Walk the line...

The littlest has been making big strides today (no pun intended).  She's walked form the couch to the dog (a few steps). Took five steps from the fridge to me earlier. And, she just tried to walk across the living room to me. It was pretty good.  What's best is, she realizes she's doing something different, and it makes her very happy.  It's not just cute. It's super cute.

Baby steps...

Last night, I thought the highlight of the weekend with S was going to be that she (finally) learned to clap.  She'll do it for you, just show her you want to.  But then, this afternoon, she and big sister K were playing...together.  She's not even 11 months old.  And there she was, chasing K back and forth in the play tunnel/tube thing. Laughing, and having a great time.

Then, just before bed time, Mama was doing the same thing she's been doing for weeks: trying to help S take steps.  Sure enough, tonight was the night. She had been standing (a lot) all weekend.  So, tonight, she took her first 4 steps, and promptly fell on her bum.

Things are moving fast.

I should update this more often.  We take pictures, at least ;-)

Merry Christmas...a welcome gift!

This morning, bright and early, our second child, SAP was born.  S, aka Mama from now on, woke me up at 2ish in the morning.  Winter break from school had begun when we both left work that afternoon.  Apparently, again, she didn't want to waste any of her maternity leave bonus time from having a vacation involved.  Despite declaring she would not have a baby on Christmas or Christmas eve, her is our little S (officially S, from this point forward), and our little, but growing, family.  Merry Christmas!

Swim lessons

All summer long, K has had swim lessons (you know, since the pool bubble ruptured last winter, it's been a long time).  She's been progressing really well.  Now, she kicks around the shallow end of the pool using the noodle while Mama or any other swim teacher watches.  When Daddy's been around, she chases him.

After the second day of lessons, K wanted goggles so she could "go under water."  This consisted of going up to her nose, but never actually getting under.  She used to love jumping into the pool.  Then, last week, some boy cried about jumping in, and since then, K hasn't really wanted to.

In fact, she thinks she's sneaky.  She takes off her goggles and tells the swim teacher she can't go under water.  Today, she did one jump, but kept her head above water.  She then tried to escape before the second jump at the end of her lesson.  We sent her back.

The instructor grabbed K, made her jump, and then dunked her good.  It was awesome.  Mama and Daddy told K how great it was.  We hope she's up for jumping in again.  We'll also remember the new camera.

*Photos added July 26, 2011

Almost 3...time to post...

K had her first "solo" swim lesson. She had to pretend to be 3. A few more weeks, and she'll be legit. This video was the first taken with the new camera. The camera work is so-so. The music, however, makes this video EPIC.

A monumental day

May or may not be actual toilet.

Today, K did her business on the potty.  She's been doing one type of business since May, but today, she brought her talents to South Beach*.  Or, as she'd tell you, she "made two big ones!"  Sorry, Aunto, you're out $100.

Another interesting thing developed, as well.  K was watching Clifford the Big Red Dog, it ended, and she was able to start it over on the DVR on her own.  She can't read the commands.  We've never shown her how to do this.

K uses the potty and the remote...THAT'S DADDY'S GIRL!!!


*In 2010, after LeBron James' debacle "The Decision" special, where he announced he would join the Miami Heat with the phrase, "I'll be bringing my talents to South Beach."  Which Bill Simmons, ESPN's SportsGuy, immediately made a euphemism for going to the bathroom, ala dropping the Cosby kids off at the pool.  If it doesn't hold up as well, at least it was in many 15-40 year old male's terminology at this moment.

Halloween and Such

This weekend was Halloween. K started the day by going to a 5k that Daddy was coordinating. Though it was a bit misty, K made the best of the day. She loved the walkers with dogs, bananas, bagels, and especially yelling for the runners to "GO FAST!!!"
Afterward, it was the family world-tour. K, as you can see, was dressed as a monkey. She was excellent at making monkey noises. Still, she didn't really like saying "trick-or-treat" when we arrived at somebody's house.
The following day was Daddy's first chance at doing yard work in a LONG time. K had a ball chasing Sydney and jumping in the leaves. Overall, a productive weekend.

Columbus Day Weekend

This weekend was very full. K spent most of Saturday cheering for her Daddy as he ran a marathon!

It was very tiring...for K :)

Sunday, K went apple picking (sorry no pics :( ), and ran around the orchard. She loved playing "I'm gonna get you" with Mommy at the orchard. Afterward, K, Mommy, and Daddy went to a park to go on the slides and swings.

78 weeks, and counting...

There have been some important happenings lately. For instance, K is now 78 weeks old...or a year and a half. This past week has been big...It started with K's cousin L being baptized. Then, Wednesday, we all went to Grandma & Pop's for dinner. Where K and the cousins (N & L) posed, and K played politician (kissing babies). Thursday, K went to dinner with Mama and Daddy because it was their 5th anniversary. Saturday, we went to the Southington Italian Festival (which ranks right around the Ponte club feast...in the rear... behind #1 The Cercemaggiore Festa in Oakville, and #2 the one at my parent's church [LEMON ICES!]). Finally, we celebrated K's HALF birthday with HALF an Elmo cupcake this Sunday. The results...were just as messy as 6 months ago.

K's Big (long) Weekend

I can't update fast enough! There was father's day. K's got another cousin. BIG THINGS! This weekend was sort of a long weekend. Mama and Daddy had their birthdays, a wedding, and threw a bbq. All this meant a big, long weekend for K!

Thursday-K went to the Festa at Grandma and Pop's church...Daddy wanted Lemon Ices, but

there weren't any. Still, K got a balloon, and met a friendly chihuahua.

Friday-Mama's birthday party at Nana and Oji's...with Bobbi too. K clearly loved her icecream.

Saturday-Mama and Daddy went to a wedding, so K spent the night at Grandma and Pop's. She went to an amusement park, road the carousel and the train. That night, more icecream at a local farm, where K saw live cows...WOW!

Sunday-The BBQ...look at patriotic K and her monkey, "Monkey."

Monday-Back at Grandma and Pop's...K ate corn and icecream. Then, since K got messy, and took a bath with her cousin, N. K made sure to point out N's belly, among other things.

Time's flying

K's talking up a storm. She can sing the ABC song (along with Twinkle, Twinkle and Baa Baa Black Sheep [same tune]), and count to 10. She runs around like a firebolt, and regularly jumps on her pup (she now calls the pup Sydney [sounds like Ssss...ITNEY]). K can even pull herself up onto the couch.

This weekend, K went to track practice with Daddy. She was amazed by high jump, and clapped and cheered for finishers as they did their laps and 200s during practice. It didn't matter what rep they were on, she cheered just like she cheered for the runners last week while Daddy ran the Iron Horse Half Marathon. Especially fun for K was trying to pick up the shot put, and jumping on the high jump mats while she was at practice.

K also visited Nana and Oji's because Auntie Niff was in town. She played with Aunto and Auntie Niff, and chased Cammy and Sydney. After dinner, K enjoyed a grape popsicle.

Finally, K got a new chair that's just her size. It's for the patio, but is currently in the living room. Maybe it will keep her from jumping on the pup...but I doubt it!

They grow up fast...

I found myself up late last night, dumbfounded. This is not a rare occurrence, however this time it was something more than that coffee at 8 pm, whether or not I'm going to get in trouble for my word choice when explaining to a student why he/she is disrupting class, pondering if dolphins truly are the 2nd most intelligent species on the planet (see here* ), or wondering what the question to the answer to life, the universe, and everything (the answer to life, the universe, and everything is, of course, 42...but we are not aware of the question**). Our little girl, K, was going to be a year old in the morning. Her birthday was hours away. Then, I really had a melt down...2008 was a leap year, so she was ALREADY 365 days old! S agreed with me, that she was growing so fast, and we both kind of were bummed and happy at the same time.



When I arrived at work today, it was sort of surreal. We had already sung happy birthday when we woke her up. Pictures were taken. But work was different. I had the usual conversation for a Monday, starting with, "How was your weekend?" When I spoke with John, I mentioned the birthday party (of course). He said, "She's a year old already. Wow. How are you handling that?" I told him how freaked out I was last night. And he said, "Yeah, I was the same way. Worse, my daughter is going to be 5 tomorrow. That's NUTS! I was bad at 1, and I'm really bummed she's 5 already. It is so fast!" I'm only assuming that 2, 3, and 4 were okay. Could be wrong. But it sure helped to know I wasn't the only one to have been a little shaken up by the first birthday. That made it a lot easier to digest. Plus, how can you not enjoy this video of the baby.

*For further information regarding the source of So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish, see here or here for a more thorough explanation. Trust me, it may come in handy if Vogons come to destroy Earth to make way for an inter-stellar bypass.**For further information regarding this, see here. Read the complete plot summary.

Update

K and I have been up since 5:30. She slept all night, and has been wide awake and playful. She has spent a lot of time smiling and talking. It's all pretty amazing, though she hasn't done anything new except pull on my beard...or at least what she could grab of it.

Update and More pictures: Family and Friends

Do you see yourself? If you visited K at the hospital, then chances are you've made the blog.

K has been home for 5 days now. She's eating well, and sleeping through most of the night. Her weight is up, and the jaundice is disappearing. One thing is for sure, she poops a lot...like more than I ever expected. And that's saying a lot, since she's mine...

K and her Mama are doing great, and big sister Sydney is still quite the helper.



For more pictures, visit the Snapfish page for the hospital and homecoming pictures.