Kaitlyn is 7 Months Old

Well another month has come and gone. Kaitlyn is 7 months old today...entering her 8th month of life! This month has been full of development for Kaitlyn. She has really started to develop her personality this month and express herself and her desires a lot more this month.

Nicknames: Kaitlyn has a ZILLION nicknames. She IS called Kaitlyn a lot of the time, however her middle name is slowly taking over. The kids...mostly Krista call her Brielle or "Breeze" or just "Bri". Krista also simply calls her "Girl". She is also "Kates" or "Coco-baby" (for reasons unknown to us... she was named "Coco" by Erik).

Eating: Kaitlyn has now been eating solid food for 1 month and as of a few weeks ago, she is finally starting to like it! Her favorite food by far is carrots. But what baby doesn't love carrots? I offer solids two times a day (lunch and dinner), but she usually chooses to eat only one of those meals. I would say, right now we are up to about 10 spoonfuls at a sitting. She is still nursing quite a bit--usually 5 or more times a day (but a lot of her feeding is still at night, much to my dismay!).

Self-Expression: As far as vocal skills go, she isn't into talking much yet, but she can make herself heard in other ways--shreaking, squealing and yelling for instance. I have reassured people that if genetics has anything to do with her verbal development, she'll be making up for not talking in no time! She loves to giggle and say ga-ga though, so we do hear her talk quite a bit. No mama or dada yet though. I'm getting anxious to hear that!

Physical Development: Kaitlyn is great at sitting up. She has now been sitting very well for 1 1/2 months. She can wave her hands around, turn around and play with toys all without falling. BUT, as for the rolling or crawling...she really isn't too interested. She really hates being put in a lying position now and will cry until you let her sit. If she is put on her stomach she will immediately roll to her back and then cry until someone puts her up to sit.

Sleeping: Well this isn't my favorite category at the moment! For the last few months she has been waking several times at night. This month we moved her from her bassinet to her real crib! That was a big step--mostly for me who was sad to see the bassinet go to the basement. We really kept her in it for too long anyway--the packaging said 3 months or 15 pounds--Ooops! So now she is in her crib, which is placed right beside our bed. I also bought her a sleep sac. A very European "baby bag" that is used in place of a blanket. Basically you put the baby in the sac, zip it up and snap it around the shoulders---the arms are open. These bags come in sizes 0-6 months and then 6-24 months. I of course bought her the larger size so it is HUGE on her! She seems to LOVE it though--she is nice and cozy inside. I also got her a nature sounds box to put on her crib. She falls alseep by herself to the sounds of the waves. I love to stand by her crib at night and watch her drift off with the waves. She also has a little soft flower with petals that crinkle and she like to hold that or her soft blankie that Grandma gave her that comforts her. When she wakes at night (if it has only been a few hours since her last waking) all I have to do to get her back to sleep is stroke her cheek. SHE LOVES IT! She just falls right back to sleep. If it has been 3 or more hours I usually nurse her. She wakes about 3 times per night still...but this too shall pass :)

Growth: Kaitlyn saw the doctor for her 3rd round of shots last week. She did great again with the shots and won't need any boosters until her first birthday. She weighed in at 8 kg 400 g or 18 pounds 8.5 oz. She was 67 cm long. For clothing size, she is still wearning 6-9 months. I can't see her in the 12 month size for awhile, but you never know! She may jump up quickly.

Play: This girl loves to interact with her brother and sister! Whatever they are doing interests her! She loves to stand in her exersaucer and watch them play. She also loves to sit and throw around her toys. She has a few favorites including her soft blocks with bells inside and a yellow first years rattle that was Erik's.

This weekend is Kaitlyn's Baptism! We are very excited for her to become a memeber of the Catholic community. When I asked Krista last week what Baptism was for, she said that it was a "celebration"! YES, correct! Then I asked "what it was that were are celebrating?" and she said "For a baby to become a member of Jesus' family." YES, correct, again! 2/2! Religion: A++

So tomorrow Toomas' sister "Tadi" Helen, "Onu" Janne, Isabel and Elise will be arriving from Stockholm for the Baptism. We are very excited for this big event and have invited about 50 guests. We have several Estonian familes and their children coming, as well as our very close friends here from the village. We have really made some wonderful friends here in Fegersheim too so it will be great to celebrate with them all. It should be a fun day!

So that is our 7 month update in a nutshell...I'll be back with Baptism photos soon!

Touring the Kid's Bedrooms...

A few of you have asked me what the INSIDE of our house looks like. I've posted a lot of exterior shots, so here is a quick tour of a few of the rooms :) I guess I'll start with Erik and Krista's rooms. I'll be sure to post a few more rooms in a future post.

Just this past week we had a few finishing touches done to the house. The first floor foyer coat closet was installed (with extra shelf space that goes all the way to the ceiling! Hooray!) and there was a linen closet installed on our floor in front of the master bathroom. All in all, most everything is finished; although now we need to stain the wood doors that were installed (I'll send photos when the job is complete).

Krista is in love with Diddle. A little mouse from Germany. I suppose it is equivalent to Minnie/Mickey Mouse, but a LOT more popular in Europe. There are notepads, pens, lip glosses, makeup, posters, stickers...and a lot more to collect and trade. The girls trade the sheets and try to collect as many pads as they can. Anyway, Krista has a Diddle comforter cover, clock, posters and tons of Diddle decorations as her "theme".

Erik's room is of course dec'd out in the pirate theme! He couldn't be luckier that the film "Pirates of The Carribean" sequel came out because there is plenty of pirate items out on the market. He has flags, numerous pirate ships, a pirate map rug, wooden pirate stick ups as a border, and even pirate garland lights on his walls.

So, enjoy the kids rooms!!!

Miss Krista's Room














Master Erik's Room

Krista's Black Eye----OUCH!

Poor little Krista. She was running around on Thursday during recess and smacked right into another child...The result (*see below)......
At noon when I picked her up she was escorted out by the principal (who is also her teacher). He said that she didn't even come to tell anyone it happened! She told me that she and Carla (her best friend) went to the bathroom to put a wet paper towel on it and it was fine. The teacher, of course said it would have been much better if she would have told someone earlier so it wouldn't have swelled up so much. They did put ice on it at school, but it was already pretty swollen by then.

She seems fine, although it does look pretty bad. This isn't her first black-eye either. When she was 13 months old she was jumping on the bed in Estonia (at Vanaema and Vanaisa's house) and hit her head on the corner of the bed. I'm attaching a photo of her at 13 months with her black eye as a baby. That time it was on her right eye, and this time it is on her left eye. Here's one from the day it happened, followed by one from today... It has changed a lot in color and looks worse today, but it is much less swollen. Poor Bug!

Krista in the Gym

Look at those splits!!


Krista is my amazing little girl. Yesterday when I went to pick her up from the gym she was just glowing. It is so wonderful to watch your child develop in their own element. She just ADORES what she does and it shows. I am so happy as her Mom to see her thrive, learn and develop skills that seem to come so naturally and give so much pleasure to my little girl.

I arrived early yesterday and quietly opened the door, so as not to disturb the team. I could see that she had not yet noticed me and those are the moments that I LOVE to witness. She was just beside herself with joy and happiness in her class. I could just see her glowing...walking on air even! You know you've done the right thing for your child when you see that look on their face, that spark in thier eyes...that bounce in their step. She was in heaven!!!! I LOVED seeing that! After the class her teacher came up to me and told me that Krista is so well behaved, follows instructions and picks up the moves very quickly (then of course "I" was the one glowing). She went on to say that Krista is doing so well and learning so quickly that she would like to add one more day of GRS per week for her. She said she will be making a smaller group starting after the holidays to do a 2nd session per week for preparation for the upcoming competitions. She said she was not just trying to flatter me because I am her mother...she was saying it because it was the truth. I am so proud of Krista. She works so hard, listens well and tries her very VERY best! The competitions start at the end of this year and even if she doesn't win...she has ALREADY won! She loves what she is doing and it shows! I'm so happy to see her happy. It makes ME happy and gives me such fulfillment to see her shine!

Photography 101

Scratching Sounds

Kaitlyn is always discovering something. There is so much to learn about when you are only 6 months old! This a.m. after we got up she discovered that her new pj's which have textured feet, make a wonderful crinkly, scratching sound when she rubbed them on the chair. THIS SMALL discovery kept her happy, laughing and smiling for nearly ONE HOUR! She was content listening to her feet rub on the chair for a full 45 minutes! Oh the joys of discovering something new! We had fun watching her enjoy herself also. Oh and in the bottom picture you can see her two new teeth! One is almost fully in and one is on its way!

Oh, and here's a clip of her having fun with her new sound effect:

The New Car Seat and Funny Story

So HOORAY, we found a carseat! We have a pretty particular situation because I REFUSE to let any of the kids ride in the front seat of my car (the airbag cannot be turned off). Our backseat only has 2 shoulder belts and the seat in the middle is only a lap belt. Krista and Erik of course need the lap and shoulder combo belt because their carseats --which are essentially padded boosters, use the belt from the car (so they need the shoulder part). Kaitlyn is now in the carrier and the base fortunately takes just the lap belt so she is in the middle. Anyway, after trips to 3 baby stores I have learned that you can only find carseats for the ISOFIX system which we don't have, or a lap/shoulder belt combo. They simply no longer sell the carseats that can be attached with just the lap belt (which they DID have only last year). So, after finding that out I was worried that we'd need a new car.BUT THEN, I stumbled upon a WONDERFUL carseat made by BRITAX (very esteemed manufacturer of seats) and it was available ONLY by mail and comes from Belgium! So we got the new seat and it looks FANTASTICLY safe! It is very padded and is designed for installation with EITHER the lapbelt or the lap/shoulder combo! We tried it out in the car and it has a very snug and srong fit. So, until Kaitlyn hits 18 kg we are set (we have a good 3.5 years to go until that happens)!

Oh and a funny story about the positioning of the seats in the car too--- A few months ago we were talking about family order and that Erik has now become the middle child. We really didn't think the kids were listening while we talked about this but they were!!! Anyway, upon hearing that he was the "middle" child, Erik blurted out-- "I'm NOT the middle child! KAITLYN is the middle child".... We explained to him that no, infact he IS the middle child and he said "NO!!! Kaitlyn is in the middle seat in the car!" And here they are....According to Erik's theory- Kaitlyn is INDEED the middle child!

One tooth in...One tooth out!

So, my girls are growing and changing again! Kaitlyn got her second tooth a few weeks ago and the very next week--Krista lost her 5th tooth! One baby tooth in and one baby tooth out!!!

Pink Hightops

Those CUTE little feet!

The weather is up and down these days, but we've had a few chilly ones lately, so instead of being my sock wearing baby, Kaitlyn's been sporting shoes on those little tiny feet. This girl has TONS of shoes. I think that she must have at least 6 pairs already and she is only 6 months! Anyway, here she is in her pink hightops... I took a picture to make the moment last because she doesn't seem to like having anything on her feet (shoes..or even socks for that matter ). She just rubs her tiny feet together and casts a spell on the shoes and they pop right off! It is amazing. I'll put on her shoes and socks AND tie up the laces, plop her in her carseat and upon arrival of our destination the girl has bare feet!!! AMAZING! She isn't really an "accessory" girl yet because she didn't like the zillion hats that I bought for her either. Hats and shoes---definately not her favorites!

My Cool Dude!

High French Fashion..




Erik wanted to be a cool dude this weekend. He came into the kitchen and told me that he has decided he wants to wear HAIR GEL!!! I tried not to laugh and then told him that after dinner we would go up to my bathroom and do his hair the way he'd like. There are a few older boys in his class (in Kindergarten section) that spike their hair so I figured that was what he meant. So, after dinner we went up and grabbed the Loreal gel. I spiked it into a pretty cool rocker "do" and then blew it dry to set. I thought it looked awesome. I lifted him up to show him in the mirror and "BBZZZ" NOT the right look! He was NOT happy....so then he decided to explain a little bit more about the "look" he wanted. Basically he wanted it SLICKED back...I mean WAY back and the more "slick" the better. So, I squeezed hard on the gel tube and got a massive glob of pink gel for Erik's hair. I slicked it ALL back and then lifted him up. When he saw himself a HUGE smile came across his face and he just nodded and said "YEEEEES!!!". So, here are some shots of my little slicker.

The Fray as Spidermen and MY favorite Fray song (Look After You)!

For all you Fray fans out there...this is great. If you ever wondered what the Fray would look like as Spidermen, here you go!

They performed on Halloween in Orlando and every one of the band members dressed up as Spiderman.

As for the Fray they're doing awesome...I think they'll be releasing their 3rd single soon in the U.S. (which is my FAVORITE song actually "Look After You"--I'll post a link to that too).

So, it will soon be Grammy time (February I think) and I have a STRONG suspicion they'll get nominated!! CROSS YOUR FINGERS! A gold and platnium album along with a Grammy nomination (or better yet...a GRAMMY!) would be just awesome for my brother and the band!

So here they are as Spider"men" in Orlando


And here is MY personal ALL-TIME FAVORITE Fray song, "Look After You"... which will be their 3rd single to be released (it might already be out...I'm too far from the US now to know!). This song always brings tears to my eyes because it was on the hospital birth video that we had made when Kaitlyn was born. IT IS SO beautifuuuuul! The strings are INCREDIBLE as is Isaac's voice! Enjoy this one--it is acoustic and phenominal!

Babel Fish

This is fantastic! You can translate my blog into French, Russian,Spanish..you name it....all in a click of a button! Just use the Yahoo BabelFish box in the sidebar (to the left),select your language of choice and voila!!! The French translation finally worked this morning and I was somewhat impressed. Although it did stray a bit in the wording, the general meaning was quite accurate. It is wild to see how my blog looks in Chinese, Russian or Greek. So, if Engish isn't your language of choice and you want to read my blog your own language --TRY BABEL FISH!

A Family of Identical Twins

Double the Fun!!



















I thought this was funny! This is what we would look like if we were a family of identical twins.

We went to the aquarium last week in Obernai and had a blast. One of the rooms had an enormous tank filled with sharks that was in a room of mirrors. The effect was really amazing. You felt like you were underwater yourself! You also got to see what your kids would look like if they had been identical twins!!!

And finally...Kaitlyn with her twin sister!

Halloween Night Party

Here are some pictures from the FUN Halloween night party we had at Eva's. They had a magician and facepainter there for Eva's 8th birthday. Krista looked just GORGEOUS! The kids really scored big-time on the candy too! Kaitlyn didn't really get into it much, she slept in the stroller for the most part during the outing... and didn't even seem to recognize Krista at all. I guess I have to admit that I didn't even recognize Krista at first either! We also had our friends visit from Belgium to see the new house and the new baby. All in all, a FUN night!

Krista-The-Black-Halloween-Cat

Fruit SALAD!

Well, in keeping with Erik's idea that Kaitlyn would be starting SALADS...we decided to make the transition to fruit! Not quite a fruit salad, but anyway at least one ingredient!!!

So here is a clip of Erik helping me feed Kaitlyn her apples. He was very encouraging and really enjoyed watching his little sister. I gave him a taste and he immediately wanted me to give him a bowl too. So, this week is applesauce week for everyone :) Even Kaitlyn seemed to like them.

So here is the clip Grandma has been waiting for...Kaitlyn eating with a spoon!!! She is taking about 2 tablespoons now at a sitting which I think is excellent, considering Erik NEVER ate pureed food and went right to chunks towards his first birthday.

Happy Birthday Grandma!!!

On Grandma's Special Day....


Dear Grandma,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR GRANDMA....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

It sure is hard being so far away from family when it is celebration time, but we are at least grateful we had such a special October visit together!

Here are 2 videos of the kids singing to Grandma..The first was just a warm up...the second is much more lively :) Enjoy!




And with a bit more energy...




Love to Grandma from all of us!!!
Kelly, Toomas, Krista, Erik and Kaitlyn

The First Solids

It seems so much is going on in the world of our little 6 month old that I myself can hardly keep up! There have been so many wonderful and new experiences for Kaitlyn in the last few days. Some of these "firsts" include: the introduction of solids, the first sitting ride in the stroller (we used the bassinet attachment until now), the exersaucer induction and Halloween....

Kaitlyn's 6 month birthday was a day full of surprises--both good and bad. She awoke to her big brother and sister standing around her bassinet singing the Happy Birthday song...This was her first cue that it was no ordinary day.

Next up was solid food. "Solid" food discussion has gone on for some time now between Toomas and myself, as well being a natural hot topic of conversation with other mothers. Little Erik picked up on this word and knew it would be happening to Kaitlyn very soon. Finally, he realized that this was indeed the day... and ever-so excitedly asked when we would be giving Kaitlyn her first "SALADS"? I cracked up, envisioning what must have been going through Erik's small 4 year old mind....Kaitlyn behind a large bowl of potato salad, fruit salad or the standard green romaine variety perhaps. Erik seemed pleased to find out that we wouldn't be serving her any iceberg lettuce today, but instead something a little more geared for her age!

So, finally the long awaited moment arrived and lets just say it wasn't such a pleasant one for my little sweetie. (She DID seem interested in the new highchair though, but boy was it big for her! I forgot how little she still is. Her small head barely popped out over the tray.) We decided that since Thanksgiving is just around the corner we'd opt for a nice colorful, flavorful and SWEET food (like breastmilk). The obvious choice--sweet potatoes. Krista loved them so I figured it would be a big hit with Kaitlyn as well.

Kaitlyn was really excited for the new experience, her face was glowing and once again I could tell she knew something was up. She was so cute sitting up like a big girl in her highchair, a cute litte bib strapped around her neck......... She was ready, but when came the spoon with that orange stuff on it....her tune quickly changed!

I waited for her to open and ever so delicately put a tiny bit in her mouth. It only took about 5 seconds before she gagged, looked at me with a great bit of confusion...and then SCREAMED bloody murder. She seemed so insulted! I felt so bad ruining her special day like that!!!

The good news is that TODAY we had much better luck. We let her play with the spoon herself (with a bit of sweet potatoes on the spoon), and in short--she LIKED it! She actually took about 2 teaspoons today (willingly!). So there IS hope and maybe just maybe she'll forgive me for ruining her 6 month birthday like that :)