MKC update Feb 2012

MKC will be 9 months old on Feb 6th. She started sitting up around six months, and she could sit alone without any help or supporting pillows on December 23rd (around 7 months). She had a great Christmas in TN. She is enjoying several foods now- sweet potatoes, red potatoes, bananas, tofu, cauliflower, sun butter, kiwi, apples, carrots. She still doesn't have any signs of teeth, but we are totally fine with that.

Last week she started crawling. She doesn't do it too much, but if something she wants is out of her reach, she will go for it sometimes. She ADORES Joseph. When he comes home at night, she calls to him at the top of her lungs until he comes to get her.

The other day, she gave us quite a surprise. She ate an enormous dinner of banana, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, carrots, and sun butter. Then, after dinner Joseph took D and MKC to play in the family room. Jenny and I were doing the dishes. All of a sudden, we heard Joseph calling, "Help! Get in here!" We ran in, and vomit was pouring out of MKC's mouth while Joseph held her over the sink. I took her from Joseph, and while he was watching her during one heave, a piece of paper stuck out of her mouth. Joseph saw it, but he couldn't get it out before she swallowed it again. That really freaked us out. We called our neighbors, a nurse and a midwife. They said it would come out in her poop. She seemed fine after she stopped vomiting. Then the next day, the paper came out in the poop--it was a cough drop wrapper. We have no idea when she ate it, but she did!

Anyway, things are going well with MKC. She loves to play with toys and with Daniel. She likes to listen to stories and do songs. And she LOVES to eat. She still loves to be held by me or Joseph, but she is spending longer and longer amounts of time playing in the floor with toys. This week she sat on the ground at the park for the first time and played in the woodchips. She is getting better in the bathtub. She likes to sit by herself in the tub more than doing a shower. Daniel still thinks she is wonderful. He built a spaceship for her this morning, "Ma'am, can your baby take a ride in this brutiful (beautiful) space ship?"

Daniel's thoughts

This conversation happened while we were making bracelets yesterday (Dec 10, 2011). Daniel is three and half.
"We will keep these bracelets until we die! Somebody might move into this house. Does Brenda want to die? Will God be with us when we die? I would like to see God again."

Which president was in Star Wars?

Joseph went to Washington, DC, for conference earlier in November. He brought Daniel a set of magnets of the Presidents of the United States. There is a picture of each president, and his name and ordinal number are listed. Daniel has played and played and played with these. We don't know what gave him the idea, but after about three days of playing with them, he started bringing them to Joseph saying, "Was this President in Star Wars? Was this President in Star Wars?" We told him no presidents were in Star Wars. All the presidents were real and Star Wars is pretend. But, Joseph still had to tell him for each individual president magnet, "No, he was not in Star Wars."

:)

Thanksgiving 2011

We had such a great day! This morning, we walked/ran our own made up "Williamsburg Wiggle" on the street named Williamsburg Way near our house. We did this in honor of the Boulevard Bolt race we used to run in Nashville on Bellemeade Boulevard.

Then we had a great lunch of turkey (made by Grandaddy), macaroni and cheese (by Panera), mashed potatoes (by Kroger), cranberry sauce (by Ocean Spray), fresh strawberries (by Papa Spuds), mashed sweet potatoes (by Betsy via Papa Spuds), steamed carrots (by Betsy via Papa Spuds), sauer kraut and weiners (by Betsy via Oscar Meyer and the kraut makers), sauteed onions, mushrooms, and kale (by Betsy via Papa Spuds), and cheesy cornbread (by GG).

MKC had her first solid food- sweet potatoes. When she tried them, she spit some out. Daniel said, "She wants some with marshmallows!" All in all, she ate quite well for the first time. She ate twice as much at dinner as she ate at lunch, so that is fast learning.

MKC and I took an afternoon nap while Joseph and Daniel went to the park. Then, Daniel, MKC, and I played with our neighbors while Joseph played his computer game.

We ate leftovers for dinner. Again, delicious. We are so thankful for our family.

Here are the pictures of MKC eating her first solid food.

And one of the hand turkeys.

Mama, That's not me!

We were playing with our neighbors this afternoon. I was sitting on the ground helping pump up a bike tire. Daniel and our neighbors were taking turns pumping the air in with the pump. One of the girls came up behind me and started kissing me on the cheek. I said, "Oh, B, I love you so much. I just love you. Do you know how much I love you?" Immediately, Daniel said, "Mama, that's not me!!!" (He thought I thought it was him kissing me, and I was saying how much I love him. He thought those words were just for him. It was soooo sweet).

What Mary Katherine can say Nov 2011

Mama
Mama-mimi (means Mama right now)
Dada
Bu-bu-bu-bu (we think this probably means brother)
AAAAAAAAAAAA! (which means "I am getting tired!")
Nang, nang, nang, nang (we think this is just practice for longer conversations)

She can hold a spoon, small toys and dolls, and boxes. She grabs at EVERYTHING, and she's gotten a handful of Chinese food, one of mayonnaise, and one of whipping cream. Nothing has made it in her mouth yet, thankfully. She'll get her first solid food, sweet potatoes, at Thanksgiving dinner.

Way to go, MKC!

Daniel's funny saying

Is November the knick-knack name (nickname) for fall?