Mom-Mom

For a while now Mallory had been 'talking'. She would babble things that sounded very close to 'hi' and 'mom' and we would all look at each other and think did she just say hi? or did she just say mom? I think it was just luck that those sounds went together more then she was actually actively saying them.
But this past Sunday there was no mistaking it.... she it talking! For days now I've been trying to figure out how to upload the audio I took of her talking from my phone... but to no avail. So you guys are going to have to try and say this like Mallory so that you can feel like you are hearing her talk. Yes you actually have to say it out loud to get the full effect. Mallory's voice it kind of husky.... think young/female Cookie Monster (that's right, my daughter sounds like Cookie Monster, and I think it's darn cute).
On Sunday Mallory was crawling around (when she crawls she looks like the offspring of a dinosaur and a military tank) and she started saying (ready... get your voice all geared up)... "mum, mum, mom, mom, momma, mom-mom, mom-mom". That's right her first word was mom! :) So cute! Not that she is really calling me mom... she seems to say it whenever she is excited! If she sees me its, 'mom-mom'. if she seems Matthew, its 'mom-mom'. As shes crawling to grab Sonny's tail, it's 'mom-mom'! Its very cute. Especially when I go and get her up from bed and she snuggles into my neck and says it! It's like someone poured warm honey over my heart.
Today she has started to mix it up though and along with 'mom-mom' she is saying BaaBaa.
Pretty sure that this little lady is going to be quite a talker (I probably wont think it's so cute when I cant get her to be quite)!

Daddy's Cradle

When Russell and Matthew were little babies Robert made them a cradle.... designed, stained, painted and built the entire thing. So Robert put it together so that we could take a picture of Mallory in her Daddy's cradle. Unfortunately she is such a little wiggle worm that there is no way she would stay in it for any longer then a moment without trying to crawl/climb or roll out. But we got a few pictures of her in it and that's what we were going for, so that's good.

The Great Excape!

So lately I have been finding (and plucking out) more and more grey hairs. I don't feel more stressed or anything, but I think that events like last nights are adding to the silver coloring.
After little Miss Mallory’s bath, Matthew and I took her into her bedroom to get dressed for bed. After she enjoyed a little 'free' time (nakedness) Matthew was going to get her into her P.J.s and I walked down to the kitchen to stir dinner... that's when I heard the baby start to cry and Matthew yell out "Jessica? Can you come help me.... PLEASE?!?!?" The please at the end of the sentence kind of made me think that it wasn't a big deal... like maybe he needed help putting on her diaper (since she is wiggles all over now), but then Mallory let out a high-pitched, blood curtailing cry. I raced down to her room to find Mallory, red-faced on all fours on her dressing table with one thigh caught in the gap that the top of the table and decorative bar create! Poor Matthew was trying to support her from sinking deeper into the gap, while simultaneously attempting to rip the thick wood rod out!
This is what makes Matthew and I such a great pair....In these situations I get uber calm and Matthew seems to turn into Superman, ready to tear things apart, or run and get anything I ask for!
I gently tried to tug her leg out... but her thick little ham-hock was not going to budge and her screaming just intensified! My next thought was lubrication! So I told him to get some soap. Matthew took off like lightning, but in mid-sprint I changed my mind and asked for the lotion (which was sitting next to us on the changing table). He grabbed the lotion, opened it and attempted to cover her leg in Bert-Bees baby lotion.... but none would come out! He shook it down. Still none would come out!!! So he took the bottle and flung it downward, spraying the mirror, crib, and carpet with a thick layer of lotion! He then poured it all over her leg while I attempted to rub it between the changing table and her thick thighs. Then with just a little tug, POP! Just like that she was free. Her leg was as red as her little face but she immediately snuggled into my neck and almost just as quickly stopped crying.
So that was our fun family adventure for the night. Thankfully it didn't have to come down to breaking the changing table apart... which I know Matthew would have and could have done in a second if I would have just asked. :)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Yesterday Daddy turned 61! We had a nice evening at my folks house with 'Beenas famous, really yummy meatballs' and rich chocolate cake. Mmmmmmmmm. I got my booty kicked at cribbage (but I 'let' dad win since it was his birthday)! :) Riiiiiight.
It's crazy to think that just last year we were in Hawaii for dads 60th. Yeah, I think that THAT was the way to spend a birthday!

Standing Tall

Ok, that's it! I'm about to resort to strapping this little lady down so that she stops all this growing up! This weekend as Matthew and I were cleaning, Mallory was playing in the living room and she decided that she should help us by clearing off the coffee table. She she grabbed the side of the table and pulled herself right on up! That's right our little lady is pulling herself up on her own!!!! What the heck! She can sit up on her own, feed herself, crawl AND stand! What's next? Driving? Collage? Marriage?
People told me 'it' goes fast and to cherish every moment because each stage goes sooooo quickly.... they weren't kidding! I mean wasn't it just last week that I was having to finger-feed her? Wasn't I just pregnant? I feel like I need to freeze time, so that I can truly soak in this stage before it too is gone.
Ok so I might be over reacting just a little.
But sometimes I look at her and she looks all grown up... I'm not ready for that yet. (I know, I know, I'll have to read this post in 16 years when she's driving me crazy and I'm ready to strangle her/kick her out) :)

Family of Floor

Yes, that's right, I said Floor, NOT Four (no, I'm not trying to give some hint about expanding our family). But seriously, this picture is a really common image in my house. Prior to meeting Matthew I had never know ANYONE who spend as much time on the floor as he. Seriously, this boy sits on the floor to watch TV, would lay on the floor to do homework, can sleep on the floor if all the beds are taken and prior to Mallory he and the animals would daily lay on the floor and snuggle. Now he's got Mallory thinking it's supper cool to just hang out on the floor (carpet, tile, wood... it makes no difference to them). It's pretty cute though. And the animals really seem to enjoy it too! :)

Growing Up

This weekend our little munchkin grew up (a little). She is now mobile. She's not fast at crawling yet, but she is moving! It's pretty cute to watch her eyeball something that she wants then get herself onto all fours and slowly rock herself back and forth until she gets up enough momentum/courage to move her hands forward and drag/scoot her legs forward. She's still in the process of working the physics of crawling out, but she's getting there!
Not only did she become mobile, but she also has become a self-feeder. She has these cute little veggie-puff things (about the size/shape of cheerios) that she loves to eat but could never figure out how to get them in her mouth, so I would do it for her. Sunday night I was sitting on the floor with her and a handful of the veggie-puffs having a great time watching her reach down and attempt to scoop one up to eat it (it reminded me of "the claw" at the arcades.... you know the one where you have a giant bucket-like claw and you’re trying to get a toy.... and it's like how could you miss? right? there are so many toys and the claw is so big! But still, somehow, just about every stinkin' time, you miss!!!) Any way. It was just like that. Poor girl was getting frustrated and all her momma was doing was laughing. Then, all of a sudden it was as if a light switch got flipped and she looked at her thumb and pointer finger, and started to pinch them open and closed. Open and closed. She then saw her veggie-puff target, reached down pinched it in her little fingers and brought it right to her mouth! WooHoo! She was soooo happy! (But then again the girl was eating, so of corse she was happy). She preformed that same trick a few more times and was getting really excited, when she realized that if one is good, a handful MUST be better! So she grabbed a bunch of them and attempted to shove them all in her mouth. That didn't work nearly as well as the finger grabbing trick. Because now she was left with a handful of wet, sticky puffs that she couldn't get off her hand and into her mouth. She started to scream at those darn puffs and shake her hand to get them off. That didn’t really seem to help either… so finally I gave in and lent a hand. I placed the sticky puffs on the floor in front of her and told her that she had to pick them up one at a time. She looked at me, cocked her head to the side as if listening, then just to spite me(I’m sure) and prove that she could do it however she wanted, she looked back at the puffs on the floor, opened her mouth and just leaned over, put her face to the floor and ate a big mouthful! I was dying! It was so funny! I guess there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and she just had to prove it! She’s my daughter, that’s for sure!

Double Diaper Duty

The past few mornings Mallory has woken up and has soaked through her diaper (which now weighed like 10 pounds), onsie, jammies, blankets, and crib sheet. At first I thought that maybe the current diaper was just too small for THAT volume of pee, so I went and got her the next size diaper so that she could wear that one at night... Nope, that didn't work either. She soaked right on through that one too. (at least we know her kidneys are working well). So now I have started to double up the diaper... one normal sized one followed by a larger on over it. So far it's worked 50% of the time... any other tricks of the night time pee trade?

Too Cute

My little love bug!




Who knew wrist rolls could ever look so good! :)

Don't Choke!!!!

Last night I had my first (of many to come I'm sure) mommy freak out moment! Mallory was sitting in her highchair enjoying a dissolvable baby teething cookie while Matthew and I were right next to her in the kitchen getting dinner ready. We were both happily prepping dinner, each of us glancing up at our little girl as she mutilated the poor cookie. Sonny was laying at the base of her chair waiting for any little crumb that she might drop. I had my back turned to her as I was making the pasta sauce when I heard this quiet choking sound. I quickly turned around and there was my little baby staring at me, wide eyed and blue lips!!!!! I was at her highchair in 3 steps. My first thought was get her out of there! so I pulled her up... forgetting that I had buckled her in for safe keeping... so needless to say that didn't do anything. By this time Matthew was right behind me, and Sonny was trying to move out of the way of falling highchair parts as I tor the tray off.
Now I know there is debate about the proper way to clear the airway... finger sweep vs Heimlich... but all I could think about was getting that cookie out of her throat. So I went with the finger sweep (since she was still sitting and locked into her highchair). My index finger swept from left to right and hooked the very mushy cookie. It came out intact!!! Mallory lips went back to rosie pink and she looked at me, grunted her thanks and opened her mouth for more cookie.
I stood there shaking my head at her. Man even in the face of death all she can think about is eating (what a Klein)! :)
Over diner Matthew had asked me what I was going to do if the finger sweep hadn't worked. So I told him that while I was doing Running over to her I was already thinking about my steps/choices... finger sweep then Heimlich then 911 then a tracheotomy.
Oy vey!

13.1

WooHoo! I did it again! Yesterday I finished another 1/2 Marathon! 13.1 miles baby! I really do enjoy running! This race was the San Francisco Kaiser half marathon, and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The sun was shining, no fog in sight. I had a pretty even keel pace for the first 9 miles, then booked it for the last 4. Durring the last 4 miles I would set little goals (just past that person in all black or just run faster then the person in the maroon hat...)! I had fun. Once again I really didn't train for it. Because prior to this week the weather has been cold, dark and rainy. I mean who can properly train in the winter anyway. Not me, that's for sure. But despite the lack for training I did beat my time from 3 months ago... I came in at 2 hours and 13 minuets and 27 seconds (4 minutes faster then last time)!!!! So I am happy about that. I placed a little over 1/2 way in my age group and in the top 1/3 of the race.
It was a very warm race (I don't think people were expecting it) and sadly tragedy did strike. Less then 2 minutes before I crossed the finish line a 36 year old man collapsed and died at the finish line! When I got there there were people preforming CPR. It is still unknown why he died. All I can think of though is this poor guys family! Just think, he probably kissed them goodbye, was feeling fine, just off to have a fun run in the city... and then never came home. Last night as I was drifting off to sleep all I could think of was that his family is going to bed for the first time without their husband/dad/son/lover/friend... so please pray of them.

My Ticket 'In'

I really don't have anything new and exciting to talk about... sorry. But I do have a story that I thought about the other day. One that I am mildly embarrassed to actually write about... but figure you all probably have a childhood story equally as strange. So, you all know that I am not a 'pretty-pretty-princess' type of gal, but have an imagination that goes on for days! Well, the other day I was looking at Mallory wondering what she will be like as she gets older. As she starts to play dress up and make-believe. What her fantasy life will be like.
Ok, back to my story (sorry I had to give you a round-about reason on why I was actually thinking about this)... As a kid (and as an adult) I didn't have a beautiful, magical singing voice, long flowing perfect hair, parents that were the king and queen, I didn't have magical powers, or have woodland-creatures that would do my bidding... I had to come up with some other reason for some one like me (a 'normal' kid) to get herself into the castle. (hey I didn't want to be there as a princess, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to be there). :)
ANY WAY...
But what I did (and still do) have was the ability to ALWAYS pick the perfect size Tupperware for left overs! I know! AMAZING! And in my (bizarre) mind that was a very unique gift! I mean think about it, it's almost like a super power! I never have to re-transfer leftovers after picking a size too big or to small, I don't have to wash an extra lid because I grabbed the wrong top.... and in my imaginary world a talent like this would be my ticket into the castle. So what if I never met the prince. I had my ticket 'in' and that was all I needed.
So there you have it... strange? Yes. Are you guys surprised by my oddly logical child-like way of thinking? Probably not. Are you all currently laughing at my and shacking your head? Without a doubt! :)

New Furniture

Ok, so we have had these "new" furniture items for a little while now... but I just haven't had time to talk about them yet.... so here we go.
About a month ago (actually when the Christmas tree was moved out and all the decorations were taken down) Matthew and I realized how much we really enjoyed not having a big oval table taking up our entire dining area.... so we started talking about getting a smaller, inexpensive table instead. We were first looking for a table with bar stool type chairs (because they are supper cool), but then after talking with a really nice sales lady, she brought up the very valid point that soon our little mover is going to be pulling herself up on everything, and the bar stools are considerably lighter because there is no back and she might pull them over on herself. Not to mention it's much more difficult/dangerous to teach her to sit in a chair with no back. So after shopping around for a few weeks we found one that we really liked, the perfect size, height and price! So we got it! There are 4 chairs, but we have been just using 2 around the table and 2 at the counter! Perfect!
While we were there we saw this coffee table and loved it (and the price) too! As much as I LOVE the coffee table we had (and still have it's just now in the garage), it took up SOOOOOOO much space (and it has rod-iron edges.... not easy to baby-proof). So we got it too. I love it! There are 2 cute little seats inside, ands it's been a great toy chest.... so perfect for those rushed moments when I want all the toys off the floor. It's all soft leather, so it's been perfect for all the times Mallory has already has banged her head/mouth/teeth on it! :)
So there you go...

Another Fun Wedding

Last weekend we had (another) wedding to go to! It was a traditional catholic wedding (lots of standing/sitting/standing/sitting). It was beautiful and very fun (especially since we don't get to see the bride and groom that often). Plus there were a few of the other guest that Matthew and I used to see more frequently... but now that we live in santa rosa/now that we/they all have babies we don't see each other nearly as much.

There was a 10 piece Mariachi band! 2 trumpets, 4 violins, 2 regular guitars, 1 tiny and 1 huge guitar. It was so cool! The funny thing was that Mallory loved them so much she feel asleep to them as they were playing about 10 feet from her... (I was worried that she would be able to sleep while they played so close), but oh no, she can sleep through noise. Its the quiet that we have to worry about... as soon as they stopped playing she work up. Go figure! Silly little girl.

Toms Birthday

I can't believe that my youngest brother has turned 22! It's amazing how time just flys. Thomas is one of the sweetest young men ever! He has the most tender heart. I love watching him with Mallory.... she is so in love with him, and he with her. She smiles and giggles at him and he gently pets her soft chunky cheeks. It's so cute. It has been such a treat to watch this boy turn into a man! He's responsible, going to school, dating a really great gal and is expanding his job by adding his own 'twist' to the canoeing experience.

So last night we all got together and ate one of Tommys favorite meals... pizza :) It was a fun night, pizza, lava cakes, gits and games.
I love you Tommy-Toons! Happy Birthday!

Vrrrrrrroooooooommmmmm

Just had my upper for the day... A See's candy and a diet Dr. Pepper! Go Baby Go!

And in this corner, weighing in at a whopping 18 pounds and 4 ounces, Mallory "The Tank" Klein! (And the crowd goes wild)!!!!!!!
Yeah our 'little' miss just had her 6 month baby doctor visit. Can you all believe that it's been 6 months already? I mean on one hand time seems like it has flown by, yet on the other it's virtually impossible to imagine life without her.
Mallory is in the 89th percentile (still) for weight, the 58% for height (standing all of 2 feet, 2 inches) and in the 32% for her peanut head (at 41.9 centimeters).
The Doctor was very impressed with how strong she is, as Mallory showed off her ability to sit up straight and pull herself up into a standing position. This little girl scoots herself around, but has not figured out how to 'officially' crawl like a 'normal' kid. She would much rather walk around like a big girl... gee I wonder where she gets that from? :)
Life with Mallory Rose is so much fun. Yesterday she laughed for the first time. Not just a cute little giggle but a full blown baby laugh. You know the one that makes you crack up too! And what was she laughing at (I'm sure you're asking).... I was doing push-up in front of her and she thought that was the silliest thing ever. I'm sure that it wasn't my form (on my knees, head down, back anything but straight.... that's how you all look when you do push-ups, right?) that was make her laugh! :) But that little stinker, the second that Matthew pulled the video camera out to record that joyous sound, she stopped! She looked straight at hims and said (with her overly expressive eyes) 'you want this? Yeah right! I am going to pretend to be supper interested in my blocks and pretend that mom doesn't look ridiculous right now as she does waaaaaaay tooooooo many push-ups trying to get me to laugh again.... I laugh on my own time, and it's not now.'
Guess who's arms hurt today?!

My Internal Emotional Dilemma (almost)

Uhhhg! So the other day at work I (almost) really big emotional dilemma... which got me thinking, 'What would I do?'
Ok, here is the back story. This couple brought in a very, very, very cute and totally sweet 13 week old puppy who fell off a 4-wheeler and fractured her femur. The couple were really very nice but didn't have much money (a really common theme in this economy). Due to the type and location of the fracture I would have to put a rod thought the femur and then place a K.E. until (the metal bars that stick out of the leg). I discounted it as much as I could because they had told me of their financial position, but when I gave them the cost they were still unsure if they could afford it. One of the first things that they said was "She's just a puppy and we haven't invested much time in her and that's a lot of money, we might have to just put her down."
I left the room, to give them a moment to talk about it, all the while trying to compose myself/figure out what I was going to do. I was in a rock and a hard place. This was my train of though... 'I have already made it cheaper then ANYWHERE else.... probably cheaper then I should, the leg is way to bad to heal on it's own, there's no way of splinting/casting it, she is so sweet I don't know if I could kill her, if I fix it for free I'll be known as a push-over.... I could have them surrender her to me, then I could fix her and find her a new home/keep her.... but then that doesn't seem fair to them... '
Thankfully they decided to let me fix her leg... the surgery when without a hitch. She went home yesterday and is doing great!
But it got me thinking, if they said 'put her down'... what would I have done?

Tahoe Trip

This weekend Matthew, Mallory and I headed up to Tahoe to spend a few days with my folks (who were staying in Tahoe for a week). We had such a nice time! The weather was beautiful! Snow all over the place, but the temperature was nice and warm (around 50 degrees) outside! We didn't go skiing or snowboarding, we just enjoyed ourselves while doing 'nothing'. Mallory got to play in the snow... but seemed to enjoy the fire-time a little more! :)

Mom and Dad watched Mallory on Friday, so that Matthew and I could spend a little time wondering the city on our own while drinking 'naughty girl scouts' (hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps) Mmmmmmmmm.


Then we all taught Mallory how to play pool... She was very good at it.
Saturday the four of us headed into Sparks for one of Matthews pre-season rugby games. I have to admit, that because I got to meet up with Janie (her baby-in-the-belly Owen), Janie's sister Susie and her son Eli.... I didn't really pay too much attention to the game (sorry Matthew). I did manage to snap a picture of him though (he's number 12).

It was SO wonderful to see Janie. I can't even say how much I miss not being able to see her whenever I want. The fact that each of us do a blog helps (thanks for getting me into it Baker)... but whenever I actually see her I feel like I am transported back to jr. high and get all giggly!!! It's strange to think that we are both grown-ups now. Wives. Mothers. Doctors. It really does feels like no time has passed. In less then 3 months Janie is going to be having her first baby boy (she has 2 really cute little girls). I am so excited for her and I can't wait to meet little Owen.
Susie and Eli were visiting Janie (and her family) too, so we got to finally meet Eli! He is such a cute little man. Mallory was really taken by him and was very jealous of all his hair! :) She just wanted to love and touch him, and the poor guy really would have rather her just go back to eating her banana! :) Thank you all for a wonderful weekend. Mom and dad, we had a blast!

All Clear

Good News.... the fecal has come back and it is all clear! No more feeling guilty that I brought something home from work! Mallory is doing MUCH better and is back to her more typical poos! (i know you all have been on the edge of you seats, just dieing to know). :)