Mommy's Little Helper

During any given day there are various tasks that need to be done in order to prepare for the next day.  Any one of the following (most of the time all) need to be done: wash bottles, sterilize bottles, wash pump supplies, sterilize pump supplies, prepare bottles for tomorrow, and/or wash all toys that have piled up by the sink.  (Those are the toys that need to be washed - say, if they fall on the floor in a public place, they immediately go to the sink pile.)

Before Kate was able to sit on her own she would sit in her exersaucer or bumbo or do some tummy time on the floor on her floor mat tiles.  She always felt so far away and I always felt bad having to do those kind of chores instead of being able to play.  After all, there are only a couple of hours between getting home and going to bed that we have together Monday through Friday.  

I have actually tried to leave all of the washing and sterilizing for after Kate went to bed, but at that point I was so tired that the last thing that I needed was a list of things that needed to be done by tomorrow.

Since Kate is now able to sit up on her own, it is way more fun for both of us to make a cozy little spot on the left side of the sink for her so that she can help and be close.  Plus, it gives us the opportunity to talk talk and catch up on our days!  She has not yet reached for the water like she does in the tub, but I know that is only a matter of time.  For now, I pile a few toys on the edge of the counter and she hangs out with me while I wash and wash away.

It is a wonderful compromise between washing when Kate is awake and not washing until Kate is asleep.  This way, Kate not only learns about chores, but she also gets some pre-bath water play, and I still get to have her close!

It's seriously a perfect spot, expecially with the padded
towels on the bottom of the sink! 
(Yes, added for safety.)

I pick toys up off the floor approximately
28 times during our washing, but it is well
worth it having Kate next to me!

After all, she is Mommy's little helper!

Nearly Ninety

Today was our first day of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 80's!  It was a beautiful day and as soon as we were all off of work and home from school we went outside.  Kate and I went on our first successful run.  (I say successful because we tried to run last week but I didn't realize I would have to put air in the jogging stroller tires, so they were flat, and I didn't realize I would be running directly into the sun, so we turned completely around, and I didn't realize the extremely strong wind would be blowing in the opposite direction every way we turned, so we threw the towel in.)

While Kate and I were running, Brian mowed the lawn for the very first time this year and Jack enjoyed the soaring temps as well.  After all, we live in Ohio, and tomorrow there is a cold front coming through that is going to knock 40 degrees off of the temperatures we saw today...

Such is Spring.

Speaking of, seeing all of the budding flowers and trees reminds me that this is Kate's first Spring.  This is the first time that she has ever seen tulips, daffodils, cherry trees!  The first time she has experienced a thunderstorm.  The first time she has felt temperatures in the 80's!  Looking at the world as if this is the very first time you have seen it is truly a unique experience.

And there are so many more amazing things to learn and experience!

Kate, post run.  This run was so smooth that it
put her to sleep!

Brian is very proud of his lawn!

When Jack's tail is blurry you know he is happy!

When Kate woke up, we headed to the back to play ball.
(Also, this is post run, so please excuse the...
unkempt-ness.)

Refridgerator Art

At Kate's school, the teachers and kids do arts and crafts several times a week.  They do a lot of holiday/time of year related crafts.  We literally got three painted hearts that Kate made for Valentine's Day and a painted shamrock for St. Patty's Day.  They display the artwork all over the room so the kids get to enjoy their very own masterpieces which also decorate and provide vibrant, bright, and ever changing wall art.

Hearts.

Shamrock...that may or may not have ripped when I
let Kate hold on to it...

I love that the school Kate attends is so hands on with the children and teaching and holidays.  I really do, but I have a very hard time throwing these lovely pieces of art away.  If I keep them all, Kate is going to end up with 37 bins of artwork before she's in middle school.  And, let's get real, technically she's not really doing the art work.  You get what I'm saying?

Still, it is a big dilemma for me that I have yet to solve.  So, in the meantime, I try to display Kate's lovely pieces of art (that aren't too outdated) on our fridge.  (And by outdated I mean the Valentine's Day hearts that we got mid-March and the shamrock that we got early-April.)

This is our very first piece!

Yeah, it's a first edition.

I can guarantee you that Kate's art will be posted on our fridge, throughout our house, and even in our work spaces for many, many years to come!

We are going to need a lot of bins...

PS: Kate is officially sitting up!!!

PPS: I use "school" and "daycare" interchangeably but "school" is a lot easier for me.  While I am not with Kate during the day, I tell myself that she is in school - learning, socializing, playing.  Daycare just sounds so bland and boring, and where we are sending Kate is anything but that.  Sometimes it makes not being with her during the day easier...sometimes.

Who's Your Bunny?

For Kate's very first Easter my Mom, Scott, and James drove down from Canada and Amy flew into to town from Maryland and we celebrated the holiday together with Brian's family.

As usual, the time spent together was just too short, but it was so wonderful to see everyone.  We spent Saturday doing a little shopping at Easton, dyeing Easter eggs, preparing a feast of munchies for the Ohio State basketball game, and helping the Easter bunnies prepare little Easter surprises for all of the guests at the Hendricks Household.

On Sunday, we headed over to Brian's Aunt's to dine on the food that was prepared to feed a small army and enjoy the holiday together!

The Easter bunny set the bar extremely high for Kate this year!  Her basket was so chock full of fun stuff that I have no clue how it will be topped next year.  (This is a silent call for help.  Anyone?)

Click here for more Easter shenanigans!

And Happy Easter!

Birthday Spirit

Tonight we celebrated with a slightly belated dinner at Rusty Bucket for Tom's (as in "Gangsta Tom's") 65th birthday.  We [hope] we made up for the slight delay with the little birthday rap we performed.  Yes, folks, we rapped for Gangsta Tom's birthday!  Fitting, huh?!  And when I say "we" what I really mean is "I".  When I was left high and dry at the stage, I performed alone, but my entourage did dress the part.  By the way, you can just call me Feminem.  Yes, that is the female version of Eminem, but cleaner and less abrasive.

Of course, it was great to spend some quality time with Mary and Tom.  We are never short of fun or laughter when we are all together!

Speaking of birthdays today is Kate's five month birthday!  I cannot believe that our baby girl is growing so fast.  It seems like just yesterday that we found out we were expecting and now she's going on nearly a half of a year.  That is just insane.  It makes me happy and sad at the same time.  I'm so proud of our little girl, but where has the time gone?  The last five months feel like they've been a blur.  Life just cannot go this fast.  It simply cannot.

Five month old Kate is still the sweet angel that she has been since day one.  We really lucked out with such a fantastic baby!  She rarely cries and when she does it's a quick yelp, one to let you know that whatever is going on is not what Kate wants.  As soon as you remedy the situation, she is back to her smiley, happy, perfectly content self!  I am so looking forward to continuing to watch our baby grow.  Each and every day is something incredible!

Happy 65th Birthday, Tom!

And happy five month birthday, Kate Maddie-Mo!

Lil' Kate.

Somebunny Wants to Say Hi

And that somebunny is Miss Kate Madeline!

Cutest.Bunny.Ever.

She's just gearing up for the annual Easter Bunny photo...

Mommy Go Bragh!

From our little leprechaun to yours: a very Happy St. Patty's Day!

If that is not the most precious little face
I don't know what is!

Perfectly kissable cheeks!

Celebrating the holidays is so much more fun with a wee one in tow!

New Loo

Well, folks, we've decided to start our very first home improvement project this year: our upstairs bathroom!

Our upstairs bathroom is the one and only full bath in our house.  It is used daily, but it is a bit (read: extremely) outdated.  The color (sea foam green), the fixtures (circa when the house was built it seems), the overall feel (just not our style) led us to tackle this next project.  It has been on the to-do list since we moved in, and we are so, so excited to begin!

We will be transforming this old school bath to a new age spa bath.  We will have a GFI electric outlet (no, we don't currently have an outlet in our bathroom), we will have more subdued colors, we will raise the roof (well, ceiling), and we will make it our own!

It's going to be hard to leave this room once we are done!  As usual, we'll try to update daily on our Bathroom Renovation picasa web album link, so check back if you'd like to see our progress!

Demo begins tomorrow!

So long, sea foam!

Hello, spa!

Kate's Pediatric Adventure

We took Kate into the pediatrician today for her four month check up.  She weighs 16 pounds 4 ounces (85th percentile) and is 24 3/4" long (60th percentile) and her little noggin is 41.5 cm (75th percentile).  Our baby is certainly growing!

Rather than me tell you how it went, I'll let Kate tell you:

So I went to the doctor today and she told me that I would
be getting a shot.

What?!  But I thought one shot is better than five shots!

But that was until I saw the size of the needle.

I swear it was this long, and I thought to myself, 'You
have got to be kidding?!"

My pediatrician was NOT kidding.

So she stuck me smack dab in the leg.
Get a close up, Ma!

You see?
Then she stuck a fancy bandaid on my battle wound.

Fortunately, I can still do ballet.

 And I am still the happy baby that I always was!

And there you have it - Kate's Pediatric Adventure!

In My Arms

I know that in the very near future you will be crawling, walking, and running in the opposite direction of my outstretched arms.  And from those moments on, you will continue to become more and more independent and self sufficient.  While I am very much looking forward to seeing your cute bottom scoot across the floor, I would lie if I said that I'm not dreading that day where you realize you can get away.

The thing is, I'd be late for work every single day if I could hold you in my arms for just one more minute.  And I am.  Letting go and leaving you are the hardest and worst parts of my day.  Coming home and having you back in my arms are the best.

This is the best feeling on Earth.

I miss you more than words could ever describe every single moment that I am not with you.

You've got a place in my arms always, Kate.