Piggies!!!

Okay, okay. So the very moment the ultrasound tech said, "Looks like it's a girl!", I began the dreaming. Dreaming of pink. Dreaming of tea parties. And of course, dreaming of pigtails. Who doesn't love seeing a little girl with two, precious tufts of hair poking out the side of her little head? I know I'm a sucker for them.

But months went by and my beautiful daughter had little hair. Very little. Not really even enough for a little clippie.

Then came yesterday. Oh, yesterday! I was admiring our amazing little creation while she was watching Sesame Street and thought, "Hmm... I bet I can..." So I grabbed the hair bands, a comb and crossed my fingers that she wouldn't fight me...
AND IT WORKED! PIGGIES!!!





Too stinkin' cute. It really is a big milestone ;-) She also had her 18-month well check yesterday. Her stats, you ask?
Weight: 27.5 pounds (80th percentile: chubba-roo!!)
Height: 32.5 inches (75th percentile)
Head: Big. Yeah... 95th percentile. "Lots of brains" is a nice spin the Doc puts on that one.

Doc said she looks great, is ahead with vocabulary and the best thing: we're done with shots until she is 4-years-old! Woohoo! I hate seeing her cry when she gets shots- it is so sad. Glad that is behind us for a while!

The other day, we came home from my mom's house in the South Bay and she fell asleep in the car. She was still beat when we walked in the door, so I laid her down on the couch for a little bit. I couldn't believe how long she looked! My baby, who used to not even stretch from one side of the cushion to the other, is getting so big!



Crazy. I wish time would slow the heck down.

One and a Half!

While I was pregnant with Kathryn, we received so many generous gifts from people... it was unreal. Among all of the amazing things, we received quite a bit of 18-month sized clothing- for her to "grow into". I thought it would be impossibly long before she could wear those- after all, 18-months seemed like such a long time; so far away.

And here we are. Kate turned 18 months old yesterday. 6 months away from being a 2-year-old. Even her 1st birthday had seemed so far away, and now the 2nd birthday is coming. Fast. It is very strange for me... I have to admit. I'm really not sure how time has slipped by so quickly.

We spent yesterday afternoon playing in her $5.99 kiddie pool in the backyard. It was hot and sunny- perfect day for a dip. It makes me laugh that the smell of water from the hose takes me back to when I was little, playing in the front yard and drinking from the hose (which we ALL did when we were kids, but as it turns out, modern science and medicine say is a poor choice; how did my generation and those before me ever live...).

She loves the water- definitely a little fish. Guess we'll need to sign up for some swimming lessons for the summer!







This last one kills me... she is a classy girl.



I sometimes catch myself staring and smiling at her like a total goober. She really just amazes me! She is so curious and wants to explore everything. She talks so much now- and it's often hilarious. The other day, when she woke up from her nap, I walked in to her room and she immediately popped up and said, "I pooped!" Sure enough. Nice. She is a dancing machine, too. She is so fun... I think I still have to pinch myself every now and again to make sure this is all for real!

Happy one-and-a-half, baby!

Mother's Day

Since Sunday is technically a work day for me, we have little time to celebrate Sunday holidays- namely, Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Much to my surprise this morning, I was awakened by my littlest love standing by my bedside in her sweetest set of pajamas saying, "Moooooommy! Moooooomy!" I opened my eyes to see Matt carrying in a delicious breakfast in bed, complete with coffee, juice, french toast sticks, eggs and bacon; with a vase of red roses to go with it! It doesn't get much better than that! I ate up, snuggled with my loves for a while, then got up for the day.

After I got out of the shower, I could hear Matt milling around in the kitchen. When I came out to investigate, he was packing up our picnic set for a lunch on the beach. We grabbed the blanket, food, beach umbrella and the kiddo and headed down to Laguna Beach, right below the Montage Resort (fabulous, not crowded, beautiful landscaping on the walk-way above the beach). What a great day!

Zoo Day

Today we made a trip over to the Orange County Zoo. Matt and I had gone once before- before Kathryn was a part of our lives. It is a perfect zoo for a younger toddler- it's small, free admission for under 2 and only $2 for adults. There's a petting zoo-ish type area, which was where Kate clearly had the most fun.

I didn't really notice it while we were there, but now looking at the pictures, I have to laugh at her "bodyguard" of a father. Please observe.

All seems well here. Daddy and daughter are smiling and happy.


Still visiting the sheep. Daddy's hand making sure fingers aren't jabbed within biting distance. Note, daughter's other arm is also restrained.


Carefully approaching tiny goat in petting area. Note daddy's eye contact with mom, warning her to speed up picture taking process before tiny goat turns on daughter. For future reference, I believe we may see this look again when I am taking photos of Kate and her prom date...


Ahh... daughter is finally allowed to walk around on her own. Kind of. Note "hand-of-safety" attached to back of dress.


This is so typical Matt... but I love it. He cares so tenderly for Kate and it is apparent in every way. We had a fun day walking around the little zoo, checking out animals and hearing Kate refer to every animal as a dog (coyotes, peccaries), a kitty (bobcat, raccoons, fox) or a bird (well... yeah, she got those right).

Life is Busy.

March and April are crazy months for us. Between all the family birthdays, Lent and Easter (when you work at a church, its ridiculous), I feel like there is little time to do so much as breathe! So... yeah, a month has passed since I last updated here. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened, really.

Kate had her first gig as a flower girl at Carly & Chris' wedding on April 3rd. They got married up in Lodi at this fantastic winery called Wine & Roses. Everything was beautiful and Kate was a super star! She does love the spotlight :)





So far, I have to say that this is my favorite age. I know- I've said it probably every month since Kate has been born, but seriously. She's this little walking, talking, curious ball of fun now days. She's discovering so much and is such a little sponge. My current favorite things about my [baby] little girl:
* Dragging her blankie around, laying in the middle of the floor and saying "Niiiigh-niiiiigh".
* Giving big ol' kisses over and over again, complete with "MUAH!" sound.
* Dropping her blankie & lovies out of the crib and exclaiming, "Ohhh NO!" as they hit the floor.
* Touching her nose and saying, "Beep".
* Uncontrollable giggles when we chase after her (extra giggles if we crawl on our hands and knees).
* Her undying passion to use a spoon all by herself (always followed by bathtime).

Yeah. I could go on forever. She's fantastic.

Genetics

There is a tradition that runs in my family. It was passed down to me from my mother, to her from her mother... maybe even to my grandmother from her mother. It is well known among family to be something the women in our family have in common. Perhaps genetic.

What is it, you ask? Ok... I'll tell you. Come closer:
We're terrible housekeepers.

It's true. I've always wanted to be Suzy Homemaker, but I am afraid it may not be in the cards. There are times when I look around and think, My word. If some old friend showed up at my door right now, I'd have to poke my head out through the door and give them directions to meet me at the nearest Starbucks in order to avoid complete embarrassment. That's pretty bad.

I went on a cleaning kick the other night (which happens oh-so-rarely). The strange thing is, I feel SO good when my house is spic-and-span. Really good. Like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders. Like I can breathe a little easier. So it should be easy to keep things clean right? Hmm. Funny how that never works out.

I've informed Matt that once we're homeowners, I intend to hire a cleaning service. Once I have that pride of ownership, instead of that crappy "eh, it's a rental" attitude, I hope I'll feel a bit more motivated. I hope. But just in case, I plan to hire the professionals.

In the meantime, if you intend to drop by... could you give me 24 hours notice? I'll have some tidying up to do.

Where's your....?

I've started my own little project- a 365 project. One photo every day for 365 days! It will be tough to actually commit to taking and posting a photo every day, but I like the challenge! www.onephotofor365.blogspot.com

Today Kate and I went out in the yard to play and take some pictures. To keep her attention, we played the "Where is your _______?" game!

Where is your mouth?

Check out the CHOMPERS! These "first year" molars are intense! They must h.u.r.t because she has been extraordinarily whiny! They look huge- I can only imagine how much they must ache :(

Where are your eyes?


Where are your feet?


She is so cute- it really is unreal. She is just so much fun.

All I have ever wanted was to be a mommy. When I was little, I wanted to be a mommy. In high school, I knew one day I wanted kids. When I met Matt, his desire to have kids in the future was a big plus. When I got pregnant so quickly, my dreams were coming true. Now I have this perfect little bundle of love... and I am so blessed. But sometimes I find myself wondering: how could I ever love another child as much as I love Kate?

I know I will (presuming that we're blessed with another baby one day). But it was difficult to imagine loving Kate as much as I do before she was born. Now that she is in our lives, I wonder... could I love another little person as much as I love her? How can someone have that much love? The love I feel for her is sometimes overwhelming. The natural love and protection I have for her is sometimes even frightening- like I would do ANYTHING to protect my daughter. As an only child, I never felt any competition for love. I am excited for the future- for God to teach me how much a human being is capable of loving. I think that I am sadly unaware of how much capability to love we are actually given as humans. It really is boundless, I am sure.

I'm off to bed... before I crawl under the covers tonight, I'll no doubt turn on my video monitor, take a look at my sleeping sweet pea and thank God for that girl. That girl! She is a blessing beyond words. And Matt will, no doubt, get a kiss too. :)