Christmas 2010

I know its not fair to play favorites, but I can't help myself. Christmas 2010 is the best I've had in several years. Last year, my father suffered a stroke on December 26th and we spent that night and the remaining several days at various hospitals. Christmas 2008 we were hoping and praying that I wouldn't lose Katie as we were having several complications. Maybe its the experiences of the last couple years that have made me appreciate having my family here, and relatively healthy (a few exceptions to this list in 2010). Or maybe its the fact that having a child changes how you see Christmas and the blessings in your life. Whatever the reason....this one has been a favorite. Now to the good stuff - the pictures of Katie. I know you all don't come here just to read my babble - ha!

Christmas Eve we headed to off to St. Matthew's - our church here in Richmond - with my family. Nana, Papa, and Greatgrandma Lucy spent Christmas in Richmond this year. It was so wonderful to have them at our home!

It was extremely difficult to get a good picture of Katie with Nana, Papa, and GreatGrandma. All she wanted to do was investigate Nana's earrings.

On Christmas morning, Katie woke at about 6:30 (she normall wakes up anywhere from 6:30 to 7:15). Matt and I put her into bed with us for about 10-15 minutes of snuggle time, then headed downstairs to open our stockings. Katie had to stop and check out the tree before stocking time started.

Katie had NO problems figuring out the stocking process. She even helped Matt and I open ours. She also didn't seem to mind that all of her stocking stuffers were extremely practical gifts - Desitin, Bath soap, Baby Lotion, and a car window tint. Oh - and a slinky. She really does like the slinky.

After we opened our stockings and had our Christmas breakfast, my family arrived. We opened presents and left quite a mess. FYI - Katie is responsible for the packing peanuts being all of the floor.

On Christmas night, snow started to fall and it continued through the next day. I still can't believe we actually had a White Christmas here in Richmond. Katie's face says it all....

On Sunday, Matt and I got Katie outside to play in the snow for a little while. I had been debating whether or not to buy Katie a snowsuit. Then I found her cousin Brayden's old snow bibs in a box of hand-me downs. Even though they are navy blue - and boys clothes - I couldn't care less. The bibs fit her, keep her warm and dry - and have saved me a little money. Thanks Angie and Brayden!!

The best part of Christmas 2010 - its not over yet. We still have a few more family celebrations to go. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the family over the next week. Love and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Visit With Santa

Ah, the tradition of visiting Santa! Who doesn't have at least one photo from their childhood of you sitting on the Big Guy's knee in your Christmas best clothes? Last year Katie was about 4 months old when we went to see Santa so she was completely indifferent. This year we weren't sure what to expect. Let's just say, it didn't go quite how I'd hoped.

After the photo part was over, Katie warmed up a bit and Santa even let her sit in his chair all by herself! :-)

SNOW!!!

We've gotten 2 snow stores in Richmond this week. Wait - Matt won't like the word "storm." He says its not a storm if you only get a couple of inches. Personally, I think any type of accumulating snow counts as a snow storm - especially here in Richmond.

Monday we got a couple of inches and again today we got 2-3 inches. There were 3 rather large snow storms last year, but Katie wasn't truly old enough to get out and play in the snow. This year its entirely different.

I rarely post videos, but I thought this one was cute.

Diaper Changing

You would think that 16 months into parenthood, I would be an expert on changing Katie's diaper, but I'm not. Some days you can say "Katie, do we need to change your diaper?" and she will go get a diaper and lay down in front of you ready to be changed. Other days its a major battle - usually because she doesn't want to be still. On the bad days, I have found that toys are a great distraction technique. Though toys only last so long.

Last night after her bath she was getting squirmy so I gave her one of her black dress shoes to play with while I finished getting her diaper on (it was the first thing I could grab). She decided she wanted to wear the shoes, so I put them on her feet. Then, she refused to put on her pajamas because she wanted to prance around in her pretty shoes. Nothing quite like a baby in dress shoes, a diaper, and heaving lotion on her chapped cheeks. I'm saving these for the baby books!!! :-)

Christmas Cards

This past weekend before church, Matt, Katie and I did a little photo shoot for the Christmas Card. There were some good shots, some bad shots, and some funny shots. We played one of Katie's favorite games, called "how many ornaments can I take off the tree while mom, dad, and nana are viewing the digital photos?" Which reminds me....I probably should put a gate around the Christmas tree. However, we are working on the "look, but don't touch" concept. Katie still looks AND touches.

Anyways - here are some of the pictures that made the cut, and some of the ones that didn't.

Turkey Day

As usual - I'm a little late on my Thanksgiving post. I feel like I'm about a week or so late on everything these days. But hey, that's the life of a full-time working mommy, right? Anyways....here goes.

Each year, Matt and I alternate where we spend Christmas and Thanksgiving. This year we spent Thanksgiving with his family and Christmas with mine. Next year we will spend Thanksgiving with my family and Christmas with his. Its the eternal juggling act you do once married - and especially sharing a grandchild with 2 families! :-) Katie loves the attention no matter which side of the family is providing it - and Matt and I get equal time with our families.

This year we had Thanksgiving at Turkey Oak, Matt's family home. Coral's Thanksgiving dinner was delicious as always. We ate our meal around 2:30 which is during Katie's nap time, so she ate after everyone else. Ganny was nice enough to keep her company though.

When you travel with a toddler, they find anything and everything they shouldn't. Katie had a GREAT time exploring all the cabinets at Popa and Abu's house. Unfortunately she found a few things she wasn't supposed to.

After dinner was over, Katie needed some space to roam, so we took her outside to play with the dog and get some fresh air. She loves dogs, but gets a little timid when she gets close to them. I can certainly understand since Dottie is twice her size.

We also took some time to get a couple family photos...

Mohawk Bathtime Fun

Tonight during bathtime I got a little out of control while shampooing Katie's hair. The result was a mini mohawk - or as much of a mohawk as I could make with her limited hair on top. Can you tell that her attitude matched "the do" tonight??

This last picture is just to show some of her hair. What little hair she has barely shows up in pictures because its so blonde - plus she always has her helmet on. When its wet its a little darker, making it easier to see. 90% of her hair is in the back. Yep, she's got the best looking mullet in town. :-) As her hair gets longer we will know for sure, but I think its going to be curly like Matt's. I hope so because I hate my straight hair.

Niagara Falls

Neither Matt nor I had never been to Niagara Falls. When we travel, we like to experience new places together. So, when we started discussing destinations for a 30th birthday weekend getaway for me - it was naturally one of our options. In September we made our plans, booked our flights and said - boy, I hope Katie will tolerate us disappearing for 2.5 days. Better yet - can we make it an entire weekend without her? The good news - we all survived! :-)

Matt and I had a wonderful trip. The falls are absolutely one of God's amazing creations. Matt and I went to the Winter Festival of Lights when we arrived on Friday which included fireworks over the falls. Saturday we toured as much as we could including Rainbow Bridge, Skylon Tower, Journey Behind the Falls, and dinner at a restuarant overlooking the falls. It was a jam packed day that we thoroughly enjoyed.

I found myself in awe most of the weekend. The thunderous sound of the falls is intimidating, the mist is both frustrating and beautiful (frustrating because it prevents you from seeing all the falls - and beautiful because its mysterious nature), and the size of the falls is just overwhelming. I know the pictures cannot do it justice, but below are some of my best efforts.

Fireworks from Friday night.

View of the full moon over the falls from the window of our hotel room.

Horshoe Falls from the top of Skylon Tower. To give you an idea of the size of the falls, look at the size of the cars on the street.

The US Falls are smaller, but still very impressive!

The two of us splitting the falls. US Falls on the left, Canadian Falls (aka The Horseshoe Falls) on the right.

The US Falls - with Bridal Veil falls over to the far right.

Before our dinner out on Saturday Night. The Hotel was already in full Christmas mode! :-)


Canada is so similar to the US culturally that its hard to tell you aren't in your home country. One dead giveaway is that "restrooms" aren't "restrooms" in Canada - they are "Washrooms."

Back in Richmond - Katie spent Friday with Matt's Dad, Popa - and Aunt Katherine and Claire stopped by for a little play date. Then my parents had Katie for Saturday and Sunday until Matt and I arrived home. According to all reports - it went relatively well.

My parents brought Katie to the airport. When I saw her I rushed over to get her out of her stroller. She first looked at me as if she was totally confused. Then she said "mama" and put her arms around my neck for the biggest hug in the world. For the next 15 minutes, she wouldn't let me put her down - not that I wanted to. We were both so happy to see one another. She hasn't let Matt or I get very far away for the past couple of days. I guess its a good thing I took vacation this week and Matt is home most of the day.

I just wanted to say thank you to all the grandparents and aunts who helped out this weekend. Also the biggest thank you to my husband for giving me a wonderful birthday weekend. It was nice to just be a couple again - away from the stress of work, home, and life with a 15 month old.

Way to Go Aunt Katherine!!!

Today, Katie's Aunt Kat competed in her 2nd Suntrust Richmond Marathon. Matt, Katie and I went out to cheer her on. Katherine set a personal record with her time of 4 hours and 13 minutes. We are so proud of you Kat......CONGRATS!!!! :-)

Something is Different

Notice anything different about Katie's helmet?? It took me about a year, but I finally got around to adding some "bling" to her helmet. We found a website called BlingMyBand.com which specializes in helmet decor. For the record, there is NOTHING you can't find on the internet.

Anyways, I saw the Ladybugs and Butterflies design and decided to go for it. I think it turned out pretty cute and now regret not decorating her helmet sooner. We go back to Katie's neurosurgeon on December 15th and I'm hoping the helmet will be gone by Christmas. But, that may be wishful thinking. The orthotics doc says her head shape is "perfect" but that regression is always a concern with Cranio kids. So, we wait and pray for the best.

15 Months Old

Today was Katie's "well baby" 15 month check-up with the pediatrician. Unfortunately, she is NOT well. She started getting a cold last weekend and it has officially progressed to an ear infection - her first ear infection. My normally happy-go-lucky baby was not so happy today.

I'm attempting to do a better job of writing down Katie's milestones and interests as she grows. With that in mind, I thought I'd share some of Katie's 15 month physical and developmental milestones.

• 20 lbs and 30 1/2 inches long (15% and 75% respectively). She's long and lean....which she gets from her daddy. I often worry about Katie not weighing more - especially since she's such a picky eater. Her pediatrician says active toddlers don't gain as quickly as tiny, inactive babies and that I shouldn't worry. I'm still working on the "don't worry" part.


• Walks, Runs, and Climbs like crazy. The climbing is getting out of control - she treats household objects as her personal stairs/ladders. About 2 weeks ago she learned how to climb from the floor into the kitchen chair, then from the kitchen chair onto the kitchen table. Matt and I are trying to find a careful balance between encouraging exploration while also maintaining a safe environment for her.....its a careful line to toe.

• Words, Words, Words!!! Nana would say Katie has 20-25 words she has used at one point in time or another. However, she only uses about 10-15 on a regular basis to include: Mama, Dada, Nana, Hi, Bye-Bye, Bubbles, Uh-Oh, Woof-Woof, No, Yeah, and Diaper. In addition to the "words" we get LOTS of Katie babble. I actually enjoy the babble more than the words.....its so cute to hear here babbling to herself while she flips the pages of a favorite book.


• Imitating Others. Katie has started imitating all sorts of adult activity. She likes to put a purse on her arm, wave, say bye-bye and walk to the door (which I do everyday leaving for work). She also helps clean the house, brushes the hair of her dolls, "talks" on the phone, "mixes" food in mixing bowls, etc.



• Self Feeding. The self-feeding with spoon/fork is a bit of a work in progress. I honestly have been slower than I should to start this. Its a terribly messy process to let her feed herself - I'll try do a Self-feeding post at some point to give you a full understanding of what I mean by "MESS."


• Personality - Lots of personality! I love catching the glimpses of her developing personality....its probably my favorite part of this stage.


• Push, Pull, and Carry Toys.


• Music and Dancing. Katie LOVES to dance and listen to music. Matt and I have considered finding some sort of musical activity for toddlers, but haven't done enough research to determine what's available here in Richmond.