Day 265 - Christmas Fest

After church we ate lunch at Cardinal Drive and then went on our to Carthage. We got there a little before 3 and were the 2nd people in line at the special needs doors. Grammy got the second wheel chair seat, close to the musicians. Jon went upstairs and got seats in the balcony for him and dad and Anthony got seats near a door for the Neals. Christmas fest was beautiful and Jamey played amazingly. It is always interesting to be on a different side of events like this. I remember singing in Christmas Fest with Gospel (although there is no more Gospel, stupid Carthage). Before the show started Kaycee was screeching a lot. Anthony wanted her to be quiet so he suggested a paci. We gave it to her, but it was a toy. She had no idea how to use it correctly. It was hilarious to watch her bite it and hold it the wrong way.  Then I went to nurse in the bathroom, where there was a mirror placed directly behind the chair. Kaycee got a kick out of watching herself, and was completely distracted. Needless to say, she slept through most of Christmas Fest and only woke up for the ending, where she definitely enjoyed watching the candles.  After Christmas fest, while we were waiting for Jamey and cars to be brought up, Kaycee practiced crawling on the floor, which made Jamey very happy. Then we all went to Hu Hot for dinner. I love Hu Hot. Kaycee even enjoyed some zuchinni and sausages!

God, thank you for Christmas. Thank you for the season, the joy and and most of all your son's birthday!

Church

We had to leave extra early this morning, to pick up Marty. So Kaycee didn't get to eat her usual breakfast at home. So we drug along the bumbo seat and tray and fed her breakfast at church. This morning was the congregational meeting, so she ate on the floor, in the auditorium. It was quite a scene!

Day 264 - Post Swim Meet

After Jamey was done swimming we waited for him downstairs. Anthony and I played football, where I blocked him and he couldn't get around.... riiight. Jamey had a few minutes to kill so he enjoyed playing with Kaycee.  Then he went to Christmas Fest and the rest of us went to dinner at Steak N Shake at Gurnee Mills. 

God, today I pray 2 prayers. One for my friend Sarah and all that's going through. Be her constant rock and comfort. I also pray for Jamey that he is always seeking you out, while in college.

Lunch With Sarah And Miriam

After Jamey was done swimming, I got to go have lunch with Sarah and Miriam. It's been over a month since I've seen them. Miriam is growing up!! We had lunch at Olive Garden. Kaycee and Miriam sat in high chairs and played with toys, while Sarah and I got to chat. Kaycee ate some of Momma's food and was pretty satisfied just playing. It was wonderful to catch up with Sarah.  Then we went to Bendsens to get Kringle for my family, then back to Sarah's house to play. Afterwards, Sarah came over to Carthage to see my family for a while and we played a round of Fluxx. I won!!!

Sleep

Sometimes I can't quite help myself. I love to watch her sleep. She's so peaceful and precious when she sleeps. It reminds me that God gave me such a gift and I need to enjoy every moment of her instead of always worrying about whether or not I'm parenting right. 

Jamey's Swim Meet

This morning we left super early to get to Jamey's swim meet. Unfortunately he was only swimming 1 race this morning, the 200 backstroke. On the way there we got stopped behind this huge tractor going like 10 miles an hour, for a good portion of the way from the high way to Sheridan. But finally we got around it and ended up at the swim meet right before Jamey's race.  Kaycee really loved hanging out at the pool. There was this railing that she could cruise around, plus she had Uncle Jon, Gramma and Grampa to keep her entertained. 

Day 263 - Lost Groceries

I found the lost groceries!! All week I had been searching around for the bananas I knew I had bought. Unfortunately, they browned while in the back of my car for 2 days...

God please continue to help Kaycee get used to the water. Even if she doesn't become a swimmer, I'm so thankful that she's not afraid of the water.

Swimming Girl

Today Kaycee and I went to the swimming pool. Kaycee loved it even more than normal. She babbled and screeched through the whole thing. She loved to splash and move around in the water. She even floated on her back. I would put her on her back with her head on my shoulder. Then I would talk very calmly in her ear to help her relax. I even moved her head off my shoulder a few times. She's getting the hang of it. Then I put her to sleep in her car seat and went and swam laps. I did 1100 yards today, with flip turns!! I'm getting back into it!!

Day 262 - Snuggling Daddy

It's amazing to me how exciting Kaycee gets when daddy comes home. Typically, I'm nursing when he gets home. So when she hears the door open, she knows he's home and gets very distracted. He comes into the room and she gets a huge smile on her face and wiggles all around, excitedly. Then I come back to the room to find them just laying there snuggling. Anthony claims that it's because he's calm tempered; she senses that and is more calm with him. I don't know...

God please keep Kaycee safe as she learns to stand and walk. It's scary to watch her tumble so many times. Please keep her safe.

Cruising Under The Table

Today Gramma came over and so we all spent some time in the dining room. I was working on our Christmas letter and Gramma was working on paperwork. Grammy was watching Kaycee. Kaycee decided that she didn't want to be by Momma anymore, she wanted to go over by Gramma. The quickest way to somewhere is a straight line, so she went under the table. That's my smart baby!

To Big For Bumbo

This morning we discovered that Kaycee is getting too big for her bumbo. I don't mean too big like her legs or body don't fit. I mean too big like she's too tall and has discovered that if she arches her back and leans to the side she can scoot the bumbo across the table with her leg. As you can imagine, this can be rather dangerous. So we're gonna have to find a solution to this problem. Maybe she'll have to eat on the floor. Or maybe we'll have to get out the high chair.

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Day 261 - Lunch At Home

Today we had lunch at home. Kaycee was acting very silly during lunch. Maybe it was because she was really enjoying her chicken nuggets, green beans and mandarin oranges. 

Today I pray for continued growth for Kaycee. I'm so thankful that she's eating people food now!

Day 260 - Head + Cord = Panic

This morning Kaycee woke me up, like she does every morning with her babbling and crying. I usually take my time making the bed and going to be bathroom before rushing in to her. So I followed my routine this morning. I made the bed and took my time using the restroom. Then I went in to get Kaycee up. I walked in and turned on the light, turned the fan off, all the while talking to her. I then noticed that she had the cord of the monitor wrapped around her head and her little arm. (NOT AROUND HER NECK) I panicked and quickly unwrapped the cord and snuggled my poor baby. She was fine, but I definitely said a prayer of thanks that I dodged that bullet. 

I don't even know how she found the cord. It was tightly stuck behind the corner of the crib where you couldn't even see it. She's a sneaky one, finding it and then pulling it up and wrapping it around her head. 

God, Thank you soooo much that you saved Kaycee today. It would have been so easy to get that cord wrapped around her neck, while I was taking my sweet time getting to her. Thank you for letting me dodge that bullet!

Day 259 - Lunch At Schaumburg Diner

This morning we got up and took our sweet time getting ready for the day. At about 9:30a I got a call from my mom saying that Grammy had a doctor's appointment at 10:30a. So we rushed to try to get breakfast eaten, medicine taken, clothes on, and get out of the house in a half hour. Needless to say, we made it on time! After the doctor's appointment we went to the Schaumburg diner for lunch. I had a triple stacker sandwich, Grammy had a cheeseburger and Kaycee had a grilled cheese sandwich.

I pray for continued health for Grammy. I pray that her doctor's appointments continue to be positive and upbeat, like todays!