No Longer Stinted

This morning Kaylee got the stint removed from her left tear duct. The process was quick and painless for all involved. Kaylee barely grunted a little complain, and I think that was because we were holding her down. Hopefully, this will be the end of the eye troubles.

As we were leaving, the doctor told Kaylee that she got to choose a toy from the treasure chest because she was so brave. She picked a small plastic lion and said, "Kaylee Beth brave, lion brave too!" I freaking love my girl!

Family Pictures

Yesterday we dressed up and headed out with the goal of taking some decent family pictures. While we did end up with a few good shots, we also ended up with a lot of funny. The biggest reason we wanted family pictures was to have something to share with our grandparents. Grandparents tend to appreciate pictures in which you are smiling and looking at the camera. Here are my favorites...a little silly, artsy, and not really what a grandparent would enjoy (we did get a few of that variety, though).

Two Years Old

My lovely little girl ~

We celebrated your birthday just two days ago and I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that you are two. Every time I catch myself calling you Baby, Babyface or some other variation on the same I think that I need to stop. You are not a baby any longer. With all your independence and your knowledge and your spirit, you are becoming a little girl. A little girl who has her own ideas and questions about her world. A little girl who clings to her mommy a little bit less each passing day. I am moved by the absolute joy that you exude and feel so very grateful to be a witness to your unfolding life. Simply put, you amaze me. Every day.

I love you with everything I have.

Your Mommy

Winding Down and Baking

We are rapidly winding down Kaylee's second year. We're having a cake-and-ice-cream family birthday this weekend, and then the big event is next Wednesday. Tomorrow I begin baking all the yummy things I will make in celebration of my little lovey.

For Sunday, I'm making a pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, and there will be pumpkin muffins with raisins (a special treat for my raisin-lovin' girl) to share with her friends on Wednesday. (Can you tell that I'm totally loving the fact that Kaylee has a fall birthday?) For all the moments in between, there will be "Leaf-Shaped Christmas Tree Cookies".

That last one may sound confusing, but no matter the shape, I can't bring myself to think of sugar cookies (my grandma's recipe) as anything other than Christmas Tree Cookies. As early as I can remember, it was tradition for my grandma to make and decorate cookies with me to share for my birthday (in early December). I hope to carry on this tradition with Kaylee, only with fall leaf cookie cutters. There will be golden-colored frosting with orange and red sprinkles to give them the perfect fall look, but they will still be Christmas Tree Cookies to me.

23 Months

My Little Lovey ~

In just one month, we will be celebrating your birthday once again. I absolutely cannot believe how my helpless little baby has turned into this bright, independent, stunning little girl. You amaze me in so many ways every single day.

This month you finally straightened out the "L...M...N...O...P" portion of the alphabet. Before this, you were leaving out N and O for the sake of time and rhythm. Now, if we could just get you to say W instead of just "Double", you'd have it. You're also making serious headway with your counting. You're going up to 20 and only leaving one or two number out...usually 15 and 16.

Your big adventure this month was starting Tot Time at the library. We go every Tuesday evening for a 30-minute story time. I know that you really like it, but you're still being pretty shy about it. You never want to sing out loud with the other kids, but as soon as we hit the car, you're begging to sing the new songs you just learned. Silly girl. I have been so proud, though, of your behavior when we go. You sit on your little carpet square and listen to the stories and wait your turn to go up and participate.

This weekend, you got to go to a birthday party for one of your friends from childcare. It was so fun for us to watch you play with your friend, and it was nice for Daddy and me to get to talk to other parents, too. It was a fun evening and I'm so glad we went.

In the category of things that only a mommy would notice or care about, you got your first little freckle/mole this month. I noticed it on the left side of your back, and it just made me giggle. Your Daddy and I both have a lot of freckles and moles, so I knew that you wouldn't be keeping that flawless complexion forever. I'm so curious to watch these little changes in your appearance.

As always, you are just such a joy to us. We love you so much and can't wait to see all the things that your future holds.

Your Momma

22 Months

My Dear Little Love ~

Another month has come and gone while I sit and wonder where the time goes. You are just growing and changing so much it's hard to keep up with you. Here lately, I see you so much more as a little girl and less like a baby or toddler.

You continue to love singing, and this month you learned to sing Baa Baa Black Sheep (almost) on your own. There are a few parts that you need a little help with, but you're just so cute when you're singing it. You also learned to love Ring Around the Rosie this month. At school, you sing and play it with the big girls, but at home you love to play it with your babies. We have so much fun watching you.

Yesterday you informed me that you wanted to eat "my mommy's cereal" for breakfast rather than your customary oatmeal. We shared a bowl of Special K and you did so good with your spoon and barely made any mess. Today you got your very own bowl of Cheerios, and did just as well. You even picked up the bowl and drank the milk after the cereal was all gone. What a big girl!!! I suppose the next step is to let you start drinking out of cups without lids. I know that you'll do fine.

This week Daddy started school full-time and our schedule has changed a little bit. You've been eating a later dinner and staying up a little later at night, but you've been a little trooper. I have to admit, you're a little grumpy when we wake you up in the morning, but it doesn't last too long.

I hope you know that Daddy and I are both so so proud of you. You are a lovely little girl and it's just so much fun to watch you grow. We love you.

Your Momma

21 Months

Little Miss Monkey Pants ~

You've been through quite a lot this month, and you are handling it with all the grace that I could begin to expect from a toddler. Nothing ever seems to steal your joy for too long, you are so happy.

Not only did you go through your first surgery (and experience with anesthesia), but your first canine tooth finally broke through. I don't think you're all too happy with the other three impending canines, but you are surviving. By the time your birthday rolls around, I expect that you will have a full mouth of teeth...finally.

You've been playing with your babies a lot more frequently this month. You love to rock them, singing By-oh By-oh Baby Girl, and feed them with the little bottles we got for you. You are such a good little mommy!

We've been enjoying all the singing that you've been doing lately. Sometimes you just like to sing a few words, prompting us to do the singing so you can dance or play. Sometimes, though, you will sing a song all by yourself. I am absolutely charmed and in love when you sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It is just the cutest thing ever on this planet. I also love it when we hear you singing yourself to sleep up in your bedroom.

We've been doing a lot of counting this month, especially working on pointing to items as you count them. You doing a pretty good job, but counting to two seems tough, because you want to go ahead and add three as well. Practice, practice, practice.

The other day I noticed that you are almost able to play with your shape sorter independently. You still need someone to shake the shapes out for you, and you still need a little helping finding the right spot for those two "agons" (pentagon and hexagon...lol). I'm glad that you pulled the shape sorter out the other day. It reminded me that your daddy and I need to remember to spiral and scaffold and keep going back to practice skills that you've already mastered.

We're already starting to plan for your birthday, and I know it will be here before we know it. Your daddy and I love you so much and are thankful every day for you.

Your Momma

Baby's First Surgery

Kaylee's surgery (her left tear duct was opened with a metal probe and a small silicone tube was placed in the duct) was on Friday morning. We got there at 7:45 as directed (her surgery was supposed to be at 8:15). After about 5 minutes in the waiting room, which had a kids area with toys and books, they took us back to a pre-op room. This room was white walls with a hospital bed and two chairs and nothing at all that Kaylee could play with. How age-inappropriate! We had to wait there for nearly an hour. Mike ended up letting Kaylee play with his phone (she called my phone about 800 times) and then we found a surgical hair net/cap thingy and a surgical mask to play with. During this time, the anesthesiologist and the surgeon came back and talked to us and a nurse took Kaylee's stats. Kaylee was cool with all that, but then the nurse came to take her back to surgery.

I swear, they must have searched for the biggest, burliest male nurse with the most facial hair they could find. Good lord, this dude made me nervous! This was pretty much the worst-case scenario I could have picked for Kaylee. She was terrified and screaming and crying as he took her away from us and down the hall to surgery. My poor baby! After that, it was only about 15 minutes until we were called into the conference room to talk to the surgeon. Everything went well!!! About 10 minutes later, we were taken back to recovery.

Kaylee was already awake and screaming and crying and clawing to get away from the random nurse that was holding her (at least it was a woman this time). She calmed down a little bit when I got to her, but she was still pretty inconsolable. I guess this is pretty common for babies/toddlers coming out of anesthesia...they're just really disoriented and frightened, the nursed likened it to having a night terror. We got her in the car and headed home (about a 40 minute drive). Kaylee finally fell asleep when we were about 10 minutes from home, so we just took her up and put her straight in her bed. When she woke up an hour later, it was as if nothing ever happened. She was happy and ready to go with the rest of her day.

Kaylee's been great ever since then...a little more nervous about strangers than she was before the experience (is there any wonder?), but I assume that will pass. We can already tell a huge difference in her eye, too!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day I've been dreading since Kaylee was a tiny little thing. Tomorrow I will place my daughter in the hands of doctors and nurses (many of which I've never met) and trust them to do what's best for her. They will use medicine put her to sleep, put a small metal probe down through the corner of her eye and place a small piece of rubber tubing into her newly-opened tear duct.

In my head, I know that this is a very common, routine procedure and that it is what's best for Kaylee. My heart, on the other hand, is sad and frightened. At this point, all I can do is love my daughter and send thoughts of steady hands and safety to her doctor.

I can also look forward to not seeing my baby wake up with one eye crusted over. I can look forward to not pissing off my daughter by massaging her poor, swollen eye and clearing the gunk away. I can look forward to not receiving questions and comments from total strangers in the grocery store. I can look forward to knowing that the choices we made were the right ones.

20 Months (Plus a Few Extra Days)

My Little Love ~

Time marches forward while we sit by and watch you grow and change and learn before our eyes. There are days that your daddy and I are simply astounded by the things that you do or say and by the length of your legs. You are just getting so tall!!!

You're still working hard on your alphabet and your letters. You will now sing the ABC song (only leaving out a few letters here and there) all by yourself. You're also beginning to recognize some of the lower-case letters, thanks to many many readings of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. You recognize all of the numbers 1-10 and can count to 14. Yesterday I listened to you counting as we drove home, "1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11...12...13...14...19...20" Really, who even needs 15-18!?

You still love reading and have really enjoyed some of the new books that we've picked up here and there. You have such a good memory and will occasionally reenact your favorite stories for us. I love hearing "Oh No! Boom boom!" coming from the back seat in the car. I know that you are thinking about Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Your memory has also been working overtime storing up some of your favorite songs. It's so much fun to let you fill in little holes when we sing together. You just seem so proud and excited to sing along!

We think that we're starting to see the beginning of your "Terrible Twos" here lately. You can be mischievous and dramatic and will throw the occasional tantrum. Your daddy and I are working hard to set and enforce limits for you and help you identify those tough feelings. Really, though, so far things are not so bad. It's kind of fun to see you show such independence and personality.

There is so much else to say, but I just don't know where to start, or how to stop once I get started. We love you so very much and are so proud of you.

Your Momma

19 Months - 11 Days Later

My Little Love ~

I can't believe how easy it is to lose track of time these days! I was thinking that after 18 months, I would stop writing my monthly letters to you, but looking back, you have changed so much in the space of one month. I feel like I have to record the things that you're doing and learning, even if it is 11 days late.

Right now, you are an absolute sponge for new information. You now recognize all of the letters in the alphabet, and are trying so hard to sing the ABC Song. We sing along and help you out, but I just know you'll have it down on your own in no time. In the last month, you've gotten really interested in numbers as well. At first, you only knew the name for 8 and 9, but now you consistently name 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10. You can count from 1 to 10 with a little bit of help. For some reason, 4 is hard for you. You want to count "1...2...3...2". You've started reading books on your own more often. We love hearing your interpretations of the stories we've read so so many times.

Your absolute favorite thing these days seems to be drawing. We spend lots of time at the table with markers, and we got you a magnetic drawing board. I love it when you draw a squiggle and then see a shape or letter in it. You also like to see me and Daddy write things for you. We've also started playing with blocks a little bit too. You've been able to build a tower 5 blocks high, but you do not like it when the stacks fall down.

You are getting better and better at eating with a spoon and fork. You still use your fingers a fair amount, but as long as you're doing it yourself, you're happy. As with many other things right now, independence is you top priority.

This month, we've also begun some potty training with you. While you've had several successes, we still have a long way to go. You like sitting on the potty and will request to do so from time to time, but you seem freaked out by the end result. We will continue to try and will always celebrate big when you do your job.

I just can't get over what a big girl you are. Sometimes I just look at you and you look so tall...I wonder where my little, snuggly baby has gone. Your daddy and I are so proud of you every single day.

I love you.

Your Momma

Leaps and Bounds

Yesterday Kaylee jumped for the first time. I could not be happier for her. As much as she's been growing and changing in the last (almost) nineteen months, this just seems like a really big deal to me. I think it's because she is so proud of herself.

I can't remember when she started trying to jump, but I know that it started with her Auntie Mir. Miriam would jump and Kaylee would giggle and try to do the same, just ending up in a little squat. The same thing happened at childcare...the big girls would jump and Kaylee would try so so hard to do it too.

I feel like this is the first milestone that Kaylee reached because she wanted it and she worked towards it. She wanted to jump so she tried and she tried and she tried until yesterday, she jumped. I wish I could even begin to describe the look of pure pride and joy on her face as we clapped and cheered for her. What a moment!

Right now I am thrilled for many more years of watching my little girl set and attain her own goals. It's her life and I'm so grateful that I get to watch it unfold.

Updated Vocabulary

I'm amazed at what Kaylee knows at just 18 months...

People/Names - Momma, Dada, Kaylee, Mike, Ma-maw (for grandmas), Papa, Auntie, Dylan (my nephew), Madeline (her bestie at childcare), Manda (her childcare provider), Lance (Amanda's husband), Bella (our dog)
Animals - dog, cat, bird, horse, cow, duck, pig, owl, mouse, goat, baa (sheep), spider, fish, bunny
Foods/Eating - milk, cereal, cracker, cookie, apple, juice, pear, banana, carrot, eat, water, please, more, thank you, spoon, help, cheese
Toys and things - Elmo, Big Bird, book, baby, doll, car, train, boat, girl, bath, ball, bubble, barn, bear, purse, bike
Body parts/Cloths - eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, cheeks, elbow, boobs (lol), feet, toes, head, coat, socks, shoes, pants, diaper, hat
Colors/shapes (she uses these appropriately about 80% of the time) - blue, pink, purple, green, orange, yellow, square, circle, star, moon, ellipse
Letter names (these are the ones that she names appropriately) - A, B, D, E, H, I, K, L, M, O, P, R, S, X, Y, Z
Randoms - up, down, cold, hot, go, stop, yes, okay, no, E I E I O, whoa, I don't know (together as a phrase), hi, bye, wait, jump, hop, day, night, wind, rain, tree, flower, nice

We're working on encouraging Kaylee to use more 2- and 3-word phrases, but she mostly sticks to just one at a time.

18 Months

My Darling Little Love ~

Has is really been a year and a half since we welcomed you into our little family? I cannot believe how quickly time goes by. It's a bittersweet thing to realize that my snuggly, dependent baby is becoming such a strong, bold, independent little girl. It seems like you are finding new ways to both amaze and frustrate me every single day. I'll take the amazing with the frustrating, though, because all in all, it's so so much fun to be your momma.

Eating and mealtimes fall on the frustrating side of the balance here lately. You want to do everything yourself and get so upset when your daddy and I try to help you. We've learned that you'll eat almost anything if we put it on the spoon and set it down within your reach. We've tried teaching you to spoon things out of a bowl yourself, but that's still a work in progress. As always, your favorite foods are fruits and vegetables, and you love your milk. As the weather gets warmer, we'll need to figure out how to get you to drink water. I just know you're not going to like it.

Also on the frustrating end of the spectrum is your little temper. We're seeing more and more little mini-tantrums all the time. These happen when you can't do what you want to do...either because you're not quite able to do something, or we won't let you do something. We try to give you space to try new things, but sometimes we have to stop you from doing something unsafe. There's just no way around it. I wish there was a good way of helping you understand. For now, though, we just wait out the pouting and the whining and the crying and move on. It's just part of life with a toddler...

Now for the amazing...you are just growing and learning in so many ways! Your little brain has just been working overtime. Right now, you can name about 13-14 different letters of the alphabet, point out most basic colors and even name a few, and pick out almost all of the shapes in your shape sorter...including ellipse and trapezoid! You can even name a few shapes...circle, star and ellipse. What a smart cookie!!! As always, you love your books. You're starting to pick out more little details in the pictures, and reading with you is so much fun.

You can be the sweetest little girl I know...when you want to be. You get so excited to see your friends every day and have started giving hugs before we leave to go home each day. You never get tired of looking at the pictures we have of our family members. I just love hearing how excited you get to see some of the pictures...especially those of your cousin Dylan and Auntie Mir. The other day, you gave me an extra long, snuggly hug when The Beatles "I Will" came on your iPod. Do you really know that that's your special song? It just meant so much to me.

We love you so so much!

Your Momma

Hunting Eggs

Kaylee really got the idea of hunting for Easter eggs this year. Here are a few pictures of my baby in action.

Kitty Love

17 Months

Baby Girl ~

Here we are again, the beginning of another month of your life with me struggling to recount all the amazing things that you've been doing. Although we may not remember the dates and times of every single milestone you reach, we will never be able to forget the absolute joy that you bring to our lives. You are so lovely and happy.

This month you blew us all away when we realized that you are beginning to recognize letters. It all began a few months ago, when you pointed to the letters on the cover of your Corduroy book, wanting to know what they were. We played that game for a while...saying the names of each letter and then reading the title. This became something that you wanted to do every time we got out the Corduroy book. One day, when your daddy asked you, "Which one is the R?" I just laughed at him...until you pointed to the R. Now, you recognize all of the letters in Corduroy and can point them out wherever you see them. You can even tell me the names of a few letters. What a smart, smart baby!

You also shocked us with your knowledge of a few shapes. You've been loving your shape sorter for a while, but we're starting to push you to find out exactly what you know. Last night, I told you to give me the circle, without any other cue as to which shape I was talking about, and you handed me the circle. You also knew the names of the ellipse, square and star. I suspect that you might know a few of the others as well, but you got bored of that game, so we moved on.

It's fun to watch you learn new things and realize just how bright you are. Beyond being a smart girl, though, we are so pleased that you are curious, persistent and a problem-solver. This talents and interests will serve you well throughout your life. I thrill in the idea that you will enjoy learning for a lifetime.

As always, you've been talking up a storm this month. I was thrilled to find out the other day that you now know one of your friends' names. Every day when we get to Amanda's house, you fun for the door saying "MaaMy MaaMy", excited to see your friend Madeleine. I know that you will have many good friends in your life, but this is your first friend, and it's just so special.

One of my other favorite things that you've started doing is picking up. We can now tell you to put your books away and you can do it. You're so cute doing it, too.

Here lately, you are pure poetry in motion. Whether it's running, climbing or dancing, you just don't seem to stop. I love seeing the absolute joy on your face when you get where you want to be or accomplish something new.

I hope you always know that you are, truly, the joy of your daddy's and my life. We are so lucky to be able to share all these experiences with you. We love you so very much.

Your Momma

An Honest to Goodness Sentence

"Bye bye Dada." I'm so proud of my girl!!!

Sweet Baby

Kaylee loves playing with her baby...a doll that my mom got her for her birthday. Last night, while she was hugging her baby and patting her back, I suggested that we sing to her baby. I started singing the ABC Song (a go-to for calming Kaylee down when she gets upset) and, as usual, Kaylee began singing along. The next part, though, I didn't expect. Kaylee continued to pat her baby's back and started rocking back and forth just a little bit. What a sweet little girl!!!

16 Months

My Little Lovey ~

Where do the days go? Though I continue to feel so blessed to be a part of your life, I sometimes wish I could slow time down a bit and take more time to enjoy being with you. You are just so anxious to go and do that's it's all we can do to keep up with you.

You continue to show your independent streak, and this month I think I may have seen the precursor to a temper tantrum. While walking and holding my hand, you decided that you'd rather go in a different direction than the one I was heading. When you couldn't get loose of my hand, you stopped walking and squatted down low. Once I stopped and let go of your hand, you popped up and took off in your preferred direction. There was no whining or crying, but you definitely showed me how willful you are. I have a feeling that we're in for it.

Since the snow finally melted this month (at least it did for a day or two), we've been letting you walk to and from the car more often. It's just so incredibly adorable to see you trot down the sidewalk on your own. On one of the nicer days, we even went for a ride/walk with your very first tricycle. You had the biggest, million dollar grin on your face!

You continue to talk a lot, and are always coming up with new words. Unfortunately, we don't know all of your words, so there are times that you're definitely trying to tell us something, but we just can't figure it out. Some of my favorites of your new words are Bella (Beh Ba), thank you (day doo), and when you try to make a rooster noise. Just as I predicted, you've recently abandoned your own word for kitty, and now say cat (dat). I'm sad that I was never able to catch that one on video. You're also beginning to give names to other people in our family, so we talk about all your Mamaws and Papas.

This is just such a fun age, and your daddy and I are enjoying you so much...even though we can see the tantrums coming.

All my love always...

Your Momma

15 Months

My Darling Silly Face ~

Yet another month has passed while I watch you grow and learn. You are so amazing and entertaining as you continue to develop your personality.

This month, I've been astounded by the connections that you make. Once you learned the word and sign for "day", you began to use it every time you see a picture of the sun. When you see polka-dots (in pictures, on your clothes, etc.), you happily point and say "Ball!" Sometimes, especially when you're looking at your books, I can tell that your brain is hard at work...I can't help but wonder what you're thinking. I look forward to the day that you have enough words to tell me everything you know and want and think about every day.

You've made some little leaps and bounds with motor development this month, too. You learned to go down the stairs and are working with a spoon more and more. I'm trying to care less about the mess and more about letting you explore, but sometimes that's hard. In some respects, we are learning together.

One of your favorite toys lately has been the shape sorter you got for Christmas. You are so good at putting the shapes in each hole, as long as I help you find the right one to try. I'm amazed at how you will turn the pieces or wiggle them just a bit to make them fit. Every single piece that goes into the ball elicits such a proud grin that your whole face lights up. Such joy.

You are still talking up a storm. In addition to all of your words, you've added a few animals sounds. In your little world, cows now say MOO and sheep say BAA. What fun. You've also made up a few words of your own. You have a very specific word for "cat/kitty", but I can't do it justice in writing. I hope to catch it on camera. I know that my window of opportunity is probably small. Before we know it, you will figure out how to say "cat" and abandon your own little word.

As hard as I try, I just can't seem to capture everything I notice as I watch you day by day. I hope you know that I am watching and I am so amazed with what I see. You are such a joy to me.

I love you so very much.

Your Momma

Laughing Girl

The book we're looking at, Woof, has a hole in the middle for this little button you can push. Kaylee likes sticking her fingers back through the hole and I "munch" them with my hand.

First Haircut

Kaylee is just growing up so quickly, it's scary. Last night she got her first haircut. We really only trimmed her bangs a bit, but it's a milestone all the same.

My aunt is a hairdresser, so she gave me my first haircut. Continuing the tradition, "Auntie Mir", who is in school at B Street Design, gave Kaylee her first haircut.

She just looks so grown up now!!!

Kaylee's Vocabulary

Here are the words that Kaylee can say/sign right now...

Sign only - coat, thank you, milk, cracker, cat, hat, sign

Word only - momma, da (daddy), bird, moo, baa, eye, boo

Word and sign - moon, hi/bye (she waves, anyway), please, more, dog, horse, ball, bear, baby, day, bus, fish, book

She knows the following body parts...nose, mouth, hair, belly button, feet, eye

I just know that I'm leaving something out, but I can't think of it. Not too shabby, huh?

PIGTAILS!!!