Easter!

Today is Easter (and Wickett's 11th birthday!).  I always get a little blue on holidays, mainly because we can't be with family.  Around these parts, most people have family around.  Not us.  We should be used to this by now, but we're not.  We're lucky enough to have a small group of friends who we sometimes get together with.  This year, we got together with our neighbor, Pegi.  Seems fitting because two years ago we had Easter with her and it was at that dinner we told her we were having a baby.  Well, this year, Kathryn was at dinner and she had a great time.  She ate ham, crescent rolls and potatoes.  She had a great time running around Pegi's house and playing with Pegi's phone.  It was a good time all around.

We started this morning with Kathryn's Easter basket and an "egg hunt".  She didn't really have an interest, but we tried.  I think next year will be better.  We were also surprised this morning by an Easter bucket hanging on our fence from Pegi.  It was very sweet, but now we have to figure out a way to get that bucket back to Pegi (an inside joke.)

Our surprise Easter bucket

She also liked to throw the eggs out.

She had quite an impressive snot bubble!

Pee Pee in the Potty!

Today was a big day!  Kathryn went pee pee in the potty for the first time!!!

She woke up this morning with a dry diaper (after 11 hours!), so I decided to sit her on her little potty.  Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, I heard some tinkling and her potty played a royal tune to celebrate.  I was so excited.  So was she.  She actually called Gangy at 4:15am her time to tell her, unbeknownst to me. I guess my mom picked up the phone and all she heard was "Gangy.  Gangy." And then the line went dead.

I sat her on the potty a couple more times today, but she didn't pee.  Oh well.  It'll happen.  She's only 16 months old.  I got some pictures of her sitting on the potty (in her pj's though, not from when she went pee), but I can't find my camera to upload them. I will once I find it.

Feelin' a Little Better

Well, Kathryn is definitely still sick, but she's much better than yesterday.  She had a terrible night though.  I wouldn't know about that though because Jared so kindly offered to keep the monitor all night so I could get some uninterrupted sleep.  He knew I'd been with her all day, but I still felt badly because he worked 16 hours.  He wanted to though and I took him up on his offer.  He was going to sleep downstairs, but he ended up sleeping on her floor.  He said she woke up almost every hour.  I wish he'd woken me up to help.

When she woke up in the morning she seemed a lot better after she stopped crying. I think the pressure builds up and it takes her a few minutes to feel okay.  She had a doctor's appointment to get the second half of her flu shot, so I took her around 8:30 and Jared stayed home to get some sleep. I asked Dr. Lavoie to look in her ears to see if the congestion had led to an ear infection.  Sure enough, her right ear is infected.  He said she should be getting better as the weather improves, but if she continues to get ear infections after April or if the pattern recurs in the fall, he'll probably refer her for tubes. I wish he already would, because with our family history, the poor girl is doomed when it comes to her ears.

We got her some antibiotics and she seemed happy all day, although still full of snot.  She didn't take a morning nap and was very happy.  But she took an almost three hour afternoon nap. 

Then I found her and her father playing ball.  It was so cute.  It's a little dark, but she was watching the flashing ball.

What a Tease

The other day, before she was sick, she was quite the tease with her blueberries.  Reminded me of when Lizzie Sylvia did it with a marshmallow in second grade!

Sick...again.

Well, Kathryn is sick again.  Someone at daycare had a cold and she's had a stuffy nose since Monday. It all came to a head yesterday.  Jared had to pick up Kathryn early from daycare because she was sick and I called out of work today, which wasn't too bad since we had professional development and no kids.  I have tomorrow off too for Good Friday.  She is so miserable.  She has such a runny nose and is just a mess.  I really hope she starts to feel better soon.

 

It's been a long day.  Jared left at 5am and should've been home around 2:30, however, due to unforeseen circumstances, he won't be home till around 10pm.  She hasn't been that difficult to take care of, but it's not been a cup of tea either.  I have a new-found respect for single parents.  Needless to say, I'm anxious for Jared to get home.  

And as I type this, the day just keeps getting better. Sophie just puked all over the chair. I'd better go clean it up!  Buster's already started helping me.  Gross!

Pig Tails and More!

Ms. Becky at daycare put Kathryn's hair in pigtails today. I try and clip her bangs back with a barrette, but it doesn't work well.  I think the piggies are a better idea!

Also, after tub time she was playing and I walked into the living room to see her with a pair of my granny panties (they were clean!) over her head.

  

Kathryn has started saying and signing more. It's so cute. I think if we let her, she's say "More!" all night to blueberries.

Butterfly!

Kathryn has the sweetest little voice.  It seems her three favorite words are Mama, Gangy, and Kitty (which she says as key).  She loves to just babble away.  Whenever she's laying on her changing table she stares up at the butterflies on her wall and laughs and points.  We also point and tell her they're butterflies.  Well, tonight she finally said it back and it was pretty clear.  She said it a few times.  It sounded like bu-fly.  It was so cute. She's also started saying door.  It sounds more like duh, but it's so cute. 

On a different note, Kathryn seems to be pretty much back to her normal self, thank goodness!  I'm hoping her good mood will stay because tomorrow we're taking her to get some spring pictures taken at Sears (even though it hardly feels like spring!).  It's so hard to schedule these things because of her napping. We decided to try 10am.  She usually is napping at that time, but she never seems to take a morning nap on the weekends.  We'll see how this goes!

The First of Many Shirts That'll Be Lost to Paint

Yesterday Kathryn came home from daycare with blue paint on her shirt.  Of course, it was a brand new shirt and it was her first time wearing it.  We got on clearance at Target, but still...it was brand new!  I know this is just the first of many pieces of clothing that will be lost to paint.  I don't mind though.  I'm just glad she has so much at daycare. 

She seems to be on the mend.  Her spots are fading and she's seeming more like herself.  I swear she slept like a log last night. She went right to sleep at 7:30 and I don't think she moved at all.  She usually cries out occasionally, but we didn't hear a peep last night.  Around 5:30am, I woke up and noticed it looked like she hadn't moved since she fell asleep the night before.  I got up to check if she was breathing.  She was and she finally woke up an hour later.  She went down pretty easily tonight so I hope she'll get another restful night's sleep. 

She feel off the couch at daycare today and she has a lovely bruise on her forehead.  Of course we scheduled some spring pictures on Saturday.  Hopefully it'll have faded a little by then.

I guess Kathryn didn't like her shirt getting ruined.

Celebrate!

On Saturday night we were listening to the radio while Kathryn bathed.  "Celebrate" came on and she started dancing.  I think she recognizes it from the beginning of "Muppets From Space".  I went to grab the camera and while she still danced, it wasn't nearly as animated as before I got the camera.  You get the gist though. 

Fussiness, Fever and Rash...Oh My!

It's been an interested few days with Kathryn.  On Saturday morning she started getting a little fussy.  She had a low-grade fever and we figured it was teething.  Then, Sunday, her fever got up to nearly 103.  We figured it was something other than teething.  She was fussy whenever he motrin would wear off and she just wasn't herself.  Jared stayed home with her Monday and I had a snow day on Tuesday, so I stayed with her then. I took her to the doctor's office just to double check she didn't have an ear infection. I was happy to learn she didn't.  The doctor said it was viral thing along with teething.  Last night in the bath, I noticed some red dots on her collarbone, but thought it was just from the water. She has very sensitive skin like me, so I wasn't too worried.  She went to daycare today and she did okay.  However, she broke out in a pretty bad rash.  Becky said it was Roseola (a rash that infants get). I thought it was Fifths Disease.  After looking them both up, they're very similar and the Roseola seems to fit in her age group better, so she's probably got one of those.  Good thing is, once the rash shows up, it means they're no longer contagious so I'm hoping she'll return to her chipper self soon!

This is pretty much how she looked all day Sunday.

All she wanted to eat was blueberries!  Needless to say she's had some interesting diapers!

The rash!

Empathy

It really is amazing watching Kathryn turn into a little human being.  Tonight was no exception.  Lately she's loved shutting doors and gates on people.  We were walking out of the living room and she closed the gate on me.  I pretended to cry and walked over and sat on the couch and continued to "whimper".  She stared at me from the gate, cocked her head and said, "Mama?"  I kept "crying" and she toddled over to me and got right in my face and said, "Mama?"  Then she leaned in and hugged me and gave me a kiss.  It made me so happy to see her concerned about me.  I'm glad to know she's got empathy.  Love that girl.

First Dental Check-Up

Kathryn went to the dentist for her first dental check up.  She was in a great mood in the waiting room, but she was pretty unsure once we got to the exam room.  The staff was great.  I took her to Children's Dental Associates in Bozrah and they only work with kids, so everything was geared towards making kids comfortable.  We discussed dental health and the hygienist cleaned the few teeth she has. She said since Kathryn is late at getting her teeth, she'll be late at losing them. This will only create an issue if she needs braces later on and she hasn't lost all her teeth.  We'll cross that bridge when we come to do it.  She's also got a low fernum (???).  It's the piece of skin that connects from the top gum to the lip.  It should eventually rise when her teeth come in as she gets older.  The dentist was really nice too.  He said there's no issue with her having a pacifier and we even use their favorite brand (Nuk).  She was pretty well behaved, except during her teeth cleaning and exam.  She was pretty unhappy!

The Newest Isbell

There is a new edition to the Isbell family.  Lydia Anne Isbell was born today, March 9, 2013, at 12:29pm in Ketchikan, AK.  She weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long.  I am so happy for Derek and Teana.  I can remember so vividly all the emotions of meeting your child for the first time.  I hope they're enjoying every moment!  From what I gather, Teana had a tough labor and they eventually had to do a c-section. I hope her experience was better than mine!  Gah!  It was awful!  I just hope she's recovered enough to be able to enjoy Lydia.  I can't wait to meet my little niece when we go to Alaska in July.

More Diggin' for Gold

I tired getting some pictures of Kathryn and me this morning. We were lounging around, she in her jammies and me in my hideous robe. Jared hates that robe.  I haven't worn it forever, but my other one is dirty.  Anyway...I tried getting some pictures.  Instead, I just got her picking her nose.

I did get this one though where she looks like my mini-me.

I also got a cute one on my phone this morning.

419 W. Kansas

My parents told me yesterday that a contract is being drawn up on my grandparents' house.  I never thought someone other than a Nugen would be live in that house.  My grandparents built that house from almost nothing.  My grandma used to tell me how it started out when they first bought it in the 1940s.  My grandpa added so many rooms.  My dad grew up in that house.  I have so many memories there.  I always remember walking in and smelling the smell of grandma's house and when I'd go into the garage, the smell always reminded me so much of my grandpa.  I remember playing with my cousins there and I remember eating homemade ice cream there. 

I can't believe I'll never step foot in that house or on the property again.  When I went to see my grandma in November, I didn't think it was the last time I'd be there.  I'm so glad Kathryn got to go, although she won't remember it.  I'll always remember eating breakfast in the kitchen or playing dominoes and Yahtzee and watching baseball or the weather with my grandma.  She always had the TV up so loud.  I was so sad when my parents told me a young family had put a bid on the house.  I know the family will love it there and they'll have so much fun playing in the backyard.  Maybe it's good I won't see it again with all the belongings out of it because I can always remember it the way it was.  A place where Grandma and Grandpa lived.  A place I loved going.  The roots of my family.

When I was there a few years ago for my grandpa's funeral, I went around taking pictures to help me always remember it.  I'm so glad I did.

Warning: Picture overload below.

I remember playing with this all the time when I was younger.

So many memories of sitting on that porch swing.

This is in the back of their house.

The swing set that's always been there.  Jared hit me really hard in the forehead with the bar in the middle when we were mowing my grandma's lawn.  It was accident, but he nearly knocked me out.  I'll never forget after we mowed, my grandma told my dad we were definitely "city slickers".

Grandpa's Garden

My grandpa's garage

I remember this little turtle sprinkler from when I was a kid.

My grandpa's work apron

Grandpa's tools

Christmas in Grandma and Grandpa's house 2010.

Playing in the bathroom.  My grandpa made the cabinets.

The kitchen table we always sat around.

Dad, Uncle Kent, Uncle Gregg & Aunt Sheryl in the house.

Most of my cousins at Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Grandma's flowers

Sitting on Grandpa's lap.  I miss him.

Our family at Grandma and Grandpa's in 1980.

Grandpa in his garden.

In Grandma's kitchen trying to teach Jared to knit.

I can't tell you how many Nugen kids have bathed in this tub.  I'm glad Kathryn got to.

Kathryn playing in Grandma's living room.

Grandma's kitchen

So many babies have played on that same floor.