I looked back through my blog and realized that it was September the last time I posted. In that time, we have had 3 major snowstorms, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, among all of the normal things. Whew, alot has happened! To start with, Keira has quickly become acquainted with this thing we endearingly refer to as "snow". We have had three storms since the beginning of December that have resulted in at least a couple feet of snow. After the first storm we bought a small plastic sleigh and hooked Kenai up to it. We had him pull her down the hill in the sleigh. She had a blast! It was alot of fun for mom and dad as well, as we had the chance to be overgrown kids for a little bit! :)
For Halloween, we had a Harvest Party at our house and Keira was a monkey, and a very cute one with a bow on her head at that. :) She had alot of fun sneaking candy out of the bowl and enjoying all of the people, although she wasn't a huge fan of the costume, which she felt inhibited her ability to move. Afterwards we decided that she may have made a better tiger, as her favorite thing to do is "growl" to get attention. She will do it for any and all ranges of the emotions to get her point across. :)
Thanksgiving came, and we went to Grandma Jane and Grandma Lea's house. Keira had some of Great Grandma Oswald's stuffing, and LOVED it! She ate like a little pig all day, as her menu consisted of mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, apple and chocolate pie, and many other things. At the end of the day she had the cutest little pot belly! :)
Of course we had to show her what Black Friday was all about too! We left her home until about 7:30am, and she then hit the malls with us! She was very good, and finally ended up settling for a nap in the stroller when she decided we were taking to much time! She loved all of the crowds of course, and really thought that it was just one big party, as she sat in her stroller, munching on cheerios and taking in the crowds.
Christmas was exciting this year as it was our first one with Keira! I remember this time last year as I was anxiously awaiting her arrival and preparing myself for the anticipated life change that was quickly approaching. It was great to have her with us and crawling around getting into everything. On Christmas Eve we went to my parents and she insisted on "helping" Grandma Jane play the Christmas Hymns while we sang. She sung at the top of her lungs of course too! She didn't know what to think of the gifts at first, but quickly decided it was easier to let mom or dad open them, and then she would just enjoy the toy that was included inside. :) Aunt Faith and Charity made her a Princess stool that was absolutely adorable! Of course, Keira's favorite part of the evening was chowing down on the chocolate peanut butter cookies that Grandma Jane made. She shared with Kenai quite willingly as well, in exchange for him allowing her to pet him. :)
Christmas Day was a memorable day in more ways than one, as 14 inches of snow fell on Christmas Eve into Christmas Day and none of the streets were plowed. We got up and enjoyed making breakfast and having our own little family Christmas, as we were snowed in and could not go to the family's as early as had been planned. My this time Keira had gotten the hang of opening gifts and she decided that she liked that more than the toys. :) We then headed over to the Diehms for Christmas, with those who could make it. Keira got 1/2 of Toys R Us, but her favorite thing was a little cell phone that flipped open, and she could say "hi" to all who would listen from it. :)
We had some very special guests come and visit for New Years as Kyle, Leighanne, and Hayden came! Hayden had grown up so much, and Keira had a great time playing with her! They were great entertainment for each other, and we thought that was great, as they were pre-determined friends before they were born. :)
Last week I was gone to Reno for work all week, and Keira was very sad. She has gotten more clingy as of lately, and she has decided it is ok for mom to go to work for the day, but no longer than that. It has been great to be back home and have some good cuddle time with her. She melts my heart and love it when she lets me cuddle and snuggle with her, as I know that it will not be long and she will not let me do that anymore! In the meantime, I am taking full advantage of it. I love to sit and rock her and just feel her warm, fuzzy head rub against my chin. :) I have also noticed that she LOVES to read books as of recently. She will gladly sit on my lap and let me read to her. She gets very excited and acts like she is listening intently. It is alot of fun for me, and I am anxiously looking forward to taking her to the library for story times soon! :)
We have also noticed that Keira is quite the social butterfly, as she makes eye contact with anyone possible and says, "hi" while emphasizing the whole word with her mouth movement. She says that word most frequently, although she is quite the chatterbox in her own little language. She loves to talk up a storm, and tell you what she is happy about, or grumble about her complaints.
Another thing that she has started to do recently is to organize everything. I will throw goldfish (her favorite snack) onto her highchair and she will methodically pick them up one at a time and move them to one side in a pile. It is hilarious, but makes me think she is very smart, and maybe a bit, OCD, lol.
Another one of her favorite things is to take baths! She loves to play in the water, and will use her hands to make huge splashes. She also loves to play with all of her foam toys and practice sticking them to the wall. I am not worried about swim lessons for her, as she loves to dip her face in the water, just to test her bravery. She usually comes up spitting and laughing. What a crazy little girl! ;)
She continues to be an energizer bunny who does not like to sleep, however, we are working on this, as she has gotten much better at going to bed with only minimal crying lately. I have tried to start a routine of reading to her right before bed each night and she seems to like this, as she has a newfound love of books. :)
I am making preparations for her first birthday, which will be here in just over two weeks! Time flies, I am excited for her birthday but sad at the same time as things have gone so fast! One of my goals for this next year is to post shorter, but more frequent posts so that I don't forget all of the little things that she is doing. :) I will attempt to post close to her first birthday :)
