22 Months flew by!

Layla entered her 23rd month on May 1st. I can't believe she will be 2 in a month. I have realized that I am a lot less emotional about the 2 year birthday than I was the 1 year birthday. I just can't believe it is coming up so FAST! Since we just finished month 22, here is what life was like....

Not sure about weight or height but I guess about 30 pounds and she is still "tall".

Using the potty full time at home. Still have to prompt her and she still hates public toilets.

She has now cut 16 teeth which means we have a break until the 2 year molars:)

Her eating has been much better this month as she has become more adventurous.

We registered for her 4th session of Music Class which she loves. Also registered for first semester of dance that starts in June.

Her love of books has become an obsession. That is the only thing she wants to do.

Sleeps 12/13 hours at night and naps 1.5-2.5 hours.

She uses possession a lot. Like: Daddy's car, momma's shirt, Layla's drink.

Her eczema can barely be seen now.

Attempts to sing along to songs. (Very Cute)

She can walk up and down our 16 stairs with very little assistance.

We are almost out of Barney phase. THANK. GOD.

New favorite movie is Leap Frog Letter Factor.

And thanks to the movie, when prompted she can tell you what most letters "say".

She can say a lot of colors, but when asked, everything is green.

She navigates my iphone and ipad better than I do.

Her hair once again is untamable in this humidity. Curly. Curly.

Loves retrieving daddy's golf balls when he is chipping in the backyard.

She has a very passive personality: Allows everyone down the slide first and gives away all of her instruments in music class.

And

Layla continues to show her daddy and I a kind of love that we had never imagined.

We are so blessed to be her parents.

Warning: Poop and Pee mentioned a lot in this post!

As I type this, we are about to begin day 10 of Layla using the potty. We started last Monday after returning home from our Florida trip. Layla was showing a few more signs of readiness so I decided to go for it and just see what happened.

Day 1: We started the day off by going straight to panties, cute little Minnie Mouse panties:) She pretty much peed everywhere all day long. Thank God for no carpet and good weather. Every time she peed she would yell at me. That was a good sign I assumed. She did not poop this day. Perhaps she was too scared too.

Day 2: Again, straight to panties. This morning she went into our closet pantry and shut the door and peed on the floor. Later on, I saw her going straight back to the pantry, so I grabbed our portable toilet and put it in there and set her own it. She then pointed to the door and wanted it closed. We have no lights in our pantry. To my shock, she sat there for a couple of seconds and peed on the potty! I continued to set her on there every 30 mins or so and she peed on the potty throughout the day with only a couple of accidents. In the afternoon, we were playing outside washing my car and I walked away for about 30 seconds to turn back around and find her sitting on her potty. She then stood up and said poo poo and she had pooped! Only problem was, she was sitting on the potty with her panties still up. Atleast she went to the potty on her own without any prompting.

Day 3: Today the switch went off in Layla's head. I was able to ask her if she needed to go potty without forcing it upon her. She would either answer "No" or say "potty" and walk to the potty. We went through the day with only one accident and she pooped in the potty successfully (panties down) also. We even managed a trip to the park and Chick Fila (gone about an hour) and she stayed dry.

Day 4: Much the same as day three. When it came time for her to poop we were playing outside and I had taken her potty out there just in case. She said poo poo and ran toward her potty. She said "inside" wanting me to go in the garage as her potty was outside. She went and the said "all done". Privacy is definitely a must with this kid.

So we have pretty much built on day 3/4 these last few days. She does excellent at home but really has a problem with public toilets. I am sure they are scary, her feet don't even touch the ground. She has been in panties full time with an exception of a pull up at Music Class because they have a room of carpet and I don't want to ruin it for the other kids:) Of course, she is still sleeping in a diaper. We did have a breakthrough at dinner the other night with a public toilet. She began to poop in her pants and said "poo poo" so I took her to the bathroom and she sat on the toilet. She then finished her business on their huge toilet. I was so proud of her! I am so amazed how she has learned bladder control. At first she went a little bit here and there. Now she holds it an hour or more and the quantity when she goes is much more.

We are taking a trip to TN this weekend and I am hoping that doesn't totally set us back in our progress. We still have a lot to overcome (using the big pottys, and going in public) but I am totally surprised with the progress we have made so far. I would love any suggestions on what made the public toilet use easier for your kid. Layla wants her privacy and that is part of the issue. She was on the toilet the other day without the door shut and she covered her eyes thinking that would help.

I love just about every aspect of parenting. Potty Training is definitely a love/hate relationship. It is a big sacrifice on my part to be at home A LOT more but it is so fun to watch her learn so quickly when I had very little expectations.

Plus her little bottom is just so darn cute in those panties:)

Easter 2011

This Easter was a little different for the Kairdolf Family. This was the first Easter we spent away from our parents and other family. As with every holiday that we go back to Murfreesboro, we spend most of the time running across town from house to house trying to squeeze in equal amounts of time with each family. Although we love our moments with our family, it just becomes exhausting and really by the end we think "what was today all about anyway?".

So this year we spent Easter in Atlanta. We had planned on attending Buckhead Church which is where we normally spend our Sunday mornings, but when the opportunity presented itself to spend Resurrection Sunday with our neighbors who don't normally attend church we felt that was where we needed to be. The park that we spend most of our afternoons playing at hosted a sunrise service. Now let me say, there was not all the bells and whistles of Buckhead Church but I really think it represented was what Easter is meant to be about.

Later that afternoon (after a family nap time of 2.5 hours) we went to a neighbors house to have a Easter dinner with friends. Layla was the oldest of the kids. The others were just young 1 year olds. :) I love that when you live away from family, your friends become like family. God has given us some amazing friends in the short time when have been in Atlanta and we are SO SO thankful.

Beth Moore said it best on her blog.

My prayer in remembrance of this Resurrection Sunday:

Please pursue each member of my family and me for the full work and benefit of Your Cross and Your resurrection. Please do not yield to our resistance. Appear unmistakably in every place we run. Walk through every door we slam. No addiction need hold us, no affliction need bind us, no suffering need smother us, no defeat need hover over us, no foolish act need define us and death need not haunt us. In the quake of the Cross, hopelessness slipped through the trembling cracks of earth and fell with an everlasting sentence into the bottomless abyss. Graves broke open and the bonds of the guilty fell from their wrists with a breath-taking thud. Because of this day that we, Your church, commemorate, we are free.

Layla and Kyson on the way to Church

Reaction to Easter basket from Granna and Papa

(A little out of order) Family Picture

Loves her bunny ears!

Yes, she ate all the skittles in this egg!

Piece of chocolate bunny

And what that piece became...

All the kids at the party. Thanks Katie for hosting!

Layla needs a Cozy Coupe. She LOVED this thing!

Picking up the eggs was her thing. Especially once she figured out what the eggs had in them:)

The newest addition to our group of friends. Reese at 2 weeks old. (I got to hold her and she is just perfect:)!

Beach Trip

We had a very relaxing week in Destin for our girl's beach trip. As always it is good to be home and settling back into a routine. Our trip was over all pretty uneventful. We just enjoyed the sunshine. Layla warmed up a little to the sand. She did seem to do better with her water shoes on. We spent a lot of time by the pool. She loved to jump in and go all the way underwater.

I did manage to enjoy a couple long runs listening to the ocean. The flatness sure was a nice break from our hills here but I did have to fight the humidity, even first thing in the morning. I also got to read a couple of books. Most reading was done in my bed at night instead under an umbrella by the beach. I was too busy building sandcastles at the beach:) I read our book club book for the month, Fated. I also read Water for Elephants. Fated was not much to write about but I really enjoyed Water for Elephants. I hope to get to see the movie here soon!

Here are a few pics from our trip!

Took these first 2 before we left. Our flowers were so pretty when they were in bloom.

Big 22 Month old!

Grammy bought her this bumble bee bathing suit

The back is so cute. And yes she has one foot in the bucket. She was constantly washing the sand off of herself.

Greeting from Destin Florida!

Happy Monday to all. The first day of our girl's (Grammy, Natalie, Layla, and I) beach vacation was beautiful! As I expected, Layla was not a huge fan of the sand. She hated the fact that it stuck to her skin. She wanted to sit in my lap and constantly dipped her hands and feet into the bucket of water so that they were clean. She warmed up a little bit as the day progressed. Maybe tomorrow will be even better. The words "ocean, water, beach and sand" are now a part of her vocabulary. This afternoon she took a long nap and then chowed down at dinner. She ate the whole time we were at the table which is not normal for her. Her little belly was so tight:). We are looking forward to a week of beautiful weather. I just love the beach but it sure isn't the same with a toddler! I wouldn't trade this time with her for anything. It is so neat to watch her experience new things!

I finished my 8k (5 miles) on Saturday in 51 minutes. It was very hilly and humid but running with my neighbor was so much fun! I wanted to break 50 minutes but maybe next time.
My upcoming races are:
Nashville Country Music Half- April 28th
Kirkwood Spring Fling 5K- May 14th &
Peachtree Road Race 10K (Biggest one in the World)- July 4th
& maybe a repeat of the Middle TN Half in October
Looks like I better get to running:)

First Real Freak Out As A Mom

Today, we were just hanging out around the house watching the Masters. Layla wanted a snack so I took her to the pantry so she could see her options. She found some chips that someone had brought over when we had our softball party. We are not a big chip family so this was a real treat for her. She ate a few with no problem but then I guess one got lodge wrong. She immediately started gagging and it was obvious that her air way was blocked. I immediately turned her over and held her upside down and started the thrusts on her back. After a few seconds, whatever had lodged seemed to dislodge when ever she spit up. She then went to sit in daddy's lap to recover and after about 20 seconds she began gasping for air again only this time she was starting to turn blue and I could really see the strain in her eyes. I started to freak a bit so Lucas took control and began a mini version of the heimlech maneuver. After what seemed like forever she spit up some and started crying again. This time it was completely dislodged and after a little love she was back to herself. I think it took Lucas and I longer to recover! At one point, I think I yelled, "Call someone!". I don't know who we were going to call but I guess that was all my CPR training coming back around where they teach you to call for help. Thank God Lucas was home. We will be a totally chip free family from this point on...or until Layla is an adult:)

I have to say from working in the medical field for a few years, I have watched 2 people die, seen chest compressions a few times, and watch a man have a severe asthma attack in which I thought he was going to lose consciousness. During those times I was able to think logically, follow orders, and remain totally detached emotionally. Let me just say, today was totally different. I pray in all of Layla's life that is the most physical stress I have to ever see her body in!

On a lighter note, I am running an 8K tomorrow, probably before most of you wake up! My sweet neighbor, who could run it twice before I finish is kindly going just as a spectator to cheer me on! I am trying to beat 50 mins but I have no idea how hilly the course is so we shall see! Wish me luck!

What Layla's life was like at 21 Months

I feel like I start all these kind of posts with the word WOW but it amazes me how fast my baby girl is growing up! When asked how old she is, I no longer answer in months but say "almost 2". Layla is beautiful, healthy, smart, funny, & sweet. So thankful that she is MY daughter and God has given me the privilege of being her momma!

Here is what 21 Months was like:

Weight: About 28/29 pounds & I continue to get random comments that she seems tall.

Wearing size 2T or 3T, depending on the brand

Size 5 diapers

Has 8 top teeth and cutting the 7th one on the bottom now

She is loving the fruit of the season

When we go to Barnes and Nobles, she knows exactly where to find her milk in the cooler

Sleeps 12 hours at night and 1.5-2 hours at nap time

(Yes, I won the napping battle mentioned in a previous post:)

Her favorite book is Barney Goes to the Dentist. I paid 75 cents for it at a consignment store, go figure.

We just began her 3rd ten week session of The Music Class

Her vocabulary is crazy and she is now speaking in 2-3 word sentences

She has a bad spot of Exzema on the back of her right knee.. Ouch.

Says excuse me when she burps, bless you when you sneeze, and sorry if she bumps into you.

She is in a baby stage and is very animated with her "babies"

Tells me when she wants her diaper changed and yells "poo poo" after she poops but when I ask her if she wants to go on the potty it is a very clear "no"!

Likes to stand with her arms crossed

She gets in plank position on command but her abs are anything but solid:)