The Many Adventures of Kayden

I feel like it's been forever since I last posted! A lot has happened this past week and a half since I wrote last.  Where should I begin?

I think last time I posted, I talked about Kayden not sleeping through the night for the past two months and we were going to try and let her cry it out instead of swooping in each time she cried and picking her up.  Well let's just say that I lasted longer than I thought I would! :) We made it two days; two very LONG days!  Each time I would put Kayden down for a nap or down for the night, I'd put her down sleepy, but not asleep.  I kissed her, patted her and left. She screamed.  I mean SCREAMED!!! It was horrible.  Now I know babies can't rationalize or manipulate, but I sure did feel like she was thinking, " My Mommy has abandonded me.  She doesn't love me.  I'm crying, and she's not coming."  And here I am tearing up as I type this!  I know that's not what she thought, but that's what I thought! It was the hardest thing I've ever done.  Even harder than going through her colic stage.  So after two days, we gave in.  Nick was just as ready as I was to swoop in and cuddle her.  Crying it out definitely works for some people, just not for us! We tried, we really did, but in the end, I'd rather get two hours of sleep a night, than let her scream like that! :) 

Soooooo.....new plan!  After we decided that we weren't going to let Kayden cry it out in her room anymore, I was racking my brain trying to think of what may have changed, or what was different now from before.  Kayden used to sleep through the night up until she was around 4 months old.  Then I remembered that from around 2-4 months, I stopped eating all dairy products, because she was having such a hard time nursing.  Around 4 months, I started dairy back again.  She seemed to tolerate the breast milk okay.  So maybe she truly does have a milk allergy and her tummy pain is what is keeping her up at night? Maybe.  So I have now stopped eating dairy again and am supplementing with soy formula. She definitely does not like the formula, so I am mixing it with breast milk at the moment to get her used to it.  When we started supplementing with the soy formula, Kayden immediately started sleeping better at night.  She went from waking up around 8-10 times a night screaming to only 2-3 times a night. Now I don't know if it was just a coincidence, or if it is actually helping.  Once she gets on complete soy, we'll be able to tell for sure if that is it or not!  So wish us luck! I'm ready to start getting some sleep again!

Let's see....what else has been going on?  We celebrated Nick's first Father's Day this past Sunday.  We were completely wrapped up in that all weekend.  Kayden made Nick a Father's Day card with her foot prints dipped in yellow paint!  Let's just say it was very messy! :)  I tried to do her hand prints, but she'd just ball up her fingers and make a fist.  She didn't want to cooperate at all! :) We went to church and had a good day spending the day together and just relaxing.  

We took Kayden over to a friend's house last week and she got to swim in their pool. We didn't have her swim suit, so she got to swim naked, which she probably prefered anyway!  She really liked it and had a lot of fun! I also let her suck on a piece of watermelon while we were there, which she immediately threw up!  I guess either she didn't like it or it was too sweet for her!  I don't know! I guess we'll wait awhile before we do that again!

Kayden still isn't crawling yet, but sure does want to! And everyday I think, "today's the day!" She's so close! She gets up on all fours, tummy off the floor, rocks back and forth and now launches herself and falls down! :)  It's super cute!  Makes me laugh!  She is also about to have a total of four teeth! Finally!  I can see both of her top teeth, they just haven't broken through the gums yet.  Hurry up teeth!  She'll have a sweet little jack-o-lantern smile!

Nick's birthday is this coming Tuesday, so I'm sure Kayden and I will be up to our scheming ways!  We'll come up with something good for his 27th birthday!  Then the next week is my birthday and then the following week is our 6 year wedding anniversary!  Busy few weeks ahead!  

Kayden has decided that she's not really interested in food anymore, so I'm having a hard time getting her to eat anything solid.  She clamps her mouth shut and flips that head around. Whew she's gonna be a handful...well she already is! :) We gave her a teething biscuit this past week and she made a slobbery, slimy mess! She loved it though!  We also tried giving her some of those Gerber puffs, but she's not big on them yet.  I think it's the texture. She just gags when it touches her tongue! It'll take some getting used to for sure!  

Hmmmm....I guess that's about it for now, but I'm sure I've left lots out.  I'm going on little sleep. Last night was not good, so I'm going to go and try to get a quick nap while Kayden sleeps, or maybe a shower.  We'll see which one makes the top of the priority list!  I love blogging about my Kayden.  And I love it that people love love reading about her! :)

Until next time....have a great weekend! :)

6 months old

I can't believe that 6 months ago today, we brought this baby into this world.  It's crazy to think of how much Kayden has changed and grown.  She's her own little person now...and what a little person she is! She has developed a personality all her own! 

Kayden is a very expressive little girl!  She is very "talkative," and loves to be the center of attention....at home that is.  A lot of times, when we are out in public, she gets very quiet.  I'm not sure if she just gets a little overwhelmed by everything, or is just curious and taking everything in.  I suspect it's a little of both.  She has a little of her Daddy and me in her.  It's neat to see.

She is very much into EVERYTHING! She grabs everything in her reach and if it's not in her reach, she grunts and scoots until she gets it! She's never still for longer than a second...always moving around kicking those legs! She can sit up by herself in the shopping cart now, and LOVES it! She loves to look around at everything. And it's great for me to not have to lug that big infant carrier in or hold her in my arms anymore. Makes grocery shopping SO much easier!

She is also standing up now. Not by herself though. She needs help getting there, but then can maintain her balance standing for a few seconds before toppling over. Won't be long though, and she'll be standing on her own and pulling up on everything. Man it's really time to start baby proofing the house! :)

Kayden had her 6 month check up today, and she weighed in at 18 pounds, 5 ounces, and is 27 1/2 inches long. She is in the 90th percentile for her weight, 95th for height, and 90th for her head circumference, which is 44 cm.  She's a big, healthy girl!

On another note, Kayden has not slept through the night in 2 months now. She used to be such a good little sleeper up until she hit 4 months old. Now sometimes she wakes up just a few times a night, but most of the time it's anywhere between 5 and 10 times a night. I know that it's now partly my fault, because when she cries, I rush in there and scoop her up and bounce or rock her back to sleep. I think now she has forgotten how to put herself back to sleep when she wakes up. I was thinking it was her teeth waking her up and I would start some kind of sleep training when her top teeth finally broke through, but it's been 2 months now, and I'm exhausted!  We talked to her pediatrician this morning, and I've been doing research like a mad woman. Her pediatrician recommended putting her to sleep when she's sleepy, but not asleep and if she cries, to just go in and pat her but not pick her up until she stops crying.  It's going to be so hard, but at this point, I'm for it. I never thought I'd be able to let her cry it out, but she's waking up so much at night, that I feel like a walking zombie, and I know that I'm not doing her any favors by picking her up every time she cries at night. So we'll see how it goes.  We're going to start this week, and hopefully within a few days or so, we'll have our sleeper back! Only time will tell! Wish us luck!

The past week has been pretty uneventful around here. Kayden and I have been staying at home more this past week, trying to catch up on some sleep, but to no avail really. We made a couple trips to HEB of course and to babies r us as well. We had a play date with some kiddos from church, and that was good because I've really been missing those. Tomorrow, we're going to have another play date with an old friend. Should be fun. Kayden doesn't really interact with the other kids yet, but she's very interested and will just sit and watch them play.

Nick and I took Kayden to the neighborhood pool last weekend, but she really wasn't that interested. She was having a pretty fussy day, so maybe that had something to do with it. We'll keep trying though. She's really starting to enjoy her baths now in her big girl tub, so I'm sure the pool isn't too far behind.

I guess that's all for now. Don't forget to keep checking youtube. I have uploaded several new videos of Kayden. Just type "mommy2kayden" in the search box.

Have a great week!

Well, where do I start?! It has been a wild and crazy last few days, but we survived it!

Last week was spent preparing and getting ready for our trip, which has already come and gone. Kayden and I made several trips to HEB and Kohl's. We bought a portable dvd player for the car and it was an absolute life saver this weekend!

We left Friday around lunchtime, after Kayden finished her 3 hour nap (which is definitely not typical!).  We installed her big girl car seat, and she really likes it. I think it's a lot more comfortable for her. It is wider, softer, and more supportive and stable than her infant carrier. We made it in under 3 hours to Fort Worth without having to stop once! Kayden took naps, played, and watched Yo Gabba Gabba, her most favorite show!

On Saturday, Kayden spent most of the day with her Daddy, while I went to a bridesmaid brunch and did wedding "stuff!"  We attended the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner that evening, both of which Kayden did very good at. She sat in a high chair at the restaurant for the first time. Of course she preferred being held though! :)

On Sunday, we got ready and went to the wedding around lunchtime. Nick kept Kayden entertained while I did my Matron of Honor duties all afternoon! After the ceremony, Kayden was worn out and pretty much a mess. She was ready to go home. So I knew that she needed to go, but I had to go to the reception. So I sent her and Nick with my mom and sister back home to Leander. I felt like my heart was ripping in half!!!! It was so hard to send them on without me!! I cried like a baby! I've never been away from my lady bug for more than a couple of minutes before! And certainly not for such a long distance! But they told me she did great on the way home and Nick called me when they got home to let me listen to her laughing at the puppies! She loves being home!

I left Fort Worth around 8pm and got home around 11pm, and right when I walked in the door, went straight to Kayden's room and gave her lots of kisses! It was everything I could do to not wake her up! I missed my baby!

It was a long weekend, but the wedding was beautiful and very emotional for everyone. I tried giving a bridesmaid speech, but couldn't keep myself together. I think it was a combination of lots of emotions and stresses, and I cried so much that I could barely get anything out! But I tried! :)

On Saturday, Kayden got up on her hands and knees for the first time and rocked back and forth. She is really getting ready to crawl now. I am so excited, but know that now I'll be having to chase her around! I guess that's one way to keep the baby weight off!

Kayden is really playing well by herself now. She enjoys her exersaucer, as well as playing on the floor surrounded by her toys (which she does not have a shortage of)!  She is babbling a lot now, saying " ba ba" a lot! I love listening to her!

In my spare time (haha) I am going to try and start making hair bows. Of course Kayden needs one to match every outfit, and I think I'd really enjoy making them. I've made one so far, but I definitely need lots more practice! I'm looking forward to learning!  Here is the one that I made for Kayden to wear to the wedding:

I guess that's about it for now. I'm going to include a couple of links to my facebook pictures, so you can look at our pictures from the past weekend, as well as pictures of Kayden. Keep checking youtube. I've posted a couple new videos as well. Hope everyone has a great week.

click here to see the wedding pictures

click here to see "Kayden 5 months"

Until next time......