Crawling Update

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Since I happen to have a free minute while Michaela finishes her morning nap, I thought I would finally share a little about our trip to visit my Grandpa and Uncle Dan in Kansas. We (our little family and my mom) went for just a couple of days at the beginning of May, and found the weather there to be a good 20 degrees warmer and sunnier, and just generally nicer, than home. It was a good weekend to be in Kansas. I mentioned earlier that Michaela did pretty well on the flights. She loved having her Daddy at her beck and call to play with her, though even she, little as she is, wished she had more leg room. She just might be a world-traveler-in-training.

Left- Michaela still peppy (and trying to take her sock off) as we wait at Portland Airport). Below- Adam and I also still peppy - and caffeinating for the day ahead.

We landed in the Tulsa airport on a Saturday night and just drove to Bartlesville, OK, where our hotel was, got some dinner and went right to our hotel. Adam and I tested out the pool and hot tub, but Michaela wanted nothing to do with the pool when Nana tried to get her to dip her toes in. I blame that more on the day of travel than on predicting a dislike of swimming - especially when considering the amount of splashing that occurs during Michaela's baths these days. Though none of us got any amount of good sleep that night because Michaela was awake, crying, and inconsolable between 1:45 am and 4:30 am, we awoke nonetheless the next morning and crossed the border into Kansas to meet Grandpa at his home and head from there over to church. Uncle Dan is a pastor to three small congregations in the area, and preaches at each of them consecutively on a Sunday morning. We hit the middle service, and really enjoyed hearing Grandpa play the piano for congregational singing and listening to Uncle Dan preach. Michaela enjoyed the service because there were chairs rather than pews, and she got put down to scoot around on the floor. Also, the hymnals had little colored strings in them (to be used for marking pages of different hymns) but Michaela thought they were just for her entertainment.

That afternoon we enjoyed lunch/brunch at a local diner and an afternoon of conversation and catching up. Grandpa made dinner for us that night - we felt like honored guests! On Monday we went on a driving tour of Caney (doesn't take long!) and then went out to see the Little House on the Prairie. Considering that several years of my childhood were given to dressing like Laura Ingalls and playing pioneer, the cabin is always a big hit. But the big event of the day was yet to come. Did you know there is a brand new Super Wal-Mart in that corner of Kansas?! Yes, it's true! So we went there to get some photos developed and just soak in the ambiance. But really, the big event was eating at Braum's, a wonderful burgers and fries kind of restaurant with AMAZING ice cream delights. Adam and I have long joked that our relationship is built on ice cream, so this was a special moment for us to share with family.

We learned more about the Carr family tree from Uncle Dan, the family's resident historian, and ate one more meal together before saying our goodbyes. It was a short visit, but great for Grandpa to get to meet his grandson-in-law and his new great-granddaughter.

Nine Neat-O Months

Whew! Life has been speeding up around us and so I will get back to the details on our Kansas trip in my next post. For those of you in the know, however, you recall that Michaela turned 9 months old over the weekend. We were spending the weekend with Adam's family up in Washington as we always do this time of year. It's a time of birthdays and Mother's Day (this year being my first one - it turns out it's a pretty sweet deal to be a mom!) Thanks to my super-sweet daughter and thoughtful husband!

Michaela posing in the family rocking chair (Daddy has a photo in it, as does Papi - when they were smaller, of course)

While we were up in Seabeck, Michaela did her first real crawling, and since that was on her 9-month-birthday we'll chalk it up to her accomplishments during month #9. She weighs 16 pounds, 10 ounces and is 27 inches long. That puts her on the small side, but the doctor says this is common and perfectly fine for breastfed babies. She also flew on her first airplane, which was more or less a success. Her ears didn't seem to bother her and she was so into the other people and chewing on things that the time went by pretty quickly. Her first hotel stay after said airplane ride, however, was really rough for all concerned. Michaela woke up at 1:45 am to eat, and was unable to go back to sleep until about 4 am. We were loathe to let her "cry it out" in a hotel, envisioning angry phone calls to the front desk, so she finally fell asleep on Nana's shoulder and we all got a little more shut-eye.

During our weekend with the Puckett/St. Clair clan, we visited the Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle). Now, Michaela knows all about zoos because we took her to the Oregon Zoo when she was just 4 or 5 weeks old. This time she was a pro. She kicked back in the stroller we borrowed from Aunt Abbey because we had forgotten our own (we received many compliments on its "zoo-appropriate" pattern) and took in the view. I'm pretty sure she saw about zero animals, as she was so involved in watching the people and children cruising by. She also experienced her first sunblock (as the photo reminds me) and didn't seem to mind a bit. After a couple of hours hanging with the animals, both Michaela and Abbey needed a nap. Luckily it was time to head back home and get a wonderful dinner on the table. Lots of good food and good company made this weekend a great one!

Kansas Pictures

We recently returned from a quick trip to Kansas to visit Brook's grandfather and uncle.  Since Brook is the better writer, I will let her tell you about the trip, but I wanted to get some pictures up on the blog to share.

Michaela helping Mom pack her bag.

Grandpa Carr's House in Caney, KS. 

Left: Michaela enjoying the swings at a park just across the street from Grandpa Carr's house. Right: Brook, Grandpa Carr, and Bev taking a stroll through the family photo albums.

Uncle Dan, Brook, Michaela, Grandpa Carr and Bev (Four Generations)

Little House on the Praire Visit.

bathing suit

Yesterday was kind of a crazy day to be this mama and baby. Fussiness, lack of sleep, four (yes, count them -- 4) dirty diapers. After the last especially dirty one, bath time came early. Michaela loves her baths now, so that's not a problem. The problem was with parental focus. Filled the tub... added the toys.. checked the water temp... took off Michaela's diaper and plunked her in... then I decided I should probably take off her socks, too.
Ooops!

Learning to crawl or learning to do the seal dance?

Sayonara Tax Season...Hello Long Weekends

After months of never ending work, it is finally time to play. And what better way to kick off the season than with a four day weekend. We went hiking in the Columbia Gorge, went to the season opening Timbers soccer game, watched a Blazer playoff win, played Wii, and my personal favorite, rolled around on the floor with Michaela.

Enjoying a Saturday hike in the woods. A special thank you to the Magee family for the great child carrier.

A panoramic shot of the view from the top of our hike.

Michaela just hanging out and relaxing.

Oh, the elegance of an eight-month-old

Time to chronicle the developmental excitement of the last month of our lives. Granted, I'm one day late (Michaela's month-a-versary was yesterday) but I've come to accept that much about my life happens more slowly and not on time compared to our pre-baby days.
Michaela is getting to be such a big girl these days! She is interested in the camera, and already strikes a pose when it makes an appearance. As I mentioned in the last post, she may not be crawling yet, but she is working on other things, like waving, clapping (we haven't yet determined if she's got rhythm) and pinching. I have figured out that is where the term "pincer grasp" comes from. She's definitely got one, and practices most of the time on my bare skin!


One of my challenges is to make sure Michaela wears all the cute clothes she has been given by her loving family and friends. With the rate she grows, we try to make sure she gets at least a few wears in something before she outgrows it! The tag in the picture above is from a new pair of Michaela's pants. Really is this necessary? I would hope my child's pants, not to mention my child's leg and entire body, are kept away from fire altogether!

Michaela's added more foods to her diet (carrots, bananas or barley cereal, anyone?) and it seems to be keeping her feisty. Her latest trick when playing on the floor is to roll towards the unsuspecting (oftentimes sleeping) dog and begin to play with her paws. Kenji awakes all afluster and begins licking the closest moving thing. Kenji tries to be good, but I think Michaela enjoys seeing if she can get the dog in trouble.

Stay tuned.. in month nine we are hoping to undertake Michaela's first airplane flight and her first trip to the beach!

He is Risen!

We spent Easter Sunday attending church at Adam's grandparents' church in Rose Valley, and then joining family and more family at their house afterward for a delicious dinner. Michaela really enjoyed her time there, since she was always the center of someone's attention, and she also got to play with her cousin Genevieve. We were hoping Genevieve would teach Michaela to crawl, but it doesn't seem like it rubbed off on her yet. I'm not all that disappointed, really, considering I will be the one spending most of my time running after Michaela the minute she learns to navigate quickly in any direction she chooses.

Michaela "reading" her very first Easter card from Great-Grandpa Carr

hanging out with Aunt Abbey

laughing with Papi

very first shoes! (the white ones)

love the camera! love the camera!

some days...

Michaela gets really wrapped up in her work.