Merry Christmas...early!

Santa visited our house a little early this year since we will be travelling to Seattle on the morning of Christmas Eve. When we woke up this morning, Keira awoke to a tree and stocking full of presents.

After eating her breakfast, she and Daddy went through the goodies in her stocking.












Keira and Daddy then walked from the family Room to the Living Room to check out the goodies under the tree.







When Keira saw the tree, she let go of Daddy and crawled over to see what was under the tree.












She immediately began playing with the toys that Santa had left for her.












Daddy helped her with some of the presents and others she helped herself. She kind of enjoyed tearing the wrapping paper off the gifts!



















She liked Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from Great Aunt Cheryl and Great Uncle Bill.

And she loved playing with the Bee Bop Band that Santa brought.

Daddy liked the drink coaster that Keira made for him with her footprint on it. And Mommy liked the card that Keira gave her with her sock in it. Mommy and Daddy also exchanged gifts with each other.

The rest of the day was spent playing with toys. Keira really likes her new pink butterfly tent and played quite a while in it today. She also played peekaboo in it, trying to hide behind the doorway fabric. So cute!

We topped off the evening with a wonderful meal that Daddy cooked for us: steak, mashed potatoes, and carrots. Yummy! Keira even ate some mashed potatoes and carrots tonight, and liked them! She wasn't a huge fan of them at Thanksgiving dinner so Mommy was pleasantly surprised when she started making motions that she wanted what Mommy was eating.

Now there are just three days until we fly to Seattle. We will be quite busy until then getting ready for the trip, what with laundry, house cleaning, and packing. And don't forget playgroup on Monday and lunch with Ellen on Tuesday! Whew. I think I will be happy to get on that plane as it will mean we accomplished everything that needed to get done between now and then!

My diaper bag, my love

I spent almost 13 months carting Keira's diaper bag around, almost like an appendage, everywhere we went. Only recently have I begun to leave it in the car. It has been very liberating...until today.

Since Keira was weaned from nursing about a month ago and doesn't need a diaper change too often anymore, there really isn't much in the diaper bag that we need during an outing into a store. We are not likely to need it while walking down the aisles of the grocery store, or like today, when Keira and I went to Target to pick up some cookie decorating supplies to use at our playgroup's holiday party this Friday. I also wanted to check out the toys to see if they had one item I knew that Keira might like for Christmas.

After a brief search through the $1 bins for stocking stuffers, our next stop was the toy section. We had been there maybe ten minutes when I looked over at Keira sitting in the shopping cart. She was strangely bent over the right side of the cart and it looked like she might be trying to grab a toy off a lower shelf. "Keira, what are you doing?" I ask her. She turns her head to me and I immediately recognize the look of her red-rimmed eyes. "Oh, no! You didn't....not a poopy..." I plead. A few seconds pass while I hope that I am wrong for once. Suddenly a pungent smell wafts my way. Nope. My first instinct was unfortunately correct. A mom knows these things.

A poopy diaper has been born...in Target...without the diaper bag...today we are those people. You know the ones, you've smelled them before... In her 13 months of life, I can remember maybe half a dozen poopy diapers that she has had while out and about. This has to be, by far, the stinkiest! Of all the days to leave the diaper bag in the car!

What to do? Leave our half full shopping cart and go out to the car? I, always practical and efficient, make the decision to quickly finish my shopping so that we can pay for our purchases before going out to the car to grab the diaper bag, dropping off our purchases, and coming back in to change the diaper. Of course, this would have to be the one time in my life that I can't quickly find what I want to purchase. Every time I head down a new aisle, I am so aware of the stench eminating from Keira's bum and afraid that every single person I walk past can also smell it. Why me? So we stroll up and down the aisles of the toy section trying to find an item that, it soon becomes obvious, is not available in this store. At one point, Keira starts to turn around in her seat, lifting her smelly bum off the seat, and turning it in my direction. "Whoa, girl! You need to sit down right now!!" And, for the first time, I wasn't saying this for her safety!

I quickly get her situated again, and decide to give up the fight. This diaper needs changing now! As we head swiftly down the corridor toward the checkout lanes, some toys catch my eye that might fit the bill. I take a minute to look over the options and pluck the best one off the shelf. Off we go to check out. It being lunchtime for working people, the checkout lanes are pretty busy. So we get in a line and fortunately it moves pretty quickly. I try not to get too close to the person in front of me. No need to subject them to Keira's odor.

I pay for our purchases while I make a joke to the cashier about what has occurred. On my way out to the car, I realize I never bought the cookie decorating supplies, our main reason for coming to Target!

All that rushing through the toy section for naught. All that smelliness for naught. Sighing, I put the shopping bags in the trunk and grab the diaper bag from the back seat. Keira and I head back inside to change her diaper...and actually finish our shopping!

Take two...except this time we have the diaper bag, my appreciation for it renewed.

Where's Keira's belly?

Keira has recently gained an interested in reading books: opening the book, turning pages, giving the book to Mommy or Daddy for us to read the book to her. About three weeks ago, Keira discovered a book called "Ears, Nose & Toes". "Here is the baby's nose. Can Keira point to the baby's nose?" By the end of the first evening of reading the book, she twice points to the baby's nose in the book, surprising both of us and receiving much applause. A few days later, she can point to Mommy's nose when asked.

Later that week, Keira and Daddy come back from a diaper change with a new trick to show Mommy. "Keira, where is Daddy's ear?" Daddy asks. She touches one of his ears. I immediately ask her where are Mommy's ears. She happily obliges me and touches one of mine. "How did she learn that during the diaper change?" I ask. "She grabbed at one of my ears and I told her it was Daddy's ear each time she touched it." Yea! And all of a sudden we are learning parts of the body!

Over the past two weeks, we have continued to read "Ears, Nose & Toes" and I make a conscious effort to name different parts of the body throughout the day: "Mommy's going to tickle Keira's belly", "Kick your feet" and "Splash your hands" in the bath, naming body parts as I put her clothes on her, etc. All the while we continue to ask her where are our noses and ears. Yep, still where they were the last time we asked her. She still can't find her own nose or ears, but she will find them soon...I just know it!

Tonight, it was my turn to take Keira up for the diaper change. After changing her diaper, I begin changing her into her pajamas. When I take off her bodysuit, I can't resist giving her bare belly a little tickle, then I ask "Where's Keira's belly?" She responds by enthusiastically slapping her bare belly several times with both hands. Yea! She knows where her belly is! After putting on her pajamas, she begins playing with her feet (she loves to pull them up to her mouth or take one foot in each hand and clap them together). "Where's Keira's toes?" She responds by pulling on the end of her feet. Yea! she knows where her toes are!

It was now my turn to bring Keira back from a diaper change with two new tricks to show Daddy. "Where's Keira's belly?" I ask, as she sits on the floor between us with her legs straight out in front of her. She responds by slapping her knees. Ergh...she just did it upstairs for me, I swear! After a second try, she points to her belly. "Where's Keira's toes?" I ask now, trying to save face. She turns to me and points very carefully to my nose. Ergh!!! This isn't going so well. "Where are Keira's tiny toes?" I amend. She points toward her feet. See! The girl's a genius!

Countdown to Christmas...

There are just 11 days until Christmas, which means 10 days until we fly to Seattle for the holidays! (The three of us fly out at 8:30 am that morning)

On December 3rd, I took Keira to visit Santa Claus at the mall.

Pic left: Last year, she was just over one month old when she first met St. Nick. She took a nice snooze in his arms while the camera clicked away....

Pic right: This year, she was just over 13 months old when she renewed his acquaintance. The picture people tried to get me to sit on Santa's lap with her. I said I didn't want to be in the picture. The response "She's going to cry." My response "That is fine." And cry she did...but it only lasted a couple of minutes. Isn't that what happens to all little children?! 'Tis the season to be...scared witless?

Anyway, the countdown begins... 11...

And so the blogging begins...

This evening, while awaiting the start of the Giants v. Cowboys game, I got the great idea to start blogging the happenings of life with Keira (why I have waited this long, I do not know!). I have recently discovered that several other moms that I know have been blogging for quite some time, and I find it interesting to read what they are posting.

Given that we live so far from our families, I figure that a blog about what is happening in our lives (most importantly, Keira's life!) would be of interest to them. So here it goes...a blog is born!

A few words of explanation: MomMom is what Keira is currently calling me when I don't ask her to say my name (i.e. cries from the crib, exclamations of joy). When asked to say "Mama", her reply is "Da Da Da", much to my chagrin. It has now become a game with her.

One more thing: Go Giants!