8 Months! Or Wait, Didn't She Just Turn 7 Months?

Well here we are!  8 months!  How did THAT happen?

Beets are delicious!

I feel like March has gone by in a blur.  I can't even remember most of it!  I managed to survive my 2nd quarter, even though I hated one of my classes.  I managed to get two A's and one A minus.  Not too shabby.  Lance finished his quarter strong as well.  It was his first quarter back after Kaylee was born.  We all survived!

Kaylee continues to grow like a weed.  I can't keep that baby in pants that are long enough!  She has a new trick.  She likes to make this crazy face and make an "eeee" sound.  She loves to have you imitate her.  So silly.

In other Kaylee news, we are signing her up for a toddler group co-op with the other babies she hangs out with.  The whole process is a little insane.  At one of the places we were looking into, parents line up 2 hours early to get a spot!  We decided to try a different group, so we'll see what we end up with.  It seems so weird to think about toddler groups for next year when she is still just a baby!

This past weekend, we decided to try out a family vacation.  We went to Victoria BC on the Clipper for two nights.  Kaylee did ok on the boat...she slept most of the way there, but had a hard time on the way back.  Luckily the Japanese couple in front of us loved Kaylee.  I was a little worried they were going to take her back to Japan with them!  But they were really sweet to her. 

In Victoria, we did a ton of walking around and a little shopping.  We had a nice dinner at a Japanese restaurant and we let Kaylee try a little miso soup and some soy sauce.  Miso yum!  Soy sauce...meh.  We also had some delicious fish n' chips on the wharf.  Kaylee didn't get to sample that cuisine. 

Can I keep it, Mommy?

Yay! Skulls!

We took Kaylee to a petting farm that had a ton of goats!  And there were about 4 baby goats.  I was in love, of course, but Kaylee also seemed to enjoy them quite a bit.  We visited the Royal BC Museum.  Kaylee liked the animal skulls.  Creepy baby.  We also went to the Bug Zoo.  It was actually pretty neat.  Lance got to hold a bunch of bugs and was totally loving it.  Kaylee was even pretty interested! 

Lance's new friends

It was a pretty different experience traveling with a baby - so much preparation and you are pretty limited, but it was definitely a fun family outing and Kaylee traveled better than we were expecting.

7 Months!!

I am little behind on this thing since its been a week and a half since Kaylee turned 7 months.  But it has been a long couple of weeks and the important thing is I am doing it now, right?

This meal didn't go over so well

Things have been busy, but good in the Naugle household.  Kaylee LOVES her solid foods.  We haven't run across a single thing she won't eat.  She has things she likes better than others, but nothing she has actually rejected.  She is a good little eater!  We are taking advantage now because I'm sure she will be a lot more picky as she gets older!

Happy Valentine's Day!

She is also sitting up like a pro.  She has figured out how she can still kick her legs AND remain upright.  This is very important. Kaylee figured out how to get out of "tummy time" by finally learning to roll from her stomach to her back.  She has also added "mummummum" and "baah baah baah" to her vocabulary.  She is quite the talker and has an opinion on EVERYTHING!  It is so much fun to see her personality come alive.  And I fear for myself a little - haha!

Blowing raspberries - a favorite activity

I'm glad this quarter is coming to an end soon.  It is really only one class that is dragging me down, but I really really hate it.  Lance and I decided to go to Victoria, BC for a couple nights during our spring breaks.  I am so excited to get away!!  I need a vacation!

6 months?!?! Where did the time go?

Well, we've managed to keep Kaylee alive for 6 months now.  And we are on a steady march towards her first birthday.  Scary!

Kaylee's eczema is clearing up nicely.  Between the lotion, cod liver oil, peplic, probiotics, and organic formula, she is not too itchy at all!  And she doesn't have scaly, blotchy patches.  Yay!  We liked the naturopath so much that we actually switched over to them.  It is so much more relaxed and I feel like the doctor actually has time to listen to me.  Dr. Anna does everything - measuring, weighing, vaccinations, etc.  So she actually spends the whole appointment with us.  And I feel like it gels better with my philosophies as well.

First bite of solid foods!

We've starting Kaylee on solids.  I went to a baby food making party with the other moms I hang out with.  Each of us brought a fruit/vegetable and we steamed them and pureed them.  Then we divided up the goods and we are now well stocked.  Kaylee's tried spinach, pears, apples, sweet potatoes and carrots.  Sweet Potatoes were by far the favorite, with pears a close second. 

Spinach!

Kaylee also got to participate in a early childhood cognitive study at the UW.  She wasn't that excited about it, but she did like she got to pick out a toy!  She was in a pretty bad mood that day, but the UW people didn't seem to mind.



Kaylee is continuing her baby yoga, and I've added a "mom and me" yoga class.  Yoga for me, but Kaylee comes along.  We'll see how this goes....haha!  I've also been adding swimming into my schedule.  It is had to find the time and still have enough time to homework, but I continue to try to balance everything.  Some days I feel like I am going 100 miles per hour. 

5 Months! Whew.

Hi!

Wow - it has been a very busy month!  Not only did I have finals at the beginning of December but then we got hit by the Christmas freight train.  It was awesome, fun and exhausting.  I never thought I would say I am kind of happy to be back to our school/work schedule.  :) 

My first full quarter went really well - I managed to pull out all A's.  Yay me!  I just started up my second quarter with Intermediate Algebra, Anthropology of American Life and Data Mining.  I am taking all online classes, which I think will work out well for me.  I like having the ability to work at my own pace and not deal with annoying people. I tend to get antsy in class. I just hope I can "self learn" the math ok.

Lance is also starting up school again.  He is taking one night class.  It could get interesting between the both of us trying to do homework while entertaining the little one.  But I am very thankful and lucky to have the help I do with my mom and Lance's mom watching Kaylee during the day so I hope I can do most of my homework during the day. 

Here doggy doggy!

Kaylee is so much fun right now.  She is becoming really aware of her surroundings.  She just noticed the cat and dog and will watch them from across the room and reach for them.  Lucky animals - haha!  She is also VERY aware of where Mommy is at all times.  But my favorite thing is how much she smiles at us.  She just looks so very happy to be our baby.  This is really nice because when she is 14 she will probably be telling us how much she hates us and how we are ruining her life! 

Indigo getting kisses from her baby cousin

Christmas was so much fun.  Lance's dad, stepmom, sister, brother in law and niece all came into town the week before Christmas.  It was the first time since our wedding we were all together and the first time ever that the babies were together.  Our niece, Indigo, is one year older than Kaylee to the day!  It was fun to see Lance's parents get to meet their granddaughters for the first time.  And for once Kaylee was not the center of attention! 

Christmas was split between Lance's mom and my family and was a whirlwind three days.  But Kaylee was appropriately spoiled, so she didn't mind. 

Evidence of Kaylee's spoilage

So begins a New Year!  Considering how much happened over the past year (Europe, house remodel, baby, lay offs, going back to school) I am excited to see what 2011 brings.  I'm not big on resolutions, but I do have some goals in mind.  Two simple ones in fact.  One is to spend 30 minutes a day picking up the house.  I really believe if I do this then I will less stressed out about the house being messy.  And 30 minutes is much more achievable then letting stuff pile up and then freak out and have to spend 2 hours cleaning.  The second one is to add in yoga and swimming to my days.  I would like to do some kind of activity 3 days a week.  Not just to lose baby weight (although a much needed bonus) but also just to feel stronger.  Pregnancy really weakened by body and I am ready to reclaim it.  Wish me luck!

4 months old!

Where has the time gone? Our little baby is not longer a newborn!  Although I have to say I am enjoying this stage so much more than the newborn stage.  It is so much fun to see her interacting with her environment and learning to play with toys.  Plus it makes her easier to distract, which means she is a happier baby!  Yay for that! 

Kaylee recently had her 4 month check up.  She weighs 13.5 lbs (50th percentile) and is 25 inches long (75-90th percentile).  She did really well getting her vaccinations, but definitely felt the effects later on.  A little crabby and unhappy. 


Our first Thanksgiving was a lot of fun - my parents joined Lance's family for dinner.  I was so happy to have everyone in the same place.  No decisions or splitting up our time.  We let Kaylee try some gravy, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.  She really wasn't too sure about any of it!  Here are some links to the videos:

Kaylee Tries Pie
Kaylee Tries Mashed Potatoes/Gravy

(I promise there will won't be hundreds of these as Kaylee has her first rice cereal/fruit/vegetable/couscous/pizza.  Or at least that's what I promised my cousin.  HAHA)

We're finally finishing up the house projects in an effort to look like we live like adults and not college students.  We have acquired some new bookcases/furniture and are in the process of decluttering.  We're also FINALLY finishing off the bathroom from our remodel in March.  Ha!  Pictures to come once we finish up.  We'll have some nice "before and after" shots for the bathroom.

Kaylee's First Snow. 

We're looking forward December - so much fun stuff planned!  Lance's dad and stepmom, sister, brother in law and niece are all arriving Dec. 18th.  The grandparents are meeting their granddaughters for the first time and everyone is meeting Kaylee!  We are also really looking forward to decorating for Kaylee's first Christmas.  I tried not to go overboard with presents, but it is hard! 

Kaylee's First Halloween

Halloween Party at our friend's house in Bellingham.  Kaylee was great - she slept the whole way there and back and we managed to put her down to sleep at Niki's house too!  Success!  Kaylee had fun checking out all the different looks and meeting a baby Yoda!

 Kaylee wishing everyone a Happy Halloween!!

Dress up day at Baby Yoga!

 Dress up day at Baby class!

Kaylee at her first pumpkin patch.  She wasn't too interested and the sun was bright.  But we enjoyed it!!

Our little pumpkin!

Daddy had fun posing her with pumpkins.  Lucky baby!

Halloween is sure is fun, but so exhausting!

3 months old already!

These fingers are delicious!

Well, Kaylee is no longer a newborn.  She's so grown up - sniff!  And she has been growing and learning a lot of new things.  She can grasp toys, see herself in a mirror, track objects, smile, coo, sleep in her bassinet, hold her bottle (sometimes) and enjoy simple books. 

She has also been enjoying her baby yoga.  We just completed our first series on last Tuesday, but have already signed up for another session!  Kaylee got a little certificate for completing her yoga class series that says "Kaylee and her mom, Shannon, started practicing Itsy Bitsy Yoga when she was 7 weeks old". How cute is that?

Kaylee has also graduated from the 0-3 month old parent/baby class we attend at Evergreen Hospital.  We are now in the 3-6 month class!  We've met a lot of other moms and usually hang out once a week.  Kaylee will have a lot of little friends!

School has been going well for me...it is so interesting being back in school 7 years after completing my schooling at the UW.  My perspective is completely different and maturity definitely changes things.  But I am really enjoying it and doing well!  Whew!

Lance has been really busy with work and being a great dad.  He is so great with Kaylee and very helpful with her.  I couldn't ask for a better husband!