"RALPHEEEEYY!"

This is the snow suit that my mom gave to Bailey for Christmas. It is a nice one. There are feet, gloves, and a hood included. It keeps her nice and toasty on these cold winter days when we go for walks. It is a bit big now, but she will grow into it. I laugh at her when we put her in it because it reminds me of the movie "A Christmas Story" when the little brother is in that snow suit with his arms sticking straight out running down the street yelling "RALPEEEEY!"

tj

Sticky Buns

Susie made sticky buns again this year.  Bailey and I helped a little.  We stirred the glaze while Susie baked the buns.  Bailey was funny.  She was licking her lips and drooling the whole time we were in the kitchen.  It sure smelled good.  She didn't get any this year, but she will next year for sure!  

Santa Visited Bailey

Here is a picture of our little corner of Christmas. We have a small fiber-optic tree loaded with ornaments. Most of the gifts here are for Bailey. Santa was very good to her this year. She has been a good girl though, so she deserves it.

tj

Christmas Family Picture

At the end of our Christmas day, the Kemp Family got all dressed up and attempted a family picture.  Bailey looked so cute in her little red velvet dress and white tights.  I set the camera up on the tripod and started the 10 second timer and hoped for the best.  Bailey was pretty wiggly though.  We took about 50 pictures and came out with a few good ones.  She was not really in the mood for family picture time though.  Maybe she is like her mom and doesn't like dresses and panty-hoes!  I  would be surprised!  It was still fun to get all dressed up.  

tj

Merry Christmas Bailey

Bailey would like to say thank you to everyone who made her Christmas so wonderful.  She had so much fun opening all of the gifts from her Grandma and Grandpa, Nana and Papa, Aunts and Uncles, and Cousins.  Her first Christmas was very fun and we will never forget it. 

tj

Bouncy Chair

Grandma Kemp sent out an early Christmas gift this year. It is a bouncy chair for Bailey. She got to test it out tonight. She really liked it! She twists around and bounces and moves all over the place in it. When she is facing away from us, we say, "Bailey, look over here!" And she whips around like a bouncy chair expert. It is funny. She looks so big when she is upright like this.

Bailey's First Christmas Tree

Our little fiber-optic Christmas tree is looking pretty good this year.  I don't think that we could fit another ornament onto it's branches.  We have all of my ornaments from when I was growing up, as well as a few from Susie's childhood, and a couple of new ones from Bailey's Aunt Julie, and my mom.  There are also a few presents under the tree now, mostly from Nana and Papa, as well as from Grandma and Grandpa Kemp.  Most of the gifts are for Bailey, as it should be.  Bailey loves the tree.  She stares at it when the lights are blinking, and tries to reach for the presents.  It will be fun to see if she can open them in a couple of weeks.  

Baby Bronco

Bailey's got her own jersey!!! Well, not really. Champ Bailey is a cornerback for the Denver Broncos, and you can get "his" jersey at the Denver Bronco Pro Shop. I ordered the 18 month size, so she'll fill it out much better next year. I just had to get a picture of the two of us this year though. Dad took the picture right before a feeding, so she wouldn't yak on it. As you can see from the picture and the previous post, Bailey is able to sit up unassisted for a minute or so--she learned that this week. Anyway, some fun pictures. GO BRONCOS!!!

"Vacation"

I am at the end of my one week of "vacation" from the hospital. It has been a busy week. I fixed some leaky copper pipes, took a course in the Taylor Spatial Frame in Atlanta, Georgia, coordinated a painter to come and paint our stairwell and bathroom, and set up a carpet layer to replace the carpet on our stairs later this month. And that wasn't even the most tiring part. I took care of Bailey for 4 days as well, while Susie worked. Let me tell ya....that was a lot of work! I've gotta hand it to all of you stay-at-home moms. It is way more work to take care of a baby than to go to an office all day. I would almost say that it is more tiring than going to the hospital and working for 80 to 90 hours per week. Both are exhausting. But Bailey sure did give me a run for my money. She is an amazing little girl. So happy and fun. If her tummy didn't hurt so much and if she didn't spit up, taking care of her would be a breeze! Her little tummy tortures her though. It will be nice when she "grows out of" this phase in her life.

The fun parts were many though. She learned to sit up on her own this week, she learned to "fly"...meaning that she lets me throw here up in the air without crying. In fact she loves it and laughs. She ate squash for the first time and loved it. She gazed at the Christmas tree lights for about 3 minutes straight...that made me giggle. She is really fun to be around despite her challenges. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

Play Date

Today we went over to the Parker's for a play date. Bailey met up with her old friend Charolette, but she also met a new friend named Lila. The adults were Susie, TJ, Heather, and Tara. We ate pizza while the kids "played." There isn't much interaction yet, especially on the part of Bailey, but at least they grin at each other. It was fun to watch. They are all cute babies.

Bailey is 5 months old. Charolette and Lila are 8 months old. They are sitting up now and saying "mama" and "dada." Watching these babies is like looking ahead 3 months into the future to see what Bailey will be doing. We have a lot to look forward to.

tj

Bailey's First Snow!

Today, Bailey woke up to an inch of the white stuff! It is her first snow! Susie and I are excited for her because we both enjoy winter sports so much and can't wait to get back to the mountains where we can teach Bailey to ski. As usual, she was very curious and kind of surprised when she touched it and it was cold. It didn't stop her though. I would take her hand and warm it up with my mouth. She seemed to like that too. Then she would lean over for another go at it. She is very inquisitive.

tj

Home with Daddy

Today is the first day of my week of vacation. Susie worked today, so I got to spend the day alone with Bailey. She has been very good all day. We have been playing with toys, reading books, eating oatmeal and carrots, taking a nap together, watching elmo, and we went for a walk in the park. It is only 34 degrees outside, but I bundled Bailey up in her long johns and fleece. She wore a hat made by Ashley, and her sunglasses from her Grandma Kemp. She was toasty! It is fun to watch her look around at everything. Her head is always darting back and forth to look at stuff that we walk by. She fell asleep for the last part of the walk home though. Her cheeks were nice and rosey when we got back. Mom gets home in a couple of hours. I think that we will order pizza tonight and watch a movie after Bailey goes to bed.

tj