August is Around the Corner

Here's to another month of record heat and finding other ways to keep Kaitlyn entertained! While we have enjoyed a couple of weddings, pool time, a visit to Beaumont and the Plano Parks and Recreation toddler time class, we have seen Kaitlyn grow leaps and bounds in her cognitive and physical development.

As you can tell from this blog she is learning many things, it is fascinating how she can watch us do something and then repeat it only after a few tries. And after this weekend hanging out with some friends from college who all have one-year-olds we laughed because as I was talking about Kaitlyn's many sleep positions, they all said the same about their children. I said Kaitlyn would sometimes sleep with her toosh in the air or if she is extremely worn out, she would lay spread eagle; friends would raise their hand in agreement. It was so neat to hear that as much as they have these unique personalities, they all develop in the same way.

Kaitlyn has now learned how to listen to instruction. She has done this throughout the month, but this weekend would touch Daddy's arm and then when asked, go and touch Mommy's arm. She is also feeding and rocking her baby dolls now when asked to do it. This morning she was cooking up an omelet in her little kitchen and putting the utensils in the baby's mouth. Now that is mmmm-good.

Kaitlyn's Playhouse

Here is video of Kaitlyn playing in her new playhouse. It is under the cabana in the backyard as it is just too hot to put it anywhere else in the backyard. And of course, we have no room in our house because of all of Kaitlyn's toys.



Kaitlyn is in another teething phase. I think a month before she actually cuts a tooth, she starts to get a little fussy and then the drool comes. Then it stops for a while and now it is back. She doesn't want to eat and her sleep has been interupted with the pain. I can see and feel a front side bottom tooth coming in and it doesn't look pretty.

Besides that, she got a hair on her pacifier today. She saw it, took it off and walked to the trash can and put it in. May I add that she did this all on her own. I was very impressed. What is next I wonder?

Testing the Limits

I saw on Shelley's blog this really cool way to share more photos and video and thought I would see how it would work on our blog. Shelley, if you see this, Brian and Hayley were just adorable! I miss wrapping Kaitlyn up in her little swaddling blanket!

This is Ms. Kaitlyn in her crib, but she wasn't going to sleep. She threw out her blankie and pacifer so we had to come back in and give them to her.

From Beaumont to Dallas...

It has been a week since we last posted an update. I can't believe time flys by so quickly. Last weekend we went to Beaumont for a visit with Brandon's parents and Spencer and Christy. Kaitlyn enjoyed spending time there and seeing a whole new surrounding. The heat was unbearable so we stayed inside and played in a new playhouse for her. Of course, Gigi and Big Daddy couldn't get enough of her and wanted to show her all the fun things to do. We also toured the backyard as Brandon's parents are putting in a saltwater, heated pool.






Kaitlyn didn't eat much as she seems to be too distracted when we travel nowadays. She did love singing Old MacDonald and has started saying clearly e, i, o. It is so cute. She is very interested by that song. Also, instead of saying dog now, she is trying to say Heidi. She will try to say Hello Heidi. Although, it sounds more like, "heeeoooo, hiiiii."

Kaitlyn did great in the car! Yeah! The ride back was especially trying for us as the front driver-side window would not roll back up. We had to drive with plastic over it for a five hour drive. I drove because of my motion sickness and was killing me with the window down. Kaitlyn and Brandon faired a lot better. I couldn't believe how she was just watching her Baby Einstein video or play around with daddy the whole time. I am glad for that as it has taken me a week to recover from being so tired and worn out from that.

Grandpa and Oma came to help us out with getting the van to the dealership as well. My dad was working in McKinney and that was so convenient. Luckily the car was all fixed up in a day and everything was back to normal.

Last week, we also prepared for our friends - Katie and Donny's wedding this past weekend in Dallas. The wedding was at Perkins Chapel on SMU campus and the reception was at the same hotel where Brandon and I had our reception. Ahhh, the reception was in a different room. The cake was made by the same company as our cake and that was sooo good. It was beautiful and the food was great. Of course the bride and groom were beautiful and looked so happy. We left Kaitlyn at home with Spencer and Christy and we were out until 12:30 am. Talk about late for us! Ha!






Stephanie Green came by on Friday before the rehearsal dinner and Kaitlyn pulled out all of her toys to show off to Stephanie. She really looked like she remembered her from other visits. Garfield came to play with Brandon in the pool and they tested out a new pool game we have. It is pretty cool. The water is so warm right now because of the 100 degree heat.

Sunday we just spent the day recovering from being out late and not seeing Kaitlyn. Today, I must say if you are ever in need of some entertainment for little kids, you must go to Petsmart. We went there today to buy some dog food for Heidi and Baxter and they have a play area/dog sitting area. There must have been about six dogs playing in there and that kept our attention for a long time as well as all the kitties up for adoption. Oh, and the birds were chirping very loudly in the front so we said hi to them as well.

We have a wedding in Austin this weekend for Kerry Marsack and then we will be staying in town for awhile, we hope.

Ear-replaceable Wife

Ok folks, it's Brandon here, and I'm finally posting my first "blog" or whatever you call it. Sarah's always writing on here about stories from our weekend or other fun times, so let me go ahead and break down this past weekend which it looks like she's already beat me to the punch about. The weekend was horrible...yes, I said it...HORRIBLE. At least for me it was (along with that poor Italian soccer player that got nailed in the chest by a headbunt from the French captain during the World Cup...did anyone see that?). Beginning on Thursday evening, I was introduced to my very first ear infection, and golly gee has it been a grand experience.

After spending the weekend counting the number of pulsations that were blaring in my ear and pounding on my entire head, I was debating pulling off a "Van Gogh" and just cutting off my left ear. Long story short, I learned that an ear infection is pretty close to the most painful illness I've ever had, next to balding.

But the whole point of me writing this was to give some major props to my wonderful wife, Sarah. She's always getting on here and saying nice things about everyone else, but it's time she gets a bit of recognition herself. While I was in complete misery the last four days, she was there by my side every minute of every day doing anything she could to comfort me....not to mention doing this on top of taking care of Kaitlyn, the dogs, her own work, AND the house! And then on top of that, I wake up from a nap yesterday afternoon to find out that she's mowed the lawn as another surprise for me.

All I know is that I'm one lucky guy to have such an amazing wife. I'm so thankful for having you in my life Sarah, and I hope this flattery that EVERYONE can read is making you 20 different shades of red. HA! Here's to you, my little paparazzi wife (because she loves to take pictures). Thank you for everything you do!!!!

Worn Out!

I am worn out! I have been taking care of two babies this weekend, Brandon and Kaitlyn. Brandon has a horrible ear infection combined with swimmer's ear. He has been in so much pain and I have been up at night with him. It reminds me of the times when I got up for Kaitlyn's feedings. Ahhhh.

We had Christy and Spencer, Grandpa and Stephen over. That was great because Kaitlyn was greatly entertained while mom and dad were too tired to play with her.

And today, I am most excited to say that I mowed our lawn. I would mow our lawn growing up every once in awhile, but only run up and down once and then give it back to my dad. Today, I had sweat from head to toe. Oh, you think we don't have that much yard since we have a pool, but it felt like it took me forever to get that mower going and mow around everything. I must have held the handle on the lawn mower incorrectly too because I have some yucky blisters on my thumbs. Until tomorrow, the bed is calling my name now.

A Tyke-Riding, Outside-Roaming, 27 Pound Toddler

It was so incredibly nice this weekend for us to just stay home and play in the pool. We didn't invent any home projects or work on anything except perfecting our lazy and entertaining skills. We had time to enjoy a little friend/family time too. The lazy days of summer are here until...

Da, duh, duh... Yep, that is correct. We have one more weekend of nothing until we travel or have a wedding. And then in August, Kaitlyn goes to Mother's Day Out, and we have a family trip to San Diego.

And of course, now on to the star of the show - Kaitlyn. I just can't get over how much Kaitlyn is learning. In the short amount of time yesterday that Brandon came home and I ran out to run four errands, a total of 45 minutes, Kaitlyn learned how to get on the couch with the help of a little stool, say blue and say white. Kaitlyn's likes and dislikes are becoming very apparent. She likes being outside. She plays with everything. She especially loved our friends' kids playhouse. And at a garage sale I went to back in April, I bought a toddler plastic trike. It really has four wheels, but who's counting. She is riding it almost every night. And it is really fun to see her ride the spring horse now too cause she can get going on her own. Despite all of these exciting things we see her doing, she is fighting getting another tooth. It is keeping her up and may be the cause of her being so picky while eating. We are sending out for teething tabs all the time now. She really likes them and I think they may help.

Now for those of you who think we only teach her the boring things like colors, numbers or animals. We are going for the tricks too. When I wink at her, she winks back at me. When Brandon asks her what the lion says, she raises her hands and goes "roar." Now those are the things that will get you far in life. Have you seen "America's Got Talent?" Brandon and I watched one show the other night and maybe Kaitlyn's talents will be recognized in "Toddlers' Got Talent."

Our 3rd Anniversary

Today is our 3rd Wedding Anniversary and we can't believe it. It feels like such a long time. In the short three years we have been married, we have gone to Hawaii, San Francisco, Italy, Jackson Hole, Las Vegas and Disneyworld. We also have made millions of trips to College Station, Waco, Beaumont, Ville Platte and Kansas City to see alma maters and family.

Not only have we taken a lot of trips, we have worked together on putting our house together, play in our pool, hosted a lot of parties and changed jobs. We have learned a lot and have had a lot of fun. Brandon, what else?

The best thing that has happened to us in the three years we have been married is Kaitlyn. She is so very special and has showed us another side of ourselves. Brandon is so very sweet with Kaitlyn and loves to teach her to make all sorts of animal sounds. Kaitlyn has shown me the true
meaning of patience. It isn't hard to have when she is just so very sweet.

Here's to you Brandon on July 5!

Every little bit counts...

Yes, every little movement, sound and/or facial expression from Kaitlyn is totally cheered and analyzed by her parents. This is so true today as I was running around to answer phone calls, get back to people, take a walk with her this morning and keep her entertained.

Can I just say Crayola is wonderful? They have these new markers and finger paints that don't color on anything but the special paper that comes with the paints and markers. It is called color wonder. You can get them at WalMart for $6. Since Kaitlyn is just learning to hold a marker/pen and color on paper, this is great to start out with. I even splurged and got her the finger paints too, but she has only put her fingers on paper a little bit so far. She is really catching on fast though.

We have been working with her for months now to sip out of a straw. She would suck the liquid halfway up the straw and then it fell back down. Today, I ran to 7-Eleven to get gas and got a cherry slurpee (yum, my favorite!!). She asked for a sip and drank out of a straw for the first time. Yeah! Go Kaitlyn! Finally now we can order her milk at the restaurant without a big mess!

For a long time, I wanted to teach Kaitlyn sign language and know that she could pick it up easily. Although we haven't focused on teaching her signs, there are a few that she has remembered and picked up on. One sign I taught her was to say please by rubbing her chest. This week I saw her using this sign when I asked her to say please. Of course, it is easier to get her to do it when she is in a good mood, but how awesome is that to see her say please.

And last, but not least, she has really enjoyed playing with bracelets. Not that she hasn't always done this, but I guess it is the way and how she plays with them, that are different now. She holds up her arms like a true girl. She also likes to shake them and then take the bracelets on and off.

Play Pool and Grapes

By the title of this blog entry, you may think we are having a grape stomping party in our backyard. When in fact, we are entertaining little toddlers in our backyard with pools and grapes. The pool was for splashing and the grapes for for our hungry little toddlers.

This past Friday, Ellen and her little tyke, Ian, stopped by for some fun in the sun. Kaitlyn and Ian enjoyed being in the play pool and liked playing with the toys and balls. Since Ian doesn't like the big pool as much, this was fun to watch him enjoy the water without being afraid of it getting in his face. Kaitlyn liked it because it was something new.

Brandon came home early and joined us in the pool. Ellen and I were especially entertained with his bulging biceps and swan-like dives in the pool. Brandon even took Kaitlyn and Ian for a spin around the pool.

After traveling two weekends in a row, we are going to relax this weekend and just play around the house. I can tell we have some work cut out for us because we see weeds around the backyard and bushes need to be trimmed.

I am worn out from the traveling and trying to clean up the house, laundry and getting Kaitlyn back on schedule this week. Also, I have had several projects that I have put extra time in for work. I look forward to reading to Kaitlyn a lot this weekend as we haven't had as much time lately to just sit and read. Goodnight Moon has been very popular lately.

The last couple of nights I have tried to read it to her but she is not interested. I think she has another tooth coming in because she hasn't been sleeping as well and it took an hour and a half before she went to bed last night. I hope it comes in quickly.

Diapers?

Had to share ... Kaitlyn looked at me and then pointed to her room and cried a little bit. All because she had a BM in her diaper. She is really becoming aware of her little body. I know Brandon can't wait for the day Kaitlyn gets out of diapers. He puts his shirt over his nose every time he changes a bad dirty diaper. It is very funny and it makes me wonder what Kaitlyn thinks when daddy does that... Hmmm...

Building Blocks

Kaitlyn is building her foundation. She has had a wild fascination with stacking blocks and her big lego blocks this week. Here are some pictures of her creation today. She also learned this week to say yum-yum for yummy food and began today to say ta-da with her arms up.

I bought her a couple new sippy cups and one with a straw because she is throwing them on the floor and breaking them. Now since she is older and knows better, we have her pick up her cup and things she throws on the floor. She is catching on very quickly that it is no fun to pick up everything she throws down. It really is more of a game, but she learns very fast.


As far as eating goes, she really likes skinned apple slices today. When she sees mommy eat, she has to try it. Usually, she knows what I am eating like a tortilla or chip. Let's just say she is turning into a big copycat and mimics everything. We are getting very close to the stage where we have to watch everything we say and do, not that we don't already; however, we are in for it now!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Brandon! Kaitlyn and I love you very much and hope you had a fun weekend! We enjoyed spending the weekend with you!
We really loved going on the big "couch" tube all together Saturday morning. Kaitlyn especially loved playing in the water with you. I couldn't believe how nice it was to have you to change diapers while I visited and you took care of putting her to bed when I couldn't keep my eyes off of the Irish dancers Aunt Linda asked to come and perform. It was great and thanks to you!
One memory I enjoyed was going to Nacho Libre with you on Friday night late, even though we should have just gone to bed. We both laughed in the same parts and we had it in mind all weekend! Very funny.

Thanks for all that you do!! Love Sarah and Kaitlyn.

The Weekend

Talk about doing a lot in one weekend. We spent five hours driving (stuck in some Austin traffic) to New Braunfels to stay with my high school friend, Tracy Pavlu, her husband and twin 2 year olds. We traveled on down to the hill country for Brandon's friend, Nathan Vajdos' wedding. It was really a pretty wedding and we had a lot of fun thanks to the Pavlu's for watching Kaitlyn as she went to bed on Saturday night.

Brandon enjoyed going out with Preston to a sports bar on Friday night and I enjoyed going with Tracy and her 10 year old cousin to the San Marcos Outlet mall. I was so excited because I was able to buy a Coach purse for 20 percent off and a couple of cool toys for Kaitlyn. Sorry Brandon, we didn't have time to go to the guys' stores. I can't wait to go back!!

And Kaitlyn had the most fun. She was so worn out from the drive down that we put her to bed early on both nights. I thought we could have taken her with us and just leave the wedding and rehearsal dinner early, but she was just too tired. Her big fun was Saturday night when the Pavlus had the air mattress blown up for Tracy's cousin. The kids had so much fun jumping on it. Kaitlyn would try to roll, climb or crawl up on it just so the kids could bounce her on it. She would giggle and giggle until she found another toy in Peyton's room to play with.



Kaitlyn also learned to say cheese this weekend. As I kept taking a ton of photos, the other kiddos would say cheese and Kaitlyn picked up on it. Very cute!

On Sunday,we played in the pool a little bit when we got back and watched the Mavs game. I am still getting over my three hours of sleep on Saturday night because Kaitlyn wanted to sleep with me and not in her crib.

Night night for mommy!

Monday Cleaning

Monday was a day for us to clean and take it easy. Kaitlyn is still fighting her cold and has a runny nose. She seems pretty happy for the most part except for the early evenings before bed. She is becoming so independent too. Here is a picture of her taking the swiffer mop and pushing the button herself. She is mommy's little helper!

Swim Fridays

On Friday, we had our third swim playdate and our friends Katie and Zoey, Kerri and Caroline and April and Anna Kate joined us. Caroline enjoyed her first time in the pool as well as Anna Kate. We mostly sat and ate grapes with the kiddos in our laps as the pool wore them out. Kaitlyn was out for a little bit and sat with me, but she wasn't feeling up to her normal self so we kept things low key for her. It was really cute to see her share her toys with Zoey and Anna Kate. Here are a few photos from Friday.

Everybody is Doing It!

I started a blog before today; however, I can't seem to find our password, and I must have typed in the wrong email address, so we are beginning fresh. We began sending little updates to our close family members when Kaitlyn was born, and I now think that maybe this will be a little easier for everyone to check out for an update on the Plano Meches.

And the other reason for really committing to this blog is because, "Everyone else is doing it, so why not?" Ha. This is very cool, and I hope to get Brandon addicted so he will write a few columns.

So to start us off in the right direction with this blog, here are a few of our latest photos.