Poo Poo

Today when Kristen woke up from her nap I walked into room and she said, "Mommy, I poo poo." The best part was that there was actually poo poo in her diaper!

Halloween

The cutest pumpkin to ever walk the streets was our little Kristen! She loved every minute of Halloween. It first started when the children began to ring the doorbell and we were still eating dinner...Kristen wanted to see who was at the door. She wasn't afraid but instead was so excited to see other kids that she continued to say HI to them over and over. It was so dang cute. We then got her dressed in her pumpkin costume and Marmee dressed up as Anne of Green Gables. Mommy and Daddy were just their plain old selves. Kristen walked to the first house, we rang the doorbell and when the door opened she stood there with a great big smile while the lady put candy in her pumpkin (the one that Grandfather and Gran got for her). Kristen was so thrilled and could not believe this lady had given her something. As we went door to door Kristen just said HI to everyone and walked around like she had been Trick or Treating for years! She was a total natural. When Kristen's pumpkin got too full of candy she stopped and emptied it out into the bigger pumpkin that Mommy was carrying...she new whatever that was that she was getting in her pumpkin must be good stuff and she needed to have more room!

When we were finished Trick or Treating we came inside the house and the first thing that Kristen wanted to do was to go through what people had put in her pumpkin. She pulled out two lollipops and soon realized she could put them in her mouth...and that they tasted great! We put Kristen in her highchair and took the wrappers off both of the Tootsie Pops and let her go to town on them..I have never seen a tongue lick so fast in my life! Her excitement was so fun to watch! After the lollipops, she wanted try chocolate for the first time...she had a few bites of a Hershey's bar and loved it! She really had a great time and we can't wait for the years to come!

Amazing Development...

10-11-2006: Today we went to the Carlsbad Outlets and Kristen was such a trooper. I wanted to note a few things that she did throughout the day. When we were at dinner Kristen continually said thank you to the waiter each time he brought something to our table. Also, Marmee gave her a piece of a pickle and when Kristen was done with the first piece she pointed and said, “ More, please”. Each time she wanted a pickle she did this…it was so great to see her mind connecting and processing.
Kristen is very into electronics and has somehow figured out how to turn clock alarms on, take batteries out, turn the time back on cell phone, and so on. She just amazes me each day and how much her brain is working and processing.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, boom!

Daddy loves to throw Kristen (gently I might add) onto the couch or bed and hear the roaring laugh come straight from her belly! Now, when Kristen wants to throw herself down or have someone throw her she says, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, boom" and then will proceed to throw herself to the ground. She is too cute! I love watching her grow up and just be so silly and goofy!

The CUP

The past couple days, Kristen has wanted to drink by herself out of my cup. So today I thought I would let her have a "real" cup at breakfast...with of course just water in it. She did so great! A couple of times she got really excited and spilt it all over herself..but we just kept on trying to get it right and take small sips. I am hoping with a little practice, everyday, she will be a cup master!

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes..............the best food to give your child when they are trying to learn eating by themselves with a spoon. Kristen did awesome at feeding herself tonight! She pretty much ate the entire bowl...without my help! YAY!!

The first REAL Tantrum

Today I filled up a water bottle with water and decided that I was going to use that instead of a glass. Well Kristen loves to drink from water bottles so eventually we were sharing the bottle while she was sitting in my lap. When we finished the water I gave Kristen the water bottle to play with. She had a great time trying to give Raleigh some and pretend drink from it herself. She then realized that I could fill the water bottle with water at the sink. She begged and begged for me to fill it up so I did and then screwed the top on it. She cried, and cried, and cried. So I took the cap off, emptied the water, and gave the bottle back to her. She cried, and cried and cried! This went on for about ten minutes or more. I tried to explain (the best you can to a 15 month old) that she couldn't walk around with a full water bottle because the water would splash out all over the place. It didn't work. She stood at the sink crying for me to fill it up with water. Eventually I took the bottle away and tried to distract her by dancing with her. She laughed a little bit, then cried, and then soon enough she didn't desire the water bottle anymore. I thought the tantrum would never end...I learned that in time they do end.

Dance, dance, dance!

Today we went to try a dance class, but the instructor for Kristen's class was sick so they put her in the class that is one step ahead of the class that she was supposed to be in. Anyway, she was very interested in what all the other little girls were doing and not so much tapping her own toes...she had a great time..especially toward the end of the class. Next week we will try the class that she was supposed to be in, and then decide between dance and gymnastics...

Bath time and soap

Tonight I was giving Kristen a bath and all she wanted to do was lick the Dove bar of soap..no not chocolate but Dove bar soap! She enjoyed it so much that she took a little nibble of it to really see how great it tastes.

Play Dough...

A few nights ago, Kristen brought me a small tub of playdough that I had been hiding from her. Somehow she found it and immediately wanted it open. So, I got out the mushy stuff and sat her in her high chair and began to sculpt with her. We made snakes mainly...Kristen enjoyed taking small bites of the snakes when I wasn't looking...I could tell because her mouth was all of a sudden turning colors. I tried to explain to her that she can't eat the salty dough, but she insisted. She loves to eat PlayDough...so much that when I went to take it away from her when she was putting it in her mouth, she would grab a hold of it very tightly and shove it all into her mouth as fast as she could before I could get it all out of her hands. It was almost like I was taking drugs away from someone who was seriously addicted and just couldn't get enough...she was (or maybe is) addicted to PlayDough!

Every day is a new day

Well Kristen has been full of new surprises! A few days ago she was in the bathtub and I usually don't let her touch the soap because she likes to put it in her mouth, but I let her touch it with her finger. She looked back at me like, " Are you really going to let me do this?". I let her touch the soap a few times and then she began to rub it on her body and her head, washing herself! It was so cute. It amazes me the things that she catches onto and does.

Kristen has also become much more verbal the past few days. She is constantly calling Raleigh and looking all over the house for her. She loves her shoes and to say the word shoe. She has been talking pretty much as long as she is awake. Tonight in the bathtub she said "Big Bird". It is so fun to watch her and see that her brain is working away making all kinds of connections.

She is so full of joy and we are so blessed to be her parents. We love you Kristen.

What an eventful day!!!

Today started out great..Kristen woke up around 8:30am we had breakfast and were off to a great start. I had to keep her up from her nap because she had her first swim lesson at 12:30pm which is right during her nap time. Needless to say, she was getting whiny and was ready to lie down by the time we got in the car to go to the lesson. She fell asleep just as we got to the pool. Her five minute naps do her wonders because she has a burst of energy after them. We got to the pool and Kristen met her swim instructor Tawny. Paul went into the water with Kristen while I took pictures. Tawny had Kristen kick, float on her back, dunk under the water for a pool stick, and jump off the side all the way under the water! Not ONE tear came from her eyes today! She did so well with everything. She loved jumping off the side while someone was holding her hands! It was so fun to watch her excitement!

Once we got home we had a little lunch and Kristen was ready to lie down for her nap. When she woke up she didn't cry, but played for a little bit in her crib quietly. When I went upstairs to get her, I found her totally nude with her diaper off and poop smeared all over the bed!! AAAHHH!! I couldn't believe that she pulled her diaper off...I was amazed. Luckily she didn't touch the poop with her hands...I am not sure how that happened..but her feet were covered in it! The lesson learned here is to never put Kristen to sleep in just a diaper..she needs to have shorts or a onsie on!

Tonight we went to Rubio's for dinner and Paul gave Kristen his cup with a few ice cubes in it to play with while we finished our dinner. Well somehow she got an ice cube lodged in her throat and began to choke..(turning red and the whole bit). Instinctly I pounded her back with one swift hit and the ice cube came flying out! Kristen looked at me like, "Why did you hit me Mommy?", but it was just my natural reaction! I obviously did not mean to make her cry! I felt horrible but so glad that the ice cube came up! Thank God.

Once we got home we settled down watched a little Sesame Street and got ready for bed. What a day we had!

Almost a full week away from each other!

This past week Paul and I went to Vegas for our 5th wedding anniversary. We had a ton, a ton of fun! Kristen stayed with Marmee and Uncle Joe for the time that we were in Vegas. She did really well, considering she was not in her own environment! The last few nights she wasn't waking up at all and was feeling very comfortable. It was great for all of us to have a break and get some rest and feel rejuvenated. Paul and I spent our free time in Vegas shopping for both Kristen and Austin. They definitely will love it when we go away because we just buy stuff for them! I am so thrilled at how well everything went while we were away! Marmee and Uncle Joe did an awesome job taking care of Kristen!!

Kristen's first time at the Zoo

We went to the San Diego Zoo today and it was hot! We got there and had some lunch and then we went to see this puppet play that was really neat but was way too long for a children's show. So, we were a bit bored by the end. We then went and saw the elephants and the rhinoceros...Kristen liked these animals. Most likely because they are so big and she can see them move. Her favorite thing was walking all over the petting zoo and touching the goats and sheep. She was so dirty from falling down a few times....but it was all about the experience! Daddy got her touching the animals on video. After the petting zoo we got to the car and before we were at the freeway Kristen was sound asleep...all the way home! It was a fun day!

Kristen turning 1 and the few days after!!

Kristen just turned 1 years old and is loving life. Some of her favorite things right now are talking on the phone (pretend), dancing to any music she can find (she's actually got some rythym), her baby that she carries everywhere around the house, and Sesame Street. Anything Sesame Street has her full attention. She started walking two days before she turned one (July 9th, 2006). She hasn't looked back, and doesn't miss crawling at all. She started whole milk on July 19th, 2006 and seems to enjoy it very much (especially cold). Tomorrow we are taking her to the zoo for the first time...we'll see how it goes!