Kate at Play

I grabbed my digital camera and took a series of pictures of Kate playing in her room the other day. Start here if you want to see her in action.

Pillow Fight!

Kate loves mornings when daddy is home. She woke up this morning saying, "Daddy... ball! Daddy... ball!" Clearly, she's a child with an agenda. They just got into the most hilarious pillow fight. We were all on our bed and Mike got a pillow and handed one to Kate. He started to hit her, so I helped her with a few swings back in his direction. She caught on quick and was having a blast! Every time he hit her, he said, "I love you!" She was giggling, especially at his exaggerated responses to each of her hits. I love seeing them play together.

Little Miss Manners

Kate's doing so well using "please" and "thank you" these days. She's been able to say and sign "please" for several months, but she does it more and more spontaneously, and now says "thank you" as well. I was pretty laid back about teaching them (never withholding things because she didn't say them, just modelling saying them for her, mostly). I figured she has plenty of time to learn to be polite and she learned them quickly and uses them correctly without me being pushy at all!

She's got a little cough right now. :o( Since she's weaned, she's caught as many bugs in a month as she had in her entire life previously. :o(

A New Diaper Cover?

Kate and I were just hanging around the house, so she was playing in a coverless diaper, when the mail came. I looked and I had gotten a package from a friend, which included a cute ribbon tutu for Kate! I was so excited, I put it right on over her diaper and she ran around saying "Pretty!" and touching it.

Can't leave her for thirty seconds...

While I went to the bathroom the morning, Kate pulled out a dining room chair, climbed up onto it and then onto the kitchen table. I found her standing on the table, looking quite pleased with her accomplishment. I knew that she could hypothetically do it, I just thought it would take her longer than 30 seconds (including travel time to the table from her bedroom.) She is so physical! She's also discovered in the past month the myriad of ways she can go down stairs by herself.

Oh, she had a well baby visit yesterday: 28 inches long, 20.5 lbs. She's in great health and was very cooperative throughout her exam.

Mom's Little Helper

Today, Kate took the laundry basket out of the kitchen and pushed it around the house, occasionally dropping in things she had left on the floor. How helpful! If only she didn't take everything out to begin with...

Some Audio Love

We're decent at uploading photos of Kate and figured it might be fun to upload some audio every once in a while.

Follow this link to hear Kate say "bye." She used to say "buh-bye" in much the same voice and inflection as most babies, but has given it a little more personality recently.

Surprised by Joy

It's amazing to me how delightful one tiny girl can be.

I love to watch Kate concentrate and focus on doing small tasks like stacking many cups or building block towers as tall as she is.

I love to be the recepient of Kate-initiated hugs and kisses.

I love to hear her say new words or improve the way she enunciates the ones she knows.

I love to see her joy in our understanding when she communicates what's on her mind.

There's so much to look forward to as she grows and matures, but also so much to cherish about today's Kate.

"Pretty"

This morning, Kate found one of my cocktail dresses in the closet. She approached it with the reverence all females seem to have for formal wear. "Oooooooh," she said, while stroking it. "Is that a pretty dress, Kate?" I asked her. "Pretty," she said, while stroking it some more. "Pretty."

I Miss Her

Since I've been sick, I haven't spent much time with Kate in the last day and a half and I really miss her. I've seen her. I've read her a few books, but we typically spend all day every day together and its weird to spend so much time away. She's been a little off today, herself, even though she's spent lots and lots of time with *the dad* who is, of course, the person she is most excited to be around. These sorts of experiences remind me that no matter how confident and outgoing Kate seems, she's still just 15 months old!

15 months old

Kate is 15 months old today! She's a climbing, jumping, running toddler with all eight basic teeth and one 2 year molar. She weaned this month (more due to my pregnancy than anything else) but still hasn't taken to whole milk, though she loves cheese and yogurt. She says a whole range of things and picks up funny little phrases all the time, like "bad dog" the other day at the Gross' when Gracie peed on the rug. She likes to try to count ("two, two, three!"). She likes to scribble on paper with pens and pencils, but crayons still seem more like food and less like writing utensils. She has a healthy fascination with babies, considering that she's going to be a big sister in 3 short months.