MORE!!!!!!

KK has never really been a terrific eater. Tonight, though, she made my jaw hit the floor. For dinner I gave her some chicken and chunks of bread, she ate it all, and then she said, "More?" So I gave her some more chicken, she ate it up and then she said "More?" AGAIN!! So I gave her a jar of peas (yeah, we're STILL on the pureed fruits and veggies). She ate it all, and then again...MORE? So we had a jar of banana-plum-pear...MORE? By now, I had to pull my jaw (and the rest of me) off the floor. She continued with an entire cup of YoBaby and washed it all down with 5 ounces of milk. I'm still in shock....

A while back I bought KK snow pants, a coat, and boots thinking it would be fun to go outside and play in the snow. Then it actually snowed and I thought, "I ain't going outside!!" The thought was nice anyway. Seriously, we'll play outside when it snows but isn't so darn cold. So, to celebrate the weather, KK dressed as a little indoor polar bear. Doesn't she look happy? Heh.

Imitating

It's amazing how quickly KK is learning and imitating. Today, Daddy told me that she could count to three and could identify the colors blue and green. I kind of chuckled and raised my eyebrows...but sure enough, she (sort of) did it. She can repeat the words "one" "two" "three" (which isn't really counting, but...) and she can identify a couple of specific things that are blue and say "blue" when she sees them. She can also identify a couple of specific things that are green, but the word "green" comes out as a roar (like she's imitating a lion) instead of the word green. This is because Daddy says, "What's your favorite color??? GRRREEEEEEEEN!" It sounds like a roar to me too.

Tonight, Daddy came downstairs without KK and I asked where she was. He said she was on her way down. Huh?!?! By herself?!?!?! I almost ran to get her, but Daddy stopped me and asked me to just watch. She actually got down the entire staircase by herself. I was a little uncomfortable that nobody was right behind her to stop her quickly if she fell. (Later tonight she did fall down the last couple of stairs, but was fine.) I guess she has to learn by doing, and while I think I'm pretty good at letting her explore her independence, sometimes I'm a little overprotective. It is fun to see the two of them playing and learning together. Daddy gives her just a little more encouragement with the scary stuff than I do!

Auntie Sunshine will be amused to learn that KK loves shoes just like her Mommy does. If you ever go to NYC with her, be prepared to shop! Unfortunately, the shoes she is wearing in this picture aren't cute at all, but she's not picky. Any shoes will do, mine or Daddy's. (She's not begging for Manolo's yet, thank goodness!)

Thanksgiving AND Santa!

We had a nice Thanksgiving and a great weekend! On Thanksgiving morning, Daddy and I ran/walked the 'Thanksgiving Day 4 Mile' while KK hung out with Grandma M. (I finished in 51:54, and placed 26th in my class [out of 223] which is pretty cool. I had a lot of support and encouragement from Daddy and his running team, and that helped a lot.) Afterward, we had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and some friends stopped by to visit. Mostly we just hung around the house and relaxed. Perfect.

On Friday morning, we were some of the crazy shoppers braving the crowds and lines at Target and Kohl's. We stood in line for over an hour at Kohl's (well, Grandma really stood in line while I chased KK around the store and tried to keep her entertained). We did this a couple of years ago too, and I think it is fun AND crazy at the same time. That afternoon, Daddy's Godparents stopped by to say hello. Unfortunately, Daddy was hunting and missed them, but we still had a very nice visit.
On Saturday we had a Christmas party to go to, and KK got to hang out with Grandma M some more. That night, she thought it would be fun to be awake from 1:00-4:00 A.M.!!! I even spent an hour driving her around town trying to get her to sleep. It didn't work. All it took was a half gallon of milk, and she finally fell asleep again. Sigh.

Today, we went to see Santa Claus!!!!
We started a tradition last year to go visit Santa at the same place Daddy went when he was little, and we love it! After the long night, I was worried that KK would be so tired and cranky that she wouldn't want to have anything to do with sitting on the lap of a big, bearded stranger - but she warmed up to him pretty quickly and did great! Her cousin C got to see Santa too, though he also needed a little warming up time. Eventually they both spent some time with Santa and everyone was happy!
Thanksgiving is barely over, and it's ALREADY beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

Slow down, little one...

It's been quiet around here, we're just getting ready for the holiday. KK has been a very good girl this week. She's eating pretty well, and she is learning so much every day. She tries to repeat almost any sound, word, or action we give her...and does a pretty good job at it! She can follow instructions very well. If we say "Let's go take a bath!", she drops whatever she is doing and heads up the stairs - right into the bathroom to "turn on and test the water." We've also been working on putting toys away; however, EVERYTHING gets put away in her kitchen cupboard. I guess since that is the first place we learned "let's put it away", it means that everything gets "put away" there. At least she gets it!

She is getting very good at showing her independence. At the club, she gets really mad if she doesn't get to go wherever she wants. Kids are usually separated by three age groups: 3-18 months, 18 months-3 years, and 4's & 5's. She usually wants to be with the 4's & 5's in a connected room - and works hard at trying to get over there. Sometimes the other staff members cheat and let her into the big room (it depends on how many big kids are there, who is working, and how sweetly she can say "Hiyeee!" with a cute little smile on her face). The only problem is that it infuriates her even more when she gets sent back to her own age group. Why do they want to grow up so fast? Slow down, KK, you're becoming a big girl fast enough already! You sure are cute doing it, though! : )

Busy Birthday Weekend

This weekend we celebrated Grandma M's and Auntie K's birthdays. On Saturday night, Daddy and I went to an event at an art museum and KK got to spend the evening with her cousin, aunt and uncle, and birthday girl Grandma. They had such a great time! After a splashy bath (thanks for the great pic, Auntie Kar) and birthday cake, KK went home with Grandma and we met up with her there.

On Sunday morning we went to brunch at a cool restaurant that is next to an airport runway. It was fun to watch the planes taking off and landing right from our table, especially for the kids. (Here is a bad pic, but you get the idea.)
After brunch, KK and Daddy went to see her Grandpa M.
After Grandpa's, they met up with me at another aunt and uncle's house. When they got there, I was already snuggled up on the couch with the best cuddler of all, KK's cousin H. (These initials are annoying, I know, but I'm not ready to use names. I'm sure I'll let them all slip at some point, but until then...sorry.)
I could kiss that pretty face all day! H is such a sweet girl, and she gives the BEST hugs! It was a very busy, and very nice weekend. Even though we live near Daddy's family, we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. It was nice to spend the weekend with everyone.

Happy Birthday Grandma and Auntie K!

"Do the Monkey"

Last weekend, Grandma taught KK how to do monkey and elephant sounds, as well as using her arm as an elephant trunk. Yesterday as we were getting ready for the day, The Wiggles were on TV. They have a song where they imitate animal sounds and actions called "Do The Monkey". KK has seen them do this song several times, but this time she was completely transfixed on it. She was actually following along, bobbing her head and making ALL of the animal sounds (she chimed in late each time, but she still followed along). She even did her arm like an elephant. I was also transfixed - on her - watching the little wheels in her head turn and turn as they sang about each animal. It was so fun to see something 'clicking' for her and to see her following along independently.

After The Wiggles, there is a 5 minute show called "Go Baby". KK has been fascinated with babies lately. Yesterday, she refused to leave the house without her baby doll, Emma, as we on our way to babysitting co-op. At the end of the Go Baby show, the narrator says, "Say goodbye to Baby!" and KK chimed "BYE BABY!" and waved at the TV. I just melted.

All of this can mean only one thing: KK watches way too much television.

Oh well. Here is a 'cute outfit' picture. I think she looks a little Rambo-ish in this...you can't tell as much in the picture, but the outfit is Army green and all of the decorations on it make her look like she's geared up. And of course the tough-looking headband makes her look like she's on a mission. : )

Quirky kid

In KK's 15 month post, I mentioned that she was a little quirky. She has a few other quirks that I failed to mention in that post. One of them is knocking on her head, as if to say "Is anyone home in there?" Sometimes she does it with one fist, sometimes with both, right on her forehead/temple area. She doesn't do it hard, she just lightly knocks - often with a look of concentration on her face. Sometimes she does this with an open hand instead of her fist, like she's trying to get herself to remember something.

Another thing she does is tap her fingers/hands on her highchair tray. Daddy is convinced that she inherited this habit from her Great-Grandfather. Apparantly he used to tap his fingers on the kitchen table until someone became annoyed enough to ask him to stop.

This last one isn't so much a 'quirk' as it is just cute and an excuse for me to post a picture. She likes to sleep on her tummy, with her legs and arms tucked underneath of her and her bottom up in the air.


That's the exciting news of the day...obviously it's pretty quiet around here. : )

15 month check-up

KK had her 15 month well-child check-up today. She weighs 20.5 pounds (22%tile) and is 31 1/4" tall (40%tile). She actually jumped up in her height percentile, but stayed the same in weight. I guess I turned the carseat around too soon -- I'm sure she didn't weigh 20 pounds a month ago. But her legs were too long and her feet were jamming into the back of the seat. I've heard recently that kids should remain facing backwards until they are 30-some pounds. Even if this is safer, where in the world are their legs and feet supposed to go???

Anyway, KK's appetite was a little better today but she is still not quite herself. Her doc thinks she may have a little sinus infection, so if she's not acting and eating better in three days, we'll do a run of antibiotics. Since she hasn't been feeling well we skipped her immunizations, and will go back for those at 18 months.

KK got to spend some time with Daddy tonight and I went to PF Chang's for dinner with three other playgroup Moms. It was nice to get out, but I felt terrible leaving KK because she knew I was leaving and she cried and clung to my leg. She hasn't really done that before, so it was hard on everyone. Once I was out, I had a nice time. This group of moms is really laid back and we have a nice relaxing time together. We've actually accomplished having our Family Night (last weekend) and started the babysitting co-op...but with the cold weather today, we decided to swap our skiing weekend and shopping trip to Paris with a week on the beach in Cancun. Ahhhh. It's time for me to go to bed and dream that any of these would ever really happen. Sigh.

Elmo (aka Ha Ha)

Today KK participated in an activity class for toddlers offered by our city. The theme was sports (next month is snow) and she got to color some pictures and do some other art. It was okay, but not as fun as music class - I don't think we'll sign up for them next time. I have been hearing a lot about the local gymnastics classes though, so maybe we'll check those out soon. Today was also playgroup day and that is always fun. Nothing else new or exciting happened today. Oh, except now when you ask KK "What does Elmo say?" She says, "Ha ha." She says the same thing if you point to Elmo and say "Who is this?" It's not quite as Elmo-sounding as the way Grandma does it, but it's pretty cute!

Weekend with Grandma

We had such a nice weekend with Grandma K! She got to share some fun times with KK, seeing her play (and get chased by her 'boyfriend') at the club, and singing and dancing at music class. They read lots of books and talked to each other in their Elmo language. We also went to dinner at Red Robin Friday night, went to a craft show on Saturday, and had lunch with the Boyles today.


In between our outings and playtime, Grandma helped us customize our new drapes, sewed a liner into a hand warmer for Daddy, and we painted thirty-some Christmas ornaments for the church bazaar next weekend. The ornament project seemed like it would be fast and easy, but we had to work on them every day to get them all done. They turned out cute, though, and we really had fun doing them. (Keep working on those swirls, Grandma...) ; )

We also managed to squeeze in a lot of movies (Over the Hedge, The Wild, Click, Nightmare Before Christmas, and RV). And BB got his fair share of attention from Grandma, too! No wonder the weekend went by WAY TOO fast! Thanks for a great weekend, Grandma, we love you and we'll see you soon! xoxox

Grandma's here!

Grandma arrived last night, and we've been having fun! Today she got to come to the club with us, and we put her to work rocking babies. This afternoon we painted lots of Christmas ornaments for the upcoming church bazaar. KK is still not feeling great, but she had enough energy to give a bunch of BB's toys a bath in his water dish...little stinker.

A loooong, but fun, day

Today started bright and early...at 3:00am. KK decided it was time to wake up, probably at the urging of those mean molars. Unfortunately, she never really went back to sleep. She catnapped for a few minutes on my chest, but when I moved to put her back in her crib she did a little push-up off of me and started dancing to the piano music we were listening to! Maybe Ellen DeGeneres would have thought that was fun, but I was not in the mood for dancing. We settled for watching Baby Einstein over, and over, and over, and over...

We had plans to go to a children's museum with KK's good friend and his Mommy this morning. Since KK showed no interest in going back to sleep, we went ahead with those plans. I'm so glad we did! Even tired and cranky, KK did pretty well and we had a nice time. She wasn't her usual happy self, but it could have been worse. Her little friend was adorable, as always! They got to play on a pirate ship, watch an electric train, play musical instruments, dress up as lions, and more! Then we went out for lunch - always a fun thing to do!


After lunch, we headed home and of course KK finally fell asleep in the car. Since it was a beautiful day, I found a nice shady place to park the car so KK could sleep and I could re-review the ballot issues before I went to vote. This was the view from the car - very relaxing. We met Daddy at the voting location, and thank goodness he was there with us! I would not have been able to vote if I didn't have help while waiting in line. Someone was NOT a happy girl. She stared to cry pretty uncontrollably and I felt terrible because everyone in line was so quiet. Finally I blurted "I know honey, we all feel the same way you do right now, you're just the only one expressing it." Everyone in line cracked up. It lightened the mood, and I think everyone forgave us. I've learned my lesson though - next time I'm voting early or absentee!!!

Tonight after I put KK to bed, I went to see "Marie Antoinette" with a girlfriend and Daddy stayed home. The movie was good, and the costumes were fabulous! It ended the day nicely.

Tomorrow is going to be wonderful....GRANDMA K is on her way! Yay! : )

Molars. Ouch.

Things are pretty quiet around here. I'm 99% sure that KK is teething her last molars. (I'm only 99% sure because I'm not going to put my fingers in there to find out for sure - she does have most of her other teeth already, and I've learned that they work very well thankyouverymuch.) She wasn't really behaving like herself today, but she wasn't acting "sick" either. She had NO appetite - as compared to her typical light appetite - and was drooly and clingy. She also got possesive of her toys with her playgroup friends here at our house. She didn't want to share much of anything, but wanted to drink out of all the other kids' sippy cups. Her new word, "nah-nah-nah," has quickly turned into a sharp "NO!" followed by some pretty impressive foot-stomping. She's really pushing her limits, but that is what she is supposed to be doing at this age, right?

The only other thing happening is that we are getting ready for Grandma K to come and visit us this week! Yay! We are very excited!

Have a freedom filled day!

Like everyone else, the political ads are getting to me. During KK's nap today I finally got tired of them and turned off the TV and turned on the stereo. The first thing I heard? A political ad. AAARGH! Then I went to get the mail and it took me 10 minutes to sort out all of the election propaganda! To top it off, campaigners are knocking on our door and/or leaving their junk on our porch. All I've learned is...nothing.

Having said that, I am so grateful to be an American. And with Veteran's Day around the corner I must say that I am SO thankful to the men and women serving our country. Particularly those deployed and having to walk several miles just to get to the chow hall. Or those who have to walk "close to the wire" (I don't know what that means) on the way to get something to eat because they hear a firefight close by.

This afternoon I packaged up items that our family has purchased for the unit of soldiers that we have adopted at the club. They are members of 502nd Military Intelligence Battalion, currently deployed to Iraq. My supervisor has organized this 'adoption,' and we are corresponding with a unit of 8 soldiers (there are a few more in the unit, but they are so humble that they don't want to ask for anything - bless their hearts). More than anything, the soldiers are wanting letters and cards. One soldier said "I write and write to friends at home, but none of them have time to write me back." How sad is that?!?

As time goes on and we send them more packages, they are starting to ask for specific things they'd like to get: "I really don't NEED anything, but a bag of Fl*ming Hot Cheetos would be so great!" or "Do you think your angels can send cigars? Hmmm, well maybe I'll just request a CD then." This last soldier signed his letter off with "Thank you so much. Have a freedom filled day!" That one got me a little choked up. (We're sending him three fat cigars, and will send more if this batch doesn't get ruined in the mail.)

God, it's nice to be able to take my daughter to the park and feel safe. It's nice to have the option to drive to the grocery store and buy a practical lifetime supply of Fl*ming Hot Cheetos if I want them. It's nice to not have to worry about getting blown up by an IED on the way there. It's nice to have my own car, a warm house, plenty of clothes, and a hot shower every morning. It's nice to be able to lay on the couch and watch TV - sh*tty campaign ads and all - without worrying about getting shot at. It's hard to believe that not everyone has these simple pleasures - that in fact most of the people in the world do not. Not even our own countrymen and women, serving thousands of miles away. I am thankful.

Our family is sending a bunch of t-shirts, socks, CD's, hot chocolate, cheetos, beef jerkey, candy and cigars. Oh, and the crayons and paper that one soldier requested...I'll bet she'd do anything to get her mind off of where she is, and I can see how coloring must be very relaxing over there! Their requests are very simple - and all they really want is to hear their name at mail call and to know that someone remembers that they are there.

After my supervisor started this, I got curious about how to connect with other soldiers. There are lots of websites, but the one that caught my attention is www.anysoldier.com. Click on "Where to Send" to read real messages from soldiers, and see how simple their requests are. Unfortunately you have to jump through some hoops to send packages (filling out a customs form) - but I'm sure you could send letters without having to do that - and that means more to them than anything else!

I know I am thankful to live here, and these soldiers have lost their freedom, or in some cases their lives (for what reason, if any, I don't know). They are stuck far away from home and deserve to know they are cared about. So, consider sending something to a soldier during this month of Thanksgiving.

Oh, and "Have a freedom filled day!"

We're Indians!!!!!

While I got my hair cut today, KK went over to play at a little 2 1/2 year old girlfriend's house. The girls were playing nicely together in a princess castle tent, and the 2 1/2 year old kept yelling out to her Mom, "We're Indians!!!" After a while, the Mom found out why she was saying this....she had colored KK's forehead with red liquid crayon like it was war paint! Hilarious! Here is the little warrior (cleaned up already):

KK is 15 months old!

At 15 months old, KK is confident, independent, and a little quirky. She doesn’t shy away from new situations or people, and loves to explore everything. At the club, she shows interest in each play station (there are different “stations” that have themed toys – a kitchen area, a train and car table, a ‘Dora’ area, a coloring table, etc.) and she tries to connect with kids of all different ages - with varying degrees of success. One of her new words this month is “baby.” It is so strange to see my own baby recognize and show interest in smaller babies. I still feel like she is a newborn sometimes, so how can she recognize children smaller than herself???!!!! *Sigh*

There are a few other new words in her vocabulary – cheese, nah-nah-nah! (no no no!), arrr arrr arrr (the seal sound), baaaa, wahwoo (water). She’s definitely exploring making new sounds; today we practiced “clicking” our tongues. Even without words, she is great at communicating what she wants. For example, she touches her high chair when she’s hungry, pulls at the fridge door when she wants milk, starts to say “buh-bye” when we put her jacket on, and stomps her feet and yells when she is mad. She is pretty good at resisting things when we tell her ‘no,’ but sometimes she tries to push her luck. I’m sure this is just the beginning. ; )

Even though she is independent, she still enjoys a good cuddle now and then. She likes to have her back softly rubbed/scratched/tickled and will lie still for several minutes if I do that. She LOVES music and dancing, and has the funniest little dance move! She bends her knees, squats a little, then rocks from side to side and up and down at the same time, kind of in a circle. She reminds me of Cha-ka from Land of the Lost!

Some of her other quirks include walking for a few steps with her eyes closed, then opening and shifting her eyes from side to side with a half-grin on her face to see where she is. She likes to do strange things with her eyes – she looks at things out of the corners of her eyes, or sometimes she’ll tip her head down but keep her eyes up and then walk – like a charging bull. Often, her best mischievous grin goes along with these strange eye movements. At night if I hand Andy her bottle, she’ll turn around and back up to him even if she’s half-way across the room. She also does this when she wants a story read to her…she’ll bring us a book, take a couple of steps back, then turn around and walk backwards into our lap. And of course she still does the goofy thing where she tilts her head back, squints her eyes, and gives a silly toothy grin.

She is a little bundle of personality, and so much fun to be with. Happy 15 month birthday, KK!