Don't be alarmed...

Don't be alarmed if you see our family out and about in 70 degree weather with our winter coats and hats on. We worked so hard to get Kay to be willing to wear a coat and hat (especially hat) in the beginning of winter that now she won't leave the house with hers on (and without us wearing ours too). The weather has been going back and forth from warm to cool and every time we go to leave the house she runs to the coat closet and does her typical point and grunt when she wants something. She will say please over and over again until we finally put a hat and coat on her and then she won't give up until we are wearing ours too. We went through this activity this morning and I debated whether to try to push not wearing one but I know tomorrow is going to be cold again. So... in the meantime... don't be alarmed if you see us decked out in our winter gear in 70 degree weather!

Tennessee to see Nana & Pops..

As quickly as Craig got back in town from another China trip, he left town again to visit his parents in Tennessee. We were so excited to take Kay to another state! Nana and Pops had a blast showing her their home. They even babysat one night so we could go on a date! We had some excitement during the trip. As soon as we arrived Kay began breaking out in hives. She was obviously reacting to something she ate or that touched her skin. After calling the on-call nurse, she told us to give Benedryl and keep an eye on her. She did not seemed to be bothered by it one bit- it just looked terrible. Kay enjoyed the science museum, cooking with Nana, going to the park, and walking around the Farmers Market.

Growing Up (too fast!)...

Kay is beginning to experiment with the word "no" now. I don't think she fully understands what it is, but is sure trying it out. The other day she said "no" when I handed her milk to her. Then, two seconds later did the sign for "more". She is also testing the waters with protesting things she does not want to do. For the first time she arched her back while putting her in the car seat making it into a wrestling match (while saying "no" over and over again). Thankfully, I am bigger than her and won the challenge. She is like a sponge and learning everything. She remembers where everything goes (wants to help hang up hangers, put away her jacket, put the broom away, get a washcloth for bath out of the drawer). If we leave the remote within reach she will pick it up, carry it to us, and start saying "thank you" because she knows we thank her every time she hands it to us to put away. "Cheese" is now a new favorite word and food. I used to not be able to get her to eat it and now she loves it. Everything is a "baby" now. Plants, chairs, people...everything is called "baby". She says her own name now. It is the most adorable drawn out "Kaayy".

I flipped through my baby calendar the other day. Here are two pictures of me at the same age as Kay. I can see some of me in Kay. At the same age one week I used the potty for the first time, the next week I refused to wear a diaper, and the next week I was waking my mom up at night to take me to the bathroom at night. If only Kay would be that easy! It is funny to read the differences. One of my first words was "mine" (I am sure because I have an older brother) and Kay hasn't said that word yet. Around Kay's age my doctor was thrilled when I reached the 0% mark in weight because I had been off the chart I was so thin. I guess we should be excited Kay has stayed on the chart (although very low).

Here are some videos of Kay and her recent activities. Notice how excited she gets when we talk about GG. She really misses her great grandma!

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!