Oh, I forgot to mention, I've decided to take on the teaching of piano to Samuel. I'm giving them the first 2 lessons free, just so I can get a feel of things and how I do. Hopefully, all will go well. I'm charging $10. per half hour, so the extra money will come in handy!
We had a fun time on the 4th... I hope everyone else did, too! We had a few firecrackers that were about 4 years old, and some of the sparklers went in fits and starts, but we shared some of them with the kids, Sam and Chloe across the street. Their dad just had some of those loud noise makers that POP, with no pretties. Noel had some strobe ones that bugged me and some other whirly-do's that spin on the ground. Then we talked for awhile, while standing in the middle of the street. McKenna slept through it all.

McKenna has come up with a couple new things lately.
I was reading her bedtime board book story to her, and as I read I get the next page started in preparation to turn it. Well, McKenna reached out with her left hand and grabbed the page and turned it for me! And she did it for every single page, thereafter! She also does it for me with the paper pages of her other books, and when she turns she immediately lets go and doesn't hang on and crumple the paper. I'm so proud of her!
The other thing is that I had her in her toddler bath last night and I let her play a little longer than normal. She had a blue plastic boat in hand and was banging it on the side of the bath and into the water. She was having a ball! After 8-10 minutes I pulled the plug and grabbed her and pulled her out. I hadn't even straightened up with her when she let out a screech and started crying. And it wasn't an "I'm cold, cover me up" it was an angry, "put me back down!" Of course, I didn't and she calmed down within seconds once she was wrapped up and realized she wasn't going back in, but I found it funny because it's the first time she's really made a fuss when I've deprived her of something, wether toy or bath or whatever.
I also watched her today on her belly. She managed to push back almost onto her knees while she was up on her hands, but she didn't quite get her thighs perpendicular to the ground. Almost, though. Well, that's about it. I'm going to pop up some more pics of her walking with us, and then I've got packing to do for our trip to CT. I'm amazed at all the stuff I'm needing to bring for her! Later

Well, I met my neighbor across the street yesterday. Her little boy, Samuel, (about 8 or 9 I think) came over and asked if I would like some radishes from their garden. Sure, why not! So over I went while my daughter was napping away and I chatted with Carolyn for awhile. Found out she's LDS... she was interested in getting her son into piano lessons and was over at a girls house, who is charging $7/hr - evidently the parents are really intolerant of other religions, (their fundamental Christians, I think) so she felt uncomfortable and unwelcome - so she asked if I would like to teach Sam. I've never taught, so I told her Sam would be my guinea pig, but I'd give it a try. So, we talked about her garden, which is huge! and we also discussed home-schooling, which she does with her two kids. Said it was hard work, but worth it. I admitted that I'd thought of it, especially after finding out that we're in a school district that happens to have the lowest test scores in the county. She told me they have great support groups and the materials are very straight forward and easy to teach, but I guess I just need to research it and try to come to an informed decision.

Well, a couple of days ago, I managed to get our whole family to the park. We grabbed lunch at Quiznos (a rare treat) and then got some ice cream at Cold Stone and took it to the park. We sat on blankets with McKenna and watched the world go by. McKenna sat and played with some toys we brought. I wandered over and checked out the rose garden they have. Beautiful! Then checked out a local gathering of people, and from what I could hear of the lady on the microphone, it was a family reunion. There was also a nearby waterpark and we stuck McKenna in her stroller and wandered over to check it out. It was cheap compared to Roaring Springs. A buck for kids under 5 and I think it was $2. something for adults over 18yrs. It looked like a pretty good place to come sometime and also be able to save some money! Anyway, we had a good time, and I expect that's where I'll take her especially as she gets older.
Also, the other day I spent some time with Patty. I brought McKenna over and we sat in her craft room and I crocheted while she worked on the WKS clan flag. (A skull with bloody teeth) Questionable taste on the part of the guys, but what can you expect? I haven't seen the finished product yet, but Patty thinks she did a pretty good job, so I'll have to check it out soon. Joey played on the floor with McKenna and they pretty much entertained themselves.
Did some shopping also with Patty. I have discovered dollar stores! Especially, the Dollar Tree. I had no clue that they had so much good stuff there! I'll be getting a few toys from there, as well as probably cards, envelopes, and gift wrapping and storage containers. Thank you Patty!
So, the only other thing to report is that McKenna is doing well with those legs of hers. I can safely sit her down and expect she won't fall over, although I always put something down behind her, and I hauled her up by her hands and we "walked" a few feet across the living room floor. She kept grinning up at me. Then I stood her against the sofa so that she was facing it and hanging onto the cushions. I let her go for a second and she was supporting herself. It didn't last long, and I meant to get a picture, but it will have to be later when she gets up from her nap.
Alright, nuff for now.

I was nursing McKenna in bed this morning and was remembering how I used to hold her little hands to warms them up. No matter how warmly she was dressed when going to bed, her hands were always cold. So by the time she'd finished nursing her little hands would be all toasty again. Now, she's constantly doing something with those hands. Usually, it's grabbing and twisting, which I'm always trying to fend off. And her hands are always warm, now. I've noticed rough patches on her skin, mainly her arms and tops of her shoulders. It reminds me of the exzema (sp?) patches I used to get here and there. I'm keeping an eye on them and I might try smearing on a little diproline creme that the doc gave me to see if it helps. What else? Oh, I was trimming her toe-nails, and I'm thinking that she might eventually have ingrown nails like Noel. The sides of the nail bed are short and wide, and don't look like my toes at all. So far, everythings good. I had a great day with her yesterday. We had a tickle and giggle fest on the floor and I'd schmuckle her belly and neck and she LOVED it!! I could have done that all day. It does wonderful things to my insides to see her laugh and smile. Hmm, oh yes, I've got her in the toddler tub now instead of the sink, which was rapidly shrinking. I've started using shampoo on her head since she's actually growing some hair. I tip her head back and put a washcloth over her eyes to rinse and she's still getting used to that. I get a lot of gasping and leg thrashing, although I'm careful not to get soap in her eyes... I think it's the sensation of the water pouring over her head that she's not too sure of. She hasn't cried or anything, so I think it's just a new thing. Hmm... will write more when I'm more awake. I made myself get up at 6am this morning.
I've been having trouble falling asleep at night, and toss and turn for a couple hours usually. I then thought about the fact that when I worked I would get up at 4:30am and go to bed at 9 or 10pm... and since I've been at home, I get up around 8 or 9am and try to go to sleep by 10, so my body just isn't tired enough to go to sleep, so instead of staying up really late, I'm going to try to make myself into an early bird so I can then go to bed with my husband, which I'm sure he'd appreciate once in awhile. I figured too, that once McKenna gets older, I can get up early and not only take care of some chores, but also get my breakfast eaten and then have McKennas prepped and ready to go when she awakes. Okay, enough for now.

Yesterday we went to the rec center and McKenna took her first swim. We went into the therapy pool that's about 4 feet deep. There were lots of kids there and three friends came over (pre-teen?) age and took a liking to her. They all took turns holding her. Pretty nice girls. McKenna really liked the one girl and was grinning and grabbing at her face. Noel came, but didn't get in the pool. Sat on the sidelines, and then left after 10 minutes, saying that the chlorine was bothering him. Not much of a swimmer, that one. Ah well, it was for McKenna, and she really liked it. I discovered how much water those diapers can hold (don't worry, I had a pink plastic diaper on over it)and it was an eye-opener! We all went home and took showers. Noel gave her a bath in the toddler tub we have from the Boglios; it was his first time. Previous to that she was still in the kitchen sink and I did most of the baths. Today Noel is at the dentist and I'm just relaxing. Looking forward to all the laundry I have to do later... Yahoo!

Well, I watched McKenna scoot backwards on her tummy about 5 feet. Every so often she would put her butt in the air and bend her knee under her. I'm so excited! The cat's are going to love it when she can get into drive and start coming after them! haha

Well, yesterday McKenna, Noel and I went to Christy's b-day party. Christy turned two and is the daughter of our friends Joe and Patty. I went early to help set up. It was a ladybug party, so most everyone (mainly kids) were wearing wings. Very cute! McKenna sat inside for an hour or so very quietly playing while Patty and I decorated, then after the party started I brought her out after her nap. We had little ladybug wings for her and she wore them without a fuss. I was manning the snow cone machine with Patty, and I set her next to us. After a little crying and comforting, she sat quietly with her fingers in her mouth just looking around at everyone. I was able to get some food and chat w/ another new mom there, then brought her over to where I was sitting. Noel was manning the grill and I passed her to him after awhile. I noticed her in Erica's arms after that, which was fine since I wanted her to get used to new faces and being held by new people. I'd like for her to develop some good social skills. Anyway, that party was great; McKenna had a taste of some frosting from a ladybug cupcake, and seemed to like it. (Noel was the culprit - I probably wouldn't have let her have any) I'm trying to keep her away from sweets for as long as possible, but some of her expressions are priceless when she tastes something sweet and new for the first time! Okay, well, I'll have to get a picture of her in her wings on my webshots page, so check back soon!

Time for a quick update...

McKenna can now officially sit up unassisted. I have pillows propped behind her for when she falls back, which she does still, but all is going well!
I'm still having fun as a SAHM, and in my spare time am trying to examine my spirituality a bit more... I've been doing some meditation and yoga, and I'm finding that I feel sharper mentally as well as physically, so I'll keep it up.
Took the kiddo out for a walk today. I slathered her up with sunblock, since it was pretty sunny. 72 degrees out, though... really nice! She's making noises on the monitor, so this will be short. She'll want out of that crib here really soon!

My current mood: Happy :D

McKenna has seen her first movie in a theater! And what a doozy it was! Star Wars: Episode III... I missed her first reaction because I had to run out and get some water, but it had just started (previews) and Noel was holding her and she was just goggling at the sound and the screen. We were only 5 rows from the front. So, after the first few minutes of absorbing new stimuli, she started acting up a little... not too much, though. I held her most of the time, and nursed her here and there when she seemed a bit cranky. She fell asleep on my shoulder about 10 mintues from the end of the movie. It ended at about 9:00pm... It was a late night for her, but she did better than I expected. I thought we might have a hard time getting her down, since she'd been awake for about 5-1/2 hours at that point, but she went down hard and stayed down. Didn't wake me up to eat until about 5am in the morning, either. Which is good! So, it worked out well. We had spent the day and Patty and Joe's watching Star Wars 1 and 2, so it was a long day. Let's see, what else? I don't know if I mentioned that when she's on her tummy, she'll scoot backwards a few feet at a time. She doesn't always do this, just when she's refreshed and full of beans.

We've been playing the piano together, and today we took a walk around the subdivision. I've been keeping an eye on a sandpiper nest in our neighbors yard under a tree. The guy lives in California, and hasn't been to his house in quite a few months. The weeds are higher than the bushes! But the bird likes the privacy. I'm tempted to take pictures of the egg and then the development of the baby bird so McKenna can see it when she's older. But I want to do it in the least invasive way. I'm still mulling it over. Well, gotta go. It's back to cleaning.
Oh, by the way, the movie was excellent!

... continued from below...

Okay, so where were we? Oh yes, I've just woke up from my first nap. By this time, it's about noon or 1pm. I cry or do my fake cough, and mommy comes and gets me. We go down and have some more play time. Mommy has started taking me to this big thing with lots of white and black things to hit. They make noise! I love banging away, and usually she lets me for about 10 minutes... then if it's nice, we go outside and sit on the porch swing and watch the birdies. There's lots of people in our neighborhood, so sometimes we walk over to say hi. After that, mommy puts me in my johnny jump-up. I love bouncing! I would bounce all day long, except for those darn naps I have to take! Sometimes mommy will put me on my tummy to play and I'll roll onto my back, and then watch her come and put me back on my tummy. Doesn't she understand that I don't want to be there? I like to watch the kitties walk by, and sometimes I'll reach out and grap at their silky hair. Oo, I love the feel of it! It makes me laugh and laugh! After more play time, sometimes mommy will take me into what they call the computer room, and she'll hold me while she does stuff on the "computer". All I can tell is that when she hits all the buttons, it makes stuff happen on the big square in front of me, so I like to bang on those buttons, too. Lately, they've been trying to stop me because when I hit those buttons I get stuff to happen, too! Daddy and mommy make those funny noises when I do it, especially when the square goes dark.

Let's see, at about this point, I go down for another nap. When I get up, mommy has me lay on my blankie on the floor in the family roon and play while she runs back and forth around the house. Sometimes, she's carrying things, other times she pushes this loud black thing around. And later, she'll put me in my exersaucer and take me with her into the kitchen and she'll make things that smell good. I can't wait till I can put them in my mouth, too! Mommy HAS given me yummy stuff she calls "apple juice" in a sippy cup and she helps me hold it, but I tell her I can do it by myself! After she makes the yummy smelling stuff, we go into the family room and she turns on this BIG square that has moving pictures! We have more cuddle time, and then daddy comes home! I love grabbing all that red stuff on his face! He'll play with me and cuddle me and I like bouncing up and down on his belly. It's nice and soft. After mommy and daddy eat, I have to go to bed. But before I do, they poke some more questionable goo into my mouth. I have to wear a disgusted look at times to let them know how I feel! Somehow, they get most of it into me. I really don't know how... they are SO incompetant with that spoon! Then daddy or mommy puts me to bed. And that's my day! Jeez, I'm a really busy girl, aren't I?

Hi everyone! My name is McKenna. Mommy thought I should write to you. I thought I'd tell you about a typical day I share with my mom. So here goes!

In the morning, I wake mommy up at around 8am, and lately I've decided that instead of crying it's more fun to do my fake cough. I'll lay in my crib and do that for awhile and see if she comes running. It's so funny when she does! Then we go to her room for breakfast in bed. Personally, I'm more interested in keeping her attention on me than in eating (especially if I woke her up in the middle of the night to eat!)so I like to grab and scratch whatever I can get ahold of. Sometimes it's her nose! I think she really likes that because she makes strange noises.
After we eat, she lays me down on the bed with some pillows on either side of me(because I'm starting to roll now, yippee!) and gets ready for the day. After that, we go downstairs, open up the blinds, and have some snuggle time on the couch. She changes my diaper, and then I play in my exersaucer. I love all the stuff on it, especially the mirror. I like talking to the other baby, but she doesn't say too much. While I do that, mommy watches the Today Show.

After awhile, I get hungry, so mommy feeds me on the couch, and then we go into the kitchen and she gives me baby food from a jar. I must say, I'm not too sure about some of the stuff she pokes into my mouth, but I do like spinach. Daddy rolls his eyes when mommy tells him what I'm eating... I'm not too sure, but I think that means he likes spinach, too! Mommy isn't always too good with the spoon, so I've started helping her. I like to grab the handle and help guide the spoon to my mouth. Sometimes though, I just try to grab the food off the spoon and put it in my mouth. Wouldn't it be easier that way? And mommy likes when I do it, because she always laughs.

After breakfast, I have to take my first nap and mommy takes me up and checks my diaper. I think mommy is confused though, because sometimes when she changes my diapers, she'll say oo, carrots! Or, oo, garden veggies! But I don't get it, because isn't that what I eat? Hmm, that mommy's pretty funny! So after my diaper change, she wipes my hands and face with a wet cloth, and someone should tell her to warm it up! I screw up my face in anticipation of that cold, wet cloth, and I'm sure I must be getting my point across because she makes these funny noises in her chest and interesting face grimaces. So after that, we read a book. Sometimes, it's "Where the Wild things are" and other times it's "I'm a Manatee". I like both, but I'd like them more if mom would let me grab and twist the pages... I think someone needs to tell my mommy to get some soft baby books that I can play with. So, after our little bedtime routine, she puts me down in the crib. I usually have to cry and fuss for at least 5 minutes to let mommy know I really DON'T want to sleep, but after that I'm usually too tired to continue. Besides, the sooner I fall asleep, the sooner I can get up again. Okay, telling this has made me ready for another nap... To be continued...

Good Morning!

So what's new? Noel took me out to Olive Garden for mothers day. We had a really good time, and the best part was the waiting time (40 min) because there was this nice grassy strip beside the restaurant with big trees, so we sat on the grass and put McKenna on a blanket and watched the other families. Several were on the grass, too. There was a young couple with a little baby boy who was crawling, and they were practicing walking with him. There were a few older kids throwing something up into the tree branches near us. When we sat down with McKenna their parents made them move farther away so nothing would fall on us. And the cutest thing was a little girl who was toddling towards us with outstreched hands and a bright gleam in her eye, and she was focused on McKenna. Her mom caught her before she could make contact, and told us she would have "grabbed" our daughter... her mom said she just loves other babies right now. But she was only 10 months! I couldn't believe it. She had only been walking a month her mom said, and was still plopping down on her butt a lot like young walkers do. McKenna's 7.5 months old and has just starting rolling over. I'm amazed at the difference of growth that babies go through. But I'm not worried... as long as she grows up healthy and happy, I don't care if she doesn't start walking until she's two! Other than that, nothing much to report except we have a follow-up with McKennas heart doctor on the 16th? I think of this month to have another EKG done to compare against the first one so they can see if there's any change. I doubt anything negative will have happened since she's growing really well. My back tells me every time I pick her up that she's putting on weight. And she looks great. That's about it. McKennas down for a nap, so it's time to vacuum!

So, yesterday was one of those great days. Noel and I slept in (so did McKenna) and when everyone woke up we all cuddled in bed together for awhile. Afterwards, we went downstairs where Noel cooked omelettes, and they were quite yummy! Later in the day, my friend Patty watched McKenna for us while Noel and I went out for dinner at Red Robin, and then saw the movie, "Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy". I can say it was original and unique, and was probably a very good book, but I wouldn't see it in theaters again. After that, we went home, with our daughter, of course, and watched some "Without a Trace"

Yesterday, McKenna rolled over from her tummy to her back for the first time... she was really working at it too... the sound effects were funny. I could tell she was a little upset by being on her tummy, so that must have been the incentive to get rolling. Yeah!

Well, yesterday I went in to get McKenna up from a nap and found her on her side, holding her toes... it's the first time she's rolled completely onto her side and stayed there! I know I put up that pic that shows her sitting, but I put her there, and she certainly didn't get herself there... so I'm excited! She's been making more articulations... ummms, and mmmmm's, and lots of moaning sounds... kind of funny! The weather here has been really warm. Yesterday it was 74, and it's been getting up to 77 and 78 in the house, so she's been in her cool clothing. We're going to hold off on using the AC for as long as possible... so far we're not that uncomfortable. At night we open the windows in our bedroom, and McKenna just wears light pajamas with no blankie. She's been sleeping about 9 hours... from 8 or 8:30 to about 5 in the morning, when she wakes me to nurse. After that, she goes back to sleep for another 3 hours or so. I've been giving her two meals a day, besides what she gets from me. Once before her first nap, and then right before she goes to bed. She seems to be doing well with that schedule so far. I tried giving her some diluted apple juice from a sippy cup today. She got her hands around the handle and could put the spout in her mouth. I had to help her get some height on it since I didn't have it very full, but she took a couple pulls on it, would take it out of her mouth, LOOK at it, then pop it back in and try again. I think she only got a few sips, then she started chewing on it. I'm not sure she's ready for it yet... but I'll try again every so often. That's it for now...

McKenna went to the pediatricians two days ago to get her shots... both Noel and I accompanied her. We argued about who would be the bad guy and get to hold her while the nurse gave her the two shots (immunizations) she needed. The nurse said we didn't need to hold her, so we got to "rescue" her after the shots were given. She of course was not happy about getting shots and started some terrible crying. At one point she screwed up her face and drew in a breath, but didn't let it out. She actually started turning blue, and I said "breathe, child breathe!!" and she let it out - and proceeded to scream some more...ugh, that was a little scary! So we talked to the doc again about her head. It's looking a little better, but her ears are still cock-eyed. I mentioned that she's been getting up twice a night for me to feed her, and he said at this age (6 months) she shouldn't need such frequent feedings and we can start some "tough love" and not feed her so often at night. Of course, ever since the appointment she's been sleeping through the night. Which is great! So, maybe it was a phase. Another funny thing - she really likes Diablo! She'll put her hands out towards him when he comes near and if he walks close by while I'm holding her she'll trail her fingers along his side. Sometimes she grabs and gets a fist full of hair, but I'm trying to prevent that kind of thing. I don't want to get Diablo upset.
Well, gotta go... I'll write more later.

McKenna now recognizes her name! She was in her exersaucer yesterday when I called her name and she turned her head and looked at me! It was very exciting.
One thing that happened two days ago that I thought was VERY funny was she was again in her exersaucer and I heard her fart, and then she laughed! She did it again a couple of seconds later. Totally hilarious... she must have thought it was funny too... or else that it felt funny! I wish I'd gotten it on tape. Noel also got playing with her and starting spinning around while holding her (about 5 or 6 times) and when he stopped her poor little eyeballs were still going from side to side... I gasped when I saw it because it was funny, but also shocking... I told him not to do it again unless I'm video recording and then we'll send it in to America's Funniest Home Video's. After that, no more! So anyway, it's been fun... although everything seems to be going so slowly, I know I'll look back after she's grown and wonder how it could have gone by so fast!

Little Miss McKenna can roll onto her side now! Actually it was two days ago that she first did it, but that's okay. And she was on the floor with Noel just a couple minutes ago, and he put her on her side and said (I wasn't watching) that she rolled to her tummy... I guess I'll believe him! She's been doing okay for sleeptimes, except for her morning nap... we had a bit of a struggle going down. Ah well, it'll iron itself out, I guess.
Regarding other stuff, our truck almost broke down on Noel coming home a couple nights ago. He thinks it's the drive train, but is not positive. He's been taking my car, so I'm not getting out and about much for the next few days... I was invited to a poker game (playing for nickels and dimes) but he had to take my car that day and had a meeting right after work, so I wasn't able to go. Bummer - it's nice getting out once in awhile. I told Lydia to keep me in mind for the next game. They're kind of fun. More chatting than playing, and she invites other call center reps, so it's a way to keep in touch with people from work.
Other than that, all's well. The temperature's been in the high 50's to 60's (it was 70 two days ago!) so we bought a porch swing for the front porch. I wanted to go with rockers, but we were pricing them and most come to about $100. each! The rocker we found sits three, it swings, has a canopy, and it reclines into a bed-type thing! All for $100. So I'm happy. Noel's going to put it together tonight, so I can sit out there with McKenna when it's nice and warm. Okay, more later! xoxo

McKenna is getting to be quite the self-aware little thing! I'd swear I caught her checking out her nails yesterday! haha

Really, everythings pretty good except we went through a period of screaming whenever I put her down for naps or sleep, so I did some research (called friend and family as well as looked online) to find out what works for other moms. During the course of my research, I learned that I most likely caused the problem, because for awhile I would nurse her and then gently move her so she could nap. Evidently this causes a "negative sleep association" and so she was thinking she needed to nurse in order to fall asleep.

Normally, this wouldn't really bother me since she sleeps really well at night (all the way through), but I knew that if she went through teething or got sick and was waking up a lot at night, she'd need comfort nursing in order to fall back asleep, so I decided we needed her to be able to soothe herself to sleep. (And she'd been doing great for the longest time - I could put her to bed awake and she'd fall asleep no problem) So, we decided to try the "cry it out method" and it has worked! Basically, I'd put her in her crib at bed or naptime while she's awake, after having been read to, fed, and changed, and walk away. If she started crying, I'd come back in 5 minutes to reassure her, then walk away again, each time coming back after longer intervals if she was still crying. Once she understood that I wasn't going to pick her up or nurse her she decided she could put herself to sleep. So she just sucks her thumb and goes to sleep on her own now. I went through a lot of guilt while going through this, feeling like a horrible mom for letting her cry, but it's worth it to have a baby that you can put down and she'll promptly fall asleep for you. So, she pretty much got the hang of it (only took two days vs. a week like some experts say) quickly. Well, that's the update. She's upstairs sleeping right now taking her morning nap and mommy gets some computer time!