Kaylie and Dora...definitely a first!

Our first night/attempt at putting up the tree was an interesting one. Kaylie was so excited about her new ornament. We let her pick one out and she decided on Dora. Not much of a surprise there.

Kaylie loved the idea of putting her on the tree but did not like the idea of keeping her there. She moved from branch to branch. At one point she even took her and laid her down on the tree skirt to rest.

Since the task of putting on the ornaments was not going well and it was quickly approaching bed time we decided to wait until the morning to finish this task. She was fine with this with one exception...she would not give Dora back. Dora was put in her booster seat to eat, played on the floor with Kaylie, and even had her diaper changed with her babies. She was so attached she even took her to bed and had the privilege of taking the spot Meow Meow usually claims. Never thought I would see that happen.

Her other ornament was her initial. This one had the same outcome only this one had an unfortunate accident when she dropped it on the ground. Oops. Also, it is hard to see but her shirt says, "Good things come in small packages." I think that saying applies in our case.

Turkey Day

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. Jason was off the entire week which allowed us to leave for Austin on Tuesday rather than Wednesday beating the usual holiday traffic. We had a great seeing both of our families. Now that Kaylie can interact with everyone she is definitely a blast to watch. She can say every one's names and knows she is the life of the party. She definitely seemed to soak up all of the attention.

The past two years Kaylie has been border line RSV and in the hospital for severe malnutrition so this year just having "a cold" was a piece of cake. Thankfully, it did not turn into anything more. You would never have guessed she felt bad with the amount of energy she had. The first night she ran non stop around the couches. Once down she stayed awake in her crib until past 11 ish. We figured she would sleep in but she decided to prove us wrong and wake up a little after 7. It wasn't until Friday morning that she slept in until 11 (yes...11) and went to bed/crashed by her normal 8 pm bed time. The little girl was the true definition of the energizer bunny. Jason and I cracked up watching her and the family sat in shock at seeing how much she has changed since they last saw her a few months ago. It is amazing to see how her personality has developed.

On Wednesday we got to see Jason's family for lunch. Keeping Kaylie occupied, especially on very little sleep is always a challenge. Thank goodness for Dora on the I-phone. Jason down loaded some movies for her to watch and I think it saved us our sanity. Lil Miss has become incredibly independent and has started to hate booster chairs so keeping her in a chair when she is tired is a challenge. Dora rocks!!!

Kaylie is a pro at moving around to play what she wants on the I-Phone. It blows me away to see how quickly she figured it out and how fast she can move from window to window. She is definitely a smarty pants.

Kaylie showing grandma Chris how to use the phone.

Checking out grandma's beautiful garden. She is amazing at keeping a beautiful yard.

Caught red handed with a melt in her mouth.

Showing off her first pair of tennis shoes. They are white Sketchers with pink glitter on them. They look precious on her.

After her nap we went over to Nonna's house (Corrie's mom) to spend some time there. Since cousin Eli was not home Kaylie had free reign to play with anything in his room. She wanted all of his cars and his chair.

Nonna gave Kaylie a new Dora purse. Kaylie loved it. She walked by Jason and I, told us Dora, love and then hugged her bag.

Hopefully, Kaylie will not turn into a bag lady. She loves to take her bags and put the most random things in them. Usually it is just her toys. I fear something else that is not hers may get picked up and put in there as well. We are going to have to keep an eye on that when we are at someone else's house.

While exploring cousin Eli's toys she came across the easel. It has a dry erase side and a chalk board side. She loved it. Due to some of her mother's issues with chalk boards I was happy she only tried to play with the white board side.

Her next favorite thing was discovering the eraser. So much for drawing pictures

Thursday - Thanksgiving Day

On T-day we were at my mom's house or Nonna's as Kaylie knows it as. Eli was there and the two were ready to see each other. The age difference has definitely is not a factor and the two of them played together all day long.

A first...Kaylie is actually eating a Go Gurt for the first time. She actually did pretty good with it. We just had to remember to cut it as she went down and squeeze for her to help her along. She loved them.

Looking at the cat that was on the porch. I think it is appropriate that she abandoned her Meow Meow for a real one. Meow Meow got his feelings hurt. Can you blame him?!?

My two brothers, Jason, and through Ryan's arm...my mom. Cracks me up!

Friday

On Friday morning, Jason, Chris, Kaylie, and the dogs headed down to Westlake to see the grandparents/great grandparents while I stayed back to do my annual black Friday shopping spree with my mother.

Right before our dinner with Jason's family.

Don't be fooled by this picture...she was fine. She was trying to keep me from taking her picture. As you can see she did not succeed.

Sitting at the dinner table. I loved that Papa was in the background. Turned out to be a cute picture.

Grandma Chris and Kaylie

We had many fun but late nights while out of town. Glad to be home but miss our family and can't wait to see them in a few weeks.

Where oh where...

Has our baby girl gone?!? Right now that is the big question. I took these pictures a few days ago when she was refusing to sit in her high chair and was amazed at how mature she looked. She insisted on sitting in "the big girl chair" as she calls it while Meow Meow ate in her blue chair. She told me Meow Meow wanted some melts and became very angry when he was out of them. Funny how they just magically disappeared!

Right now Little Miss is coming into her own. She has really developed an independent personality. Who do you think she got that from?!? My main goal at this point in the game is to stay up with her changing personality or attitude as most people will call it. I feel as if I am a contestant on Survivor where I am just trying to "Outwit, Outlast, and Outsmart" my 2 1/2 year old. Believe it or not it is a challenge. I have felt defeated but have realized I can out smart her...at least for now. I have since accomplished this task.


Sitting in the big girl chair only lasted for a day and a half. By 12 pm yesterday afternoon I was done but needed to come up with a way to make it work for both of us. Now that she is understanding things she is very clear on her likes and dislikes as many 2 years are. Now don't get me wrong...I am glad she has the ability to assert herself but when you are trying to put her in her stroller in the middle of Target and she is stretched out as far as her body will stretch while screaming "no mommy" at the top of her lungs you can't help but wonder why we wanted her to talk in the first place. So I knew it was time to figure it out.

My solution...
Use another booster chair. For those of you that don't know the trays on booster seats can break. I found that out the hard way. Don't ask! For some reason I have saved that seat. I thought it would be helpful if we had another child over etc. Who would have know I would have used it for my child. I told her Meow Meow would sit in the other one while she sat in this one. I put the tray on him which was the deciding point on whether or not she would get in the chair. I buckled her in, pushed her up, and we had the best feed we had had in 2 days. It beat her getting in and out of the chair, going over to her toys, and just plain refusing to eat. Problem solved.

Funny Kaylie story:

The other day Kaylie walked up to me and said over and over, "Mommy time out as well as Meow Meow time out." Intrigued I watched as she walked over to me, hit me a few times and proceeded to put her and Meow Meow in time out. I promise...my child does not get time outs very often. With the exception of the last week is she an incredibly well mannered child. I am not sure where this has come from. I was in such shock and disbelief I just stood there. Great parenting. All I wanted to do was laugh.

Sweet moment:

We were driving by Petco and a dog was outside. I pointed it out, asked if she saw it and drove off. From the back seat she busts out with, "I love doggies." Huh?!? I repeated what I thought she said just to make sure. I am still in shock! What a sweet thing to say.

She hasn't cared about this toy until just recently. She loves to take our picture and have us pose for her. I didn't realize until after that their was a smiley face on the top. That made me happy.

Yes, I know...this picture is not the most flattering. I put it on here to let you know that I know her hair looks awful and her bangs need to be cut. What you don't know is that I am doing this on purpose. Right now her bangs are still far back and I am working at trying to bring her hair line forward. The top layer is just a little short of fitting in her pony tail. I am trying not to give in and cut them for fear that it will take many more months to get them long enough. I will most likely take her in to cut her back shorter and the under layer of her bangs shorter but for now I have stocked up on barrettes. We will see if I make it past the holidays or give in before that.

Lucas...paci

* The date on this post is wrong. I posted the pics several days ago but did not actually write about it until today (11/09/09).

It is official...As of today we are 5 days without her paci. I wish I could take credit for this accomplishment but I have to give it to her daddy. Without his quick thinking we would probably have sent her off to kindergarten with it.

How did he do it?!? He used baby Lucas to help only Lucas was not involved in this decision. She saw his paci (which was identical to hers) sitting on the table and said, "Lucas...paci." Jason confirmed this, took her upstairs, read her a book and put her in her crib to go to bed. She asked for her paci and Jason reminded her that she gave her paci's to Lucas. I am not sure how or why she agreed to this but she said "uh huh," layed down with a what am I going to do know look/what the heck was I thinking, grabbed her stuffed animals and went to sleep. Wow!!!

For the most part things have gone great. Today was the first day she did not even think twice about it. Bed time has not really been a problem. She gives herself a pep talk mentioning Lucas' name and paci as a way to make herself feel better. She hasn't slept in as much as she usually does calling out for us several times in the morning and that is starting to take a toll on her and her crankiness levels. Naps have been rough but are slowly getting back to normal. Today she went down pretty easy unlike the first day where she stayed awake until I went to get her an hour and a half into what was supposed to be nap time. The next day it took an hour to go to sleep and from their on less and less. Today she went to sleep easily and slept until I woke her up 2 hours later. I think it is safe to say the worst is over.

The coolest thing about this process is her self soothing techniques. The first full day of this she repeated the phrase, "Lucas...paci" quite often. At times she would run around to her "secret spots" in hopes of finding the paci she had dropped the night before. Once she realized she wasn't getting it she would mention her friend and move on. What a smart child. We actually did a true hand off with Lucas. This seemed to help even more.

I am truly in awe of her ability to cope. During this whole process we never once had tears which was good because if we had I definitely would have given in just so I would not have to watch her suffer even though I knew it would cause more harm than good. Now the biggest job for me is to find the rest of her "hidden paci's." I am waiting for the day she comes walking out with one in her mouth.

Random pics from the week:

Supposedly my child has a week core. She is holding herself up without her hands. This is actually one of her favorite things to do. Cracks me up.

Right now she is obsessed with my shoes. Surprisingly, she is really good at walking in them. Good thing is you always know where she is when she has them on.

I do not know what we would do with out her baby stroller. She loves this thing. She can spend all day pushing it around, sitting her toys in it or just plain sitting in it herself. I watched her kick back in it today and decided she probably needs to stop before she breaks it. She is definitely starting to get big.

Spending time with her daddy.

She decided to use him as an arm rest while watching Dora. It looks like she is sitting in a movie theater chair.

What is so special about this picture?!? Glad you asked...It is Kaylie's first time to eat a pancake at home. She seems to like it and did a great job at taking bites, chewing, and swallowing. Right now she tries things but then spits them out. A lot of times she can not handle the texture or freaks out about the possibility of choking. We are slowly building that confidence. We are proud parents who have definitely learned to enjoy the smallest of things!

Another random note:

Today marks the 1 year anniversary from the day she was admitted into the hospital at Our Children's House for a month to work on an intensive feeding program. Kaylie was incredibly sick from a nutritional stand point and could not eat enough to keep herself hydrated. I never realized how sick she was until I saw this picture and although this was an incredibly difficult time for our family it was the best thing that could have happened to us.

(click on the picture to get a true look at how unhealthy she was. You can see how bad she felt in her eyes)

I know I say this a lot but oh my goodness...what a difference a year makes. Today she is shy of being 23 lbs. (4 1/2 lbs. heavier than when she was admitted), has grown a significant amount in height, and is eating and drinking a normal amount. The day she was admitted (18 mths old) she was only taking a total of 8 oz. from a bottle and would only eat yogurt melts. She was at the tail end of size 3 to 6 month clothes. By the time we left she was eating purees, drinking from a honey bear, had color back in her face, fat on her body, more hair on her head,fitting well in 6 to 9 mth. clothes, and had plenty of energy. She no longer needed a ton of sleep.

She has definitely fought to get where she is today and we couldn't be more proud. My prayer is that she will continue to fight through out her life. If she continues to work as hard as she has to get where she is now I know she will be able to do anything she dreams of. Love ya baby girl!

Meow

With Meow Meow being her prized possession their was no question as to what she was going to be this year. The only problem...It was really hard to find a costume for a 2 1/2 year old that is designed for a 12 month old. This is the 3rd year in a row where my pumpkin was too small to really fit into a costume that is not a bunting costume or a costume that covers her face and is so bulky she could not move. Solution...make it. Thankfully, Kaylie's Nonna came to visit. She didn't know she was going to be put to work but thankfully she was excited to help. The end result...a Kaylie sized Meow Meow only black not pink. Thankfully, she did not seem to mind.

My biggest concerns with her costume were the ears and the tutu. Kaylie wanted nothing to do with either of them. I left the ears out for her to play with and she would only put them on me. Last night it took a lot of bribery, a few tears, and a lot of love. Shockingly once on they stayed on the entire night. Whenever the ears fell off she called us to put them back on. Awesome!

This year Halloween was so incredibly different. They jumped in and out of the wagon, ran up to the doors, and got excited about getting candy from complete strangers. Once they got the candy they turned back around and ran back to the wagon to go to the next house. They dug through their pumpkins and smiled as people passed by. They watched in awe as other kids ran around screaming taking in everything they were experiencing. I have to say I love this age. I love every new thing they do and it amazes me how much more the enjoy the things we take for granted.

One of the first pictures taken after we dressed her. She was terrified. She required several people and a "pop" as Kaylie calls it to help get the whiskers drawn on.

Loved the tail. Unfortunately it only last 1 house. It got stuck in the wheels of the wagon breaking the safety pin. No biggie...you couldn't really see it and I did not want her tripping on it.

Frankenstein and kitty...love these two!!!

Kaylie called Fletcher over and made him sit. Since he is a boy and did not want to listen to a girl we bribed him with a stick.

Kaylie had a great idea. If she hadn't had him sit we wouldn't have gotten this pic. Smart girl!

Every time I look at this picture all I see is her belly and realize God is good. This time last year we were holding off on admitting her to the hospital for failure to thrive because we were about to start feeding therapy.

We had to take their pumpkins away half way through because they wouldn't stay out of them. Every time we turned around they were digging in them opening up something else.

This was the last picture before the lose of our dear friend Mr. Tail. If you notice he is by the wheel of the wagon. Mr. Tail...you were a good friend to us. We will miss you.

They were very good about going up to the door without us. Fletcher would run up, say "knock knock," actually knock, turn around, and come back as they were opening the door. Kaylie would then swoop in, get her candy before Fletcher came back. It was as if they had planned it. People laughed as they performed this routine. Precious!!!

The run back. They had a blast!

So excited about what was in their pumpkin. If you look closely you can see that Fletcher's pumpkin is a lot brighter than Kaylie's. That is because Kaylie has used hers as a purse for the entire year as a purse. It is now a little faded. When she realized she was going to get to take it she squealed.

My favorite picture of the two.

My favorite picture of her.

Love the colors in the back ground. Caught the sun setting at the perfect time.

I was shocked at how many people let a two year old reach into the bucket and get one out. I felt like I had to apologize because it was hard for two year olds to understand they should only take one. Not to self...never expect a two year old to understand the concept of only one when candy is involved.

Hopped up on sugar look.

This was the craziest house. They had a guy dressed up like a clown from a horror movie. Thankfully he was incredibly sweet and kind to the little ones instead of being a jerk and scaring them.

By the end of the night they were so hyper. They could have gone another hour if we let them. They were bouncing in the stroller and at one point I was scared they were going to bounce out.

All smiles even after we got home. She had so much fun she didn't want to go to bed. What a wonderful night!