Yesterday we took Katherine to the zoo for the very first time.  It was the first stop of a long list of places in St. Louis that Katherine will visit this summer.  We live in a great city with lots of awesome stuff to do and see and I'm embarrassed to say that we rarely take advantage of such opportunities.

{"Impressed zoo face"}

It was several months ago when I told my mom "I think we're going to dress Katherine up like a Rockford Peach for Halloween."  Before I could even start planning the outfit, my mom had found and purchased the Rockford Peach patches on Etsy. 

I had been dreaming up Katherine's first Halloween costume in my head since....well, probably since I took my first pregnancy test.  Jason and I went back and forth about what she would be for her first Halloween.  I saw a picture of a toddler's Rockford Peach costume on Pinterest, and the idea was born.  My mom located the patches for the shirt and hat and bought them immediately.

With a picture of the actual uniform saved on my phone, I headed to Hobby Lobby for the rest of the costume.  I'm not sure who was more obsessed with "historical accuracy," me or Jason. 

I bought a solid pink onesie and sewed the patches and buttons on.  I sewed the "R" patch on the red hat.  When I couldn't find tall red socks for a baby, I bought white ones and dyed them red.  I even made her a red belt.  By the way, there is a reason babies don't wear belts.  No waist line, and she kept trying to get it in her mouth. 

I went to three different fabric stores before finding the perfect shade of pink in a jersey knit fabric to match her onesie.  The last piece of the costume was the skirt.  It wasn't until I was actually putting the whole outfit on her that I realized what a kick-butt costume I had put together. 



I was overwhelmed by the sweet comments I received on Facebook after posting Katherine's picture Sunday night. 

Katherine seemed to like her costume too.  I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.  Too many times I try something I saw on Pinterest and it turns into an absolute fail. 

First Halloween costume, nailed it. 

"There's no crying.  There's no crying in baseball."

Last Fourth of July I took my first pregnancy test on a whim...just to see.  This Fourth of July I'm celebrating not only our country, but my almost four month old's first Fourth.  What a difference a year makes! 

Because I love celebrating holidays, we naturally had a selection of festive foods and home décor.  Not to mention, I've had Katherine's Fourth of July outfit picked out for weeks.  True story.

{Outfit.  Bow.}

{Our jacket was tasty.}

 






Our plans include hanging out outside before grilling up some dinner and heading out to see some fireworks. 

If you're ever in St. Louis for the Fourth of July, you have to see fireworks under The Arch.  It's amazing.  You won't be disappointed.

I hope everyone has a Happy (and safe) Fourth of July! 

Katherine went to her first Cardinals game this week.  It was a shining moment for her father.  He had been waiting for this day since...he found out I was pregnant.  Taking his first born to their first Cardinals game was a dream of his. 

Overall she did pretty well.  She took in the sites and sounds for the first inning or two, then she fell asleep.  ASLEEP!  She slept through the roar of the crowd and the loud squawking of the beer salesmen.  Amazing. 

{She wasn't interested in watching the bullpen.}

{So excited about our first game.}

{2nd inning.}

{3rd inning.}

{4th inning.}

{5th inning.  We're done.}

It was a perfect night for baseball.  What wasn't perfect was the outcome of the game.  Boo Cubs.  Oh well.  A Cardinal/Cubs game as your very first baseball game is not a bad way to start out. 

Katherine is 3 weeks old this week and we're slowly adjusting to life with a newborn.  I can't believe how fast she is growing.  She already looks so much different from when we first brought her home. 

Katherine celebrated her first Easter this weekend.  I've had her Easter dress for over a month.  I bought it at Sprung, one of my new favorite children's resale stores.  She looked adorable.  Luckily I took her picture before church because after she completely destroyed it with a nasty blow-out.  Oh well.  She wore it to church and that's all that matters.  

{Happy Easter!}

I was a little nervous about taking her to church for the first time.  I didn't know how she'd do.  I was even more nervous that she'd make a loud poop sound during a prayer.  We decided to go anyway, despite our fears.  I panicked when the service started with a bagpiper.  Bagpipes?  Really?  But she slept through the whole thing (amazing how she'll sleep through bagpipes but not through the night).  We successfully made it through our first church service.  Triumph #1 of the day.  After church we went to our friends' house for egg hunting and Easter lunch.  We successfully made it through our first out-of-the-house social gathering.  Triumph #2.



Of course the Easter bunny visited Katherine and left a small basket with some baby goodies.    


I somehow found time to make this month's chocolate dessert from my "Year of Chocolate Desserts" magazine article.  This month's dessert was "Hot Fudge Easter Sundae."  It was basically a recipe for making hot fudge, but still good.   

{Hot Fudge Easter Sundae}

In other news, today is baseball's opening day.  Of course Katherine has to be dressed for the occasion.

Our baby girl is finally here!!  Katherine Paige was born on March 12 at 3:18 am weighing 7 lbs 4 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long.  She has tons of dark hair (which explains the indigestion).  Too bad for those taking bets on red hair like her daddy. 

{First family photo.  Looking a little rough.}

{"Perfectly perfect in every way."}

It was a difficult delivery, but totally worth it in the end.  Our precious baby daughter was "sassy" throughout the entire 9 hour labor, leaving her mom and dad scared and nervous.  Thank God she made it into this world safely.

{Not that happy about going home.}

{Meeting our sisters.}

Jason and I were so blessed to have our family close by, making the 3 hour trip from Kennett just in time.


We are so in love.  She is absolutely perfect.

{First St. Patrick's Day}

{Thanks to Mimi and Aunt Mandy for the last minute St. Patty's Day outfit.}