10 Months and Counting

Where do I begin? Kaitlyn is growing so fast... she seems to be learning new things everyday. Here is a little recap of what she can do.

When my mom came to visit for our wedding the beginning of June she decided that Kaitlyn's current mode of rolling from point A to point B was just not good enough. By the second day my mom was home... Kaitlyn learned to army crawl across the floor. Now she is starting to get up on all fours. I have a feeling that she will be crawling on all fours within the next few days. Another milestone my mom taught her was to stand flat footed. Ever since she was a few months old Kaitlyn loved to stand on her tippy toes. I am not sure if she wants to be a ballerina, but she sure was good at it.

Here is Kaitlyn playing with her new toy I found a garage sale for $8. I love garage sales! We use this toy as a way to block the cords for the laptop and lamps in the living room. This may be the only toy she really plays with at home or she is just trying to figure out how she can get to the cords. I have found that I don't need to buy her toys. She will have toys surrounding her and she chooses to play with the following: Coasters, baskets, socks, strings on my pants or sweatshirts, the cat or dog, car seat straps, and the list keeps going. The good news is that I buy her toys at garage sales, so if she doesn't play with them it is not a big lose for us.

I am not sure I want to thank my mom for this or not... because she is now a master at pulling herself up on everything... laundry baskets, couches, tables, legs, and anything that is taller than her. We had to do some major baby proofing now that Kaitlyn has learned to crawl and climb a few stairs. We bought this new gate and decided that Kaitlyn doesn't need to have full access to the upstairs. (Or we just are lazy and haven't baby proofed everything.) We have a sunken living room, so we decided she could stay in there. The benefits to this are: Cody doesn't bother us because he chooses to stay on the other side of the gate... this also allows for less dog hair where Kaitlyn is playing, and we don't have to worry about the stairs.

Every since Kaitlyn was a few months old she has been very vocal. This has made it hard for us to determine what her first word will be or is... She loves to say "mamamamama" when she is upset. Last week she said "hi" really loud when the phone would ring at my aunt and uncles. We are pretty sure now that she knows how to say "dada". (I think she just likes to make the "da" sound and it is easier than the "ma" sound to make.)

This past Sunday... Kaitlyn came out on the boat with us for the afternoon. She loved playing with the rope, her Gerber food containers, but not her toys. About 20 minutes before we decided to head in for the day... she decided she needed a nap.

The McNeilly's

Well - We survived our first week as the McNeilly family. I have to say that it is strange when people introduce me as "Nikki McNeilly" or when Nate introduces me as his wife. I did receive the marriage license in the mail, so I can make it official on everything. I hope I can remember everything that I need to change me name on. Ugh!!!

Anyway, here are some pictures from the week: Enjoy!

Kaitlyn loved her first boat ride last Monday. She didn't mind having the life jacket on. She spent most of the trip trying to lick the zipper... I think that kept her entertained. (Who needs toys when you have a zipper?) Yesterday for Father's Day we spent a few hours on the lake. It was pretty wavy from the wind and all other boats. Kaitlyn didn't care... she drank her bottle even though I had a hard to keeping it in her mouth, she slept during the bumpiest part of the ride, and she laughed when I over exaggerated the bumps.

Kaitlyn enjoyed her first french fry. I was a nervous wreck, but Nana had it under control. I guess I have to start introducing her to new foods. Scary!!!! She really thought she was big stuff gumming this because she still is toothless!
This weekend we went to St. Cloud for Nate's Cousins graduation party. Auntie Mel put in Kaitlyn's first pony tail. She is getting so big!

I also would like to update you on her new tricks. She can now army crawl across the floor. She loves her new freedom, but Nate and I are not ready for this. This week we will be doing some more baby proofing around the house. She also has successfully pulled herself up over a step. It took a few minutes, but she got up and over it with no problem. You could tell she was very proud of herself.

Nikki McNeilly!! 06-07-08

Well it is official. I am Mrs. Nikki McNeilly! Here are some pictures from the big day. I will continue to add more pictures as I get them. My personal attendant was in charge of my camera for the day, so thank you to Katie for taking such great pictures.

Our practise kiss at the rehearsal. We enjoyed watching Hailey, Darren, and Kaitlyn playing in the wagon.
Here is a picture of me and my beautiful little girl. She was such a good baby the whole day... even though she still had double ear infections.
The whole wedding party before the big moment. The weather was beautiful, but a little humid... but bearable.
The happy family! I am a McNeilly in this picture! We took pictures at one of Nate's clients houses. Thank you to them for letting us invade their backyard for pictures. They turned out perfect.
My happy little girl enjoying the grass in her pretty dress. She smiled so great for all the pictures.

Double Ear Infections? What?

Last Friday Kaitlyn had her 9 month wellness check. She is getting bigger and following the curve, but is still short. She weighs 16lbs 9 oz. (No need to buy the next stage car seat.) When the doctor looked in her ears... they were infected. What? I had no idea. She hasn't been crabby or showing me any indication she has ear infections. In some ways - it is cheaper since I don't have to pay co-pays for wellness checks. So, we are back to medicine and poop up the back. Good news is that we only have a few more days of this.

Memorial weekend we went to Perham and Detroit Lakes. My cousin's daughter had her graduation open house, so we took a little road trip to celebrate. After the open house we headed to Detroit Lakes to my Aunt and Uncle's cabin. Cody enjoyed jumping off the dock and playing catch. It was pretty windy, so we didn't spend too much time outside. Here are some pictures from our stay at the cabin.

Kaitlyn loved all the attention from my cousins Jenna and Liz. I enjoyed the free babysitting.
We love the cabin. Thank you Kevin and Mary for letting us stay and enjoy some time away from home.
Kaitlyn enjoying a little cat nap at the Lakes. She found a little stuff animal to cuddle up too during her nap. I think she enjoyed her new Pack n Play.

We think Kaitlyn's teeth are starting to come and she also has a little bit of a cold. Here is her infamous open mouth, tongue out breathing through her mouth. She loved to play in the grass as we watched daddy and Liz play an outdoor game.

Here is Kaitlyn and Mommy enjoying the dock. We were watching Liz and Daddy catching fish. She had to wear her winter hat because of the wind and her ear infections. She didn't mind because she was outside.

Nine Months Old

Wow - Today our little girl is 9 months old. Here are some pictures of things we have been up to the last few weeks. Here she is on her favorite Quilt my cousin Michelle made for Kaitlyn. It was really hard for me to take this picture without her wanting to play with the duck.

Kaitlyn is such a happy baby. She is always full of smiles and giggles. She hasn't started crawling, but has figured out that rolling gets her where she wants to go.

Kaitlyn loves to swing. Diane, Hailey, Kaitlyn, Cody, and I decided to go to the park after our walk. She giggled and smiled the whole time she was swinging.

Here is Kaitlyn and I at the park. It was really windy that on our way home the wind pushed the strollers. Diane had to take several pictures before Kaitlyn would look at the camera.

My Bridal Shower - May 18th, 2008

Sunday I had my bridal shower. We enjoyed some fun games, great food, and wonderful company. Here are some pictures from the big event.

My Matron of Honor and I. Kristin has finally made it on my blog. It only took me getting married, but here she is in all her glory.
Kaitlyn got to wear a pretty veil like her mommy. She had so much fun at the shower that she didn't want to take nap. Good thing she slept the whole way home.

Where's Spring?

Only 4 more weeks until the Big day.... We are counting down the days. A few weeks ago I had my Bachelorette Party at the Grand Rios Water Park Hotel. A bunch of my girlfriends spent the night and enjoyed some waterslides. I am not a big fan of the hurricane water slide.... it shoots you out into a giant bowl and you spin around until you drop into the pool below.

Here is a picture of Anny and I. They made me wear this out to dinner. Actually, it was a blast. Plus it was my first night away from Kaitlyn and I really enjoyed it.

Here we all are enjoying dinner at the hotel restaurant. My shirt I am wearing actually says BRIDE.... do you like the black and white stripped shirt underneath? Is that saying something about marriage? LOL!!!

Kaitlyn and I took a walk on Mother's Day. I put her new sunglasses on and she kept them on the whole walk. I think she liked that the sun wasn't as bright and she could see things.

8 Months Old

Kaitlyn is 8 months old. She is getting so big. She loves eating cereal, can sit up on her own... roles around to get from point A to B, has tried to eat Cheerios and Rice Krispies (Mom is a little nervous about this eating solid foods, so it is a slow process.) Loves to giggle, has tickles toes, and sleeps through the night.

Kaitlyn and Hailey this past weekend at Grandma and Grandpa McNeilly's House. Kaitlyn loves to play with all of Grandma's toys and to watch her big cousins play.
Daddy took Kaitlyn on her first pit bike ride around the yard. Before we know it she will be racing at the local fairs.
Kaitlyn loves going on walks. The other day was pretty windy... So - Can you find Kaitlyn in this picture?
Kaitlyn is becoming a pro at holding her own bottle... sometimes we have to reminder that this is her new job. She also likes to drink water out of a sippy cup.

Our Last Trip to Mora

A few weeks ago... We traveled North to Mora. Kaitlyn played with her cousins Darren (15 months) and Hailey (3 years). Hailey and Kaitlyn had some quality time together when we arrived on Friday Night. Hailey is a big helper with her little cousin.

Here are all the cousins... Darren is a mover, so this is the best picture we got of the three of them.

Kaitlyn and Thomas love to play together... Wait - let me rephrase that... Thomas loves to lay by Kaitlyn to be petted. I guess you could call petting and pulling the same thing... Kaitlyn usually has a hand full of fur at the end of the petting session.
Kaitlyn got to play at her Cousin's house... and she got to try out all of their toys. She loved sitting on the big truck.

Our Little Girl is Getting So Big

I am so big that I can hold my own sippy cup. I haven't mastered the bottle yet, but my daddy is really working with me on that task. I do like my water warm... I am not a big fan of cold drinks yet.

I am also learning how to sit up on my own. I love being able to see all my toys around me. Sometimes I fall over, but mommy just sets me back up and I continue playing.

Look at how big I am getting compared to my duck. I am finally bigger than my duck.
Now I can hold my duck. While I had my cold I learned how to breath out of my mouth and now I love to keep my mouth open and tough hanging out.

Pictures

The Cousins - Kaitlyn (6 months), Hailey (3 years), Darren (15 months). It tooks several tries to get this picture.
Kaitlyn hanging out with daddy. She is going to miss being with him when he starts work in a few weeks. (and her daddy will miss being with her.) Don't you love my hair?

Nate and I at the Supercross Race. Nate is not a big fan of pictures.... and this is not the best picture of me. Oh well! We had a lot of fun.

7 Weeks of Sickness

Wow - it's been awhile since I have written on my blog. I apologize to everyone that have been disappointed with my lack of blogging. Not to make excuses, but let me take you back 7 weeks ago.

It was Ash Wednesday and Kaitlyn and I came down with a horrible cold. I thought... okay a week of runny noses and coughs .... and than we will be healthy again. Well, I was wrong. Several weeks later... our colds had improved, but Kaitlyn got some stomach bug and spent a week throwing up. During this week - we realized she had a double ear infection. We put her on an antibiotic - which she hated... so was she throwing up because of the medicine. No one will now. After 10 days we took her back to check her ears - she still had the double ear infection... this time we tried a new antibiotic and the chiropractor.... Me on the other hand still had a runny nose, but my symptoms starting getting better. But wait... After I thought I was feeling better I ended up spending the night in the bathroom (unrelated to the cold) - I decided a trip to the doctor was in order. I had a sinus infection... so now I am on an antibiotic. Wait... it gets better. Now Kaitlyn seems to be over her cold... and I come down with a 102 degree temperature... yicks!!! Than 2 days later Kaitlyn is running a high fever. I am now convinced that we have influenza... back to the doctor for Kaitlyn. She still has a double ear infection... What? So, now she is on a different antibiotic... I have told you that she hates medicine. Back to me... I am still not feeling well and now I have a hard time breathing... I go back to the doctor the next day... I have bronchitis and am put on 3 different medicines. This brings us to today! I am still coughing and blowing my nose.... Kaitlyn is feeling better. The good news is that during this whole time... she still smiles.

I guess... my thoughts are WHEN WILL IT BE SPRING? I am ready to be done with the doctor and all the co-pays... the runny noses and of course the sleepless nights.

Okay - not everything in the past 7 weeks have been horrible. Kaitlyn is learning to love cereal and bananas... this week we are going to try carrots. Yummy! She has also moved into her own crib in her own room. I am so proud of myself... it only took 7 months to do. So far she has been sleeping great and so has her mommy.

6 Months Old

Kaitlyn is six months old... wow - time flies when you are watching a little one grow. She is changing so fast. The good news is that she isn't mobile yet. She is starting to enjoy tummy time more and more, but we still have some time before she is crawling all over the place. Last Friday we tried cereal for the first time. I put in her bottle to see if she would stop eating in the middle of the night. It worked, but she still likes to wake up... maybe she is checking to see if we are still there. On Monday we tried using the spoon. She wasn't a big fan, but we will keep trying. She is good at spitting back at us.

The last week has been kind of rough. She has had a cold for 2 weeks now and it has progressed into a horrible cough and a double ear infection... wait... there's more... she also got some sort of stomach bug too. Good thing her daddy is able to stay home and comfort her. She is also not so sure about the medicine. It is a chore to get her to swallow it.

Here are her details for her 6 month wellness check:
Height - 23 1/2 inches - she is still short.
Weight - 14 lbs. - we are in stage 2 diapers - yeah!!!

She is below the curve for height, but is moving up on the charts for weight and head size. I kind of like having a petite little girl. She is also a talker... sometimes I hear her say mama, but I think she is just learning to make different sounds.

I Can Do So Much!!!

One week from today our little girl is going to be 6 months old. I can't believe it. She is doing more and more every day. This morning I had her in a bouncy chair and asked her "Where are my smiles?" and she looks at me trying not to smile and gives me her pouty lip and than smiles. Kaitlyn is learning how to hold her own bottle. I still thinks she likes us to do it for her, but sometimes she will do it herself.

This past weekend we went to St. Cloud to spend the weekend with Nate's family. We stayed at the Holiday Inn and went swimming for the first time. I wanted to see how Kaitlyn did when we dunked her under the water. I think it was harder for me than for Kaitlyn. She only cried for a second when she came out of the water.Here is Kaitlyn and her nana. She loved all the attention from Nana and her Aunty Anny. Sometimes mom and dad can get kind of boring.

I love this picture, but was is the deal with the garlic toast? I think Nate was getting kind of hungry and that is what he wanted to focus on.

Five Months Old

I can't believe our little girl is five months old already. She is getting more and more active everyday. She loves to play with easy to grab toys, her burp rags, and petting Thomas and Cody or should I say... She tries to eat them too! She has also found her feet.



She is finally bigger than the duck. I am hoping that at her 6 month appointment she will have moved up on the length chart.

This past week my mom came to visit for a week. Kaitlyn loved all the attention from her Nana and Aunty Anny. It was nice because I would get up at 6:30 and give Kaitlyn to my mom and I would go back to bed.

Boating season is just around the corner so we bought Kaitlyn a life jacket. She didn't mind having it on and we hope that she gets used to is, so when it is time to out on the lake she will be ready.

Date is Set - 06-07-08

Nate and and I are going to make it official on June 7th, 2008. We will be getting married in Excelsior.

Late Christmas Post

I know that Christmas was several weeks ago, but I finally downloaded my pictures from our camera. Here are some cute pictures from some of our Holiday adventures.
Here is our niece Hailey at the Crystal where we celebrated Christmas with Nate's side of the family. She loved to help open her brother Darren's and Kaitlyn's gifts.Aunty Anny bought Kaitlyn a new Adidas outfit. The jacket is a little big, but she loves wearing pink... just like her mommy.
Here Kaitlyn is sporting one of the onesies that I made for her before she was born... One day she will be out on our pit bike winning races.

This past weekend we went to our friends house to do some ice racing on the pit bike. Of course Nate wants to get the newest Yamaha, but that will have to wait until after the wedding. Priorities!!!! Our friends have a son that is one month older than Kaitlyn, so we decided to get them all bundled up and take them to watch some ice racing... after about 10 minutes they both fell asleep from the noise or boredom... I am not quite sure. Maybe our dreams of her racing are a little farther than away than we think.

Happy New Year Officer

Welcome to 2008. I have to say that my year has started out with a little excitement if that is what you want to call it. New Years we spent with our friends Justin and Amy and their son Colten who is one month older than Kaitlyn. Of course, Kaitlyn wanted to stay up to welcome in the New Year even though I tried everything to get her to fall asleep. Anyway, after watching the ball drop and some new year hugs... we decided to pack up and head home. On our way home... I got pulled over for speeding. It was the first time I drove this way home, so I wasn't even sure what the speed limit was, but I was doing 40 in a 30. After about 10 minutes... the officer came back and informed me that the speed limit from here was 55 mph. Thank goodness I didn't get a ticket, but it sure did brighten up my New Year... I guess my resolution of not getting pulled over is already shot. :)