Kennedy hits the road in her hot rod!

While mommy and daddy were at work today, Mimi let Kennedy get out and enjoy the nice day for a little while in her new red car that she got for Christmas! She bundled up some because it was windy, but she enjoyed going for a ride. Kirby even got a little curious about the car and came up for a few sniffs. Nice days are hard to come by in the middle of winter. This Spring, she is really going to have lots of fun with her new toys.

My daughter is a pickpocket!

At nine months old, I never would have guessed that Kennedy would learn to be a thief at such an early age. Today, Trent, Uncle Tony, Mimi, Kennedy and I all went to lunch at this new restaurant in Rogers called JJ's. Since Trent and I had to go back to work, Mimi had come up to stay with us for a few days with Kennedy being sick and unable to go to daycare. However, the two of them could only take so long of being couped up in the house, and they needed to get out for a little bit. While finishing up at lunch, Kennedy bit her tongue for the first time on her two bottom teeth. These are the only teeth that she has currently. She got upset. Mimi decided to give her some comfort in her arms. We gave the waitress the credit card to pay for the bill. Moments later, we noticed that Kennedy had a credit card in her hands. Also, it was not our credit card. She had taken it from the waitress right out of the black bill book in her apron. She had pick pocketed our waitress!!! After Kennedy's quick temper tantrum after taking it away from her, we gave it back to the waitress who was completely shocked by our little thief. Luckily, the table whose credit card belonged to saw the whole thing. They thought the situation was pretty amusing. Trent and I have some work to do in teaching Kennedy what is right and wrong.

Health Update

After our follow up today with the doctor, Kennedy had a temperature of 102.4 degrees. They decided to do chest x-rays, and they confirmed that there were no signs of pneumonia. She had lost 1 pound this week because she had not been eating or drinking as much formula as usual. The doctor told us to keep giving her the medicine that we are currently giving her. One thing that I don't think that I can handle again is another night like the one we experience last night. Let's just say that it was the longest most exhausting Christmas night ever. Kennedy was crying all night long not wanting anything but to just cry. She was feeling terrible. At around 3:00 a.m., I decided to give her some Tylenol. This seemed to help, and we were finally able to get some sleep. Trent and I have always said that we would never let Kennedy sleep in the bed with us. At nine months, we gave in last night. It was the absolute most tiring night we have ever had since the day she was born. I almost broke down from exhaustion. The doctor said that he was not surprised by our evening, and that we should prepare ourselves for possibly another one. With her RSV, he said that it would effect her more at night, and during the day, she would seem like a happy and cheerful baby. She definitely proved to be the happy baby during the day.

Once we returned from her appointment, we pulled her around in her Radio Flyer wagon that she received from her Papa Jim and Mama Donna. She loves to be pulled around! After a few hours of relaxation, we packed up the car and headed to Warren to visit Trent's grandparents. Tomorrow, we will be heading back to Rogers. We have enjoyed all of the family visits, but it will feel good to be back home and to sleep in our own beds. Oh! I almost forget! Kennedy is 9 months old today!!!

Christmas morning finally arrives!

We woke up Christmas morning with Kennedy in an exceptional good mood. She was eager to begin opening her gifts. She got lots of new toys and clothes. Trent and Uncle James were excited as well because Santa Mimi brought them both a Wii and the Wii Fit. We may be having a Wii party soon at our house! For Kennedy, she seemed to love the wrapping paper more than the presents, and she played hard all morning long. After opening presents, our cousin Bill and I helped my mom in the kitchen to prepare for our Christmas brunch. The brunch was a success, and I ate entirely too much food. For the afternoon, Trent and I are planning on going to a movie while Mimi and Uncle James watch Kennedy for a couple of hours. Then, we will be heading back to Hot Springs to open gifts with Trent's parents and brother. Also, Kennedy has a doctor's appointment on Friday at 9:00 a.m. We would never make the appointment on time if we spent the night in Little Rock. Trent and I are not morning people unlike our little Kennedy! After her appointment, we are planning on going to Warren for the day to visit Trent's grandparents.

Santa will be here soon!

Kennedy is anxiously awaiting her first visit from Santa. We enjoyed Christmas Eve with my family at my aunt and uncle's house for dinner. It was great seeing everyone. Kennedy was able to attend this family affair because none of the baby cousins were in town this year. We got to see them all at Thanksgiving, but they rotate holidays each year. With her RSV illness, we did have some concerns about having her around my grandmother who just finished her chemo treatments a month ago. However, the doctor said to keep Kennedy on the opposite side of the room, and my grandmother could not hold her. She spent most of the evening on the lap of her Gigi where she took a quiet nap.

Once we arrived back at Mimi's house, Kennedy discovered one of her presents a little early. She posed for a few pictures in front of the Christmas tree, and we let her play in her new walker before bed. She is looking forward to Christmas day and all of her presents. She just better hurry up and get to bed because Santa is on his way!

Kennedy Quarantined

Last night, we drove down to Hot Springs, and we made it before the little ice storm hit. Luckily, it melted quickly. For the past day or two, I noticed that Kennedy was starting to come down with another cold. We set up a doctor's appointment with a local pediatrician in Hot Springs. With our luck, Kennedy would become really sick on Christmas day, and we would not be able to get her in to see a doctor. So, we wanted to be prepared. Little did we know what we had in store for the rest of the week. At the doctor, she was diagnosed with a mild case of RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). For those of you who have never heard of this virus, below is some information copied and pasted from http://www.kidshealth.org/.

"RSV causes infection of the lungs and breathing passages. In adults, it may only produce symptoms of a common cold, such as a stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, mild headache, cough, fever, and a general feeling of being ill. But RSV infections can lead to other more serious illnesses in premature babies and kids with diseases that affect the lungs, heart, or immune system.

RSV is highly contagious, and can be spread through droplets containing the virus when a person coughs or sneezes. The infection can spread rapidly through schools and child-care centers. Infants often get it when older kids carry the virus home from school and pass it to them. Almost all kids are infected with RSV at least once by the time they are 2 years old.

RSV infections often occur in epidemics that last from late fall through early spring. Respiratory illness caused by RSV — such as bronchiolitis or pneumonia — usually lasts about a week, but some cases may last several weeks."

With all of the above mention, she is highly contagious to any babies under the age of two. Therefore, it appears that we will not be going to Warren on Christmas day so that we do not contaminate our other small cousins. Also, she will not be going to daycare for the next two weeks. The visit to the doctor was not pleasant. For 15 minutes, Kennedy had to be hooked up to a breathing machine as she kicked and screamed. She looked so pitiful! Luckily, her oxygen level was not too low. If it had been, we would probably be headed to the hospital. We have another appointment with the doctor on Friday. Until then, we have to give her two different medicines. One is a liquid every six hours, and the second is a home breathing treatment every 4 hours. Hopefully, she gets well soon!

Christmas in Central Arkansas!

During the week of Christmas, we will be spending it in Hot Springs and Little Rock with a detour to Warren to visit Trent's grandparents and family. It is exciting to spend our first Christmas with Kennedy. We will be hauling all of her presents with us with the exception of one that we let her open this evening. From mommy and daddy, she got a Radio Flyer Sport Coupe, and she loves it. We gave her this gift early because we did not want to carry it across the state. Also, our car will probably be loaded down with other gifts once we return home. One lesson learned for next year is that daddy or Santa will need to assemble this type of gift ahead of time. Kennedy is not too patient when it comes to her toys! Move out of the way when you see her coming. She is already a road hog, and she loves honking the horn!

Kennedy loves her friends!

Tonight, we invited the McElroy family over for hamburgers and to watch the Dallas Cowboy football game. Dan and Debbie have a 5 month old little boy named Simon. We were excited about getting him and Kennedy together. We had not seen Simon in a long time, and he is growing up fast. Kennedy was a great hostess. She generously shared her toys with Simon. She loves spending time with her friends. We are looking forward to getting together again soon.

No pictures from this gigantic mess!!!

Today, we had a lovely surprise from Kennedy after we enjoyed a sensational meal at Mama Dean's Soul Food restaurant in Fayetteville. Uncle Tony joined Trent and I for lunch. The restaurant just recently reopened after it had been closed for not paying their sales tax. We are happy to have them back in business! As we were preparing to leave, Trent noticed that Kennedy's jeans were extremely wet. They were not just wet; we had a disaster on our hands and all over her. She had the biggest blow out known to man. Every article of clothing on the poor girl was covered in poo. Her legs, sides, arms and bottom were a big mess. We still don't know how this gigantic mess occurred. Of course, there was not a changing table in the bathroom. So Uncle Tony's car became the only option. After two cases of wipes, Tony gagging in the parking lot, and a completely naked baby in the 35 degree cold weather, we finally got her body cleaned up somewhat. Thankfully, I remembered to pack a spare outfit. We immediately went straight home for the bath tub. After today, Uncle Tony may reconsider the next time we ask him to babysit. Also, I hope that he remembered to take the dirty diaper out of his car that we left with him.

Jim Daddy & Gigi's Visit

Kennedy was excited to see her Jim Daddy & Gigi. They not only arrived in town to attend her Christmas party and program, but they also brought her presents. With Kennedy's unwrapping experience from her daycare party, she is now a pro at presents. Plus, she got to open a present much larger than her. It was a fabulous chair with her name monogrammed on it. She also got some cute clothes that I can't wait for her to wear. We know that it was all Gigi who took care of the gift selection. If Jim Daddy was in charge, Kennedy would have probably gotten some toy tools or possibly some type of flashlight. We are happy to have Gigi in charge. For dinner, we cooked steaks on the grill and enjoyed a fabulous meal. Kennedy was happy to see them and enjoyed the visit. She is looking forward to seeing them again!

Kennedy's First Christmas Party & Program

Today was an exciting day for Kennedy at daycare. She went to her first Christmas party, and she was an elf in the Christmas program. Trent and I were so proud along with her Jim Daddy and Gigi who came into town for the festivities. She had a great time at the party opening presents, but evidently, the party wore her out. During her debut in the Christmas program, she slept through the entire thing. As an elf, her and the Snuggle Bunny class led Santa into the auditorium in a decorated buggy. She did wake up after it was over to pose for a few pictures. She is wearing two different outfits in these pictures because she had some bathroom problems before we arrived to the party. We were instructed the night before to dress her in red or green. Let's just say that her teacher called and requested that we bring another clean red outfit with us. The Disney Pooh outfit was on loan for a few hours from daycare. She loved opening presents, and her teachers gave her a special gift. In her stocking, she received a reindeer jingle bell ornament and a picture of herself. She had the best time at daycare today!

A little Christmas break...

For the next 9 days, I get to spend every day with my little peanut with no work involved with the exception of a little SLS stuff that Trent will have me complete before year end. Kennedy, Trent and I are ready for some fun together. We are thrilled about Kennedy's first Christmas, and we love to see her face light up with excitement!

To start of the break, I am leaving work today at noon. This afternoon, Kennedy has a Christmas party and program at daycare. I am so excited about the big festivities. Trent and I are ready to attend. He has the video camera charging right now. Evidently, she is making her theatrical debut as an elf. In addition, Kennedy's Gigi and Jim Daddy are coming into town today. They should arrive by noon or so, and we are planning on doing a little Christmas shopping before the party. Kennedy wants me to pick up a gift for her teachers as a thank you for taking care of her. She wants to wish them a merry Christmas! Pictures of the party and program will be coming soon!

Kennedy meets Santa & a Santa Cow!!

This past weekend, we were extremely busy. On Friday night, we had the Scotts LawnService Christmas party. Drinks and appetizers were at our house with dinner at Copelands. Since Trent's parents came into town to visit, they were able to babysit along with our cousins Scott and Alison. Scott and Alison watched Kennedy until his parents got into town. Scott seems to like Kennedy. She snuggled up next to him in the recliner where they both took a long nap. If he only knew that she is not always that sweet. On Saturday, we all woke up and headed to breakfast at Chick-fil-a. Once we arrived, we discovered that the Santa Cow was there posing for pictures with all the kids. He was encouraging all the kids to eat more chicken! After breakfast, we headed to the mall to visit the real Santa Claus. She had actually met him once before on Halloween. So, we figured that she would not be too scared to sit on his lap. They got along great! Attached are some pictures of our first trip to the mall to meet Santa! She told him everything that she wanted for Christmas!!!

Kennedy lucks out on the flu shot today!

It was time to get Kennedy's second dosage of the flu shot today. It has been a month since she got her first flu shot dosage. Due to her age, they have to split it up into two shots. I called the doctor's clinic to set up an appointment to come in. To my surprise, they were completely out of shots. They recommended that I call around. I finally found out that the Benton County Health Department had some on hand, but they needed a record that she had already received her first dosage. After several phone calls, I finally received her records, and we headed to get her a shot. The clinic was packed with people. We waited in the lobby waiting room for an hour to realize that we were 2 days early. Since she had gotten her previous shot on November 12, she could not get her next one until December 12. I was not happy since I had taken off work and waited an hour before they decided to provide me this information. Also, there is no telling if we caught anything else while sitting in the waiting room. This was the first and last time you will find us at the health department. Luckily, Trent's parents are coming into town this weekend, and his mom is a nurse. She is going to give Kennedy her second flu shot this weekend. This is great because not only will I not have to wait in another line, but it will be free!!!

Kennedy got left behind while we headed to Florida!

Trent and I went to Marco Island, Florida this past week to the Scotts franchise meeting. We had to leave Kennedy at home, but she was well taken care of by her grandparents. She split her time between Hot Springs and Little Rock in the cold weather while we enjoyed the warm sun in southern Florida. We had a wonderful time basking in the sun! From our hotel, we enjoyed watching the beautiful sunset each night, and the beach is covered in shells. I enjoyed walking along the beach looking for shells, starfish, and sand dollars. It was quite different laying out by the pool while listening to Christmas music. We only had one unlucky episode that happened to me on the trip. While leaning over to wash off sand from a shell, my cell phone, watch and earrings fell out of my bag into the ocean. I saved my phone and watch, but I lost my earrings. One great thing is that the phone still works. It took a couple of days for the phone to dry out for all the functions to work properly, but I am so relieved. Here are a few pictures from our trip!

New Baby Arrival!

Our good friends Shayne and Amy Forsyth welcomed their new baby boy into the world. I went to high school with Shayne, and Amy was my sorority sister and a roommate in college. Also, I will take the credit for how the two of them first met. Carter Crafton Forsyth was born in Houston, Texas on December 5, 2008 at 12:08 a.m. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 2 oz. Welcome baby Carter!!!!

First snow of 2008!

Today is the first sign of snow in 2008 at our house! It wasn't much, but it was something. Kennedy did not get to go out and play because she was not feeling well. However, she might get to enjoy it next time. She is ready to wear her new snow suit!

Thanksgiving with family!

We had a great Thanksgiving, and Kennedy was finally introduced to family members that have been longing to meet her. We spent our Thanksgiving in Little Rock and Warren. We ate lots of great food! Kennedy got to meet her aunts, uncles, and cousins. One person in particular that Kennedy was excited to meet was her cousin Leighton. Kennedy is two weeks older than her. It was fun taking pictures of the two of them together. It will be fun to watch them grow up together! They already have two things in common. They both love to play the piano and eat money. Great Grandma Watkins gave them their Christmas money early this year. Of course! It went straight to the mouth! Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving Day of the two girls.

Huge Milestone News!!!

Kennedy has her first tooth! The tooth buds popped through yesterday while at daycare, and a second tooth should be arriving any day now. We can see the second tooth right under her gums. Let's just say that Kennedy has not been in the best mood. She has been a little cranky, and she has been eating and drinking her bottles like she has been starved for days. She obviously is wanting her comfort food, and we are giving it to her. Last night, Trent stopped by Walgreen's to pick up some orajel. He bought the ointment and the swabs. We tried a swab on her last night, and it was like trying to hold down a screaming wild animal to get the ointment on her gums. Once we did, she was instantly calm. The stuff really works. However, I think that Trent numbed her entire mouth because she was having trouble holding on to her pacifier. It kept falling out, and she couldn't grasp her lips around it. Anyways, she was much happier and so were we. Now, we are just waiting on that second tooth to pop out!

Practicing Christmas Card Poses!

Today, we decided to stay inside and hang out around the house. It was a lazy and relaxing Sunday. The night before, Trent and I had a really late night taking full advantage of the evening out on the town. Luckily, my mom had volunteered to babysit. We are so grateful for Mimi letting us have a date night. Kennedy was in a playful mood, and we decided that we should practice taking pictures of her for our Christmas cards. Here a just a few!