Kylie May and a Sunday Day 206

It was Sunday. And that's just about all I can say about that.  Church in the morning (Kylie and Nat were too tired to make it) A little bit of football, some napping, lots of playtime, and a couple good meals (Avocado, sweet potato, and peas).  I guess we are just living the American "Sunday" Dream.

We have officially decided that Kylie is not a fan of Avocado. :-( We are going to try something new tomorrow though. We are just going to give her avocado slices and watch the mayhem that follows. I think Nat and I are feeling a little deprived of entertainment, so we are calling in our little court jester (and her avocado) tomorrow for a little ruse.  It's going to be fun....messy....but fun.

More to come soon,

Craig

Multitasking. Watching football and playing with Elmo keys. Now that's talent.

Don't worry we pay her an honest days wages for all her hard work on these dresses.

sometimes the biggest question is bow or square knot.

Wait!?  One of Dad's fantasy football players scored? I gotta see the replay,

We didn't have the heart to tell Kylie that the NFL didn't need replacement officials anymore. She just keeps practicing away at all her signals "Holding. On the offense number 75. 10 yard penalty. FIRST DOWN" 

Kylie May and A Gender Reveal Party Day 205

I guess now is as good a time as any to say we are having a new baby!....haha. Sometimes it's fun to make yourself laugh.  :-)  It's not even April Fools Day, but I thought a joke was in order.  No, no, no Nat and I are not getting ready for our second, but we did attend a fun party today for our friends (Nat's Fox Dance friends Jon and Racquel) who are having their first.  Once again, Kylie, Nat, and I experienced a first together.  Our first "Gender Reveal Party".  In our minds, their was nothing like finding out the gender of our baby on the day she was born, but, if we had to do it some other way, this seemed to be a pretty fun and special way to find out.  Their friend Germaine was the only person who knew and he had a cake baked with white frosting on the outside, but when they cut into it, the cake was pink.  Everyone cheered, cried, and laughed when the found out. Kylie?  she kicked, squealed, and then cried (not tears of joy, tears of tired). Before the tired though, by this point, you can only imagine all the fun our little girl had at an outdoor party full of people.

Just because the party was over doesn't mean the fun was.  Tonight was Avocado night! Nope. Not for us.  For Kylie.  She got to eat sweet potatoes (which she is just loving) and avocado (or as you and I call it...Guacamole).  The verdict on the avocado?  hung jury. She seemed to mildly enjoy it, but definitely wasn't jumping out of her seat for more.  I think it is going to take another taste tomorrow before we really know if her little mouth and tummy like one of Nat and I's favorite foods.

Nat is off to all night work, Melissa has wonderfully rocked Kylie to sleep, and now we prepare for project "All Night Sleep Management".  It usually has its ups and downs, but we always seem to survive, so we'll see if we can make it through another night.

more to come soon,

Craig



The house we were at for the party had a back yard kind of like a jungle.  This set of pictures shows what it would be like if you really were in a jungle, caught a monkey, and were trying your hardest to hang on to that squirmy little thing:

 

Kylie May and her Olive Market Day 204

Things were a little different at the Johnson house this morning. Craig did not get called in to work last night (although it's great to be making that money, I just love it when he is home) so normally we would get to enjoy a lazy family morning, but nope, this morning I was the one who had to get up and out the door. While I was attending my required CPR class, Craig and Kylie had a great little adventure. Since it was a beautiful morning, Craig got Kylie up and dressed and put her in the stroller for a little walk. That little walk ended them at a local little market/restaurant. It was not the destination that made this trip interesting (we have walked to Olive Market a few times) it was what happened on the trip. Usually when Kylie is put in her stroller she looks like this...

But today, when Craig looked down to check on her she looked like this...

What?!? That's right, for the first time she fell asleep during a walk, in her stroller. Needless to say Craig was shocked and made sure to sit outside Olive Market as quietly as possible until the little angel woke. It's hard to see in the photo, but we have been giving her pacifiers lately in hopes that she might use one to help her fall asleep. So far she will take it and hold it in her hand as she falls asleep, not exactly what we had in mind when we said "use it" but whatever works.

Kylie also got to see Lauren and Mark (Mark was Craig's boss at Outback and Lauren is his 5 year old little girl), Lauren and Kylie had a great time playing together. Lauren insisted on trying to carry Kylie around the store, she actually did a very good job and Kylie kicking and laughed the whole time. It is so fun to see Kylie interact with other kids, she just lights up.

The rest of the day consisted of a few naps, some good play time and falling asleep with Auntie Melissa while I was at the BI. Oh, I almost forgot, Kylie has decided that she does not like zucchini. This afternoon I offered her zucchini and she took one bite and refused to open her mouth again. So I offered her a bite of peas and she couldn't get another bite fast enough. She finished the whole thing in about 1 min, but would not touch the zucchini. I guess we will have to move on to another food :o)

More to come soon,
Natalie

Lauren holding Kylie at the market

From our flight to NY, just came across a few so I thought I would add them in

On our way to the airport very early in the morning, I just love her hair!

Nap time on the flight

Kylie acting like a big girl in mommys seat

 

Kylie May's Baby Bullet Strikes Again Day 203

Just when all the zucchinis of the world thought they were safe...the baby bullet struck, and just that quickly Kylie has moved on to food number three.  We have really had a good time (so far) using the baby bullet to make our own baby food. So much fun, that I am ready for them to come out with the "Gero bullet" (sorry mom, dad, Gene, and Carol...I'm only looking out for you). New marketing slogan: "The Bullet. Fun For The Young and Old". (only joking) :-) Seriously though,  There is also something about mixing your own dishes that makes baby food seem just a little more appetizing. When you see the whole food (before it has been ground into mush) the final product is almost tempting. One bite fore Kylie, two bites for me. mmm! "Sorry Kylie.  taxes."

After a walk to the Farmer's Market we only had time for a late dinner before bedtime.  We cooked up our "catch" (the things we bought at farmer's market) and tonight our very hungry caterpillar got to eat zucchini and sweet potato, but, when that was gone,  she was still hungry.  What are a mom and dad to do? pull out the peas.  We were trying to give her a meal without the peas (so she wouldn't lose interest in the taste), but she was chomping for more and it was all we had.  After devouring those, it was all she could do to keep her eyes open long enough to get PJ's on and get her diaper changed.  Then, off to bed on her own mattress.

She seems to be getting better at the idea of sleeping on a little mattress beside our bed (either that or we just really want her to get better at it, so we've made it all up in our heads).  We'll see how long she lasts tonight before finding her way back into the "big" bed with all the people.

more to come soon,

Craig

"Yes. May I help you?"

"See dad, the real trick to origami swans is how you fold their necks." Wait. can you repeat that Kylie.

If you're going to be in parades you have to start practicing now little one.

"Zucchini? Hmm. tastes a lot like chicken to me".

Kylie May and a playful day 202

Even though she started out last night on her little mattress, she woke up this morning right where we love her to be, in the middle. After a little play time in bed we got up and got ready for our play date with Liam. We had a great time with Emily and Liam. Kylie especially likes our play dates to their house because she gets to test drive all Liams new toys he is still to little for. Today she got to play in one of those things (I can't remember what they are called) that has a seat and they toys all around, the baby can kinda stand in it with support. Anyway it took her a little while to warm up to it, but she ended up really having fun. It was so fun to see little Liam. He is getting so big, he already weights one pound more then Kylie does and he is 3 months younger, what's Em putting in that breast milk? We need some for Kylie! Every time we see them it get more fun, we just can't wait for the days when they can actually play together.

After a nice nap at home and some more play time, Kylie was ready to visit the grandparents while I ran to teach for an hour. Kylie did really well until she got tired and wanted to nurse. She was a pretty unhappy camper when I get back, so were my poor parents who had tried everything to get her to calm down. I know is frustrating for them when I walk up and she is all of a sudden back to her sweet smiling self, she just needs her mommy. I guess we should have expected a well attached child when we had such a great birth experience :o)

Craig is back to work tonight, his days off always go by to fast.
More to come soon,
Natalie

This was his smile when we told him Kylie was coming to play ;o)

Little Liam loves kisses from his mommy.

Kylie did a little quality control for Liam, looks like it all checked out.

This is a face she has been making the past few days. It looks like she is chewing on something but when we look there is nothing there, we think she is just experimenting with those little teeth, but we call it her "little old man face"

I had to take a photo, this is the first time I have been able to lay her in her crib for a nap, she even slept for 20 min, yeah.

Kylie May and Doctor Day 201

Death, taxes, and doctor's visits.  I guess there really are only a few sure things in life.  Fortunately, Kylie is most familiar with the latter of these experiences.  Besides the ominous shots, Kylie had a good ole time in the doctors office.  The only thing left of the paper sheet (you know the one on the examination table crinkles and crackles with every little movement)was...well...nothing.  She tore that thing to shreds, and loved every minute of it.  We were glad to see her enjoying herself.  She did measure out at a very tall and slender 28.5inches and 16lbs 3oz (>95th percentile for height, 45th for weight).  For some reason no one is surprised when we tell them that she is a tall slender baby....can't imagine why.

Since she was slightly grumpy after being woken up from her nap just to find out that it was going to be injection time, we decided to let her do what every child dreams of.  Eat some dinner (Peas and Sweet potatoes are back), while making a complete mess of it.  We thought, "Why not? it's almost bath time, so lets take the food outside, strip her down to a diaper, and let her have at it".  She did just that.  Jacques Cousteau would only be able to look on in disbelief at all the exploring our little one did.  Lets just say she no longer has to wonder what squished peas feel like between her fingers.

I'm sure we still have some peas and sweet potatoes floating in her bath tub, but at least she is clean.  That was about all our little one could muster, as she fell fast asleep, well before her usual bed time.  She also must know she has a big play date with her cousin Liam tomorrow, so she wanted to get her beauty rest.

Big adventures await!

more to come soon,

Craig

"I LOVE MY PEAS!...oh....sorry. I didn't realize the mic was on."

Spoons? We don't need no stinkin spoons!

Makes us wonder if she is following in the footsteps of the great, Incredible Hulk....I guess we better not make her mad.

She explained that it really works best if you reserve one compartment for each hand.

Don't be fooled. The spoon was just because she found out she was on camera.

I'm sure dreams of peas and sweet potatoes dance through this long legged ladies head.

Kylie May and A Bicentennial Monday 200

I wonder how long it will be until Kylie is able to count to the number 200.  My guess, if we start now, forget the counting, in another 200 days maybe she'll recognize what even 1 number looks like....maybe.  In the meantime though, I guess we'll just enjoy all the fun stuff that happens to come our way.  On milestone days like today, it's fun to think back to just 200 days ago, when Kylie was getting ready to come out of the oven.  Nat and I have combined for over 21,000 (don't worry about the math, just trust me on that one) days on this funky planet, and I don't think any of them has come remotely close to bringing the joy, excitement, responsibility, changes, challenges, rewards,  or emotions, that the last 200 have.  We feel grateful every day for the little living blessing God's entrusted us with, and we eagerly embrace the roller coaster that will be the next 200, 2,000, and 20,000 days....as parents.

What is this some kind of reflective essay? ....hmmmm....I suppose that's exactly what it is. But, anyway on with the show...so little to do and so much time. On her big 200th day Kylie did what she and Julia Roberts do best.  Eat, sleep, and play.  One thing I have noticed about little May child is that she plays hard. It has not been uncommon for her to wake up from a nap (a long one), eat, play for an hour and then be ready for the next nap.  I'm pretty sure her 0-100 is 1 second and she has about a half gallon gas tank. When it comes to play...she just goes all out.

Some painting (watching and trying not to chew on too many paint brushes), bathing, eating (more peas today....we backed off sweet potatoes cause she is developing a little bottom rash), and dinner at mimi and papa's rounded out the day.  As a great 200th day gift we are taking Kylie to the Pediatrician tomorrow (6 month appointment...see what thoughtful parents we are turning in to).  I'm sure some wiggling on the paper sheets and a few shots are just what she always wanted.

We are off to rest.

more to come soon,

Craig

Kylie May works at home today 199

After some family discussion it was decided that today would be the day we try to finish our painting project in the upstairs of our house. Kylie was not very optimistic about our abilities, but we reassured her that with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Melissa, Uncle Tim (Melissa's boyfriend) and Mommy there would be enough man/woman power to handle the job. And for the most part we were right, we transformed the upstairs in a matter of a day (we still have a few little touch-ups left to do), it was pretty amazing. We all did a good job taking turns playing with little Miss May, and only argued a few times over who got to feed her. The menu today, same as yesterday, peas and sweet potatoes. She is doing such a good job, she sits so eager at the table and just eats like a champ. We have started teaching her a couple baby signs. I'm sure it will be a long time before she starts using her sign language to communicate with us, but we figured she might as well start learning how to ask for "more" and tell us when she is "all done". Hopefully tomorrow we will make it out of the house, maybe a walk downtown since we didn't adventure out today.

 One more quick update...for a few days now Kylie has been lifting her hand as if she was waving without moving her fingers. For a while we thought she was just moving her arms around (she is so active all the time), but now we think it is deliberate, she is actually trying to wave. It is the cutest thing, when she sees someone she has not seen in a while she will raise her hand, keep it up for a moment then put it back down. We have yet to capture it on camera, but that is my goal for tomorrow. Ok I am off to bed, Craig is working his last of 4, Melissa is getting some good rest before she goes back to school tomorrow and Tim is catching some shut eye before he heads out to catch some fish in the morning, and little Miss Kylie May is looking like an angle, taking up way to much space in the middle of the bed ;o)

More to come soon,
Natalie

Lunch with Papa

"More please!"

"Yummmm"

"Thank You"

First taste of sweet potatoes from yesterday.

"Oh these aren't so bad"

"Actually these are pretty great, give me that spoon."

Kylie May's very "sweet" Day 198

I keep nodding off tonight, so this will be short :o) Kylie was up early helping Mommy and Grandma with the painting project upstairs, a trip to Trader Joe's, a couple good naps and it was a good day. But what made it a "sweet" day? Kylie's second official food, Sweet Potatoes! I made some delicious sweet potato baby food, along with some peas, in our baby bullet this morning, and boy did she love it! (I have been waiting for Craig to text me the photos from his phone, but it must be bust at work, photos will be here tomorrow) She had three full meals of sweet potatoes and peas today and she just loved every moment. So three more sweet potato days and we will get to add another.

This evening Kylie, Grandma, and I attended a play called "Birth," It was a wonderful story of many different women and their birth experiences, it was wonderful, I wish more of my friends and family would have been able to come see it. After the play there was a panel of birth professionals, I had been asked to be on the panel. It was especially fun because the midwife on the panel was Karen, the midwife that delivered Kylie! It was so fun to see her and participate in some good discussion about birth.

Now it is time for bed, some early morning painting may be in our future :o)

More to come soon,
Natalie

Kylie May's Play Date day 197

Highlight of Kylie's day had to be her play date with cousin Liam. He and his mommy Emily came over this morning and between both of them taking a morning nap, Kylie eating some peas, Liam watching Kylie eat peas, tummy time, back time, sitting time and lots of looking at each other, I'd say it was pretty fun! Liam is now 3.5 months old and oh so cute and chunky. It is so fun to see him grow up just a few months behind Kylie, it makes apparent how much changes in such a short amount of time. We are looking forward to the next few months as both of them become mobile, Christmas should be a blast. The rest of the day was filled with running errands, eating more peas, going to grandmas and a very sad evening. Kylie was so close to being asleep when I had 10 minutes before I had to walk out the door to go to the Brandin Iron to teach. My mom was here so she held Kylie while I frantically got ready and tried to eat some dinner. As soon as I handed Kylie to my mom she started to fuss, fuss turned in to full blown cry, tears and all. Broke my heart. So I held her as I tried to get ready and held on to my shirt so tight. She totally understood I was getting ready to leave, what she didn't know, was that I would be home just a short time later. It was horrible, she cried so hard as I was leaving, grandma walked her out to wave good bye and she just screamed. She did eventually calm down and was sleeping when I got back home, but she and I were so sad it's just not worth it. I think I will have to call it quits at the BI pretty soon, I don't know how many more time we can do what we did tonight.

More to come soon,
Natalie

A few more photos from the cruise. 

Kylie May and more peas today 196

When I came home this morning I was greeted by the biggest smile I have ever seen from our little one. My dad had her outside looking at the orange tree when I pulled up and the look on her face when she saw me was priceless, it was as if she was not sure if I was going to ever come home again and all of a sudden there I was. As hard as it is to leave her and go to work, it was so amazing to see her this morning so excited and happy to see me (just as excited and happy as I was to see her), it just made my day. After a short play session this morning, I went to bed and auntie Melissa spent some time with the bug. She and I then attended a lunch time conference at the hospital (she sat on my lap for almost an hour quietly playing and learning about the benefits to delayed cord clamping, fun!) The rest of the afternoon and evening were somewhat typical for a Thursday. Play time at home, market night and a quick trip to the dance studio, back home for a bath and bed time.

But the true highlight of Kylie's day was her, not one, but two, delicious green mush meals. She is really getting the hang of this whole eating thing. Today Auntie Melissa fed her a mid morning snack of peas and she just ate them like she had been doing it her whole life. Later in the day Grandma came by (she just got back in town this morning) and just had to see it for herself, so Miss May enjoyed her second serving. My mom could hardly keep them coming fast enough, Kylie was so eager. I have a feeling we might actually see Kylie chunk up a little as we start to introduce more foods, its so fun to see her being such a big girl. One more day of peas and we will be adding another food. Squash, cooked carrots and sweet potatoes are all in the running, we will see which one wins in a couple days :o)

More to come soon,
Natalie

Her first taste of peas (two days ago).

Not so sure about this whole eating thing.

Second day eating peas (yesterday) happy girl!

Third day eating peas, every focused, patiently waiting for another bite.

Mmmmm oh so good.