Well, we thought it was "just another cold". Yet something was not right. Reese was working hard to breathe. Maybe she has been walking around alot more today and the cold tired her out more. But when I tried putting her down for her nap, her breathing never slowed. So we went to the doctor. Turns out Reese has broncolitis and an ear infection. Now she gets to have a breathing treatment every 4 hours. 
I enjoy mothering Reese and seeing the delight in her eyes as I meet her needs. At the same time I try to remember one of my favorite quotes about mothering.... "A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary." (Dorothy Canfield Fisher)
Reese loves to be outside now since she can move on her own so much more. And she loves to touch and experience everything! That includes spiders. Reese giggles with delight when she spots one and will watch it crawl around and spin its web. I really dislike spiders!! It has been good "therapy" for me to sit with Reese and watch the spiders as she enjoys them. Of course she wants to touch them too, and so we are trying to teach "just watch" and "okay now say bye bye spider". As far as I know we don't have poisonous spiders in Western WA but regardless we are going to try and keep the love to just looking. (Ahhhh if only this would work for "boys" in the years to come!)
This afternoon, once Reese woke up (She slept in until 10:45!!) we headed down to the Harbor for the Chum Festival. They had the Harbor watch fish tubs out and Reese was willing to pet a Sea Sun and a Sea Cucumber! The big salmon was there that you can crawl through. It is beautiful inside! Chum burgers were being cooked up on the grill and Matt enjoyed his, but I am not a fish fan. We got to walk through the beginnings of the new History Museum and see the plans for Donkey Creek. We wanted to watch the start of the kayak races but alas, nap time was calling. It was a fun morning and we are looking forward to the changes downtown!
Checking out the big salmon!
So beautiful inside!
He is really big! I wonder were they store him?
Wondering if she can do the obstacle course....
After treating downtown, we when to BF to enjoy the Harvest Party. Reese went as a ballerina since her dog costume got wet downtown. She had so much fun playing in the toddler rooms and even went down the slide for the first time! She loved it! We had fun too, watching Reese play and enjoying chatting with friends! We are thankful for such a fun night! 
Playing with gak!
Yea! A water station is a must!
Ready to slide.....
She loved it! And did it again and again and.....
Checking out the goods in the pumpkin before we head home.
We took Reese downtown Gig Harbor to trick or treat at the shops. There were a lot of people and Reese loved it! We let her down to walk a ways from time to time. She would often stop and just watch all the people, taking it all in. She would cheer for costumes that she liked and would boggie as she walk. Matt and I had so much fun watching Reese enjoy herself!
Why do I have to sit? Why can't I dive in?
Are you sure I can take some?
So many people, so much fun!
I am looking forward to taking walks through the Harbor with my little girl. This was our first one and it lasted about five mintues. A good start! :)
Reese has started walking! She topples over more than she walks but she gets right back up, most of the time. She gets such a kick out of walking and is so proud of herself. Reese is a much happier kid now that she can move on her own.
This morning we were able to watch the cross country meet at Wright Park in Tacoma. Reese really seemed to enjoy all the action. She would clap and cheer as the runners would go by. Mommy and Daddy were dreaming of the day when we can yell "Go Reese Go!"
Reese loves the swings! She never is done, we always end the time for her. She enjoys watching the other kids play while she swings back and forth. We take a family walk from the city park so that at the end Reese can enjoy some swing time. Don't you just love her pumpkin gloves? I was having a hard time getting her to keep gloves on but I have found that if I put on two pairs, then she can't get them off! Yea for warm fingers!My dad sent this video to me... it's pretty funny and would be great if it worked!
Reese has become all the more interested in her babies. She loves baby dolly and gives her a kiss when she wakes up from her nap. She will spend 20 mintues just sitting and playing with her baby, even trying to give them binkies! It is so cute to watch this natural mothering instinct!
Reese can now "toss" the ball for Seb...which leads to mintues of entertainment for both of my "kids".
Yep, she got caught....with her hand in the water bowl. This kid loves all things water! She is moving more and more...time to reorganize the house! :)
Matt's "office" had their end of the summer party yesterday at SeaCliff beach. It was sunny, but not super warm. Reese did not care....she wanted to go in the water anyway. She has so much fun digging in the sand, walking barefoot through the water and jumping in the waves. You hope that your kids will have some of the same interests as you......boy does she! Reese loves water everything! It is so much fun for me to see her enjoy it like this! Reese loves her bath, the Y pool, water bottles, waiters pouring water, fountains, streams, the ocean.....okay you get the idea. While watching the summer Olympics Matt and I were dreaming of cheering on swimmer Reese someday. Yesterday I was dream of living on the water....what a blast Reese would have! Okay I would enjoy it a bit too! :) 
This is my "trick" for getting clothes clean and keeping Reese happy at the same time. (Can't you tell how happy she is?!) To get a shower in now, I put her in the jumper that hangs in the door frame of the bathroom and she entertains herself by trying to touch the water drops on the shower door. To get dinner made, Reese goes in her exersaucer with Cheerios all along the sides. She then bounces up and down, tossing the Cheerios all over the floor for Seb to eat....Both kids kept happy at the same time!
I gave Reese a few cheerios and went to put the dishes back in the kitchen, just around the corner. Apparently she was not done eating her oatmeal. She was able to reach the bowl and spoon and began feeding herself. She decided the spoon was too much work. Fingers are best. When I returned and tried to help feed her again she said "No way! I do it myself now!" I guess we will be needing the bib again...and a towel.....and a hose down afterwards.... :)
Nobody likes to be sick, Reese included. I know she will get her fair share of colds throughout her life and this will help build her immune system. Still, we try to avoid as many germs as possible. Reese was in the nursery Sunday morning and came down with her cold Sunday afternoon. There is plenty of unknowing sick germ sharing going on, I would not want to share germs on purpose. Yet we still find kids in the nursery when they are sick, bummer! So now we wait out this cold, warn others we are sicko, and try the nursery again when Reese is well.
