How's that baby!

We get lots of questions about what/how Kaelyn is doing. Is she crawling? Does she have any teeth? Is she eating well? Does she sleep well?

Well, she isn't crawling. She does do a little scoot thing, but it doesn't take her very far. Just over this past week she had a tooth pop through and shortly thereafter the other one popped through. So the 2 bottom teeth are working there way up. She is still struggling with solids. We have found that she really likes yogurt so she's been eating that every day for over a month. (I discussed this with her doctor, he was fine with it. He did suggest pushing the rice cereal so we add it to the yogurt.) Usually once a day I try to give her something new (and we have tried many different combinations and have also tried to add them to the yogurt). I made a miniature breakthrough with mango/banana puree. The texture is very close to yogurt and she willingly took a few bites. Her next appointment is February 7th. The doctor (and I) were hoping she would widen her range of food intake by then. He seemed to be concerned about it. :(

As for sleeping she does well. We have our ups and downs, but she is usually sleeping through the night without any issues. Right before her little teeth made their appearance she was sleeping poorly, but that was expected.

She's still a little peanut. She probably weighs about 18 pounds and is wearing 9 month size clothes (she'll be 9 months old in 11 days).

She's a great little girl. She has started to clap which is super cute. In the morning when she wakes up she cries mamamamama... or at least that is what it sounds like to me :) She's doing so much better with other people holding her. She likes to hit the windows and squeak her hand down them. Tim puts her on his shoulders and she loves it - she squeals and slaps his head. One super fun little lady baby!!

A blog about what I'm NOT blogging about...

I've actually started several blogs recently, but decided against posting them. Let me begin by saying that I Google everything (as maybe most of you do as well). Sometimes I get really caught up in things and go on a googling frenzy. For instance, I was totally consumed by Beyonce and Jay-Z having their baby. Yes, I do follow some celebrity gossip, but I don't normally get too wrapped up in it. Well, I started reading these reports about whether Beyonce used a surrogate (based on my research, I vote No on this issue). Then I started reading about their extravagant hospital renovations (first it was half the maternity floor, than they said it was the whole floor... who knows). Then there were reports about the security being too tight for the "normal folk", and reports of people saying they didn't have a problem at all, then about the name Blue (as if their baby is the Blueprint for all other babies as Jay-Z has said HE is the blueprint for all rappers, ugh). Anyway, my afternoon (at work mind you) became about this family. It's stupid and I hate that I wasted my time reading about it. It was short lived and I'm totally over it.

As most know I'm breastfeeding my daughter, Kaelyn. We're reaching the 9 month marker and I'm proud of it. I've done a lot of research on breastfeeding especially since I struggled with it in the beginning. I've become a mini-nazi with the whole "breast is best" attitude. I try not to have conversations about breastfeeding because I swear my eyes widen a 1/4 of an inch and I become a little dictator-ish. And rather than being informative I just sound like I've lost my mind. So, anytime I've read negative comments or ignorant view points (haha) about breastfeeding I immediately want to set that person straight. Many blogs have been started about this...but I refuse to let myself post them. But I'm sure, just like the Beyonce and Jay-Z fiasco, I will get over my obsession. I imagine I will always support breastfeeding, but probably not with the same psychotic-like attitude :)

Ornaments are my fav!

For the past 5 years my husband has always picked out a new ornament, wrapped it, and had me open it on Christmas Eve. This year we decided to go together and pick one out. The tree ornaments are one of our favorite parts of Christmas. Each are always wrapped in tissue paper (Tim's doing) so as you open it, it's like a little surprise. We have a few from our honeymoon in Disney, a wedding cake my Mom got the year we got married, our childhood ornaments, and now our family ornaments. My sister has always stayed with us Christmas Eve night so her name was included on many of the ornaments. Obie of course has been included as well. This year was extra special because we got to add Kaelyn and rather than saying 'Kristie' and 'Tim' we said 'Mom' and 'Dad'. This will be the first year Karen doesn't stay with us Christmas Eve. She has her own thing going on now. :)

So, a few changes this year. I look forward to when Kaelyn gets to choose her own ornament for the tree.

I love this time of year...

It's hard to believe that Christmas is coming right up. Tim and Kaelyn picked out a Christmas tree yesterday. I felt a little sad that I didn't get to tag along, but with our schedules being completely opposite it made sense for them to do it during the week. This way it gives the tree time to settle and then we can decorate it this weekend. Tim said she was a little afraid of it at first, but she seems to have adjusted to it quickly. I can't believe Kaelyn will be just about 8 months old by the time Christmas rolls around. I've been debating on what to buy her (if anything) for Christmas. It's not like she has any idea what will be going on. She'll probably just chew the wrapping paper and be super happy about it! I did find a toy that we're going to get her - Bat and Wobble Penguin. It's perfect! She can hit it and we don't have to keep picking it up, it has balls that make noise on the inside, and it plays music when you hit it. She loves music!! She has a little doggy that makes music and she'll rock back and forth when we turn it on. Super cute stuff. We hardly watch any TV while Kaelyn is up because she is glued to it so we just turn the station to a Sirius Radio Christmas station (the picture is only a title bar telling you what is playing). We definitely get our fill of Christmas music each and every day.

Needless to say I'm looking forward to getting the tree and the house decorated. I think this weekend we'll find Kaelyn's first ornament! :)

Mental Health Day

Poop, Poop and more Poop!

I woke up at 4:50a.m. to Kaelyn wanting her breakfast. No biggy. I crawl out of bed, grab my glasses and take one step *hmm...that seemed a little wet*. Keep in mind it is very dark at 4:50 a.m. and I don't turn any lights on because Tim is in bed. I head to the bathroom and step in some more wet, cold squishy stuff - this time I'm SURE it's poop. I turn the bathroom light on and find a small piece of poop outside of the bathroom door. I clean my foot off, go to the bathroom, wash my hands, and go into Kaelyn's room. HUGE poop in her room! UGH. I bypass the poop and get Kaelyn to take care of her needs first. Afterwards I pick up Obie's poop (obviously it wasn't like Tim pooped on the floor, right?) And I head back to bed...but wait, I stepped in something in the bedroom too... or so I thought. Again, Tim is sleeping so I don't want to turn the light on so I grab my cellphone and shine it on the floor. OH MY GOD OBIE RUBBED HIS DIRTY ASS IN A CIRCLE NEXT TO MY BED. Lord please help me. Tim hears me say "oh my God" and he says "what" in a worried voice. I'm like Obie friggin' pooped in the house and wiped his butt next to the bed! What do I do? Crawl back into bed.

I wake up again at 7:00 to Kaelyn chatting and kicking in bed - she's getting ready for second breakfast. I take care of Kaelyn and get myself some breakfast. I begin to clean up the poop stains while Kaelyn plays in her ExerSaucer. I leave the bedroom for later so Tim can keep sleeping. After the difficult weekend and waking up to poop all over the rug I decide to call in for a mental health day. Fast forward to about 8:00 and Kaelyn's sick of the ExerSaucer so I take her out "hmm, did you poop". I set her on the changing table and as I begin to pull back her diaper .... OH BOY! is this up your back sweetie? I start to clean it up... oh this is WAY up your back. I manage to strip off her clothes and clean her up a little with a wipe. By this point Tim is up and helps me run a bath. I clean up the poop monster while Tim cleans the circle/streak of crap in the bedroom. Not exactly what he (or I) was hoping to do after waking up.

If the events of this weekend/Monday morning are not a good enough reason to take a Mental Health Day than I don't know what is.