hellos & close-up kisses!

i'm so glad to be back & in action!

after a long hiatus...we're back!

Yes, after a sad and long-awaited delay, she's back in action, folks! I apologize to the more vocal of the crew who have openly chided me for my lack of posting as of late, however I have just causes for my actions. It has been somewhat of a challenging autumn here at the Kidd Kitten household...Griffin has had a never-ending work schedule combined with nothing but difficult science classes on his plate this semester, and I have had the dual challenge of battling meningitis (umm, yeah, viral meningitis!) whilst being in my first trimester of pregnancy with baby blessing #2!!! (that's right, all who may not yet be in the know - I said baby blessing #2!!!) So, you can tell, it has been a mixed bag of emotions! Although I am feeling better now, there was a period where Griffin (as well as several amazing friends...Kate, Angel, Kellichka, Brooke - my angels) was/were basically taking care of Ivy and me whenever he was home, as the stiffness in my neck and resulting head & body aches made moving excruciating at times. Soooo, now that I'm only dealing with the exhaustion and nausea of being 13 weeks pregnant, things seem muuuuch more manageable! And now that we're officially 13 weeks, 3 days pregnant, we feel confident proclaiming it on our site! We are due at the end of May, but you'll have to stay tuned for another 7 weeks or so to find out if Ivy will be having a new brother or sister...please feel free to cast your vote on the poll to the right! Ivy is exceedingly sweet with mama's belly - if you ask her where the baby is, she points to my bellybutton and then gives it numerous sweet kisses...it's really too cute for words. At any rate, welcome back to the growing Kidd Kittens family blog...we're glad you're here and are excited to share all of our news with you! xoxo

the little tree that could

Last weekend, we were thrilled to welcome a young Japanese Lilac Tree to our family. For you non-urbanites, you may think, "What's the big deal?," however when you live in a green-starved section of Philly as we do, a tree is a big deal! Twice a year, you can apply to different local green organizations to try and approve your site & come bust through your concrete so some fantastic volunteers can come plant your newest little sapling! We were mucho excited (note banner on sad-looking front window box), and love our little bit o' green! Anyone have suggestions for names for our little tree that could?

Happy family with beautiful new lilac in foreground, which will hopefully be in stark contrast to the bleak concrete sprawl in the background, come spring! Can anyone spot the two newest additions to the Kidd family in the picture (note: Ivy is not one of them). Tee hee!

and she's climbing the stairway...

peek! if you can't find me, i'm probably trying to climb the stairs!
see?!! i'm a big girl! i don't even need any help!
seriously, it only takes me a few seconds to get to the top!

...and she's off!

this past saturday morning, boo bear up and woke up and pretty much just decided "today, i walk!" although she's been taking a few steps here and there, on saturday she officially made it her primary mode of transportation. by now (wednesday) she's sprinting just about everywhere!

are you sure it's been a whole year already?!!

hard (especially for mommy & daddy!) to believe, but on august 24th (at 12:20am), ivy turned one whole year old! wow!!!! the sweet boo bear had a wonderful party, and we were so grateful that so many travelled so far (from wisconsin, north carolina, and far-off wild lands such as new jersey and new york!) to help her celebrate her special day. we're not going to lie, we also felt it to be a celebration for us as well - the first year of new parenthood is not for the weak, as any parent can certainly attest to. although her birth was beautiful, incredible and easy, as many of you know the breastfeeding troubles at the beginning made for a cranky baby and stressed- and guilt-ridden mama! but with lots of support we made it to a YEAR of breastfeeding (breastmilk rocks!). ivy has accomplished so much in this first year, it's almost hard to comprehend, but suffice to say, her birthday was filled with many small buddies, loving family and friends and one fuzzy fella (lexie)! above is a shot of the famous grandma terrill one-year birthday cake, and as you'll see below, ivy did not disappoint her party guests with her destruction...i mean eating...of the cake...enjoy!
a voracious reader, ivy also loves mama & dadoo to make up stories to picture books that have faces she knows in them!
balloon time with delilah & jojo!
why yes mommy, i am a pretty party girl! tee hee! we are so fancy together!


the fam (grandpa squish & cousin/fuzzy fella lexie) in from wisconsin! (auntie teresa is also hiding somewhere!)