Katie's First Dentist Appointment

When going through the open enrollment period for our insurance, we decided it made the most sense to add Katie to our dental coverage. We thought it would be a good idea to take her around the time she turns 2, and then 6 months later. This past Monday was the big day! We picked a pediatric dentist close to our house (and recommended by other families) and made the appointment. Katie did great! It is more to get the child used to the office and make it a good experience. Katie liked her hygienist a lot - and she wasn't afraid of the dentist either! She was able to sit up and brush her own teeth, and then the hygienist helped brush some too. She got some stickers and got to pick a treasure out of the treasure chest! The only time she had to lay down on the seat was for the dentist to get a good look at her teeth. That wasn't horrible because they had TVs on the ceiling for kids to watch! So Katie got to watch Sid The Science Kid while getting her mouth checked out. And they said everything looked great and to come back in 6 months. All in all, quite the successful event!

Getting ready to leave the house for the dentist

She decided she wanted to read Parents Magazine at the kid table in the waiting room

When we got back to the chair, she was so excited that she got a new toothbrush!

And the hygienist helped her brush really well

She had a good time! She got this duck to play with while getting checked out!

She also got stickers - she wanted to share with her Momma!

Looking through the big treasure chest

Excited about her pick - a new bracelet! (I find it pretty neat too - I remember collecting different colors of those kinds of bracelets when I was little!)

After the dentist looked her over, he showed her his gloves and how to put them on. She was quite proud!

And there she is getting her bag of goodies before we headed out!

After her appointment, we went to the park to play!

And she actually played on the frog - as opposed to just running over to hug him!

Playing with her puzzles later that same day

...and showing off her pearly whites before bedtime!

Valentine's Day: Better Late Than Never

Since I was out of town for Valentine's Day, we had to celebrate a few days after the fact. We actually celebrated the Saturday after Valentine's Day. After Miss Priss woke up from naptime, she got to open her goodies. Then that night, I cashed in a babysitting offer from a friend, and Brad and I went out to dinner at J. Alexanders. We had thought about going to the Melting Pot, but since we went to a nice dinner for a friend's birthday the night before, we opted to do something a little less formal! And I wasn't much fun to shop for. That would be because I shopped too much for myself and just told Brad he could give me money for the items I purchased. At least I got what I wanted! :) And I got him some new cologne, a flask, and an offer to pay for part of a new pair of sunglasses whenever he decides to buy them. And of course we both got cards. All in all, it was a major success - and very fun! Here are some pictures!

The unopened bag of goodies

The first thing she could get her hands on was her Valentines Bear - she loved it!

And then she kept digging...

I have to say, I think this shirt was her favorite item. How did she know to hold it up to herself and admire it like that!?

Then she wanted to put it on...

So close....

After a little help from Mom, she was so proud of herself - and her new cute shirt!

She loved checking out her very own umbrella too!

Such a ham - posing for the camera...and full of laughs!

Climbing on the stairs and smiling - because she knows she isn't supposed to be doing that!

All of her goodies! Can you tell there's a theme? PINK! And rain gear...boots, raincoat, umbrella - with dots! I can't wait to go outside and stomp in some puddles together!

Brad and myself before going out to dinner

And my flowers! I told Brad I was actually saving him money by being out of town on actual Valentines Day since he was able to get me flowers at their normal price. :)

Some of our cards! This doesn't include the cards Brad and I got for eachother. Katie loved looking at them (especially the Elmo one) out on display!

Disability Policy Seminar Trip

As I posted before (actually, while I was there), I traveled to Washington DC from February 13-16. It was so fun! I had all afternoon on Sunday to play tourist. And boy did I use my time wisely. On Monday and Tuesday of the conference, we heard from various officials with different federal groups about various pieces of legislation and budget cuts that would affect people with disabilities. It was very interesting, to say the least. Then Wednesday, the last day of the conference, you actually go to The Hill and meet with your state representatives and discuss all of the issues that you learned about the previous two days. Also, while I was gone, I was able to go to dinner with a good friend from high school and his girlfriend - so fun! I really enjoyed the time I was in DC. We will likely go back to play tourist sometime soon - Brad has never been and really wants to see all of the monuments and museums. I hadn't been since our 6th grade trip! I loved how everything I needed was within walking distance - I got lots of exercise on that trip! I also took quite a few pictures, but I narrowed it down to some of the better ones for this post. So, without further ado....

This map shows where our hotel (the red square) is in relation to everything else. The red line was my route I took while playing tourist. I covered some turf!!
The arch entering Chinatown. So cool.

I went to Union Station for lunch (and did some shopping)...

The inside of Union Station

A view of the Washington Monument, The Mall, and The Reflecting Pool in front of the Capitol building

The Capitol Building

As you may have noticed, I like taking pictures of the places I visit so I don't forget where I am in certain pics! I learned that trick when we went to Europe (everything runs together at a certain point!)

The Hope Diamond

All the dinosaur bones - amazing in person!

My favorite thing I saw was the actual Star Spangled Banner. And I have a confession....you weren't allowed to take pictures in that particular area. But I wanted to. I wanted to capture this amazing piece of history. So I tried to be sneaky and take a flashless pic as I walked out. This is what I got.

Abraham Lincoln's famous top hat

The Washington Monument

The White House! Apparently I had just missed Michelle Obama out playing with their dog...

Me with the White House (don't you love self-portraits??)

And of course I had to do some shopping. There was a H&M just around the corner from my hotel. Love going in that place!

I loved all of the food I ate there. Oddly enough, I had shrimp almost everyday I was there, in some form or fashion. At this meal, a group of us went to a tapas restaurant where it was all you could eat for $20. It.was.amazing. I had never been to a tapas restaurant...and now I must find a good one locally. This is some kind of fried eggplant with a yummy cheese dip.

In my hotel, they had a gigantic American flag flying in the atrium area. I had to take a picture of it.

On our day of Hill visits, this is me all spiffied up. I bought a suit so I looked all professional. Well, actually, I bought separates that looked like they were a suit. The whole outfit (shoes, pants, jacket, shirt) came from TJ Maxx and cost a whopping $70ish. Not bad when the jacket itself was originally $140 in the stores! I felt quite professional - amazing what that can do for a girl's attitude! :) Anyways, this is me in front of the office of my U.S. Congresswoman. At most of the visits, we met with their staff. My last visit, the congresswoman tried really wanted to meet with us, so she had us meet her in a room in the actual Capitol building. She was in session voting on various items and met with us on a break! Pretty neat if you ask me. After that visit, we hightailed it back to the hotel to get our stuff and taxi it to the airport to come home. It was an action-packed trip full of information and delicious food, but I was definitely ready to head home to my family!

All Better!

Katie has figured out that when she has an "ouchy", I will kiss it and say, "All better!" I think she may be making up some of her ouchies - they seem to happen all the time...and always on a finger or her hand! She comes up and shoves her hand in my face to kiss it (I wonder if she thinks she is royalty...??), and of course I do! Once the boo-boo is kissed, she now says, "All better!" I love it. And I am OK with her making up these ouchies...at least for now. I like that she knows her Momma's love will make things better :)

Wordless Wednesday

Baby Love

My college roommate, also an Ashley, just had a baby! Gosh, I forget how little newborns are. I am so excited for her and her new family of 3 (well, 4, including the dog!).

Here is a "before" picture - this was at our friend's 30th birthday party. She was such a trooper - 3 days before her due date (and when the Little Miss would be born) - and out socializing! She was also a trooper because I couldn't stop putting my hand on her belly :)

And a sort of "after picture"! Avery was born on Valentine's Day! I was so sad because I was out of town on the big day, but the first day I was home, I went to visit and meet Miss Priss - she needs to get to know her Auntie Ashley! And I got to hold her for almost TWO whole hours! Ahhh...I could sit and hold little ones for hours on end.

Welcome to the world, sweet girl! You are so very loved!

Katie's First Shape

I find it quite fitting that her first shape she recognizes, says the name of, etc is a HEART! That is the shape of the month at her mother's day out program - I am sure because of Valentine's. But yes, she surprised me one day and pointed at one and said "heart"! I am really going to do a better job of working with her at home in regards to the color, shape, etc of the month that they talk about at school. She is clearly a sponge and soaking up every bit of information. I have some flashcards with letters and words and all of that, and I think it is time to play with those sometimes! I don't want to be too structured, but I definitely want to have a time each day that she's not at mother's day out where we spend time actively learning - colors, shapes, letters, numbers, animals, etc. Once I figure out how I think I am going to try this, I will be sure to do a post all about it!

Jesus Loves Me

The main part of Katie's bedtime routine is singing "Jesus Loves Me" before we lay her down. Brad and I usually sing it, Katie claps, Katie gives Elmo a goodnight kiss, we have a family hug, we lay her down, and she drinks water before we leave the room. She is definitely perfecting the art of stalling at bedtime. I think kids must be born with the knowledge and ideas of what to do to stall at bedtime.

We just finished bathing Katie so that I could help - I have a call for work this evening (weird, I know). I picked Katie up to bring her downstairs to play just a little bit longer and she must have thought it was bedtime. As soon as I picked her up, she started singing Jesus Loves Me! It may have been in mostly "baby talk", but I heard Jesus as the first word and could follow her song. I'm so glad we have our bedtime routine, and that it is helping Katie learn too!

It's The Little Things: Pink Pen Edition

I have an affinity for pink pens. And it can't be just a pretty looking pink pen. It must also have pink ink. Here are the ones I quickly grabbed for a picture.

I have always loved pens. In college I used all different colored pens to take notes - each day of class was a different color so that it would help me study for tests. I think that may have carried over, but just in the form of pink pens. Looking at something written in pink is just so refreshing and happy! It really is the little things that count :)

Our Little Diva

I have had a pair of sunglasses for Miss Priss since she was probably less than a month old. At first they were too big for her face. Then she absolutely hated them. Well, fast forward about a year or so and she LOVES them. When she puts them on, it is like she transforms into a different little girl! This Diva struts her stuff and has a sassy face. Oh dear - we are certainly in for it as she gets older. She loved the sunglasses and wanted to keep them on, but I was afraid she'd start running into things! Here she is modeling her new pair (that actually matches her bathing suit) - she now has 3 pairs of sunglasses. I anticipate that 1 or 2 or the pairs will be broken in no time. We will see!