Self Sufficiency

Today I taught Kendall how to get her own toys. Nothing like a self sufficient infant. Tomorrow I'll teach her how to cook dinner and make her own bottle. Then I can watch my stories.

I kid. I kid. We are just practicing crawling. This was an awesome incentive.

* The first time she did this, she did actually get Flip the Frog. When you tape it, it is never as good as the first time *

Kendall takes the 'Heights

I know. Crawling video overload. But she is getting better at it every day! I can't help but post them. She did this back and forth 3 times tonight.

And she is just like Godzilla. Stack those blocks and she is determined to take them down!

Luckily she was tired after all that distruction.

The Monster of Disorganization

So, Kendall hates organization. We have a ring stacker, and the minute you restack those rings, she flips it over and scatters them. You build a tower of bocks, she will lunge for them and knock that tower over. Put her toys in a pile... you get the idea. It is all Godzilla attacking Tokyo around here.

Today, Nate decided to use move his block towers away from the child. Kendall's dislike of organization worked in her favor.

Yes, that would be forward motion. Shortly after this video was taken, Nate and I turned our heads for a second and she got into the bag in the background, pulled out a pen, and started eating it. By the end of the day, she was starting to get the hang of crawling, and she will be a destructive force to be reckoned with in a few weeks.

About sums it up

Seattle

Last week Kendall, Grandma Gorman, and I jetted off to sunny Seattle. Yes SUNNY. It was sunny and in the 70's all week, as it rained cats and dogs here in the 'Heights. Nate stayed behind and redid our balcony - now you can walk on it without getting a nail through your foot!

Kendall did great on the flight out. No screaming. Slept like a champ. Other passangers even comment on what a great job she did with the flight. They were probably just really happy they did not have a screaming baby on the 4 hour red-eye flight. All part of my plan.

We had a lovely time visiting the family. Kendall was introduced around, and met her Seattle cousins - Madeleine, Margo, Cameron, & Evan. At first she was a little leary, but she warmed up and was all about playing with everyone.

Kendall really enjoyed herself, and played a lot. There were a lot of new toys to chew on or to look at, and the girls definitely kept her entertained. We aren't all that active around here, and having active, fun cousins kept Kendall constantly entertained. By the end of each day she was exahusted, but always happy

Madeleine even got up and read to Kendall - which she definitely enjoyed, even as she tried to eat the book.

We even spent some time enjoying the beautiful weather in the yard. Kendall checked out grass for the first time, she spent a lot of time checking it out.

And of course, we saw the mountain. With such beautiful weather Mt Rainier was out in full force most of our trip. On some future trip we may take Kendall up the mountain to check it out. You don't see this kind of landscape when you look out the window at home. I took this picture up the street from the Wallace house. AWESOME!

Although Kendall enjoyed playing with everyone, she wasn't too fond of being picked up by anyone but mommy. The rest of the time she was constantly on the move. It's the age. But, David was able to get her to sit with her for a time - he was the only one.

And of course, what is a trip to Seattle without Starbucks? Thanks Kathy for introducing Kendall to her new addiction to Starbucks cups. All those toys, and a cup is the coolest thing. Sheesh.

As much fun as we had, there is no place like home. Kendall was so happy to see her daddy again when we got home. A big smile for him at the airport, and a big cuddle the next day after she had rested up.

All in all a great trip. We hope to get back out there again soon!

That is one sneaky kid

Kendall is sneaky.

Seriously, this is one sneaky 7 month old. One minute she is sitting there in the middle of the living room floor, singing, banging her toys loudly. The next minute there is silence, Kendall is on the other side of the room climbing up the end table.

Kendall is still not fully crawling. Most of her attempts end up with her moving backwards, but there has been some forward motion, and a whole lot of push ups - standing is more appealing than crawling. That said, I'm not sure how she can move 3 feet in 10 seconds. If you can't walk, can't crawl, and refuse to roll, how do you get from point A to point B?

*Um, I put you down on the mat, how did you get over there?*

You scoot on your butt, silly! But ONLY when no one is looking. To test this theory, I put Kendall down on the floor, and then went about my business - or so she thought (I can be sneaky too). I peeked around the corner from the kitchen, watching Kendall. I saw her playing, then realizing no one was in the room to stop her, she looked around. Checking things out, like a burglar casing the joint. When she was sure there was no one there, she started scooting around, then got down on all fours and kind of wormed her way across the room (hard to crawl with your belly on the floor). She got to her destination, and then tried to pull herself up to stand. No idea what the kid was after, but she was sure stealthy about the maneuver.

Baby proofing has been in the back of my mind for a while, but now it is front and center. Bookshelves and china cabinets need to be secured to walls. Low laying nick-naks and picture frames need to go. And sharp corners need to be covered or removed. This upward mobility is kind of taking me by surprise. Who knew Kendall would be a mobile and curious 7 month old - without even crawling.

Pretty sure I need to put bars on the windows when she is a teenager.

7 Months

Another month has flown by. Where does the time go?

This month's installment is the non-scientific measurement and assessment of Kendall. No doctor's appointment at 7 months to prove the weight and height. We have to go off of what the Wii fit tells us. Mostly it tells Kendall not to chew on it - seriously. Wii Fit is weird like that.

As Kendall gets more mobile, we are starting to see her personality. It is exciting to see the changes in her from week-to-week, and even day-to-day. She is getting stronger, and louder, and is definitely a girl who knows what she wants, with no qualms about telling you what that is. Wonder where she gets that?

Kendall at 6 Months

Weight - 18 lbs 5 oz (90th percentile)

Height - 27 inches (90th percentile)

Sounds Like - Kendall is quite the talker. She is constantly "talking" and "singing". She giggles a lot. Making Kendall laugh is one of our favorite activities.

Likes - Squash. Acorn & Butternut squash. Kendall can't get enough of the stuff. Still with the jumping - loves that jumperoo, jumping on Daddy, and kicking her legs while lying down, sitting, standing, or being carried around. Kendall also loves to be a part of everything. Sitting at the table while we eat, facing out in the stroller so she can see the world. She likes to interact - but is very serious about it, no smiling at strangers.
Dislikes - Not very fond of apples. Being still - she likes to be doing something at all times. Not being swaddled - she likes to be snug as a bug when she sleeps.
Things she can do - Sit up on her own. Roll to her side. Stand up assisted. Get up on her hands and knees. Eat solids (acorn squash, butternut squash, peas, apples, sweet potatoes, oatmeal - and the list grows every week).

Kendall at 7 Months

Weight - 19 lbs (give or take)
Height - 27 1/2 inches (again, give or take)
Sounds Like - Usually loud. "Singing", "Talking" YELLING. Banging everything she can get her hands on. This kid likes it loud and ruckus. I'm thinking there is a lot of rock music in our future.
Likes - The jumperoo (Nate and I have the songs memorized. "One Little Horsey plays peek-a-boo..."). Eating - loves just about any food you give to her. She is currently digging puffs, which are cereal like finger foods that dissolve in baby's mouth. Fun to watch her pick them up. Sleeping on her belly, and she will flip from any position you have her in to sleep on the belly.
Dislikes - Naps - these are for sucks. Too much going on to nap. Staying asleep. Kendall wants you to hang with her while she sleeps - we are not as fond of that program.Clearly we are currently working on sleep.
Things she can do - Roll front-to-back as well as back-to-front. Sit up from a lying position (even though she protests). Scoot around (more to come on that), which is almost crawling. Pull herself up to stand, and even stand on her own for a couple of seconds.

*This is Kendall's rapper look*