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.

Festive for the Fourth

Festive for the Fourth
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Kathleen and I had a lovely fourth of July. We spent most of the day hanging out at home, saving up our energy for the big outing to see the fireworks on post. We headed out for post at about 6pm, meeting up with friends Kerry and Addie to camp out on Sills Field at Schofield for the festivities. The day had been threatening rain, but fortunately the weather mostly held (there were a few sprinkles -- typical Hawaiian weather). When we got to Sills Field we ran into other friends, too, so Kathleen also got to play with the very sweet and very cute Hendersons, Luke and Grace. The four of them played with some bubbles and tossed around a ball and generally enjoyed running around.

Our spot on Sills Field wasn't great for listening to the program -- the speakers must not have been pointed in our direction or something, because it was difficult to hear the band and the music. It was not, however, difficult to hear the canons! And Kathleen loved the canons! She was a little scared by them at first, but we talked about how they went "BOOM!" and every time after that, she'd yell "BOOM!" and laugh when they fired. Kathleen was also impressed by the fireworks -- not at all like last year when it was hard to tell if she was watching them. She watched them intently.

We only wish Daddy had been with us to see Kathleen's face light up at the fireworks. But even though we were far away from him, his girls were thinking about him all day. We're so proud of him and his soldiers and their service. We can't wait for this deployment to be over. Come home soon, Daddy!

We're thinking about you, Daddy! (All three of us!)

Little Surfer Girl

Checking out the boards
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Kathleen and I are back on the island, and we're delighted to be home. Visiting family was great, but it's also nice to be in our own house and back on our own routine. Plus, we got to see Daddy yesterday on a video-teleconference. Hooray! He was impressed by how much Kathleen has grown and changed lately, and we were just impressed to see him. He's doing great!

The day after Kathleen and I got home we were joined by four very fun visitors -- my Aunt Ellen, Wells, Henry, and Alex. They'd been visiting the Big Island, and stopped here on their way home to Connecticut. It took Kathleen about two minutes to warm up to the them, and about two minutes longer to learn the names "Henwey" and "Alets." Kathleen just loves those boys! She also loved bossing them around -- telling them to sit or read a book or whatever. She's certainly got plenty of personality, our girl!

Storytime with the whole gang...

We spent an afternoon and early evening on Waikiki with our guests the day before they left. The boys surfed, and it was apparent that Kathleen wanted to, too. I swear, if we were staying here any longer, Kathleen would be a little surfer girl!

We had a great visit and we hope that Aunt Ellen, Wells, Henry and Alex will come again soon. Thanks for coming, guys!

A Roaring Good Time at the Zoo

Posing on a Tree Frog
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

So, just before we left California, Nan and Grandpa treated us to a day at the Oakland Zoo. This was very exciting for us. We've been to the Honolulu Zoo, of course, but this zoo is larger and nicer, and our adult to child ratio was 3:1 (a treat for Mama if there ever was one)!

Kathleen was delighted by the zoo from the moment we walked in. She immediately spied the flamingos and their watery habitat and didn't stop talking about "birds" and "water" for a good five minutes. She happily trotted all over the zoo, watching the children and the animals with equal interest. She seemed particularly impressed by the chimpanzees and gorillas climbing and swinging all over, the alligator chilling on the bottom of his tank, the lizards and little yellow tree frogs, and the turtles, both in the water and on land. She was also quite taken the with fruit bats (there was a horde of them), which Mama frankly found very, very creepy.

Checking out the Giraffes
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

The zoo also has a train, which we didn't ride but Kathleen loved nonetheless. The train must have passed us every three or four minutes, and each and every time Kathleen would stop whatever she was doing to yell, "Toot-toot!" and make the sign for train. She found the train no less exhilarating the thirtieth time it passed than she did the first. (The same could not be said of the rest of Kathleen's entourage.)

The day of fun and sun and animals gave Kathleen an enormous appetite (she wolfed down 3/4 of a grilled cheese sandwich) and fantastic afternoon nap. Thanks for another great adventure, Nan and Grandpa!

No Space Available for Us!

Reading
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Well, Mama's grand plan to get the Golby girls home via space-available seats on Air Force flights from Travis to Hickam AFB had at least one flaw... As it turn out, the California schools began summer vacation just one day after we missed our commercial flight. The space-available flights out of Travis have been packed, and Kathleen and I haven't had a chance to get on one. Not even close!

But we've been completely enjoying our extra time here in California. We've been able to do some really fun things! We took a trip into San Francisco to check out the Embarcadero Center and the (newly remodeled -- well, new in the sense that it happened since I left for college, anyway) ferry building for lunch and people-watching.

Hi, Zach!
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Another day we traveled to Walnut Creek to visit our friends Jenny and Zach (Kevin was at work, so we didn't get to see him). Jenny and her husband Kevin lived in Munich when we lived in Schweinfurt, and the last time Jenny and I saw each other, Kathleen and Zach were teeny-tiny babies-to-be. Only a month apart in age, the kids played together really well. They had a great time with all the toys in the backyard! So, not only was it great to for me and Jenny to catch up, it was also fantastic to watch Kathleen and Zach play together.

In another throw-back to our days in Germany, Kathleen and I visited the Ikea in Emeryville this week. It was a little surreal for me -- I kept expecting things to be in German, and I kept wanting to say Ee-kay-a, like Germans do! Kathleen loved trying out the toddler-sized tables and chairs and all the other fun kids things. While we were there, Nan got a little tent, which has become Kathleen's favorite hideout. She drags her toys inside, hosts tea parties inside, and reads books inside. She also occasionally commands attendance a tea party. Nan, Grandpa, and Mama have all been commanded to "sit" in the tent!

I Love to sweep!
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Otherwise, we've been keeping plenty busy at Nan and Grandpa's house. We take walks, push the button to call the elevator, swim in the pool, and color with our magic color markers. Kathleen has discovered the broom and likes to "help" sweep the kitchen. She also realized that the wagon isn't only good for riding in... it's good for pulling. She has insisted on pulling it, even when it is completely loaded down with groceries and must weigh far more than she does! Always independent, Kathleen refuses any help at all!

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Mama has begun to have terrifying visions of delivering the next baby Golby in the passenger terminal at Travis AFB, still waiting for a flight. Consequently, we finally purchased some tickets to head home to Oahu on Monday. Before we know it, we'll be back to real life on the island... no thanks to the Air Force! (We're mostly kidding, just for clarity. We know we have no right to expect space-available travel, and that we're not even close to the Air Force's mission. We know, we know!)

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

We spent the day with Grandpa O'Connor and celebrated not only Father's Day, but Auntie Caroline's birthday. The morning started off quietly, as everyone perused the Sunday paper.

You can tell that Kathleen really loves her Grandpa, and wants to be just like him. After we read the news, Daddy called. That was the best part of our Father's Day. Later in the day we celebrated with a special dinner and cake, and that was fun and tasty, too!

But even though our day was lovely, we really missed Daddy. We do, after all, have the best Daddy ever, and we wish we could have been together to celebrate as a family. We were really happy to be able to talk (or in Kathleen's case, babble) to Daddy on the phone, though. That was a big blessing. Happy Father's Day, Daddy! We love you and we miss you and we can't wait to have you home. Hopefully your presents will get to you soon...

Gymboree Fun

Slam Dunk!
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

We tested out our first Gymboree class last week. We'd been to Gymboree to play before (for an open, play-gym session -- you may have seen the photos on flickr), but never for an official class. Nan and Auntie Caroline both raved about the class and the teacher, so Kathleen and I went to scope it out.

Kathleen absolutely could not care whether we attended a "class" or not. She just wanted to play on all the fun equipment. She climbed up ladders, slid down slides, burrowed her way through tunnels, and tested every rocker and teeter-totter in the building! The teacher was encouraging children to jump from one of the play structures, but Kathleen wasn't remotely interested in that. The play structure had a a slide, and if one could slide, why would one jump? Kathleen was particularly enamored of the toddler-sized basketball hoop. As soon as she saw it, she was perfecting her dunk.

Kathleen is a very physical little girl, and it seems that she'll be rather athletically-inclined. Honestly, she seems so interested in all things athletic that if I hadn't been there when she was born, I might wonder whether she is actually related to me. (If you ask Jim and my father, they'll tell you about how Kathleen watched -- truly moved her head to watch -- a Duke basketball game when she was only one day old.) She loves to run, to throw, to kick. In fact, those words have been some of the most recent additions to her vocabulary. It's hysterical to watch her run and kick a ball as she yells her version of "kick" the whole time. "Ball" is another one of Kathleen's favorite words, and she will repeat it over and over and over again as she plays. In fact, "kick" or "throw" is a pleasant reprieve from Kathleen's "ball" mantra!

So, although we might not be back for a class at Gymboree, until Kathleen's old enough to be enrolled in organized sports, we're going to be spending a lot of time running around playing our own versions of "sports." Look for us at the park. . . or on a patch of lawn . . . or maybe even in Nan's living room!

How Could We Go?

Studying Train Town
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Because we don't want to fly with head colds (which we STILL have) and because no one ever wants to leave the fun that is Nan and Grandpa's, we're actually going to stay in California just a little longer. Kathleen has finally adjusted to being here -- she's sleeping normally and she runs to get hugs and kisses from her grandparents and has even allowed Mommy to slip out for a few moments of alone time. Plus, we want to spend more time with Aunt Caroline and meet up with some of the friends we wanted to see, but didn't manage to because of our sickies. In a last minute decision, then, we'll be in California until we're well. Thank goodness for the Air Force and Space-A, because we'd never be able to afford this extended vacation otherwise!