Coast to Coast

Yes, that's right. Our little Kaiya bear has been coast to coast in just one month!

July began with a family vacation to California to visit an old friend and his family. Chris and I hadn't seen Tim since our wedding in Dec. '99. Since that time, Tim has gotten married and had three children. With great airfare on Skybus, we decided it was time to get caught up in person. Not only was this Kaiya's first time to California, but it was also a first for both Mommy and Daddy.

Here is a run down of our trip...

July 3: Drive up to Columbus and spend the night with Grandpa Branson and Aunt Sara. We celebrated Father's Day and went to dinner at Dave and Busters.

July 4: Fly to California. We woke up at 1:30 a.m. Pacific time to catch our flight. Praise the Lord for a direct flight into California. Once again, Kaiya was a champ!

We got into CA about 8:30 a.m. and drove about 3 hours from the airport to Hanford, which is near Fresno. Spent the day recovering and getting to know the Kochendarfer family. That evening, we went to a church Fourth of July picnic. It was over 110 degrees! The three of us couldn't stay awake for fireworks and went back to the house a little early. Even with the 3 hour time difference, Kaiya kept us up until 10 p.m.

July 5: We decided on a day trip to Sequoia National Park to visit the giant redwood trees. MapQuest said it would be about 1:45 hour drive, but with road construction on the mountain it wound up being about 3 hours! The Koch kids were great at entertaining Kaiya during our long wait.

Once we got to the spot, Chris strapped Kaiya on for a walk. At the higher elevation and under the shade, the weather was actually quite nice.


The highlight of the trip was seeing the The General Sherman Tree, which is 274.9' tall and 102.6' in circumference at its base. With 52,500 cubic feet of wood, the General Sherman Tree is the World's Largest Tree.

Family photo next to a redwood cross-section:


We rode a bus back up to the parking lot. With all the traveling she has done, Kaiya is a pro at riding public transit :-)

July 6, 7: We all decided it was just too hot, so we went to Pismo Beach for an overnight trip. The weather was perfect -- low to mid 60s! It was - surprise, surprise - about a three hour drive! But, on the way there, we stopped for lunch at In-N-Out Burger (yummy!)



The hotel we stayed at was on the coast. Here Chris and Kaiya are chillin' on the gazebo.
Here is the beach area at the hotel. It was a bit of climb to get down there, so it wasn't very visitor friendly - beautiful nonetheless.

July 8: We worshipped with the Kochs and really enjoyed the service. Our brothers and sisters in Christ at New Hope OPC were very welcoming.

July 9: DISNEYLAND!
Disney was totally worth the 4 hour drive. Chris and I have visited Disney parks in Florida, Paris, and Tokyo, so it was time to visit the original.

We decided to ride on the new Nemo submarines first. It must have been the right choice, because one of the boats was named Scout - that's what we called Kaiya before we knew we were having a girl!

Here she is on her very first amusement park ride!

Her favorite ride was It's a Small World, so we rode it twice. She just looked around and couldn't absorb it all fast enough. Too cute. Watching her on the ride was really the highlight of our trip to Disney.

July 10: We flew back home to Ohio. We got into Columbus at 1:30 a.m., so we spent the night in Columbus. We had a great time with the Kochendarfers. Lord willing, we won't go 7+ years again without seeing them again. And, now, we can say our longtime friends Tim and Leeann!

Top 10 firsts on her trip to California

1. Flight with Daddy: She and Daddy were inducted into the mile high diaper club!
2. Seeing "brown mountains"
3. Temperatures over 100 degrees: We made sure she had plenty to drink to stay hydrated. (It was kind of sad to see her with red cheeks.)
4. Visit to the Pacific Ocean: It was too cold to go in the water.
5. Sleep over: Kaiya absolutely loved Kaelyn, Lannie and Iden (Sorry if these are misspelled!).
6. In-N-Out Burger: This was one of Daddy's favorite parts of the trip. We wound up eating there 4 times!
7. Worship at an OPC: And maybe soon she will get to hear her Grandpa Knodel preach.
8. Disney park: The legacy continues... Disney World in September!
9. Amusement park ride: She was absolutely adorable on every ride.
10. Mouse Ears: Just like Mommy!

She was such a good girl the entire time, even though we spent about 24 hours driving just in California. I can't wait for our next family trip!

State count: 9

Country count: 1

Hey, Cute Stuff

Here are some Oh So Cute pictures of Kaiya. Just had to share :-)


Lisa got the glasses and hat in Boston. Good summer wear!

Grandma and Kaiya have fun sucking binkies. Grandma watched Kaiya for a few days for us. Thank you! When we get back from vacation, Kaiya will be at a daycare center for the rest of the summer.

We are desperately trying to get our 7-month-old to try some food. She is very resistant. We've tried rice cereal (mixed with a ton of different things), oatmeal and even a jar of baby food. She refuses to eat. I even tried feeding her milk on a baby spoon, and she was still very resistant. If anyone has some tips, we would love to try them!

And, the grand finale... a great video clip. She really is our water baby!

Happy Father's Day

Okay, so Father's Day was a few weeks ago. But have you noticed that we have been posting weekly for the month of June? We haven't been this regular in a long time. There was no way that Kaiya and I could match what Daddy did for my first Mother's Day. But, we did try to make the day special. Kaiya dressed in her finest - a cute little outfit all the way from Scotland. Doesn't she look like a doll?




(Yeah, I know. It's almost disgusting how cute these photos are!!!)

His present was a coupon booklet with something for each month he endured of pregnancy. The highlights? A date with Mommy (dinner, ice cream and a couple's massage), his own professional massage and an Ironman T-shirt.

Daddy is a pretty special guy, and we are so lucky to have him in our lives. We love you, Daddy!

It's Ladies' Night

The ladies in the family -- Mommy, Kaiya, Aunt Sara and Grandma B -- all took a trip together to Boston for a few days in early June. We flew out on the new airline, Skybus. Tickets were $10 out and $30 back! For that price, I decided to purchase a seat for Kaiya, too. She was amazing on both flights.

The airport was actually in New Hampshire. We drove from there up to Maine and went shopping in this town full of outlet malls. Kaiya got lots of cute clothes :-) Then we took a detour and went to the beach. It was absolutely gorgeous.

When we pulled up to the beach, it started to pour. The rain let up for a few minutes -- enough time to get some pics. Unfortunately, we got a rained on. Kaiya seemed a bit traumatized.

That evening, we drove down to Bedford, a suburb of Boston. The next two days we went into town. We visited Harvard Square, saw the harbor, went to Little Italy, ate at Hard Rock, visited the Christian Science headquarters, saw the Mapparium and walked part of the Freedom Trail. Here is Kaiya on the trail, following the Red Brick Road.

Here we are taking a break at the Paul Revere Mall.

For the most part, we took the subway and the bus for getting around Boston.

We picked a hotel that had an indoor pool, so that Kaiya could go swimming. Here she is with her Aunt Sara.

On our last night, we took an evening drive and visited Rhode Island and Connecticut. Here we are at dinner in Rhode Island.
Top 10 firsts on her trip to New England
1. Flight: She only cried for a few minutes on the way out and not at all on the way back!
2. Visit to the beach: She didn't know what to make of the sand between her toes.
3. Being rained on: She got soaked and was pretty unhappy.
4. Riding on public transit: She got tons of compliments.
5. Stranger randomly rubbing her head...
6. Swimming with Aunt Sara: I think Sara enjoyed it as much as Kaiya.
7. Swimming in a floaty: She really liked the mobility.
8. Going to a Hard Rock Cafe: It was a bit loud.
9. Sleeping without Daddy: Kaiya was visibly excited to see Chris when we got home.
10. Visit to Grandpa's apartment: We had an early flight out of Columbus and stayed with my dad the night before.

She was such a good girl the entire time. Chris, Kaiya and I are all going on a trip in the beginning of July. I hope she travels just as well!

State count: 8
Country count: 1

Chillin' with My Cuz

Rich, Becki, Ashleigh, and Hailey all came down from Michigan for a visit the first weekend in June. Just five days apart, Hailey and Kaiya are already becoming great playmates.

While the family was visiting, we took Kaiya to the park for the very first time. Great idea Aunt Becki! Here Hailey and Kaiya try out the swings.

Daddy-daughter time on the slide:

And, hey, look, Kaiya and Hailey are enjoying K-bear's toes!

These last two pictures are really a special treat for the Scotland Knodels.

Happy First Mother's Day!

Well, Mother's Day was a few weeks ago, but at least I'm getting this post up before Father's Day :-)

It was a very Happy Mother's Day for me. As if Kaiya wasn't joy enough... In typical Chris fashion, he went out of his way to make my very first Mother's Day quite special. He said he wanted my very first (and only first) Mother's Day to be unforgettable - and that it was.

Can we say bling, baby, bling?

The ring has one larger round diamond in the center with two smaller round diamonds on either side. There are also 8 princess cut diamonds on either side. And, while I have been thanking Chris, I need to thank his mom, too - Susan, thank you, thank you, thank you! You sure knew how to raise a boy up right :-)

What makes the ring even more special is that the center diamond is from my maternal grandmother's engagement ring. After she passed away, my mom inherited it. So, it's been passed down through the mothers in my family for three generations. (Thank you, Mom!)

I love you so much, Kaiya and Daddy!

Half a Year!

At the end of May, Kaiya celebrated her very first half birthday! The time is just going by too quickly.

At her doctor's appointment, she weighed 13 lbs. 13.2 oz. This girl just refuses to break the 14 lb. barrier! This means she is in the 10th percentile for her weight. But, she was 26.25 inches long -- putting her in the 75th percentile. So, Kaiya is long and slender!

Kaiya got another cold and decided to share it with Mommy. We've decided that Mommy can't handle baby germs. In the last 6 months, Kaiya has "shared" RSV and two colds! Chris is resilient.

Our little girl is learning new things all the time. She can sit on her own now for long periods of time. It's so cute to watch her sit and play. She is also ready to move, move, move. She's trying to crawl -- it won't be long until we are chasing her all over the place.

More to come soon!

Seeing Pink

Well, it's been about 3 weeks since we visited the doctor's office, and Kaiya really missed the great staff. So, today we took an unplanned trip to see the pediatrician - this time for a cold and pink eye! The doctor said that babies her age often develop an ear infection with the cold. So, please pray that this doesn't happen and that we don't visit the office again until the end of the month for her 6 month check up.

The good news? Kaiya weighs 13 lbs. 9.6 oz. and is 25" long.

Learning to sit

Kaiya still has a long way to go to master the art of sitting unassisted, but she is making great strides in the learning process. It won't be long!

I look like???

So, here are some baby pics. Do you see any resemblance?




Lisa came across this baby photo of herself a couple weeks ago. We think Kaiya has traits from both of us, but we think she definitely has Lisa's smile!

Long lost Kaiya

Well, the lack of posts may have tipped you off that April has been a CRAZY month for us.

Kaiya had us back at the ER in mid-April. She had an allergic reaction to something, but we don't know what. She got quite swollen, red and had hives all over her body. The doctor tested her for food allergies, as well as her thyroid levels. Those tests came back fine. He said they won't continue testing unless the reaction occurs again. (In fact, about half the time, they aren't able to identify what causes little kids to break out in hives, so hopefully this was some fluke thing that won't reoccur.)

The good news is that she was back on the scales... and up to 13.0 lbs. That means she gained almost 2 pounds in about 2 weeks. YEA! Our little girl is catching back up and finally outgrowing her 0-3 month clothes.

Now, let's get to what you really want...
Here is Kaiya laughing :-)


And here she is high steppin'


Here Kaiya and Grandpa celebrate their 5 month birthdays together!

It's Good to Be Queen

Well, I hope you are ready for a much needed Kaiya update. The last couple weeks have been quite eventful for us. So, here is a recap:

Saturday, March 24
Kaiya began the day ready to impress. She must have known it was going to be a big day. As we were playing in the morning, Kaiya decided to roll over for the very first time! Not even quite 4 months old, and she’s rolling from her tummy to her back! Now you can watch her in action.

After wowing us with her physical capabilities, Kaiya wowed us with her fashion sense. She sported cute little baby jeans for the first time. (See "Some new Weekly pics" post below.) They are still a little big, but cute none the less. Then, Kaiya made the ultimate sacrifice for beauty… yep, she got her ears pierced!

Grandma Branson and Aunt Sara came to witness the big event, too. Kaiya barely cried at all – I think the noise scared her more than anything. She was very consolable, and she was even smiling afterwards.

Monday, March 26
Kaiya figured out how one of her toys works. When she kicks it, the lights and music go off. It’s now one of her favorite things to do. Plus, she’s learning cause and effect. Watch this adorable video of her playing.

After a fun morning of playing, Mommy and Kaiya went to the doctor. (See "My Poor (Little) Baby" post below.)

Tuesday, March 27
The sitter had to take the day off, because her son was having a medical procedure. So, Daddy stayed home with Kaiya. I’m not sure what he did, but Kaiya was exhausted. She went to bed a couple of hours early – we thought she was taking a late nap, but she decided it was nighty-nighty time. In fact, she slept through her diaper change!

Wednesday, March 28
The sitter had an emergency, and her backups had to watch Kaiya a couple of hours. She was a real challenge for them when she got up from her nap. I think it is because they didn’t know the tricks to feeding her. First, they were giving her the wrong bottle and nipple. Secondly, they didn’t warm up the bottle, and our little girl is really picky – she likes her bottles really warm. And, finally, they were giving her formula! This was the first time K Bear had anything other than breast milk, so I’m not surprised she refused to take it!

I picked her up after lunch, and we went by The Western Star office. Here is our little cutie pie!

Thursday, March 29: Happy 4 Months!
The sitter was sick, so Mommy stayed home with Kaiya. This worked out well, because Aunt Sara went to the hospital. She had developed a kidney infection and sepsis. (She’s doing much better now!) Kaiya and Mommy went to visit her, and there is no doubt that Kaiya was her best visitor! We also realized that Kaiya had been in the hospital a month earlier. Here is the picture Chris sent to brighten Sara’s day.

Saturday, March 31
Daddy bought Kaiya her first pair of sunglasses. She doesn’t really know what to think of them yet, but here she is sporting the Amelia Earhart look.

April 2-4
Daddy had training in Columbus, so we all took a family trip. Kaiya enjoyed swimming in the pool, visiting with Grandpa Branson, shopping, and, most of all, being “queen.”

Notice that the King is bigger than Kaiya :) (And, look! Mommy is back into her pre-pregnancy jeans! Oh what a glorious day…)