Merritt Girls

Well, we are totally behind on the Christmas holiday. Time just goes so fast when you are chasing an 18 month old.

Kaylen is really enjoying the toddler room. She has also started talking alot more. She says 'Bye', 'Moo, 'No', 'What's that?', 'Oh, look at that.' 'Bird' 'Night Night' and others. She has started wispering, most of the time she does it when she is getting in trouble just as a distraction. She still loves watching Mickey Mouse. She also likes, Shrek, Madagascar, and really any other cartoon. She climbs up on the couch all by her self and is able to get whatever she wants off the end table.

Basketball is in full swing and times have definately changed from last year. I spend my whole time chasing her everywhere. I'm sweating by the end of the game. She loves it though and tries to get on the court to get the 'BALL'. She definately knows what a basketball is and knows it is supposed to go in the hoop. Not sure how she figured that one out.

Kaylen starts her first day in the toddler room at daycare. She's been working on the transition for a little while but will be in there all day today. It is a little late as she is now 17 months old but they didn't have room. Her two friends who have been in the infant room with her will go next week.

My baby is not a baby anymore.

• Sorry for the delay in posting. K is keeping us very busy. She is all over the place now, walking, chatting, talking back. Oh how I love these times.

She is so much fun. She is also a little OCD and very into her routines. Of course she has been that way since birth. We get up, go to daycare, come home. She has to have her juice in the car, has to watch Johnny and the Sprites as soon as she walks in the door. Funny I remember coming home from Kindergarten with Grandma Nagel and sitting on the floor watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood while she made me a ham sandwich. Everyday. I had to have it the same everyday. Just like Kaylen.

She also LOVES her Dad. Well, she loves shouting at her Dad. She doesn't say, Daddy, Dada, anything like that.. it is a very stern, very loud DAD. We got a pizza the other day and Bryan was in the other room, she ran in after him to let him know in no uncertain terms that the pizza was here and he needed to come eat. Of course the only thing you heard was "DAD, bla bla bal." But we knew what she meant. Oh how I love this little girl.

SHE'S WALKING. Daycare called and said she just took off. She started doing it some last night.

Our little girl is growing up!!!

We were a little bummed that we did not get to go to the reunion and on Tuesday when we were supposed to only go to an eye appointment for me we ended up SELLING THE HOUSE!!!! and had to drive all they way to Kingfisher to sign papers so we were also tired and decided to just relax on July 4th.

I guess I should back up and talk about us selling the house. It has been on the market since May 22, 2006. That is right 2 0 0 6!!! We have been paying rent at the apartment and the mortgage in Kingfisher since October. We got a call while in Norman on Tuesday that we had a buyer. Cash buyer at that who was also purchasing as is and wanted to close at the end of the month. We couldn’t be more excited. A giant, 2002 sq feet to be exact, weight has been lifted. Although I did LOVE that house and will miss it greatly, it will be nice not to have to make that payment.

Ok, now to July 4th. While relaxing at home, Kaylen and I walked down to the office to pay rent (yes, I was a few days late) and we noticed that no one was at the pool. This was very shocking as one would assume on July 4th at 12:00 there would be many many people at the pool. So, we jumped into our suits and headed down there. We got to spend a nice hour and a half down there all alone. It was awesome. The water was warm and Kaylen really liked it. Then some sunbathers showed up so we went home and Kaylen crashed.

For the fireworks, we went to a church parking lot to sit and watch the fireworks. Bryan’s parents were there and Kaylen really seemed to like them. They did go a little long for her taste and she was ready to go long before they ended but it was a nice evening.

Well, last I left you Kaylen had pink eye in her right eye. We did the drops and such as the Doctor ordered and yet we were only getting worse every day. Wednesday June 27, her Doctor sends us to an Ophthalmologist who says it is just a virus and will have to run its course. That night she got feverish so I had to take off on Thursday. I had already planned to be off on Friday through Wednesday so it was a loooooonnng weekend for me. We were planning on going to Kansas for the Zamarripa family reunion. Saturday comes and tada… the pink eye moved to her other eye so now we have it in both eyes. No trip to Kansas for us.

Kaylen was finally able to get over the pink eye by Sunday when magically – I GOT PINK EYE. Thank you for sharing little girl. Isn’t she sweet. We are doing our best to make sure my eye is the final pink eye in the house.

Kaylen has started a new thing where you can ask here where someone is and she do her hands like you do when you say "I don't know"

Maybe due to us being cooped up inside or just her growing up but she has also started REALLY watching TV. This can be a good and bad thing. Before she only watched when there was music on the TV, now she’ll watch an entire episode of Johnny and the Sprites. She LOVES Johnny and the Sprites. When she is watching, you could drive a Mac truck through the room and all you get is her staring at the TV. If you haven’t had the pleasure, it is a show on Playhouse Disney that is magnificent. Why this guy isn’t a serious actor I’ll never know. And the sprites.. genius. (can you feel the sarcasm?)

One of the perks of being a Federal Employee is that we get 4 hours of leave for donating blood. The blood drive was on Friday so I took off half a day and Bryan came up and we took Kaylen to the zoo. We haven't been in a long time and they have tons of new things. It is really very nice.

Our first stop were some birds. You buy nectar for a couple dollars and the birds come right up to you. Well, you have to watch out because they totally attack you for the nectar and they are drinking it all day so... lets just say they have accidents often so you must beware.

Kaylen didn't like them at first because they came and sat on her stroller. Then she got used to them. They have also installed misters through out the park. These were the best. She loved going in them with her dad.

We got home and noticed that Kaylen's right eye was red. So... after much discussion and a call to the Dr. we figure out she has Pink Eye.
If it isn't better by tomorrow she may have to go to an eye Dr. We'll see.

Wow, one year. We made it. It is amazing how much life has changed and how I couldn't imagine it being any different. This time last year Bryan and I were blessed with the most amazing gift from God. She astonishes us every day with her new discoveries.

She is standing on her own for small amounts of time. Crawling everywhere. Eating regular food. Talking back and hugging at the same time. So many things it is hard to keep up. I'm truly blessed to have a wonderful Husband who is the most amazing Father to this little creature God has entrusted us with. I can't wait to see what each day has in store for us. Thanks to our family and friends for sharing in our love and life with Kaylen this past year.

Late on the updates once again. Seems the litte girl is just keeping us soo busy. She is all over the place crawling.

She is saying "Dad" "No" and now "Don't" She even wags her finger at you and says it. Not sure where she picked that up from.

I had a wonderful first mother's day. Kaylen got me two wonderful cards, some roses and we went out to dinner in Norman. Then we went to the park for a bit. It was a nice weekend.

We are gearing up for her Birthday party. I'm working on the invites but we plan to have it June 2nd at 2:00 p.m. at the community room in the Apartments. We couldn't fit more than a couple people in the house. We are going to do a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme since it is her favorite cartoon.

Man, I haven't updated in a long time.

Easter came and went. We spent Easter at the Merritt's. We had a nice lunch and Kaylen hunted eggs with her Dad.

I had a trip for work and Bryan came with me so we left Kaylen overnight for the first time. It was pretty painful for both of us. She had fun staying with GaGa but she didn't like me when she came home. It was pretty tough. She's back to normal now but not something I'm ready to repeat anytime soon.

She is crawling up a storm now and will stand up and play with some of her toys. She's very head strong and loves playing with her basketballs. She plays peek-a-boo, patty cake, and we are slowly getting her to say she is one. She's about 30% on that one but we have a month to get it perfected. I'll try to get better with pictures, we've just been very busy.

The tubes are in. We got there at 5:45 and the doctor took her back at 6:30. Worst part was she couldn't eat after 12:00 so we didn't get much sleep. The nurse brought her back out at 7:00 and she was a little drunk from the drugs but she was smiling and waving at us. She got a little whiney but went to sleep on the ride home. It is now 6:30 and she seems to be back to normal. I think it is really going to make her feel much better. The doctor said there was lots of fluid in her right ear and some in her left.

She's also getting her first tooth. She'll be driving tomorrow I'm sure.

Well, we are getting tubes. Will do it next week while Bryan is out for spring break. She has been sick this week again so I've been home with her since Monday. The ENT doctor said it would just make her a happier kid and help her sleeping. I'm ready for it.

She also started crawling today. It just happened. Yesterday nothing. Today, I sat down and said "Come here" and off she went, came right to me. She has also starte saying "Hi" Says it all the time now. Favorite is her saying "Hi, Dad" She says it when Bryan comes home. It is so cute. I'll get some new pictures up soon. She's just growing up fast.

Well, her ear infection actually came back right after it left last time. We had her 9 month check up on Monday and she still has some goop in there so we are going to go see the ENT doctor on March 14th to see what he thinks.

She hasn't gained much weight. The Dr. said it is probably because she's been sick most of the last couple months. She is still getting taller which she said is a good sign. She said she still has a belly so everything seemed great - besides the ears.

She is really growing up and doing more fun things. She talks alot - mostly babbling and saying 'Da' but she is trying. She is still scooting backwards but is with in weeks of crawling forward. She is working on Patty Cake & Peek-a-boo.

She has started eating real food. Vanilla waffers, Gerber Puffs, bananas, some Gerber cereal bars, lots of fun stuff. Of course her Dad shares most of his stuff with her which she loves as he has a sweet tooth.

She has spent lots of time with her Grandma and Grandpa Merritt. Staying with them sometimes on the weekend and playing with the dolls at their house. GaGa & PaPa Zamarripa's rocking in the chairs. May will be here before we know it.

We are ear infection free. Dr. said the threat of tubes usually gets it to clear up. She is sleeping better and seems much happier.

Well, we still have the ear infection. Dr. said she'll go one more round before she sends us to a specialist. Her new medicine didn't agree with her stomach so we had some fun diapers for a few days and had to stay home from daycare. I think we might be on the mend though. She doesn't seem to mind any of it much. We go back February 7th for an ear check again.

As you can see from her video... she is saying Dada quite regularly now. She can also give you 5 and if you sing the theme song to her favorite TV show she'll look at the TV to see if it is playing. It is pretty neat to see how much she changes all the time.

Time for another Kaylen update. She is growing up so fast. We go back to the Dr. on Monday to see if her ears are better and so she can get the second dose of her flu shot. I'm sure she'll enjoy that. We had a nice time hanging out at home during a bad ice storm last weekend. The temperature change wasn't good for her ears but we made it.

She has started a funny thing of patting me on the back while I'm patting her on the back to get her to sleep. Guess she's trying to put me to sleep also. Very nice of her. She's also come to really enjoy eating popsicles with her Dad. Probably not the most nutritious but they have fun doing it. She gets a little angry that she has to share with him but he's working on that.

They have told me at Daycare that she really enjoys playing with the orange balls that they have in her room. Said that they figured it must be in her genes or something. I'm sure Dad will have her shooting as soon as she can walk.

Well, she still has an ear infection. The Dr. said she either never got over it or she has a new one. Either way we are on new meds and will return for another check in 2 weeks. She's pretty tough because she shows no signs of illness. She has a slight cough and some nasal problems but is fine besides that.

Well, alot has happened in the last month since I updated. Kaylen has been to 3 of her Daddy's basketball games and she really does well. She actually watches the game and seems to have a great time. She got to play in the snow for the first time. She's also got new friends at daycare. She doesn't like them as much as the old ones because they are small and she likes to be the littlest one in the room so she gets held. So her teachers said she rules the roost in there and lets them know she's in charge.

She had her 6 month appointment and now weighs a whopping 13 lbs 13 oz and is 25 inches long. We also found out that she has a double ear infection. Poor girl showed no signs she was sick so we had no idea. She is taking medicine now and should be fine in no time.

Well, we survived our first big Holiday. She had so much fun seeing everyone. First we went to Grandma & Grandpa Merritt's house. Great-Grandma Merritt was there to visit and she had so much fun seeing her. We had a very nice dinner and a good time with the family.

Next we went to Gaga & Papa's house. Her cousin's were there and she played with them alot. She was very worn out by the time we got home and didn't have a very easy night sleeping.

She has started eating more food. We've tried bananas and just today tried some applesauce. She is still not great at the eating and tries to suck more than opening her mouth but she is getting there and seems to like the foods she is eating.

She's also getting up on her hands and knees and may be mobile very soon. She's rolled over from back to front a couple times and can sit unassisted for a little while until she gets interested in something and tries to go get it.

She still loves her Micky Mouse Clubhouse and thanks to the DVR we can watch it whenever we want. She'll be 6 months old in 6 days. It has all gone so fast. We start the basketball season on Tuesday so that will be a fun time for her.

Sick again. We are all sick. Bryan is just starting to get it and Kaylen and I are getting over it. Hopefully. Just a cough and sore throat. I'm sure this is just the beginning.

Our little girl is growing so much. She is rolling over and being so active. She loves her Exersaucer and has taken to making some squealing noise. I swear if she clicked as well, we'd have dolphins showing up at our door. It is very strange. On Wednesday of last week she started sleeping all night. I'm still waking up to make sure she is breathing but she is sleeping just fine.

I think she is going to be a Type A personality little girl. She is so rigid to her schedule. If she doesn't get to sleep when she needs to she makes life bad for us later. But, we love her so much and she is just so darn cute that we just take whatever she gives us.

Had her 4 month check up today. Everything looked fine. She is 11 lbs 12 oz and 24 inches long. Dr. said again she is just long and lean but growing along her growth curve. She did say I could feed her as often as I like. We have started giving her a little cereal but will be more consistent with it now and do it every day. She'll even start getting it at Daycare 2 times starting next week. Our little girl is growing up fast.

We had our first illness. Virus that lasted about 5 days. She even broke out in a rash all over her body. She is home today with her Dad recovering. We went to the Dr. and she weighed 11.4 lbs. We go for her 4 month check up on 10/18 to get official measurements.

She has found her feet and is talking quite a bit. She can also roll over from front to back and sit pretty well in her Bebe pod seat.

Another Kaylen update. Yesterday we stayed home because she decided to go crazy Sunday night and scream forever. Don't know if she is trying to cut teeth or just felt like spending the day with me. I added pics to show just how 'sick' she really was. She is getting bigger all the time and really starting to be so fun to interact with. She loves watching TV and looking at herself in the mirror.

Guess it is time for an update. Kaylen is doing very well at daycare. Don't think she even notices I'm gone. She is really growing and gets more and more interactive every day.

Bryan has started school in Duncan and we are still trying to sell our house. We are hoping to move to Chickasha sometime next month.

Kaylen's friend at daycare Miss Pam left. I was worried about her but she seems to be adjusting fine. She used to only eat well for Miss Pam. After a day or two she was fine.

Yesterday she had her 2 month Dr. appointment. She got 3 shots. AHHH She didn't like them at all. She's still a little gun shy today and gets her feelings hurt very easily but she is fine otherwise.

She now weighs in at a whopping 9lbs and is 22 inches long. Although that seems small, she is growing right along as she should be. Dr. said she will just be long and lean. Sounds like her Daddy.

She has also really started talking alot. Sounds like she is saying 'Hi' sometimes. Isn't she smart!

Kaylen is doing very well at daycare. She comes home everyday smelling like Miss Pam so I know they are loving on her, which is great. All the people there are very nice. I'm glad I have such a great place to keep her and I think she enjoys being around the other babies. Most of them are over 6 months old so she can watch them play.

Well, today is her first day at Daycare. It was very tough leaving her. I'm sure she will do fine.

Only 7.5 hours until I pick her up!

Only 2 more weeks until I have to go back to work. Kaylen will be going to Daycare in Mustang which is only 10 min or so from my work. Was a very nice place so I'm sure she'll be fine. She hasn't been sleeping well at night so we are a little tired. Since the last update we have gone on a mini vacation to Tulsa and had family pictures taken. Good friend Carrie who is due any day now took our pictures. I'll post some as soon as we get them back.

She is just growing every day. She has started staying awake more and even smiles now and then.

Dr. appointment went well. She is 6lbs 7oz now and 19.5 inches long. Dr. said she is perfect, but we already knew that. She is growing well. We go back August 14th for her 2 month check up.

We are doing very good. Loving every minute with Kaylen. She is eating well, sleeping well and that is the extent of her life right now. She is 2 weeks old today.

Well, only 5 hours after getting to the hospital to be induced, Kaylen Mai made her arrival. Was a very easy delivery. Of course, drugs played a big part in that and I would like to thank the inventor of the Epidural for that. We went home on Thursday and think she is perfect.

Finishing up some last minute preperations for her arrival. We think we are naming her Kaylen Mai. We are going to try it out for a couple days and see how we like it.

Well, had my last Dr. appointment today. I'm now 2cm and progressing nicely. She said I should walk this weekend to help things along. So, unless she decides to show up this weekend we are still on for Wednesday.

She still doesn't have a name. We are just taking our list to the hospital and we will see what fits her when she gets here. We've tried asking her what she likes but she doesn't seem to have a preference.

Well we are on for May 31 unless she comes by herself before that. I am 1cm dialated and 50% effaced. So only 2 weeks left. Everything was fine. Heartbeat was 146. She did the Group B strep test and we'll get the results at my appointment next week.

Another normal appointment. I got preregistered with the Hospital. She said baby is measuring right on schedule. Next week she'll check to see if I've started dialating and do a Group B strep test.

Another regular appointment. Next appointment starts my weekly appointments. We are getting close.

Another good check up. HB was 134. She was sleeping. We talked about delivery and I let her know that I was very OK with having lots of drugs. She said that was fine. I have 2 more 2-week appointments then I start going every week until the end. AHHH It is getting close.

Regular appointment. Heart rate was 138. She told me she would be gone the week before my due date so we might just schedule an induction the week of May 29-June 2 but we would know more during that last month. That was a little scary. Besides all that everything is moving along fine. She said everything looks very good.

I also passed my Glucose test. Yeah!

Had my 3 hour Glucose test. Not sure when I'll get the results. She usually will only call if it is bad so I'm hoping I don't get any calls in the next couple days. Feeling fine besides that. Starting to get a little wobbly and it is hard sometimes to move but that is to be expected. Gives Bryan something to laugh about.