Happy Halloween!

We had an action-packed day! It started at the club, where KK seems to have acquired an admirer with a crush. For the past couple of weeks, we’ve noticed one little boy who follows her around everywhere she goes. He tries to hug her and put his arm around her…sometimes she is okay with it, and other times she pushes him away, but he always persists. He is very sweet to her! He doesn’t seem to have the same interest in any of the other kids….hmmmmm...I don’t think we’ll tell Daddy about this.
After KK’s short nap, we went to the company where I used to work for their Fall Festival. Each department had a theme based on a letter of the alphabet. (This is a unique and creative company!) The department I worked in had “C”…so we went to the Circus! KK got to pick out lots of candy, get her photo taken by the company’s photographer, ride a tiger, and do a million other fun things. Best of all, she got to spend LOTS of time with Uncle Geoff! While they were playing, I was able to visit with some very special people who I used to spend a lot of time working and traveling with. I do miss it there, but I love the job I have now even more! : )
  
THEN, we came home for dinner and were kept in line by the local Sheriff.
After dinner, KK and Daddy went trick-or-treating. According to Daddy, they “had soooo much fun!!!” It was certainly a fun and busy day!

Trick or Treat!

Today KK went trick-or-treating at Grandma's office with her cousin, C. They were so adorable! As you can see, KK was a ladybug and C was a dinosaur.
KK did a good job, and even managed to put a few pieces of candy in a bag she shared with C. She attempted to eat half of a Baby Ruth - wrapper and all - but Mommy caught that one before it went down the hatch! (Why, oh why, will she attempt to eat shiny silver cellophane, but not whole peas??? Aargh!)

After trick-or-treating we all shared cookies and then went out to dinner. We had lots of fun, and KK was so wiped out she fell asleep without a peep tonight. Tomorrow, we'll get to trick-or-treat again! : )

  

Weekend update

While Daddy was off in Sin City this weekend (he claims no sinning occurred, but we all know Vegas’ motto…just kidding, I’m sure they were all good boys) we got a lot done! Nothing important, but they were things that needed to happen anyway. First, my least favorite Fall project: pruning down the rose bushes and other shrubs. Grrrr, why didn't the people who lived here before us plant a thorn-less variety of roses? Those suckers are bloodthirsty! We also tackled the big-huge-purple-bushy-thing whose flowers turn into a very stinky powdery mess when it’s done blooming. Ugh, that thing is no fun to cut down! KK helped by hanging out in the Pack n Play, throwing her toys over the side and squealing with delight as they rolled down the lawn or driveway. We still have a bit of yard work to do before winter, but thankfully the worst is over.

After that was accomplished, we moved on to much more fun projects like cleaning out KK's closet! It is so hard to pack away (and return) teeny-tiny baby clothes! Her closet is very organized now, and she has lots of cute clothes for this winter (many thanks to our wonderful friends who loaned us clothes, and to our local consignment shop!) Always eager to help, KK explored the corners of her bedroom, and emptied every shelf and basket she could find. Another fun project was making 5x7 holiday cards for the unit of soldiers in Iraq that the kids at the club 'adopted.' This whole topic deserves its own entry, so sometime this week I'll write all about it. I worked really hard to make sure these cards were special, and I’m happy with how they turned out. I hope the soldiers will like them, too.

The only other thing that happened was that I gained ten pounds eating all of the candy we bought to pass out to trick-or-treaters. Next year, I'm going to wait and buy it ON Halloween so I'm not tempted to devour it all before the first knock at the door...

The Lovey?

Some kids have a "lovey" - a favorite blankie, dolly, stuffed animal, whatever - that they just can't part with. I've often wondered what, if anything, KK would choose. She has not really shown a preference to any one thing...until today. And what did she choose? A small green foam star. When parted with it, she grows horns and a pitchfork tail...and I'm certain that if it were not returned to her promptly her eyes would shoot red lasers and her head would spin around. Fortunately, this strange bond only occurred today - so I may be able to intervene. Although she held her little star for no less than five hours today, so the bond is already pretty strong. (She has no idea how difficult it was for me to return it to her after she dropped it on the floor at Target and I ran over it with the cart. This was especially difficult considering the star was usually kept safe in the clenches of her teeth. But who needs a scene in the middle of Target? Sigh.) Here is KK and her new 'friend' on the swing at the park (note the "Touch my star and you'll be sorry" look on her face):
Maybe its just because she didn't get to see Daddy today and she misses him. BB misses him too, as evidenced here:
TGIF!

Tennis shoes!

The only exciting news to report today is that KK wore big-girl tennis shoes for the first time! She usually wears leather moccassins, or black patent leather shoes when she gets dressed up. Wearing tennis shoes made her look like such a big girl! They have pink sparkly fabric on them and are so girly. We picked her outfit today so it would make her shoes look cute. :)
She also got to play on "the big kid side" at the club today, and only got into a few things...she thought it would be fun to play with the plunger in the bathroom, and she also ate a corner off of a board book. I didn't see her get pushed down for messing with the V-smile/TV, though, so that is good!

Lucky me, and lucky KK too!

We worked our gig at the club this morning, and then there was the daily nap and lunch. Another typical day.....until I got to go out with girlfriends for another girls night out - lucky me!

KK stayed home with our fabulous sitter Krystine until Daddy got home from work. We all love Krystine, and she and KK always have fun!
I'm sure KK had a great time with Daddy tonight too! They probably practiced making "What does a seal say" sounds and made the neighbors wonder if they should call 911. :)

Little Leopard

Today, KK's playgroup had a Halloween party! She and her friends dressed up and ate lots of sugar. We brought cookie treats for the kids and a craft painting project for all of the moms. The adorable little menagerie consisted of four pumpkins, one ladybug, one chicken, and of course...our little leopard:
Right after this picture was taken, KK dove off the couch and did a face-plant on the carpet. When I picked her up, all that was left on her face was the whiskers...the fall took her little leopard nose right off. Poor little kitty. (She was fine.) Here are a few more pictures...
  
We have two more parties to go to before Halloween, and then Daddy is going to start the tradition of taking KK trick-or-treating in the neighborhood while I stay home to pass out candy to ghosts and goblins. Boo!

P.S. Have I mentioned lately how fun and wonderful it is to be a Mommy? :)

Bear feet

It was a nice, quiet weekend. Yesterday we went shopping to look for art for the house. We've been saving for a long time to get some decorations and accessories, and we are finally moving forward with it. We've made some progress, but still have a long way to go.

Today was a more relaxing day. KK ran around in the bear slippers she got from Auntie Sunshine - she was pretty cute, looking down at her feet when she walked.

That was pretty much it. Oh, except AJ got up with KK this morning, and I slept until almost NOON! Wow, that was almost as nice as having acupunture! And its always nice when the two of them hang out together, making animal sounds and cracking each other up. (Thanks honey!) :)

Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Today was the first day of our playgroup babysitting co-op. I was one of two lucky moms who got two hours all to herself while knowing her baby was having lots of fun with friends (and without having to pay a babysitter!) So what did I do? I went to see my acupuncturist. I was long overdue for a treatment, and I feel so much relief. I'm not sure what I'm relieved of, but I'm relieved nevertheless.

I had always thought acupuncture was hokey, weird, and just another ploy to get people to spend money on nothing. I was wrong, at least for me. I give a lot of credit to acupuncture for KK being with us, and that itself is enough. But it really does something for me. I wish I could describe what, but I can't. All I can say is that the effects are noticeable (it must do something when AJ begs me to go) and they last a while. If I had to choose between a massage and acupuncture, acupuncture would win hands down (although a massage is always good, too!) Next time I'm not waiting as long to go.

Earlier today we went to our Friday music class and then worked at the club for an hour. It's kind of silly to work for only an hour, but there was no school today and so the club was jammed with kids. We are short-staffed on a normal day - so I went in to help with the peak hour. KK loves to be there, and she especially enjoyed turning off the TV while the big kids were playing with the V-Smile. She loves getting a reaction out of those bigger boys. Too bad some of them are mean and she got pushed down once. It can be hard not to pull a "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" move when a much bigger, bratty kid is pushing your little baby down. I refrain, of course. Besides, KK is tough - she just gets up and goes right back to turning the TV off again. That's my girl.

Let's see...what else is KK up to....Daddy was working on a new animal sound with her at dinner tonight. What does a seal say? "AAAAARRR! AAAAARRR! AAAAAARR!" (in an obnoxious, barky way of course). She thought Daddy was hilarious, and she was pretty funny herself trying to imitate him. Goofy kids! :)

Typical day

I think Auntie Sunshine, KK's Godmother, left for NYC today with KK's Godsister, Amanda. We hope they are having fun!!!!

Today was a typical day for us. We were busy and did lots of things, but nothing much happened. We worked at the club this morning, when we got home KK took a nap and I picked up the house, after her nap and lunch we went for a walk with BuddyBuddy, and then when Daddy got home we went for a six mile bike ride while Daddy and BB ran along side of us. They are like Forrest Gump - they just keep running, and running, and running. I was beat when we got home, but Daddy kept the workout going with situps. Impressive or crazy - you decide. :)

The weather was chilly, so KK had to get bundled up. Here she is with BB and her cute pink bear hat Daddy picked out. B's face is getting whiter and whiter. Boo hoo. He's getting older, but you'd never know it by the amount of energy he has!
A couple of nights this week, Daddy has taken care of dinner, bath, and bedtime so I could run errands. I keep finding myself at Target, roaming the aisles and finding ideas of things to get KK and others for Christmas. KK is easy - everyone else is hard!!! I also pretend that I'm in Minneapolis when I roam the aisles. I'm thankful that every Target store is identical - I can pretend that I'm visiting home whenever I go there! It's time for a visit...we'll be booking it soon!

Big girl!

Today, we turned KK's carseat around and she faced forward in the car for the very first time! I don't know how much she weighs for sure, but I'm 99% sure it's more than 20 pounds - if only barely - so I decided to go for it. Whenever I turned to look at her in the back seat, she would smile big and say her sweet little "Hieeeee!". Other than that, I can't say she behaved any differently - which is good, since she has always been a good and patient passenger.

AJ and I went out to dinner tonight with our neighbors, so KK spent time with her sitter Krystine (our neighbor's daughter). She's a great sitter, and her little brothers also came over to play. KK thinks these little boys are hilarious (they are 6 and 7). They make her laugh deep belly laughs just by being silly with her. We all had fun!

Knuckles!

KK and Daddy have a new trick! Daddy will say "Give me knuckles, KK!" and she'll put her fist out, punch her knuckles against his, and then squeal and laugh like crazy. It's a cute little Daddy/Daughter handshake! They both have fun with it, and her laugh is contagious. This is such a fun age, she's learning new things every day and is always making us laugh. After our visit to the pumpkin patch petting zoo yesterday she can also say "Baaaa" like a sheep - and she even gives a "bumpy" sound to it! I wonder what she'll be doing tomorrow...

Today was also pretty, but in a colder and wetter sort of way. We got our first significant snowfall of the season. This is earlier than I ever remember getting snow here before...I have a feeling it is going to be a long winter. It did look pretty though - here is a scene from our back door:


Some other exciting news is that we had to bring BuddyBuddy back to the vet. While he was at Doggy Daycare (I know, I know) he thought it would be a good idea to take off his bandage, remove his own stitches, and then chew off the flap of skin that the emergency vet had tried to suture back onto his leg. Ouch! And gross! The vet said we just have to leave it alone now and let it heal as an open wound. Goofy dog.

Pretty day

Today was such a pretty day, we had to get outside and enjoy it. And what better way than to visit another pumpkin patch?! This one was nearby and didn't have an entrance fee, so I thought it would be a good way to spend a little time outside this morning. It didn't have as many activities as Harvest Farm, but it was PERFECT for the younger crowd. The pumpkin field was right at the entrance, so KK was able to toddle around and play with stuff she found on the ground. She also played in a haybale maze made especially for toddlers, pointed at all of the halloween decorations, and showed her bravery once again by petting farm animals. (This place didn't have chickens, thank goodness.)


This afternoon, we met with our playgroup at a park. This is the first time we took the kids outdoors rather than meeting in a living room. They are getting old enough now to spend more than a few minutes at a playground, although they were still all over the place - and KK was more interested in walking in a straight line AWAY from the playground rather than using any of the equipment. It was just nice to be outside...late this afternoon the weather took a turn and it's supposed to snow this week. I'm glad we took advantage of the weather while we could!

Happy Birthday...

...to Grandpa and Uncle Rod! I hope you both have very happy birthdays, and I can't wait to see you!! Love, KK!

Harvest Farm

 
KK made her first visit to a pumpkin patch today and she had a blast! She and Daddy played in the corn box (like a sandbox, but with corn), went for a ride on a barrel train, jumped around in hay, and picked out pumpkins. We also spent a lot of time petting farm animals. KK was very brave, but she did get bit/pecked by a chicken. Sadly, I got it on video - and how could I not share the moment? (KK was fine - but Auntie Sunshine may decide to start eating chicken after she sees this...)

Singin' and Dancin'

 
Since January, KK and I have been going to a music class every Friday morning. We get to sing, dance, bounce, and play with egg shakers, rythym sticks, scarves, and drums. Sometimes, our teacher Kelly (who KK adores) pulls out the parachute and the kids get to crawl or walk around underneath of it while the parents make it go "uuuup and dowwwn!" Of course they all think that is the greatest fun ever. Kelly runs a terrific program, and the classes eventually lead up to group pre-piano classes and then individual piano lessons. I hope Kendall stays interested.

And at lunch today, we hit the JACKPOT! Kendall ate five pieces of cantaloupe! Woohoo!!!!!!

Hieeee!

Tonight we went to see some of Daddy's clients at a seminar his office held. KK got all dressed up and ran around the hotel greeting everyone she could find with her favorite word: "Hieee!". After the seminar started, she kept herself entertained by repeatedly opening the automatic doors at the side entrance to the hotel. She did manage to escape from me once in the lobby and promptly fell down five stairs...and she didn't even make a peep, just stood up and kept on running. I think she's going to sleep like a rock tonight.

Still no luck with the fruits or veggies today. I am thankful that she eats everything else really well. Here she is, finishing off some more puree...

Battle of the wills

KK loves fruits and veggies, most of the time - and as long as they are pureed. But each time I open a container of the smooth mush, I tell her that she is really getting too old for this and that she needs to start eating "real" fruits and veggies. She wants NO part of them. She'll squish, squeeze, squash, and inspect chunks of fruit and veggies - but she will not eat them. I've tried spoon feeding the chunks, letting her feed herself, I've tried the new freeze dried pieces...nope. She loves other 'solid' foods - meat, bread, cheese, crackers, cookies, tofu, toast, etc. and gobbles them up fine.

So, I figured this was going to come down a battle of the wills. At lunch today I put her in her high chair with a chunk of pineapple. Sometimes, she eats better if we walk away and ignore her (always nearby and watching, of course) and I hoped that given enough time, she would eventually eat ONE chunk of pineapple. I folded laundry, put her clothes away, went out to get the mail, opened it, emptied the dishwasher, etc. I was going to make her sit there until she ate that chunk of pineapple!!! This is what actually happened:


I think I lost. I know that she'll start eating them when she is ready, I just have to keep trying. Sigh. :)

Poor BuddyBuddy

The last couple of days have been uneventful for KK. We play, we read, we eat (or we toss food on the floor, depending on the mood), we watch The Wiggles, we nap, we work at the club for a few hours...and we watch Dr. Phil and Oprah between loads of laundry. Exicting stuff.

Poor BuddyBuddy, though, had a bit of excitement tonight. KK and I went to pick him up from Doggy Daycare (I know, I know...no comments necessary) and when we were a couple of blocks from home, B stood up. I looked over, and the passenger seat was FULL of bright red blood! I couldn't tell where it was coming from (well, I knew it was from B, but beyond that I couldn't tell). He didn't seem hurt, he never whimpered or cried or anything. But somehow, I still have NO idea how, he had gashed the back of his right hind leg open and it was gushing blood. AJ came outside, and could flap back a piece of skin exposing muscle and bone - so off to the emergency vet they went. Three stitches later they were home. Poor fella. He did get a cool purple cast out of the deal. Go Vikes.

Three stitches doesn't seem bad, but he does act like he's hurting now. As you can see, he's getting lots of extra attention.

I'm not worried. It's hunting season; he won't be down and out for long.

Our first 5k

KK and I participated in our first 5k today!!! I'm certain I have walked three miles many times in my life, but it was exciting to be part of an offical race! I jogged for part of it, and walked for part of it...and although we didn't finish in any record time (42:33 - minus the several minutes it took to get across the starting line), it was cool to hear my name, followed by "...finishes with a stroller!" over the big loudspeaker as we crossed the finish line. Another lady near the finish said "Wow, a 5k with a stoller - you deserve a prize!" (I thought there would be a lot of strollers, but oddly there were very few. I guess that people in races are too serious to be slowed down by having to push a 50 pound cart - not to mention the possibility of its contents having a meltdown...) So, yay for us! The only bummer was that AJ was hunting with a client - so he missed our first race. He's been wanting me to participate in the running world for a while. I don't think I'll ever be a "real" runner - but I'm already looking forward to doing another 5k!


After the race, we went to watch a parade. KK enjoyed the entire morning, and she especially liked sitting on Uncle Ray's shoulders to get a good look at the marching bands and other parade participants. We didn't stay for the whole parade, it was too long, but we had a great morning!

Mom's night

Tonight, four moms from our playgroup got together for a mom's night out. We started at the Rio and had margaritas and lots of yummy Mexican appetizers. We planned a couples gathering in November, as well as another Mom's night out before Christmas, and a Friday afternoon babysitting co-op. Then we went to the martini bar and planned a skiing weekend as well as a shopping trip to Paris, France. Funny how a little bit of tequila and vodka will make everything seem possible.

KK is 14 months old!

What a big, independent, fun girl we have on our hands! It's amazing how vivid my memories of being pregnant, being in the hospital, and bringing KK home are - it really does feel like it all happened a week ago. But, it's been more than a year and without question it has been the best year of my life.

KK knows what she wants, and has quite a temper if she doesn't get it. She'll stomp her feet, and will kick and push if necessary to try to get her way. This doesn't happen often, but it is strange to see how determined she can be (after all, it really does feel like I just brought her home!) She is pretty much done teething; she's only missing the two sets of second molars. I think she has handled teething pretty well. She has had a bit of a cold this week, but we've also been fortunate that she has hardly ever been sick - really the only time was over Easter. Thank goodness!

Most of all, KK is fun and funny!!! She has an abundance of personality and is so much fun to be around. She makes silly faces, and knows that she is being silly. She LOVES to be read to, and brings us book after book after book - and then turns around and scoots backward to sit in our laps so we can read to her. She really likes books with animals and can make dog sounds (a cute little "woof woof") and cow sounds ("booooo!") I have been looking forward to reading stories with my baby for as long as I can remember - it's intoxicating!

KK's vocabulary is great so far. She can say: Dada, Mama, Hi!, Hi dere!, Boston (comes out as "buddy", but really sounds like "body"...and ALL animal-looking-creatures, including Sesame Street characters, are "buddies"), baba, weeee! (eeee!), balloon (ba'woo), thank you (tank'ooo), Uh-oh!, mmm-mmm-mmm!, wow!, ball, boom, woof woof, moo (boo), and 'mornin!

She can also clap, wave, blow kisses and sign "more", "touchdown!", and "I love you" (patting her heart).

I've been doing a lot of patting my heart lately. :)

Happy 14 month birthday KK!

First night away

At almost 14 months old, KK spent her very first night away from both Daddy AND Mommy last night! Our wonderful friends, Geoff and Jill, offered to watch her at their house so we could attend a charity event. Since we would be out way past her bedtime, they said she could spend the night. They were also watching another little girl (almost 2 years old) who helped them out by following KK around telling her "No, no, KK!" when she was finding herself in trouble (turning the TV on and off, or chewing on their drink coasters for example). It was so funny and cute! When I dropped her off, she didn't even care that I was leaving...she was having so much fun! When we picked her up this morning, she was pretty exicted, but I think she could have stayed for an entire week and not really noticed our absence. She's such a big, independent girl! I did miss her, but I survived. It helped to know she was in such great hands...thank you Geoff and Jill!