January and February

Kaelyn and I had a really fun January. It was a pretty nice month and we're used to it being rather cold so we were glad for the change. We spent a lot of time at the zoo and even at parks, believe it or not!

One of the highlights of the month was a trip back to the city where I went to college and some high school. We met up with some old college friends and had some fun. When we arrived, it was lunchtime so we met a gal who went to a different high school that me. She was a friend of a friend and she and I had connected on facebook. She has a daughter many years older than Kaelyn, but we thought it would be fun to meet with her. She was fun to chat with and it was nice to have lunch with another mom!

Then, Kaelyn and I headed to our hotel so she could nap. We had two queen beds so I put pillows all around one and she went right to sleep. She was tired from our big morning, I think. That gave me hope that the overnight hours would go well too. After her nap, we headed back to the mall to meet our college friends. The kids played at the play area and we chatted a bit, then went to supper at Red Robin, yum! After that, Kaelyn and I went back to the hotel and went swimming, which she was WAY excited about. We did that for well over an hour, then went back to our room to simmer down. I simmered. She didn't so much. :) It took her quite some time to go to sleep. I'd say two hours. Then she woke up and sang and chatted from midnight to 3am!!! I couldn't believe all of the songs she knew. And she had WHOLE conversations with herself. "I had a toot, you did? Yes I did. Well that's good to know, thanks for telling me." And on and on. ALL her. I was trying to ignore her! I think she would have done better had I not been in the room with her. She knew I was there and wanted to entertain me, I guess. But I wasn't exactly going to get two rooms just for that!

When we got up we went down for breakfast and enjoyed the continental layout. Kaelyn was excited and talked NONstop. We then went swimming again for at least another hour. She liked throwing her ducks in and jumping in after them. She also liked just wading around and watching the other kids swim and be crazy. AFter that, we went back to our room and relaxed a bit, then hit Kohls for a few minutes before meeting my professor friend at Texas Roadhouse. Kaelyn was hard to corrall there, but that's to be expected, I guess! It was a really fun trip and I was glad we went since Sean was on a business trip anyways and had we stayed home, we would have just been alone!

Kaelyn is more funny as every day passes. Yesterday, I went in to get her from her nap and she said, "I had a good sleep in my bed!" And she'll say things sometimes that's like, where did you GET that?! She picks up on things, that's for sure! She often will say something because she wants ME to say it. She'll say, "Mama, race trains! I can do that!" That means that she wants ME to say "I can do that." So that's my job. To say what she tells me to say. :) And I do it well.

Speaking of trains, that is one of Kaelyn's favorite games right now. We have three trains and we race them. Sometimes, she lays down on the floor and we race them into her face. :) Trust me, she likes it!!! She also has a Hot Wheels car track and she spends a lot of time racing those cars too. Her other favorite games include a bunch of paper balls in the guest room being thrown around and hanging out in her crib throwing her animals in and out. The best games are those that make her giggle so hard I worry she might crack a rib. :) When she's well rested and fed, she can giggle with the best of them.

It's so hard to get in every little detail about her. I don't want to forget any of it, but I know there's no way to remember it all. I try to cherish the precious moments like when I carry her to the bathroom and she wraps her arm around my neck and tucks her face in under mine. She's my little buddy.

She'll be 3 in April!!! I can't believe that. That means she could go to preschool next year. I still haven't decided if I'll be able to do that or not. Academically, she doesn't need it. But I know she could use some social aspects that being around other kids could help. I'm planning to register her, since I have to by March 1st and then drop her out later if I decide not to go ahead with it. So far, all signs point to me NOT putting her in, but I don't want to change my mind this summer and then not have the option. I go back and forth. All I want to do is keep her close, but will it really be any easier to let her go when she's 4? I'm not so sure!

She's fully potty trained now except overnight and her nap. She probably COULD do it at her nap, I just don't want to ruin a good nap! Overnight, she's always totally soaked her diaper. Probably because she drinks like a gallon of milk before bed. :) Gonna have to stop that habit someday. Otherwise, she's really good about telling me she needs to go during the day. Though when she poops, she just makes this cute little noise with a sheepish look on her face. That's her sign. Other times, she just says, "go potty!" and off we go!

We're looking forward to spring so we can hit the zoo etc yet again! Music class is one of Kaelyn's favorite indoor things to do. She doesn't always participate much, but she soaks it in. When we get home she'll sing and act out all these songs I didn't realize she knew. IT's pretty fun. She also LOVES bounce houses, the children's museum, and even walmart. And I love spending those hours with her!