7 months...

Kay is now 7 months old! This morning we woke up to her rolled over on her belly. Again, we have missed her skill. Daycare still tells us about how she rolls over in both directions, but we are yet to see it. Kay is getting really curious and really likes to watch other kids, hit buttons on toys that make noise, and laugh and squeal. She had more fun playing with the teddy bear this time for her 7 month picture. Kay always has a smile on her face if she has someone to look at. It is hard to get smile pictures when it is just me behind the camera. She still has her big blue eyes. I hope she keeps them!



How big she has grown... This hat was huge when she was in the hospital. Now, she has been wearing for the past few weeks and almost outgrown it...



I went to the used baby sale again last week and stocked up on her spring/summer clothes. She is one lucky little girl! I think she might have more clothes than Craig and I combined. Things are so reasonable at the sale it is hard to resist. She is also very hard to predict on sizing. It took Kay forever to get out of her preemie and 0-3 moth clothes and it feels like she just got into 6 month and is already growing out of them. We will see what size she is this summer!

She has spent the past month battling double ear infections. Last week we had to take her to the doctor because she was clearly not feeling well. She STILL had her double ear infection after several medications for them. The doctor wanted to buy some time because she is still so small and a preemie before we have to go down the tubes route. She had to get three days worth of antibiotics in shots. Afterward she would just lay in our lap and whimper. It was so sad! On day two, she still had a very high fever and the doctor did an exam and discovered that not only did she have a double ear infection, but also hand, foot, and mouth. Poor girl was miserable! We are hopeful that when she goes back this Friday she will no longer have an ear infection and will hopefully be able to get her 6 month vaccines.


Kay is eating all kinds of food now. She loves oatmeal, butter nut squash, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, and apples. She will be trying more fruit this week. She still likes to "wear" her food and loves feeling how squishy it is.


Kay is also getting pretty good at going down at someone's house and letting us transfer her at night. We hung out with our friends Michelle and Dave to watch football and had an all day meat smoking party at Hannah and Jimmy's. Jimmy likes to cook like Craig so they both set-up their smokers and we enjoyed yummy food and Craig's home brew. Kay was still recovering from her ear infections, but she really did a great job.

6.5 month comparison...

My mom kept a calendar when I was little of all my milestones and doctor weigh-ins. Kay and I both had a doctor appointment at 6.5 months and I found the results very interesting...

Emily: 27.5 inches long, 13 lbs 6 oz, crawling and pulling up
Kay: 26 inches long, 13 lbs 11.5 oz, sitting up with support for short periods of time

Yes, you read that right. Kay weighs more than I did at the same age. I was one long, skinny, energetic baby! My mom said people called me "Emily Energy" because I would not sit still. Looks like nothing has changed! I am sure I burned every calorie that I ate!

Round two...

Well, we went in to have Kay checked again and to get her 6 mo vaccines and flu shot. The doctor checked her ears and she has a double ear infection AGAIN! This time they went ahead and gave her the flu shots. Poor thing got Craig's ears. He had many ear infections, tubes, and now several ruptured ear drums in each ear. We go back in two weeks for another check and hopefully her vaccines.

Cousin Charlie...

This made me laugh out loud...

From my brother's blog... Kay's Cousin Charlie. They are expecting another baby in May...


We decided to make good use of our time with cousin Kay to give Charlie some practice having a baby around. We quickly discovered that we have a LONG way to go before Charlie is ready to meet his new brother or sister! The simple task of trying to get a photo of Grandma with Kay and Charlie proved to be quite difficult!

We started off by hitting Kay in the head....Then we pulled on Kay's ear....Then we poked Kay in the eye....Then decided it would be fun to hit Grandma in the face since Kay was off limits....And FINALLY decided to take a drink before we could get a decent picture. Notice how Kay waits patiently and never cried despite the continued abuse from her cousin!YAY, a decent photo!

Butternut Squash...

Well, we were successful at making our first batch and getting her to eat it (and enjoy it)!

Snuggles...

One of our favorite things about Kay being a baby is the great snuggles we get! We had a pretty lazy weekend because Kay and Craig were getting over a cold and I was coming down with their cold.

I have decided I spend most of my days pulling her thumb out of her mouth and putting the socks that she pulls off back on. Kay's therapist laughs because it is a constant battle to get her to use her right arm because she had it poised and ready to suck!

Christmas...

Kay had a fun first Christmas. We spent the time at our house relaxing and hanging out with family and friends.

The day before Christmas eve Kay's Uncle Scott, Aunt Marcia, and Cousin Charlie stopped by for a visit. We also had several of Scott's friends and our friends stop by. We were busy with the cookie factory that afternoon as well. Grandma converted Scott's childhood stocking into one for Charlie this year. She plans to do the same for Kay next year. What a special gift! I don't think Charlie really understood what it was this year. I am sure soon he will be excited to dig the treats out of it on Christmas day! We tried so hard to get a picture with the two cousins. It took two photographers and one uncle/dad acting silly and we still did not get a good picture! Maybe next year...



Christmas Eve was another relaxing day. We had an early dinner over with some of our closest friends from Church and their families. Hannah and Jimmy threw another great party and it was nice to see their parents again. We left their house to go home and get Kay ready for bed. She went to bed in her car seat so we could go to church. We drove around to see Christmas lights before heading to the church service. Kay was perfect and slept during the entire 9 pm church service. We sat toward the front and the organ music was pretty loud. I thought she would wake up, but she did not make one peep! I was also impressed with myself being able to stay up that late and not even take a snooze! Craig and I knew we needed to take advantage of one last time at the candle light service. The next several years we will probably include going to the kid service. Before tucking everyone into bed we read Twas the Night Before Christmas.



On Christmas morning Kay enjoyed opening presents (with some help). As expected, the box was almost as much fun as the gifts. We relaxed and watched movies for the rest of the day until Craig's parents flew in. We had a nice dinner with them when they arrived. Craig made some very tasty steaks and of course steam pudding (a tradition of my family).


Dad loved the hand and foot ornaments we made for Kay's first Christmas. Nana and Pops gave Kay a stroller made for tall people!


We are trying to get Kay to take a paci instead of her thumb. She showed us what she thought of that as she shoved her thumb in the paci hole to suck it through the paci. One determined little girl...



We tried cereal again. It was much more entertaining for Kay to have a cheering squad for her to eat it. She gobbled it up this time! Unfortunately, after all the family left she realized it was just mom at home on Monday and was not as excited about her cereal.



The next day we hosted all of Craig's family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) We had a houseful including 4 kids under the age of 3. We had a very yummy BBQ meal from Craig's smoker. It was really nice to see everyone again and Kay got a lot of snuggles. It was a crazy house, but a fun house.


It is hard to believe that 2009 is coming to an end and 2010 is about to begin. We are thankful for our many blessings, friends, and family.