More Papa

Ever since Sophia was born we have struggled with what Sophia (and now Kaitlyn too) should call Ernie’s grandparents. For whatever reason, after Ernie’s grandma passed away, More Papa has stuck as the name Sophia uses for Ernie’s grandpa. (Ernie calls his grandpa “Papa” and called his great-grandpa “More Papa”. Since Sophia calls Ernie’s dad “Papa” it only made sense that Ernie’s grandpa would be “More Papa”. Are you following me here?)

Since Ernie’s grandma passed away, Ernie’s grandpa has been coming over nearly every night for dinner. We really enjoy having him over and spending time with him. I think he enjoys spending time with our girls. He gets a little twinkle in his eye when he talks and plays with them.

He and Kaitlyn have really bonded lately, as you can see in the picture. The best part is that after snuggling with More Papa, Kaitlyn usually smells of his cologne for a little while. On days when More Papa does not come over for dinner, Sophia misses him. She also wants him to move into the house, and often asks why he isn’t sleeping here. I love watching our girls with More Papa, seeing the bonds that are being created.

BLACK FRIDAY!!!!!

Let me start by explaining that I never was much of a Black Friday shopper…until Ernie and I got married. I’m not sure why it changed then, it just did. I get more serious every year, and this year was no exception. The first year I enjoyed Black Friday, I went to the mall around 10am. It wasn’t too busy, I think because I was in between the crazies who were there when stores opened and the people who were still recovering from turkey hangover. My how things have changed!

Now I’m one of the “crazies.” This year, Patty and I left the house at 3:45 AM(!) to pick up her sister and head to Olympia to get some deals. We wanted to be at ToysRUs at 4:30am so that we could gather our purchases and check out right at 5am when the sale prices took effect. Then we headed straight to Target. After a quick coffee stop, we were on to Macys at 6am. We stayed at the mall for a little bit before heading to Lacey to shop at Kohls, Michaels, and finally Costco. We were home by 1pm, and we had made a sizeable dent in our Christmas shopping lists.

I got some great deals, most of which I cannot publish on my blog. One thing that I bought for us was a down comforter with two pillows at Macys for $40! How great is that? I was also able to score a pots and pans set at Macys for $30 (regularly $100) for a family my office is adopting for Christmas.

So Thankful

Honestly, it is easy to come up with things that are going wrong in my life. There are lots of things that I wish were different. But as most of you know, that’s not where I like to spend my thoughts.

Instead, I prefer to look on the bright side. Find the silver lining. Look at the glass as half-full. So, following is a list of things I am grateful for. I must explain that this list is by no means exhaustive, but just a few things that float to the top.

I am grateful for an amazing husband, two beautiful and healthy daughters, thoughtful and helpful in-laws, a job I love, a dependable car, a laptop from which I can write blog posts while watching TV in the living room, friends from near and far who are there for me when I most need it, and Tillamook Mudslide Ice Cream.

Thank You Veterans!

I want to take a moment to thank all of the men and women who are serving or have served our country. I do not take for granted the sacrifices you and your families have made to provide freedoms for me and the rest of my fellow Americans.

I was lucky enough to celebrate Veterans Day this year with Ernie’s grandpa. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He decided to take Applebee’s up on their offer of a free meal for veterans, and we joined him along with Ernie’s parents. It was amazing to see how many veterans were there, and the sincere appreciation everyone showed them.

Playoffs, Here I Come!

So as terrible as I am at Fantasy Football, I actually made it to the playoffs! Ernie is in disbelief since he's convinced I am the only team owner in the history of fantasy football who doesn't know who's on their team. Of course I hold no hope of making past the first round, but stranger things have happened.

Better Late than Never?

So I'm obviously a month behind in blogging, but I figured it's better late than never. Please enjoy the three posts below that detail our Halloween adventures.

Can you believe that the only reason I haven't blogged in so long is simply because I was too lazy to load pictures from the camera to the computer? But that problem has now been remedied, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up soon. As always, though, no promises!

Halloween 2009

For Halloween weekend, we headed north to Ferndale to visit some friends. We spent the weekend with our friends the Jacobys, who have two boys the same ages as our girls. We were also lucky enough to visit with some other friends while we were in town. Friday night we had dinner with the Williams family and Sophia had a great time playing with her friends Mia and Aidan (Sophia and Aidan were born four days apart). Saturday morning the Wiebusches hosted us for breakfast – yummy pancakes, sausage, and hash browns. It was so wonderful to catch up with everyone!

And then it was time for Halloween! And doesn't Kaitlyn just look psyched?

Sophia dressed up as a poodle again this year. Her poodle costume from last year still fit, and I couldn’t justify buying another costume if she already had one that fit. Plus, she asked to be a dog this year anyway, so it was an easy sell (though she would have preferred the Dalmatian costume from Old Navy).

Kaitlyn wore her “Baby’s First Halloween” outfit, which turns out is the same outfit her friend Logan had. They looked so cute together! When it was time to go outside, we put Katy in her bundle up outfit that looks like a pink bear. So she kinda had a costume. But she wasn’t trick-or-treating anyway, so it really didn’t matter.

And I just couldn't resist posting this picture of Ernie with Kaitlyn "trick-or-treating" in the front pack. Aren't they cute?


The Jacobys live in a very nice development that has nice sidewalks, is well-lit, and has little car traffic. It is a great place for trick-or-treating. And let me tell you, cute little kids clean up when it comes to Halloween candy. Their buckets were full quickly – just about the time they ran out of steam. It was perfect timing. Sophia and Nolan had a great time and got quite a haul. (And at the rate we’re going, Sophia’s candy stash might just last until Christmas!)

Let the Carving Begin!

Once we had our pumpkins, it was time to carve them. Sophia and Ernie had practice the night before. They attended Dad’s Night at Sophia’s preschool, where the dads help the kids carve the pumpkins that they picked at the patch on their field trip. Sophia chose to carve her school pumpkin into a cat face with whiskers. So when it came time to carve our family pumpkins, she insisted on more cat faces. Ernie and I didn’t have any better ideas, so we decided to make a pumpkin cat family.


We ran into a few problems with pumpkin carving this year. The first was that when Ernie cut the top off of the large pumpkin, the hole ended up not being quite big enough, and it was impossible to gut it. Ernie ended up cutting another hole in the bottom so that the guts could be removed. Then, when attempting to gut the pumpkin, Ernie discovered that he is allergic to pumpkin guts and broke out into a rash. But, stud that he is, he persevered and gutted both pumpkins. Sophia helped with the pumpkin guts, and even Katy got in on the action. Then I stepped in and carved the faces. We ended up with three pumpkin cats – large, medium, and small.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

We have an annual tradition of choosing a pumpkin straight from the pumpkin patch. This year was no exception. We had a tip from a local friend to go to the patch on Goodrich Road in Centralia. We found out that the owners of the farm are good friends with Ernie’s grandparents, so we were glad we had chosen it.

Our first order of business was to find a good pumpkin. We scoured the patch and found one that was just the right size, was nice and round, and had a good stem. Here is Sophia with our find:


We also found a small pumpkin for Katy. We immediately purchased them and took them back to the car – we didn’t want anyone else to find them and buy them first! Then we went back to the patch and enjoyed what it had to offer.

First, a few photo ops:

Here is Sophia with the "ladybug"


Here is Kaitlyn on her pumpkin perch (not the pumpkin we bought for her, just a random one in the patch)


Then Sophia rode the barrel pull ride, and we just enjoyed the sunshine. It was a wonderful day!

Kaitlyn’s First Rice Cereal

Katy has a knack for waking from a sound nap just as the rest of us are sitting down to dinner. Hello! We timed her nap to happen at dinner so that we wouldn’t be disturbed. But she is definitely a Dickason, and doesn’t miss a meal. We noticed in the week leading up to her check-up that Katy also didn’t miss a bite. She watched bites of food travel from the plate to the eater’s mouth. So we asked the doctor if she could start eating solids, and the doctor agreed that she was ready.

We didn’t waste any time. That night after dinner, Kaitlyn got her first taste of solid foods – rice cereal. It was a riot.

Kaitlyn’s 4-month Check-up

Kaitlyn is 5 months old as I write this post, but I’m actually not an entire month behind, since she had her doctor’s appointment two weeks late. So I’m really only three weeks late in posting her progress. But I digress…

Kaitlyn is doing great! At her check-up she was 26.25 inches long putting her in the 90th percentile for height. She weighed 14 lbs 9 oz putting her in the 56th percentile for weight. She is so much bigger than Sophia was – Sophia was 14 lbs 10 oz at her 6-month check-up. Kaitlyn is meeting all of her developmental milestones easily, and the doctor is very happy with her progress. We are so grateful to have a healthy, happy baby!

Sophia Started School

Well, preschool that is. (The picture is her ready to go on the first day.) Sophia attends Westminster Preschool in Chehalis for 2.5 hours, two days a week. And as we suspected she would, she LOVES it! For the first month she learned about a new color each day. Now she is learning about shapes. The class has already been on three field trips – to the fire station, the pumpkin patch, and Safety City. Sophia is so excited that every night before bed she asks how many sleeps until she goes to school again.

In Loving Memory

Ernie's grandma Betty passed away on October 15, 2009. She entered the hospital with chest pains early on Wednesday, October 7th. We spent nine days on an emotional roller coaster, wondering if she would recover and return home. Instead, God called her home. We were very saddened by her passing, but also rejoiced that she was pain-free in heaven with her Savior. We are moving from grieving to enjoying memories of her. Her obituary follows:

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Betty Levada McCready Dickason, 78, a life-long resident of Centralia, died Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009, at St. Peter Hospital, Olympia.

She was born Feb. 15, 1931, at a family-owned gas station on the outskirts of Pe Ell, Washington, to Jesse and Eugenia McCready. The family moved to Centralia soon after her birth. She was a 1949 graduate of Centralia High School.

She met her husband-to-be, Ernest (Ernie) Dickason when they were working in a cannery in Centralia in the summer of 1950. They were married after his return to Centralia from service in Korea in April, 1952.

Betty owned and operated a home day care for almost 30 years. She was a founding member of the Sacagawea Guild of Children’s Orthopedic Hospital. She is ordained as a deacon in the Presbyterian Church, USA. She was a long time member of the First Presbyterian Church, Centralia, and was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Chehalis, at the time of her death.

She loved to knit, crochet and do other handcrafts. She made and donated over 100 pairs of booties, plus hats and other baby items to the Centralia Providence gift shop for sale to benefit the hospital.

She and her husband were concession managers for Twin Cities Youth Football and they managed the Centralia Presbyterian Church’s “Snack Shack” at the Southwest Washington Fair for many years. They enjoyed camping and fishing.

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A memorial service was held at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chehalis on Sunday, October 18, 2009. A graveside service was held on Monday, October 19, 2009.

We want to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers for us and the rest of the Dickason & McCready families during this difficult time. Please continue to pray for Ernie's grandpa as he adjusts to his new normal.

Wishing for a Wrong Number

This morning at about 1:40, the phone rang at Ernie's parents' house. Whenever the phone rings in the middle of the night I hope that it's a wrong number. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case this time. Ernie's grandpa called to let us know that Grandma was being taken to St. Peter's Hospital in Olympia because she was having chest pain. (St. Peter's Hospital is 30 minutes away.)

They were able to put in two stents. This afternoon we got word that she was having trouble stabilizing, that her oxygen levels and blood pressure were all over the place. She was also having panic attacks, which really wasn't helping. We decided at that time that we wanted to go visit. We were lucky that my mom was available to watch the girls while we made the trip. By the time we got there, things had stabilized and we had a good visit. She is still in ICU and by no means out of the woods, but we are hopeful that she will recover.

A bit of back story: Eleven years ago Grandma was in the very same hospital with heart problems. The doctors couldn't say if she would recover. They decided to do a procedure, that they weren't sure she would survive. The doctor said that if she survived the procedure she would have two or three more good years with us. Since then she's had more than a few scares with her health. We used to joke that she must have nine lives, but I think she has more than that.

Please pray for our family. Please pray for the doctors and hospital staff who are taking care of Grandma. Please pray for Grandma that she will recover to have a good quality of life. Please pray for Papa who is watching his wife in pain. Please pray for Ernie's Aunt Jean and Uncle Scott who are standing vigil overnight so that Grandma won't be alone. We are so grateful for their sacrifice (and the sacrifice of their kids as well). Please pray for Ernie's Aunt Betsy who is in Denver with her husband Nels (who is in the hospital with a spinal injury) and feels torn. Please pray for the family and friends who are worried for Grandma.

Football Season is Here

And with the arrival of football season comes another season of fantasy football. I am playing again this year in a league that Ernie runs on Yahoo. My team’s statistics will be shown at left. Being the competitor that I am, I am hoping to win the league championship so that I can finally win a fantasy trophy for my fantasy trophy case. It kills me that I have yet to win such a prize.

As I write this post, it is rivalry week in our league. I am playing Ernie, we have another husband/wife matchup, a best friend matchup, a roommates matchup, and then the matchup pitting Ernie’s dad against Ernie’s friend. They don’t really have a rivalry, but we’ve declared one for them in order to keep with the theme. My team looks on pace to win handily, but I’m not counting my chickens yet. Keep checking back to see how I do.

Potty Training Update

We have had a mixed bag of successes and accidents with potty training lately. It seems that we have a few days in a row with no accidents. And then Sophia decides to forget everything and make multiple messes in a day. We can’t figure out what to do to help her.

But, I am happy to report that we have had WAY more successes than accidents lately. Sophia has enjoyed quite a few movies with popcorn lately, which has become the reward for pooping in the potty. Finally! We have even had a few trips out of the house when Sophia has worn underwear and stayed dry for the entire outing. She has become quite brave with public restrooms – even holding herself up on the seat yesterday. Sophia has even started wearing underwear for quiet time and has stayed dry so far.

It seems that she has finally put it all together (pee, poop, public restrooms, naps) but I am still cautiously optimistic. We found out though that the possibility of going to preschool is a good incentive. We thought that she had figured it out a couple of weeks ago, and even looked into starting her in preschool. It turned out that the class was full, so we put her on the waiting list. And then Sophia started having accidents again. We told her that she wouldn’t be able to go to preschool if she was still having accidents, and she has been clean and dry since then. It looks like there might be a spot available in the preschool class soon. We are keeping our fingers crossed – not only for the opportunity, but also for the reinforcement for her potty training efforts. We’ll keep you posted, of course!

We Did the Puyallup

The county fair in Whatcom county (where we moved from) and in Lewis County (where we moved to) both happened the week we moved. We were a little too busy to attend either fair. So we decided on a whim to go to the Puyallup last weekend. Literally, the day it opened I read about it in the paper at work, called Ernie and asked what he thought. He got online and found a good deal for a family pack at Fred Meyer. So I stopped at Freddy’s on my way home from work and we headed out to The Fair the very next day.

We invited Ernie’s parents to join us and they gladly accepted. After getting Kaitlyn fed, we immediately found corn dogs for lunch. I love fair corn dogs! I have since I was a little kid. We wandered through the commercial exhibits, and saw some animals.

But the real excitement was the rides of course! Sophia and I rode the carousel, and the tiger roller coaster. Then we wandered over to the other kid rides, which were for kids only. After deciding she was terrified of riding the blue roller coaster by herself, Sophia settled on the much tamer helicopter ride. Well that ride gave her some confidence – maybe a little too much confidence – and she decided to ride the blue roller coaster after all. Big mistake! It was too scary for her without a buddy, and she cried through the whole thing. She wasn’t the only one – another little girl lost her mind on the roller coaster also. Once she calmed down she decided to try the big bear spinning ride. She loved it! She was able to make it spin all by herself, and she spun it so much we couldn’t get a good picture.

Kaitlyn was such a trooper at the fair, not minding being in her carseat all day. It was hot and sunny and she had to spend most of the day looking at the sun shade of the stroller. I did remember to bring some of her toys that hang from the carseat handle, so she at least had something to do.

We had a great time. I only wish we’d been able to stay long enough for me to get hungry for an elephant ear. I thought about getting one anyway, but knew I’d just end up feeling crummy and decided it wasn’t worth it. But it was a close call.

Ernie has Become a SAHD (kind of)

On September 1st I returned to work in the Tacoma office. I returned to a new cubicle (with a window!), a new position, and a new manager. A lot of changes happening all at once – but all are good changes. I am excited for the new challenges that my new position brings. I really do enjoy my job. I know that I am very blessed to be able to say that and mean it, and I try really hard not to take it for granted.

While I have returned to work, Ernie has started substitute teaching. With so many teacher lay-offs in our area, teaching jobs were hard to come by. So Ernie has signed up to substitute teach. Since it is still early in the school year, there haven’t been many opportunities to sub, so Ernie has been taking care of the girls. Most days Ernie enjoys being a Stay-At-Home-Dad.

On days when Ernie subs, his mom takes care of the girls. Eventually, Patty will take care of the girls full-time. But for now, she continues working whenever Ernie can be home. It is an awesome situation for everyone, and a situation that we are very grateful for!

Camping at Riffe Lake

So the day that I met the movers to unload our stuff into our storage unit, I also went grocery shopping for our camping trip. Because on Friday, just two days after moving day, we headed out for a camping trip. Crazy? Probably. But so worth it because we had a blast. We went to Riffe Lake for the weekend and camped with my sister and her four kids.

My sister and I felt like we spent most of our time cooking and cleaning up meals. But we had plenty of time to rest and relax as well. We hoped to play some card games, but it was too windy and our cards wouldn’t stay put. Ernie of course enjoyed his pyromaniac time tending the fire. And my sister’s boys got in on the fire fun as well. Heck, even Sophia enjoyed the campfire, but was very careful to stay safe (of course!).

Kaitlyn enjoyed her first camping trip. Ernie thought I was nuts to take a newborn camping. But I know from our experiences with Sophia that it’s much easier to take an immobile baby camping than one that is on the move. My niece and nephews were happy to spend time holding Katy so we actually had an easy time.

It was great to spend time with my sister and her kids without distractions such as computer games and television. We spent a lot of time just hanging out spending quality time together. We made some great memories, and we’re already making plans for another camping trip next year.

Moving Day

I realized on moving day that the reason I had such a hard time getting started with packing was that I didn’t want to move. I resist change. (Who doesn’t?) But I really didn’t want to leave the house that we thought would be our last house before our kids moved us to the old folks’ home. I didn’t want to leave the amazing friends we have grown to love in our nearly seven years in Whatcom County.

We had a mad scramble to finish packing before the big move. We were lucky enough to have Ernie’s parents come up on Monday to help us pack on Monday and Tuesday. Then they took the girls home with them so that we could have an easier time with the move on Wednesday. When they left we still had plenty to do, and we were up until very late. And even though we still weren’t quite done, Ernie demanded that we go to sleep. We were both very tired and getting stressed and started snapping at each other.

I woke up early and started packing up the last of our things. Ernie woke up with the alarm clock and started helping out. And we worked super-fast to be finished by 9:30am when the movers would arrive. And then we waited….and waited…and waited…until noon when they finally showed up! I guess there was a miscommunication between the gal who helped us set up our move and the dispatch gal. Oh well. Too bad that all of our stuff was packed up and we were a bit bored!

And yes, you read that right, we hired movers. Totally worth every penny! Three guys showed up with a semi trailer (we didn’t fill it – we don’t have THAT much stuff!). It really was wonderful to sit back and relax and watch other people work so hard to move us. We had a little drama with one of the movers. Apparently it was his third day on the job and he decided part-way through the move that he wanted to quit. Mind you, the crew we hired came up from Olympia, so he was three hours from home and wanted to quit. He thought he could just hang out in the truck and wait for the other two guys to finish up. He was told that if he was no longer an employee, he was not allowed to be on the truck. He was basically stranded in Ferndale if he really wanted to quit. After a break and a cigarette, he decided he might as well finish the job. Whew! The crew finished up about 5pm and then we packed up our cars and headed out.

I met up with the movers at our storage unit on Thursday morning to unload the truck. I was there with Ernie’s dad’s SUV to load up some stuff that we wanted to have at their house that didn’t make it in our cars.

Since then we’ve settled in at Ernie’s parents’ house. We are so grateful for their hospitality. It has been a bit of an adjustment – sharing space, figuring out who cooks when, who does laundry when, etc. We enjoy spending time with Ernie’s parents and hope they don’t mind us too much. Sophia loves living at Nana & Papa’s house. Kaitlyn doesn’t notice the difference – except when Sophia wakes her up (they share a room now). We brought Milo with us and he has settled in as well. He has made friends with one cat (Thomas), enemies with another (Tigger) and the third is indifferent (Tucker).

Overwhelmed!

I know that it has been more than a month since my last post, and for that I apologize. But seriously, we've had A LOT going on in the last month. I have so much to post about I'm overwhelmed at the thought of catching up. I hope to get you some more news this weekend, but no promises. In the meantime, here is a sneak peak at what's to come...
Moving
Camping
Potty Training Update
Puyallup Fair
and more! Stay tuned!

Celebration!

Last night we decided to cancel our plans for a very fancy dinner of macaroni & cheese (we are trying to use up all of the food in our pantry before we move) for dinner out at Olive Garden. (Well, Ernie and I canceled on the mac & cheese, but Sophia still had some at the OG.) Why the change? To celebrate my promotion at work! I will be a lead auditor in the Tacoma office. I will have additional responsibilities, be challenged in new ways, get to help with training new auditors, and more. I am super-excited for this opportunity.

And hearing the news that I have been chosen for the promotion was just the encouragement I needed to know that the decision to move to Olympia was the right one.

Sleeping Beauty

Kaitlyn is now two months old! Where has the time gone?

Kaitlyn's big news is that she is sleeping through the night. She sleeps nine hours at night, which is very welcome at our house! She is smiling and "talking" all the time now. She loves to be sung to - "When You're Happy and You Know It" is a big favorite around here. Katy also enjoys being read to and likes to play with her hanging toys. She is even able to hit them sometimes, though not intentionally yet. She gets a big proud smile on her face when she causes the toys to make noise.

Kaitlyn had her two-month checkup with the doctor yesterday. She weighs 11 lbs 14 oz, putting her in the 75th percentile for her age. (Sophia was nowhere near the middle, let alone above 50% at this age, so we are in new territory!) Katy is 22-1/2 inches long, putting her at the 50th percentile for her age. Her head is 15-1/2 cm, which is the 60th percentile for her age. The doctor is very happy with her stats and development. Kaitlyn also got her two-month shots, which was unpleasant. She cried, but not for long. She handled it like a champ. She spent the rest of the day and evening a little out-of-sorts - not eating much, her temperature was a bit higher, and she was fussy. Thank goodness for infant Tylenol!

Needing Peace

I'm sure that you all are thinking that with two young kids I would need peace and quiet. However, as I write this post I have two young kids asleep and Ernie is gone to a movie with a friend. No, the kind of peace I need is peace of mind.

We have had the house on the market for nearly five months now, with not a single offer. Heck, we haven't even had a hint of an offer. To say I am getting discouraged is an understatement.

No matter when we sell the house, I go back to work in the Tacoma office on September 1st. For those who are unfamiliar with the geography of western Washington, Ferndale (where our house is) is too far from Tacoma (where my job is) to commute. It is a two-hour drive one-way, on a good day with no traffic.

We are lucky that Ernie's parents live relatively close to my job in Tacoma, and have offered us the opportunity to move in with them until our house sells. We are extremely grateful for their hospitality so that we do not have to worry about paying rent in addition to our mortgage. (Of course, it's not all selfless on their part - they get to have their granddaughters move in with them too.)

And while Ernie's parents have a big house, it is not big enough to absorb all of our belongings. I am working on packing up everything so that it can be moved into a storage unit, until our house sells and we find a new home in the Olympia area to move to. Good thing I like an organizational challenge, since some of our things are going into storage, some of our things are going to Ernie's parents' house, and the rest of our things are being thrown out or donated to charity. I just hope that I don't get things confused and sent to the wrong place!

In addition to packing, we have other things related to the move to figure out. Foremost in my mind is what to do with our cat, Milo. Ernie's parents already have three cats at their house, and while they graciously offered to let us bring Milo with us, I don't think that's a good idea for Milo or their cats. And while Ernie and I love Milo, I think Sophia would be most devastated if we have to get rid of him. And if we do leave him behind, who do we leave him with? Permanently or just until we settle into a new home in Olympia?

And as if moving wasn't enough stress with more questions than answers, Ernie still has not found a permanent teaching job. On one hand, that could be a good thing. He can substitute teach and figure out which districts he would want to work for, and possibly which he doesn't want to work for. On the other hand, it sure would be a whole lot easier, financially, if he brought home a consistent paycheck.

The super-difficult part for me is that I am starting to doubt if moving to the Olympia area was a good decision. Ernie and I felt that God was pushing us in that direction, but as we get closer to the reality of it, with so many big issues (let alone details) left to iron out, I wonder if we misunderstood God's message to us. I have been having a really tough time with it lately. I have been having trouble sleeping. Which has left me in a bad mood and feeling like a bit of a basket case. Please pray for me as I deal with my doubt and impatience, please pray for Ernie as he is left to deal with a cranky and crazy wife, please pray for Sophia as she has to deal with an abundance of changes in her life (she was worried when she saw me put the waffle iron in a box - I am SO not looking forward to packing up her stuff), and please pray for our situation and for all of the pieces of the puzzle to come together.

Nine is Fine!

Yesterday Ernie and I celebrated nine years of marriage! We went to Chuckanut Manor for dinner while my friend Michel babysat the girls. (Thanks again Michel!) Chuckanut Manor is a fancy restaurant (they have linen tablecloths and multiple forks!) situated on Chuckanut Bay. The view was beautiful, the service was excellent, and the food was wonderful!

I was nervous about whether I would find something on the menu that I liked, but when we got there and discovered that they have a kids menu, I knew I was safe. I chose the bacon cheeseburger, and it was good. Ernie enjoyed the early dinner special that included five courses, and he chose seafood saute for the main course. He also splurged and upgraded from the green salad to the whiskey crab soup (thanks again Michel for the suggestion!) and was glad that he did. He was able to keep his manners about him and refrain from licking the bowl, but it was tough.

As we sat down to dinner, we started to reminisce. We realized that nine years earlier at about the same time, I was zonked out in the car on the way to our honeymoon. We thought back to our years in youth group together, and how neither of us would have guessed that we would be married with two kids. We have had nine amazing years together and look forward to many more to come!

HOT!!

I know that it's not breaking news, but man is it HOT around here! When I drove past the bank tonight at 6pm the sign said that it was 91 degrees in downtown Ferndale! We're doing the best we can to beat the heat around here.

Sophia, playing in the pool. Putting the slide into the water was completely her idea! And usually before we head out to the pool, she has a popsicle for snack. I figure it's not spoiling, it's survival!

Kaitlyn, sitting in her bouncy seat in just a onesie, with a cool, wet washcloth on her head. Poor thing. Her body still isn't great at moderating her temperature, and she has no way to express her displeasure with the heat except to cry.

Ernie, actually forgoing the widescreen HDTV in the living room for the smaller, slightly snowy, TV in the family room because it's cooler there. The living room has giant windows on one side, and two tall windows and the double doors (with windows) on the other side. Aesthetically pleasing, but HOT! Oh, and he is sitting in front of the fan, with his feet in a tub of ice water, sipping a bowl-full of iced tea!

And me? I'm actually pretty comfortable. Hot, yes. But barely breaking a sweat. I am wearing shorts and tank tops, and that helps. (For those who don't know, I do not generally wear shorts, since having Sophia. I never understood capri pants until I had children - no one wants to see the cellulite, stretch marks, and spider veins that have taken up residence on my thighs since being pregnant. And tank tops will not be worn in public - at least not lately with the farmer burn I'm sporting!)

Just Three Weeks Left!

Do you have a yearning desire to organize and pack boxes? Well have I got a deal for you! We have just three weeks until we move! Oh my goodness! It hit me last night how little time we have left before we move, and I must start cracking! And packing! So if any of my loyal blog readers out there are just itching to pack some boxes, please let me know. I will be happy to put you to work!

Our house is still on the market. So, the plan as of now is to move most everything into storage. Ernie's parents, saints that they are, have graciously invited us to move in with them until the house sells. We will be taking a minimal amount of stuff with us to their house.

I am lucky and grateful to have a wonderful husband who jumps in and takes care of everything else needed around the house (childcare, housework, cooking, errands, etc) so that I can focus on packing and organizing for the move. Now if he could just find me a few more hours in the day...

Smile Captured on Camera!

Well, I finally captured Kaitlyn's smile on camera. Enjoy!

Old Settlers Parade 2009

Saturday was a big day for the Dickason girls. With Ernie gone to Seattle for the Sounders match, I decided to be brave and take the girls, by myself, to the Old Settlers Parade in Ferndale. I was nervous to go by myself, since once I was there, I was kinda stuck. If it didn't go well, I couldn't leave very easily. We sat with friends who have gone every year, and sat in the same spot (that they reserve for their group early in the morning!). I am grateful that they invited me to join them - one less thing to worry about!

Well, I needn't have worried, because everything went great! Sophia was well-behaved and stayed close to me, and was so patient while we waited for an hour for the parade to start. Kaitlyn slept through the waiting and part of the parade. Though partway through the parade she decided she'd had enough of her carseat and needed out. I was already hot, and then I got to hold a hot baby, covered by a blanket to keep her out of the sun. Yikes!

Sophia was so excited to go to the parade and get candy. Though I think my lectures about not being greedy with the candy hit a little too hard, because she was a bit timid when it came to candy collecting. I didn't mind though, because that means less candy in the house! (Most times I wouldn't mind having candy in the house because then I could have some too - but the candy they threw at the parade is not the kind of candy I like.)

I am so glad we went. Not only did we have fun, but I proved to myself that I could handle such an outing on my own.

Butterflies and Dinosaurs, Oh My!

Yesterday we decided to embark on our biggest adventure yet as a family of four, with an outing to Pacific Science Center in Seattle. We talked about it a bit over the weekend, and then decided Sunday night to just go for it. We are so glad we did!

Sophia was excited to go to another museum after going to a children's museum with my dad and stepmom. We had to laugh when she looked for the same exhibits at this museum! We started in the toddler area. Sophia's favorite part was the water table - no surprise there.

Then we ventured to the Butterfly Garden. It was amazing! There were butterflies everywhere! The pamphlet said that butterflies emerge from cocoons every day. We didn't see that happen, but we did see butterflies at rest, fluttering around, and sipping nectar from flowers. The butterflies were my favorite part.


After the butterflies, we checked out the space exhibit. Sophia and I checked out the solar system and the space capsule. She thought the space capsule was pretty cool until it started the lift-off sequence which was too loud for her.

We went backwards around the sun seven times to go back in time to the mesozoic era, and saw the dinosaurs. This exhibit garnered the most gasps from Sophia. She loved seeing the dinosaurs, but did not love having her picture taken with the dinosaurs. We were looking at the t-rex skull, which was next to a human skull for reference. I told her the human skull was a head like hers, and look how big the dinosaur head was. She said no, that's not a head like hers, it's a pirate! The dinosaurs were Ernie's favorite part.

And Kaitlyn's favorite part? It's a toss-up between eating and napping!

Take a Look...

...at the new Top Ten List at left. We have had our house on the market for four months now, and it isn't always convenient to have the house on the market. The Top Ten List is my attempt to find the silver lining!

...at the new blog on the list. Graph Jam is an attempt to explain music and pop culture in charts. Quite funny! Please note that not all of the charts are kid-friendly. But really, you only have to worry about the kids who can read!

Canon in D

Kaitlyn has a crib soother toy that is an aquarium that plays music. Sophia loves it! If the door to Kaitlyn's room is open, Sophia is happy to go in there and turn on the music. (I am now second-guessing the wisdom of getting the aquarium with a remote, since Sophia loves to turn on the music with the remote, not always at the best time, and often forgets to turn it off.) Today while I was changing Katy, Sophia came in and turned on the music. She scrolled through the songs until she got to Canon in D, and then she started dancing. I nearly cried, as it brought back fond memories from my childhood. I remember many a visit to my grandma's house where she would play Canon in D on the piano with whoever was around to play the second part of the duet. And I would dance along. We had the same arrangement played on piano by two friends (one of them also Ernie's cousin!) as I walked down the aisle. It seems that the love of this song has been passed to another generation.

She's on the Move!

Kaitlyn is moving! We lay her on her tummy for tummy time, and she scootches (that's the technical term) forward. She gets her legs under her, and pushes forward. She doesn't use her arms at all, in fact I think they just get in her way at this point. I really hope this doesn't mean that she'll be an early crawler/walker/etc because I'm happy to have her be immobile! Here she is before...

...and after.

Also, Katy is smiling actual, intentional smiles! I have tried on numerous occasions to capture one in a picture, but she is a little turkey and stops smiling as soon as I get the camera out. I guess she's learning from her big sister! Here's the best I can come up with so far, you can kind of see how she might turn the corners of her mouth into a smile int he next moment...

Katy cooed for the first time on Friday night! It is too sweet to hear a delicate, feminine noise from her. Until now, we've only heard cries and pig-like grunts.

She's growing and growing. She is topping the scales at 10.5 pounds, is out of newborn size diapers and is stretching the limits of her newborn size clothes. Last night I started washing the 0-3 month size clothes in preparation. Kaitlyn is already too long for the sleepers, so I know the rest of the clothes will be too small soon!

What a Day!

Wow did we have a day! Ernie's car needed service and a repair, so after he dropped it off at the shop, Sophia, Kaitlyn and I picked him up for a day out and about. We decided to go to a park to play and have a picnic lunch. Not only are picnics fun, but Ernie has recently started the South Beach Diet, which means his dining out options are limited. We also didn't want to spend the extra money for a meal out. We decided to go to Boulevard Park, which is on Bellingham Bay. It is a beautiful park, and we don't often venture that far south, so it was a nice treat. We had our picnic, and then Sophia played on the toys for quite awhile. We met some new friends (Ellen & Arthur and their mom Christine) that we spent some time with. Sophia hit it off well with the kids, and we enjoyed visiting with the mom.

When the other family headed home, we headed out on the boardwalk to Taylor Dock. A popular place for crabbing, we watched a few people pull in their pots and check for crabs. We were lucky to find one person who caught three (only two were big enough to keep) so Sophia got to see how it all worked. We also saw some teenagers jumping off the dock into the water to swim. Ernie offered to throw Sophia over the side so she could swim, but she declined since she didn't have her swimsuit. The best part of our walk from the park to the dock was Sophia noticing the large rock and saying it looked like poop. She was convinced that a large animal had pooped in the water.

The car still wasn't ready, so we headed to the mall to enjoy some air conditioning and to shop at Target. We also checked out stoves at Sears (we need to replace ours since the top is broken in one corner). Then while Kaitlyn ate, Sophia got to enjoy some time at the "vegetable toys". (They are climbing toys in the middle of the mall that are shaped like fruits and vegetables.) The best part of our trip to the mall was when Sophia decided to be brave and actually went potty in the Target restroom! I bribed her with ice cream, but she did it! Woo hoo! One step closer to complete potty training!

One of these days I will remember, when putting sunscreen on Sophia, to put it on myself as well. Sometimes I remember to put it on, but not completely - I usually miss a spot or two. I ended up with quite a burn - ouch! I wish I had thought to take the camera since it was a beautiful day and we were in a beautiful location. I am so grateful that we had our Sit-N-Stand stroller - I'm not sure how Sophia would have fared if she had been required to walk as much as Ernie and I did. I left the house at 11am, and didn't get home until 5pm. It was a long day, but so fun. We had a great time together as a family.

New Blogs on the List

As much as I like to think that my blog provides plenty of entertainment for you, my faithful readers, I do live in reality and realize that you might want to enjoy a few more laughs. I have come across a few new humor blogs that I have added to the list at left. I am highlighting a few of them here, because I really don't want you to miss out on the hilarity.

Awkward Family Photos: In addition to awkward family photos, the site includes awkward family stories as well. Here is a link to instructions for Thanksgiving dinner.

Wendi Aarons: I received a forwarded email (don't you just love those?) with this letter attached. I thought to myself that this woman really should write a blog, and found out that she already does!

You Suck at Craigslist: Ah, the misspellings and confusion. It really is fun to try and figure out what the poster meant to say.

Enjoy!

Potties and Pedals

Check out Sophia's new wheels! We told Sophia a long time ago that when she was big enough to go potty on the toilet, then she would be big enough to get a big-girl bike. So now that she is pretty much potty trained (still working on naptime, bedtime, and public restrooms), we figured we should make good on our offer.

The original plan was to get a Barbie bike. Sophia saw one at the store once, and has had her heart set on it since then. Of course now that it's time to buy the bike, that store no longer carries a Barbie bike. I called around town and no one had a Barbie bike. But Kmart had a Princess bike. Sophia agreed that a Disney Princess bike would be just as good. Off to Kmart we went!

We weren't sure what size to get, since according to our internet research she was right in between the size for a 12" or 16" bike. We decided to try them out at the store to decide which size to get. We were able to find a 12" assembled, and it was clear that Fia was already too big for it. We went with the 16" and boy are we glad we did!

We were lucky that my mom was in town, as she has become an expert bike assembler in recent years. (Another reason I'm glad to be the second child - my parents have worked out all the kinks with my sister, and now her kids, and are experts by the time it's my turn!) It didn't take long for Ernie and my mom to put the bike together. Sophia was so excited to try it out. It took a few tries to get the hang of the pedals, but now she is in business. What's great is that she loves the safety equipment. Even after the bike riding is done, she is happy to wear the helmet and knee pads for the rest of the day if we'd let her!

Feeding Kaitlyn

Who knew feeding a baby could be this difficult? A lot has changed on the feeding front since my last post! Things were going quite well for about a week. We had a nurse from OptionCare come to visit the day after we came home from the hospital. Kaitlyn's weight that day was just under 6lbs 10oz, so stable since leaving the hospital. Two days later we took Kaitlyn to the doctor for a checkup and she weighed 6lbs 14oz. It appeared that things were on the right track.

Per our doctor's suggestion, we asked the OptionCare nurse to visit again the following week, to make sure that Kaitlyn regained to her birth weight by the two-week mark. At that visit Kaitlyn weighed 6lbs 12oz. She had lost weight? How was that possible? We took her back to the doctor's office the next day and she weighed 6lbs 14.5 oz. It appeared that she had gained just 1/2 ounce in one week. Now what?

Obviously my milk supply was not enough to meet Katy's needs. So we started supplementing with formula, and I started pumping after feedings. Then one evening Kaitlyn decided that she was no longer interested in nursing. Not wanting her to starve, we gave her a bottle of just formula. I started pumping exclusively.

My milk supply still wasn't increasing, so I started pumping every 2.5 hours for 25 minutes. The supply still didn't increase. Also, I started feeling sick since I was barely getting rest. (Not only did I get sleep in just 60-90 minute increments, I was having a hard time sleeping at all, probably due to stress about the whole milk situation.) I realized that breastfeeding just wasn't working, and after discussing it with Ernie, decided to stop. It was not an easy decision, as I really wanted to make it work.

Ernie was very supportive of the decision - actually, it was his suggestion! Not only does Ernie get a happier wife, but Sophia and Kaitlyn get a happier mom. And I am able to enjoy spending time with the girls now! Before, I barely got to see Sophia. Now we spend the morning together while Ernie sleeps. And it should be much easier to get out of the house now. We are looking forward to some fun family outings in the near future.

The best part about stopping breastfeeding? I got to sleep for 8 hours last night! Woo hoo! Since I am no longer needed at each feeding, Ernie takes the late shift since he's a night owl anyway. Ernie fed Kaitlyn at 10pm and 1am. And then the angel slept until 7am! I was asleep last night by 10pm, and Sophia woke me up at 6:30 this morning! Life is good!

Potty Problems...

Potty training had been going so well until today. Then Sophia forgot she was wearing underwear and peed in the middle of the family room. Ernie tackled that cleanup effort while I was busy with Kaitlyn.

I had just woken Kaitlyn up for lunch and her diaper was looking a little loose. Not wanting to chance it, I changed her. As I was washing my hands I heard it - poop! I took her into her room and found out that she had peed through her new diaper (seriously, how do babies direct their waste outside of their diapers?) in addition to the poop. Ernie was starting to lose patience with Sophia and the potty cleanup, so I suggested a trade.

I was working on calming Sophia down and getting her to change clothes when I heard Ernie exclaiming from Kaitlyn's room. Seems she waited until his hand was in the way to poo again, getting it all over his hand, the changing table, the dresser, and the new outfit I had set out to put her in! So, we traded again.

Sophia was calming down and getting cleaned up. I was making sure that Kaitlyn was cleaned up when she did it again! After four diapers and three outfits, Kaitlyn was finally clean.

And then Sophia decided to get in on the action and pooped in her underwear! I think that Ernie and I are even on the poop cleanup tally, but it was hard to keep track!

Luckily we were able to laugh about it all (it was that or cry) and we hope that we never have that much bathroom excitement again! Meanwhile, for the remainder of the day Sophia has stayed clean and dry, and Kaitlyn is at least in the same clothes!

Like Father, Like Daughter

That’s right, Sophia is sitting on her pink potty chair, reading a magazine. Just like dad!

On Wednesday, Sophia spied her underwear in her dresser and decided that she wanted to start wearing underwear. Ernie’s mom, Patty, and I both talked with her about what it meant to wear underwear – using her potty chair. Sophia agreed, so we decided to give it a shot. I mean, the timing was tough, since Kaitlyn was not even two weeks old, and all of us in the Dickason house were tired. We weren’t sure we were up to the challenge, but after waiting so long for Sophia to show interest in potty training, how could we say no?

We set up the potty chair in the family room, so that Sophia could watch TV while sitting on the potty. Also, the room has laminate wood flooring, so it would be easy to clean up if there were any accidents. We set Sophia up with plenty of fluids and salty snacks (to encourage drinking plenty of fluids). And Patty stuck to her like glue, hoping to catch her before she had any accidents.

The first couple of days were kinda rough, with as many accidents as successes. Still, Sophia wasn’t initiating it, but was responding to suggestions that she sit on the potty and try. Then on Friday, things seemed to click. Sophia was able to recognize when she needed to sit on the potty. She didn’t always make it in time, but at least she was starting the process. Then on Saturday, she was dry all day! Sophia let us know when she needed to use the potty, and did so. And today, Sophia would just go and sit on the potty when she needed to, and take care of business all on her own. She is still wearing pull-ups for naptime and bedtime, and when we leave the house (she is scared of the noisy toilets in public restrooms).

We have been doing many happy dances, and handing out many rewards (either an M&M or Dibs ice cream treat, plus a sticker on her reward chart). Sophia is so proud of herself, and we are so proud of her too!

Reward Chart

Sophia has been working hard around here, finally earning her keep! Well, at least earning prizes for her helpfulness. She has a sticker chart, and when she is helpful around the house she earns a sticker. When she gets enough stickers (usually 15 – takes about a week) she gets to choose a prize from the prize bin. The prize bin is stocked with treasures from the dollar store. She loves it! Sophia is usually quite willing to help out with setting or clearing the table, folding washcloths, emptying the silverware bin from the dishwasher, or feeding the cat so that she can get a sticker. She is so excited when she gets to a star on the chart and she runs gleefully to the office to pick out a prize. Of course, Sophia's interest in helping out has really come in handy now that Kaitlyn has joined our family!

Sophia's First Professional Haircut

Yesterday, Ernie and I decided to take Sophia out, just the three of us, for a special day. We took her to Great Clips to get her hair cut. It was the first time she'd had her hair cut at a salon (if you can call Great Clips a salon). All of her haircuts to date had been performed by my mom and Ernie's mom. We were a little concerned about how she would behave, since new experiences are not always her favorite. So we bribed her with an ice cream treat at Dairy Queen.

Well we needn't have feared, since Sophia did great! She sat so still while her hair was being cut. She even started a conversation with the hairstylist! She ended up with a cute haircut, and hair that is much more manageable!

Since she behaved so well, she got to choose a treat at Dairy Queen. She chose a Peanut Buster Parfait, but we ordered her a small hot fudge sundae instead. She didn't like it much, so I traded her my Dilly Bar. I hope one day she'll understand the kind of sacrifices I make for her...

Before...

The Haircut...

After and Treat Time!

Kaitlyn's First Few Days

Well, things are going quite well with the newest member of the Dickason family. She is already a good sleeper (doesn't hurt that she gets a bit of pain meds through my milk!) and just has a very contented temperament. Kaitlyn rarely cries, mostly when she is being changed.

We have chosen to breastfeed Kaitlyn, and everything finally came together today. Yes! The first day, she wasn't much interested in eating at all. The nurses and lactation consultant said not to worry for the first 24 hours. So, we just kept trying it out and giving Kaitlyn the opportunity to practice, so to speak. Then she did decide to start eating, at nearly 24 hours old on the dot. But she only wanted to eat on the left side, never on the right. The lactation consultant provided some tools to get Kaitlyn interested in the right side. And finally today, she decided that she liked both sides equally. The tools are no longer needed, and feedings are much easier!

We look forward to bringing her home tomorrow!

Coming to Visit?

We are ready to welcome visitors! Visiting hours are from 8:00am - 8:30pm. We expect to stay at the hospital until early afternoon on Tuesday. However, we may go home on Monday afternoon. If you plan to visit between Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon, please check in to make sure we're still here.

We are in room 226, which you can access through the main entrance of the hospital. We are NOT in the Childbirth Center. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Welcome Facebook Friends!

For those of you from Facebook who are visiting the blog for the first time, welcome! St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham has blocked access to Facebook on its wireless connection, so all posts will be made here until we get home from the hospital. We hope that you’ll return often, and post comments to let us know you were here!

She's Here!

Kaitlyn Ruth Dickason arrived at 4:44pm today, Friday, June 5, 2009! She weighs 7 lb, 4 oz and is 18 3/4 inches long. She is beautiful and doing great. Already we've noticed that she is pretty laid back, barely making noise and content to just hang out.

I am also doing well. I have some mild pain, but that is to be expected. I am super tired, but it is really hard to sleep with all the noises and interruptions that happen in a hospital.

Ernie has been wonderful, as expected. As I type, he is holding Kaitlyn and calming her. I love watching them together!

Sophia is enamored with her baby sister. She is enjoying her first sleepover with friends and was, leading up to today, more excited about the sleepover than meeting Kaitlyn. She never even mentioned the sleepover once she saw Kaitlyn. Sophia has even held Kaitlyn twice, and is proud to be a big sister.

Pregnancy Update

This update will be my last pregnancy update! Woo hoo! I had one last checkup with my doctor Wednesday, and everything is looking good. Here is an approximate timeline for Friday, June 5th:
2:00pm – Check-in at the hospital
3:30pm – Go to operating room to get ready for c-section
4:00pm – C-section starts
5:00pm – C-section ends, and I’ll be taken to a recovery room
6:00pm – I’ll be moved to the room where I’ll stay for a few days

We are asking that you wait to visit until Saturday. But come Saturday, we welcome visitors! We expect to stay at the hospital until early afternoon on Tuesday. Please be aware that children are not allowed to visit, per the hospital’s rules.

We will post updates as soon as we can, here on the blog.

We ask for your prayers for a safe c-section and a healthy baby. Also, please keep Ernie, Sophia, and my mom in your prayers today as they have to deal with a very pregnant woman who is not allowed to eat or drink all day!

Real or Fake?

That is the question that was asked last night at St Joe's in Bellingham. The doctors just weren't sure if the contractions I was feeling indicated real labor, and therefore an early c-section, or fake labor. I spent 13 hours there being observed, and they concluded that it was fake labor and I should just go home. Argh!

Last night I started feeling contractions that were more painful than others I have felt before. And they kept coming. After timing them and noticing that they were 3-4 minutes apart for an hour, I called the doctor on call. She gave me the choice of going to the hospital to be checked out, or waiting for a little while longer at home. I chose to hang out at home until 11pm, and then decided they just weren't interested in going away, so best to be checked out.

My mom came over to stay with Sophia so we could go in. Since I'm at 37 weeks, they really didn't want to do a c-section unless it was absolutely necessary. The baby could use a little more time to cook, gain weight, and develop her lungs. They finally decided to admit me for observation. They observed me until noonish today and decided to send me home. The contractions were no longer regular, and I wasn't dilating. So I go back to regular life to wait and see if anything else happens. Oh how I hate the not knowing! I've never been through labor before, so I feel very much like a fish out of water, not knowing what to look for, not wanting to go through the same kind of observation for nothing.

Pregnancy Update

I had another check with my doctor this morning. My blood pressure is up higher than it was last time, making this appointment the second in a row that it has risen. It is still within the normal range, but worth keeping an eye on. I also had increased levels of protein in my urine. Put those two symptoms together and there is a concern that I might be developing preeclampsia. So, I will go back on Thursday morning to check my blood pressure and protein again. If I do develop preeclampsia, there is a possibility that the baby might be delivered early. We’ll see what happens on Thursday. And of course, we’ll keep you posted! In the meantime, I have kicked baby prep into overdrive, getting out the carseat, and trying to get bags packed as much as possible.

And the winner is…

Kaitlyn! Fifty percent of the votes went to Kaitlyn, followed by 26 percent for Katelyn and 23 percent for Kaitlin. We have decided to go with the popular vote and spell her name Kaitlyn.

And now for the backstory. At my baby shower, someone asked how we were going to spell it, and I realized that we hadn’t discussed the spelling except to decide that it should start with a K. (Ernie had strong feelings that it must start with a K.) After I got home, we started talking about it and realized that we both liked a different spelling, and neither of us was very willing to budge. I wanted Katelyn, and Ernie wanted Kaitlyn. (Kaitlin was a choice in the poll because at the time I set it up, I couldn’t remember which way Ernie liked it best, so I put both.)

We had a few people suggest writing both on our whiteboard and just getting used to looking at the different spellings, to see if the other grew on us. Maybe we just needed a visual to get over our impasse. Then I came up with the *brilliant* idea to put it up for a vote on the blog.

I was distressed to find out that so many people were choosing Ernie’s spelling. (I hate to lose!) Then I found out that Kaitlyn was the most popular spelling for 2008, according to the Social Security Administration. And then, the nail in the coffin came at BabiesRUs, when Sophia found personalized sippy cups and the only spelling I could find was Kaitlyn.

Ernie and I grew up with unusual names. Our childhoods were somewhat tarnished by never having personalized stickers/pencils/coffee mugs/etc like all of our friends had. We determined that when we had kids we would choose more popular names, names that you would find on stickers and pencils. So when I found the sippy cup, I knew that was the spelling we should use.

So, Kaitlyn it is. And you know what, the more I look at it, the more I like it. I guess those people were right.

Pregnancy Update

I had an appointment for an OB check with my doctor in Bellingham today. Okay, not the doctor I usually see, but another doctor in the practice (there are five total). Anyway, she and I agreed that it is best for me to stay home in Ferndale, to stop traveling between Ferndale and Chehalis each weekend, and between Chehalis and Tacoma each day. I am relieved. I dreaded the thought of driving back to Chehalis just to have the same troubles.

I talked with my boss in Tacoma and he will allow me to continue the work I've already started from Bellingham. I also have two audits that I started in Bellingham that still need to be finished. My boss will help me fill in any gaps with other small projects. The supervisor in Bellingham is willing to let me work from the Bellingham office, since they have extra space. I am very grateful for a job that can be so flexible!

Since my first "excitement" last Thursday afternoon, I have had cramps or contractions on two more occasions: Thursday night/Friday morning around 1:30am, lasting two hours, and again for less than an hour on Sunday afternoon. However, no more excitement since then. Today the doctor was very happy with how things look. My blood pressure is up slightly, though not high - just higher than my normal. My other stats look good, and the doctor sees no reason to be concerned as long as I take it easy.

Please Vote!

We have decided on a name for Baby Dickason #2. Now we just need to decide how to spell it. So, we are putting it to a vote. Please vote at left.

The spellings are in alphabetical order. I will not say which spelling is liked by whom. For those that do know, please don't mention anything in the comments. I don't want anyone, especially Ernie, to think that I am trying to sway the voting.

Oh, and we reserve the right to choose a spelling other than the one that gets the most votes. Have fun!