Bookworms

The Decatur Book Festival is an event I'd always wanted to attend. For whatever reason, Andrew and I had never made it out there. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go check it out while Andrew was out of town. It was something that would definitely get me out of the house. And it turned out to be a beautiful day. Molly and I were trying to get there by 12:30 to see the Charlotte's Web puppet show. I thought that would be something she would enjoy because of the visual. We arrived at 12:35, and found that they hadn't started yet (yes!). Well, sadly it's because they were behind schedule and just ended up cancelling it. (Or if it was changed to a different time, no one could tell me when it would be...) So, I was pretty bummed, but knew that if I stuck around I would probably find some good deals on some books. This is probably my favorite thing to spend money on. Especially children's books....and especially children's books for Molly.

We did find some great deals on books....$4 hard-cover books. It's really hard to beat that. Another tent had 50% off all children's books. So, I got some for Molly & some for my class. I wouldn't say it was all I expected it to be, but I really can't complain about getting such great deals on books. And it was a nice mother/daughter afternoon.

Waiting in the tent for the (non-existent) puppet show to begin

Molly calling...

Andrew was out of town recently, so Molly and I would call to say good morning. While she was "talking" to daddy, I decided to snap a picture. She's really interested in listening to that familiar voice on the other end, but still seems a little confused by it all. Her favorite thing to do is reach for the cord...and try to put it in her mouth. (surprise!)

Molly's Dedication

August 15, 2010 Andrew and I, along with our family & church family, dedicated Molly. Many people have asked what that is exactly. It's basically our promise that we will do our best to raise her in a Godly home, with the help of God himself, and our amazing support team - family, friends, and our church.

We were so blessed that both sets of grandparents and Andrew's sister, Courtney, were able to attend. It was a special day. Here's what we promised....so you all can help us and so we can always remember what we agreed to do in raising Molly Marguerite Kirkpatrick.

Susan & Andrew, we invite you to recall your own baptism and, seeking to fulfill it's promises, give yourself in convenant to lead Molly toward discipleship in Christ.

With gratitude to God:

Do you receive this child as a precious gift from God, and seek God's grace and this community's support in nurturing and caring for her...

Do you covenant to remain faithful in love to your child...whatever the future may bring...

Do you promise to teach her the joy of the Holy scripture, The importance of worship, The duty to serve God's people, The responsibility of faithful stewardship, and the Blessing of Christian Community...

Do you promise before God and this community to so fashion your lives that your child may come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior

I do, God helping me...

Andrew, myself & Molly with Rev. Erin during Molly's dedication

Grandpa, Nina, Mom, Erin & Molly, Dad, Aunt Courtney, Grammy & Granddad

Just us 3...Andrew, Susan, and Molly KP!

Sit & Spit

So I realize the name of this post sounds quite gross. But when you're talking about the sweetest 4 month old around, it's so cute, right? :o) Yesterday, while in Ottawa, Andrew needed to go to the library. Molly and I found a shady spot close to the library to hang out for a bit while he worked. I knew she was very close to being able to sit on her own, so we were "working" on strengthening her muscles to get her strong enough to do so. I was lightly holding my hands behind her back when I realized she didn't need my help. So I grabbed the camera & took some pictures. While she was sitting there, she was also participating in one of her other newer tricks....spitting. She has learned to do this and while it's not the most lady-like thing she's ever done, it really entertains her.

Molly's New Trick

Recently, Molly has discovered that she can suck on her hands at any point. Unlike the pacifier, she doesn't have to wait for mom & dad to put it in her mouth. You can always tell when she's sucking because of the "smack smack" that comes from her direction. Andrew and I realized it was just a matter of time before she would find her thumb. And this week she found it! She doesn't always suck it because she's still learning how to get it to her mouth before she gets frustrated. But when she does get it, it's like she's struck gold. I've heard negatives to thumb sucking, mostly with how hard it is to break the habit in years to come...but for now, it's pretty stinking cute! See for yourself. :o)

Baby in your bag?

Today was my first day back to work. While I was very anxious about it all week, the day turned out quite well. The students were excited to have me back, and I was excited to see them, too. I also enjoyed being back in a routine. Not to mention, having lunch with adults! :o)

I did miss Molly, and was grateful that Andrew sent me 2 pictures to my phone. He also kept me informed of her day by email. I was definitely ready to come home right after school. It was so nice to curl up with Molly for an afternoon nap.

Funny "first day back" story. I walked into the room with my normal gear plus my breast pump. It is hidden in a good sized tote. One of my students said "Hi, Mrs. Kirkpatrick! Is your baby in your purse?" I thought it was really funny and quite cute. I informed him that, in fact, Molly was at home sleeping. My students are so cute...it was good to be around them again. Nevermind how fast the last six weeks has gone; this whole year with this group of 3rd graders has flown! I will enjoy my last 4 weeks with them.

And while we're here....a few pictures of Molly:

Molly curled up with mommy for a nap on her first day home.

Molly with the Easter bunny!

I'm pretty sure this belongs in the dictionary next to the word "Peace"

Welcome Molly!!

I think most of you that read this blog have heard about Molly, but I do want to blog and share with the world about this most precious gift.

Molly Marguerite Kirkpatrick arrived on March 11, 2010 at 8:49 pm. She weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces.

The weight is a funny story....we had a couple ultrasounds in the weeks leading up to her birth, and SEVERAL at our doctor's office that were convinced we were going to have a 9+ pound baby. Because of her size, we went ahead and induced on March 11. I was ok with that though because it meant that the midwife, Kelly, that I really wanted to deliver with, would be there to help me.

Labor was not terrible. It started around 7am with the help of ptosin. The contractions started to get pretty intense, so at 10:30, we called for the epidural. After that I slept for a few hours on and off...which was great to help me get my energy ready for that evening. There wasn't much progress from 10:30-2:45 until Kelly came in and "threatened" a C-section. Then things really took off. I still wasn't feeling much pain from contractions, so I sent Andrew to the gift shop to get some cards. I kicked his butt in a few games of go fish (the only game that either of us could remember how to play!)

At 7pm, my body started letting me know that it was time to push. Nurse was in to help us start at 7:30. Molly arrived at 8:49! Hearing her cry in the seconds after her birth was the most beautiful sound. I wanted to hold her right away, but knew the nurses needed to do their thing. She couldn't get to my arms fast enough. . .

It was a long day, but one that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Becoming Molly's mommy was worth it all!

Molly's first picture

Hello world-here I am!!

Molly with mommy & Kelly

First family photo

Latest on the nursery. . .

I've kinda lost track of what happened when, but wanted to give you an update on the nursery. It is now the most multi-tasked room I've ever had. It is a guest room, Andrew's office, and baby's nursery. I guess you could even say it's storage for some of Andrew's old band things.

Anyway...we've made good progress and I would now say we are ready if the baby were to come early.

Valentine's day weekend I had a 4-day weekend, and we were hoping to get out of town on one last weekend get-away just the two of us. When the weather had other plans, the goal became to get the crib up. Friday we went out to lunch and it started snowing. We decided that's perfect weather for getting home and working in the room.

It's SNOWING!!

We cleared the spot and moved the dresser into it's new home.

That night we watched Adventureland while putting the crib together. It was fun to do it together, even though it turned out Andrew really didn't need my help. But still - I'm glad Andrew let me be involved.

Crib together - bedding in!

B is for Bear . . . . so cute....I love, love, LOVE it!

A cross-stitch that was in my bedroom when I was a child. Mom passed it along at Christmas and it goes perfectly with the teddy bear theme.

Mission accomplished. We got the crib together. Andrew's only stubbed his toe on it once. I have a fear that will happen more as 3am feedings become more common.

We stripped it down to wash the bedding. We also got the sheets for the bassinett washed, so she has a few options for sleeping.....although I'm already convinced her favorite place to sleep will be in mommy and daddy's arms. :o)

Something else not quite as fun, but also important - we have the changing table together and in the room as well. I like the one we chose because of the shelving. That's this weekend's project...getting baby supplies into cute little baskets so it's a functioning room. The presents from showers are still in the living room. I plan to sort through those and get them put in a better place. Here's hoping I get this "burst of energy" I keep hearing about. I'll definitely need it to get through this "nesting" task!

Two cute!

With baby faces like these how could we not make an absolutely adorable baby?? :o)

Nursery Progress (weekends 1 & 2)

So, I'm a little stressed about all the blogs I've missed and "shoud've posted...." But at this point, I'm taking inspiration from my friend Judy and going more with a "look at the progress we've made on baby's nursery."

The question I've heard the most lately (and am frankly tired of hearing because of the stress it causes) is "Is your nursery ready yet?" Well, the short answer is NO! but we are working on it. It's been Andrew's office and our guest room for the last 4 years. You can imagine how 4 years of graduate school can really pile up in there. It's books, cds, papers, folders, and then even more of those things. . .

I'm a little embarassed to show the "before" pictures, but I will. Mostly because I know how proud I'll be at the end when I see where we started.

We started last weekend. I say we, but it was mostly Andrew rearranging the books to get them on the bookshelf and dispersed other places in the house. Quite a project....

Here are the pictures after last weekend before this weekend (January 30 & 31). Under each, I'll let you know what our tentative plans are for that area of the room....

The twin bed that serves as our guest bed. This will stay in place - at least for the first few months. We assume at some point, baby girl will need more play room....then the bed will probably have to go.

For this area, we're thinking of two options. Either move the bookshelf out of the room and slide the dresser over. Where the dresser sits is where we will put the change table. We may also try to just turn the dresser and put it between the end of the bed and the bookshelf. It would block access to some of the books, but Andrew says that's ok.

Here are the filing cabinets. They will be turned into the base for Andrew's "new desk" First they require some cleaning.

This is Andrew's corner desk. It is quite large and because of the design of it, needs to be replaced. It was quite a task getting it undone. Andrew thinks he may have spent more time taking it apart than putting it together. . .

The new desk will be put in front of the window. The black end table will leave the room.

January 30 & 31:

There was good progress made this weekend. The major task was cleaning off the filing cabinets and getting the desk taken down. When we saw that progress was far enough along on Saturday, we headed to Home Depot to get the wood. This wood will be placed between the 2 filing cabinets to serve as Andrew's new desk. I felt bad about this, but we know it only needs to last us for a year or two. He has a nice one waiting for us in Waco. We'll take it when we have a house of our own and room to put it somewhere. Poor Andrew worked hours on getting the desk taken apart. It was quite a bear for him to tackle, but he managed to do most of it Saturday. Then he woke up early to finish on Sunday morning. He was careful when taking it apart because a friend of ours is going to take it from us. (Have fun putting it back together!!)

Filing cabinets cleaned off & the desk taken apart!

End table cleaned and removed; desk taken apart & moved out of the room. New desk ready for assembly.

Andrew's new desk in place!! Ready for him to use this week. We realized a problem. The crib is going to be in the foreground of the picture (where the filing cabinets used to sit). There is JUST enough room, but it means that Andrew won't have access to his files in the black cabinet. He (again) says that is ok. Many of the files he is keeping for when he teaches. So we'll make sure he doesn't need those for the first few months.

All in all, there was good progress made on the nursery this weekend. It was a lot of work and I really owe Andrew a huge thanks for all his help getting the room ready. The theme for the room is "B is for Bear", so as a small token, I bought him a bag of gummie bears. He's the best! Next weekend we'll either work on getting the space for the changing table ready....or maaaaybe even get the crib up. I'm anxious to see how the desk/crib combo will work out. 2 baby showers this weekend mean that a lot of the work will be left up to Andrew...although I'll help when possible.

I'll keep you posted. . . . :o)

Thanksgiving with the Kirkpatricks

Part 2:

So I realize I'm way behind on my blog, but I'm trying to go in order of events that happened. . .

This year for Thanksgiving, Andrew's parents were able to come. It was nice to have my mom in town to motivate us to clean and then Andrew's parents in town a few weeks later as motivation to keep it clean! (That, of course, was not the only reason it was good to have them come).

They arrived on a Monday night, and we met up for a late dinner. I had to work on Tuesday, so I headed to work while they went shopping (not fair!). They headed to the Lego store and also ended up at the Carter's outlet. What grandma can resist shopping for an expected grandbaby? Not Brenda! :o) After their shopping excursion, they came to visit me at school. All 3 of them were able to see my new toy, the ActivBoard! It was really fun to show them all the things it can do. This is not me or my students, but it gives you an idea of how interactive you can make learning by using it. They can write on the screen. It's pretty awesome!!

Wednesday we met Andrew on campus for lunch, and then got ready to head to the Fabulous Fox Theater. We saw the Rockettes perform their Christmas Spectacular! My dad had their special from the year before that we had watched, and they did some of those same numbers. It was much better live, and a great way to put us in the holiday spirit

Thursday was, of course, Thanksgiving. We woke up, turned on the parade, and started cooking. Luckily, cooking for 4 is not a ton of work....and Brenda of course wouldn't let me stay on my feet for more than 10 minutes at a time! We had a delicious meal - with the perfect balance of healthy choices and banana pudding! Here's a picture of the spread...yummy!

Thanksgiving dinner

We didn't do much Thanksgiving night. Of course there was the watching of the Cowboys game. We also discussed going to a movie, but realized there was nothing we were all desperate to see. So we decided to call it an early night so we could be at Old Navy at 3 am to play Guitar Hero and get us some new jeans.............................Yeah right!!

We did do some shopping on Friday, but it was only to Babies R Us. One nice thing about pregnant women is there is no "busting down the doors for deals". We got there about 10:00 and got the 1/2 price deal on the glider we registered for. I love it! We got it home, set it up, and have been using it since then. It's so comfortable and we hope baby will love it as much as we do.

Andrew putting the glider together! Yay!!

Final product.

After we got it we headed to one of our favorite brunch places - Radial. We enjoy going there, but try not to go too often...it's a special treat. We came home, put the glider together, and it was time to say goodbye to Brenda and Jerry. They had obligations at church on Sunday, but we were so happy they were able to come and celebrate this holiday with us.

Next time we welcome family to Atlanta will be for the birth of our baby girl!!! So excited!!