Magic 8 Ball... of JOY!

A bundle of JOY is she... Kaki-girl! A ray of sunshine always... Kaki-Lou! Primed and ready with a goofy grin... Kaki-pants! Loved and adored by all she meets... my Kaki!

She's my girl... my 8 Month Old girl TODAY in fact! I can hardly believe it myself. KK was equally as disturbed when she asked yesterday if Kaki was going to be 9 months old? She said she just couldn't take it if that were true... and thankfully she's just 8... but 8 still sounds so big doesn't it?

Oh my... how it flies... the time... from one day to the next... one month to the next...

I really thought Kaki was just going to take off and crawl today in honor of her 8 month birthday! But she didn't quite manage to get those chubby wubby legs of hers up under her... I mean that is a challenge! But she is ready... she is tired of this sittin' business and is setting her sights on the big things in life... like going and busting up all of brother's fun. Oh I can't wait until she starts giving him a run for his money, and I know she will. I think we might have ourselves an Alpha Dog in this house and it's not Caden. She certainly thinks he's the BEST thing since ready-made formula, but she isn't afraid to go after him either. We call her "grabby hands" because she is... if she wants it, she'll lean and pull and scoot and grunt her way until she gets it and then when she gets whatever it is she holds on for dear life... and sometimes that means coming back with handfuls of hair... :)

She is becoming quite the little ball of spunk... snorting and grunting and donkey kicking those legs when she gets excited. She is ready to play and I think for the most part we are too! Of course we have got some serious CHOKING HAZARD things to do before she is on the move too much. I have already started working with Caden on spotting CHOKING HAZARDS around the house, especially in his toys... hilarious!!

Kaki is finally standing... of course she is yet to pull herself up to a standing position all by her lonesome, but when propped up on one of her stand-up toys she can do it for longer than 30 seconds... we're up to minutes... like LONG minutes. She is so proud of herself and a bit cautious still and who can blame the girl with all that weight to bare on those SUPER tiny ankles... bless her heart!

She doesn't say much... she makes noise and sings occasionally but she tells her stories with her legs, her SMILES and of course those gorgeous blue eyes. There is not much you can't understand by looking at those baby blues!

She is still just eating two solid meals each day and 3 bottles, sometimes 4. She doesn't have ANY teeth so we are holding off on some of the yummier solids until she has a bit more bite. Plus we've had some poop issues and have had to figure a few things out before moving on to bigger and better things, but I will be excited for her to try some new things...cheerios... mac n cheese... you know the GOOD stuff! Avocados! We think she may be allergic to bananas... weird huh? But for now no bananas for sweet Lou Lou!

She likes books although she does not sit near as still as Caden did...again she is a grabby hands and is always trying to reach out and be a part of the story... quite literally. She is obsessed with Mickey Mouse and especially loves the Hot Dog Dance... she's got good taste!

As far as toys go... she loves them all, especially anything that she can chew on! :) She has this little frog that she LOVES! It's like her playtime lovie! :) Oh speaking of lovie... boy does she ever love hers. She is still sleeping with that things right up in her face! Although now that she is more mobile she does tend to leave lovie at one of the bed but only to wake up and realize it and head back for her... :)

She loves music and likes it when Caden and I sing... it is how we get her to stop crying in the car if she starts to get fussy. She likes any song but I think she really likes our rendition of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town!" YES... we are still singing Christmas songs! We sing that one a LOT and recently we have added the Star Spangled Banner to our play list because you know the Baylor Band plays it at the football games and everything! Poor Kaki, and Caden for that matter... that song gets a little rough for Mommy... can we say pitchy?! It's terrible!

Today we did a little photo shoot outside... it was cloudy and a bit cool but we managed... and I had my little comedian to help me make Kaki laugh and smile, although I think our plan actually just made her distracted... BUT she is still just as cute as ever!

Sweet Kaki Lou... we love you...

And your rolls...or ruffles as my friend Becca calls them! :)

Your smiles... grins... especially those full on cheese ball open mouth smiles!!

Your poise in the midst of chaos... time outs... swats... and other craziness...

Your fiesty, can-do spirit...
Your budding personality...

Your excitement...

Your curiosity...

Your love for your brother...

Your patience with us...

Your snorts, huffs and puffs...

And your gift of making us smile no matter what...

We love you to the moon and back again, Kaki!!

Happy 8 Months sweet girl!!

Caden's Surgery 2.0

Well... I can't remember if I mentioned it or not... BUT Caden had surgery last Friday the 18th. He had another set of tubes and also had his adenoids removed. It was our next step after the "eardrum rupture of 2012" a few weeks ago. And apparently, the adenoids are just bacteria-harboring pockets of gunk that we can live without, so why not, right?! Yank 'em outta there!

Okay, we didn't quite make the decision to put Caden back into surgery that light-heartedly... I mean they wanted me to do this LAST May... so we definitely gave it a good 'ol college try but his eardrums weren't quite ready to mature...

So off we went...

Thursday afternoon KK swooped in and saved the day and offered to stay home with Kaki so that Justin could come with me to the hospital. I originally thought I'd just go with Caden and Justin would stay home with Kaki, but KK knew better and insisted that she come so Justin could be with us and a mother knows best after all...so who was I to argue?

It was nice to have Justin there to comfort, calm and reassure Caden that everything was going to be ok... oh and me too! :) There is nothing about surgery that I like but I am thankful that this is a very rare occasion in Caden's life, because it just isn't easy! My heart breaks for those who have stared surgery in the face time after time after time. The idea of him being ALL THE WAY UNDER was a bit much for me...although the alternative of him being awake during such an ordeal is way worse... so I counted my blessings for anesthesia! :)

Everything went really well. And God gave me a little treasure in a very specifically answered prayer... Caden's anesthesiologist was the same one that I had when I had Kaki earlier this summer. We got to be good buds while I was on the operating table and I was so thankful for his company... he was great and I was hoping/praying that he would be Caden's doctor too! AND... wouldn't you know... when he walked in I smiled from the inside out and gave God a little wink to say thank you! He was great with Caden and made the experience as easy as any surgery can be.

He even gave Caden a little pre-drug-drug to calm him down... he was giggly and loopy and had very few tears when they wheeled him out of the room and into to surgery and for that I am grateful! That is a hardest part on a Momma... I was dreading his screams and tears as they took him away, but thanks to modern medicine I shed WAY more tears than he did!

But no worries...I was able to keep back the tears until he was out of sight and then I had to have my little moment... you know... it's a me thing!

About 30 minutes later the ENT came in and told us that he did great and would need to be in recovery another 30 minutes and he'd come back to see us. Well about 15 minutes after that I heard Caden SCREAMING... he was UP! And I was thankful to hear that cry... even though I was sad that I could not go sweep him up and hold him, I was so grateful for his noise! :)

This is Caden pre-surgery... doesn't he look so sad... he really hated that gown!!

And after...

He still had his IV in and in between fits of trying to pull it out of his hand he'd lay back and fall asleep... it was sad, funny and a bit unsettling all at the same time to see him so out of it!

When we got home he had a special surprise that Mommy asked Miss Gina to make for Caden... Minnie and Mickey cookies...

Once again... Gina outdid herself... seriously cute!!

A close up of Caden's favorite girl...

Other than a few upset tummy issues Caden did remarkably well coming out of surgery and continuing on to recovery. He has seemed pretty much unscathed. He is still concerned about the mark on his wrist from his IV, but other than that I don't think he is too traumatized... :) He was so brave and so big... I was so very proud! Kids are WAY tougher than we are!! WAY!

And I am so very thankful that it is over and behind us... we are grateful for our happy, healthy boy!! Let's pray these suckers work!! :)

And if you are wondering how Kaki fared during this whole thing...

Well, she was just as cute and content as she could be... :)

Caden's Surgery 2.0... done and done!

Y'all Are My Valentines...

Y'all are my Valentines...

My only Valentines...

You make me happy when skies are gray...

Y'all will NEVER know, how MUCH I love you both...

Thank you God for my Valentines today!! (and every day!!)

I...

Love...

These...

Two...

Faces...

...more than anything!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

TWO NEW POSTS: Kaki and My Medela!!

I can't believe I've got two posts to put up today... it's almost like I should wait... stagger them. But I have never been one to be able to do that... so check them both out...BELOW!!

Scroll down to Happy 7 Kaki Lou and work your way back up! (this note is for the grandmas of the group!! wink!)

Me and Medela... an Ode!

This is a little ditty written on behalf and in fond and not-so-fond memory of my friend, Medela, the Pump 'N Style. May those who have found then lost a similar friend be blessed/vindicated by this ode.

DISCLAIMER: My apologies for the not-so-nice, and at times uncomfortable language... please know this is for the author's special effects and is not intended to offend the male-species or the sensitive-eared or eyed. Thank you!

Me and Medela

Oh that Medela Pump 'n Style

I haven't seen it in a while.

In fact it's been ten whole days

Since I've heard the tune it plays.

The soothing rhythm of its song

Is certain to stick around for long.

Uh-uh. Uh-uh. Uh-Uh it goes

Watching the milk as it grows.

How many ounces will I get today?

Caden saying, "no pump, let's play!"

Just enough to fill a bottle,

As I turn the knob full throttle.

The speed increases and so does the sound,

And the milk it seems should abound.

When it did I'd shout for joy!

A good session meant more to enjoy.

Those darn white circles, flanges and tubes,

All pieces so near and dear to the boobs.

If only more cat-like they could wash themselves

Rather than hoarding steamer bags off the shelves.

Soap, scrub, 2 ounces and zip...

Don't overfill, or it is certain to rip.

3 minutes in the micro seemed like forever

When I wanted to sit and watch something clever!

"I hate pumping!" I used to shout and say,

Until I had to do it to feed Baby K.

The irony of motherhood never ceases to amaze.

Just wanted me a breastfed child to raise.

So grateful am I for the woman who knew

Scissors make holes and mommies need two!

Hands free pumping is a gift from above

And it's definitely a look only a mommy can love.

Men seem fascinated by my friend the pump.

They sit and stare like a big 'ol lump!

I am certain a cow is the first to mind

As they listen to the machine squeak and grind.

A chuckle and laugh and dirty little joke,

Oh the fun they'd sure like to poke.

Cups, jock straps and two handed cover-ups

Is all I have to say to those weak pups.

If ever we'd suggest to them that they too

Should hook it up like the boobs and you

They'd run for the hills as tears fell fast;

Not even one day they'd ever last!

So mommies who've pumped their days like me

Tough in my eyes you will always be.

It's not for sissies I'll tell you that,

So give yourself a nice big pat!

And if you're sad that you can't make it work

Don't hesitate to turn and run with a jerk

The secret is out and formula's good too

It's raised many a baby tried and true

My pump and I had moments twofold

Love and hate like sayings of old

But that pump sure did what she could

To give my girl the greatest of the good

It might be nice to keep it around

Just to listen to its soothing sound

Pull it out from time to time

Plug it in and relax to its chime

But on second thought I think I'll pass

And give it a good swift kick in the ass

It's been real, it's been fun

But certainly never really fun

I'll miss you! Not! So, so long old friend

Me and Medela, The End.

Happy 7 Kaki Lou!

No, Kaki's middle name is not Louise, but nonetheless I call her Kaki Lou... just another nickname... and this one is catching on. I have heard both KK and Justin call Kaki, "Kaki Lou" and Caden is always quick to join in when I start singing..." Kaki Lou, Kaki Lou, Kaki Lou-ya, praise ye Lord! " Ha!

So now that that's all explained... Sweet Kaki Lou has been 7 months now for nearly two weeks or maybe it's over two weeks? I don't know, but she's done been 7 months for some time now. But I couldn't stand the thought of doing a post without sweet pictures of my girl! Especially when I have something as superb as a picky sticky to document her growth with... it is a must!

Today the sun is out... finally and she is not snotty... FINALLY, BUT alas she does have a scratch on her face, courtesy of me (sigh!), but what are ya gonna do? This is real life!

So Kaki Lou... what are you up to? I am just going to write about what you are doing right now, TODAY and not try to separate out what you were doing before the 27th of last month... it would get too confusing otherwise. You are a sweet, sweet, sweet... do I need to say it again? SWEET girl! You are so happy and content. It is still so alarming when you really cry because I just am never sure what to think... typically you cry when...

You are hungry, tired, constipated or have just gotten hurt... so once I run through those options... should she be hungry? Is she ready for a nap? Has she pooped today? Where is Caden? (Actually, to be fair I think I have unintentionally hurt Kaki more than anyone... go figure!)... so once I filter through those questions and I still haven't come up with an answer it troubles me!

One of those time signaled her first fever... SO sad! She had that fever for 5 stinkin' long days and then it broke just like that and she's been good ever since. So I guess we can say that Kaki Lou had her first official sickness this month... complete with the nasty upper respiratory junk! And today when we were at the doctor getting her 2nd flu shot I had the doctor look at a rash she's had for a while... turns out sweet girl has a yeast infection... poor thing! I don't know how in the world that happens... especially since the only time Caden has ever had one is after being on antibiotics, but the doctor said it can happen.... even to wee ones! Before Caden had one I thought it was just a girl thing... yet another live and learn!

But I must say I'll take the fever, the cold and the rash over the host of other things that could keep my girl down! I am so very grateful for her health each day that we have it! I am so thankful that she continues to grow and grow... I swear each morning when I go and get her out of her crib she has aged... like days! She is looking so old!

Her hair is starting to come back in... she has some light pieces and some darker pieces which I think can chalk her up to being a dirty blond... similar to me. Her eyes are the real killers... they are lethal... truly! Piercing blue beauties! They light up her entire face. She is one pretty, pretty girl... and as much as I don't want her attributes to be focused on the exterior I cannot help myself sometimes ... I just want to tell her how pretty and gorgeous and beautiful she is over and over again. It truly captivates me and I cannot think of anything else to say!

She is continuing to find her voice and at times can be very loud... but mostly she is pretty quiet... just taking in the scene. She has been with us to a few parties lately and she just sits and plays, watching the rest of the action pass her by... she is definitely a fan of people-watching and she makes it very easy to take her places...

She sat up in a high chair at a restaurant for the first time on a family date recently and did so well. She is loving PUFFS although we are still seeming to think that she likes to throw them on the ground more than in her mouth. But I think just in the past few days she's realized that they are kind of fun to eat which has been disappointing news for the dogs since they are the puff clean up crew!

She is still just eating two solid food meals a day and usually 4 bottles although sometimes just three. I officially stopped pumping last week... :( and :)... mixed emotions for sure! I think I'll have a separate post just for my beloved pump... ha! When Kaki was battling her cold for so long we kind of got held back in the food department since she wasn't really interested in eating her bottles much less real food. We're gonna start stepping it up again and get her taking more and more in. I really need to go back and read what I did with Caden... you would think that with my second I would be more on top of things, but I truly feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants with Kaki way more than I ever did with Caden! Strange huh?

Kaki is a book lover like her brother and will sit still and let us read fairly long books to her. Kaki got a full library stock at Christmas and we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of our new character friends... girls books are oh so much fun!

Kaki loves Mickey Mouse more than any other show we watch but has also been known to smile at Special Agent Oso and the Wiggles. I need to be better about playing her Praise Baby DVDs... Caden LOVED them for so long! And they are much more soothing for all of us! :)

She has been to the church nursery several times and has done great! She is usually being rocked or in the swing... she doesn't like to nap at church or at MOPS but that just means she takes a longer afternoon nap so she does make up for it. She is really flexible with her schedule. There are times where she misses her morning nap for days in a row and is always good to take a longer afternoon nap to catch up and give her the strength to get through the day. She is a 12 hour sleeper... from 7:30 to 7:30 sometimes 8:00... so thankful that I have good sleepers. She is one that wakes up occasionally during the night but usually it is nothing more than a paci pop that she needs and she's back out.

When she was sick we had a few nights where she was up and I couldn't figure out what to do to help her so I would try a variety of things... well one night I happened to turn on her light-up lady-bug that projects the stars all over her ceiling... oh my goodness... worked like a charm! And oh so funny! She didn't take her eyes off of it ... it instantly calmed her down and eventually helped her back to sleep... one of those nights I put her in bed with Justin and I... and I brought the ladybug too... Justin woke up to a sea of purple stars on the ceiling and laughed... ha! :) Not quite what he was expecting! Stinkin' Daddy can sleep through ANYTHING!!! And he wonders why I am too nervous to leave my kids at home with him overnight... a freight train could plow through our house and he'd never know it! :)

What else, what else? She likes her bouncer and her door... she loves playing with things while sitting on the floor... she is starting to really reach for things like flat on her belly reach... but as far as moving or crawling... nada... she doesn't even like to stand... I think her record is like 20 seconds... seriously. She is a happy sitter and that is A-OK with me. Justin was trying to teach her to crawl the other day and I said... STOP! :) No need for that... she'll do it when she's ready...

She's a sometimes-tummy sleeper... she learned that when she is congested it is much better to sleep on her tummy ... and many nights she gets comfy in the in-between and sleeps on her side...it is so so cute!

She is a flirt and commands/demands attention from people by batting those baby blues and smiling in their direction. The other day when we were out shopping she was trying her hardest to get the lady behind us to talk to her... it was hilarious!! So I finally helped a sister out and clued the lady in that she was trying to smile at her... then the lady was flattered and started talking back and Kaki was THRILLED!

OH! The Bronco kick... Kaki has this bucking bronco thing she does with her feet. She picks them up and then SLAMS them down, especially when she is in bed... it seriously sounds like a grown man clomping through the house... it has scared me many a times and then I remember... the Bronco... it's just Kaki! Phew! Such a funny little girl! She is a kicker all the way around... she kick, kick, kicks and points her little toes when she gets really excited!!

Of course Kaki loves Caden... especially when he plays with her which he is doing more and more. He loves playing catch with her and loves playing on the other side of her big door... peaking in and out of the window and playing with all of the sounds. He loves to kiss, hug and tickle her and of course make her laugh! That is his favorite! He is a great big brother and always asks how she slept, how her day was, and calls her all sorts of pet names like pretty girl, cute girl, sweet girl... it melts my heart! :) AND he talks to her in the highest pitch voice to have ever come out of a male... it is crazy high! BUT he obviously deems the voice necessary for he and Kaki's communication! :)

I could seriously go on and on (clearly!) about my girl! She is full of life, curiosity, joy and beauty! I love her to the moon and back and back again! She is a bundle of LOVE!!

Now for the pics...

A bit shy...

Not sure she's ready to pose...

Warming up...
Model face...
Sheepish grin...

There we go... there she is...

And now a few no bow pics... I love my natural Kaki the most of all...

Sweet...

UM wow...

Those eyes...

TOO MUCH sweetness...

My love...

Kaki Lou!

Happy 7 months sweet girl!!

Where we've been...Long story short

We have had a tough few weeks at the Cox house... and at this point I think we can say that we are sick and tired of having sick and tired kiddos! Thankfully, Justin and I have been spared this time around unlike in December when each one of us seemed to have our own version of whatever cold virus we were passing around.

Poor Caden has been through it! He started with a double ear infection two weeks ago now, that we didn't treat with antibiotics per his pedi's suggestion. Last year he was on an antibiotic from October to April... almost straight... and this is no exaggeration. So with the upcoming cold and flu season we were hoping to avoid excessive antibiotic use and instead be able to weather the infections the best we could without the help of any medicine. Apparently, when kids reach 3 they are more able to handle these things on their own. So we went with it.

The next week for him was tough... he was battling a nasty cold which gave him the infection to begin with and was also seeming to be a bit uncomfortable with some ear pain, BUT he was seemingly getting a bit better and was able to return to school last Thursday.

Well...

Then a series of events that included waking up in vomit, high fever, pain and NASTY ear drainage led to the diagnosis of a ruptured eardrum by Monday morning.

Apparently, that untreated ear infection led to a REALLY BAD infection and a ruptured eardrum... FAIL! Live and learn, my friends... live and learn. So two antibiotics later he was doing better...

And then yesterday we got a call from the ENT we saw on Monday saying that Caden's cultures from his ear fluid had come back and one of the bacteria was resistant to his current antibiotics that we had already been on for 4 days. So they called in a new and stronger antibiotics that he will now get to take for 10 days! POOR THING!! So when we first tried to avoid antibiotic use that would have been a 7-10 days treatment has now involved three different antibiotics over the course of 14 days... go figure! :)

We follow up with our ENT again on Wednesday, 8th to talk about our options... which have been proposed as another set of tubes and adenoid removal... :( BUT I can honestly say that after the ruptured eardrum mess I am MUCH more open to talking about surgery than I once was. It has been so sad watching my lil man be so miserable. AND to top it off the kid cannot hear well AT ALL! Justin and I are praying that this is just temporary and that all will return to normal once the infection clears up.

So what about Kaki??!!

Well sweet Kaki caught the nasty cold Caden had too. She was super snotty and congested... much worse than she had been with her first cold in December. She was a sad little snot ball when she tried to eat, but overall was doing well UNTIL... day 10... yep, on day 10 she developed a fever... a pretty high one. I, of course, was concerned since this was her first official fever... SO I took her to the doctor to get checked out.

NOTHING! They tested her for RSV just to be safe but that was negative... so we just chalked it up to a run of the mill cold virus... she had a fever for 5 days straight and then on Wednesday it was gone... just like that! Weird!

Now if we can just help her get one of those pesky teeth she's working on to push on through we'll be VERY grateful! And I know she would be too... teething for Kaki has been much harder than it ever was with Caden... and I'm not sure what I can do to help?!?!

So sorry for the delay in all of my posting... Kaki is going to be 7.5 months before I get her post up! I've been waiting to take her pictures until she isn't snotty anymore... BUT this time of year that may just be impossible! :)

Throw in a heavy dose of the terrible threes with all of the sickness and you can see that we've had a lot of excitement around here lately... although we have not be overly excited about any of it, I can assure you! :)

But nonetheless we are grateful for two overall healthy and happy kiddos and the grace of God to keep Justin and I healthy and strong during the midst of it so we could take care of our little loves! AND we are also thankful that God always seems to send KK just when we need her... although that hasn't seemed to work out very well for her as she took a piece of Caden and Kaki home with her that she wouldn't soon forget... sorry for giving you the snots KK... as always, we appreciate you taking one (or TWO, or three) for the team!

Happy Friday y'all!!