Storms and rain

Well, we have been hard at work doing some spring cleaning and yard work. We even had help from my dad and Stephen to cut down a huge dead branch from our front tree. If it was just Brandon, it would have taken the whole day. With all of us, it only took an hour and a power chainsaw.

The weather has been a little on the nippy side and Kaitlyn hasn't been able to wear all of her fun, warm weather clothes yet. I don't have any new photos to share just yet, but will post some soon!

God Bless

Last night Kaitlyn and I were playing and daddy was on the computer in the sun room, but the door was still open. He sneezed loudly. Then Kaitlyn says, "Bless you." It was so cute. She then repeated, "Bless you, daddy." All the while my mouth and Brandon's mouth are wide open. We are staring at each other with a look of, "Did we just hear that without any prompting or copying?"

Other Updates:
Kaitlyn and I are both fighting a cold today. We have been so tired that we haven't even fully unpacked from the weekend trip, but will hopefully work on that today when we have some energy.

Results of our visit to the doctor today:
We went to the doctor today for a sonogram and everything looks great. Baby Jackson is growing just like he should. He weighs almost a pound. I think he was trying to sleep this morning because they could not get a good look at his heart so they are going to look again next month. He is very active and has a great heart beat. I haven't been gaining a ton of weight, but Jackson is, so the doctor is okay with that for right now. I just don't have the appitite that I did for Kaitlyn. My brother still teases me about how much I ate with her!

Happy Easter 2007

Okay, so I have been into pictures for the last hour from this weekend and springtime looking at how much Kaitlyn has changed. I must admit, it is amazing how little kids show you how time goes by so quickly. I usually mark time passing with all the different memories from holidays, but it now has been everyday trying to keep up with my changing daughter.

First of all, I have this timeline in my head of how we can try to accomplish everything we need to before baby Jackson Meche arrives; however, I think Kaitlyn can read my mind before I even think things. She went number 2 on the potty this weekend and pushed and everything with some help. I am just so happy to see her evolving into a little girl. I was going to wait until after our trip to Destin to really pull all the potty training together with a "potty party." But now, I think we will have to see if we can't get this started earlier.

And second of all, she is saying sentences now. What? Where did this come from? Saying phrases like, "I see you," "Daddy's milk," or "I love you." She is a wiggle worm and has climbed out of the crib this week, which is another to-do on my list: moving her to a big-girl bed. We hope to have that all arranged and re-do her room in the next month.

It is ironic that we are planning to paint her room pink because when we moved into the house her room was pink with a few pink bows around. We painted over it because it was going to be our office at the time.

Well, this Easter weekend, was so cold - Snow in Dallas and freezing rain/mix in Ville Platte. Who would have thought it? We went to be with Brandon's family as they have a crawfish boil/Easter celebration complete with an Easter Egg hunt every year. Kaitlyn loved pocking eggs as is the tradition and looking for eggs with money inside. She liked playing with the money too.

Brandon brought water balloons and here is a little clip of what the boys did this weekend. (You may hear a hilarious laugh at the end. That is my laugh as Brandon makes me laugh so much with his sound effects.)
As for us Meche girls and Kaitlyn, we pocked eggs, had the kids play with the pinata, eat crawfish, play with puppies and visit with family in Ville Platte, LA. Kaitlyn loved the yard and has just exploded with conversation in the last few days.



She was the official greeter of the crawfish boil. She greeted each family as they arrived at the farm. She was very excited to see everyone. I think she spent the rest of the weekend trying to recover from all the excitement on Friday. Here she is in her Easter dress this year.

Gearing Up and Resting Up

The last couple of days have been busy. We really didn't mean to pack too much into a couple of days, but it just worked out that way - gardening, going to dinners, movies, going to the Arboreatum twice and furniture shopping. I have a few photos and a video; however, I am too exhausted to stay up on the computer another minute. More to come soon...

Playing in the Rain

Kaitlyn loves to say umbrella and held one in the rain yesterday for a little bit. It may rain again on Thursday and we will have to get out her rain boots and jacket.

Kaitlyn has been testing me a lot lately. We went to the mall today since the playgrounds were wet. She didn't want to be in her stroller and protested very loudly. She then ran away from me in the mall several times. She ran into the Disney store and ran out with a Winnie the Pooh plate. I almost didn't catch her. She then could not leave the Easter bunny alone. She said hi and bye to him three times. She also mastered all of the indoor playground equipment. It was a very lively hour and a half at the mall today!

Longest Day

After a pretty busy week for my contract work and Kaitlyn worn out from Mother's Day Out. We were ready for some fun. Friday, we were going to go see Thomas the Train; however, Brandon was out of town and it was here next weekend too. Kaitlyn took a really long nap instead.

Saturday, we went to a wedding in Weatherford with my family and ate in downtown Ft. Worth with Brandon's family. It was quite a day. Before the wedding, we dropped off a birthday present and picked up some maternity and boy clothes from one of Brandon' co-workers. She had tons of stuff and so much of it that we had a full car. I was so scatterbrained on Saturday trying to think of everything going on that I forgot wipes and diapers. Luckily, there is always a Walmart in plain site in the middle of nowhere.

Kaitlyn wowed the crowd everywhere she went on Saturday. She stayed quite for the wedding ceremony. Afterwards, she practiced being a flower girl. She danced a little bit on the dance floor too, swaying back and forth. She konked out on the way to Ft. Worth and then played again showing everyone how she rows a boat and talks a lot. She did really well for getting home late and not having a good nap.

Today, she took a long nap as well as all of us today. We then played in the foot spa.

16 Weeks

Okay, I am on a kick. I went for a 16-week check up and heard the heartbeat. It was really strong. They took blood to find out if the baby has any abnormalities. And can you believe this, I have only gained 5 pounds since January. I think I gained some weight before I even went to the first doctor's appointment, but technically doesn't count.

We all rode bikes on Sunday; but now I am under the doctor's orders to not ride anymore. My sense of balance will probably be off so it is not recommended in case I fall. That is the update there.

Kaitlyn is doing great and it is hat week at school. Brandon is trying to get to San Antonio for A&M in the Sweet Sixteen!

Weekend Fun

I can't get over this weather. It has been fun to have a two-year-old as an excuse to get out of the house. We went to the Dallas Arboretum on Friday and listened to a kids concert. The flowers were really pretty. Here is Kaitlyn sitting in some trying to become a butterfly.

We had family stay this weekend too. Aunt Linda and Uncle Butch and family stayed on Saturday night. We ended up watching college basketball all night and then fixed a big breakfast in the morning. I filled out a bracket this time against Brandon. We have a bet going on who predicted the games better and I am winning so far. I guess luck of the draw or something like that. We didn't really figure out what to bet yet except spending some cash on whatever you want.

Brandon figured out how to hook the bike trailer to his new bike so we rode bikes on Sunday with Kaitlyn. She loves riding in it and tells daddy to go and go faster. I am so sore today. Talk about out of shape!

15 weeks already!

Well, got three things today. (More photos coming as we are going to a kids concert tomorrow with some friends.)

First, I am 15 weeks this week, and I just suddenly popped out. Really, I noticed a lot of change last week, but I am starting to feel huge now. This time with Kaitlyn I was barely showing and many people had to stare at me to see. I feel like I am eating less with this pregnancy, yet I feel bigger. Hmm, go figure. Here is a photo of me today.

Second, A&M is playing basketball in the first round of NCAA March Madness play. Guess what we are doing? Going to a friend's to watch with husbands and kids. Brandon somehow magically got out of work just for the game. Ha!

Third, our sweet, ol' daddy taught Kaitlyn a trick without meaning to teach her a trick. He forgot to mention this to me after he took Kaitlyn to the playground this weekend. He went down the slide on his belly, feet first. She copied him several times!

I took her to the park on Tuesday and she started turning around to get on her belly to slide down and I am about to have a heart attack as she slides down like it is no big deal. Talk about our little dare devil! Personally, I think it is cute to watch, but probably not the safest thing for her as she is still falling a lot. I called Brandon after this to tell him and he is laughing because little did I know, he taught her the trick! Lesson: Kaitlyn mimics absolutely everything you do even down to marching down the sidewalk!

PARK, PARK, PARK

Goodness this weather has been great. We met some friends to play at the Plano Nature Reserver and Park today. It wore us out as we were there two hours. I was really worn out from following Kaitlyn everywhere. She climbed up a mountain (playground mountain) and played with Emma by the creek. We even saw a bunny.

She is self-assured and so confident in climbing anything on the play ground.

Emma and Kaitlyn enjoyed sitting on a rock by the creek watching the water. We all held hands as we walked the trail - mommies and girls.

Time to break old habits

This time of Lent is really a season to prepare for Easter. To truly turn from old ways and be repentent for our sins. Brandon and I have both decided to give something up for Lent, but I think I am going to give something else up besides Spider Solitaire. I have become addicted to playing this while I wait for Internet pages to come up when I do research, etc. I would find myself playing a couple of times while on the phone and not even think about it and then catch myself doing it. I have broken the habit after realizing how much it was becoming second nature.

My other bad habit is watching a little TV before going to bed. It drives Brandon crazy, but I have felt that I relied on this to help put me to sleep. But really, there are other ways of winding down and I really need to get as much sleep as possible nowadays. So after talking to my friend Stephanie this morning, I am going to make a huge effort to break this habit. I know Brandon will quite appreciate this as he values his sleep a lot because he has to get up early to go to work.

Here's to breaking old habits and replacing them with better, beneficial habits.

Too Excited to Sleep

This gorgeous weather has made Kaitlyn too excited to sleep, literally. On Monday it took her an hour just to go to sleep after discovering chalk. This is great. I just sit back and watch her run around and love the weather and playing. Today we played all morning outside in her playhouse and out front coloring with sidewalk chalk. It was great fun. Here are some photos and videos. I was able to take some good shots, which I rarely get time to frame up in the camera, but love to try.

This weekend was one of the bi-annual Divine Consignment sales where you can get a great bargain on gently used baby and toddler items - everything from toys to clothes to strollers to bouncers. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law are pregnant with their first baby and she and I had a field day. I then went back yesterday to volunteer and they still had tons of things to sell, but I worked the credit card line the whole time. This is definitely a great way to buy and sell children's clothes/toys. There are a ton more sales, but I think we have stocked up for the summer already. Kaitlyn now has a little life vest for the pool too - $4 at the sale!

Kaitlyn is off from school this week because of spring break and I have had a lot of work projects coming up. Luckily, she has been taking two hour naps so I can get some work done. We are planning a picnic this week at the park. Kaitlyn loves saying park. Her memory is great. She knows how to walk to the park now and which house is her house. She also knows where the movie Nemo is in the movie cabinet. We sang a whole round of Old MacDonald with her leading it this morning!

I am getting big with Baby Boy and don't know how to make it through the summer. Hopefully, there will be relief in the pool! I can already feel some movement occasionally. I am starting to feel a little pinch to get things done for Kaitlyn and his rooms so when I am really big, I don't have to do much.

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!!