My Adventures in San Jose

As told by Kaitlyn
Yesterday, I took my first trip to San Jose. Mommy and I had lots of people to see and meet. We started out at 9:30 and headed to Daddy's work. I cried for a little while, but then I fell asleep. I don't like when the car stops, so that's when I wake up. Just in time too, because soon we were at Daddy's office and I was awake to see him. He showed me off to all his co-workers and then we had to leave again. Mommy had a dentist appointment.
At Mommy's dentist appointment, I cried again. I didn't like being left in my car seat while Mommy got x-rays. But I know it was probably best that I didn't have x-rays too. After that, Mommy picked me up and I sat on her lap while she had her check up. The dentist said I might be teething already! I started crying again when we left, but fell back to sleep in the car on the way to lunch with Tina.
I seemed to have slept through part of my Mommy and Tina's lunch. But when I woke up, Mommy had finished her chicken and was ready to feed me. I also found out I got some new clothes from Tina's daughter (and my new friend), Natalya. It was a very nice lunch indeed!
After lunch, we went to Mommy's office and met her boss, Jeff, and all the admins in the office. I got to meet Yvonne, Vicki, Herman, Nancy, Birgit, Linda, Pankaj, Martin and Copeland. That was very exciting! They all told me how cute I was, and I coo'd and smiled for Linda. It was very nice of her to go to so much trouble to give me a gift. I'm very appreciative. Nancy took lots of pictures of me smiling, too. And Herman was so kind to think of Mommy and get her a Starbucks gift card. She needs lots of caffiene to keep up with my schedule.
Next, we were off to see Auntie Liz and Cousin Andrew. I cried so hard on the way, that I nearly lost my voice! I just don't like being alone. But, after crying for a while I got really tired and fell asleep again. (Mommy noticed a pattern, that I cry for a while in the car but then I fall asleep to the motion.) Riding in the car makes me very tired.
When I got to Auntie Liz and Cousin Andrew's house, I was still sleeping. When I woke up, I got to eat again. And then both Auntie Liz and Cousin Andrew held me. Cousin Andrew bought me some very cute shoes from Baby Gap. I can't wait to wear them!
Daddy was ready to finish work, so we went to pick him up and went to dinner with Auntie Liz, Cousin Andrew and Cousin Shannon. We went to California Pizza Kitchen, which Mommy seemed to love. I had a little more food there, but I really wanted to sleep some more. So Daddy held me while I slept, then we got in the car and went home. Daddy sat in the back with me this time. That was such a treat!
We got home late, but I was ready to eat a full meal again. I stayed up for a little longer while Daddy read me a new book that our friend Leah sent in the mail to us yesterday. Then I went to bed and slept soundly until this morning at 5:30. I was hungry again! I have also already had two naps this morning and am ready for another one. I must go now and sleep, for I am tuckered out!

Sleeping through the night

Kaitlyn has indeed started sleeping through the night! Before I posted anything concrete about this major milestone, I had to make sure it wasn't just for those 2 nights that I posted about last week. Now that she's done it for 7 out of the last 8 nights, I feel confident in saying that she has mastered this pattern, much to my pleasure. 7 hours of straight sleep means I'm less cranky and irritable. (I'm sure Dave is loving that!)

The evidence in this picture shows that she's a great sleeper. Isn't she adorable?!

Kaitlyn's Tummy Time & Rolling Over

Kaitlyn hit a big milestone on Friday - she rolled over from her front to her back for the first time. Actually, she did it 3 times in a row, but by the time I got the video camera, she was tired and wouldn't do it again. Anyway, the picture on the top left was during her first roll over. I just happened to be taking a picture when it happened. Shawnna and I were very surprised and it took a couple of seconds to register that she actually did it. The picture on the right is the picture I was trying to take - Kaitlyn holding her head up with her ever strengthening neck. The video below is "tummy time" in action. Since babies are supposed to sleep on their back, it's a good idea to give them some time on their tummy during the day so they can build up strength in their arms and neck. Apparently, tummy time is paying off for Kaitlyn.

Good Deal on Diapers

It's amazing how many diapers a baby can go through in a day. In the first few weeks after bringing Kaitlyn home, there were some occasions where we would have to use multiple diapers within a few minutes - she just kept going and going. I don't know where she keeps it all, but now we wait a bit before the change to make sure she's really done :-)

Anyway, here's a website I have used which has good prices on diapers and other baby care necessities, FREE SHIPPING on orders over $50 and NO TAX! Even better, if you enter the referral code, you'll receive $5 off your first order. Here's the details:

Website: www.diapers.com
Referral Code: BABY2323

Feel free to use it yourself and pass the info on to anyone you know who might benefit from saving a few bucks on diapers.

Mom & Kaitlyn's daily events

I know I haven't posted in a while, and if you're a parent you know why. Any moments to myself go to catching up on sleep. Anything after that is prioritized based on immediate need, meaning Kaitlyn's needs of course.
The last couple of nights, Kaitlyn has slept through the entire night. We have yet to find out if this a short lived phenomenon or if it will be a regular occurance. I (and Dave) obviously vote for the latter! However, it doesn't keep me from waking up almost every hour to one of her little sleeping noises and get me wondering if she's going to be hungry at any moment and pop open those adorable eyes of hers.
Kaitlyn loves her pacifier, being swaddled and sleeping in her vibrating bouncer. She also loves to eat, spit up and play on the floor. She smiles and coo's and she's doing a great job of gaining strength in her neck, arms and legs. Lying on the floor, she looks like she could roll over any day. We keep giving her tummy time each evening to exercise her and tire her out. She also loves to take baths and look in the mirror while I wash her.
On a daily basis the regular Mom things apply - feeding, burping, changing and entertaining Kaitlyn, rocking her to sleep, cleaning bottles, pumping, and the all important napping. Luckily, I've managed to get a shower every single day since she was born, too. Laundry gets done, although not as often as it probably should. Some days we also manage to get outside for a walk.
Sometimes I even have time to put a new toy together. Today, I'm attempting to put together her new swing. We ordered a swing for her last week, and it arrived early this week. It's the first chance I have had to get it put together. We've discovered she loves her new Take-Along swing that Grandma and Grandpa got her this past weekend. She's done lots of sleeping the last couple of days in the swing. Now we'll have a swing for each floor of the house. How nice for me! I can get my Mommy things done knowing she's safe, secure and either entertained or sleeping soundly.
That's it for today. Kaitlyn just woke up and I need to change over the laundry. Hopefully, I can update you with more details soon.

Nicknames

In the comments section of a recent post, the subject of nicknames was brought up, so I figured I would keep a list of the nicknames we have been using for Kaitlyn. Of course, we use the typical nicknames (sweetheart, cutie pie, etc.) that are standard for most babies, so I'll just list the more unique names. You can view the current list of nicknames here and I'll add new names as they come up. The link to the nickname list is also posted in the upper left hand side of the blog under "Kaitlyn's Links" for future reference. By the way, we do try to call her Kaitlyn every once in a while. Hopefully she'll know her real name at some point, but it's too fun to call her all the other cute names :-)

Letter to Kaitlyn from Gramma Cutforth

Dear Kaitlyn,

The first time I saw you, I saw the generations of our family before you – Cutforth, Pride, Schmidt, Bates. And, an enormous sense of belonging came over me – all of us family, belonging to each other. We are bound by our own wonderful, non-ending saga. We are the human story. We are us. And, now you are us – our future.

You come from a family of great strength, courage, and determination. Hard-working people who love to laugh and enjoy the bright side of life. A creative, intelligent family with strong artistic, writing, technical, mathematical, woodworking, gardening, and cooking skills to name a few. Good, kind, caring, service-minded people, who strive to make a difference in this world. A family who loves each other and is there for one another to share life’s joys, sorrows, wonderful and difficult times, everyday life, and very special moments like today—the day you were born.

Your family came to see you in the hospital when you were just a few hours old. Your Grandma Pride and I walked hand-in-hand into the room where you were born, so excited to meet you for the very first time. But, the joy in our hearts was nothing compared to the joy on your mommy and daddy’s faces and the love in their eyes as they presented you to us this wonderful afternoon.

Welcome to the family, dear Kaitlyn Belle. I can’t wait to get to know you and the amazing, special person that you are.

With lots of love,
Gramma, Nancy Cutforth