ONE!!!

Dear Kaylee,

Holy cow! When did you become one? I sit here and contemplate the last year and I am amazed that it went by so quickly. It always does. People say that all the time..."they grow so fast"...and the fact is...they do. You are a great big one year old...and I am quickly losing my baby.

I know almost every parent has to accept that when they have a baby, they only have that baby for a very short period of time. Babies become toddlers, toddlers become kids, kids become teenagers, etc... It is the rules of being a parent. That is why, on the rare occasion I get asked advice about having a baby, I always tell the person to wait until they want a kid, because the baby part is such a short part of the life you will create. And frankly, while baby is cute, toddler to kid rocks!



It is so unbelievably fun to see you learn; to see the curiosity in you as you have figured out how to sit, then crawl, then pull yourself up and walk around things. Books are your best friend and you will sit for long periods of time turning pages and pointing out the pictures. You love to sit in baskets. Laundry baskets are like little ships to you. We put you in with a blanket and a few books and you will sit a read. Your brothers think it is great fun to take you for rides in the baskets. You giggle and jabber the whole time. Playing with you is so much fun, because you LOVE to play!

You love to boogie! Which makes sense given your genetics. Daddy loves music and always prefers to listen to music while doing anything. Mom and Dad will often dance in the kitchen while making dinner or cleaning. The big kids join in and you have found your groove lately too! All of the toys that you got for your birthday play music and you will dance along with any or all of them as they play. It is really quite cute! For the moment these toys aren't driving Mom or Dad completely insane...simply because they make you so happy! So, Grandma Porter isn't in trouble for buying you the really really really annoying talking/singing mail box.


The last few months, and your ability to crawl and walk around things, has accelerated your desire to be with and like the big kids. You always want to be where they are and play with them. Mom and Dad...well we just suck most days. Breena, Dana, Drake and Brit are where it is at! They have stuff...stuff you can get into...and they think you are still cute...so they let you get into their stuff! In fact, you have been so enabled that now you feel entitled to anything and everything that you can see! And when you don't get it...you make THE NOISE!

What is THE NOISE? It is hard to describe because it is more of a feeling than a noise. It is the sound you make when you are displeased with something. It could be anything...or nothing. We can never really tell what it is that you want. But when you make THE NOISE, we will literally do anything to make you stop. THE NOISE is a sound so annoying that it cuts to the very heart and soul. It could bring a grown man to his knees...and has! THE NOISE is even worse than the cry! Oh how we wish for the cry back! At least that we could stop with a bottle! THE NOISE is a sort of whine that you make incessantly, even after we have given you what we think you want! BUT...and I say that with my index finger pointed directly up in the air...we are on to your little plan! We have a way to combat THE NOISE...and it is called...THE CRIB! You are learning about time out! AND...the word NO! You shall not defeat us. For we are your parents and while we may have lost a few battles...we will not lose the war!

Luckily for us sweet bug, you are very smart and are catching on to what NO means very quickly. We are hoping that is a good sign and not just your way of collecting re-con before issuing out a blitzkrieg of toddler hell! You are the fifth kid...so just in case you were thinking we were tired and worn down from the other four...you should be warned. I have had 6 years to recover and regain my strength and Daddy is brand spanking new to the toddler world. We are not about to go easy on you...

About a week before your first birthday...maybe a little more than a week, but in the general time frame...you sprouted your first two teeth! FINALLY! I was really worried that there were no teeth in your head and we were going to have to explain to your first grade teacher why you were still on a liquid diet at 6. Seriously...I had nightmares. Thankfully the two on the bottom poked their way through on the same day. You went to bed with no teeth and woke up with two. Since then your baby senses have come alive and you have figured out that your mouth is for stuffing! You put everything in your mouth...like a normal kid! Again...I was having nightmares that I would have to explain to that same first grade teacher that not only were you on a liquid diet, but that he/she would have to feed you because you refused to put anything in your mouth! It was a little weird! But now...we all can relax, because you can now put not only food in your mouth, but small items off the carpet and garbage! Go Kaylee!

It is so fun to see you growing and changing. I have enjoyed seeing your big brothers and sisters develop and grow. Kids get funner as they get bigger and you are just like your siblings. I can't wait to see you walk, hear you talk, and listen to you jabber incessantly about sponge bob/dora/current obsession. Your giggle and baby talk makes every member of our home happy from Daddy all the way down to Brit. You connect us all together and for that I am so grateful!

We love you Sweet Kaylee bug! Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mommy

seven...no wait eight...NO WAIT ALMOST NINE MONTHS OLD!!!

Dear Kaylee,

Ok...so you have a sucky Mom. This is probably something you should get used to. I will have moments of greatness where you will think..."wow this woman is together." And then I will have moments of complete and utter failure. I am human, and the sooner you realize that your parents are mortal the better I suppose.

So you are almost nine months old. I have no idea how you got to be that big...but you most certainly are. As of right now you have no teeth. I think this is the longest any of my children have waited to grow teeth. I am begining to wonder if their are teeth in there. A consequence of having not yet sprouted teeth has been a total and utter lack of wanting to put anything in your mouth...including food. Other parents I talk to wonder at your lack of oral fixation and wish their child was want to put items in his or her mouth. "What a blessing that is" they say. I, on the other hand, worry that this is some sort of illness that will manifest some day with your growing a third arm out the middle of your forehead...or something equally as distressing. So, for the past several months I have shoved every kind of food I could into your tightly clamped trap. I give you tastes of everything. From the bread in my sandwich to the curried potatoes we had at Royal India (two thumbs up!!!). At first you were less than enthusiastic about the oral olympics I was putting you through. You would clamp your mouth down so hard it would take two hands to pry your mouth open. After lots of practice, you are very excited about all of the new foods, and have found that you like the weird stuff as much as Mom and Dad. In fact, if it doesn't have spices and zing...you don't like it. The most exciting food adventure though was the day you realize that watermelon was good, and that you could feed it to yourself! You ate, several large peices that evening! We were both so impressed. Unfortunately, Aunt Stacie was less impressed the next day when the wonder of watermelon manifested itself in your diapers (I use the plural on purpose) and on your clothing.


You are sitting up my bug and have been able to for a while now. Though it sort of took us by surprise that you could. I was, once again, getting worried that something was wrong with you since I could not get you to sit up on your own. It wasn't until we realized that you actually could sit up, but just chose not to, that I stopped worrying. You love to be on the floor while playing. You roll and roll and roll, and stretch, and army crawl. The sitting isn't mobile...and mobile is where it is at for you. If you can't move "over there" you are one unhappy little girl. The most entertaining, and by entertaining I mean frustrating and painful, movement you want is when you want to be neither held nor set down. You want to hover in the middle ground somewhere between held and put down. Daddy would be most grateful if you would master your flying skill now to save his back from holding you in the hover position. Our codeine prescription is running out.

You have found the kitties...and the kitties are afraid. All except Pipen. He is more than happy to let you grab his ears and pull his tail. The poor cat is that starved for attention. I have been trying to show him more love since I realized this. Seriously though, you are much more interested in watching them grabbing them. The few times you have gotten a hold of Pipen, he has patiently waited for us to loosen your grip. He is a very sweet cat and will often come sit by you when you eat...just outside of arms reach.

Bug you are a delight to us. Your brothers and sisters adore you, and have mastered the changing of the diapers (at least the girls have that one) and the entertainment of you. Drake does his "crazy dance" while singing that makes you giggle to your toes. Brit reads you stories and plays peekaboo. Breena and Dana are great babysitters and take very good care of you. We are all happy you are with us.

We love you!

Love,
Mommy

A gigantic 6 months old

Dear Kaylee,

A few days ago you turned 6 months old. I know I am, once again, a little late with the blog thing. I have a fantastic excuse this time though! We were trying to get Drake's baptism and your blessing arranged and executed. It required an inordinate amount of house cleaning and long segments of time where your Mother sat around and imagined the worst. It was the second time we would be spending any amount of time with your siblings "other family" and my brain would not allow me to imagine this day going anyway other than badly. On top of that, your Daddy would randomly start breathing very deeply and get this I am going to throw up, pass out and then die look on his face. You see sweet bug. Your Daddy is a brave brave man, but he is very afraid to speak in public...out loud at least. He will publicly mutter from time to time. But standing up, in front of people, and then talking at the same time is something he dreads more than...well...many things (all bad).

I am very happy to say that everything went fantastically. All of the family members, yours and the other, were very well behaved. They even talked to each other in some cases. Your Daddy did a beautiful job on your blessing and did a great job baptizing Drake. Everyone behaved themselves...well...except you. You were very happy and cute, until it was time to bless you. Daddy held you and you were fine until the elders all placed there hands on you...and you freaked out. You cried, nay wailed, through the entire blessing. As soon as they uttered the word "Amen", you were over it. sigh

So...anyway

We are all very happy that the day went well and is over.

This month has been about food. I have to admit, I was not really motivated to get you to eat food. Bottles are very easy and highly convenient. I am extremely lazy. So fixing a bottle is an easy out when you are hungry. We started with the cereals, but we only gave them to you very occasionally. Then we moved on to vegetables. I gave you a couple veggies, but you seemed uninterested. I used this as an excuse to not push the food. You didn't seem to want it...why switch. Then one day, a couple of weeks ago, you must have had a growth spurt because you started eating 6+ ounce bottles every 2 hours. It was time for more substantial food. After a little coaxing and taxing all of Mommy's "get the baby on food" tactics, you decided that food was good! You eat everything placed in your mouth except peas. You clamp your mouth down hard and refuse them with an intensity reminicent of a person willingly die for their principles. I can't say that I blame you. Processed peas are horrible. Frozen peas aren't so bad. Hopefully you will acquire a taste for them in a few months.

You are a fantastic sleeper, hitting the sheets between 8 and 9 pm and not opening your eyes again until 7 or 8 am. It is awesome. You only vary from this on nights when we REALLY need you to sleep. Those nights you decide it is time to party like it is 1999. You will stay up till midnight or later and then wake up two or three times during the night...just as a check to see if we were still sleeping. Luckily we have discovered this loophole and remember now to assure you at bedtime that we absolutely do not need you to sleep...ever...at all. We remind you that you are welcome to stay awake as long as you would like. It seems as long as you know we don't need you to sleep, you are able to do so very well.


Sweet bug, you are adorable. While we loved to hold you and cuddle you; it seems you really prefer to lay on a blanket and roll around or sit in an excersaucer. You get so much attention from your sibbling and from your cousins. Aunt Stacie babysits you right now and her boys think you are their little sister...who was misdirected to the wrong house. So much attention and hands passing you around sort of drives your desire to lay or sit and play. You have almost stopped putting things in your mouth. Your little fingers will probe and grasp object, but you no longer explore them with your mouth. There is an intensity to you when you examine an object. It is amazing to see your focused. We so enjoy watching you.

I am excited to watch you grow more. You have already started the "inch worm" crawl and I fear we only have a couple more months before you get the hand/knee coordination going and you will be off. You are growing WAY too fast my sweet little girl. I really wish you would slow down. I know you are highly motivated to catch up with you brothers and sisters. It must be enormously frustrating to watch them walk, talk, and play. But, it would be a tremendous favor to your parents if you would decide to slow down...just a little.

We love you sweet bug. Talk to you soon.

Love,
Mommy

5 months old...

Dear Kaylee,

You have developed a new way to comfort yourself. A few months ago we took away your binky. As I said in the last letter, you couldn't suck on it very well anyway. So it was best for everyone involved if the bink just disappeared. We were worried you might start to suck your thumb...well...that isn't what happened. You started to suck the inside of your arm. Actually, it isn't so much a suck as it is a lick. You lick the inside of your arm... We are so proud!!! At least it shows you are a problem solver! Unique at that.

This month has been a rough one sweet bug. You, and the rest of us for that matter, had been pretty healthy through the winter. But around the time the ground hog came out, we all got sick. Most of us anyway. You were the worst though. At first we thought you had RSV. That is a scary thing to have and we worried because you didn't seem to be getting better. You were so sick. Your cough went all the way down to your toes and racked you until you would cry from the pain of it. It was heart breaking. When you didn't get better we took you back to the doctor and he decided that it was probably pnemonia. Once you got on the antibiotics things started to turn around. It was good to see you smile again. We thought for a few days there that you would never smile ever ever again.

Once that was over, you were heathly for a few days and then started right into another cold. So for much of the month you have looked like this...


and this...


We are really looking forward to you being over these and for the spring to get here. It will be a good thing.

You are learning to sit up. You haven't quiet got the total idea, but you are coming along. You love to throw yourself backward, which ends badly everytime. I am hoping that soon you will discover you are actually doing that to yourself, and that it is not some mean trick your parents are playing on you to torture you for our amusement.

Another fun thing that you are doing this month is this...



THE BABY DEATH GRIP!!! That is what Daddy calls it. It looks harmless enough in this picture, but what you do...just seconds later...after the camera has clicked complete...is clamp down your fingers and dig your REALLY sharp baby finger nails into the soft part of the neck. You grab a handful of flesh and then squeeze and claw and...dare I say...tear at that vulnerable area of our necks. It is almost like you are going for the jugular! It is exquisitly painful and will bring your Mommy to her knees. The really bad part is that you don't let go. You just hang on there like...well...I can't think of what clamps on and doesn't let go...but it is just like that!

Another fun development...that is not at all painful for your parents...you have found your feet!



Well it is a littl painful for us...when we are trying to change your butt...oh the fun!!!

And lastly this month baby, you have this really cute way of holding your mouth...it is always open. If you aren't being feed or sleeping, your mouth hangs open. I know that babies explore the world around them with their mouths...so many fun things! But your mouth hangs open with an intensity that I don't remember in your brothers and sisters. Almost like you are trying to WILL the objects, people, food, air, etc around you into your wide open pie hole! I am sorry to report that your baby powers have failed you. Despite your best efforts, those thing will not simply move themselves into your mouth...you are going to have to use your hands.


Well, there it is sweet Kaylee bug, your are a gigantic 5 months old. We are so happy to have you in our family and we are REALLY glad that you found your smile again.

Love,
Mommy

Four months old

Dear Kaylee,


You are four months old...two days ago. One thing you will come to understand about your Mom...I am not always punctual...but I do what I say I am going to do eventually. Patience is a virtue and I am just trying to teach you that virtue...ya...that is it!

You have grown so much in the last month. If we thought you had personality before...well it has blossomed even further very recently. You are...how do I put this...a little high maintenance sweet girl. Much of this is not your fault. We moved you into your crib...which threw you for a loop. We took away the binky which has made you less than pleased with us. Needless to say, you have been a little tough to keep happy. Your Dad hasn't sat down in weeks. Every time his butt hits a surface you scream and flail like your legs have been ripped off. As long as you are completely entertained at every moment of the day things are fine. Heaven forbid we try to take a moment to pee. How dare we attend to ourselves!!! The impertinence of the idea is enough to make any four month old groan.


So there are some entitlement issues. At the moment you are sitting in your very entertaining excer-saucer, surrounded by toys, throwing a hissy fit...because the toys don't talk back or pay attention to you!!! Despite this...or maybe a little because you still manage to be cute when you throw a fit...we are still absolutely enamored with you.
You may be asking yourself right now, why the binky. Well the problems lays with your genetics little one. See...you inherited only one physical trait from me, and that was an over-sized tongue. It is always hanging out and it gets in the way a lot. Especially when you are trying to suck on a binky. We would spend hours, both during the day and at night, holding that annoying piece of plastic in your mouth, because you couldn't keep it in by yourself. When we moved you to the crib we decide the time to loose the bink had come. I had no intentions of standing next to your crib every night to hold it in place while you slept. So far you have done pretty well without it at night. It is during the daytime that you seem to have trouble. You cry...oh heaven help me the crying! You cry like you lost your best friend...like your puppy has just be run over...like your mean parent took away your binky!!! Despite the crying (oh the crying!!!) you are doing really pretty well adjusting.




I have to take this moment to point out...you are huge! I look at this picture of you and it is hard to imagine that you were once so little your tiny head fit perfectly in your Daddy's hands. You are a whole lot of fun...despite the crying (oh the crying!!!) I can't wait till we start solid food! That will be a whole new world of face pulling and brightly colored spit up. Hooray for stain removers!!!

We love you bug! Even with the crying (oh sweet heaven the crying!!!)

Love,
Mommy

Three months old...

Dear Kaylee,

Today you are three months and one day old. Sorry I missed it yesterday, but it was Christmas day and Daddy and I had better things to do than blog...wink wink! Just kidding...we broke out his new game Arkham Horror and managed to eat up about 10 hours playing it! It was way fun! But any way...you are three months old and a total kick in the butt! We are having so much fun with you. In the last few weeks you have figured out how to use your hands...sort of. You have figured out that your hands do things and it has been unbelievably fun watching you explore them and with them. You will sit for quite awhile grasping them together and then letting go. Then you will grab your left hand with your right hand and pull the fingers. It is very exciting for you. You bat things with your fisted hands and will pull our hands toward your face when we have a bottle or binky for you. Now this all may not seem all that thrilling for you to read about...or for anyone but me to read about. But I find the look of concentration on your face facinating. I am almost as facinated watching you as you are looking at your hands. You amaze me with how fast you are learning to do things, and with your determination to figure these things out. I hope you always have that curiosity and focus.


Tonight we are going to put you to sleep for the first time in your crib. It is a sad night for both of us. You have out grown the basinett and you need to learn to sleep without us...or maybe it is that we need to learn to sleep without you. It has been so fun having you in our room with us...we are both sad that you have to go. It is one more sign that our baby girl is growing too fast.
You are fighting your first real cold right now. Luckily it hasn't been bad, just a little runny nose and cough. The first time we had to seriously suck your nose out and you woke up coughing, you looked at us as if we had betrayed you. How dare we bring you into a world where noses get stuffy and your throat hurts? What a suckfest. It was funny to see the look of betrayal! I can only say to you truthfully that it gets worse from here. I wish that I could protect you from all the suckfest things in this life. But...unfortunantly...it is usually those things that teach us the most. If it weren't for some major suckfest things happening to both your Dad and I before we met each other, we probably wouldn't have gotten together...and we wouldn't have you. Your Dad saved me from a very sad and painful life...but without that life, I wouldn't understand how amazing he is and we wouldn't have your brothers and sisters. So see...sometimes the suckfests are worth it in the end.
You are sitting next to me on Daddy's lap gooing and making spit bubbles...your favorite thing ever. Your shirt is never dry! You are bright eyed and very interested in the tapping of the key board. You laugh so often and so completely. Your smiles involve your whole body. And now...you threw up on Daddy! Good job!
We love you little bug! You are a joy to us both. You unify our family!
Love,
Mommy