Saturday Fun

On a recent Saturday, we went to Grand Haven to our favorite pottery painting place so that Kaitlyn could work on some new masterpieces. Grandpa and Grandma were on vacation in Florida so Kaitlyn decided to paint them a beach piece. It turned out gorgeous! Jeff and I think Kaitlyn could spend the entire day at that place. She just LOVES to go to the paint rack and ponder which color she should use next. She is also a fan of using the blow dryer to dry her work in between colors. Kelsey was great and enjoyed looking at all the vivid colors in the shop. We topped off the evening with dinner at Russ'. Loving these family dates of late!

Playgroup - Community Helpers

The girls and I took a "trip" all around "town" at playgroup this week as we talked about Community Helpers and learned the letter M. We visited the Post Office, a farm, a Vet Clinic, a Construction Site, a Salon and a Dentist office and did a fun and educational activity at each stop. For craft, the girls decorated a blank person cutout to show what they wanted to be when they grew up. I was surprised when Kaitlyn decided that she wanted to be a 'Dancer'!

In their car, ready for the trip.

At the farm.

At the fire station.

Hammering at the Construction Site.

Brushing teeth at the Dentist.

Opening and sorting mail at the Post Office

Finding the missing scissors and shampoo at the Hair Salon

Kelsey also joined us for playgroup but she slept most of it

Back Posting....

... in progress - lots of new updates for early March. Check it out!

Bunny Hop!

While we were at the mall last Sunday we stopped so Kaitlyn could chat with the Easter Bunny. She gave him a high five and posed for a cute photo. Kelsey was cashed out in the stroller so she'll have to meet him next year!

10 Weeks Old!

Our little princess continues to grow faster than we can believe. At 10 weeksKelsey weighs 12 lb 7 oz and measured 23 and 3/4 inches long. She is still fitting into 3-6 month clothes and size one diapers but we are sure that in the next two weeks or so, she will outgrow both. When her tummy isn't upset, Kelsey is the happiest baby! She smiles and coos all the time. She even giggles a bit too! She loves to suck on her hand and grab her hair or her ear with the other hand. We love you more than words can say, sweet Kelsey Paige!

Kaitlyn thought Kelsey needed a 'friend' to play with!

Funny story - Kelsey pooped and I took her right to the changing mat to change her and before i was halfway done with the job, she had falled asleep - and so I finished changing her diaper, covered her up and she napped there for a good half hour. I guess you were relieved to finally have a happy tummy, Sweet Girl!

Matching Bows!

Kaitlyn would much rather play dress up in her own dresses than in any princess dress, gown or crown. The other day she put on a fashion show for me. She selected three gowns and matching bows and then dressed herself and put her own bows in before parading down the 'runway' and waving and spinning. It was adorable! I can't believe how you are growing up, Sweet Kaitlyn!

Selecing a bow ...

My Crib...

Kelsey doesn't sleep much in her crib; we try to get her to nap once or twice a week in it but usually the minute you lay her down in there, she wakes up. On this day, Kaitlyn and I found her awake and happily looking at her toes. So we found some silly and bright baby slipper socks that we had and put them on her. She had fun staring at them and her bright mobile too!

Upside Down!

For the last month Kelsey has loved to put her head way down off the back of your knees when she is laying flat on your lap, and look at stuff upside down. Its the funniest thing. She'll even watch tv upside down. Not sure if there is any significance to it, but it certainly makes us laugh when she does it!

Go Fish!

The other day I taught Kaitlyn how to play Go Fish and she has had a blast beating me at countless games since then. I think she's going to be quite the little card player. Maybe I'll try Euchre next!!!

Playgroup - Nighttime

This week the kids and I wore our pajamas to playgroup as we explored 'Nighttime' and the letter 'N'. For Show N Tell, Kaitlyn and her friends introduced us to their favorite Teddy Bear. We had fun sorting and classifying teddy bears into various groups, doing a silly song that involved putting a TeddyBear on your head and pretending we were hibernating bears. We had Teddy Grahams for snack and made a bear shaped bird feeder for a craft. Kelsey did great too so it was a wonderful morning!

Best Big Sissy!

Kaitlyn is such a blessing to her little sister Kelsey. She is her protector - she'll drop whatever she is doing and sprint to her aid if she hears her crying. She is my priceless helper - bringing me whatever I need for the baby, picking out her outfits, finding pacis and trying to 'scare' her hiccups away. But what I adore most is how much Kaitlyn loves to play with Kelsey. Kelsey loves to 'chat' with us in the morning. I'll lay her on my lap and she will just coo and carry on a whole 'conversation' with us. As soon as Kaitlyn hears her little voice, she'll pop out of her sleeping bag, ignore her cartoons and come hang over my shoulder and talk to her Sissy. Kaitlyn says the sweetest 'Ahhh.... gooo...' to mimic her Sis. Its priceless. And Kelsey adores Kaitlyn. She is quite the smiley baby and will smile at anyone who is talking to her, but if she has to choose, she'll direct her attention to her 3 1/2 ft tall Sissy who loves her all her heart. Bless you, Kaitlyn!

Kaitlyn saying "Kelsey is SOOOO Big ... and Kelsey just cracking up!"

Thrush!

I always have good intentions ... sometimes my plans fail though. Before Kelsey's shots on the previous Friday, we gave her a syringe of sugar water and also dipped her paci in sugar as studies have shown that for young babies, sugar can ease the pain of the shots. Well, I think that worked - she only cried for a little bit after the shots so we were thrilled. But, on Sunday we noticed that Kelsey tongue had a bright yellow coating on it. I called the Doctor on Monday and they confirmed that she did have a case of Thrush. Ugh. And most likely the Thrush was caused from all the sugar I gave her. Ugh. That meant meds for her four times a day for ten days and meds for me for fifteen days. She is a very good medicine taker so that isn't a big deal, but the fact that her stomach is so sensitive means that combination of her antibiotic and mine will certainly make for a not so pleasant next two weeks. So far she is doing better than expected - Praise the Lord! She has been knawing on her fists of late. Not sure if its a stage or related to the fact that her mouth is sore.

Sissy's Bed

The other morning when I went in Kaitlyn's room to get her out of bed, I layed Kelsey down on the other pillow since she was asleep. Kaitlyn likes to be carried out of her bedroom in a 'sleeping bag sandwich' and dropped on the couch so it is pretty impossible to do with the baby also in my hands - although it has been done! Much to my surprise, Kelsey slept there in KK's room for nearly an hour - and one hour naps are almost non-existent so we were amazed!

For the Record...

Kesley's two month stats: Weight 11 lb 11 oz Height 23.5 in Head ... not sure but in 90% As a comparison, Kaitlyn was the same length and just 4 oz more at 2 months than Kelsey! I am not sure what was worse, seeing and hearing Kelsey scream after her shots or seeing the terrified look on Kaitlyn's face when she saw and heard the same thing. You see Kaitlyn insisted on coming along to this appointment with me so she could help "... make Sissy better ... " after her shots. And she did a great job. As soon as the shots were over Kaitlyn screamed - "Turn the water on!" to the nurse. The nurses were clueless, but after I told them that we use the running shower to console Kelsey when she cries, their hearts melted at what a sweet Big Sis Kaitlyn was. And then as I was nursing Kelsey, Kaitlyn leaned over and kissed her on the head .. I thought the nurse was going to cry. I am so blessed to have such truly wonderful girls! Kelsey was very fussy the rest of the day after shots but didn't seemed to have much of a reaction - Priase the Lord! And Grandma came to pick up Kaitlyn so she could play for a few hours since Kelsey was so fussy ... thanks, Grandma! Kelsey loves to 'talk' to whomever she can make eye contact with including lots of her toys with faces on them. Its adorable to watch and participate in and often the most sweet and willing participant is none other than Big Sister Kaitlyn. Kels is starting to become startled at random loud noises like sneezes and the door slamming; she'll put up her little bottom lip and make her sad face and then tears will well up in her eyes. Its the sweetest but yet saddest thing ever. Showing off her band-aids after three shots and one oral one.

Me and My Daddy!

When we got home from the mall last Sunday, Jeff and Kaitlyn had fun exploring the Build-A-Bear online site. I still can't believe how grown up Kaitlyn looks with the mouse in her hand!

Our First Outing

Last Sunday, after nine weeks of 'seclusion', we decided that most of the winter flu bugs were done and over and that Kelsey was content enough to attempt an outing. So we packed up the girls and the double stroller and headed to the mall. We were trying to time it just right so we'd get there when it opened and before it got busy - but we forgot that the mall opens later on Sunday so we ended up spending an hour at Jeff's uncles house out in Byron Center since we arrived at the mall two hours before the stores opened! Once at the mall, we ate a delicious lunch at Olga's (of which I 'paid' for on Monday because Kelsey was so fussy from the soy in the bread I ate - sorry Kels!) and then headed to Build A Bear. We made our first trip to the 'family bathroom' to change Kelsey's diaper and then Kelsey and I checked out Gymboree while Daddy and KK rode the carousel. All in all it was a great trip! Kelsey did phenomenal and Kaitlyn was excellent as always. It was so invigorating to go somewhere as a family of four.

Kesley sleeping at Olga's - her first trip to a restaurant.

Kaitlyn holding her newest friend "Flower, Flower, Color, Color". How's that for a long name?!

This was our first time using the double stroller somewhere inside and both girls loved it. Kelsey slept nearly the whole time that the stroller was moving.