WE MADE IT!!

Last week we took our first plane ride with the kid in tow out to good ole Kansas City. She screamed all the way through the Baltimore airport and we were pretty concerned that it was going to be a L...O...N...G flight. Fortunately for us, all that screaming tuckered her right out and she was rather subdued the whole flight. We followed the advice about feeding her on the way up and on the way down so that her ears would pop. Whew... that might be our easiest flight with her ever!



During our stay out in Kansas, little Natalie got a cold. It was actually the first night out there. She's never been sick before, so I got rather beside myself and was calling our pediatrician and local pediatricians to see what they recommended. We decided to wait to take her in to the doctor and just give her saline drops to see if we could make her feel better. She did a lot of sleeping in her carseat, but all in all seemed to make out all right. In the course of her sickness, though, she managed to pass along her lovely symptoms to both Kevin and me. Kev got it worse than I did. Ah well what would the first official sickness be without it being a family affair? Now THAT'S one for the scrapbook (first booger!).

We had a terrific time in KC with all of the relatives. My grandparents (Mommo and Poppo) were there to see Natalie for the first time and my sister and uncle also made it. We ate a Thanksgiving meal and celebrated my grandmother and sister's birthday's. All in all it was a fabulous time and difficult to leave. I'm definitely wishing we were a little bit closer to my family right now. It would be nice if it were a bit more manageable driving distance (20+ hours is a bit much). We could just opt to get rid of all of the states in between... who needs Kentucky and West Virginia anyway???



Can't wait to see the fam again at Christmas.

Happy 2 Months, Kid.

Well, it's crazy but I'm already feeling like we've lost a few opportunities with her. "What?!?!" you ask. She IS only 2 months old after all. Well the procrastinator that I am, I didnt get a foot print when she was just born for my scrapbook. Granted her little foot is still just that... little, but not as little as it was.

And then there's the feeling of holding her when she WAS just 5 lbs. Perhaps it was that I was just constantly tired when she was that size, but I'm having trouble remembering now and that makes me sad. Yes, she probably hasn't hit 10 lbs yet, but its different now. Good, mind you, but different.

I've found myself over the years wishing that we could take snapshots of moments (favorite vacations, extended hugs with loved ones, snuggling with a new baby) and put them in a box to be enjoyed later. This would be kind of like a picture album, but I would want to capture the feeling that all my senses are experiencing. Unfortunately I'm just not that good at remembering all of those things myself. It seems like memories become muted representations of what I was truly feeling during those special times. And I KNOW there have been times when I've thought "I want to remember this moment forever" and I can't remember where I was or why it was significant anymore.

If it weren't for the whole Big Brother thing, I think it would be interesting if life were kind of like that movie Final Cut. Now I'm not all that good at remembering whether movies have scandalous scenes in them so don't go watching it with your kids because I'm blogging about it. But the gist is that its the future and you can get a microchip planted in your kids brain if you're rich to record everything that they see. Then when they die some person takes the contents of the chip and makes a movie about them to be seen at there funeral. Ok, I'd like to see the movie before my funeral, but I think it would be a REALLY interesting concept. How many memories of mine have I altered in my head because I was affected a little negatively by someone or something? How many events have I forgotten? And how many memories have I simply made up? (Yeah, I didn't know that contrived memories existed until a few years ago.)

Anyway... this is getting long. I guess I just wish in some ways that I remembered more. I guess it makes me good at living in the moment, but I think there's a lot of benefit to remembering details about the past.

Well, what's a "Happy 2 Month" blog without a picture? Here's a two month picture in the bath. We were supposed to do pictures at Penneys that day but we rescheduled for her 3 month birthday. She LOVES the bath, by the way, and can be calmed instantly by half submerging her in the warm water in the sink. She wont be small enough to take baths in this sink much longer. I'm filing all the memories away about it that I can!

Hallelujah!!!

Natalie is officially 8 weeks old today and last night she slept a whopping 8 hours straight! Granted, she was in the swing the entire time, but hey... who cares?
She seems to be out of most of the preemie things she had. Thanks to all who helped clothe her in these first couple months of life. It really seems like its gone by fast, yet it seems like she's been here longer than two short months.

Things she likes to do: grunt (she's really good at that), smile (although she still makes you work for them), sleep (she really does sleep a lot more than I expected), eat (she's a S_____ after all) and poo (she's quite accomplished and I keep oxy spray next to the hamper just because of her). =)

Here's a few pictures taken today...



So we're traveling with her soon... and I have to admit I'm a little nervous. Taking a newborn with you anywhere seems to be like planning to emigrate to a foreign country. You want to take everything with you "just in case". However, in striving to be somewhat low maintenance, we are trying to be reasonable about what we pack in a flight across the country. Staples (like swings, bouncy seats and pack n plays) are all out. And the little angel in the pictures above COULD just turn into the devil child that you loathe to be seated near on a long flight. I can just imagine people near us on the flight glancing over at us as our child wails uncontrollably. My dad just told us that Southwest has recently changed their policy about pre-boarding passengers. Great... just when I get around to having a kid is when they decide to cut out the special privileges. Just my luck. Ah well... I'm sure it wont be as bad as I'm envisioning it.

Good Times

I know I probably should say anything as it will probably jinx us, but she slept 5.5 hours last night straight! Woot! My mom was in town the past few nights and I REALLY appreciated having someone get up one of the shifts at night (it has been averaging 2-3 times per night). But last night she only got up once. Could we be turning over a new leaf?

My mom and I had a good time together the past few days. We reminisced about me living at home and how we used to both enjoy being on the go. We're really very much alike in that respect. I was always interested in going with her to the grocery store or to the mall or wherever needed to go. So last night on the way to the airport we had a little time to kill so we hit up this big mall a few miles away. It was the plan to run in and find a few cold weather things for Natalie - as lots of the things she has that fit are short-sleeved. We ran in the mall and hit up Osh Kosh and the Children's Place outlets and then with an hour till her flight left hauled butt down the mall to the Auntie Annes for a pretzel and some lemonade. Then it was a mad dash back to the airport where she arrived only 40 minutes before her plane took off. In case any of you are wondering...YES I have missed a plane before. Two of them actually. One on a business trip. Ouch. Ah, but we made it. Ha! The queens of cutting it close and trying to cram TOO MUCH into too little time have done it again. It keeps things exciting.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

I'd just like to take this moment and say, Happy 55th Birthday, DAD. Having you as a Dad constantly makes me proud. I love you and think you're the best Dad a girl could ask for. XOXO