Caitrin Turns 2....

I find it hard to believe that I have a 2 year old child. Caitrin Skye turned 2 at 9:09 am this morning.

She woke up in her Halloween PJ's and breakfasted on a special custard donut, complete with birthday candles, compliments of her daddy. We tried to get her to blow out the candles, but she just didn't have enough wind to do so! She really enjoyed our serenade of "Happy Birthday," so much so that we had to sing it to her 3 times, and by the third, she was singing it to herself as well.
Aunt Amy began the birthday phone calls for the day. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she said "Peacock," and then, "Giraffe." Since Jeff goes into work at 1pm, we had the whole morning to celebrate! We had considered getting up and going to the Detroit Zoo, but it was very chilly in the morning, so we opted not to. Instead, we played around the house for a while, and let it warm up a bit outside.

When it was 50 degrees out, we threw the jogging stroller in the back of the truck and loaded up the family for a Fall walk at Orion Oaks County Park. It was really nice for all of us... the dogs got to run around and get some energy out, Jeff and I got some much needed exercise, and Caitrin got to go for a ride and collect some beautiful Fall leaves.

With still some time left after the walk, we headed over the the playground at Baldwin and Clarkston Roads. The slides were a little on the wet side, but we didn't care. While Ivie and Barrett rested in the truck, the 3 of us jumped, climbed, and slid all over the place! Caitrin had a great time showing her Dad how brave she was going down the twisy slide by herself! When it was time to go, our little Birthday Girl was not happy! Soaking wet and cold, she wanted to stay and play more! On the way home, we stopped and got a pizza so we could eat lunch together as a family before Dad had to go to work. The lady at the pizza place gave Caitrin a bunch of stickers and this is what she did on the drive home. Then it was time for Caitrin's much needed nap, during which, I worked a little on her Peacock costume.
When Caitrin woke up, she asked for some chocolate milk, and we settled on the couch together for some afternoon cartoons. Thursdays are a special day for us already because Signing Time is on our local PBS station at 5pm. And it was perfect... we may not have made it to the Zoo, but it was the Zoo Train episode, so she got to see animals anyways.

For Caitrin's Birthday Dinner, we went to the Rainforest Cafe. And dinner was even better because Dad met us there! She was amazed by the fish and the animals, especially the elephants. She was clapping, laughing, oohhing, and aahhing at everything. She even had a special birthday dessert and the people at the restaurant sang to her.

I wasn't able to get Caitrin the peacock that she was asking for for her birthday, but at the Rainforest Cafe Gift Shop, we did find a Ty Stuffed Giraffe. I had to get it for her, of course! She immediately named it "Jujy," or "Suzie," or "Juicy," I'm not sure which, as they all sound the same! This is a picture that I (safely) took of her as we were driving home.

Back at home, we had a few more birthday phone calls, including one from her "Gracie," AKA my grandma, Grace. Once she was in her PJ's, we finished out the day by watching some of "The Little Mermaid." It was one of her later nights, she was up until about 9:45 pm, but I think she had a really good day. I know that I did.

The First Post...

October 14, 2007

So I'm going to give this whole blog thing a go. It's been something I've though about doing for a while now, but I couldn't come up with any sort of name. "Catching Fireflies" isn't anything super unique or anything, but I guess it reminds me of childhood, or youthfulness. And posting things about my daughter is what most of this will be about, so I think it's a good fit. Plus, those of you who know me well know I've got a thing for insects.

We spent most of the weekend just playing around. Jeff had a golf outing with work that took up most of the day yesterday, so Caitrin and I had some "Mom/Daughter" bonding time. We went and got more fabric for her Halloween costume. Fifty dollars later and we were outta there! For such a simple idea, I think it would have been cheaper to encourage her to want to be something else. But "peacock" is what she wakes up talking about, what she wants for dinner, what she wants to play with, and what she says when I go in to check on her before I go to sleep. So I can't disappoint the kid. I also "made" Caitrin's birthday invitation which included this picture:


She is going to be 2 on the 25th of this month. And since Halloween is my favorite holiday, I think she is going to always be stuck with Halloween-themed birthday parties, at least she will until she starts complaining. So this isn't actually a costume, or a dress-up outfit. It's a Ladybug rain poncho. But, I thought it was cute, and it works for the invite.

Today, we mostly stayed around the house. Caitrin tried on the body suit to her costume, and unfortunately, it was too long. So I had to take out the good old seam ripper and shorten it, which was much more difficult than the costume was to sew in the first place, but it's done now. I've just got to put in the zipper, and sew on the belly, and then it's onto the feathers. That part is going to be my challenge. I don't have a pattern, but I think I've got it figured out. I have to work tomorrow morning, just 4.5 hours, so maybe I can start tackling it while she's down for her afternoon nap.