Thankful for a wonderful 10 months!

I know I say it every month, but I can't believe another one has passed by. 10 months old already! Kaylee just keeps impressing us daily. I've noticed that when I tell parents of multiples about something cute Kaylee did, I tend to get a courtesy smile and nod as if to say "she's definitely a first time mom". I imagine that could be said about our blog too. But to that I say, I absolutely love rejoicing in every aspect of my baby. I am thankful she is healthy, is developing on track, and is a very happy baby. I've recently been around a mom who does not take joy in her children and verbally expresses her angst to anyone in earshot. It makes me sad but has really pointed out to me just how important it is to notice the small things and take pride in every aspect of my child. Instead of getting frustrated when she cries and I can't figure it out, I praise God that I HAVE a baby to hold and love. When she wakes up at 4am wide awake wanting to "talk" to me, I thank God for these mother-daughter "conversations" and pray that they will continue into her adulthood. (if she's like me, she'll talk my ear off even as a high schooler - those are conversations with my mom that I cherish to this day). And this might sound crazy, but poopy diapers even give me reason to be thankful. Her internal systems work right! Sometimes you just have to get creative at wording what your thankful for.

Anyway, on to the monthly update. Kaylee loves to dance to pretty much any song but especially computer generated songs (called midi files, or something like that). She's finally put two and two together to figure out that when she pushes the buttons on toys, they make sounds. So now she can continue her dancing without mommy or daddy having to keep pushing buttons for her. Another step towards independence! Still no crawling, but she likes to roll and wiggle to get places. She continues to eat so well and typically eats whatever we're having for dinner. She could eat chicken flavored rice (rice-a-roni but a healthier version) all day if we let her.

(Don't worry, there isn't as much rice in her hand as it looks)

She has just figured out "sharing". If she has food in her hand, she'll take a bite and then want to put it in your mouth. Same with toys. You have to take the item or she gets mad. But then she wants it back, so I guess she's learning how to let people "borrow" not share. haha She has also started mimicking us. If we talk using our hands, she does too. This is her mimicking my scrunched face.

She also is less interested in taking pictures than she used to be. She is easily distracted by anything and everything.

She's sleeping through the night, typically anywhere from 10-12 hours straight. And she finally has her 2 bottom front teeth! Mommy is relieved about that one, I actually had a dream that she still didn't have teeth at 2 years old. whew!

And lastly, the dogs still love her. She thinks they're funny and they love to clean up the floor after she eats. It's a win-win situation.

March showers bring April flowers...at least in NC that's how it works

After a week of being sick with the stomach flu, a random rash, and unknown allergies we had to get outside for a breather...but not breathing in too deeply because the pollen is ridiculous and we don't need those allergies too.

Back in November John planted a Crape Myrtle tree for Kaylee. Here she is then, and now:



Last year at this time I was 6 months pregnant!


And this year we have a 9 1/2 month old!






And just a random shot of Kaylee's funny sleeping positions, yes she's sound asleep like this.

(it was 90 degrees here last week which explains the lack of pj's)

The Easter Bunny came to the boonies!

Check out this bow I made today!!!

9 months

3/4 of a year old! Where did the time go? And why can't I remember how tiny she actually was at birth?! Spring cleaning this week led to putting away outfits (to save) from the past 9 months and I really can't remember holding a 4lb 15 oz baby who fit into premie clothes!! This month brought a few new things and mastering a few old things.

• Standing
• Clapping
• Waving to anyone and everyone
• Asking for more by holding her hand out
• Closing her mouth tightly when she's done eating something
• Shaking her head no if she doesn't want something
• Sleeping 11 hours straight in her crib (this is more of a feat for mommy though, I really enjoyed having her in my bed and close by)
• Can almost get herself into a sitting position from laying down
• Rolling across the room to get places
• Pets the dogs and mimics them when they are panting
• Whines when you take something away from her (sooo cute but I'm sure in a few months I'll be tired of it! ha!)

She's tried a few new foods and so far the only thing she doesn't like is Cod (fish) and carrots, which is fine because we don't care for those things either. She loves asparagus stalks, so easy to hold and the tops are so soft they fall apart in her mouth.


Cheese quesadillas are her most favorite snack though, and I must admit that they are so helpful while I make dinner. She can't bite them yet (still no teeth poking out) but she pretty much sucks them to death.

She's also tried the new Starbucks baby food! Not because we're that posh, but because we have "connections". It is wonderful for adding flavor to oatmeal, but it is too runny for just plain eating. Although in a pinch, I'm sure it would work.


Kaylee and I suffered through sinus infections at the start of the month. I got it first (I blame the walmart shopping cart for the germs) and then poor little girl caught it a few days later. It was her first and only illness in her 9 months so I can't complain. Gotta hand it to the goodness of breastmilk!

Hopefully month 10 will bring some teeth!! I can feel them coming, they're just being stubborn.

Gotta have your sound on for this one...

We're coming to San Jose in June so I thought I should get Kaylee prepared...

(excuse the pile of clothes behind us...putting laundry away just wasn't as fun as this!)

Spring has sprung!

You are my sunshine!

It was BEAUTIFUL today!! All 3 of us went for a walk in the morning before John headed to work. Then Kaylee and I hung out on the front deck to enjoy the sun and warmth.

Kaylee was fascinated by her shadow and tried very hard to catch it...so hard that she got frustrated when her hands came up empty! Good thing she is easily distracted and we moved on to taking more pictures.

we need Wendy-bird to sew the shadow back on!

Random

Life as a stay at home mom of an 8 month old isn't all that adventurous, so we have to make up our own fun. This week consisted of reminiscing about my mom, in the best way possible...food.
Memory #1: Yogurt
I have no idea why, but Safeway brand yogurt stands out in my head as something we ate often as kids. Kaylee has started eating yogurt this past week and she absolutely loves every flavor tried so far - Dano-nino's vanilla, peach/mango, and strawberry/banana. Before you get upset that I gave my baby dairy before she's a year old, I DID check with a registered dietician and our pediatrician who explained that the proteins in milk that cause allergies are limited after the culturing process. So we tried a little yogurt and waited to see if there were any reactions. No negative reactions, so yogurt has become a favorite. Here is the mess we make with yogurt...I'm sure I could be a lot more efficient, but how cute is this face?!

If you're up to date on your Lady Gaga music, you might sing "yo-yo-yo-yogurt face" like I do while bouncing around the kitchen. Maybe that's why her face looks like this!

Memory #2: Chocolate and pretzels
My mom often said that chocolate went well with salty things (she would have loved the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks) and so another snack that was common in our house was mini-pretzels in a little bowl with chocolate chips. The BEST way to eat them is to put a chocolate chip upside down in each hole in the pretzel (3), then put the whole thing in your mouth at once. Well, I didn't have mini-pretzels or chocolate chips, but I did have pretzel sticks and dipping chocolate so this was my snack one day this week. Kaylee will have to wait awhile for these though.


And last but not least, Memory #3: Sewing
Not just sewing straight lines, but actually following a pattern to make an outfit for Kaylee. My mom made many of our clothes over the years. Matching Easter outfits for us 3 girls, cheerleading uniforms for my whole team (oops, did I just let that cat out of the bag!), costumes, and we even had matching dresses for my cousin's wedding in 2001! She was an excellent seamstress and creator, partially due to her insane attention to details. I, on the other hand, hate details. So following patterns is not my forte. However, I did feel that it is my duty, as a mom who does know how to sew, to make at least one outfit. Here's a sneak peak.

See food, pick up food, eat food...sounds so easy!

or even better....

picasion.com

So this is what a blog is for....

5 years, 6 months later I finally got angry. Now mind you, my "anger" lasted a few minutes and really only took place in my head as I drove to the grocery store with Kaylee sleeping soundly in the backseat. You would think that having a baby would have triggered missing my mom more than it really has, but I blame that on me being too practical in daily life. Sure I can miss my mom, but what good does it do Kaylee and John to have me moping around the house? No good comes of that, so I express my sadness occasionally, talk about my mom often, and look for ways to remember her. What brought this on you ask? Last night Kaylee ate chicken and rice off my dinner plate, one of many milestones in her 8 months, probably not something huge to anyone but her own mom. But today as I tried to share my excitement I realized that the one person who I really wanted to hear this story was my mom. So I got angry. Believe it or not, today was the first time I have ever wanted to slap that stupid guy. But in true fashion, my anger subsided quickly and I was back to having forgiven the guy. Someday I'll see my mom in Heaven and she'll tell me that she heard all my stories along the way. Until then, I'll continue sharing my stories on the blog. Here is the chicken and rice story...again, it's a pretty boring story if you aren't Kaylee's mom, but sharing it with the "masses" feels good.

So I made New Orleans style rice (similar to rice a roni) and Chipotle BBQ'd chicken for dinner. Kaylee was sitting in my lap as I attempted to eat my meal. She reached onto my plate, grabbed a handful of rice, and shoveled it into her mouth. What makes this a milestone is that she is just barely learning to grab at small things on her highchair tray, and even when she does grab small things she doesn't get them into her mouth easily. She hasn't had extra flavored food yet (i.e. salt, bbq sauce, spices, etc) so I was expecting her to spit it out, but she chomped away at the rice, licked her lips, and opened her mouth for more. So I gave her more! She sat there smiling and opening her mouth for more and more. Feeling bold I gave her a few tiny bites of the spicy bbq'd chicken to complete the meal. She munched on that with her gums, swallowed and opened for more. I cut her off after a few bites since it was all so new and there were so many different spices involved. I wasn't sure how she'd react. Today all has been good, no signs of intolerance, and infact had rice again for dinner. I am amazed at her eating. There hasn't been anything that she turned her nose up at (other than the unripe mango, but who wouldn't say no to that), and meal times are stress-free. I really credit the book Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter for our great food successes. Thanks Kathy!!!