Brief Update

Stef & Jonathan spent several days with us last week. We enjoyed having them immensely, and are already looking forward to a return visit.

We all went to my weekly coffee group for some good coffee and good conversation. Stef did a wonderful job keeping Kendra entertained. She and Jonathan had her dancing and working her arms and legs like crazy - she LOVED it!

We wandered around Lake Washington on a beautiful PacNW day, and ended up at the Taco Bus, thereby making Jonathan's visit complete on the second day.

We also decided to take the Underground Tour. It was really cool! I highly recommend it if you are ever in our neck of the woods. It starts in Pioneer Square, which is the oldest section of the city. Considering how young Seattle is (founded in 1851) there is quite a bit of interesting history here. This was quite the rough town, although they had more "seamstresses" than most other cities. ("Seamstresses" were also some of the wealthiest people in town. What they paid in taxes provided 87% of the city's operating budget! If you can't shut it down, tax it!)

And here is an example of a passed out little girl. She had a rough week! Actually, she passes out like this on a nightly basis - usually after her evening meal. It's so cute! If she is startled by a loud noise she throws her hands out with her fingers extended - jazz hands! I have a future dancer on my hands! :)

Things here are good. I have mastitis - again - but otherwise things are fine. Dad arrives in town on Wednesday for a week. So when are the rest of you coming to visit??

It Finally Happened

On Sunday Dan (accidentally) called our daughter Otis. :) We all knew it was bound to happen. In his defense, he was tired. We spent Saturday and Sunday painting the exterior of our house - 2 1/2 times. Why 2 1/2? Part of the house was severely weathered and needed to be sealed first. So we bought some seriously discounted paint from HD - it was a mistint but worked perfect for what we needed. We painted two whole sides of the house with that to seal it.

Next we painted the whole house with the color we had picked out - and hated it. By the next morning we realized we had made a mistake and the color was just not right. So we mixed a few colors together and re-did the whole thing. It's still a bit brighter than we might have originally envisioned, but we both like it well enough. We still have a bit more to do - namely the upper story windows. Neither of us is thrilled about climbing a ladder 30 feet up to paint.

Thank you so much Kai for helping us paint and take care of little one. Kendra was remarkably well behaved, even when we accidentally left her sleeping in the sun. We had her in the house, but as the sun set it came flooding in the screen door, right onto her as she slept all warm and comfy. She now looks a little more like her mama - freckles lightly sprinkled across her cheeks.

Baby? What Baby? I Thought It Was A Puppy!

Are we bad parents because the most frequently heard phrase in our house right now is "Turtle, don't lick the baby!"?

Every time we leave the house with Kendra, or Turtle leaves and comes back, she runs to the baby and licks her on the head. It's pretty cute, actually. Turtle has taken on a very maternal role, and has claimed alpha dog status in the pack since Kendra has come along. She will actively prevent the other dogs (especially Otis) from getting food. We think she wants to save some for the "puppy."

Of What Do Babies Dream?

From the time Kendra was born, her face is most active in her sleep. Smiles, frowns, a wrinkled brow - they all cross her face as she sleeps. Is she dreaming? What does she dream about? Her experiences are fairly limited, after all. Or are they simply muscle twitches?

Either way, it's adorable.

We had a quick doctor visit yesterday. She is fine but we were worried about how much she was spitting up. But, she's gaining weight - up to 9 pounds, 2 oz - so the doctor isn't worried. Apparently, despite all appearances to the contrary, she is keeping more in than she spews back out. Dan just keeps reminding her that food goes in the baby, not on the baby.

Two Month Checkup - All is Well!

Who knew it was possible for a person's skin to turn brighter red than most tomatoes? Kendra went in for her 2 month check-up and the first of her inoculation series. She was less than impressed by the experience. She screamed for each of the three shots, then fell asleep as soon as we put her in her car seat. We had walked to the doctor's office, so the motion of the stroller kept her asleep the whole way home (about 5 miles round trip).

I left to pick up stuff on Craigslist, and Dan got the joyful duty of taking care of a cranky girl. She saved up all her screaming for when she woke up. She brought her daddy to tears - it is heartbreaking to watch your baby in pain and miserable.

On the bright side, Baby Girl got a clean bill of health! She is currently weighing in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces and 21 inches long. She has finally made the growth charts!! What an amazing little girl we have. She is a bit developmentally behind, but within normal parameters for a six week premature baby. The doctor is not worried. Little One will catch up at some point in the next year. She is starting to develop a flat spot on the back of her head - a side effect of the "back to sleep" advised by the American Academy of Pediatrics. She favors sleeping on the right side of her head, so we just have to force her to lay more on her left side. Maybe work in some more tummy time during the day - despite her protests. It's a fairly minor thing and happens pretty often with little ones.