Auntie Sarah in Virginia

Kaitlyn has now been in 8 states and she still isnt even one year old! We took a trip to Virginia last weekend to see my best friend in the whole entire world, Sarah. She is married to Scott and he is in the Navy, they are stationed down in Virginia for now but are both from Michigan originally. Scott is finishing up a 6 month tour out to sea right now so Sarah is home with their two kids, Hannah and Gavin. Hannah is going to be three next month and Gavin is about 2 1/2 months younger than Kaitlyn. The kids had a good time playing with each other. Kaitlyn has never really had time to play with other kids or be around them for a long period of time. I really think she enjoyed being around them. I liked it because they kept her busy a lot of the time and they are also really good kids! I do have to mention that Kaitlyn is very empathetic when other babies cry. Whenever Gavin would cry or sound like he was upset Kaitlyn would start crying. At first we thought she was scared of him but we realized that she was ok with him until he started crying or squealing. After a couple days of being together everything was ok. Kaitlyn really LOVED having space to crawl around. Sarah has a really nice open and big apartment so the kids had lots of room to roam. Thats something Kaitlyn doesnt get here in our very tight living quarters.

The weather wasnt all that cooperative, we had planned on going to the beach and the zoo but, while we were there it was either hot and rainy or chilly and sunny. Very strange weather! We did decide to go to the little Petting Zoo right near their house and the kids had a good time. Espeically playing at the playground that is there too! Well Gavin was sleeping most of the time, but Hannah and Kaitlyn sure enjoyed going down the slide and on the swings!

It was a very wonderful and relaxing weekend and I'm glad we decided to take the trip. It was actually a wonderful birthday present from Jon because I had been feeling a bit down and seeing Sarah and getting to spend some quality time with her was just what the Dr ordered. It was great just hanging out most of the weekend and talking! Sarah and I didnt shut up pretty much the whole weekend!

Anyway, I wish we lived closer, not only for us, but for the kids. They are so close in age and really enjoyed playing with each other, I know if we lived closer they would end up being best of friends, like Sarah and I!

While we were there Kaitlyn started "saying" something new... well not really saying a new sound but saying it differently. First of all, she has been saying "deh, deh, deh, deh..." and "baa, baa, baa, baa..." when she was saying the "baa's" she had her tongue sticking out of her mouth. While we were at Sarah's she started doing "Bah's" without the tongue and they sounded more like bah, rather than baa! It's so hard describing in writing what it sounds like when kids "talk." Anyway, most of the time she remembers to put her tongue in her mouth to talk but she does still say them with it sticking out.

Speaking of communication, Kaitlyn is really good at pointing for things she wants and she still signs Daddy and Mommy. She asks to be picked up and asks us to get something for her if she is unable. She's gotten good at putting things inside of things and taking them out. She likes to help me with the laundry by taking the clothes out of the basket and handing them to be to put them in the washer. It's not that helpful when she takes the folded clothes out of the basket though! She has fun and I only have to refold them so it's no big deal. One day SHE'LL be doing the laundry!

STEP by STEP!!!!!

Kaitlyn took her first steps!!!!! YAY! YAY! YAY! Jon and I were working on getting her to stand more and we worked a little on her walking and she did it!!! We even got it on video!!! YAY!!! WOOOHOOOOOO!!!!

Jon also took a couple pics of Kaitlyn in her new Beach hat and Sunglasses!! We're taking them to the beach with us when we go to Virginia this weekend!!

Ketchup - Catch up!

Ok so let me catch up here... Kaitlyn is doing such cute things now. Jon and I both LOVE getting her open mouth tongue sticking out kisses! She's great and now sometimes she just gives us kisses without us prompting her! I love it!! She even kisses her toys now, especially her green Care Bear with the Kite on his belly (not sure of his name). Ohhhhh and it's so cute too because she does the tongue kiss thing and then after she will make the "Smooch" sound hahahaha she doesnt make the kiss noise WITH the kiss!! hahahaha!!

Ok so she's really growing up in the eating department. Now she's been pretty much soley on table food since she was about 7 months. A few days or so ago... maybe a week or so, we notice K would take a bite from the fork or whatever and then pull the food out of her mouth and then put it back in and she would keep doing it over and over. For the life of me I couldnt figure out what the heck she was doing and it was getting irritating because she wasnt really eating and seemed to be playing with her food. WELL! We figured it out!!! She's taking bites!!! Like we do... we put food to our mouths, take a bit and then take the food away! She was immitating us! Now I realized that she is doing that same thing and sliding the food down over her teeth to rip the food and she does it over and over too until she gets it small enough that she eats the last piece. She's just learning so much and she really amazes me everyday! I'm so proud, seeing her so happy with her acheivments makes me very happy!! YAY!!

Kaitlyn is STILL into chewing on everything and that includes my toes!! lol She doesnt realize how much those two little teeth of her hurt! Sometimes she gets ahold of my toe and bites and it literally hurts! She's very easy to startle right now so sometimes when I jump and "yeouch" she starts to cry because I scare her. Not purposely, but she is in that stage where she is very sensitive! She'll learn quick! Even a guy at the restaurant last night scared her just by sneezing! She started crying and was so upset! I hope this doesnt last too long!!

Oh the other night I gave Kaitlyn some apple slices and she had a great time eating them!!!! She held them and she rubbed them on her teeth to eat them. She seemed so proud of herself and really enjoyed her Apples!! She did a great job eating them too. She's getting so big.

I wanted to mention here that though she is still puking some, Kaitlyn did have a couple days that she didnt puke at all. She had one day of nothing coming up last week and then she had a couple days where she just spit up some... then of course she has had a few days of puking all over herself and other places I didnt realize, like the carpet! Ah well... she seems to be doing a bit better overall!

Last night was SOOOOO cool, Jon and I just stopped what we were doing to watch K. First of all she is really using her imagination. She has three "voices" now or tones of voices anyway. She has her normal voice and then she has a high pitched voice that she talks to her toys with but she also has a mean/mad sounding deeper voice that she does. It was great watching her play with her toys and get mad at them and stuff... it was amazing! I was in awe! She also - man she's creative - was taking her blocks out of the yellow container and putting them at the top of the back of her bouncy/rocker chair and watching them slide down to the seat part. She kept bending down and picking block after block out of the bucket and watching them slide down the chair. It was so great and so amazing that she would think to do something like that. She even stopped in the middle to look at us as if to ask, are you watching? hahahaha it was so cool!! She's got such a wonderful personality!

Well next weekend we're off to celebrate my birthday in Virginia with my best friend Sarah and her two kids, Hannah and Gavin. Gavin and Kaitlyn are about 2 months apart so they should have a good time playing together! It's going to be a great time, we're planning on going to Colonial Williamsburg and to the beach and the zoo too! It's going to be a good time and relaxing... plus Auntie Sarah is doing all the cooking and it sounds like we will have a wonderful range of foods to eat next weekend!! I'm excited about that!! Sarah and I are probably going to do a little crafting stuff too while we're there too. I cant wait to get away, but even more I cant wait to see Sarah and spend some good time with her! I miss her so much and even though we've seen each other a few times over the past few years, we havent gotten a chance to spend any good amount of time together. It's going to be wonderful for the kids too.

Ok I'll keep updating as the accomplishments occur!

2 Toofs

I know it's not the best picture in the world, but here are Kaitlyn's new teeth! he he he he!! The one on her right came in a few weeks ago and the one on her left is coming in now. It hasnt quite popped through the gum. I do have to say that this second tooth is much better than the first as far as her dealing with it. She hasn't been so crazy this time though she waking up so much at night. We're all getting through it... hopefully each tooth will get easier and easier for her!

Playing in the Curtains with My New Tooth

-Ok so we all know Kaitlyn loves to pull the sheer curtains down from the window and here is a pic of her with herself all wrapped up in them like some queen of of the She-Babies or something.

Please forgive me for leaving my kid in her pukey clothes... though what you see in the pic isnt half of whats really on the shirt! ha ha ha Yeah, Yeah we own plenty of bibs... sometimes I think the kid needs a break from a bib all the time. And heck, we have Spray N Wash! ha ha ha ha!


Anyway, the reason Little Miss Pukey pants is ever so pukey lately is because she is adding to her chompers! She's getting another tooth!! She's feeling like crap, not eating and puking everywhere. Man, do I ever love reflux. Anyway, I did get a picture today of her wonderful little teefs, I'll add them here when I get a chance.

We did add lots of great photos to our Shutterfly.com Collection, I think there are close to 500 pictures in there now! WOW!

Well now to find my child something for lunch that she isnt even going to eat.

.... Now Face West.

YAY!! Wow, so much happening all the time!! K just stood by herself for about 10 or so seconds! I was holding my Poland Spring water bottle and she wanted it, whats new? So I let her hold it, she grabbed ahold with both hands and after she was steady I let go of the bottle. She did so great! She didnt even fall, she started to lose her balance and she bent her knees and put her hands on the floor and sat down!! She was great!! So, needless to say we will be working more and more on this over then next week or so and hopefully we can get K walking on her own!! She is doing better and better just holding one of our hands now... she just needs some confidence that she can do it herself! YAY I'm so excited she stood by herself!!!

Wet Tongue Kisses

YAY Kaitlyn gives KISSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he he he he!! She gave us her first kiss tonight! She opens her mouth and sticks her tongue out a little and leans in to give us kisses!! It's amazing and I LOVE IT!!! NOTHING can make your heart melt more than a wet tongue kiss from your child! We keep asking for them and she keeps giving them!! It's so fun to get kisses!! Now we're going to work on hugs!!

Here, For Mama & I'm 9 Months Old!

So Kaitlyn is a little talking machine! Though we have no English words, she is certainly babbling her own little baby language very well. She has been doing ba ba ba ba, da da da da and sta sta sta sta (I think thats how you would write it) for the past little while. I believe she also thinks that the sign language sign for Daddy is also for Mommy. Though I still have some investigating to do on that one!

She's getting to be so big though, she only really gets 2 bottles now a day, one in the morning and one before bed. She drinks her formula out of her sippyh cup the rest of the day and does a super job at it! I give her the cup and lay her down on her pillow and tell her it's her "milk." She lays there and will drink most of it. Then something will catch her eye and she will have to go play with it, so after a bit I lay her back down and she will drink more.

She's also gotten into giving me things. She picks up blocks and toys and anything else she finds laying around and brings it to me to give to me. Then I give it back to her... then she gives it back to me. We go on and on like that for a few minutes at a time a few times a day. She smiles so big when I say "Oh for me? Thank you, you're so nice to share with mama!" Then she will go off and play with something else awhile and then come back to give me more things over and over. I love that she is learning all of these great things! I love to see her smile at her discoveries! She's such a little explorer!! One of these days she is going to get that pointing little finger of her caught in something! ha ha ha ha! She's so cute, she points at everything... even at me when I point at her and tell her "NO!" She will point back up and me and "uhh uhhh uhhh" her little mad voice grunts at me! Man, she's adorable!!

So Kaitlyn finally went back to the Dr for her 9 month visit. She is now 18lbs and 26 3/4 inches. Still growing fairly well and just about staying on her curve. She still only eats a small amount of formula (most kids eat 16-24oz a day - she eats 9-15oz per day) and she is on all table food. She started eating table food at 7 months and hasnt wanted to have much baby food since. She still likes her fruit mixed with cereal sometimes but would rather just eat regular veggies instead of mushed ones hehehehe. She eats everything, whatever I'm eating she wants... so needless to say, I have been eating MUCH better because she always has to have a bite! I cant let her eat bad like I usually do!! We share just about every meal. The Dr said she's growing and gaining weight so she can keep eating like she is. The Dr has no worries about any of that right now!

As for her reflux... it's still there and a big part of her life. She is still getting her Zantac (4.5mL/day now) everyday and still pukes all over the place. Last night it happened to be all over me... YAY! The Dr said he's not worried about her puking as long as she is growing and gaining weight and not in pain. I feel the same way, so thats GOOD! I'll just keep cleaning it up... and changing my clothes! I do have to say that she is MUCH better than she was months ago... she pukes much less now compared to then. Most of the time she refluxes and swallows it... I know thats gross, but the poor kid does what she has to. So once in awhile (2-5 times a day during good days - during a flare, it can be 10 times), she pukes a puddle on the floor. It's only about an ounce, at most, these days... though now she likes to play in it and crawl in it! lol :) How fun for me! I'd say some stock in Spray N Wash is a good investment!! :) hahahaha Of course, what isn't fun is when I have no idea she puked and find it later by stepping barefoot in a puddle of cold puke. The formula she is on is very oily so it makes the hardwood floors slippery! Anyway, the Dr said she could be puking like this until she is 18 months... if she still is by then, then we will look into it more... but we have awhile to go before that and hopefully she will get better!!

Playing Around the Playground

Today was such a beautiful, warm day! It was in the 60's, so we got a chance to go outside for a walk and to play on the playground around the corner. It was the first time Kaitlyn has been on a swing or anything and she really enjoyed it! She got to lounge in the baby swing while Mommy and Daddy pushed her and took pictures (and video). Since K is so into "Shake-ah, Shake-ah" I took her over to those metal animal things that you sit on and rock and she LOVED it!! She's so tiny and can barely keep herself on it, but she sat there shaking and rocking herself like crazy. She was so happy and amazed to get such an effect out of her "Shake-ah, Shake-ah."

Kaitlyn also got another first while at the playground. She was crawling, well walking through the tubes and going down the slide with daddy and we noticed when eating lunch that she somehow got a splinter in her finger! Her little finger was all red, but it wasn't a terrible splinter. Her skin is so soft and her body was very responsive... so as soon as we got home I simply pushed on the back of the splinter, or would that be the front? Anyway, it kinda floated out of her skin with a miniscule amount of blood. She was perfectly fine after that and went along playing without so much as a band-aide!

Off and Swimming

So Kaitlyn and I started swimming again and I forgot to mention it! She is doing great in the pool, really kicking her feet and generally having a good time. I'm very disappointed in the class this session, though. There is no set instructor and every week it's someone different. They don't know how to handle a class or hold the class like a class even. It's basically like we paid good money to go play in a pool together. It's very chaotic this time... like I said, I'm just very disappointed with it.

Oh and a while ago I started a "before bed routine" with Kaitlyn. Since I'm no good at remembering to read a book everynight right now, I decided it had to be something I could do with her in bed everynight. So I sing the alphabet in English and in Spanish, do numbers 0-10 in English and in Spanish and then until she falls asleep, I sing "our song." I start out with "You are my Sunshine" and then it turns into "You are my Kaitlyn, my little Kaitlyn." I just sing over and over and then she falls asleep usually holding my hand (well finger actually). It's just something special that her and I have together everynight... no matter what happened during the day!

Not much else to say right now.

FIRST TOOTH!!!!

Kaitlyn got her first tooth!!! It's been coming in for a while but today is the first day we can really feel it and it's sharp! When she bites/chews on my finger it kind of hurts now! hehehe It's still pretty even with her gum so we dont have a great picture of it yet. I'll be putting one here just as soon as you can see it in a photograph! I'm just so excited, she's getting so big and doing so much more than ever!

Lately Kaitlyns favorite things to do are dancing whenever she hears any kind of music or even when I sing to her. She does a bouncy dance if she is on her knees at the time and if she is standing she moves her hips back and forth and it's so amazingly cute! I can't believe she is doing these things on her own! She even knows what she is doing because we ask her if she is dancing and she looks at us and gets this HUGE smile on her face and dances even more!!!

Besides dancing she has been babbling so much more. Sometimes it sounds like she is going to say something but she is just having her own little conversation with herself. Most of the time she is talking to the digital clock numbers on the Cable box! She loves to squeal and babble to her puppets and finger puppets too. She gets a huge smile on her face and starts squeaking as soon as I put them on!

One thing that really has me amazed is how much she understands! She knows what I'm saying a lot of times, especially when I tell her to "come here." She always comes over on her own to have her bottle or get a bite. She also comes over on her own to let me know she is tired and ready for a nap! She's getting so big!!

There's a quick update, I'll add more soon!!!

Bite Me!

Well, I wish I had more time to update but Kaitlyn is keeping me going lately! She's a quick one and gets in to trouble a lot! She's so busy all the time and she pretty much demands attention!! She's a brat! hahahaha

Kaitlyn has become quite the little "Problem Solver," she pushes her walking toy into a corner or against something and she always seems to figure out a way to turn it around or get around the other side of it and push it backwards. Also on her push toy is a little snake that slides back and forth and makes noise and she did that the other day for the first time too. Now when she remembers that he moves she will sit for a minute or two and just move him back and forth and back and forth making the clicking noise. Kaitlyn has become quite the little climber... not only does she climb onto her push toy, she has started climbing into the trudle drawer (that really goes to her crib) that we use to put her toys in. She climbs in it and lays there on the toys playing with them! She's so cute!! I tried to get a video but she likes the camera too damn much! hahahaha

About a week or so ago Jon and I bought Kaitlyn her own Fork and Spoon (a Toddler set) and the other day I decided to give it a try and see if she would hold it and eat off of it. Well SHE DID!! I had to stab the food of course, but I let her take the fork after that and she put the food right in her mouth! She's doing a great job eating too. She doesnt really eat any baby food anymore, except for some rice cereal and pureed fruits. I bought so many I'm really just trying to get rid of it. Most of the time Kaitlyn has Mini Eggo waffles and a Cereal bar for breakfast. Speaking of cereal bars, I let her try to "take a bite" of one yesterday and she did it! Well she tried. She definitely knows what it means to take a bit but she needs a bit more practice before I go handing her something to eat.

I am not sure if I mentioned the "Shake-ah, Shake-ah" that Kaitlyn does but she does it on EVERYthing. She even laughs so hard when daddy sits in the folding chair and she shakes it and he pretends to be flinging all over the place. She just looks up at him and laughs and laughs! She even shakes a table downstairs at Grandma Lois's and does it so hard she almost pulls it over! We have to watch her close down there cause she could yank that thing over on top of her!

The other thing she has really started doing is Dancing!! Yes she dances and she knows what it means when we tell her too! If I sing, her toys play music or even the tv has music on it she dances. It's the cutest little bouncy thing that she does when she is on her knees and when she is standing she shakes her but back and forth as her "dance." It's adorable, she's adorable! I love it so much. Tonight Carrie Underwood was singing on American Idol and daddy was holding Kaitlyn and she started dancing and bouncing in daddy's arms! I HAD to get video and I did! She did notice the camera, of course, but she showed off and danced for us anyway!!

Everyday she amazes me more and more! I can't love anyone or anything more than I love her!! I do feel terrible for her because for the last week and a half or so she has been teething terribly!! After lots of screaming and a few nights of no sleep, she finally woke up this morning with a hole in her gum. There is a tooth ready to pop and I'm so excited. I hope she gets a bit of a break after getting her first tooth. We're going to try to get a picture of her gum but not sure if we can pull that one off. If you are looking at her, she is getting her bottom left tooth first!

We're really excited for her! Well I'll be here to update as soon as the tooth pops, if not sooner!! Wish Kaitlyn luck for a little ease in pain soon!! Or buy some stock in Infant Tylenol!!

Give Me the Finger?

Well not too much to update about since Kaitlyn is just practicing walking and standing and bending and kneeling (from standing). She's got it and is VERY good at it too. She stands for a couple seconds unassisted but then falls because she tenses up her body when she realizes she isnt holding on to something. She can walk using only one hand to hold on now but is too afraid to do it if we hold one of her hands... it's ok if she is holding on to toys or chairs to walk while holding on with one hand. She's REALLY good at walking all over with her push toy and actually using anything she can move AS a push toy... like her highchair, the folding chair, anything.

She has also become my little "Shakah Shakah" baby... she grabs on to things with two hands (or one) and shakes as hard as she can... and let me tell you, it's HARD! She shakes stuff off my laptop table all the time and she bangs the hanging lamp down at Grandma's too! She also shakes all of her toys (i.e. the activity table) and slides them around the floor.

Kaitlyn has found her finger! Hahaha I know sounds funny but what I mean is, she found out that she can touch things with one finger. She goes around now touching EVERYthing with her index finger! She finds buttons on things now and sticks her one finger in the memory card slots and in the vcr. When she did it before she was finding the holes with her hand and getting some fingers in. Now she purposely puts them in and pushes buttons.

The last few days or week Kaitlyn has been miserable... I dont know if it's her reflux acting up but she screams about 50% of the day - sleeps 40% and the other 10% she MIGHT smile or play with her toys. I have no idea what she is screaming and crying about... I have tried everything and she just stands there SCREAMING. I pick her up but then she screams in my ear and I have to put her down. Nothing comforts her... I'm actually at my wits end here and I feel like having a drink! I wish I knew why she was screaming... I dont know if she is hurting or it's frustration about not being able to walk or do something... but she can get around anywhere she wants by walking or crawling so I just dont get it. She still doesnt have any teeth so it could be that but it's weighing on my last nerve and this time needs to go by and she needs to stop the screaming!

Kaitlyn has finally started to babble now... when she isn't screaming she is almost constantly "talking" and making some constant sounds as well. She actually did say "Ma" once but no Mama came of it... I'm still waiting! I think she will be talking soon enough. She's got more important Gross motor skills to work on, I guess! She also has begun testing her vocals and how low and high her voice can go. Grandma Lois jokes and calls her "Madison" from the movie Splash because she squeals so high sometimes when she is doing it. She, of course, loves to squeal too. She's still doing her raspberries as well and she loves them! She will now fart and then make a raspberry and smile or laugh... she sure knows what sounds her farts make!!

Well when I get back from going insane from screaming, I'll update more!

Gamer Girl or Dare Devilette

So Kaitlyn's favorite thing to do lately is get into ALL of Daddy's video game systems that are in the entertainment center. Jon had to give Kaitlyn her own controller so that she would leave his alone while he plays games. She really just chews on it but it keeps her occupied for a bit at least. She spends a lot of time sticking her fingers in the memory card slots and in the vcr, trying to explore everything in the Entertainment center. She also is very good at opening the drawers that have all of the video game controllers and accessories in them.

I really let her do it until she is going to hurt herself or break something. I figure if I let her play with the things now she wont be too interested in them later on and I wont be digging cookies out of the Playstation or the VCR. I'm hoping she will get her fill of these things now and will stop chewing on them sooner or later! For now, our little explorer can have her adventures.

She just better give me a cut if she finds any gold or diamonds or anything worth money! Hahaha

Ohhhhhhh yeah I forgot to mention Kaitlyn is getting brave too, we were watching tv the other night and she was playing with her "push toy" and was pushing it around the living room. She managed to push it across the room and then walked around to the front of it and was pushing it backwards. She ended up getting it pushed up against the entertainment center. Since she keeps taking off the little doors on the front of it, she had a place to climb. We happen to notice that she climbed right in it and was standing there trying to reach things on the entertainment center! She's crazy, but I did manage to get a picture and a little video as proof. It's still on the camera and I will add it later.

Well when she starts climbing Mt. Everest I'll be sure to update. Hehehe

Smooooochie Smooch

Kaitlyn started doing Kiss noises today... well she's really sucking on her bottom lip but it sounds like Kisses so we're going with that! It's SO cute when she does it! Now I just have to work on her actually giving us kisses!!

Not much to write about, thats really the only new thing. Besides her getting much stronger and she's very speedy now with crawling and walking along stuff. She can get anywhere now! She still gets a little upset or frustrated when trying to get down from standing but she practices often. She stands next to something holding on and then bends down to pick things up or just touch the floor. She's getting there. She is also getting a lot better at walking while holding one hand. We're trying to get her to do that more often so that she will be ready to walk when she wants to.

Thats about it!

Something About Space

Well I cant believe how so much happens in just a week. This week Kaitlyn has learned to "get down" from standing. She's been practicing bending over now all week. She's so cute, she bends over and reaches down to touch the floor (to hold on) and then puts the other hand on the floor and plops her butt down on the floor. Oh man, it's so great to watch her! She's getting much better at not screaming her head off when she falls down from standing. Now when she falls to a sitting position, without banging her head on the floor and crying, we clap and tell her "Yay! Great Job." That way she knows that she did a good thing by sitting down from standing. I know it's hard for her to understand but it is so amazing when she does get it.

She's LOVING when WE understand HER. She will put her hand to her head to sign for Daddy and we say to her "Dada" when she does and she gets a GREAT big smile. Also because she fully understands the "Hi" sign (opening and closing hand to wave) she gets a huge smile when we do that too. She's getting so much better at understanding us and we are of her too and it seems like such a big deal to her that we do communicate what she is trying so hard to.

She's still teething like mad and this week she spiked a 103 fever one day and we were up all night with her screaming and screaming in pain. We think it was teething, anyway because she wanted nothing to do with a bottle or her pacifier or anything. She was just miserable. All I could do was pace the floor with her to keep her calm. I know she was hurting but she had Tylenol and Motrin to bring the fever down but it wasnt cutting it for the pain though. She's been better this week since then so thats a good thing.

Kaitlyn's hair is getting longer and I think it's going to have some body and curls to it. It's starting to curl up on top of her head... it's cute. She also has these cute curls on the sides of her head that turn into wings sometimes. I'm constantly pushing them back along the side of her head. I forgot to mention that she found her hair and ears. She grabs her ears to play with them and move them around and also when she is tired. I noticed, too, that she found her hair because when she's tired she will grab the hair on the sides of her head and pull it. It's funny but she doesnt mind it so she can do what she wants. I'm sure her pulling her hair is nothing compared to the reflux pain she gets!

As for her reflux, it's still sucks! She's still puking a lot and still in pain sometimes. Right now I have to call the Pediatrician or the GI to see about getting a dosage check because she is back to crying while eating and she's also not eating nearly enough again. She's cutting herself back again to about 14 ounces a day. Yesterday I gave her Maalox before her bottle and she actually ate 4 or 5 ounces but she has only been taking two or three at a time lately and thats just not enough for the calories she is burning! On that note, Kaitlyn is very into our food. I have to order her something when we go out to eat now. She get so mad if we she doesnt get to eat while we are or what we're eating. She eats just about everything we do now, except for things that will aggrivate her reflux of course. She doesnt get tomato sauces or anything like that. She does get some of our veggies, rice, potatoes and plain pasta.

As for gross motor skills, Kaitlyn is SO great at walking around the room with all her toys and her highchair and anything else she can grab on to to walk with! I even went and bought her a new pair of real sneakers with real bottoms. All the other shoes she has in the size she is wearing now (a size 2) are basically decorative and have no real soles on them. She likes to stand at restaurants and other places we go and walk around the highchair there or whatever she can and now that she has real shoes she can do that. They are cute too, I took a picture of them! Anyway, Kaitlyn and I built her a whole round circle of things so she can officially walk the entire room by herself. It's really great how independantly dependant she is, ha ha ha. Oh she's getting really good too at walking while only holding on with one hand. We've been practicing with her trying to get her brave enough to try it on her own. She is getting brave while standing on the couch and she will practice standing without holding on. She's actually not bad at it, if she wouldn't concentrate on it! When she doesn't pay attention to herself doing it, she can stand for a couple seconds.

Ah, anyway, I think that about sums up the week. We did go last night and buy Kaitlyn a coat. Though they don't make coats for babies under size 12months, so we had to get her one in that size. They really only make snow suits and stuff like that for babies that cover every part of their body... I guess they don't think a 7 month old would be walking and need her feet out! So we got her a cute dark pink coat with white stripes and a little butterfly and flowers on the front left side. At least it's big enough that it will fit her until spring. She does have a snow suit too but since it's been 60 degrees here lately (in FEB!) it's not needed.

Ok thats enough, this is long enough already! I'll update more soon!

Amazing Little Creature

Well I think Kaitlyn is amazing, in just a few short weeks she went from a whining, screaming, crying, frustrated child on her hands and knees to the Mistress of her Domain! She is so great at crawling now, not that she goes far, but she is exploring more of the room now and finding even more things to stand up with. She's mastered the standing up thing and she is starting to get even more confident with walking along the furniture and her toys. She's even starting to get into things she shouldn't be into! She's crawling over to the entertainment center now and getting a bit grabby and now she constantly heads for the wires hanging off my computer. I even got a picture of her yesterday "red handed" as she was grabbing the wires. Soon she will learn "No!" hehehe. Most of the time I do try to say "Please don't do that, Kaitlyn," but when it's something very important like the wires or something she will hurt herself with I have to say, "No!"

Kaitlyn has recently ventured into the kitchen and started "feeling" the cupboards. She hasn't tried to open them... probably becuase she never sees me open them, but she does scratch her hand on them. She loves to hear plastic bags too and she always plays with the ones on the floor that have stuff in them.

So, I forgot last week I decided to put away all of Kaitlyn's 3-6 month clothes. Most of it still fit her but I figured since she was 7 1/2 months old we should move her into the bigger stuff. SHe is now swimming in her 6-9 month stuff but the length is much better. She was getting a little tall for the 3-6month things. Jon says he likes these clothes because they are starting to look like real people clothes but miniture. Not that I dont love it too, but he said it! hehehe

Oh and Kaitlyn has decided that she would much rather have big people food than pureed baby food. So lately she has been getting waffles, mashed taters, and pretty much anything I'm eating. She was eating fried rice with me yesterday for lunch and some of my cheeseburger the other night and even some of my hamburger helper the night before that. I make it with ground turkey so it's not that fattening hahahaha! She's really enjoying the foods though so I let her eat them.

Well yesterday I finally got the chance to do something with Kaitlyn's hair. She's so cute and I call her my "Little Onion." She's just amazing and beautiful and so much fun! Even if she does things and I get frustrated or angry or whatever. She's not doing thing maliciously, I know, but in her frustration I become frustrated. It's so hard being a mother or even a parent but it is also the most rewarding thing to see her smile, hear her laugh or help her develop a new skill.

Jon and I were thinking back last night and remembering the first few weeks when Kaitlyn was born. When we were crying with Kaitlyn, severely sleep deprived and just feeling like the most horrible parents. I remember wondering if we made a mistake in choosing to have kids and feeling so incredibly inadequate. Wow did we soon realize that this was more meant to be than ever. It scares me and saddens me to think my hormones were so crazy those first few weeks that I could think that way! I guess when you dont get good sleep and your baby doesnt sleep or stop crying you tend to think and act a little crazy!

I wouldn't change anything for all the riches in the world. I think that first time parent experience is something every woman or man need to go through. Jon and I both know how hard it is now and though it will be just as hard next time, we'll know to expect it!

Anyway, I'm just so happy I get to share my life with the two most wonderful people in the world, Jon and Kaitlyn (and the worlds best cats, Toto and Max)! Alright, I'm done being sappy!

One Small Crawl For Baby...

I realize it's been a bit since I've updated, but with Kaitlyn getting so frustrated trying to crawl and wanting to stand everywhere on everything, I haven't had much time!

Jon and I went upstate for our Annual Wedding Anniversary Bed & Breakfast trip to Cornerstone Victorian (www.cornerstonevictorian.com) we just LOVE it there!! Doug and Louise (the innkeepers/owners) are amazing, wonderful, great people. Kaitlyn joined us, of course, and really enjoyed Doug and Louise and their smiling personalities! The B&B house is so wide open and there is a lot of space so Kaitlyn had all kinds of room to crawl around. Which over the last two weeks has really come along. She doesn't have as much room here to crawl around and she did much more there than she does here. Anyway, she finally crawls! However, she only crawls over to get to something she can stand up with/on. Ha Ha! She is getting so much stronger at standing and she thinks she is so great and funny when she stands there holding with one hand and looking at us like, "Hey, look what I can do, nah nah!" She's great and she's going to be walking around in no time. She's doing very well at walking along the furniture and she walks around her little activity table too.

Lately, Kaitlyn has been working on her consonants too. She sticks out her tongue and makes a "P" or "B" type sound a lot and then she will babble a bunch of other things too. Hopefully she will be saying something soon, anything... Mama would be great though! ha ha!

Anyway, we just got home from upstate and we're all tired and Kaitlyn is cranky from the drive. I'll be sure to update more, now that she isn't going to be whining constantly from frustration.

First Official Fall

Well this morning was Kaitlyn's first official fall... right on her head! You see, Kaitlyn loves to hang over the front of the couch to play with the toys under the couch or on the floor. Usually I'm there to grab a leg if she starts to head over too far. This morning she had just finished her bottle at about 8:30am and I went to go get myself something to drink. I heard a clunk on the floor and looked over to see my daughter who landed right on top of her head and fell on the floor. She cried instantly so I guess I knew she was pretty much ok. I was very surprised at myself that I didnt freak out. I calmly went over and picked her up and made sure she was ok, checked her head and neck and she seemed fine. So I hugged her and told her it would be ok, I think she was more scared than anything. It's amazing... it only took her a minute or so to calm down because I was being very calm about it. I think had a freaked out she would have been much worse in calming. So thats was our fun this morning! The other thing she did this morning was remember where her books were and got them. The other night I was reading her books and I put them down in the little holder on the side of the couch. You can get to it from either side of the arm of the couch so she made her way over to the side of the couch and I thought she was just playing with toys. I looked over at her and she was pulling her books out from the side of the couch! There are other things in there too and she didnt touch those, just pulled out her books. She's so smart! I cant believe she remembered right where they were! YAY!

Anyway, the last couple days I've noticed Kaitlyn is getting herself back to sitting if she is on her back. She rolls over to her belly and gets on her hands and knees and she can get back sitting up by herself finally. Thats one thing she was having trouble with. She's still not crawling yet, and still getting mad as heck when she tries, but she's making progress... she just doesnt know it yet! She still gets around to get her toys since Mommy lets her whine on the floor instead of going and getting everything for her and moving her where she needs to go. I hate hearing her upset but I know that if she doesnt get upset she wont push herself to learn to do it. She does great scooting around on the floor but really doesnt notice because she wants to crawl or walk so bad. I noticed when I'm really not paying attention to her and she knows I'm not, she doesnt scream and whine, she just plays and moves around on her butt to get whatever she wants. So I let her spend time on the floor and go to the bathroom or get involved in something so she can concentrate on playing.

Oh Yesterday she did another thing to prove she has a good memory! I pulled out her table and set it in front of her with the Spoon (the only thing that comes off the table - it's a rattle too) on the opposite side from her. Well my smart little cookie leaned over the table and grabbed the spoon. She remembered that was the one that came off and she wanted it! Kids really are smarter and understand a lot more than we think!!

So everyday Kaitlyn is getting better and better at standing and pulling up. She loves to pull up on the white wire shelving we have in the bathroom (which means I need to get something to anchor it to the wall) and she does it great! She's also getting great at pulling up on her Exersaucer and this morning she actually pulled up on the couch! Usually she needs something to wrap her hand around but now she just used the couch to do it. Yesterday she had to prove mommy wrong too! She was standing next to her Exersaucer and playing (she doesnt like going in it anymore) and I kept telling her to "hold on" like I do constantly. Well she decided to show Mommy that she didnt need to hold on and she could stand there on her own. So she turned her little head to look at me across the room as I said "hold on, Baby" she lets go and holds her hands out to the side and stood there on her own for about 2-3 seconds and then smiled and grabbed the Exersaucer again. She's a smart ass already just like Mommy and Daddy! All that did was make me believe more and more that she will be walking in the next couple months!

Kaitlyn is done going for rides in her swing as well and it's time to put it away. Everytime she goes in it now she grabs the legs on the swing and stops herself so there is no point in that anymore. So we have a lot of stuff to store away before it starts to snow and get too cold out to put it in the garage.

Ohhhhhhh yeah! She's also getting GREAT at grabbing her little "puffs" and putting them in her mouth. Though I can only give her a couple at a time because she puts them all in her mouth! She's mostly using the "rake" method to get the food in her hand and then puts her entire hand in her mouth to get the food in there. She is getting more control of her arms though and once in a while gets then between her thumb and index finger. She's almost got it and everyday we practice, about three times a day. She started getting three meals a day on Monday and it's been working out great. She gets cereal w/apples in the morning, some Fruit and Veggies in the afternoon and then a "Dinner" at night. Last night she had Chicken & Rice dinner and she seemed to like it. Though I can pretty much put anything her her mouth and she eats it! She likes food, just like Mommy!

I think that about sums up the week... it seems like a lot happens in a little time lately. It's amazing how fast she catches on with things! I just love her and her accomplishments, she makes me the happiest person alive!

Stand, Stand, Stand... Busy, Busy, Busy

Well it amazes me at how just in the last couple days Kaitlyn has gone from trying to crawl to wanting to stand ALL the time and walk (with our help of course). She's already standing up by herself (pulling up on the couch and us) and she makes us walk her around... she cruised around Olive Garden yesterday afternoon. She keeps pushing off of us if we are holding her because she wants to stand on the floor and walk around.
Last night she was standing up next to me chewing on my couch cushions. She's nuts... she stands up in her crib now, even if I put her in there for only a minute! She's only 6 months old... she needs to chill, I still want her to be a baby not a 7 month old toddler! She HATES being on her hands and knees and SCREAMS bloody murder when she is and cant go anywhere... she doesnt mind kneeling which she does a lot too but she really wants to stand!



Well I really think that in the next few months she will be walking. She really is busy busy busy lately and has to be standing or having me walk her around. She wont even sit to play with me for very long anymore. If we sit and try to play with toys she just reaches out and grabs my shirt or arm or leg or anything to pull herself up with. Then she stands there holding on to me with one hand and trying to lean down and play... like that works! Ha! ha! She ends up falling on her booty most of the time.

Yesterday while we went out shopping, she sat in the back seat and "talked" the whole drive. It took us about a half hour to get where we were going and she just practiced talking the whole way there. It was great... but I'm still waiting to hear Mama! Anyway, we did go get her her big girl car seat yesterday. We got a Britax Marathon and it is a rear and forward facing car seat and goes to 65lbs! It will last awhile, which is great! Jon and I had bought a car seat a long time ago (before she was born) and thought it was a rear and forward facing one but apparently when we got it out recently we realized it was only a forward facing one that goes from car seat to booster seat (up to 100lbs). So we are going to hang on to it and if/when we have another baby we will use the Britax we just bought for the new baby and the booster one for Kaitlyn. Seeing is she will definitely be a year old and 20lbs (I hope) by the time we have another one.

Anyway, I guess I'll write again if she starts doing anything else like running a marathon or something!

Pulling Up

Well for the last week Kaitlyn has decided she would rather stand than crawl. She is still working on crawling and getting very very frustrated in the process. I feel bad for her but I know she needs to learn on her own. She's getting there though. She pulls up now on anything she can, especially the crib which, even though she doesnt spend much time in there, needs to be lowered because she loves that she can hold on and pull herself up. She kneels (stands on her knees) great now and does it all the time. She's getting so big and she's still so tiny.

Kaitlyn definitely knows some Baby Signs now, she does Daddy all the time and she can wave Hi but still working on mastering the opening and closing of her fingers. She knows Up and she lifts her arms to be picked up. She also seems to be doing a "come here" type sign. It looks like she is doing the same thing I do when I hold my palms up and open and close my hands and tell her to "come here" when she is working on crawling. When she sees something she wants she does the "come here" thing. It's cute and I like that she is actually using some of the signs we are teaching her. I really think it will help when she is a toddler and cant express herself well enough.

So Kaitlyn had her first New Years and she almost stayed up with us to watch the ball drop but she fell asleep and actually slept in her crib for about two hours before she started screaming and I went up to get her and brought her down to sleep with us. Thats where she has been sleeping for awhile now since she is too big to sleep in her bassinet anymore. I always said I would never co-sleep (in the same bed) because I was so worried about her suffocating but it's actually been great. She sleeps better and rarely wakes up with the little screams she used to wake up with. I'm slowly giving her a chance to sleep in her crib everynight but I'm not pushing it. I figure over the next few months we can work on her being in her crib. Right now, this is easier for all of us and we all get the sleep we need. She still wakes up about 3 or 4 times a night but thats a lot better than the 6 or 7 it was. She isnt waking long and mainly just needs her pacifier and a little pat from me and she goes right back to sleep so it doesnt distrub me to have her next to me. I think it would be worse if I had to run up and down the stairs 4 times a night just to give her a pacifier. This works for now and we'll work it out over the next few months.

I have no idea what to expect from this new year, Kaitlyn is going to grow up at lightening speed and I know it's going to be amazing to watch. I'm so excited that soon she will be crawling, walking and talking. I'm dying to hear her say "Mama."

I Can do it Myself, Mama

Well I'm VERY excited to report that Kaitlyn fed herself today!! Well she is working on it and she managed to get a "Puff" in her mouth about four times. I'm so excited! She still can't pick things up between her thumb and index finger but she finally grabs them in her hand and trys very hard to get them in her mouth. I'm sure she'll be a pro in no time though!

For about a week or so Kaitlyn has really been working on crawling and she's getting better and better at pushing herself backwards, though she cries the whole time she is going backwards because it's not the way she wants to be going! She'll get it, she is practicing a lot lately.

Kaitlyn has also graduated to the bigger pacifier! My baby is really growing up. We decided last night to try the bigger one since she seemed to be having a bit of trouble sucking the other one and we couldnt figure out why. As soon as we popped the 6mo+ one in her mouth we noticed a difference!

Lately Kaitlyn has been doing so many things, she is drinking more from her sippy cup now but still chews on it more than drinking from it. She's learning her Baby Signs too, she started waving Hi by opening and closing her hand and she has been doing the sign for Daddy for a couple weeks. She loves to lay on her belly on the couch and wave Hi to the kitties when they walk near her. It's great to watch her, she's still learning to do it and she turns her hand as if she is saying Hi to herself. I think she does it to make sure she is doing it right. Kaitlyn also lifts her arms up to be picked up now, she's been doing it for a few days now.

Now on to the most important new Milestone! Kaitlyn has always loved to stand, since she was born practically. Well for the last few days she has been working on pulling herself up to standing and absolutely loves doing it. I think she would rather do that than crawl! She needs to learn to crawl so she can get to something to pull herself up. Anyway, I guess Kaitlyn is going to be taking after her daddy, Jon started walking at about 9 months so at the rate Kaitlyn is going she probably will be too.

It's so amazing to watch the progress she makes everyday. Watching how much stronger she's getting and the new things she can do. I love seeing her face when she pulls herself up with my arm and stands there next to me. It's the most amazing thing and she gets so happy that she did it! Jon and I both love hearing Kaitlyn laugh as well, it's the cutest thing. We usually "get" her belly when we change her diaper and she just laughs and laughs and laughs. She's starting to laugh now at silly faces when I make them and I just love it, it helps that I love acting silly too though!

So far Christmas has been good, we spent the afternoon today at Aunt Donna & Uncle Charlie's house and had chinese food for dinner. It was a nice quiet afternoon and Kaitlyn enjoyed playing on the floor with Aunt Donna and her stuffed animals.

Well we're off to practice more crawling!

The Plague This Close to Christmas?!?!

Well I see it has been awhile since I've had a chance to write. I have tried many times to catch up and well, I'll explain...

First of all, Kaitlyn turned 6 months on Dec 13th and we went to the Dr and she was 25" long and 15lbs 13oz. The Dr said she looks great and was so amazed at how well she sits up (even though she has been doing it for 2 months now). She was sitting on the exam table tearing up the paper again and having a riot doing it. Her Zantac was increased too and other than that everything is wonderful. She got one shot and did really well with it. Kaitlyn doesn't go back for another "Well visit" until she is 9 months! That's in March!! I can't believe how fast the time goes, I'm enjoying every minute of it while I can!!

Now, about our trip to the City, it was great! We went to Toys R Us in Times Square and bought Kaitlyn a shirt and a Geoffery the Giraffe doll as her first souvenir. We had lunch/dinner in Times Square too at the Applebees and Kaitlyn actually enjoyed eating some of my rice. In fact she was very vocal about wanting some... especially if I wasnt fast enough in giving it to her hehehehe. Then we took the trip up to see the tree and other than the 18 million people all doing the same thing, it was as beautiful as ever. We took some pictures, Ooo'd and Ahh'd and then headed for home! The weather wasn't too bad that day and it really did turn out to be a great first trip into the city with Kaitlyn.

After our trip to the city it was just about time to head to Michigan again to see Grandma Debbie and Grandpa and Kaitlyn's cousins. We left on Wednesday night and spent time with my niece Lisa and her family and the babies loved playing with each other. I wish we lived closer so they could play more often but at least when we go home to visit it will be special because she will get to see them again. Lisa and Brian got Kaitlyn a cute gift too, it was a little Bongo and Tamborine toy that plays music, she loves it too and plays with it constantly!

After spending sometime with the cousins, Kaitlyn got to see and spend some time with Grandpa! Friday we celebrated Christmas with them and they gave Kaitlyn some money to help buy her car seat that was have to get soon. They also gave her a little Cow hand puppet. Then we went to dinner at the Chinese buffet and had a good time eating! Kaitlyn enjoyed having more rice there! She spent a little more time with Grandpa and then it was time to go see Grandma Debbie.

We spent some time with Grandma Debbie and cousins Kinsley and Derek on Friday night and then Saturday was the Christmas celebration with Grandma and her family. We had a really good time, there was lots of food and Kaitlyn had some broccoli, ham and buscuit. She really enjoyed all the people and the food! She got some really great gifts too. She got some Little Touch Leap Frog books and a beautiful outfit from Aunt Sheri and Uncle Glenn, A bath toy from Jimbo and Peggy, A Turtle toy from Uncle Jim and Aunt Erica and I think that was it. Later that night we went back to Grandma's house and Grandma had even MORE presents for little Miss K-T-Poo. Grandma bought her two great "Baby's first Christmas" ornaments and got her some little bath toy squirters and also a pretty white "Baby's First Christmas" stocking. She also gave her some money to help pay for her new car seat too!

Anyway, we had a great time in Michigan, and it will be exciting to see everyone when we go back next year! Kaitlyn will be a year old and it will be interesting to see how much she will have changed by then!

Now on to the PLAGUE! Sunday we got up at 4:30am to leave and drive home from Michigan. When I woke up I had a sore throat, as we were driving home I just kept getting sicker and sicker and noticed Kaitlyn started getting a runny nose as well. By Monday Kaitlyn and I were MISERABLE we both had colds (or so I thought). This entire past week Kaitlyn and I have been very sick with sore throats, coughs, congestion, stuffy head and nose, and fevers! I finally decided to go to the Dr because after 5 days my sore throat was not going away. I found out I had Strep throat and 2 ear infections. I took Kaitlyn by the Ped's office and she was fine. They said it's very rare for a child her age to get Strep and that it doesnt usually stick to their throats. Other than her runny, stuffy nose and congestion she is doing very well. I'm on antibiotics and I'm feeling much better too! I have been using Little Colds to treat Kaitlyn's symptoms and it's a great product. I use it twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed and it helps to keep her nose dry and her cough supressed. Though she doesnt seem to be clearing up yet... I'll have to keep watch and see how she is in a few days.

Now on to bigger and better things!! Kaitlyn is very very very close to crawling! She is now scooting on her butt, slowly inching her way around and she can now push herself backwards while on her knees. She just has to figure out the going forward part! She really is doing well. She still can not go from lying flat to sitting and chooses not to roll over, instead she would rather yell until Mommy comes to sit her up! hehehehe It's so amazing to watch her learn and perfect her movements. We watched her practicing and exercising last night. She was on her knees and she was switching back and forth leaning on her right hand, then left, then right, then left. It's just incredible how much she can learn in only a couple days.

We put the tree up last night as well. It was actually quite emotional for Jon and me both. Decorating the tree and listening to Christmas carols with Kaitlyn as a family. Kaitlyn even hung her own ornaments (the one's Grandma Debbie got her), sort of. She did need our help because all she wanted to do was chew on them, but she did finally let us put them on the tree. Today, Christmas Eve, we're going to be celebrating with Grandma Lois, Aunt Donna & Uncle Charlie, and Aunt Michelle. Tonight Grandma, Kaitlyn, Jon and I will be going to Church and then tomorrow we get to have our first official Fuchs Family Christmas! The stockings are hung on the entertainment center with care (yeah, no mantel hahahaha) and we're just waiting for Santa to bring us good Cheer! Tomorrow afternoon we're going to go out to Uncle Charlie & Aunt Donna's to have Chinese food for Christmas dinner!! It should be a great weekend!

I think that about sums it up.

Hopefully Kaitlyn will enjoy her first Christmas, or at least be able to look back and like the pictures we took! :) I know I have a lot to celebrate this year, my Christmas present came early and she is the most amazing, most precious gift I could have ever received and I Thank God everyday that I was blessed with my little Miracle. Last year at this time Kaitlyn was in my belly about the size of a grain of rice and I was only imagining what Motherhood and being a Family was really going to be like. It is everything I imagined and a heck of a lot more and I wouldnt trade it for all the money or gifts in the world.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good weekend!

Pureed Pears Between My Toes

So last night I'm feeding Kaitlyn some pears and she was only wearing a onesie. Since she just loves her feet now and they have become one of her favorite new toys she decided to stick them in her mouth while eating. Hahahaha It was so funny, she had pears all over her hands and feet and between her little toes. Each time I would give her a bite she would stick a finger or toe in her mouth. Then she would suck on it a bit to get the pears down. She is a little crazy girl! I just love her! Hahahahaha

I forgot to mention last time I wrote that Kaitlyn actually used her sippy cup the other day and drank out of it. She did it all by herself, she loves to hold it and put it in her mouth and this time she actually sucked on it and drank a little bit of the water that was in it. I only put a very small amount because the water is so thin and she can't handle it but she did it. She's getting so very big and every day more independant!

So far the soy is still going good. We'll see in a few days onces the other formula is out of her system. She did sleep a bit better last night than the past few days but I still need a good nights rest!

Anyway, today we are taking a trip into New York City to see the big tree and all of the wonderful Christmas lights! It should be a good day today, it's supposed to be nice weather! We'll write all about it later!

So Much in so Little Time

Well in the past two days so much has happened! Yesterday after about 2 months of being in her Exersaucer and us showing her how to make the music play, she finally did it herself. Only once but she did it! There is a button in the shape of a monkey on top of a little truck that you push to make animal sounds and music play, I'm so glad she knows what it does, even if she only pushed it once so far!!!

Kaitlyn has been getting Soy formula since yesterday, she doesnt seem to be doing too bad on it either. So far, we woke up this morning with no diarrhea! She did have a bad night last night with gas and everything and was up all night with tummy pains, but we got through it. The Soy hasn't changed her spit up or puking at all, she is still doing both. It seems to be thicker when it comes up as compared to the Alimentum.

Anyway, today she seems to be doing ok on the Soy and she had a big appetite at lunch! She ate Sweet Potatos, a few noodles, Gerber Veggie Puffs and had her Biter Cookie in her new Net feeder thing. She can't actually grab the little food yet but she is working on it. She does very well chewing on things sort of and was enjoying her lunch. She did puke a few times after but at least she enjoyed it and it wasnt painful coming back up!

Last night was Kaitlyn's first bath in the big tub and she had a good time. She was splashing around trying to get her little mini ducks. She really doesnt have any bath toys and I think it's time to get her some but she seemed to enjoy herself anyway.

My baby is really growing up!! I went to the store yesterday and got her a bunch of Stage 2 foods so we can try them out soon. I want to get her over the diarrhea first but even that seems to be coming along well. Hopefully it will all be over soon!!

Little People Eating Big People Food

Just wanted to make sure I got it down. Kaitlyn sat with me and ate my KFC mashed potatos tonight out of the container. She enjoyed it so much and really liked the potatos!! She ate quite a bit and I'm hoping it will help her diarrhea.

We did go see the Pediatrician today because since she has been going on with diarrhea for 5 days now they wanted to make sure she was ok. She's fine and we just have to keep lubing up her butt so the rash stays under control.

I found out recently that tummy viruses can cause temporary Lactose intolerance and I'm going to try some Soy formula for a few days and see if Kaitlyn's diarrhea gets better and it will also be a trial run for next month. After we get to the end of this batch of Alimentum we bought, we want to see if Kaitlyn can be switched to Soy, so this will be a test to see how she does for almost a week. It should give us a good idea.

Well... she is whining and I think it's time for bed so I'll update in a few days after we see how the Soy is going.

Visit to the Pediatric GI

Kaitlyn had a blast today at the GI, she sat on the exam table and mutilated the paper she was sitting on. By the time she was done (the Dr came in) she had only the piece left under her butt, legs and feet left. Jon and I wished we would have had the camera!! We laughed for a good 20 minutes while she shredded the paper and loved every minute of it. Anyway besides her tummy issues and diarrhea the GI said she looked great and wanted to up her Zantac a bit for her weight gain but wants to wait until she gets over the diarrhea since Zantac can make diarrhea worse.

Anyway Kaitlyn is now 26 inches (I didnt think we would be here yet... it's TIME to stress about a new car seat now...) and she is 15lbs 7ounces. I'm amazed she is so big. She is still perfectly on her curve and thats great, 50% for both height and weight!!

Kaitlyn still has her diarrhea today, bad... she's pooped green water about 8 times a day... poor thing. She has a bad rash on her butt from the diarrhea irritating the skin too and I've been lathering on the Balmex and Vaseline... it seems to help a bit when it's nice and thick.

She is handling being sick very well and even the GI noticed how great she is acting even though her butt and tummy hurt. I'm so proud of her for dealing with things so well. She's such a strong girl, sometimes I think she is much stronger than her mommy!!!

The GI also mentioned what a great sitter she was at such a young age. She said she cant believe she's sitting so perfectly and that her 7 month old cant even sit yet! YAY!! Way to go Kaitlyn!

Baby's 1st Snow Day!

Well first of all Kaitlyn slept all night in her crib!! She looked like such a big girl in there last night. I decided since she wasnt feeling well to leave her be in her crib and she did great. She slept there all night and woke up this morning at 7!

When we got up this morning there was SNOW SNOW SNOW! It's beautiful out and it's Kaitlyn's very first snow day! I even took a picture out of Kaitlyn's bedroom window today so she can look back and see her very first snow day!

Hopefully she will be feeling a bit better today and not so sick. I think I will give her some Pedialyte today if she still has diarrhea. I know I hate when I'm sick, so it must be really hard for someone so little and who doesnt really know whats going on.

I'll be here for her though so we'll all get through this! In the mean time we can try to enjoy the snow!

Crying, Tummy Aching, Pooping and Miserable

Well I think it's official that Kaitlyn is sick. She had mucosy poop this morning and diarrhea the rest of the day. She has been grunting and whining and crying all day because her tummy hurts. The poor girl is miserable. She has a fever of 101 and has been crying most of the day because she just doesnt feel well at all.

Well the good thing is that she's eating again but it hurts her tummy when she does so she grunts and crunches up her tummy for awhile afterwards and I feel bad but she needs to eat. She's still puking like crazy but hopefull she will get through this soon. She's also got her first diaper rash which I'm sure is a result of the diarrhea! I feel so bad for her because I know it hurts. The weird thing is, is that it looks just like the rash she just got over on her face not too long ago.

I just feel so bad for my poor little baby, she has never been sick like this. She is sleeping in her crib tonight for the first night ever... not sure if we are going to leave her there especailly while being sick, but she is there now and sleeping so we'll see when we decide to go to bed if we will leave her there or take her down to the bassinett... she had a VERY rough time going to sleep last night. She had to lay with me in bed to even go to sleep. I was going to let her sleep with us but finally did put her in the bassinet and she woke up screaming so many times.

Well, I'm hoping she starts feeling better tomorrow and we can all get out of this funk. The poor baby is miserable and I hate seeing her like this. This is her first time ever getting watery diarhea like she has and I know she doesnt like it either. I guess we'll just see how things are going and how she is feeling in the morning.

Upside Down Through the Roller Coaster Loops

Well it looks like we are back on the Reflux Roller Coaster again. Today has been bad for Kaitlyn. She has been puking and not eating again. She ate this morning while half asleep and then went back to sleep. Then she only ate an ounce and a half from her next bottle and even getting that in her was a battle. She was fighting me and hitting the bottle away and turning her body around to get away from her bottle. She was also taking a suck and then crying, sucking then crying and it was just a pure battle trying to get her to eat the small amount she did eat. She was fighting her baby food earlier too and was spitting it out and wiping it all over herself today. I know she isnt feeling well.

For the last couple days she has been crying a lot, most of the day and nothing was really soothing her. Today is no different except for she isnt eating and she is puking more.

I feel bad for her today and I wish there was something I could do to make her feel better.
Here is a picture of Kaitlyn in her high chair, this is how she likes to sit in it after eating. She's so cute, even if she does feel miserable today. You can see it on her face, huh?

Big Girl in the High Chair

Today was the first day Kaitlyn sat and ate in her High Chair. She's so little in it but it worked. I had to dig it out from behind all the stuff in her room but it's finally out here so we can use it. She's getting so big now she is going to have to learn how to be in it! After she ate I put the toys on the chair from her swing and she decided to put her feet up and kick at them. Like I said, she is still little in the chair so she can put her feet over the littl "play" tray. I think she would be ok in there with the big eating tray but for now we'll just get her used to it!!

I think she likes that she can watch tv at a normal height in it too!! We'll see how things go. My job is to clean the rest of the room here so we have room to actually have her high chair in it!

She's sleeping right now so I'm off to get her laundry!

So much in So Little Time

Well the past few days a lot has happened. Saturday we went to get our Family photo, Christmas and Winter photos. It was such a long long day too. Our appointment was at 11am and we didnt get in to get our pictures done until almost 2pm. Kaitlyn started to get tired towards the end of the photos but she did a fabulous job and smiled and laughed in every one! All of our pictures are posted in our Fuchs Family Shutterfly collection as well as many pictures from Thanksgiving and our visit to Michigan a couple weekends ago.
I dont think the pictures of us as a family came out too bad! The ones of Kaitlyn are amazing! She is so beautiful and I was so proud of her for posing and smiling and being so good even though she was tired!

Kaitlyn is getting even more independent than ever! She sits up like a pro now and has been for a couple weeks now. Since she started sitting for only a few seconds at 4 months to now where she can sit for minutes at a time playing with her toys. She sits on the couch and sits on the floor she sits anywhere. She really wants to get going too. She isn't the best at rolling around, but she can roll over. She doesnt put herself in a sitting position from laying down but she will get down on her belly from a sitting position and then roll to her back.

Kaitlyn is really trying so very hard to crawl. She will get down on her belly and pull her knees up and pull herself forward with her arms. She is very active and get so very frustrated when she cant get where she wants to be fast enough! I think it will be happening very soon she can not sit still at all! She wont lay still anymore after eating, she has to roll around the couch or sit up and play.

Kaitlyn also chooses which toy she wants to play with. She picks them up and changes hands with them and she knows which parts are the teething parts and everything. She is very smart. Today she was hanging toys on her feet.I kept giving them to her and she would toss them on the floor. I would pick them up and give them back... we did this over and over until I realized she only threw one on the floor so I gave it back again and when I looked at her she had the toys hanging off of her foot. I got a picture and of course I have to put it in here.
She's such a cutie!

Let's see what else is new... the foods Kaitlyn has eaten now are Apples, Pears, Bananas, Squash, Sweet Potatos and YoBaby Apples & Cereal. Next week we might try peas again or Carrots. We're still staying away from Peaches for now but perhaps soon we'll get back into those. Kaitlyn loves her foods now. She even cries when it's time to have some! We've even tried some mixed things and she likes them so far. She had some Apples, Pears and Bananas mixed and we have a jar of Apples and Cherries to try too soon!

Kaitlyn is getting very helpful with her bottle as well. She has been trying to hold it and was holding it for a bit with help but now she holds it for a few seconds by herself. I think the Dr Browns bottles are a little long and harder for her to keep up. They always seem to fall down while she is holding them. She's having fun practicing though!

I'm sure she'll get it in time. She really loves practicing all the things she is learning. I'm sure there are more things to come too!

First Thansgiving!

Kaitlyn had celebrated her first Thanksgiving at her Aunt Donna's house in Ronkonkoma, NY this year. Everyone was there, Mommy, Daddy, Kaitlyn, Grandma Lois, Aunt Michelle, Aunt Donna, Uncle Charlie, Cousin Nancy, Cousin Tom, Great Aunt Janet and Great Aunt Marilyn. Uncle Charlie and Aunt Donna's kitty Jack was there too of course! She had a great time visiting with everyone. She did get tired and had to nap but overall it wasnt too bad of a day for her. She isnt used to being around large groups of people yet so she got a bit overstimulated and was fussy, however, we all enjoyed the day very much.

Kaitlyn got to try a couple of new foods that day, she got a very tiny piece of turkey, a spot of mashed potatos and a tiny bit of turnips. She only really swallowed the piece of turkey and spit everything else back out but I'm hoping she got a taste of it anyway.

As for new foods we started Kaitlyn on some new foods! So far she has been eating Butternut Squash baby food and she really likes it. She also gets her fruit during the day too. Not to mention the fact that she is eating more solids now at each feeding. She is still only eating her 4 bottles a day which have dwindled down to only 4 or 5 ounces each but she is eating 4oz Stage 2 jars of baby food 2-3 times a day as well! She does puke a lot of it up but she is still eating it.

Once a week now I also give Kaitlyn some YoBaby yogurt. She has only had the Apple & Cereal flavor but she seems to like it. I don't give her much as I think she has a bit of a sensitivity to dairy but she seems to be able to handle a little bit once a week or so.

Our next goal is to try more veggies now so we can get her into eating more of a variety of foods.

The only other "new" thing is that we finally got Kaitlyn a sippy cup, which she loves to put up to her mouth and chew on. She loves that she can hold it and move it around but she hasnt quite figured out how to actually drink from it yet.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Longest Short Trip ever

Well Kaitlyn got to take her second trip to Michigan this past weekend. Overall it was a great trip and seeing Grandma and Grandpa was wonderful.

On Friday when Jon got home from work he took a little nap after dinner and we left that night right after Kaitlyn's last bottle and she slept the entire 10 hour drive there. We got to my moms (where we were staying) at 8am Saturday. Jon was tired from driving most of the way and took about an hour nap or so, I stayed up and fed Kaitlyn and visited with my mother for awhile. My mother went over and got Kaitlyn's cousins Derek and Kinsley and at 11:30 we went to JCPenny and got some Christmas photos of the three kids together. When we got back I got ready quick and we drove 45 mins to the other side of town to my Dad's birthday party. We had a great time at the party and we loved seeing Grandpa!! I probably had tears in my eyes the whole time because he looked so happy and he told me just having me there was the one thing he wanted most for his birthday! Jon kept trying to get Kaitlyn to take a nap at the party because all day she had not slept but maybe 10 mins here or there. She desperatly needed a nap. He tried everything, even taking her out to the car and she would not sleep. She was SOOOOO overly tired. Anyway, we left the party and drove another 45 mins back to my moms and Jon went to bed. I fed Kaitlyn her last bottle and tried everything to get her to go to sleep but since she was so overly tired she couldnt sleep. I was so incredibly tired myself since I hadn't slept since Thursday night. I thought maybe if I took Kaitlyn in the bedroom in the dark and rocked her she would fall asleep. She DID! I was so happy, I went to put her down in the Pack N Play (not hers - one my mom put up for her) and she laid there for about 5 mins and woke up screaming. We went through this about 5 times before I finally decided since she was sleeping just fine in my arms that I would just leave her there and let her sleep with us in the bed. So her and I got a few hours of sleep after all that trying to get her to sleep. I think she just didnt like the pack n play because she wasnt used to it or something. I was extremely grateful about my mother being so nice as to let Jon and I have the bed and she and her hubby slept in the living room. It was great, after driving so long, to have a comfortable place to sleep!!

So we got up Sunday morning (I got up at 6:30 and woke Jon at 730), my mom made us breakfast (Thank God hahaha she makes good food!), we visited for a bit and we left at 8am just after Kaitlyn's first bottle. She did really well in the car on the way home until we got to New Jersey (I HATE THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE!!!!). She was so sick of sitting in her seat so I did the worst thing ever and while caught in traffic at the GW Bridge I took her out of her seat and let her look around and stuff... She was crying and fussy by then and who wouldnt be after being in the car seat for 12 hours?? We finally got home at 9pm and when she went to bed I could see how happy she was to be in her bassinet!! Hahaha

Anyway, it was a good trip besides all the driving and Kaitlyn is finally getting back to herself.

Besides the trip, Kaitlyn tasted mashed potato for the first time Monday night and gagged on them. We also picked up some YoBaby yogurt and she seems to like it. We got the Apples and Cereal kind and she ate it. It seems to be a little thin for her but at least she likes it. I'm only going to give her one or two a month for now while she is still young. We picked up more fruit for her and we also got her a couple of mixed jars too. They have Apples, Bananas and Pears in one and Apples and Cherries in the other. We'll see how she does with them after we give the yogurt a few days. She also tried Butternut Squash yesterday too which she didnt seem to gag on but she was crying while eating it. We'll try that again a little later today and see how it goes.

Oh my mother also got Kaitlyn some beautiful clothes! I havent decided which outfit she is going to wear for Thanksgiving but it's a toss up between two of them! They're adorable. She got her some larger ones too that I cant wait til she fits into. She got her a really cute Christmas dress too that hopefully she will fit into by the time Christmas comes and when we go home to Michigan again in a few weeks. It's a 6-9 months so it will probably be big but hopefully she can wear it.

We're going Saturday to get Kaitlyn's Christmas/Winter pictures done too. I cant wait to see how beautiful she will be in her little outfits. We're going to get a family picture done too, which will be our first one since she was born. Then later in December we're going to take Kaitlyn to get her first picture at the Mall with Santa!

Well I've got laundry to do if Kaitlyn is going to wear one of these outfits tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Tomorrow should be an exciting day!

Damn Those Shots!

Well Monday Kaitlyn had her shots and Tuesday she had a 102 fever and was miserable all day. She was crying and crying and crying and just felt horrible. She slept a lot and she was puking and just having a rough day... poor girl.

Tuesday and Wednesday weren't terrible, actually besides all the puking, but today is a whole other story. She has been miserable just about since she woke up. She's been crying and fussy all day and she was up about 5 times last night screaming and I had to get her back to sleep. I hate how she does that... she must get so freaked out... I know I would if I kept getting woken up by something causing me to scream and cry. I wish I could stop it for her. She's been doing it all day today while napping too. Her reflux is bad today, she's been coughing and choking and spitting up and puking from the time the bottle is done and leaves her mouth until she either falls asleep or eats again. Although she is still refluxing in her sleep because she gets woken up by it and chokes and coughs and starts to cry.

It's really terrible that this poor tiny defenseless girl has to deal with this everyday of her life. I hate it for her... I hate it for me... I hate it for all the babies!

5 Months Old Now

We went to see the Pediatrician today who says Kaitlyn looks wonderful and healthy. She was a whopping 14lbs 13oz and 24 1/4" tall. Kaitlyn even thought it was funny when she farted at the Doctor while she was examining her! The Doctor also complimented me on how well I am doing as a parent. She said I have come a long way especially when having to deal with a baby with reflux. As far as Kaitlyn's reflux goes, she is doing very well... the Pediatric GI Dr increased her dosage of Zantac to 1mL 3x's a day now and since she did Kaitlyn hasn't needed Maalox much at all and has really only been whiney because of her teeth. She got two shots today too so I'm sure she will be crabby and have a fever for the next couple days. Thats ok though... thats what they make Tylenol for!

The Dr also said since Kaitlyn doesn't like the baby food veggies that we can start to let her taste whatever we're eating!! If we have veggies, we can smoosh 'em up and let her taste it. She said we can let her try anything we want... even meats. Of course they have to be chopped very very tiny but she said even just to get it in her mouth so she gets the taste is great. She gets to try a sippy cup soon too!! She's getting so big I can't believe it. I think it's time to put her in her highchair finally... still looking for a place to put the darn thing though! Hahahaha

I think we're going to take a big step too and put Kaitlyn to bed at night in her big girl crib. I think 5 months of sleeping in her bassinet next to mommy is long enough. It just means when she wakes up screaming, mommy's gotta run up the stairs to get her!! Oh well, I need the work out! She hasnt been waking up much lately so I think she'll be just fine! I think I'm the one that will miss her being there most!! hahahahaha Yeah mommy has some attachment issues but how could I not be attached to someone so amazing and beautiful?? I'm sure I'll be writing about how thats going down the road but we'll see how it goes.

Coming up this month Kaitlyn has 2 trips to go on!! This coming weekend, November 18th is Grandpa's 70th birthday so we're taking a trip home only for one day to see him for his birthday and we're going to see Grandma Debbie too. It's going to be so nice to see them and they can see how much Kaitlyn has grown. We're also going to be taking a trip again to Michigan in Dec to see Grandma Debbie for her birthday too! While we are there we are going to get together with Great Aunt Sheri and Uncle Glenn and Cousin Lindsey to have dinner and celebrate Christmas. We're very excited about that and can't wait to see everyone!!

We're going to take Kaitlyn to get her Christmas photo's done and a family photo. YAY! My very first family photo! It's just too bad we can't get the kitties in the picture with us... I'll have to put them in it with a picture editor!! hahahahaha

Well I'll add a picture of Kaitlyn in her Christmas dress when we go get the photos done. That's all for now!

Mastered a New Trick

Well Kaitlyn has been doing raspberries since the one she did out of the blue earlier. She had no prompting today at all other than the past week or so we've been doing it to her to try to get her to do it. She didnt seem to have any interest in it... then out of no where tonight she does it and she has been doing it all night long!!! She's got it just about mastered!

Kaitlyn continues to amaze me with how she seems to instantly start doing things. I just love it... she made me so incredibily happy tonight by doing this. I cant help but laugh when she does it because it is so cute!! I'm so glad I got video of her doing it!!

Well... now on to the next thing... "saaaaaaaaay Mmmma mmmma!!!!" :)

Raspberries

Today Kaitlyn finally tried doing a "raspberry" today!! She was doing her favorite things as of late and flipping out of her boppy pillow and laying face down in the couch. She ended up on the couch right side up and she was ptttttttth-ing while laying there. I have been trying to get her to do it for about a week now. She just now started to try it!! I hope she can get it, it's so cute when she does the things I teach her!! Like her screeching!! hahahaha it's great!!

Now she is standing on Daddy's lap and screeching in his face. She's so beautiful!!

Ok I'm off to play!

Things I've Noticed...

There are things I have noticed about Kaitlyn and her growth that I'm not sure I have mentioned here. I just want to make sure I take the time to write them down.

For the past few weeks or so Kaitlyn has been doing so well eating. Even trying her hardest to help hold her bottle and feed herself. Although most of the time she is ripping the bottle out of her mouth and making a mess of her face.... she is still trying!! Most of her bottles are 6 ounces now and she gets about 24 ounces total a day. There are a few days here and there that she only eats 20 ounces but still most of them are 24 ounce days. She also loves her fruit, Bananas, Apples and Pears being her most favorite. She has been eating about 2 full Stage 1 jars of fruit twice a day. We're actually going to start buying the Stage 2 jars since she is wanting to eat more and it is more quantity for about the same amount of money as the Stage 1 jars!!

We recently found out that we may be able to get some help with Kaitlyn's formula through our health insurance company. We're working with the Pediatrician now to get it all worked out so they can help us pay for it. It's so very expensive... we figured it to be about $50 a week just for her formula. That doesn't include the cereal and baby food she is eating as well... so she's a bit of an expensive kid but worth every penny and more!!

Kaitlyn has been able to spend more and more time on her back and tummy lately and I'm grateful! She's really learning to roll over quite well and she's trying so very hard to get moving!! I got some wonderful video of her playing with her "soft" books and of her trying to crawl!! She's working on it and getting there but she does have a lot of fun playing with her toys on the blanket! She's really getting mobile even though she isn't crawling! I can put her on the floor and go do dishes and turn around a couple minutes later only to see her 3 feet from where she was!! She's a very good inch-wormer! hahahaha Today she was even laying on her tummy with her small monkey pillow under her chest and she push that along under her as she moved on the blanket. She probably moved better with it since it's a soft satin-like nylon material!! She never stays put, even in her boppy on the couch... she used to lay in it or sit up and play with her toys but now she goes rolling out of it, ends up laying across it sideways and practically flips over on her belly in it. It's great!! She's getting so big so fast!

She's very chatty as well, not really saying anything in particular but trying to get the constants sounds now. She loves to make this growling-like throaty sound and her and I do it back and forth to each other all day. She loves to screech and squeal and giggle. I even MADE her laugh outloud at me yesterday! Sometimes she will just giggle on her own at things but I was playing with her and she looked right at me and laughed out loud! It was great and it made me feel all gooey inside!

I've noticed too that Kaitlyn is very into touching things now and feeling new textures. I went and got some toys for her from a lady I know with kids and a few of them are soft blocks with texture on them and she likes to feel them. She feels my pants, the pillows on the couch, the blankets and our shirts. She just puts her little hand on things and slides it up and down and scratches her nails on it and is really trying to learn about the world around her. It's amazing to watch her grow into this little person.

Well she just woke up from her nap and is screeching in the monitor, I guess she wants out! It's time for some fruit anyway!!

She's almost 5 months now so that big update will be coming up soon!! I'm going to look into Baby proofing materials and getting out the instructions for the baby gate for the top of the stairs!!

Miles of Stones

Well it seems everyday Kaitlyn is getting bigger and getting better at everything she does. Lately Kaitlyn has spent more time on her back and belly and she is working on mastering rolling over from front to back and she also pulls her knees up under her. She really wants to get going and gets frustrated when she can't. It's so cute to watch her as she figures out what she can and can't do. She has so much fun lately playing with her "soft books" on the floor. She has a set of Sesame Street books that each make a noise and we also got her a "My Kitty" soft book which she LOVES to chew on.

Kaitlyn is GREAT at night, when it's bed time she goes in her bassinet and she will play for a few minutes with her baby doll, who we call "Baby" and then she will go to sleep on her own. She wakes up and doesnt cry either, she is all smiley and when she sees me come to get her she kicks her legs and flings her arms. She even did VERY well with her nap yesterday. She went to sleep in her crib and woke up a couple times but fell back asleep and had a good 2 hour nap in her crib. I was so proud of her! She's really getting to be a big girl.

Kaitlyn has been feeling a lot better lately. The increased Zantac seems to be helping a lot. She has only needed to get Maalox one time since we started the bigger dose. She gets it three times a day and it seems to cover her all day now. She's still spitting up but not in pain when it happens so thats a good thing. Her rash is completely cleared up and she is a happy little baby again!! She's been eating 20-24 ounces of formula a day still and eating 2 whole jars of fruit!! Sometimes she wants more than that too but we dont want to push it. If she starts getting more she starts throwing up the food. She loves her fruit though!

We did try to do veggies and she continues to gag and puke on them and spit them out. We're going to give that a break for awhile and concentrate on the fruits for now since she enjoys them so much. Kaitlyn even lets me know when it's time for fruit. She cries at about 11am and 7pm and thats "food from a spoon" time!! :) She's so much fun and she loves to eat like mommy and daddy. She's very interested in what we are doing.

She's been teething a LOT lately too. It's a pain because sometimes it makes her reflux worse and she is cranky a lot too. Sometimes I wish she would just get the teeth already to give her a break. If it's not puke or spit up or pain from reflux it's teething pain. I wish for her to have just a normal happy day as a baby. She's getting there though. She's a lot happier these days and a lot more happy than she is cranky so thats a relief!

She still loves to grab her foot... I say foot because she really only sits there with the left foot in her left hand. She doesn't do anything with her foot, just sits there holding it. Ah well, I'm happy she is discovering her parts! :) Although I've noticed one of her favorite "toys" is my hand. She loves to look at me open and close it and he loves to hold it and move my fingers around and chew on them.

On Nov 18th, which is Grandpa's 70th birthday, we're leaving to take another trip to Michigan. We're only going for the day to have lunch with Grandma Debbie and then have a Birthday dinner with Grandpa. It's going to be a long weekend but it will be great to see my dad and for Kaitlyn to get to see Grandma and Grandpa again.

I Can Touch my Toes!!

Well we figured out that Kaitlyn had to have had some kind of virus for the last two weeks. The Dr's think it might have been Fifths Disease or something but they dont know. That is where the rash, extra reflux and puking and miserableness came from. Kaitlyn is feeling better and her rash is pretty much gone. She has a couple dry spots on her cheeks but hopefully they will go away soon. Her puking has subsided a bit so thats good for her and us!!

Kaitlyn went to see the Pediatric Gastroenterologist (Dr. Hample) yesterday and she increased her Zantac to 1mL THREE times a day now to see if that helps in giving her all day coverage. It seems we were using the Maalox more throughout the day between doses so hopefully this will help some. They also weighed Kaitlyn there and she was 14lbs!!! She's getting so big now!

Kaitlyn tried carrots for the first time last night and didnt like them all that much. She kept gagging on them and spitting them out but she ate 3/4 of a jar after awhile. She also ate half of a jar of pears too which she REALLY liked! So far I will have to say that Apples, Pears and Bananas are her favorite. I think thats just because they are smoother and sweeter and easier to get down... although they do taste yummy!! :) hehehe

The other thing Kaitlyn has started doing is sitting herself up now and grabbing on to her feet. She knew her feet were there before but never really bothered with them, now she sits up and holds them or falls back and holds on to them!! :) It's so cute to watch her. She did this for the first time last night and it was neat... now I just hope she doesnt start chewing on them!! hahahaha

Kaitlyn has been teething something fierce too!! She's drooling like a faucet and sometimes her teeth/gums are bothering her so much she is a little "fusser butt." She's starting to get a little bumpy rash on her chin from all the drool. She chews on her fingers so much that she makes them all red. We try to give her toys and she will chew on them for a minute or two and then it's right back to her hands... they are the perfect size I guess. I just wish she could get all of her teeth at once, all this teething stuff does is make her miserable and make her reflux act up.

It just amazes me that she seems to do things and discover things overnight. Like playing with toys or her feet or anything... one day she does nothing but stare at things and the next she is playing with them like she has been doing it for weeks. I just love how smart she is... now I'm just waiting for her to say Mama or Dada!! Everyday we sing the alphabet a few times and I say Mama and Dada over and over and try to get her to say it. I'm sure THAT will happen overnight too... one day she will just come out with Mama! I think I might just cry! :)