14 Month "Birthday"

Cutie-pa-tute 


Ummm.....where's my kiss? 

Okay...so why do I feel like I am the only one who knows what it's like to be me? Probably because I actually am, but that's not really what I meant. What I meant was, how come when I go to a meeting with a bunch of other babies present I am the only one having to chase my child all around the room to stop her from stealing bottles, ripping paper, picking up the garbage, touching the baby, eating another child's O's, etc, etc, etc? In a room full of children the closest child to being as much of a menace as my daughter was a 2-1/2 year old. Does that mean we have already hit the terrible twos? The only thing that made Kyrie less of a menace than the 2-year-old was that she didn't throw a tantrum (halleluia)! But the 1-1/2 year old (the closest to Kyrie's age) was perfectly content to play with toys quietly. The 10-month old was crawling around, but not getting into much. So, why is my 14-month old such a terror?!

Truth be told, I wouldn't have her any other way. I love that she is mischevious, curious, and even incorrigible, but that meeting today made me feel a bit conspicuous and I am not sure I like that feeling so much. Whatever happened to just being cute?

The One Campaign

Family and friends, please visit The One Campaign's website and sign their petition to help end poverty in the world. You may be hearing a lot about this organization in the coming weeks as they launch their Live 8 campaign including concerts (by many, many names you would recognize) around the world. I have been on the newsletter list of this organization for sometime (as U2 is one of my favorite bands) and hope you will consider supporting their cause.

Memorial Day

Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Richards 

Today we went to the Berrall House for dinner, horseshoes, more whiffle ball, and a darn good brownie covered with a lethal coating of caramel. Kyrie wore herself out playing with Buddy the dog and climbing up the stairs. She said "J.J." very clearly and continues to say "Pop-Pop". She has also stared nodding her head when we say "yes, yes, yes" which is a great break from the "no, no, no" she has been saying. G-ma Berrall also had a lawn chair for Kyrie to sit in, but as we discoved when she fell flat on her face, it is a bit hard to get out of. The Lovebug is now sleeping peacefully in her crib dreaming of all of the people who love her and cheer her constantly on.

Lost and Found

The Prodigal Toys 

The case of the missing Noah and "bird":
Every night before Kyrie goes to bed I pick up her room which has become littered with toys during the course of the day. And, every night I search for each of the pieces of her Fischer Price Noah's Ark set (two people, two giraffes, two zebras, two lions, and two "birds") to make sure that they are all back in their proper place. Since Kyrie's most favorite thing to do is grab any object in one room, walk to the next room, and upon seeing a new object drop the one in her hands to pick it up this can be a complex process to make sure that all of the pieces are accounted for. So far, I have not had a problem but on Friday before we left for the weekend I thought I would lose my mind. After searching every room in the house (four times) and continually looking while packing I hit a frantic state of dizzied obessessisity (no, it's not a word - don't worry about it) that I think even Matt was a bit concerned. We left for the weekend without Noah and his bird companion. (We call it a "bird" because we aren't sure if it is a Macaw or Toucan or other and either way "bird" is easier for Kyrie to learn.) Luckily, I decided Kyrie needed a good cleaning when we got home and lo and behold who should we find bathing in her tub?....I will give you two guesses. Thank goodness the animals can continue to board the ark two by two.

Memorial Day Weekend

Axe marks the spot 

We had a wonderful time this weekend at the Kons' Lodge. The highlight may have been the lottery ticket that Mike bought for each of us and waiting through the entire evening news to find out if any of us had won. Since you have not received a call from Matt to tell you he can no longer be seen with the likes of you I think you know it is safe to assume we did not win - and darnit, nor did anyone else in our group. All the same, it was a lot of fun speculating about what we would do with the money.

Kyrie enjoyed the slide that G-pa and G-ma Kons had brought up to the lodge as well as attacking poor Sport (that's the dog, not a person who wasn't taking a loss very well). She also enjoyed waking up in the morning to discover that Mommy and Daddy were sleeping in the bed next to her Pack N Play and had fun reaching over the side of the crib to try and find me in my sleeping bag - did I mention this was at 6:45am? She didn't get much sleep, but she sure did have a good time. She crabbed on and off the entire 2-1/2 hour ride home and then fell asleep 20-minutes before reaching our destination! Grrrrr..... Sorry Mark and Carrie that you had to endure that - you are troopers! She wasn't that bad, but it was not the most pleasant trip, all the same. We fed her a quick dinner on our return, gave her a soothing bath and then put her to bed at 6pm!

Packing for the weekend

Packing for the weekend 

There's a lot more than this! Thank God for the mini-van!

Early Morning

Miracle Marathon for Children's Hospital
 

I forgot to mention earlier the rocky start to our morning. Kyrie fussed in her sleep quite a bit last night (very unusual) and finally was serious enough about it to make me get out of bed at 4am. I do blame myself, since I am the one who gave her several bites of my pizza with dinner - she defintely had gas. A couple of drops of Mylicon later, we were rocking in the chair when she looked up and kissed me. It was worth getting up in the middle of the night for. Oddly enough, Matt's alarm went off at the same time as he was going to work the phones for the Miracle Marathon for Children's Hospital with my dad, Casey, and other Morgan Stanley employees. Matt left shortly after I put myself (and Kyrie) back to bed. Poor boy.

Ice Cream

I have the best husband. While grocery shopping for me last night at a different store than normal he saw my favorite flavor ice cream (not available at the store we normally shop at) and grabbed it up for me! I sit here now eating Starbucks Mocha Java Chip ice cream for breakfast. No, there is nothing wrong with that - it's like having coffee with some cream in it (and a bit of chocolate)...and a lot of sugar!

Sorry no new pictures of the Lovebug. I forgot to take some yesterday, but will try to post one today, however we are busy getting ready for a weekend at the Kons' Lodge so it may not happen. Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Holy Tantrum, Batman

Whoa! That light is bright! 


Peek-a-Boo Teddy Bear 


Over-tired silly smile 

Here is a list of times that Kyrie threw a tantrum today:

1. Morning diaper change
2. Wouldn't let her throw her teddy bear in the garbage
3. Wouldn't let her have a popsicle stick
4. After nap; diaper change
5. Took away a remote control
6. As I attempted to put her coat on
7. As I attempted to put her shoes on
8. After 2nd nap; diaper change
9. She no longer wanted to eat
10. Time to leave the church (family night)
11. Final diaper change
12. Bedtime

Huh! I am beginning to see that this toddlerhood stuff is all about having patience...something I am not known for. Still, I hope I am doing okay. I have not lost my cool yet, although at some of those diaper changes I did consider letting her run around naked for the rest of the day. The good thing is that most of her tantrums do not last real long, she is easily distracted, and for the most part only does it when she is trying to communicate her (unfulfilled) wishes. Despite the tears and screams, I find myself chuckling more often than not at the simplicity of what makes her so upset....like taking my keys back in order to drive us home...what's that, Kyrie? Oh, you wanted my keys? Well then, by all means, why don't you drive us home...

Top Ten

Top Ten Best Things About Having a 13-Month Old

10. The smell of her poop-ridden diaper.
9. Her high-pitched scream as she runs from room to room.
8. Putting her books back on the shelf so she does not trip on them, just to have her yank the exact same ones off again.
7. Singing "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider"
6. Watching her face as you swipe the wind chime for the hundredth time in 5 minutes.
5. The smiles you receive from unsuspecting strangers in the mall.
4. The way she looks at you when you're not looking.
3. The way she waves "hello" to everyone she sees.
2. The unexpected kisses.
1. The tear-smudged smile from ear-to-ear immediately following the kicking and screaming tantrum because you would not let her poke her eye out with a popsicle stick.

Pretty in Purple

Hey, is there something on my head? 


Whatchya doin'? 


"Hellion" 

Where to begin? How about with the two never-ending diaper changes....I know I have said before how opinionated my daughter is, but I am not sure you understand. Not only did she scramble in my arms to get away from getting her (poopy, mind you) diaper changed, but then she proceeded to roll over, and over, and over so that I could not get it changed. "Control her!", you say? Ha! Want to babysit? Of course, she'll be perfect for you. Because, as all moms know, this is one of the laws of motherhood (watch for my book coming out in 2026 - that's how long it's gonna take for me to write it).

Our day was nice, though. Auntie J.J. came over for lunch and in the afternoon we met G-ma Berrall at Brookfield Square because she had to take some stuff back (including the Mother's Day gift we got her!). We toodled around the mall for a bit and tried on some interesting shoes. Afterward, I stopped at McDonald's (no Daddy for dinner tonight) and then Casey & Cathy came over to babysit while I went to a church program on the Women of Moldova (former Russian satellite state). Kyrie was quite asleep when I got home, but I could not resist a little peek. Funny how angelic she looked splayed out in her crib, face against the bars, blankie underneath her tiny body.

Spaghetti Face

On top of spaghetti... 


...all covered with cheese 

I made a big batch of spaghetti last week and Kyrie is slowly eating her way through it. I thought you might like to see just what that looks like. Today we stayed home and spent some time together, just Mommy and Kyrie. I have to be honest - being a Mom is the only thing I have ever really wanted to do with my life, but after a couple of hours alone with your 13-month old you go a little stir crazy. For the first time in forever I turned on the TV (the new one in the living room was just staring at me, begging me to let it earn its keep). So, I caught Oprah and got to hear all about Tom Cruise's life. Kyrie enjoyed clapping whenever the audience did, but overall was not too interested. Come to think of it, neither was I, but at least it was a distraction. We also had fun playing "Let's Kiss Mommy" (Kyrie runs to her bedroom, then runs to me in the kitchen and gives me a kiss, then she runs to her bedroom, then back to the kitchen to give Mommy a kiss...you get the idea - everything is about repetition in this child's life). Finally, we topped the evening off with swim lessons - which went swimmingly...ha ha ha.

Dinner at the Berrall's

Kyrie at the bat 


A swing and a miss 

Tonight we had dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Berrall's house. Kyrie amused everyone by pulling Buddy(the dog)'s ears, throwing CD's over the side of the deck, and climbing the stairs - over and over and over again. After dinner a right smart game of whiffle ball was had at which Kyrie decided to try her hand. Uncle Casey (a.k.a. "Uncle Tio") helped her to swing, but sadly she missed. She also enjoyed some of Grandma's ice cream cake for dessert - a little too much, if you ask Mommy.

Dinner at the Kons'

Grandpa Kons and Kyrie 

Tonight we had dinner at Matt's parent's house. Kyrie enjoyed playing with Grandpa & Grandma Kons and Uncle Mark & Aunt Carrie. She threw food to Sport and got really silly at the end of the night. We all had a very good time. When we got home we were surprised to hear a knock on our door. Auntie J.J. (27 weeks pregnant) needed to use the bathroom very bad and we happened to be nearby. J.J. and Dan stayed for a movie so we got to try out our new TV with them. That's right! Thank you to all who contributed to my birthday present and we finally got one picked out. It is a 32" generic brand TV and we love it! Matt and I are currently quite entwined in a love affair with Netflix and though we know we will have to give it up soon (as Matt desperately needs to study more for his CFP exam) we are enjoying it its fullest potential currently.

Mall Outing

Julia, Heather, Andi, Logan, Ethan 

Today we went to the mall with Heather and her daughter Julia (7 weeks) and Andi and her twin sons Ethan and Logan (5 months). We ate at the food court and then walked around for a bit. Kyrie is not seen in this picture because she absolutely wore herself out pushing the stroller around the mall. She took a 2 hour and 40 minute nap when we got home. I was lucky enough to get to feed Logan 1/2 a bottle and then Ethan the rest of his. It is funny how fast you forget what it is like to have a smaller baby. Julia has grown a lot and she still seems so tiny to me. It is also weird, though, that no matter what stage they are in you love them more than you ever thought possible. Okay, so I am starting to sound like a Johnson's commercial, but having a baby really does change everything!

Bedtime

Bedtime Story 

As part of Kyrie's bedtime routine her Daddy reads her a book. Here they are learning about colors. Kyrie is also "brushing" her teeth at the same time. Multi-tasking already :-)

Thursday

Photo Phone 

Grandma Berrall came over today. Kyrie was thrilled when Grandma allowed her to take a look at her new photo phone. She was quite enthralled with the pictures that showed up of her and Mommy and pitched a fit when it was put away.


Boxer 

After Grandma left, Kyrie discovered my gloves on the sofa. She brought them to me so I showed her how they are used. Since she was quite interested, I decided to try them on her. Once she had them on she would run to her bedroom and all around until they fell off. Then she would bring them back to me to put back on again. We did this for quite awhile! Maybe it is time to bring out those Easter gloves again?!?!

Wascawy-Wabbit

Boiiiing-boiiing-boiiiing 


Vrrroom-vrrroom 

Kyrie was insane today. You have probably heard me call her my "wild child", but today she was crazier than normal. She went from one room to the next to the next; from one toy to the other to another. She has started mimicking me saying, "no, no, no, noooo" whenever she is tempted to do something she knows Mommy does not approve of. She goes for whatever it is anyway, but continues to say, "no, no, no" the entire time. Which, of course, cracks me up. (How can any discipline be demonstrated when the discipliner is too busy laughing?) She also spent some time grabbing her rabbit, walking half-way across the room with it and then letting it go over her head. The rabbit makes a "boing" noise when it bounces, so she enjoyed that thoroughly. Probably the most fun I had was playing the ball Aunt J.J. has lent to us. Kyrie is not only throwing it, but she is also kicking it around the house. I am quite proud of my little soccer player and managed to get a bit of it on video as well.

Chillin' in my ride

Wagon rides are fun...I think! 


Sittin' back, relaxin' 

It was beautiful outside this afternoon, so Kyrie and I took advantage of the weather for a wagon ride. Armed with some juice and "o"s we roamed freely from our driveway to the end of the street. Though hardly anything can pull her away from her juice, Kyrie loves being outside and takes everything in. I tried to point out the airplane above us to her, but seeing as she had never seen an airplane before (well that's not true, she's been in one!) she didn't know what she was looking for, but she definitely heard it.

Kyrie was also a wild woman when Daddy got home tonight and we had a grand time playing "hide and go seek" until she was so crazy she couldn't walk without falling anymore. That's when it's bedtime!