The Multiple Joys of Spring

I know it is hard to imagine, but a lot has happened in the past month or so. But we have to start with something that had its origins in Callie's second birthday. Now Callie has received quite a few packages in the mail in her two and a half years on this earth, but no package has journeyed so far as the one pictured below. Sarah's cousin Haley had to send this particular package three different times from California due to address mix-ups, misunderstandings with the UPS folks, and other assorted issues.

Despite all of the troubles, we are happy to report that the four horses and their beautiful barn made it to Lexington in time for the Derby and are one of Callie's favorite toys.



Thanks again to Haley, Ryan, and Skyler for such a thoughtful gift. You can never have enough horses in this neck of the woods. Speaking of woods, our next little episode involves a dead tree and a friendly neighbor.

In the three years we have lived in our house there has been a tree in the backyard that has bothered the two of us immensely. It was dead when we moved in and somehow managed to look deader every year. John, aka Captain Caution, was wary about dealing with it because it nestled against the power line leading to the house. But one sunny day our neighbor Marcus informed us that was hogwash, brought over his axe, and went to town.



Fortunately for all involved, Marcus is handy with an axe and has good aim. In a matter of minutes the tree was down, hacked up into smaller pieces, and stuck into our yard bin. It is amazing how the elimination of one dead tree can brighten a whole backyard. And with that task accomplished perhaps we will get around to fixing the screen door that is still torn from the efforts of the previous owner's dog.


Next we have a picture of Team Bowes on the morning of the Heart Walk, a 5k walk to raise awareness and money for the American Heart Association. It may not be the best picture of us, but it proves to our generous supporters that we did in fact show up and walk.



Our heartfelt (get it) thanks go to all of you who responded generously to Sarah's email and donated money in support of Team Bowes. You will be happy to know that we raised $575 for the cause. We hope to do more events like this in the future, especially as Callie gets older and has a better understanding of what we are doing.


This spring Callie has discovered what some might call, the joy of dance. Many times she insists that her parents sit on the floor and "Watch me dance!" Her particular influences and styles are somewhat undefined. Sarah thinks it's the Bowes genes. But take a look and you decide.



And for those of you wondering, she is dancing to the Grateful Dead. But she has been known to get her boogie on to just about anything. Like her parents, she has an eclectic taste in music.


Unfortunately, we have to end this post on what is truly a sad note. As of this past Tuesday, the Halloran family are no longer residents of Lexington. They have set off on a new adventure in the state of Utah. Fiona got an opportunity she couldn't pass up and while we already miss them tremendously we know that they are excited and happy about what lies ahead. Of course, Callie has asked about Iain every day since they have left, and it is going to be a difficult adjustment not having her best friend around. But Utah isn't that far away and who knows when we'll feel the need to go skiing in Park City.

We are on a roll, so more posts to follow soon!

California Girls

So this year we did spring break a little bit differently than we have in the past. Sarah and Callie headed to California to hang out with all the California aunties while John stayed in Lexington and hosted a gathering of his best friends from childhood. The post below features numerous pictures of a wonderful trip to California. Unfortunately you will not see a single picture of the boys' weekend in Lexington. However, we can assure you that a good time was had by all, and it looks like Ted, Jason, Bill, and Tyler now know why the first day of the spring meet at Keeneland is the place to be. But on to the main show.


It is appropriate to start the post with a picture of Ashlyn, the newest member of the Perrone family. She arrived in November and although it took us over four months to meet her, it was well worth the wait. She takes after her sister - she is really cute and refuses to sleep through the night. For example, the first night of our trip Lauren got up at 1am, 3am, and 5am to deal with one of her darling bundles of cuteness.



Most mornings we enjoyed a walk to downtown Manhattan Beach to grab some bagels and coffee. This is certainly a routine I could get used to. One morning Auntie D joined us not only for the morning snacks but also for the morning activity, which consisted of Callie and Kate playing in the fountain. They had no worries about wet clothes, that's for sure.



It was awesome to watch Denise enjoy her time with the girls. She also embraced spoiling them when she later presented them both with fairy costumes.


These fairy costumes were quite elaborate - wings, skirts, headdresses, and fairy wands. Needless to say, the girls loved them. They spent over an hour running through the house and posing for pictures. Callie has actually worn the fairy skirt to bed on several occasions since she has been back in Lexington.




To insure that the spoiling continued, Auntie Pi popped over with her bag full of goodies for the little ones. Her gifts included tiaras, feathery Easter purses, and all the fixings for dyeing eggs.



It was pretty entertaining to watch Denise and Alicia leading the egg dyeing and managing the energy and attitude of two crazy two-year-olds. Kate and Callie had a blast, but both ended up with colored hands for the rest of the day.


On Easter Sunday, we headed over to the Bazela-Schwartz residence for brunch and a traditional Easter egg hunt. The actual hunt occurred three to four times because it took a while for Kate and Callie to catch on. Josh was kind enough to show them how it all works. This went on innocently for quite some time. Until....



They discovered that these plastic eggs held candy goodness and the hunt took on a whole new meaning. Callie and Kate each probably ate more candy in that one morning than they have their entire lives up to that point. It was impressive to watch.




Now an Easter brunch is not an Easter brunch without hula hoops. And since we were in the presence of a master hula hooper, we had to watch him in action and learn his moves. Callie thought Josh was a riot, but I don't believe she picked up any of the skills. That may have to wait until the next trip.




We end our Easter morning extravaganza with a picture of the Perrone family all decked out for the occasion. JP and Lauren look dashing in their bunny ears and seem remarkably alert for two people who have endured another night of multiple wakings. It is still hard to believe that it was only four years ago that Sarah and the rest of the girls were dancing on the stage with the band at their wedding. I guess time flies when you are having fun.



What's a trip to California without a trip to the beach? Callie and Sarah joined Josh and Gretchen for a drive up to their favorite tidepool beach in Malibu.



We only spent an hour or so but got a good long walk in and staged a couple more Easter egg hunts in the sand. Callie and Josh couldn't get enough of the whole hide and seek aspect of it all.


Auntie Gret certainly wanted to spend some one on one time with Callie and make sure that she knows the proper names for the West Coast sea life. We need to make sure that Callie spends quality time with Gretchen every year to continue to expand her knowledge of science in general and marine life in particular.




Some of the highlights of the trip really were the various times that Sarah got to just hang out with any one of her close friends while Callie played with Kate. Or at the very least Callie and Kate played next to each other. By the fourth day we were there they both would ask for each other when they woke up and seemed to interact more comfortably.




The park was definitely their favorite destination and they spent a lot of time going down the slides and riding on froggies. I guess it should come as no surprise that a couple of two-year-olds loved the playground, especially this one that is designed specifically for toddlers.






The main reason for the timing of this particular trip to California was to celebrate Gretchen's 40th birthday. Although there was a lot of family time on this visit, the main event was for adults only at a cool wine bar in Hollywood. The evening included a fair amount of wine, appetizers, cupcakes, and adorable m&m's that had messages wishing Gret a happy birthday. A good time was had by all.




Our California trips are always way too short, but it was great to see everyone and catch up. Hopefully we'll get back to LA again soon.

Eggs and Bunnies

As Callie gets older, each season brings more fun-filled activities that were not possible the year before. And as Callie grows more aware of and excited about the world around her we all get to enjoy the little things that we have taken for granted in the past. For example, when was the last time you went down a slide at your local playground with a big smile on your face? Fortunately, we can say it was yesterday, and we had a blast! One of Callie's favorite phrases these days is "Oh my goodness!" and she truly makes us see the world in a whole new light.

This season's new fun-filled activity was, you guessed it, coloring Easter eggs. John has learned a variety of techniques from the Skonieczny family and was happy he could bring those skills to the table. Step one, boil the eggs. To be completely transparent, we must admit that we had to go online to get the instructions on how to boil eggs properly. A little embarassing, but we didn't want to lose any potential egg canvases through ignorance.



Callie was very patient throughout the boiling process, since it took longer than we had anticipated. She was also extremely helpful when it came to cooling and drying the eggs. Although at her age it is difficult to avoid being a bull in a china shop at times, she has a very attentive and delicate approach to the tasks she is given.


Here is a picture of step 2, dyeing the eggs. It took Callie a few minutes to understand the process, but she was soon eager to use all of the colors we had in front of us. And once she had mastered the dyeing process, she was deemed ready to take on a more advanced skill.




Here we see Callie using a crayon to write on the egg before placing it in the dye. This is one of the ideas John picked up over the years he spent at the kitchen table of the Skonieczny household. Now we were not as adept at using two other techniques John learned. Polishing the finished egg with wax paper didn't go so well and we chose not to introduce Callie to the highly competitive sport of egg konking. Don't worry, I bet the konking will be a part of things next year.


One of the nice things about dyeing eggs is how the finished product looks. Callie was definitely proud of all of her eggs and thought the whole activity was a lot of fun. More surprising, to John at least, is the fact that over the past week Callie has also eaten her fair share of the eggs. Who knew?




Easter also brings another important tradition - a picture of Callie with a stuffed bunny on the stairs. This has been an interesting way to track Callie's growth in terms of size and cuteness over the past couple of years. This year did not disappoint. But as you will see below, this year's photo shoot introduced another element to the mix - you'll see what we mean shortly.


Our first picture is the traditional version. For the sake of comparison, you can go and take a look at the posts from April 2009 and March 2008. Those pictures of Callie with her bunny and bunny ears from previous years give you a sense of the changes in such a relatively short period of time. She has grown so much, it is absolutely incredible. We are wondering just how old she will be when she finally refuses to pose for this photo. We are hoping for 18 but imagine it might happen a year or two sooner.

Okay, here is the twist in the tradition for this year. It all started when Grandpa Dan sent Callie a package a month or so ago. The box seemed pretty light, but it was also quite big. We opened it up and all we could see was pink fur. As soon as we pulled the gift out, Callie fell in love what appears to be a bunny that ate a basketball. Take a look below and you will see what we mean.





The above signs of Easter all occurred early this year because the three of us will not be together for Easter weekend. Sarah and Callie are heading off to be with all of Callie's California aunties while John entertains four of his closest friends by showing them all that Lexington has to offer. We are excited to see our friends since they mean so much to us and we don't get nearly enough opportunities to spend time with them.

Winter Wonderland

One of the best things about the past four or five weeks is that life has returned to normal around our house. Callie's surgery seems to be a distant memory. She got the stent taken out on January 29th early in the morning. And the only lingering issue is that Callie doesn't like anyone to look at her cut. Besides that, all is well. Which means that we are learning to deal with the demands of an energetic two year old who wants to do everything herself and her way.


John learned that lesson big time when Callie's daycare was closed for two days straight because of Snow Watch 2010. In other parts of the country you refer to it as 5-6 inches. Here in the Bluegrass, it's enough to shut things down for quite some time. Fortunately, it also meant that Callie got some time outside.



John is trying to pass on to Callie his tricks of the trade when it comes to snow removal. More to the point, he is passing on his growing obsession with keeping the driveway clear and shoveled. Below you will see Callie learning the broom technique that can work wonders with just a light dusting.



Callie definitely enjoyed helping out and she loved walking around the driveway putting her footprints in the new snow. However, she didn't want to really play in the snow. No snow angels or snowmen yet this year. But it's still February, so you never know.

Because of Callie's lack of interest in playing in the snow for a long period of time, the two snow days were filled with indoor activities. Below we have a video that documents one of the more imaginative escapades of the little one.





It should also be noted that days home with Dad meant not getting out of your pajamas until late afternoon before Mom got home. And definitely no significant time spent on the hair. Hence, Callie pulls off a truly impressive ensemble, including her many accessories.

After about three weeks of cold weather, the sun finally showed through this past weekend. The piles of snow began to melt away and we jumped at the chance to get outside.


On Sunday we headed to the Lexington Arboretum with the Hallorans. It was an amazing day and half the city was walking along the two-mile path with their kids, dogs, or friends. At one, point, though, we had to stop and allow Iain and Callie some time to sit down and rest their weary legs. Or at least have them sit down so that we could take a picture. It is incredible how big these two kids are getting. In just two months he will be two, and it is fun watching them play together.


Callie definitely soaked in the day. Clearly we were not the only ones who needed a thawing out period and a little sunshine. And this picture doesn't really capture all that is going on with her these days. She is always talking and is becoming increasingly independent. "All by myself" is a phrase used extremely often in our household, that's for sure.

So it's a quick post for now. But there are big things to come in the next several months. Sarah and Callie will be heading to LA while John is planning to host a mini-high school reunion here in Lexington. February is almost at an end and we are all looking forward to spring.

Bye-Bye Reflux

As many of you know, before Callie was born she was diagnosed with kidney reflux. Since she was two days old she has had to take antibiotics daily and has had routine tests and check-ups to evaluate her condition. After her two-year check-up showed no sign of improvement we decided to accept the doctor's recommendation and schedule her surgery. For those doctors out there, the operation was going to be a cystoscopy bilateral ureteral reimplantation. We told Callie she was going to get her kidneys fixed. It's easier to say. We tried to prepare Callie for the big day, or as much as you can prepare a two year-old for such an ordeal.

Finally, two months after we scheduled it, January 4 arrived. We woke up at 4am, showered, packed the car, and got to the hospital at 5:30am. It was time to register and go through the pre-operations procedures.

We start with the star of the show. She is already in her hospital gown and has received the first of what will eventually be three Central Baptist Hospital teddy bears. Sandy was our nurse at this point and she was fabulous with Callie. It was a difficult waiting period. We were in a small room and every time the door opened someone new entered. The anesthesiologist, the physician's assistant, and so on down the line.


One of those visits came from the anesthesiologist tech, who brought with her the mask that would be used to put Callie to sleep. She suggested having Callie play with it, smell it, talk into it...whatever she wanted to do. It would hopefully make her more comfortable with it. And the approach worked very well. Callie definitely had fun playing with it, as you can see here. We all had to put it up to our mouth and say, "hellooo!"

As mentioned above, we were in a small room. And for some reason, they crammed a small red wagon into it. Of course Callie was completely attracted to it, and before long she was sitting in it and had both her favorite baby and new teddy bear buckled in. It was one more fun way to pass the time.



Clearly we didn't understand the big picture here. We quickly found out that the red wagon had a very important role in the morning's process. Once the final nurse came in to visit Callie, she asked if Callie wanted to go for a ride. Obviously Callie accepted the offer and in a split second we realized that this was goodbye and the nurse was going to wheel Callie off to the operating room. We tried not to freak out since this was a solid transition. However, we must admit it was pretty difficult. And as we look back, we can still see Callie being wheeled away while she is looking up at the nurses trying to get a sense of what this ride is really all about.

The next 3-4 hours was difficult, though made bearable in part by a series of gifts provided by Sarah's boss, Catie. She gave use five paper bags. They were labeled with the assigned hour at which they could be opened. Fortunately for us, the 8:00am bag contained cards to play Canasta, and that actually took up most of the two plus hours Callie was in surgery. We got the word Callie was out of the OR, and then had to wait for what turned out to be a very brief consultation with her surgeon. The man is short, sweet, and to the point. Most importantly, he is very good at what he does. After the longest hour ever, we were finally allowed back to the post-op area where Callie was just waking up. We were excited to see her and overwhelmingly happy to know that Sarah could sit in a chair and just hold her. Sarah got to hold her in the chair, then in a wheelchair as we transferred to the pediatric unit, and for the first three hours or so in the room.


But everyone has to get up and go to the bathroom at some point, and that's when John swooped in to get some cuddle time with Callie. One of the scariest things for us heading into this surgery was not knowing what to expect afterwards. So we both just wanted to sit and hold her. And while she was definitely lethargic, holding her was not easy because of the various tubes she had coming out of her. She had a catheter, an IV, a heart rate monitor, and a tube to drain the incision. Not fun.


We did everything we could to try and distract and comfort Callie. We brought her Bitty Baby and her favorite books from home. We also brought her pillow (made by her Great Aunt Teri) and the blanket she sleeps with every night. And finally we brought a quilt also made by Great Aunt Teri. It has pictures of all her family sewn throughout alongside various pictures of animals and objects. It is an incredible, personalized, "I Spy" quilt. All of the nurses oohed and aahhed over the craftsmanship.


That night we took advantage of the free wireless and had video chats with Grammy Gayle, Nana Banana and Sport, and the Balestraccis. It is so hard to be so far away from family and friends, but technology made this process much easier. In fact, we were even able to use this to have visitors well past official visiting hours. And hopefully it relieved some anxiety among our families. That first night was tough. The best sleep we got was from about 2:30-6am with all three of us packed into the hospital bed you see above. No, we are not kidding.


However, children are extremely resilient, and Callie is no exception. By 10:30 the next morning, less than 24 hours after the completion of her surgery, she was looking for something to do. So we talked to the nurses, got some simple directions on how to make Callie and her numerous tubes portable, and headed down the hall to the playroom. Although she was a little slow, which was good since her parents had a difficult time keeping the IV pole, the catheter bag, and the drainage balloon all in step and out of harms way. It was a juggling act to say the least.


Fortunately for all of us, Callie didn't always have to walk. There were a few cars available for her to cruise the pediatrics ward. She had her eye on this green one and would accept nothing less. Needless to say, we made more than several laps in the three days we were at the hospital. As mentioned before, Callie scored three teddy bears during her stay at Central Baptist. But her haul of "incentive prizes" (we'll give you this if you take your medicine or let us look at your incision) included approximately 50 stickers, a dog purse, an arts and crafts bag, and a baby doll now appropriately named Little Baby. Seriously, she made sure that she got more than just some hospital jello for her troubles.

By the third day, Callie was definitely feeling better about 60 percent of the time. The other 40 percent she suffered from bladder spasms that the nurses described as being comparable to labor contractions. In other words, they were relatively short but extremely painful. In addition, she still had some pain from the incision and the drainage tube. But let's get back to the 60 percent of the time she was feeling good. Perhaps the picture below says it best.



We'll give the picture some context. We had to change her gown (or her dress as Callie called it) because it had gotten wet while Callie was washing her hands and face. But we couldn't change it without the assistance of a nurse who would disconnect the IV briefly. While we awaited the nurse, Callie was happy to pose for a quick picture. Please notice two things. First, no catheter bag. It was removed on day 2. Second, Callie is now starting a new fashion trend with Sarah's assistance. Anyone can have a drainage bubble, but only the most classy folks tuck it into the waistband of their diaper for ease of movement.


During the three days we were in the hospital Callie was exposed to a large number of foods and beverages she never received at home. It is safe to say that her consumption of apple juice in 72 hours exceeded by leaps and bounds what she has had at home. Jello was another source of amazement, along with whipped cream and hospital dinner rolls. At this point she was not eating much, but she was eating. We have had to wean her off of the juice as well as off of the idea of always getting a prize for doing something. This is just a picture of the last meal she and John shared before they left the hospital. At this point we were so excited for our bed, real food, and the general comforts of our house.

But we also need to take a moment to express our thanks to all of the folks at Central Baptist. We had a great experience when Callie was born there, and this time was no different. The nurses knew what they were doing and always made sure that we had everything and anything we needed. It was also obvious that they cared about Callie's recovery and in fact we got a card from them today wishing her well. They do things right at Central Baptist. So we give our utmost thanks to Mary, Rebecca, Lynsey, and Deana.

And while the nurses supported us physically and mentally during our stay, our emotional well being was strengthened by the love, thoughts, and prayers of our family and friends. The calls, the emails, and just the plain old good vibes were received and greatly appreciated. Callie truly doesn't know how lucky she is to have such a widespread and strong support system.

The support also came from her peers who truly understand Callie's mindset. Claire and Nora Leshney and Hayden and Jackson McBean were thoughtful enough to send her a fine fruit arrangement spouting out of Elmo's head. It is safe to say that Callie loves it. Even this morning John had to give Elmo a kiss before he could give Callie one.


Thank you again for all of your support. Although we can certainly think of better ways to start a new year, we also know that the surgery will make Callie better and allow her to enjoy many new years to come. Who knows what 2010 will hold?

Christmas on the East Coast

To round out a fun-filled and eventful 2009 we hopped on a plane and made our way to Connecticut. We timed our travel well and missed by several days the big snowstorm that dumped about 15-16 inches on Madison and Guilford. But that doesn't mean we missed the snow.

The morning after we arrived we headed over to the Balestracci household, where they know what to do with all of that snow. It's all about sledding and snowballs. Callie hasn't quite caught on to either of those yet. But she was excited to see her cousins and spend some time exploring the white stuff. Her California roots showed up, however, and she soon retired inside with her Mom to warm up.



When we last saw Suzy and Brian they were in Colorado. Now that they are engaged they are showing their true domestic sides. The two of them make both a fine couple and a fine cookie. It was a lot of fun having a full house for the holidays.





Now Nana Banana had to make sure that the cookie making was done right. The decorative aspects needed to be tasteful and not overdone. And of course there needed to be a batch of cookies left undecorated for Sport. Callie was more than happy to help with the quality control when it came to tasting the final product.


Speaking of the final product, here is Callie with one of the many cookies that were baked that day. She knows a good thing when she sees one. We would like to claim that this was the only sweet item she had over the course of our visit, but that is far from true. And she had quite a few adults at her disposal who she could turn to for help indulging her sweet tooth.




On Christmas Eve we traveled to North Madison to spend the evening with the Skonieczny clan. Now that Mike and Kristen are living in Madison they wanted to host the traditional festivities. It was quite an event with a total of seventeen in attendance. There was good food and the kids had a great time.



Callie and John got to enjoy "Twas the Night Before Christmas" as read by Mike. You can see the latest addition to the family, little Eli, who was born on December 4. Despite the look on Callie's face, she enjoyed the experience.


But the story was not the end of night. Kristen, Ella, and Callie prepared plates for Santa and his reindeer. They wanted to make sure that everyone was well fed during their late night journey and left the plates on the edge of the fireplace.






This experience was both adorable and surreal. Although Callie hasn't quite made the full connection between Christmas and Santa, she can identify pictures of the jolly, bearded fellow, and is beginning to catch on to the whole thing. Next year is going to be an eye-opening experience for us.


Because Callie hasn't gotten caught up in all the hype, we got to have a leisurely Christmas morning. No presents were opened until the afternoon when Katie, Chris, Michael, and Brendan arrived. Then the fun really began.




Once we were all settled in our spots in the living room, the stockings were distributed by Elf Brendan and the paper ripping began in earnest. Callie certainly loves ripping paper, and the fact that presents for her are involved just makes it that much better.


One of the fun things about the stockings in Madison is how long they are. Callie nearly disappeared into her stocking in the search for more presents. It was very sweet when she got to the bottom and pulled out an orange. She and Sarah opened it immediately so that they could share the tasty treat. It was great to see Callie get excited about the orange as much as she did about her other presents.



There were countless times that Callie simply glued herself to either Michael or Brendan. It should not be surprising, but she ADORES them and they are incredibly good with her. It makes us so happy to see how they play with her and deal with her love and demands. One night Michael had to stop eating because Callie had her head on his right arm and was just gazing lovingly up at him. To us this is cute, but to a 12 year-old it might be different.



One of the great things about our Christmas trips to Connecticut is our dinner with John's Uncle Tommy and Aunt Terry. We couldn't wait to have them meet Brian and see just how big Callie has gotten in the two years since they last saw her. Tommy and Terry focused on Suzy and Brian first, but Terry also wanted to give Callie her gift before dinner began. When it all comes down to it, Terry wanted to make sure she got on Callie's good side as soon as possible. Mission accomplished.



Here is Callie with what in some circles is called the "Bitty Baby starter kit". We were unaware of its existence before the evening. But as you can see from the look on Callie's face, this will not be the end of it. She only put the baby down to devour a couple of plates of pasta and some strawberry shortcake. At all other times she was walking around the table showing off her baby. Three weeks later as we write this, "Baby", as she is named, is still a prized possession and constant companion.


By the time the evening had come to an end we had enjoyed a wonderful meal and even better company. It's a shame the dinner had to end, but we look forward to having more time with the whole crew in June at Suzy and Brian's wedding.




Just like the dinner, our time in Connecticut is never quite long enough. There were still people we missed seeing and others we didn't get to catch up with in depth. But such is life. Fortunately, however, we were in Madison long enough to be around when one of the final gifts arrived in the mail.


What do you get the UConn fan who seems to have it all? That's right, a UConn snuggie. We thought it was a fitting gift for two people who enjoy watching their team play from the comfort of their family room. Hopefully it brings them good luck. Too bad they didn't have them when the UConn men's basketball team played our boys from the University of Kentucky. C-A-T-S Cats! Cats! Cats!

If we had exciting pictures from our New Year's Eve celebration, this is where we would put them. However, our New Year's Eve included an earache that gave Callie fits, and our New Year's Day started with a trip to a local medical clinic. But that could not put a damper on what was a wonderful year for the three of us. And we hope that 2010 will prove to be even better.