Busy, busy, busy...

The past couple of weeks have been very busy for us as we've constantly been on the go.  Unfortunately we don't have too many pictures to share to document all of our travels.  Last Thursday, we decided to tag along with daddy as he had to go to Cleveland for work.  Kens did so good for the long 5 hour car ride to Cleveland.  We made two short stops and she slept a good portion of the trip.  While daddy was in meetings on Friday, Kens and I went to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa Brauchler and my college friend, Brey, who both live about an hour and a half from Cleveland.  We had a good time seeing everyone and are glad we had the opportunity to visit them all.

Kens and I with Brey and Annie

Saturday on our way home from Cleveland, we stopped in Columbus to visit with Cousin Elli (and of course Uncle Scott and Auntie Ashley).  Believe it or not, we managed to not get any pictures of the girls together.  It just so happened, that we were also able to see another one of my college friends, Courtney, and her husband and daughter.  They actually live in Ann Arbor and were in Columbus at the same time we were.  So we had quick visit with them before heading home.

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This past week was also very busy as I had worked an extra day and had an unusually long work week due to a special event.  We are definitely thankful that it's over and look forward to slowing down a little.

I came home with a balloon bouquet leftover
from my event.  Kens was very interested in
touching and squeezing them!

Such a sweet girl!

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This past weekend, Jeremy and I headed up north to visit my college roommate while Kens spent the weekend at Nana and Papa's.  Kens seemed to have a great time and even went to her first high school football game (to watch Papa coach).  We were a little concerned as Kens was pretty clingy as we were trying to leave and we eventually had to sneak out so she wouldn't see us.  We had such a good time with Dawn and her fiance, Bob.  Saturday, we spent all day relaxing (6.5 hours) on the lake on Bob's boat.  The weather was beautiful and it was great to be able to catch up and hang out together.  Dawn and Bob are getting married in May and we are already looking forward to the wedding festivities over the next 9 months!  Once again, we managed to get through the whole weekend without taking pictures.

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In more recent news, Kens got a big girl car seat!  After lots of research (by Jeremy), we decided to go ahead and purchase a new car seat for Kens.  We found the one we wanted on sale so we figured it was as good a time as any.  Jeremy put it in the car this evening and we took a short drive to test it out.  We're hoping that maybe our timing was off (long weekend, tired, hungry, etc.) as Kens wasn't too thrilled during our ride.  The rest test will be our next road trip.

She looks pleased, but the verdict is still out.

We got Kensley's 9 month pictures back and will hopefully be posting a few of our favorites soon (as soon as we get the CD).  We really like them and can't believe how grown up our little girl looks!

Teething stinks...

Well we had another busy, but fun weekend.  Friday night started out with a night out for Jeremy and I, while Kens stayed with Grammy Roberts.  Friday was our 2nd annual Limo ride around Indy with our friends.  It was a fun filled, kid free night and we can't wait until the 3rd annual trip!

Jeremy and I in the limo

The girls (yes, that's our classy white limo behind us)

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Saturday started out early for us (as many days have here lately...more on that later), but we were fortunate to all get a nap before family came into town.  We had a full house on Saturday and Sunday, but had fun hanging out with Nana and Papa and Auntie Ashley, Uncle Scott and Cousin Ellie.  Saturday we spent the day relaxing, doing some shopping and of course playing with the girls.

 

What's a visit without several photo ops of the girls

At least they are both smiling here

Saturday night, we all went to the Michael Jackson Tribute at the Symphony on the Prairie.  It was Kensley's first trip and a fun night was had by all.

Kens dancing with mommy

Sweet girl (it was her first night wearing a bow clipped in her hair!)

Dancing again and cracking up

Jeremy and I

Kensley loves to drink water...especially out of a water bottle. She looks like such a big girl here.

Picture of the crowd

More dancing

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Little cuties hanging in their diapers

Sunday was a low-key day and we enjoyed taking the girls swimming at the pool.  Surprisingly we didn't manage to get any pictures of the bathing beauties as we were enjoying the pool with them.  It was a nice weekend together and we can't wait to get the cousins together again!

And now onto the title of this post.  As we've mentioned here recently, Kensley is working on some more teeth...upper teeth and we are speculating that it's actually several teeth.  The bottom teeth were a breeze compared to what Kens is experiencing now.  She's been running a fever, has a runny nose, swollen and irritable gums, drooling everywhere, loss in appetite and not sleeping well.  Her sleep patterns are off as she's been waking up throughout the night, early in the morning, etc.  We hate to see her so miserable!  We've been enjoying our little cuddle bug lately, but we're ready for these teeth to pop through!

Weekend...

Last weekend was a busy weekend for us, but fun none-the-less.  We started off the weekend with Kensley's 9 month appointment at the doctor (see previous post) and a low key Friday night as she was exhausted from the day.  Saturday, Nana and Papa Brauchler came down to join us for our annual trip to the State Fair.  This trip was different than years past as we spent much more time seeing the animals than eating fair food.  Kensley did really well; however she's still not too fond of animals and got pretty scared when we encouraged her to pet them.

Riding on Daddy's shoulders

First time "petting" a horse.

First taste of ice cream.  She wasn't as into it as I thought she'd be.

Picture time with Nana and Papa

Happy to be in the air conditioning.

Cutie enjoying the train ride around the fair.

Sunday was a busy day for us as well as we had Kensley's 9 month photo shoot and a cookout with friends.  Kensley's photo shoot went well and we are so excited to see the pictures.  This shoot was probably the toughest yet as Kensley didn't want to sit still and kept trying to crawl around.  We'll post the pictures when we get them back.

Kensley LOVED Nolan.  She kept following him around everywhere.

They were so cute playing together.

Me and my girl (sorry for the belly flash)

All the mommas...Jen and Grady to the left and Erin and Nolan on the right.

An attempt at a picture of the babies...this is a little blurry, but I thought it was cute as it looks like Nolan is comforting Kens while she cries.  And yes, this is the best picture I got of the three of them.

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Kensley has still been a little fussy this week and we're starting to see some signs of an upper tooth (actually looks like maybe where her eye tooth would be).  So we're anxious for that to pop through and for sleeping patterns to go back to normal.  Kensley has been a little clingy here lately and has still been snuggly before bed/naps.  We've had a few early (very early) Mommy/Kens cuddle times the past few days and she's actually been falling asleep on me (which is very unusual).  Not that I really mind too much (except it makes for a long work day), but we're hoping the pre-5 am wake up calls are just a phase. 

Per instruction from our pediatrician last week, we are "getting adventurous with new foods."  It's been fun to try some new things with Kens and kind of surprising how well she is doing with "real food."  She LOVES cheese flavored things right now...Gerber cheese puffs, pieces of cheddar cheese and her new fav, Macaroni and Cheese.

Kensley's latest trick (within the last few days) is that she is waving now!  It's so cute!  We've been working on it for quite a while now and she would always just look at us and smile.  Now when Jeremy is carrying her up to bed, she looks at me and starting flapping her arm.  Hopefully we can catch a video of it soon.

9 Month Stats...

Kensley's 9 month doctor's appointment was yesterday and overall she did pretty well.  Our doctor's office has a separate waiting room and entrance for babies 6 months and under.  So this was our first visit in the main waiting room and Kensley loved playing with all the toys and the fun mirror.

As we suspected, Kensley is still growing like a weed.  Here are her stats:

Weight: 19 pounds, 6 ounces (61%ile)

Height: 28 1/4 inches long (74%ile)

Head: 17 1/2 inches (63%ile)

Unfortunately, Kensley did get one shot this appointment...her 3rd Hep B shot.  Stranger anxiety is in full swing now and she took one look at the nurse and melted down before we even laid her down on the table.  I think putting her down was more upsetting to her than the actual shot...but she recovered quickly.  Overall the doctor said she looks great...she actually said perfect and of course we agree.  The most upsetting part for Mommy was that we scheduled her next appointment...her 1 year appointment!  I don't even want to think about it.

So this picture has nothing to do with her doctor's appointment, but it's cute and I haven't posted it yet.

This is how we found Kens one night this past week when we went up to check on her.  We thought it was so funny that she actually fell asleep like this.

9 Months Old...

Yesterday was Kenlsey's 9 Month Birthday!  Time continues to fly by and I honestly don't know how Kensley is getting so big and old so fast!  She continues to be lots of fun and is constantly moving.  She'll only sit on our laps for a few moments before she's squirming and wanting to get down and move.  She is crawling very fast, continues to pull up on everything and is now walking around the furniture.  Her balance seems to be getting better every day and she'll often stand and only hang on with one hand.

Happy to be 9 months old!

Kensley still only has her two bottom middle teeth, but we think she's working on some new ones.  She's been a little fussier lately, chewing harder on things and actually woke up crying last night at 2 am.  She settled down pretty quickly after a bit of rocking and cuddling (yes I know shocking) with mom.  I probably was up longer than necessary, but Kensley was in a rare cuddly mood and it was hard to lay her down (despite how tired I was). 

Not quite sure she wants to sit still for the photo shoot.

Kens is still taking 3 naps a day.  We went through a brief stint where she was down to 2 naps, but most days we just can't seem to shake this middle nap.  Her 3 naps are usually anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half each.  Her bedtime is still around 7/7:30 pm and most days she wakes up around 6:30 am/6:45 am.

And she's on the move

We see this little expression many times throughout the day.

We have her 9 month pictures on Sunday and her 9 month doctor's appointment tomorrow so I will update with stats.  We're all taking bets on weight and I'm sure we'll still have chunk in the upper percentiles!  Here lately I feel like she's getting taller as I'm noticing her clothes are shorter on her and she's getting to the point where she almost can't stand up straight under her highchair without bumping her head on the tray (she loves to play with the buckles that hang down).

Checking to make sure Raggedy Anne is still there.

Kensley is really into books right now and loves to help turn the pages while reading.  She's still obsessed with other people's jewelry, our cell phones, TV remotes and mommy's shoes (she loves to crawl into our closet, pull my shoes out and chew on them).  She also loves pulling her books off the shelves and toys out of her drawers.  Our living room is now pretty much always scattered with toys when Kensley is awake.

Apparently mommy's shoes aren't the only ones she likes.

The look on her face is so funny here.

Kensley is still a great eater and seems to be always interested in what we're eating.  She is getting so good at feeding herself finger foods.  She's loving cheese and baby yogurt these days.  Kensley also loves drinking water out of her sippy cup. 

And apparently she's done with the photo shoot.

Updates...

Last Friday, Kensley and I had the opportunity to meet some good friends at the Fort Wayne Zoo.  Courtney and Kennedy drove down from Ann Arbor so we could have a girls day out!  It was so fun to get the girls together and see them interact.  Kennedy and Kensley are exactly 5 months apart (to the day) and we hadn't had them together since Kens was about 5 weeks old.

Here are some pics of our day together.

Checking each other out...such a sweet picture.

Happy girl, despite the heat!

An attempt for a picture of the girls together.

Mommy and Kens at the zoo

Exhausted girls at the end of the day.

Kens was such a good traveler on this trip.  She feel asleep before we even left the zoo parking lot and slept the whole way home!  She was worn out!

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On Sunday, Kens took her first boat ride on Nana and Papa's boat.  Days on the boat are definitely not as relaxing as they once were.  Kensley wanted to crawl everywhere and pull herself up on everything.

Enjoying the ride

Helping Papa drive the boat

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Today is our 4th wedding anniversary!  We celebrated as a family this morning with an early wake up call from Kens and donuts and coffee.  Auntie Kym is going to watch Kens tomorrow night so Jeremy and I can enjoy a date night out together to celebrate.  Thanks for all the cards/well wishes from family and friends.

Lastly...a quick trip down memory lane.

Happy 4th Anniversary, Babe!

Brauchler Reunion and other happenings...

Last weekend we went to Ohio for the Brauchler (Amber's dad's side) reunion.  It had been years and years since I was last there and was actually the first reunion for Kensley and Jeremy.  Kensley got to meet her great uncle Randy and cousin Grace as they flew in from Atlanta for the weekend.  It was a quick trip to Ohio, but great to see family.  Here are a few pics from our trip.

This little girl loves to swing!

Ash and I with Cami and Grace

Elli with her daddy

Great Grandpa Brauchler and Kens

Grace with Jeremy...she stuck by his side quite a bit last weekend.

 

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Kensley continues to keep us busy and on our toes.  She's into everything and pulling herself up on anything that is sturdy enough (and falling down if it's not).  If there is a wire in the room, she will find it.  We find ourselves saying "no" more often now as she heads for wires, the carbon monoxide detector, plugs/outlets, breakable items, etc.  She follows us everywhere and is constantly underfoot.  She has such a fun little personality and we love to see her get excited about things....when we come home from work, go out to take a walk, break out food, bring out the camera, etc. she breaks into huge smiles and often flaps her arms in excitement.

This past Monday, Kensley got her first taste of formula...a mix of 2 ounces of formula and 4 ounces of breastmilk.  We've been giving her a few mixed bottles a day to gradually let her system adjust and get used to it.  She doesn't seem to even notice the change.  So if things continue to go well, she should be mostly weened by 9 months.  Between the formula and our frozen supply she should make it the last few months until her first birthday.

Kensley is also now eating three meals a day.  We are trying new finger foods everyday and often giving her food off of our plates.  She is getting much better at picking up food (puffs, Cheerios, pieces of bagels) and feeding herself.  She is doing great with her sippy cup and enjoys drinking water and occasionally milk from it.

Here are just a few pictures from the past week.

A nice reminder to mommy not to leave the baggie of Cheerios open.

Kensley loves to stand and pull herself up on everything...probably her new favorite thing to do.

Speaking of standing...this is often how we find her when coming up to get her.  However, she's not always wearing this happy expression.