San Antonio Day 1: The Trip There

A couple of weeks ago we went to San Antonio to visit my family. Kelsie enjoys going there and getting to stay with my Aunt Karen and Uncle Presley. Although, she thinks their house is Grammy's because the first time we went there Grammy was already there. She had never been to Grammy's place before and just assumed that was where she lived. Kelsie has been to Grammy's condo in Clear Lake a few times now, but she thinks their house is Grammy's as well.

The drive there went well. Somehow, Kelsie did not sleep the whole way there even though we drove during naptime.

Once we got there and got the van unloaded, we setup the room that Kelsie usually sleeps in. This was the first time we have visited since she started sleeping in a twin bed, and we were a little concerned about how she would do. Luckily, my Aunt and Uncle have a twin hide-away bed and we used that mattress on the floor. We brought her sheets, pillow, and room-darkening shades from home, and tried to set the room up as close as possible to her room at home. We also brought some of her favorite nighttime books. It seemed to work. After dinner and some swimming, she went to bed without too much trouble and slept the whole night through.

Swimming

Swim lessons continue to go well and I am excited to see the progress Kelsie is making. She still complains at times, but for the most part seems to be enjoying herself. She is definitely getting more comfortable in the water and loves to go swimming now!

Kelsie meets Chuck E. Cheese for real

Since I didn't have to got to work until the afternoon, Kelsie and I went to Chuck E. Cheese on Friday morning while Melanie and her mom went shopping. Imagine Kelsie's surprise when a real, live Chuck E. Cheese came out from "backstage" after one of the "performances". After I got a picture of the two of them together, I kept asking her what she thought about getting to see Chuck E. Cheese. She looked stunned and it took her a few minutes to start talking to me. When she finally did start talking again, all she could say was "where did he come from?" Then, she wanted to know where he went, so we followed him around a little bit. It was very cute to she her "star struck" like that.

My Dad's Birthday

Wednesday was my dad's 61st birthday. My parents decided to come over after naptime so we could all celebrate. Kelsie was so excited about grandpa's party. All day she would ask is it time for grandpa's party yet? We went out to eat then came back to the house to open presents and have cake and ice cream. It turns out we had much more cake than we bargained with 3 cakes! My mom accidentally made my favorite cake instead of my dad's so that was one cake, my mom went to the store and bought his favorite kind of cake so that was two cakes, then we went and let Kelsie pick out a cake for grandpa thinking my parents wouldn't bring one so that was three cakes. Kelsie thought that was terrific of course because she LOVES cake!! Kelsie had a great time singing happy birthday to grandpa and helping him open presents. My dad seemed to have a wonderful day!

4th of July

We went to Kingwood to watch fireworks and hangout with Melanie's family over the 4th of July weekend. We went swimming, BBQ'd, and then went to see some fireworks. Kelsie was very excited about going to see the fireworks, but as soon as we got there she said they were going to be too loud and plugged her ears. She kept them plugged for an hour straight from the time we got to the spot to watch the fireworks until about 5-10 minutes into the show. She apparently remembered that they were loud from last year. Uncle Grant's truck was near where we were sitting, so grandpa sat in the truck with her for a good portion of the time and that seemed to make her feel safer. They sat and talked about the fireworks until it was almost time for them to start. I convinced Kelsie at the last minute to come sit with all of us and watch, but Kelsie wasn't happy about it until the fireworks started and she realized they weren't as loud as she expected. She finally unplugged her ears 5-10 minutes into the show and kept saying they aren't too loud they are pretty. I am so glad she finally relaxed and enjoyed the show, because last year we had to leave right when they started because of the noise.

We spent the night at grandma and grandpa's that night and Kelsie crashed when we got back to their house. That is the latest she has stayed up since she was a tiny baby, so she was exhausted. She even slept in the next morning (meaning she slept until 6:50, but at grandma and grandpa's house that is pretty good considering she is usually up around 6)! On Sunday, we went swimming again and visited with everyone until it was time to go home. It was a very nice spending the holiday weekend with family.

Swim Lesson July 8th

On Wednesday we had a great lesson with Mr. Sam! I was afraid that would not be the case, because she fought me a lot while getting ready. I was pleasantly surprised that Kelsie did everything without too much fussing. The only thing that she really fought was jumping into the water. The rest of it she would ask not to do, but then would do it without too much trouble. She is getting used to the routine and I think that makes a huge difference. I was actually even able to get out of the pool and snap some pictures without her even noticing!

Our Day at Moody Gardens

Since Mike had July 3rd off, we took Kelsie to Moody Gardens. We got our season passes taken care of then went to the Aquarium Pyramid. Kelsie really wanted to see the stingrays, starfish, and "Nemo". We ended up going to the tank where the stingrays are at least 3 times. She also enjoyed getting her "shark passport" stamped with all the different stampers they have around the aquarium. She wasn't too fond of the last part of the Aquarium tour where they have the big sharks. One came right up next to the glass right where she was sitting which scared her a little and that was our cue to leave. It must have not upset her too much, because she said she wanted to go back again soon!

After the aquarium, we went to get some lunch, then went back to hang out at Palm Beach. Palm beach was extremely busy! We couldn't even find a set of chairs to put our stuff on, but Kelsie didn't seem to mind. The only part she had a really hard time with was changing in the bathroom. With all those people there it was very loud. There were kids crying, toilets flushing, and various other noises all at the same time. She kept covering her little ears and hollering at everyone to be quiet. :( Once she was changed and ready she had a good time playing in the sand and playing in the water with Mommy and Daddy. We thought she might like the waterslide they have there because she liked it last year, but she wasn't up for trying it that day. Oh well, maybe she'll decide to try it another day after she goes to Palm Beach a few more times. I really think she'll love it again once she gets the nerve up to give it a try.

At the Boardwalk

The last weekend in June Kelsie woke up and wanted to go "someplace". We decided to take her to the Kemah Boardwalk to see what she thought about it. We thought she might like Stingray Reef, the Dancing Fountain, and maybe the train. She did seem to like Stingray Reef where you can feed the rays as long as Daddy did the feeding and she didn't have to get too close to the rays as they were coming out of the water. Of course, it was one of the biggest rays that came to see us. They are a little scary when they start to come out of the water especially a big one trying to get food from you! She really wasn't interested in the Dancing Fountain and the train whistle was a little too loud for her. She did take a ride on the new 2-story carousel with Mommy. We ended up only staying there a short time because it was really, really HOT. We'll probably wait until she gets a little older to try the Boardwalk again. We also won't do it when it is burning up outside. Did I mention it was HOT?

Kelsie Lounging Around

Kelsie apparently wasn't comfortable enough on her couch one day, so she brought over a stool to prop her feet up on while she was watching TV! LOL!

Play Date with Emma

On the last Friday in June (I know I am a little behind posting things) our friends Tiffany and Emma came over to play. It had been a while since Kelsie had seen them and I was worried that she may have a hard time adjusting to them being here. I was pleasantly surprised that it only took her a couple of minutes to warm up. I think it helped that Emma came in and sat on Kelsie's couch right away. Kelsie sat beside her after the first couple of minutes and even gave her a hug. It was very sweet!

Tiffany and I got to catch up while the girls played together. Sharing was an issue at times, but other than that they seemed to have a good time. Kelsie as always had her moments where she cried over who knows what, but for the most part she did really well. My favorite part was when the girls played the freeze game. Grammy brought over a CD that has a song made just for that. The music would start playing and the girls would dance/run around until the music stopped and said freeze and then the music would start again until the song ended. It was very cute to watch them chase each other during the song! I can't wait to get them together again next month!


Here are the girls playing freeze while arguing who should be the leader!

Family Visit

My grandmoter, aunt, and two of my cousins came to visit the last weekend in June. She didn't say a whole lot to them the entire time they were here until she got to show them around her house. She couldn't wait to show them each room especially her room and the playroom upstairs. Kelsie loves being a little home tour guide! She also loved playing with my youngest cousin Hunter. They both like cars, so they had something in common. It is so funny the things that get her out of her shell. If I could figure them all out we might just be able to help her overcome some of her social issues. I love seeing her in her element like that. It is almost like she becomes a completely different and much happier child even if it is only for a few minutes.

Kelsie's Scary Teeth

She was trying to look in the mirror and take the picture at the same time in the first shot! LOL!


Kelsie got a scary teeth moutpiece as a prize at a birthday party we attended a while ago and decided to try them out. She let me take a couple of pictures, so I thought I would share!

Swim Lessons

The last few swim lessons Kelsie has been slowly, but steadily improving. We bought her some new goggles that she tolerates well and that has helped tremendously with going under the water. In fact during the last lesson she did not cry at all. She continued to fuss about some of the things Mr. Sam wanted her to do, but no crying which is a huge improvement. She still doesn't like to jump into the pool, float on her back, or keep her face in the water. However she is trying harder to kick the way she is supposed to and she is doing much better with her row rows and superman glides. I am very happy to see positive progress. I am still in the pool with them for the lessons, so I can't take pictures unfortunately. I would love to get some pictures of her in her goggles. She always says they keep her the water from hurting her eyes even when they aren't on exactly right and water gets in them! I think it is more of a security thing than a necessity, but whatever works is fine by me. :)