Christmas Eve

Raychel had fun on Christmas Eve at her Grandpa and Grandma O's house in Abilene! She watched us enjoy fondue from her highchair, endured HUNDREDS of pictures, and got her very favorite toy!




I got to see my Aunt Alaina too!!! =) I haven't seen her since I was just a little baby! LOL
She got her sock monkey, a female twin to her father's monkey growing up, made by Grandma O. She eats her limbs and tail, uses her legs and arms as drum sticks on the floor, and he is one of the few toys she will crawl to get too!

Hi Monkey....Nice to meet you!!! As you can see, it was love at first sight!
And nothing has changed....she LOVES Monkey!! We also get soo many complements on Monkey when we take him out in public (which is becoming very important to Raychel). They love monkey's girl outfit and the Monkey fabric! Then, when I tell them that Grandma MADE Monkey...they are very impressed!!! =)
Give me 5 Monkey!

Later that night we went to Great Grandma D's to celebrate with them! Great Grandma got a new tractor planter for the back yard (her old one was taken by the tornado) Raychel fit just perfectly!

Santa came early!

Santa brought Raychel a jumperoo! He even delivered it EARLY and he shopped at rileyyardsales.com...so he bought it for less then half new price! Wow...what a smart, savvy Santa!


So, this is Raychel's first time in her new Rainforest Jumperoo! Check out the look on her face!! Is that a girl who is excited or what??

She absolutely loves the parrot that hangs down!

This is the video of her talking, telling us how much she liked her present from Santa! Oh and I think it was something about the parrot too!! hahah

Edited to add lower quality video (from my new cell phone) to show how much she knows hows to use it now!

Before Christmas

Before Christmas, Raychel got the stomach flu! Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday she was throwing up and laying around. Poor little girl, she didn't understand why she couldn't have all the food she usually got and really didn't know what was going on after she ate!

She tried to crawl (scoot) around, but she was just sooo tired!


Sometimes she just layed there and watched TV. She is SOOOOO long!!!! She likes Peanuts though...good taste!

Monday (22nd) Daddy woke up sick and Mommy wasn't much better. He stayed home from work...they spent time together...just sitting! Don't they look like quite the sick pair?

To make it all worse....the big blue ball attacked her! LOL JUST KIDDING!! Since she has been moving around more and more, she has ran into the blue ball. She thinks it is fun to try and push it with her hands or her feet! She also loves to be held and sit on top of it to BOUNCE!!

Just having fun!

I want it....I don't care about the lid...I'll just eat that too!!! =)


AWWWwwww...... ;)

Mommy and Raychel playing during Winter Break! =) She gives high 5's....it is too cute! =)

Raychel will eat ANYTHING! Here, she grabbed his hood strings! LOL (Those are clean, right Daddy??)

Don't tell the libraian, but my dog didn't really eat it...I DID!!! =)

Growing and Growing

We went in for Raychel's 6 month appointment. The doctor was thrilled with how strong she was, her ability to sit and stand up, and happy with her growth! She pulled to standing when he reached for her and he says... "Whoa....strong girl!"

She was 26.5 inches long (75% percentile) and 17lbs 3 oz. (74%percentile). So she is staying in the same percentile range...growing LIKE A WEED!! I bet she would have been a little heavier if she hadn't had the stomach flu the past 3 days!

Unfortunately we are battling the stomach flu. Raychel started it all, throwing up Saturday afternoon. She had been fussy and not quite right all day...then I found out why...all over me! Poor little girl had a pretty yucky Saturday night and Sunday. Today she only threw up twice...YEAH! Maybe we are getting better! Poor thing just kinda layed around and played for short bits before she would get too tired and lounge and watch TV. She took EXTREMELY long naps, trying to sleep it away from her. I think she is getting better! One more day before we need to be ready for celebrating with family, I think she'll be ready!

Daddy woke up this morning with the stomach flu too...Mommy told him he absolutely wasn't going to work! I hope that he is well enough to go tomorrow, although I told him to NOT PUSH IT!!! Mommy doesn't feel the greatest either...she is the "most" well of the three of us, but that is not saying much!

Here is to a better tomorrow!

TV Trouble...Ah Mom...I'm just relaxin'!

Add 5-6 years to this picture...and we have trouble...if she wasn't so active most of the time, it would worry me! LOL She just gets nice and comfy watching some TV here! Usually she really is too busy playing to notice the TV. Here she was getting ready for bed...so she was chillin' for a few minutes!
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Right leg Thumping

Just a video of our long, silly girl! =) She does this with her leg all the time....in the crib, playing, in the car seat....it is so funny looking!

Great fun at Famous Daves and Christmas Shopping

Last weekend Grandpa and Grandma Osland treated us to Famous Daves, celebrating Derek's promotion. It was COLD, even in the restaurant, but we had a great time!

Raychel was facinated with something behind Mommy and stared at it most of the time! She had fun playing with Grandma Sherry too!

Mommy found this teething toy in the basket that morning and it became an instant favorite! She is pushing a tooth through right now, her first one, on the bottom! So, something to chew on and a little Tylenol is a MUST!

After lunch Daddy, Mommy, and Raychel went Christmas shopping. We decided to put Raychel in the cart, not in her car seat, and she LOVED IT! We lined it with blankets and this is how she rode through Target and Walmart! One leg through the correct hole and the other draped over the top! She liked to lean, to the left OF COURSE! We will have to teach her how to be a lady later!!!

ICE

ICE IS SOOOOO COOL...

I MEAN...COLD!!!

Raychel was very interested in Daddy's glass the other day. She put her mouth right on it and made quite the face...COLD! So, Daddy decides to give her the ice cubes themselves...

Ewwww.....COLD!!!!!!

She is trying to crawl...

=) She wants to crawl so badly! She gets up on her knees for just a minute. She will rock back and forth and then fall down. I just happened to be holding the camera and caught this short little bit! She is up on her hands and knees each night or morning...she really wants to figure this out, she is definitely working HARD!

Sorry about the video quality...it was not very light yet outside or in the house! This was between 6 and 7 am! LOL

All I want for Christmas is...

• anything to EAT and CHEW on...


• anything with a tag that I can play with (you know, the tiny ones that are attached to EVERYTHING)


• anything that makes loud and annoying sounds (this one is especially for my Mommy and Daddy)


• books...those things taste REALLY good!


• a "how to" book on crawling...I keep trying but dang it is SO HARD! Maybe I should make my parents hire me a personal trainer! I just gotta chase that kitty cat!


• a cat that will let me pull his fur and poke his eye and lay on him! (SHE LOVES PETS!)


• Did I mention that I want stuff to chew on???

Okay Santa...I think that is my list...

Was I a good girl???

Can you believe that it was 64 degrees outside when we took these pictures on 12-13-08??? They have a little Santa house at the courthouse square in Clay Center. There is a little sled outside for pictures! I think Santa was scared of scaring Raychel...so he wasn't too personable! Derek said he was probably just BORED!!!!!! LOL

This blanket says..."I'm a JOY to the world!" Well...Isn't THAT true!?!?!?!?!

This is Raychel's snowman headband! You can't see their faces, but it is two little snowmen on springs! She thinks that it is pretty great! I love the dollar tree....really cheap fun!!! =)

I'm getting my first tooth!!!

I know you can't see it very well in this picture...but she has one little tooth pushing through!!!

Okay...I know you all read this and it was NOT posted on December 13...BUT, how will I go back and correctly fill in the baby book if I don't post date it! :P

Raychel started screaming tonight, screaming and screaming and SCREAMING!!!!!!!!! Nothing seemed to calm her, nothing helped her stop, and Daddy even came up from downstairs because he thought something BAD must have happened!

But NOTHING appeared wrong! Until Mom thought, maybe she is teething again?!?! I put a teething tablet in her mouth and ran across a tiny little white stub that almost cut my finger.

AWWWWwwww...the poor little girl was pushing a tooth through!!!!!!!! Daddy held her for the next 45 minutes while the Tylenol kicked in and eventually she calmed down.

Mommy questioned whether or not to go to her school Christmas party with an upset little girl! Daddy said, "Let's Go! We'll just come back home if she is crying too much!" So, off we went! She was marvelous at the party and allowed everyone to pass her around, she even stayed up 2 hours past her bedtime and was STILL smiling!

Raychel drinking and eating!

"YEAH...A CUP! Woo hoo...give it here MOM!" (okay she didn't really say that...but I KNOW she was thinking it!

She puts it in her mouth and frowns because she can't get anything out, then it occurs to her to suck it....and YUCKY is the only word she could be thinking! She tried it several times and made this face EVERY time! I guess she doesn't like water out of a cup!
She tried one more time...Give me that cup, I see everyone else using those things and I just KNOW I'll love it!
NO way...get rid of that thing....I'm throwing it off this high chair! And that is JUST what she DID! All the way across the kitchen!

We'll keep trying the cup....ONE DAY she'll love it! =)

CARROTS...on the other hand...are her FAVORITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FINGER-LICKIN' GOOD!!!!

Raychel in her Santa Hat!

Raychel likes her Santa hat....when it is NOT on her head!

Peek-A-Boo!

Have I been NICE??????????

I'm a BIG girl NOW!

Raychel started eating in her highchair this past week! We had tried several times but she always slid down or over too far to be comfortable! She likes to sit in her highchair and eat squash, sweet potato, and carrots...with her oatmeal!

She likes to lean to the left and reach for....?!?!?! WHO KNOWS!!!

Feet are NEAT

Raychel found her feet a few weeks ago and was able to actually get to them...they are a long ways away for a little girl with a long torso! She LOVES to sit like this and it is even easier at bed time, between clothes and pajamas! Mommy finally stopped to catch her playing with her feet!

Everytime she plays, it is like she discovers them all over again...so fun to see!

SHE ROLLS

Raychel started out on the other side of her play mat and rolled across the living room. She stopped to play with the cord and the book...otherwise she rolled all the way with short breaks in between! Wowsers....it was amazing how quickly she made it! Fortunately, she still only rolls to the left. So...we have to put her down carefully, so she will roll into things we want her to roll to! Looks like Mommy and Daddy need to get busy child-proofing this house! MANY, MANY things must change around here!

Now, she can scoot around in a circle and keep rolling. So, no more placing her facing a certain direction...she is MOBILE!!!!! She can make it just about anywhere she is not supposed to be, but sometimes she can't make it out! She gets soooo much stronger every day!

Thanksgiving weekend!

Thankgiving was great fun! We went to 3 Thanksgiving dinners...LATE TO ALL THREE...but we did make it there before all the food was gone. (Darn, that was my diet plan!)

Would you believe that the pictures below are the ONLY pictures we took? We did get one picture of family....this is 4 generations with my Mom's Mom-Clara! Notice Mommy's glasses? She got pink eye in both eyes the week of Thanksgiving! So a doctor's visit, prescription, and brand new glasses added a lot to the montly bills! Ooops! My Dad says I look like Sarah Palin...Thanks DAD! :P

Grandpa Jerry was playing with Raychel...then she gave him a gift...do you see the big wet spots on his shirt? She spit up ALL OVER HIM! LOL

Raychel got to play with her cousin, Mommy's first cousin...actually. This is Mommy's Uncle's daughter! They had fun playing and Raychel loved watching her all day!

Before leaving Grandma Tollefson's house...Raychel finally went to sleep! She avoided a nap all afternoon!

These are two pictures from Raychel playing at Grandma Siever's Thanksgiving! She LOVES her guardian angel bear...
She was "lovin" teddy! HUGS!!!!!!!


Thanksgiving day we spent at the Deines' event! We showed up an hour late, but there were leftovers! Raychel spent the day in everyone's arms, being passed around! She enjoyed watching Mommy, Daddy, and cousins play pool after lunch too!

Friday we went up to Holton to spend the day with Grandma Tollefson. My Mom and Dad rode with us, but we still arrived late! Great-Grandma had her famous chocolate pie, yummy whole wheat rolls, and we enjoyed an AWESOME card game. Sorry Daddy, the GIRLS won BOTH!!! (P.S. Don't ask Derek what the score was!)

Saturday, Raychel and Mommy went to Junction City for lunch and coffee with Mommy's friends! We don't get together as much as we would like, but we enjoy meeting up when we do have time!

Sunday, we arrived about an hour late to Grandma Siever's Thanksgiving! Thankfully, everyone saved room for my HUGE grape salad! I was afraid we would bring 4 lbs of grapes back home with us! It was very fun to catch up with everyone! However Mommy, Daddy, and Raychel were all tired by the end of this BUSY weekend!