Little Dora Fan...

Last Friday, Mackenzy and Mimi (my mom) ventured out to Walmart to buy more diapers because smart Mommy forgot to restock the diaper bag... Oops! Mackenzy has become very vocal if she sees something in the store she wants. She'll point at the item, tug at my shirt, and even try to grab it! If she gets her little hands on the item it becomes a battle to pry it out of her hands because she has a death grip, but luckily trading with her seems to be working...

Well on Friday, Mackenzy pulled her little stunt with Mimi and she won! Mimi gave in and bought her some very cute Dora pajamas which match the singing Dora doll she got for her birthday. She walked around with her new pj's all Friday afternoon and wouldn't put them down! Maybe she thought they would sing to her like the doll!

Anyways, here is a picture of her in he new pajamas! Taking a picture of her is becoming more difficult these days because she is rarely in the same spot for more that 10 seconds!

I finally got her to laugh at the camera and Nicolas jumps on the couch at the same time!

Finally a good picture of my big girl! Look at all those teeth!

And of course... what would a photo session be without the "Mommy I'm coming to take your camera" picture. She's such a silly girl!

Mackenzy's 1st Year!

I can't believe that 1 year ago our beautiful baby girl arrived! Ray and I have grown in to great parents if I must say so myself! Becoming a mom has changed me deeply. It has changed the way I view life, plan my day, and look at my family. The world is no longer centered around me and what I want, but around Mackenzy. I think it's amazing that impatient, only child, never been around babies Aftynne has become so unselfish and giving. Mackenzy's needs always rank above mine because she is my daughter.

Gone are the newborn days of just surviving and trying to make it to the next day or through the night. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful support system because without them [mom, mother in law, and husband] I don't think I would have made it those first couple of weeks! Now where ever we go, Mackenzy just comes along with us!

Carrying her for 10 months, watching my body grow to support her development, and nursing her for an entire year (yay!) was an amazing experience. As a family, I feel like we are easy going and just kind of go with the flow. Mackenzy has fallen right in to our pattern although some days she likes to take control!

So what has happened with Mackenzy over the past year?

Growth: She weighs a whopping 18lbs or so and is around 29 inches tall. She's still tiny but feisty! She has 6 teeth- 4 are all the way in and 2 are poking through.

Personality: stubborn. silly. talkative. shy. strong willed. easy going. intuitive. nosey. curious. busy all the time. strong. playful. caring. a thinker. active. random. determined. observant. loving.

Loves: cuddling. being independent. talking. smiling. attention. walking. hide and seek. peek-a-boo. waving hello and goodbye. playing with Nick. playing with her babies. being around kids of all ages. hugs. kisses. being tickled. climbing on Mama. jumping. reading (ie. looking at books). story time. looking out the window. riding in the car. her paci. laying on Nicholas. cheerios. Gerber cheese snacks. crackers. juice. mommy's milk. yogurt. clapping. mommy's singing. the following songs: "The Wheels on the Bus." "Old MacDonald." "BINGO." "Itsy Bitsy Spider." "Faithfully" by Journey.

Hates: getting her diaper changed. getting her hair washed. going to the doctors. shots. the nurse at the doctor's office because she gives her the shots. being away from mommy. when Daddy leaves to go to work. sitting still. being told "no." not being able to reach something.

Words and Communication: Mama, Mommy, Dada, Daddy, Mimi, Nana, Nick, Hey, Hey Nick, Bye Bye, doggie, dog, Baby, "Uh Oh!" and a other phrases that I'm not sure what they mean- like baba. She also forms "sentences" and uses different inflections. She has sleepy noises, excited squeals, silly giggles, and angry grunts. She will throw a fit it you tell her not to do or get something. She will look at you as she's doing something she knows she's not supposed to do-like take things out of the trash can. She points to objects with her fingers and eyes. Her eyes tell a lot about how she is feeling at the moment. She'll go limp if she doesn't want to do something. She'll cry if you leave her in a room, if she is sleepy and wants to be held, or just wants to be picked up. She follows me and Nicholas around the house. She whispers "Daddy" in the mornings when Ray is still sleep.

Mackenzy is beautiful, energetic, child and I'm proud to be her mother! Happy 1st Birthday!

Party Time!

Here are a few pictures from the birthday party! We had a fun filled day and I was happy that so many people came out to share Mackenzy's birthday with us! We stuffed our bellies with hot dogs, chili, and cold slaw [thanks Mom and Iris], baked beans [thanks Val], chicken wings [thanks Chinese restaurant down the street], soft drinks and chips [thanks Target], and cake [thanks Summerfield Food Lion]!!! Mackenzy was hugged and kissed by many, played in the dirt, and ate lots of food which resulted in a very tired baby that night who went to bed around 6:30pm!

Ray and his partner in crime...hiding from my camera... as usual!

Can you tell they [Mackenzy and Sanadia] are related? All of the little girls in Ray's family look alike and here's the proof! Mackenzy will look like this in 2-3 years!

Sanadia and her mommy on the slide

Of course you know her boyfriend had to make an appearance! Grey has to be the coolest baby ever! I want to be like him when I grow up!

Mackenzy pleading with her cousin, Sanadia, to take her out of the swing!

Mackenzy's new friend Naley!

If you look really closely it says "Happy Birthday Mackenzy" written by Julie and Brian!

Sarah and Riley on the slide! He's such a cutie!

"Someone please take me down the slide!"

Mommy and the birthday girl with Cousin Larry smiling in the background!

Her personal doggie cake!

Ray did a great job picking out the cakes! Thanks Food Lion! Ha ha!

So she stuck 2 fingers in the yummy cake that Ray picked out for her and was not happy to have the cake on her fingers! I was expecting her to dive in to the cake since it was her first real taste of sweetness and she did just the opposite! She tried to wipe it off! Oh well!

She's probably thinking, "Someone please get this white stuff off my hands... It's sticky!"

Looks like Nicolas has a new roommate...

Keeping up with her trend of crawling in and under... Mackenzy finally decided to crawl in to Nicholas's crate... I guess she likes his bed better than hers!

Grilling is Fun!

This Labor Day, Mackenzy and I were fortunate enough to have Ray home with us 2 days out of the 3 day weekend! (Thanks Dave!) Ray is never off on Labor Day or any other holiday for that matter because people have to eat... We had a great time together over the weekend and since the weather was nice Ray decided to grill out- which meant I didn't have to cook!

Mackenzy is walking up a storm now and just roams around the house randomly. She'll leave us and walk in to our room and come back with shoes, toothpaste, her toothbrush, diapers, etc. That's partially my fault because her stuff gets left out in the mornings and she always seems to remember where she left it! She loves looking out the window now and I think she gets that from her Mimi and I! It really confused her that Ray was outside and she wasn't able to get to him...

"Hey Mommy! How come Daddy is outside? How do I get to him? Ooh, a Cheerio!"

"Hey Daddy!" (as Ray dances outside the window)

"Daddy, what are you doing out there! I see you!"

Nicholas decided to join her in hopes of getting a hotdog... He likes to look out the window too.

And of course, what would the weekend be without doing laundry. Mackenzy has been crawling under everything and laughing hysterically. She discovered Ray's laundry basket was a fun tunnel and sat inside of it for about 20 minutes. She played, laughed, and attempted to reach her cheetos from inside the basket with no luck...

"Oh, cheetos! Yum"

Thinking: "I can see them but I can't reach them."

"Oh, I give up"

Look Who's Walking!

It took me a few days, but I finally caught Mackenzy walking around the house! She started walking on August 25th and is getting better every day!