tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-234757422024-03-13T20:04:45.976-04:00kerilanda peek into life in the land of keri kolumbus donaldKeri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.comBlogger789125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-57920513442977155492012-07-08T17:34:00.000-04:002012-07-09T00:31:23.930-04:00Mid-Year Goal UpdateWe're now half-way through 2012, so I wanted to go through <a href="http://keriland.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-2012-goals.html" target="_blank">my goals for the year</a> to assess where I'm at...<br />
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<li>Donate to Locks of Love - DONE</li>
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<li>The big cut was made on March 6th, but I didn't get around to sending the hair until the end of May. But it's DONE! :) </li>
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After!</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">Finish Filling the Empty Picture Frames- IN PROGRESS</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGznDUqGrTaAF_2pp-B2wwWJ5ej3LYlM57XxEFRVxoVj43OOmZMhvgZM7i8Efd_SsTFWcY7J5DDgkDPBtyVCeTbGPQBinASyF8i1AWkWAN_kgkMFE-E6ekKKP5nRiReS7gaYahw/s1600/IMG_1266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGznDUqGrTaAF_2pp-B2wwWJ5ej3LYlM57XxEFRVxoVj43OOmZMhvgZM7i8Efd_SsTFWcY7J5DDgkDPBtyVCeTbGPQBinASyF8i1AWkWAN_kgkMFE-E6ekKKP5nRiReS7gaYahw/s320/IMG_1266.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I've printed a few photos, but still have to actually put them in the frames and still have many more to print too. This will probably happen in the fall. This is one picture that I will DEFINITELY be framing!</li>
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<li>Continue to Make Contributions to Help People in My Community and Beyond - ALWAYS IN PROGRESS</li>
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<li>I feel like 2012 has made our entire family more involved in helping out in our community and for those in need beyond our community. We have done some special projects for families in need, both of us have been key players in starting up community-based groups within our church, and we were blessed to be able to participate in the awarding of needs-based scholarships at the University of Alabama this spring. We've continued to get our kid involved in sharing by picking out things to donate to other kids and collecting money for a fundraiser at our church. Totally on her own, Annabelle has already started collecting her own money and is thinking of marketing ideas for the Nana's House Walk-a-thon that will happen in the late fall.</li>
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<li>Grow Spiritually - IN PROGRESS</li>
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<li>I still need to work on making daily time for prayer/devotional, but have incorporated both into my life on a regular basis. I have read a few books on spirituality (my favorite is one that I read for the 2nd time, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Christians-Get-It-Wrong/dp/1426709145" target="_blank">When Christians Get It Wrong</a>), spent many hours reading about spiritual and religious topics online, and have watched every episode of "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487002/" target="_blank">The Naked Archeologist</a>"! I have become very involved at our church with regular attendance, helping out with the preschool classes, joining in on social activities, and helping with special projects.</li>
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<li>Support Keith with Pastime - IN PROGRESS</li>
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<li><a href="http://pastime.com/" target="_blank">Pastime</a> is progressing, and I'm right there with my cheerleading outfit on (haha!). :)</li>
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<li>Help Annabelle to grow in her interests - IN PROGRESS</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIE0qK1Zp02OVIoiUko-Gfn4BBlj9qTKK3aCDzUTb7uVZkhqVV9_erdUyh9P1nrZ0ag6SVil-zAvvgA9xZBVkEjv7klzHxj4KijcF0zqwe_kScuCc_PRgoQTAL_S_RLNMTH0TlQ/s1600/IMG_7760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIE0qK1Zp02OVIoiUko-Gfn4BBlj9qTKK3aCDzUTb7uVZkhqVV9_erdUyh9P1nrZ0ag6SVil-zAvvgA9xZBVkEjv7klzHxj4KijcF0zqwe_kScuCc_PRgoQTAL_S_RLNMTH0TlQ/s320/IMG_7760.jpg" width="213" /></a>
<li>Annabelle is ALMOST able to ride a bike on her own, she has done 2 triathlons, attended a triathlon clinic, and we FINALLY finished her Fairy Forest 2 weeks ago! As soon as I can get my computer working again, I'm planning to get Rosetta Stone going and start working with her on French (she does still remember some that I've taught her in the past, and some random words that we've worked on at bedtime, and can sing a whole song in French about being a pizza--- but I can't take credit for that last one), and hopefully we'll get her doll house done by the end of the summer!</li>
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<li>Help Corgan to grow as a young man - IN PROGRESS</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMlrDPHBuTr6fDyHzIugW8mtYFMDFPZfmB0-LBf4l0-0h1xASnu7JK17DLcaT5oIxS1RVa9IvP0WT9EVanxqfmlFSw7Hou_ZS_h_ZPl22bb2uc3Vfr4fFZBJoI_c5Ove9z7AsdA/s1600/IMG_2423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMlrDPHBuTr6fDyHzIugW8mtYFMDFPZfmB0-LBf4l0-0h1xASnu7JK17DLcaT5oIxS1RVa9IvP0WT9EVanxqfmlFSw7Hou_ZS_h_ZPl22bb2uc3Vfr4fFZBJoI_c5Ove9z7AsdA/s200/IMG_2423.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<li>Corgan and I have been on 3 lunch dates already, but I want to incorporate a few dinner dates where we get all dressed up specifically for a special night out. He has loved our special lunch dates, and we even found some new favorite restaurants for him thanks to it. His math skills are still growing and I found him a math camp that he already attended this summer (it was for 1st through 3rd graders, but he did great and LOVED it too)! The independence on getting ready is still a work in progress that I'm hoping becomes a natural thing once he starts kindergarten this fall. (Side note: Since he wants to keep up with Annabelle, Corgan also did the 2 triathlons and the triathlon clinic AND he has learned to ride his bike on his own!) We are very proud of Corgan's "can do" attitude as he tries just about everything (except for new foods) with bravery and 100% all-in!</li>
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<li>Help Juliet to grow into toddlerhood - IN PROGRESS</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiY7Bek3YSFhuoW6j2bKlRDgUhg2rmVtstKB9S-Z8zj04VdrWhbwOBz1I8gytyUV8BUWTKjFNmRCQ9xCZ21YL4DsjsQ6S9wZj6zqsak4f4jpHuZxNk4qj3d_Up7mlhZ2pftAcRQ/s1600/IMG_2654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiY7Bek3YSFhuoW6j2bKlRDgUhg2rmVtstKB9S-Z8zj04VdrWhbwOBz1I8gytyUV8BUWTKjFNmRCQ9xCZ21YL4DsjsQ6S9wZj6zqsak4f4jpHuZxNk4qj3d_Up7mlhZ2pftAcRQ/s320/IMG_2654.jpg" width="212" /></a>
<li>My sweet little Juliet has more love comin' at her than she knows what to do with! Even at barely a year old, she is starting to show her own personality as well as following in her big sister's footsteps in many ways. She's so much more cuddly than the other two were, and I LOVE to soak that up! She does 6 signs (more, all done, food, dog, light, and cat), but I can tell that she's taking in some of the others and just waiting to start using them, and I'll continue to do signs as part of regular conversation so that she can keep learning them.</li>
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<li>Help my marriage to grow - IN PROGRESS</li>
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<li>We have been good at our monthly dates and have found some new favorite restaurants in the process (that's all Keith though... he's good at finding new places like that). We have been talking about plans for our "only us" trip, and it will probably happen near our anniversary in early December. I still need to find a good book on relationships.</li>
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<li>Be a "Fit" Version of Me!</li>
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<li>I'll break these down one at a time...</li>
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<li>"To once again break 26 minutes in a 5K race" - WORKING</li>
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<li>My fastest 5K so far this year was 26:39. This one WILL happen though!</li>
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<li>Finish the Pineappleman Triathlon in 1:42 or better and to complete at least one more sprint triathlon - HALF DONE</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKnqgoMFhwvBetyDF1Jeqfhc8pQeiHWgh3s3QHiOOPSngsY-VWc-MdYWqdpV8KOiXtmuy3DYYZ7DPXnJdZ9Tl9wsr7SsLELnVh2DS3jHIPIVNeMcdB0A51C1SHcXVZTJnH6gVVQ/s1600/IMG_9863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKnqgoMFhwvBetyDF1Jeqfhc8pQeiHWgh3s3QHiOOPSngsY-VWc-MdYWqdpV8KOiXtmuy3DYYZ7DPXnJdZ9Tl9wsr7SsLELnVh2DS3jHIPIVNeMcdB0A51C1SHcXVZTJnH6gVVQ/s200/IMG_9863.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<li>I blew away my goal in the Pineappleman by finishing in 1:37:15! I was in the top 50% of my age group! I am signed up for the Battle of the Bridges triathlon in October and next week I start a triathlon clinic that leads up to it. I hope to find one more triathlon to do in the fall too.</li>
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<li>Have a respectable time in a 10K race - TO DO</li>
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<li>I'm having a hard time finding any 10K races... especially in the summer in Florida. There are a few in the fall, so I'll catch one then.</li>
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<li>Do something "active" an average of 4 times per week throughout the year</li>
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<li>I didn't start being "active" until the spring, but after that, I definitely met this goal. I took some time off after the triathlon too, but I'm back on track now! I am 1 week into the <a href="http://www.tapoutxt.com/" target="_blank">TapoutXT</a> program and I start a triathlon clinic next week, so I should be nice and "active" for the next few months!</li>
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<li>Run a mile in under 7:30 - TO DO</li>
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<li>My fastest recorded mile to date is about 7:50. This WILL happen though!</li>
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<li>Get through Level 1 of Rosetta Stone French - TO DO</li>
<li>Complete a "366" (not "365" since it's leap year) Photo Project for 2012 - DONE (So far)</li>
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<li>My 366 project pictures are <a href="http://365project.org/keridonald/365/2012-01" target="_blank">here</a>, and I'm actually all caught up on them now! I've had to cheat and use random pictures for a few days, but overall, I've done pretty well with at least making sure that a picture has been taken every day (and Annabelle enjoys reminding me)!</li>
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<li>FINALLY complete the Media Room! - WORKING</li>
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<li>I've done lots of research on audio and video equipment, purchased some furniture, have some furniture to refinish, have an inspiration board on pinterest, and have some plans in my head! I'm REALLY hoping to finish this up this summer!</li>
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<br /></div>Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-18523756707403751482012-04-24T23:53:00.000-04:002012-04-24T23:53:05.202-04:00Missing Each OtherTonight Annabelle and Keith went out for a special date to the Melting Pot, so Corgan and Juliet stayed home with me. Corgan had to go to bed before they got home. After he said his prayers, he began to cry, not because he thought it wasn't fair because he had to go to bed before Annabelle, but because he was sad that he wasn't going to get to kiss Annabelle and Daddy goodnight! Once I promised him that I would have both of them come in and kiss him when they got home, he was able to calm down and go to sleep.<br />
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By the time that Annabelle and Keith arrived home, Corgan was well asleep. I told Annabelle he wanted her to come kiss him goodnight. She did that, then told me she wanted to sleep on the floor in his room. She NEVER asks to do that. We made her a palette on the floor, and she curled up and went to sleep.<br />
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I love when they miss each other!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-66721945131882579022012-04-23T21:33:00.001-04:002012-04-23T21:33:15.046-04:00Details<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This morning I was explaining to Corgan what "details" are, then I asked him what details he would use to describe me to someone. He said "You have brown hair, good helper, tall, and you have strong legs." I'll take it. :)</span>Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-69713225890160956182012-04-16T09:56:00.000-04:002012-04-16T09:56:08.269-04:00Corgan Multiplies 4 x 44A conversation on the way to the airport to return our car...<div>
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Keri: This car was only $44/day at Enterprise. It would have been $88/day with Hertz.</div>
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Keith: Not bad. How many days did we have it?</div>
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Keri: 4.</div>
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Keith: (not wanting to calculate it himself, but half-kidding by asking the following question) Corgan, what's 4 times 44?</div>
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Corgan: (not missing a beat) Well... 44 times 2 is... 88. And 88 + 88 is... hmmm... 88 plus 100 is 188, but you take away 12 to get back down to 88 so it's... 176!</div>
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THAT'S RIGHT! By the way, the whole time he was calculating it, I was hurriedly trying to figure it out myself so that I could tell him if he was correct or not. And it probably took him about 10 seconds to come up with the answer. AND he's still 4 months away from turning 5!</div>Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-68100831128870100042012-01-24T15:55:00.001-05:002012-01-24T16:33:06.960-05:00Multiplyin'<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2Pdv21XHycPU_i9uLaoxA46ASGxnDtv55lJSAL5WIubUPmn6lrAynbvNmmWYAM74GGX7xTdapGiAg5xDLg8cMQFpq3UP5i8DsBSkaOq8yHyiz9tRkHsNvLDxzpmk6SxOcCupkQ/s1600/365_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2Pdv21XHycPU_i9uLaoxA46ASGxnDtv55lJSAL5WIubUPmn6lrAynbvNmmWYAM74GGX7xTdapGiAg5xDLg8cMQFpq3UP5i8DsBSkaOq8yHyiz9tRkHsNvLDxzpmk6SxOcCupkQ/s320/365_1.jpg" width="185" /></a>Annabelle and I are working on her "homework" for their "100th Day of School" celebration. She has to count 100 of something. We picked dinosaur shaped sprinkles. As we were starting to count them, I said, "There are 5 different colors of sprinkles. Why don't we sort them by color equally. If there are 5 colors, how many do you think we'd need of each color?" I was fully expecting to go over the counting with her to figure this out, but instead she immediately (seriously, like within 2 seconds) replied "20!" I said, "That's right, how did you know that?" (thinking may she had just guessed, but nope...) She replied "Because 20 5 times is 100!"<br />
That's right!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-5096405782069262352012-01-10T21:17:00.000-05:002012-01-10T21:21:22.991-05:00Lunch Date with My Corgan<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOChnqunnTHSSCih3dt2I38dbImE-gWk52ayPOhb2oezfpaNOuoUu3O-k4PrbF-opkWsEBftSESUtzMf2kQL13KjLOXrLpIU2ChNtPNKU9w5fwjDowEeFwjhbbcrMT69ePwFR_Q/s1600/396502_10150610244538969_773653968_11326342_1097347471_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOChnqunnTHSSCih3dt2I38dbImE-gWk52ayPOhb2oezfpaNOuoUu3O-k4PrbF-opkWsEBftSESUtzMf2kQL13KjLOXrLpIU2ChNtPNKU9w5fwjDowEeFwjhbbcrMT69ePwFR_Q/s320/396502_10150610244538969_773653968_11326342_1097347471_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Our Lunch Date</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This morning I dropped Juliet off with my mom and I got to go with Corgan's class on their field trip. The field trip went late enough that he missed lunchtime at school, so I decided to take the free time before we had to pick up Annabelle to go on a Lunch Date with my boy!<br />
When I asked Corgan where he wanted to go on our date, his first answer was Chick-fil-A. I told him I wanted to go on a real date so we needed to go somewhere fancier than Chick-fil-A, a real restaurant. He said "Okay... Can we go somewhere with smoothies for dessert?" So we went to Longhorns. :)<br />
On the way there, I prepped Corgan with how a gentleman should act on a date. I told him he should open doors for me, hold my hand, be sweet, order for himself, and that I'd even let him pay (with my money, of course). He was excited to try it!<br />
When we got there, Corgan immediately grabbed my hand to hold it crossing the parking lot, then when we were safely out of the street, he ran ahead of open the door for me. I thanked him as I entered the doors. When we sat down, we immediately looked at the menus so he would know what he wanted to order. When the waiter came to take our orders, Corgan proudly asked for "Chicken fingers and broccoli, please" but he kept his eyes down when he said it. I told him to say it again and look at the waiter, and he happily did it. During the meal, he was sweet and offered me his oranges ("You can have my oranges because I know you like them."), talked to me about his field trip, and we played some of the games on his menu. The only "gentleman" thing he wouldn't do is sit down and put his napkin on his lap ("I'm not going to spill anything, Mommy."). He was a wonderful date!<br />
On the way out, I accidentally started to open the door for myself. He gave me a big "Mommy!" and I stepped back and closed the door when I realized what I'd done. He then held the door for me, and even held it for someone else to come inside (without me asking) before he closed it. Then, he held my hand on the way back out to the car, and the cherry on top was that he ran to open my car door for me! I never even mentioned the car door!<br />
I can't wait to see what a little gentleman my little guy is going to be, and I'm so thankful to our pastor, <a href="http://gracechurchmelbourne.com/about/staff/pastors" target="_blank">Nicole Olinski</a>, for this idea! I'm going to have no problem exceeding my "dates with Corgan" <a href="http://keriland.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-2012-goals.html">goal</a>!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-87879064728974035332012-01-08T23:08:00.000-05:002012-01-10T21:17:34.820-05:00My 2012 Goals<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg829RUbnFByMyabB5GvyUxSKyAel-wzVwCCtqiEY4G93HMQ3-Kih3qXRbfL62JT0NXyxRmXtv8jf_sImgY3KP0tZSx2kL73KEEnc0wRidl-1q1P3-pW3sXaoBB04xm4zTU74PXbw/s1600/2012+new+year+wishes+on+sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg829RUbnFByMyabB5GvyUxSKyAel-wzVwCCtqiEY4G93HMQ3-Kih3qXRbfL62JT0NXyxRmXtv8jf_sImgY3KP0tZSx2kL73KEEnc0wRidl-1q1P3-pW3sXaoBB04xm4zTU74PXbw/s320/2012+new+year+wishes+on+sea.jpg" width="320" /></a>I realize that I'm a week late posting my goals for 2012, but I wanted to take a little time to really think about what I wanted to do this year. I made a list of <a href="http://keriland.blogspot.com/2008/12/not-resolutions-goals.html" target="_blank">goals for 2009</a>, and it was a great success because I <a href="http://keriland.blogspot.com/2010/01/2009-goals-accomplished.html" target="_blank">accomplished every one of the goals</a> that year. In 2010, I created <a href="http://keriland.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-goals.html" target="_blank">another list</a>, and although I didn't accomplish all of the goals, I was able to check off quite a few. :) The goals that I did check off include getting lasik (in July 2010), part of "be in super duper shape" (I completed the Pineappleman Triathlon in 1:43:05 and the Art Festival 5K in 25:53- beating my record of 26:20 from 2009), was VERY active with Nana's House (including collecting items for fundraisers, helping Annabelle to raise $1200 in the walk-a-thon, producing promotional materials for fundraisers, giving presentations, getting them on facebook, and more), I visited a new U.S. State (Utah- February for a Ski Trip and a day of touring Salt Lake City), I saw "Wicked" (with Carla Ely during our trip to NYC in the fall and we splurged for 6th row seats), Keith and I took an "alone" trip as a 7th Anniversary cruise in the Caribbean, hopefully Annabelle and Corgan would agree that I was the best mom that I could be, and my most significant accomplishment was becoming pregnant with Juliet in October! Some of the goals that I wasn't able to check off, will now appear on my 2012 list (I missed making one in 2011).<br />
<br />
So, without further ado, here is my official list of...<br />
KERI DONALD'S GOALS FOR 2012!<br />
<ul>
<li>Donate to Locks of Love</li>
<ul>
<li>Yes, it's 2 years later, and my hair is just NOW finally long enough to donate without leaving myself with a super-short hair cut. Look for the new shorter "do" to be coming very soon!</li>
</ul>
<li>Finish Filling the Empty Picture Frames in My House</li>
<ul>
<li>During my period of bedrest in June 2011, I managed to fill most of the frames, but a few were left empty to fill them once Juliet was born and some where I just couldn't decide on the right picture.</li>
</ul>
<li>Continue to Make Contributions to Help People in My Community and Beyond</li>
<ul>
<li>I plan to continue to volunteer with <a href="http://nanaschildrenshome.com/" target="_blank">Nana's House</a>, but have become passionate about a few other organizations that I am very interested in helping where I can. These organizations include <a href="http://mysbsc.org/" target="_blank">The South Brevard Sharing Center</a>, <a href="http://KeepVolunteering.org/" target="_blank">KeepVolunteering.org</a>, <a href="http://scottysacks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Scotty Sacks</a>, and Need-based Scholarships in information technology at UA.</li>
</ul>
<li>Grow Spiritually</li>
<ul>
<li>Regular Prayer/Devotional Time Daily</li>
<li>Become Active at our church (<a href="http://gracechurchmelbourne.com/" target="_blank">Grace Church Melbourne</a>), including attending services and catching up on missed services online and helping out where needed</li>
<li>Read books on having a relationship with Jesus and watch tv shows that educate me on the history of the Bible</li>
</ul>
<li>Support Keith with Pastime, his new creative/entrepreneurship venture!</li>
<li>Help Annabelle to grow in her interests</li>
<ul>
<li>Teach her to ride a bike</li>
<li>Do a few races (running and/or kid triathlons) with her</li>
<li>Teach her at least 50 words in French</li>
<li>Finish her "Fairy Forest" and work with her on redecorating her handmade doll house</li>
</ul>
<li>Help Corgan to grow as a young man</li>
<ul>
<li>Keep working on his math skills as long as he's interested</li>
<li>Take him out on at least 3 "dates" to teach him all about being a gentleman</li>
<li>Help Corgan to become more independent in getting himself ready to leave the house</li>
</ul>
<li>Help Juliet to grow into toddlerhood</li>
<ul>
<li>Teach her sign language</li>
<li>Give her all of the love (and more) that a baby needs!</li>
</ul>
<li>Help my marriage to grow</li>
<ul>
<li>Go on a getaway with ONLY Keith (no kids and no other friends/family)</li>
<li>Make plans for a date night at least once a month</li>
<li>Read at least one book on getting the most out of our marriage</li>
</ul>
<li>Be a "Fit" Version of Me!</li>
<ul>
<li>I may have a hard time breaking my records in both the Art Festival 5K and the Pineappleman Triathlon this year, but I intend to give it my all! My fitness goals are:</li>
<ul>
<li>To once again break 26 minutes in a 5K race (this was a "life goal" that I met in 2009)</li>
<li>Finish the Pineappleman Triathlon in 1:42 or better and to complete at least one more sprint triathlon</li>
<li>Have a respectable time in a 10K race</li>
<li>Do something "active" an average of 4 times per week throughout the year</li>
<li>Run a mile in under 7:30</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<li>Get through Level 1 of Rosetta Stone French</li>
<li>Complete a "366" (not "365" since it's leap year) Photo Project for 2012</li>
<li>FINALLY complete the Media Room!</li>
</ul>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Here's to a successful 2012!</b></div>
</div>Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-56954502557016252222011-11-02T12:07:00.001-04:002011-11-02T12:07:52.927-04:00Juliet LOOOVES her Annabelle!Last night I sat on my bed with Juliet chatting with 'Cole for a little bit. Annabelle stopped in to stay good night to us and to play with her baby sister for a few moments before heading to bed. Juliet was all smiles as Annabelle coo-ed and smiled at her, but as soon as Annabelle left the room, Juliet immediately burst into all-out sobbing! It was the cutest thing ever! I immediately called Annabelle back into the room to see if her presence would make Juliet happy again. As soon as Juliet got a look at her big sister, the tears stopped. Annabelle came over and gave her baby sis one last kiss, then headed out the door again and, immediately, the waterworks started again! We repeated this experiment a good few more times, all with the same results! It was SOOOO stinkin' cute!<p>I love that at only 4 months old, Juliet LOOOVES her Big Sister Annabelle SOOO much! I'm such a lucky Mommy!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-5714606989754841242011-10-27T03:24:00.001-04:002011-10-27T03:24:43.826-04:00Annabelle's 2nd Tooth Fairy VisitLast week Keith bought some hard foam softballs that are standard softball size and started practicing with the kids on catching fly balls. He even rainbowed the balls to them at 2nd base from home plate, and they did very well at catching quite a few! So, last Friday (October 21st) when Keith took the kids outside for a little practice before our Saturday morning game, Annabelle wanted to try catching a fly ball with a real softball! Keith reluctantly popped up a few to her from about 20-30 feet away as I watched from the sidelines. She had a few misses, but then one went straight toward her glove... and into her face!<br />
Annabelle immediately burst into tears as blood started gushing from her mouth! I saw her violently toss something from her mouth into the grass. I ran over to check on her and her bottom tooth was missing! I asked her "Did you just throw your tooth into the grass?" She realized that the thing that she had just thrown down was, in fact, her tooth, and the waterworks REALLY opened up! She refused to go inside and clean up the blood (which was GUSHING out of her mouth) until we found the tooth! I tried to explain to her that the Tooth Fairy would be able to find the tooth better than we would because of her tooth radar and that she would still get her dollar even if the tooth wasn't in her pillow, but she just wouldn't accept that. As soon as I finished explaining that, Keith miraculously spotted the teeny-tiny little baby tooth in the grass! I could not believe he found it since Annabelle had run a good 10 feet away from where she threw down the tooth before realized what had happened and went back to look for it!<br />
With the baby tooth in hand, Annabelle and I went inside to clean her up. Once she calmed down and realized that she was going to get another visit from the Tooth Fairy, she wasn't nearly as upset. And now she has a cool "how I lost my tooth" story to tell!<br />
For tooth #2, the Tooth Fairy left her another special dollar. She really liked how the Tooth Fairy colored and wrote on her first dollar, so the Tooth Fairy decorated this dollar too. :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQEIXv2bmWGWBoQsPa6aAxwqUMK6ZiBnmzaa8-uocel0yHFPAUyBn3GPDTi3h2T1BpfJTCiFjIwDo8D7vJYgKt4r-C2U8cvHPyLzFjmo6si6lOEKmEoWSriik53u3N4CL567w9A/s1600/IMG_7725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQEIXv2bmWGWBoQsPa6aAxwqUMK6ZiBnmzaa8-uocel0yHFPAUyBn3GPDTi3h2T1BpfJTCiFjIwDo8D7vJYgKt4r-C2U8cvHPyLzFjmo6si6lOEKmEoWSriik53u3N4CL567w9A/s400/IMG_7725.jpg" /></a></div>Close up:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDPjJtVQVbE6jJqiyrY-8c-omWzQoBcIDYht6HZco_susgajSzPlg06Hn_MCwiWaK4Hjc7Gzg3V5TbNzSBErR3ztwafFZhog18X20ZZdO2uKXtl5oGjpjAkHk3NFK3m5u22VXUA/s1600/dollar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="172" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDPjJtVQVbE6jJqiyrY-8c-omWzQoBcIDYht6HZco_susgajSzPlg06Hn_MCwiWaK4Hjc7Gzg3V5TbNzSBErR3ztwafFZhog18X20ZZdO2uKXtl5oGjpjAkHk3NFK3m5u22VXUA/s400/dollar1.jpg" /></a></div>Like with Annabelle's first dollar, The Tooth Fairy wrote her name, the date of the tooth, and the tooth number on the dollar so Annabelle would always remember it. She also circled and colored all of the 2s (for tooth number 2), colored an A (for Annabelle), and spiced up ole' George with some color (which Corgan did NOT like, for the record). Annabelle LOVES that the Tooth Fairy loves art like she does! :)Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-15100083513368594352011-09-19T00:15:00.001-04:002011-09-19T00:19:52.206-04:00How'd We Get "Juliet"?Long before we knew that Baby Donald 3.0 (now known as Juliet) was a girl, I had fallen in love with the name Aurora. I thought for sure that my next girl after Annabelle would be named Aurora. Keith likes the name, but isn't in love with it like I am. One day not long after we discovered that we were pregnant with baby #3, I had mentioned that I kinda liked the name Juliet. Keith immediately jumped all over that name.<p>I think the reasons that I feel a connection to the name "Juliet" is because I have always really liked the Romeo and Juliet story. I was a fan of the story when I was in middle school when we watched the movie in 8th grade English class. I chose a scene from Shakespeare's <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> to act out in my 9th grade English class, and I wrote a "Verona Times" newspaper for a computer class in high school. Then many years later, when we visited Northern Italy in 2006, we made a trip to Verona, the residence of the Shakespeare's fictional Juliet. In Verona, we visited <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliet#Casa_di_Giulietta">Casa di Giulietta</a> (Juliet's House) where we were able to walk through the house created for the fictional Juliet character, stand on her famous balcony, and even rub her right breast for luck (oh yeah, and Keith got pooped on by a bird while we were there, but that has nothing to do with the story)!<p>Fast forward a few years to 2010... Marian (Keith's sister), Annabelle, and I tagged along on a business trip that Keith had in Munich, Germany. In Munich, Verona's "twin town", we happened upon the same bronze statue of Juliet that I saw in Verona. It turns out that Munich's Juliet statue was a gift from Verona. Of course, we rubbed her breast for luck there too!<p>Keith's connection to Juliet, in my opinion, stems from his infatuation with another fictional Juliet, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0008685/">Dr. Juliet Burke</a> from <i>LOST</i>. Simple as that.<p>Because we both really like the name Juliet, it was definitely a top choice for a possible girl name for Baby Donald 3.0. When we told the kids about it, they didn't like it at all at first. Once we showed them the trailer (and website for) the new <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377981/">Gnomeo & Juliet</a></i> movie, they warmed up to the name a bit (but only if baby had brown hair and green eyes).<p>When Juliet was born, we immediately decided that she was 100% "Juliet"! She is a perfect little Juliet, and I love that we both feel a connection to her name!<p>One final note, when I was in the hospital after giving birth to Juliet, the movie <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892318/">Letters to Juliet</a></i> was one of the on-demand movies available to watch. I had never even heard of the movie, but was very excited to watch it based on the name alone, and even more excited when I realized that it was set in Verona and revolved around the letters to Juliet that are left at the Casa di Giulietta!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-75361841984790798992011-09-18T23:00:00.000-04:002011-09-18T23:28:40.731-04:00Taking the Time to Stop and Smell The BabyNow that my first baby is in kindergarten, I really know what "they" have been talking about when they say "They grow up so fast!"<p>For a couple of reasons, I feel like I appreciate Juliet's newborn stage so much more than I appreciated it with Annabelle and Corgan. With Annabelle, I was never a nervous new mom and generally felt like I knew what I was doing, but everything was still so new to me. I was still always learning this new stay-at-home Mom routine and my new role as "Mommy". Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed relaxing on the sofa with her and getting excited about every little new thing that she did, but I didn't realize how fast every little stage would pass me by and didn't know to really just take it all in and appreciate it. Then when Corgan came along I already knew many of the Mommy tricks to caring for a newborn, but I had an 18 month old Annabelle to take care of at the same time. Corgan was a slightly easier baby from the perspective of him sleeping a little better than Annabelle did and he had less health problems than she did (although all of hers were fairly minor), however I rarely had the time to focus solely on Corgan without being totally exhausted myself.<p>Now, it's 4 years later and I already have "raising two newborns" under my belt. I did forget a few things, but most of it is comes back to me in an "ah-ha" moment. My next youngest "baby" was already nearly 4 when Juliet was born, so I don't really have another baby to constantly keep an eye on. Both of the Bigs are in school, so at the very least I have a few hours in the morning to focus on (or nap along with) just Juliet. A few days a week I have even more time than that because my parents now live nearby and love to take care of the Bigs in the afternoons too. Now that I am very confident in my mommy skills (as a mom of a newborn anyway), there is really very little "am I doing this right?" type anxiety with Juliet. I also realize how fast she will change, so I am really taking in every little moment that I have with her. I am doting on every little grin, every little coo, and every little snuggle. I LOVE to sit and play with her by sticking my tongue out as she mimics me and does the same or by laughing a silly laugh just to make her smile a smile so big that I can't help but smile and laugh even more! I also LOVE when I motor-boat my lips and she attempts to do it too. Or when she sees me chewing or talking and she opens and closes her mouth like she's trying to chew or talk too. I can see the intensity in her eyes as she tries to figure out how to do it!<p>To make things even better, I notice even more things that I never noticed before because her Bigs are so in love with her too and they constantly point out the adorable things that she does. They both LOVE to sit and talk to their little baby. They rarely call her their "little sister", she is their "little baby" or "baby girl". When she is in a swing or somewhere by herself and starts to cry, it isn't long before one or both of the Bigs is by her side trying to calm her by singing (usually either "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" or "Rock-a-bye Baby") and smiling at her. They constantly ask to hold her and both are getting quite good at it. They have never shown one ounce of jealousy in all (nearly) 3 months since she's been home! Annabelle daily remarks that she is the prettiest baby that she's ever seen, and she even adores the sound of Juliet's cry! Just yesterday she was describing her favorite of Juliet's cries to me, then when Juliet cried that way later in the day, Annabelle pointed out "That's the cry that I love!" followed by a little "Awe" in honor of how cute it was! I never would have imagined that 3 months later, they would still be so infatuated with their baby sister! I love that the excitement of the newness of Juliet continues with each new thing that she does, and I think that excitement rubs off on me too!<p>With Annabelle and Corgan, I felt like I couldn't wait for the next milestone and was always looking toward what they would do next. But with Juliet, I know that "next" will come soon enough, so I am in no rush at all. It does seem like the past 3 months have really flown by, but at the same time, I feel like I have let myself really enjoy them not only with Juliet and her newbornness, but with appreciating Annabelle and Corgan's new roles as Big Sister and Big Brother. Yes, Annabelle has been a Big Sister for over 4 years now, but it's definitely a different kind of role with being five-and-a-half years older as opposed to one-and-a-half year older. I know with my little brother (who is 7.5 years younger than me), I had a very different, almost motherly, relationship than I did with my sister (who is only 2.5 years younger). I very much value both of those types of relationships, and I am very glad that Annabelle and Corgan now seem to have both types in their sibling dynamics.<p>These first 3 months as a family of 5 have already been amazing, and I look forward to seeing what the future brings... but I'm not in a hurry to get there. :)Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-82004683427155326462011-09-17T00:57:00.000-04:002011-09-17T00:57:16.293-04:00Annabelle's First Visit from the Tooth Fairy!Annabelle's first loose tooth has been loose for quite a while. In fact, I was starting to get worried because she was experiencing what her dentist called "shark tooth"...<br><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvnxdt4Y86FFxJZS7NifOIGntDhyvyOwFkj1BrwJMhLpxcLxGh5WmW1mqOZyuB0dWXdIuDk2kavIEOoXXUgngi4Dp6d5IJANBZ-DCnN350QvrypSgzkqyo7p2OIkUdcrrdeZ_sQ/s1600/IMG_4601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="249" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvnxdt4Y86FFxJZS7NifOIGntDhyvyOwFkj1BrwJMhLpxcLxGh5WmW1mqOZyuB0dWXdIuDk2kavIEOoXXUgngi4Dp6d5IJANBZ-DCnN350QvrypSgzkqyo7p2OIkUdcrrdeZ_sQ/s400/IMG_4601.JPG" /></a></div>Last night, she FINALLY had a break through (literally)! Annabelle was eating jello (of all things!) and all the sudden started crying because her mouth hurt and was bleeding. I told her that losing her tooth was going to hurt a little, but that she should keep working at it and maybe it would come out soon. Not five minutes later she came running out of the bathroom with her tooth in her fingers and a hole in her mouth! I haven't seen her this excited about anything since Christmas morning!<br><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfNo9rFJXlOUxlXBjsqm5TzneONuWf7YOEoFaX011k2yHjQ1Gn_mNU4h1NXYHmdfkFdmj05Cbt0eeXDZr9yOEYj6tR2oo5wF2QzY-YtiiiiCzLyFEI0wIcXNLXgyNWb1gbLk89g/s1600/IMG_5228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfNo9rFJXlOUxlXBjsqm5TzneONuWf7YOEoFaX011k2yHjQ1Gn_mNU4h1NXYHmdfkFdmj05Cbt0eeXDZr9yOEYj6tR2oo5wF2QzY-YtiiiiCzLyFEI0wIcXNLXgyNWb1gbLk89g/s400/IMG_5228.JPG" /></a></div><p>For the rest of the night, her tooth was all that she could talk about! She was going over her ideas of what the Tooth Fairy would bring and told me about what some of her friends got from the Tooth Fairy. We discussed that the Tooth Fairy collects teeth because she takes them back to her home and grinds them up to make magic pixie dust. She was excited that she was going to get to tell her class and teacher about it the next day and that she would get to wear a "tooth necklace" in class. She even asked me exactly what time her tooth fell out so that she could tell her class when it happened (my estimate was 5:00). She was so excited that she wanted me to call her teacher and tell her about it right then. Instead, I offered to email her teacher about it and send a picture. She repeatedly said "I still can't believe that I lost a tooth!" As we talked about the Tooth Fairy, she ran to her room to retrieve the "TOOTH" pillow that my sister and I used as kids (Thank God she knew where it was because I had no idea!).<p>When bedtime came, Annabelle put her tooth into her pillow and put the TOOTH pillow next to her pillow. After saying her prayers, she told God that her "Thankful For" thing for the day was losing her tooth.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFehy_rQb7tbpYWunqYlFUE3Xmg-ezjMuG3T7V01uz9_Lq_aDbWQRtem0viUCAk1zRKMQY6BDWoC1n3Sf2DjPxl83EYrroKhwSdiSlUWejVbQWR9AXgNqGWIQ5Pfr4kKJYSz4h0g/s1600/IMG_5236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFehy_rQb7tbpYWunqYlFUE3Xmg-ezjMuG3T7V01uz9_Lq_aDbWQRtem0viUCAk1zRKMQY6BDWoC1n3Sf2DjPxl83EYrroKhwSdiSlUWejVbQWR9AXgNqGWIQ5Pfr4kKJYSz4h0g/s320/IMG_5236.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dBKatPOd_iwJ1sKHw9TOQkE6ULJodX5Gy8uMuaSp_s1CnqhsmFnW86JQSSF0PjfhHdw-k42wDscSlNDQbdbbnDXsOHGFzBIGpgasHCZ05E5lpOyBvvAEml3kCtGfTeNy86mDkQ/s1600/IMG_5237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dBKatPOd_iwJ1sKHw9TOQkE6ULJodX5Gy8uMuaSp_s1CnqhsmFnW86JQSSF0PjfhHdw-k42wDscSlNDQbdbbnDXsOHGFzBIGpgasHCZ05E5lpOyBvvAEml3kCtGfTeNy86mDkQ/s320/IMG_5237.JPG" /></a></div>Once she went to bed, my Tooth Fairy job began. I had already hit facebook to ask my fellow Tooth Fairies for help on the going rate for teeth. Armed with this knowledge, I decided to go with a treasure hunt approach to giving Annabelle a special dollar for her tooth. At first I was hoping to give her a dollar coin, but in the end I'm glad I ended up with a paper dollar because then I (I mean, the Tooth Fairy) could write on it. I went to work cutting out "clue" paper and armed with my pen and crayons, I made up the clues.<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHm3xMxhbtnYpmhvfuE9EMiPD0k4AS2KDZA3y1nE5yxy_b6rKmdGxkbbd-mUGeYWXYljnaAjkp4hPCBVQoiYHDzdnpr4STyZLAsruMo-qbllxE7drNq4JA9i4_kIIkglhy2eLZA/s1600/moreTeeth01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHm3xMxhbtnYpmhvfuE9EMiPD0k4AS2KDZA3y1nE5yxy_b6rKmdGxkbbd-mUGeYWXYljnaAjkp4hPCBVQoiYHDzdnpr4STyZLAsruMo-qbllxE7drNq4JA9i4_kIIkglhy2eLZA/s400/moreTeeth01.jpg" /></a></div>I finished my clues around midnight and went around the house planting the clues. Once all of the clues were out, I went to Annabelle's room to put the first clue into her pillow and retrieve the baby tooth. As I slipped my hand into the pillow to get the tooth, my girl who sleeps through EVERYTHING immediately opened her eyes and said "What are you doing?!" I told her I was heading to bed and just wanted to check to see if the Tooth Fairy had come yet. Whew! I thought I had just blown the whole Tooth Fairy thing before she ever got to enjoy it! Fortunately she believed me, and just asked if she had come yet or not. I told her the tooth was still there and that she was probably waiting for Mommy & Daddy to go to bed too so that we wouldn't see her. She laid her head back down and drifted right back to sleep.<p>Not wanting to be caught again, I was struggling with whether to make my second attempt at the tooth/clue exchange before going to sleep or to wait until the middle of the night (or early morning). Also, I didn't want her to wake up and find the clue in her pillow before the morning because I REALLY wanted the treasure hunt to happen when it was light out, not in the wee hours of the night. Before falling asleep around 1 a.m., I decided to try again (in hopes of turning off my 3 a.m. alarm clock setting), and this time I was successful! Go Tooth Fairy!<p>After that, everything went exactly as I had hoped! Annabelle woke up to her alarm clock in the morning, found the first clue, and immediately came to show me! I helped her read the first clue, and she immediately found the second. She ran around collecting clues, getting more excited with each one that she found! While she collected clues, she told me that the Tooth Fairy probably gave her clues because she knew that she loves treasure hunts. She also complimented the Tooth Fairy's drawing and coloring skills (especially on the Wii Fit game), and she told me a story about how she actually saw the Tooth Fairy in her loft when she opened her eyes for a second. She said that she only saw her head with beautiful long blonde hair and her pink wand, and she thinks she didn't see anything else because she left quickly when she saw that Annabelle was awake. The whole time Corgan was on her heals helping her to find the next clue. It was priceless!<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkCBazVNjWwtsKf6OIx8MCciiRjI3W5pUlBkzhmo9RQmc8Pev-BPUw-FjyEyG3oc_orgLM_N3SVOnMIFhy9yv-OluTwmwGKeIOHWm3G1zrLR2ZwbtkMZCc5Jpxd21qIk763l1yA/s1600/moreTeeth05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkCBazVNjWwtsKf6OIx8MCciiRjI3W5pUlBkzhmo9RQmc8Pev-BPUw-FjyEyG3oc_orgLM_N3SVOnMIFhy9yv-OluTwmwGKeIOHWm3G1zrLR2ZwbtkMZCc5Jpxd21qIk763l1yA/s400/moreTeeth05.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYJmxSHYqeJhBSsSYoxZzFkaQ8P_FZSncWikInS_plieSKf14zOrS_BT-9qeKEDifDyDmU1XNvo-D18p0EA57_4qn3t3rq66LDj3vQ-O-D6pUpgT5YuyURNgAXt17PskTxi3dRQ/s1600/moreTeeth08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYJmxSHYqeJhBSsSYoxZzFkaQ8P_FZSncWikInS_plieSKf14zOrS_BT-9qeKEDifDyDmU1XNvo-D18p0EA57_4qn3t3rq66LDj3vQ-O-D6pUpgT5YuyURNgAXt17PskTxi3dRQ/s400/moreTeeth08.jpg" /></a></div>When she finally found the "prize" special dollar bill, she was on cloud 9! She loved that the Tooth Fairy wrote her name and the date on her special dollar AND that she loves coloring so much that she colored on the dollar bill too!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkOOBjn2gJAMPQaqA6KuQY8v2wSGVjH9UIgiCj4IAmcUr7nYiFArVGHyUeyruAUkAmf65QxhKPOrhdRECriejo_v71G779C4x23hN3HoSLQgpEIgscmWGtYvXzlxko5QzWIngjQ/s1600/moreTeeth11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkOOBjn2gJAMPQaqA6KuQY8v2wSGVjH9UIgiCj4IAmcUr7nYiFArVGHyUeyruAUkAmf65QxhKPOrhdRECriejo_v71G779C4x23hN3HoSLQgpEIgscmWGtYvXzlxko5QzWIngjQ/s400/moreTeeth11.jpg" /></a></div>After Annabelle's hunt was done, Corgan said "Okay, my turn now!" When I told him that he was going to have to wait until he lost his first tooth to get to do a treasure hunt from the Tooth Fairy, he was totally bummed!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pW01TQuCFAdJ_KbgyrEPjHdBmSJYmzS6ZIIu29dSrRwcFwlGuf7fNCLLofHEi9U3fpJ6mEGF1W322O5_-79RIMYVwSv_6sluAHqbbWfyrJf0gP1JALYG48NCA9X7t5v2di2hGA/s1600/moreTeeth12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pW01TQuCFAdJ_KbgyrEPjHdBmSJYmzS6ZIIu29dSrRwcFwlGuf7fNCLLofHEi9U3fpJ6mEGF1W322O5_-79RIMYVwSv_6sluAHqbbWfyrJf0gP1JALYG48NCA9X7t5v2di2hGA/s400/moreTeeth12.jpg" /></a></div>Annabelle asked to bring her dollar to school so that she could share about it in front of her class. She assured me that another friend had taken her dollar in a few days earlier, so I let her bring it (and cleared it with her teacher before she took it into the class). When I picked Annabelle up from school, she was so proud to be able to be wearing her tooth necklace and her teacher told me all about how well Annabelle did telling her class all about her tooth experience.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzNUqGq29poQCdDGRb7UTA2fjSlb26dc42s_fgsIKY66OGrSij__SbyFIab3TtY01Pw_H5yIten5l5i7N_GmWxMDp15GAYlNhtyXX5PPDnUIXvG-dPYXN1mCr7_IqNE0hyphenhyphen6xsWg/s1600/moreTeeth16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzNUqGq29poQCdDGRb7UTA2fjSlb26dc42s_fgsIKY66OGrSij__SbyFIab3TtY01Pw_H5yIten5l5i7N_GmWxMDp15GAYlNhtyXX5PPDnUIXvG-dPYXN1mCr7_IqNE0hyphenhyphen6xsWg/s400/moreTeeth16.jpg" /></a></div>I am having a hard time believing that my baby is old enough to have lost a tooth, but I never imagined that this experience would be so much fun for her! She has been giddy about it all day long, telling me her "I saw the Tooth Fairy" story and about how she keeps reaching for her tooth to wiggle it only to remember that it's already gone! She has also commented many times that she can't bite her fingernails now because she doesn't have a tooth there. Her "Thankful For" again tonight was losing her tooth. I love her excitement, and I loved being her Tooth Fairy! I can't wait for Corgan's turn!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-61550346161059538992011-08-28T21:23:00.002-04:002011-08-28T21:29:20.640-04:00Calendar SmartsThe other day when I went to pick up Corgan, his new VPK Teacher, Ms. Tara, asked me if we work with calendars at home. She said that she could tell that we did because Corgan is the only kid in the class who is able to answer correctly when she asks things like "If today is Wednesday, how many more days are there until Friday?" That sort of question is one of the things that we go over on a very regular basis. Any time the kids ask "How many more days until _____?" I always tell them, "Today is _____, and that happens on ______, so let's count how many more days." We even do it adding 7 days if things are over a week away. It makes me proud to hear that he is really picking up on that well and it able to show off those skills at school. :)<p>
If I haven't mentioned it before... Corgan LOVES anything to do with math and numbers!<p>
One more thing calendar-related, lately Keith and I have both heard Corgan say "Tomorrow back" when he's talking about something that happened "Yesterday". It's so cute that he came up with that!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-37900243038161667252011-08-28T14:34:00.002-04:002011-08-28T14:36:22.259-04:00Rock-a-Bye Baby as sung by Corgan<i>Rock-a-my Baby on the tree top<br>
When the wind blows the cradle will rock<br>
Rock-a-my Baby cradle will fall<br>
And then they put Humpty together again!<br></i>Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-23150726802660923382011-08-26T13:01:00.002-04:002011-08-26T13:08:41.134-04:00Corgan's Grown Up JobOn the way home from school today, Corgan announced that in addition to being a Daddy when he grows up, he wants to make video games. He said something along the lines of this...<p>
Corgan: <i>When I grow up, I want to make video games. I want to make a Cars game first. I know how to do it... it will need to go this way and that way and this way and that way and any way you want. But for the first one, I'm just going to make it go straight.</i><p>
How many 4 year olds do you know who not only plan out the features of their first video game release, but plan how they will scale the feature set down to focus on the most important one in the first version?! I worked with college educated adults who still didn't grasp that concept!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-56716015590391990232011-08-16T22:31:00.003-04:002011-08-16T22:39:45.739-04:00Still a Sneaky SisterOver a year and a half ago, I posted about Annabelle being a <a href="http://keriland.blogspot.com/2010/01/sneaky-sister.html">Sneaky Sister</a> and nearly pulling one over on Corgan. Apparently she has been sharpening her Sneaky Sister Skills because she got him good today... and he still doesn't even know it!<p>
Yesterday afternoon, the kids had been playing with a pile of small characters at the end of the hallway. Because we had so much going on yesterday evening, the toys never got put away. This afternoon, I told them they needed to clean it up before getting ready for bed... and threw in that they needed to put away a game that was in the living room too. The game was already in the box and just needed to be put on the shelf in the playroom, but the characters were all over and needed to be collected and put away. Corgan, being the good boy that he is, went back to start putting away the characters while Annabelle picked up the game. She then started slowly walking down the hall toward the playroom with the game in her hands and said "Corgan, I bet you can't put all of that away before I put this game away!" He promptly accepted the challenge by hurriedly putting the characters into their container while she took her time taking steps toward the playroom closet. In the end, he ended up cleaning it all up while she just put the game on the shelf.<p>
I briefly thought about calling her out on her trick, but then I instantly recalled doing the same sort of thing to my little sister while growing up. While it probably wasn't fair, I think she's actually learning some valuable skills through this manipulation, so I kept my mouth shut. He'll catch on eventually... right?<p>
P.S. Knowing that Corgan has already learned some of these sneakiness skills too, poor Juliet doesn't stand a chance! ;)Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-2237975278287930512011-08-16T22:18:00.004-04:002011-08-16T22:28:47.782-04:00Juliet at 8 Weeks Old<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YXH1zbJCI9Q90Whl4jTBZ3GAEmvGfGURA82hbMy3fUH9bva7MZPOYqlaQ-0Ly9tFJv9NLWTk3mMiLUdUJBZM23B4XaYByksGAunYNeDs8Ew4zJsaI9Kd1g99JIz7FYFzhB7Hqg/s1600/j8wks1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YXH1zbJCI9Q90Whl4jTBZ3GAEmvGfGURA82hbMy3fUH9bva7MZPOYqlaQ-0Ly9tFJv9NLWTk3mMiLUdUJBZM23B4XaYByksGAunYNeDs8Ew4zJsaI9Kd1g99JIz7FYFzhB7Hqg/s320/j8wks1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641645146411686962" /></a>Today was Juliet's 8 week appointment. The checkup went really well, as expected. She is up to 10 lbs 12.25 oz and is 22.25" long. She was previously measuring in the 25th percentile, but she's now in the 50th. The doctor checked out her right foot and said that it looks like it is healing well and he doesn't expect that we'll have to do anything to fix it in the future. It still isn't exactly where it should be, but is getting there and he said that the lack of resistance when he puts it into the proper position is a good sign. Juliet also got another shot and oral vaccination today. The shot means that she's now medically okayed to get her ears pierced, so expect to see that happening very soon!<p>
Since I had my camera out at the appointment, I snapped a few pictures of Juliet during the nurse and doctor's visit. When I got home and saw one of the pictures that I took, I immediately thought of a picture of Annabelle making the same face when she was an infant! While Juliet definitely has her own distinct look different from the other two kiddos, she TOTALLY looks like Annabelle did as a baby when she's sleeping and when she cries... as seen here:<p>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHyBUuRcdPmUyKMujwPUeDTv75KVW-H3AhyphenhyphenSySLHcMnxncOIMg-cygtiG8sq3uF1_E2nhcwbNqFrGN1aXKWbqfIIE3ONADEvSVcZEJWRVRiPuv2g3o6ueqsOEe6Oh3F8yL9xrGQ/s1600/compare.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHyBUuRcdPmUyKMujwPUeDTv75KVW-H3AhyphenhyphenSySLHcMnxncOIMg-cygtiG8sq3uF1_E2nhcwbNqFrGN1aXKWbqfIIE3ONADEvSVcZEJWRVRiPuv2g3o6ueqsOEe6Oh3F8yL9xrGQ/s400/compare.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641644447333989250" /></a><p>
They couldn't look more alike to me! I'm sure Juliet will grow up to be a beauty, just like her Big Sister Annabelle!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-23380164662298633622011-07-25T21:53:00.003-04:002011-07-25T23:54:11.985-04:00Sweet BrotherToday when I got home from picking up the kids, Juliet was sleeping in her car seat so I put the seat in her bedroom and turned on the monitor to listen in for her to wake up. The big kids and I went upstairs to do some things while she slept. When Juliet woke up, I was working on something with Annabelle so I was letting her cry for a little bit when all of the sudden I heard Corgan's voice over the monitor. He had gone into Juliet's room and was singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to her to get her to calm down. Even with the crying, the combination of the crying and hearing Corgan singing so sweetly to his baby sister was such a sweet sound! I almost didn't want to go get her to stop the crying!<p>
I can't get over how much both Corgan and Annabelle absolutely adore their baby sister! I keep waiting for some kind of jealousy to surface, but the only jealousy has been one of them being jealous of the other for getting to sit next to or touch or kiss or hold their little Juliet! I LOVE it!<p>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOC8A8vOSvMKVKidm_QciUWtBfhGFAau5RF9qxyR-OMFdHbbvvpkpAQ4ZfBJ4GBjK1YydKnjjvy5RUG3feiRFQOaXTu3XfxE3ElyAN8Hqn_tSPc0SyjzbRj1aLSX3tSaOXhyYa_A/s1600/IMG_8279.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOC8A8vOSvMKVKidm_QciUWtBfhGFAau5RF9qxyR-OMFdHbbvvpkpAQ4ZfBJ4GBjK1YydKnjjvy5RUG3feiRFQOaXTu3XfxE3ElyAN8Hqn_tSPc0SyjzbRj1aLSX3tSaOXhyYa_A/s400/IMG_8279.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633504274518973074" /></a>Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-91971480072921475272011-07-03T13:27:00.004-04:002011-07-03T13:44:02.692-04:00The Perfect LunchToday after church, we had one of the most enjoyable family meals out ever!<p>
Juliet was a little sleeping angel the whole time and the big kids not only behaved, but they actually ate their meals without being threatened. :) Corgan even tried something new (bbq turkey) and ate it all! Both of the big kids enjoyed working on their kids' menu activities (word searches, reading jokes, a maze, tic-tac-toe, etc.), and we had some great family discussions. Corgan told us that when he grows up, he wants to make movies and video games. Annabelle said that she wants to teach part time (on "Wednesdays, Fridays, and Thursdays") and run a flower shop on the other days. Annabelle told us about a dream that she had last night where a sun flower in our yard grew so big that it went "all the way up to God's castle"! She also said "You know why I like to sleep in so much? I really wake up early, but I like to finish seeing my dreams so I go back to sleep to finish them." I love it! Annabelle told us that "God is everywhere, even in your heart!" (I assume they talked about that at church today.) She was also proud of herself for answering 3 questions first/right at Sunday School. We all had a discussion about boys vs. girls... Daddy and Corgan gave us reasons that it's better to be a boy and Annabelle and I came up with things that girls can do that boys can't. It was a fun conversation. Watching Corgan work on the menu activities just reminded me that Corgan continues to impress me with his ability to do things that keep up with Annabelle from a learning perspective. The boy just loves to learn, and I love to see it!<p>
Just wanted to record this truly memorable lunch and conversation so that I don't forget the adorable things that my five-and-a-half year old and nearly four year old said/did! And also, that there are times that we can take them out of the house and actually have strangers comment on what a well behaved and adorable family we have (because sometimes it seems like their energy overwhelms them when we're doing something calm like having a meal and I feel like I have a couple of little crazies on my hands)! But not today!<p>
I love my family!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-62040168695931829692011-06-29T10:30:00.001-04:002011-06-29T10:43:53.412-04:00The Story of "Juliet Lynn"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRjDv3WK5jhFmx7TtKN3Da9W4wdBYWtHIG-DEzvQsi6x5JBu4yMO2n30IMkUkxdNllqRMU9Py5bj7VBa_Ieqyru7c0lLQ6o1HvtmIM1J3ogubmvKcu9HvxbjS-4lduDl-rchRGg/s1600/IMG_1794.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRjDv3WK5jhFmx7TtKN3Da9W4wdBYWtHIG-DEzvQsi6x5JBu4yMO2n30IMkUkxdNllqRMU9Py5bj7VBa_Ieqyru7c0lLQ6o1HvtmIM1J3ogubmvKcu9HvxbjS-4lduDl-rchRGg/s400/IMG_1794.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623648884542508322" /></a>
<a href="http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/what-s-name-that-which-we-call-rose">As Shakespeare's Juliet said</a>:<br><i>
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose<br>
By any other name would smell as sweet?"</i><p>
Since finding out that our newest little one would be a girl, Keith and I had decided that we would wait until we saw her to pick whether we'd name her "Juliet" or "Aurora". While (like I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, <a href="http://keriland.blogspot.com/2011/05/whats-in-name.html">What's in a Name?</a>) I like to be able to plan things and was a little bit uneasy about not having a definite name for her, as Juliet Capulet implied, I knew that no matter what we named her, she would still be our same sweet little girl!<p>
Everyone in the OR with us for the c-section knew that we had decided on the name "Juliet" or "Aurora". As soon as the anesthesiologist saw her, she said "She looks like a 'Juliet' to me!" Maybe that was just her favorite name of the two and she was trying to influence us to pick that. Keith and I got a quick look at the baby before she headed out to get the tests done and cleaned up in the nursery, so we didn't decide on anything then. Not much later, I was in recovery and was doing so well that Keith was able to bring her to me in recovery. After everyone came in to see us (well, really her), they left so Keith and I could have some alone time with her and I could feed her for the first time. It was during those quiet moments that we decided that we were 100% sure that she is a "Juliet Lynn"!<p>
We had previously decided that her middle name was going to be "Lynn" which is short for my mom's name, Linda. When we were throwing around names for a middle name, we knew that we wanted something that would honor my side of the family (since Annabelle's middle name, Claire, is a legacy of Keith's side of the family). My mom's life-long best friend, who has always been known to us as "Aunty Paula" and is now known to our kids as "Grammy Paula", has always called her "Lin" (I believe that's how she spells it). So when brainstorming middle names, when we came up with Lynn, we both immediately fell in love with it and the special meaning behind it!<p>
Because we have all been calling Juliet by the name "Baby" for so long, we're still having a little bit of a hard time calling her by anything else. Both Annabelle and Corgan call her "Baby" nearly every time they refer to her (Annabelle will call her "My Baby" or "Baby Juliet" sometimes though), and I am definitely having to be conscious about purposefully calling her "Juliet" instead of "Baby" to get myself trained to call her by her real name.<p>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULIHryVJKq8UeJDlO4uAvlrpRv5YRIo7rM_QYD37KezLabgIxFI-ddkPOV_KIz_Hxh7IItGw97LM79G1355jhDBibdY0J9bfhdnpTY_zhn-2_bo_tOlDxnDLo2hJAyGSgotqu1g/s1600/IMG_1482.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULIHryVJKq8UeJDlO4uAvlrpRv5YRIo7rM_QYD37KezLabgIxFI-ddkPOV_KIz_Hxh7IItGw97LM79G1355jhDBibdY0J9bfhdnpTY_zhn-2_bo_tOlDxnDLo2hJAyGSgotqu1g/s320/IMG_1482.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623652404043418738" /></a>A long time ago, we jokingly told the kids that if Baby was born with blue eyes, we were going to name her "Aurora" and if she was born with green eyes, we'd name her "Juliet". I thought that if anyone had a problem with us not picking "Aurora", it was going to be Annabelle because she had really fallen in love with the name (although later on her love was split between the names Aurora and <a href="http://keriland.blogspot.com/2011/04/baby-donald-30s-name-will-be.html">Paris</a>). However, Corgan is still having a hard time accepting that we decided to name her Juliet despite her dark blue eyes. When we were in the hospital, both big kids colored pictures for me and Juliet, but Corgan still wrote "Aurora" on his picture because he liked that name better. A few times when I've called her "Juliet" to him, he has asked me for verification that "Her eyes are blue, not green; right?" He has even told some people that her name is "Aurora" when they ask him what his new little sister's name is! Thinking that this is just a phase, I've told him a few times that he can keep calling her Aurora if he wants to, and that can be his special nickname for her. Just a couple of days ago, I told him he could keep calling her Aurora, and he said "I don't want to just call her Aurora. I want YOU to call her that, and Daddy, and Annabelle, and Grammy, and Papa too!" He's SO in denial about her name being Juliet! I'm sure he'll eventually come around, but I'm surprised that he's still upset about it 6 days after she was born!<p>
So, there you have it, the story of our sweet little rose, "Juliet Lynn Donald"!<p>
P.S. And yes, the fact that the earlier blog was titled "What's in a Name?" was definitely a nod to the fact that we were leaning toward "Juliet" at that time, even though we had still decided to wait to see what she looked like. :)Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-73034940059943805012011-06-27T20:39:00.005-04:002011-06-27T22:33:30.980-04:00Juliet's First Doctor VisitWhen Juliet was born at 37 weeks and 4 days into the pregnancy, she weighed 7 pounds and 5.5 ounces and was 19 inches long. She scored 9 and 9 on the Apgar test (not sure what the 1 was that she missed). The only issue that was noticed at birth was with her right foot. Apparently, in utero her foot was being smushed so it was turned out nearly 90 degrees when she came out. The twisted foot is most noticeable in this picture immediately after birth:<br>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOifiTQXy0946ir4To9HJURfV9rpT1-Py_uvY7iOds_HND7aw3zi2OXDcaDA8lUdEA8dB79mR7VrzLa91uxpTxMHkAjgYCrjEZQxCecZBu6oqbjN8Exjodm2PKwnWDa78igh-lLA/s1600/TB_IMG_0414abw.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOifiTQXy0946ir4To9HJURfV9rpT1-Py_uvY7iOds_HND7aw3zi2OXDcaDA8lUdEA8dB79mR7VrzLa91uxpTxMHkAjgYCrjEZQxCecZBu6oqbjN8Exjodm2PKwnWDa78igh-lLA/s400/TB_IMG_0414abw.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623084867140978818" /></a><p>
The neonatal doctor immediately pointed the foot out to Keith as she was being cleaned up while still in the OR, and I could hear a little bit of the conversation going on from the table, but I couldn't hear the details. He told Keith that the foot should work itself out over time.<p>
After 2 days in the hospital, Juliet's bilirubin levels were tested for jaundice. When reading about the risk factors for it, 2 of them are having siblings who were jaundiced (both Annabelle and Corgan were) and being breastfed. The earlier that they are born, the higher the risk is as well. Mainly because of her older brother and sister having it, I fully expected Juliet to be jaundiced too and sleeping with the glowing blanket for a little while. I was very pleasantly surprised when the neonatal doctor told me that although she was near the level for being considered jaundiced, she was still below it and therefore didn't have it. Because she wasn't eating a lot or pooping a lot during the next 24 hours in the hospital, they decided to test her again before we left. She was still just below the unsafe level, but because she was so close to it, they wanted us to schedule her one week checkup at 6 days so that she could be looked at again.<p>
Another potential issue that came up before we left the hospital was Juliet's weight. The morning that we were preparing to leave (on the 3rd day), they weighed her and she was down to 6 pounds and 10 ounces. Although this isn't generally an unsafe weight, she had lost nearly 10% of her body weight (if she had been 6 pounds and 9 ounces, she would have been over the 10% mark and he would have made her stay in the hospital), so they were a little concerned. When I told him that my milk had just started coming in overnight, the neonatologist felt a little better about it, but again, wanted me to really make sure to take her in for her checkup early so that our pediatrician could monitor her weight sooner rather than later.<p>
So... this morning, we took Juliet in for her one week checkup at 6 days, and everything went really well. Her weight is 6 pounds and 10.5 ounces, which the doctor was happy with. Even though she had only gained an ounce, she hadn't lost anything so he wasn't concerned. He did say that we might want to supplement breastfeeding with an ounce or so of formula every once in a while just to get her a few extra calories. He also said that her coloring and alertness looked really good, so he wasn't concerned about jaundice either. More good news! He looked at her right foot and was impressed with how much it has straightened out already. He told us that at around 6 months, if it hasn't fully fixed itself, then we would look into doing a series of casts that would straighten out the bones as they grow. He stressed though that it should take care of itself and we probably won't have to worry about that. Hopefully he's right! :)<p>
Juliet was a good girl and opened her eyes for the doctor to check them out:<br>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGeUBVVPW1T58r-yLf-QhVJBioUppuAt4BSFhV-GT3saQxqlgGwZZO2rnwX4VLNprEmYH-J4JJiwg6Lwwed4-s8GD08qqukw9c3yakrHzEiXK9wCMb5Ggfth5DtT1RexEj0Nm8g/s1600/dr2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGeUBVVPW1T58r-yLf-QhVJBioUppuAt4BSFhV-GT3saQxqlgGwZZO2rnwX4VLNprEmYH-J4JJiwg6Lwwed4-s8GD08qqukw9c3yakrHzEiXK9wCMb5Ggfth5DtT1RexEj0Nm8g/s400/dr2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623071505660853538" /></a><p>
First doctor's appointment weigh-in:<br>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOlV4Uvyenfl7L4FodX-Hp_FynoxXFXOfd-BJfDx_cmKvlY8IIIemNS2KPpNJKEp9M-rkPP21DOv1_NzKbFdG5ODFHmJQ-XVJQ6frsbjt50u-cY8VhB09HRrv9WNSBE9V-GVvBA/s1600/dr1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOlV4Uvyenfl7L4FodX-Hp_FynoxXFXOfd-BJfDx_cmKvlY8IIIemNS2KPpNJKEp9M-rkPP21DOv1_NzKbFdG5ODFHmJQ-XVJQ6frsbjt50u-cY8VhB09HRrv9WNSBE9V-GVvBA/s400/dr1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623070930810388914" /></a>Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-53847234226402730232011-06-27T16:34:00.003-04:002011-06-27T16:37:46.436-04:00Swing Love!I don't know who loves <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Cradle-Swing-Brown/dp/B003P98HNA/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IWL85YLL34RMG&colid=22ZV5ADSXBUUY">this swing</a> more, Juliet or Mommy! She has already spent many hours happily rocking and sleeping in her swing!<p>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1cS-JDfFon1pXph0aEX0Bko9lnOyWG1Ne4aGiu5ihS1rVX8sRk9z12Iw7F-CsO4hGq0we4nclyM4y5m89rNoN5svM5vbDPrJRWxVrbb3gJDoOKJmvpyxJOSX7q5UIWV8oCeqnw/s1600/swing1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1cS-JDfFon1pXph0aEX0Bko9lnOyWG1Ne4aGiu5ihS1rVX8sRk9z12Iw7F-CsO4hGq0we4nclyM4y5m89rNoN5svM5vbDPrJRWxVrbb3gJDoOKJmvpyxJOSX7q5UIWV8oCeqnw/s400/swing1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623001128580296530" /></a>Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-46364203248008061572011-06-25T17:03:00.000-04:002011-06-26T17:04:18.299-04:00Good and Not-So-Good<b>The Good:</b>
<ul><li>Taking a shower and getting all of the residual bandage stickiness off of my body!</li><li>Losing 5 pounds overnight!</li><li>Getting a reasonable amount of sleep last night even though it was the first night in the house with a new-newborn!</li><li>Only taking OTC meds!</li><li>Juliet loving her swing!</li><li>A baby with a healthy appetite.</li><li>No jaundice!</li><li>A baby who loves to cuddle with her Daddy!</li><li>A Grammy & Papa who are always on-call!</li><li>A Big Sister who thinks (and says) that she has the cutest Baby Sister ever!</li><li>A Big Brother who can't give his new Baby Sis enough kisses!</li><li>Coming home from the hospital to a clean house!</li><li>Rain 2 days in a row!</li><li>Being able to pick things up off of the floor.</li></ul>
<b>The Not-So-Good:</b>
<ul><li>Weighing 2 lbs MORE when I checked out of the hospital than I did when I checked in, despite delivering a 7 lb baby!</li><li>Pain when getting out of bed.</li><li>Sore nipples.</li></ul>
As you can tell, the Good WAAAY outweighs the bad! Life is good!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-66427979490199724422011-06-24T02:27:00.007-04:002011-06-24T02:37:16.067-04:00Comparing My BabiesAnnabelle was my lightest (7 lbs and 4 oz; 20 inches long; born at 38 weeks & 1 day)<br>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4N0Tepzr4ggG1ox-C6jEzbncv6lA43M9ugxq8pHDS9lRtkB_82tKE95JgIHwgKihyphenhyphenomP4lYCxSIpdm_qBzm2BR8811nqGVjcLCPfOgNVOFbwB-xpaiM1nJsh6psp413lyiDw2Q/s1600/BabyDonaldRelease.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 351px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4N0Tepzr4ggG1ox-C6jEzbncv6lA43M9ugxq8pHDS9lRtkB_82tKE95JgIHwgKihyphenhyphenomP4lYCxSIpdm_qBzm2BR8811nqGVjcLCPfOgNVOFbwB-xpaiM1nJsh6psp413lyiDw2Q/s400/BabyDonaldRelease.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621670036956677218" /></a><p>
Corgan was my biggest (8 lbs and 9 oz; 20.5 inches long; born at 37 weeks & 5 days) <br>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-8niFWGYDaXPVjQshGJyLYSg9oyMs2Qzb7qwkM3fkvHNtFiK_hvBESpmlV_ZuVilG2PIH4XKwMRA5kDupOUB0KxWjuatpCQVhm74uyMi3MSSpV0BujR7zr_8pkbDZJ2JOpSerQ/s1600/rockstarAnnouncement.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-8niFWGYDaXPVjQshGJyLYSg9oyMs2Qzb7qwkM3fkvHNtFiK_hvBESpmlV_ZuVilG2PIH4XKwMRA5kDupOUB0KxWjuatpCQVhm74uyMi3MSSpV0BujR7zr_8pkbDZJ2JOpSerQ/s400/rockstarAnnouncement.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621669478966543746" /></a><p>
Juliet was my shortest (7 lbs and 5.5 oz; 19.5 inches long; born at 37 weeks & 4 days)<br>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8zGjRh7YqhLdev-SiSIDJvkg84Gtlm-8lBJtOpp6oEtSLJTFMy_CpzMn3fGijm63jO2w-mA8pBdg9uGoqhiCQULOpXYw9dvpLKJH8QJ_x4bUQR5rGKFq9X7-G3vSpdWoKNJpoA/s1600/julietlynndonald.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 328px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8zGjRh7YqhLdev-SiSIDJvkg84Gtlm-8lBJtOpp6oEtSLJTFMy_CpzMn3fGijm63jO2w-mA8pBdg9uGoqhiCQULOpXYw9dvpLKJH8QJ_x4bUQR5rGKFq9X7-G3vSpdWoKNJpoA/s400/julietlynndonald.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621670231249844146" /></a><p>
I had forgotten that Annabelle was so tiny and Corgan was so big in comparison! Crazy that Annabelle and Juliet are so close in size (even though Annabelle had a few more days to cook), and Corgan was SO much bigger!Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23475742.post-55363111745607396512011-06-21T22:34:00.001-04:002011-06-27T22:36:27.112-04:00Welcome Juliet Lynn Donald!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaInrSoXFMyaHIr-roveWLqh38cyMOdeB1VZW4xADbpFnNq4a9rPAVXOR-4kW6pxRRHSWk1y7z81o5ijPgCl-ikRL2L9XSrCw0OapXgtEwq4Gma7b3_9qP3-omJqhjOUezhVqOg/s1600/julietlynndonald.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 328px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaInrSoXFMyaHIr-roveWLqh38cyMOdeB1VZW4xADbpFnNq4a9rPAVXOR-4kW6pxRRHSWk1y7z81o5ijPgCl-ikRL2L9XSrCw0OapXgtEwq4Gma7b3_9qP3-omJqhjOUezhVqOg/s400/julietlynndonald.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623093824184000034" /></a>Keri Donaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559511246004614404noreply@blogger.com0