Month: July 2017

KENSIE USED SIGN LANGUAGE TODAY FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME! I gave Kens a new snack this afternoon and asked if she wanted more. I always ask and show her the sign and help her use her hands to do it. Today, I asked if she wanted “more” and she copied my hands on her own! I was so proud! 

This weekend we had a great day and a not so great day. Saturday K slept in a little (thank you Lord) and was full of smiles all day long. We went to support some of our athletes out at a competition and other than really wanting to crawl on the gym floor, Kens loved it! I was waiting for her breakdown from being tired and hungry, but it never came. 

Kens was also on a standing mission this weekend. Any time she had the opportunity, she’d pull herself up and stand. After a while she’d get frustrated because she couldn’t figure out how to move from that position. I’m so not ready for KB to walk!

I got this post done earlier than usual tonight since Kensie went to bed early… And not like “oh how sweet she wants to go to bed”. It was more like “oh my lanta I can’t listen to this child fuss one more time”. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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That was the majority of her afternoon. No matter what we tried. Woof. She woke up an hour earlier than usual and it showed…all. day. long. 

We had to do a lot of distracting today so that KB would take a chill pill. It started with a morning family walk, but it didn’t last long since it felt like it was about 300 degrees out today! 

This afternoon we got CPR certified and KB had to come along. In her defense, she was very good for something that isn’t entertaining for her! 

Tonight she got a special treat before bed! Her first bubble bath!! It was mainly because I was desperate to distract her, so thankfully it worked! 

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And last but not least…we have a winner for the Free Leggings!!!!

Congrats, Casey! Amy will be in touch so you can pick out your pair! 

We’ve got a busy week ahead with 2 events, getting ready to host a baby shower this weekend and week 2 of swim lessons! Hope everyone had a great weekend and I really hope Kens doesn’t have another early wake up call! 

It’s #firstkissfriday and #freebiefriday all in one!!!!! My sweet friend Amy is a LuLaRoe consultant and she’s offered to spoil one of our momma’s with some FREE LEGGINGS!

To win, go join her group here then comment on this post (through FaceBook) with a GIF that shows how excited you’d be if you won…mainly for my entertainment. You can browse her group to see her insanely huge inventory and check out some fun style videos! The winner will be announced tomorrow!! 

I had a short day with KB but she made the most of it! We had to coach this morning (yes, we. She’s in training.) then had a quick visit with Aunt Casey, Harper and Ri. 

Kensie was all about some face grabbing, kissing, and eating ALL the toys. Harper wasn’t having it, but Riley was all about hanging with KB today. 

She did not want to leave. 

We had another successful day of EATING!! Homegirl downed 3oz of puréed veggies in under 5 minutes. There’s hope!!!

Looks like she’s having a good time with daddy this afternoon. I got the cutest photos of Kensie getting some rowing lessons from the pro, daddy! Smart move C Hall, trying to wear her out for bedtime. I like your style. 

Now…on to girls night! After a few drinks I’m sure your GIFs will be even funnier. 😜

Kensie had a lot of comments on her bow today – for all my friends with little ladies – this is a Baby Bling Bow and their Semi-annual starts tomorrow at 10a! 😜

Thank the good Lord we had a good nights sleep and a happy KB today!!! Kensie had a random 3am wake up where she sat up and started talking a playing (umm what?) but I got her to lay back down with me and go to sleep. 

I took a chance and brought Kens with me to get my nails done in hopes she’d nap. That didn’t happen…but we made it work! 

And listen, if your favorite nail ladies don’t babysit while you get your nails done, you need to come to my salon. 😂

We went from nails to swim lessons so KB got a brief nap in the car. As usual, she was excited to get in the pool, cried through her lesson, and then cheered, smiled and clapped the second she finished! 

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Kensie passed OUT on the short drive home and didn’t even blink when I brought her in the house. I left her in her seat and she took a 2 hour nap!! CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!!

I was able to get a ton of work done and didn’t even stop to eat lunch because I kept thinking she’d wake up any second. 

Kensie had another day of good eating!!! She ate 4oz of Zuchinni!!!!! GUYS!!! That’s 3 more than I can ever get her to eat!!!!! lol Maybe her swim workouts are building up her appetite. 

I was unsure of how the evening would go with her weird nap schedule today (oh and my afternoon coffee. Whoops.) but KB was happy, full of energy, crawled ALL over at the gym, went home wkth Daddy while I coached and then guess what? Night 5 of putting herself to sleep. With no tears. I think the “no napping past 4p” rule is the real key for us at this age!! 

This photo is actually from yesterday because I didn’t get one of it today, but Kensie has been pulling herself up on her baby jail and she’s getting scary good at balancing herself for a few seconds without holding on to anything. 

I’ll only have a half day with KB tomorrow then Daddy is taking over while I have a girls night…but we have an exciting #FreebieFriday lined up for all the ladies!!! 

On a positive note, Kensie went down tonight for the 4th night in a row without a peep or tear! She’s been a champion at putting herself to sleep. Now staying asleep? Woof. We had the ultimate fail last night. 

If you watched my Instagram story I gave the “long story short” version and you got to hear Kensie fuss all morning. I just figured I’d spread the joy. 

Chris and I went to bed with a solid plan last night. I did a dream feed at 10p and when Kensie woke up for the next feeding, we were going to let her fuss for a while in hopes she’d comfort herself and go back to sleep. I knew I wouldn’t be able to listen to her cry for long so I planned to go in the kitchen and pump to avoid the temptation of going in her room. 

I think my anxiety was a little high (don’t judge me) because I couldn’t pump anything. I gave that up and laid back down. After about 30 minutes it was breaking my heart. 

I went in, gave her her pacifier and rubbed her back. She went back to sleep. I got in bed and started to doze off. 8 minutes later – screaming. I waited a few minutes and went back in. This time she was sitting up and threw her pacifier when I tried to give it to her. I picked her up and she dove down for the boob. I put her on my shoulder and tried to rock her back to sleep. Worked. Put her down. 

More screaming. Next shift, Chris went in so she couldn’t smell the milk. After a few minutes he got her to settle down. Once he got her to lay back down, she screamed again. At this point I completely gave in and decided to just feed her so we could all get some sleep. 

The worst part was she’d woken herself up so much that once she ate she wanted to play. She sat in our bed clapping and saying “dada” and smacking Chris’ arm. 😂 (It was just as funny last night as it is today). 

Since she was up, I put her back in her crib. She played for a while then of course as I started to fall back asleep the crying started back up. I brought her back in our bed and finally got her to lay down and go back to sleep. 

Basically, Kensie won. Big time. 

After her lack of sleep Kens was a real gem this morning. (That’s sarcasm). Her 2-3-4 schedule went out the window as she kept fussing and rubbing her eyes and fighting her nap. 

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We had a quick heart to heart. 

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Of course she finally fell asleep 15 minutes before we had to leave for swimming. 

Kens morning crankiness turned to excitement when we got to the pool and she had another great lesson with Mrs. Heidi!

When we got home we had another victory in the midst of our dramatic overtired day. Kensie ate all of her lunch!!!

After lunch I still tried to stick to the 3 hour window for her afternoon nap. She fought it a little more than usual, but I got 2 back-to-back naps out of her before we went to the gym!!

We’re working on getting Kensie to eat more solid foods to see if that helps and a friend shared the Sleep Sense book with me to read. For now, I don’t really mind the quick feedings. The 5 minutes of quiet sure beats the 2 hours of crying. I get that after a few nights the crying might solve the issue long term, but I guess I’m just not quite ready for it! Until we find a solution that we’re all comfortable with, I’ll just cherish the extra few minutes I get with my little KB while she still needs me. 

Looking forward to a night with much more sleep…K feedings included! 🤷🏼‍♀️

It was a busy busy day for KB! This morning her grandma, B, and her cousins came over to play! 

Day 2 of swim lessons were amazing! Kensie actually cried today (which is a good thing because “a crying baby is a breathing baby”) and Mrs. Heidi already taught her how to inhale before going under water AND got her to blink and exhale each time she came up! I look forward to her lessons each day mainly because I’m fascinated by it. 

All the playing and learning wore this sweet thing OUT!

This afternoon KB had so much fun at the gym!! I already posted this video today but I’m putting it here as well because I’m obsessed with it. 

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I can’t get over her clapping at the end. 😂 Then I used Kens for part of my workout today because “KB push presses” were programmed. 

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I’m so punny. 😜

Today was day 2 of trying the 2-3-4 method for naps and she went right down again at 7p without a single sound! A friend of mine has a little boy 2 days older than K and she told me she does it as well and it works great for them! His sleep schedule used to be exactly like hers, too and now she has him sleeping through the night; we have a plan in place to give that a go now. Maybe one we will get her there before she turns 1! (which is way too soon 😭)

Well, made it through Kensie’s first swim lesson without crying. Referring to me not her. Haha! I kid, I kid. I was a little nervous but it went AMAZING and KB loved it a little too much. For all those that were concerned or told me she was going to drop my child into the pool and “let her figure it out” because “that’s how you teach a baby”…wrong. Completely wrong. 

Kensie is going to Swimsprout with Mrs. Heidi. She was recommended to us by a friend that knew her through teaching ISR! It’s seriously amazing to watch her with any of the kiddos she teaches, at all ages, and how quickly they learn. She’s very knowledgeable and explains everything to you. The first “goal” is for Kens to know that when her chin hits water, she’s supposed to turn and float on her back and breathe. At this age it’s safety/survival. Actual swimming is the next step. 

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KB didn’t cry for a while when they started. The instructor explained that when infants cry, it’s easier to teach them breathing patterns. Kensie was really relaxed floating on her back and even the first few times under water didn’t phase her much. She finally got annoyed enough and started half fussing, half crying. 

Heidi also taught me about an interesting reflex babies have – when there’s water in their eyes, they’ll hold their breath. You actually have to teach them to blink! Mind. Blown. She worked on it with K and gave me some “homework” to do during her bath each night to help teach her as well! 

At the end of the lesson, she laid Kensie on her towel and K sat up, turned to Mrs. Heidi and smiled and clapped. 😂 

I’m so grateful we found her and looking forward to watching how much Kensie learns these next 6 weeks! 

We went straight from swim to see Dr. Christina for Kensie’s adjustment this month! My mom taxi skills were in full force today. I felt like I was practicing for the teenage years when we have to go from school to practices and all over town. I was exhausted when we got home. 

Unfortunately, I was the only one. Somehow Kensie barely napped today after her not so great night of sleep. She slept 10 minutes before swim, about 30 minutes on the way to the Chiro and 5 minutes on our way to the gym in the afternoon. Um, WHAT! 

I found a sleep chart that suggested time/lengths for naps and bedtime and one suggestion was no nap after 4p to help them sleep better at night. I figured it couldn’t hurt to give it a go! 

I also found a few moms comment on the blog that were discussing having success with the 2-3-4 method. I had never heard of it, so I looked it up. Basically after they wake up you wait 2 hours then put them back down for a nap. Once they wake up from that, 3 hours. Then 4. It’s supposed to be good for balancing not being under or over tired. We couldn’t try it today because we were all over the place and Kensie just decided to nap in the car, but I’ll give it a shot this week and keep you all posted! 

Kensie started to get cranky around 5 when Chris and I were about to workout but I didn’t want to put her down for a nap. Luckily, Emily came to the rescue!

(Please excuse her black jiffy feet. It’s from crawling all over the mats. 🤷🏼‍♀️😂)

 

The no napping did pay off at bedtime because K went straight down without a single tear! If only the lack of naps were enough for her to sleep through the night…

Kensie’s weekend blog is being posted this morning because last night she had the biggest sleep fail of her career. 

As I started her post around 9:30 last night, she woke up crying…for the 3rd time since she went down at 7p. I’m not sure what her deal was but all day she was pretty clingy toward me and at night she WOULD NOT SLEEP unless she was on or right next to me. The second I’d pick her up she’d sleep. Lay her down? Scream her head off. 

Kensie won that battle.

KB did have an awesome weekend, though! Chris and I went scalloping with friends on Saturday so Kens got to spend some QT with Gramma and her Uncles, Matthew and William!

I put out zuchinni for lunch but after a few bites my mom said she was over it and just wanted to feed herself. 

Puréed food has not been successful for us at all. Kensie has no interest in it. She only wants foods she can hold and put in her own mouth and play with. I think I’m just going to move toward steaming chunks of veggies and see how she does with that…🤷🏼‍♀️

When we got back Saturday Kensie was pooped from all the playing and ate and put herself right to sleep. Chris and I figured she’d sleep through dinner so we decided to go out to eat. Nope. 

K was awake from the second we parked until we got home. She rocked her PJs in public like a boss. 

Sunday KB played while Chris and I got some work done and then was super excited to run errands…especially since daddy was there! 

I should also mention when she woke up she said “Dada” about 50 times. 🙄 “Da-da. Dada. Da da da da dahhhh”

I told Chris it meant she wanted him to change her diaper all day. For some weird reason he didn’t believe me. 

But seriously, she talked all the way through the grocery store. I posted a few videos on my Instagram story for proof. Actually just one. I tried to take a few but as soon as she saw my phone she stopped. 🙄If you’re super bored this morning, which you probably are because you’re at work, on a Monday, reading this blog, you can go watch to procrastinate doing your actual job just a little longer. (@jennhall15)

Once we got Kensie to bed (or so we thought) we had a Seafood feast with Uncle Rob and Titi Char to eat our catch from Saturday! 

This morning is already off to a Stage 5 Clinger kinda start, so wish me luck. 😳

Kensie played her little booty off today!

It was a 2 outfit kind of day before we ever left the house because…blowouts. 

Kensie kicked off the day on the way wrong foot. She’s a chatter box when she wakes up so we usually practice important words, like mama, before we get out of bed. After a solid 3 minutes of “Kensie, say ma-ma. Mama. Kensie, mama!” She, clear as day, goes “Da-da!” 😑 Fail. 

After that mishap, she was all smiles and such a happy babe. She napped while I got a morning workout in and then stayed awake to hang out with me for all of our errands! 

When we got home we took the pups on a walk and Kensie talked the entire time. Not sure what she was trying to tell me but it must have been important. (Still didn’t say mama though). 

Kens had the lunch of champions today: a banana and puffs. I know, Mom of the Year. 

She more so played with the banana than ate it; but let’s be honest, that’s all she does with any of her food. 

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Kensie is still committed to waking up to eat a few times a night, but I’ve come to the conclusion that she needs to move from a crib to a toddler bed soon and she’ll sleep like a champ. 

You know what sucks? When your car battery dies. You know what REALLY sucks? When your battery dies in 100 degree weather and your baby is tired and hungry and crying while you try to fix it. 

Today was way too exhausting for this momma…but I came up with a new strategy last night to trick Kensie into sleeping longer and it just might work!!!

We are going on a trip at the end of the month and I need to save up milk. Since my chunk of a child eats every 3 hours, you can see where that whole “saving milk” part might be an issue. 

Last time I stocked up she slept from 7-1:30/2a so I would pump around 10-11p and save that. Well now this sweet little angel babe wakes up to eat at that time. 

Last night I channeled my inner Albert Einstein and came up with this great theory on weaning her from night feedings. It may backfire or completely fail…or I may go on to write the next book on sleep training because we all know the world needs one more opinion on that. Don’t worry I’ll keep you guys posted either way. 😂

Anyway, my gut tells me Kensie wakes up to  eat mostly for comfort. I figured if I take away the feeding but still address the “comfort” side, maybe she’ll stop waking for it. 

I pumped at 9:35 and Kensie woke up at 10. (Which is even earlier than normal. It’s like she knew…) She was really frustrated at first. K went back and forth shoving herself from one side to the other trying to eat and fussing. After a few minutes of failed attempts, she went back to sleep. I thought I was in the clear! Nah. About 30 minutes later she was back up trying to eat again. I started to feel really bad and wonder if she was actually hungry. I decided if she started real crying, I’d go get the bottle I just pumped and give it to her. She fought for less time than the first and went back to sleep and SLEPT FOR 5.5 hours!!! 

Disclaimer: I let her sleep in the bed with us at that point so that may have helped some. But damn. I’ll take it!!! 

I don’t really have much of a choice on another method if I want to save enough milk in time, so I am hoping this strategy works out and also results in this nugget sleeping for longer stretches at night. 

I had a dentist appointment and hair appointment today so I don’t have a ton of Kensie stories to share. Our QT was spent at AutoZone getting a new battery installed. 

Now on to night number 2 of withholding the midnight milk…Prayers appreciated. 😉

I don’t have many photos of KB from today but this time it isn’t my fault. My phone refused to take them. 😩 Since I’m lacking in Kens photos, I’ll share one of her favorite “toy” with you instead. 

Yep. (For the love of all things holy please do not tell me they sell plastic covers for them. I’m well aware.) I just don’t understand her fascination with outlets! If she spots one, she crawls right to it and “grabs” it. I get they created the covers as a precaution, I just didn’t realize how dedicated Kens would be to electrocuting herself. Just placed an Amazon order to cover the rest of the outlets in our house. Is it just my child that does this?!?

On a positive note, the few photos I have of KB from today pretty much sum it all up for the day! 

We had to run some errands today so I let Kens sit in the “big seat” in the cart! She was loving the new view!

I know this next photo looks a lot like the last, but this one she has the pacifier in her mouth and it’s totally pertinent to my story…

First off – Club Pub (Publix…) was poppin’ today. I thought people went back to work today? Anyways, so many people walked by and would stop to tell Kensie how cute she was. Seriously. It was at least 6 not including the cashier. KB would look at them, take her pacifier out, smile and clap. Every. Single. Time. 😂 At least she doesn’t have confidence issues? 🤷🏼‍♀️

The follow up question I always get is “how old is she?” Just out of curiosity, at what age does that go from being the common question to being not socially acceptable? 

While we are on the topic, 80% of the time people follow that answer (her age) up with “she’s so big!” That is a dumb comment. Unless you’re a Pediatrician or have a child around her age…she’s big compared to what? She’s actually below average in size. Regardless. It’s an awkward comment. What am I supposed to follow that up with? “Ok. Thanks?” 

While Kensie loves the view and the attention, the only thing I don’t like about her sitting in the cart as opposed to her stroller/car seat is that it makes her way more accessible. I’ve noticed people are a lot more likely to touch her or hold out their hand for her to grab their fingers when she’s out in the open. 

I think I figured out the next shirt I’m going to make for KB. It’s going to say:

“thank you”

“8 1/2 months old”

“Umm ok”

“Don’t touch me”

Problems, solved!