Kylie May and a "Routine" Day 145

Routine? we don't need no stinkin routine!  Wait...Strike that...if there is anything that we absolutely need (besides your basic ability to time travel and fly), it's a routine.  I guess it isn't so much that "we" need a routine, but it's more along the lines of Kylie could use a good bedtime routine.  (Ok...overthinking has gotten the best of me.  I guess "we" are actually the ones that need the routine...I mean, only if we want to remain alive and sane).  So, here's to sanity....and routines.

Tonight Nat has to work, but, before she does, we are implementing OPERATION BEDTIME! The funny thing about our completely confidential (don't tell anyone) and highly technical covert plan, is that we have no idea what it actually entails (or at least I don't. I think Nat has a pretty good idea of what should happen) I think that is part of a Top Secret plan (all the way to the highest security clearance). You don't ever really get to know the details, you just have to do it.  So far, we've had a walk, a bath, a massage, some eating, and now the blackhawk is down.  I have now been charged with the duty of guarding the pumpkin for the rest of the night.  What's that like? hmmm.....just imagine being asked to stand six inches away from a house of cards for 12 hours without letting it topple over.  note: breathing is only being used under extreme circumstances.

Nat's off to work....I'm taking the rudder (or was it the steering wheel? I can't remember), and the ship is sailing.

more to come soon,

"looks like I'm the Queen of the mountain"

"Quick!  Someone pull my finger....:-)"

"Wait...the movers said to put it right here...it doesn't go here?"

"much better"  Do you like my hat sir?

sometimes I think she is just pretty proud of how big and talented she is.

When you can't go to the carousel you bring the carousel to you.

"mom...dad...don't look.  I'm about to go "no hands"

Just a girl, her tub, some bubbles, and the red bucket....life is sweet

-Craig-

Kylie May and a few Firsts Today 144

When I didn't get a visit at the hospital last night I assumed it was because the night was going so well. I found out today that it was actually quite the opposite. Kylie was upset for about 3 hours before giving in and falling asleep. And by "upset" I mean, screaming, tears, heart breaking, inconsolable break down. I am supposed to work another shift tomorrow and I am having a hard time imagining leaving her for another night, maybe I need to find a day job.

So Kylie had a few firsts today. The first first was not a fun one. After a lunch date with Mimi and Melissa, we went to my parents to relax and watch the olymipcs. Kylie and I fell asleep nursing on the futon. The next thing I know I head a loud thump, Kylie had rolled off the futon and fell face down on the floor (about an 18 inch drop). I immidetly scooped her up, she was crying and my heart was breaking. Kylie soon forgot about her little spill but I have been thinking about it ever since, I feel so bad, I usually wake up when she starts to rustle around, but I had only had a few hours of sleep so I was extra tired. I'm sure it's not the last time she will fall off something, but I sure learned my lesson, no more naps on the couch together without some serious pillow padding on all sides.

The next first was a fun one, Kylie had her first bubble bath! Earlier today I asked my mom to grab some organic baby lotion from the store. We have been out for a few days and missing our massage time. When she came back not only did she find calming organic lotion, she also found calming baby massage oil and calming bubble bath (guess it's pretty obvious they had a not so calm night last night). So we decided to try it out. She really seemed to enjoy the bubbles, she couldn't quite figure them out, but she still had fun.

That leads us to another first, the first time I tried to have a very exact bedtime plan. Every move was planned out tonight in an attempt to start a pattern that can be done every night regardless who is with her. We are hoping a routine will help her calm down and fall asleep better. I wrote very detailed notes dictating my every move, they will be edited and sent to everyone who may watch Kylie between the 7:30-9:30 hour :o) It all went very well, she was asleep by 8:45pm and has only peeped a few times since. I hope we can find a schedule that works or I will seriously be quitting all jobs that keep me away from her at night. She is to sweet a baby to have such traumatic evenings.

More to come,
Natalie

playing the hand drums while watching Olympic volleyball, what could be better?

Bubble Bath!!! Doesn't she look calm ;o)

Kylie May and Just Another HOT Summer Sunday 143

Second verse, same as the first...just a little bit louder and little bit worse.  That's not the write song! This DJ is fired.  I think tonight we need something more like "Last night was so much fun we thought we'd do it again".  Yes.  It's true.  Natalie is on the second night of two in a row, so Kylie and I are back on the warpath.  Unfortunately, the Redlands Bowl (our go to Kylie distractor) is dark tonight, so we are stuck with the somewhat daunting task of keeping Kylie distracted from the fact that she is (for 12 hours) motherless. Did you notice the "we"?  Yep, I have some reinforcements this evening...for now.  Mimi and Melissa are here helping with Operation "help keep Kylie happy and get her to fall asleep" (there is no acronym for that, the whole thing has to be said every time).  One thing is for certain, I got help from the right people. Aunt Melissa performed a song and dance routine for the ages (really! there will never be one quite so crazy again) and grandma Carol had just the right touch to help the little bean drift to Never Never Land.  I guess the Olympics has ushered in a spirit of camaraderie.

  This morning and afternoon Natalie and I had some more good help from her family.  Kylie got to spend a good portion of the morning and afternoon hanging out at her grandpa and grandma's house.  I'm pretty sure she had the time of her life (well at least a marginal amount of fun): playing in her tub, sleeping, chewing on toys, rolling around. etc.  The respite was just what Nat and I needed to recover from last night (her working all night and me....well....just to recover I guess :-)

Off to catch some gymnastics and safely transplant Kylie from grandma's arms into her bed (kids! don't try this at home.)

more to come soon,

-Craig-

Every girls nightmare...to be caught off guard by a camera while she's playing in her whale tub.

"Maybe if I just chew on this thing no one will know its me."

Kylie May and the Insomniacs Diary Day 142

Late entry you say?  Oh.  you didn't even notice?  That's ok...rub the sleep from your eyes and read the Insomniacs Diaries.  You know what's fun to watch? Gator wrastlin'.  You know what is not fun to do? Gator wrastlin'.  No no... you didn't miss anything. I'm not out hangin on the bayou with Swamp People, I'm sitting at home, in Redlands, having my own match.  Funny thing about gator wrestling is that on TV they look so much bigger.  I never knew they were only 14lb 10oz & 27in (side note: Kylie is coincidentally 14lb 10oz & 27in).  So, it may not be an O.K. Coral type endeavor, but me and the the peanut are having a fun time deciding whether she should (and I) should sleep tonight.  Currently she is more in the "lets stay awake all night" corner and I'm in the "nah, sleeping is kinda fun" corner.  The night shall decide.

Side Bar:  Natalie and I have been struggling with the sleep concept lately (Breaking New: Young Parents Struggle With Their Child's Sleeping Patterns.  :-)  I think I am officially adding an amendment to the saying "There are only two guarantees in life...Death, and taxes....".  That saying will now read, "There are at least three guarantees in life...Death, Taxes, and newish parents will struggle with their child's sleeping patterns."  It makes me feel better knowing there is a universal saying about it.  Yep, so I have been struggling tonight with the sleep thing.  So much so, that I just finished ordering 3 books on Amazon.  Can you guess the topic?  Only a desperate man (perhaps one that never switched from cable to DirecTV), sits up at 2am ordering books on child sleeping patterns.... You know what they say? When in Rome...

On an additional note.  Kylie loves crowds.  It is just about one of the only things (besides Natalie, of course) that mellows her out while Nat is gone at work.  We had a great walk down to the bowl tonight (our 3rd time this week to watch Oliver....and it wasn't because we just couldn't get enough), then headed over to the Med Center (to see if letting Nat nurse her would help her sleep better....it didn't really do much).  Now I am off to pickle the beast...or wind up pickled myself


more to come soon,

Craig

Kylie May's Sitting Up Day 141

We had a lazy morning today, I guess that is to be expected when Miss May doesn't go to sleep until 10:45pm and we stay up watching a movie until 2. This late night/late morning schedule is actually working out well for us, I think it helps Craig and I do a better job managing our nights back to work and it makes for some family snuggle time in the morning :o) Once we got up, Craig was on a mission to fix our shower. It has been leaking for a couple months now and the cold water pressure has diminished. So he went for it and sure enough he lived up the expectations he has been implanting in Kylie's brain "I love my Daddy because he fixes things" (from her "favorite" book Why I Love My Daddy) Our shower is now working beautifully, yeah! During this time Kylie was very busy practicing her newest skill, sitting up. Yesterday she amazed us with some moments of balance, but today was a whole other level. She is getting so strong and could sit for up to about 10-15 seconds. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but we were pretty impressed and she was pretty proud of herself.

Kylie has been a little more attached to me in the past few days, she is reaching for me and sometimes it seems like all she wants is for me to hold her, and not anyone else. She has also been nursing like crazy, she doesn't seem hungry, but I think she might just want the security of being close to me (I love it, but I am a little concerned about my nights (3) back to work coming up). Since putting her down was not an option today, I put her in the backpack while I worked on cleaning the house. In no time at all she was fast asleep with her mouth resting in a mid-bite position on the side of the pack. It amazes me that she is comfortable enough to fall asleep like that.

The afternoon was full of more sitting and another couple naps. In the evening my parents came over. We ate dinner while we enjoyed the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in London and Craig went to work :o(  Kylie seemed to enjoy watching some of the time, but I think it may have become a little overwhelming, we don't turn the TV on unless there is a game Craig would like to see or I am in the mood for an episode of The Office and even then we try to keep the volume low. So I think this TV experience was a little much for our princess. It may be a challenge over the next few weeks, we are looking forward to watching some of the competitions, we may have to record and watch it once she is asleep :o) Speaking of sleep, it took Kylie a little while to be ready for sleep tonight. She got her bedtime bath and massage, and went down relativley quickly, but she has been up about every 45-60 min since. I just hope this is not how the next few night go, Craig will get no rest at all :o(

I spent the past 2 hours rearranging the living room, I love it and hope Craig likes it when he gets home.  I created a slightly larger play area for Kylie, I can't believe how quickly she is growing, we are going to need to baby-proof this house very soon.

More to come later,
Natalie

Saw this on Facebook, I just love it!

I'm sure this is not considered safe, but I promise I didn't leave the room. I just wanted her to get a better nap, so I left her in the backpack and propped it in front of the fan on our bed :o) She slept well, but was very confused when she woke up.

Kylie May and Some Pre Olympic Fine Tuning Day 140

140 days of our little bug's life.  One of the fun thing about writing this blog (so far) is getting to keep track of how our little one grows and develops. Seeing her reach milestones (and associated a date with them) had been really entertaining for us.  Just for funsake (since we never have any ;-) I'm going to jot down just some of the things the mini pumpkin can do: smile, laugh, track with the eyeballs, snatch stuff with both hands (and manage it make it find her mouth), grab her toes, suck on her fingers and toes, babble, squeal, roll over both ways (sometimes), reach for mom and dad, and recognize her mama (this brightens her up every time).

In that vein...Today, the mini rerealized that the Olympics are a day away so she thought she should fine tune some of her events.  The balance beam (aka her sitting up and balancing herself) was the main order of business.  Natalie propped her up and Kylie gave a good few seconds before the big melon on her neck toppled her over.  It was the first (and hopefully not last) time that she ever sat up without being supported.  It seems like somethings are starting to click, and she is starting to pick things up quicker these days.  I know, I know.  This whole parenting thing is funny.  Natalie and I get to clamor on about our cutie and then point out all these obscure "firsts".  But, like I'vmentioned before, if you look hard enough, it seems as though the whole world is full of "firsts" for all of us.

Market Night mania and funnest bath time ever engulfed the rest of this little girl's night, which meant bartering, people watching, napping, singing, laughing, smiling, splashing, and playing. Tomorrow Kylie is off to Bejing (ssshhh! don't tell her the games are in London).  We figure she'll have a better shot at a medal this way.

more to come soon,

-Craig-

Kylie May's Shots and Shucks Day 139

So what is considered eating real food?  I mean does nibbling on the bone of a Porterhouse, gnawing on an old potato skin, or sucking on a banana peel really count as eating food?  If so, then Miss Mayflower had her first taste of big people food tonight.  Sitting her at the dinner table and keeping her from grabbing our food is like keeping a guppy from his H2O.  We made the revelation tonight that she is actually much smarter than we ever give her credit for.  She has the inborn intuitive ability to bypass any artificial substitutes and dive right into the "good stuff".  Case and Point:  At dinner she was sitting on my lap while we all ate.  She does her usual "crane her neck and stare" routine while we put ever bite into our mouth, followed by the dive forward to get a hold of any edible items on the plate.  This has been going on the last month or so, and we have always managed to distract her with some form of toy or inanimate object.  Lately, however, she is learning to do her best Barry Sanders impression and side step all this white noise.  This evening I thought, I could put a napkin over my plate (a nice cloth napkin mind you) she would grab it, chew it, and be one happy clam.  no no no! She snatched the napkin, tossed it (without even giving it a token taste), and dive bombed for the food (this little girl has some clout I tell ya).  As compassionate parents (self labeled of course), we finally decided that she should finally get to enjoy something from our plate.  What did she get?  A nice, fully eaten, shuck attached, corn cob.  I have never seen a little girl (especially this one) be so enthusiastic about chewing on something.  She chewed on the cob, the shuck, and every other part of the corn she could find (a bath followed shortly after the corn fun).  It was really cute to see the look of accomplishment and pride in this little ones eyes.  I can only liken it to the same thing we must feel when we finally achieve any long pursued, "impossible task".  There is sure to be many more shucks and cobs in our near and distant parenting future.

That was the fun part of the day.  The not so fun, but getting easier, part of the day was her 4-month Dr. appointment/shot day.  She was great during the Dr. visit.  She laid on the table (tearing the paper sheet apart of course) as content as can be, while Dr. Katiraei examined her.  She even tried to nibble on his badge, stethoscope, and opthalmoscope (true sign that she is enjoying herself).  After the Dr. though, came the nasty ole nurse (only saying that because she came bearing injections).  As predicted, Kylie just screamed while the pokes came (it didn't help that she was half asleep when Galenda entered), but as soon as she got the second shot, I picked her up, she cuddled in and stopped crying instantly.  There is something rewarding and satisfying about being able to comfort your baby girl by holding her.  I was a proud dad at that moment.  Lots of tylenol, nursing, and napping capped the rest of her day (without any post shot blues).  Nat and I are locked in with some pre shot nursing and Tylenol. This seems to be the winning combination that makes these visits bearable for both Kylie and us.  That is one ride at the parenting fair that isn't broke so we make no intention of becoming handy men anytime soon.

More to come soon,

Craig

p.s. uncle Kyle has been staying with us the last couple days, but tomorrow he heads back to San Diego.  Kylie is bummed, but had a lot of fun hanging out with him while he was here.

Kylie was all smiles for Kyle's ex-coworker Sarah...Kylie was laughing because she thought it was funny that Uncle Kyle was on his way to get a pedi.

little did I know that I was about to wake up with only 4 fingers

The shucking crime scene...we didn't know what was about to hit us.

Yep.  That was the corn cob that would soon be commandeered by our little food pirate

"Hey...did some leave any corn on the cob lying around in here?"

"No?...ok.  I guess a red bucket works just as well."

Kylie May and an Oliver Day 138

Lights! Camera! Action! These are the words that Kylie has engrained in her young little performer's bones.  Tonight, however, she finally got to see what live theater is all about.  Any surprise that she absolutely loved it? I didn't really think so.  I don't remember the feeling, but it must be nice when you come to the realization of what your life's destiny is.  Judging by the coos and oos, I'm 75% almost certain that in watching Oliver tonight, she had that moment of realization.  The weather was perfect, the company was friendly, the talent was superb,  and the spread was delicious.  Tuesday night at the bowl couldn't have been any better.

Pre-show antics this afternoon involved Uncle Kyle hangin with his cute little niece for a few hours while Nat was working at Shake it Up.  Funny thing about watching a tiny pumpkin for more than a few minutes, is that kid's get dirty diapers.  Hmmm... I can almost see the invisible ink writing on the wall.  That's right. little miss Kylie got her poopy diaper changed by her capable uncle. The real kink in the operation now is that Kylie keeps having to screen phone calls from McGraw-Hill (who wants to put this moment in classroom history books across the country).  Luckily, he was able to pull away from the phone long enough spend the rest of the afternoon and evening cruising around with all of us.

Tomorrow is another sad day in Kylie land (doctor's visit) so we are all off to get some much needed rest. 

More to come soon,

Craig

Happy girl in her Bumbo

Baby Liam smiling in his sleep

At Auntie Emily's yesterday, Kylie was was relaxin

Emily and Liam

Hangin at the bowl

Amy, Melissa and Kylie

Kylie has been very interested in food lately, she just couldn't seen to get the container open :o)

Kylie May's Play with Liam(s) Day 137

Kylie started her day with a visit to her second cousin Liam. Liam is 5 weeks old already and getting so big! We had a few fun moments when both babies were nursing then both babies were sleeping, oh so cute. Kylie had another first while we were visiting Liam and Emily...she sat up by herself for about 10 seconds! She has not been rolling over very much but she has been getting closer to sitting on her own. She was so cute balancing there, smiling, with all of us staring at her. We tried a few more times to get her to do it again, but I guess she saves the good stuff for the visits to Auntie Emily's. (I took some cute photos of Em, Melissa and Liam but I can't find the connecter to my camera so they will have to be on the blog tomorrow, sorry)

Next, a visit to the great-grandparents. We had a delicious lunch and enjoyed spending some time visiting with grandma and grandpa. It is so fun to see them with Kylie, she seems to recognize them and smiles when we go to visit. We hope to visit again this week and take advantage of the nice swimming pool :o)

We came home to find Kyle and his friend Art here. Craig woke up and it was one full, happy house. Craig left for work and Kylie and I headed to visit another Liam. My good friend Stephanie (from nursing school) had her baby Liam 13 months ago. 3 weeks after she delivered she moved across the country :o( I have only seen her once since then and it was in Feb. when I was about 38 weeks pregnant. She and her husband just moved back to Las Vegas and happened to be in town for the evening, yeah! So we met up for dinner. This little Liam is not so little anymore, he is running around and babbling. It is amazing to think that it won't be long before Kylie is doing the same. We had a wonderful dinner and headed back to our house for a little more play time. Another first for our little one...first kiss from a boy :o) Little Liam was so sweet and gave Kylie many hugs and even a little kiss. She just smiled and cooed, she loved having another little one around to play with.

All the visiting wore her out, now she is fast asleep.
More to come soon,
Natalie

I tried to get a photo of her sitting up, but as soon as I snapped she shot she started to fall :o)

New favorite toy at the great-grandparents...chip bag.

Meeting big Liam for the first time, she kept grabbing his face.

Her first kiss from Liam, oh so sweet.

Kylie May's Recovery Day 136

We came home this morning to a fussy Kylie and a very tired Mimi and Auntie Melissa. Turns out it was not the easiest night. Kylie decided to have a little melt down that landed her a trip to the hospital to find mommy at work so she could nurse. I had mixed emotions when I heard my little one crying as she came down the hall, heartbroken to hear her sad cries but so happy to have a chance to see her and nurse her. I miss her so much when I am at work, it was so amazing to see her even for just a little bit.

When they got back home they started into the every two hour feeding routine. Kylie has become a little picky and is not a fan of cold milk, so the challenge is to hear her rustling around, just up, warm the bottle and make it back to bed to feed her before she actually wakes all the way up. If you can successfully complete this task she will usually stay asleep for another couple hours, however should she wake you may be in for some walking and bouncing before you having a sleeping baby again. Craig has been able to get the routine down but the first time is always a challenge. My mom and Melissa experienced the challenge first hand and have a much deeper understanding and respect for the hard work Craig puts in when I am working.

I am so thankful to have my sister and mom even willing to stay with Kylie for the entire night. I know it is very hard work and Craig and I are so grateful for all the energy you both put in, thank you mom and Melissa.

Our night at the hospital went well, things were slow on my unit and Craig had the same list as the night before. We took our break at the same time so we were able to have a little 3am date, it was wonderful to spend a little time with my amazing husband.

We all slept in until about 12:30pm when Kylie was ready to start her day. She and I got up and played, took another nap and headed to visit Mimi and Papa. Mimi and Kylie had a heart to heart and are now both feeling better about the rough night together. They played all afternoon and evening. We had a delicious BBQ at my parents before Craig headed off to work. Kylie and I took a post dinner nap and watched a few episodes of The Office before heading home. Right now Kylie is fast asleep next to me in bed, Auntie Melissa is sleeping in her room and Uncle Kyle is on the couch, I love having a full house, this is how humans were meant to live. Raising a child is so much more manageable when there is help just around the corner, even if you don't have to use it, it's sure wonderful to know it's there.

More to come soon,
Natalie

She is starting to reach for us every once in a while, just warms my heart.

Check out the hair! We started the day with a little pony tail on top of her head, I think I like the end of the day Mohawk even better.

Dear all,

Melissa and I (Carol) just took over the honor of caring for the little doll while mom and dad are at work. She is not so sure about us, but we are full of confidence and ready for a great evening. At this moment Raffi is singing "Walk Around the Block" and Melissa is walking around the ottoman, so all is good. No tears and no fears.  That is our motto.

We have milk, pacifier, and massive amount of instructions. Wish us luck,

Signing out, all is good in KylieLand.

Carol

Day 134 continued...

Yesterday we got up somewhat early and started the packing and cleaning process. Turns out leaving is hands-down the worst part of beach week. In the past we have only been able to stay for about 2-3 days, and it seemed to go SO fast and leaving was so hard. We thought this year would be better, we actually got to stay for the while week, so leaving wouldn't be so bad, right? Wrong! The week seemed to fly by even faster then it has the past few years and the good-bye's were still yucky.

We really enjoyed spending time with everyone at the beach, we are already missing you all and counting down until next year, only 357 days to go.

We got on the road and miss Kylie nursed and fell asleep. She did this a few times during the drive and for the most part was just a little happy camper otherwise. I decided to take a little nap too during her third nap. When I woke up I was being watched by a very quiet and wide awake baby. It was so funny, I have no idea how long she was awake watching me for, she was so quiet and sneaky.

We sat in a lot of traffic and decided that we need to make the drive at night next time, no traffic and easier to sleep. When we got home Craig went straight to bed, he had taken a little nap in the car and he now had about 30 min to sleep before heading to a long night at work. Kyle came back with us, he unpacked the car, thanks Kyle, while my mom and I attended to Kylie and tried to get something going for dinner. We somehow pulled it together, Craig woke up to a hot dinner, his lunch packed, uniform ready, I managed to get ready for the Brandin Iron, eat dinner and learn the dance I was supposed to teach. We came home and hit the ground running, like we hadn't missed a beat.

My sister, mom and dad watched Kylie in prep for tonight (we both work a full 12 hours). It didn't go so well. Apparently she enjoyed having mom and dad to herself for the whole week and was not so happy when she realized we were both gone. She showed my family a side of Smiley Kylie they have never seen and it was enough to make them a little weary about tonight. Kylie kept looking at my sister and then crying, it was as if she thought Melissa was me and then she realized that in fact Auntie Melissa was not mom and she was not happy about it. At one point they all decided to try to avoid eye contact, but it didn't seem to work either. 

As soon as I got back, she was all smiles and back to herself. She got to try out the new seat that Mimi and Papa got for her and before we knew it it was time to go home and go to bed. I hope they can make it through tonight, it will be a challenge but they know where I work, so I will be expecting a visit if things get to bad.

More to come tonight,
Natalie

She was so sleepy during this part of the drive, but as soon as I pulled out my phone she smiled, she is so funny.

New favorite toy during the car ride home.

Enjoying her new chair, it clips on to the table, she loved it!

Kylie is home again, day 134

We made it home! It took us a little longer then 7 hours, but we made it. There is more story to be told about today, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I already fell asleep putting Kylie down and now it is taking all the energy I have to write this little note. I will write more tomorrow, I love you  little one.
More to come soon,
Natalie

Princess Kylie, Day 133

It was an eventful day for Kylie! She was crowned Princess of The Beach, and the ceremony was complete with a luxurious castle (including a moat, drawbridge, tower complex, and throne), fanfare, a procession of mermaids, and dancing dolphins. Okay, so maybe I exaggerated.....a fanfare, that's ridiculous...who actually brings trumpets onto the beach! The Princess Kylie enjoyed many attempts to munch on some sand (and who wouldn't, it looks just like brown sugar!). Ultimately, we enjoyed being able to construct a sand castle fit for such an adorable niece!

Kylie is clearly still trying to figure out what Uncle Mike is all about (first of all, what the heck is all that hair doing on his face?). He was able to spend some quality time with Kylie in the morning, during which he was able to read her a book. Of course she was mostly interested in chewing on the book.

We both look forward to all of the quality times we'll get to share with Kylie in the future. In a handful of years we will be able build sand castles WITH Kylie, and think of how much fun that will be! We love you Kylie!

Guest Johnson Baby Update Bloggers,
Auntie Jill and Uncle Mike

Family photo, thanks to uncle Kyle for taking this one.

All the black hoodies on the beach (from yesterday)

Sporting her Giants gear

Kylie's favorite thing to do while nursing, play with my face :o)

Kylie May and A Deceiving Beach Day 132

The ominous sunshine.  That is what greeted us through our ocean view window this morning.  Ominous sunshine? an oxymoron? no no no.  Just Cayucos seems to be a little backwards that's all.  If we wake up and it's cloudy outside, then it turns into a beautiful sunshiny day.  But...when the sunshine is waiting out the window, a cool, windy day awaits.  Today we were greeted with rays of windshine. Did it stop the teeny queeny from suacing up and suiting up?  Not a chance.  She hit the beach today ready for some good times....and they were rollin.

Grandma Didi accomplished the impossible today.  She soothed/conned Kylie into a 2 hour nap on the beach this afternoon (she did cuddle her on her shoulder the whole time, but whatever it takes).  I really think Kylie was finally just wiped out after all the fun in the sun the past couple days.  Also, she was pretty shaken up that her Auntie Lane and pseudo Tio Josh had to head back to Porterville this morning.  Her haze of depression most certainly contributed to today's "shut eye in the sand". 

Tonight Nat and I had an opportunity to let the entertainer do her thing and keep the masses at bay (she had a great time hanging with all her grannys, grandpas, aunts, and uncles) while we snuck away for a miniature "date night" (dinner and ice cream).  It was fun to spend some time reacquainting with the woman whom I decided to jump into this sinking life boat with.  We had a great time chatting, and both decided we should do it again sometime...before Kylie is walking :-) (the clock is ticking).

The night was capped with an all smiles bath time (New record for Kylie, 5 bath nights in a row...can we go for 6? stay tuned), nursing, and sleep.

Our last beach day is already tomorrow :-( We'll just try to soak it up as much as we can.

more to come soon,

Craig

"No no Kylie, we asked if you wanted to READ a book not EAT a book"...  language is still a little challenging.

Cool breeze, cozy blanket, grandma's soft shoulder...it makes me sleepy just thinking about it.

Kylie May's Sleepless in Cayucos Day 131

Sleepless in Cayucos, starring the wildly famous Kylie May Johnson: a classic tale of girl meets beach, falls in love, and can't waste a single moment sleeping. Today the whole family (all 15 of us) woke up early and hit the beach for a family photo shoot with Natalie's new camera. Although we tried to prepare her, the life of a Top Model seemed too overwhelming for Miss May, but not before we could get some good pictures out of her. Two hours and hundreds of pictures later, we finally headed home for a quick breakfast before a long day at the beach. Because of the hard work she had to put in this morning, Kylie was extra tired on the beach today. It also didn't help that her teeth seem to be close to breaking point. But just like her parents, Kylie couldn't stand to miss any of the excitement, so she settled for a five minute nap. If you know babies, you know one five minute nap in the span of several hours is about as common as a pig in an overstuffed car of circus clowns headed to the Amazon. Everyone was worried she wouldn't be able to cope, but she held those tired eyes open and kept us entertained all day long.

This evening we were off to Firestone Grill in San Luis Obispo. We worried about the little beach bum making the half an hour trip on such little sleep, but she handled the car ride like a seasoned pro. Dinner was delicious, and she even managed to catch a few minutes of shut-eye. She woke up just in time for the car ride home, and awoke a new woman. She played a game with her Mommy and Auntie Quin, finding that when she stuck Mommy's finger in her mouth and pulled it out quickly it made a funny sucking sound. Every time she did it, Quin, Kylie, and Mommy found themselves in a mess of giggles, and all three were entertained the whole car ride home. Once back at the beach house Kylie got a chance to play and smile before seeing a few minutes of the classic movie What About Bob? before she and Mommy both conked out on the couch. Now they are sleeping soundly and comfortably, getting ready for another fun day at the beach tomorrow. Our little munchkin is going to need all of her strength if she's going to keep up the "no naps allowed" policy.

Auntie Lane and Josh have to head back home tomorrow, and are very sad they have to miss out on the last few days of Kylie's first beach week. It was fun to spend time with her, and we both look forward to the next time we get to spend time with her. She is such a blessing in all of our lives, and we cherish every second we have with her.

Over and out from these tired Aunties; we have to catch some Z's ourselves if we want to keep up with Kylie.

Aunties Quin and Lane