Mr. Chatter Box

Brooks started saying his first words within the past few months and his vocabulary has grown quickly. He will attempt to say anything you ask although a lot of the times it comes out in various noises. His first word he said was "up" and "apple" came second. Here is a general list of what he can say and our translation.

Bow - Boat (Gemma taught him this and it's the first word he says when he sees her)
Car
Bawl - Ball
Nanna - Banana
Bah Bah - Bye Bye
Heh woe - Hello
Bobby - Paci (Not sure why it comes out as Bobby)
Mama
Dada
Behbee - Baby
Wa err - Water
Mow - More
Eat
Beat - Bite (This is also what he calls grapes b/c I always tell him to bite it)
Berry
Peas - Please
Baa - Bath
Iiiiii - Five (That's how high we count)
Go Go Go (He says this at anything that moves, but mostly football games.)
Walk

He can also run through family names. I have yet to catch this run through on video.
Emma - Gemma
On - John
Bean - Ben
Popi - He says that clearly.

Gramma - Mama
Pa pa (He says this like a little Hispanic child)
Ad a - Adam
Minnie - Mandy
Ree Ree - Rachel
Oh (Super high pitch) - Jo Jo

Lastly, we can do animal sounds and since I took this video he now knows what a horse and duck says. :)

Week of the Wallace's

I realize the Wallace family vacation took place in August and it's now mid-November, however, we moved to a new house and had a baby. I would love to say I hope I remember everything from that week, but there are only three things that are important to Justin, Ben, John and Gary. Beach, booze and the bean bag game. And, if I had to name a fourth, it's nap time.

The Wallace family has spent the last three summer vacations at a beach house in Murrells Inlet. Brooks learned how to roll from his stomach to his back at the house last summer. This year, Brooks learned the word "boat." Thanks to Gemma (Vicki) Brooks not only learned how to "say" boat, but he likes to say it with passion and excitement. He also learned how to say Uncle Ben's name.... here is some video of that. 

Brooks certainly fits in with the Wallace family favorite things to do. He has no fear of the water and without any supervision would keep walking into the ocean until he disappeared. He also found it entertaining to find seashells and throw them back into the water. He would get a good laugh out of that activity.


We found another water option for Brooks that required fewer watchful eyes and kept him contained to a smaller area. Gemma brought an aero pool which we filled up with a few feet of water. Brooks showed his super silly side playing in the pool. He thought it was hilarious to spin and slide his feet so he would fall and splash water in his face. I didn't capture that on video, but you do get to see his pure happiness of playing in the water. This video also shows his ability to drink the water and do his hulk impression.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of Brooks taking part in the other family favorites... bean bag toss and nap time.



The week also provided some precious moments of Justin and Brooks together. As you can see from nap time, they have similar sleeping positions. You can tell Brooks will grow up to have a great appreciation for vacation.


Uncle Terry and Aunt Mary spent the week with us as well. They live in Paducah and provided everyone with UK shirts. Brooks received a hat which he wore long enough to get this picture. :) The week went well although it did end quickly when hurricane Irene forced us to evacuate from the Inlet a couple days early. Fortunately, the system went North and only dumped a couple inches of rain in our area.

Our Love Affair with Amoxicillan

Brooks had minor surgery August 4th to get his first set of ear tubes. My family has a long history of ear infections and tubes. Poor Brooks is in for a long ride. We've had so many ear infections this year I've lost count although I think prior to surgery we were up to at least six of them... all double ear infections. It started in January, took a couple months off and then went monthly starting in April. Every time he gets a runny nose, it immediately turns into croup over night and an ear infection the next day. Our doctor finally made us an appointment with an ENT and during the two weeks before we went Brooks got an ear infection. In fact, he got another one a couple days after we went to the ENT. Geesh.

The ENT doctor didn't make a convincing pitch for tubes other than it couldn't hurt, but knowing my family history we decided to take the chance of a permanent solution... at least for the next year. Brooks was the first patient of the day, at 7:30AM. Very early. I took a few pictures of him pre-surgery playing with a small toy car they gave him.


He didn't care much for the wrist band they put around his arm, but once they gave him the toy he seemed to forget about it.


The surgery took about 15 minutes. The nursing staff said he did very well and didn't even fight the sleeping gas mask. When we went to the "recovery" room to pick him up, he was passed out. Unfortunately, a couple weeks after getting the tubes Brooks got a runny nose which turned into a night of croup. We took him to the walk in clinic where the doctor said he had a touch of Bronchitis, sinitus and yep, an ear infection. This time though, we didn't have to take any Amoxicillan and the infection had cleared up by the end of the week.

Just call him Rocky

Let me explain. Pink eye and forehead meets corner of cabinet. Enough said, but doesn't he just look so sad?

Brooks and I went to Bluffton at the end of July to spend some time with my mom, Joanna and Lena. I noticed Brooks' eye gooping up through out the day Saturday and quickly took him to a Doctor's Care clinic knowing he had an infection. Later that night Brooks walked into the corner of the kitchen cabinet and bonked his head. He didn't cry and it didn't make a loud noise so I didn't think much of it.... until, literally 30 seconds later he looked like that.

He looked nearly normal by the next morning. :)

New BFF

Brooks finally got the chance to meet his future BFF in mid-July when we tagged along on one of Justin's work trips to South Florida. Stephen David Karon is only a month younger than Brooks and hopefully the distance between Boston and Charleston won't hinder their friendship. Justin and Stephen's Dad, Adam, met in high school and now will celebrate their 40th birthdays within the next year.

Adam, Katy and Stephen spent the week visiting family before we arrived for the weekend trade show. Another good friend of Justin's, Frank and his two oldest children, Carl and Natalie, also came to West Palm for the weekend. Five adults to four children seems like a good ratio, but when nearly all of them can run you pretty much need eyes in the back of your head to survive.

While Justin worked, the rest of us spent much of our time at the pool. Brooks loves the water, but he doesn't loooovvvveee to just sit in it. Instead, we walk in and we walk out. We walk around the pool, back in, back out, pick up a few rocks, fall face first in the water, choke a little and we're back out again. Someday, we'll find the pool a relaxing place again. Here a a few snapshots of our short time in the pool.


This is Adam and Frank with the kids.


Here is Adam, Stephen, Brooks and me. You can seen Brooks trying to escape.


I love this picture of Carl and Natalie. In order to keep Brooks from burning, I pretty much dumped an entire bottle of sunscreen on his body including his head. This is what he looks like after waking up from a 3 hour nap.


A little bed head. Adam, Frank and the gang were not staying at the same hotel as we did so our room became the gathering place for prepping for the pool and for getting ready for dinner. Katy and I decided to kill two birds with one stone and let the boys bathe together. While the babies are smiling below, Stephen's time in the tub quickly became less happy. Plus, we let them eat their graham crackers in the water... not such a good idea either as you can see it looked like someone doodied.


Another adventure Katy and I could probably have skipped was a trip to the Lion Country Safari. The idea of going to see animals with the kids sounded like fun, but someone failed to really explain the experience to us. We arrived in two cars. Car 1 included Frank, Adam, Carl and Natalie. Car 2 contained Katy (Driver), me, Brooks and Stephen who are both strapped in car seats. As we enter the park we go straight into the self tour which consists of a car ride through several fenced in areas where the animals roam free. Neither kid can see out the window so I decide to take the boys out of their car seats. I pass Stephen to Katy so he can sit in her lap and Brooks stayed in the back seat with me. Unfortunately, 15 months old babies don't have any interest in looking at lions laying on the ground. While we maneuvered through the winding and very long tour, the boys managed to sit on the floor, crawl across the seats, trade turns sitting up front and bang on the windows. Katy and I think it was part of a conspiracy theory between Frank and Adam to put us in one car while they drove in another.


Here is Brooks (looking a little weird) sitting on the floor.


This is Stephen sitting up front.



At one point, both boys sat up front with Katy. Needless to say, the next day we went back to the pool.

We had a great time seeing some of our best friends in West Palm. I never realize how much I miss them until we have to say goodbye. Hopefully, through pictures, Facetime and more visits, Brooks and Stephen will grow special places in their hearts for each other.

Colorful Colorado

We took our first summer vacation and went to visit my family in Colorado last week. The last time Justin and I went to Colorado we experienced negative temperatures so getting to see the mountains during the "summer" left a good impression on Justin.

The trip marked Brooks' first airplane ride. The long journey across the country went much better than I anticipated. I guess if you expect the worse than everything is better. Brooks definitely inherited the Ball gene though and fell asleep before we even took off for our first leg to Atlanta. Woohoo. It's funny how nobody wants to talk to you prior to the flight and gives these looks of disgust b/c your taking a child on the plane... until afterwards when he hasn't made a peep. Then, they all want to play with him and say how well he behaved.


On our flight back from Denver to Charleston, Brooks also slept, but not before he decided to poop. Unfortunately, the plane hadn't taken off yet so I couldn't change him. When he did wake up the beverage carts had trapped us in our seats. An hour an a half later, we made our escape to the shoebox bathroom. Apparently, kids are not considered when designing a plane. I had to lay Brooks on top of the toilet like a dead bug... arms and legs in the air.

We had a great time on vacation. I think Brooks enjoyed playing in the backyard the most. He had so much space to walk around and play. I look forward to living in a house with a yard. Here are some highlights of his experience.


Much of the backyard is filled with rocks... definitely a favorite for Brooks. He would sit and put them in the bucket, take them out and throw them for a good 15 minutes at a time.


Brooks also enjoyed the swing. I used it a few times to prepare him for nap time. Who can resist the rocking motion?

Brooks quickly learned how to turn on the bubble machine. Even if I turned it off after he walked away, he would walk right back to hit the switch.


It took almost all week for Brooks to warm up to my dad, but obviously sitting the hammock was way more fun than playing shy.


My mom forced me to go through some of my childhood keepsakes and we came across the Indian Princess/Guides vest & headband. Brooks wore it for awhile and showed off his new-found ability to stick his finger up his nose.

Riding in the red wagon also proved to be a favorite for Brooks. He fit perfectly into the seat. Justin pulled him around the lawn a few times and got a good laugh out of him.


One of the main reasons we took the trip to Colorado was to see our new nephew. Everett Gordon arrived on Mother's Day. I detected a little bit of jealousy from Brooks when I would hold Everett, but otherwise he had very little interest in him.


This picture took at least 15 minutes to take. The bright line down the middle is from another camera's flash. Cousin Wyatt made it clear he did not want his picture taken until Gramma offered to hold everyone in her lap.

I'm not sure when we will make it back to the mountains, but hopefully it won't be another three years.

Big Brain???

Brooks went to his 12 month wellness visit a couple weeks ago. Bottom line: he's tall, skinny and has a giant head.

Height: 31 1/4 inches (90%)
Weight: 23 lbs (50%)
Head: 48.5 cm (97%)

Yes, compared to other children the same age, Brooks' head is just about larger than every other kid. Let's cross our fingers it's because he has a giant brain.

Doctor's visits typically take a couple hours no matter what time of day you go. Thank goodness that never seems to bother Brooks. In fact, we played "knock the book off the chair" game for at least 20 minutes. He laughed so loud, I'm surprised none of the nurses came in to find out what he found so funny.




Brooks also started walking. Although he's not a total champ at it, he will choose to walk over crawling... unless he face plants into the floor and then it's full on commando. The first video shows his Frankenstein like movement. The second video is Brooks attempting to walk in flip flops. We planned to take a trip to the beach and I thought it would fun to dress him appropriately. Unfortunately, the shoes didn't stay on long and never made it to the beach with us.

She'll be Coming Around the Mountain...

Monkey has learned how to sing. And, Brooks loves it and at the end he gives Monkey a hug. The first video Justin is singing the song and you will notice Brooks actually claps to the beat a couple of times. I sing in the second video. This was the third round of the song and Brooks found it so funny that he had a hard time sitting up.

1 Year and Counting

We celebrated Brooks' first birthday. In the process of the annual party we avoided a trip to the ER overnight and just ended up in the doctor's office. Yes, we spent his first Thanksgiving in the ER with Croup and now his first birthday with a double ear infection. I guess if you don't go big, go home. Right?

Brooks started breaking out into a fever around 1pm Tuesday and it continued to hover around 102.5 throughout the night. He threw up once at which point we called the after hours service at his pediatrician's office. Thankfully, the nurse asked a bunch of questions and educated us on all things fever.

He woke up the next morning with no fever and I felt relieved that he could enjoy his birthday. Not so much. About an hour later the 102 fever came back so Justin took him to the walk-in hours... also a first for Justin.

Brooks spent the day filled with pain reliever and Amoxicillin. He did crack a few smiles and the playfulness came in short waves. We were able to sneak in a quick birthday party which included a cupcake, song and a couple of presents. He did very well digging into the oversize Elmo cupcake and eating what he could of it. It lasted all of five minutes before he wanted no part of it. Here are a few photos from the night.

Bathtub Diving

Brooks really enjoys bath time. It's a relief b/c I know it's 30 minutes where he will just sit and play without crawling into my lap and whining. We do have to be careful about his desire to stand in the tub. Thankfully, I think he's starting understand the command "sit" quite well.

The other day, he started sticking his face into the water. I wasn't sure what to think at first... wow, he's so brave, I can't believe he's blowing bubbles... oh wait, he breathed in the water and now he's choking. Justin wasn't watching so no need to panic. Instead, I just let him cough it out and let him continue to stick his face in the water. Ha, ha.

I'm pretty sure he wanted to chew on the washcloth b/c after he decided he had enough of breathing in water he finally picked up the rag to put it in his mouth.

Smarter than Mommy

(I let Brooks get into the toilet paper the other day just so you could see the fun.)

I don't have any pictures of this particular story, but I'm sure your imagination will suffice. Brooks really enjoys standing next to the toilet and banging the lid of the seat. A couple months ago he discovered the toilet paper roll. He would hit it and the paper would unravel, so I flipped it which seem to solve the problem. Until. Tonight.

Brooks and I were playing in the living room and he bee-lined it for the bathroom. I knew where he was going so I let him trek to the toilet for a little seat banging. It turns out he knows how to hit the toilet paper until a little piece unravels from underneath. Then, he can grab it and stream it to the toilet seat where he can hold onto it while he bangs. Unfortunately, this was a short lived game because he kept trying to put the paper into his mouth. I quickly ended that and moved him back into the living room... which he did not like. I closed the bathroom door to help deter him from returning.

Well, Brooks pulled the clever card. He crawled right into our bedroom, took a left turn and headed right into the bathroom. That little booger. Needless to say, now both doors are shut.

Mini Milestones

Brooks turned 11 months old on Sunday. It's hard to think we will soon have a one year old, but I can't say that time flies. I've really enjoyed watching Brooks grow and reach all of the little milestones.

He is not just a crawler now, he has the most incredible upper body strength and can pull up on anything in less than a second. Those little feet just roll and pop him up. He likes to get into the basket of DVD's and pull them out one at a time. The couch is another favorite hang out as well as any window sill.


We are still in the phase where everything goes in his mouth. It really lets you know when it's time to sweep. :) Brooks is slowly learning a few other things like how to pump the spinner to make the balls swoosh around, how to put his hands in the air to say he's all done with dinner and the "Indian" call will soon be heard. I did get to see him clap the other day for the first time. His motor skills need a little refining, but it's still a clap.

Brooks' personality is also fun to watch. He's way more interactive and expressive. This goes both ways... bad when he tries to eat the dirt out of the plant and I won't let him and good when Daddy comes home from work to play with him. This is video of Justin playing chase with Brooks.

In four weeks we'll be talking about Brooks' turning a year old and I can't wait.

The Magical World of Disney

Brooks took his first trip to Disney World about a month. Justin's company had a trade show at one of the resort hotels and we went along for the ride. We drove halfway to Orlando Friday night stopping in Jacksonville and finished the trip Saturday morning. Brooks slept the whole way and I got to nap with him! It was probably the most sleep I had in the last year.



Saturday afternoon we went ahead and bought passes to the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, Brooks missed out on the Welcome to Disney train b/c he fell asleep on he walk to the park. It was the first super nice weather in the area of the year and.... that, led to big crowds and long lines. Brooks didn't seem to mind. We took him on just about every ride except Space Mountain which was not my favorite. Despite the fact that most of the rides are in the dark, Brooks could have cared less. Here is a picture of him on the It's a Small World ride.

Sunday we went to Downtown Disney. It's a neat place to walk and shop. We found Brooks some Mickey Mouse ears and bought a pair for cousin Wyatt as well.


We also stopped and ate lunch at a Cuban restaurant. Brooks enjoyed eating some chicken soup and plantains.

Also Sunday, we went to the Animal Kingdom hotel. There is a big backyard with a few animals on site which is pretty neat to see giraffes walking nearby.


On Monday, the final day of our trip we went to Epcot. We went on a few rides here as well. These are a little more educational based and less of a thrill. We did go on one Dinosaur ride that thankfully Brooks slept through. It was very loud and potentially scary. Plus, once you are in there is no out until it's over. Disaster averted.

It was a great trip, first family vacation together. I can't wait until Brooks is a couple years older and can really enjoy the characters of Disney. He did better than expected riding in a stroller and being carried around everywhere. Once we returned to the hotel he would let loose and his personality really blossomed over the few days. He started talking more saying dada, baba and laughed a lot.

All I want for Christmas...

In true Christmas carol fashion, Brooks now has his two front teeth. The first one broke through Christmas Day and the second followed exactly a week later. I'm pretty sure Brooks hit every 8 month milestone in the one week we took for vacation. It started out a little rough with the teeth coming in, but he turned that frown upside down by the end of the week.

We spent the first three days in Myrtle Beach with Justin's family. Then we drove (3.5 hours) down to Bluffton to hang out with my parents, Rachel, Joanna and her family. During that time we also celebrated Lena's (Joanna's daughter) first birthday. We spent three days at the house and headed back to MB for what's becoming our annual New Year's Eve party with the Konkel family.

Here are some of the highlights of Brooks' first Christmas. I now need to buy a "toy" basket because Brooks received enough gifts to entertain him for at least three months. This is Brooks with Dad and then playing at his activity center Christmas morning.



The next day we went out to a restaurant for dinner where Brooks drank from a cup for the first time. This was quite surprising b/c he tried to grab Justin's glass and lick the side of it which seemed normal, but then he tried to hold the glass and drink from it. He seemed so proud afterwords.

In Bluffton, Brooks had the chance to actually open some presents. I thought for sure he wouldn't be interested in it only because I figured he wouldn't "know" how to open them. It turns out he really enjoyed it... or at least trying to eat the wrapping paper.


We also celebrated Lena's first birthday in Bluffton. I think Brooks might have had more fun than Lena. Ha, ha. We bought some pink and white streamers to hang in the kitchen and we decorated Lena's chair. Joanna also bought some tiara's which she, Rachel, Joseph and Brooks wore. Brooks looked so cute in his pink crown. Lena opened presents, we sang and then most of us ate some cake. Again, Brooks loved every minute.





A couple more things Brooks picked up over the holidays.... he can sit, say "mama" and do the Indian call when prompted.

Finally, Brooks can crawl. It's not pretty and I'm not sure you can classify it as a true crawl, but he can certainly get from one side of the room to another with no problems. I call it the "inch worm."

(I've tried to add video of his Indian call and crawling, but it won't process. :( I'll try again later)