Sitting Pretty

Keelyn has been working on mastering the skill of sitting up. She's still a bit shaky, but is doing pretty well at it as long as someone is nearby to make sure she doesn't tip over! (Because if she does tip over, my sensitive child is OVER it and MUST be held again!). Love that super sensitive child of mine! She keeps me on my toes! Here's some sweet photos of my beautiful baby girl enjoying the spring (well feels like summer) weather recently.

My newest sittin' princess





















Love this face she makes, she purses her lips and moves her tongue between her gums - I think to feel what her new teeth feel like. But it looks like she's moving her dentures or something! Hard to tell from a picture, but trust me it's funny!





















First time touching the grass..... She seemed to like it, surprisingly for Miss Sensitive!














Pretty girl!

Last Day of Gymnastics

Last week was also our last day of gymnastics for this school year. (We plan to do it again in the fall, though! As well as starting her true love of ballet! She had to be 3 to be in the ballet class that is not mommy & me.....and this mommy could be part of it with another one on my hip! But I digress!). She made good progress in just a couple months - mostly learning how to behave and be patient waiting for her turn! But she also got a lot better at the balance beam and mastered the forward roll (more or less!). So glad we signed her up for these classes that are not too expensive at the community center! Great start to her future athletic endeavors :)

Patiently waiting her turn














Sweet, teething Keelyn, waiting on her sister's class to end and for those top teeth to come in :) That thumb has found its way into her mouth to sooth those top gums these days!














Walking & talking! See my little chatterbox chatting it up with her teacher while walking!














The mini-trampoline was one of her favorite things to do (and where we had to make sure she was willing letting others have their turns, HA!)














Look at that balance (and we had a little wardrobe change in the middle of class!)





















Flyin' high!














Great form on that forward roll!














Posing with her teacher, Ms. Rita & her little class :)

One, Two, Three.....Jump!

Mackenzie





















Loves





















To Jump!






















Let's hope she doesn't hurt herself too badly with her new love.....

School's Out

Last Thursday was Mackenzie's last day of school this year. It is so hard to believe another year has come & gone. She has grown so much since August. She still looks a bit like a baby in August, not yet 2, and now she is such a little girl.....sigh. (Sorry the recent one is bit blurry, she wouldn't slow down and then finally she did and this is how it turned out! UGH!!)

Waking Up is Hard to Do

Yes, waking up is hard to do, but it's getting much easier, since my little one has slept through the night for two nights in a row!! From about 8:30pm to 7:00am. I'm pleased (to say the least). She's actually been doing really well sleeping for that period since about 5 or 5 1/2 months, but I was scared to give up that dream feed at 11pm. But the doctor told me to do it at her recent appointment, and I started over the weekend (just in case!) and she did on Saturday night & last night. I could get used to this!

She still wakes up before her sister, but I usually just bring her back to bed with me and sleep a little more while she does her morning feeding. Then, we get up & moving and when her sister wakes up around 8:30, it's our routine to go get her sissy up together. I love that time. Mackenzie seems to really enjoy having her little sister there to wake her up. Sweet sisters :)

A Getaway

A couple weekends ago, Brannon & I got to go on a little getaway, with just one of our crazy girls! So it was a half-vacation from the kids. We went to Brannon's cousin's wedding in south Florida with Keelyn. It was a nice time - she did really well on her first flight. The only snafu was when a flight attendant told me not to nurse her on takeoff (which a friend of mine who is a flight attendant, specifically told me to do!). I was trying to tell the guy that, but he was having none of it. Brannon told me to stop, trying to avoid a scene. Then, when he walked away told me to do it again. I'd never heard of such. The attendant said it was against regulations. Not sure how it's any different than just holding a baby from a safety standpoint..... She was starving b/c I specifically was waiting to feed her on takeoff to help with her ears. So, she started screaming when I stopped feeding her. Which I know the folks around us were probably glad that I just started feeding her when he sat down for takeoff! He didn't bother us when I did the same thing for landing. Guess he realized I was gonna do it anyways.

Oh well, we made it. She did good on the plane & surprisingly did well for the 2 hour ride in the car (given her dislike of the carseat.....this was going to be her longest stint in the seat & luckily she ended up sleeping the whole time, both ways!). We had fun seeing Meemi, Poppee, & Jake & the rest of the family got to meet her. She was addicted to mommy pretty fiercely, and wouldn't let anyone else hold her, but they at least got to see how cute she is :) Our other snafu included a diaper blowout in the airport on the way home while in the baby carrier on mommy, which I discovered when I took her out to walk through security. The blowout was on her clothes AND on mine since she was right up against me...... We went on through and had a change right afterwards.

But overall a good trip. Here's a few pictures. I didn't take alot over the weekend. Carrying a baby & a camera is just too much sometimes!

Mackenzie got to spend the weekend with Granmommy & Grandaddy. Here's G-mommy with the two girls before we left.














A rare photo with Mommy that we both actually look good in! I think she definitely looks like me :)














Meemi & Keelyn matching in the bright colorful summer clothes :)






















With Poppee at brunch at a nice restaurant on the water





















Looking at some lobsters in a tank!

Dear Mackenzie

Dear Mackenzie,

I wanted to write down some of my thoughts of you at this fun/crazy/frustrating age that you are at. I think I missed writing you a letter when you turned two (something about moving & having a baby got in the way!) but I want to get some thoughts down before you get too much further past 2 1/2.....

You are so smart. Your language amazes me, and I am often surprised by a new word you throw into a conversation. And you want to be talking ALL. THE. TIME. You say, "talk to me Mom!" when you want to make sure I'm paying attention to you! Never a quiet moment, if you have anything to say about it :) You make friends wherever you go. Though still a bit shy around grown men (fine by me!), around most people now, you will just start up a conversation. Just tonight, you talked to/made friends with about 3 kids. One of those kids looked to be about 8! It's so cute & people are always amazed at how well you talk when I tell them you are just 2 1/2. I think you come by it naturally.....both your grandmothers LOVE to talk :)

Some of your favorite things these days are princesses, ballet, and playing 'Mommy'. You love to wear your tiara (you call it your crown) and hold your wand pretty much all day. Sometimes you insist on wearing them wherever we are going that day! You also love to put on your ballet slippers and perform for me. Other times, you wear your fancy high heels like a princess. You love to have me say 'Don't go Mommy' and then you tell me that you have to run errands and will pick me up from school later! Then, you "go shopping" and come back and get me! I love that you always tell me that you missed me :) This is by far your most favorite pretend scenario!

You love your friends & family. You ask about your grandparents & like to call them on the phone (both real & pretend!) and ask when they are coming to visit. You LOVE to go see your friends and do not like to leave them. I overheard you the other day telling your buddy, Mady Kay, that you wanted her to come to your house (after I had said we were leaving in a few minutes). You just couldn't stand to be apart from her, so you were making plans for her to just come home with you! You love your Aunt Natalie & seem to be enjoying the ability to see her much more frequently these days. You even requested a sleepover recently, which Aunt Natalie is getting things set up to have you over soon! And you also love your Uncle Jake & you guys share your love of cartoons made in Japan :) And mostly, you just adore your daddy. You've started to realize that this work thing takes him away from you more than you would like & tell me that you miss your daddy or tell him you don't want him to go to work! We hope one day he won't have to work quite so hard so you won't have to miss him too often!

You truly adore your little sister. One of my favorite things you do when I'm feeding or holding Keelyn, is to come over and put your arm around her and say "Keelyn is a precious baby" or "Keelyn is soooo precious!". That is too precious :) I can tell I'm going to have my hands full with you two, though, because you love her dearly, but you do not love her recent interest in your toys. Oh boy!

I have to say, there are so many great things about this age. But I'd be lying if I didn't also admit, that you are giving me a run for my money. It is a struggle daily to get you to obey and especially to do it without a battle. You will do what I ask usually, but I have to get angry or threaten a consequence, and then you will finally do it most of the time. But sometimes, you test me & I have to follow through. Which I do not enjoy. I've found myself yelling at you more than I want & daily am praying for patience. I know we will get through this stage, and I just have to remind myself of the fun stuff to help me get through some of the frustrations of you learning how to become more independent.....

I can't believe in just a few months, shortly after summer is over, you will be turning three. Three just always seemed so old to me when you were a baby/toddler. At three, I just know you will be turning more & more into a little girl and leaving more & more of your toddlerhood behind. But I know you will keep me entertained along the way & I will love the coming stages just as much or more!

Love,
Mommy

6 Months Old

Hello Everyone!

I am now 6 months old (well 6 1/2, but mommy says she is just perpetually late on everything these days.....). These pictures were actually on time though - I had just turned 6 months old. I'm getting to be such a big girl. I've started trying to sit up, though I can't balance for too long quite yet. I'm also moving my knees up under my stomach and pushing off, but my arms can't hold me up, so I just push up and flop to the side. But I'm showing some interest in getting moving!

Mommy says that she is surprised that she is looking forward to me crawling. She originally hoped I'd be slow to doing all of that (mainly because she thinks keeping a house baby proofed while a two year old is running around seems HARD!!), but thanks to my recent bout of serious separation anxiety where she can't leave a room without me freaking out, she now wishes I could crawl around behind her instead of being constantly attached to her..... What can I say? I know where the good stuff comes from & I'm sticking near to it if I have any control over that!

I've started showing some interest in eating some solids. And by some, I mean, mainly sweet potatoes & bananas. I'm not too fond of the other stuff yet. But at least these are two of the higher calorie foods, which apparently I need because I'm super tiny. The doctor even told mommy to add olive oil to my food! We're hoping for a better weight gain in a month so mommy can relax a little!

I'm slowly letting others besides mommy hold me & feed me & put me to bed. Since I was even having issues with going to daddy, mommy decided that Daddy would do my bath & put me to bed every night that he can to help me realize that other people can do these things too. It's helping a little. I like Daddy & go to sleep pretty easy, but mommy must be out of sight. When she hands me off to Daddy I still get pretty upset. But once she's gone, I accept my Daddy. I've also started taking some milk from a bottle. I can be left with a babysitter without starving. Mommy & Daddy even got to go on a date this weekend while I was at home with sissy & the sitter. And I was fed & asleep when they got home. I think they're pretty happy about that. Not sure why??

Something else Mommy & Daddy like.....I sleep pretty consistently these days. I go to bed around 8:30 and get up around 6:30-7. I've still been getting my dream feed around 11:30, but the doctor told mommy she should try to give that up before I get too used to it. Apparently, I don't need the calories & it's just a comfort thing.....what's wrong with that?? We'll see how that goes.....

A few other fun things. I like to talk & squeal. Mommy calls me 'Squealin' Keelyn' :) I started saying 'da da da da' a couple weeks ago, but haven't said it much since. And, I love to laugh at my crazy sister. She is such an entertainer & loves the attention I give her too. Though I've noticed she doesn't seem too keen on sharing her toys with me lately.....

I guess that's about all for what's goin' on with me these days. Talk to you soon :)

-Squealin' Keelyn

Another Aquarium Trip :)

We've been making good use of our annual aquarium pass lately. A few weeks ago, we headed down there again, and met up with some friends. Mackenzie had a great time & Keelyn was a little bit easier to manage.... One of these days, she'll let me put her in a stroller & not have to be attached to me the whole time! But not this day.... And it's hard to get in the pictures when you are attached to the one with the camera! But trust me, she was there :)

One of the highlights.....the jellyfish!





















Checking out some tropical fish with Jackson





















All 4 of them....L to R is Jackson, Roman, Mackenzie, & Ryan (who was over it!)












Just hangin' out with her buddy Roman





















Can't remember what was in this tank, but it must've been good!





















Claire with Ryan & Roman

Deja Vu.....

Yesterday, I had Keelyn's 6 month appointment. It was eerily similar to a 6 month visit about 2 years ago..... Yes, folks, my sweet girl is off the charts. Teeny. TINY. For the most part, I'm much less stressed about it this go around. I'm pretty sure a decent part of this is genetics. I just don't have big babies. Not even average babies. In fact not even small babies. I grow itsy bitsy teeny weeny babes!

Keelyn weighed in at a whopping 11 lbs 4 oz. That would be less than 1% on the charts. (Way less, if you're counting). She was 25 inches tall. And as usual, I don't remember the head size. Those two measurements were actually still fine. She actually even smaller than her sister was....

I like our new doctor (we switched since we moved) a lot better and she didn't freak out about it. Actually, I've been prepping her for what happened last time, so neither of us were too shocked. She said that she knows I'm not going to have big babies. She wants me to try and increase her solids, and even focus only on those that are higher in calories. She also said I can add olive oil to her jarred baby foods! And I could add formula to her applesauce! I swear, she's such a peanut!

The difference this time is that I really can't just put her on formula since she won't take a bottle from me. Even if I was ready to wean her, I think she'd go quite some time before really taking a bottle and we can't afford a milk strike with her current weight. We'll go back in a month for a weight check to see if she's doing any better with solids. Thing is, all I've read says they get the most calories from milk, so it's weird to me to push the solids. But I guess solids with olive oil have a good bit of calories too......

So, here we go again. Extra weight checks & the fun of hoping to get back on the charts.

OH MY......

I'm sooooo far behind on my blogging, it isn't even funny! Probably has something to do with a super busy daddy, remodeling a house that we've bought & will be moving into in a month and a half, and of course, who could forget our two daughters that keep me on my toes 24/7 (okay, well, minus the 7 or so hours they let me sleep each day! I guess it's 17/7 then!). Anywhoo, here's a quick rundown of some of the fun we've been up to since Easter......

Here's a recent sister shot. Most days, I think they look nothing alike with a mini-me in Keelyn & a mini-brannon in Mackenzie. But friends tell me they look alike, and I guess here, maybe they do at least favor each other, though not spitting images of each other :) Both beautiful though, for sure!














Keelyn is working on trying to sit up (well, if I force her.....she'd still rather be IN my lap sitting.....) but mostly falls forward or over really fast. This was a semi-successful attempt I managed to snap a picture of!














Mackenzie's been continuing to work on her artistic side, asking to do artwork all. the. time! Here she is working on her watercolors on our back deck in the beautiful spring weather :)














Waking up......someone has definitely turned into a stomach sleeper!














We found a caterpillar that found his way inside one night. Mackenzie was thrilled to let it crawl all over her hands! We video taped it :) We then used her bug catcher from Meemi to hold it overnight and found a cocoon in the morning! Our first science experiment. We waited for a butterfly, but instead one day I found a moth in there..... Sadly, to make a long story short, he died before we let him go..... Oh well. Maybe our next experiment won't actually kill the bug.


Someone is starting to scoot and roll around. No more sitting still......












Mackenzie got to go to the "Build-a-Bear" shop (only we build a bunny since it was almost Easter) with her friends Abigail and Mady Kay












The toothless grin is totally gone.....and now the two bottom teeth are documented on film (or on a memory card, I suppose!)















Okay, I feel a little bit better now. Still got some more posting to be caught up, but this will do for now since it's already after 11..... And we've got Kenzie's end of year party at preschool tomorrow. How is it that another year of preschool is already over??? My big girl keeps getting bigger (and so does my little one....)