SHE'S HUGE!

We just got back from Keira's first official birthday party.  My girlfriend's daughter just turned one and we simply had to celebrate.  The scariest thing was that Victoria and Keira are the same size.  Same weight, similar height, the only difference is that Victoria is pulling herself up and walking around tables, while Keira can't quite master sitting up.  I am raising a giant.  Thought you should know.  

PS- Keira wore her favorite party dress from Jackie & Jane's.  It's pink and green plaid, very Jackie O, and a size 6-12 months!  We had trouble getting her arms through the bodice....

Success!

So far daycare is good.  Keira had a good morning.  The ladies there seemed very nice.  One of them has a daughter Keira's age who is also there.  She went through 1 set of clothes, 2 bottles, and 3 bibs, played on the floor with some toys, and relaxed in the swing.  She didn't fuss at all and was sound asleep when I picked her up.  We went and had lunch with Daddy, and she was all smiles.  And the best news of all, Mommy held it together and didn't cry once, not even when I had to hand her off!  And she got a lot of work done at school today!  Yay!

Daycare

This has been a lovely long weekend, full of family cuddles, a friend's wedding, and a visit from Uncle Gavin & Aunt Laura. But on Monday Keira starts at her daycare center. Many of you may be thinking, "But Col, don't you have the day off?" Yes, I do, but we thought it would be good to do a dry run where I could go pick her up midday. I'm sure she'll be fine, but Mommy may need to cut the day short. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I know she'll be okay and is near to JR if anything goes wrong. On the other hand, I've gotten really spoiled having family be able to take care of her for so long. The amount of preparation necessary each morning is a little daunting, and I'm not sure how much more stress I'll feel knowing that she is with strangers. The level of trust is much lower right now. But there are some things that make me feel slightly better. The place we are leaving her is run by a former nurse, who took time off to run a daycare for her daughter's children out of her home. It grew and grew and now they are in a separate building with about forty kids 0-3. The nursery area, which is in a separate room, is run by her daughter and they maintain a 1-3 ratio, even though the state only requires 1-4. The other cool thing is that they have an agreement with Elmhurst College and often have their Early Childhood students working with them for their contact hours. The other great thing is that my mom has been able to take two days off each week to stay home with Keira, so the daycare is only for three days. I'll let you all know how it goes...

She's getting so big

Every time I look down I swear she's gotten bigger.  Especially her hands.  When she was born, she could barely fit her hand around my pinkie.  Now, she can easily grab any of my fingers all the way around.  She is also starting to grab for things she wants, like bright rattles and her quilt.  Although she hasn't quite figured out all the mechanics of it yet, she is making progress.  She puts her hand out and then leans her entire body forward until she can get what she wants.  Super cute!  I just can't believe how quickly she's getting bigger.  Each day there are more outfits that don't fit.  She is already out of all her 0-3 month clothes, the 3-6 months fit just about right, and we even reach into the 6-9 month drawer in a pinch!  Crazy!

Baby's First Christmas

Keira had a lovely first Christmas.  We spent Christmas Eve with my parents, brother, and his wife.  After a huge meal at our house, we relaxed on the couch and Keira opened her first present, a play ramp with loads of doodads and mirrors from her Aunt Laura & Uncle Gavin.  Then we went to Busi's house Christmas morning for our traditional breakfast and present opening bonanza.  Afterwards, we headed to my Aunt Sue's house for my family's traditional late lunch and present bonanza...Are you sensing a theme?  Lots of food and fun!  It was really great to be able to spend so much time with family on her first Christmas.  She got lots of toys and clothes and hugs and kisses!  Who could ask for anything more? She was even awake just long enough to watch her presents get opened for her, before crashing again.  Merry Christmas all!

2 Month Check-Up

Keira had her 2 month check-up last Monday and everything is going great!  She is 24 3/4 inches tall, 16 inches around her head, and 15 pounds!  She is able to support her head really well, and is smiling!  Perhaps you can tell from my extravagant use of exclamation points that we're really happy about all of this!!!

Back to Work

I go back to work tomorrow.  Yes, I know that seems soon to many of you, but it has been 7 weeks and my paid benefits have run out.  So tomorrow morning I will pick up the reins in my classroom once again, and push on through Christmas.  I'm sitting here in my classroom, trying to get a feel for what I've missed and where we're at, and I'm not excited at all.  This is not a good sign.  Usually after breaks I'm revved to see everyone again.  All I keep thinking is I'd rather be home, cuddling Keira.  I lost it this morning when I realized that I wouldn't be able to snuggle her back to sleep after our 6 am feeding anymore.  I really hope I find a way to make this work or it could be a miserable end of the year...