Bubble bath

It's been a long time since my last post! We've had a busy week since we've been in Michigan. It all started with a LATE arrival on Monday. Our 14 hour trip turned into a 20 hour trip! The main reason being really bad weather in Oklahoma and Missouri. Once we got past St. Louis, we had a clear drive. However... somewhere along the way, Kaitlyn picked up a tummy bug! She got sick in the car around Chicago, and lucky for us that is only about an hour and a half from our destination! She didn't have a fever nor did she really seem sick, she just had a hard time keeping formula down (and didn't have a big appetite).



Then.... Wednesday, Mike got the tummy bug! He was wiped out! Thankfully this "bug" only lasted about 48 hours. We needed him in good health if we wanted to hit the slopes on Saturday. Sure enough... we find out in the morning that our 3 party member, Alli, got the same tummy bug! UGH! We've just been passing this thing around! Even Grandpa Kevin got it! My mom and I are doing everything in our power to keep from getting it (we are both still healthy)!

Mike and I made it to Otsego for an afternoon of skiing and snowboarding. We went to Bittersweet Ski Resort, and had a BLAST! Mike did give me a tip to keeping my toes warm... wear one pair of socks! All these years I have had cold toes because I was wearing 2 pairs of socks and cutting off the circulation! I am so thankful he said something to me, because my feet were warm the entire time we were on the slopes. Mike had one really good spill at the bottom of a black diamond (expert) hill. Even I had quite a crash with another snowboarder! Thankfully all I got was a bruise, and the kid I clobbered only had broken goggles.

We both have enjoyed breaking out the board games with my mom, Kevin, and Alli; playing cards with Oma and Opa, and even shoveling snow! I really have enjoyed the snow! I want to go snow tubing on the dunes at some point while we are here, and maybe ice skating too! Chauncey LOVES the snow!! I'll have to see if I can't get a video of him running around the yard. He will run outside and hit a snowdrift and fall face first in the snow! It's really funny!

Kaitlyn is doing very well now! She's back to her perky, curious self. I got a few videos of her in the bath tub. She was squeaking the rubber ducky with her mouth!

She has this face that she makes where she scrunches her nose and makes this funny noise!

We look forward to our next stop in Alma seeing Grandma and Grandpa Fulkerson, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Wood, and all her aunts, uncles, and cousins! :)

Videos galore

I have some videos that I have been meaning to post! We are leaving in two days to drive up to Michigan for Christmas, and I'm not sure how much time I will have for blogging while we are up there. We will be gone for about 3 weeks, so I will try to keep updates coming! :)

This video we took about a week ago. Kaitlyn opened a Christmas present early from Grandma and Grandpa Landis. We have such a small tree that it didn't fit under it! There is a tiny mirror on the toy, and she LOVES mirrors! You'll see...

This video is from Thanksgiving weekend. We have an advent calender shaped like a Christmas tree, and it has Mickey characters and toys that you place on the tree as it gets closer to Christmas. We use the countdown for how many more days until we leave for Michigan since we won't be here for Christmas. Kaitlyn just LOVES it! I don't know what it is... but she just laughs at the tree. Daddy took Donald Duck off the tree and "talked" like Donald....

This video is Daddy showing off his talents. Chauncey went crazy trying to get a ball that Mike was juggling!

Kaitlyn LOVES to play "peek a boo" and for the most part, she's the one who starts the game! I set her in her playpen so I could brush my teeth, and she wanted to play. It's really cute. She also makes some funny faces too!

We are really excited to come to Michigan for Christmas!! We will see a lot of you very soon!!! :)

Almost 10 months!

Where has the time gone?? It seems like yesterday we had a wonderful addition to our family, but in reality it was almost 10 months ago! Kaitlyn is a wonderful blessing! We love to watch her grow and learn everyday.

She will take Chauncey's ball and pass it from hand to hand, and has learned to throw Chauncey his ball. She watches the puppies intently when they play and run down the hall. Kaitlyn loves to play with her shopping cart and "cruise" around the couch, her toys are thrown now too! She LOVES to be in the kitchen. I don't know what it is... but she enjoys getting into the dog's food and water bowls, the Tupperware lids, and pantry.

She has started to climb a little. Climbs all over her car seat, and piles of toys, blankets, and laundry. Nothing gets in her way!

Kaitlyn still loves music (occasionally she will bounce/dance), books and magazines (reading them, tearing the pages out, or just turning the pages), and going for a "stroll." We've also found her crawling in the dog cage again!

Kaitlyn has also learned a few new "tricks." Sometimes her mouth will be shaped like an "O" and you will hear her whistle! I am not making this up! Kaitlyn can whistle! She does it unintentionally, but Mike and I think it's really cool.

Another new "trick" she does often is give kisses! It's the sweetest thing ever!! I give her kisses and tell her what I'm doing, and she must have picked up on it! She will give her stuffed animals kisses, her baby doll kisses, and mommy and daddy kisses!!

This is a new trick that Kaitlyn did this morning! We were at Jazzercise this morning, and I just happened to have my camera with me. She was on the couch with me, and saw the toys next to the couch. I was holding her shirt so she wouldn't fall face first into the toys, but I was able to capture a quick picture. She lifted her leg like a dancer to try and reach the toy! I just love seeing her personality form! :)

What a good weekend :)

Here's a TON of pictures from Grandpa's camera from the weekend! Kaitlyn actually stood for the first time without support on Saturday!! I think walking is around the corner!! :)

I want to play football too!
daddy and kaitlyn play

cleaning up thanksgiving dishes

do you like my winter hat?

all smiles for grandma

going for a "stroll"

all smiles in the morning

UCO campus

Mike's building

my puppies LOVE a banana!

i don't need a diaper

all smiles after eating

3 generations of smiles!

All smiles with grandpa and daddy

love my grandparents!

kisses for daddy!

love my daddy!

where's he going?

BIG Smiles!!

i'm not doing anything wrong...

see i'm all smiles!

cruising the couch

i'm ready for some football

i love seeing myself in the mirror!

the puppies want a picture too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My parents drove here from Michigan to spend Thanksgiving with us. YAY! They arrived yesterday afternoon. It's been a lot of fun having them here! :)

Today we cooked a FEAST! We did a little preparation last night to save on some time. We had a homemade fruit salad, mashed potatoes (and one sweet potato), corn, fresh green beans, stuffing, Grandpa's special sticky buns, pumpkin pie, and of course a turkey and gravy (made from scratch)! Everything was delicious!! Even Kaitlyn got to enjoy Thanksgiving foods. She had some mashed potatoes (which she LOVED), shared a sweet potato with Grandma, a bite of stuffing (which she didn't seem to like too much), and some small pieces of turkey and gravy. I also gave her some baby food (turkey and gravy of course) just to be sure she got enough food.

Our little family after our big dinner
mashed potato face :)

I got some videos of Kaitlyn enjoying her potatoes

I think Kaitlyn says Dadda in this one! :)

I will be getting a bunch of pictures off Grandpa's camera that I will post too!

I need to get them uploaded on my computer :)

Well Check up

I took Kaitlyn to the pediatrician Monday morning for her 9 month well check up. She weighs a whopping 16 pounds 6 ounces (in the 10th percentile)! She is now 27.5 inches long (50th percentile). Looks like she's on her way to being a string bean like her mommy and daddy were!

Doctor said that she is a very healthy baby, and was a little surprised with her 6 teeth. Every question he asked about her development were all things that she's been doing for a long time, like sitting by herself, crawling, picking up items, moving items between her hands, and holding her weight standing up. I told him that she's been cruising the furniture and using her shopping cart to walk. He seemed a little impressed :) Even though she's a little peanut, she's quite a pistol! Being small does not slow her down!

We were asked about having a flu shot, and I said no thank you. I was really glad that he asked me if I wanted it rather than just give it to her. The last thing I want is for Kaitlyn to be sick for 10 days like I was last year! I don't usually get the flu shot, but my doctor insisted I get one last year.

There were no shots at this visit, but at her year check up she will have quite a few. We did need to get Kaitlyn a prescription for her goopy eye. She has a blocked tear duct that didn't go away on its own by 6 months. It should clear up with this ointment. The doctor also gave us a sample of a diaper rash ointment. Kaitlyn had a bad diaper rash last week that is still a little bit there, and this will clear it up fast!

I also got the go ahead to give Kaitlyn all table foods (excluding milk, egg whites, berries, and nuts). She can have stuff that has milk or eggs in the ingredients and it is cooked (like pancakes or instant potatoes). She can have pretty much anything as long as it doesn't have added salts or sugars. I think that's pretty cool!! :) We may have to have pancakes for breakfast soon! :)

And of course... no blog is complete without a picture! This is what Kaitlyn was wearing today. It's a 9 month outfit! Just last week I noticed that some of her 6 month clothes were too short, so I started to set aside all the small stuff and yesterday brought out all 9 months clothes. :) She has only a few 6 month outfits that still fit good.

Look ma, there's another baby!

She just would not look at the camera!

What a baby!

I got a few pictures and videos that I thought were too cute, and I just had to share!

the matching hat was a little small, she looked like a chef!

with teeth now, Kaitlyn likes to bite things,

and she wouldn't give me the spoon back!

a "naki" baby ready for a bath!

a COLD day calls for a winter coat. she looks like an Eskimo :)

(i gave her some "Eskimo kisses" too!)

In this first video, Kaitlyn must have been practicing being indecisive...

Kaitlyn has this funny moan when she's hungry that started with nursing... well it still goes on today even with solid foods. She could not be upset at all, but as soon as she knows that food is coming soon, she starts making this noise!

This next video Kaitlyn is about to take a bath, but she doesn't seem to be interested in getting clean....

Mike got this video last night while I was at work. Chauncey doesn't care how old you are... you better be able to play ball!

We've noticed that Kaitlyn is quite a bold girl. Not really afraid of anything. She just wants to get out there and go! There's just a fire about her that I love! Whether it's reaching something that is unreachable, or getting from point "A" to point "B" she is always determined! Kaitlyn is going to be quite an awesome kid, and I'm so priviledged and excited to get to be her mom! :)

9 months old

It's hard to believe that Kaitlyn is 9 months old now! And wow, has it gone by so fast! She has accomplished so much and has become so strong!









She has 6 teeth, crawls like crazy, is walking with assistance, and loves to stand and play (in this picture it looks like she's a quarterback getting ready to pass the remote control).







She is adventurous, loves to explore, is very curious, and likes to make a mess (she'll take things out of drawers/cupboards/bookshelves and scatter them all over the floor).



This video shows her just being herself :)



You can see the mess she's made in this video (as well as hear daddy talk about the Lions).



I think she is going to be a lefty (she uses her left hand to eat, and it's her dominant play hand), she LOVES music, and she does "talk" a lot. You can tell that she LOVES her mommy and daddy (if she's awake, she crawls right to you to welcome you home, and she'll follow me around when I am picking up around the house).

Counting the coins

looks like she's taking a picture of herself :)

Lookin cute

Kaitlyn in her church dress

So pretty. I think she likes dresses.

Standing in her pretty dress :)

and to conclude this long blog, a video taken earlier today of Kaitlyn "petting" the puppies.