Toothless!

My baby girl is growing up! Kenley lost her first tooth on December 22 while eating an apple. Her reaction as totally unexpected…she cried! She said she didn’t want the tooth to come out! I finally convinced her it was a good thing and that the Tooth Fairy would be paying her a visit that night!

Sugarless gum and 2 sparkly dollars tied with a floss bow from the Tooth Fairy

The second tooth came out a little over a month later on February 3! It happened at school and went over much better!

Cutest toothless kid ever!

I’m Back!

It’s been over a year! I’m horrible! Well, I’m not going to try to go back and add posts, but I’m going to try to do better from now on! Look for more posts coming soon!

 

Dylan 12 Months Old!!!

Dear Dylan,

On October 2, you turned 1 year old! This year went by so fast…I wish everything would slow down, just a little bit.

You are still the sweetest baby ever!  You hardly ever cry or fuss. You go with the flow.  We drag you around to all your sister’s activities and to pick her up from school and to the park.  You just go with it, even if you get woken up from your nap to do it.

You still don’t eat food!  But we think we may have figured out why.  You have a severe lip tie and tongue-tie.  We’ll be having this corrected a couple of days after your birthday.  I’m not looking forward to this…as mentioned above, you don’t really cry, but when you do, it breaks my heart.

You love playing with your sister these days.  You guys do this little modified version of wrestling!  You basically roll all over her!  It’s adorable and you laugh and laugh.  You pretty much think your sister hung the moon!

You love going to the park.  It’s been pretty warm for October in Oregon, so we’ve been spending a lot of time at the park.  You love to crawl through all the leaves and try to eat them…you won’t eat food, but you’ll try to eat leaves and sticks!  You also love to swing.  You will swing forever.

On your birthday, we took you out to dinner (yes, out to dinner, even though you don’t eat food).  I was sure to pick a place that had a kid’s play area.  You had a blast there with your sister.   Then we went out to ice cream!  By that time, you were close to having had enough birthday celebration and you started to fuss a little.  So, we let you go home and go to sleep!  A few days after your birthday, you had a party at Grandpa’s house!  You got your own cake, which you played with!  You got lots of cool toys and had a blast playing!

One Year Stats:

Weight: 21 pounds 13 ounces – 74th percentile

Height:  30 inches – 71^st percentile

Healthy and growing, despite your aversion to food!

Random things I want to remember about you at age 12 months:

• you are a funny kid…you roar, you sing, you growl
• your hair is adorably curly after your bath. It’s curly all the time, but after your bath it’s crazy!
• you love Eli (our cat). You will lay on him and pet him. He’s a good sport and lets you do it.
• You go to the kitchen gate and start saying “dog” over and over.
• You love crawling under the kitchen table and through your high chair. You don’t have to crawl through the high chair, but you always do, and you often get stuck…and very upset about it.
• You make anything we give you into a drumstick…your Father’s daughter.

You are just the sweetest little girl!  We love you to pieces baby girl!

Love you,

Mommy

Dylan 11 Months

Dear Dylan,

On September 2, you turned 11 months old! You’re getting so big, and I feel like your moments of being a baby are quickly coming to an end.  You are almost a little toddler!

This month, you went on your first camping trip!  We cheated a little and stayed in a “rustic cabin” instead of a tent.  We’re not sure how to fit all four of us in the tent yet!  You did really well!  You love being outside, so camping works for you!  We went hiking and swimming in the river one day.  You love the water.  It was pretty cold, but you didn’t seem to mind at all.

This past month you’ve become SUPER mobile.  You crawl super fast and into every tiny space.  You have gotten stuck under chairs and under your exersaucer!  You are cruising along furniture and trying to stand on your own.  You are definitely a climber!  You already try to climb onto the couch, and you are always climbing on your sister’s little chair and standing in it, which makes Mommy very nervous!

         

You’ve had a rough month of sleep.  You are typically a pretty good sleeper at night, but there have been some issues this last month.  I think you are cutting several teeth, so I forgive you!  You are so sweet in the middle of the night.  You are my little snuggle bug!  I usually nurse you, and then you lay your head on my shoulder and suck your thumb.  You will always go right back to sleep after I nurse you, but I often sit and hold you.  I know these of snuggling and babyhood are fleeting, and I am trying to cherish every moment.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned from having two kids, it’s that it goes by WAY TOO FAST!  So, even though my sleep is suffering, I’m going to enjoy these moments that you really need me while I still can.

You STILL have zero interest in food!  You have taken a step in the right direction!  You will put food in your mouth, but you don’t’ follow through and eat it!  You lock your lips together if you we come near you with a spoon or a piece of food!  On the few occasions I was actually able to get food into your mouth, you ate it, so at least I know you are capable!  We’re still holing out for you to eat on your own time!

Kenley has been on a break from preschool for a couple of weeks, so we were able to go to Story Time at the library for the first time!  You loved it!  You crawled all over that room checking out all the other kids!  You did actually crawl over and listen to the books when the librarian was reading.  We also played at the play area at the mall the other day and you had a blast crawling through the tunnels and climbing all over things!

   

I can’t believe the next time I write, it will be for my 1 year old!  I love you more than you’ll ever know, baby girl!

Mommy

Dylan’s First Beach Visit/Camping Trip

In early August, Phil had a “stay-cation” from work and we took a day trip to the beach. It was Dylan’s first trip to the beach. While it was like 90 in Portland, it was only about 63 at the beach! And the weather forecast we read said it would be warmer at the beach, so we ended up a little under dressed, so the girls only lasted about an hour and a half! It’s OK, we loaded them into the car and drove around while they slept!

 

The next day we packed up to go on Dylan’s first camping trip! She did really well!  We had a little cabin, so it was a bit easier than tent camping…we’ll tackle that with her next summer!

Kenley told us she wanted to be a wood stacker when she grows up!

 

Dylan’s baby camp chair!

 

 

 

 

Hanging out in the bunk beds!

 

 

Dylan 10 Months

Dear Dylan,

On August 2, you turned 10 months old.  That also happened to be your parents’ 10 year anniversary!  How special for us to have a special 10 month old on our 10 year anniversary!

You are truly one very laid back, go with the flow baby.  Last night we went out to celebrate our anniversary with you girls.  We were out way past your bedtime and you had only had one nap, but you were great the whole time! No crying or fussing.  You are pretty content to sit in your highchair and play with your toys or pieces of food we give you.  You’re really awesome like that.

Speaking of food…you STILL have zero interest in real food.  I put you in your highchair and give you food every time we eat.  You pick it up, look at it, and throw it on the ground.  I even tried giving your purees again, but you lock your lips up tight when I come near you with a spoon!  One thing you will open your mouth for…ice cream!  I put my ice cream cone up to your mouth thinking your wouldn’t have anything to do with it. Nope, you opened your mouth WIDE and went for it!  I’ve also gotten you to drink water out of a glass a bit.

You got to ride in the bike trailer for the first time the month.  I’m not sure you enjoyed it, but you tolerated it very well. I think you like that your sister was in there with you.  The helmet you had to wear was about as big as you, so I’m sure that didn’t help!

You are really staring to enjoy looking at books.  You love books with things you can feel.  Kenley likes to “read” to you, and I think this is your favorite. You also like to “draw” on Kenley’s Magna Doodle.  You pick up the little pen like you see your sister do and you scribble back and forth.  SO CUTE!

OH, you can now stand and cruise around the living room on the couches!

I love you Dyl Pickle.  TRY to slow down…just a little…

Love you,

Mommy

Kenley 4 1/4 Years

Dear Kenley,

On July 17, you were 4 ¼ year old.  You’re growing up so fast!

You are still my little firecracker these days.  You still keep me on my toes all the time.  You’ve developed a little sassy attitude lately.  I say you are 4 going on 14 most of the time.  You’ve picked up the phrases “whatever” and “what the heck.”  You know how to roll your eyes at the appropriate times and you have what I like to call the “stink face” when you are unhappy about something.  You don’t lack personality, that’s for sure!

You still love school.  You continued to go to school during the summer and you have had a great time.  There weren’t enough kids from the Tues/Thurs class to keep it going during summer, so you started going Mon/Wed and met a whole new group of friends.  Stuff like this doesn’t seem to phase you. You make friends very easily.  You will go up to older kids and introduce yourself like it’s no big deal.  I couldn’t do that at 4! (as a matter of fact, I don’t know if I am really comfortable doing it at 32!)  You so amaze me in that way!

We’ve been spending a lot of time outside and at the park this summer.  You love playing at the park with your friend, Ellie.  You two always say you’re going to play in the water, but you rarely ever get wet!  You two love playing make believe and both of you have imaginary friends.

Your baby sister adores you.  You can make her laugh like no one else can.  You are a great big sister.  You love that Dylan is getting old enough to really play with.  You do pretty well with sharing your toys with her as well.  You only get a little protective of your art supplies because you say she’s too young to play with them. Oh, little Mommy!

You took your first ballet class recently.  You LOVED it!  There was even a little recital at the end and you could NOT WAIT to get on stage!  No stage fright for you!  I was pretty impressed at how graceful you are, considering you are my child!

Here are some of your current favorites:

Book: still Busytown

TV Show: Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Toy: horses

I love you my baby girl!

Mommy

Dylan 9 Months Old

Dear Dylan,

On July 2, you turned 9 months old…sigh!

We’ve been getting into the swing of summer lately. It’s been hot, and we’ve been spending a lot of time outside.  You are such a content, go with the flow kid!  We can go to the park for hours, and you’re happy just to sit on the blanket with me and play with your toys (with several trips to the swings in there too!).  You also think the water features at the park are pretty cool.  You like it when I hold you in the water or sit you down in front of the sprayers.  You think it’s pretty funny!  You also really enjoy just watching the other kids play.  I’m pretty sure you’re taking it all in and making mental notes!

          

You still are not very fond of  “real food.”  You were gagging and making scenes every time I tried to feed you.  So now we are giving you small pieces of (non pureed) food and just letting you eat when you’re ready.  You are growing quite well, so we aren’t too concerned just yet.

                                      

Speaking of growing, you had your 9 month appointment.  Here are your stats:

Weight: 19 pounds – 70^th percentile

Height: 27.5 inches – 35^th percentile….your doctor didn’t think this was right. She thinks you must have been wiggling when they measured you, so we’ll see how you’ve grown at your one year appointment.

You looked great at your appointment.  You are doing great!  You didn’t’ have to get any shots this time, so that was a plus too!

I finally let go and moved you into your crib in the room that you and Kenley now share.  It was hard for me to take you out of our room! Tear!  You are doing great though.  I think Kenley really enjoys having you in there.  I’m pretty surprised at how easy the transition was for both of you.  It’s pretty sweet that my girls are sharing a room.

You still get up one time during the night/very early morning to nurse.  After your done, when I lay you back in your crib, you always look at me and give me the biggest, sweetest smile.  It makes waking up in the middle of the night to feed you so worth it, and I just melt every night when you do it.  Stinker, you’ve got me wrapped around your little finger!

I really can’t believe how fast you’re growing.  I love watching you learn new things, but I want it all to slow down!  I love you sweet baby!

Love,

Mommy

Dylan 8 Months Old

Dear Dylan,

Today you turned 8 months old. 8 freaking months old…it’s going by so fast. I really just want to press pause for a while.

Things are happening so quickly these days. You are doing something new all the time. You aren’t crawling, but you can certainly get around. You are very interested in things lately. Toys, straws, shoes, pretty much anything you can get your hands on. And in true baby fashion, it all goes straight to your mouth! And speaking of your mouth, you now have 3 teeth! You had not been sleeping well. You’d been waking up a lot. And then all of the sudden, 3 little teeth pop up! I’m pretty sure you’re currently working on a 4^th as well.

You are still sleeping in your co-sleeper in our room. I am working on transitioning you to your crib. You nap in your crib now. I’m sure you’d be fine in your crib at night, but I’m kind of using the fact that you still wake up sometimes to keep you in our room. I’d probably keep you in there forever if you weren’t about to outgrow your co-sleeper! I just love having you close so I can watch you sleep!

You have definitely learned to use your voice this last month. You love being loud! You say mamamama a lot (mostly when you are upset)! You and your sister both can get pretty loud…it sounds crazy around here sometimes!

You are still attempting to eat some solid (pureed) foods. You really aren’t too interested though. You will take a couple of bites, and that’s enough for you. You’re perfectly happy just nursing. Today I was nursing you and you just stopped, looked up at me and cracked up laughing! HEART MELTED! You’re a pretty sweet kid like that. You have the sweetest and calmest temperament. People often ask me if you ever cry…and you don’t cry very often. You’re super adaptable. If you have to miss a nap, it’s usually no big deal, which is good because I’m always having to wake you up to pick up Kenley or take Kenley somewhere.

Sweet baby girl, I could not love you anymore. You are a joy!

Love,

Mommy

PS: You’ve started sucking your thumb sometimes, and it’s soooo cute!

Dylan 7 Months

Dear Dylan,

On May 2, you turned 7 months old. 7 months seems so old to me, like not a tiny baby anymore. Ugh!

You are still the most delightful baby. You are awesome!  You NEVER cry (other than for like a few seconds when you need something).  We can take you anywhere and you are just as happy as can be.  We can breeze right through a nap and you still don’t get too cranky on us!

You took your first plane ride this past month!  You were GREAT on the plane!  I was a little nervous to fly with you and your sister by myself, but you were both so good!  You slept a lot on the plane and were pretty content just looking around at the people.

So, our plane ride took us to Atlanta to Nana’s house! You got to meet all your family!  You met Nanny and Poppy, Uncle Jake (and Melanie, even though she’s not “officially” family, Aunt Monica and Will, Aunt Micki, Uncle Waylon, and Luke and Trace, and Aunt Angie and Jessica!  You were a little concerned at first…you get a little weary in big groups, and honey, your family is a big group, and we’re crazy!  It didn’t take long though.  You were pretty please being passed around from person to person and hanging out.  You, of course, adored all your family, but your Poppy especially!  I don’t know what it is about him and you kids!

               

You had your 6 month check up when we got home.  Healthy little (big) girl! Tall and thin, just like your sister!

We started on solid foods this month as well.  We started with avocado…not too sure you were thrilled with this.  Then we tried acorn squash…much better!  I mean, you eat like 3 bites, but you seemed to like squash a lot better.

You are just the sweetest little baby!  We’re all pretty sure you’re going to be our quiet introvert.  Love, love, love you Dylan Pickle!

Love,

Mommy