The Willamette Valley

I knew Oregon was a cool state, but I don't think I realized how cool it was until a recent trip to the majestic Willamette Valley. It was a ladies weekend away from work, babes and house chores - just me, my Mom and my sis.

In a nutshell - AMAZING!

Our cottage was nestled in the middle of gorgeous McKinlay Vineyards, right outside Wilsonville. (about 30 minutes from Portland) It had three bedrooms, lots of living space and a huge backyard.

We hired a tour guide/driver Friday. His name was Fred. His company's name is "A Nose for Wine" in case you're interested in taking the same trip. I'd highly recommend him. He drove us to 5 wineries and fed us cheese, meats, crackers and chocolate along the way. What a guy! You pay a pretty penny for Fred, but in return, the wineries wave your tasting fee so it all evened out in the end. We didn't have to to worry about driving or getting lost or choosing which wineries to go to. Fred was there for us and he knew all! (and when I say that, I mean he knew EVERYTHING about wine) We learned so much.

Thanks, Mom, for the wonderful getaway. It was truly perfect!

The Evergreen State Fair

Em and I threw naps into the wind today and ventured northeast to Monroe to the Evergreen State Fair. We were joined by our good friends, Angela and Wesley.

It was a surprisingly sunshiney day! First up: Pony rides! It was such a unique experience, and both kiddos really liked riding "Derby" the black pony. After waiting in line for 10 minutes and waving to the ponies a dozen times, Em was super anxious to hop in the saddle. Once Derby started to walk, it was a bouncy ride so she really didn't know what to think. Then by the end of the ride she was petting the horse and smiling.

Here's Wesley taking a spin:

Em ate her first corn dog and devoured some super greasy curly fries! And let me tell you, the Fair folk are not stingy when giving out fries. I think the plate weighed near 2 lbs and we weighed a good few pounds more after lunch.
Then we topped our dining experience off with a yummy cinnamon and sugar Elephant Ear!

"Peek-a-boo!"

Angela and her handmade veggie animal

We looked around some more, visited the 4-H animal building, and played with pumpkins.
Then my little sleepy girl started to turn into a pumpkin, so we decided to head back home for a nap.

It was a wonderful way to spend the morning! Unfortunately, we didn't get to go on any rides because our munchkins are too small. But next year, you bet your tail feather we'll be on that teeny coaster and ferris wheel like nobody's business!

Walka Walka Walka!

Off she goes...where she'll stop, nobody knows!

Em took her first few steps at 14 months old, then 15 to 20 steps a few weeks later.
And now we have a walker. Super exciting to see!

15-month Checkup

Em had her 15-month checkup today.

Everything looks great! Well, minus the fact she still has NO TEETH in her gummy little mouth. What is up with that?! Doc suggested getting a dentist's x-ray done soon. I've heard some baby teeth don't pop through until as long as 18 months, so I'm going to wait on that. I'm not too worried about it. Not much they can do anyway.

Scale wise, Em's weight percentile has gone waaaay down - 26th percentile! (Thank you walking and crawling!) I was shocked to hear this though. Especially since she's still wearing her "chunky monkey" legs. :) She weighs 21 lbs. and is 30.5 inches tall - 50th percentile for height. She might just be a shorty like her Mama after all.

Now that she's taking 6 steps consecutively, the doc is no longer concerned about her motor development. In fact, she said Em has caught up quite nicely. Especially with fine motor skills like eating with a spoon, fork, etc. I was quite pleased with that. As of today, Em is off the bottle and totally onto her sippy for milk and water. (makes me sad really - my baby is growing up!)

She received her MMR vaccine today. This is the vaccine some are relating to Autism. I, personally, don't believe the vaccine and diagnosis are related. Niether does my doctor. In fact, now more than ever, many doctors and medical professionals feel there is no correlation. So I went ahead and let 'em give it to her.

Em is above the curve when it comes to verbal skills - she now has more than 20 words in her repertoire and she's incredibly social an interactive with toys. These two characteristics are also a good sign a child does not have Autism; however, the doc did say that symptoms that were never there before can come along around 18 months. Scary stuff. It's a shame we don't know the exact cause of this disease when it's so prevelant in our society. It causes worry and fear among a lot of parents. Let's hope for a cause & cure soon.


Here's some recent vid of her first little steps.
It's quite obvious crawling is her preferred method of motoring.
Check out the new "bear crawl." :)

Our Little Linus

Em has developed quite a strong bond with her "blankie" over the last few months.

But the sound she makes when you give her the blankie is quite funny. This little "nya, nya" sound is how she puts herself to sleep in her crib. I've never heard a baby do this! Everyone who witnesses this trick can't help but giggle out loud. So I thought I'd share a little nugget.

Positive Thoughts Needed!

Please take a moment to visit my friend Julie's blog site.

http://www.rjtiegs.blogspot.com/

Their 1-year-old girl, Mya, was born with a heart murmur. She is currently at Children's Hospital awaiting surgery for this pretty common condition. They attempted surgery yesterday, but she had a reaction to the anesthesia and went into cardiac arrest. It took the nurses 30 minutes to resuscitate her. Mya is now in critical condition, with possible brain damage. Needless to say, the surgery is currently on hold.

I can't fathom the pain and heartbreak this family is going through, but they continue to be so strong for Mya, staying by her side day and night.

I'm not a believer of the bible, Jesus Christ or God. My spirituality is more of a loosey goosey type: "do good/live well and good Karma will come your way." But in life - and especially during times like these - I can certainly understand where folks believe in a "God" for comfort, answers and hope.

So - if religion is your thing, get your prayer on for Mya. If it's not, then just please take a moment to think of this precious girl and send as many warm fuzzy, positive thoughts her way as you can. Her mom and dad would certainly appreciate it.



Thanks for reading.

Mullet Family Photos

A couple weekends ago, the Mullet clan gathered at Mark and Sab's house in Issaquah for family photos. Here's a sneak peek!

http://www.laurencekim.com/mullett/