Monday, August 8, 2011

Baby Girl

Last week I caught Makaela looking at herself in the mirror smiling and laughing. You would think that it would be an "awe how sweet" moment but instead it was an "oh my goodness I can’t believe you are doing that!!!"  Let me explain- she was in their bathroom standing on the top step of the two step step-stool (it’s one of the wooden kind that you can find in Target’s kids room area, so not too tall) and she was holding onto the counter and her little chin barely cleared it.  Of course as I walked by and saw her I shouted “Makaela Marie”, she looked at me smiled and laughed very excitedly like she was so proud of herself.  After I grabbed her off the stool I thought I need a picture of that, but there was no way I wanted to promote her standing on the stool.  I had found her a few days before on the first step, and thought there was NO WAY she could get to the second yet.  Now we have to make sure the bathroom door stays shut!  She is 9 months old going to 2 years!!! 

Cooling off outside (boys broke pool, mom went old school and used buckets)

Personally I was never a girlie girl and pink was not in my closet till I got older.  As we kept finding out that we were having boys I was fine with it.  I grew accustom to the boy life style and I like blue so things were fine.  I was shocked for a long time when we found out that Makaela was a girl.  I had thought that I was just going to have boys, and didn't know where to start with a girl!  I was a little overwhelmed by all the clothes choices and didn't want to go overboard all at once.  As it got closer to her birth I finally started buying pink and getting ready for our little girl.  I have to thank my family and friends for easing me into it with their baby girl gifts.  J  Now she is our little princess.  The boys are always kissing on her and sweet to her.  I’ll call her “pretty girl” and thanks to my sister Mary, the boys will sing her “Pretty Girl Rock”.  I think I actually have more pink clothing items in her closet than I ever owned in my life!!!  She has always seemed to be laid back, like a calm breeze amidst the storm that is the Allen boys.  She is our little angel and we couldn't imagine life without her.  
  

Lady trying to remind Daddy she was the 1st Daddy's girl

Noah and Happy Makaela

Twinkies
In June she gave us a big scare when she decided to swallow a piece of a fruit snack wrapper.  Seeing her choking and trying to cough up the wrapper made us feel so helpless because there was nothing we could do to help.  Thank God she was able to cough up the wrapper as we were waiting for the x-ray tech at the ER.  Even though we have gone through the house and tried to baby proof it all over again, re-explain to the boys about keeping small things cleaned up; she seems to still find things to put in her mouth.  We are constantly reminded the house will never be perfectly baby proof, so we pray that we are continued to be blessed and keep trying!  I have to thank her Guardian Angel, because I know he is working over time keeping up with her!


The wrapper


Big Brothers waiting in ER waiting room
We know we have our worked cut out for us because just like standing on the stool if she wants to do something; she is going to figure out how to get it done.  We knew she would be walking before her first birthday, since it was almost instantaneous that she figured out how to crawl and pull up on things.  Here recently she has decided to really start working on the walking thing.  She will walk around any low items in the house like ottomans, couches, window sills and more.  She is even walking between things but she keeps her hands on the items right now.  It’s coming soon!  Then with the walking we have the climbing!  Just the other day sitting in the boys' room I watched as she has climbed into the toddler bed that John made and Eli has moved out of.  When we were painting we blocked off the living room with little chairs of the boys’ and she climbed up and over those.  There is nothing that is going to slow this girl down.  All the boys walked before their 1st birthdays but we are wondering if she will beat them all! 
 

Walking around living room

Big Girl
I 
Climbing over kitchen chairs

Now will my sweet little princess stay around or are these the warning signs for new personality traits and bad habits that she has already learned from big brothers??? One day the kids were all in the playroom playing and I went and sat on their couch to hang out. Makaela was chewing on one of their transformer toys and I teased her saying "You don't want to play with a yucky transformer you need a baby doll to play with."  I was then informed by Noah that she doesn't.  "Mom she likes playing with our cool cars.  Seriously, she was playing with our super awesome ones, like the bumble bee one."  Even though the boys treat her so sweetly and seem to be really good big brothers; they are still big brothers.  She will have one of their "cool cars" and it will be swiped out of her hands; which of course makes her cry.  They get made when she crashes their train tracks and knocks over their buildings.  I wonder if she will be one of those little sisters that always get their brothers in trouble?  Or will she shed the sweetness and just become a little meanie when she gets tired of their teasing?  Her personality is still a work in process for now we are enjoying our sweet angel!
Stuffed and Kicked back- bad habit

Pretty even when her hair is a mess :)