Carrie's Thoughts

2006-02-17T07:25:00.000-05:00

Catie and I were able to go to the playground last night because it was so nice. That was fun.

We also took a bath and miss catie sat on her potty seat. She wasn't scared this time, and we sang the abcs and stuff, and she played with her belly button ("butt") and she kept looking between her legs and pushing, but to no avail. Then as soon as I put her in the bath, she peed. Oh well, she'll get it.

I put her back on after her bath too, and same thing. She looked like she was pushing to poop, but nothing came out. I told evelyn to put her on her seat every time she changes her diaper. Hopefully eventually that will work. I just hope catie's easy. I would LOVE to buy underware!

I'm thinking about taking miss thing to the circus. I invited Chris because I thought that might be a good "family" activity, but I forgot he's scared of clowns. So we'll see. Not even sure we're going, but Matt's birthday party has been cancelled, so we'll try to find some time to get together. No matter what happens, we will definitely be in Richmond this weekend. At some point, we'll be there for good. Wish us luck!

Happy Friday! :)

2005-12-12T15:03:00.000-05:00

It's been a trying couple of weeks, for reasons best left unsaid. However, on a positive note, i have fabulous new pictures of my Catie-bug! They are recent pictures, from this weekend at her Grandparent's house and generally the week or two before. Her beauty continues to amaze me! Here are a few of my favorites (you didn't think i'd leave it at that, did you!?):

Here's Catie in that chair she loves. She sure looks different, doesn't she!? It's the hair, i guess. He he.

Here she is trying to work mom's camera. Good thing she never winds it up! Dontcha just LOVE the color scheme in my parent's kitchen!?!

Wearing Grandpa's hat. I love the way she folds her hands over when she shows off! She's such a happy kid!

Well, that's all the ones i'm going to post. Believe me, there are other ones that are JUST as cute! Please see them here: Yahoo!

Have a great holiday season (sorry, i'm gonna have to go with Bush on that one), and we'll be back to update with tons more pictures after the new year!

Even MORE pictures

2005-11-25T14:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, so guess what i FINALLY did!? I FINALLY remembered the power cable to my digital camera and uploaded the pictures from it! There are SO many, i'm not even going to include any here, but they are added to all of the albums, as far back as 6-7 months. If you get a chance, browse the photo albums from then on, and see all the fun new pictures!

The URL for the pictures is here: Yahoo!.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pictures

2005-11-21T10:04:00.000-05:00

I've added some pictures to my Yahoo! photoalbum. I stole most of them from Catie's father, so the birthday and Halloween pictures are now included in her "1 year" album. None of the Halloween pictures came out very well, but here are a few of my other favs:

Here are Catie and her cousin Caroline, hamming it up for the camera. Unfortunately, there are a number of really cute shots that include closed eyes, due to the weird flash on the camera, but the faces are priceless: Caroline looks like she's half drunk and Catie looks like she's trying to kiss the camera! I can't stand it, they're just TOO cute!!

Here's a picture of Catie and her Nanny. Can you tell from the looks on their faces that they're related? No question! :)

Here's the best picture of Catie in her birthday dress. She was SUCH a cutie-pie, and was SO happy all day! I think there was food in her mouth in this picture, so don't mind the weird expression... then again, she's full of those, so good luck finding a normal expression!

And of course, i HAD to add one of Catie and her cake! The cakes were wonderful spice cakes with cream cheese icing (my fav!!), and the girls just loved them! There were two baby cakes, one for each girl, and then there was a cake for everyone else, shaped like ballet slippers. They ended up coming out really well, and even though Catie tried to be dainty about it, she ended up getting the cake all over her, as you can see!

The rest of the pictures are in my photo album: http://photos.yahoo.com/catieannsmom. Take a look! :)

Happy Birthday!!

2005-11-15T14:20:00.000-05:00

So, Catie's 1st birthday has come and gone. She had a GREAT time munching down on some yummy spice cake and tearing into presents with her fav cous Caroline. They were both adorable in their little party outfits, and were in fine spirits for the duration of the party.

Pictures of said event will be forthcoming when her Uncle Shaun or her father post them. Uncle Shaun even got streaming video of the cake event!

Halloween was also a hit, and Catie's father will hopefully be passing along pictures of that event, as well (since it's pretty obvious i'm never going to remember to have my digital camera, the power cable, and a computer all in the same place at the same time). She was able to go once with her Grandma and Grandpa, and again with her father and cousins. By the second time, she had the process down and insisted on going to EVERY house -- not just those with lights and candy! And since i'm hoping that her few precious teeth will wait a while before rotting out of her head, she wasn't able to eat much candy, which is just as well, because i'm pretty sure cousin Jonathan and cousin Matthew were in desperate need of more! (*note the sarcasm, as each child got a BUCKET full of candy!*)

Catie has picked up a few new tricks. Her most recent is saying "thank you," although it sounds more like "tank-too" but a mommy always knows! She's such a big helper that i guess she's just heard that so many times, she can finally repeat it! She has also claimed a few books as her "favorites" and reads them several times a day each. Her all time fav is the one with all the animals, because they all make such funny sounds! She knows that the first picture is the puppy and the second is the kitty, before we even open the book!

She is also enjoying her new forward-facing car seat. There is a little holder on the side for cheerios and other assorted snack foods, and therefore there are cheerios and such all OVER the back seat of the car! But my smart little piggy reaches right for the snack bin every time she gets into the car!

Christmas is just around the corner, and the household will be all decked out in a couple of weeks. And tomorrow the custody case will be reviewed. Cross your fingers it will all work out well for Catie!!

Pictures

2005-10-13T12:33:00.000-05:00

Here are the pictures i promised. These are just the good ones. The rest are in her photo album on Yahoo.

Here she is getting ready for her bath. She stands just like i do. :) I definitely plan to show these pictures to her future boyfriends...

Here she's walking. See, i TOLD you she could walk! :)

Here she's standing in her favorite chair. Her daddy gave it to her, and the beautiful blanket on the back of it was made by her Nanny.

Here's a picture from the beach. This was the second choice for our family Christmas cards this year. I took like 4 of these, and this is the only one that turned out. Good thing i took 4, huh?

Here's one of her with the frog she's been carrying around the last few days. She was holding it with just her teeth for a while, which i thought was just SO cute, but by the time i got my camera, she was too busy showing off! So the caption, in my humble opinion, should read "So, if i slober on this thing enough, it should turn into a prince, right?" He he.

And that's the beautifulness that is my kid! Again, there are more pictures on Yahoo, but these are the cream of the crop. Now, just you wait until Halloween pictures are ready!!

"Toddler"

2005-10-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

I think it's safe to say that Catie is DEFINITELY walking now. She can clear the entire room, and doesn't fall down until she reaches her destination (evidently her brakes need some work). She still looks like a drunken sailor, with her arms sticking out, wobbling from side to side with each step, but it's just so darn cute!

She's now able to play in her room, and she LOVES to curl up in her little rocking chair with the blanket her Nanny made for her and suck her thumb. I've got pictures developing as we speak... be on the lookout for more cuteness! :)

This weekend we have a trip to the pumpkin patch planned with Angelina in Maryland. Catie's so strong, you never know what kind of monsterous pumpkin we could come home with! We've got Halloween clothes all ready to wear until the end of the month, and her costume is on its way. She's going to be a Hershey's Kiss! Of course i'll have pictures of that, too!

Have a safe and happy Halloween! Eat some candy for us!

The Beach! The State Fair!

2005-10-03T12:09:00.000-05:00

We have had SUCH a good time recently! Catie and her grandparents, her uncle Charlie, and I went to the beach the weekend before last. We had a blast! Catie just LOVED the sand. She spent time picking the rocks out and handing them to her grandma (we've just learned how to share). She also liked the waves, until a big one came that scared her a bit, and then she insisted on having someone to clutch onto if she was near the water! She also went for numerous walks and even a bike ride! We had a GREAT time, and spent lots of quality time with the grandparents.

This past weekend, Catie and her father and I went to the Virginia State Fair. We rode the merri-go-round, saw all the animals (who knew that rabbits barked!?!), ate wonderful fair food, saw all of the displays, and even played some midway games. And we were plum worn out!! We had wonderful weather (even a little on the hot side), and were all in high spirits all day! We tried Brunswick Stew, had some organic honey, some homemade Apple Cider, and started a child identification kit. We saw mechanical bulls, rides that go really fast with loud music, and even a big dinosaur! We were reminded many times that she was the prettiest person at the fair! We will DEFINITELY be back next year!

Then we had lunch with Nanny! Well, we tore her apartment apart first looking for toys to play with, but she didn't seem to mind! It's always fun to spend time with family.

Soon, i'll have pictures from the beach, and i'll be sure to offer the best one here! In the mean time, check out Catie's pictures on her Yahoo! site for more cute stuff. And have a great Halloween!

New pictures....

2005-09-16T08:35:00.000-05:00

I've got new pictures! Only 3, and they're in a new album at her Yahoo picture site, but i just HAD to include this one here. She's just TOO cute! And those eyes! :)

VOTE FOR CATIE!!!

2005-09-01T07:40:00.000-05:00

Catie has been entered into a baby photo contest! Please go here: babyphoto and click on the link at the bottom of the page to vote, then click page 35, and vote for Catie. You can vote once a day for the next week, and if she wins that primary, she will be included in the final vote at the end of the month. Please vote NOW and vote EVERY DAY so we can all agree that CATIE IS THE CUTEST EVER! :) Thanks.

Doctor's appointment

2005-08-30T07:22:00.000-05:00

Catie got the "all clear" from the pediatrician on Saturday. She was very impressed with Catie's personality and eating habits. She was also surprised that she can "cruise" well. Catie was a little wiggle-worm, but by the time the appointment was over, the doctor had a hard time getting Catie to let go of her! She just loves EVERYONE!

The doctor said we can start with cow's milk if we want to, but would need to supplement her iron intake with an iron-fortified cereal or the like. I told her that Catie's little tummy didn't do so well with yogurt, so we decided it would be best to wait until she's a year old. Otherwise, she didn't seem too concerned that Catie is eating almost exculsively people food now.

We also have more teeth! The second set of upper teeth have just broken through, and that makes for a mouthful! She's learned how to use those teeth for biting and chewing, and enjoys eating pizza crust by biting off piece after piece, and only stopping to chew when her mouth is completely full.

We also visited with her father this weekend. She had a great time playing with him, her Cousin Caroline, and her Uncle Shaun and Aunt Missy. She likes seeing her older boy cousins, too, but they're a little too active to play with now. Some day soon she and Cousin Caroline will give them a run for their money, so watch out!!

Catie is able to stand alone pretty well, and for long periods of time if she has something to lean on. She also took two steps this weekend to get a toy from her dad, which will quickly lead to a walking, then running, baby. The pediatrician suggested that she'll be walking by her next appointment (1 year), but the consensus in the family is she'll be walking long before that. My guess is it'll be about 3 more weeks before she starts walking on her own, and in maybe another month she'll be really good at it! Her fearlessness will go a long way in helping her to learn.

More teeth!

2005-08-26T06:33:00.000-05:00

Well, when it rains, it pours. It seems we have two more teeth trying to poke their way through. Oh, it's just so exciting! The two new teeth are on top (weird, considering we started on the bottom last time, but i'll take it!) . Soon we'll be able to eat REAL food! Yeah!!!!

Tomorrow morning we have a doctor's appointment, and expect to get an "oh how well she's doing!" a-ok report. The important things to note will be her weight (we're aiming for 20 lbs by 12 months, so we can sit in a forward-facing car seat; and because i think her weight gain has really slowed down, and as a first-time mother, i'm concerned about it no matter who says it's normal!), her teeth (but there's not much we can do about those but say "oh how beautiful!"), and her eating habits (i'm hoping the pediatrician won't get mad at how much "people" food she's been eating, and will give me the ok to cut out even more baby food, and possibly switch to cow's milk, but that's up to her). I'll have a full report on Monday!

Catie is also spending the weekend with her dad! We'll be down in Fredericksburg visiting on Saturday and Sunday, and her dad's got lots of new toys for her. Should be an exciting time! And we may be riding home this weekend in a brand new (to us) car! It's about time we got some good luck! :)

Congrats!

2005-08-22T09:58:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Catie's cousin Caroline who was baptized this weekend. Catie attended the celebration (although we missed the actual baptism because we couldn't get our act together early enough to leave Richmond in time), and had a great time seeing her family! She was in a great mood the whole time, and enjoyed playing all by herself, with her dad, with her Nanny, with her uncles, or whoever! She's such a happy kid! :)

And now, we're back to the grind with typical Monday activity. We hope everyone else has a better day! :)

2005-08-19T09:50:00.000-05:00

I am so.incredibly.bored, so i thought i'd post pictures of Miss Catie here. Everyone should see how beautiful she is!

This is a close-up of us girlies.

See all 4 of her chins?

This is another of my favs.

I think she is so much fun!

It's ok, you can say it -- i have the most beautiful,

spirited girl in the world! I know! :)

PICTURES!

2005-08-17T09:50:00.000-05:00

I scanned some more pictures of Catie, so be sure to check them out: http://photos.yahoo.com/catieannsmom. Check out the 7-9 month album (that would be the new one, duh!). I'm still hoping to pull my head out of my butt and upload the pictures from my digital camera, but that would require remembering all the parts and having a full battery and.... well, i'm still not holding my breath.

Everyone should have one of these to photograph! :)

Things Stressed Women Say at Work

2005-08-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

Things Stressed Women Say at Work

1. Okay, okay! I take it back. Un-f... you.
2. You say I'm a b!tch like it's a bad thing.
3. Well this day was a total waste of make up.
4. Well, aren't we a d@mn ray of sunshine?
5. Don't bother me, I'm living happily ever after.
6. Do I look like a people person?
7. This isn't an office. It's hell with fluorescent lighting.
8. I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left.
9. Therapy is expensive. Popping bubble wrap is cheap. You choose.
10. Why don't you try practicing random acts of intelligence and
senseless acts of self-control?
11. I'm not crazy. I've been in a very bad mood for 30 years.
12. Sarcasm is just one more service I offer.
13. I'm not your type. I'm not inflatable.
14. Stress is what you have when you wake up screaming and you realize
you haven't gone to sleep yet.
15. Back off!! You're standing in my aura.
16. I work 45 hours a week to be this poor.
17. Not all men are annoying. Some are dead.
18. Wait...I'm trying to imagine you with a personality.
19. Chaos, panic and disorder...my work here is done.
20. Ambivalent? Well, yes and no.
21. Aw, did I step on your poor little itty bitty ego?
22. I'm not tense, just terribly, terribly alert.
23. A hard-on doesn't count as personal growth.
24. Look in my eyes...do you see one ounce of gives-a-shit?

Pickup Lines: The First Drafts

2005-08-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

Pickup Lines: The First Drafts. BY MARK VANDERHOFF

- - - -

Are your legs tired? Oh, well, I'm not surprised; your thighs are almost comically muscular.

You must wash your pants with Windex, because something really smells like Windex.

Your father must have been a thief. I don't know, you just have the look of someone who was raised by criminals.

If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me? That is to say, would you be offended by my comments, not would you physically hold your body against mine. Sorry for any confusion. Anyways, would you?

Do you have a little Italian in you? Really? Wait, what was your last name again? Oh, yeah, I guess that does sound Irish. Never mind.

If I could rearrange the alphabet, I probably wouldn't. Can you imagine how much that would screw with everybody?

Are you from Tennessee? I hate people from Tennessee.

Excuse me; I seem to have misplaced my inmate number, which was assigned to me by this state's accursed penal system after it was discovered that I was indeed the "Fruit by the Foot Strangler." Can I borrow yours?

Can I borrow a quarter? I need to call my mother and tell her I've found the girl I'm going to annoy for the next 5-10 minutes.

Pictures

2005-08-12T06:32:00.000-05:00

For pictures of the ever-popular Miss Catie, please see the link to the side of this page which says "Catie's Webpage" or visit babiesonline. There's a link in that page to my little photo gallery in Yahoo, which will have better pictures as soon as I can remember to bring the cord to my digital camera to work.... sadly, something I've been working on for a while now. Hey -- you try remembering ANYTHING at 5:15am!!

Visitation arrangements

2005-08-11T08:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's court appearance went fairly well. I was awarded full custody, and Catie's father was awarded visitation at a rate of 13 hours every other weekend supervised by Shaun (which is a long time to burden Shaun, but more time than her father's been seeing her in the past), and is required to pay child support and back child support. We have a review of the case in 90 days, at which point if Catie's father has kept up with the visitation and child support obligations, he'll probably be granted unsupervised visitation. Given my own opinion of his ability to monitor the activities of a child this young, I hope that doesn't happen. But for his sake, I hope he pulls his act together, and becomes the father we all know he CAN be if he WANTS to be.

So starting this weekend, Catie and I will be out of commission every other weekend for the next 3 months. So much for getting my cleaning done!

We just LOVE visiting family!

2005-08-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

Catie had a great weekend. Her teeth are coming out nicely, and she's able to eat a bunch of new things. She saw her Grandma and Grandpa this weekend, and went grocery shopping with Grandma, where she covered the cart, the groceries, and Grandma in Banana cookie! She also saw her dad and her Nanny and her uncles at her dad's birthday party on Sunday. She was such a good girl, happily playing with her cousins, and giving everyone big smiles! She posed for pictures for her Nanny, and showed everyone how she can clap. Her teeth were a big hit, too!

Wednesday is a big day for us. We'll be in court, deciding on visitation for her dad. This will shape the relationship she has with him for the rest of her life. We're optimistic that the judge will decide in Catie's best interest, and we're looking forward to a consistent, predictable schedule to result. Wish us luck!

Another first for the Girl Wonder...

2005-08-03T08:36:00.000-05:00

The tooth fairy has landed and it's..... a TOOTH!! Her first tooth has broken through her bottom gums, and is producing a weird effect in her mouth, as evidenced by the constant tongue action and aversion to eating. It should be up in all its glory soon. I'll be uploading pictures from my digital camera at some point today, so a URL will soon follow. Now, if we can just get through potty training, we'll be good to go!

Hoorah for Catie!!!

2005-08-02T07:13:00.000-05:00

Catie is coming along SO fast! She's started eating peas and carrots - like, the canned kind! No more pea and carrot baby food! Yeah!! And she can almost stand on her own, she can walk holding just one hand (although it's still a little clumsy), and she's learned to clap. She claps, i say "hoorah for Catie!" and she just giggles and giggles, and then does it again! She's got several teeth just ready to pop through, and i think it's making her a little cranky, but a little cranky for her is still better than a good mood for a lot of other babies. She's learning to share with and be nice to the kid upstairs. Last night, she was bound and determined to use her spoon to feed herself, although she wanted to shake it first, which sort of defeated the purpose, but we're working on it. Oh, i just have the MOST wonderful kid!!

Where i REALLY post

2005-07-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, this blog is cool, but if you REALLY want all the juicy details, i have a real journal at diaryland. It's protected by a password, but if you're REALLY nice, i might let ya have it! :)

Why I exist...

2005-07-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

The main reason i created this blog was to be able to comment on posts by my daughter's uncle, Shaun Kenney. His comments on the poor 4 year old kid who was pushed out of his mother's car on I-95 was so worthy of a comment that i started a blog JUST to be able to post a reply. Some things make me sick.