NJ

We have spent the week in NJ so Daddy P can settle into his job. But really, NJ isn't all that, so baby Kate and I took off to CT to see our much missed friends. We hung out down by the water with Emily and Aaron on Tuesday night. Emily had Kate totally set up with every imaginable noise-making toy. She LOVED it. I told Emily she should talk into a pillow to see if Kate would recognize her voice. I think baby Kate probably listened to Emily more than Daddy P while she was inside me just because we were such good worker companions!



Next we headed to Hartford area to spend a girl's day with Krista and her two little ones. Isabella (who is 5) shared her favorite restaurant with us -- Red Robin -- and we packed the three carseats in the backseat to get there. No one was going anywhere! Being next to the two girls was also the only way that Kate would get back into the car after the long drive into CT. Isabella took to Kate right away and helped her walk, pushed her stroller, and gave her toys. It seemed to me that Kate wasn't crawling much and I attributed this to her wanting to look cool and stand around the two big girls. She hardly ever crawled, and for the first time I saw her trying to cross a gap on her feet. The little ones took a killer afternoon nap which gave Krista and I time to sit out in the sunshine and chat and relax. Then later Lily shared her favorite music video with Kate which led to the cutest dance party ever.







The evening ended with our old SYTYCD group coming over to watch the performance. Kate wore her best 80s dance clothes in honor of the event. It was sooo much fun. So sad to leave... But, leave we had to. Krista hooked us up with a ton of toys so Kate could manage the trip back, and we made it with minimal crying! It was awesome!!

Just Like Dad

On Daddy P's first day of work, we took him to Dunkin Donuts for coffee. Kate wanted some too! Kate and I explored the local malls and parks while Daddy P worked. NJ is green but not as pretty as CT, and the houses seem to swing from huge and mansion-like, to old and run down (which are still $350+K). It's a pretty area and everyone seems really nice. Princeton itself is very cutesy (if not a bit pretentious) but we could never afford to live there.

Today we're heading to CT to see some friends and hang out. Hopefully Kate will be kind to me on the long drive. She missed her morning nap so I am hoping that will translate into sleeping in the car rather than screaming because she's tired. Fingers crossed.

We have interviews set up for nannies next week. We're in a bit of a pinch to find someone quickly, unfortunately. Hopefully one of them will "wow" us and we'll be set.

Vacation

Baby Kate went to her first Cardinals game! She loved it!

She loved less the roughians behind us cussing and hooting up a storm...

We've been having a nice time in St. Louis visiting family and hanging out with friends. We'll share more later this week!

9 months!

(minus a day)

Nanny

Well, our plan was to share a nanny with some friends who will have a newborn. After they had interviewed seven in person they chose their top contenders. We interviewed the favorite and LOVED her. She was so good with Kate and had all the right answers. We called her reference and got a glowing account of her child caring skills.

And then...

We offered her the job.

And then...

She told us she just found out she is pregnant.

NOOOOO.

Back to square one. Meanwhile, my first "client" is on the 15th so we're scrambling to find someone...