Saturday, December 10, 2011

Merry Christmas 2011

Here is our Christmas card from Shutterfly!

Photo Card
View the entire collection of cards.

Monday, July 4, 2011

First Beach Trip

We took our first beach trip as a family of 3 on June 9. We went down to Navarre Beach. We have never been there before, but it was a nice beach! My parents (Bebe and Pop), Megan, Carson and Parker had already been there since the Sunday before. Aaron, Kerrigan and I were in Tucson until the 8th, so we drove down the day after we got back. Brad came down that night, too.

Kerrigan loved the sand and the ocean. She would sit in the sand and pick it up and sprinkle it down. She tried to eat some, too, but we tried to stop that as much as we could! Uncle Brad made a big sand castle and Kerrigan was quick to try and tear it down too. :)

Kerrigan fell asleep on the beach Friday and Saturday. So it must have been pretty relaxing for her! I hope that we get to go back down for a longer time next Spring Break or summer!

Here are some pictures from our trip!

A bottle is nice on the beach


Brad and the boys looking for shells


Kerrigan checking out the Gulf


One of the crabs that Aaron found!


Hanging out on the beach




Napping on the beach


Kerrigan vs. Carson - playing Chicken in the pool


Parker giving Cousin Kerrigan a kiss


Parker and Kerrigan hanging out at dinner


Aaron and I


Cousins!


Parker and Kerrigan


Bebe and Pop


Kerrigan chowing on some dinner




Guncle giving Carson an iPad lesson


Another day. Another nap on the beach. :)


Aaron showing off another crab he found. I think we named this one Hermie! :)




Brad and Aaron showing each other their findings in the water


And they're off "snorkling" again!


Guncle and Carson in the pool


Guncle convinced Carson to let him throw him in the pool


Parker watching Tangled


Kerrigan sitting with her big cousin Carson - watching Tangled




Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Hold the phone...I have a blog?!?!

Ugh... I can't keep this blog thing afloat. Oh well.

So...since January 2...I have no clue where to begin. We now have a 1 year old baby girl! It's amazing all the people who say, "Enjoy it...it goes by fast." You kind of push that aside and think, "Nah..." But it is SO true. First of all, I can't believe that we survived a year as parents! That's an accomplishment in itself.

I obviously am not going to be able to remember every single detail from the past 6+ months, so I'm just going to try and hit the highlights. Kerrigan's growth and milestones are at the bottom of this post.

Kerrigan is very, very close to walking. She has had a couple of times where she's taken a lot of steps at a time. Other times, she will take 1, 2, or 3 steps, stop, and CRASH on her bottom! She has excellent balance when she stands up though. She can do it; I just think she knows that she is a fierce crawler. She probably figures she can get places faster that way. She has two walkers. One is a stroller and another she just got for her first birthday. It can also convert into a riding toy. She can get around quickly with the stroller. But boy, does she get frustrated when something stands in her way!

And she is into EVERYTHING!! You can't keep your eyes off of her for a second or she'll have an entire cabinet cleaned out. Maybe Daddy really needs to consider putting those locks on... hmmmmm... :) It's hard to say "No, no" or take things away from her. But hopefully she realizes it's for the good. Well, probably not when she cries...

She has been off baby food for a couple of months now. She really loves to eat chicken, turkey, green beans, bananas, strawberries, macaroni and cheese, pancakes, sausage, Cheerios, among other things we try. I hope she is not as picky of an eater as her mommy! I'm afraid she might be though...she will let you know when she is done eating or doesn't want something alright! She'll push your hand away in a heartbeat. She also loves trying to feed Marley! Sneaky little thing!

She talks and laughs nonstop. She's even into SCREAMING...LOUDLY! If she hears someone scream, you better believe she's going to mock them! She can say "dada", "mama", "doggy", and she has just recently started saying "yeah"...but it's more like "duh-yaaah". A few weeks before she stopped taking her bottle, she would get really excited and say, "Ba-ba! Ba-ba!" when she saw us getting it ready or when she was ready for it. She said it a lot the day we started her on milk. But she'll just say it randomly now. I guess she is starting to realize, "No more bottles!" Poor baby!

She loves to clap, especially after we say, "Yay!" In fact, she wasn't really into eating her green beans tonight. So we decided to clap and say "Yay" if she ate one. This got her attention and she was eating and clapping like crazy! Positive reinforcement at its finest!

She also has just discovered pointing and she loves to point to things around the house, especially pictures. She is a big mimicker (is that a word?). Two of the things she really loves to mimick are waving and sticking her tongue out (probably not a good habit to teach her, huh?). Her wave is not an ordinary "baby wave", though. It's an all-out wave your arm side to side wave!

If you say, "Give me a kiss", Kerrigan will come at you, open-mouthed, for a sweet, slobbery kiss! We love those! The best is when she goes back and forth from Mommy and Daddy over and over again. Kerrigan LOVES baths. She gets so excited when the water starts running. She loves playing in the tub, splashing around, "eating" bubbles and looking at herself in the mirror when she is finished and toweled up!

Kerrigan loves to sit and turn on her bottom. It's like she's pivoting. It's hilarious. She'll do a 360 degree turn in no time. Also, when she gets excited, she will sit in place and bounce, Bounce, BOUNCE! Her voice gets louder with every bounce. You can see what I mean in this video from Doo Dah Day! She was jamming out to the music...


One of Kerrigan's favorite games: "Where's Kerrigan?!" She will put something (usually a blanket) over her head and we say, "Where's Kerrigan?!" Then, she'll uncover her face so that she can hear us say, "THERE she is!" This game usually lasts a good while.

Our house is quickly becoming a toy store. Kerrigan loves stuffed animals and her loveys the most though. Along with her blankets, they are comforting to her. When she holds her blanket or lovey halfway up her face, you know she's getting sleepy.

I really hate that this blog has been on hiatus for 6 1/2 months. During the school year, I have no energy when I get home to even process what I would want to type. Our summer has been extremely busy so far (2 trips and planning a one-year-old birthday party). Plus, I've been putting off posting because I KNEW it would be a long process. Shame on me! Anyway, back to what's important...

I can't believe it's already been over a year since we were blessed with Kerrigan Grace. I can't imagine my life without her. We've been very lucky with her. There's been ups and downs (definitely, more ups!), but I am so lucky to be her mommy. I love watching her grow and can't believe how much she has changed in the past year. I am excited for the events to come...seeing her get bigger and bigger, discovering new things, saying new words... Oh my, what a ride it will be!

Now for the highlights, mostly through pictures:

January: 7 months old


Kerrigan and Marley


Bath time!


Flower head


Taking her "ba-ba"



February: 8 months old


The boys had their 4th birthday party on February 5 at Parties on the Move in Bessemer. It's one of those places with all the bouncy houses. Kerrigan didn't get to enjoy those, but maybe soon! Here are some pictures from the party:




Kerrigan & Marley

Still loves the bath


Hello down there!


Lots of drool


I had a baby invitation for my friends, Ashley and Brad, on February 26. Here are some photos from that night!

Kerrigan and Laurie


Kerrigan, Mommy and Charity


Kerrigan and Mommy


Kerrigan and Lucy playing. Kerrigan was checking things out first.


Then, Lucy goes in for the kiss!


Is Kerrigan trying to beat Lucy up here?









March: 9 months old


First plane ride!! Getting ready to go to Dayton, Ohio with the UAB Basketball team!


Watching the game. Outcome...not so good :(






On the move!


Kerrigan holding her BIG soccer ball. Making her daddy proud for sure!


There's one of those BIG smiles we love to see!


At Cheesecake Factory with Cousin Carson for Auntie Meg's birthday dinner


With Daddy at Cheesecake Factory


Aaron with Carson, Kerrigan and Parker outside CF


This hood usually comes off as soon as I put it on, but apparently I got the picture just in time!


Parker and Kerrigan at J. Alexander's for Mommy's birthday dinner


Happy Birthday Mommy!


Kerrigan with Uncle Brad and Carson


Family Photo at J. Alexander's after dinner



April: 10 months old


Sucking on a wash cloth in the bath tub... so soothing for those painful teething moments!


Crazy hair! Getting lessons from Daddy???


HAPPY 1ST EASTER, KERRIGAN!!! Here is Kerrigan's Easter basket. This was the basket I had when I was a kid.


On the way to church...wearing Mommy's dress and bonnet


Kerrigan, Mommy and Auntie Meg


Family photo on Easter Sunday!


Digging into the Easter basket. Kerrigan got a hat for the pool! Of course, plastic eggs...


Everything you can get your little hands on goes in your mouth!





Daddy showing Kerrigan some of her books


"What else, Daddy???"


Plates! We would later find out, they always end up on the floor!


Kerrigan with her bunny


Standing and exploring!


She loves looking out the door! Especially the back door when Marley or Daddy are outside.


Trying to help Marley get out of his crate!!!



May:
11 months old Somehow, Kerrigan ended up with a Cheerio on her forehead!

Hahahah...


"You lookin' at me?"


Sitting outside in the playpen, watching Daddy swim in the COLD pool!


There she goes with her stroller...


Watch out!


Still holdin' strong


At Doo Dah Day with big brother Marley


Marley loves to give Kerrigan kisses!


Sweet Baby Girl


Yay! Clap, clap, clap!


Always clapping, no matter what the situation!


Crazy hair after bath time. At least she knows what the brush is for!



June: 12 months/1 year old! Happy birthday, Sweet Kerrigan!



Here's the stats :)

Growth:
6 month checkup (12/20/10)
Length: 26 1/4"
Weight: 16 pounds, 2 ounces
Head Circumference: 16 3/4"

9 month checkup (3/24/11)
Length: 27 1/2"
Weight: 18 pounds, 6 ounces
Head Circumference: 17 1/4"

12 month checkup (6/20/11)
Length: 29 1/2" (70th percentile)
Weight: 20 pounds, 12 ounces (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 18" (60th percentile)

This girl is long and lean!! She's grown almost 3 inches and 4 pounds, 10 ounces since her 6 month checkup! Big girl!


Milestones:
Started crawling: February 25

Found out Kerrigan was having another boy cousin: March 8 - We can't wait to meet Cousin Reece soon!!

First plane ride: March 14 (to Dayton, OH to see UAB play in the NCAA Tournament)

First tooth: We felt it around March 17 (on the bottom). Now she has two on the bottom and FOUR coming in on the top! Definitely able to chew better!

First trip to Tucson to visit Uncle Dave, Cousin Gavan and Aunt Tracy (second trip on plane): June 1-8

First trip to the beach: June 9-12

First birthday: June 15

First birthday party: June 18

First steps (more than 1 or 2): June 18 - after her party! Her record is around 20, which she did on June 26.

First day without a bottle and just whole milk: June 21


Next post will be focused on events from June, such as KJ's first beach trip and 1st birthday! Figured this one was getting long enough! Plus, it's getting late!

Until next time...
lj