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.