Keeping up with the Jones': December 2008

We’re two days into Kaelen’s 7th month and she has already met two milestones. Yesterday she crawled, a real, up on her knees, using both arms, crawl! So much for it being some time away! She also, in the last 3 days, has decided that she wants to sit up like a big girl…all on her own, no support from Mommy or Daddy! Maybe it’s just me but this little girl is strong, I have always thought she was a strong baby but really she pulls herself to her feet every chance she gets and damn that she already has the muscles to move her toy basket at Grandma’s.

I am so excited and sad all at the same time! I can’t even explain the feeling I get when she does these new things. The smile on her face when she’s done exactly what she’s been trying to do for weeks melts me.

Because this is her favorite thing to do in her crib, besides sleep, we now have to move the mattress down!Here's my big girl, taking a big girl bath, with her cousie Doc. These two in the water together is hilarious!
Here it is...our little crawler

Our first Turkey Day with our big baby girl was perfect! Surrounded by family and friends we have missed so much. We went out to Arizona to get some much needed time away. Kaelen sat at the dinner table surrounded by the people that lover her most and ate her very own (stage 2 baby food) Turkey and Rice dinner. We went around the table of 20 and shared what we are thankful for and let me just say that I would have to say first and foremost it’s family! I am in love with an amazing man and father and am the proudest mommy on earth. We have the best of friends and an abundance of love to relish in. To those that we did not get to see this Thanksgiving, we love you dearly and are so thankful to have you in our lives.

Everyone was amazed at how big our Kaelen Patri has gotten…including us! She was all over Grandma’s floor. She is really trying to get the sitting up thing down and is a pro at pulling herself up to her feet. Crawling is still in the future as she is quite content lunging across the floor on her tummy. A milestone I am so happy to share…Our little chatterbox finally said it! She said that word I have been waiting for…“Momma” Friday morning as she is playing with our faces while we try to wake up. She was getting frustrated because she couldn’t clime over my head and out it came. I instantly woke up to confirm what just happened with Kyle. She hasn’t said it since and I think I might have to wait a little while for it to be a frequent term but it made my whole weekend!

This long weekend was the perfect time for a little family fun. Kyle spent as much time as possible riding with his friends in the desert and one day the baby and I joined him. Now most of you don’t know this but Kaelen used to go wild in my tummy when Daddy would race, the roar of 300+ bikes all starting at once would send her into a kicking frenzy…let’s just say it still happens. She’s not quite sure how she feels about the noise, on one hand it totally interests her and she follows it intently, but on the other…it scares that crap out of her and she screams and cries and it breaks my heart. I think we’ll have to take this whole joining Daddy in the desert slowly!