Another Kailyn Update!

I'm finally done with this semester of schooling. Feels good to be finished on time so I can actually enjoy Christmas break instead of catching up on projects and finals. Brian took this entire week of from work so that has been nice. We went home last weekend for three family Christmases. It was great to see everyone (while not being sick like Thanksgiving). It was also a little hard without my Dad. But I like what a close family friend said, "he was there for every laugh, hug and tear."

Kailyn's third and fourth tooth broke through this past week. And I see two more up top trying to come through. No wonder she hasn't been sleeping very well for me at night. I'm sure most of you saw my post about her 12 month check up. She's doing great, took the shots really well, and I'm not following the advice of her pediatrician of stopping with the nursing and transitioning to cow's milk. She's 31 inches tall and 21.5 pounds. She's growing and developing wonderfully.

Kailyn does this new thing we like to call, "happy feet". She gets really excited and moves her feet up and down really fast like she's marching in place. Sometimes she spins in circles at the same time. Too cute! She still loves to take a bath. We're working on the sign for bath. She hasn't gotten it down yet, but if I say the words she runs over to the bathroom door waiting for us to open it. Then she rushes over to the tub and opens up the shower curtain. All the while trying to climb up into the tub.

I'm amazed at how fast she learns things. She can now do the sign for "more, all done, cheese, milk, book, eat, drink, and help". Help is the newest one. The real sign for help is to have a closed fist with your thumb up resting on your other palm and then lifting your first up off of your palm. I think she sees me have a fist similar to "milk" and it goes up high so she just signs milk up high over her head, usually with both hands! Here's a picture of her doing it.

Earlier today she went to go get a book from her book shelf and they were wedged in pretty good. So she signed for book and then help. It was pretty cool to see! I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. And sorry that my Christmas cards are going out late. You'll probably receive them sometime after Christmas.

Very long video of Kailyn!

Here's a pretty long video of Kailyn. It's about 10 minutes just to warn you. She's becoming such a goof ball as you can see in the video. I don't know how many times she makes me laugh each day.

Happy Birthday Kailyn!

I can't believe a year has already gone by. Kailyn has definitely changed our lives, but it's all for the better. I can't imagine life without her. Her personality is really starting to come through. She's very goofy and loves to laugh. You can also see how loving she is when she snuggles up to Sadie. Kailyn is also learning so much. She can sign "more", "all done", "cheese", "milk" and "book". She can point to my nose but not her own yet. She points more towards her ear when you ask her to point to her nose. She does know where her belly is though. And she loves to tickle Daddy as well as her own toes. She also loves to spin in circles and say "wheeee".

I can't believe she's gone from this:

To this:

Video

Kailyn loves to help me take laundry out of the dryer. She's been keeping me so busy lately. She's getting into everything and she's moving very quickly these days. I turn my head for one second and she's gone.

Practicing with my camera

I took some pictures for a friend and family member. Wanted to share a few of my favorites. I can't wait for Kailyn to sit still for me.

Having one of those days.

It's raining and cold here and I'm just feeling down I guess. Not sure if this will actually get posted or not, but I think I'll feel better once I type some things out.

I thought my heart was mending from my dad's death, but today I feel like I've taken two giant leaps backwards. Maybe I've been acting like things are okay and it's all just coming out now. I know I put on a face sometimes, even when my insides are falling apart. The times when it's the hardest for me is when the house is quiet and Kailyn is sleeping. Just like now. She can be a great distraction for me.

I'm just sitting here, thinking of my dad. Looking at pictures and I can't stop the tears. I should really do my school work, but I've lost all motivation. I'm in need of a break from all of that. I hate that it hangs over my head all of the time. I hate that I know I could do better and get better grades, but I don't want my school to take so much time away from Kailyn. I'm not failing or anything, but I did get a B in a class that I know I could've earned an A.

I think I'm also in this mood because I was looking forward to going to Texas to visit some old friends, but the Army's funding fell through so now Brian will not be taking that course there. I was texting some friends yesterday and I really miss our time down in Texas. I loved the weather, I loved my job and I loved all my friends down there! I'm thinking of taking a trip down there with Kailyn when Brian leaves for a month for NTC in February. Maybe booking some airline tickets will cheer me up. :)

Well, Kailyn is waking from her nap. Time to go have some fun and get some much needed hugs. Not sure how this all reads as I don't have the time to read it before posting. But I really am okay. Just needed somewhere to let it all out and cry. Feeling much better now. Sorry for such a downer post!

Not letting me upload pictures

I've tried to update the blog a few times over the couple weeks and it won't let me upload any pictures or videos. Each time it gives me an error. But I did want to update this. So I guess it'll be boring with no pictures.

Kailyn is walking around a lot more. The other day she went all the way from the kitchen to our bedroom on her own, which is about 20 feet or so. And she did it without us coaxing her. She's choosing to walk over crawl if she's already standing up.

Well, I think some pictures uploaded. Let me see if it works if I publish the post. We carved pumpkins this weekend. Kailyn tried to pick up the biggest one. She was grunting while she was doing it. But Grandpa Stoltenberg's pumpkin was just too big for her.

Another video!

This is a video from our Florida trip. Kailyn had so much fun playing in these play areas that they had all over in Florida.

Video

Yesterday

Yesterday must have been picture day, because I took a lot of pictures! It's been so nice here lately. I love when the mornings are cool enough to wear jeans and a sweatshirt but then it warms up in the afternoons. Yesterday morning we took Sadie on her normal walk and stopped to try to get more pictures of Kailyn in the grass. She really hates the texture of grass for some reason.

Then we came home and I started to upload the pictures on the computer when I noticed the sun starting to come out. So we went out back to swing for a while.

And this is her after her nap. Can you guess which side she slept on?

We ended the day with bath time. She loves to take a bath, but hates to be taken out of the bath!

We got some good video of her playing in the tub, so if I have time I'll try to upload that as well.

So this is not the video I wanted, but it's still pretty cute.

Sleepy Kailyn

Kailyn has been falling asleep in her crib after she finishes playing a little bit. So yesterday I went in because she had been sleeping quite a long time and I thought I heard her, and this is how I found her.

The times I think of my dad.

There are many things and places that make me think of my dad and I felt like writing them all out. I miss him so much every day and I still feel like I've been cheated! But most importantly, that Kailyn has been cheated out on spending time with such a great grandpa!

So these are the things that remind me of him:

• When I see a motorcycle.
• When I see someone wearing a Harley Davidson shirt or hat.
• When I see a Harley Davidson store, window decal, pretty much anything related to a Harley.
• When I take a funny picture of Kailyn I think of how much he would've loved seeing it.
• When Kailyn does something new I think of how I would've called him to tell him.
• When I see Brian with Kailyn, he's such a great father just like my dad was!
• When I hear certain songs on the radio that remind me of him.
• When I look at the pictures I have of him around the house.
• When I walk into our downstairs bedroom because he helped us finish it.
• I think of him every night when I'm laying in bed trying to fall asleep.
• When I drive to Lincoln, NE I think about how I wish I could just stop by his house and say hi.
• When I see Kailyn with her other grandparents I think about him missing out on moments like those.
• When I see a hunting show on the TV, he loved to watch those boring shows!
• When I eat brisket, chili, sausage, french toast or goulash (those were all things he loved to eat and make).
• When I think about my wedding day I think of him walking me down the pier/aisle.
• When I see a house being a built, or a window being installed (which we have houses going up all around our neighborhood).
• When Brian and I do any type of upgrade or remodeling of our house I think about how nice it would be to call him to ask his advice.

Pretty much every hour of every day he enters my mind. I'm just waiting for the day when those thoughts don't hurt so much and I can smile instead!

Things Kailyn has been up to these days....

Kailyn amazes me more and more every day. She's growing up so fast and learning so much. I enjoy every minute that I'm with her. Last time I updated my blog we were down here in the basement and the next thing I knew she had gotten into a pile of papers Brian had on the floory by our desk. All she wanted to do was help him sort them I'm sure!

We got a swing hooked up under our deck. It's her new favorite thing to do. It also works great to help get her tired before naps and bedtime.

Here's a picture of her being goofy! The faces she makes cracks me up.

Lately she's been pulling herself up a lot. She still hasn't figured out that if she lets go, then she'll fall. Or maybe that's her way of getting down because she hasn't quite mastered sitting back down from the standing position.

She pretty much eats anything we're eating. Still not a huge fan of the pureed baby foods. Here she is eating some spaghetti.

She still really enjoys bath time. She pulled herself up to the tub to watch the water fill up. She was so anxious to get in! Sorry for the nudity, but she has the cutest little tush!

This weekend we went to the zoo here in Manhattan. It's not very big, but it's actually the perfect size for her. It's also great because it's shaded really well.

Lastly, if you'd like to watch a video of some new things she learned today check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLzC4yywyx0.