One year check-up!

Well, the party was over for little Kate yesterday since she had to visit the doctor and get some shots. Up until now, she hasn't really minded the shots too much. This time, however, she did not like them AT ALL. She recovered fairly quickly in the doctor's office (thanks to Ryan, who danced around and made her laugh), but she melted down again as soon as we left (and daddy went back to work). Without Ryan to dance, all I could do was hold the poor little one, who kept pointing at her band aids and crying. It took her awhile, but she made it back to her happy self, helped, I think, by the removal of the band aids. Next time I'm just taking them off right away so she has no reminder of the evil shots! Other than the jabs, the doctor said she was completely healthy and developing perfectly. She is still top of the charts in head size (nice, big brain!) :) She had grown three inches (28.75 in.) and gained three pounds (21+ lbs) since her 9 months appointment. So, grandparents, we were all right when we commented that she looked longer!

Birthday extravaganza!

Well, Kate did indeed enjoy her first birthday! She woke up to balloons--always a hit, although she got mad every time they floated away from her. She enjoyed opening presents (which we did in stages to prolong the joy!) and, of course, she liked the wrapping nearly as much as the gifts. She played with each new toy and seemed quite thrilled to have something she'd not seen a million times before. She got a few new books, which she liked and which mommy and daddy will definitely like since WE'VE read her others a millions times before! I made her carrot cake cupcakes, and she ate them happily, although she didn't want to get her fingers sticky. She threw her arms back and gobbled it up, as long as we fed it to her. A true princess, I suppose. She also seemed to love hearing 'Happy Birthday' sung to her, not because she knew what it meant, but because she was the center of attention (as always!) It was a hot, hot day, so we went to the water, which is usual for us these days! What a difference a year makes...our baby really is growing up. I'm sure it will be her second birthday before we know it!

Our baby is one!

Boy, those toes are tasty!!!

Happy Birthday, little lady! We can't believe Kate's already one! Time has flown by so fast, but we are fortunate to have experienced a lot and we'll remember every moment. These pictures were taken just a couple days ago, and when I saw it, it struck me that our baby is looking more and more like a toddler. She really is growing up, and becoming a more silly toe-eater by the day!! We're planning to let her tear through presents and smush cake today, so more photos are to come.... We love you dearly Kate! You are one treasured child.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

We've had a great day celebrating Grandma Starla's birthday! One year ago today, we were all absolutely convinced that Kate would share her grandma's birthday. I went into labor at 5 a.m., so we had no doubt. Kate, however, had other plans. She waited until 12:2o a.m. on the 28th to make her appearance, so we decided she just wanted her own day. Now that we've met her, we are POSITIVE she wanted her own day! It's all for the best since we get to celebrate two days in a row now!

We spent grandma's hot and sunny birthday out at Lake Crescent, splashing in the water and tossing sticks for Hickory. It was so warm that the water actually felt nice (although the grown-ups only went in to our ankles; Kate was all the way in it). She's gotten more brave than she was on our last visit, as she tried to crawl out to deeper water this time. We told her it would be soon enough before she was jumping off the dock with the big kids. After a picnic lunch, we came back and Kate was asleep as soon as she hit the carseat!

Fun with the grandparents!!!

So far, so good with the grandparents' visit! We've all been having a blast, especially Kate since she is the center of attention to even more people now. We've played out in the back yard quite a bit and she's tested out the swing that Ryan built; it definitely meets with her approval! She's already opened a couple gifts...more to come, I'm sure. We went to the game yesterday and, even though the Mariners were positively horrendous (were losing 10-0 when we left in the 8th inning), we had a great time. It was really hot, so Kate spent most of the game wandering the stadium with her grandmas. She enjoyed all the people-watching, especially the kids, and eventually tired herself out enough to take a nap. She was awake and alert for her Happy Birthday message on the scoreboard, and we cheered for her even though she had no idea why (she's never one to refuse cheering!) Our seats were fantastic, and it's definitely a birthday the rest of us won't forget. Today we went to downtown P.A. to an arts festival, with some sandcastle sculptures. They were quite amazing, but we all agreed that they should sell tickets which allowed you to just jump all over them when the festival was over....so tempting to just run up and squish them! We resisted, though, and behaved ourselves. Well, as much as we ever do.... Tomorrow is Grandma Starla's birthday, and we're planning on heading out to Lake Crescent to play in the water. I'm sorry to say the Grandma's birthday has been mildly overshadowed by Kate's impending day :), but we want her to know that we all love her dearly and that she is a VERY important person to us all!!!

Budding musician

I forgot to post the piano playing video....quite obviously, she's got real promise! :) And to Aunt Courtney: YES, Kate did indeed get on a horse. I think Grandpa Bill was quite excited to think she may be a wee cowgirl in the making!! And, PS, we MISS you!!!!!

One week until Kate's big birthday!!

I can't believe Kate will be one in just a week. I think she's already started celebrating because she had a blast on our trip. We got back yesterday, and it was definitely a jam-packed five days. We went to my dad's for a night first, and Kate had fun playing (banging?) on the piano and, well, basically doing the same thing to the guitar. She liked playing the piano while my dad played the guitar so we're thinking she's already joined her first band! We went out to dinner and she laughed the entire time because she tried to "feed" her grandpa. He obliged, pretending to gobble up whatever she was offering and now she just holds her hand out and starts laughing whenever she sees him. After a night in Portland, we were off to Bend, where we spent about 90% of the time outside. It was really hot, but Kate didn't seem to mind a bit. Grandma Connie had set up a little "park" in the yard, complete with slides and "water features" (AKA big buckets of water), and it provided hours upon hours of entertainment. My cousin's wedding was fantastic and, as it was all outdoors, Kate was very well-behaved. Her great-grandma Helen kept offering (or, maybe, threatening) to steal her for the next few years, and I'm pretty sure she would have made good on it if she could have found a way to smuggle Kate out! My mom took tons more photos than I did, so I'm sure I'll be posting more soon....

The fun is definitely not ending this week, as Grandma Starla and Grandpa Bob arrive tomorrow. Then Grandma Connie comes on Thursday, and then we all meet Grandpa Mac at the Mariners game on Saturday! We even got a Happy Birthday message for Kate that will run on the scoreboard at the game. We'll cheer and take a picture for her so, someday, she knows she had quite the first birthday! As her real birthday isn't until Tuesday, I'd say she's definitely doing it up right and turning one in grand style!

We're off again!

Kate and I leave tomorrow morning for a trip down to Bend, to attend my cousin's wedding. Ryan can't come this time, which is sad...I know I'll miss him on the trip AND on the drive down there. This is our first trip since Kate has been sleeping all the way through the night so, fingers crossed, it will be a nice, restful trip. We're looking forward to some warm weather and playing with all the toys I'm sure Grandma Connie has stockpiled for Kate! :)

Wanting what we don't have...

must be hard-wired into our DNA. I notice it all the time with Kate: whatever she doesn't have, she craves, but when she gets what she wants, she's already onto the next thing. All the moms in baby group laugh because the babies spend the entire time stealing toys from eachother, and then immediately trying to get back the one they just had. The funniest for me, though, is whenever we let Hickory outside; Hickory comes right back and wants in, while Kate stares longingly outside, wanting nothing more than to get out there. Guess we can't help wishing for all the things we don't already have!

Yet more swimming...

Do you sense a theme here? The weather has remained lovely, so Kate has spent most of the time in her pool. As Ryan said, "the best $10 we've spent." She still loves it just as much as the first time and, yes, still throws massive fits whenever we go inside. If she had her way, she'd be naked and living outside. We've had to break it to her that she lives in the Northwest, so nudist activities are quite limited. We'll take advantage as long as possible, though!

Strawberries galore!

Kate went on her first berry picking expedition today and collected LOTS of strawberries. Six pounds to be exact! We even through caution to the wind and let her eat some...despite not yet being one (the recommended strawberry-eating age), she seems to have survived. We fed them to her while she was skinny dipping in the pool, which was fortunate since she made quite the mess. I kept catching glimpses of red afterwards and feeling a moment of panic since it looked like blood; when she licked the spots, though, I was reminded that she was not injured and has, apparently, discovered that strawberries are as good (and safe) as all the other ones she already eats. Our next farm mission: blueberries!

We also took an amazing trip to the beach in Port Townsend on Friday. Of course, I forgot my camera, but I can attest that Kate and the beach are a great combination. She laughed when her feet hit the sand, and just kept cracking up whenever she ran sand through her fingers. Her other beach favorites were all the kites, especially one with a big Barbie face....hmmm....wonder what that says about her? :)

Fun with daddy...

This is what happens when you get on the floor in our house; you're an instant jungle gym! So much for trying to stretch or do some ab work. Her 20+ pounds make for a pretty good push-up alternative, though! Hickory tries to get on the action too, but she's not quite sure what's going on. It's usually just a tangle of baby, parents and animals!

A wet weekend...

In Port Angeles, a "wet weekend" would normally refer to the weather, but this weekend it meant lots and lots of swimming! Ryan got Kate a wading pool and she took to it just like the lake. By day three, she'd already graduated to skinny dipping. We actually think she likes open water even better than the still pool, because she really likes it when we make "waves" in the water and she loves getting splashed (or splashing everyone and everything else!) She took one face-plant, but only cried for a minute and then wanted right back in. I'm glad she's not afraid, but she's REALLY not afraid. I half expected her to stick her head right under and start blowing bubbles....next weekend, perhaps... It was a fun weekend in the fun for all of us; Ryan and I commented that we NEVER thought we'd be out in our swimsuits in P.A.!

Lake Crescent

We had beautiful, warm weather today so we took a trip to Lake Crescent. It's an enormous, gorgeous lake that is only about 30 minutes from our house. There's an old, restored lodge with a sun porch that sits right on the water, and is the perfect place to sit in the sunshine and watch the water. Kate had her first swimsuit experience, and she is definitely a water baby! She loved the water and the rocks, and probably would have sat there all day, just letting the water lap around her. There were boats, swimmers and dogs so she didn't lack for exciting scenery. She even made a couple new friends. All in all, a successful first "swim" in the lake!

Kate's corner

One of my favorite things that Kate does is play by herself in this little corner of our kitchen. She has "her" shelf with books and toys, and she busies herself well. There's something about watching her "read" and explore when she doesn't know I can see her that makes me so proud of her. She sits a lot now and flips through books while babbling away, almost like she really is reading to herself. It's nice that she's learning to play independently...especially since it allows me to get a few things done and Ryan and I to have an actual adult conversation every once in awhile!