The Witt Family

Basketball, Eggs and Ernie

2010-04-02T10:30:00.000-05:00

Instead of trying to play catch-up, since it's been so long since I've blogged, I thought I'd just pick up where we are now...sorry for the gap, but life got busy!

March Maddness was very exciting for us! KSU and Baylor both did very well in the tournament. Mary Kathryn wore lots of purple because her Witt grandparents keep her wardrobe well stocked...unfortunately, the only Baylor outfit she has doesn't fit anymore. Guess we'll have to make a trip to Waco soon! I think this one is hilarious!

This week, we went to MiMi's MOPS group's Easter egg hunt. Since Mary Kathryn is not quite old enough to hunt, we really just used it as an excuse to wear a cute dress and have a picnic. It was a bit windy, but really nice otherwise. We had a great time!

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Mary Kathryn's cousin (who we affectionately call Ernie, although that will not be his/her name) who should be here any day! Mary Kathryn has tried out the bed and several toys, just to make sure they are safe. Such a good cousin!

AKA Wallpaper Paste

2010-01-14T19:32:00.000-06:00

In the last week or so Mary Kathryn has become increasingly interested in food. She has suddenly taken notice of our food and started reaching for it and watching what we do with it. So, we decided that it was time to start solids. Tonight we gave her rice cereal for the first time. It's not quite the consistancy of wallpaper paste yet, but soon enough it will be. Right now it's more like REALLY watery oatmeal, but even more bland (yep, I tasted it). Mary Kathryn seemed to like it though...she was quite the eater. And, she didn't even make a huge mess, like I expected...but, I'm sure that's coming.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-12T20:40:00.000-06:00

On January 2nd, we took a road trip to Kansas. Mary Kathryn and I stayed with GG and Grammie in Hutchinson, while Chris went to Manhattan for the week to start graduate school! It was a REALLY cold week in Kansas (actually all over the country) and we managed to only leave the house a hand-full of times. It was great to relax and have no responsiblities. MK had a hard time sleeping and I thought it was just because of the new environment, but turns out, she was working on a tooth. No wonder everything went straight to the mouth. One day before her 5 month birthday, her bottom middle right tooth popped through! She's growing so fast!

Changing her diaper has become quite a challenge with the discovery of TOES! She loves them and they

provide endless entertainment.

Next adventure, RICE CEREAL...I'll let you know how it goes.

SANTA!

2009-12-23T13:07:00.000-06:00

We finally got to Bass Pro to see Santa! We didn't have to wait that long, but next year, we are going sooner than the Monday before Christmas. He was a great Santa and Mary Kathryn was a great sport!

(nice of Daddy to have on a red shirt to coordinate)

Ryann, on the other hand, was not too sure about him. She was holding on to Tom's shirt for dear life, but we managed to get a cute picture (the pacifier was the saving grace).

Sleeping Beauty

2009-12-21T14:21:00.000-06:00

I am THRILLED to report that Mary Kathryn has started sleeping though the night! It all started 2 weeks ago when we went to visit Ryne in the Hill Country. I thought it was probably just a fluke and that she was just enjoying being out of the big city, but she has slept between 7 and 9 hours each night since then, except for the night we stayed in a hotel, of course! it is SO wonderful for US to get that many hours of sleep in a row as well.

last friday, Mom, Laura and I had a Christmas bake-off...apparently it wore MK out!

tonight we will attempt to go see santa (for like the 3rd time). hopefully this time we will actually go and i will have some precious pictures to post tomorrow.

Baby Bella

2009-12-04T14:10:00.000-06:00

Mary Kathryn and I went to visit our friends Bonnie and Bella yesterday. It was not our first visit with them, but the first time we actually remembered to take pictures.

Bella is 6 weeks old and Mary Kathryn is almost 4 months.

Before we know it, they will be running around causing all kinds of trouble, just like we did.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-04T13:59:00.000-06:00

A week later, I'm finally getting to the pictures from Thanksgiving...

We had a wonderfully relaxing day at MiMi and GMax's house (those are the Gotcher grandparent names - at least for now - we know they will really be whatever Mary Kathryn decides to call them). Grammie and Grandpa (the Witt grandparents) and Uncle Ryne were there to celebrate with us. (Walla and Uncle Shane were with the Collins'.) We ate and watched football. It was a perfect day!

I bought this in October and was so worried that it wasn't going to fit anymore, but it did! WHEW!

She loves GMax's fish! She could watch them swim for hours...and, she talks to them! =)

BEDDING!!

2009-11-24T15:54:00.002-06:00

We got the rest of Mary Kathryn's bedding today! It is BEAUTIFUL!!!

(i tried to make the pictures XL so you can see just how beautiful, but they won't fit in the space on my layout. if you click on them they will open up bigger so you can see more detail.)

The piping and the ties on the pads are my favorite parts, but I absolutely LOVE it all!

I'm such a happy girl! I immediately took her bed apart to lower the mattress so the bumper pads would fit. It was quite an ordeal, so we just went ahead and moved it to the lowest spot so we don't have to go through all that again.

Now, we just have to get some window treatments done and pictures hung and her room will finally be finished. That whole bedrest and preemie thing got in the way of getting it done before she got here.

Also, MK loves her little seat that my class gave me at the end of the year last year. I think she likes the new perspective on the world that it offers. She was very content to sit in it and watch me while I cooked dinner.

Busy Day!

2009-11-20T20:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a very busy day! We went to visit Daddy at work. He was such a proud pappa showing off his baby girl to the people at Sara Lee.

Then, we went to visit Grandmother and Grandaddy Odle. They were so excited to meet her and she was a perfect angel! Grandmother's lap was very comfortable.

After that, we went to meet Noah Dealy. He's so TINY!! but, as we've learned with Mary Kathryn, he will grow so fast it will be hard to remember that he was ever this little. For now though, he makes MK look HUGE! It's amazing that in a little while a 3 month age gap will be no big deal, but right now it's a significant difference!

And, I finally captured the thumb sucking on camera. She's doing it more and more, so maybe soon it will replace the sucker for good.

This and That

2009-11-17T14:27:00.001-06:00

yay! MK has a bedskirt! thanks to Sharla - and, soon she'll have bumper pads too! it is all so cute!

look how big she's getting!

for those of you who know Jim Witt, you will appreciate this - HE SITS STILL to hold is granddaughter!

September 4th

November 16th

AMAZING how quickly she grows!

Go Wildcats!

2009-11-07T20:38:00.000-06:00

It is a happy day in the Witt family! KSU beat KU (hence the purple attire) and the Witt great-grandparents arrived from Chicago to meet Mary Kathryn.

She had a very happy conversation with Great-Grandpa, complete with smiles and laughs and cooing!

He was a BIG hit!

Great-Grandma was a hit, too!

Tomorrow, she will be 3 months old! AMAZING! How did that happen?

Our Little Pumpkin

2009-11-06T19:15:00.000-06:00

well, we never quite made it to a pumpkin patch, so this week we went to my sister's in-laws' house and used Carol's fall decor as the backdrop for some precious pictures. here are my favorites (and yes, there are a bunch).

now, how do I decide which one to print?

A Few New Pictures

2009-10-29T17:46:00.000-05:00

Mary Kathryn wore herself out playing.

I think we may have a thumb/finger sucker on our hands, which is okay with me! Fingers are alot cheaper and easier to keep up with than pacifiers!

Our friend Vicki gave my mom this onesie when she heard that I was pregnant. I came across it in her drawer today and paniced because I thought she might be too big for it and she hadn't worn it yet, but it still fit! Add a pair of Baby Legs, and she was good to go! And, MiMi loved it!

Tomorrow, Mary Kathryn gets to meet Mommy's Lakeside friends...should be fun!

Roll Over, Roll Over

2009-10-13T18:05:00.005-05:00

at 2 months and 4 days old, Mary Kathryn rolled over for the first time! it was so exciting and I am very impressed that I actually captured it on video.

We're not in Kansas anymore...

2009-10-06T19:35:00.000-05:00

...but we were this weekend. We took MK to meet her GG (Kim's mom). We also got to spend some time at Chris's parents new house that is currently under construction. Chris did the wiring for the surround sound in the living room and I helped my M-I-L pick paint colors. The dogs LOVED being out in the country and running around (and swimming in the pond). We had a great time!

the front of Kim and Jim's house.

the back (walk-out basement)

this is Jim's tractor. he LOVES that tractor!

GG, Grammie, Me and MK

isn't her pumpkin hat cute? thanks Kay!

Tummy Time

2009-09-29T14:23:00.000-05:00

not her favorite time of the day, but she's getting stronger!

oh, and yesterday was the first day that she wore her Bum Genius diapers. they're still a little big, but so far they are working wonderfully!

also, after an 11 day gap, I resumed the daily pictures. that being in the hospital for 5 days threw us off our routine. hopefully i'll remember to take the lambie to Kansas with us this weekend.

She's Growing So FAST!

2009-09-17T21:01:00.000-05:00

so, my ambition to take a picture EVERY day has not panned out, but i'm okay with that. it's turned into almost every other day, which i think is pretty good. i am amazed at how much she's changed just in 2 weeks!

September 4th (her due date)

September 6th

September 8th

September 8th, again (some days i can't pick just one picture)

September 10th

Septmeber 12th

September 12th, again

September 14th

September 14th (again)

September 17th (note the tape on her arm - she had blood drawn)

i think i'm going to be so glad that i did this!

who gets this excited about diapers and laundry?

2009-09-08T14:03:00.001-05:00

my diapers came today! i'm so excited! weird, i know. i also know the excitement about diapers and laundry won't last, so i'm going to savor it while it does.

they're so cute! i was so excited when they arrived that i immediately opened them all and put them in the wash. after they're dry, i will put them back together and in MK's dresser so they're ready to go as soon as she's big enough. just a few more pounds.

unwrapped

so colorful!

all the inserts

and the diapers

hanging up to dry

(i think i need another one of the hanger things from the container store)

my inspiration

2009-09-05T12:22:00.002-05:00

4 Weeks Old...but only due yesterday

2009-09-05T11:24:00.001-05:00

yesterday was Mary Kathryn's due date...and she's already been here for 4 weeks. Crazy! most recently we've been for her 2 week check-up, which is weird because she's 4 weeks old, but whatever. she meets all the requirements and is gaining weight like gang-busters. she weighed 7 lbs 6.4 oz and was 20 inches long. and, she's on the chart! apparently, lots of premies don't make the chart, so that's really good! she's only in the 10th percentile for her age, but that's okay - i predict that will change. her head measured 37 cm which puts her in the 50th percentile. she's got a huge nogin comparitavley. oh well! she'll grow into it.

besides a great doctor's visit, MK has also had her first bath this week. it was fun for me and she seemed to like it. no crying - just very content. and afterwards, she peed on her dad. =)

i've also decided, inspired by an email from my in-laws, to take her picture everyday to chart her growth. i think it will be so fun, once i aquire a bunch, to look back and see how she's changed. it's hard to see her change as it happens because i'm always with her, but i think the pictures will help give some good perspective.

we're taking her tonight to meet her other "grandparents" (my sister's in-laws). they are finally back after touring the country in their new RV (they've been gone since before she arrived) so they are anxious to see her. it will be nice to see them as well.

Am I one of THOSE?

2009-09-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

oh dear...i might be one of those moms! i just caught myself comparing Mary Kathryn's gestational age to her actual age as it accounts for the percentiles on the growth charts. i remember having a mom one time who wanted me to consider her kid's gestational age instead of his actual age when i was calculating grades. i thought she was crazy! please God, don't let me be her!

Back to Life...Back to Reality

2009-08-22T13:58:00.008-05:00

well, after quite a long 4 weeks, things finally seem to be settling down. 5 days of hospital bedrest with iv fluids, a c-section on August 8th, 6 more days of recovery, Mary Kathryn in the NICU for 8 days, 1 trip to the ER (just for bloodwork), 1 trip to Cook Children's for ultrasound on her hips...but, good news today that all tests eliminate any worries! we are blessed! thanks for all your prayers and well wishes.

my happiest discovery today, aside from good news from the doctor, is that MK LOVES her swing. i think the vibration is her favorite part, but as long as it keeps her happy, i'm a happy mommy! i'm anxious to see if it helps in the night. i can sleep on the couch, no problem. i told chris that we may need one in every room! =)

also, i must share my new favorite "dead" animal hanging in our

house. isn't it hilarious? my mom bought it for chris for his birthday. it has taken the place of the skull that was hanging outside her door. much less scary!

word of the week - oligohydramnios

2009-07-24T12:26:00.002-05:00

it means low amniotic fluid - and that's what i've got. i've learned alot in the last 2 weeks about how important the amniotic fluid is, and i'm continuing to learn what happens when you don't have enough.

unfortunately, my supply is slowly, but steadily decreasing. my doctor is referring us to a specialist, so hopefully we will know even more in a few days. for now, it means bed rest and at least a gallon of water a day. who knew that drinking water and lying in bed could be so hard?

i'm very thankful that i've made it this far before there were any complications. i'm 34 weeks today, so if and when they decide it's time for her to come (which will now most likely be before my due date), she's at least had this much time to develop. i can't imagine how much scarier it would be if i were not this far along.

babycenter.com does a really good job of explaining what oligohydramnios is, if anyone is interested...it's everything my doctor has said and done so far, so i guess it's a good reference point. i trust him implicitly and am so thankful that he is my doctor!

Hello, Cupcake!

2009-07-04T11:11:00.009-05:00

Last fall, at the book fair at school, I bought this precious book about decorating cupcakes called "Hello, Cupcake". I thought that when I was a stay at home mom, it would be something I would enjoy doing...AND I WAS RIGHT!! My first attempt at something from the book is precious - if i do say so myself!

On Thursday, I baked all the cupcakes...4 dozen regular sized and 4 dozen mini. I have to admit that I used mixes, but the book has ways to alter mix recipes to make them better, so that's what I did. They turned out really good. 2 hours of baking didn't seem bad for all those cupcakes...it helped that my sister loaned me her muffin tins.

Friday was the big decorate and assemble day. First, I had to go to Kroger and buy a box from the bakery...I couldn't find one big enough anywhere else. With all my supplies gathered, I began icing...that part took FOREVER! Luckily, I didn't have to decorate the white ones. Dying the icing turned out to be a delicate process, not because it was hard, but because the liquid food coloring changed the consistency of the icing making it a little runny (note to self: next time, buy gel food coloring), but it was still workable and looks great!

The first layer is 4 dozen regular sized cupcakes...all white cake: 3 dozen iced white and not decorated, and one dozen iced blue and decorated with white candy (I used tic-tacs, white sugar, white m&ms, white smarties, and white good and plentys).

Next, I did the 6 mini cupcakes (also white cake) with blue icing and white candy. To this point took me about 3 hours!

When I got to the red minis, I picked up the pace. It only took me about an hour to get all the red ones iced and decorated. For red candy I used m&ms (big and small), sour balls, sweedish fish, gummy bears, mike and ikes, red hots, and red sugar.

The finished product looks awesome! Hope everyone at the farm appreciates it, but even if they don't, I had a great time doing it.

I decided that my favorite part is the "Stars" part. I love the way the blue icing and white candy look together.

I would clasify my first "Hello, Cupcake!" attempt as SUCCESSFUL! Wonder what I'll try next?

Practice Baby

2009-06-26T10:11:00.013-05:00

We are fortunate enough to have a practice baby in our life...our neighbors, who became fast friends, have a 15 month old little girl, Ryann, who is precious. We have had the priviledge of spending LOTS of time with her since she was born, which is actually part of the reason we are having our own! And, since I finished school, she has been staying with me during the day while her parents are at work.

Latley, she has had several picutre-worthy moments. Again, just a little more practice...Last week, after Chris got home, we were watching TV on the bed and Ryann was having an afternoon Cheerios snack. Boomer the Spoiled was on the bed with us and Ryann decided to share. We were both very impressed with how gentle he was with her...he wouldn't take the Cheerio from her unless she gave it to him. It was very cute!!

Then, just the other evening, she discovered the dog crate! She loves it! I think she must like the sounds that it makes. She will crawl in it and close the door and bang around for a while. The dogs aren't too sure what she's doing in their house, but they don't seem to mind too much and occasionally they will join her in the crate.

Today she has been especially cute! After breakfast this morning, she found Daisy under our bed and decided to join her for a while. Boomer, not wanting to be left out, crawled under too and they all played for a bit. And, Ryann got my ring that I had dropped and been unable to reach. She's so helpful! They were all so cute! But, of course, when I went to get the camera, they all followed me and the moment was lost. Later, while I was baking funfetti cupcakes (just because), I gave her the plastic measuring cups and spoons to play with...possibly the best garage sale $1 I've ever spent. They kept her completely occupied for about 30 minutes. I LOVE those kinds of toys!

paint and fireworks

2009-06-16T12:01:00.008-05:00

last week, the first week of summer, was very fun. among other things, we finally began painting the nursery. laura and i felt very inspired one day, so we set off to lowes and picked and purchased paint. the color - Eddie Bauer Apple Green. since there was virtually no paint on the walls to begin with (thanks Ashton Woods), we decided that we should do a coat of primer. so, together, we conquered that task pretty easily. (yes, i helped - primer is very low odor)

ryann "helped" too.

the paint, however, was a different story. we discoved quickly that it was NOT low odor, but by that time chris and shane had arrived and we roped them into helping (well, chris at least...shane supervised)

we also discoved that, even though we had primed, it was going to take 2 coats of paint to get an even tone. i, of course, didn't buy that much paint. so, we got the first coast finished and called it quits for the evening. i still haven't made it back to lowes to buy another can of paint, so the room still sits, half painted.

on friday night, though threat of storms loomed, we ventured to lake grapevine to watch the weekly fireworks show from the Collins' boat. even though it was lightning to the south and i was afraid (big chicken that i am) and ryann was screaming because she HATED the life jacket (and it was past her bed time), we stayed and watched the show. i have to admit, i did not have the highest expectations because they are doing it every friday night all summer. i thought, "there is no way it's going to be very good because good fireworks are expensive and if they are doing it for 12 weeks, it's just going to be pitiful." but, oh, was i wrong...it was actually really good. and it would have been even better if we had discovered that you can download the accompanying music from the city of grapevine website to your ipod for the show and play it on the boat BEFORE we went. but, now we know and will do it for next time.

School's Out for Summer...

2009-06-08T15:06:00.002-05:00

well actually...SCHOOL'S OUT FOR-EVER!!!! for me at least. yep, i'm retired! "retired?", you say, "but you're WAY to young to be retired." okay, so maybe retired is not quite the right word. although, I am hoping that this is the end of my teaching career. but, who knows what the future holds.

for now, what I do know, is that I am itching to get the nursery painted. we got a chair yesterday, so now the only piece of furniture I need is a dresser. slowly but surely, it will get done.

still haven't heard from the doc regarding my glucose test...hoping that no news is good news. at our last appointment, the sonogram tech had a hard time getting a good picture of Mary Kathryn because she was so wiggly, but that proved to be a GREAT thing because now they have seen all of her parts. =) we got to count all her fingers and toes, see her facial features (namely her nose and lips), see the 4 chambers of her heart (VERY COOL!), and lots of other stuff. all SO amazing. she measured a little bit ahead of schedule (by about 5 days) and weighed 2.2 pounds. there is of course a margin of error, but maybe she'll be here before Septemeber 4th!

My Last 20's Birthday

2009-05-27T20:27:00.002-05:00

That's today! Yep...29 today. It was a pretty uneventful day, birthday wise, which will surprise those of you who know me very well. I usually LOVE my birthday, but with the chaos that is the end of the school year, my big day took a back seat. That, combined with the fact that I have my glucose screening at 1:30 tomorrow, has me pretty stressed out. I'm not actually afraid that I have gestational diabetes, I just really don't want to have to go back for the 4 hour test! Hopefully a low carb breakfast and then fasting will ensure that I don't have to do that. We shall see. New sono pics tomorrow!!! Stay tuned...

Sonogram Video

2009-04-14T17:34:00.007-05:00

for lack of knowing a better way to do it, i played the video on the computer and recorded it on my camera and then downloaded the video from my camera. ghetto, i know...but, it got the job done.

she has the hiccups! so cute!
uh-oh! two posts in one day...i may already be addicted!

Finally Giving In

2009-04-14T12:32:00.004-05:00

Well, I guess it's finally time that I succumb to the blogging world. Especially since we're 1/2 way to our first baby. Seems like the baby always brings on the blog. I'm 20 weeks pregnant with our sweet baby girl, Mary Kathryn (there is some protest from her father about calling her this - he says it's too long, but I know he will come up with a nickname for her anyway, so it doesn't really matter).

We had another sonogram today - hoping to count her fingers and toes and see her sweet face (she was hiding it from us last time). However, when we arrived, we discovered that there had been a mix up and we weren't actually due to have another sonogram until our next appointment on April 30th. But, since we were there, the sonogram tech went ahead and took a few pictures for us.

She had the hiccups today, which was really cute and we could see her little heart beating (140 bpm). Someday I'll learn how to get video off of a DVD and post it.