Sunday, April 29, 2007

Katy's First Vacation!!


We've just returned from an 8 day journey that I would call Katy's first real vacation. We stopped at Brian's folks' house on the way down for a few nights, as I already posted, and then we headed over to Charleston, South Carolina to join my mom and Greg in a condo there that belongs to a friend of Greg's. We had a really nice time. Charleston is very charming and interesting, I would definitely recommend going if you get the chance. We only skimmed the surface of all that you could do there.

The first thing we did was take a horse carriage ride around the city where we learned lots of interesting history about Charleston: the beginning of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, the first Opera, the First Baptist Church, and some incredible residential homes on the waterfront that maintain their historic look. I thought Katy would be really excited about the carriage ride, but I think she was more nervous than anything. She ate a couple hundred Cheerios and made it through, though.

Some of you know that I was a little stressed about anticipating the long drive. Overall Katy did well, the DVD player definitely helped keep her entertained (thanks to Mark and Kelly for letting us borrow it). There were a few rough spots, but considering that we drove about 1600 miles by the time it was all said and done, that was to be expected with an 11 month old. Ironically, the most stressful part of the trip was something I didn't anticipate: apparently outside of her comfort zone Katy doesn't like to eat. She often refused her bottle and solid foods, and at the end of the week she had lost over a pound. That's more than 5% of her body weight! Now that we're back home, she is eating normally. Little stinker.

A woman at my church (who has 6 kids) says that she and her husband don't call a trip with the kids a "vacation", but just a "trip." I can relate after this week. I felt like it was actually more work than a regular week, because I was caring for Katy, but outside the comfort and routine of home. I came back more tired than when I left: but the objective really wasn't as much to rest as it was to get away, spend time with family, and have some fun doing some new and different things. We accomplished that for sure!


It was also really neat to take Katy to the beach. She had a blast with the sand and the waves. The weather was perfect (as it was all week). This only lasted about 30 minutes, though, and then she had had enough. It's a lot to take in for sure. So we had a brief but enjoyable first beach experience.

My mom and Greg got some good Katy time as well. Mom and I took her to the magnolia plantation, which was incredibly beautiful. They also had a petting zoo, which may have been the highlight of the trip for her. She just loves animals, and we had to keep her from pulling the beard of the billy goat: I know those animals are used to being tortured by kids, but that one kind of scared me!

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Weekend in KY

This weekend we were able to visit Brian's family down in Kentucky. After a few weeks of winterish weather in Ohio, we left on the first decent day and headed south, where it's about 10 degrees warmer. So we went from highs in the low 50's to 85 the next day! It felt like a sudden summer vacation! We spent quite a bit of time outside, both playing in the yard and going to the park. We also experienced some of the small town adventures such as the root beer stand (the kind where you sit in the car and they serve chilli dogs - it's the busiest place in town, delicious!) and taking the Corvette to Wal-Mart with the top down (is that an oxymoron? it was a fun trip, though, where we reached unmentionable speeds ;) when we came out of the store, the guy who collects the carts in the parking lot was taking a picture of the car with his cell phone. it sure is pretty).


Anyway, Katy is starting to get old enough to really enjoy the park. It's best when there aren't other kids around, because they obviously tend to be a little rough, but she was really impressing me with her playing skills. She was actually crawling up the slide with her bare feet and hands. What a smartie!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

11 down, 1 to go...


...months until Katy's a year old, that is. Someone told me when Katy was born that when she turned a year old I'd feel "triumphant". (Do you know who you are?) Well, we're getting closer and closer and I AM starting to feel somewhat celebratory. How can I not? Just look at this face! The older Katy gets the more I like her. Not that I didn't like her before, of course, but I think some people are suckers for newborns, and some people really like older babies, and for others, preschoolers or older kids are more their strength. I'm not totally sure what my favorite age will end up being, but so far I like every month better and better. I have therefore concluded that maybe newborns are just not my forte. I know they're hard for a lot of people, though, so I don't know. And I know that toddlerhood will (and does already) have its challenges. But I just love seeing Katy turn into a little personality before my very eyes. She's 11 months old today!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Toddlerhood


It's official. My daughter is no longer a baby, but a full-blown, bonafide toddler. This video has all the aspects: walking, talking, and testing those good old boundaries. A couple of weeks ago if someone asked me "Is she walking yet?" I was saying, "well, a few steps here and there." But THIS week if someone asks me, the answer is a resounding "Yes!". She walks across the room and is getting faster and more confident everyday.

Of course, another thing that comes along with toddlerhood is battling the sickies. We've been back to the pediatrician with a fever that's been as high as 103 a couple times. But no antibiotics this time...we'll see, hopefully she'll get better without a developing an ear infection, knock on wood.

Shower of old friends

Yesterday I got the opportunity to go to my friend Anne's bridal shower in Lexington, KY. It was so fun to celebrate with her and some other friends that I haven't seen in a while. Kristen, Cheryl and I took a girly road trip that included all the important stuff, like Fazoli's. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend Anne's wedding because she's getting married on Katy's 1st birthday, so it was especially nice to get to go to the shower (and it's nice to have a mommy break, too).

Bev, Kristen, Nancy, Anne (the happy bride), myself, & Cheryl

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Katy's First Easter


We had a really nice Easter today. We figured out a way to use Katy's summer dress in the 30 degree weather, enjoyed Katy's basket opening, and of course, our church had a really great worship service. After church Aunt Mel and Cheryl came over for lunch, and then the whole family took a nap. :) It was a nice holiday. Really I just have a bunch of cute pictures to show you.

Cutie pa-tutie...




What do you put in an Easter basket for someone who's not able to eat candy?




She went for the "cookies" first...that's my girl.

My Granny made this coat for me for MY first Easter back in 1978. It kept Katy nice and warm today. (Thanks, Granny! She is an avid reader of the blog)

Saturday, April 07, 2007

No zoo for you!!


This week could be deemed "the week of the cousins." We spent the first part of the weekend visiting Katy's Aunt Kelly, Uncle Mark, and cousins Kim, Leah, and Carrie. "Cousin-Katy," as the girls called her, was really in seventh heaven. She LOVED being around the girls, playing with all the new toys, and exploring a new household. I really think she must be bored with me at home some days, which may contribute to her clinginess. She ate well and slept well, Brian says it's a sign that she wants siblings. Hmmm....good for her.
Anyway, our original intention was to go the zoo today, but the freezing weather definitely nixed that idea. So instead, we went to the YMCA to go swimming. But this was no ordinary YMCA: they actually had a little "waterpark" with fountains, a waterslide, a lazy river, and warm, wonderfully warm water. (so warm, in fact, that our camera fogged up, hence the foggy pics)This was a stark contrast to our only previous swimming experience with Katy. This time she loved it and we had a blast playing with our cousins in the water. So it redeemed swimming for us.

It's so fun to see Katy developing into a playful toddler - enjoying playing with other kids and enjoying kid activities such as swimming, museums, parks, zoos. I've got a lot to learn as we enter this new arena. I'm looking forward to it!

Thursday, April 05, 2007

One exciting milestone and one scary one...

As a baby shower gift, I received one of those calendars for the first year of life where you put stickers on the dates when your baby reaches certain milestones, and I noticed that it had 3 stickers for "sleeping through the night". At the time I thought, "hmmm...that's weird," I think because I imagined that all the sudden one morning, around 2 or 3 months of age, you would wake up and say, "wow, she never woke up last night!" and that would be the end of it: sleeping through the night from then on. WRONG: little did I know that here we are at 10 months of age, I have already used all 3 of my "sleeping through the night" stickers in a wishful thinking manner, and as of last week, we were STILL getting up a couple times each night to feed. At 10 months old, this seemed a little ridiculous, as well as a little exhausting. So finally, after months of debating, we decided to cut the night feeding and let her fuss. We went to bed with a very detailed plan of "if this, then this...if that, then that". The first two times she woke up that night were a piece of cake - she went right back to sleep when I went in and reassured her. But the third time, she wouldn't give up - for an HOUR. A very long hour. We were really close to giving in, but we didn't. And guess what? She has slept through the night (12 hours straight) for the past 5 nights - not a PEEP. It took one hour - it was so easy, in fact, that I find myself wishing I had done it months ago. But in reality, I really feel that the timing was just right. I just felt within the last month that the feeding was more about comfort than hunger. So now the whole family is sleeping better.

As for the scary milestone, that's a different story: so lately Katy's been really super clingy. I know before that I said this was no big deal, but it's becoming a bigger one. I know it's normal separation anxiety stuff, but it's really draining. Anyway, the other day she was actually playing on the floor with a toy, so I decided to run upstairs for 2 minutes and go to the bathroom. Well, she must've quickly realized I was gone and decided to come after me, because when I came out, guess where I found her?



Yeah, that's right, halfway up a flight of stairs!!! I have never seen her climb even a single step. I completely panicked, but of course tried to tiptoe down the stairs so I didn't startle her and make her fall backward. Oh my gosh, my heart is pounding just remembering that sight! Later, after calming down and after Brian got home, we decided to see the extent of this skill.



Next step: install a gate at the BOTTOM of the steps. Never would've thought of that one.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Cousins (2nd, once-removed?)




April and May are going to be very busy months for us, so there should be a lot of fun posts. Katy and I decided to kick off April with a road trip to northern Ohio to visit my cousin Abby (yes, my one and only first cousin), her husband Stan, and their 6 month old son Gabe. Katy did really well with the up-and-back-in-one-day thing, and she only took one nap, which is very unusual for her. But we really enjoyed the visit. It was great for Abby and I to have a chance to catch up. We've been friends as well as cousins for many years, but we were commenting on how becoming new moms, especially during the same year, really takes your friendship up a notch. Of course the babies enjoyed each other as well, and Katy was showing Gabe how to get into things, and showing Abby what Gabe will be getting into. :)
We were trying to figure out their relationship to each other - I don't understand all that "3rd cousin twice removed" kind of stuff. Does anyone know?
Isn't he a looker? Little Gabe-man...
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On another note, has anyone seen the 10 day forecast? I almost cried looking at it. I want to stomp my feet and pout, "NO! I already put my winter clothes away! We're supposed to go to the zoo this weekend! Katy's Easter dress is sleeveless!" But I don't think it will help. Urghhh...blasted Ohio weather.

Darn those gators

Even though I'm not as into basketball as football, this year we got half-season tickets to the games and we've been following our Buckeyes all the way through their outstanding season and tournament. We've had several really close calls, but last night we played in the championship game against Florida. Sound familiar? Yes, we played in the championship game against Florida in FOOTBALL back in January. While this one didn't seem to hurt quite as much, we fell to those Gators once again. We stuck with them, though, and every single one fo those Florida players could've gone to the NBA last year. So they were hard to beat. But gosh, sure would've been nice.