Spring Time is Here And That Means...

Kaitlyn wants to be outside all the time. We have taken her outside play toys and put them in the fenced off area of the patio so we can keep her contained. We have moved the table and grill to the cabana. This should also make it easy for friends with little ones to come and keep them contained when not in the pool. Kaitlyn is already enjoying coloring outside while I am writing this blog!

Oh, The Things We Can Do At Two

Oh the things Kaitlyn does. The other day she woke up and took my hand and led me to the TV to watch her favorite movie, Babe. She has watched a little bit every day for a month and it still doesn't get old for her. She even starts dancing before the farmer starts dancing in one part.

Now when we go grocery shopping she likes to walk with me and hand me groceries or put groceries in the cart. So far she walks or stays by me and does not run off. She did the same thing for Brandon too, although he let her put some donuts and rice cakes in the cart. She actually didn't like the donuts for breakfast.

She is now climbing in her own chair and this is a really good thing. I am having a harder time lifting her. She now loves to put me in her playhouse in the backyard and not let me out. She then runs to the windows to put stuff in the house or take stuff out of the house.

It was so windy yesterday that we had to stay inside to play. The whole sky was brown and cloudy because of all of the dirt in the air. We could even smell the dirt in the air.

Here are a few photos of her playing around on Friday before the dust storm on Saturday. Please excuse her snack mouth as we had some snacks outside.

World Record

I kept Kaitlyn home yesterday from Mother's Day Out because she had a cough and I could tell she wasn't feeling well. I was right. She slept from 11:45 to 4:10 yesterday. I think it is an all time new record. I went in several times to see if I could wake her, but she was out.

The last couple of nights she had gone to bed late and didn't have great naps. We also went to Ash Wednesday services and then dinner. This kid loves catching up on her sleep!

We had the cable guy out a couple of times this week because everything has been wacky. It made me think about what would usually happen when we had the dogs. Kaitlyn would surely wake up from barking dogs or I would have to do something with them and be stressed out talking to him. This week, I wasn't stressed out and it was sooo pleasant because I didn't worry about barking dogs. Of course, I still miss loving on them, but man, little things like this reassure me that we did the right thing for them and us.

Stay tuned. I will try to take some pics of the mall. She likes to play in Pottery Barn Kids and Barnes & Noble!

2 Year Portrait

I took Kaitlyn today to her 2-year-old portrait. We had two people in there trying to wrangle her into a smile. We did the best we could! She was pulling out little doggies, playing with the background and pulling out the chairs.

It's a ...

We went Friday to the doctor to check the heartbeat and for a check up. The doctor did a sonogram and we were able to find something else out... I am at 12 weeks and have been feeling miserable if that is any indication of a BOY. With Kaitlyn, I definitely had different symptoms, but no feeling quesy like now. I think my nausuousness is passing and I am getting into the second trimester energy kick, which is great so we can get things ready!

Here is proof of the little boy inside. Yeah! We are excited to have one of each and know Kaitlyn will just love him to death. She already kisses her babies on their heads and is so sweet. In the next couple of weeks, I should start to feel him kick around. With Kaitlyn, I didn't feel anything until around 16 weeks.

The arrow is pointing to proof of a little boy. Yeah!

Here is a good shot of the head. A lot of soft tissue is to develop so that is why it looks more like a skeleton. The eyes are developing now.

Updates Galore!

Well, it never ceases to be boring around here as we begin to make transitions and prepare for a new baby and moving into a new stage with Kaitlyn - Becoming a Big Girl. This weekend we went to Louisiana to visit Brandon's family. It was a nice trip, very short as we came in on Friday and left Sunday. Kaitlyn had a blast going from one home to the next to visit. She also gave her cousin Ashley a new nickname, Sassy. That is all she could pronounce for her name. She also said Sarah a lot for another cousin.

She has officially started her two's off with a bang. She has been throwing some big crying sessions. Part of the reason is that her old blankie that she was very attached too has been ripped up. It was on its last leg and I had another blankie just like the other that we replaced it with. I have been washing the new blankie with the old to get that same old feel, but it is a little bigger as the other one shrank. Needless to say, I think she has replaced her old blankie with me. She has been crying for me instead and every time I give her the new blankie, she throws it. We did make a little progress last night with her holding it and going to sleep. Another good thing is that she has been hanging on less to her paci after the Blanket-Coup.

This is the first transition we are making. Once spring hits and she is wearing outfits that are lighter, we will see if she is ready for the "Potty Chair"! Furniture is the name of the game for us now too. There are some ideas of getting Kaitlyn a daybed. Even, though her crib goes to a toddler bed, we didn't think that we would need the crib for the next baby. And yeah, we can re-decorate the rooms for Kaitlyn and the new baby.

We are doing better without Heidi and Baxter. Their foster mom says she is really thinking about keeping them. She already has two bichons and lets Heidi and Baxter sleep with her. It sounds like they are having a great time and makes us feel better. We have breathed a sigh of relief around here. No more messes to pick up or barking dogs. Kaitlyn misses the doggies. As were leaving yesterday, she waved and said, "Bye Doggies." She also loved playing with Gigi's dog, Jazz, this weekend. She is such an animal lover.

It is in the 70s all week and we are sooo excited! Our park has been packed with families getting out in the weather. We are going to get out more and play this weekend for sure!

A Farewell to Remember

Well, this weekend was a farewell to remember. We gave up Heidi and Baxter to a Bichon rescue group who will find a new home for them in the next six months. A foster family is looking after them until a permanent home can be found. They have two bichons already with a doggie door. This family is giving them so much attention and love from what we can tell. Terry has already given us several updates and was crying with us when she took them in her car.

This has been a heart-wrenching decision as Heidi and Baxter have been wonderful pets and a part of this family for so long. This past month has been a true test as we have been unable to give them the attention they needed; and with another baby on the way, we felt it would be best to give them to a home that can take care of them fully.

We will miss them dearly as they have made us laugh a lot. Of course, we will miss those nights when Kaitlyn played with them and then they would curl up with us to watch a movie. We have cried a lot and it is even harder to hear Kaitlyn say doggies or their names. She woke up yesterday wondering where they were.

Brandon and I have felt a big sense of relief this last day and a half and know that they have received a lot more attention in the past day and a half than we would have been able to give them. A friend came over last night and we didn't have to worry about them barking and waking up Kailtyn. We didn't have to worry about letting them in or out when we were in the middle of something. And the best thing, we didn't have to take care of them next after we took care of Kaitlyn or pick up poo-poo accidents. Now Kaitlyn's toys are safe, her crayons are safe and food is safe. Even with this being said, we still have a huge empty hole in this house where they used to be.

I have almost cracked a couple of times and wanted to call to have them come back. However, I know that my stress level throughout the day will go down. I knew it would be hard to give them up, but I didn't think I would take it this hard. I hope it will get better from here as I grieve our loss, but rejoice for Heidi and Baxter. They will adapt in their new, loving home and will do just fine.

Kaitlyn is a riot. We went to Ian and Davis' birthday party yesterday. They had a good time. She was the only girl. The train table got a little crazy. Ian threw a small truck and it hit Kaitlyn on her head. She bounced back quickly though and ate a lot of cake. Needless to say, at our playdate with Zoe and Caroline earlier in the week, it was a little calmer. They played with a stove and dolls.

Here is daddy trying out his Napolean Wig on her.

Sweet Birthday Weekend

It was a sweet birthday weekend. Family came to bestow Happy Birthday wishes and presents to Kaitlyn on her 2ND birthday (Actual day is Feb. 5). I have been feeling awful these last couple of weeks and have depended on Brandon for a lot of birthday planning this weekend. I couldn't even make it through the grocery store with my brother and Kaitlyn without feeling nauseous. We had snow Friday morning and on Saturday it was in the 50s for Kaitlyn's party.

We welcomed the Meche family and Kaitlyn's godmother, cousin Layna, and brother Stephen, with the Kleins. Layne, nanny as Kaitlyn calls her, played a lot with her and even changed her dirty diapers. I was so thankful for her to stay here because I really didn't feel well in the morning before her party.

Kaitlyn had a blast. She woke up from her nap and everyone was waiting for her. She was excited before she saw everyone and then became very shy and stared at everyone. She has this new thing where she puts her fingers in her mouth at these moments. Daddy made her a wonderful Mickey Mouse birthday cake for the party.

She started to warm up after blowing out her candle. (All by herself.) And then began to eat yummy cake. After that, she dug into opening presents and really liked to keep the outfits by her and played with every toy. They were all hits: kitchen, baby bed, electronic alphabet speller, baby rocker and her big girl slide.

We then played all afternoon and then went to dinner at The Purple Cow. There Kaitlyn watch Uncle Spencer eat crayons and ran around the table to say hi to other little kids around us. She enjoyed her grandparents a lot.

After Kaitlyn's party, we found out our friends, Tom and Brooke McKie had their baby girl, Macie at 6 lbs 13 oz. She had her on the same day and weekend as I had Kaitlyn two years ago. We came to visit them in the hospital on Super Bowl Sunday and parents and baby look great!!