Tale of Two Sisters & A New Brother

You know the saying that life can change in an instant? Well that is true for us today. Our good friend & co-worker Allan was killed today in a car accident. Just 3 years after our friend Mr. Randy. Mr. Allan as Caileigh calls him had a wonderful wife Amy, daughter Abby just 6 mos older than Caileigh and Joey, 16 months old. We'll miss him everyday.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Daddy and I made her breakfast in bed - chocolate chip waffles, bananas and whipped cream!! Then she opened her presents (a bracelet I picked out, a few outfits from Daddy, and the Shamu DVD!). Oh and did I mention I made her a rigatoni necklace?! We didn't have any macaroni.

Since it was raining we couldn't go to the pool :( and today was the last day! But instead we stayed inside and watched Shamu and played and took naps! And then Jack slept over!

Mom said it was a great birthday!

Big cookout today with cousins and friends for Mommy's birthday! She turns 28 tomorrow! We had the jumpy thing out and Daddy built a fire for smores!! I loved dressing up with Sydney in our high heels and makeup! Keira and Carter loved seeing each other for the first time!

Guess who is 8 months old?!

So you may be wondering, what is our 8 month old sweetie doing these days? Well all kinds of things!

She's rolling when she wants to;

But she likes to stand all.the.time...
Gets very mad if she has to sit and will climb all over you to stand up...

But if you try to get her to take a step, she sits back down;

Eating pretty much anything you offer - spaghetti, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, avocado, bread, chicken, etc.. etc.. The only thing she is not a fan of so far is applesauce;

Loved the pool (when the water was warm) and loves taking baths;

Babbling, squawking, talking, licking her lips, smiling (of course) and laughing at her big sister;

Gets excited in the morning when you peek into her crib - kicks her hands and legs so you'll pick her up;

Then when you do she kicks and buries her head in your shoulder and then starts looking for her sister;

Sitting up all the time, plays with her toys, stacks rings and pounds on her toolbox!

17 pounds a few weeks ago and going strong. Wearing 6-9-12 mos clothes (just like her sister did at a year!);

And at last count had two teeth on the bottom but a few more are peeking through I think;

As for sleeping, well a few days last week she slept right until morning but the last few days she's been fussy all night. So some days good and others not so good. Just means more cuddling time with Mom!!

We love you sweet Keira and can't wait for all the fun times ahead!

Just a quick update to say that Caileigh did great presenting her "All About Me" bag at preschool. She ran into school and when Daddy picked her up she said "I had an awesome day at school today", I didn't even cry before I took a nap" (apparently she does this often).

Preschool is going much better this year since she is one of the older kids and its a much smaller class. She is really starting to share more about her day which is nice! Plus she loves her teacher, Ms. Flo. She already got to bring home a Curious George book that Ms. Flo had along with an actual George stuffed animal (Keira loved him!), and she brought in two books from home b/c "Ms. Flo asked her to bring them in". Fun stuff.

Up early to cheer on Daddy at the Steeler 5K - he did great, we were so proud of him! And Caileigh did great at peddling her bike all around the parking lots too!

Then it was off to a picnic at Daddy's bosses house where Caileigh had lots of fun playing with Chelsea and Alex, Dr. Rob's kids. They are 4 & 3 so perfect for Caileigh. Keira also met 2 other girls between 7-8 months. I think Keira could have crushed them with her head! She was easily the biggest of the 3 girls but the one that smiled the most too :)

And her power thighs are helping her stand = she loves to stand up and then squat down now. And she likes to sit, move her butt and then dive on her hands and roll. She's starting to move- watch out!!

Busy weekend for us. Saturday Daddy went golfing so the girls worked on Caileigh's "All About Me" bag for preschool. She had to decorate her brown bag to look like her and then put some of her favorite things inside and then tell her class about all of them. So she put in a picture of she & Keira, one of she and Cinderella and then one of the 4 of us. Her veronica (or harmonica), Franklin book, Laurnie Berkner cd, notebook, pencils, lollipops, pez, autograph book. I know you're thinking, "how big is this bag?" Suffice it to say Caileigh likes everything!

Then we had dinner with Aunt MK b/c she is leaving for Ireland this week and hadn't seen the girls in a few weeks. She & Keira looked gorgeous in their blue!!

What a surprise for all Mommy's friends as the girls spent the morning with her at work! Aunt Molly is in the Outer Banks so no babysitter today! Caileigh watched Mr. Rogers and Laurie Berkner dvds while Keira took a snooze and spent most of the morning in everyone's arms!! Then Caileigh got some pizza while Ms. Cheryl took Keira and rocked her to sleep!! Then it was off with Daddy to nap some more and to the pool!!

Well Keira's screaming fits continue so off to get her ears checked she went. And they were fine - phew! But who knows why she is screaming?? Not sure but I do know she is 17 pounds!! Anyone comparing to her big sister? Because if you are Caileigh was 17 lbs 4 oz at 12 MONTHS!! No kidding!! Its all in her thighs and head!!

Caileigh headed back to preschool today with Ms. Flo and even though she complained "I don't wanna go", she came home chatty as ever and had a great time!

Lazy Sunday which is nice since we were all up late last night. The girls headed to the bookstore because the library was closed and read all kinds of great books like Curious George, Give a Cat a Cupcake, Corduroy and Give a Moose a Muffin! And Caileigh was busy taking all kinds of pictures with her camera. Keira slept!

Poor Miss Keira has something going on because she kept waking up screaming and didn't want to lay back down. So that made for a long night for Mom! Hopefully it will pass soon!

Fun day today with all Daddy's friends and their kids. 4 kids under 8 months and 6 more under 9! We had smores, ice cream and a bonfire! Nice to see everyone again!

Well its back to reality and routine in the Duffy house! I think Keira was the happiest to be back, she was giddy when I dropped her off at daycare on Wednesday - happy to be back amongst all the toys!! And she's sleeping a bit better so her teeth must be feeling better. She had some pasta & broccoli the other night and I think she got a good amount in her mouth.

Caileigh is back hanging with her cousins and grandparents! We had a "meet the teacher" night at her preschool so even though she's in the same class again it was good to see everything she will be learning this year. Caileigh is one of the older kids now so she'll have to help out the teacher with the younger kids. I think she's up for it.

Oh and I forgot to mention she and Jack went to the Wiggles show with Daddy & Uncle Joe!! They were excited but Daddy was mad they didn't play any of the songs he knew! No matter, the kids still had fun.

Looking forward to the weekend & some sunny weather hopefully!!

Bet you thought I forgot Keira's 7 month pictures! I didn't, just never got a chance to take them until now. Turns out she is taking after her sister watching golf! I'll post some pics side by side in the August folder - see if you can guess who is who?!

Easy day today - church, shopping and the pool!

We're back! Easy flight back to Pittsburgh, Caileigh and Keira slept (a little) and I even got to read some of my book - finally! Lots of unpacking and Caileigh immediately started trying on her new blue & pink nail polish. Something tells me she'll have a lot of new things to do with her pretend friends! Keira doing good, happy as a clam again and got giddy when we walked in the door. I think she missed being home! Me too!

Last day of vacation and our most boring yet! Pool in the morning, naps for the girls (a long one for Keira), massage for Mom, Kids Zone for Caileigh and pizza for dinner. Caileigh & Dad played "you're the cook and I'm the hostess" for about an hour and then Caileigh used her princess makeup to give everyone a makeover!

Goodbye to Florida- we'll miss you!!

Sorry about the video - they upload horizontal from iphone and they still haven't fixed the audio glitch!

Just a quick update b/c its late & I'm tired! Great day today - started out doing a sand art class at the Kids Zone and then to the pool for a few hours before naps for both girls.

Then we headed to Downtown Disney for Caileigh's appointment at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to get her hair, nails & makeup done. She got all dressed in her Cinderella outfit and as she walked in everyone addressed her as Princess! It was like everyone was her Pap Pap!!

We weren't sure if she would like getting her hair done but she was insistent on wanting the bun in the back of her hair. Well the hairstylist convinced her to go with a different look ("disney diva") and get extensions b/c there was no way she was pulling her curly hair into a bun! So Caileigh picked out PINK extensions of course and loved the final look! Complete with Mickey Mouse bobby pins, makeup, pink nails and long pink extensions! She's been hoping for long hair for awhile & this was her chance!

Unfortunately it started raining a torrential downpour while we were in the boutique so we had to hang out in the Disney Store for awhile since we had no umbrella or cover. And you better believe the Princess was not getting wet (ok she didn't mind but her dad did!). So after buying 2 ponchos and 2 towels, it was off to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. After dinner we walked around a bit and then hit Ghiradellis for ice cream. Caileigh must have asked 20 times if I knew how to take her hair out and it was quite a process. Her hair is now matted to her head so we'll see if the pool gets the hairspray out tomorrow!

Poor Keira had a rough night, she is not enjoying these late nights and cried the whole way home. She's a trooper but has been having some rough moments lately so I know she'll be glad to be back to her routine in Pgh.

Last day tomorrow! Nothing on the agenda except relaxing!

P.S. The camera works again! We buried it overnight in rice and it soaked up the water perfectly!).

P.P.S. Two surprises today - a new wand that lights up to take to the Boutique and a water snake to play with in the pool.

Sea World!! It started with Breakfast with Elmo and we were in the front row. The characters did a song and dance routine and then everyone came to the table to sign Caileigh's autograph book and take a picture. I think it was Keira's favorite part of the day because she loved their big noses and fur! She even picked out a Big Bird stuffed animal as we were leaving. It was great b/c it wasn't crowded (unlike Cinderella's lunch) so we got lots of pictures and time with the characters!

Then off to see some of the animals like the sea lions and dolphins and then to our first show - Elmo & Abby's Treasure Chest which both girls really liked. Then off to "Believe" which is the Shamu show. Wow! This one John & I really liked. It was amazing a even a tearjerker!

After the show it was hot and humid so we headed to Shamu's Harbor (aka Kids' Zone) for some water play, kid rides and the huge climbing net. Keira had some much needed time out of the heat to get recharged while Caileigh & Daddy rode another roller coaster and more rides.

Then it was onto "Clyde & Seymour take Pirate Island" a show with the sea lions which was really funny. After that we saw penguins, sharks and finally dinner in the shark tank! After dinner the skies started to get really dark so we couldn't go in the sky tower as planned so we called it a night instead. Caileigh did great, it was a tougher day for Keira with the heat so she was glad to get home and a much needed bath!!

The princesses forgot to leave a surprise today so they'll have to do two tomorrow! Easy day, pool and Downtown Disney for Caileigh's appointment at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!

Today was a relaxing day compared to yesterday. It was pool pool pool. We even went swimming before breakfast so the girls could get some of the grime off them from the day at Magic Kingdom, we don't believe in baths on vacation. Except for the one Caileigh took tonite in our jacuzzi tub, b/c that's more like swimming.

So we took it easy at the condo, then hit the main pool at the resort for lots of swimming. Today's surprise was dive sticks so Caileigh had lots of fun with those in the water. Then she and I went out on the lake in a paddle boat exc. it was motorized and there was a big squirtgun on it so she was in charge of shooting the water. And then I decided to go through the big waterfall in the lake and it got our camera all wet. So at the moment its sitting in a bag of rice to see if that will soak up the water. The memory card is ok but the camera, maybe not.

Anyway, back to the condo and Keira has been sleeping since 6:00 pm so we'll see how the night goes. Caileigh played "Teacher" most of the day and ordered everyone around. Then we played Cinderella's Castle and I got to be the waiter, and John was the cook. But at least I got to wear the tiara. She's a slave driver that one!

Sea World tomorrow and breakfast with Elmo!

Disney Day... what a day! We started out a bit slower than we wanted, mainly b/c our little two teeth girl was up most of the night so I slept in a bit later. The day couldn't have been more hot or humid but the girls held up really well.

We arrived on Main Street and right away Caileigh wanted to get Daisy Duck's autograph in her new autograph book. She gave Daisy a big hug and it was off to find more characters. We were walking around the back of Cinderella's castle and ran right into the Fairy Godmother!! Bibbidi Bobbidi Bo she said! Caileigh told her we were eating lunch with Cinderella.

Our first ride was Snow White's Scary Adventure--- not a good choice. All 4 of us went on it and 2 our of 4 started crying (hint, it wasn't John or I)! Ok so lets look for friendlier rides! Carousel, dumbo flying elephants and the best ride of all..."its a small world"! By far Caileigh's favorite (and the shortest line!), we rode it twice and she danced in the boat and sang the whole time.

We tried to get more autographs but the lines were too long and we had a date at the castle for lunch. So after a quick change, Caileigh turned into Princess Caileigh! And didn't everyone at the castle address her as such. And we were the Royal Family!! Well she was so excited to get dressed up - oh and the surprise today?? A perfect blue tiara and matching earrings! She loved them!

So we got to the Castle and went inside and THERE SHE WAS!! Cinderella all dressed in her gorgeous blue gown with blonde hair and gloves. Caileigh was so excited to see her, everyone commented how cute she was. And yes, I was crying. We got pictures and she signed her autograph book, and Caileigh showed her her bracelet and told her she saw her Fairy Godmother. It was all very exciting and then we went up the castle to the restaurant for lunch. Soon all the princesses came into the room and stopped at each table. First, Snow White, then Aurora, Belle and last Jasmine. Belle was especially cute b/c she held Keira in her lap and gave her a big kiss on her forehead! Keira just stared at her and the other Princesses the whole time. Caileigh was amazed but kept asking "when is Cinderella coming to lunch?" We had to explain she was the hostess and was greeting everyone downstairs.

So after lunch it was off to Mickey's Toontown to hopefully meet Mickey himself. Caileigh surprised everyone but going on her first rollercoaster - Goofy's Barnstormer! Then it was a quick change into her bathing suit to play in the water on Donald's boat and back over to Fantasyland for more rides. We didn't see Mickey b/c the wait was 90 minutes but that's ok b/c we rode the racing cars, Peter Pan's flight, and Poohs Adventure. By that time it was dinner and you could tell everyone was starting to peter out. Thankfully the sun went down and it was just humid but we were all pretty sticky! So after dinner we walked around a bit to see the castle changing colors. By now everyone was lining the streets for the big parade but we said goodbye to Disney and made our way home. It wasn't long before both girls were asleep. Caileigh did wake up when we got home and said she wanted to pray for Cinderella.

We got great pictures and video but I'm too tired to upload them exc. a few from my phone so will do some tomorrow!!

I can't believe I forgot to mention that Keira now the beginnings of 2 bottom teeth!! I felt them yesterday! No wonder she was up every other hour last night!

Everyone was up early on the first full day of vacation! Off to church at Mary Queen of the Universe Shrine and then (where else), the pool!! Much more crowded than last night. Today's surprise was a squish ball to play with in the pool (hidden in the bathtub!). We swam and bit, napped (well Caileigh did) and then headed to the kids area at the resort so Caileigh could play in the maze. Keira just hung out with the adults!

Then more swimming (did I mention Caileigh is swimming reall far all by herself, floating on her back and doing somersaults in the water?) and dinner on the porch of our condo. Ice cream ended the day. Keira went to bed early and Caileigh got there eventually. BIG DAY tomorrow!!

Caileigh has also become an avid picture taker with our cell phones. She took about 35 pictures yesterday of everything in the condo - some are actually pretty good! And videos too!

As I sit here uploading pictures, we can hear the TEEN campfire across the lake and the dj playing "cha cha danielle". John is boogeying!

We're here in Orlando!! The flight was really exciting and went pretty fast! Caileigh and Keira did great except Keira was up almost the whole time instead of sleeping! We touched down and were knocked out by the hot humid weather! And when I say humid I mean instant sweat!

Off to the resort but we couldn't check in right away so we got some lunch, got groceries and then checked into our condo. Then the downpour started :(. No mind, we waited it out and then headed to the pool. It was like bath water so Keira loved it. Caileigh swam and swam and didn't want to stop. The day ended getting smores over at the beach area. And Caileigh met her twin Elizabeth!! Long day for the girls and boy too :)

Oh and you wouldn't believe it but the Princesses, yes those Princesses left Caileigh a note and a gift at our condo. The note said that they were so excited to see her and would be leaving a little present hidden in our condo every day - isn't that nice. Today's gift was two little princess puzzles (perfect to play when it rained ;) ) and they were hidden inside the tv cabinet! It took 2 minutes for Caileigh to ask when she was getting another gift!

this week has been flying by, probably b/c we are so excited to be going on vacation Saturday! Caileigh made her calendar a few weeks ago and has been counting down the days until she sees the Princesses! Don't worry, we'll update with details and pictures as we go along!

7 months already? Is it possible?! Keira has been doing great! Sleeping pretty well the past 2 weeks, some nights she's up once, other nights not at all. Usually she does get up around 5 or 6 and then goes back to sleep (usually in our bed) for another hour or two and then wakes happy as a clam, kicking her feet, squealing and looking all around for her big sister!

Caileigh has been grumpy about going to bed lately which makes her grumpy in the morning too but even she finds it hard to be grumpy when her little sister is so excited to see her!

Keira is back to loving cereal and all orange foods, although we try to limit those so her nose doesn't turn orange. She loves to spit back applesauce and bananas but didn't mind the broccoli/califlower mix I made the other night! That's ok by me if she's a veggie girl like her sister!

I don't know what she weighs now but the other day I put a 9 month creeper outfit on her and held her up and asked John if he thought it was too small - it didn't fit over her thighs :) Her Aunt Kelly likes to joke, "Goodyear called, they lost their blimp" -- ha ha! She's worn a few 12 month outfits already! Caileigh wore 12 months when she was 18 months! Yay for baby chub!

Nothing to report today b/c we stayed at home all day! The weather was rainy and we had nowhere to go - yay! This time next week we'll be in Florida!!

Busy day today - a fun playdate with some of mommy's friends and all their kids. I had fun on the water slide and playing in the sandbox. Keira had fun sleeping!
Then off to Pap Pap & Grammy's to swim in their pool for awhile and then to Great Pap Pap's to see the Duffy clan. I didn't get home until late and I was tired!

praying for Pap Pap who went to the ER today suddenly and then stayed overnight at the hospital. He has pneumonia but everything else checked out ok.

All I can say is I'm very excited that one of the girls has been sleeping very well the past few days. First she was getting up and then going back to sleep without crying. Then she stopped getting up until morning - will it continue?? Probably not!

On the other hand that same child is not taking too well to any solid foods and as you can see in the green bean video -she finds it very funny to raspberry the food out in your face!! Bleech!

sorry no sound on the new videos - something glitchy with the iphone & this site. Hopefully soon they'll fix it otherwise, I'll make sure to just video with my camera!

Happy Birthday Meghan - she's a teenager!!

Today Mommy, Caileigh, Jack & Syd went on the Gateway Clipper for the ice cream social cruise! It started off really hot on deck but once the dj started playing the crazy music everyone started boogeying. The magic show was great and Syd even got to hold the pet rabbit. Jack didn't want any ice cream, he just wanted to take off his shoes and dance!

Keira and Daddy stayed home b/c she was sleeping and he was busy sneezing. Dear sweet Keira has been keeping mommy & daddy up at night so hopefully this week will be better.

Caileigh made two real friends today - Alex (3) & Chelsea (4) they are Daddy's bosses' kids and we went over their house for dinner and to swim. The three of them had a great time playing dress up, barbies, trucks and cooking for everyone. Keira and Riley are only a month apart so they were fascinated with each other as well. Pics to come soon!

Busy week for Caileigh... she spent the week at Vacation Bible School for the first time at St. Sebastian and most days went to Aunt Kelly's after for the rest of the day. She even slept over Thursday night. Friday her Grandpa and I went to the prayer service and all the kids (200+) sang the songs they learned during the week. Caileigh was pretty nervous and didn't really sing or do the hand motions but once she got home she sang the songs for us!

Busy day today. First we went to Sears to get Keira's 6 mos pictures taken. She fell asleep right before we got there so wasn't her usual cheery self. But she did manage to eek out a few smiles, will share pictures when I get them uploaded. It was a looonnnggg process but Caileigh was a trooper, helped that we ate at the mall after.

Then with no time for a nap, Caileigh and I headed to the pool for Caileigh's swim lesson. Well it was barely 70 degrees and Caileigh was the only one at the pool!! She did great, learned how to come up and take a breath while swimming, and to "streamline" her arms while floating on her back. Although Caileigh likes to talk alot (shocker) during her lesson so sometimes I think poor Miss Sara learns more than she does!

So after her lesson I begrudgingly decided to get in and swim a bit - the water was actually warm even though the air was cold. Well surprisingly Caileigh wanted to jump off the diving board so off we went. I waited in the pool and she walked to the edge and jumped right in!! I was shocked she did it and was laughing and so happy! The guard must have thought we were nuts. She did it again and again and wanted to jump backwards but I thought forward was good for the time being. After about 30 mins of shivering we got out and both took hot showers!

She slept great after that, but we won't talk about her sister's sleep!

Two good doctor appts for Keira first the stats:
15 lbs 14 ozs ; 26.25 inches and head is still big but not too big ! She's 50th and 60th percentile for height & weight! And for those keeping track caileigh at 6 mos was 14 lbs 2 ozs! And 24+ inches! Wow again didnt I feed her?

She got two shots and did just fine. She then went to see the hip and as is well there too. She goes back one more time in 6 mos. We were concerned about her feet turning in and the dr said "yes her feet, they're fat" but the turning in is not a concern! Nice huh?!

Them after he rain it was off to Mexican night at the pool and Caileigh swam and swam and then stayed up late playing with the neighborhood kids. Fun night!

Busy week for the girls! Caileigh's "friends" Lexi and Sara have been sleeping over all week, their dad said they could stay for 31 days! We pulled up another chair to the dinner table for them. She got an invite to a bowling birthday party for a boy at school and I met her new (real) friend Hailey from school. They were playing together and ran up to me when I picked her up and Caileigh said "mom can she come to my birthday?". And then as we were leaving she asked if Hailey could bring drink boxes when she comes over.

Keira has been fighting a stomach bug so she hasn't been eating all that much and her reaction to cereal is now "what garbage you feeding me?". She's sitting up much better but not very interested in rolling over. Oh well soon enough. She has her 6 mos checkup tomorrow and follow up with Dr Mendelsohn for her hip.

Caileigh slipped at school off the step stool (during carnival day of all days) and her lip was bleeding pretty hard. I got a call at work but Ms. Flo said she was doing ok and would call after naps if Caileigh was still upset. No call came so I figured she was fine (which she was). But my dear smart child didn't hesitate to tell me that night " mom, next time I fall at school just come pick me up after my nap ok?". Ok kiddo

Well Keira is certainly enjoying eating solids! She's tried some banana and avocado already and seems to like them both. She also discovered how to spit and tried that skill while eating the avocado - fun!!

And two nights in a row she has slept until 4:30 and 5:30 am! You might think that is way too early but for a girl that was getting up at midnight or 2 am, 4:30 is great! Of course when she wakes up she just talks to herself, giggles and plays with her blankets a bit so that's fun to listen to. And every so often she hits the aquarium in her crib and plays music for herself. She's learning!

Fun at the St Sebastian festival tonite!! I rode all the rides even the Ferris Wheel with Grandpa! Can't wait to go back in a couple of days!

Boy was I tired today. We went to the pool and I kept swimming and swimming back and forth to Mommy & Daddy! Then I started doing cannonballs and splashing everyone. We ate dinner on the deck, had dessert and played on the swings before bed. Keira loves the swing. Oh and did I mention KEIRA is 6 MONTHS old today?! She loved the pool too but loves her cereal more! Too bad we all have to go back to school and work tomorrow!

Happy 4th of July! And Happy Birthday Grandma! We started out at the Apple store (Mommy & Daddy took a class and Ms. Eileen, Keira and I went to Brueggers!) and walking around Shadyside Then we had a party for Grandma and had cake, ice cream, jello, whipped cream (yes that was all Caileigh ate!) and then watched fireworks! They were great!