Oh Otter!

It's been a hard past week and a half around the Williams' house.  Otter hurt his back again while going down our front stairs last Thursday night. When he hurt his back two and a half years ago it also happened when he was going down some stairs near the beach. That injury lead to an emergency surgery and a long, hard recovery.  So, when it happened again, I immediately feared the worst. Kate was already in bed for the night and Steve had to work in the morning, so Otter and I headed to the pet hospital. After waiting until almost 3 am, we got some good news. Otter was clearly in a lot of pain and wobbly when he walked, but he wasn't paralyzed in his hind legs like the first time. They gave us an arsenal of pain pills and an anti-inflammatory and sent us home to monitor him and wait.  

For some reason laying down, and especially putting his head down, causes Otter more pain.
The first night after his injury Steve stuck close by and made sure he had a good headrest.

After Otter did okay over the weekend, all last week was a roller coaster. He would be in really bad shape with heavy panting and uncontrollable trembling (to the point of his teeth chattering at times) for most of the night and early morning, but then he would improve in the afternoon and all along he was eating well and drinking. By yesterday though, Steve and I were exhausted -- Steve from having to carry Otter up and down our inside and outside stairs multiple times a day, even coming home on his lunch breaks to do so, and me from running back and forth all day between Kate and Otter trying to keep both of them from crying.  So, we headed back to the pet hospital. It was just our luck that they were very busy, and Steve, who only has to work one or two Saturdays a year, had to go to work.  He headed to work from the hospital and Kate and I, waited and waited, for almost 4 hours!

Mom, Where's Otter? And, why are we still here?
It was a long Saturday afternoon/evening.

The vet gave Otter a shot for pain and adjusted his medications. During her exam she did not see any neurological deficits. This means that he can recover. Keep your fingers crossed for him.

If one good thing did come from last week, it is that Kate is now sleeping in her crib! In all the chaos and after Kate and I got bit by something overnight (that's another story), I stripped the two covers from her bassinet to wash them, and when it was bedtime, I realized that I never put them in the dryer. After our nighttime routine, when I laid Kate down in her crib to zip her into her swaddle sack and wait for the dryer, Steve said, "Why don't you just leave her there." I did and just like that she transitioned into sleeping in her crib. I thought it was going to be a big ordeal to move her, but I guess not! It really hasn't interrupted her sleep at all.

Sleeping Angel.
She looks so small in that big space.

Steve took these pictures in a dark room.
(Yes, I am putting laundry away in the background.)

Kate's sleeping accommodations in our room are quite nice. Between her Twilight Turtle that projects colored stars on the walls and ceiling and her Sleep Sheep that plays the sound of a mother's heartbeat, the girl has no reason to not sleep well.

Kate looks so proud now in the mornings when she wakes up in her crib. As for me, I am probably sleeping less. Instead of reaching over with my hand to feel her chest throughout the night, I now spend a good part of it glued to this:

Sweet Dreams!
(Don't worry, it's not really 87 degrees in our room like the monitor says!)

3 Months

Where did our newborn go? At three months old, Kate is definitely more alert and aware of her surroundings. She is now learning to use her hands (mostly to pull things into her mouth), drooling and blowing bubbles, and laughing (just not for me).

Big shot sitting in her Bumbo seat.

She now enjoys spending longer periods of time playing on her own on her mat.

Her nighttime sleep is still great (7-8 hours for the first block and then another 3-4 hours), but daytime sleeping is still a challenge. It mostly only happens in our arms for a very short period of time.

Dad teaching her to "hold her own" now that she's no longer a newborn.

Kate had her 3 month-old check-up on Friday. Dr. DiMundo had a lot fun getting her to chuckle and examining her strength.

Back stretched out on the exam table.

Here are her latest stats:

Height: 23.5 inches - 50th percentile (1 1/4 inch gain from 4 weeks ago)

Weight: 12 lbs. 14.5 oz. - 50th percentile (1 pound 6 oz. gain from 4 weeks ago)

Head Circumference: 40 centimeters - 50th percentile (1 cm bigger than last month)

According to her stats, she's perfectly average. But to us, she's much, much more!

San Diego!

We spent Labor Day weekend in San Diego with family and friends. It was our first overnight trip away from home with Kate and her first stay in a hotel. Although there were some long days involved, she held up like a champ. Some of highlights of the weekend included:

Cousins!

Aunt Kirstin, Uncle Jonathan, and cousins Daphne and Margot flew down from Washington for the weekend. It was Daphne and Margot's first time meeting Kate and they couldn't get enough of their baby cousin. Her naps were often tough for them to get through when all they wanted to do was play with her and try to hold her.

Daph and Margot couldn't wait for Kate to open the presents they got her.

Enjoying Nana and Papa's New Home
On Friday night we had a nice family dinner in a private dining room at Nana and Papa's new place,  Vi, in La Jolla.

The cousins got all dressed up for the meal.

Beach Day
We spent Saturday on the sand and in the water in Solana Beach with Rocco and Brooke and their kids.

Taking shelter from the sun under the E-Z Up canopy.
Our accommodations were quite nice! 

Nana wasn't sure about the beach at first. But, she'll go anywhere her darling grand-daughters are!

Brooke, Natalia, and Max.

Rocco and Luke.

There's nothing like a nap at the beach.

 The whole crew (minus Brooke the photographer!)

Birthday Celebration
Saturday night the adults left all kids (except Kate) with babysitters and celebrated Steve's birthday with a special dinner at the L'Auberge Hotel in Del Mar. It was a perfect evening spent toasting and roasting the birthday boy and sharing old stories.

The guys enjoying a pre dinner cocktail. (It looks like they coordinated their outfits -- they didn't!).

"Uncle" Rocco and Kate (who was all dressed up in bright pink for her dad's birthday dinner).
Our party girl made it the whole night until 11:30 pm with only a short nap at the table.

The highlight of the night was the presentation of Kirstin's birthday presents to her brother that included his old, red Micky Mouse watch and his silver baby spoon. She is so creative and thoughtful.

Gary & Liz.

Kirstin & Jonathan.

Rocco & Brooke.

Happy Birthday Steve. We love you!

Jamie!

We have been waiting 3 months for this important visit. Jamie was also spending the week in La Jolla with her family so we got to see her for a few hours on Sunday morning. 

Jamie's new favorite girl.

Friends for life.

Jamie's daughter, Quincy, reading "Pat the Bunny" to Kate.

Extras

A few more shots of Kate with Aunt Kirstin and her cousins.

Ella and Kate.
On Monday we stopped on the way home to see her other cousins. 

It was truly a perfect long weekend!

Until next time San Diego...We'll be back!