Fulton & Matthews Fun!

A couple of weeks ago we made a quick trip to Winnipeg to see Cam and Leanne get married (bbeeaaautiful wedding!!!) and of course it was a great time to catch up with some friends and family. It was much too short but it was worth the trip as we all had a great time seeing everyone:)

Thanks to Auntie Dorelle for being the official photographers as Mommy brought everything BUT the camera!

Opening some birthday pressies!

More birthday fun!

Kailie was a bit under the weather (hence the runny nose) but in good spirits all the same!

3 adorable little monkeys all looking at the camera . . . Amazing!!



First time wearing a toque (mittens were almost impossible to keep on her)!

So much fun with Evan & Mae :)

Kailie's 1-Year Stats

In all the excitement of Kailie turning One, I forgot to write down all her 'stats' from her 1-year check-up. It was by far the worst doctor's appointment for Kailie so far - she is a TOTAL Mommy's girl right now so when we took her into the doctors office and the poor girl was stripped down to her diaper and taken from Mum's arms to sit in the scale you would have though they were trying to take her right arm . . . and it just got worse from there! She pretty much screamed the entire way through the exam. Dr. Perinchief is clearly an expert at handling this as he kept chatting away to us as though we were having a little chat over some tea and crumpets!! By the time it got to her getting her needle Kailie was back in Mum's arms so she hardly seemed to notice the needle . . . who knew being weighed and getting your height measured could be so much more traumatic then a needle!!

Our 'little' girl came in at 26 lbs (average weight of a 2 year old) and 31 inches tall (average height of an 18 month old) . . . both weight and height well over the 97th percentile . . . oh yeah and she has a big head too - I didn't catch the measurement (her screeching was reaching it's highest intensity at that time!) but I did see the dot on the graph and it also was near the top! So we have a great big baby girl (yes I'm still calling her my baby!) and we wouldn't have it any other way!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Kailie!

My little girl is now 1 year old - and as sad as I am to see time pass so quickly I have loved (almost!) every moment of this past year! Joel and I remind ourselves daily just how blessed we are to have such an angel in our lives:)

Even though we are the parents and will teach Kailie many things as she grows, this year has given us just a glimpse of the many things Kailie will teach us as she grows up and I've already learned so much. I've learned how to love deeper than I ever thought was possible . . . I've learned about what really matters and what really doesn't . . . I've learned why my parents did some of the things they did (and I'm sure I'm just getting started here!!) . . . I've learned that my favorite sound is and will always be, my little girls laughter . . . I've learned that I can go without sleep and food for extended periods and not even notice (until my dear husband comes to the rescue!) . . . . I've learned that choka-choka-tocka IS a conversation . . . I've learned that Ma-Ma is more than just a first word . . . . I've learned that leaving for work and coming home from work are the very worst and very best moments (respectively!) that I have every day . . . . I've learned to see other kids through a Mum's eyes and have found that it has given me a greater love for other people's children . . . I've learned that God sends his angels as our babies to make us want to be better people for them . . . I've learned to pray pray pray! . . . I've learned that tears come quickly and easy when you have a life that is as blessed as ours:) These are just a few of many things I've learned this year and I look forward to all the other wonderful things Kailie will teach her Mum and Dad and she grows into a beautiful little girl.

Now on to the fun stuff! - we had a wonderful time celebrating Kailie's birthday with our friends here in Bermuda, below are some pic's of the celebrations.

Ok - so Mum will never make it as a cake decorator . . . but in my defense it didn't look that crooked when you saw the real thing - and there was a lot of love put into that cake so hopefully that makes up for some of the 'rough' edges!!

The morning of Kailie's birthday party - just testing out the toys!

Pretty Little Birthday Girl!

Playing with Hannah and Mackenzie

Ross and Zoe checkin' out the toys

Not a big fan of the birthday hats!

Time for Cake!

She was more interested in sharing her cake with Mum and Dad, but once she caught onto it she had a few good bites!

Brooke and Cameron helping Kailie to try out some of the great toys she got - thanks everyone for your lovely gifts!!

More cake the next day (her actual birthday) with Mum and Dad

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY DADDY!

We had a great time celebrating Joel's first birthday as a Daddy - and it was appropriate that it was such a big one as he was turning 30!!

Daddy's girls got right into the spirit of one of Dad's favorite things by donning their football gear and settling in for some cake, ice cream and Farve-Football. We would have liked to have been in Green Bay that afternoon, but we were all having a great time at home together so it was the next best thing:)

The Birthday-Daddy with his little girl (who kinda looks like a boy in her GB jersey)!

Daddy's Girls:)

Kailie's First Halloween!

We had a great Halloween with Kailie this year - Kailie was a cute little Ladybug and a pro at giving out candy. I'm sure as the years go on she'll be more inclined to take than to give candy but for this year she had a great time giving it to whoever would put their hand out for some!

Our sweet little Ladybug!

Kailie and Mackenzie - the stellar pumpkin carved out by our Halloween-Happy-Hour host Nick!

Kailie visiting with Princess Zoe and Scarecrow Ross:)

The candy was a hit all night - even though she wasn't allowed to eat any!

One of our last stops was a visit to see Maya - and it was time to ditch the Ladybug wings for some PJ's :)

The Next Stage of Walking

Here is a little glimpse of Kailie practicing her walking - she gets a bit further and more sturdy every day! This video was from a few days ago and now she can pretty much get across the whole room now without falling . . . we just love watching her figure it all out!!!

Early Birthday Presents

As Kailie's first birthday gets closer Mum and Dad are starting to get pretty excited and have done some early birthday shopping. It worked out quite well that Joel went to Winnipeg for the weekend . . . and being the good Daddy that he is, he managed quite a large shipment back to Bermuda - much to Kailie's delight!!! Here are a few pic's of her taking it all in:)

11 Months!

This will be my last posting where Kailie’s age is marked by how many months old she is – I can’t believe in just a few short weeks my baby is going to be 1 . . . and that’s all I’m going to say about it now because I need to stop dwelling on her turning one and just enjoy the last few days of her being a baby!!

Obviously the biggest moments these days all revolve around Kailie taking her first steps!! Since those first few shaky steps she has taken MANY more!! To be honest the first few were really just her catching her balance as she threw herself towards me so I thought it could still be a while before she really took some controlled steps – well it took about two days!! She can now start and stop without falling and can take quite a few steps in a row . . . it’s just the sweetest thing to watch and I do have it on video camera but it’s on our good camera which is a lot harder to get video off of and onto the blog so I’m still working on it.

Kailie seems to get quicker and more sturdy every day in everything she does, and that also includes her level of understanding. These little ones just understand so much more than we'll ever know - I'm always amazed at some of her responses to some of the things we say.

Every day continues to be a total joy with our little Kailie-Bear. I am getting settled back at home and so glad to be back but am finding it very hard to leave her every morning to go to work . . . this was supposed to get easier but sometimes I think it's actually harder to leave her now than ever before. Hopefully I will be able to reduce my work week sooner than later - I just need to get my new job figured out so I can then figure out how to get it all done in 4 days a week instead of 5 :)

The toughest thing we've had to deal with this month is Kailie getting her first cold and fever. We've been SO lucky in that she really hasn't been sick yet - a few runny noses but nothing significant. But this time it's been a cold that won't quite go away and this weekend her temperature has been just over 100 a couple of times. I've tried not to panic . . . although that was my first reaction - I'm not sure I did such a good job 'playing-it-cool' as I left a message on Dad & MaryAnn's answering machine the second after I took her temperature the first time!! But with some Tylenol and a few baths it keeps coming down . . . and she's still eating and drinking good and for the most part in pretty good spirits - so hopefully this is just a little thing that will pass soon . . . I do get some extra cuddles of the whole deal which I'll take any day:)

Here are just a few pic's from the last little while.

Paper towel ~ 3.99 . . . Kleenex ~ 2.28 . . . Kailie-Bear ~ PRICELESS!!!

Kailie trying to get in on Brooke & Cameron's wrestling match!

Kailie and I at swimming lessons:) This was the day after I got back from my trip and Kailie clung to me with all she had - every time the swimming instructor tried to take her from me, Kailie let her know she was NOT happy!

This and the rest of the pictures below are a few of the out-takes from her monthly pic with her bear . . . she loves to just tackle it which makes getting a picture a bit tricky . . . !

Stages of Walking!

This video clip is about a week old now - but it's one of the many memories I don't ever want to forget! Kailie has learned to do most of her walking behind her Lion - and she would push it back and forth across the room all day if we let her:)

First Steps!!

Kailie took her first steps all on her own today (Monday October 12) - and Mum was home to see it!! Dad wasn't quite so lucky however we agreed that considering both of us work full time we were lucky that at least one of us got to witness this big day!

I actually stayed home with Kailie today because she has a pretty bad cold and had a very tough night. She had two 3hr+ naps today and seems to be feeling a bit better so hopefully a good night's sleep for everyone and then I'm sure tomorrow everyone will be in better shape.

But sick or not - she was in good spirits and was doing lots of walking . . . it was just after she had been walking with her lion that she let go and just started walking to me . . . it was three shaky little steps and then a full out lunge into my arms - I was so excited!! She's done it a few more times so I know it wasn't just a complete fluke . . . however I still think it will be a while before she's running laps of the house, although that will probably happen sooner than I think as well:)

So that was a great way to end off our Thanksgiving weekend! Hope everyone in Canada enjoyed their celebrations - we got together with our good friends the Pentons and the Burkes for a wonderful turkey Thanksgiving dinner:)

11 Month post and picture still to come - but I couldn't postpone this very important post:)

Home Sweet Bermuda Home!!!

I will never be able to express how hard it was to be away from Kailie for the past couple of weeks - seeing her little smiling face as I stepped out of the Bermuda airport was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!! I knew it was going to be hard to be away but had I really known just how hard it was going to be I don't think I ever would have gone through with it.

I am just so thankful that it is now behind me . . . and there were some good things to come of it - Kailie and her Daddy got to spend some very special time together and it was very obvious to me just how much they bonded when I got back home. I think sometimes I may take over a bit too much (surprising I know!) so it was a good opportunity for Joel to really get to figure out how things work with our little angel . . . Kailie is lucky to have such a great Daddy who cares for her so much:)

Here are a few pictures from the London part of our trip.

We're off to London - Kailie enjoyed BA's excellent seating for babies!! Yet again Kailie was a superstar traveler much to everyone's relief:)

Getting ready for a trip on the London Eye

London Eye

London Eye

All of us enjoying the sites (and champagne!) on our London Eye 'Flight'

One of the many lovely parks near our hotel

Kailie loved the swans and ducks . . . if only she could get past the fence!!

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

Another trip to Buckingham Palace (this was a visit she went on with her London-Nanny)!

Green Park - directly across from our hotel

Ready for a swim in the hotel pool (well it was really just a big hot tub but Kailie still loved it)!

HAMLEYS!! This was a big day for all of us . . . not sure who had more fun that day:)

Hamleys

Hamleys

Hamleys

Mum and Kailie having a lazy morning:)

Our room in London had a lot of mirror's in it - Kailie loved it!

Rainforest Cafe

Kailie didn't take in the sites quite as much as Mum & Dad!

Exploring the room

Out for dinner with Mum & Dad:)