Baby Kate... How I love thee...

Baby Kate wakes up smiling and very quietly plays with her hands and feet until I awake next to her... this morning, Pat apologized for waking me as he leaned over to play with Baby Kate... he said he couldn't resist... I knew exactly what he was talking about... her smile that lures you in... her bright blue eyes staring longingly at you to interact with her... Baby Kate is the happiest baby I have ever met... she is so content with watching what is going on around her... she only mildly complains when she is hungry... she happily smiles and entertains herself with objects she can reach...

Baby Kate appears to be huge... Last night, Pat joked that she is going to be taller than me when she is four years old... I have plumped her up as I like chubby babies... Mrs. Kathy says Baby Kate grows each weekend... Pat claims she gets bigger each day while he is at work...

Skill wise, I think that by constantly holding Kate, she may be a bit behind due to her lack of opportunities for her to experience life out of my arms... Mrs. Kathy calls it, keeping her "Babyfied"... just this week, I put Baby Kate in her bumbo- not because she didn't have one, just because she was content in her cradle swing and bouncy seat when out of my arms... only because of my mom's and sister in law Katie's harassment, did I finally let her stretch out on a blanket... I've enjoyed holding her and didn't want to put her down... Baby Kate doesn't know how to hold her bottle because I insist she is held and so is her bottle during feedings... soon enough, she will have to do so much for herself... but not yet...

Just today, I saw her reaching up and touching the butterflies hanging down on her swing... we had to remove the netting weeks ago because she was grabbing it and pulling it into her mouth...

Baby Kate still gets caught on her shoulder when she is trying to roll over... I know soon enough, she will be rolling over and over again...

Clearly, I'm not in a hurry for Baby Kate to grow up...

She is well worth the 15+ year wait!!!

Baby Kate

How I LOVE YOU!!!!  All I want to do is snuggle and hold you  ALL THE TIME!!!  You are using your hands so much!!!  Today I laid you down on the bed and you shoved the blanket into your mouth... you are also kicking and moving yourself sideways in bed.  I am afraid you are going to kick yourself off the bed... at the same time, I want to keep you in my bed forever!!!

18 Weeks: May 1-7, 2012

17 Weeks: April 24-30, 2012

Baby Kate's Official 17 Week Chair Photo

What a BUSY week we had during Baby Kate's 17th week...

Queeny stopped by on Tuesday, April 24th and insisted Baby Kate do "tummy time"... it is well known that I do not make my babies do tummy time when it upsets them... my philosophy is that my baby will learn to hold their head up in due time... no need to make them cry practicing... truth be told... I can't stand to hear my babies cry... especially when they are infants... just ask the lactation consultant who checked in on Baby Kate and me when Baby Kate was 3 days old and I was sobbing, I mean literally sobbing... she asked what was wrong and I said that Baby Kate was crying... she explained that it was OK for her to cry a little bit... or you can ask Pat who has finally realized the answer to his question, "Is this baby EVER going to be allowed to cry???"  Even though I told him no, he would not rush to pick her up when she made the tiniest peep...

Poor Baby Kate... I bet she's thinking: Mommy doesn't make her do this...

Maybe if I am quiet, they will forget about tummy time...

I might as well lift my head... looks like Queeny (in the background reading the paper) isn't going to give up...

Back to the bouncy seat... SO much better... I think I'll take my sock off and get comfy...

On Wednesday, it was Walk Your Kids To School Day at Lizzy, Jack, and Mary C.'s elementary school, so we all walked to school... Baby Kate was in the Baby BJorn, Sarah and Anna in their stroller, everyone else walked... Pat decided it was too far for me to walk a mile to school and another mile back with Sarah, Anna, and Baby Kate so he picked us up... I was stunned and relieved, my back was hurting from the Baby BJorn...

Yep...That's a 12 passenger van... Mommy calls it the bus...

Pat came home from work to watch the twins while I took the others to the dentist...About 1:30 we picked William and Patrick up from middle school, then Lizzy, Jack and Mary C from the elementary school and headed to the dentist... The dentist, who has known Pat and his family since Pat was a kid, thought Baby Kate looked like her Daddy...

Next stop was a quick trip home... Pat drove William and Patrick to their soccer game where they played the other middle school...I drove the other kids in the bus...

On Friday, April 27th, Baby Kate turned FOUR MONTHS OLD!!!

Baby Kate and Daddy on the porch

A close up while on Daddy's lap

 Baby Kate sleeping

Baby Kate checking to see if I'm finished taking photos

On Saturday, Baby Kate and I went to an all day Parenting Conference... I can't tell you how many time people told me what a great baby she was... I enjoyed being able to hold and snuggle her all day!!!

Patrick missed his Baby Sister while we were away... She missed him as well...look at that grin!!!

Sunday was such a nice day, but a bit chilly compared to the heat we had been having, so it was a perfect day to work in the garden... In case you haven't noticed...Baby Kate is not a fan of socks...

Saturday night, we had the first tornado warning of the year, so we went to the cellar... I smelled natural gas which led to the Gas Company coming out and fixing one leak and finding another... Monday morning we still had the gas turned off to the kitchen and downstairs bath...SO Baby Kate took a bath in my bathroom sink... just like when she was a newborn... BUT now, she barely fits!!!

I just love these close ups...

Baby Kate's chair photo at the end of the week...because I couldn't remember if I took one at the beginning of the week...

4 Months Old: April 27, 2012

Happy Baby Kate

Sleeping Baby Kate

Momma and Baby Kate

One Year Ago Today...

Was Good Friday, 2011... the day I found out I was pregnant with Baby Kate!!!

16 Weeks

Precious Princess had her 4 month well child check up early on Thursday, April 19, 2012... her double ear infection had cleared up... she weighed 13 pounds 9 ounces (58%), measured 254.5 inches long (69%), and her head circumference was 16 inches (48%)... I need to have her do tummy time for 30 minutes a day... since she had a sick visit on Monday, I requested we start her 4 month shots on her 4 month birthday (April 27, 2012) so we will go back then...

Baby Kate has been reaching for her toys for the 1st time!!!  She has also been reaching out to try and touch objects and looks like she is gesturing at times... she is reaching for her toys when sitting in her bouncy seat... she is also reaching out for objects in front of her when she is being held...

She completely tries to engage others by talking and smiling when someone comes into her view... All of the kids love to interact with her and try to get her to smile and talk...

Baby Kate has been pulling on the feet in her outfits... I keep trying to get a photo of her doing it, but no luck... she also grabbed onto my shirt last night when I was changing her diaper...

Baby Kate is losing her hair!!!  clearly a large patch is missing from the right side of head- which is interesting because she almost always sleeps with her head facing left... she is developing quite a receding hair line in front!!!

Last night/this morning at 4 am, she woke up smiley as ever... kicked her legs for a couple of minutes, passed gas, nursed and fell back asleep, snuggled in the fold of my arms... I wish moments like this would never end!!!

I would think after 16 weeks, Pat and I would no longer discuss in amazement the blessing of having Baby Kate in our lives, but we still are just as stunned she is our genetic offspring as we were the day we discovered we were pregnant!!!