David, Lisa, Kayla & Isaac

1. Kayla took her first steps this weekend! David was helping her stand up and had his hand on the small of her back, and she took 2-3 steps towards me (before falling). She has done this several times since! Also, several times now I have seen her walking around some piece of furniture... let go... and take 1-2 steps on her own to reach the next piece of furniture. So, we certainly aren't walking yet. But first steps, check!!!

2. We had an "operation rescue mission" moment in our house this week. We got locked out of Kayla's room. We've had trouble with her door before (before she was born), but tightened the lock and haven't had any issues since. So, the other night I was nursing her and laying her down to bed.... and I couldn't get out. I stompted on the floor (our cue if I need David) so he came up and was easily able to open the door. In hindsight, I'm not sure why we then closed the door. But we did. And then we couldn't open it again. Thankfully Kayla was asleep and didn't need attention. And thankfully we thought to try to open it right then, and not in the middle of the night if she woke up upset, or in the morning after David was gone! However, David spent the next HOUR AND A HALF trying to get into the room. In the process, we tore open the trim and completely destroyed the door. We were talking about using a sawzall (yeah, like that wouldn't scare poor Kayla to death).... or David throwing his body weight against it and breaking through (um, yeah, that was his idea)... however he was able to cut the (hollow) door open with a knife and chissel out the lock. Praise the Lord that she was able to sleep through a ton of banging.... I would have felt horrible if we woke her up and then couldn't get to her and comfort her. So, now we have a new project: replace all upstairs doors. I say all, because we had looked at replacing the hardware last year when we had issues with it previously (also have issues with the guest room door). We bought new hardware, but our doors are so old that new hardware won't fit in it. So, we ended up being able to fix (so we thought) the door and we just pretended everything was ok. Now we obviously need to replace Kayla's lock and door, and the guest room lock and door (since that already had issues), and David broke the lock to our room trying to understand how the lock worked as he was trying to get into Kayla's room. So, if we replace 3 out of the 4 doors, we might as well replace all 4. But where does this end? Do we replace the doors to the closets in those rooms? Do we replace the doors in the downstairs too? And, of course, they prime the doors white, but you still have to paint them... so we'll have to paint them. But the white paint we use won't match the trim. So, do we paint the trim? And if we do, we might as well just paint the hallway which I have been wanting to paint for some time now! But before we paint, we should really patch drywall over the laundry shoot... since we used it to house electrical wires from the bathroom project! Oh - and I should mention that the doors are an unusual height, meaning where either spend a ton of money on a special order, or we have to cut the door several inches, and then glue back on the strip of wood that goes on the bottom. Where does it end? I'm overwhelemed just thinking about it.

3. I remember being pregnant and thinking, "Hey, when I'm home with Kayla, maybe I can paint the hallways while she's taking a nap?!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...... I clearly did not have realistic expectations!

4. Speaking of unrealistic expectations... one of my good friends was pregnant for the 2nd time while I was pregnant. We'd complain about aches and pains and such, and she'd always say, "Well, they're (kids) a heck of a lot easier to take care of on the inside than on the outside!" And I didn't believe her! HAHAHAHAHA

5. I have been saying for at least 6 weeks that I'm either pregnant or PMSing. My emotions had been swinging more than normal, and I seem to be extremely emotional for no good reason (crying at commercials, at songs on the radio, etc!). I kept saying this, and then got to thinking, what if I am pregnant? How would I even know? How far along would I be before I found out? So, after several weeks of this, I decided it was time to face the music and take a pregnancy test. It came back negative. However, those strong emotions were still there, and I continued to say, "I think I'm pregnant!". Well, this week, I got all weepy over nothing, my back started hurting, and boom... I got a God given negative pregnancy test. Can't say I'm missed this monthly reminder, seeing as how it's been like a year and a half. But at least now I know! :) The thought of being pregnant, let alone having a second child right now, is exhausting!

6. Kayla got her 2nd molar this weekend, making 10 teeth total. The bottom 2 molars are huge bulges under the gums, so I expect them to pop through any day now. I can tell she is in pain, which is sad. And she'll knaw on just about anything to get that counterpressure! Thank goodness for children's Motrin. That seems to allow her to sleep in peace.

7. Kayla wakes up cuddly. She's usually really happy, but setting her on the ground, even if it's to change her diaper, makes her think she's being abandon! So, we snuggle until she's ok to be on her own, and then she's good to go. Sometimes it's only a minute or two... occasionally she's clingy all day!!

8. Kayla has a hair swirl on the top/back of her head. So super cute!

9. She has learned to open drawers in the kitchen. She's completely fascintated with the dishwasher, and wants to climb in any time I open it. She would love nothing more than to investigate the pantry. And the refrigerator. I have to be quick about anything I do and try to open and close things without her noticing.

10. We heard Kayla banging around on something in the kitchen the other day so we went to check on it. Yup - she was lifting up and dropping the toilet seat in the bathroom. AWESOME. And the child-proofing lessons continue.

11. I feel like at the end of May I should not ever be seeing the number 43 on the outside thermometer, or need to wear a fleece and bundle Kayla up for a walk.

12. I hate children's clothing sizes. Scratch that, I hate women and children's clothing sizes, as it's really not any different for me. I hate that Kayla can still fit into a few 0-3 month onsies, yet has outgrown most of her 3-6 month stuff, yet hasn't grown into all of her 6-9 month stuff. I have a bunch of clothes that we pre-bought of 12 month stuff for the summer and 18 month stuff for the winter.... I seriously hope that stuff is going to fit. I suppose things being too big is better than being too small... however, several pairs of her 9 months pants literally fall off as she crawls! At least she is mostly right on track for dresses and shirts... it's just the pants! Oy, the pants.... she has this tiny bootie that nothing fits!

13. I bought the cutest dress EVER for Kayla's 9 month pictures that I'm having taken at Target next week!! Hope it fits!!!

Posted by Lisa at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

... all through the air (to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus"). Yes, there was a point on this last trip on the plane that she was either eating my hair, or screaming. So needless to say, for the sake of everyone else on the plane I got a second bath for the day! And I sang that song, with many rediculous verses. Such is life. Hopefully no one else heard me! :) In all seriousness, she did great on the plane for the mostpart. But, she's a squirmy and active little girl.... who didn't want to be confined for the 2+ hours we were on the plane. So, she was a little crabby when I wouldn't let her go at times.... such is life. She was really very good for 90% of the flight!

But the reason for our flight was to visit Grandma and Grandpa Slighter. It was just Kayla and I on this trip, and we had a really good time. It was a nice chance for me to get a break from regular day-to-day life. And I just love my parents. I enjoy spending time with them, talking with them, seeing them interact with Kayla. It is such a blessing to have the kind of relationship we have. They are so much more than just my parents... I really do consider them two of my best friends.

We were able to visit LCA and show her off to my dad's students and co-workers. She was all smiles and happy as can be! We also went to his lacrosse game and she had a lot of fun outside! We showed her off at my mom's office too, and she was quite charming! We went to the Cheesecake Factory and Kimball's. I was able to hang out with my good friend Katie while my mom watched Kayla. I was able to sleep in a bit and relax. Kayla slept reasonably well for me, which was really good since I usually don't handle night-time duties at home. It was a really fun trip with many good memories.

They had some really fun toys to play with....

Kayla was also amused by the recycled paper box and the tupperware drawer!!!

Posted by Lisa at 03:30 PM | Permalink

Each month continues to fly by!

This month she (as predicted) learned to cruise quite well, and quite fast for that matter. She goes from couch to couch, to Pack 'n Play, to chairs around the table, to the china cabinet, to the wall, to the baby gate... I'm sure you get the picture! She also is interested in the kitchen drawers and likes to pull up and see what she can explore. Our drawers aren't that easy to pull open, but she has a few times found her way into the tupperware drawer and started making a mess! :) We also got her a push toy, to help her practice walking! She's so stinkin' cute walking behind it! Her legs are quite wide (to help her with her balance I assume), and she needs an alignment check all the time (she pulls to the right). We've also caught her standing alone (no hands) for a few seconds here and there. She hasn't taken her first steps yet, but it is likely coming soon. David and I were both walking around 9 months, and it appears that Kayla will follow that path.

She also learned to climb stairs. I'd really only let her climb up our 1 step to the first landing. But we were at a friends house and she went for the stairs, so we let her go (standing right behind her)... and she was quick! She clearly understands the concept! She struggled a few times, thanks to her not very long legs, but she got up 4 or 5 of them right in a row. She is also interested in climbing up boxes, couch cushions, or our legs - whatever she can get to.

She's also crawling faster and faster. It's so cute to see her high-tail it for a cat, or when she is being chased by her daddy. Speaking of her dad, this past month she has started to associate the noise of the back door opening with daddy coming home from work. When she hears the door open, she gets a huge smile on her face and starts crawling from the living room into the kitchen to find him! It is so super cute!! One time last week when he came around the corner she said "dada"!!! I don't think she knows to associate that word with David yet, but her doing it that once sure did melt his heart!

She also props up on her knees and bounces up and down on them when she gets excited. LOVE IT!

With the weather finally becoming nice, Kayla has been sitting in the grass outside, and that is a new experience for her! It was also a new experience for me to pull shreads of pollen out of her mouth!!

Food: We started eating breakfast together in the mornings. She eats Cherios and a fruit (typically a banana). I am amazed by how much she eats! And I'm also amazed at how long it takes her to eat! I can usually count on her eating for about 20 minutes, if not more. This allows me to eat my breakfast, empty the dishwasher or do any dishes, or work on anything else in the kitchen! She's eating a large dinner too. New foods that she's tried this month: egg yokes, animal crackers, watermelon, potato wedges, Perogies (oh my word, she LOVES these), Pinto beans, peas, chicken (when she first had it, it was hilarious to watch her eat it because it doesn't disolve in her mouth like most of the other foods would if she sucked on it. So, she'd just have several pieces in her mouth, and not know what to do about it! We'd have to sweep it out because she started crying! Now she is getting better about chewing and swallowing!! It's fun to see the development!), ice cream (which she did not like... too cold, maybe?), broccoli, cucumber, pancakes, baked beans, party potaotes, cantalope, apple wedges...... We can usually count on her to eat dinner for about 30 minutes minimum! We often have an afternoon snack together as well.

She continues to talk more and more each day. She's always trying new sounds and new pitches. She also likes to makes noises by playing with her lips. So adorable.

At one of our baby showers we got some fridge magents. One of them is an interactive farm "game" and Kayla just loves it. She often crawls into the kitchen and plays with it, talks to it, etc. She is (often) so good at entertaining herself. It is so fun that she can move around the house and get to what she wants. On the flip side, it can be frustrating that she can get to what she wants when she can't/shouldn't have it!!

She is growing up so much, we just love it!

1. Her eyes are still a pretty blue color
2. Her left tear duct is still plugged.
3. She rarely spits up now. I used to do laundry because I was almost out of burp cloths. Now I only use maybe 1-2 a week.
4. I should have been keeping track of this all along, but Kayla has now lost her bald spot! Finally, her hair has grown in since she isn't spending much time on her back these days!!

Posted by Lisa at 12:00 PM | Permalink

I had a wonderful Mother's Day!! Yesterday, after sleeping in, David told me that I had about an hour before I needed to be leaving the house (um, ok?!). After that hour, he told me where I was going; He had set up a spa pedicure and manicure for me! I was there almost 2 hours - it was fantastic! Best pedicure ever!! And when I got back, he took care of Kayla all afternoon, letting me have a complete break from her and do some relaxing by myself. Then today, he went out and grabbed breakfast from our favorite breakfast joint. I feel very refreshed, very relaxed and very pampered. AND Kayla finally had a good night of sleep last night. She does love her momma!

Posted by Lisa at 07:51 PM | Permalink

Once again my child has more teeth in her mouth (9 teeth) than months she's been alive (8 months). She just had one of her top molars pop through the surface. Please, oh please, tell me that she will start sleeping normal again soon!! :)

Posted by Lisa at 03:16 PM | Permalink

Watch this video.... 'nuff said!

Posted by Lisa at 02:32 PM | Permalink

The good: I have a healthy, happy little girl 95% of her waking hours.

The bad: This little girl does not require a lot of sleep in general, and we are having sleep issues right now.

The ugly: Call it the 9 month sleep regression, call it teethng pains (we can feel some teeth under the gums... and despite the fact that her first 8 teeth came in with minimal misery, I've heard the molars are brutal, and I'm agreeing), call it developmental processing (she's learning how to cruise more and more each day, trying to figure out how to walk), call it what you want. I call it torture. As I mentioned, she doesn't require much sleep. So they say, babies her age need 12-15 hours of sleep. She gets 12. 11 at night (typically 9:30pm-8:30am), and two 30 minute naps. There was a time when she was sleeping through the night completely, or waking once to nurse and then went directly back to sleep for the rest of the 11 hours. I'd prefer the sleeping through the night, but nursing once is no big deal. Especially when it was not until 5, 6 or 7 in the morning. Then she got sick, and that was a rough week for all of us. Understandable. However, she has not gone back to good sleeping. Now it's worse! She wakes up SCREAMING bloody murder, and is not easily calmed down. For example, last night she went to bed at 10... woke up at 2 SCREAMING...she then woke up SCREAMING at 3:45...I nursed her...but she did not go back to sleep until about 5:15... then she slept until 6:15.... and after needing to be settled, slept until 7:20... then after nusring her again and rocking her for a long time, she finally fell asleep at 8:15, until 9:15 and then she was up for the day. You'd think she might have taken a longer naps, but nope - 30 minutes on the dot.

What gives??

I call this "the ugly" because it brings out a horrible side of me. I'm not an angry person, I don't curse, use phrases like "I hate", or other things like that. But sleep deprevation and night time waking brings on an aggitation and an attitude... it is bringing out the worst in me. It's sad really.

All this to say... life is good, sleep is sacred, and most importantly, I am clinging to the hope that "this too shall pass".

Posted by Lisa at 10:15 PM | Permalink

Kayla has always enjoyed reading books. However, she is changing constantly with her understanding of what is going on! I don't want to forget this stuff, so I'm writing it down here! :)

For Christmas she got a bunch of "touch and feel" books. I would read them to her, touch the fun part, and look for her to do the same. She had no interest in touching that part of the book! She'd scratch her hands over the pages, but never once touched the "feel" part of the book. Well, in the past few weeks, she has discovered that there are these really cool parts of the book to touch! So, that is fun to see her get excited about that! We also have several books that have a "squeaker" in them. She gets so excited everytime we press that! It's quite cute.

My Bright Beginning newsletter suggested reading these "chubby books"... which are (apparently) small fat board books that when you open the book to read 1 page, the next page pops up. Well, I can confirm this is true, and Kayla loves to turn the pages on her own!

Cutest thing EVER - She was sitting in her bouncer while we were showering/getting ready this weekend, and she had a book on her lap, and "read" the book (backwards, mind you) for about 10 minutes. It was absolutley adorable!!

As always, eating books remains a common request.... to which I always say, "Kayla, do we eat books? No, we don't eat books!"

Posted by Lisa at 01:38 PM | Permalink

So... at what point do you think it is no longer safe for me to put Kayla in the bouncer while I take my shower??

Posted by Lisa at 05:15 PM | Permalink

Cheese and crackers. Who would have guessed that would bring me to tears yesterday! But it did! :) I was eating cheese and crackers yesterday afternoon as a snack, and little Miss Kayla wanted some too. So, I gave her little bites of my cheese, and when she was reaching for the cracker and I gave her some little bites of that too. And that's when it hit me. She is becoming so involved in my life. She's now a completely active participant in our daily routine. She is no longer just "along for the ride" and sleeping most of the time, or even awake in a "quiet alert" state. We shared a snack together! She initiated in an activity that she wanted to participate in! I know it sounds simple, but it was huge to me. Not that she has never initiated anything before... she initiats playing with her toys, and hugging me and such. But this was an activity that I was choosing to do, and she wanted to be included in it!

I remember coming home from school every day and sitting down with my mom and having an afternoon snack together, and chatting up a storm. For those of you that know my mom, she is the question lady, and asks about a million and one questions! I seem to have inherited that trait too! :) I absolutely believe those "snack times" contributed to the open relationship I have with my mom to this day. Of course it's a one-way conversation right now with Kayla and I... but I envisioned Kayla as a contributing part of my life.. and it's really the first time I've thought of her past the infant stage.

Posted by Lisa at 08:38 AM | Permalink