Bathing beauty

Kayleigh received a ducky bath tub for Christmas, and she loves it! We gave her her first bath in it last night. She liked being able to splash around in the water. Her old tub wasn't very conducive to play. We let her stay in a little longer than normal last night, and watched as she splashed about and played with a little rubber ducky.

Merry Christmas part 3

I'd like to think that Kayleigh enjoyed her first Christmas. It was a busy holiday season for sure, but we got to visit with lots of family and friends. After the Eikeland family Christmas, we went to dinner with the Giuniperos. Kayleigh's eye had been gunky on Saturday (the day of the Eikeland get together), and the next morning I was positive it was pink eye. Yuck! Sunday morning we were in a walk in clinic getting a prescription for her. The doctor also wanted to give her amoxicillin because she thought that Kayleigh might have a sinus infection. She gathered that from her runny nose and the fact that she couldn't get over her cough.
By that afternoon we were off to my parents' house. We spent the evening with Valerie and Matt at my parents' house. On Monday, we visited with Granny and Aunt Ola. They wanted to see Kayleigh even though she was sick! Monday night we had dinner with the Woodsons and my grandmother.
Kayleigh opened most of her gifts Christmas morning before conking out for a nap. She liked to pull the paper off of her gifts, but then she put it straight into her mouth! I'm not sure she understood that the good stuff wasn't the paper, it was what was underneath the paper!

Merry Christmast part 2

Saturday was the Eikeland family Christmas. The adults have an ornament exchange, and we give gifts to the kids. Of course, Shirley, being a mom, still gives gifts to her big kids! We had a delicious lunch of ham, baked beans, potato salad and more!

I know there are a bunch of pictures this time, but they were all so good! I would have liked to put more on, so you're welcome for trimming down the list. :)

P.S. Chaille, I still want that recipe for your White Trash!!!

Pulling up

During this past week or so, I've notice that Kayleigh is learning to pull herself up to a standing position. It's a little torturous to Romeo (the cockatiel). Kayleigh usually pulls herself up while I'm holding her in my lap and Romeo on my shoulder. Kayleigh desperately wants to pet the bird, even though the bird wants nothing to do with her. So, while Kayleigh is sitting in my lap, she'll start to reach up to my shoulder to get at Romeo. Romeo will then start climbing down my back to get away from Kayleigh. Undeterred, Kayleigh will then proceed to pull on my shirt and straighten her legs so that she's in a standing position. It's pretty neat! She's still in the process of learning to crawl, too. Her teacher said on Wednesday that if she put something behind Kayleigh, she can push off of it. I then reminded the teacher that we do NOT want Kayleigh to learn how to crawl. I guess she listened because on Friday the teacher said that Kayleigh was only happy if someone was holding her. That's not entirely true...She was also happy if she was sitting in front of the mirror looking at herself!!
Erik and I DEFINITELY want to get a video of Kayleigh pulling herself up so that everyone can see it. Be on the lookout! For those of you that know Kayleigh well, you know that she is not a performer, so this could take a little while!

Kayleigh vs. Peas Round 2

Try as I might, I just couldn't get Kayleigh to eat her peas in a civilized manner. I think I got 2 spoonfuls in her mouth that she didn't try to grab out of my hand! I have a couple of videos, and I might try to post them again. If you think you can do a better job, feel free to give it a shot!!

Merry Christmas part 1

On Thursday night, Erik and I had his parents over for dinner and to open our Christmas gifts. On Saturday, we'll have Christmas part 2 when we celebrate with the rest of the Eikelands. Part 3 will be Christmas morning with my parents in St Pete.

Back to school

I know that it's the middle of December, but today was my first day back at work. It was a success (meaning, I made it through the day without incident), and it looks like I'll be able to make it through the school year. I was in the classroom with my substitute. She's there through Friday and will give the kids the exam. She's really nice, and it was an easy way to start my time back at CHS. There's a little bit of an overlap with her stuff and mine, meaning I want her stuff out of my desk!!! Hopefully I'll have everything back in order by the end of the day on Friday. Luckily, we also have a planning day in January before the kids get back, so I'll have one extra day to get things done that I need to get done.

Peas please!

For the first time today, I tried my hand at making my own baby food. Chat had talked me through it the other day, and I was feeling confident in my baby food making skills. I'm sure I'll get better with practice, but I made Kayleigh some organic peas today. Yum! I'm not sure if she really liked the peas, or if she just liked chewing on the spoon. She kept grabbing the spoon out of my hand so that she could chew on it. It helped her get the peas down, so I'm not complaining! She did make a bit of a mess of herself, though.
The lesson I learned after making the peas is that I need to make a LOT more if I'm going to be doing this full time. I got about 2 meals out of what I made, and I'm only supposed to give her a tablespoon at a time while we're in the trial period. (That means that she tries the food and we wait to see if she has an allergic reaction. Fun times.)

Congratulations Jonathan!!

We Eikelands are up here in North Carolina celebrating Jonathan's graduation from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. We're enjoying our time up here with Jonathan's family who we don't get to see often. They have a 15 month old daughter, Mia, who is having a good time with Kayleigh. Earlier, she offered Kayleigh her sippy cup, but wasn't happy when Kayleigh accepted the gift!

Sitting with Santa

Kayleigh got to visit Santa last week. I was going to save the pictures for a Christmas card, but they're too cute to wait! Santa is actually Granddaddy Jim, but he plays the part well. I don't think Kayleigh could tell the difference.

6 months old

There are probably a couple of reasons why I've waited to take and post Kayleigh's 6 month pictures. One reason is that the laptop isn't working, so it's harder to get the pictures on the computer. Those of you with a desktop probably know what a pain it is to plug the camera cord into the back of the computer. Another reason is that Kayleigh has another cold, so I've been keeping her at home and it's hard to get things done when she wants attention. But, the most likely reason is that admitting that Kayleigh is 6 months old is also admitting that my time at home is quickly coming to an end. Oh how I'm going to miss these days at home with her. Of course, in a perfect world, I would still be a stay at home mom who could take Kayleigh to day care a couple of hours a day in order to get things done around the house. :)
Kayleigh's super cute outfit was a gift from Mama Shirley. It was cold on Tuesday when I took these pictures, and it was fun to get to put her in the outfit.
On to the 6 month stats. Kayleigh had her check up this morning. All is well. People can stop talking about how much she's grown, though, because she is just as tall (or short, depending on how you look at it) now as she was at her 4 month check up. I guess she hasn't hit her latest growth spurt yet. She is up about a pound, though. She's 18 1/2 pounds now. At her 4 month check up she was 17 lbs 13 ounces. Kayleigh also had to have 4 shots today. YUCK! We did NOT like them! But, we survived, and she's taking it all in stride.

Thanksgiving

I know it's been a couple of (okay, a few!) days since Thanksgiving, but I'm finally getting around to putting these pictures up. We had a great time in Jacksonville with my side of the family. Taylor and Kayleigh had fun getting to know each other again. The girls were great. My grandfather (dad's dad) flew up from Ft. Lauderdale to spend Thanksgiving with us. It was his first chance to get to meet the babies. It was great to get to see him and spend time with him.
P.S. We also call my dad's dad "abuelo".

Cute picture

I know I seem to post a bunch of blogs at the same time and then go through a dry spell, but isn't that how life is?? Lots of neat things happen sometimes, and other times it feels like it's just the same thing day after day. Erik laid Kayleigh on our bed last night so that she could take a power nap while we at dinner. He promises that he didn't put Steve (it's a Steve Irwin doll from the "Crocodile Hunter") in her hands, that she grabbed him all by herself.
Make sure to keep scrolling down to see the other recent blogs!!! :)

Finished bedroom

After months of not having matching furniture, Kayleigh finally has a completed bedroom. Erik and I found the furniture at a place that's going out of business. Mrs. Giunipero got the matching bookcase, and I'm glad she did. Thanks Mrs. G!!! I think it all looks great and Kayleigh's room finally looks complete. We're excited about Nick, Robyn and Taylor getting to see it in person tomorrow!!!

Exersaucer

Erik and I went garage saling on Saturday morning, and boy was it worth it!! The last sale we stopped at had this exersaucer. I couldn't believe it when the woman said that it was only $5!! It is $80 in the store. As you can see, Kayleigh seems to like it. She still has to learn how to make the chair spin. She made it move a little bit today, but I'm not sure that she knew what she was doing. I think she was just trying to turn around to look at the dogs. :)

Scooter

Kayleigh is working on her mobility. When I get her out of her crib, she's usually in a different place than where I left her. She's starting to rock back and forth on her hands and knees. When I picked her up from school today, she had scooted herself about 4 feet. The funniest part is that she moved backwards. I can't say that I looked forward to this day. I'm going to have to figure out how to hinder her progress! I'm going to miss knowing that she will stay right where I left her!!

Cousin Thor

This morning, the "other" Eikelands came over to Tallahassee. The guys went to play golf, while the girls stayed at Jim and Shirley's house for some spa and relaxation time. Kayleigh and Thor hadn't seen each other since July, and they seemed excited to be together again. They liked looking at each other and picking out their similar Eikeland traits. The adults enjoyed seeing how much each of the babies had grown and the different "tricks" they're able to do.

Our little Sickie

I think that Kayleigh partied a little too hard on Halloween, and is now paying for it. On Thursday night, she was doing her usual cough, although it might have been a little more wet than it had been. On Friday, the cough was more regular. By Saturday, we knew she was sick. On Sunday morning, Erik and I took Kayleigh to a walk in clinic. They told us that it was just a cold. She had had a cold before, but I was being a little more paranoid this time because a LOT of kids at her day care were sick with different ailments. On Monday night, Kayleigh started wheezing. Then I got worried since some of the day care kids have had pneumonia and a respiratory infection. So, off to her pediatrician on Tuesday! I'm glad that I took her, because although the doctor said that she just had a cold still, she had developed an ear infection. FINALLY, something I can give her medicine for!!
On the plus side, at least I'm not working, so I can stay home and baby her. I've been holding her a lot more than normal, and she's sleeping a lot. I don't blame her! I would love to sleep away a sickness!

Red Hot Chili Pepper

Mama Shirley must have been extra excited about Kayleigh's first Halloween, because she bought her two outfits! She wore the duck one to school today (see blog below), and we had to try this one on her. It's a little snug and warm, but she's definitely a cutie!

5 month pictures

Happy Halloween!

Kayleigh's school had their fall festival this morning. It started with a little "parade" of all of the kids in their costumes. The older kids had their tricycles out and were riding them around. After the parade, the kids were able to trick or treat with the parents that were there. Afterward, there were games and stories and snack time. Kayleigh's class can't really enjoy that stuff, but they seemed to like being outside, at least.
Tonight is "Trunk or Treat" at church, so Kayleigh will be at another Halloween party then!

5 months old already???

I can't believe how fast the time has gone! I really can't believe that Kayleigh has been living with us for almost half of a year! Kayleigh is at school right now, so I haven't taken any pictures today. I'll have to get them up later. I thought I would put up the facts from "What to Expect the First Year" again. It's interesting, I think!

By five months, Kayleigh should be able to...
--Hold head steady when upright (check)
--On stomach, raise chest, supported by arms. (check)
--Pay attention to an object as small as a raisin (I still haven't tried this yet)
--Squeal in delight (check)
--Reach for an object (check, and her teachers were surprised when she did that last week at school)
--Smile spontaneously. (check)
--Smile back when you smile (She usually needs you to give her a reason to smile, and smiling isn't always good enough)
--Grasp a little rattle held to the backs or tips of her fingers (check)
--Keep head level with body when pulled to sitting (check)

At five months, Kayleigh will probably be able to...
--Roll over (check)
--Bear some weight on legs (check)
--Say vowel-consonant combinations (not really, at least I don't think so)
--Blow raspberries (check)
--Turn in the direction of a voice (check)

At five months, Kayleigh may possibly be able to...
--Sit without support (She can kind of sit leaning forward, so that she's pretty much holding herself up with her hands. I'm not sure that that counts!)

At five months, Kayleigh may even be able to...
Let's just say that she's not able to do any of these things yet. I won't embarrass her by listing them!

Success!!!

Erik and I have tried a couple of times to feed rice cereal to Kayleigh. This time, I'm pretty sure that most of the food went down. Before, she would mostly spit it out. I only used a teaspoon this time, and she didn't eat it all, but that's okay. I figured that I didn't need to force feed her while she's still nursing. Notice how neat of an eater she is! The worst thing she did was try to stick her fingers in her mouth while the food was in there. We'll keep trying the cereal. I don't think she's allowed to try "real" food until she's 6 months old.
P.S. Yes, we have heard about the Bumbo recall. Erik and I have decided to only put her in it on the table when we are right there. She will never be put in the Bumbo on a high surface when we're not in arms length.

Holy cuteness!!!

School days...

I took Kayleigh to school for a couple of hours today. When I picked her up, her class was just getting finished taking a walk around campus. I had seen this big, red stroller before, but I didn't know that the babies were able to use it as well. Kayleigh was just too cute, so I had to get some pictures. Her teacher said that she loved the stroller ride. The stroller is really neat. It sits two kids across and has 3 or 4 rows. I was so glad that I was able to catch this fun time!

Happy to be home

These are a couple of cute pictures of Kayleigh that I got last night.

A weekend in Mobile

This weekend, we had a great time getting to know our youngest niece, Taylor. We enjoyed just hanging out at Nick and Robyn's house. I'd like to think that the girls had fun meeting each other, but I shouldn't speak for them. On Saturday, we took the girls to have some fall pictures taken. These are just a few of the many we took.

Four month check up

Today, I took Kayleigh to the doctor's office for a check up and shots. I asked the doctor about her lingering cough from the cold she got a couple of weeks ago, and the doctor said she was fine. Kayleigh would have done better at the appointment, but we cut into nap time, and let's face it, that would make anyone sad!! She did fine with her two shots, although I just gave her some more Tylenol because I think she has a little fever right now. I know that's one of the side effects, so I'm not worried about it.
I finally took her 4 month pictures. Sorry that they're late. She's starting to enjoy Mumble more and I think it shows!
Oh, Kayleigh's measurements today were:
length: 24 inches (or 2 feet if you prefer)
weight: 17 pounds 12 ounces. She gained almost 4 pounds in 2 months!!!

Aunt Valerie and uncle Matt should be here any minute. We're leaving tomorrow to meet Taylor and see Nick and Robyn.

One year ago today

When I woke up this morning, I couldn't help but think about everything that's happened in the last year. It was on this day last year that I became 100% sure that I was pregnant. On or around September 28th, I took a pregnancy test, and it was positive. On Monday of this week last year, I went to the girly doctor and they confirmed the pregnancy. I was still nervous about it and asked to have blood work done. I went to the blood place on Monday and Wednesday afternoons to have blood drawn. On Thursday morning, while I was having fiestas with my students, the nurse called with my results. (I should probably tell you that we were having fiestas to celebrate the end of the first quarter, and I was leaving at lunch to fly to NYC with the Eikelands and probably didn't feel like doing too much!!) When the nurse called, she said that she would still like for me to come in for an ultrasound. I was scared to death. I told my friend, Drew, about what was going on, and called Erik to see if he could get off work extra early to go to the ultrasound. I don't know how the doctor's office was able to get me in so quickly, but I had told them that I was getting ready to leave town and wanted to get it done before I left.
As we all know now, the ultrasound showed us Kayleigh for the first time. What an amazing year it has been!

Jelly Belly Factory

One of the things that we did in Chicago was go to the Jelly Belly factory. Well, it's actually in Wisconsin, but we went while up there. We got a tour of the warehouse and a free sample of jelly beans. They had a sample bar with some new, gross flavors. Erik was brave enough to try rotten eggs and grass. Matt tried the pickle and something else. Neither of them liked it, and I'm not sure that they were even able to keep them down!
ONe thing that they sell at the store is bags of "belly flops". These are jelly beans that aren't perfectly formed and can't be sold in the regular stores. They sell them at an awesome discount. Yes, Jonathan, there's a bag waiting for you!!

First flight

You would have thought that Kayleigh was a veteran flyer by how well she did on her first flight to Chicago! Even with an HOUR (!!) delay on the runway, Kayleigh slept the entire way. Thank goodness she was so good. I'm not sure what I would have done if she freaked out. The flight wasn't full, so she got to stay in her carseat, rather than having to sit on my lap.
On our way back from Chicago, Kayleigh decided to stay awake a little longer. She still did great. She made her tired noise a few times (it's really cute if you haven't heard it yet), but I think the noise from the plane was louder than her, so it didn't bother people. Plus, there was another baby that was crying, so I'm sure he drowned out any small noise that Kayleigh made!