We survived our trip - Katie did pretty well for all of the time in her car seat and didn't get too fussy, although I am sure it helped that we split the trip to Colorado and back again up over two days each way. She LOVED staying with Grandma and Grandpa - she really got good at getting up on her feet while she was there. Katie also spent a fair amount of time in her walker/activity center, which she could easily get moving around the big kitchen (although she would get very peeved if she ran into something - she got good at going FORWARD, but hasn't figured out BACKWARD yet). She also liked just pushing it around - but again, same problem - she'd get peeved when she ran into something and it wouldn't keep going. Katie also continues to be enamored of Coltrane the cat - any time the cat would be near her line of vision, she'd giggle and smile and squeal. We still aren't sure if the love was reciprocated - while Coltrane didn't bolt from the room whenever Katie was around, she wasn't overly friendly to Katie, either!

Grandma and Grandpa had a great time with Katie, and Grandpa took especially good care of her while they were together, changing lots of diapers and feeding her (she tends to balk some at being constrained to a high chair / booster, so Grandpa would put her on his lap to feed her). Grandpa ALSO couldn't seem to go to the store without buying something special for Katie - I think she now has more toys there than she does at home.

Our return trip brought us through Nebraska for one night, so we got to spend a little bit of time with Grammy DiAnn and Angie - a short trip but we are hopeful they'll come to TX for Katie's birthday in about six weeks.

And ... no sooner did Katie go back to day care than she got sick. Skip was getting ready to head out the door on Wednesday when HUUUUURRRL - all of the formula Katie'd put down that morning came back up (thankfully, they were in the kitchen - easy clean up ). I stayed home with her that day and while she had a few poopier than usual pants, she didn't puke again. Got her up the next day and it was a repeat - puked in the morning but then kept everything down the rest of the day. Friday she seemed to be better, so off to day care; we decided to try to get out Friday night and literally got no more than a mile from our house when she starts retching in the back of the car (poor baby). SO - back home and straight into the tub (Daddy got to clean the car). After she spewed she seemed pretty happy - she slammed some Pedialyte (gatorade for babies) and went to bed without any problems. Then Saturday she gets up, she seems to be fine so again, we decide to try our luck with an outing - we got further this time; we were out looking for houses (the quest continues ...) in the Irving area and had been out for about 3-4 hours before Katie again spewed all over the car, herself and the carseat. So, repeat of Friday night - Katie in the tub, Daddy taking apart the car seat. And again, afterwards, she acts fine - she's been a little warm this whole time but not really running a fever. Today I've decided we go NOWHERE, and it's all pedialyte and applesauce and bananas and some cheerios (yesterday she had a blueberry / apple combo ... at least she was wearing a purple outfit, it blended well). She's napping now, and has been down for nearly three hours but we're going to let her go as long as she needs in hopes that she'll be able to kick this finally. I'm happy to report: no diaper blow outs and no spew so far. BUT ... of course ... now Skip is sick. Joy.

So, that's how we're spending Katie's first Easter. The Easter Bunny did fill her basket with the 101 Dalmatians DVD (she watched the first 10 minutes and giggled the whole time) and some bubbles (which she loved trying to "catch").

Oh - and Katie IS getting her top two teeth; that may be contributing some to the diaper blow outs of late (as if the bug caught at day care weren't enough on its own ... she also has a runny nose; anyone who has ever had a kid knows how much fun THAT is).

So, that's what's up with us for this week ... hopefully will get the pictures off of the camera's memory card soon and will upload a few. TTFN - Jen

Well, I am at home today, getting laundry done and our stuff packed for our trip to Colorado. Hooray!

I just got back from San Antonio, which was an adventure in and of itself - was there on a business trip with several coworkers for a large team meeting, and it snowed in Dallas yesterday (actually up to nine inches in some places, which even up north is a good amount!). Well, we're all sitting around the conference table when Frank, my boss, checks American Airline's site - our flight has been cancelled. Shortly thereafter, Amy and Doreen to my left check theirs - ditto. SO ... what to do? We ended up renting a mini van, another co worker Andrew drove and Kristin came along, too so it was a full bus. It took us two hours to make what is usually a short jaunt between San Antonio and Austin because of very heavy rain; it continued to rain off and on most of the way home but really, we had no problems. Once we got to Dallas, Andrew dropped all of us off at a point where we could go get our cars and we made our way home. All in all, I ended up back at the airport only about two hours later than I would have had I been on my original flight. No horribly interesting stories from the road, though. But it was sorta fun - got to spend time with coworkers I don't see very often.

SO - today I am off, I took Katie to day care and Skip to work and came back home to do the aforementioned laundry, clean out the fridge, take out the trash, blah blah blah - all of the junk one does before a long trip. Oh yeah - packing for me and Katie, too.

Katie did VERY well this week for Daddy - no meltdowns at night, I am happy to report. I did miss a milestone while I was gone - she crawled to the window sill and pulled herself up on her feet, using the ledge. Fortunately Daddy got it on video for me.

So, now we get to see how well Katie does in a car for long periods of time ... I am more than a little nervous, as she LOVES to go places now that she can crawl. We're splitting the trip up on our way up - staying in Amarillo tonight - so hopefully that will help.

More to come ... and FINALLY, new pictures. Sorry it's taken so long.