Happy Birthday and Holiday Visits
To: My Brother, My Lord and My Husband - in that order!
We got back from FL on the 23, got unpacked and rested up for a fun night back at Miyoshi's for a Christmas Eve Birthday celebration. Yes, this is the same place we went 7 short months ago for my surprise party, and it was just as much fun! They have O'so yummy sushi and Hibachi food I used my free 'eating for 2' card that night!
Birthday Cha' Cha' Cha'
Here's Chad and Dave shaking their Birthday Booties
The Saturday after Christmas, my Dad was in town and he took us out to a very yummy Itallian restaurant down in Buckhead called La Grotta. Don't let the appearance fool ya - it's in the basement of an apartment building, they have some seriously delicious food. And I was forced to again use my 'eating for 2' card - twice in one week - sometimes a pregnant lady has got to do what a pregnant lady has got to do!
All Dressed Up
Here we are at the house getting ready to go stuff our tummys.
Thankfully Mom agreed to babysit Kaiden that night, we had originally planned to take him with us, but his attention span at dinner is practically non existant, and we wanted to be able to enjoy the dinner without having to take turns doing laps around the restaurant with a cranky toddler.
Our Trip Down South
From an 8hr straight shot to a 10+hr stop-a-thon.
This is the fifth year that we have driven down to see our Judy Gram around Christmas. She is our adopted 94 year old Gram. She is an awesome lady, who lives by her self, despite going blind - she took some blind education classes this last year to learn how to get around without using your eyes. Pretty Cool.
We left on a Friday and we were surprised that the traffic out of Atlanta wasn't that bad, Kaiden got to sit in his 'big boy' forward facing booster seat instead of the infant car seat he was used to. Unfortunately the novelty of facing forward wore off much sooner than I had hoped. We did also bring along an array of DVDs for our portable players - thinking we would watch a few different movies and keep Kaiden entertained/distracted. Well we pretty much watched CARS 100 times and had to stop every two to three hours to let Kaiden get out of his seat and walk around. Which worked out fine for me since I have the added bonus of the baby kicking the bladder and didn't mind the extra potty breaks!
Once we got down to FL, the first night wasn't so great. Because we got there so late, we just had mom drop us off at our hotel, and let her take the van and Troops, over to Judy's and she would just return in the morning to get us. Well Kaiden got sick - horrible chest congestion and coughing, plus runny nose - the whole deal - not good. We had no way of getting to the store and unfortunately there were none in walking distance. So we were pretty much up every hour on the hour taking turns sitting in the bathroom running a hot steam shower to try and help open the congestion - we looked GOOD the next morning!
Once we got some Vick's baby rub - which I did decided to smear on his feat and it worked great - and some vapor bath - Kaiden was a new kiddo! We were all pretty tired the first day, but other than that we had no issues. We got to visit a few different beaches - Kaiden LOVES the ocean. Him and Daddy got to swim in the heated pool - so much fun, and then we spent a lot of time pulling up his board shorts while he walked in the waves and chased seagulls on the beach.
It was a really great time - Judy loved Kaiden and although he was a little shy around her, he can almost say her name and he gets a huge smile on his face if you show him a picture of Judy or even just say her name.
KK
UPDATE: We got a call a few days after returning from FL and were told that while chasing a cockroach around her apartment with RAID, Judy tripped on the rug and fell which left her with a broken hip and emergency surgery. The good news is she is doing GREAT, and she has been moved to the rehab center and is making progress everyday in her rehab. So any extra prayers you have laying around, please send them to our Judy so that she can get out of Rehab and back home - hopefully in time to enjoy her 95th birthday bash in February!
From an 8hr straight shot to a 10+hr stop-a-thon.
This is the fifth year that we have driven down to see our Judy Gram around Christmas. She is our adopted 94 year old Gram. She is an awesome lady, who lives by her self, despite going blind - she took some blind education classes this last year to learn how to get around without using your eyes. Pretty Cool.
We left on a Friday and we were surprised that the traffic out of Atlanta wasn't that bad, Kaiden got to sit in his 'big boy' forward facing booster seat instead of the infant car seat he was used to. Unfortunately the novelty of facing forward wore off much sooner than I had hoped. We did also bring along an array of DVDs for our portable players - thinking we would watch a few different movies and keep Kaiden entertained/distracted. Well we pretty much watched CARS 100 times and had to stop every two to three hours to let Kaiden get out of his seat and walk around. Which worked out fine for me since I have the added bonus of the baby kicking the bladder and didn't mind the extra potty breaks!
Once we got down to FL, the first night wasn't so great. Because we got there so late, we just had mom drop us off at our hotel, and let her take the van and Troops, over to Judy's and she would just return in the morning to get us. Well Kaiden got sick - horrible chest congestion and coughing, plus runny nose - the whole deal - not good. We had no way of getting to the store and unfortunately there were none in walking distance. So we were pretty much up every hour on the hour taking turns sitting in the bathroom running a hot steam shower to try and help open the congestion - we looked GOOD the next morning!
Once we got some Vick's baby rub - which I did decided to smear on his feat and it worked great - and some vapor bath - Kaiden was a new kiddo! We were all pretty tired the first day, but other than that we had no issues. We got to visit a few different beaches - Kaiden LOVES the ocean. Him and Daddy got to swim in the heated pool - so much fun, and then we spent a lot of time pulling up his board shorts while he walked in the waves and chased seagulls on the beach.
It was a really great time - Judy loved Kaiden and although he was a little shy around her, he can almost say her name and he gets a huge smile on his face if you show him a picture of Judy or even just say her name.
KK
UPDATE: We got a call a few days after returning from FL and were told that while chasing a cockroach around her apartment with RAID, Judy tripped on the rug and fell which left her with a broken hip and emergency surgery. The good news is she is doing GREAT, and she has been moved to the rehab center and is making progress everyday in her rehab. So any extra prayers you have laying around, please send them to our Judy so that she can get out of Rehab and back home - hopefully in time to enjoy her 95th birthday bash in February!
Kaiden's 15 Month Check Up
Our BIG Boy is Still a Peanut!
Well other than being a little small - no shock there - he did really well at his 15 month check up.
His Stats
Weight - 19lbs 13oz - Below the charts -He was SO close to being 20lbs, next time I'll feed him a BIG breakfast
Height - 28.5 inches - I think this put him at 3% - Not too shabby - That's 11 inches of growth since birth
Head - I can't remember the measurement but he was at 25% - He's got a lot of brains to house in there!
This combination puts Kaiden wearing Carter's 9 month separates - the pants fit great but the head hole is starting to get tight since he's got a noggin. He wears Carters 12 month onsies and footie jammies (I have a Carter's baby - long and lean) and Stride Rite size 3.5 shoe. He can wear 12 month separates, but we have to roll the waste band and usually the cuffs of the sleeves - he can't stand it when the sleeves hang down over his hands. He wears a size 3 diaper during the day and we bump him up to a 4 for overnight since he is a good sleeper.
I can't believe how fast they grow up! I mean of course he isn't physically that big - but to look back at pictures of Kaiden at this time last year - he was 3 months, most days consisted of eating, pottying and sleeping - and now he is an opinionated, expressive and at times a demanding toddler. Who knows around 20 words and can recognize and sign almost 40 signs - he has a huge heart, a hilarious sense of humor and YES he still loves to dance - he's even learning a few new moves!
Favorites:
Food - Well it's not a meal but he is crazy for the heat and serve garlic bread, and frozen mini microwavable pancakes - Kaiden calls them Pa-cooks, but he will lead you to the freezer drawer in case you're confused.
Snack - Each month brings a new favorite it started as Goldfish, then Nilla Waffers, then Ritz Crackers and now he is in LOVE with mini marshmallows. He calls them 'marow marows' - and then shakes his head yes while doing the sign for more - he's a hoot
When All Else Fails, Thank God Theres: Cottage cheese, strawberries, scrambled eggs, cinnamon apple sauce and just about anything on the Gerber Graduates Toddle snack shelf!
Animals - He is still crazy about his "KeyCats" and Giraffes - which believe it or not he can say clear and easy - Of course he is quick to point out any turtles but I would have to say this month the "Moooo Cow" has become his new obsession. He actually calls them Mooooooooooo Cooow - If you say Moo he'll say Cow and if you say cow he'll say moo - too funny!
Entertainment - Shame on us, I know, but we let Kaiden watch TV - and around Thanksgiving they showed CARS on cable - he caught about 7 minutes of the end race scene and that was it! He is officially addicted to CARS - or 'Drive' as it's known in our house. Kaiden will do the sign -imagine steering an invisible wheel - while saying drive, and then as his need/want to see the movie increases his sign goes from a car steering wheel to that of an 18 wheeler! His other obsession is the 'puter' he doesn't discriminate it can be the lap top or the PC, just as long as he gets to watch his 'Crazy Frog' or 'Gummy Bear' videos, he is a happy man! The good thing is he is also crazy about books, so he loves just about any book but he has his favorites: Moon Beam Bear book, Baby Cakes, Mickey's Book of Trucks and his Giraffe book.
Lovey - Well Kaiden never actually wanted a lovey, lord knows he had enough to choose from, but he seemed to go through that phase without a favorite blanket, or stuffed animal so as for now no real Lovey to report.
Our BIG Boy is Still a Peanut!
Well other than being a little small - no shock there - he did really well at his 15 month check up.
His Stats
Weight - 19lbs 13oz - Below the charts -He was SO close to being 20lbs, next time I'll feed him a BIG breakfast
Height - 28.5 inches - I think this put him at 3% - Not too shabby - That's 11 inches of growth since birth
Head - I can't remember the measurement but he was at 25% - He's got a lot of brains to house in there!
This combination puts Kaiden wearing Carter's 9 month separates - the pants fit great but the head hole is starting to get tight since he's got a noggin. He wears Carters 12 month onsies and footie jammies (I have a Carter's baby - long and lean) and Stride Rite size 3.5 shoe. He can wear 12 month separates, but we have to roll the waste band and usually the cuffs of the sleeves - he can't stand it when the sleeves hang down over his hands. He wears a size 3 diaper during the day and we bump him up to a 4 for overnight since he is a good sleeper.
I can't believe how fast they grow up! I mean of course he isn't physically that big - but to look back at pictures of Kaiden at this time last year - he was 3 months, most days consisted of eating, pottying and sleeping - and now he is an opinionated, expressive and at times a demanding toddler. Who knows around 20 words and can recognize and sign almost 40 signs - he has a huge heart, a hilarious sense of humor and YES he still loves to dance - he's even learning a few new moves!
Favorites:
Food - Well it's not a meal but he is crazy for the heat and serve garlic bread, and frozen mini microwavable pancakes - Kaiden calls them Pa-cooks, but he will lead you to the freezer drawer in case you're confused.
Snack - Each month brings a new favorite it started as Goldfish, then Nilla Waffers, then Ritz Crackers and now he is in LOVE with mini marshmallows. He calls them 'marow marows' - and then shakes his head yes while doing the sign for more - he's a hoot
When All Else Fails, Thank God Theres: Cottage cheese, strawberries, scrambled eggs, cinnamon apple sauce and just about anything on the Gerber Graduates Toddle snack shelf!
Animals - He is still crazy about his "KeyCats" and Giraffes - which believe it or not he can say clear and easy - Of course he is quick to point out any turtles but I would have to say this month the "Moooo Cow" has become his new obsession. He actually calls them Mooooooooooo Cooow - If you say Moo he'll say Cow and if you say cow he'll say moo - too funny!
Entertainment - Shame on us, I know, but we let Kaiden watch TV - and around Thanksgiving they showed CARS on cable - he caught about 7 minutes of the end race scene and that was it! He is officially addicted to CARS - or 'Drive' as it's known in our house. Kaiden will do the sign -imagine steering an invisible wheel - while saying drive, and then as his need/want to see the movie increases his sign goes from a car steering wheel to that of an 18 wheeler! His other obsession is the 'puter' he doesn't discriminate it can be the lap top or the PC, just as long as he gets to watch his 'Crazy Frog' or 'Gummy Bear' videos, he is a happy man! The good thing is he is also crazy about books, so he loves just about any book but he has his favorites: Moon Beam Bear book, Baby Cakes, Mickey's Book of Trucks and his Giraffe book.
Lovey - Well Kaiden never actually wanted a lovey, lord knows he had enough to choose from, but he seemed to go through that phase without a favorite blanket, or stuffed animal so as for now no real Lovey to report.
Christmas Is Coming . . .
The Line
So We Had Our Visit With Santa
The Line
Big Hugs Hello
I guess you could call it a tradition, this is the second year Melissa and I have met at the mall to brave the Santa line together - we have learned that a middle of the weekday is a MUCH better than any time of day on the weekend - we'll never make that mistake again ;)
I guess you could call it a tradition, this is the second year Melissa and I have met at the mall to brave the Santa line together - we have learned that a middle of the weekday is a MUCH better than any time of day on the weekend - we'll never make that mistake again ;)
These two are plotting their escape!
It's SANTA!!!
Our kiddos were dressed and ready and the line wasn't too bad within 30-45 minutes it was ou
r turn to see the man in red. Kaiden was a little worried when I handed him over to the bearded man, just look at him checking him out. He wasn't going to let go of my necklace, but with a few kind words from Santa and Mommy's encouragement he gave it a shot. We were able to snap a few photos - don't tell the elves - they said there is a strict 2 photo (from personal camera) limit - I say "if I am paying almost $20 (and waiting almost an hour) for one 5x7 I'll take however many I want!" Anywho - Kaiden never actually cracked a smile - BUT he didn't cry so that 
worked well - then he put both hands in the air, twisted them front to back and announced "All Done" - one of his favorite signs! So I said "Kaiden are you all done?" He shook his head up and down once, nice and firm and that was that! You can see the look on his face - "why did I have to do that?!"
It's SANTA!!!Our kiddos were dressed and ready and the line wasn't too bad within 30-45 minutes it was ou
r turn to see the man in red. Kaiden was a little worried when I handed him over to the bearded man, just look at him checking him out. He wasn't going to let go of my necklace, but with a few kind words from Santa and Mommy's encouragement he gave it a shot. We were able to snap a few photos - don't tell the elves - they said there is a strict 2 photo (from personal camera) limit - I say "if I am paying almost $20 (and waiting almost an hour) for one 5x7 I'll take however many I want!" Anywho - Kaiden never actually cracked a smile - BUT he didn't cry so that 
worked well - then he put both hands in the air, twisted them front to back and announced "All Done" - one of his favorite signs! So I said "Kaiden are you all done?" He shook his head up and down once, nice and firm and that was that! You can see the look on his face - "why did I have to do that?!"The Good Idea Gone HORRIBLY Wrong!
BUT the Mommy's had another idea - since our babies are such good friends, AND since we had
braved the line together we thought it would be cute to get one photo of the two of them on Santa's lap. This did not end well. Ashlyn had been asking for her Daddy since Melissa took her out of the stroller. Kaiden took his individual photos first and Ashlyn watched while holding tight to her Mommy. Mel walked over with Ash, attempted a little pep talk and I tried to sound excited as I gave Kaiden back to Santa - who was starting to get a slightly worried look - and that is when it started. Ashlyn started crying, well Boo - Hoo'ing rather, huge crocodile tears running down her sweet little cheeks and being the sensitive boy that he is Kaiden didn't know why his girlfriend was upset - but he figured it wasn't good. So out poked the bottom lip, there were a few quivers and then he joined in the "Santa Cry Fest '08". Luckily we were able to snap a few shots of the wee ones bawling on Santa's lap before we rescued our babies. Only a Mom (or a parent) thinks it's adorable to have a picture of her baby bawling in Santa's arms - here's our two not so happy babies with Santa. . .
braved the line together we thought it would be cute to get one photo of the two of them on Santa's lap. This did not end well. Ashlyn had been asking for her Daddy since Melissa took her out of the stroller. Kaiden took his individual photos first and Ashlyn watched while holding tight to her Mommy. Mel walked over with Ash, attempted a little pep talk and I tried to sound excited as I gave Kaiden back to Santa - who was starting to get a slightly worried look - and that is when it started. Ashlyn started crying, well Boo - Hoo'ing rather, huge crocodile tears running down her sweet little cheeks and being the sensitive boy that he is Kaiden didn't know why his girlfriend was upset - but he figured it wasn't good. So out poked the bottom lip, there were a few quivers and then he joined in the "Santa Cry Fest '08". Luckily we were able to snap a few shots of the wee ones bawling on Santa's lap before we rescued our babies. Only a Mom (or a parent) thinks it's adorable to have a picture of her baby bawling in Santa's arms - here's our two not so happy babies with Santa. . .Look at poor Ashlyn - I think she is asking God "Why Me? What did I do wrong?"
That was it - Our Babies were done so we scooped them back up in our arms - Kaiden with tears in his eyes very politely waved and said "Bye bye" and we were on our way.
Merry Christmas - I can't believe how fast it'll be here!
Week 24 - WOW 6 months Already!!
Our Baby: Pierce Colton Kirk
The Name
So here we are, just a few short weeks away from Christmas and I already feel like I am running out of time! At least we decided on the name - which is the name we originally were going to go with until Dave had some brilliant suggestions such as "Dash" "Sterling" and "Champ" - SUCH A MAN! Anyway he came back to his senses and our son's name is Pierce Colton - and just an FYI - Pierce is a name meaning "like a rock" NOT a verb!
How's Mommy
As for me I again have no complaints! I am feeling really good, I do get out of breath easier and putting my shoes on is starting to become more and more troublesome, but it comes with the territory! I have definitely 'popped' my once slightly noticeable baby bump is getting more and more like I am smuggling basketballs home from our store! All my fellow Mommy's know what I mean, but especially those of us who were blessed with short torsos - there is no where for the belly to go but out!
Which brings me to my next thought - WHY on earth would my body want to stretch more good, healthy, previously untouched skin when waiting so patiently down by my previous C-section scar is a nice plot of skin just waiting to relive their glory days! Ugh I will never understand how some of these women walk away from pregnancy with NO stretch marks, and NO extra pounds! God Bless Em - but I was certainly NOT on that side of the blessing line! When all is said and done of course I would rather have this body full of battle scars then not have my babies but
I am allowed to have moments of jealousy every now and then. Plus we have a lot of pictures from when we were younger where I still looked GOOD - I'll just make sure to NEVER misplace those photos - so when my boys are older and say "mom you're such a dork" I can say yup but once upon a time I was a hottie - then being pregnant with your little hinies did this to me - you OWE ME!
I think someone needs a nap - and Kaiden is already down for his!
KK
Thanksgiving 2008
The Meal Plan
I was so excited to be able to host the thanksgiving dinner at our house this year - we had been at Mom's for the last few years but I won back the "Gobble Till Ya Wobble" honor this year! What a wonderful holiday weekend! Of course in true Kirk/Ingersoll fashion we made way TOO much food but it was fun and oh so yummy! We started on Wednesday night and made the pumpkin pies, apple pie, bread loafs, chocolate pie and the cranberry relish. We were exhausted by the time we were done but that was just the beginning of the fun!
Thankfully Mom spent the night so that we could get up and at'em early Thursday morning since we were having our dear friends the Robinsons over for dinner. Chad brought the bird and the fixings and he got to work on his creation - and Mom and I finished the rest of the dishes. You know unless you have hosted a multi-dish meal you really have no idea the amount of planning it actually takes to make sure all the dishes will be ready to put on the table at the same time. So being the scientist I am I made a list of the order in which to fix all the dishes based on prep time and bake time - I started with the Mac 'n Cheese, then the green bean casserole, the dressing was next in the holding pattern for the oven - on the stove top we had the white potatoes, sweet potatoes and butternut squash simmering. Once the bird was out we had about 30 minutes for it to rest - I guess getting cooked for 4 hours is hard work! Anyway the 3 casserole dishes were put in then the sweet potatoes were mashed shoved in a dish and topped with marshmallows and added to the oven - the baby carrots were quickly steamed up and the squash and potatoes were mashed and placed in their serving dishes. I was quite impressed with how everything turned out - and although we may have sat down to dinner 30 or 40 minutes later than originally planned at least everyone's food was hot and the Turkey was not dry!
OK on to the good stuff. . . . Pictures!
"Geez why do they keep calling our names? Can't they see we're having a conversation here?!"
So Much To Be Thankful For!
Giving Thanks
Each year we go around the table and say what we're thankful for, and of course it ends up that everyone is usually thankful for the same thing: family! This year was no different! Especially as I watched my BIG boy feeding himself from his own plate and felt his little brother kicking away, while listening to the conversation of close friends and family I was overcome with gratitude and had to take just a minute to let it all sink in. Of course a moment was all I got before a lump of mash potatoes was being smashed into the place mat - but for that one moment life was perfect and for that I will ALWAYS be thankful!
The Meal PlanI was so excited to be able to host the thanksgiving dinner at our house this year - we had been at Mom's for the last few years but I won back the "Gobble Till Ya Wobble" honor this year! What a wonderful holiday weekend! Of course in true Kirk/Ingersoll fashion we made way TOO much food but it was fun and oh so yummy! We started on Wednesday night and made the pumpkin pies, apple pie, bread loafs, chocolate pie and the cranberry relish. We were exhausted by the time we were done but that was just the beginning of the fun!
Thankfully Mom spent the night so that we could get up and at'em early Thursday morning since we were having our dear friends the Robinsons over for dinner. Chad brought the bird and the fixings and he got to work on his creation - and Mom and I finished the rest of the dishes. You know unless you have hosted a multi-dish meal you really have no idea the amount of planning it actually takes to make sure all the dishes will be ready to put on the table at the same time. So being the scientist I am I made a list of the order in which to fix all the dishes based on prep time and bake time - I started with the Mac 'n Cheese, then the green bean casserole, the dressing was next in the holding pattern for the oven - on the stove top we had the white potatoes, sweet potatoes and butternut squash simmering. Once the bird was out we had about 30 minutes for it to rest - I guess getting cooked for 4 hours is hard work! Anyway the 3 casserole dishes were put in then the sweet potatoes were mashed shoved in a dish and topped with marshmallows and added to the oven - the baby carrots were quickly steamed up and the squash and potatoes were mashed and placed in their serving dishes. I was quite impressed with how everything turned out - and although we may have sat down to dinner 30 or 40 minutes later than originally planned at least everyone's food was hot and the Turkey was not dry!
OK on to the good stuff. . . . Pictures!
Kaiden doing a last minute check before his girlfriend Ashlyn arrives.
"Hi friend! You look nice" "Thanks so do you"
"Oh I like your sweater, is it new?"
"Geez why do they keep calling our names? Can't they see we're having a conversation here?!" "Hey Ash, did you see this circle? It's pretty cool!"
"Alright well I'm outta here! Are you coming?"
"Hey wait for me, I'm coming too!"
A little after dinner story time with Uncle Todd
I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and survived any Black Friday shopping excursions!
Love Ya,
KK
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