Clothing size: She’s mostly still wearing 18-month clothing, just because everything still fits fine, and I haven’t pulled the next size out of the closet. 2T dresses. Size 4 shoes are starting to get tight, but she’s still got some room to grow in size 5.
Eyecolor: Blue.
Teeth: Eleven! Finally, another tooth came through!
Eating: Her appetite seems to have significantly increased! She puts down pretty large portions at mealtime, and if she’s hungry at any other time of day, she helps herself to the snacks I keep in the diaper bag. Talk about being self-sufficient! Her favorite foods are cucumbers, Greek yogurt, pancakes, and pizza!

We’re still nursing three times a day… but she’s drinking about 8 ounces of whole milk per day now, and I feel like my milk supply might be starting to drop, so we’ll see how much longer we go.
New words: I can’t think of any new words, but the words she does use seem to be getting a lot clearer/more articulate lately.
Favorite things: Blue Kitty, Piggy, and basically any stuffed animal that we give her and tell her is “hers”. She just loves having something of her very own. She likes ducks (real, rubber, or in books), reading, “driving” little cars, and has recently started to love Daniel Tiger.Dislikes: Getting her face wiped, being told no, sharing, and the car seat. The worst of all is getting her diaper changed. Seriously… it has become a battle between her and I to take off the dirty diaper and get her cleaned up without a huge mess and/or fit happening. Michael says she doesn’t fight him, so apparently, she only does this with me. Why?
Sleep: She’s down for bed around 8:30 or 9, and wakes up around 7 am. She naps for three hours in the afternoon, starting around 1:30 pm.
Nicknames: Baba, Baba Grace, KaeCakes, Monkey.
Milestones, etc.: -She has officially earned the nickname “Miss Independent”, because you better not dare to try and help her to do anything, or she immediately screams and throws a fit.

-She is pretty good at doing a lot of things on her own, like buckling (and recently, unbuckling!) her high chair straps and putting on her shoes.

-She’s mastered actually walking up the stairs now, as long as there is a railing to hold onto.

-She’s great at throwing a ball overhand.

-She’s getting so good at building block towers! She can stack several wooden blocks without them toppling over.

-Tantrums. Whew. She’s had a lot of time-outs… and this week we started “hug it out”, and it seems like it works. She’s strong-willed.

Dear Kaelyn,

You are definitely finding (and showing us) your personality these days. You are wild and crazy half the time, and along with that, you’ve got a bit of a stubborn streak. You are determined to learn how to do things on your own, and while I admire that, I do wish you’d be more willing to let us help you more often. I hope that your determination sticks with you as you grow older and take on school projects and church assignments.

You’re half-naked in half your photos, mostly because you still make a giant mess whenever you eat anything, so we have to strip you down to your diaper. I’m constantly sweeping and scrubbing the floor underneath your chair these days.

You are now the same age that your big sister was when you were born! It’s crazy to me, because in so many ways, you still seem like such a baby, but I’m starting to see you grow and mature in small ways. It also just feels like you reached this age so much faster than Kaya did! The same amount of time just passes faster when you have two kids, I think.

I’m also excited for you to really start talking so we’ll finally know what you’re thinking.I love you, Baba Grace.

Love, Mommy

Clothing size: Mostly 18-month things, but I have gotten out a few 24-month items and they fit with a little room to grow. Size 4 shoes.
Eyecolor: Blue.
Teeth: Ten still.
Eating: She is getting a lot better about finishing her meals! She loves cucumbers, Greek yogurt, chicken, muffins, Cheerios, and goldfish crackers. Still nursing 3 times a day.
New words: Piggy, switch, baby, boo. I’ve heard her use two-word “sentences” a couple of times, but it isn’t really common.
Favorite things: Blue Kitty, Piggy, her baby doll, driving toy cars, playing peekaboo, going down the slide, and reading books. She’s also obsessed with buckling herself into her high chair and will try for a long time to get it right. She LOVES going down the little slide we have here at home and sometimes spends most of her playtime doing that. Dislikes: Diaper changes, getting her face wiped, being told no, sharing, and the car seat. She realized after her first week of church nursery that she doesn’t like it. I try to have her go for an hour, but she spends most of it crying on and off, so it turns out that she gets picked up early.
Sleep: We put her down for bed around 8:30… but then both girls end up goofing off and laughing themselves silly for an hour to an hour and a half sometimes. She wakes up around 7 am or so and naps for three hours in the afternoon. Random powernaps still happen in the car or stroller, but never at home anymore.

Nicknames: Baba, Baba Grace, Monkey.
Milestones, etc.:  -She is really getting great at eating with utensils (and making less mess). She can successfully spoon-feed herself cereal and milk, so I’m impressed.

-She’s started pointing to her diaper when she needs a new one (or thinks she does). She seems to be becoming more aware of her bodily functions. I’m almost wondering if she’ll potty train earlier than Kaya did (at 28 months).

-She’s good at getting herself dressed! She can put her pants on and pull them almost all the way up, as well as her own socks and boots/shoes.

-Every day, she steals Q-tips from the bathroom cabinet, pretends to clean her ears, and then throws them away.

-She’s obsessed with bags and taking things in and out of them. Super-easy entertainment!

-I still give her baths in the sink, and she requires having her own cup to play with every time. She’ll fill it up with clean water from the tap, and then take big gulps from it while I wash her.

-After her bath, she is obsessed with walking around with her towel on her head for at least 30 minutes. If you put it in the hamper, she cries like her world is crashing down.

-We have really started to see some attitude from her this month. She knows what she wants and when she wants it, and she’s not afraid to let you know all about it.

-She LOVES music and will bang on the piano or her toy instruments any chance she gets.

Dear Kaelyn,

Something you’ve gotten really good at this month is making all of us laugh. You are a true little joker, and love being silly. You spend almost all day smiling, and I think you just keep getting more beautiful with each passing day. You’re sweet and loving, always taking care of your animal babies or your baby doll. I caught you trying to “nurse” your Piggy recently.
You love playing with Kaya. She makes you laugh more than anyone does, but there are definitely times when you guys fight over the same toy or scream because you don’t want to be touched by your sister. Really, though, you have a great bond, and I’m so glad you get to walk through life together.I love you, Kaelyn Grace. Keep smiling.

Love, Mommy

Clothing size: 18-month-size everything. I am tempted to try on some of her 24-month cold-weather shirts, though. Size 4 sneakers, but I’ve been tying Kaya’s old size 5 dress shoes tight enough to stay on her feet for church.
Eyecolor: Blue.
Teeth: TEN! This was a big month for getting teeth.
Eating: She is still a total mess when she eats anything (mealtime requires us to strip her down to her diaper), but she can eat an entire Greek yogurt by herself. She loves olives, pasta, cheese, and crackers (but not animal crackers…). She is a little snack monster!

She’s still nursing three times per day with no signs of stopping. I’m thrilled that we’ve made it this long, but there are moments when I contemplate weaning, or at least dropping one feeding. We’ll see.
New words: I don’t know if she’s said anything entirely new… but she has definitely become more articulate with the words she does know. Instead of “mama” or “dada”, she actually says “mommy” and “daddy”. Her little voice melts my heart every time she cries out for me.Favorite things: Her plush “Blue Kitty”, her Piggy, pretending to cook in the kitchen/eat play food, and using any kind of cup that has a real straw on it (she monopolizes the water cup any time we go out to eat). She loves going outside and playing on the playground (if we walk past a play area without stopping, she gets upset)! She also loves wearing her boots and playing dress up/wearing necklaces.

She “reads” all the time and is very gentle on books, even ones with paper pages (i.e. instead of board books).Dislikes: Diaper changes, getting her face wiped, sharing, and the car seat.
Sleep: She goes down around 8 pm and gets up around 6 or 6:30 am typically. She really has a tough time making it through the morning without that power nap, but these days, it seems like she’ll only take one if we’re driving in the car. Otherwise, she sometimes passes out in her highchair at lunch. Naptime is around 1:30 or 2 pm for about 3 hours.Nicknames: Baba, Baba Grace, Lovebug.
Milestones, etc.: -She can point to her nose, ears, eyes, mouth, belly button, and toes when asked!

-She’s started more “pretend play” and will put things in her toy microwave, give Blue Kitty a pretend drink or put a diaper on him. Haha!

-She is so good at following instructions and being a little helper now! She loves to put garbage in the trash, clothes (clean or dirty, haha) into the hamper, and even unloads the dishwasher!

-She loves to color and is surprisingly good at holding a writing instrument.

-Climbing… she’s mastered it. She loves to climb up on the ottoman and then “jump” up and down before we catch her. She also climbed into a dining room chair at my parents’ house on Thanksgiving.

-She also (usually) insists on climbing down from wherever she is on her own… even if that means tumbling a little.

-She’s started laughing at us when we tell her “no”. I’m not really sure what to do about that…

-She’s getting good at kicking around a ball, almost like she’s playing soccer!

-She can (somewhat) put her boots on by herself. Sometimes they are on the wrong feet, or not quite on her foot all the way, but she really tries hard.

-She does silly things to make us laugh… like initiate peekaboo or say something hilarious over and over again. 🙂

A video posted by Tara (@tarairwin) on Dec 4, 2015 at 11:27am PST

Dear Kaelyn,

You give kisses and hugs all day long, and I hope you always will. You are SO affectionate. I love those lip-smacking noises you make when you want a smooch, and how you wrap your arms around my leg and bury your face into me when you give hugs. You are just the sweetest little blue-eyed girl I know.

Lately, you LOVE to look at pictures of Jesus. We watched this video clip for family home evening one night, and when it zoomed in on Christ’s face, you squealed and pointed with delight. You also love to take His picture off of my nightstand and look at it. I’m grateful to witness how tender and loving you are in these instances. You remind me almost daily that Heaven is not far away, and you are still so fresh from that perfect place.

I love you baby girl. Thank you for all the laughs and sweet moments we share.

Love, Mommy

Clothing size: 18-month-size everything (although some onesies are still a bit large as far as length). Size 4 sneakers, but she does fit in size 3 dress shoes. Tiny feet!
Eyecolor: Blue? There are still days where I’m not sure, and then there are times when they are undeniably blue. I’ve had some people tell me they look green… but personally, I have never ever seen green in her eyes at all.
Teeth: SIX! Her two top one-year molars came in this month. They are still working their way through her gums, but she’s been a champ through it and hasn’t even seemed cranky.Eating: She has started eating a lot more this month. Daddy even thinks her legs are starting to chunk up a little! She loves grilled cheese, salad (with Italian dressing), yogurt, cooked carrots, shredded chicken, grapes, olives and cheese crackers. I let her try muffins and fruit snacks this month, and both are a big hit.

We’re nursing 3 times a day now (morning, before nap, and before bed), but I feel like my milk supply has definitely dropped a lot these past couple of weeks, so I’m not sure how much she is consistently getting. I had this same feeling when Kaya was this age, and she self-weaned at 16.5 months. I attributed low supply/self-weaning to being pregnant last time, but maybe I just stop producing a lot around this age regardless.

New words: I continue to be amazed whenever she says a new word… and she’s started using at least one new word every week now. She says: hi, bye, please, cheese, thanks (sounds like “ssss”), hop, and she can roar like a dinosaur and bark like a puppy. She also loves to scream “mama mama ma” or “dada dada dada” when one of us makes her do something she doesn’t want to (i.e. get her diaper changed)… so if I’m changing her, she screams for Daddy. If he’s changing her, she screams for Mommy. Hilarious.

Favorite things: Piggy (her stuffed guinea pig), stuffed animals, the toy shopping cart and baby doll stroller, and the cozy coupe car. She is a girl on the move! I still give her baths in the kitchen sink, and she loves to hold a cup under the faucet and fill it up. She also loves to steal Daddy’s water bottle from his backpack the moment he gets home. Books are still a favorite, too.Dislikes: Getting her face wiped and laying down for diaper changes.
Sleep: She goes down around 8 pm and gets up around 6 or 6:30 am typically. Falling back to sleep and taking a power nap in the morning is becoming rare. Naptime is around 1:30 or 2 pm for about 3 hours.
Nicknames: Baba, Baba Grace.
Milestones, etc.: -Walking, completely unassisted, anywhere and everywhere!

-She tries so hard to carry heavy objects (like a water bottle or a small pumpkin) while walking now.

-She’s started to “pretend” play now. We caught her tucking stuffed Daniel Tiger in for bed a couple of nights ago!

-She’s started climbing… just a bit here and there. I found her standing on the back of Kaya’s tricycle last week, and she’s also determined to go up the stairs at the playground on her own.

-She gestures to ask me for help/an object she wants, etc.

-She follows directions so well now! Her new favorite trick is putting things in the trash.

-She appropriately nods “yes” or “no” when you ask her a question about what she wants.

-Mini temper-tantrums have started. She lets out this awful “squawking’ sound anytime she doesn’t like something (usually it involves Kaya getting too close to whatever she’s playing with). Bleh.

Dear Kaelyn,

Little girl, you light up our world. Now that you are walking around and saying a few words, we’re really starting to see your personality come out. I just love that cheeky grin you flash me when you know you’re being silly.

You are so much more independent than your big sister was at this age. I keep getting asked when you’ll start going to nursery at church… 2 more months! Seeing your outgoing personality has me wondering if you’ll even look back when we drop you off for the first time. I’m excited for you to do all the fun “big girl” things coming your way, but I’m definitely going to miss having you always next to me. You are my little sidekick.

Love, Mommy

(written July 1st)Height: 28 inches (14%)
Weight: 16 pounds 13 ounces (1%)
Head circumference: 17.25 inches (14%)
Clothing size: 9-12 month for the most part, but I could have cried when I put her in a 12-18-month onesie and it wasn’t too ridiculously big to wear. Where is my tiny baby?
Teeth: Two down in front and one top middle one barely poking through!
Eating: She’s nursing 5-6 times per day still, and eating a solid-food dinner every night! We’re still doing fruit purees and puffs, as well as Greek yogurt (she can eat a whole serving, which never fails to impress me, since I find Greek yogurt to be kind of heavy on my stomach)! She has also tried cucumbers and a little bit of pasta and seems to really like both!Favorite things: Her little stuffed guinea pig is still at the top of the list! Now that she can crawl around, she takes her piggy with her anywhere she goes. She loves to go upside down, be “tossed” in the air and caught, give slobbery kisses, and dance. Favorite toys are my tupperware containers, Little People animals, and the toy piano she got for her birthday. She also just loves if I fill up a bucket or box with random toys and she can discover each one as she pulls it out.Dislikes: Getting dressed, getting in the car seat (at times), and sharing a toy she wants to play with.
Sleep: I thought we were headed toward sleeping through the night last month… and then we went back to waking up once to nurse. I really don’t mind because I tend to wake up a lot at night now anyway.
Nicknames: Baba, Baba Grace, Monkey, Scooter.Milestones, etc.: -She is actually crawling, not just scooting! She started this 3 days after her birthday!
-She can pull herself up into a standing position, but has only done it a couple of times.

-She’s definitely understanding and responding to words/requests… such as wave, clap, kiss, etc.

-She helps get herself dressed by actually pushing her arms and head through her shirt now.

-She grabs her toy remote, holds it up to her ear, and consistently says “ehhhh?” before cracking the biggest smile. Makes me laugh every time! She’s also really good at imitating brushing her hair.

-She’s definitely started throwing “mini-tantrums”, where she throws her whole body backwards because she is upset and can’t do whatever it is she wants. It’s nothing too crazy, but she’s definitely forming her own opinions about things!

-This isn’t really a milestone to celebrate, but she is crazy when she nurses now. If she isn’t kicking me, grabbing my face, or pulling my hair, then she’s distracted by something else in the room, which makes nursing impossible. I love that time with her, but I really prefer it to be calm!

Dear Kaelyn,

This has been the fastest year of your mommy’s life… but definitely one of the best. I have loved watching you grow and change. It all happened so subtly that I still sometimes think you’re a tiny baby, until I see you crawling, exploring, and discovering who you are. Then I remember… you’re a big girl now! You show us a little more of your budding personality every day. We love it.I love you so much princess. Thanks for picking us as your family.

Love, Mommy12 months of Kaelyn! I cannot believe we started out with a tiny 5.5-pound cutie!

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?

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). 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! 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.

– 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