Finally Updating...

Right... so, it has only been about a month since I updated this bad boy. Eh well... full-time job, child and husband take up some time, strangely enough.

On to the important stuff: Kate has two teeth, is army-crawling all over the place and is my sweet little 8-month old super baby! Here's the monthly monkey picture and the best attempt at getting a picture of her little chompers!




Kate had her first 4th of July experience and, in typical Kate Conrad fashion, wasn't going to miss one second of the excitement. We went to my mom & grandpa's house to watch the fireworks, Matt's parents and Eloise also joined us, and Kate wasn't about to go to sleep before she saw some stuff blow up in the sky. Can't blame her- it's exciting business when you're a little squirt like her.



As it turns out, Kate and Matt were able to survive the 5 days without me while I took 8 of the CLC kids and 4 FPCO kids up to the Sacramento Delta for our annual houseboat trip. It was fantastic to not be pregnant this year so I could wakeboard and the like. It was not fantastic; however, to miss my daughter with every thread of my being. Leaving her was the worst- I was a wreck. But we all survived and now we're reunited (and it feels so good). I do believe she will be a daddy's girl... I mean look at them- she's his mini-female-me:

The matching dimple is almost too cute to bear! This, of course, was before Matt made a sudden decision to Bic his head last night... we're full of surprises in the Conrad household, you know.

Suddenly she has learned to army crawl and it is so fun! I know she'll be up crawling around soon... it will come soon- too soon! What happened to my tiny little schmoopsy!?

She's also very into her walker. Ok, now darn it, I am a good mom... and yes, I let her play in a walker sometimes. She's no where near any stairs, I watch her closely to make sure she isn't getting into things, and I leave her in it for very short periods of time... so to all you baby walker critics, if you have a problem with that, then... well... deal with it, I guess. She finally figured out how to go forward- it was all backward for a while, which was pretty funny. This was before she had it mastered, but still undeniably cute...


Well, it is approaching 11pm and I won't make it much longer... I'll try to be more diligent on updating here. Maybe. We'll see.

Still no tooth in sight.

So for all that I was sure we'd be seeing some teeth by now, the smile remains toothless. She is sleeping ok now, but still chews everything in sight. I swear she's been "teething" for months now. The gums feel ready- just no chompers yet.

She is getting so fun- so much personality. I love hearing her talk, "Ba-ba-ba-ba-baaa," and "La-lala," and "da-da-da-da-daaaaa". Yeah. Lots of 'dada'... not so much 'mama'. But it isn't like she even knows what either of those things mean. It is fun to hear it, nonetheless.

Kate's first time on the grass was interesting... can't say she was a huge fan:




We hit the 7th month and are rapidly approaching 8 months. I can't believe how fast this first year is going. There was a little 12 day old baby girl at church last week, and she was sooo tiny. I said I didn't think Kate was ever that small. As it turns out- this baby was bigger than Kate when she was born! She was close to 9 pounds- Kate wasn't even 8 pounds! How quickly I've forgotten what an itty bitty little thing she was. Look at the comparison!



In a little over a week I'll be leaving my girl for almost a week to take my youth group on houseboats :( While I am excited about the trip, the thought of leaving my sweet girl for a week is tearing me up. I know Matt is the best daddy ever and will take great care of her- I will just miss her. Will she forget me? Will she get her first tooth or start crawling while I'm gone, and I will miss those things? Ahhh! Yeah. I'm a wreck.

We took her down to Crystal Cove last weekend for her first beach experience: it was beautiful down there! The last time we'd gone down there was the day I went into labor :) It was super sunny and the waves were huge! There were dolphins playing in the surf... it was a perfect Southern California day. Not sure Kate was a big fan... I dipped her feet in the water, and she wasn't terribly pleased. The water was a little cold and the waves were very loud... it might have been a bit overwhelming for a little squirt.



Well, we're getting ready to start our day... many more stories to come!

Teething is NO FUN.

I almost wish I could remember how it felt to start growing your first teeth so that I could sympathize a little better with my poor little lady. The two swollen bumps on her lower gums and her fussiness are sure signs that we'll soon see the appearance of Kate's first teeth! While it is an exciting step, it is rough. She has been Fussy McFusserson the past few nights and hasn't slept her usual 10-12 hours in a while. Oh well- if she needs the comfort in the night, then comfort she shall have.

I am not usually a huge fan of hot weather, but it is fun to be able to let Kate hang out in nothing but a diaper... those baby rolls of chubbiness are too cute not to enjoy now that it is nice and warm!

At her 6 month check up last week (even though she was 6 1/2 months) she was weighing in at 18.7 lbs. and was 26 inches long... big girl! We build them sturdy in the Conrad family. She is a lover of food- totally happy with her oatmeal, veggies and fruit. In fact, she seems to be more fired up about veggies than she is about fruit. Weird!

Here are some pictures from hanging out in her activity center (clothing optional- diaper required):




My mom and I have started our own little business: Kiss Me, Katie Handpainted Wall Letters. Right now we are just using an Etsy shop, but we're hoping to take it beyond that. We paint wall letters for children's rooms. So if you need a baby gift- we're your girls! Etsy is super cool- there is so much fun stuff on there, and it is all handmade. I could do some serious shopping on there! Cute shoes, purses, clothes, art... everything you could want!

Kate is continually fabulous- she can sit on her own like a champ now, and I can tell we aren't far from her crawling days... it won't be long now. She is such a happy, smiley little girl (aside from the teething fun). I am more and more in love with her everyday. Sometimes, when I am tired and frustrated, I don't feel worthy to be a mommy to such an amazing little miracle. She is just too perfect for words!

Well, we're well on our way to the 7-month mark... where has the time gone???

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!

5 Months!

April 18th marked 5 months of life for our little lady! Cuter than ever, she is quickly outgrowing her monkey! For the 5 month picture, poor Monkey's little green flower is missing from his body... one morning, as Kat wrestled Monkey in her crib, she pulled the flower right off! I could stitch it back on easily enough, but it is likely she'll just pull it off again, and I wouldn't want her to choke on it (since everything goes in the mouth these days).

It's hard to believe we're coming up on 6 months... for some reason it seems like 6 months is a big milestone. My 'mini-goal' for nursing was to make it to 6 months then decide from there whether to continue or to wean... I haven't made up my mind yet. I know the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends a year, and it is way cheaper than formula (free, in fact... I don't charge per ounce), but we'll see. Maybe we'll go until she has teeth. Maybe we'll go a year. I don't know yet. Some days I am ready to give up... other days I love that personal time I have with her. It's a toss up right now.

The highchair got put together today... I put her in it for a minute and she wasn't quite sure. We've tried cereal a couple of times now, but she seemed not so excited. So we waited another week and tried again this morning. She was a little more enthusiastic, so perhaps I'll start giving her a little every morning to get her in the routine, then see whether to start adding in other foods. I'm not in a rush, but I want to do it the right way. I just had her on my lap this morning, instead of trying to add the highchair into the mix. I think she needs to be a little more comfortable with the idea of the food before we do the chair. Solid food experiences are funny... check out the look we got the last time we gave her cereal!


She's growing and changing all the time and is so much fun... what an adventure!