Puppets, The Boot, Toys, Shopping and Mason

Not an original title, I know.  It does, however, cover everything in this post, and who's to say I have to be creative all the time. I'm tired, people.

One of the things I've enjoyed about maternity leave is that Kate and I have gotten to do some fun stuff that normally happens in the daytime when I'm working. Like the Marionette theatre that we visited on Monday. We watched The Little Mermaid, learned about different puppets, and went behind the scenes.

The Little Mermaid gets legs! I think she was confused that this wasn't the Disney version.

Tried out a penguin.

Kate's Kitty Cat "marian ant" puppet. I've lost count of how many times we've had to untangle this poor kitty.

Wednesday we took Kate to the "bone doctor."  They didn't give her a cast, but a boot to wear for two weeks.  When we got in the car she said: "Mama, I kinda don't like this boot." She wears it, nonetheless, although I have to say we're pretty liberal about her time out of the boot.

Don was a great Daddy and read her books while we waited over an hour. She was as hilarious as ever.  When the Doctor came in, she pointed to the computer screen where her x-rays were displayed and said: "Those are my bones." Which was even funnier because we hadn't discussed that those were her bones before that moment. The doctor just sat and looked at her for a couple of minutes and they traded silly faces and Kate giggled. Priceless.

 Yogurt after the boot fitting.

Grandma and Grandaddy sent her a get-well gift. Wow.. did they hit the jackpot with this one.  Princesses!

Friday we shopped with Nan and got a few cute things for school AND this watch. That's right. She'll be telling time next week. Right Nan? You're going to teach her that aren't you?

And then there's Mason. CU-TIE-PIE!

Not only is he cute in his tractors....

He's been practicing this:

 

Don will have him balancing on a bike by the end of the year.

And he's been nursing his double chins.

Thankfully we're just a few hours from not breaking anyone this weekend! Part of me wonders if I shouldn't have said that out loud. Anything can happen in a couple of hours....

Road Trip!

Maybe you've never stayed home with a newborn. Although the second go-round has been quite a bit easier and less stressful, it is still not at all what I'd call a vacation. They eat every 2 hours (or less if they're having a "growth spurt"), they poop a lot, they cry (a lot), and they certainly can't get up and go. So, needless to say, Mommy is a bit frazzled at the ends by 9 weeks. At any rate, I decided I was going to get out and go this weekend.  First option was Raleigh to see my old roomie Anna and let Don do some bike riding.  That fell through when her husband had to have emergency gall bladder surgery - get well Peter!  Then Don and I decided to take a family road trip to see Ceasar's Head and Table Rock, with a little relaxation in downtown Greenville, which is, by the way, a really beautiful and happening place to be. I had a good weekend.  Really,  I did. In spite of the events described in this post.


It started off great. I mean, Play Dough in (Daddy's) car!? Daddy rules!

A picnic in the Wendy's parking lot? "This is a fun day!" She says.

 

 Then we arrive at the top of Caeser's Head and get this view! Ah yes, that's what we came for!

 

Mason got a ride with Mama.

 

 Kate got a ride with Daddy... Ah... if she only knew.

And here is where things took a turn for the worse.  It was very rocky and very wet - as you can see in this photo:

 

Then I heard Don slip and a smack (which I was praying wasn't someone's head), then a Kate scream and then quiet (A sound you never want to hear with a little kid - screaming is always good).   And then I find a bloody Don who had dislocated his bad knee and a very distraught Kate who wouldn't stand on her right foot.  The knee went back in, but he was scraped up pretty bad.  This is the point where I could give my husband a hard time for breaking my daughter's foot, but I won't because had he not sacrificed his own body, it would have been much, much worse.

 We didn't realize at the time how badly she was hurt and we calmed her down with her binky, a very large lollipop, a bag of colorful rocks and a book about trees.  She was in good spirits by the time we left, and the plan was to stay the night in Greenville and have her checked at the ER on Sunday if it wasn't better.  That all changed a couple of hours later when we were in the hotel and she was screaming and still not standing.


Nothing like a trip to the ER with two kiddos.  A very long trip to the ER.  Both of them were super well behaved. Kate even showed Mason how to work her iPad.

And a better 2 1/2 year-old patient you couldn't have.  She was friendly and giggly and happy the entire time.  My favorite moment was when she told the sweet black lady who was assisting with her leg splint: "your hands are kind of brown." She asked What, Why, and How about everything. "What do you have? What are you going to do with it? Why?" Other than taking 4 hours, it was at least entertaining. No bone fractures, but she was diagnosed with a Type I Salter-Harris fracture of the growth plate.

And here she is - back at the hotel watching Madeline.  We walked through downtown and then had a hotel picnic - Pad Thai and spring rolls for me and Don, Mac and Cheese for Kate, and cupcakes for all!! (We deserved it) Here she is wearing her "magic boot" and handling everything like a champ. 

 We finished off our trip with a Waffle House breakfast before heading back to Columbia.  She's still not walking on her foot... but is starting to move it around more and is banging it on everything. Tomorrow we visit the pediatric orthopedic doc, so please say a little prayer for Kate. We're hoping she won't be in a cast for the next 6 weeks, but of course we'll find a way to take it all in stride if she is.  I'm really ready for a 2-year-old who can walk again. It will be good for everyone's sanity.

Zoo Trip

It was member night again this Friday, and you know I'll we'll take ANY excuse to go to the Zoo! It was a family trip. I lured Don there with the promise of $1 Icees.

Kate and I rode the Carousel.  I chuckle every time we ride because her favorite animal is the Peacock. You know, the bench that doesn't move that mostly old people sit on? Yup.. that's us. So far we've been lucky enough to get it every time.

Mason enjoyed the cool weather.  See that mouth. Yup.. he's got things to say now!

A little hula-hooping on the way out.

Shortly I will post about the rest of the weekend. It was a doozy - you'll probably want to stay tuned...

Two Months

Mason turned 2 months old on Saturday!  He's gotten to be quite a big boy - longer and certainly pudgier.  Can I make a confession? I'm not sad to see the tiny baby stage go. They're awfully cute, but they're also incredibly high maintenance.  So I'm all about this kid growing out of eating every two hours and not screaming from 5-8 pm every night. 

Kate? She's a pretty good big sis... see for yourself!

Happy Birthday America!

It was a long, fun Fourth of July weekend.  We celebrated America's birthday. Kate wanted to know if America was going to have a cake. She did... cupcakes!

The kids decked out in their red, white and blue.

Mason taking it easy with Smokey.  They're shaped very similarly, no?

We had barbeque at Nan and Pop's and then Filet Mignon on the Egg at home - YUM!

Nan and Pop came.. which was awesome!

 

Not just because they like to hang out in camping chairs in our driveway, but because there were FIREWORKS!!! Bedtime went out the window and we had a blast! (no pun intended)

 Hey Mom and Dad, come on over and watch us almost blow up the family. Don put these crazy fireworks in backwards and they blew through the launch tube. Yikes!

This one was pretty anti-climatic for a $10 firework, but it was more Kate's speed.

And it turns out that hop-toads are WAY more exciting that fireworks.

Hunting toads with Pop.

Cute little sucker.

Thanks Nan and Pop for making our fireworks memorable and for the yummy lunch.

Happy Birthday America!

Look Who's Smiling!

Ok, is it gas or is it real? I'm going with real here, folks!

Serious... also as in Seriously, these are some cute kissy lips!

 Teasing...

 There it is!