The First Year- Parenting

In just a few days, Kayleigh will be 1 year old! I cannot believe that it a year ago that I became a Mom,

There are many different roles that we take on as we go through life. So far, my roles have included: baby, toddler, kid, teenager, college student, graduate student, adult, wife, and mom. 

I am happy to say that becoming a Mom is one of the very best things that has ever happened to me. Watching Joey so easily fall into the role of being a Dad has made me fall even more in love with him.

I am so thankful for the support that we have received from our family and friends through this year. I do not know what we would have done without Joey by my side every step of the way. I have a whole new level of respect for single parents and those who are doing this whole thing without a daily partner through it all. 

I thought I should write a quick little blog of some of the things that I have learned throughout this year. I cannot even begin to imagine the things that Kayleigh will teach me for the rest of my life, but learning to be a Mom to this sweet girl has been so wonderful that I can't wait! 

-No matter how many parenting books you read, blogs you follow, or movies you watch, it is always the best decision to follow your heart. I personally did not ever make it through one single parenting book. How in the world do you have time for that?!?

-Although there are some people in my life who choose to parent differently than I do, I know that the choices I am making now are best for our family at the time and that is what matters. In the words of Ginny (who provided daycare for Kayleigh when we lived in Pasadena), "No kid ever goes to college with a pacifier, or sucking their thumb, or nursing to sleep at night. She will be fine!" 

-Ask advice from those you trust! I am so thankful for my close friends, sister, Mom, and Mother-In-Law who had become Moms before me. I am sure that they must have laughed at some of the things I called about, but I don't know what I would have done without them! 

-On that subject...Call the doctor about anything! I once called our pediatrician because I thought Kayleigh was breathing weird when she was just a few days old. I sat on the phone with the Doctor and copied Kayleigh's breathing pattern so that he could tell me it was normal. Hahaha. 

Now we have a wonderful friend, Julie, who is a pediatric nurse and gets many texts from me. We love our personal nurse (thanks Julie)!
-Accept help. Its okay to need a break to go shopping alone. To take a 45 minute (or longer) nap. To mindlessly sit at the computer. To read a magazine. To stand in the shower for 30 minutes to get some alone time. And most importantly, to go on a date with my husband. I love my baby girl and want to spend as much time with her as possible, but in order to be the best Mom that I can, I need time to recharge. Thanks to Joey, friends, and family who make this possible! 

-It's perfectly fine to eat a late dinner, or not have everything you had planned. You will only have a little one pulling on your leg wanting to be held or to play for so long. I am thankful for an understanding husband who knows that playing with our sweet girl is more important than making an elaborate meal. Breakfast for dinner became a staple in our house for a few months! 

-Cuddle as much as possible. It won't last forever.
-Who cares how silly I look or sound. I will do anything in the world to hear my baby girl's belly laugh.
-Hand-me-down clothes, toys, cribs, and baby gear are the best (thanks friends)! If someone used it enough to save it and pass it along to others, it must be worth it!
-Its okay to allow my baby to wear outfits that don't match. Its especially cute when her Daddy picks out an outfit for her (my favorite so far has been an orange star patterned shirt, green and white polka dot pants, and multicolor striped socks). 

-Everyone says "it goes so fast." I thought it was one of the cheesiest sayings but the time really does escape you. Enjoy each day and moment.

Most of all, I am thankful for year and all that I have learned from this sweet face.

Walker!

As of today we officially have a little walking girl in our house! 

Although Kayleigh has taken a few steps in a row before, tonight she really made progress and became more and more steady each time she went! 

Here is a video of her second attempt. We were able to move further apart after this and she continued to do it! 

Go Kayleigh Go! We are so proud of you! 

'Tis the season

We are absolutely loving Kayleigh's first Christmas season. 

It is so much fun to watch her take in everything around her and reminds us of the wonder of Christmas through our sweet little girl's eyes.

Kayleigh's first look at the Christmas tree. 

Santa's Little Helper

Kayleigh wasn't so sure about Santa so we took a family picture instead. 

Kayleigh loving her "Nammy" at the Folsom Zoo Christmas Lights event.

Looking forward to even more of these experiences over the next few weeks! 

11 MONTHS!!!!!

Our little girl is already 11 months?!?!

This is crazy....it seems like yesterday that we were taking her 1st month pictures and talking about how the time had flown by so quickly already. 

Here are her monthly pictures...cant believe we have only one more month before her 1st year picture!

Kayleigh's Unofficial stats:

Weight: Still squishly! And wonderful! 

Height: Tall girl...in 18 month clothes, but also able to fit in some 24 month pants. 

At 11 months Kayleigh...

-Is climbing on EVERYTHING (stairs, fireplace hearth, stools, ladders, anything she can get her little body onto!)

-Loves to walk holding onto fingers.

-Took 2 steps on her own tonight!

-Stands on her own without holding onto anything for extended periods of time. 

-Is a VERY speedy crawler.

-Loves being outside; in the backyard, at the park, on a walk, anything to be out in the fresh air (which we actually have in Rocklin- WOOOO no smog!)

-Loves other kids and most dogs.

-Eats a ton of different foods...as long as they aren't smashed up. Favorites include: any kind of lunch meat, yogurt, carrots, pickles, olives, cheese, pears, any kind of barbecued meat, and pasta.

-Loves reading!

-Really likes getting into cupboards and drawers...especially the ones with glass in them. 

-Has a wonderful little personality. 

-Loves to laugh...sometimes snorts if she is laughing hard enough.

-Will stop in the middle of playing or crawling to watch a little basketball with Daddy. 

-Is babbling a ton! Still saying "Mamamama" and "Dadadadadada". We love it. 

-Still has her scrunched nose smiley face. 

-Still loves the nursery at church.

-Loves bath time and has discovered that she can turn on the cold water while in the tub and loves it!...this means shorter bath times because it gets so cold in there! 

-Continues to be the center of our lives. We are so proud! 

Cousin Craziness

Kayleigh has had some quality time with her cousins over the past few weeks!

I apologize for the picture heavy blog, but here we go...

A few weeks ago we headed over to Dublin for an early Thanksgiving dinner with some of Joey's extended family. Kayleigh spent the day playing with her second cousin, Makea.

These two loved playing piano with Grandpa!

And then the Lewis family came into town for the entire week before Thanksgiving. The kids had a great time playing together and we were busy all week long with a trip to Apple Hill, lunch and a train ride at the Fountains, a trip to the zoo, and a lot of playing.

The "Babies" hanging out with Nammy at the coffee shop

Trouble...

Cuties having lunch at Apple Hill!

Apple Pie!

Family picture!

The Babies

Having fun running down the hill at Larsen's

The Babies held hands on the way home from Apple Hill. So cute!

Making apple crisp with all of our yummy apples.

And extension of the cousins...the Linthicum kids joined us for a night of fun! Love these guys.

The Babies at the Fountains while Myles got to ride the train with Uncle.

 

Hmmm....can I have some of those Cheerios Cooper?

Thanksgiving Babies

The three Bears at the zoo.

 Kayleigh absolutely adores her big cousin Myles. Her little face lights up every time she sees him, and he can get a smile out of her just by looking her direction. Its very sweet.

 He had a great time pulling her around in the wagon, and Kayleigh was happy to sit with her feet up to read a magazine and enjoy the ride!

 Love these two looking out the window together.

 LOVE!!! Kayleigh, Myles, and Cooper all together and somewhat looking in the same direction...its a miracle!

We had a great week enjoying our family!

10 months!!!

I can't believe I am already writing a 10 month blog for our little baby girl!

Kayleigh continues to amaze us daily. Could not imagine our lives without this sweet smiling face! 

Here are her 10 month pictures...

Kayleigh's unofficial 10 month stats (no Doctor appt this month)

Weight: Still our sweet cuddly squishy girl! 

Height: Long!! 

Currently wearing 12-18 month and some 18-24 month clothes. 

At 10 months Kayleigh...

-Is sleeping through the nights the majority of the time. 

-Has started walking while holding fingers, pushing toys, or anything else she can find. No steps on her own yet, but I am thinking that is not too far off. 

-Loves playing at her standing entertainment table. 

-Continues to love dancing. Turn on the music and watch her shake her little booty!

-Crawls over when she is tired and climbs onto your lap and buries her little head in your chest.

-Has started playing catch.

-Still loves to eat pretty much anything we are eating. Current favorites: quesadillas, any kind of fruit, pickles, turkey, and any kind of BBQ meat. 

-Loves reading her books. Current favorites: "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" (especially when her Daddy makes the animal noises on each page), "One, Two, Three," "Peek a who," and "Peekaboo Baby."

-Loves playing with her wood blocks and knocking down towers. 

-Likes being outside and picking leaves off the trees.

-Likes watching her Daddy sweep.

-Loves swinging at the park.

-Has become a human fountain. Most of the time when she drinks her water, she swallows a small amount a spits the rest out like a fountain. 

-Loves "honking" noses.

-Likes the nursery at church, but doesnt like being picked up and leaving the toys there. 

-Loves playing with her "Nammy's" earrings. 

-Makes smooching noses when they are made to her. 

-Likes to fake cough. 

-Says "Mamamamama" and "Dadadadada"

-Is starting to put herself to sleep at night and nap times. 

-Started wearing shoes when we go out so she can walk. 

-Has made her first trips to Bishop's Pumpkin patch and Apple Hill. 

-Is growing up way too fast for us. I can believe she will be 1 in just under two months! 

Little Miss Independent

This sweet 10 month old girl is starting to become more mobile daily! 

The whole house now needs to be baby proofed once again! 

Making progress!

Who needs one of those walking toys when you have a laundry basket?!?!

She makes progress to walking on her own every day. Our lives continue to drastically change! 

Love those little diaper buns :)

Baby steps

No, she is not walking yet. 

But...I love this video because of her sweet "little" legs! 

These days are just flying by!!! I remember the days of cuddling all day long and wondering what it would be like when Kayleigh started becoming more independent. Just cant believe we are already there! 

9 months!

Oh my gosh. How did these 9 months fly by so quickly? 

This little girl has quite the personality! We are absolutely loving watching her grow into it! 

Here she is...

And here is the reason for the blurry spot on most of the pictures :)

Getting her to sit nicely next to her little lamb is a thing of the past! 

And the little escape artist decides she is done with this photo shoot. 

And pouts when she is returned to the chair. 

Fine Mom...one more picture and I'm out of here! 

Hmmm...Cant go over the back...

How about the side? 

Dad caught me! 

I found a way out of here!

 Kayleigh's official 9 month stats:

Weight:

Height:

(Will fill this portion in after her 9 month doctor visit on Friday!)

At 9 months Kayleigh...

-Is a very speedy crawler.

-Standing up on anything that she can pull herself up on.

-Loves pulling down and reading her "Nammy's" cookbooks. 

-Has started cruising along the couches. 

-Sleeping through the night on most nights (Yahoo!!!).

-Has started clapping and is very proud of herself for it!

-Loves reading her books. Current favorites: "Baby Bear, Baby bear," "The Belly Button Book", and "One, Two Three."

-Still loves to laugh...especially at her Daddy.

-Is very contemplative. Especially when meeting new people.

-Still loves to eat. Her current favorites are: yogurt, cheese, turkey, spinach, chicken, fruit, and raw apples. This girl loves her meat! It is always the first thing to go off her tray when she is feeding herself. Her Grandpa will be so proud :)

-Has become a dancing machine! Turn on some music and watch her go! 

-Started waving a lot more. 

-Loves going to the zoo and waving at all the animals. 

-Likes crawling through and playing in her tunnel.

-Has started exploring the backyard. 

-Loves drinking her water out of her own cup. 

-Loves shoes (not her own, but anyone else's will do)! 

-Interested in whatever is going on around her. 

-Fascinated by other kids. 

-Still loves Mom and Dad cuddles (for short amounts of time before she is off to do something else).

-Is growing up WAAAAAY too fast!!! 

We continue to be so very thankful for this sweet little girl and all the joy that she has brought us.