Well today Kirra was in her first 5K. My friend Julie came with us (who runs Track and CC for the U of M) and so she pushed Kirra which was very helpful since there were some monster hills! It was a very fun course, but pretty challenging for my first 5K back! My hammies are killing me! Kirra had fun tho… she slept almos the entire race. She was probably scared going down the BIG hill!

After we got home, Kirra Grandma Theo and I went to the big garage sale extraveganza in Blaine. I got Kirra some mint-condition beanie babies (woodland creatures… a squirrel, blue jay, bunny, and badger/ant eater…) and I also got her a $15-$20 Leap Frog Discovery ball for only $4.00 . My total was just $5.00. You can’t go wrong with those prices! I also picked up some glass jars for free! Sometimes they have free bins!

Tomorrow we go to my parent’s house for mother’s day. It should be fun! Jason and Kirra made me a card, with her hand prints, and she colored with the paints on there (with her hands) it’s so precious!

Kirra has been doing really well lately. Daycare is also going quite well! We moved up a nipple size to 2’s, or medium flow, and Kirra is drinking a lot better now. She seems to do really good at Tally’s house, and doesn’t seem to be stressed out at all. I’m so glad we were able to find a good daycare for her. One that I can trust, and not have the need to call every 5 minutes to see how my little peanut is doing.

Kirra woke up last night screaming! I ran into her room like any superwoman mom would, and here she is with her leg caught, and twisted between the bars of her crib! Unfortunately it was the far side of the crib, and since i am short, I had to crawl up on the rungs of her crib to get her free, which actually wasn’t too easy! So… today I ran to Babies R Us, and got a mesh bumper for her. That way she doesn’t slip her arms/legs thru the bars, and yet if her face gets too close, she can still breathe! I also picked up some baby sunscreen for the nice days when she isn’t going to be completely covered up! I will have to ask the pediatrician about bug spray, and if it’s good for babies or not. We’re going caming in 3 weeks, and I don’t want my poor baby bit to pieces by the skeeters!

Kirra has been making stilly buzzing noises with her lips. I am almost sure she picked it up from daycare. She just started doing it on Friday night. It’s pretty funny, but probably obnoxious to other people. She has also discovered her tooties, and likes to grab ahold, and even suck on them sometimes! Too Cute!

Well we started daycare this week, and so far I think things have gone ok. Kirra has gotten herself into overstimulating situations, and couldn’t nap a few times, but generally I think we’re doing ok. I feel very good about bringing her to that location, and really like our provider.

Kirra has her very own cubby so we get to keep our stuff there, such as diapers – formula – bottles etc.

We have been going on lots of walks lately, or jogs, or rollerblading adventures. Kirra really likes being pushed in her stroller, which is nice, because I really like being outside. Kirra also loves the outdoors. We have a cute little park by our house, so we’ve gone there, and Kirra really likes the swing. Eventually we need to get an infant/toddler swing for our own swingset!

So the cold has come back to us, and I am sad! Kirra just loves going outside, and she loves her stroller! This past weekend was great because she got to be outside a lot! I need to get some sunglasses that will fit her though, because the sun keeps getting in her eyes, poor girl!

We went to the orthopedic surgeon yesterday 4/7 and he gave us the “all clear” for her leg! It’s looking really good, and he is happy enough to discharge us from his care!

Kirra is still on just formula and rice/oatmeal cereal. We haven’t started any fruits or vegetables yet, although maybe in the coming weeks we will give it a try. Jason is still a stay-at-home dad, which has been working out so nice!

So right now I am down in Atlanta Georgia. I’ve been here since yesterday morning (thursday 3/27) and I leave Sunday morning 3/30. I miss Kirra like crazy! This is the first time I have left her for more than 10 hours during the day! She hasn’t had a baby sitter yet, because Jason takes care of her. They are going on a family outing tomorrow, and I am not there to be with them. I am so excited to be home to Jason and Kirra although I am having a good time while I am here. It’s just hard. Any of you mom’s out there could agree! Jason told me that last night Kirra was sucking her thumb. Not her whole hand like usual her whole thumb. I just thought that was sooo cute, and I missed that moment. I will obviously miss so many more moments, but it is definitely hard. They are going to pick me up from the airport on Sunday and I cannot wait! I don’t know how my friends that are still in the navy can leave their babies for more than 96 hours. It’s just so hard!!!

Until next time… be well.

My dear Fran, Suz, Mike, and Tim, and my other loved ones,

I just wanted to let you know that I made it up to heaven alright! I know how you guys worry, and always expect a phone call for safe travels. Well there are no phones in Heaven, but God let me write a letter just this once. I told him Fran would be very upset, and he didn’t want to make Fran mad! I know what you’re thinking! How did I make it up here with all of the ruckus I cause during those sports games on TV, and throwing that foam brick at the TV all the time… well St. Peter over looked that.

Things here are very good! I’ve ran into Terry who is an engineer for the Heavenly Express, I help him out a little bit since I actually worked on a railroad! When you hear the thunder during a storm, that is us, riding around! I also ran into Cindy who works at the Pet Palace for all of those animals who went to heaven. She begs God to take in the naughty ones too, and he usually lets her keep them! Jaun teaches everyone about Camping, Swimming, and how to water-ski…No retirement until your earthly age is 65! But working here is MUCH better than on Earth!

I’ve ran into others too. Let Stevie know that his mother Dorothy is doing just fine! And Linda… June is doing great too! Ted, Ev, Toots, and Annie are all doing fantastic! I have lots more to run into including some of the Canadians, but I’ve only been here for a few days!

I live in a great big mansion, and the streets are made of gold. It’s perfect up here! God made me a huge kitchen to cook pancakes on Sundays! Everyone still comes over to my house! God, and Jesus are more than you can imagine! They are love!

A final thought for those who are having a difficult time with me being gone…

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle Autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush,
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die. ^Anonymous

I do have to get going now. I will never forget you, and please share my memories. I am always with you, and until we meet again. I love you all!

Richard H. Raykowski.

Well we went to the doctor today for her 4 month check up and she is doing just great! You can check “Fun Facts” to see her growth. The doctor agreed that too many people so close to her can definitely stress her out! So we just need to be careful at how many people are comming at her! She is a shy baby, and that’s ok.

We started her on Rice Cereal about two weeks ago, and the doctor was just fine with that. She said we can try different cereals too, like Oatmeal, or Barley etc. She just said make sure it’s BABY cereal, not quaker oats! 🙂 Also… she can start fruits and veggies in about 2 months, so we will just get her used to the cereal for now.

She tried to roll over at the doctors office, but we all stopped her because she would have rolled right off the table! Haha! Everything looked absolutely wonderful. No teeth yet, but that’s definitely ok! Doctor said maybe in 2 months or so…

Well Kirra is home with daddy for the rest of the day, she got shots today so she will be tired and cranky!

Well lately Kirra has been having some social anxiety. That’s the only thing I can pinpoint it on. She just melts into tears. It happened at the Nursing Home, where it was on the warm side, with about 18 people in a small area… she melted down again at the wake where there were multiple people, and again at the funeral luncheon. I am thinking she might get nervous when there are too many people in such a tight area, or if other people hold her, she gets nervous. I asked my mom’s group about it, and they’ve has similar experiences, but I think I am going to ask her pediatrician tomorrow! We have a well baby exam tomorrow, and I am so curious to see how she has grown. We also get the results of her kidney ultra-sound, and hopefully there is nothing else with that! She rolled over earlier this month, and hasn’t done it since. It must have been a huge fluke! I’m sure she will eventually do it again! We think she is starting to get a tooth! We’re also going to ask the doctor about that too. She has a small white hard dot on her gums, and she is drooling like a crazy woman! She recently learned to grab for toys, hang on to them, and laugh on demand (when we’re tickling her). Life is just great! We will update you with more information tomorrow 🙂

Well last Saturday (2/16) we had a very fun time at the Mall of America. Kirra and I met up with my high school friend who also had a baby, just a few weeks younger than Kirra. Kirra just loved the stroller, and now that she can see more, had a fun time looking around at everything. Sunday (2/17) Jason, Kirra, and I continued our adventure to Rosedale Mall and babies R Us. We looked at baby clothes, and we bought new glass bottles. (With the scare of BPA leaching into baby bottles, we’re not taking any chances.) Finally on Presidents day, I took Kirra to see my old co-workers at the Marriott, and then we went and saw Summer’s new baby in Wyoming, MN. Gosh we were busy! Back when Kirra was just 2 or 3 weeks old I joined a group called “New Parent Connection” at the hospital. It was a chance for other new moms (and dads… although they never come) to meet with each other, and talk about what is going well, what isn’t going well, and offer each other tips and advice. Well all of us mom’s had to go back to work, so we exchanged emails, and are now meeting up with each other every other week. It’s really nice to meet other people, and have friends that are in the same place in life as you. All of our children are about the same age, and for those of us who live close to each other our kids will most likely go to school together. Kirra is just a happy go-lucky baby who occasionally has her moments, but don’t we all??? She sleeps in her own room/crib, and goes to sleep usually about 9pm, 9:30pm, and will sleep straight thru until about 7:00-8:00am. We’re extremely lucky!

Well I think we’re finally out of the sub-zero temperatures, or at least for now we are! We didn’t dare go anywhere with Kirra when it was sooo cold out, but now we’re back to normal. Went to Super Target today, and walked around the produce section with Kirra in a seated position facing out. This is by far her favorite when she is awake, but there are only so many laps you can take around the living room and kitchen!!! (My limit is 56 laps!) So we looked at all of the producce, and I would hold up flowers, and artichoke, and cucumbers, melons, etc and tell her about them. She thought it was pretty cool, and I didn’t get bored either, so that was helpful!

Kirra is on Formula now. It was just time for us to stop breastfeeding, and that’s ok. She got about 3 months worth, and that is A OK with me :). We like the Parent’s Choice formula from Wal-Mart. It’s not clumpy, and it’s not foamy at all like Enfamill is! (We still have sevral coupons, and samples, but thats ok).

Other than all of this we’re all doing great! 🙂 Only 6 more weeks of winter! Woo Hoo for jogging with her in our running stroller! I’m training for a 10 mile race at the end of May… ok, I WILL be training…. once it warms up just a little bit more 🙂

Love Yall!