Thunder Thighs

No, we're not talking about my thighs! It's no secret that Kali carries a lot of weight in those enormous legs of her (sorry baby...you got mama's thighs!) and she's starting to put them to use! She began climbing on the sofa cushions to pull on the blinds about 3 weeks ago.


...and now she's trying to climb into her playpen to get to her toys! It's the funniest thing!

Just call her Spider Girl! Don't worry, I usually pull her down before she falls. *lol* Now that she's learning to climb, we know it's just a matter of time before she realizes she can use this skill to get out of her crib. We went ahead and ordered the crib toddler rail in anticipation of this latest milestone.

Everything is happening so fast with this child, I seriously cannot keep up! Oh, and she is STILL waking up at the crack of dawn. It's been a week now. This morning it was at 4:15! I took one look at the clock and saw a 4, turned off the monitor and went back to sleep. I don't know what her problem is, but she needs to get it together. And fast.

80%

Today our little Kali turned 10 months old! So much to report this month! First off, she is in need of a wardrobe OVERHAUL!! The girl is growing like a weed and everything she used to wear is too small. Y'all know I would have had my baby in some cute, yellow summer sandals to match her outfit but these are the only shoes that she has left in her closet that still fit! She went from having the cutest shoes to match every outfit to only having her plain, white baby walkers! *lol* I will be going shopping for new shoes this week. In addition, these pants she's wearing are 18 months!! We completely skipped the 12 mos pants! Her chunky little thighs don't fit so well in the 12 month size but she's not really tall enough for 18 month (these pants are supposed to be capris). Good thing we're into the summer months and she'll mostly wear shorts & skirts for a while. Her unofficial home stats are: 20.5 pounds (63rd percentile) and 29" (66th percentile). The good news is that she had a little growth spurt and is finally a little above average in length. We were having a hard time with clothes when she was under average because she was so chunky but not yet long enough for the next size up.

She is still babbling nonstop but still only makes the "d" sound. Her vocabulary, as far as understanding words, is growing daily. So far we can tell that she understands the following words:
arms up - puts one or both arms in the air
clap - starts clapping
wave - waves bye-bye
smile - gets a big grin
baby - looks at her dolls
dog - looks for Graham and tries to say 'dog'
no - either stops what she's doing or shakes her head
tongue - moves her tongue in and out really fast like a lizard
kiss - either makes the kiss sound or gives you an open mouthed, wet one!
ear - touches her ear
head- touches her head
toes - touches her toes

She's got a great appetite (about 800 calories per day) and pretty much eats whatever you give her -- as long as it's pureed. She just hasn't taken to chewing food on a regular basis. She'll snack though- she loves her yogurt melts and she'll take whatever you give her and chew on it but when I try to feed her foods that she needs to chew at mealtime, she gags and wants no parts of it. She also isn't feeling oatmeal. Most days she takes extra long just to finish two funky tablespoons no matter what fruit I add to try to disguise it.

Something has happened with her sleeping pattern. She has woken up in the early morning for the past 3 nights. First at 4:30, then 3:30, and last night it was about 2:30! We just ignored her Friday & Saturday night. Hopefully she will be back on track tonight because I am just too used to my full nights of sleep to go back to having to get up in the middle of the night with her. *sigh*

As predicted, she really likes animals. When we go on our walks and come across someone walking their dog she gets excited and squeals. She even does this when she sees an animal on tv. She still chases Graham around the house and now that she's getting faster, she's caught him a few times and squeals once she touches his fur. Poor Graham...he's almost 11 years old (77 in dog years) and the little guy has to finish out his days being terrorized by Kalissa! *lol*

She had her first kiss! Last week when we arrived at our weekly playgroup, she walked right up to this little boy and gave him a wet kiss on his cheek! The little boy was in shock! Come to think of it, he didn't come back over to play with her! *lol* Of course when I told Daddy, he wasn't too happy about it.

I think that's about all I have for now. She's 80% of the way to being a year old and the time is flying by! Maybe she'll say 'mama' before her birthday???

Here Comes the Bride!

I am about a month late in posting this event! I was waiting on the professional photos to come back because this time, our old point-n-shoot failed in getting very many quality photos. However, it appears that the photographer doesn't upload her photos to the web so we're going to have to make do with what we have! Anyway, on April 24, 2010 our dear friends (and Kalissa's Godparents) got married! It was a beautiful ceremony and Kalissa had a BLAST! At the time of the wedding, Kalissa had just turned 9 months old and had been walking for about 2 weeks. Al and I were a little concerned that Kalissa would disrupt the ceremony but Pamela wasn't worried about that at all. We just didn't want her to the baby that cuts up during the vows (we've all experienced "that" baby)! The ceremony took place outdoors and it was a gorgeous spring day -- about 75 degrees -- so Kalissa was having fun jumping from lap to lap before the bride arrived. Once the procession started, my fears became a reality. Kalissa started to cry!! I picked her up and took her off to the side where she quickly calmed down and we were able to return to our seats without missing much. About 10 minutes in, she got fidgety and wanted to get down from my lap. I was surprised because she hates the feel of grass but I let her down just to keep her quiet. This was when she turned into a pageant queen! *lol* The girl started walking up and down the aisle! Back then, she was still pretty wobbly so I was trying to keep her from going too far without creating a scene (we were seated in the front row). She was picking up flowers and eating them and was just having a great time entertaining herself. But hey, she was quiet so I let her be! *lol*

We made it through the ceremony without further incident and then got ready to party! ...and party we did! This was such a celebration because Pamela and Woody were finally back together as husband and wife! The story goes like this: they were married for 17 years and raised 2 wonderful girls. Then, well....people change and they got divorced. After 2 years of being apart, they reunited for 4 years and ultimately remarried. Their first dance to Keith Sweat's "Make it Last Forever" was definitely fitting.

After the first dance, we all hit the dance floor. I was looking forward to this because I would FINALLY get to see Al dance! Up until this day (and not again since), I had never seen him dance. When we were dating he told me what a great dancer he was but I'm like, show and prove Mister Man (he also doesn't eat cheese but told me he would walk around with a grilled cheese sandwich in his pocket if it meant he could hang with me....and I have yet to see him with that sandwich -- but I digress)! He would never even do a little somethin' around the house. When I play music at home I'll dance around a bit and he's always stoic! So I just resolved myself to the fact that he couldn't dance. But I was wrong!!! The man can dance! ...and he's smooth with it too. Mmmmmmmmm. Oops, sorry, I got carried away in my thoughts. *lol* That was definitely a special treat...one that I'd like to see more often! But like I said...I haven't seen him so much as bob his head since the wedding. I guess I should have tried to get it on video or even a picture of it!

Kali did a great job at the reception too. She got a little fussy as she grew sleepier but she fought going to sleep the entire time! At the end of the reception, she was more than happy to get into her car seat and call it a night!

Kali and Her Oma

Yesterday, Kalissa's play group met at the Wild Animal Park. This would be a perfect opportunity for Kali to see her Oma since the WAP is located about 5 minutes from my mom's house. Kali loves her Oma (and vice versa)! She gets a huge smile on her face when she sees her, which is quite often. My mom is just relishing in her role as Oma...the t-shirt she's wearing says "Grandma....like Mom but no rules" and was a gift from my little nephews. Too cute! Kalissa's three cousins all live on the east coast so my mom is loving being able to be 'hands on' with a grand baby (not to mention Kali is the only granddaughter).

We enjoyed the early morning/afternoon at the park. The animals were all out and pretty active so Kalissa was able to see and focus on them. As usual, she squealed and erupted into laughter at the sight of them. It was also a special treat since my mom HELD her the entire time!! It's okay now, but when Kali was a baby I would have to limit her holding times because I didn't want a spoiled baby. If left to my mom, she would've held Kalissa from the time she arrived at my house until the time she left! *lol* But now, Kalissa is at the age where she doesn't even want to be held a lot of the time so she will surely let you know! When she did finally put her down, Kalissa enjoyed chasing after her. She's getting pretty good with walking in shoes.

After the park, we finished out the afternoon with some lunch. My mom saw this as the perfect opportunity to take Kali over to her job for show and tell (also known as show off!)! *lol* But, that's what Grandma's do!

I'm glad Kali gets to spend so much time with my mom....they have a great bond already. How's this for a bond....a few weeks ago, I had fed Kali and my mom decided to play with her shortly after. Al and I know to give her some time for her food to digest but my mom got right down to playing with her. Next thing I know, I hear a big burp and look over to see this:

Ewwwww (notice I snapped a picture before giving her a towel to clean up)! *lol* I was almost gagging but she was laughing! Ummm...I know she's my baby but I don't want her spitup anywhere near my face and certainly not my mouth. I'm gagging just typing this! Yuck!

But, that's Kalissa and her Oma and I leave them to do what they do. :)

A Weekend of Firsts

Yesterday was my first official Mothers' Day! I just KNEW Kali would surprise me by finally saying "mama" but that was just wishful thinking! *lol* Nonetheless, it was a great day spent with my beautiful family. We actually headed out of town on Friday and drove out to Arizona. This would be Kalissa'a first weekend away from home. Her first stay in a hotel was when she was 2 months old but that was just for one night and she didn't do anything other than eat, sleep and poop back then. So it was time to show and prove for her (that she can travel without being a major pain) and for us (that we can handle her away from home). We timed our travel to be during her afternoon nap so she slept for most of the 2 1/2 hour car ride. Breezy. For her feedings, I decided to buy the pre-made 8 oz formula bottles. I certainly didn't want to deal with washing bottles, measuring, or expiration times. Although you pay for the convenience, these were great -- just attach a nipple and go! I didn't know how Kalissa would take these bottles because the nipple I had to buy for them was different than what she normally uses. But kids are resiliant, right? Wrong! *lol* The first bottle was horrible! She would NOT suck on it. She just played with it and chewed on it but after not eating for 5 hours, hunger set it and she finally realized that was the only nipple she was getting. The rest of the feedings were smooth sailing. We also brought her pack-n-play playpen so she would have a place to sleep. We figured we'd start with trying to get her to sleep there and if she protested, we'd give in and let her sleep in the bed with us. Kalissa surprised us both and had no problems with sleeping in her playpen all through the night and also for her naps. Such a big girl!

As soon as we were settled, we headed over to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. Mind you, this would be Kali's first time sitting in a restaurant high chair (she just started sitting in a high chair at home last week!) so we were NOT looking forward to her behavior. Again, my baby surprised us both and only fussed for maybe 2 minutes. She even ate from the menu -- celery sticks with ranch dressing and potato wedges!

She behaved very well for every meal after that and she proved to Daddy that she won't embarrass him if he takes her out. *lol* Al never wanted to go out to eat with her because she used to cut up in restaurants...but that was because she was stuck in her carseat or stroller. Now she can sit at the table and interact with everyone so she's much better.

On Saturday, we went swimming. Well, I didn't actually swim because I didn't have my products to get my hair back right. *lol* So I just walked around the pool with Kali and watched her play with Daddy. She was just tooooo cute! She was a little apprehensive about the water temperature but once her body warmed up to it, she loved it!



After swimming, we headed up to our room to bathe and Kali got her first shower. She giggled the whole time because she loved the water spraying on her. The girl is so easily enamored.

I had a fabulous 1st Mothers' Day! ...and last night I had a dream that I was pregnant!! I'm not (I don't think), but it was a nice dream. :) Kalissa has definitely proven herself to be travel-ready so hopefully we'll be able to do more short getaways soon!

Is That a Fact?

Just a few random fun facts about our little munchkin...

Kali's appetite is picking up. The Gerber website says she should be eating 800 calories per day. She's up to about 750 calories. We feed her 4 times per day starting at 6 a.m. with her last meal being at 7:30 p.m. She is showing much more interest in regular foods. I'm going to start integrating more solids that she can sink her teeth into. So far, she seems to like mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, apples, bananas, and cheese.

She is now eating in a highchair! I fought the highchair thing for as long as I could. It was just so much easier to control her and get her to eat if I was holding her. Those days flew out the window a few weeks ago once she figured out she could kick! She also discovered blowing her food out and I ended up with vegetables in my face one too many times. Soooooo...I could no longer hold her back and we broke down and got her a highchair. She did well with the transition and soon I'll be able to start letting her feed herself in it. Can you believe the girl still won't hold her own bottle?? Spoiled.


Kalissa LOVES bathtime. She has little squirt toys that she plays with. She loves to be squirt in the face with them. She cracks up laughing and then opens her mouth so you can squirt the water in. She would stay in the bath for an hour if I let her. And when we reach in to lift her out, she goes limp so that you have a hard time. She is pure comedy.

She has raggedy toenails. I don't know what the problem is!! I clip them so that they're even and then a few days go by and she ends up with these:


Accessories. She is mesmerized by them! No matter what it is...earrings, bracelets, necklaces, buttons, etc. When she finds them she will try to eat them off you. She also loves to pull off my sunglasses and headbands. She likes her people plain! *lol*

She has learned the concept of "no!" She doesn't always stop what she's doing right away but she does know that she should stop. If I have to get up and go over to where she is to get her to stop, she closes her eyes in anticipation of a hand spanking. Ummm...if you know the consequence, why are you still doing it?? Hopefully this is not a sign of what's to come.

Sleeping is still a joy. She's goes into her crib between 8:30 - 9:30 p.m and I get her up the next morning at 6:00 a.m. Rarely, she wakes up during the night but she goes right back to sleep when she does. She is hilarious when she gets sleepy. She does everything she can think of to keep herself awake. She'll yell at the top of her lungs. She'll start walking and stumbling over and over again until she passes out. It's free nightly comic relief! *lol*

Kalissa had her first babysitting experience! Last Sunday, we all went to church and made the decision to leave her in the church nursery while we sat in the sanctuary. Our church's nursery is state of the art. The kids are separated by age and developmental stage (Kalissa was in with the 9-12 mos early walkers). The parents are given a barcode (like the ones you get at the grocery store for discounts) that encodes the parents' & child's information and prints a 'claim ticket' that you must present in order to pick up your child. There is security at the double doors leading to the nursery rooms...no claim ticket, no entry. There can be no more than 3 kids per volunteer, etc. etc. Even with all of these precautions, Al admitted he was having some anxiety when it came time to leave her and I really couldn't concentrate on the service because I kept looking at the display to see if Kalissa's name would pop up (meaning there was a problem and I needed to come to the nursery). It was all in vain though...after the service was over, we pretty much RAN to get her and she was fine! The volunteers said she was great and only cried when the other babies started crying.

She's adjusting so well and we're very proud of her!

Get Up, Stand Up!

It's been about 3 weeks since Kalissa began walking on her own. She's really getting good at it too! The funny thing is that although she can walk, she couldn't (or wouldn't) get to a standing position on her own. She would crawl over to the closest object and use it for leverage to pull herself up. That all changed a few days ago. She's discovered the muscles necessary to accomplish a stand and there is nooooo stopping her now! Here she is in action:


Along with standing on her own, she also discovered that she can DANCE without holding on too! The girl is on a serious roll!! *lol*

As you can see, she is still loving Hip Hop Harry...although Usher's "OMG" is running a close 2nd. I'm sure once she gets her balance down, she is going to be pure comedy with her dancing.

Dear Kali,
Please slow down. You're giving Mommy a heart attack! I know you want to do big girl things but your little 9-month old body isn't really ready for all of this. Yesterday while tryin to be grown, you fell into the coffee table FOUR TIMES and hit your head each time. You screamed bloody murder and so did I (on the inside). So now, I have to sit on the floor with you when you play....and Mommy's old with a bad hip. *lol* I seriously can't keep up! Will you please just think about it? Love you bunches!