Dinner with the Hamilton Family!

During our trip we were able to catch up with Randy & Natalie in Philadelphia. Seth met Randy in Texas and worked with him in Kansas during his military service. The Hamilton's are such a nice family with one more little one on the way (next month!). It was great to see them and the kids are so cute. Randy will be finishing his program in Pediatric Dentistry in just a few weeks & has some exciting plans to begin practicing in Texas!

Philadelphia

Seeing the city was a new adventure for Clare & she seemed to love it. During half of each day we enjoyed walking and one of the days we took a bus tour of the city. The tour we took was a double decker trolley bus tour with tour guide. It was a beautiful sunny day with a great breeze. Perfect to see the sites. We didn't make the whole tour this time because we met Seth for lunch but it was great to get out & about. Here's some pictures of the sites. Philadelphia has so much history. Some of the pictures include City Hall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art where the famous scene from "Rocky" was filmed (running up the steps), the marketplace at Reading Terminal, and Macy's. I think it is the most beautiful Macy's I've seen. There is a huge pipe organ and the floor plan is open, a great place to shop!

Trip to Philadelphia

Last weekend we took a drive to Philly for the weekend. Seth had a conference & it was a great time for a visit to a new city & Clare's first time staying in a hotel. It was really fun planning our trip with a baby. I love to be innovative & prepared. It's all about doing something new, having it work out & thinking about what to do to make it better for next time. My Pediatrician puts it in perspective "Having kids is about enhancing your life". Right on! I love to travel and see new places & we want to continue this with Clare.
There are so many different things that just fall into place. I decided to write a little list of some of the things I was glad to have for next time:
1. stroller- walking, feeding, while Seth & I were at the hotel gym together Clare rolled around in the stroller beside us, this was also a blessing for night 1 & 2 for Clare to sleep in at night!
2. car seat- Clare's 3rd night bed! We went out to dinner with the Hamilton's & she was sleeping when we got back to the hotel- I have learned not to wake a sleeping baby, she'll let me know if she's uncomfortable & I'll just give her a bath in the am instead of at night!
3. pump
4. essentials for eating (small bowl, baby spoon, fork, sippy cup)
5. baby food (jarred is easiest for traveling for us, I leave my purees in the freezer) & small bag of rice cereal or oatmeal; we had a fridge in the room & also a hot water dispenser thru the coffee pot making it great for her oatmeal or rice cereal
6. bananas (for me are the easiest to travel with, just mash and serve with the oatmeal)
7. clothing essentials including a sun hat/ shades
8. diaper bag
9. diapers approximately 6 per day & a new container of wipes
10. pacifier with securing strap
11. purr-ell- this works great, at a restaurant before Clare teeths anything & everything around her I use it on a napkin and wipe the table or highchair
12. Pack in Play- safe for play, napping, etc; The hotel we were at had cribs available but since we were driving we had room.
13. Some toys, Clare loves her blocks and soft rattles- the soft things are easiest to pack
14. Front Pack- good for tours or areas where strollers are to large to maneuver
15. Bath stuff- I find the combined shampoo/soap is the easiest because it's only one bottle & wash cloth. I just used the hotel towels.
Here's some pictures of a messy Miss Clare enjoying dinner.
Here's some fun pictures of Clare during our stay.

I love Peanut Butter & Chocolate Ice Cream, & no I'm not pregnant!

One of the nights in Ballston Spa we went out for ice cream. Mine was great & Gavin loved his too! The next time we visit Shana & Rob will have a new addition to the family. We're so excited to meet the little baby girl or baby boy!
We got home on Sunday & have been catching up since. We were only gone for a few days but things just pile up. That's life, right. Monday we watch my new found shows, "The Big Bang Theory" & "How I met your mother". I have become a huge fan. My favorite character has to be Sheldon, the obsessive compulsive nerd. He's just so far out there it's great. I made a huge amount of Salmon. I'll probably make one of my favorite things, salmon dip. It's my left over salmon, pickles, mayo, mustard, & onion with some crackers. It's from my Mother & Grandmother, & I have to say I love it. However, last night I made the salmon with a mango & cilantro chutney, so Seth & I will have to see how it goes. We're having Tacos tonight! Happy Cinco De Mayo.
Enough about food, today I spoke with my supervisor at NUMC. Seth & I have decided that perdium will most likely be the best choice for us right now. It's at least one weekend a month & the ICU may be changing to 8 hour shifts. I would hate 5, 8hr shifts a week but for our situation maybe 8hr shift will be better. We'll see how things are going. Honestly, I love being at home. I do have some concerns though, budget from 2 to 1 income and keeping up with my skills. I find myself staying very busy with staying at home & I feel challenged in different ways. One thing I absolutely love is that I can be home with Clare & spend time with her & Seth. It has been such a nice Spring to have him home on a more regular schedule & no call is great. I never expected this during this part of his rotation. At Travis, AFB, our OMFS residents did 6 crazy months of in hospital call. This is great & I feel oh so fortunate!
Well, I'm off to pack. Seth is going to a conference in Philadelphia & Clare & I are going along. It will be her first time in a hotel. I've gotten so comfortable with traveling. This is really a fun age. She sat up on the 29th of April, last week. She has even been doing this crawl/reach/scoot thing and is very mobile. All this along with pulling herself up once in a while made us realize- time to lower the crib. She's napping right now & is such a doll.

Earth Day

Some pictures I love from our trip to Washington. There are so many I'm still going through them! Our recycling in the area isn't great but I have been using my canvas/reusable grocery bags religiously!
I love taking scenery pictures. I have so much fun with it. One of my favorite flowers is the Easter Lily. In Washington they would bloom in April around Easter. Once in a while I would pick a bouquet as a kid. The thing is that once picked they don't bloom again. So I would never pick them all, just one. Now I don't pick any. They are very simple but delicate. I took these with Clare in the Ergo. There's also a picture with an Eagle flying in front of the house, a heron at Capital Lake & the Oyster barge on the beach . Happy Earth Day!