My Baby Can Read!

Okay, maybe not yet...but she's on her way! *lol* We started Kali on the "Your Baby Can Read" DVD series when she was 7 months old. From the start she seemed very interested. You're supposed to show the 18 minute starter DVD to your child once or twice per day for 2 months. I only show it to her once per day. After about a month in, Kali really started to show signs of interest in the DVD. Before I could even push 'play', she would get a big smile on her face when she saw the DVD player come on. Also, at 8 mos old (after 1 month of watching the video) we noticed her performing some of the verbs in the video including 'clap', 'wave', and 'arms up'. Here she is showing her new skills.

This is definitely a direct result of the program because we were not teaching her these particular action words. We've finished the starter dvd and are moving on to the next disc in the series. I'll continue with it as long as she continues to show interest. I don't know if she'll be reading the words at 11 months like the babies in the infomercials but there's certainly no harm in exposing her to this learning tool. We'll keep you posted on her progress.

In-Laws are GREAT!

It's such a blessing that our blended family is, well, perfectly blended. Kalissa's sisters love her to death and she loves them back. The cherry on top is Al's parents. They're great and I love them so much! Yesterday I received a bouquet of flowers from them with the loveliest note attached. It definitely brightened our home. They'll be visiting in a couple of months and I can't wait!

Three-quarters of a Year

Happy 9 months, Kali! Time is just flying by! Your Daddy and I are just thrilled with your developmental progress! And it's so fun to see your personality take shape -- you definitely are going to be strong-willed (to put it mildly). I only have one request right now...let's work real hard on saying 'mama', okay? I know you're trying. You're making the 'n' sound instead of an 'm' so you wind up saying "nana". It's okay, but I'm dying to hear a true 'mama' from you. You have your 9-month checkup on Monday, so we'll post your stats in a few days. I think you'll be right on target with everything. You are such an angel and we love you immensely!

Update:The official results are: 19 1/2 pounds (59th percentile) and 27 1/4" (41st percentile). Obviously my 8-month home measurements weren't accurate (or she shrunk 1/2 an inch in the past month *lol*). She didn't need any shots this time but she had to get her little thumb pricked so they could test her for anemia....she cried and cried until they put a band-aid on it. By the time we got home she had already chewed it off. The doc thinks she's doing great!

Learning Adventures

Today, Kali went on a learning adventure with her infant playgroup buddies. This group usually meets outdoors but we had a threat of some April showers so the instructor decided to move us indoors to Kid City located inside the Science Center at Balboa Park. I had never visited ANY of the museums at Balboa Park so this was going to be a treat for me as well. If there's any indication of how the day went, it's the above picture of Kali right before we called it quits and headed home!

First things first, I removed her shoes so she could get around better. Initially, she was walking but I suppose that wasn't getting her to where she needed to go fast enough because she then started to bear crawl. She's been doing this hybrid crawl-walk for a few days but today she really got to test out this new technique due to the huge open space we were in. We were chasing her little butt all around that place! *lol*


One of the first things Kalissa discovered was the giant abacus. I'd like to think that she was so drawn to it because she's a little braniac, although a more obvious reason points to the large, sliding, colorful beads. Either way, she was pretty entertained by it for quite a while.


Talk about sensory overload! There were so many things for little kids to do!! Just when I thought that her favorite was the abacus, she found the computers!! At home, one of her favorite things to do is to press on the keyboard keys -- while I'm trying to use the computer! Of course, I'm always pushing her little hands away so today, she was able to bang on the keys all she wanted and she was loving it!


She also got to play her first musical instrument. A xylophone.


And she liked playing with the letters on the huge magnetic wall...doesn't she look like a contestant for the Soul Train Scramble Board?? *lol*


I'm so glad we found out about this hidden kid-zone because I will definitely take her back. There were lots of activities that we didn't play with because she's not really old enough to grasp the concepts yet but I'm sure it won't be long!

Brusha Brusha!

And the teeth just keep arriving! Today, both of Kalissa's upper Lateral Incisors came in. Well...I'm assuming they came in today. I just happened to catch a glimpse of them for the first time when I was tickling her on the floor this morning. That now brings her teeth count to 8! Her gums must be sore because she won't let me lift her lip to get a better view. The nonstop drooling is really the only indication that we have of her teething. She's not showing any other symptoms like fever or crankiness. Actually, she's never even had a fever and she's really never cranky (except when she's sleepy!). Now that I write that, I have noticed her sleeping a little more than usual. If she is in any discomfort, she's taking it like a champ! That's my girl!

There's a Thin Line...

When do you start teaching your child values? I think you should do so right away. From the picture to the left, that sounds very hypocritical of me, right? If there's one thing that Al and I agree on in parenting, it's that we will not spoil our children. Again, a picture of Kalissa with her own Louis Vuitton does not exactly support that statement. And if you saw her closet & drawers you would certainly say I'm full of it. But Kali's only 8 1/2 months old. She has no idea of the "value" that bag has or any material thing for that matter. She also has no idea that she has a lot of stuff. The bag was a gift from my mother. She thought it would be cute for her to have it. Yes, it's all cute now but as soon as Kali starts placing stock in things, we will stop. We do not want to raise a spoiled little girl who places her values in what she has (or doesn't have) or looks. Yes, I will always make sure she has stylish clothes and shoes and that her hair is done (because that's just the type of girlie girl I am) but I will impose limits. Yes, I will tell her she's beautiful and special...but she will also know that pretty girls come a dime a dozen and that she should strive to be a smart and kind pretty girl to even begin to stand out. I will not have a thirteen-year-old-Kalissa asking me for a Birkin bag for Christmas. Matter of fact, if we do this right she won't even know what that is. So while I love dressing her up now and giving her everything I can, I also know this can't last much longer. There's a thin line between wanting and expecting and when she's old enough, she's going to have plenty of wants. Our job is to provide all of her needs and some of those wants. My dream is that her wants will not consist of very many material items, but for things like dance lessons or a trip to Yosemite. Ha! Dream on, right?!

Look Who's Walking!

Is it wrong to bribe your baby? Kalissa loves all things that light up (especially phones) and I often use them to get her to do things. I've been reporting her taking steps for a couple of posts now, and I wanted to capture it on film. A little bribery never hurt, right? *lol*

When she crawled at 5 months old, everyone kept saying she would walk by 9 months. I couldn't believe that and wouldn't believe it now if I didn't see it on a daily basis with my own eyes. Yes, she's wobbly...but she's also only 8 1/2 months old. The amazing thing is that most times we're not encouraging her to walk. She just lets go and does it on her own...but usually when I don't happen to have the camera ready! I'm thinking at the rate she's going that she'll definitely have a steady walk by 10 months, if not sooner.

Gooooo Kali! You're getting to be such a big girl!