Do we have a sittter?

I've been working on sitting unassisted with Kali for a few days now.  She can do it for about 2 seconds before she topples over.  I think it's cause she's lazy and would rather lay down and roll around than sit up and play.  But every day when we get home, I sit on the floor with her and we "practice".  Last night I was actually able to get a picture of her sitting (which means that it was longer than 2 seconds!).

LOOK AT ME! I'M SITTING ALL BY MYSELF!!!

But then she immediately toppled over, bonked her head on one of her toys, and looked at me like it was my fault.  ::sigh:: But I guess this is why we practice, daily.

See...I'd rather lay here and play with my toys than sit!! Much easier! =)

This is what happens when I try to get her to sit....

LOL!

Kali is also starting to see the dog (Junior) and react to him. Last night I was throwing the toy for him, and she was staring as I got the toy and threw it, then would giggle when he brought it back. It was cracking me up!

So when we were on the floor practicing sitting, Junior came over to play (basically he was trying to sit in my lap, because he doesn't realize that he's a 60lb lab, and thinks he's a lap dog).  He's just getting to the point of letting Kali pet him.  At first he would look at her like "Don't even attempt to touch me you intruder!" And then he'd look at me like "THIS! This is YOUR fault.  You brought her in here...and now she's trying to touch me. Send her back!"  But now I think he's figured out that she's not leaving and has admitted defeat.  Periodically he'll come over for me to pet him and I'll let Kali touch him (she loves the feel of his fur), but I always make her stop when she goes to banging on him (which I'm sure he appreciates). 

OK, back to last night...he came to play as we were sitting on the floor.  I let Kali pet him, and he seemed to be enjoying it.  I wanted to see what he would do when I sat her on him (cause you know it's going to happen when she gets older.  She's going to try and ride him like a horse!!! He's just going to LOVE me then!).  So I sat her on him while he was laying on his side.  He didn't budge.  She was petting him and feeling his fur, and he just laid there! We have the best dog ever!

 I just love her face in these.  Like "Why am I sitting on the dog?"  They're great, and they're going to be the best of friends one day! (And we love BabyLegs!!!!)

And, her new favorite daily activity: Playing with a tag. 

I can't help it.  This just makes me laugh so hard! She can find the tag to ANYTHING and immediately starts to play with it. 

Last night, while she was in her jumperoo, I saw her playing with the tag to her bib.  Her BIB of all things.  So, naturally, I got a video! =)  And then a little while later she was trying to grab at the tags hanging from her jumperoo.  I mean, she's enthralled by tags! Funniest.Thing.Ever!

What is there to play with?!?!

Since I apparently do not give Kali any toys to play with (insert sarcasm here), she has resorted to playing with tags.  As I posted before, I catch her doing it all the time.  This time it was the tag to her sock monkey.  You'd think with it's arms, legs, and tail to pull on and chew that she would pick one of them? But nope. Not my kid. She went straight for the tag....again. 

And cause I'm an awesome mom, I got a video of it! LOL! I'm telling you, she's going to love me when she grows up and I can tell her friends "You do know that Kali used to play with tags on her toys, right? You didn't know that? Well here, let me show you these cool videos I have of her." Oh yes...I'll be that mom! =)

Walker Time

Kali has a walker at her Memaw and Papa's (TJ's parent's) house and she loves it.  She has mastered backwards, but is still working on going forward.  So I found the Cosco Beep Beep Walker, I got the pink one (the first pink thing in the house...UGH! I was so trying to avoid that, but the orange one was uglier than the pink, so I went with the lesser of two evils.).  And since we have wood floors, she loves it! :)

Weeeeeeeee

(really it's more like SSQQQUUUEEEEEEEEEELLLLLL, but I'm sure she meant Weee)

Having fun in my walker

While she was in her walker, she found the swing.  She hated that swing.  Anytime you put her in it, she would start to scream.  But now....she wants to push it.  She's a crazy one I tell ya! But I love her all the same.  And I love her little gurgly giggle. Makes me smile.

Do you see that?! That little white bump on the left side (her right) of her mouth?!

That ladies and gentleman would be a TOOTH!

A big, honkin', sharp tooth! (and I know it's sharp cause she has bit my finger more than once!!)

But, those blue eyes own me. So she can bite me anytime she wants!!

(well until she gets more of those little white sharp things!) =)

Oh, and while I'm on a roll here with video and pictures.  She has this new thing that I like to call "Floor Swimming".  Even though I lay out a huge blanket for her with all of her toys on it, she insists on rolling OFF of the blanket and ONTO the hardwood floor.  I know those things are cold...but she keeps doing it.  No matter how many times I pick her back up and put her back on the blanket.   So the past couple of times she's done it, I let her stay on the cold floor for a few minutes.  And say things like "That floor is cold, isn't it? Don't you want to get on the nice warm blanket where all your toys are?" Yea...like she can understand me and is going to reply "Why yes mother.  I would really like to get back on the blanket.  Do you mind placing me gently in the center so that I can easily return to this exact same spot in 5 minutes and repeat this whole scenario.  Thanks."  Yea...I'm THAT mom, that has conversations with my child-in my head.  Sheesh...

So ANYWAY, back to the floor swimming.  She has started doing this when she gets to the hardwood.  She will flail her arms and kick her legs and look at me, as if to say "Look at me go" (yes I know I just did it again, but I can't help it). 

For your viewing pleasure: Floor Swimming.  Starring Kali



Bathtime is getting fun!

I feel like I've been on blog video overload lately.  But I just can't help myself.  Kali is at the learning stage where everything she does is amazing (to me at least)! =)

A few days ago I posted Kali splashing in the bathtub.  Well now she has become interested in the rubber ducky...as well as chewing on her feet in the tub (funniest thing ever!).  So I got a couple pictures and video of her being extra cute again.

Well Hello there Mr. Ducky

                      Nom Nom Nom                           Do you see those jelly rolls?! LOVE!!!!

 

Next on the Menu: FEETS!

MMMmmmmmm...slurp, slurp, slurp

My Towel Monster

And now...the video! =)



Kali's closet

For the past week or so, Kali has been noticing her closet and all the clothes in it.  So periodically I'll take her over to it and she has the best expression like "For me?!?!"

Last night I decided to try to take a video of it.  It's not the best quality because 1) I took it myself while holding her and 2) I took it on my phone.

But I was able to capture her expression! HAHA!!! I love this kid!

Weekend of cuteness

Like every weekend isn't full of cuteness? Nah, but this time I got it on camera!! =)

First, Kali is a rolling machine!  She has discovered that if there is a toy over there -----> that she wants, then she can roll and get to it.  Talk about adorable?!  Since she's been rolling, the tummy mat has become more extinct considering she'll roll and knock the whole thing over.  So I've been laying out a blanket, scattering toys around and letting her go to town.  This video is long, because of course she noticed that I had the camera.  And when she notices that I have the camera, all evidence of cuteness goes away for a few seconds and then she resumes.  So bare with us! I'm going to get this kid liking the camera if it's the LAST thing I do, I swear!!! :)

And then, she's starting to really get the hang of the Jumperoo.  She used to be all about the toys, but now she's realizing that she can JUMP.  I'm also on the hunt for a walker, since she has one at TJ's parent's house and seems to be enjoying it! I can't believe that she's getting so mobile! It's crazy!

And FINALLY........we have a tooth! That's right...a TOOTH!!!  It sprouted out Saturday (3/19) and is on the bottom left (her right).  She was restless all night Friday night and I finally brought her to bed with me since she wasn't sleeping in her crib (and therefore keeping me awake through the monitor).  But she was constantly moving her head, arms, and legs-while sleeping, and therefore I still  didn't get any sleep.  She hasn't been too cranky, so now I'm worried that this week will be bad when the rest of the tooth decides to pop out.  But so far, so good.  It is so crazy that my little 5 month old has a TOOTH.  Next thing I know she's going to be talking! UGH! I just wanna stop time and savor this before the next milestone happens! 

St. Patty's Day

Better late than never, right?! RIGHT!

So I'm a bit of a slacker when it comes to nonsense holidays around here.  I "celebrate" St. Patrick's Day by wearing a bit of green, and then.....yup, that's it.  Just wearing some green.  So I of course had Kali in green that day, but nothing that screamed "IT'S ST. PATRICK'S DAY LOOK AT ME". 

But then, I got called out on Facebook by my friend Theresa that I had not posted an adorable picture of Kali in some green (since I normally post adorable pictures of her daily on Facebook).  So.....I rushed off to Target thinking I could find something on clearance, put her in it, take a picture, post it, and tell people I was just "too busy to post it on the actual day".  Well, No.Such.Luck! Target hated me! They had NOTHING St. Patty's day for little girl's! Nothing I tell you! Plenty for little boys, but nothing for girls! Sad day when Target disappoints!

So I just got her a cute little green/white dress and took some pictures.  So much for being sneaky with the "Buy something on clearance and pose it" HAHA! :)

But she's still cute.  And green is becoming my new favorite color on her! She just looks so good in it!  Which is a plus for me because I'm all about some green/purple/brown/red with a little splash of pink. 

So for your viewing pleasure: Kali's St. Patrick's Day outfit (worn on Saturday 3/19/11)

Happy Baby!!

I love bloomers!!!

Who needs a Toy, when you can play with the Tag?!

Apparently Kali is going to be one of those kids that is going to play with the BOX that the toy came in instead of the actual toy.  On Sunday (March 13) I caught her playing with the tag of a toy, not once...but twice! I couldn't help but get video of it cause I was laughing so hard! I love this little critter!!!

Here she is licking the tag of the toy hanging from her tummy mat.  I couldn't help but giggle at this! :)

And then here she is finding the tag to the actual tummy mat and playing with it.  All those toys hanging...and she plays with the tag.  Yup, that's TJ's kid right there!! LOL!! =)



TJ's Family Reunion

This past weekend (March 12, 2011), TJ's family had their annual reunion.  We went to his cousin Sarah's house in Enterprise, AL.  We had so much fun.  We always enjoy getting together with the family.  And of course, we had the chance to show off Kali.  She was a huge hit, as expected :)

It was a beautiful spring day, and we had PLENTY of food to feed this army!  Here are some great pictures from the event!

Memaw made this cute bib.  And it fits perfectly for Kali and her Aunt Debbie!

"My Aunt and I make a great pair" and it was high heels on one side and pink booties on the other!

Liz, Me, and Lissa (who is 7mo pregnant with their 2nd boy and looks FABULOUS! I swear I was a blimp at 7 mos...anywhoo)

Kali and Papa

Uncle Jonathan, Kali and Aunt Debbie

Getting some sugars!

Kali thought that Jonathan's watch was the coolest thing in the room!

And of course all she wanted to do was EAT it. 

I'm pretty sure it was an expensive chew toy for our little Kali! =)

Too Cool for School kids!

Kali and Aunt Starla.

Aunt Starla said that they were in the Chubby Club together (and I'm pretty sure I'm in that club with them! HAHA)

The boys sparked up a mean game of football...

Not fair that Alec is about 4 feet taller than the boys...but all's fair in Love, and Football!!!

Kali hanging out in her 2nd outfit for the day

Aunt Debbie, Kali and Liz.

3 Gorgeous ladies!

Our whole family

Debbie, Me, Kali, Memaw, Jonathan, TJ, Papa, Christopher and Alec.

Kali and Uncle Jonathan making funny faces at each other

The day was great.  But Kali did NOT nap all day (only on the way up). So she was one cranky tired little girl the whole way home.  We had to pull over at home point and take her out of the car seat because she was making herself so sick from crying.  Poor thing.  She slept from 8:20pm until 7am, and then snuggled in the bed with us until almost 10:00am.  She needed all that sleep for sure.  But we had a great time, and can't wait to get up there again soon and enjoy some more family time!!

Oh, and Aunt Starla got both Kali and Addison the most ADORABLE sailor dresses for this summer.  I think that Memaw is going to embroider their names on the bloomers which is going to make them TO.DIE.FOR.!!!!  Can't wait to get some pictures of those.  And you know Aunt Trin is going to love it, cause, well...she's IN the Navy!! =) 

Kali in the bath

So uploading this video has literally taken me a MONTH! At the tail end of the original, the towel moved and I was trying to find a program (cause stupid Youtube won't do it) that would let me edit the end to cut that part out. So I finally used Mr. Google (bestest internet friend) and found www.jaycut.com that allowed me to edit the video and put in some cute text! I'm sure this is going to be a new addiction for the blog, so stay tuned while I upload the rest of the 5 videos I have from the past month. :)

Here is Kali in the bath tub.  We have been giving her a bath in the Kitchen sink using her tub.  But she has figured out how to SPLASH, and was giving the cabinets more of a bath than she was getting.  So we moved her to the big tub.  She LOVES it! She splish-splashes the entire time.  I basically just let her play in it until she's done cause it's so adorable.

Enjoy:

Knee Update

Well it has officially been 2 weeks of knee pain for me!  And I sure hate it!  But I had my appointment with the Orthopedic Specialist this morning, so I was hopeful.  I got there early to do their eleventy-billion pages of paperwork before I actually got to see someone with a doctor's degree.  They sent me for Xrays right off, which I thought was good that they have all that equipment in the office so the pictures were there within 30 minutes. But I did have to wait a while (good thing I brought by Nook.  Read about 20 pages just sitting in the waiting room and more waiting for the dr).

FINALLY the doctor came in and asked 100 questions and then looked at my knee.  He actually looked kind of concerned, which in turn, concerned ME! I told him about my history with this knee pain and how my diagnosis' have gone from Juvenile Arthritis (JA), to Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), to Weight issues (as I said before, probably not ALL wrong, but they didn't hurt when I was pregnant and at my heaviest), to possible Gout. 

The Doctor told me that my MRI didn't really show anything worth while for him, and my Xrays came back pretty normal as well.  He did say that my knee caps are being pulled to the side by some tendons, but that it shouldn't be the main cause of all my pain.  However, if that issue doesn't get corrected by whatever treatment he's going to put me through, knee surgery might be in the future for the knee caps. (Joy...)

He then asked if I've had my senovial fluids drained before (now this is the procedure that I mentioned previously that I've had done twice.  The first time wasn't that bad, and the doctor got some fluid out to be tested.  But the second time I did it, NO fluid came out and it was the single.most.painful experience in my LIFE.  And I've given birth, practically naturally, to a 9.6lb baby who got stuck coming out and I had to have 2 nurses jump on top of my stomach to help me push her out.  And yet, I still say that having the fluid drained from my knee was the MOST.PAINFUL.THING.IN.THE.WORLD!!!!!).  So I politely told the doctor that Yes, I've had it drained two times previously and no conclusive results came out of it.  He looked at me and said in all seriousness "Well, I see that there is a lot of fluid on your knee right now, and I'd really like to drain it so that we can see what the fluid itself looks like and we can then proceed with either cortisone shots or see if there is another problem that we will need to take care of."  I swear my face must have gone pure ghost white, because the doctor said "Are you ok?" I, as calmly as I could, which probably wasn't calm at all, said that I didn't want to do that! That it was the worst experience and it hurts so bad.  He promised that he would numb me up really good and that I shouldn't feel a whole lot.  He even sympathized with me about the time they got no fluid and said that he understood that it was a painful experience and that if he starts to pull and no fluid comes out that he will immediately stop.  So I sighed (really loudly) and said ok.....

He then came in with a bunch of needles and gauze, etc.  I immediately started getting very nervous and panicky.  He promised that he would numb me up really good (again).  And boy did he stick to his word!! :)

He sprayed my knee with numbing fluid, then injected numbing medicine, waited 5 minutes, and injected MORE numbing medicine. (WOO HOO)  When he went to touch my knee I said "Oh hey, my knee really is super numb! Thank you!" He laughed at me!  Then he put in the syringe to pull out the fluid.  That sucker was HUGE.  And I'm not exaggerating cause I'm a baby (maybe a little, but it was still massive).  I really didn't feel a whole lot of the excretion, just pressure. 

**Disclaimer: This is NOT my knee! This is an image I found to show what the procedure I went through looks like.**

This is basically what I had to do today. 

YUP...I big arse needle stuck into the side of my knee cap intended to pull FLUID out.

And YUP...it's as painful as it looks!

This is a 50cc Syringe. 

This is what they used to extract the fluid from my knee

He filled this up PLUS another 20cc

He showed me the fluid when he was all done and it was a golden color.  He said that it was completely normal and he wasn't going to even send it off for tests because he saw nothing in it (no crystals-which would be apparent if it was gout; no blood-which would show a possible infection; and no discoloration-which could also show infection.)  He put in some cortisone and I'm hoping that within a day or so I'm back to "normal".  He wants me to do some physical therapy and get a medical knee brace, instead of the store bought ones I've been using for years.  I'm also on the hunt to get my medical records from the RA specialist I saw in Dothan, AL.  Hopefully that will show this doctor if I have any signs of RA or what that doctor thought was wrong.

So far, no one has given me a DIAGNOSIS of what's wrong with me.  I swear I am some freak of nature.  My BFF Jen said that I should be on that tv show "Mystery Diagnosis".  I laughed, but I'm starting to seriously think about this!!!!!

On the paperwork I got today it says "Left Knee Joint Effussion" under Diagnosis.  So I googled it (I heart google): 

What Is Joint Effusion?:

Joint effusion (not to be confused with joint fusion) is also referred to as "water on the knee" and "fluid on the knee". What is the significance of joint effusion in terms of arthritis and related conditions?

A small amount of fluid exists in normal joints. When a joint is affected by arthritis, particularly an inflammatory arthritis such as rhematoid arthritis (RA),  increased abnormal amounts of fluid build up, the knee appears swollen. The fluid is produced by the tissues that are affected by the arthritis and that line the joint.

Why Drain Fluid From A Joint?

Often, your doctor will drain the fluid from a large joint such as the knee to help relieve the pressure in the joint, thereby helping with symptoms. In addition, if infection is not suspected, they may elect to inject a small amount of cortisone in the knee to help prevent the fluid from returning.

Why Is The Fluid Tested? What Does It Show?

Studying the removed fluid can help with diagnosis. For example, if the patient has a warm and red knee, there is a chance that the joint is infected. Sending the fluid off to the lab for culture can help confirm or rule out an infection. In addition, a blood count on the fluid can be obtained. If there are a lot of white blood cells in the specimen, the fluid may be cloudy. Cloudy fluid can be seen in patients with infection, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.
In addition, gout fluid may have a golden color. In patients with osteoarthritis, the fluid is often clear. Finally, in patients who have injured their knee, the fluid may be clear or bloody.

SO......basically we have no idea and I'm still in the same boat I was in when I was 12 and went to the dr for my knee pains the first time.  ::Sigh::
But I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

EDITED TO ADD:

Last night after I got home, I took some pictures of my knee.  There was still benadine on it (the orange stuff) and the streak from the numbing spray that the doctor used (bless him!!!), but you can see the HUMUNGOUS hole in my knee.  And you thought I was over-reacting! PPTTHHHH!!!!

Yes...that 'little' red dot is where the needle went into my knee!

Makes my whole body cringe seeing it!

But on a happy note: I feel SOOOOOOOO much better today! I can actually walk without limping, got some decent sleep, and my knee looks somewhat 'normal'.  I probably should have let Dr. Armistead (the original doctor I went to before going to the Orthopedic Specialist) drain it, but he's the one that hurt me a couple of years ago...and honestly at this point, he's not coming at me with a 9 foot pole! =)

I haven't gotten my knee brace yet (mainly because my insurance SUCKS and I have to pay for the whole thing: $182.70, plus $350 for yesterday's doctor visit because I have a $1500 deductable that I have to meet before insurance kicks in.  And then I'll have a 50% co-insurance that I'll have to meet.  For as much as we're paying for this insurance I'm thinking about cancelling it and getting a private policy. Boy insurance is horrible!!!!!)

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5 month pictures take 2...

After I got home Friday, I attempted to take some new "I'm 5 months old today" pictures of Kali.  She just hates the camera, I swear! I decided to forgo the bow, and not even dress her up! We went "al natural" for this little photo session. And it turned the same results....but at least I got ONE good one!! That is before she decided to try and eat the sign again :)

YAY! First success!!! :)

Trying to get to her feet.  But at least still looking at the camera!

I attempted to put the sign at her feet so that she wouldn't try to eat it....

but that just sparked new interest in touching it with her feet.

She loved it! And I was pretty amused as well.

Then she tried to grab onto it. 

At this point, I knew the photo session was over.

So I gave in and let her have the dang piece of paper

Another:

"Pictures are dumb"

I sure do love that little chunker!!!!!

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