And the award goes to.... WONDER PETS!!!

Well out of all the kiddie shows I've seen so far, I'm gonna vote for WONDER PETS as one of my favs. I LOVE Ming Ming!!! She has a sweet baby voice. Those little pets are so smart and cute. They have some really funny phrases and jokes too. They can be smart asses to eachother too, which I find hilarious. Plus they save other animals and I am an animal LOVER. I noticed the other day that I was singing the theme song while cleaning. Kelson really isn't much into TV right now, but I am learning what good stuff is on tv. Its hard for her to really watch it cause our TV in our bedroom is up on our fireplace and the view for her is kinda crappy. So i try to let her watch TV in her bouncy bouncy in our livingroom- perfect view and nice and big.

Dora is really cute too and her cartoons are very educational and FUN. I find myself looking for them on TV for Kelson to watch. Although my sweet hubby DOESN'T like her watching it, I managed to give him a little glimpse and realize that the whole dang cartoon wasn't in SPANISH, just a few words, so I think he's ok with it now. My little niece, Belle, LOVES Dora and I want her and Kelson and Corgan to all communicate in all languages. Memere Lucy is Canadian, so she is also teaching Kelson French and so are Jason's aunts. So if we keep this up- Kelson will know 4 different languages by the time she starts talking. Course we just do a little of each at a time so she isn't TOO confused :)

So what are you parents watching out there with your kids? What do you recommend?

Kelson's Favorite Things...

I was just going through my sister's blog and she listed some of Belle's favorite things as she was getting older, so I thought I would do the same for Kelson.

Some of her fav things to do at 5 1/2 months are: take a bath (note: cannot turn off the water- must leave it running- I guess she likes the sound of running water), looking at her hands (always looking at them like she's about to do an interpretive dance move), LOVES to look at her reflection in the mirror (she can be screaming her head off and then you take her to a mirror and instance smile), gets very excited when she's eating her solid food for the day, loves to be sang to, LOVES her jumperoo (which we call her bouncy bouncy), giving kisses, likes to be scared, and pats your face while your feeding her forumla, and that last thing I can think of she LOVES her pacifier (that I call her pap pap). Thank GOD for the inventor of that!

NEW PICS ARE POSTED

Sorry that it took a while to see new pics, but I made up for it. I posted 5 new albums on our albertsland kodak gallary site. Hope you guys check em out! Kelson is getting so big and is just so darn cute! I LOVE this picture of Kelson- her pretty blue eyes. Wonder where she got those ;)

Is it really true.... NKOTB Returns???

My mom e-mailed me the other day and said that the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK are getting back together. They mentioned it on The View. I had to ask her if she was serious. Can you guys believe that!?! So for all you girls that LOVED them (since they did start the boy band craze) who wants to all get together- POOF our bangs, WEAR those big buttons with their pictures on it (Keri) lol, BRING the Big Bop Magazine for them to sign, AND TIGHT roll our jeans and go to their concert, let me know? I may just have to check them out if they are around town! Whose in? lol!

NKOTB RETURNS

Smarty Peaches

(Thanks to my sister for the title)!! :) Well I was able to capture Kelson giving me the "more" sign lastnight while eating her peaches. I uploaded it from my cellphone to youtube.com so I hope you all can see it (Select the SMARTY PEACHES link below). How exciting that she's already started to talk back at 5 1/2 months! Way to go Kelson!

Smarty Peaches

That's the good stuff...

My sister encouraged me to try feeding Kelson cereal with a spoon- instead of in her bottle, so we gave it a shot. Kelson did VERY well for her first time.

I just wanted to write down all the foods that Kelson has tried so far so I don't forget. We have been very fortunate and she hasn't had any allergic reaction to the foods. She still is drinking her lactose-free formula. She enjoys this.

1st fruit- Bananas- She loved em
1st veggie- Sweet Potatoes- she seemed to have an upset tummy with these
2nd fruit- Applesauce- she loved those too
2nd veggie- Carrots- she does very well with these. Suprisingly they are sweeter than sweet potatoes.
Next Adventure will either be peas or peaches! Prob peaches.

I was thinking about going on the "Gerber baby stage 2 diet"- haha! Little bit of food and not many calories.

Kelson does a GREAT job at eating her food. They have this little spoon now called "Little Dipper" that allows them to feed themselves. Kelson LOVES doing this. She grabs it and sticks it right in her mouth (well sometimes)lol. I am teaching her to use the "more" sign at each feeding. I believe she is starting to catch on. I want to catch the first sign on camera, so I try to have it nearby.

I still love having that quality time with Kelson- feeding her formula- she is trying to hold up her own bottle and plays with her hands and whomever's hands who is feeding her. She wraps her little fingers around yours. Its so precious. I love these moments.

I also LOVE bathtime with Kelson. Those of you who don't know- Jason and I added on a 750 sq ft bedroom & bathroom to our house. Well our bathtub is HUGE, so Kelson and I have so much fun in there. We read the "Water Water Everywhere" book each time and then play with her bath toys. I sing to her and we laugh and we splash. Its so much fun! She also stares at my boobies like - um... those look familiar, but I've managed to distract her. haha.

And the job goes to... ME!!!!

Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes! I just received a phone call and e-mail this morning from our HR dept and I GOT THE JOB!!!! YEA!!!! I will probably start in a month or two- after they get a replacement for me. I know that could take years- lol. Just kidding. Thanks again. I'm really excited that God has blessed us once again!

Boy how the times are changing...

Well the last couple weekends I have really realized how my "weekend" life has changed since Kelson's arrival. As Lucy and I were walking through bridgestreet - with Kelson in the stroller- and I was shopping for baby clothes around 8pm on a SAT night and I had plans to go home and watch a movie, snuggle with Kelson, and then go to bed around 10:30pm. I knew that things were different. I didn't have ANY desire to go out - even though I have numerous babysitters. Since I still work full-time I don't get to see Kelson as much as I want, so any time I can have with her- I take advantage of. Even last weekend Jason and I went to eat with some old friends and after dinner and a movie we were ready for bed- haha- it was 11pm! But since we don't get much time alone- we went out after, but went home not too long after.

Before I found out I was pregnant, I was in the gym EVERY night- working on my bod-lol. Then my girlfriends and I would plan our weekend earlier in the week. Before I found out I was prego- the last couple of months Stacey and I both were going out together pretty often. Esp since Jason wasn't home most weekends. We were each other's workout and weekend buddies ;) Well after i found out I was prego, of course that had to stop, but I did manage to get out a few times and even was the DD. I owed it to some of my friends after all. Well Stacey got pregnant a few months after me, so we both settled down. We were both laughing at how much things have changed. We used to borrow clothes and jewelry and the other day she borrowed some of my post pregnancy things. It was hilarious! I mentioned how much our lifes had changed in a year. She has TWO little ones now. So needless to say - our lives aren't the same, but I can definitely say its still just as great- just in a different way.

Now don't get me wrong I have gone out and partied and stayed up too late a few times, but most mornings I wake up to "wanting my daughter"- no matter what I feel like. Life is only getting better!

The Chipmunk Adventures DVD

Not sure how many of you watched The Chipmunks when you were younger (back in the late 80's), but I just found the Chipmunk Adventure Movie on DVD at Wal-Mart. I was SO excited. Keri, Kyle, and I used to watch it ALL the time with mom and dad- of course. I have it on VHS, but who watches those anymore ;), so I was hoping it would come out. Kelson and I watched it on Sat - a few times- I love it just as much I did back then. I was singing along to all the songs- they really do have some cute and catchy songs on the movie- Kelson really seemed to enjoy it too. She loves any type of SINGING anything. That's my girl :) I'm going to buy it for my little niece Belle to enjoy and sing along too for her 2nd bday!!! I recommend it for ALL ages!!
****** 5 stars.

Here's your sign...

Well I started teaching Kelson how to sign about 2 weeks ago and although she hasn't "signed" back yet, I thinks he is getting the concept. I'm teaching the signs to her babysitters too so she can work with her so everyone is consistent and she is seeing it daily. The "signing" book recommends that I teach her a min of 6 and a max of 12, so right now I'm teaching her: Milk, More, Eat, Puppy, Fan, Light, Bathtime, Mom, Dad, and Bedtime. One mom in the book started teaching her daughter at 6 months old and by 8 months she knew 10 signs! That's amazing that a child can talk to you without even being able to verbally speak. I really wanted to start this with Kelson because my sister taught Annabelle and I was so amazed how much she could communicate to Keri. One time I was watching Belle when she was 8 months or so and she was signing to me and I didn't know them so I couldn't tell what she was telling me. Who felt like the stupid one there? lol! Some people say that signing slows down their speech progress, but thats not true. You have to work on teaching them both. Annabelle speaks VERY WELL for her age and still does a few signs when talking.

When I was feeding Kelson applesauce the other day I could have SWORN she was trying to do the "more" sign, but I think it may have been her just playing with her hands? Who knows. I want to believe she is already catching on, but Jason and I are working with her everyday. Just have to be patient- like anything else.

Rolling Rolling Rolling

Well my little girl is starting to roll over now. She had the tummy to back roll a month or so ago, but she finally got the back to tummy roll. It takes her a while and has to be reaching for something, but she is finally doing it on her own. She is so cute.
She's laughed out loud a few times already too- its so adorable. I love to hear her laugh. Makes my heart melt. I'm still trying to figure out how to get my videos on here so you guys can see and hear her.

There I am...

I was running across some old files today at work and came across a few pictures of me when I was a baby. I can't believe how much Kelson is starting to look like me. At first all i could see was Jason, but now I can see me too. Its so exciting! Everyone says that she looks Just like Jason, but after seeing these pictures I think they will agree she looks like BOTH of us. My mom and sister kept saying how she looked like me, but I never saw it till now. What a cute girl she will grow up to be :) lol! Her personality is already starting to show.

Movin on up.... WELL... hopefully!

Just received a call from our HR dept at Boeing that I have an interview this Friday for a Staff Analyst Level 3 position. YEA! I've been in my current position for almost 3 years now and I'm ready to do something more challenging and different within Boeing. So everyone please pray that I do well in the interview and get the job- if its God's will. Keep your fingers crossed!! I'll let ya know what happens.

AND

I received my 5 year anniversary award with Boeing from my manager today! Good times!

Rick Burgess and family....

Rick from "Rick and Bubba"'s son- two year old- drown yesterday. Please pray for his family that they will get through this. Here is their website for more information: http://www.rickandbubba.com/. Its horrible how things like this happen and you wonder why this could happen or better yet- why God could get something like this happen? God has a reason for EVERYTHING although at the present time we don't understand what it could be.
Being a new mom, I don't know what I would do if something like this happened to my little baby. So everyone please say a prayer for him and his family.
Our deepest condolences go out to them!!!!

Look Mommy... HANDS

Kelson has begun to explore her hands and she is facinated with them. She is always watching them and playing with them. Seems to have them in the praying pose quite a bit too. She is so fun much. She started applesauce today at Grammy's house. Jason is on his way back from Orlando. They played at the Hard Rock Cafe lastnight. How exciting. Heartland is going back to Nashville this week to finish mixing the songs so they can get a new release out. Lots going on. Kelson's cold is pretty much gone. She did really well with it and has never quit smiling. She is so much fun!

Kodak Gallery Link

We have posted new pictures so be sure to visit our photo gallery.

Bananas for the Minkey...

For those of you who don't know Minkey is Kelson. This is her daddy and Bobfather's nickname for her. They are HUGE Prof Cluso(from the old Pink Panther movies). If you've seen the movie and know his accent, you'll understand. He's actually saying Monkey, but because of his accent it sounds like Minkey. Jason gave her this nickname initially because she was grabbing stuff with her toes like a monkey. Anyways, so Kelson had her first taste of "real" food today. I put her in the bumbo and tried to feed her the bananas- she seemed to really enjoy it but then after a few min she was done. So I was kinda sad cause I was anxious for her to try something that actually had some flavor to it. So I went and changed her diaper, cleaned out her nose, and put her i the bouncy seat and tried again. She did WONDERFUL. Ate the whole jar. I didn't give her another jar for dinner cause I didn't want to overdo it. All dr's suggest that you feed them the same fruit or veggies for a few days to make sure they aren't allergic to it or it hurts their tummy. She was in a great mood all day and woke up that way again this morning, so we are gonna give her some more bananas today. I'm anxious to see if she reacts the same. I think she likes eating in her bouncy seat instead of the bumbo (more comfortable for her).

SMILE... your on Canon camera

When my sister was here for the holidays she helped Jason and I go online and find a nice "photographers" camera to capture high resolution/quality pics of Kelson. We purchased a Canon Rebel. We got in the mail the other day and OMG its awesome. It takes really clear pics and has really cool settings. I still have to get to know the camera better and read the "book" on it, but I think its gonna be something wonderful to capture pics of our family. Jason has already started clicking away. He can get some really good "Heartland" shots with it too. Shows, poses, etc..
Thank you Keri for your help and guidance. Next step... to learn how to use Photoshop! I have a graphics guy here at work that deals with photoshop every day and is going to guide me through it. I'm excited about learning how to use it for Kelson's pictures. I'll post some of the ones we have taken- once I read the part of the book- haha!

YUCK.. the green stuff...

Poor little Kelson caught her cousin's colds while they were here for the holidays. Both of her cousins had bronchitis, so I wanted to make sure that Kelson didn't have it too, but it turns out she had a slight case and was on the end of it, so she said she would only get better. She is doing much better already. She didn't have an ear infection or a fever, so the dr expects her to be back to normal very soon. I stayed home from work Friday to tend to her and give her the req'd medicine (robitussin dm). It did seem to help. Kelson made the same EWWWW face I make when she took the medicine as I do when I have to take the "green stuff". I HATE that stuff. Thanks to Xango I haven't had to take it in a long time. That tastes 100 times better. Jason is at home tending to our little girl now. Since the medicine is only required if she is doing HEAVY coughing- I only gave her two doses of it this weekend.

Even though we aren't due to go back to the dr again for another month for her next round of shots- they did weigh her and she is up to 14lbs/12oz- that was fully dressed, but I still couldn't believe it. She gained 2lbs in one month! At least we know she is eating ok. hehe!

Catching up... Christmas time...

Christmas for us this year was so awesome. So hard to believe that we had a beautiful little girl here to share it with. She did so good. She tried to open a few presents and did really well with it. She had that grip hold on that paper and tore it open. She got so many awesome things from toys, clothes, books, and all the things a 4 month old needs ;) Jason and I didn't have to buy her much- I got her the essential stuff- formula, diapers, wipes, etc.. cause I knew the family would spoil her with the "fun" things; and they did. I am going to post some of our pictures from Christmas time. As she was opening presents, taking naps, during Christmas Eve and Christmas all I could think about was "OMG I can't wait till next year". Our family is HUGE into Christmas and Santa so I can't wait to have fun with that with her. We spent Christmas Eve with the Alberts at their house- and some of Lucy's family members- and we had a great time. Got a late start on opening presents so we had to finish up Christmas morning. We got a few hours sleep and went at it again Christmas morning- before this was Nanny and Santa time, but since we had family coming in and traditions tend to change as family grows, we went to mom's house around 11am to do Christmas with them. My sister's family, mom and dad, and GAK (Great Aunt Kim)and Olivia, and my brother Kyle joined us this year for Christmas- we really had a great time. Jason, Kelson, Eers, and I went home to shower and take a little nap and then came back to Grammy's house for Christmas dinner. WHICH I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT WE WERE ON TIME and I DIDN'T GET IN TROUBLE AT ALL THIS YEAR- haha! Right mom :) I think having the grandbaby helped soothed things this year and we just went with the flow. Kelson had a great time hanging out with Corgan and Annabelle. They were so much fun. Belle kept repeating "Baby Kelson"... it was adorable and it showed me that Keri had been teaching Belle who Kelson was. She could say Baby Kelson and Baby Corgan so clear- it was so sweet. I really enjoyed having QT with my family and their families. Check out my kodakgallery to look at the Christmas pics.