Dancing with Daddy

Half of a year

Here I go again, writing about how amazed we are by how fast time is flying (I mean, duh, this is how it always goes, right?), how quickly Kendall is growing and changing (that's what kids tend to do, you say), and how incredibly blessed we feel to get to be her parents...but I'm having a hard time thinking of anything else to write about! I'm not kidding you, we seriously think or say one of those things daily (or probably all of them!). Becoming parents has been the very best decision we EVER made! You see, going to college was important and necessary to have the jobs we hold and love, getting married was amazing (and key in getting us to the parent part),  but having a child has been life altering in the best way possible.

It's EXHAUSTING. For example, we were up around 4:30 this morning---and that certainly never happened before Kendall, unless we had to catch a 6am flight!. Yet we don't think twice about getting up  and changing that diaper or feeding or snuggling our sweet little one.

It's MONOTONOUS. I can NEVER remember which side I nursed her on last, because my days get a little blurry sometimes. Or if I really thought about how many times I've changed a diaper in the last 6 months---whoa. Each day feels a little like the one before, yet I don't ever want to miss a moment! I find myself just staring at her, getting lost in her baby world, while she takes in everything around her with excitement and wonder because it is not monotonous to her!

Most importantly though, it's LOVE! I love every bit of parenting, and so does Keith (the good, the bad, and the stinky), and we love that Kendall is entering an age where she can love back in a very tangible way. She is starting to raise her hands to us when she wants to be picked up----talk about a melting heart OH. MY. WORD. She gives little baby hugs when we are holding her, and likes to give little tickles too. We get endless drooly kisses (one actually resulted in me getting spit-up in my mouth---and as gross as that sounds, it didn't even phase me!), and my favorite is when she snuggles. Oh the snuggles....I hope they never end! We are so in love with our baby girl!

I've heard many people say how much they love the 6th month, and now I know why!
*We've sorta found our rhythm, I guess. It feels like we sorta have a little bit of a clue of what we are doing...maybe...sometimes...more than we have before anyway. We are getting better at reading our daughter, that is for sure!
*Kendall is still immobile (other than a one way roll, and an occasional scoot). This, we understand, is something to be grateful for! We still need to baby proof the house sooner than later because we know it's only a month or two away before our life significantly changes all over again. 
*She isn't as needy as she was in the beginning. Yet she still needs us enough to make us feel useful, but not abused!
*And she is FULL of personality, making us laugh all the time with her silly faces and sounds.

Some of her new accomplishments include:
*Consistently rolling from tummy to back, and attempting to roll from back to tummy (she can get to her side, then loses motivation and goes back to her back).
*Very "wet raspberries", especially when she is excited about something, like the cats!
*Sitting up by herself for a few minutes at a time.
*Grabbing her own feet.
*Bouncing in her exersaucer. And bouncing anywhere and anytime someone gives her the chance!
*Traveling to visit Great Grandpa Dave's house again.  And charming everyone on the plane on the way home!
*Eating rice cereal, oatmeal and even bananas, successfully!
*Loving peek-a-boo.
*She is mesmerized by the cats.
*She continues to be a fountain of drool, but no teeth to speak of.
*She usually sleeps through the night (8pm to 6 or 7am).
*One of the best accomplishments is that she is happy to be held by a variety of other people now (just in time for that "separation anxiety" stage to hit---HA!). This makes it oh so much easier to go to work and not worry if she is crying all day long, and I no longer feel as "stuck" while in the company of others.
*She weighed in at 13lbs at her 6th month appointment keeping her in the 5%,  and she is 25 1/2 in. long moving up to the 50% for height!

Two weeks of family, friends, and fun!

We can't believe how fast Christmas snuck up on us this year and how fast it went by! Kendall and I enjoyed having Keith home everyday (I even got to sleep in a couple of times), and we loved getting to spend quality time with both sides of our family. We are so blessed! Okay, so I can't seem to figure out how to arrange these pictures in any logical order but I still want to share some of our fun Christmas and New Years pictures!

We spent Christmas Eve with Kendall's adorable and sweet cousins! Here they all are in their new jammies from Mimi. Trying to get a picture was hilarious!

Today Kendall and I met up with our friends for a little play date.  These cuties (Nathan, Kendall, & Avlynne) hung out back in October and man have them grown and changed!

 The Mommies

 The saddest part of Christmas was that just a day before Christmas we said goodbye to our tree. I really kept hoping it would start to take water and come back to life...it didn't. Everytime we left the house I was paranoid we'd come back with our home up in smoke. So I found a nice fake tree at an after Christmas sale and we were able to have a tree for our Williams family Christmas on the 27th. Here is the dead tree making our yard quite festive! You should see it now covered in snow.

 A family picture on Christmas Eve.

By the end of the night the white part of Kendall's dress was practically transparent from all her drool! Teething can't be too far away.

 Christmas morning with Auntie Riss

 Christmas afternoon at Bernie's

The kids love Kendall and are so sweet to her!

 Kendall trying on (err...eating) some of her gifts!

 Happy girl for Christmas opening gifts with Daddy.

 It seems as though whenever my parents visit we get a TON of snow! Keith was our trusty shoveler. Nice outfit...totally appropriate for the chore. Check out our new tree in the background :) We discovered that our living room is exactly 7.5 feet tall.

 Playing Apples to Apples with Kendall

 We graduated Kendall from her bouncey chair to her high chair for eating cereal. She looks so old sitting there!!! I think she likes sitting at the same level as us.

 Papa and Gramma Williams

 Kendall got a sled for Christmas! So we had to try it out. She loved it and was giggling as Keith ran her up and down the street. She has no fear! Uh oh!

 Our little party animal on New Years (luckily she was sleeping at midnight!)

We sure hope you had a fabulous holiday with your family! Happy New year!!!

This time last year...

 This time last year I felt like barfing all day long, but hardly anyone knew. This time last year I was getting up 2 times a night just to pee. This time last year I took at least one nap a day. This time last year I couldn't eat enough strawberries (or preggy pops & ginger ale). This time last year I was sooooo ready for a break from work. This time last year I couldn't button my jeans (well, I guess that one hasn't really changed! HA!). 

This year things have changed, because this time last year I did not have an adorable 5 month old!!!!

 Who about a week ago weighed in at 11lbs and 9oz.

 Who is super smiley and happy most of the time!

 Who can take a bottle of formula when she needs to (and she even likes to help hold it!)

 Who is working on a pretty sweet bald spot!

 Who is sleeping about 9 or 10 hours a night and takes at least 2 great naps a day (which probably contribute to the smiley happy attitude!)!

 Who loves her Mommy and Daddy and looks at them when they say her name.

 

Who has fun cousins who show her how to sit with Santa. And a Mimi who takes care of her on Friday's while Mommy and Daddy work.

 Who helps Mommy around the house on all the other weekdays.

 Who loves to look at the Christmas tree and is experiencing all the fun new sights of the holidays.

Who loves to play with all toys that are grabable and feel nice on her gums.

Who can now make "raspberries," roll over from tummy to back, and can sit great in the Bumbo chair.

Who is the joy of our life!!!

Merry Christmas!

Ever since I met Keith and his family we've been going to Breakfast with Santa. Last year was pretty exciting because we announced that we were pregnant to both of our families! We gave no announcements this year.  But this year was the best one yet! Even though Kendall doesn't really "get it", we sure love introducing her to our family traditions and starting a few new ones of our very own. She survived her first encounter with Santa looking just a little stunned, but not totally freaked out (sadly, no signature Kendall smile either. Maybe next year----well, probably next year we'll get the tears!).

 Merry Christmas everyone :)

Great Grandpa Dave & Thanksgiving

In mid November my Mom invited Kendall and I to join her at Grandpa Dave's house in California. It was perfect weather in the Bay Area, which was perfect timing for us to get out of Spokane (before all the crazy snow!). Kendall LOVED seeing her Great Grandpa again!

We celebrated a mini Christmas, since we'll all be in Spokane this year, Grandpa will be with my Aunt's family. It will be one of my first Christmas' without him.

You'd never know this guy is 97 years old the way he would get down on the floor to play with Kendall!

Kendall was able to meet her 2nd cousin, Aidan (my cousin Daniel's son), who isn't the baby in the family anymore!

She likes the bath so much, she gets pretty upset when we take her out.

We helped Grandpa do some yard work too. Can't you just feel the warm California sunshine---I'm trying to pretend I'm still there!

My mom was just as excited as Grandpa to see Kendall.

We came back and had just a couple of weeks until my parents came to Spokane for Thanksgiving.

Here Quincy is holding her "Baby Kennall"

The whole crew at dinner

The Williams Christmas card

 (it only took 8 tries to get a decent one, and I was the main problem!)

First Snow