Coming Up for Air...

A lot has been going on in our little world. Since the start of the fall semester, last night was the first time Calvin and I both felt like we could stop and take a deep breath. These past 3-4 weeks have felt like 2 months. Ironically Kathleen has her first cold and the poor girl is having a hard time taking a deep breath herself!

I do apologize for the lack of updates. In addition to our crazy schedules, our home computer is on the mend at the repair shop which has kept me from loading pictures or even checking personal e-mail at home. Three plus weeks without a home computer has somewhat taken me off the grid.

Kathleen began sleeping in her own room the last weekend in August and the very next week daycare started! Since I had been working for a while I did not expect it to be that big of a deal to leave her for the day at daycare. However it was an emotional week, just holding on to get through. I couldn't help but feel like I left my daughter with strangers! Now 3 weeks in it's like she's been there for months. They work to teach her new things each day and she has a little buddy there named Olivia who is only 1 day older than Kathleen.

Calvin started an internship with the youth group at Highland UMC in Raleigh. He will be working there through May/June 2012 Kathleen and I will be joining him for worship Sunday mornings and there is a late 20s early 30s Sunday School class I have been attending as well. I think this will be a perfect fit for this year and I am so thankful everything has fallen into place. Hopefully his next job after graduation will be a local pastor position at a church in the North Carolina Conference.

Below are some of my favorite pictures we've taken recently:

A quick update

Our family is doing well. Calvin is enjoying his final time with Kathleen before he gets busy with his 3rd year at Duke. Next week he'll be helping lead BRIDDDGE for the incoming 1st year students and his first day of classes starts back on August 29th. The internship hunt is also on for this year so please keep your fingers crossed that he will find a placement he enjoys, can learn from, and that will use his talents for the work of the Lord during his last year in Duke's M. Div. program. I myself am also preparing for back to school and the new students that will be arriving. It's a very busy time in my office but my favorite part of the job is working with the students so I'm glad to have them coming back. I am praying that the changes to our family life that will come with Calvin's fall semester schedule will go well. Right now I am spoiled with dinner being made and bottles being washed along with pretty much all the other household chores being taken care of. So it will be an adjustment, but I think we are all looking forward to the new school year. I quite enjoy the schedule and the seasons that come with working for a university and having a husband in graduate school. 

Kathleen is continuing to learn and grow. I would have to say that Daddy Day Care has been a huge success this summer. It's been wonderful to see them bond and I am so thankful that Kathleen will be 4 months old as she starts daycare. I really think that extra time has given her immunity system a chance to grow stronger and she is quickly approaching the age of being fascinated with new things and learning about the world around her. She has already started observing more of our actions and the room around her throughout the day. Yesterday she rolled over 2 times in a row while on her play mat. This was a big deal for us since she was clearly trying hard and thinking about what she was doing in order to kick over to her back. And this morning I woke up to laughter in the crib. It is extremely common for her to smile and laugh in her sleep. What I like most about this is that it consists of a combination of a belly laugh and a small chuckle to go along with whatever she seems to be dreaming about. It's simply one of the most adorable things I've ever seen. I'm hoping to catch both of these on video soon.

This clip below was taken a couple weeks ago after I got home from work. I thought you would enjoy seeing her little chubby cheeks squeal in delight. And here are a few new pictures from this past week.

Daddy had to take away the mobile last night. Kathleen was having so much fun she couldn't fall asleep! 

3 months old & a camera for Mom's Birthday

Since having Kathleen, I have quickly found out why you see so many moms walking around with fancy cameras. Kids are hard to keep up with and it takes a little extra technology to catch the "Kodak moment". So I retired the old college pocket camera and this year for my birthday my parents bought me a FinePix S3200. It came in the mail yesterday and I could not wait to take it out for a test run tonight. And this of course was perfect timing since today is Kathleen's 3 month birthday! Out of over 100 pictures snapped here are my top 12 favorites. With this new camera I am going to have to quickly learn the skill of being generous with the delete button.

I would also like to wish my Grandpa and Brother in Law Happy Birthdays today. My Grandpa John turned 86 today and my Brother in Law Jermaine turned 26. I love you both. 

Look at the concentration in that tongue! She'll be creeping and crawling soon enough. 

Hands

For some time now our sweet little girl has been a wonderful hand holder. But now she is working on how to use  her hands to learn about the world around her. 

Daddy took the video below this morning of Kathleen on her play mat. Today is a break through day where she has really been focusing on her hands. It's still hard work, but she's trying her best to control where they go and how to open them to grab on to something. She will have them mastered in no time, but for now it's fun to watch her learn.

We're also enjoying the signs of affection that come with hand coordination. One of Kathleen's favorite places to play is on her changing table. She can stretch out and kick her legs and talk to Mommy and Daddy at a comfortable distance. Yesterday as I was leaning over to talk with her she took her hand and placed it on my cheek as if she just wanted to say, "Mommy, I love you." My heart melted with her little smile and intentional pat. She had a similar moment with Daddy today as well by resting her hand on his chest after her bottle in a way that showed she just wanted to touch him as they sat there together. Grabbing on to shirts, arms and necks while being held is also a wonderful part of this new phase. There's really nothing like knowing your touch comforts your child and that she wants to hold onto you as much as you love holding her.

Going to see Dr. Diaz

Dr. Diaz is Kathleen's pediatrician who stole Mommy's heart in the hospital. Originally we planned for Kathleen to see the same family doctor that I regularly saw before I was pregnant. But as a new mommy, when Dr. Diaz came in to check Kathleen out the morning after she was born, I quickly took notice of how well he handled her. Kathleen loved him immediately and quieted down while he examined her. Dr. Diaz was also well spoken; he explained what he was looking for and informed us of what we needed to know. He was both friendly and formal at the same time.

When Dr. Diaz came in the second morning after Kathleen was born, we were expecting the all clear to head home with our sweet little girl. Instead he told us that Kathleen had jaundice and would need to stay an extra day. Although I was not happy about the news, I was happy with the way Dr. Diaz explained what having jaundice meant, what caused it, and what the plan was to fix the problem. He took his time with us and made sure we had all of our questions answered yet he remained efficient with his explanations and actions. After that conversation Calvin and I quickly agreed to make Dr. Diaz Kathleen's pediatrician. After spending 24 hours under the blue lights Kathleen was released from the hospital Friday morning. We scheduled her first visit with Duke Children's Primary Care on Saturday for a biliruben check and her first weight check appointment with Dr. Diaz the following Monday.

Now, a little over two months since Kathleen was born, we headed back on July 6th to see Dr. Diaz again for a well baby check up and vaccines. After looking into it on our own we decided to trust Dr. Diaz and go with all of the standard 2 month vaccines. It was a total of one oral vaccine and 3 shots. Kathleen survived them like a champ. The shots did however bring forth a death rattle from our little nugget that we had never heard before, but she quieted down immediately once they were done and I picked her up. We can thank the nurse for how well Kathleen did because she was able to inject all three shots in what seemed like one quick fell swoop. That night and the next day Kathleen was a bit sluggish, but after sleeping it off for about 24 hours she was good as new the following night!

When Kathleen was born she weighed in at 7 lbs 2 oz and was 19.5 inches long. At 1 month she weighed 9 lbs 3 oz and was 21 inches long. Now at 2 months she's a healthy 12 lbs 11 oz and 22.5 inches long.

Splashing in the bath tub and playing with her zebra and giraffe in the bouncy seat are some of her favorite things to do these days. Kathleen has also perfected the art of blowing spit bubbles!