Weekend In Nebraska

This past weekend we headed off to Nebraska for Jesse's Alumni basketball tournament in Columbus. It was actually the first time we could say we headed North to better weather. While it was cold in Nebraska, it was nice and sunny, while at home in KC, they were hit with a big snow storm.

We enjoyed seeing everyone, it's nice to catch up with Jesse's high school friends and enjoy a few drinks. We also were able to visit with our parents and Jesse's grandparents. Unfortunately we forgot to bring our camera. But here is a picture in the spirit of our weekend.

And just for fun............

The Top 10 Reasons We Will Not Be Travelling Back to Nebraska Any Time Soon:

10. We love Amigos and Runza, and since we don't get those at home, we stopped there...multiple times....not any good for the diet.

9. Jesse realized he was old........with a sore leg, head, and toe from the basketball game, it's just not as easy as it used to be.

8. Our vehicle just isn't big enough. With ourselves, Bella, my mom, the dogs, all our luggage, and Bella's equipment, it was a cramped ride.

7. Because of the limited space, we packed only the essentials. Which means I only took one type of shoe. The dressy shoe worked on Friday and even on Saturday, but I looked ridiculous in comfortable clothes....and dressy shoes on Sunday.

6. Bella's eating habits. Bella only likes pureed food that is warm. And she only likes flavored milk that is warm. Both are a little hard to accommodate on a long car ride. Granted she will eat yogurt, but when she is hungry it just doesn't cut it.

5. Jesse just can't quite hold it the whole ride :-) Yes we had to stop in a field mid-way to Columbus. I guess that is the perk of being a guy.

4. Someone elses bed and shower is never the same as your own.

3. Car rides do not put Bella to sleep anymore. We had a baby who fussed continuously the whole car ride. Now Bella normally does her fair share of fussing, but when you are in tight quarters of a car....it gets old real fast.

2. When Bella wakes up at someone elses house....you have to get up with her. At home we make sure she is alright, and then sometimes she just has to put herself back to sleep. Well when you are staying with other people, who can all hear her, you really can't do that. So I ended up sleeping in bed with her for part of the night.

1. Bella poops a lot. On all 4 legs of our trip Bella pooped. Twice we had to pull over on the side of the road and change her. And once we had to throw the poop ball out the window. So somewhere off I-29 near Mound City is a new pile of fertilizer :-)

(disclaimer - only the biodegradable poop was thrown out, the diaper was disposed of in a trash can)

Big Girl

We headed off to church this morning and something was different. At the age of 18 months, Bella has finally outgrown her infant carrier, and has graduated to the forward facing car seat. Yeah Bella!!
But on a different note, that now means that running errands with Bella has gotten a lot harder. We can no longer just put her infant carrier into shopping carts. We haven't taken her kid-kart chair out in public yet, but that will soon be coming. For now, we are just using our regular stroller. I made my first attempt with it at Hen House on Friday. It was an interesting experience, and I did not have enough room in the stroller and the basket I was trying to carry, to fit everything we needed. I guess for now, we won't be able to take Bella if we are by ourselves and run large errands. I just hope someday she can sit up, for many more reasons that just sitting in a shopping cart.
On Monday we have her 18 month doctor's appointment. We are taking in an application for a handicap parking spot. I guess we will qualify when she is with us, since we will start having to take all of her gear (kid-kart) with us. The things you never thought you would be doing........

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Bella is actually part Irish, so she doesn't have to wear green....but then we wouldn't have ridiculous looking photos to show. And no, these actually aren't for Bella, these are Jesse's to wear out for the St. Patty's Day Celebration. Look out Kansas City!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

Only a couple weeks late...........

Thanks for watching me!

Love, Bella

Upside Down

Bella loves being upside down. She will go so far as to throw herself back at any occasion. While we try and stop that behavior as much as we can (there have been some close calls when we have been near doors and walls, not to mention not being prepared for her to fling backwards). We do let her hang upside down occasionally as she loves it. I'm guessing it's something to do with not having pressure on her neck??