this blog is where i, kylah, try to memorize the happenings in my life as wife and stay-at-home-mama to the wonderful kotze boys. depending on the day, my life can be full, funny, ridiculous or just down right boring. regardless of how it happens, i think it's worth remembering here.
michael's cousin adrian and his wife, who now live in new zealand, are coming here for a visit! they're just stopping through on their way home from africa. they were supposed to be here already but their plane has been delayed for the umpteenth time putting them here in a couple of hours instead. i can't wait. these will be our first south african relatives to meet michael's son.
our visit will be short but great, nonetheless. i'm ready to put another chain on the tree of michael's family that i get to know!
i cannot, cannot, cannot believe you are SIX MONTHS OLD! holy cow! where has time gone?!
month 6 has been great fun.
you sit, you eat all kinds of baby food, you L.O.V.E. your drool towel. it has the same calming effect as your sassie. you still love bathtime, you love your own bed, you love singing, snapping and clapping (all done by mama or daddy, of course). your favorite song is "the abc's". you usually kiss me when i ask for one and you shake your head no. although, you don't know what on earth that word means. you smile at anyone who talks to you and giggle at the super special people. you've had a sort of attachment to me this month and sometimes cry when you see me leave the room. you've spent your first two stays in the nursery at church and do great there. people still comment on how deep your eyes are. it seems you look much deeper than surface level. wowzers.
you sleep from 9pm - 9am with a short wake-up for eating between 5 & 6am. when you fall asleep after nursing in the middle of the night, i just pick you up and hold you for a long time. these days, you don't really sleep unless you're in your bed so i don't often get the chance to hold you. i soak up those quiet, still times in the rocker in your room. they are so sweet and i know they'll be gone all too soon. i love you, child.
6 month stats:
height: 27.5 inches - 75% weight: 15 lbs - 20% head circum: 44.5 cm - 50%
all that to say: you're a tall, skinny guy with a cute tush! well, the stats don't say that, but i do!
first pic of the post:
your birthday suit!
look at that hiney!
this isn't the first time you've cut yourself with your super sharp nails, but it's definitely the most visible. ouch! no matter what i do to those nails, they're sharp little boogers!
cute when you cry...
and when you sit.
your 6 month rocking chair picture. gosh, you're getting big!
we put michael david in the nursery for the first time tonight. he did so great and michael and i enjoyed an entire service without a flirting, talking child! way to go, md!
this morning, after a visit with some friends in marble falls, we had breakfast at the bluebonnet cafe. if you've never been, it's a place worth experiencing.
a visit for us used to be a part of every family vacation at the blanco river. we'd all load up and drive over to marble falls just for a meal at the bluebonnet.
today i had hot cakes, what else! when i ordered bacon the waitress asked, "crispy, limp or chewy?" crispy, please! you gotta love a place that knows people like their bacon cooked to different degrees of crispiness. i slathered those hot cakes with butter, peanut butter and syrup and dug in.
they were delicious! thanks for staying the same, bluebonnet. i shall love you for life!
ps-they also have the most amazing pies. i would have had some if i hadn't stuffed myself full of pancakes and bacon. go as soon as you can!
every morning, after getting md, we come downstairs and sit in our chair so i can feed him. we usually always have the tv on in the background. it's turned low so we can chat with each other, but it's always on.
this morning, i didn't turn the tv on. md ate and then i made breakfast for myself and michael, who is working from home this morning. i ate at the table and then started a load of laundry. a little while later, md and i were playing on the living room floor. surrounded by the quiet, with only the sound of the washing machine, i was suddenly home. in my childhood home on swan road.
it was so comforting, i let out a sigh and thought that if my mom felt anything like i felt at that moment, she must have been one very happy lady.
one thing i love, for sure, is being a stay-at-home mom. i am seriously enjoying it and really hope i can continue doing it. maybe i'll be like the 19 kids and counting lady so i always have a reason. ha! just kidding.
one thing that is terrible for me, for sure, is being a stay-at-home mom. i am very busy with md and have something going on 90% of my day. he's right at the age where he is very alert and wants to be entertained, played with and kept busy. he's just not independent yet. my only time to really get anything done is during nap time. it's just that during nap time...i don't wanna do anything. i would rather nap myself, or just sit and veg. i end up telling myself that "i'll do it later."
at my mom's group a few weeks ago, we talked about how "later" is always there. when we were working we had to get things done when we got home from work. we wouldn't have time to do it later. now, i feel like i can always put something off. procrastination at it's worst.
i never procrastinate with md. i mean if something's gotta give, it's gonna be the laundry not my kid's pureed carrots. duh. his clothes are cleaned and folded in a timely manner. they're usually put away too. not this week. his basket of clean, sweet smelling, tiny baby boy clothes has been sitting by my chair since monday. uh...it's thursday. night. that's not even as bad as the pair of pj's and blanket that have been lying on the floor on the other side of my chair since monday too. what's going on?
i fear i'm gonna have to come up with a cleaning/laundry schedule and stick to it. otherwise, you'll have to come for us one day. we'll all be buried under dirty clothes, dust and a messy kitchen. not to mention the floor that hasn't been properly vacuumed because i took it apart to replace the belt and have yet to put it back together. that was last monday. wow.
come on, kylah, it's time to get it together. well, i gotta get md in bed so...maybe later...
i took this video on my phone and it automatically rotates there. i couldn't figure out how to get this rotated anywhere and it's just too cute not to share. it's short too. i can only send videos via text message if they are 10 seconds or less. this was taken to be shared with mamo, pa and some very interested aunts! :)
md sits!
and yes, sitter-upper is a word.
uncle mattie: the one sockless foot is in honor of you! :)
i've been working forever on your 5 month slideshow, michael david. it's killin' me!! i usually like to post individual pictures but being so far behind has kept my posting motivation to a minimum. i figured i'd upload slideshows of your past two months and move right along. your 6th month post is due in 14 days! :( i finally had to put the pics in two different slideshows and post them both on here. whew. i finally got them both made and saved (after 4 attempts and hours of frustration).
your fifth month of life has been so so fun for me! we celebrated your first christmas in which santa brought you a blue bumbo. sitting in that thing is just about your most favorite thing. you also started to love your play mat. you pull toys towards you all the time. you love to chew on your burp towel (which is more often used for your excessive amounts of drool). if you so much as glimpse the towel near you, you grab it, pull it to you and stick it in your mouth. it's pretty cute.
your hair has really started growing back in and it's a beautiful blond color. it looks amazing with your incredible blue eyes. jenny explained them perfectly when she said they looked so "textured". man, they just take my breath away sometimes. i put your hair in a mo hawk. it's stinkin' adorable.
your bedtime routine has been the same for as long as i can remember: bath, eat, swaddle, bed. all i have to do is put you in bed and you fall asleep on your own. you stay asleep until around 4 or 5. i feed you then and you go back to sleep until around 9am. sometimes it's earlier, sometimes later. it's nice. you also take great naps in your bed. you're like your mama, i guess. give me my bed and my fan and i'm happy. the best part of you sleeping, though, is when you wake in the mornings. the monitor in my room starts lighting up as you start talking to yourself. you entertain yourself with squeaks and giggles. you squawk and squeal, and twist your head back and forth. when daddy or i finally sneak up to your room and turn off your music and fan, you get so quiet. we peak over the side of your crib, you look around for just a second before your eyes meet ours. you break into the sweetest smile in the world. oh, md, we are so in love with you.
update on sleep: the past 4 nights, you've been going to bed at 9pm. you sleep until 5 or 6. you eat and go back to sleep until around 10am. my fingers are crossed that you just keep getting better at sleep. :)
oh sorry, back to christmas...we met the family in san angelo for christmas. with us, pa, mamo, uncle lando, aunt sarah, ellie, gray, uncle mattie, aunt mush, laney and jules, we had a pretty full house. we happened to open presents right at your nap time. you were swaddled and sleepy while daddy held you and i helped you open presents. you were much happier in your bed just a little while later.
your aunt mush has some kind of magic power over you. one afternoon, we were getting ready to head to town. she was holding you under your arms, sort of up in the air. your bottom was sitting on her chest and she had this little bump and sway thing going. i looked up at you and you were ASLEEP!!! you were hanging in the air, your head limply hanging down. you were so content with her bump and sway. also, one night i was exhausted (that week you were not sleeping well at all!) and fell asleep after i fed you. daddy had taken you out to hang with the family and i stayed passed out in the bed. you were very fussy and mamo told aunt mush to work her magic. she swaddled you, picked you and up and i don't know how, but you somehow ended up asleep in your bed in the room with me. i never woke up and you slept pretty well that night. she's amazing and i'm trying to convince her and uncle mattie to hurry and give you more cousins! :)
while we were in san angelo, you had your first tastes of something other than milk. your aunt sarah fed you rice cereal while you sat in your bumbo. you did so good! you LOVED it. i knew you'd been ready to eat something for a while. every time i ate something, you stared at the food with such focus. you watched the spoon or fork all the way to my mouth and back to the plate. you watched daddy and i drink anything. you were super ready! when we got home i tried other foods like green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash. you love them all! after we got through all the veggies that you did well with, we tried pears, applesauce, prunes (...ahem...) peaches (they aren't your favorite) and bananas. you are an amazing eater. uh...you must get that from your daddy...hehe:)
you are an awesome baby! you are so happy to be out and about or play with mama at home. i think you may be getting a little attached to me because you cry when i leave the room sometimes; however, our friends said that little attachment thing happens first around 6 months. you're there! you've also started teething a little more. when i first started trying to look in your mouth, you would turn your head and cry. with a little positive reinforcement, you now open up wide and giggle. you are so proud that you are making me happy and you think you play quite well at our game. smartie pants! when daddy comes home from work, your eyes twinkle and you stare at him with such awe. i think you wanna be just like him when you grow up. i'll be one lucky woman, for sure.
you love jules and she's even started letting you "pet" her in your way. you watch her at every opportunity.
i almost forgot...you're sitting! yes, for a few weeks now, you've been doing this perpetual sit-up thing. it's hilarious. while laying on your back, you lift your head and shoulders off the ground and do a sit up. you hold it forever. you have some pretty strong stomach muscles! i've tried sitting you up several times and you handle it well for a few seconds. you get excited and topple over. jenny came to see us this past weekend and would sit you up and play with a toy up in front of you. you would watch that toy high in the air and sit. even when she put that toy down, you'd sit. you're doing great. you love her too, btw. you little flirt. no matter where jenny went in the house, your eyes followed her. you would sit in the chair with her and lay your head against her. you'd just cuddle away, which you don't normally do. in fact, when you started laying your head on mine or daddy's shoulder just a few weeks ago, we got so excited! you love jenny and she definitely loves you too!
you're a sweet, growing boy and we love you dearly!
my computer has been broken so i am just posting your past two months of life. month 4 was a good month for you, md.
the most noticeable accomplishment in your fourth month of life was your new found hatred of your once beloved swing. your first three months of life were full of sweet, swaddled naps in that precious swing. hours were spent there. then...one tragic day, you cried and arched your back as soon as i placed you in there. i left you there for a bit, hoping you would remember your love for the swing. as your body slid lower and lower, i realized you would not. you never felt the same way again. the swing was moved upstairs and was replaced by a jumparoo. you love the independence of standing on your own, supported of course. your nap spot was switched to your bed. that's the good news. you sleep in your bed quite well. i put you down and you fall asleep on your own. sometimes, after a little conversation with yourself. it's too cute!
after a brief digression of forgetting to roll over, you came to your senses and picked it up again. you rolled from back to front and front to back. however, you so prefer back to front that sometimes you get to your tummy and forget how to get back over. man, do you get mad.
you experienced your first thanksgiving. you must have been a little bored because you slept right through the whole meal. you did enjoy your time with greg and sascha though.
you love your mama and daddy bunches. you also, love your pa, mamo and aunts and uncles on the henry side. you still haven't had the opportunity to meet your daddy's brother and sisters, but we're hoping sometime soon. you delight us all with the sound of your giggle. sweet boy.
you were the man at your 4 month appt and stopped crying very shortly after your 3 immunizations. as daddy held you, you acted as if nothing had happened. strong boy. :) your stats for the month were:
weight: 13 lbs 10 oz, 30th% height: 26.5 inches, 95th% head circumference: 42.5 cm, no clue what % that is
