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."