Saturday, December 18, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Girls Gone Wild
Taelyn was in the mood to entertain the other day, and entertain she did! She started off by performing a little rhyme that she learned from Toddler Time in Colorado about bees. The rhyme was obviously not enough of a performance for her because she immediately started running around and acting silly. Eventually, she crashed in to the wall, fell on the floor, and then got back up and started running again. Later she added some words to the whole ordeal and started saying "dada," "mama," "T," "Kae-ya"; apparently she was listing off the people that were in the room with her. But after that she also started rambling "ucky bu" (yucky bug) for no reason. To top it all off, she then started throwing a ball at my head! Taelyn was a riot, and we were able to catch it all on video. Only the first few minutes are displayed here, but she actually continued on in this manner for another five minutes.
We also were finally able to record Taelyn singing the Winnie the Pooh song. For anyone that may not have heard the song lately, some of the lyrics are:
Taelyn picks out most of the main words from the song in this video!
We also were finally able to record Taelyn singing the Winnie the Pooh song. For anyone that may not have heard the song lately, some of the lyrics are:
A donkey name Eeyore is his friend
There's Kanga and little Roo
Rabbit and Piglet and there's Owl
But most of all Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh
Fuzzy little wuzzy all stuffed with fluff
He's Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh
Willy nilly silly old bear
There's Kanga and little Roo
Rabbit and Piglet and there's Owl
But most of all Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh
Fuzzy little wuzzy all stuffed with fluff
He's Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh
Willy nilly silly old bear
Taelyn picks out most of the main words from the song in this video!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Kaelia's 1st Feeding
Kaelia started solid foods today, and she did very well. She made a little face at first to try something new and completely different from what she is used to. She quickly started to get involved with the feeding process, though, by grabbing the spoon with a grip too strong to pry the spoon away. Then when I let go of the spoon altogether, she started feeding herself! It looks like meal times will not be too big of struggle to get Kaelia to eat. Here is the moment caught on video. (Try to ignore the background sound - Taelyn was watching Finding Nemo, and it's a little distracting!)
Kaelia - 6 Months
Kaelia has continued to grow this past month; she is now 16.3 lbs., 26 inches long, and has a head circumference of 16.3 inches. While she learned to roll from front to back at the start of the month, Kaelia's primary motor growth has been in sitting up. She has always loved this position and w
anted to be held and placed in her bumbo this way. Now that she can do the task on her own, she wants nothing to do with laying down any more. And Kaelia's favorite part about sitting up is that she can interact with her sister more - basically this means she can try to pull Taelyn's hair and take her toys away!
Not only are Kaelia's stomach muscles getting stronger, but her legs are stronger too. When she is not in a sitting position, Kaelia likes to be in a standing position with some help, of course. She is grasp on to our fingers to keep herself from falling over, and stand on her little legs with ease. We even got her to hold on the coffee table and stand on her own! It is truly amazing to see how strong her legs are.
Aside from Kaelia's physical development this month, her personality has continued to sparkle. She still loves to laugh and smile, and she will often blow bubbles or make raspberry sounds with her lips; Taelyn gets a big kick out of this, so Kaelia will perform these little tricks to entertain her sister.
anted to be held and placed in her bumbo this way. Now that she can do the task on her own, she wants nothing to do with laying down any more. And Kaelia's favorite part about sitting up is that she can interact with her sister more - basically this means she can try to pull Taelyn's hair and take her toys away!Not only are Kaelia's stomach muscles getting stronger, but her legs are stronger too. When she is not in a sitting position, Kaelia likes to be in a standing position with some help, of course. She is grasp on to our fingers to keep herself from falling over, and stand on her little legs with ease. We even got her to hold on the coffee table and stand on her own! It is truly amazing to see how strong her legs are.
Aside from Kaelia's physical development this month, her personality has continued to sparkle. She still loves to laugh and smile, and she will often blow bubbles or make raspberry sounds with her lips; Taelyn gets a big kick out of this, so Kaelia will perform these little tricks to entertain her sister.
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Saturday, December 11, 2010
Thanksgiving Weekend
We had a couple of days off of school for Thanksgiving, so we decided to take a little road trip down south to the ocean. Before leaving, though, the school had an International Day celebration where everyone came dressed to represent their own countries and marched in a parade in sections of the different countries. I brought the girls up to school that day, and we all marched together in our red, white, and blue. It was a very nice celebration.
The next day, headed south to a small diving town called Umkomaas. We stayed in a great little cottage with a swimming pool and a big back yard for Taelyn to run around. One day while Taelyn and I were hanging out outside, we noticed that there was a mango tree in the yard. So we went to investigate and see if there were any ripe mangoes to pick. As we got closer and closer to the tree, mangoes kept falling down, nearly missing our heads. We looked up and found several monkeys in the trees that were trying to hit us with the mangoes! Eventually the monkeys decided to leave us alone, and Taelyn loved to see them every day. We soon discovered that they were a family with two little babies that would hold on to an adult monkey's belly every time they moved about the trees.
Most of the time while in Umkomaas we just relaxed, but Justin and I also went scuba diving over a couple of days. Depending on what sources you read, Umkomaas is ranked in the top 5 or 10 diving spots in the world. My diving experience definitely lived up to these expectations. I saw many sharks and at one point was just a few feet above one. They were large and harmless. The diving instructor found a shark tooth during our dive that he gave to me under water. I also saw huge sea turtles and again, came very close to one, and I saw lots of interesting types of fish and coral. It was an amazing dive - the best I have ever had. Justin, however, did not have the same experience. He struggled with some ear issues, and his dive site was not as eventful as the one that I went to (we went separately from one another so one person was with the kids while the other person went diving). He had to end his diving short for the weekend and unfortunately did not get the same experience that I had.
We also took the girls to the ocean during our trip. It was our first time ever going to the Indian Ocean and Kaelia's first time at any ocean. We were not dressed to swim, but I dangled her legs in the waves; she seemed to really like it. Taelyn could not say the same thing, though. At first she liked the beach and the waves. But then when a wave came crashing in and knocked her down, she did not have a good experience any more.
The entire weekend was very relaxing and calm, and we were happy to see a new part of South Africa. It truly is a beautiful country.
The next day, headed south to a small diving town called Umkomaas. We stayed in a great little cottage with a swimming pool and a big back yard for Taelyn to run around. One day while Taelyn and I were hanging out outside, we noticed that there was a mango tree in the yard. So we went to investigate and see if there were any ripe mangoes to pick. As we got closer and closer to the tree, mangoes kept falling down, nearly missing our heads. We looked up and found several monkeys in the trees that were trying to hit us with the mangoes! Eventually the monkeys decided to leave us alone, and Taelyn loved to see them every day. We soon discovered that they were a family with two little babies that would hold on to an adult monkey's belly every time they moved about the trees.
Most of the time while in Umkomaas we just relaxed, but Justin and I also went scuba diving over a couple of days. Depending on what sources you read, Umkomaas is ranked in the top 5 or 10 diving spots in the world. My diving experience definitely lived up to these expectations. I saw many sharks and at one point was just a few feet above one. They were large and harmless. The diving instructor found a shark tooth during our dive that he gave to me under water. I also saw huge sea turtles and again, came very close to one, and I saw lots of interesting types of fish and coral. It was an amazing dive - the best I have ever had. Justin, however, did not have the same experience. He struggled with some ear issues, and his dive site was not as eventful as the one that I went to (we went separately from one another so one person was with the kids while the other person went diving). He had to end his diving short for the weekend and unfortunately did not get the same experience that I had.
We also took the girls to the ocean during our trip. It was our first time ever going to the Indian Ocean and Kaelia's first time at any ocean. We were not dressed to swim, but I dangled her legs in the waves; she seemed to really like it. Taelyn could not say the same thing, though. At first she liked the beach and the waves. But then when a wave came crashing in and knocked her down, she did not have a good experience any more.
The entire weekend was very relaxing and calm, and we were happy to see a new part of South Africa. It truly is a beautiful country.
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Monday, November 15, 2010
Kaelia's 1st Swim
We took Kaelia swimming for the first time today. Taelyn loves to swim in our little poo
l across the street, and Kaelia loves to participate in anything that Taelyn does. So we got the girls dressed in their little bathing suits and decided to go for a swim since it was a pretty hot day.
Kaelia loved the water! I started her off by sitting her on my lap and dangling her feet in the water. She kept inching forward and trying to lunge right off my lap, so I put her entire body in the cold water (pools are not heated h
ere), and she loved it. I think she especially liked "standing" next to Taelyn while I held her so she could feel like she was just like her big sister. Taelyn loved having Kaelia in the water too. She came over to pat Kaelia's belly from time to time and tried to impress Kaelia by showing her all her "big kid" swim moves. This entailed jumping up in down in the water and splashing. Taelyn even got a little carried away and went under water a couple of times. She is really good at holding her breath when this happens and then thinks it is funny to blow the water out of her mouth and off her face.
l across the street, and Kaelia loves to participate in anything that Taelyn does. So we got the girls dressed in their little bathing suits and decided to go for a swim since it was a pretty hot day.Kaelia loved the water! I started her off by sitting her on my lap and dangling her feet in the water. She kept inching forward and trying to lunge right off my lap, so I put her entire body in the cold water (pools are not heated h
ere), and she loved it. I think she especially liked "standing" next to Taelyn while I held her so she could feel like she was just like her big sister. Taelyn loved having Kaelia in the water too. She came over to pat Kaelia's belly from time to time and tried to impress Kaelia by showing her all her "big kid" swim moves. This entailed jumping up in down in the water and splashing. Taelyn even got a little carried away and went under water a couple of times. She is really good at holding her breath when this happens and then thinks it is funny to blow the water out of her mouth and off her face.Taelyn - 18-21 Months
Taelyn has been growing as usual over the last three months, both physically and intellectually. She is now 25.6 lbs., and 32 inches tall. She has continued to slim down in baby fat while growing in length.
Taelyn's interest in the alphabet has certainly not decreased. She now knows all of the letters while only a few of them are still difficult for her to say (S, V, and W). Whenever capital letters are visible (on TV, road signs, books, building signs, etc.), Taelyn will shout out some
of the letters with enthusiasm. She also understands that letters come together to make words and has been working on writing her letters. This actually means that she scribbles some lines on her paper and says "T" to show that she just drew a "T." It's pretty cute!
Two and three word sentences are now a regular part of Taelyn's vocabulary while she will attempt to also say more than three words if she is repeating a phrase that we say. And Taelyn likes to sing songs as well. Her favorites are the Winnie the Pooh song and the Elmo song. For the Winnie the Pooh song, she will sing "ah na ah na Pooh, ah na ah na, stu uh uh" which translates to "Winnie the Pooh all stuffed with fluff."
Taelyn has recently started saying the word "no" as well. As of right now, she says it to be cute or funny - not to be difficult. Sometimes when I ask her if she wants to get her diaper changed, she will smile at me, blush, and say "Oh" (that's her way of saying "no") so that she can get a response out of me. I of course act like I am shocked that she said "no" and she thinks that she did something really funny.
Aside from the verbal growth, Taelyn has also become very affectionate over the last few months. She loves to gives hugs and kisses and tell us that she loves us. Whenever she talks about love, she gives herself a hug and says "oh oo, mama" or "oh oo, dada" for "love you mama, love you dada." And she loves to give Kaelia hugs and kisses too. This also extends to her favorite toys (Elmo, dog, any Pooh character, pig) and the pictures inside of her books.
Taelyn is going through a very exciting time in life as she learns to communicate and do things on her own, and we are enjoying every minute of it! Here is a little slideshow to capture some of her best moments these last three months.
Taelyn's interest in the alphabet has certainly not decreased. She now knows all of the letters while only a few of them are still difficult for her to say (S, V, and W). Whenever capital letters are visible (on TV, road signs, books, building signs, etc.), Taelyn will shout out some
of the letters with enthusiasm. She also understands that letters come together to make words and has been working on writing her letters. This actually means that she scribbles some lines on her paper and says "T" to show that she just drew a "T." It's pretty cute!Two and three word sentences are now a regular part of Taelyn's vocabulary while she will attempt to also say more than three words if she is repeating a phrase that we say. And Taelyn likes to sing songs as well. Her favorites are the Winnie the Pooh song and the Elmo song. For the Winnie the Pooh song, she will sing "ah na ah na Pooh, ah na ah na, stu uh uh" which translates to "Winnie the Pooh all stuffed with fluff."
Taelyn has recently started saying the word "no" as well. As of right now, she says it to be cute or funny - not to be difficult. Sometimes when I ask her if she wants to get her diaper changed, she will smile at me, blush, and say "Oh" (that's her way of saying "no") so that she can get a response out of me. I of course act like I am shocked that she said "no" and she thinks that she did something really funny.
Aside from the verbal growth, Taelyn has also become very affectionate over the last few months. She loves to gives hugs and kisses and tell us that she loves us. Whenever she talks about love, she gives herself a hug and says "oh oo, mama" or "oh oo, dada" for "love you mama, love you dada." And she loves to give Kaelia hugs and kisses too. This also extends to her favorite toys (Elmo, dog, any Pooh character, pig) and the pictures inside of her books.
Taelyn is going through a very exciting time in life as she learns to communicate and do things on her own, and we are enjoying every minute of it! Here is a little slideshow to capture some of her best moments these last three months.
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Friday, November 12, 2010
Kaelia - 5 Months
This past month has gone by fast, and I can't believe Kaelia is already 5 months. She has grown significantly this month, now weighing 15.7 lbs with a length of 25.8 inches and a head circumference of 15.8 inches. She barely gained any weight last month, but she certainly made up for this month by packing on two extra pounds - and it shows!Kaelia started off the month with a big fascination with her toes. She loves to grab them and study them - especially when she is wearing pajamas with objects on the feet. She has one pair with bees on the feet that she (and her sister) love to play with. About half way through this month, Kaelia also rolled over for the first time. We were playing Nintendo Wii while we were on vacation in Hermanus. Kaelia was on her stomach just under the TV, and I think she wanted to see what all of the commotion was about. (She doesn't usually fuss much, but always want to be included in what we are doing.) As Kaelia turned her head to get a better view of our crazy Wii antics, she gradually kept moving and moving until she made a complete roll on to her back. Since then, she has rolled over a few more times, but n
ot consistently yet. Kaelia found her voice this month too. She likes to scream from the top of her little lungs just because she can. Whenever she does this, she is in a great mood and smiles along as she screams.Kaelia continues to admire her sister every day. She often will reach out and try to touch Taelyn's arm or pull her hair. During bath time, Kaelia loves to kick her sister over and over again, and Taelyn doesn't mind at all; we are rather surprised too because Kaelia has a pretty powerful kick!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Trick or Treat!
We just went on our first trick-or-treating experience as a family tonight, and we had such a good time. Kaelia was an M&M which was quite fitting for her because she often makes the same expression on her face that the M&M guy makes on her onesie. Taelyn was Winnie the Pooh because he is one of her favorite characters these days. When we went to the costume shop to pick out an outfit, she saw the Pooh costume and immediately started saying him name over and over. Then when she tried it on, she didn't want to take off; she walked all around the store staying "Pooh" in her costume. Everyone else in the store certainly seemed to be entertained.
During our trick-or-treating extravaganza, Taelyn did a very good job of saying "trick or treat" before getting her candy (it actually sounded more like "ticky tee") and "thank you" afterward ("tay tee"). And the fact that she got candy every time she said "trick or treat" motivated her even more! When we were done, she wouldn't give up her candy bucket.
Kaelia also did very well as her sister went from house to house. She sat in the stroller, smiling as people admired her while passing by.
It was also fun to see how festive the houses were that participated in the trick-or-treating. They went all-out in decorations and setting the mood of Halloween. While one house had a smoke and bubble maker, others even had haunted rooms or pathways that we had to follow to get to the candy. We all had a wonderful time!
During our trick-or-treating extravaganza, Taelyn did a very good job of saying "trick or treat" before getting her candy (it actually sounded more like "ticky tee") and "thank you" afterward ("tay tee"). And the fact that she got candy every time she said "trick or treat" motivated her even more! When we were done, she wouldn't give up her candy bucket.
Kaelia also did very well as her sister went from house to house. She sat in the stroller, smiling as people admired her while passing by.
It was also fun to see how festive the houses were that participated in the trick-or-treating. They went all-out in decorations and setting the mood of Halloween. While one house had a smoke and bubble maker, others even had haunted rooms or pathways that we had to follow to get to the candy. We all had a wonderful time!
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Monday, October 25, 2010
October Break in Hermanus
Last week was our October holiday where we spent a week in Hermanus, South Africa. It is a quaint town about 1.5 hours south of Capetown. Directly up against the ocean, we stayed in a beautiful 10-person house with a small group of people from our school where we spent most mornings watching wales out at sea. Hermanus is the #1 spot in the world to go wale watching.
Justin also took a trip to go shark cage diving. He was placed in a cage off the side of a boat as lots of chum was thrown in to the water to bait the great white sharks. Then when a shark came by, Justin ducked in to the water in snorkeling gear to see the shark come inches from his body. It was quite the thrill-seeking experience.
We spent a day in Capetown as well where the main focus was climbing Table Mountain. This is a decent hike that normally takes the average person about 2.5 to get to the top. Justin decided to run the trail while I took the girls up the cable car; to both of our surprise, Justin actually beat us to the top by running the trail in 30 minutes! Once we met up, he took the girls for a walk at the top of the mountain while I went for a run amongst the trails there. We witnessed some amazing views, although the fog came in quickly and ruined the visibility.
Another highlight of our trip was visiting local wineries in Hermanus. The town is very well-known for its vineyards and wine. We spent multiple afternoons going from winery to winery, trying some samples and having some lunch. The landscape was impressively beautiful as well.
Justin also took a trip to go shark cage diving. He was placed in a cage off the side of a boat as lots of chum was thrown in to the water to bait the great white sharks. Then when a shark came by, Justin ducked in to the water in snorkeling gear to see the shark come inches from his body. It was quite the thrill-seeking experience.
We spent a day in Capetown as well where the main focus was climbing Table Mountain. This is a decent hike that normally takes the average person about 2.5 to get to the top. Justin decided to run the trail while I took the girls up the cable car; to both of our surprise, Justin actually beat us to the top by running the trail in 30 minutes! Once we met up, he took the girls for a walk at the top of the mountain while I went for a run amongst the trails there. We witnessed some amazing views, although the fog came in quickly and ruined the visibility.
Another highlight of our trip was visiting local wineries in Hermanus. The town is very well-known for its vineyards and wine. We spent multiple afternoons going from winery to winery, trying some samples and having some lunch. The landscape was impressively beautiful as well.
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Kaelia - 4 Months
Kaelia had her 4 Month doctor's appointment today. She has not gained much weight since last month (13.8 lbs. now), but she has jumped in length (24.8 inches) and head circumf
erence (15.7 inches). Another physical feature that has emerged this month is with her hair. It is getting longer every week with a couple of curly strands.
Kaelia has been quite fascinated with her hands this month. She loves to stare at them, suck them, and manipulate random objects with them. Sometimes this even includes her sister's hair. Kaelia also had her first laugh. While sitting in her bouncer, I started singing "Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar," and when I shouted out "Kaelia," she opened up a huge grin and let out a few giggles. The more I sang the song, the more she laughed! Several days later, I was able to record her cute little chuckles.
erence (15.7 inches). Another physical feature that has emerged this month is with her hair. It is getting longer every week with a couple of curly strands.Kaelia has been quite fascinated with her hands this month. She loves to stare at them, suck them, and manipulate random objects with them. Sometimes this even includes her sister's hair. Kaelia also had her first laugh. While sitting in her bouncer, I started singing "Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar," and when I shouted out "Kaelia," she opened up a huge grin and let out a few giggles. The more I sang the song, the more she laughed! Several days later, I was able to record her cute little chuckles.
Friday, October 8, 2010
ABC's & 123's
Taelyn has been learning the alphabet and to count this past month. With her counting, she is simply reciting numbers up to five, but it is certainly a start. If we start off by saying "1," then she will respond "2." Sometimes it takes a little prodding on our part, but she will count up to five.
Taelyn understands alphabet recognition even better. She likes to spot letters on various items like her blocks, games that we have in the house, and on her alphabet puzzle. She seems to have mastered B, C, D, E, O, T, X, Y, and Z so far and continues to learn more and more letters every week. And thanks to her puzzle, she has even begun to pair letters with objects. This morning, she just said "D duck" and "O octopus" (octopus is a tough word for her, though, so it didn't exactly sound like it should - but we know what she's trying to say).
I know all parents think that their child is a genius, but we really do feel like Taelyn is taking on her numbers and alphabet earlier than most toddlers. And the fact that she loves learning with her puzzle and will initiate the learning is exciting. Who knows? Perhaps she will know the entire alphabet by the time she is two!
Taelyn understands alphabet recognition even better. She likes to spot letters on various items like her blocks, games that we have in the house, and on her alphabet puzzle. She seems to have mastered B, C, D, E, O, T, X, Y, and Z so far and continues to learn more and more letters every week. And thanks to her puzzle, she has even begun to pair letters with objects. This morning, she just said "D duck" and "O octopus" (octopus is a tough word for her, though, so it didn't exactly sound like it should - but we know what she's trying to say).
I know all parents think that their child is a genius, but we really do feel like Taelyn is taking on her numbers and alphabet earlier than most toddlers. And the fact that she loves learning with her puzzle and will initiate the learning is exciting. Who knows? Perhaps she will know the entire alphabet by the time she is two!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Kaelia - 3 Months
The best way to describe our little Kaelia this past month is with one work: smiles! She smiles all the time: when she wakes up, when she sees Mommy, Daddy, or Taelyn, when she eats, when she plays on her playmat. It is a joy to see her happy side all the time.Kaelia is now 13.4 lbs., 24 inches long, and has a head circumference of 15 inches. She reached a couple of "firsts" this past month. She grabbed her first object - a little toy bug that hangs from the handle of her carseat. She had her first bathtime with her sister, and the two girls cont
inue to take a bath together every night. Kaelia also seems to gravitate toward a "lovey" - a Winnie the Pooh blankie that her Grandma Walker gave her. And Kaelia started reading books. She seems quite intrigued with the bright colors and faces.Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Taelyn - 15-18 Months
Taelyn’s past three months have been all about talking, talking, talking. She started speaking again at the start of 15 months and continued non-stop from there. Some of her favorite words include apple (with a heavy emphasis on the “a”), uh-oh, ball, and Abby (from Sesame Street). We have counted well over 20 words, not including animal sounds that she makes when we say the name of an animal (she particularly likes to say” baa” for sheep and “reow, reow” for cat, and our favorite is her “roar” for lion that she just started saying after we visited the Lion Park this past weekend). Just recently, Taelyn also used two words together: “wa ba” for water bottle, and she said “Hi Da” when she saw her daddy enter in to the car.
Activities that Taelyn loves to partake in are playing with a ball, going to a playground, playing with older toddlers, dancing, reading her books, and watching Sesame Street and Veggie Tales. Some of her favorite books are Ten Apples Up on Top and Spot Goes to the Park. And when we start up Veggie Tales, she gets very excited and starts to dance, sing, and yell with enthusiasm. After she has finished watching Sesame Street, she also gets a little hyper as she watches the different characters do their own segments of dancing. She has her own way of announcing which character will come on to dance next. For Big Bird, she yells “Ba bir,” and “Eeee” for Burt and Ernie. She makes a very raspy “uh” sound over and over for Cookie Monster because that is how his laugh sounds. She yells out “Abby” with a very high pitch when Abby comes on, and for Elmo, she either says “aye, yi, yi, yi” which is her way of singing the Elmo’s World song or she just screams at the top of her lungs because she is so excited to see him.
Taelyn also started to tickle this past month. She loves to dig her little fingers under someone’s chin and say “ticka ticka ticka ticka.” She is actually quite good at, and it does really tickle. Our favorite is when she does this to Kaelia. It’s pretty cute.
At her 18 month doctor’s appointment, Taelyn weighed 22.7 lbs. She has grown taller since then (about 32 inches), but her weight is actually less than her 15 month check-up as she loses more and more baby fat. And now Taelyn is officially finished with her baby wellness check-ups.
Our internet is pretty shady here, so I am not sure if Taelyn's Smilebox will appear below. If you do not see it, there should at least be a small white rectangular box to click on. Please send me an email if you have any problems viewing it. Enjoy!
The Lion Park
We had our first safari experience this past weekend as we ventured over to the Lion Park, only 5 miles away from our house. It was an amazing adventure. First, we drove throughout the fields and found zebras, springbok, blesbok, gemsbok, jackals, and wildebeest. Then we drove past the hyena and cheetah pens on our way to the lion prides. There were four separate sections of lion pens that we assumed we would just dri
ve by and see the lions from beyond a fence. But when the guards started to open the fence door and motion up through, we soon learned that we were going to have a close encounter with the lions. Quickly, we rolled our windows back up as two very large white lions strolled on by. In the second pen, about five or six lions were congregated at the door of the fence, waiting for our arrival. As we d
rove in, they completely surrounded our car, brushing along the side as they walked in circles around us. It was amazing.
After driving through the park, we then headed over to the walking section where we saw more jackals alon
g with ostrich and made our way over to the giraffe feeding area. Taelyn was instantly intrigued by the animals. So we bought a bag of food and let her attempt to feed them. She grabbed the food and stuck her hand out, expecting the experience to be similar to feeding a dog. But then the giraffe’s tongue came down, suctioned to her hand, and then slid off, leaving plenty of saliva behind. She thought this was hilarious and yelped out with e
xcitement. After a few tries, she started to anticipate the tongue coming down and sticking to her, so she would through the food toward the giraffe at the last second to try to escape him. She absolutely loved it!
To end the trip, we headed over to the lion cub pen, where we took Taelyn in to 
pet the lion cubs. At this point, she was a bit tired out from all the excitement over at the giraffe area and wasn’t as interested in the cubs. But Justin and I came in to pet them as well, and we thought they were pretty neat.
Overall, we had a wonderful time on our first safari and are eager to go on larger and longer trips in the near future.
Kaelia - 2 Months
This past month has been quite eventful for Kaelia as we moved from Colorado to Michigan and then on to South Africa. Kaelia had her first plane rides: Denver to Detroit, Flint to Chicago, Chicago to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), and Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg. She did very well on all of the plane rides, sleeping most of the time.
Kaelia has also been much more alert and awake this month. She likes to be around her family and just watch us interact with her and with each other. She had her first smile this month as I talked to her and asked her to give a big smile for mommy. It is a beautiful, big grin! And she started making cooing sounds this past which she usually does along with a smile. Kaelia also has some stare downs with her sister; they are both quite curious about each other. Kaelia is nursing every 3-4 hours now with one longer stretch at night. She will sleep about 7 hours at night before her first feeding (sometimes more, sometimes less), and then sleeps another 3 hours before she is hungry again and awake for the morning.
I just took Kaelia to her first doctor’s appointment in South Africa for her 2 month checkup. She now weighs 11.7 lbs, is 22.8 inches long, and has a head circumference of 15 inches.
