Pause for September

As I was filling out the paper work for McKenna's next year of preschool (she'll be going two days this year! *sniff* It's gonna be less and less time with mommy every year, isn't it?) I thought back to this time last year. It was hotter than I can remember it EVER being and I was so very huge, 8-months pregnant. And we were moving. You would think it would've been an easy move because we were just switching apartments. But it was the most exhausting experience walking everything over. And since I was so pregnant, I didn't have to do nearly as much heavy lifting as everyone else did but still - it was pretty miserable. The a/c didn't work in the apartment for several days either. Horrible. On top of that, I was so worried about how McKenna would adjust to 1) moving 2) potty-training 3) starting preschool 4) having a new baby in the house. Of course, she adjusted to all of those things seamlessly and I realized I had absolutely nothing to worry about.

I was looking at Kyla today and thinking how quickly this year went. How she still seems like my little baby most times but the past few days, I can see the toddler Kyla beginning to emerge. She likes to play peek-a-boo and patty-cake. She loves The Wonder Pets and Blues Clues. She likes to wrestle with Kenna and strangely enough she likes when Erick or Kenna smack her around with a fluffy pillow. She just thinks that is the most hysterical thing to get a pillow in the face. She'll probably be pretty popular at slumber parties then : ) She likes to try to sing and clap along to the Dora the Explorer theme song (though she's kind of disinterested in the show itself). Silly kid that she is, she loves when the dishwasher is running because she will stand up next to it and press her ear to the door and listen to all the clinking and clattering going on inside. Most times, she's pretty quiet but there are two times that she is very vocal.....when we are any place with an echo she will scream just to hear herself. It's so embarrassing but all I can do is try not to laugh so that she isn't encouraged. The kid is LOUD. And when she is in the bath tub, she is really talkative. I mean there is a noticeable difference. When she isn't in the tub, I think she is too busy observing everyone else. But when she's in the tub, she just likes to chatter away and that is usually when I can get her to sound out different words (today she tried to say "turtle" and pronounced it "tuh-tuh").

I think we'll probably have a late walker on our hands. She will stand but not hands-free. Once in a great while we can get her to hold our hands and take a few steps but she usually tries to sit down immediately. I'm not sure but my theory is it has something to do with her having an eczema infection on both ankles for months. Maybe she wasn't used to the idea of bearing weight on her ankles and it takes some getting used to now that they're healed. Either way, I know she will walk when she's ready. I'm in no hurry as she is by far my more mischievous kid and she's given me enough heart attacks as a crawler....I'm scared to see what she does as a walker!

So anyway, it shocks me to see her as an almost-one year old. I was JUST anticipating her birth and now suddenly I can't seem to remember what it was like to not have her here. Today she and McKenna were both sitting at the princess table and they each had a small doll, the same kind. They were playing together and laughing and I thought "Well there it is. The exact thing you pictured when you bought that table. Two sisters sitting together, playing with their dollies and being the best of friends." I was thanking God for giving me the desire of my heart and at the same time, rushing for the camera so I could capture the moment. But of course by the time I got there, this was all I could capture:



That's my Kyla. ; )