Hey, Cute Stuff

Here are some Oh So Cute pictures of Kaiya. Just had to share :-)


Lisa got the glasses and hat in Boston. Good summer wear!

Grandma and Kaiya have fun sucking binkies. Grandma watched Kaiya for a few days for us. Thank you! When we get back from vacation, Kaiya will be at a daycare center for the rest of the summer.

We are desperately trying to get our 7-month-old to try some food. She is very resistant. We've tried rice cereal (mixed with a ton of different things), oatmeal and even a jar of baby food. She refuses to eat. I even tried feeding her milk on a baby spoon, and she was still very resistant. If anyone has some tips, we would love to try them!

And, the grand finale... a great video clip. She really is our water baby!

Happy Father's Day

Okay, so Father's Day was a few weeks ago. But have you noticed that we have been posting weekly for the month of June? We haven't been this regular in a long time. There was no way that Kaiya and I could match what Daddy did for my first Mother's Day. But, we did try to make the day special. Kaiya dressed in her finest - a cute little outfit all the way from Scotland. Doesn't she look like a doll?




(Yeah, I know. It's almost disgusting how cute these photos are!!!)

His present was a coupon booklet with something for each month he endured of pregnancy. The highlights? A date with Mommy (dinner, ice cream and a couple's massage), his own professional massage and an Ironman T-shirt.

Daddy is a pretty special guy, and we are so lucky to have him in our lives. We love you, Daddy!

It's Ladies' Night

The ladies in the family -- Mommy, Kaiya, Aunt Sara and Grandma B -- all took a trip together to Boston for a few days in early June. We flew out on the new airline, Skybus. Tickets were $10 out and $30 back! For that price, I decided to purchase a seat for Kaiya, too. She was amazing on both flights.

The airport was actually in New Hampshire. We drove from there up to Maine and went shopping in this town full of outlet malls. Kaiya got lots of cute clothes :-) Then we took a detour and went to the beach. It was absolutely gorgeous.

When we pulled up to the beach, it started to pour. The rain let up for a few minutes -- enough time to get some pics. Unfortunately, we got a rained on. Kaiya seemed a bit traumatized.

That evening, we drove down to Bedford, a suburb of Boston. The next two days we went into town. We visited Harvard Square, saw the harbor, went to Little Italy, ate at Hard Rock, visited the Christian Science headquarters, saw the Mapparium and walked part of the Freedom Trail. Here is Kaiya on the trail, following the Red Brick Road.

Here we are taking a break at the Paul Revere Mall.

For the most part, we took the subway and the bus for getting around Boston.

We picked a hotel that had an indoor pool, so that Kaiya could go swimming. Here she is with her Aunt Sara.

On our last night, we took an evening drive and visited Rhode Island and Connecticut. Here we are at dinner in Rhode Island.
Top 10 firsts on her trip to New England
1. Flight: She only cried for a few minutes on the way out and not at all on the way back!
2. Visit to the beach: She didn't know what to make of the sand between her toes.
3. Being rained on: She got soaked and was pretty unhappy.
4. Riding on public transit: She got tons of compliments.
5. Stranger randomly rubbing her head...
6. Swimming with Aunt Sara: I think Sara enjoyed it as much as Kaiya.
7. Swimming in a floaty: She really liked the mobility.
8. Going to a Hard Rock Cafe: It was a bit loud.
9. Sleeping without Daddy: Kaiya was visibly excited to see Chris when we got home.
10. Visit to Grandpa's apartment: We had an early flight out of Columbus and stayed with my dad the night before.

She was such a good girl the entire time. Chris, Kaiya and I are all going on a trip in the beginning of July. I hope she travels just as well!

State count: 8
Country count: 1

Chillin' with My Cuz

Rich, Becki, Ashleigh, and Hailey all came down from Michigan for a visit the first weekend in June. Just five days apart, Hailey and Kaiya are already becoming great playmates.

While the family was visiting, we took Kaiya to the park for the very first time. Great idea Aunt Becki! Here Hailey and Kaiya try out the swings.

Daddy-daughter time on the slide:

And, hey, look, Kaiya and Hailey are enjoying K-bear's toes!

These last two pictures are really a special treat for the Scotland Knodels.

Happy First Mother's Day!

Well, Mother's Day was a few weeks ago, but at least I'm getting this post up before Father's Day :-)

It was a very Happy Mother's Day for me. As if Kaiya wasn't joy enough... In typical Chris fashion, he went out of his way to make my very first Mother's Day quite special. He said he wanted my very first (and only first) Mother's Day to be unforgettable - and that it was.

Can we say bling, baby, bling?

The ring has one larger round diamond in the center with two smaller round diamonds on either side. There are also 8 princess cut diamonds on either side. And, while I have been thanking Chris, I need to thank his mom, too - Susan, thank you, thank you, thank you! You sure knew how to raise a boy up right :-)

What makes the ring even more special is that the center diamond is from my maternal grandmother's engagement ring. After she passed away, my mom inherited it. So, it's been passed down through the mothers in my family for three generations. (Thank you, Mom!)

I love you so much, Kaiya and Daddy!

Half a Year!

At the end of May, Kaiya celebrated her very first half birthday! The time is just going by too quickly.

At her doctor's appointment, she weighed 13 lbs. 13.2 oz. This girl just refuses to break the 14 lb. barrier! This means she is in the 10th percentile for her weight. But, she was 26.25 inches long -- putting her in the 75th percentile. So, Kaiya is long and slender!

Kaiya got another cold and decided to share it with Mommy. We've decided that Mommy can't handle baby germs. In the last 6 months, Kaiya has "shared" RSV and two colds! Chris is resilient.

Our little girl is learning new things all the time. She can sit on her own now for long periods of time. It's so cute to watch her sit and play. She is also ready to move, move, move. She's trying to crawl -- it won't be long until we are chasing her all over the place.

More to come soon!