It's been a LONG while!

Christmas came and went and now we are looking forward to New Year's Eve! As much as one can look forward to it being 8 months pregnant with a toddler! And oh my is she def a toddler now! She is all over the place! I can hardly keep up with her these days! She is a running, climbing little busy bee. She had a great time on Christmas eve and day opening presents and playing with her new toys. We didn't have Kyleigh this year so it was pretty low key Christmas morning as she of course doesn't get the whole Santa thing. We had a blast with all of her cousins the days following Christmas. She kinda just fit herself right in with the others. It was so nice to be with ALL my family!
At nearly 15 months she just amazes me every day with how much she understands us! She doesn't say too much yet- only mama, dada, and baby (I have heard "more" once or twice) but I am sure she is just soaking it all up so that one day she can talk my ear right off!
I am coming up on 32 weeks next week and I am still not ready to be a mamma of 2 babies! I'm nervous, scared, and very excited. I am mostly worried about Bailey and how she is going to react to a new baby taking up half of our attention. I worry about nursing McKenna and keeping up with Bailey. I worry about how the heck I am going to keep this house decent looking as it is already so hard to keep it picked up with just one little one here. I am confident that we will get it all worked out and things will be fine- I'm just a tad nervous is all!

Cheese!

Climbing!

Christmas morning

Family picture!

A sweet girl!

I have been having so much fun with my sweet baby lately. She has mostly stopped hitting people and is so sweet to her buddy (as much as 1 yr olds can be buddies) Alena. Alena used to get hit, pushed and hair pulled by Bailey on a regular basis. The last month she has been hugging her and petting her hair like I kept showing her to do! Guess what folks? Teaching them how to behave works! haha Today her friend was here for a short play time and Bailey would not stop hugging her! She hugged her so much that now she cries when Bailey does it! O'well at least she is being sweet! We have been spending so much time walking up and down my street. She BEGS to go outside every evening. It has been so pretty I don't mind at all! She knows when I put her shoes on that she is about to go out and gets very upset when I put her in the car instead of letting her explore. Luckily I can just give her the lovey and all is well. Her little brain is making so many connections now it is amazing to see her learn and do new things daily.

October flew by and I cant believe Thanksgiving is in 2 weeks! Having kids def makes life fly by too fast. I am getting super excited to meet McKenna. I can't wait to cuddle and hold her. Anxious to see how Bailey reacts to her as well.  Sorry it's been so long since I updated but I am pretty much just exhausted by the time I get Bailey to bed and the house picked up! I am so excited to have a 9 day break from work in just 5 days!!! It is going to be amazing!

Pumpkin Patch

We had a perfect Saturday this past weekend! We woke up early and took a nice family walk including Kyleigh! Played for a bit to wear Bailey out and then once she was down for her nap we FINALLY cleaned our garage! It was so so bad! Once we were all cleaned and Bailey was up we headed out to the pumpkin patch!

Bailey and I have been going for walks every evening- well a leisurely stroll really. She  falls down, picks up every little thing she sees, picks grass/flowers etc., and tries to walk down into the street as I move her back up to the sidewalk again! She actually goes to the door and bangs on it to go out. Tonight I told her it was bath time and she took off to the bathroom. Once she got there she pulled one diaper tab off and wiggled the other side down like undies! She is just getting too smart, too fast! She still doesn't say too much but she is def trying to mimic what we say to her. She said pig tonight. She says mooo when I ask her what a cow says. And she tries to quack but that sound is kinda hard for her! She understands a ton of words and directions such as "bring me a book" and "go get your milk or sippy." I can't wait until she really starts talking to us! Such an exciting time!

Bailey and her buddy Lauren picking flowers on our walk.

Bailey Turns 1

Bailey had a wonderful 1st Bday party and a great Bday today too! Her party went perfect- it was very low key with lots of family and a few friends. The rainbow theme turned out super cute! I will let the pictures tell the rest....

Pinata Time!

Party outfit

Party Cake

No thank you!

On the day of her Bday (today) we went to visit Grandma Sara and had another cake and dinner!

New UT jersey so she can match Daddy on game days!

Happy Birthday Girl

The most beautiful gift I have ever received!

This has def been the greatest year of my life! The fastest year as well. Bailey is the light of my world and I am  so blessed to have such a wonderful, funny baby! Here's to many more birthdays to come!

Babyzilla

Bailey is um... not too nice here lately. She has been whacking me VERY hard for a while now and we have been telling her no and holding her little hand down when she does it. This is not working. She has a regular playmate (the neighbor) who is 6 weeks older and comes to play at least once a week. Every time she comes I hear stories of just how mean she is being. She is constantly hitting her and pulling her hair. No amount of "no" and redirection is working! I got to see her in action this weekend. We went to a wedding shower and she walked up to another baby and was sizing her up. Just then another sweet girl (cousin Raya) walks up to check out the scene. Bailey looks at her and smacks her then she turns and smacks the other baby too!!! I was mortified- at least 10 people witnessed her attack!
I tried googling solutions and everything says the same thing. Tell her no and hold her arm. Watch her closely around other babies, etc. It says she is just experimenting with other peoples reactions. She likes to see what will happen. She is not being mean she is totally happy and smiling. I guess she is just excited to see other babies since she is mostly with Jared and I. Any advice? Will she outgrow this? She needs a Caution:Will smack for no reason sign on her forehead!

On another note- I turned the big 30 this past weekend! It was a very low key Bday this year. Dinner out with Jared (thanks mom for babysitting) and family BBQ on the day of. I got lots of beautiful maternity clothes this year as I had only summer stuff. Im trying to find a good pair of comfy shoes but my feet are getting so big. They grew a size with Bailey's pregnancy and seem to already be getting bigger this time too! Oh and we find out what baby #2 is tomorrow!!! Im so excited- I dont know how I will get through tomorrow fast enough!

Oh My!

Can you believe it? My baby is 11 months old!!! One month away from the big first birthday!!!

I am in total shock! I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that she is not an itty bitty baby anymore!

We are planning a rainbow themed party with a rainbow cake! 

Bailey is brushing her new teeth! Her top 4 are cutting through right now and causing us much fussiness! I can't wait until they are here and she can relax again until the next bunch!

Back to School

I have been back to school full time for 2 weeks now. It's nice to get out of the house but it is so hard to leave my baby every morning! I used to wake her up and feed/cuddle her before i left but since she is officially SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT (hehe) I don't get those sweet moments in the wee hours of the morning anymore! And when I say wee I mean 545am. I leave the house at that crazy time each morning! I can't stay late so I get there as early as possible to get everything ready for the day/week. I am home by 330ish so that is nice! Kyleigh started 1st grade last week and since she goes to a school in my district I know what her curriculum is and it was fun talking about how we are doing the same things each day. She is so so so smart! Jared makes geniuses cause we all know Bailey is super smart too! (haha) She almost said baby today- we have been working on this one because she has a baby doll she loves to hug and kiss. If she is anything like her mom she will be a big fan of all things baby doll! She is also raising her arms up high when we say "How big is Bailey?" "So big!" (GiGi was working on this with her) You can really see that she is starting to understand things- it is so weird how this happens. She knows when we are asking for stuff (usually remotes and such) and she knows to walk the other way and grin cause she wants to keep it! Her walking is getting better and better each day. She walks every where unless she wants to go at high speeds- then she drops down to crawl. Bailey has recently realized it's ok to be without me sometimes. She stayed with my Mom and Marcus for a few hours and didn't even notice I was gone. Then again with Gail this past Friday and by all accounts was happy and peaceful all day! I even tried the nursery at church again and she did great! I love that I can get some time away and she is still happy! Gotta get to bed to make that 5am alarm clock! oh and the lack of pictures is due to the fact that she will not stay still for the camera or her face is right up in it because she is trying to get the camera! Silly girl!

Oh the Joys!!!

So I got home from working half day today with some lunch for Jared and I. I could hear Bailey squealing and having a good time in her crib (which she often does). So anyhow I decided to eat and let her be for a little longer. After about 20 minutes I went in to get her! As soon as I opened the door the smell hit me! She was standing up smiling and giddy with joy that I was home- I could see she was nakey! Her diaper was just chilling in the crib. I walked in the room and then saw the paint job she gave her crib, sheets, legs, and yes face!!! The poo was everywhere! Her hands were caked! It was one of those moments when you just don't know what to do or where to begin. I yelled for Jared and he helped me clean up the poo from the bed while I bathed her! I think I washed her hands 6 times before the smell left! I washed the bedding and loveys twice in hot water. It was just awful! I know it will make a funny story later but this preggo sure did have hard time stomaching Bailey's massive mess today! She is too young to start this! On a positive note I think Jared will start getting her dressed now! He thinks she loves being in a diaper (really it's just super hard to dress this crazy girl)!

A Couple Firsts

Bailey is officially walking! She still loves to crawl especially if she wants to get somewhere quick but she walks a lot too! I can't wait for her knees and feet to not get so dirty! (no matter how often we mop the dirt is still there) She started all the walking last week! So my 9 month prediction was right! She will be 10 months this Saturday... only 2 months away from her 1st B-day *tear*

Bailey is also waving hello and bye now! It is so cute! Even when we get out of the car to just go into WalGreens she raises her hand to say hello. Not sure who she is saying hi to or if she just thinks anytime we go somewhere new she is supposed to raise her arm and move her fingers. When we walk out to the garage to throw away dirty diapers she waves to the garage too!  She is almost clapping as well. She does a whole lot of mimicking. Last night Grandma Sara and Pops were telling her "bye bye" and she said "bye bye" in a sweet little voice. She was just copying the sounds they were making so I am not sure if that counts as a first word or not...

She loves Itsy bitsy Spider and This little Piggy Went to Market. If she is mad I try those 2 things and she usually cheers right on up. And oh can she get mad. She def has a temper and she did NOT get that from me! (ahem- Jared) When she is doing something "naughty" and I tell her "No m'am" or "Stop" in a stern voice she just smiles like I am telling her a joke and goes right back to what she was doing. She doesn't get my mad face yet!

Baby number 2 is growing great! My belly is already getting big! I look like I am 5 months already! And no we are not having twins! ;)

Day on the lake

Jared's parents just bought a new (to them) pontoon boat for the family to enjoy out on the lake. We got to go out on it this past Saturday. I was contemplating whether or not I really wanted to take Bailey. She HAS to have her naps or she is a bit on the cranky side and being on the lake I knew she would def miss her morning nap. We decided to go ahead and try it out to see how she would do (I warned everyone she might become a cranky pants). She did fabulous!!! We got to the lake around 11ish and got right in with the boat. We shoved Bailey into her new life jacket and took off! We had 9 people all together! We took a nice ride out into the lake and then dropped the anchor in the shallows for everyone to enjoy swimming. Kyleigh was brave and swam with everyone. She had been concerned about alligators earlier in the day. haha! I even put Bailey in the water and she enjoyed swimming for about 10 minutes and was ready to get back on the boat. She had a great time just crawling around and cruising around the whole boat. We had lots of snacks to keep her happy! We made awesome sandwiches and enjoyed lunch together. Then little Bailey let us know she was finished. We took another ride on the lake and she fell asleep on my chest. I love when she sleeps on me! They dropped anchor one more time in the deep part and Jared convinced Kyleigh to jump in the "deep end". She was so excited once she did it! We cruised on back to the marina and unloaded! It was a fabulous day on the lake! I'm very excited the Dean's decided to get a new boat- we are def looking forward to many more trips to come!  Unfortunately we forgot the camera so I didn't get any pictures- next time!

Big News!

Jared and I found out a couple weeks ago that we are expecting our next child! It is a tad early but we are so excited that Bailey will have a sibling so close in age! They will have a blast growing up together! We will have a tough, busy, hectic, and wonderful few years of 2 babies in diapers etc... But I couldn't be happier!

 New baby means all those pesky Dr appts. I wanted to switch to a new Dr. with my next pregnancy but it looks like I will just stick with my old one! I was all set to move to a new Dr right here in Shertz until I called today and they informed me that "oh nope I'm unable to schedule an appt for you because we have dropped your insurance!" This same practice dropped my insurance 5 yrs ago and that is when I switched to my current Dr. I called just to see if they took my insurance again and was excited that they did! And now they don't- as of yesterday! Make up your minds people! I'm ok with my current Dr. it's just that he never remembered a thing about me. He was always asking what I did for a living...I wanted to tell him to just make a note on my file so he could pretend to know me! Which reminds me I LOVE Bailey's pediatrician! He remembers EVERY single reason he has ever seen us. I'm sure he just takes notes but it feels great and I feel like he really cares about her. He needs to call my OBGYN and let him know how to make his patient happy! ;) All this leads to her 9 month appt! Her appt was on a Wednesday and she was healthy and fabulous! She is weighing in at 18 lbs and is a whopping 29.5 inches tall! In the wee hours of Thursday morning both Bailey and I had caught a stomach bug! It was awful! Then by Friday it seemed she had pink eye too! We went back to the Dr and he couldn't believe how sad and pathetic poor Bailey looked! She was all whiny and her eye balls were all red and gunky! He prescribed drops and voila her eyes were better the next day! As of now we are all better! Well now Kyleigh is suffering from allergies but that is a pretty normal occurrence for her.

We have had Kyleigh all month and this summer is just flying by! We have been swimming, playing outside, hanging with family, and she has been doing gymnastics! (Thanks Grandma Gail aka- GiGi) Apparently she had been asking to do gymnastics since she was little and now she is finally getting to do it! This week she has been doing VBS and loving it! We are hoping to make a trip down to the beach the last weekend in July! Im sure I'm leaving a bunch of stuff out but this post has WAY too much info as it is!

Baby Dean

It's Finally here!!!!

It has taken almost 2 weeks for this first tooth to break the surface!!! It started with a little red spot (like a blood blister). Then the spot disappeared and I thought ok maybe she bumped her gums and that wasn't a tooth. But slowly her gum started to swell and of course she was FUSSY! The swollen gum lasted a good week and finally today I can feel the sharp top of her tooth!
I know it is silly but I was really worried that she wasn't saying "Dadadadada" yet because all the milestone charts said she should have. Somewhere I read that when they get those bottom teeth they start to experiment with new sounds. Sure enough Bailey has been saying "dadadadadadada" all day yesterday and today. She started saying "mamamama" about 2 weeks ago! I guess now we work on her calling us those 2 names!

Bailey went to the Little Gym this past week and had a good time. While it was fun and different I didn't think it was worth the money. I can sing, dance, and exercise at home for free- I was a Pre-K teacher for 5 years...it helps in the singing and finger play category. I even have all the music they had! I did like the idea of her being around other babies but I think I will just make more play dates! We have been getting together with a good friend and her little Colton (2 days younger).

Hanging out with Colton

Peek-A-Boo

Catchin Up

Summer is going great! I am loving being a stay at home mom. Bailey gets a little bored of me through out the day but is also loving being with momma so much! I think she used to be so dang excited to see my when I got home because I was someone new to entertain her, but now it's like "Oh you again"  However when I try to pass her off to Jared she usually just wants me again.
She is definitely getting used to her new freedom. It took her awhile to realize hey I can go to the next room and explore there even if mom doesn't come too. She usually pops her head back around the corner though to make sure I am still where she left me. I give her about a minute and then go check to see what she is up to! She loves to climb now too. If I'm holding her and there is something behind me she is stretching and reaching for whatever she can get a hold of.  I recently took her to see her friend Colton and my friend Casey. Casey asked me "Is she always this busy? Does she ever stop moving?" Colton can sit quietly playing for long periods of time- not Bailey she is constantly on the move! Sometimes I wish I could surround her with toys and just watch her play.
Bailey is slowly moving away from purees and is now eating a lot of table foods. Tonight she had macaroni, Angus beef pure hotdog bits, and peas. She gobbled it all up! She was smacking her tray and just having a great ol' time!
Kyleigh was here this weekend and we had a great time! We took the girls swimming at the local pool and they both loved the water! I am so glad Bailey is so comfortable in the pool. Father's Day was a lot of fun too. We had a fantastic lunch at the in-law's house and just enjoyed one another! This evening the breeze was blowing so hard and it felt like we were sitting by the beach. I gave Bailey a frozen teething ring and she actually sat still in my lap as we swung out on the back porch for about 30 minutes. Oh yea- She is finally really teething! She def has a white lump on her left lower gum and she has been extra fussy! Oh how I don't want this summer to end! We get Kyleigh for the month of July and we are def looking forward to that. Bailey loves having her to play with. I swear no one can make her laugh like Kyleigh can! I think we are planning to go to the beach at the end of July. And in the next week or so we are going to make our way to San Angelo to visit the Parker Peeps! Can't wait! (Im hoping the kids help entertain her) ;)

Colton and Bailey

Colton getting frisky!

8 Month birthday

We won't be seeing this gummy smile much longer!

My little climber

My baby is turning into a person

Bailey is getting so so big! I took a picture of her today and I swear she already looks like a toddler! What happened to my little alien like newborn? She was so calm and sweet and still. I saw Bailey cruising along the couch for the first time today! She has been pulling up and standing alone for about 10 or 20 seconds but hadn't figured out she could hold on and actually move until today. She doesn't just fall onto her little bum anymore she sits down very carefully and slowly! She can even crouch already!
I also introduced her to finger foods this past week. She will now eat peas!!!! But hates carrots! She used to be the opposite! I still give her some purees but she is feeding herself something at each meal! It seems like just a few weeks ago she would choke on cheerios and now she can skillfully mash with her gums. Yep gums only! This almost 8 month old still does not have any teeth and there aren't any signs of imminent teething either! It's ok I want to hold onto her gummy little smile a bit longer anyway! Oh and her new love is blueberries! Of course she would pick the most expensive berry to love. 
We also seem to be getting over the fussy stage she was having. Each night is filled with chattering, giggles, and lots of playing together! I love this stage!!! AND she is sleeping a solid 9 hours... then goes back to sleep for 3 or 4 more! I am getting some great sleep.
But the greatest news of all is that SCHOOL IS OUT FOR SUMMER! Thats right folks I am a stay at home mom... for 2.5 glorious months!!! I am just gonna soak up this little angel and I can't wait! Life is so wonderful!

Playing with the BEST big sister ever!!!

Sitting ever so gently!

Picture that reminded me of a toddler

Her new scrunchy nose smile!

Beautiful Baby

First shoe experience- she is not a fan!

Mostly pictures

I was telling y'all that Bailey was pulling up on things here recently and man has she really been standing! I can't get her to sit at all! Bath time is a nightmare! She fell 3 times tonight because she just wants to stand up holding the side! She is even standing for about 5 seconds without holding on! So maybe walking at 9 months...

And here she is enjoying crackers! She is getting unto the self feeding stage and loving more solid foods. Still no teeth though!

Yummy!

What?

Want some?

Why Did I Even Bother....

To buy her a million toys! She has toy tables, an excersaucer, a gazillion rattles, soft blocks, spin toys, a ball popper etc, and her favorite toys are the CELL PHONE (an obvious favorite), my laptop, a straw ( I take that one away still), REMOTES, plastic bags (only when watched closely), water glasses, MY glasses, and the laundry hamper! I know every parent says these exact same things but when will we learn that they don't really need all the baby gadgets on the market? She plays with it all but much prefers the mundane every day items.
Speaking of the hamper she is using it to pull up on! She never stops pulling up on stuff. She barely got the hang of crawling and now all she wants to do is get to the nearest place she can stand. She now stands holding up on her crib railing hollering for us to come get her, she pulls up on our legs, the couch, etc. And I swear on all things holy she took a step today! She was holding on to me, let go, stood for about 2 seconds and then took a step towards her toy table. She is still way wobbly and I know walking isn't going to happen in the next month but I bet when she is 9 or 10 months we will have a walker (Daddy walked at 9 months)! This is all happening so so fast!

She seems to be coming out of her "I only want Mama" phase. Tonight I took her to my end of the school year work party and she allowed many people to hold her! It makes me so excited to see her being more social! She still looks for me but is staying in other people's arms a bit longer! yay! I can't for the life of me get her to say "dadadadada" or "mamamamama" yet! She loves when we say it and sticks her tongue out like she wants to say but can't quite get the hang of it! Have I mentioned how much I love this little girl?