Getting Away from it All

If you're wondering why we haven't posted lately, it's because we escaped for a little family vacation. One of the beauties of living on our little island is that other islands are so close. The flights (about 35 minutes to Kauai or to Maui) are a perfect length for our plane-loving but very active toddler. Having visited Kauai just before Jim deployed to Iraq, we decided to spend a little time on Maui now that he has returned.

We stayed in a condo on Ka'anapali Beach -- and when we say on, we mean on! This was the view from our lanai at sunset:

We couldn't have asked for a better location. We stayed in a garden unit, so there was a nice, green lawn just off our lanai. And a few feet beyond that, the beach! Not only did we enjoy amazing sunsets, but because we were so close to the beach, we could take turns playing with Kathleen, even when Madeline needed to nap in the room. Madeline came down to the beach, too, and she seemed to enjoy it, although not as loudly or enthusiastically as Kathleen.

When Madeline wasn't enjoying the view from my lap, or having her feet dipped in the ocean, she was napping in her tent, so she didn't get too much sun. She's the only one of us who didn't get even a hint of tan on Maui!

Kathleen loved every minute of the beach time. She jumped over the waves as they rolled up the beach, and she kicked around in the water when she'd venture in further with Mommy or Daddy. It's hard to remember that as a little baby she didn't like sand, because Kathleen is crazy about sand. She has discovered sand castles, and she insisted on building them on every trip to the beach. Well, she insisted that we build them. She's much more interested in knocking over the sand castles than actually building them! Daddy buried Kathleen, which amused pretty much everyone -- Daddy, Mommy, Kathleen, Madeline, a number of on-lookers at the beach!

In the above photo, you might be able to see Kathleen's bracelets. Her cousin Ali made them for her, and sent them with her mom, Margaret. Kathleen loves those bracelets! Once she put them on, we simply couldn't get them off her. She left them on, day and night, for more than four days. And then we only managed to take them off for a few moments... Thanks, Ali; you made Kathleen very happy!

We didn't do much sight-seeing. (Somehow, trapping the girls in the car so we could drive the road to Hana didn't seem like it'd be much of a vacation for any of us.) But even if we didn't see a lot of tourist attractions, we saw lots of truly breath-taking scenery. Some of that was the location, and some of that was the company...

And we hardly even noticed that, while we were gone, November ended and December began! It still seems like summer to us!

Awed by the Island

We've finally recovered from our colds, and we've been enjoying life on our little island. It's hard to believe, but (because Jim had been gone, and then we'd been sick, and then we'd been traveling, and then we'd been sick again) Madeline hadn't ever been to the beach! We rectified that situation last Friday, driving to the North Shore and spending some time on a deserted bit of gorgeous shoreline. Winter isn't the best time for swimming on the North Shore, so we played in the sand and at the water's edge.

Kathleen and Daddy had a great time running around, and Madeline and I had a lovely quiet time, sitting on the sand and nursing. After we were all tuckered out, we hopped back into the Jeep and headed home. It was only after we were driving back that I realized: because I'd been holding Madeline and taking photos, we didn't have any photographs of her first visit to the beach!

I did the same thing this Tuesday, when we climbed Diamond Head with Jim's sister Margaret and her husband Craig, who are visiting from Illinois. I've got photos of Jim and photos of Kathleen, but Madeline and I are completely missing. I've really got to get better about that! Fortunately for us, Margaret is a much more responsible photographer, and chronicled our journey up and down -- even capturing our family all together, not only at the top, but on the way down:

Both girls did great on the trip up Diamond Head. Even though she's not crazy about the Baby Bjorn, Madeline played along and slept on the way up the mountain. She did howl for part of the trip down, but by then she was pretty hungry. Kathleen took the trip in a few different stages. She rode in the Baby Jogger until the path got really rocky, when she hopped out and walked along with us. (We stashed the folded up jogger on the side of the trail, and picked it up again on the way back down. It worked perfectly!) And when it got too steep or her little legs got too tired, Daddy carried her. By the time we reached the glorious view at the top, Kathleen was more than ready for a break and some water.

Even though all the tourists around us were complaining about the steep stairs (a set of 99 steps, and a set of 74 steps, and a bunch more random stairs), Kathleen loved them. Here's a snapshot of her and Daddy on the way down:

So, we've been all over the island, enjoying the beautiful weather and admiring the magnificence of the creation around us. There's so much to inspire here -- the lush, green mountains, the crashing surf, the sparkling rainbows, the watercolor sunset. I find myself constantly amazed that we're able to live in a place with such beauty. And when I take the time to think about the creation, I can't help but think about the Creator. This island is but a small reflection of His own beauty and His power...

For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
In his hands are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hand formed the dry land. -- Psalm 95

Colds in California

Last week we flew to California and spent a week with Nan and Grandpa O'Connor. Kathleen was literally beside herself with excitement. We made the mistake of telling her about the trip two days in advance, and that night she was so worked up that she couldn't sleep. She stood in her crib yelling, "Plane! Nana! Gampa! Plane! Me! Carseat! Plane! Nana!" We endured a lot more of the same until we finally arrived at the airport (two days later, people!) and boarded a plane.

The girls did remarkably well on the flight. Madeline basically nursed and slept the entire time. She only cried for a few moments. Kathleen wasn't quite as quiet or quite as still, but she was really good, all things considered. She sat in her carseat because even though we could technically take her onboard as a lap child, that would never work in reality. She'd last maybe five minutes on a lap! Five hours is just a long time to try to confine a toddler -- or to entertain one, for that matter. Still, we all survived the flight there. (And the flight back was even better, as we had an extra seat and a little more room for Kathleen to move around.)

The bad news about the trip was that we all got sick. Kathleen came down with a cold virus the weekend before we left. She had a horrible, hacking cough, a runny nose, and one night of a bad fever. She then shared it with her sister the day before we left. Daddy started showing symptoms the day we flew. I caught it a few days after we arrived in San Francisco. Yuck! Because of our contagious, snotty state, we didn't get to do nearly as much visiting with friends and family as we'd have liked. We did manage to visit Uncle Kevin and Aunt Marie's new flat in the City and watch football and eat fantastic pizza. And we even snuck out (sans children for almost 2 hours!) to meet Uncle Kevin, Aunt Marie, Uncle Craig, and Aunt Caroline for a drink at the Marin Brewing Company one evening. But otherwise, we mostly kept to ourselves, since we wouldn't have wished the misery of the colds on our worst enemies.

Cold or no, Kathleen made the most of staying with Nan and Grandpa. They gave her all her favorite foods, and made sure to have a dvd of her favorite television show, and surprised her with all sorts of little treats. You can tell that life at the O'Connors' is tough for her:

I know that Madeline loved being with her grandparents (and meeting her grandpa!), too.

While we were hanging out with family, we also managed to visit graduate schools -- namely Stanford and Cal Berkeley. Those are two of the schools on Jim's application list for PhD programs, and we thought a visit would be good for some face-to-face meetings with professors for Jim, and for the girls and I to get a feel for both places.

We loved Stanford's Spanish-style architecture, manicured lawns, and wide-open feel. And Kathleen particularly loved the fountain!

Stanford has an exception reputation and many distinguished scholars, which had made it a front-runner in the Golby grad school rankings. But Berkeley surprised us! I'd only really ever thought of it as crazy, liberal "Beserk-ly," which is what Grandpa O'Connor is fond of calling the university and its little city. And while it certainly doesn't have the grand scope of Stanford, we loved the architecture and found many gorgeous little nooks while we explored the campus. Plus, and perhaps most compellingly, Berkeley had amazingly helpful faculty. They absolutely went out of their way to meet with Jim -- one even spent several hours with him, talking about the program and Jim's research interests. We also learned that the university isn't nearly as crazy as the longtime residents of Berkeley. According to one source, the College Republicans are the largest student group on campus. Who'd have guessed that?

We haven't come to any decisions about grad school, which is probably wise, since Jim hasn't finished the applications, much less been accepted. But we're encouraged that we'll be happy wherever we wind up, and we're confident that God is preparing a place for us. Maybe it'll be in California. We'll see!

Growing and Growing

So Smiley!
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Madeline had her two-month doctor's appointment last week. We've known our smiley little girl wasn't all that little, really, but the check-up proved it. Madeline measured 23.5 inches long and weighed in at a whopping 11 pounds, 15 ounces. She's been doing a lot of growing!

Madeline charmed her way through the appointment. She smiled and cooed at the doctor, who pronounced her "fantastic." (Needless to say, we think pretty highly of the doctor!) She howled in indignation when she got her shots, but that's completely understandable, at least in my opinion. A little snuggling and a little Tylenol, and our girl was back to her sweet, smiley self.

We've been getting a lot of enjoyment out of Madeline's smiles these past few weeks. She's very responsive, so it's not difficult to coax a smile out of her. Her grin lights up her face. It's amazing to watch her sweet little personality emerge.

Madeline's doctor's appointment was a highlight for Kathleen. Kathleen chatted the entire drive to Tripler, reminding us that we were driving in the car to go see the doctor for "baby sister" and that the doctor would listen to baby sister's heart. She loved watching the doctor examine her sister -- it was like watching her favorite page in Richard Scarry's "Best First Word Book Ever" in real life! Hopefully Kathleen will be just as enthusiastic when it's her turn for shots in December!

No Tricks, Just Treats

We had a lot of fun this Halloween... we love any excuse for pumpkins, costumes, and candy. Regardless of any of the holiday's history, that's what we focus on, and that's what we enjoy. And boy, do we enjoy it!

In the afternoon, Daddy and Kathleen carved our pumpkin. Kathleen was particularly excited about this activity because she loves pumpkins. She has her own little pumpkin collection -- the big pumpkin for carving, two smaller pumpkins (for carrying around, I suppose), and four miniature pumpkins. And still, each time we cruise past the pumpkin display in the commissary, she cries out, "Pumpkin me!" I remind her that we already have seven spectacular pumpkins at home ("Gosh, Kathleen, I'm not even sure there are any pumpkins here that are as great as the ones we have at home."), and that generally satisfies her.

Anyway, back to the festivities. Kathleen took her pumpkin carving role very seriously and dug right in, scooping away with a spoon.

She helped sort out the seeds and very carefully sprinkled them with garlic salt before we popped them in the oven. Kathleen also made the important decisions about the jack o' lantern's face; he needed to be happy, and would have two eyes, no nose, and one tooth. She seemed to know what she was doing, because I think the pumpkin is pretty cute! (Of course, not as cute as the other two faces in the photo!)

After pumpkin-carving, we worked on trick-or-treating skills. Daddy ran through the whole scenario with Kathleen countless times: you say, "trick or treat," you hold up your pumpkin bucket, they give you candy, and you say, "thank you." Despite the thorough briefing, Kathleen had her own take on the tradition. The candy part made a lot of sense to her, but not much else. She didn't see the point of saying, "trick," so merely said, "treat." And why would she let someone put the candy in the bucket? She wanted it in her hand, so it could get to her mouth most quickly! Fortunately, she was willing to say thank you!

Later on in the evening, we got the girls dressed in their costumes. Kathleen dressed first, and debated the relative merits of her princess hat and a tiara.

The tiara won out over the hat... Unimpressed by the glue gun-weilding abilities that created the hat, Kathleen absolutely refused to wear it. The above photograph is literally the only one we managed to snap of her in the hat, which accounts for the less than ideal expression she's sporting! Not surprisingly, Madeline was a lot easier to dress.

Once we had everyone dressed, the weather foiled our trick-or-treating plans. It was pouring out, so we stayed home to greet those who did brave the weather. We hosted some friends for dinner, and they helped us "trick-or-treat" with Kathleen in our living room! That, combined with the candy, was more than enough excitement for our girls.

Our Halloween photo shoot wasn't as successful as we might have hoped (it was a challenge to work around the dueling nap schedule), but we did eventually manage to capture the princess and the pea together on film...

Kathleen rocks!

You Say Potato, I Say Mr. Potato Head

Kathleen loves to play with water. She would happily splash in the bathtub all day if I'd let her. She never forgets to wash her hands after she uses the potty seat -- the challenge is getting her to stop washing her hands! And when I cook, Kathleen likes to stand on a chair at the sink, helping to "wash" the dishes, or making her own concoction with water.

So, the other afternoon when I was about to begin preparing dinner, I asked Kathleen if she'd like to help me. I said, "Kathleen, would you like to come with Mama and wash the potatoes for dinner?"

Kathleen's eyes lit up and she literally cheered. And then she paused.

"Jus' second!" she yelled, running for her bedroom.

A moment later, she came running to the kitchen sink, carrying the basket that holds Mr. Potato Head and all his parts... I may have said "potato", but she definitely heard "Mr. Potato Head"!

Daddy's Little Girl

What a difference a deployment makes! We know that we're blessed in that our deployment wasn't as long as the deployments some of our friends are enduring, but even in the short(er) time Daddy was gone, people around here did a lot of growing. Madeline wasn't even around the first time Daddy left! But here's a snapshot of the growing that Kathleen did while Daddy was in Iraq.

Before:

And after:

Daddy left behind a baby, and he came home to a little girl. Don't worry, though, I think Kathleen will always be Daddy's little girl!

Happy Endings

And for us, the deployment has a very happy ending. Daddy returned late last night and we couldn't be happier!

Who Wouldn't Love a Face Like This?

A Portrait ON the Artist....
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

So, as illustrated by the photograph at right, Kathleen has been making the most of my divided attention. She quickly figured out that the moment I sit down to nurse Madeline is the moment she should make a break for mischief-making. The mischief takes a new form every day. The felt-tipped pen was one day. Another, she broke into the refrigerator and very carefully (read: messily) brought me the entire pitcher of filtered water. Another time she emptied the bathroom cabinet. (Thank goodness we only keep toilet paper and extra bottles of baby wash down there!) Another time she helpfully emptied a basket of clean, folded laundry -- on to the floor! And another time, I found that she'd managed to climb into the bathroom sink, turn on the water, and empty a bottle of baby wash. (At least it was clean fun!)

Last week, just before lunch time, Kathleen asked for eggs. Scrambled eggs are one of her favorite meals (and they're not just for breakfast anymore!), so it wasn't a surprising request. I explained that it wasn't time for lunch yet, that I was going to feed Madeline, and that after that we would make some eggs. I sat down and began to nurse Madeline, but sprang off the sofa a few moments later, when I heard Kathleen in the kitchen. There she was, crouched on the floor with a carton of eggs, with two eggs squished between her fingers!

Mercifully, we haven't had any truly dangerous or destructive mischief. And we've become a lot better about closing doors, emptying lower shelves, hiding writing implements... These precautions haven't guaranteed a peaceful, uninterrupted meal for Madeline, but they're a whole lot better than nothing!

Chatting it up
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Yesterday it occurred to me that with Kathleen, I learned to nurse. With Madeline (thanks to Kathleen), I'm learning to nurse while running around the house. Yesterday I even managed to clean up after dinner while feeding Madeline. Multi-tasking has taken on a whole new meaning!

The mobile, frequently interrupted feedings may annoy Madeline, but they don't seem to be slowing her growth! She's growing well, it seems, and she's smiling and cooing and generally being adorable. Her expressions are amazing; she looks so much like Kathleen sometimes. Perhaps that means I'll be looking at Madeline's face adorned with orange marker twenty months from now!

Blessed with Tech-Savvy Friends

Well, our friends the Farmers stopped by after church on Sunday and they were able to work wonders on our computer! It once was broken, but now is fixed. It runs just as well as it did before it stopped running at all... It's five years old, so "fixed" is sort of a relative term like that. (As my grandmother used to be fond of saying, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.") So, we're still glad that Daddy ordered a new laptop, but we're super-grateful to be up and running again. We think Daddy will be grateful for the photos, too!

It's hard to tell exactly, but I think Madeline is growing a lot. A lot. Here she is snoozing on the big chair in our living room:

Madeline seems to like tummy time a lot more than her sister did at this age. Kathleen just used to cry or fall asleep when I'd put her on her tummy, but Madeline cranes her little head up to look around and has even rolled over a couple times! Also, last night Madeline gave me her first clearly responsive smile. I was talking to her about how wonderful her daddy is and she just beamed back at me. I almost cried.

Kathleen loves to hold her little sister. Here she is giving her a sweet, gentle kiss:

If only all Kathleen's displays of affection were as gentle... But I think her heart is in the right place. Just this afternoon Madeline was crying and Kathleen went running to get the little black and white dog that is "baby's." Hopefully we'll get a clearer understanding of "gentle" as time goes on.

So, there's an update on the girls. More will follow soon, I'm sure!

Happy

This afternoon the girls and I were driving home from running errands. The errands had gone particularly well, which is to say that not only were we able to accomplish that which we had set out to do, but that no one threw any tantrums or was disobedient or needed to be fed or changed or was really anything other than a darling little girl. It was raining and sunny at the same time, as happens a lot here, and there was a beautiful rainbow. I was about to point it out to Kathleen when she unexpectedly laughed.

"Why are you laughing, sweet girl?" I asked her.

She paused, then responded, "Happy!"

Me too, Kathleen. Me too.

Technical Difficulties

So, when I said that I was going to be better about taking photographs and posting them, I really meant it. I just hadn't counted on our computer ceasing to function normally. A week ago it just gave out. It was -- predictably -- a particularly inopportune time, as I was trying to print out templates to make letters for welcome home banners for the company. In fact, one of the co-leaders of our FRG was just about to arrive so we could work on tracing and cutting out fabric letters. One moment our computer was chugging along in its slightly annoying way; the next moment it was reporting a serious error that required Windows Explorer to close. (The latter is far more annoying!) I've tried everything I can think of to trick the computer into being okay, and it stubbornly refuses to cooperate. It insists that there's a serious error and that all it can do is shut down.

By the grace of God and some oversight of Microsoft, the error reporting protocol opens up a browser window. So, we are still able to check e-mail, which means I can still communicate with Jim (and the rest of the world). And I can post messages to this blog. I just can't upload any new photos or use any other program on our computer.

Fortunately we won't be in this horrible, technology-imposed, technology-deprived situation for much longer. Jim has ordered us a shiny new computer, which should arrive sometime next week. When it does, and once we connect it to the internet, I promise a backlog of photographs. Really, I promise!

Aside from our technical difficulties, life for the Golby girls is going pretty well. Now four weeks old, Madeline is alert and smiling and sweet. I think she has grown a lot, but it's hard to say for sure. She's mostly good-tempered, although she's not averse to howling if I haven't given her exactly what she wants. I haven't entirely decided whether she's actually "easier" than Kathleen was at this age, or whether I'm simply more relaxed about her. It's probably some combination of the two...

Kathleen is talking up a storm lately! I'm constantly surprised by what she understands and what she remembers. She sometimes makes connections that astonish me. She talks constantly about her daddy, and about how her daddy gave her "Cars," or about how her daddy takes her to the park and puts her in the swing (and buckles it!) and lets her go down the slide, or about how her daddy takes her in the Jeep to go swimming at the beach. (To hear Kathleen tell it, I've never taken her anywhere!) She reminds me that she raked leaves with her Nan and Grandpa, and that Nan lets her run through the sprinkler. She also likes to tell me about her favorite episode of "Caillou" (a PBS cartoon about a four year-old French Canadian boy!) in which Caillou and his friends go pick apples and reach the apples in the trees by climbing ladders. Too bad there aren't apple orchards on Oahu, because Kathleen would love to go apple picking herself!

In addition to talking up a storm, Kathleen's just plain busy. She races around the lanai, yelling, "I run! I play!" She cruises around the lanai (and the house) on her ride-on car from the Hendersons. She totes her animals and doll and sometimes just books or other toys in her doll's stroller. We play catch, and sometimes Kathleen even catches! Her capacity for imaginary play is growing as quickly as her vocabulary. She loves tea parties and playing with her ark animals. A recent fascination is a 2 inch-high plastic Curious George, which she carries around and sets on chairs and in her playhouse and in her tent. Kathleen's stuffed monkey was recently seen driving her ride-on car, eating lunch, and trying to blow bubbles.

Hopefully we'll recover from these technical difficulties soon, and we'll be able to post photos of all this fun!

Getting Along on Our Own

After all the fun of Daddy's R&R, and all the help of Nan's visit, we girls have been on our own for a week now. We were -- predictably -- none too anxious to be left on own, but despite our fears, we're managing just fine. Some friends from church have been bringing us meals, which has been more of a help than I can begin to say. And otherwise, we're mostly at home (sometimes at the commissary, sometimes at the park, sometimes at church), trying to settle into a routine.

Madeline had her two week appointment last week. She'd gotten a miserable cold from her sister (her Daddy caught it, too!), which made her uncomfortable and sniffly, but didn't keep her from gaining weight. She was back to her birth weight right on time! Hopefully the cold will be gone in short order.

Madeline has already discovered that she prefers to be held rather than laid down to sleep and, despite our tropical climate, prefers to be covered with a blanket, protected from the breeze. She's not too crazy about the car seat -- at least not until we start driving, when she'll generally fall asleep. And she has an uncanny knack for demanding to eat right as I'm in the middle of putting her sister to bed!

The days close to home haven't been entirely wasted on Kathleen. We've played a lot in the backyard, and blown a lot of bubbles, read a lot of books, and walked to the park a lot, too. Having a little sister has not dampened Kathleen's flair for the dramatic. This is the face she makes a lot lately, whether she's surprised by something good or something not-so-good:

Fortunately Madeline's daytime sleeping schedule has allowed me to spend some good one-on-one time with Kathleen, which seems to help keep our girls from being at odds with one another. Of course, Kathleen won't hesitate to tell me to put the baby down in the bouncer if she wants me to do something for her! Her language skills have just exploded and she provides us with a seemingly endless stream of chatter lately. On the way home from church today she told me that she wanted grapes and a hot dog for lunch. So, even if I'm guessing about what her sister needs, there's no guessing with Kathleen!

I haven't been as good about taking photos of the girls since Madeline arrived, but it's going to be something I work on this week. Hopefully there will be more to post soon!

R&R in Review

Not surprisingly, we had a fantastic time with Daddy during R&R. Our time together was truly blessed. Kathleen took to Daddy as though he had never left and the two of them played and played. Thanks to Nan O'Connor's babysitting, Mama and Daddy even snuck out to their favorite Italian restaurant in Kailua before Madeline arrived. And, of course, Madeline arrived (in her own time, but nonetheless) healthy and happy. Really, everything worked out perfectly.

One of the greatest blessings of R&R was that when Jim's chain of command heard that I would be induced, they encouraged Jim to stay a few extra days to make sure we got settled at home before he left. We didn't expect anything like that (we were still hardly willing to hope that he'd make it home for the birth), but it was a huge help. Jim should have left on Thursday, the day after Madeline was born and the day we came home from the hospital. Thankfully, he didn't leave until Monday, which came in really handy when Kathleen surprised us with a 103 degree fever Friday afternoon. . . (What a welcome home!) Daddy took Kathleen to the acute care clinic, while Madeline and Mama stayed home. They returned four hours later with some cold medicine, some tylenol, and some antibiotics for a "very slight" ear infection. Phew! I can't even begin to imagine if we'd tried to endure the four hour wait -- Mama, Nan O'Connor, Kathleen, and Madeline. Ugh!

But aside from that mini-catastrophe, our time together was just about perfect. We even managed to fit in a number of "firsts" that Daddy would've missed. For example, we got Kathleen's first haircut. Amazing how still a toddler can be when she gets to sit in a special "airplane" and watch Barney on her own tv!

Kathleen also watched her first full-length movie. (Well, not all in one sitting, but still!) We had our very first pizza and movie night picnic on the living room floor. Daddy rented Cars for Kathleen to see, predicting that she'd love it. Mama was skeptical, but Daddy was right. Kathleen is crazy about that movie!

She loves to say "cars" and "fast" and "vroom-vroom." In fact, when we do not respond quickly enough (or in the affirmative) to her requests to see Cars, she switches from asking for Cars to asking for the clicker. Once she's located the remote she points it at the television and pushes buttons, as if to say, "Look, grown-ups, if you're not going to take care of me, then I'm going to take care of myself!" I'm afraid that shortly our daughter will be all about Nascar!

Kathleen seems to be adjusting okay to her Daddy's departure. She asks about him every morning when I pick her up, and sometimes after her nap, too. We talk about how he's at work far away, and how much he loves her, and that he'll be back in a little while. Just after that, Kathleen usually spots Madeline and calls out, "Baby! Baby!" I think she's excited to see the baby -- perhaps she thinks Madeline's going to disappear to go off to work some night, too. Kathleen also seems to be adjusting okay to Madeline's arrival. She's been cranky and tantrum-y, but we'd expected that. And I think (or I like to tell myself) that things are getting better each day. Kathleen remains exuberant in her love for Madeline, which is great for Kathleen and only slightly dangerous for Madeline. ("No, Kathleen! Please do not climb ON the baby! She is too little!") We've been really, really grateful for Nan O'Connor's help this week. We'll just have to see how we do when she leaves on Monday. Wish us luck!

Finally Meeting Madeline

At one week and one day overdue, the doctors agreed to induce us, so that Jim could meet the baby before he had to go back to Iraq. We had thought we'd go into Tripler Army Medical Center for the induction on Monday night, but on Monday night all the beds in labor and delivery were full, so we got bumped back... By late Tuesday morning, though, there was room for us. We got Kathleen all settled with Nan O'Connor and headed out "to get Kathleen's little sister."

The induction went remarkably well, and Madeline Elizabeth Golby was born at 1:26 am on Wednesday, September 5th. She was 19 inches long (although we think she may have been longer) and weighed in at 8 pounds, 13 ounces -- surprisingly larger than her sister! After Madeline was weighed, we kept thanking my doctor for not waiting any longer to induce us!

We fell in love with Madeline at once. (How could we not?)

And we are exceedingly grateful that Kathleen had the same reaction. When she visited the next day, she ran into the hospital room and immediately climbed up on the bed to give Mama and "Kathleen's baby" a big hug.

Kathleen's love for the baby has not yet waned, even as the baby has stolen a lot of limelight. Kathleen loves to check up on Madeline, to kiss her, and to give her toys. And she worries when the baby cries.

Madeline has surprised us with her dark hair and her fiery little personality. She was none too happy about the indignities of being born, or of being examined by her physician. The little girl has BIG lungs! But as we get used to one another, we're finding her to be sweet and generally happy. (Though loud, still!)

Our Days with Daddy

Nan and Grandpa O'Connor have been here with us, first helping out with the big move, and then to be back-up for the baby's arrival. When Jim first got home, Nan and Grandpa took a vacation within a vacation and stayed at the Hale Koa Resort on Waikiki. We're so glad that that they were able to take a break from all their hard work and enjoy the sun and sand and surf!

The view from Nan and Grandpa's hotel room.

Grandpa has already headed back to California, but Nan's still here, camping out for the baby's eventual arrival!

Kathleen's little sister is apparently in no hurry to arrive. She's currently two days late, and it looks like it might be a few days more. She's made a little bit of progress, the doctor has assured us, but it's only a little bit. We're hoping that she'll decide to join us in the next few days, but the doctors will begin considering inducing her if she's still not around early next week. (Good thing, since that's nearing the end of our time with Daddy!) Since Kathleen arrived ten days early, we never really thought that we'd get to this point with her little sister. Shows what we know!

Although we're anxious to meet this new little girl (particularly before her Daddy heads back to Iraq), we've been thoroughly enjoying the time with Kathleen. She and her Daddy are getting along famously. It must have been all those videos and VTCs, because she seemed to know who he was right away. We are so grateful for that!

We've made a number of trips to the park, where Daddy has witnessed first-hand how much Kathleen loves the swing. On one occasion that was the only thing she wanted to do at the park! Since then, she's also displayed her climbing and sliding skills for him. Kathleen and Daddy like to head out to the park when Mama needs a bit of a break, which works out well for everybody. And when the running around at the park makes Kathleen too hot, we follow it up with some running through the sprinkler!

Kathleen seems to enjoy running through the sprinkler, but what she enjoys even more is being carried through the sprinkler! (Daddy's such a good sport! Mama's not having any of that!)

We went for one of our favorite easy outings -- a trip to the pet shop and then a stop for Jamba Juice. Kathleen ran all around the pet shop, pointing out and naming the different animals for Daddy (rabbits, birds, turtles, fish, dogs). Daddy also got to see how much Kathleen truly loves her "juice," recognizing the shop and running right in. Fortunately, a taste for Jamba Juice must run in our family, because it makes Mama and Daddy pretty happy, too.

This stuff is tasty!

No R&R in paradise would be complete without a few trips to the beach, so we've managed some of those, too!

Kathleen's a lot more interested in the beach now than she was when Daddy left. At that time, Kathleen wasn't too sure about the sand or the water. Now, she loves to dig in the sand, fill her little pail, build things, play in the nice little waves that wash up, and venture out into deeper water with Mommy or Daddy. The only thing that's slightly difficult about a trip to the beach is the car ride there. Kathleen seems to be afraid we'll change the destination on the way, because she checks with us about every 15 seconds to make sure we're still going "swimming" at the "beach!"

We're having a wonderful time together and we're treasuring every moment. We just wish we could make it last!

A Big Arrival (But Not a Baby!)

To our great delight, Daddy has arrived home for R&R! His flights were really, really long (could Hawaii be farther away?!), but he arrived safely and in great time. Kathleen and I got to go meet him at the gate at the airport, which was really exciting for us.

This is where the plane will be . . . eventually!

Because we were so excited, we were there plenty early and had lots of time to watch the planes and other airport busyness. We had a little snack, and we played with all the toys in the diaper bag, and Kathleen even tested out Daddy's lei. And just about the time we'd exhausted all our diversions, Daddy's plane arrived! Kathleen was laughing and I was crying, but we were all very, very happy. A sweet lady in the gate area offered to take our photo, saying it would be her honor. I'm grateful to her -- it's so nice to have a photo of all of us together again.

(3.9) Golbys Together Again!

The time we've had together has already been fantastic. Kathleen has adjusted to having Daddy home better than I could've hoped. As of my doctor's appointment Tuesday, our next little girl seems in no hurry to arrive. So, Kathleen's been enjoying having her Daddy's attention -- she pesters him to read to her, and to sit in her playhouse, and chase her around the yard. These next fifteen days are going to fly!

What a Busy Girl!

Kathleen has been one busy girl lately and that accounts for our not having blogged much... Please forgive us!

Nan and Grandpa arrived from San Francisco and immediately went to work. They helped move the last of the small things from the condo before the movers finished everything up Thursday. Then, with all our belongings in one place, Nan and Grandpa accomplished miracles getting us settled. Grandpa did lots of work that housing should have, but didn't -- he's been making our yard look lots prettier, raking leaves, and trimming dead plants and things like that. Together Nan and Grandpa also hung nearly all our pictures. Our house looks like we've lived here for a couple months, instead of a couple days!

And that's not all the work Kathleen's grandparents have been doing. Nan has supervised a lot of running through the sprinkler, and Grandpa was pressed into service reading stories.

Read it again, Grandpa!

Not only a good worker, Grandpa is also a good sport. He actually read "I'm A Big Sister" four times in a row!

Over the weekend Kathleen attended a birthday party for her friend, the Farmers' Son1, who turned three. The party was held at a sort of gym for little kids, where there was all sorts of equipment to climb and jump. Kathleen had SO much fun! At one point, the coordinator threw out scores of Koosh balls for the children to play with. Even after the other children tired of the balls, Kathleen worked hard at collecting them, clutching more than she could carry!

Doesn't anyone else realize how cool these are?

Even though it was Son1's birthday, we felt like we got the present with such a fun morning!

And finally, the move to a new house meant a new playhouse for Kathleen. We found the little house on Craigslist, and it was worth every discounted penny. Kathleen loves opening and closing the door, ringing the working doorbell, and (as you can see) lounging at the little table inside.

Come visit me anytime!

Not Exactly Settled . . . Yet

This place is great!
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

So, we're not exactly settled in the "new" house yet, but we've been spending a lot of time there -- in short doses. The other morning we needed to be there early so that housing could drop off a "loaner" washer and dryer. Kathleen made the trip in her pajamas, and then proceeded to spend the morning riding her trike around the empty house, munching on a bagel. I think that perhaps the furniture will be a disappointment to her...

But, barring any catastrophes (and no worries, the earthquakes, hurricane, and wildfire have NOT affected us at all, thank heavens!), the "new" house should have furniture tomorrow. Even if that's a disappointment to Kathleen, I'll be absolutely delighted to be living in one, rather than two homes!

What's Going on with those Golbys?

Here's what we Golby girls have been doing lately:

Growing . . . LOTS

Both Kathleen and I have been doing our fair share of growing lately. With less than three weeks until Baby #2's due date (can you tell we still haven't settled on a name?!), I am approaching gargantuan proportions, or at least it feels that way to me. Thankfully, the maternity clothes still fit, and thankfully we're living in Hawaii, where my revolving combination of skirts and tank tops and capris seem perfectly acceptable. Even better than that is never having to worry about shoes. All I ever wear are flip-flops (islanders call them slippers) and crocs. My feet have not seen the inside of uncomfortable shoes in months!

Kathleen's also a big fan of slippers. In fact, we got her first real pair at Walmart today.

Shoes, island-style

Kathleen's little feet are rather wide, which makes it hard to buy shoes for her. She normally wears the same pair of little white sandals to everything, so this new pair of "fun" shoes was a pretty big deal!

Kathleen's feet aren't the only thing growing. Sometimes it makes my head spin to think about how big she is -- and how much she's changed since we got to the island or since Jim left. She's talking up a storm lately. I have to laugh at myself (again) when I remember that I was worried that signing might delay her speech. Hah! I feel like Kathleen picks up new words every day, and begins using them almost at once. In addition to a slew of everyday words (please, thank you, car, jeep, camera, park, beach, swim, run, climb, juice, cereal, tv, ball, bike, tons and tons of animals), Kathleen has started picking up people's names and using them more consistently. It makes her such a little person! Tonight we sat together and ate pizza and sliced fresh fruit for dinner, and had our own little conversation. My baby is a little girl!

Goofing Around

Okay, to be fair, this one happens pretty much all the time. But with as busy as life has been lately, I think the goofing around has been pretty important. And now that Kathleen is bigger and more verbal, she's as much a part of the goofing around as I've ever been. This afternoon, for example, she saw the camera, picked it up, and handed it to me, saying, "Camera, camera!" So, we had an impromptu self-portrait-taking session. The photos aren't necessarily flattering, but they were fun.

We're just big hams.

We recently received a box from San Francisco from Nan and Grandpa. One of the things they sent us was a large, mechanical fish. Now, I had no idea such a thing existed, but apparently it does! The big clown fish is battery-operated, and when placed in water, it swims! Kathleen was thrilled to watch it swim with her in the bathtub tonight. We even called Nan and Grandpa so they could hear the squeals of delight.

Two great swimmers!

Talking about the Baby

Kathleen and I have been doing a lot of talking about the baby lately. We talk about the baby that's in mommy's tummy (she likes to pull up my shirt to check) and about how that baby's going to come live with us. We talk about how Kathleen will be a big sister, and we read the "I'm a Big Sister" book that we found at Costco a while back. I didn't have high hopes for it, but it is one of Kathleen's favorite books right now. We read it at least twice, and probably more like four times, a day. It is one of the few books that we actually read all the words in, so we're spending a fair amount of time on the subject of the baby and Kathleen's upcoming role as a big sister. I don't know that it will help, but it certainly doesn't seem like it can hurt.

We've also started pulling out more and more baby equipment, so we can talk even more about the baby that will live at Kathleen's house. The other day we pulled out the bouncer, and Kathleen was immediately fascinated by it. I thought that it would be a good place for Kathleen to practice with her baby doll, whom she calls, simply, "Baby." Kathleen seems to take great delight in caring for Baby; she feeds Baby bottles, wipes Baby's face with disposable wipes, and very sweetly covers Baby's face with blankets. Baby, along with her monkey George and the three incarnations of her puppy Aloha, now even sleeps in Kathleen's crib with her. (Shortly there will not be enough room for Kathleen!) However, Baby has yet to sit in the bouncer. Kathleen has made herself quite at home in it, instead.

Does anyone know where we'll put the actual baby?

Moving

So, here's what's been taking up the majority of our time and energy lately. We're moving! (We think it's important not to be too lazy or relaxed during the ninth month of pregnancy.) For a variety of reasons, a few weeks ago we put our beautiful, wonderful condominium on the market. We thought it would take a few months to find a buyer, and that during that time we could have a baby, readjust to life, and then adjust to the idea of selling our home. But instead we found ourselves under contract in only four days. Four days! Had we known that it would be that easy to sell our home, we probably wouldn't have sold it quite yet. . .

However, there will be some good things about our new abode. We're moving onto post, so when Jim comes home, he'll be very close to work. That means that (if we're lucky) we should be able to see him, even when he's working a lot. We could even walk to the battalion building, if we were feeling ambitious! The home is all on one level, so there won't be anymore stairs to climb with the girls and with groceries. And in addition to an extra bedroom, the house on post has a big screened-in lanai (that's a porch on the mainland) and a yard.

The view from the lanai

I think that Kathleen will love having a place to run and play (without worrying about the downstairs neighbors who work nights). And I'm really hoping that the novelty of the extra space and outdoor play will ease some of the tension that's sure to arise when we don't manage to get out of the house as much when the baby first arrives.

For now, we're still living in the condo and we're moving things over to the house gradually. We'll keep doing that over the next week. Well, I use that "we" loosely. Kathleen and I haven't moved much at all. Friends have done an amazing amount of work for us, and we have no doubt that Nan and Grandpa will do the same when they show up on Monday. We're so grateful for all the help. Movers come to move the "big stuff" next Thursday, and by then we should be all settled. Hopefully Baby Girl #2 won't show up anytime before then!

Daddy's Girl, Even From a Distance

Running to see Daddy on the VTC
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Kathleen has always been her daddy's girl. Like many babies, she said Dada long before she started saying Mama. (Although, with as many times as she says "Mama" each day now I laugh to think I felt slighted when she wouldn't say my name first!) When Jim left for Iraq, she'd ask for him when she woke up in the morning, because she was used to him coming home for breakfast.

So, even though Daddy's been gone for six months now, Kathleen's still Daddy's girl. She gets ridiculously excited to watch him on the TV at home, reading stories. She points him out in every photograph we have. And when we drive on post (which has been a lot lately -- more on that another time) and pass Jim's battalion building, she always calls out, "Daddy! Daddy!" The battalion building is where we go to see Jim on the VTC, and a VTC is always a highlight for us. Kathleen literally runs into the building, through the hallway, and into the office where the VTC is held. Fortunately she's still a little short to effectively maneuver door handles, because, in her excitement, she'd barge right into somebody else's session! Although I'm prepared for a lot of shyness, I'm certainly praying that she'll have some of that same enthusiasm when we finally get to see him in person!

So Big and So Busy!

So Big!
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Thankfully we've recovered the missing camera. My little helper had stashed it in the nightstand in the guest room, which (as you can probably imagine) isn't the most intuitive location for an item we rely on as much as our camera. I'm not sure exactly how I knew to look there, but I'm grateful I did. What would we do without a camera? Not much blogging -- you can tell!

The other afternoon Kathleen and I went to a nearby park. It's amazing to watch her cruise around so confidently, when it feels like just the other day she really couldn't do much there... She loves to climb. It's her new favorite verb, I think -- she calls it out in the midst of doing things she shouldn't, like climbing on my bed or the highchair or the kitchen drawers, "Climbing!" At least I know when she's up to no good! She still loves the slide and the swing, so generally she's pretty busy at the park.

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More Collecting
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

That day, though, the playground itself held Kathleen's attention for only a fraction of the usual time. After that she decided to explore the park itself, checking out the people playing basketball and tennis, meeting a variety of dogs, and testing out new walking paths. She also began her own little leaf collection, which she very proudly showed off for the camera.

I know I say it all the time, but I really can't believe how quickly Kathleen grows and changes. She's so big and so busy! We absolutely can't wait for Daddy to come home for R&R in few weeks. Even though he's seen her on the VTC and in photographs, we're excited for him to be able to see all the changes in person. And we're excited to be able to see him, of course!

Fun is Hard Work, You Know...

Cheesing for the camera
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Okay, well, the camera hasn't quite been located yet, but I got these pictures from a friend and thought they were worth an entry. Kathleen loves to smile for the camera -- she's actually quite a little ham.

Our unit recently had a small hail and farewell (small since the unit's actually deployed, so it was just wives and the rear-detachment) at a friend's home. Amy's house is one of Kathleen's favorite places to play, because Amy has a nice, big, green backyard and some great toys (like this miniature John Deere). Even better, Amy has two children, Luke and Grace, and along with Kathleen's "best friend" Addie, they ran all over and had a great time. I think everyone had a very good nap that afternoon!

We're still here!

I know it's been a long time since we've posted, so I just thought I'd assure you all that we are, in fact, still here! Our blogging has been delayed by a missing camera (it must be around here somewhere, but really I don't know where) and by a nasty stomach virus. Kathleen and I were both out of commission for almost a week. Yuck! But we're all better now and the hunt is on for the camera. We promise to be posting photos and tales of adventures any day now!

Tea for Two

Lately Kathleen has developed a fondness for tea parties. She had a tea set at her Nan and Grandpa's in California, and she loved to play with it. So, when we returned to the island we started hunting for another tea set for our house. Our search was slightly more difficult than I anticipated, largely because I could only find Barbie tea sets at first and I simply can't feel good about giving my toddler a Barbie anything at this point. (I'll have to wrestle with my Barbie aversion when "all" her friends have them in grade school, I guess.)

Eventually we found a very cute Fisher Price set at the Navy Exchange for only ten dollars, complete with four cups, saucers, spoons, a teapot, creamer, sugar bowl, and even a tray. We could serve High Tea, if required. Of course, the High Tea would likely be interrupted by the playing of "I'm a Little Tea Pot." That's the only downside to this tea set -- it plays that song when you push a button on the tea pot's lid. But eventually the batteries will die and the tea set will be perfect. And for now, we just sing "I'm a Little Tea Pot" more than we used to. (Kathleen does like that song. I'd guess it comes in third on Kathleen's all-time favorites, after "The Wheels on the Bus" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." She loves songs with hand motions!)

So Kathleen and I serve one another imaginary tea at least twice a day. Sometimes in the afternoon, we head out onto the lanai and Kathleen plays with water in the tea set. (These are exciting times at the Golbys'!) Her pouring skills are improving, but leave a lot to be desired. Basically, she just dumps water on my feet. At least it's warm here!

Kathleen's little friend Addie also has a tea set, and not too long ago the girls got together for a tea party in Addie's front yard. The girls were very serious about their tea, pouring and sipping water again and again. (More "tea" wound up on Kathleen than anywhere else, I'm convinced. I'm not entirely convinced that she understands that it's not actually supposed to be poured on her!) I'm not sure who enjoyed it more -- the girls who actually played tea or the moms who got to watch. We laughed and laughed! It made for a lovely afternoon for all of us.