Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Museum of Science and History

It's been REALLY hot this week (like upper 90's and humid)...Too hot for the babes to be outside during the middle of the day. So Sari and I have been trying to come up with fun inside things to do. Today we went to the Museum of Science and History (MOSH) for FREE! Thank you, Reba, for the free pass!
The entrance!

Kylie and I in front of the dinosaur exhibit.

The museum was pretty cool (although my heart will always belong to the Science Museum of Minnesota) and fun and interesting. We spent about 3 hours there checking out the different exhibits. My personal favorites were, "The Body Within"--You entered through a huge mouth and got to see different body parts and organs.--and "The Currents of Time"--You learned about the history of NE Florida starting back in 10,000 BC. Kylie enjoyed, "Universe Science"--Her daddy is so proud.--and "The Shell"--You looked at the MILLIONS of different kinds of shells. She even got to lounge in a giant clam shell!!!

Kylie and I at the entrance to "The Body Within."

Kylie enjoyed learning all about pendulums in the "Universe Science" exhibit.

Kylie thought the giant clam shell was really fun!

The kiddos were exhausted after our museum adventure! All three of them fell asleep on the way home! The museum was a lot of fun and the perfect way to spend a scorching hot Tuesday afternoon!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Happy Half Birthday, Kylie Bean!


Kylie is 6 months old and getting soooo big!


Our little girl is 6 months old! I can't believe she has been in our world for half a year already...My how the time flies! Because a half birthday is such an obvious reason to celebrate, we celebrated Kylie's half birthday by going out to eat at TacoLu with the entire Hartlzer clan. TacoLu is a yummy taco restaurant that is always packed full of people. Luckily, we only had to wait about 5 minutes for a table...Once we sat down, we enjoyed some refreshing beers (Dos Equis for Jon and Corona Light for me), tasty food and great company! We started the meal with some amazing chips and salsa and guacamole. For dinner I had a mahi mahi fish taco and a carnita taco...Both were delicious. And Jon obviously had an enchilada that looked wonderful! Kylie had her favorite...Milk! It was the perfect way to spend Kylie's half b-day!

All of us at TacoLu! Jon came straight from work, which is why he is so fancy!
But notice the pink tie...Do you think I am having some influence on him?!?

On to the Bean...Kylie is doing fantastic these days...She is making great progress at catching up to her little 6 month old peers! Here's her update:

Kylie is a very mellow and happy baby. During the day she does one of four things almost non-stop...She is either smiling, talking, eating or sleeping! When she is awake, she is so fun! She smiles, squeals, giggles, talks, rolls, wiggles and laughs. She is so chill, and she rarely cries...We are so lucky! I would estimate that she spends only 10-15 minutes each day crying. She is pretty much content to do anything, which has been perfect for Florida life. She'll happily sit in her car seat or stroller for drives or walks or jogs. She likes to lay on the ground on her blanket or towel at home or the beach (under the umbrella). She loves being held and sitting on our laps too. She also LOVES to sleep...She is still sleeping about 11-12 hours at night and she takes about 3 naps during the day. Usually two longer naps (about 1.5 hours) and one shorter nap (about 45 minutes). I am soooo glad she got the sleeping gene from Jon!

I sneaked in to Kylie's room to take this picture of her sleeping during a nap.
Of course her thumb is still in her mouth!

Kylie love, LOVE, LOVES her thumb. She is completely rejecting her pacifier by blocking it with her tongue or just spitting it out. Then she will not-so-subtly pop her thumb in her mouth and suck loudly as if mocking me for even trying to stop her. :) She is persistent! She also loves her blankets. I usually drape a muslin blanket over her to keep her a little shaded when we are outside...She will play with it by bringing it up to her face or wrapping her hands in it. It's pretty cute!

The only thing that she really seems to hate is extreme temperatures. She gets really mad when she is cold...Like when she gets out of the bath or her diaper is off for too long. She can also get pretty fussy when she is too hot. When she is hot, she usually doesn't cry/scream like she does when she is cold, but she has a loud whine that she will use to let me know she is uncomfortable.

As far as her milestones go...Kylie seems to be somewhere between 4 months old (her adjusted age) and 6 months old (her actual age), which is exactly where she should be. It seems that tummy time has paid off because she is doing a great job lifting and controlling her head. Her neck is definitely getting stronger every day. She also has good head control when she is sitting in our laps as long as we support her chest. She is still working on sitting in the bumbo unassisted. She will sit there for a few seconds, and then her head will slowly slump to the side. But we just keep working at it! My favorite new development is that Kylie can roll over. She can go all the way over from her tummy to her back, and about 3/4 of the way over from her back to her stomach. I say it's a 3/4 roll because she can get all the way flipped over, but she can't lift her head up off the ground. Kylie is still eating 5-7 ounces 5 times per day, but I think we are going to start trying to eat 6-8 ounces 4 times per day instead. (I am now pumping 6 times per day, and I'm going down to 5 times next week...I hope to be completely off the pump around the time we get back from Florida.) Kylie is still wearing size 2 diapers, but I just bought a pack of size 3, so she'll be moving up soon. She is also still mostly wearing 3-6 month clothes, but she has moved up to some 6-9 or 6-12 month clothes depending on the brand.

I just love these two tummy time pictures. They show how good she is getting at holding her head up, and how so perfectly smiley she is these days!


Below: Three pictures of Kylie rolling. She is rolling A LOT these days...Back and forth, back and forth she goes!




Kylie had her 6 month well child check-up today. She did very well. She had a couple of shots and she only cried for a minute or two, which really surprised me. She's a tough little cookie. Kylie is getting really BIG...I think she will look like a completely different baby to those of you who won't have seen her for 3 months. She is dominating the 6 month growth chart (yes, that is her ACTUAL age, not adjusted age). She weighed in at 17 pounds, 13 ounces, which is the 84th percentile. She is 26.5 inches long, which is the 78th percentile. And her head circumference is 16.75 inches, which is the 54th percentile! She was meant to be big and strong, and I'm so proud of her!

Kylie has been spending some time in her Bumbo each day. As you can see, she hasn't quite mastered holding her head upright yet. She usually tips to one side or the other!

Kylie loves hanging out with her daddy, and her daddy loves hanging out with her! To me, it seems like Kylie has a lot of Jon's physical characteristics AND personality traits!
They are two peas in a pod!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

A Visit from the SGs!

The Barlows, Hartzlers and Spencer-Gardners at Crazy Fish!

This past weekend, we happily hosted some residency friends (the Spencer-Gardners) from Rochester who are down in Florida for a little vacation. Luke, an orthopedic surgery resident with Jon, Jessica and their daughters, Ella and Chloe, arrived on Saturday morning after an eventful flight the night before. Once they arrived on Saturday, we immediately departed for the beach to meet up with Hartzlers for some fun in the sun. The waves were HUGE, the temperature was perfect, and the sand felt wonderful in our toes! Unfortunately, after about an hour on the beach, a thunderstorm rolled in and we were forced to leave (I wonder why??)...We were sad to be kicked out of the water, but we made the best of our time. We all came back to the apartments to regroup with showers and naps. Once everyone was clean and happy, we had a little cookout on the patio. Ella, Witten and Huey provided the entertainment by playing, chasing and just being cute little kids/dog! After the kiddos went to bed, we adults enjoyed some grown up time. We played Bananagrams (which Jon won) and Spoons (which Jon also won)! We were an extremely competitive group, and I will tell you that there was a lot of trash talking, some diving for spoons, and even a few minor injuries! It was a really fun night! Sunday morning we woke up and all (Hartlers, SGs, and Barlows) ate breakfast at our place. We hung out during the morning hours, and then hit up Crazy Fish (a hole in the wall, yummy fish joint on the intercoastal waterway) for lunch . The fish tacos were delicious! We got to sit outside and soak up a little more sun before the SGs headed off for their final vacation destination! It was a fun-filled weekend...We all had a blast! Now back to reality (for Jon at least)...

Kylie at Crazy Fish (making a weird face...I think she was just coming out of a smile).

Rob and Witt watching the boats and kayaks!

I just had to include this picture of Kylie helping me fold the laundry! I think she is so cute surrounded by all those clothes! :)

Friday, May 13, 2011

Amelia Island!

We have been out of commission without internet access and on a vacation away from our vacation! This past weekend (and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday), we spent some agenda-free time in Amelia Island with Jon's parents. Amelia Island is about 45 minutes north of Jacksonville, so it was an easy drive for us. The weather was warm and wonderful...Perfect beach weather! We stayed in a two bedroom, two bathroom condo right on the beach...Literally 100 yards from the ocean. We had a beautiful view, and it was so calming to just sit and enjoy the sound of the waves. We spent our days walking on the beach, going to yoga class, relaxing with drinks in hand, eating at great restaurants, and enjoying each others' company. Kylie loved receiving a lot of extra love and attention from her grandparents! There were many memorable moments, so I'll share a few of them. One highlight of the vacation was having the Hartzlers up for a visit on Sunday. We had a nice Mother's Day/Doug's Birthday Brunch with them in the condo courtesy of Kriss. After brunch, the waves looked perfect so we hit the beach for some boogie boarding time. Another highlight for me was going to two different yoga classes with Kriss. The first was at "The Plantation Resort" and it was up in a tree house. The second class was at "Dome Healing Center," and it was a little hippy-ish, but I was sore afterward so it must have been a good work out. We also went out to eat at a couple of restaurants in Fernandina Beach...Both were excellent! I had some fried shrimp and fried chicken (clearly I love fried food). I also really enjoyed walking along the beach searching for shells, crabs, and starfish. The time went way too fast, but we all had an amazing time. It was a much-needed vacation!

WARNING: Lots of pictures!!!

I had to include this picture because I love this little outfit with the matching shoes and headband!

Doug and I hanging out with Kylie under the umbrella! Kylie is wearing the swimsuit and hat that my parents got her for Easter. Sooo cute!

Jon and I at the beach with the beautiful ocean waves in the background!

Jon and Rob showing off their boogie boarding skills! The waves were perfect!

Kylie was so comfortable with Grandpa Barlow that she feel fast asleep!

I got a little smile from Kylie at the ice cream shop!

Jon and Kriss enjoying their ice cream cones!

Our little family in Fernandina Beach!

All three of us enjoying the ocean!

Here is Kylie sitting in the ocean with daddy!

I painted Kylie's toenails pink to match mine! She looks so cute...I love it! :)