Another wonderful day with a wonderful baby

We had Mama & Me this morning. It's so nice to have a sweet group of Mommies (& babies) to spend time with and Kathryn loves it. After Mary Michael and Lucy came over for a little bit then we attended the mid-day service at Trinity. I haven't attended a service during the day in a long time and it was really nice. Kathryn did her fake cry she sometimes does when I pick her up. I saw her smiling before she realized I was in the room.

We were lazy this afternoon, playing in Kathryn's room and taking a little walk. She has decided that she loves playing in her bed. I'll read to her, she'll use it as a trampoline, we'll dance (I dance on the floor and her in the bed). We talked to our friends Ruth and Libby about them coming this weekend. We're very excited! If all goes well, better than last time, we will take the girls to the zoo to pet the animals and to play in the water. Rob is excited after all my stories recent stories of Libby, he wants to see her in action for himself. Ruth actually went to high school with us and she deserves some credit for getting Rob and I together.

Our little Easter bunny

We didn't doing much worth talking about but we had fun playing around the house and yard this afternoon. This morning Kathryn had school and had a great time. When I went to pick her up she ran over and gave me a hug and then resumed trying to close another baby in a cabinet (he was happy about this).

The pic below is after the Easter egg hunt at church yesterday.










This is a cute picture I found while looking through our camera. It was very difficult to try and get two babies to look at the camera happily!

Fun filled family weekend

Kathryn's Easter dress

Our lazy Sunday

My mom came in town this weekend so not much time to blog. We took Kathryn to the festival at Dawson and it was awesome. Kathryn loved the puppet show and was dancing along. Kathryn decorated a giant cookie and played with the bubble blowing machine. Next year she will really like to go on a pony ride and jump in the inflatables.

Saturday my mom I and planned to make Thomas' jon jon for Easter. We were going to alter a pattern I had in order to insert a smocking plate and alter the size. Keep in mind we have no measurements for him, just a garment my mom has that is too big for him that needs to be altered. I told my mom "this pattern will make it so easy" and we'll save $12 not having to get a pattern. It was a disaster. We said, "The smocking needs to be 9 inches across," then made cording for 9 inches and decided, "no that's not right, it needs to be 12 inches". We had already cut the cording, but after some searching found more. This went on for an hour. Theoretically it seems so easy but we turned into complete morons. I'll die if he gets anything on it.

Today our church had an Easter egg hunt (indoors). Kathryn was not very interested in the eggs, she just held two and shook them. When I tried to show her how to put them in her basket she cried. Then she started making a pile of eggs. Luckily she got distracted after accumulating about 6 because another child came up and grabbed the jackpot.

Kathryn officially drank out of a sippy cup!!!! You have no idea how amazing this is. Until Thursday she had only chewed on one even though I give them to her constantly. She only took a sip or two but I was happy with the progress. Friday she had another sip or two and Saturday she drank an ounce. Today she wouldn't drink any and started freaking out since we'd been sort of forcing them on her all week. I pulled out another sippy cup that Rob's mom had bought 6 months ago, and she drank 4 ounces, then at dinner had another four out of it. It is the same shape as her bottle and the nipple part is in between a sippy cup and bottle. We are just so thankful we are done with bottles, especially after she threw hers and broke one at the zoo and at school recently.


The next picture is our adorable "da," as Kathryn would say. He is not smart at all but today he had a rather good idea. . .

Mmmm. . . cupcakes

I made Kathryn caramel cupcakes and with half the batter I made Rob a cake. Kathryn doesn't like cake and Rob doesn't like cupcakes. As you can see Kathryn enjoyed one and I must say they were quite good.

We had another great day but nothing very noteworthy. Kathryn did have school this morning and her teacher told me she had a wonderful time running around during P.E. Imagining toddlers have P.E. is such a cute picture!




I ran by Kordurory Krocodile after seeing Eli's cute little sandals that Melissa got from there. These are the two outfits that I found and they are in impeccable condition and there is NO way I could make them for the price I paid.


This picture has been emailed around before but it is so precious that it is worth seeing again.

A fun zoo day

We had such a fun day meeting some of the "Mamas" at the zoo and lunch. Kelley's three year-old son, Hudson, was helping me with Kathryn. She would straggle behind watching the animals and two times Hudson went and said "Kathryn, come on." The third animal exhibit he had to do this at he got behind her and shoved her along which did not seem to bother her and it cracked me up. He is going to be a big helper when his sister arrives.

While eating lunch Kelley was talking about how her mom is so good about buying stuff for Hudson and I feel the same way. Our families are so good to us. My mom has smocked many, many dresses for Kathryn and my mother-in-law can not stay away from buying Kathryn the latest styles from Baby Gap and Old Navy. Who could resist buying clothes for such a beautiful baby???

After naptime Kathryn helped me in the yard cleaning out the flower beds and cleaning off the walkways. She grabbed the shovel and was trying her hardest to use it and was getting aggravated so I went and got her pink baby rake and she loved it. She kept swinging it around and hitting me with it. After we were all worn out I sat on the edge of the sidewalk surveying our work and Kathryn came and sat next to me for several minutes. She is so snuggly!

It was another wonderful day spent with my precious, little angel. We are having such a great week together.

What a beautiful day

Kathryn started eating yogurt while on vacation and really likes it. This is from yesterday. She was so happy then I wouldn't let her pick up the baby food jar and she became devastated. She really can't handle being told "no."

Kathryn and I had such a nice day. The weather was perfect! We had Mama & me group today. Here's a pic of Kathryn being silly at Mama & me. Kathryn loved the treats they had and chowed down on a chocolate cupcake (some got up her nose) and a donut. The dress she has on is my latest creation. I finished this morning and Kathryn looked beautiful.

This afternoon Kathryn helped me pull weeds in the flower beds. She wouldn't stand in the dirt so she just stood on the edge and used her spoon to "dig" up the weeds. She tries so hard to help me.

Robert's best friend, John, called this afternoon to let us know he'd set a wedding date for July in Las Vegas! I've never been so I'm really excited. I hate the idea of leaving Kathryn, I know I will miss her so much. I could cry thinking of leaving her for a whole weekend but she'll be staying with my mom and to say she is excited is an understatement. She'll also get to spend time with Aunt Ash and Thomas.

The pics below are of Kathryn in her bunny ears. She was playing peek-a-boo around the chair with me. In the one on the right she is getting mad at Sugar because she is tired of playing tug of war and just wants her sweater.

A relaxing Sunday

We had a relaxing Sunday with our little family. We had our weekly brunch then headed to church. After naptime Kathryn was extra snuggly - she ate her snack while snuggled up then stayed there watching cartoons with us. For dinner Kathryn had her second ever peanut butter sandwich, we were so proud of her for eating real food (that wasn't only carbs!). For dessert she had some fudge, which I was envying so badly since I gave up chocolate for Lent! Here are some pics from us playing this afternoon. Have a wonderful week, everyone, and Happy Spring!

It's so nice to be home.

I haven't blogged in a few days because there wasn't anything particularly noteworthy. My mom informed me that even if I don't have anything to say I should just post pictures. So I will try!

Yesterday we got home after a pleasant ride home, Kathryn was excellent in the car. She ate sunchips and chocolate from The Candymaker. Big Dad (Robert's dad) bought it for her the night before. Talking about Big Dad, he meet up with us in Destin and took us to a wonderful dinner in Baytowne. Kathryn was not exactly what you would call good during dinner. We ended up having to move outside because she was fussing. At one point she had a piece of bread she had dunked in her baby food and was swinging it around wildly on a fork and as I was taking cover to protect my dry clean only dress the bread went flying behind her and splattered baby food all over the carpet. She was definitely entertaining and kept us on our toes!

Kathryn is very glad to be home. She started pushing her shopping cart all over the house almost the second we walked in the door. She took a 2 hour 45 minute nap before I finally woke her at 3:30. What a wonderful baby!

She went to help me pick up the dogs from the vet yesterday and was very excited to see "her puppies." She kept giggling at them on the way home. I went to pay and couldn't find my card (I forgot about how I forgot to get it after I used the ATM last Saturday and the machine sucked it back in) so I used my mom's for lack of anything else. Well apparently she was using hers in Memphis at the exact same time, somehow both transactions went through, causing the card to be closed due to suspected fraud. Oops. What's the likelihood that that would happen considering I rarely ever use the card??

Yesterday afternoon Kathryn and I took the dogs for a short walk. She wanted to hold both leashes and since no one was out I decided why not? Spencer took off walking causing her to fall so I decided Sugar was more her pace. Here's the a pic from before Spence took off (the fall didn't bother her). She was very patient with Shug while he sniffed everything along the way. When daddy came home she just dropped the leash and ran down the sidewalk giggling. We walked the dogs again today and she couldn't get enough. She was still walking Shug around when we came back into the house.

I'm so excited. Ruth and Libby are going to come visit us in two weeks and hopefully Libby will teach Kathryn how to brush her teeth. My mom is coming next weekend with Kathryn's Easter dress in hand. Yay!!

From our breakfast at the Broken Egg on Tuesday.

Days 2 and 3 of vacation

Yesterday we had such a fun day at the beach and pool. Kathryn, Robert and I built an awesome sand castle but didn't have the camera to capture it. Kathryn and I walked to the ocean to get water in our bucket and she actually walked in the sand. All was well until she lost her balance and fell into the water with her jeans on. She quickly got over it and we changed her and resumed our sand castle. Though her max beach time is 30 minutes.

The afternoon was spent by the pool, where we found out that Kathryn is not very fond of the water. She was okay for awhile if I squeezed her really tight against me (which was awkard considering she had on her life jacket, that I got for a steal at Little Lambs). She sat in my lap for probably 20 minutes just gawking at everyone in and around the pool. Then she stood in the lounge chair and loved the way it gives when you step on it.

On our way back from the pool there was a family on their golf cart in front of us with two boys about 12 sitting on the back facing us. Kathryn kept waving at them and they waved back and she smiled and scrunched her nose. Her wave looked more like just raising her arm in the air and barely moving her fingers.

Today, we went shopping and I forgot to bring Kathryn's lunch and food. I didn't realize till we were in a store and Rob was trying clothes on. I went as fast as I could to the cookie store, a couple of minutes walk away (there were no other options and she was very pleased with this idea). I got a large chocolate chip cookie and all was well again. That bought us enough time to get Daddy a shirt and a dress for Kathryn, shown in the pic on the right. The picture does not give it justice! And yes, we did go home after that store and got the poor baby her bottle!

After getting K her bottle we went and ate lunch at The Broken Egg Cafe. She was so good even though she'd already eaten. She sat in a regular chair next to me and played with all the stuff on the table. She especially liked the jellies in the basket and the sweetner caddy. When our food come she kept poking at Robert's hash browns with her spoon. She ate one and pulled it out of her mouth and sat in on the table and resumed her poking.

This is the most recent outfit I made her. I finished it two weeks ago. I made a matching jon jon for Thomas (my nephew). They are going to look so cute together!

Our first beach day of 2010

We ventured down to the beach this morning, even though it was chilly due to the wind. Kathryn cried when we first stood her in the sand. I put her in my lap and she then was happy to scoop the sand all over the place. The picture on the right captured the moment after Kathryn hit me in the face with the shovel partially filled with sand.




This is Kathryn's first real bubble bath. She had a bubble bath once before but there weren't many bubbles. She LOVED it and stayed in the tub forever just touching the bubbles. She got so sad when she finally had to get out.


This is a child's golf set. We think she thought she was vacuuming. When we are home she likes for me to carry her while vacuuming and let her "help" me hold onto the handle. We were in the middle of trying some new pjs on her; that's why she doesn't have a shirt on. What a cutie!!

We had a nice, lazy day; which was really nice. It's great to have nothing to clean, straighten, iron, mop, vacuum and just be able to relax with Kathryn and Robert. I love them so very much.

Driving to Destin

Kathryn is so wonderful and she just keeps proving it to us. The ride to Destin was 5 hours and she was very antsy but only slightly fussy until the last 15 minutes. She watched her Baby Einstein dvds, played with Daddy's laptop (which he loved), read her books, ate, and napped for 20 minutes (sadly, this picture on the right is what it takes to get her to nap in the car. I think it being so bright confuses her. ). At the end she got so sad she was screaming and reaching for me and I teared up because I wanted to comfort her but hugging her from the seat next to her was not enough. Poor baby! After a minute of snuggling all was well and she happily walked around checking out the condo. She took a nice nap then we played on the playground and made a quick stop by Carter's. I LOVE Carter's pjs and we got some cute, cheap playclothes that are precious. Then we went to dinner where Kathryn hogged the french fries and pulled the plate in front of her. Of course, we let her eat to her heart's content. Also, it's really fun to mix sweet n low and butter and rub them on the table! The important thing is we had a pleasant ride down here and a very enjoyable dinner, and Kathryn is now happily in bed.

Packing day

Today was completely unexciting. Kathryn "helped" me pack for Destin. She got a bag I'd packed and started one-by-one pulling things out. We also did laundry, ironed, and ran bags to the car in the rain. The rain made her giggle! It is ridiculous how much stuff we are taking. Thank goodness we aren't taking the dogs or one of them would have had to ride in my lap like when we went to Memphis for Christmas.

Good news! I went to Hancock's today and bought a fusion fabric that you iron on to the back of the fabric then whip stitch it. From a foot or two even I couldn't even see it. What a relief! I bought Kathryn a lollipop so she was very happy and too busy to pull down all the buttons like she did on our last trip there.

This afternoon we went on a walk and Kathryn pushed her shopping cart down the street. It was so cute! We then went over and petted Abbie for a minute. She loves doggies.

She started saying her version of 'no' yesterday. It comes out as 'doh'. She uses a 'd' in almost very word.

Not looking forward to getting in a swimsuit tomorrow. Oh well. I was thinking about it and remembered something our neighbor, Melissa, told me about a year ago. I was talking about how I hadn't lost the baby weight and she said "you have a year to get the baby weight off." Well Melissa, here we are a year later and . . . All of us mommies can understand. The exception is Ruth who after having Libby looks better than she did in high school. Luckily she is a sweetheart or I'd have to hate her!

I received this email. I had read this yesterday on msnbc.com but now that the CPSC is announcing warnings it seems more concerning. Anyone who has a child should sign up for email alerts on the CPSC and choose the child category.

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2010
Release #10-165

CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Infant Deaths Prompt CPSC Warning About Sling Carriers for Babies

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is advising parents and caregivers to be cautious when using infant slings for babies younger than four months of age. In researching incident reports from the past 20 years, CPSC identified and is investigating at least 14 deaths associated with sling-style infant carriers, including three in 2009. Twelve of the deaths involved babies younger than four months of age.

Slings can pose two different types of suffocation hazards to babies. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. The sling's fabric can press against an infant's nose and mouth, blocking the baby's breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two. Additionally, where a sling keeps the infant in a curled position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.

Many of the babies who died in slings were either a low birth weight twin, were born prematurely, or had breathing issues such as a cold. Therefore, CPSC urges parents of preemies, twins, babies in fragile health and those with low weight to use extra care and consult their pediatricians about using slings.

Two months ago, the Commission added slings to the list of durable infant products that require a mandatory standard. Additionally, CPSC staff is actively investigating these products to determine what additional action may be appropriate. Until a mandatory standard is developed, CPSC is working with ASTM International to quickly complete an effective voluntary standard for infant sling carriers.

CPSC recommends that parents and caregivers make sure the infant's face is not covered and is visible at all times to the sling's wearer. If nursing the baby in a sling, change the baby's position after feeding so the baby's head is facing up and is clear of the sling and the mother's body. Parents and caregivers should be vigilant about frequently checking their baby in a sling.

Our wonderful day together

Today Kathryn had school. She reached for her teacher which made me feel better. I ran around like a crazy woman trying to get everything done before picking her up. Her teacher told me she had a wonderful day playing outside & they gave her a cookie to take home. She offered me a bite then smiled and ate it herself!

This afternoon we went on walk. After a quarter around the block she decided I should carry her. I didn't mind the day was beautiful and breezy and she was snuggly. Of course, when we got in front of Brian and Melissa's house she stopped and sat down. We always look like we are stalking them because Kathryn is OBSESSED with their house. We checked out the flowers and grass and then went next door to visit Abbie. It was a really fun, relaxing afternoon. The picture is of Kathryn demonstrating how her finger fits in the tube of the daffodil. Today I was thinking about how a few months ago Robert said "out of all the people in the world and all the babies in the world how did we get lucky enough to end up with the cutest one."

I was looking through my nail polishes tonight and Kathryn wanted to hold them. She was just wanting to carry them around. I then had the idea that she should have her first pedicure. I think she liked it but after 8 toes she was over it. All I can say is what a cute, fat little foot!!

The picture on the right is the dress I made a few weeks ago and Kathryn looks like an angel in it. I have made Kathryn 3.75 outfits in the past 6 weeks or so. I'll post more pics after I iron the other 2. I am on a hiatus from sewing after a mishap tonight in which I cut through a garment and called my mom almost in tears. I think it is fixable but still. . .

Fun at the library

Thank you Kelley for bringing me into the new millennium for parents and encouraging this blog. Unfortunately, I'd been too lazy to do it in the past few weeks so many of Kathryn and my recent adventures won't be posted.

Today Kathryn and I skipped out on Gymboree and went to storytime at the Homewood Library (thank you again to Kelley!). She had fun but not necessarily because of the story. The lady was SUPER animated which was slightly painful for me. Afterwards Katie and I checked out the fish in the tank and played with the puzzles. She got sad when we had to leave for lunch. We will definitely go back to play with the puzzles and books. I had no idea the library had so much fun stuff for toddlers.

This afternoon we went and bought some new big girl bows. We had so much fun until we had to leave behind a pen. It was so hurtful! I found the cutest bunny basket with a blue bow tie for Thomas but his mommy is ahead of me and has already ordered him one. If anyone needs an Easter basket for girls or boys go to Kidz Closet. They are adorable and the lady said new clipper magazines will be coming out soon so be on the lookout for coupons!

This is Miss Kathryn's new raincoat. Thanks Gammy!