For you, I will

Having a child has made me realize there are few, if any, things I would be unwilling to do for her. I can't say that of any other people, including Nick. For example, I am willing to pick my child's nose. In fact I've already done so on a couple of occasions.Bulb syringes, or booger suckers, are really great for removing snot from Kate's nose. She had a cold at Christmas and we really tested the boundaries of just how much snot that thing would remove on one suck. She hated it, naturally, and screamed as if we were trying to remove her brain through her nostrils.

Now that the cold is gone, she still almost daily has little peepers in there. You can see them, just hanging out, but they are generally out of reach. The bulb syringe is not quite as effective on these little visitors. I'm assuming this is because those cling-ons are the same consistency as that stuff that teachers use to hang posters on a cement wall. They are sticky. So rather than use the sucker over and over and over until the visitor has been fully removed, while Kate cries, it's just easier to get it close enough that mommy's fingernail can reach in and remove it the rest of the way.Yes, I am willing to do that for my daughter.
I am completely unwilling to do this for my husband. I hope it doesn't hurt his feelings. It's not that I don't love him...he's just capable of picking his own nose.

Jump-a-roo

Today Kate spent a little time in her Jump-a-roo. It was a hand-me-down from a friend at church. I think she liked it. She seemed happy for a bit, but of course she got frustrated after a while. Once she is sitting up better she will enjoy it more.

Roll over

Her Daddy makes her do this at least once every night now.Happy 12 weeks old, kiddo.

Developments

At her 2 month appointment, which was now a couple of weeks ago, Kate weighed 12.2 pounds and had grown almost 2 inches. She's in the 75th% for her height and weight. Apparently the height gene skipped me and hit her. We'll see if she stays in that range because her momma sure isn't.

In the past few weeks she's really started changing. She finally discovered the toys hanging on our bouncy seat, so now she spends her time trying to grab them. She can reach her arm out to them, but so far her fingers have failed her when it comes to actually getting hold of one of them. She's working on it though and the concentration on her face while she's trying to grasp them is just hilarious.Last Sunday she rolled over from her back to her belly for the first time! She's done it at least once a day since, because we make her. She then gets mad because her poor little arm is stuck underneath her, but she'll figure out how to fix that dilemma soon I suppose. She also giggled for the first time a few days ago. It was the cutest little sound. We've only heard it a handful of times, but in no time I hope that she's giggling all day long.

I put her in the exersaucer one day to see what she would do with that. She is way too short for it so her little legs just dangled, and she can't sit upright on her own yet but she managed for about 10 minutes just fine before she got mad at her situation. She kept accidentally hitting the buttons that would make the music turn on and off, but I think she enjoyed herself.They do change so fast. She already looks so different from just 6 weeks ago.

Three

Guess who just turned three?I know...can you believe it? She's getting so big. She's at this really cute age where she's saying things that you can't imagine have just come out of her mouth and also at the tender age where she's developing quite the little diva-like attitude. I can't get over her accent. She's growing up in East Texas, so she's got quite a little country twang to her voice.Kylie wanted a princess party this year so all the little girls came dressed as their favorite one. Cute little princess costumes don't come in infant sizes during non-Halloween times, by the way, so we went with a different interpretation of princess and did this:She's a rock princess! Ha! Couldn't you just die over those little tights?? I found them at Babies r' Us, which is also where I found the rock princess tee. She was quite a hit in her rocker attire.

Five Generations

I have a very special photo taken when I was just a baby. The photo features five generations of women on my mother's side. It's pretty rare for someone to grow up knowing their great-great grandmother, but not only did I know her but my great-great grandfather as well.A couple of weeks ago while we were in Mt. Pleasant I decided to take the opportunity to duplicate this photo with Kate. My great grandma is 90 and still mows her own lawn. She drives during the daytime occasionally and is just as stubborn as they come. She's shrinking daily and I think tops out somewhere around 4'6" now. She's pretty much a little firecracker.Kate enjoyed her great-great grandmother. She just cooed and smiled at her while they talked.She also got to spend some time with her great grandparents. It's difficult to see everyone when you live a couple of hours away, but we'll take all the time we can get.

First Hotel

Our road trip to Mt. Pleasant allowed Kate to have her first experience staying in a hotel. A family friend owns the Hampton Inn there and he was kind enough to give out of town guests coming in for Ashley's funeral free rooms. This was a huge blessing and saved us quite a bit of money. That Hampton Inn is extremely nice too!

I was nervous about how Kate would do with new surroundings and new situations. She did so well that I don't even know why I was nervous. She actually slept at night while we were there, and I can only assume this is because we were so busy during the day going from place to place and seeing so many people. Perhaps she and I should get out of the house more during the week, although not right now while the temperatures and wind chills are hovering in the teens...in Texas. No kidding.

Kate took a little cat nap in the morning with Daddy so I could head downstairs to enjoy the free breakfast. Aren't they sweet?

While we were there we had to have a Randy's burger (which I later regretted because apparently Kate's tummy doesn't do well with hamburgers) and we made a trip to Herschel's where I had a super delicious chicken fried steak. They are two required stops anytime you are in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.

Ashley's funeral was a lovely service. They estimated that over 600 people came and it was standing room only in the church. I was really touched to see so many people, friends and family, who cared for Ashley so much. Ashley was a Marine so he was buried in his dress blues, and a few of his fellow Marines were in the same at his service. It was really touching to see, but of course I am always touched when I see a service man or woman in uniform. I'm sappy that way.

It's sad that it takes a tragedy to bring my family together, but typically that's what has to happen unless it's a major holiday. Even then, there aren't as many faces to see there. We rarely make it to east Texas for Thanksgiving and Christmas. So while it was a sad time, it was also nice to see and talk to many relatives I hadn't seen in a long time. Bittersweet, I think is the right word. Next post I'll share with you some special family photos we took while we were there.

Road trip

We have to leave tomorrow for our first road trip as a family. I wish I could say it was a "just for fun" trip, but it's not. We're heading to my hometown in East Texas for a funeral. More on that in a minute.

Let me say, packing for a road trip with an infant is not an easy task. I know I packed way more clothes for Kate than I did for myself. The problem with infants and outfits is that they generally don't just wear one a day. As soon as you assume they're going to be in the same outfit all day long, they go and spit up all over themselves. I figured the best bet would be to overpack. But it doesn't just stop with clothes. You have to have diapers, wipes, medicines for just in cases, burp cloths, blankets, etc. It's kind of stressful!

Allow me to tell you a story. Picture a group of friends, in their 20s, at a concert at a club. They're having fun until a guy they don't really know start harassing one of the girls in the group. One of the guys steps in and asks the stranger to leave her alone, and eventually a fight ensues that causes both guys to be thrown out of the club. One is escorted out the front door, and the instigator is escorted out the back. As the group of friends start to go to their trucks and leave, the guy from the back comes around front and attacks the one who challenged him inside with a knife. He slits his throat and stabs him in the side, leaving him to die in the parking lot. He then takes off in his truck and is chased by police, only to turn himself in three hours later where he is hauled off to jail for murder.

This is the story of what happened to my cousin, Ashley Domino, on December 31. He was 23, and tomorrow we are heading to my hometown to attend his funeral. My family is heartbroken, and I am shocked. I can't imagine the kind of human being that would initiate a response of attack with a knife for something so silly as being thrown out of a club. He is currently in jail, charged with murder, and I hope he has enough heart that he is hurting for what he did.

Unfortunately I didn't know my cousin that well as an adult. My memories of him are from childhood. But that doesn't stop my heart from breaking for my family. This will be a difficult trip. It's always painful to bury a young person. Rest in peace, Ashley. July 27, 1986 - December 31, 2009