Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Christmas week

Now that the fever scare has died down a bit (*knock on wood*), let me update you on our lovely Christmas week. Aunt Tracey flew down on the 20th and we had a nice brunch over at my parent's. Molly decided that her morning nap should be three hours long that day so we were all starving by the time she arrived with N. We had a nice relaxing weekend and headed up to Lucille's on Monday to see cousin Ali (pics were posted).

On Tuesday we headed downtown to see Christmas in the Park. It was a bit chilly so Molly was bundled up in the Bob stroller and was more than happy to have a blanket on her for once. Every now and then you'd see her push the blanket down and point to something that caught her eye. For me it was really just an excuse to have dinner at Pizz'a Chicago. SOOO good! Although after dinner I went outside to wait for N (who was retrieving the Yukon from a parking garage up the street) as Molly was in her jacket and boots and getting a little warm inside. I'm just making sure her blanket is nice and secure when I hear some guy behind me yelling about someone touching his fuckin' car. I turn around and see this very angry man coming around the front of a Dodge Charger to confront a guy on the sidewalk just a few feet from me. This guy is super pissed so I move Molly behind the cement pillar we're standing in front of. The pedestrian tells the guy his hit his car because this guy almost hit him (the Dodge was over the front line of the cross walk with the back tires well inside the cross walk). The driver did not care. He keeps going on about his fuckin' car and how it should fuckin' not be fuckin' touched and then pushes the pedestrian so hard his feet come up off the ground before he lands practically on his back. At this point the pedestrian says, "Do you want me to call the police?" and the angry man responds with, "Do you want to fuckin' fight?" Yeah, I was confused too. Since Molly is safe behind the pillar and behind me I then say, "How about *I* call the police?" as I get my phone out. Angry man then realizes I'm there and I start dialing. At this point my dad has come out and I have him stand behind Molly as I walk towards the pedestrian. Angry man takes off as there are now multiple witnesses, but before he gets in his car I say to the pedestrian, "Make sure you get his license plate!" so angry man speeds off. The pedestrian was more than a little shaken up so I hand the phone to him (911 had been dialed) while I run out to catch the license plate number. It was something along the lines of 5NPR001. I think the letters might be jumbled, but I kept repeating them to myself as I tell my dad to go get a pen. The pedestrian was completely shaken up and more than a little freaked out. No kidding, he had just been assaulted. I give him my contact number along with the make, model, color, and license plate of the car and tell him to have the police call me if he decides to fill out a report as I was a witness. So yeah, that night was a little intense.

On Christmas Eve my dad, my sister, N, and I headed down to The Tech for the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit while my mom stayed at our place with Molly. It was really cool. They had a lot of artist renderings of da Vinci's work along with small scale models of all the tools he created to get certain works built. I think my favorite was a clay sculpture based on a man turning into a bird. That's the one I kept going back to. I highly recommend for those in the area as it's the only exhibit of its kind in the states. It runs through January and I think that's it.

Christmas Day we hosted... again. I'm pretty sure we've hosted every Thanksgiving and Christmas since we moved into this house in 2003. With Molly in the picture it is easiest to just be home. I was also more than happy to not have to go anywhere Christmas morning as I watched the rain go almost horizontal thanks to some serious wind. I put a roast in the slow cooker and that was pretty much it. Had everyone else bring the sides, appetizers, and dessert. I'm also more than happy to let others clear the table and clean up. So it was a pretty low key Christmas for me. We stopped doing gifts a few years back, but Molly scored some serious loot. Need to put away her toys from her birthday so she can concentrate on the new stuff and then I can rotate those back in and they will seem new again.

98.9

Now *that's* a number I like to see. Got more than a little nervous yesterday when Molly woke up from her nap after the doctor's visit and her temp reached 104.1. Luckily the doc was still in the office and talked me down. If she still had a temp this morning I was to take her back in, but it was back down to 99.3 a few hours later and is basically normal today. I think her temp was so high after her nap because she hadn't been drinking much (it was a major struggle with how raw her throat was), she was still in a long sleeve shirt and pants from the outing, and she tends to shove herself into a corner of her crib and tends to wake up sweaty anyway. Justifications, I know, but no mother wants to see 104 anything on a thermometer. I don't care if 105 is the danger zone, 104 is far too close for comfort!

Molly is definitely in better spirits today. Acting like normal. Wanting to play. Talkative. Has ENERGY! She is still not very hungry. We got a yogurt in her last night and another one this morning. We're trying other foods, but yogurt has really been the only thing she's receptive to. At this point eating is eating so I'll take it. She's also had about 20 ounces of milk today (had no interest in her bottle before bed last night so she downed one as soon as she got up this morning), 4-5 ounces of water, and about an ounce or so of Pedialyte. Hey, it's something. She'll take a swig here and there, but doesn't gulp it down like she does water. We've also tried popsicles, but they are more than a little confusing for her. I think she likes the cold and sticks out her tongue, but then she'll bite down and not like the cold on her teeth and push it away. It's a work in progress.

ETA - NOT a fan of the nebulizer/vapor treatment. She just about broke N's heart last night when he gave her a treatment. She struggled less this morning, but was still not having anything to do with the mask actually touching her. We finally came to an agreement where I could hold it about an inch away from her skin as long as she could suck on her finger pointing through her blanket. Unfortunately, I think the blanket absorbed a lot of the vapors, but she wasn't actively batting it away so she got at least something from it.

Monday, December 29, 2008

the nebulizer has arrived!

It was just dropped off and N is going over everything. It's from Inspiration Elite and it came with a handy dandy kids mask made to look like a chicken... a purple chicken. So, hopefully she'll take to the mask a bit more than she did to the mouth piece. She's asleep now, but we'll give her the next dose the next time she wakes up.

Just got back from the Doctor's...

We actually did a treatment in house for her lungs as she's in the beginning stages of Bronchitis. It was on one of those vapor machines that you see on tv when people have smoke inhalation. Basically the same drug we picked up on Friday, but put into this machine so Molly gets the vapors rather than ingesting the liquid. She was supposed to suck on the end (yeah right) and would have nothing to do with it so I tried to keep it as close to under her nose as I could get while fighting both hands so she would at least breathe in the meds. She eventually gave up fighting and slumped up against me while keeping both hands on the inhaler so I wouldn't get any ideas. The whole process took about 10 minutes and at least half of that time was spent fighting me, but I think she got enough meds to make her feel better as she pretty much fell asleep on me and then again in the car. A company is going to be dropping off our own machine later this afternoon so we can continue to give her treatments.

Molly also has a very bad infection and her throat looks like it's on fire. Doc was very surprised to hear she ate most of a yogurt this morning and then 2/3 of a jar of food for lunch as her throat was that bad. Doc said to keep her on soft foods and make sure she drinks as much as she can. She also suggested getting Pediasure and Pedialyte for the extra calories. Molly has never wanted to drink anything but milk or water so I'm not sure how receptive she'll be, but we'll give it a try. I will definitely pick up some Pedialyte popsicles as I think the cold will help soothe her throat.

Molly is pretty contagious and the doc said to keep her away from other children. Her temperature was back to normal, but we're to keep an eye on it as a return of a fever is a bad sign and could mean pneumonia. Doc said she should appear back to normal in two days, but to keep her on the meds until they run their course. I just dropped off the prescription for 4 different things and N will be picking them up from the pharmacy on his way home as I wanted to get Molly in her bed ASAP.

Poor bug. I hope she feels better soon!

ETA - They did an in-house test for RSV that was negative. So that's one good thing.

Poor bug...

Down to 99.3, cuddly as ever.


Still headed to the doctor, but she's at least feeling better.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

fever update

Last temp was 101.2 and that was taken a few hours ago. She's been sleeping since about 4 (in her crib) after a couple failed attempts at naps earlier in the day. She kept waking up about a half an hour into them very upset. She didn't eat much lunch, but she did eat something. She goes from not wanting any water to gulping it down, but at least she's getting some fluids. Talked to the nurse practitioner and at Molly's age and weight the danger zone is 105.0 (!). I am going to call the doc as soon as they open in the morning and take her in. In the meantime just going to monitor her temp, make sure she drinks plenty, keep her cool, and hope she gets lots of sleep. Poor little bug. I hope she kicks this soon!

fighting a fever

Molly bug has had a rough couple of days. Her fever spiked up to 102.2 last night, but it's back down to 101.2 this morning. She had been fighting a cold on and off for most of December. Would be fine for several days and then be a bit snotty for a day or two. The Friday before Christmas I decided to take her into the doctor's office to make sure it wasn't anything more than a simple cold since she had been coughing quite a bit. Her lungs were clear, but I got a prescription for Albuterol just in case since we were heading into the weekend and a holiday week. Christmas night she woke up from coughing so hard and I was up with her for a few hours. She just wanted to sleep sitting up and did not want to be put back down in her crib. Friday morning she seemed fine and went down for her morning nap without any issues (although it wasn't very long). Then we headed out to lunch and she just wanted to be held so we knew something was up. We got the prescription filled and put her down for a second nap since she was rubbing her eyes non-stop. That didn't last very long. N ended up sitting back with her in her room for over two hours since she could sleep passed out on him, but started screaming (the very bad scream we don't hear very often) whenever he tried to get her to lie down. Two hours later his shirt was soaked with snot and sweat, but Molly seemed a little more energetic. Perhaps a little too wired. We had read that her prescription can basically turn some kids into crack monkeys so we were a little concerned she was going to go off her rocker and her head would spin around several times. Molly was a tad manic, but no major meltdowns and she slept through the night.

On Saturday we noticed a fever. It was just over 100 so we knew we needed to keep an eye on it. N was also taking a rectal temp (poor Molly bug) as that was surprisingly the one place she wouldn't squirm from. However, we've read it can be a full degree higher and we've also read it can be accurate so we weren't sure when to panic. We've given her a few luke warm baths to cool her down and get her comfortable and she has continued to want to be held upright while sleeping. I was able to get her down for a second nap yesterday laying flat in her crib, but yesterday morning was all about being held. She is still drinking her water, taking her bottle, and eating... although her appetite has definitely waned. Then last night she woke up a few times and was super hot. Temp spiked at 102.2 around midnight and was already coming down when she woke up again around 3.

Today we're just going to lay low and keep an eye on her and monitor her temp. Hopefully it continues to go down and she can just sleep it off. However, if she still has a temp tomorrow I'll be taking her into her doctor's to make sure there isn't something else going on.

ETA - Spoke too soon... she woke up and her temp is now 102.4... on hold with the nurse practitioner...

Friday, December 26, 2008

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!



This was one of my favorite pictures from the Christmas card photo session we did with Molly at Santana Row. She definitely looks ready to take on the new year!

I hope everyone has a chance to relax and enjoy themselves today.... and eat lots!

Merry Christmas... Happy Hanukkah... Happy Holidays...

Love,
The Hicksons

Monday, December 22, 2008

world traveler



Molly's passport arrived. You can see she was a little upset with the whole picture taking thing by her red eyes, but I still think the picture is adorable. The passport is also super snazzy with pictures on pretty much every page. First stamp will be next month when we tag along on N's "work" trip to the Dominican Republic. I know, rough life.

2009 calendar



I made a 2009 calendar of Molly pics from her first year. January are pics of her first month... February are pics from her second month... you get the idea. Turned out great. I did the calendar at Shutterfly and it was super easy. The hardest part was narrowing down the pics to use.

Click here to check out the calendar.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

we're screwed!



Got the baby gate last Friday. This video was taken last night (Tuesday). Not even a week and she's figured it out.

Lovely.


pics 12/07 to 12/16/2008

Sunday, December 14, 2008

the latest...

It's been a while since I've updated you on what new tricks Molly has learned. Well, now that she's walking all over the place it's a whole new world. Her pony has helped her figure out how to get her leg up and over so she has recently started using this new skill to get herself in to and out of the bath tub. She just likes to go in there and play with her bath toys for a bit and then go on about her day. Or sometimes she'll sit in there and make splashing motions while being really loud which is her oh-so-subtle way of telling you she'd like a bath please. It does not matter if she just had a bath. The girl loves water.

Molly also threw the ball to N seven times yesterday. Actually threw it to him and then mostly caught it when he tossed it back to her. So much for starting out with the rolling of the ball back n' forth on the ground.

Molly also loves her buttons. If she manages to snag one of the remotes she will press one button with one finger and then look up to see if anything happened. Little cutie has already figured out cause and effect. She will now only visit certain toys and press the button that does the most and then move on completely ignoring everything else the toy can do. She wants the money shot and nothing less.

Molly is also *very* interested in the new gate we got for the doorway leading into N's office. We've been holding off on going too crazy with the whole childproofing thing because Molly understands no and seems to get it when certain things are off limits. However, the office is one place that is always going to be dangerous for her to wander into so we decided to get a gate. Plus it keeps the cats sequestered away from whatever dogs we happen to be watching for friends. She will stop and study the latch and has tried pressing and lifting a few things. Her dexterity isn't there yet to lift up the latch and swing the gate open, but I have a feeling she's going to figure out the mechanics of the whole thing sooner rather than later.

Another love is music. Molly likes to get down with her bad self and dance dance dance. It's very amusing to see the different dances she does for different types of music. When hip hop comes on she shakes her booty. When it's gangster rap she will raise her arms up and sway them back n' forth. When heavy metal comes on she will literally bang her head. She also bops along to daddy's techno and really gets into mommy's music. The other night she whipped her head around when The Evil Powers of Rock and Roll by The Supersuckers came on. She then got completely into it (she was strapped into her booster seat having dinner at the time). All of her arms and legs were going along with her head banging up and down. It was hilarious!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Just standin around.

Mommy and daddy put me in shoes and now I am unable to walk. I can only stand, I don't like these shoes, I will stand here until forever.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Happy Birthday Logan!

Logan Avery Shipman turns one today. Happy Birthday Logan!

It is also Julie's b.day today so a Happy Birthday to her too!

Monday, December 8, 2008

fancy schmancy entertainment center

When we got our new fancy schmancy tv a few months back we decided to finally pay California Closets a visit and finally get the built ins we've been talking about since we moved in. Plus, childproofing! Today they installed it. Check it out:

Before:



After:



Now the shelves on the far left and far right have cabinet doors that go from the floor to the ceiling. They are custom and the wrong size was sent so the correct size has been ordered and hopefully will be installed in the next few weeks. I'll take another pic once all our gear has been put in (N's job as it involves wires n' stuff).

click here for more pics

Saturday, December 6, 2008

You Tube Holiday Party - 80's Prom



You Tube Holiday Party - 80's Prom - 12/05/2008

Last night was You Tube's Holiday Party. The theme was 80's prom. Well, since I never went to prom, and this probably wouldn't have been any different had my prom actually been in the 80's, I decided to take liberty with the theme and concentrate more on the 80's part than the prom part. N still has his wig from when he dressed up like a woman, so I based his costume around that and 80's rock god was born. I then quickly decided to dress up as a punk rawk chick as I still had my combat boots. One trip to the mall later and we were all set. It's a little scary how much 80's stuff is readily available these days. Are we really that old that the tacky stuff we wore when we were kids is already back in style? Or is the cycle getting shorter? When I saw one young girl at the mall carrying a hot pink cassette boom box purse I found myself wondering if she even knew what a cassette tape was... I then realized I must have felt just like my dad did when I was a teenager and he saw that I had just bought the same albums that he had on vinyl 20 years earlier.

Anyway, the party was fun even though both N and I weren't feeling 100%. Although N did comment that he could tell he was now working for a much bigger company since he hardly recognized anyone. I'm sure the outfits didn't help, but this was definitely MUCH bigger than the first You Tube Holiday party I went to when they still had the offices above that pizza place.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!


pics 11/30 to 12/03/2008

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Mischief time!


Daddy! Everyone is sleeping, what trouble should I get into! ;) Its okay tho, daddy was in another room... wondering why it was so quiet. So mommy is gonna go take a nap now.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

and apparently Molly's a magician...

Molly likes to take the insoles out of N's sneakers and walk around flapping them above her head. Trust me, it's freakin' adorable. Anyway, this morning as N is getting ready to head out to Starbucks for some hard work, he goes to put on his shoes and the insoles are missing. I remember Molly walking around with them this morning as I was feeding the dogs so we start looking around. Well, after three laps it's starting to get ridiculous. She's two and a half feet tall, there's only so many places she can get into. We can't find them so N puts on his Uggs and goes on his way. I keep looking. And looking. And looking.

Finally get down with a flashlight to look under the entertainment center. There's probably about an inch of clearance. I spot a few small toys, but not the insoles. I then scan over to look under the couch and A-ha! There they are! There's barely a half an inch of clearance under the couch so she really had to shove them under there. Spotted a few more items that I couldn't quite reach so N's going to have to pull that up for me later so I can clear them out.

Never underestimate the small crevices kids can shove things. Lesson learned.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Foolin around...



pics 11/24 to 11/30/2008

Perfect Tahoe day.

It was the perfect Tahoe day... skies clear blue... temp was 60... sun was out... and not a trace of wind... perfectly still. We went on a hike up to the pond that we always go to. N took Molly in the Deuter on the way up and I took her on the way back down. She got a little upset at the transfer. Apparently she wants daddy when she's in the carrier, but she got over it and fell asleep about 1/3 of the way back. We also had all 4 dogs with us. We were quite the sight. Ran into a couple goldens and a few labs plus some other mountain type dogs. I always get a kick out of how many people recognize Odin's correct breed up here (Norwegian Elkhound) as opposed to down in the bay area where everyone thinks he's a husky. Sadie still gets a lot of random guesses... everyone starts out with beagle, but then says, "No, she's too big to be a beagle." Hey, if you figure it out... let me know.

Friday, November 28, 2008

greetings from Tahoe

Woke up this morning to a lovely frost on the ground, but so far no signs of snow. It was a lovely 34 out this morning when I went to the grocery store, but got up into the 50's as the day went on. I swear a half a dozen homes have popped up since our last visit. I felt for all the constuction workers that were out. At least Tahoe is dry and not usually windy... still, too damn chilly to work outside all day long. However, the sun was out and the skies were clear so it could have always been worse.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at our house yesterday (down in San Jose, we drove up last night). All the grandparents made it over for an early meal at 3:00 pm. I didn't want to eat too late because then you just end up eating all day long. Which we still managed to do, but it wasn't *as* bad as years past. It all seemed to go by in a bit of a blur, but I suppose that's the way now that there's a little one running around. Molly LOVED the stuffing, but didn't have much interest in anything else. At least this year she was awake for the meal. If memory serves she spent last Thanksgiving asleep in her swing for most of the day. Well, between being held and having bottles. This thanksgiving was spent making each and every one of her grandparens follow her around the house as she did not want to be in one place long. Hey, as long as someone else was following her I was fine with it. :-)

On Wednesday N and I got up and headed down to a local post office with a passport office and got Molly's passport paperwork taken care of. It should arrive in the next 3-4 weeks. I was tempted to take her picture at home with our digital camera, but ended up running out of time and motivation so we just got it done there. Took a few tries, but we ended up getting a picture taken with me sitting on the chair and holding Molly above my head and in front of the screen while N and the Post Office lady tried to get Molly to look at the camera by making fools of themselves. Since it was digital we got to see the pic and she looks more than a little confused, but still adorable. I'll scan it in once it arrrives for all to see.

We plan to stay in Tahoe until Wednesday. Don't have anything on the agenda other than taking some hikes and chilling about the cabin. Odin and Lola are also with us so we have 4 dogs lazing about. Molly loves to get kisses from all the dogs so she's taken to walking up to them with her mouth open (her idea of giving kisses) and it looks like she's going to eat their nose. Sadie knows what this means and will eventually give in, but Odin and Lola are more than a little confused. I need to get some pics of that, it's hilarious!

Well, N is just about finished feeding Molly so I should go. It's been nothing but peas and carrots today. Should we be concerned that our daughter is being a picky eater when it's nothing but veggies that she will eat?

Monday, November 24, 2008



pics 11/19 to 11/22/2008

Bzzzz



Video was taken last Wednesday (11/19) night at Granny and Grandpa Marsh's house. Molly and Grandpa Marsh are having fun. Just wait until she can actually say, "Again... Again!"

Friday, November 21, 2008

She is walking...

stubborn little one...

Molly is still taking little flurries of 5 or 6 steps when she wants to, but you try and get her to do it and she will have none of it. Stubborn little one... just like her daddy! :-) Yesterday at Little Gym she took 10 steps all on her own. We were walking around in a circle and I just stopped supporting her under her arms and she kept going for 10 steps before she fell down on her knees. She's getting better and better at standing up on her own (in the middle of nowhere so she can't pull herself up), but this is definitely something that is going to happen on her terms. Not that I'm rushing it by any means. At least with the walker I can hear where she is and when she stops moving. Not so much when it's just her.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

she's up to 8...

We went over to Granny and Grandpa Marsh's tonight for dinner and Molly started taking a few more solo steps. She got in 8 little steps all on her own before crashing into N on the couch. She did plenty of spurts of 4 or 5, but 8 was the most for the evening. I think it's only a matter of days folks. If I disappear on you, you'll know why... :-)

Roy's

On Saturday, N and I headed down to The Inn at Spanish Bay at Pebble Beach to check in for the night. We were meeting up with the Jodoins, the Chouns, and the Connally/Shipmans for a lovely belated anniversary dinner at our favorite restaurant Roy's. I had initially wanted to go to Roy's and spend the night back in August for our anniversary, but then N became hospital boy and we just kept putting it off. Jenn then got the idea to celebrate all of our anniversaries (they had their 8th in October, Julie and Jeff had their 7th in September, and we celebrated our 6th in August) together sans kids. So we coordinate sitters and got a reservation.

Best. Meal. Ever.

I was also very happy we decided to get a room on site. Every time we've had dinner here before we always said it would be so nice to just have a room and not have to go anywhere afterwards and that is just what we did. We all piled back into our room after dinner (it was huge) and hung out in the overstuffed armchairs by the fire and on the two queen sized beds. Luckily we were able to get everyone off to their cars before anyone fell asleep on us, but it was a bit of a close call. ;-)

Click on the picture below for more:

cloth diapers

I ended our Tiny Tots cloth diaper service this week. Molly kept getting diaper rash in them and I just couldn't justify doing that to her no matter how green the solution was. Luckily Bree and Jon had told us about their diapers (Nature Babycare) that are more of an ECO-friendly diaper than plain ol' disposables. We borrowed a couple to make sure we didn't run into the same diaper rash issue, but it looks like they wick away the moisture just fine (which I believe was the culprit with the cloth diapers).

bye bye Buddha belly

Since Molly has been so active, her little belly has gone from Buddha like proportions to just a little belly. As a result she's actually gone back in pant size. I had her in 18 month pants back in the late spring/early summer because anything smaller would cut in to her belly. She also had a few pairs of 24 month and 2T's that she was wearing. Mostly pants that had the option to be snapped up to capri length so I could roll them up and they would actually stay up. I had to go up into the last bin of clothes I put up in the attic for storage and take some pants back out. Now that her belly has gone away she can wear them again. She's still wearing some of her 12 month pants. They are a little short, but that's better than the larger sizes slowly falling down on her because then she'll trip on them as they get under her feet. However, she does have a long torso so the 18 and 2T tops do fit best.

Monday, November 17, 2008

another gorgeous day...

Global warming? Odd CA weather? Who knows, who cares...

Molly and I headed back to Oak Meadow Park this afternoon. Katrine and Emily joined us. Started out on the swings and then had the girls do some walking with their walkers. They got bored with their own walker so they decided to switch. Once they got tired of that we headed back to the swings until it got dark.

Click on the pic below for more:

marathon sleep

Molly bug crashed out about 4:30 yesterday afternoon. She woke up just after 3:00 in the morning. So much for having a second nap! I went in with a bottle and she went down again until 6:30 am. Then she proceeded to have a three hour nap this morning. Who knew teething was so tiresome?

Sunday, November 16, 2008

another tooth...

Molly spent the night at Grandma Hickson's and another tooth popped through. It's another incisor on her top right. Looks like it just broke through. I think this is why she's been fish lips so much lately. She used to suck her top and bottom lips in when her center teeth broke through and now she's doing the fish lips face to help with the next ones over. I'll try to get a pic once it has come in a bit more and you'll actually be able to see something.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

closer...



N was up with Molly this morning and she took three whole steps by herself between the futon and her pony. When he went to record it she would only do two, but definitely getting closer to cruisin' around solo.

Friday, November 14, 2008

I like to move it, move it!

Molly shakes her booty whenever she hears the "Move It, Move It" song from Madagascar. The second one just opened in theatres and it was a Diaper Days movie yesterday so I decided to go. Granny Marsh joined us and Molly did dance her booty off whenever there was any music. She spent the rest of her time dropping her bottle in such a manner that it would roll all the way to the front of the theatre. I need to play the song for her and try to get a video of her dancing.

In the meantime, here's the trailer with the song:

Oak Meadow Park

We're having a lovely week here in sunny CA. I won't get into the exact numbers as I know some of you are dealing with some bitter cold right now, but let's just say we're having some record breaking highs. Molly and I got together with Jessie and her daughter Addison (and some of their friends) along with Katrine and Emily at the Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos this afternoon. Emily and Addison are also in Molly's Little Gym class on Thursday mornings.

It was a gorgeous day. Molly chilled in her Bob stroller and had a nice long lunch. Then we headed over to the grass. She kept trying to take Emily's walker, but was getting frustrated at how uneven the grass was. However, when she tried to head over to the dirt/gravel area (which was flat) I had to stop her because she didn't have any shoes on. She got more than a little frustrated. I gave her a bottle and she proceeded to konk out in her stroller as we walked the park with Katrine and Emily (in her brand new wagon). Molly was still out when we finished our loop so I left her in the stroller as Emily got some swing time in. It finally started to get dark around 5:00 and we realized we should probably be heading home.

However, since it was such a nice night out Molly and I went home to get N and then headed out for some burgers where we could sit outside and enjoy the evening. We headed up to Clarke's in Mt. View and got our fix. It was still nice out when we got home so we decided to spend some time in the hot tub. Gotta love CA weather!

Click on the picture below for more:

Monday, November 10, 2008

SF Zoo

It was an absolutely gorgeous San Francisco day... clear blue skies... and a little chilly... but that's SF for ya! Jenn had made plans to head up to the Zoo so Molly and I decided to join them. We got there right in time for opening which worked out great since Molly had her morning nap in the car on the drive up. She also passed out in her stroller for a bit towards the end of the day. I think all the fresh air and breeze on top of the fact that she was snuggled in konked her right out.

We both brought our cameras, but Jenn had left her memory card at work and after a few shots my camera started flashing a low battery sign. The upside was both of our cameras took the same memory card so once my camera finally died we swapped over to Jenn's. Heh, between the two of us we made it work!

Robert had a great time running around the children's area and checking out all the animals up close and personal. Molly was still a little mellow from her morning nap (cut a little short) so she just chilled in the Bob stroller and checked things out. Unfortunately it was a little windy and a little chilly and a lot of the animals decided to stay inside. I'm thinking the next time we should head back is in the spring when all the babies start making an appearance.

Click on the picture below for the full gallery:

Friday, November 7, 2008

Snotty McSnotterson strikes again!

Molly bug had a bit of a runny nose earlier this week. She hasn't come down with a full blown cold, but she gave whatever she did have to mommy and daddy. She's too quick on the draw with her fingers into our nose and mouths. Feeling a bit under the weather, but better today than I was yesterday. Molly is feeling perfectly normal as she just winded daddy by having him chase her all around the house on her walker. She was laughing up a storm and running into walls. Sounded very amusing as I was downstairs doing laundry and could only hear the wheels on the floor and her laughter.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Pumpkin Festival 2008


Pumpkins Pumpkins everywhere! Molly, Robert, and us parents took on Half Moon Bay.

Gallery

Molly celebrates.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Molly dancing



We were watching Entourage last night and over the closing credits there was a song Molly really seemed to enjoy. She was dancing her little heart out so we tried to recreate it here for you. Not as much as the first time around, but you can still see her get down with her bad self.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Finished Molly's birthday gallery....

http://stonekitty.net/pix/mollys-1st/

Originally had 56 images or so... now has 190.

fall back

Just a reminder for everyone to set their clocks back one hour today. This actually works out great since Molly has a b.day party to attend so her morning nap won't be interrupted.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Day of the Dead

Perhaps it's the rainy/windy Something Wicked This Way Comes weather we're having... or the fact that it's the Day of the Dead, but does anyone else get completely creeped out when a kid's toy just randomly goes off? I know a lot of toys do this to get kids to come back an play with them, but Molly's octopus just started playing a tune all by itself in the living room. No animals were near by and I'm pretty sure this toy doesn't have that call back feature. Creepy!

Friday, October 31, 2008

trick o' treat

I finally remembered to keep a tally this year and we had 127 kids stop by (give or take a few). Things have died down and I think we're done for the night. I loved seeing all the costumes. I think my favorite was an 14 month old girl pirate. She rocked her hat. I also give major props out to the Star Wars family trio of Princess Leia (mom), storm trooper (dad), and ewok (little girl). They definitely spent a nice chunk of change on those costumes. Plus Auntie Kim stopped by in her full on Renaissance Faire costume which I have been wanting to see in person for a while. Thanks again!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Visiting daddies work.

His office is crazy!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008



pics 10/23 to 10/28/2008


pics 10/16 to 10/17/2008

And we're home...

It was a great visit (minus the snow flurries) and I am so very happy Molly and Emma had a chance to meet. I'll do my best to work on pictures today and get some galleries up so you can all see their cuteness. We put them in their Halloween costumes yesterday for a little photo session. Once again Molly is not a fan of her costume. She doesn't like stuff zipped (or in this case, velcroed) up to her neck or hoods (her costume has both) so she immediately starts tugging at it the second you put it on. Definitely learned my lesson and will take that into consideration for next year. Of course little Miss Emma didn't seem at all phased by her costume.

For the most part we hung out at Heather's place and watched the girls play. I really didn't pack any of Molly's toys and the only one she really had to play with at the hotel was her b.day gift from Emma. I think Molly was getting bored. She was definitely the most relaxed and happy playing with all of Emma's toys so that's something to remember for our next trip.

We did venture down to the Mall of America and walked through their Underwater Adventures Aquarium on Saturday. Molly was into it at first, but it was nearing 2:00 and she hadn't had a nap yet so she got fussy towards the end. She finally did pass out in her stroller, but only for 30 minutes, and that was it. For the day. Unfortunately that carried into Sunday when we went to visit Chris and Emily and demon child made a visit. No really, Molly isn't normally like this. I don't care that all parents say that. Demon child is not normal. Honest!

Emily was also involved with a Halloween show that I had really wanted to check out on Sunday night. However, when we woke up that morning to snow flurries I didn't think it was going to be on the agenda. They ended up canceling the show... it was supposed to take place outside... in a park. Still a bit bummed about that one as it looked awesome!

Molly never really did adjust to the time difference. Her nap schedule got a bit messed up, but she seemed to be sleeping more at night. In fact she pulled off another 14 hours the first night and then slept a steady 12 hours for the rest of the trip (if not a bit more). It seemed like every time we were putting one girl down the other one was waking up. The up side is we did manage to get a lot of second naps in for Miss Molly (well, except for Saturday). I'm not sure if it was the fact that it was getting darker earlier or the time difference or just being in a new place, but she slept a lot more than normal. Perhaps she was just hibernating as it was in the 30's... a lot. ;-)

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Seatbacks and tray tables up for takeoff.

Last day in MN.

This is my dads leg, and it's mine. Got it?

Monday, October 27, 2008

It's 32 degrees out at 9pm

Minnesota is chilly willy. Goodnight!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Good morning!

I told that sandman to talk to my foot! I slept plenty and am happy
again.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Mall of America

It's noisy and huge and I can't nap dammit!!!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Off to Minnesota.

Securing daddys glasses for flight!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Daddy's little monkey.

I got to take molly to Little Gym today, to show me how awesome she
is. :)

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Chillin at Starbucks.

Savoring a cracker, while dad savors a $4 coffee.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Pumpkins

As soon as Molly got up this morning we hustled and loaded her into the car (along with all of her stuff) and got on the road. It was the annual Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival and we've heard that traffic is notoriously bad. We were pulling out of our driveway at a quarter to eight... yes, in the morning... and were on our way. N suggested we take Highway 82 and cut over to Highway 1 south of Half Moon Bay rather than deal with the headache that is Highway 92. It was a windier road (which I'm not a fan of because I do get car sick), but it was the right idea since we didn't hit any traffic.

We were parked and heading towards the main strip just before the festival was to start at 9:00. Did a couple laps around the first section of booths and checked things out. I picked up a cute lady bug fleece beanie for Molly from the Dinky Dimples booth and got a free sample of some environmentally friendly dish soap from the Mrs. Meyers truck. We then hooked up with Jarrod, Jennifer, and Robert and headed over to the Half Moon Bay Library for the costume contest. There was a little boy dressed up as a pirate sitting in a wagon decked out as a pirate ship and then he had his little sister that was dressed up like an octopus hanging off the side. Not to mention the little boy in his NASA space suit riding around in his wagon decked out as a space shuttle. Once the kids started to get a little bored and fussy we decided to take off since clearly we weren't even in the running for any prizes. Who knew heavy construction was involved?

When we got back to the main street it was packed. SUPER packed. We headed straight for the food court and scored some awesome eats. N started off with some pumpkin pie (hey, all in the spirit of the festival he tells me) and polishes that off with some pumpkin ice cream. I went another route and scored some very yummy marinated artichoke hearts and got a corn dog. After that we attempted to find the pumpkin carving guy, but the map we had wasn't very accurate and we headed in the wrong direction. The crowds were crazy just to walk in, forget about it when you add a stroller to the mix. We finally regrouped on a side street and decided to head down to the hay bale maze (about 6 miles south) that our friend Barrett told us about. We had seen it on the drive in and the maze looked quite impressive.

The hay bale (or hale bay as I kept calling it) maze was located at the Arata Pumpkin Farm and it was awesome! Sure, it was $5 per adult, but soo worth it. At first we just let Robert lead as he had some excess energy he needed to burn (Molly had passed out in the car on the short trip and was zonked out in the Bob Stroller). He was actually doing pretty well and then us silly adults decided to take a crack at it and hit dead end after dead end and kept ending up back where we started. We finally came across some dude in a cloak with some sort of goat head thing and he handed a very concerned Robert a golden mini pumpkin. He was also standing in front of a hay door, but wasn't saying a word. After a bunch of us were gathered (there was just another dead end past him) we started to think he was the way out and we also started to talk about the fact that we could easily take him. Apparently that was the trick because the door opened and the exit was found.

Molly woke up just in time for some pictures in the pumpkin patch and some walking (still with our help) in the lovely dirt. The parents were starting to get hungry again so I suggested a late lunch at Alice's Restaurant up on Skyline and 84 on our way back. We sat on the back deck that overlooked a nice grass lawn that the kids were able to run around on. It was an absolutely gorgeous day.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

gotta love California...

I needed my mom to sign some documents as my guarantor for my passport renewal so we had made plans to have lunch. Once Molly got up from her morning nap we headed over to pick up Granny. Then we headed down to Los Gatos to meet up with Grandpa Marsh and to have lunch. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. I'd say upper 80's for sure, if not creeping into the 90's. The table we sat at was partially in the shade when we arrived and completely in the shade by the time our lunch arrived. It was nice and warm with a slight breeze. After lunch we headed across the street to the park and I had Molly walk through part of the spray from the children's fountain. She loved getting her tootsies wet. Then my mom and I did some window shopping while Molly chilled in her stroller. Absolutely gorgeous day!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Molly steering



This video was taken yesterday morning. She has definitely gotten better about getting up and over things. Nothing is stopping her now. However she's in for a rude awakening when she no longer fits under the dining room table.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Monday, October 13, 2008

1 year doc visit

Molly weighed in at 22 lbs and 11 oz (halfway between 75% and 90%), height was 30.5 inches (90%), and her noggin was measured at 47 cm (90%). I thought it was very interesting that her weight had dropped down below the 90% range. I knew her buddha belly had been going away, but I didn't realize by how much. Her rolls (and rolls) are definitely coming off now that she's all over the place and super active.

N had Molly walking all over the exam room (still holding on) and she was super interested in the big ol' box of toys. We went over everything she has been doing lately and the doc was really impressed with how well she was doing identifying colors (her stacking ring toy, I'll ask for a certain color ring and she usually gives it to me or stacks it for me) and shapes (blocks into a bucket through the shape hole, she's got the star one down and is pretty good with the circle and square). Her motor skills are also pretty refined (she'll know what button does the really fancy stuff on certain toys or my laptop and zone in on that one with one finger pointing). Doc said she was definitely an advanced baby. I'll take it! :-)

Molly had to have three shots (two in one thigh and the last one in the other). She was NOT happy about this. It probably didn't help that these needles were bigger and her skin is pretty tough so they really had to punch the needle through the surface. No more super fine baby needles, Molly has moved up in the world. Based on all my IVF experience with needles I'd say these were in the mid to low 20's gauge range. The super fine needles that go in like butter are 30 or above. The smaller the number, the bigger the needle. Granted they probably looked bigger compared to Molly than they would if I had to use them on myself. Still, definitely more towards the needles I had for butt shots as opposed to the small ones I had to inject into my abdomen.

N took Molly out the car and gave her some tylenol for the shots and some of her bottle while I made her next appointment (15 months). Molly's doc appt was at 10:00 am (she was up just after 6:00 am and usually goes down for a nap after 3.5 to 4 hours so right as we were leaving) and we were there until almost 11:00. She was definitely pooped out by the time we got home.

1 year check up

22 lbs 11 oz 30.5 inches 47 cm noggin

Molly b.day pics from Auntie Jenn



Sorry hun, but Jenn also beat you. Her pics were up about two and a half hours before yours.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Molly's 1st Birthday, Photos



Here, is our gallery of Molly's first birthday. Its been a delightful year. We couldn't be more proud of our darling.

I wanted to get this gallery up fast (but Bree still beat me, :), so I picked out the best pictures and posted them for now. This is 59 images, out of 530 total... I will make a second pass soon, and add the next-best 100 or so images. Check back in a few days.

Molly b.day pics from Auntie Bree



Bree's on top of it and already posted pics, so check them out.

1 year

Molly is *very* close to walking. She pushes her little walker toy all around the house and is trying to master steering it. She still needs some help when she gets stuck, but I think she understands the concept behind turning. Now it's just a matter of actually doing it. Molly also loves to walk towards you while holding on to your fingers. She's barely holding on and sometimes you can get her to only use one hand. So, she's definitely capable of walking on her own. Now it's simply a matter of doing it. Psychological hurdle if you ask me.

The weaning process has been going pretty well. At first she didn't seem all that interested in the bottle, but she slowly started ramping up how much she would drink. Just now she downed 8 ounces (half cow, half boob) before her morning nap. She still gets a ton of water during the day from her sippy cup and I was down to just feeding her in the morning. However, yesterday was a long day with her party and visitors so she did get some booby time before bed. I might have to feed her again tomorrow morning since she's had back to back feedings, but maybe I can just skip it and my supply will go away. We'll see. I'm really hoping I don't have to bring out the pump for relief. More importantly, I cannot wait to burn my nursing bras. Oh yes, BURN.

The nap situation has pretty much been reduced to one in the morning. Maybe once a week I'll get a second nap, but nothing I can really count on. The morning nap is usually around an hour and fifteen minutes long. I think it's been getting cut short by poopy diapers. Then it's a long 7-8 hours before bedtime. Sometimes she'll get a cat nap in the car while we're out. Sometimes she'll konk out in her jogging stroller after a walk. But, most of the time she's up until bed time.

Bed time has also been slowly getting earlier and earlier. I try to keep it closer to 8:00 pm, but sometimes it's more like 7:30 or even 7:00. As soon as she starts showing signs (yawning, eye rubbing) it's best to just get her down immediately because her wake up time is going to be the same regardless. Luckily she does tend to sleep at least 11 hours if not closer to 12. However, we've had some uncomfortable wake ups at 5:30/6:00. The house is damn chilly at that time too now that the weather is changing.

Molly still eats the jarred veggies, but for the most part she'll just have a little of whatever we're having. She loves to feed herself and LOVES pasta (with sauce only, not so much the plain pasta). However, pasta meals pretty much have to be followed by a bath so I try to space those out. A lot of the time I'll grab a salad from Zanotto's salad bar and get Molly plenty of garbanzo (favorite), kidney, white, and soy beans plus some of those little corns (think Tom Hanks in Big). She loves that!

Molly's motor skills are also pretty impressive. If I'm on my laptop she'll walk by and then hit the caps lock button on and off a few times (it has a green light when on) and then continue on her merry way. She's also figured out how to use the space bar to pause and then start up again videos on You Tube. Such a smart little cookie.

Asides from getting tired and a bit cranky after a long day I'd say Molly is one happy baby. Actually, she's not really a baby anymore. Definitely a toddler. I cracked Auntie Kim up the other night when I said, "When Molly was a baby she wouldn't move at all when she slept..." She thought it was hilarious that I said "was a baby". Molly's a big girl. She's looked old enough to be a toddler for a while now, but now I definitely think she is one. Her rolls are slowly coming off now that she's super active, but she also has those moments where she just leans back into me and has a nice long stare. Love mellow baby. Wish I could make mellow baby appear on a moment's notice. I mean mellow toddler.

Happy Birthday Molly Elizabeth Hickson!



Miss Molly turns one today! Technically there's still a few more hours until she arrived, but eh... close enough. We celebrated her birthday yesterday with a costume party at The Little Gym. N took a *ton* of pictures that he's still going through and rating, tagging, etc. Hopefully those will be up soon.

My hopes was to have all the little ones arrive and take pictures of everyone in their costumes. Well, Miss Molly's costume was a tad bit hotter than I expected (basically a jacket with a hood that's padded and VERY warm plus fleece-like pants). She wanted out of that costume the minute we put it on. With how warm her little body was when I did take it off I couldn't blame her. Still, I wanted some pictures so we kept trying to sneak it on.

After the picture torment we just let the little ones rip. There are a few things I wanted to make sure we got to do like take the parachute out and go on the inflatable jumper, but other than that I wanted it just to be a free for all. We did get around in a circle and sang a few songs. Miss Molly headed out to the center of the circle, but then scooted back towards me as soon as we started singing Happy Birthday... of course. Still, I think she had a great time. I know her parents, grandparents, and Aunt sure did.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

who knew?

So, I'm sure many of you are already aware of the fact the peas and corn uh... pass right on through. Well, add black beans to that list. Molly tends to wake up from her morning nap with a present for mommy. This time there was a little something "extra" waiting for me. Took me minute to figure out what I was dealing with when I remembered we went to Wahoo's yesterday and Molly pretty much polished off my black beans for me. She loves beans and has had black beans before, but apparently never this many at once. Ah, the joys of motherhood.

Oh, we also discovered on Monday that Molly LOVES asparagus. She's a fiend. Probably had a good 5 spears all to herself. We cut it up for her at first, but then daddy taught her how to grab a spear and bite off a piece from the end. Hey, one less thing to use as a weapon is fine with me. She's still having issues with her sippy cup. She'll take a drink no problem, but then she'll either obliterate anything on her tray or she'll actually chuck it at any dog within range. Sippy cup equals weapon in Molly's book. Not really sure how to stop that association. Thoughts?

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Molly's walker



Oh yeah, Molly's definitely getting closer to walking... any day now...

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

new teeth = weaning

Last Wednesday, after we got back from Tahoe, I picked up some whole milk and started the weaning process for Miss Molly. We're coming up on the year mark, but more importantly she has new teeth. Bottom teeth haven't really been an issue. I've felt them a few times when she's really hungry, but she only bit me once and that was when I was trying to feed her before heading out and she wasn't hungry. I suppose that's what I get for sticking a boob in her face when she didn't ask for it.

The first three days I did 1 ounce of cow's milk to 4 ounces of breast milk. She didn't really seem to care. I think she had more issues drinking from the bottle than she did with *what* she was drinking. I can probably count on my fingers how many times she's even had a bottle in the last two months. On Saturday we moved up to half and half and she still seems fine with it. Granted, she'll only drink 2-3 ounces at a time (if she's even interested), but I'm not too worried considering how much water she drinks from her sippy cup in a day.

Molly is still getting the boob first thing in the morning and then right before bed. Although she has already skipped a few evenings because we've been out and about or she's crashed out on us before I had a chance to feed her. I'm hoping the drop down to twice (and sometimes once) a day will help my supply just go away on its own. I still have 90 or so ounces of breast milk frozen downstairs so we'll probably still be giving her the combo milk well after she's done with the boob.

check out Robert's blog

Jenn posted some great video and pics of Miss Molly and Robert from this past weekend. We went out to dinner on Friday night, but first we hit a near by park for some swing time (got a video of that) and then a ride down the slide. After dinner we headed back to the Jodoins where Molly scored some cool cowgirl boots.


pics 09/25 to 10/03/2008

Monday, October 6, 2008

another tooth...

The top left tooth is just starting to poke through. You can see some white that has made it through, but it hasn't dropped enough to actually feel it. Not too surprised the top two teeth came in around the same time as that is what happened with the bottom two.

someone is going through a growth spurt...

So, Miss Molly and I did some shopping yesterday with football widow Jenn and Robert. Towards the end of the day Molly started rubbing her eyes and looking a little tired. I thought a ride in her car seat might do the trick and I was right. We went over to Jenn's place to pick up Lola (we had Odin, Bree and Jon just got back from New Zealand yesterday) and Molly bug konked out around 5:30. She stayed down after the transfer from the car to her bed and I thought she might actually sleep for a little bit. Then 6:30 comes and goes. Then 7:30. Around 8:30 we're thinking she's down for the night. She has been sleeping 10 and a half to 11 hours on a pretty consistent basis. I do the math. 4:00 am is looking like her wake up time. Yikes! Still, the house is quiet so I get some stuff done and finally crawl into bed a little after 11:00 pm knowing I will most likely be up in 5 hours.

Next thing I know it's just after 7:00 am and I bolt upright in bed. Ok, maybe not upright, but my eyes opened and I turned my head to check the clock on the bedside table in a very efficient manner considering I was asleep mere seconds ago. Molly was still asleep! She starts making some noise at 7:17 am. I couldn't believe it. Almost 14 full hours of sleep!

Like I said, someone is *definitely* going through a growth spurt!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Hiking cut short by rain.


Just a little rain, but we decided to turn back 15 minutes into hike.

we have another tooth!

It broke through yesterday. It's Molly's top right and it's just breaking the surface. Last week I had noticed it looked like that tooth had shifted down some (you can see the outline of all of her teeth) and thought it might be making an appearance soon. It looks like the top left is right behind it. I will try and get a picture today.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Friday, September 26, 2008

Molly the trucker.

I press every button and command the wheel with authority.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

storage

I finally picked up some more plastic bins and cedar blocks so I could pack up all of the clothes Molly has outgrown and move them up to the attic. I got one bin for all of her 0 to 6 month clothing and another for the 6 to 12 month clothing. Yes, I'm retiring most of her 12 month clothes. Even some 12-18 month items. There are a few brands that still fit, but for the most part she's moved on to 18 month and 2T clothing. I couldn't believe how tiny some of the clothes were that she used to fit in. She was pretty much wearing 3 month stuff when she got home from the hospital, but even those items seemed small compared to the little moose we have crawling around now.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Molly took us down with her...

N felt it earlier in the day, but by last night I was sneezing too. Molly gave us whatever it is that she's fighting. N was supposed to head down to LA today for a day long stint in the data center down there, but had to cancel last minute. Trust me when I say a data center is that last place you want to be when you have a head cold. Of course, other than a snotty nose, Molly seems to be in great spirits (aka high energy) today. This should be fun. Not only is Molly a little under the weather, I also have her daddy to deal with. Right now he's sleeping. Hopefully, he'll be spending the better part of the day doing just that. I only have the energy to take care of one patient today. :-)

Monday, September 22, 2008

Snotty McSnotterson

Molly, Auntie Kim, and I went to the Renaissance Faire on Saturday. Apparently there was a little too much going on as Molly could not fall asleep no matter how much she rubbed her eyes and I kept her stroller moving. A little after 1 pm (and several laps) we decided to just head out. Of course Molly completely passes out on our way to the car. She slept on and off on the drive home and kept coughing. At the time I thought it was due to the dusty grounds of the ren faire, but looking back it was probably the first signs of her cold. She was overly tired all day and more than a little manic. We kept trying to put her down and she would konk out for 20 minutes or so and then wake up screaming. She woke up every 1-2 hours after we put her down for the night and finally slept for a good chunk between 11 pm and 4 am. When she woke up at 4 am I gave her some boob time and she went back down until a little after 8 am. She woke up snotty and bleary eyed, but in much better spirits. Poor little one had a head cold. She was too snotty to really get some good boob time in (I even got a lovely *heavy* sneeze while eating that ended that session). However, she did have two naps yesterday so that's the up side. I can probably count on my fingers how many second naps she's taken in the last month. She's in pretty good spirits considering how poopy she looks. Molly has already started the lovely habit of wiping her snotty nose on her sleeve. Apparently that's an instinct. Need to pick up more filters for her humidifier today so we can get that running.

Friday, September 19, 2008



pics 09/16/2008

Since A) N was out of town this week on business, B) I desperately wanted to get some new music, and C) the best record store EVER is Amoeba I decided it was time to head back up to the city. N's not a big fan of SF, but I LOVE it! First we headed to Haight Street and Amoeba for some shopping. I'm so very happy they separated Punk out of the Rock section and gave it its own section. Much easier to browse this way. So many choices. I could spend all day here. Molly and I then headed down to Escape from NY Pizza for a yummy slice of their pesto. Well, Molly just enjoyed the crust. So good.

After that we headed downtown and hit the mall with the huge Nordstrom's. They have this insane new food court that's pretty fancy schmancy (also where the family room is located) that also has this upscale market (Bristol Farms) with one very kick ass prepared foods section. Banana and Old Navy were having some major sales so we did some shopping and hit a few other stores. After that Molly konked out in her car seat so I took advantage and did a little driving tour of the city.

More pics

Jenn posted two great albums on their blog that I wanted to make sure everyone saw.

Park time - The Jodoins came over last Saturday for some park time in our neighborhood and there are some really great shots of Robert and Molly in Robert's wagon.

Bonfante Gardens - Some pics Jenn took this last Sunday at Bonfante/Gilroy Gardens.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008



pics 09/11 to 09/14/2008

Molly and I went to Bonfante Gardens on Sunday with the Chouns, Jenn, and Robert. I didn't take that many pics (that's a lot easier when there are two parents), but I did get some nice shots.

Molly's first ride

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Jon's b.day dinner at Giovanni's



click here for photo album

Last night we got together with Bree, Jon, and Logan (and many many more) to celebrate Jon's b.day at his absolutely favorite pizza place Giovanni's. Bree took some great pics so click on the photo or link above to see them all.

Friday, September 12, 2008

On. Off.



pics 09/04 to 09/10/2008

Molly poked mommy's eye out!

OK, it's not *that* bad, but the little stinker did poke me in the left eye when I was side feeding her. Hard to see those fingers coming from that angle. Anyway, she got me good on Wednesday and yesterday it was definitely red and irritated. I woke up this morning and had gotten worse during the night. I called my doc and he could see me this morning. Thank god for grandmas because my mom was able to head on over to watch Molly. She went down for her morning nap right before grandma arrived and I was able to head off to my doc solo. Turns out Miss Molly gave mommy some Conjunctivitis (aka pink eye) and a small corneal abrasion (tiny scratch). Luckily the scratch wasn't that bad so I escaped having to wear an eye patch. I was prescribed some medicated drops and sent on my way.

Now, the very first time I ever had an eye drop was a few months back when Molly had once again poked me in the eye. That time I didn't get an infection, but it was a little red and I wanted to make sure there was nothing in there. N looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to get the drops in. I kept blinking *right* as the drop went in so I kept missing my eye. Then he tried and I kept doing it. Even yesterday my mom was holding my eye open with her fingers and I still managed to blink. I suck. I've never had to deal with eye drops before and hopefully this will be the last time. I wonder where I can purchase a mini straight jacket so I can get through this last month of breastfeeding without injury...

11 months

Hard to believe one month from now Miss Molly is going to be turning one. Time flies!

Molly is a crawling machine and loves to pull herself up on things and even take some steps (furniture surfing) while holding on. She hasn't taken any steps on her own yet, but I'm sure she will when she's good and ready. The Little Gym has been great at exposing her to new things. She loves to do somersaults and loves to explore all of the equipment in the gym. This week we did some peekaboo on the high bar and she balanced herself on the balance beam. She's great at doing the skills when she doesn't realize she's doing them. If it's a game she laughs and laughs and has a great time. If you just try to get her to do the skill and she knows it she sometimes gets upset.

Molly also loves to study every little thing. She watches everything you do and once she's figured it out she'll mimic you. She's also a great mimic when it comes to sounds. I've had several people stop me while we're out and about to comment on Molly's "talking". Oh yeah, she's going to be a talker. There's no doubt about that.

Molly also has some pretty fine motor control skills. She doesn't just grab the remote to drop it and make a noise (which she sometimes *does* do). She grabs it and presses each individual button with her fingers. If we're not careful one of these days she's going to reprogram our entertainment center and lock us out!

Molly still loves bath time and any time she gets to spend in the pool. N recently lowered the temp in our hot tub so she could go in. He went out to check on the levels and Molly saw the water and practically threw herself in. I'm pretty sure we'll be signing up for some winter swim lessons once her current Little Gym session is over.

Another thing that Molly does that warms my heart is read. Well, it *looks* like she's reading. She'll take one of her hard board books or soft bath books and will sit there and study each page. Then when she's done she'll turn to the next page. She also has the book right side up about half the time now. :-)

The very best thing she has learned so far has to be the word no. It takes about three times for her to fully realize something is off limits, but one that registers she usually won't go back to it. The exceptions are night lights (shiny) and the new entertainment stand and tv (shiny *and* bright). Those are her temptations. She knows she's not supposed to, but she'll try when we're not looking. Still, a stern "Molly" usually does the trick and she'll back off.

Another thing that cracks me up is that she loves to close doors, but then cries the second she does. Even when you're on the same side as her. It's hilarious!

Molly still just has the bottom two front teeth. She gnaws on everything, but nothing new has broken through. Which is fine by me since she's still getting boob time about 4-8 times a day. I stopped pumping in the mornings about a month ago when she really kicked her eating of solids into high gear. I used to get a solid 8-10 ounces each morning, but then it dropped down to about 4 and it was starting to get a bit more uncomfortable since I was no longer getting really engorged so I just stopped. I still have plenty in the deep freeze downstairs when she needs a bottle and I'm not around. She usually feeds first thing in the morning, right before her morning nap, right before her afternoon nap/quiet time, and then right before bed. Some days she wants it more often, but at the bare minimum it's those 4 times.

As for eating she still loves her veggies! Freeze dried peas and corn are always a favorite and she goes through jars and jars of sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, squash, lentils, and rice. I got a butternut squash and pureed it for her, but I think there was still a bit too much texture. I added some more water and liquified it and that seemed to do the trick. I'm going to try doing this for a few more veggies to make sure she'll take them that way and then try to back off on buying the jar foods. Still, they are handy when out and about and I'm sure we'll always have some veggie ones on hand.

Another new favorite are graham crackers. She had her first one when she stole it from Robert when he spent the day and now she's hooked. I think they might have surpassed even her love for cheerios. I try to use these as a last resort or dessert after a meal, but once she spies them she will *not* be deterred. Still, they were a life savior when we were driving back from Santa Barbara and she was done being in the car around Gilroy.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Shopping with daddy.

Showin him what to get!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Best. Quilt. Ever.



Molly's quilt

Auntie Amy finished up Molly's quilt over the long weekend and it is awesome!


pics 08/28 to 08/31/2008