Horses, horses, horses, horses...

You know, from Sleepless in Seattle when she's singing Jingle Bells in the car?

Anyone??

I digress.

Aunt Shelly came for a very fun visit last weekend. She bought Kathryn her first pony, which is super-cool because not only is she a veterinarian, but also an avid horse jumper! We will have no objections to buying another one someday as long as it's name is "My Little".



We subjected her to Rob's and my favorite movies (The Big Lebowski and Waiting for Guffman, respectively) and Auntie Amber and cousin Jade even came up to join in some of the festivities. Kathryn loved all the attention; this kid loves to be held and adored!


Shelly also taught us how to make a delicious salad and pasta dish. We enjoyed it for days after she left. We also went to Cici's, which had some pretty good pizza and the best cinnamon rolls ever. It was a pretty popular place with the kids though, and it made me cringe just a little thinking of future requests for birthdays at Chuck E. Cheese... and probably a pony... the things we do for our kids!

Visiting Kinfolk

Today Grandma Ann came up to visit with Uncle George and Aunt Jackie. Kathryn seemed so happy to meet her aunt and uncle from Utah and to spend some time outside in the shade. Grandma worked her baby magic and got a lot of grins as well as lulling Kathryn to sleep...




After waking up from a long nap she had so much energy, we decided it was tummy time. All in all, it was a great day!

Our "little" girl weighs 9 pounds, 3 ounces or so now and is finally filling out her "newborn" clothes and even wearing some 0-3 month outfits. We have figured out the eating thing and I no longer have to give bottles or pump unless I want to... life is so much easier now! I cannot say enough good things about the breastfeeding clinic at the hospital and all of the help they provided over the last 7 weeks. I don't say this to brag, but to encourage others who have had a hard time. I have probably been 20 times (usually at their request... I think maybe they just wanted a Kathryn fix!). When I feed her there, I feel such a sense of support and community from the other women there for the same reason. I highly recommend it! All three of us have minor colds right now, and for the first time, our baby actually shed a tear this week. It was so sad! I have to use the bulb syringe in her snotter nose, and she just hates it. The good news is that I know what she loves- eating and bath time, and when she's upset either one of those will usually make her happy again. Oh yes, and of course the beloved binky. I have been trying to pay more attention to the cats as time allows, but I think they still feel a little left out and have really banded together:

Making Faces

Our little girl has become quite expressive! I have suspected for a while she has been smiling socially, but yesterday she removed all doubt. She loves grinning at me and Rob, but I have yet to see her so excited for the camera. I guess it doesn't smile back or cheer her on or sing silly songs or make bad jokes for that matter. Today she is no longer officially a newborn. I have a feeling she will always be our baby though... She weighs in at 8 pounds 12 1/2 ounces and seems to be getting longer. She is also working on holding her head up. Chez Mama is open 24 hours a day of course, so I'm pretty tired... I had vertigo a couple weeks ago, but having Rob care for her and taking a long nap cured me. I also had to leave her with Rob for the first time this weekend because I had class (thank goodness I only have one more left). It was hard, but I knew she was in good hands so I didn't totally freak out. Okay, maybe just a little because I missed her.

If you want photos...

I will be uploading photos to walgreens.com on a somewhat regular basis so family and friends can order them online and pick them up in the store. If you want to receive an invitation to the photos each time I do this, just send me an e-mail or post a comment with your e-mail address and I will be happy to. Cheers!

A cute video

Little K8 is doing GR8! Her check-up went well; the doctor said she has more "spark" than most one-month olds. Well, yeah! Hurricane Kathryn might only register as a 1 or 2 on the Richter scale (I have been told she is an easy baby- but really, is there such a thing?), but when she's alert, she is ALERT! She is 21 1/2 inches long and weighs 8 pounds 5 ounces. She is spending a lot more time awake during the day, and consequently more time asleep at night (YES! Can I get an Amen?). She is really getting strong too. During tummy-time, she rolls over onto her back and she loves to kick up a storm! I like to play rocket ship with her when she kicks off of my lap- fun stuff for a 5-week old. Rob and I make absolute fools of ourselves competing to see who can get her to grin. We also had a great weekend full of dates. Really! We went out to dinner, had dinner at our friends' house, and even went to a movie- all with baby K. Wow- we really can still get out of the house. I thought based on our first few weeks that Target was going to be our social life for the next year, but there actually is hope for us. Well, I'm off to try out the Baby Bjorn... Rob had her in it tonight, and she loved it. In other news, here is a video clip from tonight that can teach us all a little something about perseverance. (I like to call it "I'm gonna get you, binky."):

I can't believe a month has passed already. How is that even possible? It has been the fastest month of my life. It really seems like just last week that we brought our bundle of baby home! Tomorrow we will go in for her one month check-up. She has already grown and changed so much. She has been lifting her head for a couple of weeks now, but uses the skill to communicate with us now. If I try to lay her down on my chest for a little nap and she's not into it, she will let me know in no uncertain terms by lifting up her head and staring at me as if to say, "Look at me Mommy, and how *NOT* tired I am! Now... let's eat!" She recently began smiling at and reacting to us sometimes- it is the best! Our once tiny newborn has also grown into a healthy 8-plus pounder with the cutest double chin. She is still so sweet though, and doesn't cry much at all- instead, she clears her throat persistently to let us know when she needs something. I am absolutely loving being a mom, tiredness and all, and I thank God for the blessing our little girl is to us.