Dinner Time

It's usually about 6pm when I start dinner since Rex usually doesn't make it home until 6:15 or sometimes even 6:30. By that time Astoria has eaten three snacks, played in the playroom, pulled everything out of my purse..twice, and has even dumped my sewing basket. Needless to say about the time I start to fix dinner she's looking for some Mommy entertainment which can be hard to provide when your trying to cook. So tonight, I thought about how much she likes to play in the water and VIOLA I put her on the cabinet to play in the sink. No worries, I didn't leave that side of the cabinet for even a millisecond, notice the cut up tomatoes I was using and she was eating just as fast? She loved it and I had lots of time to cut up veggies and meat. She was not too excited when I put her down on the floor once I started really cooking.

Water fun:

This is the face I get when I say 'cheese'!

Not a great picture either but I think she looks exactly like my little sister did at that age :)

Anyway we're headed off tomorrow to the ENT for an ear check, we're using the same doctor that diagnosed her with torticollis at 6 weeks. In the past week I've picked her up from daycare 3 times with a fever. Last week (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) she got 6 injections of Rocephin and another 2 doses of it on Wednesday because the fluid was back in her ears. The joys of motherhood.

On a good note tonight before bed she sat in Rex's lap on the floor and proceeded to stand up on her own 10-12 times..one of those times she took a step with one leg but then fell (of course she would do none of it once I got the camera out). Perhaps, just maybe we'll have a walker on our hands soon. I'm so ready!!

This Weekend

Rex and I decided to make a surprise visit to Oklahoma this weekend. We got up at our normal weekday time of 6am and loaded in the car around 7am for the 3 hour trip north. Astoria stayed awake the entire time and did pretty well in the car (with LOTS of mommy entertainment). The surprise was great, Mom's face was the best :)

That day we got to visit Granny:

Take a bath with Olivia (don't you just wonder what they are talking about?)

Sunday before we left Mom and I took the kids to a splash park in Midwest City. Astoria loved it, I can't wait to take her one here (mainly because they have cushy flooring for her poor little knees).

Where'd it go?

I'm gonna get it!

They both loved sitting and watching the bigger kids before we got ready to leave.

When her eyelashes are wet it's almost as if they are too heavy to hold up..she also smiles like her mama...her entire face crinkles up :)

Going Bonkers!!

It's starting to get HOT here in Texas so I'm on the hunt for fun things to do with a 1 year old, indoors and relatively cheap. Not an easy task I've discovered. Today however, Rex, Astoria, and I went to a place called Going Bonkers (http://www.goingbonkers.com/). It was a lot of fun. Best thing..there is a section for those under 3 years of age. Not sure who got more of a workout though..Astoria or Rex and I?

The tunnel in...no fear!

Yeah, I can do this!

Still going strong.

Going down the slide with daddy!

Now I'm going by myself!

Having a blast.

Hey daddy!

Riding the tea cups...ready for Disney!

What mommy and daddy like to see after a fun, busy day of playing!

Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch

Today we ventured an hour north of the DFW area to the Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch in Pilot Point, Texas. They rescue animals from unhealthy situations and use the admission fee to care for the them. We weren't sure what to expect but we were ready to leave the city for a day out! We loaded into the Webb's mini-van, headed to McDonald's, ate breakfast, and got on the road. Once there we met Bree and her family. The first thing on the agenda:
the tram ride!

Astoria refused to sit for most of the ride, she wanted to stand up and look at everything passing by.

First up were the horses, deer, and llamas. She wanted to pet them all, no fear here!

Poor Lorelei even had to share her standing ground..
she was after those animals!

She LOVED it!

She almost couldn't contain herself when she saw this next:

Oh yeah, they were THAT close!

and she wanted to pet them all.


Oh and of course what's an animal park without a BEAR?
No worries, I didn't let her pet this one.

These days, this is what you get when you say "CHEESE"...she plays Peek-a-Boo. Yeah, we're still learning ;)

Or if you try too hard and too long to get a smile you the the 'please I really don't want to smile anymore look'.

I think this pretty much sums up how our day went. This may be one of my new favorite pictures.

Hello Nana!

I kept saying "Hello Nana" and each time she would put the phone to her ear, hehe. Can't wait until she can actually call and talk! Love you Mom!

13 Months Come and Gone..

Not much new going on around here in the Kleckner house. I decided to move Astoria into a daycare facility beginning June 1st. Her time at the home daycare has been amazing and I will use her again should we have another. Debbie did everything we could have wanted for Astoria from using breast milk, switching to formula, using all of my homemade baby food, and even switching to cloth diapers. I'm not sure I would have gotten all of that at a daycare. Now however, I think she needs more. She needs more interaction with kids her own age (much older or younger at Debbie's) and more independence (Debbie, I think, still sees her as an infant). Astoria is not walking but can crawl as fast as a blink. I'm getting a little more jealous of those around her walking yet still trying to hold onto the fact that she will indeed get there! I'm so ready though, I know people say you'll hate it when she walks but I'm ready, ready to have her follow me around, chase after the cats and all of those fun things. I went back looking at pictures this week and noticed a few that looked very similar except for the baby growing and all, hehe.

Hours after coming home from the hospital.

August at Nana's.

December at Nana's.

Just the other day at home. Boy has she grown!

Playin' in the Pool

It felt like summer today and the pool was calling our name! Astoria loved the pool! Thanks Cousin Aylors for giving us the best gift of the summer!

No worries she came back for more after she climbed the rock wall and went down the slide twice. Matter of fact once she figured out she could get in and out of the pool she loved getting in and out more than she loved being in it, hehe. She didn't however like the grass being in the pool with her. Every time she 'caught' a piece she would try to throw it out. Funny girl, she's going to be a clean freak like her Mama!