It's Pumpkin Time!

We carved our pumpkins last night! We drove around to every store in Cedar to find the biggest ones, and eventually made our way BACK to Walmart because their pumpkins were only $2 each, regardless of size. We weren't sure the ones we picked would be big enough to fit Brooklyn in them (this was our goal), but we got the biggest we could find. While Tim gutted the pumpkins, Brooklyn had some more rice cereal in her new chair that we finally broke down and bought. I think the chair will definitely be a good investment. Since she loves looking at herself in the mirror so much, now she can sit on the counter without me having to hold her there, and I can get ready at the same time!
Anyways, back to the pumpkins... they were gutted pretty fast-- Tim used an icecream scooper to clean them out and it didn't take long at all. Then we just had to convince Brooklyn that sitting in a pumpkin was fun. She actually didn't mind it, until we tried to get her to sit down. It was a little too small for her, so we ended up cutting leg holes. We thought it was super cute, but I'm not sure she enjoyed it as much as we did. Finally, we carved our pumpkins. I did a simple face and Tim went for a much more complicated witch design. Both turned out pretty nice, and it didn't even take all night!

Rice Cereal

We made 4 months as well and were told by the doctor that Brooklyn is growing wonderfully. She is now 15 lbs. 3 oz. and 25.5 inches long; both above the 80th percentile. She had to get several more shots which, as always are no fun for either of us. But good news-- we don't have to feel bad about giving Brooklyn real food. Let's be honest, she's had tastes of many things up to this point, despite my urgings against it. The doctor told us we needed to start her on rice cereal between 4 and 6 months old, so we gave it a try this week. After smelling the cereal, I decided it smelled just like cream of wheat... and Tim tasted it and said it tasted like oatmeal with no sugar. Anyways, she didn't seem to mind it!
Brooklyn is beginning to watch us more carefully when we eat. I think she's starting to figure things out.

Tim Got a Deer

The rifle hunt started Oct. 18, last weekend, so we went to Enterprise so Tim could hunt with his dad and brother. Opening morning, while Brooklyn and I slept in, Tim and his dad went to Gunlock to hunt. We were going to meet them over there later in the day, but I got a phone call a few hours later to make sure I brought the truck rather than the car because TIM GOT A DEER! This is very exciting because Tim hasn't taken a deer in 2 years. He is a dedicated hunter so he can hunt each season (rifle, muzzle-loader, bow) for three years, taking 2 deer within the three years. His first year was last year and he didn't take anything, so he was happy to get something this year.
Luckily, after we took the deer back to Enterprise, Tim decided to let the deer "age" for a day until his mom would be there to help. I don't mind learning how, but I was glad I didn't have to jump in and figure it out alone. So the next day I watched Tim and his mom take care of the meat. I helped spice the meat for jerky, and wrap the meat... and that was about it. But I do think I learn more about taking care of the meat each time (this is my second time)! Brooklyn was mad that we had to ignore her while taking care of the meat and lay on the floor screaming until Grandpa Shurtliff picked her up. So... we jerked most of the meat, and took a few steaks as well. It didn't smell too bad during the process, so hopefully it won't taste to gamey either!
I have plenty of pictures of Tim and his dad cleaning the deer... but in good sense decided I shouldn't post them. I don't want to make anyone sick.

Going to Georgia.

Now this, I HAVE to blog about. My mom and I discussed a possible trip to Georgia, or having her come visit us to see the baby. Seriously, she hadn't seen Brooklyn since she was 3 weeks old, so it was about time they met up again. We decided it made more sense for me to bring Brooklyn to GA, because then everyone could see her again. I agreed and the ticket was bought. Don't get the wrong idea about this post, the stay in Georgia was awesome, but getting there? Not so much. I was nervous about flying by myself with her because I didn't know how she would do, and without anyone to pass the baby off to... well, that's important sometimes. For starters, I don't think I have ever had as much attention as I received while walking through the LAS VEGAS airport with Brooklyn. Not one person walked by without smiling or saying something. They weren't smiling at me though, you know. I can't lie though-- she did look adorable in her white traveling sweatsuit. Anyways, plenty of people offered to help with her if I needed it-- unfortunately, none of them were on my flight. Go figure.. So, I learned some things while in the airport. It is really hard to go through security and practically disrobe yourself AND get dressed again while holding a baby. Yes, I decided that wearing flip-flops is a necessity while traveling with a baby, regardless of the weather. In addition, wearing a belt is not a good idea. Also, it is really hard to fill up a water bottle at a water fountain, and make a bottle while holding a baby. I didn't come up with any great ideas there. ... I think that's about it for waiting to board the plane. Now most importantly what I learned about flying with a baby. Babies are just like us! They do not like to be cramped into impossibly small seats for 4-5 hours, with no room to move around, particularly when it is 400 degrees. Needless to say, Brooklyn had a rough go of the traveling. Part of that could be because she slept in the car for 2 hours while we drove to Vegas. Then, because she doesn't take long naps, she would scream until she fell asleep for a few minutes on the plane, but then wake up mad again. And you know what? That's ok. She was just voicing what everyone else was feeling. But now, I have something to say about old grumpy people, people with hangovers, and those who do not like children. Listen, just because you lost a lot of money in Vegas, got on a plane hungover, are a lonely bachelor, and were never a child, DOES NOT mean you have a right to be rude to others. I was near breaking point with a screaming baby, stuck in a window seat when you so unkindly leaned up over the seat behind me and rudely asked me if I could not ask the stewardess to find a bottle for my baby. If I had had more gumption I would have thrown the bottle I already had at you, along with a very angry child and told you to give it your best shot. HUMPH.... Anyways, that's really all I have to say about that. Thankfully, there was a wonderful couple next to me who helped as much as they could. I'm kind of glad they were between me and the mean people. Atleast I felt a little protected, and you better believe they were protecting the grumpy people as well. There was no way I could fit out the aisle to jump on him with them sitting there. OK, so that was getting to Georgia. After that, the trip was wonderful. Brooklyn had a hard time adjusting to the time difference, but she LOVED seeing everyone. By the time we left she had Uncle Matthew, Aunt Anna, and Grandma and Grandpa SO wrapped around her little fingers! It was really nice for me to see all of them too. We climbed Stone Mountain, visited with friends, and went to a Corn Maze. Beside from those things, we were all busy sitting around, staring at Brooklyn and talking like babies. Thankfully, the return flight was not nearly as bad. I sat next to a mom and her little boy, with her husband and daughter behind us. Behind them were tons of their family-- all on their way to Vegas for a wedding. They were wonderful and the father of the Bride, a proud grandpa himself, wanted nothing more than to hold Brooklyn for a while (he put her to sleep as well!) They were great, and Brooklyn was much more enjoyable. Still, even at that, because I spent the better part of 4-5 hours doing my best to make her be as quiet as possible, it was still VERY draining emotionally, physically, mentally, etc. I hope Tim is on the next flight with me! Here are (probably too many) pictures from our trip to Georgia! Thanks for the ticket MOM and DAD! It was wonderful.

Decorating with $0

Did I ever post pictures of the baby's room? I don't think so... so here they are! It's a little hard to decorate on a $0 budget and with walls that have to remain white, but we did the best we could. I'm pretty proud of it myself. The quilts that inspired the room were made by Grandma Heaton, and I even made the bumper pad! It's not as fancy as yours Mandy, but you are getting VERY domestic!
I think if I make curtains it might help the room. Anyone have any suggestions?

Shurtliff Slimoff

I'm not very good at updating this regularly, so typically, I have to wait a while, and then post LOTS and LOTS of things. We'll see how much gets posted during the baby's short nap.
First things first. A few weeks ago we began a Shurtliff-slim off competition. Honestly, I wish I had been the one to think up this idea because then we could have started it when I REALLY started losing weight: June 15. We would have won, I'm sure of it. But, since I'm on the downhill slide of losing my weight, it's still a great motivation. We're all paired up (Tim is my partner) and the weight loss is calculated by percentage of your body weight. It's a great idea really. If you want to see the progress, there's a link on this page to the Shurtliff Slim-off Blog.
Anyways, I began by just walking about 2 miles every morning with Brooklyn. I seemed to plateau about 10 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight, so I decided I needed something else. That's when I asked Tim to start running with me in the evenings. He's horribly mean when we run, but, since I asked him to be that way to push me, I suppose I can't complain. :) I think my top distance so far is about 1.5 miles running before I have to walk for a bit before I can run again. Who knew 2 miles could be so enormously long?! I thought I would walk every morning and then run with Tim 3 times a week, alternating days with strength training... but let's be real, how much strength training will I do with the TV on in front of me? Ok, I can tell you-- not much. So much for that thought. Now we've decided to continue the running and walking, but we're also working on portion control. Ugh. See, when I like something that I'm eating, I don't want to stop until I'm full. Don't you think you should just enjoy it?! Apparently not if you're trying to lose weight. I'm beginning to get used to the idea of being satisfied rather than full. I'm not saying I like it, I'm just getting used to being less than content after I eat. Blah, that is no way to enjoy one of the greatest things ever, but oh well.
Brooklyn is my training partner, but she's not super great at motivating me unless she starts screaming while she's in the stroller. THAT kicks me into gear. But most of the time, she falls asleep... Hmmm... I must be really exciting when I exercise.
This is my training partner in the morning...