Katie's First Trip to Blue Lake

BLUE LAKE!

Blue Lake is one lake in Sun Lakes State Park. I have been going to Blue Lake since I was 6 weeks old. My Grandparents have a trailer in a resort on the lake for the last 32  years. A few Aunts and Uncles also have their own places there. 

Dad, Joel, Mom and Me!

My mom and brother were going to Blue Lake for Memorial Day Weekend. Last minute I decided I didn't want to miss out on the fun. So I packed up Katie and off we went. Leaving Daddy at home to work. 

It took about 3 days to plan and pack everything. I ended up staying the night at my moms Thursday Night so I could just wake up, go to work, come home, and hit the road. 

My brother Joel, his Fiancee Michelle, and my grandparents Nana Kay (Katie's namesake) and Papa Chuck were already there and we were eager to join them. 

Joe came over and helped us load up the car and make sure the car was ready for a long road trip. LOVE HIM!

Off we went! 

 Katie's first road trip. I drove while mom road shot gun. Katie was just going down for a nap in the back. We didn't expect to hit traffic so soon. Bellevue at noon. OIY.. Bad times. We made a pit stop in North Bend for a diaper change, get a bottle ready, and have Nana move to the back with Katie. 

We got back on the road and not 30 minutes later we hit a SOLID wall of traffic. 1 mile West of the Summit. It didn't ease up until after Cle Elum. The drive to Blue Lake is normally a 3:30 hour drive. It took us 8 hours with a few stops. Katie was a trouper. Many  new firsts for us. Until now Katie was never in the car for more than an hour. She did GREAT all things considered. Nana kept her well entertained. We stopped in Ephrata for another diaper change, stretching for Katie and a little Grocery shopping.  Then it was back in the car for 30 more minutes to Blue Lake. 

Once we arrived Nana Kay took Katie from me so Nana and I could unload. Nana Kay kept Katie well entertained. 

Getting ready for her first night at Blue Lake. Mom and I were exhausted after we were done unloading. Joel started a fire and Mom and Michelle later joined him. Me. I gave Katie her bottle, rocked her to sleep, and went to bed myself. I was pooped.

Saturday was my Birthday. I am now a quarter of a century. Katie woke up at 5 am, downed a bottle and fell back asleep in my arms. We snuggled and slept for another three hours. It was NICE.

After a nummy breakfast made by Papa Chuck, Katie and I went for a walk around the resort.

Later that evening, my Aunt Sue, Uncle Dave, cousin Julie and her two kids showed up for a pot luck dinner! It was very windy so all 12 of us squeezed around the table in the trailer.. those with infants took to the couch. Due to the weather there was no fire that night. We settled with a glass of wine and some board games. I didn't get much sleep that night due to the wind and rain. I was constantly getting a peek at Katie to make sure she didn't get woken up by the noise. She was fine though. I am a worry wart.


Sunday morning was a bit of a rush, my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins were leaving that morning and we offered to cook them breakfast before they left. Instead of waking up early like before EVERYONE slept in. Coffee was a blessing that morning. After breakfast we took to the deck to watch people frolic on the lake.



Nap times were a struggle here due to the different noises and weird schedules. There really wasn't anywhere she could be laid down where activity wasn't going on.  I got Katie to finally fall asleep in my arms for a good hour, while I happily sat in the sun and read my book.

 By 4 pm Katie was DONE! Nana had her and was just finishing changing Katie when she started crying. Katie rarely cries, so when she does, we pay attention and act fast. Nothing my mom was doing was calming her down. As I watched the ordeal happen I knew that she was just over stimulated and past exhaustion. I asked my mom if I could take over. She handed me a screaming tearful child. I immediately swaddled her, rocked her and offered her my pinkie to suck on. Instantly she calmed down. She had a 3 hour nap. Much needed I'd say. She woke up chipper and relaxed and ready for more fun. My family was out playing croquet so we went out to watch them in their fun.

It was another night of board games and later a fire.

Monday - Day to pack up and head home. We had a leisure morning.  Papa Chuck cooked fish caught by Joel and Michelle for breakfast with Hot cakes! Nummers. Around 10 mom and I gathered up all of the wash and went down to the Laundry house. Blue Lake rule: Leave everything better than how you found it. It is a rule to do all of the washings, make the beds in fresh sheets and sweep and clean the kitchen and bathrooms before heading home.

As we were waiting for the laundry to finish I decided to take the opportunity of nice weather for a photo shoot. 

Napping in the Sun

She has found her feet!

She LOVES tugging on her Tulle Skirt.

I have photos of myself and my brothers in these chairs from when I was her age. Ah the memories and traditions.

While Mom and I packed up the car and cleaned the trailer, Nana Kay once again kept Katie entertained. 

Katie rubbing her gums on Nana's thumb like an ear of corn.

Joel and Michelle went fishing that morning one last time before they packed up and left. They both caught their limit Every Day! After laundry was done, mom and I walked Katie over to the docks to watch Joel clean their catch. Here was their catch that morning.

The Seagulls waiting for fish scraps to come out of the tube.. 

Once the trailer was clean and the car was packed, I took a moment and made everyone chicken salad sandwiches and brownies to take with them for their trip home.

I don't have a photo because my camera was already packed however, While I was making the sandwiches Papa had Katie on his lap and they were talking away. Next thing I hear was a laugh from Papa and then silence. I went out on the deck to see what was up and there Katie was slouched over on Papas lap crashed out asleep.
Once everything was loaded and we were ready to leave I picked up Katie from her Papa Chucks comfy arms and then we gave Nana Kay and Papa Chuck kisses and hugs goodbye and loaded Katie into the car.


We were hoping for an easy and quick ride home. We didn't get that though.

Getting Gas and Coffee in Ephrata. 

It took 7:30 hours to get home, including an hour stop in Thorp for potty breaks, diaper changes, and due to traffic at Cle Elum we decided to waste a bit of time walking through the antiques there. Although wasting time didn't help. Traffic didn't let up until after Easton. From Ellensburg to Easton it was 4 hours stuck in the car... Katie once again was a trooper. At one point Nana had allowed Katie to stand facing forwards in her car seat. We had been going 2 miles an hour for 2 hours. The girl needed to stretch her legs and get a different veiw!. 

Once  home I laid Katie down who fell asleep instantly and then unloaded and unpacked the car. I pumped and then crashed myself, skipping dinner as I was so tired. 

The next night I cooked Joe a delicous trout dinner using Papa Chuck's flour recipe.

Home made coleslaw included. 

Memorial Day Weekend was a GREAT getaway (except for the car ride there and back). I look forward to going back with Katie soon. Oh and bringing Daddy this time too!

Katie Marie - 5 Months Old

My Five Month Old



She can sit up for a few moments before falling over.

My Baby Girl is already five months old.

Seriously? I know people always tell me that they grow up quick, but I guess I didn't realize it was THIS quick.  

Katie's life at 5 moths old.

• Katie falls asleep around 9 PM and sleeps through the night until 7 AM. Once she is changed, fed, and burped she goes down for her morning nap which is about 2-3 hours.  (we're working on moving bed time up to 7:30... slowly)
• We are working on Sleep Training. So far, fantastic!(its only been 3 nights) Joe or I swaddle her, give her a paci and the read or sing to her. We give her kisses goodnight, lay her down  in her crib and walk out. So far only 10-15 minutes until shes asleep, and bonus she has yet to cry during this experience!! Great Baby.
• She'll have two 30 minute naps throughout the day and around 5 she'll sleep for about 2 hours and then not sleep until bed time.
• Nap time- She's back to swaddling. I recently got a Woombie. Works like a charm.
• She also is NOW into the binky. After 4 months of hating the thing now she prefers it when she goes down to sleep.
• She still takes baby zantac twice a day for her acid reflux.
• She is mostly fed breast milk although my body can't quite keep up with her intake so she does get two bottles a day of formula.
• She drinks 4 ounces at a time, however her morning feedings she likes another 2 ounces 30 minutes later. 
• She burps herself now. Us trying to burp her is pointless.
• She loves to hold her feet.
• She's into feeling different textures now. Always scratching her fingers across any surface.
• She is Miss Grabby Hands and wants to grab everything and put it in her mouth.
• She can move objects from one hand to the other.
• Her fingers are her favorite chew toy.She has found her toung and how likes to grab at it with her thumb and forefinger, ending in gagging herself.
• She loves to roll from side to side while on her back. We know she can roll from front to back however she is stubborn and hasn't done it lately.
• She sometimes pushes her chest off the ground when on her belly. Mostly she arches her back and has her feet and arms in the air. Like she's an airplane.
• She can sit up with little assistance. If I let her hold onto my fingers she can stabilize herself enough to sit up for a little while. 
• This kid LOVES to stand. She'd rather stand than sit. 
• She is a fan of bathtime now. Kicking and splashing around.
• She now likes to grab at Logan and Aurora. They love to give her kisses, although we are trying to train them not to kiss her face.
• She loves going to Grandmas and playing in the tide flats. Squishing her toes in the sand.
• She likes going on walks in her stroller. Gives her a change to view everything around her.

Swaddled and paci in mouth. Just the way she likes it.



Her feet are her new favorite thing.



She figured out how to "Walk" along her crib rails. Bumpers went back up.

 

I so love being a Mama! It is the BEST thing in life! I love to interact with Katie and watch her learn new things all the time! She is getting such a personality now and not afraid to show it.

Favorite thing about Katie: I look forward to every morning when I go to her crib to pick her up, there's always a HUGE smile on her face as she says hello and good morning. (In Katie Babble of course)



Looking forward to: Today is family photo day. So look foward to those being posted shortly.

Nest post: Katie's first trip to Blue Lake! 





First Boo Boo.

Clumsy Katie.

During her excitement of shaking her rattle, Katie bopped herself in the chin.. Ouch!

She cried for a few seconds. Then it was easily forgotten, and she went back to playing with her rattle.

My First Mothers Day!

Last year I announced to my family that I was pregnant. This year I got to celebrate Mothers Day with my husband and Katie! Amazing how fast one year flies by.

I woke up to a sweet cooing of Katie at 6am. Joe told me he'd get her and that I should go back to sleep! Love him! I still had to pump but it was so nice to just wake up, pump, and cuddle back in bed! He got Katie back down in a record 35 minutes and then crawled into bed to snuggle. I then woke up to Joe cooking me breakfast and listening to Katie "talk" to the dogs.

We enjoyed a nice breakfast of bacon, eggs and fresh blueberry pancakes. Nummers. I then got my gift.
Since we are on a tight budget with me only working part time right now I didn't want a gift so I got a note instead.

Inside the note Joe wrote what he'd like to do for my first mothers day. It was to go buy a rose bush and a cedar planter box to commemorate my first mothers day. So Sweet. Then later, he'd take care of Katie so I could roam the book store at my leisure. Love him!

Another first on Sunday was Katie got to wear her first pair of shoes!

Here it goes!

Velcro on!

TaDa!

Gosh she looks so grown up. This girl loves to stand so we decided to get her used to shoes now.

So after cleaning up breakfast off we went to McLendon's. I picked out a sweet pink rose bush and a nice planter box. (Since we are currently in our condo we decided a planter box for now and then once we buy a house we'll plant it somewhere.)

On our way back home we had this stunning view to enjoy! It's hard to tell, but there it's a double rainbow.

After dropping Joe and Katie off at home, I went off to Half Price Books to wonder the childrens book section mainly. I ended up grabing a handful of books for myself and for Katie.

I ran into the grocery store to pick up a few missing items so I could make a nice dinner later.

After the grocerys were put away and new books placed on the bookshelves, we had some Katie Naked Time before bath time! Her favorite.

Who needs clothes to be happy?



Love my shirt, don't you?

Joe and I enjoyed a nice steak and potatoe dinner and lemon bars for dessert and then enjoyed a movie together after Katie fell asleep.

It was a very nice and relaxing first Mothers Day for me.Now I need to start brainstorming ideas for Fathers Day.

4 Months!!

My Four Month Old

I can't believe she has gotten so big so quick. Where did the time go?

Today she had her 4 month check up. Poor little girl had to get two shots and one oral vaccine. She was a trooper though! She cried for 30 seconds and then I cuddled her and gave her a bottle and then all was well!

I had two shots today.  Boo

I had to take her traditional photo next to her first teddy. Goodness she is big. 

I now weigh 13.8 lbs 50% percentile

Just to give you an idea of how much she's grown. Here she was at 1 month old. 7 pounds.

Such a happy girl.

She giggled at the Dr's for the first time today. Such a sweet sound.

I am now 24.5 Inches tall! 75% Percentile

She is constantly grabbing EVERYTHING with her hands and putting it into her mouth.

She now has figured out how to holler at Joe or I. Especially when we lay her under the activity mat and we're not paying enough attention to her she'll be "Talking" and out of nowhere she hollers. It's like she is hollering "Hey, pay attention to me. NOW!" We can't help but laugh.

Here is what Katie's life is like at 4 moths old.

• She now falls asleep around 10 PM and sleeps through the night until 7 AM. Once she is changed, fed, and burped she goes down for her morning nap which is about 2-3 hours. 
• She'll have two short naps throughout the day and around 5 she'll sleep for about 2 hours and then not sleep until bed time.
• She takes baby zantac twice a day for her acid reflux.
• She is mostly fed breast milk although my body can't quite keep up with her intake so she does get two bottles a day of formula.
• She drinks 4 ounces at a time.
• She is much easier to burp than she used to be. 
• She talks herself to sleep, as if she's trying to talk her way out of it. 
• She drinks 4 ounces at a time.
• She can roll over from front to back and can roll to her side from her back. 
• She drools constantly 
• We think she is starting to teeth. 
• She must think her fingers are appetizing since they are always being chewed on. 
• She can push her chest off the ground when on her belly. 
• She can sit up with little assistance. If I let her hold onto my fingers she can stabilize herself enough to sit up for a little while. 
• This kid LOVES to stand. She'd rather stand than sit. 
• She is starting to love bath time, she no longer sits in the tub with her lips pursed and frowning. she now kicks her legs in the water and splashes. 
• She's a TV Watcher. If the TV is on she'll find a way to look at it. 
• She loves car rides, she entertains herself with her Baby Einstein lights and music mirror

She is already been blessed with so many nicknames. Most common is Little Miss. Katie Girl (from Mommy), Bubble Girl (from Nana), Little Cutie (from Grandma). Daddy calls her some variation of his little turkey. Currently using Turkey Muffin. Don't know what that really means but it's cute.

Daddy's Mini Me

She rarely cries. Seriously hardly ever. Joe and I got so lucky with her! She is so fantastic and the love of my life. Motherhood isn't easy but it is so rewarding!

I am loving my life. It isn't easy, especially with us being on such a tight budget because I'm only working part time, however it fills my heart with so much joy. I wouldn't have it any other way though. I never thought life could be so great.

One Day

Joe and I always knew that we wanted children one day. We knew, we’d get married, buy a house, adopt a dog, and then one day start a family.  Although not in order, we got a condo, got two dogs and then we got married 5 years after we started dating. We still wanted to move into a house with a yard before starting a family. It turns out God had other plans. 

After a late Tuesday evening spent in the tow truck with Joe, we stopped for dinner at Denny’s. I was feeling off for the last few weeks and couldn’t put my finger on why I didn’t feel normal. I didn’t feel ill, just not right.  During our conversation while waiting for our food, we over heard a lady behind us announced to her friends that she was pregnant.  When I heard that I did some calculating, then the realization hit me.  At the same moment Joe saw the look in my eyes and asked me “You just realized that you may be pregnant huh?” Apparently he’s had the suspicion for the past week.  I brushed it off saying “Naw, no way am I pregnant. “ Joe then pointed out a few things that I had done earlier in the week to prove myself otherwise. My appalled reaction when I got home one night and immediately smelled our garbage can. I apologized to our friends that had shown up and they just looked at me funny and said they couldn’t smell a thing; my constant tiredness.  It added up. 

So we decided to stop at a store and get a home pregnancy test.  Once home I took the test, after 3 LONG minutes, I checked the result, Negative. I had a feeling deep in my gut that screamed, “THIS IS WRONG”.  Joe felt the same way. So I decided to wait a few days and then test again in two mornings. 

Thursday came around and I tested again first thing in the morning. I was so sure it was going to read positive. Again after three long minutes, Negative.  Again I had the “This is wrong” feeling. I didn’t even bother telling Joe. I just let him sleep and I went off to work. 

After talking to my co worker and close friend, she convinced me to call my primary care doctor and just run it by them. So I made the call on my lunch break. The on call nurse called me back and set me up with an appointment a few hours later with the walk in clinic.

So here Joe and I were to go to the Dr. Sure we’d get a positive result. Once we sat down with the Dr. She was sure I just had food poising. After all I was only a week late and had been on the pill for years. After telling us how accurate a Home Pregnancy test is now a days she didn’t feel the need to run any lab work. I insisted, telling her that it isn’t food poising, I don’t feel sick, just off. Please run a blood test. She agreed and wanted to run both urine and a blood and then she’d call us with the results. We asked how long the results would take. Less than 30 minutes was her response. We decided to wait, even though the Dr. was sure it would come up negative. So there we were, sitting and waiting. “If it is negative, maybe we should start trying?” I said to Joe.  “In a few more years, once we’re in a house” he replied. 

After 20 minutes of waiting, the nurse popped her head around the corner and said “Your results are back, and they are positive”

“Positive for what?”  Joe asked as I sat staring at the paper in the nurse’s hand.  “Congratulations, you’re pregnant! Do you want to speak with the Doctor?” I popped out of my daze and said “Yeah, I guess we better”.

As the nurse showed us to an exam room and was shutting the door she asked if I was OK, “Yeah” I replied and started bawling. Joe laughed and came up to me, rubbing my arms, kissing my forehead and saying, “Why are you crying, this is what you wanted”.

Reality had hit me along with a deep gutted fear. I was going to be a Mommy.

The doctor had come in and was honestly surprised with the results. She said that it was VERY early into the pregnancy. Only about 3 weeks and that I must have been very in tuned with my body. December 25, 2010 was our due date. She gave us a rundown of what to expect in the next few weeks and sent us on our way. 

That whole week Joe and I never mentioned any of our suspicions to our family. We didn’t want to say anything unless there was something to say. We decided to head over to my mom’s first and make a call to my dad.  He was over the moon, so excited and happy.  

When I broke the news to my mom she was stunned.  “How do you like the term Grandma?” I asked her. Stunned silence was my answer. After it sunk in, she was first worried for us. About the changes that we will endure and wondering if our marriage was ready for the roller coaster that was upon us. 

As Joe and I drove home I received a text from my mom. “Wow, a baby. Oh WOW!” I called her wanting to know the reason for her text. She said it took a few minutes for it all to sink in. She realized that God planned this and he wouldn’t give us the challenge if we weren’t ready for it. She was so happy and knew that the next chapter in her life was about to begin being a Grandmother. 

Seahawk Draft party, I told him he was going to be an Uncle for Christmas. I could hear him sniffling through the phone, “are you serious?” He asked. He too was so happy. I told him that mum’s the word until I give him the go ahead.  Too excited about it all he posted on Facebook that he was going to be an uncle!

After seeing my brothers post an hour later, Joe and I hopped back into the car and headed up to Stanwood to tell his family the good news before they saw anything online.

Once all of our immediate family knew the good news I composed an email to let the rest of the family know. It was opening weekend and most of them were at Blue Lake. Thank goodness for Smart Phones. My Cousin received my email and read it to everyone at lunch, I got a very ecstatic email back saying that Nana was jumping up and down. So excited.

At 13 weeks we had an NT Test done. All came out great and it was our first time seeing the little one move. Yes I cried. Such a miracle.

At 20 weeks we had our ultrasound done. This baby was moving like crazy. The Technician was having a bit of a hard time getting the necessary pictures let alone the gender deciding ones. At the end the tech couldn't get a clear confirming shot nor was she able to get pictures of the baby's heart so we were told to come back in 2 weeks so that they can get the shots needed and also see the baby's growth progress. 

22 weeks came and went, the baby cooperated so we got all necessary shots. My family was having a big birthday celebration for my Nana and an Aunt that weekend. Knowing we were destine to have a girl and we were going to name her after Nana we wanted to tell them all in a special way. So I got creative and decided to bake a cake and dye the inside pink and cover it in chocolate frosting with some fondant decoration on top.

At the family gathering we had Nana cut open the cake in front of the family. Again Nana jumped up and down with the news.
We also announced her name. Katherine Marie Milich.

Now it was time to start getting the nursery ready. Lots to do since there wasn't even carpet in that room.
Here are some photos of the progress.

The Dresser

We repurposed this dresser. It needed refinishing badly.

Joe sanding off the old finish 

Applying the wood conditioner before we stained it.

After the first stain. 

Finished!

Filled with some clothes

The handles were also refinished. Gotta love spray paint. 

Special projects.

Used to be an ugly gold.

I made this lamp from scratch!. So proud

We tore out the baseboard heater and installed an in wall one. 

I made these silk curtains to cover up Joe's G.I Joe collection.

Done, now I just need to hang it. 

Can't even tell they are there!

This lamp was also gold. I used a brushed nickel spray and got a new lamp shade. Pretty

New Carpet

The final product

Crib assembled

I held up my new baby tradition and made a blanket for my own daughter.

Nursery Complete. Now we're ready for her to arrive!

Even though our pregnancy was unplanned, we were thrilled, and a little scared at the big change about to happen to our lives. 

My pregnancy went as smooth as silk! Aside from my heightened sense of smell, I was doing great! Pregnancy really agreed with me.  I never have felt better.  Our one day became now.

Sorry for the this being SO long. I had so much that happened in the last year that I wanted to get written down! Next edition will be Katie's birth story and an update on her first 4 months. I promise it won't be nearly as long!

Thanks for reading!