Peanut Chewning

I back...or I'm trying to be.

2010-08-17T15:20:00.006-05:00

So it's just shy of a year and a half since I last wrote on the blog. SO much has changed I am somtimes amazed at all we managed to squeeze into 18 months.

Here are the highlights:

1.) I'm currently a SAHM but probably reentering the workforce in the next month or so. I've been home for a year and a half.

2.) We are back in Yardley. We lived at my mom's for a year and then bought our own house. We are right back where we started (in a good way). So much so that Sam will go to the same gradeschool that her Dad did. And he is very, very excited about it. In a cute way.

3.) we spent 9 weeks taking on some serious renovations. Our house is 60 years old and the same family lived in it for the last 53 years. And last updated it in 1974 so needless to say some updates/repairs were and are still necessary.

4.) I ended up with a 32 month old amazing little girl. I know, you're thinking, "duh, what did you think you were going to end up with." But it surprises me all the time. More on that later.

5.) Best of all we have a new little one! Ian Whittaker was born June 14th. He weighed in at 8 lbs 13 oz and 22 inches long. I was just happy we came in under the 9 lb mark that everyone insisted we had passed (even my doctor was "sure" of it).

Welcome to the world Baby Ian!

The rest of our trip north

2009-02-23T11:45:00.027-06:00

We were home for almost two weeks and we did a lot. The snow and the Please Touch Museum were just two things we fit into our schedule that seemed to get really busy, really fast.

Our trip got off to a pretty rocky start. It took us a total of 17 hours to get from Dallas to Philly - via air! And that includes spending a few hours at a hotel just outside the Dulles airport. That's right we couldn't make it all of the way to Philly as planned due to weather so Sam got to pick up another state while we spent 3 hours asleep in a hotel in Northern Virginia.

After a hellish flight the next day (including delays in Dulles before boarding, circling in the air, and over an hour on the ground in Philly AFTER we landed but before we got to a gate) we finally arrived!

We got spoiled by Mom-Mom and Skipper, got to hang out with Christina, Chase (after he recovered from the croup), and Andrew, have lunch with my aunt and uncle, go to music class with Chase (which Sam loved), see Auntie Ande's and Uncle Jay's brand new apartment in Hoboken, go to the zoo, get our picture taken with our future hubby. I even got to catch up with some friends, including a really fun dinner out with the girls! Overall, it was a fabulous trip home. I didn't want it to end. And apparently neither did American Airlines.

I was originally supposed to fly home in Wednesday but pushed my flight back a day with no charge since I was delayed a day coming in. Thursday at 3am I got a call from AA that my flight was cancelled and I rescheduled for the same flight on Friday. No problem, we missed KC a lot but we got the chance to hang out with the Palsky's some more and spend some more time with Mom-Mom and Skipper. Friday we were on the way to the airport and I get another call from AA - our flight is cancelled and we can't get out until the next day again! We finally got home on Saturday. Other than the crazy travels we had there and back we couldn't have asked for a better trip. I am already planning another one for April! We can't wait to go back. And this time we're hoping for warmer weather. (What can I say? I'm a Texan now. My blood's thinner.)

The toy she is riding on was mine when I was little. It's a Little Tikes toy and still in really good shape. She loves it!

We had dinner with Pop before he had to jet off to Phoenix to visit DiDi.

Giving Auntie Ande some love.

She is a shoe fanatic. These were Auntie Anj's cowboy boots. When she saw them in the front hall she HAD to have them. She wasn't to happy with we pried her away from them.

We took a trip to Auntie Ande's new apartment in Hoboken and tried pizza for the first time ever! We have had some food issues off and on since she was born so I am always hesitant to try new things. I working on it though. Back to the pizza....SHE LOVED IT!! It turned her into a monster! Once she tried it she walked around begging everyone for a bite of theirs. I haven't broken the news to her yet that pizza in Dallas is nothing like pizza in Hoboken.

This was the Mad Dog face when she ran out of pizza (before she realized what we had replaced in front of her).

We took a walk down to the water. Here's Sam's first view of the NYC skyline.

We took a drive to Maryland to have lunch with my aunt and uncle so Sam picked up 2 new states (Delaware and Maryland) and got to meet their dog Rags.

Rags is a Portuguese Water Dog and so good. He was so sweet to Sam and as with all dogs she couldn't get enough of him.

Here's a picture from the Please Touch Museum. I thought it was too cute not to include but I forgot it when I did the post.

Sam and Chase had there picture taken and then spent some time with Chase showing her the ropes. We could tell he'd spent some time behind the wheel before.

And of course, since we were at Grandma's Sam got a little spoiled. She had a fudgesicle. Can you tell by the look on her face how much she hated it?

Please Touch Museum

2009-02-22T22:00:00.013-06:00

Best Place Ever. Seriously. Sam LOVED it. Absolutely loved it.

When Sam and I went home a 2 weeks ago we took an afternoon trip to the new Philadelphia Please Touch Museum. If you haven't already been I would highly recommend it. It's awesome, even for a one year old. When I found out that I would have to pay $15 for me and $15 for Sam to get in I thought that was a little ridiculous but figured we would give it a try. It was well worth the money. They actually had to kick us out of the place. We'll definitely be back next time we go north!

I'm pretty sure Sam's wondering exactly how much Mom-Mom will get away with at the water table.

She may have been a little too short to really enjoy the water tables but she loved the air dryers. We spent a good 5 minutes turning these back on after they would shut off.

All time favorite thing - the slide. She goes down on her butt, face first, upside down, backwards, however she can wiggle out of my fast enough once she gets to the top.

She really liked this one but there was quite a traffic jam at the top after only one trip down.

Big fan of ducks and let's be honest - a goose looks like a big, white duck. if you didn't know any better this is a duck, just a prettier one.

Walking in Tom Hanks foot steps - How cool! (She actually doesn't weigh enough to make any music. That's why nothing is lighting up. It really did work.)

Her Highness

Her face went back and forth between this and complete amazement.

She could climb on almost anything she wanted - which she LOVED!

Of course we couldn't pass up the standard favorite, the carousel.

We are heading to Cincinnati for a wedding at the end of March and I'm hoping we get to check out the children's museum there too. It was the first place we have been there was so much stuff really geared just for her. I'm sure I'll try to squeeeze in a visit everytime we head back east.

Sam's First Day In The Snow

2009-02-05T08:41:00.009-06:00

We are here in PA for a week visiting my mom and we were lucky enough to arrive in the middle of a snowstorm. By lucky enough I also mean that we were graced with a 17 hour trip here but that's another blog entry.

Sam just had no idea what to do with the snow other than eat it. She kept putting some in her mouth and smacking her lips. Althought it looks like we bundled her up like Ralphie from a Christmas Story I was worried that she was going to freeze so we only stayed outside for about 10 minutes. Maybe next time we'll brave sledding.

She could walk. Barely.

Tasting the snow. Again. And again. And again.

Great Uncle Mike teaching us how to make snow balls.

Sammie and Mom freezing our butts off. (I'm a Texas girl now. It's too cold up here!)

Pickles, Car Washes, and Giggles

2009-01-07T15:19:00.015-06:00

Since I seem to be having no luck at all in getting time to write about the absolutely insane December that we had (including a first birthday party, house guests, a second Christmas, new years, our first swing set - which we LOVE, and lots of other really, really exciting things) I thought I could at least quiet the naggers (you know you who are) and post some pictures. Yes, they are a bit random and some a bit fuzzy. I took them with my phone this past weekend on our adventures around town.

We were in Sam's and her new favorite place to sit is the big part of the cart. It's also the only place where she will sit for any length of time. I swear if I had a dollar for every time I have said "Sam, please sit down" in the last week I would be typing this from our own private island in the South Pacific.

We were in the car wash and Sam really wasn't sure what to make of everything that was going on. I am positive that she has been in the car with us before when we got the car washed but she looked she freaked out I had to take a picture. The crab in her lap counts in English and Spanish so any day now she'll be bilingual (we're holding our breath).

Does any other baby just get the giggles sometimes? Everything we said made her laugh and then it made us laugh and so on. Vicisous cycle. Notice the feet. Her feet are ALWAYS crossed at the ankles. Even when she sleeps.

Chowing down on a pickle at Corner Bakery. She sucks the juice out of them. It makes me cringe just thinking about it. She loves them!

Honest Scrap Award

2009-01-07T07:30:00.001-06:00

Since I have now been tagged twice to do this I am going to skip what this blog is supposed to be about (a baby blog) and just blog about me! I figure it's been almost a month at this point - what's a few more days???

What's the Honest Scrap award? Well, I am supposed to write 10 true things about myself and I was tagged by Christina and Rhyme and Reason, so here goes...

1.) I spent my first 2 and a half years after college as a traveling sales rep driving all over Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. And had some really, really crazy experiences. I got stuck in the mud in Louisiana, followed a truck filled with dead pigs down a two lane road in West Texas, met lots of really sweet people, crossed the Mississippi River at sunset (which is beautiful), and did it all by myself. At the beginning I never thought I would be able to do it but by the end I actually enjoyed it. And then spent the next three years traveling all over the country as a national sales manager which had it's own set of challenges...

2.) I love office supplies. I could spend hours and hours (and thousands of dollars in Staples). Specifically, I love pens. If I find a pen that I like I will buy at least five of them and put one in my purse, one in my desk, one at home, etc.

3.) I hate winter. There is a small part of me that misses the Northeast but I miss the people more than the actual place. I just can't imagine living in a place with real winter again. In Dallas we flirt with winter. As in, today we have a high of 45 but tomorrow it will be 70! I can deal with that. Always the possibility of spring around the corner. But no warm weather for months - no thank you.

4.) I have always wanted to be a runner. But I HATE running. Some people honestly look like they love it. Who are those people? How do they like it? What is the secret???

5.) I am one of the most uncoordinated people you will ever meet. I always have at least one bruise, bump, cut, or scratch fro running into something.

6.) I am a really big fan of the Eagles although I really don't get the fuss over college football since there is no even playing field to evaluate all of the teams on. I don't get how you can have a national champion when everyone doesn't play on the same level.

7.) Excluding alcoholic beverages, if I could only drink diet coke or iced tea for the rest of my life that would be completely fine with me. That's how addicted I am to both of those. Isn't that sad?

8.) Between KC and I we have kind of a crazy family tree. I have two regular (for lack of a better term) sisters who share the same mom and dad. They are both younger than me. I also have a younger half brother from my dad's second marriage. Then I have a younger step sister from my dad's third marriage. I also have two older step sisters from my mom's second marriage. One of which we talk to and one of which we do not. Are you keeping up?? KC has one younger regular brother (the one who got married in the Dominican last year) and two younger step brothers from his dad's second marriage. Did you get all that?

9.) I can't watch people embarrass themselves, even on television. I have to turn away. I can't explain it. It's the weirdest thing and I have no idea why it makes me feel so uncomfortable but I just can't do it. If there's a shrink out there reading this - any ideas?

10.) Growing up we didn't play school; we played office in our house. We would drag out chairs and tables to use as desks, phones, notepads, the whole thing. Our living room has french doors that I would sit behind as the president of our "company". My middle sister Ande was the secretary and the baby sister Kara got to be the messenger. Apparently we could not think of any other roles in a company other than president, secretary, and messenger.

I'm not really sure who I would tag since everyone I would tag seems to have already done this except for Kara - so here's an assignment for you Bear - add it to your list!

Sammie the Shrimp

2008-12-10T14:00:00.014-06:00

We had our one year check up last Friday (the 5th) and while healthy, we weighed in on the shrimpy side. She had a stomach bug recently so the doctor wasn't too worried but as she has said in the past "let her eat whatever she was and as much as she wants". If only my doctor would say that to me...

Our official stats:

Length: 29"

Weight: 19 lbs. 14 oz. (25% boo!)

Head: 17 and 3/4" circumference

And here is how fast things change in a year... (2 month checkup picture is missing or non existent. I was still too far in the "new mommy" cave to notice.)

At our 4 month Checkup

At our 6 month Checkup

At our 9 month Checkup

We have obviously graduated from just laying on the table posing for pictures and causing destruction to anything we can get our hands on - including mom's camera bag. You will also notice that I actually remembered to bring a camera to this appointment. No grainy phone pictures this time.

And then last Friday. Already a year. WOW.

Christmas Party

2008-12-10T07:30:00.001-06:00

So, just when you think I have abandoned this blog completely I return. It's not that I don't love the blog it's just that life has been a little crazy lately. So here we go...

My step mom (Sam's MeMe) works for the Dallas Cowboys. While we are still very big Eagles fans the Cowboys are absolutely wonderful to work for and treat their employees really, really well. So well that each year they throw a Christmas party just for employees kids and grandkids. A party complete with all kinds of kid friendly food (corny dogs, mini cheeseburgers, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, etc..., so many cookies from this really good bakery here in Dallas), pictures with Santa, face painting, karaoke, caricatures, people dressed as gingerbread men, elves, and reindeer. The look on Sam's face as she took everything in was priceless.

She made friends with the gingerbread men and elves. She stole a cookie off of my plate. She really did. Snatched it right off of the plate. And as I was putting her coat on as we were walking out the door I was eating the last bit of a cookie that she wanted and she completely melted down. Threw herself on the ground and everything. I thought this only happened when they turned 2?

We were there for 2 hours and she was completely entertained the entire time. Every time she turned around there was something new to look at (or eat). And of course the child doesn't know a stranger. She was walking all over the place by herself (with me a step or two behind her) and on two different occasions she walked right up to people we do not know and held out her arms to be picked up. Um, we need to work on stranger danger immediately.

We got to sit on Santa's lap. The first attempt to sit on Santa's lap didn't go over so well resulting in tears and no picture. The second time we had success. Of course I am also in the picture and making the most ridiculous face because I am trying to get her to smile. Just keep that in mind when you see the picture. I will try to scan and add it to the post tonight. Here are the rest that I took.

Making friends with an elf. Wearing our beautiful party dress from MeMe

Sitting still while getting our caricature done. The caricature was of Sam as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader. We took it home and I told KC one of his worst fears had come true :)

This is the stolen cookie. I can't even tell you the look of shock on my face when I turned around and she was holding my cookie. Thankfully she took one of the cookies without an inch of icing. Talk about sugar overload.

We had a bite of mac and cheese...

And couldn't get enough!

Sam and MeMe trying to decide which cookies we need

Sam and MeMe.

PaPa, MeMe, and Sam. Yes, she is holding a blue Tupperware container. It holds her Honey Bunnies. They are these little bunny shaped, honey graham crackers that she loves more than anything. She knows what is inside and likes just carrying the container around. I have about 10 pictures from the party with her carrying this adorable turquoise Tupperware around. Think I can photo shop it out?

Whew! We made it!

2008-12-03T07:30:00.002-06:00

Today my amazing daughter turns one. I can hardly believe that it was just a year ago that we were all camped out in a hospital room getting to know her. I have this whole sappy letter for her that I plan on posting but for today I'll just put up the pictures from this mornings' celebration and say that being a mom is so much better than I ever imagined. And I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for us next.

We decided to steal the doughnut for breakfast idea from Christina and Michelle and it was a BIG hit. Actually as I wrestled the mangled doughnut from her hands (because no one year old needs an entire doughnut before 7am) she melted down. Red face, tears, screaming, the whole bit. But then I brought out the balloons and she perked right up. Thank goodness one year olds have short memories.

One year ago today....

Yes, I know the whole orange tinted skin really brings out my eyes...

This morning...

She kept trying to reach out and grab the flame. Notice the one finger? We have been working on that for about a month now. And yes, the candle is blue and green. As I have said before I am over my aversion to pink. Target just didn't have much of a selection when it came to the number one - blue and green stripes or blue and green polka dots.

Not too sure about the texture but the sugar - Yummy!

That first bite was pretty tame compared to what came next. Before we could stop her she was shoveling it in like a squirrel (and ended up with the cheeks to prove it).

So very, very proud of herself and her mangled doughnut.

The New Kid On The Block

2008-11-12T10:03:00.005-06:00

(if you were a teenager during NKOTB madness chances are you are now humming "You've got the right stuff, baby...")

Ryan McCord Hudspeth arrived Monday, November 10th at 7:26pm. He weighed in a 7 lbs. 14 oz. and measured 21 and a quarter inches long.

We are so excited and can't wait to meet him! Congratulations Hudspeth Family!

This kid already smiles and keeps his eyes open for pictures. Way ahead of the curve.

Up, Up, Up and Away!

2008-11-05T07:30:00.010-06:00

I promised that I would right a post about our trip to Balloon Fiesta. Here it is!

I have been trying to make it to this balloon festival for the last few years. But something always came up, out of town guests, being hugely pregnant, etc, etc. When we found out the first day of the 2008 festival was the weekend we would be driving back from Arizona we were so excited that we could see what all of the fuss was about. Let me just tell you - it was worth it. I have never been that much of a hot air balloon fan but this is something else. There are so many balloons and people. It was a blast. It takes place in these fields that are completely surrounded by the mountains around Albuquerque; so not only are the balloons pretty and the sheer volume of them unbelievable but the views are stunning. I am pretty sure Sam had more fun watching people than the balloons but it was worth it all the same.

We rolled into Albuquerque about 5 pm the day before and checked into our Hilton. Little did we know the hotel room would be the sight of one of our top five worst nights of sleep ever! After walking around a bit I started to freak out that Sam would be too cold the next morning so we headed into a Gymboree to get some gloves and an extra pair of socks. (Now Gymboree is not my first choice for these items since it cost us $21 - yes $21! but we didn't have a lot of options in the small outdoor shopping area we were in.)

The night of not-so-much sleep

We had planned on Sam sleeping in the bed with us. Port-s-cribs tend to freak me out (see the Dominican Republic story) and the pack and play she slept in while we were in Arizona was under about 2 tons of stuff we had stuffed in the trunk of our car. We had planned to leave for the dawn send off at about 5:30am. After spending most of the night tossing and turning and the hour from 3:30 to 4:30 trying to convince Sam that this was sleep time and not playtime we caved and got ready to head out the door. I am sure the people in the adjoining room appreciated our departure more than we will ever know. In the end it turned out to be a blessing that we left earlier than planned. We got a great parking spot and missed most of the traffic heading into the event. (always looking for a silver lining...)

This is what Sam thought of getting out of the nice, warm car and into the chilly morning air. Especially since she had to sit in her stroller. Oh the horror! I have to admit the thought running through my head at this point was - Quiet kid! You have been up for hours. There's no complaining now! If anyone should be crying it should be your me. Or maybe your dad since he has a 10 hour drive home ahead of him. It's the sweet maternal instinct in me. What can I say.

Can't you tell how much she loved the $14 mittens we got her?

I was so glad that we were there for the dawn patrol. It was my favorite part.

They send off 12 balloons first thing to check the wind conditions before the other gazillion balloons take off.

We rested for a bit between the dawn patrol and mass ascention. Since we haven't had any cold weather I had the poor kid so bundled up. Hat - check. Hoodie - check. Mittens - check. Long sleeve shirt - check. Undershirt - check. Jeans - check. Socks - check. Two blankets on top of all that - check.

If Sam was looking at the camera, there were no people milling around in the background, and there were more balloons in the picture this would be one of my favorites of the three of us. If, If, If...

Some of the balloons were really cool. There was one balloon of Darth Vader's head, supported by grown-ups in full costume (I have no idea what character they were dressed up as since I haven't sent he movie in about 20 years. White plastic looking costumes?) and Nemo which you can see here.

After all the excitement she was so tired she fell asleep chewing on her blanket. And the big, huge, silver lining of getting up at 3:30 in the morning? She took a four hour nap and slept from Albuquerque all the way to Amarillo - it was awesome!

I am an ardent Obama supporter but I had to take a picture in front of the McCain bus. It was parked in our hotel parking lot when we went back to check out. Apparently he made a campaign stop at the balloon festival the day after we were there. The picture of me sticking my tongue out does not need to be posted on the Internet for all to see and judge. Just know that there is one and I can show it to Sam when she is old enough to understand. This bus did prompt a long discussion between KC and I about letting our kids make up there own minds on politics and still liking them if they decided to be Republicans (ha. ha.)

An Obama mama and a baby for Barack

2008-11-04T07:30:00.007-06:00

Christina gave me this onesie when I was about 13 weeks pregnant with Sam. I took these pictures on the first night of the Democratic convention. Christina also gave me my Obama Mama pin - which I am wearing proudly today! Thanks Tina!

Today is the day. Have you done your civic duty yet? Texas offers early voting which makes it about as easy as pie to make sure you vote. Seriously, you have 2 weeks to fit it into your schedule (plus election day). Everyone in Texas should vote. I didn't bring Sam this year. But I plan to every year going forward. Election Day was a big deal in my house growing up. First of all, because my school was a polling place so we had off (which was reason enough to love the first Tuesday in November) but my mom made it a big deal. She always voted and she always took us with her.

I remember "voting" in 4th grade for the presidential election. Even then I was so proud. I promptly marched home and told my mother I voted for Bush (the first one). "Why?" she asked. I think my answer went something along the lines of everyone else is and the fact that he had to know what he was doing since he had been a VP. (Ha!) My mom as very liberal Democrat didn't mention that she supported Dukakis or even tell us how she voted. She believed that we needed to make up our own mind how we felt about government, politics, etc.

I think Sam needs to make up her own mind. And I am sure our beliefs will influence it (as my mother's did). She has a grandfather (PaPa - my dad) and an auntie Shannon who are both Republicans so they should help balance out her mother and aunties who are fierce democrats. I am sure she will hear sides to every story growing up. We talk politics A LOT and send lots of emails, links to YouTube videos and articles, etc (especially when we think the recipient will not necessarily agree with the commentary). Shannon - did you ever order that Obama sticker? :) And do we fight about it - yes. Loudly and passionately. But that's what great about our family. Somehow we all still like each other afterwards.

One of my favorite quotes from this election season was made by Hillary Clinton at the Democratic Convention. She said that "her grandmother didn't have the right to vote but that her daughter cast a vote for her mother." Wow. Look how much our country has changed in the last 100 years. Pretty cool. I can't wait to tell Sam all about it.

P.S. As I stated my father is a republican who loves to push the buttons of his 3 liberal daughters, and is usually the one to start stirring the pot. But....this year for the first time in over 30 years he is voting for a Democrat. Yea - go dad! I plan on reminding him of this for years to come.

Mean, Mean Lady

2008-11-03T14:17:00.003-06:00

OK, I know that at times I sound insane. But seriously, I have nothing on this lady.

Trick or Treat!

2008-11-01T07:30:00.003-05:00

This was Sam's first Halloween. It actually made me a little sad. We only have one more holiday (Thanksgiving) that will be her first. I just can not get over how fast this year has gone by.

As I mentioned before Sam was dressed as a Love Bug (Basically a ladybug costume with hearts instead of dots and heart shaped wings). Costume was courtesy of Mom-Mom and Grandma. My mom always made our costumes growing up. (best costume ever - fifth grade I was Glenda the good witch. Complete with tulle skirt, large crown with sparkles, and wand. If I can find a picture I will post it because it really was awesome.) I thought it would be nice to continue the tradition with Sam.

We trick or treated with Jill and Claire while Junior and KC stayed home to hand out candy. Sam just adores Claire (who is 2 and a half) and tries to imitate her when they play together. Claire returns the love and told Jill that "Sam was her best friend." Awwww. She also calls Sam "Samilicious" which is adorable!

After we made the rounds and the boys ran out of candy we headed over to Mexi-Go for a late dinner. Where Sam had her first soda! Completely by accident of course. Our waitress was not the best (being nice here, really, really nice) and I asked for a kids cup with water no ice. I stopped bringing sippy cups with me since Sam does better with a straw and it's one less thing to drag around. When we got the cup it had ice in it, but I figured no big deal. Sam had a sip and while she spit quite a bit out I thought it was because it was too cold so I asked for the waitress to please bring a cup with no ice. No big deal. Then Claire got upset saying she thought she was getting sprite and that wasn't what was in her cup. Uh oh. Yep, Sam had the sprite. Apparently from now on I will checking to make sure Sam is drinking water and not soda. So, we had a few first on Halloween, trick or treating, wagon rides, and soda.

Our Little Love Bug

A Halloween Family Portrait (yes, I am wearing my Obama Mama pin. Thanks Christina!)

Sam is thinking "Can I be a fairy princess when I grow up?"

Our first wagon ride

When Sam got a little fussy and hungry (because we had a very abbreviate dinner so we could get out and trick or treat) I pulled out the gold fish. She has both hands completely full and was shoveling them into her mouth as fast as she could. Maybe she thought with all of the kids around there was going to be some competition. Little did she know the other kids were all eating candy and thinking "Goldfish - ha! I've got chocolate. Jokes on you baby."

Yes, that is bits of goldfish falling out of our mouth. I'm serious as cute as she is the goldfish bit got a little disgusting. In our house Goldfish are the magic, happy pill. They cure anything and everything. I should probably stop bribing my kid with food any day now. I want her to have a healthy relationship with food and all that jazz.

With the election so close even Halloween was political. KC and Junior had two little girls came by and had the following conversation:

Girl #1: Trick or Treat. Vote for Obama!

Girl #2: No way, McCain all the way!

The girls were about 10 and needless to say KC and Junior were a bit surprised!

Boo at the Zoo

2008-10-31T07:30:00.001-05:00

When we were in Philly last week we went to Boo at the Zoo at the Philadelphia Zoo. We had a blast even though it rained off and on while we were there. Sam got to wear her costume for the first time. Mom-mom and Grandma made her a Love bug costume. KC has called her his love bug since we found out we were having a girl. Since it was pretty chilly out we were a love bug in a furry coat with dog ears. Hey, whatever works. It's actually the only coat we own. Something I have to rectify at some point in the next few weeks.

All dressed up right after we got out of the car. The head piece didn't last long though.

The girls

Sam got sick of the stroller so we transitioned to the carrier after a while. I love this carrier so much! And so does Sam! What you can't see in this picture are the triplets behind us - dressed up as a lion, a tiger, and a bear. So cute! And creative. We all walked by and said "Lions, Tigers, and Bears. Oh My!" You just couldn't help it!

This was our first trip to the zoo. She loved seeing all of the animals. I just had to make sure that we were looking at animals that moved. She didn't care too much for anything stationary.

Look at the bug eyes! We were at the lion "cage" and the lion came right up to the window and roared. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen at the zoo. He was touching the window. So close his breath was fogging up the window. She was mesmerized. (And no I didn't let her eat the snickers in her hand. I'm not that bad of a mother. She just really liked carrying it around since it was shiny.)

This was the lion roaring at the glass. You can see why she had the bug eyes. Some of the kids loved it and some of them ran screaming to their parents.

My little monkey

Silly, Silly Aunties

I have discovered one of her favorite things - riding a merry go round. She loves it. When we were in Arizona and she got on one for the first time. She was pretty hesitant at first and not really sure about it. This time we had no initial hesitation at all! She wrapped her hands around the pole and off we went. About half way through she started shrieking with delight. We had a blast. Our local mall has a merry go round inside so I am sure I will have to avoid that area unless I am willing to ride.

Happy Halloween!

Sam and Auntie Ande goofing off

For whatever reason Sam was fascinated by the umbrella. Possibly because she has never seen one before???

This is huge

2008-10-30T07:30:00.001-05:00

You can really only understand how huge this is if you are a sports fan and your team has NEVER in your lifetime won a championship. I think it still hasn't hit me that there aren't any more games to lose and that this isn't another team's 'year'. Holy cannoli - the Phillie's won the world series. The freakin' world series. Wow.

Our Little Phillie's Phan

I really, really, really never ever thought I would say this

2008-10-29T07:30:00.007-05:00

I want to move back to Pennsylvania. More specifically, Yardley. Actually, If I could move right back into the house I grew up in I would. (Don't be offended Mom but I'd probably make some changes.) Anyone who knows me is probably picking their jaw up off the floor right about now. We have spent 7 years in Texas. Almost all of which I have spent insisting that we will never move back home. We will never move anywhere the has actual winter. But we just spent 5 fabulous days back at home. And now I'm all over the place.

I'm not sure if it was the fall weather, my favorite season at home (no summer humidity, no spring rain, and no frigid winter temperatures). Fall in PA is brisk and bright colors and the best smells (burning leaves is at the top of my list). It might be the wonderful friends and family we have there. I can't help but envision play dates and dinners out, days at the local farms. All of it made me nostalgic. I passed by my elementary school and saw where our 5th grade picnic was, the community pool where we spent so many summer days, the favorite local restaurants that might encourage me to never cook again. I think becoming a mother did me in. Growing up where we did was so much fun. I don't know what Sam's experiences here in Texas will be. But at home I know what pumpkin patch we would hit every year (Shady Brook Farms) and where we would go to cut our Christmas tree down every year (Indian Walk) where we would play miniature golf on warm summer nights (Snipes). It's hard not to think about what our life would be like if we lived back in PA.

Now, before you get all "WHAT?!? You're moving?!?" we're not. In less than 2 years we will officially have no family left in the area. As much as I love, love, love all our friends but we want our kids to grow up with family. And not family that 1,000 miles away. Family around the corner and over for dinner on Sunday afternoon.

The fact that it has snowed in Philadelphia in the last few days has tempered my wistfulness for living in PA. That is just what I needed. Thanks Mother Nature!

To the jerk in 8B

2008-10-28T07:30:00.003-05:00

Karma is a bitch - especially yours after the pouty, 'woe is me' display you put on last night. When I boarded the plane with Sam BY MYSELF I was hoping she would be an angel. Maybe even sleep.

Sam is the child that you looked at with complete disgust numerous times last night. I know the seat next to the baby wasn't your first choice. I apologize for the fact that she was overtired, and wired from 5 days of fun and just couldn't wind down to sleep even thought she was completely exhausted. I didn't want to sit with a crying, fidgety baby on my lap for over three hours anymore than you wanted to sit next to one.

I'm sorry she sneezed in your direction. I try to at least put my hand over her mouth when she appears to be in the verge of sneezing or coughing but I'm not a mind reader and at times get caught off guard. The rolling of your eyes and glare were unnecessary. I felt bad enough.

The constant sighing and sifting of your weight was something else that I felt bad about at first but after an hour I wanted to tell you to GET OVER YOURSELF. I know you want to read your The Undercover Economist in peace and type your emails without a soundtrack of "yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah" Face it you're stuck on a plane with a baby and her mother. We'll get there when we get there. You making an issue out of it isn't making the plane fly any faster.

By no means did I expect you or anyone else to entertain my child. But somehow the sweet gentleman behind us found the strength to at least smile at her when she looked at him. She attempted on numerous occasions to smile and babble to you which, like everything else, you found offensive. Don't worry you are the last person I would want to engage with my child. She might come away with a permanent frown.

Feel free to upgrade next time. The chances of sitting next to a baby in first class are significantly lower. And I really hope that whatever poor girl you marry knows what an arse you are when it comes to kids.

PS - if anyone still reads this blog I apologize for the fact that my first post in 2 weeks is a rant. I'll be back to my normal cheery self by tomorrow. I promise.

I Heart NY

2008-10-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

I love NYC because that's where Auntie Ande is but I certainly wished she lived a whole lot closer... (like Dallas, maybe? Don't you love guilt by Internet?)

Thanks for the onesie Auntie Ande!

Eagles Weekend 2008

2008-10-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

What the heck is Eagles weekend? When KC and I first moved to Dallas 7 years ago we promised among other things to stay in touch with our friends but more importantly to NEVER, EVER become Cowboy fans. Since the Eagles will play a game in Dallas every year (being in the same division) we decided that would be a perfect weekend to schedule a yearly get together. Last year was the first year that we did nothing. Why? Because the Eagles game was scheduled for December 16th and my due date was the 17th.

Here is the email that KC sent out to our friends announcing that for the first time we would not be celebrating Eagles weekend in Dallas (we celebrated the year before it was just a very small celebration since the game was on Christmas Day):

Good afternoon sports fans,

It’s that time again! The schedule for the upcoming NFL season has been released and the planning needs to begin for the migration south to attend this years festivities. As most of you veterans already know, there are only a few things that could cause us to cancel the big weekend. For you rookies that don’t, last year was one of them. The game fell on Christmas and only a few of us could attend. This year’s game will be held on December 16th. What else could cause the 6 time hosts of the biggest pilgrimage south in the history of pilgrimages to cancel the festivities you ask? Well, as luck would have it, Laura and I will be expecting our first child, who has already adopted the nickname “Peanut”, on December 17th, the day after the Eagles/Cowboys game. If all goes as planned the 6 time hosts will be watching the game from the hospital and for the first time since 1984 neither of us will care about the result.

With this news, the landscape of the migration south for the Eagles game has changed forever. With the recent additions to the Marseglia and Gonzales families and the soon to be addition to the Palsky and Chewning families the next generation of Philadelphia Fans will need to be groomed by the “old timers” who came before them. We may be trading in this year’s Eagles weekend and the festivities that go along with it for the little munchkins but next year we will come armed with babysitters and big wheels to keep them under control.

See you guys this summer.

Until next year,

Sincerely,
The Official Chairman of the Annual Migration,

GO BIRDS!!!

I still tear up a little when I read this. I can't help it. We didn't exactly have babysitters and big wheels this year. Maybe in a year or two when the kids are old enough to occupy themselves for at least 15 minutes (wishful thinking?). We did have a few friends come from the north including my sister and her boyfriend. My other sister lives in Houston so she avoided Hurricane Ike and headed to Dallas a day early. And then stayed a few days after for which I was SO very thankful for (right in the middle of KC's business trip and Sam's sickness). But Sam enjoyed her first Eagles weekend. I think our days of sleeping 23 people in our little house might be over. After a night at Pete's Piano Bar you aren't too particular about where you sleep. But with the addition of the kiddos comes a new generation to drill on the importance being a good fan and new traditions. From the pictures below we are off to a good start.

We're thinking about walking at this point (but do so much better with MeMe holding our hands). Ignore the evidence a Target/Old Navy shopping spree in the backgorund. The day after this picture is when she took 3 steps! And last night we had 4! Maybe we'll decide we want to walk after all.

Sam cavorting with the enemy camp made up of Jill, Brooke, and Allison. Darn Cowboys Fans!

Future Cheerleader? The closet thing in our family is Auntie Shannon's drill team experience

Auntie Dev, Auntie Kara, Auntie Ande, and Me (One of my favorite things about Eagles weekend is having a lot of my favorite people in the whole world all together in one place. Such a nice thing to look forward to every year.)

My Dad and some of his girls (where are you Auntie Shannon and MeMe???) With 4 daughters he is used to being surrounded by women.

This was during the game when we still thought we were going to win.

We got to meet Steve Young. It was really cool.

Auntie Ande and Auntie Kara

Sam's new House (we bought it that weekend). It was the best money I have ever spent. She plays with it every single day. Our new fascination is the mailbox. We keep putting things in there for her to find and she loves it. When they made this toy they thought of everything!

At the airport begging Auntie Ande and Uncle Jay to stay (ok, that might have been me not Sam)

The end of Sam's first Eagles weekend - Another awesome year in the books!

To everyone who missed this year - we hope you can join us next year! It wasn't the same without you.

How 'bout those fightin' Phils?

2008-10-11T07:30:00.025-05:00

I know I have mentioned what big Eagles Fans we are in a few random posts. We faithfully watch every Sunday, even when our quarterback just can't figure out how to close the deal we keep coming back for more. But KC is actually an even bigger Phillies fan. Something most people don't know about him since due to contracts with cable provider we can not get any Phillies games on TV in Dallas, even with the MLB package from Direct TV.

This is a somewhat small example of memories and something special he got from having family that lived nearby and was an integral part of his life. His Great Grandmother (Mable Whittaker - also where KC got his first name - Whittaker not Mabel) lived until she was in her 90's, right down the road from where we grew up. And until she died she was the biggest Phillies fan ever. She kept the box scores in marble notebooks and watched every game with a package of cookies in front of her. KC has all of these amazing memories of watching games with her and having cookies for dinner. I don't have a lot of memories of my grandparents. Partially because we didn't grow up close to them but also because by the time I was 10 there was only one still living. Great Gram memories aren't the only legacy from KC's grandparents. His Pop and Gram taught him to golf. Something he would rank a close third on a list of things he loves (right after Sam and I of course. No wait, Andrew might be third. Maybe golf is fourth? Care to offer a guess Christina?).

That's what I want for Sam. All of those small special things that when shared with a grandparent make them more special. I anticipate hearing Sam stamp her feet in frustration with something I am doing and threaten to live at Grandma's around the corner. I even plan to let her think she's gotten away with it for a few hours (maybe squeeze a movie in?). Maybe it will be hitting the garage sales first thing on Saturday morning with Grandma, or sailing with Mom-Mom and Skipper, and golfing with PaPa and Pop. Or maybe if it's cooking with MeMe and riding carousels with Grammie Di. I want her to have those things. Those are the kind of things I think you carry with you forever. They shape the person you become. Sam is so very lucky already. She has 7 grandparents who adore her and want to be part of her life. As big a part as they can be. I think maybe if we just went away and set up a rotation we might not be needed for about 2 months.

This all came about because of the Phillies recent post season success. If you aren't a baseball fan (and really it takes a special person to be a fan of a game when nothing happens 90% of the time) then let me tell you the Phillies are on fire. Winning playoff games for the first time in 15 years.

In honor of Great Gram - GO PHILS!!

I had Sam's picture taken as a surprise for KC's first Fathers Day. I intended for her to look much more like a girl but the bow I had attached to her head with syrup kept falling out. After a while I just gave up. We know she's a girl.

How the west was won

2008-10-09T06:30:00.010-05:00

By two crazy parents and a very patient 10 month old.

*warning - this is a pretty long post. We did a lot and had quite a few 'firsts' on our trip. Pictures are at the bottom if you don't want a blow by blow account of our trip.

At some point this summer we decided that it would be a good idea to drive from Dallas to Phoenix for vacation. At first it was on the table because plane tickets were ridiculously expensive. But as the cost of tickets went down we decided that we really, really did want to drive. KC and I have always been a big fan of road trips. We took almost three weeks to drive from Philly to Dallas when we moved here (yes, mom I know it has been 7 long years!). I have to admit in the weeks leading up to our drive I started to have second thoughts. She is so mobile at this point what if she loses her mind? What is she is still sick (a distinct possibility after weeks of illness)? There was no turning back though. We were so excited to spend a week in Arizona with Pop and Grammie Di that we decided to forge ahead with our ambitious plan. Even though 4 days before departure I came down with a stomach bug.

It is a 16 hour and 1066 mile drive according to the Internet. We left on a Friday evening about 6pm and hoped to arrive Saturday night (best case scenario) but were ok with arriving by Sunday night (worse case scenario, especially since the Eagles played on Sunday night) we had a deadline! Off we go at 6pm on Friday the 26th. Our goal for the first day was to reach Amarillo, a 6 hour drive. If anyone has ever driven in Texas you know how fun driving through small towns can be. There is no straight highway to Amarillo. You get on 287 which winds it's way through numerous towns with population signs spouting - population 396 - or 1855 - or even 5933 and of course the speed limit going from 75 to 35 in every 25 miles. Cruise control is not possible and if you haven't made the drive before (as KC had not) the complete lack of lights of any kind can make it hard. The fact that we were both sick with no appetites and clearly dehydrated did keep our stops to a minimum. At about 3am we called it quits and checked into a Hampton Inn in Tucumcari, NM. Since Kc and I had not been to New Mexico before we got to add one state to our total and Sam picked up state number 3! After a later start on day 2 (about 9:30) we headed west again. Sam really did well since she took a 3 hour nap (!!!) that morning and only woke up when she was starving. Between me in the backseat playing and feeding her, the car didn't really seem to phase her too much. After a quick break at a rest stop between Flagstaff and Phoenix we rolled into Phoenix at 7pm local time. 27 hours door to door.

We did so much that week and had so much fun I could write a novel but since this is just a blog I will touch on the high points (all 54 of them)!

First of all our resort was wonderful. 2 great playgrounds, a splash area in the pool, and some nice walking trails right across the street. Sam loved the playgrounds and the fact that we hit them with our footed jammies still on really helped the ability to slide.

If you have never been to Phoenix I would absolutely recommend it. There was tons of kid stuff. The railroad park that we went to that had a little train you can ride for $2 (kids are free) so we went one Sam's first train ride. The funniest part was when we went through the tunnel and it got dark. There was also a carousel there so we knocked that off of Sam's list of things to do. She didn't really get into the carousel until almost the end. I think the movement going up and down and around was a bit much for her in the beginning. But once she got used to it - watch out! At one point she didn't even want to hold on!

We shopped until we dropped. Everywhere from Nordstrom Rack, to Gap, to the best store ever, babystyle. Grammie Di spoiled her rotten with all kinds of cute clothes and shoes. We also found a book "Quiet Loud" that she loves. And it gives me the opportunity to makes lots of funny noises! I think that is one of the (many) benefits of being a parent - getting to do all of the dorky things you couldn't pull off before kids. KC thinks my troll voice from "The Three Billygoats Gruff" should be dialed down a bit or it will end up giving her nightmares.

We went walking with Pop and Grammie Di. Scottsdale (where we were) has this great thing called a greenway that runs for 25 miles right down the middle of the town. It has walking trails the entire length of it so it is perfect for the stroller. It runs by lakes and playgrounds. Both of which we took advantage of. Sam got her first experience with feeding the ducks. And her first time riding a dragon.

We also ate at this wonderful restaurant in Cave Creek (a town about 20 minutes north of Scottsdale), El Encanto. It is Mexican restaurant but it had a lake right in the middle of it with turtles, fish, ducks, birds, and butterfly's. I swear it was created with babies in mind. We sat along the glass wall and watched the turtles sun themselves right next to us. Sam loved the fact that there were so many things to look at.

We created a monster. She goes by Horsey Girl. Pop and Grammie Di bought her a rocking horse with a seat on it and she loves it. Grammie Di even bought her a cowboy hat to go with it. Sometimes when she is on your lap she will start rocking back and forth. We have to keep a close eye on her though. Our little daredevil likes to stand up in the 'saddle' and ride that way.

I could do without the heart attack when I look over and she is balancing like a circus act.

We left on Friday morning amidst lots of hugs and kisses and took off on our journey home. The first day we were only trying to make it to Albuquerque since we were stopping off to take in the balloon festival and she did great. But one of my worst fears did come true. We had a diaper explosion about an hour before we hit Albuquerque. I should have known we wouldn't get through the trip unscathed. And we cut tooth number 7! I was so surprised to arrive at dinner in Albuquerque and see another tooth. We are currently working hard on #8, 9, and 10.

I am pretty sure I covered almost everything (and really sure you are ready to see some pictures and stop reading). I am going to do a separate post on the balloon festival because we have so many amazing pictures from it. I took over 600 pictures on our trip!

We had an amazing time and I am sure we will be doing it again since Pop and Grammie Di will most likely be living there in the next few years. (Thank you Pop and Grammie Di for everything!)

Oh, before we get to the pictures I wanted to mention that Sam made some progress in her 25 things in 52 weeks list. Sidenote, I am pretty sure the pigtails just aren't going to happen.

Our new favorite toys: the hotel room card and a water bottle. These occupied us for almost 30 minutes. And the best part? The room card continued to occupy Sam for the rest of the week. I carried this Hampton Inn card around with me - well, it's actually still in my bag.

Stretching our legs at a rest stop about an hour north of Phoenix

Taking in the beautiful mountains (KC and I decided this is what Dallas is missing. Go ahead and say it - DUH!)

Dad and Sam at the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale

Sam on her first train ride. Sitting with Pop and Grammie Di

Not so sure what to think about the tunnel (especially with the other kids yelling.) You can't tell in this picture but without the flash it was pitch black in there.

Pop and Sam at the Railroad Park

One of my all-time favorite pictures of Sam

"Look ma, no hands!" (Our first carousel ride, hanging with Grammie Di)

Seriously, this kid had no fear once she got the hang of it.

Can you feel the stickiness? We tried our first frozen fruit pop. It was all over - hands, face, legs, everywhere. We were in the tub within minutes.

She couldn't make it through dinner so she snoozed on Pop.

"I'm not really bald. It just looks that way. There's hair up here. I promise."

Our little horsey girl

She got such a kick out of it. It was so much fun to watch.

Again with the no hands thing. Shortly after this she figured out how to use the mane to pull herself to a standing position.

We even played horsey on Mom's back. Wearing our very cool, new cowboy hat.

Showing Pop why the swings are her FAVORITE thing. Just look at those little legs hanging out the bottom.

And who doesn't want to follow up breakfast with a little rubber swing?

Again, she loves to be 'in' something. As soon as Pop set her down she was off - which of course entailed him following. Yep, right through the tube.

Loving the slide. She doesn't really have the full hang of this yet. Her feet and legs get stuck pretty easily.

Riding the dragon. I swear, if we're not careful this child will end up asking for a dragon for her birthday - or, even a real horse! Yikes!

The excitement of the dragon put her right over the top. I had to wake her up so we could feed the ducks.

Sam, Pop, and Grammie Di on the morning that we all left. So sad I cried!

Family Portrait. My glasses lasted only about 15 seconds ion my head before Sam decided se has "had to have them". Darn Kids!

This was on our way home, somewhere in New Mexico, west of Albuquerque. She ended up in her jammies since we had a little, um, explosion.

Over, Around, and Under

2008-10-08T07:30:00.007-05:00

We haven't taken anymore steps that are worth mentioning. But that does not mean we aren't moving, and moving fast. But our favorite thing? Going under things, anything. We have crawled through the chairs at the car dealership when we got a new car, through Grandma's coffee table, our coffee table, the ottoman our den, and spent most of our vacation in Arizona under the chairs in the kitchen. A direct result of this - I have little to no qualms about her crawling on the floor at most places. I'm sure quite a few people at the car dealership thought I was insane for letting my 9 month old crawl around on the floor. But I am also betting those people did not have a mobile active baby who DOES NOT WANT TO BE HELD all the time. So, I guess the question really is, am I a bad mother for having very low cleanliness standards when it comes to where she crawls?

In Arizona with our Pop

At the car dealership

Our new toy that we love to crawl through

If I am reading this from an outside perspective I have to say I would be thinking "Um, bad mother? maybe not. Idiot, yes. No wonder you guys are always sick."

I never thought I would be so happy to see October

2008-10-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

I have never in my whole life been so thankful for the month of September to be over. Usually I love September, the weather gets cooler, football starts, and pumpkins take up residence on our front porch. But not this September. This September we spent the month sick, starting with day 2.

Tuesday, September 2nd - Sam had the sniffles during Labor Day weekend but woke up on Tuesday sounding wheezy which completely freaked us out. KC stayed home with her and took her to the doctor where they diagnosed...a cold, shocking, I know. And the beginning of an ear infection. So for the next 10 days we diligently gave her amoxicillan. Which she loved! And we did pretty good for the next week or so. We never really went back to being ourselves 100% but close.

Sunday, September 14th - We throw up all over Dad and herself. Sam threw up everywhere for the first 6 months of her life. This was no spit-up. It was full out vomit. The poor child had no idea what was happening and it absolutely terrified me. She spent Sunday sleeping on my chest. She didn't have a fever or anything else wrong with her, just a little clingy and very tired.

Monday, September 15th - in the wee hours of the morning she threw up again in bed. We called the doctor in the morning and they told us if she doesn't have a fever (she didn't) or anything else going on then just keep her hydrated and she should be fine. (This is also the fateful day that I got poison ivy on my lower legs that still won't go away.)

Wednesday, September 17th - she throws up all over me. I can not stress enough - ALL OVER ME.

Saturday, September 20th - We go back to the doctor. She still doesn't seem like her self. No fever, but just out of sorts still (very clingy, low appetite, whiny - which sounds mean but it was so unlike her). They diagnose an ear infection and since the first antibiotic didn't work they prescribe augnetim, name brand. Of course, this can only be found at a specialty pharmacy that opens on Monday. Figures.

Saturday afternoon - Sunday, September 21st - Sam develops a rash starting on her neck and covering most of her torso. We call the doctor again who thinks it may be a viral rash and if it doesn't go away by Monday or gets worse bring her back. At this point I am convinced that there is something terribly wrong. Something no doctor can figure out and we will spend the next few months trying to cure her. (Can you feel the overreaction coming on?)

Monday, September 22nd - Sam starts the new augmentin and seems to be doing a lot better. The rash is pretty much gone.

Tuesday, September 23rd - in the wee morning hours we throw up again. But it doesn't seem to faze her a bit so I am wondering if it is a reaction to the augmentin? And then as Sam and I are standing in the kitchen, completely dressed and ready to leave the house she pukes ALL OVER ME. Poor KC had broken 2 toes the day before, and I start bellowing for him to come quick and help me clean the puke that has now covered the kitchen. Sam and I head back to the doctor that afternoon. Since she still has no fever they do blood work to confirm that it is viral. And then it gets really interesting... While we are waiting for the blood work to come back (they ran it right there in the office) I start to feel nauseous. And hot and sweaty. So after shoving Sam in the arms of a nurse in the hallway I proceed to the bathroom to get sick. Yes, she has a virus and now so do I. (We also may need to find a new doctor since I will forever be the mom who threw up in their office.)

Wednesday, September 24th - Friday, September 26th - I think I am dying. I can't eat. KC and Loni (my MIL) get a touch of it. Thankfully Sam seems like her old self again. I told KC "I feel like we have our baby back."

Friday, September 26th we depart for our big road trip from Dallas to Phoenix (16 hours in the car. Yeah, we're a little nuts.) Both KC and I are not at 100% but we are managing. We arrive in Arizona Saturday night where I promptly come down with a cold. And to make matters worse - pink eye - in both eyes. Seriously.

So between, 2 ear infections, a stomach bug, 2 broken toes, poison ivy, and pink eye we were so very happy to see the end of September. And since you at least scrolled through the novel I just wrote about how September sucked in our house, here's a cute picture of Sam.

Now, I really might be back for good.

I'm baaaaack...

2008-09-19T21:04:00.012-05:00

Kinda of. Sorta.

The last 2 and a half weeks have been really, really busy. I wanted to make sure I didn't forget everything that happened so here's a quick list. I am sure you will see most of these in another posting (with pictures). Plus my mom has only told me about 500 times that as cute as the picture in the cooler is she would appreciate a new one.

All of the crazy things we have been up to recently;

We stand on our own, for a good amount of time. The funniest part? You can almost see her mind working. "These are some pretty fun toys. And I've got one in each hand. How cool is that? Whoa, one in each hand?! I'm not holding onto anything?!? What's wrong with me? Sit down! SIT DOWN NOW!" and plop, onto our butt we go.
She will wave sporadically. It's a trick with only a 10% success rate at this point. We're working on it.
Opening and closing doors fascinates her. I even found this Fisher Price house and she can open and close the door all day long and I don't have to freak out that she's going to smash her fingers.
She loves to crawl under and through things. Our ottoman is her current favorite.
I have been waiting for this milestone since she arrived - when you ask her "How big is Sam?" she raises both hands in the air! The first time she did it we looked at each other in amazement. We make her 'perform' on a regular basis.
I jinxed this one - I was planning to write about how great of a sleeper she is but since she has had a touch of the stomach bug this week it's been like having a newborn all over again.

KC and I have had our own share of excitement. Our car died last week. We just had our 8th - annual Eagles-Cowboys weekend (5 house guests - a record low for this weekend), our laptop is pretty much toast (I'm using KC's work one), and we are getting ready for our big road trip.

But the biggest news of all...drum roll please....

We took 3 steps on Monday! And another 3 today! I'm sure it's not considered walking yet but we are moving in the right direction - literally!

(I know some of you thought I was going to say pregnant. Ha!)

Due to technical difficulties the adorable picture I was going to post won't be making an appearance.

You know you're a redneck if...

2008-09-03T07:30:00.001-05:00

an Igloo cooler doubles as a playpen/highchair for your baby.

To be fair to KC (who was responsible for Sam during this time frame) he was running an errand at my Dad's house and needed to set Sam down for a minute. Well, if you have an active, crawling, into everything baby you know that an un-baby-proofed garage is about the last place you want to set them down. So he made do with a cooler, which worked perfectly, right up until the time when she started rocking back and forth. And then the fun was over.

Number #1

2008-08-31T07:30:00.003-05:00

This website is pretty neat. It tells you what song was number 1 on the day you were born, or the day your kid was born, or the day you got married...you get the idea.

Here is the rundown for our family:

My birthday - Feb 19, 1979
Rod Stewart "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?"

KC's birthday - August 21, 1979
The Knack "My Sharona"

Sam's birthday - December 3, 2007
Alicia Keys "No One"

Our anniversary - July 4, 2004
Fantasia "I Believe"

Hitting the Bottle

2008-08-30T07:30:00.008-05:00

First, let me start off by saying that I know sharing parenting opinion/criticisms is a touchy topic to write about. Especially since I had SO many preconceived notions of what I would and wouldn't do as a parent. As my mom has said numerous times to me "You are the best parent in the world until you have kids". Feeding is an especially is a tough topic and what works for one person may not work for another. (Nursing versus formula is one of the first things on my "Things to NOT discuss if ever invited to a dinner party" list. I told you I have lists for everything.) OK, with that said I'll get to my question.

1.) When should a baby put down the bottle and pick up the sippy cup? I mean put down the bottle for good. Sam already drinks out of a sippy cup with meals but takes 2 bottles during the day at Emily's.

I am not OK with seeing this a few years from now. In my opinion she is one of the best dressed babies but the bottle she totes everywhere certainly knocks her down a few pegs.

Of course, now that I have shared my distaste for the bottle at 2+ years Sam will surely be drinking out of one on her way to nursery school.

Battaglia a Fasciatoio

2008-08-29T07:30:00.003-05:00

Otherwise known as Battle at Changing Table. We now fight this battle on a daily basis. I curse the day I chose a changing table with a lip on the back. Her little hand fits just perfect and she can turn over in a second. I have learned a nice distraction tactic though. As soon as her butt hits the table I hand her a tube (lotion, butt cream, whatever) and she will usually occupy her self with that while I do the dirty work. Sometimes she just wants to flip over though.

She's screaming in the beginning because I had just flipped her over, off of her stomach. Funny how fast she goes from a screaming demon to happy, smiley baby. Are we in for it or what?

Pool Time

2008-08-28T07:30:00.021-05:00

This weekend we got out our new baby pool and tried it out for the first time. We had not had the pleasure of hanging out in a baby pool, splashing, and chasing large cups around the pool all summer. Mostly because it has been so freaking hot that the only time even a baby pool would be appropriate would be at 9 in the morning. And I work, so that's out. Thankfully we live in Texas so a baby pool may get use well into October. (Being from the northeast where October meant pants or tights on under your princess costume on Halloween it gives me great pleasure to know that we will be sweating in October - and maybe even November - yippee!)

But back to the topic at hand. Why is she only wearing a swim diaper in the first 2 pictures? Murphy's Law - we figured the pool is pretty much in the shade we don't need to bother with a top; just sunscreen and a swim diaper will be fine. Of course, where is the only place Sam wants to play? the sunny spot. The 25% of the pool in the sun - that's where. So inside I went to get the top to a bathing suit. And then where did she play? The shady part of the pool. sigh.

Maybe we want to sit down. Maybe we don't.

Look Ma! I'm standing!

Splashing some water right up into her face. She was both irritated and amazed by this.

No, we are not white trash. It just looks like that because our kid is playing with a Styrofoam cup in the pool. But she loves it and it floats. Plus she was waaay more interested in the Styrofoam cup than the toy monkey that she brought with her. (yep, a bath toy)

I think she looks like a drunk cheerleader in this one. A cheerleader that can not figure out which way her microphone should go.

When those little dagger teeth started to take chunks out of the Sonic cup we switched it for a plastic one. Which she proceeded to drink out of inadvertently.

And that resulted in this face. We called this her "how could you not tell me that was going to happen?" face.

But then we did it again and again so I guess it didn't bother her that much.

Now playing shy baby - "oh were you looking for this cup? this cup? Nope, no cup here."

She had a little trouble using the side (of an inflatable pool!!!) to stand up. So we decorated with a little grass on our face for a while.

"I wonder if they would notice if I just took off? I bet I could make it to the fence..."

Again, touching everything with just one finger. She had a lot of trouble keeping just one finger on the slippery side of a pool.

And then we really took a tumble. She was fine after this but not as excited to get back in the pool. I think she was a little cold by now. (Because it was only 90 degrees out, not 100)

After pool time. Snuggles with Dad.

I love this picture. I think it captures how much fun she is. And the open mouth smile just melts my heart every time.

this was the point when we thinking how incredibly lucky we are to have Sam in our lives. (I was thinking how lucky I am to have both of them.)

Auntie Kara goes virtual!

2008-08-27T07:30:00.003-05:00

Well, we have another blogger in the family. Auntie Kara has started a blog about her adventures as a teacher in Houston with the Teach For America program.

I have 2 sisters who share the same mom and dad as I do. There are also 3 step sisters and one half brother but that's a story for a whole different blog. Out of the three of us Kara is the baby. She is also the one with the biggest heart. She volunteered in high school, not because it would make her college applications look good but because she felt like she should. (Although it did make her college applications look good and she got into a kick butt college.) In college she got amazing grades and could have scored a summer internship at any PR firm in Dallas but she went to work for a non profit. And after graduating with a seriously impressive college record (ridiculous grades, more volunteering, Panhelanic positions galore) she decided to work for Teach For America. Teach For America is a program that takes some of the brightest college grads, trains them in an excruciating summer program, and then places them in some of the worst school districts in the country. Just to give you an idea of how selective this program is - in 2008 18,000 people applied and 2,900 were accepted. She has faced some crazy challenges since starting last year. After being trained in kindergarten she was placed as a 6th grade English teacher. She spent 6 weeks getting her bearings, learning her kids names, and making lesson plans. And then on a Friday afternoon her principal mentioned that she was being transferred to 8th grade reading on Monday! Some of the things she has seen completely blow my mind. Kids that drove themselves to 8th grade registration, no books for the kids, books that they do have the kids aren't allowed to take home, lots of Katrina survivors; things that you just don't really think about until your sister is telling you that about half of her class couldn't even come up with the name of one college because they had no hopes of ever going. Or how when one girl got pregnant the little girls in her class couldn't get over how cute her school uniform looked with her belly. Are you questioning the effectiveness of a teacher trained over a summer and then tossed into some of the most challenging classrooms in the country? Read this. (Is it really obvious how proud I am of her? She was just asked to speak at a fundraiser becuse her test scores last year for her classes were THAT good. Yea Bear!)

I know this is a baby blog. So how does this relate to Sam? There are things that I hope she will learn from all of the people in her life. From Kara - I hope that she sees what a difference one person can make.

Auntie Kara and Sam (almost a week old)

Week In Review

2008-08-26T07:30:00.001-05:00

It was a pretty fun week in our house. We celebrated Dad's birthday twice - once at home (where the icing tasting took place) and once at a restaurant. I used to look at the restaurant floor after people with kids left and think "oh my, how did they make such a mess? And not clean up after themselves? tsk. tsk. tsk." How things change. I am amazed at the mess she can make with just a few Cheerios's and a piece zwieback toast. I felt terrible but unless I am going to carry a vacuum with me there really isn't much I can do about it. And there is NO WAY I am carrying one more thing. I feel like a bag lady as it is.

Watching her face change as she tasted the icing was hysterical. She went from "what the heck is this?" to " More, please" in no time at all.

The hardest thing right now is keeping up with her. If I turn my back for a second she's off. And she always seems to be headed for whatever it is that she can't play with - an outlet without a baby proof cover (changing that ASAP), a wire, and we discovered the dog bowls (say it with me - EWWWW!!!). Thank god she forgot about the dog bowls after we left the kitchen and hasn't "re-discovered" them yet. I am considering getting a little bell for her to wear around her wrist so that I can hear what direction she is heading at all times. The next time someone comes to visit don't be surprised with rubber, padded walls, pillows on the floor and nothing else.

Our first taste of butter cream icing

Not sure what to make of this but it might be a good thing....

Ahh, she did get a sweet tooth from her dad

KC and Sam occupying themselves at Target while Mom was in the fitting room

She is always such a good baby at Target. I think she might love it as much as her mom.

Dad's birthday dinner with Auntie Dev

Just enjoying some zwieback toast. Does anyone else bribe their kid with food already? I think half the time she doesn't even really eat it. She just plays with it.

She will try to climb anything - including the kitchen cabinets.

Note the brush in the background. We carried it everywhere this weekend. Maybe she won't have a lovey, just a $3 brush from Babies R Us.

This is also her favorite thing. Everything has to be touched with one finger. EVERYTHING - Grandma's nails, the side of the pool, the bed frame, Cheerios's...

One Click

2008-08-25T07:30:00.008-05:00

In March of 2002 my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully it was caught early and after a lumpectomy, radiation, and chemo she went into remission.

Although early detection is the best way to survive this disease over 13 million women over the age of 40 in the US have NEVER had a mammogram. You'll notice a new little box on the right hand side. If you click on it you will help fund free mammograms. (I know, one more thing to put on the never ending list of things to do, but this is painless and takes only a second!)

Sam & Mom-Mom

This is how we roll

2008-08-24T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm not even sure that this picture or blog title needs anything else. Other than you should know that she sits like this a lot. And the best part is that she usually has her foot resting on the handle. Refer back to this post - see the foot.

Swingtown

2008-08-23T07:30:00.000-05:00

Nope, it's not what you were thinking. And by what you were thinking I mean a post about that new show Swingtown on NBC. But I could write a post about that show because I LOVE IT! 70's songs, stereotypes and all. But back to the baby blog this is supposed to be...

Last weekend we headed to a playground in the neighborhood that is attached to ours. Sam had never been on a swing before (she also hadn't broke any laws before but I'll get to that) and she LOVED it!!! We arrived about 7:30 in the morning on Saturday so there weren't too many people stirring, just a few dog walkers and some joggers. After settling in we started swinging. A little shaky at first and a look of "I'm not really sure what is happening. This is how I feel after one too many margarita's but it's too early for tequila..." (Just kidding. She is not allowed to drink margarita's or tequila...yet.) As long as I made sure I was right in front of her almost face to face she was fine. After a few minutes she really started to enjoy it - legs kicking and all.

Back to the law breaking, the neighborhood we were in is a fancy pants neighborhood. By fancy pants I mean they have an HOA and let you know that you are a trespasser just for stepping foot on their playground. I am kind of a wuss so the whole time we are swinging I am thinking "oh wow, I hope no one says anything to us. It's so early no one will be here. And really, since no one else is here it's not like I am kicking some deserving kid whose parents pay for the HOA off the swings." All of these thoughts and more ran through my mind as I am pushing Sam. We did make it out of there without incident and even returned on Sunday morning with Dad. The funny part? When I talked to Jill she told me that the playground that is about 100 yards past the one we went to (an at least twice as big) is a city playground so no one can yell at you. But she also said that the first time she took Claire to the playground they went to the neighborhood one and she was thinking the same thing "please don't let me get caught. please don't let me get caught."

When we took Dad with us on Sunday morning we even tried out the slide (note to self - skirts are no conducive to sliding) and the ladder on the side of the playground. Both were hits.

As soon as the rain stops and it isn't hot and disgustingly muggy out we will head back to the swings. The swings we are allowed to use.

Sorry about the quality of the pictures. All of the semi-cute photos are from Sunday - when I forgot my camera. Of course.

Playing Catch Up

2008-08-22T07:30:00.004-05:00

I wanted to post some pictures from this past week before we got into birthday celebrations and other things that I am sure I will want to capture with my camera and then post online so ensure Sam will be sufficiently embarrassed in future years.

See the brush she is dragging around? It's our new favorite thing. Between the brush and the shampoo bottle I have no idea why we buy toys. Question for other parents - she loves the thing so much that some of the paint is coming off when she gnaws on it. How do I find out if the paint is toxic? I am nervous to assume that it's fine since nothing seems to be 'fine" anymore.

Future bobbing for Apples champion. This time did not result in a trophy though. It resulted in a face full of soap that she wasn't sure she liked. But we did it again. And again. And again.
Just loving on the shampoo bottle.
See Mom, I have a goatee like Dad.
"Why are you bugging me and why the heck did you bring that camera in the bathroom? Don't you know camera's have NO place in the bathroom?"

Thanking Raja Bell for getting her dog hair all over the baby blanket.
Just a cute picture I couldn't resist including

This is why I am thankful we put corner covers on the table. So Sam could chew on them. And it just occurred to me a I type this that I have no idea what they are made out of and if they are safe for a baby to chew on. Something else on the to do list.
Not only does she want to do this all the time. She thinks it is hysterical. Which of course cracks us up. So there we all are - laughing at a baby chewing on a table. Only in parenthood.

Yea! We found zwieback toast at the grocery store! And she likes it better than the biter biscuits.
First time swinger

What sane kid wants to get into their pack and play? A kid whose brush is inside. A brush that they can no longer live without. **I just realized after reading this again that he brush is n the floor next to her. So I have no clue what she wanted in the pack and pay. Oh well.

At the end of feeding time, when she is full she wants to try to feed herself. This always means an even bigger mess but she gets such a kick out of it.

Some Things You Should Know

2008-08-21T17:30:00.002-05:00

Dear Sam,

Today is your Dad's 29th birthday and I thought this would be a good opportunity to share some things about your dad.

1.) The brick rule. (He is famous for this one)

This rule was established when we were building our house. After signing the papers you make an appointment at the design center to choose things like what color you want the walls, carpet, tile, etc and what brick you want on the outside. Throughout the entire appointment he kept saying "whatever you want" "sure that looks good". Until we got to the brick. He had definite ideas on what color brick the house should be and in his mind since he didn't have an opinion on anything else his should count double on the brick. Most of the time he is happy to go with the flow and 99% of the time when he says "what ever you want" he means it. It really doesn't matter what restaurant we eat at, or what color we paint the family room. As long as his ladies are happy he's happy. But when he has an opinion, he really has an opinion. Hence what we call the brick rule. The brick rule has been applied only in a few situations - what he wore in our wedding (Tommy Bahama shirt), what color we painted the nursery, what we named you, and what cars we buy (car shopping - yuk!). I'm sure there are a few others but nothing comes to mind right now.

2.) The cleanest hands around

Basically your dad is a bit of a germa-phobe. He has gotten a little better since having you but is not completely cured. Some things your dad just won't touch - the magazine on an airplane or in a doctor's office, a hand rail on a public staircase or escalator, buttons on the elevator (the knuckle is used to select the floor), the handle on a shopping cart with anything other than the edge of his palm, and, if he can help it at all, the nozzle you pump gas with. He eats ribs and wings with only 2 fingers getting dirty. He has 2 jars of pens on his desk - those he uses and those that people coming into his office can use. (In his defense on this one he does have a lot of vendors in his office that might be dirty or germy - Ack!) He rarely goes barefoot, even in the house and before climbing into bed he will rub the soles of his feet together to possibly rid any dirt he can from his feet before he lays down. The scarier part - it's rubbing off on me! I catch my self using my knuckle in elevators and rubbing my feet together before climbing into bed. I'll have to keep an eye on you...

3.) Patience, patience, and then some more patience

He has the most patience of anyone I know. Almost every room in our house has been painted and most of the time he has started painting no less than 3 times before I am ok with the color. And he still loves me.

4.) If you are going to get stuck in somewhere other than civilization he's your guy.

Man vs. Wild, Survivorman, and Seconds from Disaster are some of his favorite shows. Before we were actual grown-ups with a mortgage and responsibilities he would have jumped at the chance to be on Survivor. Not for the million bucks (although that would be nice) but for the chance to live out in the wild. It's crazy, I know. And I can't even stomach watching those shows; but in an emergency he's the man.

5.) He is so excited to be a Dad.

He was ready for you years ago but waited around until I thought I could actually handle a small human being entirely dependent on me. And all of the times during the pregnancy and after you arrived that I thought there was no way I could do this he no only reassured me that I could but really made me believe that somehow we would all survive. I have to credit him with the fact that I think I am holding my own as a mom. Since before you were a twinkle in his eye he would talk about taking you camping, and coaching your teams. He's talked about teaching you the game of golf and creating special traditions with you and teaching you right from wrong and even what he will do when you try to wear something you shouldn't or bend the rules a little.

6.) He is your even keeled parent.

I have a temper and have a tendency to get slightly emotional (understatement of the year). He can see big picture. He'll look past the temper that you may have inherited from your mother and see though the tears and cursing (me not you) and get you to take a breath. After that he will probably ask you the question that (almost) always works on me "What is the worst that can happen?"

I could go on like this forever but no one else really wants to read all about your Dad's quirks that make him so lovable and us so lucky to have him. Just know that you have the best Dad in the whole world. And that he makes your mom a much better person than she would ever be without him.

Love,

Mom

Happy Birthday Dad! We love you so much!

When it rains it pours

2008-08-21T09:47:00.010-05:00

Sorry for the absence of posts this week. I have about 6 in the draft folder I just haven't had a chance to finish any. KC was traveling for the first part of this week so it's always a little crazier when he is gone but this was too much. I was trying to get some laundry done on Tuesday and when I went to change the loads the washer and dryer wouldn't do anything. They are both electronic and I had no beeps, no lights, nothing. So I trek into the garage, over boards, and behind furniture to flip the breakers hoping that will do the trick. The washer is now working but no dryer. I go through this routine no less than 3 times and still no dryer. So the wet sheets head to my MIL's for drying and all laundry is placed on hold for the time being. The funniest part - it has not rained in Dallas for what seems like months. We have had temperatures in the triple digits. If this was still the case I could just hang the laundry in the backyard and let it air dry. But no such luck, it has rained off and on for three days now. Seriously.

To keep the adventure going I get into the car yesterday morning to head to work and all I get it this clicking noise. So after a call to AAA they head out to jump the car and promptly tell me that I need a new battery so don't turn off the car head right to the store. Car running I head inside, put up the dogs, grab a purse, some wipes, and a toy for Sam and head to Wal-Mart. No problem, they say it will take about an hour. I am thinking I can easily kill an hour in Super Wal-Mart. Sam and I peruse the school supplies, do a little grocery shopping, and then she starts crying loudly. She had abandoned her toy in favor of chewing on the cart handle and hit her mouth. Out of the seat and into my arms, resting her head on my shoulder. No trouble, just a little harder to shop with one hand. Look down and what do I see but blood on my shoulder. She must have cut her mouth on the cart handle when she bumped it. After grabbing some ice from Subway and a mesh bag from the baby section we calmed down a bit.

That was the end of the drama in my house yesterday. Sam was so tuckered out by the end of the day she feel asleep in her high chair at the dinner table (evidence below). Today is KC's 29th birthday. Birthday post coming later!

Girls! Girls! Girls!

2008-08-18T07:30:00.001-05:00

Junior and Jill found out Claire will be a big sister to 2 little girls! We are so excited for them and can't wait to meet the little ones. Our Friday night dinners will be 7 girls and 4 boys next year (including 4 highchairs and one booster seat - can you imagine the mess under our table?) I think KC, Junior, Matt, and baby Ryan are in trouble.

She needs a 12 step program

2008-08-16T07:30:00.001-05:00

How do you break a baby of a bad habit? Sam has started grinding her teeth. All 4 teeth that she currently has. It is one of the worst sounds in the whole world to me. It makes the hair on my arms stand up and my eyes water. I hate it that much.

So far, I just squeeze her cheeks together which makes her stop and tell her no. Unfortunately, she thinks this is funny.

Any ideas?

The Sweetest Sound

2008-08-15T07:30:00.003-05:00

As much I always say I am not going to be one of those moms who compares their kid to every other one on the playground sometimes it is hard to worry about if they are up to speed. Sam has always been a little bit slow in developing verbal skills. She didn't babble at an early age. In fact when we were at her 6 month appointment and the nurse asked if she talked back when we talked to her I think I mumbled "sometimes". I couldn't even tell you the rest of the questions she asked because for the next 30 seconds all I kept thinking was "oh my gosh we are missing a milestone. What if something is wrong? Does her limited babbling even count as talking back? Did I just lie to the nurse?" The doctor assured me that she was fine and babies develop different skills at different times. But still, I worried.

At Target this weekend we found our voice. Finally I was the person with the baby showing off her vocal skills with noises like "ba, ba" and "mamama" and "dadadad"and disrupting the other shoppers. I am sure the people around me were thinking "Wow, that kid's loud" and maybe even a few were thinking "Can't she keep that kid quiet?" All I could think was "that is the sweetest sound I have ever heard". I just kept chattering back to her and encouraging her to "talk". Just thinking about the two of us wandering Target bantering back and forth makes me smile.

This was the dinner conversation at our house last night.

Silly Baby Tricks

2008-08-14T07:30:00.002-05:00

Sam has a new skill. It's not going to get her into a good college or earn her any money but she would make an amazing student at finishing school. You know, the important things in life.

Sam and KC spent a good 20 minutes perfecting this on Sunday afternoon. At the end they were both laughing so hard that they could no longer stay still long enough to perform.

I finally caved and cleaned out/organized my Tupperware cabinet so that it is baby friendly. One side is not for baby and inaccessible and the other side she can go to town in. It's filled with all kinds of things she can have fun with, Tupperware, plastic cups, and a bunch of other baby friendly things. She spent 15 minutes chasing the yellow cup (in the pictures above) around the kitchen. After the first few minutes even the dogs got bored, but not Sam. At one point I became worried that I could no longer see or hear her. I come around the corner to find her clutching the cup to her chest, both arms wrapped around it. The look on her face was priceless. She must have been thinking "Sweet Success!"

Like Father, Like Daughter

2008-08-13T07:30:00.001-05:00

I am a lucky girl. My husband loves to clean the floors. I don't know that he loves the cleaning of the floors as much as having sparkly tile through out the house but they are pretty much one and the same if you ask me. We even have one of those mop buckets you remember seeing next to the janitor in elementary school. But the vacuum gets used the most and usually not by me.

With 2 labs we have gone through 4 vacuums in 6 years. The one we got last Christmas seems to be holding up well and may be in for the long haul. By long haul I mean over 18 months. Since birth Sam has loved the vacuum cleaner. At first it was just the white noise and a last resort when she was really fussy. There we were the happy little family of three - 2 exhausted parents and a baby in her car seat carrier next the roaring vacuuum cleaner that's propped up on the wall. But now she likes to chase it. She will get in her Around We Go and off she goes. It cracks me up every time. And lucky for KC this inspires me to use the vacuum cleaner more often. (Although in the video below it is Auntie Kara.)

Proof that Sam loves the vacuum like her dad loves the vacuum.

Another Food Post? Sheesh.

2008-08-12T07:30:00.004-05:00

Yes, another food post. Food has been an ongoing issue since Sam came home from the hospital. We went through a phase of not eating and losing too much weight. And then a phase of some very painful stomach problems. Now food isn't so much as issue as an ongoing event in our house. Over the weekend we had a few firsts.

1.) First time we flip flopped - Blueberries are now on the like list. Is this a sign of a future politician?
2.) First Biter's Biscuit - I spent a good 10 minutes in Target looking for zwieback crackers and could only come up with biter biscuits. I am assuming they are the same thing or so close it doesn't matter.
3.) We tasted graham crackers! And loved them! See video below.
4.) I bribed her with puffs for most the time we were in Target. (It takes me a while to make my way through there!)

5.) We tried strawberries for the first time and the jury is still out. See picture below.

Dinner with dad = peas in the ear, hair, etc...

Loving the biter biscuit! I think these may have to be reserved for areas when she not as mobile. After making it nice and gooey she dragged it along the floor after herself as she crawled. And then brought gross to a whole new level when she used it to pet the dogs. It would have gone straight to the trash but then she abandoned it in favor of something else and Raja quickly snapped it up. Up until Sunday Raja's interest in her had waned. Now that she is possible source of food we are back to the love fest.

After all the panting and excitement over a graham cracker there's not much I can say.

Not quite sure what we think about strawberries yet.

Seriously more teeth?

2008-08-11T19:30:00.003-05:00

Don't I deserve a break? Sam has had a runny nose since last Wednesday. No fever, or coughing just a lot of snot. It has caused some trouble sleeping (what doesn't?) but since it didn't seem to bother her too much I figured she just had a little cold and it would pass. It hasn't so this morning my MIL took her to the doctor. She still isn't running a fever and doesn't seem fazed in the least bit - not nearly as grossed out as her mother is but I am attributing that to the fact that she doesn't have to look at it. She's fine. Saline drops and an elevated bed were prescribed. This all thrilled me. I was 99% sure they were going to say that but I wanted to make sure we weren't working on an ear infection. Good news.

Bad news - she is on the verge of 2 more teeth cutting. Like right now. Keep your fingers crossed I make it through this week. Remember the last bout of teething? I do. KC leaves for a business trip tomorrow so it will be me and Sam and her two new teeth...

See how innocent she looks here..... We don't look quite this cute at 2am.

Farmers Market - Check!

2008-08-11T07:30:00.001-05:00

We had a pretty busy weekend. And we checked one thing off of our 25 in 52 list - Yea! Farmer's Market - done!

At the Farmer's Market, ready to do some shopping. Yes, that is a bath toy you see in her hands. We go everyone with them.

We love our sunscreen. Actually, we love any tube. Lip gloss, toothpaste, sunscreen. She's not picky.

Enjoying the pool. (Yes, anther bath toy. They really are EVERYWHERE.)

Trying to charm Dad into sharing his beer. He's not falling for it.

While the grownups enjoyed dinner Sam was entertained by some plastic measuring cups. Who needs toys?

Under Pressure...

2008-08-09T07:30:00.005-05:00

I read this statistic the other day and it freaked me out about being a parent and shaping my child (aka permanently warping her).

"In the first five years of life, 85 percent of the brain is developed," said Armstrong, the psychologist who examined Danielle. "Those early relationships, more than anything else, help wire the brain and provide children with the experience to trust, to develop language, to communicate. They need that system to relate to the world."

Not only does it make me doubt 90% of what I am doing it makes me think of the million other things I should be doing. I was already a little concerned that since I still work full-time (sigh) I wasn't spending enough time with her period. Not even factoring in that I should be working on baby sign language, or vocabulary, or shapes, colors, numbers, letters, the list goes on and on. I promised myself I wouldn't be all crazy about things like classical music classes at 3 months but I should be focusing on the basics, right?

And then I worry, does she get enough hugs? Will it inspire self confidence? Does she get so many she won't be independent? If I always cave to her will she get spoiled? If I don't will she feel unloved? (At this point it is completely fine to think I am bonkers. KC is used to this and knows how to deal with me when I go a little crazy. Again, a lucky, lucky guy.)

If there was a step-by-step manual this would be so much easier.

Am I the only parent freaking out about this?

Uniqua, Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha, and Austin = my new BFF's

2008-08-08T07:30:00.002-05:00

Ahhh, the Backyardigans. I apologize to anyone who thought we were BFF's. I'm sure we were but I have to drop you in place of the people that can calm a screaming child in just a few short piano notes. Or distract a fussy baby from the fact that while she may feel entitled to the remote/phone/necklace I am wearing she is not going to get it. I still love my old BFF's but you just don't have the power.

This is what the power looks like.

And now you see why they are my new best friends.

This is one of my favorite videos! And we managed to capture a milestone on video. You can tell by the look on KC's face when he realizes she is clapping for the first time!

Yummy, Yummy In My Tummy

2008-08-07T07:30:00.003-05:00

We have finally started real food (and by real food, I mean food that doesn't come in a little plastic container) and have found somethings that we love and some things we are not so fond of.

Loves: Bananas, Peaches, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, but our absolute favorite is...CHEERIOS! She will only eat about 2 for every 20 we give her but she spends a lot of time working on getting those 2 in her mouth.

Hates: Cherries, Blueberries

Eating Peaches with Mom-Mom

Our Blueberry Face

*Does this sound like a personal ad or what? No worries Chase, we're not looking!

Our Little Monkey

2008-08-06T07:30:00.002-05:00

Sam has been all over and into everything for the last month. We finally got our new couch last week and this weekend she discovered that she can climb it. Yes, I said climb it! I'm not sure how we are going to bolt the mirror to the wall but we are going to try.

Our Little Monkey

Thinking Outside The Box

2008-08-05T07:00:00.002-05:00

I am a linear thinker. I look at the animals below and see bath toys. And that's all. Since my mom arrived these things have been everywhere. I am pretty sure we now have one in the bath, one in the highchair, one in the pack and play, one in the car, one on the changing table, one at Grandma's, and possibly one in the bottom of my purse. She loves them. They are just the right size for her hand and they fit in her mouth. These were a present from Grandma Di when we were in the Dominican and have been a hit in the tub ever since. Who knew they would be a hit everywhere else?

Playing with Mom-Mom

And at Grandma's

In the bath

And after the bath.

Rewind

2008-08-01T09:58:00.034-05:00

Yes, I know we got back from the Dominican Republic over a month ago but I really wanted to post some of the pictures from our trip. We had so much fun hanging out with friends and family that we never get to see and the wedding was beautiful.

Our trip didn't get off to a smooth start or end on a good note but we had fun in between! The airline has never found our car seat and they can't even tell us if it got out of the Dominican Republic.

We did learn a few lessons on our trip:

1.) Traveling internationally with a baby is hard. I can guarantee that we will be staying in the good old US of A for the next few years. There is a comfort factor in knowing you can run out of baby food, or diapers, or any other necessary baby thing. Running low on diapers and baby food ended with an expensive, international call to KC's dad to bring extra provisions for Chase and Sam. (Thank you Pop and Di!) Plus, have you ever tried to bathe a squirmy baby and not get water anywhere near their mouth? Sam has never been as dirty as she was by the time we left. We were wiping her down with baby wipes and counting pool time as bath time.

2.) Always, always get another room for the baby or just avoid hotels. And no, I don't mean avoid hotels as in don't go anywhere, just go somewhere you can rent a house (Hello North Carolina summer of '09) or go somewhere you can get adjoining rooms. Trying to keep the baby asleep while you are still in the room, or keeping her awake since no sane, non-pregnant adult wants to go to sleep at 8pm, is miserable.

3.) If at all possible, bring your own pack and play or make peace with sleeping in the same bed as the baby. We learned this lesson the first night when the crib in our room clearly said on the outside of the rails THIS IS THE INSIDE. Seriously, in ALL CAPS and red letters. Um, hello death trap anyone? I called housekeeping and got another one but never felt quite the same about using it. We are heading to Arizona this fall and the pack and play is coming with us.

4.) Lots of sunscreen and just when you think she has enough on...go ahead and put some more on. This was one of my lower moments as a mom. I swear I put sunscreen on the kid every hour. We applied the recommended 15-30 minutes before going outside to let it sink in and then about every hour we were outside. And her arms still got red on the third day. Who the heck lets their 6 month old baby get burned? It didn't phase her a bit so I am guessing she couldn't feel it but her arms looked pretty pink to me. The only thing I can figure I didn't factor in was the inordinate amount of time we spent in the pool. I cried and then we wore long sleeve shirts outside for 2 days.

OK, enough about all of the things that I screwed up on. Here are the pictures...

The future Mr. and Mrs. hanging out in their floaties

"How many pictures of Auntie Ande and I are you going to take???"

We took naps where ever we could get them this week...poolside, in the stroller, on a lounge chair

Chase and Christina

Sam and her Pop

Sam, Pop, and Dad

"Check out my cool new shades!"

Big, big fan of the pool

Aren't the Palsky's such a cute family?

Beginning of the photo shot on the beach. My MIL made these adorable outfits for them. Sam had never been on sand before. And didn't really notice it until she fell over.

Sam still thought this was so fun. And so did I until....

...she started rubbing her eyes and then my new mom paranoia set in. I thought "oh my gosh, she's rubbing the sand in her eyes. She's going to scratch her corneas." Seriously this is where my mind went. I grabbed Sam and race to the pool and dunk her in repeatedly until the sand was almost gone from her face. I swear she was looking at me and thinking "Are you insane?" After I came to my senses I figured out that every kid who has rubbed their eyes at the beach didn't end up with scratched cornea's. (Duh.)

Loni and her boys at the rehearsal dinner

We didn't plan it but we certainly look patriotic don't we?

Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs. Chewning

Hanging out with my Auntie Ande

Kc and I take one of these silly pictures every time we go on vacation. It's a little harder to get three heads in.

Gotta love kisses from Dad

Mr. and Mrs. Palsky in 2033 (or about there)

Ready to head home

The excitement of the week tuckered Sam out

Brush 'em! Brush 'em! Brush 'em!

2008-08-01T09:36:00.006-05:00

Is anyone else a huge Grease fan and remembers this line from the sleepover scene? Or is it just me?

When we were teething last weekend this little toothbrush was a big hit. Apparently Gerber makes a little "toothbrush" (really a rubber, thimble shaped thingy) and a baby toothpaste that you can use on their teeth and gums. Apparently it is beneficial to brush even their gums - who knew? We haven't given the toothpaste a try yet but the toothbrush is a hit! (Thanks Auntie Dev!) She looks a little ticked off in the picture but we "brushed our teeth" for a good 15 minutes.

KC doesn't have the best teeth so we are going to encourage good dental hygeine early in our house. (I am pretty sure we could have bought a nice, used car with what we have spent on his mouth.)

President, Not Princess

2008-07-28T09:36:00.006-05:00

I am not a big fan of the "princess" or "diva" things. It took me a long time to make peace with the massive amounts of pink things that you receive when you have a baby girl. I have never been a pink (or purple) person. But there are a lot of pink and purple things out there for little girls, some of which are adorable. Now Sam wears pink and purple on a regular basis and (of course) looks so cute.

It's not that I am a big tomboy. I like getting dressed up. Getting a pedicure is one of my favorite things in the whole world. I wear dresses and skirts more than pants or shorts. I make a mean key lime pie and Sweet Home Alabama is one of my favorite movies. But the princess and diva thing I just can't get on board with.

Apparently I won't have to. I love this website and can't wait to get one of the shirts for Sam. I can't decide between the "President Not Princess" and the "Doctor Not Diva".

We now have four!

2008-07-28T08:21:00.002-05:00

Teeth, that is. We had fun this weekend with Pop, Mom-Mom, and Auntie Kara. And KC and I had a lot of fun since Mom-Mom babysat Friday AND Saturday night - Whoo Hoo! I have some pictures and a funny story to post later but wanted give an update on the teething nightmare. On Saturday morning we woke up with 4 fully cut teeth.

Somehow we survived this round of teething and Mama and baby are happy again.

What Could Be Worse?

2008-07-25T09:10:00.008-05:00

I'm sure there is a long list of things that could be worse, and are in fact worse then what I am about to write...BUT none of them have happened to me in my 29 years so this is at the top of my list.

Holding your child at 2am while she screams uncontrollably. A guttural cry that if you ever have to hear again you feel like you might go deaf. And you sob as a result. That's my worst, and that's where I was at 2am this morning.

I HATE TEETHING. We have tried, and continue to try Motrin, Tylenol, Baby Orajel, and those homeopathic teething tablets. Everything seems to work for awhile and then we are miserable again. She is holding up pretty good during the day and even at dinner last night she wasn't too bad. Just wanted to be held and not much interest in eating. She is still nursing, so I am assuming that she is getting enough nutrients that she is not dehydrated. She peed through her diaper last night so I think we're ok. (TMI?) Why can't this other tooth cut? RIGHT NOW.

I think the baby gods are thinking "well, you have had it pretty good the last 7 months and we haven't thrown you too many problems since that whole weight thing right at the beginning. You seem to be getting a little cocky about this parenting gig. Let's throw a wrench in there for you." Now picture me making an obscene gesture at the baby gods.

Side note: if you are wondering I don't have make-up on today either and the circles under my eyes are much, much worse. The whole nap in the car thing has not yet been ruled out for this morning. I am supposed to get a pedicure at lunch today. I wonder of the little old lady will be offended if I fall asleep in the chair?

My mom will be here today. She'll have all the answers.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2008-07-24T09:01:00.011-05:00

We'll start with the bad...

After 7+ months Peanut had her first fever last night. While I was thankful that we lasted this long without one her sad little face and glazed over eyes almost did me in. We sat at dinner with Pop (part of the good news) and just snuggled and watched. I know doctors say that teething will not give them a fever but I'm not sure what else to attribute it to? When we woke up at 4:15 AM the fever was gone and it was still gone this morning. I am positive of this because I took her temperature 6 times in 20 minutes.

That leads us to the ugly...

There are 2 parts to the ugly - first the fact that we were awake at 4:15 this morning and would not go back to sleep until after 5am, a mere 60 minutes before Mom has to get up to go to work. Since KC is on vacation today you would assume that he would have taken care of her. Except for the fact that she screamed like we were torturing her unless I was holding her. Seriously, screamed like... (I'm actually at a loss for words at this point). There really isn't a good way to describe how she screamed other than the fact that it was awful and I couldn't take it so I held her.

The second part of the ugly is me this morning. I am so tired. I have ridiculous circles under my eyes and no make-up becuase I couldn't muster up the strenght to put it on, or care enough about wearing it. Since she also screamed while I took a shower, combed my hair, and got dressed I had to minimize my time away from her. At least when she was a newborn and sleeping in short bursts I didn't have to go to work. I am considering sneaking out to my car and sleeping. The only thing stopping me is the fact that gas costs $4 a gallon and it would cost me $12 to take a nap. Well, that and the fear of losing my job.

I don't want to leave you with the thought that all is bad here in our corner of the world so onto the good news...

Our Pop arrived last night. Yea!!! Even though Pop still lives up in PA he has seen Sam every month since she arrived. We have a special corner of heart just dedicated to our Pop. Here is Pop doing story time before bed last night.

Now it's ok to giggle a little when you read the end of that sentence. Personally I am cracking up. Why? Because I know that story time was not followed by bedtime. Bedtime came a few hours after story time. And even then we can't really call it bedtime, more like nap time since it was just a few brief hours.

And more good news...

Mom-mom and Auntie Kara arrive tomorrow! Yea for Mom and Peanut!!! They will be amazed at how much Sam has changed. I have to be honest. It will also be fabulous to have 4 more eyes to watch our little demon. Her newest obsession is playing with the computer cord. Before you call child services know that we don't let her play with it we just catch her after she already has it in her hands.

One last thought...THANK GOD IT'S THURSDAY....

A Picture Show! (or 2)

2008-07-21T22:38:00.009-05:00

We were having So much fun last night just crawling around on the floor that we had to get the video camera out.

Busy, Busy Weekend

2008-07-21T22:00:00.001-05:00

Thought I would post some pictures from this weekend. Since Dad had to work we had a lot of Sam and Mom time. And Sam worked on her speed. She has become a crawling demon. I put her down and within 30 seconds she is somewhere else. I can't believe how quick she is. Only a few days ago I was worried she wouldn't crawl at all and we would go straight to walking...famous last thoughts... We also worked on climbing everything in sight (Mom and Dad's bed frame and PaPa and MeMe's fridge included), perfecting our pool skills, and cutting our 2 front teeth. The last thing on that list made for a trying weekend at times. You just feel so bad for them and there is no way for a Mom to make it feel better. Last night we didn't even eat that much dinner. And we had banana's - our favorite! Last I checked the teeth hadn't actually broken the skin yet so it may be a long night!

Hanging out in our pack and play. I love this thing! I officially take back every negative thing I ever said about the pack and play. KC, you were right. The pack and play is a wonderful thing.

Cuddling with our big dog. Just to show how much can change in a few months... When she was about a month old I put her on the dog to take her picture but was super paranoid about her spitting up on it. I took all kinds of ridiculous precautions to make sure that the dog stayed clean. This weekend she let out a big burp, which in the past would be followed up by some spit up and all I thought was "oh well, at least she only has a onesie on - minimal laundry" Not even a thought about the dog. I am pretty sure once your kid has thrown up on everything you own, including your car, things like a stuffed animal with spit up don't even faze you.

Exhibit A why everything in our house needs to be bolted to the wall. She turned to look at me as if to say "Mom, how cool is this?" I was not impressed.

Showing off some of those quick crawling skills.

Hanging out in PaPa and MeMe's pool. We were in the pool for almost 3 hours. She's little fish!

Our bathing beauty...just lounging...

25 Things in 52 weeks

2008-07-20T23:13:00.016-05:00

I saw something similar on another blog and thought it might be fun to do something for Sam. I really hope that July 21, 2009 all of these things are checked off!

1.) Go to a petting Zoo
2.) Have Sam's picture taken professionally
3.) Go on a road trip as a family - check! September 26th, 2008 departure
4.) Plant a tree
5.) Finish Sam's baby book
6.) Teach Sam to swim
7.) Make her birthday cake from scratch
8.) Visit her great grandmother in Ohio
9.) Go on an Easter Egg hunt
10.) Sit on Santa's lap
11.) Go to a farmer's market - check! Saturday, August 9th
12.) Put her hair in pigtails
13.) Go to story time at the library
14.) Sleep over at Grandma's house
15.) Have our family portrait taken
16.) Dip her toes in the Atlantic ocean
17.) Finger paint
18.) Go to a hot air balloon festival check! October 4th, 2008
19.) Go to the Fort Worth Zoo
20.) Participate in (another) charity walk
21.) Visit an aquarium
22.) Finish Sam's quilt
23.) Visit 3 new states working on it, New Mexico, September 26th, 2008, Arizona, September 27th, 2008
24.) Spend the night at PaPa and MeMe's house
25.) Visit the Dallas Arboretum

A Real Texan

2008-07-19T13:30:00.000-05:00

My friend Amy gave Sam this outfit before she was born. The cowboy boots came from my mom and they are already too big! I had to get a picture before she grew out of the dress too!

When Dad does dinner...

2008-07-18T11:00:00.002-05:00

Sam ends up with a handlebar moustache and goatee made of prunes. Prunes are a big hit in our house. After bananas they seem to be her favorite dessert. Trying out new foods is so much fun. I love it. KC has to watch me. I can go a little crazy in the baby food aisle.

Question for other parents: How much does your baby eat? I have tried finding a schedule or a recommended "menu" for babies to no avail. Sam eats a vegetable with oatmeal for lunch and then a vegetable with oatmeal and a fruit for dessert. Should she be eating more? Less? Do I drop the oatmeal? Introduce meat now? Should it be three meals a day? I checked the AAP for their recommendations and they are pretty vague. KC is wondering if we are overfeeding her. Now I'm freaking out about that. Does she get enough vitamins? Are we force feeding her too much? Encouraging childhood obesity? Why do I have such a hard time with what she eats???

Footnote: If you happened to read about the day where everything that could go wrong did go wrong you know that prunes are banned from our house. These pictures were taken the day before that day.

It can't get any worse, right???

2008-07-17T08:46:00.019-05:00

There are some pretty disgusting descriptions in this post so if you are eating or just don't want to read about someone else's gross day - stop now.

I have said that no less than 10 times since yesterday at 5pm. I got home from work early, so excited to be able to put a load of laundry in before going to my MIL's house for dinner. KC stayed over by work to play in the work softball league. I was greeted at the door by one of our labs - not a good sign. Apparently they had broken down the gate during the day and done god knows what. There was no evidence of any wrongdoing so I am hoping for the best (and keeping my fingers crossed that I don't discover something a week or two down the road).

Then I walk into the kitchen. And into a puddle of water. The freezer door is open about a foot. Unless the dogs learned how to open a freezer door (in which case I am calling David Letterman immediately) KC or I must have left it open that morning. Within 5 minutes Loni (MIL) comes over with Sam and we start to clean up the disaster that is now my kitchen. KC's first question was "There wasn't too much breast milk (aka liquid gold) in there, right?" The large supply of frozen breast milk is in the freezer in the garage. So I only lost about 10 bags. But if you have ever pumped you know how painful losing even 10 bags is. While I fed Sam and started cooking the 4 packages of veggies, a pound of chicken, and 2 pork tenderloins (the things that couldn't be savaged and were not too disgusting to throw out) Loni actually cleaned the freezer. Now our freezer is bright, shiny, and clean like the day we bought it. Seriously, my MIL rocks.

Unfortunately the whole time this is going on Sam is not herself. She is really clingy, and always seems like she is on the verge of crying. Emily said that she didn't really want to play with the other kids she just wanted to be held all day. I am wondering if her teeth are bothering her. She is eating ok thought so who the heck knows what is going on.

After KC gets home we put Sam to bed. She doesn't go down easy though. By 11pm she is sleeping in our bed again. We would get her down and then she would wake up screaming. The hardest part for me is that even when I was holding her she was crying. We blamed it on teething and then we blamed it on the prunes she has had the last 2 nights so really we don't have freaking clue what we are doing or why our daughter is miserable. (Yea - mother of the year!)

This morning I wake up thinking today will be a good day. It has to be better than last night. Sam is still pretty subdued, just laying down talking to herself while we get ready. Usually she is all over the place, playing with toys, trying to crawl off the bed. I leave our room to let the dogs out and can't find Raja. I am looking everywhere and then I open the door to Sam's room (pretty much the only no dog room in our house). Usually the dogs are really good about not going into her room. When we are playing in their they usually hang out in the doorway but not crossing into the room. I guess the door was left open when we got Sam to come sleep with us and Raja decided to make herself at home in Sam's glider, her white, chenille glider. Not too bad, just get rid of the dog hair. But one of her paws was bleeding so now there is a bit of blood on the edge of the chair. I almost lost my mind. Needless to say Raja is spending today in the laundry room. We're done right? Bad evening, bad morning, day has to get better, right???

Sam's is sitting in her highchair waiting for us to get our act together, get lunch packed, pack her bag with bottles, etc and get out the door. I can tell she is pooping so I pick her up to change her diaper before we leave. Here is the disgusting part. Not only has she pooped through her diaper but it is dripping down her leg, into the chair on the floor. There is also a huge amount in her high chair. It was the most disgusting thing she has done so far BY A MILE. You can only imagine the scene, I am holding her about a foot away from my body trying not to get poop on my clothes while trying to get her to the changing table where KC has laid a trash bag down for her but trying not to get poop on her carpet. If I wasn't so panicked about the whole thing it would have been hysterical. We ended up taking everything off of her and taking her into the bathtub where I hosed her down while KC held her up. Note to self: Prunes are off the list of acceptable foods in our house.

Finally, we get everything in the car and are heading to Emily's. Late for work and really sick of the day and it is only 7:45am. About half way there Sam lets out a cry and then we hear the puke. We pull over to see that she has thrown up all down the front of herself. It's on the car seat, her outfit, the toy she was playing with, lovely disgusting sweet potatoes and corn from the night before.

Could this all be from teething? I have taken her temperature twice in the last day and each time she was fine. She did give Emily a big smile when we got there so I am hoping that she is feeling better.

And I am really, really hoping that this day gets better.

"Let me out! Let me out!...

2008-07-15T19:10:00.012-05:00

Let us in! Let us in!" Clue (1985)

As a kid one of my favorite movies was Clue (yes, my parents - dad - should have shown better judgement in what we watched. Our other favorite movie Major League). If you have ever seen the movie there is a part where some of the guests are trying to get into one room and other guests are trying to get out of the same room. And they are all saying "Let us out! Let us out!" "Let us in! Let us in!" I guess you have to be there or at least have watched the movie in the last 5 years. That's what I think when I see this.

I also think "thank god we have a pack and play."

Cruising, Indians, and Sippy Cups

2008-07-12T23:18:00.014-05:00

KC and Sam survived my work trip. When I finally made it home on Saturday Sam had all kinds of new tricks to show off. I had to catch them on video.

We are an expert at pulling our self up using the ottoman and the couch. And we can even cruise a bit if something we really, really want is out of reach.

It looks like a rough spill at the end of the video above but she was fine!

Our first sippy cup. I still can not believe that she is old enough for a sippy cup!

The introduction of the sippy cup has KC singing "I drink from a sippy cup, sippy cup, sippy cup. 'Cause I'm a big girl now." Charlie Waffles (The drunk kids singer that Charlie Sheen played on Two and a Half Men)

Our little Indian (Is it even PC to say that? I am offending a ton of people right now? If so, Sorry!)

And we discovered the book on our Around-We-Go. She will be running around and around yelling and making noise and then get to the book and get really quiet. She seems like she is concentrating so hard on it.

Bedtime Update: Not that this explains the randomness of the last 3 months but apparently this week can be explained by teething AGAIN! I'm not sure that she's actually cutting teeth but her top gum is really swollen. Miss Emily (the most amazing caregiver in the whole world, who Sam absolutely adores) discovered this on Thursday. KC mastered bedtime while I was gone with a lot of rocking and snuggling and both nights she slept great! But just in case it was a fluke the sleep book Christina recommended is sitting in my mail box waiting for me.

A Very Bad, No Good Day

2008-07-10T08:05:00.008-05:00

Last night was a continuation of the bedtime issues. I swear when I walked in to her room for the 50th time last night she looked at me and "Hell no, I won't go!" or maybe that was the sheer exhaustion. In the bedtime struggle she has shown to be unbelievably stubborn. We have had this issue before but stubborn and mobile is getting to be a challenge. At 10:30pm last night I went on Amazon and placed the order for the books (while holding my whimpering, exhausted baby under my arms like a football). It has already shipped and should arrive on Monday. If Sam doesn't right herself over the next 2 nights while I am gone we will have some work to do next week.

Yes, I said "over the next 2 nights while I am gone". I leave this morning for a work trip and don't get home until Saturday night. I have had one overnight away from Sam back in April. That trip (also for work) only lasted about 36 hours from good-bye smooch to hello smooch). This one will probably clock in at about 60 hours. Saying good-bye this morning was awful. Just for me, because poor Sam has no idea that her mother is abandoning her for the next two days.

Send good thoughts KC's way. Since he is without the boob (works like a charm every time) he is at a clear disadvantage. He does have Grandma home now so between the 2 of them Sam will have a great time. She may not even notice that I am gone...

I am sure I will update when I return home. After giving my daughter about a thousand and one kisses.

We no longer believe in bedtime

2008-07-09T11:59:00.005-05:00

At first Sam was a pretty good sleeper. From 2 months to 4 months we would sleep for a solid 7-9 hours a night. I thought I was in heaven. Smugly, I figured I was one of the lucky ones. And then we took the swaddle off. Sam loved being swaddled from birth. We used a hospital blanket and then discovered the Swaddler (which I think is the BEST thing in the world besides TIVO and Weight Watchers). Swaddling for dummies - I loved it. Then she rolled over.

Our pediatrician told us that since she rolled over we needed to take the swaddle off since she might roll over in her sleep and would be stuck (picture upside down turtle here). The first night was hell. We woke up every 45 minutes or so. The fact that KC was out of town on business made this night that much more fun. We didn't wake up every 45 minutes for too long. About 4 nights after we started the no swaddle routine we were doing much better but not as good as before. It's never been the same.

3 months later our sleeping is still hit or miss. I am bringing this up because last night was awful. Awful as in "are you kidding me kid? You're freakin' 7 months old. Aren't you over this by now?!" Every night it could be a great night (2 nights this weekend we went down so easy and then slept until 6am - 10 hours) or a horrific night.

We/I do almost every single thing they tell you not to do - she falls asleep nursing or rocking, if she cries we go get her, and when we are really desperate, like last night, she sleeps in our bed. Sleeping in our bed is something I hate. But offered a choice between no sleep and some sleep, even at the price of our bed, I will take some sleep.

We tried to let her cry. The first night we really just left her alone and watched the clock she cried so hard that when I went in after 5 minutes - actually 4 and a half - she was hoarse from crying so hard. And of course that made me cry. I just couldn't do it. So, I am not sure Ferber is the answer for me. But I don't know what is the answer either.

Suggestions are welcomed (please, please help me). Suggestions other than "stop doing all of the things you know you shouldn't do" are welcomed. I can beat myself up on my own.

What stinks the most? Not knowing. Not knowing how to fix it or how well she will sleep that night. This is the same problem I had with the third trimester of my pregnancy. I can't stand not being able to put it on a list or make up a schedule or put it on the calendar. I am the person who makes up an excel spreadsheet for EVERYTHING and then emails it to everyone so we are all on the same page. I have standard packing lists saved on my computer, schedules for when we go home to visit to make sure we have enough time to do everything, a notebook with me at all times to make sure I don't forget anything. Reading this I sound like the least fun person ever. KC is lucky to be married to me, isn't he?

Lots of Firsts on the Fourth (or the weekend of...)

2008-07-07T13:57:00.033-05:00

We squeezed a lot into this past holiday weekend. I always get a little over zealous on holiday weekends. We have more time than the average weekend so I figure we should be able to get that much more done. Except by that much more I usually multiply what we should get done by about 10 - with only 2 extra days. Every time I do this and every time we get to the end of the weekend with things still on my to do list. I also forgot to factor having a baby into the equation. That slows things down quite a bit. Especially when she is moving around. A LOT.

This weekend our firsts included actually crawling (graduated from scooting!) our first real snuggle with Jake (a result of actually crawling), first swim in PaPa and MeMe's pool (ad first pool side nap), first dinner out with all of the Little Elm people (Poppy and the blueberries included), sleeping with a lovey ( I was always to paranoid before), first real food (a baby carrot), and then IT happened. This is what I mean by it:

Our conversation on Saturday afternoon went something like this:

I walk out of Sam's room after putting her down for a nap.

KC: "Is she sleeping?"

Laura: "Not a chance. She's fighting it."

Sam screaming in the background.

Laura: "I am going to get the monitor"

KC: "Do you really need the monitor? I'm pretty sure we can hear her." (Ha. Ha.)

The screaming stops. We look at each other and think Can this be real? Did she fall asleep so quick? I get the monitor.

Laura: "Uh Case, I see legs."

KC: "What?"

Laura: "I see legs! As in standing up. I SEE LEGS!"

Now we are both running at top speed to her room. We open the door and see this:

My second thought (after ok, she's safe) OH. MY. GOD. I am not ready for this.

Obviously, nap time was over. At least until we got the crib dropped. We dropped the mattress on the crib to the next level down. This does not mean that she can not get up to the rail now (She can. See below). It just means that she isn't in danger of falling over the side anymore.

Other firsts: pulling our self to a standing position using the ottoman, the couch, and Dad's back.

Seriously, NOT READY FOR THIS.

And yes, I have quite a bit still on my list of things we should have gotten done on the weekend of the fourth.

As a side note - right now my mother is thinking "Serves You Right." I had to be locked in my room as a baby/toddler. An actual dead bolt on the outside of my door. I'm sure these days CPS would be knocking on my door in a millisecond but back then it was all she could do to keep me in one room long enough to sleep. The deadbolt was installed after finding me in the front yard when I was supposed to be napping. I was so fond of climbing out of my crib that my parents placed a bean bag below my crib and I would sleep there after climbing out. Looking back on that I'm not sure how I survived or how my parents avoided Child Services. I have a feeling Sam may require a deadbolt of her own. Or maybe we just station Jake outside her door...

A Daddy's Girl already

An All American Girl on her first 4th of July

Sam and Claire (Her partner in crime)

PaPa and Peanut taking a swim

Dad and Cleopatra (aka Sam)

First of many, many poolside naps

First real food - a baby carrot

Sam the baby say "hi" to Sam the cat.

Sam and MeMe

Taking a snooze on Dad's chest

All ready for bed - and exhausted after a fun-filed weekend!

I think she's pretty cute but...

2008-07-07T09:31:00.012-05:00

You may think there is another baby in the DFW area that is cuter than the Peanut. Of course as her mother, I would disagree with you but everyone is entitled to their own opinion (even if it is wrong). So as the mother of the cutest baby in DFW, I did something I though I would NEVER do. I entered her in a cutest baby contest. Am I crazy? Do normal mothers do these things to their child? I figure if we don't win (or make it into the top 100 - a definite possibility. There are some really cute kids in this town) I just won't tell her. What she doesn't know can't kill her self esteem later in life, right?

If you do decide Sam is worthy of your vote the photos are organized by name (She is listed under Samantha Chewning) or you can just look for her picture. To try to tame any cheating that may happen, you have to enter your email address and then confirm your vote via the email they send.

Happy Wednesday!

2008-07-02T15:40:00.003-05:00

Why are we so happy it's Wednesday? Becuase KC and I are taking off tomorrow to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary! It's actually Friday but we have no sitter for Friday so we're celebrating a day early. Plus I took this cute picture this morning before work and I wanted to share it. Notice the collar on Sam. She can thank her dad for that. My favorite part of the picture are her thighs.

We survived our first road trip!

2008-07-01T06:38:00.002-05:00

We survived the drive to Houston and had an awesome weekend with Auntie Kara. It took us a very long 6 hours to get there and we had one or two meltdowns but overall we did very well. I had not been to visit Kara in her new place since she moved in last summer. It is so cute! Sam loved crawling around on the floor. ( I forgot what it was like not to worry about dog hair everywhere.) We even showed Kara our new scooting skills. She was so impressed.

Sam had dinner when we got there and for whatever reason the nail clippers sent her into fits of giggles. Here is the video that I managed to get with my digital camera. (The video camera stayed in Dallas).

Saturday was filled with pool time, eating, shopping, more eating, more shopping, and a trip to our favorite place in the whole world - Target! In all our adventure lasted 9 hours! Thank god Sam is a trooper. Marathon shopping days seem to happen whenever girls together. Auntie Kara even put Sam to sleep. Back tickles and lots of snuggles seemed to do the trick.

On Sunday we got to have brunch (homemade waffles, crispy bacon, fruit, eggs, and all kinds of other yummy breakfast food) at the McCord's and meet Buster. Since Buster weighs in at only 5 pounds Sam wasn't sure what to make of him. Her own pups outweigh Buster by a mere 80 pounds each.

Overall we had a fantastic weekend in Houston and I am sure we will head down at least one more time this summer.

Ready to start our big adventure

Showing Kara our scooting skills (with a little Zoe motivation)

The bathing beauty is ready to hit the pool

Hanging out with Auntie Kara

Lunch at the Black Walnut Cafe (We had salad and pasta. Sam had table and pears.)

Wiped out after lunch and a few stores.

After a nap ready to keep shopping! (Obviously my kid, even if she doesn't look like me.)

Future Mustang? (KC says only if Auntie Kara is footing the bill)

Meeting Buster

On our way home. This is the look of "please, please get me out of this seat. My butt is falling asleep."

Birth Announcements

2008-07-01T05:45:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure about other moms but finding a birth announcement that I loved was a daunting task. Almost as bad as finding bedding that I loved. Add in the post baby craziness, lack of sleep, recovery from a C-section...and did I mention the holidays...and you have a recipe for disaster. I did end up finding an announcement that I loved but it took me forever. I am not a big fan of pink and everything I came across was either ridiculously expensive (in my opinion) or pink, pink, and more pink. But for baby number 2 I am all set. If you are looking for baby announcements check out this website. These are awesome. (No Mom, I am not pregnant. Just addicted to baby blogs where I found this.)

Peanut's Birth Announcement
Image coming...Sorry, I am a little technically challenged at times...

Speaking of Birth Announcements....

We have some friends who will looking for some fabulous birth announcements by the end of the year. Sam will have quite a crowd to run around with. Our friends Amy and Matt found out that they are having a boy! She is due November 14th and we are so excited! And the exciting baby news doesn't end there...Our friends Jill and Junior are pregnant too -with TWINS! Best of all she started a blog to keep us all up to date. She is due New Years Eve. We have a lot to celebrate this year!

281 Miles

2008-06-24T14:57:00.004-05:00

From my front door to Auntie Kara's door. Sam and I are off on another adventure this weekend. We will be leaving Friday afternoon to drive to Houston to visit Auntie Kara. Sam has never been in the car this long so I'm not really sure why I think this is a good idea considering I am going by myself but off we go. We do have a lot of fun "girlie" things planned for the weekend, including a swim in Kara's pool (so we can show off our new swimming skills), a trip to the best Half Price Books ever (in Rice Village), some chick flicks, more shopping, and lots of yummy food.

If you happen to remember me about 2pm CST on Friday send good thoughts my way. Hopefully the traffic and weather gods will be smiling on us and our drive will go quickly!

I'll be sure to let everyone know how we do. Hopefully she will be an angel because her parents LOVE road trips!

60 Days (Give or Take)

2008-06-24T11:41:00.003-05:00

This has nothing to do with the week long vacation we just returned from or any of the new exciting things Sam has done but I wanted to post it anyway. (I meant to do it before we left but never got around to it).

Look how much Sam changed between her 4 month and 6 month appointments. I know how fast she is growing but this still amazed me.

14 Hours

2008-06-23T08:07:00.016-05:00

Well, we finally made it to the Dominican Republic. Our adventure didn't end at the Wyndham in Miami though. We got on the plane the next day followed by a maintenance man! I thought KC might physically throw him off the plane. And just as we are settling in the 2 flight attendants start yelling at each other. And by yelling I don't mean bickering, I mean full use of the seven words you can't say on television. These are also words that should not be used on an airplane, with passengers. A flight attendant from the other cabin actually had to remind them that they are adults and should act like it. While entertaining I was worried it might screw up our flight even more if they had to get a new flight attendant. I considered offering to serve the drinks myself if we could just get off the ground.

I wish I could say this was the end of our travel adventures but I can't. There are alot of things that happened in between and I will post lots of pictures later. Sam had quite a few firsts in the Dominican.

Getting Home (this is where the 14 hours comes in)

We arrive at the Punta Cana airport the recommended 3 hours early and can immediately see why. The line to check is at least 100 people long. Priority check in and $10 allowed us to skip right to the front. (yep, we were those people). Apparently traveling with a baby in the Dominican (and $7) also gets you to the front of the security line. Now we were in the terminal with a mere 2.5 hours to spare, or so we thought...

After eating some questionable pizza and trying to choke down a Coca-cola Lite (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DIET COKE) we settle into our gate. The Palsky's are called to board and we say our good-bye's convinced that we will shortly be on an air conditioned plane drinking a real diet coke. Hah! 2 hours and 15 minutes later we actually are getting on a plane. In that 2 hours I think I lost a small amount of my patience and sanity. We have now been at the airport for over 4 hours! Finally we are headed to Miami praying that 1.5 hours is enough time to make our connection.

We land in Miami and take off running. We need to go through customs, pick up our luggage, recheck it to Dallas, go through security again, and get to our gate. We make it to our gate with 30 minutes to spare. That's 30 minutes based on our original departure time. Our flight is running a little behind based on some bad weather. We think no problem after all of this trouble what's 20 minutes? We get a few drinks and think we'll eat something on the plane. All of the sudden it's lightening and the announcement comes on that the Miami airport is shut down until the weather passes. WHAT???? You have got to be kidding me! Do you people see us over here? We're the ones with a baby that has been a real trooper but we can only push it so far. We feed Sam. We walk Sam. We play with Sam. We rock Sam. Any patience or sanity I had left at this point is gone. And to top things off - it's hot in our terminal. It's Miami, turn the A/C up people! We did make it to Dallas that night so you would think that our adventure was over, but somehow it still gets "better".

After finally landing at DFW about 1am we hightail it to the baggage claim. My sweet Dad is there to pick us up. As the luggage starts to come off it hits us. We left the car seat between customs and the recheck of our baggage in Miami. If you happened to be at terminal D at DFW in the middle of the night on Saturday I was the lady holding a baby and bawling at baggage claim D29. We are now finally home but have no way to get there without pulling a Brittany.

We run to Wal-mart and pick up the first car seat we see. And then finally about 2am we hit our front door.

Door to door: 14 hours. I can honestly say I have never been so happy to be home.

Sam Goes International...Or Not...

2008-06-14T18:00:00.004-05:00

This has been a long day. The last few days have been crazy as we prepared for a week in the Dominican Republic for Kirk and Devon's wedding. Lots of packing and laundry, and more packing, and last minute shopping, and more packing.
This morning we got up at 4am ready to hit the road. Left plenty of time for check-in. We even grabbed a little breakfast before boarding. Only to sit and sit and sit. Two hours after getting on the plane we left Dallas. Other than the fact that we are pretty darn lucky Sam didn't lose her mind this meant a missed connection in Miami and a total of4.5 hours on that plane. We figured a few hours to kill at the worst. We never imagined I would be writing this from the lobby of the Wyndham Miami Airport. All for a missing clamp on a cargo net.
I would say this Sam's first travel delay but I am thinking our daughter may be bad travel luck. We were also delayed the first time we flew with her in April. A missing clamp or the curse of Sam?
All of the packing that I mentioned above meant that we have way too many pieces of luggage and they are all HEAVY. KC was worried about it but I convinced him that it wouldn't matter because we wouldn't really be carrying it anywhere, um, whoops. I didn't anticipate the trips through the Miami airport finding a hotel shuttle and then the trip to the hotel shuttle. I think Sam gets her patience from her dad.
So now we are keeping our fingers crossed that tomorrow our flight leaves without a hitch.
I'll keep you updated...

In Celebration of Mom-Mom

2008-06-07T11:17:00.011-05:00

Yesterday Sam, Auntie Kara, and I walked in the Susan G. Komen Race For A Cure in Plano, TX. We walked in celebration of my mom who is celebrating 6 years cancer free! We did the 5K and about 1 and a half miles in Sam decided that she would be much happier and see everything better if we were holding her. She was charming people left and right with her smiles and got her picture taken quite a few times. Thankfully it wasn't too sunny, just warm and breezy. Of course I brought my camera and the battery was dead so we had to take pictures with my phone.

Sam - Ready to get this party started!

Thank you Grandma for the awesome pink ribbon bandannas

Sam and I pre-walk

Sam and Auntie Kara

Yea! We made it!

Sam and I post-walk

I have to say thank you to everyone who helped me and Sam make our fundraising goal. You guys rock! All together the Plano walk raised almost $300K.

Eric

Mom & Hank

Erin & Kyle

Kirk & Devon

George & Di

We are hoping to walk in the 3 Day next year with Mom-mom and Auntie Ande. We are considering the 3.1 miles today a small warm up for the 60 miles (!) next year. There were so many people with 3 Day shirts and Survivor/In Celebration/In Memory shirts on that it was a real inspiration. Hopefully if we walk in enough of these when Sam is older she won't have to.

We love you Mom-Mom and wish you could have been in Dallas to walk with us! Maybe next year!

16 pounds 7 ounces

2008-06-06T09:34:00.017-05:00

If this was Jeopardy there would be 2 correct questions/answers.

1.) How much does 66 sticks of butter weigh?

2.) How much did Sam weigh at her 6 month check up?

We weighed in at 16 lbs. 7 oz. and are 26 inches tall. All of our measurements fall into the 50-75% percentile. We already knew she was perfect this just confirmed it.

This picture was pre-shots but even post-shots we held up pretty well. We even managed to squeeze a Target run in after the Doctor visit and she was as charming as ever.

Does anyone know if they sell the paper that they put on the tables to normal people (as in non doctor people)? It occupied her for the full 20 minutes between the initial check up and the doctor. We couldn't get enough of it. Thankfully the doctor didn't seem to mind.

This is the "Uh, yeah I made this mess. What are you going to do about it?" face. It's the Philly girl inside coming out.

Checking to see if that second tooth showed up yet.

Thank god we went to the doctor yesterday. She gave us lots of good tips to survive teething. We took some Motrin (by we I mean Sam, not us) before bed last night and slept like a log. Other than KC knocking me in the head in the middle of the night it was a very restful sleep.

Chewning Look-alike Meter

2008-06-06T09:12:00.005-05:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family websites - Descendants

Ok, so this look-a-like meter is contagious. (Thanks Christina, some people are trying to work here and would appreciate if you would stop posting such fun and interesting things...)

I had to know. Based on 99.9% of reactions since the day Sam arrived she is KC's double. I have to admit, I can see it. Admitting it doesn't make me wish just a little bit that she looked like me. This website gives me a little hope that someday someone will take a look at her and say those magic words of "Wow, you can totally tell that she is yours."

And by the way - I know that I used a picture of me in my skinny, prebaby days. It's my Look-alike meter and my blog so I can do what I want! Here is where you picture me maturely sticking my tongue out at you.

Chompers

2008-06-05T11:10:00.003-05:00

I didn't really believe. Everyone kept telling me that she was teething. And while I agree that she chewed on everything in sight I thought isn't that what babies do??? We have been chewing on things for what seems like forever with no teeth in sight.

A tooth arrived. Not a full fledged tooth but the tip of one popping through the skin. Apparently this tooth arrived between the hours of 11pm and 5am last night. We have somehow avoided getting too sick (thank you nursing) and a real boo-boo so this was our first venture into baby pain. It sucks and it is a place I never, ever want to go again. It is possibly the worst feeling in the whole world looking at that sweet little face and not being able to fix it. Having 2 grown ups without sleep and a baby in pain made for a lovely family gathering in our bed from 2am to 7am. Yes, I know that we made all kinds of promises to ourselves about Peanut sleeping in her bed and not in ours but cutting a tooth throws any rule right out the window. And our resolve was strong for the first three hours but with no signs of relief our bed looked like a good place to weather the storm. Honestly, Sam could have asked for pretty much anything she wanted last night and we would have agreed - car of her own, semester abroad, designer purse collection, this was her chance. Since she can't talk and we seem to be doing much better this morning her window of opportunity is now closed.

We go for our 6 month check up this afternoon and get to see how much we have grown in the last 2 months. At our last appointment we weighed 13 lbs. 15 oz. and were 24.5" long. Any guesses?

As soon as I can I will post a picture of her smile. You may or may not be able to see any teeth but I promise the beginning of a chomper is in there.

Miss Independent

2008-06-03T08:20:00.002-05:00

Sam is already showing an independent/stubborn streak. Her soothie is the best example of this. Even when she was an itty bitty thing she wasn't a soothie addict. She liked it and it would calm her down when she was losing it but we didn't have a 24 hour dependence on it. I think it is hereditary, neither KC or I were pacifier kids. Now she won't take it from KC or I AT ALL! I like for her to take it first thing in the morning because it seems to relax her right after she wakes up (and it will usually send her right back to sleep - at 5am I will take anything). She will only take it if she puts it in her mouth. I have to put it in her hand and she will get it to her mouth. If I ever figure how to put videos up I will post one of this event. It is hysterical because as she is doing it she talks to herself. I like to think "ahhh, bahhhh, ahhh" are words of encouragement in baby talk.
We have no idea where she got this stubborn independent streak from but we think it's a sign that we are in for trouble down the road.

What were we thinking???

2008-05-27T08:32:00.014-05:00

Yep, we took our 6 month old to a golf tournament. And not just a neighborhood outing. An actual professional golf tournament, aired on television, with real money for prizes. This has been a tradition for KC and I since we moved to Dallas. It is such a pretty golf course and it is alot of fun. What doesn't sound good about sitting in the sun/shade, relaxing, and enjoying some adult beverages. We considered the fact that we may be insane for even attempting it. But we decided in spite of the disapproving looks we may get, we would give it a shot. We had tickets to the Champions Club, which is a large air conditioned tent with waitress service where we could spend most of the day.

The reactions ran from looks of disgust to alot of "she's adorable" to a drunk man stumbling over to tell us he had an 8 month old son at home and that he knows how crazy mothers are about people touching babies hands. I'm not quite sure what my reaction should have been to him but I'm pretty sure it was something along the lines of "uh, great...congratulations?...have a good time".

We sat in the grass for a little bit. After rolling onto our tummy we got our hands down in the grass and realized that if we pulled hard enough it came off (and into our mouth it went). The discovery of grass shortened our time outdoors since it was all we could focus on for about five minutes.

Enjoying the view of the 9th hole after the players were finished for the day.

We even managed to squeeze in a nap.

Here we are giving our Uncle Jimmy a big thank you kiss for taking her to her first Colonial.

Overall, it was an exhausting day but we had an unbelievable time. We also thought we may have to skip this next year since she will be mobile and probably all over the place.

House Rule: A 2 Lick Limit

2008-05-22T08:35:00.012-05:00

Over the past month Sam has changed quite a bit. We now roll over all the time, including when we are trying to dress her, grab for everything we may be able to get our hands and hopefully into our mouth, and show a suprising amount of interest in the morning news. But most of all we love animals. More than anything else in the house our 2 labs fasinate her. Since they weigh a combined 170 pounds we have always been a little concerned about what would happen when Sam noticed them. So far they are very patient and equally enthralled with her. To Raja and Jake she is a mini person perfect for licking and sniffing. And best of all she likes it! She doesn't say "no, off, down, stop it, RIGHT NOW" so they love her right back.

She hasn't quite mastered how to get them to play with her at her command but she's certainly working on it.2 of Sam's favorite things - the Around We Go & Raja Bell

"Raja, up here. Pay Attention!"

As a first time mom I fell squarely into the camp of "Keep ALL Germs Away from my baby." I had no shame in handing people the bottle of sanitizer when they reached for the kid. This image would have sent me over the edge about a month ago. Her hand in raja's mouth?!? Now, Raja gets a little bit of "Be gentle" and "ok, 2 licks is enough" and a "stay away from the face please" if we catch this in action.

Between 2 dogs and one active baby, even looking away for a second can spell dog slobber all over the place. Besides, how clean can every other thing that she puts in her mouth be? I have put "clean the remote" on my short list of things to do since it's her favorite toy of the moment and I can not remember the last time we cleaned it.

Just to give the grandparents a little piece of mind - we always wipe Sam down after any licking (that we catch).

A long, long time ago...

2008-05-19T14:21:00.014-05:00

I actually updated this blog. And now I am going to try again...(but please note I am making NO promises that this will happen on a regular basis)

The obvious did happen. Peanut arrived. 2 weeks early via c section. Mom and baby were great right from the start. I won't bore you with what has happened in the first 5 months and 2 days of her life other than to share the important stuff. We named her Samantha. It took us 2 and a half days to decide on the name. That's 2 and a half days AFTER she arrived. She goes by Sam, Samster, Samberina, Sammy, Munchkin (if you ask me), Lovebug (if you ask KC), and of course Peanut. Aside from some eating issues in the beginning she has been an absolute joy and motherhood is so much better than I ever anticipated.

She has very little hair and what is there is blond. I am hoping she ends up with white blond hair like her dad had as a kid. She has these gorgeous blue eyes. Hopefully she keeps them! She was so bowlegged when she arrived but it has slowly changed. (At least now her knees can touch. Her dad is very excited about this). We think she is going to be left handed (He is actually REALLY excited about this). And she has the chubbiest thighs, which I love. I swear there is skin on her thighs that has never seen the light of day. She also has these little bits of hair on the sides of her ears. Sam is going to kill me for this when she is old enough to read and be embarrassed by her parents. She has had it since the day she was born. I call it her werewolf hair.

Here she is wearing the hat that Mom-mom knitted for her to come home from the hospital in. The day she came home from the hospital it was 80 degrees out (December 7th) and her mean mom made her wear it anyway. I spent too much time picking out a coming home outfit to let the weather ruin it! My first of many, many Mother of the Year moments.

At about 3 months old. Now that I look at it again she kind of looks like a boy here. Sorry Sam!

The past five months have been pretty busy. We have had Mom-mom (my mom) visit for a total of 9 weeks. 6 after her arrival and 3 in March to take care of Peanut when I first went back to work. We are lucky enough to have found a wonderful woman to watch her for most of the day and then Grandma (KC's mom) picks her up and takes care of her for a few hours. Peanut has already had one plane trip, back to Philly for a visit to Yardley. She has had quite a few house guests - the Palsky's in Feb, Pop (KC's Dad) almost every month, Auntie Kara from Houston, and Auntie Ande at Christmas. So now we have had 2 visits with our future hubby Chase. The most recent went well. He lent Sam his Around We Go for a little bit, played a little grabby face, and then Sam, being the sweetheart that she is, shared her first cold with him. Sorry Christina!

She gives these coy little smiles that almost always end up in a big, open mouth grin. She hasn't developed a belly laugh yet but she does have this quiet laugh that is infectious. Whenever we discover a new thing that makes her laugh we will repeat it endlessly. Until we drive the other person absolutely crazy with kissy noises, or feet tickles, or whatever else it may be. Her favorite thing is to blow raspberries. We have found that this means she is frustrated or well on her way.

She had to have one flaw and it is the unbelievable amounts of spit up that she can create. She is still gaining weight perfectly and is happy so the doctor has told us not to worry just do lots of laundry. We are completely unfazed by the spit up now. I think we only realize how bad it is when we are spending time with new people (people without babies that puke everywhere) and we see the look of terror on their faces. Sam doesn't make a sound when she spits up. It just kind of falls out of her mouth - onto the floor, your shirt, the table, the couch. You name it Sam has thrown up on it. Unfortunately for Dad she even got it in his mouth once. Punishment for playing airplane with a baby already prone to spit up immediately after a meal. Thankfully we are still nursing so the stains have been kept to a minimum.

Before I end my first entry post Sam I have to redeem myself with a picture of my daughter where she doesn't look like a boy.

All dressed up for Mother's Day

Yes, that is spit up

(See we're so used to it that it doesn't even faze me to post a picture of her spitting up - again a Mother of the Year moment.)

One more note - Mother's Day rocks! It is like getting another birthday. I told KC if he had given me a sneak peek at Mother's Day I might have gotten knocked up earlier.

Weeks 29-31

2007-10-14T21:27:00.000-05:00

Wow, a LOT has happened since I posted last time. Peanut's future husband has arrived and is currently educating his parents on what to do with a newborn so Christina can try to keep me sane in just a few months. I do have to mention that Peanut has a very, very handsome future hubby. He is so cute. Welcome Chase! We were so excited to meet you and can't wait to see you in February! We went home (Yardley) for a few days to visit Chase, celebrate Kirk and Devon's engagement with a big party at KC's parents house and to eat some really good food (and of course to visit all of the family who has yet to cave and move to Texas). 2 very big things happened while we were up north - 1.) We had a 3D ultrasound done 2.) I had a surprise shower! Since i want to include all of the fun things that happened in the last two weeks I thought I would list the 3D ultrasound and shower in separate posts.

We also started our childbirth classes - which we both are enjoying. Our teacher keeps things very interesting and everyone involved. It's one of the first classes that I have seen KC actively involved in. The first week we did an exercise where we had to list the mom's favorite and least favorite things about being pregnant and the dad's biggest fear about the pregnancy. Here how we did:
1.) My favorite thing: Feeling her move and seeing KC when he felt her move for the first time
2.) My least favorite thing: Not being able to do things for myself (putting something away on a high shelf , because a 7 month pregnant lady should not be on a ladder according to KC)
KC's biggest fear was all of the unknown when it comes to the financial aspect, especially with a girl. He sees clothes, make up, shoes, but most of all a wedding in the years to come.

I have repeatedly told KC how much I love being pregnant. And I really do, even though I can no longer tie my shoes and even reaching the bottom of the washing machine to change the laundry has become a challenge, it has been the most amazing experience. Two things have only become apparent in the last week or so. First, that my pregnant time with Peanut is almost over. No longer will i be the only one feeling her kick all the time and it also comes with a whole new host of worries. Right now I have a pretty good idea of how to take care of her and keep her safe (i.e. no climbing on ladders, seat belt tight across the hips, drink lots of water, etc, etc.) So while I am excited to meet her and share her with KC it's a big change.

The other aspect of pregnancy that is making me quite uneasy is that we are entering the period of the unknown. No books can tell me when i will go into labor or what timeline she will be on, or if it will all go smoothly. I have always leaned towards being a type A person and pregnancy has only increased the need for organization, planning, and scheduling. Our calendar is not only complete for the next few months but also color coded. This is the hardest part of pregnancy for me, no control at all over what happens next.....

*The other exciting thing that happened was we worked on the nursery. It took us 14 hours from start to finish to paint and install the install the chair rails for the entire room. We also finished putting her closet organizer in. I promise pictures will be posted as soon as I can take some good ones.

And in the past 4 weeks....(Weeks 24-28)

2007-09-25T22:22:00.000-05:00

Wow, we are now officially in the third trimester. It is amazing how fast this has gone. We can't believe that she will be here in just three months! We keep joking that we want to meet her right now and then i get scared and have to tell her at least 9 more weeks until she can join her family.

In the past four weeks....

My OB went on maternity leave to have her own little girl (last time i asked she was going to name her Isabelle). So i have seen her partner who was almost as good as my doctor). I had a glucose test and passed with flying colors. Anyone who knows me is well aware of the anixety i had before taking a test that i could not study or prepare for in any way. Yep, i think i just put the fact that i am a complete dork on a public website! There is a good chance that KC was more relieved than i was with a good result. He didn't think the next three months and me with no carbs - especially french fries - would be fun.

I am not eating as much as i was a few weeks ago and everything i put in my mouth gives me heartburn. As a reslt i finally caved and asked hte doctor for some prescription heartburn meds. THANK GOD!! The only thing that was not giving me heartburn was milk. Cheerios even did it. I keep asking KC if she is giving me this much heartburn before her arrival does that mean she'll be a hell raiser when she gets here?

As I mentioned earlier KC's brother, Kirk, got engaged in July. We threw them an engagement party along with the other siblings and spouses. It also meant we were lucky enough to have out of town family come in for the big party. We ended up with about 45 people this Saturday night at our house. People kept telling me i was crazy at 28 weeks but it was the ultimate motivator. My house is cleaner and more organized than before the party. I think the thought of random people finding my house dirty or disorganized scared me into action. Plus that whole nesting thing didn't hurt....The family in town was KC's Dad (a surprise for his brother) and my 2 sisters. And Peanut cooperated by putting on a nice show of making my stomach move or at least giving a good kick every now and then to get the people excited.

The Ongoing Nursery Saga...

Labor Day weekend we came up with a plan for the nursery and it has been only slightly altered until this week. This week the bottom fell out of the plan. We can't find fabric that we like and the plan for the paint is not gelling for KC. The deadline (our trip to Philly next week) is fast approaching. We'll have to think of something.... We were lucky enough to recieve the first piece of furniture for our nursery - a glider/rocker from George and Di! It is possibly the most comfortable piece of furniture i have ever sat in. I'm already looking forward to reading to Peanut. I think i might have to start now. According to our weekly updates Peanut can hear and recognize voices and blink her little eyes (with her eyelashes, which if they are like KC's are extremely long) I'll have to add that to the list of things i want her to inherit from KC. Just a few things already on the list, his hand eye coordination - only one klutz needed in this house, his toes - mine are pretty square, and I'll save the rest for a later post...

We are anxiously awaiting Chase's arrival (Peanut future husband). He was due to show up last Friday. I think there are some people in PA a little more excited for his arrival, his mother included. If KC is this jittery waiting for Chase December will be quite an interesting month.

I also wanted to make an addition to my earlier list of what not to say to a pregnant woman:

"You can't get any bigger!" Really? wanna bet? I can pretty much guarantee that i will be bigger 12 weeks from now. You think that the thought doesn't cross my mind on a regular basis (getting ready in the morning, trying to find a shirt that is long enough,...) I have three months left, show some love for the big pregnant!

And just because I have to have the last word (something I hope Peanut does NOT get from me) I would like for Eric to rescind his comment in July about the Phillie's making the playoffs. Last time I checked they were tied for the wild card and have a legitimate shot making it to the postseason for the first time since 1993.

A long, long time..... (20-24 weeks)

2007-08-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been very neglectful of Peanut's blog - Sorry guys! In the four weeks since we found out we were having a girl a lot has happened. She started moving around all the time. Her favorite time seems to be when I sit down at my desk in the morning. Maybe she's a morning person like her mom? KC also felt her movements for the first time. And last night she gave him a good hard kick. We have narrowed the name game down to a final four. I think we will probably go into delivery undecided..we'll see. I also said we weren't going to find out what we were having, you see how well that worked.

We have started the process of finding bedding that I love and in turn decorating a nursery. When we got married 3 years ago the search for bridesmaid dresses almost sent me over the edge. Bedding for Peanuts room is slowing moving in the same direction. At this point we are looking at fabrics so my mom can make the bedding because so far I haven't found anything that I am in love with yet. I didn't think it would be this hard to find something I liked. It seems like there is a lot of pink or blue out there but not too much in between.

We did get the registered for all kinds of fun baby things. Thankfully my mom was here to help me. Baby stores can be quite overwhelming, especially if you are not sure what you need beyond diapers and a stroller. And this is where my new favorite book comes in. At some point in the past 4 weeks it dawned on me that while I love being pregnant, in about 16 weeks this will be coming to an end and I will be responsible for a baby, a real life human being depending on me for everything. And then what happens? So far we are at the part where it is telling you how to hold the baby. It doesn't hurt to learn the basics.

What else has happened.....

Well, KC became an old man of 28 and we took a weekend trip to San Antonio. KC had to spend the week down there and I flew in on Friday night. Peanut was trying to punch her way out on the landing. Our trip in a few weeks, once she is quite a it bigger, will be interesting. I hope she doesn't fight quite as hard on that landing. Since you haven't had a belly picture in a few weeks here is a picture of KC and I from our weekend trip.

San Antonio Weekend, August 25th

Here is a list I am working on becuase it is better to laugh at people's insensetivity than to cry:

Things not to say to a pregnant woman:

1.) "Are you sure you're not having twins?" What do they expect you to say at this point? Gee, have i gotten bigger? And I thought I was having a skinny day.

2.) They ask when I am due, when I say December, they grimace and say "oh, really?" Should my reply be - Nope the doctor was just kidding. I'm going to have her any day now. And did I mention that I'm having twins?

3.) "Wow, she's going to be a big baby, huh?" Um, hello do you think I am unaware that I have a child growing inside me? Do I need some idiot telling me that in 16 short weeks I will be trying to squeeze this, according to them, giant baby out? nope, I can worry about that all on my own.

Suggestions and Additions are welcomed.

A Peanut or A Peanutette?

2007-07-30T17:54:00.001-05:00

We went to the doctor today and we are having a perfectly healthy.......

Little Girl!

Although KC has been saying since the day that we found out it was a girl I think we were both a little shocked when the doctor told us. It just started to sink in that we are going to have a daughter. A little girl who will play with dolls, pass notes in class, have her heart broken, go to the prom, and eventually have a wedding. When we got to the wedding is when I saw the fact that we were having a daughter really sink in for KC. She does have a good start on her father. She already has him wrapped around her little finger, all 14 oz. and 9 inches of her.

Onto the name game....we had a few boy names, all of which we would have both loved. The girl names are another story. We have about 5 that we both like but we are not in love with any of them. Tonight we will start back at the drawing board. Going back to all of the girl names we eliminated over the last few months because, of course, we were having a boy! Shows what we know!

Now that we know we are having a girl we have quite a bit of decisions to make - name, bedding, nursery, and so many things that I can't even think about right now because I am still so amazed at the fact that KC and I will have a daughter.

Here is the belly shot that I have neglected to post the last two weeks:

A busy, busy week....

2007-07-12T09:19:00.000-05:00

Peanut's extended family has had a very, very exciting week. After 4 years together Kirk and Devon got ENGAGED!! I think they are going to have a destination wedding next summer so at at only 6 months or so Peanut will be a traveler. (Hopefully for our sake a very good traveler. )

Seriously, are they not so cute? And perfect for each other.....

In other Chewning/Devoto news Kara is gainfully employed! She accepted a position yesterday as a 6th grade English teacher in Houston. We are excited that she will still be so close. Now if we can just get those last few family members in PA down to Texas.....

And on to baby news.
I think that I have an acceptable amount of information in my head, some useful, some completely useless. Unfortunately for me, KC, and possibly Peanut very little of this information actually relates to caring for a child or all of the equipment he/she needs. KC and I have browsed at a few different places, taking a quick look at baby furniture, strollers, car seats, etc, etc, etc. At this point we are just basing what we like on the fabric or design used on the item. We do realize that this is probably not the best way to keep your child safe and sound. There has to be a book or how to guide for this, right?? At this point I will be relying on the expert knowledge of those friends with babies to steer me in the right direction. Or as it happened this week, Sex and the City. When Christina said she got a papasan chair at her shower i thought to myself, "Is this something I should get? Do I have any idea what that is? Do we have room for it?" After seeing her shower pictures the papasan chair was pictured in the box with big lettering on the front. I thought to myself "I know what that is. Miranda's neighbor brought it over to keep Brady quiet on that episode of Sex and the City". Note to my mother: Here is where you leave a comment saying you are coming to stay with me until I feel comfortable on my own or Peanut starts school. Whichever comes first.

If anyone knows of a good book about this stuff feel free to forward the information. (consider it a favor to Peanut)