Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in Indiana with my side of the family. We are very fortunate and get to 'stuff' ourselves twice in one day because we have lunch with my dad's side of the family and then eat dinner with my mom's side of the family. Here Paige is pictured with two of her cousins. These are my brother's daughters: Nevaeh (left) and Emilee (right). Paige had lots of fun playing with them!

Laughing with Grandma Jenny!
Here I am with cousins Kirsten, Adrianna, and Megan!
Paige really enjoyed playing with all of baby Adrianna's things...she especially enjoyed getting in this cradle!

Laying down with her baby. Back at the Morris Home getting ready for bed as we read a book...the end to a long day filled with family and fun!

Paige received her Christmas gift early from the Morris's, since we won't be back for Christmas.

It was a very fun puppy to play with...he tries to find his bone and teaches body parts.

We visited my biological dad, Rob, and got to sit in this cool car that he built with his bare hands.

It is a 1937 Ford Custom Coupe! Pretty Awesome!

Here we are at my aunt and uncle's house. We all decided to walk down to the lake to get some fresh air...Paige was really excited to do this.

Photos by the fountain...

Me and Paige

Here we are with cousins and second cousins!

Paige loved playing with the baby, Adrianna. She also loved giving her hugs, as she is doing in these photos...of course, once she got started we kept egging it on!!

So sweet!

One last picture of the girls together before we left to go home to Missouri. Paige really enjoys being around Megan and Adrianna, so it was a little sad to leave.

"love you"

Today was an amazing day...Paige said "love you" on the phone while talking to her Grandma Loethen. She has said it to me before (just in the last couple days), but not as clearly as she did on the phone today...what a sweet moment...so glad we could share it with you Kathy!

Doctor Visit for Weight Check

We took Paige back to the doctor today to check how her weight is progressing. Dr. Herrbold wanted to make sure that she is gaining weight since she fell off the curve at her 15 month appt. She weighed in at 18lbs and 4.5 oz, so that is a 5.5 oz gain in one month. Her doctor said that was a 'typical' gain...hey, we will take it! That sounds much better than what we have heard in the past. Typical does not cause me stress about worrying how I am going to get my little girl to eat more or worrying that something may be wrong. She is still below the growth chart for her weight, but she is progressing. As for her height and head circumference, she is in the 25th percentile...so she is doing great there!


We go back for her 18 month appt. in January, so hopefully she will still be progressing as expected. Please say a little prayer for my petite little angel. Here she is posing on the stool while we wait for Dr. Herrbold to come in...what a ham! By the way, Paige did excellent with the stethoscope this time. Thanks to a lot of practicing at home with Aunt Abby's old stethoscope and some moral support from "Baby"(she got examined first today)!

Playing on the Farm

Today was a pretty nice day outside, so we took advantage of the weather and spent a lot of time outdoor with Paige. We even went down to the creek and let Paige walk in the water with her frog rainboots on. We always say we need to do that, but this is the first time we actually remembered to bring the boots along with us.

Paige really enjoyed it and wanted to walk out farther than we could reach her, so Neil had to go in the water too! Now, it was nice out...but not nice enough to go wading in the water with flip-flops. Needless to say, Neil's feet were freezing, but he enjoyed the time with Paigey! Paige also spent some quality time with 'her' kittys. She really loves these cats at her grandma and grandpa's house and loves to feed them. However, today she just spent some time relaxing on the hay bails with them. It was pretty cute!

Pigtails!!

Yay! Paige finally has hair long enough to put in pigtails! So exciting...actually, the most exciting part is that she let me put her hair in pigtails. The last time I tried (about a month ago), I got one in and when I was working on the second one, she pulled them both out! That was a little disappointing, but not now! Look how cute she looks.

Paige also peed on the potty again tonight! This time the water for her bath wasn't even running...I was sure that was what made her go the first time, but maybe she really knows what she is doing! We'll see... but there is no pressure here for training anytime soon!

Potty Time?

We have had a potty chair sitting in Paige's bathroom for a couple of months (with no intention of potty training for a long while) and today she decided that she wanted to sit on it before her bath. So, I took off her diaper and sat her on there and, low and behold, she actually went pee! I couldn't believe it! We were all so excited! Potty training can't be this easy...this is a fluke, right!? She isn't even 16 months yet, and her doctor told us not to start training until she is two! Yep, this has to be a fluke!

Halloween Fun

Paige was a duck for Halloween. She really loves her duck costume and wants to wear it all the time. She will find her costume and then say "quack, quack" because she wants to put it on. However, since last night was Halloween, she didn't want to put it on. Can you believe it? I guess that is the way it goes...you never know how a one year old will react to what you want them to do.

Eventually, Paige put her costume on...thank goodness, and we went trick-or-treating to a few houses in Linn. Afterwards, we stopped at Paige's Uncle John and Aunt Pat's house, where she was delighted to get her most healthy treat: a banana! Then, we ended the Halloween fun at her Grandma and Grandpa's house (where we had plans to eat dinner). She was so excited to be there and excited to eat dinner that she did the sign for eat and walked right past everyone to her highchair. I guess all that trick-or-treating really worked up an appetite for her!

Trick-or-Treating on Klebba Drive

Pointing at Mommy

Trick-or-Treating at Uncle John and Aunt Pat's

Daddy's Lil' Ghoul

Our Jack-O-Lantern

Pumpkin Carving...yuck!

We carved our pumpkin today...I know it is a little late but better late than never! Anyway, I thought this was going to be a super fun activity with Paige, but it turns out that she was just really grossed out by the whole thing. She wasn't liking those 'guts' at all! Once we opened up the pumpkin she wouldn't even come close. I was surprised because I thought she would love the slimy feeling...guess I was wrong! It looked so gross to her that she never even touched it once.

She still thinks pumpkins are to sit on...cute!Taking off the lid...she said, "uh, uh, uh""I am not coming over there, Mom!""This is as close as I am going to get!""Is all of that slimy stuff gone?!"The finished product...not too shabby for a 15 year hiatus!

15 month Dr. visit

Paige went to the doctor today and she is doing great, except for her weight. Dr. Herrbold was a little concerned because her weight gain has slowed down even more, so now she is not even on the growth curve. She weighs 17 lbs and 15oz, which is only a 12oz gain in the last three months...NOT GOOD! However, she is growing in height and head circumference at the same pace as before and staying right at the 25th percentile for both. Her height is 29 3/4 in. and her head circum. is 17 3/4 in. So, we have to go back to the doctor in a month to see how her weight is. Hopefully, she will have gained a bit more...well, a lot more! If she doesn't we may have to get some blood work done to make sure everything is okay.

As far as the rest of the doctor visit...Paige was afraid of the stethoscope for some reason and freaked out every time Dr. Herrbold tried to listen to her heart. She would cry really, really hard and was almost inconsolable. I couldn't believe how upset she was. It was weird because she has never minded the stethoscope before. Maybe she remembers what her last visit was like (getting her blood drawn) and didn't want any foreign objects coming near her. So, you can probably imagine she wasn't too happy when it was time for her shots, either! I hope she does okay when we go back in November. Wish me/us luck!

Done nursing...on to the straw!

Today is the first day that I did not nurse Paige in the morning. She didn't even miss it... it's a little sad for me, but I am happy too! Plus, Paige finally drank from a straw today! She was really excited about this and proud of herself, too! Done with one thing and now onto the other!

Weaning (Continued)

So, last night was the first time we put Paige to bed without nursing and she really did great. It seemed as though she didn't even realize that we omitted it from her nightly routine...there was no crying at all!! I can't believe that it went so seamlessly...I guess she really was ready to let the nighttime nursing go...she was just waiting on me. :o) Now I have to find the strength to give up her last feeding in the morning...I don't know when I will be ready to do that. I have to mentally prepare myself...motherhood is so hard and emotional, but man do I love it!!

Weaning...

When Paige turned 13 months old I decided that it was probably time to start weaning her from nursing. At that time, she was still nursing five times a day (I know that was a lot, but I have always been obsessed with making sure she gets enough to eat...I guess having a kiddo in the third percentile for weight will do that to you!) Anyway, I started taking away one daytime feeding each week and she didn't even seem to miss them.

After doing this, I definitely believe that weaning is a lot harder for the mom than the baby/toddler (ha!). I know this is the first of many things that I will have to "give up" as my little girl gets older. Of course, this is very minor compared to what she will want (or will have) to do without me as she grows...like go to kindergarten, or go on a date, or go to college!!

Wow, isn't it funny that parents strive to teach kids how to be independent and yet it is really hard to let them be independent when they are ready. For example, it took months for Paige to learn to drink out of a sippy cup (so she wouldn't be dependent upon me for her milk), and now it is heartbreaking to know that soon she will never nurse again. Don't get me wrong...I like not having to nurse her five times a day...but my baby has grown so fast! I am sure this is how a lot of mothers feel...it's so bitter sweet!!

Anyway, for about the last week or so, Paige has only been nursing in the morning and at night. So, on Wednesday I decided it was time to take away her nighttime feeding. This was definitely the hardest one for me, so I wanted to nurse her one last time (at night) and "take it away" on Thursday. I am pathetically pitiful, because I relished every moment watching her while she nursed last night. I cried a little and smiled when she reached down to grab my hand that was laying next to her. (She sometimes holds my hand when she is nursing, so I was glad she did it for her last time.) I am really going to miss the quiet time that we have together each night, but I believe that this is a good time to let go of the nighttime nursing...we will still have morning snuggles!

Raspberries and More

We had a fun night at our house tonight...just random stuff, but we had a good time. Paige's grandma and grandpa came over, so Paige was in an exceptionally good mood because of that. She loves spending time with them and showing off all that she can do.

I was blowing raspberries on Paige's cheek and she laughed harder than usual, so her grandma took some pics. This is one of my favorites.

Paige decided that she wanted the camera from me, so she started to throw a little fit...isn't that a pitiful face!Two seconds later, we took these photos...aren't toddler's emotions up and down!I think it is so funny when Paige sticks her tongue out like this in pictures! Hanging out on Daddy's lap!Saying "hi" to the camera with Grandma!

Down the Stairs!!

Paige showed me that she knows how to come down the stairs now. She was actually going up and when she got halfway to the top, she decided to come back down instead. I am so excited that she finally stayed on her belly (instead of trying to turn around and walk down facing forward)!! I gave her a big round of applause, and she was super happy with herself!! Yay, Paige!!

Another Tooth

Paige got another tooth today. It is the bottom right lateral incisor. She has seven teeth now. There are four on top and three on bottom.

Our Trip to Virginia

Paige and I went to visit three of my college friends in Virginia over the weekend. I hadn't seen Pam, Amber and Jessica at the same time in over three years. So, I was super excited. It was Paige's first time to fly, so I was a little anxious about that...but she did really great!

We flew out of St. Louis early Thursday morning. We spent the night in a hotel on Wednesday, so we wouldn't have to get up early and drive there. This was the second time Paige has been in a hotel, but she was too little to notice the first time. She had a good time exploring the hotel room! She especially liked the air conditioner. Paige was a little champ at the airport...luckily she really took a liking to her umbrella stroller (sitting in it). She never really liked to sit in it before today. She just liked to push it!! She is hanging out and eating a snack in this pic, while we waited for our flight.

It was Jess's birthday on Friday, so we went out to dinner. The mean friends that we are, we had them sing her a song! If you look in the lower left corner, you will see that this quite frightened Paige. As soon as they finished singing, Paige broke out in tears!

A group pic of us...unfortunately, Paige looked away (Nash is in the stroller sleeping).

Friday and Saturday night we had fun playing games and partaking in some cocktails! We stayed up way later than I am used to...but that is good for ya now and then! LOL!

Pam and Amber playing the game (I can't remember the name!) We had a real blast playing that game the second night, but the first night we all did horrible...we were lucky to score a point!Amber is holding Nash who is six weeks old. Paige thought she was in Heaven to have a baby around all weekend. She kept signing "baby" and she also kept wanting to get into his bouncy seat. Amber was sweet enough to let her sit in it a couple of times and Paige just sprawled out and enjoyed the vibration. It was quite hilarious! Paige also helped out by giving Amber Nash's paci whenever she found it laying around...even if Nash didn't need it! Luckily, she didn't find a fondness for the paci during our trip...but, then again, she never liked one before!