate objects that move (for example rolling a ball or spinning one of the colored rings). She just laughs and laughs.

Favorites

Book - Happy Baby Colors
Song - ABC's, High Hopes (The Ant and the Rubber Tree)
Toy - Elmo rattle, Colored Ring stack, Jumperoo

Game - Peek-a-boo, Air-Toss

Food - Everything so far, especially avocados

Getting into Position

Aunt Andrea arrived Friday and brought tons of smiles for Morgan. We had a fun time relaxing this weekend (oh and fitting in a BBQ party next door, dinner out, a play at the local theater, shopping, playtime outside under the big sunflower...it's never a dull moment at the Brown household).

She also brought with her a few physical therapy moves to get Morgan ready for crawling. Morgan practiced for 10 min. in the morning, then had her AM nap, and by the afternoon, she was getting into crawling position all on her own!

We'll see...we might have a mobile baby by the end of the week (if Morgan feels she wants to at least). :) It was so exciting to watch her first attempts.

Not Just Work

We wanted to make sure our babysitters' visit wasn't all work and no play, so we tried to fit in time for some fun things too. Yesterday we all headed to the lake so Grandpa and Tyler could take turns in the boat. Even Mommy finally got to take the boat for the spin! Grandma and Morgan really enjoyed themselves too...observing safely from the shore. The only close call was when Mommy was in the boat, of course, but Daddy did an Olympic feat and managed to keep the boat upright during the seemingly inevitable capsizing...he's one smart guy.

A Good Run, While it Lasted

So the inevitable day finally arrived; I returned to work today with mixed emotions. A part of me will admit that it is nice to be back interacting with adults, seeing friends, getting started on a new project, and putting an end to the anxiety over this first day. But it is definitely hard being away from Morgan...especially knowing this is not just a Mommy-day-out.

The scariest part though is the realization that being back at work really means that she is already almost seven months old! Our precious bonding time at home went so fast. Oh well, it definitely was a good run, while it lasted. And I will always be greatful that we had those wonderful months together.

The Babysitter Brigades

Yesterday, Babysitter Brigade #1 arrived...Grandma Reineke, with her back-up troops (Grandpa and Uncle Tyler). They drove out from Chicago to help with Mommy's return-to-work. Day care will start in Sep. so for the next couple weeks, Morgan will be in good hands at home, making Mommy's transition nice and gradual...and perhaps a little easier. Babysitter Brigade #2 (Aunt Andrea) will arrive on Sat. and #3 (Grandma Brown) will complete the two-week stint.

To get Morgan accuainted with our visitors, we spent a wonderful day yesterday with Brigade #1 at Rice's Market and Peddler's Village. We think it worked out well and Morgan was so happy the entire day. Hopefully, that is a good sign for tomorrow. :)