Growing Too Fast

I can't believe my babies are getting so big and almost one year old. My how the time has passed.

Keaton learned to sit up this week. I was visiting with a friend in the family room and Keaton (who belly creeps everywhere and very fast) was over by the fireplace. Turned my head only for a minute and when I looked back at him he was sitting up and playing with the metal curtain in the fireplace. When he went down for a nap that day he was sitting in his crib when I went to get him. Needless to say we lowered the inside of the crib that night.

Keaton is into everything. He LOVES to push the buttons of the stereo and open the cassette holder part and crank up the music (which actually scares him...he just likes turning the knob). We have been putting a pillow from couch in front of stereo to protect it from breaking. This doesn't work. He pulls the pillow out of the way or his latest thing is crawling onto the pillow so he can touch the buttons even better. When I say "no" he turns, looks at me with a smile like "what did i do?" and then starts trying to get to stereo again. Hard not to laugh or smile at how cute he is but man is it tiring pulling him away from it for hours on end.

He loves to be hung upside down, tickled, thrown in air, or any kind of rough housing given. He is possessive of toys and if McKenna has a toy you can bet he will want it. He could have same toy in his hand, but will want the one she has.

Keaton says Dada and this week started saying Dat when trying to say dad. And he says hi dad. Well at least it sounds like it and he will mimic you saying it too.

He loves clapping and will do it on command, or if you say good job he claps and if you sing "If You're Happy and You Know It".

McKenna had several good days of low retching - only three retches per day. But today was back at six and one had pretty good size spit up with it. She is still not any closer to eating food or drinking (other than a few sips daily from sippy cup of water). We are anxious for the day she will take a bite or drink juice or milk from a bottle.

She is doing a lot better with reaching forward to pick stuff up off the ground and McKenna's latest trick is to pick something up, throw it forward then reach forward to get it. It's so cute to watch and she looks at you with the biggest smile to let you know she is so proud of herself.

She started taking her fingers to her mouth when saying ahhhh this week so it makes that broken ahhhh sound. It's so cute and great to watch. She occasionally will do a da da sound but for the most part just says ahhhhhh for long periods of time. Maybe she will be a singer someday.

She still doesn't like her tummy time and doesn't do well on it. But if you position her arms she can roll over from belly to tummy (can't do it unless you position her) and if you put her on tummy on a blanket and pull the blanket like a sled she looks up.

We are trying a few new techniques with McKenna this week to help her "map out" her body and hopefully it will help her with her sensory issues. Doing something called brushing. They give you a special brush and you brush arms, back, hips and legs without ever picking up brush. Is suppose to make her aware that her body is all connected and for her to feel the different parts of her body. Also doing mouth sweeps to help her feel her mouth out better.

McKenna loves large rings, pacifiers and spoons to play with. She loves watching Keaton play and scrunches her nose and breathes in and out really fast and loud when fake laughing. She is very ticklish on her sides and feet and has learned to take the blanket off her head during Peek-a-Boo or "Where's McKenna" as we call it.

McKenna has been a challenge with sleeping at night - waking up around 12:30 in the morning and will scream every forty minutes to an hour. Have tried everything we can think to do to get her to stop but so far haven't found an answer. Just praying she catches up on sleep sooner than later. The more sleep she gets the better she is with development and strength to grew.