Retka Christmas Letter 2010

Friends and Family,

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Holiday season and hope this holiday message finds you in good health and spirit !! We are very thankful for the blessing you all are in our lives!

I know that I am in the holiday spirit, even though the cold weather means I miss my daily walk to the park and see very few trips the dog park. But that has given me the extra time to write the Retka family Christmas letter share with you the many happenings in our pack this year.

This year has been an action packed run from the start as we welcomed a new member to our pack on New Year's day when Myah Jane-Hildegarde was born. I was very excited to have a new sister and also someone below me on the food chain in the house. However, I very quickly learned that I was still at the bottom, as Josh and Katy poured themselves into taking care of Myah and adjusting to parent hood.

Myah has grown very quickly over the past year, from being able to sleep a full night, to crawling over the top of me and around the house like a maniac, to taking her first few solo steps. She is an amazing pup, she is always smiling, laughing, and making all of us do the same. I am thrilled with her most recent discovery (thinking that it is funny to throw her dinner on the floor)!

I have very much enjoyed seeing Katy and Josh grow as parents. They were pretty nervous in the start, but now they take most things in stride. It is great to see that my training  paid off.


Some other changes have happened this year. In June, Katy started a new job working part-time in Organizational Effectiveness in the HR business unit at Target. This has been a fantastic fit for Katy professionally and has allowed the whole family a little more balance in their weekly schedule. This also means that I get to out of my usual den (the basement) on Mondays and Fridays !

Josh continues to search endlessly ( and talk endlessly) about finding his true calling, but is fortunate to have completed his 3rd year with Ingenix Consulting. He has spent his past 2 years supporting the Medicare Sales Operations division with United Health and has found a little passion when it comes to discussing health care reform, but please don't get him started - he'll be barking about it all night :)

That is most of the highlights from the Retka pack in 2010. If you are in the Chaska neck of the woods and want to stop by to take me for a walk or just visit, you are all welcome.

Again we wish you are a joyous Holiday and a Happy New Year !!

Love ,

Addie, Myah, Katy, and Josh Retka

Looking Back on Fall and Looking Forward to the Holidays!

Fall is such a beautiful time of year in Minnesota. It was such a treat to spend this fall with our beautiful little girl, Ms. Myah. In the last month has been become increasing mobile and is able to pull herself up on anything and everything around the house. She gets around really well and even goes up the stairs without any hesitation. She is also eating all of the same food we eat for the most part, which makes life easier around supper time, since she's also feeding herself. It's a pretty sloppy ordeal, but she manages to get most of the food in her mouth!

Most of our days at home are filled with 2 of her favorite activities- learning how to walk and reading books. Myah is now able to grab unto her walker toy and push it across the room. She falls a few times but is pretty determined to make it across the room. Myah has taken a surprising liking to books in the last month. She has her favorites, mostly touch n' feel books and flip-flap books! She will grab a book and crawl or cruise over, sit on my lap, and signal for me to read to her. It's really fun to see her engaged in the books, but, I must say I've memorized at least 4 of her books! :)

Myah has also started saying 'Mama' and 'Dada' and can identify both of us, Addie, and her Monkey. Tonight I asked her where her monkey was and she actually pointed at it instead of just glancing at it. Cute!

In the last month, Myah enjoyed her time at her Uncle Eric and Aunt Katie's wedding. They were married on 16th of October and it was a gorgeous day! Myah made it for the family pictures and then hung out in the nursery for the wedding. After the wedding, our family headed to the cabin where we enjoyed some quality time as an immediate family and later were joined by Grandma and Grandpa Olsen.


Of course, Myah celebrated her First Halloween! She was a kitty cat. It was a fun day. Myah's Grandparents came over, as well as her friend, Kaitlynn. We had about 100 trick-or-treaters before Myah headed to bed at 7pm.



We are looking forward to the upcoming month. This Thursday we will celebrate Myah's First Thanksgiving and soon we will celebrate her first Christmas. I can't wait to see how she responds to Santa Claus at the mall. That should be interesting.

Also, coming up in the next month is her 1st Birthday. It's hard to believe that I was nearly 9 months pregnant at this time last year! Wow!

Myah's First Twins Game

Myah attended her first Twins Game on Friday Night! Grandma Jeneal's school went to the game and Myah, Josh, and I were invited as special guests :) Myah made it about 5 innings, not too bad. She passed out the second we got into the car.

This is one of the many firsts Myah will have that will make her a true Minnesotan! Go Twins!


Mom, Dad, and Myah on the way into the game :)

Myah got to ride on Grandpa Tom's shoulders into the game - pretty good view from up there!

Summer Fades Into Fall!

To celebrate the end of the summer, Myah, Josh, and I headed to the cabin to catch the few last days of warmth and sunshine. Myah enjoyed spending time with her Grandma and Grandpa Olsen.



In celebration of fall, her friend, Kaitlynn, came over and offered Myah a wagon ride! Here is a picture of their last ride together.




In addition to making friends and hanging out with her Grandparents, the 2 of us spent some great time together on Thursdays and Fridays. We spent many afternoons on long walks and hanging out in the swimming pool!





I know that I say this almost every time I blog, but it absolutely amazing to me how quickly our little baby is growing up. She is crawling like a champ. It is so funny to watch her because she moves soooo fast. One minute she's sitting next to me in the kitchen and the next she is on the other side of the living room. She certainly knows how to bust a move and usually does so with a big smile on her face - she's so proud of herself. She's also pulling herself up on anything and everything that comes in her way - chairs, couches, tables, dogs... :) Addie continues to look exhausted as she watches Myah make her way around the house. The other new thing that Myah is doing is waving 'hi'. She waves 'hi' to the dog, us, the garage, and when she's done eating.... I think she thinks it's the sign for 'All Done' :)

Josh, Myah, and I are looking forward to the upcoming month! On October 16th all 3 of us will be attending my brother's and Katie's wedding! Josh and I will play a pretty active role in the wedding, as he is the Best Man, and I am one of the Bridesmaids. We are excited for the big event and for Ms. Myah to attend her 1st wedding.

Also, we look forward to the fall weather! Hopefully the cool, crisp air brings many nights of full sleep for all! :)

Myah Turns 6 Months Old!

It's hard to believe that our little baby girl is growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital... and now she is 6 months old.

Myah continues to change and grow every day! She is rolling like crazy and is even starting to scoot/crawl a little bit, too. She has started to eat some solid foods like rice cereal and oatmeal. Some of her favorite fruits and veggies are carrots, sweet potatoes and bananas. She has not been a huge fan of pears, apples, green beans, or peas, but we're working on it :) Luckily, she's a pretty good eater and eats at least some of her meal twice a day.

Myah also has 2 teeth and 2 more on their way. She was such a good girl when they were coming in, too. She was little crankier than normal, but overall the new teeth didn't affect her as much as we expected. We were especially thankful that all went well with the teething because she also got her 3rd double ear infection at the same time the teeth came in. I am guessing that they will probably suggest putting tubes in her ears at some point soon if this keeps up.

Myah has been an outdoor baby. She likes to be outside and get some fresh air. At night, we typically take her to the baby swings near our house for a fun little ride. She also got some GREAT exposure to the outdoors over the past week.

Josh and I took off the week of the 4th of July. It was so wonderful to spend time as a family and with our parents. First, we went up to the cabin with the Olsens, took some great pontoon rides, bike rides, played some golf and went kayaking. We also took a day trip to Hayward and visited the FIRST Famous Dave's! It was great and really delicious. Once we returned to the cities, we took a day trip to Como Zoo. Myah loved the Butterfly Exhibit, it was very colorful and there were lots of moving butterflies, so she was very entertained! We also took a trip down to Courtland to visit Grandma Retka. We had a nice time going out for lunch and relaxing in the sun room.

Now that our vacation is nearly over, we look forward to the weeks ahead. There is lots to look forward to, especially since I moved to part-time position at Target. I'm loving my new job in the Organizational Effectiveness area. My main job responsibilities will include consulting and delivering trainings that support our finance area. I work 3 days a week and will have 4 days a week with Myah. I am so thankful for this opportunity.

Due to the changes in my job, we also needed to switch up Myah's daycare routine. Her last day at the Montessori School was on July 2nd. We recently found a new daycare provider that has a daycare at her home. We are really excited for Myah to go to the daycare because there are only 4 children at this daycare, and 3 of them are little girls her age. So,she can hopefully make some fun little friends in the upcoming months.

Last but not least, I am happy to announce, that our Ms. Myah has been sleeping through the night, most nights. She goes down around 7 or 8pm and gets up between 6 and 7am. This new routine has put a little extra pep in our step :) It's nice to be able to get a little more rest each night and know that she is also getting better sleep!

Well, that's it for now! I hope all of you are also having a wonderful summer. I will try to post another photo album on the site, too with more pictures!

Love, Katy, Josh, Myah, and Addie

Summer Fun!

So much has happened since our last blog. Myah continues to take in the world around. She is increasingly aware of her surroundings and can hardly stop rolling over.... although she only rolls to her right and not her left. She has started eating rice cereal eagerly and grabs the spoon out of my hand and puts it in her mouth without a 2nd thought. Our little infant is becoming a rolling, alert, and happy little baby.

Over the last month we've had a lot of fun with Myah and as a couple. Josh and I have had some fun dates. For Mother's Day Josh took me to a Twins Game and out for breakfast. It was great to see Target Field up close and person. We also celebrated our 3 day wedding anniversary the following weekend by taking an overnight trip to Stillwater. Grandma and Grandpa Olsen took her overnight! She did really well!

Myah also was baptized in the last month! It was a beautiful ceremony and Pastor Susan (the same pastor that married us) baptized her. Myah had her own cheering section that consisted of our extended family and faith group from church, as well as a few close friends. Josh's sister, Becky, flew in for the occasion. It was great to see Becky and her little Brady. They stayed with us for a few days, so we were able to not only catch up, but pass along a nasty ear and sinus infection/flu from Myah to them!

Myah's Godparents, Eric and Katie, also spent some quality time with Myah at the Olsen Family cabin over Memorial Day Weekend. Over the weekend Myah took her first pontoon ride and her first swim. The pontoon ride was much better received :) The water was a little chilly and Myah didn't appreciate the unexpected chill of the water.

Myah's Firsts

Ms. Myah continues to change each day! It's been fun to watch her as she takes in the world around her. She continues to be increasingly aware of her surroundings, people, babies, and dogs! Addie and Myah continue to bond, Myah seems to like to touch/pet Addie a little bit, too.

Some of Myah's new tricks include: giggling, giving kisses, and rolling over. She actually rolled over from her back to her fromt for the 1st time this morning. She's been rolling from her front to her back for a few weeks!

A few big events have occurred in the last month of Myah's life.
1)Her first Easter. On Easter Sunday we headed to church and down to Courtland for Myah's first visit to Grandma and Grandpa Retka's! She dressed up in her new Easter dress and looked pretty cute :)

2)Her first day at daycare. I returned back to work on April 9th and Myah has been going to the Montessori School in Chaska. She seems like it and is getting into a good nap routine. I have been enjoying work, although going through most of the common seperation anxiety that new moms going though.

3) The first get together with all 10 Clover Ridge Babies. Baby #10 was born in mid-March. All 10 babies came over to our house last Saturday. It's crazy how quickly they are growing up!

In the next few weeks life should be pretty 'normal' around here as we settle into our new routines. Hopefully one of her firsts is sleeping though the night in the next month or so. Mom and Dad would love that!

Myah sends you all a big, wet kiss.

Myah Makes Her TV and Newspaper Debut!

Ms. Myah and her Baby Boomer friends have been getting a lot of attention. Myah and the other 8 babies were featured on Kare 11 last Friday night and the Chaska Herald today. Here is the link to the Chaska Herald Article: (http://www.chaskaherald.com/news/births/baby-boom-clover-ridge-regular-stop-storks-route-103)

Myah is growing up so fast and making small new discoveries everyday. Today she found her feet. She was pretty impressed with them and kept touching her hands to her toes. She has also been paying a little more attention to Addie. She has been 'petting' her and looking at her. I think that Addie may be in love with Myah. She sits by her playmat and looks at Myah with loving eyes and sighs. Once in awhile, she'll try to lick her in her mouth, too... so we are trying to definitely avoid that!!!!

Myah spent some good quality time with her Great-Grandparents this week. First, Myah and I a really nice visit with Great-Grandma and Grandpa Olsen. Grandma Jane babysat her for about an hour for me, which was great! Myah found some interest in a little Donald Duck dancing figure and bobbed her head a long to the music. Secondly, we visited Hilde. Grandma Hilde is still at the nursing home and just appreciated the visit from her Great-Grandaughter. All in all, it's been a pretty good week!!!

Myah's 2 months old (and then some)

It's hard to believe that Myah is turning 10 weeks old this Friday! We've had an awesome time getting to know her and watching her change before our eyes. Right now her favorite things to do are: 1) sit in her bouncer 2) lay on her playmat and look at all of the objects that hang down 3) ride around in her car seat and visit family & friends 4) eat and eat some more 5)sleep, but only once in awhile. This is pretty much what our average weeks consist of.

Last Friday, Myah had her 2 month check-up. The doctor was pleased with her progress. She weighed in at 12lbs 11oz and was nearly 24 inches long. This puts her in the 90th percentile for weight and 95th for height. Holy cow!

Last weekend, Myah met all of the Olsens at a little get-together. Everyone enjoyed holding her and playing with her. She did pretty well and even had enough energy left to visit her Great-Grandma Hilde in the hospital on Sunday night. Sadly, my Grandma Hilde fell and broke both of her knees early on Sunday AM. It's been tough on the family, as we know that her quality of life will be affected greatly and that living on her own in the future is not highly likely. She moved into a nursing home late yesterday instead of going back to her apartment. Myah and I will need to go and visit to make sure that she's settling in quickly.

In the upcoming week Myah's focus will be on getting stronger during tummy time. Right now, it is probably her least favorite activity, so we're working on it :) We will also work on napping her more and more, she is just a little cat napper during the day. I have a rare picture of her asleep during the day attached to this blog update :)

Hope all is well! Katy

Myah's 1st Trip to the Cabin and Vday

Myah made her 1st time up to the cabin the weekend over Valentine's Day. She did really well in the car and slept most of the way there. At the cabin, she did a great job relaxing and keeping everyone entertained with her new trick (her smile). On Saturday, her Great-Aunt Kris and Great-Uncle Don stopped by to visit, too.

Valentine's Day started off nice and relaxing. Josh and I had been out the night before to celebrate and we started the morning off with waffles. Myah put on her new bib and enjoyed her company. That evening, the Noro Virus hit both Josh and me. Luckily, Josh made it home. Myah and I were still at the cabin with my mom who thankfully was able to take care of Myah through the night, while I slept on the bathroom floor. Thank god for moms!!!! Myah never got the full extent of the Noro Virus, but was pretty cranky last week, so we're guessing she felt under the weather, too.

It took a little over a week, but Josh and I are finally starting to feel normal again. One thing we learned this week is that we will not ever get sick at the same time again :) (Ok, that might not be possible, but we don't wish it on anyone) :)

This week Myah is planning to make some special appearances at both United Health Group and Target! We are excited to introduce her to our friends at work.

Addie is still adjusting pretty well to Myah. She is just not herself, though, as she adjusts to sharing attention with her new little sister. She still gets her daily walk and is getting a few extra treats to help with the transition :)

Hope all is well.

Myah Smiles For the 1st Time

It's a moment every new parent dreams about, their baby's first smile. Myah smiled for the 1st time last Sunday! What a cutie! She has been smiling a lot more this week, especially since it appears that we finally have her reflux esophagusatis under control. Last Friday the doctor put her on some baby prevacid and tylenol and she is doing so much better.

Myah had a pretty exciting weekend! She had a Baby Shower on Saturday thrown in her honor! She received lots of adorable girlie girl clothes from my mom's side of the family! On Sunday we also took her a Super Bowl party where she met her new friend, Fiona Wilson. The 2 sat in their bouncers and enjoyed staring at the ceiling fan instead of the game. :) Myah and I also met up with Fiona on Tuesday to walk around the MOA. Myah did a great job hanging out in the stroller and even let me go out for a nice lunch at the Twin Cities Grill with Molly. On Monday, also got to hang out with the other babies born during the Clover Ridge Baby Boom. So far, 7 of the 10 babies have been born. Myah is #5 of the 10. All 10 babies were lucky enough to have our neighbor make them the onesies that they are wearing in this picture. Keep posted on the Clover Ridge Baby Boom, as there may be a Kare 11 special on our neighborhood babies in the upcoming months!

This weekend Myah will be headed to the cabin for her first visit! Should be a relaxing weekend for the Retkas. Josh and I are looking forward to a night out and plan to celebrate Valentine's Day at Bistro 63, a few miles from the cabin!

Katy

Highlights from Myah's 1st Month

It's hard to believe Myah is already a month old. Thanks to all of you who have visited Myah and sent warm thoughts via email and cards.

Here are some highlights from Myah's First Month.

Thanks! Katy

My new favorite Myah Pic

My new favorite Myah pic. 

Myah is getting more and more settled in each day. Over the last week, Josh went back to work. All 3 of us girls (Addie included) have been adjusting to life at home.

Myah had a lot of visitors last week which kept me and Addie entertained. The Retka grandparents stopped by for a visit. Grandma Sharon and Myah spent some quality time together while I did a few errands.

Addie has been a little extra protective of our family since Myah arrived and barks at passers by each day, just make sure that they know that she's on guard. You can see that this is taking a toll on her (pic below).

Last Friday we also learned that Myah has a little bit of 'reflux'. It is really common for babies to have reflux and it typically goes away after about 6 months. This has not deterred her from eating her full portions, as she weighed in at 9lbs 5oz last Friday, up 1.5lbs since birth. Go Myah!

Josh and I have tried to get back into our routine as much as possible. We went to Trader Joe's on Saturday to do some grocery shopping and watched the Vikes lose on Sunday :(

Josh and I are also trying to get out and do some activities solo and as a couple. Josh went to the Vikes game last Sunday and I went out to lunch with my friend, Cristina, this Sunday. Next Saturday we have a date night while the Olsen grandparents babysit. Should be fun!

Myah's Adventures!

Well, Myah had an exciting week of 'firsts'.

She had her first bath. We had given her some sponge baths the first week, but needed to wait for her umbilical cord to fall out before giving her a 'real' bath. She seemed to actually enjoy the bath and getting squeaky clean!

Myah also met her Great-Grandma Hildegarde for the first time. My grandma, mom, Myah and me took a 4 generation picture. Myah slept in her Great-Grandma's arms for the entire visit. Although fast asleep, Myah received a lot of attention from the people working and living at the assisted living center, too.

Lastly, Myah celebrated her Grandpa Olsen's Birthday. It was a pretty low key celebration, but Myah was awake for most it. She gave her Grandpa a special present just from her, too. You can ask my Dad about that later :)

Hope you're all having a good week! Katy