Kathryn's Birthday Party!

We had Kathryn's birthday party yesterday.  Jared and I were kind of nervous about pulling it off.  We were worried about space, but it all worked out perfectly.  We cleaned and did some decorating Friday night and got up early Saturday to finish.  I had to pick up the cake and food, but it all came together and the house looked great.  It looked even nicer because all of the Christmas decorations are up. 

21 people was the final total and the group got along great.  The guests were: Me, Jared, Al & Helen, Pegi, Barbara & Raymond, Dee, Danielle P., Danielle M., Renee & Andrew Turenne and Gianna, of course, Leigh & her daughter Sidney, Rafael & Maria Davila and their two sons, and Lois and Jill.  The food was great, the cake was great and Kathryn loved digging into her little chocolate cake.  She made quite a mess!  The only downside was Kathryn slipped while playing and hit her head on a chair.  She had a pretty good goose egg on her head, but she's okay.  We also wish family could've been here. 

Overall, it was a great and memorable day.  Today, however, I'm sick as a dog with a horrific stomach bug.  I think I should camp out in the bathroom.  I just hope it wasn't the food and that no one else, especially Kathryn gets sick.

Lovin' that cake.

She loved playing with her balloons.

Static...a result of balloon playing.

Her goose egg.

All decked out.

Kathryn and Raymond

Kathryn and Danielle

Add caption

Al & Helen

Blowing out the candle.

Lovin' the cake!

Present time!

She got a big Animal to go with her little Animal.

Kathryn & Grandma's Birthday

I haven't had the chance to post pictures from the little birthday party Kathryn and Grandma shared.  I'm so glad they  had the chance to celebrate together.

1 Year Check-Up

Today we took Kathryn to her 1 year check-up.  Not much has changed.  She's still super tall and skinny.  Here are her stats:

Height: 31 inches (95th percentile)
Weight: 19 pounds 13 ounces (25th-30th percentile)
Head: 75th percentile (I don't recall the exact measurement)

She's been congested for about a week so I asked Dr. Lavoie to check her ears, just in case and sure enough, she's got another ear infection.  The poor girl has definitely inherited my inner ears.  She was acting fine though.  I'm glad she's not in pain.  I just hope the antibiotics clear this up fast. 

Time out...I'm getting sentimental

I just wanted to write a few thoughts down from tonight about when I was putting Kathryn to bed.  She didn't want her bottle, which I guess is good because we're trying to wean her off it.  I was worried though because the bottle soothes her.  She has been just going in the crib and falling asleep, but when I put her in there, she started to cry, which wasn't like her.  So, I held her and she rested her head on my shoulder.  I rocked her in the glider and it was very peaceful.  She just looked at me and we said some prayers and I cried a little as we prayed for Grandma Peggy.  I'm really missing her and it was nice to have my daughter there to help ease the pain because I often see Grandma in Kathryn.  After we said our prayers, I rested her on my shoulder again and she seemed relaxed.  When I tried putting her back in her crib, she started to whimper.  She was lying on her back and I began running my fingers through her hair and I saw her eyes begin to close.  She was fighting sleep, but as I kept rubbing, her eyes kept closing.  She kept opening her eyes every once in a while to make sure I was there, but she finally gave up and fell asleep.  I don't know why I enjoyed it so much.  I guess I just love knowing that she needs me and she loves me so much.  I never thought someone would need me the way she does and I never knew someone would love me the way she does.  I know I need to treasure this because I know someday she'll be all grown up and she won't need me the way she does now.  So...until then, I'll try and cherish these precious moments. 

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

We took Kathryn to see Santa today.  She was all dressed up in her adorable Christmas outfit.  She got so many compliments.  The best though was this one lady who was passing us, saw Kathryn and goes, "Oh my!  She looks divine!  Divine!"  It totally cracked us up.  She did look divine though.

It seems like only yesterday we were taking her for her first visit to Santa.  She was only a couple of weeks old, if even that.  We'd gone for our newborn pictures at JC Penney.  I still remember I was breastfeeding her in the car in a secluded area of the parking lot.  We'd been sitting there a while and then a mall security guy comes up to the car to check what we were doing.  Jared's all, "My wife's breastfeeding in the backseat."  I'm not sure the security guard knew what to say, but he left knowing we weren't there to cause any trouble.  It's amazing how time flies because it really seems like it just happened, when in actuality, it's been an entire year.  She looks like a giant compared to last year. 

She was pretty good with Santa.  She didn't cry, but I couldn't get her to look at the camera.  It turned out okay though.  It's a memory at least. It's the same Santa as last year, so that's kinda cool. I'm sure we'll be taking next year's Santa picture we know it.

Santa and Kathryn 2012.

Santa and Kathryn 2011.

Deck the Halls

We spent yesterday afternoon getting the Christmas stuff out of the attic and decorating the inside of the house.  Kathryn was very good during the whole thing and seemed curious about it all.  This is her second Christmas, but last year she was only a couple of weeks old when we put up the tree.  She seemed excited this year and kept taking ornament boxes out and she loved playing with the lights.  I'll post more pictures of the decorations once the house is put back in order, but for now, here's a few pictures of us decorating yesterday.

She loved the boxes.

Getting ready to decorate!

Jared and Kate putting on some ornaments.

She loved the lights.

We found my hair comb from our wedding in a box. I didn't realize Jared was taking pictures of me wearing it.

Putting on the star!

The tree!  It'll look better with presents underneath.

She loves the holiday shower curtain.

Jenny got Kathryn this NYPL "Future Reader" shirt.  She was finally able to wear it today.

The Nugen Stockings: These stockings have been a tradition since the 1940s.  Grandma Peggy made mine back when I was born and Jared's when we got married and Aunt Sheryl made Kathryn's last year.  I'll always treasure them.

Grandma Peggy

Yesterday was a tough day.  My Grandma Peggy passed away.  She hadn't been doing well for a while, but we were all hoping she would make it past Thanksgiving.  She didn't.  My parents didn't want to tell us till today because it was Thanksgiving and Kathryn's birthday.  They didn't want to ruin our day, but I called my dad around 11am to ask a question about caulking and then I asked about Grandma.  He hesitated, but then said everything was status quo.  I asked him if it really was because he'd paused and then he told me she had passed away about an hour before.  I had been expecting it, but I wasn't ready.  My dad seemed okay and he told me he had a premonition it was going to happen.  He was sleeping and around 3:30am and a bright light shot through his mind and he saw Jesus sitting there with his arms open.  This gave me chills because I knew he was welcoming my grandma home. 

After I found out, I cried and thought back on the good times. I also tried to stay happy because it was Kathryn's birthday.  It's been hard today too because I think about the little things I'll never get to do with her again.  I'll never eat one of her eggs again.  She made the best fried eggs.  I'll never play dominoes or Yahtzee with her again.  She loved to play games. I'll never talk about the weather with her again.  We often talked about the weather.  I just miss her so much already.  I didn't grow up with her, and I usually saw her once a year, but there was always that knowledge that I would see her again.  When I said goodbye to her a couple of weeks ago, I knew it was the last time I would hug her goodbye.  I knew I wouldn't see her in this life again.  I know she is happy though.  She is with my grandpa and they loved each other so much.  She has missed him and I know they are embracing right now and they're young and perfect.  Grandma used to tell me how hard it was to get old because your mind still feels young, but your body can't keep up.  I know she's perfect now though.  I couldn't have asked for a more supportive set of grandparents and I love them and I miss them.  I can still hear both of their voices and the way they said my name.  I don't think I'll ever forget that.  I'll never forget them and I know I'll see them again.  It hurts knowing they're gone, but I've got to remember they're happy and they're together.  I love you Grandma and Grandpa. 

Our last visit with Grandma.

This was taken about 6 years ago when Jared and I drove to Kansas to visit.  Grandma tried to teach Jared to knit.  We all got a good laugh out of it. 

Grandma came to Connecticut for Christmas a few years back and we took her gambling at Mohegan Sun.

Me, Grandma, Tarin and Andrew

Beautiful picture of Grandma at Tarin's wedding.

Grandpa, Me and Grandma at my high school graduation in 1998.

Grandpa and Grandma in 1943

Grandpa, Grandma and me on my wedding day: Aug. 5, 2000

A visit in AZ.  Love our clothes!

Sitting on Grandpa's lap during a visit to Kansas.

Grandpa and Me in Chicago during Tarin's boot camp graduation.

Tarin, Grandpa and Me in Chicago.

Grandpa, Me and Honey Dawg in Sierra Vista.

Me and Grandma

Grandma visiting Grandpa in NYC.

Together at Wrigley Field.

Grandma and Tarin

Tarin, Katie, Grandpa, Grandma, Me and Jeff at my high school graduation in 1998.

Tarin, Grandma and Me