kaelyn: 11 months

I’m late on this, and I still can’t even believe this is our last monthly update before she turns ONE. Where on earth has the last year gone?_MG_7846

Height: 28 inches
Weight: 17 pounds 6.4 ounces
Clothing size: 9-12 month things, typically. Still squeezing into some 6-9 month jammies, and wearing 12-18 month shorts from the Children’s Place since they tend to run small.
Eyecolor: Baby blue.
Teeth: Still just two down in front.
Eating: She nurses every 3.5 to 4 hours. She still doesn’t have solids most days, but she’s starting to show more interest in eating. She can down a container of pureed fruit if she’s in the mood, and she likes those little baby “puffs” and sucking on pretzels. Nursing is still our #1 priority, so we’ll probably get more serious about solids after her birthday.

We don’t give her a sippy cup, but she has grabbed Kaya’s and seems to have figured out how to use it. If nothing else, she loves playing with it!
Favorite things: Playing peekaboo, dancing, going upside down, looking at books, catching bubbles, and taking baths. She loves being outside. Favorite toys include the stuffed guinea pig she snuggles with at night, any of the toy kitchen food/utensils, water bottles and sippy cups… and basically anything she isn’t supposed to have (like chewing on shoes… ew)._MG_7802 Dislikes: Clothes going over her head and getting buckled into the car seat sometimes.
Sleep: Bedtime starts at 7 pm, and she usually sleeps until about 6-6:30 am. This month, she did something totally crazy… she slept through the night! She probably sleeps all the way through about 50% of the time now. Otherwise, she wakes up just once, nurses and goes back to sleep. It’s crazy, but I’m still waking up a lot thinking that she should be up.

I let her snuggle me, nurse, and doze off for about half hour in the morning (usually around 10 am) if we’re at home, otherwise she gets cranky and doesn’t last until naptime. If we’re on the go, she catnaps in the stroller or the car. Nap is around 1:30 pm and lasts until around 4:30. She still naps in the pack and play in our room.

She also LOVES to sleep with her feet sticking out of the crib. Cracks me up!_MG_7902 Nicknames: Baba, Baba Grace, Koala Bear (because of how she holds on to us when we carry her… like a little baby koala holds on to its mother!), Kaelyn Koala
Milestones, etc.: -We have ourselves a professional “scooter”! Just as I predicted last month, she scoots her little booty across the floor, while sitting up, to get to wherever she wants to go. I LOVE seeing her move and explore, but I very much wish that I could explain to her that actually crawling would make her life sooo much easier! It takes her forever to go from point A to point B this way, but she’s a determined little girl and does it!

-She’s also a pro at rotating around/changing directions.

-She’s still not pulling up or cruising along furniture, but we’ve been practicing standing, and she’s getting so much stronger. She is interested in pulling up, but can only get about halfway toward actually doing it right now. I’m guessing she isn’t far from it, though.

-She’s started “pretending” to do things, like brushing mommy’s hair or feeding you with a spoon, etc.

-She’s certainly a bit clingier now than she used to be. I still wouldn’t classify it as “separation anxiety”, but she definitely prefers to be with her family. I’d even say that right now, she is a mama’s girl. She loves her daddy, but will often reach out for me even when he’s holding her. I’m soaking it up since Kaya has always been a daddy’s girl._MG_7448

– Her hair on top is straight as a stick… but I am starting to see just a few wispy pieces in the back that have some texture… which is exactly how Kaya’s curls started out! So, I’m curious to see if her hair stays straight or becomes curly over time. We’ll see!

Dear Kaelyn,

I love you so much, princess. You bring so much joy to all my days. You are my little buddy, always by my side, watching me, or holding on to me.

I love your sweet, spontaneous kisses and the way you gently rest your hand on my arm or hold my shirt while you’re nursing to sleep. I love how you pretend to act shy when a stranger talks to you, and the way you nuzzle your head against my chest to hide.

Having you has made the days go by even faster, and I can’t wait to celebrate you in just a few weeks. You are our sunshine!

Love, Mommy
kaelynmonth11collage

five on friday (6/5)

ONE. I had my first-ever skin biopsy this week. I know it’s pretty routine, but I was still nervous to hear the results. I practically held my breath for two days while I waited for the phone call… but it was benign! I am so grateful. Now I just wait for the big hole in my back to heal up! Haha.

TWO. Going down the slide on your tummy is apparently the most fun (and obviously the cutest) way to do it…_MG_7809THREE. We visited Daddy at work this week! Kaya’s favorite thing to do at his office is to draw on the whiteboard. She was insistent on telling us “no go home yet!”

t

Kaelyn’s favorite part of the visit was scooting across the whiteboard and erasing everything with her bum. She was actually pretty good at it!

FOUR. Michael took us to lunch. I can never pass up a gyro if it’s on the menu! And yes, that’s a little baby finger trying to get a French fry!FIVE. My littlest princess has her birthday coming up… 3 weeks from today to be exact, and I can’t believe it! I’m all excited and a little bit anxious knowing that I have hardly bought/accomplished anything in regard to her party. Hopefully it all comes together easily. Regardless, I’m sure we’ll enjoy the time with family and friends 🙂giraffeboard2015SIX. Yeah I know, there technically isn’t supposed to be a #6, but… I finally got my phone back, fixed and working, after spending most of two months without it! It’s a relief to know I can make a call from anywhere. I won’t take that for granted again!

Happy weekend!! 🙂

Linking up with April today!

sister snuggles

I’ve said it before, but I’ll repeat it a million times over.

Seeing my babies love each other, play, and laugh together is one of my very favorite things._MG_7866Of course, they have moments when they make each other cry, the baby gets pushed over, or they aren’t willing to share.

But there is no sound more joyous than their simultaneous giggles._MG_7859 One day I just know they are going to be best friends. (this is how Kaelyn gives kisses, by the way!) 🙂_MG_7868

My heart beats for these two little girls.

Sadie Sky Boutique

cookin’ out with karl

We got to see my brother this past weekend! He brought Kaitlyn over too, of course, and we had a great cookout. They really enjoyed seeing the babies!_MG_7823 We tried some grilled chicken (using this recipe). I am so picky about my meat that I barely tried it, but everyone else said it was great. Even Kaya ate a ton of it, so it must have at least been decent! Michael is awesome for manning the grill, as always._MG_7818 We also enjoyed some corn, barbecued beans, and cookies. Jax’s mouth was watering the entire time, as usual! He really earned a piece of chicken though, since we had a great 6.35-mile run earlier that morning._MG_7820Of course, there was some serious Mario Kart playing afterward. Hopefully we’ll see them again soon- we’re hoping to go tubing down the river later this summer. I’m looking forward to it!

a time for learning

Last week, we attended Grandma Teerlink’s funeral.

I won’t deny that it was an emotional time. It was also, however, a learning experience.

Hearing all the ways that she touched the lives of others inspires me to do more. You’re not going to get anywhere in life if you don’t make the effort.

Witnessing the expressions of love between her and her beloved husband inspires me to be more intentional in my exchange of words and actions with my husband.

Seeing her commitment to living the gospel and creating a strong, close-knit family reminds me that that is my ultimate goal and most divine purpose here on earth.

There were so many touching personal anecdotes that were shared. I’m so very grateful for the opportunity to learn from them.

Afterward, a bunch of us went to Willy’s, a small local ice cream shop. Michael remembers going there often as a kid with his grandparents. We loved having this mini family reunion!

IMG_20150527_192129