Teething sucks!

Poor little Kate was not her jovial self this weekend. I think she may be one of the slowest teethers around; she still only has one tiny bottom tooth. Unfortunately, she now seems to be getting FOUR top teeth all at once!!! Why does it have to happen like that?! Teething must be so awful for them, and there's just not much you can do about it. We still had a nice weekend in the sunshine, but she was definitely more whiny and needy than usual. Hopefully, the teeth will pop out soon, and she'll just get ONE at a time from now on. Fingers crossed! Luckily, the onset of all these teeth is coinciding with my starting to ween her of breastfeeding. I'm positive she'll be a biter!

Amazing little minds!

Isn't it amazing how quickly babies pick up on language? I'm constantly surprised by how much Kate understands. Mostly (as the video shows) it's simple phrases and "where's......?" I'm astounded at how many words she knows, and how fast she learns them. They truly are little sponges, learning every moment of the day.

Kate turned 10 months yesterday! Double digits! She's started "cruising" around furniture, or trying to, at least. I'm finding that more confidence is meaning more bumps on the head. She's not very steady, but she's doing her best to get from point A to point B while still on her feet. She's in to EVERYTHING now, I can only imagine what it will be like when she's walking. She's also becoming quite the comedian. She's started laughing when she does things, rather than just when we do them, and is finding things funny because SHE thinks they are, instead of because we're laughing first. Yesterday, she discovered Hickory's ears and, apparently, they are hilarious! Not much else is new around here...we're supposed to have our warmest weather of the year this weekend, so we'll be playing outside. If it's sunny and warm in P.A., you take advantage of it!

The world is my jungle gym

Kate is one busy girl! The photos above were taken over three minutes, in which she climbed on the coffee table (taking everything off of it in the process), flipped through a book, climbed on her play saucer, ate Cheerios, chased the cat, climbed up my legs, crawled after the dog's water dish and stood by the sliding glass door so she could watch the cat outside. Whew! No wonder Ryan and I never sit down! I think it's fun, though, and I can usually hear when she's about to get into something she shouldn't because she starts giggling. She knows the word "no" now, but she chooses to understand it selectively. We're working on that. She's been sleeping really well at night and, no wonder, she must be exhausted after all the miles she covers during the day!

Ski to Sea

We went to Bellingham, WA (in the far northwest corner) for a big team race over Memorial Day weekend and, we're relieved and happy to say, the trip was a success!! The race went well but by "success" I actually mean Kate's behavior! We were more worried about that than the actual event because the logistics were not really baby-friendly. We had a long road trip over on Saturday (hence the photo of her in the carseat with her yummy road trip snacks!), a night in a hotel, had to get up at 4 Sun. morning, travel up Mt. Baker, wait hours for the race to start, pick up various teammates, drive and drive and drive some more, etc., etc. Through it all, she was fantastic!! We definitely didn't give her enough credit for her capacity to just roll with all the circumstances. She didn't melt down in the car, slept well in the hotel and seemed to really enjoy watching all the race activity. It helped that the weather was absolutely perfect. The race itself was really fun, and we got to see some country we haven't been to before. We were a team of 8, the race consisting of a cross country ski, downhill ski, run, road bike, canoe, mountain bike and kayak. We each did one leg, except for a tandem canoe. Ryan kicked things off with the skate ski and, despite the complete mayhem of over 400 racers jockeying for position, he finished in under 30 minutes (very fast). Our downhiller was fast as well, then I ran the 8 miles down Mt. Baker (my shins and quads are screaming today). After our road biker, we were in 37th place overall! We ended up a bit farther down, but we weren't in it to compete. Of course, since we were doing well, we're all now thinking "if only we had actually trained for the event...." It was a logistical nightmare but we're glad we did it, and everyone's already saying "well, NEXT year......" I think Kate would be up for it!

We love you Aunt Courtney!

Sending some extra special love to you, Aunt Courtney!!! Hope this makes you smile....I'm naked and CRAZY! Where's my champagne? :)

Saint Hickory

Hickory truely is a saint where Kate is concerned. She is SO gentle, and just lets Kate climb all over her. We often find Kate sitting right next to Hickory on her hair-covered bed (which is why, the next time any of you see Kate, she is likely to be slathered in hair...my disclaimer!) Hickory has always been good with her, but she is extra good now that Kate has started to eat big people food. Hickory thinks she's died and gone to heaven since Ryan and I don't give her "real" food, but Kate will. Hickory's on a constant hunt for dropped Cheerios. We've even caught her trying to lick Kate's face after she eats. Thanks for the help, Hicks, but that's where I have to draw the line. They just make such a funny pair, and I have visions of Kate toddling after Hickory's tail when she starts walking. All in all, Hickory is the perfect dog in many ways, but especially where a baby is concerned. She's Kate's biggest protector now, and won't let people or animals come near her when she doesn't know them. She's just so sweet, like a second momma!

Well, Kate's waking up, so it's time to start the day. We have nice weather again, so we'll spend most of it outside. Yesterday, after I taught my yoga class, a lady came up to me and asked if I was the "stroller girl" she sees down on the trail. Since we're about the sole jogging strollers in town, I think it's becoming our claim to fame!

Can't get enough cheese!

Kate has discovered something she likes almost as much as cats: cheese. She practically hyperventilates when she sees it coming. Usually, I can't break it up fast enough because she grabs hunks with both fists and just shoves them in her mouth. I had no idea she would be so obsessed. Yesterday, I put both bananas and mozzarella on her tray. She showed clear preference by methodically poking each one (presumably to see how sticky it was) and then ate every bit of cheese before moving on to bananas. Oh, the things that become wildly entertaining in the life of a mother! I thought it was pretty smart, though. It was like poking into all the chocolates in the box, to make sure you get the good ones first. I'm sure she'll do that, too, if only to make sure she lays claim to ALL of them before anyone else. This girl likes her food. Ryan and I are having visions of taking her to Italy: her sampling cheese and us sampling some vino!

Open Water

Kate has graduated to the "real" bath tub! I knew it was time to pack up her infant/toddler (well, it was SUPPOSED to be for toddlers) tub when she stood up and swung one leg over the edge, just like she was all ready to get out. She loved that little bath, so I was a bit worried that she'd be scared of all the space. What was I thinking?! She loves all the space. Her very favorite thing now is the drain, especially watching the water go down. She keeps sticking her finger in it as the water is being sucked down, and then pulling it out and laughing. I guess she's now scared of water. Can't wait to take her swimming!

Daddy's girl

Ryan dressed Kate in her new Mariners shirt today, so she's already to watch the game with daddy. Granted, the Mariners are pretty awful, but we've had fun rooting for our "home" team. We're taking Kate to a game for her 1st birthday. Since she has an Ichiro jersey, we've been chanting Ich-i-ro to her, just like they do in the games. She finds it wildy hilarious. When we're at her birthday game, we're thinking she'll love it when Ichiro comes up to bat because she'll think the whole stadium is chanting for her!

I'm earning a six-figure salary....

unfortunately, it's not real money. We heard on the news that someone calculated a stay-at-home parent's worth to be $122,000 per year. Who came up with this calculation, I wonder? Did they add the number of diapers changed plus the number of hours spent making weird noises just to get baby to laugh? Perhaps multiplied by the number of times reading baby's favorite story, number of baths given and time spent making baby food? Subtracting time spent attempting to cook and clean? And definitely divided by the time spent worrying that you're doing everything right? Who knows, but it sure would be nice to have that money! I'd like to see a calculation for working parents, because their job definitely does end when their work day is over. At any rate (yes, pun intended), I feel lucky to be able to stay home with Kate and I know I am incredibly fortunate to do so. I don't feel like I'm "working," but something sure makes me tired by the end of the day!

We've had a nice day up here. It's SUNNY in P.A. and Ryan isn't working today, so we all went running together and spent time outside. Tonight we may even barbeque for the first time this year...summer's coming!!!

From here to there....

It's hard to believe we've come from the top photo to the bottom in nine quick months! They have flown by so incredibly fast. The top picture was taken the day before Kate was born and, oh my, how little we knew about how life was about to change. And to think I was actually worried that I wouldn't know when I was really in labor (cue hysterical laughter). Kate definitely let me know when she wanted out and, thinking back on it now, she actually let me know a lot about her personality from the womb. Our midwife called her "authoritative" before she even came out, based on the way she kicked (punched?) at the heart rate monitor every month without fail. The nurses at the hospital when I was all hooked up for a non-stress test said "my she's an active one." I remember Ryan saying, "you mean more active than most others?" and they all nodded and said "well, yes, she's moving quite A LOT." It all makes sense now that we've met this determined, funny, authoritative and ACTIVE girl. When I'm pregnant again, I'll definitely pay attention to the in utero personality....I think it's a pretty good predictor of things to come!

Pictures on the fridge...

otherwise known as "how I get anything done in the kitchen." Taping photos to the bottom of the refridgerator is my lastest (and greatest) way to entertain and contain Kate. There's a big cat, a picture of Hickory and a picture of herself, and they never cease to excite her. I'm equally excited because I can now actually cook or do the dishes with the little wild woman in my sights. I recommend it to all the mothers out there! In other Kate news, she had her second Kindermusic class yesterday and she LOVES it. It's all music and dancing, and she gets a big kick out of all the other kids. Most of the other kids are over a year and walking, and I can just see Kate's wheels turning. She stares them down as they walk by, clearing pondering just how come SHE can't do that. Her most favorite part is drumming, which is only slightly frightening as Ryan and I commented recently that if Kate were to play an instrument she'd probably go for the drums. Hopefully, she can get her drumming fix in the class....no gift ideas, grandparents!!!

More, please!

Kate did her first sign yesterday! She signed "more" for more food. The first picture is her making the sign (it's tapping your fingers together) and the second is how proud she is that it worked, and that she did indeed get "more" when she asked. I'm so happy she's starting to sign. We're really hoping that it will help her communicate before she can speak, and cut down on the frustration of not being understood. Plus, it's fun to learn along with her!

Will she give us gray hair??

Kate has Ryan and I a tad worried that we're headed for premature graying....do we have a party girl in the making? She's taken to "sprinting" (well, crawling really fast) toward the refridgerator so she can go after the Guinness on the bottom shelf. She likes to take one out and gum it quite intensely. Perhaps its because she's teething or, perhaps, she's showing an early taste for the pub life. We did decorate her room in vintage Guinness posters, so I suppose we're asking for it. Oh well, we figure she's going to be one fun little lady and, as they say, "well behaved women rarely make history."

Love this age!

I must say that Kate at 9 months is my favorite Kate so far! Of course, every month has been an adventure and perfect in its own way, but it's so fun to watch her now that she is more mobile and communicative. Her personality is coming out more and more each day, and it's amazing to watch. She can understand many words and phrases now, which makes "talking" with her infinitely easier. She's starting to really take to sign language and, though she can't do it yet (supposedly that comes closer to a year as dexterity increases), she definitely understands many of them. Her favorites are cat (surprise, surprise), milk and 'daddy's home.' I love signing 'daddy's home' and watching her go towards the door while pracitcally hyperventilating with excitement. I think it must be a great part of Ryan's day. What's better than having someone SO incredibly excited to see you every time you walk in the door?

Love that laugh!

There truly is no better sound in the world than a baby laughing. Kate will get hysterical over the oddest things, but she always has Ryan and I in stitches whenever she gets going. We have quite the video of me making "oinking" pig noises while Kate is bowled over....perhaps, I'll keep that one to myself. Currently, any kind of hiding game seems to tickle her. I hide many, many times a day just to hear that sweet baby sound.

Unrequited Love

Kate is absolutely enamored with our cat, Frank, which is ironic since the cat is the one being in our household who wants nothing to do with her. Nonetheless, Kate works her hardest to "make friends" each day. She says "cca" whenever she sees Frank or any other cat, real or in an image. She even saw a TINY dog the other day and, delighted, squealed "CCCCA!" We're calling that her first word of sorts, even though she hasn't got the 't' part down yet. Frank was Kate's inspiration to start crawling. Kate saw Frank lying in the sun across the room and, slowly but surely, she crawled all the way to her, saying "cca," "cca" the whole way there. Unfortunately for Frank, Kate got much faster after that and now Frank has no refuges of safety. We're trying to teach Kate "gentle," but I can't say she's taking to the idea quite yet. To my dismay (well, not really), Kate says "gug" when she sees our dog, "da, da" to Ryan and to me....nothing. I say "ma ma, ma ma" and she just looks at me, smiles, and says: "cca." Someday!

Baby food rant....

After a lot of trial and error in the solid food department, Kate's now up to three meals a day and is learning all about the world of finger foods. As she still only has one tooth that's only halfway up, she's getting quite good at mashing with her gums! Her food repertoire is increasing and, as it does, I'm finding myself more and more annoyed by commercial baby foods. I've been making most of her foods, which I've found is not all the hard, plus I like knowing exactly what's in her food. I do buy some jars, though, of foods/combinations that don't freeze well or just don't make much economical sense to make (prunes, for instance). I like the Earth's Best Organic brand, since it doesn't have additives. I read the labels carefully, and I'm shocked about how many additives are in baby food, even well-known name brands and organics. 'Yo Baby' yogurt, for instance, has sugar and coloring. What baby cares about the color of their yogurt?? Not Kate, I know. She happily eats plain, whole milk yogurt, with or without a fruit or veggie mixed in, which shows me she definitely does not need added sugar. Now that Kate's on to finger foods, it's even more shocking. I've given her things like bananas and cheese, but it's still hard for her to pick those up, so something crunchy, yet easily dissolved would be nice. The options are the store seems to be Gerber "Puffs" and "Crunchies," which have a long list of ingredients including sugar and salt. "Puffs" also have wheat, which we're avoiding for the first year, since it's allergenic and Kate has severe eczema. I'm not trying to be a food Nazi, and I'm not saying I won't let her have these things, I just think it's so unnecessary to add so much to baby food. I'm trying new ideas each day, but I'd welcome any suggestions! Sorry for the rant...it's just annoying me to no end!

Kate's first race!

Kate did her first race today (her first outside the womb, that is). She did a 10k (6.2 miles) in 45 min. 8 sec., which was a PR for mommy by three minutes! Thanks to Ryan for running at my pace. Kate has run in the BOB stroller (the best invention EVER) most days since she was two weeks old, so she's been in training quite a long time. Normally, and by that I mean ALWAYS, Kate takes her nap on our runs. Today, however, she was very interested in all the runners before the race. I guess she was sizing up the competition because she would not fall asleep. She fussed until we took her top down so she could get a full view of the race. I guess she just wanted to bask in her first competitive event...could we have a little athlete to follow in daddy's footsteps? I suppose we'll have to wait until at least until she walks to find out...: )

Who me?

I'm getting this look a lot lately...sort of a "who me?" when I say "no" or "be careful." I've had to say these things a lot more now that Kate is into absolutely everything. She has toys galore, but all she seems interested in is anything with sharp edges, or the cat food, dog's water, the toilet, etc., etc. I'm learning daily the importance of choosing my battles, which is why, unless it's truly dangerous, I'm letting her have the run of the place. It's also why she is almost always barefoot, is likely to have a bit of her previous meal smeared somewhere on her body and has started sleeping on her stomach. I've stopped obsessing about the cleanliness of every little thing and have given into her love of my keys, packages of baby wipes and measuring cups. I comfort myself by thinking she's just building up some good immunity, and, as she is yet to be sick, perhaps a more relaxed approach is not all that bad. I'm learning that I can't be a "'perfect" parent with an always pristine child, but we're having more fun each day and I'm learning that fun is much more important than sanitizing every corner of the house. Speaking of fun, we're off to enjoy the park as it's a nice, sunny day in P.A.!