One year old.

March 14, 2011


Kaitlin,

One year ago I was meeting you for the first time, with your jet black hair, tan skin, blue eyes, and chubby cheeks. Today you still have the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen. Your hair has lightened to a light brown with a hint of auburn. It is almost to your chin and the ends are a little curly. Your skin is fair and your cheeks not quite as chubby. I must say you are just beautiful...inside and out. You love to flirt. You love other children and will practically jump out of the shopping cart if you see another baby. You are bright and always investigating new things. You LOVE dogs and people. You are very social and love to "talk." I think you may be a girlie girl because you love your baby dolls already and you love to watch mommy get ready. You can point to your baby's eyes and nose. You have a favorite bed time "lovey." Your eyes light up when you see it. When you are tired you suck on your two middle fingers. You have five teeth and a big, bright smile. "Mommy" is your favorite word. You do a little bounce and reach up when you want me to pick you up. You love to be the center of attention and put on shows for friends. You are becoming a sponge as you attempt new words. Your newest words are "baby," "bug," and "maddie." You love to be outdoors and feel fresh air. You still nap twice a day most days. You are on the verge of walking...you just need a little encouragement from mommy and daddy. Although you are calm natured, you sure are quick and into everything. Its hard to keep up! You are so silly and make us laugh all the time. You like when we read books. You are very well behaved in public and we can take you just about anywhere (I hope this lasts). At just over 20 lbs, you are wearing 12 month clothes, but have very tiny feet and only wear a size 2-3 shoe. I love to walk in your room after you have awakened and see you standing in your crib grinning from ear to ear. Recently you have started doing a little dance that is the cutest thing I've ever seen.



What a wonderful gift we were blessed with a year ago. There is never a dull moment with you around! Life sure has changed, but we wouldn't have it any other way. So many people love and care about you. We continue to be amazed each day as you grow, learn new things, and develop your own little personality.

Love,


Mommy

Almost a year old...11 months.

Oh my goodness. How has it been almost a year since this wonderful doll baby entered our lives? This time last year I was so nervous to meet our sweet girl. Fortunately, motherhood came much more naturally than I ever would have expected. Oh miss Kaitlin, how you have changed my life...I love you more and more each day. Here is what our little buggy has been up to lately~

* Crawling across the house like a lightening bolt.

* Pulling herself up on EVERYTHING.

* Standing with no hands...uh oh.

* Scooting around the couch...double uh oh.

* Understanding what "no" means, but testing our limits.

* Loving anything that makes a banging noise.

* Laughing hysterically when I tickle her.

* Saying mama over and over ;) this is also her favorite word when she is upset. oh my.

* Crawling onto mommy's lap when she is tired....my favorite thing ever.

* Sleeping like a perfect angel...after a rough patch of not sleeping, I am grateful she is back to normal.

* Eating pretty well....she eats mostly anything we give her, but is sometimes picky.

* Drinking bottles from a sippy cup...woohoo! I was so worried about weaning from the bottle, but I don't think it will be a problem at all.

* Outgrowing some of her 9 month clothes :( ...but not dresses and pjs :)

* Jumping up and down when she gets excited.

* Clapping.

* Talking baby sentences.

* Taking in everything.

* Crawling up my legs.

She is a busy bee and keeps us on our toes! She can always put a smile on my face. And there are times when she only wants mommy...makes my heart melt.

10 months

Our little girl sure is an entertainer! She loves to put on a show. She is very vocal and talks to me during our commutes to and from Charleston. She is into everything. Oh my goodness she will wear you out. Fortunately she has lots of toys to keep her occupied, but when she thinks you aren't looking she will try to sneak and get something she is not supposed to get into...a favorite is the cord to my laptop. She always goes after the remote controls, too. She understands "no," but thinks its hilarious when you say it. She waves hi and bye to everyone. She loves to give high fives and is working on clapping. At ten months she weighs 19.5 pounds. She has gained just over 2 lbs in 4 months, so her growth has slowed down A LOT...probably all that crawling around! But she has definitely grown in height and is 29 inches tall. We finally put her in her big girl car seat and she seems very comfy. She has five teeth and I'm slowly but surely trying to transition to "real" foods. So far I've kept it simple-grilled chicken, turkey, veggies, waffles, bananas, etc. She loves to feed herself. AND I absolutely cannot wait until she is off formula in a couple of months. My baby's stomach has just had a rough time with it. She never lost any of her hair and it is getting thicker and longer. She has already had at least 4 haircuts because we have to keep it out of her eyes.

Kaitlin does not sit still for long. She pulls herself up to standing and scoots around the couch. But I still think walking is a little ways off. When she is tired she will still lay with me, and it is so sweet. I cherish these moments. Her first birthday is in two months! I've already started planning her party and I can't wait to see all the news things she will be doing in these next two months!

Such a goofball.

Nine months

My little girl is not so little anymore. At nine months she is so active and exploring everything. She started crawling about a week ago and we cannot stop her now! Oh my, its a whole different world now. Its amazing how much she has changed in the last few weeks. She is so aware of everything going on and when she wants something, you can no longer distract her. She has finally said a real "ma ma" and is talking up a storm. She has developed a little bit of a sassy attitude. oh no. But she is still my sweet baby. She is going through a big growth spurt and is waking up to eat around 2-3 am on some nights. Hopefully this will pass soon. We moved her crib to the lowest level after I walked in her room and she was standing! Her whole world has changed now that she is crawling. She is a little investigator and it really is entertaining to watch. Her favorite toy is my cell phone, so in the interest of saving it from drool and teeth marks, I had to get her one of her own (don't worry its a toy). She has four teeth now and is working on a couple more. She loves when we sing to her and loves to play "peek a boo" and "patty cake." She is also learning the meaning of "no." She loves to shake her head and thinks it is the funniest thing ever when i shake my head real fast. She gives "high fives" back and grins from ear to ear when she see us. She is one sharp baby and has us all wrapped around her little finger.


I'm loving this stage, even though it is exhausting. What a personality she has! We are really looking forward to Christmas next week!

8 month old baby girl!

This first year needs to slow down immediately! I love to watch Kaitlin grow and learn new things, but I need her to stay a baby! Nothing makes me happier than to walk in the door after a long day and see her face light up...oh that smile can melt your heart! There is no question she is a mommy and daddy's girl. And I feel very blessed because she is such a happy little girl and is doing so well. And I can only hope that she stays this well behaved...its such a blessing to a constant, on the go mom. For example, only once during the last 3 months has she ever had a meltdown during our 1 hour commute. She sits back in her car seat and "talks" to me and plays with her toys. How lucky am I? And she puts herself to sleep! When she starts to act sleepy, I lay her down and she may or may not cry for a minute or two and then she goes to sleep. I know I am a proud mother, but she truly is just a happy baby! At 8 months, our little bug is:

* Working on several new teeth.

* Eating lots of new foods...so far there is nothing she has not liked.

* Weighs between 18-18.5 lbs.

* Feeding herself finger foods (puffs).

* Playing independently and enjoying new "learning" toys.

* Intriqued by everything...she really studies faces.

* Favorite cartoon is Special Agent Oso (we watch it every morning).

* Trying out lots of new words and sounds...including ones that sound like maaaa. :)

* Squealing Da Da everywhere we go.

* Is mobile- although not completely crawling, she "creeps" and crawls backwards.

* Reaches for me when she sees me.

* Gives wet kisses.

* Says "hi" or "hey" when she sees us.

Probably the best thing about this past month is watching her figure out how to do things on her own. What a little miracle! :)

7 months.

Up on all fours...time for take-off.
My sweetheart.

Look how tall she is getting!


Ready for Halloween!

Wow the last month really flew by! Kaitlin is becoming more and more her own little person. She keeps us very entertained and is just soooo happy. She is changing by the minute! At 7 months, Kaitlin is:

* Repeating a few words: Hi, Hey, Dad, Dog, and Boo.

* Eating a variety of solid foods, her favorites seem to be squash and pears.

* Sitting up on her own.

* Just about crawling.

*Getting the hang of a sippy cup.

* Loves to be the center of attention and will squeal when she feels she is being ignored.


* Loves to pull mommy's hair and study my face

* Giggles and laughs hysterically.

* Blows bubbles ALL the time...its hilarious.

* Has 2 teeth.

* Gets excited when she sees her mom and dad.

Big. Big. Day~ "Daddy"

align="left">Mondays are usually rough, but today was a great one:

* Kaitlin had her six month check up and is healthy as can be! :) She weighs 17.13 lbs and is in the 80th percentile. She has slowed down a little (at 4 months she was in the 95th). Poor thing had to have 3 shots, including the flu vaccine...but I'm happy she was old enough to get it before flu season arrives.

* I saw her experience "stranger anxiety" for the first time when the DR. grabbed her to examine her. She looked at me with puppy dog eyes and then got the saddest face, tears in her eyes, and reached out for me. He gave her back to me and she immediately stopped crying. My social little butterfly has never done this before, but then again she is not used to strangers grabbing her away like that...and this is apparently the age they start developing this anxiety. I am not sure I am ready for it...such a sad face.

After her shots...poor baby.

* She drank water from a sippy cup for the first time.

* She had vegetables for the first time...yes I made them myself and my husband called me a hippy. I'm sure Gerber is just fine and she will end up eating it too, but for now I don't think she needs all those preservatives. She also liked them a lot more than cereal. :)

Messy messy.

* AND...saving the BEST for last...she said her FIRST WORD tonight!!! I have been dying for her to say something, and she finally did. She was on the ground and her dad was sitting in the chair. I was trying to take a picture of her and I kept saying look at daddy, and then all of a sudden she just said "daddy." We looked at each other, like did she just say that??? But she definitely did. It was the sweetest voice. As much as I would have loved it to be mommy, it was just as exciting to hear daddy (and it was not "da da" it was "daddy."

Right before she said it.

She is growing up way too fast. But seeing her hit all of these milestones is amazing. =)

Half a year...

Where have the last six months gone?!?!?! BJ and I got engaged nearly 2 years ago and at that time, we had no idea what path our life would take, but we certainly never expected to have our first baby a year and a half later. Our lives are now centered around this amazing little girl and I have to say that we have adjusted to being parents very well. It is definitely on the job training. All of the parenting books that I read before she was born could not even begin to prepare me for all that I would need to know. Fortunately, there really is a thing called motherly instinct.

At six months, Kaitlin is:

* Very active.
* Rolls all over...including on the changing table, we have to watch her every second. And in her crib.
* Laughs and giggles.
* Plays.
* Smiles all the time.
* Sometimes mimics what we do.
* She can sit up alone...but is very apprehensive about it.
* On the move- ready to start crawling.
* Self soothes herself to sleep. When she starts to get fussy, we lay her down and she is asleep within minutes...And she goes to bed at a decent hour now.
* Is starting to eat solid foods.
* Sucks her middle two fingers.
* Has 2 teeth coming in.
* Lights up when she sees her mommy and daddy.
* Loves her Maddie girl.
* Is very ticklish.
* Laughs when I sing to her.
* Wears 6 month clothes, but probably not for long.
* Can hold her bottle on her own, but prefers mommy and daddy to do it.
* Talks all the time. I think she says "hey" and "hi" sometimes...trying so hard to teach her ma ma and da da. I swear she has said "pook" a couple of times(nickname for Maddie)...but probably just coos.
* New hair coming is blondish.
* Eyes are still bright blue.
* It melts my heart when she smiles at the sound of my voice. She does the same with her dad.
* We lowered her crib a notch because she is starting to try and pull herself up.
* Has such a personality!
* Happy as can be. :)

And how are lives have changed in 6 months:
* Everything, and I really mean EVERYTHING changes.
* Drinking alcohol, even just to unwind, holds little appeal.
* Late nights are staying up past 10.
* 8 am is sleeping in...late.
* Smelling like spit up is becoming normal.
* Taking twice as long to get ready to go anywhere.
* Talking in baby voices is completely normal and does not feel weird at all.
* Feeling like I just ran a marathon all of the time.
* Shopping now involves going straight to the baby section.
* Feeling proud everytime a stranger tells me what a good and/or pretty baby I have.
* Never EVER getting enough sleep...it is amazing what you can accomplish on no sleep.
* Watching cartoons in the morning instead of the news.
* Feeling heartache during the days.
* Worrying about all the bad things in this world.
* Praying that she will always stay sweet and happy.
* Hoping that we can always protect her and keep her safe.

We are learning everyday and I am accepting that I cannot do it all on my own. Thankfully, I have a lot of help. We are fortunate to have her grandmothers watching her, which keeps my anxiety down a lot. I have had a hard time recently with some personal things, but just seeing that little sweet face smiling at me makes everything better. It also makes me realize that as long as I have my family, nothing else really matters. Crazy to think that in 6 more months she will be a year old!!!

Baby teeth!

She loves her two middle fingers. We hope this is a teething phase. I tried to break it, but they bring her comfort so...


Happy girl sitting in her high chair.

Blue eyed baby girl...

Looking so grown up.

Sweet baby girl is growing up way too fast!!!! I swear before I know it she is going to be starting school. I am so excited for all of her milestones, but at the same time I wish she would slow down! Kaitlin is cutting her first two teeth right now (the bottom middle ones). Other than a little fussiness, the teething process so far has not been bad at all. But, I am told it can get worse...so I am keeping my fingers crossed. More pics to come later when you can actually see the teeth. Don't you just want to eat her up??? So precious.

KEM-5 months

This post is a little late...she is almost 5 1/2 months old now! Our little sunshine is growing up right before our eyes. This past month has been full of fun surprises, as she never ceases to amaze us. I love watching her discover new things. She is full of giggles and smiles. She loves watching Maddie and laughs at her all the time. She is also very ticklish. She loves cartoons of any kind. We recently bought an ELMO dvd that she seems to like. She plays with her toys and likes bouncing around in her baby einstein jumper. Right now she is teething BIG time. She does not seem to be in pain, but is drooling a lot and putting any and everything in her mouth. By the feel of her gums, we are expecting her to cut a tooth any day now. :( Miss Kaitlin is on the move. Although she isn't crawling yet, she is rolling all over the place. She will literally roll from one side of the room to the other. You have to watch her every second! We also started feeding her cereal (once a day) last week. Its a bit messy, but she is getting the hang of it! She is just about holding her bottle on her own, as well. Oh and eyes are still bright blue and she hasn't lost her hair (it has lightened and is a little curly at times). Here are some recent pictures:

4 month check up.

Kaitlin had her 4 month check up today and she is just healthy as can be! :) I can't say enough good things about our pediatrician's office. We see Dr. Eric Jones @ South Charleston Pediatrics and we are very happy with this choice! Kaitlin was her usual happy self and the nurses just love her. She had 2 shots which she handles well (she has a lot of cushion haha).

She weighs 15.10 lbs and is 25.5 inches tall. She is in the 90th percentile for both height and weight! We certainly don't need to worry about her getting enough nutrition! My goodness she has almost doubled her birth weight already! And she has grown 5.5 inches since birth! Dr. Jones was very impressed with her head control and couldn't believe she already does full rolls both ways. We asked about giving her cereal and he told us that he encourages parents to wait until closer to 6 months. And since she is growing so well and sleeping through the night he did not see a need to start it yet. And I agree, since she does have some belly problems. We discussed the trip to the beach and he said this was a good age to take babies to the beach. He gave us the obvious warnings about shade and sunlight. He also shared with us the myth behind no sunscreen for babies under 6 months....there is nothing wrong with it as long as it is fragrant and chemical free (which we already knew thanks to our good friend and dermatologist Dr. Young). He said the reason for this warning is so that parents won't have a false sense of security and leave their babies exposed to sunlight (I can't imagine). Of course we will be prepared with hats, sunglasses, tents and umbrellas! Our little monkey is going to be a beach baby for sure!

4 months old = fun time.

Kisses from Maddie girl.

Watching Maddie be crazy.

Such a good little traveler!

Loves bath time!

Wow. I can hardly believe Kaitlin was born 4 months ago. It has been the fastest 4 months of my life. And it is even harder to believe how much she has grown and changed in such a short period of time. BJ and I are having so much fun watching her learn and develop. She has developed her own little personality and is just as sweet as can be. She is a very easy going, laid back baby. People tell us all the time how lucky we are to have such a calm baby. She is very well socialized because she is around people ALL the time. Having a spring baby is wonderful because you don't have to stay couped up inside for long. We are just so blessed to have her in our life.


She has started squealing and trying to talk. She coos and makes noises as if she is responding to what we are saying. This squeal is new and is so cute. Its not a cry, but a loud, long coo. She is doing it all the time now. I have a feeling she might be a big talker...it runs in the family (not necessarily from BJ and I haha).

She is rolling around a lot more...time to start baby proofing! She can sit up for awhile with only a little support...so she might start sitting up on her own soon. She watches anything that moves. She grabs everything and sucks on her hands. She splashes around in the bath tub and has so much fun! She starts grinning when she hears our voices. She watches Maddie run around.

She is thankfully sleeping through the night again. She still pulls an occassional all nighter, but these are much easier to endure when I have slept the night before. She has her 4 month check up next week and I am really anxious to see how much she has grown in the last 2 months. She mostly wears 3-6 mos clothes, but her onesies are 6 mos!!!

I have recovered well. Its amazing how quickly you can bounce back to normal. One of these days I am going to have time to start seriously working out again, but for now I am happy walking with the jogger! Working is easier now. I still miss her like crazy, but I know I am a good mom and doing the best I can for her. BJ is doing well. He has become very active and involved with Kaitlin. He enjoys bathing her and spending QT in the evenings. He still says all the time "I can't believe I'm a dad."


Like I have said before, each month keeps getting better and better!!! Its hard to believe how one little girl can bring so much joy to so many people!

Rolling!

I put Kaitlin on her tummy on Saturday and she started doing rolls! She has never done this before, so of course I was excited to be there for this milestone! It is so hard working so much and being so busy. I miss her terribly and feel so much guilt. This past week it really got to me for some reason, but I am just trying to be thankful for the good care that she does have and take advantage of the quality time I do get to spend with her.

Excited she can roll!

She is so animated and interactive....so much fun! :)

Kaitlin-3 month update.

Kaitlin is doing great!!! She turned 3 months old on June 14. I can't believe she has been in this world for 3 months already, but now that she is here I cannot even imagine my life without her! She is wrapping both of us around her little finger already. She is beautiful and just the happiest baby! She is very active and strong. She will be ready to start crawling before we know it. She loves movement and is intriqued by anything that moves. She also loves to watch TV, so I'm going to have to get some baby DVDs. She has brought so much happiness to not only BJ and I but to her grandparents as well. Everyday she is doing something new and its so fun to watch her grow!

10 weeks.

Grandaddy's little sweetpea.


Kaitlin is doing great-just as sweet as can be! Every week she changes. Her hair has lightened and seems to have a little red tint to it. We think it might end up being a pretty auburn color. She has long pretty eyelashes and her eyes are a beautiful blue. They have also lightened. The pediatrician says that babies eyes can change colors up to 6 months and that he has even seen them change as late as 9 months...so we will see!

8 Weeks.

Sweet baby girl.

Proud mommy!
Growing up so fast!

Maddie giving the baby kisses. She loves her little sister so much!

Kaitlin has grown so much! I can't believe it. She is certainly not a newborn anymore!!! She has developed her own little personality and it is so adorable. She smiles when she hears my voice and I love it. I read her books even though I know she doesn't understand...but it is good to stimulate her brain. I am having so much fun!

6 Weeks...back to work.

6 weeks went by WAY too fast. The first few weeks were such a blurr due to lack of sleep and pain killers. I technically should have stayed off work for a couple more weeks, but I was getting some pressure from my job to get back. So even though I physically (and certainly emotionally) was not ready, I went back. It was honestly the hardest thing I have ever done. I felt like I was sending her off to college. I cried and cried and cried.... But it is getting easier. I miss her so much, but it only makes the time I get to spend with her all the more special. We are lucky because we have family to watch her. I could not imagine her in day care at this young age or a stranger keeping her. Thankfully, our mom's are sharing the babysitting. And of course they are loving every minute of it! They might not feel the same when they have to start chasing her around!

Kaitlin is growing like a weed!!! I put her newborn clothes away around week 5 and it was so sad. But I am loving watching her grow into her own little person. At week 6 she really started smiling a lot and cooing. She loves taking baths and looking in the mirror. I am still breast-feeding which has become more difficult since going back to work, but I am going to keep doing it as long as I can. We supplement with formula while I'm at work and at first she HATED it, but has no problem now.