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Proud mom moment: Kensie pulled the Starbucks cup ornament off the tree at the gym…and pretended to drink from it. 😂 My job as a mom is basically complete.

The weekend caught up to this nugget and KB was extra sleepy and snuggly today.

Her morning nap was going on 3 hours when I went in to wake her up. I know, I know. “Never wake a sleeping baby”…but when you have errands to run and that baby has to take another nap before the gym, you wake them.

All it took was a little food to turn the smile on.

We finally got some clothes on and made it out of the house.

What confirms that Kensie was tired today is that she didn’t climb out of her seat in the cart and try to stand the whole time. I was a fan because I looked like a much better mom today. 😂 (I promise we actually needed something from Target.)

Hopefully she’s feeling a little more lively by Thursday…because that’s when the 12 Days of K-mas kicks off!!! 😜🎄

Kensie had such a fun weekend full of late nights, Christmas cookies, dinosaur screams, milk chugging, snuggle giving, growing out her baby mullet (Seriously, I think her hair grew a solid inch this weekend…only in the back), and hamming it up for the camera.

Saturday morning I dropped KB off at Aunt Casey’s and she played with Harper and Riley while Chris and I got some work done at the gym.

In the afternoon, we celebrated her cousin Lillie’s birthday!

K had so much fun trying to hang with the “big kids”. She liked the karaoke machine, remotes and bags the best.

If you have a little one, this Insignia high chair is AMAZING. It’s small, light weight and attaches to tabletops! Such a huge help when we K is at another house so we don’t have to sit her on our laps and try to feed her.

As if she didn’t already have a full day of partying, we went over to Aunt Ashley and Uncle Will’s for dinner and Christmas cookie decorating!

K quickly discovered her love for frosting. She went from licking the frosting “knife”, to sticking her fingers in it and licking those, to taking the stirring spoon out of the bowl and getting a solid mouthful of sugar.

It was a complete mess and so much fun!

Her late night unfortunately didn’t make for a late morning wake up on Sunday. It did make for a 3 hour nap, though!

Post nap, we brunched! (And can we take a second to acknowledge the GORGEOUS weekend weather?!)

Brunch involved a few sidewalk strolls and walks by the “lake” across from the restaurant.

And to close out the weekend, we discovered Kensie’s love of “fetch”. Uncle BahBah had to have done this at least 20 times, and to KB, each time was equally as funny as the last.

Those. Giggles!!! 😍

I’m pretty sure KB is hitting a growth spurt…and for those of you that have seen her in person and how chunky her feet are, I think those grew too. The only thing that actually fits in a size 12m sleeper are her feet. 😂

She spent the day chugging her bottle, handing it to me and signing “more”, pointing at her high chair and taking long naps.

And climbing. Still climbing.

I found the most amazing contraption at Hobby Lobby today and had to share it with you guys. I’m not sure what it’s actually for, but the second I saw it it screamed “BOWS!” 😂

Could even put the lamp in the middle! (But really…what is this thing supposed to be for? Anyone?)

Also, I have a photo from today to prove that I do change her out of her PJs.

Anyways, as I was getting this blog written KB woke up and was crying a little more than usual. She’s been sleeping completely through the night for a few weeks now. Sometimes she’ll wake up for a second and fuss, but tonight was a little more dramatic (and I was reading this article about the benefits of co-sleeping so I just wanted to go get her 😂). I picked her up and she pointed to the door, then she asked to eat.

So now, she’s laying in bed with me. Chugging a bottle and watching a Netflix Christmas Movie at 11:30pm. I think she likes it, too.

Just add this to my Mom of the Year application. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The last 2 days have been one big pajama party. I promise I did put clothes on her both days 😂, I just didn’t get any photo proof. On Wednesday Kensie got her very first pigtails!!

I was bald until I was 2, so the fact that K has any hair is extremely exciting for me. The fact that she now has a enough hair to make tiny little ponytails makes. my. day!!! It’s the little things. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Don’t worry, I took about 600 photos of them at all angles.

The stroller picture actually has a great story behind it. I was moving laundry and Kensie was trying to empty the lint trash. The stroller was in the laundry room so I opened it up and told her to go walk around with it to distract her. After a solid 20 minutes of laps, she was trying to climb into it. I pushed her around a few times and took her out. Then she screamed and tried to climb back in.

Back in she went. And she sat still. For 30 whole minutes. In a stroller. In the house. 🤷🏼‍♀️

K traded in the temper tantrums the last 2 days for a new toddler skill: climbing. At the gym Thursday morning she was climbing cubbies to get to someone’s keys. 🤦🏼‍♀️ There are zero photos because it gave me a heart attack and she needed to get down immediately. Toddlerhood is no joke, y’all.

Kristy came to the rescue and gave KB some drum lessons to distract her.

Mad skills.

Both afternoons consisted of Kensie perfecting her coaching. She’s become a pro at yelling, squatting, following everyone out the door for their run and clapping for them.

Well guys. Next week is the week. 12 Days of K-Mas is almost here. 😜 Then I’ll actually have to change K out of her pajamas before 3pm.

It’s been a crazy few days in toddler land over here. As I write this I’m exhausted, have a headache from Kensie’s screaming and have a little mom guilt going on.

I kicked off Monday morning with a bang…by forgetting that I left my keys in the middle console when Chris drove and locked the car. I was so proud of us (almost) leaving the house on time until I realized we wouldn’t actually be going anywhere.

Luckily, Michelle’s car is at our house (she’s deployed) and Kensie’s infant seat was in the garage. I’m thankful for Kensie being a tiny little nugget that still fit in it!

After the gym we headed to the Chiropractor to try to help K kick this cold. (Studies show an adjustment in babies improves their immune system by 50%. We went last time she got a cold and it was gone 2 days later!) The office is conveniently next to the mall, so we met up with some friends and decided to give Santa another go.

Orlando Mom friends – Altamonte Mall has an AWESOME Santa. They’re patient, friendly, less expensive and WAY less busy than Millenia. I think their photo background is better too. 🤷🏼‍♀️

KB loves the camera, but she surely doesn’t love Santa. 😂

And that brings us to today. The day that Kensie discovered temper tantrums. 😫 She’s had the yelling/screaming down for a while but she upgraded to piercing screams and figured out how to turn on the tears for the full effect.

I figured you all wanted to experience it so here you go:

I know some of you are probably thinking “oh my gosh that’s so mean you just recorded her. Poor Kensie.” …no.

I told her “no” that she couldn’t SLAM things into my laptop. I moved the computer where she couldn’t get to it. This is the reason for the meltdown. I ignored her because I’m not going to reinforce the behavior. She was fine. This was her a few second later. (Literally 10-20 seconds after the first video).

Oye. K continued to test the waters the rest of the day. When we got to the gym she took a break from the drama and was giving out hugs left and right.

We got back home and after her bath, Kensie turned the drama back on. The screaming in my face as I tried to put her diaper and PJs on was the last bit of noise my head could handle for the day. My calm, patient mom voice was off and my “you’re really pissing me off”, stern, louder mom voice was on.

After she stopped and went back to not acting like a brat, I admittedly felt a little bad for getting frustrated. Even typing this now, I know that sounds stupid and it’s completely normal. I have no doubt every other mom on the planet has been there, done that and knows exactly what I’m talking about. I also know it isn’t the last time for this as we enter dramahood (aka toddlerhood).

Since I don’t want to end her post on that note, I’ll end it on this one. Her photo shoot at the gym tonight as I told her to say “cheese”. I really wish Live Photo’s worked on here so you could see the full evolution of K going to full ham mode.

Kensie still has a super runny nose, but other than that seems completely okay. She woke up screaming right after I posted her blog last night. She was having a hard time sleeping since she couldn’t breathe through her nose. Poor babe, lucky mama. We haven’t co slept in months and I missed this babes snuggles. Well, sorta.

Kensie was ALL about her mama last night. If I rolled 2 inches away, she knew. In (what I thought was) a dead sleep, she’d fuss, roll to me, hug my neck and go back to sleep.

A few hours later it turned into her legs on my face. Then her entire body, sideways across me. Then her back on top of my face. 😂 Long story long, I moved her back to her crib so I could attempt to get a few hours of sleep.

K was pretty sleepy all morning since she didn’t sleep great last night. I had to coach a morning class so KB got to rock her Christmas jammies at the gym. She kept wanting to be held and hugging my legs because she was sleepy, but she was in good spirits!

Post nap she was a crank butt. I couldn’t figure out what she wanted. I got her a bottle and turned on Baby Einstein’s in her playroom because while she was over napping, but she didn’t seem quite ready to play. Low and behold, the puppets actually cheered this babe right up.

Kensie did an impressive job of mimicking the sign language (even mama!!!! I’ll take it.) Then the cars came on and before they even said it, Kensie starts going “err vroom vroom err vroom”. 😳 I was shocked. This little lady always blows my mind with the things she knows.

She refused her second nap again today, but at least she was in good spirits.

Tonight KB got some Daddy time in and I think they were both pretty happy about it!

She’s already woken up a few times in the 2 short hours she’s been in bed, but we’ve only had minor fussing. Really hoping this babe figures out how to breathe through her mouth better so she can get some sleep tonight!

In other news, as promised on my Instagram story…my Instapot review. Heard of these things?

I really wanted a chicken and mushroom type dish tonight. Just sounded good – and no I’m not pregnant. 🙄 It came with a recipe book but it was for individual things so I did what anyone would do, and googled one. I found an awesome recipe – and it was extra awesome because it explained how to actually USE the pot. You can get it here!

The food was simple and delicious. My only complaint is that it was most definitely not “instant”. It sautéed the onions for me which was pretty cool. Then I tossed everything in for what was a “26 minute meal”. As she explains in the recipe directions, this isn’t actually the case. It took 20 minutes for the pressure to build up. 26 to cook. Then 3 more to release the pressure. That’s a 50 minute meal. Again, it was delicious – but I could have baked the chicken, cooked the rice and simmered the veggies and gravy in less time.

Of course this was the first time I used it and I’m sure it has other perks. I did love that everything was cleaned up and all I had to do after dinner was wash one pot. If anyone has good tips or recipes, send them my way!!!

I’m pretty sure baby K has a cold coming on. 😪 She woke up with a stuffy nose and this afternoon it was runny. Oh joy!

The snot surely didn’t affect her appetite, though! K stuck to the 3 bottles today and asked for “more” food for lunch. Y’ALL. DO YOU JUST REALIZE WHAT I SAID?! MY TODDLER THAT BARELY EATS ASKED ME FOR MORE FOOD TODAY!!!!

I shared my chili with her (K loves her some ground beef and chili beans) and she signed more when it was gone. I made her a peanut butter sandwich (one slice of bread) and my nugget ate the WHOLE THING!!! I supervised to make sure – she only gave one piece of crust to Jack today. And then…MORE!!! What what!!! She ate 3 oz of yogurt and finally bowed out.

And her method of eating breakfast was way too entertaining to not share with you. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Kensie has also upgraded her signing communication. “All done” no longer means she’s done eating. It means she’s done eating that specific food. If all done is followed by a “point”, it becomes a game of what else does she want. Smart cookie does know pointing at the fridge gets her yogurt or milk and she knows RIGHT where the teething cookies are in the pantry. 😂

KB had an awesome morning nap but her afternoon nap was nonexistent. I laid her down and it went from laying there for a few minutes, to playing in her crib, to screaming bloody murder. I got her out and locked her baby gate to her playroom so I could go to the bathroom quick, and for the first time in what feels like forever, she was extremely content in there all by herself!

The playing continued at the gym and she was pretty stoked that her friend Enzo showed up and provided some entertainment!

KB was nonstop the entire 2 hours we were there which led to another “first time in a long time”…passed out before we made it home.

I know it’s a lost cause, but I’m really hoping this poor babe doesn’t wake up even stuffier tomorrow. A cold paired with the super awesome diaper rash we are currently dealing with does not sound like a fun way for KB to spend her weekend!

Kensie was an ANGEL baby today. Days like today is how they fool you into siblings.

Great news, folks: I wasn’t completely wrong about her naps. I put her down a few minutes after 9 and there was no partying involved. It was straight to sleep for 2 (much needed) hours. Not much needed as in she was driving me crazy, just much needed as in I had a lot of work to get done.

She woke up in the best mood and was ALL about sharing some snuggles with mama!!

We’ve got the sleeping through the night and napping part down – the eating is still a work in progress. I started K on a “bottle schedule” today. She had a morning, lunch and dinner bottle and did a lot better with her food in between! I’m still trying to figure out what she will and won’t eat, but we are making progress.

We’ve added bananas, black beans and peanut butter sandwiches to her pallet. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but since the previous list was basically turkey, yogurt, teething cookies and some pouches, it’s a big deal.

She finishes her bottles but she likes to take her time with it. It involves a lot of laps around the house and taking the lid on and off.

Once we got out of the house today, Kensie went into full ham mode. She waved at everyone, EVERYONE, she saw in the store. She even reached out to some lady to be picked up. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ (But God forbid she sit next to Santa…)

I brought her cart cover in since she can escape the buckles in the normal cart. Fun fact, she can also escape the buckle in this now. This kid is the Houdini of buckles. High chairs. Carts. Strollers. I was joking before, but I might actually have to get her a helmet.

Her afternoon nap started off a little more exciting than her morning nap, but it didn’t take long for her to give in.

Kensie saved the rest of her energy to workout with the 5pm class today!! Of COURSE I only caught the tail end because she always stops right when I get the camera…but she did good mornings and squats with the class as they warmed up. She even showed them how to applaud her at the end. 🤷🏼‍♀️😂😂😂

This kid will be running the gym in no time!

This photo makes my heart so unbelievably happy. I was SO excited for Kens to wake up this morning and see our Christmas tree! In such a cynical, negative and overly sensitive world, her innocence and the excitement she finds in the smallest things are SO refreshing.

Today we went to visit Santa with Baby Henley! I always say I need Kensie to learn a lesson in “stranger danger”. She put that in to practice today.

Safe to say K was NOT a fan of sitting on the lap of a creepy old man. Or even being near him. 😂

Before and after our magical time with Santa (haaaa!) she was happy as could be.

K was a little extra tired today though. All last week I’m not sure if I was being fooled or if she actually hit a growth spurt and was napping. I never use her monitor because I can hear her when she wakes up. Over the weekend I checked it during a nap…to find her playing with her curtain and climbing her crib. So, now I watch it.

Home girl is slick. She plays very quietly. But when I put her down for a nap, she doesn’t actually go to sleep until 45 minutes after I think she does. 🤦🏼‍♀️

The lack of napping caught up to her today and when Chris brought her home from the gym she laid on the floor with her pacifier. Very subtle, KB.

What a fun (long) weekend we had! I don’t have too much to tell you guys, just lots of photos to share from Kensie’s Thanksgiving festivities. The highlighted development is KB’s photo posing. She’s nailed the “cheese” – we just have to work on where she’s looking. She looks at the camera unless someone walks by and distracts her. Or the wind blows. Or basically anything else happens.

The naps were sparse this weekend but the memories are worth it! Our weekend started on Wednesday with Thanksgiving at Grandma B’s.

Kens ate a dinner roll…and nothing else. 🙄 She also discovered that standing on tables is super fun and has proceeded to crawl on top of every table she can since.

Thursday we got to spend the day with lots of family!!! My Aunt, Uncle, Grandpa and Cousins all flew down from Wisconsin to spend Thanksgiving with us. We had so much fun hosting and K was loving all of the attention.

I was super excited to break out K’s “My First Christmas Tree 🎄”!! She finds it fun to put the ornaments on, then take them off and throw them.

It’s not actually her first Christmas tree since I got her a pink one for her room last year – but I’m thinking now that she’s walking and grabbing and throwing that I might have to keep that one packed up this year. 😔

On Friday, we headed to Epcot! Kensie didn’t take a single nap from 11a-8p. 😳 She was happy as could be, but I’m still racking my brain trying to figure out how she even managed that.

Northern fam took full advantage of our Florida “winter” and spent the day at the pool. My dad got us all these matching snowman shirts; we felt it only appropriate to take the photo outside with the palm trees.

We finished off the weekend by celebrating Baby Henley’s dedication at church, followed by brunching!

After nap time, Christmas tree shopping took up the rest of our afternoon. Kensie didn’t mind one bit, and daddy picked out the perfect tree!

…PHEW. And 5 days later, K is still sleeping through the night!