Sisters

Sisters
October 2008

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Kaia 5th bday invite

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Monday, August 15, 2011

Stationery card

Another Year Pink Birthday Invitation
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Saturday, June 4, 2011

Kaia's First Haircut






Kaia was so excited when I finally scheduled her first haircut! She sang and danced about it for days. The minute that she entered Oasis Salon, she had captured all of their hearts. It was so hard for her to wait. She kept asking when it was going to be her turn to get her haircut. She was her normal inquisitive self and wanted to know what was going on and why. Kaia got the entire salon experience. She got a cut, wash, sat under the dryer and got styled afterwards. She was giddy with excitement:)

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Touch-A-Truck

 


The girls had a great time climbing in and out of all of the trucks!
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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Kaia's New Bike!

 
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Kaia was very excited on Sunday when she was totally outfitted with her new bike, helmet, elbow and knee pads and tassles. She got the braking down really fast just outside the store. She is not little anymore:(

Monday, April 18, 2011

Circus Day!


The girls both had their first circus experience. Kaia ate popcorn non-stop and Kamea thought she was an acrobat the whole time climging and twirling all over Bryn and me.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Little Miss Rudolph Kaia






Now it is Kaia's turn for a little catch up:) Or should I say Rudolph's turn? In November Bryn and I took her to see a production of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer at Adventure Theater and since then she has been Rudolph. While we were in California after Christmas we gave in for the first time and went to Build-A-Bear Workshop with her Grandma and cousins. They were all out of Rudolph's, but they had Clarice (his love interest) and Kaia built her very own Clarice. After that Aunt Colleen asked if she was allowed to get her face painted. What did Kaia want? Not butterflies or flowers, but she wanted to be Rudolph. That kind of stumpped the face painter, but they figured it out. I was told she would be Kaia again when we got back to MD. That lasted about a day and she was back to Rudolph. Now when she turns 4 in July I am told that she won't be Rudolph anymore. We'll see about that. She has already told me that she wants to be Rudolph for Halloween:)

As you can tell, Kaia is full of imagination! She is constantly having phone calls with friends from her favorite TV shows (Sid the Science Kid, Mama Mirabelle and The Cat in the Hat). She tells me what day they are each coming over for sleep overs and they do. The girl with the crazy memory (we never doubt her because she remembers better than us) doesn't forget what day Sid is coming over or when it is Baby Snow White's Birthday.

Kaia is a girly girl! She loves all of her jewlery and dress up and had gotten Kamea involved too. I'll hear Kaia say, "Come on Kamea. Come to my room with me." When I go in to check they are both on Kaia's bed covered in necklaces and braclets. We also entered the world of nail polish recently. I took Kaia for Mommy and Kaia time and we went to a little girl salon to get her nails painted. They actually did a horrible job and most of it popped off before bed that night. However, we have our own nail salon at home now. Sometimes when Kamea is napping we will pull everything out. When I ask Kaia what color she wants, her favorite is all of them. So on each hand she will have pink, yellow, green, orange, purple and pink. She is an equal opportunity girl:)

Kaia is an awesome big sister. Not to say that she doesn't have her moments, but she loves doing things with Kamea. If Kaia is going to draw or color she always gets paper for Kamea and Kamea is toddling right behind sister. She also lets me know when Kamea is scaling something that she shouldn't be. Which happens a lot!

She loves art, crafts, dancing, singing, playing instruments. You name it and the girl is artistic. I wonder where that comes from:) She has gotten really good at coloring in the lines. We paint, draw, glue, cut, collect, etc. Aunt Sharon introduced her to Bendaroos that she loves too. She and Kamea will put on shows with all of our instruments, dress ups and stage that they make. We play music a lot and Kaia is making up her own songs these days too. She has wanted dance class for over a year now, but I don't want to overschedule. I think I will have to give in this fall.

Kaia is in school Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. She stays and has lunch at school two of the days. Last fall I organized a soccer class for her class on one of their off days. We will be doing soccer again next month. This summer she is very excited to be doing a week of "camp" in the mornings with Ms. Pam her teacher. We will probably do a few single morning dance camps that she did with friends last summer too. Most of our days will be spent at the local pool with friends.

Friends make up a big part of Kaia's life and she is becoming very independent. She had an impromptu play date with a friend without me for the first time and she did great. She went with her friend after school and I didn't end up picking her up until 4pm. That was a long day for her without Mommy or Daddy. Kaia has a lot of great friends at school and seems to be friends with everyone. She has had play dates with 2year olds and 5 1/2 year olds ( I was surprised about that one). When she walks up to the playground in the morning they are all yelling her name and so excited to see you. We also love getting to see our neighborhood friends and our neighborhood grandma, Margaruite.

Kaia has been excited about all of our visitors too. Aunt Leigh has had a couple of sleep overs. Grandma was just here. Aunt Sharon will be in town this week and she was in town a couple of months ago with Uncle Ken, cousin Wendy and her boyfriend. After hanging out with Wendy Kaia now LOVES cheerleaders! Wendy is a U of Miami cheerleader. And ever since we can home from California in Janurary she has been telling everyone about her cousin Karina coming for a visit in April. As I said, the girl doesn't forget. A month before Grandma's visit if you asked when Grandma was coming she would have told you March 16. Everyone would look at me to see if that was right or if she was making that up. She was right on as usual:)

We also keep busy Skyping with Grandma and Grandpa and various visiting cousins. We have also started Skyping with Cousins Abby and Kyla which is very exciting for the girls.

I could continue to write a book about everything Kaia does, but I have to wrap it up and just say she is as amazing as ever and going up way too fast!

Kamea catch up






Wow! I am sorry about being so overdue on posted what the girls are up to. It looks like it was last year. That is crazy!

Kamea is just about 19 months old and is her own little person. She has opinions and will let them be known - have no fear. I don't know where our little baby went. She is so curious and loves to observe. Be careful what you let her observe because she can figure a lot out. She can open all of the doors in the house (we were keeping them closed so she couldn't get into as much mischief. She is also trying to do complicated things like unclipping herself from her highchair and is close to being successful. Speaking of her highchair, we have to keep the tray on or she will climb up it and stand in the seat and sit down. That brings me to the fact that she is a little monkey. She will climb anything and everything that she can. If she can't quite reach what she wants she will move a toy or something over to you as a step stool. She has actually taught Kaia to climb on things that Kaia never considered. It is hard for me to leave Kamea alone in a room too long because I don't know what I'm going to find. Kaia has called me before and said, "Mommy, Kamea is on the table," just to give you an idea.

The girls love each other and play together so well, but I can't leave them for too long for fear that Kamea will scale something and fall. I forsee a lot of time in the emergency room with Kamea. She is fearless and is always playing trust games if you know it or not. You can be holding her or she is sitting with you and suddenly without warning she will throw her body upside down and backwards. Upside down is pretty much her favorite place to be. Yesterday Kamea became a whirling dervish and just kept spinning around and around in circles and then would yell "woah" as she plopped down to the ground with no warning.

Kamea adores her big sister, Kaia. She woke up from her nap yesterday and I had taken Kaia out. Kamea was walking all over the house yelling, "dister," (aka sister) looking for Kaia. Most times when I walk into Kamea's room after her nap she doesnt' talk to me right away, but asks immediately for sister. We hope they keep up this lovefest for their entire lives:)

Aside from all of Kamea's physical attributes (the girl is incredibly strong and will pick up anything including an 8-10 lb bag or oranges), she is very smart - but would would you expect:) She has been signing like crazy for a long time. Now as soon as we sign a new sign to her she immediately signs it back. She is just thirsty for more. Her verbal skills are also increasing by leaps and bounds. Everything is something new. She has been singing lalas lately too.

This winter Kamea finally got her first class/activity just for her while Kaia is in school. It has taken her awhile to adjust to doing something without Kaia there, but she is getting there. We have gone to story times and shoppping together too. At the store she wants to put everything in the cart from her position in the backpack carrier and once we are home if she sees a bag with things in it she will immediately begin unpacking it. If you bring a bag into the house and don't want her to unpack it you better find a high spot for it.

Kamea is a love and is full of hugs and kisses for most everyone. She also has an opposing side and will quickly pout and scowl and now sometimes scream if she isn't happy with something. She can comprehend compromises (if she likes it or not) like if you do that, then you can get this. She loves to help and will bring me my slippers and insist that I put them on if my feet or cold or not.

Hope this gives you a little insist into our amazing little one who is growing and changing in leaps and bounds:)

Sisterly moments




I am incredibly behind in posting, but here are a couple recent photos of Kaia and Kamea together during sister time:)

Friday, December 24, 2010

Happy Holidays 2010

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Monday, September 13, 2010

Kaia's first day of school

The summer has officially blown by and Kaia went back to school. She has been so excited to be in Ms. Pam's three year old class and to be able to play with all of her friends. I walked her to the playground (well, she ran ahead because she was so excited to be with her friend, Anna) and she ran right in. She did manage to remember to turn around to say goodbye to me and tell me that she loved me and she was off. When I picked her up she reported everything they did to me. She didn't have to tell me that they painted though because I could look at her pants and shirt and tell that:) She does keep talking to me about extended day. It won't start until October, but 2 out of the 3 mornings she will stay a little longer and have lunch and play a little more.

Kaia did enjoy the last weeks of summer. Right before our vacation Grandma Bobbie came to visit and right after our vacation Grandma and Grandpa came to visit together. Grandpa hadn't been here since last Halloween so Kaia was really excited. Grandma and Kaia got some one on one shopping time once Grandpa left (a Grandma and Kaia tradition).

Kamea is one!!!

It is hard to believe that over a year ago Kamea joined the Happy Henderson clan:) It is amazing how the time has flown by. At one year old she is walking all around the house by herself without having to stop or really balance. We have had to close the bedroom and bathroom doors because she will wander off the second she gets the chance. Walking is definately her main mode of transportation these days. We have officially lost our baby to toddlerhood.

Kamea is everywhere and likes to climb everything she can: toys, chairs, tables, people...you name it and she will try to climb it and usually she is pretty successfull if we let her. We have even seen her try to climb up the rails of the crib. She has a way to go before she figures it out, but she could be out of her crib before Kaia is out of hers.

She is also talking more and has used some signs too. She says mama, dada, Kaia, cat, Squirt, dog, diaper, up (that is the clearest by far!) and a few others that I am forgetting. She has also signed up, milk, change, diaper, all done, ball and again more that I can't remember at the moment.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit over Labor Day weekend. Grandpa hadn't been here since last Halloween, so the girls were very excited to see him and play with him. Grandma got to stay for Kamea's birthday and leave the very next day.

So on the big day, we had wild and crazy plans for Kamea! Not really. We did think about it, but thought it was better to give her both of her naps at home. Bryn took most of the day off of work so we could all be together. Kamea happily and eagerly openned her presents and we all played in the living room with a bunch of balloons that we had blown up for the occasion. Kaia made a birthday cake for us and after dinner we tried to get Kamea to dig in, but she wasn't very excited by the idea. Actually, the cake in front of her made her get upset and start crying. Not the best first birthday cake photo op. Kamea had a great day and toddled around everywhere having fun.

Yesterday we had her birthday party with some family and friends. Although the three year olds were everywhere and moving quickly, Kamea wanted to hang with them and hold her own:) We tried cake again and got the same reaction. However, Kaia and her friends had no problem dipping their fingers into the icing for some licks:)

It is amazing how much Kamea has changed in one short year. All is know is that we are in trouble!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

First family vacation!!!



We were all so excited to take our first ever family vacation. We have taken trips to visit people, but have never taken an actual vacation since before Kaia was born. We headed to Dewey Beach, Delaware and a vacation rental less than a block from the beach. Needless to say a great time was had by all:)

Kaia loved being so close to the beach and walking everywhere. When we had to get in the car to drive to Rehoboth Beach (just north) to head to Funland, so really wanted to walk. Kaia had a great time at Funland. It has amusement park type rides for her age. Her favorites were the carousel and the swings. She was pretty fearless. She wanted to ride the bummer cars and was very disappointed when we discovered she was too short. Then she saw a free fall ride which weirdly enough she wasn't too short for. We had her watch it to make sure and she wanted to go. We did it and she did OK, but I don't think she will be doing that ride again soon.

Kaia's favorite beach activities included collecting seashells, playing in holes that we dug in the sand and filled with water to make bathtubs, chasing birds on the beach, going to eat at resturants, eating outside on our decks and hanging out there and getting to watch the sunset. Usually when we travel we end up getting cries of "I want to go home to my house". That didn't happen this trip and as we packed up and headed home she asked why we had to leave and that she wanted to go back to the beach. She has continued to tell me that all week since we have been home.

Kamea had a great time too. She loved the people watching and playing on the beach. Whenever she saw that we were walking to the beach she got soooooo excited. Kamea is walking on her own now. She can walk the entire length of our hallway on her own. She was doing the same on the packed sand. She too was a fan of the bathtubs we made. Bryn took Kamea out into the waves and was jumping waves with her and throwing her up in the air. She loved it! Even when she got hit with a little bit of ocean water she just laughed. Kamea also got to ride a ride a Funland with Bryn and Kaia and she LOVED it!!!

Bryn and I enjoyed getting a little time away too. Obvoiusly vacation time is a little different with two little ones, but we found some time while they were sleeping to sit outside and have a beer and relax a little. We were exhaused because Kamea was cutting teeth and not sleeping well in the new place and up a lot at night.

It was a great family vacation and we have already said that we would go back to the exact place again next year if life allows us:)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Kamea's first steps!!!

As of last week, Kamea can now take steps on her own! It seems crazy to only be 10 months old and taking at least 4 steps in a row. Kamea loves it and thinks it is the coolest thing ever. When she lets go and just stands on her own she laughs and giggles. You should hear her when she starts taking steps. Kamea loves being able to move on her own and go where she wants to go. She is such a fast crawler. Look away for 10 seconds and she is in a totally different part of the house. She is also a climber. Kaia enjoyed her independence too, but she was never a climber or a huge risk taker. Yet again, sisters are so different. We have a Little Tikes picnic table. Kamea can climb up onto the bench and then climb up onto the top of the table. It is one of her favorite things to do right now. Today she climbed on me to get herself up onto the sofa. We are in so much trouble!!!

Kamea also loves being upside down. You have to be really careful and aware when you are holding her because out of nowhere she will arch backwards. Considering she weighed in at 22.4 pounds at her 10 month check up, you have to hold on tight when she throws her whole body backwards. Kamea's laugh is awesome. We have to get her throaty and deep excited laugh on video. When Bryn comes in the door from work she just beams and squeals DaDa. If you are holding her she also wildly swings her arms and legs. She is such a happy and mellow baby. Although as time goes on she is making her opinions known more and more. If you take away something she wants, she will let you know she isn't happy about it.

Kamea is also very smart. We are in so much trouble between the two of them. She knows what things she isn't suppose to do. She will crawl towards something, stop and look at you and smile and then motor to her goal. She does listen most of the time when we tell her that something isn't for her. She will also listen and follow directions. Today I told her Daddy was home and asked her where he was. She crawled over to the door and stood up to look out. We have been signing with Kamea just as we did with Kaia. Right now Kamea's spoken and signed vocabulary is somewhere between 10 and 15 words. Not bad for 10 months:)

Kamea is also working on other motor skills like waving and blowing kisses. She gives great kisses too. Right on the lips with a big open mouth:) She is also helping to get herself dressed by putting her arms in and the girl will lunge out of the carseat or highchair as soon as you unstrap her. She loves peek a boo, patty cake and has started to imitate Kaia when Kaia is clapping or banging. She loves grabbing our hands and making us clap too. Kamea still loves playing instruments and dancing. She bounces up and down when she hears music. When she is standing in her crib and holding the rail she can almost jump.

Food is a favorite thing for Kamea. She has two teeth so we have been able to give her soft things that are cut up for her to bite and gum. If you are eating and haven't given her something to eat, she will let you know. If you tell her it is time to eat she will crawl to her highchair at lighten speed. A girl after my own heart:) It is incredible how time is flying and how fast she is growing up. Our baby isn't going to be a baby much longer:( Check out the video below of some of her first steps!

Kaia is 3!


It is amazing the things that Kaia has learned and accomplished in three short years. Sometimes talking to her you would think that it has already been 16 years:)

Kaia had a great birthday. Bryn managed to take the day off of work and Grandma (Bryn's mom) flew in the night before to surprise Kaia. And she did:) Kaia keeps talking about it. That morning after she came out of her room and went downstairs to wake up Grandma she had a big present waiting for her in the living room. Didn't want to unwrap it and told us that it was too big. She wanted the small ones that people had sent instead. That won't happen for very much longer I'm sure:) We finally convinced her to open her dollhouse and she played with it for awhile before we headed out to the spray ground to meet some friends. Kaia and Kamea had a great time playing in the water with Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Anna and Casey. That afternoon after her nap, Kaia got to make a cake for herself. That is a very important part of birthdays to her. She also had to make herself a picture and a card. Kaia doesn't want to rip open present after present (we love that!). She wants to play with what she opens and we have to try to convince her to open more. So birthday gifts lasted for quite some time.

The weather didn't cooperate for Kaia's pool party that Saturday so we rescheduled to the next day after another friend's birthday party. This years party was so much different from last years. Kaia was so into having her friends there to play with and we all got to watch her play more than play with her. She is getting so big and has a great group of friends from school.

As a result of her birthday and gifts she has entered the world of princesses. Snow White is currently her favorite and she will not share her Snow White doll with anyone. Well, she has let Kamea touch her every once and awhile, but that is rare. She loves reading the princess stories so we bought her the whole Disney collection and a bookmark and are starting to make our way through the huge book.

Kaia is still scary smart. She is going to surpass our knowlege very fast and is going to require challenges. She corrects us and calls us out on things all of the time. The other day she was climbing onto Bryn and jumping off. When Bryn asked her to stop she said, "I have to jump Daddy." We asked why and she told us that it was exercise and she needed to exercise. Can't really argue with that logic:) She is starting to spell and sound things out. She can also write Kaia like a pro. Drawing is something else she loves and she has been drawing stick figures, trees, flowers and her repetoire is growing. Kamea is into everything all of the time so it has been a challenge to find seperate space for Kaia to do some of her art projects and things we use to do.

We have spent a lot of our summer at the pool. Kaia did a couple of weeks of swim lessons to get her more comfortable in the big pool. Now all she wants to do is go to the big pool. She is great at jumping in and being caught by someone. Today she used her kick board by herself and I didn't have to hold it to keep it balanced. Kaia is getting so much better at throwing and catching and has a strong kick. She is a lefty through and through. She also loves jumping and will jump everywhere forwards and backwards.

This summer also marked her first day camp. Last week she went to dance camp for the morning with some of her friends from school. She ran out afterwards to meet me and couldn't stop talking. She had a blast and has obviously missed her time away at school. Kaia has been asking since the spring to start dance class. I promised her she could start when school was over, not knowing that the summer is full of camps and not regular classes. We did go to the dance store and buy her her first leotard, tights and ballet shoes. She is my perfect little ballerina:) She already knows dance steps by name (coupe, passe, arabesque, etc). She picked them up at an open house we went to. She also picks up choreography so fast. The other day she was dancing and Bryn had to point out to me that she was doing choreography from a piece she had seen on TV. For the record although many of you won't believe me, I have not tried to get her interested in dance and was actually trying to put it off for a bit. I guess dancing and performing into my 8th month of pregnancy with her must have had an effect. She loves singing and dancing and makes up songs and dances all of the time.

I know I have been singing the praises of Kaia, but she is three and really smart. That also means lots of battles and not listening too. And of course she has learned some lovely behaviors from her friends. Her teacher actually told me that she enjoyed watching Kaia learn how to misbehave. But that all means that she is doing the things she is suppose to.

Kaia is a great big sister and loves Kamea incredible amounts. She loves teaching her and showing her things. When Kaia wakes up she loves for us to put Kamea into her crib with her for some sister time. We are entering the world of Kaia not wanting Kamea around too. But every girl needs some of her own space and time.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Super Kamea


It is amazing how much Kamea has exploded just in the last month. She got two teeth at once (that was fun), is crawling everywhere so nothing is safe, is pulling up to stand on anything she can and has recently start to let go and stand for a few seconds. She and Kaia love playing chase. We have an exersaucer that has the toys in the center and Kamea sits/stands in the seat and is able to walk around and circle the center. Kamea loves chase (as does Kaia). They literally take turns chasing each other. Kaia will chase and catch Kamea and then Kamea will chase and catch Kaia. It is amazing to watch!

Kamea is loving her new found freedom. Yesterday I watched her crawl to different places in the house she has never been to under her own power. She was so excited! I could have watched her do it all day. Kamea has also discovered new freedom in the baby pool. I was very nervous about juggling the two of them at the pool by myself, but it has been incredible. Kamea loves her baby circle float. We put her in it and she literally walks laps around the baby pool. Her feet were getting so raw from walking in the pool that we had to get her pool socks to protect her feet.

Now that Kamea is mastering her movement, she has recently started talking a lot. Her converstations crack me up. She has also been signing to us for awhile. Some of her signs include milk, more, all done, diaper and change. There are more, but I can't remember them right now.

Kamea also loves music just like her sister. One of her favorite things to do is play instruments. We put on music and she will rub and bang the rythm sticks, shake the eggs and maracas, etc. Her faces lights up when we pull the stuff out. She also knows where the instruments are kept and will go over there and look over there until we get them down for her.

Her laugh is amazing and infectious. How can you have a bad day when someone can look at you with such a beeming smile and laugh and huge belly laugh:)

All growing so fast


Time is flying and they just don't stop growing:)

Kaia finished her first year of preschool this month. It is amazing how much she has grown and changed in that time and all of the "lovely" - not- habits that she has picked up from her friends. Kaia is the social butterfly of her class and everyone comes to her. Even at recent birthday parties we have heard multiple kids asking where Kaia is and calling for her. Kaia has some great friends in walking distance in our neighborhood and we are always meeting up with them at the park and now the pool. Thank goodness for the pool! We have gone there every day this week, except for yesterday when it was raining. There are usually at least two ofher friends there at the same time. We did go one day and no one else was in the baby pool. Kaia asked me, "But what are we going to do without Anna?" She had to settle for playing with me.

She is starting to read words, continues spelling and counting, likes to send emails and texts that say, "Kaia June Henderson xxxooo", is writing her name and a few other words, must do everything "all by myself", takes care of her little sister and helps her out - unless Kamea is playing with something Kaia wants. The list goes on and on. Kaia notices everything and forgets nothing. I was driving the other day and drinking something and she asked me if I was driving with one hand. When I told her yes she asked me to please drive with two hands. Nothing like a 2, almost 3, year old putting you in check.

I can't believe that in a few short weeks she will be three and she will be having a birthday party with all of her friends. Very different than last year when the focus was on family and she had a friend stop by. This time she is having a pool party and has already told me all of the things she will be doing with her friends. Apparently, we will just be observers:)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Friday, December 18, 2009

Kamea is growing too fast


It is amazing that Kamea is already able to use her Bumbo to sit by herself at 3 1/2 months. The time is already flying!

Kaia caring for Elmo


Although Kaia has seen me nursing Kamea for awhile now she has suddenly decided to take care of Elmo.  That includes diapering, burping and yes…feeding Elmo:)

Friday, December 4, 2009

Grandma's visit


We had a mellow Thanksgiving. It was just us and Grandad. We tried to prep as much as we could in advance because we never know what our days will hold:) The next day Bryn's mom flew in for a visit. Grandma was going through granddaughter withdrawl and Kaia was definately going through Grandma withdrawl. We had mellow hang out time and Bryn and I also got some things accomplished with Grandma played. Grandma did lots of cooking and folded a lot of laundry. On Sunday we went to ICE at the Gaylord in National Harbor. It was 9 degrees and everything was made of ice including huge bigger than life ice sculptures and even ice slides. Yes, we actually slid down the ice slides. It was very festive. Then we headed inside the hotel for a tree lighting and snowfall.

Kaia is still too smart for us. She is so observant. Auntie Carolyn got a new pair of glasses and the only person that noticed the new glasses at all was Kaia. She is also a very loving big sister. We had ordered some clothes for Kaia and when the package arrived Kaia asked where Kamea's clothes were. She is so concerned when Kamea is upset or needs something. Kaia is a huge helper and likes to do anything she can to help Kamea. She will get diapers, toys, clothes, help get her dressed and even clip her into the carseat. Kaia is still loving school. I have no idea what we are going to do when there is no school. Kaia is spelling a lot and counting too. She loves to sing and dance and make up songs. And she is a very prolific artist. Her art cubby is always full at school.

Kamea is "talking" a lot now and is smiling all of the time. She has also been rolling over. She is a strong little girl with a strong grip on everything including my clothes and my hair.

We have had visitors for many weekends in a row. Bryn's dad was here, my grandma, my mom, my sister and brother and Bryn's mom. We have a couple of weekends with no guests and then we are heading to CA for the holidays. Kaia is very excited and is already talking about it.

Baby rolls:)


Kamea had her 3 month well baby check up today and tipped the scales at 13 pounds 6 ounces (75%) and 24 inches (50%). Kamea has so many more rolls than Kaia ever did. Baths and changing diapers are a completely different experience this time:)

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Much needed update


I think my excuse of adjusting to two isn't going to last much longer:) Sorry for the long delay and much needed update.

The girls are doing great. Kaia is in preschool two mornings a week and she loves it. It is hard for me to get her to leave and she asks to go to school on other days too. As wonderful and amazing as Kaia is, she is also hitting the opposite end of the spectrum as a terrible two year old. I have tried rewards, incentives, taking things away and litteraly not talking to her, but she is very independent and will only do things when she wants to and is ready. The hardest time is meal time. She drags it out for at least an hour if she is allowed. She is very smart and creative - usually good things- except when she is sitting in her booster seat and can sing and entertain herself with nothing around. Yesterday she painted her hand with her peanut butter and jelly to make a hand print on her plate:) Kaia is spelling her name on the computer and verbally. She knows Kaia June without any problem, but still needs a little help with Henderson. We spell things all of the time by sounding words out. She also drew a picture for Auntie Carolyn the other day that had a very clear tree, sun and grass and then she wrote Kaia. I told her where to put the crayon and draw the lines, but I never touched her. I was absolutely amazed.

Kaia also had a great time on Halloween and dressed up like a kitty cat. We are still dressing up and putting on her costume which includes painting her face with a kitty cat nose and whiskers. Kaia had never had candy before, but she got the routine of trick or treating down. She was so excited I had to tell her to wait until someone answered the door to say it. Then most people held out the bowl and Kaia would grab some candy, say thank you and be off to the next house. The people thought she was candy driven and I had to explain that she didn't know what candy was, she was just enjoying the process. Grandpa was in town for a visit that weekend and got to join us for our rainy trick or treating. He was also in charge of Kamea the pumpkin while I was taking Kaia to the houses and Bryn was taking pictures.

Kamea is doing well too and growing like crazy. She has been able to hold her head up for a long duration for almost a month now and she is only 10 weeks old. She is a strong and resiliant little girl. Kamea loves to be entertained by her big sister and Kaia is awesome with her. We couldn't be more lucky. Kamea is really smiling and laughing these days and is starting to talk. Her favorite spot is on the dresser/changing table. This was Kaia's favorite too when she was upset as a baby we could put her on it and she would start smiling and laughing the dame as Kamea. Kamea also started rolling from her stomach to her back around 6 weeks or so. She is also sleeping through the night. It isn't nearly as scary now as it was at a week and a half. Now Bryn and I can actually enjoy it.

Among our visitors we have had Grandpa, Grandma Bobbie and Great Grandma come to stay with us. My Aunt Berdie passed away recently, so although it was a sad occasion, we were very happy to have Aunt Sharon and Uncle Steve stay with us as well. Grandma from California is our next visitor and will be here the day after Thanksgiving. I knew she couldn't wait until we came out to CA at Christmas to see her girls:)

Bryn is still working and I am still at home. I am starting to think about getting back in shape so I will be able to go work a bit too. I am craving adult time without a 2 year old having listening issues. We did make it out last night for the first time without both of them. We went to dinner at a local resturant and then headed over to the Town Hall for a fundraiser for Kaia's preschool - bake sale/craft fair with a silent auction. Those are dangerous. We "won" 3 different things including a weekend away at a local hotel:)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Going strong


As of last Friday Kamea broke the 8 pound mark. Since she was born she has gained over 1 1/2 pounds and grown over 2 inches and that was with her hospitalization.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

First Kamea Drama...

After a very sleepy and decreased day of eating on last Saturday, Kamea went to sleep on Saturday night and slept through the night. Not something you want a week and a half old baby to do. We woke her up at 6:45am when we got up and called the pediatrician. She had a fever of 101.3 and it took over an hour to get her awake enough to eat for a few minutes. Apparently the protocol for an infant her age with a fever that high is hospital admission for a complete sepsis work up including spinal tap, urine and blood cultures. Luckily, Grandma was still here so Kaia and Grandma started their day as Bryn, Kamea and I rushed out to the hospital. Once Kamea got an IV put in and began to get hydrated and got multiple doses of antibiotics she started to get better. Bryn and I both stayed at the hospital with her and she was finally discharged on Tuesday afternoon. We still don't know exactly what she had, but they ruled out a lot of bad possibilities. The general consensus is that she had a virus of some type. Kamea has been very strong and has impressed the doctors and nurses. Kaia did great with us being gone again, but she has been pushed to her limit. Grandma is heading home on Friday morning and Bryn will be back at work. So Kaia, Kamea and I will have to figure out how to adjust to doing things ourselves with all of my c-section limitations. Hopefully this is the end of Kamea's drama for awhile. She is doing much better and will be heading to the pediatrician's tomorrow to check in and she how she is doing.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Our new addition has arrived!

On September 8, 2009 at 2:04pm we welcomed Kamea Amelie Henderson weighing in at 6lbs 9 oz and 18 inches long. It seems that Kamea is just as stubborn if not more than her big sister. We continued all of the baby turning tricks including handstands in the water at the local pool, but Kamea refused to turn. We attempted a version 5 times on 9/8 and although the doctor was literally on the table pushing on my belly all around, Kamea refused to move her bottom to complete a turn. They nicknamed her pretzel. So later that afternoon we ended up in the OR with a c-section and a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Just over a week has passed since Kamea entered the world and she has already gained back 4 ounces and as of yesterday she weighed 6lbs 6oz.

Big sister, Kaia, has been amazing!!! She loves her baby sister so much that it is hard for her to not go in Kamea's room when she is sleeping because she needs to see the baby. When Kaia got to the hospital on Thursday morning with Daddy and Aunt Leigh, she didn't beeline for me - instead it was right to the baby. We are so happy that she is so welcoming to Kamea. Kaia also did amazingly well with all of the change and different people around last week. We left for the hospital early on Tuesday morning and Auntie Carolyn was here when she woke up. Auntie Carolyn and Kaia got to hang out together until Wednesday night when Aunt Leigh came over to take over. Leigh was here until late Thursday when Grandma arrived in from CA. So Kaia got to wake up with Grandma on Friday. Bryn did go home to see Kaia twice during the week and took her to preschool for her orientation and to pick out her cubby. And we all finally came home on Friday afternoon just in time for Kaia to wake up from her nap.

Kaia has had all of the concepts about the baby down from the beginning. She immediately has recognized that the baby is not in Mommy's tummy anymore and she has been very understanding about Mommy's owie from the c-section. I was dreading her not understanding that I can't pick her up, etc for about 6 weeks, but she is doing OK. We will be in trouble once Bryn is back at work and Grandma is home in CA.

Kaia has had a lot going on lately. On top of having a new baby sister, she started preschool this passed Tuesday. Bryn stayed at school as a co-oping parent so he could report everything to me:) I was bummed to miss her first day of school, but apparently she did awesome and had a great time! She played with lots of kids (she knew a lot of them from the playgroup this summer) and came home in a great mood. She suddenly seemed like such a big girl to me when she came home. I don't know where my baby went:(

Some of Kaia's other recent skills include her new desire to negotiate everything. She will ask to do something for a specific amount of minutes and understands that 5 is bigger than 3 and 3 is bigger than a couple of minutes. She is always trying to work everything. As before, she needs to do EVERYTHING by herself.

Thank you to everyone for all of their good wishes, calls, emails, etc. We are all settling in and doing well.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Constant catch up


Whenever I think I will never take a long break in blogging, I somehow end up taking an even longer one. I apologize and some day I will get back into a normal routine. What do you think, maybe 10 years?)

Kaia is amazing and surprises us every single day. She is talking so clearly for her age and the concepts that she grasps surprise us all the time. We have been busy with our old playgroup and our new preschool playgroup and up until the last few weeks we had music class. We have also been hanging out at the pool, in our backyard with her new sandbox and homemade water table, and at the park. Summer here has been mild for the area, but being pregnant I can't handle the heat and Kaia starts sweating the second she steps outside. Usually we head out in the morning and make it home for lunch and nap and then we stay pretty close to home in the afternoon. I have felt bad that Kaia isn't getting outside as much as she would if I wasn't pregnant, but she has also chosen to stay home and inside to play.

Kaia is all about her Baby Kendall (every baby she has is named Baby Kendall). She got some great doll accessories for her birthday and she loves feeding her and changing her diaper/underwear. Baby Kendall usually gets changed into what Kaia is wearing. Kaia has been great with the potty training and very rarely has accidents. We travel with a portable potty so we can pull over and pee in the car too. So around home she wears underwear and we wear Dora underwear (pull ups) to go out. I just don't want to deal with an accident at someone else's house, etc. Then for naps and bed she gets a diaper. We did have success with pooping for awhile, but now it freaks her out and she will only do it in a diaper when she wakes up. That is fine with us and if she asks for a diaper to poop in we give it to her.

Kaia still loves singing and dancing and anything related to music. She makes all of her animals and friends dance with her and for her and will break into song without a moments notice. A new part of her night time routine was requested by her. Sometimes she and Bryn would come out to the living room after a bath to see me (on the few occasions I sat down to put my feet up) and she would see me watching So You Think You Can Dance. So now she asks to watch dancing with mommy after her bath. She is mesmerized when she is watching it (just like Sesame Street). She usually gets to watch 3 dances and requests her favorites. Recently she has been requesting to watch the judges comments after the performances. Last night I told her mommy was a dancer and she looked at me in amazement.

We have lots of conversations about the baby. Kaia has a list of things she will do for the baby. Some of them include dance, sing, hold, hug, kiss, etc. Lately she has been asking the baby if it wants to come out. She also knows that the baby makes mommy feel sick sometimes and it also moves funny. When I get a funny look on my face Kaia will guess what is going on with the baby. She loves giving hugs and kisses to the baby and has to pull up my shirt to get closer to the baby. We have also talked about when Kaia is ready for a new bed, the baby will sleep in Kaia's crib. We also just picked up the new chair for Kaia's room so that the glider that was in there can go into the baby's room. Kaia loves the new chair and all of the new things we have done to her room.

Since my last entry, Kaia turned 2 on 7/7/09 and had a birthday party that following weekend. Grandma (Nancy) came to visit just a couple of days after the party. Kaia had a great time at her party. Her favorite part about the birthday cake was blowing out the candles. We blew out the candles a lot:) Kaia had a great time with Grandma while she was here and Nancy and I spent to solid days painting a mural in Kaia's room. After Nancy left I spent another whole day finishing it up. Kaia loved getting to go down to the basement and wake Grandma up in the morning. Since my last blog we had another visitor. Great-Grandma (my grandma) finally got a chance to visit on her own. She caught Kaia all kinds of rhymes, etc that she taught me when I was little. Kaia has been wanting to see Great-Grandma on the computer (video calls) like we see Grandma and Grandpa, but Grandma isn't set up for that.

The other thing that has been keeping us busy is that we found out that this baby is breech. So we are doing everything we can to try to get it to turn, but it hasn't worked yet. I have been doing chiropractic, acupuncture, hanging upside down, burning Chinese herbs, etc. If it might help, I have been trying it. In MD if the baby is breech it is pretty much a c-section. Most people won't let you try to do a natural delivery and won't even attempt a version until it is too late. So send all your good baby turning vibes our way.

Bryn has been busy with work and I have been busy making a baby and taking care of Kaia. I know we will be exhausted in a whole different way once the baby is born, but I won't feel so bad physically from being pregnant.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

What Kaia is up to


It has been a record in how long I have gone without blogging and I apoligize. My pregnancy is making life much more exhausting and unproductive these days. Only 92 days to go. Not that I am counting:)

Bryn has been working, I have been watching Kaia and she has been playing and growing like she is suppose to. We did manage to take a 10 day vacation to CA a few weeks ago. We spent most of the time with Bryn's family. We did take Kaia to San Diego for a couple of days to visit some friends and go to Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. Bryn and I also left Kaia with Grandma and Grandpa for a couple of days while we headed to Santa Barbara for a mini vacation for ourselves.

Watching Kaia grow and her skills sky rocket is amazing. She talks regularly in 10 word sentences and has a huge repetoire of songs and rhymes that she can recite and sing. She loves making movies, singing, dancing, jumping, playing with her baby dolls and pushing them around in their stroller, doing anything that has to do with animals, riding her new trike around the house, drawing, painting, playing with playdough, helping with anything that she can, going to the park and much more. She is VERY independent. I don't think I can emphasize that enough. She has to pick out her clothes, helps to make her breakfast, helps with the laundry and makes it very clear that she knows the rules about when she has to accept help from one of us. In the last week or so she insists on putting her clothes on herself, even if she is trying to put her head through the arm hole and is getting frustrated. She has known her ABC's and has been counting to the 40's for awhile. So we have started on letter sounds and spelling. Kaia is also climbing anything and everything she can. It makes me very nervous at the playground, but I am trying to let her go. She even hangs from the monkey bars and can coordinate moving her hands forward one at a time. I am there ready to grab her when she lets go, but it still makes me nervous. She sees the big kids doing things at the park and thinks she can do the same.

Socially she is growing a lot too. She has always been good with kids/people if the interaction is on her terms. Lately, she has been OK when other kids push her or are a bit more aggresive with her. Before she would have cried and gotten very upset, but now she is learning how to handle it.

Our activities have somehow gotten pretty busy this summer too. We are still doing our old playgroup, but have just started a new one too. Kaia is going to be starting 2 year old pre-school this fall. The school started a playgroup for the summer so the kids can get to know each other. We are also doing music class. And we have finally met some people in the neighborhood that we have been getting together with. We also just joined our neighborhood pool this week and have started to head over there.

The big news is our plans for this weekend. Kaia has been interested in the potty and has been peeing in her potty when she wanted to for a number of months. She was probably ready for potty training in the late winter or early spring, but we weren't. We decided to make this weekend potty training 101 and roll up the rugs for a naked and potty filled weekend. Please send us all of your good vibes because neither one of us has done this before. We have been reading the potty books to her and have taken Kaia shopping to pick out her new underwear. She has been telling me lately that she wants to wear her underware, so hopefully this is going to work.

I am getting in trouble for not going to bed and must bring this catch up session to a close:)

Monday, April 13, 2009

So much, so little time...


It is amazing how much time has past since I last blogged. I have no idea where the time has been going.

Kaia is doing great. She had her 21 month check up last week and she weighed 23 pounds, 13 ounces (25% percentile) and has grown to a lengthy 34 inches (75% percentile). The doctor was amazed by all of her skills.

Kaia loves to commentate. She will narrate everything that is going on around her. She will tell you what every woman, man, boy, girl and animal are doing if you want her to or not:) She is speaking in full sentences and signing more and more as she speaks. She has also been singing and speaking complete songs and rhymes. Some of her favorites include Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus, Open and Shut Them, ABCs, and Diddle Diddle Dumpling just to name a few. Kaia has also been counting up into the 40's and Bryn has started to work with her on addition. She knows 1+1 is 2 and 1+2 is 3. She has been recognizing written letters for awhile and can tell you various words that start with the specific letter and she is also able to identify written numbers now too.

Climbing has become a huge focus for her too. She can pretty much get up on to anything she wants. Recently when we are at the park or the indoor play areas she has been able to climb up vertical ladders and bars by herself. I am always there with a hand on her or near her just in case and I have had to catch her a few times, but she is doing amazingly well.

Kaia loves to help with everything. I had to go and buy her her own broom and vacuum so I could actually clean the house without her taking my broom and vacuum. There isn't a whole lot she doesn't want to help with. She runs to the bathroom when she hears us filling her humidifier so she can put the top on and twist it. She also insists on flushing and locking the toilet when I am done going to the bathroom. Speaking of bathroom, she has been using her own potty for awhile. We aren't pushing anything, but when she wants to she will sit on her potty to pee. Usually right before she gets in the bath she will use her potty most nights. That is of course after she has run her naked laps around the house.

We have managed a few outings as the weather has gotten a bit nicer. Grandma and Grandpa (Bryn's folks) were here visiting a few weeks ago so we ventured up to Baltimore to the Children's Museum and down to DC for the Cherry Blossom festival. We have also gotten to take her to the National Zoo. She loves being out and about and people watching. She will even tell you that she is people watching.

Auntie Carolyn has been over a number of times to watch Kaia so I can go and get some stuff done and so Bryn and I can get out every once in awhile. Kaia goes through Auntie Carolyn withdrawl if we haven't seen her too often. Carolyn lived with my family when I was little and watched my brother and I while our parents worked. It is great because Carolyn is teaching Kaia all kinds of things from my childhood - so I don't have to remember them:)

Kaia and I got sick a few weeks ago and we have both had a hard time shaking it so the recent holidays were pretty low key for us. We have read her Passover books quite a bit and I got to go to a Sedar with a friend of mine. Auntie Carolyn did all kinds of Easter crafts with Kaia and Sunday afternoon we went out in the backyard to find Easter eggs. Kaia was really fast. I put out about 20 eggs and she was running around non-stop until she got them all. This morning she was shaking and opening all of her eggs to see what was inside. Her favorites were the dried cranberries and whole wheat bunny crackers. The other Easter treat for her was hanging out and watching a bunny in our yard.

Bryn has been busy with work and we have been going to our regular midwife appointments for the baby. So far, so good. My morning sickness has gotten better (not all gone, but much better).

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Baby's first photo session

Life here continues as usual. Bryn is working, Kaia is busy with everything and I still feel like crap. Today Kaia got to hang out with Auntie Carolyn while we went for our first sonogram. We got to see for certain that there really is a baby in there:) According to the sonogram I am 12 weeks and 5 days pregnant. That means that the baby is due on September 25.

Kaia is doing great. She was so excited that she got to start back to music class today. We had a break between sessions and Kaia has been asking for music class for at least a week now. Tomorrow we have our second meeting with our new playgroup. Kaia has been going through withdrawl for regular friends. She still talks about her Newport friends and needs some regular interaction here. We have been doing things, but she rarely sees the same children.

All of Kaia's favorite activities pretty much have remained the same. We now have the basement set up so she can play down there too. We have a kitchen for her down there as well as a small train set, small picnic table and our newest addition is a Little Tikes car for her to ride/drive around the basement. The car has been a hit and now she asks to go down there and play. We also have parties in the living room. We lay out her hippo blanket and gather various stuffed animals and babies to have a party.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Overdue

Life has been a little crazy here, so I apologize for the break in blogging. The biggest reason there has been a delay is that fact that Kaia will be a big sister this September. That means that I feel like crap and am not very productive at the moment. I am 10, almost 11 weeks and am looking forward to the hope that I will feel better after the first trimester is over. We were going to wait until after the first trimester to tell everyone that we were pregnant (just like we did with Kaia), but I just wasn't able to fake it and pretend I was OK.

Bryn has been pretty busy with work. The president's address last night has kept him busy for awhile. Kaia and I did fly to FL to visit my sister last week and were there for almost a week. That way we got a break from winter, Bryn could be busy with work and he could get some things done around the house over the weekend. Kaia enjoyed hanging out with Aunt Sharon and Uncle Ken. She really loved the fact that we were outside every day. She got to go to the playground everyday and loved it:) Bryn's mom is heading into town tomorrow night for a long awaited visit.

Kaia has been busy as usual. She wants to climb everything she can get near. Her words and signs continue to explode and she is understanding concepts that we didn't expect that she would at this age. She knows there is a baby in mommy's tummy and that mommy feels sick. She repeats those all of the time. What was different was when we were looking at a baby magazine (one of her favorite things to read) and there was a picture of a pregnant woman. Kaia pointed at the belly and said baby. I'm not showing yet so she made that leap all on her own.

She had ten teeth and just broke another one today or yesterday. That might explain some of the food battles that we have been facing in the last few weeks. We were also having some napping issues. Before we left for FL, I tried to put her to one nap. It was pretty unique that she was 19 months old and still taking two naps. I really didn't want it to end because right now when she naps - so do I. It didn't work and she slept a lot less than if I kept her on two naps. Of course in FL she decided to make the transition to one. It is getting better, but she is still waking up before she is ready and is really groggy for awhile.

Kaia still loves playdough, coloring, Elmo, reading books, playing outside when she gets the chance, doing video calls on the computer, playing with her baby, watching her signing videos and playing with her Little People house. She also loves reading her Big Sister book and has begun to use the potty every once in awhile.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The first real snow

We are definitely living on the east coast. Yesterday we got our first real snow followed by a nice ice storm last night. Yesterday was the first time that Kaia has really had a chance to explore snow on her own and she wasn't a huge fan at first. It was deep enough that she couldn't see her feet and I think that freaked her out. The only thing that she wanted to do in the backyard was slide, so that is what we did:) Afterwhile she was crunching around in the snow.

Otherwise, Kaia is doing her thing: talking, signing, walking, running, trying really hard to jump, climbing... We did get to do an open gym last week at an actual gymnastics place. She was so excited to run on the tumble track. Then I took her on the trampoline. She was squealing really loudly non-stop. Other moms were looking over to see what we were up to. That was the first time that she really got space between her feet and the ground. She just loved it!

Her favorite things to do are about the same as last time I wrote. She loves play dough and would love to play with it all the time. She also has a Little People house that she role plays with. Her babies are still pretty high up there on things she likes to play with/take care of.

Bryn's schedule is a bit better these days and he has actually gotten to see Kaia every day at least for a few minutes. He is going to take this Friday off so we can catch up a bit and we are even getting a date night this weekend for his birthday.

Monday, January 12, 2009

18 months and counting


Kaia and I just got home from her 18 month appointment and we were told that she was perfect. Well, we already knew that:) She is a couple of ounces shy of 22lbs (15.2%), 31 1/2 inches tall (60%) and her head is HUGE - 47 1/2 centimeters (90%). She did get a couple of shots as well so please send us vibes for good sleeping tonight.

Things here are moving along. Bryn has been pretty busy with work. Between the inauguration, State of the Union address, other various activities and heading out of town for work - we haven't seen him a ton. The state of the house has stayed the same because we haven't gotten time with just Bryn and myself to power through. The upstairs is pretty settled with some small projects still necessary and we have hung no pictures at all. Downstairs is a different story. Kaia still isn't allowed down there. We have to get it taken care of soon because we have some things for her that need room to set them up and play with. All in due time I guess.

Kaia and I have been checking out different classes, etc in the area. You gotta love the free trail class:) Kaia got to do a couple of different gym classes just last week. She is in need of open spaces to run and climb. We have been going to a local music class for a little while now and if the nap time cooperates we can actually walk there. She is still talking and signing like crazy. She knows her ABCs, can count to 27 on her own and knows all of her colors. We are working on shapes and she has most of the basics down.

Some of her recent favorite activities include dumping all of her letters out of a bag so she can clean them up, cooking yogurt and pasta in her kitchen, reading her potty book and sitting on her potty, chasing Squirt kitty cat, playing "get you" (we chase her) with anyone including her huge stuffed puppy, playing with playdough, feeding her babies and reading LOTS and LOTS of books.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Long time coming


I apologize for the break in blogging and will promise to try not to lapse this long again. A lot has happened in the last month and a half. Last I wrote we were still in Newport, RI. We moved to Maryland the week of Thanksgiving and are planning on being here for about 3 years. We had so much help and don't know where we would be without all of our friends and family. Bryn's brother, Jorn, spent a week in RI helping us transition to move. My best friend, Leigh, flew up to RI and drove down to MD with Kaia, myself and our cat Squirt. Leigh and my friend, Alecia, came over to our house multiple times to help unpack and/or watch Kaia so we could get some stuff done. Bryn's mom, Nancy, traveled to MD after Thanksgiving and stayed with us for awhile to help out too. We were also lucky enough to have the woman who helped raise me, Carolyn, watch Kaia during our move in, etc. Since all of our help we have come to a stand still and still have much to do, but our main level is safe for Kaia and livable for all of us.

Bryn started work the week after Thanksgiving and is going to be very busy through the innaguration and State of the Union address. Kaia and I have started a music class and have been able to visit my dad once a week. I am still researching and trying to get our schedule figured out. We all went to CA for the holidays for a week or so after only being in MD for 2-3 weeks and just got back late last night.

Kaia has just been exploding during all of this time. Soon after my last blog she knew all of her ABC's and colors and can count to 20. That is only the tip of the iceberg. She has been stringing together in at least 3-4 word sentences and pops out with so many new signs and words that we can't keep track any more. She is over 400 in total and is probably closer to 450. Over the last month Kaia has been immersed in family and picks up new names and faces within minutes. The amazing part is that she remembers them. We had friends that had never seen Kaia before come over for dinner. The next morning and many times since she will ask for them.

Physically, Kaia is still a peanut. We have to buy her pants with adjustable waists so that her pants will stay up:) She is everywhere and into everything. She is going through outside withdrawl. We use to go to the park at least once a day. The weather change and the move have made the park a very infrequent event. As a result, she is also going through climbing withdrawl and asks to climb all of the time. The gym class is the next thing on our list to find:)

Although there is a lot more to tell you about, but Bryn is downstairs putting together a lot of storage furniture that we just picked up today and I should help him out.