Days 75-90

Day 75, Kenadie's first trip to the circus

Day 76, Happy Birthday Papa & a visit to the Audubon Zoo

Day 77, our message board, the back door



Day 78, One little tiny baby sock, all alone.  When I walked back by and spotted this, it just made me smile :)

Day 79,  How Berkley prefers to sleep.

Day 80, Ta-da!  Look who put her shirt on completely by herself!  I think she could have probably already done this by now, but remember, new baby means Lindsey has to let go of some of her control :)  Kenadie gets to try new things, ha!

Day 81, What 3 years and 3 months size difference looks like

 Day 82, Kenadie had her second dentist appointment today!  This was her first appointment ever that not one single tear was shed!  She got to pick out a Littlest Pet Shop pet for doing so good!  When I took her in Target to choose the pet she wanted, she said she wanted a cat.  So, I found 3 different cats.  One was just a cat, that's it, just a cat.  Second was a cat on a scooter and third, because I was feeling extra generous and was so proud of how she did, was a cat that came in a kit with about 9 other pets.  So, to make that clear, the last choice actually came with 10 pets.  Which one did she choose... choice #1, the cat that was "just a cat." :)  and she's been super happy ever since :)

Day 83,  Today was my first day to be away from Berkley for more than a couple of hours.  Kenadie and Berkley actually spent about 11 hours with D and Papaw!  Needless to say, I sure was ready to get to my girls :)

Day 84, Thankful for all of this beautiful weather!  Outside is where you will find us for now :)

Day 85, This could cause your grocery bill to be a bit higher than normal in a single trip, but I wasn't about to let some formula coupons expire :)

Day 86, Ouchy!  A busted lip on the playground at church.  When I told her I was so sorry she hurt her lip, she informed me "Don't worry Mommy, it will get better all by itself."

Day 87, 2 month shots on your 2 month birthday :(

Day 88, I.Love.Kenadie's.Drawings!

Day 89, This is what someone who has had their second baby gets to eat if they want to fit back into their prepregnancy clothes :( 

Day 90, And finally, after about two years of trying/convincing... she tries chocolate milk and just like her mother thought... SHE LOVES IT! 

Happy 2 Months, Berkley!

Dear Berkley,
You are two months old today!  Kenadie and I took you to your check-up where you got your two month shots :(  Poor baby, but you did so good... just so hard to see you cry like that :(  At two months you are:

22 7/8" long (75th %)

10.2 lbs (40th %)

Head circumference 14 3/4" (30th %)

Also at two months you are smiling more and more every day.  I think we are super close to getting a faint giggle from you too :)  I love to "talk" to you and let you "talk" back to me!  Those sweet little moments usually take place on your changing table or after a bottle.  You are now taking 4 oz. bottles every 3 hours.  In the above picture, your hair looks pretty red, however it is not all that red in person.  You have a tiny touch of red, but only in certain lightings does it appear reddish.   

Your little schedule looks typically something like this, most days anyway:

6 a.m. is your first bottle and you stay awake for about 30 minutes, and are then asleep until I wake you up at 9 for your second bottle.  I learned if I don't wake you, you tend to be a little night owl.  You are still quite the sleepy head during the day :)  You will stay up until about 10:15 and then sleep until 12 noon when I have to wake you again for your next bottle.  Again, up for about another hour or so and I don't typically have to wake you up for your 3:00 bottle.  From this point on you are awake a little more than during the earlier part of the day.  You have started "going to bed" somewhere between 7 and 8:00 and then wake up around 10ish for a bottle and are pretty much back to sleep after that.  I would say about 3 nights you may not wake up till 6 a.m., we LOVE it when you do that, hint hint*  The other 4 nights you wake up around 2:30a.m. for a bottle, but that's okay too!  We'll get there :)   

At two months, you LOVE your swing and enjoy playing on your floor mat, as long as someone is playing down there with you :)  Kenadie may have you spoiled just a little bit :)  I should note that you love your swing that swings side-to-side, however, you don't seem to be too big of a fan of your little travel swing that goes back and forth.  You also like to be in your bed when you are very much awake!  We still swaddle you at bedtime, and I am hoping we are not in for too big of a rude awakening when you no longer fit in your "sleeping bag" as I call it :)  You still love bath time and don't cry during diaper changes anymore.  As for changing your clothes, you still get a little upset when things have to go over your head.  I'm wondering if you might have picked up a little bit of my chlaustrophobicness...

I love you so much precious angel, and am so thankful God has blessed us with such a precious gift as you! 

If You Take A Little Girl To The Circus...

She's probably going to ask for some popcorn as soon as you enter the building.

After she has almost eaten the entire bag of popcorn completely by herself, not to mention that her mommy fed her supper just before they left, she's going to want to see some really cool circus acts.

After watching a few of the circus acts, she's going to remember that they also had cotton candy when she entered the circus, and even though her mommy told her to pick either popcorn or cotton candy, and she chose popcorn... she's going to insist she now have cotton candy too!  And so, you want her to have a good time at her first circus, so you get her the blue cotton candy, just like she wanted.

After consuming the entire cotton candy, she believes she will watch some really flexible girls perform their circus act.

After watching the circus acts, she decides that she too would like to be in a circus act.  You only find it fitting to encourage her to ride an elephant with her daddy, because she repeatedly tells you that elephants are her FAVORITE animal!!!

After getting close to the elephant, she decides she wants NO part of riding on one, but thinks that riding a pony may be a little more fun.

After riding the pony that she proceeded to name "Nofthin", she tells you that she wants to see more animals.  To her amazement, you inform her that we will be going to the New Orleans zoo bright and early in the morning along with Papa and Kay Kay! 

Upon entering the zoo, you remember that your little girl wanted to see some animals, so you take her to the petting zoo where she gives a goat a hug and beautifully sings aloud 3 stanzas of "Old McDonald Had A Farm."  All the while, her mother is cringing with disgust as to what type of germs have now jumped off the goat and onto her little girl.

After sanitizing from head to toe, she decides that she would like to see more animals.

And after traipsing ALL over the zoo, she decides that her feet are tired and they need a little break, and maybe thinks that the sun is a little bright too, so she might need a hat to go with her little rest.

 When she is all rested up, she decides that playing on the playground would be lots of fun, quite possibly the most fun thing about the zoo!

When you finally convince her it's time to go,  she falls asleep immediately upon being buckled into her car seat!  She awakes in the car a wee bit grumpy, and you help to get her happy by telling her we are going to Cracker Barrel to celebrate Papa's birthday!  After a yummy dinner at her favorite restaurant, we go back to Papa and Kay Kay's for cake and ice cream.

And after eating the delicious cake and ice cream, it reminds her of the delicious popcorn she ate at the circus.  And chances are, if you give a little girl some popcorn, she's going to want you to take her to the circus too.

Days 63-74

Brace yourselves folks... there are a lot of pictures here.  If I had to sum up with just a few words what Kenadie's favorite thing to do with Berkley at this point, it would be that she LOVES to "decorate" her!  Numerous times a day, she "fixes" her to her liking :)  She is always telling me that "Berkley needs ______ or Berkley needs _______."  It's ALWAYS humorous and just makes me smile.  You will see several of these "decorating" moments in some of these pictures.  Hoping these two will grow to be the best of friends. 

So, let me just clear it up now, if you ever see a picture and find yourself wondering "has Lindsey lost her mind..." please think back to this post and know it was probably DEFINITELY Kenadie's doings :)

Day 63, My 3 favorites, and no, I didn't "pose" this.  It just was happening and I grabbed my camera :)

    

Day 64,  4-wheeler rides with Papa

Day 65,  Even Lily has to do her share of holding Berkley.

Day 66,  I LOVE this face!  This is the face of a little girl who "tells you something so funny, Momma" and laughs hysterically at her own jokes :)

Day 67,  So, I buy 2 gallons of milk a week, skim for Aaron and I, and 2% for Kenadie.  I LOVE when Aaron and I have run out of our skim and I just HAVE to use Kendie's 2%... it's the little things, people :)  I grew up only knowing that skim milk existed, so 2% is practically like a milkshake to me!

Day 68,  Snug as a bug in a rug...

Day 69,  This is Kenadie "decorating" Berkley that I spoke of...

Day 70,  I had my 6 week check-up yesterday and have been "released."  I guess it's time to hit the road running!  Just before Berkley was found to be on her way last May, Aaron and I started training for a half marathon.  We had worked up to 5 miles when we called it quits.  We kept it up for a little while longer and then the tiredness/nausea set in.  As of today... we are back on!  The plan is to do the Disney half marathon in January!  Woo hoo... another trip to Disney World... I think I will start planning it now :) 

Day 71,  Oh me... I have officially retired this shirt from venturing out into public, EVEN if I have been cleaning the house all day and just run out to put gas in the car.  It has now got one too many stains that I would be embarrassed to be seen in this thing.  I figured if I didn't, I may be finding myself on What Not To Wear!  It was a good shirt :)  from Cheeseburger in Paradise in Maui from when our cheer leading squad performed at half time during the Hula Bowl... year 1998!!!  I think it will soon be finding a spot under my kitchen sink as a "dust cloth."



Day 72,  tummy time

and here is same day, but tummy time Kenadie style :)



Day 73,  Kenadie was being the good Samaritan and she said Berkley was the "sick man."

Day 74,  It's a miracle!  My sweet girl has FINALLY slowed down growing a teeny tiny bit.  This whole ensemble of an outfit, including shoes, is from LAST year!  I NEVER would have thought this would happen.  Yay for wearing clothes more that two times!!!  And yes, the pose was all her!



  

And so, the smiling begins...

Happy 6 week birthday, Berkley :)  Thank you for the sweet present of a smile you gave me this morning!  I've been knowing for the past couple of days that the smiles were soon to come.  You have also just started to coo and I LOVE it!  It's been a big day because you also played on your floor mat and enjoyed your little self, happily kicking your little legs and swinging your arms :)   I had to talk Kenadie into letting me take a picture of you on your mat by yourself... she is usually on it with you, talking and singing to you, so sweet :) 

And this is how you usually play on your mat... :) 

LOVING it, but still not believing that you are old enough to smile and coo!

Our Furry Firstborn

Three weeks ago today, we said goodbye to our furry, four-legged first born. Molly was a sweet dog that we enjoyed having for 12 years. I'm using "we" mainly referring to my mother and I :) Aaron is a good sport about pets... I've said it before,let's just leave it at that :) Now, you should know that I was a lucky little girl to even have this dog in the first place. In October 1998, again, we, my mother and I :) sobbed and sobbed over the unexpected death of our dauschund, Lucy. My dad had always said "there will NEVER be another dog in this house!" After staying home from school for three days because I was just an emotional mess, mind you I was in 10th grade at the time and didn't just know how to pick my grieving self up off the floor and move on... whose sweet daddy came to her rescue and after ALL those years of "no more inside dogs..." was now taking her to Petal as soon as he got off work to "just look at" a Yorkie :) MINE!!! And in just a couple of weeks after that, again, whose sweet daddy was taking her back to Petal to pick up this little puppy because it was now old enough to leave its mother?... MINE :)

 I will say this sweet dog didn't live the healthiest little life, but I tried to make it the best I could for her. And seeings how I have a GREAT husband who assumed all vet responsibilities for her once we were married :) and, because he loves me SO much, did just about anything I requested that she "needed."   When she was 5 years old, for my 22nd birthday, and yes, Aaron was now the financial provider because we were married shortly before my 21st birthday, Molly was tested for allergies, only to find out that she was practically allergic to EVERYTHING under the sun... she then began getting allergy injections twice a month for the rest of her life. $$$  I remember finding out from the allergy test that she was allergic to duck???   I promise you, she lived a luxurious life, however, I'm not going to feed my dogs duck...  Glad to know she was allergic to it :)   And for the record, Molly's allergy testing/shots for my 22nd birthday is still, by far, the most expensive birthday present Aaron has ever given me, ha!  She often wore a onesie because even with her two allergy shots a month, she sometimes still had troubles with itching.  Did I mention she was allergic to grass?  And how is one supposed to go about avoiding grass???

When Molly was 6 years old, I decided I might better get a "companion" for her just in case something happened to her...  I knew from losing Lucy that I didn't need to be "petless."  If Molly could have talked, I'm pretty sure she would have asked me what in the world was I thinking by getting Lily???  I'm sure Lily had good intentions when trying to make friends with Molly in the beginning, but Molly was just a little too set in her ways by then to welcome an energetic little puppy to her turf! 

Her most favorite spot was on the back of the couch or chair, or laying over a vent when the heater was on.  I still haven't quite got use to her not always being on the back of our couch :(  and I sure do miss how excited she always was to see me when I let her out in the mornings, or when I returned home from being gone.

Along with allergies, she also took medicine for about the past 4 years for a heart murmur, and then the last 6 months for a collapsed trachea.  Would you say this dog was loved :)  Like I said, I gave her the best life I could :)  Exactly one week before she died, God gave me a little forewarning that I didn't have too many more days with her.  She had this breathing spell where she was extremely short of breath and became very limp.  Of course, I began to cry then because I thought something was happening to her, and I just wasn't quite ready to let go of her.  My parents came over for dinner that night, wait let me rephrase that, my parents BROUGHT dinner over that night :)  and I considered sending Molly home with them because I just didn't know if I could watch her die.  Before they went home, she made a turn-around and was a little back to her normal self.  That following week, she stayed pretty short of breath and one week later had another bad breathing spell that she just couldn't quite shake :(   Of course, this would all happen while I was home alone.  I held her one last time, and then knew she would probably be more comfortable if I set her down. It was a sad time for sure, but I was a "big girl" and did it.  Kenadie, being the precious angel that she is :) kept "politely" saying "Mommy, Molly is frozen", with much emphasis on "frozen."  Yes Kenadie, thank you for the reminder...  Aaron was soon to get off work, but not soon enough :(  I called my sweet dad and he was on his way.  Aaron arrived home just a little before my dad and sweet little Molly drew her last little breath. 
You may be wondering why I had my dad on his way...  Truth be told, the same man who said we would never have an inside dog, who then shortly after went back on his word and got his only daughter the new dog that she wanted, is the same man who I really needed in this situation:)  Even at 28 years old, he just makes everything better :)    He sweetly took Molly along with all of her "belongings" to be buried in his pasture along with Lucy, Patches and Luke, all former "Hall" pets :)  I have one wonderful dad!

While I'm still missing Molly, I have decided that maybe we will just have one dog for now.  Lily still seems a little lost without her though.  On a slightly positive note, we now know who the culprit of the daily accidents at the backdoor was!  And without naming any names... there have been NO accidents in the last 3 weeks.