I just found a really cool mom blog (thanks Farrah!). It is called SIMPLE and it is full of reviews and giveaways. One of their latest review/givaways is for a really cool Growth Graph. It is like a poster-sized baby book and scrapbook all in one.
I am super excited about the blog though. It looks like there are regular reviews and giveaways, not to mention great links and a ton of coupon codes for other mom-oriented sites/stores. Yet another great blog to add to my RSS/Atom feed!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Beautiful Spring Day
Today has been one of the most beautiful days we have seen this spring. Cincinnati weather is pretty fickle this time of year (well...most of the year) so we have had wide variations in the temperature and precipitation. But, today has been beautiful. Temp in the 70's, sunny, and just a tad breezy.
I took my camera out to get some shots of Katherine and the flowers and leaves on the plants/trees in our yard. I can't tell you how much I love the way that the sunlight filters through the big tree in our front yard. Seeing the occasional ray of sunshine that has fallen on a colorful flower and catching it on film is a happy occurrence.
My one complaint about this time of year (although I'm sure I could think of more, but it is too pretty today) is the impending onslaught of caterpillars. The first few have shown themselves over the last week. Give it a couple of days/weeks and we will have hundreds of them in various stages of development (including the dead ones) clinging to every surface (eating my small tree by the front porch, plastered to the sides of the house, etc). The only invasion worse is that of the 17 year cicadas which I got my first exposure to four years ago - yuck.
Katherine is hysterical when she comes across one of the caterpillars (or any bug for that matter). She squeals with absolute delight, calling anyone within earshot over to look at whatever creature she has found. She will even let some things crawl on her hands - although if they get too close to her arms/sleeves she gets a little panicked. Maybe she has some of her mama's curiosity in her (which led me to major in biology in college). I hope she doesn't develop an irrational fear of things like bugs, lizards, frogs, etc. I would hate for those squeals of delight to turn into shrieks of revulsion (although she doesn't have to love EVERY bug, I certainly don't). Oh well, we'll see.
So far other than a passing interest in princesses, crowns, and dress-up she isn't an extreme girly-girl. I rather like the rough-and-tumble version of my daughter. I am sure my mother finds this dynamic rather comical since she had to force me to wear skirts or dresses when I was in junior high and high school. I swore I would wear pants in my wedding (luckily I relented on that by the time I actually had a wedding) and I have never been much for jewelry, makeup or high-maintenance hair.
I am still not a fan of skirts or dresses other than for special occasions (and if there is a suitable pants outfit for those I would still prefer that) and it takes something pretty formal for me to do more than blow-dry my hair or put on more than chapstick or lip gloss. It will be interesting to see how Katherine's tastes develop. I will try to be reasonably supportive in whatever direction she goes!
I took my camera out to get some shots of Katherine and the flowers and leaves on the plants/trees in our yard. I can't tell you how much I love the way that the sunlight filters through the big tree in our front yard. Seeing the occasional ray of sunshine that has fallen on a colorful flower and catching it on film is a happy occurrence.
My one complaint about this time of year (although I'm sure I could think of more, but it is too pretty today) is the impending onslaught of caterpillars. The first few have shown themselves over the last week. Give it a couple of days/weeks and we will have hundreds of them in various stages of development (including the dead ones) clinging to every surface (eating my small tree by the front porch, plastered to the sides of the house, etc). The only invasion worse is that of the 17 year cicadas which I got my first exposure to four years ago - yuck.
Katherine is hysterical when she comes across one of the caterpillars (or any bug for that matter). She squeals with absolute delight, calling anyone within earshot over to look at whatever creature she has found. She will even let some things crawl on her hands - although if they get too close to her arms/sleeves she gets a little panicked. Maybe she has some of her mama's curiosity in her (which led me to major in biology in college). I hope she doesn't develop an irrational fear of things like bugs, lizards, frogs, etc. I would hate for those squeals of delight to turn into shrieks of revulsion (although she doesn't have to love EVERY bug, I certainly don't). Oh well, we'll see.
So far other than a passing interest in princesses, crowns, and dress-up she isn't an extreme girly-girl. I rather like the rough-and-tumble version of my daughter. I am sure my mother finds this dynamic rather comical since she had to force me to wear skirts or dresses when I was in junior high and high school. I swore I would wear pants in my wedding (luckily I relented on that by the time I actually had a wedding) and I have never been much for jewelry, makeup or high-maintenance hair.
I am still not a fan of skirts or dresses other than for special occasions (and if there is a suitable pants outfit for those I would still prefer that) and it takes something pretty formal for me to do more than blow-dry my hair or put on more than chapstick or lip gloss. It will be interesting to see how Katherine's tastes develop. I will try to be reasonably supportive in whatever direction she goes!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Two weeks of pictures for my 365
Sleepy boy! 5/10/08
As a friend once said: Real men wear pink! 5/9/08
Snug as a bug... 5/8/08 
Who's wide awake in the middle of the night? 5/7/08
Awesome day at the park 5/6/08
Future babysitters 5/5/08
Playing on our very own playground 5/4/08
Multitasking 5/3/08
In my nursing throne 5/2/08
Proud Big Sister 5/1/08
Prou Mama and Daddy 4/30/08
Welcome to the world sweet boy! 4/29/08Friday, May 2, 2008
Lots To Catch Up On
Wow, this has been a crazy week! When last we "spoke" it was my anniversary, I was looking forward to an actual date with my husband, and I really wished I could welcome our baby sooner rather than later. Well, we had a wonderful date. We went to my favorite pizza place in the world, ordered the best meatball pizza around, and followed it up with some of Cincinnati's best ice cream. For those who know about Cincinnati ice cream - we prefer Aglamesis to Graeter's. We were still home early enough to watch a movie with Katherine before heading to bed. It was a great anniversary!
Monday was relatively uneventful other than an increase in the number and intensity of the Braxton-Hicks contractions (which just put me in a bad mood). Katherine and I ran some errands, stopped at the Servati bakery for a cookie, and made our way home. We both napped for a while and I woke up ravenous for a good gyro. I told James that the baby needed a gyro so we packed up and went to a great local place that has apparently been there for over 40 years. It was AWESOME and the family that runs it the nicest people! Our waitress and I talked kids, pregnancies, etc. and she told me that a friend of hers came in for a gyro and was in labor 4 hours later - a thought which made me happy.
Well, by the time we attempted to go to bed I was having contractions 7-10 minutes apart. By 2:30am they were between 3 and 6 minutes apart and getting fairly uncomfortable. I called the doctor a little before 4am and she told us to go ahead to the hospital triage to see if I was actually in labor or not. We got there by 5:30 or so (after waking up our wonderful neighbors and getting someone to come down and be at the house while Katherine was still asleep). They monitored me for a while, told us to walk around that floor of the hospital for an hour, monitored me again, and were prepared to send me home.
God was with us because when we came back from our walk there had been a shift change for both the nurses at the hospital and the doctor on-call from my ob/gyn practice. Before sending us home the new nurse noted to the doctor that there were some slight decelerations in the baby's heart rate recorded. The doctor decided to play it safe and said that although that could be a result of absolutely nothing, he would admit me and break my water in an effort to get my contractions into a better pattern and get things moving with the birth. The doctor broke my water around 9:30am and at 3:59pm we welcomed Jack into the world!
We had a wonderful experience: great doctors, amazing nurses, just excellent care in general. James' parents came down to be with Katherine while we were in the hospital, arriving about 30 minutes after Jack was born. They took great care of Katherine, helping to make her transition a little easier. We came home Thursday around lunch to big hugs from Katherine. She is really excited to be a big sister!
We have enjoyed settling in as a brand new family of four. Friends and family have been absolutely wonderful wishing us well, visiting, bringing gifts, and bringing us food. We are so amazingly blessed! We are thankful for all of the gestures of love and friendship we have received. God bless you guys!
On another note, I created a family blog to post updates and pictures. So, if you are interested head over to http://thekanarynest.blogspot.com. Also, my version of project 365 officially began the day Jack was born (ha ha, taking the easy way out - who doesn't take pictures of a new baby?) so I will be posting a bunch from the last few days!
Monday was relatively uneventful other than an increase in the number and intensity of the Braxton-Hicks contractions (which just put me in a bad mood). Katherine and I ran some errands, stopped at the Servati bakery for a cookie, and made our way home. We both napped for a while and I woke up ravenous for a good gyro. I told James that the baby needed a gyro so we packed up and went to a great local place that has apparently been there for over 40 years. It was AWESOME and the family that runs it the nicest people! Our waitress and I talked kids, pregnancies, etc. and she told me that a friend of hers came in for a gyro and was in labor 4 hours later - a thought which made me happy.
Well, by the time we attempted to go to bed I was having contractions 7-10 minutes apart. By 2:30am they were between 3 and 6 minutes apart and getting fairly uncomfortable. I called the doctor a little before 4am and she told us to go ahead to the hospital triage to see if I was actually in labor or not. We got there by 5:30 or so (after waking up our wonderful neighbors and getting someone to come down and be at the house while Katherine was still asleep). They monitored me for a while, told us to walk around that floor of the hospital for an hour, monitored me again, and were prepared to send me home.
God was with us because when we came back from our walk there had been a shift change for both the nurses at the hospital and the doctor on-call from my ob/gyn practice. Before sending us home the new nurse noted to the doctor that there were some slight decelerations in the baby's heart rate recorded. The doctor decided to play it safe and said that although that could be a result of absolutely nothing, he would admit me and break my water in an effort to get my contractions into a better pattern and get things moving with the birth. The doctor broke my water around 9:30am and at 3:59pm we welcomed Jack into the world!
We had a wonderful experience: great doctors, amazing nurses, just excellent care in general. James' parents came down to be with Katherine while we were in the hospital, arriving about 30 minutes after Jack was born. They took great care of Katherine, helping to make her transition a little easier. We came home Thursday around lunch to big hugs from Katherine. She is really excited to be a big sister!
We have enjoyed settling in as a brand new family of four. Friends and family have been absolutely wonderful wishing us well, visiting, bringing gifts, and bringing us food. We are so amazingly blessed! We are thankful for all of the gestures of love and friendship we have received. God bless you guys!
On another note, I created a family blog to post updates and pictures. So, if you are interested head over to http://thekanarynest.blogspot.com. Also, my version of project 365 officially began the day Jack was born (ha ha, taking the easy way out - who doesn't take pictures of a new baby?) so I will be posting a bunch from the last few days!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Anniversary Thoughts
Today is my 6th wedding anniversary. Some days I can't believe it has gone so quickly. Other days I feel like we've been married forever (mostly this is a good thing). I don't know if it is due to my impending anniversary or just because I am expecting kiddo #2 any day now and becoming introspective, but I have been thinking a lot the last week or so about what qualities I find attractive in a man. I am blessed to have found an amazing mate (husband, father, partner, believer) in James.
One of the many things I find incredibly attractive in my husband is his belief in babywearing. For those of you not well-acquainted with the term, check out http://www.thebabywearer.com/. Anyway, seeing a man hanging out solo with his children is extremely heart-warming to me. But, to see a grown man with no qualms about wearing his child really touches me. Whatever the type of carrier, that image really gets me going. Not only is my beloved comfortable with the concept of babywearing, he actively participates. One of my favorite memories of K's first few weeks in this world is James in the front yard raking leaves with K strapped to his chest.
In my opinion, a man's willingness to wear his child speaks volumes about the type of father he is willing to be. A friend of ours recently said that he wasn't sure how manly he felt wearing a sling, but he didn't care. I tried to assure him that it was attractive (to at least some women) to wear your children, but he still wasn't convinced it was quite "manly." Oh well, it may not be the hallmark of masculinity, but it is one of the things I find most attractive in a man.
Another attraction to my husband (also associated with his dedication to his child(ren)) relates to the task he is spending our anniversary accomplishing. He has enlisted the help of a friend of ours to dedicate a portion of our front lawn to K (and all of the neighbor kids). Months ago we had a friend help us hang a swing from the large tree in our front yard. The swing was not only a huge hit with K, but also many of the neighbor kids so a path has been worn under the swing where we are no longer able to grow grass. Instead of making futile attempts to re-seed, sod, or some other expensive effort my wonderful husband has decided that it would make more sense to lay a bed of playground mulch under the swing and around the tree to accomodate a small slide. Now, this may not seem like a huge sacrifice to some. However, pre-parenthood, my husband was known for actually mowing patterns into our lawn.
How sexy is it to see a man who has embraced fatherhood so completely that he risks not looking manly to wear his children and gives his front lawn over to a mini-playground!? Extremely...
One of the many things I find incredibly attractive in my husband is his belief in babywearing. For those of you not well-acquainted with the term, check out http://www.thebabywearer.com/. Anyway, seeing a man hanging out solo with his children is extremely heart-warming to me. But, to see a grown man with no qualms about wearing his child really touches me. Whatever the type of carrier, that image really gets me going. Not only is my beloved comfortable with the concept of babywearing, he actively participates. One of my favorite memories of K's first few weeks in this world is James in the front yard raking leaves with K strapped to his chest.
In my opinion, a man's willingness to wear his child speaks volumes about the type of father he is willing to be. A friend of ours recently said that he wasn't sure how manly he felt wearing a sling, but he didn't care. I tried to assure him that it was attractive (to at least some women) to wear your children, but he still wasn't convinced it was quite "manly." Oh well, it may not be the hallmark of masculinity, but it is one of the things I find most attractive in a man.
Another attraction to my husband (also associated with his dedication to his child(ren)) relates to the task he is spending our anniversary accomplishing. He has enlisted the help of a friend of ours to dedicate a portion of our front lawn to K (and all of the neighbor kids). Months ago we had a friend help us hang a swing from the large tree in our front yard. The swing was not only a huge hit with K, but also many of the neighbor kids so a path has been worn under the swing where we are no longer able to grow grass. Instead of making futile attempts to re-seed, sod, or some other expensive effort my wonderful husband has decided that it would make more sense to lay a bed of playground mulch under the swing and around the tree to accomodate a small slide. Now, this may not seem like a huge sacrifice to some. However, pre-parenthood, my husband was known for actually mowing patterns into our lawn.
How sexy is it to see a man who has embraced fatherhood so completely that he risks not looking manly to wear his children and gives his front lawn over to a mini-playground!? Extremely...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Project 365
I found a great idea on another blog the other day. Take and post at least one picture every day for an entire year. To some that may not seem like a big deal, but with a very active 2 1/2 year old and a sibling for her expected any day, this feat will sometimes seem monumental. However, I have recently (really since getting pregnant again) gotten lax in the picture-taking department.
It was never more obvious than when visiting my husband's parents and looking at their "picture wall." They have devoted the entire side of their pantry cabinet to pictures of family and close friends. Miss K spent hours over the course of the week we were there looking at the photos, naming the people she recognized, and asking "is that me?"
I cringed inwardly as I searched for the limited pictures which contained her precious face...and it is entirely my fault! I just haven't taken many pictures lately and those that I have taken I haven't shared with my in-laws in a user-friendly manner. Thus, my brilliant idea - take the project 365 challenge and hope that it means I take and post more pictures of the kiddo(s).
So, my attempt will be to at least take a picture each day and hopefully post almost every day.
It was never more obvious than when visiting my husband's parents and looking at their "picture wall." They have devoted the entire side of their pantry cabinet to pictures of family and close friends. Miss K spent hours over the course of the week we were there looking at the photos, naming the people she recognized, and asking "is that me?"
I cringed inwardly as I searched for the limited pictures which contained her precious face...and it is entirely my fault! I just haven't taken many pictures lately and those that I have taken I haven't shared with my in-laws in a user-friendly manner. Thus, my brilliant idea - take the project 365 challenge and hope that it means I take and post more pictures of the kiddo(s).
So, my attempt will be to at least take a picture each day and hopefully post almost every day.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
For Tricia
OK, so I am very far behind on this because I am just catching up on Nathan and Tricia's story.
There has been a challenge on Nathan's blog for all blogging mothers. To Post all of the things you can't wait for Tricia to experience with Gwyneth. To get caught up and understand who Tricia, Nathan and Gwyneth are please visit Nathan's website! http://www.cfhusband.blogspot.com/
Nathan and Tricia, I have a 2 1/2 year old beautiful little girl and am awaiting the arrival of our second child any day now. CF runs in my family, but I am not a carrier. So, you guys are especially close to my heart!
The things I can't wait for Tricia to experience:
Gwyneth's first true belly laugh,
Hearing the hysterically random things that come out of Gwyneth's mouth as she develops an understanding of the english language,
Watching Gwyneth develop her first "best friend,"
Seeing Gwyneth's excitement as she does something for the first time "all by myself,"
Taking Gwyneth trick-or-treating for the first time,
Watching Gwyneth develop individual relationships with her grandparents,
...and so much more!
This list is so short in comparison to the amazing things (large and small) that will be heartwarming, frustrating, humbling, and unexplainably wonderful about raising a child.
Your story is an inspiration and your faith is humbling. My prayers are with you.
- Katrina
There has been a challenge on Nathan's blog for all blogging mothers. To Post all of the things you can't wait for Tricia to experience with Gwyneth. To get caught up and understand who Tricia, Nathan and Gwyneth are please visit Nathan's website! http://www.cfhusband.blogspot.com/
Nathan and Tricia, I have a 2 1/2 year old beautiful little girl and am awaiting the arrival of our second child any day now. CF runs in my family, but I am not a carrier. So, you guys are especially close to my heart!
The things I can't wait for Tricia to experience:
Gwyneth's first true belly laugh,
Hearing the hysterically random things that come out of Gwyneth's mouth as she develops an understanding of the english language,
Watching Gwyneth develop her first "best friend,"
Seeing Gwyneth's excitement as she does something for the first time "all by myself,"
Taking Gwyneth trick-or-treating for the first time,
Watching Gwyneth develop individual relationships with her grandparents,
...and so much more!
This list is so short in comparison to the amazing things (large and small) that will be heartwarming, frustrating, humbling, and unexplainably wonderful about raising a child.
Your story is an inspiration and your faith is humbling. My prayers are with you.
- Katrina
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