10 months gone and now 11 months too!

Oh my how your days are fuller with a baby on the move and the World Cup in full swing.

I am sorry for not getting Makenzie's 10 month post out sooner but let's be realistic here...  I have been watching more soccer in the last few weeks than I had all year and sewing more baby quilts than I have in my life, and let's not forget about planning a Gatsby surprise party for my mom's 50th!  woo wee, we have been busy little bees over here.  Things haven't really calmed down much either since now we are busy prepping and planning for Makenzie's first birthday! YIKES, how has been a year already?

Back to the update on Makenzie...  She is Eleven months now and so much has changed over just the past two months.

Makenzie Loves

swimming

string cheese

lasagna

CHEERIOS

zucchini bread

pulling herself up on anything

pushing the laundry basket around the house

water play

bubble baths

Snickers & Dakota

her DADDY

drinking from her sippy cup

watching the World Cup (duh!)

lounging poolside after swim lessons

Makenzie Dislikes

bananas

greek yogurt

waiting for food

going down for bedtime

when teeth are cutting through

wiping her hands and face after meals

being cold after swim lessons

EAT

Makenzie is starting to clearly wean herself, I had been noticing a decline in her interest in breastfeeding and tried to offer her bottles as well as formula.  So far, the only liquids she will take is water in her zippy cup.  She refuses formula and isn't interested in the bottle of breastmilk most times.  She is nursing three times a day now, first thing in the morning, first thing after she wakes from her morning nap, and just before bedtime.  She eats three solid meals of real food throughout the day with the afternoon snack after her nap.  She loves cheerios in a bowl on the kitchen floor for her snack.  Breakfast usually consists of oatmeal with applesauce or yogurt.  Lunch varies but usually consists of a veggie puree and finger foods like zucchini bread or string cheese.  Dinner is whatever we are eating most times.  She is quite the independent little girl and is very proud of the fact that she can "do it".  

"peek-a-boo"-- shouldn't you be nursing?

Mmm, toast and cheese, her favorite.

Holy lasagna batman!

SLEEP

This is a short section now because well we have hit the milestone of sleeping a full 10-12 hours solid through the night.  Unless she is teething we get a full night's sleep!! YES, finally!!!  Makenzie goes to bed around 7:45pm and wakes up no later than 8am.   She is taking just two naps a day that vary between 1-2 hours each.  

every now and then you just need a big bed to sleep in

PLAY

Oh this is so much fun during the day.  You really can see her little wheels turning now.  She has mastered the game of throw and get mommy or daddy to give the ball back to me.  I love how she grunts "dah" every time she throws the ball.  Throwing is her main activity lately, no more remotes.  I am so glad we bought her sensory balls, they will be getting a lot of use here soon.  She also loves her activity cube which she can stand up alongside and play with now.  Sometimes she shakes it real hard and both she and the cube topple over.  

I have also started doing "discovery baskets" a couple times a week with makenzie.  These are simple everyday items that I gather into a small basket and put on the floor for her to explore.  She really enjoyed exploring an apple and Ross's travel size shaving brush.  As she gets older I will be able to introduce more items and create different themed baskets.  Right now I am doing a lot of familiar things she sees us using but doesn't usually get to "play" with.  

Cousin Alissa reading Green Eggs & Ham to Makenzie

Makenzie, meet Ruby.  Waiting for our flight to L.A.

Makenzie still loves the outdoors and we try to get outside at least once a day if not more.  My favorite thing is taking her to the park and letting her crawl around the grass and find leaves of all sizes and tastes, eew i know but she has to learn.  :)

DEVELOPMENT

Language: She can now say "dada" and "mama" although I am not sure I would yet classify either as her "first word".  I think her first word was signing "more please".  She has also mastered signing "all done'' and ''milk''.  She has so many babbles in her arsenal now and she chats about everything in the car and while she is supposed to be napping.  I love to hear that cute little voice though.  

Social: Thank goodness we are starting to come out of the separation anxiety stage.  We have successfully gone to the gym about 3 times now and each time Makenzie has gotten better at going into the child care.  This last time she did fuss or cry at all.  One proud mamma right here. :)

Physical: Makenzie is still in the lower end of the growth charts but she is pretty coordinated for a little squirt.  She is starting to stand by herself, still a bit shaky but you can see the focus on her face when she tries.  She has definitely mastered crawling in, on, under, and around everything!  The baby gate is shut right?  

Cognitive: Quick story here... the other night she was taking a bubble bath and it was so fun to sit there and watch her fill her turtle shell with soapy water and then try to "wipe" the bubbles out and then do it all over again.  She was even trying to take the bubbles I was blowing onto her away.  

Swinging at the park

GO USA!!! USMNT vs, Azerbajan May 27th.

Alexis & Shawna's wedding. 

what is this little spec?

packing peanuts!

Bisavo helping me drink water

Well so far our summer has been full of swimming, sun, parties, and World Cup.  We are looking forward to more swimming, parties, World Cup, and camping!  Camping with an 11 month old, oh boy, wish us luck!  :D

I hope you are all having a fantastic week!  

Many Blessings, 

~miss kasie ~

  

9 months is here and soon Summer will be too!

9 month stats

26.5'' long

17 lbs. 6.5 oz. 

1 tooth

CRAWLING

Makenzie Loves

eating everything

 chicken

Risotto

swimming

babbling

eating of mommy/daddy's plate

Makenzie Dislikes

being far from mommy or daddy

the dogs in her face

when you take away the fuzz balls she find in the house

getting her diaper changed

Cheering on Tia Jess at SFSU Track Meet

EAT

We have graduated from the pureed baby foods into the chunkier blends and even introduce a few finger foods.  Makenzie absolutely loves the baby puffs, unfortunately they are totally processed and I hate to give her "junk".  But I will admit having some on hand is perfect for delays at grocery stores, or running other errands or heaven forbid when mom brain farts and doesn't pack food and a bottle.  (oops!)  Makenzie is almost eating 3 meals a day.  I still feel like I am forcing breakfast so when she's interested we'll have some but most days we don't get to breakfast, just playtime, cuddles, and maybe a walk on the canal.  

I am proud to say that Makenzie is still breastfed.  She will take the occasional formula bottle but it must be very warm to do so.  Our freezer stash is dwindling down and I have to admit I am getting a little anxious for that time when we start the weaning process.  I am so thankful to have made it breastfeeding this long but am starting to look forward to having my body back to myself.  

PLAY

Oh playtime with a 9 month old is so much fun!  I miss playing with babies this age.  Everything is so new to them and they just want to explore everything!  Makenzie still loves to put everything in her mouth, if you watch carefully you can see her expressions if she likes how it feels or not.  New textures are also a favorite experience now.  She is unsure about grass and how it feels on her hands and feet.  She loves to play with our kitchen gadgets and make music.  The 'drums' are her favorite.  

hey, who is that baby in the mirror!

Starting to pull herself up

We started Makenzie in swim lessons in April and she loves it!  The 'motorboat' song is her favorite as she gets whirled around and makes waves in the water.

Coach Kori helping Makenzie do her kicks

SLEEP

Sleep is sleep here in this house.  Makenzie still is a great napper and sleeper at night.  She is still taking 2 naps a day and sleeping between 10-12 hours at night, waking up once to feed.  Lately she has been trying to pull herself up in her crib when she wakes up from naps.  I have yet to find her standing in her crib (phew).  

These months are flying by and before we know it I will be writing a First Birthday post.  oh gee, I can't handle thinking about that yet! 

Here are a few more photos of Makenzie having fun!

after we finished our first 12K!!

hanging out with daddy

At JoAnne's buying some ribbon and fabric for making goodies!

pretty girl in Church for Easter Sunday

Mommy & Makenzie on Easter

Uncle Jason teaching Makenzie how to work the tractor

Swinging with daddy!

All smiles, all the time!

We wish you all had a wonderful week, and hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Many Blessings, 

~ miss kasie ~  

It's baseball season and Makenzie is now 8 months old!!!

What a crazy hair day!

She is growing so fast and learning so many new things everyday it is hard to keep up.  

Makenzie LOVES

bell peppers

pumpkin

cuties

anything on your plate

watching the chickens

our dogs

swimming

reaching for everything

pulling herself up on your pants 

pushing herself on the floor

wearing her bunny ears

the cat

Makenzie DISLIKES

poopy diapers

peas

 cold breast milk

socks

some headbands

March was a fun filled month of visits from Vavo and auntie Ky, the Brookins' family, and a video visit from Tia Jess.  Makenzie attended several of my team's soccer games.  She is such a trooper and for the most part does well at sporting events.  She even made it out to her cousin Amy's softball tournament.  

We love FaceTime with Tia Jessie

Auntie Ky

Mak's boys

Eat

Makenzie's eating habits are absolutely awesome!  She is still breastfed, and eats between 1-2 meals of solids a day (usually lunch and dinner).  She has recently been introduced to chicken and loved it.  I can't stand prepping it, something about pureeing meat is just plain gross!  She still doesn't have any teeth though so she is limited on what I feel comfortable giving to her. :)  I tried a piece of turkey burger last week and well the little chipmunk scared to crap out of me.  As I get braver and more confident in her chewing skills I may branch back out and giver her more 'solid' foods.  For now she gets very soft chopped veggies to grab and eat.  She is getting quite good at her "pincer grasp".   Ps. no she hasn't figured out the sippy cup yet, she just likes to play with it. 

mmm, sweet potato

Play

Most of Makenzie's play consists of putting everything in her mouth still.  However, this month she started experimenting with banging objects on things and together.  She will pat everything (table, ground, toys, your face, etc).  She is becoming more aware of the game peek-a-boo and doesn't get scared as easily.  Ross has created "the claw" game where he slowly creeps his hand and arm towards her and then tackles/tickles her.  She is able to anticipate what will happen and when her face and whole body cringes it is so cute!  Once a week we go "swimming" in the spa.  Don't worry it's not too hot I promise.  She loves to splash around and kicks her feet when placed on her tummy in the water. Makenzie will officially start her "shrimp" class swim lessons next week at our gym.  We are very excited for this mommy/daddy and me class.  We also get to learn fun ways to promote her water skills.

A day at the park

Getting ready to SWIM!

Sleep

Ahh... we love sleep.  Makenzie is in a great sleep schedule.  Finally!  Bedtime is still at 8:00pm,  wake up is between 6:30-8:00am.  Morning nap happens between 9:30-11:30am with her afternoon falling in between 1:00-3:30pm, she has an occasional catnap before dinner.

Late night wake up (oopsie, the diaper leaked)

We are looking forward to celebrating Makenzie's first Easter.  She already has a couple of cute dresses for the holiday.  

Hope you are all having a wonderful Wednesday!

~ miss Kasie ~

Easter is on its way...

I haven't posted a post other than a Makenzie monthly update in a long time so I thought, why not give it a shot.  As a child growing up I always looked forward to holidays because my mom did her mom magic to make them special.  We would receive goodies on Valentine's Day, Easter baskets, handmade Halloween costumes, and awesome stockings and coded gift tags at Christmas.

As a new mom I have been dying to jump into the holiday fun but I feel it's a tad early since make die is just over 7.5 months old.  I couldn't help but find goodies to make her a little Easter basket.  I was inspired by Jessica at http://littlebabygarvin.blogspot.com.   I have to agree that Target's $1 bins are a great place to find stocking stuffers and basket goodies. Most of Makenzie's basket came from that aisle. I found everything in the $1 aisle except the bunny plate actually, even the basket itself and grass.

I have to say Makenzie had a great time cruising through Target with her bunny ears. She received so many compliments and even made a friend with another little shopper who kept telling his daddy "look, a bunny" and pointed at Makenzie.

Well I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far and that the rain isn't making things too tricky.  :)

Many Blessing, 

~ miss kasie ~

March Madness, St. Patrick's Day and 7 months old!

There are so many things to look forward to this month but let's begin with what we've been up to this past month.

• I have started coaching Junior High boy's soccer.  (a lot of fun, but oh man... junior high boys... enough said). 
• Ross and Makenzie are getting even more quality time together.
• Makenzie is really enjoying eating food like us.
• Makenzie participated in her second 5K, this time I pushed her in our new jogger while she slept the whole time.
• Ross and I have begun our weekly date night tradition, as of now it's technically a "family' night since Makenzie comes along with us.  
• Makenzie has enjoyed a few playdates with friends at or around her same age.  

(she was sitting for this picture and decided to lunge forward)

what Makenzie LOVES

carrots

feeding herself with the spoon

lunging forward after anything and everything while sitting

giving open mouth wet slobbery kisses

sitting in high chairs and grocery carts instead of her car seat 

the outdoors, even in the rain

what Makenzie DISLIKES

a poopy bottom

when she can't see mommy anymore

NEW SKILLS

Raspberry noises (aka: zerberts)

Rolling from back to tummy
almost able to push up an hands and knees
moving from a sitting position to on her tummy without face planting every time

Developmental progress

Eat

    Man, can this girl eat!!  She is still exclusively breastfed but not for a lack of trying.  I hate to say it but Makenzie is a bit of a milk snob.  Not only does her milk need to be just the right temperature she is also not a fan of formula.  **Insert sad mommy face here.**  Just the other day it was not convenient for me to breastfeed and so I whipped together an on the go pouch of formula and she refused to take it!  ugh... she would suck on her bottle and then just dribble it out her mouth.  I was bummed.  She is eating roughly between 4-6 feedings a day, with each feeding being 4-6 ounces.  

She also has infant oatmeal for breakfast, a veggie for lunch, and oatmeal and a veggie for dinner.  She has yet to try other fruits besides bananas and prunes.  (Prunes to relieve constipation, worked like a charm)   Here are some foods she has tried so far and a few to be tested out this month.

Carrots, Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Zucchini  Yellow Squash, Peas, Avocado, Banana, and Prunes.

Soon to try: Eggplant, Bell Peppers (green, red, orange, and yellow), Green Beans, and Cucumber.  Maybe even some turkey...depending on if any teeth come in. :)

That's how daddy feeds her, I tried it and she won't eat like that for me. :)

She can't have sushi yet, so she'll take avocado.  I think she's happy about that.

Play

    Makenzie is becoming such an active baby.  It is so special to witness her learning first hand.  She is still very into putting absolutely everything in her mouth to explore it so I am still holding off sensory play with moon dough and sand.  She loves water play at bath time!

We brought out her shape sorter and so far she is excellent at putting the shapes in her hand and then in her mouth.  She is however really starting to imitate us so I continue to show her how things work and then I enjoy how she shows me how things REALLY work. :)

Oh babies, they are so fun and creative!   

Violet is her new best friend.

Makenzie and Jack are taking over Beach Hut Deli!!!

This is a cup, I eat it like this!

Mak & Daddy playtime.

Sleep

    I am so thankful to have survived the 6 month sleep regression!  That one was a doozy! Now she is back to sleeping pretty well through the night.  She will still wake up 1-2 times a night to nurse, but goes right back down.  I have to say she is a rockstar napper!  She naps two naps a day usually lasting 1-2 hours each.  Every now and then she enjoys a short catnap in the evening before dinner.  

Her first nap on her tummy!

What does Makenzie's schedule look like now... 

8:30am wake up, nurse

9:00am infant oatmeal & finish nursing

PLAYTIME (books, blocks, maybe gym daycare)

10:30am morning nap time

12-12:30pm wake-up from nap, nurse

1:00pm veggie

2:30-3:00pm Afternoon nap time

4:00-5:00pm wake up from nap, nurse

6:00pm infant oatmeal and veggie 

7:00pm bath time

8:00pm night time nursing before bed

8:15-8:30pm Bed time

11pm-1am night time nurse

5:30am early morning nurse

Diapers

    I know some of you are wondering what cloth diapers are like now that we have started Makenzie on "solid" foods.  I have to say the first few weeks were a little rough and dirty.  Her poops were in between breastfed poop and solid poop.  I spent a couple minutes after each diaper change with a poop washing the diaper out in the utility sink.  Now the poops are solid enough and they aren't really making the diaper dirty so I can just dump the poop into the toilet and flush.  The poops are definitely getting a distinct smell and Ross has some funny faces when he changes them.  :)

More fun photos...

Happy Valentine's Day

Don't rain on us!

Getting some AIR time at the "Chasing the Sun Heidi Run" 5K

LOVE HER!

HUH???

Look at this new skill!

We hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have a great first week of March!  

Many Blessings, 

~ miss kasie ~