New Beginnings

I headed back to Indiana on Wednesday to pack up Reese and bring her back to Arizona.  I am not sure where the time went and that I am writing this now that I am back in Arizona.  So, I'm hoping that this blog will help me to remember all of the small things on my adventures with Reese.

My dad was in the hospital on Tuesday with an intestinal virus which caused extreme dehydration.  It was something I was not prepared to deal with this week.  After being sick all of my time in Indiana at Christmas, I completely understood how hard it was for my dad.  He took the rest of the week off to recover and I enjoyed having that time with me.  It helped a lot to have someone else there to distract Reese while I was packing. 

I picked up Reese from daycare when I got in on Wednesday.  She was so excited to see me which felt amazing.  Thursday morning we went to her three-year wellness visit with Dr. Olalade.  She is 27lbs and 36" tall, in the 15th percentile which is where she has been since birth.  Reese was a trooper, Dr. Olalade gave great advice and nurse Lisa was so sweet and remembered our situation.  It was good to see her again.

It started to snow while we were in the doctor's office so we caught some snowflakes on our tongue when we got home.

It continued to snow for the rest of the day and it was nice to see a winter wonderland since we didn't have one at all for Christmas.  Packing went well and thankfully didn't take as long as I thought it would.

On Friday, Reese turned 3!!  She was so cute always saying "Happy Birthday" back to anyone who said it to her.  We had a little celebration at my mom's house that evening with a Hannah Tannah (Hannah Montana) cake.  We both spent the night there where we share Kayla's queen-size bed while  she is at college.  I woke up Saturday morning to Reese quietly giving me a kiss on the back of the head.  Moments like that have a way of melting stress away.  Reese and her Mimmie played in the 'now (snow - Reese does not say the "s" at the front of her words). 

Then we had a birthday party with my dad's family with a beautiful Tinkerbell cake.  Sophia was there which I know Reese and I loved.  She is getting so big and I miss her so much.  It was a fun time with family where big news was announced and the best line was "Who is on your underwear? Can I see?"  Emily was saying this to Reese who was not wanting to take a minute to go to the bathroom but taken out of context, we all had a good laugh. 

After a night out on the town (or downtown Griffith) with my cousins, we started the hardest day of my life with a pancake breakfast at St. Marys.  I do miss those pancake breakfasts! 

Saying goodbye really made Reese realized how big it was to move to Arizona and it wasn't just a vacation.  The airport was the excruciating because Reese really did not want to leave her Grandpa, on top of way too many bags.  Thankfully, Reese took a nap on the flight and was a sweetheart. 

So, now we are here!  Reese had to touch everything in her new room and just kept saying "Oh Aunt Lindsey, you got a new [insert every item in her room here] for me, Oh, thank you!"  The stress level was taken down by a million just being at home and having her here.  Bedtime was a little hard but after the day we had, I expected that. 

I did almost forget to bring her car seat and also bring my mom's car keys with me to Arizona.  So needless to say, I am feeling scattered.  Unpacking, grocery store and a birthday celebration with Kathryn and Charlotte are what tomorrow brings.