NICU Halloween Bash

Kaitlyn, the curious Piglet

Getting some laughs in...

Kaitlyn, the flying piglet...

Uncle B, work and play...

Mommy her little Piglet

What a blast of a time...fortunate for us Benet was in town for the evening so he joined the festivities! Each year all newborns that were under the care of the NICU Angels are invited to celebrate their lives at a Halloween reunion at San Antonio Community Hospital. This year was the 18th bash, filled with caricature artists, scarecrows, food and photography. It was a festive night out for the three of us, Kaitlyn, of course being the star of the show in her hot pink Piglet outfit!

Young and Old

If wrinkles could talk I think my Grandmother's hands would have enough short stories to create a series of novels. Seeing Kaitlyn's smooth, round fingers holding onto her Great Grandmother's thumb my mind was captured by the intricate lines and age spots painted upon her hand of 90 years. What will Kaitlyn's hands look like when she is this gracious age? My hope is that she, too, will have a series of novels...if only wrinkles could talk.

Today we shared the morning with her Great Grandmother, another treasured visit. She looked so fresh, wearing crisp white and hair recently styled. Kaitlyn took to her without hesitation, she knows her Great Grandmother, there was a sense of familiarity.

High Chair Chat

It took me forever to pick out a high chair, I was obsessing over which one to get. Plastic with adjustable foot rest or wood with stationery rest; 3 reclining positions or none; collapsible or permanent; wheels or no wheels; vibrant candy striped, obnoxious disney characters or fashionable solid fabric; tray that goes on with one hand or requires both...choices. Sometimes I wished it would be more simple, it's hard enough for me to decide if I like Pampers over Huggies.

Well, after obsessing for more than three weeks I purchased a high chair that would be just right:
simple
no frills
sturdy
can stand up to 60lbs (aka, it's an investment)

Sure, it doesn't have wheels, there is no reclining position or adjustable footrest and the tray takes two hands...but so what. I may not be able to squirt it down with a hose but it's not flimsy, it's not an eye sore and it certainly will last through the ages!

Having babies really changes your home...I find burp cloths in bed, toys in bathrooms, boardbooks in the office and Kaitlyn's laundry is always going! There are sippy cups and gerber spoons in our sink, breastmilk in the fridge, baby shoes in the family room, and a new collection of baby/toddler catalogs in our mail. To think it's just the beginning!

On a side note, Kaitlyn is growing a Mohawk! This phase of hair loss/hair growth keeps us laughing...

5 Months of SMILES

We had a photo shoot this morning right in the guest bedroom adjacent to her nursery. I grabbed this lovely summertime dress as it went with the fancy hair band I recently purchased and sat her next to these frilly pillows...such a girl! I am almost convinced that the mornings are my favorite time of the day to enjoy Kaitlyn. She is overly expressive, filled with smiles and an energy that seems to say 'I love being awake!' I could face her in the morning, any morning, and feel revived, ready to embrace the day ahead. Her sweet sparkle in those eyes melt any tired spell I may have.
I am truly blessed.

A Family Affair

What a special day to remember! Steve hung out with Kaitlyn and I as we ventured to the Live Oak Pumpkin Patch to capture some holiday spirit and family portraits! It's not everyday that we get Steve to tag along with our activities so today was a real treasure. He was Super Dad: feeding the goats with Kaitlyn in tote, talking to Wilbur the pig, posing for endless candid photos, and just showing off his gals! Little Miss Sunshine was taking it all in and I was thinking 'there are trade offs for having a husband who is generally free during the day--he can come along when Kaitlyn has field trips at school, he will be free to make any show and tell and he is able to have afternoon naps with his wife!' Hmmm. An attractive schedule for an attractive man!

An Expanding Cuisine

The time came, I knew it was going to be sooner than later. Kaitlyn was introduced to rice cereal. The first experience, as photographed here, was met with wide curious eyes and a wide open mouth, but today's trial was very different. I'm anticipating her gag reflux to kick in as her facial expressions today were everything but curious and satisfied--in fact I don't think any of her spoonfuls actually went down her throat (most of it came back out and landed either in her lap or cascaded down her chin like a creamy rice cereal waterfall). She was more amused with the spoon than swallowing. No problem, all the books say this is expected and as I try more each day she'll eventually figure out that the flavor is pretty tasty (ummm...can't say I agree with that statement but for someone who has only had mother's milk, I'd say it's a start for creating a discerning palate)!

Guzzle...

Yummy...I want some of that Mom!


If you won't tilt the cup, I will...


The aftermath-a satisfied gal (despite the damp PJs from all the guzzling)!