Well, in case you haven’t heard, Lily is going to have a little sister. We found out in mid-January that we were expecting another baby, and announced it to the world in early March. On May 19, we had our doctor’s appointment. Katy and I were both entirely convinced that it was a boy. There was a lot of stuff that was different this time from last time – how she was carrying the baby, effects of the pregnancy, etc. But, we were shocked to find out that it was another girl. After my work friend, Lyndsey’s experience (she was told it was boy and it came out as a girl), I had to be extra cautious, asking Dr. Simpson to double- and triple-check. And she confirmed, saying it was “pretty obvious”. I’m going to keep my auditor skepticism up and be a little wary just in case, but we have to trust the doctor and move forward. So, it looks like we’ll have a little Zoe Elizabeth Brockman. For some reason, Katy doesn’t want to go with the traditional spelling of Zoe and put two dots over the “e” (can’t blame her). But, if all goes as scheduled, on September 23, I’ll be surrounded by another female. At the end of the day, I think it would have been great to have a boy, but when you look at the long-term effects and what would be better for Katy and Lily, I think a girl will work out best (although maybe not best on my bank account, with two weddings in our future). I can already see an episode of “Whose Wedding is it Anyway” with Katy wanting to be involved in every aspect of the event (but that is a concern for many many many years down the road).
It is really amazing to see Lily’s development. She is walking around so easily, and probably better said, too easily. She gets everywhere. We can’t leave her alone for 2 seconds before she has gotten something she has not supposed to have, been in a cabinet that we have just cleaned up, or just been doing stuff she is not supposed to. What has been fun to watch has been to watch Lily’s athleticism. I think she is really going to like gymnastics. The funniest thing we have seen is when she just lies on the floor and start doing log rolls, rolling from her back to her tummy and to her back and so on. She has this stuffed animal that is a lamb and she loves to get that thing and use it as a pillow, almost like a bean bag chair. She carries that thing around all the time at home, putting it to her face. It is really funny to watch. I love to lay on it as a pillow and Lily will come over and take it out from me (without thinking twice). Lily’s other trick is that she likes to spin around, she will just turn around in a circle and eventually get dizzy and fall down. I think you can summarize her actions by saying that Lily loves to entertain us by entertaining herself. But, obviously, all of this spells a ball of energy.
The other thing I’ve noticed over the past couple of weeks has been her dexterity with a ball. When we tell her to throw it or bring it to us, she knows exactly what that means. She likes to take the ball and throw it into the little toy shopping cart that she has, as if she is dunking the ball, so I think she would really like to own a little basketball set. When she does throw, I’ve noticed a little bit of a preference with her left hand, so I am not sure if that is just coincidental right now or if we might have a southpaw on our hands.
This first week of June, Lily has been off her normal schedule. Grandma Patty and Papi Bo have been off on their nationwide tour, mainly to see Lily’s new cousin in Michigan, Liam. But, they have been gone since the middle of May, so Lily was at Grammy’s house most of last week. Last Sunday, we started the week off with a good nap on Sunday after church and in the early afternoon and then we went over all of us to Grammy’s house to swim. I think I scared Lily a bit with my not-so-graceful jump into the pool. But, she likes being pushed around in her floating baby boat. We swam for a bit and then had an outdoor dinner, before Lily took a bath over there and then it was home and in bed. Monday night, I had to work late, so Mom took good care of Lily in the evening after her day at Grammy’s. Same thing on Tuesday except I was able to get home that night. Wednesday, Katy left for Dallas so I was in charge. I really respect what Katy has to do most days with getting herself and Lily ready to go, because it was a struggle for me to get out of the door, get Lily all put together, and then be at work by 9. I had a dinner that night with Erin and the KCI team to thank Erin for her work on KCI (it also served as a congratulatory meal for Jessica with her news of heading over to the UK). So, Lily stayed the night over there, I was over the next morning to get her and we spent the day together. I was off but used Lily’s nap times to check in with work. We played together, went outside to hang out in the backyard a bit, and just had a lot of fun. I went to the gym in the afternoon and that was cool to see her go well into the kid’s zone. Friday, Katy was home (she met with the girls in the morning), and Lily and I started to get ready for the garage sale. I wasn’t getting much done with Lily out there in the garage, but I did make some progress. Grammy came over just after lunch and Katy and I finished getting our treasures ready. Grammy took Lily home after her nap, and then Katy and I got to go out to eat at Outback that night, which was a nice surprise.
That Saturday was our big garage sale. All we were trying to do was to earn enough to buy Baby Zoe a crib. Unfortunately, Lily won’t be ready for a big girl bed yet. That day was a good day. We started the sale a bit before 7 am and had enough for the crib by 8 am. We wanted to get rid of things, so we were making some deals and probably leaving some money on the table, but that is ok, we got rid of things and have the crib paid for. Lily wasn’t going to be too much help so she stayed with Grammy for the day. We had some fajitas for lunch when Lily came back and we were all so exhausted by the mid-afternoon that we all got a nap when Lily went down for hers. We went for an afternoon swim (starting to realize the benefits of the nice, new deck in the backyard and actually having a pool), and then off for a relaxing evening at home. On Sunday, I had to leave for my trip to London. Lily got a quick nap and then it was off across the pond for me.
Katy had a rough week having to take care of Lily alone. I am not able to help out as much as I would like but it is nice to have me to do some things. Lily spent Monday and Monday night downtown with Patty and Papi. Tuesday was spent at Grammy’s house. Wednesday, Lily left early from Grammy’s and went to the New Braunfels Children’s Museum with her cousins, Sean & Maddie. She loved it, loved it so much that we know have a season pass and will have a nice indoor place to enjoy the rest of this hot, dreadful summer that we are in.
I got back in on Thursday, but not without lots of pain & consternation (there will be another entry to describe that). Ultimately, Lily had to spend another night with Grammy because Katy was thinking that she’d have to come up to Austin and pick me up; thankfully, we have some good friends (Aaron & Roger) who came up to get me, but from the front door of my hotel in London to walking in our front door in Universal City, it was 24 hours exactly.
We had a nice day and weekend together. I was home and in town, not having to work too terribly much the next week, so I was able to pick up Lily and see her every night before bed. I wish that wasn’t so hard to make happen on a more regular basis. That Friday (Father’s Day Weekend), we headed down to Port Aransas for Lily’s first time at the coast. Lily, Pepar, and I rode separately so the other ladies could go shopping. Lily was a perfect angel on the road, sleeping for about an hour. She didn’t cry at all until we turned onto the state highway near Gulf Shores and were like 15-20 minutes away. She was glad to get there, and we immediately got her dressed for the beach and headed down there. She was already a bit tired, so she didn’t know what to expect and did not care to explore on her own. So, we just played down there for a few minutes and then headed back up for the night.
On Saturday, Lily was so funny waking up. She usually is up around 6:30 at home. It was almost 8 and she was sound asleep. Katy made me check to see that she was ok and she was just worn out from her long day of driving and then the coastal adventures. We actually woke her up, so it was a bit of a reversal of fortunes for all of us. But, Lily got a good breakfast and then again, we tried to get some beach time in before her morning nap, but that is the time of day when she is pretty worn out, so again, she didn’t really care for it. She went down perfectly, and then while she slept, I slept. We had some lunch and then Lily went down for the morning swim. I slept again. Lily really took it all in quite well. She was sitting with Katy and letting the waves rush in against her. She was pointing and talking. It was helpful to have a tent up to keep the sun out, but she really enjoyed it. They came back up and put her down again, and then we all got dressed and ready to go out for dinner on Saturday. We went down to the center of Port Aransas at the dock and ate there with what appeared to be a fancy Hollywood couple right next to us (they really weren’t but acted like they were).
Sunday, Lily reverted to her old tricks and woke us up. The Pack & Play was right next to our bed (i.e. if she was standing, she could reach up & touch our bed), so it was funny to have her literally wake us up by slapping on our bed and seeing her little head pop up. We got up and went for a quick walk on the beach (the stroller doesn’t work so well in the sand). Then, it was time to pack it up and move us out. We tried to take the ferry to Rockport, but it was a crazy long line, so it was back through Mustang Island, the way we came in. Lily and her mama fell asleep midway home, and then we got home, had a quick evening getting ready for our week and then it was back to the grind.
Last week, Katy was out of town at Market. My schedule didn’t allow for me to come up there, so was the single parent for the latter part of the week. Lily spent the night downtown on Thursday night. Friday, Lily, Papi and I went over to Main Street Pizza for a late night pizza dinner. Saturday, I was all alone with Lily and we had a fun day together. I had delusions of grandeur about doing all these sorts of things, like going to the zoo early. But, I was worn out from my week, so we did a walk through Olympia in the morning. Then, Lily took a good morning nap, we got some playtime in between naps. She had another 90-minute plus nap in the afternoon, and then we did what all people like to do to pass the time, a trip to Wal-Mart. We were leaving on Tuesday morning for our trip to St. Louis and Detroit, so we had to get a few things. But, it was hot hot hot over the weekend, 102 degrees plus each day. Sunday, I had nursery duty so I got to be with Lily in there. It is nice to watch her with other kids, because she does seem to play well with them, but also seems to be a lot more easier to handle and doesn’t need constant attention. However, she does certainly talk more and LOUDER than many of them, so that is our great joy. Mama came home later on Sunday and got a little time with Lily before we headed out that night to see “Wicked”; that was a fun fun show, keeping my attention more so than any musical I’ve ever seen. Lily stayed with Hailey that night and was perfect as usual. All this makes us so grateful and so appreciative of the way Lily is; not only does having all of our family & friends helping us out make the transition to parenthood easier, but the personality and behavior of Lily makes it easier as well.
It is really amazing to see Lily’s development. She is walking around so easily, and probably better said, too easily. She gets everywhere. We can’t leave her alone for 2 seconds before she has gotten something she has not supposed to have, been in a cabinet that we have just cleaned up, or just been doing stuff she is not supposed to. What has been fun to watch has been to watch Lily’s athleticism. I think she is really going to like gymnastics. The funniest thing we have seen is when she just lies on the floor and start doing log rolls, rolling from her back to her tummy and to her back and so on. She has this stuffed animal that is a lamb and she loves to get that thing and use it as a pillow, almost like a bean bag chair. She carries that thing around all the time at home, putting it to her face. It is really funny to watch. I love to lay on it as a pillow and Lily will come over and take it out from me (without thinking twice). Lily’s other trick is that she likes to spin around, she will just turn around in a circle and eventually get dizzy and fall down. I think you can summarize her actions by saying that Lily loves to entertain us by entertaining herself. But, obviously, all of this spells a ball of energy.
The other thing I’ve noticed over the past couple of weeks has been her dexterity with a ball. When we tell her to throw it or bring it to us, she knows exactly what that means. She likes to take the ball and throw it into the little toy shopping cart that she has, as if she is dunking the ball, so I think she would really like to own a little basketball set. When she does throw, I’ve noticed a little bit of a preference with her left hand, so I am not sure if that is just coincidental right now or if we might have a southpaw on our hands.
This first week of June, Lily has been off her normal schedule. Grandma Patty and Papi Bo have been off on their nationwide tour, mainly to see Lily’s new cousin in Michigan, Liam. But, they have been gone since the middle of May, so Lily was at Grammy’s house most of last week. Last Sunday, we started the week off with a good nap on Sunday after church and in the early afternoon and then we went over all of us to Grammy’s house to swim. I think I scared Lily a bit with my not-so-graceful jump into the pool. But, she likes being pushed around in her floating baby boat. We swam for a bit and then had an outdoor dinner, before Lily took a bath over there and then it was home and in bed. Monday night, I had to work late, so Mom took good care of Lily in the evening after her day at Grammy’s. Same thing on Tuesday except I was able to get home that night. Wednesday, Katy left for Dallas so I was in charge. I really respect what Katy has to do most days with getting herself and Lily ready to go, because it was a struggle for me to get out of the door, get Lily all put together, and then be at work by 9. I had a dinner that night with Erin and the KCI team to thank Erin for her work on KCI (it also served as a congratulatory meal for Jessica with her news of heading over to the UK). So, Lily stayed the night over there, I was over the next morning to get her and we spent the day together. I was off but used Lily’s nap times to check in with work. We played together, went outside to hang out in the backyard a bit, and just had a lot of fun. I went to the gym in the afternoon and that was cool to see her go well into the kid’s zone. Friday, Katy was home (she met with the girls in the morning), and Lily and I started to get ready for the garage sale. I wasn’t getting much done with Lily out there in the garage, but I did make some progress. Grammy came over just after lunch and Katy and I finished getting our treasures ready. Grammy took Lily home after her nap, and then Katy and I got to go out to eat at Outback that night, which was a nice surprise.
That Saturday was our big garage sale. All we were trying to do was to earn enough to buy Baby Zoe a crib. Unfortunately, Lily won’t be ready for a big girl bed yet. That day was a good day. We started the sale a bit before 7 am and had enough for the crib by 8 am. We wanted to get rid of things, so we were making some deals and probably leaving some money on the table, but that is ok, we got rid of things and have the crib paid for. Lily wasn’t going to be too much help so she stayed with Grammy for the day. We had some fajitas for lunch when Lily came back and we were all so exhausted by the mid-afternoon that we all got a nap when Lily went down for hers. We went for an afternoon swim (starting to realize the benefits of the nice, new deck in the backyard and actually having a pool), and then off for a relaxing evening at home. On Sunday, I had to leave for my trip to London. Lily got a quick nap and then it was off across the pond for me.
Katy had a rough week having to take care of Lily alone. I am not able to help out as much as I would like but it is nice to have me to do some things. Lily spent Monday and Monday night downtown with Patty and Papi. Tuesday was spent at Grammy’s house. Wednesday, Lily left early from Grammy’s and went to the New Braunfels Children’s Museum with her cousins, Sean & Maddie. She loved it, loved it so much that we know have a season pass and will have a nice indoor place to enjoy the rest of this hot, dreadful summer that we are in.
I got back in on Thursday, but not without lots of pain & consternation (there will be another entry to describe that). Ultimately, Lily had to spend another night with Grammy because Katy was thinking that she’d have to come up to Austin and pick me up; thankfully, we have some good friends (Aaron & Roger) who came up to get me, but from the front door of my hotel in London to walking in our front door in Universal City, it was 24 hours exactly.
We had a nice day and weekend together. I was home and in town, not having to work too terribly much the next week, so I was able to pick up Lily and see her every night before bed. I wish that wasn’t so hard to make happen on a more regular basis. That Friday (Father’s Day Weekend), we headed down to Port Aransas for Lily’s first time at the coast. Lily, Pepar, and I rode separately so the other ladies could go shopping. Lily was a perfect angel on the road, sleeping for about an hour. She didn’t cry at all until we turned onto the state highway near Gulf Shores and were like 15-20 minutes away. She was glad to get there, and we immediately got her dressed for the beach and headed down there. She was already a bit tired, so she didn’t know what to expect and did not care to explore on her own. So, we just played down there for a few minutes and then headed back up for the night.
On Saturday, Lily was so funny waking up. She usually is up around 6:30 at home. It was almost 8 and she was sound asleep. Katy made me check to see that she was ok and she was just worn out from her long day of driving and then the coastal adventures. We actually woke her up, so it was a bit of a reversal of fortunes for all of us. But, Lily got a good breakfast and then again, we tried to get some beach time in before her morning nap, but that is the time of day when she is pretty worn out, so again, she didn’t really care for it. She went down perfectly, and then while she slept, I slept. We had some lunch and then Lily went down for the morning swim. I slept again. Lily really took it all in quite well. She was sitting with Katy and letting the waves rush in against her. She was pointing and talking. It was helpful to have a tent up to keep the sun out, but she really enjoyed it. They came back up and put her down again, and then we all got dressed and ready to go out for dinner on Saturday. We went down to the center of Port Aransas at the dock and ate there with what appeared to be a fancy Hollywood couple right next to us (they really weren’t but acted like they were).
Sunday, Lily reverted to her old tricks and woke us up. The Pack & Play was right next to our bed (i.e. if she was standing, she could reach up & touch our bed), so it was funny to have her literally wake us up by slapping on our bed and seeing her little head pop up. We got up and went for a quick walk on the beach (the stroller doesn’t work so well in the sand). Then, it was time to pack it up and move us out. We tried to take the ferry to Rockport, but it was a crazy long line, so it was back through Mustang Island, the way we came in. Lily and her mama fell asleep midway home, and then we got home, had a quick evening getting ready for our week and then it was back to the grind.
Last week, Katy was out of town at Market. My schedule didn’t allow for me to come up there, so was the single parent for the latter part of the week. Lily spent the night downtown on Thursday night. Friday, Lily, Papi and I went over to Main Street Pizza for a late night pizza dinner. Saturday, I was all alone with Lily and we had a fun day together. I had delusions of grandeur about doing all these sorts of things, like going to the zoo early. But, I was worn out from my week, so we did a walk through Olympia in the morning. Then, Lily took a good morning nap, we got some playtime in between naps. She had another 90-minute plus nap in the afternoon, and then we did what all people like to do to pass the time, a trip to Wal-Mart. We were leaving on Tuesday morning for our trip to St. Louis and Detroit, so we had to get a few things. But, it was hot hot hot over the weekend, 102 degrees plus each day. Sunday, I had nursery duty so I got to be with Lily in there. It is nice to watch her with other kids, because she does seem to play well with them, but also seems to be a lot more easier to handle and doesn’t need constant attention. However, she does certainly talk more and LOUDER than many of them, so that is our great joy. Mama came home later on Sunday and got a little time with Lily before we headed out that night to see “Wicked”; that was a fun fun show, keeping my attention more so than any musical I’ve ever seen. Lily stayed with Hailey that night and was perfect as usual. All this makes us so grateful and so appreciative of the way Lily is; not only does having all of our family & friends helping us out make the transition to parenthood easier, but the personality and behavior of Lily makes it easier as well.
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