26...

I am officially closer to 30 than I am to 20....gross!

That's all.

My Little Revelation

So earlier today I was complaining about my finicky eater (thanks for all the advice-keep it coming!), and tonight I hear the song, "It Won't be Like This Too Long" by Darius Rucker on the radio.





I had never heard it before but immediately fell in love with it. It talks about the little moments we have with our children that seem hard at the moment, but when they grow up they are the moments we will miss.





Yes, it is hard to take her to a restaurant when she is throwing food in all directions. Yes, my carpet is looking very sad/disgusting these days.



Yes, sometimes I get tired of saying, "Use your nice voice please" and the sound of whining.


Yes, I struggle sometimes doing chores while holding a child who refuses to be put down. Yes, I am never on time anywhere due to diaper blow outs and spit up.





Yes, sometimes being the mom of a one year old is HAAAARD!





But someday I am going to have to beg her to eat a meal with me. Someday it will be like pulling teeth to try to have a real conversation with her. Someday (it is already starting) I will wish she would snuggle up with me on the rocking chair. Someday she will be way more independent than I will want.





I don't know if I will miss the blowouts and spit up, but I will miss them as an excuse for my tardiness : )





My heart absolutely aches to think when I look down someday, I won't see this face staring back at me (please note the cute piggies, they made their first appearance today) :

This phase will not last forever, and I can guarantee I will miss it when it is gone!

Here are the lyrics, kinda long but worth the read!

He didn't have to wake up

He'd been up all night

Layin’ there in bed listenin’

To his new born baby cry

He makes a pot of coffee

He splashes water on his face

His wife gives him a kiss and says

It gonna be OK

It won’t be like this for long

One day soon we'll look back laughin’

At the week we brought her home

This phase is gonna fly by

So baby just hold on

‘Cause it won't be like this for long

Four years later ‘bout 4:30

She's crawling in their bed

And when he drops her off at preschool

She's clinging to his leg

The teacher peels her off of him

He says what can I do

She says now don't you worry

This’ll only last a week or two

It won’t be like this for long

One day soon you'll drop her off

And she won’t even know you're gone

This phase is gonna fly by

If you can just hold on

It won’t be like this for long

Some day soon she'll be a teenager

And at times he'll think she hates him

Then he'll walk her down the aisle

And he'll raise her veil

But right now she's up and cryin’

And the truth is that he don't mind

As he kisses her good night

And she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her

‘Til her eyes are finally closed

And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart

Cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long

One day soon that little girl is gonna be

All grown up and gone

Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by

So, he's tryin’ to hold on

‘Cause it won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

My Plea for Help!!!

As I mentioned in the previous post, Kerrigan has started becoming a picky eater...what the HECK?!?!?!

She used to eat and enjoy all foods. We started giving her nibbles of our food early in, with the hopes of avoiding this very problem. Jared gave her mashed potatoes 3 days after we brought her home, for heaven's sake!

Up until 3 weeks ago, we thought we had succeeded...boy were we wrong!

She either refuses to try stuff (waving her hands in front of her face, knocking food out of my hands) or if she does take a bite and doesn't like it, she just lets her mouth hang open until it falls out.

I can't seem to find the common factor in what she doesn't like.

She never has a problem with chicken nuggets, french fries, bread, tacos, burritos, (usually) quesadillas, cheeseburgers and baby food. She always eats her baby food, but I don't want to have to carry a jar around with me all the time!

I have tried baby spoons and forks, my spoon and fork, finger feeding, letting her feed herself, making it fun and cheering at obnoxious decibels when she does take a bite and swallow (which usually works for a few bites, if I can get it in her mouth).

I have tried different textures, flavors and temperatures.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!??!?!?!

So, anyone who has dealt with this, I am in desperate need of advice! How did you get your picky eater to not only eat, but also eat a well balanced meal?

HELP!

I forgot to mention she has 10 teeth...hence the weaning ; )

I decided I needed to document some fun Kerrigan facts for posterity's sake.

At 12 months Kerrigan...

Is 21 lbs (front facing seat here we come) and wearing 12-18 month clothes, although occasionally I try to squeeze her into my favorite 6-12 month clothes : ) Her hair is finally long enough to sport pigtails, which she is debuting for the first time today!

...Loves to play games. Among her favorites are the thank you game (you hand stuff back and forth, saying thank you to each other), giving high fives and pounds (fist bump), Lego's (essentially the same as thank you, but with me stacking Lego's, then she takes them apart), playing tag around the ottoman and of course throwing stuff on the floor so I get to pick it up!

....Sleeps usually 11-13 hours a night. She also takes either 2 1.5 hr naps or 1 3 hr nap. BEAUTIFUL!!!

...Hates shopping (how did that happen), when I am on the computer and snuggling unless she is really tired- boo!

...Loves meeting new people. Also loves Dr. Pepper...please don't report me, it is always in small doses. Loves to be independent! Loves babies and pictures of babies. Also, loves playing with other kids, we still working on how to be soft with them. Loves animals, but is afraid of them at the same time. Has a crush on Braden, and often prefers Megan over me (some of our friends we spend alot of time with).

...Is officially walking all over the place. Yesterday she walked around her Grandma's kitchen for 15 minutes without falling down! She is also starting to run...well, more like a power walk, but very quick for such a beginner! You should see her face when she is walking, she thinks she is pretty hot stuff!

....Is talking NONSTOP!!! Her vocabulary includes hi (pronounced hiiiiiiiiiii), bum (I dunno where it came from), ohhhhhh, Bob (for Braden), mama, dada, cookie, ya (for yes), out, this and that, pretty (if prompted), go (when she is walking or someone says, "ready, set...") and di (drink). My favorite is when she is whining I say, "Can you ask me in a nice voice?" and she changes to a really high pitched "nice voice" babble...soooo funny!

Also, she says "day do" for thank you. Almost every time someone hands her something she says it. However, she struggles with the concept, and also uses thank you in place of please and here you go (when handing something to someone). BASICALLY she is a child prodigy : )

...Eating almost exclusively table foods. We are SLOWLY beginning the weaning process, and she still has Gerber fruits and veggies. Other than that, she basically eats what I eat. Just recently she has started to become a picky little eater, which I could live without. If she doesn't like something, she makes the goofiest face and either throws it across the room or spits it out, which is extra fun considering we have all carpet in our apartment! Foods she loves are pizza, chicken nuggets, Taco Bell chicken soft tacos and cookies (sometimes I trick her into eating something by calling it a cookie, is that bad?).

Basically, we adore her...who wouldn't?!?!?!?!

What a Year Can Do...

One year ago (plus 3 days, I am running a little late : ), we received this blessing :

Now, just 368 short days later we have a rambunctious, ball of energy whose favorite past times include running and unrolling toilet paper in the bathroom.

How does a tiny 5 lb newborn grow so quickly? I am glad you asked!

I have put together a little visual presentation to demonstrate this phenomenon to you. I tried to include momentous firsts, such as eating solids, sitting, meeting Carter...you know, the important stuff!

(side note: I was not going to put this many pictures on. I had every intention of cutting out many of them. However, I uploaded them backwards, and it took me so long to fix- didn't want everyone to view K's life Benjamin Button style- I decided to leave them all on. I realize in doing so I am breaking my own blogging rule, and opening myself up to Jared's ridicule. I have accepted this, and so should you! : )

1 hr

2 days (look how tiny she is, now she barely fits in the dang thing!)

3 days (exactly a year ago today)

1 week

2 weeks

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months (you are 1/2 way there)

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

1 YEAR OLD!!!

Happy birthday, sweet girl! It has been the best year of my life, I can't wait to see what many many many more years bring!

I will have to post pictures of her actual birthday later, it is a CRAZY week. Just a little tidbit to leave you wanting more: I made coordinating tutus and shirts for the 2 birthday K's (Kate and Kerrigan) and they looked GOOOOOOD!

One year ago today...

Exactly one year ago I wrote this post, demanding my unborn child make her debut to this world SOON!!!!

I still had 10 days left until my due date, but I was BEYOND ready to meet her!

My feet looked like this (had to include this picture because it cracks me up...unpainted toenails-yuck, purple- double yuck and so swollen even loose socks leave ridges- YUUUUCK!):

The rest of me looked like this:

Little did I know that in a mere 4 days, Kerrigan would perform her first act of obedience (to me) and defiance (to the Dr. who said I would go late) .

Little did I know that 3 days later, I be holding this in my arms.

Exactly one year ago, I had no idea how much my life was about to change!

*Sidenote: I am absolutely BAWLING looking at all her newborn pictures...ahhhh! *