Last week, the kids and I took a little road trip to visit one of my dearest friends, Tara, and her two girls, Emma & Kate. I cannot believe it has been almost 8 months since we've seen each other! Not cool! But, life has a way of sneaking up on you. And with the birth of Kinley, followed by Kate a few months later, this was the best/quickest we could do! We had a great time, and even though our adult time was very (as in pretty much non-existant) limited, it was still fun and soooo good to catch up! We spent a lot of time outside (it was the most beautiful winter-warm weather ever!), took the kids to the park, ate pizza till we were sick, went shopping at Target, and stayed up late (ok, late for old, tired mommies) chatting. I can't wait till we get to do this again (next time hopefully with the husbands around to give us a night out)! And, yes, it's sad we don't have a single picture of us!

I know it's sounds so cliché' to say it but the time is passing much too quickly...you're growing up too fast. I wish I could press pause and keep you this way just a bit longer. This is my absolute favorite age and yet I feel it slipping away as each days passes and you do something new. In fact just today, I heard a comment about how with young kids it seems that we experience the longest days, yet the shortest years. It's so true! I swear I blinked and you've turned into a bubbly, chunky, smiley little 7 month old...and a very cute one at that! I am loving every minute with you. I am so lucky that I get to spend my days being your Mommy and watching you grow. You are an amazing little girl and I love you so...

Some things I want to remember about you at this time:

-You are a chunk! You were relatively small (at least compared to your brother) a few months ago but boy you are catching up. You weighed in at 20 pounds today! And you are super long too. You wear 9 month clothes, and even on those, some of the pants are short. -You are a cuddler. You love to be held, nuzzled, rocked, have your hand rubbed, etc.

-You are a Momma's girl. You keep an eye on me at all times, and you don't like when I leave the room. You'd ride around all day in my carrier, attached to me if I'd let you. You're happiest when you're with me...and who can blame you, I'm a pretty cool chick ;}
-You love to watch your big brother and notice everything he does too. He loves you. Even though he's a busy body, and often wrapped up in his own toys, when he does stop to focus on you, hold you, or talk to you, you grin from ear to ear. Jackson is very protective over you. In fact just today at your check-up, he got very upset when the Dr. looked in your ears because he's afraid of that, and he thought they were hurting you...so sweet. When your Mammy or Neena babysit you, you are a bit fussy but seem to be more calm in the presence of your Bubba.
-You light up for your Daddy and give him the BEST smiles. I think someday you will have him wrapped around your little finger. And he loves you dearly!
-You look like a Carrejo to me. You have my little pug nose (I think) but everything else seems to resemble your Daddy's side. We shall see...
-Your hair is crazy. It always has been. Sticks up in many different directions, can't tell which way to part it, etc. And it's getting more straight the longer it gets. We have to have a headband or a clip in, or it's in your eyes (and that's not just because your Mommy is obsessed with bows and having you be as girly as possible. Okay well maybe a little ;-) And it's many different colors...brown, auburn, and blonde underneath. I'll be curious to see how it looks in a few years.
-You're NOT a great sleeper, but I am SO hoping you will be someday. You slept through the night early on, and did so for several months. Then around Thanksgiving time, you got your first ear infection and then got two more after that. Ever since then, your sleeping has gone downhill. Most nights you wake up at least once and have trouble going back to sleep....sorry honey but baby boot camp is coming soon!
- You eat three times a day (fruit & cereal for breakfast, a yogurt for lunch, and a veggie & cereal for dinner, as well as four 8 oz. bottles a day). You hate green beans and make the most awful faces. It's hilarious actually.

-You can say Momma and Baba, and I'm pretty sure it's intentional.
-You love to play with your feet and I call you "hurkey girl" because you always pull your leg to the side like a hurkey while drinking your bottle...Maybe you'll follow in my footsteps and be a cheerleader.
-You are my little Kin Kin, Cupcake, K-Love, Angel Baby, Sissy, Sister Bear.

I love you more than anything in the world and thank God every day for you...You have brought so much joy to our lives and I am blessed to be your Momma.

Worry

I hate worrying. Especially about my kids. Other stuff is fine, but when it comes to your kids, it just sucks. I hate seeing my sweet babies hurting...So Jackson developed this strage rash. It started on Tuesday. I noticed it when I picked him up from Mother's Day Out. It looked like he got bit by tons of mosquitos...then when I bathed him that night, I noticed they were all over his trunk and legs, but still thought maybe with all the rain we got Monday night it was bug bites. Then on Tuesday when I picked him up, I noticed it had spread to his arms. Big, whelps/hive looking splotches all over his body, many of the areas swollen and warm to the touch. So then today (Thursday) he wakes up and it has moved to his face/behind his ears, around his mouth, etc. I took him to the Dr., which wasn't much fun because he is going through this weird phase where he's scared of everything (haircuts/scissors, cleaning his ears (probably because he's had 3 ear infections in the past 2 months and they hurt), clipping his nails, etc.) It took one nurse to hold Kinley, then another nurse, the Dr. and me to hold him down while they checked his ears and did a strep culture. No ear infection, no strep, a long list of things it's NOT, but not a clear answer as to what it IS. Great! It's most likely a viral infection and not contagious, but they also said it could be HSP, which makes me worry. Then after his nap today I noticed his hands and feet were even more swollen. They look like fluid-filled, puffed up sausages. I'm continuing the Benedryl and Ibuprofin, and praying that things are better in the morning...my mind starts wandering and telling me it could be all these horrible things, which I'm sure it's not, but I just don't like it. And he's such a sport....as I write this, I am listening to him singing Jingle Bells on the monitor. I thought Benedryl was supposed to knock you out???