This weekend Kennedy went on her first Carousel ride. She liked the music a lot and at first seemed excited about the ride. By the end of the ride though, she was ready to get off. She had a great time at the Boardwalk watching her cousins, Samantha and Campbell, go on the serpent roller coaster, the log ride and the day before visiting Pixieland with them!

When we got back to Gramma and Poppa’s house, she took her first unassisted steps while practicing walking with Daddy! She repeated her 1-2 step prowess again for me later. The steps are pretty inconsistent when she is unsupported, but she will push her little cart around without help from anyone. She is not very good at turning yet, so the long driveway at Gramma and Poppa’s was nice because she could go up and back (over and over) without having to turn.

Pictures to follow (of the carousel, we haven’t gotten the steps on video yet).

Well, it’s been about 3 months since these were taken now, but better late than never.

One of my favorite things about being a daddy is discovering new ways to make Kennedy laugh and giggle; from slapstick comedy routines to ticklespots… I love ‘em all!  I always have to call Lisa over when I’ve found a new one.

Nine months have flown by, Kennedy is so big and independent, not a little baby anymore.  She continues to be very mobile- crawling, pulling to stand with the slightest support and yesterday, Kennedy stood all by herself for probably 5 or more seconds! She had her 9 month check on Monday, the best part of which was that she didn’t have to get any shots!  Yay!  She is doing well, is 75th percentile for height for her age and 43rd for weight.  Crawling has definitely thinned her out, plus I think she just went through a growth spurt.

The biggest change for me (and for her, although she doesn’t know it yet) is that Kennedy will be starting day care next week. She’ll be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 6 or 7 hours. We went by the place again this morning for playtime and she had a blast. She is fascinated by the other kids and loved playing with the new toys. There was a 5 year old girl there who took to her right away, and brought her toys, showed her how to work them and was explaining the ways of daycare to her (there are no toys by the fireplace because we don’t play over there). So, even though I might be a nervous wreck, I think that Kennedy will have fun and learn a lot being around all those other kids a couple days a week.

Next up…mom and dad get ready to leave her (in good hands) for a weekend.

Just breathe. 

Kennedy started crawling about a week ago. It is still a process of starting and stopping. She sometimes gets her right leg caught under her a bit and drags it behind. It also often seems like as she is getting going, she accidentally finds herself in sitting. Overall, each day is getting a bit more fluid. Her primary goal seems to be getting to someplace where she can pull to stand, apparently she still prefers the upright position!

This weekend while Chris was helping his friends celebrate the end of bachelorhood in New Orleans, Kennedy and I went to Ladera Ranch to hang out with the Freemans. Despite terrible flight ordeals in both directions, we had a great visit. Kennedy went in a pool for the first time and LOVED it! She could have stayed in there all day I think. She loved the splashing and spinning through the water and did not seem to mind at all that it was a cool, foggy day! She also loved playing with her cousins, Samantha and Campbell, who loved showing her toys, cuddling and helping her get what she needed.

Kennedy’s four legged cousin Gatsby, the Freemans (quite big) golden retriever, was also a hit. Gatsby is huge and gentle and loves babies. He would give her kisses on her bald head and she would laugh a big belly laugh from her toes. They spent quite a lot of time cuddling this weekend too! It was a great trip, but I will recommend flying Southwest out of Oakland for anyone who might be considering flying SFO to Orange County.