It has been waaaaaay too long....

Oh dear, what can I say? I can't believe that I haven't been here since October. I feel so silly that I haven't kept up. This is typical me though. Start something that sounds neat and fun and then over time it falls to the wayside. Anywho....here I am so let's catch up.

Kayden
She is growing so fast. She was really able to sit up on her own at about 5 months. She just recently started crawling (about 2 weeks ago) and is now able to pull herself up on her toys, furniture, and her crib. Not only is she pulling herself up, but also she is actually walking (slowly) along the furniture and getting around that way too. I can't believe how much she changes from week to week. It is only 3 months away from her 1st Birthday!!!  How did that happen??!?!?

She is eating baby food and really starting to like it. She would much rather feed herself though. She loves picking up Cheerios and it keeps her busy. Still no teeth yet, but I feel like we might be close now. I have said that in the past multiple times and then nothing. But maybe now....??

Andy
He is working during the day and going to school at night. As always he is extremely busy and working hard to do it all. He has gone winter camping a couple times this winter. Everyone thinks he is crazy (except for those few guys that go along), but he really loves it. I can't wait for it to get nice again so I can go along. We plan on taking Kayden camping this summer. That will be an experience :)

Me
I am staying home with Kayden, but I started watching a little girl (2 months older than Kayden) Monday-Friday. She is a nice baby and it is fun for Kayden to have a friend to interact with. It is great to be able to stay home with Kayden while still bringing some money in.

Recent Photos

No Reason- Just Cuz I Can!

Here are some recent photos of Kayden that I just love. Can't get enough of her!

Oh Hi

Colts game with Daddy

Her Laugh is the Sweetest Noise

Kayden made her first debut of her beautiful little laugh on Saturday October 27th, 2012. We have heard her do a little giggle here or there, but nothing like this. Who would have thought that a Jimmy Johns wrapper would be so funny to a little girl. It has been such a fun time watching her reach new milestones and I know there are even more to come. Love her to pieces!

Oh the Hawkeyes

Andy and I went to the Hawkeye vs. Penn State game a couple weekends ago. We rode a party bus to Iowa City and tailgated all day until the evening game. It was a lot of fun going with friends and being there for the festivities. It was nice having a chance to be just Andy and Joey for a day. I really really missed Kayden though. It was the longest stretch of time I have been away from her since she was born. My parents came to the Quad Cities and watched Kayden that day. Having her in such great hands made it much easier for me to be away. I know my parents had a great time with her and she loves Grandma and Grandpa so much. The game was horrible so we ended up leaving the game right before half time (we got the tickets for free so we didn't feel so bad leaving) and finished watching the game at the bus. The bus was equipped with a TV inside and even one outside. It was quite the setup. We had such a blast and will hopefully do it again sometime. Here are some pictures:

It was the black and gold game...Pretty cool.

Some updates

For all those that care, Kayden is now successfully sleeping in her crib at night. We had to go to the full swaddle for awhile, but her arms are now free again and she is doing great. She wakes up about 2-3 times a night for her pacifier. Sometimes she can sort of put herself back to sleep after a few minutes of crying, but sometimes she does need us to help her put the pacifier back in her mouth to calm down. Per a friend's suggestion, we are now putting a few (and by few I mean 6-7) pacifiers in her crib in hopes that she can find at least one when she needs one. She can sort of put the pacifier in her mouth on her own, but it has to be perfectly set in her hands to do so. Therefore, I am not sure that she is really able to pick one up enough (especially in the dark) to really be able to place it at this time. However, at some point she will be able to do this and when she does, I want those pacifiers in there. :)

Other updates:
She is really getting better at tummy time. She is now able to push herself up very consistently and she actually enjoys tummy time for about 10-15 minutes at a time.

Kayden must be starting the teething process. She is putting anything and everything into her mouth and gnawing it like a crazy monster. I don't see any teeth or sore gums, but I am assuming they are on the way.

Kayden had her 4 month appointment last week. She weighed 13lbs 15 oz. She is still little compared to the average, but she is working her way towards the 50% range. She took the shots like a champ. She only cried for about a minute afterwards. She had a slight fever for about 12 hrs afterwards and was a bit more clingy than normal, but that was about it. I was much more prepared for it all the second time around.

Recents photos:

My glasses finally fit my head! :)

Baptism

On Sunday October 7, 2012 we baptised Kayden at Faith United Methodist Church in Freeport, IL. Although I was worried she might fuss during the ceremony, she did very well. Not a single peep during the actual baptism and then she slept through the rest of the church service. Because Kayden and her cousin Abigail were born only about 2 months apart, we all decided to do a double baptism which made sense. So Kayden and Abigail were baptised together and Grandma Ritterbush even sang during the ceremony. It was a wonderful service and it was a joy to have them together.

Godfather Matt Erickson and Godmother Jordan Hoppe

This was a recreation of a photo from when I was baptised. I tried to scan the picture to add to this point, but my printer/scanner isn't working. Bummer

My parents with Andy's family

Pastor John and our little family :)

The cousins

 Kayden was able to wear the outfit I was baptised in and Abigail wore the outfit that Sadie was baptised in. It was such a neat way to incorporate the past with the present. I also made sure to wear the blue sapphire ring that Andy/Kayden got me. That way when she wears it on her wedding day, I also wore it during her baptism.

That Sunday was also a big day because the Colts were playing the Packers.The Colts did pull off a win, which was a pleasant surprise for us! As you can see the two families are supporting their teams in this picture. Sorry Ryan, but for the day you were sort of rooting for the Packers :)  The baptism cake for the two girls is in this picture as well. My mom and dad put a party together for the girls which was awesome so our friends and family could celebrate the whole day.

Go Colts!

From Bassinet to Crib

I told you I wasn't going to be the best at updates, but nonetheless here I am. I think most of my problem is that I am finding it hard to think of things to write about because I don't feel that our daily lives are that interesting to anyone other than us :). However, I suppose this blog isn't just for others to read (and hopefully enjoy) it is really for our little family to have to document our lives as we grow.

Right now we are trying to get Kayden out of her Fisher Price Rock and Play into her crib.

Fisher Price Rock and Play



As you can see the Rock and Play is at an angle and the sides come up so she feels all snuggled in. The crib is obviously flat and very open. She can usually sleep in her crib at bed time for about 4-5 hrs (so I should feel that is progress), but then she needs her Nuk and possibly some help falling back asleep whereas in her rock and play she could sleep up to 7-8 hrs uninterrupted and could fall back to sleep on her own. We have loved the rock and play since day one and so has she. It has definitely helped her sleep better and longer and the fact that it is portable makes it so nice for short visits back to Freeport to see Grandma and Grandpa. Now the hard part is the transition. We have also swaddled Kayden since day one and she really takes to it. But we have finally gotten to the point where she can sleep with her arms out and it doesn't bother her. However, I think a full swaddle would help her in the crib, but I don't want to go backwards. I think partially we just need to stick with the crib to it instead of going back and forth when we have a bad night. Also, we have been going on so many weekend trips that we haven't been able to stick with the crib consistently for days on end. Either way...that is our current struggle. Enough about that....on to current pictures of Kayden :) (what everyone is really interested in)

Recent Pictures