The Space Between

I know, I know...

2010-01-14T07:51:00.007-05:00

It's been 4 months since I've posted. Deagan is how 16 months old, had a crazy time at Christmas, and experienced his first visit to the ER due to an injury (he got 4 stitches) :-( He loves to throw a ball around and love on the doggies. He eats like crazy, even though he is only a tiny little 19 lbs! He is super sweet most of the time, except when his temper flares- then watch out. Thankfully, his big sister likes to try to make his temper flare as often as possible. Yay. :-)

Kennedy is almost 28 months, the sassiest thing ever, and constantly making us laugh and terroirizing her little brother. She loves the song Boom Boom "Dow" (as she says it) by the Black Eyed Peas and wants to listen to it over and over. And over. She is very mothery and likes to take care of Deagan, the dogs, and her zillion baby dolls. Her favorite thing to do is change their diapers. She does have quite the attitude, and enjoys pushing the limits and being defiant, but it's all part of her charm.

We did have the 3rd annual Babypalooza this year. We had the addition of Shannon and Baby Maya who was 5 weeks at the time and Jenn is OFFICIALLY part of the club since she will be welcoming Baby Girl Harasim in May.

Please enjoy some cuteness in the form of photographs. :-D

How Did This Happen???

2009-09-17T09:35:00.003-04:00

My "baby" is turning 1 today!

Deagan, how did you go from this...

To this, so quickly???

I can't believe a year has gone by already. You are such a funny, content little boy! You started walking 2 weeks ago and are so happy to be more mobile. You are a little guy, but definitely pack away the food! You usually eat all your meal and the rest of your sister's! You love to be tickled and to have someone chase you. I love watching you get so excited and proud of yourself when you accomplish something new. You have started to say ball and can wave bye-bye and give the sweetest, soberiest kisses! Its amazing to see how quickly you learn things after watching Kennedy. Unfortunately, she is not the best role model in this department :-) You are climbing on EVERYTHING. I don't think you realize what you are doing until you suddenly realize you can't get down. :-)

I love you, Deags, and can't wait to see what this next year has in store for you!

Update

2009-09-13T13:23:00.004-04:00

I know, I know, I'm a delinquent blogger! :-) Beth, here is a quick update.... If all goes as planned, I may ACTUALLY post more than once this week!! :-)

Since my last update we have been busy with work and school and errands and family and a million things.

This past weekend we went to Tuttle's Orchard in Greenfield. We all had fun but it is exhausting handling a 1 yr old and 2 yr old out and about by myself. I am strongly considering leashes once Deag is fully walking by himself...either that, or a surgery to get additional arms attached.

Just leaving the house any more is on ordeal. Apparently, Kennedy has decided that it looks like fun when I have a million things to carry as we leave the house, so she would like to do the same. She has been trying to bring her purse, her sunglasses, and her baby- with it's stroller. This weekend she decided the needed TWO strollers. Seriously? I usually try to stick them back in the house or in the trunk, because she feels she needs to be able to hold all these things while in her car seat and that just doesn't work. Since she's two, lots of screaming ensues. I have a feeling it's going to be a very difficult 18 years. :-)

Alright, that's all I have time for at the moment. I am working on a post about Deagan for his 1st birthday on Thursday (sniff, sniff).

What?

2009-07-29T20:16:00.003-04:00

You mean you don't go to the store wearing a pirate bib, an odd hot, a colander face mask/hat, and your sippy cup????

You are SO last season.

Summer Fun

2009-07-11T20:40:00.009-04:00

Here are some pictures of what we have been up to over my brief summer break...(please notice that according to the photographic evidence, "cleaning" is not one of those activities) We went to Traders Point Creamery, went swimming (during the first, and apparently only week of sunshine during my break), visited family, and experimented with new hair dos :-)

At Deagan's 9 month appointment he was 15 lbs 5 oz and 28.75 in long. For breakfast AND dinner, he gets cereal with butter and sugar in it!! It's the Paula Deen Diet...I wish my doctor would tell me, "You know, I really think you could use a little more butter in your diet."

And...it's official, please start praying daily- as of July 7th at approximately 8:30pm, I now have two mobile children under the age of two. Deagan is crawling and all over the place and already trying to pull up on things. Oh, Lord. :-)

Enjoy the pics.

He gets worn out

Traders Point

What a goober

Her new favorite game is took take the clothes out of the basket and try to put them all on

Hair before the nap...

Hair AFTER the nap...she is such a dork :-)

Take a number ladies :-)

Just call her K-$... She'll be opening for Snoop next fall :-)

A Loss For Words

2009-06-12T11:33:00.014-04:00

I know, I know- I haven't blogged in forever. There a a few reasons for this. 1) Things have been super crazy. We've had parades, holidays, weekend trips, graduations, school programs (for me), school dinners, sickness, end-of-the-school-year festivities, (I am still not done until June 19th. Ugh.) and etc., etc., etc....

2) I think "Oooh, I need to write about this" and then I forget until I have 3 more things that have happened that I need to write about and THEN I am just too overwhelmed to write about all of them, so I write about none of them...

3) T.V. Land. I will admit it. I'm addicted. I love TV. Over the past month and a half I have had countless season/series finales that I had to catch, or DVR & watch at some point. And then there were the ABC family and Lifetime Mother's Day Movie Marathons. How could I miss those, right? Now The Gilmore Girls final season is airing on ABC Family (I've seen every other episode in the past two years & am thrilled to be seeing the last season.) Tori & Dean are back Home in Hollywood, I can't tear myself away from Jon & Kate, even though I'm slightly ashamed to admit it, AND So You Think You Can Dance just got to the good part this week. With all of this good TV, it's hard to get on the Internet :-) ...

Finally, 4) I'm just not sure what to write. I'm trying to figure out what to do with my whole blog thing. It started out as just a Baby Kennedy site. I know that some people (Mimi) :-) are most interested in the pictures of the kiddos. Sometimes I want to write about non-kiddos things and just don't know if it's appropriate. I would like to have a means of expressing myself and putting my thoughts out there, even if it's just for 6 other people to read...I might be up to 8 now, I'm not sure (but 4 of those are my family members). Plus, I have so many FABULOUS blogs that I read, when I start to post something, I feel that it pales in comparison. Like Lindsay, or Katie or this Lindsey or Big Mama or MckMama or...the zillion others I secretly stalk :-) Some are funny, some provided the latest dish, some make me cry, some make me think...most of them do all of the above. Anyway, I guess I'm just trying to figure out my niche in the blog world for myself... Please bear with me while I go on this journey of self-discovery :-)

Alright, here are some pics from the past 1.5 months. They include the 500 Parade, a new baby cousin, some pool time, JCP Portraits, park/playground visits, and just random things...enjoy. (Deagan's 9 month appoint is the 22nd so I will update his stats then.)

No Words, Just Pics

2009-05-11T14:58:00.006-04:00

Ok, some words...It is impossible to get an 18 month old and a 7.5 month old to cooperate at the same time for a picture :-)

Birthdays and Oreos

2009-05-07T11:40:00.009-04:00

Kennedy had her 18 month appointment this week- & her last two shots until Kindergarten!! Yay!!! She was 20 lbs 4 oz and 33 inches long- tall and skinny. She was great on everything. Dr. HB did refer me to First Steps to help with her lack of talking. She's had her evaluation and is eligible for services. They think it is a combination of needing speech therapy and some OT to help with her oral and facial muscles. This will possibly help with her eating as well!

Deagan weighed in at 14 lbs 7 oz!!! Wahoo! Still not up to the 5th percentile, but he's gaining!

The kids' cousins 6th birthday was a week or so ago. It was at an acrade/putt-putt place. That's super fun with a 7 month old and 18 month old, let me tell you. :-) Actually, K enjoyed herself for the most part, but she was super tired at the end and got cranky.

Look can sit up like a big boy!!

Do you think she can have a lucrative career as a Professional Putt-Putter?

Great, she already wants to drive.

I didn't realize that K was such a big fan of Dance Dance Revolution

After an unfortunate incident with an Oreo

Where Did I Go Wrong?

2009-04-17T23:16:00.004-04:00

Today, I was sitting on the couch trying to get some work done while the kiddos played. Kennedy climbed up on the couch to sit, as she often does. I wasn't paying much attention at first, then I looked over to see what she was doing. She was sitting, very nicely, on the couch with her hands in her lap... and an Easter basket completely covering her head...for a good 30 seconds...until my laughter and movement to get the camera distracted her.

I didn't get a picture at the moment, but basically if you imagine this picture:

And this one:

at the same time, that's basically what it was.

Oh, and she also likes to put it on her head on knock on it and yell, "Hi!"

And then put it over Deagan's face and knock on it.

I'm so, so proud.

:-)

Easter

2009-04-13T11:17:00.002-04:00

The Adventures of Princess Sassy Pants and Smiley Boy

2009-04-09T10:21:00.007-04:00

Deagan is so happy. He smiles and laughs all the time. It is awesome! The only time he cries is when he is super hungry/tired or is having trouble pooping...or when Kennedy throws a toy at him or sits on his face. (And yes, I cannot wait until I get to tell his girlfriends about how I would write about his pooping trouble on the Internet). He has a tooth cutting through!! I can't believe he is that big already! Even with the cutting of teeth, he is still pretty happy most of the time.

He had his 6 month (and 2 week) check up on Monday. He was 13 lbs and 26 inches. The doctor is concerned because he is down to the 3rd percentile. I have to do various things to try to increase his weight and have him checked again in 3 weeks when I take K for her 18 month visit. (She is up to 20 lbs!) Frankly, I have no idea how these children are so little. I'm busting my butt at the gym trying to lose weight and then I go home and try to fatten them up! Where's the justice??? :-)

Kennedy is quite the handful lately! There is no surface she won't climb, no limit she won't push, and button she won't push (bother literal and figurative) :-) She is very much the drama queen and has taken to throwing herself onto the floor when she gets mad at me. She also has a bit of a 'tude. When she doesn't want or like something, she lets you know about it. However, she is still adorable :-)

Now, if you'll excuse me, Choo-Choo Soul is calling my name...

Just chillin'

Sometimes feeding herself has disastrous consequences

Hol-ly-wood

Someone got jealous and decided she needed to be in the pictures

She is always looking for new ways to stress me out

** I started this a week ago, and am just now able to post it. I will post about Easter soon.

Just Call Me Tippi Hendren

2009-04-09T09:35:00.004-04:00

I know, I know. Last week I had report cards, homework, and children keeping me too busy to post. This week I've been on Spring Break, but I've been frantically trying to get everything accomplished that I wanted to. I will try and get some posts in over the next week- promise!

My story is not nearly as amusing as Katie's Matilda experience, but it was very traumatic for me, just the same :-)

Many moons ago, about the time I was a sophomore in college, I came home to my mom's house one lovely spring afternoon. As I walked up to the front door, I was thinking to myself, "Yeah, maybe it's time to take down the Christmas wreath. Ya think?" As I was turning the nob to open the door- BAM! A freaking bird flew out of the freaking nest- RIGHT AT MY HEAD. I'm not really a get-up-close-and-personal-with-wildlife kinda girl, so I was screaming and carrying on like a crazy person. In all my commotion, I had left the door open as I flittered around...AND THE BIRD FLEW IN THE HOUSE!!!!

The next few minutes were kind of a blur, but consisted of me, my mom, and my sister running around the house with brooms, pool skimmers and various other objects trying to guide the freaked out bird, back outside....Ok, actually, they consisted of my mom and sister doing that while I avoid the bird at all cost and screaming, "Over there!!! He's over there!!!! Get him!!!"

Since then, the Bird Lady in Mary Poppins is my worst nightmare. If Kennedy or Deagan ever beg me to go in the awful bird exhibit at the zoo, I will promptly distract them by offering to buy them something from the over-priced gift shop. I did, in a moment of delusion, enter a similar bird exhibit at the tropical animal zoo while on my honeymoon in the Bahamas. I last about 2 seconds and screamed like a little girl. I thought my fear was restricted to smaller, robin sized birds, but when Devin offered me up a a participant in the Flamingo show at zoo and I had some flamingos get a little too frisky with their beaks, I realized Stephanie and birds will just never mix.

Fast forward to Sunday, March 29, 2009...Stephanie leaves in the morning to go to the gym thinking, "Hmmm, whats all this brush doing on the front porch? There must have been a lot of wind last night." She then returns home from the gym and is heading up the front door with Kennedy. Suddenly, and bird shoots out from a nest she has been building above the front door, dive bombing Stephanie and K. At the exact moment that Stephanie is screaming and figuring out where to run to escape the rabid, giant bird (that was about 2 inches long and probably more scared than the "victim"), a humongous DUCK runs/flies out the the bushes RIGHT NEXT to the front door where she was building a nest!!!!!!!!!! SERIOUSLY?? (And yes, I did write that whole paragraph in 3rd person).

So from now on, when I plan to leave the house out the front door- I open & shut the storm door a couple of times and make lots of noise to warn the wildlife so they can fly away BEFORE I get outside. Imagine the scene in The Parent Trap where the future step-mother is trying to ward off bears.

My question is this: Is there a wildlife counsel that gets together plans how to best exploit the fears and anxieties of the humans? "Okay, opossums, head down to broad ripple and check in at Matilda's hang outs. We haven't done much damage there lately. Ducks and wrens, select a representative and send them up to Fishers, we got a lady looking a little too comfortable entering and exiting her own home." I'm just saying.

This Bring Us To The Analogy Portion Of The Exam...

2009-03-29T15:35:00.002-04:00

Matilda : Katie :: _______ : Stephanie

Kennedy just woke up from her nap but I will provide you with the story, and why I now have a problem, very soon.

Hint: It has to do with an "incident" about 9 years ago involving a Christmas wreath up WAY too long.

Does Anyone Have A Poncho?

2009-03-29T10:44:00.003-04:00

**Update- we have been puke free for 4 hours. He's taken a bottle, not thrown up and is actually sleeping! Yay!

Deagan is sick. Not sure what is wrong with him. He has no fever. No runny nose. But he coughs. And projectile vomits. Everything. Everywhere. Not spit up. I'm not even sure if it is considered vomit, because I think it pretty much goes into his stomach and then comes right back up. All over him. His clothes. His carseat. His mama. It started Thursday, but only happened when he had formula. Pedialyte was safe. And he was still in his normal happy mood. Friday was better, he only got sick twice, and he kept down some formula before bed so that he wasn't so hungry and could go to sleep. Saturday morning he had some bananas and pedialyte and he was good. Around 2:00 he has some formula. He spit up a little around 3:00, then I put him his car seat so we could leave Jenn's house, and up EVERYTHING came. I think maybe the bananas and pedialyte were mixed in there. For the rest of the night everything came back up. He kept 2 oz down before bedtime. This morning we did bananas and pedialyte again and he was fine. I just gave him some pedialyte and he puked it back up. He is super fussy, I assuming he also gets hungry, and doesn't want to sleep. I feel so bad for him. I know something is wrong because even when he had RSV with a double ear infection, he was still happy all the time. However, since he is still pee-ing and has tears, he is not dehydrated so there is nothing doctors can do, very similar when K had several vomit episodes a month or so ago. Yuck.

Stellan

2009-03-25T20:28:00.003-04:00

When I was pregnant with Deagan I began following MckMama and the story of her son, Stellan. He was quite the miracle baby and I have enjoyed reading her blog. (She has a daughter about Kennedy'a age and Stellan is about Deagan's age AND she has two older boys approximately 2 yrs and 3 yrs!!!!) This past weekend Stellan was admitted to the hospital for a very serious heart problems, and he is still there today. I cannot imagine what she is going through. It makes me think about how blessed I am to have two healthy children.

When MckMama was pregnant with Stellan and told that he would not survive, her blog readers started a "Name Gallery" for him. Knowing Norrah has revived the gallery was people pray for baby Stellan.

I was moved to create my own image for the gallery. (The nerdy teacher in me comes out in the fact that I used letters from the cover of children's books.)

It's amazing how emotionally connected you can get to people you have never even met just by reading a blog...or how the blog of someone you do know adds another layer to your friendship. Some people think blogging (or blog stalking) is a silly thing to do, but when I see how many people are touched by the lives of Stellan and Audrey -or inspired and entertained by the thoughts and words of so many amazing women- I realize that the people who haven't jumped on the bloggin' bus are seriously missing out! :-)

Please Pray...

2009-03-23T21:29:00.000-04:00

for baby Stellan

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Fun In The Sun

2009-03-23T11:39:00.008-04:00

I took the kids to the park with a friend of mine on Sunday. It was a b-e-a-u-tilful day!!! It was so much fun playing with Kennedy on the playground! She seems like such a big girl now because she was climbing and sliding on everything almost completely by herself!!!! She LOVES sliding and would have just kept climbing up and sliding down in the same circle for an hour if she could. She also enjoyed swinging, but we didn't get to do that as much because big kids kept invading the infant swings. Deagan enjoyed the fresh air from his stroller. :-) I don't know what I'm going to do next year when they are both climbing and running all over the place!!

After the fun at the park and stopping for some ice cream, we were all exhausted and dirty! Hopefully, we will have some more beuatiful weekends like this so we can continue to play outside.

Keep Up With The Kardashians Kennedy

2009-03-20T10:29:00.004-04:00

Kennedy has become even more entertaining lately! She loves making you laugh, so when she does something that you think is funny, she will do it over and over. She also likes to make herself laugh, so she will do things like bang on the TV or touch the computer, knowing that I will get up to "redirect" her and she can run away laughing and squealing.*** She's something else, but she does crack me up. She's getting so big. She goes up and down the slide we got her for Christmas all by herself. She walks in with me to places holding my hand (or me holding her hood as she tries to run ahead or shake my hand loose) instead of having to carry her. She's quite the dare devil- standing on the slide, climbing all over her high chair, trying to stand on all her riding toys. It about gives me a heart attack, but she loves it.

She wanted to take her doll when we went on a walk the other day.

How do kids know how to do this at such an early age? I certainly didn't show her!

"What? You mean Mamaw didn't bring all these clothes for me???"

***I have been researching "age-appropriate discipline" for Miss Thang. So far, everything is telling me to just eliminate everything that she's not supposed to mess with. Yeah, not possible: We are renting, so no child locks on cabinets. We aren't going to by a new TV. I can't bubble wrap Deagan. Also, that's so not how life works. She's already demonstrating that she is going to be quite the tester of limits. Any suggestions??

6 Months Old

2009-03-18T11:33:00.008-04:00

It was so hard to believe that Deagan was 6 months old on Tuesday! I think time is flying by even faster than it did with Kennedy. It is amazing to watch him grow and change and become more of a little boy and less of a baby each day.

Deagan, at 6 months old (March 17, 2009) you are...
- SO happy and smiley all the time...and stinkin' cute
- Thinking mommy is hilarious most of the time!
- Rolling over, both ways
- Eating cereal and green & orange veggies (you are very serious about this food business)
- a little leery of your big sis. She will love on you one minute and then throw a toy at you the next
- the only one that Kennedy gives kisses to all the time. Mommy is enjoying it now because I'm sure that there will be more tattling than love in the near future.
- making noises all of the time. You "talk" and laugh and grunt a lot.
- still able to wear Carter's 0-3 months two piece outfits! You are in 6-9 month sleepers because you are long, but you are skinny like your sis.
- really wanting to sit up and be "in the know." You probably feel like you are missing out on a lot, lying on the floor :-)
- so incredibly loved by so many people

Yes, it's one of K's bibs, but it's all we've got right now

We are working on Toddler CPR

"Please. Help. Me."

No creative post title ideas

2009-03-09T11:38:00.004-04:00

Everyone is on the road to recovery in our house.

Deagan stopped getting breathing treatments last week and seems to feel much better. He still has the ear infection, but the Dr. said it is improving with the antibiotics.

Kennedy still has a runny nose, but I’m beginning to think it’s just going to stay runny until July.

Deagan has started eating cereal and baby food. It makes me sad that he is growing up so fast!! He will be 6 months old in a week! There is a new song by Darius Rucker (you may know him as Hootie) called, “It Won’t Be Like This For Long.” Whenever I hear it, it makes me tear up a little bit. Watching kids grow up is very bittersweet. It is amazing to watch them grow and change and discover new things, but it is sad that is seems to happen so fast.

I am really enjoying watching Kennedy’s personality develop. She is hilarious most of the time and really enjoys making people laugh. She likes to play in the kitchen cabinets and last night she pulled at mesh strainer about the size of…well, her head. She was walking around with her face shoved in the strainer, sticking her tongue out, and squealing. I tried to take a picture but I was laughing too hard. She has also become quite the little dare devil, constantly trying to climbing things and do tricks.

Deagan makes me laugh because he is always so happy- except when he is hungry or K is dropping toys on him. He smiles and laughs all of the time. I love it!

Here are a bunch of pictures from the last week or so. We were in Southern Indiana on Saturday for a baby shower and being outside in the beautiful weather inspired me to take some Heartgonewalking-esque shots :-)

What? You don't like my decorating ideas?

Top Ten Tuesday

2009-03-03T13:14:00.004-05:00

I thought this would be kind of fun....

Top Ten (Modern) TV Moments

I’m kind of a TV-aholic. I thought I would pick a few of my favorite TV moments and list them here. It’s more a “Ten of My Favorites” list, but I’m not good at ranking these kinds of things because I will always think of something later that I forgot, and I could never pick a proper order.

10. Colts winning the Super Bowl!!!!!

9. Dawson’s Creek Series Finale

As an avid Creeker, I was so sad when it ended. I had many great memories of hanging out and watching it each week during college. I was so glad Joey ended up with Pacey! Joey with Pacey, Bella with Edward…all is right with the world. :-)

8. Three words for you: “DONNA MARTIN GRADUATES!"

7. I love this scene from The Cosby Show. I can’t get it to post on the blog, but here is the URL. Rudy was so cute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSvGdfOfLFw

6. “There’s no time, there’s never any time!” I quote this episode a lot. Pivotal, hard-hitting issues on Saturday Morning TV :-)

5. Yes, Saved by the Bell is on here twice. It may seem sad, but I love Zach Morris :-)

4. I think most Will & Grace episodes are my favorite. I love that show :-)

3. Justin Timberlake on SNL- Single Ladies- We’re the Dahncers, Omeletville, etc. Hilarious!

2. Friends- So many good Friends moments that make me laugh.

1. This was very amusing, & combined with Ben Stiller’s Oscar skit, it was hilarious.

Again, not necessarily a proper ranking, but a nice least of some of my entertaining TV moments. Head on over to Oh Amanda to check out more Top Ten Tuesdays!

I will do a kid post when I have my photos downloaded...

R.S.V

2009-02-27T08:30:00.002-05:00

Deagan has R.S.V. Yuck. The poor little guy is coughing and wheezing like crazy. We had to give him breathing treatments every 3-4 hours last night and I have to take hims back this afternoon to have him checked again. I swear, these poor kids have been continuously sick for the past 4 months!

Miss Chitlin' Strut 2011?

2009-02-24T13:34:00.018-05:00

Do you think in a year or so, we could go from this:

To this?

"On any given weekend, on stages across the country, little girls and boys parade around wearing makeup, false eyelashes, spray tans and fake hair to be judged on their beauty, personality and costumes. Toddlers and Tiaras follows families on their quest for sparkly crowns, big titles, and lots of cash.

The preparation is intense as it gets down to the final week before the pageant. From hair and nail appointments, to finishing touches on gowns and suits, to numerous coaching sessions or rehearsals, each child preps for their performance. But once at the pageant, it's all up to the judges and drama ensues when every parent wants to prove that their child is beautiful."

Toddlers & Tiaras, Tuesday nights on TLC (Contact your local cable carrier for time and listing information) :-)

Yes, my friends, I have witnessed the finest in youth pageant hysteria on this reality T.V. show. It walks a thin line between disturbing and hilarious.

Disturbing: A 10 year old girl gets spray tanned, eyebrows done, and teeth whitened for the Miss Chitlin' Strut pageant. (There is also a Miss Collard Queen, in case you were wondering.)...The mothers (and a "father" or two) living vicariously through their children at a frightening intensity...

Hilarious:

He was also quoted as saying, "If you want to change a tire, go talk to my wife. If you want to bead a gown or win Miss Universe, come talk to me." Hmmm. Interesting.

Toddlers & Tiaras: David Perez
Uploaded by TheDlisted

BTW, I did score a 90% on the TLC pageant quiz :-)

In other news...Kennedy & Deagan went to their friend Avery's 2nd birthday party this weekend. Kennedy had lots of fun...and Deagan just start there and smiled :-)

And then we all got sick. Again. Yay.

But here are cute pictures of Deagan when he was not sick. :-)

Viva Las Vegas

2009-02-24T08:54:00.012-05:00

I know, I know, it’s been forever since I’ve posted. I’ve started to write some posts in word documents so I could copy/paste them with the pictures when I have time, but I never seem to have the time! Two weekends ago Devin and I went to Vegas for a short, cheap getaway. It was actually a pretty nice time. The weather was just a little warmer than here, but being sunny and 50 felt like a heat wave to us. We some exciting moments because we saw the director Kevin Smith in the Cincinnati airport, we got to meet Wayne Brady, and I saw one of the Real Housewives of Atlanta with her football player husband in the Las Vegas airport on the way home! It was cool because the hotel was a freaking deal but was super nice. I felt very cool in the hotel room….and then I would walk out and see all the glamorous, and remember who I really was :-) (And now I have the Fergie song in my head…g-l-a-m…)

Deagan is just as cute as can be! He smiles & laughs all the time and it is adorable!!! He doesn’t nap too well during the day, but she sleeps pretty well at night so that is awesome. He is very close to rolling over from his back to his tummy. He pushes himself around with his legs a lot. He has rolled from his tummy to his back twice, but the rest of the time he gets one arm stuck underneath him.

I can’t believe he is 5 months old already!!! He still looks so little to me, and I can’t believe how quickly the past months have flown by. He has started eating rice cereal- and I use the term “eating” very loosely. For such a little guy he can really chug back the milk, so I figured he would be excited to get something more feeling. I don’t think he realizes what it is yet!

Kennedy is becoming a bigger goober by the minute! She’s a little stinker and likes to test the limits by doing things she knows she is not supposed to and then laugh about it. She has also found a new fun hobby of putting her butt in Deagan’s face when he is playing on the floor, farting, and then giggling about it. Ahhh, she is such a lady. J She has also started screaming/squealing when she doesn’t get something she wants. Do the terrible two’s start at 16 months?

I am excited because she has started doing the signs for “eat” and “more”. Her verbal skills seem a little behind, so I’m excited that she is communicating in other ways.

I don't think Kennedy is happy with Deagan using "her" toys...well, she kinda thinks any toy is her toy. Anyway, when he is "playing" with (i.e.- lying underneath) something she thinks is hers, she has to use it with him or try to move him out of the way. I think Deagan is over it.

Kennedy has been really into her toes lately. It's funny. She only takes off one sock, though. She will take off one, mess with her foot, and then continue playing with just one sock on. She's a crazy girl.

We have a gate up. She hates it. I take pictures of her and her misery. :-)

I had to take them to have their weight checked last weekend. Kennedy rang in at a hefty 18 lbs 10 oz which is awesome because she was down in 18 when she was sick. Deagan was up to 12 lbs 5 oz which is excellent since he is over 5 months old and 3-6 month clothes, allegedly, start at 12/12.5 lbs.

Grossed out Blessed

2009-02-06T12:01:00.007-05:00

I have been puked on and pooped on more times this week that I really feel is acceptable. Kennedy was super sick on Tuesday and we spent several hours in the ER, just so they could tell me that they really couldn't do anything and I just needed to watch her for dehydration. (While we were at the ER Degan puked on me- and I mean projectile puking, not just a little spit up- twice and then did it again Tuesday night, all over my pants. It was awesome.) The vomiting finally stopped, and then she had diarrhea. Now she's started vomiting again. And so has Devin. And so has his mom. And so has my mom. I have not. Yet- if God lets me clean up all this puke and poop AND lets me get sick and have to clean up my own, I will be very sad with him. ;-) I am leaving work a little early this afternoon to take K to the doctor. I believe this will be my 4th or 5th visit to her in about 1.5 months. Mimi was awesome enough to help out by taking Deagan for a few hours this afternoon since both K & Devin are sick....but I have the car seat base in my car at work and our extra one is in Devin's mom's car!!! Will the madness never cease?!?!?!?!

With all the pooping and puking going on at home and work being AWFUL, Wednesday night I thought I would indulge in a glass of wine. Red wine. (Yes, you know where this is going) I needed it. No, I just wanted it. Well, guess what. It spilled. On the carpet. Wine. Red wine. I was super excited about that.

However, with all of the stinky stuff that has been going on this week, I still realize that I am extremely blessed. Even though they are sick now, it is a sickness that will pass soon. There are many parents who have children with horrible diseases that haunt them everyday. There are parents who have lost children or who will lose their children in the near future. As I read the blogs about children and families who are suffering, watch the news footage about the elementary child killed by the bus, and listen to the Riley Radio-athon, I do realize that I am very lucky....but I still complain sometimes. (I never said I was perfect.) :-)

My Blog Stalking Has Risen to a Whole New Level

2009-02-03T09:18:00.004-05:00

I have been in the middle of the night for several nights now. This has unlocked a whole new world of blog stalking! It's amazing how just clicking on a few links can introduce you to millions of new people! Some are hilarious, some are thought provoking, some are heartbreaking. Being a relatively new mother, who is already emotionally unstable AND up late at night, is not a good thing when you are reading about tragic losses and struggles. It makes more aware of how blessed a really am. Even when it seems like everything sucks, I have two ~~snotty-nosed~~ beautiful children who I love more than anything in the world. If you feel the need for a good cry, or would like to send some prayers up, feel free to check out the following:

Heartbreaking story of Cynthia and her little boy Aiden, who was taken before she got to know him.

This tragic story of a beautiful life cut short by cancer. I will be participating in the virtual wagon parade this weekend. You can learn more by clicking on the button below.

And then when you need to laugh, you can check out:

Big Momma- she cracks me up! I know I would want her to be my friend if I knew her in real life.

MckMama is pretty funny as well, plus her kids are adorable. I'm still trying to figure out how she gets Small Fry to let her put her hair up.

I also had an experience last night that made me giggle with delight when I was in a pretty yucky mood. If aliens landed and said "Take me to your mothership!" they would be directed to this sight. Hello, it's like they created the site just for me! I really think I need to look for a local chapter of B.A. (bloggers anonymous) to help me with my B.V.D. Time really does fly when you are blog stalking in the middle of the night.

Alright, back to makin' copies.

Not Me Monday

2009-02-02T09:54:00.004-05:00

Two posts in a day! Sweet.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I do NOT have a child who freaks out when I try to change her diaper by yelling and screaming and trying to flip away from me (think about pulling a fish out of the water and trying to hold on to it.) And I definitely did NOT let her play with a dog bone this weekend while I changed her diaper because it was the only thing that would make her stay still long enough.

I did NOT become super proud of myself because I figured out how to "edit HTML" and turn my previously two column blog into a three column blog. I'm NOT nerd like that.

I did NOT consume my entire daily calorie limit in one meal of pizza hut pizza this weekend and proceed to still eat the rest of the day.

I definitely did NOT pretend like I was on So You Think You Can Dance while I was at my hip hop/workout class on Sunday.

I did NOT put Kenna's hair into a faux hawk last night after her bath because it was funny and I needed to amuse myself, and then forget to fix it before bed, so I did NOT find her hair looking like the infamous scene from Something About Mary.

I did NOT get very disappointed the The Boss didn't sing Born in the U.S.A last night because I did NOT want to relive my toddler days of running around, throwing my fist in the air and shouting, "Boooorrrn in the U.S.A.!"

I did NOT laugh so hard last night at The Office, ("The fire is shooting at us!!!") that I woke Deagan up.

Finally, I did NOT let Kennedy play with the CD-ROM drive on the computer yesterday, opening and closing it over and over and over, so that I could finish my paper that was due (because I definitely would NOT wait til the last minute to finish the paper.)

Bad Day for Heart Gone Walking??

2009-02-02T09:20:00.002-05:00

**Warning to Katie @ Heart Gone Walking.... this image in this post might be disturbing.**

As I clicked on a link about Punxsutawney Phil to hear his "verdict" on the season, I saw this picture

and my heart went out to Katie M. She has had some unfortunate incidents with rodent-like animals. And while they are hilarious to read about (you can do so here and here and here...and kinda here too) I have to admit that I pause for a moment each time I get in my oven. :-) Anyway, as I was thinking about Groundhogs Day and looking at this picture that I found distrubing, I thought it must be Katie's least favorite day of the year. Seriously. A National Holiday honoring an immortal rodent (he is immortal because he sips the "elixr of life" at the summer ground hog pinic. The magical elixr adds another seven years of his life.) who speaks with the Groundhog Club President, in "Groundhogese" no less, to give his seasonal predicitions. I just don't think that sounds like her cup of tea. Especially since the internet and news stations are cluttered with images like the one above, which probably give her horrible flashbacks to the Matilda incident! So, today, Katie M., my thoughts and prayers go out to you as you get through this difficult day, especially since this is coming after your first trip away from your darling daughter.

**I do not actually posses a vast knowledge of Groundhog's Day trivia. My reference source was The Offical Site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. It was quite informative, but I question their date since they claim to have a 120 year old groundhog, who speaks Groundhogese & has a 100% success rate. **

If Kennedy were a Sumo Wrestler...

2009-01-29T12:59:00.004-05:00

She might look like this

Yup, I spent 15 minutes bundling K up so we could go outside for 2 minutes :-) She was miserable, and I laughed so hard at her I almost peed my pants. I don't think I'll be winning Mom of the Year. ;-)

I'm not sure what she is doing with the fork and my cell phone, but she's concentrating very hard.

How cute is he when he sleeps??

Extreme Makeover: Blog Addition

2009-01-27T13:13:00.002-05:00

I need a blog makeover. I'm trying to finding a title that is clever and meaningful (I might steal Katie's strategy and pull from a favorite quote.) I also would like to have a cute blog. The problem is, I don't know how to do this!!! It would be more financially sound to do it myself, but I do not have the knowledge. Maybe I could write to Ty and he and his team could show up at my place to help me out. Ya think it would work? Even if they don't fix my blog, he would be some nice eye candy :-)

*** I do realize that I don't really need to make over a blog that, literally has less than 7 readers, but it's kinda like having matching underwear- nobody sees it, but it makes you feel good. (BTW, I don't think I've actually had matching undergarments since I was like 3 yrs old and refused to wear undies that didn't match my dress.)

On the baby front...no pics because I keep forgetting to download new ones. At the doctor's appointments both babies were way under weight!!! Neither one of them is on the growth chart! How did two totally NOT small people create such little babies? She said she can come to terms with Kennedy just being small as long as she continues to grow. She is more concerned about Deagan. I have to take him in this week to be weighed and Kenna in 2 more weeks.

K was 31 inches tall and 18 lbs 2 oz
D was 24.75 inches long and 11 lbs 4 oz

Additionally, K doesn't want me to work out apparently because she has now started SCREAMING whenever I leave her at the Kids Club at the gym. I feel awful and if I try to leave her to see if she calms down, they come and get me after 10 minutes. She has become very clingy and is into the separation anxiety thing. It's nice to know that she loves me, but it's frustrating feeling like a Koala with my baby around my neck all the time :-)

4 months old!

2009-01-18T21:14:00.007-05:00

Saturday was Deagan's 4 month birthday! I can't believe he is 4 months already!! Bright and early Monday morning I have doctors appointments for both kiddos, so I will up date all the vital stats at that time. Thought I would post some 4 months pics of the cutie-pie :-)

P.S.- If you haven't check this blog in awhile, you might go into shock that I have done three posts this weekend!!!!

Here is Kennedy at 4 months old. I thought about putting D is the same outfit, just to compare, ya know? But I figured Devin & my dad wouldn't find it too funny :-)

Kennedy is sick & tired in this pic, hence the odd look of her eyes. I had fun doing her hair so that she looked like a citizen of Whoville. Also, please note the cream leg attire...yes these are the same Babylegs sorted in these pics and these. My how she has grown!

Finally, these are two videos of the kiddos trying to bust a move (Deagan has the help of Aunt Megan).

Previously, on Steph's Blog

2009-01-17T06:23:00.009-05:00

It's 6:30 am on a Saturday and I am awake because Deagen and Kennedy have been up most of the night. Yuck. I was very pleased with myself because Degan was sleeping much better than Kennedy. In fact, for about a week before I went back to work, he was sleeping in his basinette, from 8:30pm to 8:00am!! It was glorious! Then. Last Sunday night happen. Yes, the night before I went back to work after break. Did he go to bed nice and sweetly, soothing himself to sleep between 8:30 & 9? Nope. Did he stay awake for 12 whole hours? Nope. Did he fuss and not go to sleep until almost midnight and then wake up several more times, including wanting to eat at 4:30, exactly 45 minutes before I had to get up? Oh yeah. AND he hasn't gone to sleep well or slept soundly since then! Right now he has a cold, AGAIN, so I think that is part of the problem. We are back to sleeping in the bouncy seat, but still wake up alot.

Then this week I get a call at work from Devin's mom , as I'm taking my kids to dismissal, tellin me that K has a fever of 103!! After ~~hounding~~ patiently contacting our fabulous pediatrician I learned that she has a double ear infection and probable strep throat! How is it that my sweet little girl who went her entire 1st year without any MAJOR problems, has had an ear infection, a throat virus, and now this, all in the past 2 months?? Poor thing. Needless to say, her poor sleeping has been even worse this week.

Alright, on to cute pictures of babies...Oooh, but first I have to share pride in my cooking from this week. I have been working very hard to cook more and have healthier food in the past few weeks. I found this site through Katie and made this awesome Chicken Lasagna this week. Obviously, the original recipe wouldn't be considered healthy, but I made several changes to lower the fat and calories, and it was AWESOME!

Kay, back to the kiddos...facebookers, you will recognize some of these pix, but I have three other readers who haven't so they are for their benefit...plus I will (hopefully) post some videos too!

When I need to entertain myself during bathtime...

Deagan's thinking, "You're letting this girl hold me? What kind of parenting skills do you have?"

Seriously?

K thought Maggie looked thirsty

This is what happens when K's in the kitchen while I;m trying to cook.

Here is a video of Deagan for Mimi :-)

Kennedy was just making noise at first, but at the very end she is trying to...um, take care of business.

The neighbors probably thing I am holding her hostage since she often stands at the door and yells at the world outside.

Long Over Due

2009-01-16T12:28:00.020-05:00

Ok, I just spent over and hour creating a post and then blogger deleted it while I was trying to post. I will try to start over when I stop being angry.

******************************************

I'm not done being angry, (this is actually the 3rd time I've tried to post) but I will try again. I do feel sad for my 5 readers, because frankly my first post was ~~mildy funny~~ wildly enertaining and I just don't think this one will live up to the original.

I have also added some more links over to the left. If you are ever bored, I would encourage you to check them out. It's amazing how many awesome people I have discovered with my B.V.D (Blog Voyeurism Disease)! However, it is mildly disturbing that I actually only know 2 people on the list, and sort of know another one. (Katie, does meeting at a Ladies brunch, and then communicating thru Beth and blog comments count as knowing or sort of knowing? :-) However, I like to pretend I know everybody and can maybe have Mexican food with them one day. :-) (Watch the clip)

Alright, in the original post, I also provided many lame excuse for taking 1 month and 3 (almost 4) days to post again, including but not limited to my sickness, baby sickness, holidays, work, grad classes and more babysickness. I apologize for the delay. I have lots of thing to post about, but might have to break it into smaller post throughout the weekend just in case blogger tries to be a playa hata and make me ~~yell, scream and throw things~~ calmly walk away from the computer again.

I took K to the Children's Museum with my friend Holly and her two boys. I had so much fun with Kennedy! I can't wait to do it again!

The holidays were super busy but Kenna was fun because she was more exciting then last year, when she was basically just a 2 month old lump. :-) She loved the wrapping paper and boxes and decided that all of Deagan's toys were also her toys. Deagan got to be the lump this year. :-)

Tryin' out the new Elmo Slippers

What is that face??

This is Kennedy busting a move with us as I challenged her 10 year old cousin to a cheer off. Wii Cheer rocks! :-)

This is what are living room looked like after Christmas! I have since packed up some toys and re-arranged to save my sanity.

We had our 2nd Annual December Baby Party. It was fun because last year all of the babies except for Avery were basically...well, adorable little lumps! This year they all intereacted except for Deagan.

Mason

Sebastian

Jack

Avery

The crew '08

The Crew '07

I rarely post pictures of myself on here, but I will post a picture from New Year's Eve in hopes that it will motivate me to continue to eat better and work out to rid the 47 years of baby weight that has acrued. :-) I had fun seeing my friends that night. I haven't had a New Year's Eve with them like that since..2002/2003 I think. Of course I missed Katie up in Ft. Fun and Jenn who was stationed in Hives-ville. ;-)

I have more but will save it for later!

To be continued...

ANOTHER post!!

2008-12-13T00:02:00.005-05:00

First- a shout out to my law school peeps: I miss you guys SO much and was very happy to see some of you tonight...even if it makes me sad because I think about how much I miss being with you and going to school.

I'm posting some random December pics. I took Kennedy to Disney on Ice on Wednesday. She did awesome and really seemed to enjoy it. I hope that I can remember to take time to do things with each child individually as they grow up. If Jon and Kate can do it with 8, surely we can figure it out with 2! I didn't really get any good pics of her at Disney, so you will just have to make due with what I do have. :-)

Ah. She discovered the Christmas Tree.

K rockin' her adorable outfit from Lindsay, Mavis, Mark, and Jenn!

Um, Sebastian...please explain why you have two blocks and I have none.

Did you guys know there were cans in this box???

Aunt Meggie got her a Tinker Bell Tea Set for Christmas!

Thanksgiving...better late than never!

2008-12-12T09:38:00.006-05:00

Super busy Thanksgiving, but lots of fun. Breakfast with my dad's crew, lunch with my mom, dinner with Devin's peeps. (Lots of meals that were not helpful in the baby-weight-loss plan!)

Of course, I forgot the camera for breakfast (I promise I will get picture's at Christmas!!) :-)

First Thanksgiving!! (Yes I torture my children...maybe by the time they are in high school I will stop making them dress for each holiday)

Oooh...she is sick and drowsy...I should be able to get the phone unnoticed...

Jazz Hands!!

Don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got- she's still Kenna from the block

Snuggled up and ready for drive

Look at that face!

Loving on Tobias Thurmador Goodman

Word to ya motha

I'm thinkin' about sending her to work at Connor Prairie next year...it's expensive keeping a toddler lookin' good! :-)

Devin's cousin got her a giant Elmo for Christmas!

Look at that tush!

What? Doesn't everyone carry their blocks like this?

Random Acts of Cuteness...and a Christmas Tree

2008-12-08T09:28:00.009-05:00

Too many posts and not enough time! I am having trouble keeping up on my blogging because I am feeling very overwhelmed! The kids have been sick, I'm super busy, the house is a mess, and very little sleep is being had!:-)

I did think of a new proverb that I will share. Are you familiar with the saying, "You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose?" (Classy, I know.) Well, "You can't pick your children, but you can pick their nose." :-) Young children with little noses and lots of snot and boogers (or boogars, Beth) ;-D results in more nose cleanings that I would like.

Here are lost of November Random Acts of Cuteness Pics (along with one Christmas tree that I am very proud of.) I will try to post Thanksgiving weekend pics ASAP and then update some December stuff. Have a good week!

"Kennedy...be gentle..."

Geez! I'm just touching his seat!

What!!!?? I'm just touching his arm!!!

Hey! Lady! She's smooshing me!!!

She's trying a new look.

See, I can help... by shoving the pacifier in his face :-)

OMG! See if I help YOU anymore!

Not Me Monday

2008-11-24T08:25:00.003-05:00

During my blog "viewing" I found this and could really related. So….

Not Me Monday

I did NOT accidently let my daughter eat a piece of dog food before I could get her away from the bowl. (Nursing and chasing a 13 month old is rough.)

I did NOT see an older man I know walking down the stairs and think, “Wow, he’s not getting around too well,” only to realize 30 seconds later that I was going down the stairs the same way.

I did NOT walk into the kitchen, after putting K to bed the other night, to see the giant mess I really needed to clean up, start crying, and walk out.

I did NOT file a fake “Appearance” for a student to appeal a “judgement” in a frivolous lawsuit in Classroom Court. J

I did NOT run to Target in old, navy blue sweat pants and a black sweat shirt because we were out of milk and I was too tired to change out of my pajamas. And while at Target I did NOT wipe Kennedy’s nose with my sleeve because I didn’t have a Kleenex and I would NOT rather have it on my sleeve than have her eat her snot. AND while at Target, in mis-matched, snotty sleaved jammas I definitely did NOT see a guy I used to work with and his son! (It was Seth, Beth!)

Lame

2008-11-20T14:36:00.001-05:00

As I have been exploring more and more blogs out there on the WWW, I have seen so many cool people and awesome writing!! It makes me feel kinda lame! :-)

Disney Brain

2008-11-19T20:44:00.007-05:00

So, yes, I let Kennedy watch TV. Unfortunately, I love TV so when I'm home it's usually on, even if it's just for background noise. As she gets older, and actually realizes that she is watching TV, I will limit her time- no worries. At 5pm each night, she has to watch the Gilmore Girls with me :-) however, in the mornings, I usually turn on Clubhouse Disney because I think its fairly educational and she loves all of the music. Well, I feel that I am officially a geeky mom. Today I was talking to a group of kids about Brainstorming and all of the sudden I felt the urge to sing "Brainstormin'" by the Imagination Movers. Then It was stuck in my head all day. It was very sad. I used to get cool, hip hop and pop songs stuck in my head. Now it's silly kids songs and that stupid Toyota "Saved by Zero" commercial. I couldn't find the brainstorming song but if you go to the website, there is a delightful song about what's in your fridge & shakeable you :-)

On Monday D was 2 months old! I can't believe its gone by so fast. He is growing so much every day. He started smiling yesterday- the real smile. You know, the one where people DON'T say, "Oh, he's just gasy."?

Kennedy is really walking now! It is very shakey, but she's actually covering a decent distance, not just 4 steps. It's hilarious to watch her. Sometimes, I think one leg gets stuck because she just starts pivoting in a circle!

Please ignore the mess. It was a rough day.

OMG! Why are you taking a pic of me on the carseat base?!?!?

Don't tell Devin I put him in K's bounce seat. His was downstairs and I was just too lazy to go get it.

Playing with her doll

"Dancing"

Check ups

2008-11-15T16:40:00.000-05:00

The kids had their 1 yr and 2 month check up this week. Kennedy had gained a few oz so that was good. Other than thay, they were fine. Deag is 9 lbs 9oz and 22.25 in long. Kenna is 17lbs 8 oz and 30 in long. They both had to get shots which was awful for all of us :-)

She likes to take care of her baby dolls...which includes shaking them and licking them- She did not learn that from me. :-)

Sportin' her Butler Gear. Go dawgs!

He looks like K in this pick.

How Cute!

All bundled up!

Randomness

2008-11-05T23:35:00.000-05:00

How come I can't make a living seeing this cuteness every morning???

Look at this little man! I can't believe he is seven weeks old today. It's going by too fast!

Yes, I'm a dork. In honor of election day, we all had shirts that celebrated voting. And we wore them. Mine said Laugh. Dance. Vote. I tried to get a picture of all of us but I haven't figure out how to airbrush 20 lbs off me, so it won't be posted. :-)(Plus, trying to use the self-time to get a picture of me, a 1 yr old and a 7 week old was just not a good idea.)

Kennedy doesn't always love the sippy cup, but she does like to use a straw. I got her this cup hoping it would help her not use a bottle. She looks like such a little girl now, and not my little baby!! :-( When she throws this cup down on the floor it gets milk everywhere, and I like when she cuddles with me during her nightly bottle, so we aren't ready to lose it all together. :-)

Not that you need to know this, but this is her poop face. I'm going to save it until her first date and bust it out when the boy comes to the house. :-)

Trick or Treat!

2008-10-31T23:33:00.000-04:00

I know- I don't post forever and then I do three in two days! I was up tonight and I figured I'd better put these up now or I would not find time to do it. Last Halloween K was 4 days old, so she didn't really care. This halloween, she is 1 yr and 4 days old...and she still doesn't really care :-) I basically just tortured my children for the amusement of myself and others for a few hours. Oh well. :-) Actually, I kept it pretty short because she was feeling pretty bad today and it was rough at our house. I did get some cute pics and thought I would share them before I try to sleep. Hope you all had a great night!

2007

2008

Deagan

The torturing...

"Do you think these slippers make my feet look big?"

K with her two cousins

With Aunt Megan

Skinny Minnie

2008-10-31T11:10:00.000-04:00

I had to take K to the doctor on Wednesday because she was pretty sick (I got puke on twice. It was gross.) She had some virus that is making her congested and her throat all nasty, which led to the vomit. Anyway, our awesome pediatrician wasn't so concerned about the virus, it should pass quickly- she was the most concerned about her weight. She has fallen off the growth chart!!! She weighs just over 17 lbs. (Which would explain why her pants fall off while she is playing.) She's in the 90th percentile in height and doesn't even make a percentile for weight! So, the solution? I have to put a tbsp of butter in all of her meals! I also have to put carnation instant breakfast in her milk once a day and feed her sugary cerals and high calorie snacks. Basically, everything that I'm not eating, I need to feed to her. Doesn't that sound crazy!? I think I'm going to give her heart disease and a million cavities! :-) However, I do know she is too skinny (I do feed her, btw.) so I will do whatever I need to. I wish I had this problem...

1 yr old!!!

2008-10-31T10:36:00.000-04:00

On Monday Kennedy turned 1 yr old. I can't believe a year has flown by already! She has changed so much and I have loved watching her. I miss my little baby girl, but I am excited to see her personality develop more and more.

We had her party on Sunday. She was hilarious, quite the ham! I was so thankfl that so many of our wonderful friends and family were able to join us for the occasion! Thank you to everyone who made it so special!!

It was a rough day :-)

Her One Year Pictures

10/27/2007

10/27/2008

Trying to Keep Up

2008-10-29T15:32:00.000-04:00

Haven't posted in awhile because, if I happen to get two minutes to myself I end up staring off into space trying to figure out what I forgetting to do or trying not to fall asleep. We took Kenna to the Pumpkin Patch. It was probably much more fun for me then it was for her, since I've been trying to get to the Pumpkin Patch for several years and finally had a reason to look like I was supposed to be there :-)

I'm also posting some random pics of the babies.

What a cutie! :) Right?

Ridin' the Pumpkin Train- Woo Woo :-)

She likes to play in Deagan's carseat

I have lots more stuff, but have to go feed a baby. I'll try to do some more tonight!

Busy and Sleepy

2008-10-14T00:40:00.000-04:00

These kiddos, and life in general, are wiping me out! I long for the days when showering wasn't considered a luxury :-)

Deagan has started to develop colic I believe (based on the past 4 nights) which makes me cry just thinking about it. It was hard enough when Kennedy had colic, but now when Deag is up all night, I still have to chase Kennedy around the next day! And I do mean chase, that is what I am doing with her most of the time :-)

(Speaking of chase...Lindsay, if you read this- I LOVE the new pictures of you, Curt, and Clayton!! Your family is adorable!!)

Kennedy had her first trip to Butler last week. Really, she's been several times, but this was the first time she was aware of people and things around her.

I also tried to get some pictures of her in the park down the street...she's not very cooperative for me. I don't know how these professional photographers do it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics. I try to take and include Deagan as much as I can, but basically he always looks the same, just with different clothes on :-D

Don't Shoot!

With Aunt Megan

Who's been teaching him gang signs??

This was the last of her bottle for the evening, because right after this picture, she decided to feed the dog and let her lick the nipple. Yum.

Practicing what we've learned from America's Next Top Model

More Pictures, Less Words :-)

2008-10-08T11:34:00.001-04:00

Elvis Lip :-)

Too Tired To Write

2008-10-01T11:59:00.000-04:00

I love both of my children more than I could ever imagine. But, having a 2 week old and an 11 month old is exhausting. I'm sure I will get the hang of it, about the time I have to go back to work :-( :-) Here are some pictures and a video of Kennedy doing her newest "thing" that cracks me up.

Pictures

2008-09-29T15:29:00.000-04:00

My blog stalking has benefits! Through my blog-friend Katie I found Amanda Elpers Photography. She takes amazing photographs, so I had her come do some newborn shots of Deagan. She just posted a sneak peek of the pics on her site so you can check them out. Thanks Katie and Amanda!
**I was going to include Kennedy but she wasn't feeling well, so it was better to just do Deagan. Plus we did some things like the 4D Ultrasound with her that we didn't get to with D, so I think it all evens out in the end.**

Looking Out For Us

2008-09-22T10:26:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if it was our many loved ones who have passed away, or The Big Guy Himself, but someone Upstairs was watching over us on Saturday, and I am so thankful.

(This is a long post, bear with me.)

We were discharged from the hospital on Friday night but they told us we would have to come back the next day to have Deagan's billi rubin (sp?) checked due to jaundis (sp?). We had to do this like three times with Kennedy so we knew the drill. This time they told us that we would have to wait at the hospital for the results so we would know if he was ok, needed a Billi Blanket at home, or needed to be admitted to sleep under the crazy lights for a night. Since we were going to be there awhile, Devin's sister came down to stay with Kennedy Saturday afternoon while we went to the hospital.

Once we had the test done, they told us we could go ahead and leave the the on call doctor (not our pediatrician) would call us and let us know what to do. I need a couple of things and we were trying to stay near the hospital so we did a couple of errands. After awhile we decided to head home. We were on I-69 about 3 miles from our exit and it start POURING down rain- the kind where you can't see in front of you. That is always scary for me anyway. We were in the left lane (driving surprisingly slow) and there was a semi next to us in the right one. The semi started to swerve back and forth like he was sliding and turned on his turn signal like he suddenly wanted over. We tried to slow down to avoid the swerving and we started to hydroplane. We actually started to go in the direction of the semi, but Devin is a pretty smart driver who knows all those things they told you in drivers ed that I don't remember. (Like which direction to turn your wheels when sliding, etc.) We avoided the semi but went off the road, hit the guard rail thingy, spun around several times along the guard rail and stopped with the front of our car partially in the left lane of 69. It was the by far the scariest event in my entire life. The amazing thing is that we were all completely fine physically. Deagan slept through the whole thing!!! (He can't sleep at night with me, but a serious car accident is no problem.) I think I hurt my back a little bit, but it is really just muscle strain from tighten up while it happened. The car was horribly damaged and probably totalled (which is a whole other set of issues and worries.) I was a freakin' mess afterwards. Obviously, I just had a baby 3 days ago, so I wasn't the in the most emotionally stable condition anyway. (Plus I had had a totally of 8 hrs sleep since Tuesday.) It was an incredible frightening accident, our 3 day old infant was in the back seat, our 11 month old wasn't even with us and we were completely uninjured. We were so incredibly blessed. I think the thought of what could have happened is what made me freak out as much as I did.

So Deagan and I went into the ambulence because I wanted D to get checked out just to be safe. I was finally getting myself under control when the on call doc called and said his billi rubin level was high and he was going to need to be readmitted. Naturally, I lost it again. It just seemed to be one thing after another. I had hardly seen Kenna since we put her to bed on Tuesday night so the thought of being away from her for another night made me feel awful as well.

So...we headed back to the hospital. When we were notfiying people of the accident and I think it was confusing that we were all fine, but had to go back to the hospital. It was another sleepless night in Ol' Community North (I need a punch card where you get a free night after so many visits per year.) It was hard because Deagan likes to be swaddled so he pretty much was fussy all night since he just had to lay there underneath the lights. It was really no big deal for him to have to be there, I just wanted to be at home. I found his goggles he had to wear humerous, so I took some pics.

Since it has taken me 2 days to finish this post, I have positive news :-) Last night was a pretty good night. We are nursing better, which is a plus, and he is gaining weight. I am hoping that tonight will be a decent nights rest since I am unbeliveable exhausted. I am still overwhelmed with having two children so young and close togethers, but I think they are so adorable and love them more than anything in the world. Eventually I will look back at these days longingly, right? :-)

Kennedy has actually been really good with D. She is very curious about him. She likes to hold/play with his hands and pet his head like she does the dogs. :-) This morning I has feeding him with a bottle and she kept trying to mess with it. I let her hold it to see what she would do- she tried to feed it to him! It was funny because she wanted to help me hold it. So now, when I am giving him a bottle of formula or pumped milk, I try to let her help. The only thing that is difficult is when she is in a clingy mood, she has to be sitting with me if I am holding him. Most of the time it is ok, but its hard when I'm trying to nurse. Plus, then Maggie and Annie want to join. I know I am much larger these days than I used to be, but I don't really have room for an infant, a toddler, and 2 dogs on my lap! :-)

Enjoy the random pictures of the kiddies.

Yeah, I was a little off...

2008-09-19T00:18:00.000-04:00

When I said the next three weeks, I was SO wrong! :-)

Deagan Michael James Imel

9/17/08

3:43 pm

7lbs 5oz

20 in

(It's pronounced like Keegan but with a D. It is Celtic/Irish.) Everyone is doing well so far. I am exhausted, so I will write and post more later. We will be going home sometime Friday evening. Beth-I'm sorry I didn't get with you and Connie before he came! Maybe you two could make a trip up to Fishers some time soon??? :-)

Monkey Business

2008-09-10T21:17:00.000-04:00

Baby Boy will be here with in the next 3 weeks. NOT PREPARED FOR THIS!!! :-) But I'll make it work somehow :-)

Kennedy has not been feeling well lately and I think its because she has more teeth coming. (I always say thats the reason.) I am actually very lucky because she is always exceptionally good when we are out or around people. Of course, when she starts screaming and throwing fits when its just us I think, "Why do you not like me Kenna!!??" :-)

She likes to play with measuring cups and her electronic drum sticks. She has 8 more months to be the next Shelia E. (even though I'm really pushing for her to work with Bon Jovi) and then I'm putting her in dance class and she can forget about this silly percussion thing :-)

Until recently, I had constructed a nice little containment area for Miss Thang. Since our house is "open concept" there's really not any good place to put a gate. She gets into everything and sometimes, I'm just too tired to chase after her. (Gimme a break- very large, very pregnant). Anyway, I put the ottaman (sp?) at one end and then this little chair thing at the other. It was doing an outstanding job- until Sunday.

(Don't worry, I only let her do this while I took the pictures)

I've not turned the chair around. I figure I just have a short time until she figures out how to move the chair and then I'm just screwed. :-)

Bye Bye Bye

2008-09-07T22:08:00.000-04:00

No pics cuz I don't have the camera at the moment, but I will do some more this week.

This past week K has started clapping on her own (prior to this, she would take your hands and clap them together, but not do her own) and kind of waving bye bye. The first time she did it was Saturday afternoon as we were leaving Kroger. The bagger and two cashiers were "talking" as I was checking out and as we left I said "Tell them bye-bye." Her usually response was to grin and look at me like I'm a moron. This time she waved! So, I started squealing and saying, "Yay!! You've waved bye-bye!!" and everyone else in the store looked at me like I was a moron. I got her to do it one more time at home while I pretended to go out the door. Yes, we practice these things so that she will perform on command for others. However, instead of waving, now I can only get her to clap when we are saying bye to people. I don't know if she's confused, or just excited to see the people leave.

On a side note... as I sat here this evening, surfin' the net, listening to the game and eating, it occurred to me the possible cause for me gaining so much weight and looking you could write Goodyear on my butt and float me over the city for the next racing event. I looked down and realized I had finished off an entire container of something (it's too embarrassing to say what). I had "some" last night (i.e. half) and polished it off tonight without even thinking. Then I looked at the nutrition label and saw that in two evenings, I had consumed 1400 calories, 96g of fat, and 196g of sugar. And, it was "not a significant source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C or calcium." This is in addition to anything else I had today! This could POSSIBLE be the reason that next week I have to go to the zoo and use the elephant scale before my doctors appointment. I kid, I kid!!! Anyway, just thought I would share a few embarrassing tidbits from my life. OH!!!! That reminds me of one that is worse, but it is still very fresh and was in public, so I will have to write about that one when I have decided it was funny and not just humiliating. :-)

Just Call Her Goober

2008-09-01T09:36:00.000-04:00

Not much has been happening lately. Kennedy got another tooth, so the grand total is up to 5! She has been very drool-y and running just a bit of a temp so I think another one is one its way.

I took some pictures during bath time the other day and wanted to share them. She makes these funny faces lately and I was trying to capture them on camera. She is so funny! (Unfortunately, she got my ears and does not have any hair to cover them up.)

Football Season is Approaching!

2008-08-19T19:13:00.000-04:00

**Saw the horrid picture of me that somehow ended up at the top of my blog and knew I had to update.

We went to the Lucas Oil Stadium tour on Saturday. Kennedy looked adorable and did great, but I was a mess. It was so crowded and so hot and I was so miserable.

If you were there, yes, there WAS a sign that said "Stay Off" but the Rule Following Mom was obviously not around for this picture.

Can someone PUH-LEASE get this lady to stop taking pictures?

She is getting a looking so big lately! I float between cracking up and being extremely worried abotu how much personality she has. When I tell her "No" about something, she looks at me for a second and I can see her deciding what to do. Then she usually laughs and goes back to do it again. Her latest thing is to test me when she is eating. She will blow a rasberries (i.e. spit her food all over her, her highchair and me) when I tell her no (usually pretty forcefully, since after dealing with 6th graders all day, being covered in green beans and rice doesn't make me all warm and fuzzy) she looks at me for a second and then does a teeney, tiny little one and looks like, "Yeah? What are ya gonna do about it lady?" I don't know whether to laugh or cry- I just know I'm in trouble :)

She also officially has four teeth now. It makes her look old and adds to her silly grin. I tried to get some pictures, but I decided to save that war for another day.

Try Again

2008-08-13T08:05:00.001-04:00

I've been trying since Saturday to do a new post but blogger wouldn't let me upload it. I had written a lengthly entry then, but I'm tired now and have more stuff to share, so I will be brief with word but have lots of pics.

Surprise shower on Saturday. It was great and lots of fun. Kennedy tried to eat most of the presents :-)

Fell last Monday and seriously injured my foot, but nothing else. Crutches suck a lot when 8 months pregnant & have a 9 month old. (I'm sure they suck regardless.) Off crutches and in giant black "walking" boot that makes me more moble but sucks as well.

This is the day of the incident. The smile is forced.

Kennedy got big-girl walking tennis shoes! They are super cute! They help her to balance and stand on her own, but she is not use to actually coordinating her feet to move with them very well yet.

Very interested in what Rachael Ray was making in 30 minutes

Went to the state fair. Glorious food, was in wheel chair most of the time, Kennedy tried to eat the carrots that we were supposed to feed to the goats.

She looks like a big girl :-(

The process of trying to get to the camera.

In this toy, she can see the balls through the plastic but cannot figure out how to get to them.

Just chillin'.

9 months!...and CNN here we come

2008-08-02T09:49:00.000-04:00

I can't believe Miss Thang is 9 months old! I love watching her grow and change and am amazed at how big she is getting. But, I also get sad thinking of how quickly time has passed since she was the smooshy little thing we brought home from the hospital. (I seem to long for those days a little more when I am out and about trying to do something and she is grabbing everything in sight, throwing it on the floor, and then looking at me like, "Um...you gonna pick that up now?") :-)

Her third tooth has broken thru and its a top one! Soon she will be able to chew instead of eating only dissolvable foods! :-) She still doesn't seem to be a fan of swallowing textured things, but she's going to have to learn to eat solids eventually- I will not be packing baby food in her lunch when she is 10 yrs old. :-)

She's becoming a lot more stable and balanced with standing up and even does it with out holding on for a split second. However, this means she is also become more adventurous, so the injuries will probably increase.

She got a new chair to sit on and she likes to sit in it and have her bottle or "read" (i.e. chew) a good book. Oh! She is actually letting us read some books to her now, instead of just trying to eat them. She is working on turning pages, but I think sometimes it is just a ploy to get it in her hands so she can eat it. She also likes pages with shiney and sparkley pictures- that's my girl! :-)

This is her latest adventure that she explored last week. Apparently, she has seen Annie do it and thought it looked fun. (Sorry the pictures are fuzzy.) But, it has been taken apart now so she can use the walking part of it :-( She seems to like that just as well though.

This is Kennedy just being a goober.

She's my daughter and I love her, but I think this is her redneck picture. With only two teeth, the crooked grin, her shirt that is too big and her head band that looks like a wrap for her rollers, she would be the one person they interviewed on the National news when something happens in Indiana...well, she's probably a little cuter and is more articulate. :-)

Yuck

2008-07-22T07:54:00.000-04:00

I started back to work yesterday :-( My four weeks off went by too fast. I loved spending time with Kennedy. I was hoping she would reach some milestone while I was off so I could actually see her do it for the first time instead of whoever is babysitting her, but being the little stinker she is, she is holding out. :-) She has been sick lately, but hopefully she will be good tonight and go to sleep without problems, I'll watch Tori & Dean, and all will be right with the world :-)

Baby Party III

2008-07-18T19:16:00.000-04:00

We had another baby party the first week in July. So far we have had one at the end of '07 (the year all of the babies were born), the beginning of April, and the start of July. I wish we could do it more often. :( Jack (the 2nd oldest) and Katie couldn't come down from Fort Wayne :-( but the rest of us were there. It was funny to see the kids now that they are all somewhat interacting with others. Sebastian (11 mos.) and Kennedy liked to go take the toys that other babies were playing with. I think she was practicing for when her little brother is here :-)

Showdown: Mason (7 months) & Kennedy

Look at her face!

Miss Avery (17 months)

Hmm, I think I need whatever that is

How do I get him off of this?

If I stick my finger in her mouth, she will leave me alone.

Love Triangle

Climb Every Mountain

2008-07-08T19:57:00.000-04:00

Kennedy is crawling and climbing everywhere. She "walks" whenever she finds something that is helpful enough for her. I'm sure by the pictures we do not looked very baby proofed, which is why I am spending most of my summer chasing her around and trying to get her to stay in the "safe zones." Don't worry, I watch her very closely :-)

This weekend she discovered stairs. Until now, she would not venture onto the linoleum. Yay.

She has a love of accessories. Unfortunatley, the love is eating them, not wearing them.

We've been to the zoo twice now. The first time, the weather was crappy, it was super croweded and she was pretty indifferent. This time I was able to get her out and a little closer to the exhibits, so she seemed to enjoy it more. The waters building was the best because the animals moved around and held her attention. With the sleeping animals she looked at me like, "Yah, so? The dogs can do that at home."

This is a perfect example of why I rarely have my picture taken during pregnancy. (Example 2 will come soon.) She was upset because she felt she should get the apple, but the giraffe took it.

Kennedy and Sebastian after a rough day at the zoo!

Another Pool Day

For the 4th of July we went down to see family in Southern Indiana. The weather sucked (either rainy and yucky or too hot for preggers) and her sleep schedule was totally messed up. (It wasn't that great to begin with.) You will also see Examples 2 & 3.

This is just Kenna laughing, which I think is freaking hilarious!

Video

2008-06-20T22:33:00.000-04:00

Ok, I can't figure out how to post this video, but I think it is very funny. I saw it on Ellen several months ago, but it was on again recently. It does have a 3 year olds version of a curse word, but it is funny. My favorite part is when her mom tells her it's not nice. Hope you enjoy it, sorry for the cursing. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk-1mla0LeU

Busy Busy

2008-06-20T20:11:00.000-04:00

Sorry, my dearest Beth and Katie :-) I just finished up the school year this week, so things have been pretty busy lately. Anyway, here is an update...

First, I forgot to upload these a while ago, but here are some of her 6 1/2 month pictures we had taken.

Kennedy started crawling last week! She is EVERYWHERE and already pulling up on stuff. She has an amazing ability to know where to find everything she is NOT supposed to get into :-)

We have also enjoyed some more swimming time here recently. Katie, I am quite impressed that you were able to have air "rushing" into the pool! When I tried to blow up Kennedy's, it was more of a situation where the air meandered into the thing. It took forever and I thought I was going to pass out! In case anyone is worried, we stick to the skimmpy swimsuits when there is no one else around :-) (She has 4 bathing suits!) Also, I only took her hat off to get some pictures...then she decided it need to go into the pool.

Annie wanted in with her SO bad!

This is nothing special, just a cute pic.

A future musician? Maybe. She also likes to play with her drum and the marracas. However, she mostly eats the marracas. (sp?) Oh! I am very excited because we (I) were watching So You Think You Can Dance (recorded, she's not up that late) and she got very excited during the hip hop and contemporary routines! That's my girl! :-)

Ok, I don't plan on being one of those parents that just plops their child down in front of the TV all of the time. However, I do love me some TV, so Kennedy is bound to be exposed to it. I already mentioned her enjoyment for S.Y.T.Y.C.D and she loved the commercial that has Rhianna and the lizards dancing to Thriller. I had on seasme street the other day while I was playing with her and she went nuts over Elmo. It was funny!

Two more things and then I shall go. First, Kenna's started doing this weird grunting thing. At first I thought it was funny, but then I got concerend. The Dr. told me not to worry, so I'll share it so you can think it is funny too :-)

Also, I took a picture of her yesterday in her car seat and I thought of how much she has grown in 7 1/2 months. The first pic is the day she came home from the hospital and then the one I took yesterday. :(

Next stop- MTV Beach House

2008-06-01T19:41:00.000-04:00

Kennedy got some shades and went to the pool for the first time! She did really great and seemed to enjoy it. The only problem is that now she wants to splash in the bath tub like she did in the pool, which makes for a very wet Mommy :-)

Is it me, or does she look like Elton John in the first 2 pics?

Has my agent called?

Where's my Starbucks?!?!

Trying to eat the horn

7 months old!

2008-05-29T20:17:00.000-04:00

Kennedy was 7 months old on Tuesday! I've been trying to make a scrapbook of her first year, and when I look back at when she was just born, I feel kind of sad. It is amazing watching her grow and she is so much fun right now, but I can't believe how fast time has gone and how much she has changed!

She is drinking water from a sippy cup now! Well, she sometimes tries to use it upside down and often bites on it, but she understands the process.

She can sit up really well (she can even go from lying down to sitting up on her own!) and assumes the crawling position. When she tries to go somewhere, her legs move but her arms don't, so she just falls forward.

She's eating meat now! I tried to give her some awhile ago but she totally wasn;t interested, and I could blam her because it smelled like cat food. However, we have had the turkey and rice and beef and vegetables and they both seem to be a hit. She loves most of the vegetables but really only likes the prunes, pears, and Hawaiin Delight in the fruit department.

Tonight she picked up one of the puffy foods on her own! Before this she would only look at it and then look at me, like, "OK, what are you going to do with that?" She picked some up today! At first she was having trouble using just her fingers, so she would just grab it with her fist and couldn't figure out how to get it in her mouth. She dropped one and it landed on my finger and she immediately shoved my finger into her mouth to get the puffy. And she actually chewed it a little! I know, it's really not that exciting, but when I watch her do all this new stuff I get so excited. She looks at me like I'm crazy when a cheering and clapping!

Sleeping however, has gotten worse. I think she has some teeth that are trying to come through or something because she is up all the time. It is making me exhausted and I feel bad that she is upset :-( My goal is to get her to sleep through the night before the next one comes along :-)

I know most of this isn't very exciting for people, but I enjoy seeing her progress. Plus, it's my own little online scrapbook for her.

Just Being Silly!

Making sure those dancer legs stay limber

Chillin' in her new tub

What a cheese-ball!

Mother's Day, Puffy foods, and etc

2008-05-14T19:23:00.000-04:00

Ok, seriously, horrible pictures of Mommy on her 1st Mother's Day. So, we will post a few cute ones of Miss K.

We've tried the puffy things (you know, the ones that don't dissolve) and Kennedy isn't really used to swallowing them. She's not suffering, but I still feel guilty for laughing- but she's so funny! She is sitting up pretty good right now. She rolls all over the place! She is working on scooting, but she just gets mad because she only moves backwards. Her bottom tooth broke through and should be visible, but she keeps sticking her tongue out so I can't get a good picture! Her daddy got her some musically instruments. She loves the drum...this does not make mommy happy. I will let her get this percussion business out of her system early, and then it will be off to dance class! :-)

What is this stuff??

Pulling Aunt Meggie's hair is funny!

Video

2008-05-12T21:03:00.000-04:00

I was trying to post this video, but could get it in with my other post.

Where did you get your diploma?

2008-05-08T11:32:00.000-04:00

Ok, let me first say that I love Kennedy's doctor. She is hilarious, real, great with Kennedy, and very helpful with Post-Partum depression. That said...she's crazy!!! She told me to have Kennedy start eating the puffy things that dissolve in your mouth. They don't dissolve! The package also says, "Your child can eat these if..." and lists a whole bunch of things that Kennedy doesn't do. Well, we got the sippy cups and puffy things and we will attempt them this weekend...after I call to make sure the doctor is aware of what she told me to do :-)

Teeth and Sitting! (Kind of)

2008-05-06T20:11:00.000-04:00

The first tooth is bustin' through! It's a bottom one, and you can't see it very well, but you can definitely feel it when she bites down. When it is more visible, I will try to get her tongue out of the way long enouch to snap a pic.

She is getting better at sitting up on her own. She has to have a wide base with forward motion, and it doesn't last long, but we're working on it! I had to snap these pictures pretty quickly and the set her up again :-)

Is this it? Am I doing it??

Oh no!

Will you help me Annie?

Focus....focus

I got it!!!

So peaceful

Ok, if you can look at this and not smile, you have a cold, cold heart :-) She is so goofy

6 month doctor visit

2008-04-30T16:20:00.000-04:00

14 lbs 6oz

27 in long

3 shots :-(

The doctor said she should start using a sippy cup and eat Puffies that disolve in her mouth!! She's way to young for that nonsense!! :-)

Here are a couple of pictures she had taken on Sunday. She was teething, had a cold, and was cranky. There were only three pictures where she was happy. In all of the ones where she was with her cousins, she looked pretty miserable. In a couple of weeks I'm going to take her to get "6.5 months" pictures done, if she is feeling better.

I'm thinking that she doe not like to share the spotlight :-)

6 months!

2008-04-29T19:04:00.000-04:00

Sunday was Kennedy's 6 month birthday! I can't believe 6 months has flown by already! She's still very cranky and not sleeping well, but if I can catch her right after eating, she is usually pretty happy (hence the high chair pictures.) She is working on sitting up by herself. She loves to play with, and eat, her toys :-) She is finally allowed to play in the activity thing that Auntie Sarah got her and she loves it! She has figure out how to make it play music, now she is just trying to figure out how eat the other things since they are attached :-) We have a doctor's appoint tomorrow. Boo for shots! I am interested to see how much she weighs and how long she is!

6 months old!!

Doesn't she look like she's in the middle of saying something??

Deep concentration

She loves to eat! The safest way is without any clothes.

Rollin' With The Homies

2008-04-24T21:30:00.000-04:00

**Extra credit for whomever remembers where that comes from :-)

Last Saturday Kennedy figured out that she could roll over to get somewhere. So now, she rolls all over the place. It is just a small taste of what she will be like once she is fully mobile, and I'm pretty sure I will lose my mind :-)

She has suddenly started having problems sleeping again. Basically, I got about 2 weeks of "good" sleeping (4.5 hrs in a row). The past several nights she woke up EVERY hour for the first several hours and then stretched it out to 2 or 3 in a row. And she's been very cranky. I think she really is starting to get some teeth, plus she has a cold so I think she has trouble breathing at night.

It's funny how much she is showing her personality already, and I think we are in trouble. She already wants to be in charge and be way more grown up that she actually is. Now, she figures out when she wants something and heaven help whoever keeps her from getting it! She gets mad. Since she has just started, we all think its funny, right? What about in another year and a half!?!? I don't want to have to be on an episode of Super Nanny :-)

I had two half days last week when the weather was nice, so K and I took advantage of the nice days and went on a couple of walks. She loves watching people and other things around her. I am getting frustrated because it is beautiful all week while I have to work and then on the weekends the weather sucks. What's that about?

Alright, I think that is it for my update. I hadn't written in awhile, so I wanted to make sure I updated sufficiently. She is getting so big, even some of these pictures were awhile ago! I will take some official "6 months old" pictures on Sunday.

Also, in case I have not spoken to you recently, feel free to call or email me and say, "Are you freakin' kidding?" if you notice something new on this site.

She's been trying for a whileto hold her bottle. She can only hold this one because it's almost empty and she's on the floor :-)

How freakin' cute are these slippers??

An Even Better Talent!

2008-04-09T20:48:00.000-04:00

For anyone familar with The Cosby Show, Kennedy is trying to do Zurburts. They are also known as rasberries. It is hilarious to watch her do it....however, I didn't think it was quite as funny as she did when she figured out she could do it while eating baby food. Yuck. Also, we had another Baby Party/Pinic last weekend. Kennedy was very intrigued by the babies. It was the first time she had been around babies and been aware of them. She tried to kick all the boys in the head. She's a smart girl :-)

Kennedy & Mason (she's 5 weeks older than him!)

War and Peace

2008-03-31T19:49:00.000-04:00

I'll start with the peace...Kennedy went to sleep with no crying tonight!! We "ate" dinner (loose definition of eating), played quietly, then did our normal bed time routine. I layed her down and as I went through the usual stuff she started to do the pouty-lip-big-cry-is-coming look, but she kept looking at her mobile. I kept waiting to hear her crying but by the time I got down stairs, she was asleep!!! I know part of the problem is that she is usually too tired, but it absolute kills me to hear her cry, even if it is usually for a short time, so I love it when she goes to sleep with no tears!

The war is feeding time! First, we have to get a high chair! She really can't sit up that well yet, so I thought she would slide around in the chair. We currently eat in the bounce seat thing. Problem: feet. She loves to play with her feet. She has figured out they can go in her mouth. She likes to do this while eating rice cereal and sweet potatoes. She also thinks its funny to kick at my arm while I'm trying to feed her, but she is such a hoss that she is grabbing my arm and trying to keep the spoon in her mough. (See the pics below for a minor example of the difficulty this causes.) You really have to witness it to understand it fully. It exhausts me! :-) So far, the only vegetables she isn't thrilled about are peas and squash. Green beans, carrots, and sweet potatoes are a hit. We will be moving on to fruits soon. I'm not sure I can bring myself to feed her the prunes :)

I have also include some videos of her latest "talent" as well :-)

5 months

2008-03-28T11:44:00.000-04:00

Her new favorite "toy" is her feet!

She loves carrots and green beans!

My mom and I took her to the art museum. Can you tell how excited she is? :-) Actually, she really did like the Comtemporary Art gallery because it had lots of bright colors, TVs and lights.

I like that the only thing in focus is her face.

Such a big girl!

Easter and Green Beans

2008-03-24T12:54:00.000-04:00

Kennedy had baby food for the first time this weekend. Her intial reaction to the green beans was hilarious, but then she couldn't get enough of them. She would hold onto my hands to keep the spoon in her mouth!

We painted eggs and wore various cute outfits for the Easter weekend.

Random Pictures of Cuteness :-)

Thinking of changing her name to Svetlana

2008-03-20T22:13:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday was winter guard state finals. This is a very important day o' fashion in the guard community :-) Anyway, I wanted to make sure Kennedy looked as cute as possible. Enjoy the pics. I will post Easter pictures after this weekend.

"And I do a little turn on the catwalk"

2008-03-03T20:23:00.000-05:00

She had her 4 month dr. appt last week- those horrible shots! A physical therapist from First Steps is going to work with her for a bit because she apparently has a tight neck muscle on her right side. I thought she was just a natural model- always posing for the camera with a tilted head. She is actually probably in pain! Horrible mommy. I'm wondering if that has something to do with her not sleeping on her back... We will see.

I also think she has a hearing problem- on Saturday the only thing (and I mean ONLY) thing that would comfort her, was me singing Proud Mary! First, my singing is horrendous. And I'm not being over dramatic. You know the awful people on the American Idol auditions? I would make them look like the next Carrie Underwood. Let alone the fact that I only know 1 verse and the chorus of Proud Mary. Every once in a while, some Bon Jovi would do the trick. At least I know all the words to their songs:-)

And now to the fun stuff...

Ok, I usually feel like I am toturing her when I essentially dress her up for my own amusement and that of others, but at least she looks excited in two of the pictures...but not in the other one.

This is the "Please tell me we are almost finished" Picture

Ok, this just makes me giggle. Depend on your frame of reference, this could be the Cabbage Patch or The Superman

How do I not love that smile?!?!