Kaitlyn Lately

Kaitlyn. Sweet, baby Kaitlyn. She is so precious and brings a smile to everyone around her. I can't even go to the store without her smiling and waving at everyone she meets. Kaitlyn loves to give kisses and make people laugh. If she thinks she is getting a laugh out of something, it's typical Kaitlyn to see her doing the same "funny" thing over and over again and hope for the same results.

Lately, Kaitlyn has really began to use her words. She is actually one of the youngest babies I have ever heard say "Mama" at six just months old so I knew she would be somewhat of a talker. Kaitlyn mimics words often but her favorite words to use are "WOW!!!!" "Yeah" (said with a hearty nod), "Hi," and "Bye." She is starting to call people by name too - Elle, Grandma (Wamma), Evan (Ebann), but still has many more to perfect.

Kaitlyn is very accident prone. I hear from a lot of parents that all toddlers are accident prone, but Kaitlyn is EXTRA accident prone. Poor Kaitlyn can't even walk over a hula hoop without it whacking her right in the face. She knows right where to run and the precise timing to hit the refrigerator door just as I open it, and probably shouldn't walk over hoses for fear of tripping and hitting her head on pavement. One time I was letting the dog out and her leg got wrapped int he dog leash just in time for the dog to run out the door and give her a deep rope burn. It breaks my heart to have her having so many boo boos but she is one tough cookie. We just have to watch her a little more closely than we would have Danelle...

At 13 months, we took Kaitlyn in for her one year check up. She only weighed 17 pounds and this was cause for some concern. Although Kaitlyn is healthy, she needs to gain weight. I would hate to think that she would ever get sick or need surgery that might result in weight loss with weight she can't afford to be losing. Dr. Chipman even suggested we mix butter in peanut butter to fatten her up. I took this seriously, but not fearfully, and we explored foods that she would eat that might help put on some pounds. We found her loving mashed potatoes, almost any pastas, cheeses, hotdogs, pudding cups, macaroni and cheese, pizza, and chicken nuggets. She loves all fruit, carrots, and string beans. She has gained three pounds since then. She is filling out all over, and although she is still on the small side she is perfectly healthy.

We are also trying something new with Kaitlyn... for the past two months, I have been putting her in CLOTH diapers. I feel so old fashioned, but the money we are saving is totally worth it. She still sleeps in Pampers or Luvs, but wears her cloth diapers and vinyl panties all day. The process is not nearly as bad as people make it sound, and I feel proud of us doing this. Being earth conscious, I like the idea of not throwing six diapers or more away every day as well. I actually and honestly wish I started sooner.

Kaitlyn is growing every day. I wish I could keep both my girls small and innocent like this forever. We are doing our best to enjoy them while they are young and remember that these are the best days of our life, even if we don't always realize it.