Tye-Dyed Paeton - My Little Free Spirit :)

We received a package from my mom yesterday with lots of fun things in it including some tye dyed clothing for Paeton that my sister and her had picked out. Here's some pix of one of the items she sent - this adorable dress. They got all the items at a store called Chilly Kids in PA. www.chillykids.com I feel the website doesn't do the clothing justice - it really is nice and original stuff. She looked so cute this morning for school; I couldn't resist snapping a few shots before we left the house.

Thanks Grandma Marx and Auntie Michelle!


Paeton knows the sound of the camera when I turn it on and is always ready to smile :)


Close Up.


Clapping for picture time.


My little love.




Trying to climb on mommy.

Playing with Paeton

Here's a few pix of Paeton just playin' around in her play area last night. She was in such a good mood and very playful. We had a fun evening.

Bein' sassy for the camera.

Laughing really hard.

Just bein' cute :)

Keepin' busy while daddy's away.

Daddy's in Baltimore :(

Jodi is leaving this afternoon for Baltimore on his first business trip with his new company. We shared lots of hugs and kisses as a family this morning as we sent him on his way. Now it's girl time! We'll miss you hun!

Funny Food Faces

Paeton can be very intense when she eats especially dinner because she gets to be so starving between lunch and that time. Snack never seems to satisfy her. I've spent many evenings laughing at her funny faces as she eats especially now that she's feeding herself. I managed to capture several on film - enjoy :)

Cookie Monster?

I tell her to be more lady like but she doesn't listen.

Can I get some privacy?

Signing for 'more'.

As soon as I give her more, she looks like this. Such a stinker.

The good thing is, she has come to LOVE her sippy cup and wants to carry it everywhere.

Surgery is Scheduled

Paeton's surgery to repair her mouth will be Friday May 22 at 9:30am. We are working on all the details and will keep everyone posted. Please pray for our family during this time.

Successful mornings are just an excuse for pictures!

I've decided that simply because we get up everyday in our house and all get ready (showered and in work clothes, not jeans) and get out of the house by 7:30am is excuse enough to take pictures! I hadn't photographed Paeton in a few days which for me is a lot. So here's a few pix of Paeton this morning before school. We have our morning routine down to a science which believe it or not allows daddy to sleep in (well...later than mommy but only to 6:30am), allows mommy to get completely ready without distractions and still allows times for pictures. Contact me for tips :)

Sitting patiently on the counter waiting for her coat/hat/gloves + all other necessary items to bare the WI winters. I'm not bitter or anything :)

Paeton has recently gotten into folding her hands. She looks so polite when she does it.

Still posing for mommy - such an angel.

Waving her hands to get my attention.

Either saying 'all done' with taking pictures or giving mommy 'Ten'. We've been working on both :)

Paeton is 9 Months!

Paeton will turn 9 months tonight at 11:28pm. We can't believe that 9 months have gone by already. What a ride! She is truly the warmth in our house and the light in our eyes. We just can't get enough of her. And hooray - the weekend is here!

What's she up to these days?
Stats: 21lbs, 29 1/2 in

• Crawling, standing and pulling up like a maniac
• 'Doing the lawnmower' we say in the Ulrich house - walking around behind her little cart
• Playing kitchen and 'fruits and vegetables' we say - she loves all her plastic toys
• Babbling - she's a very vocal child with lots on her mind
• Favorite Games: peek a boo, 'SO BIG', bang bang, and anything that involves clapping
• Favorite Foods: slices of pear, veggie crackers, cheese, sweet corn puffs
• Outings - Paeton wants to be wherever we are especially if there's lots going on
• Greeting us after naps and in the morning by standing up in her crib waiting for us

What are we all done with?

• The bottle
• The pacifier

To qualify for her surgery she has to be completely on a sippy cup and no longer take a pacifier. How did we do it? Cold turkey. One day she had the paci and one day she didn't. She cried a little bit with going to bed last night but she was fine, fell asleep and slept through the night. We introduced the required sippy cup at 5 1/2 months - very young I know. We have used the cup with her every day since then, however still allowing the bottle to make sure she gets proper nutrition. She knows how to use the sippy cup but I feel we were just being lazy and letting her continue to drink from the bottle. So, we finally said 'all done' with the bottle and here we are. One day she had it and the next day the cup was the only option. And she's done great. What a champ :)

What's next?

Paeton's 'unofficial' but 'official' graduation date into the one's room at school is May 26. This all depends on her surgery so we'll see. In order to graduate to this room, she needs to be off the bottle, off the pacifier and sleeping for naps on a cot so - no more crib. We've got the bottle and the pacifier covered since that's in line with her needs for her surgery. Next we will work on napping in a cot. Wish us luck!

Enjoy the pix of our little one this morning celebrating 9 months of bliss :)

Getting into some trouble...

Close up

Sporting some spring time duds - we're sick of winter.

Practicing her favorite game/song from Gymboree - Freeze :)

Out little 'scooby' - her latest nickname.

Pre-Surgery Appointments

Yesterday, Paeton, Jodi and I ventured to Children's Hospital for an appointment with her surgeon as well as a speech therapist appointment. With her surgeon, Dr.Jensen, we reviewed how the surgery will take place, what precautions to keep in mind beforehand and the recovery period. To me, it sounds like a lot of this is case by case. He doesn't know how long she will be in the hospital and he doesn't know how long she will need to recover. It was very hard to hear all of this especially since we as a family hadn't focused on it in a very long time. We have just been living day to day, not really thinking about the surgery, because that's the easiest thing to do. It all hit me yesterday and hit me hard.

He also informed us that not much has grown in her mouth since birth - she has a significant amount of her mouth missing. He's going to do the best he can but there are no guarantees that one surgery will be enough. Jodi and I are dealing with this the best we can and just trying to be there for each other and of course for Paeton. The most wonderful thing is that she is just such a happy baby and has no idea this is going on. I try to cry when I'm not with her so she doesn't see 'mama' sad.

Speaking of....we've been practicing key words with Paeton so that her speech develops right on track with other children her age. I've been saying 'mama' over and over. Well, 2 nights ago we were in Target and she looked right up at me from the cart and said 'mama'. Of course I bawled. I'm a mess these days...

Paeton with her trusty banana sitting on the table like a big girl at Dr.Jensen's office.

Paeton's First Dentist Appointment

Paeton had her first dentist appointment this morning with Dr.Strupp. He told me while I was pregnant that as soon as she had her first tooth, she could come and see him. Well - she was 3 months when she got her first tooth so we waited till almost 9 months and brought her in today. He wanted me to sit in the chair and have her sit on my lap. I explained to him that I'm an "all or nothing" mom - if she learns now to sit in my lap, she will always want to in the future and I don't want my 10 year old getting braces sitting on my lap! So, we put her in the big chair all by herself and she did great.

She got a Dora toothbrush and some fun dental things to take home with her. We counted her teeth and let her practice brushing her teeth. Paeton LOVES to brush her teeth every day. In fact, as soon as she gets in the bath tub each night, she reaches for her toothbrush and lets me know it's time to brush. What a great visit we had!


Paeton sitting in the chair like a big girl. She listening to Dr.Strupp talk about how to take care of her teeth. She also got to pick which show she wanted to watch on t.v. during her visit. She crossed her legs so nice since she had a dress on :)


Here she is showing Dr.Strupp how well she brushes her teeth. What a champ!

Valentine's Day @ School

Paeton posing for the camera in her heart dress. She's ready to hand out all her valentines to her friends and teachers.

She decided she better hold on with two hands now :)

Paeton's Doing Laundry

Paeton completely loves our laundry room - all parts of it. She loves to sit on the bench and take her boots, hat and coat off. The loves to help feed Kona and Brewer. She loves to feel the warm towels right out of the dryer. And she LOVES to watch the clothing go round and round in the washer. She continually crawls all the way from the family room into the laundry room just to hang out. Here's a few pix of her in there.

Watching the clothing go round and round.

Trying to get the door open.

Still trying to break in :)

Spring Picture Day @ School

Today is Spring Picture Day at Paeton's school. We went with a casual shirt dress that ended up looking so cute on her!

We played outside in WI in February!

Yes, i't's true. It reached 60 degrees here in WI on Tuesday. Paeton and I took her bike outside and road around on the driveway.

She wants to do it herself but doesn't quite get it yet.

You can still see the snow on the ground in the background!

Bathtime - Paeton hates the tub

Paeton doesn't hate the tub as in she's in tears over bathtime. She just doesn't want to play in there right now like she used to. All she wants to do is pull up on the side and check out what's going on in the bathroom. She's just so funny. She also outgrew all her infant towels so we had to upgrade to a larger one. Check out the cute Sonoma frog towel designed by my co-workers at Kohl's. Expect Great Things!


I just put her in...she's already on her knees.

Smiling for the camera before she tries to...

stand up and climb out.

New froggie towel.

She looks good in green, huh?

Our happy little girl :)

I LOVE Babylegs!

I absolutely LOVE baby legs, I must say. Paeton now has 4 pairs - not because she needs that many for style purposes...Just because they get so dirty as she crawls around everywhere. Maybe I should clean my house more often...

Anyway, here's some pix of my little P being active last night. I don't even remember what is was like when she stayed in one spot.

Her new squinty smile - still cute though!

Counting her money in her piggy bank.

Trying to find the remote on the couch.

Success!

Moving on from the remote....off to torment the dogs. Poor Kona and Brewer...