Another Month Older

Oh... my little baby Kins is now 9 months old, our BIG little girl.  And it was time for another doctor check up. Dr. Karaman said she is doing great, she is doing everything she is supposed to be doing, even ahead of her game in some regards. She is almost two pounds heavier than at her 6 month checkup, weighing in at 18lb 13 1/2 oz. She grew another 1 1/2 inches, and her tiny head gained another inch as well in circumference. Way to GO KINS!!! I do however purposefully fail to tell the doctor every time that she is still sleeping in our bed, she hardly eats anything other than booby milk, and that she pretty much runs the show. I know what they will say, "you need to get her sleeping in her own crib, and you need to introduce her to the bottle, and let her know who's boss, otherwise they will assume the position." I know all this, but I will do all this when I am ready! She actually has just begun to eat really well, wanting whatever we are eating. She loves avocado, french fries, sweet potato, cup cakes, banana, pickles, orange peels, and even likes lemon. And the word "no" occasionally comes out of my mouth, but only when she puts our shoes in her mouth. Maybe I'll work on working this word into my vocabulary. 

She had a little 9 month birthday celebration, although the importance was masked by the fact that it fell on Father's Day. (So no pictures of her with a cookie and candle unfortuately.) I had to give that occasion precedence, as it only comes once a year and it was Kris' first one. He is such an amazing Father and he deserves nothing more to be celebrated. I can only celebrate him one day a year though cause it's exhausting. :)

I thought I would share some photos with you all, all taken within the last few days. We had some fun days at the park and outside our little home now that summer is here. It is so much fun having a little one around. I can't wait till she is running around, and we can go to so many more places.

Her 9 month photo shoot on her changing table. :)

 Hanging outside in her new adorable shoes.

 Helping Daddy push the stroller. We are using this as her walker. She seems to like it.

Swinging at sundown.

Remarkable Day

It was brought to my attention this past Saturday that children recognize their mother and father's voice in relatives whom they have never met. As generations go further and further back in time, their voice holds a quality or tone that if listened to closely enough, resembles that of the child's parents. This then might explain why Kins was so comfortable and at ease with her Great Grandpapa Tony, whom she met for the first time on Saturday. He only spoke Spanish, but she was not bothered in the least. In fact, she paid more attention to him, really studying his lips and facial expressions. She must have heard her Daddy's voice or seen familiar expressions.

This really got me thinking... and I realized then that this trip was much more emotional than I had anticipated. We would not be here if it were not for the many many generations that paved the way for us. If it weren't for every decision that they made along the way, we would not have our lives, more importantly Kins would not have her life. It was her Great Grandpapa Tony and the many before him that allowed Kins to have life...so truly amazing.

It was such a great day. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law picked Kins and I up bright and early Saturday morning, and drove to Wilmington, CA to visit with my mother-in-laws Papa, my Grandpapa through marriage, and Kins Great Grandpapa - her only one! My attitude was not in the right place when we left. I was tired, over-whelmed, and wishing I were still asleep in bed. I wanted nothing more than a relaxing Saturday, as I had had a two day volleyball tournament the past weekend. And I was somewhat feeling forced to go; my husband could not attend due to a prior obligation, so I was to represent our little familia. The ride up there quickly changed my attitude as I felt myself getting closer and more involved in Esther and Kaytie's lives. We talked the whole way, really connecting, and Kins slept (PERFECT!) When we arrived at Casa Luna, I was excited for Kins to meet her only Great Grandpapa. Three rather loud, yapping dogs greeted us; Kins was immediately excited. She adores dogs, especially small ones. Papa Tony came up shortly after, picking a Chihuahua named Chichita up to introduce her to Kins. He waved us over to show us the many birds he keeps as pets. There must have been 20 or so. I was told he has raised birds entire life and he takes great pride in keeping them perfectly taken care of. He spent a great deal of time tediously cleaning the bird cage, which we didn't mind because it was his little routine that we did not want to break him of. I can't wait to show Kins these pictures; to show her how very special her Grand Papa Tony made her feel and how overjoyed he was to meet her. The bond that they instantly had was truly amazing to see.

A Blog about Nothing

Oh, I have been so unmotivated to write. I have so many things to say; things that if I were in the mood to write about them, it would take days to read. Quite frankly, I'm less motivated to think than I am to write, but I am going to try to get the wheels in my brain "a-turning" again, and the only way to do it I think is to just begin typing. So as it states in my title, this really is a blog about nothing.

Exhaustion really gets taken to new heights when you become a mother. There is so much to do, so much to accomplish, so much to think about, so much you can screw up, and so little time succeed or fail at it. It would help if I could just get Kins out of our bed, then I know I would maybe catch a few more zzzzz's, but I have convinced myself that I am abandoning her if I do put her in her own room/crib. Kris wants nothing more than to get Kins out. I can't even do it for him. Then there's the whole breast feeding thing. How great, but even more so challenging is it to have someone who depends on you for their livelihood. I hold the key to Kins' survival, MY BOOBS. Sometimes, I wish I didn't have any. You might recall me saying in a previous blog that as soon as Kins' gets her top teeth, breastfeeding will have to stop. I was firm in this statement, as I was exhausted from breastfeeding then too. Kins' top two teeth are now in; have been for about a month now, and still no initiative has been made by me to stop. Thank God she isn't much of a bitter, because I feel I would still continue to nurse even if she were. I guess I am too tired to do anything the hard way. In fact, that really has been my moto my entire life. Which ever way is the easiest, that is the route I will go. Bummer that this is now how I am raising Kins. Or perhaps it is merely for survival and my love for my little girl that I will sacrifice my boobs for this long. She loves nursing, it brings her comfort and nourishment, so what if my boobs (in the future, not now :)) resemble "those photos" out of a National Geographic magazine. There is always plastic surgery.

Anyways, wow, I had no idea that was on my mind. Now that I have begun the creative process of writing again, I will soon fill you in on all of Kins' exciting new feats. Babies are truly extraordinary and ever-changing. It's remarkable; all the new things Kins has picked up in such a short amount of time. And when I can finally articulate them all to you, I will let you know. Until then, here is a wonderful photo to tie you over. It was taken at our favorite park, Bowfield, and yes, it was the first time she went on the swing. Obviously, she loved it. Thanks for reading!

Animated to Say the Least

We have always said she has a million faces. They all show up throughout the day, usually spaced out depending on her moods. However, these photos were all taken seconds apart. She was experiencing a lot of different emotions during this minute; not sure what some of them were, but they describe Kins to a tee. Happy, curious, and just plain goofy.

Hi Kristin - What is the most challenging aspect of being a stay-at-home Mom, and how do you deal with it?

The monotony, by far. It has gotten a lot better as Kins grows. She is trying and doing something new everyday which breaks it up somewhat. And, everything is so much harder to do, whether it be cleaning, cooking, packing the car up to leave, going to sleep, taking a shower, everything has to be relearned so that the baby is safe while doing it. As of right now, I am not dealing with it. I am just accepting it and hoping that one day, she will be good enough for me to leave her with others so I can go take care of myself for a little bit. Thanks for the Q!

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