Playing at Cee Cee's House

A few weeks ago, we went and hung out at Cee Cee's house for a morning. I am so glad that K wore her Elmo shirt - it barely fit her!! I'd definitely say that shirt ran a bit small - it fit her like spandex! But isn't it oh so cute?? She loved the fact that everytime she looked down, she saw her favorite, furry friend (other than Sadie of course). Here are a few pictures of the day...she is quite active now - no more laying there with one toy and being content!

I absolutely love this picture. It shows her happy disposition.

This expression cracks me up! It's as if she is saying "OK, Mom, ENOUGH pictures!"

Going to discover what's in this room over here

The latest "Cheerio face" - and she found the fridge!

Action shot - she is always on the move these days!

What's New Today?

Well this morning we walked in to get Baby K up and she has discovered the fact that she can pull up in her crib! She had just pulled up onto her knees - I think being in the sleep sack makes it more difficult to stand all the way up. She also imitated when I said "uh oh" after she dropped something. She goes to the door and says "out". I just love this stage and all the new discoveries and experiences each day holds! Here are some pictures from fairly recently. I know I am biased, but isn't she just adorable?!

It Finally Happened...

I wondered when it would happen. I know it was just a matter of time. Well, today is the big day. That's right...just a few minutes ago, Katie crawled to the back door and I swear she said "out" when she was at that door - and she went to the front door in her walker earlier this morning and said "out" then too!....anyway, I digress....Katie crawled to the door to the deck and got a little sidetracked. She saw this neat thing sitting nearby that was the perfect height to pull up onto. So she did. And what did she find?? Sadie's food and water bowls!

Poor dog - guess we will have to move that now...

Getting the PBK Look for Less

So this is what I was wanting from PBK. We got Katie's stocking there and it is so cute. But I was having a hard time knowing we would be spending more than $50 on an Easter basket.

Lucky for me, the next day I was out shopping for other things and came across a cute basket at Michael's for $15. I had a 40% off coupon also, which brought it down to $9. The next step was the $5 personalization thanks to Leigh at Sew For You Embroidery. And so, for $14 instead of $54, I got this. And I love it! And I hope Katie will love it for many years to come. We can't wait to dye eggs and see if the Easter Bunny comes!

Fabulous February

As promised, here is the update from the month of February. Now I remember why I usually post more frequently...this is a lot of pictures!! Anyways, I'm glad to have caught up with last month - now only about a week into March. And I have other posts I want to do. So...here we go...

"Who IS that cute baby???"

I went to a Predators game with Tanja

Celebrating Will's birthday - he wouldn't keep his eyes open, so this will have to do!

Baby K celebrating Uncle Will's birthday

Looking cute

I went to Sips n Strokes and this was my painting! So much fun!

She's got boots with the fur!

Looking so big and grown up

Yes, that is Fergie. Yes, I went to the Black Eyed Peas concert...SO much fun!!

Baby K's Valentine's goodies

Having fun with her new stuff!

Mine & Brad's Valentine's feast (Prosciutto & Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken, Asparagus, Pasta, my favorite wine, and a cake I made!)

We got dressed up for the occasion :)

She looks so big standing there!

Looking oh-so-cute and actually being still for a split second

She started trying to sit forward when she was in her swing - and she learned how to grab the bar and stop it. Needless to say, we are returning it to its owner.

Love this outfit - and she looks so big again! I'm still getting used to the standing up thing.

Her "Sporty Spice" look...

"Mom, come on. This cup is as big as I am!!"

Love this one...once again, I'm amazed she sat still and smiled and I was able to capture it :)

Whirlwind of Activity

Every day brings new experiences. Especially when you are 10 months old. It seems like just this past week Baby K has just blossomed. She has new words, new funny faces, new movement...it is just amazing! She is now EVERYWHERE!! She is speed crawling and getting into everything. She is pulling up on her play table and on the couch. She is also starting to cruise around - very cautiously. She sometimes makes what I call the "cheerio face" when she gets excited (she makes her mouth a tiny "o"). She loves to do call-and-response with yelling and with making a "ppffffftttt" sound. Her vocabulary now consists of these words: Mama, Dada, up, book, dog, bug, bye-bye (accompanied by waving her hands - adorable). She loves it when I sing the "ABCs". We are also working on blowing kisses - I think she understands what to do but is just not consistent yet.

Since she was teensy tinsy, we would hold her and dance around to a song/beat we made up. She has loved it ever since the very first time. Now, when she is on the floor, if we sing the song, she will dance by herself. I love it. She is so happy and so curious.

We have also, just the past couple of days, started giving her just three bottles a day of 8 or 9 ounces. She seems to be doing fine with that change as she is still eating three meals and sleeping wonderfully.

I can hardly believe that I am about to begin planning her first birthday party. Can it be possible?? Wow...I love her so much and am so blessed to be her mommy. Stay tunes for a big February Post - I have lots of pictures that will accompany that one!!

10 Months Already!

Well, it is official - we have a 10 month old baby girl. Since it is not Leap Year, we did not have a February 29 to mark her official "10 month birthday". So since it is March 2, I feel safe to say 10 months now. She is continuing to learn, grow, and explore. She has perfected her crawling technique - she now gets up on all fours and takes off! Her noises make me smile (yes, even the crying...most of the time). Her facial expressions make me laugh. I love her so much. She is the most perfect, kissable spot on her face that I kiss every night before she goes to sleep - between her eyes on the bridge of her nose. Cutie Pie has not met a food she doesn't like. She would eat all day if someone would continue feeding her or putting items on her tray to pick up. She continues to look around and take it all in. She is nosy. She always wants to know what other people are talking about. Wonder where she gets that from??? :) Here is where Baby K stands now:

Diapers: Size 3
Clothes: Just moved into 12 month size (yay for a new wardrobe!)
Food: As I mentioned previously, she loves eating! The three meals a day are treating her well - she recently tried pimiento cheese, refried beans, Mexican rice, pound cake, twice baked potato, cottage cheese....she loves it all! She is still doing 4 bottles a day of anywhere from 5 - 7 ounces each.
Talking: She sounds like she is really trying to have a conversation sometimes. She sometimes talks with her hands too! One exciting item - she says "Momma" now!! She also says "dah" which I swear is her way of saying "dog". She also says "buh" which means "book". She says both of those words at just the right time! She also says the "ra" sound a lot these days. I have noticed when I work with her to say a sound, she really tries to mimic my word. So fun!
Crawling: Just the past week or so, Baby K has perfect the crawl and is quite mobile now! She knows she can get around. Sometimes, mid-crawl, she will stop and look back like "WOW! I crawled a long way!" I love that.
Pulling Up: She is doing it - she will pull herself up on me all the way to standing. She tries to pull herself up on the ottoman or the coffee table and is a little hesitant still. She knows I won't let her hurt herself but is a little weary of other objects (which I am a-okay with!).
Walking: When in the walker, she backs up like a pro - almost like running backwards. When it comes to going forward, she sometimes jumps (using both feet) and other times alternates feet. If you hold her hand (or she holds your finger) she will take about 10 steps and stop for a little while. She is going to be up and at 'em before we know it!
Sleeping: Still sleeping like a champ - about 12 hours a night. Mommy likes this...a lot. :)
Teeth: Those 2 teeth on the bottom are SHARP! And on the bottom left (next to the bottom left tooth) another has cut through - so she has three teeth!
Other: My favorite these days is that she will say "bye bye" and wave. Usually she waves at herself when she says it. And her voice is so delicate and dainty when she says it!! Also, in the car, we will have yelling contests :) She will squeal or yell and I will do it back - we go back and forth for probably 2 minutes that way. Also, she is almost too big for her carrier! Looks like the transition to the big girl carseat will be soon!

I will be posting some pictures soon - I just uploaded 400 pictures that I took in February, so looks like a "February Update" post will soon follow!

Look What I Just Made...

So I decided I would make a 'sticker' to put with my Heart Smiles posts. I have been meaning to get creative for some time and decided that tonight was the night (even though I am exhausted)! So, here it is...hopefully you will see this many more times as I come across things that warm my heart...or make it smile :)

On a somewhat related note, my brother had wrist fusion surgery today. All went well and he was able to go home this afternoon as opposed to staying in the hospital for one night. Thank goodness! I know he is more comfy at home...can't blame him there. That would be why I am so worn out - I got to the hospital at 7 and didn't leave til about 3:30 (plus we have my mom's and his dog here and she and Sadie both woke up at 4:30...and so did I).

This weekend I plan to upload all of my pictures from February (any guesses as to how many there will be??) and do a big update. For now...my bed and the latest issue of Real Simple sound quite amazing!!

Heart Smiles

Baby K was showing Sadie her photo album (which she LOVES!) ... I just love this ... Baby K must have just gotten up because she definitely still has a severe case of bed head (and is still in her jammies!). Baby K is already using Sadie's ears to pull up :) Little does Sadie know that one day, sooner rather than later, this little lady is going to be her very best friend!!

Smooches!!

January Firsts

OK so this post has been a long time coming (considering it IS the middle of February!), so here it is! The month of January was full of firsts for Miss Priss! Every day is now bringing something new and exciting with it - whether it is her making a new sound or that she is able to get around even better or that she actually has a curl of hair over her ear! I wanted to do a picture montage (aren't you surprised???) of some of the fun firsts through the month of January....here it goes! ...

NOODLES!! ....

SITTING IN A HIGHCHAIR .....

GETTING MY VERY OWN ELMO (thanks, Cee Cee!) ....

SNOW!! ....

WALKING IN A WALKER ...

TEETHING BISCUIT (she loves making a mess!) ...

RIDING TOY ....

SLEDDING EXPERIENCE ....

...and....TEETH!! THOUGH IT IS HARD TO TELL IN THIS PICTURE, SHE DOES HAVE HER TWO BOTTOM TEETH POKING THROUGH!

Heart Smiles

This post is going to be sort of odd - no picture! This morning, I was just sitting watching Baby K do her thing...crawl (or "inch worm" as we call it) around the floor, pick at the dog hair on the ground (ew), and play with her toys. She has also discovered that she does not have to stay in the area where she always plays - she can play with the dog's toys from her basket (ew, again) or she can go into Mommy & Daddy's room or she can go to the front door!! She doesn't have to stay on carpet - she can explore on hardwood floors! She was in the midst of making her way to Sadie's basket of toys when....

....her favorite, furry, red, little monster came on TV. That's right ... Elmo! And he was singing his song, too!... "La, la, la la.....la, la, la, la....Elmo's World...." She stopped everything. She looked at my with the sweetest grin. She looked at the TV and giggled. And then she clapped. She was so thrilled that Elmo came on the TV and was singing his song to her!

My heart smiled.

First Snow!!

I am a bit delayed in many of the posts that will be coming soon. One of them - Baby K's first snow experience(s). That's right - she has already played in the snow TWICE! The first time was enough to warrant pictures being taken, and the second was the most snow in the area in about 7 years - pretty impressive! And of course, I had to include a shot or two of Sadie...she absolutely loves the snow. She likes to dig in it with her nose so it ends up all over her face! Enjoy the few pictures here....

I think she was wondering what in the world all this cold, wet, white stuff was! She was so bundled up she could barely move.

One of my favorites from the beginning of the big snowfall!

Brad used Baby K's baby bathtub and converted it into a sled - he pulled her in it using Sadie's leash! I think she enjoyed it...

A family shot of us playing in the snow - actually a pretty good picture!

Heart Smiles

I have decided to try and do a series of posts titled "Heart Smiles" with pictures, quotes, etc. that, well, make my heart smile.

I absolutely love this picture - Baby K loves it when Daddy tosses her in the air. It is often part of the bedtime routine (unless she is grumpy because she has already seen her bottle waiting on her). If that smile doesn't make your heart smile, I don't know what would.

9 Months of Fun

Well, it really has been nine months (and a couple of days - sorry for the tardiness in this post!) since sweet Baby K graced us with her presence. She brightens every facet of my life. I can't wait to go into her room each morning and see that sweet smile that just screams excitement. I love all of her dainty, sweet noises. I love when she yells emphatically. I love seeing her play with her daddy (and as a side note, I love seeing Brad as a daddy - rather amazing, I must say). I love feeding her that last bottle of the day and kissing her on the forehead and telling her I love her before laying her down in the crib. I love how our family is perfect and the love we have for each other is perfect. Watching the joy and curiosity Sweet Pea has every single day is amazing.

Today we went for her 9 month appointment. I am happy to report that we all left a little happier because there were no shots! The only thing slightly traumatic was a finger prick to do a routine anemia check. Once the initial shock (pain) wore off, Baby K was so curious as to what the nurse was doing. She was definitely watching very intently! Maybe she was just keeping an eye on that nurse to make sure she wasn't going to prick her finger another time :) At 9 months, Baby K weighs 20 pounds even (65th-75th%) and is 28.25 inches in length (75th percentile). She is right on track and hitting all of the developmental milestones. She is now old enough to eat three meals a day, and pretty much any foods we feel comfortable feeding her. Let the messes begin! We also discussed the switch to cow's milk at 12 months...man, will it be nice to not have to buy formula! Here are some other stats at this point in her life:

Diapers: Size 3
Clothes: 6-9 month still...but planning to make the transition to all 12 month clothes very soon
Food: 4 bottles/day of 7 oz each; she loves anything we will feed her; she loves to feed herself anything small; she is very impatient when it comes to food time; she likes to bite down on the sippy cup
Talking: these are the sounds she makes - "da", "ma", "ba", "puh", "ta", "na", and sometimes "ya"
Crawling: She is like an inchworm! She has not just taken off quite yet but she definitely gets to wherever she wants to go.
Walking: Not yet - no pulling up either.
Sleeping: She sleeps 12-13 hours at night and takes 2 1.5 hour naps (at around 11 and 3)
Teeth: She has 2! The bottom front teeth cut through a couple of days ago.
Other: She knows "clap" and "jump"; she can wave to people; she shakes her head "no" (though I'm not sure she connects that that is what it means)


And as usual, here are some pictures....she is such a ham!