Amy's Uncle Fred and Aunt Gretchen, from Ohio visited us for a few days before heading to China on vacation. They got to meet Kaelyn for the first time.
My parents, Greg and Cathy, flew in from Portand to soak up some California sun, hangout with Kaelyn, and watch my sister Meghan row. They got in on a Friday morning, and were greeted at the airport by Amy and little miss Kaelyn. I had to work until 2:30, so they enjoyed the sun and their granddaughter. After I got off work we BBQ'ed some dinner then hit the road to Sacramento to watch Aunt Meghan race in a crew tournament, and her first opportunity to meet Kaelyn.
The drive up was a full car and Kaelyn was not a happy camper. All five of us, our luggage, and the baby stuff, crammed into the Rav4 for the 3hr drive. About half way up Kaelyn started crying uncontrollably, from being tired and hungry, so we pulled into a Pollo Loco, "the crazy chicken," and Amy fed Kaelyn. I drove the rest of the way, and we got to our destination (Nancy and Randy's house) at 10pm. By that time Kaelyn's routine was totally off, so getting her to sleep that evening was a challenge. The next morning the 3 of us slept-in, and skipped Meghan's first race, but made it to the second race in the afternoon.
Meghan rows on the crew team for Oregon State, and they were having a 2-day tournament against some of the best teams in the nation, Standford, Cal, Brown, Notre Dame, Tennesse, and others. She raced twice on Saturday, and once on Sunday. We got there for the second race on Saturday, and got to see Meghan in action. On Saturday they didn't do as well as they hoped, but we thought they looked great and I got some good photos. Then on Sunday they got first place in their heat, which was a great way to finish the weekend before driving back to Oregon. Besides watching Meghan kick butt on the water, this trip was about meeting her niece Kaelyn for the first time. I've been telling Kaelyn all about Aunt Meghan, and how much fun she is. They got to meet and hang out after Meghan's race and I got some pics. Our time with Meghan was brief, but we enjoyed it.
After Meghan's race on Sunday we said our goodbyes to everyone, and the three of us hit the road, headed home... Right before we left, we changed Kaelyn's diaper, and put the dirty one on top of the car... It wasn't until we got home that I found it still there, ontop of the car, wind blown and wedged to the roof rack :)
BIG CHANGES.
As of this last week, Amy has gone back to work full-time, and I work part-time with a flexible schedule so I can take care of Kaelyn during the day. This probably has been one of the toughest weeks for both of us, but luckily we had Amy's mom, Polly, stay with us until Wednesday morning and help with my transition to "Mr. Mom."
Day 1. Wednesday was my first part-time day, and full day of taking care of Kaelyn. I must admit I was freaked out about my new responsibility, but we ended up having a great day together. Kaelyn took her scheduled naps, and drank from the bottle without too much fuss. Then we showed up at Amy's school on her lunch hour, so Amy could feed Kaelyn, and I could deliver Amy's lunch. Kaelyn is already the most popular kid at school. When we I arrive all the kids start yelling, "Kaelyn's here!" and we get swarmed by little girls. Kaelyn is so popular that one of the kids named her new doll Kaelyn (Amy was told by the mom).
Day 2 went great as well, except Kaelyn had a blow out at 8am, during her tummy time. The blowout was the worst one ever, so I had to give her a bath. I got her cleaned up, and back down for her morning nap just in time for work. My new work schedule is pretty flexible, except for the 9-10am, which I'm supposed to be available for conference calls and such.
Day 3, I'm exhausted, and Kaelyn didn't take her morning nap as usual, so she played next to me as I worked. After about 15 minutes on her play mat he got bored and started yelling at me in baby talk, so I would look down at her and she'd smile up at me. Then when I looked back at my computer, she'd start yelling at me again.
Overall the week was completely exhausting. After Polly left, and I became "Mr. Mom," neither of us got a break from the routine of work and baby duty. It didn't help that I ended up working way more then the expected part time hours that I was supposed to work, due to unexpected deadlines, and the extra work of transitioning someone into my position. So with my extra work load, any break I got from Kaelyn I was working, and Amy would take over Kaelyn duties as soon as she got home from teaching kindergartners all day. Then I ended up working late into the nights to meet the deadlines. By Friday night we were zombies, and looking forward to the weekend and getting some rest. It can only get easier, right?!
For Easter weekend we got some much needed rest, and enjoyed spending time with Amy's family. Amy's parents visited for the weekend, and helped out with Kaelyn and cooking the brunch on Sunday (today). We had Uncle Dan, and Amy's brother Brett over for a delicious breakfast. Then we just lounged, and played with Kaelyn, who was the center of attention. We also took advantage of the nice weather and went for a walk to the near by park where I introduced Kaelyn to the swing and slide. She was attached to my chest with a baby carrier, facing forward so I couldn't see her face... I think I was having more fun then she was. I think she might still be a bit too young for the playground, but I'm looking forward to those days.
Dang! I ended up writing a novel. I'll try and make updates more often to avoid these lengthy postings. Below are some pictures. Hope you enjoy! -S
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Kaelyn Modeling
Family Visit
Kaelyn Watching Meghan's Race
Meghan's Boat
Meghan racing. (2nd one from the left)
Kaelyn and Aunt Meghan meet for the first time.
Kealyn in her Sunday Best, for Easter.
