She likes to move it move it

This kept us entertained for a good hour. Watch the cuteness below.

Plus a bonus pic... this is Leila at her friend Mason's Christmas party.
She walked around for several minutes dressed as a reindeer, we'll call her "Dancer" after tonight.

Hey Santa

We took Leila to Baybrook mall to meet Santa. She was super-friendly in line but had no smiles for jolly Saint Nick.


She is enjoying the new house. She likes having a gameroom to make a disaster in. And we like that it is upstairs where no one can see it! I snapped a pic tonight of her drinking her "baba" on the floor, then found one almost identical from last month. And here is one from moving day of her eating her snacks on her back. She is so silly.

Here are a couple of house pics from moving day. Shrek and Leila are loving all of the windows. When we get home, Shrek is always watching for us at the front door.

Last Day of School

This was a sad week of goodbyes. We said bye to neighbors and friends and our church. We said bye to Leila's dear little school and her teachers and her Gymboree teacher. Shrek said bye, in his own way, to his favorite haunts on our walks. We move next Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. So much for football, Patrick. We are sad not to spend Thanksgiving at the McKinney's ranch, but we will probably go out there later this winter.

The chaos in our house from moving is bothersome to Patrick, Shrek, and I; but Leila thinks it is fun. We close on the house on Tuesday so I will post some pictures after that.

Playing around before school

Ringing "Gymbo" the clown's doorbell in class

Moving boxes are Leila's new toys and chairs

She likes the carpet in our new house. This is the gameroom.

The windows in the living room are the perfect height for curious toddlers (and dogs.)

15 months

Good news to report on Leila. This morning was her 15-month check up. She gained 2 pounds in 6 weeks! This is good news for us. She is on a high-fat, high-calorie diet and it is slowly working. (I should note we only give her good fats, with the occasional dessert snuck in--girl loves her fig newtons!)

Other news to report is that the princess is cutting her eye teeth--all four of them at once! Ouch! (Teeth #13-16) And she received routine immunizations today, as well as her 2nd flu shot and 1st H1N1 shot. I recently read about a new GlaxoSmithKline study that reported giving children Tylenol before or after vaccines can lessen the effectiveness of the vaccine. So it was pretty much an all-around miserable day. The time change did not help her mood either, she is still off.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33331643/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/

One thing she really started doing at 14 months but is worth mentioning is she knows where to go to follow directions. She will go to her room, the kitchen, outside, our room, etc. if I tell her too. She will also find her shoes, her paci, or her "love" when asked, which is very helpful because sometimes I don't know where those items are. Not that she does it all the time, but sometimes is better than never... I'll take what I can get from a toddler.

New House

We signed the contract on our new house today. It is in Tuscan Lakes, another master-planned community similar to Sienna. The neighborhood is around the corner from the Kemah Boardwalk. It is very close to Patrick's job so that he can come have lunch with us too! We should close and move before the end of the month. This is always the biggest month of the year for me: my birthday, my sister's birthday, our wedding anniversary, Thanksgiving, and now packing and moving! 27 days in the month left, what else do they hold in store for us??

http://www.tuscanlakes.com/

The Girl Who Asks to Go to Sleep

We never knew until we became parents that there was such a thing as "sleep training." Who would have known you had to be taught HOW to sleep? As adults, we look forward to sleep because we often do not get enough of it. Babies, not so much.

It took us until Leila was 9 1/2 months old until she began sleeping through the night. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact she is so small, and was just hungry. We have had her on a very strict schedule since she was very young, with an unwavering bed time of 7:30 p.m. She is (almost) always ready for bed by then, and will lay down on the floor to signify she is ready to go to sleep.

Well, last night I was at church so Patrick was putting Leila down to sleep. He said she came up to him, signed "sleep" a few times, then took his hand and led him to her bedroom so he could put her in her bed because she wanted to go to sleep. Isn't that adorable?? I wish I could have seen it. She is a very good sleeper now, but we still maintain a strict sleep schedule.

Leila is trying to walk while holding all 3 of her "loves"

Enjoying a beautiful afternoon at the park today

Leila loves her vacuum her bf Avery got her for her birthday. It makes real vacuum noises when she "helps" mommy clean the floors

Leila Ballerina

We have had a blast doing fun fall things. Leila and I went to the pumpkin patch with her play group. The kids had a lot of fun climbing on and playing with all of the pumpkins. They had a barrel for bobbing apples but there was no bobbing since swine flu is around! We are getting vaccinated next week.

We also went to her first kiddie costume party at her friend Ryan's house and it was a hoot. Seeing all of those toddlers in costume was adorable. Leila was a ballerina and too cute for words. Her friend Grant was a puppy dog and she kept trying to pet him. Hilarious!

We went today to a party at Gym"boo"ree and she had so much fun. This time Grant was going after her toys and she literally clung to me for dear life scared of him. I felt bad for her but it was so funny, and she is almost 4 months older than him so it was not like he was going to do anything to her.

Tomorrow she is going to Grandude and Granmary's for her first sleepover while mommy and daddy celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary and look for houses. This will be her first time away from both of us so I am a little worried but her grandparents are so sweet to her I think it will be ok. Plus, they are keeping Shrek too so "da" will be there with her for familiarity. She will get to dress up like Leila Ballerina again and hand out candy like a big girl.

We had milestone this past week I have to mention--speaking in phrases! She is joining words together now.

Leila loved the pumpkin patch and making a big mess

Leila and her friends from her playgroup were so good to pose for this picture

Leila had a lot of fun at Ryan's costume party. Her friend Sophie is a fairy in the background and had super-cute couture shoes on

This is Ryan, her cutie patootie dinosaur friend who is going to be a big brother in the spring!

Grant was a very realistic-looking puppy and Leila petted him a few times, which all of the adults thought was hilarious

Here is our ballerina playing monkey at Gymboree

Those aren't bells, they are Leila's bracelets

Mama and Leila Ballerina

Trying to catch a bubble on her finger--so cute!

Sold!

I don't want to jinx anything, but we sold the house (again.) So November is going to be a very busy month! We still do not have a new house in Clear Lake, but hopefully I find one today. Knock on wood everything goes through this time.

Unsold!

Quick update....

Our house went on the market Thursday before last. Sold that Sunday. "Unsold" by Friday (the buyer pulled out.) So we are back on the market. We are considering another offer, so we still think it will sell quickly. And hope so as well.

I went house hunting in the Clear Lake area and saw a lot of houses. Hopefully one of them will work out, but there was not a single house that we had to have. I also saw some homes whose owners could have benefited from a little time watching "Sell this House." Seriously, paint over your unicorns on the wall. Hide your barking dog. And clean out your closets just a little.

Leila update! She used her first phrase today! She said "Nana dog" when I told her we were going to her Nana's and we would see her dog. We are so proud.

A Lot Can Happen in 5 Days

So... last post mentioned some big stuff: moving, illness, walking. Since then, we have some major updates.

First update, moving. Our house sold in less than 5 days. So it turns out all of that time spent watching "Sell This House" was worth it. We have had an exhausting week, cleaning, packing, de-cluttering, organizing. Our house looks better than it ever will again, LOL. But it paid off, since keeping the house clean just about killed us. I locked Shrek outside when the maid came and he overheated and threw up everywhere. We had a showing today, and Leila ripped the metal bins out of the wall, sprinkled pens throughout the house, took the kitchen dishtowels out from under the sink and dumped out all of our things in the bathroom, and then peed on the carpet while I was trying to change her diaper. Going through any more time doing THAT would have been horrific.

Second, illness. I am close to 100% better, still have a nagging cough/congestion while Leila has congestion. Somehow Patrick escaped it.

We are moving to Clear Lake and now have to find a home ASAP. So please keep us in your prayers since this is a MAJOR change and we have A LOT to do. Sadly, we just got our home exactly how we want it, and now we are leaving it! Since this is our first house, I am a little emotional about it, mostly over the nursery where I brought my 1st baby home. That and the fact I am leaving all of my friends behind since I have lived here since 1986. No, it is not like I am moving to a different state, but lets be honest, with a baby it is a big move since you can't just jump in the car anymore.

The good news is that Leila is walking better every day and falls less (which equals less injuries) so we are thankful for each new day! Today she learned how to "dance" so once I get it on video you will have some LOLs. She is also becoming increasingly verbal and opinionated. I am thankful for this as it increases our ability to understand one another. Other words she says are "ba" (bottle), "na" (banana), "mo" (more, also snack), and of course "mama," "dada," and "no," which were among the first. Words she signs include eat, sleep, more, please, friend, and a handful of others.

Here are some pics of our house that were on the internet.

McKinney Family Update

I haven't blogged in a while because we have a lot going on. The biggest news is that we are putting our home up for sale to move closer to Patrick's job. We will be very sad to leave Sienna Plantation and the friends we have made here. Sienna is, in my opinion, the best place to live in the Houston area. We have wonderful friends here and my closest friends live in Sugar Land. There is a group of us who all went through our first pregnancies together and their kids are some of Leila's best friends. But it will be a blessing to have Patrick's job nearby as sometimes Leila is already asleep by the time he gets home.

Other than packing madly, I have been really sick for almost 2 weeks. I caught a cold that developed into an upper respiratory infection that really drained me. Poor Leila has had more than 30 minutes of Baby Einstein a day while I was exhausted--and then when I shut my eyes for a minute she got really mad! She demands a lot of attention for someone so small! LOL

On top of that, poor Shrek has a severe foot infection that requires a lot of care. It does not seem to bother him at all though. If anyone is considering getting a Chinese Shar-Pei dog-DON'T. They are one of the most high-maintenance of all breeds. They have eye problems, ear problems, skin problems, and his foot problem all due to their wrinkles. We love him very much and he has tolerated all of my care very well. He is our #1 dog and Leila just adores him.

Patrick has had to go to Baton Rouge a lot for work and makes the trip in one day. So on top of packing and moving, he is on the road a lot. He also has an Engineering Consulting business that is taking up his time. Since he is so handy, he has been doing a lot of little house projects to make everything look perfect. Patrick knows how to do just about everything so we keep him busy.

Leila is now 14 months old. She is what some Southerners would call a "spitfire" since she is an adorable bundle of energy. Her walking improves every day. She is doing great in school and not only does she not cry when I leave but she actually reaches for her teachers to take her--a huge milestone. She is talking a lot--words include "dada, mama, do (dog), mum-mum (snack), baba (bottle), Ein-Ein (Baby Einstein), mo (more), bow, Nana, turtle," and more I can't think of right now. She is also still signing which is very helpful. Here are some new pictures.

Leila calls balloons "pa" for "pop," as in bubbles pop.

Our little Tiny Dancer--getting her costume ready.

Ready for the game.

They are not just stacking rings, they are her bracelets, LOL.

She loves to wear scarves and hats on her head.

Sweet Shrek, our first "baby." He also demands a lot of attention!

1st Aggie Football Game

On Saturday we drove up to College Station for the A&M game. There is nothing like game day in Aggieland. We took Leila to a tailgate hosted by alum from my sorority and she made some friends with other little future Chi-Os. The tailgate was right by where the Cav had their horses so she spent some time making friends with the horses too, and one mean old mule. We watched the march in (ah, memories...) and then went over to the Seidel's tailgate to see Sam and Patrick's friends. It is funny how so much has changed since we have graduated but some things have not changed at all. That is basically the same thing we did every game day for years in college.

My brother Jimmy and his girlfriend Courtney got their Aggie rings this week (Congrats!) so we met up with them to admire their rings. My parents were at the game with my brother Baby Jay and so they got a chance to see Leila all dolled up. The picture of all of us is on my dad's camera so I don't have it to post, sad.

We had awesome seats in the Zone thanks to my dad. There is an airconditioned lobby that I was able to take Leila in to run around and saw other kiddos doing the same thing. She is an awesome traveler and was really great the whole day. We left a little early since she was tired and apparently can't sleep through 80,000 screaming fans. And to top it off we won the game, Whoop.

Cutie pie Leila had a dress that said "A&M" on the front and "Aggies" on her bottom. The horses from PMC are behind us.

Leila had a blast rolling around in the grass

The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is almost done performing at half time.

Uh-oh, it's past my bed time!

Caught on Camera

Leila is what you would call a very active little girl. She basically goes non-stop from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. She still takes 2 naps a day--supposedly. Where has nap #2 been hiding?

A short list of what our days include: 2 walks a day with Shrek, dirt time, book time, Baby Einstein time, usually swim time (often following dirt time), kitchen time, and bath time. What is dirt time? Let's just say it involves Leila's hands and massive amounts of potting soil and/or mulch. In her hair, on her face, under her fingernails, on her clothes. Yuck! But she is GLEEFULLY happy during dirt time. I don't know if I can take that away from her.

I like to change it up and go places, and she is usually pretty cooperative. This week we went to Gymboree, play gym, the Children's Museum, and the play place at the mall, as well as school. Her report card from day #2 was much better I am happy to report. I arrived 15 minutes early to pick her up and spied on her. I watched as she toddled over to her bag and got "Love," her comfort lovey, out and hugged it. Then she burst into tears. My cue to pick her up.

We have been wondering why the naps are so iffy, and this afternoon I think I figured it out. I have been watching as she is cutting her 2nd molar. Molars hurt. Well I got a good look at her mouth this afternoon, and what I thought was #2 is actually #4! I look and feel around in her mouth as much as she will let me, but 2 on the top just popped through without warning. That brings her tooth count to 12.

One of her Daddy's nicknames for Leila is "drama." When she wants to watch Baby Einstein, she will pick up the dvd remote and hand it to me with a whine.

Caught red handed! She is looking for the sunscreen in our swim bag.

Ohhhhhh Leila.....

Our little one is all girl... she wants to wear scarves on her head and bracelets on her wrists. Here she is enjoying some yummy cookies straight from the box!

1st Day of School

Today was Leila's 1st official day of school. She seems so little for this milestone. We took our time this morning and got her 1st day of school dress on. She does not know what "school" means yet so there were not tears until I dropped her off. Her teachers at the Methodist Day School were really sweet and I think she will eventually be happy there.

Her report card when I picked her up said she liked Circle Time and Singing. She is a little younger than most of the kids in her class so I hope she learns good behavior from them. They have high hopes for the kids--sitting in chairs to eat and napping on nap mats. She goes 2 days a week for 5 hours a day, which is a long time. The plan is for me to get stuff done that I never have time to finish with our cutie underfoot, like the grocery shopping, and the laundry.

I surprised her when I picked her up with this little stuffed gorilla. Monkeys are her favorite and she loved it and carried it around the rest of the day.

Three Things

I am inspired by the updates of Leila's friend Cannon and also a post on babycenter.com to share three things about us that are unique. Leila has not had a lot of time in this world to do anything extraordinary, but there are already things about her that are super-special. If anyone reads this, we would love to know 3 things about our friends that are unique. I am making Patrick's list for him because he forgets we even have a blog, LOL.

3 Things about Leila
1. Her name means "dark beauty" in Arabic and strangely enough she was a dark beauty at birth even though her parents are pretty fair. She is now a blondie!
2. By 11 months she could perfectly communicate her needs to us through talking and sign language.
3. She went to Paris before she was a year old!
Leila's party trick: Sign language and animal sounds

3 Things about Laurie
1. Both my father and I have blue eyes with a brown spot in the exact same place on our right eye
2. I am the oldest of 6 kids
3. I swam in the Blue Grotto off of the Italian Isle of Capri before they closed it to visitors
Laurie's party trick: Elbows are double jointed

3 Things about Patrick
1. He went to the Black Tie & Boots Ball in 2001 when the President was a Texan
2. He has met Stephen Hawking, Gorbachev, General Schwarzkopf, both President Bush #41 & President Bush #43, and Rick Perry, among others.
3. He is an amazing craftsman and has built several pieces of furniture
Patrick's party trick: He can wiggle his ears

3 Things about Shrek
1. He hates water, yet when we come home during the rain he is always soaking wet
2. If you feed him at night, he will eat his food in the morning. If you feed him in the morning, he will eat his food at night
3. He knows when bed time is and will go get in his bed alone at the same time every night.
Shrek's party trick: He can shake hands

And here are some pictures of Leila now that she is one. She is definitely a girly girl. She not only wants to wear her purse, but also her bracelet and her sunglasses. She likes having shoes on, like mommy. She is a hoot. Her Gymboree teacher said they stop putting everything in their mouths around 15 months. I am ready for the dirt to stay on the ground.

Ready to roll

Leila loves to give hugs, especially to her dad (and dog)

Playing with her Uncle Jay, and dirt

Yum! She licked the bowl of cottage cheese clean


I see you Mommy!

When Leila is older, we will tell her we made her make her own toys (just kidding)

This singing pig was a gift from her Uncle Josh and Uncle Jay. She loves it and will spontaneously give it hugs. To catch it on film took a little prompting.