3/13/10

Recap in pictures of 13 months!



Finally the pictures from 13 Months! :o) Here are just a few of the highlights! :o)
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3/6/10

13 Months & Surgery!

So one day I will be organized and get this done on the actual day!   :o)  I keep setting a goal to blog at least once a week, but then the days seem to fly by and another week gets away from me!  Kellen is changing so much.  He doesn't look like a baby anymore!  He looks like a little man!  I am not sure what I am going to do...he is just growing so fast and time seems to be going faster!  I can't seem to keep up!  I have been so blessed to be at home with Kellen the last two months!  I have got to witness so many things that I would have missed if I was working so to say that me losing my job was a blessing is an understatement!  I got to watch Kellen as he really began to take off walking.  It seems like everyday he is leaning something new.  He is a very curious little boy and loves to explore everything!  Matt and I have truly been blessed.  We are just so lucky to be surrounded by a wonderful family and a great group of friends! 

The Dr's appointment on February 26th was very uneventful...I went in and the Dr had me sign the release again for Kellen's surgery and she took a quick peek to see if the surgery is needed.  I had been praying hard that she would say "Oh it looks like this is unneeded" and we would be sent home to never think about it again!  But she said "Yep, he still needs it"  And then two minutes later I was walking out dreading March 10th!  I know, I know it is supposed to be an easy surgery and a quick recovery, but does he REALLY have do go through it or can I do it for him!  I kind of been dreading talking about it....kind of if I don't talk about it, then it isn't real kind of thing.  But March 10th is getting closer and closer!  I know that it will be here before I know it.  I am supposed to get a call on Monday about the time of the surgery.  It will go by age, so I am hoping he will be the youngest of the day and can get in and out of there!  If I can just ask for you to pray for me to keep my sanity for this week I would greatly appreciate it! 

Now on to the fun things!  What is Kellen up to these days???

  • Kellen is still sleeping very well.  But I am so ready for daylight savings.  As the sun is coming up earlier so is Kellen!  :o)  Even though I get up around 6 each day, I am not getting to finish getting ready for the day before Kellen is waking up!  I have changed up his nap schedule a bit.  I have change him to one nap a day instead of two, but since he is getting up so early these days, it really is not working!  He is SO tired about 10 that he gets so CRANKY!  I have to say that he got that from his mama!!!  So I maybe changing him back to two naps a day...we will see how it goes.
  • Kellen is still loving all foods.  He is trying really hard to feed himself with a spoon, so meal times are taking a little longer these days.  We did find that he LOVES peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and avocados.  But so far so good, anything that we put in front of him he will try it!  :o)  
  • He still loves music and is dancing all the time.  I am trying to teach him to stomp his feet so it is funny to watch him!  I have to say that I spend a good portion of the day laughing at him because he is so darn cute!  :o)  Since the weather has had a few warmer days here and there we have ventured outside a lot more.  We have been walking 3 miles here and there when the weather will let us.  Kellen is so good...he will get in the stroller and just hang out and watch the dogs that walk buy or the cars.  He just hangs out!  
  • He is still wearing 18 months, a size 4 shoe and a size 4 diaper.  We have gone to 24 months in a few things, but it is just in a few jammies.  He is trying to help dress himself these days....it is too funny.  He will lay his socks on his feet and kind of look at them like "that's not right, but I know they go there"!
  • He is loving books right now.  It is so nice to be able to sit and read through the books.  We are usually able to get through 4 or 5 before bed time.  
  • About a week after his birthday we said bye bye to bottles and formula.  I really don't think that Kellen missed them at all.  It was like "whatever"  I don't need them.  I packed them all up and and he waved bye bye to them as I carried them upstairs!  :o)  It was so cute!  
  • He really isn't saying much, but he points and grunts when he wants something!  He will say "mama" and "dada" and something that kind of sounds like "boo", but other than that we get a lot of mumbo jumbo!  It is cute though.
  • I always said that my kid would not be a screamer, BUT I have a screamer.  I was on the phone with my mom in Old Navy the other day and Kellen screamed...she asked "who was that"?  I said "YOUR grandson"!  She was very quick to remind me that I said my child would never scream in public...what can I say???  Kellen also has a nasty habit of biting me.  We have been working hard on teaching him that mommy does not like biting or hitting...she only likes hugs and kisses.  He gives the best hugs and kisses right now!  Although he is not one for on demand (I have to say that he got that from his mama)...he is very when I want hugs or kisses or snuggles I want them on my terms!  But he still is the sweetest boy!  He is pretty quiet, but I think that he is taking everything in.  He really does not meet a stranger...he will go to anyone that holds their hands out!  The other day the cashier at Walmart held him while checking me out because Kellen kept pointing and grunting at her!  :o) 
Sorry for the lack of photos in the blog.  I am being lazy and wanted to get this posted before he turns 14 months!!!  :o)  I am hoping to get some cute ones tomorrow in the nice wonderful weather and I will post some tomorrow night!  

2/19/10

Catch up post! :o)

I am REALLY not sure where time goes!  I really wanted to be better about blogging this year, but so far I have not done a great job!  :o)  So this is what we have been up to in the last couple of weeks....

The day after Kellen's Party, we took Kellen for a ride in his new wagon (From Grandma Dee)....He loves it!  It was so cute to watch Daddy pull him a long with his monkey that Grandma Keeta got him for his Birthday.  I had fun playing with the camera and catching some great moments!

On Monday after Kellen's party, his nose started to run and then a few days later the cough started.  I hate this...he really has been great since I took him out of daycare and I was sad to see him with another cold.  I really tried to stay in doors and hope that Kellen's cold would get better before getting worse!  Plus it has been so cold that I would rather just hang and play at home!  As the week went on Kellen really just was not himself and was refusing food and just very whiny and wanting to be held constantly.  This is not my normal Kellen.  On Wednesday (2/10) his nap went for 3 1/2 hours and then he slept again for another hour later on in the day.  That night Kellen was up about every hour...finally at 3 am I went in to try and sooth him to find that he was burning up.  So I changed his diaper and took off his pj bottoms hoping that would help cool him down and gave him some Tylenol.  Around 4 he cried out again so back in there I went to check on him...at this point he was drenched as the fever had broke.  So I took of his pjs, got a new blanket and put him back to sleep.  He then slept till 8 am. So as soon as the Dr's opened I called and ask the nurse her opinion on bringing Kellen in....I hate going to the Dr's for sick visits if I don't have to!  But she said that since he had been sick for a week and then just now was showing signs of a fever than I would have to bring him in!  So I am thinking another ear infection!  Just when I had got him all healthy!  :o)  But to my surprise we got there and the Dr diagnosed him with Strep!!!  I never would have thought so on antibiotics he went!  Thrusday and Friday were pretty long with Kellen still not feeling well...By Sunday through he was getting back to the old Kellen....sleeping through the night and eating food again!  It was wonderful.  You know it is bad when Grandma comes over and gets to her wits end with Kellen (Friday was the hardest day...Kellen screamed pretty much the entire day)!  It was a rough day that day!  But he seems to be on the mend and now just has a small cough that is getting better by the day!
 
Kellen playing in the fort that him and daddy built!  :o)  

Update on the surgery....I have an appointment with the surgeon on Feb 26th to make sure everything looks the same and he still needs to have surgery.  As of right now the surgery is scheduled for March 10th, but I will let you know how the 26th goes.  I am praying for them to say that he doesn't need the surgery and that everything looks great!  :o)
 
Checking out the snow!
I can't miss talking about the snow....I bundled Kellen up and took him out in the snow so he could see it...He wasn't feeling well at this point, but I didn't want him to miss the snow!  I mean how often does it really snow in Georgia???  It was so funny, because I set him down and he wouldn't move!  He tried to eat the snow that my mom held up to him....then he watched my mom build a snowman!  It was so much fun....thought I would share some pictures of that!

Valentines day was so much fun this year!  I had got Kellen the cutest shirt!  I had a Mary Kay party that day so I headed off and Kellen and Daddy got to spend some time together.  My mom came over that night to watch Kellen and Matt and I got to go out for dinner it was nice!  We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant.  It was nice to have some grown up time!  :o)  Here is a picture of Kellen's shirt!

 When I was at Kellen's one year appointment my Dr talked to me about letting Kellen having peanut butter.  She said since no one in my family or Matt's has a peanut allergy then we were probably safe to give it to him.  So Grandma Dee did....and he loved it...as you can see from the pictures below he was licking his plate!  :o) 

This week Kellen and I have tried to get things done.  I got new brakes on my car, which is a sore subject with Matt so don't ask him about it!  Kellen and I visited Melissa and new baby Jake.  We took them dinner on Wednesday!  it was great to meet him.  We were just sorry that we missed Luke since he was napping!  :o)  But Kellen enjoyed playing with all of the toys!!!  It was so much fun to catch up with Melissa!

I am so ready for spring!  I am ready for the warm weather so Kellen and I can play at the play ground and enjoy some sun!  Kellen loves to be outside and I can not wait to expand our play area to the back yard!  :o)

2/13/10

Happy 1st Birthday!!! (LONG over due)

I had every intention of doing this post forever ago, but I am not sure where time has gone!!!  I can't believe that my baby is one!!!  We had a small celebration on his real birthday with a practice cupcake!  He really was not sure what to think about the cupcake, until I stuck his hand in it and he got a taste of the frosting!

 

Then the real celebration was on Saturday, January 30th!  We had about 30 people (that included 9 kids under the age of 5, most under the age of 1).  It was so fun to see all of the babies!!!  I have to say that all the hard work and stress was SO worth it and the party turned out perfectly in my eyes.  We ended up with not a lot of leftover food which is great in my eyes!  Kellen ended up being very spoiled...our living room has still not recovered from all the loot that he ended up with!  

The party is really such a blur, there was good food, we opened presents, had cake and did a lot of talking and catching up with friends and family!  It was just how I imagined it!  :o)  So here are a few pictures from the big day! 



Also our friend Ashly took some pictures and they are up now...she got the cutest picture of Sarah Scott trying to give Kellen a kiss it is so cute!

Then go to "clients"
Then "The Portman Family"
The password is "matthew"
The pictures start on page 4

Thanks to everyone that was there to help us make some very fun memories!  Matt and I were super excited to get to meet Hampton Cole...he was so precious and I could have held him forever!  It was so much fun to see all the kids playing together.  It was fun to think about next year with all the babies this year that will be running along with all the bigger kids.  

On Feb 2nd we headed to the Dr's to get Kellen's 1 year check up!  Kellen also got 5 shots and was such a trooper!  He didn't start crying until the 3rd shot!  Then it when it was all over he looked at the nurse with almost a glare like "what did i ever do to you"  Kellen has really slowed down in growth and I think has even lost some weight since he has started to walk.  In December when we took him for a sick visit, he was weighing in at 26 lbs.  At this visit he was 24 lbs 15 oz and is 31 inches tall.  The Dr says he is perfect!  I love hearing that!

So what is he up to these days...

  • He is practically running.  it was like after Christmas he just took off and hasn't stopped!  He loves going up the stairs, but he hasn't figured out how to go down...we are still working on that one! 
  • He is sleeping great when he is healthy!  At 7 we head up for bath time and then he is in bed around 7:30.  He then will wake up anywhere between 7 and 8 in the morning!  He is taking two naps a day still.  He will take one at 10 am and will sleep anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours.  And then he will lay down at 3 and will sleep anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours...just depends on the day!  i have tried to keep him up past 10 so that maybe I could get him to 1 nap a day, but by 10:15 he is so cranky and whiny that to bed we go!  But I hope to work with him to get him down to 1 nap so that it will make it easier to get out of the house and make plans!  :o)  
  • Kellen continues to eat very well!  He will pretty much eat anything we put in front of him.  He has his moments some days where he doesn't feel like eating what you fixed, but normally is pretty good.  The ONLY problem we have is that when Kellen sees Sklyer, who will hang out under his high chair he loves to feed her his food instead of eating it himself.  So we have started to have to put Skyler up when we feed Kellen!
  • Kellen is now at home with Mommy as of Jan 8th.  I don't know about Kellen, but Mommy is loving this!  I have got to see so many things that I would have missed if I was working!  I can't wait till the weather is warmer and we can go outside!  Don't get me wrong I am still looking for a job, but trying my hardest to get my Mary Kay business up and going so that I can stay home with him permanently!  Thank you to all of my friends that have been a HUGE support and have let me bug them to no end about having a party or facial them!  :o) 
  • Kellen is still saying "mama" and "dada" and that is about it!  He jabers a lot these days and we keep waiting for some words to come out, but so far just a bunch of jibberish!  Kellen had started making sounds though...everything has a sound...the car he is pushing a long, the dolphin swimming in the bath and pretty much everything that he touches.  It is all the same sound and almost sounds like he is "mooing", but is is SO cute!  
  • He can still wear a few 12 months, but not many and is now in 18 months!  He is wearing a size 4 shoe and a size 4 diaper!  Can anybody take a guess at what he will be wearing at summer time, because I would love to start buying him clothes, but I have no idea what to buy.  Do kids slow down at this age, because he was in 12 months for a long, long time???  I am so clueless!  
  • As far as toys, he loves balls....he loves to throw them and chase after them and throw them again!  he loves his new wagon from Grandma Dee...we have been able to go out in it a few times since the weather has been a little crazy!  Most toys are still just being chewed on since he his teething and drooling on EVERYTHING!!!!   He LOVES music...it does not matter where we are if he hears music he starts dancing!  I know Matt is not so into it, but I can't wait to put Kellen in a dance class!  :o)  Of course I have been told that it has to be hip hop or something cool and nothing like ballet! :o)
Dear Mr Kellen ~

Mommy and Daddy love you so much and can't believe that you are 1 year old already.  They day you were born you changed our lives and hearts forever!  We can't imagine what our lives would be like without you!  We are loving to watch you grow and change each day!   Your smile and giggle can lift even the gloomiest mood!  :o)  We love to watch you dance to music bob your little head!  We love to watch you as you explore something new!  :o)  What can I say...we love you so much!!!

Love Mommy & Daddy! 

1/26/10

4 Days & Counting till PARTY TIME!!!!

I can't believe it that my baby boy is going to be 1 tomorrow!  We are busy, busy planning away and trying to get things done.  I sometimes hate the fact that I am a little OCD and have to have everything just so!  Poor Matt and my mom they really have there hands full with me over the next couple of days.  I also have decided to make Kellen's cake so I am super stressed over it turning out just right!  :o) I have my "List" going and have been working to check things off.  But the ALL the stress and ALL the planning will be so worth it so get together with all our friends and family.  We will have a house full and I am super excited!

We are very excited for the Whitfield's who are making the trip here from Augusta with their newest addition Hampton Cole!  He is SO cute and I just can't wait to meet him!  Their oldest, Sarah Scott who is about 6 months older than Kellen is a doll and just as sweet as sugar.  I have already decided that they will make a perfect couple when they are older!  :o)  So I decided to take a picture of Kellen for Sarah Scott...




I loved this onsie!  It was a total steal at Target...I got it for $3.00.  I love shopping for Kellen...there are some really cute things out there, but I am having a hard time deciding what to have him wear for his party!  :o)  Hopefully I will find something today!  :o)

1/21/10

The Adventures of Mommy & Kellen!

I have sat down several times and tried to blog, but the words were not flowing!  I am going on my second week home with Kellen and I do have to say I think I may be more busy now than when I was working.  Kellen is on "GO" every minute of the day.  He is walking everywhere and even has taken on the stairs a couple of times.  The other day I was feeding him and finished and put him down....I thought he was playing in the Living Room...meanwhile my mom had gone upstairs and neither one of us realized that the gate was open.  I turned for a minute and then heard Kellen on the stairs.  My mom thought I had brought him upstairs, but no he followed Holly up the stairs.  I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest!  I guess I am lucky that Daddy lets him go up the stairs and follows closely behind him, so he learned how to go up the stairs.  :o)



It has been really easy falling into a routine as far as Kellen goes.  He gets up around 7ish and then we have breakfast together.  He is definitely my child as this is his favorite meal of the day.  Then we play and play some more.  I love his giggle it is so cute and very contagious.  Around 10 I lay him down for a nap and he will sleep until about 12.  During this time I try and fit in as many things as I can.  Then we have lunch...He has learned if he drops his food off the side of his highchair the kitties will come running and see what goodies he has dropped.  He thinks it is the funnies thing!  After lunch we usually will try and get out of the house and go window shopping, grocery shopping, or something of that sorts.  Then we try to get back to the house around 4 and he will lay down again for a bit.   I have had a tendency to lay down at this time too!!!  Oh I love NAP time!  :o)



I have been busy with Kellen's party planning!  I can't wait!  Our good friends the Whitfield's are coming in from Augusta and I am so excited (we will finally get to meet their newest family member, Hampton).  Our friend Ashly is going to take pictures through the party so I am so excited to see how they come out.  Matt's grandparents will be here from Indiana and it has been a while since they have seen him.  My friend Jennifer is going to help me make Kellen's cake and I am super excited.  Not having a job as allowed me the time to play Martha Stewart for a bit!  We are so lucky to be surrounded by such great friends and family that will help us celebrate such a special time!  I can't wait to share the pictures with everyone! ***Can you tell I am "excited" I used the word a lot in this paragraph???***


How can you say NO to this face????

1/6/10

Kellen can't be 11 months....Can he???

Where has the time gone??? Where did my little, snugly baby go? All I can say is what a difference a month or even a few weeks make. Kellen has taken off! He went from taking a step or two to now taking as many as he can before he loses his balance and plops down. He does pretty good balancing, but he gets going so fast that his legs can't keep up with him! :o) Here is what he is up to these days...


  •  He is still weighing around 26lbs. He can wear 12 months still, but we have had to move to some 18 months due to needing some more belly room and the arms on the shirts needing to be a little longer. He is wearing a size 4 diaper and we are about to have to buy some new shoes for him.
  • He has begun to eat all table food. He still eats pretty well, but he is becoming a little more opinionated and will not eat the same thing more than once in a row. He loves pepperoni...I thought it would be too spicy for him, but he loves it. He is beginning to like hot dogs and still loves mac and cheese. He got to try eggs and blueberry pancakes while mommy was home last week. He seemed to love them both. He loves bananas and pretty much all fruit. He really loved veggies when they were in a jar, but now he is not so into them....I may have to get sneaky and start putting them into other things. Of course I decided to let him try ice cream and he LOVES it. Bad Mommy! :o) It is so hard though because when you are eating he will come up to you and give you puppy eyes and grunt at you like "what about me"??? I know that it seems like he loves all food, but it really does depend on the day...we have been struggling trying to find something for him to eat because one day he will eat it and the next he won't and then the day after that he will eat it again! I think he is just trying to say "Mommy I have an opinion on what I eat"!!! On is 11th month birthday I decided to take him down to 3 bottles instead of 4 and introduced whole milk. He loves milk, juice, and water!!! Next weekend we are going to start weaning him off formula and bottles all together! We will see how it goes!
  • The week before Christmas he decided it was time to try walking and since then he hasn't stopped...he gets further and further each time. He has a couple of walker toys and will just buzz around the kitchen and living room. He still loves to push chairs around the kitchen. So yes, Kellen is walking! I can't believe it...what happened to my baby! He is growing way to fast. Kellen still loves his bath and loves to play with all his ducks. I got him a basketball hoop and these balls to play with in the tub he Loves it!
  • He is really into music right now. Any time he hears music he stops what he is doing and will start dancing! It is the cutes thing...I will have to try and get it on video. I love it! :o) We have this fisher price thing that goes on the fridge that has animals you try and match up and it will tell you interesting facts about them and of course plays music. Kellen will just push the music button over and over and dance away. The cutest thing was on tv the other day music started to play so he crawled over to the tv console and pulled himself up and started dancing to the music! It was so cute!
  • Still no words other than "mama" and "dada" and we are working on "ball".
  • He has 8 teeth, but more are coming...I feel so bad for them. He has one on the way and it seems to be really bothering him. The amount fo drool that comes from him is amazing! :o) We still have not scheduled his surgery, but hope to get it done before his 1st b-day so I will keep you up to date on that!
 Every day I am amazed at how much Kellen is changing, growing and learning! He has been a blessing from the start. I could never have imagined 2009 and how it turned out. It has been an amazing year. The good days have out weighed the bad by far this year. Even bad days are really not so bad anymore, because I know at the end of the day I get to go home to the two loves of my life!

Kellen ~

Mommy and Daddy love you SO much! We can not imagine what life would be like without you! Your smile and giggles are the cutest and most precious gifts! We can not wait for you to start talking and see what you have to say!

Love you,
Mommy

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