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!