Yep, that's right, Kyle and I both survived the plane trip to VA with one layover/connection in between. We left around his nap time from Phoenix and he did have a few tantrums, but after a couple books, a half hour of Lady and the Tramp on the DVD player, and the seatbelt light being turned off so I could walk him around, Kyle fell asleep for the last half of our long flight! Our connecting flight was only an hour long and Kyle got his own seat, by the window no less; he did great being seat belted in and loved putting the window shade up and down.
After getting picked up, we stopped for dinner at a place with an indoor playground. Kyle hung out in there by himself because it wasn't very busy and would you believe it?! He climbed up the playground and went down this huge slide all by himself! It was so cute to see how proud he was when he reached the bottom of that slide.
Kyle has adjusted well to all the family and is learning how to dodge the resident dog, Goldie, a much larger than Kyle Labrador/retriever mix. Kyle played with all of his cousins at some point today, racing his hot wheels, trying his hand at air hockey, and playing with some way cool old school toys his great aunt Mary saved!
I know that Kevin and I were a little nervous about Kyle and me traveling alone, but I'm glad we came. It seems that this trip was a lot easier than the last one we took in July. Kyle didn't sleep much last night, but took an almost 3 hour nap and went to bed at 7:30 tonight.
I'm taking pictures, but they won't be posted until after we come home.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Toddler n the hood
Isn't it funny that Kyle won't keep a hat on, but loves to have the hood from his sweatshirt up the entire time he's wearing it?!
So, I brought in the slide yesterday and we had quite a bit of fun with it, as usual. Kyle got quite a kick out of throwing toys, pacifiers, and the occasional sippy cup down from the top. The highlight though, came after dinner, when he unloaded a grocery bag I had put together with food to donate and started rolling cans of tuna down the slide!
Today, around naptime, Kyle asked me to pull his crib out from the wall (so he could climb in on the toddler bed side). Once he was in his bed, he asked for a binky, so I found one. Then I asked him if it was naptime; Kyle laid down, I pushed his crib back up against the wall, turned off the light, covered him with his blanket and sang a little song as I shut the door. I didn't hear from him for 3 hours! I guess he knows when he's tired!
Kyle has started saying the word "bus" over the past week or so whenever we see a city or school bus while driving around. I'll hear "dus, dus, dus..." from the back seat and sure enough, there is a bus pulled up beside us or in front of us. Additionally, he is making full use of the word "mama" whenever he *thinks* he needs my assistance. Also, I noticed that when he brings me his Old MacDonald book, that he makes the intonations for the E-I-E-I-O part of the song. It's amazing how fast infants and toddlers can make sense of language!
Kyle and I will be traveling to Virginia Dec 26th through Dec 31st. Turns out all my aunts and uncles will be in the same place at one time, which only seems to happen every 15 years or so! So thank you to everyone who made this trip possible; we are so excited to see the extended family! Send your prayers my way, as I'll be traveling alone with Kyle across the United States...should be fun!
Lastly, we have been "hanging" our Christmas cards on the tree as decoration. Kyle especially likes the picture ones, but his favorite are from The Tatums and Baby Ava. He loves to point to the kids, then have me say their names:
Points to Ellie, Looks at mom
"Ellie"
Points to Ava, Looks at mom
"Baby Ava"
Does the sign for baby
Points to Ellie, Looks at mom
"Ellie"
etc... You get the picture. He can do this for quite awhile! Alright, we're heading to the Valley as of Saturday to get an early start on our Christmas celebrations...Happy Holidays if I don't post until after our vacation!
So, I brought in the slide yesterday and we had quite a bit of fun with it, as usual. Kyle got quite a kick out of throwing toys, pacifiers, and the occasional sippy cup down from the top. The highlight though, came after dinner, when he unloaded a grocery bag I had put together with food to donate and started rolling cans of tuna down the slide!
Today, around naptime, Kyle asked me to pull his crib out from the wall (so he could climb in on the toddler bed side). Once he was in his bed, he asked for a binky, so I found one. Then I asked him if it was naptime; Kyle laid down, I pushed his crib back up against the wall, turned off the light, covered him with his blanket and sang a little song as I shut the door. I didn't hear from him for 3 hours! I guess he knows when he's tired!
Kyle has started saying the word "bus" over the past week or so whenever we see a city or school bus while driving around. I'll hear "dus, dus, dus..." from the back seat and sure enough, there is a bus pulled up beside us or in front of us. Additionally, he is making full use of the word "mama" whenever he *thinks* he needs my assistance. Also, I noticed that when he brings me his Old MacDonald book, that he makes the intonations for the E-I-E-I-O part of the song. It's amazing how fast infants and toddlers can make sense of language!
Kyle and I will be traveling to Virginia Dec 26th through Dec 31st. Turns out all my aunts and uncles will be in the same place at one time, which only seems to happen every 15 years or so! So thank you to everyone who made this trip possible; we are so excited to see the extended family! Send your prayers my way, as I'll be traveling alone with Kyle across the United States...should be fun!
Lastly, we have been "hanging" our Christmas cards on the tree as decoration. Kyle especially likes the picture ones, but his favorite are from The Tatums and Baby Ava. He loves to point to the kids, then have me say their names:
Points to Ellie, Looks at mom
"Ellie"
Points to Ava, Looks at mom
"Baby Ava"
Does the sign for baby
Points to Ellie, Looks at mom
"Ellie"
etc... You get the picture. He can do this for quite awhile! Alright, we're heading to the Valley as of Saturday to get an early start on our Christmas celebrations...Happy Holidays if I don't post until after our vacation!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Little Kyle
Kyle and I just got back from a great mom/toddler get together. The kids played and played, painted some ornaments and ate lunch. Kyle was exhausted on the way home; he just kind of whimpered.
Did I tell you we put our tree up? And a wreath on the door, a few lights around the window. For all of our concerns about Kyle messing with the tree, he is truly unimpressed. Once or twice now he's asked for us to turn the lights on, but then he only looks at them 30 seconds or so. Another thing that happened when we put the tree up is all of Kyle's toys moved to his bedroom, talk about a dream come true! The main room doesn't get near as messy with Kyle stuff because we pick out a toy or two each day that stays with us in the main part of the house; everything else he plays with in his room. I'm tempted to keep things this way after the tree goes back in to storage!
Lately, Kyle has been leaking out of his diapers at night, which is terribly frustrating! We've tried quite a few things, but what seems to be working is not letting him have any fluids after 7 p.m.. Also, he's been sleeping in until 8 a.m.! A couple mornings Kevin or I have gone in and laid down with him at 7 a.m., but he goes right back to sleep until a little after 8 then. It's been so nice to "sleep in" after over a year of wake up calls anywhere from 4 a.m. - 7 a.m.. Another thing we do is bring Kyle in to our bed when he wakes up! I know a lot of parents wouldn't do this, but it is the best way to wake up! He snuggles and plays with us, drinks his milk lying down on a pillow and we all get a couple extra minutes to wake up slowly.
We've started affectionately calling him "little" Kyle instead of "baby" Kyle. I do this thing with him where I use my fingers to beckon him and say "Come here little Kyle, come here" and he'll do it back to me then run full throttle in to my arms for a hug, laughing all the way. It's sooo cute!
And I have to admit, lately I've been taking a leisurely outlook on most chores that aren't Kyle related...I take naps when he naps and generally relax while I can. I figure I need to rest up for when we try for baby #2 in a couple years (good excuse, right?)!
Did I tell you we put our tree up? And a wreath on the door, a few lights around the window. For all of our concerns about Kyle messing with the tree, he is truly unimpressed. Once or twice now he's asked for us to turn the lights on, but then he only looks at them 30 seconds or so. Another thing that happened when we put the tree up is all of Kyle's toys moved to his bedroom, talk about a dream come true! The main room doesn't get near as messy with Kyle stuff because we pick out a toy or two each day that stays with us in the main part of the house; everything else he plays with in his room. I'm tempted to keep things this way after the tree goes back in to storage!
Lately, Kyle has been leaking out of his diapers at night, which is terribly frustrating! We've tried quite a few things, but what seems to be working is not letting him have any fluids after 7 p.m.. Also, he's been sleeping in until 8 a.m.! A couple mornings Kevin or I have gone in and laid down with him at 7 a.m., but he goes right back to sleep until a little after 8 then. It's been so nice to "sleep in" after over a year of wake up calls anywhere from 4 a.m. - 7 a.m.. Another thing we do is bring Kyle in to our bed when he wakes up! I know a lot of parents wouldn't do this, but it is the best way to wake up! He snuggles and plays with us, drinks his milk lying down on a pillow and we all get a couple extra minutes to wake up slowly.
We've started affectionately calling him "little" Kyle instead of "baby" Kyle. I do this thing with him where I use my fingers to beckon him and say "Come here little Kyle, come here" and he'll do it back to me then run full throttle in to my arms for a hug, laughing all the way. It's sooo cute!
And I have to admit, lately I've been taking a leisurely outlook on most chores that aren't Kyle related...I take naps when he naps and generally relax while I can. I figure I need to rest up for when we try for baby #2 in a couple years (good excuse, right?)!
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Last one...
From left to right...Kyle, Kaylie, Hunter, and Bethany with Kellie and Celeste in the back holding their babies.
Pictures
The grass is always greener...
...on the other side!
Sliding fun!
Ride em cowboy!
Rocking Taylor...
High five!
Update
So, Kyle is not sleeping on his mattress on the floor right now; turned out that runny nose right before Thanksgiving was a little cold and we never knew if he was waking up in the middle of the night because he rolled off the bed or needed medicine. We've decided to try the mattress on the floor again while Kevin's on Christmas break.
Our Thanksgiving was just wonderful! We enjoyed celebrating at home with just us and then having some of the grandparents visit over the weekend. Kyle is really starting to warm up to his extended family!
The Monday after Thanksgiving I picked up one of our friends Kellie and her 5 1/2 month old kids Kaylie (sp?) and Hunter and we all traveled to Gilbert to see our friend Celeste and her new baby girl, Bethany. Whew! You should've seen the car! We had Kyle in the middle seat and the babies strapped in on each side; it was tight, but we made it work! It was so nice to get to meet Bethany as a new baby and totally amazing to think that this time next year she'll be doing a lot of the same things that Kyle does!
This week we also headed out to Tubac with my old college roommate, Tammy, to see the site where she's getting married and help confirm some details. It is just a beautiful area and Kyle had a great time exploring!
Also, Kyle had his 15 month old doctor's appointment this week. We found out that he is 23 lbs and 32 inches; on the light side, but tall for his age! The doctor said Kyle is doing great developmentally (which we, of course, know how "advanced" he is for his age!) and that he wouldn't need any more shots until he turns two years old. Kyle giggled when Dr. Lloyd used her stethoscope to listen to his chest and both the Dr. and myself started singing the "Teddy bear, teddy bear turn around" rhyme when Kyle started spinning around in the middle of the exam room. It's really nice to see that she's in touch with his age group! We'll go back in February when Kyle turns 18 months old.
In other news, we have taken quite a few pictures lately, one with Santa and family pictures at the JcPenney studio. I've slowed down quite a bit on the professional pictures now that Kyle is older. He still changes a lot, but not near as quickly as the first year.
Let's see, what are some new things that Kyle is doing nowadays: pretends to be a dog by crawling around and panting, turns the stereo on so he can dance, "requests" certain DVDs/videos by pulling out the one he wants from the entertainment center and bringing it to us or turning on the TV, turns off Kevin's football game and does the "all done" sign when he's finished watching TV, snuggles up to us when we ask him to "snuggle up to daddy/mommy while I get your diaper, milk, etc...", walks around the house with a cell phone babbling away like he's talking to someone on the other end, knocks on doors, locks doors using the bottom lock, pulls out the plug to our tub when he's done with his bath, swims in the bathtub while the water is draining, pulls tissues out of the box and "wipes" his nose before throwing the tissue in the trashcan, and lastly, we have a neighborhood kitten who likes to sleep on our porch in our blue chair. Kyle loves to see this kitten and will lay down on the porch with her when she jumps out of the chair to roll around and stretch. It's too cute, but I have yet to capture a picture!
And I am very tickled that I got to talk to Kirsten last night on the "phone".
Our Thanksgiving was just wonderful! We enjoyed celebrating at home with just us and then having some of the grandparents visit over the weekend. Kyle is really starting to warm up to his extended family!
The Monday after Thanksgiving I picked up one of our friends Kellie and her 5 1/2 month old kids Kaylie (sp?) and Hunter and we all traveled to Gilbert to see our friend Celeste and her new baby girl, Bethany. Whew! You should've seen the car! We had Kyle in the middle seat and the babies strapped in on each side; it was tight, but we made it work! It was so nice to get to meet Bethany as a new baby and totally amazing to think that this time next year she'll be doing a lot of the same things that Kyle does!
This week we also headed out to Tubac with my old college roommate, Tammy, to see the site where she's getting married and help confirm some details. It is just a beautiful area and Kyle had a great time exploring!
Also, Kyle had his 15 month old doctor's appointment this week. We found out that he is 23 lbs and 32 inches; on the light side, but tall for his age! The doctor said Kyle is doing great developmentally (which we, of course, know how "advanced" he is for his age!) and that he wouldn't need any more shots until he turns two years old. Kyle giggled when Dr. Lloyd used her stethoscope to listen to his chest and both the Dr. and myself started singing the "Teddy bear, teddy bear turn around" rhyme when Kyle started spinning around in the middle of the exam room. It's really nice to see that she's in touch with his age group! We'll go back in February when Kyle turns 18 months old.
In other news, we have taken quite a few pictures lately, one with Santa and family pictures at the JcPenney studio. I've slowed down quite a bit on the professional pictures now that Kyle is older. He still changes a lot, but not near as quickly as the first year.
Let's see, what are some new things that Kyle is doing nowadays: pretends to be a dog by crawling around and panting, turns the stereo on so he can dance, "requests" certain DVDs/videos by pulling out the one he wants from the entertainment center and bringing it to us or turning on the TV, turns off Kevin's football game and does the "all done" sign when he's finished watching TV, snuggles up to us when we ask him to "snuggle up to daddy/mommy while I get your diaper, milk, etc...", walks around the house with a cell phone babbling away like he's talking to someone on the other end, knocks on doors, locks doors using the bottom lock, pulls out the plug to our tub when he's done with his bath, swims in the bathtub while the water is draining, pulls tissues out of the box and "wipes" his nose before throwing the tissue in the trashcan, and lastly, we have a neighborhood kitten who likes to sleep on our porch in our blue chair. Kyle loves to see this kitten and will lay down on the porch with her when she jumps out of the chair to roll around and stretch. It's too cute, but I have yet to capture a picture!
And I am very tickled that I got to talk to Kirsten last night on the "phone".
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Bye bye crib...
I moved Kyle's crib mattress to the floor this morning, in the exact spot where his crib usually sits. He got all excited and laid down on it while I moved some things around in his room. Kevin and I have been talking about starting to transition Kyle out of his crib. Well, I just put him down for his nap and he fussed for about 4 minutes, but now it's silent...I'll go check on him in 20 minutes or so and see where he finally fell asleep (or if he's playing!).
Kyle woke up with a runny nose this morning; I'm totally bummed about the possibility of him having a cold over the long weekend. Colds are rough on infants/toddlers and their parents because there aren't that many medications you can give to help relieve symptoms, the children don't blow their noses yet, and this all results in a week's worth of sleepless nights!
Yesterday I made an appt. for us to get pictures taken and took Kyle for a well overdue haircut. He had to sit in my lap this time (his first haircut was at 9 months and he sat in the seat by himself). The guy did a great job and now I can spike up the top with a little product if I want; it's too cute! I'll try to post a picture of his new 'do tonight.
Kyle has become more and more affectionate in his old age! He snuggles up to and lays on us all the time, especially when he's tired. Every morning we do a family hug when Kevin leaves for school and Kyle has started giving us kisses (He gives Kev a kiss goodbye, then Kevin kisses me, then Kyle looks at me, does the kissing noise and I give him a kiss too, even though I'm not leaving, lol).
Oh, how I hate the trash trucks! Aaarrrggghhh! They either come at 5 a.m. or between 11 and 1...right when Kyle is sleeping! There are like 5 big trash cans behind our complex and by the fifth dumpster, Kyle is usually awake...I'm crossing my fingers he stays asleep this time.
Well, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Enjoy your long weekend!
Kyle woke up with a runny nose this morning; I'm totally bummed about the possibility of him having a cold over the long weekend. Colds are rough on infants/toddlers and their parents because there aren't that many medications you can give to help relieve symptoms, the children don't blow their noses yet, and this all results in a week's worth of sleepless nights!
Yesterday I made an appt. for us to get pictures taken and took Kyle for a well overdue haircut. He had to sit in my lap this time (his first haircut was at 9 months and he sat in the seat by himself). The guy did a great job and now I can spike up the top with a little product if I want; it's too cute! I'll try to post a picture of his new 'do tonight.
Kyle has become more and more affectionate in his old age! He snuggles up to and lays on us all the time, especially when he's tired. Every morning we do a family hug when Kevin leaves for school and Kyle has started giving us kisses (He gives Kev a kiss goodbye, then Kevin kisses me, then Kyle looks at me, does the kissing noise and I give him a kiss too, even though I'm not leaving, lol).
Oh, how I hate the trash trucks! Aaarrrggghhh! They either come at 5 a.m. or between 11 and 1...right when Kyle is sleeping! There are like 5 big trash cans behind our complex and by the fifth dumpster, Kyle is usually awake...I'm crossing my fingers he stays asleep this time.
Well, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Enjoy your long weekend!
Friday, November 17, 2006
A busy week
We just got back from Phoenix today, helping Anastasia out this week while her mom and husband were working! It was a lot of fun to see how Kyle interacted with Cameron and Taylor, in addition to what he learned from Cameron (who's 2 1/2 years old). I got a couple of cute pictures that I'll work on posting next week. Kyle finally slept through the night last night. It takes him awhile to get his sleeping groove down when we aren't at home.
Tonight Kyle let the water out of his bath, then laid down on his belly in the bathtub and started "swimming". It was too funny, but he didn't do it long enough for me to get a good picture, so hopefully he'll try it again another night this weekend!
I'm relieved to be home, at least for a couple of days! I need to get in touch with our old college friend Celeste, since she'll be in Phoenix with her new baby girl, Bethany, this week. I'd like to make a day trip to see her.
In other news, my AIMS tutoring wrapped up on Monday and I won't be teaching a reading class until next semester, so I'm once again "not working", but only briefly. That's about all I can muster for news tonight!
Tonight Kyle let the water out of his bath, then laid down on his belly in the bathtub and started "swimming". It was too funny, but he didn't do it long enough for me to get a good picture, so hopefully he'll try it again another night this weekend!
I'm relieved to be home, at least for a couple of days! I need to get in touch with our old college friend Celeste, since she'll be in Phoenix with her new baby girl, Bethany, this week. I'd like to make a day trip to see her.
In other news, my AIMS tutoring wrapped up on Monday and I won't be teaching a reading class until next semester, so I'm once again "not working", but only briefly. That's about all I can muster for news tonight!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Toddler
This morning I went in to get Kyle up and he was laying on his pillow with George clutched in his hand, lying right there on the pillow with him. Kyle received a small Curious George stuffed animal, kind of like a beanie baby version, and he has become more and more attached to it over the weekend! I am sooo pleased that he may have found a lovey to comfort himself. He's been running to his crib in the middle of the day to grab George and last night that curious monkey accidentally took a swim in the bathtub, but he's all dried out now.
Kyle is everywhere and in everything lately; I'm almost certain he hit his head at least 4 times this weekend, in addition to running in to a young lady's handlebar at the bike swap on Saturday. Thankfully, he has slept through the night since Thursday, so I'm feeling just about human lately. Yesterday evening, while I was making dinner and Kevin was still out on a bike ride, Kyle started emptying out his cabinet; a very common thing for him to do. Although, lately he's been taking each item and placing it on our kitchen table, instead of the floor. Well, last night he ran out of room on the kitchen table, so he crawled in to the cabinet and emptied the rest of it out on our kitchen floor. It was too funny to see him sitting in that empty cabinet!
As Kyle continues in his toddlerhood, our house is increasingly messy, so we're implementing a "put away the toy you're playing with before you get another one out" policy. It's worked pretty well so far.
And, if you haven't heard, we are staying in Tucson for the holidays! After shuttling Kyle around last year and getting even less sleep than usual, we've decided to forego the holiday traveling and start some traditions of our own.
Kyle is everywhere and in everything lately; I'm almost certain he hit his head at least 4 times this weekend, in addition to running in to a young lady's handlebar at the bike swap on Saturday. Thankfully, he has slept through the night since Thursday, so I'm feeling just about human lately. Yesterday evening, while I was making dinner and Kevin was still out on a bike ride, Kyle started emptying out his cabinet; a very common thing for him to do. Although, lately he's been taking each item and placing it on our kitchen table, instead of the floor. Well, last night he ran out of room on the kitchen table, so he crawled in to the cabinet and emptied the rest of it out on our kitchen floor. It was too funny to see him sitting in that empty cabinet!
As Kyle continues in his toddlerhood, our house is increasingly messy, so we're implementing a "put away the toy you're playing with before you get another one out" policy. It's worked pretty well so far.
And, if you haven't heard, we are staying in Tucson for the holidays! After shuttling Kyle around last year and getting even less sleep than usual, we've decided to forego the holiday traveling and start some traditions of our own.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
A trip to Phoenix
So, we're in Phoenix right now helping out Anastasia. It's been fun and makes me remember the days when we all lived nearby and played as kids. Kyle and Cameron are really starting to enjoy one another's company.
Today, Kyle did something new! Well, he does something new everyday, I just don't always remember to write about it. We've been going to a different storytime during the week and they do a rhyme that starts "Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around...". I always turn Kyle around, and I thought "We should practice turning around", but we never did. Well, tonight, while we were waiting to be seated for dinner, Kyle starts turning around in circles, stops, looks at me and laughs, and then I clapped for him. I said "Kyle, do you know how to turn around?", and he turned around again. He was so pleased with himself.
All these women around me with kids that are Kyle's age are getting pregnant again! In one sense, I'm jealous because I'd like to get my pregnancies over with (read the archives if that doesn't make sense)! However, there is a part of me that is so thankful we aren't pregnant again yet. I feel like my body is just starting to recover from the last two years. Anyways, I get the benefit of holding all these sweet new babies after they're born later this year! Just this morning I popped Taylor, all of 8 weeks old, in Kyle's sling and enjoyed those moments of cuddling a tiny baby.
I'm tired, and Kyle will be up at 7 a.m.. Until another time...
P.S.-Yes, I copied The Tatums baby ticker idea...isn't it the cutest?
Today, Kyle did something new! Well, he does something new everyday, I just don't always remember to write about it. We've been going to a different storytime during the week and they do a rhyme that starts "Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around...". I always turn Kyle around, and I thought "We should practice turning around", but we never did. Well, tonight, while we were waiting to be seated for dinner, Kyle starts turning around in circles, stops, looks at me and laughs, and then I clapped for him. I said "Kyle, do you know how to turn around?", and he turned around again. He was so pleased with himself.
All these women around me with kids that are Kyle's age are getting pregnant again! In one sense, I'm jealous because I'd like to get my pregnancies over with (read the archives if that doesn't make sense)! However, there is a part of me that is so thankful we aren't pregnant again yet. I feel like my body is just starting to recover from the last two years. Anyways, I get the benefit of holding all these sweet new babies after they're born later this year! Just this morning I popped Taylor, all of 8 weeks old, in Kyle's sling and enjoyed those moments of cuddling a tiny baby.
I'm tired, and Kyle will be up at 7 a.m.. Until another time...
P.S.-Yes, I copied The Tatums baby ticker idea...isn't it the cutest?
Monday, October 30, 2006
Goodnight
Tonight we got Kyle ready for bed a little early, then he stayed up reading books with me while Kevin went to band practice. About 7:40, Kyle hops off the couch, looks at me, and puts his hand to his ear (the go to bed sign). We don't use this often, so I ask him while signing "bed", "Time for bed?". He immediately switches to the "eat" sign, so I ask him "What do you want to eat?" and he signs "milk". So, we go and get him a cup of milk, he drinks half of it, pops his binky back in his mouth, hands me the milk cup, signs "bed" again, grabs my finger and pulls me down the hall to his bedroom. He knew exactly what he wanted.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
A few notes
Wow, it has been way too long. Can I tell you how busy we all have been? And then Kyle and I got sick over the weekend, ugh. I'll try to give you a report on our October...
So Kyle is, of course, acting more grown up everyday. He uses more and more signs, although he still isn't terribly verbal. He's been waking up for an hour or two every night, we think it's to play. I've asked him a couple times when he wakes up if he needs a diaper change and he sometimes says "yesh". So I change his diaper and he usually goes right back to sleep. We're considering converting his crib to the toddler bed so he can hop out and do what he feels he needs to do, then go back to bed; his room door would stay closed or we would put up a gate across it. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Last night, I went in after he'd been fussing for about 20 minutes, gave him some teething tablets (he's got a full mouth of teeth now) and a little bit of milk, but left him in his crib while I did this. Boy, was he furious! I left him in there for another 40 minutes and he calmed down once, but then started up fussing again. By the time I went in to check on him, his pajamas were sopping wet from tears and snot, so I stripped him of his clothes, asked if he needed a diaper change (yesh), then I swaddled him in a blanket and laid him down to bed. He went right to sleep.
Lastly, our lease is coming up for renewal in December and we always consider various options when this happens. We could move to a larger unit in our complex (there weren't any available when we initially moved in), look for a different place to rent, or stay right where we are! I'm going to look at a townhouse today.
Here's to October ending and our lives going back to a little more normal!
So Kyle is, of course, acting more grown up everyday. He uses more and more signs, although he still isn't terribly verbal. He's been waking up for an hour or two every night, we think it's to play. I've asked him a couple times when he wakes up if he needs a diaper change and he sometimes says "yesh". So I change his diaper and he usually goes right back to sleep. We're considering converting his crib to the toddler bed so he can hop out and do what he feels he needs to do, then go back to bed; his room door would stay closed or we would put up a gate across it. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Last night, I went in after he'd been fussing for about 20 minutes, gave him some teething tablets (he's got a full mouth of teeth now) and a little bit of milk, but left him in his crib while I did this. Boy, was he furious! I left him in there for another 40 minutes and he calmed down once, but then started up fussing again. By the time I went in to check on him, his pajamas were sopping wet from tears and snot, so I stripped him of his clothes, asked if he needed a diaper change (yesh), then I swaddled him in a blanket and laid him down to bed. He went right to sleep.
Lastly, our lease is coming up for renewal in December and we always consider various options when this happens. We could move to a larger unit in our complex (there weren't any available when we initially moved in), look for a different place to rent, or stay right where we are! I'm going to look at a townhouse today.
Here's to October ending and our lives going back to a little more normal!
Monday, September 25, 2006
Before I forget....
Kyle started combining signs the other night. At the end of his bath, Kyle signed more, then milk. Well, today Kyle and I had a little "sign conversation" after his nap. I signed baby and change while saying "Come here, baby Kyle needs a diaper change" and Kyle signed back baby and airplane. And so we went back and forth, until I think Kyle understood because he started laughing and turned it in to a game:
Me: "No baby Kyle, not an airplane, a diaper change!"
Kyle: Signs baby and airplane again while laughing.
Then he toddled over and sat down on the changing pad, a definite first!
Me: "No baby Kyle, not an airplane, a diaper change!"
Kyle: Signs baby and airplane again while laughing.
Then he toddled over and sat down on the changing pad, a definite first!
Held accountable...
Kevin and I make a point to "say grace" before we eat. Well, Kyle now folds his hands and "prays" with us. If we for some reason start eating without praying, Kyle stops, folds his hands and looks at us like "Didn't you forget something?".
When I picked Kyle up from the nursery at church yesterday morning, one of the workers said Kyle was "sharing" his goldfish crackers with the other kids. I sent him in to the nursery with his snack cup and I guess he was pulling crackers out of his cup and putting them in the other kids mouths. They might have thought he was sharing, but really it's a game we play here at home "Can you feed mommy/daddy?". Cute nonetheless.
And for all my concerns about various ways Kevin and I should be teaching Kyle to be independent, I realized we're doing quite well with the little guy when I saw one of his 1 yr old plus friends still eating stage 2 baby food and an almost 2 year old friend who's mom isn't sure when she'll be weaned because nursing is how she goes to sleep....hmmm. I just keep my mouth shut unless asked for some advice; they aren't my kids!
Lastly, I'll leave you with the mother who's 14 month old daughter still uses her (now much too small) infant car seat and was just introduced to "other people" last week. The mom confessed to all of us at movers and shakers that her daughter had been premature and the doctor said to keep her isolated for the first 3 months...however, the mom just got used to it and never took her daughter out until now.
I'm pretty sure I would've gone insane if it had just been Kevin, Kyle, and me for the past 13 months...Here's to an interesting week and keeping my opinions to myself!
When I picked Kyle up from the nursery at church yesterday morning, one of the workers said Kyle was "sharing" his goldfish crackers with the other kids. I sent him in to the nursery with his snack cup and I guess he was pulling crackers out of his cup and putting them in the other kids mouths. They might have thought he was sharing, but really it's a game we play here at home "Can you feed mommy/daddy?". Cute nonetheless.
And for all my concerns about various ways Kevin and I should be teaching Kyle to be independent, I realized we're doing quite well with the little guy when I saw one of his 1 yr old plus friends still eating stage 2 baby food and an almost 2 year old friend who's mom isn't sure when she'll be weaned because nursing is how she goes to sleep....hmmm. I just keep my mouth shut unless asked for some advice; they aren't my kids!
Lastly, I'll leave you with the mother who's 14 month old daughter still uses her (now much too small) infant car seat and was just introduced to "other people" last week. The mom confessed to all of us at movers and shakers that her daughter had been premature and the doctor said to keep her isolated for the first 3 months...however, the mom just got used to it and never took her daughter out until now.
I'm pretty sure I would've gone insane if it had just been Kevin, Kyle, and me for the past 13 months...Here's to an interesting week and keeping my opinions to myself!
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Lights out
Kyle's been sleeping on the little travel size pillow I put in his bed a couple weeks back. I checked on him last night and there he was, all curled up on his side, head on the pillow just like a big boy. It's amazing how much more grown up he looks sleeping with his head on a pillow.
Friday, September 22, 2006
P.S.-
If anyone talks to Becca in the near future, let her know that the blanket she and Jesse gave Kyle is his favorite...he takes all his naps and sleeps all night with it. I didn't put the blanket in his crib with him one time and he pulled it down during the night. I found him with his arm around it all snuggled when I got him up the next morning.
New teeth
Kyle has three new teeth, and they're all molars! No wonder the little guy has been waking up at night in misery...I expect the fourth matching molar to come within the month.
I finally found something to feed Kyle for lunch! He would eat leftovers from dinner for lunch (if we had any), but beyond that turned his nose up at any other usual lunch foods like sandwiches. So, we were at Costco the other day and I had him try a sample of those dinosaur chicken nuggets. Man did he like them; kept asking for more after the one was gone, so I went and got a box crossing my fingers that he would eat them for lunch on a pretty regular basis. Miracle of miracles, he eats 2 or 3 chicken nuggets for lunch everyday we've tried so far.
This past weekend Kyle and I stopped at the Stride Rite outlet on our way back to Tucson. I picked up the cutest little sneakers for this fall in a size 6. He does so well in the sandals by this same company!
And I'm officially a working woman: private tutoring on evenings and weekends and an independent contractor to teach speed reading one month out of every semester. I'm very excited to be working in the field of education again.
Here's to a relaxing weekend!
I finally found something to feed Kyle for lunch! He would eat leftovers from dinner for lunch (if we had any), but beyond that turned his nose up at any other usual lunch foods like sandwiches. So, we were at Costco the other day and I had him try a sample of those dinosaur chicken nuggets. Man did he like them; kept asking for more after the one was gone, so I went and got a box crossing my fingers that he would eat them for lunch on a pretty regular basis. Miracle of miracles, he eats 2 or 3 chicken nuggets for lunch everyday we've tried so far.
This past weekend Kyle and I stopped at the Stride Rite outlet on our way back to Tucson. I picked up the cutest little sneakers for this fall in a size 6. He does so well in the sandals by this same company!
And I'm officially a working woman: private tutoring on evenings and weekends and an independent contractor to teach speed reading one month out of every semester. I'm very excited to be working in the field of education again.
Here's to a relaxing weekend!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Fun
So, I went to Phoenix to help out Anastasia this weekend, and Taylor looked good, but they were still waiting on the results from some tests the last I heard. Thank you for all your prayers!
In Kyle news....
Kevin asked Kyle if he wanted to do a somersault this evening. Kyle proceeded to bend his knees, put his hands on the floor, and lay his head down (trying to tuck it under). Kevin helped him tuck his head and flipped Kyle over, to which Kyle laughed and did the "more" sign. Kyle does somersaults at his tumble class occasionally, but we've never really done them at home much, so it was a surprise to see him respond to the question so appropriately!
Earlier today, Kyle was reaching for something dangerous while I was holding him on my hip and I said "No" in a stern tone. He looked at me quizzically, then retracted his hand and honked my nose. Hmmm...guess we don't use the word "no" very often!
And this morning, Kyle and I read three books over and over and over again...if you've been by The Tatums blog lately, you'll know Ellie has been doing this with her parents for awhile!
In Kyle news....
Kevin asked Kyle if he wanted to do a somersault this evening. Kyle proceeded to bend his knees, put his hands on the floor, and lay his head down (trying to tuck it under). Kevin helped him tuck his head and flipped Kyle over, to which Kyle laughed and did the "more" sign. Kyle does somersaults at his tumble class occasionally, but we've never really done them at home much, so it was a surprise to see him respond to the question so appropriately!
Earlier today, Kyle was reaching for something dangerous while I was holding him on my hip and I said "No" in a stern tone. He looked at me quizzically, then retracted his hand and honked my nose. Hmmm...guess we don't use the word "no" very often!
And this morning, Kyle and I read three books over and over and over again...if you've been by The Tatums blog lately, you'll know Ellie has been doing this with her parents for awhile!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Taylor
Please pray for Taylor; he's in the hospital for what the doctors thought were seizures, but now aren't sure what's going on.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Sick
I know, it's been a good week since I posted, but we had a rough last week and sometimes I just don't want to write it down! So, Kyle was really cranky last week, but we figured it was just some side effects from his 1 year shots. On Wednesday night, about 3 a.m., Kyle woke up with a raging fever. We called our on call pediatrician and he said not to worry about it, that it was a common side effect for a shot Kyle had received (MMR). We gave Kyle some Motrin and put him to bed with us.
On Thursday, we kept Kyle medicated as he was still having quite a high fever. After our evening walk, as we were getting him ready for bed, I noticed that his skin was mottled and blotchy and his lips and hands were blue. We got Kyle out of the bath and he started making a weird grunting noise. I called the doctor again and she said to go to the ER immediately. We got there and waited close to two hours to see a doctor. Kyle played and stayed awake the entire time. He had a fever of 103.6, even with the Motrin when we got checked in and the resident who checked Kyle out was pretty much stumped as to why he was sick. Talk about disconcerting. They wanted a urine sample; we tried to get Kyle to pee in the sink, since he goes at home in his potty, but they ended up having to run a catheter to get the sample.
I stayed out of the room while they did this, because I tend to faint around medical procedures, but I fainted anyways after returning to the room and ended up on the gurney with oxygen over my face. We took Kyle to see his pediatrician on Friday evening and she said that it was probably a virus, but wasn't for sure; also, the urine culture came back negative. And so, finally, Kyle seems to be feeling better, but I'm going to be a raging mother if he gets sick like this again and everyone is still "stumped"; $135 later and no answers *sigh*.
Around this same time, Kyle has started taking 2-3 hour naps. Kevin and I are crossing our fingers that this will last for a little while!
Lately, if I don't have one of Kyle's sippy cups out for him, he goes to "his" cabinet with all his eating stuff in it, pulls out an empty sippy cup and starts sucking on it while looking at me intently "Hey mom! I'm thirsty!". I much prefer it to whining when he wants a drink. One fun mystery is that he uses the milk/nursing sign when he wants anything to drink, whether it be nursing, soy milk, water, or juice. Sometimes it takes a few guesses before we get it right and then he wants to switch what he's drinking with his water cup (if he doesn't have it already).
We picked up one of these last night and it's a wonderful little invention!
Every night, as part of Kyle's bedtime routine, we strip him of his clothes to get him ready for his bath. Well, lately, he likes to pick up his clothes and carry them around! We've started making a habit of him carrying his clothes to his closet, where the hamper lives, and throwing them in...it's so cool because it's a game for him and one less thing for us to pick up once he's in bed!
And lastly, Kyle has been making all sorts of noises and chatter as he tests out new sounds and tries to say words. It's just amazing!
On Thursday, we kept Kyle medicated as he was still having quite a high fever. After our evening walk, as we were getting him ready for bed, I noticed that his skin was mottled and blotchy and his lips and hands were blue. We got Kyle out of the bath and he started making a weird grunting noise. I called the doctor again and she said to go to the ER immediately. We got there and waited close to two hours to see a doctor. Kyle played and stayed awake the entire time. He had a fever of 103.6, even with the Motrin when we got checked in and the resident who checked Kyle out was pretty much stumped as to why he was sick. Talk about disconcerting. They wanted a urine sample; we tried to get Kyle to pee in the sink, since he goes at home in his potty, but they ended up having to run a catheter to get the sample.
I stayed out of the room while they did this, because I tend to faint around medical procedures, but I fainted anyways after returning to the room and ended up on the gurney with oxygen over my face. We took Kyle to see his pediatrician on Friday evening and she said that it was probably a virus, but wasn't for sure; also, the urine culture came back negative. And so, finally, Kyle seems to be feeling better, but I'm going to be a raging mother if he gets sick like this again and everyone is still "stumped"; $135 later and no answers *sigh*.
Around this same time, Kyle has started taking 2-3 hour naps. Kevin and I are crossing our fingers that this will last for a little while!
Lately, if I don't have one of Kyle's sippy cups out for him, he goes to "his" cabinet with all his eating stuff in it, pulls out an empty sippy cup and starts sucking on it while looking at me intently "Hey mom! I'm thirsty!". I much prefer it to whining when he wants a drink. One fun mystery is that he uses the milk/nursing sign when he wants anything to drink, whether it be nursing, soy milk, water, or juice. Sometimes it takes a few guesses before we get it right and then he wants to switch what he's drinking with his water cup (if he doesn't have it already).
We picked up one of these last night and it's a wonderful little invention!
Every night, as part of Kyle's bedtime routine, we strip him of his clothes to get him ready for his bath. Well, lately, he likes to pick up his clothes and carry them around! We've started making a habit of him carrying his clothes to his closet, where the hamper lives, and throwing them in...it's so cool because it's a game for him and one less thing for us to pick up once he's in bed!
And lastly, Kyle has been making all sorts of noises and chatter as he tests out new sounds and tries to say words. It's just amazing!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Our little toddler...
This morning I brought Kyle in to our bed after he woke up and he started pulling on my nose. So we did the "Mommy's nose", "Daddy's nose", "Kyle's nose" game. And I added the eyes and mouth too. Well, Kyle's been at it all day; pinching my nose, then Kevin's when he got home from work and he gets all tickled when we ask "Where's (mommy's/daddy's/Kyle's) nose?". It's great fun...
Also, Kyle likes to initiate games of peek-a-boo, patty cake, and if you're happy and you know it (the hooray part is his favorite). It's just amazing how after his first birthday he magically turned in to a toddler and does all these new, wonderful things everyday! And he totally understands simple commands now. I love it! Kyle still uses sign language, but we haven't been introducing new signs to him lately. He babbles a lot, but definitely uses mama and dada to refer to me and Kevin. It also sounds like he uses the word "yes" a lot of the time.
Today we are officially weaned to nursing twice a day: morning and night. Hopefully by the time Kyle hits 13 months old, he'll be exclusively on soy milk and table food!
That's about it! All of our baby classes/groups started up again this week after a break during the month of August. We've been busy, but it's good to be out and about with the other moms and babies.
Also, Kyle likes to initiate games of peek-a-boo, patty cake, and if you're happy and you know it (the hooray part is his favorite). It's just amazing how after his first birthday he magically turned in to a toddler and does all these new, wonderful things everyday! And he totally understands simple commands now. I love it! Kyle still uses sign language, but we haven't been introducing new signs to him lately. He babbles a lot, but definitely uses mama and dada to refer to me and Kevin. It also sounds like he uses the word "yes" a lot of the time.
Today we are officially weaned to nursing twice a day: morning and night. Hopefully by the time Kyle hits 13 months old, he'll be exclusively on soy milk and table food!
That's about it! All of our baby classes/groups started up again this week after a break during the month of August. We've been busy, but it's good to be out and about with the other moms and babies.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Potty training
So, we already put Kyle's training potty in our bathroom and he thinks it's a great little chair to sit on. When I change his diaper I take him in there, take off the dirty diaper, and sit him on the potty for a few minutes while I read him a book. Then we put on his new diaper. Well, tonight he peed in the training potty before his bath! I thought that was pretty cool.
Now, don't take this to mean we're trying to potty train him yet or anything. We haven't forced any training on him and the reason the potty is in there in the first place is so he won't play with the real toilet.
That said, I wouldn't be totally disappointed if we weren't using diapers by the time he hit his second birthday, but I'm not holding my breath, and neither should you!
Now, don't take this to mean we're trying to potty train him yet or anything. We haven't forced any training on him and the reason the potty is in there in the first place is so he won't play with the real toilet.
That said, I wouldn't be totally disappointed if we weren't using diapers by the time he hit his second birthday, but I'm not holding my breath, and neither should you!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Long awaited update...
There is so much new going on with Kyle, but it's hard to remember/get it down when it happens. We have some great new pictures I'm hoping to get downloaded later today.
Kyle is toddling around everywhere now, climbing on everything, and eating a lot of real food. We've both been able to adjust to the 3x/day nursing schedule and he's sleeping through the night once again.
Diaper changes often happen while Kyle's standing up, since having him lay down (without some additional help), is no longer an option. Last night Kyle climbed in to his rocking chair and sat down. He loves his little chair! This morning he watched Sesame Street while sitting in his chair. He says the word "dad" consistently, referring to Kevin, and is noticing everyone who has something on their head, using the sign for "hat" to tell us about it.
Kyle's first birthday and party were this past weekend. It was really nice to see everyone who's been a part of his life this past year and celebrate! We had pizza and cake, although Kyle really wanted nothing to do with his cake! We tried again at home on Monday night, but once again he just turned his nose up at it.
Yesterday, we took Kyle for his 1 year checkup at the pediatrician's office. He is 31 inches long, 21 1/2 lbs, and I forget his head circumference, but it's in the 75th percentile. For his height, Kyle is in the 95th percentile, but for his weight he's like in the 30th percentile. Our tall and skinny boy, no surprise to me when I look at Kevin now and remember myself growing up.
Kyle is more adorable everyday as he walks around, discovers new things about the house (and we discover new ways to babyproof!), and talks, talks, talks. Just this morning he took his alphabet magnets off of the fridge and tried them on the oven! I thought that was pretty smart of him to see if the magnets would stick to other surfaces in the kitchen.
Jason, Kirsten, and Ellie are probably in Jordan by now. They stopped by for a little while the other night, the kids played, and we did some catching up. Thankfully, most of their family is still in Arizona, so we'll probably see them at least once a year while Jason and Kevin are finishing up their degrees.
Kyle should have a new little cousin here in the next 2 weeks or so. Anastasia is due on September 7th (I think) with baby #2 for their family. I think it's going to be a lot of fun as the kids get older, with all of our kids just a year apart. Cameron, her firstborn is 2 years old, Kyle is 1 year old, and soon this new baby! I doubt we'll continue the trend next year, as we'd like to wait a couple more years before having a new addition to our family.
Alright, that's about all! I have new professional pictures of Kyle I'll be putting in the mail later this week!
Kyle is toddling around everywhere now, climbing on everything, and eating a lot of real food. We've both been able to adjust to the 3x/day nursing schedule and he's sleeping through the night once again.
Diaper changes often happen while Kyle's standing up, since having him lay down (without some additional help), is no longer an option. Last night Kyle climbed in to his rocking chair and sat down. He loves his little chair! This morning he watched Sesame Street while sitting in his chair. He says the word "dad" consistently, referring to Kevin, and is noticing everyone who has something on their head, using the sign for "hat" to tell us about it.
Kyle's first birthday and party were this past weekend. It was really nice to see everyone who's been a part of his life this past year and celebrate! We had pizza and cake, although Kyle really wanted nothing to do with his cake! We tried again at home on Monday night, but once again he just turned his nose up at it.
Yesterday, we took Kyle for his 1 year checkup at the pediatrician's office. He is 31 inches long, 21 1/2 lbs, and I forget his head circumference, but it's in the 75th percentile. For his height, Kyle is in the 95th percentile, but for his weight he's like in the 30th percentile. Our tall and skinny boy, no surprise to me when I look at Kevin now and remember myself growing up.
Kyle is more adorable everyday as he walks around, discovers new things about the house (and we discover new ways to babyproof!), and talks, talks, talks. Just this morning he took his alphabet magnets off of the fridge and tried them on the oven! I thought that was pretty smart of him to see if the magnets would stick to other surfaces in the kitchen.
Jason, Kirsten, and Ellie are probably in Jordan by now. They stopped by for a little while the other night, the kids played, and we did some catching up. Thankfully, most of their family is still in Arizona, so we'll probably see them at least once a year while Jason and Kevin are finishing up their degrees.
Kyle should have a new little cousin here in the next 2 weeks or so. Anastasia is due on September 7th (I think) with baby #2 for their family. I think it's going to be a lot of fun as the kids get older, with all of our kids just a year apart. Cameron, her firstborn is 2 years old, Kyle is 1 year old, and soon this new baby! I doubt we'll continue the trend next year, as we'd like to wait a couple more years before having a new addition to our family.
Alright, that's about all! I have new professional pictures of Kyle I'll be putting in the mail later this week!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
This and that
Kyle broke a tooth through this week...I'm not sure when, but I discovered it on Monday. Also, he's been throwing tantrums of sorts. Just today we went to get pictures taken and he broke down; the photographers asked how old he was. When we told them he was a year, they kept saying how he was already acting like a 2 year old. I can only pray that his "terrible twos" aren't starting a year early! Regretfully, we only got 5 pictures, and all but one were family pictures since Kyle refused to sit and smile by himself. Oh well. We'll try again at Christmas.
We purchased some bowls that suction to Kyle's high chair tray and he's been eating dinner out of them, sometimes with a spoon and sometimes with his hands. It hasn't been as messy as I anticipated.
Attempting to wean Kyle from nursing is taking just about all the gusto I have everyday. My goal is 3 times per day and I'm attempting to give him soy milk when he asks to nurse more than that, but he's terribly insistent. I'm a wuss when he screams bloody murder and I'm the only one around.
In other news, our washer was out of commission for a week, maybe longer, but is now working again. We were in Flagstaff this weekend for a wedding, had a chance to see Kristin, and go to our old church. It was a nice time all in all, but quite a bit of driving for 2 1/2 days.
Kellie and the twins are stopping by tomorrow. I realized when she called to get together that we haven't had any babies over since Kirsten and Ellie left for Egypt. I've tried to invite our neighbors over, who have a 1 year old girl, but I must be overstepping some Brazilian custom because they will never set foot in our house. Oh well.
We purchased some bowls that suction to Kyle's high chair tray and he's been eating dinner out of them, sometimes with a spoon and sometimes with his hands. It hasn't been as messy as I anticipated.
Attempting to wean Kyle from nursing is taking just about all the gusto I have everyday. My goal is 3 times per day and I'm attempting to give him soy milk when he asks to nurse more than that, but he's terribly insistent. I'm a wuss when he screams bloody murder and I'm the only one around.
In other news, our washer was out of commission for a week, maybe longer, but is now working again. We were in Flagstaff this weekend for a wedding, had a chance to see Kristin, and go to our old church. It was a nice time all in all, but quite a bit of driving for 2 1/2 days.
Kellie and the twins are stopping by tomorrow. I realized when she called to get together that we haven't had any babies over since Kirsten and Ellie left for Egypt. I've tried to invite our neighbors over, who have a 1 year old girl, but I must be overstepping some Brazilian custom because they will never set foot in our house. Oh well.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
We (I) survived
Kevin and I took this weekend for ourselves and it was wonderful! However, we seem to have gotten a different baby back and are a little worried. Kyle has been nursing, eating, and drinking just fine, but he's soooo lethargic; nothing like the little guy we left Friday night. I might have to call the doctor. We'll see.
Despite the fact that I enjoyed this weekend, it is really nice to be home. There is something about our little place that I just love to come back to. August is a busy month for us: we're traveling to a wedding in Flagstaff this weekend, then my birthday, and Kyle's birthday.
That's about all I can muster as far as news go...enjoy your August and I'll update when I can!
Despite the fact that I enjoyed this weekend, it is really nice to be home. There is something about our little place that I just love to come back to. August is a busy month for us: we're traveling to a wedding in Flagstaff this weekend, then my birthday, and Kyle's birthday.
That's about all I can muster as far as news go...enjoy your August and I'll update when I can!
Monday, July 31, 2006
He did it!
Kyle was hanging out in his bedroom, holding on to the bed while I got his room ready to go to sleep and Kevin was drawing his bath. Well, I turn away for two seconds and he's taken off out of the bedroom, around the corner to the bathroom, and ends up at the tub! He walked that way all by himself without falling. I bet he'll be cruising around by the time all of you see him again!
New developments everyday
So what has Kyle been up to?
Well, I bought a smoothie at the mall this weekend and, though he had never figured out how a straw worked before, he was a pro by the time we finished off that smoothie. I've now bought ingredients to make these at home; thank goodness for a way to get him some fruit in his diet!
Kyle is taking more and more steps on his own...we took a video that hopefully Kevin will post sometime this week. Also, he can now climb on to the couch all by himself, but still prefers to bail off head first.
Today I locked my keys in the car at the grocery store (I knew this would happen eventually while I had Kyle with me). Well, I was on the phone with AAA and noticed a van in the parking lot advertising "Locks & Safes", then a guy approached me (in this company's uniform) and asked if I needed my car unlocked. I said yes, but that I got it free through AAA, so I'd wait for them, but he said "No problem, I'll take care of it for you"! What a blessing! I was not looking forward to being stranded at Fry's for an hour with junior.
So that was our adventure for the day. We'll be in Phoenix this weekend, Kevin and I celebrating our anniversary, and Kyle will be staying with his Nana.
Well, I bought a smoothie at the mall this weekend and, though he had never figured out how a straw worked before, he was a pro by the time we finished off that smoothie. I've now bought ingredients to make these at home; thank goodness for a way to get him some fruit in his diet!
Kyle is taking more and more steps on his own...we took a video that hopefully Kevin will post sometime this week. Also, he can now climb on to the couch all by himself, but still prefers to bail off head first.
Today I locked my keys in the car at the grocery store (I knew this would happen eventually while I had Kyle with me). Well, I was on the phone with AAA and noticed a van in the parking lot advertising "Locks & Safes", then a guy approached me (in this company's uniform) and asked if I needed my car unlocked. I said yes, but that I got it free through AAA, so I'd wait for them, but he said "No problem, I'll take care of it for you"! What a blessing! I was not looking forward to being stranded at Fry's for an hour with junior.
So that was our adventure for the day. We'll be in Phoenix this weekend, Kevin and I celebrating our anniversary, and Kyle will be staying with his Nana.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
"Look Dad!"
Tonight Kyle took his bath cup, filled it up with water, and emptied the water on to the floor! This left Kevin quite speechless as he mopped up the puddle, until he saw Kyle with another full cup of water, ready to pour it on to the floor again.
This morning I figured out why Kyle is Mr. Personality during storytime at the library. Just recently he's been crawling off while we do songs and such, but today I noticed he plants himself in the middle of the circle of parents/babies and puts on a show for them (claps, smiles, rises up on his knees and then crashes down on to his belly) or else he thinks everyone is singing for him. The latter I bet. Either way, he's the life of the party when it comes to storytime.
Here's to Kyle sleeping in until 7:30 all but one day this week, woohoo!
This morning I figured out why Kyle is Mr. Personality during storytime at the library. Just recently he's been crawling off while we do songs and such, but today I noticed he plants himself in the middle of the circle of parents/babies and puts on a show for them (claps, smiles, rises up on his knees and then crashes down on to his belly) or else he thinks everyone is singing for him. The latter I bet. Either way, he's the life of the party when it comes to storytime.
Here's to Kyle sleeping in until 7:30 all but one day this week, woohoo!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
What can I say?
Today Kyle climbed the stairs to the top of the slide all by himself (after watching the other kids do it for 20 minutes), then proceeded to try sliding down head first.
Today at breakfast, Kyle imitated Kevin by running his hand back and forth over the top of his head, just like Kevin does. It was too funny!
Today Kyle climbed on my back and I took him for a horseback ride; something he would never let me do before!
Today we discovered Kyle actually has two new teeth (seven altogether); I discovered the top one while looking up at him during humpty dumpty jumps in the water practice during swim lessons.
Our vacation was ok. It was great to see my family, but I don't think we'd personally choose to go back to Jekyll Island, GA. I'm hoping to get some pictures scanned later this week, since we neglected to bring our digital camera.
Kyle still really lives off of cheerios, kix, and goldfish crackers, but he will try new things. This week he has tried baby carrots, gnochi, and popsicles; with popsicles being his hands down favorite (grandparents: have sugar free fruit popsicles on hand if you want to feed him a treat).
Kyle is practically walking; we do "walking" practice just about every night when Kevin comes home. And lastly, Kyle is learning how to stack things in order really well and he will flip through books, "reading" them all by himself.
In other news, Kyle's birthday is coming up in just over a month. The party will be here in Tucson and you're all invited! Regretfully, that's all the details I have for now. And our Zoe cat has found a new home; she'll be moving in Sunday.
That's about it!
Today at breakfast, Kyle imitated Kevin by running his hand back and forth over the top of his head, just like Kevin does. It was too funny!
Today Kyle climbed on my back and I took him for a horseback ride; something he would never let me do before!
Today we discovered Kyle actually has two new teeth (seven altogether); I discovered the top one while looking up at him during humpty dumpty jumps in the water practice during swim lessons.
Our vacation was ok. It was great to see my family, but I don't think we'd personally choose to go back to Jekyll Island, GA. I'm hoping to get some pictures scanned later this week, since we neglected to bring our digital camera.
Kyle still really lives off of cheerios, kix, and goldfish crackers, but he will try new things. This week he has tried baby carrots, gnochi, and popsicles; with popsicles being his hands down favorite (grandparents: have sugar free fruit popsicles on hand if you want to feed him a treat).
Kyle is practically walking; we do "walking" practice just about every night when Kevin comes home. And lastly, Kyle is learning how to stack things in order really well and he will flip through books, "reading" them all by himself.
In other news, Kyle's birthday is coming up in just over a month. The party will be here in Tucson and you're all invited! Regretfully, that's all the details I have for now. And our Zoe cat has found a new home; she'll be moving in Sunday.
That's about it!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Figuring things out...
Yesterday morning Kyle took his letter magnets off the fridge, slid them under the edge of the fridge, then used his foot to kick them under the fridge as far as he could...tell me that's not logical genius ;).
Yesterday afternoon Kyle used his "walker" to walk across the family room and kitchen twice back and forth! This was really exciting because he always wanted to hold on to us or a piece of furniture when using this toy as a "walker" in the past.
And lastly, Kyle's been doing this huge open mouthed smile whenever he gets happy or excited. The general public gets a real kick out of seeing him do this, which makes him do it even more. Kevin pointed out that I've been doing that kind of smile at him since he was born, whenever I get excited about something he's doing or trying to encourage him. I would've never made the connection!
Yesterday afternoon Kyle used his "walker" to walk across the family room and kitchen twice back and forth! This was really exciting because he always wanted to hold on to us or a piece of furniture when using this toy as a "walker" in the past.
And lastly, Kyle's been doing this huge open mouthed smile whenever he gets happy or excited. The general public gets a real kick out of seeing him do this, which makes him do it even more. Kevin pointed out that I've been doing that kind of smile at him since he was born, whenever I get excited about something he's doing or trying to encourage him. I would've never made the connection!
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Vacation!
I did it; made reservations at a local resort for our anniversary in August. I look forward to this weekend every year since our first anniversary (not that we've had that many, this is going to be number three). However, this year will be particularly sweet since Kevin and I have yet to spend 24 hours alone since junior arrived.
Also, I'm plunging back in to the job market, looking for part time tutoring positions. This is kind of exciting and scary at the same time. I feel like I've just come in to my own as a stay at home mom, but there's something to be said about bringing home a paycheck (which I had been doing since I was 15 until we found out we were pregnant).
Kyle is learning new skills really fast lately. As of last night he would willingly walk around with one of us only holding one of his hands, instead of both of his hands. This morning he leaned over the tub to retrieve a toy he'd thrown over with no fear of falling in or getting stuck. Last week he did the same thing but screamed when he ended up balancing on the tub. Kyle knows how to throw and will play some semblance of catch if you have a ball to throw with him (this morning he also attempted catch with one of his hard blocks which I quickly tried to ignore).
Also, he loves to have conversations where he says something, you reply, and he'll talk some more, in addition to you mimicking him or him mimicking you. All of these things just get him giddy with laughter. And lastly, he seems to be picking up on his signs a little faster. Just the other morning he woke up in bed with me and started moving his hands in the "change" sign for diaper change. Sure enough, he let me change his diaper no fuss and has continued to do this consistently.
To my chagrin, he's been nursing more lately, but then I realized he's also been sleeping more, so I'm wondering if he's going through another growth spurt. We're leaving for the beach on Saturday, so I'll post when we get home (unless there is something spectacular that happens that I just can't wait to tell you).
Also, I'm plunging back in to the job market, looking for part time tutoring positions. This is kind of exciting and scary at the same time. I feel like I've just come in to my own as a stay at home mom, but there's something to be said about bringing home a paycheck (which I had been doing since I was 15 until we found out we were pregnant).
Kyle is learning new skills really fast lately. As of last night he would willingly walk around with one of us only holding one of his hands, instead of both of his hands. This morning he leaned over the tub to retrieve a toy he'd thrown over with no fear of falling in or getting stuck. Last week he did the same thing but screamed when he ended up balancing on the tub. Kyle knows how to throw and will play some semblance of catch if you have a ball to throw with him (this morning he also attempted catch with one of his hard blocks which I quickly tried to ignore).
Also, he loves to have conversations where he says something, you reply, and he'll talk some more, in addition to you mimicking him or him mimicking you. All of these things just get him giddy with laughter. And lastly, he seems to be picking up on his signs a little faster. Just the other morning he woke up in bed with me and started moving his hands in the "change" sign for diaper change. Sure enough, he let me change his diaper no fuss and has continued to do this consistently.
To my chagrin, he's been nursing more lately, but then I realized he's also been sleeping more, so I'm wondering if he's going through another growth spurt. We're leaving for the beach on Saturday, so I'll post when we get home (unless there is something spectacular that happens that I just can't wait to tell you).
Friday, June 30, 2006
cough, blow, cough, hack, hack, spit
I'm pretty sure we've all been sick at one point this week, which is frustrating. I think I get sick about once a month, ugh. I can't imagine if Kyle was in daycare how much more he'd be sick, and probably us too.
Tomorrow we're dropping Zoe the cat off at Pam and Jerry's; she has expressed herself one too many times on Kyle's possessions. Also, we'll be making appearances at Cameron's 2nd birthday party and Owen's 23rd birthday party; at least I think he's turning 23.
Kevin and his band will be playing in Safford tomorrow. They are the first band to play at noon if you'll be in the area; ah hu.
That's all the news I can muster tonight.
Tomorrow we're dropping Zoe the cat off at Pam and Jerry's; she has expressed herself one too many times on Kyle's possessions. Also, we'll be making appearances at Cameron's 2nd birthday party and Owen's 23rd birthday party; at least I think he's turning 23.
Kevin and his band will be playing in Safford tomorrow. They are the first band to play at noon if you'll be in the area; ah hu.
That's all the news I can muster tonight.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Almost over...
Kyle's fever broke last night...only lasted 24 hours give or take. He is still cranky, but doing better. We're kind of having to retrain his sleeping patterns again because I was nursing him if he'd wake up to make sure he didn't get dehydrated while his body fought the fever.
In other news, my mom comes home from Africa tomorrow and I am so excited. I talk to and see her pretty often, so it's been a little hard on me not being able to contact her at all these past couple weeks! She was volunteering at orphanages in Mozambique through IRIS ministries.
Time for bed! Kevin and I are making a concerted effort to go to sleep earlier now that Kyle is sleeping through the night.
In other news, my mom comes home from Africa tomorrow and I am so excited. I talk to and see her pretty often, so it's been a little hard on me not being able to contact her at all these past couple weeks! She was volunteering at orphanages in Mozambique through IRIS ministries.
Time for bed! Kevin and I are making a concerted effort to go to sleep earlier now that Kyle is sleeping through the night.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Is he sick?
We had such a nice visit with mom and Jerry yesterday. Kevin took time off too, and my favorite part of the whole day was having adults to talk to. It was wonderful!
Regretfully, Kyle came down with a fever sometime around 5:30 yesterday and it has yet to lift. He has no other symptoms (except crankiness), so we're going to see the pediatrician at 3:45 this afternoon. I feel like such a novice at this, as Kyle hasn't really had a fever yet in his short little life. He burned up to over 103 last night and was over 101 this morning. He took a shower with Kevin, then a shower with me, and if he's really uncomfortable after his nap, I might stick him in a cool bath again. It seems to lower his temperature some and make him feel better.
We took the morning off from swim class and I have a feeling we'll miss tomorrow too.
Regretfully, Kyle came down with a fever sometime around 5:30 yesterday and it has yet to lift. He has no other symptoms (except crankiness), so we're going to see the pediatrician at 3:45 this afternoon. I feel like such a novice at this, as Kyle hasn't really had a fever yet in his short little life. He burned up to over 103 last night and was over 101 this morning. He took a shower with Kevin, then a shower with me, and if he's really uncomfortable after his nap, I might stick him in a cool bath again. It seems to lower his temperature some and make him feel better.
We took the morning off from swim class and I have a feeling we'll miss tomorrow too.
Monday, June 19, 2006
"Not the scissors!"
So, we were trying really hard to wait to give Kyle his first haircut until he was a year old. However, after answering the question, "Is it a boy or a girl?" almost daily, I caved. Tonight Kyle had his first haircut and he did great. I was amazed at how much hair this guy shaved off and secretly pleased that there were baby girls out there who would kill for Kyle's hair color, length and curls! Check out Kevin's blog for a picture, but if you want to see the new do, you'll have to pay Kyle a visit ;)!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
I'm so bad at these title things
After reflecting on some of the "mom" wisdom I heard while we were in Mexico, I realized I liked the idea of buying finger foods for Kyle. He loves to feed himself and I'm just not in to scraping oatmeal off of everything within a 5 foot radius of him. So, at the grocery store this week, I bought a few items that I'm hoping will work. He's a definite fan of the whole wheat goldfish and the veggie hot dogs. We still have to try the frozen blueberries.
Also, Kyle's new (well, new to us) car seat arrived this weekend. Despite our misgivings on how big it is, it fits in our car so that there is actually more room for the front passenger! He seems to like it well enough and definitely fits in it better than his infant car seat. We debated on just sticking him in his forward facing car seat, which we already own, but after much research decided that leaving him rear facing was the right thing to do.
And, the best news of all is that Kyle has slept through the night for the past two nights in a row, 10 hours each time! I'm so proud of all 3 of us for sticking it out with the Ferberizing. In reality, we started the process Tuesday night and he was sleeping through the night by Friday night, so we really didn't do that much. However, we are expecting that he'll regress at some point, which is typical of most children as they hit various developmental milestones.
On a final note, what does Kyle do with the letter magnets I bought him this week? Throw them under the fridge, of course!
Also, Kyle's new (well, new to us) car seat arrived this weekend. Despite our misgivings on how big it is, it fits in our car so that there is actually more room for the front passenger! He seems to like it well enough and definitely fits in it better than his infant car seat. We debated on just sticking him in his forward facing car seat, which we already own, but after much research decided that leaving him rear facing was the right thing to do.
And, the best news of all is that Kyle has slept through the night for the past two nights in a row, 10 hours each time! I'm so proud of all 3 of us for sticking it out with the Ferberizing. In reality, we started the process Tuesday night and he was sleeping through the night by Friday night, so we really didn't do that much. However, we are expecting that he'll regress at some point, which is typical of most children as they hit various developmental milestones.
On a final note, what does Kyle do with the letter magnets I bought him this week? Throw them under the fridge, of course!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Everything
The sweetest thing happened this morning, but I'll have to back up so you understand it all. As of last night, Kevin and I agreed it was time for Kyle to learn how to sleep through the night (I know, I know, but Kevin and I are both softies about hearing him cry out at night). So, we decided that we'd do everything the same, but instead of putting him to sleep at the beginning of the night and subsequent times he wakes up, we'd go in every 10 minutes to check on him.
This worked great! It took less than a half hour for him to put himself to sleep at 7 p.m., then he woke up around 11 p.m. and was asleep in less than 20 minutes, and lastly, he woke up at 3 a.m. (right when his infant motrin should've been wearing off). The 3 a.m. wake up had me pumping, so Kyle got a sippy cup of milk around 3:30 (this is compared to his usual nursing schedule of every 2 hours all night long). He woke up for the day at 6:27, which was perfect because we had decided we wouldn't go get him until 6:30 every morning.
So, when Kyle woke up at 6:27 a.m. this morning, I went in to get him and he's sitting up in his crib. I picked him up and put him over my shoulder, he laid his head down and I talked to him real quietly while patting his back. He started talking back while still snuggling and all of sudden I feel this thwap! on my back. He continued to "pat" my back while I patted his as we both woke up together. It was so funny, like he was saying "I know last night was as hard on you mom as it was on me". It was so cute and I'm wondering if it'll happen again.
Now to back track: Kyle had a doctor's appt. last week and the little guy is 20 lbs 11 oz (50th percentile), 30 inches long (95th percentile), and at the developmental level of a 13 month old according to the doctor. In other words, he's doing great! However, his measurements mean that he has outgrown his infant car seat, so we just purchased a convertible car seat that should be here by next week to get him through to his 1st birthday. He seems to be doing something new and wonderful everyday. He'll be 10 months old on June 26th.
We think he learned how to throw things (from the 2 year olds we were staying with) while we vacationed in Mexico this past weekend. Despite having 4 kids hanging around, it was so relaxing and so much fun. The resort was great, our ocean view was amazing, and the whole place was family friendly. Kevin and I both agreed we'd go back here again.
In other news, Kyle is swimming 4 days a week through Tucson Parks and Recreation and teething once again.
This worked great! It took less than a half hour for him to put himself to sleep at 7 p.m., then he woke up around 11 p.m. and was asleep in less than 20 minutes, and lastly, he woke up at 3 a.m. (right when his infant motrin should've been wearing off). The 3 a.m. wake up had me pumping, so Kyle got a sippy cup of milk around 3:30 (this is compared to his usual nursing schedule of every 2 hours all night long). He woke up for the day at 6:27, which was perfect because we had decided we wouldn't go get him until 6:30 every morning.
So, when Kyle woke up at 6:27 a.m. this morning, I went in to get him and he's sitting up in his crib. I picked him up and put him over my shoulder, he laid his head down and I talked to him real quietly while patting his back. He started talking back while still snuggling and all of sudden I feel this thwap! on my back. He continued to "pat" my back while I patted his as we both woke up together. It was so funny, like he was saying "I know last night was as hard on you mom as it was on me". It was so cute and I'm wondering if it'll happen again.
Now to back track: Kyle had a doctor's appt. last week and the little guy is 20 lbs 11 oz (50th percentile), 30 inches long (95th percentile), and at the developmental level of a 13 month old according to the doctor. In other words, he's doing great! However, his measurements mean that he has outgrown his infant car seat, so we just purchased a convertible car seat that should be here by next week to get him through to his 1st birthday. He seems to be doing something new and wonderful everyday. He'll be 10 months old on June 26th.
We think he learned how to throw things (from the 2 year olds we were staying with) while we vacationed in Mexico this past weekend. Despite having 4 kids hanging around, it was so relaxing and so much fun. The resort was great, our ocean view was amazing, and the whole place was family friendly. Kevin and I both agreed we'd go back here again.
In other news, Kyle is swimming 4 days a week through Tucson Parks and Recreation and teething once again.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Growing up
"Hey Kyle, can you tell everyone what you learned today?"
"Sure mom, I learned how to put Cheerios in my mouth all by myself and how to place my ABC blocks back in their slots. And, if you insist, I'll hold my own sippy cup when I'm thirsty."
"Did you learn anything else?"
"Yes. I said my first word. Took my first step. Typed my first e-mail. Filed my first patent. Cured cancer. Oh, and I proved Riemann."
"Ready to start preschool tomorrow?"
"You know it mom!"
I swear he'll be walking out the door to kindergarten the next time I look away for 30 seconds and look back. He does something new everyday now! Kyle has his 9 month check-up on Tuesday and I'm curious to see how big he is.
P.S.-Kyle actually remembers people now, so if you want him to know you I'd suggest stopping by once a month to hang out and play for awhile.
"Sure mom, I learned how to put Cheerios in my mouth all by myself and how to place my ABC blocks back in their slots. And, if you insist, I'll hold my own sippy cup when I'm thirsty."
"Did you learn anything else?"
"Yes. I said my first word. Took my first step. Typed my first e-mail. Filed my first patent. Cured cancer. Oh, and I proved Riemann."
"Ready to start preschool tomorrow?"
"You know it mom!"
I swear he'll be walking out the door to kindergarten the next time I look away for 30 seconds and look back. He does something new everyday now! Kyle has his 9 month check-up on Tuesday and I'm curious to see how big he is.
P.S.-Kyle actually remembers people now, so if you want him to know you I'd suggest stopping by once a month to hang out and play for awhile.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
I wish I could write everything down
I had this feeling that Kyle would be cutting teeth while we were in Dallas visiting family...and wouldn't you know it, that bottom tooth showed up the afternoon after we arrived back in Phoenix this week. It was a good visit, but not much sleeping for either of us, even with Kyle under the influence of infant Motrin. He now officially has five teeth and I'm expecting a couple more in the next week or so with the way he's been carrying on, drooling, and chewing on everything.
Thankfully, Kyle is eating more solid foods. Today he conquered 1/4 of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch; I can see this eating solid food thing is going to keep me skinny as he likes to eat what I'm eating during the day! A large portion of the jelly landed in his hair, but what fun is learning how to eat if it's not messy? Additionally, he will now hold his own sippy cup of water if he's truly thirsty.
Kyle's tumbling class starts up again tomorrow and his swim lessons start on Monday. I'm taking a dance class and ice skating this summer, while Kevin is doing a piano class.
We're pretty sure Kyle could walk if he wanted to; we often let go and he stands on his own or takes a few steps before realizing we've let go. This past week or so he's really gotten a lot stronger. Also, he's saying dada, mama, nana, and dog (minus the "g").
In other news, we've come to the decision that Zoe, our cat, needs to find a new permanent home. Despite how much Kyle enjoys her, we've had our problems with her waking him up in the night, and most recently she peed on his plush gorilla chair. It seems we just don't have the time to give her the attention she needs and she's acting out more and more as Kyle gets older.
And congratulations go out to our old college friend Celeste, as her and husband Chris are expecting a little girl in October.
Lastly, GO SUNS!
Thankfully, Kyle is eating more solid foods. Today he conquered 1/4 of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch; I can see this eating solid food thing is going to keep me skinny as he likes to eat what I'm eating during the day! A large portion of the jelly landed in his hair, but what fun is learning how to eat if it's not messy? Additionally, he will now hold his own sippy cup of water if he's truly thirsty.
Kyle's tumbling class starts up again tomorrow and his swim lessons start on Monday. I'm taking a dance class and ice skating this summer, while Kevin is doing a piano class.
We're pretty sure Kyle could walk if he wanted to; we often let go and he stands on his own or takes a few steps before realizing we've let go. This past week or so he's really gotten a lot stronger. Also, he's saying dada, mama, nana, and dog (minus the "g").
In other news, we've come to the decision that Zoe, our cat, needs to find a new permanent home. Despite how much Kyle enjoys her, we've had our problems with her waking him up in the night, and most recently she peed on his plush gorilla chair. It seems we just don't have the time to give her the attention she needs and she's acting out more and more as Kyle gets older.
And congratulations go out to our old college friend Celeste, as her and husband Chris are expecting a little girl in October.
Lastly, GO SUNS!
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
Hush a bye...
I recognized Kyle's cry today. Not in the "I can pick my child's cry out of a crowd" way, but in the "Oh, I cry like that too" cry. We've been working hard on having him put himself to sleep by laying him down in his crib awake for bedtime and his naps. Well, this afternoon it was all just too much for him. I walked in to his room and immediately knew the cry; it was one I had cried often early on in my pregnancy when I was upset and frustrated. Now, I'm not saying he got it from me or remembered hearing me cry that way when I was pregnant, or even that him crying the same way I do means he's feeling the same things I feel when I cry that way.
But anyways, it's not a very wet cry, not many tears or snot, but it's a cry of frustration. I rocked him to sleep and he went down in minutes. Poor guy. He just couldn't calm himself down this afternoon to get himself to sleep. Ah well.
Last night was long and his teeth seem to be working themselves out again. Kevin and I are always fairly cautious about immediately giving him pain medicine when we suspect it's his teeth. We try to rule out all other possibilities; regretfully, that left us giving him infant motrin at 5 a.m. and getting a good 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Here's to some new teeth in the very near future (cross your fingers).
But anyways, it's not a very wet cry, not many tears or snot, but it's a cry of frustration. I rocked him to sleep and he went down in minutes. Poor guy. He just couldn't calm himself down this afternoon to get himself to sleep. Ah well.
Last night was long and his teeth seem to be working themselves out again. Kevin and I are always fairly cautious about immediately giving him pain medicine when we suspect it's his teeth. We try to rule out all other possibilities; regretfully, that left us giving him infant motrin at 5 a.m. and getting a good 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Here's to some new teeth in the very near future (cross your fingers).
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
I wish I could remember it all...
Would you believe Kyle has been his angelic little self since daddy came home from his trip? Yep, no whining or crankiness in site. I talked with one of Kevin's colleagues, who has a 2 year old daughter, and she said that her husband had some of the same problems with her that I was experiencing with Kyle while she was at the conference. Who knew kids would react so strongly when one of the parents was away?
Mother's day was nice; I woke up to a gift bag with a card "signed" by Kyle and Kevin. Kyle gave me the book he had picked out and I received some much appreciated "mom's night off" coupons from Kevin. Additionally, Kyle gave me the gift of sleep mother's day eve, by sleeping 10 hours without waking up. I did still feed him twice, however, it was more out of necessity for my comfort than his.
Kyle seems to be doing something new everyday. He now does this petting motion with his hand when he wants to pet the cat, eagerly knocks down toy castles that Kevin builds him, and plays hide and seek with us every night.
Lately, I've been using the sling to take him to and from the car, while leaving the car seat in the car. It's so much easier with him getting heavier and the car seat being so bulky.
And in other news, Kevin fixed our washer and we found the digital camera, so here's to new pictures of Kyle!
Mother's day was nice; I woke up to a gift bag with a card "signed" by Kyle and Kevin. Kyle gave me the book he had picked out and I received some much appreciated "mom's night off" coupons from Kevin. Additionally, Kyle gave me the gift of sleep mother's day eve, by sleeping 10 hours without waking up. I did still feed him twice, however, it was more out of necessity for my comfort than his.
Kyle seems to be doing something new everyday. He now does this petting motion with his hand when he wants to pet the cat, eagerly knocks down toy castles that Kevin builds him, and plays hide and seek with us every night.
Lately, I've been using the sling to take him to and from the car, while leaving the car seat in the car. It's so much easier with him getting heavier and the car seat being so bulky.
And in other news, Kevin fixed our washer and we found the digital camera, so here's to new pictures of Kyle!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Traveling
So, Kyle seemed to be doing better yesterday and I decided to forego the nightly dose of ibuprofen. Let's just say we were both up every 90 minutes or so until 3:30 when I gave him some medicine. He then woke up at 5:30 to start his day!
We traveled back to Phoenix yesterday; I was going to wait until today (Thursday), but I was so exhausted! My mom had offered to not only help out with Kyle, but celebrate Mexico's Mother's Day (Wednesday) with me too. We had a whirlwind dinner at Macayo's by the Desert Sky Mall, where you could here the little Hispanic children saying something to the effect of: "No wonder he's watching us, we don't look anything like him!" in response to Kyle , the only blond haired, blue eyed person in the whole place, being entertained by the table of 10 next to us!
And currently, we just got back from walking the dog. Kyle would grab her leash from his stroller and "walk" her too; until he fell asleep of course. He's now napping until we head off to the library for storytime!
That's about it...Kevin comes home tonight and I can't wait!
We traveled back to Phoenix yesterday; I was going to wait until today (Thursday), but I was so exhausted! My mom had offered to not only help out with Kyle, but celebrate Mexico's Mother's Day (Wednesday) with me too. We had a whirlwind dinner at Macayo's by the Desert Sky Mall, where you could here the little Hispanic children saying something to the effect of: "No wonder he's watching us, we don't look anything like him!" in response to Kyle , the only blond haired, blue eyed person in the whole place, being entertained by the table of 10 next to us!
And currently, we just got back from walking the dog. Kyle would grab her leash from his stroller and "walk" her too; until he fell asleep of course. He's now napping until we head off to the library for storytime!
That's about it...Kevin comes home tonight and I can't wait!
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Mystery solved
Kyle: "Mom, I'm not a baby anymore. I'm almost 9 months old y'know."
Mom: "Yes son, I know."
Kyle: "I'd like to sit up to the table to eat now, in my booster seat. I'm too old to use the high chair tray anymore."
And so, Kyle now uses his high chair in booster seat mode and sits up to the table with the rest of us to eat. He polished off almost a whole jar of chicken and apples tonight; back to his usual solid food appetite. Whew!
Mom: "Yes son, I know."
Kyle: "I'd like to sit up to the table to eat now, in my booster seat. I'm too old to use the high chair tray anymore."
And so, Kyle now uses his high chair in booster seat mode and sits up to the table with the rest of us to eat. He polished off almost a whole jar of chicken and apples tonight; back to his usual solid food appetite. Whew!
MIA and out of order
Have you seen our black Bible with our names inscribed on it or our digital camera...they both seem to have disappeared...
Also, our washer started hula-ing across the porch last week and we have come to the conclusion it's time to send it on to laundry heaven. Anybody getting rid of a washer with a few good washes still left in it, let me know!
Kyle and I are off to the mall for some diversion. I think he's better today, but still not himself.
Also, our washer started hula-ing across the porch last week and we have come to the conclusion it's time to send it on to laundry heaven. Anybody getting rid of a washer with a few good washes still left in it, let me know!
Kyle and I are off to the mall for some diversion. I think he's better today, but still not himself.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Boohoo...
Kyle kind of slept last night, but I didn't. This morning I felt like the worst mom on earth because I could hardly function and Kyle was super cranky, as he has been for the past couple days. I'm not quite sure how moms who have colicky babies do it; I just want to sit down and cry with him by the time evening comes along.
Right now I'm feeling like the most mediocre mom in the world. Kyle is watching his baby video as part of his bedtime routine, and normally, I would be watching it with him. However, tonight I am guiltily over here typing, updating my blog, checking email, etc... It's not that I won't be able to do this stuff after he goes to bed, I just needed a baby break. He's also too close to the TV, which I know would drive Kevin crazy, but I just don't have it in me to fight that battle tonight.
On an odd note, Kyle hasn't really been eating today. A very small bit of cereal this morning, no lunch, and no dinner (except for nursing). He has been drinking an inordinate amount of water. If his habits continue through tomorrow, I'm going to give the nurse a call.
I'm pretty sure that's it...
Right now I'm feeling like the most mediocre mom in the world. Kyle is watching his baby video as part of his bedtime routine, and normally, I would be watching it with him. However, tonight I am guiltily over here typing, updating my blog, checking email, etc... It's not that I won't be able to do this stuff after he goes to bed, I just needed a baby break. He's also too close to the TV, which I know would drive Kevin crazy, but I just don't have it in me to fight that battle tonight.
On an odd note, Kyle hasn't really been eating today. A very small bit of cereal this morning, no lunch, and no dinner (except for nursing). He has been drinking an inordinate amount of water. If his habits continue through tomorrow, I'm going to give the nurse a call.
I'm pretty sure that's it...
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Where's dada?
Kevin's gone. He flew out Friday night and I got to go to the Brad Paisley/Sara Evans/Josh Turner concert. Our friend Jordan plays the fiddle and mandolin for Josh Turner. It was so amazing to see him on stage playing for such a large crowd. I took about a gazillion pictures; it felt like I was watching my own kid up there! So, Jordan is the younger brother of one of Kevin's old college roommates, Jon, just to put that in to perspective. He would go to the movies with Kevin and me, hang out with us a lot before and after we got married, when we were still living in Flagstaff. He's only 19 and I am so proud of him!
The night I went to the concert, Kyle was watched by my mom. It was the longest I had ever been away from him and, despite missing him, I was just a little giddy with the freedom of it all. Instead of pumping, I left some lactose free formula in case he wanted "milk" while I was gone. I guess he took two bottles, about 3 ounces each time. I was very pleased with the whole experience, considering it a successful night out!
However, the next night would prove much more trying. Kyle just couldn't sleep; he wanted to sleep, but he couldn't stay asleep. The teething tablets would work for 30 minutes or so: I'd give him two tablets while he was sitting up in his crib and he'd literally fall over on his stomach fast asleep as soon as they dissolved. It was amazing. At 3:30 a.m., my mom ran to Wal-mart for some infant ibuprofen. It helped his discomfort, but he never went back to sleep, at least not until 8 a.m. or so. Even then, he only slept for an hour. It's been a really rough last 24 hours. Thankfully, he is asleep right now, went to bed at 9:00 p.m. and I'm hoping this night will be more "normal" than the last one.
We are back in Tucson for the rest of the week. Kyle seems more comfortable at home, as am I when taking care of him full time. Kevin flies back in to Phoenix on Thursday night, we'll see his family on Saturday here in Tucson, and then Mother's Day! It's been really weird realizing that I officially get to celebrate Mother's Day this year. Ah well.
The night I went to the concert, Kyle was watched by my mom. It was the longest I had ever been away from him and, despite missing him, I was just a little giddy with the freedom of it all. Instead of pumping, I left some lactose free formula in case he wanted "milk" while I was gone. I guess he took two bottles, about 3 ounces each time. I was very pleased with the whole experience, considering it a successful night out!
However, the next night would prove much more trying. Kyle just couldn't sleep; he wanted to sleep, but he couldn't stay asleep. The teething tablets would work for 30 minutes or so: I'd give him two tablets while he was sitting up in his crib and he'd literally fall over on his stomach fast asleep as soon as they dissolved. It was amazing. At 3:30 a.m., my mom ran to Wal-mart for some infant ibuprofen. It helped his discomfort, but he never went back to sleep, at least not until 8 a.m. or so. Even then, he only slept for an hour. It's been a really rough last 24 hours. Thankfully, he is asleep right now, went to bed at 9:00 p.m. and I'm hoping this night will be more "normal" than the last one.
We are back in Tucson for the rest of the week. Kyle seems more comfortable at home, as am I when taking care of him full time. Kevin flies back in to Phoenix on Thursday night, we'll see his family on Saturday here in Tucson, and then Mother's Day! It's been really weird realizing that I officially get to celebrate Mother's Day this year. Ah well.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Has it really been that long?
So wow...I've really been lazy about this whole baby update thing the last couple weeks. Easter was good. We did Kyle's baby dedication ceremony and got to see all of our immediate family. He did receive an Easter basket with some toys and thought that was pretty neat.
Since then he's been having some trouble sleeping and just recently he's been drooling a lot again and his nose is running. Kevin figured out that he's most likely working on some additional teeth. Also, the big news around here is that junior can now move! Yep, the little guy's crawling. He's gotten a lot faster in the last week or so. Despite everyone's warnings about "wait till he can move", it's been quite the blessing to have him follow me around while I do things around the house. Otherwise, I used to lug him around in the sling to get my chores done, teeth brushed, or breakfast eaten. Also, Zoe is no longer as safe as she used to be. Kyle will crawl right over to her if he wants to see her; sometimes she hangs out to let him pet her and sometimes she takes off, but either way Kyle likes that he can get to her now on his own.
Tonight we celebrate Ellie's birthday (which is actually tomorrow). I can hardly believe she's a year old. I remember the phone call from Kirsten, telling me Ellie had been born, like it was yesterday. This can only mean one thing: Kyle's birthday will be here before we know it.
I can't even tell you how bummed I am that Kirsten, Jason, and Ellie are moving. They'll be packed up and gone as of May 15th. In June they're traveling to Egypt to live for the summer and then they'll be moving to Wisconsin in the fall for Jason to start his Ph.D..
However, as disappointed as I am to see them go, I know Kirsten is probably going to have the rough end of this deal. I still have all of our friends and family here nearby, where she'll be starting all of her relationships from scratch; that can be a hard thing to do when you're a stay at home mom. We're going to do our best to stay in touch, but both admit we're not very good at maintaining friendships across miles. Thankfully, Jason and Kirsten's family live here in AZ, so there is a good chance we'll be able to see them at least once a year.
Enough of that topic! In other news, we have new neighbors; a young couple from Brazil with a 9 month old little girl. Kyle and I stopped over a couple times last week and I'm going to invite them over this afternoon to play. The husband is in school and his wife just applied to start her masters in special education.
Kevin leaves on Friday for a week long conference in Seattle. I've yet to decide whether I'll hang out in Phoenix for the week he's gone or come back to Tucson. It's a little scary thinking of being Kyle's true full time caregiver with no relief for a week. There's also the issue of leaving Zoe for a week if we stay in Phoenix the whole time, so we'll see how it works out. I can't remember the last time Kevin and I were apart for a week...it may very well have been before we were married. I'm really going to miss him.
That's all I can write for now. Here's to a more timely update later this week!
Since then he's been having some trouble sleeping and just recently he's been drooling a lot again and his nose is running. Kevin figured out that he's most likely working on some additional teeth. Also, the big news around here is that junior can now move! Yep, the little guy's crawling. He's gotten a lot faster in the last week or so. Despite everyone's warnings about "wait till he can move", it's been quite the blessing to have him follow me around while I do things around the house. Otherwise, I used to lug him around in the sling to get my chores done, teeth brushed, or breakfast eaten. Also, Zoe is no longer as safe as she used to be. Kyle will crawl right over to her if he wants to see her; sometimes she hangs out to let him pet her and sometimes she takes off, but either way Kyle likes that he can get to her now on his own.
Tonight we celebrate Ellie's birthday (which is actually tomorrow). I can hardly believe she's a year old. I remember the phone call from Kirsten, telling me Ellie had been born, like it was yesterday. This can only mean one thing: Kyle's birthday will be here before we know it.
I can't even tell you how bummed I am that Kirsten, Jason, and Ellie are moving. They'll be packed up and gone as of May 15th. In June they're traveling to Egypt to live for the summer and then they'll be moving to Wisconsin in the fall for Jason to start his Ph.D..
However, as disappointed as I am to see them go, I know Kirsten is probably going to have the rough end of this deal. I still have all of our friends and family here nearby, where she'll be starting all of her relationships from scratch; that can be a hard thing to do when you're a stay at home mom. We're going to do our best to stay in touch, but both admit we're not very good at maintaining friendships across miles. Thankfully, Jason and Kirsten's family live here in AZ, so there is a good chance we'll be able to see them at least once a year.
Enough of that topic! In other news, we have new neighbors; a young couple from Brazil with a 9 month old little girl. Kyle and I stopped over a couple times last week and I'm going to invite them over this afternoon to play. The husband is in school and his wife just applied to start her masters in special education.
Kevin leaves on Friday for a week long conference in Seattle. I've yet to decide whether I'll hang out in Phoenix for the week he's gone or come back to Tucson. It's a little scary thinking of being Kyle's true full time caregiver with no relief for a week. There's also the issue of leaving Zoe for a week if we stay in Phoenix the whole time, so we'll see how it works out. I can't remember the last time Kevin and I were apart for a week...it may very well have been before we were married. I'm really going to miss him.
That's all I can write for now. Here's to a more timely update later this week!
Friday, April 14, 2006
Summer already?!?!
Kirsten and Ellie invited us over for a swim yesterday. The water was icy cold, but the kids didn't seem to mind.
Welcome...
...to the world of baby shoes:
Robeez
Buskins
Pedipeds
And the good old standby, Striderite.
I am truly amazed at how pricey these shoes are. Occasionally, I see knock offs at babies r us, but my search for a pair of flexible sandals has been in vain. Kyle's feet are practically black by the end of the day from walking barefoot, but his little leather close toed shoes just aren't cutting it anymore. I think his ankles are so chubby that the shoes are digging in to his skin because of the ridges that are left behind when I take them off.
Ah well.
Happy Easter!
Robeez
Buskins
Pedipeds
And the good old standby, Striderite.
I am truly amazed at how pricey these shoes are. Occasionally, I see knock offs at babies r us, but my search for a pair of flexible sandals has been in vain. Kyle's feet are practically black by the end of the day from walking barefoot, but his little leather close toed shoes just aren't cutting it anymore. I think his ankles are so chubby that the shoes are digging in to his skin because of the ridges that are left behind when I take them off.
Ah well.
Happy Easter!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
A few tidbits...
Kyle was a whopping 20 lbs 6 oz and 28 1/2 inches long at WIC yesterday (with his clothes and diaper on). So I figure he's a good 20 lbs minus the extra stuff. Also, he's been doing this funny noise lately that sounds like "oyoyoyoyoy".
Regretfully, junior is having trouble sleeping because of all the new stuff he's learning. We have just recently found him sitting up in his crib and *gasp* standing up in his playpen after we put him down for a nap. Look for a picture on Kevin's website in the near future.
Regretfully, junior is having trouble sleeping because of all the new stuff he's learning. We have just recently found him sitting up in his crib and *gasp* standing up in his playpen after we put him down for a nap. Look for a picture on Kevin's website in the near future.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Tastes like chicken...
Kyle is so pleased with himself. Today he was playing on his little tikes table and turned around to play on his leap frog table; while standing! Also, he falls down now and doesn't cry! He just smiles and smiles as long as he's standing up and walking around. One more thing, he now enjoys "tummy time" or playing while laying on his tummy. We're hoping this will encourage crawling in the near future. Lately he wants to be able to follow us wherever we go if we need to leave the room for a moment. I'm hoping this frustration will ease a little once he can move himself around!
Tonight for dinner, he ate sweet potatoes with chicken, the strained baby food version. It was so funny because we think he kept eating just because he liked the taste, not because he was still hungry! This was his first introduction to meats.
Kyle also got to see his first real fire engine up close and personal tonight. We went out to eat and the firemen stopped by to open up the truck for all the kids dining at the pizza place. I wish we'd had the camera!
Kyle continues to add new signs to his repertoire: he now does the signs for more, cat, ball, and bed. And lastly, afternoon diaper changes have become quite the adventure. Kyle will scream and twist and turn to not have that diaper changed, but Kevin discovered that he loves to be rolled over while he's turning. This past weekend Kevin was doing the afternoon diaper change and I heard laughing from the bedroom; went to check it out and Kevin was rolling Kyle over again and again on the bed amidst screams of glee. The diaper even got changed!
We'll be in Phoenix this weekend for the Easter holiday! I'll update after we get back!
Tonight for dinner, he ate sweet potatoes with chicken, the strained baby food version. It was so funny because we think he kept eating just because he liked the taste, not because he was still hungry! This was his first introduction to meats.
Kyle also got to see his first real fire engine up close and personal tonight. We went out to eat and the firemen stopped by to open up the truck for all the kids dining at the pizza place. I wish we'd had the camera!
Kyle continues to add new signs to his repertoire: he now does the signs for more, cat, ball, and bed. And lastly, afternoon diaper changes have become quite the adventure. Kyle will scream and twist and turn to not have that diaper changed, but Kevin discovered that he loves to be rolled over while he's turning. This past weekend Kevin was doing the afternoon diaper change and I heard laughing from the bedroom; went to check it out and Kevin was rolling Kyle over again and again on the bed amidst screams of glee. The diaper even got changed!
We'll be in Phoenix this weekend for the Easter holiday! I'll update after we get back!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Now I lay me down to sleep...
We've been struggling for the past week or so with Kyle's nighttime sleep. At first we assumed his discomfort was due to teething, but that seems to be over (at least for now). He has been wearing some new jammies that aren't 100% cotton, so I'm thinking that might be the problem.
Last night we stripped him down to his diaper and he slept in our bed with us...I think it's the most uninterrupted sleep all three of us have gotten lately. Additionally, he woke up happy! I kept saying last night while he was crying, "This isn't Kyle! I just want my happy baby back!". Today he is doing really well compared to the last few days and we'll be using all cotton pajamas tonight.
Last night we stripped him down to his diaper and he slept in our bed with us...I think it's the most uninterrupted sleep all three of us have gotten lately. Additionally, he woke up happy! I kept saying last night while he was crying, "This isn't Kyle! I just want my happy baby back!". Today he is doing really well compared to the last few days and we'll be using all cotton pajamas tonight.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Walking
So we have a new stroller; I decided to buy it a couple weeks ago after Kyle and I test drove it around babies r us. I'd been looking for a happy medium between the infant car seat stroller and the bare bones umbrella stroller. Basically I wanted something that had cup holders, an underneath basket, reclining seat, and a tray for Kyle to bang his toys on. And of course, it'd be nice if it was light and compact. Well, for about $10 more than what the bare bones umbrella stroller costs, I found this stroller and just love it. However, one feature I had yet to try out was the reclining seat. Every time I'd recline it when Kyle seemed on his way to dream land, he would frantically grab on to the toy tray and sit straight up in alarm that his seat back had just fallen out from behind him.
Today we were on a rather long walk since junior had taken all of a half hour morning nap and entertaining him at the house was just not working. Of course, he started to drift off to sleep since he was still exhausted and I reclined the seat. Panic set in, so I showed him how to lay down in the seat, popped the pacifier in his mouth and he was out in 10 seconds flat; I knew that seat would come in handy someday :o).
Since being pregnant and having a baby I seem to be incredibly absent minded. I'm constantly on a scavenger hunt for my keys and lately I've been neglecting to attach Kyle's pacifiers to him, so they usually get dropped somewhere between here and the Tucson mall on our walks. Well, we hadn't tried a regular orthodontic pacifier with him in quite a while, since the kind he learned to use were the bulb like newborn type. Regretfully, those are also the expensive ones. So, tonight we bought the orthodontic ones at Target; three pacifiers for $2.50. I washed em up, offered one to him and he took it! Thank goodness we now have four pacifiers floating around the house. We had been surviving with just one the last couple days.
On a few more exciting notes, Kyle officially has his "two front teeth". They broke through the gum line last week after a few restless nights and cranky days. Also, he "said" his first baby sign language word: more. Check out Kyle signing in action. His favorite baby talk lately is "da-da" which we like to think means he's referring to Kevin...
Kyle loves his baby classes, as do I! It's nice to talk to a few other adults in the middle of the day! That's about it!
Today we were on a rather long walk since junior had taken all of a half hour morning nap and entertaining him at the house was just not working. Of course, he started to drift off to sleep since he was still exhausted and I reclined the seat. Panic set in, so I showed him how to lay down in the seat, popped the pacifier in his mouth and he was out in 10 seconds flat; I knew that seat would come in handy someday :o).
Since being pregnant and having a baby I seem to be incredibly absent minded. I'm constantly on a scavenger hunt for my keys and lately I've been neglecting to attach Kyle's pacifiers to him, so they usually get dropped somewhere between here and the Tucson mall on our walks. Well, we hadn't tried a regular orthodontic pacifier with him in quite a while, since the kind he learned to use were the bulb like newborn type. Regretfully, those are also the expensive ones. So, tonight we bought the orthodontic ones at Target; three pacifiers for $2.50. I washed em up, offered one to him and he took it! Thank goodness we now have four pacifiers floating around the house. We had been surviving with just one the last couple days.
On a few more exciting notes, Kyle officially has his "two front teeth". They broke through the gum line last week after a few restless nights and cranky days. Also, he "said" his first baby sign language word: more. Check out Kyle signing in action. His favorite baby talk lately is "da-da" which we like to think means he's referring to Kevin...
Kyle loves his baby classes, as do I! It's nice to talk to a few other adults in the middle of the day! That's about it!
Saturday, March 25, 2006
This and that
So, we've been home for a week now and I'm just starting to feel recovered from our road trip to Las Vegas. Kyle and I spent quite a bit of "quality" time together in the hotel room since most of the festivities were at night. He was actually just wonderful during the driving portion of our trip; much better than I anticipated!
This week Kyle has been working hard on learning to crawl and pull himself up on various things ranging from us to the furniture. I washed all of his 12 month clothes and can you believe they actually fit him?!? I'm guessing he must be close to 20 lbs now. Also, he got his 7 month pictures taken on Friday, in U of A gear per dad's request! These pictures are very cute and I can't wait to get them back.
I'm pretty sure he grows another inch every night; I go to get him from his crib in the morning and he just looks bigger! We started three new classes this week: two little movers and shakers classes and a swim class. Well, he seems to have enjoyed all of them, but was definitely the youngest baby at swimming.
And lastly, Kyle's new favorite thing to do is walk around while holding on to our fingers. This is particularly tiring for mom and dad, but he never seems to grow bored with it!
I keep thinking I'm going to miss the stages he's going through every month as they pass, but I enjoy each new month and it's developments more than the last! I guess that's about all...enjoy the new pictures below!
This week Kyle has been working hard on learning to crawl and pull himself up on various things ranging from us to the furniture. I washed all of his 12 month clothes and can you believe they actually fit him?!? I'm guessing he must be close to 20 lbs now. Also, he got his 7 month pictures taken on Friday, in U of A gear per dad's request! These pictures are very cute and I can't wait to get them back.
I'm pretty sure he grows another inch every night; I go to get him from his crib in the morning and he just looks bigger! We started three new classes this week: two little movers and shakers classes and a swim class. Well, he seems to have enjoyed all of them, but was definitely the youngest baby at swimming.
And lastly, Kyle's new favorite thing to do is walk around while holding on to our fingers. This is particularly tiring for mom and dad, but he never seems to grow bored with it!
I keep thinking I'm going to miss the stages he's going through every month as they pass, but I enjoy each new month and it's developments more than the last! I guess that's about all...enjoy the new pictures below!
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Something new
Kyle is changing so fast lately...He was doing this food snub thing and only nursing the past couple days, but then we tried squash with him and whoa! he ate the whole jar of baby food; that was a first! I think he's starting to develop food preferences! Also, we took him on his first bike ride in the bike trailer yesterday. He seemed a little shocked at what was happening, but had fallen asleep by the time we drove home about 5 miles later.
Maybe we'll have to try Kyle and Ellie in the bike trailer together...hmmmm...
We're off on our first "Real" road trip tomorrow. Kevin is in a wedding in Las Vegas, but we didn't buy plane tickets quite early enough, so we're driving. Truth be told, I'm not really looking forward to it; ah well.
That's about it! I'll update again when we get home from our trip!
Maybe we'll have to try Kyle and Ellie in the bike trailer together...hmmmm...
We're off on our first "Real" road trip tomorrow. Kevin is in a wedding in Las Vegas, but we didn't buy plane tickets quite early enough, so we're driving. Truth be told, I'm not really looking forward to it; ah well.
That's about it! I'll update again when we get home from our trip!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Kyle ...
...is tall enough now to use the highest setting on his exersaucer.
...consistently signs when he's ready for a nap or to go to bed.
...thinks our cat Zoe is the coolest living thing around! I'm pretty sure she's in worse trouble when he starts moving than I am!
...can stand up unassisted for a bit while holding on to furniture.
...is trying to pull himself up on everything!
...started biting while he was nursing today. The advice I'd received is to cut off his air supply by covering his face with my breast when he bites. This makes him immediately release and I guess for most babies they prefer breathing. Well, my son thinks it's a game and starts giggling every time he releases his bite to breathe. Lovely.
We continue to make changes to our living space in order to make it more "baby friendly" for our soon to be moving little guy. He's doing better at night now that we just let him cry for a couple minutes to go back to sleep. I'm pretty sure he only woke up to feed last night, but I'm having trouble remembering because I think I'm starting to sleep a little more.
Today for his morning nap I heard him talking it up after only a half hour. Now, usually, if he wakes up happy, that means he's done sleeping. I make a point not to enter his room until it's been at least an hour, but he's never woken up after only a half hour happy. So I finish getting ready for the day, all the while hearing him awake in his crib. I decide I might as well get him up because we have to run over to campus anyways before Kevin goes to class. As I walk in, he's up on his hands staring straight at our cat Zoe, who's sitting on the corner of our bed closest to his crib, and he's just chatting away to her. Now this could be a problem! I think I might have to bar her from the room he's sleeping in when he goes down for a nap now.
...consistently signs when he's ready for a nap or to go to bed.
...thinks our cat Zoe is the coolest living thing around! I'm pretty sure she's in worse trouble when he starts moving than I am!
...can stand up unassisted for a bit while holding on to furniture.
...is trying to pull himself up on everything!
...started biting while he was nursing today. The advice I'd received is to cut off his air supply by covering his face with my breast when he bites. This makes him immediately release and I guess for most babies they prefer breathing. Well, my son thinks it's a game and starts giggling every time he releases his bite to breathe. Lovely.
We continue to make changes to our living space in order to make it more "baby friendly" for our soon to be moving little guy. He's doing better at night now that we just let him cry for a couple minutes to go back to sleep. I'm pretty sure he only woke up to feed last night, but I'm having trouble remembering because I think I'm starting to sleep a little more.
Today for his morning nap I heard him talking it up after only a half hour. Now, usually, if he wakes up happy, that means he's done sleeping. I make a point not to enter his room until it's been at least an hour, but he's never woken up after only a half hour happy. So I finish getting ready for the day, all the while hearing him awake in his crib. I decide I might as well get him up because we have to run over to campus anyways before Kevin goes to class. As I walk in, he's up on his hands staring straight at our cat Zoe, who's sitting on the corner of our bed closest to his crib, and he's just chatting away to her. Now this could be a problem! I think I might have to bar her from the room he's sleeping in when he goes down for a nap now.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
I'll take sleep for $100
So I've put Kyle on a pretty strict schedule and it seems to be working well for him! He wakes up at 7, cereal at 9, nap at 9:30, lunch at 12, nap at 1:30, and dinner at 6. Today he is asking to nurse 3 or 4 minutes before his nap time and then he just nurses himself to sleep. I think he's starting to figure things out! I don't mind; that means neither of us is upset about him fussing to sleep!
So our days may be better, but our nights are just downright painful. This morning I gave up around 5 and just stayed in bed when he fussed. Would you believe he went back to sleep and then woke up around 7 just playing in his crib? Thank God! I may have to try that tonight. The problem we're having is we can see his top gums completely puffy and white from the pressure of his two upper teeth coming in, so we want to give him relief if it's his teeth that are waking him up, but we just don't know how to tell the difference between a sleep cycle wake up and a painful gums wake up.
I did purchase him a strip of leather to teethe on, as suggested by our handyman (he raised his son from the time the boy was an infant as a single dad and has all sorts of advice). Kyle seems to like chomping on the leather, so we'll see how it goes. I had noticed he would chew around on his leather baby shoes if given the chance.
In other news, Kyle has been introduced to fruit this week, but doesn't seem as impressed by it as I thought he would. Also, he is really excited about Zoe whenever she comes around and is intent on standing up whenever we'll spot him. I know we need to do some more baby proofing around the house, but it seems a little overwhelming at the moment.
Alright, I'm gonna try to catch a nap while Kyle is taking his!
So our days may be better, but our nights are just downright painful. This morning I gave up around 5 and just stayed in bed when he fussed. Would you believe he went back to sleep and then woke up around 7 just playing in his crib? Thank God! I may have to try that tonight. The problem we're having is we can see his top gums completely puffy and white from the pressure of his two upper teeth coming in, so we want to give him relief if it's his teeth that are waking him up, but we just don't know how to tell the difference between a sleep cycle wake up and a painful gums wake up.
I did purchase him a strip of leather to teethe on, as suggested by our handyman (he raised his son from the time the boy was an infant as a single dad and has all sorts of advice). Kyle seems to like chomping on the leather, so we'll see how it goes. I had noticed he would chew around on his leather baby shoes if given the chance.
In other news, Kyle has been introduced to fruit this week, but doesn't seem as impressed by it as I thought he would. Also, he is really excited about Zoe whenever she comes around and is intent on standing up whenever we'll spot him. I know we need to do some more baby proofing around the house, but it seems a little overwhelming at the moment.
Alright, I'm gonna try to catch a nap while Kyle is taking his!
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Regress
It's been a little rough the past week or so. Kyle would sleep the first part of the night, then wake up every 1 1/2 - 2 hours needing comforting to get back to sleep. Also, he's become clingy, but this time it's just with me. If I'm anywhere near by he wants me right with him (or more likely carrying him) as I do what I need to do. Our sling has gotten more use in the last 3 days than in all the weeks prior combined!
And today, well, I've pretty much come to the conclusion that Kyle has outgrown his swing. He now sits up straight in it and stops the swing by himself, thus rendering it useless as far as napping in it goes. I just attempted to put him down for his first nap ever not in the swing. It took a good 7-10 minutes of patting him on the back as he lay in the crib, but he's asleep; now we'll just see how long it lasts!
Yesterday Kyle had his 6 month well baby check up at the pediatrician's. He is 18 lbs 12 oz and 27 1/2 inches long. At the beginning of the appt. she was asking me how his solid food was coming and I told her (cereal in the morning, veggies at night). She kind of made a big deal about him eating solids more often, but that whatever rate we were comfortable at giving him solids was really fine. I found this comment a little odd, because the majority of babies start solids somewhere around the 4-6 month mark and would still be experimenting with cereal/strained baby food. We talked about a few other things (sleeping patterns, clingy babies, and cycling with a baby). As we were wrapping up she looks down at his file, looks up at me and starts apologizing profusely, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry about the food comment, Kyle is totally where he should be with that. I thought he was 9 months old after looking at his development chart"! Aw geez, he's even faking the doctor out ;).
So Dr. Lloyd suggested infant Motrin at night because she thinks Kyle's top two teeth are starting their descent and getting ready to push out his gums. She thought that was why his sleeping schedule is so screwy right now because he's probably having some pain/discomfort. Well, we tried it last night and would you believe our sleeping baby is back; woke up twice to eat just like before, but that was it!
Also, as soon as Kyle can hold a helmet on his head, or if we can install his infant car seat in a bike trailer, he's good to go on bike rides! I'm too excited! Walking has become so blah lately.
That's about it...we've all just kind of been surviving our days with the lack of sleep, but here's to a happy baby day!
And today, well, I've pretty much come to the conclusion that Kyle has outgrown his swing. He now sits up straight in it and stops the swing by himself, thus rendering it useless as far as napping in it goes. I just attempted to put him down for his first nap ever not in the swing. It took a good 7-10 minutes of patting him on the back as he lay in the crib, but he's asleep; now we'll just see how long it lasts!
Yesterday Kyle had his 6 month well baby check up at the pediatrician's. He is 18 lbs 12 oz and 27 1/2 inches long. At the beginning of the appt. she was asking me how his solid food was coming and I told her (cereal in the morning, veggies at night). She kind of made a big deal about him eating solids more often, but that whatever rate we were comfortable at giving him solids was really fine. I found this comment a little odd, because the majority of babies start solids somewhere around the 4-6 month mark and would still be experimenting with cereal/strained baby food. We talked about a few other things (sleeping patterns, clingy babies, and cycling with a baby). As we were wrapping up she looks down at his file, looks up at me and starts apologizing profusely, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry about the food comment, Kyle is totally where he should be with that. I thought he was 9 months old after looking at his development chart"! Aw geez, he's even faking the doctor out ;).
So Dr. Lloyd suggested infant Motrin at night because she thinks Kyle's top two teeth are starting their descent and getting ready to push out his gums. She thought that was why his sleeping schedule is so screwy right now because he's probably having some pain/discomfort. Well, we tried it last night and would you believe our sleeping baby is back; woke up twice to eat just like before, but that was it!
Also, as soon as Kyle can hold a helmet on his head, or if we can install his infant car seat in a bike trailer, he's good to go on bike rides! I'm too excited! Walking has become so blah lately.
That's about it...we've all just kind of been surviving our days with the lack of sleep, but here's to a happy baby day!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Dear Grandparents,
I know you like to buy me baby related paraphernalia, so here are a few things to consider:
Mom went through all of my clothes the other day and realized I don'’t own a single pair of pajamas for 12 months, the next size I'll be wearing! Remember these will be my summer sleep clothes, so look for light weight/breathable fabrics.
Also, I can always use size 4 diapers, regretfully the ones that work for me are Huggies; often the most expensive! In the near future I will also need some little swimmers diapers since I'll’ (hopefully) be in swim classes starting in March.
You might be interested to know that it looks like my "big boy" room is quickly taking on a Curious George/monkey theme. I already have a comforter for my twin bed and a plush monkey chair. I figured out I like monkeys during library storytime when I had a monkey puppet read me some books. The next week mom let me pick out any puppet I wanted to read to me and I once again chose the monkey! Although, I think I'm starting to like puppets in general too!
Love, Baby Kyle
P.S.-Save Easter weekend for a special event, more details to come!
Mom went through all of my clothes the other day and realized I don'’t own a single pair of pajamas for 12 months, the next size I'll be wearing! Remember these will be my summer sleep clothes, so look for light weight/breathable fabrics.
Also, I can always use size 4 diapers, regretfully the ones that work for me are Huggies; often the most expensive! In the near future I will also need some little swimmers diapers since I'll’ (hopefully) be in swim classes starting in March.
You might be interested to know that it looks like my "big boy" room is quickly taking on a Curious George/monkey theme. I already have a comforter for my twin bed and a plush monkey chair. I figured out I like monkeys during library storytime when I had a monkey puppet read me some books. The next week mom let me pick out any puppet I wanted to read to me and I once again chose the monkey! Although, I think I'm starting to like puppets in general too!
Love, Baby Kyle
P.S.-Save Easter weekend for a special event, more details to come!
I thought I didn't have much to report...
I'm exhausted and have no idea why...Kyle and I have just been doing our normal weekly stuff. He is becoming Mr. Personality more everyday! He'll actually try to engage us in what he's doing now, which is really cute.
We ended up in a Steinmart today and good grief it must've been senior discount day! There were so many grandmas in there Kyle couldn't get enough attention. I kept hearing them say "Look at those blue eyes" and "He just makes me want to go see my grandkids"! From what Kevin said, Kyle was also very popular at dinner tonight (He went to Wendy's with Kevin and Neal so I could have a break). He stared at one college girl in line so much she commented that if any other guy looked at her that long she'd be offended! He also came home with a playskool race car, courtesy of the Wendy's employees. This little guy has got some power; and I'm pretty sure he knows it!
I guess there's really not much to say...Kyle is still sleeping pretty well at night. We've had him start sleeping in his playpen in our bedroom because we'll be traveling to a wedding in March and that will be the setup there. He's adjusted to it almost effortlessly. At one point he was waking up around 9:30 and having trouble putting himself back to sleep. I remembered the doula from our mom/baby group suggested that even older babies sometimes like to be swaddled when they sleep (if you have trouble sleeping without at least a sheet over you, then you know what she means). Well, he now sleeps all wrapped up in one of his quilts (thanks Crothers)! I always put a blanket with him when he takes his naps in the swing, but today I learned that he just likes blankets!
We went on a walk and I was putting him back in his stroller after doing some shopping with him in the sling and he was fussy, kept grabbing the sling. I took it off and gave it to him and he was thrilled; just kept holding it in his hands and putting it up near his face. After the sling had gotten stuck under the stroller wheels a couple times (it's quite a long piece of fabric), I exchanged it for a blanket I had in his diaper bag, which he still loved! (Side note: please don't buy him any more blankets. We have so many that there are some with tags still on them)!
Also, he's eating cereal twice a day now; his favorite time to eat is when we're eating! If I snack in front of him in the afternoon, sometimes he wants a teething cookie or just a bite or two of cereal simply because I'm eating! Drinking is yet another thing! He is fascinated when we drink anything in front of him out of a cup; especially if he can see the liquid through the cup. Kevin has started taking an empty Circle K soda cup with him when he walks Kyle down to get a soda so that Kyle won't ask for his cup as he drinks it on the way home. On another eating note, nursing has become quite the chore because Kyle notices everything. He'll be eating and the cat will meow or Kevin will walk buy or the microwave will ding; just about anything is cause to pop off and look around to see what's going on!
That's about it!
We ended up in a Steinmart today and good grief it must've been senior discount day! There were so many grandmas in there Kyle couldn't get enough attention. I kept hearing them say "Look at those blue eyes" and "He just makes me want to go see my grandkids"! From what Kevin said, Kyle was also very popular at dinner tonight (He went to Wendy's with Kevin and Neal so I could have a break). He stared at one college girl in line so much she commented that if any other guy looked at her that long she'd be offended! He also came home with a playskool race car, courtesy of the Wendy's employees. This little guy has got some power; and I'm pretty sure he knows it!
I guess there's really not much to say...Kyle is still sleeping pretty well at night. We've had him start sleeping in his playpen in our bedroom because we'll be traveling to a wedding in March and that will be the setup there. He's adjusted to it almost effortlessly. At one point he was waking up around 9:30 and having trouble putting himself back to sleep. I remembered the doula from our mom/baby group suggested that even older babies sometimes like to be swaddled when they sleep (if you have trouble sleeping without at least a sheet over you, then you know what she means). Well, he now sleeps all wrapped up in one of his quilts (thanks Crothers)! I always put a blanket with him when he takes his naps in the swing, but today I learned that he just likes blankets!
We went on a walk and I was putting him back in his stroller after doing some shopping with him in the sling and he was fussy, kept grabbing the sling. I took it off and gave it to him and he was thrilled; just kept holding it in his hands and putting it up near his face. After the sling had gotten stuck under the stroller wheels a couple times (it's quite a long piece of fabric), I exchanged it for a blanket I had in his diaper bag, which he still loved! (Side note: please don't buy him any more blankets. We have so many that there are some with tags still on them)!
Also, he's eating cereal twice a day now; his favorite time to eat is when we're eating! If I snack in front of him in the afternoon, sometimes he wants a teething cookie or just a bite or two of cereal simply because I'm eating! Drinking is yet another thing! He is fascinated when we drink anything in front of him out of a cup; especially if he can see the liquid through the cup. Kevin has started taking an empty Circle K soda cup with him when he walks Kyle down to get a soda so that Kyle won't ask for his cup as he drinks it on the way home. On another eating note, nursing has become quite the chore because Kyle notices everything. He'll be eating and the cat will meow or Kevin will walk buy or the microwave will ding; just about anything is cause to pop off and look around to see what's going on!
That's about it!
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