Quarantine starts again!

Two weekends ago our friend Jenn from college came to visit with her daughter and mom. Kayla had a great time playing with Savannah! Savannah seemed to enjoy the goats and pigs and Kayla finally got to see the pigs for the first time. Usually she falls asleep in the stroller before we make it over to the barn. She didn't seem very impressed by them though.




Two Sunday nights ago we had pictures taken of Kayla with her cousins. It was quite challenging to get 10 kids to all smile for a picture! Afterwards Dwight's Aunts had a fall festival for the kids. Kayla dressed like a tiger of course!






Unfortunately it's the time of year for illnesses so Kayla is going back into quarantine until April. Kayla won't be leaving the house now except for doctors visits and occasional walks on nice days. No kids or sick people are allowed in the house now, only healthy adults. It's going to be a long winter since Kayla really likes people, especially kids.

I've had the challenge this week of having a cold and trying to take care of Kayla. Dwight and I have been trying to minimize my time with her in hopes of not getting her sick. We are praying she stays healthy.

10 months and 15lbs 5.5 oz

On 19-Sep, Kayla attended her Aunt Tricia and now Uncle Dave's wedding. Thankfully she slept through the ceremony since my husband and I were both in the wedding (I was the Matron on Honor and Dwight read an Irish Wedding Blessing). The day was beautiful as was the ceremony and of course, as was the bride. It was a long day for Kayla but she did wonderfully. We all had a great time!

Last Tuesday, we went with Dwight's parents to Roots Market with Kayla. Kayla seemed to like looking at all of the stuff and people. Of course, a few people asked about her glasses. I was excited to find Christian based Berenstein Bear books.


On Sunday we celebrated Griffin and Grace's birthdays with a pinata. Kayla ended up pulling the string that opened the pinata and even got some candy(she was not allowed to eat it though!).

Yesterday Kayla had a Pediatrician appointment. She now weighs 15 lbs and 5.5 ozs. She is getting soo big and has huge legs! She got her first flu vaccine and will get another in a month with her RSV vaccine. The doctor is very pleased with her progress. She said we can start introducing some more baby food flavors, like peas (yummy!).



Last night Kayla slept in her own room for the first time. Dwight and I decided that at 10 months it was time for her bed to leave our room and go to her own room. She slept through the night with no problems!



Kayla really likes the book that Judy brought her from England. Apparently Kayla understands British humor.

In case anyone was wondering, we ended up raising $800 for March of Dimes through the Pig Roast fund raiser. Thank you for your donations!!!

Kayla's glasses have arrived!

Yesterday Kayla got her prescription glasses. She will have to wear them until she is old enough to wear contact lenses. So far she has tolerated them quite well. She seems to be studying everything as if she is seeing it for the first time so we think the glasses are working!

9 months and 13 lbs 7 oz

Kayla went to the pediatrician on 25-Aug. She gained a pound and a half, the most she has ever gained in a month, and now weighs 13 lbs 7 oz. Her head size and length have made the growth chart but her weight is still below the chart. She appears to be going in the right direction though so the doctor is not concerned. She has another appointment at the end of September to get her flu vaccine.

Kayla attended her first 4H Goat Show at Elizabethtown. She seemed to be quite intrigued. One of our goats received Reserve Champ for Market goats.



Kayla enjoyed her first pig roast. She met a number of people for the first time. She also met several babies which she seemed quite interested by. We had a hard time convincing her to take a nap, since she didn't want to miss anything, so she got a little cranky by the end of the party. She went on her first hayride with daddy driving!



On 01-Sep, Kayla went to the ophthalmologist for her follow-up appointment. Unfortunately he said that her eyes seem to be more far-sighted then they were previously. So now Kayla gets to wear prescription glasses to help prevent her eyes from getting worse and possibly crossing. The doctor said she will most likely always have to wear glasses or contacts. Now we just have to convince her to wear the glasses!!

Kayla is becoming much more mobile now. She has mastered rolling back and forth from her back and stomach. She also has found an interesting way of moving herself by arching her back or pushing off objects (especially the sides of her crib). Time to start baby proofing!!

8 months and 12 lbs

Two weeks ago Kayla had a peditrician appointment. She weighed 12 lbs and the doctor was still happy with her progress. She said to start introducing oatmeal to Kayla's food. Unfortunately the doctor said that we should quarantine (not take her in public or around kids or sick people) Kayla again this winter to try to prevent her from getting ill. The doctor is concerned that if Kayla gets a major illness it will negatively effect her development.

Last week the Physical therapist came and gave us even more exercises to try. She was happy with Kayla's progress with sitting up. We had to set another goal for Kayla since her original goal was to sit unassisted and she is almost able to. Her new goal is to work on crawling. Of course Dwight and I have mixed feelings on her crawling, since we know we have a lot of baby-proofing to do yet. I'm sure Kayla will help us out with that!

Last weekend my mother, father and Aunt Dottie came to visit and baby-sit Kayla for me. On Friday they watched her for an hour so I could go shopping, but unfortunately due to Kayla's teething she cried most of the time. On Saturday they watched her again so I could go to a baby shower and thankfully she slept most of the time. We have found that teething is going to be quite fun! Kayla will be happy playing and without warning starts screaming. It's so sad! We have found that Kayla seems to think our fingers are the best thing to chomp on when her teeth hurt, and are apparently much better then cold teething toys. I made Kayla some peach baby food popsicles (per the Physical therapist) and she really seems to like them.

Kayla has been a party animal lately and has had lots of visitors. She is very curious and loves watching people. She seems to enjoy the 'pass the baby' game and has even started reaching for people. She also interacts with her toys a lot more, though I think her favorite toy is now her feet since she can get them in her mouth.

Earlier this week Kayla went to the park for the first time with a few of her cousins. She went on the swing and the slidingboard. She also went to Shady Maple for the first time this week for Grammie and Great Aunt Pat's birthday.

Summer fun

Kayla enjoyed her first 4th of July party at Dwight's Aunt's. After the party, Dwight decided that Kayla would like to put her feet in the pool. I figured since she isn't a fan of bathtime that she wouldn't be a fan of the pool either. Apparently I was wrong. She absolutely loved having her feet in the pool!

Last weekend we went back to Willow Grove to visit and stayed with my parent's (again -but at least Kayla was with us this time!). We had a bridal shower for my sister on Saturday so a lot of my family got to meet Kayla for the first time. Kayla was very well behaved during the party and even took a nap. I think she enjoyed the 'pass the baby' game.

After the party Dwight and I decided to take Kayla to visit the staff at the NICU. It was very odd when pulling into the parking garage and walking into the hospital, we had a sense of being home and actually missed it a little bit. I use to hate hospitals and would cringe at the thought. It's funny how your opinion of things change through life.
The NICU is still being renovated but what they have finished looks great. Dwight and I weren't sure if they would remember us but right away we were greeted by friendly faces. It was great to see the NICU staff again. It felt like a family reunion. They were excited to see Kayla and were glad to see how well she is doing.

On Sunday Kayla made her first visit to the Upper Moreland Swim club. She seemed to enjoy sitting under the tree looking at all the people and the pool. We put her in her little bathing suit with cover-up (which is soo cute!) and put her feet in the Tillman pool during an adult swim. She seemed quite fascinated by the water and all of the people. After her swim she enjoyed a nice nap under the tree while being watched by Mummum and Great Aunt Dottie.




Discovery of the week:
Somehow an 11 lb baby can have enough stuff to fill an entire car, even when she is only visiting for a weekend!

Kayla's discovery has been her toes and the use of her hands. Recently she has found that she can grab her toes, which are now her favorite toy (she can't get them in her mouth yet). Also her hand eye coordination is really developing and she likes to try to grab on to everything now. This makes holding her while eating or doing other task a bit more challenging! Dwight and I are very excited about her development and are greatly enjoying watching her grow.

"Normal" baby

Two weeks ago we did a lot of celebrating. Dwight and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary and his parents also celebrated their anniversary. Dwight also celebrated his 31st birthday and his first Father's day.






On 20-Jun, we dedicated Kayla during both services at our church. I've been asked by a number of people what a 'dedication' is so here is my description. Our church practices that an individual must choose on their own to be baptized and therefore does not baptize babies. Instead the baby is dedicated which means the parents, family and congregation all vow to raise Kayla in the Christian tradition. Then when she is older she can choose to be baptized. Dwight and I were very excited to dedicate her and greatly appreciate the support of our family and friends.

This past Tuesday Kayla had another appointment with the Pediatrician. The Pediatrician was very happy with her growth and development. Kayla now weighs 11 lbs!!! She actually made it on to the growth chart! Well, her head did at least. Her length and weight are still just a little bit below the chart, but she is almost out of the negative numbers.

The doctor said we can start treating her like a "normal" baby and let her sleep as long as she wants at night. We had been waking her up at 6 hours to feed her previously. We were very excited about the possibility of sleeping longer.
The first two nights I woke her up after 8 hours since I felt like that was a long time. However, the last 2 nights she has only slept about 4-5 hours at a time. Hopefully we go back to the 8 hours soon. The Doctor also said we can start slowly increasing the amount of food she gets. She currently only gets 3 ounces of milk a feeding and eats about 7-8 times/day. She has been enjoying her pears and sweet potatoes though between feedings. Overall the doctor thought she was doing well and was pleased with her progress. We have another appointment in a month for a weight check.


Kayla says "Happy 4th of July!"