Merry Christmas!!!!

Another walking video!!!

We have walking!

Good Bye Grandpa Bill ;-(

It is with a heavy heart that I write to say my 'Fancy Grandpa' passed away at 3:30am yesterday. How do you put into words what someone means to you and the impact they had on your life? How do you begin to move on without feeling guilty that you are smiling when someone so important has passed on? What do you begin to say to those left behind? How do I tell my daughter that she had a Great Grandpa that thought she was so pretty and loved watching her giggle but he is not here? How do we sit at the family table this Christmas when a void is left at the head of the table? Or an empty rocking chair with his 'numm numm's" (remotes for those who do not know Bill-speak) at arms reach? These are questions that I am faced with and have no answers to. I will remember his sense of humor and love for movies. I will remember how hard he took it when our family dog 'Sam' passed away. I will remember all the times that he told me "You look good kid" or "You're a good kid". I will also remember the admiration he had for my Nan. Many times he would tell me how much he loved her and how special she was to him. He also let me know that she was 'hot' on some occasions. When I remember him I will remember the good, not the sad times spent alone in the Hospital in obvious discomfort. Why didn't I give him a big hug at Kailey's Birthday party? Why didn't I get a picture of him holding Kailey?

I hope Fancy-Man is somewhere amazing watching a movie in High Definition with the stereo turned up way too loud, shoving Quality Street Chocolates in his mouth 90 MPH. I hope he is wearing one of his classy suits while sipping some Drambuie. Most of all, I hope he enjoys the feeling of health that he has not had in so long & realizes that he meant the world to me and so many others. I thank him for all the laughs and his honesty. I will remember you always as my Grandpa with the tough exterior with the warm teddy bear inside.

Fare-ye-well.

Love Shari
xoxoxoxxo

Just some pictures...

I am way too tired to post what I wanted to, so I will just post some pictures and then I will update the blog tomorrow ref. her appointment and other goings on. ;-)

This is one of the outfits from our friends Cheryl & Brad, Mac and Jay that she got at her surprise B-day party. Thank you so much for picking out such a sweet outfit. The picture on the left really shows off her limbs...she looks so old to me right now. ;-(

Jack took these yesterday am when he was giving her a bubble bath...soap Afro. hahaha

Kaiiley's phone voice.

Stuff to report!

KAILEY HAS BOTH OF HER BOTTOM MOLLARS!!!


This totally threw me for a loop as I was assuming that the next teeth she would cut would be the canines since they are the next in line. When I looked at the charts I got from her Health unit appointment, the first molars typically come a couple of months before the k-9's, so I looked a little further back and Viola...2 teeth. I was wondering why she was kind of cranky the last few days....go figure. She is up to 10 teeth now. She seems to be cutting them at an alarming speed now.

The pretty green dress she is wearing is one of her Birthday outfits from her Grandma and Grandpa Ruggiero in sunny California. Thank you so much.

The other development:

NO MORE BOTTLES!!
This, however, makes me sad since I knew I had the bottle before bed to rock her and enjoy this bonding time. The last couple of nights she hasn't wanted it so she is now bottle free. I guess it is great to not have to wash them, but it just happened too fast for my liking. Where did the newborn/infant Kailey go? It seems like she skipped through some of this way too fast. *sigh* She still loves to cuddle before bed so I am happy for that.

This is the outfit that Jackie gave her for her Birthday. Funny thing is the fact that it is a K-bear sized outfit that I am sure Jackie has...hahaha. Mini-Jackie. Thanks!!!

This is Kailey's eye...I just thought it was cool. I only wish I had that eye color.

10 cm of snow today...at least!!!!

I love cruising around in Dad's big shovel especially when we are chasing Mom around the front yard. The other picture is her smelling the snow...yeah, needless to say shortly after that we went inside to dry off her face. :-(

Thank you Brad, Sharon and kids for the pretty shirt that I am modelling. I wear the pants all the time and they were dirty that day.

Thank you Nana for my Dolly, I drag her around all the time and I love to poke her eyes and smell her feet (wonderful little habit she is into right now...I guess it is better than what a dog does, but it is embarrassing with company). Look at my silly Dad in my ship...not even invited...jeez.

1 of 4 posts today!!!

I am feeling rather 'blog'ish' today so please keep scrolling to the end. hahaha

I am so in love with this picture of Kailey and Jack. I am so kicking myself for not turning up the light so it is better quality, but I still love it. We gave her the bear she got from her Grandma and Grandpa Ruggiero when she was born. She is ready for some of her stuffed toys that we were saving and this is the response she had. How priceless.

Visitors and a special treat.

Dad and Diane came out this Saturday for a visit. She was pretty proud to show them her ship and pretty well every other noise and trick she can do all in the first hour!! What a show off she was. They could not believe the changes in her since the last visit the week before her Birthday. They commented on how independent she is and how mobile she has become. Her most exciting part of the visit was her introduction to what a drumstick is...yummmm....Dad and Diane had them with them and the idea was I was supposed to share with her but she grabbed the entire thing and...well...you will see from the pictures that I wasn't about to partake in it after she had her fun with it.

Thanks for the doll and the outfit and most of all the visit! She was very tired in the picture above as you can tell by her eyes. It is hard work packing all you know into such a short time...phew

mmmmmmm.....mmmmmmm....mmmmmm

Kailey and the great outdoors.

Jack was shoveling this afternoon and Kailey was watching him out the window, so I thought it would be great to put her in her snow suit and let her experience snow for the first time. She was way too tiny last year. Most kids hate getting their snow suits on, but she sees this as a ticket outside and she is good as gold...another precious moment when she is not in motion!!! Thank you to Heather (a lady that my Mom worked with) for passing this along. She has worn this a few times already. She loved being outside and thought it was so awesome to crawl around in all that white stuff. She dug around in it and had to give it the smell and taste test. She thought it was even better when we had the dogs outside and they were nose diving into it. Glad someone is happy to have such a huge dump of snow. The funniest was when Jack scooped her up in the shovel and ran her around the yard. She was having a blast and was squealing and laughing while the dogs were chasing her...of course she decided not to smile for the camera. All in all...a fun afternoon.

Early Christmas present.

We gave Kailey an early Christmas present after we discovered how much she loved the play house in the clinic. Wal-Mart had a great deal on Little Tykes plastic play ships. It comes with two pirate costumes so her and Connor will be sporting these the next play date for sure!!!! She loves this. She brings her sippy cup and sometimes a Parker or a Marley come in with her and she shuts the door and enjoys some 'K-Time'. She loves it when you knock on the door. She gets a real kick out of answering it. She also likes the ship's steering wheel. I say..."Ice burg straight ahead" and I taught her to spin the wheel like crazy...way too funny. Jack thinks I am a geek for making reference to a movie that is 10 years old, but hey....anything for one of those Kailey laughs!!!!

I had to include these pictures of her in the chair she got from Nan and Grandpa Denis for her Birthday. She loves sitting in it and it is worth taking a picture because these are those few precious times she is not in motion.

Surprise B-day photos.

As promised...

Click the link below for more. ;-)

http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/sjrugg/Kailey-Surprise%20B-day%20Party/

Thumb's up...

It has been a while since I wrote a K-Bear update so here are some highlights.

Kailey had her one year immunizations on Halloween afternoon. She was amazing. She cried more when the nurse tried to wipe her nose after the fact. She had one thing on her mind and that was getting the appointment over with so she could continue playing in the life sized doll house in the waiting room. She loved the playhouse and stood in it looking out the window welcoming all the people entering the clinic with waves and her classic deep growly laughs. She didn’t want to leave which is different than most kids according to her nurse. When we got back to the house Jack already set up the Haunted house in our front yard and Kailey was awe struck over the music and all the decorations. Once the kids stared coming (300 or more…yikes) we let her watch and she was having the time of her life looking at all the costumes and was not scared in the least bit at all the jumping creatures/props in the yard. She is going to have a blast next year trick or treating.

Her one year stats:
Height: 31.5”
Weight: 26.7 lbs.

She is off the charts this time for both height and weight. Her baby BMI is perfect so I am happy about that. She is totally on Homo milk now and only has one bottle before bed (I am not ready to give that up yet even though I know she would take her sippy). I love that cuddle time at the end of the day. Feeding her is going to break us….hahaha. She eats a ton and loves pretty well everything we put in front of her. She wants everything we are having so we really have to watch what we eat in front of her. I find myself sneaking chocolate and even then she finds me. I was holding her on my hip the other day eating a granola bar and she reached over and broke a piece off and ate it. She likes to share things with me and it is way too cute when she looks up at my and smiles with crumbs on her face making the mmmm mmmm noise.

She got her 8th tooth sometime in the last couple of days. She is enjoying getting her teeth brushed twice a day now. She sees me brush my teeth and she opens her mouth waiting for her little pink Dora brush. She is biting the couch arm and laughs when I tell her ‘no’. Go figure….the dogs leave our furniture alone but my sweet one year old girl dressed in pink has a thing for leather.

Jack taught her how to give a ‘thumbs up’ so she is giving us this sign anytime she is eating something particularity good or when she sees me for the first time in the morning. She will be just waking up and all squinty with the light s and she smiles and gives a thumb’s up. Connor and his parents came over Saturday night for supper and they had a blast together. They are best friends and they communicate in some language only they understand. They share everything, including hugs and kisses. Kailey has taken to petting his head like a dog. He just smiles and closes his eyes. I am determined to get some video of this next time. Chris and April brought his playpen over so when it was time for bed they could put him to sleep in the spare room. Both babies crashed at 8pm and rather than wake him up at midnight they all stayed the night. Kailey woke up a little later than Connor so when she came down the stairs with Jack she spotted Connor and gave him a big grin and a thumb's up and the playing started again. Very cute.

She is using her walker all the time now, even on the lino and laminate floors. She has figured out how to adjust her speed for the various flooring…thank God. She took her first steps a few days ago while holding onto her sippy cup, but when she thought about what she was doing she fell down on her bum. She most definitely can walk, but is still cautious and rather walk while holding onto something…even Zoe, which usually doesn’t end well when Zoe picks up the pace.

The outfit (vest, jeans and boots are from her Auntie Heather and Uncle Colin and the red shirt is from Grandma) is one of the many B-day presents she got.

Party Pictures

First and foremost I want to thank Family and friends for making Kailey's First Birthday one to remember. It is so comforting to know that she is loved and cared for by so many people.

Birthday Photo Shoot

(click the link below)

http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/sjrugg/One%20Year%20Photo%20Shoot/

Gido & Grandma Diane - B-Day

(click the link below)

http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/sjrugg/First%20B-Day%20-%20Gido/

Nan & Grandpa Denis - B-day

(click the link below)
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p220/sjrugg/K-Bear%20Birthday%20-%20Edmt/

I will add the pictures from the surprise party when I get the originals from Jackie. :-) You cannot miss those either!!!

Happy Birthday Kailey Bear!!

Getting ready for her date! haha

This weekend we went over to our friends house for supper so Kailey got to see Connor again. It was so much fun seeing those two playing. He hugged her and she stroked his hair smiling. They play so well together and there is never any sharing issues. They love to feed each other snacks and chat to each other about the weeks events...hahaha. I had to share these pictures of her.

Step one: Bath time
Step two: Pick a stunning outfit

Step three: Dress for the weather being sure to co-ordinate

The last picture is attack of the baby zombies...hahaha. That is what it seemed like every time I tried to get a picture of them together....ahhhhhh....cammmera.

Back to work for me.

My first week back to work is almost over (my shift is the 7:30am-11:30am and Jack's is noon-8pm). In some ways being back is great. I get to talk to adults again and use some of my grey matter that has been in neutral for the past year. What amazes me is the fact that I remember most aspects of the job. I guess I just filed it for future use. I thought I wouldn’t be as tired as I am but I am hoping that it will get easier. I am finding the stretch from her 2nd nap to bedtime tiring as I am doing that solo every day when I am used to Jack being home by 5 to watch her here and there. She gets rather impatient waiting for her food to cool down when she spots what is on the menu some days. She is really into smelling everything before it goes in her mouth so I am always fishing food out of her nostrils…lovely. The same piece of meat that is cut up into pieces gets the smell test every bite. Monday Kailey was still asleep when I left so she wasn’t phased by me not being there or she must have thought it was Sunday (I always meet up with the girls and our dogs). Tuesday she woke up early so she saw me getting ready for work and wanted attention I just couldn’t give her. When the time came to put on my shoes and head out the door she started crying and waving and apparently went looking for me for about an hour after that. She didn’t take her afternoon nap when I got home. She is back on schedule again so that is great. She was still sleeping when I left this am. She has another tooth now too. She is cutting teeth like crazy now. She has 7 and if she would let me take a good look I am sure there is another one. She had her follow up appointment yesterday regarding her legs and despite her new found mobility (read that as crazy stair climber chick and furniture walking) he still wants to rule out any issues. Off to the Stollery we go to see an Orthopedic Paediatrician November 14th. I guess any muscular/bone issues can usually be remedied before their second Birthday. She was quite the little charmer in the waiting room yesterday. She waved to everyone sitting there and said ‘hi’ in a sweet little voice that is a welcome change to the usual. Everyone loved her and she even enjoyed her Doctor this time. (They communicated in clicks). We had to stop at Wal-Mart after the appointment and she was still waving and saying hi, but this time a lady was trying to ignore her so Kailey decided the sweet little voice was not working so she upped the ante with a LOUDER more huskier ‘HI’ and she got what she wanted – acknowledgement.

She is one on Tuesday…can you believe it??!! I was able to move her one-year shots to the 31st in case she has some nasty effects right in time for her big day.

I just wanted to check in and say I am still here and will be trying to update this site as much as I can.

Time for an update!!

It has been too long since the last post and there are some exciting developments to report that you will find at the end of the post.

Saturday my Dad and Diane came to Cold Lake to give Kailey her Birthday presents and to drop off a swing set, sandbox and some toys that they will not be taking with them to their new residence. First up was setting up the swing set and letting K-bear test drive it. She wasn't too sure at first since it is different than the ones at the park that she is used to. She was also trying to figure out what this was doing in her yard. It didn't take her long before she was grinning and gabbing. She was having a ton of fun and loved all the attention that Gido and Grandma gave her. She was full of giggles and was excited to the nth degree when she opened up her gifts. Her favorite item was the Zebra bouncer toy...she couldn't believe her eyes!!! Thank you so much for making the trip and for all the gifts that Kailey is loving.

Saturday night, after family left, it was off to Connor's first Birthday party (her little friend who is the same age). She was pretty excited on the way there as it was her first time facing forward in the car. She is not quite a year old, but she is too long for rear facing as her feet are able to touch the back of the seat which is dangerous should we get into an accident. She thought she was pretty special sitting up high and able to see where we were going. As soon as we got in the door she spotted Connor and after a quick reunion, they were off playing with his new toys. She wasn't phased at all by all the strangers and actually latched on to one of the husbands for whatever reason. hahaha. She was having so much fun, but we could see that she was running out of steam around 8:30pm when she stopped playing and stared off into space so we headed for home.

Sunday morning Kailey and I were out the door by 9:30am on our way to Edmonton for Thanksgiving. We arrived at lunch time and had a quick bite and K-bear has some cuddles with her Nan and we were off to West Edmonton Mall. This was the first time we took Kailey there and she was in her element with all the noise and people to stare at. She looooved Chapters and was grabbing as many books as she could (yikes). She thought the Flamingo's were neat and she managed to fall asleep in time for Mom and I to have a nice supper at Tony Roma's. We ordered her a Grilled Cheese for when she woke up. She let us eat our supper and she woke up hungry and not at all freaked out that she was somewhere new yet again. Monday was the big Thanksgiving meal at Auntie Char, Uncle Ron's & Cousin Julie's house so we were on the road again. Her little outfit, which was a royal pain to put on due to all the steps involved (jean dress, tights, onsie, panties, sweater and boots), was only on her for about 15 minutes before she barfed on herself in the car...lovely. Her 'new' Thanksgiving outfit then consisted of nothing more than a diaper...oooo lala. She got to try some Turkey, stuffing and some other new things. I took some great pictures of Kailey and Auntie Char wearing the same hat that my Nan made (sweet hat with puppy ears) , but I erased them by accident. Char, I am sure, it not saddened my that...hahaha. I could write a novel and/or a comedy sketch with all the things that happened to me, but I think I will end it here while I still have some dignity left.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS:

-she is doing stairs by herself...over and over again until you are ready to pull your hair out.

-she is pulling herself up on everything from the coffee table to her diaper bag - some attempts more successful than others, but she is learning. She is taking steps from the coffee table to the couch.

-she has 2 new teeth on the top and two more almost through on the bottom. She has 6 teeth now.

-she had her first hamburger last night and loved it. The burger was shaped like Mickey Mouse and had cheese through it so how could she not like it?

-I am back to work tomorrow...a year has gone by already. I am going in for 7:30 and will be home by noon every day.

It would appear that this kid will just wake up some mornings and decide to hit these milestones without any lead up. One minute we are all worried about her knees and lack of movement and now she is ready to take her first steps. At least there is never a dull moment. Dr. Stander called to tell me that her x-rays came back normal, but as a precaution he still wants her to see a specialist. I guess it can't hurt but the popping has greatly subsided likely due to the fact they are getting a massive workout now.

Phew....there is the quick version of the last week or so. See you at her party.

Hugs and Kisses.

xoxoxo