Work Trip

On Tuesday I leave for Philadelphia where I will be attending a conference for work for the week. This isn't the first time I have been away from Samantha but it is the longest stretch and it is the first time that Dave is in charge. I know he will do great but the control freak side of me has laid out her outfits, gone over bedtime instructions and driven Dave a little crazy for the past week. I think it will be a nice bonding time for them and I'll be anxious to get back to both of them.

Samantha was sick last week and because the only time she has been sick she had the flu, I was convinced that is what she had. Turns out it was a nasty cold that she is just about over. My mom and I took Samantha to Cottonwood Farm on Friday where they have animals and a pumpkin patch. From early on she has been very drawn to animals and it was a riot to see her with the cow, horses, chickens and kittens. She loved it. You can see the whole adventure here.

A Great Aunt

Poor Samantha, she has so many relatives to keep track of. Both Dave and I have a large extended family but Dave definitely has me beat. Mainly because on their side of the family they stay in touch with third cousins and people who aren't even really related. They are all called cousins, I think I'm the only one who has kept track of how they are related.

One relationship that is very special is the one my mother in law Judy has with her sister Patty. They lost their parents many years ago and the two are not just close sisters but they also sub in for parents and grandparents for the other in many ways.

Patty came to visit shortly after Samantha was born, we spent Thanksgiving with her last year in Omaha, she came to babysit for Samantha while we were in Kansas City AND she just came to Boulder to accompany Grandma Carol. Samantha loves her Great Aunt Patty. And, even though she has grand kids of her own, Patty manages to make Samantha feel very special. Aunt Patty is my top reason so far to have another baby, I want Samantha to have a sister like her Grammy does.

Four Generations

Samantha's Great Grandma Carol Brantz was in town this weekend. She is funny lady, reminds me a lot of my own Great Grandma (GG). A lot of hilarious one liners come out of a good visit with her. She took her time with Samantha and around the second day of her visit, Samantha warmed up to her and was sharing her babies and toys.

We got this fabulous four generation photo of Dave, his Dad Jim, Great Grandma Carol and Samantha. What a good looking bunch!

Charitable Giving

I probably should not admit to this here but for the most part, if you ask me for money for a charitable cause, I will give it to you. There are so many causes and so many people involved that if you are someone I care about and there is a cause that you care about, I will usually support it. For the past 4 years I have done fundraising for MS but that certainly isn't the only area that needs support.

Which brings me to another side story that I haven't told very many people. Early on in my pregnancy with Samantha, after that first appointment where you go get your blood work done and you answer a bunch of questions from your doctor, I got a worrisome phone call back from the nurse. According to my blood work, I carry the gene for Cystic Fibrosis.

I didn't ever tell anyone about this because after telling my parents there was a bit of hysteria going on. They definitely did not calm me down. It only took a small amount of internet research to find that Cystic Fibrosis leads to life-threatening lung infections, horrible symptoms and a much lower life expectancy. The idea of bringing a baby into the world that would have to face that was heartbreaking.

Cystic Fibrosis occurs in roughly one in every 3,000 live births and is genetic. A child must inherit a defective copy of the gene from each parent. I am incredibly grateful to report that while I have the gene, Dave does not which meant that Samantha was in the clear.

Now, back to the charitable giving piece: My coworker Ken is running a marathon for the Boomer Esiason Foundation which provides financial support to research aimed at finding a cure for cystic fibrosis as well as improving the quality of life for those affected by it. If you can, please donate to this cause at: http://www.firstgiving.com/ktakahashi for all the people who were not as fortunate as Samantha and for the families who are committed to finding a cure to this horrible disease.

At Least She's Normal

During my pregnancy, I signed up to get weekly updates from the Baby Center web site. They send you an email telling you what is new with your baby, what is happening and what to expect. Then, after the baby is born you also get weekly updates about new developments and what is normal for your baby. For whatever reason, mine have not been arriving to my inbox but after my last blog post my mom sent me the newest one.

Your 15 Month Old: Week One
Doing errands around town is harder than ever with a pint-size explorer in tow. Being strapped down in a car seat or stroller is the last place your toddler wants to be: Expect an earful — usually accompanied by an arched back and flailing arms and legs — when it's time to buckle up. This is partly because about 90 percent of all toddlers are walking by now (late walkers will catch up in the next month or two), which means they'd much rather be practicing their footwork than sitting still.

Good thing she's cute! You can see her latest photos here, she is really on the move now!

Patience IS a Virtue

Today I had my first real embarrassing moment with Samantha as far as behavior is concerned. I'm not going to dissect the experience too much, we have had a tough couple of days and we all have our moments.

I'll start by saying that on Thursday evening as I was driving home, I was stopped at a light with Samantha in the car when we were rear ended. It was a decent hit and Samantha was screaming. I turned on my signal assuming that the car who hit us would pull over as well but by the time I had turned into a parking lot and called the police, the person who hit us was long gone.

Samantha and I both seem to be alright, just shook up. My car has a good amount of damage and it is frustrating to have to pay the $500 deductible to have it fixed but that's life.

Today we went to meet my friends Sara and Autumn for lunch to celebrate Autumn's birthday. Not sure what the problem was but Samantha was unhappy there from the start. She started out by dumping her water on the table. This progressed into her throwing most things off the table, crying, retching around, refusing to eat anything and pushing me. Luckily I was with friends! I've never seen anything like it from her and once we were home she seemed happy to lay down and have some time to regroup. After that, I needed nap time too!