Rest of April

Kaitlynn made Annabelle and herself bracelets.
Kaitlynn and daddy made me a bracelet.

We went to the Baby Kid Expo in St. Charles. I worked at the MomsLikeMe booth for a few hours, while Dave and Kaitlynn walked around. Kaitlynn got an elephant balloon made, got her face painted like a butterfly and had a flower balloon bracelet made.
(sorry these are blurry, they are from my cell and Kaitlynn wouldn't stand still)
eating kettle corn
While working at the booth / table, I got to see some friends from MLM and a fellow blogger. After working, Dave, Kaitlynn and I walked around together. We had a lot of fun.
After we got home, Kaitlynn played out in the yard. While Dave mowed the lawn, I vacuumed the house and Kaitlynn climbed the tree in our backyard. She also played with Mya and Leah.
After Kaitlynn went to bed, Dave and I had dinner outside by the chiminea. I love relaxing outside in the spring evenings with the chiminea going!

Kaitlynn, Aidan and I met Eileen, Gabe and Merci at the Children's Zoo. The kids had fun seeing and petting a tortoise and a snake. We went through River's Edge where we saw a rhino, hippos, hyenas, a cheetah, and the elephants. We stopped for lunch, then went to the Jungle of the Apes. We saw them being fed. Kaitlynn and Gabe played in the misters and afterwards Kaitlynn said "It was like taking a shower. A shower with Gabe." I looked at Eileen and we just smiled and laughed. We saw the penguins, puffins and bears. The kids had a good time running around and seeing the animals. It was a beautiful day for the Zoo!

We adopted an 8 week old puppy. Kaitlynn fell in love with him at the Expo. Kaitlynn, MawMaw and I went to pick him up from his foster family. He is just adorable! His name is Lever (like the soap) and he is a terrier.
Why are there 3 dogs in these pictures, you ask? MawMaw has been having trouble taking care of Sassy (her puggle) since getting out of the hospital, so we brought her home to take care of her for MawMaw. Kaitlynn loves Sassy.
Bailey and Sassy get along really well, too. She has done well in our home.
Sassy and Lever get along really well. Bailey is not so much into Lever. It will just take time for her to get used to him. Lever is going to be a big boy - probably about 50lbs!

Kaitlynn attended her Kids in the Kitchen class. They made Fred Bird hats, had circle time, sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" and then got started on cooking.
They shredded cheese for nachos, counted out the number of peanuts that corresponded to their age and cracked them, made caramel popcorn, put ketchup and relish on their hotdogs and made a slushie. Kaitlynn did great in class this week! At the end of class, all the kids wore their Fred Bird hats along with their teacher and had a picture taken. It was so cute!
Kaitlynn and I came home and took the dogs out. Lever loves our big backyard! Then Kaitlynn and I went to MawMaw's. We took MawMaw to the mall to get her out of the house and walking around.

Kaitlynn had an activity at her school called On The Go. Different vehicles were there for the kids to explore like a police car, paramedics, mail truck, water patrol, caterpillar and fire truck. You could also take a school bus ride and see a helicopter land. Kaitlynn enjoyed the school bus ride. She was a little apprehensive about checking out some of the cars / trucks. She loved the police dog, Ola and learning about what she does.
Lever loves it outside. We had Bailey, Sassy and Lever outside most of the day. Kaitlynn loves running around with them.
Kaitlynn attended her friend's birthday party.

Kaitlynn had fun playing with the dogs. Hanna and Adam came over to watch Kaitlynn, so Dave and I could go to church. Kaitlynn has so much fun with Hanna and Adam. Kaitlynn and Adam usually play Yahtzee Jr. together.

Kaitlynn's P.A.T. Educator came over. This was Kaitlynn's first 3 year old visit. They played a dice game that involved counting and turn taking. They did some more counting activities with cheerios.
Kaitlynn had fun playing with Lever outside.
I went out for a M.N.O. with one of the playgroup's were are involved with. There were 6 of us that were able to make it out. Last year there were more like 13 of us. We had pedicures / manicures and then went to The Cheesecake Factory for drinks and dessert. It was a fun night!

Kaitlynn, Aidan and I met Gail, Parker, Leah, Ryan, Stacy, Sophie, Camden and the twins (our CBW Playgroup) at the Zoo. We were hoping that the rain was going to hold off until late afternoon. We were wrong. As soon as we headed out of The Living World, we started feeling sprinkles. We took cover in the Penguin and Puffin Cove (and gift shop). The rain let up and we headed over to the Jungle of the Apes. We got stuck there and were luckily under a covering. We went to the Primate House and Reptile House, ate lunch and then went to Zoomagination Station.
Kaitlynn and Aidan playing at Zoomagination Station.
Dave and I went on a Date Night at a church. We listened to Michael O'Brien and heard his love story (for Jesus and his wife). There was a surprise visit from Deidre Pujols. Albert and Deidre contacted Michael to sing at the renewing of their vows. Deidre wrote a song with Michael for that occasion. It was a wonderful night of great music, great speakers and worship!
Kaitlynn was so excited that Hanna came over to stay with her. She was a little upset that Adam couldn't come. But still had a blast with Hanna, as usual.

We went to an event for Dave's work. They had a bounce house and face painting for the kids. Kaitlynn had StL painted on one hand for the Cardinals and Elmo on the other hand.
Then we went to a Kidgit's event at the mall called Little Planet Helpers. Kaitlynn received a tree sapling and got to spin the wheel. She planted Sweet Basil seeds and danced with the girls from Radio Disney. We ate lunch at Chevy's and walked around the mall.
That evening we went to church. Kaitlynn said she learned about praying and showed us how she prays.

Calling All Missourians - Please Help!

PROPOSED CUT TO PARENTS AS TEACHERS PROGRAM FUNDING
Parents as Teachers Supporters Please Help!

Call or Email to Say NO to Parents as Teachers Budget Cuts!

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon proposed a $4.1 million budget cut as part of his budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year. This 13.2% budget cut comes right after the 10% budget cut that the legislature enacted last year.

Our Governor needs to hear from Parents as Teachers supporters that this cut is a mistake and he should restore the funding immediately.

Founded in Missouri 25 years ago, Parents as Teachers has become the nation's largest evidence-based home visitation program. In Missouri Parents as Teachers programs serve more than 155,000 children annually across the state from Kennett to St. Joe to Palmyra to Kansas City.

~ The 10% cut to Parents as Teachers program enacted last year resulted in Parents as Teachers funding 300 fewer Birth to 3 families and 200 fewer 3-5 families in Parkway. This comes at a time when many of our families are facing crisis and are in need of our support.

~ The proposed budget cut would further reduce the number of families able to receive services, further reduce the number of home visits and group meetings we are able to provide and further reduce the number of our health and developmental screenings.

If you support Parents as Teachers, whether you are a current program participant, former program participant or parent educator, please take the time to contact Governor Nixon to express your disappointment with his decision to cut funding for services that support Missouri's families.

Contact the Governor's office NOW - Call toll free or send an e-mail!

To Call:
· Call (888) 880-8233. This toll-free number, which connects directly to the Governor's office, will be available for Parents as Teachers advocates until Wednesday 2/2/2010. .

· Alternatively you can call the Governor's office directly at 573-751-3222. Keep your call short and to the point:

· Give the receptionist your name and home town

· Identify yourself as a supporter of Parents as Teachers

· Ask that they inform the Governor that you are very disappointed about the $4.1 M cut Please feel free to add a short personal story

· You do not need to talk to another staff member - leaving a message at the desk is perfect!


To Email:
· Send an e-mail through the Parents as Teachers Action Center Just visit the Parents as Teachers National Center website, scroll down to the bottom of the screen, fill in your email address and other information, follow the prompts and personalize the email to the Governor's office and hit "send". http://www.parentsasteachers.org/SAVEMOPAT


If you do not live in Missouri, please forward this onto friends / family that you know who do live in Missouri. Thank you!

Screening and Preschool on Parade

Wednesday night Kaitlynn had a horrible time sleeping. She kept waking up coughing, almost choking from coughing so hard. She was so exhausted and would just cry.

Thursday the P.A.T. Educator visited. She did a hearing and vision screening.

Kaitlynn painted her own nails.

Kaitlynn is so cute and complimentary. When she was painting her nails, MawMaw showed Kaitlynn her painted nails. Kaitlynn said "Good job MawMaw". She is always telling us good job or giving some compliment.

Dave and I attended a seminar / meeting at the ECC titled Preschool on Parade. It was so helpful to attend this. It really helped with our struggle / decision on whether to send Kaitlynn to the KMO this year and / or preschool in the Fall. I might write a post on that later.

Thursday Kaitlynn continued to cough a lot and have wheezy breathing. We were getting really concerned because we had seen no improvement. Thursday night she woke up a few times, but once she spent some time in a steamy bathroom and then a few minutes in the cold air, she was great and was able to sleep through the night. Thank you God!

Playground Pizzazz and More

Monday the 21st Dave, Kaitlynn and I went to the ECC for the Playground Pizzazz. We ran into Tara and Bailey there. It was such a hot day. The girls were so sweaty. Kaitlynn did well with telling us when she needed to use the potty. We saw her P.A.T. Educator there and I talked with a lady I used to work with.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Afterwards, we picked up MawMaw from work and went shopping. Kangaroo Kids was one of our stops. We also visited the new Walmart in our area. It is huge! I can't wait to go back. We ran into Tara, Jonathon and Bailey there. Kaitlynn and Bailey ran around the grocery isles for awhile.

Cinco de Mayo

Monday I watched Olivia. Kaitlynn, Olivia and I picked up my mom from work. After Megan picked up Olivia, we went to the mall. My mom bought Kaitlynn a couple pairs of flip flops. Kaitlynn told my mom she wanted fries and a shake for dinner, so we went to Applebee's.

Tuesday I watched Olivia. Kaitlynn's P.A.T. educator, Amy, came over for her last visit of the school year. Amy and Kaitlynn worked on puzzles. I was amazed at the puzzles Kaitlynn could put together. I mean, I know she is smart, but I didn't think 2 year olds could do puzzles that didn't have pictures under them and had interlocking pieces. I guess I better buy some different puzzles. The ones we have are not challenging for Kaitlynn at all. Kaitlynn, Olivia, and I met Emily and Ella at Kangaroo Kids. Kaitlynn and Ella played for an hour, although not really together. Emily and I got to catch up. I am so glad she is feeling better and is able to hang out now. It was her birthday and we were planning on having lunch at a Mexican restaurant (since it was Cinco de Mayo), but the girls were pretty wound up. We decided to just go back to our house. On the way, Ella fell asleep, so Emily decided to head home.

After lunch, Kaitlynn played outside. Then Kaitlynn and Olivia took naps.

A pair of Kaitlynn's new flip flops. She loves them.

The girls matched (again).

Dave brought home Bud Light Lime, margaritas and tortilla chips. We had a Mexican fiesta - sort of!

P.A.T. Visit

Tuesday Maryam brought Hasnain over at around 9:30AM because she needed to study for a test. Amy, Kaitlynn's P.A.T. educator, came over for a visit. Hasnain was napping during most of her visit. She did a 2 year assessment on Kaitlynn, which included simple vision and hearing tests. Kaitlynn "passed" the assessment with flying colors! Kaitlynn and Hasnain did pretty good together. Hasnain got really fussy. I finally got him to calm down and take a nap right before Maryam came to pick him up. Maryam said she thinks he might be getting sick or not feeling well. Kaitlynn and I had dinner and went to bed early. She didn't get a nap and I was exhausted.

A Baby

Monday the 26th, I turned in my Avon order. Kaitlynn and I met with a lady named Genny and her baby Whitney. Genny is looking for someone to babysit her 3 month old a few days a week. Kaitlynn was in love with Whitney. She loves babies. I hope she didn't freak Genny out or scare her away. The other day, I asked Kaitlynn what she wishes for and she said "a baby." After Genny and Whitney left, Kaitlynn took a nap. Then we went to my mom's. My mom scheduled an appointment for her dog Sassy to get her stitches out (from being fixed) and check on a cold that she has. Sassy had to be given antibiotics! Poor baby. We dropped Sassy off at my mom's and started heading toward Kaitlynn's Parents As Teacher class, Learn and Explore, which was being held at the Creve Coeur location. It was snowing and on the way there I decided that the weather was starting to get bad. We decided to skip class and just get dinner. We went to El Nopal to eat. Dinner was pretty good. The roads weren't terrible, but had started getting a little slick while driving back to my mom's. I decided that Kaitlynn and I should just spend the night there, instead of trying to drive back home and risk getting into an accident. For some reason, Kaitlynn has a hard time sleeping at my mom's. She didn't go to sleep until after 10PM and she kept waking up every few hours.

Locomotion Commotion

Kaitlynn went to a Parents As Teachers activity called Locomotion Commotion on March 26th. She was by far the youngest there, but had a lot of fun. It was free play for the babies. There was a ball pit, a couple of slides, a hanging ball to hit with paddles, and lots of other activities. Kaitlynn loved the ball pit the best. She liked the slides, too. She kept trying to climb up the slide instead of the steps. One thing I noticed (and also found out from talking with the other parents) is that Kaitlynn's communication and social skills are very strong. Many of the babies there say about 3 words and Kaitlynn says at least 15. She is also very excited to meet other babies and sort of interact with them. The other babies were all walking and Kaitlynn is more of a crawler. She does walk by herself at times, but her favorite method for getting around is crawling. She is a very fast crawler! At the end of the session, everyone sang songs to end the evening.

14 Month Assessment

Kaitlynn's Parents As Teacher's educator (Amy) came over on Monday, March 24th. She did a 14 Month Assessment on Kaitlynn. She did excellent! Amy said it wouldn't be uncommon for even a 14 month old to have some areas in the black (which would mean a score of 30 or below). Kaitlynn had none in the black (or even close to the black). She was assessed on Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Problem Solving, and Personal - Social. Amy was very impressed with Kaitlynn and said she is doing very well. Yeah Kaitlynn!!!

Kaitlynn's P.A.T. visit

Kaitlynn had a Parents as Teachers visit. Our P.A.T.'s name is Amy. We signed up with P.A.T. last summer and we had our first visit on July 31st. Since then, we have had a visit on September 25th, November 13th, and January 16th. Kaitlynn seems to like Amy and I do, too. She used to be a teacher and has at least 2 children (I can't remember these details very well - mommy brain). We have also done several activities with the Parkway P.A.T. at the Early Childhood Center. We went to the Bubble Picnic and the Baby Fair and Fun Time in September and Baby Boogie in November. The first 3 pictures are from the Bubble Picnic (which was held inside because it was raining). In the 3rd picture Kaitlynn is on the right. The last 2 pictures are from the Baby Fair and Fun Time (my parents went with me). My dad is one of these pictures with her.