Happy Half Birthday!

On Sunday Kate hit the 6 month mark! We're half way to her first birthday and I can't believe how quickly time is passing. She has changed so much! Between 5 months and 6 months and good crop of hair has appeared on her head and I swear there is a little more there every day! So cute and fluffy!

Here is the 6 month monkey pic:


A couple of weekends ago, we made a trip out to the desert for one night. She did great and went in the pool for the first time... its hard to say whether she liked it or not. She didn't seem to *not* like it, but wasn't too sure about it (but this picture makes it look like she was unhappy- she really wasn't).



It only took 6 months, but I think I am finally getting into the swing of motherhood. It all works out now (most of the time) and I am learning to relax and enjoy Kate more, rather than worrying all the time. She gets more and more fun all the time- I just want to sit on the floor and play with her and teach her all day!

Eating is fun now... she really digs oatmeal and now we're starting to add veggies and fruits. Right now we're on carrots- makes for some wacky colored diapers, that is for sure! The faces she makes when trying something new are classic! I would post pictures, but we've been slow on picture taking since my Rebel XT is out of commission right now (huge bummer...).

Soon she will be moving all over the place (she already propels herself across the room by rolling over and over and over...) and I am going to be exhausted, but we are so excited about all of the wonderful things to come.

I was really awakened to how blessed we are when I read that the girl who runs a website I frequent (mom4life.com) lost her baby boy at 37 weeks. They discovered that he no longer had a heartbeat and she had to deliver her sweet angel, only to bury him days later. For someone I don't even know, her story haunted me. It tore at my heart and I thought about it a lot. It isn't fair. But her faith in God is awe-inspiring. She trusts in God's will and is being so faithful. I admire that. It opened my eyes to hear her story, and it made me all the more thankful for the beautiful baby girl napping in the room next to me. I don't know how I could be so blessed, but I am thankful.

In other news, my grandpa took a pretty nasty fall last Monday. He fractured a vertebrae in his neck and has been fitted with a 'halo' (one of those metal things they screw into your head). He'll be in that for 3 months. If you read this, please take a minute to lift him up in prayer, that he would remain in good spirits and that he would not encounter any setbacks that would keep him from returning to life as usual fairly soon. Thanks! Kat wants her great-grandpa to be able to come down and visit again!

Feliz!

Cinco de Mayo! After I posted that last one I realized it was Cinco de Mayo. A year ago today, we had our friends over for a fiesta and announced that our guest room would be transformed into a nursery in the coming months! Oh, how time flies!

New Lens!

I splurged and bought a new lens for my camera (ok, it isn't a big splurge... it is the cheapest lens you can get, but it is SO cool!). Here are a few from my first times playing with it:






Takes some getting used to... it doesn't zoom, so I have to do the work of moving around, but that is kind of neat. I have also discovered the beauty of shooting in RAW- very cool! It gives you so much more control in editing (i.e. it makes my pics look so much better than they actually come out looking, since I'm no pro). I'm even shooting in manual mode, people... adios, "Auto" mode!

Kate is more and more fantastic all the time and even when I think it is impossible to be any more in love with her, I find myself more in love with her each day. Today I realized how frightening love can be. As I watched tv, there was a teaser to a story that would be aired on 48 Hours or one of those mystery shows: a nanny accused of killing this little baby girl. I felt physically ill. Who could do that? What would I do if someone tried to hurt my daughter? The answer scares me. I felt like a lioness. A mother bear. If someone tried to harm my Kathryn, my cub, Lord help them. Even the very thought of it made this... I can only explain it as a 'heat', build up inside of me... scary. I'm not a violent person, and I'm certainly not the strongest. But God forbid anyone should threaten harm upon my family, there is a primal part of me that would do anything to protect her. Rawr.

Whoo. That was heavy. On a lighter note, my amazing, wonderful and always thoughtful Matt watched the lovebug today so I could go use my Glen Ivy gift certificates today with my mom! Now, pre-natal massages were great. Super. But it was SO fantastic to get a real-deal massage today! The facial was excellent as well. Ooh. I feel refreshed! And do you know how long it's been since I was able to enjoy a hot tub? Over 16 months, I can tell you that, because hot tubs are a "no no" when you're pregnant. It was amaaaaaazing! So thanks, Matty-C... Best. Husband. Ever.

Well, it's off to bed for me. Hooray for sleep!