Crawling and more

Kayden turned 6 months today. I'll do an official six month post after her doctor's appointment on Monday but I wanted to spend a minute talking about her movement. She learned to crawl yesterday. Yes, crawl. She's been getting around by sitting up and then leaning over and then sitting up again. Yesterday she figured out how to crawl with both arms and legs working together.

She is already all over the house. Quickly moving from the living room to the tile in the hallway or kitchen.


She is climbing into the end tables.
Today, she pulled up on the chair that has Keeley's highchair in it. She is six months old and she is already pulling up!!!! It just lasted a fraction of a section and I couldn't catch her on film all the way up, just in the process. It was too cute though because she would look up and then grab on to that bottom rung and try to pull herself up. Her still wobbly legs were not helped by the scarf at her feet!Watch out Keeley, Maggie, and Carbo! Kayden is on the move!!

Christmas Cookies

In an attempt to start some new holiday traditions, I thought it might be fun for the girls to bake and decorate cookies with Mom the day after Thanksgiving. I thought it would be fun to start now and, as the girls (and their attention spans) grew, it could take up more of the day and all Kelly and I to get some of the Christmas decorations up. That time is going to be a long way away apparently.

I bought some slice and bake cookies and had them ready to go when Mom got here. Keeley was all excited about the sprinkles - but only the sprinkles. Mom tried to ice one of Keeley's cookies to show her how to do it and Keeley got very upset and said "away" until Mom took the cookie away. Because she refused to ice them, most of her sprinkles fell off as soon as she picked the cookies up.She solved this problem by eating some of the sprinkles with a spoon.

Kayden got to have some fun too - she only had crumbs in her mouth. I didn't actually let her eat a cookie.

It was still fun!

Here's some string

Keeley has gotten in the habit of taking Kayden's toys from her. I know this is totally age appropriate, but it is still sad. After several times of being told to be nice to her sister, that Kayden was playing with the toy first, that Keeley needed to find another toy, etc. Keeley developed a new strategy - replace the toy she is stealing.

Here's how it has played out until today. We put Kayden down and give her a toy. Keeley decides she wants the toy. Keeley tries to take the toy from Kayden only to be reminded that it isn't hers. Keeley then goes and looks for another toy and gives it to Kayden. This is frequently a very uneven trade. Today, for example, Kayden was playing with the magnetic barn from the dishwasher and Keeley wanted it so she gave Kayden some green string and then moved away to play with the barn by herself.

This usually works. Today, however, Kayden learned to crawl. Look out big sister! Kayden is going to chase you down now!

Big week

Apparently, we are going through a developmental explosion right now with Keeley. I thought it was just with gross motor skills. Today, however, it is proving to be with vocabulary too. While Mom was watching the girls, Keeley said her first sentence- "Me go"! Later when I was putting her down for her nap, I handed her a pacifier and she said "blue". It is fun to watch her becoming more in control of her own world and more able to convey her thoughts.

Kendall and Mom, I'm sorry

I was a challenging kiddo in a lot of the same ways my little ones are proving to be. I was also very interested in my little brother in a lot of the same ways that Keeley shows her interest in Kayden. To both of you, I'm sorry. I am certainly getting what I deserve now.

Kayden is very busy lately. She took a super short nap this morning and, when she woke up, spent about 30 minutes playing with the turtle on her crib rail. It then took an hour to get her down for her second nap. About 20 minutes after I finally got Kayden down, Keeley woke up from her nap (WAY too early) crying. This quickly woke up Kayden.

This left me counting the minutes for the day to be over because I had two very tired kiddos (and a total of 20 minutes of time to myself...). I finally talked Kayden into another nap about 10 minutes to 3. Keeley was playing and reading quietly in her crib. After a few minutes, Keeley decided she didn't want to rest. I practically ran in there to get her up so that she didn't wake Kayden. Keeley and I went in to my room when I noticed that she had a snuck a pacifier. I asked her to go put it back in her crib and I ran to the restroom. No more than 45 seconds later I hear "HIIYEEEEEEEE!!!!"

Keeley had put her pacifier in her crib and then decided to open Kayden's door, climb into her crib, and sit on top of her. I walk into Kayden's dark room and look into her sweet little face which is looking at me quite confused. Life's rough as a second sibling!

When I called my mom to vent, she said that I wasn't much older when I started doing that with Kendall (by biting his toes) and then telling her with a shrug "he woke up". I'm so, so sorry to you both!!!

Eyes in the back of my head

Apparently that is what I will need now. In just one day,

Kayden learned to sit up in her crib and play with her turtle. She is now moving very intentionally all over and exploring new "toys" (read: humidifier, end tables, cords....)


Keeley learned to stand on the pacifier box in her crib,

climb into Kayden's crib (and she does it SUPER fast),

get into Kayden's exersaucer while Kayden is in it (yes, there are 4 legs on the floor),
and open the back door. I am beginning to believe my pediatrician was correct when she told me that I'd probably lose 20 pounds just keeping up with the kids now that Kayden is mobile!

First Cereal

Kayden has been more and more interested in our food lately and she has started eating much more frequently. We figured those two things coupled with the appearance of her first two teeth and her 1/2 birthday just a week away meant it might be a good time for her to start her cereal. She LOVED it. I feel like this chunk might just get chunkier! Weighing in at 17 lb 11 oz, she has already matched her sister's weight at 7 months.

waiting in preparation for her meal

trying to help Dad hurry up already

maybe just the spoon is good too..

so happy to be eating with everyone else!

(Incidentally, Kayden wearing a bib made Keeley demand one as well - she hasn't been wearing them for weeks.)

Sick babies

Both my babies have been sick for a little while now. Keeley has been fighting a sinus infection for a month. She already had one round of antibiotics that didn't seem to help. A few days after she finished them, I still thought something was off so I called the doctor to get her on some new ones. The new medicine started working right away. Kayden is fighting a cold. Cold are annoying at anytime but are especially hard on little people that can't blow their noses and like pacifiers, bottles, and nursing - all of those things are hard to do with a stuffed up nose.

We've all grown weary of the bulb suctioning and I'm thoroughly repulsed by the streams of grossness coming out of Keeley's nose 24/7. Couple that with Kayden not sleeping well and the grumpiness that comes from two sick babies and you have a very, very tired mom.

Sick babies is hard for everyone - the babies because they don't feel good, Mom because she is worn out from caring for the babies, Dad because Mom is worn out from her day, the dogs because they get even more ignored...it's rough.

Well, I gave in to my exhaustion last night. I took two tyleonol pms and went to bed at 7:45. Kelly (my wonderfully sweet husband) took care of Kayden's first feeding so I didn't have to get up until 3 to feed her - it was bliss. Even more wonderful, both the girls slept until 6:30. That means I got two good stretches of sleep last night (well exceeding the 2 hour stretches I've been getting for the last 2 weeks). Keeley and Kayden both seem to be feeling better this morning. The grossness that has been pouring out of their noses is gone at least. We'll see how the day progresses but I am certainly hopeful. That hope is made easier since I'm not so exhausted!

Stay at home Mom

It is 1:45 and I am typing while Keeley naps and Kayden fights sleep. I tried to nap with them but Keeley has been asleep for over an hour and Kayden is too intent on sitting up and playing with her turtle to sleep. Much like her sister at this age, Kayden has amazing willpower. She woke up at 6:30 and has napped for a total of 35 minutes since then. For those of you without kids, 7 hours awake with 35 minutes of naps is unaccepatable for a 6 month old. Couple that awake time with the fact that she was awake from 9:30 -10:30 because of a stuffy nose and you have one seriously overtired kiddo that has been fighting sleep since 12:30. That's right she has been in her room, in the dark for almost 1.5 hours and is still not asleep. Good times. Keeley is likely to wake up at any moment so I have given up on trying to sleep (even though I'm beyond tired).

I digress. This is a bit of a "reality check" for all those people that think I must sit home and watch tv all day. All the people that think being a stay at home mom is an easy job. Those people are dead wrong. This is BY FAR the hardest job I can imagine. Perhaps it gets easier as the kids get older; however, since mine are still under 2 that is all I have to go by. That being said, I knew that it wasn't going to be easy, that I would be sleep deprived, etc. going into this. Fortunately, the job of staying home is a million times more rewarding than it is challenging.

For all those people that wonder what I do all day long and how I can possibly fill my time. I will recap the last 8 hours for you.

5:15 - Keeley starts moaning. I lay in bed and ignore her - but am not able to sleep. When Kelly gets up, I ask him to check on her. He gets her calmed down for a little bit. She decides 6:30 is time to wake up. That is fine except for2 things 1. she woke me up at 5:15 and 2. she takes about 30 minutes to get out of her crib once you go in there. During that 30 minutes, she wakes Kayden up.

6:30-7:45 - Feed Keeley and Kayden and grab a bite for me. Then I have to pump because Kayden isn't interested in nursing anymore but I'm not ready to put her on formula. Get all of the pump pieces clean and get the girls diapers changed.

7:45- Play with the girls for a little bit and then try to put Kayden down (she's only supposed to be awake for 1.5-2 hours at a time). I put her down and then get in the shower with Keeley. Keeley gets into the least amount of trouble in the shower with me - but it does make showering harder. She used to play on the floor but lately she has just weaved in and out of my legs the entire time. I get of the shower and realize Kayden is still awake. Get her up and move to the living room. Start laundry.

9:00 - I put Kayden down again. Grout guy shows up. Kayden still deciding she is too busy to sleep. Keeley wants outside so I get her all bundled up and then she decides it is much better to be inside - but needs to stay all bundled up. We hang out in the living room until almost 10. This is when she decides she can finally take off her coat. At this point I decide that it is time for Kayden to try to sleep again. I tell the grout guy that I'm going to be back with the girls for a while and ask if he needs anything. He has me check the grout color which is SO wrong. I tell him it is wrong and so he says he'll go get some more (that is the right color) and be back in 30minutes - an hour.

10:10 - Get a bottle ready for Kayden. Feed her and put her down. She actually goes to sleep this time around 10:15.

10:20 - Go in Keeley's room and shut the door with her so that I can pump. Normally I do this ata table but I didn't want to be exposed when the grout man came back. I sit down to pump and Keeley "helps". She likes to help. This time she helped by turning up and down the power, pushing the let down button a lot, and trying to pull the breast shields away from their intended location. Needless to say, I didn't get much milk because I was a little stressed. I finish pumping and clean the parts and Kayden wakes up. Awesome nap.

11:00-12:20 - Grout guy is finishing up so I work on entertaining the girls while keeping them away from him and all his stuff. Keeley and I also eat lunch and she tells the grout guy hi and bye no less than 50 times. Finally he leaves.

12:30 - I feed Kayden and put her down. I then rock with Keeley for a bit and put her down. Keeley falls asleep or at least is quiet right away. I just got Kayden up at 2:10 after having her fight her nap for that long. She's staring at me with a long gaze right now. Every time I pick her up though she arches her back to get back on the ground and play. So we are going on 8 hours of sleep with 35 minutes of naping right now.

Here are some pictures of how Keeley kept busy.

She laid out each changing pad very intentionally all around Kayden's room. After she used them all, she turned around and said "more". I'm not sure how many babies she thinks we will be changing at one time!!

Putting a dishrag on her dog as a "hat". Why would you not want a dishrag as a hat?

The puppy and all the dishrags abandoned.

Oh wait, I can use it as a skirt too!

Kayden just being cute.

It is now 2:45. That is a full 2 hours after I initially tried to put Kayden down. She is still awake. Maybe she'll nap now. Or maybe we'll go for a ride to lull her to sleep once Keeley wakes up.

Teeth and Eyes

Kayden got her first two teeth last Thursday! We've been feeling every day a couple times a day because she's been so drooly and fitful in her sleep. I was at the doctor (because I live there) and was rubbing my fingers on her gums when I noticed that both of them had cut through. I'm all for fast and furious with the teeth. A couple months of miserable is much better than drawing it out over several months!

She also keeps getting eye infections. We finished her eye drops on Wednesday and her pink eye was back by Saturday. It is really quite sad because the eye gets puffy and red and so gunky. When I called the doctor, she said to do the eye drops again but that we also have to go see an opthalmologist. I'm very, very sad about this. I was hoping that her occluded tear duct would resolve on its own. Having her eye probed or having surgery on it are not things that I am excited about. Her appointment is the first week of December so we'll see what happens.

Pictures

Here are some pictures of the girls we've taken recently. It is SO much fun to watch them play together. Every time I'm sad that Keeley can't do all the things her friends do because we have to take Kayden into consideration, I remember just how much she's learning about life and love by having a sister so close in age.

Keeley insisted I get in her new cottage.

Keeley in Dad's shirt. Kayden trying to keep up with everyone.such determination and focus


My fashionista giving Kelly a look that says "Why wouldn't we both want to wear burp cloths on our heads? Kayden's okay. I know she can't see but that's okay Dad. We're friends"

So happy she sat up by herself.

Telling me she is wearing a hat. Not quite but okay...I missed the picture moments later when Kayden was allowed to wear the hat.

Two steps forward, one step back

I feel like parenting is a constant battle of two steps forward and one step back. Once you come to terms with that reality, life is a little more manageable. I've been working on getting that through my head. So far it seems to be helping when I get frustrated with sleep, eating, crying....

This week however, I'm getting an entirely new taste of the give and take of parenting. Having two babies so close together is bittersweet. I get to see new milestones in both the kiddos with excitement and a touch of sadness with each step toward growing up. We've had a big week this week with both kiddos:

Kayden has started sitting up on her own and is really getting into peek-a-boo. She has been able to maintain a sitting position for a while now but last night she actually got herself into that position. She still is forever trying to play with Keeley and be where ever she is. Whatever Keeley does is funny - even if the exact same thing done by Kelly or me would make her cry. I'm watching her grow up so very, very fast. In no time at all I feel like she will too big to consider my baby. At lunch today I let her sit in her high chair and put some milk in a straw cup for her to try to drink. She was so excited and kept looking from her cup to Keeley's cup and noticing they were the same. Not entirely successful in drinking from the cup, I had to switch to a bottle for her but I was impressed to say the least.

Keeley, on the other hand is quite the dichotomy. I knew that toddlers vascillated greatly between baby and independent little person. What I was not prepared for was the way it would make me feel. She is getting much better about playing by herself (although she still has to be within 20 feet of me at all times it seems), her vocabulary is absolutely exploding, her demands are becoming more frequent and insistent, her gross and fine motor skills continue to amaze me, and she has started to "read" her books out loud and to Kayden (she looks through them and says words that we talk about on the pages). I look at her daily and am amazed at the little person she is becoming. With all that I suppose comes insecurity on her part because she has also seemed to need us more this week. Every evening and every nap she has needed to be rocked to sleep. She was truly a baby last she let us rock her (6 months old maybe...). The first time it happened, I stayed with her a long time and thought about how quickly life passes. For so long I was ready for her to be able to go to sleep by herself and not need so much help. Holding her for that nap made me realize how quickly this time will pass - and how quietly. Even in that baby state though she was clearly a toddler - wearing pants and a hooded towel with no shirt.

How sad will I be when I pause for a moment in a few years to realize that I really don't have babies anymore? That I have said good bye to that phase of my life? I love each new development and watching them develop into their own little people but it is sad to close a chapter on your life. So, while they continue to take leaps and bounds forward, I will cherish each step back the kiddos take that allows me to hold onto their babyhood just a few moments more.

Learning to crawl

Kayden is SO determined to crawl. The other day I let her have a go at it straight from the bath. I was hoping that her unrestricted state would help; it didn't but I got some really cute pictures!


You'll notice she is quite happy with the tiny amount of progress she made.

Sisterly Love

Keeley attack!

Kayden is still all smiles.

Such adoring eyes for her big sister.

Sweetest picture ever.

Visit from Unga

My brother came into town on Wednesday to help drive a friend across the country. He spent a lot of time at our house with the girls. Keeley really enjoyed spending time with her Unga. Kendall got to experience first hand how toddlers can be a little bit on the bossy side. He played with Keeley at the park, taught her how to put her stuffed animals down the slide, and did lots of reading with her. He also got to enjoy some cuddle time with Kayden. We really enjoyed Uncle Kendall's visit and he certainly made quite an impression on Keeley as she is still asking for her Unga today.

Here are some pictures of Keeley and her Unga enjoying the park and reading time together.

Still moving

Kayden is determined to keep up with her big sister! Tuesday evening we left her on the floor to play while we ate dinner. Usually we bring her to the table with us but she had been in arms most of the day and seemed to enjoy her time on the floor. After about 10 minutes she started fussing and Kelly went back to the living room to get her. She had moved all the way across the living room and had gotten stuck by Keeley's ball bucket. While not coordinated or methodical in her movement, she is able to move great distances by rolling and launching herself forward. Watch out Keeley! As soon as Kayden figures out to move her arms she's going to be after you!!

All Saints Day

Today Daddy was recognized at All Saints Day at my home church. This is another one of the things that is just surreal to me as I process through the grief. While I know that he is gone, it is still hard to really wrap my mind around it. The service also ushered in the beginning of the first holiday season without Daddy. Fortunately, we have two adorable little girls that are the perfect age to begin new family traditions. Hopefully this will aide us in surviving this tough season.

It was important to me that we be at the service with Mom. Kelly, the girls, and I all met Mom at the first service. The recognition was at the beginning of the service which I thought was great. Keeley barely made it through the first 10 minutes. As soon as we had stood to remember Daddy, Kelly took her out. Unfortunately, Keeley is just too busy to sit still during a church service. Kayden, on the other hand, made it almost the end of the service. She was in awe of all the people, the stained glass, the music...it was so cute to watch her look all around with wide eyes. Babies have such a sense of wonder about the world.

After the service, we were sitting at the back waiting for Mom come out. Several people told me that I couldn't bring her back because they didn't pay any attention to the service. How could they when this cute face was staring at them?

Ketchup

Keeley has gotten very into ketchup recently. This is an improvement since she was previously angered by its presence on her plate. Ketchup will be a useful tool in disguising other food and enticing her to eat a wider variety.

Kelly and I were eating hamburgers the other night and Keeley requested some ketchup. (I know you were going to be amazed if she wanted hamburger since she is a vegetarian!). I squirted some on her plate and this is how she ate it.

Swirl both hands around to get it on her fingers....

...then put both hands in her mouth at the same time.

After a few fingerfuls, she asked for more. I pointed out to her that she still had some on her plate. She gave me a very serious look and smeared the remaining ketchup all around the plate. She then looked at me as if to say "See, I don't have any" and asked for more again. I had to admire her creativity so I gave her a little more. The same thing happened except I didn't give her anymore. Today she once again tried to tell me she needed more when she didn't. AGAIN she smeared it all over her plate to prove that she needed more. Isn't she too little to be this tricky?!?

Memurs

About a week ago I made a mistake and asked Keeley if she wanted to look at monkeys with me on the computer. That may sound a bit random. Keeley really likes monkeys and I wanted to research the Dallas World Aquarium to see about taking her. I figured they would have pictures of monkeys and she would let me get my research done.

They did have pictures and I was able to complete my short bit of research. The problem was then that Keeley was addicted to seeing the "monk". She kept asking for more. Every time she saw me at the computer she would ask to see "monk". I eventually got tired of the few pictures posted on the Dallas World Aquarium site and began scouring the web for a bigger selection. I stumbled across the National Geographic site for kids and we enjoyed the chimps, howler monkeys, and orangutans.

Although Keeley was thoroughly entertained, I became bored once again...

This prompted me to make an even bigger mistake. I asked Keeley if she would like to look at the ring tailed lemurs. She has liked lemurs ever since our trip to Sharkarosa Ranch. She was fascinated there and also when we saw them at the Heard Museum. This fascination pales in comparison to her new fascination with them on the computer. We have watched this video at least a hundred times this week. We watch it over and over again. Every time she wakes up or gets bored, she says "memurs, memurs" and heads to the computer room.