An afternoon Chat

We have the luxury of having Josh work at home. His job has perks; one of which is he often gets to pop upstairs throughout the day for a quick hello. Lately he's been lingering a little longer. As Kate spots him from across the room and immediately smiles - Josh just melts. He often declares, "She just melts my heart". Kate loves her daddy. She laughs and laughs as Josh talks to her and makes funny faces and noises. It's amazing the bond a father and daughter have, even at this young age. (Isn't that right, Dad?)


So as any good parent would do, we grabbed the video camera to capture the moment.


P.S. The spot on Kate's nose is a scratch...her nails get long so fast!

3 Months Old

Last week Katherine turned 3 months old. She's so much fun these days. She laughs a lot and babbles at Josh and I constantly. She has also discovered her hands. Occasionally she gags as she tries to shove her entire fist in her mouth at once, but usually she just holds onto a soft blanket and snuggles it up her face. She also holds a rattle and reaches up to touch our faces. It's been a lot of fun interacting with her. She just melts our hearts.

Some of you have patiently been waiting for some updated photos. Here they are!

Happy Thanksgiving

We wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family, near and far away. You are in our thoughts today, and we are grateful for your involvement in our lives.

We are heading over to the Gallagher's house for the big meal today. Thanksgiving is almost as big as Christmas in my family. I traditionally bring the apples pies (anywhere from 2 to 6 depending on people), the cornbread and some other dessert item. This year I made a chocolate espresso pecan pie per Josh's request and some corn pudding that is one of my favorites. I also attempted two apple pies, but baking with a three month old nearby is not easy. So we took some short cuts this year--don't tell. We'll have a full house today -16 or 17 I think.

In honor of the day, I thought I'd do a top 10 list of things we're grateful for this year:

1. The arrival of our beautiful daughter, Kate.


2. The precious gift of sleep


3. The health and well being of our family


4. God's blessing on Josh's business


5. And His provision for our family


6. Family and friends that have visited and helped us with Kate in the rough days


7. Dr. Tedesco for alleviating Kate's pain and helping us get to know a joyful baby


8. The generosity of so many people as they welcomed Kate into our family


9. Bottles and Baby Mozart (Kate wanted those added in.)


10. Doggie Bones (Shalya's 2 cents)

We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! We hope to have some pictures to post later today.

Autumn, Oh Autumn! Where for art thou?

Most of us have experienced the extension of summer weather to some degree this year, and if you are like me you may feel that the heat of summer has outstayed its welcome. Air-conditioning in September and short sleeves in October do not feel right to this New England bred girl. I so look forward to the explosion of color on the trees, the crunch of leaves under my feet, and the crisp, invigorating air that turns my nose and cheeks red. Pumpkins and apple cider make me feel five years old again; I look forward to them every fall. Yet, in 80 degree weather, warm apple cider didn't have the same affect. Just last week a friend of mine from Texas (shout out to Nicky) wrote me a letter about the sole tree in her neighborhood that had brilliant red leaves and quickly became the envy of all. A front page article in The Onion, a farce newspaper left at our house by one of Josh's colleagues, humorously announced: Fall Canceled After 3 Billion Seasons. A portion of the article read,

The classic period of the year, which once occupied the coveted slot between
summer and winter, will be replaced by new, stifling humidity levels, near
constant sunshine, and almost no precipitation for months. "As much as we'd like
to see it stay, fall will not be returning for another season," National Weather
Service president John Hayes announced during a muggy press conference on Nov.
6. "Fall had a great run, but sadly, times have changed".

So today as Kate and I bundled up in sweatshirts and hats and gloves to go run errands I was thrilled to feel the cool air on my face. I eagerly anticipated driving down the road and seeing the reds, oranges and yellows of the oaks and maples that line the byways. Yet, what I noticed was not sunshine bouncing off brilliant arrays of colored foliage but rather the sky threatening the grey, moist, dampness that beckons in winter. Did I miss fall? Did it appear on Sunday afternoon as I enjoyed a relaxing nap and disappear before the sun rose on Monday?

As I desperately tried to capture any semblance of autumn, Kate amused me by posing for these photos:

Cute, Isn't she?

I just couldn't resist sharing this picture. Sure she's propped up and fell over a few times trying to get this shot...but we got it! That's my girl. (She ate really well today again!!!! Yippee!)

12 Weeks Today!!

Well everyone tells me that life gets better once the baby hits 12 weeks, and whether it was coincidence or development, we had a fabulous day today. (And those who have kept in touch know that we haven't had too many of those since August!) Kate has been all smiles today and has been eating today too. Eating has been a big issue for us - our daily prayer is that she would eat.


After weekly visits to my pediatrician and medications that seemed to make Kate more upset than comforted, I opted to try some alternative routes. We took her to Dr. Tedesco, a chiropractor who specializes in pediatric care. After the first visit, some improvement was immediately noticeable; Kate was a new baby. Today marked the half-way point in our treatment plan, and we keep making more strides toward improvement. It turns out Kate had a significant amount of trauma in her lower back (probably from her spinal tap at 2 weeks) and even more muscle spasms at the base of her neck (either from the birth process or perhaps the virus she had at 2 weeks settled in her neck). For the last 3 months Kate has resisted being held, hates being touched along her arms and neck, and prefers to be in a bouncy seat rather than in my arms, but today she let me hold her for quite awhile -- I was in heaven. I hope we are turning a corner.


Thanks to everyone who has offered us advice, support, and babysitting so we could get a break from a lovely but often fussy baby. We love you all!!

We wanted to share a video clip of Kate being happy. Enjoy!

Keeping in Touch with Family and Friends

Well, I have finally taken the time to set up a family blog site. I had hoped to have this up and running before little Miss Kate arrived in August. November... August ... what's a few months delay? Actually, a few months is a lot of missed time with a new baby. Each day is a miracle. Each day is a new discovery or development we want to share with you.

We hope that this blog will help us keep in touch with those we love and miss. Life is so full of little stories from day to day happenings or precious snapshots that communicate more than words some time. So please check in often. We want you to feel like you're with us everyday!

Much love,

Kim, Josh and Kate