This and That from this week

Here are just a few random things from this week (that I don't want to forget) ... and of course, some pictures!

Kendall's 2nd tooth appeared on Tuesday ... I had just seen it under her gums and then the next thing I knew (or felt), it had already cut through! So, she's gotten her 1st and 2nd teeth within 1 week ... Wowzers, Kendall! She's been a little fussy this week ... but nothing like we were afraid of or expecting after hearing other parents describe their babies first teeth. (I know she's got lots more teeth to go, but she's really been easy with the teething so far.)

You can call her ... Little Miss Jump, Jump, Jump-aroo! Kendall LOVES her "Jumping John" contraption ... and so do I! This past week she's really gotten into the whole jumping part of it and just jumps & laughs at herself as she spins herself around. It's so fun to watch her learn new things each day! We are so thankful for her continued development that we are seeing on a daily basis! (These pictures aren't that great ... it's difficult to catch her being still long enough to take a picture. And as you might imagine, Cassie always comes over to check things out ... and Kendall does not complain about that either!)

On Wednesday afternoon, my dad came by to visit us for a few minutes after a job interview he'd had before driving back to Abilene. It was nice to see him and Kendall always enjoys playing with her Pops ... even if it was for a few minutes! Then, Kendall & I picked up Huni (Ashley's mom) at the airport ... she was flying in from Canada ... where she just came back from attending the Olympics in Vancouver (where they lived for more than 20 years before moving to the Ukraine) ... we ate her last American meal at Chapps Burgers (one of their favorite burger joints) and watched the Olympics (on tv) & played with Kendall. She flew back out to the Ukraine Thursday morning, so we had a very short visit with her this time. And we miss her already and can't wait to see her & GranGran again soon!

This week, Kendall completed the "1st vegetables" (carrots were the last ones she tried and really likes them, too) and started her first "1st fruits" (which was bananas). So far, she's eaten sweet potatoes, green beans, squash, peas & carrots, and now bananas (and rice cereal, too). No allergies to any of these so far, although, I think she wishes she'd have an allergy to peas, so she wouldn't have to eat them anymore ... they are, by far, her least favorite food ... and I don't blame her ... I don't really like peas that much myself ... and when I get them ready for her to eat, they have such a strong odor ... they nearly take my breath away!

Kendall has shown some major improvement with her tummy time over this past week or so ... yay, Kendall! She still doesn't LOVE it for very long, but is holding herself up much, much higher this week than she's ever done before ... and for longer periods of time too. She seems to enjoy the "commando crawl" exercises more now and is motivated to go after the fun toy we are trying to encourage her with. She still LOVES to sit up on her own and is braver about reaching out further and further for a toy, even if it means landing on her belly. She "talks" most of the day and I love to hear it ... she squeals with delight ... screeches ... and babbles da-da-da, ga-ga-ga, ba-ba-ba, but has not - not even once - even tried to - say ma-ma-ma ... in fact, when I say it to her to encourage her to say it back (which is about 100 times a day), she just laughs out loud (or will at least smile, depending on her mood)! Poor sad mama! She LOVES playing pat-a-cake (my version and Daddy's shorter version) and playing peek-a-boo ... she is ALL smiles and laughs ... it is precious!

Love, Love, LOVE. THIS. GIRL! And this week, God has just constantly reminded me of how blessed I am to have this sweet baby girl to take care of and be her mommy! He chose ME to be her mommy ... how did I get sooo blessed?!?! We've had a heart-aching week finding out about several friends who are dealing with health issues, but we know that God is God and He is in control of it all ... and He is here with all these families going through these different health issues ... giving them comfort, peace, hope ... and loving them through it all! And we continue to pray for Jenny, Jason and sweet Baby girl Cox and their families!