No, You Should Go

Been a while since I posted, again, but I do have a story this time! And a few random pictures. We have not been up to much in the last month, just spending some quality time and enjoying Kendall's hilarity. Her newest thing is loving to be chased, and then when caught, falling down and laughing hysterically until she snorts. Her favorite chaser is, of course, Daddy, and she seeks him out for the chase from the time he gets home from work until she goes to bed.

Over the past weekend, as she was trying to get us to chase her before bed. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning big, and I said to Kendall, "Looks like it is time to go to bed!". Both Nate and I swear she responded to this by saying "No, you should go." in a slightly grumpy tone. Now, Kendall definitely is not talking, let alone in sentences, but it sure sounded like it. Nice to know my 13 month old has started talking back. Problem is that we find it so funny, which just encourages her.

Here are some miscellaneous snapshots of the other mischief Kendall has been up to - keeping us on our toes!



Turns out my pantry needed reorganization. Thanks for taking care of that Kendall.



Happy Halloween!

This year I did not drop the ball on the Halloween costume like I did last year. Given, last year I had a 3 week old, and that was a pretty good excuse for not following through on the plan to sew up a burrito costume, but still. This year, I planned ahead. I picked up a costume at Costco back 2 months ago when they started putting out the Halloween gear. I was super excited about said costume, where as Nate did not think it was quite up to snuff.

That all changed when Kendall got dressed today...

That is a cute cow. And she is mooing in this picture - thus no smile.

After getting all dressed up and mooing for mom and dad, we decided to do some stealth trick-or-treating and surprise the grandparents.

First up were Grandma and Grandpa Greaney. They were super surprised to see us, and Kendall's cow costume went over swimmingly. She moo'd on command some more, pet the doggie, and then we hit up our next stop on the trick-or-treat surprise tour.

Next we hit Grandma and Grandpa Gorman's - and we surprised them too! We were the first trick-or-treaters at both stops (kids get started late these days!) - and Grandpa Gorman thoroughly shocked that it was us and not a group of kids. After a lot of pictures and some milk for the cow, we were back on the road. All those surprises tired this little cow out.

Luckily, by the time we got home, the cow had her second wind, and graced us with a video in which you can hear the mooing, and really take in this costume. We especially liked the padding in the behind - she should really wear this everyday with all the falling down Kendall does these days!

Happy Halloween!!

Photo Session

We've been MIA on the blog for a couple of weeks, mostly due to so much going on that I don't know what to write about. These has been a lot of running around, teething (up to 8 teeth, with a new one on it's way in), and lots of toys under foot. Kendall spends most of her days pulling everything she can out of drawers and baskets and scattering her things (and everyone else's) all over the floor. Good times, good times.

Kendall is a whirling dervish, but I was able to get her in to have some 1st Birthday shots right before her birthday. If I don't say so myself, they came out fantastic (thanks to the Picture People at Old Orchard). We had a lot of fun - Kendall really lit up for the photographer and showed all that personality. She smiled, she laughed, and she pointed a lot. The pictures really reflect who Kendall is.

As I reorganize my thoughts and get back to my blogging, take a gander at the results of the photo session. I promise to be back with more Kendall stories - she never ceases to come up with something new for me to talk about!

Exploring

In honor of Columbus Day, Nate, Kendall, and I took the day off and spent some quality family time. We all slept in and got some good napping in, which was needed after the big birthday yesterday.

We all felt the need to get out of the house and do something, so we headed out to the pumpkin patch at Dieder Farms. What we forgot was that it was Columbus Day. We were not the only people off work with the idea to go to the pumpkin patch. And we hate crowds. So we turned around and changed our plan.

To honor Columbus, we explored a new land. Although we only live a mile away, we had never been to Lake Arlington. We headed over and had a great time. Took a 3 + mile walk around the lake, and hit the playground.

Kendall explored the playground, but she liked the slide the most. After sliding down, she would try to crawl back up the slide to go down again. The leaves falling from the trees also provided a lot of entertainment. She would point and watch them fall, and then walk over to pick them up. Leaves falling from trees? Crazy!

It was a beautiful fall day - even though it was 80 degrees out. Looking forward to the cooler weather and getting out to enjoy it.

A Year Ago Today....

We love you Kendall. Happy First Birthday!

Can't believe it's already been a year since you came into our lives. Looking forward to all the years to come!

Kendall and the Balloon

In prep for the birthday, I have been searching high and low for a giant rubber ducky balloon. Apparently they do not exist, although I swear I have seen one before. During my search, I took Kendall with me to the Party Store near our house.

You know how party stores are. Hundreds of balloons blown up on the ceiling, waiting for an owner. Balloons all over the walls so you can pick the perfect one - except no duckies. Well, Kendall loved the balloons. She pointed and ooohhed and ahhhed and giggled. I must have spent an extra 30 min in there pointing at balloons. I think that was the highlight of her day.

As I continued my search for the duckie balloon, I hit the Jewel. No, they don't carry them either, but they had some Bears balloons in the produce section (and inexplicably Packers balloons - seriously? Boo.) So as I bought apples and peaches, lettuce and onions, I remembered how Kendall liked those balloons, so I picked one up to see how Kendall would react when it invades her space. Go Bears.

That balloon, or as Kendall calls it the 'gaboon', is now her constant companion. Always following her around floating over her head. If it is not next to her, she will point to it, or if you ask where it is, she will go track it down and bring it to you. Or, my favorite, she will bring you both the balloon and her copy of Goodnight Moon - because in the great room, there is a red balloon.

At least she is never hard to find these days - just follow that balloon.

Early wake up call

Kendall and Daddy on their way to work, early in the morning - before the sun is even up.

Kendall is a tough cookie

Kendall is a walking chatterbox these days, and the thing she loves most are books. She will pick one up, walk over, hand it to you, then climb onto your lap and demand that you read it to her 15 times. Same book. I have taken to hiding some books because I just can't read them again for a while.

As a result of her love of reading, Kendall developed her first black eye. You may ask, how does reading give you a black eye? Well, when you are not so steady on your feet and pick up books a lot, eventually you fall on one.

A few weeks ago, Kendall was bringing Grandma Gorman a book, and tripped, falling onto the book she was carrying. It hit her right beneath the eye, giving her a nice shiner for a week.


This is after a few days healing on that black eye.

Kendall did not cry. She was a bit surprised, but just picked herself right up and brought that book over to Grandma Gorman to read it to her. This tends to be a theme for Kendall. She falls, a lot, but most of the time it doesn't faze her - and we try really hard not to react. When she falls, Nate has taken to saying 'kabooms', and now when she falls, it almost sounds like she is saying it too.

If she keeps this up, she is going to be one tough cookie. I think I see a Lacrosse player in our future - maybe even another goalie!

11 Months

11 months. 11 MONTHS! Woah. This time last year I was expecting Kendall to show up any day. Of course, she waited a month, but this child will wait no more! This past month has been growth by leaps and bounds. She seems taller ever day, more active, and definitely has LOTS of personality.

Let's jump into it, shall we?

Kendall at 10 Months

Weight - 19lbs 15oz (so I was close on my guestimate last month. 50 percentile)
Height - 28 3/4 inches (75 percentile)
Sounds Like - Kendall is starting to talk. At least it sounds like it if you are around her every day. Pointing and saying 'BIR' when she she a bird, or 'TER' when the train goes past grandma and grandpa Gorman's, or what definitely sounds like '5' when you ask her or a high five. Sounds like gibberish to most, but to us, she is making sense.
Likes - Kendall likes to feed herself, Cherrios, fruit, lunchmeat, and my personal favorite, artichoke spinach dip. She will try anything you put in front of her, as long as she gets to put it in her mouth herself. Kendall also likes to pretend she is an avid reader. She will leave her toys behind and return to her bedroom to flip through her books - all by herself. I've taken to putting a book in her bed after she goes to sleep. In the morning it buys us an extra 15 - 30 min of sleep as she "reads" the book over and over to herself.
Dislikes - Being told no. What you tell her not to do is exactly what she wants to do. Eating from a spoon - mushy food is so 9 month-old.
Things she can do - Stand on her own, clap her hands, high five, cruise around the house, and even walk a few steps all on her own without holding on.



Doesn't she look like a big girl in jeans and shoes?

 Kendall at 11 Months
Weight - 22 lbs 2 oz

Height - 29 inches (unscientific mesurement of wiggling baby)
Sounds Like - This past week we have had a bit of the whining. Not too enjoyable. Most of the time Kendall is singing, or talking to her 'bir', a lot of mama, da, yes, and this (with a point of the finger). We hear a lot of this. Oh, and duck. Pretty sure this is due to my duck, duck, Kendall! bathtub game.
Likes - Books. I've taken to throwing a few books in her bed after she goes to sleep. She wakes us and spends a good 20 minutes "reading" in the morning (as I continue to sleep). Baskets, and moving anything into and out of baskets. The remote, which is off limits. Don't let your guard down for a second, or she will be on that remote faster than you can say Jimminy Cricket. Clapping - just like Tinkerbell, Kendall apparently needs aplauds.
Dislikes - Locked cabinets - mwah, ha, ha, ha, ha. Diaper changes, they take her out of the action. Waiting. For anything. Food, to get up in the morning, you to go to finish your business. She will follow you, and bring you back to what she wants to do.
Things she can do - Walk. I knew it was coming, but was not prepared. Wave hello and bye-bye. She waves at the trains as they pass at Grandma and Grandpa Gorman's, people at the store when they tell her she is cute (yes, she is a ham and preforms on demand), and good-bye when we leave to go home.
 
One more month to go before the big 0-1! I better brush up on my cake decorating skills...

Milwaukee

This past weekend, we decided to take a short trip up to Milwaukee. A little family get-away. This was our first trip away as a family, and we were looking forward to showing Kendall the sights.

We headed up Saturday morning and took in the city.

First stop was for lunch. Turns out Kendall LOVES soft pretzels, and chicken fingers, and ketchup. This was the weekend of Kendall trying all sorts of new foods, and loving all of them.

After lunch we took a walk along the Riverwalk to see the new Fonz statue. Kendall was a bit confused by The Fonz. And possibly by the British telephone both, fully equipped with functioning pay phone (when is the last time you saw a pay phone?).

After that, we checked out campus. So much has changed in the few years since we graduated (really? 6 years?!?!). New buildings are popping up all over the place, renovations, and campus is expanding. Of course, we hit the book store - can't leave town without Marquette gear. And took a long walk through campus taking pictures and introducing Kendall to all the places we used to spend all our time.

On Sunday, we hit the main goal of our trip, the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Kendall had a blast. As I have discussed previously, Kendall loves birds, and Milwaukee did not disappoint. At the zoo there are free range peacocks, swans, ducks, and flamingos just hanging around at the watering holes. You can get up close and personal with them, much to Kendall's delight.

There is also an aviary at the zoo, which was fun until you get to the room with the birds flying over you. I have always been scared of this at the zoo, but Kendall loved it!

I did enjoy the bird with the handlebar mustache, as is evident in the video below. I recommend turning off your sound to watch this one, the waterfall is really loud. Kendall does get excited, and is squawking right along with the birds.

Kendall also really liked the giraffes. We finally learned what sound a giraffe makes (apparently they are not mute, they make low grunts, who knew?). None of the other animals really held Kendall's interest, but she enjoyed the time and was really happy at the zoo. And of course, we made a mold-a-rama.

After all this, we had one tired little girl.

Good-bye until next time Milwaukee!

Catching up

I know, I'm behind. I have plans to get caught up with the stories of the Kendall, but then I get distracted by Netflix. We have big plans in Milwaukee this weekend that are sure to produce lots of stories and pictures - we are taking Kendall this time.

Until then, Kendall will be catching up on her reading. That darn caterpillar is always hungry!

Home Alone

Kendall and I are on our own this weekend with Nate out with the boys fishing off a houseboat somewhere in Wisconsin. No idea where - I find it best not to ask questions.

Having daddy gone threw Kendall for a loop at swim lessons this week. Normally the 3 of us go together. Kendall and mommy swim, daddy sits on the side and cheers us on. Kendall likes to swim to the side and smile at daddy, or show him the toy she picked up to chew on, or what have you.

As we were in the water and playing with all the toys, Kendall started looking for daddy. We showed up without him and hadn't seen him in over 24 hours, but I guess she just assumed he would appear at swim lessons. When she realized he wasn't there, she didn't cry, but she got the ball she was playing with, and put her head down on it. I think it was her way of pouting. Poor baby.

We have had a fun time with our girls weekend. Lots of shopping and hanging out. But I'm pretty sure Kendall will be happy to have daddy home again on Monday!

10 Months

Ah, the monthly post. Only a few more of these to go before we hit a year.

This past month has been a whirlwind of activity for Kendall. Something new and exciting almost every day. Although she was crawling last month, she is really getting active now. At this rate she will be running in no time, and Nate and I will be in for it then. Shananigans around here!


Can't believe we are almost through the first year! Seems like yesterday we were planning on Kendall's arrival, and she now she won't be baby for much longer. But we are enjoying every minute!

Kendall at 9 Months


Weight - 20 pounds (this is a guess - haven't weighed her lately)
Height - 28 inches (this is again an estimate - she sure looks taller, the tape measure says she is the same.
Sounds Like - From time to time it sounds like she is calling for mommy and daddy. When we leave the room, the 'ba-ba-ba' becomes 'MA-MA-MAAAA' or 'DA-DA-DAAA'. Sometimes I am convinced she is asking me where daddy is, and I answer, at work.
Likes - The word 'No'. Isn't it funny when mom or dad say 'No'? Giving a big smile and then continuing to try eat mom's flip flops is definitely funny. Kendall likes her cookie jar. Most likes to take the shapes out and watch us put them back in. And mom's teeth. She likes to examine my teeth. Maybe she will be a dentist.
Dislikes - Teething. Naps. Being stopped from doing what she wants. The typical. Oh, and she is in a fussy eating phase, one day she loves squash, next day EWWWW SQUASH. If only she could tell us what she wants to eat for lunch, I could avoid having peas spit at me.
Things she can do - Getting pretty good with the sippy cup. Crawling is a breeze, she follows us from room-to-room, right on our heels. And Kendall is even working on walking - still early stages, but she makes great strides in this daily.

Kendall at 10 Months

Weight - 19lbs 15oz (so I was close on my guestimate last month. 50 percentile)
Height - 28 3/4 inches (75 percentile)
Sounds Like - Kendall is starting to talk. At least it sounds like it if you are around her every day. Pointing and saying 'BIR' when she she a bird, or 'TER' when the train goes past grandma and grandpa Gorman's, or what definitely sounds like '5' when you ask her or a high five. Sounds like gibberish to most, but to us, she is making sense.
Likes - Kendall likes to feed herself, Cherrios, fruit, lunchmeat, and my personal favorite, artichoke spinach dip. She will try anything you put in front of her, as long as she gets to put it in her mouth herself. Kendall also likes to pretend she is an avid reader. She will leave her toys behind and return to her bedroom to flip through her books - all by herself. I've taken to putting a book in her bed after she goes to sleep. In the morning it buys us an extra 15 - 30 min of sleep as she "reads" the book over and over to herself.
Dislikes - Being told no. What you tell her not to do is exactly what she wants to do. Eating from a spoon - mushy food is so 9 month-old.
Things she can do - Stand on her own, clap her hands, high five, cruise around the house, and even walk a few steps all on her own without holding on.

For the Birds

Kendall has a bird. Or rather there are 4 rather obnoxious morning doves that take turns sitting on the railing of our deck cooing. I have been chasing these birds off for months, but a few weeks ago, Kendall took a liking to the birds. And as I chased them off, she cried. Hard. I can no longer chase the birds away from my tomatoes.


Anyway, Kendall likes the birds. She watches them, and they watch her. A bird shows up at about 10 AM everyday and stares into the condo. My mom or I will then say, 'Look Kendall! There is your bird!'. Kendall will stop what she is doing and crane her neck to look out at her bird, then make her way over for a staring contest with the bird. In the past week, this has been accompanied by Kendall saying 'BIR!' or 'Mhbir!'. Sounds like bird to us. Does that count as a first word?

P.S. - That pacifier is 'MaBa'. No idea what word that is supposed to be, but the pacifier is definitely what she is looking for.

Step One

On Thursday night, as Nate and I sat on the floor playing with Kendall, she let go of daddy took her first step and 1/2 over to mommy without holding on. And then promptly fell down. She has been walking around holding onto furniture for weeks now, but only letting go to stand. Nate and I debated if this was truly a first step.

Nate won the debate and we are calling it. Kendall walks. Kind of.

One sleepy kid

What is with the blocks?

Apparently we are a family obsessed with blocks. When I was working earlier this week, I wandered out to check on grandma and Kendall, and I found grandma trying to line up all the alphabet blocks. This was a fruitless effort as Kendall, as always, would come by and knock them away as Grandma lined them up.

I thought Grandma was joking, but when Kendall went down for a nap, she lined them all up on the coffee table. Organized in alphabetical order. I think we all play with the blocks just to annoy Kendall.

And then Kendall got up.

Only took 2 minutes to destroy. Big destruction comes in small packages. You should see my living room at the end of a day. Looks like a tornado touched down, and there is bright plastic toy carniage everywhere.

Note Kendall shows off her skills in this video. Crawling, walking holding on with only one hand, standing without holding on, clapping. Long way from the days of us getting excited about tummy time.

No explaination needed

The Gears on the Block Go Round and Round

Not sure why, but this one blew me away. Nate took this video on a morning that he let me sleep in. Kendall has a set of blocks that have items inside for each letter of the alphabet. Some shake, some squeak, and some have gears you can turn to move the items inside. For a long time Kendall would just chew on these blocks, or as you have seen in other posts, knock them over. This particular morning, she figured out how to turn the gears. What a cool trick to wake up to.

Laundry Day

Lately, Kendall has been enjoying playing in her room. Not many toys in there, we keep those in the living room for now, but there are books, and her favorite, the laundry.

Kendall really likes clothes, and shoes. Given, she likes to chew on shoes (teething bites), but still, clothes and shoes? Such a girl!

So, I tend to set her free in her room since there is not too much in there to hurt her. After she takes all the books out from the shelves, she heads over to the closet, and sorts through her clothes. Mostly she gets into the dirty laundry, but she pulls herself up and takes stock of the clothes hanging in the closet as well. Usually I will turn to find her with the laundry basket flipped over, and her sitting in there throwing clothes.

Amazing what will keep a kid happy. Now all I need is for her to learn how to sort the lights from the darks and we are in business!

Destruction tactics

Kendall has upped the ante in her destruction. We picked up a shopping cart walker for her as she learns to be mobile. She has turned it into a tool of destruction. No more need to crawl  to destroy the block towers, now she can push her cart there in style.

Oh, and did I mention that Nate and I enjoy setting up block tower obstacle courses for Kendall to destroy. Maybe we need to get out of the house more.

Kendall has come a long way with her mobility. She is definitely on the way to walking. She pulls herself up using anything she can get a grip on, sturdy or not. Every day we are seeing her do a little bit more, from pushing the cart across the room without falling over, making it around the corners of the coffee table as she hangs onto it and walks around to get the remote we don't let her play with, and even standing on her own for several seconds with objects clasped in both her hands. She has even started catching herself before falling on her face.

Before long she will master this walking thing, and she will be off running. Probably in the opposite direction from me.

9 Months

Again, I am late with the monthly post. Life is getting in the way of my blogging - life, trying to give my daughter a mohawk, and streaming Netflix videos. Did you know you can watch entire seasons of old shows? So, needless to say, my blogging has been put on the back burner so I can watch awful old TV shows Nate dislikes.

Kendall has a lot going on these days, but I will try to go back to 2 weeks ago to give a picture of Kendall at 9 months. We can save the new developments for future posts (that I need to get around to writing).

Nate and I can't believe it has already been 9 months. Seriously? At this pace she will be in college next week. Better start saving those pennies. We have tons of pictures and video - this kid has a very well documented existence.

Kendall at 8 Months
Weight - 19.2 lbs (75th percentile)
Height - 28 inches (75 percentile)
Sounds Like - a Beach Boy's record. Ba-ba-ba ba-ba-barbaran. She is quite the talker, but she only says one consonant, so we don't get much information.
Likes - Jumping, still. Sammy the Snail - mom and dad are not so fond of Sammy. Destroying block towers. Swimming - swim lessons are so much fun! The Hokey-poky, especially if you do the dance for her.
Dislikes - Plain yogurt. With all the foods she has eaten, we have not gotten such a reaction (video below - and that was mild, she won't perform on camera). We have since moved to flavored yogurt, and that is delicious. Naps - still for sucks.
Things she can do - She is learning to use her sippy cup and feed herself puffs - and she is really excited about it. She can crawl, pull herself up, fall back down, sit, turn around. She is a mover and shaker, and she is now able to start actually getting somewhere. Everyday she is moving faster and farther. Pretty soon she will want the keys to the car.

Kendall at 9 Months
Weight - 20 pounds (this is a guess - haven't weighed her lately)
Height - 28 inches (this is again an estimate - she sure looks taller, the tape measure says she is the same)
Sounds Like - From time to time it sounds like she is calling for mommy and daddy. When we leave the room, the 'ba-ba-ba' becomes 'MA-MA-MAAAA' or 'DA-DA-DAAA'. Sometimes I am convinced she is asking me where daddy is, and I answer, at work.

Likes - The word 'No'. Isn't it funny when mom or dad say 'No'? Giving a big smile and then continuing to try eat mom's flip flops is definitely funny. Kendall likes her cookie jar. Most likes to take the shapes out and watch us put them back in. And mom's teeth. She likes to examine my teeth. Maybe she will be a dentist.

Dislikes - Teething. Naps. Being stopped from doing what she wants. The typical. Oh, and she is in a fussy eating phase, one day she loves squash, next day EWWWW SQUASH. If only she could tell us what she wants to eat for lunch, I could avoid having peas spit at me.

Things she can do - Getting pretty good with the sippy cup. Crawling is a breeze, she follows us from room-to-room, right on our heels. And Kendall is even working on walking - still early stages, but she makes great strides in this daily.