swimming!

"So Mommy, what are we going to do today?" asked Kaylee ever so politely.
"Well," I replied, "since we got your bathing suit and sunscreen on, I thought we'd try out your kiddle pool."
"Really!!!" exclaimed Kaylee excitedly. "That sounds like fun, I love baths, I bet the pool will be great."
"Well it might be a little chilly," Mommy said.
"Let's give it a try."
After a few timid moments of thinking this wasn't such a great idea, Kaylee splashed around for 5 or 6 minutes and seemed to rather enjoy herself in her big green pool.
"This is a lot more water than a bath Mommy," Kaylee mused. "But I know I'll be ok as long as I'm with you."
So that was today's adventure. We finally had a swim in our pool!

Ribfest--June 24th

On Sunday, our neighbors, Shana and Casey had tickets to Ribfest in Merrimack, NH. So they packed up their 9 month old, Bailey and we packed up our 9 month old, Kaylee and off we went. (Oh we packed also packed up Mike, because he was here too!)
We all had fun tasting all kinds of world famous barbecue and rib recipes. I think the boys enjoyed themselves more than us girls; but it was still a hoot!
Kaylee and Bailey held hands a few times but mostly just interacted from their strollers as it was warm out and we just wanted them to be comfy. But they still smiled and babbled at one another, quite cute as usual.
We also took in an arial show which was quite fun, I'd never seen one before...and neither had Kaylee:)

Daddy's haircut, and more visits--Junes 23rd

On Saturday morning Daddy was finally able to squeeze in some time for a haircut. Hey, did you know there was a face under that shaggy mane? Kaylee really liked Daddy's new look, and she wanted to show off her vest as well--as the last days of cool spring seem upon us and Mommy prepares to break out the shorts and bathing suits.
Our friends "uncle" Ben and "uncle" Mike came for a visit too. Once again I didn't take any pictures of Ben, but I did remember to take some pictures of Mike as he did come all the way up from NY to meet Kaylee for the first time.
And keeping with her love of the boys; she really loved her new found "uncle" Mike.

visits; June 21st

OK, again we're playing a bit of catch up here...Last Thursday, June 21st, we journey down to Newburyport to visit Grammy and Grampy. We also got to visit with long time family friend, Ann. We went for a nice long walk downtown and ended up at the playground so Kaylee could watch the kids which she really liked.
It took a bit of time for Kaylee to warm up to Ann, but eventually they were very good friends. And of course, we had to take a picture showing that Mommy and Kaylee were wearing twin hats...Go Sox!
Later that afternoon/evening--when we were back at home, our realtor, Harlan decided to drop by for a visit. He did really well by us and we like him a lot; but were very surprised by the visit. He wanted to meet Kaylee; then again, who doesn't? Unlike poor Ann, Kaylee took to Harlan within minutes. She really is a flirt-in-training--she likes the boys.

a week in review

OK well, I wasn't a good girl this week; I haven't updated in 8 days. But here we go, a slew of new pictures of our gorgeous girl.
First off, while she still isn't crawling, Kaylee is working on strengthening her legs. She does not pull herself up to a standing position, but she can stand on her own if you give her something to lean on.
"This is easy, Mommy" Kaylee says. "I could do this all day long." OK maybe not all day long--but she does it for several minutes before she gets bored or distracted and in baby time, perhaps that qualifies as 'all day long.'
Yesterday, June 20th--our weekly visit with Jackie and Emily. Kaylee, the gracious hostess she is, slept for about 2/3 of the time Emily was here; but at least they got some face to face time in.
And Emily was kind enough to be interested in Kaylee's toys and dogs for long enough to give Jackie and myself some time to do some scrapbooking while Kaylee slept. I am actually caught up with my calendar now and can get back to the big book.
Kaylee's hair is starting to get long. We had some fun in the bath over the weekend with her hair, we decided to give her a little shampoo mohawk. As usual, she finds the fact that her parents are so easily amused, a bit amusing in and of itself.
Here's a close-up of her Alfalfa-like do!
On Father's Day, I didn't take any pictures of Kaylee and Daddy together. Instead we took the opportunity to educate Kaylee about the Red Sox as we expect her to be an avid fan for the next 100 years or so. She listened as we explained the game and why the Red Sox are the team to cheer for.

She got really excited when we told her about the 2004 world series and the amazing come-back.
She was also thrilled when we told her about how well we were doing this season so far.
And of course, we had to tell her how we feel about those Yankees. She gets it already! She's gonna be a great Red Sox fan.
On Saturday, Mommy decided she wanted a picture of Kaylee sleeping. So when Kaylee's nap was almost through she crept into the room and took a picture of her sleeping angel.

Unfortunately for Kaylee the flash in the dark was definately enough to end the nap, and she wasn't too happy about it.
Kaylee made sure that looks could kill when she communicated to Mommy that she was not happy about being woken up.
Last Thursday, June 14th, Grammy, Grampy and Great-Grandma Chip came up for a visit. Kaylee had a great time singing and dancing with the visiting Gs.
And look at that smile: she loves her Great-Grandma!
More later!

Ciao

A Visit and a Mess!

OK, lots of pictures...but it was a busy day. Our friend's Jackie and Emily came over for lunch and some scrapbooking, and this time we actually got some scrapbooking done! That almost never happens, its usually a pipe dream, but today the girls cooperated, at least for a little while.
Emily's mother, Jackie and I always joke that all the baby books say how babies at this age don't acknowledge each other. They play side by side but do not interact...as you can see apparently Kaylee and Emily are far from the norm in that sense.
Although they are occassionally distracted by doggies or mommies or flashing cameras...
they are usually holding each other's hands or screaming and babbling at each other. (Well in this particular case, Kaylee shrieks and Emily growls. I assure you it was hysterical.)

How cute is this? They do this on their own, hold each other's hands and smile at each other. How can the "experts" say they don't acknowledge each other at this age...its just not true!
So after Emily left it was time to get ready for dinner. With the purchase of my Magic Bullet and vegetable steamer...Kaylee is being introduced to homemade baby food. It is far more cost effective and now that the doctor has given the go ahead on lots of different foods, it'll be fun. But whether its the new texture of the homemade food or the introduction of finger food...Kaylee has figured out that there are many ways to intercept a spoon on its way to her mouth, and she has great aim. Just take a look at the masterpiece tonight's dinner caused.
As you can see, she wasn't necessarily pleased that I decided to document her in all her sweet potato and rice glory, she's practically glaring at me!

Then she thought it might actually be a funny story to put on her blog, especially since Daddy was at class and missed her food art! With that in mind she had to give a shout out to all her homies since this moment would be preseved for prosperity afterall.

"How was that mommy? Pretty cool face I just made huh?"
"Nice work, Kaylee" I said. "But now we should get you cleaned up because you are a mess."

"Noooooooooooooooooooooo!" said Kaylee. "I hate getting cleaned up, I am perfect the way I am."

However, I was able to convince her that a bath was in her best interest...and she was all ready for some good bedtime stories before hitting the sack.
Squeaky clean with spiky hair...that's the way to go.
Phew! What a busy day we had. And tomorrow will be just as entertaining I am sure.

(Yay Mommy actually posted in a timely fashion.)

Ciao

9 month Drs appointment, June 11th

Can you believe she's already 9 months old? She has officially been alive as long on the outside as she was on the inside. In less than 3 months we will be celebrating her first birthday...I can't get over how fast time flies. She's so big...and growing every minute.
OK, so the official stats from the doctors:
21 lbs, 10oz and 28 1/2 inches long. That's the 90th percentile in weight and the 85th percentile in length/height. I am not sure where she is getting the height from...I am a shorty afterall--oh well, by the time she is 5, she and her Daddy will be talking over Mommy's head...so what else is new?
But the fun news that comes out of the 9-month baby wellness check up is the doctor's "ok" on moving on to finger foods...and so we shall. She got her first cheerios on Monday...and as you can see after she figured out that putting them in her mouth was a good thing, she was pretty happy.
We also tried some baby toast. It's very crunchy and she wasn't so sure she liked it at first, but...
as soon as she got that first taste in...she was all smiles again!
She loves her new ability of feeding herself. She takes about a week to eat just one thing...so its a slow go for now--but she sure does seem to be getting the hang of it!
Well that's my update for today. I will be taking more pictures and trying to update more regularly again. Ciao

a trip to see Grandpa Ron--June 9-11th

As a rather spur of the moment decision, upon Daddy's return from work on Friday afternoon we decided we were going to take a trip up to Vermont to visit Daddy's daddy--Grandpa Ron.
So for the next hour we packed up our stuff, the dogs' stuff and Kaylee's stuff (guess who had the most stuff?) Then we fed Kaylee, gave her a bath, read her some stories but instead of putting her in her crib, we put her in her car seat and headed north. Obviously she was asleep when we arrived and Ron was indulgent in not insisting on seeing her immediately and just like the angel she is, she went right back to sleep in the pack 'n' play that Daddy set up for her as soon as we arrived.
The next day was all about Kaylee and her Grandpa. She had a great time playing with her toys and smiling for the camera. I am not sure who tired who out more...but needless to say, a good time was had by all.
Kaylee showed her Grandpa how all her toys worked and we got to do one of her favorite activities: go to the grocery store. I suppose it must be sensory overload...lots of colors, lots of people to watch--a baby's playground.
And just like she showed her auntie Abbie how to nuzzle the weekend before, she decided to teach her Grandpa Ron how to nuzzle as well! Who wouldn't like a nuzzle from that gorgeous little girl.
Thanks to Ron for putting all 5 of us up at the last minute. We were happy to get a nice little visit in and we all had a great time. Perhaps next time we'll give you more notice--although, perhaps not: surprises are good, right?