shutdown

I'm not going to say anything political in this post, except for the fact that it is a total embarrassment that our government was shutdown today. Likewise, it's maddening that our "leaders" think it's okay to hold federal employees hostage because they can't get their way over a law that was already passed and deemed constitutional by our highest court. OK. That's it.

Thanks to the Secretary of Sean's agency, he was not furloughed today, although it's uncertain how long he'll be able to go in to work if this shutdown continues. Many of our friends and neighbors are being forced to stay home without pay.

I guess if anything cool can come out of this horrible situation, it would have to be Sean and Teagan's debut on the local nightly news. Check 'em out:

(Note: you'll need to turn the volume up to hear this well.)

heart matters

When Teags was six months old, her pediatrician nonchalantly mentioned to us that she had a strong heart murmur. She didn't have it at her newborn check-up so it was the first time that we'd been notified about it. The doctor said it wasn't a big deal and didn't recommend that we do anything about it. 

Three months later, when we moved out of the city, we started taking Teags to a new pediatrician closer to our house. When the new doctor heard the murmur, she asked us if we were aware of it. We said yes, but that the other doctor wasn't concerned. This doctor agreed that she didn't think that it was serious, but recommended that we see a Pediatric Cardiologist just in case. So, when Teags was nine months old, she had her first EKG and her first Echocardiogram (Echo). Since she was so young and squirmy, it was hard to get great pictures during the Echo, but the Cardiologist said that things looked pretty good. She recommended that we return in about a year.

This past week, Teags had her second round of EKG and Echo tests for which she was amazingly cooperative, allowing the technicians to get perfect readings. We're so thankful and blessed to say that while she does have an innocent murmur, her heart functioning is perfectly normal! 

It's so weird to think that something health-related that is "abnormal" can be perfectly "normal," especially when you're talking about the heart. As a parent, all that I want to do is secure the safety and well-being of my child. Having the knowledge that Teagan's heart sounded different really weighed on me over the last year. Even though it was likely that she was going to be OK, there was still some part of me that felt completely helpless and scared. I know that there are parents out there dealing with their children being really sick or with chronic or fatal illnesses. Somehow, through this experience (although it pales in comparison), I hope to always remember those families in my prayers and be thankful for every healthy day that we have together. 

Feeling humbled and blessed. 

Isn't the heart crazy-complicated???

After all of the tests, waiting for the results.... 

 I took a picture of the Echo screen (sorry for the blur and glare).
The red and blue patches are blood pumping in and out of the heart.

water tots

Teags started swim class again this weekend, which at her age, really just means doing fun activities to help little ones get comfortable with being in the water. We decided to enroll her again this fall in preparation for our three-week trip to New Zealand in December... it'll be summertime there, so we'll undoubtedly be spending time at the beach and in the pool! From the looks of 'water tots week one,' I think it's going to be a fun experience!

So excited to be back at the community center pool!

 

"It's only fair, dad!!"

in the country

We finally went to a local orchard to try our hand at berry picking. Have I mentioned that Teags is a total city baby? What I mean is that, well, she's kind of apprehensive about.... grass. She's totally fine with city streets or even paved paths through the park. She's okay with sand, and boy, does she know how to use an elevator! Button pushing, even the social convention of walking in and turning around to face the door. But grass? Well, with grass she requires a lot of affirmation and coaching. That being said, we were really excited to see her get into this adventure with our dear friends, Unkie and Lolo.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

This last picture is funny to me because it remined me of our time living in Southeast Asia. This family arrived shortly after we got to the potato fields. They were all in ONE minivan! It was so cute how the kids jumped out and how the dad starting snapping pictures right away. There is something beautiful about cultures that live day-in and day-out in full-on community with one another.

nanny-mate reunion

Recently, we had a long overdue playdate with Teagan's former nanny buddy, E. It's been 3 months since they parted ways, but after a somewhat shy (re) introduction, they were two peas in pod, once again. It was so cute to watch Teags idolize E, copy his every move and just want to be near him. 

E was, and will always be, Teagan's very first friend. 

brainwashin'

So, a little thing called 'college football' started last weekend which means that we'll most likely be housebound on Saturdays at least until the end of November. Last year, the Aggies brought Sean so much joy because he finally got to see one of his teams actually win games. (He is a lifelong Cubs fan, too.)

In preparation for this season, we decided that it was time to teach Teagan how to cheer for the Ags. It actually happened pretty organically as she just started repeating us saying, "go, go" to the TV. We finally caught her on video later that night, but I have to warn you- the following looks more like an interrogation video since we filmed it in the dark with a iPhone camera light. Also, there's a lot of coaching going on...

Full disclosure: She also fell in love with our neighbor's kitty cat, Addie, this weekend. So, it's not totally clear if she is saying "Aggies" or "Addie." We'll just keep on believing that she's rooting for the 12th Man.

travel bug

Sean and I have been fortunate enough to travel together to some pretty amazing places. Once we got pregnant with Teags, we decided that we'd try our best to continue exploring, even if that meant that our trips would look a little different.

Teagan's first trip was to Texas to visit family when she was about 3 months old. Since then, we've been back to Texas a few times and to Colorado to spend time with family. In order to get some adventure squeezed in, we've been able to take advantage of some of my work travel, turning those trips in to extended vacations (which also means that transportation costs were half price!). Our favorite places so far have been to New York City and to Turkey. While it took some logistical planning to coordinate all that we needed in advance (travel gear, baby shots, etc.), I'm so glad that we took these trips with Teags before she was full-on crawling or walking. It made carting her around so much easier! Here are a few of the items that we've found super-handy when traveling with an infant:

Phil and Teds Travel Cot. Breaks down to about 3-4 pounds and can easily fit into your luggage or be carried separately.

Maclaren Globetrotter Stroller. Another light-weight, must-have travel companion.

AND.... this Kelty baby backpack carrier. Also works well as a seat for the baby if your back needs a rest.

NEW YORK CITY:

Amtrak from DC to NYC! First time on a passenger train.

Times Square: Wide Awake.

On top of 30 Rock. 

Central Park Cutie.

 TURKEY:

Mommy multi-tasking.

The baby bassinet was a life saver on the 11 hour flight.

Fun times with our buddy in Istanbul.

Hot, sweaty, and tired after an early morning domestic flight into Central Turkey.

Entering the Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul

Taking a break in our private tour van.
 (This is one of the changes that we had to make when traveling with an infant. It was this or a four wheeler...)

It's been one year this month since we've taken a big trip as a family and needless to say, the travel bug has definitely bit us. Luckily, we have a great excuse to spend Christmas vacation in one of our absolute favorite places: New Zealand! My sister and her family will host us for 3 full weeks and we could not be more excited. I've also been able to squeeze some work activities in with the NZ government, so I'm looking forward to that, too! It's going to be so wonderful for Teags to spend time with, and get to know her Kiwi family in person rather than through Skype. We are so thankful for this opportunity!! Never stop exploring, y'all!! xo