Presley - SIX months old!!

WOW! Time flies. It feels like just yesterday I was having those contractions. It was still the BEST experience ever and I'd do it again in a heartbeat - pain and all. Now six months has passed and Presley has grown into a wonderful, sweet, loving little baby. She is super easy-going and smiles with her whole body. What a joy to be around! And Kennedy is obsessed with her. She is truly the BEST big sister and loves being around her.

A big and exciting milestone took place on February 8, 2012. She said her first word... MAMA!!!!! I put her down for bed and she started crying. Not too hard though, so I was going to give her a few more minutes to see if she'd calm down. All of the sudden I hear, "Maaaaaa maaaaaaa!" I stopped and listened again. "Maaaaaaa maaaaaa!" She sort of paused in between each MA. I was in disbelief! Not even six months old and saying her first word?! Seemed so early to us! I went in there immediately and picked her up. I pointed to myself and said mama again. She repeated, although a little slower. The next morning by noon, she had already said it six times. It was so exciting!! Unfortunately, it's mostly when she's whining/crying. Hmm... maybe I should've taught her DADA after all! ;)

Presley is ready to crawl. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks, but can't quite figure it out. Within the last few days, she's REALLY been moving. Her legs move forward in a crawling motion, but her arms are stuck. Basically she face-plants and gets right back up again. She is 'scooting' everywhere!! I'm excited, but anxious at the same time. I'm actually on amazon searching for a baby gate as I type this! Ahhh!

Everyday she seems to feel the effects of teething more. Whether drooling, chewing on everything in sight, or just a little whiny, I'd say those bad boys are right around the corner. I'm indifferent about this taking place. I'm excited for her to have teeth, but I think I'll regret it when she chomps down on my nipple for the first time. We'll see how bad it really is...

Presley is 13lbs 12oz and 27in long. That's one pound and one inch more than her 4 month check. The doctor said, "She's tall and skinny... it's the American dream." lol! So basically, I don't need to worry about her small size. She's gaining and is healthy! :)

Sledding

We took Kennedy sledding for the FIRST time ever on January 21st! Yes, I'm behind on blogging. That isn't a new occurrence, after all. It was a GORGEOUS day out. Sunny, about 30 and lots of snow to sled down. After dropping Presley off at Grandma and Grandpa's house, we met the Browns at Humboldt park. This was also Max and Silas' first time sledding!

Kennedy's first time down was a doozie. Jon sat behind her and because there were other children in his path, he had to use his feet to steer clear of them. This caused the snow to spray up onto Kennedy's face, giving her a horrible face wash. She cried pretty hard. But after we wiped her off, she was ready to go again! Each time down she came up with a different method for covering her face. It was pretty cute. In the end, the kids all went down by themselves (A LOT). They did an awesome job! And after two hours, they didn't want to leave! But since there was talk of hot cocoa afterwards, they left with no questions. We picked up Presley and went home for some good 'ole hot chocolate -- with mini marshmallows.

Jon and I had such a great time sledding that day. We felt like kids again! We can't wait to take Kennedy... IF it ever snows again. (Not that I'm complaining about our mild winter AT ALL. I love it!)

It was a FANTASTIC day!

Christmas 2011

We started celebrating Christmas a little early this year. Since Sarah and Brandon left on December 20th, we had Christmas here with my family on December 17th. We had good food, opened lots of great presents and met up with Raven and Jeremy for a movie afterwards. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a MUST SEE. After the movie, we all went by the Browns for a game night. We introduced Mafia to my family and they LOVED it. Good times. Amazing people. :)

On Christmas Eve, my dad joined us (and my mom/Brittany) for dinner. Jon made an amazing roast. I'm so jealous of his skills in the kitchen. Someday I'll be able to cook like him! Then the girls opened presents from my dad. Kennedy is one blessed little girl, let me tell you!

Christmas day, we all headed over to Chris and Rebecca's to celebrate with the Schultz side. We got to see their beautiful home and enjoyed each other's company. We laughed the whole time and girls were spoiled with more great gifts! I'm really looking forward to our Schultz Family Trip to the Dells in January!!

Today? Well we decided to sit back and enjoy each other. We played a lot of Kennedy's new board games multiple times and laughed A LOT. I love our little family. We had such an amazing Christmas with our family and friends. I know I say it all the time, but we are so blessed!!!!

Dream

I have been praying that I would have a dream about my grandma since she passed away March 15, 2010. It might seem weird, but I want to 'see' her one last time. Well early this morning I finally had that dream!!!!

My friend and I were in Hallmark together (fitting, since she used to work at Hallmark) looking at something in the front of the store. My grandma suddenly came up on the side of us to look at something. I spotted her short pixie hair and realized it was her immediately! I frantically started hugging and kissing her!!! I kept saying, "Is this real?! Is this a dream?! I hope this is real!!! I love you so much!!" She just kept smiling. But the strange part... I don't remember her speaking in my dream. She eventually just sort of disappeared.

I got what felt like, two minutes with her, but all I did was rejoice and love all over her the entire time. I've been REALLY missing her the last few days. The holidays just aren't the same without her. :'(

I'm excited to reunite with her in heaven... and I can imagine I'll be feeling somewhat like I did in my dream :')

Complete Opposites

Kennedy and Presley are already turning out to be complete opposites in many ways. Kennedy puked after each meal... and I'm not talking spit up. It was straight up smelly vomit. Presley never spits up/pukes. Kennedy never put anything in her mouth. Presley puts EVERYTHING she touches in her mouth. Kennedy scowled at people who weren't familiar. Presley welcomes strangers with a big smile. Kennedy went down for bed every night without a peep. Presley fights her sleep to the death.

Presley fighting her sleep is really starting to get old. Jon and I take turns every night popping her nuk back in her mouth. She wants it in, but her hands keep taking it out. I also noticed how often she tosses and turns when she goes down. Whether I rock her into a deep sleep or just put her down awake, she fights it! If anyone knows me at all, they know I'm not very welcoming of change. This is hard for me! I feel like I've done it all, but she still seems to have a hard time at night. Naps are completely fine. I don't even rock her and she crashes on her own. Presley is an easy baby who is happy 90% of the time. But that other 10% is a girl who is super high maintenance. I have no idea where that came from..... ;)

How do I fix this?! Or is it just a phase that will pass? Help!! :)

Catching Up

I feel like I'm always catching up on here. I really need to be a more disciplined blogger!

SO! Presley is over four months old now and is such a happy baby. She's been rolling over since two months old, sleeping through the night at three months, and likes to put her hands (and everything else) in her mouth. Kennedy wasn't like this at all and being the germaphobe that I am, it drives me INSANE. I spend most of my day gently pulling her hands away from her mouth... but apparently she doesn't get it! ;) I'm resorted to think she's teething because drool and insatiable gnawing seem to come with the territory. Kennedy didn't pop her first tooth until nine months old and I never detected any signs of teething. This little girl is very different already. I hope to see a tooth soon, so all of this craziness is worth something!

Kennedy is four-and-a-half going on 14. She's unbelievably smart... not only academically, but socially too. She's been able to detect Jon's sarcasm for a long time now, and isn't afraid to return the favor. She keeps us constantly laughing. There are times when her attitude is all in good fun, but can also verge on the side of sassy too. I have to be quick to correct her. Mama don't raise no sass mouth. ;) Other than her hilarious sense of humor, she has the biggest heart I've ever seen. She is so loving and continues to be the best thing in Presley's life. That baby is captivated by Kennedy. She knows just how to make Presley laugh and LOVES being her big sister. I'm so proud of her. She is turning out to be a really amazing kid.

Thanksgiving came and went in a flash. We hosted my side of the family again. My Dad, Aunt Susie, Aunt Mary, and cousin, Ashley, joined us too. There's never a dull moment when we all get together. It was a lot of fun!

We celebrated Christmas early this year because Sarah and Brandon had to leave right before the holidays. Their first stop was Virginia to spend some time with his side of the family. And then on January 2nd, they're off to Japan for the next three years. They were living upstairs with my mom and Brittany for three weeks leading up to their departure, and I'm so glad they had it worked out that way. We saw them every day, sometimes multiple times, and enjoyed every minute of it. Except when Sarah and I got into few arguments... but isn't that what sisters are for?! They left a few days ago for good. I know I'll see her this summer, but saying goodbye to her was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. We've never lived far from each other, so this is going to be quite an adjustment. I'm not worried about her at all though... Brandon takes very good care of her. I'm just sad I won't have my sister close by anymore. :(

Alright, enough of the tears... God allows everything to happen for a reason. I just need to suck it up now! ;)

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Family Pictures!

November 5, 2011