The Incredible Shrinking Teddy Bear!!

On June 30, I decided to start taking monthly pictures of Kailer next to a teddy bear so that we could "watch" his growth next to a stable object. My only regret is that I didn't take a picture of him next to the teddy bear when we first brought him home. But, nonetheless, it's been fun to take a monthly picture to see how he's changing. I see him every day, so the change doesn't seem to be as obvious until I look back at the pictures. When we were in the hospital with him I remember thinking, "My goodness he's so small;" I felt like I could break him so easily. He's growing into such a little man!!

The Day Kailer Came Home (6/2/09)

A Few Days After Kailer Came Home.

Kailer at 1-Month

Kailer at 4-Months

Last week I also started sorting through his clothes .... it's time to pack away quite a few things that no longer fit him; which really is ironic because I remember looking at the clothes he wears now and and thinking, "it's going to be a long time before he can wear this." Now here we are, wearing those very outfits that looked gigantic at the time. So gone with the "little" and on with the "bigger." His clothes will go into storage - in case Kailer should get a little sibling some day!

A Birthday Party!

Last Saturday we celebrated the birth of our first "child," Mesa! She turned 5. In previous years I have taken the time (and honestly I had more time) to make her homemade treats for her birthday (cakes, cookies, etc.) but this year she got EXTRA special treats that weren't made with love by mom. Though I have promised her that soon I will make some homemade goodies for her. This year she got a very large and in charge treat bone, "human" jerky (though the reason she got it was b/c we're not sure it's safe for human consumption, but she sure loved it!) and the bone from Dan's t-bone steak. She was one happy dog all day long and I'm pretty sure she thinks she died and went to heaven ... since she is not a dog that is allowed human food. Kailer celebrated with Mesa and seems genuinely eager to tear into his own birthday cake in 8 months.

Crocodile Crawl

For the past 4 months many people have given me "motherly advice" - things from "put a little cereal in his bottle to help him sleep through the night," to what brand of diapers are "the best" (which by the way, I have yet to find.). But the one piece of advice that I can say I've really taken to heart it also what is heard the most, "Enjoy every second of your time with Kailer, because it will go by so quickly." And right they are - every day speeds by in a blur and now here I am with a baby who's 4 months old, 12 lbs. and a chatter box. He's also a bit of a "Momma's boy" and I've learned to take in every second when he WANTS to be with me ... after all, I know that soon enough he'll be right out there next to his Dad - hunting, fishing and doing all of those "manly activities." I hold hope that he'll always have a soft spot in his heart for his mom and will (at least pretend) like to do some "girlie" type things with me.

During our recent trip to WYO, Kailer was woman-handled, cheek pinched, squeezed and everything else that you can imagine a baby goes through when he's the center of attention at a baby shower. Needless to say, I think by the end he was tired of women!! In addition to having a lot of "quality" time with women who were complete strangers to him, Kailer also spent some quality time with his Aunt Jamie. Now for those of you who may not know, Kailer's Aunt Jamie has a history of being one H-E-L-L of a dancer!! For example, she was on the dance team in high school and approximately 12 years ago she put on a STELLAR performance of the "Crocodile Crawl" at a wedding reception (To protect the innocent the bride and groom's name will be kept anonymous!). I also lived with Jamie for 6 months, while I was doing my clinical rotations for school, and during that time we perfected a coffee table dance - don't ask! ;) Now, where was I going with this --- Oh, yes, Kailer's Aunt Jamie did some "dancing" with Kailer while we were in Newcastle and lucky for her, he remembered the choreography after we made it home and I was able to capture it on video. So enjoy the video and Kailer's "feminine" side of life. If you ask me, he has potential to be the next Patrick Swayze - and trust me, he's got just as cute of a butt!! LOL.

The Einstein Theory (In the "words" of a 3 month old)

Kailer received the "Baby Bach," DVD (Part of the Baby Einstein series) from his Grandma McGinty over the Labor Day weekend. Kailer has watched it a handful of times and he really tunes into it. We're currently looking to purchase more for him. I don't condone t.v. watching for young children, nor should it be used as a "baby-sitter" on a frequent basis, but I have to admit that having just 10 minutes to get things done while Kailer is entertained is a saving grace! Don't be fooled - Dan also used it one day when he was playing Mr. Mom.

Kailer enjoying his DVD and telling me about it!

In addition to the DVD, we also have a Einstein travel CD, a stuffed toy that plays music and a Takealong tunes .... which was MIA for about a week. I had looked everywhere I could possibly imagine for the Takealong toy. I even started losing sleep over the darn thing. Not that it really mattered that the toy was missing, I could replace it for $10, but it was the fact that I was beginning to think my brain was turning into mommy mush. Dan almost had me convinced that I had put it in the diaper bag and one of the kids "must have taken it out at the sitter's." Well, after several sleepless nights (no joke) I had a brilliant idea ... the next morning I went and looked between the couch cushions. Sure enough, I found it -- Yeah!! Thanks goodness, my brain isn't all mommy mush - at least not yet and I've made a mental note to look between the couch cushions more often! ;)

The culprit of several sleepless nights.

Great Expectations

As a Mom, I have "great expectations" for Kailer ... after all, everyone wants their child to be successful, happy and better than the average Joe (nothing against the average Joe or the name Joe for that matter! LOL). So as I begin this journey with him I look back and see that we have already put him on a bit of a pedestal and are paving the way for him into what will hopefully be a bright and prosperous future. After all isn't the American Dream to have smart children so that we can live off of them when we're old!!?

Let's start with three months ago when we brought him home from the hospital. Our little man has been read to consistently and at 3-months of age, his mom already has many of the books memorized. Let's face it, even before he was born, I was singing (regardless of how horrific it sounds) and reading to him!!

With little thought or effort, Dan and I have also been teaching Kailer sign language. Thus far we've focused mainly on the alphabet, signs for "Mom, Dad, eat, milk and more." It's interesting to watch him when we sign and as of recently he's started to smile when we use the signs with him. It truly is amazing how quickly these little tykes pick up on things and if all goes "as planned" he should be able to sign back to us beginning around 7 months of age! Wow, what a genius we'll have. :)

Last weekend I went and got him his very own high chair (of course, who else in this house would need a high chair?)!! Saturday he spent a little bit of time in it, but tonight it was full on ... and he "joined us" at the dinner table while we ate ... and of course signed to him. It's so hard to believe that soon enough that brand-new sparkling throne of his will be covered in pureed peas and carrots (and will probably have a dog underneath him cleaning up!).

And last but not least, to help Kailer continue his journey of great expectations, I set up a 529 College Savings plan for him today. I guess it's never too early to start ... but I'm still holding out for my good friend Ed to show up with one of those "big checks" that will help to make the road to college a lot smoother for all of us!! Who knows, maybe he'll decide that one day he wants to be a 'Poke ... like his parents?

So my little man has had a busy 3-months and no matter what he decides to do with his life (well, there are a few restrictions!!) we will be happy for him and support him every step of the way. Life is quite the journey and once you add a child into the mixture the roads take on new names, new meaning and you gain a new respect for your own parents. Everyday we question our parenting skills and we can only pray that we'll provide the knowledge and tools that Kailer will need throughout his life. What a blessing he is to us!!

A Hunter's Widow

Every year for the past 7 years my life takes on a twist around August 15... HUNTING SEASON! For those of your who aren't married to and/or dating a (bow) hunter, you may not be able to relate to this situation. But it's during this time of the year that I become a Hunter's widow. It's an interesting concept, but all the same, it exists. In fact I was at a festival this summer and found out that there's actually a "support" group that can be found online called Hunter's Widows.




You get used to not having a husband around and at times it's a bit liberating!! This year is a bit different with Kailer in our life and he's managed to keep me busy so I'm not as bored. So with this free time on my hands (after all, I don't have to cook anyone dinner, do extra laundry, etc. -- it's amazing how much time a husband takes .... maybe even more than a baby! LOL) I've decided to work on my blog -- this all started after some encouragement from my good friend Kristen. I'm hoping to get into this whole concept of "blogging" more.

My Little Man With His Momma!!

In honor of being a widow, I loaded up my 3-month old and made my second solo trip to WYO with him. His Grandma & Aunt Jamie threw him a shower and he took his first trip to Custer State Park. We had a great time with our family and are anxiously looking forward to our next visit with them.

Don't ask - it was a game that was played at the shower!!

With more to come and updates on my family I'll be in touch. In the meantime, I need to take advantage of some of this "quiet time" (Kailer is sleeping) and get some actual work done.