My Son...

Dear Brooks,

I was laying you down for your morning nap today and so many thoughts ran through my head. How lucky am I to have you in my life?! It is pure joy loving you. Being your mom is the greatest gift I could ever imagine. I was looking at your beautiful face; your soft smooth skin, dark eyelashes, wavy hair, and perfect "Brooks" features. You are so amazing and adventurous and charming. I absolutely love you more than words, more than life, more than anything. This past year has been all about you, watching you grow and soaking in your beauty. I will dedicate my life to making your's whole. I hope I can be a great mom to you. I love you, son.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

One Year Old

Baby Boy Brooks,

Oh how you have stolen my heart. This past year has been exciting, scary, tiring, but most of all joyful! You have brought me so much joy!! You have changed my life forever and ever in the best way possible. To watch you grow from a helpless newborn to an independent 1 year old has been amazing. Only one thing has stayed the same over the past 365 days... that is our connection. I am so grateful to have you in my life. We were meant to be. You have given my life new meaning.

Now you:

You have a gift of making people smile. Whether we are in the grocery store, or the living room with family, you have no problem staring people down until they crack, all googley eyed and talking sweet to you. You are adventurous. I can throw you up in the air again and again until my arms get tired and you laugh harder, like you could be flipped upside down all hours of the day. You like to climb and explore. All of your toys have suddenly become stepping stones to whatever interests you on any given day. You like to look up in the sky at birds, planes, trees, and even when we are inside you obsess over the lights on the ceiling. You absolutely l-o-v-e your dog dog (Leo). And might I say here Leo is the best dog in the world. You pull his tail, pinch his feet, chase him all over the house and he just plays along. Once in a while Leo get annoyed and nips at you but you l-o-v-e that too!! You love a challenge. When I tell you "no biting" or "soft touches" you think it is hilarious and get all manic and challenge me to try and stop you. Your face lights up when you see your daddy. Daddy is fun and loving and also a challenge (just like you like). He tests how long you can stand to be tickled and gets you excited when 'he's gonna get you.'

The first words you spoke: "hot" along with the sign for hot

Your favorite food: tortillas, cheese, and yogurt

Favorite place: anywhere outdoors

Favorite people: mom, dad, leo, papa dan and auntie coco

Favorite things: trucks and airplanes

Dislikes: can't think of any

Brooks - Happy 1st Birthday to my One-Der-Ful boy and thank you times a million for choosing me to be your mom. You are beautiful and special and it is an honor to be your mother.

Oceans of Love,

Momma

About to walk

Brooks is so adorable learning how to walk. He has all the confidence in the world cruising around on the furniture, and he stands up for a few solid seconds if he is distracted by a toy or something he wants. One thing is for sure, he is fearless. He falls down again and again but always gets back up, usually with a smile on his face. For now he is happy getting around crawling (and he is quite good at it). Mommy is happy that he is happy.

Sweetie Pie

Brooks is getting so big and so in tune to what is going on around us. He went to the eye doctor this week and she could not believe how attentive and alert he was. It was funny to watch him be examined by her. He is a cheeky little thing.

Lov'en Life

I am so so fortunate to be able to stay at home with my Baby B... Today is one of those days where happiness exudes me. Brooks slept 11 hours total, 7 hours straight (11:30 pm-6:30 am) last night. This the longest he has ever slept in row. I wish I could say the same for myself except I was up checking the monitor all night. I was imagining all the things that could be wrong; strangled in his blanket, kidnapped, just to name a few. He has been such a character these past few weeks. Every single day he is doing something new and exciting (to us that us). Today he clapped his hands! Yesterday he put both arms up in the air when I said "up!" He is such a happy boy. The happier he is the happier I am. I guess that it natural. Also when he is unhappy I am right there with him. Brooks took his first steps about a week ago and he is getting more and more confident every day. When he is motivated to get a toy or a snack he will walk without thinking. But for the most part we just play around and he gets so excited that the anticipation knocks him off balance and he starts to falter after 1 or 2 steps. Also he is rambling on -or should I say "talking"- more than ever! I love the fact that only he knows what he is talking about. As a baby, you have have your very own language that is as unique as your fingerprint. It is truly adorable. This month we have two 1-year old birthday parties to attend and then Brooks and Scarlet's will be right around the corner. This time has flown by but I can't imagine life without Brooks. We have so much to look forward to. The best thing about being a mother, is being a mother. Who knew love like this was possible? Also the love I feel for him drips (or should I say splashes) over to other areas in my life and I now feel more love for my husband, my family, and my close friends that are there for me every day.

Say Cheese

7 months I'm Baaack

If any of my followers (okay, just you mom) are reading this and wondering, "what the what? I thought she gave up this blog?" You would be mistaken. I can't stay away. Brooks does too many amazing, wonderful and freakish things to have no outlet to share it all. My lil B (as we say here in the Boswell household) is growing every second of every day (so it seems). My little bean sprout has grown so much over the last month I look at him at the end of each day and say, where is my baby?? Brooks can crawl really fast, and pull himself up like a champ. He blah blah blathers on, he chuckles at himself, and squeals like a girl (yes, I said it, like a girl!) Butch and I have noticed that he can recognize key words when we talk to him, for instance "milk" and "sleepy time." Sleepy time is a big one because we were only getting a small amount not long ago. One week ago today (2/22/10) we actually paid money to have an "expert" analyze our routine and sleep behaviors as a family to help us get to the bottom of all the night waking and short-short naps. Well, it turns out it was the best money we spent in 7 months. Brooks is really responding to the changes we have made. To put it simply; we can no longer use motion to put him to sleep; and he is banished from falling asleep at the teet. We have had some very challenging, frustrating moments, and some on-top-of-the-world, hallelujah moments. I have never had my patience tested to this degree before. But guess what! That which does not kill you actually does make you stronger. We are on the up side of the sleeping game. We are getting way more than before. At this point I feel like I am pulling my head up out of the clouds (or out of the dirt), a haze nonetheless but absolutely worth 100% of every second. As I see it, we had it easy. We have it easy. We have a healthy, happy, thriving child with every opportunity in the world. We are lucky, blessed, however you want to see it for the gift of this beautiful child and a life that affords us every thing he could ever need. Thank you to the many wonderful, loving, caring people in our lives who helped us get to this place, and to this day help us celebrate every little success (like the fact that Brooks is taking longer naps, yea!!) Today I feel stronger and more together than yesterday. One day soon I hope to have the strength to actually give back. I have so much to offer. Waiting for my calling... a way to express who I am. One thing will never change and that is my devotion and unconditional love for my son. Brooks my love, my life, you are the apple of my eye love.

TTFN k.

Blogging 1 year

Brooks is close to 6 months now (in 3 days!) I kept meaning to write at 5 months but with the holidays and my work schedule and OH YA taking care of a baby, time just got away from me. This will be my final post on the Baby Boswell Blog. It has served it's purpose. I am going to print out the collection of my posts over the past 12 months and give it to Brooks one day. I'm going to end my last blog with some notes about my baby boy.

Brooks, this is what you have been up to in the last 2 months... You started getting up on your hands and knees and pushing your tush up in the air at about 5 months. This is also when you began to army crawl forwards and backwards. With all of your practice day and night (yes at night in your crib when you were suppose to be sleeping) Daddy and I thought for sure you would be crawling in no time. It has been a month and you have not moved more than a few centimeters but have been perfecting your down dog, side tush push, seal crawl, and most recently, the torso twist with one leg held high in the air. Oh yes, and you also can go from a tummy position to a sitting position with only with one arm acting as an anchor at a side-angle in front of you. You are adorable. You are such a beautiful baby I keep entering you in all these beautiful baby contests secretly knowing you will be discovered in the heaps of entries littered with mostly un-beautiful babies (ha ha), but really. You make daddy and I laugh. Actually, you crack us up! You are funny. And the best part of my day, any day, are the days I come into a room, (sometime after I've been at work all day), and I see your face light up. You actually get giddy when you see me. If we have been apart for a long time sometimes your excitement will last an hour or longer. You just laugh and wriggle about and look at me and grin from ear to ear. Ahhh. Boy, I love you! You are starting to eat solids. We started on rice cereal when you were 5 months old and I have since introduced avocado, peas, and a taste of sweet potato. I think you are going to be a great eater. Daddy thinks you'll be having steaks with us in no time. You are a solid little boy. Everyone says that. You are close to 19 lbs and very long (I'm guessing 28 inches?) You do not sleep very well at night because you wake up 3-4 times throughout and want to be nursed back to sleep. I am happy we are so bonded and connected and you need me in that way. I cherish every moment of your tiny little life and I will sleep again some day, one day. For now I love our quiet moments together in the warm dark room, rocking back and forth to the white noise of the sound machine.

The past 6 months has gone by terribly fast. I am head over heels in love with you and I have never been so happy in my life. I love our little family and our little house in our little town. We have a very good life here--- VERY good. Daddy and I (and Leo) absolutely adore you and would do anything for you. Thank you Brooks for choosing us to be your family. We love you.