Happy Meow-lloween!

Happy Halloween!

Is it Halloween already!? Really, I planned to do the big costume reveal on Friday, but since its Thursday and I have no pictures of that, it will have to wait. In the mean time, enjoy these shots of Don and Me and Kate and pumpkins. Because apparently that's what you do when you have a little one.. go to a pumpkin patch.







Pumpkin Patch - Take 2

Not Me! Monday

Welcome back to another exciting edition of Not Me! Monday. I am so excited that my friend Ashleigh has joined in the Not Me! fun! I was not motivated to rush on over here and post my Not Me! simply because she posted her very first one. I am never affected by such peer pressure. Please remember that this blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

So, my teeth all came in straight as a child and I never had braces - even though I did beg the dentist to give me some. My Mom, instead, endured braces during my elementary school years. Well, that’s about where the Good Lord stopped when he blessed me with straight teeth. I have pitted teeth, so I get cavities, and while we’re finding new ways to combat that, I’m enduring the joy of crowns. So I got a new crown last Monday! Yay! I am not totally ok with the dentist because it is in close proximity to the mall and Starbucks. I do not schedule my appointments around times that let me visit those locations. I do not grind my teeth. I did not think I swallowed that same crown on Thursday. I did not visit Panera, Starbucks and Gymboree after getting my crown replaced. I did not buy the cutest outfit at Gymboree in a size 2T for next year b/c they didn’t have it in Kate’s size and it was on mega sale. No, I’m much more financially responsible than that! Oh, and when I got home, I certainly didn’t find my crown in the glider in Kate’s room.

After much back and forth, Kate got her H1N1 flu shot on Thursday. I did not sit in the parking lot debating whether to do it. I’m in public health for Pete’s sake! I believe in vaccines! Again… it was not peer pressure that made me second guess my decision to get the vaccine for Kate (it was just good ole irrational, over-thinking Mama syndrome). I did not just re-read this paragraph and begin to wonder who Pete was and how I might find out why we exclaim for Pete’s sake.

I did not go to the grocery store yesterday and come away with: 2 boxes of “autumn-y flavored tea, 1 bag of candy corn, 1 bag of m&ms, 1 bag of Three Musketeers and 1 bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I did not then try to blame my gluttony on my sweet husband and the impending trick-or-treaters. He did tell me he was craving candy corn.. so its clearly all his fault!

Oh, and I know you’re all sitting on pins and needles waiting to see what Kate will be for Halloween!! Thanks to everyone who voted! We will have the big reveal later this week. I did not vote more than once. I did not think it was my right as the Mama to have two votes – I would never do such a thing.

Have a spooky week everyone!

Baby Steps

Yes folks, you read that correctly. Kate is finally taking little baby steps! Eight to be exact. I counted 8 baby steps this weekend - 2 for Nanna, 2 for Super G, and 4 for Daddy. I wasn't able to catch video of them.. because I was encouraging and clapping and celebrating those steps sans camera. But soon I will pick up the camera so you can see too. In the mean time, here is some video of Kate laughing and standing and photos of our fun weekend!

Reading a book with Da.


This is my view of Kate while working in the kitchen. It is cute, but makes it difficult to get anything done.


Petting the Birthday Kitten with Da.



More shoulder riding.


Have I mentioned that I've almost come to my wits end with mealtimes around here? I'm not the only one. My friend Julie is having the same issues with her little boy. Kate will eat yogurt and puffs, the occasional green pea, and seemed to like spaghetti for a few moments today. Otherwise she screams and screeches and is just difficult in general. You wouldn't know it from this photo would you? :) I welcome any suggestions or commiseration.



Daddy's little percussionist.

Standing tall!

Swinging! If you look closely, you can see two new top front teeth!

Ready for Fall!

Here's Kate.


Looking Cute.

Enjoying the Fall weather.


And a puffy vest.

Not Me! Monday!!

Good Monday everyone! Near the top of my to do list today was to actually post a Not Me! on Monday. I was not swayed by the fact that MckMama is giving away a special prize to someone who writes a not me! and posts the link on her site. Oh no, I'm not motivated by such things! Please remember that this blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

It is a chilly Monday here in Lexington, but that is not an excuse to listen to Christmas music 2 months early. So I most certainly did not do that on the way to my usual Monday meeting this morning. I am also not motivated to attend said meeting because there is a Starbucks close by. I love meetings and don't need extra motivation.

I did not spend the weekend bribing Kate to eat real food by feeding her puffs and Mum Mums. I also was not at all offended that she didn't want the yummy smorgasboard of finger foods I prepared so thoughtfully. Macacroni noodles? Nope! Peas? Maybe. Chicken? Only if you fed it to her. More of the same for baby carrots and peaches. Avacado? Stinky face. Ah well. I did read that refusal of solids isn't uncommon at this point, and I'm pretty sure she won't starve, because at least she eats puffs and drinks formula.

On Saturday, Don and I did not drive 2 hours to the Clemson game and then not go to the game at all. Of course we wanted to sit in 52 degree, rainy weather and watch the game. We did not watch from the warmth of the Wild Wing Cafe.

Did you need a few more Kate pictures for your Monday? Me too!! Here she is!

Riding her new pony.

New, big-girl car seat. This looks SO much more comfy!

Baby jail. She looks distressed, but she liked playing peek-a-boo behind it.

Another Lazy Sunday

I guess it was lazy depending on who you talk to. Kate? Lazy. Me? I think I must have cleaned the same kitchen 3 times. I also managed to vacuum and sweep up some of the dog and cat fur so that Kate didn't look like she was wearing fur pants after crawling around. I did more laundry than I've probably done in months, which isn't saying much because I avoid laundry like the plague, and I cooked beef stew - not out of a can - and it tasted pretty ok.

What does a lazy baby do to wind down at the end of a long, lazy day?

She takes a luxurious Daddy Bath. Baths with MaMa aren't nearly so relaxing. If I was directing this bath, she would be trying to climb out of the tub.


She plays with her new shopping cart. It allows her to walk unassisted by humans, so it is quite a hit. Have I mentioned that she can now stand on her own? She doesn't realize it most of the time, but she can go for quite some time!


And she does a little rocking in her monkey PJs.


What a nice end to a weekend. Saturday Don and I drove to Clemson, but ended up watching the game at Wild Wings in Anderson. I guess we're not die-hard enough to endure 52 degrees and rain. We've certainly done that before, but didn't have it in us this time. Please don't forget to vote for Kate's Halloween costume over on the right side of the page. You know, because she reads this blog every day wanting to know what she should be.

And finally, if you don't mind, please keep Kyle and Wendy Heise in your prayers this week. They lost their sweet 4 month old to SIDS on Friday. Also pray for their daycare provider, Polly, who found Kylie unresponsive in her crib. I can only begin to imagine their pain. I have certainly held Kate a little closer this weekend and checked on her rather obsessively. We should all remember not to take anything in life for granted - the health and lives of our family, the roof over our head, our own health.

For now, I'm off to clean 2 toilets and then enjoy a comfy bed... And, if I can muster it, Not Me! Monday is tomorrow! Good Night!

Fun Times

Ok, the last post was pretty serious, but not this one! Kate and I took the afternoon off while Nanna had lunch with some of her retired teacher friends. We spent most of the afternoon at Babies R Us, stimulating the economy. Let me apologize for the quality of these cell phone pictures. Maybe I should start carrying the camera around for outings such as these!

Kate checking out the booty: new car seat, clothes, a rocky horse, a grocery cart, a baby gate, and other random baby things.


Reading her new book in the car seat. Unless you want to buy the book, don't hand it to her in the store. Luckily this one was on sale.


And, she's out! Notice how her poor little legs are all crunched up in the seat?! Don't worry... she has a brand new big-girl car seat!

After doing much damage at Babies R Us, we headed over to Old Navy and did some costume shopping.

Kate the Kitty.


Kate the chicken. I put this one on her just to guage size, but it is quite cute. :)


So what do you think?? What should Kate be for Halloween??!
a. Kitty
b. Chicken
c. Clemson Cheerleader
d. Butterfly
e. She should be a baby because she won't remember anyway!

Please, cast your vote over on the right side of the page. But hurry! We need to decide soon!!

And finally, some more grainy cell phone photos just because:

Loves her stuffed Aussie!

I sure like waking up to this smiling face! Don's smiling face too, of course, but he doesn't giggle nearly as much in the mornings. :)

What I do to prevent the flu!

Hope everyone is managing to stay healthy during what is turning out to be a pretty vigorous start to the flu season! This, my friends, is going to be a nerdy/science-y post about why I will be getting the seasonal and swine-flu vaccines. I will try to debunk some myths here, but I strongly believe that you should make your own decisions about whether the risks outweigh the benefits for you and your family. My mantra is "be educated." Take the facts and make informed decisions. So, while I'd like you to feel better about taking the vaccine (if you don't currently), my goal is really to tell you why I plan to vaccinate myself and my family. And if anyone tells me that they can catch the flu from the flu shot, I will try my best not to scream, and refer them instead to this post, where I express my fairly well educated opinion on why that's horse pucky. Please remember that FoxNews wants to whip you into a frenzy and that’s why they invite the handful of doctors they can find onto their tabloid news channel to claim that the vaccine is dangerous and they wouldn’t give it to their families. If you’re worried, wait, take steps to prevent yourself from being exposed and see for yourself how the safety of the vaccine plays out. I’m all for avoiding vaccines for diseases you aren’t at risk of getting. I have been vaccinated against just about everything under the sun. Rabies? Check! Anthrax? Check! Smallpox? Check! Swine flu? Soon!

Why am I going to get the shot?
1. Because the flu sucks. Yeah, I don't like to use that word, but let me tell you that it is TRUE. If you don't know if you've had the flu in the past, you haven't. The flu will LAY YOUR BEHIND OUT for days. Ask Don. He had it once and lines up for the shot every year now.

2. If someone gets sick and I need to care for them, I'm covered. See above. I looked after Don that year that he got the flu. Having gotten the shot, I felt icky for a day or so, but did not get sick. If Kate isn't able to get the vaccine that is approved for babies because of a shortage, I want to stay well so that I: a) can't pass it on to her or b) can care for her if she does get ill. Please think beyond yourself. If someone depends on you, the responsible thing is to take care of yourself so that you can continue to take care of them.

3. I think its the socially responsible thing to do. Its called herd immunity. The theory of herd immunity is that it is more difficult for an infectious disease to spread if large numbers of the population are immune. Therefore, the higher the proportion of individuals who are immune, the lower the likelihood that a susceptible person (i.e. unvaccinated) will come into contact with an infected individual. Does this mean that I'm willing to get the vaccine to help protect people who can’t get the vaccine, are afraid to get it, or think all vaccines are evil? Yup.

4. People die from the flu. They die from seasonal flu. They die from swine flu. Healthy people. Pregnant women, moms with 3 week old babies, toddlers, babies, middle schoolers, wives, husbands, grandmas, mothers, fathers. And, here's the kicker: Swine flu has so far been a milder illness than seasonal flu. If you look at the pediatric death data from the past 4 flu seasons, more children have died in each of those seasons than in the current outbreak. And we're LOOKING HARD for it now. What if we looked equally as hard to see who died from seasonal flu? No one gets freaked out each January when flu is running rampant. But swine flu is different and therefore scary. Recent statistics show that 1 in 3 pregnant women who get the novel flu die. So, if I can contribute to not spreading it further by being vaccinated myself. I'll do it. For all those babies and moms and dads (to-be) and kids with promising futures.

So, there you go. Now you know why I am getting the swine flu vaccine as soon as I can!

Here are some other FAQ

Q: Am I scared of the vaccine? The new swine flu vaccine?
A: Nope, not scared at all. I get the seasonal flu vaccine every year. Guess what? The seasonal vaccine is different every year! They see what circulated the previous year, and what circulated in the Southern Hemisphere during their flu season (our spring and summer), and then the FDA chooses the strains to make up the vaccine for the upcoming flu season. So, every year the vaccine is "new". The swine vaccine is made the same way by the same companies in the same factories using the same methods as seasonal flu vaccine. To me, its the regular ole seasonal flu vaccine with a different flavor virus. What about for my sweet baby girl? Yeah, I get nervous too, and only want to give her what is absolutely necessary. But I also don’t want to be holding her tiny hand in the PICU, praying that she survives, like many parents do every year. Remember that 36,000 people die from the flu every year. I’m much more afraid of that than I am getting the flu shot.

Q: I mean, it hasn't been tested enough, right?
A: The seasonal vaccine is given to hundreds of millions of people in the US every year for many many years. Seems like we’d know about any serious side effects.

Q: Doesn't the vaccine contain thimerosal, which contains mercury?
A: Yes, it does. Thimerosal is a preservative that keeps bacteria from growing in vials of vaccine. If you didn't have it there, you could risk injecting people with bacteria along with their vaccine. I was born in 1974. I got a lot of vaccines that contained mercury. I've survived thus far and another small dose of mercury isn't going to hurt me. And, your body does actually have biological mechanisms for sequestering and eliminating mercury. There has been the fear that thimerosal in vaccines is linked to autism in young children. There are many reasons I don't put much stock into this, but won't go into that here. Vaccines for kids today do not contain thimerosal, with the exception of the flu shot (FYI - the FDA approved shot for kids 6 months - 3 years is preservative free). The small amount that they would be exposed to in that shot should pose no risk to their health. But again, that is a parent's choice to take a chance that the swine flu will be a mild illness in their child. Of course my goal is to give Kate all thimerosal-free vaccines for as long as possible. I will tell you that if she were over 3 years old or in school, without a question, she would get the vaccine that contained thimerosal.

Q: Do I need to get the vaccine if I’ve already had swine flu?
A: No, but be careful here. Unless you have had a test that confirms you had swine flu, you may not have had it at all. Doctors sometimes diagnose without running a test (taking a swab of your nose or throat). Sometimes they do a quicky test in the office and it is positive for flu. Chances are you had swine flu if it was positive, but sometimes those rapid tests are wrong, and some people had regular ole seasonal flu (especially back in May and June).

Q: Am I pronouncing that there will absolutely be no adverse effects of the vaccine?
A: No. But because of the scare of the swine flu vaccine of 1976, the CDC is being pro-active in determining any risks associated with taking the vaccine. There is something known as the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System that allows doctors and patients to report side effects they believe are related to the vaccine. The CDC is also following news stories that report adverse events to make absolutely sure that if something is happening, the public knows about it as quickly as possible. There is a lot of background data out there for all types of diseases and conditions. That's important because in order to know if the vaccine is causing something, you have to know what is normal. So if normally you see 1 or 2 cases of Guillain Barre syndrome for every 100,000 people, and after vaccination you see 3 or 4 cases, you start to wonder if its related to the vaccine. Be warned that people will say: I got the vaccine and then X,Y,Z happened to me. To establish a correlation, there needs to be more data than that one guy. Remember that people die and have other ailments on a daily basis - unrelated to the vaccine. And just because they got the flu shot doesn't mean it caused whatever problem they had. Don't spend too much time wrapping your brain around this - the CDC has MANY people working on tracking these symptoms.

Is anyone still with me? Do you feel more informed now?! :) I hope so, and I hope you’ll make the best decision for your family. With all of the media hype, its easy to get scared. Wash your hands, cover your cough, keep your distance from sick people and get the vaccine if you can. And if you do get the flu, stay home!! I'm all for sharing in most instances, but please don't share your flu! I hope it passes quickly and you’re back to your old selves in no time!

Not Me! Monday

Happy Monday!! Isn't it fun that I don't post Not Me! every Monday? Because then its a treat when I actually do! Ok, that was not my attempt to excuse myself from all of the Mondays I've missed lately. I also did not almost consider being funny and posting a Not Me! Tuesday because I'm just darned tired.

So lets play Not Me! Monday! Please remember that I'm not clever enough to dream this stuff up on my own, and if you want to see where it all started, link up to your own Not Me!, or just blog surf some funny stuff, please head on over to MckMama's site.

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you're just looking over your shoulder for the other 2 stooges the entire time? Nuk Nuk Nuk! Well, last week was not like that for me! No sir! I did not walk out of the house wearing 2 miss-matched shoes that were both black, but the similarities ended there. My mother did not try to convince me that no one would notice! My co-workers did not say that they wouldn't tell me if my shoes didn't match. Hello!?! Would they also not tell me if my shirt was inside out or if my pants were on backwards?!

My child did not send her rubber ducky swimming in the toilet, nor did poop leak out of her diaper because apparently they don't make diapers in size 3 with that kind of volume. I do not now have enough experience to know that baby poop cleans up out of the carpet much easier than cat poop.

I did not have an unfortunate umbrella accident in the middle of a monsoon. I also did not subsequently go about finding out how to return a Totes umbrella. They have a lifetime warranty, you know.

I finally got the chance to work in the yard this weekend for a few minutes. I did not, however, consider mulching over a dead squirrel. Instead, I buried it responsibly, and did not huck it over the fence into the neighbors yard...

I did not get dressed for church and show up at the advertised 11:30 service to find people just milling around in the sanctuary as if church had just ended. I did not instead go to Publix and buy groceries with the rest of Lexington County. I did not learn later that indeed there is an 11:30 service, but its contemporary and located somewhere else on the church campus.

See! I'm perfect! Just like you always suspected. I really hope that you sense the sarcasm in that comment. Ok, here are some pictures of your favorite 10 month old! Kate's new tricks include:

- Opening cabinets and drawers AND pulling out/banging/chewing on whatever she finds inside.
- Telling us that the ducky says Kack Kack Kack!
- Meowing back at the cat.

The happy girl!


Really loves riding on Daddy's shoulders. When they play, its a lot like a circus act. Well, a circus act if the trapeze lady giggled madly as she was swinging through the air. Don't you love that she's holding on to Daddy's ears for dear life?


Remember when I said she liked going through cabinets playing with whatever was inside. Well, the bag of potatoes was quite a hit.



Kack Kack went for a little swim. What's that? I said this didn't happen? Ah, well, my Mommy memory can be quite spotty.



Pretty girl with her Daddy.


If I can muster up the energy, I have several fun posts in the works. Until then, I hope you all have a SUPER, FANTASTIC week!

Early Reader

We've been reading books to Kate regardless of her apparent lack of interest. Seriously, the other day I read "The Pokey Little Puppy" to her while she screamed and squirmed in my lap. Recently, however, she's started reading books on her own! Here's the proof! Oh, and I extended the length of the video so that you can also see how she is so interested in crawling that she often runs into things...

Meet Me in Montana

Ok, hopefully you've never actually heard that song by Marie Osmond and Dan Seals. Its terrible, but Montana is definitely not! We had a fantastic time there this past week. Yes, we left our sweet baby girl home with Nanna. Leaving was hard, but we were like birds out of a cage when our flight left the ground in Columbia. One flight delay, one missed connection, and one day later than planned, we touched down in Missoula Montana - the Garden City. Which I find quite humorous. If you like dry, sagebrushy, rocky gardens, its perfect. :) No, Missoula was actually a lot of fun. We stopped there for lunch and wandered the Saturday Market.

Picking up our Subaru at the airport. This made up appear more like locals.


Heading into Missoula.


After enjoying ourselves in Missoula, we set out for Hamilton, which is about 45 min South. My good friend Lisa (Rucks) Moore is a Post Doc at the Rocky Mountain National Laboratories. Lisa put up with my insanity while I was finishing up my PhD at MUSC. The fact that she even agreed to hang out with me again says a lot about what a nice person she is. :) After arriving in Hamilton we wandered around town - its rather quaint - and rested before heading down to the highly recommended Broad Axe Lodge for dinner. We called ahead to make sure they would be open, since this place was a good 40 miles away, in the middle of nowhere, and just shy of the Idaho border. He suggested we make reservations, so we did. Good thing too. When we arrived, there was absolutely no one there. They had binoculars available in case we saw any wildlife in the hills around the lodge. We didn't see any, but the idea that we could have was exciting. The steak was delish, as was the raspberry meringue dessert. Yum!

There were several fires burning around Hamilton, as well as Helena. Here is a rather large one. I think this was attributed to a lightening strike.


The beautiful town of Hamilton.


Heading to the Broad Axe Lodge. Notice the trees on that mountain-side to the right have burned at some point.


At the turn-off to Broad Axe.


Crossed over this small stream to get there.


And here we are!


The next morning we played around the hotel a bit, did some trespassing, and watched the sun rise over the Sapphire Mountains.



Around 10:00 Lisa and her husband Dalen treated us to a tasty brunch at The Signal Cafe and then we headed out for a fabulous float down the Bitterroot River. Dalen is a flyfishing guide/ski instructor and all around nice guy. I'm most impressed that he was able to paddle us down that river in a raft and although it looked many times as if we were about to run aground, we did not , and continued smoothly on to the take-out.

The Raft.


Me and Lisa. Oh, did I mention that she's 7 months pregnant? :) Just in case you were wondering. Lisa has always been a tiny little thing, so to see her pregnant was fun! And that is Dalen in the background. Unfortunately this is the only picture I got of him.


A Westslope Cutthroat trout. This is about average for their size (I think). Dalen was an excellent teacher of fly fishing facts. VERY interesting. Seems a lot more fun and adventurous than just fishing in a lake.


Beautiful scenery. Wow. It was amazing. We did see a Bald Eagle. You know, just hanging out, flying around. No big horn sheep though. I was somewhat disappointed.


Us in the raft. Dalen behind the camera. Someone should petition for more tripods in the wilderness.


Took a ride up the Skalkaho Pass to see this waterfall. It was pretty cold up there, but a great ride. I chose to sit on the inside, where I couldn't see the crazy 1000 ft drop down the side of the mountain. If it tells you anything, they close the "Pass" during the winter and its listed online as a "primitive" road.

Yes, I'm a dork. I took a picture of a lab while on vacation. This is a pretty high-security place. I'm shocked that no one chased us down to confiscate my camera. Watch out Dalen, they probably have your license tag number on video now. :D


Wrapped up with some beers at the Bitterroot Brewery.


Lisa, of course, had water.


Our trip really could have ended right there. What a great time. But because I was actually in Montana for business, we had to move along. We spent the night in Missoula again before heading out to Helena the next day.

Don hanging off a sign at the rest stop.


Just before you head over the Continental Divide, you pass through the "land of 1o00 haystacks." Really, I'm not kidding, there's a sign. To me they look just like haystacks in little kids storybooks - with tiny fences surrounding them. I've only seen bales of hay, never haystacks, so it really stood out.


Here we are heading over the Continental Divide. The scenic pull-off was closed b/c of fires. There's no sign, by the way, to indicate that you just crossed the divide. At least I didn't see it. Here's the view from our car. It was pretty spectacular.


Helena is the capital of the state, and is about 2 hours from Missoula. It sits up on a hill, unlike Missoula and Hamilton, which rest in the Bitterroot valley. The story goes something like this (I think): The gold diggers were just about to give up looking for gold in Helena when they struck it rich. They, of course, hung around, and at one time Helena had the highest concentration of millionaires of any city in the US. So they say. Its pretty quiet now.


Dropped off our car at the airport, which looks like a lodge and has only 4 gates. Hard to get lost there.


Touring an old mining village.


The state capital building.


Don and I rented bikes the first day there and just wandered around town. He got serious on the second day. While I was in class, he rented this beast of a bike to ride in the surrounding mountains. See that cut on his knee? I think he was pretty proud to have a battle scar from Montana.


A view from the bike trails.


The rock that got Don's knee.


Can you spot Don in this photo? He took off up the mountain on his bike. I don't do hills well, much less mountains, so I stayed at the bottom to take pictures.


And there you have it! Quite a fun adventure. For Don's take on the whole thing, make sure to visit his website. The class I taught went well, and I hope that one day there will be another in an equally exciting location. Don headed back a day before me, so he and Kate met me at the airport when I returned. I swear she grew an inch or two while I was gone, and was wearing actual big kid shoes. We brought her a cute stuffed animal Australian Shephard dog, and I brought her a cold, I'm afraid. She spent today sniffling. Here she is, reading her book, wearing an outfit that doesn't match, but enjoying the company of her Ma Ma and Da.