9 months old and growing like a weed!

Colin had his 9 month checkup today. Though he is currently suffering from an ear infection, he got two shots today: one for his Hep B and the other was his 2nd flu shot!

The doctor said his development was excellent. He totally showed off for her today, pulling up, sitting up while she held his hips, waving to her on cue, answering his name, shaking his head no to a question, and being extremely well-behaved.

Here are all his stats:

Head: 45 1/2 cm (50th %)

Weight: 18lb 0 oz (10th %)

Height: 29 (!) inches (75th %)

A long absence

Wow! It has been forever since I've been on here! Things have been so crazy at school that I have not had the time to do anything other than school stuff! Let me give you a little recap of what we've been up to:

Shawn - He finished his first semester of Grad School at Georgetown. He has completed four of his classes and next semester he will be student teaching at Dunbar. Lucky him!

Me - I've been busy with school and my extra stuff. For instance, I've had two speech tournaments this month (one that dragged on forever yesterday). I'm also serving on a Leadership Grant for KWLA (Kentucky World Language Association) where I'm helping to rework the Kentucky Standards for Foreign Language teaching.

Caitie - She is almost halfway through Kindergarten. I can't believe how fast she is growing up! She is active in gymnastics (trampoline and tumbling to be exact), dance (ballet and tap), and Daisies. Our week is very packed with Caitie activities!

Colin - He is 8 months old now, crawling like a maniac, and desperately trying to stand up. He eats like a fiend and has the most infectious little smile! Next month he goes in for his 9 month check-up!

Licking a peter

No, I'm not being dirty. Shawn and I went to see the Capitol Steps last night, as we do every presidential election eve. One of their big skits is called "Lirty Dies," where they flip the first letters of two words. Now, go back a re-evaluate the title.

Though I won't say who I voted for, because though I am proud of who I voted for, I don't want anyone to judge my decision that I have the freedom to make. That being said, watching John McCain give his concession speech right now, I am humbled by his great ability as an orator. He is so honest and open with his emotions and praiseworthy of not only his running mate, but also of his competitor.

I really don't know how we could have gone wrong with either Presidential candidate.

Go Vote!!!

How cute!

It took forever, but we finally took Colin to get his professional pictures made. He loved posing for pictures, and he especially loved getting his picture made with his sister.

We got family pictures taken in our matching blue shirts and jeans. Then Colin had pictures taken in his Halloween costume (he's going to be a chicken), his UK football outfit, and his Red Sox outfit (he matched his sister). Enjoy the pictures!

Happy birthday to me (a day late)

Yesterday was a big milestone for me. Yesterday, I turned 30. That's right, I am officially getting old. But it was a great day nonetheless.

My kids sang to me no fewer than 5 times yesterday, including some planned songs at specific times throughout the day. My best friend an her husband sent some flowers to school for me. One of my advisees even got me a gift for my birthday...how sweet was that?

Shawn came to school and ate lunch with me since he was going to have class last night and miss out on the birthday dinner. My parents, Caitie, Colin and I went out to my favorite Japanese restaurant for some yummy sushi rolls and udon noodles! Shawn actually made it out there in the end, which was awesome, then we headed home!

All in all, it was a great birthday!

Bored

Here I am, at Sayre School (the other Independent School in Lexington), stuck in a technology workshop at the conference I am attending today. I've been in here for an hour now, and have learned nothing.

Well, that's not totally true. I have learned that I truly enjoy using the Mac that we are getting to use in the lab. So I guess the day is not totally wasted!

Caitie's Birthday

So for Caitie's birthday this year, we decided that we would take her to Disney World. Now, don't get me wrong, she has been 11 times now, but this time was different. We stayed on the property at the Caribbean Beach for the whole week, ate on the dining plan, and played in the parks all week long. We ate at a lot of great restaurants and even got to ride a new ride.

We traveled down on Saturday, August 9, and after checking into the hotel, met up with Mom and Dad at Downtown Disney. After some shopping, we headed back to the hotel to rest up before we went to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Boma. That was great, and Caitie was able to rediscover her love of Shirley Temples. After dinner, we headed back to Downtown Disney, where Shawn was surprised with a visit from his best friend, Aaron. Since Shawn's birthday was the next weekend and Aaron would be out of town, Aaron and his girlfriend Nancy drove down to celebrate early with Shawn. We had some drinks and then went back to the hotel.

On Sunday, we headed off to Epcot for a fun-filled day. I took Caitie on test track for the very first time, then we met up with Aaron and Nancy. We also took Caitie on Soarin for the first time. Mom and Dad walked around with Colin while we wen on the ride since he was too little. Our big meal that day was at Les Chefs de France, and man did I miss France after eating that meal! By the time we made it back to the hotel, we were all exhausted, but it was just the beginning of the week!


Aaron and Nancy left on Sunday night and went back to Maryland while we headed off to Hollywood Studios. We immediately got Fast Passes for the new Toy Story ride, then took the kiddos to see the new Playhouse Disney show. After watching that show and then participating in the High School Musical 2 Pep Rally, we went back to the hotel and met up with Nana and Auntie Jill. After a rest, we went back to the Studios to watch the Stunt Show, which was hands down Colin's favorite part. He loves cars and this was great for him. We also had a not-so-great dinner at Mama Melrose's before riding Toy Story and going back to the hotel.

Tuesday morning started off with breakfast at the Crystal Palace, and then some rides at Magic Kingdom (Pirates of the Caribbean). We went back and played at the pool for a while before going to Animal Kingdom for the day. We walked right on the Safari (which never happens) and rode Expedition Everest as well. That night we had dinner at Yak & Yeti, before heading off to Magic Kingdom for the Spectro Magic parade. The kids fell asleep at the end, so Shawn and his mom took them back to the hotel while Jill and I stayed for Extra Magic Hours in order to ride the three mountains (Splash, Thunder, and Space)

Wednesday was Caitie's birthday and her Grammy and Poppy gave her an awesome present....they took her to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a makeover. She got the whole shebang...hair, nails, makeup, and a complete Cinderella Costume that she will wear at Halloween. We were covered in glitter by the end of it all, but she had such a great time! Before we left the park, a Japanese tourist actually asked if she could get her pictue taken with Caitie! Later that night, we went to the Grand Floridian in order to eat dinner with Cinderella and Prince Charming while she was all dressed up! Shawn, his sister, and I went to Hollywood Studios that night for Extra Magic Hours, but it poured on us while we were there!

Our final day at the parks was Thursday, when we park hopped in order to get in a few more things. For instance, Caitie got to ride two of the three mountains (Splash and Thunder) for the first time. She rode Splash in the boat with me and she rode Thunder in the train car with her daddy. We also went over to Epcot so she could ride Soarin again! Then that night we went to the Fort Wilderness Campground to see the Backyard Barbeque. It was basically a Disney version of a country honky-tonk.

All in all, it was a great week, and she could not have asked for a better birthday!

Happy Birthday Shawn

Today, Shawn has the landmark birthday of turning 30. But he's not really fearing it, like I am.

After drinks at BDubs with his friends last night, he said that the worst birthday was 29. Because you had to fear turning 30 for an entire year!

HappyBirthday sweetheart!

(And I promise I will put up a Disney World post soon!)

Warm mush....just for Colin

This past week, Colin got to experience food for the first time in the form of rice cereal. Our first attempts were not so successful, as he didn't seem to enjoy the food at all. We discovered that he simply did not like to eat his food cold.

Once we started giving him warm mush (as we call it), he really started digging on this food thing. He smacks his lips in the most hilarious way when he eats because he just loves it.

When we went to the store yesterday, we picked up some oatmeal for later on, as well as some carrots and sweet potatoes that will be introduced later on!

4 Month Checkup

Colin went to the doctor yesterday for his 4 month checkup and all was well! Here are his most recent stats:

Weight - 13 lb 9 oz (25th percentile)
Length - 24 in (25th percentile)
Head - 41 1/2 cm (5oth percentile)

The doctor said he was looking great and that we could go ahead and try some rice cereal.....so solid foods here we come!

As for movement, this kid is crazy! He loves his jumperoo and dances like the next Savion Glover! He also is trying to sit up whenever possible, and he loves to roll onto his side to sleep! It's amazing how much he can change, even in a week!

Amusement park snob

All summer long I have been working at Camp, but last week was a vacation week for us. So, Shawn and I decided to take Caitie up to King's Island for a fun-filled day, just the 3 of us.

After dropping Colin off with Grammy and Poppy, we headed off to Cincinnati. Shawn and I had not been there in 3 years (we went with my school), but it was 1998 before that! Most of our time at amusement parks is spent at Disney World. Shawn has a new nickname for KI, that is Disney Third World! It was such a different experience for us.

We got there and no one told us where to park, nor was there anyone around to actually help us. We rented a locker (for $13!!) and put our stuff away, then headed on to the rides. We rode the Viking Ship (my favorite), climbed the Eiffel Tower, and then went over to Nickelodeon Universe. Here, Caitie could ride almost everything by herself except for a few things where we had to ride with her. My favorite part was riding what used to be called The Beastie with her. Shawn and Caitie sat in the very first seat of this roller coaster and I sat right behind them. It was a great warm-up for Big Thunder Mountain in August.

Afterwards, we headed over to Boomerang Bay, the water park. We rode the lazy river twice and enjoyed some small water slides together before heading back home. She even got some money from Grammy to spend on whatever she wanted, so we came home with a fuzzy pillow and a pink monkey.

All in all, a great day for us all.

A family night at the game

On Friday, June 13, three of the Hinds family members (Colin stayed behind with Grammy) and Poppy, headed up to Great American Ballpark to see Shawn's beloved Red Sox take on the Cincinnati Reds.

Yes, it was the Friday game, so that means they lost (the only one of the series they lost), but we still had a great time.

We picked up Caitie from camp, then headed over to drop off Colin and pick up Poppy. We drove to Cincinnati (in the rain) and finally found a place to park. We headed over to the ballpark and decided to try and get some autographs. Unfortunately, there was no batting practice due to the rain! :(

Caitie met up with her friend Griffin and they attempted to cheer on the Red Sox, but were not fortunate to see a win. I was disappointed because Josh Becket, Jason Varitek, and Jonathan Papelbon didn't play, but what can you do? At least I got to see Jacoby Ellsbury!

3 months old!

My sweet little boy turned 3 months old yesterday. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by since this sweet little boy joined our family.

He smiles all the time now, especially when you talk to him. He loves to play with his LilKinz named Tiger Woods. And his Sissy dotes on him more than anyone else!

Last week, he had his first experience in a pool, and he loved it! Caitie has been taking swim lessons, so we decided that he needed a turn in the water as well!

Happy Birthday Buffy!

Two years ago today, our sweet little puppy as born. Caitlin's Queen of Hearts, aka Buffyalicious SheltieDog, was born on June 6, 2006.

So, happy birthday to Buffy and to her other litter mates, especially Ody (aka Nick and Stacia's dog)!

2 Months Old

Tomorrow, on Mother's Day, Colin will turn two months old! I can't believe how quickly time is going by with this little fella. Caitie is totally in love with him and it's obvious why.

As part of growing up, Colin headed to the doctor on Wednesday for his two month check-up. Here is a list of his current stats:

Length: 23 inches (up from 21.5 inches at 2 weeks); 50th percentile

Weight: 10 pounds 15 ounces (up from 7 pounds 10 ounces at 2 weeks); 25th percentile

The little guy is growing as well as can be expected, and he has started sleeping through the night. I am so blessed to have a great little boy and big girl!

A big day for Caitie

Yesterday was a big day for Caitie at school. First thing in the morning, she competed in the running of the Little Kentucky Derby. This is the cutest event that we do at school. Each of the preschool classes race in heats according to class and gender. The littlest ones race with stick ponies, while the two older grades ride tricycles down the hill.

In the end, everyone is a winner, as they all get a bag of Skittles and a bookmark. But there's always the hope that your little one will win. Caitie won her heat last year, but this year was a little different. You see, she was at a little bit of a disadvantage as she couldn't really reach the pedals, nor could she actually see over the handlebars! Needless to say, she finished next to last. But I was proud of her anyway. Besides, the Headmaster's daughter was in her heat!

Then, the afternoon is a Carnival put on by the Middle Schoolers for the little kids. I have to admit that I was quite happy to not be running a booth this year as I was still on maternity leave. Caitie had a great time with her friend Grace (pictured above) and got lots of candy for her efforts. In fact, she even won a cupcake at the cake walk!

6 weeks old!

Little Colin Parker is now 6 weeks old! Where in the world is the time going? He is growing by leaps and bounds, and constantly amazing me with his little personality.

He can now hold his head up fairly proficiently, he does very well with rolling over from belly to back, he's even attempted (and nearly gotten) rolling from back to belly. Plus, he is at that stage where he gives these great big toothless, gummy grins. And I know that they are for me and not because of something going on in his belly.

And the really big news is that last night he slept from 10:30 pm to 5:30 am without waking up! We didn't know what to do with ourselves after getting a full night's sleep!

A first date

Today, Colin had his first real "date" with Sam, only chaperoned by Shawn. Stacia and I went to Dream Dinners to fix some good meals, so Sam came over to stay with Shawn.

They were together for almost 3 hours and everyone lived! Colin shared his swing with Sam, she shared her rattle with Colin. Then Shawn managed to get the great pic on the right while they were in the boppy together! I love it!

A milestone for Colin

On Friday night, we had a fairly major milestone at our house. We placed Colin on the floor for his usual tummy time torture, and he managed to roll over not once, but three times! Of course, only once did we actually catch it on camera.

A tale of growing old

We don't look that old, right? I mean, you can't necessarily tell that we are leaving the era of of our 20's this year. That's right, we will be turning 30 later this fall.

So why is our age important to this post? Well, you see...we are losing our minds. Yesterday, we went to the mall with the kids. When we got home, I went one way and Shawn went another. Then we went about our regular business of getting Caitie ready for a bath, fixing dinner, etc.

So, this morning we were getting ready to go out to Hamburg and make some returns. Shawn asks "Where did I put my keys?" Then began the 40 minute search of the hosue for his keys. We tried desperately to find them, but ended up leaving the house with my keys. When we got home, I went to get Caitie and Shawn continued the search. He went through the trash with a pair of rubber gloves, the laundry, everything.

When I got home, I was certain that we were going to be making a trip to Home Depot to buy new locks. Shawn was saddened that he couldn't remember all of the things he did last night and the order in which he did them. Then I lifted up the People Magazine on the table, and his keys were underneath.

One month!

I can't believe that Colin is already a month old. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was checking into the hospital for his birth. He's just growing like a little weed!

He has changed so much in the past month that I can hardly believe it. I forgot how quickly babies change....he's really starting to get his own little personality. He loves his swing, it's one of his favorite things. He's starting to stay awake more and be alert. He evens smiles at me every once in a while. Shawn still can't get him to smile at him but Caitie was exactly the same way.

As for his growth, we have done some very unscientific measurements recently. As of this morning, he is about 21 inches long and about 9 1/2 pounds. If his weight is really what we measured, then he is definitely bigger than Caitie was. She was nearly 2 months before she reached the 9 1/2 pound mark!

New specs

So a week and a half ago, I decided to chop my hair and go for a dramatic new look. I got it cut to my shoulders (it had been about half way down my back) and had it layered as well.

In keeping with the new post-baby changes, I decided it was time to get a new pair of glasses (the ones I had were from when I was pregnant with Caitie). Actually, I needed new contacts, but my insurance doesn't kick in until May 1. So I got a new pair of glasses to tide me over. What do you think?

Another first

Throughout the past week, the whole family has been together since Caitie was on Spring Break. So, we took a chance during the break in the non-stop rain to head over to the Louisville Zoo.

Caitie had been dying to go back to the zoo, one of he favorite activities, and Colin was up for the ride over there. It was a little cool, but we all had a great time walking around. In fact, we saw all of the animals that were in their exhibits! This was a first for us as we almost never see them all out....even the polar bear was up and all three lions were out and about.

The end of the zoo trip was only complete after Caitie finally got to ride the merry-go-round with her Daddy. Colin and I watched from a bench and waved as Sissy rode past.

After the zoo was a quick trip to the mall so Mommy could buy some non-maternity jeans (finally!) and then both kiddos were passed out the whole ride home! All in all, a good trip and one of many to come!

The Old Maid

Caitie got a set of card games in her Easter basket this year that included Crazy Eights, Go Fish, and Old Maid. She has been very in to playing all these new card games, but she does not enjoy losing very much.

She especially doesn't like getting left with the Old Maid card when we play. Typically, one of us has to take one for the team and get the card from her. Today, it was Shawn's turn to get the card. Actually, he and Caitie kept passing it back and forth between each other. She finally decided she no longer wanted to pass it back and forth. So, when it was her turn to draw from Shawn, she simply pulled his cards down to see them, then pulled the one that wasn't the Old Maid.

You gotta love the way a 4 year-olds mind works.

The 2 week check-up

Colin went today for his two week check-up. Where has the time gone? I can't believe he is 2 weeks old (yesterday) already! My little boy is growing so quickly. But then again, he does still have the little umbilical cord attached to him right now!

So, anyway, back to the doctor's visit. He has grown to 20 1/2 inches (just under the 50th percentile) and his head circumference was in the 25th percentile. The best part is that his weight has gone up significantly now that he has switched over to all formula feedings. In fact, we've given him a new nickname....Porker Parker. Last Monday at his check-up, he only weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces, down from his birth weight of 7 pounds 1 ounce. Today he weighed in at an amazing 7 pounds 10 ounces! The boy can really eat! He was somewhere between the 10th and 25th percentile for weight, much higher than his sister was at this age, but then again she was in the 50th percentile when she was born!

Now, we don't have to go back in again until his 2 month check-up in May. But that's when he has to get his first set of shots!

A hoppy Easter

We had a great Easter yesterday! Caitie woke up and immediately wanted to know if the Easter bunny had come to her house. She saw her basket, but she wasn't allowed to open it until after we got back from church. She also knew that eggs had been hidden around the house, bu she wasn't supposed to be looking for them either. Of course, she couldn't resist herself when the moment was right.

We all got dressed up (we all had new outfits) and headed off to church. Caitie's dress was the best item of all our purchases as I only paid $11 for the $60 dress from Dillard's! Caitie went to her Sunday School while the rest of us headed off to "big church."

Afterwards, we headed off to Mom and Dad's so Caitie could open her Easter basket and do an egg hunt outside. Colin even got into the action and got three eggs of his own. Caitie enjoyed opening all the eggs most of all, as she found eggs with candy and with money!

After we left Mom and Dad's, we headed home so Caitie could open her basket and do the egghunt we had at our house. Caitie got the Enchanted movie and coloring book, a Hannah Montana barbie doll, and some card games, in addition to loads of candy!

Later that evening, we all headed over for dinner at Shawn's Dad's house. Both kiddos got a basket there and we had a good time eating an Easter lamb (baa!) dinner! Shawn even managed to get a pretty decent picture of me with the kids!

Blessed

We are so blessed that Caitie has been so wonderful with her new little brother. She wans to be around him all the time: helping with his diapers, feeding him bottles, etc. Whenever he cries, she runs over to hold his hand or place his bink in is mouth. It's almost as if we have another little mother in the house.

This picture was from the other night. I needed to change the sheets on Caitie's bed, so I put down his monkey quilt and asked Caitie to watch over him. Luckily, Shawn grabbed the camera and we got lots of shots of her loving on her new little brother. I could not b moe in love with my entire family!

Hannah Montana Caitie

So Caitie truly is a 4 1/2 year old going on 14. She is absolutely in love with Hannah Montana. Case in point, the picture to the left. One of the kids in her class decided to have a Hannah Montana themed party for her 5th birthday. Caitie was very into it, even buying a Hannah Montana digital camera as a present. The best part for her was the fact that all the girls were given a Hannah makeover. That's right, all the girls received a Hannah Montana wig, guitar, and accompanying jewelry. Caitie even went the extra mile and wore her Hannah Montana costume to the party.

So, to make matters worse, this week is "Sweet Niblets, We're Related?!?" week on the Disney channel. Tonight, we were out to dinner with my parents and Caitie asked what time it was. When we told her it was 8:00, she was so upset because she missed the Uncle Earl episode. That's right, she knew which episode was supposed to air tonight and was upset that she missed it! Luckily, we taped it for her!

Go Big Blue!

Little Colin is getting ready for his first real UK basketball game. The tip-off is at 2:30 and he is ready in his basketball outfit.

Please ignore the fact that the outfit has blue and orange, the only UK gear we have for him is size 6-9 months for football season!

A fairy tale princess

On Friday, March 14, Caitie got to dress up as a princess for school. You see, her class had just completed a unit on fairy tales. For two weeks, they had been learning about fairy tale creatures and all about different fairy tales. Her favorite one was the Three Little Pigs. She loves to tell her little brother the story, and she even made her own book at school!

So, on Friday, she dressed up in her Snow White costume. This costume was her Halloween costume last year; that's right, when she was 3! She got the costume from Disney World, so she is the real Snow White when she wears it!

The two Pre-K classes had a fairy tale ball and all the kids got to walk the red carpet to enter the ball. They even did dances in their fancy costumes. According to Caitie, there was a Peter Pan, a fairy, a Cinderella, a Sleeping Beauty, a Captain Hook, and even a Humpty Dumpty!

Introducing Colin Parker...

The newest addition to the Hinds family arrived on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 8:43 pm. He was 7 pounds 1 ounce and measured 19 inches long. He is absolutely perfect!

At 39 weeks, 2 days, I was induced by my doctor to have my precious little man join the family. We got to the hospital at 7:30 am and checked in to the hospital. I got my IV put in, the pitocin started, and waited patiently for Dr. Bradley to arrive. He finally got there around 9:30 and broke my water. At that point, he put an internal contraction monitor on me to better chart the contractions. Then, the waiting game began.

Mom and Dad stopped by and we played some cards, even through the contractions. Finally, around 12:30, I asked for the epidural. The best part was that one of my school parents is an anesthesiologist at the hospital, so she came down to do the epi. My parents left at this point to go get Caitie, and we waited some more.

Caitie and my parents stopped by after school, and her only response was "Where is my brother? Why isn't he here yet?" They stayed for a while, then took Caitie home for dinner and to wait. Tiff arrived around 6, and my first nurse did her final check for her shift....I had made it to 6 cm!
I started to really feel the contractions again around 7:30, and the horrible new nurse finally agreed to check me, and I had advanced to 8 cm! At this point, the tears were streaming down my face because the pain was so intense. Shawn went to find the nurse again, and luckily, a new nurse had been assigned to me. She did a check and said it was time to start pushing! Thank goodness!

They paged Dr. Bradley (he had been at dinner), and he arrived just in time for Colin's arrival. Unlike his sister's birth, I only had to push for 20 minutes before I was greeted with the sweet cries of my new little angel. His weight and length were the same as his sister's and the resemblance between the two is remarkable. He will go through life hearing how much he looks like his big sister!

Welcome!

I have decided to reenter the world of blogging now that our family has grown from three to four. That's right, there is another member of the Hinds family. This blog will serve as an update for our family and friends about the goings-on of the Hinds household! Enjoy and visit our Flickr account to see all the recent pictures!