Jump-a-roo!!

Kailer's newest fascination is his jumper that is we got for him last week. He's always kicking, moving, "dancing," etc. so we thought he might enjoy a bouncer. We were right - he LOVES it!

I think his Aunt Jamie better be prepared on Wednesday when she sees him; he's likely to have created some new dance moves that he'll want her to learn. :) But we know she's up for the challenge and if I'm not careful she may just teach him the crocodile crawl!!

Baby Houdini

I'm finding that my life with a 5 1/2 month old isn't as easy as it used to be. There was a time when I could put Kailer in his swing, turn on an Einstein video grab a quick shower, start a load of laundry or wash dishes. However, recently things have changed.
In an attempt to keep my Type A personality in check, I am constantly trying to juggle taking care of Kailer, work, cleaning, cooking and organization. Not having everything "in order" can make me feel anxious - though I have to admit, I've started to let things slide. The most important thing to me now is my family and if that means a little dust on the coffee table "until tomorrow," then so be it.
During one of my Type A moments a couple of weeks ago, I decided that I was going to put Kailer in his swing for a moment while I swapped out the laundry. So I sat him in his swing and went into the laundry room. As I was putting the clothes into the dryer, I hear a faint little "plump" from the living room. Knowing that Kailer was in there by himself, I quickly went to see what had happened .... and there on the floor, holding onto the seat of his swing is Mr. Kailer - smiling! I quickly go to him and ask him, "are you okay?" He smiles and cooes ... I take that as a "yes." We've been having 'problems' with Kailer and his swing for awhile now. Even when he is buckled in, he finds a way to monkey himself sideways, so he gets stuck. OR he will sit up in his swing, hold onto the bottom, so his weight is uneven, the swing is barely moving (we're probably lucky we haven't burnt out the motor yet) and then because he doesn't have full trunk control yet, he'll get too far forward and once again get stuck. I tell ya - he's such a boy and it's no wonder he had a bruise on his shin!!

"What Mom, me? No I'm not getting into trouble."

Since putting Kailer in the swing without adult supervision is no longer acceptable, I thought I would put him on the floor of his bedroom on his playmat while I blow-dried my hair. He should be safe there .. and for the most part he was. Kailer is not big into rolling, he can do it (we've seen him) but he doesn't do it frequently. So I figure he's safe on the floor, no sharp objects are near, nothing to fall of off, I'm good for 10 minutes.

This is Kailer on his mat when I first put him down.

This is where I found Kailer 10 minutes later!!

This child has ways of getting around that amaze me. He literally would have had to of "backed" off the mat and then turned and moved toward his closet. Again, he was happy when I found him and not too concerned about the fact that he had moved.

So as our lives continue to evolve with our munchkin, everyday I ask myself, "what's next?"

ALL Mommies Love Their Babies!

Whether it's a frog, bird, elk, elephant, kangaroo or human one thing is for sure -- All Mommies LOVE their Babies!! Recently Kailer and I have demonstrated this principle while acting out like animals that we are not.

This first picture is of Mommy and her little "brancher." A brancher is a baby bird that is able to move about, but not yet ready to fly. My little guys is always "on the move" but thankfully is not "flying" yet. In this particular picture, I am feeding my little chick a (gummy) worm that I 'gathered' for him (from the kitchen) to eat ... after all, chicks depend on their mommies for food and nutrients.
[As my disclaimer: I did NOT allow Kailer to eat the worm, but he did enjoy the few seconds that he got to suck on the sugary treat.]

I should also mention that we do not torture Kailer by wrapping in him a blanket so his arms are immobile. It's actually a great technique (known as swaddling) to use when he's fussy and needs to feel secure...and believe it or not he likes it.

Next is mommy with her Joey. Kailer has taken a liking to being attached to me (a.k.a. in my 'pouch') facing outward. These pictures were the first night we tried it and he enjoyed himself enough that we left him in there until he fell asleep! Today we strolled around grocery shopping and at the mall for over an hour with him in the pouch. He loves to look around and his arms are always out waiting to grab onto something that can go into his mouth, of course!

Out like a "Joey"

A Little Boy's Best Friend!

Tonight the Mayland Family was sitting on the couch, watching a little t.v. and enjoying some time with daddy before he went off to work. Dan was playing with Mesa and she barked (which she NEVER does and honestly I don't think we've "let" her do it inside since Kailer was born.) I was holding Kailer at that time and his arms pushed out from his side and I said to Dan, "that scared Kailer." In the past, little sounds like an unexpected sneeze from one of us or the dropping of a plate would literally startle Kailer and scare him to the point crying. But tonight was a whole different story!! Right after I said that I thought Mesa's bark had scared Kailer he started laughing. You must watch the video to appreciate the full-on laugh that he was doing. We have heard him laugh before, while playing peek-a-boo or making faces at him, but tonight was the first time he REALLY laughed!

Enjoy the video - everytime I watch it I laugh too and tear up a bit. The sound of his laughter warms my heart and soul ... our little boy is growing up and has now found his "best friend."

(If you are having trouble viewing the video, "refresh" your page and you should be able to view it.)

Winter Wonderland!

Yesterday morning, after being in a Winter Storm Warning with a "30% chance of snow," we woke up to a foot of snow and cold temperatures!! {Side Note: I often wonder what kind of an education is required to be a meteorologist? Seems that I am just as good at predicting the weather as they are most days.} So we dusted off the snow shovel and Dan got to work on clearing off the driveway. Kailer and I peeked out the window once in awhile and then I decided it was time for our Montana boy to experience snow first hand .... on went the snowsuit and outside went Mom and Kailer. At that point it was still snowing pretty hard and I don't think Kailer quite knew what to think about being out in this cold white stuff that was also quite bright!! Later that day we let him "feel" the snow and put it in his mouth; his reaction was what we expected with a look on his face of "what is this cold stuff?!?"

The look on his face tells me he loves snow just about as much as his mom!

This is suppose to be fun?

Rough and Tuff!

During Kailer's bath on Monday I noticed that my rough and tough little boy has his first bruise....how he got it is beyond me, but he has a bruise on his left shin. Lord knows that anything is possible with this kid; he's a mover and a shaker!! I am holding my breath because I know once he starts crawling we're in B-I-G trouble. :)
This weekend Grandpa Perino decided to come up and visit us for a few days. It was great to see him and for Kailer to get to spend some time with him. Dan is now working nights (for the next 6 months) so we had to try our best to be "quiet" during the day when we were home. Not an easy task with a 5 month old, but we managed. We are always trying to teach Kailer new things (signs, body parts, colors, number ... and the list goes on) but I also see Kailer teaching US things. For example, he has taught me that life from the view of the car seat is not acceptable any longer; dang it he's had the same view for 5 months and he's tired of it! This all translates into "Mom I know you're trying to shop or eat a meal at a restaurant, but really you need to get me out of this car seat, pronto!" He's also taught me the value of drool, after all, everything should be covered in Kailer drool in order for it to be acceptable for anyone. I'm actually beginning to think that he's starting to cut teeth, or at least that's what I'm hoping, or we're really going to have a mess when teeth start to come in.
In an attempt to give Kailer some "tummy time" (which, I believe I've mentioned before he despises) Grandpa and I put him on the floor, got on the floor ourselves and taunted him to "scoot" around by putting toys 'just' out of his reach. As you can see (and hear) in the video he wasn't overly thrilled about it, but he did end up scooting across the living room about 2 feet. Then I look at the video and ask myself, "Why am I pushing this issue?" ... he'll be mobile soon enough!

Kailer in his UW outfit - after this football season, he may want to turn it inside out!

Grandpa and Kailer

As always, when family leaves, it was hard for us to say good-bye. With any luck we'll be able to make a trip to Wyoming in the near future.