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!

Things I Love Right Now...

1) When she wakes up in the morning or from a nap, Baby K positions herself in rib so she can see her bedroom door and watch for us to come in.

2) The way Baby K "talks" to her little stuffed Elmo.

3) The way Baby K's face lights up when "Elmo's World" comes on.

4) How Baby K shakes her head no at the funniest times (I am sure this will one day be very annoying...) - I was wiggling my toe at her and she thought my toe was saying "no" ... so she shook her head at my toe.

5) When Baby K tries to give Elmo her binky.

6) How when you wave at her, Baby K will wave back at you - she even waves at her own reflection!

7) How when Baby K is looking at her photo album, she tries to pet Sadie's picture like she pets her in real life.

8) When I pick her up, Baby K acts like she couldn't be happier where she is - she almost shakes with excitement and squeezes me like she never wants me to put her down. It makes my heart so happy.

New Years Thru the Years

After putting together my last post and thinking back to all of our years of New Years celebrations, I decided to do a quick picture history of them! It's fun to see how we have changed through the years...

New Years 2005-2006

engaged

New Years 2006-2007
married

New Years 2007-2008

married

New Years 2008-2009

pregnant with Baby K

New Years 2009-2010

family of 3

Ringing In the New Year

Every year we venture to NC to spend New Year's with some of our friends. In fact, I have made this trip east every year since Brad and I have been together! The first one we were engaged, the second one we were married, the third one was just us, the fourth one I was pregnant, and this one we had another passenger - Baby K! This year was also a little different in that we rang in 2010 at the BEACH in North Carolina! It was obviously a bit cool, but it was nice because we essentially had the area to ourselves! Some of the highlights of the trip included all of the guys swimming in the Atlantic just after midnight (also known as "Polar Bear Clubbing"), the never-ending game of Phase 10, and being able to watch our teams play their bowl games. Below are some pictures of the adventure...enjoy! And Happy 2010!

Baby K helping pack her suitcase

Snoozing on the plane

The beach house

The kiddos

Hangin' out on the deck

Baby K and I watching the boys play football on the beach

Brad posing with Baby K too!

Happy 2010 from us to you!

Our family New Years picture - a little early - so Baby K could go to bed on time

Our annual HAPPY NEW YEAR picture

On New Years Day - Baby K ready to cheer Auburn on in their bowl game

Neat picture I took on the beach...

Another neat one...I love beach pictures

As I was walking back to the beach house, this is what I was able to see...

How beautiful - sunsets and the beach - it doesn't get much better!

Baby Girl and Momma about to go on a walk

Family shot

Baby K's first noodle experience :)

We are blessed with such great friends

Baby K's first highchair experience

Baby K excited to head home and see Sadie!

And We're Back!

So I have been meaning to do a few posts over the last week or so, and BAM! The stomach bug made a visit to our house...and it hit hard! Sweet Pea started throwing up while with Grandma (sorry, Grandma!) on Tuesday and it went downhill from there. Brad and I started feeling bad Wednesday afternoon, and by Wednesday night, we were in bed. Brad's mom came to bring us Sprite and Saltines and get Katie to bed (of course, after throwing up a couple times) and then went back to her house and she was sick too! Thursday we were all just draggy. Baby Girl was so lethargic and slept the vast majority of the day (and let's not forget, threw up ALL OVER Mom!), so we knew she had been hit hard. By Friday, I felt great, Brad felt better, and Sweet Pea went the whole day without getting sick! Hooray! Today we all feel so much better. I loved seeing that sweet baby smile, hearing that sweet baby giggle, and watching her clap. While it is clearly no fun to be sick, I'd say it is 10 times worse to see your sweet baby not feel good (not to mention, it becomes quite tricky when everyone in the household is sick!).

I will catch up on New Years and other posts in the next few days. For now, disinfecting the house :)

No? All Done? I'm So Silly?

Well, Baby K has a new 'trick'. She shakes her head as if she is saying 'no'. And she loves to do it when it is bottle time. Not sure if it is that she is finding her place in space and still figuring out how her body functions, or if she is really telling me she doesn't want anymore to eat! She will also sometimes to it just sitting there - such a silly girl. It is pretty funny until you are trying to get her to eat and all she wants to do is shake her head and play with the bottle! But I can't help but smile everytime she does it.

Happy New Year!!

I just wanted to wish you and your family a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. I hope 2010 is the best year yet - I look forward to seeing what it holds for our family for sure. Just like we do every year, we rang in 2010 with some of our best friends, but this year, we celebrated at the beach! Just after the ball dropped, all of the guys decided they were going to join the Polar Bear Club. Yes, that's right, they went swimming in the Atlantic at about 12:15 this morning. I am happy to report that I stayed warm and comfy at the beach house sipping my champagne while the crazies got cold and wet :) There will definitely be pictures to follow!

I hope you had a memorable new years and are blessed in 2010.

2009...What A Year...

As a new year approaches, I am reflecting back on what year 2009 has been. Gosh, it seems like we were just packing and heading to Greensboro, NC for our annual New Years trip to ring in '09! Since then a lot has happened!! We created a nursery in our house, we celebrated the impending arrival of Sweet Pea with family and friends, I had my last day at my oh-so-wonderful job (I miss all those ladies tons though I wouldn't trade where I am for the world!), I coordinated the first statewide conference of the adult sibling group in TN...and then our lives changed forever. Our hearts grew tenfold (at least). Our family was and continues to be blessed. Baby K was born. April 29. Man, what a journey. Parenthood is the most challenging and rewarding job there has ever been. I was sitting playing with Baby K tonight, and the sound of her laugh rights all the wrongs of the world. My heart just smiles everytime I see that gummy grin of hers. Becoming parents has taken mine and Brad's relationship to a whole new level - I love seeing him as a daddy. To have been the guy that would never even touch a baby, he has embraced his new role and I love seeing him do just about anything goofy to make Baby K grin. I love that he gets her in her jammies for the night while I get her bottle ready - when I walk in, they are usually rocking and reading a book. I love the little things for sure. These last 8 months have literally flown by. I honestly have no idea where they went! Baby K has grown leaps and bounds and continues to amaze us with her curiosity, feistiness, and zest for life. It's amazing that she's already had her first bath, first smile, sat up, first cereal, first baby food, first rolling over, first time sleeping in her crib, first time with a babysitter....wow. I know there are so many more firsts that are so exciting, but I just can't believe all that has already happened.

In 2009, we were still able to travel a little bit! We took our first family trip (including Sadie!) to the beach and Baby K went on an airplane for the first time to visit Nanny and Papa in Phoenix. We also went to Louisville when Baby K was just 7 weeks old to celebrate my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. We went to Memphis for a night for a holiday party. I'd say Baby K has done pretty well - she will have visited 4 states by the time she is 8 months old (we are heading to the beach in NC tomorrow)!

We continue to be blessed with wonderful family and friends. I look forward to 2010 when two of my best friends will get married. I am so lucky that I will be there to help them celebrate such an important and wonderful time in their lives. We are blessed with good health. We are blessed that Brad has a great job and that I am able to stay at home with Baby K. This year I also started a part-time job. In August, I began working 8 hours, from home, doing what I love - I am the Sibling Project Coordinator. Come January 1, I will begin taking on more responsibilities and work 16 hours from home. I will be the sole person responsible for all of the programs offered to people that have siblings with disabilities. I can't wait to see what happens, as I hope to grow the programs this year.

We are blessed. And I can't wait to see what blessings 2010 has to bring...

8 Months Old

Just a few days shy of being "officially" 8 months old :)

"It's all about the U, right Papa??"

All snuggly and ready to go on a walk!

As I sit here and type this, I am watching this sweet baby girl get on all fours, rock back and forth, and take one "crawl forward"!! Wow - she really is growing up too fast. She is really good at scooting backwards and rolling around. She has also gotten to be a pro at the sitting thing (although she got her first bump on the head yesterday after trying to turn around while sitting and taking a header into the entertainment center - she is fine though!). She is grunting, fake coughing (and then laughing at herself), and is quite talkative (dadadada is her favorite). She loves tracking Sadie walking throughout the house. She goes from the superman fly position to the plank pushup position. I know one thing is for sure - we are going to have to babyproof this house stat!! She loves all baby food, is getting better with the pincer grasp (index - thumb grasp), and loves it when I give her water out of a real cup. The other day I gave her a little piece of hashbrown and a small green bean because she was opening her mouth everytime I gave myself a bite - she loved it!! She still has NO teeth - I swear that is going to happen so soon and it just has not yet! She claps and jumps on command and recognizes her name. She makes the funniest grins where she grins so big her eyes close and she even snorts sometimes! I can't wait to see what happens in the next month. She is growing leaps and bounds every week it seems - in fact, each day it seems as if she is learning something new. I look forward to waking up each day to see what she will learn and see that look of amazement and excitement on her face.