Brandon

January 21st was the 2 year anniversary for my brother's lung transplant, "Uncle Brandon" as he's now known.  It is amazing how great he is doing, God gave him a second chance at life.  We celebrated with friends and family at Hooter's and Stoney's of all places.  We had fun though!

The Joys of Motherhood

Kendall is 8 1/2 months old, and her personality is shining.  Here's some thoughts on mommyhood:

Loves

-Getting hugs and kisses from my baby girl
-How Kendall's smile and laugh melt my heart
-Seeing her develop and make new strides-
  cruising around the furniture and using toys
  as walkers!
-Finally Kendall is napping without a fight (most days)

Things I do because I love her

-Wake up 2-3 times a night (or more) to feed her
-Wipe a runny nose with whatever is convenient
-Eat a dairy-free diet
-Act goofy just to make her smile

I absolutely love that I get to spend most days with Kendall.  She amazes me with all the things she learns everyday, just like every other mom!  I try to enjoy the age she is now and not look too far into the future, because I know she's going to grow up way too fast!

8 months and growing

Kendall had her 8 month pictures last week, and it hit me how fast she is growing.  Though, I do love seeing her reach her milestones and discover new things every day.  Last night she was taking steps just by holding onto the furniture with one hand.  She'll be cruising in no time!

Christmas

Christmas 2010 was a great time!  We started off this year by visiting with close friends on December 23rd.  Wish we could all get together more often; we shared old stories and had many laughs.  Christmas Eve was at Grandma and Grandpa Beal's with Brandon and Linda.  Kendall got spoiled with lots of presents, and she doesn't even know it. She did try to eat the wrapping paper as expected!  I think we all ate too much food; this year was non-traditional with lasagna, chocolate cake and pies.  We decided to go to Ritsy's Fantasy of Lights, and it turned out to be so pretty with all the snow.  On Christmas we traveled to Uncle David's house and spent the day with Darrel's family.  We played "dirty Santa" and ended the day with a Wii dance off.  Next year, we'll start the dancing a lot sooner; it was entertaining watching Darrel and David compete! Christmas night was at Linda's house with lots of food again.

Darrel and I were blessed with a beautiful baby girl this year, and we got to spend Christmas with those we love most.  I have a wonderful family, and I can't wait to see what 2011 brings!

Big girl

Kendall is 7 months old and has finally started army crawling.  She has been rolling around the floor for a few months now.  She loves for us to hold her hands and walk around the house.  Time to baby proof!  Kendall has gotten one tooth and it won't be long for the others.  Her new game is throwing everything off the changing table, but it's fun.  Her favorite toy right now is the Leapfrog Learn and Groove musical table.  It's the one toy that holds her attention, and she gets to stand to play with it!

I can't wait for Christmas.  I am so thankful to have my family healthy this year!  It will be fun to watch Kendall open presents since she loves paper, mostly eating it!

Dairy-free?

Being a mom is the most wonderful job in the world.  It does come with a few sacrifices though (besides sleep!).  Kendall is unable to tolerate dairy, therefore mommy doesn't get to eat it.  Nursing has been great, who knows how we could afford formula.  The greatest aspect is the bond between Kendall and I.  It doesn't hurt that I get to eat all that I want, probably more than I ate during pregnancy.  Getting back to the tough part, no dairy.  I have adapted to almond milk, I love the vanilla almond milk.  It makes cereal tastes that much better. My big sacrifice is no cheesecake or ice cream, my two favorites.  I have found some ice creams made from coconut milk and soy milk, not too bad.  I recently found recipes to make "cheesecake" from tofutti.  I found that if you add enough sugar, it is edible.  I have experimented with tofu, and I make my own hummus. Peanut butter is my staple food.  Living in a world with no dairy is challenging, constantly checking labels and asking the waiter if a dish has dairy in it.  It kind of takes the fun out of eating.  I feel for those who have a true milk allergy.

All I know is that being dairy-free makes a happy baby, so it is worth it.  But watch out because when I can, I will be on a cheesecake hunt.

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving in Cocoa Beach, Florida.  It was as good as it sounds-perfect weather (most days), the beach right outside our door, and family! Now we did stay in a small resort with very little extra room, but it kept us together the entire week.  Darrel, me, Kendall, Brandon, Grandma and Grandpa all drove together in our truck, what a crew!  Vacation was great.  Kendall got to go to the beach for the first time, and she loved watching the ocean waves.  We all relaxed at the beach every day, and even played a little volleyball.  Most of our food was store bought this year, but I was just happy I got to eat apple pie and ice cream (coconut milk ice cream). I made mashed potatoes with my almond milk. No turkey, it was a small kitchen. Kendall ate her first meat-turkey dinner with apples and carrots!

 Hopefully next year will bring just as many great memories!