My Best Ever Christmas Gift

In 2007, I received the best Christmas gift of my life.  I brought home a sweet, healthy little girl.  We had worried so much about how healthy she would be, how well she would come though her surgery, how quickly she would recover.  But she was a trooper, she fought hard for such a tiny being, and she came home just in time for Christmas.

Tonight I wrapped her presents for an early visit from Santa.  This is the first year that she has really been "a believer," that she has been excited to go to bed and wake up to gifts under the tree.  While I was wrapping and happily thinking about the happiness she would experience in the morning, I realized that I have documentation of my sweet little Christmas treasure gorwing up through the Christmases (thank you Jackson CDC).

So here is my little ode to my little Christmas bundle who has grown into such a wonderful young lady.  I love you, Kiki!

2008 (age 1)

2009 (age 2)

2010 (age 3)

2011 (age 4, taken on her birthday)

2012 (age 5)

Market Day

Today Kiki and I took a trip to one of the local Farmer's markets for a cider and donuts breakfast and a little shopping.  We got a bang for our buck and came home with lots of produce, a beautiful bouquet selected by my little helper and a bag of fresh popped kettle corn for Daddy (also selected by said helper).

During the summer, I had saved an article from the paper that had several corn recipes.  I got to work an made a few today.  The "Smokey Jalapeno Corn Dip" turned out great and was a great distraction as I watched the MSU/ND game.

I also made "Summer Corn Cakes with Tomato and Avocado Salsa" for dinner (see picture below).  The corn, jalapenos, cilantro and tomatoes for this recipe all came from the market.  The scallions, basil and eggs came from our own backyard.  It was pretty good, too!

Superbowl IV

It's Superbowl Sunday which means it is time to chronicle Kiki's growth in our annual "Kiki in Her Lions Jersey" picture. Sadly, I think this is the last year that it will fit. Looks like it will be a new jersey next year!!

Superbowl 2011


Superbowl 2010


Superbowl 2009


Superbowl 2008

My Feet Look So Purdy!!

With Monday being MLK Day, I had a free day off from work (WOO HOO!!) I took advantage of the occasion to tack on a few extra days of vacation.

Since my work holidays are also holidays for Kiki's daycare, the EL families (sans Ray) headed to visit the RO family (sans Gil) and take a trip to the museum. Super fun day, and I would prove it to you, if only I had notice the important end of the camera charger was not plugged into the wall!

In true Type A fashion (or AAA in my case), the Tuesday through Thursday of my mini vacay were carefully planned in Outlook. So much to get done and so little time!! There were many little projects around the house I have been meaning to tackle for awhile, but never quite could find time to dig my teeth into. So the last three days have been spent doing chores in the morning and fun stuff in the afternoon (and yes, some of those projects I classify as "fun stuff").

And I saved the best for last. I sit here now, 1 hour to go until I pick up Kiki from daycare and, for all practical purposes, bring my vacation to a close. But I also sit here basking in the afterglow of a little time at Panapolous. I have been holding on to a gift card that I received for Christmas last year (yes, I mean 2009) and I decided that it was time to cash that puppy in. And my feet are thanking me for it. I gave my piggies (or Larrys, as Kiki would call them) the VIP treatment, and they are SOOOOOO happy. And the best part? I have enough left on the card to give my fingers the same treatment in a few weeks. A belated thanks for the treat, Jay!!

P.S. Who wants to go with me for a Mani?!?!

I'm A Big Girl!!

The moment had come. We all knew it would at some point, but now the rubber really had to meet the road. After three years of life with Kiki's paci, it was time for that old friend to move along.

We had tried a few months ago to ease Kiki off Paci, but that resulted in long, confrontational evenings and little sleep for everyone involved. But we felt we had to take action, which was supported by comments from both her dentist and doctor.

So we thought to employ the tactic used by my cousin, and told Kiki that it was time for Paci to go, but that Tinkerbell was going to come and leave her a present when she takes Paci.

Now, given Kiki's reaction to the concept of Santa coming to leave presents, I should have known that this was not going to go over well. Kiki didn't seem to be phased by the fact that she would be without Paci, but was EMPHATIC that Tink not come to our house. Not in the house, not on the porch, not near the yard.

So I made special arrangements with our special fairy friend, and on Friday morning Kiki bid a slightly sad farwell to her oldest friend and put a specially marked package in the mail. And when we arrived home that evening, a special package from Tikerbell had arrived in the mail.

Here are a few shots of her playing with her new friend, Stinker, and his house.





And, much to our surprise, all is well. Kiki has stated several times "I'm a big girl. I don't need Paci anymore." I'm not sure if she is saying it to reassure herself or us. There have been a few tearful moments at bedtime, but nothing as bad as we had anticipated.

I love my girl. She is brave and sweet and she really IS a big girl.

I'm A Big Girl!!

The moment had come. We all knew it would at some point, but now the rubber really had to meet the road. After three years of life with Kiki's paci, it was time for that old friend to move along.

We had tried a few months ago to ease Kiki off Paci, but that resulted long, confrontational evenings and little sleep for everyone involved. But we had to take action, supported by comments from both her dentist and doctor.

So we thought to employ the tactic used by my cousin, and told Kiki that it was time for Paci to go, but that Tinkerbell was going to come and leave her a present when she takes Paci.

Now, given Kiki's reaction to the concept of Santa coming to leave presents, I should have known that this was not going to go down well. Kiki didn't seem to be phased by the fact that she would be without Paci, but was EMPHATIC that Tink not come to out house. Not in the house, not on the porch, not near the yard.

So I made special arrangements with our special fairy friend, and on Friday morning Kiki bid a slightly sad farwell to her oldest friend and put a specially marked package in the mail. Low and behold, when we arrive home that evening, a special package from Tikerbell had arrived in the mail.

Here are a few shots of her playing with her new friend, Stinker, and his house.





And, much to our surprise, all is well. Kiki has stated several times "I'm a big girl. I don't need Paci anymore." I'm not sure if she is saying it to reassure herself or us. There have been a few tearful moments at bedtime, but nothing as bad as we had anticipated.

I love my girl. She is brave and sweet and she really IS a big girl.

Kiki's Silent Symphony

Ray had a Stop Motion assignment for class, so he decided to photograph bubbles as Kiki blew them. He took many pictures and as I flipped through them, I was struck by Kiki's expression and posture. It almost looks like she is conducting a symphony of bubbles to music that only she can hear. Here are a few of my favorites.

I Think I'm Rubbing Off On Her

As Kiki's language begins to develop rapidly, I'm starting to see signs that she is really paying attention to the things she hears us say. Case in point, after I helped her get her Crocs on this afternoon, Kiki kissed me and said, "Thank you, dude."

I'M BACK!!! With a Kiki First

So I've been SUPER busy at work for the last 2 months or so. So very busy that I have barely had time to see my dear little family, let alone blog!! But I'm back for today, and with a glimpse into a first in Kiki's life. Today she had her first HAIRCUT!!

I know, I know, she's nearly two and a half and she's never had a haircut, but it just never seemed necessary before. But we were ALL getting tired of having to sit and do Kiki's hair every morning, and the back was starting to get tangled A LOT!!

I needed a cut today, so I took Kiki with me and she got her first snips. Here is a little teaser. Visit Ray's Flickr Page for the rest of the pics (and lots of other great pictures, too!)

Sad and Happy

Some sad news in our family. As of our last ultrasound, one of our twins, Baby A, no longer has a heartbeat. We are clearly quite sad about this, even though we only knew we were having twins for a few short weeks.

Now our focus goes to making sure that Baby B's stays put and stays healthy. This is a very uncommon stage of pregnancy for this type of death to occur, so we are still waiting to hear from the experts on what to expect for the future months.


But on to a happier topic...a funny story about my #1 girl, Kiki.

The other morning, we were driving to work/school. When we go to work, we take the expressway and, these days, it is still dark out.

As we drove, Kiki and I were chatting back and forth, but suddenly, she stopped responding to me.

"What can I do here," I thought. "I can't turn around a look to see that she is OK, because I'm driving, and it's dark anyway!!"

Then I remembered the rumble strip at the side of the road. I made a plan to drive ever so slightly off the road to hit the strip for a moment, and to see if she would react to the sound. I made my move and heard that horrible "Mrrrrrraaawww" sound the strip makes.

And from the back seat I heard, "That COW is LOUD!!" Guess she was fine, and just ignoring her dear old mom.

She's a Dancin', Dancin' Machine

Once again, Kiki has some new moves...

Superbowl III

It's time again for Kiki's annual Superbowl picture in the jersey Uncle Jeff gave her. Hey, Uncle Jeff, I think we might get one more year out of this thing! Hut! Hut!

Superbowl 2010


Superbowl 2009


Superbowl 2008

Tinker Bells...

Kiki has a new must-wear outfit for bed. It's all we can do to keep her Tinkerbell pajamas clean. Luckily, her love of her magenta cowboy boots, which must also be worn to bed, will often distract her and satisfy her enough for us to convince her to wear a different pair of PJs for the night.

So in love is she with her Tinkerbell pajamas, she can now be heard around the house singing an ode to her loved night clothes.

"Tinker bells
Tinker bells
Tinker bells all the wa-a-a-ay!"

Living on Strep Strip

We are a bunch of sickies. Or at least I was and now I'm here with two more. I got strep throat two weeks ago, so when Ray's throat started to hurt this week, he got checked out, too. The result was a big old POSITIVE!!! Since Kiki had woken up that morning we figured "better safe than sorry" and took her in for a test.

We were quite happy when her test came back 95% sure she was negative. Unfortunately, Ray got a call midway through the day today that the test had been sent for a more comprehensive analysis, and our little Kiks was also a strep throat victim.

Ray picked her up from school and they spent the rest of the day together. On the way home, they made a stop at Meijer for some meds and lunch, and passed the time while her prescription was prepared in the toy aisle. Here is a video of their midday antics.

A Day at the Museum

Last weekend, we went to the Henry Ford Museum to catch the last day of their LEGO exhibition. Kiki did very well and found the interactive museum to be quite interesting. Here are a few shots from our day.

The Human Hot Dog


A Ride Down the LEGO Castle Slide


Kiki Building Her Own Castle


Daddy and Kiki Pose with the Family at the Dymaxion House
(P.S. I want one)


Kiki Learns to Drive


Tinker-WHAT?!?


This is just a bonus picture of Kiki being her silly self this week. She has really been into taking her socks off and putting them on her hands shouting "MITTENS!!" So this was really no surprise.

Big Girl Changes

Kiki is currently undergoing lots of big girl changes, now that she's a year older.

1. She is transitioning from the Toddler classroom to the Young Preschool classroom. In this classroom, the kids are more or less independent in the classroom. They serve themselves food and drink at meals, they have access to the classroom sinks, and this is "the potty training room." She's had her ups and downs since she started visiting, but I can already see changes in her in just a few short days of exposure to her new environment.

2. She decided to start potty training. She had been showing little signs of being ready the past 2 or 3 weeks, trying to pull her diaper off, wanting to check out the toilet, diapering her stuffed animals. But a switch flipped yesterday. Sparing you the gruesome details, she made it known that now was the time and 5 minutes later, we 3 were high fiving and hugging with her first ever potty success.

3. Paci is going bye-bye. This one we are approaching a bit more slowly. Until a few days ago, I didn't know that her teachers had weened her from Paci at nap time. We want to continue that, and also get her away from it at bedtime. However, as you can see, she has a lot of changes going on right now. She has been sleeping quite restlessly lately, and we're not sure if the nightmares are back, or if she just has a lot going on in that little head of hers. In any case, Paci does have a calming affect when she is upset.

For those of you who requested MORE PICTURES (yes, I hear you loud and clear), here are a few from the day of Kiki's birthday party.

The only clear party picture taken during the party. Here she is enjoying a yummy Dora cupcake.


Post-party relaxation on the couch. She looks a LITTLE tired.


Before bed, sporting her new pjs from Grandpa and Grandma.

My Baby Super Model

While I admit I watched much America's Next Top Model while I was pregnant, I never expected Kiki to go "diva" so soon. As Tyra Banks would say,"she's fierce."

The Student Becomes The Teacher

Often on our way to and from work/school, Kiki and I take a route past many of the southern campus farms. In the past, I used these trips as an opportunity to show Kiki the many animals and to practice their sounds.

Tonight on the way home, I heard her talking in the back seat, saying "See, Pink Dog? Horse, neigh! See, Pink Dog? Cow, Moo" I glanced back and saw Kiki holding her pink dog up to the window so it could see the animals, too.

Good Housekeeping Tip #1

When a beam of sunlight comes though your window …and you see small bits of dust floating through the sunlight …and your daughter runs through the beam with glee screaming “Bubbles!!”…don’t feel bad.

Why Batteries Should Grow On Trees In My Backyard

Kiki took her second try at sleeping in her new bed last night. All was going well, until about 3am. She cried out and was a bit confused, so I went in to comfort her. I turned on her ladybug night light. It glowed soothingly. Kiki said "Monkey."

Let me explain. Kiki has a Fisher Price Rain Forest crib soother that makes rain forest noises and gently glows with a swinging monkey, hopping frog and bubbling fish. She first had one in the NICU, and it always did the trick in calming her, so she was graciously given one for Christmas when she was home just a few days.

So I turned on her sound maker. It turned off again after about 3 seconds. "Monkey?" I turned it back on, and it promptly turned off again.

"How could this be," I thought. I had changed the batteries only 2 days ago. Come to think of it, the crickets HAD sounded a bit weak and that rendition of Frere Jacques DID sound a tad sick when I tested it. And since I had changed the batteries so recently, I knew that there were no more C batteries in the house.

So I spent the next hour or so trying to coax Kiki to sleep without her "monkey." Eventually,after putting her back in her crib, she dozed off and stayed asleep the rest of the night.

So the top item on my "To Do" list? Check that we have replacement batteries for all "essential" child rearing devices.