Monday, July 22, 2013

Smiley

Everyone's favorite thing to do with the baby is to try and make him smile.  He has the world's greatest set of dimples and the sweetest laugh.  He's turned in to such a ham for the camera too!  He recognizes himself when I turn the camera on my phone on him.  Pics below are proof. 

July 4th with Jules, Joel & Jackson

Round 2 Fourth of July
 
My girlfriend Julie (Family Jules to us) called me on the 3rd and said "lets go to fireworks at South Park tonight".  And that my friends is exactly what we did.
 
She and I both shopped for apps, wine, beer and champagne and although at first I really did think we were going to get rained out, we met them anyway and it ended up being such a fun night!
 
 
Kellan was too cool to hang out with his parents and opted to roll from side to side and swipe his mitts at Julie and Joel's food and drinks for a little while on their blanket.  I'm telling you, the kid will be crawling before we know it!

 
Aidan totally abandoned us for a friend from school.  And yes Julie and Joel ALWAYS intentionally dress alike.  And we always entertain our 7 month old with blades of grass.
 


 
Kellan has become such a little party animal.  He drinks with the best of em'.
 

 
Joel and a Sparkler.
 


 
I'm weirdly in love with this fuzzy firework photo. 
 


 
There were cannons that went off before the show started and Kellan freaked out a little bit and I had a second where I thought "maybe this is a bad idea" but he literally cried for 22 seconds and then was in awe of the fireworks.
 


 
See Aidan was there.
 


 
We called it a night after the fireworks because we are old, married and with children but the next day we were up bright and early to head up town with Julie and Joel and their little man Jackson. 
 
Scary photo of me. And Adam now that I'm looking at it again.  


 
Kellan's first ride EVER on the light rail. Doing big things people, big things.  He literally smiles at everyone that makes eye contact with him.   If you turn away he will continue to smile or laugh until you are forced to look at him again.
 


 
Jackson and Aidan. Aidan loves Jackson. He is down to do whatever Aid wants to do.  On this particular day they wore hats (Aidan's was in the stroller at this point) their police badges and walkie talkies and they were "Cops". Jackson is a great sport.  You can kind of see the walkie talkies on their left hips.  They have become good buds.
 


 
We had balloon swords made by a guy and just as that happened the news was there to shoot activities going on uptown for the 4th and they taped a few minutes of the boys having a sword fight.  I was so proud to know my child would be on local TV in the hat my husband purchased him at the rodeo.
 


 
We wrapped up the afternoon with a game of bowling at Strike City.  I had never been.  The boys by this point were just about burnt out and after a game we were back on the light rail and headed home.
 
Look at that form!
 
 
Jules helps Jackson bowl.
 

 
Kellan was exhausted but refused to nap. He is at the point where is so afraid to miss something exciting with his brother so he fights his sleep.   He doesn't ever get super cranky, he just rubs his little eyes in between bursts of laughter with Aidan.
 

 
It was a really great day.  We were so happy we got to spend it with these friends.  We don't see them enough! 

Friday, July 19, 2013

July 4 Part One

We had quite the Fourth of July week around here.
 
 
We started the week out the Saturday before at our friends Mike and Chelsea's. 
Adam stopped and picked up some fireworks on the ride out to their house and when we arrived Chelsea grilled us some great chicken and steak kabobs.  After dinner we loaded up in the trailer hooked to the back of the four wheeler and high tailed (you know like 5MPH) it through the corn fields to set those bad boys off.
 
 
Best buds and excited. 

 
No idea what he is about to experience and just happy to be eating.

 
Snuck a picture of them holding hands.  They really are such good buds they don't even think twice about it, it's just second nature.

 
The fireworks really were awful.  They are illegal in NC and the legal ones they allow us to buy are just loud.  They were perfect to do with kids around. 



This is about as big as they got. 
 



Kellan and I hid under the dear stand so his little ears wouldn't hurt and I was nervous he would be scared.  I covered him up so he looked like Mary and he all but fell asleep on me while everyone else was setting things on fire. 
 
 
 
Ride back to the house, holding hands again.  I told you!
 

 
 
This is tired Kellan and Daddy.  They are in love. 
 
 
Aidan spent the night with Ryland and we headed back in to the city so this kiddo could get a good night's sleep.  He passed out on our bed before I could even finish putting his sleep sack on him.  We were so tempted to let him sleep with us.


 
I took total advantage of him being out cold and held him like this for an hour before I put him in his crib.  These are the best moments.  Adam was so jealous.
 

 
Every time we go out to Waxhaw we have the best time.  Fourth of July is my favorite holiday of the year so I try to squeeze in as many events as possible.  There was no better way to kick off the week! 

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Sitting Up

I couldn't tell you when it happened.  It was during your 6 month of life. One day I just sat you down and you didn't fall over.  For a split second I didn't realize what was going on and then I totally freaked. And typical for me I laughed and cheered and then I cried.  Now you're almost crawling and the sitting up thing seems like a lifetime ago. And the tears I cried then do not compare to the thoughts I have about you crawling and then walking.  Don't walk anytime soon.  I'll be a basket case. 




Wednesday, July 17, 2013

A Baby Shark

Kellan is my child for sure. 
 
I know that because besides carrying him in the womb for 9 months...
He loves water. 
Lately he especially loves trips to the pool.
He only lasts about half an hour but every second of those thirty minutes he is in heaven.
He is trying to take off on his own already.
 
My favorite part of pool time is when I get to wrap him up in whatever towel animal (fish) I have brought with us that day. 
Two years ago Carter's was having a BOGO sale on kids towels and I bought half a dozen.
 
Aidan has long moved on to his Star Wars towel with his name on it so Kellan has inherited the hooded animal towels.
I love this shark.
 







Tuesday, July 16, 2013

7 Months and Teeth!

Kellan,
You turned 7 months old last Friday! 
The time is flying.  I'm loving every minute.  Every single minute.  You are so sweet and easy.  I was worried about you there in the beginning.  You cried a lot and hated the car. 
Now, you are HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY.
Daddy is always saying your smile "gets him" and it's not just him.  It's everyone.  You have the best smile baby.
 
Everywhere we go people stop us to check you out.  It's the chunk and that smile.  We were joking the other day we have to allot extra time when we go out for the 15 people that will stop to talk about how you are so adorable.  You eat it up.


 
You basically fell in to your own routine.  You go to bed around 8 every night.  Sometimes earlier, sometimes a bit later.  But if 9 o'clock comes and you are not somewhere you can doze off...you let us know.

 
Weirdest thing (and hard for so many people to believe apparently)...You will not eat ANYTHING!
I have tried to give you everything under the moon to eat.  You are so interested in what we are eating but you want it in the form we are eating it.  Which is not possible and frustrating for us all.  You absolutely do not want baby food or anything that Daddy and I have created for you in the blender or food processor.  I can't tell you how many concoctions we have tried to trick you in to eating, you spit it out or choke/gag on it and that scares the crap out of us.
 
 
 
I bet you weigh almost 25 lbs.  I think you are thinning out a bit but only because you are getting taller.  Your hair is growing back and is cute as can be! It's strawberry blonde like mine! Most likely you are going to be getting a Doc Band to repair the flat spot on the back of your head in the fall.  We put it off for the summer to see if the spot would correct itself and it has improved but if by the time the cooler weather rolls around it hasn't improved much more, we may go ahead and do it.  It doesn't bother us in the least.

 
You have TEETH!  You have had them for a couple of weeks. One day we felt the right one coming in and the next thing we knew the left one popped right through with it the same day! You are so proud of them! We all scream at you "Kellaaaaaan, show us your teef" and you smile so big.  It's basically the cutest thing EVER.



I am almost positive you are getting more but they aren't to the surface yet.  You are drooling like a champ and everything goes in your mouth!
 

 
Aidan is the light of your life.  You can hear him in another room and you get so excited.  He spends a lot of time talking and playing with you and you LOVE it.  When he walks away, you cry.  It's pitiful. 
 

 
 
A couple of first this month...
You rode the light rail uptown
It was your first 4th of July
Rode on a swing for the first time at a friend's birthday party and slid down the slide (on Aidan's lap)
You pulled up and stood up by yourself at the coffee table (which was just nuts and came out of nowhere)
You started drinking out of a sippy cup! You mastered it the first time we gave it to you! 
 
 
 
You are crawling backwards which leads us to believe you may be crawling forwards soon.
Who knows?

 
You wiggle your way up to the toy basket in your room and take out every toy, taste test them and then get bored and throw them around. 
You like Scout the dog.  Someone will sit on the floor, call him over and you pet his legs and laugh so hard.  He tries to lick you in the mouth but I think that is the grossest thing so he's not getting away with that.

 
Aidan wants you to do EVERYTHING with him. Which is totally cool with you.  You rode around the grocery store with him like this and everything he touched, you reached out for.  It's pretty cute but eventually I'm going to be the Mom whose children take out a display. 
 
For the longest time you were such a Mommas boy.  I knew the time would come just as it did with Aidan.  You've given me the boot from the top of your list and Daddy has replaced me.  When he comes through the door at night, you literally push off of me to get to him.  If he didn't grab you, you would whine until he did.  Lucky for you, he is just as thrilled to see you.  He's Aidan's favorite too so he has to hold you both at the same time so no one's feelings are hurt.  (This man wants two more children. Where will they go?)


 
I'm so glad we took a leap of faith and made the decision after being a family of three for so long to have you.  You have added so much more joy in to this house.  Daddy and I have lucked out having two great boys and it makes us just want to keep having babies.  You're probably going to be the middle child around here.  You are a marvelous addition to our family and we are grateful for you everyday. 
 

 
 
I think that's about it kiddo.  We love you so much it's crazy!
 
Love, Mommy