Friday, July 30, 2010
A new Burkhead Addition!
I guess this is a few days late, as we got him on Sunday, but we got a dog! Sorry I don't have pictures yet, but I will post some soon. :) He is a one year old Australian Shepherd, red and white with green eyes, and his name is Buddy. (<----- that was the shelter's name, not ours, but we figured he was too old to change his name). He is super sweet, he loves Caylen and she loves him! She was already calling him Buddy by the 2nd day! Pictures to come!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Back From Vacation!
Well actually we got back Tuesday. But, this is the first time I have had to write about our trip! We started out on Friday afternoon to Pigeon Forge, we got there and went to Dollywood Saturday and Brandon and I left Sunday to go to Highlands. This was our little anniversary trip. This was also my first trip without Caylen :( But, we had sooo much FUN!
We stayed at a place called Fire Mountain, in a treehouse, which was extremely private and had a most gorgeous view! Oh and if you go to the website, that picture of the 2 chairs is absolutely the way it is up there! We sat in those same 2 chairs and watched the sunset. It was awesome!Our room was small and simple, which was great for us-- no air conditioner, TV, radio, alarm, etc. We looved it! It was so incredibly quiet and peaceful. It was also about 10 degrees cooler up there, way up on a mountain, than it is in Blairsville. Every morning there was a homemade gourmet breakfast ready for us at 9:30. First morning was frittata with kale and heirloom cherry tomatoes, bacon, strawberry jam (best I ever had), fresh fruit, and biscuits. Second morning was buttermilk pancakes, homemade banana syrup, an egg in a cup (yeah, sorry can't remember the name, but it was gooood), fresh fruit and sausage. It was such a wonderful breakfast and halfway through the morning that we never had to eat lunch! That was also good because during lunchtime we were out on the trails :)
Before I get into my hiking section, I have to share something. We bought the most awesome shoes and we went hiking in them and let me tell you, I have never hiked like this before! I could feel the ground when I was walking, and when I was about to lose balance, these shoes made it so much easier to keep my balance. Without further ado, I introduce to you Vibram Five Fingers Shoes. They are great, and I have to give credit to Bryan Bates, the first person I saw wear them. I had heard about them, but they truly are great shoes. I don't know how far I would hike in them-- some of our 10 mile hikes might be too strenuous, but they are great! They look funny, but sometimes, well almost always for me, function is more important than form!
We hiked 3 waterfalls, did about 3 miles total one day, so light hiking-- easy going down, straight back up. At one falls, Glen Falls, we did hike to the midpoint of the falls and there was a flat part of the waterfall, about 30x30 maybe? It was flat, anyway, and it was a large area. We went out there in the middle of it where there was a pool and sat in it for a while, it was COLD! and then we turned around and sunbathed-- wow the view was just wide open! That flat area was definitely the best vantage point for the view of the mountains! Oh and I forgot my camera. Or, I thought I did, really it was at the bottom of the suitcase... We really could have taken some good pictures, but believe me they wouldn't have done any justice to what we saw. And, it kinda goes back to the John Mayer song about "didn't have a camera by my side this time.... hoping I would see the world through both my eyes..... " but yeah the pictures would have been great.
On Monday night we ate at this place, Cyprus, and it was great. It was international cuisine, and every night the chef spotlights a different country. They have a regular menu as well that has other international food on it too, and I got a dish off of it, while Brandon got the Pork Ragu off the 'special' menu. Both were very good, and it was really a cool place to eat at. Not too expensive either. I can't really enjoy my food too well if I am getting ripped off ya know? Kinda gives me indigestion.....
Anyway, we left on Tuesday morning and went by and saw some more falls and went a couple of places then headed to Bville, which is only 1.5 hours away. So, we definitely plan to go back just for a day and do some hikes with the babe. Also, we plan to go back there every year for our anniversary for a couple of days since we loved it so much!
We stayed at a place called Fire Mountain, in a treehouse, which was extremely private and had a most gorgeous view! Oh and if you go to the website, that picture of the 2 chairs is absolutely the way it is up there! We sat in those same 2 chairs and watched the sunset. It was awesome!Our room was small and simple, which was great for us-- no air conditioner, TV, radio, alarm, etc. We looved it! It was so incredibly quiet and peaceful. It was also about 10 degrees cooler up there, way up on a mountain, than it is in Blairsville. Every morning there was a homemade gourmet breakfast ready for us at 9:30. First morning was frittata with kale and heirloom cherry tomatoes, bacon, strawberry jam (best I ever had), fresh fruit, and biscuits. Second morning was buttermilk pancakes, homemade banana syrup, an egg in a cup (yeah, sorry can't remember the name, but it was gooood), fresh fruit and sausage. It was such a wonderful breakfast and halfway through the morning that we never had to eat lunch! That was also good because during lunchtime we were out on the trails :)
Before I get into my hiking section, I have to share something. We bought the most awesome shoes and we went hiking in them and let me tell you, I have never hiked like this before! I could feel the ground when I was walking, and when I was about to lose balance, these shoes made it so much easier to keep my balance. Without further ado, I introduce to you Vibram Five Fingers Shoes. They are great, and I have to give credit to Bryan Bates, the first person I saw wear them. I had heard about them, but they truly are great shoes. I don't know how far I would hike in them-- some of our 10 mile hikes might be too strenuous, but they are great! They look funny, but sometimes, well almost always for me, function is more important than form!
We hiked 3 waterfalls, did about 3 miles total one day, so light hiking-- easy going down, straight back up. At one falls, Glen Falls, we did hike to the midpoint of the falls and there was a flat part of the waterfall, about 30x30 maybe? It was flat, anyway, and it was a large area. We went out there in the middle of it where there was a pool and sat in it for a while, it was COLD! and then we turned around and sunbathed-- wow the view was just wide open! That flat area was definitely the best vantage point for the view of the mountains! Oh and I forgot my camera. Or, I thought I did, really it was at the bottom of the suitcase... We really could have taken some good pictures, but believe me they wouldn't have done any justice to what we saw. And, it kinda goes back to the John Mayer song about "didn't have a camera by my side this time.... hoping I would see the world through both my eyes..... " but yeah the pictures would have been great.
On Monday night we ate at this place, Cyprus, and it was great. It was international cuisine, and every night the chef spotlights a different country. They have a regular menu as well that has other international food on it too, and I got a dish off of it, while Brandon got the Pork Ragu off the 'special' menu. Both were very good, and it was really a cool place to eat at. Not too expensive either. I can't really enjoy my food too well if I am getting ripped off ya know? Kinda gives me indigestion.....
Anyway, we left on Tuesday morning and went by and saw some more falls and went a couple of places then headed to Bville, which is only 1.5 hours away. So, we definitely plan to go back just for a day and do some hikes with the babe. Also, we plan to go back there every year for our anniversary for a couple of days since we loved it so much!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Just a Routine Update
Well, maybe it's more than that. I just had a few things to touch on, and I needed a name to group them all together, so I called it that. Update 1: Potty Training. Currently at a stand still due to her 'not cooperating' at daycare. I figured it would be okay to wait for a bit. She's only 20 months, right? This brings me to update 2: actually, she is 21 months today, July 16th. Happy 3/4 birthday Caylen! Time is just flyyyying by! Update 3: We are in Pigeon Forge, yay! But not so yay, it is after midnight and I have yet to go to bed. Have I ever mentioned that I am a 10 o'clock-at-the-latest-bedtime kinda person? I have been told I turn into the Hulk without sleep. Maybe that is why Caylen slept in the bed with me for 9 months? It did greatly improve my amount of sleep, I must say. That's just how I work! Anyway, I tend to ramble (note that all of this is in one paragraph...)when I am overly tired and get my second wind, which I am on currently. The deal is this: Caylen will not sleep on vacation. Never, ever, ever. We just got back from a trip to KY a couple of weeks ago, well not even, and on that said trip she slept nada. None. Zilch. She also, since being in daycare, is always sick on vacation. I am not lying. She is fine up until the first night of vacation and here comes this runny nose, cough, and drainage thing. Same thing every time. She will go to sleep okay, she is thankfully pretty good with transitions after all our moves and instability.... anyway she goes to sleep pretty fast, but then you hear her breathing, and you can tell she is congested, then she sucks some of that back and every few breaths she will have to cough, and this wakes her up. This means that she wakes up crying at least every 30 minutes. Great for the sleep cycle. Not only is the night so frustrating you want to go jump off the nearest cliff but you are too tired to look for it, but also the next day is complete agony. You, your spouse, your baby, are tired and grumpy and no one wants to deal with anything the next day and it takes all you can do to even get through it. So, tonight Brandon and I watched a movie after Caylen went 'to bed' and it wasn't over till 11. We turned the lights for about 2 minutes, then got up to tend to Caylen. I decided then, and I had been thinking of this earlier, that we would not go to bed at all. Unless, that is, she is asleep and no stirring for a good 30 minutes. This is about the best we can hope for. So far, nothing. I have come to a couple more conclusions, though. You all can take note of this and hopefully be able to hold me to my word. or, wordS.
1. We will not go on any overnight stays, with Caylen, anywhere other than our own home until Caylen is over 3 years of age. This means nowhere, folks. Brandon and I have talked alot about this lately and we are both on the same page here and we feel like we are shooting ourselves in the foot for even taking her anywhere overnight.
2. If I feel the urging of wanting another child before Caylen turns the said age of 3, I will attempt to take her somewhere overnight and remind myself of how impossible it would be to have anything more than just her.
Caylen does terribly, horribly bad on vacations. Not just at nighttime either! She screamed her way all through Walmart when we first got here-- I was thoroughly embarrassed at her behavior. We had to scarf our food down at Cracker Barrel whilst picking various objects off the floor that she would throw down while trying to keep her quiet enough as not to cause massive heartburn for anyone and everyone within a 10 mile radius. So, I have concluded that we have been terribly foolish even thinking of vacationing with her.
My parenting style, Attachment parenting, which I try to follow in the way I think is best for our family and for Caylen, talks about how each baby is different and how you can't treat any 2 babies the same. I am a big believer in this, and even though I know most people with a baby Caylen's age do travel, I know that we can't. It's not fair to her for us to put unrealistic expectations on her to act a certain way that she can't handle yet. I can't be too rigid with her, she is just a baby! So, I am just going to have to get realistic here and go with the flow. Going with the flow is sometimes hard for me because I want things to be predictable and follow a routine, but really I am the one going against the routine and predictability. Experience has shown that 100% of the time Caylen will not sleep while we are on vacation, she will act out 300% more, and she will get sick. So why am I acting like the odds are in favor of her sleeping or otherwise? I tell you why: I like to think that every night she gets a new 'chance' if that makes sense. Tonight could be different and I want to go into it without feeling jaded. However, that really is just blindness! I am blinding myself to the fact that she never sleeps on vacations, so why would she sleep now?
Well, I guess I am done rambling. I just had to sort all this out I guess and restructure my thinking!
1. We will not go on any overnight stays, with Caylen, anywhere other than our own home until Caylen is over 3 years of age. This means nowhere, folks. Brandon and I have talked alot about this lately and we are both on the same page here and we feel like we are shooting ourselves in the foot for even taking her anywhere overnight.
2. If I feel the urging of wanting another child before Caylen turns the said age of 3, I will attempt to take her somewhere overnight and remind myself of how impossible it would be to have anything more than just her.
Caylen does terribly, horribly bad on vacations. Not just at nighttime either! She screamed her way all through Walmart when we first got here-- I was thoroughly embarrassed at her behavior. We had to scarf our food down at Cracker Barrel whilst picking various objects off the floor that she would throw down while trying to keep her quiet enough as not to cause massive heartburn for anyone and everyone within a 10 mile radius. So, I have concluded that we have been terribly foolish even thinking of vacationing with her.
My parenting style, Attachment parenting, which I try to follow in the way I think is best for our family and for Caylen, talks about how each baby is different and how you can't treat any 2 babies the same. I am a big believer in this, and even though I know most people with a baby Caylen's age do travel, I know that we can't. It's not fair to her for us to put unrealistic expectations on her to act a certain way that she can't handle yet. I can't be too rigid with her, she is just a baby! So, I am just going to have to get realistic here and go with the flow. Going with the flow is sometimes hard for me because I want things to be predictable and follow a routine, but really I am the one going against the routine and predictability. Experience has shown that 100% of the time Caylen will not sleep while we are on vacation, she will act out 300% more, and she will get sick. So why am I acting like the odds are in favor of her sleeping or otherwise? I tell you why: I like to think that every night she gets a new 'chance' if that makes sense. Tonight could be different and I want to go into it without feeling jaded. However, that really is just blindness! I am blinding myself to the fact that she never sleeps on vacations, so why would she sleep now?
Well, I guess I am done rambling. I just had to sort all this out I guess and restructure my thinking!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Potty Training Cont'd
Well I just had to update everyone on Caylen's potty training status. Yes, amazingly, she does have a status! Yesterday was her first full day of potty training, as I started, well she kinda did, Saturday at about 10 AM.
Yesterday we woke up at about 7, which Caylen has been doing lately and it is GREAT!, and Caylen had pee-peed in her diaper overnight. That's ok, no surprise. What the surprise is though, and pardon me for veering a little, is that when she was tee-tiny, like before 6 months, she never had a wet diaper all through the night! Odd... Kinda gives me a feeling that I might should have tried infant potty training.
Anyway, she woke up with a wet diaper, I sat her on the potty, she didn't go, then we went to eat breakfast. After breakfast, we went and got ready as usual. Brandon and I took turns putting her on the potty while we got ready until it was time for her bath. She then put on a pampers diaper and we headed off to church. When I took her to the nursery, she hadn't yet peed in the potty, but I told the ladies there that she was potty training and if they would put her on the potty. I brought diapers anyway but they were the cheap CVS Caillou ones. I picked her up from nursery, no one said if she had peed or not since they switch out the workers in between, and I checked her diaper. It was the same one that she had on before she went to church! We rushed home, got her on the potty, and she peed right away! This was the first time she had peed on the potty that I was sure of. We clapped and praised the heck out of her and put her back in a diaper which she kept clean until she went squatting off in a corner. I tell you, when that girl squats, it means TROUBLE! So we missed that one for the most part, and she had a few accidents later that day. We did make it to WalMart though and we bought her some training pants. She wet them 2 times last night :( but she wore them this morning and had no accident so far.
Speaking of this morning, Caylen got up, no pee in the potty, we went and ate breakfast, no accidents, then up to the potty again where she peed and did #2! She had no accidents this morning, and that was from the time she woke up, 6:30, to the time she got to daycare, 8:30, and she was wearing training pants the whole time! I brought some training pants and panties for them to use and told them she is using the potty! Hopefully, her day will go well and without many accidents!
Yesterday we woke up at about 7, which Caylen has been doing lately and it is GREAT!, and Caylen had pee-peed in her diaper overnight. That's ok, no surprise. What the surprise is though, and pardon me for veering a little, is that when she was tee-tiny, like before 6 months, she never had a wet diaper all through the night! Odd... Kinda gives me a feeling that I might should have tried infant potty training.
Anyway, she woke up with a wet diaper, I sat her on the potty, she didn't go, then we went to eat breakfast. After breakfast, we went and got ready as usual. Brandon and I took turns putting her on the potty while we got ready until it was time for her bath. She then put on a pampers diaper and we headed off to church. When I took her to the nursery, she hadn't yet peed in the potty, but I told the ladies there that she was potty training and if they would put her on the potty. I brought diapers anyway but they were the cheap CVS Caillou ones. I picked her up from nursery, no one said if she had peed or not since they switch out the workers in between, and I checked her diaper. It was the same one that she had on before she went to church! We rushed home, got her on the potty, and she peed right away! This was the first time she had peed on the potty that I was sure of. We clapped and praised the heck out of her and put her back in a diaper which she kept clean until she went squatting off in a corner. I tell you, when that girl squats, it means TROUBLE! So we missed that one for the most part, and she had a few accidents later that day. We did make it to WalMart though and we bought her some training pants. She wet them 2 times last night :( but she wore them this morning and had no accident so far.
Speaking of this morning, Caylen got up, no pee in the potty, we went and ate breakfast, no accidents, then up to the potty again where she peed and did #2! She had no accidents this morning, and that was from the time she woke up, 6:30, to the time she got to daycare, 8:30, and she was wearing training pants the whole time! I brought some training pants and panties for them to use and told them she is using the potty! Hopefully, her day will go well and without many accidents!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Potty Training
Yep, I am starting to potty train Caylen. I have 'tested the waters' a time or two before, but it has been a while since I have tried it. Mostly because we have been sooo busy! My plan was to begin potty training when we got in our new house, but who knows when that will be so I have just been trying to go by her cues. Every morning after she takes a bath, she has 'naked time,' which she initiated. She loves to run around naked for the remaining time that I take to get ready. I have been increasing the time she spends naked, and she has still yet to have an accident.
However, today after her bath she ran around for a particularly long time while I got ready and did this and that and I noticed her squatting in a corner. This is her way of usually going number 2. So, I took her to the potty, with no potty seat (and our froggy potty is in a box somewhere), and I sat her on the potty and told her to go potty, pee pee, or whatever else I could say to trigger her to perhaps remember what she needs to do here. So, she started then to saying "pee pee" and she acted like she was trying!
Well, I didn't have any success with that trip, but after her nap, and after I went to Wal-Mart to get her a seat, I sat her down on the potty. She was saying pee pee and stuff, but when I went and got her The Little Red Hen, her favorite book, and she started to 'read' it, she went potty! Number 2, which is one of the most difficult to accomplish, in my experience. I have seen that many times kids are scared or uncomfortable to go #2 on the big potty. But, she wasn't!
So, I went and got her some big girl panties, and honestly I wasn't as careful and diligent about getting her on the potty regularly, but she ended up having 2 accidents. That was kinda disheartening, but I think if I just put those panties on underneath her diaper and take her to the potty very regularly, every 30 minutes, I think I may have some success and then hopefully I will be able to get her to hold it while wearing panties. One thing I do know is that I don't want to use pull-ups. I mean, why do it anyway! It is just a more convenient diaper-- the parent and the child both need motivation to be diligent about getting them on that potty before an accident happens! For the adult, the mess, and for the child, the uncomfortable-ness of having soaked underwear. I can see them out in public or things such as that, but as far as replacing the diaper with them, I think it just delays the whole process. I plan on getting her some cloth training pants, which are like panties, but a little thicker so as to hold in messes a little better-- but still not like a diaper. I still can't decide which ones to get though! So, if anyone has had experience here, please point me in the right direction. Also, if you have any more pointers for me, let me know! I just can't wait to get rid of these diapers!!
However, today after her bath she ran around for a particularly long time while I got ready and did this and that and I noticed her squatting in a corner. This is her way of usually going number 2. So, I took her to the potty, with no potty seat (and our froggy potty is in a box somewhere), and I sat her on the potty and told her to go potty, pee pee, or whatever else I could say to trigger her to perhaps remember what she needs to do here. So, she started then to saying "pee pee" and she acted like she was trying!
Well, I didn't have any success with that trip, but after her nap, and after I went to Wal-Mart to get her a seat, I sat her down on the potty. She was saying pee pee and stuff, but when I went and got her The Little Red Hen, her favorite book, and she started to 'read' it, she went potty! Number 2, which is one of the most difficult to accomplish, in my experience. I have seen that many times kids are scared or uncomfortable to go #2 on the big potty. But, she wasn't!
So, I went and got her some big girl panties, and honestly I wasn't as careful and diligent about getting her on the potty regularly, but she ended up having 2 accidents. That was kinda disheartening, but I think if I just put those panties on underneath her diaper and take her to the potty very regularly, every 30 minutes, I think I may have some success and then hopefully I will be able to get her to hold it while wearing panties. One thing I do know is that I don't want to use pull-ups. I mean, why do it anyway! It is just a more convenient diaper-- the parent and the child both need motivation to be diligent about getting them on that potty before an accident happens! For the adult, the mess, and for the child, the uncomfortable-ness of having soaked underwear. I can see them out in public or things such as that, but as far as replacing the diaper with them, I think it just delays the whole process. I plan on getting her some cloth training pants, which are like panties, but a little thicker so as to hold in messes a little better-- but still not like a diaper. I still can't decide which ones to get though! So, if anyone has had experience here, please point me in the right direction. Also, if you have any more pointers for me, let me know! I just can't wait to get rid of these diapers!!
Friday, July 9, 2010
We Closed!
Oh yeah, you read it right... We did close yesterday-- finally! After almost 3 weeks (21 days to be exact) of waiting after the original close date, we closed! So I call this 'phase 3' and it is complete. This is apparently a 4 phase process, and so that means we are almost done! Phase 1 was moving our furniture and getting our stuff out of the townhouse, phase 2 was the final, official part of moving out of the townhouse, phase 3 being closing of course, and phase 4 is moving into our house! Now all we need to do for phase 4 is wait for the occupants to close on their house, which will hopefully be within a week(?) and then we can move in! Then the neverending, perpetual phase of living there, fixing it up, doing improvements, etc will commence. That one is okay though because there are no time constraints. Also, today Brandon and I went and got our licenses redone, with our new address! Thankfully, you get 1 free address change on your license so we took advantage of that! However the main reason to get our licenses changed was that our temporary tag, the 2nd one, on the Jeep is expired and we need a tag! The tag office wouldn't give us one until we both had Union County addresses on our license, so Brandon wanted to wait until we had our new address so we wouldn't have to change them twice, if that makes sense. Anyway, we have been productive I guess you could say and hopefully we will be moving into our forever home soon!
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