Allie & Jay

Sorry for the quiet blogging lately. I work for at least 8 hours, snuggle and play for the next 4, work another hour, then sleep for a few hours….repeat:). Here are some pictures of baby girl:)

I have had a rotten day.  First Kennedy has been a little touchy today crying at the drop of the hat and even throwing herself on the floor from time to time.  Kennedy is cutting more molars which is making her diapers a little nasty.  I waited all morning on a plummer who charged me $50 to tell me he couldn’t tell me what was wrong without cutting my ceiling open which would cost me $250 on top of the cost to fix whatever the problem may be.  Then Kennedy spilt a whole cup of milk all over the floor.  Brand new strawberry milk.  Very sticky (although Potter was a happy poodle as I dashed for the mop.)  An Thursday is back to work day.  I am so sad and weepy just thinking about it.  So I decided that being the optomist that I am I am going to write 34 things I have to be happy about (34 hours until I am back at work.)

1. I have a happy, healthy baby
2. I have an awesome husband
3. I have a poodle who thinks I am wonderful
4. I do love working with children with Autism
5. I have a job that allows me to be home with Kennedy at times throughout the year
6. I LOVE my day care lady
7. Kennedy LOVES my day care lady
8. I learned this summer to take a piece of fabic and my thoughts and come up with a beautiful dress for Kennedy
9. Kennedy has a beautiful shaped head
10. I have been blessed with the ability to nurse for 15 months (although I’m hoping to ween soon)
11. I have a great group of friends at work
12. Clemson football is just around the corner
13. Jay is going to bring me a cupcake on Thurday (hint hint)
14. Kennedy eats very well
15. I learned to cook this summer
16. We are going on a boat trip in September
17. I get to see Baby James this weekend
18. I get to see Kennedy’s great grand father and great uncle next weekend
19. Kennedy will know her great grandfather (He is a wonderful man!)
20. I’m making gifts for the ladies I work with
21. I love my embroidery machine
22. Kennedy gives me, Jay, and Potter a kiss every morning
23. Kennedy drinks milk now out of a real cup with a real straw (I gave up on sippy cups)
24. I get all new students this year
25. I’ve found a shampoo I really like
26. My thyroid is NORMAL (for now) and I don’t have to go back for 6 months
27. My students get 2 recess blocks this year
28. I learned how to sew baby leg warmers
29. Diet coke….. enough said
30. I had some awesome play dates this summer
31. Jay enjoyed the odd dish we had for dinner
32. I’m going to eat Moes tomorrow
33. Kennedy will be napping snuggled up with me tomorrow
34. I have a job that makes a difference in the lives of 10 little boys

You may remember this post last year.  Well I’m starting to feel those feelings again.  Dread.  Heartache.  Pain.  Tears.  Worry.  But then underneath all the hurt and sadness, there is this weird happy.  Kennedy LOVES day care.  She LOVES Mrs. Sherry.  She LOVES her friends there.  She is a very social little girl (where did she get that?)  She loves being around her friends.  I can’t wait for Mrs. Sherry to see all the cool things Kennedy has learned.  And Mrs. Sherry has a way of making every Mommy feel like their baby is her favorite so I know Kennedy is her favorite.  Kennedy is walking.  Kennedy is playing.  Kennedy is doing such cool stuff.  She will have a blast… but then there is the part of me that thinks she isn’t going to be having a blast with me.  I’m not going to be there to write down every new word she says.  I’m not going to know all the funny or clumsy things she does during the day.  At least I have Sherry’s note to look forward to. 

I am excited about a new school year.  I’m excited about 10 new students.  I’m excited to teach something new.  I’m excited to be a Kindergarten teacher!  Whoa… 10 5 year old little boys with Autism… This year is going to be GREAT!

Kennedy has been napping well this summer. Two hour naps every day. Sure she cries every day when I lay her down to nap, but once she sleeps she sleeps well. Today while she was taking her 2 hour nap, I was downstairs listening to the monitor and cleaning up the kitchen. I heard her stir a little bit then heard her sweet little voice say a sentence! “Diaper Uh-oh”. Oh my, did she take it off and put it on her head again. I hope noe that’s yucky. I clicked the monitor to peak at her and she said again “Diaper Uh-oh”. She was just standing in the crib so I thought she must just be talking crazy talk, or maybe the diaper was crooked. Boy was I wrong. She had a “poo-slosion” during nap time then obviously stepped in it when she woke up. Her favorite stuffed bunny was covered in poop, her sheet had poopy footprints all over it, even her pillow! Diaper uh-oh for real!

On a happier note, here are some of her new words:)

Monkey – Mummie
bear
bow
dress
diaper
apple – she mouths it but no sound comes out… so is it really a word?
Thank you
ball
baby
bananana- babana
fish
potty

On a different note, this is the last week I will be nursing Kennedy. It makes me so sad to miss this bonding time with her and I know it will be hard for her, but it is time. She can talk. She has teeth (alot of them). It’s time. She will be staying with Dori this weekend, and when we get back I will not let her nurse any more. So how do people who don’t nurse get their kids to bed? I have no idea what our new bedtime routine will be so suggestions welcome.

I talked to Kennedy’s day care today. I am so sad to be heading back to work, but I know Kennedy is going to have a BLAST this year at daycare. Kennedy loves Mrs. Sherry and all the kids at day care. Kennedy loves Mrs. Sherry’s toys. Kennedy loves Mrs. Sherry. And I am excited and newvous about what this year will be like. I will be teaching Kindergarten. YIKES!

Kennedy is just growing up before my eyes. I can’t believe how much she has changed in the last 2 weeks. Can you believe she will be 15 months old this month!

And Charlene, we are still waiting to get the proofs from the last professional pictures. I will send you some once we get them in!

Yep those words came out of my little 14 month old’s mouth today.  OK it really sounded more like “I oo” but I know what she was saying.  And to top it off she followed I oo with a mwaa!  I never knew that the words of a 14 month old could bring me to tears…

Other words she said today:

Thank you, bear, banana, baby, dog, duck, hi, bye, daddy, mama, monkey, bird, boat, more, no, stop, and she tried to say apple, but no sound came out of her mouth.  I love my little jabber box!  She is going to have so much fun with her friends when she gets back into day care.  (I have to think of the positives so I don’t cry.  I so badly would love to be a stay at home Mommy.)

Back when I was pregnant with Kennedy, I have to admit I would get nervous.  The first four months were nothing but worry, trips to the OB/GYN, ultrasounds, HCG counts, and heartbeat monitors.  Finally at 15 weeks I felt it.  Kennedy’s first kick.  I was at a conference learning all about children with Autism and the presentor was showing a video of a child with Autism listening to music.  I must admit at first I didn’t know it was Kennedy moving, but after she continued to kick and flip the rest of the afternoon, I figured it out.  After that day when I would get nervous that something was wrong with her I would turn Bohemian Rhapsody on very loudly in my car and she would kick away.

Fast forward to our first road trip.  After an hour and a half in the car she was tired of traveling and wanted out of the car seat.  For the next 30 minutes we played somewhere over the rainbow by Jewel.  It would immediatly calm her down.

When she was 10 months old she could dance to Single Ladies by Beyonce while watching the video.  She amazed people by her  moves and tickled the ladies who work at Cranial Technology.

Well here she is again ladies and gentlemen!  Our musical diva in action!  Her favorite music is currently anything by Lady Gaga.  I refuse to buy the cd so usually we just listen to the Lady Gaga Pandora station when we are in the car.  Her favorite thing to do when listening to Lady Gaga is to dance, dance, dance.  Here is her rocking out to a song on the Lady Gaga Pandora station (it isn’t a Lady Gaga song..)