Maggie's First Flight to Mississippi

The Kennedy’s are back in Atlanta after a fast-paced trip to North Mississippi for the weekend. We flew in Saturday morning and returned this morning. Maggie made it fine on her first plane ride. The Delta flight attendant even promised to mail her a “first flight” certificate. She slept most of the way both times, and we could not have asked for a better-behaved child. She won over the hearts of almost everyone on the flight.


Andy Katie and Maggie on the plane bound for Tupelo. 

We were in town for a double baby shower for Leslie Randle and Mica Stevens at the home of Jeff and Amanda Covington. It was also the first time that Maggie met her friends Todd Hamblin and Ethan Bruce.


Maggie with Jeff and Amanda 


Belinda and Ethan Bruce, and Todd and Eron Hamblin 


The shower hostesses, Eron, Katie and Amanda. 

Other than the shower, most of our weekend was spent with family and centered around the two granddaughters, Maggie and her 2 year old cousin Anna. Anna did her best to keep everyone entertained with her growing vocabulary. It’s amazing what kids pick up. We went to church with Mimi and Pap on Sunday morning and then back to their house for a big Sunday lunch.



Anna, Maggie and Uncle Andy/Daddy. 


Maggie with Mimi and Pap. 

Weekend Adventure

We’ve had a busy week. I’ve been in training with work for most of it, thus there have not been any updates in a few days. Tomorrow Maggie will go on her first plane ride. We are going to Blue Springs, and got a direct flight from Atlanta to Tupelo at a steal. We leave at 9:00 in the morning, and the ride should be about an hour to Tupelo where Mimi and Pap will be waiting. So, Katie and I have the job of packing tonight, and it will be difficult since we are limited in what we can take along.


Maggie getting excited about her first trip in the air. 

We are going to Blue Springs for a double-baby shower we are helping host. We are celebrating the new arrivals of our friends Mica and Micah Stevens and Leslie and James Randle. Maggie will get to meet her new friends Todd Hamblin and Ethan Bruce too. There are babies everywhere. Our friends Scotty and Lillian Reed that live in Jackson, Mississippi, gave birth on Wednesday to a son named Paul Estes. They are doing well.

On a gardening note, the first of our Stargazer lilies are blooming. It’s about time for all of our summer bloomers to put on their show. Look for a big post on Monday night or Tuesday with photos and tales from our weekend to Mississippi.


Our first Stargazer lily of the year. 

Have a good one.

~Andy

Park Trip, Grandparents and Father's Day

It was another great weekend. Maggie’s grandparents, Gigi and Papa, were in town for a visit. So, Saturday, we spent 2 ½ hours packing up the car for a picnic in Piedmont Park. We had a great time, and Maggie was a great girl. Jack Pete was along for this outing since Piedmont is a pet-friendly park, but I still had to walk behind him with a poop clean-up bag!


Maggie with Gigi and Papa.



Maggie and Daddy playing in the park.


Maggie pulling herself up. She's really under there even though the big makes it look like her head is floating.


Jack Pete in the park.


The Kennedy family in the park.

Katie and her parents surprised me Saturday night by sending the two of us out on “a date” for Father’s Day. The grandparents did the babysitting time, and Katie and I went to a wonderful restaurant in downtown Decatur called Eurasia. It was great. We finished the night off with ice cream.

We celebrated Father’s Day all day today. Obviously, it was my first time to be a dad on this day. We all attended church, and then went out for lunch. Maggie went to the nursery for the first time during church. She was familiar with the room, since it’s also her day-care room. She started day-care on Friday. I think it was harder on Katie and me than her. She was in good spirits when I picked her up that afternoon, so I’m taking that as no complaints.

From Maggie's Mail Bag

This week Maggie received a poem written by one of her friends in Tupelo, Julie Battaile. Julie and her husband Andrew have been great friends to Katie and me. We used the same ring bearer pillow in our wedding that Julie and Andrew did, and maybe Maggie will get to use it too someday. Here’s the poem that Julie sent:

There once was a ‘lady’ named Maggie,

Whose diapers at times were real baggy,

Not a complainer, just give this a thought—

She cried on occasion, but ‘twas not for fraught,

‘Twas when those diapers were full,

But her tummy was not!

Katie and Maggie with Andrew and Julie Battaile.

Thanks Julie. We hope to see you and Andrew soon.

Other news. Gigi and Pa (Keys and Tara) have come for a visit, and there’s a trip to the park planned for later today. There should be lots of pictures from the outing. We'll update the details from their visit in the next post.

Just Another Tuesday

On Monday, I worked at home in the afternoon so Katie could go to a doctor’s appointment. Maggie was so appreciative of her Daddy time that she decided to help me work. She almost has the laptop figured out! It is obvious that she is very advanced for her age. I just hope the job offers do not start rolling in before she even makes it to pre-school.


Maggie helps Daddy work.

I killed a baby snake in the yard on Sunday, and ever since, Jack Pete has been on patrol. He claims that the only reason there was a snake in the yard was because there has been so much rain and he has been cooped up inside. Try to just look at the picture of Jack Pete and not all of the weeds in my grass. Just like the dog, I’ll blame the weeds on all of the wet weather.


Jack Pete on patrol in the backyard.

Today Maggie had her 2-month doctor’s visit. She weighed 11 lbs 15 ½ ozs., so once you put a diaper on her, she’s a full 12 lbs. It’s hard to believe that she is getting so big. She was 22-5/8 inches long, so she’s growing in all directions. This visit was one we’ve been dreading . . .the 2-month vaccinations. She cried for a little bit, but soon passed out from exhaustion. You’ll see in the photo that they did give her band-aids with little kitties on them. Before her doctor’s visit, Katie took her by her office to show her off.


Maggie with her kitty band-aids.

Weekend Recap

Another weekend with Maggie has come and gone. It was a good one too, because she took her last dose of antibiotics tonight, and she’s feeling much better after her recent sickness. She had a few good tummy times also. You’ll see in the picture that she is getting stronger and stronger. She can lift her head up several inches. She’s really starting to take in all of her surroundings. Katie and I can almost see her little mind running overtime.


Tummy time is hard work 

Today was her second time to go to church. We kept her in Sunday school with us, and we tried to the worship service, but she had other plans. So, Katie took her to the nursery and rocked her. The nursery at church will also be her day care room when she starts at the end of this week.


Katie and Maggie ready for church. 

Piano Music and Bathtime

The weekend is here. We celebrated tonight by taking Maggie to her first Mexican restaurant, which is also the first time we have ever taken her to a restaurant on our own. We consider our outing fairly successful, as we weren’t asked to leave! No, it really wasn’t that bad. Maggie was a very good baby until near the end. Luckily Katie was through with her meal, so she took Maggie to the car for a bottle while I paid the check. Maggie did enjoy gazing at the overhead lights though and listening to the Mariachi band. She has a fascination with lights. All of the fancy toys in the world can’t do what a four pack of GE light bulbs can accomplish.

After the restaurant, we had a few errands to run, and ended the night with another first, Maggie’s first trip to the Dekalb Farmers Market. Katie and I would probably put this on our top ten things we like about living in Atlanta. We usually try to go once a week for fresh vegetables and fruit.

Once we were home, Maggie gave me one of the best presents ever, an appreciation for piano music—her Daddy’s at that! She was inconsolable after the night’s activities and an unpleasant diaper change. We finally got her to sleep by sitting her near my piano and I played for nearly an hour. She was passed out before the first song was over. Even when I was loud or was playing wrong notes, she was not fazed. (Note to self—find out how early babies can start piano lessons.)


Passed out while listening to Daddy play the piano. 

After a nice nap, it was time for a bath and then bedtime. Most of her baths are in or near the sink, but tonight we decided to go all out and use her infant tub. She was a little hesitant at first, but she did not give too much of a fight. Then it was bottle-time and lights out.


I don't think I usually use this tub. What happened to the sink? 


AAhhhhhhh . . . Calgon take me away. 

Have a good weekend.

~Andy

Birthday Girl

Yesterday was Maggie's 2nd month birthday. You will see her photographed with her "Birthday Girl" hat. This was a gift from her grandparents. Our intent is to photograph her in it every month during her first year. She celebrated her big day with several bottles of formula. She decided to show off her growing free spirit by not sleeping much during the day yesterday! However, she did give Mommy and Daddy a birthday gift last night by sleeping through the night. Maybe for her 3rd month birthday, she'll give us this consistently.


Maggie at 2 months 

Welcome to our life

We've decided to set up a website to chronicle the happenings of our new family. Maybe new is not the best description since we've been married for over 3 1/2 years and we've had Jack Pete, our Jack Russell Terrier for most of that time. The new does apply when describing our daughter. Margaret Anne "Maggie" was born April 6, 2005, so she will be 2 months old tomorrow.

We send out a lot of pictures, so maybe this website will be a better way to manage that. We realize that most of you (grandparents excluded) do not care to see 45 photos of Maggie drinking a bottle, or at the very least, have your email clogged up with them.

For those of you who know us, but have not heard from us in a while, we're sorry. Here's a little background info to catch you up:

We live in Decatur, GA, which is right outside of the city limits of Atlanta. We've been in our new house for a year and a half. We live in a "transitional" neighborhood that will sometimes be referred to as our ghetto. We attend First Baptist Church of Decatur.

When she returns to her public job in a few weeks, Katie will once again be an Admissions Advisor at Emory University's School of Nursing. Andy is an Internal Audit Supervisor at Georgia-Pacific Corporation in downtown Atlanta. Jack Pete guards the house while everyone is away and ensures that the couch doesn't move. Maggie is busy keeping everyone on their toes.

Our goal is to update this site weekly. Perhaps there will be more if there's a lot of activity in our household. Perhaps there will be less if we figure out that we're too boring to write about. Regardless, bookmark this page or add it to your favorites. Forward the link to anyone we might have missed.

Feel free to email us with comments or suggestions.

Enjoy!


One of the first Kennedy family portraits, early May, 2005.


The princess on June 1, 2005. Not a care in the world.


Jack Pete feels the need to look serious now that he's a big brother.