Feeding, playing, cooking and fun... February 27 - March 4, 2012

Kaetlyn's Thoughts
I am 21 months old this week!  Mommy says I'm getting too big too fast...as you can see, I am getting to be a pretty big girl!

We had a pretty low-key week this week.  I did have my monthly feeding therapy with Ms. Gay Lloyd.  Ms. Gay Lloyd's assistant video taped me again and then Mommy was able to see the comparison from last November to now.  I'm definitely eating more with my mouth closed and, of course, I'm walking now :)  We thought I was doing really well with my straw drinking, but Ms. Gay Lloyd says I'm using my tongue too much with straw drinking and need to learn to use my lips more.  So this month we will work on doing just that with a straw as well as work on cup drinking, spitting and blowing bubbles, all of which are to help with my oral motor skills, hopefully eventually speaking, and of course, keeping that tongue in!

I have spent a lot of time this week working with my Baby Doll.  I like to try to mimic what my Mommy is doing when she is playing with Gracie and I like to try to take care of my baby by covering her up, patting her on the back, and sometimes sharing my water with her!


I have also spent a lot of time helping my Mommy or Daddy in the kitchen this week.  I love to use bowls and spoons when they are working in the kitchen!



And finally, here's just a picture Mommy thought was a cute one of me riding in the car post-Costco trip.  I do love that place.  SO much to see!!! :) 

Gracie's Perspective
I am 6 months old this week!  Mommy and Daddy (and Ms. Audrey and Ms. Elsa!) can't believe how big I'm getting and all the things I am trying to do.

I'm really spending a lot of time sitting this week as well as trying to crawl forward.  I have figured out that if I sit up, spin around, go onto all fours, scooch, sit, spin, repeat, I can make forward progression across the room.  It's really quite something to witness.  Mommy is going to try to get some video this next week.  But I'm here to tell you, I'm going to be crawling in NO TIME!

I've been trying all kinds of new tastes this week.  I am still not a big fan of food other than my milk, but Mommy thinks I need to keep trying.  New tastes this week:  "Beef Stew", Pears & Carrots.  I can tell you I am NOT a carnivore by any means at this point.  I basically had a large urpage occur after I tried some of that yukky stuff.  My Sissy was home this weekend and witnessed that - Mom says it's really good birth control for her to see things like that!  That said, I really do seem to like peas the best.  Now, the irony in this is that, until she was an adult, my Mom would not eat peas.  Good thing she didn't hold them back from me!! :)



In other big news, I slept through the night THREE TIMES in the last week.  Mommy was SOOOO happy!  Of course, that does mean that I woke up at 5:00 and wanted to be up all day on the weekend, but Mommy said if I will sleep through the night, she'll take it.  It gives me some time to have quiet time with my Mommy in the morning before Kaety wakes up and we have loud play...

Quiet reflection in front of the fireplace...5:30 a.m. ;)

Plus, it also means that Mommy can get in some good baking time before everyone else gets up...and I get to help!

Helping Mommy make coffee cake at 6:30 a.m....

All that being awake can make for one tired girl, and the best way for tired girls to nap is on their Daddy...

Finally, a picture of me in my car seat...happy.  Now, this is a rare sight because, though I like to ride in the car, I do NOT like to be in my car seat.  Oh the irony.  This was pre-Costco visit...you can see how stoked I was to get to walk the aisles of that big mega-store!

Hope you have a great week!  Next week...I get the dreaded 6-month shots :(  Ta Ta For Now!

Sister Fun, Big Bathroom Events, and Random-Everyday...February 20-26, 2012

Kaetlyn's Thoughts
What a fantastic week!  I got to spend a lot of time playing with and hanging with my Baby Sister Grace.  She's FINALLY starting to want to play with me and I've been trying to show her all sorts of things that Big Sisters show their Little Sisters:

How to read a book...

How to hang with Dad...

How to clean off your nose...

Hmmmm...she didn't like that nose one so much!

I'm learning new things to share with her every day...and she doesn't seem to mind that most of my "words" are "dadadadada" - she actually seems to understand them!  Mostly, I want to show Gracie the ropes, since I'm such a big girl...



I have started to try to commandeer my Daddy's iPad.  There're some COOL songs out there on youtube and some great games for babies...This week I showed some of it to Gracie.  She's a very little girl, though, so she doesn't get to touch the very big girl machine...



I also got my VERY OWN PHONE this week. (Mommy got a new iPhone, so she gave me her old Blackberry...I am pretty sure I'm going to be the world's fastest texter in the future....for now, Mommy has had to make sure all service is turned off because the good people at Verizon were tired of getting "fake" calls...)

In other news this week, we had classroom photos and my friends and I were all very good for Mrs. Linda and Ms. Erin.

Me and my Friends.

My biggest accomplishment this week:  PEE PEE IN THE POTTY!  I have gone 5 times.  My potty cheers for me every time, as do my parents.  This thing is pretty cool!  I'm not quite sure why I have to go pee pee in the potty, but it sure is fun so far!

YAY for Potty!

It's been a good week!!!

Gracie's Perspective
I'm growing into such a big girl and have had so much fun with my sister Kaet this week.  The only thing that I wish would happen would be for my teeth to come in!  Those pesky bottom teeth are right on the verge and I am here to tell you that they make for a fairly unhappy girl when they're bugging me!

There have been a couple of big accomplishments I've had this week.  The first of which is that Mommy and Daddy started having Ms. Audrey torture me (errr...give me) with solids at school now too!  "Torturing" may be a bit harsh, but I really prefer my Mommy's milk to the stuff they're trying to feed me these days... I'm not yet on board with the whole "solids" thing...

More sweet potatoes...she looks like she loves them, right?

Hey!?  What happened here?!

I'm playing while sitting up most of the time now.  I'm digging this sitting thing.

And if I'm not sitting, I'm up on all fours trying desperately to crawl!  Daddy and Mommy are pretty sure they're not yet ready for that!

Showing Daddy my pre-crawling skills....

I'm also really into being flexible these days...

What?  You aren't flexible like that too?!?!

My other major accomplishment this week is...get ready for it...BATHING IN THE BIG GIRL TUB!

Kaety and I have so much fun...we both like to splash ... a LOT!


Until next week, all of us here hope you have a fun week... Ta Ta For Now!

Musical Adventures, Rockin' and Playin' - February 13-19, 2012

Kaetlyn's Thoughts

I've had a great week. Though I'm still recovering from my pneumonia, I've been a happy girl.  I've really gotten into puzzles and music this week.  I LOVE to dance and to play any kind of music.  I have a music class at school each week with Mr. Doug, and I'm getting more and more into it.  Mommy tried to get video of me dancing, but every time, I knew she was video'ing and didn't "perform."  That said, here's a great example of my musical talent.


Also, on top of my piano skills, I have a VERY SPECIAL musical instrument that I like to play EVERY day - it's a card from my Uncle Randy and Aunt Ellen.  Mommy and Daddy LOVE it too!  Thanks to my COOL Uncle and Aunty!

I also spent time this week on my new climber.  I love to climb all over it and go down the slide!!!

I've gotten to spend more time playing with Baby Sister Grace this week too.  I'm very helpful at taking her socks off and putting them back on...

Sometimes it's just more fun to put them on myself! :)

I've taken to laying down in the kitchen when I'm ready to go to bed...guess that's a sign, Mommy and Daddy!

Overall...what a great week!

Gracie's Perspective
Big news!  I am OFFICIALLY a girl who can sit!  I amazed my teachers at school this week by getting into a sitting position ALL ON MY OWN!  I went from my back, to my belly, to a weird hip-rotation movement that got me to sitting.  And I've done it MULTIPLE times.  Mommy's calling it...I'm a sitter! :)

Love to sit!

I have had some practice in my Bumpo...but really, I'm a ROCKING this sitting thing!

I had a really nice Valentine's Day (and hope you did too!)...Ms. Elsa took this beautiful picture of me at school...I loved my dress!

I have spent a lot of time this week scooching and rocking back and forth.  I'm getting ready to GO!

Gracie - pre- sit pose

All that sittin' and jumpin' in my bouncy seat is EXHAUSTING!

This week I've gotten to spend a lot of time with my sister on the floor and playing.  I'm so lucky to have a sister who loves to play with me so much!

Two Beautiful Girls :)

Communicating, Reading, Dr. Visits and Playing - Feb 6 - 12, 2012

Kaetlyn's Thoughts
I've really been trying to communicate a lot more this past week.  Mommy and Daddy have noticed that I try to mimic their mouth movements and sounds a lot more.  So, Mommy thought maybe we should update my progress to date with all my "words".  I do say some things, but more often I like to watch, or I will sign something.  Though I'm quite the social butterfly, I can also be quite shy and not ready to jump into a conversation, unless it's the old "DADADADADA" standby!  That said, here's what I *can* do!

TALKING:
WORDS I say or Mommy and Daddy can discern from my constant babble:
- Hi
- Bye
- Done
- Elliott
- Kaia
- Moo
- Baaa
- 'Uac! (Quack)
- 'Ay! (Yay!)
- 'At (That)
- Dada
- Nana ("mama")

SIGNING: 
SIGNS I know and often use include:
- More
- Eat
- All Done
- Chair/Sit
- Shoe
- Yes
- No
- Please
- Thank You
- Bath
- Go
- Baby
- Monkey *new this week!*  When Mommy shows me a Monkey on my iPad Peekboo game, or when I hit the button for a monkey to appear on my pop-up game, I sign "monkey" and sometimes do " oo oo ooo!"

POINTING:
When I'm asked, I *can* (note, if I feel like it!) point to:
- Nose
- Belly
- Teeth
- Mouth
- Ear

I have taken all these new-found communication skills and really started trying to "read" even more than I have in the past.  I like to get books and read to myself.  I know that reading a book involves talking because I see that from Mommy and Daddy and Mrs. Linda, so when I read, I say "Daddadadadada" to read to you. Most of the time, I hold the book upside down - Daddy thinks it is to mimic others reading to me.   I can even be found to (sometime) put my books away after reading them to go find new activity!  Mrs. Linda was kind enough to capture all of this on film this week...

Look at my book!

Making sounds...

Putting my book away

You didn't see me do that, did you?

Off to find a new activity!

One thing of note for the week was that I had to go visit the doctor again.  I've got this pesky runny nose and an awful cough and one night, when I was eating dinner, my hands and feet and lips turned blue!  Mommy was freaked out; Daddy was the calming force that night, for sure!  Also, as a result of my cough, I've not been sleeping very well.  Really, no one in our house has!  So, off, we went to the dr. and he was very concerned about my blue incident, so I had x-rays done.  Sure enough, they showed that I have pneumonia.  Fortunately, we caught it early enough and so I was given antibiotics and am starting to feel a little better.  Mommy hopes it goes away completely soon!  That said, my penchant for mischief remains undiminshed despite the ickky crud!

Mischievous Kaet

Gracie's Perspective
I've had a great week and have gotten to try out a few new things!  I LOOOOVE to be active and jump around in my chair and I've gotten to spend a lot more time with Kaety playing on the floor!  It's a RIOT!

Bouncy fun!

Additionally, because I gaze longingly at Mommy when she's eating, Mommy decided that maybe it was time for me to try some solids.  I got to taste rice cereal and sweet potatoes.  I have to admit, it looks better watching than when I participate in the eating! 

Here is my first taste of cereal:


And here I try sweet potatoes. 


I have to admit, I'm not TOTALLY averse to the sweet potatoes, but I'm not totally sure of them either.  We'll see how the week goes, if I warm up to some of these foods or not!

Have a great week everybody!!!