Happy 1st Birthday Kayla!

Kayla is one!  I can't even believe it!  And she is doing great!  She is now finally eating and sleeping through the night.  Not sure what happened, but one day she start eating and sleeping, which makes Mommy and Daddy very happy.  Kayla is't walking yet, but she can stand up then drops to the floor when she realizes you're not holding on to her anymore.  Hopefully she starts taking her first steps any day now.  I won't be updating monthly anymore, but still posting lots of picture.  And to close, here is Ella singing Happy Birthday to Kayla...Enjoy! 

11 Months Update

On Friday Kayla turned 11 months!  She's getting around by crawling super fast and walking along the furniture.  She isn't able to walk on her own yet, but I think in the next couple of weeks she'll be able to do it.  Kayla is eating more food, just not very much of it.  Some days are better than others, but we're really trying to work on that.  We're also trying to get her to drink more formula, but she's pretty stubborn and only drinks what she wants to drink.  She was really into yogurt, but now she's eating a lot of oatmeal and she loves animal crackers.  Her sleeping has improved and is sleeping through the night about fifty to sixty percent of the time.  Kayla usually only wakes up on the nights she doesn't drink much that day and I think it's because she's hungry and will go right back down after a bottle.  I still can't believe she will be one in less than a month...Where did the year go??!!

10 Months Update

On Wednesday Kayla turned 10 months! And is on the move! Kayla crawls super fast and now pulls herself up and "cruises" around holding on to furniture. She is also able to take a few steps holding on to a toy with wheels. I don't think it will be too much longer till she's standing up on her own and even taking a few steps. She still isn't eating food, but the sleeping is getting much better! Kayla was pretty much sleeping through the night just after turning 9 months, unfortunately she got a cold a week and a half ago and went back to getting up once a night to eat. Kayla is also getting her two front teeth, so that isn't helping her sleeping either. Hopefully when the cold goes away and her teeth finally come in she will be able to make it all night. She has an appointment on Wednesday for a weight check. I hope she has put on some weight and that's not a problem anymore. Stay tuned...I'll post the results later this week.

Nine Months Update

Yesterday Kayla turned nine months and is doing great! When we put her on the floor to play, she loves crawling around and getting into everything she's not suppose to. She loves playing with Ella's toys, but of course Ella doesn't always like to share with her. Ella will play on the floor with her, but Kayla's favorite thing to do with Ella is pull her hair. (I think she's just jealous she doesn't have any!) Lately, Kayla has been trying to climb up the one step into the dinning room. She can't quite do it yet, but I know she will do it any day now. She still isn't eating food all that much, but does like to nibble on food she can pick up with her fingers. Last week she did sleep through the night, three nights in a row, but then hasn't done it since. I'm hoping she starts that any day now, but I don't have high hopes. She had her nine month check up today...So stay tuned!

Eight Months Update

Yesterday Kayla turned eight months and she's doing great! She is still waking up at night, but usually only once and goes right back down after getting a bottle. Kayla has mastered sitting up and is starting to go into a crawling position. She can't crawl, but gets around by rolling or laying on her belly and pushing herself forward with her feet. Kind of like an army crawl, but hasn't totally gotten the hang of it. I've tried to get videos of her doing, but she's very camera shy. Also, she started eating food! In the past month she has eaten little bits of toast, pasta, sweet potatoes, cheese and peas. Kayla will not eat anything off of spoon, but will pretty much eat anything that she can pick up with her hands. A lot of the food ends up in her high chair, but she's getting better each day picking up the food and getting it into her mouth. Kayla is a very happy baby and smiles all the time, unless she's hungry or tired. Kayla also loves playing with Ella! Ella likes to sit in front of her high chair while she eats and they like to play together on the floor. Kayla really likes to pull Ella's hair, but Ella doesn't enjoy that so much. Kayla has already grown out of her six month clothes! I needed to buy a bunch of bigger stuff because all of Ella's nine month clothes are for the spring and it's way too cold for that stuff yet. Hopefully she'll be able to fit into the summer stuff we have. Kayla goes for her well baby check up next month and I'm looking forward to seeing how much she has grown. Stay tuned...

Ella is Two and a Half

A few days ago Ella turned two and half! In just a few short month she is a completely different little person. She is talking so well...And so much, nonstop! She loves going to school and singing all the songs she learns there. Ella is even wearing Pull-Ups and goes peepee on the potty...Most of the time. She has good days, really good days and some not so good days, but like I said with Kayla, we'll get there. Every time she goes pee on the potty she gets an M&M and in true Ella fashion she only picks the blues one. Not sure what happens when we run out of blues, but I guess I'll see. Ella also gets along so well with Kayla now and only gets jealous once and a while. She loves to help Mommy and always asks to give Kayla her bedtime bottle and rock her. It won't be long before the two them are running around together!

Seven Months Update

Today Kayla turned seven months! She is sitting up like a big girl and loves doing peek-a-boo. She is still not eating or sleeping through the night, but we'll get there. She is getting up once or twice to eat, but after a bottle goes right back down...Usually! She has two teeth and I think she's getting more. She has been more fussy the past couple of days, which leads me to believe she's teething again. Other than that Kayla is getting bigger and doing more and more every day!

Six Months Update

Sorry this is a little late, but Kayla turned six months on Sunday! I know I say this every month, but she is getting so big! She's now wearing 6 months clothes and quickly growing out of them. Kayla loves playing in her activity center and on her play mat. She's rolling over in both directions and loves rolling all around the living room floor trying to get Ella's toys. Kayla still isn't sleeping through the night, but I'm almost certain she's teething. I can feel two little teeth coming through on the bottom. Hopefully she'll be less fussy when they finally cut through. Kayla also isn't eating. She did well for the first two weeks, but then slowly started eating less and now she refuses to eat anything. Other than that Kayla is a very happy baby and smiling all the time when she's not hungry or tired.

Five Month Update

On Friday Kayla turned five months! As usual she's getting bigger and doing more by the day. She has almost grown out of her three month clothes, so in the next week I'll be switching her to her six month stuff. Kayla was doing really well eating, but then one day she just stopped and was barely eating anything. I think she's teething and the spoon may bother her when she eats. It has gotten better, but I'll offer her food three times a day and she will usually only eat dinner or she will finally finish her breakfast for lunch. I hope it's teething! Kayla has also been much fussier than normal. She isn't napping as long and isn't as pleasant when she's awake. I'm hoping a tooth or two pops through in the next couple of weeks and she goes back to her happy self and eating better. Luckily she's still sleeping the same at night. Typically she wakes up once to eat and another few times because the bippy falls out of her mouth. I'm hoping she starts sleeping through the night soon or at least not needing to eat, but we'll see.

Four Month Update

Today Kayla is four months old! She's still growing and almost getting too long for her 3 month clothes. In the beginning of the month she slept through the night a few times. I got way too excited and thought she would do that forever, but it was very short lived. Of course she was then waking up two or three times a night. Now she's back to just getting up once. I'll feed her and on a good night she goes right back to sleep. On a bad night she up for an hour or two losing the bippy (pacifier) and crying till I come in and put it back in her mouth. She is now sleeping in her room. We moved her out of the bassinet a few weeks ago and she's going great. On a normal day she takes two naps. One in the morning that can last anywhere between 40 minutes and 2 hours and in the afternoon she takes another nap that's about 3 hours. Ella still loves her sissy and has fun watching her play in her activity center or on the play mat. Kayla goes to the doctors tomorrow for her 4 month check up. Check back tomorrow to find out how that goes.

Three Month Update

Yesterday Kayla was three months! She has been much fussier, especially in the evenings right after we put Ella to bed. It's usually because she's hungry and/or tired, but she's too upset to eat or sleep. I'm hoping it's just a phase and she grows out of that real quick! She is also awake much more during the day and usually in a good mood. She smiles all the time and is starting to laugh and get ticklish! If you rub her belly or neck it makes her laugh most of the time. It's really cute because she's always smiling at Ella. You would think Ella's yelling and screaming would scare her, but it's the opposite. Ella still loves to love her sister. She is always asking to hold Kayla and still likes to grab her hands to dance with her. Kayla is growing so much and I'm looking forward to her appointment next month to find out how much she has grown. This past month she has also slept through the night three time and I'm hoping that happens much more next month. Stay tuned...

Two Months Update

Kayla is doing great! She is growing like a weed, becoming very alert and starting to sleep very well (knock on wood). Lately, Kayla has been waking up once a night around 3:00 am and then sleeps anywhere from 6:00-8:00 in the morning. She takes a long nap in the afternoon around 12:00 and is up between 3:00 and 4:00. It's a great schedule because I get to eat breakfast and lunch with Ella without being interrupted by Kayla. Ella loves her sissy, but can be a little rough. She is very sweet to her, but doesn't understand how delicate she is. Ella is always trying to hold, hug and kiss her little sister! Things are going very well and I hope they continue.

One Month Update

Yesterday Kayla turned one month old and is doing great! She is a very good girl during the day and sleeps most of the time. She is has been going to "bed" between 8:00 and 9:00 pm and then is up around 12:30, 3:30 and sometimes 5:30 am to eat. Lately she has been very tough to put back down after she eats. I can be up anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours on a bad night. Luckily Brian has been helping me out. If she doesn't need to eat, he will rock her back to sleep, so I can get some sleep before the next feeding. I'm not sure if she has her nights and days mixed up or if she doesn't eat enough during the day to sleep longer stretches at night? Kayla goes for her one month appointment on Friday and those are just a few questions I have for the doctor. I'm looking forward to her appointment to see how she has grown and how much weight she has gained. I tell by the way her clothes fit she has gotten much bigger! Other than not sleeping much at night she's a wonderful baby! Knock on wood...She's rarely fussy and if she is I can pretty much calm her down just by holding her. I hoping Kayla's sleeping improves in the next month and from what I have been reading in books and online...It should, but we'll see.

23 Months

Today Ella turned 23 months...I can't believe she'll be two next month! I'm sad she's not my little baby anymore, but she's turning into a wonderful little girl. She loves running errands with Mommy, but only if I have a lollipop to keep her occupied. She's talking more and more everyday and is "learning" her ABC's and to count to 10. She can even recognize the number 8 when she sees it! Ella loves playing outside, but has been enjoying TV lately. Her favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but she also enjoys Sesame Street and many other cartoons. The potty training is going well. We're not there yet, but Ella tells us when she has to go and usually does. She is still going in her diaper most of the time, but usually pees on the potty anywhere between 2-8 times a day...Depending on her mood! Mommy and Daddy are getting exciting for the new baby and we hope Ella is too. If you ask where baby sissy is? she usually points to my belly. I'm hoping she adjusts well and doesn't get too jealous. Here are some pictures I took tonight. Enjoy!

22 Months

Yesterday Ella turned 22 months! She is talking a lot more and also getting a lot more independent. She doesn't like being told what to do and the temper tantrums have started already! Ella loves the warm weather and going to the playground. Her favorites are the swing and the slide and she could stay there for hours. She knows most animals sounds and is learning to count. She usually starts with two, skips four and most of other the numbers are repeated and/or out of order, but she's getting there. I haven't taken many pictures lately, but here are some from today. After her nap she played with crayons and then had a cookie. Enjoy!

21 Months

Ella is 21 months today. She is doing great and talking so much! She pretty much repeats any word you ask her to and has been asking for most food, drink, toys and books by name. Ella has also started to pretend. Once a week we attend a class at the local library and at the end the teacher blows bubbles. A couple of days ago Ella held a peg like the wand and was using it to "blow bubbles." Her napping situation has also improved. She sleeps anymore from one hour to over two and a half hours. We've had a couple of nice days and gotten outside to play, which she loves. Here are some pictures I took before her nap today. Also, if you're wondering about the band aid on her head...Last week she was diving on to her beanbag chair and hit her head on the bottom hinge to the back door. It was a pretty good cut, but Brian and I didn't think she needed stitches. Ella was so brave and only cried for a minute or so and even let me hold ice on it while she watched a movie. It's pretty much healed, but I've tried to keep a band aid with neosporin on it at all times so it doesn't scar.

20 Months

Ella is getting to be such a big girl. Recently she has really been fighting eating in her highchair, so just today we decided to set up her booster seat at the kitchen table and she seemed to enjoy eating lunch much more. This past week she learned how to climb up on the kitchen chairs so she likes to sit at the table like a big girl. (As you can see in the pictures below.) Ella still isn't napping as well as she used to, but she is waking up from her naps in a much better mood. But she has to have her snack of banana and Teddy Grahams right when she wakes up...Or complete meltdown! Ella is talking more and more everyday and Brian and I have been in the habit of getting her to ask for what she wants and to say please. She doesn't usually say it on her own, but it you ask her "what do you say?" She says "deeze," which is please and pronounces milk as "dilk." It's really cute!

19 Months

This month has been extremely tough on everyone! On January 15th we took away the bippy! It was a rough day, but she actually went to bed with no trouble that evening...Probably because she didn't nap ALL day. And that's pretty much how it's been for the past three weeks. Ella goes to bed like normal, but instead of taking at least one, sometimes two naps a day, which she would sleep about 3-4 hours total. Her typical nap only last about an hour now. About two weeks ago, I realized she could be getting her two year old molars in early. I don't see any teeth yet, but she's drooling like crazy. Other than that she is climbing all over the furniture and talking much more! Just this past week she has more than tripled her words and will usually repeat or at least try to repeat what you say. I'll try to get some videos of her talking, but she gets shy in front of the camera. Here are some pictures we took after her nap this afternoon. Enjoy!

P.S. GO STEELERS!

It's a GIRL!

Today I went for my big sonogram and found out were having a healthy, baby girl!! I don't have a scanner to post the pictures from the ultrasound, but everything looked great! After the sonogram I had my 20 week appointment. Unfortunately I gained 7 lbs since my last appointment a month ago, but other than that I'm doing great. I'm actually 20 weeks tomorrow, so I'll post my weekly picture then.

18 Months

Yesterday Ella turned 18 months. I still can't believe we have a one and half year old! Since last month's update, Ella returned to her normal napping schedule about a week later and was great till right after the New Year. One morning she woke up with a terrible runny nose and just wasn't herself. She was barely napping an hour a day, having trouble going to sleep, waking up early and was a complete mess during the day. After a week, I finally took her to the doctors. Luckily I did because she has a double ear infection. She has only been on antibiotics for four days now, but I have seen a huge improvement. I was calling her my little monster, but now she's almost back to being my sweet little girl. I've noticed Ella saying more words, even though I can't always understand what she's saying. Also, she seems to be speaking more and will sometimes repeat what you say, but still I don't always understand what she's saying. Ella has her 18th month well baby check up on the 19th. Stay posted for those updates. Here are some pictures from yesterday of her playing with all her new toys!