Pop Pop's Pool

While in New York Kate had her first experience in the pool, and she actually did well. She was even kicking and splashing her arms a little. Her Daddy called it really big tubby time and was talking it up all week. I really like her bathing suit, hat, and sunglasses and surprisingly Kate did too. She really didn't fight us at all in wearing them. Not too long and Kate will be swimming just like her cousins Michaela and Jenna.

I Love NY!

Memorial Day weekend Kate, Brian, and I flew to Delmar for a weekend of fun. It was Kate's first airplane trip and she did wonderfully. She is quite the traveler as this is her fourth out of state trip since birth. She seems to be a pretty adaptable kid. In New York Kate loved playing with her cousins, seeing her NY friends and family, going to church, the action at the parade, the memorial day barbecue, swimming in the pool, and hanging out with everyone. Kate even had a late night trip to Beff's patio for a nightcap. (She slept soundly in her stroller of course.)
Linda and Wa got Kate a porta-crib for her house, and Kate started the same shenanigans in that crib that she did at my Mom's house, using the crib slats as monkey bars and maneuvering around. I think she is a little bit bored to be home now. She looks at me like where's all that action Mom. Well, we'll just have to make it back sooner rather than later. Thanks everyone for a great weekend!

What should I take to NY?

What's a girl to wear? Decisions, decisions. We are headed to Albany tomorrow for a Memorial Day weekend visit and we couldn't be more excited. Kate and I are busy packing today. Not only do I have to pack for myself, but I now have a little girl's wardrobe to consider too, and I think Kate's is actually more important. We are managing just fine, and as you can see having a little fun in the process.

Kate in the Garden

On Saturday we had a visit from our Chicago Nana. She came and helped us pick out and plant our flowers . She is certainly sharing her love of gardening with us, and not to mention making the entire task more enjoyable and manageable for Brian and I. Kate loved being outside during the process and "supervised" from her stroller.I was feeling pink this year and all of our flowers are pink or dark pink with dark purple and red to accent. We even found a beautiful pink hydrangea at one of the local nurseries and planted it in honor of our little girl.

Kate's trick of the weekend was finding her shouting voice. On Friday and Saturday she really discovered this loud voice and did not stop projecting it. I almost had a bit of a headache by the end of the day Friday and Kate was actually a little hoarse on Saturday. It was cute though and has thankfully subsided a bit. My Mom even commented on how we have our hands full with this little one. She is also finding just about everything funny, even me now.

CLICK HERE for Video of Kate Laughing at her Mom!

Thank You Nana

Dear Nana,

Thank you for my new excer-saucer. I love to sit in it, especially when Mommy cooks. I can bang on all the toys, and right now it is the only thing that keeps me occupied. You can see me enjoying it in the video below.

Love,
Kate

P.S. I can't wait for you to come and visit me again!

CLICK HERE for Video of Kate Chatting in her Saucer!

Kate 4 Month Pictures

We have lots of pictures of Kate from her 4th month. I can't believe how much she's changed and that we have a 4 month old! I think it's even neat to see how much she's changed from the beginning of the month to the end. She is quite the cutie in our unbiased opinions of course.
CLICK HERE for Kate's 4 Month Pictures!

Thanks for the Rattle!

Dear Gammy and Pop Pop,

I love the rattle! Mommy says it helps my hand eye coordination. You can see the video of me enjoying it below and how much I favor my right hand. I can't wait to see you in person soon.

Love,
Kate

CLICK HERE for Video of Kate Enjoying Her Rattle!

My First Mother's Day

It's kind of surreal that Mother's Day is now my day too. It's like all of a sudden gaining another birthday, but better! I remember last year at this time wondering if I might be pregnant by the next Mother's Day, and now that it's here I have a baby -- talk about surreal.
We had a great Sunday, and Brian made sure to make my first mother's day a special one. When I woke in the morning Kate had two new outfits to wear for the day laid out by her Daddy. (I completely agree with her onesie by the way.)
There was also a beautiful corsage for me to wear to church. After the service we came home for champagne and strawberries. Brian gave me my present, which were tickets to see a Shakespeare play in Stratford Ontario this summer. I can't wait to go. We then went to a beautiful brunch in the area. It was a great brunch in my book because it offered both eggs benedict and cannolis. After brunch I was able to nap, which was quite the treat. Maybe the best present of the day. Then we settled in for pizza and the Survivor finale. It was a great day thanks to my wonderful husband and of course my little girl.

Chicago Trip Take 3

Our latest trip to Chicago was a blast. Kate had fun seeing and playing with everyone. She also enjoyed a little fishing. She was great in the car once again and is becoming quite the road tripper. The three of us are all very excited for her upcoming plane trip to New York!

Kate Developments

Kate is growing so fast. The last week or so has brought some neat developments. Kate has really started to grasp things well and has thus found a new world of playing with toys. She stares so seriously at them and of course brings them all to her mouth. Her favorite is a little blanket/bear from her bedding set that her Dad has named, pinky. She gets pinky whenever Mommy really wants to get something done.

Kate has started making a really cute gurgling sound and has started smacking her lips. If you do these things to her, she thinks they are hilarious and sometimes replicates them herself. She is such a chatty girl, and if you leave the room she is in, she will start talking loudly for you to come back. When you come back in the room she gives you an ear to ear smile.

One of the biggest developments is that she is rolling over both ways. It is early for her to be doing this, but she loves the new found mobility. She so much wants to be a big girl. When she first started rolling over it was almost like an accident. Now she does this on her desire, which yesterday was every time I put her on her back! The only problem is she doesn't like being on her tummy that much and after a few minutes starts fussing for me to roll her back. She can roll from her tummy to her back, but hasn't developed this at will yet. It was her trick for the day yesterday.

She loves to try and sit up in all of her seats. She lurches forward as if she is trying to escape, which she probably is. Kate loves her Bumbo seat and we bring it with us whenever we go out to eat. She sits in the middle of our table like a big girl and creates quite the stir with the other restaurant goers.

Kate also loves staring at herself in the mirror. If Kate catches eye contact with someone she pretty much smiles. So when Kate catches herself in the mirror, she smiles. Then she sees "the baby" in the mirror smiling, so she smiles even bigger. Seeing "the baby" smile bigger makes her laugh. Seeing "the baby" laugh makes her laugh harder. It is like a cute circular argument and a great trick for when she is fussy.

One of my favorite things she does is give kisses. Considering how many kisses she gets herself, it is not a surprise she's figured it out herself. Our baby girl has been such fun and quite the handful!

CLICK HERE for Video of Kate Rolling Over!
CLICK HERE for Video of Kate Gurgling!
CLICK HERE for Video of Kate and Her Nana!

Bloggers Wanted

I've added some new blog links to our site on our sidebar. We really enjoy the updates from our friends near and far. There are a few more lives we'd like chronicled so consider this your invitation.

Lake House Visit

Brian's Trophy Bass

On Saturday Kate and I drove to Chicago again for the baby shower of a good family friend Lynn Politzki. It was great to see them, Lynn looked beautiful, and the shower was great. We can't wait to meet their little baby in late June. Brian took the Megabus in on Sunday night to have a marathon day of relaxing and fishing. He already has a huge catch for the day!

CLICK HERE for Video of Brian's Catch!

Kate has been advancing by leaps and bounds the last couple of days, I can barely keep up. (The next blog post may be a big one with lots of developmental updates.) One of her biggest accomplishments is now rolling over from her back to her tummy. Kate loves her new found mobility. In the new porta-crib my Mom bought for her house, Kate rolls on her side, grabs the bars of the crib with her hands, pushes at the bars with her feet, uses the crib slats as kind of a ladder, and manages to squirm herself around the perimeter of the porta crib. This advanced development is kind of cute at first and a little exciting, however, not so much when she is supposed to be sleeping or gets herself stuck. She is almost too active for her and our own good!

1 Minute of Laughs

Kate seems to have decided that I am her caregiver and Brian is the entertainment!

She certainly finds him hilarious...

CLICK HERE for Video of Kate Laughing!