the fithians

A Two Year Old

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Miss Kara had her second birthday two weeks ago! We've been delinquent in blogging due to other life circumstance craziness, but this has also given me time to collect my thoughts on her new stage.

The good and the bad of it all seems to be summarized in one word...independence. It's just different sides of the same coin. Some of it makes me so proud, other times I need to go to my room and have a time out before I can deal with the issue.

We'll start with the bad side of this independence because that is what most people associate with a two year old. Last year there was a lot of focus on the word "disobedience". Big word, but Kara is very familiar with it. Well, we have noticed lately that her disobedience has morphed from something that was completely self-centered (I just want to get my own way) to something that is a bit insolent (you won't get your way). She will very confidently do the opposite of what we've asked, even if we give her options, and it is sort of a slap in the face. I can't tell you how much I need to check my own pride in these moments. We have a feeling the word for this year will be "disrespect". We even made up a nursery rhyme for her...

"Kary, Kary quite contrary,
Show me how you disobey,
By saying no, by ignoring mommy,
Or simply by running away."

This is pretty much the extent of the bad. Lee and I have just found ourselves in a place of needing to be more intentional, more humble, and more gracious than ever.

Now for the good of independence! Woohoo! Her most used phrases are "I do it," and "On my own". Some things are really helpful, others are just cute. Here are some things that I love...
She gets in the car seat by herself
She picks out her clothes in the morning (not always what I would pick, but it gives us all a good laugh)
She eats by herself
She tries to make her own food
She attempts to put on and take off her clothes
She tries to order her drinks and food at restaurants (she'll always let the waiter know when she needs a refill)
She wants to be potty trained (we'll start this in Ft. Worth)
She wants to sleep in big beds, eat big food, and do big people things
She is excited about doing chores as long as it's her idea
She helps take care of the dogs by feeding them and picking up after them (yeah, I know)
And there are probably other things I'm forgetting.

In summary, she is TWO!

Tonight I apologized...to my dog

2012-01-11T07:16:00.000-08:00

I'll go ahead and admit that the stress of moving, being pregnant, and not letting Kara's second birthday go by without celebration has started to manifest itself outwardly. For the past weeks we have been eating and breathing home improvements, realtors, appraisers, contracts, negotiations and the like. Kara and the dogs have sort of had to fend for themselves. But today, after having 3 minor breakdowns over retarded setbacks and inconveniences, Lee sent me out to have an evening at Starbucks with my Bible. It was my first quiet time in weeks (go figure), and I was convicted by the lack of grace and mercy I'd been displaying...especially to our dog Kermit.

Lately, he has had a knack for ruining my projects and being destructive. We'll just say it's obvious and very frustrating when a black dog gets in white paint...more than once. Anyways, poor Kermit has become my scapegoat over the past few days. I've found I have no patience, no tolerance for his mistakes and disobedience. I've raised my voice at him, I've scolded him, I've stared him down. I've told Lee several times we're getting rid of him. Unfortunately, he's the type of dog who acts worse when punished.

So tonight we needed to reconcile. I apologized to a dog. Apparently he was also ready to restore our relationship. He ran over to me and buried his head in my lap. Then he rolled over to his side and ever so slightly lifted his paw, just to see if I wanted to rub his belly. Definitely milking the situation.

More Big News

2011-12-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

(This is a re-post. We had to take it down after originally posting because Lee's transfer had not been officially announced to his group at Exxon. So, a heads up to those reading it for a second time; it's still the same information.)

We Fithians will soon be able to call ourselves....Ft Worthians? Ft Worthites? Metroplexicans? I don't know what they call themselves up there, but we'll be one of them.

ExxonMobil has transferred Lee to Ft Worth, and we have about 1-2 months to get ready for a move. So exciting! 2012 is going to be a year of big changes for us...the biggest one is that I will probably have to become organized to keep everything straight.

We're really going to miss everything we have here in Spring; especially grandmas within 40 minute drives and friendships that we have developed over the past 5 years. Well, there are also things we won't miss, like our next door neighbor's dog. But that situation really could be worse than it is.

So, we're looking forward to something new. Good times.

Good effort, poor execution

2011-12-05T11:38:00.001-08:00

So, I'm sitting in my closet putting on shoes when Kara runs in and tells me she has to go potty. Mind you, we still haven't started potty training. So, I tell her thank you for telling me, and she runs off and I hear a splash.

I jump up, and find her fully clothed with her bottom in the toilet, hanging on to the rim with all she's got.

She seemed uncomfortable, but not terribly distressed. So I ran and got the camera.

Plus One

2011-11-28T12:59:00.000-08:00

As a couple of sweet friends (Janet & Guy) told us....it isn't official until it's virtual. So, here is the official announcement:

We are pregnant!

We went to our first Ob/Gyn appointment today, and everything looks normal. The baby is 8 weeks along, normal size, and normal heart rate. It looks just like Kara did at that age. Imagine that! It was truly exciting to see the little bean just resting there, and the doctor had very few comments. We find less is better.

I have been feeling tired and nauseated for the past couple of weeks, but I think that is starting to pass. Lee has been so great about taking care of the house, and Kara has become very good at telling Mommy to "Wake UP!" each time I close my eyes to rest. Which happens more than I would like, but hopefully I'll keep feeling better, and we can get back to our routines.

We have told Kara that Mommy is growing a baby. This news has had little effect on Kara other than her excitement each morning when she takes her pretend prenatal vitamin (an M&M) with me. Or sometimes she will point to her own tummy and say "Kara baby, grow!" Obviously, there's a little confusion, but we're working on that.

Thank you for your prayers during this time. The first trimester can always be a little scary. We'll keep updating the blog as things progress.

Here are a couple of close-ups of the new addition!

The Fithian Exchange System

2011-11-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

Today Kara refused to help clean her room after destroying it during "nap" time. So I told her she could pay me to clean it or she could help me. She chose the payment...and I chose Blue Bear and her favorite blanket.

Once she realized what she had done and was completely devastated, she was more open to helping. I tried to explain that when we pay someone we have to give away something we like for something we like more. And if she wanted her things back, I accepted vacuuming as a fair trade.

So here she is vacuuming her room with Daddy. It looks great now!

In the end we were all happy, but Daddy was a little spent from trying to teach a 2 year old to vacuum...apparently it's not easy.

What kept me up tonight

2011-11-06T01:23:00.000-07:00

It's late, or really early, depending on how you look at it. And this is one of the few times that I have had something on my mind that has kept me from sleeping.

Since the beginning of November, I have been reading lots of online updates and posts from different people about Thankfulness. Some of them are fairly obvious, like the weather is awesome or God gave me wonderful kids, but in general I feel I struggle to be truly thankful for the things God gave us. I find that in my heart I really do love to complain and dispute, the very thing God tells us not to do. I find myself perturbed when things don't go my way or anxious when things are out of my control.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 -- Give thanks in ALL circumstances...; Ephesians 5:20 -- Giving thanks always and for everything...; the list of Bible verses tugging on my heart to be thankful is really long. So, as this seems pretty important to God to teach us, it must be a lesson worth putting effort into.

Furthermore, how do I teach Kara about true thankfulness when I'm only thankful for the obvious good things? Reminding her to say "tank tou" when someone gives her candy isn't going to cut it. But learning to depend on God's sovereignty and praise Him for His grace are heart changes that should happen in myself before I can pass them on to her.

So, here is a small list of thanks for things I'm usually not thankful for...

1. For waking me up in the middle of the night to think about things that are good

2. For giving me the ability to care for dogs who need daily exercise and attention

3. For giving me the opportunities (several) to train up my child in discipline and righteousness

4. For giving me the chance to serve my family through daily chores of cleaning and cooking

5. For giving me the circumstances that made me seek God, even if those circumstances still exist

6. For creating me with a personality that primarily values authenticity in relationships

7. For moments of teaching when I can admit my lack of control over this world

8. For the opportunities to show Kara how much I love her starting as early in the day as she lets me

9. For giving me a husband who is deliberate and wise about not rushing into decisions

10. For seasonal allergies (I can't think of a nice way to put this)

Where did she learn that?

2011-10-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

One of the most repeated phrases in our house is, "Where did she learn that?" Seriously. Kara is picking up words, ideas, and phrases that I don't remember teaching her. She is a little baby sponge. For instance...

I thought we could start working on letter recognition. We'd start with 'A'. Apparently she already learned some letters because later in the day she pointed out 'O' and 'T'. Where did she learn that?

We went to the park where some kids were playing soccer. She has never been interested in ball sports so I haven't bothered to encourage it. However, when Kara saw the other kids she screamed "soccer" and started kicking the balls. Where did she learn that?

Kara fell down the other day and bumped her knee. I haven't kissed her injuries, but she came to me crying and asking "knee...kiss".

Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but I'm a stay-at-home mom, and most of Kara's life is spent in my presence. It amazes me how quickly she will pick up on things and how she will suddenly recall something that happened days prior. Just another reminder that we need to stay on our toes. This kid is watching everything.

It's Autumn!

2011-10-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

This week Kara has been learning about Autumn. She has been collecting dead leaves and acorns from the front yard, helping me make apple sauce, and playing fetch with cinnamon sticks. I'm not a fan of the last one, but Kara and Kermit think it's a great game.

We are also learning about pumpkins. Today, we went to Aunt Amber's house in College Station where we picked out pumpkins and decorated them.

Carson quickly realized pumpkins are heavy.

She's starting to look like a kid. What happened to our baby?

Kara and Carson decorating their pumpkins. A very happy mess of paint and glue.

Kara's pumpkin. The one-eyed booger.

We finished our visit with a jump on the trampoline. This day was too much fun to wear clothes!

Sharing the Potty

2011-08-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

Potty excitement has hit the Fithian house! We're not potty training yet, but Kara is very good at telling us when she has pooped...mainly because she loves flushing it down the toilet. It's the little things that make her happy.

Our neighbor gave us a toddler training potty. Kara doesn't care to sit on it for long, but she will put her dolls and stuffed animals on it. Yesterday was Barbie's turn.

I walked into the bathroom, and Kara had a miniature Barbie doll sitting in the toilet (yes, "in the toilet," not "on the toilet"), and I asked Kara if Barbie was going peepee or poop. Kara said poop because that is her favorite. I told her that was nice, and as I was walking away, Kara turned to me excitedly and yelled, "BIG POOP!"

And there you have it. Barbie makes big poop. We never knew that. Don't worry, Barbie, everybody does it.

By the way, I promise to limit the number of potty entries, even though they are definitely some of the funnier stories that we have.

I want, I want!

2011-08-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Kara has mastered the phrase, "I want _________." Just fill in the blank. She wants cars, she wants Dada, she wants babies, she REALLY wants cookies.

On one hand, I'm excited that she has begun to use sentences. I also love that she verbalizes her desires. On the other hand, she has learned to repeat herself. So we will hear the same sentence about 20 times in a row unless we are able to fulfill that "want" immediately.

So much fun, right?

Lee and I are working on trying to find this funny because this behavior is honestly kind of annoying. And I've heard it just gets worse.

31 Years

2011-08-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

A very happy 31st birthday to Lee! And yes, he does feel older. And yes, we put his candle in meatloaf.

Kara blew out the candle a few more times after Lee.

Family Camp

2011-08-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

During my summers in college, I worked for a Christian camp called Pine Cove. Specifically, the family camp. This is where I was first encouraged to boldly live out my faith, and this is also where I began to learn that not every family is severely dysfunctional. In fact, they can be quite functional and intentional about glorifying the Lord. I loved observing and serving these families, and I hoped that I could one day go back as a camper.

Well, Lee and I had a kid, so off to family camp we went! Pine Cove, Week 9!

It was incredible! We loved it!

There is so much about Pine Cove that is completely awesome, but the craziest part is how the Holy Spirit is evident in everything that is going on. We watched callous and broken hearts change and heal over the course of the week, we saw a child with severe anxiety disorders open up and and become bold and outgoing, we were given clarity and peace over some of the questions and struggles we had been facing for a long time, Kara stopped freaking out when she had to go into a nursery setting (which is a major working of the Spirit). The counselors prayed over us before we came and with us during the week. We were pushed to move forward in our personal walks with the Lord, and encouraged to pour His love and model His grace in our family.

That is all the important stuff that happened at camp, but most of you have not been to Pine Cove and may think I am describing a Spartan camp out in tents, sitting around a fire and going on Spirit quests. My sister's exact comment, "I don't get it, do you just sit around on tire swings all day?"

Uh, no. Pine Cove is quite nice. We stayed in a motel-style room (A/C included), and we had delicious meals (not your average camp food). There were speaker sessions for the adults to attend during the week, and the kiddos went to their age appropriate programs. Kara was in the baby room/nursery where they played, sang songs, went swimming, took pony rides, and other fun baby things. They even kept the kids during naps so we could have some free time. During that time we had tons of fun activities to choose from like horseback riding, water rockets/skiing, paintball, zip lines, skeet shooting, arts and crafts, chilling out at the coffee house, swimming, bike rides, fishing, etc. If you couldn't find something enjoyable to do, you weren't trying. Lee and I did some of those activities, but we also rested and read our books.

The counselors at Pine Cove are amazing, not only because they spend their summer running around in 100 degree weather, sleeping in tiny bunks, and getting meager pay. But they serve with a holy dependence and joyfulness that is uncommon anywhere else. They provide rest for us, but they also provide an example of sacrifice and devotion.

Kara also loved Pine Cove. She thought it was fun to jump around with the counselors and do the cheers, she was fairly obsessed with watching the fish in the lake, and if there was a stage she was on it babbling into the microphone or dancing. By the end of the week she began to prefer the counselors to us which may have been my favorite part. There is something so special about seeing someone caring for your child with such love yet setting boundaries for them so they can feel secure. This means my kid had a great time and didn't become a crazy, whiny monster. Makes a mommy's heart smile.

OK. Picture time.

Kara playing on the top bunk bed.

Super hero theme night. We dressed up as Mario Bros. characters. Luigi, Mario, and Princess Peach. I got a hug from a little kid who thought I was really Mario. She was disappointed when I took off the mustache.

Kara wanted to wear a mustache too.

Playing on stage.

Kung-Pow theme night. Please note Lee's socks and sandals...if you can look past his awesome Kimono.

Master of baby kung fu. When she wears the outfit she goes around the house kicking the air and saying "yah!"

Hanging out in the coffee house during our free time.

New BFF Avery (8 year old). She and Kara would run off together.

Playing on the stage again. This time she found a microphone.

Carnival night. Kara got her face painted and went on the hayride while Lee played knock-out.

You can see the painted flower on Kara's cheek.

Lee playing knock-out...looking mighty fine with his backwards hat. It really does make him look younger.

Kara going off on her own. This picture is mainly to show you how pretty the camp is.

Pine Cove was fun!

Portlandia

2011-07-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

We are done with plane travel for a long time. Lee, Kara, and I are still recovering from our recent trip to Portland, OR for cousin Kim's wedding.

People told us that babies sleep on planes. No. No, no, no, no, no. They're wrong. Kara took the four hour plane ride to mean four hours of non-stop attention seeking, jumping, kicking, and playing. By the end of the ride, Lee and I were spent. Luckily, we sat next to wonderfully understanding passengers who also took turns entertaining our little monkey.

Even with all of the attention, I can't say Kara enjoyed the plane ride. Five minutes into it she was telling us "all done". This was repeated at least fifty more times throughout the flight.

But four hours of crazy to get out of Houston in the middle of summer isn't too bad. The temperature in Portland was in the 60's, and Kara got to meet her northern Fithian cousins for the first time. Here's a picture of the entire group outside of the Wet Dog Cafe. This is Lee's dad's side of the family.

We had quite a few little ones to watch after. Between jumping out of windows, sneaking out of hotel rooms (Kara and Riley learned to open doors), and keeping them from running in the street we had our hands full.

Kara is very excited about her coloring.

The boys in back are planning their escape.

Connor and Ben doing what boys do...throwing giant rocks.

Kara decided to walk into the river fully clothed.

Owen is doing his drum solo on the restaurant mirror.

The wedding was beautiful, and we had a wonderful time at the reception. The kids danced until exhaustion set in and fits were thrown. Kim was a stunning bride, and she was such a gracious host to all of us. Her husband Chris is so fortunate to have her.

We didn't get any good pictures of the bride and groom. So here is a picture of a picture!

Kara and Riley going to the reception together.

Kara is dancing with Papo.

Who is going to get B's fancy necklace?

Trouble.

Like I mentioned. We were pretty tired after this trip. Here is Kara the day we left.

PJ Day

2011-07-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, I am refreshed and ready to go again!

I have been craving a day without responsibility for some time, so yesterday we had a PJ day at the Fithian house. We didn't do much of anything. We wore mismatching pajamas, we cooked veggies from our garden, and we watched Harry Potter movies. The most notable event was when Lee and Kara went to check the mail. Totally low key.

Since using up our produce was a big part of the day, I wanted to show you a picture of our fruit and veggies. The eggplant, yellow tomatoes, and bell pepper came from our backyard. I'm really proud of our little garden this year. Lee has done a great job of keeping the weeds out, and Kara likes to water the plants. The other produce in the picture came from farms where they let you pick your own veggies and fruit. My grandparents picked the peaches and red tomatoes, but I picked the blueberries myself.

Suffice it to say, we had our five servings yesterday. So we were lazy, but in a healthy way.

Such a good dad!

2011-06-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a big high five to my husband for his second Father's Day!

Lee really stepped up this past year. He led us well, he was a constant encouragement to me, and he became Kara's best friend. She asks for him about 20 times each day, and she gets so excited when he comes home.

We celebrated by playing frisbee golf after church.

Kara did my putting.

Hiking down the fairway.

Pretty nice form!

Daddy and Kara taking a chocolate milk break in the shade.

Happy Anniversay to Us!

2011-06-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

Big news! Lee and I have been married for 4 years!

That honestly doesn't seem like enough time. Only 4 years? So much has happened...house, dogs, baby, new family members, losing family members, waves of spiritual growth and indifference, jobs, graduations. You can pack a lot of stuff into 4 years.

But next year will be quite the milestone. It's time to take out that 5 year plan that we made before we were married, and see how we're shaping up. I'm sure a few goals have changed due to circumstance or priorities, but I have a feeling that most of our general goals will still hold true. We won't know until we are able to find it. Four years is also plenty of time to lose stuff...

The May Series

2011-05-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

This past month. So crazy. Fun. But crazy.

A lot has happened, and there are a ton of pictures to share.

We're going to back track a little, and hopefully we'll get back to the present day by the end of the week through a series of posts. For those who have asked us to post more often (shout out to Janet Mery!) this should satisfy for a while.

Starting off, on Mother's Day weekend we took a King family vacation to the San Antonio Hyatt Hill Country Resort and Sea World. We loved it!

The resort was incredibly kid friendly. In fact, I was surprised by the number of families with infants. Kara and Carson had fun playing together and with the grandparents. We went swimming, we roasted marshmallows, we didn't take naps...it was great.

One thing Lee and I noted about the resort, is that people say funny things when they don't think anyone is listening. Of course we wrote these down to share with everyone. Fair warning, hotel rooms are NOT soundproof, and some random person will share your comments in their blog. Here is what we overheard:

"She's touching my peanuts!"
"You guard my billfold and my teeth with your life. I can always get a new cell phone."
"I'm a burrito!"
"That's right! Mommy makes peepee too!"
"Are you high again?"

And here are some pictures:

For the other part of our trip, Sea World, I can't say enough about how awesome that place is! They have an entire play area devoted to little kids. My parents took Kara and Carson to it while the rest of us rode the roller coasters. Actually, my sister went to the kiddie park as well because she isn't allowed on the rides in her fragile condition (third trimester preggers!). Anyways, we played hard in the morning, and just as it was getting hot we went to some shows and exhibits.

Playing at the kiddie park:

Kara's bathing suit matched the trainer's costume from one of the shows. They stopped us and asked if we wanted to take a picture and pet the sea lion. How lucky that we packed that bathing suit! And yes, the sea lion is smiling.

And a few more....

Morning Hair

2011-05-10T08:09:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!

2011-04-27T09:36:00.001-07:00

HE IS RISEN INDEED! We hope you had a great Easter celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Here are a few memories of our Easter travels to La Grange and Katy. It is so special to share this day with family.

Hook 'Em Horns????

2011-04-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

What?! Yeah, I know. This may be the first time that I cheered for the Longhorns. It felt weird, and even a little wrong.

Cody (Lee’s little brother) is finishing up his last semester at UT. He played for the men’s club volleyball team, and they made it to the national tournament. Which lucky for us was in Houston! So, we were able to watch a few matches and cheer on Cody…and I guess the rest of his fellow longhorns.

I must say, men’s volleyball is awesome. I think someone could seriously get hurt with the way they can pound the ball over the net. I’m sort of sad that Cody won’t be playing again next year, but I guess you have to graduate some time.

Here are a couple of pictures that Lee’s sister sent us of Kara and the team. The guys definitely towered over Kara. Sometimes it looked as though she was going to fall over backwards when looking straight up at them. The team was so nice. They gave Kara high fives and a lot of attention…which she loved!

Zoobilee: the details

2011-04-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

So, we posted that picture of Kara in the piranha tunnel with little to no explanation. Zoobilee is an event hosted by the Houston Zoo. We were invited to come to the zoo after hours and participate in games, have snacks, and basically enjoy the place when it wasn't scorching hot. It may have been our best zoo trip ever.

One of the things that made it a great trip was that Kara has become aware of the animals. She "breeeeee"ed when she saw the elephants, "lizzzzz"ed when we looked at the Komodo Dragons, "meow"ed at the picture of a meerkat (she thinks meerkats are cats), and excitedly signed "fish" when we visited the piranhas.

Left: Kara taking a ride on Daddy's shoulders

Middle: Kara petting a life-size cutout of a rhino

Right: Kara is trying to wake up the chimp

Left: Picture of a chimp

Middle: Mommy and Kara by the elephants (Kara had a change of clothes by this time)

Right: Kara learning about evolution? This exhibit must be sponsored by PBS

For those who have not seen our little dancer, here is a video of Kara rocking out at the DJ booth. I also recommend watching some of the kids in the background, they have some pretty great moves. I apologize in advance because I didn't know that you shouldn't try different angles while taking video. The editing has made it choppy, but at least you will be able to watch without having to turn your head to the side!

Zoobilee

2011-04-08T20:03:00.001-07:00

Pirahna tunnel

bluebonnets

2011-03-29T19:38:00.001-07:00

We thought it would be fun to do some bluebonnet pictures with Kara this year. Here are a few that we enjoyed.

Accessorizing the outfit

2011-03-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

This has been fun. Kara is an accessory girl. She likes hats, bows, shoes, and necklaces. There will be times in the middle of playing when she'll run off to her room and bring back whichever item suits her fancy. She tries to put them on herself, but usually can't work the mechanics. She has become better at asking for help.

Her favorite outfit is an accessory and nothing else. Naked time is super, but naked time with a necklace is even better.

My favorite is when she wants to wear shoes. She waddles up to me, taps the shoe with her fist (sign language for "shoe"), then sits down and sticks her foot in the air. I think she knows the drill.

Getting ready for a ride in her car with nothing but a necklace.
Proudly wearing her pink mocassins.

Kara's going for a more complicated look. She is experimenting with 3 bibs and a knit hat.

Happy Pi Day

2011-03-14T18:31:00.001-07:00

I think that when people make a big deal out of a holiday, it says a lot about them. Today, Lee was very enthusiastic about celebrating Pi Day. Yes, 3.14! He proudly brought home a raspberry pie for this occassion.

This is the first time I have heard of Pi Day, but then again, I didn't run in crowds that enjoyed reading quantum physics books for recreation.

But honestly, I don't see how this hasn't caught on. We got a pie today! And it's educational! On March 14th, 2015 at 9:26am (and 53 seconds), we will do a real Pi Day celebration.

A wonderfully Tacky Valentine

2011-02-15T14:14:00.001-08:00

Nothing says “Be Mine” like a heart-shaped pepperoni pizza from Papa Johns!

I love my man.

Walking kara

2011-02-09T18:12:00.001-08:00

Some grunting, some sign language, some walking, some plopping.

Public Adventures

2011-02-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

Kara and I were going to Janie and Jack to return an impulse buy that I made. I'm not sure how I convinced myself that 3 articles of baby clothing were worth over $100, but I did.

Before we went into the store, I noticed Kara had a particular odor about her which needed some immediate attention. So, I laid her down in the back of the Subaru and started changing her diaper. While going through the usual struggle of trying to keep her still and not getting poo all over my hands, she managed to squirm away and pull herself to a standing position. At which time she tinkled all over her pants and her shoes (not to mention the Subaru).

Of course I didn't have a change of clothes for her. Why would I? This hasn't happened since she was 4 months old. The only other clothes we had were the ones I was about to return, and those weren't an option. So, as Kara and I headed to the store, she was only wearing her shirt and a diaper. This would have been ok at Wal-Mart, but did I mention we were in Highland Village...posh Houston shopping center?

Well, I returned my impulse buy, and the woman behind the counter was nice enough not to ask whether I wanted to exchange the items instead for a pair of pants for my half-naked baby. Very tactful of her.

Words that sound like elephant

2011-01-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

Kara: knocks her sippy cup onto the floor

Me: Kara, was that an accident?

Kara: brrrrrreeeeee (elephant noise)

I usually get frustrated when people misunderstand me... and I'm not exactly a fan of Kara throwing things off of her tray. But in this case, both were totally excusable by cuteness.

What does a bear say?

2011-01-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

This is soooooooo cute! I can't even tell you how much I love it when she sees an animal and makes its sound. Her little roars and clucks are the sweetest thing ever. Every now and then, she'll crawl up to one of the dogs and bark at it.

(click on image to view video in Picasa web)

And for those who will scrutinize...yes, we know a bear says "growl", not "roar". We have been trying to correct this issue ;-)

Happy Birthday, Kara James!

2011-01-12T14:15:00.002-08:00

Dear Kara,

Today you turned one year old! You won't remember it, but you had a great week filled with loved ones and cup cakes.

Your friends (Owen, Bryleigh, Bronwyn, Ethan, Lauren, and Andrew) celebrated your birthday at Bouncin' Bears. You had a great time following Owen into the moonwalks that were too big for you, and you ate half of Ethan's lunch. Luckily, Ethan is good at sharing.

Then, we held a party for the whole family at our house. All of your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great grandparents (those who have not gone to be with the Lord), and a few great aunts and uncles were able to come. Even Mrs. Anna and Mr. Scotty came to wish you a happy birthday...and help mommy get things organized. You are very fortunate to have so many people who love you.

The party was so much fun. We put a gallery of photos from your first year on the wall, and we had cupcakes with chocolate butterflies. Everyone gave you wonderful presents, but you will have to wait to play with some of them because no one needs that many toys at one time.

But today, your actual birthday, you gave Mommy a present by sleeping past 7am. And in return, Mommy took you to the doctor for your 12 month check-up where they gave you 3 shots. Sorry! But then we had lunch with Beeba, and she made sure you got ice cream before anything else. You'll have to watch out for her, she's sneaky. We went to Bible study tonight, and the nursery workers said you started walking! What?! I guess you really are a big girl now!

Our little Kara James, we love you and we hope this next year goes by a little slower so we can make sure we don't miss a thing that you do!

All our love,

Mommy & Daddy

Taking the dog for a walk

2011-01-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

Kara recently received a cute, little stuffed puppy dog. She LOVES this toy! She cuddles with it when she is sleepy, she teases the dogs with it, and she drags it all over the house.

Every now and then, she decides that it needs to go for a walk. So she puts it in her baby stroller (usually head down), and pushes it around the house.

Oh, by the look of the pictures you may think she is walking on her own, but is she not. She has taken a couple of solo steps, but she definitely prefers to crawl. She only walks when she has something (like a stroller) to hold on to.

Snack at the Zoo

2010-12-17T11:46:00.001-08:00

We checked out the new African Forest exhibit.

Photo Shoot

2010-12-09T18:58:00.000-08:00

Early Merry Christmas, From the Fithians! This is the picture for our 2010 holiday card.

It took a little more work than expected to take a family photo worthy of putting on a Christmas card. We almost took 100 pictures! And it's not that the pictures were all bad; they just weren't good.

Here are some that didn't make the cut:

A little too far off center...and Kara's making her scrunchie face.

Kara's staring at her Daddy, but we really wanted her to look at the camera.

Dog came through the photo shoot. Lee had to save him from Kara.

Kara is giving Mommy some love. Lee looks great though!

Could have been a winner, but look closely behind us. Creepy Uncle Cody is hiding in the background.

I get it now!

2010-11-30T08:25:00.001-08:00

Oh...I see what people mean when they tell you to enjoy the time before baby gets mobile.

Not that we aren't enjoying Kara right now, it's just much more attention demanding. I have found that it really isn't worth trying to do any chores while she is awake because she will get into something that she isn't supposed to. In the past 24 hours I have

knocked dog doo out of her hand
fished pebbles out of her mouth
taped a map back into my Bible that she ripped out
pulled her out from under the stroller that she knocked over
helped the dog escape from her death grip
cleaned her pee off the bathroom floor (Lee had to clean it off of his pants :)
contemplated putting her in the dog's kennel so she won't get into anything else!

Fall Fun!

2010-11-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

October was a great month with no shortage of fun, Halloween-related family activities. Get ready for a lot of pictures!

We went to a pumpkin patch with some friends, the Pickards, from church. They have a little boy named Ethan who is 2 weeks older than Kara. The two of them typically don't acknowledge each other's presence, but we got a rare photo of Ethan not only touching Kara, but trying to pick her nose.

Then we went to the fall festival held by my parents' church. Kara is still a little too young to really enjoy things like this, but it was a good excuse to hang out with the family and dress Kara up in her ducky costume.

Next, we went to Zoo Boo at the Houston Zoo with our super friends Anna and Scotty Floyd. The animals were pretty active that morning, so that made it especially fun. Other highlights were watching an elephant get a bath and Kara touching a snake. As usual, she was passed out by the time we got to the car.

Finally, it was Halloween. We went to Lee's parents' neighborhood to trick-or-treat with Kara's cousins, Owen (pit crew chief for Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars) and Riley (little black cat). All the kiddos were adorable in their costumes. Owen did a great job yelling "Trick-or-treat" to everyone, and Kara pretty much sat in the wagon and sucked her thumb the whole time.

Baby News (9 months)

2010-10-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Kara is growing up. We're starting to see her independence, and there is a little part of me that wants her to slow down. It's sort of sad watching her leave the co-dependent blob stage. I can still call her a baby, but the term toddler is creeping up faster than I would like.

It is unlike me to be sentimental about things like this, but it is so weird that she is just a completely different person now. She's constantly on the go (except when she's sleeping...thank you naptime!), she is responding to several words, and she has started to whine and get angry when she doesn't get her way. Yes, she is growing up indeed.

Here are some of her new favorite things to do:

Waving - Kara is all about waving. She waves to strangers, she waves to dogs, she waves to us when we come to get her up from a nap. I have found that this gesture melts the hearts of little old ladies. I actually make a special effort to wait until Kara waves at them because they always get excited and tell us how we just made their day.
Feeding herself - Kara has decided that she needs to help us feed her. She can be somewhat insistent about holding the spoon. She usually ends up with more food in her hair than her mouth.
Find the Puff - Puffs are a yummy Gerber food for babies (like a puffed up Cheerio). They are great motivators for Kara. One of our games is to hide a puff under one of three buckets. I don't know how much she likes searching for the Puff, but when she finds it she loves shoving it in her mouth.
Yogurt painting - So much fun! We got this idea from our nephew who did it in day care. Sit the kid in a high chair, and drizzle the tray with a mix of plain yogurt and a drop of food coloring. It's a mess, but it's a contained mess, and Kara has a blast "painting" the tray (and herself).

Baby van Gogh

Brought to you by the letter B

2010-10-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

Kara makes 3 babbling sounds, buh-buh-buh, rah-rah-rah, and uhm-ma. I read somewhere that it is good to help babies associate their babbling with actual words. So today is all about the letter B.

We have been playing with bubbles, boxes, and books.

The bunny was fun for a while, but then she wanted the blocks.

She drank from a bottle and ate barley and blueberries....she did not wear a bib, which was a big mistake.

We looked at pictures of B and Beeba (her grandmas), and played ball with Kermit in the backyard.

Later, she splashed in the bath and went to bed with her blanket.

Then Mommy and Daddy said bye-bye.

But, the best part of our day of B's was chasing the b-b-balloon!

From the fithians
(click on the picture to view the video)

Flat head update

2010-10-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

We just had our follow-up visit to the neurosurgeon at Texas Children's Hospital. He said Kara's head is improving, and he doesn't see any reason for a helmet. Even better, he doesn't think her head would even qualify for a helmet.

It is likely that her head will always be a bit deformed, but nothing that should cause her embarrassment.

The Zoo!!!

2010-09-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Lee and I regularly went to the Houston zoo for dates before we were married (back when we were young and free), but then we got tied down by "responsibilities" and "schedules" and "budgets", and the zoo got booted off of our list of fun activities.

But the weather this week was incredible! The mornings were cold and the afternoons were tolerable...only a slight perspiration factor. Perfect for outdoor activities. Perfect for the zoo! So Kara and I HAD to go before the weather changed again.

My grandparents joined us, and it was such a nice morning. Although Kara is too young to really care about the animals, she does appreciate a good stroller walk. We also had a fun time in the petting zoo where Kara pet (aka: yanked the fur out of) the goats. We are still learning "gentle hands". Those lessons aren't sticking yet.

Papa, Mamaks, Kara, and a goat.

The Trouble Little Hands Can Find

2010-09-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay between posts. We'll try to do better this month.

Our most exciting news is that Kara is officially mobile. Many people have warned me about this stage...one man who was apparently scarred by this stage in his kid's life told me to knock her legs out from under her any time she looks like she is getting ready to move. But I have loved this stage. Kara and I have had a blast doing things like going to the park to play on the swings, attending library story time for infants, and playing hide and seek. We've been very busy.

The notable down side of mobility is that Kara's world is focused on things that are less than a foot off the ground. Wonderful, magical things like door stops, electrical outlets, and puppy dog tails. Generally, if you don't think she should be touching it, then you will quickly find her sticking her fingers in it or trying to put it in her mouth.

I let Kara play with a banana while I was making dinner, thinking she would just chew the stem like she usually does. Pretty soon we heard her slurping something...she ended up eating half the banana and smashing the other half into the rug.

The dogs are no longer safe. She's been waiting to get them since she was born.

We have removed all the door stopper tips. Kara seems to think they are candy. My sis-in-law recommended that we super glue them on. That's going to make Kara so mad.

My first "where did she go?!" moment. Kara decided to crawl under our bed to play with the wooden slats that hold the mattress.

Battle for the Bulge

2010-08-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

We have been doing repositional therapy to help with Kara's flat head. This basically means that we try to keep her from resting the back of her head against any hard surface. This has been going great during napping/sleeping times because she quickly took to sleeping on her side and stomach. Thank goodness! But the waking hours have been a bit more challenging since Kara still prefers being on her back while playing. In fact, it is very easy to tell when she is on her back even if you are not in the room because she gives a "victory yell" and starts babbling like crazy.

We have been working hard to keep tummy time fun, and we are hoping that Kara soon develops an interest in crawling. We have been trying to motivate her by putting her favorite toys just out of reach. This tactic is good, but the trick is figuring out which toy is her favorite for the day. Kara is kind of weird about her toys. Or maybe this is just how babies act, and I never realized it.

Every few days she picks a new favorite toy. Sometimes it is something I would expect her to want, like a big, colorful, stuffed caterpillar or a drum that lights up and makes fun sounds when she hits it (my personal favorite..if she doesn't want to play with it, I will). But more often than not, she gets obsessed with things I didn't even know were toys.

For instance, chair legs. She likes to use them as an anchor as she rolls herself back and forth. They also make good chew toys apparently. Another great toy is the toilet paper roll that the dog sneaked out of the trash can. It is not colorful, nor does it make noise. I have no idea why it is so cool. As you can see in the video on the previous blog post, last week's favorite toy was the letter 'F'. Not 'M', not 'J'. She was only interested in the 'F'.

So, the battle for the bulge continues. We have 6 more weeks before the doctors reassess her head.

Baby News - 7 Months

2010-08-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

It's every parents hope that their child(ren) will continually develop. I find this to be especially true when it comes to mobility. Parents love to talk about when their kids begin crawling and walking. And rightfully so. These are (literally) their first tangible steps of independence.

Kara is starting down the path of mobility - and she seems to be gaining speed as the days go by. Last month, she could only reach things immediately around herself. This month, she's getting her whole body into the action for some long distance reaching - and it looks like the precursor to crawling.

Plagiocephaly

2010-08-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

Plagiocephaly is the fancy term for flat head. It can often be caused by spending large amounts of time putting pressure on one area of the head. Kara has plagiocephaly.

We have been working hard to correct this over the past 2 months, but her little head only seems to be making modest progress at rounding out. So, we got to take an exciting journey to Texas Children's Hospital where Kara had an appointment with the neurosurgeon to get evaluated for a helmet.

She did a great job laying still while they scanned her head and took measurements. Here is a picture of the little head cover that she had to wear to hold down her curls while they did the scan.

The conclusion of the evaluation was that she probably won't need a helmet, but they don't want her on her back at all...including while she sleeps. This is bad news for us because she has preferred back sleeping (with a blanket over her face) since the day she was born.

This is a picture of how she typically sleeps. You can see her hand sticking out of the blanket on the left side.

This is going to be hard, but as you can see we are already making a little progress. Hopefully this will no longer be an issue soon.

Q&A: My occupation

2010-07-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Q: And Ashley, what do you do?

A: As of today, I can answer that question quite simply (and happily), "I'm a stay-at-home mom!"

For the past year, that answer has been a little complicated because I have been doing part-time work from home. Definitely the ideal situation for any mom, but I have been looking forward to finishing that job and using the extra time to pour into the family and the house. I'm pretty sure Lee would agree that the house wouldn't mind a little more attention.

So, whether you call me a stay-at-home mom, a home-maker, or a domestic engineer; I'm very excited to have my new title.

It's nice to have a niece!

2010-07-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

On July 12th, we were so excited to welcome little Miss Riley James Mery into our lives. Lee's sister, Krista, gave birth to their second child, and she is beautiful.

Taking a nap.

Waking up from a nap. So CUTE!

The whole family (Nate, Krista, Owen, & Riley).

Kara meeting Riley.

Baby News (6 months)

2010-07-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

We haven't done an update on Kara in a while, but the 6 month mark is a pretty big deal, so here is the scoop.

Kara is big. Not as big as her cousins were at this age, but big enough to appropriately be called a Fithian (or even a King). Who knows, we might have a volleyball player on our hands.
Kara likes to be on her back. Nothing makes her more happy. She can be laying on her tummy with all of her toys laid out in front of her, but she will roll onto her back and start squealing and screaming out of pure joy. She's doubly happy once she gets her feet into her mouth. This is a problem because Kara has a flat head, and if it doesn't start getting better she might have to get a helmet. Cute, but not fun.
Kara loves her daddy. She gets a huge smile on her face when he comes home from work. Her favorite thing about daddy is his glasses. They are good for grabbing, chewing, and dropping. When the glasses are gone, she goes for his nose.
Kara is a good eater. She has been on solids for a while. Her favorite food is banana, and her least favorite food is yellow squash. When she tried the squash, she made a horrible face, stuck out her tongue, and started gagging. Sad...I was really hoping for a non-picky eater.
Kara is in love with technology. Anything that is black or silver with buttons and flashing lights. The Logitech miniature keyboard/remote control is her favorite. We might be able to use this as motivation to start crawling.

There are other fun developments as well, but what you really want are the pictures. So, here are some pictures of Kara over the past month.

We were just talking about getting this specific vehicle

2010-07-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

Our first family road trip to Corpus precipitated the discussion of a mini van purchase (we kind of crammed our Forester to its limits).

Thanks to Mark Simoneau for sharing this video!

Our First Family Illness

2010-06-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

Before we became parents, we were amazed to watch whole families crumble due to some illness. Suddenly little Tommy has a cough, and the next think you know, each family member is bed-ridden and spewing fluids from every orifice. That was something I knew was inevitable, but I still dreaded it.

I don't mind when Lee or I get sick. My typical way of caring for a sick adult: wash your hands, eat some soup, and sleep it off. Easy, low hassle, usually works. However, I have been pretty anxious about what to do if Kara ever got sick. Would I recognize that she was sick? How would I handle it? Would the pediatrician think I was a bad mom?

My fear finally presented itself...Kara got sick. Yesterday I noticed that she was feeling a little warm, but she was acting normal. Still playful, maybe a little fussy. But as the day progressed, Kara began to feel really warm. I took her temperature. 102. Yikes!

Well, we went to the doctor. Kara has a virus. Nothing can be done other than acetaminophen and Pedialyte. Poor baby.

Kara is the last of the family to get sick. I have had ridiculous fatigue and a little nausea for the past week, and Lee came down with something pretty crummy as well. He was achy in all his joints, had headaches, and kept getting the chills. Since we were both sick in totally different ways, but Lee's was worse, I tend to blame-shift and think he was the one who infected our daughter (but I know deep down it could have been me...or some random person that I let get a little too close to her at the store -- this virus is spread through respiratory droplets).

So, tonight the Fithians will be hunkered down getting some rest, eating lots of medicine, and praying we get over it soon.

World Cup!

2010-06-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

It is time for the World Cup!

In my opinion, the best sports tournament on TV! Or maybe it just seems that way because it is up against the NBA finals...the most boring and drawn out tournament on TV.

I don't have a favorite team; I just want to see good soccer. I will cheer for whichever team plays awesomely.

Click the comic to enlarge.

Swimsuit Edition

2010-06-02T08:04:00.001-07:00

It is officially summer now that the thermometer is consistently over 90 degrees and we avoid going outside between the hours of 11am and 5pm. And because it is summer, it is time for swimming!

Kara got to go in her first pool on Memorial Day weekend. Kara's feelings about the pool seemed to be somewhat neutral...but a little on the pouty side.

However, it really doesn't matter whether or not she liked the pool, because she looked adorable in her little bathing suit.

Kara looking cool.

Model Pose.

Bird Watching

2010-05-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Today, I had a very exciting afternoon. I felt like I was watching the Discovery channel outside my back window. I will preface my story by explaining that we usually don't have wildlife in our neighborhood since it's a relatively new development (that was probably a person's cherished farm at one time). I have never seen a squirrel, a raccoon, or a possum. Only boring animals like birds and frogs; perhaps an occasional stray dog.

So...today I was checking out our garden (which is actually doing pretty well) when a baby cardinal literally fell from the sky about a foot away from me. I think it was taking its first flying lesson, and failed. The dogs immediately pounced on the yard invader. Fortunately they didn't attack it, or else I would be blogging about how I spent the afternoon crying. Instead they just stood there sniffing it until the mama cardinal dive bombed them.

I have learned from watching animal shows on TV that this was one of those moments when nature needed to take its course, so the dogs and I went inside and took a front row seat at the window. All 3 of us were fixated on watching the little chick hop around the backyard. The mama and daddy cardinal were flying from the chick to the fence and back again. I tried to go outside to get a picture of the little family, but the parents would fly away every time I opened the door. I would even try to trick them by standing really still and hoping they would mistake me for a statue. But they wouldn't return until I went back inside. Birds are smarter than they look.

Now, like most Discovery channel features, the helpless chick's life was in danger ("Watch out Baby Bird!"). As it innocently hopped around our backyard chirping for its parents, I noticed a couple of mockingbirds gathering on the roofs of homes adjacent to ours. Very menacing; couldn't mean anything good. then one by one they began flying into our backyard. It was go time! The male cardinal would swoop down and chase them out.

It was JUST LIKE on TV! That was very cool to watch.

Well, eventually the baby cardinal found its way out of our backyard. It actually escaped through the opening that one of our dogs used to use as a way out. Now it is in the side yard (the side without windows) so our little show is over.

That was our excitement for the day. Other than that, I pureed some peas for Kara and washed the dishes...and nothing cool happened while I was doing that.

These are a few of my favorite things

2010-05-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

Life with Baby K has been so much fun now that she is 4 months old. She has her own little personality and does new things almost daily. But for all the new stuff, she is still pretty predictable in some of her preferences. Here are a few of her favorite things...

She usually gets excited when we go into bathrooms because mirrors and running water are super awesome, but she is even more happy when she goes into a bathroom naked. She loves everything about tub time. She especially likes grabbing the rag out of our hands and sucking the water out of it. However, not so cool when the rag is full of soap.

Playing with paper is incredibly entertaining. I'm not if sure she ever gets tired of it. Who needs expensive toys or videos to babysit their children? A torn bag and packing paper will keep her occupied long enough for me to get showered and ready in the mornings.

She has begun sticking things in her mouth. She consistently tries to eat her bibs...and her hands...and mommy's face.

Last, she likes looking at faces. Forget Baby Einstein, she is mesmerized by the opening credits to One Life to Live (lots of faces and flashing colors). Yes, I just publicly admitted that I watch a Soap Opera. There are worse things I could do, but that is probably the lamest.

The Most Addictive Sound

2010-05-07T16:14:00.001-07:00

According to some guy who was on Rachel Ray one time, the most addictive sound in the world is baby laughter. The second most addictive sound is a cell phone ringing (note the word used was addictive, not enjoyable). Unlike the cell phone ring, I happen to think baby laughter is both addictive AND enjoyable.

Lee and I were able to get Kara's first laughs on video. We were playing fetch with Kermit in the backyard, and Kara was tickled by it.

kara laughing

We don't mean to cause anyone to become addicted to our baby, but I'm sure this is probably the safest addiction you could have.

Roll Over!

2010-05-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

I hope this isn't premature, but I am so excited to share with everyone that Kara rolled over today! A perfect little flip from her tummy to her back!

This isn't the first time she has rolled over. When she was 5 weeks old she used to stiffen her little body so much when I would put her on her tummy, that a few squeals and kicks later she would be on her back. I tried desperately to get this on video, but it never happened. Obviously, those were flukes, but I think today was the real thing!

We were playing on the floor and without any coaxing, she just started pushing and wiggling until she was on her back. I was so excited when she rolled over that I swooped her up, gave her lots of kisses, and ran to the phone to call Daddy. He was very proud of her.

Of course, I tried to get it on video, but the battery was dead! What!? Hopefully she'll do it again soon.

Q & A: Cousins

2010-04-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Q: What do Kara's cousins think of her?

A: Kara has 2 boy cousins who are both about 1.5 years old. They have taken to the new family member pretty well. However, each boy has his own "unique" way of treating her.

Owen:

This is our nephew from Lee's side of the family. He is 20 months old. I like to think of him as a gentle giant. He is a bigger-than-average toddler who loves to play, is very tender-hearted, and is great about including everyone in his games. Owen immediately accepted Kara. He likes holding her, giving her kisses, and he will even offer to share his stuffed animals with her. This is great news since Owen will become a big brother this summer when our niece Riley James Mery arrives!

Carson:

This is our nephew from Ashley's side of the family. He is 18 months old. Carson is inquisitive, always looking for a playmate, full of smiles, and a little mischievous. The kind of kid where you know when he is about to happily do something he knows he shouldn't...it's the twinkle in his eye. Carson is getting used to Kara, but I wouldn't say he has fully embraced her yet. He seems confused and a little distressed that his Beeba (grandma Bobbie) would ever hold anyone but him. He does like certain things about Kara...he likes pointing to her facial features and honking her nose, he likes pushing her in the stroller, and he likes telling her "bye-bye".

Baby News (Week 12)

2010-04-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

This has been a big month for Kara. At 12 weeks old, she is becoming more social and more aware. This is definitely a fun stage!

She has found her hands...and thinks they are delicious.
She loves to smile.
She is getting better at holding up her head, but she prefers looking to the left.
She likes to grip fingers, handles, and anything else that gets into her hand (mommy's hair).
She is a talker. I don't know what she is saying, but I think a dolphin might understand her.

Being daddy

2010-03-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

So, I definitely am changing a lot of diapers, reinserting lots of pacifiers and losing the hearing in my right ear, but there is yet still more to being a dad than these activities.

I also get to fix and build things!

Sometime during the freezes last year, a part of our sprinkler system broke - the pressure vacuum breaker. My good buddy Erik came over and helped me replace it. I called him up, since he used build homes, figuring he would know something about it. However, his new job is managing landscaping crews and he recently took a class on irrigation systems. Score! By helping me, he was essentially getting to do some extra homework for class. Here is a before shot of the broken piece.

you were so good to me

I didn't take an after shot, but rest assured it is installed properly. And it's shiny.

It was decided that we needed to build some fencing to surround the garden box that Ashley and I put together last month. This took a fair bit of planning, which totally paid off once we started executing. My dad and mom came up to help assemble and install the pieces. These tasks ended up taking two weekends. The first weekend we constructed the sides of the fence. The second weekend we installed it. Here are a couple of shots during the install.

site prep

fence support

construction completed!

prepping the bed for plants
And a shot of Kara, the best part of being dad.

Our 2nd-First Date

2010-03-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

Lee and I went on our first date on March 22, 2005. It was a nice but awkward date. Lee wanted to hold my hand, and I thought he was moving way too fast. Nearly 5 years later (wow, have we been together that long?), we went on our second first date.

This weekend, thanks to Lee's parents, we finally got out of the house for a date night! We went out to eat and came home. Not much to brag about, but it was wonderful. My husband was looking all sorts of fine, and I wore pants without an elastic waistband for the first time since September. I felt...well...normal.

We were able to have a great conversation about how parenthood is affecting us, and we discussed the importance of being intentional about our marriage even when patience and energy are running low.

I love having those kind of conversations. And I love that my husband keeps seeking ways to strengthen our marriage.

As for Kara, she had a great time with the grandparents, and we were home in time to read her a bedtime story before she went to sleep.

"I'm not in the mood"

2010-03-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we think it is cute to put stuff on Kara's head. She doesn't agree...

Q & A: Growing up

2010-03-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

Q: Can you believe how big she's getting?

A: Although we fully expect Kara to be growing, developing, and changing, we are constantly caught off-guard by it. It is hard to admit that she is growing up (especially since she is only 7 weeks old), but she is busting out of her newborn-sized onesies, she has moved up to size 1 diapers, and she is getting too big for her bassinet. It is both hard and exciting to watch these changes.

Some other fun developments that make mommy and daddy very happy:

She figured out how to breastfeed!
She has moved into her own room!
She sleeps about 7 hours each night!

Now if we could only get her to fold the clothes and sweep the floor...

Q & A: Pups

2010-02-25T13:05:00.000-08:00

Q: How are the dogs doing with Kara?

A: Several people have asked us this question, and we are happy to say that the dogs think Kara is pretty ok. They aren't crazy about her, but they don't seem to mind her either.

Sam, the alpha dog, typically ignores her. She is not a dog and she can't chase him, so there's no point in giving her any special attention. On occasion he is curious about the sounds and smells that come from her bottom, but that's about it.

Kermit, the playful one, is more interested in Kara. He checks on her when she cries, and sometimes he will get up with me in the night when I feed her. He also wants to play with her toys. He loves anything that rattles, squeaks, lights up, is stuffed, or is a squishy plastic. Oh, did I just cover every baby toy ever made? Sometimes he will try to sneak off with her things, and today he got the nasal aspirator (aka boogie ball) and her pacifier. Who knew a pacifier was good for soothing both baby and beast?

This is a picture of the dogs in Kara's crib. If anyone is looking for advise on how to prepare dogs for the arrival of a new family member, you probably shouldn't ask us.

Q & A

2010-02-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

We have been asked some great, thought-provoking questions about our transition into parenthood and the experiences we have had. I thought it would be good to share those through little Q&A sessions. Here is the first installment...

Q: What is the most amazing thing you have experienced being a mom that you didn't expect?

A: The way I feel about Kara. I don't consider myself a nurturing person, so I withheld expectations for how I would respond to having a baby. I didn't want to be disappointed or feel guilty if I didn't instinctively love her with everything in me from the moment I saw her.

However, I've noticed just that. I can't describe the exact way I feel, but there is a new softness in my heart, a fearless desire to protect, and a boundless love and awe for this little life. I love watching her and listening to her. I get excited when she responds to my voice and when she tracks me with her eyes. I feel joy and incredible peace when I hold her while she sleeps.

The love is unconditional and it is quite encompassing. It makes me think of the depth of the Lord's love for us. I know the amount of love I have for her doesn't even begin compare to how great His love is for us, and that comparison makes me overwhelmed. It is an amazing opportunity to be a parent and experience the Lord in this new way.

Here are some sappy mommy/baby moments to go with the post.

Determination vs. Ignorance

2010-01-29T15:15:00.001-08:00

Breastfeeding should be a primitive instinct for babies...right? That's what I heard, and I kept getting my hopes up that Kara would successfully latch and the never-ending chore of cleaning bottles and pump accessories would wane.

On Tuesday, Kara latched! I was so excited! This was it!

However, how long is too long to be feeding?

Sometimes we would have "short" feeding sessions...these lasted an hour to an hour and a half.

Sometimes we would have "LONG" feeding sessions...I'm embarrassed to say that these would last over 3 hours. I just kept switching sides every 30 minutes. Then we would have to give her a bottle so she would finally be full.

Why wasn't she ever satisfied?! My expression of milk was fine, my technique was good, and darned if anyone had more patience to sit there and wait on her to finish.

Finally, I had to get over my denial. She is just a bad sucker, and this was no way for either of us to be spending our time.

I have nothing against bottle feeding; I just kept thinking a light would go off in her little baby head or the Lord would lead her to breastfeed effectively. Neither happened, and I think we're both content to go back to plan B (breastfeed for 10 minutes on each side, bottle feed, then pump). It's a bit of a routine, but it's better than the other option where we sit for hours and she never gets enough.

One Week!

2010-01-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

We made it. All three of us! One week of being a family of three has been trying and fun, more on the fun side.

a sound sleeper

Kara started out by getting a 9 on the Apgar test (out of 10). Very cool. It was then discovered that she was tongue tied (extra long frenulum). After discussion and prayer, we had the neonatologist perform a frenectomy. She can now latch and suck for breastfeeding, which she still doesn't enjoy (which has lead to some long nights and family crying sessions). So, in order to feed her, Ashley has been pumping breast milk. Which means we both get to feed her! (bonus for daddy!)

dinner time

getting a little sun with Kermit

We've had lots of family come over and help around the house and give us food. Perhaps more importantly, they get to spend time with Kara.

Kara James

2010-01-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

Kara James entered the world at 6:13pm on January 12, 2010! She weighed 7 pounds and 6 ounces and is 19.5 inches long. Ashley labored for right around 24 hours (from water break to delivery), and pushed for about 1.5 hours.

From Kara James Birth

All the grand parents were present and were very supportive.

Houston Restaurant Review

2010-01-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

I love going on dates with my husband, and since we will have a very demanding addition to our family soon, Lee and I decided to take a date weekend vacation before our family becomes a trio.

This past weekend we went to the Houstonian Hotel and had an incredible stay complete with massages, mints on our pillows, and valet car service. However, everyone already knows about the Houstonian, so I want to tell you about two of the restaurants that we went to and strongly recommend to anyone living in Houston or just visiting.

First, The Breakfast Klub, an awesome restaurant located in the 4th ward (Midtown area) where their slogan is "If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, why not have it twice?" Probably because if you ate here more than once a week, you'd have a heart attack within a year. Their two signature breakfast dishes are fried catfish with grits and fried chicken wings with waffles (Lee had the latter). The atmosphere is incredibly lively and spirited, they celebrate African American culture through the dishes they serve, in the music they play, and through the colorful decor. The staff is loud but courteous, and it seems like a place most of the patrons feel at home. The food definitely has a down-home, southern flair...something I like to call "greasy done right". However, if you do go here, go early because the longer you wait the longer the line gets. By the time Lee and I were done eating, the line was out the door and around the corner.

http://www.thebreakfastklub.com/

Second, Hugo's, located in the Montrose area. I'm not sure that I have had authentic Mexican cuisine in the past, but they claim that this is it. If so, I would like to move to Mexico. The food was simple but wonderfully flavorful, and we had the best dessert ever (churros injected with dulce de leche, served with sides of homemade chocolate ice cream and Mexican hot chocolate). YUM! I liked the meal so much that on the way back to the hotel I actually felt sorry for the people who were settling for "sub-par" Tex-Mex restaurants along Westheimer. Hugo's has more of a romantic atmosphere, and is a great place to go if you are planning on a special/expensive dinner. Here's a note of practicality regarding the menu, if you can't read small font in dim light bring a pair of cheaters or a flashlight.

http://www.hugosrestaurant.net/

Kountdown to Kara: Part 2 and Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what everyone else did for New Year's Eve, but we were preparing for the arrival of our little one. We've been working through the process of choosing a color for her room (getting input from both grandmothers and looking at the colors at various times of day) during the past weeks, and yesterday we settled on a color - Practical Beige. Another piece of preparation was the selection of a ceiling fan. This selection was actually made some time in August and the fan has been sitting on the floor since then.

Today, we are about an hour of painting away from being done with the room setup (save the stuff organization and hanging of pictures). My parents came up yesterday and helped us get things rolling (figuratively and literally). My dad and I installed the ceiling fan while Ashley and my mom picked out paint and started cutting in the room. By 12:30 AM, Jan 1, 2010, we had a mostly painted room that was lit by the lights of a new ceiling fan.

And since this is a somewhat boring post, here is a picture of Ashley at 36 weeks.

Kountdown to Kara: Part 1

2009-12-29T16:38:00.000-08:00

Today, we went in for our 36 week ob/gyn visit to see how Ashley and Kara are progressing. After the basics were taken care of, the doctor checked to see what state Ashley was in. To our surprise, we found out that Ashley is 50% effaced and 1cm dilated. Whoa! This was cause for pause. Now the countdown can really begin. All the lessons about pre-labor during our birthing class are becoming reality. So, if you weren't praying for us before, please consider doing so now.

We know there is still much pregnancy left, but getting started on this phase feels like a big step.

We were happy to pass this info on to our mothers - who were both quite excited. As far as preparations go, we're about to pick out paint for Kara's room, do the painting, and do some serious organizing. We still need to pack our "go" bag.

In other news - we received a beautifully refinished table from Ashley's father, Jim. Here's a quick pick:

This was a table that Ashley's parents had for many years (20+) and gave to Ashley after college. It had some dings, stains and an iron burn ... so it needed a face lift. Not so any more. Much labor went into this and we are very thankful.

We're Ready!!!!

2009-12-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! The Fithians are ready for Christmas...early! No wrapping gifts in the car on the way to events, no last second shopping, no frantically running to the store to buy more wrapping paper! We did it!

Actually, Lee thought we were done a few nights ago, but he didn't take into account that his presents still weren't wrapped. I have been waiting for his last gift to come in the mail for a couple of weeks, and it finally arrived this morning.

I had been refusing to wrap his presents until I had all of them (sometimes it saves space and paper if you can fit more than one item in a box). But keeping them hidden from Lee was more of a challenge than I anticipated. I thought I could just hide them among the clutter in the disorganizational mess of our house. This was faulty thinking. Just because I can pretend like overwhelming messes don't exist, doesn't mean he can. Even though I kept moving the gifts, he still managed to stumble upon them.

I felt like I was constantly having to supervise his movements in the house. "Hey, you're not allowed in there!" "Don't touch that bag!" "Get out of that corner!"

I understand that there are easier ways to do this, and maybe I will do better next year. Right now I'm just glad that his gifts are wrapped, and that I don't have to chase him around the house anymore.

Showered in Katy

2009-12-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Kara got to be the center of attention at her baby shower hosted by Lee's sis, grandma, and some of his mom's closest friends. They made us feel so honored and special.

We played a few games which I would recommend for any shower:

Guess the number of jellybeans in the jar
Guess what's in the sack (pass around several sacks with a baby item in each, and the participants must guess what the item is without looking) - I got 9/10 right! This made me feel like I might be a competent mother.
Make up a princess name for the baby (the participants had to make up nicknames using only letters from Lee & my full names). Some names of honorable mention were; FiFi LiLi NeNe YeYe RaRa HaHa, Tiny Fashionista, Tea Leaf, and Fonesha (pronounced phone-isha). I came up with Shy Bean.

We had a great time talking, laughing, and eating the best cookies and petit fours ever! I was especially excited to see my best friend from college (shout out to Lauren) come in from Austin to celebrate with us.

Right now I don't have any pictures, but I will likely post some later.

Thanks again to all of the lovely women who helped with the shower and made me and our little girl (FiFi LiLi NeNe, etc) feel so special.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

2009-12-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was perfect for getting us ready to celebrate the Christmas season.

On Friday, we received about 2 inches of snow in north Houston. It didn't stick, but we were able to watch the flurries fall for most of the day. I kept trying to take the dogs out in the snow, but they weren't impressed. Apparently, they don't recognize snow as cool or special, just cold wetness on their paws. Since the snow was melting as soon as it hit anything, I wasn't able to take many good pictures. So, I decided to make Kermit lay down on the wet ground until enough snow accumulated on his fur to take a picture.

On Saturday, Lee and I hung our Christmas lights. Since I am 8 months pregnant, it was his turn to get on the roof, which was slick from the freeze the night before. He was obviously uncomfortable being up there, and this was totally against all of the safety rules that are drilled into him at ExxonMobil. But he did a great job, and now our house illuminates with the warm, fuzzy glow of Christmas.

Unfortunately, we are still waiting for our advent story to come in. We like reading Arnold Ytreeide's advent books. He has 3 books, and I guess they fall under the historical fiction genre. This year's story is Bartholomew's Passage. The story is segmented into chapters, so there is a reading for each night of advent that eventually leads you to the birth of Christ Jesus.
This is probably our most stable Christmas tradition. Lee and I enjoy taking half an hour each night to snuggle up, read a chapter, and pray. Hopefully the book will come in soon because we already have quite a bit of catch-up to do. If you would like to check out these books, here is a link to the publishing company http://www.jothamsjourney.com/
You can also order them through LifeWay bookstores.

Baby Sitting?

2009-12-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

We received a very gracious gift from my grandmother, Grammi.

She recently moved into a new retirement community and had too much furniture for her space. There were two chairs that belonged to my great grandmother, Mema (Grammi's mother-in-law). Since the cloth was somewhat worn, Grammi had them re-upholstered. Here is a shot of one of them for your viewing pleasure:

The footstool was re-upholstered by my mom, in about an hours time. Quite expedient and crafty!

We'll be using one for Kara's room, giving us a place to "baby sit". Eventually, it will join the other chair in our bedroom, giving mommy and daddy a very nice place to relax.

FBC Couples Baby Shower

2009-11-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, our friends from Faith Bible Church threw us an awesome Couples Baby Shower. The dads don't usually get to be a part of the baby parties, but this party was made for the guys and the gals to enjoy.

It was sweet (flowers, cutsie cupcakes, pink packages), but not too sweet (pizza, more root beer than I've ever seen in my life, and a practically naked toddler running around trying to fight the men while streamers were hanging from his diaper). Needless to say, we loved it!

This group has been a huge blessing to us since we moved to Spring 2 years ago. We have been able to share our joys and our struggles with them. We have prayed for them, and they have prayed for us. And several of us are just entering parenthood, so we will have new joys and struggles to share...I'm sure.

Here are pictures of Kara's soon-to-be friends from our church group. They had fun at the shower too!

There's something missing

2009-11-10T13:48:00.001-08:00

I knew this would happen some day. The change was slow, but it has finally come to the point where I can no longer deny it. I just have to be honest with myself...I have no belly button.

My umbilical wonder has disappeared. No more trapped lent. No more...well, that's all it was probably good for.

Here is a cute video to help mourn the loss of my belly button.

Final Trimester!

2009-11-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

We are officially in our 3rd trimester! Kara and I are growing, and she has continued to be incredibly active. We love watching her move and stretch around my belly. She is reactive to touch and pressure, which has given Lee a great way to play with her/antagonize her over the past weeks. But she gets her revenge at night by kicking him in the back while he is trying to sleep. I didn't realize this was happening since I am a heavy sleeper.

The picture on the left is week 16, and the picture on the right is week 27.

Kids are cute

2009-11-02T06:11:00.001-08:00

The little one in the picture is my cousin, David. He is 4 years old, which means he is active, a bit rambunctious, and extremely inquisitive.

This weekend was the first time he has seen me with a belly. He understands that pregnant means baby, but was a little curious about how the whole thing worked. He kept coming up to me to feel my belly and try to get a peak under my shirt. After being satisfied that the baby hadn't come out, he would look at me and pronounce, "It's still in there."

After a while, I guess his mind got to thinking...and he came up to me with a question. "How does the baby get out?"

It's an innocent question, but really, what do you tell a 4 year old? So after an awkward silence, and possibly a bit of blushing, I told him the truth. "I'm going to push it out."

It must have been a good answer, because as you can tell from the picture, he likes to push things. So he put both hands on my belly and started to push on it. Unfortunately for him, but luckily for me, my grandpa quickly put a stop to that.

David will just have to wait like the rest of us. But it is nice to know that he is excited about meeting his cousin.

Everything gets a new home

2009-10-28T06:39:00.001-07:00

The process of reorganizing our house has officially begun. Who knew that bringing a 7 pound, tiny person into our lives would mean that we needed to rearrange every single room and closet? No space has been left untouched, and our house looks like Hurricane Ike came through for a second visit.

There are definitely fun results from reorganizing. One very big result is that Kara's room is starting to be the nursery rather than the "catch-all" where we store unused electronics, old college text books, Lee's comic book and baseball card collections, and basically anything else we aren't using but don't want to (or don't know how to) get rid of.

Organization isn't one of my strong points. I love when things are organized, but I'm not a fan of actually doing the organizing. What's that you say? I can't have my cake and eat it too? On the contrary...my husband likes organizing, and I like doing projects with him. So, I feel like my needs get met without the drudgery and frustration of pushing through something I hate.

It has been nice to see our house start to transform, but we still have a long way to go.

The Supplement Dance

2009-10-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

This pregnancy has been relatively easy. Most days I feel quite normal, and only remember my "fragile state" when walking past a mirror or struggling to get out of a chair. My biggest complaint about pregnancy...prenatal vitamins. They're the devil.

For those not well acquainted with these jumbo choking hazards, here is what you're not missing:

Nightmares/scary, vivid dreams
Gagging
Sudden onset nausea & vomiting
Vitamin burp (tastes a little like chalk...or fish if you're taking DHA as well)
Horrible guilt from missing one (I'm a dietitian; I know it's not a big deal)

However, after 26 weeks of pregnancy and 4 different vitamins, I think I have found a winner. THANK YOU Nature Made brand for making a prenatal vitamin that I can tolerate. You have made me very happy, and I hope we can continue this relationship through the next 3 months of pregnancy and into lactation.

Dare I?

2009-10-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

I have an old Dell desktop that my grandmother (Grammi) has asked me to clean off and get rid of. But, a baby rocker made out of a pc ... I'm not really considering this, but it appeals to my nerdy/fathery side at a deep level.

A New Kind of Monday

2009-10-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

I loved the past 11 months of Mondays. I had the awesome privilege of starting each week by baby-sitting my nephew, Carson. But now that Kara is getting bigger, keeping up with Carson has become more of a challenge, and our weekly play days have come to an end.

Getting to watch Carson's growth and development over the past year has been amazing. Being present for each new stage and being a consistent part of his life has been a huge gift to me. I will miss several things like seeing his little smile when he wakes up from a nap, playing chase with him around the house, and answering his never-ending question, "wha' sat?" I will also miss the encouragement and friendship of my sis. She has listened to and mentored me through a year's worth of struggles.

When Kara is old enough, she will have to thank Carson for preparing her mommy for parenthood. Hopefully, there will be fewer moments of freaking out due to plain ignorance and lack of experience...I don't mean to brag, but I can now handle poopy diapers, spit up, crusty boogers, and other baby grossness like a pro!

Sense & Sensitivity

2009-09-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Today's conversation:

Ashley: Well, can't wear this shirt anymore. I keep having to pull it down over my belly.
Lee: Yeah, when I came home and saw you I was like, "Woah, there's my pregnant wife."
Ashley: Uh-huh.
Lee: I mean, I'm just not used to seeing so much of you.

The Epitome of Pitiful

2009-09-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

What happens when you have a husband coming down with a cold and a wife with pregnancy pains? Nothing, that's what.

My poor man has been getting more sick every day, and I have been trying to force that practically nonexistent nurturing side of me to come out. I was doing well until yesterday afternoon when I started having pains in my side and back (likely related to ligament/muscle stretching).

When Lee came home from work, he joined me on the couch where we stayed until bed time. Neither of us wanting to do anything. I tried to impress upon the dogs that they would need to take care of themselves, but their English is still limited. And they have not grown opposable thumbs, which makes opening doors and throwing balls more difficult.

Today, I am feeling better, but Lee is more sick than ever. Please say a prayer for him...I know he feels miserable, and he hates missing work. Personally, I don't mind him missing work. It is always nice to have him home, sick or not.

We got stuff!

2009-09-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

This Monday, we received a special gift from my sister and her family. They let us have our pick of Carson's infant paraphernalia which he has outgrown. We are now officially a part of the 3B club (boppy, bumpo, & bouncer).

I have to admit, having that stuff in the house is making me even more excited for Kara's arrival. Too bad we're only half way there. At least it gives us plenty of time to read the instruction manuals included with each of the products.

Thank you so much, Daniel, Amber, and Carson! We are incredibly blessed and grateful for your generosity!

Meet Kara James!

2009-09-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

We're delighted and full of joy to tell you our first child will be a girl. Her name is Kara James. Here are a few photos from our ultrasound on September 10th. She weighs 13 ounces, which puts her in the 76th percentile.

Here is a profile:

Here is her little hand:

Feel free to compare these to her Granny's dream.

We can't wait to hold our little one. We covet your prayers that the rest of the pregnancy goes well and for her to know Christ!

BTW - Kara means Joy or Delight. James is a family name from both sides.

He'll be a good dad

2009-09-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

My belly.

Lee has recently discovered that it makes a great drumming sound and is the perfect size to grab with both hands and jiggle around.

We both get a good laugh out of it (although a part of me feels like I should be offended). Right now it's his little way of playing with the baby. Some people read books to their children while in the womb, others sing songs. Lee is more hands on.

It's Alive!!!

2009-08-29T10:56:00.001-07:00

As the weeks roll by, this pregnancy has become more real. The undeniable bump, the disappearing belly button, and now...I felt the baby move!!!

I've been anxiously waiting to say that for a couple of weeks. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night thinking that I feel the baby, but it's just my heartbeat. I know that sounds odd, but sometimes my heartbeat speeds up while I'm sleeping and I can feel it thumping in my head and stomach.

But this was real...I was very much awake, and I was able to rule out active bowels. I say that because I have the loudest, most active digestive tract in the world. It has been a life-long source of humor and embarrassment for me.

Many books describe the early feelings of movement similar to flutters. They're right. I'm so excited!

Pink or Blue?

2009-08-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you who love to cast your votes and are having withdrawals while waiting for new seasons of American Idol, So you Think you can Dance, and Dancing with the Stars...we have posted a poll in the side bar.

Do you think we will be having a baby boy or baby girl?

No, your vote doesn't count toward the actual outcome, but we'll let you know what the doctor says on September 10th.

29, and holding on

2009-08-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

(this is a week late, but we have been pretty busy)

HAPPY 29TH BIRTHDAY, LEE!!!!

You are an amazing man and my favorite person. Thank you for leading our family to know and desire Christ, and thank you for being an example of selflessness, honesty, and generosity to me. I am so grateful that we get to spend our lives together!

Thanks to all the friends and family who celebrated Lee's birthday with us. He loved it!

Button Bustin'

2009-08-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

It finally happened. I couldn't even come close to buttoning my pants today.

Our baby is now 16 weeks along, and likely the size of a grapefruit. My belly bump has become noticeable to people other than myself, and I've been putting clothes in the "see you next year" pile at an alarming rate.

Some fun news from my latest Ob/Gyn appointment...
1. They had difficulty tracking the baby's heartbeat because it wouldn't stay still. Hopefully, that means we'll start feeling some kicks soon.
2. On September 10th we'll get to find out the sex of our baby! I'll be happy to stop calling him or her an "it".

Little Monkey Mery - First Birthday

2009-08-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

As part of our pre-parenthood planning process, we requested both my sister and sister-in-law to have children. That way, we could learn all about babies with little to no personal sacrifice.

In celebration of the culmination of one year of our great plan ... I mean ... we celebrated Owen Mery's first birthday this past weekend (his actual birthday is on my own birthday, just another great part of our plan ;). Owen is the son of my sister Krista, and her husband Nathan.

Besides Owen, the party was attended by only one other person less than 5 years old. There was an abundance of friends and family. We gave the little guy a pop up tent. Not surprisingly, he didn't immediately scream with childhood excitement over it (see Monkey-video below). However, all the adults thought it was pretty cool. Here are some photos:

Stunned by all the people

Already walking!

The Challenged Baker

2009-08-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

Many people know that I like to cook. I think it is fun, easy, and a good creative outlet. I particularly like the instant gratification of immediately enjoying (eating) the efforts of my labor. But baking is another story. It takes a long time, you have to be amazingly precise, and things don't ever seem to come out the same way twice.

Baking is hard, and it frustrates me to no end. The problem is that I really want to be a good baker. In an effort to solve this dilemma, I had my first baking lesson this past weekend. My Aunt Angela invited me over to learn how to make an apple pie. I could say that "we" made the pies, but honestly she did most of the work. Either way, the pies turned out great, and Lee and I have been enjoying apple pie a la mode for the past few days.

Even though I learned a lot about pie crusts, I'm not sure I will be able to make my own. The baking curse seems to be upon me, but I'm determined to keep trying. So, if you're a good baker and you're willing to take on a student, give me a call and we'll set a date for you to teach me your tricks and tips for excellent pies, pastries, cookies, brownies, cakes, etc.

The Pies

My aunt, Angela.

This is Genius!!!

2009-07-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Would you be happier with more M&M's in your life? I probably would be. So, how do you get those tasty little "melt in your mouth, not in your hand" morsels for free? Win a contest!

We have all taken part in a "Guess the amount of M&Ms in the jar" contest. But could you ever do more than give a random guess? Well, now you can. The guy from lifehacker.com made a video on how to shark the M&Ms game by using science and math! I have never found these 2 subjects more interesting or exciting. Finally, practical application!

Here's what you need to know:

Volume of the container being used (mL)
Volume of 1 M&M (happens to be ~0.715mL) -- using volume formula for ellipsiods
Packing fraction of M&Ms (66.5%) -- yes, there was a published study done on this

Example:

If you have a 1 liter container, how many M&Ms would it hold?

Answer:

(1000mL/0.715)x0.665 = 930M&Ms

If you would like more of an explanation go to this link, it will take you to the video on lifehacker.com.

Good luck! And if you do win a contest, remember it is always nice to share with those who helped you.

What does a dream mean?

2009-07-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

My pictoral interpretation of Mom's dream.

Well, Grandma Bobbie had her first baby dream...and guess what? We had a girl! But she was already six months old with long hair when she came out. And she talked a lot. Can you imagine OUR kid being a chatter box? I guess it would be good to have someone around to fill the silences.

Now most people have been predicting we'll have a boy. I must admit, there is a certain comfort that comes with having a boy. Most of my younger cousins are boys, both of our nephews are boys, there seems to be less trouble with adolescent boys. The list goes on. But, I guess we should consider that there's a 50% chance that there's a girl in there.

So, we'll find out in a couple of months whether my mom's dream is right. Right about it being a girl...not the other stuff because I'm not waiting til I am 15 months pregnant to deliver.

12 Week Check-up

2009-07-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

On Friday, baby and I had a check-up with the ob/gyn. This was the first time I got to hear its heartbeat!

Finding the heartbeat took a while, and I was hoping the lunch of rice and beans that I shoved into my face on the car ride to the office would not impede the nurse's ability to locate the baby. When she finally found the heartbeat, which sounded like gusts of wind blowing into a cell phone, I thought about how much Lee would have loved to have been at this visit. It was sad to experience something so incredible without him. But he's working hard so we can pay for this kid's future college tuition, ER visits, and random pleads for more spending cash. He's a good man.

My doctor tells me the baby's heartbeat and my uterine measurements are perfect...which I translate to mean normal. So, it's looking good, and we're very encouraged.

1 trimester down...2 to go!

2nd Anniversary: Fredericksberg, TX

2009-07-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

This year, we went to Fredericksburg, TX for our 2nd anniversary. We typically enjoy going to smaller towns where we can do some low-key hiking and take pictures. For those who are interested in going to Fredericksburg, here is a short list of do's and don'ts.

Do:

Take a morning to hike Enchanted Rock
Stay at a Bed & Breakfast
Eat at the Peach Tree Cafe (order the mango limeade!)
Visit the Wildseed Farms
Go on a Winery Tour (we did not do this since I am pregnant)
Eat lots of peaches
Bring your walking shoes
Consider bringing a trailer or SUV for unexpected purchases

Don't:

Stay at a Bed & Breakfast close to Main St...if you value a good breakfast and good service
Try to hit all of the shops in one day
Mind the stench of beer that lingers on the street after 6pm

Speaking of Enchanted Rock...here are a few pictures from our hike. You can click on the individual pictures for a closer look.

Hiking Enchanted Rock

"Climbing the Rock"

"Trekking around the Rock"

How to: Start a Blog

2009-07-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

The best time to start a blog is when some life-altering event has occurred that friends and family members are deeply interested in. Namely, a pregnancy. We were having some difficulty conceiving, but after several months of waiting, praying, and wondering "is something wrong with us?", we have been blessed to announce that I have something in my uterus about the size of a lime...and it's not a tumor.

Our little parasite, more affectionately our baby, is now 11 weeks old! We have been busy reading books, thinking of names, and getting as much feedback as possible from other new parents. The amount of available information on pregnancy is quite overwhelming, and sifting through the junk can be a challenge. We've decided the internet, although useful, can be a stinking cesspool of refuse. "Reader Beware!"

Well, welcome to our blog, and thanks for letting us share our lives with you. We'll try to keep you updated on the transitions and developments that are happening with us and the little one...you'll probably get some fun puppy stories as well. But hopefully not too many because that would mean they are making trouble.

Carson's First Bath

2008-09-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

Carson is our nephew on Ashley's side -- Amber & Daniel's first child. This is a video of him shortly after he was born. We were all obviously excited to see one of his "firsts"...being bathed. He will probably hate us when he is older for posting this to a public blog.

You can't hear him screaming. The nursery window is pretty thick.

Notable quotes:
Bobbie: "This will make him cry."
Bill: "Maybe he could sit on a perch or something?"
Bel: "They're so slippery."