15 months. one week late.

I am a week behind on this. Kayla turned 15 months last Monday. I came in to work that day then realized that it was my baby's 15th month birthday. It really bothers J that Kayla has a birthday every month. Haha! It's not like I go out and get her a present every month nor do I get her a cake. What scares me though is that I might be that mom who does the month age thing - 18 months instead of a year and a half - 24 months instead of two years old. That mom. I really hope not. I'm sure once she's a year and a half that the month thing will be done.

So what has Kayla been up to lately? She has her own language and is not really a fan of using her words. She likes to point at things that she wants. She attempts to say shoes all the time but it sound more like "shish". It's so adorable. She also tries to put on her shoes, too. I have a feeling that this girl is going to love shoes. She tries to jump when I say jump only her feet do not lift off the floor - she swings her arms and tried to jump though. She knows her body parts - head, eyes, nose, belly, and legs.

She eats really well. She loves the standard Cheerios and Goldfish. She loves cheese and pasta just like her daddy. She adores anything potatoes as long as they are fried. She loves broccoli! Loves!!! And she can't get enough of tuna salad. Two servings at school kind of can't get enough.

I think that she is going through a bit of separation anxiety. It doesn't matter if I'm dropping her off at day care or if I'm leaving for work and she's staying home with J. It's always filled with tears. I really hope that this passes soon. I want to be able to walk away from her feeling good that she'll be okay although I know that she eventually stops crying.

I'm afraid to even say it, but I think that we are seeing early signs of the dreaded terrible 2's. This little girl is very strong-willed and opinionated. She has outbursts when she doesn't get things her way. She would flail and fall on the floor in fits and in tears. Sometimes we just laugh 'cause it's a bit dramatic but there are days when she just can't let things go.

All in all, it's been a fun ride so far. Kayla keeps us on her toes. She brings us so much joy and gives us something to look forward to everyday. I can only imagine what the next 15 months will bring!

Rain boots

Now that I've moved to flood-central when it rains - I need these!

I hate you, rain!

It's raining. A lot. It hasn't stopped since late last night. It's getting out of hand. I didn't know I moved to Seattle. Ha!

It's been a very eventful month. I can't believe that it's been almost a month since our move. A lot has changed this past 30 days. J is still enjoying work. I received a job offer the day after we move. Kayla has started "school". I've been working for a week now.

Our little family is enjoying our new city. We have met some new people and are starting to get settled into our new norm. I'd like to think that Kayla likes her school. I know this whole daycare thing is very new to her - to all of us. The teachers tell me that she likes the kids. She rubs their heads and gives them kisses. She even gives her favorite teacher "sugar" before we leave for home. Drop-off is still a mess at times. She whines and cries but I know she stops right away. I call at least twice a day to check on her. She is very excited and happy when I come in the afternoons to pick her up but sometimes she cries 'cause I think she remembers that I left her.

All in all, everything is peachy. I'm looking forward for the rain to go away, a whole weekend at home with hubby & baby and finally getting a paycheck again.

My want list

If I win the lottery tonight I am definitely buying everything on this post!

Farmhouse bed from PB, king, pls? I even like the bedding with it. I'll take two of these also!

Montego dining table and chairs from PB

Isabella barstool - 3 of these for the breakfast bar.

MacBook pro

I think that's it for my list today. I want to add an iPhone4, dslr, and a new car. It a very short list so it shouldn't be that hard to get 'em all in one day. Ha! One can dream, right?

We have a walker!

I didn't think this day was going to come. I was actually nervous that she would be 2 years old and still not walking. Ha! Her pediatrician did say not to worry since the average age for babies to walk is around 13.5 months. Kayla crawls really fast and doesn't like to walk all that much. She knows that she can get somewhere a lot faster if she crawled. She cruises around the living room a lot - on the couch, coffee table, etc.

My mom called me at work on Monday to let me know that Kayla took 11 consecutive steps. I remember telling her to stop making Kayla walk 'cause I was afraid that she wouldn't do it in front of me when I got home. Ha!

I got home that afternoon from work all excited to see if my baby girl was going to put on a show and she did! She walked and I got it on video. J was pretty upset that he wasn't home when all of this happened. I had to quickly upload the video and email it to him.

Our trip to Tidewater

Kayla and I went down to see J on Saturday. The decision to see him was not planned at all but necessary. We left Richmond around 730am and Kayla did so well on the drive down. We listened to Rascal Flatts and she snacked on Cheerios. She was a good little travel buddy.

She was so excited when she saw J! I know J was, too! This last 3 weeks or so has been a little tough but the end is finally in sight! With or without a job, we are moving come September 1st!

The purpose of our trip was to check out a couple of places that J had already seen. We looked at one place and decided to go with it. It's in the city and very different from where we are living now but the place felt just right. It's pretty much brand new and we'll be the 2nd tenants when we move in. The amenities of the complex are just amazing and the area is great. J's job is only a 5 minute drive and we are so close to everything.

I am so excited that we know when we'll all be together again but I'm not looking forward to packing and the move itself. It's a bit scary since I don't have a job lined up but I'm going to stay positive and hope for the very best. We will definitely miss Richmond, specially our parents. I know the grandmas have been emotional wrecks since we told them about this move but we are only 100 miles down the road.

Does absence make the heart grow fonder?

J and I have only been apart three times the past five and a half years - 1st time was about 5 years ago when he went to Philadelphia for a 3-day work-related training, 2nd time was almost two years ago on the night before our wedding, and the last time was a year ago the day before we took Kayla home from the hospital. So you see, I'm used to having my J around. Oh, and did I mention that we have worked in the same place for these 5 plus years? I know, people ask all the time how we do it. How can I possibly live with him and work with him. That's seriously 24/7 of being together.

Well things are changing. He left yesterday for his new job which is about an hour and a half away. He is only coming home during his days off. The arrangement is temporary until I am able to relocate where he is and this is only happening once I find a job. The situation we are in is on the opposite side of the spectrum of what we were used to. We went from 24/7 of being together to now being apart and only seeing other every so often.

We knew when he accepted this job that this is going to be our temporary norm. I don't have to like it but I am supporting him 100%. This opportunity is great for his career and his ultimate goal. For now, we shall see if absence does make the heart grow fonder.