Week 32: August 7-13, 2012

 What a week it has been!!!

 ARMY CRAWLING!!!

 

So...Friday night, I'm upstairs and come down the steps to hear Pat asking me..."What is your definition of crawling???"  I say, "No, no... don't tell me...I'm not ready..." About two hours later, he has put Kate on the floor...only because I left her at home to pick the boys up from a pool party...otherwise she would have been in my arms... and I see IT... I see her moving forward...moving arms and legs... I can't deny it any longer...  Pat proudly declares that I probably would have noticed sooner if I ever put her down...He's probably right...and I'm proud that Baby Kate was almost always in my arms...right where she should be!!!

Saturday morning, I'm hopeful she forgot her stunt from the night before...no luck...she is officially ON THE MOVE!!!

 FIRST TOOTH!!!

I now know she was feeling that 1st tooth with her tongue in this photo!!!

 

 Sunday afternoon, I put my finger in her mouth and felt it... her 1st tooth... it's on the bottom to her right...super sharp!!!  I have to admit, Pat acknowledged BOTH before me... but he didn't tell me about the tooth until I told him... then he says that he thought he felt that YESTERDAY... I told him if he could wait 24 hours to share... he could have waited the rest of his life and let me think I discovered it!!!

Next I told him that meant that I got to have another baby...since he discovered Baby Kate's two Firsts before me...he just laughed and walked away... 

I do have to admit that I was a bit nervous and feeling very vulnerable when I went to nurse Baby Kate on Sunday night... but realized that if I didn't feel the tooth that morning, I probably wouldn't feel it that night... so far so good!!!

I'm not ready for my BABY to grow up!!!

Time is FLYING By!!!

With Eight Blessings home for the summer and a week in Orange Beach, Alabama, we have been quite busy!!!

Baby Kate officially turned Six Months Old on June 27, 2012.  I took her to the pediatrician on June 25, where we thrilled to hear she is still close to the top of the charts in all areas... Tall and Skinny... which is so funny if you know Pat and me in real life... genes are a funny thing!!!

Notice Baby Kate is almost as tall as I am in this photo!!!

Doesn't Baby Kate look huge in her Daddy's arms???

We left for Orange Beach on June 30... Baby Kate was loved on by my entire side of the family...

Baby Kate in Aunt Katie's lap

Only Baby Kate gets to play with Grand's glasses...

Baby Kate and Cousin Ray

Lizzy, Cousin Abby, and Baby Kate

Queeny and Baby Kate

Queeny made a "Spit Curl" in Baby Kate's hair, just as Queeny's mom (Granny) did to Queeny's hair in Queeny's six month photos...

 As usual, Baby Kate was also loved on by her immediate family...

Jack and Baby Kate read the Guest Book

William feeds Baby Kate her bottle by the pool.

Patrick snuggles Baby Kate and soothes her with his finger...

Patrick and Baby Kate hanging out...

Honestly, I'm against Patrick putting his finger in her mouth due to germs...BUT how many 13 year old boys would come out of the restroom during a car trip and announce to their parents, "I washed my hands really well, so if Baby Kate starts to cry, I can stick my finger in her mouth to get her to stop."  I am so proud of all of my kids!!! and did remind him to use a pacifier instead...

During our family photo shoot on July 4, truly a dream come true... we learned a new term from my very close friend, Alicia, who volunteered her time to "brush hair and fluff dresses"... what a true blessing our almost 19 year friendship has been!!!  Baby Kate was not a huge fan of the "Baby Hole" photos, but did tolerate and smile for them briefly...

Baby Kate has quite the grip and tries to grab anything and everything in her field of vision...

 Sometimes Baby Kate puts things in her mouth...

Baby Kate is also very busy using her feet to grab toys and play...

While on vacation, I discovered nursing Baby Kate on the beach is awesome!!!  I am so grateful and thankful God blessed me with the opportunity to have that experience!!!  She continues to nurse most days before nap time and first thing in the morning...since returning home from Alabama, Baby Kate has been nursing several times a night as we continue to cosleep..

Once again, it was declared by my Mom and sister in law, Katie, that she looks just like my Mom and brother, Peter, Katie's husband and sleeps just like Uncle Peter... with her mouth open... I'm not sure if Peter usually sleeps with his tongue sticking out though...

  

Baby Kate also got all swaddled up by Queeny and Aunt Katie when Mommy took the big kids to the beach one night...

 Baby Kate also got to take a brief snooze on the beach...

 

Still no teeth, which is a plus with nursing...

Baby Kate also enjoyed her 1st jar of baby food...Veggie Stew!!!!  Before that it was natural apple sauce...

All too soon, it was time to go home!!!!

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...