The sounds of my children

I love to hear a baby talk. I really really love it. I love to go back and listen to Kennedy's first words that sound just like her sweet voice I hear every day. Whit came home yesterday from Michelle's babbling his very first real sounds. It made my heart melt....he says ba, ba, bu, bu, bu... and then looks at me so happy about it. He gets so proud of himself! I just love it. He is so sweet that baby...so sweet!

And my Kennedy...the sounds we hear from her lately might be crying (we do that a lot for no reason) and a little whining (we are also currently doing that a lot) and then of course her stories which I love. She went to the GSU baseball game tonight with Greg and came home talking all about GUS. And tonight as we read her favorite Big Sister book I would pause at certain points and she would fill in every word. Then we go to say our prayers and I tell her to put her hands together and she proceeds to say, "God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food." So no matter we go through with my sweet and crazy 2 year old, she ends the day making me smile.

I love the sounds of my children.

ALL In one weekend?

Yesterday Whit crawled for the first time. You could also call it scooting, but he can now get across the room to reach an object if he really wants it. I know he is super pumped about that! Yesterday if you asked me if he can sit up I would reply, "No not at all! He is weeks away from that. He just falls over every time!" Today, I put him on the floor and he sits. I put the boppy behind him in case he fell and he continued to sit. I even got brave enough to walk away and he sat for about 5 minutes and played with his drums without falling over! WHAT? My baby is rapidly learning new skills and I am not ready for all of this! And he is a boy, unlike his sister who would sit in one place, and is always looking around for what he can get. So after he had his few minutes sitting he decided there were much better things around he needed to explore. I had my camera in hand and caught the action. Here's the play by play...

Sitting pretty...smiling for mommy

There is something behind me I want to go get! I think I'll go for it!

Whoa!!!


Wow! That was a hard trip, but I think I can still get it!

Sweet success! I no longer have a newborn...it is official. May I cry my Katie tears like I always do and move on. :)

And not to leave my sweet Kennedy out...we went to take dinner to some friends that just had a baby. On the way home she says, "Mommy, I can't wait to see my DaDa!" Love it, love it!

A sleeping baby..

Recently I realized that I am not quite capturing the sweetness of my sleeping baby. It is hard because you want them to stay asleep but they are just so darn cute when they are sleeping. So I captured a few this weekend. This morning i go into his room and find this. Sound asleep with his hand gripped to that bumper. I would like to admit that Kennedy had no bumper at this age due to it being a suffocation hazard. Maybe I should take it out.....we'll see....sorry Sarah I know you are cringing right now! And the blanket...don't look at the blanket!

Whit is also not a carrier sleeper at all. But on this day he did fall fast asleep in the carrier. Knocked out!

He's on the move!!!

That's right! You heard me...my BABY is CRAWLING!! Keep an open mind as you watch this as to what is considered crawling. He has a little work to do but when he sees something he wants he can now go get it! How great does that feel? You know he is pumped about it! And yes, he still is working on sitting up and can now crawl, my little backwards baby. I guess I am going to miss the plop down and leave stage! Sad! I was so excited for him and a little sad for me. He is my baby. It seriously goes by WAY too fast. So, my Whit, mommy is so proud of you! 7 months out of the starting gate and you are racing the world. Enjoy it! Life is full of so much you are about to explore...and if I don't vacuum more you are going to explore a lot you shouldn't! Ha!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Favorite Friends

Drew is over for a little playtime this morning. They were having withdrawal problems from time together this week. Surprisingly we haven't seen them much. They are getting so big and really have become in their words, "favorite friends." It makes my heart happy...seriously happy! :) Currently Kennedy is telling Drew, "There is no scary monster, okay? Be very careful!" Drew says, "Katie, you get that monster?" Kennedy says, "It's just sleeping Drew, he's taking a nap." Drew says, "I am scared, Kennedy." Then Drew says, "Katie, I have to go to mall. Have fun!" So random... they crack me up. Enjoy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Mini Me!

Every morning Kennedy and I sit down at her little table to eat breakfast. Whit has started eating breakfast with us this week so I get out the bumbo and feed him beside us. It is just easier than the high chair in the mornings. This morning after Whit went down for a nap I find this....little mini me feeding her baby. I do love when she copies things I do. He was eating apples and cereal she said!

And my mini me look alike....so sweet! I just found out I can take black and white pics with my camera. I know, I know...I should have found that out a long time ago. Thanks Michelle!

Jay and Whit...we'll call Whit Jay's mini me! Ha! They are good friends already!

Welcome home Liza!

For those of you who don't know Liza I will not give a long background. It would take too long. She is one of my dearest friends and is currently wrapping up her trip across the country. Her destination...Portland, Oregon. Liza is my traveler friend. I also love to travel, just not right now in my life. She is the one I watch flitter from place to place and when she calls and says she is moving to China I simply say, "Great!" I expect things like that from her because that is who she is. She is a person that follows her heart. And her heart leads her to all ends of this earth we live on. So when she called and said she was moving to Portland, Oregon, what did I say? "FABULOUS!" And I truly feel that way about it. Today she should arrive in her new city. Her world will be changed. So today, Liza, you are in my prayers. I pray you find peace in your new move. I pray that God shows you the amazing things He has planned for you there. I really feel like you have made the perfect choice for you. May it feel like home instantly. But always know there are lots of homes around here that welcome you back. If only to visit..we'll always be here for you!

Lunch with Kennedy

Greg is working so it's just me and the kids. Kennedy and I had lunch together at home and this is our conversation.

K: "We're at home, mommy. Mommy, you're my favorite friend."
Me: "You're my favorite friend too Kennedy. I love you."
K: "Happy Valentine's Day Mommy."
Me: "Thank you Kennedy. :)"
K. "Happy Birthday, Mommy!"

Love it, love it, love it!

Whit at 7 months

I forgot to write about his 7 month things...what is wrong with me? So for documentations sake here goes...

At 7 months
*You are working on crawling..you can get across our rug in the living room, just not by crawling...I am not quite sure how you are getting places! I just find you in different directions and across the room. You are a good backwards scooter and you use your arms to turn yourself around. I like to lay on the floor in front of you and you try and try to get to me but can't quite figure it out. It is very funny!
*You are now eating 2 meals of real food a day. We started that this week. You have a little fruit and rice cereal for breakfast and a veggie at dinner. So far you love veggies...there is not one I have found you won't eat. Then we go for the fruit and you make an awful face! So you get lots more cereal than fruit...working on those taste buds! Mommy's milk is still your favorite though..as it should be!
*You play with toys like you were born to do it. You LOVE the remote control. If it were a toy it would be your favorite.
*You roll, and roll, and roll...where's the baby? (Just kidding..I do watch you!)
*You are starting two syllable noises such as, ah ya ya ya...that one is your favorite. You live in a pretty noisy house so sometimes you yell to be heard!
*You take baths with your sister now and I think it is your favorite part of the day. You splash and splash and laugh so hard at her.
*Oh and as stated in the previous post, there is no sitting up for you. You are the least interested in this position. Come on Whit..Don't you know how much easier life will be for me if you learn to sit? :) It's ok, take your time...:)


You might be the youngest Olliff but you certainly have made your place here. You don't let us forget you and you love every minute of this crazy house. We love you Whitty Whit!

Get to know my Whit..

Whit turned 7 months today! Sweet baby...he is getting so big. Well not actually big in size just age and development. He is a skinny little boy. He takes after the Sartin's for sure on that one! Greg was a chunky little baby and I was the skinny one. It is funny how that happens. He is working on learning to sit up, but still seems far away from that one. I laugh because Kennedy was at the perfect plop down age at 6 months and here we are at 7 and he has no interest in that. He is working VERY hard at learning to crawl. He can move around in a good circle to get places but can't figure out the forward movement. Crawling must be way more important to him. I took a TON of pictures today and yesterday and had trouble choosing for this post. So I thought I would take you on a little "get to know Whit journey" through my pictures. He is just so sweet!

All smiles...most of the time he is all smiles. He does pitch a few fits but those are usually for others and not me. He is happy in my arms. If I carried him around all day I don't think he would ever cry. This little boy loves his mommy already and I love that about him. Greg also lights up his world. He gets so excited when he gets home everyday!

The boy loves a nap. He is rolly polly lately in his crib. He prefers his tummy to sleep on. I will put him down in one spot and come back in and he is completely turned around in the other direction. How did he do that?
Wake up! Ok, yes I woke him up with the camera. In my defense he had been sleeping 2 1/2 hours and needed to eat. So I snapped a few. The paci....he LOVES his paci. LOVES IT!

Good morning! When someone wakes you up, how do you feel? Whit gets excited!

His sister...I'll catch him just watching her all the time. She amazes him I think. She breezes by him and could care less and there he sits gazing at her in amazement.

I love a brother/sister picture! Kennedy wanted to get in his crib with him after nap time this morning.

The jumperoo makes him happy. And that paci again...I have never had a baby that can take it out and put it back in! It still amazes me.

He put it in himself. Can you tell?

I love that he is still a baby. When Kennedy turned 7 months I talked about how old she was. I was thinking she was so close to a year. How do I feel this time around? Well, first of all I appreciate this lack of sitting up he has given me. It makes him still feel so "baby" and that makes me feel like he is staying a baby a little longer. I think the first time around you rush through things no matter how hard you try not to. This time I am cherishing a little more. I used to think I could not wait for Kennedy to tell me she loves me. And now she does and it melts my heart to pieces. But I can look into my son's sweet brown eyes and see that emotion. I don't need to hear it. He says it in a look and that for now is all I need. I never thought we needed another baby so soon and now I cannot imagine life without him. He is ours and just perfect. He brings a sweet joy to my home. I wish I could adequately put into words how I feel but my words won't do it justice. If you are a mom you know how I feel. I love him...I love him to the ends of the earth and more. You are my sweet angel, my Whit, and I am so blessed to be your mom. I love you!

Kennedy these days...

What's my little 2 year old up to lately? Well...we have hit the terrible twos and they are not so terrible so far! :) She does have her moments, but for the most part she is a happy little girl. She has started showing a little jealousy with Whit. I have made a point to spend more one on one time with her and that seems to help. Yesterday she said, "Mommy, you home? I so proud of you Mommy!" I think that was her way of telling me she was happy about Winter Break! She likes to stay home with me. She is talking so much lately. Her sentences amaze me. And she comes up with lots of big words like delicious or dangerous! It is so funny! She also refers to her daddy as DaDa and Greg. It just depends on how she feels at the moment. We keep telling her not to call him Greg but she doesn't care about that!

Here she is in action....she was told to sit down and this is what I get! She learned this from her dear friend Drew...we might should rethink our friends...ha! And pants....she hates pants....she would prefer to stay "necky" all day long. We hear, "No dressed! I wanna stay necky all day long!" on a VERY regular basis.

And this is classic Kennedy. I tell her to turn around and I get this. Do I seriously think she is going to do what I say?

We are working on potty training this week. So far she announces right AFTER she goes. That is a step I guess. We'll see how this goes this week while I am off.

I still can't believe this little girl was once my sweet baby. I look back at pictures and wonder what it was like to hold her. It seems like years and years ago that she was that little. Every new thing that comes is fun but I am learning to cherish a little more. It just goes by too fast. She'll be 18 before I know it. So we'll spend the terrible two's together and enjoy them because I know that they'll fly by. I love you my Kennedy!

What makes my soul happy

NEVER did I think my kids would be this close in age....NEVER did I know I could handle it...and NEVER did I know how happy it would make me. These two make my soul happy...when life spins all I need is this and I am happy. I am so thankful to be their mom. What did I do to deserve this? I must have been really good...:) I am truly, truly, blessed beyond measure.

Oh my sweet Kennedy...

Just a few things from the weekend...

Kennedy runs up to Whit and says.."Hey Whit it's me! It's Kennely" (that is how she pronounces her name :)) as she pats her chest so proudly that she is who she is. We had to turn around to not laugh at her!

Dinner tonight..."Whit can't take a bath mommy, he's too small. He's just a baby. He is too small for a bath." Then I ask her if she can take a bath and she replies, "I a big girl, I can take a bath!"

A bit of jealously has come out lately. This morning I went to get Whit to feed him and she yells, "NO MOMMY! Don't hold Whit!" Whatever will I do with this child of mine?

Bring on the WAGON WHEELS people!!

Oh, yes, you heard me right!! Whit has entered the world of even more food! He gets a little antsy at dinner time after he finishes his baby food so I needed some entertainment food while we ate. I was so cautious when I tried this with Kennedy and it was totally no big deal with Whit. I gave him a puff first. He wasn't a big fan. He still has trouble grabbing them off the tray and got frustrated. So we moved on to Wagon Wheels and he LOVED them! He ate two of them tonight. So here he is, my big boy, eating his first food he can bite into. What a BIG boy! LOVE IT!! Oh and his hair...it always sticks up like that. That is just Whit. Crazy hair and all!

Movie Night!

You get kind of sad when you realize your baby is not a baby anymore. I have mourned that with Kennedy. Then life with her got easier (in a different way) and even more fun! She can participate in more things now and it is fun to do things she likes. So tonight we claimed it movie night. We broke out the popcorn, which Big D taught her to love. She is tuned into The Little Mermaid and enjoying every minute of it. So I guess growing up is ok with me. As long as she'll still snuggle me and tell me she loves me. I do so love this little girl!

SNOW!!

No it did not snow in the boro! Our church did recreate it though! :) Every year they bring in fake snow for the kids to play in. Our kids do not know the joy of snow. Greg doesn't know the irritation of driving in it either. My mom thinks it is funny that Kennedy is two and just seeing snow for the first time. And it isn't even real!! Aaahh they joys of South Georgia. The kids enjoyed it and I made it through even though I wasn't feeling well. Here are some of my favorite pics. Enjoy!

Drewbie loves K! This is a hug, not a tackle!

And Banks...he was too cute! I LOVE a baby in a hat! I miss that...she just yanks them off now. Sad!

Kennedy and her friend Mary Banks. They were building tiny snowmen and were quite fascinated with them. Sweet girls!

Why me?

I feel the need to complain for just a minute. After I finish this I am going to move on, but I feel like I deserve to dwell on it for just a brief time. I nursed Kennedy for a year. I plan on doing the same for Whit. I love nursing for so many reasons. I really feel sorry for those that don't like it or don't have a good experience with it. All this to say, this time around has been much harder for me. I got mastitis when Whit was 5 days old and in the hospital for jaundice. Then I got it again when he was 8 weeks old. I got proactive at that point because I was not going to quit. I researched and talked with our lactation consultant who was wonderful, and came up with some ideas to prevent it again. I took an herbal supplement for a while and had no problems so I put that away and stopped using it. Last week I had strep and was so sick all week. Yesterday at work I started feeling crappy again and I thought, no way can this be happening to me again. But yes it was, and mastitis it was again. It hits me really fast and drags me down really fast. I am back on antibiotics and I am feeling much better today. I am a discouraged nursing mom today though. I don't know why this time I have had to bear through this so many times. And a lot of me doesn't know how many more times I can handle this. I want so much the best for my baby and breastmilk is truly the best. He spit up so much those early days when I had to do formula for a short time, I don't even want to go there. So today, I am going to feel sorry for myself. I am going to be discouraged. Tomorrow I will change my attitude. I will realize the benefits of nursing and know that every bit of sacrifice I am doing is for my son. But today I am just mad that this happens to me. And I don't think it is very fair. I think I deserve some large reward for being so committed, not a sick punishment! Why me? Really, why me?!!

Love it! Love it!!

I dressed my kids alike today. I love matching outfits! Jen and the kids come over and in walks Drewbie with the very same outfit on! LOVE IT!! So of course I got out the camera. Poor Lorelei was not included in the matching. I am sure her heart hurt a little. This was my favorite picture by far. The boys are oblivious to the fact that poor Lorelei can't sit up for the picture and my Kennedy, the motherly soul, is all eyes on the baby! These are the cutest kids around you know! At least we think so! :) We're glad you are becoming part of the group Lorelei. Next are TOYS!! I bet they can't wait to teach you about that!!!