Pierce and Jen Visit

Pierce and Jen get an award for being our most frequent visitors .... This time, they were on their "circle of life" roadtrip. It took them from San Jose to Salt Lake City to Breckenridge and Denver back to Salt Lake City to San Diego to Malibu and then back home. We are so happy they could visit with us for a few days, especially because they are moving to New Jersey this fall and we will probably not see them as often. Of course, Carolyn loved Uncle Pierce and Aunt Jen. She particularly enjoyed Jen singing silly songs to her and Pierce reading the official rule book for golf. Pierce and Steve enjoyed a couple days of golf, while Becky and Jen got pedicures, went to a museum, and shopping.

Carolyn singing

MOV06965
Originally uploaded by miknlyn80@sbcglobal.net

Grandpa taught Carolyn how to sing a song. You have to watch the whole video because it takes her a while to get both her mouth moving and the sound to come out at the same time.

Utz Family Photo Shoot

While we were home, we had a photo shoot of the Utz cousins ... Addie, Emerson, Carolyn. The pictures turned out fantastic, despite the difficulties of working with a 2 month old and a 2 year old and not to mention a downpour in the middle of it all. Absolutely adorable! Click on the link below the picture to see all of the photos of the kids. Debbie Rankey from Infocus Photos took the photos.

http://infocusphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/5802044_wm9YL#359432071_SSkbk

Carolyn's First Trip to Ohio

On August 21, Carolyn took her first trip on an airplane. She was a little over 2 months old. She and I went to Ohio to visit my family for five days... primarily because I had the time since I am on leave and I found a cheap flight. On the plane, she did great. She may have cried all of 10 seconds on each flight. It was a bit hectic getting through the airport with all of her gear, but I managed without too much difficulty. I came prepared with 'drugs' to make her sleepy on the plance, but I never even considered using it. She was in such a good mood the whole time. I was very thankful to have the sling with me. She stayed in that as we walked through the airport, as well as during the flight itself. Thankfully, my mom had stocked the house full of borrowed baby gear, including the pram, a swing, and a crib for upstairs.

Carolyn on the airplane Carolyn relaxing in the pram

While in Ohio, she was generally happy and content, but she did seem to have more stomach problems than normal. Perhaps all of the excitement made her a little nervous. Despite all of the commotion, I was impressed with how well she slept in the new surroundings. I was so excited to introduce her to her family -- Great Grandma, Uncle Jason, Aunt Heather, her cousins Addie and Emerson, as well as to my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

My parents had a party on Friday to celebrate Grandma's 79 birthday, the olympics, and Carolyn's first trip home. She met a lot more friends and family there. Of course everyone wanted to hold Carolyn, but she quickly threw a fit and decided that she did not like to be handled so much and to see so many unfamiliar faces. She was a momma's girl most of the night.

Party at my parents

Carolyn was only one of the many babies to be born this year. She got to meet many of these new friends while in Ohio, including Lauren (my cousin Katy's daughter - 5.5 mos), Brook (my mom's cousin Joni's daughter- 2.5 mos), Clare (Kelly Quinn's daughter - 6 mos), Zoey (my college roommate Gretchen's daughter - 2.5 mos), and John (my college roommate Tricia's daughter - 1 mos) .

The 2008 Garden

In the spring, I planted an herb garden, as well as tomatoes, leeks, brussel sprouts, cabbage, eggplant, swiss chard, lettuce, zuchini, squash, cucumbers, cantalope, strawberries, and several kinds of peppers. Thanks to some volunteer seeds that sprouted from the compost, we will also have several pumpkins to carve this fall. Oh, and the fruit trees in the neighborhood (apricots, peaches, plums, apples) keep our sweet tooth satisfied. I have come to realize that having a garden is really not all that much work -- I managed to plant it when I was 8 months pregnant and we have kept things alive with minimal attention this summer. Plus, it makes me happy to eat completely organic food from my own yard and my grocery bills have been so much cheaper lately. (this year, I spent $45 on seeds and plants - a good investment considering how expensive produce is lately). Given the size of the harvest from today alone, it looks like it is just about time to make some sauce and salsa to enjoy in the winter.

Note to self -- next spring, plant the tomatoes on the south side of the garden, not the east. Put the cabbages, lettuces, and cucumber vines by the sprinkler at the top of the plot. Plant the peppers and eggplants in the eastern most row

2 Months Old

Today, Carolyn celebrated her 2 month birthday. To commemorate the occasion, she went to the doctor in the morning and then to a concert in the evening. At the doctor's office, she weighed in at 9 lbs 13 oz, and measured 23" in length. That is 3 pounds and 3 inches since birth. She also had her first round of immunizations (hence, the pink bandaids on her thighs). Although the shots will hopefully help her stay healthy, they made her pretty cranky and tired today. She had a fever of 100 and her body was so sore that she screamed whenever I tried to pick her up. After I gave her some tylenol, she perked right back up and returned to her happy self, at least long enough to do a 2-month photo shoot before we went to bed this evening.

2 days old vs. 2 months old

Belly Dancer

Our friend Nikki went to Egypt and brought back a souvenier for Carolyn-- a belly dancing costume. It was supposed to fit a one-year old, but seeing how small the waist was, we decided we better try it on her now. These pictures also show Carolyn's newest trick. She loves to stand up while we hold her fingers. As seen in the picture on the right, she even tried to stand up by herself by pushing her back up against the back of the chair. After a few minutes, she is exhausted! It must be hard work holding her body and bobble-head so steady.

Picnic at Millcreek

Last night, a random Wednesday evening, we grabbed some charcoal, ran to the grocery store to buy some hotdogs, and went to Millcreek Canyon for a picnic dinner. Nikki, Joshua, Melissa, Steve, Becky, Carolyn, and the dogs (Leo and Mollie) all enjoyed the evening getaway with cooler temperatures and lots of shade. The best part of the evening was the S'mores! Carolyn got kind of crabby at the end. Well, to be more accurate, it was probably me who was crabby. I can't help it. It happens most nights around 9pm. It must be the time when my body really feels the effects of not sleeping much for the past 7 weeks.

Long Time, No Post

I have heard from several people that I have not posted any new pictures recently. It has only been a week since my last entry ... though, I agree, this little girl does change a lot from day to day, so here are some pictures we took on Sunday morning. We were trying to capture her smile, but never really got it. Instead, we got a lot of goofy faces.

Not much to report around here. She is growing and becoming more animated. She is still sleeping well through the night, with first a 5 or 6-hour block, followed by a 3 or 4-hour block. My sleep has gotten better because she no longer needs to be rocked to sleep. She goes to sleep immediately after she is done eating ... Usually! The one thing that I have come to appreciate is that life with her is unpredictable, though the one thing I can usually count on is that she will fall soundly asleep if I walk her in the stroller.