Katie's Maryland Grandparents Visit

While my parents (the NY grandparents) were here when Katie was born, Tim's parents planned their trip for a bit later. They were here with us from October 14th through the 18th.
While they were here, Tim and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. Grandma and Grandpa Girdler babysat Katie while we went to The Bonefish Grill for our anniversary dinner. That was the first time we had really left her for any length of time -- well, at least the first time BOTH of us had left her for any length of time (even if it WAS only a couple of hours). When we got home, we found out she slept the whole time we were gone!
Katie and Grandpa Girdler have a special relationship -- when she would get fussy, he would pick her up, walk with her a little bit, and then sit down on the couch and lay her on his chest. Soon, she would be fast asleep. When we saw that this worked repeatedly, we jokingly asked when they were moving down here! I must say that it was great to have someone to call on who could help her settle down -- sometimes she just gets herself so worked up!
And speaking of getting worked up, when Katie wants to eat, NOTHING is more important -- nothing she should be doing, and nothing anyone else has planned. I was intending to take some cute pictures of her on Sunday -- she was wearing this adorable outfit that Grandma Congdon had sent -- but no, Katie wanted to eat. And rather than mess up her pretty outfit, I decided to change her into something less special. But I managed to get one picture first -- and boy, was she unhappy that we decided to spend that time snapping a picture rather than eating!
But everyone will agree, she is definitely a love-bug. Just get her to curl up on you and snuggle, and you'll be won-over! Alan sure is!! He can't get enough! She has him convinced that babies are the coolest things ever!!! (She also has him wrapped around her little finger! I think he would readily admit to that, too!)
We can't believe she's over a month old already! She went for her one-month check-up this past Friday. She also had to get a shot (which was nothing, considering that next month she needs to get 4 shots!!!). Overall, she did well. There were a few tears, but she was her good ol' happy self again by the time we left the doctor's office. Way to go, Katie!

To have a routine or . . . .

We're trying (sometimes desperately) to establish some routines at our house -- eating, sleeping, staying awake (for Katie that's a challenge), and trying to figure out what each cry means. Going through growth spurts just throws a monkey wrench into everything we know -- we eat more frequently, sleep less frequently, and cry (no, scream) for no apparent reason. And while it's all a NORMAL part of the process, it has the tendency to put us all on edge. Nevertheless, we wouldn't trade a moment of it -- our girl will always be the greatest thing ever!!

And in the moments Katie isn't screaming, she is beginning to discover her voice. In the past few days, she has begun to coo and "talk" more. It's fun to listen to each new noise she learns to make, and while we know we'll have to wait a while longer, we are so eager to hear the first "Da-da" or "Ma-ma", and her first real laughter.

By far, one of my favorite things is sharing the first few moments after she has finished eating. I'll often lay her down on my chest, and she'll pull her little legs up underneath her and just drift off to sleep, cuddled close to my heart. Sometimes she'll stay like that with me for a couple hours, just content to be close to Mommy. What a blessing! I treasure those moments, knowing full-well that we'll only be able to cuddle like that for just a short time. Soon she'll be too big to sleep cuddled up on me -- I want to savor each little thing, each moment of each stage she goes through. There is so much to look forward to, and so much to cherish each day -- things that may never happen again!

New Beginnings

Well, I thought that with the new addition to our family, it might be helpful for friends and family to have something they could follow -- especially to watch our beautiful Katelyn as she grows and changes, which seems to happen daily!

So here are some first pictures -- many of you have seen these already, but rest assured, we'll be posting more soon and very soon!

And for those who don't know, Katelyn Nicole Girdler was born on Saturday, September 15, 2007 at 2:26 pm in Norton Suburban Hospital in Louisville, KY. She weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz, and measured 21 inches long. What a blessing God has given us! She is such a joy -- I didn't know it was possible to love someone this much upon meeting them for the first time! God sure knew what He was doing!