Williamsburg in Summer

Williamsburg in Summer

Friday, February 22, 2008

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin

Kate rolled over today all by herself! I knew it was just around the corner. Of course I missed seeing it; I found her flipped on her tummy quite stunned. We'll keep a watch for the next time. She's growing and changing and moving!!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

I Married a Spaceman

Photo credit: Travis Earles

Okay, truth be told - how many of you stayed up last night to see the lunar eclipse? We did. Josh wouldn't miss it.

From about 10:30 until 11:00 Josh, Shayla, and I sat in the dark kitchen straining our necks to peer out our back door. (We decided to let Kate sleep through this one, but she'll join us in 2010 for the next one.) Up in the clear night sky right above our townhouse perfectly positioned between the tall wall of pine trees and the rooftops' of neighbors was the orange glow of the lunar eclipse. I had seen one years ago, but experiencing astronomical events with Josh is like being a kid again. He gets so excited and it's as if I am seeing the world from a fresh perspective. Watching the brightness of the moon collect in smaller and smaller segments until the entire view was an orange hue reminded me of the magnitude of our Creator and just how small I am in the universe. The planets really do move and orbit just like we learned in science class; unfortunately we forget that sometimes in the business of life orbiting around ourselves. It's good to stop and be reminded.

As Josh and I sat in the dark laughing at our enthusiasm at the moon we remembered a time about 6 1/2 months ago when I was not so excited to participate in one of Josh's adventures. I was 9 months pregnant when the Perseid Meteor Shower was due to unveil its glory. This particular meteor shower was suppose to be the brightest and best in 30 years. All predictions pointed to midnight as the peak time frame to view this display of nature when up to 60 to 80 meteors per hour should have flown through the sky. So, it's early August - hot and humid as D.C. summers usually are. Josh, Shayla, and I are sitting on the ground in a dark parking lot somewhere far enough away from the city lights as to not obscure the view. We wait. And wait. And wait. I ask Josh, "Wasn't there suppose to be one visible per minute?" "Yes," he says, "But it's cloudy tonight". We wait. And wait. And wait until my pregnant body couldn't stand the humidity and the concrete any longer and insisted on going back to bed (that is once Josh helped me to my feet). It was about 1:30 a.m. when we got home. I think we each saw one meteor the entire time - or at least I told myself the flash in the sky was meteor so I'd feel better about the evening. The adventure sounded like a good idea when Josh mentioned it earlier that evening. We can laugh now, but I'm so glad I didn't go into labor in the middle of the parking lot that night.

Josh's mom tells many stories about this childlike wonder my husband frequently exhibits. Whether its his fascination with turtles, or the excitement over meteors, or his boyish grin when he gets a brilliant idea - his mom and I agree that this trait must stay with him forever. Yet interestingly, as we sat in the darkness watching the lunar eclipse in our kitchen, we knew that his mom was doing the same thing 3500 miles away. After all, she passed on her wonder and excitement to Josh. And Josh is itching for Kate to join us on the next adventure.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Flu has come to town

Oh, it's here and it's bad! I was bound to get it. My dad got sick first, then my mom, and Brenden then Shaun, and now it has arrived at our house. It's been sweeping through church and many people we know are home sick. I thought we were doing a good job staying away from people and the outside world, but a trip to the store or a movie last week or possibly even church let in the bug. It all started with a cough and progressed to sneezes and a sore throat and fever and chills and more coughing.

It's hard enough being sick - but being sick with a 6 month old is very challenging. I've tried so hard not to contaminate little Kate. I've been walking around with a burp cloth to my face smothering my germs--I 've used up bottles of Purrell hand sanitzier-- and she's spent many hours in the swing away from me. (Thank goodness for swings!!)

It's so good to have family to help out. My mom brought over more cough medicine and some soup last night. Josh jumped in with both feet last night and has taken over with the baby. Kate was at my mom's most of the morning, as Josh wisked her over there after she woke up. And I finally have pulled myself out of bed - for a little bit at least.

Yet, I must admit, there are some benefits to getting the flu:

1.) I got the entire bed to myself last night. Josh wisely slept on the couch. However, I'm not sure I enjoyed it to the fullest as I drifted in and out of consciousness.

2.) I've been enjoying unlimited popciles.

3.) It's a quick weight loss program.

4.) All housework, dishes, and laundry can wait - guilt free.

5.) I'm catching up on my sleep - finally.

Please keep Kate and Josh in your prayers. It looks like I'm going to make it, but I really don't want them to get sick. It's been so rough that my holistic minded self has been on medcine every four hours for the past four days...baby Kate won't be able to take anything. So please pray for mercy on her that this would pass her by.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Happy Half Birthday, Little One!!

It's amazing - it really is- just how fast the time goes by. Kate is 6 months old today. She is half-way to one year. I was looking over her hospital pictures the other day and it seems like the photographs are of another baby; Kate has changed so much.

One Day Old ------------One Week

One Month
Two Months------------Three Months
Four Months


And five months old, bundled up for the cold.

We love her so much! Life is so enjoyable with Kate in it!
We're still waiting for her to roll over and to sit up on her own,
but she's getting really, really close.
Each day is full of new fun and adventure.
So glad we've made it this far (the first few months were hard),
but I'm already missing the days of her being so little.
Savor each day; that is the lesson in it all.
Happy Half-Birthday, Kate. We love you.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Katherine Practicing Irish Step Dance

This morning, I was waiting for Kim while she was getting ready for church, and I needed to get the diaper bag ready. I put Katherine in her "Rainforest Bouncy Seat" which was a baby shower gift from Aunt Dot and Aunt Debbie in Massachusetts. She has really begun to enjoy bouncing, but up until yesterday, we had to have phone books under her feet because she wasn't big enough to reach the floor. I came out, and she was bouncing up and down, with both feet kicking straight out at the same time. It was so cute that I grabbed the camera to film her. Here it is:



Katherine has also really really begun to notice things around her. She likes to watch the dog, look at colorful things, and stare at anything new. She has started to swivel her head all the way around to look at things behind her. Sometimes, she will twist her whole upper body around that it makes it hard to hold her as she moves. She has, however, finally grown out of the baby-bobblehead stage.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

A Mid Week Photo Shoot

It has come to our attention that we are slacking on providing our family and friends with updated photos of the Little One. As I was telling Grandma Ann tonight, it's been a fussy few weeks as Kate appears to be teething. But we've added a late afternoon nap to the schedule and our little angel seems much happier. So with this new found contentment and joy, I grabbed the camera and took some pictures. I hope you enjoy them.
Here she is: Kate at 5 1/2 months!
Mommy's Little Helper

Sitting Pretty





Happy Birthday, Grandma Ann

Today is February 5th--Grandma Ann's Birthday.
We hope it is a day filled with joy and blessing.
We thought we'd contribute to your joy with a little song,
and well, Katherine had her own surprise to add in.

Happy Birthday! We love you.