Happy Birthday to me!

I've always loved my birthday. I love when it falls in the year. I love feeling honored and special and at the center of attention for one day (although this is not at all like me the rest of the year.) I love cake and ice cream. I love seeing how other people view me through they gifts they come up with. I love sharing the 19th of May with two special family members, Dick Harrison, my late step-grandfather, and Eliza, my niece. And now, I love my birthday even more because I realize the significance of being a parent and bringing a new baby into the world. It makes me feel more connected to my own parents. So, thanks mom and dad for this special day. I'm honored to celebrate what I now know is also one of the most important events in your lives.

Here is our family birthday song. It has been passed down from Mimi, but originally comes from Big John and Sparky, a radio program for children in the 1940s and 50s.

Today is a birthday, I wonder for whom.

A birthday for someone who's right in this room,

So look all around you for somebody who...

Is laughing and smiling, my goodness it's you!

Happy birthday, Katie, from all of us to you.

Happy birthday, Katie, from Kennedy and Macy, too.

We congratulate you, may good wishes follow you.

Happy birthday, Katie, may all of your good dreams come true.

Sweet and sour

Kennedy said to me the other day when I was helping her in the bathroom, "Mom, I love you on a frosty morning." So sweet, but it must have been at least 70 degrees outside! It sounds like poetry to me, and I had to write it down so that I would remember it. Jake saw the note by the phone, and commented that she never says anything like that to him. I have no doubt, his turn will come.

Macy had her first time out yesterday. Kennedy was sitting in my lap and I was reading her a book. Macy crawled over and started pulling Kennedy's hair and pushing her out of my lap. Apparently Macy thinks that spot is reserved exclusively for her. So after the third time of telling her that this was not acceptable, she was put in the crib until we finished the book. Poor Macy. Her angry sobs were very dramatic. She almost lived up to the name Kennedy sometimes calls her when she gets in the way of her play, "Macy the Monster."

Keeping busy

Friday night the girls were both acting out of sorts, so we decided a night out was in order. Certainly not to reward their crying and whining, but to hopefully be a distraction from whatever was wrong with them. We tried an Indian restaurant that we haven't been to before. The food was great, the girls were great; they both loved the mango lassi drinks and the chicken coconut korma. After dinner we walked down to Jungle Jim's, which was an interesting adventure. It wasn't clear how the place works, so we might have walked in without paying. Kennedy loved the climbing area and playing ski ball with daddy. Macy was excited to see all the big kids, rides and games. She wanted to walk everywhere, and refused to be picked up. A night out was just what we all needed!

Saturday we woke up early and jumped right into the housework. Kennedy loves to help me clean the bathrooms and wash the floors. She has her own spray bottle (of water) and I get her a pile of rags so that she can squirt, scrub, and wipe just like mom. Sometimes her puddles on the floor drive me crazy, or when she insists on cleaning an area that I've already finished, but I'm so glad that she's learning about taking care of her surroundings. Growing up I never really had any chores that I remember, and it was great, but I also think that it made me a very lax housekeeper. I'm trying to change that, but it's hard to break old habits.

We finally had a perfect sunny day, so we also spent some time working in the garden. This is our first year planting vegetables. We're hoping to harvest peppers, carrots, beets, squash, peas, pumpkin, cantaloupe, strawberries and some herbs. Macy ended up covered in dirt, and she was headed back for the newly watered patch when daddy squirted her with the hose. This time instead of getting the camera, I picked her up, stripped her down and headed right for the bath. Kennedy got very upset when she got sprayed with the hose. She kept telling Jake, "Daddy, I am not a flower!"

To end the weekend, we took a picnic lunch to the arboretum. The spring flowers and trees were so beautiful and fragrant, and it was fun to see the girls enjoying the children's garden. All the excitement sure tired them out because they both took nearly three hour naps.

That evening we had Sunday dinner at Grandpa Ray's house. After we finished eating, Jake crushed me in a game of ladder golf, 21-2, while Kennedy raced up and down the grassy hill playing monster with anyone she could get to chase her.

After all that fun, it took a while to get the girls to wind down before bed. But after reading a few chapters in the Disney princess storybook collection that Kennedy picked out from the library, they both gave in and fell fast asleep.

New tricks

Macy has two new tricks. She says oh-oh when things drop. And, she blows kisses. Today when Grammie was leaving for work, Macy started waving, saying bye, and blowing kisses - complete with mmm and lip smacking sounds. Pamp pointed this out to Kennedy, and she said, "Isn't she cute!"

Trip to Washington

The girls and I went with Grammie and Pamp to Washington for a long weekend to see Uncle Andy and Aunt Meg graduate from WSU. Jake had to work, but he gave us the best send-off ever. We were saying goodbye on the phone before boarding, and he said that he was working near the airport. He asked what gate we were taking off from and then asked if I would call him back after we were on the plane to let him know where our seats were. A few minutes later there he was, driving his work truck, with its lights flashing, out on the runway and right up next to our plane. We all loved being able to wave to daddy from the airplane window, while saying goodbye one last time on the phone! It was so great, but not quite as great as it would have been to have him come along with us. The girls were very well behaved on the flight and on the ride from the Spokane airport to Pullman. Kennedy insisted on using one of the new sippy cups that I bought for Macy, but it kept her happy - that and a big bag of goldfish.

We were greeted by Aunt Meg, who helped carry in our bags to the vacant house next door where they had arranged for us to stay. It worked out great to have our own space. Kennedy and I shared an air mattress and Macy slept in a borrowed port-a-crib. The girls were able to take naps when needed, and they kept pretty much to their normal routine - which meant in local time, going to sleep at 7:30 pm and waking up at 5 am.

Our first night we had the best spaghetti dinner, with Meg's grandma's special sauce recipe. Then Andrew took us to see the school's grizzly bears and on a tour of the animal hospital. Some of the interesting things we got to see: a two-day-old mini horse, an owl family, a bald eagle, a $200,000 alpaca, lots of horses, a few cows, dogs, and cats. We finished off the evening with some yummy Cougar-made ice cream, and then I turned in early with the girls.

Andrew and Meg both had to work on Friday, so we drove to Moscow, looking for some new Keen sandals for Kennedy. Then we went to a science museum for kids, which the girls both loved. They were in heaven playing with all the toys and experiments, especially digging for dinosaurs in a huge box of lentils.

We all went to a Vet Med BBQ and enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers. Don, Meg's dad, and her Aunt Cheryl were there for the weekend, too.

Saturday was Meg's commencement, but the girls were not interested in sitting still for more than ten minutes. At the beginning, Macy was really excited and clapped a lot, but then Kennedy needed to go up to use the potty. We walked around the concourse during the speaker, and made it back in time to see Meg get her diploma, an M.A. in Education. That night we had grilled chicken and steak. Macy was so funny grabbing things off of my plate. She kept a big piece of meat in her fist to gnaw on. We went to bed early again, but the graduates went out for a late night, and well deserved, celebration.

Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day (more on that later) with brunch at the Old European restaurant. I had tried to curl Kennedy's hair with socks, but she didn't leave them in quite long enough.

Macy was so excited to dive in to the cake plate I ordered - pancake, crepe suzette, blueberry aebleskiver, and potato pancake. She got whipped cream all over her face, but she was enjoying every bite! Kennedy ate french toast, but wanted ketchup on it for some strange reason. After a quick nap in the car, we headed off to Andy's commencement. This time the girls had no intention to sit in the seats, so we strolled around inside the center to hear the speakers, climbed the stairs (again and again and again) to try the view from the very top row and then from the very first row. I was exhausted by the end, but so proud of my brother! I know his four years of vet school have been hard, and he has more training to come, but what an accomplishment!

Monday morning we got up, packed, ate breakfast, said goodbyes, and drove to the airport. I was so glad to be able to celebrate such an important milestone with my brother and sister-in-law, but I was also so glad to go home. When Jake got home from work, the girls seemed happy enough to see their daddy, but Kennedy was overjoyed to be back in her own room with her own toys, and Macy was overjoyed to see our cat Loki. She gave him a giant hug and chased him all over the house. Even though she did great with Andy and Meg's dogs licking her constantly, I think she might be a cat person like me.

Baby steps

I remember Kennedy's first steps being a really big, momentous occasion. It was Thanksgiving. She was only 8 and 1/2 months old. She let go of the couch and took three steps to a nearby chair. I was so excited that I almost started crying! And now my mind is tricking me into thinking that after that, she just walked everywhere. No more crawling. Obviously that can't be how it happened, but it really didn't take long for Kennedy to figure out that walking was the better way to get around. And, she was good at it. She was strong. She was brave. She didn't have a big "Nelson head" (I'm told this is a family trait). And she didn't have a mama secretly wanting her to stay a baby just a little bit longer. I didn't know any better at the time. It was so amazing that she was such an early walker.

Macy's process has seemed much more gradual, which I admit is making it easier for me on many levels. She's been walking around holding on to furniture, holding our fingers, or pushing a cart or a stroller. Over the last week, she has been daring enough to take a step or two here and there, but it's like she realizes what she's doing, and then decides to give up. She looks a little pleased, but also surprised, and then she sits down. This time, I just can't say with any certainty that I witnessed that very first step. Or, if I did, I hate to admit that it didn't make the same impression on me. Yesterday she was at Grandma Lu's house, and I heard that she took three steps! Then, last night she took about six! Today (May 5th) the girls came to see me at work, and Macy walked about ten steps! My heart skipped a beat. This was the feeling I've been waiting for - joy, overwhelming excitement, and pure amazement. My baby is walking! I'm so proud of her. Look out world, here comes Macy! One step at a time...

But, Macy, don't feel too slighted about your first step. I have no idea what Kennedy's first word was.

Not big enough

Macy had her 1-year-old check-up, and she's doing great! But, she's not big enough to face forward in her car seat. Actually, I don't think she minds riding backwards at all. Macy is 28 3/4 inches tall (40th percentile), 19 pounds 4 ounces (25th percentile), and has a head circumference of 18 1/4 (75th percentile). One of my co-workers suggested that maybe her big head is throwing off her balance and delaying her first steps. Even with these stats, somehow she still manages to look chunky (which is just so cute on a baby) - it's all in her cheeks, bum and thighs.