Good-bye Cypress, Hello Lakewood

Tonight is your last night here in our Cypress house. Tomorrow we move to Lakewood. And boy what an experience this has been. You have been a very girl girl throughout the packing, early mornings, and late night rides to the new house to unload stuff. I know you were just getting used to your cool room, and I must say I am going to miss your room too. It seemed like yesterday me, daddy, Aunt Cyndi and Uncle Eric were just painting it and getting it ready for your arrival.
Here are pictures of your old room. Your name above your closet with the curtains made by Cici

Your dresser, GG's hopechest, and valances made by Cici.

Your crib and GG's rocking chair


I loved everything about your room, especially the way we could kinda see the horses 2 houses down. I always wanted to see your expression when you were old enough to actually see them and know what they were. But now we are off to bigger and better things, not to mention you'll be living right next door to your cousin Hailee. You and her are going to have a great time growing up together. I hope you like your new house as much as I do. The best part of all is that daddy and cousin Curt are getting ready to take apart your crib which means you get to sleep in our bed tonight . YEAHHH
I love you Kendyl. Thanks for being such a trooper. Look out Lakewood, here we come.

Two more "Firsts" for Kendyl

Today within a matter of 10 minutes you experienced 2 more "firsts." Both of which I am not overly joyous about. To start things off you have been extremely tired all evening. Luckily Aunt Cici and Uncle Doug came over to help us pack and she was able to get you to fall asleep for a well needed nap. Which I am sad to say lasted about 30 minutes. So being that your entire body was filthy, I decided to give you a bath. I was on the phone with Aunt Heidi when I noticed yo turning red. UH-OH yep... for the first and hopefully the last time you pooped in the tub. Not really knowing what to do and hoping I was mistaken I picked you up only to discover that I was right :0

Which brings us to your #2 first. This one we have to give all the credit to Auntie Lynnette who told us about this just the other day. Once I grabbed you out of the tub, I ran downstairs and gave you your first "sink bath"
Which isn't very fun when you have a very active kid you loves to splash everywhere. Well, thanks for an enjoyable and memorable night. Wish Daddy was home to witness/help with this one. Enjoy your last 2 nights in this house french fry. I love you.

Mommy's Big Helper

This packing thing is great with such a big helper like you, Kendyl. You not only knock all the boxes over, you like to dig through them as well:) Boy will I be happy when things get back to normal, whatever that is :) Love you Kendyl. Thanks for being mommy's big helper.

Before

After Kendyl gets done with them :)


Look at her face. (Awesome)

Get Up, Stand Up

Apparently Kendyl has decided that it is time to start standing on her own. She lets go of things and "surfs" to catch her balance whenever she can. I guess she thinks she's a big girl now and wants to show off (not sure where she gets that from) :) We have been tracking her and her longest time all by herself has been 22 seconds. Not bad for an almost 9 month old :) As soon as I can catch her on film (ooh that shows how outdated I am), as soon as I can catch her on digital I will post. I'm still a little afraid to not keep my hands ready for the header when she falls. Thanks for being such a big girl Kendyl. I love you.

Where'd everybody go????

Skinny Dipping

Today after your Auntie Lisa, and cousins Curt and Garryl came down to help us move some stuff to the new house me, you and daddy all took a well needed nap.Then we woke up and went to Aunt Cici's house to have a BBQ and watch the Laker game. Well, while we were there Mallorey and Logan went swimming and you had a blast watching them. The you got the crazy idea to put your feet in (ok so it was my idea) and the next thing I knew you were sitting on the first step naked. This was your first official skinny dip and you had a blast. You stayed in there for about 15 minutes, just long enough to make sure I was completely soaked as well. Then we hung out with the family until we headed home. You really are one cool kid Kendyl. I love you.

Like father like daughter

They are both just as crazy, and I love them both just as much.

New talent

I must say that this "mom" thing is definitely not as easy as it ever looked or I ever hoped and prayed it would be. The best part about it is the creativity that you realize you have. Tonight as I was attempting to change Kendyl's diaper and put her pj's on, I discovered a new "talent." Believe it or not Kendyl does not always enjoy laying still on her changing table. Well tonight was no exception. The minute the first diaper was off and I began to bend down to grab her jammies, she had flipped over and was trying to crawl off the table naked. Now I've learned my lesson before (after a few dozen accidents), so I was prepared for the waterfall, but I wasn't prepared for what came next. Nooo not poop....stop thinking like that. Although that would have been funny :) I know to all you veteran moms this isn't go to be very exciting, but I correctly completed my first diaper change while the kid was sitting up. I realized there is no use in fighting her to lay back down so I stuck the back of the diaper on her cute booty and sat her down and strapped her in. I'm amazing I know :0 hahahahaha Ok at the time, I thought it was pretty cool, but now I'm not so impressed either. Oh well, too late. I'm not starting a new blog:) I need sleep. Love u Kendyl. (sorry for the not-so-exciting blog.) Happy Anniversary Daddy.

Frenchy

I think you must have known that your new boyfriend, Brandon, was coming soon because you have been giving kisses a lot lately. In fact your kisses tend to end up very wet and often with some tongue, which is why your new nickname is Frenchy. I better warn them that you are ready to take your relationship to the next level. In this picture it looks like Brandon is getting ready for your wet one. He even has his eyes closed :)

Happy Birthday Baby Brandon Nordlander

Here is the newest member of our "family." Ok, so he's not blood but we're shooting for a son-in-law one day :) Welcome to the world Brandon. I know you'll like it here.



7lb 6oz 19 3/4 inches long May 20th 10:47 am

Where's the Baby?

I know this really doesn't have anything to do with you Kendyl, but sitting in a waiting room for 12 hours is beginning to get a little boring. I hope you are having a nice day at Jennifer's. Aunt Cyndi is currently pushing out baby Nordlander, so he will be here soon. In the meantime, keep being you and always remember how much I love you. Can someone please tell me......Where's the baby???? Come out baby Nordlander. It's nice out here. We promise we'll be good to you :) Can't wait to meet you. See you soon.

My first night without you

Last night around 9:30 pm, I put you to bed and then I left because Aunt Cyndi called and they were heading to the hospital. I had to be there so I left you in the best hands around...Daddy's. I missed you all night and everytime I went to see Aunt Cyndi, I thought about you more and more. I kept thinking about the day you were born and what a happy day that was. I hope Aunt Cyndi is feeling the same way, in fact I'm sure she is now that the epidural has kicked in :) Well, it's now almost 6am, and there is still no boyfriend Nordlander yet. I hope you have a good morning with Daddy. I'll see you soon when I pick you up from Jennifer's. I love you, but I can't stand not being with you. Here's to no more nights apart. Love you.

For all you non-believers here's proof

For months now many people have been "doubting" my stories about how Kendyl recognizes and loves the song "Bubbly" by Colbie Calliat. Well, today on the way home she started getting really fussy so I whipped out the camera, pulled over and tested my theory (for the 100th time). Make sure your sound is up loud enough to hear the song and notice how I change the song back and forth. Genius I tell ya. Sorry to put you on the spot Kendyl but there are only a few people who have actually witnessed this, so I had to share. Love you.

Proof

Reminiscing

Today we went to lunch with Aunt Cyndi, Uncle Eric and Auntie's mom and sister. Aunt Cyndi is getting realllllly close to delivering baby Nordlander so it was nice to get together again. While we were leaving we started talking about the delivery, which probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. We probably added some nerves to poor Aunt Cyndi, but nontheless it brought back some amazing memories for me. On the way home, me and daddy talked about some of them and it made us realize what a blessing you are and how fortunate we are to have you. So of course the sappiness in me came home and started looking at pictures. I thought now is the perfect time to portray your growth over the last 8 1/2 months. You are officially 36 weeks old, which I guess is technically 9 months, but that sounds old so we'll stick with 8 and a half until June 8th :) Well, Love you soooooo much Kendyl. Thanks for being my world.
Sept 8th
October 8th
November 8th
December 8th
January 8th
February 8th
March 8th
April 8th
May 8th

Extra Cute

For some reason today you woke up EXTRA CUTE. Now I know that seems impossible, but see for yourself. :) Love you. Here's to a hot and wet weekend.

Told ya.

Dehydrated?

Apparently when Kendyl is thirsty, she is REALLLLLLY thirsty. Better hide the vodka :) hahahaha

We got a 20 pounder

Today I took you for your 8 months checkup with Dr. Percer. The nurses were so excited to see you. I don't know why, but I bet it has something to do with how darn cute you are :) You now weigh 20lbs and 7 oz and are 28 inches long. Dr. Percer said you looked great and he still doesn't hear any murmur. He thinks your hole probably closed up on its own :) YEEEAHHHHHHH ! I asked him how we could know for sure and her threw out some eco blah blah crazy word that scared me a little bit, so I said we'll wait a little bit before doing that. :) You were very excited at the Dr. office, I think monstly because you didn't have to get any shots :) After your appt. we went to visit Mallorey and Logan and then we met Aunt Cyndi at Target and then we went to Olive Garden where another 40 people fell in love:) The only bad part about the day was that some little boy stole your link that you dropped on the floor at the restaraunt. The little booger got away too quickly for us to get it back. Oh well, that just shows what a nice girl you are sharing your toys already. haha Thanks for a great day. I love you.

Lunch Date

Today was a terrific Tuesday because you surprised me at lunchtime. Jennifer was there to have lunch with her daughters, so she brought you to make my day :) After my lunch bell rang, I actually kidnapped you for a few minutes and took you back to my classroom with my students. They had a ball with you. Don't worry, I didn't let any of them touch you with their grimey(sp?)hands, but they did all enjoy watching you crawl around and bounce after pulling yourself up. After Jennifer came to get you, I missed you, but I knew it wouldn't be long until I got to see you. I love when you surprise me at work, it makes the day go by so much faster. Thanks for being the best lunch date ever. I love you.

Dirty Laundry

Look what I found when I went to get Kendyl's hamper to wash her clothes :0

Actually she ended up in here because as she was sitting on her changing table her "nosy" gene led her to try to nose dive into the hamper, so being the responsible mother, I let her :) hahahaha j/k I helped her in. Never a dull moment around here and I never need a good reason to run and grab the camera either. Boy you would think that camera is attached to me, but if you got to look at this face all the time, you would want to capture everything too. Well, I love you Kendyl. Thanks for being such a good sport.

How do you spell relief?

Question of the day......
How do you spell relief after a Manic Monday?

K-E-N-D-Y-L

It never fails, I could have the worst day at work and just seeing that cute face makes it all better instantly. I'm not sure how I got through some of these days without her. Thanks for always being so happy to see me when I pick you up (even if you were asleep today, I know deep inside you were thrilled). I am just as excited to see you. Love you so much.

The Best Present EVER!

Today when I returned from the grocery store, I found a trail of notes from Kendyl. They led me into the house, through the kitchen, up the stairs,

around the corner and into our bedroom,

where I found the best present ever.....YOU!


Thanks for being my everything and thanks Daddy for giving me such a beautiful daughter and a wonderful day.

Love you both.

"Sound" sleeper

Music to her ears

I guess Daddy has to sleep with you in your crib from now on if his "music" helps you fall and stay asleep so well. I think this is a win-win Kendyl, because you will get Daddy's unique sound and I will get all the covers back:)Love you both.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

For all of you against Kendyl in her "straight jacket," all I gotta say is last night...... 9pm -5:30 am with the "straight jacket." So when this house is in serious need of sleep, the swaddle comes out and anyone that doesn't like it, can come spend the weekend here and wake up with her constantly, but until that day comes, the "jacket" is our friend:) But only when we are seriously sleep deprived. I love you Kendyl. Sorry I had to tie you down, but it's for your/our own good and sanity :)

Back into perspective

This morning when the alarm went off at 5, all I could think of was....NO, not yet. So I laid back down and 10 minutes later when I looked over at the clock, I realized that at that moment 8 months ago you were being born. I couldn't help but forget about my sleepiness because a huge amount of happiness overwhelmed me. I realized how lucky I really am to have such a healthy and beautiful little girl and that I should be thankful that you wake up with a smile on your face every morning instead of complaining that you don't sleep very well these days. So on this day, 8 months ago my life changed forever and I am so thankful that it did. I love you Kendyl. Thanks for making a tired, allergy filled, and cranky mom put things back into perspective just by being you. And thanks for a wonderful 8 months.

Baby Hemroids??

I know many of you are going to thing I am wrong for blogging this, but it has to be documented. Here is Kendyl's progression as she has a "bowel" movement. I'm not sure why I'm so infatuated with her poop. Hahaha, maybe dealing with 9 year olds all day has something to do with it since that's all they talk about. Well, I know you will be mad at me one day for these pictures Kendyl, but I love you very much. I just wish you didn't strain so much, I'm afraid you might get a case of baby hemroids:)

One tooooo many

In yesterday's blog, I mentioned how you and Daddy were having respberry margaritas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Well here is what happens when a 7 month old has one too many:) This kid is crazy! She is not afraid of anything and is very determined to do what she wants. She is playing with her activity gym like she does every day when she gets this "great" idea!! Watch how she checks herself out in the mirror and kisses her reflection. Gotta love the self admiration:)crazy kid

Love you Kendyl

Cinco de Mayo

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo you and daddy shared some raspberry margaritas:). Thanks for having such great "taste." Love you very much. Happy Cinco de Mayo:) Ole
raspberry margaritas

Your smallest friend

Today when I picked you up from Jennifer's house, Victoria and Sophia (her daughters) gave you a little dog stuffed animal. I guess you have been playing with it while at their house and now they said you could have it. So you carried it as we left and this is how I found you when we got home.


I guess you really like him:) Thanks for being a great girl. Now, let's get back to that sleeping issue. We could all use a little more in this house:) Love you.

Bye Bye sleeping nights

Well, just when I bragged about you sleeping so well, you decided you had enough of that sleeping through the night idea. The past 3 nights have been rough ones. A 2am start, then a 4:30 then finally a 6am wake up call. I hope this is just a phase, I miss my little sleeper girl. I don't want to revert to putting you in your straight jacket again, but a moms gotta do what a moms gotta do. J/K Well, thanks for a great weekend. I love you now let's have a nice sleep tonight :) Here are some pics from the "good ole days" :)

Found and conquered

The other night Kendly became interested in the stairs in our house. Normally, her interest last no longer than 3 minutes which is why neither one of us were concerned. Well, apparently stairs are very intriguing, because she found them and she conquered them in no time. She is going up them now like they are nothing. I dreaded this day for a while now, but on the other hand I am very proud at what a big girl she is. All I can say is, it's a good thing we are moving out of here in 3 weeks and heading to a one story. Thanks for being such an amazing and curious kid, Kendyl. I love you.

Yeaaaahhhh