Level Headed

Caitlin can now keep her head level with her shoulders when lifted from a laying down position!!!! I can't believe how strong her little neck is getting everyday! She can do mini push ups and they are so adorable!!!

Yesterday we went to sushi with some friends and Caitlin was so chill the whole time! It was only the second time I've eaten in a restaurant with her. I'm always afraid she's going to throw a screaming fit....but really, she never does that at home so I don't know why I'm all concerned about it.....silly me.

Well, I'm off to re register for our online phone account for the 100th time! I've had it reset and had a new password sent to me but it's still not working!!!! I think I'm gonna have to make another call today....I'll be nice, I promise :)

Our Little Thumbsucker

She loves to be swaddled,

but yet she loves to suck her thumb.

She sleeps swaddled,
but can't while she sucks her thumb.

She's caught in a world of predicaments,
while we are caught in a state of no sleep.

She's our little thumbsucker,
please fall asleep.

1 Precious Week Left

In one week I return to work. I've put off thinking about it as long as possible, but now the countdown has really begun. Dennis will be staying home with Caitlin for the first two weeks I'm back at work...this will be a nice transition for me and wonderful bonding time for them. Then on March 9th (Brady's 2nd birthday) Caitlin starts daycare! I'm still working out the time table to get ready for work in the mornings...the trial run last Thursday was good and it looks like I won't have to get up as early as I thought....woo hoo!!! Thankfully, my work is very understanding and I always schedule in extra time "to get lost" as I refer to it.

Oooo, I made homemade mac and cheese tonight and I used fontina cheese for the first time.....it added such wonderful depth! Plus, I experiemented and made white nectarine and coconut fried chicken fingers....mmmmmm.

How sweet it is!

Happy birthday to my baby brother!!!...although, most people wouldn't consider 28 years old a baby anymore, but he will always be my baby brother in my eyes! Unfortunately he has a cold right now and has to work on homework.....so I hope he gets well soon and enjoys his cheesecake!

Happy (day after) Valentine's Day! I made pulled pork sandwiches (a first for me) and they were awesome. Since I didn't have a working KitchenAid, we had ice cream for dessert. Then we hung out and watched Smart People. But the sweet thing is....Dennis got me a KitchenAid today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have big plans for it tonight...first biscuits, for biscuits and gravy, then cookies for Dennis!!!!!

Aren't they sweet! And if you look closely, you can see Caitlin sucking her thumb!!!! Daddy has been helping her with this lately.....and it's completely adorable!!!!!

Chocolate

Like many women, I LOVE chocolate and within the past several years have grown quite fond of dark chocolate. In fact, you could say that dark chocolate is my favorite. But when it comes to ice cream....I just don't like it. Chocolate ice cream is probably my least favorite ice cream besides spumoni (really who likes that flavor anyway?). I cam to this conclusion just last night while eating a bowl of chocolate ice cream with a marshmallow swirl and chocolate covered peanuts. It was good but I just didn't find it fabulous....so me being me, I started to analyze why. A few hours later I concluded that it must be the chocolate ice cream. I find it so odd that I love chocolate but I don't care for chocolate ice cream.....I guess it's kinda like people who like tomatoes but don't like ketchup.

Ping Pong

It's sunny.
It's rainy.
It's sunny again.
Oh, never mind....it's raining.
Blasted! Now there's a freezing wind!
Oooo, I see sun...must...get...out...of....the...house.

Look Who's Talking

Before you watch the cutest thing ever....I must correct myself....LOL During the Super Bowl I was rooting for the Cardinals and not the Ravens as they were not playing...obviously.....but mommy brain took over as I was blogging and that is how the other bird team popped into my little brain. Dennis made me aware of the bird error, but I forgot (again blame mommy brain) to let everybody know I did know it was the Cardinals, I just wrote down the wrong team :) For some reason, I find this whole thing quite amusing....not sure why....it's just football and a couple of birds! :)

Now, the best video ever!!!

Don't Windex in the Rain

I don't suggest Windexing in the rain....it kinda defeats the purpose. But really, the sliding glass door had been bugging me like crazy lately....so (as the rain and wind poured down) I Windexed it.

Before the rain arrived I spent a glorious 45 minutes at Les Schwab. Dennis had to jump my car this morning....turns out I had the inside car light in the "on" position instead of "door." I had messed with it a few days ago, so it took a while to drain the battery....no wonder it started funny yesterday!

3 Months

I can't believe our little one is 3 months already!!! I can't believe what a morning person she has become. She's so happy playing on her gym that I'm afraid she's gonna knock one of her toys off with all her wiggling around. She's also trying to laugh more and more each day. Many times it comes out as a high pitch squeal or little yelp....super adorable!

Groundhog Day

That movie is so hilarious! I suggest everyone watch it at least once a year! That's what Dennis, Caitlin, and I did last night. Caitlin slept for the first half hour, but watched the last hour with us. You just gotta love Bill Murray....I know we do! I also love him in Lost in Translation and What About Bob. Great, great flicks!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 7 year wedding anniversary, but we've been together for over 12 years. I can't believe how time has flown by. Our wedding was very non-traditional and we only had 6 weeks to plan! It was a lovely day! I love you honey!

And on this wonderful anniversary, we can share it with Caitlin!

And the trophy goes to....

I have to say I was rooting for the Ravens, mostly because they were the underdogs....and I actually thought they were going to win until that one guy made a game winning catch in the end zone.....but good thing he made that catch since he missed the one before. Anyway, we enjoyed the game and the commercials and I especially like the E-Trade commercials with that baby....he's getting so big and adorable! Dennis made pizza for dinner. Actually, he made the crust (from scratch) and prepped all the toppings....all I had to do was put my stuff on. He had veggie and I made a BBQ chicken, but I was totally bummed because I didn't have any pineapple! Pineapple just makes everything better....kinda like cupcakes (but not on that grand of scale).

P. S. --In the photos above, Caitlin is sporting a fabulous knit hat made by my lovely friend Jenai. It's super cute and I LOVE that it's black!....with specks of orange and pink and green!

Memories

Caitlin's grandma Virginia gave Dennis one of his old sleepers just before she passed away....so the other evening we decided to put it on her and take a few photos. It was a very sweet and precious moment. It's funny to think that Dennis use to wear that and it must have been one of Virginia's favorites for her to keep it for so long. We wish she could be here to share in our joy.

Happy Birthday Dennis!....and Nana too!

Today Dennis is entering his 30's!!!....and it's his first birthday as a father! We don't really have anything planned....he's not a big party person. We'll probably just grab some dinner and watch a movie of his choice. Most likely it will be a horror movie since those are his favorite....I'm not that fond of them, but it's his birthday and I will watch what he wants, happily!

It's also my Nana's birthday today. She's turning 87! She's so sweet and less than 5ft tall! I just got off the phone with her and she's looking forward to having dinner with the family tonight. She also had to tell me about all the new pictures she put up in the house from Christmas and the ones she keeps in her purse....just in case she needs to show people her new great granddaughters. Isn't she adorable!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband who I love with all my heart and being.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Nana who is loved by all the instant they meet her.

What am I going to do?!

My baking world has been turned upside down!!!! My KitchenAid mixer is broken!!!.....It's leaking motor fluid!!!...and the nearest repair center is in San Jose!!! When I called Dennis to tell him yesterday he asked if I was crying and I told him no, but I sure wanted to!!! I don't know what I'm going to do!! Dennis took a look at it last night and after tightening some screws it's still leaking!!! After researching the problem online, it turns out this is a common problem. I think one of Dennis's friends is going to take a look at it and if he can't fix it, I guess we're gonna have to get a new one. Really, I don't think I could live without one!!! Yes, I may be a little melodramatic about it, but it's me we're talking about here....it would be unnatural if I wasn't :)

Here's a cute photo of Caitlin to calm my nerves....and yours too!

Cupcake Goodness

I have been quite busy these last few days experimenting with cupcakes. My friend may have me make cupcakes for her wedding in August so of course we had to test some ideas out. Just an FYI, black frosting stains....so watch out! One of the cake flavors is lemon and boy oh boy did they turn out lemony! I replaced most of the water with a cup of fresh lemon juice and the zest of one lemon....and WOW you could really taste the lemon. Plus, with all that extra acid added it messed with the leavening agent so the cupcakes didn't rise like they should have...another reason to adjust the next batch. I also made champagne cupcakes for the first time. I have to say they were my favorite....especially with the mocha frosting! Anyway, last night my friend and her fiance' tasted all the samples and checked out the design possibilities. And by making and decorating all the cupcakes I realize I desperately need to take a cake decorating class. I would love to learn how to make edible flowers and I really need to work on my relationship with fondant.....I thought we were on good terms, but after yesterday morning, we had a bit of a falling out.

Bumbo

One of the baby shower gifts we received was a Bumbo. Brady use to sit in one and it was absolutely hilarious and adorable at the same time. Well last night we decided to put Caitlin in it. We couldn't stop laughing once we got her in it. She's all kinda slumped over and has this strange look on her face like she's unsure of what the heck is going on.


Where's Caitlin? These are the Disney characters (all 13 of them) Dennis brought home from Chicago. I thought it would be funny to surround her with them. It was more challenging than I thought it would be. She kept knocking over Minnie Mouse!

Sipper or Guzzler?

What kind of water drinker are you? Do you find yourself reaching for a glass or water bottle all day long? Nursing it like a fine wine? Or do you guzzle down your water barely making it out of the kitchen with some still in your glass? I find myself in the latter category. Something about water that has been sitting out for a while, well, just kinda creeps me out. Yes, I know this is VERY bizarre, but it does. It can totally appear I don't drink water at all, but that's only because I'm not a sipper, I'm a complete guzzler. I stand at the sink and drink the whole cup pretty much as fast as I can.....just think of a beer guzzling contest and that's pretty much how I do it. Now soda on the other hand....I can do both, but typically you can find me nursing a single can all day. It doesn't bother me at all when it gets a bit warm or flat.....but water....it just simply freaks me out. There, now that I have that off my chest I feel much, much better :)

P.S. -- Caitlin slept for SEVEN straight hours last night!!!! And yes, I did check her numerous times to see if she was breathing. The books all say she might start sleeping in longer stretches, but I didn't think it would happen this soon and be that long!

Rollie Pollie

Isn't this adorable!

Milestone

So much to blog about and so little time! Dennis came home on Thursday afternoon and we were all very excited. Caitlin wore a cute purple dress with brown polka dots to meet him at the airport....she was so adorable!!! He came back with a big box full of Disney characters from the 2nd largest mall in North America.....I'm sure he would have brought back more stuffed animals if he could. Then the next day we headed over to visit J, K, B-man, and Maddie....the first time Caitlin and Maddie would meet! It was a full house of kids and it was absolutely fabulous! We just need one more child so every adult has one :) Caitlin also got to meet her other Grandpa (Dennis's dad) for the first time. I was concerned how Caitlin would do during the night. I was afraid it would be the one night in weeks she would stay up crying and then wake Brady and Maddie up too....however, ALL kids slept really well. In fact, Caitlin slept for 5 hours one night and then 4 1/2 the other night. She's been doing that lately....sleeping for at least 4 hours on the first stretch....it's been pretty nice. Maddie was really chill the whole time we were there too. I don't think she cried for more than a total of 5 minutes the entire time we were there! It was very sweet to see them laying next to each other.....and then holding hands! Brady was really good with both of them and kissed them every so gently on their foreheads! So precious!!! We headed out on Sunday morning and spent the rest of the day lounging around the house. But the big excitement happened on Monday morning.....Caitlin rolled over for the first time!!!!!!! Dennis took her in the livingroom for tummy time and to let me sleep in a bit. Then I heard him cheering her on and congratulating her. I was a bit puzzled by all the excitement until he came in to tell me what had happened. We all immediately came back into the livingroom and put her on her tummy to see if she would do it again.....and she did....twice!!!! We got it on our video camera and I'm working (or rather she's working) on getting in on my regular camera. I will post it as soon as I have it. Our little girl is growing up so fast!!!! Soon she'll be walking before we know it!

My Apologies

Apparently I'm completely lame! For the past two years now I have wished Kelly happy birthday on the 13th....which is NOT her birthday. Her birthday is actually on the 12th and I never changed it on my calendar!!! So I apologize Kelly for being so lame :)

Oooo, today I took Caitlin to visit daycare. It went great and I know she'll have a great time there. Plus, I extremely comfortable with my provider which will make going back to work a bit easier. I am however starting to get a bit anxious about not being with her all day, but I'm trying to put it out of my mind.

Dennis is coming home tomorrow afternoon!!!!! We are SOOOOOO excited!!! Every I have put the phone up to Caitlin's ear so Dennis can say hello, she smiles or coo's....it's so darn cute!!!

Happy Birthday Kelly!

Happy Birthday Kelly!!!! Caitlin and I hope you have a wonderful day with your amazing family on your birthday. We miss you and can't wait to see you this weekend!!!!

Why me?!

Yesterday afternoon Caitlin, Nancy, and I went to get my haircut. I have been wanting to do it for a while but it has been a bit difficult finding the time. Anyway, I went to a new place and ended up getting a really SLOW chick. Nancy helped me find a picture and I had told her I always part my hair the same way, I wanted it short and textured, and I never flat iron it...ever. Well, she was VERY conservative on the short part and I didn't realize how conservative until she was practically finished. I didn't say anything because it took her forever to cut what she had and I thought it would get shorter when she textured it.....it didn't to say the least. Then, the most frustrating part, she cut my hair with it parted in the middle and I always part it on the side so when I got home and parted it normally it is UNEVEN!!! I immediately picked up the scissors and snipped a small amount off and realized I was heading down a road that shouldn't be traveled.....so I sent a text to Nancy and she immediately replied "don't fix it yourself!".....which was the best thing she could have sent because it was a second reminder that I should put the scissors down...ASAP!!! I should go back and have her fix it but if she didn't get it right the first time, I don't trust her to fix it this time....so I think I'm gonna go somewhere else in a few weeks. You can't really tell it's uneven because it's tucked behind my ears.....thank goodness! It seems like every time I get my hair cut I don't like it. Why that is, I have no idea. I think I need help! This just proves, yet again, that my hair and I just don't get along. :)

Chicago

So Dennis leaves for Chicago tomorrow morning and we are all not wanting the morning to arrive. He will be gone until Thursday afternoon, so it'll be just Caitlin and I till then. Normally when he goes somewhere (usually for only 24 hours) I stay up as late as my eyelids will let me so it'll make falling asleep much easier....but now that we have Caitlin, I don't think that would be such a wise thing to do. Dennis is going to take his laptop so we will be able to video chat while he's over there....that will make things a bit easier I think. I already miss him and he hasn't even left yet! He is definitely not looking forward to this trip either, but I hope with the video chatting it will make things a little more tolerable.

Pretzels

Lately I have been addicted to these pretzels....which I find really odd because I typically don't eat pretzels. But I guess this addictions proves you really shouldn't go grocery shopping when your hungry. A few weeks ago I went shopping while hungry (yes, I should have known better) and I just mingled down the chip aisle....to look not touch (as my mother would put it)....but then I spotted these pretzels and oh boy did they sound good. Not only would it satisfy my crunchy craving they would also be a bit tangy....and apparently I had been craving that too. The ones I got are nibblers, but they have ones called pieces that I might try next....Listen to me! I've gone loony!

This is the beautiful sling that my sister-in-law made for me. Caitlin's not so sure about it....but I think that's because she's so little. I know it'll become priceless once she can sit up and we'll have so much fun in it!

Poor Caitlin

Let's just say it was a rough night for the both of us. I ended up giving Caitlin Tylenol when she woke up from her nap yesterday and then again this morning because she had a fever. Last night she never did get a fever but you could just tell she was in pain.....poor baby girl! She woke up from her nap screaming and would calm down a bit and then start screaming again....I just felt so bad for her. Then she didn't sleep well and was up often. It was the first time in a very long time I actually turned on the TV in the middle of the night. We were up at 2:30am and didn't get back to bed until 5am. Thankfully, she wasn't fussy.....she was actually very smiley which made me feel better. She's down for a nap now and hopefully she'll sleep for a while....she sure sounds like she needs a good nap.

First Shots

We took Caitlin in for her first shots today :( .....and we both cried. I couldn't even watch the nurse give them to her! Then when we got into the car, I saw that she had tears running down her cheek!!! Poor baby girl! Now that we're home (and she nursed) we are all doing a lot better. She's all wrapped up now and drifting off into dreamland. I'm hoping she'll do well tonight and not need any Tylenol. She weighed 10lbs 13oz and is 22 inches long.......she's within the 50th percentile for everything! Thankfully, we wont have to go in again for shots until March. Oh, and her baby acne is practically gone!!!! Woo hoo!

First nap.....

Yesterday Caitlin took her first nap in her crib!!!! I think it was more stressful for me than her since she slept for 3 hours!!!! I didn't get up that morning thinking that was going to be the day, but I desperately needed to do some organization around the house and her crib is in a central location. So I set up the monitor and put her in there. The monitor worked great! I could hear her every breath, but that didn't stop me from checking in on her about a million times! Today I have regressed....she is napping in the living room.....and tomorrow.....well, we'll just have to see about that.

P.S. - She loves the vacuum! As soon as I turned it on she stopped fussing around and was totally chill the whole time in the front pack!

2 Months

I can't believe our baby is 2 months old today! The time has really flown by!!! She is smiling more and more each day. We've also discovered that she just loves the fish in the bedroom. We can set her in her bassinet (which is next to the fish tank) and she just smiles and kicks her little feet while watching them. Caitlin has also developed a pretty good sleep schedule, but was thrown off last night when we let her fall asleep early. This lead us to wake up at 4:30am and not get back to sleep until 8:30. On the bright side, we got our grocery shopping done at 6:30am!

Sleepy Baby

Caitlin has been practically sleeping since 9:30am!!!! She was in deep sleep when we had to leave for Nancy's house (Barb's party) which woke her up. Then she fell back asleep a half hour after we arrived....slept for about an hour....ate....and has been sleeping on and off since 4pm! We've successfully kept her awake for the last hour now.....we are going to be in for one long night I think. I'm wondering if she's coming down with something? However, when she's awake she's just fine.....super happy in fact. She's such a funny little girl.

The party was really fun. We sat at Nancy's beautiful new dining room table and had appitizers while we chatted about this and that. The twice baked baby red potatoes I made turned out really well and were devoured up......there were a few cupcakes left, but Nancy took them to a party tonight. She was in charge of dessert and since there were enough left over, it saved her a trip to the grocery store and the hassle of making a dessert after Barb's party. Oh, and how did those cupcakes taste?......(cover your eyes Dad and Aunt Donna)......fucking amazing!!!! I'd never made buttercream frosting before and boy oh boy did it go well with the chocolate cupcakes.....and the butterfly wings were awesome too! I can't wait to make more cupcakes!

Hello, Cupcake

As you all know (at least 99% of you) I absolutely love cupcakes. Well, for Christmas my mentor teacher (the 1st grade teacher at our school, Barb) gave me a book called "Hello, Cupcake." It has lots of cute cupcakes to make using basic ingredients to create masterpieces....this includes using box cake mixes and frostings. Anyway, tomorrow we are celebrating Barb's birthday and I decided to make something from the cupcake book.....and I chose the butterfly design. In the book they are all Monarch butterflies but I wanted a little bit more color so I added the blue ones too. I think they turned out pretty well.....and I didn't even have a meltdown or freakout during the whole process!!! Woo hoo!!