Graduation!

Kay has officially graduated from Physical Therapy. Yesterday morning her therapist said she has caught up to other 19 month old kids and she only wants to see her again only if

we have concerns. She is encouraging us to consider getting Kay orthotics for her flat feet in hopes it will help strengthen the muscles and make her arch not collapse.

Kay is talking up a storm. I feel like she says a new word every day. Yesterday she learned the word "nine" while counting. It is so funny to me to see what words she picks to practice and learn each day. Apparently "nine" is better then eight, seven, six... you get the point...

Kay says "bye bye", pats her diaper and gets the wipes/new diaper whenever she uses the bathroom. Too bad we can't get her to tell us before the fact. She has discovered the real purpose of toilet paper and loves to wipe and flush it "bye bye" (she would use the entire roll if we would let her!).

Today, while reading books before nap, she stretched her arms above her head yawned and then tucked her hands behind her head and leaned against me. It so so precious. I wanted to bottle it up and save it for a few years down the road when she won't sit in my lap!

She has also started this funny back-up into my lap move. When eating a snack, reading a book, etc. we will often sit on the floor together. She has started backing up until she is close enough and then very gently sits herself in my lap. I love it (again, want to bottle it up)!

She is in this phase where she loves to see how heavy of an item she can pull backwards. Today at therapy she was pulling a wheelbarrow backwards and last night she was pulling the kitchen chairs backwards.

Swim lessons are going well. She has not mastered kicking yet, but is getting there. They have large kick boards for the kids to use and Kay just wants to climb up on top and ride on it. She will kick her feet when fully on the board.

Kay is working on her 15th & 16th teeth. She looks so grown up with all the teeth. We are happy with out decision to get tubes. She has had two ear infections since and they have been much less painful to Kay. She is experimenting with testing her limits. She will do something she knows she is not supposed to do and watch for our reaction. Favorites are dumping her plate of food, putting her feet on the table, and ripping books. We have experimented a little bit with time out. We are all trying to figure out what works best with Kay for "no".

Sitting at the table!

Kay is now sitting at the table with her booster seat. She loves it! She really loves being able to act like one of us at the table. She also used the potty three times today. She is very far from being potty trained, but the interest is there. Her favorite part is getting to flush the toilet afterward and wave bye bye.

Another state and first trip to the beach....

We went to Florida for a week after Christmas with Craig's family. Kay was a trooper during the long 9 hour drive. We ended up leaving earlier than planned because the threat of a white Christmas. It made me very sad to leave home and not get to play in the snow, but it was worth it. When we got to Florida we wondered if we were really there because it was so COLD! It was in the 30s. The heated outdoor pool did not heat it was so cold. Kay enjoyed her cousins company. Five children, 4 and under make for a busy house. I am not sure there was ever a second when someone was not crying. To top things off we had a stomach bug that knocked out the entire house at some point during the week. Each morning we woke up wondering who was up all night with the funk.

The kids enjoyed Disney, seeing the manatees, and playing in the sand. Nana and Pops even braved watching all the grandkids so the parents could go to the bowl game. Kay's laser pointer as we call it (Kay points her little pointer finger and grunts in excitement when she sees something fun) was out in full force at Disney. Craig got to drive on the beach (a first for him) which he was very excited about.

Christmas Morning...

Christmas was more exciting this year now that Kay was able to move around and open her own presents. The favorites were an old cell phone/keys/purse, doll stroller, toy grocery cart, and a box of tissues. She loved being able to pull every tissue out of the box without being stopped. We opened presents in the morning and the had a Christmas lunch of steaks, asparagus, and twice baked potatoes. We were planning on having a Christmas dinner, but we were expecting 7 inches of snow and needed to get out of town before the weather got bad. After the third gift Kay understood that if you rip the paper off there is a fun toy inside. We feel so fortunate to be able to celebrate Christmas with Kay's great grandmother again. What a lucky girl!

Here comes Santa!

I think for Kay the best part of our Santa trip was blowing him kisses from a distance. She walked up to every kid in line and said hi and gave out hi-fives. Once it came time to sit on Santa's lap the scene changed. We were successful in getting the screaming child Santa picture. Once her thumb went in the mouth things were bearable, but still no smile until she ran back into my arms afterward!

Friends...

Kay and her friend Adaline spent some time together a few weekends ago. The girls are so cute and really have fun together. Kay kept pointing at Adalines belly button the whole time. Adaline loved giving Kay snuggles. Their friend Laurel gave them a new toy. The girls had fun trying to figure out the wrapping paper together!

Kay continues to love helping us make dinner. She helped fix everyone's plate with salad a few nights ago. She loves anything she can make a mess with!

Cars, leaks, and doctors...oh my!

Oh my have we been busy! About three weeks after getting my car fixed from the accident I had while Craig was in China a man ran a red light and totaled Craig's car. We are so thankful everyone has been ok in all of our accidents so far this year. We are now pros at dealing with insurance and have a "new to us" car. We were a little stressed having to buy a car so quickly (four days). Normally we look around for a long time. We spent the entire first two snow days of the season cleaning the new car. We got a great deal on it, but with it came a lot of dirt. I don't think they ever cleaned it! It was very cold, but really really needed to be cleaned so we could drive it.

We spent the next weekend plumbing our kitchen sink. We had a leak for several days that we needed to deal with. Although we both would have rather been relaxing, I can say Craig and I did enjoy a little project again. We used to do so many around the house together. Projects are a great way to talk and spend time together. We have learned a lot of skills by owning this house!

Kay got another ear infection, I came down with a bad case of strep throat, and Craig ordered his first pair of glasses. Kay was then sent to the specialist and I was turned away from the drug store clinic because my heart rate was so high. A couple doctors later and I am feeling great, Kay now has tubes, and Craig will be able to see better!! This morning we woke up really early to get her to the surgery. She was a little scared while they did the weigh in and temperature. She went back with the doctor without a peep. After the surgery she was really scared and cried the entire way home. She is doing much better now. Her ears were pretty yucky with infection so I am glad we went ahead and did the tubes. I hope I do not have to send my baby away again any time soon! It brought back memories of leaving the hospital without her. Here is Kay waiting patiently for her surgery.

We drove Kay to a house we discovered last year. This house has tons of lights that all light up with three different songs. We got Kay out of her car seat so she could see the show. She LOVED it. I can't wait for next year. I think she will appreciate it even more! Craig took some of his coworkers that were visiting from China to the same house. He wanted to show them a little bit of an American Christmas. I think they also really enjoyed seeing some of the holiday celebrations.

Kay has really started enjoying coloring. She thinks it is so neat that as she moves the marker over the paper it leaves a mark. Here she is coloring with dad.

I just purchased the best item ever off craigslist! I found this adjustable step stool that is the perfect kitchen counter height. Kay loves being able to see what is going on. My arm used to get so tired trying to hold her so she could see. Now, she is able to stand up and help us with dinner. Here is is helping to make a pie and shred cheese. Craig is really excited to make "Mimi" biscuits with her soon.