Hello Again Fishies!

Our next playdate was at the aquarium. Austin didn't care that we had just been there with cousins a week before. He just liked being with his friends.




And he liked getting wet!


The aquarium has a really fun water area that squirts.



Everyone enjoyed the touch tanks




As usual, McKenna enjoyed coming along for the ride


I particularly liked the new otter exhibit! Otters are in my top 5 animals!


I thought the exhibit sponsor was funny (funny ironic, not funny ha ha)


Toucan!**


Austin toddled around after Jack. I love that they are such good buddies! Once again, it was nice that he had a hand to hold! But Jack also forgets that Austin is so much smaller than he is, so they went down a few times!


And I just thought these were beautiful! What an amazing creator we have!



**Yes, I know that's not actually a toucan. But that's what Brian decided they were while we were on our honeymoon. So they've been toucans ever since. Ask Brian to do an otter impression too. It's pretty darn cute!

Another Great (Grandparents') Day

It had been several months since my grandparents had seen the kids, so we scheduled a day to go out with my mom to Orange County. My aunt & uncle brought my cousin's little girl 'M' again and my other aunt and uncle came for the day to join in on the fun. Not nearly as much crying this time as last time and the kids played so good together! I'm sure we wore Grandma & Grandpa out, but it was a great day!






"M" is still one of the cutest little girls ever!


Austin always the goofball!





(He's trying to ride that little tractor)

McKenna was a happy girl this time!


The three great grandkiddos


She loves her Nani!


Great Grandma & my kids


Great Grandma & her girls


McKenna & Aunt Jody


Austin got all snuggly with Aunt Jody & let her read to him. And he doesn't let just anyone read to him!




We also got a visit with Grandpa Steinmeyer in. McKenna was much awake than last time! I think they practiced matching their expressions too.

The Grass May Be Greener...

But please don't make me lay on it!

Alternately titled...
Mom tortures child for photo op

Alternately titled...
Aaaahhhh! I got nature on me!!!

8 Months

I first titled this "9 Months." Momma brain is apparently in full swing. I could have sworn she was 9 months! I'm pretty sure that's what I told a few people this last week. Woops! I definitely don't want to speed things up!

So anyway...8 months! It was another great month! And since I'm late again (We've been sickies so I kept putting off taking her picture) I'm writing it as of today. So not everything is by 8 months.






New this month...
We have a crawler! With one day to spare before she turned 8 months! It started as a combination of army crawl, bear crawl and a few real crawl "steps", but she has quickly figured out real crawling. She's a little slow moving, but she gets where she wants to go.

Right along with crawling, McKenna also figured out how to get into a sitting position from her hands and knees. The first time she did it, you could tell she was so pleased with herself!

Solids are still not going good! I think I have figured out that it has to do with 3 factors. 1) She only eats when she's hungry. Even if it's something she likes, she turns it down if she's not pretty hungry. So the only times she eats somewhat well is when I put off nursing her a bit to get some solids practice in first. 2) She's picky & finicky! Just when I think I have it figured out what she will eat, she decides it doesn't taste good! 3) We're still dealing with mechanical issues. She still chokes on puffs and forgets to swallow thicker pureed food sometimes. I'm sure she'll eventually get it, I just hope it's before she goes to college! Cuz I'm not nursing her that long!

Everything goes in her mouth! Toys, shoes, toes (and not just her own! She'll go after yours too!) and anything else she can get her little pincher grasp on! I have to keep the floors pretty clean and Austin has to keep his precious puzzle pieces far from her grasp. Austin hardly put anything in his mouth, so this is definitely a new challenge!

Sleep was good this month! Naptime & bedtime are a breeze now! She nurses and goes down wide awake. She gets to watch her sea horse until it turns off and then she falls asleep on her own. Occasionally she has a hard time winding down and will move about her crib for a bit. Rarely she's start fussing and if she gets too worked up, I go "reset" her and that's about all she needs. Unfortunately she still gets up at least once a night, but we're working on getting more food in her during the day and getting those feedings phased out. I can't let her cry-it-out at night because of Austin and really she eats a TON at night, so I hate to cut her off if she's legitimately hungry. But I'm looking forward to a full night's sleep! Hopefully it comes soon. Although with her being sick for the last week, I'm afraid we've developed a few bad habits. Praying they don't stick around when she's all better!

She gives the best kisses! Big slobbery ones!

She ADORES her daddy! If you thought she was sun shiney when I'm around, you should see her light up when he enters the room. I know I was chopped liver pretty quickly with Austin too, but I thought it started a little later than this! It's so fun to see though. Brian is a wonderful daddy and is totally smitten with her too!

She adores her big brother too. She hardly ever flinches when he's around anymore. Starting to hold her own a bit too. She has already started trying to take his toys while he's playing with them. And when she's sitting next to him, she tries to crawl all over him or pat him on arm or head. He is pretty good to her, but does push her away a bunch, saying "No Aus!"

She's talking & singing a ton. My new favorite sound is more or less a gurgle. It's pretty cute. She also does "horse lips" a bunch.

She learned to clap yesterday! So not technically by 8 months, but close enough. It looks just like Austin's little golf clap. It's not quite on cue yet, but close. We're working on high fives still. She just looks at you like "Why do you have a hand in my face?" or tries to eat your fingers.

Her crib is getting set down today because she has started pulling up to her knees in it. Several times I've gone in to settle her back down this week and there's a little face right next to the door! It's a little shocking when you're not expecting it.

She's got "up" down. She lifts her arms up when you go to pick her up. But we're still working on putting arms out to go to other people. Well, she reaches for me, but that's about it. Such a momma's girl!

She got her first ear infection this week too. Symptoms were a little fussier than usual and she touched her ear maybe 5 times. It was a pretty bad one too, I guess. Sometimes having sunshine-y children makes it hard to notice when they're sick! She abhors her antibiotics. I thought it was rough giving her zantac when she was a baby. She coughs and sputters and spits and cries like you are trying to force poison down her throat. And it's the bubble gum flavor kind! What kid doesn't like bubble gum medicine? It's pretty amusing how dramatic she is about it though.

Play Dates Continued - Life's a Beach!

For as close as we live to the beach, we hardly ever go. It isn't exactly easy with two kids and all the gear that's involved. (Although, really I can't use that as an excuse, because I hardly every went before I had kids either!) Plus our weather wasn't exactly agreeable for many beach days. So I was way excited when our beach day play date arrived and it was a sunny day. It is so much easier going to the beach with other moms! I was able to play with Austin in the water, (which he hated!) while McKenna slept in the tent.

As usual, Austin loved the sand!








And as usual, we went with our best buds, Jack, Sammy & Luke!


Jack & Luke liked the water immensely more than Austin.


Luke, however, did not enjoy the sand as much as Austin!



Somehow I ended up with no good shots of any of the other kids or mommies. I guess I focus on taking pics of my & Rebecca's kids a little too much! But Rebecca got some here, including pics of Austin enjoying the water not so much and McKenna flirting with her boyfriend.