Steve Kelsch

Peaceful end to a sad day.

We will miss you Uncle Steve.

Here's to fellow historians being in the afterlife, and to always having company for a 5 o'clock.

Right to Choose

Just saw on the CNN ticker (thanks to a delayed flight in ATL, the Boones are fully updated on the news) that the NC Senate passed a bill that added abortion restrictions. And that it was done in the middle of the night. Very concerned about the direction in which my beautiful home state is headed, and the manner in which it is doing it.

Have Baby, Will Travel

Our trooper on the economy parking shuttle....WNC, here we come!!

Comfort Zone

Today marks a year when we 1) found out we were pregnant and 2) came down to Miami to look for a place to live. 

I remember that I reacted to both in the same way: I kinda wanted to vomit. Granted that urge with the first item was due to morning sickness, but the visceral feeling of uncomfortable-ness was present with both life changes.

Josh and I spent a lot of time talking about breaking out of our comfort zones this time last year. I really liked our zone in Chapel Hill, and wasn't real sure why we needed to break away from it--much less have a baby in a new zone. One year later, having a baby and moving to Miami were the best things we have ever done as a family. It hasn't been without some tears, some "no one speaks English!" moments, and some growing pains--but the positives out of the past year's changes are tremendous.

Now to my real point--Mackenzie breaks out of her comfort zones on a daily basis.  As we approach the 4-month mark here are a couple:

Trying out some standing (under the watchful eye of our friend, Courtney):

And sleeping in her crib...in her own room...alone:

Lunch Date

What a stud.

The Elephant in the Room

Mackenzie has a play mat that is quickly becoming my favorite (the swing still reigns queen). There's lots going on on the play mat--a monkey, an elephant, a giraffe, a parrot, a mirror and Mozart on a continuous loop. 

Mackenzie is very into grabbing these days, so having Fisher-Price jungle animal toys dangling above her is a dream come true. I'd wager that she's one of the best grabbers for her age...but one Fisher-Price toy has eluded her hands....the elephant. For the past two weeks, Mackenzie's main focus has been to try to grab the elephant's short, stumpy legs. And, today, she finally succeeded!

I didn't have my camera around to capture the feat, but I did snap some awfully cute celebration pics.

Oh, Wow...I Forgot I Had a Blog!

I have been called out for not posting in almost a month. Candidly, I am excited that more people than my mother read my posts.

So.....drum roll....I announce my return to cyberspace. I do have a good excuse, though! In the past 3 weeks I have returned back to work, Mackenzie started daycare, Josh managed his first end of the fiscal year at UM, and the 3 of us packed up and headed to Orlando for a week for the annual NACDA Conference.

A run down of each:

Return to work-Once I got there....awesome. I am excited to be back, and am thrilled that I am able to contribute. I even signed up my 1st Golden Cane!

Mackenzie at daycare-She is happy when she gets there and she is happy when we pick her up. Her teachers adore her...and they have taught us quite a bit about caring for a baby. I showed up the first day with 6 bottles and instructions to feed her every 2 hours. By Day 2, Ms. Annie and Ms. Newheart kindly informed me that she really only ate every 3 hours, and 6 bottles were a little too much. By Day 3, they let me know that her pacifier was too heavy. By the 4th week, Mackenzie had her 1st runny nose and cough. As I dutifully described her symptoms to Ms. Newheart, she asked me if Mackenzie had a fever. I lied and said 'no,' not because she had a fever-but because taking her temperature had never even occurred to me.

Josh's 1st end of year at UM-Done. His supportive spouse is tired of hearing/talking about it.

The Boones go to NACDA-An incredible week to learn, reconnect with our buddies, talk to new folks, and stay out late once Mackenzie's GG got into town. Side note: thank goodness for grandparents! Mackenzie also enjoyed the night life (until 7pm), and absolutely loved people watching in the hotel lobbies (where all the action is) and the vendor hall. And, since the convention was in Orlando, there were Mouse ears involved.