Life isn't fair

Okay Mom, you've finally won.

When I was little I would always say "that's not fair" in my not-so-cute whiney voice. To that, my mom would said, "life isn't fair." I of course felt the need to argue that point...long into my adult life. I am an eternal optimist. While that hasn't changed and I will still continue to look on the bright side, I've finally come to the conclusion,

Life is NOT fair. Or rather, death isn't.

This past weekend a friend of mine died in a tragic car accident at the age of 27. She had been engaged for less than a month, completely in love and planning her wedding. Her fiancee was in the car with her. Along with two of their friends. All of them were very young and all of them deserved to live much much longer.

Even if you didn't know her, this is clearly unfair.

My heart is broken. It breaks for her family, her fiancee's son and her best friends.

I've known Becky a long time and we've been in the same circles of friends since 5th grade. Ever since this weekend I've been remembering the most random things about her. The glasses she used to wear when we were little, when everyone fought over the same guy in 5th grade, New Years Eve parties at her house in high school and hanging out in the pool at Jason's apartment after our senior year of college. The last few times I saw her our conversations were usually about her fiancee, rings, weddings and usually Jason and I telling her how we couldn't wait until her Jason finally pops the question. She was happy and always had a smile on her face. My very smart and strong husband reflected last night, "I will never forget her smile."

And this brings me back to the beginning of my post. LIFE IS NOT FAIR. I believe in God, I know He has a plan and I hope someday I'll understand it. But for now, I can't help being pissed. I'm mad that she didn't get a chance to walk down the aisle, be married, become a step-mom and possibly have children of her own someday.

The last time we saw Beck. I remember joking with her about how she was standing closer to Jason than I was. They were much closer friends but we will both miss her dearly.

Open Wide!

It's hard to see in the picture, but Brody has two little teeth coming in! They've already broken the surface and you can feel their sharp edges against his gums. He's hanging in like a champ and doing great.

So Close!

I apologize for the bad video quality, it looked much better before uploading!

Happy half birthday Brody!

Brody is 6 months old! I know, I know, they grow up too quickly. I've been hearing that since the day he was born. But what truely amazes me is how in 6 short months he went from this:

to this:

No, he's not crawling, but he can push himself up on his knees and arms and rock back and forth. Then he loses momentum and collapses to the floor. He can push himself backwards quite sucessfully which drives him nuts when he's trying to go towards a toy! In the last week he's been trying to pull himself up by grabbing onto us or a couch or anything nearby, but he probably still has awhile before he has enough strength.

He's not quite double his birth weight, but weighs in at 16 lbs (only 25th percentile) and is 28 inches tall (90th percentile). Brody wears mostly 6-9 month clothes but I think he'll grow out of them length-wise sooner than later.
He's eating baby food purees twice a day and so far had tried: Applesauce, Peaches, Pears, Bananas, Prunes, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans and rice cereal. He doesn't seem to love the green beans anymore, but he likes the rest of what he's tried. I'm working on making most of his baby food and so far he loves my homemade carrot & sweet potato baby food.
He sits up great by himself and has learned to catch himself before he falls to the ground. He'll roll a little as he tumbles to soften the landing. And when he doesn't quite catch himself, he usually doesn't cry. Though every once and awhile he'll slip away, tumble or fall backwards resulting in tears that usually only last a few seconds. He even ended up with his first bruise this week. Since he's half-mine, I know he's in for many many more of those in his life.

He's still a very happy active baby boy. He doesn't like to be held still, but when he's sleepy or needs comforting, he's a great cuddler. He turns towards voices he recognizes and smiles at familiar faces. Even if your face is familiar though, he sometimes gets a bit apprehensive. I haven't quite figured it out. He may be experiencing some stranger anxiety, but it's a little early on the learning charts for that one.

No teeth yet but he continues to show symptoms of teething. It could be awhile before we see anything pop through or it could be right around the corner. It's really hard to tell!

Other new experiences for Brody this month include: first family vacation, first "swim" in lake Michigan (big fail!), first beach experience and first fireworks.

Happy 4th of July

Brody celebrated his first 4th of July this weekend. It was a busy weekend and overall he had a great time!

Saturday we headed downtown to the fireworks that I used to go to when I was a kid. It meant a lot to take Brody with me even though it took a toll on his regular sleep schedule. He decided to boycott his afternoon nap and didn't fall asleep until well after 9. Then when the fireworks started he woke up again. However, he didn't seem to mind the noise at all! He actually started to giggle at some points and just wanted to play. We were so close the fireworks that debri was falling down on us, so he stayed in his stroller well covered up. But we did let him see the fireworks a little.

Then on Sunday we headed to Brody's Uncle Nick & Aunt Jenny's house to celebrate the 4th with Jason's family. Again, his sleep schedule was very off. Despite his constant yawning and rubbing of eyes he refused to miss out on any fun by taking a nap. We couldn't get him to sleep all afternoon/evening and when he did fall asleep, he woke up 15 minutes later. Finally he fell asleep....once the fireworks started! Who knew that loud booming and crowd noise could put a baby to sleep? We were smart enough to keep him strapped in his carseat the whole time, so he slept through the fireworks and straight to bed when we got home. Apparently this is also the trick to getting him to sleep in until 8am.

To wrap up the fun-filled weekend, Monday afternoon we headed to the Brewers game. This was Brody's third Brewers game in his short 5 month life. He slept a bit during the game waking several times to loud cheers. I don't think he appreciated the crowd constantly interupting his sleep. He handled the heat really well, but his clothes didn't last long. What's cuter than a baby in nothing but a diaper in public? I didn't care as long as he was cool enough.

In the last month...

Brody has started eating solids:

Been swimming:

Started sitting unsupported (he cannot pull himself up yet, but will stay sitting for quite awhile!):

Got an exersaucer:

Started playing in a jumper:

He's also had multiple runny noses, fevers, two ear infections, a sinus infection, hives, rounds of antibiotics and passed all sorts of germs around the house! So between the doctor appointments, busy summer activities and my busy work schedule, things have been a bit quiet on here. If not sooner, I'll definitely be back to posting more regularly in the fall!