Cheerios kind of in bowl
Empty bowl
Now don’t go thinking it’s all hunky dory, about HALF the cheerios are there on the blanket in between her and the bowl. She took them out one handful at a time. She helped put them back in the bowl, and then dumped them out again. She ate all but one, which I found and promptly put to her lips. Little piggy snarfed it right up! I can’t figure out where all the food is going. She must have a hollow leg. Should have been a pirate for Halloween!
Once there was a little girl named Keeley. She had a birthday party and everyone brought her pajamas! She was so happy, because it meant she would no longer shiver in her ’shortie’ pajamas and blankie on those chilly autumn nights!
Her mom picked out the pretty pink pajamas with candy on them! It’s almost Halloween after all! Let’s hope by spring thaw, they won’t be too small!
New birthday pjs!
Hmm, too small? No!
Too big, sleepy eyes, big feet!
I think I'll just rest my head on the bouncer!
Night Night!
Before cut
pony tail
Chop!
Bob cut
Donation, 11 inches
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Treat stash
I mentioned before that we took Keeley trick or treating, not sure if I shared this or not, but this was the result. She ate the goldfish and seemed to like them, so that will be something we might consider getting as a ‘fill in’ or church type treat. We only went to the ‘downtown’ area and it only took a few minutes, all the proprietors of the stores were out with big bowls of ’stuff’ so no knocking or in and out with strollers required!
Gum ball? No, yum ball!
Fumble!
Well, Keeley got down for a nap and I commenced to continue cleaning and trying to get ready for the party. There wasn’t much left to do, so I mopped and started making frosting. I dropped the powdered sugar container on the floor and powdered sugar went everywhere. Matthew got the vacuum and silently cleaned up the mess, which I was grateful for, because I was silently fuming and thinking, really, another mess? Argh! Then I got over it and kept going on the frosting. I was running out of time! I’d already vacuumed the rest of the house in the morning, I just wanted to hit the living room one more time, that’s where we get baby clothing that strings off and I should have just inspected and picked off, but we had half an hour, so I thought we were all good. While the frosting was chilling, I started vacuuming, and my in-laws got there. I was finished vacuuming so I got that put away and then went and threw myself together. Keeley woke up and got to visit with them while I started on the cupcakes and then everyone else started arriving, so I just kept frosting! Someone got lost so Matt fielded the call and got them here, just fine. We ended up with 8 guests, including cousins, Aunts and Grandparents! Not too shabby!
So… we lit the candle and sang Happy Birthday to Keeley!
Birthday cake
Then she proceeded to eat the cake
She really liked it
Cake face
She offered to share with grandma
Share Cake
She I had mounds of presents to open.
Present Opening
She ended up with a wagon, coat, mittens, and socks from us, as well as a Chicago Bears Jersey and a WIU shirt, presents from some friends of ours, some toys, puzzles, outfits and pjs from the relatives, and all in all, we had a great time. I look forward to the advanced level of the toys, I’ve already taught her to pull the lever on the ‘See and Say’, all it took was telling her to ’shut it off, like the light switch’ and she got it. Pretty neat, and we think ’super smart’, too. We liked the retro-ness of the toys she got, I’ve only had to remove one from her, because she made it play noise about 10 times this morning in a row, so it went up on a shelf!
Cutie Patootie
Well, Keeley got a ‘happy birthday’ and was put back down to sleep post nursing. After she got up again, Happy Birthday was sung and the morning commenced. Mostly, I ended up cleaning while she was down and taking care of her needs while she was up. Good thing I can multitask! Once daddy finally got ready, it was just in time to head out to the Halloween parade. We put her costume on her, but, no parade? We didn’t see one anyway, but we saw a large gathering of children where the parade was supposed to end. Strange, so of course, we got in line. The downtown trick or treating apparently starts whenever the parade ends? Anyway, only guess would be that the parade started earlier than the anticipated start time, so, as luck would have it, we had brought along her/my old pumpkin and trick or treated. Just up and down one street, but there were a couple of places that had treats she could have, a juice box (if she can manage the straw) and some goldfish crackers, we may even try a safe-t-sucker if she can sit still long enough. If not, I’ll be happy to finish it for her. At her age, she can’t eat most of the sweets, which is why we’re not taking her ‘real’ trick or treating next Saturday, instead we’re going to go visit some family and friends, in her costume, which is why you don’t get pictures today, sorry! I promise, though, we’ll update the blog either right before we go or after we get home, so you’ll still get your ‘treat’!
There was also a little carnival downtown in a banking plaza, it’s a really nice space and I’m glad they have it, because several things have been held there and they had a bounce house, carnival games and food. We looked around, voted on the pumpkin to win the carving contest, and decided we’d rather get her home and down for a nap (we nixed the morning nap in favor of a longer pm one so we could finalize party things) than wait in line 1/2 hour for a free hot dog.
Lots of people liked her costume, a lot of kids recognized it for what it was, which was fun. Most of the costumes we saw were pirates, princesses, and the top costumes out of the parenting/parents magazines, like a rubik’s cube, M&Ms, and ‘Mario Bros’. Definitely saw more homemade/thrown together costumes this year than we have in a long time, which is kind of neat. Some of the parents were dressed up to go with the kid’s theme, and I saw someone did the ‘copy off of your child’s lovey’, the child dressed as an elephant with a Dumbo satchel, which got stuffed with candy! Other then bitty babies, Keeley was the only true baby it seemed out there, most of the kids were 2-8, roughly.
Some ideas we contemplated, doing an M&M another time because it would either be a quick sew or a quick Iron-on M, copying her daddy’s military service uniform (we have his hat and could probably find his name patch), waiting a couple of years and doing a pirate (one kid had on a simple blue striped shirt and blue pants, a bandana, an eye patch over the bandana, and some stubble painted on with marker), another really awesome thing we saw was a kid who ended up ‘hands free’, so the parents weren’t carrying anything either, with a front pack or pouch on kind of like a reverse backpack, seems like a smart thing to do, no dropping anything, if you fall, it would be hard to lose the candy, etc. and you’d also be able to hold child’s hand when crossing the street. Also if you were at the carnival playing games, no bucket to set down or hold or forget, you just walk! Pretty neat and we may decide to incorporate that into a costume for Keeley in the coming years. Note to self “pirate chest”. tee hee. Further note to self, Indian headdress from real feathers collected on new property?
So that was our morning, we had a great time pre-nap and really felt a part of the community, along with getting great ideas for next year! Also after seeing the other costumes, taking in her age, and the fact that what we got for her was a little floppy, with her being in a stroller, it actually turned out really cute, guess my momma instincts aren’t so shabby after all!
I can’t believe my baby will be one tomorrow! Okay, I can. I really can. She’s grown up so much from the squishy, jaundiced lump of mush that we had to finger feed into the robust nurser, table food eater who can stand on her own two feet, if you trick her by getting her to clap for you!
She looks so different, although her hair and eyes are much the same as I expected them to be (no sense in willing it to be red, red highlight is all we’re going to get, and I guess I’m okay with that), and I’m pleasantly pleased, if tired of hefting her tall and heavy arse around.
Her social flutterbyness is wonderful. For the most part, she seems to pretty much like everyone, although she does give pretty much everyone a very slow, methodical assessment and looks to us for guidance before accepting someone new, which is good. She smiles a lot more readily at other people, and in particular seems to like other kids, which is nice, staying at home with me all day doesn’t really lead to much social interaction, except the grocery store.
She loves going for walks, the other day it was warm and every time I tipped her back (pop a wheelie in the stroller), she had the biggest grin on her face. It rained all day yesterday and coupled with the bad weather blues/feeling, it was impossible to take her out, so I don’t think she was very happy. Not sure what’s going to happen when it’s zero outside. I can’t feasibly take her for a walk in that. Not unless we get her some snow pants and glue her shoes to her feet. That’s an interesting concept.
Her baths are more fun for her now, instead of screaming until we gave her some expressed milk, she giggles, plays with toys (eats them) and splashes. I wonder if it’s time to give up the baby tub, but maybe we can stretch it until we have our new house where there ISN’T a mold problem in the tub. Yuck.
Everything is pretty to her now. Yesterday, she wanted to attack the vacuum cleaner, I think she was lusting after the cord, she seemed upset when I hurriedly gathered it up and took it out of her way. Good for a laugh, though.
After surviving nearly a year, I kind of get what this whole parenting thing is about. I have a lot to learn, of course, and each new step will be an adventure, but I also treasure every day and wish I’d cuddled that bitty baby a little more, as she will not sit still to be cuddled by mommy. Argh. Maybe she will later on. For now we are settled with big hugs and a ‘tickle monster’ which seems to make her happy.
Until tomorrow, where I hope to have a nice, sentimental, weepy post, good morning!
On Saturday we went to the alma mater’s Homecoming Parade. We met up with good friends Michelle and Jamie and had a good time watching Keeley watch the parade. She got a string of mardi gras beads, a can cozy, a couple of pieces of candy and a mini football (on Sunday she took a bite out of said football).
Later we went and visited with my friend Stacy’s in-laws, as they live in town, and dropped off the clothes she lent us, as well as the wind up swing, which Keeley napped in a time or two or fifty when she was tiny. As they visit her in-laws often, I’m sure they’ll have them back and wonder how to store them in no time!
After the parade, Keeley got her first birthday gifts from Michelle and Jamie. Talk about shocked. In general, I haven’t given gifts to my friends’ kids at their birthday, but I have, without fail, sent a card to each of them. They don’t’ have kids so I guess I won’t have to worry about handling that issue, as of yet. I know that no one gives a gift in expecting that they’ll get something in return, but it kind of seems like that tends to be the case. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Her presents were a little blue fuzzy outfit, which should be cozy warm, a shape sorter that if I’m not mistaken, you turn the tail on an elephant and he shoots the shapes back out his trunk, and a little bears football (she knows Matthew all too well!), and I say her and she because I’m pretty positive Michelle does the shopping. Anyway, after that we got back to the car and I nursed the poor animal (5 hours!) and we got to our favorite pizza place, Aurelios. I took a couple of pictures on my phone, but we don’t have the cable to take them off, so not sure what to do about that. They were really good shots, too. Keeley had a cup of diced peaches and nibbled on some misc. pizza stuff. Back to campus for a walk, some photos of the old stomping grounds, including Rocky the bulldog, and a visit to the bookstore. Matthew got a hat, Keeley got a shirt, and I got nothing. I was trying on female shaped sweatshirts, you know the kind that suck in so you actually have a waist, and someone snapped up the last XL. Yup, even at a size 8 I have to have an XL because of the mammoth mammories and repeated abdominal surgeries which have left me flabby. Maybe I will consider that as a possible Christmas present, so I’ll have something to wear next year for the parade. I wore a pretty shapeless sweatshirt this time. We did actually get a ‘family photo.
Have you heard of Not Me! Monday? It’s where you post a story that really, truly did happen to you, but it makes you seem bad that you tell the story in a negative tone? Like “I did NOT eat 2 donuts yesterday”!
So here’s my story. I always buy my baby’s clothes on sale. JCPenney is really high fashion for us and we afford it when it’s on sale, especially for the next season. So when my friend Erin told me about Gap Baby socks being the only ones to stay up, I did NOT research where to find the nearest baby Gap. While I wasn’t there, I did not match the socks to every outfit she already has, I did NOT also buy her coat at full price, along with NOT purchasing cute little mittens to match. NOT. My husband did NOT fall over faint, nor did he argue when I applied for the credit card, which saved us 25%. I also did NOT sweet talk the clerk into telling me that they DON’T have markdowns on Sundays, nor did she NOT tell me that I was welcome to call ahead to see if they had anything marked down. NOT!
