Kidnapped!!!

Kara took Myla and I to the world famous Tiny Town and Railroad! Our first summer trip as a family for the year. Myla had the best time looking in all the windows of the buildings and some that she could actually crawl into and play. She helped herself all the way around some of the tiny buildings, picked up rocks and pine cones and whooped every time the train whistle blew.

The history of the little town is cool too. It was originally built in the late 1800's by a rich man as a playground for his daughter, then it was burned down, flooded, rebuilt and then auctioned, rebuilt and is a popular attraction now-a-days. They had three scaled down trains just big enough to haul passengers around the park, which Myla and I had to do.

By the end, Myla was exhausted and slept in the car on the way home and slept some more once we got home. We started giving Myla different words to try and say like fish, Scott, Aimee, car, and she does! She is such a joy. Please enjoy the pictures of our day.

Myla casting a big shadow.

Standing under the library porch

Looking blue behind bars

Ken the chiropractor adjusting Barbie.

Memorial Day Fun

Our Memorial Day weekend started with some rain. And well, it ended with some rain. But that didn't stop us from enjoying our time together! On Saturday, we tried to go to a street fair - we were too early. We tried to go to a small town close to Denver to walk around for a bit - it wasn't a walkable type of place. We tried to do some house and yard work - it rained. By the end of the day, we were tired just by trying to do so much!

Sunday we had a nice relaxing BBQ with my family and then went to sleep to rain pattering on the windows. Monday we woke up to the same rain pattering sound and it lasted all day. But we didn't give up! If there's one thing about Colorado, if its raining at your house, it doesn't mean its raining everywhere. So we packed Myla in her FRONT FACING car seat and drove to Broomfield to enjoy a brass concert in the park. And it wasn't raining! We enjoyed a picnic and some patriotic marches together. All in all, it was a wet and very nice weekend.

Getting closer

Myla is growing - she must be for all the food this girl eats! She's getting pretty good at stabbing her veggies with a fork and making that fork go into her mouth. Today, she ate a banana and a half for breakfast - that's a lot of banana! But she loves it and who am I to deny her? She's getting closer to walking too. She recently decided that it was okay to walk around holding only one of our hands, although she is more confident - and faster - when she holds both. But not to worry, she'll get it. Like I tell the meddling old ladies when they ask how old she is and "oh, she's not walking yet?" No, I say, but humans were programmed to walk upright, so she'll get there.

This week was an interesting one around the Washburn household. For those that don't know, Johnny was fired on Tuesday for simply being in the same room as someone who screwed up and so he joins the ranks of the graduates, high schoolers and other unemployeds scouring the internet for job openings. The whole situation was full of politics and foggy unexplained reasons, and he is still not happy about it. (Needless to say, we are forever boycotting Macy's, join us if you'd like!) He has been keeping a little busy by doing home improvement projects and finishing the other ones that he started. I just finished my first fully designed newsletter for work and I must say that it looks okay. I think I did good for not really having any layout experience. We'll see what "the masses" think.

And that's us in a nutshell. We are just enjoying the long weekend and are planning on a concert in the park on Monday if the rain holds off. I have to empty my card in the digital camera so I can get more pictures of our cutie on here for you to see. Maybe we'll get some video of her dancing...

Happy Mother's Day

Yesterday was a wonderful Mother's Day. Myla and I got to spend most of it together since John had to work. And we spent most of it with my family having a good time celebrating. You never know it when you're growing up, but being a mom is hard work - rewarding and wonderful, but hard sometimes. Myla has certainly started my motherhood off with a bang but I am so proud to be her mom. She's so strong and happy and just plain beautiful. She makes me smile every day multiple times just by being her. And I love every moment we get to spend together.

So thanks to my mom for showing me how its done, to John's mom for helping him be a really good daddy and to all the other mom's that have impacted our parenting style. We love you.

Adventures in teething

Myla has been an easy teether thus far. One day she just all of a sudden has another tooth. We don't get the typical fussy baby with the runny nose all the time. (There have been a few that made her nose run, but not for long!) But yesterday, she figured out that teeth can be a nuisance if you don't know what to do with them. She was climbing in and out of her rocking chair with her foam letters when her dad came home. She heard the door open and knew it was him, so she got down from the chair. But she slipped - as only non-walker babies can do - and knocked her chin enough to bite her tongue with those sharp little things. She kind of had this look on her face like she didn't know what happened, but she knew it didn't feel good. Needless to say, John did not get a welcome smile at the door, but rather a kind of confused stare when he found us in her room.

Myla has been learning things like crazy, and we really enjoy teaching her what various parts of her body are called and what different animals say. She is now being visited every couple of months by a speech therapist who is really just keeping track of her progress, just like her OT/PT does. For the record, she said she's never seen a preemie born at Myla's size doing so well. As long as she keeps learning new things at about once a week - which she more than does - she'll be on par with other kids in no time. And so some live action for ya'. Have you ever heard a duck quack so cute?

Springtime in the Rockies

The sunshine has returned again to Denver with a crystal clear blue 70 degree day today. Myla and her dad got a lot of yard work done and also took some time to break in her new swing from Easter. She really likes it a lot and its even more fun when the dog runs around for her to see. Myla also had her last - for the year and her life! - synagis shot this morning - weighing in at 17 pounds 4 ounces. Which is odd, because at her 18 month appointment just over a week ago, she was 17 pounds 9 ounces. So we've decided that she's 17 pounds and a half. Seems like a good compromise. But now we don't have a monthly weigh in until she's two! Oh, John says we'll use the house scale. She'll be facing forward in the car in no time!

Myla is so smart, every day she learns something new, which I guess isn't a big deal because all babies do it. But it amazes us. She can tell you where her mouth, eyes, nose, ears - and today she learned head - is. She loves to come sit with you on the floor and sprawl out or sit just like you are sitting. And if you can catch her mid-stride she will even walk holding on to only one of your hands, but she prefers two hands because she can go faster. Her favorite place to go walking is outside and look at all the flower buds popping up.

We are doing pretty good around here, just enjoying the sunshine and our little girl. Even after the worst day, her smile perks us up. John's job is good - stressful with the reorganization but good. We're just living life and thankful for all we have. Isn't that the way it should be?

Happy Easter!

Myla is sporting her new Easter outfit from Mam Mam or so she calls Grandmother Witulski. Not like mom but sounds more like ma'am. She said it once and now that's what we say when going to G-ma & G-pa's. Mam Mam, Pop Pop. We didn't hunt for eggs this year, due to rain and chilly weather, but next year Myla should have more fun with it. She did get a cool swing from the Easter bunny! She loves to swing so Dad will have to put it up in the back really soon. We had a nice time today with everyone, kinda low-key and relaxing.

This week Myla learned how to move the swiffer mop just like mom and dad, only on her butt, however, she was moving it back and forth as she has seen us do no doubt. It was really cute. She is trying to say more things like animal sounds and mimicking us when we sing short tunes and whatever the dog and cat say too. She loves mimicking the cat! Although sometimes it comes out as a scream, we understand what she's saying. ;o) I am really excited for our first little family vacation in June. Whenever we set a date for it. We would like to go to Canyon City and tool around there for a couple days or more and see the Royal Gorge and anything else that we can do with a little one.

Hope everybodys Easter was fun and magical too. Ours was good, but now Kara and I have a case of not feeling so good this evening, probably just need some good sleep again. That solves a lot of things... Tomorrow we have a day full of fun things, like doctor's appointments, picture taking of the 3 of us, and then whatever the heck we want after that, Gosh! (little Napoleon Dynamite for you) Lots of love and best wishes from all of us! ~smack!~