Ethan’s first bath

Ethan’s umbilical cord fell off on February 13.  There was still an area that was healing so he didn’t get to have a real bath until today.  Of course he wasn’t too sure about it with the initial feel of the water but once he was adjusted, he really enjoyed it.  He was so relaxed and his favorite part was having his hair washed.  I love bathing my tiny boy, it’s such a sweet time. I didn’t get the greatest picture of him in his towel because he started to get upset with being cold. But isn’t he just so adorable?

It’s gone! It’s gone!

The pacifier is officially gone! I have to admit I didn’t consistently try to get rid of the paci in the last few months.  I knew Kendall was going to be transitioning with a lot of new things and I was trying to pick my battles.  Well, I think she decided she was done with it all on her own.  I couldn’t find it this morning when she woke up and she saw me searching for it.  We left her room and I got ready for Ethan’s baby shower.  I told Ryan about not finding it and said “good luck during nap time.”  I went to look for it (without her) before I left and I found it against the wall, resting on her bed frame and put it in her dresser drawer.  Ryan knew about the hiding spot.  Well, in the middle of the baby shower I get a text that says, “she’s asleep with no paci.” I was so excited.  She didn’t even make a big deal about it.  Ryan said, “we can’t find it” and she was okay with that.  Needless to say, that was that and we’ll see how things go! Way to go, big girl!!

Thirteen months old

Another month has arrived but not much new to update about.  Kendall is faster then ever, it seems and enjoys running from room to room.  We have to remind her to slow down sometimes.  She enjoys her playroom and on most days it looks like she has played with every toy in the room.  She still just has two teeth but that doesn’t slow her down too much.  Her favorite right now is fruit.  She has learned where her belly is and if you ask her to find her nose, she’ll get yours first and think about finding hers.  I love watching her play and often wonder what is going on in her mind as she is picking up the toys. The faces she makes are priceless. Kendall-

You continue to light up mine and your daddy’s lives.  You always make us smile and are starting to become so cuddly and affectionate.  You really like to give hugs and kiss mommy all the time.  I think daddy’s facial hair is prickly on your soft skin so you don’t give daddy kisses yet but you’re working on it.  You’re a great sleeper and know your nap and bedtime routines like the back of your hand.  You love to look at books when mommy reads to you and are really starting to have your favorites.  This past month, you weaned yourself from nursing. Once your bedtime story is over, we rock and say prayers and then it’s into your crib without a peep.  You also no longer use a bottle.  We started whole milk from a sippy cup the day after your 12 month visit and you transitioned without any fight.  We are so proud of you sweet girl and you continue to grow and develop so quickly.  I am cherishing each and every moment with you at every age and it just keeps getting better.

We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Kendall’s Party….take two!

Michelle, of course, was my photographer for the party and I couldn’t have asked for a better favor for Kendall’s special day.  Thanks to Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Adam for keeping Jack occupied during the party (Mark and Sam stayed at my parents since Sam is still so young).  I am going to let the pictures do the talking since they pretty much explain the day! It was wonderful and Kendall did a fantastic job with all of the attention, singing, pictures and not to mention, NO nap! She was on her best behavior the entire party and headed to bed 30 minutes early that night! Way to go baby girl!  Sorry in advance for the overload of pictures, they were all my favorite!

This is the sign and banner that welcomed our guests to the party.  Lady bugs everywhere!Look how my baby has grown!!Kendall had her very own smash cake and we had cupcakes and ice cream cups for our guestsRed and black was the theme….all around!Thank you to all of our guest for coming.  Sorry that we weren’t able to get pictures of all of you!My sweet girl before cake.She. Loved. The. Cake!  Proud parents…. And proud grandparents! I love this picture of Kendall and Jack.  It’s like she’s thinking “don’t touch my cake, buddy!”Some sweet pictures of our family.Kendall checking out a few of her gifts.  She is so inquisitive!These were the goodie bags I made for all of Kendall’s guests.  I thought they turned out pretty cute.  I also must brag and say I did make her hat as well. I tried my hand a creativity.Thank you to all of our family and friends for helping to celebrate our baby girl turning one.  We had a blast.  Thank you to my mom for helping make the marshmallows, cookies and candies! Thank you to my sister for letting me borrow some bowls and vases and most importantly for all of these beautiful pictures.  I love them, all! Thank you to Linda for getting the fruit and veggie trays.  I wouldn’t have been able to get it all done without everyone’s help.  

Kendall is ONE!

The day has finally arrived.  The day that changed our lives in an amazing way.  The day we will remember, minute by minute always and forever.  The day Kendall Harper Grant was welcomed into this world.  It’s Kendall’s FIRST birthday. Time has flown by in a blink of an eye.  I can’t believe Kendall is already one!  It has been an amazing year and I can tell you, I now know what it feels like to fall in love, every single day.  I continue to thank God for our amazing daughter.  She is one of a kind and I’m so very glad we were chosen to be her parents.

The weather didn’t cooperate too well for the birthday girl so we had to spend a lot of the day inside.  Daddy was sick so Kendall and I spent some time at Grandma and Grandpa’s house preparing for the big party.  I have still been improvising with cameras and unfortunately didn’t get too many pictures of our days events.  Oh yeah, I have vacation time left so I get to be with my baby girl today through next Monday.  Thank. You. Life Care!!

Kendall practiced her piano skills….and she played with magnets and my iPhone (picture on the right, self portrait).  We ran some birthday party errands and had lots of playtime in between naps and snacks.We headed home to have some dinner before presents and cake.  One of her favorites was this handy, dandy vacuum.  It has light up music notes and plays Mozart which she quickly figured out how to make work.  She’s so smart.  The part in the middle spins when you push it which she thinks is quite funny.  Maybe she’ll learn early what chores are about. Before cake, Kendall and I played with some bubbles.  Talk about entertainment.  She would look for more after each time all of the bubbles popped.  At one point she was popping them with her head and nose, laughing the whole time  (please excuse the red eye/blurriness). Then it was time for cake.   Grandma and Grandpa Singer and Lindy and Granddaddy came over to join in the celebration.   She wasn’t too sure about all of the singing and of course I couldn’t find the candle I bought and the cake was too small to write on, but it all worked out.She wasn’t too sure what to do with the cake when I put it in front of her.  But, with a dab of icing from mom’s finger, it didn’t take long for her to stick her fingers hand right in (yes, I know it’s chocolate cake but that was pure accident. She does not get chocolate at her tiny age just yet).Kendall enjoyed the cake very much and I am excited to see how she will do with her true, yellow smash cake on Saturday for her party.  She didn’t like the clean up part too well. What a face! Today was so special! I am thankful I could be off from work to be able to spend my precious ONE YEAR OLD’s birthday with her.  I can’t wait to tell her one day all about the day she changed my life.  I hope she will be as amazed about it as me.

Kendall-

You are ONE, baby girl! I remember the day you were born like it was just yesterday.  I think I blinked too many times.  It just doesn’t seem possible that you are already one.  This year has been incredible and it will only get better.  You mean the world to your daddy and me.  You are learning new things daily and have started to become a little copy cat.  I love it! If you see me do something, most of the time you will do it right back.  You still just have two teeth but you eat like you have more.  Your favorite right now is veggie burgers and most any fruit.  We are still working on some finger foods and vegetables aren’t your strong point right now.   We have changed your car seat to front facing and you enjoy it very much.  There are so many things to come and I look forward to each one of them but please don’t grow too fast!

We love you,

Mommy and Daddy

She’s walking…slowly but surely

Kendall started taking a few steps over the last few weeks however it’s only been about one or two steps at a time.  Yesterday, she decided she was going to take more.  It was so cute to watch how proud she was of herself after each time she was finished walking.  The video is the best of the seven.  She is quick!  I am excited for this milestone and know now, we are all officially ON THE MOVE! Way to go baby girl! We’re so proud of you!

Ten months old and off to the fair

The Coastal Carolina Fair is in town and what better way to celebrate Kendall’s ten month birthday.  After work, we bundled Kendall up and headed out early to beat the traffic and the crowds. We timed everything perfectly.  There was absolutely no traffic, we pulled right in and waited in NO lines.  Ryan was able to win free tickets from a local radio station so we eased our way passed all the ticket buyers and braved the madness.  I thought for sure that a Friday, the second to last day of the fair, that it would be crazy but our timing couldn’t have been better.

Our first stop, the carousel!  I was super excited however, Kendall wasn’t too sure about it.  The carnies waited for the entire carousel to be full before starting the ride.  She didn’t mind it once we started moving, although these pictures seem to show otherwise.  (Excuse the quality of the fair pictures.  I forgot the camera in the car so these are all with the iPhone). After the carousel, we headed over to eat and get out of the wind for a little bit.  Ryan and I both had a gyro…and waited in NO line to order them.  The animals were our next stop and I think I was more excited to bring Kendall here then to ride on the carousel.  This was Kendall’s third time seeing animals and each time she loves it even more.  We saw cows, pigs, horses, ducks, turkeys, goats, rabbits, hares and chickens, OH MY!! Her favorite this time were the cows and horses.  She laughed each time we passed a cow. Mooooo!!!A quick pose in the rocking chair before saying bye to the animals. We had so much fun at the fair and were there the perfect amount of time.  I am already looking forward to next year when Kendall can ride the kiddie rides and maybe try some fair food. But don’t let it come around too fast. I can wait a year, I promise!   Of course we didn’t leave without an elephant ear for dessert.  Mmmm, it was warm, sugary goodness of 1000+ calories!

Another month older and another month to know how lucky we are to be Kendall’s parents.  It continues to be a joy raising her.  We are so blessed and couldn’t be more proud of our baby girl.  Her first tooth has started popping through and it hasn’t seemed to bother her at this point.  It is the bottom left tooth.  She has started rolling her tongue over the top of it and then sticking her tongue all the way out, too cute!  Two weeks ago she also took her first steps and has done so twice since then.  Right now it’s just 2-3 steps at a time.  I believe she’ll have the hang of it by the end of the month for sure.  You can definitely tell she is ready to walk but knows she can get to where she wants to go quicker by crawling.  I love watching her learn and grow daily. 

One of her favorites right now is reading bedtime stories.  I can’t even put one book down before she is grabbing another.  Bedtime is one of my most favorite times of the day, cuddling with my baby girl.  Nothing could compare!  She also LOVES Sadie.  She will play with Sadie until she runs away and poor ole’ Sade just lets Kendall do whatever she wants.  Thanks for being such a good dog Sadier-meister!! Sadie is my dog from college who is now 12 years old. Love her!She has started eating a few more finger foods but still prefers the blends I make.  Her favorite right now is shredded cheese.  Slowly but surely we’ll keep adding more.  She is drinking a total of 18 ounces of formula a day and nursing only at night.

Kendall-

Thank you for another amazing month.  You continue to make everyone around you happy and put a smile on even a stranger’s face.  You are starting to show signs of understanding us when we don’t want you to play with something, you know when you want your sippy cup and just how much water you want to drink and you continue to try new foods that mommy gives you for any meal.  I’m glad you don’t put up too much of a fuss with the foods and at least try them all.  Thank you for making our hearts bigger and our lives complete, baby girl.

We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

She’s crawling!

Kendall has put two and two together and has figured out the concept of crawling.  She has been rocking and scooting for a few weeks but now she knows how to get from point A to point B without our help.  Sometimes she still has a few unsteady movements and gets tripped up but nothing that holds her back.  She is officially on the move and enjoying every bit of her new skill.  Good job baby girl! We are so proud of you!

                                                                          

                                                                          30 weeks 5 days

 

Six month well visit

Dr. Nordby said, “she’s absolutely perfect!”  What a great way to leave the doctor’s office.  Kendall checked out with yet another clean bill of health.  She remains on track with all of her milestone questions.  No teeth yet but that’s okay.  Dr. Nordby gave us the okay to try meats as well as any fruit or vegetable.  We also recently bought your first sippy cup so that will be something new to try as well.  We are so excited for all of these new, fun things but they just don’t seem like they should be happening already.  We are so proud of you sweet girl and thankful for your continued health! 

                                                       Height: 26 1/2 inches – 80th percentile

                                                Weight: 17 pounds 2 ounces – 55th percentile

                                     Head circumference: 41 1/2 centimeters – 25th percentile

 

Kendall’s personality has really blossomed this past month and she is such a ham.  She smiles all of the time, makes cute little faces just because, crawls up my torso when I hold her and likes to pat on any toy that will make noise.  She had a blast with the paper that covered the exam table today!  Her feet made the coolest noise, and she just laughed.Such a happy girl! Makes for an easy time at the doctor.Our baby has grown so much in six months! What a sweet face.

Six months old

Half way to a year!  It continues to amaze me how fast time can fly.  I spend every day with her, after work, just playing with toys and talking.  I don’t want to miss a minute with her.

Kendall  is interacting with those around her each time she is around someone new.  Sometimes it takes her a few minutes to get used to a strange face but shortly after she’ll show a smile.  She smiles so often and it lights up the face of anyone who sees the smile.  When she is on her tummy, she has started to bring both of her knees underneath her and scoots forward as if it is her first attempts at crawling. 

We started solids at about 4 1/2 months and now her list consists of rice cereal, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, applesauce, bananas and pears.  We have tried carrots and broccoli but so far she is not a fan.  I have been making all of her food, so I really think the carrots and broccoli are a texture issue versus taste.  We will try those two veggies again at a later date! She is able to make her way from one corner of the crib to the next during her naps and especially at night.  I am hoping that soon enough she will figure out how to back up so she won’t keep getting stuck in the corner.  She is still on the same napping schedule and has now stretched her nursing to every 4 hours.  Within the last two weeks we have added in formula, one to two bottles a day, and she has tolerated it without any problems.

 

Kendall-

Thank you for continuing to be such a happy baby.  You only seem to get upset at the obvious, If you are hungry, tired or bored.  We have been able to determine your cries so it is easy to give you what you want.  You have stuck to a great schedule which helps in keeping you happy throughout the day.  I still look at you every night while you are nursing, before bed, and just can’t believe we have been so blessed to have you in our lives.  I say that so much, but there are just no words to describe how thankful and lucky we are to be your parents.  We will continue to provide for you to the best of our ability to keep you healthy and happy.

We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Five months old

Here we are, five months already.  Hard to believe that in another month, Kendall will be half way to a year.  One of these days I am going to invent something to slow down time.  Kendall continues to grow and develop so quickly.  This month she has perfected sitting on her own.  She would rather sit up to play and look around then to be laying down anymore.  When she is laying down, she pulls her head and legs off of the floor as if she is doing crunches.  It’s almost like she lifts her head up because she doesn’t want to miss anything.  At night,  I put her in her crib on her back but in a matter of minutes she has flipped over to her belly.  She sleeps on her belly for the whole night and loves it. 

We had Kendall’s ears pierced this month and she has done so well with letting me clean and turn them.  She hasn’t realized that the earrings are there yet, which I am thankful for.   Rice cereal, fruits and veggies are also new firsts for this month.  Kendall likes applesauce and bananas mixed in with her rice cereal for breakfast.  We are working on green beans at dinner and soon we will try butternut squash and pears. 

Kendall-

You continue to amaze mommy and daddy, as well as anyone that meets you.  Your development seems to be off the charts in our eyes.  You have figured out how to use many of your toys in the way they should be used.  You are sitting up easily for long periods of time, when we put you on your blanket (in the sitting position) and your motor skills are unbelievable.  You love to look around at anything new and have such a curious look in your eyes when we are in new places. 

We love you so much and thank God over and over for giving us such a precious baby girl!  You are now eating fruit and rice cereal for breakfast and we have added in vegetables for dinner.  You are nursing every 3 1/2 to 4 hours and have started taking two naps a day at 9am and 2pm, both for about an hour and a half to two hours.  Sometimes you take a  cat nap around 5 or 5:30 depending on how long your second nap is. 

You continue to be such a happy baby and we look forward to what each new day will bring.  Mommy and daddy love you more than words can explain sweet girl, and we are honored to be your parents! 

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Splish splash, Kendall’s taking a bath.

Kendall continues to really enjoy bath time.  The look on her face when she is in the bathtub is one of such contentment and relaxation.   So far, she just likes to sit back and relax while I bathe her and wash her hair.  Lindy and Granddaddy went to the space shuttle launch last week and brought back a rubber ducky souvenir.  I have showed her how to play with it in the water but she likes to put it in her mouth instead.  I think she is almost to the point of transitioning from the sling to the sitting position in her tub.  Soon enough she will be splashing and kicking, I won’t be able to keep her still.  I really enjoy our time together during baths, it’s so peaceful! After the bath, we head to her room for lotion, pj’s, a bedtime story, her final time to nurse and then bedtime.  Kendall smiles so big when she sees me rub my hands together to warm up the lotion.  It is the cutest smile and is one of the many that I get to see before I lay her down for bed.  Thank you baby girl for being so generous with your smiles.  You complete mommy’s night, knowing how happy you are when you fall asleep!

She’s rolling over

Recently during tummy time, Kendall has been able to roll over either shoulder to her back.   It has now started to become more of a smooth roll instead of an accidental roll.  She is so excited when she gets to her back.  Her expression is almost as if she is thinking, “wow, how’d I do that?”  Well, on Friday evening, Kendall rolled from her back to her tummy.  It takes her a minute to get her arm out from underneath her but she’s getting pretty quick at doing so. The video is Saturday morning after her morning feeding so that is why she is still in her pajamas.  I can’t believe my almost 4 month old is already rolling over.  She seems too little to know how to do that already.  Good job baby girl!

Excuse my arm that enters the picture, I was trying to get the rattle.

She’s sitting!!

Yesterday evening I was playing with Kendall on her blanket and I decided to see if she could sit on her own.  I thought, “no way, she’s too little but I’ll try.”  Low and behold she proved me wrong.  She was able to sit on her own for about 45 seconds to begin with.  I tried letting her sit alone a few more times and she sat for longer and longer periods.  She was able to reach for a toy in front of her without losing her balance and at one point she was even able to catch herself as she leaned and stayed sitting instead of falling forward.  Of course mommy’s hands were ready and waiting should she have needed my help.  Although she hasn’t mastered this task 100%, we are very proud of our little girl for being so advanced at 18 weeks 6 days. You continue to amaze us little one! Thank you for being such a sweet baby girl and bringing so much joy, love and laughter into our lives.  We love you more and more as the days go by!

Four months old

This month has been a busy month for lil’ miss!  She has learned so many new things and it is so fun to watch her as she discovers something new.  Kendall is rolling over from back to tummy and tummy to back, holding toys in her little hands, grabbing our faces (especially our nose) and using her legs a lot!  She loves to stand, with our help and her little legs are so strong.  She has also learned that she can make different noises with her voice.  Sometimes, I’m almost positive she has said mama!  The exersaucer is one of her favorite toys! She has figured out how to push the music buttons, spin the seat in circles to see everything and look at herself in the mirror.  Smart girl!Some of the things she likes to play with are at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. The iPod touch was by far her favorite.  She enjoys one of the rattle applications on the iPod touch. Kendall-

You have made your daddy and I so happy over these past four months.  Your smiles make our day and light up our hearts.  We are raising you to the best of our ability and hope one day you’ll know how much you mean to us!  You are such a happy baby and content in most any setting.  Sometimes if it gets too loud you get overwhelmed but are easily soothed.  You are still eating every three hours but have stretched it a few times to four hours.  You continue to take short cat naps during the day with one long nap usually in the morning.  Bedtime is 7:30 and you have adjusted well to your bedtime routine.  Story time and bath time make you so happy!  We love you sweet girl, and our lives have only gotten better since you have arrived.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy